The Story Thus Far
Chapter One: Mallory Kalvornek and her lover Julie Hanson have returned to Bronning, Minnesota, for the first time in years to catch up with friends and family. Meanwhile, their old friend (and occasional sex partner) paramedic Nettie Hastings fights to save a life, her lover Hannah drops by with an unexpected surprise, Terry Wilder grapples with writer’s block… and two little girls living in a trailer park named Heather and Gina are being carefully observed by a hidden stranger.
Chapter Two: Mallory and Julie get together at Nettie’s home with Nettie and her lover Hannah, Nettie’s friend Terry Wilder, Terry’s teen daughter Halee, and Mallory and Julie’s friend (and occasional sex partner) Cindy. Gossip is exchanged, memories shared, and an unexpected attraction between Mallory and Terry Wilder reveals itself. Meanwhile, the mother of the two trailer park girls Heather and Gina goes out for a night on the town, oblivious to the presence of the man spying on her home.
Chapter Three: At Nettie’s place, Nettie and Hannah leave the others to indulge in a bit of romantic pleasure, while Julie and her old friend Cindy get it on with Terry’s teen daughter Halee. As for Mallory, she has repaired to Terry’s place for one of her occasional bouts of heterosexual action. Appetites are indulged, confidences shared. Meanwhile, Heather and Gina are abducted from their trailer home by a mysterious and very scary man.
Chapter Four: At Nettie’s place, four women and Halee Wilder greet the morning after an evening of lesbian abandon. Later that day, Mallory rejoins Julie, Nettie, Cindy and Hannah for a day of fishing. Halee returns home and spends the day upgrading her internet in preparation for promised to be a fun night of video chat sex with her girlfriend Bethany. Meanwhile, Grace and Heather are in the custody of the mysterious man, who seems to takes delight in terrorizing them.
Chapter Five: After their day of fishing, Nettie, Julie, Cindy, Mallory & Hannah engage in a five-woman sexfest inside a tent… and with the use of Cindy’s phone, their old friend and occasional bedmate Emma attends the orgy virtually. In the midst of their abandon, Nettie has a weird, vague memory flashback that leaves her shaken, but she conceals it from the others. Back home, Halee and her new love interest Bethany (Hannah’s daughter) are having long-distance sex via their laptops.
Chapter Six: Nettie has a heart-to-heart with Hannah about her personal demons. Later, she gets a call from Agent Bridgett Ramscone, who has an unsettling request: for Nettie to go through the documentation of her own childhood kidnapping — and the murder of her sister — as a possible way to gain insight into the abduction of Heather and Gina (who are still being emotionally abused by their kidnapper, but are also taking steps to escape). Nettie is shaken, but agrees to do what she can.
Chapter Seven: Many years after the fact, submerged memories of Nettie’s kidnapping began to make themselves known — memories of a possible accomplice to the original crime. She shares her thoughts with Bridgett. Meanwhile, Heather and Gina work on a potential escape from their makeshift prison.
Chapter Eight: Nettie unearths more hints that kidnap victims Heather and Gina were abducted by the same man who kidnapped and brutalized Nettie and her deceased sister over a decade ago — but that man was known to have died in prison. Gina manages to escape captivity. But Heather can’t fit through the opening they dug, and must remain behind. Nettie gets a possible fix on the girls’ captor who, while out and about, gets a flat tire — then he discovers the spare is flat as well.
Chapter Nine: The man who kidnapped Gina and Heather must get his flat spare tire fixed, not knowing the police have been alerted to him and are searching the area. Nettie, who is also hunting for the man, manages to find his abandoned car — then, some time later, makes an even more startling discovery: little Gina, alone and weeping by an abandoned road. In the meantime, the kidnapper manages to make his escape from the area by phoning a mysterious woman to pick him up.
Chapter Ten: Mallory meets with her mother, Sharon, for the first time in months, but fails to learn the cause of the recent distance between them. Nettie is still obsessed with Jacob Brentshaw, the man who kidnapped her and murdered her sister Annamarie so many years ago, sensing he is also behind the recent kidnapping as well… but can’t get past the fact that Brentshaw was killed in prison. Her actions saved the lives of Gina and Heather, but she remains determined to keep working the case on her own. For the first time, Nettie tells her lover Hannah about her own kidnapping and Annamarie’s death, events she has refused to discuss with anyone for years.
