BECCA Season of Willows

by Sara Lindley

  River gave Seth a shoulder hug and nodded.

  “I will ask the Great Spirit to lead her to you as he did my Becca. But Seth? You must be wiser than me, I was too dull to see her.”

  Seth chuckled but his eyes were still full of pain. River hoped that Seth’s new bride would help erase that pain.

  River took off his coat showing off his broad shoulders and tapered waist. The fancy vest looked great on him and as he turned to talk with Mr. Henderson.

  Becca admired him as her eyes raked over his shoulders, broad muscled back and his long muscled legs. His hair braided with red cloth added a festive look down his back like a beacon to his view his rounded behind. Becca bit her lip anticipating her second wedding night. Mrs. Henderson giggled at Becca and she blushed. Becca was led into her kitchen.

  “Don’t you be embarrassed at all, Becca McGann. The good Lord knew you were good to Harrison and he tried his best to be good to you. You have nothing be ashamed of.

  And that man in there, he is a fine man. And damn if he ain’t the best lookin’ son of a bitch around. Ya’ll will make some handsome babies.” Becca giggled.

  “River said he wanted… ‘many children’.”

  Mrs. Henderson laughed at Becca’s impression of River’s voice.

  They both squeaked when they heard a grunt from the kitchen doorway seeing River standing there. Becca laughed.

  “That is what you said didn’t you?”

  River grunted again.

  “Other things too.” Mrs. Henderson smiled.

  “You two are gonna have a wonderful marriage as long as you keep a light heart and remember that you two are together because you love each other.”

  Becca looked at River with such love he felt the warmth all the way to his soul. River nodded at Becca making that special hand sign that said ‘it is done’.

  Becca nodded to him and their locking eyes expressed what their hearts vowed.

  “I will never forget and I will never leave you.”

  Becca knew she had made the right decision and somehow she felt Harrison and Nola were agreeing with her.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  After all the folks had left for the bunkhouse or home. Becca made a quick meal of pancakes and bacon for dinner and soon the children were asleep in the living room. They were worn out with all the excitement today.

  River picked up Mac and Becca carried Mazie into their rooms and stripped them for bed. River left Mac’s underwear on and tucked him in. Blowing out the lantern he kissed Mac’s forehead. He turned and at the door he heard Mac whisper.

  “Good night Ahte…”

  River smiled and turned his smile to Mac.

  “Good night, my son.”

  River met Becca at the hallway and they walked together to the living room. “I will bank the fire and lock doors. You ready for bed if you wish.” Becca nodded.

  Taking care of the fires, River locked the doors feeling the excitement a man has for his woman.

  His erection was already quite hard and he was ready to show Becca this night the fire that she had started from the first time he saw her so many months ago. He was now her man, her husband and they would love together tonight.

  River stepped into the bedroom and saw her brushing her long wheat colored hair. It was a scene he would never forget. The highlights of gold shining through the lantern light were beautiful. River wanted to sigh in wonder seeing through her thin sleeveless nightgown her rounded breasts, full and her nipples hard. He wanted badly to taste them. He felt his arousal as he started unbuttoning his shirt. Becca turned and gasped at the beautiful sight of him undressing. He came to sit on the bed and take off his boots and socks.

  Standing he removed the beaded belt he wore and unbuttoned the pants. He let them drop to the floor and Becca gawked at him. Somehow she knew he didn’t have underwear and never had.

  She stared at his beautiful behind and thought he was the most handsome man in the world.

  Aunt Marcie certainly would approve.

  He sat on the turned-down sheets and began to undo his hair braid. Becca crawled over and began to help get his hair unbraided. Once his hair was undone she took her hairbrush and brushed his hair out till it was shining like polished Onyx. She ran her hands through the black silk and kissed his neck. River was thrilled with her care and attention.

  He turned and she saw his hard, large arousal and began to dream of this wedding night. She looked deep with in the depths of his blue eyes and pulled up her nightgown tossing it on the floor.

