Three's company; so is four or five

For polyamorists, responsibility and commitment replace jealousy and distrust. As long as everyone remembers who's who.

July 17, 1999 | Linda Casper and Stacey Shelton appear to be just like any other plaid-shirted, plain-spoken, well-scrubbed Midwestern couple. Linda's a buoyant, gregarious redhead with a thick helmet of hair and an expansive smile. Stacey's boyishly handsome, bespectacled and taciturn, with a shy smile -- the kind of guy women want to bake brownies for. She sells log homes; he's a mechanical designer who retools muscle cars in his spare time. They're both volunteer firefighters in their hometown of Exceland, Wisc., which boasts a grocery store, a Chevy dealership and two bars. They have two daughters, ages 5 and 10 months, and about their marriage, Linda says, "I love my husband, and would never leave him."