Chapter Eleven: Terry finds himself at loose ends, questioning his current life path, and decides to open up to than his dear friend and former sex partner Nettie. She and Hannah lend a sympathetic ear, then their conversation turns to kidnappings — the recent one, as well as Nettie’s own horrific abduction over a decade earlier, when her sister was murdered. She is fast coming round to the conclusion that both kidnappings involved an accomplice.
Chapter Twelve: A sleepover is in progress at Terry’s place while he is out. When the girls retire to their rooms, Halee phones her girlfriend Bethany and puts her on speaker to hear her younger sister Naomi and Chelsey going at it through their adjoining walls, and a good time is had by all. Upon returning home, Terry does some work on an idea for a new novel after months of inaction. Mallory is still unsure what to do with the family farm, and Nettie runs some ideas about the recent kidnapping case past Agent Ramscone.
Chapter Thirteen: Four members of the Pussy Posse — Mallory, Julie, Jamie, and Emma — are spending quality time together, along with Julie’s younger sister Vicky. News, gossip, memories, and innuendo are bandied about. Vicky hesitantly speaks of a recent sleepover where she overheard a couple of the girls saying hurtful things about her, an incident that still stings badly. The four women offer her comfort and understanding, which soon becomes something more.
Chapter Fourteen: Mallory, Julie, Jamie, Emma and Julie’s younger sister Vicky are having a barbecue and sleepover. Vicky loves hanging out with the Pussy Posse, but feels a little self-conscious, knowing that the women will very likely be having group sex later that evening. But Julie boldly her sister to join the sapphic festivities. Vicky is hesitant at first, especially at the prospect of coupling with her older sibling, but Julie manages to put her at ease. The four women and one teen adjourn for the master bedroom. Clothes are removed, bare bodies mingle, pleasure is shared.
Chapter Fifteen: Halee and her new girlfriend Bethany (daughter of Nettie’s lover Hannah), spend time roaming the town, getting to know one another better. Later on, they spend time together in a more intimate way. Meanwhile, Mallory and her partner Julie get a piece of surprising, potentially life-changing news.
Chapter Sixteen: Mallory is pregnant, and Terry Wilder is the father. She visits Bronning to give him the news, then they join Julie at Nettie’s place to discuss the situation. Terry chooses to leave the final decision in Mallory’s hands, but makes it clear that he is willing to raise the child as his own if Mal doesn’t want to be a mother.
Chapter Seventeen: Nettie pays a visit to the trailer park to visit Gina and Heather, the two girls she saved from a mysterious kidnapper. Still grappling with distant memories of her own kidnapping, she shows the girls a mugshot of Jacob Brentshaw, who was convicted of abducting her and murdering her twin sister Anna years earlier, but they tell her it isn’t the same man, despite disturbing similarities. Afterward, she gets an angry call from FBI agent Latisha Miller, who already knows about this visit to the girls. Nettie admits to pursuing this all-but-closed case, but refuses to back off. Against her better judgment, Agent Miller is coming around to allowing Nettie to continue her investigation. Meanwhile, Mallory, Julie and Terry visit a doctor to discuss Mal’s unexpected pregnancy.
For a list of the characters from the story you are now reading, visit this page.
For a list of the characters from the previous two stories that you will encounter here as well, visit this page.
And now, dear readers, we make our way into the next installment. Read on…
by Rachael Yukey
Breakin’ the chains around me
Nobody else can bind me
Take a good look around me
Now I’m breakin’ the chains.
Dokken, 1983
“I don’t like it,” Bridgett Ramscone was saying. Her face was tiled next to that of Latisha Miller on Nettie’s laptop screen. “More to the point, my bosses would never sanction this. Neither would yours, Tisha, and you know it.”
Nettie shrugged. “So if shit gets real, you disavow me. ‘She did what? I told her to keep her nose out of it’. Plausible deniability on your end. And I’ll go along with it.”
“It isn’t just about that,” Bridgett insisted. “Let’s say you start poking around, and actually stir something up. You’ll become a target, and we have no way to provide protection.”