  River thought he had felt desire before but never like this. This beauty was his Becca, his woman, his beloved wife. This was a treasure he felt he would never have. Then his brother gave him a beautiful gift. He gave his wife to his brother to love and protect along with his children.

  River pulled Becca to him and they fell into each other’s arms. She was so perfect and her eyes held love there. Something he never expected. His lips met hers and the fire within them blazed.

  Their kisses were hot sparks, and the fire she first started consumed them both. Every stroke and touch, every kiss, every moan was a single moment in time they would never forget.

  At last River entered her and Becca wrapped her legs around him. River nuzzled and nipped at her neck, her breast and suckled her nipples like a babe. He found her nub slick with her juices and he rubbed bringing her to the moment of the thunder storm.

  River smiled at her abandon and started pushing his length into her again. Becca moaned and opened her legs further to accommodate to his size. River filled her completely and she was in wonder how she could feel so full and yet want more of him. She wanted him all of him, even his scent to sink into her skin. River started to move inside her and she felt the size of him stroking her slick tunnel making her want to fly with him.

  Becca climaxed and her sheath tightened on him. River cried out as her walls gripped him and he felt his balls tightened as well. Becca gasped and raked her nails across his back as River exploded inside her.

  The moment had come to give his life to her. His shouted his release and she gave a cry herself as he pounded into her feeling the hot life giving liquid flow in to her ready womb. Finally his chest heaving for breath, he fell into her and pulled up on his elbows.

  They were both grinning like jackasses and giggled together as their calming hearts took over. River rolled over to her side and Becca crawled onto him and he groaned and chuckled feeling himself begin to harden again. Becca kissed his neck and trailed kisses down to his dark nipple. She sucked, nipped and licked his nipple till he was very hard and standing proud in her hand. He pulled her on top of his hips and she heard his deep voice in her ear,

  “Ride me Becca. Ride your man like the wind.”

  Becca sat down on his hard length feeling him fill her. She had never felt so full. River stroked her nub as she got her rhythm down to match his. River teased and suckled her heavy breasts as she rode him and at last cried out his name as she met her climax again. River took that as a sign to find his pleasure and he rammed into her again and again shouting out his own language and kissing her as he released himself into her.

  It was just beginning to dawn as Becca opened an eye. She felt a very warm body spooned to her and felt the typical male hardness for the morning. She would not think of Harrison, she now had River. Her handsome, loveable River. Who is as passionate a lover as ever you could find. He made love to her all night long without stopping to rest. He was a ball of fire she could never put out. She loved him. Harrison was a good man, but now…there was River.

  River ate breakfast like he was a starving man. Becca grinned at the plate of biscuits he was putting away and went to the kitchen to pull another batch out. Since the tornado, Tuck had hired a new cook for the bunkhouse and he seemed to be filling in poor old Big John’s boots.

  So this morning it was family time. Mac snickered as Mazie begged to sit on River’s lap.

  River took her and set her on his thigh. Mazie wa
s in heaven as River shared his food of buttered biscuits and honey with her. He finished his scrambled eggs and ham as Mazie leaned against him and ate. Becca grinned and put these special moments in her memory.

  As he finished he patted his stomach. He grunted.

  “Good.” Looking at Becca he winked.

  “I go out today to check fences with Tuck. Others will feed cattle the hay from wagon we already load. Henderson buy ten horses from us, he will come by today or tomorrow and pick which he want. Seth come too.”

  He looked at the plate of biscuits and shrugged taking another.

  “Tuck and I find honey bees in tree on south of my land, we will try to gather honey and comb for you.”

  He spread a good amount of butter on his biscuit and dipped it into some honey on his plate.

  “I think if Seth want to marry woman that he write to, maybe he want my old farm? He want to farm and it good land and house still very good. I keep pastureland for us. He will still have many acres of farm land to grow what he want.”

  Becca smiled at the thought. River always amazed her with his generosity, especially after the church meeting before their wedding. She never knew River was so generous but then again…why should she be surprised. He was a very special man.

