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He lifted the lid to a large cast iron pot and stirred the contents. Whatever it was, it smelled heavenly. My stomach rumbled, which caused Huck to chuckle.
“You must be famished. The food will be ready soon. When Bo and Garrett are done with the animals, we should be good to eat.”
“May I do anything to assist you?”
“I’ve got everything handled. Why don’t you go open the packages on the table. The one closest to you is from me.”
“Presents? Is this because it was my birthday?”
He turned toward me with raised brows. “We, um,” he cleared his throat, “didn’t know it was your birthday. But now I’m glad we decided to splurge on our new wife.”
“The night we met was my 21st birthday.”
“Oh.” He looked thoughtful. “I knew you were younger, but I didn’t realize…”
“Guess you all should have asked before you non-married me.”
He laughed. “Well, since you’re the one who forced us into marriage after only three days, I refuse to accept that I’m the cradle-robber when you are obviously the one who robbed the grave.”
I covered my face with my hands and let out a groan. “I don’t know what caused me to say that. I was only joking. I’m so embarrassed. I don’t understand why you all didn’t correct the assumption.”
Huck crossed the kitchen and pulled my hands away from my face. “Don’t be embarrassed. So you just jumped the gun and didn’t let us ask for your hand.” He smacked a kiss on my lips. “This will just be a part of our quirky love story.”
“Love story? More like a campfire horror.”
He chuckled. “Goodness, Cedi. Being married to you isn’t that bad.” He returned to the pot. “You’re too sweet to be a monster.”
I burst out laughing. “I appreciate you all taking me in, letting me trap you into a marriage, and then forcing you all to pamper me with baths, yummy food, and—” I gestured to the table, “—gifts.”
“Well, get to opening then,” he encouraged. “And don’t think I didn’t know about your blatant disobedience yesterday.”
“Me?” I crawled out of bed and sat at the table and pulled the first package toward me, the one Huck had said was his. It was wrapped in brown paper and held together with string. So cute! “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh, sure you don’t.” He looked over his shoulder. “How is it that we told you to go shopping for things you’d need, including clothing, but you only ended up with boots that Garrett had to force on you?”
I carefully untied the string and pulled open the paper. I pulled out several small individually wrapped packages and set them aside to lift a purple skirt. Frilly white ribbons are sewn around the bottom.
“It’s beautiful, Huck. Thank you.” I held it close to my chest and looked at him—like, really looked at him. This man and his brothers, my new husbands, were so different from any male I had ever known. How could I feel so cared for—and cared about? It was almost too much.
He smiled and shook his head, bemused. “You’re too easy to please, and I’m obviously not able to be firm with you.”
“That’s okay,” I assured him. “Bo told me yesterday that he was hard enough on me for the both of us. I’m not sure how much of that was a joke,” I mused, reaching for one of the smaller packages.
Huck erupted into laughter. “Yeah, he’s very much a disciplinarian, and you are in the unique position of needing a crash-course in life skills and wilderness survival.”
This gift held an assortment of soaps that I had been admiring at the store. “Oh, Huck. Thank you!” I began smelling them all over again. “I will admit to being at a slight disadvantage—”
“Slight?”
I rolled my eyes. “I was educated, you know.”
“There is a huge difference between knowing what water is and how to find it. Classical education will do nothing to make sure you don’t dehydrate and die. Knowing that the composition of water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen is not going to help you figure out if the water you found is safe to drink.”
“Huh,” I commented, smiling at him. “You’re so smart.”
“You’re not the only one who went to school, Cedi. Even we Anachronists value education. The point is that some knowledge is crucial to survival out here. You don’t have an android to protect you anymore.”
“I have you guys.” The next package held a delicate looking necklace with a heart hanging from the center.