“I’m willing to take that chance.”
Bridgett’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe I’m not.”
Despite the tension, Nettie had to smile. “It’s sweet that you’re worried about me.”
“I worry about all my agents,” Bridgett retorted, a hard edge to her voice. “I don’t like sending them into dangerous situations under the best of circumstances, and this is hardly that. For God’s sake, Nettie, you’re not trained for this. Have you ever even fired a handgun?”
Nettie’s expression became wry. “I took a yip at a couple of tin cans with one of my dad’s revolvers when I was fourteen.”
Bridgett rolled her eyes. “Bet you missed, too. See what I’m getting at? You’ll be putting yourself in a position where you might have to protect yourself, and you’re neither trained or equipped to do so. Look—I’m sorry, but I can’t get behind this. It’s simply too risky. Tell her, Tisha.”
Agent Miller laced both hands behind her head. “I’m torn, if we’re being honest. I mean, you’re right, this could backfire pretty badly if Nettie is actually onto something, and neither of us wants that on our conscience, even if we could avoid being held officially responsible. On the other hand—”
Unlacing her hands, she placed them on her desk and leaned forward. “In order to pursue this, I’d have to divert attention from much more immediate cases, and I’ll never be able to justify it. Which sucks, because I think it might just be valid. It’s worth a certain amount of risk to prevent this fuckstick from kidnapping and probably killing any more little girls. I honestly don’t know what the best answer is.”
Bridgett rolled her eyes. “You don’t have anybody who could devote a couple of afternoons—”
“No, damn it, I don’t. I’m supervising two current kidnapping cases with actual missing persons at the moment, as well as maintaining the follow-up operation in Virginia. Add to that the fact that two members of my team are on leave right now. The moment the Dulcey girls were located and the perp slipped through our fingers, this case was added to a very long list, and it’s nowhere near the top.”
“Jesus Christ.” Bridgett growled, drumming her fingers on her desk. “I still—no. No. A minimal chance of tracking this guy down is not worth the risk of Nettie being unpersoned. And you know damn well it’s a risk.”
Nettie’s eyes dropped to her desktop as she fought a brief internal battle. Then she looked back to the screen, a new determination in the set of her jaw. “Tell you what…”
Bridgett cocked her head. “What?”
“You let me do this, give me as much guidance and support as you can get leeway for, and—and you win, Bridgett. I put in my notice at Thormleton, and go into training for investigations. Green-light this, and you get me.”
Bridgett rocked back in her chair. “Is this really what you want, or are you that desperate to pursue this?”
Nettie let out a single laugh. “A little of both, actually. I’ve already been thinking it’s something I have to try, at least for a while. It probably would have happened anyway, just maybe not this soon. One thing, though.”
Bridgett cocked her head. “Yes?”
“If I have my pick of investigative agencies—”
“You do, honey,” Miller broke in.
“Then I’m not sure the DEA is right for me. I give you my word that I’ll try it first, though.”
Bridgett sighed. “Look, Nettie—”
“I’m going after him, Bridgett. I’m doing it with or without your blessing. Give me some help.”
Bridgett stared at her hands for a long moment, then looked up at the screen. “What’s your plan?”
“I’m gonna go down to Iowa and visit his youngest sister, Melissa. She lives in Cedar Rapids.”
Miller frowned. “I don’t get it.”
“I don’t either,” said Bridgett. “I mean—why her, in particular? I seem to recall she was a whole hell of lot younger then Jacob—”
“Sixteen year age gap,” Nettie broke in.
Bridgett inclined her head. “Right. She’d still have been in high school when he was convicted. She’s the least likely to have been involved.”
“That’s the point,” said Nettie. “She’s way younger than his other siblings, and she’s their exact opposite in every single regard. She has a successful career, and owns a home in a nice suburb. Literally the whole rest of the family is white trash, and most of them have been in legal trouble. I doubt there’s much love lost between her and the folks back home.”
“I still don’t get why you want to talk to her first,” Miller interjected.
“Because,” said Nettie, “the odds of her having been involved in any way are slim going on nil, so there’s a decent chance I can question her without raising any alarms. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that she keeps the rest of the family at arm’s length. But anyway—”
She paused, marshalling her thoughts. “Even if it turns out she’s completely estranged, she grew up with those people, and she can probably give me all kinds of insight into the family dynamic. She’ll know about the skeletons in the closet; anything from who got caught cheating at cards to who knocked up his brother’s wife. Where the tensions are, where the safe spaces are, who’s especially chummy with who. Who hates whose guts. What I’ll be doing with her is fishing to know which direction to go in next. Because right now I don’t have a friggin’ clue.”
There was a brief silence. “Goddamn,” said Bridgett, stroking her chin.
“Yeah, said Latisha. “I totally missed that angle; not gonna lie.”
“I figure it like this,” said Nettie. “If Brentshaw was working alone, or with unrelated accomplices, Mellissa probably won’t have information I can use. But if there were relatives involved, it’s very possible she’s sitting on clues as to who. Maybe even likely.”
“If there even was an accomplice, unrelated is way more likely,” said Latisha, “we’ve covered that.”
“Except you don’t think so, Nettie,” said Bridgett. “Why?”
Nettie gave that a moment’s thought; she wasn’t entirely clear on the point herself. “It’s partly a hunch,” she admitted. “But it’s mostly because even though there are discrepancies, the perp in the Dulcey kidnapping looks way too much like Brentshaw for comfort. I don’t believe for a second it’s a coincidence.”
“Neither do I,” said Latisha, “or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“I honestly don’t know what to think about that,” said Bridgett, “except that the original problem still stands. It’s sketchy enough that there’s no way Tisha would be able to justify devoting official resources to pursuing it. Brentshaw is dead, and he had no close male relatives that would be anywhere near the right age. An investigation of his family would be seen by the upper brass as completely unwarranted.”
“I agree,” said Latisha, “Which makes Nettie just about the only tool we have. But your concerns are also valid, Bridgett. Damned if I know how to play this.”
Bridgett heaved a sigh. “Nettie—your initial plan seems safe enough. I’ll go along with this cockamamie notion, give you what support and guidance I can, with the proviso that you stay in frequent contact with Latisha and myself. Plausible deniability or not, we’re both going out on a limb here, not to mention that I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you. Slow and careful, and with constant communication. The three of us agree on every step of the process, or this investigation of yours gets shut down tout suite. Are we clear?”
“Crystal clear. So—when should I put in my notice?” said Nettie.
“You really are serious,” said Latisha.
“Bet your ass I am.”
Bridgett pursed her lips. “So long as we’re collaborators in—in whatever the fuck this is, it might be better for you to stay where you’re at for the moment.”
“I second that,” said Latisha. “Conducting an unofficial, unsanctioned investigation is bad enough—but getting popped for something like that when you’re an agent trainee? Believe me, that’s one complication you absolutely do not need.”
Nettie gave a thoughtful nod. “Works for me. I’ll try to contact Melissa Brentshaw tomorrow, arrange a meeting.”
“All right,” said Bridgett. “Nettie—promise me you’ll be careful. If something smells wrong, bail, and get in touch with us immediately.”
“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll be a good girl.”
Bridgett’s jaw tightened. “I’m serious, Nettie. Because you could have it completely wrong. Just because Melissa Brentshaw’s broken out of the family’s usual holding pattern doesn’t mean she hates their guts. She might be fiercely protective of them, even if they aren’t on speaking terms. Be on your guard—and for the love of god do not let on that you’re one of her brother’s victims.”
“Come on, Bridgett—I’m not a complete idiot,” said Nettie, rolling her eyes.
“Hey, you’re the one who called me ‘Mother’. That’s what moms do best—give unwanted advice.”
“All right, ladies, we’re done here,” Latisha interjected, her tone betraying a hint of impatience. “Nettie, keep us informed, don’t do anything stupid, and watch your ass. I have to get to another meeting.”
“Later, then,” said Nettie. She killed the connection.
***
Nettie closed the door to her dad’s old pool room, laptop tucked under her arm, mind working overtime to plan out what she would say to Melissa Brentshaw when she made the phone call tomorrow.
The voices of Julie, Mallory, and Terry floated in from the living room, punctuated by a burst of laughter. Nettie was relieved to hear it. There were a thousand different ways a situation like the one her guests faced could go sour, but thus far they seemed to be amicably getting to know each other. A little less tense than she’d been a few minutes earlier, she made her way down the hall.
The hallway brought her to the living room, where Julie and Mallory were sitting close together on the love seat, with Terry ensconced in one of the recliners. They all glanced up at her approach. Just as she was crossing into the room, about to speak, the doorbell rang.
Setting her laptop on an end table, Nettie made her way to the entryway. Pulling the door open, she blinked in surprise. Hannah stood on the threshold, hair loose around the shoulders of a powder blue long-sleeved blouse. The jeans she was wearing outlined her hips in a most delightful manner.
Nettie pulled her lover close, leaning down to kiss her. Hannah returned the kiss with considerable ardor.
“From this moment forward,” said Nettie as she guided Hannah into the living room, “you are not to ring my doorbell ever again. We’ve already exchanged keys, so for God’s sake just come in.”
Hannah’s smile turned mischievous. “Just wanted to be sure I wasn’t busting up a sex party. Hi, everyone.” She gave a little wave to the room in general.
“Hannah,” said Terry. “Always a pleasure.”
“Hi!” said Julie. Mallory gave a smile and a wave. Nettie and Hannah made their way to the couch and sat, settling into each other’s arms.
“Not that I’m complaining, but I wasn’t expecting to see you till dinner,” said Nettie.
“That was the plan,” said Hannah, “but we had a canceled surgery, so I decided to duck out early since I knew it was kind of a party here this afternoon. Hope I’m not barging in, but—”
“Away with that,” Julie replied, making a dismissive gesture. “You officially joined the sisterhood on the fishing trip, with full membership privileges. Seriously, we’re glad you came.”
“I dropped Bethany off at your house,” said Hannah, eyes flicking in Terry’s direction. “She was dying to see Halee. Hope that’s not a problem.”
“None whatsoever,” said Terry. “Save for the fact that the estrogen level in my house is dangerously high at the best of times. Much more, and it may become toxic for me to enter.”
Nettie snickered. “It’s nobody’s fault but your own that you only make girls.”
“Well,” said Mallory “that remains to be seen, doesn’t it—?” She ran a hand across her belly.
Hannah’s eyes narrowed. “Ummm—are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“Yep,” said Mallory, “I got a little more than I bargained for last time I was here.”
“So—” Hannah peered at Mallory, her expression tentative. “Are congratulations appropriate at the moment?”
Mallory glanced down at her hands, then back up, a look of wonder spreading across her face. “Yes,” she replied, sounding a little dazed. Tears spilled onto her cheeks, but her mouth widened into a radiant smile. “Hell, yes! I didn’t—I didn’t even realize it till right this minute, but y-yeah. Con—congratulations for days.”
Julie pulled Mallory close. Hannah got up and crossed the room, standing before them. “Well then, congratulations, Mallory. May I?” She extended her arms. Mallory stood, stepped into her embrace, and squeezed tightly.
Hannah beckoned to Julie with one finger of a hand that was firmly clamped firmly to Mallory’s shoulder blade. “Get up here, you.” Grinning, Julie rose to her feet and wrapped her arms around the two of them.
“Dad; Auntie, you get in here, too,” said Hannah. “One big motherfucker of a hug.”
Terry and Nettie shared an amused glance, then got up and crossed the room.
***
“Holy cow. I am—I’m having tremendous difficulty wrapping my brain around this.” Halee shook her head in a vain attempt to clear it.
She was seated between Bethany and Mallory at a circular table set for seven at Searing Sadie’s, widely acknowledged to be the classiest restaurant in Johnstown. Her eyes were on her father, who sat across the table from her, flanked by Nettie on his right and Julie to the left.
Turning toward Mallory, who was sitting next to her on the right, Halee opened her mouth, then closed it again.
“It’s okay,” the petite blonde assured her. She reached out tentatively to Halee’s hand on the tabletop, touched it lightly with her fingertips, then clasped it firmly when the girl offered no resistance. Halee, who’d been a little disappointed when Mallory had gone off with her dad instead of joining the sapphic group activities a month before, felt a thrill course through her at the touch.
“You can say whatever’s on your mind,” Mallory was saying. “I know this has to be kind of a shock.”
Halee found her voice. “Even more so for you, I imagine.”
Mallory chuckled. “Just a little bit. Getting pregnant was not on my agenda for the summer. But I’ve had a couple of days to get used to the idea.” She squeezed Halee’s hand. “Seriously: I’m carrying your brother or sister, and I’ve already decided to have the baby. It’s going to be important for us to get to know each other. Whatever you’re thinking, go ahead and speak up. We’ll deal with it.”
Halee blew out her breath. Grinning shyly, she said, “Honestly, I was just going to say I’m glad it’s you and not some bimbo like Theresa Fosse.”
Nettie and Hannah both burst out laughing. Terry lowered his head, put his hand over his eyes, and gave a low chuckle. Mallory threw him a bemused look. “Do I even want to know?”
Dropping his hand, Terry met her gaze, his expression wry. “Probably not. Let’s just say that the last time I was at the lady in question’s house, I abandoned ship with my mission incomplete. Most of my romantic history is characterized by two factors: an affinity for a pretty face, and an appalling lack of judgement.”
Nettie smacked his shoulder, backhand. “Thanks, asshole.”
Terry raised his hands in a defensive pose. “I said most, not all. Present company obviously excluded.”
“Too late,” said Mallory, a smirk on her face. “Can’t backpedal on us now. I’m officially taking offense.”
Halee waved her free hand at her father. “Oh my God, Dad. You shouldn’t be allowed to speak, ever. Anyway—” She turned to look at Mallory again. “It’s a shock, is all. I knew you’d hooked up with my father, but you never think something like this is actually going to take place. Until it does, I guess.”
Julie shrugged. “Welcome to life. You never think it’s gonna happen—until it does.”
“Says the chick who has a plan for literally everything,” said Mallory with a shake of her head.
The waitress chose that moment to appear with their drinks. “You folks ready to order?”
“I think we’ll need a few more minutes,” said Julie.
Turning her attention to the menu, Halee took the first sip of her iced tea. Then a thought struck her.
“My only question for the moment,” she said, eyes continuing to rove the selections, “is how the two of you are going to work this out.” She turned her head towards Mallory, who was sampling her lemonade. “You know, for custody. Visitation. That sort of thing. You live in Colorado. It’s a long way from here.”
“Questions of that nature,” said Terry, “are why only you are here this evening, and not your younger sisters. I may or may not have a quiet conversation with Naomi over the next few days—I haven’t had time to think it through. But my preference at the moment is for the younger ones to remain in the dark until we’ve taken the time to explore the options, and have at least tentative answers. You—”
He took a sip of his tea, then shrugged elaborately. “You’re old enough to process the situation with some level of rationality, and to understand that we haven’t made all of our choices yet. Besides, you move enough amongst the adults that I don’t see how I could possibly keep it from you. So I thought you and Bethany could and probably should join us for dinner, and you can at least become better acquainted with Julie and Mallory.”
“Julie I got to know a bit more last month,” said Halee. “You know, after you two left.”
Bethany, who had heard the story of that encounter in considerable detail, put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. Julie wore a smirk as well.
Terry raised an eyebrow. “Indeed, I suspect that your knowledge of one another increased exponentially within minutes of our departure.”
Hannah’s mouth fell open. Nettie rubbed her eyes, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Julie was looking from Terry to Halee and back again, uncertainly.
Terry made an impatient gesture. “Can we drop the pretense, please? I knew what was going to take place after Mallory and I left, everyone who was there knew that I knew, and if I’d had any problem with it, Halee would most certainly not have been allowed to remain. My oldest is more mature than most adults I know, and such maturity carries both the ability and the right to make her own choices in matters of consent. So let’s stipulate from this moment forward that I have no interest in who’s doing what to whom or with what body parts, and we can all stop playacting at being furtive.”
Hannah’s face split into a wide grin. “Count on Terry to cut through the bullshit. I love it.”
***
“That’s a really weird looking field,” said Bethany, looking out the driver’s side rear window at a close-cropped expanse of growth, with neat, thick rows of freshly cut hay lying on the ground. “It’s like someone mowed really tall grass and raked it all into rows.”
Mallory, perched in the shotgun seat of the Buick SUV, chuckled. “It’s alfalfa,” she said. “You cut it down with a haybine or a swather, and the machine leaves it in those rows—they’re called windrows, by the way. Then you either chop it into silage, or let it dry down a little and bale it into hay. This guy must be planning to bale, or they’d already be doing the chopping.”
Halee, seated behind Mallory, nodded in Bethany’s direction. “We tried luring those cows close to the fence with some alfalfa last week, remember? I only know what it is because I go to school with a couple of kids who live on farms. You pick that kind of stuff up.”
By then, the alfalfa field had given way to a stand of pines. As the SUV crested a hill, the pines were replaced by an expanse of bright green, dotted here and there with purple flowers. It looked to be almost knee-high.
“And there’s some alfalfa that hasn’t been cut down yet,” said Mallory, gesturing in that general direction. “Getting a little overgrown, too.”
“How can you tell it’s overgrown?” asked Halee.
“Partly just because of the height,” said Mallory, “but also because it’s flowering.”
Bethany was nodding slowly. “So that’s what you feed cows, huh?”
“Yup. This time of year they’ll be doing the second cutting. You get at least two over the course of a summer, three in a good year. More if you’re further south. Ideally you want to cut it before it starts flowering because when it matures to that point, you lose nutrition. Not too big a deal for beef cattle or horses, but every little bit counts for a dairy herd.”
“Did you have cows growing up?” Bethany wanted to know.
Mallory shook her head. “Nope. Our place started off as a dairy farm, but my grandpa switched to cash grain not long before he had his stroke. After that, my dad took over. It all happened before I was even born. I don’t remember ever having animals on the place.”
“You still seem to know a good deal about it, though,” Halee pointed out.
“She has cattle envy,” Julie put in from the driver’s seat.
Mallory swatted her partner playfully on the arm. “When I was little I wanted cows, sure. I had a friend in elementary school who lived on a dairy farm, and I used to love petting the calves. When I got a little older, I wanted a horse in the worst way. Dad sure shut that down in a hurry,” she said with a laugh.
“He bought her a go-cart instead,” said Julie, a touch of laughter in her own voice.
Mallory giggled. “Yep. He said I could ride that all day for way less than it’d cost to feed a horse. But actually, the go-kart turned out to be a lot of fun. Julie’s dad got her one, and we used to race them in the driveway and on Dad’s machinery paths.”
“The big loop that leads to the machine shed was the best,” said Julie. “We always talked about laying out a racetrack in the old pasture, but never got around to it.”
Mallory craned her neck to look at the two girls in the back seat. “To answer your question, there’s a lot of stuff I picked up just because we knew other farm families. But also, me and Julie used to make money doing fieldwork when we were in high school, and over summer break when we were home from college. We worked for Dad during planting and harvest, but there isn’t a lot to do on a grain farm between those times. So we’d work for other farmers.”
“True story,” said Julie. “Both of us have cut, chopped, and baled a shitload of alfalfa hay. Mostly working for this guy named Ron Mesegow.”
“Wild,” said Bethany. “That sounds like the kind of work you’d mostly picture men doing.”
Mallory shrugged. “It’s true—you didn’t see a lot of girls picking up jobs like that. But as long as everything was working right, it wasn’t particularly grungy or heavy work. You just kind of rode back and forth on a tractor. Most of them even had air conditioned cabs.”
“You did have to know how to use tools, and not be afraid to get your hands dirty,” said Julie, “because stuff did go wrong, and lots of times it was something simple that would only take a couple minutes to fix in the field. Like if you were cutting hay and you broke a sickle section—no farmer is going to hire someone who comes running for help every time they bust one of those little fuckers. But it wasn’t a big deal, unless you’re hung up on traditional roles, or think it’s not ladylike to get grease under your fingernails.”
“I suppose your job is a little like that,” said Halee. “The engineering thing. I don’t think a lot of chicks go in for that, do they?”
Julie shook her head. “Fifty-three people started out as engineering majors at U of M St. Paul my freshman year,” she replied. “Seven were female, and only two of us graduated.”
“And now you’re kind of a boss, right?”
Julie chuckled. “Project lead.”
“That’s awesome,” said Bethany.
“You have to find your own path,” said Mallory. “To hell with what people say you can or can’t do, or what’s right for your gender or whatever. You do you—isn’t that what people say these days?”
“That happens sometimes, but I’d rather do her instead,” Bethany said primly, jerking her thumb in Halee’s direction.
Everyone cracked up. After Halee had gotten over her initial shock upon learning of her impending new sibling, dinner had been an enjoyable, relaxed affair. Halee was already feeling a little bummed that Mallory and Julie lived so far afield. She’d been the one to ask whether she and Bethany could ride back to Bronning with them, rather than stacking five deep in a vehicle with Nettie, Hannah, And Terry.
“Well, you’ll get the chance tonight,” said Julie, still chuckling.
Halee sobered. “Can I ask you guys something kind of personal?”
Mallory craned her neck around to peer into the backseat. “Fire away.”
“That night I stayed at Nettie’s house, and you,” she waved her hand at Mallory, “went with Dad and, you know—”
“Got knocked up?” said Mallory with the slightest hint of a smile.
Halee grinned back. “Right, that. Anyway—I was telling Bethany about some of the things we talked about before you took off. You know, how you and Julie kind of, um, have an open thing where you mostly do hookups together, except for special cases. We think it sounds really cool, but were wondering if it, well, ever causes problems.”
There was a long silence from the front seat. It was Julie who finally replied. “It’s always worked out fine for us. No jealousy, no bitterness. But we’ve seen it blow up for people, too. You have to have the right headspace, I think. We’ve always been clear on where we stood with each other, and the other stuff—it’s just sharing pleasure, you know? Neither of us sees sex as some kind of holy sacrament. We’re not terribly philosophical about it, and I don’t think either of us gives it a ton of thought. We’re innocent hedonists.” She chuckled.
“So—” Bethany mused, “it’s kind of about what sex means to you.”
“I think so,” said Mallory. “If you’re the kind of person who sees sex as the ultimate way to achieve meaningful closeness with a soul mate, a polyamorous situation might not be a great idea. I mean—an orgasm does make you feel super close to whoever you’re with. But it’s kind of transitory, too. It’s nothing like the really deep, long-lasting connection I have with Julie. Not even close. We’re talking two entirely different things.”
“So you two are thinking you might want to go down that road?” said Julie.
“We’ve discussed it,” said Halee. “because we both still get hot for other girls. And women.”
As Julie rounded a bend, the outskirts of Bronning came into view. To the left, the sun was just beginning to set over the town. A few hundred yards ahead, Terry’s Honda was signaling a turn in that direction. Julie tapped the brakes, letting the Buick coast down.
“First, you have to work out how you view the experience of physical intimacy ,” said Mallory. “It’s different for everybody.”
“I think I’m kind of like you guys,” said Halee. “An arrangement like yours could work for me.” She looked to her girlfriend; took her hand. “But if you feel otherwise, Bethany—then I’m all yours. Only yours.”
“Aw, thanks,” a smiling Bethany replied, giving Halee’s hand a squeeze.
“That’s actually a really important part of making polyamory work,” said Mallory as Julie took a left turn, accelerating past the scattering of houses that marked the edge of town. “Any agreements you make, stick to them. Julie and I, we always do stuff together, unless we decide otherwise. So if I’m with someone we haven’t talked about in advance—no matter how much I might want to have sex with that person—it doesn’t happen. There has to be trust. Remember that.”
“I’m the same way, I think,” Bethany declared. “Pretty sure of it, actually. What do you say, Halee? We can do things with other people, but only when we’re together?”
Halee leaned forward, smoothing Mallory’s silky blonde hair with gentle fingertips. “I agree completely. And on that note, ladies—do the two of you have any plans for the evening?”
Mallory twisted in her seat to meet Halee’s gaze, giving the teen a look of astonishment that relaxed into a delighted smile.
On to Chapter Nineteen!
4
1
1
I have to wonder when the hole we dug became too deep for us to climb out. Hard to say, really. To gain any kind of perspective, you have to step back, I think. And I was having much too much fun to step back.