  “That’s a wonderful idea River. What would you charge a young couple for your farmland?” River looked at Becca and snorted.

  “I charge nothing. It will be wedding gift.”

  Becca was struck again by the thoughtfulness of her husband.

  “You are a very wise and good man, River. I agree. If he marries and wants the property, you should give it to them.”

  River shoved the last biscuit in his squirrel cheek and grunted as he chewed.

  “Wife is wise too as well as beautiful. After all, she married me.”

  He grinned at her and Becca laughed. River shoved away from the table as he tied his headband around his head.

  “I will always take Seth with me to hunt. The money I safe in getting meat for family and bunkhouse we save in killing cattle for us. I still make money off giving him land.”

  Becca grinned and chuckled at her canny husband.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Life was moving along slowly after the wedding and Becca sat down on the porch as she felt a Winter breeze start to come over the rise. It was getting nearer to winter and River said he needed to hunt for many deer to feed them during winter.

  They would smoke the meats in the smokehouse to preserve some and make jerky of the rest to use over the winter to go with the vegetables Becca was canning.

  But today was the day for gathering honey. River and Tuck were outfitted in their long leather dusters with their heavy winter gloves. Becca made the suggestion to use some of her fine cloth she brought with her to cover their heads from the bees. She explained she had a neighbor in Virginia who was a bee keeper and she used the fine cloth to cover her head against bees over wearing a broad rimmed hat. She showed them what she meant and River was impressed. Becca also told them that her friend also blew smoke into the hive to calm the bees by making torches that smoked. River rubbed his chin thinking and got busy making smoking torches.

  Soon Tuck and River were on their way to his lands by wagon arriving at the tree around mid morning. They tied each of their sleeves closed and around the waist as Becca suggested and River climbed the tree as Tuck handed up the torches tied to close branches. River was surprised at the calming effect the smoke seemed to have and he carefully cut the chunks of the huge honeycomb, gently scrapping off the bees with a piece of bark back into their hive without a sting. Careful slow movement seemed to be the trick with the constant smoke from the torches. Bees were all around them but there was no swarm. The horses were off far enough away to not draw attention of the bees which Tuck had suggested.

  After a couple of hours, River and Tuck had collected several cases of jars full of the precious sweet and its honeycomb. It would be used for not just a sweet but also for medicine.

  It had been a good day.

  Tuck and River rode back in the wagon happy that they had suffered just a few stings mostly on their legs. Tuck laughed at River getting stung on the ass which River shifted uncomfortably in the wagon. Tuck laughed.

  “You can have Becca kiss it and make it better.”

  River laughed and Tuck got serious.

  “Yah know River? When Harrison died I really expected this place to go to hell in a hand basket. But you came out of nowhere and saved it. I was wrong about yah. I really didn’t think yah had it in yah. But yah did and I ain’t sorry. Yah got it back to better than it was.”

  Tuck blew out a breath.

  “Harrison was a good man but after his first woman left him, he became a real bitter son of a bitch and yah know that. I was sometimes afraid for the kids he would get so mad. Little Mazie would get so scared she pee herself. I know that hasn’t happened in a long time since Harrison been gone. He made a good change since he married Becca though I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. The Lord took him quick!

  I was surprised as shit when we came back and you had everything under control.”

  Tuck barked a laugh.

  “Even setting up that tipi you had was smart. Everyone had a place to live while you built a new roof.” He nodded thinking of something else to say.

  “I thought when yah started wooin’ Becca, you were loco, but I was wrong again. You were just the medicine she needed. She loves yah, I can tell…even more than Harrison.” Tuck gave him a nodd. “I’m proud ta be workin’ for yah River.”

  River shook hands with him and nodded as he resumed driving the wagon back home.

  “It is Good.”

  River nodded feeling a deep satisfaction from the compliment. Tuck laughed.

  “That’s another thing I like about you River, yah don’t go on and on talkin’ all the time yammerin’ about nothin’. Gives me a chance to talk.”

  River laughed and lifted his rifle shooting into the tree line. The big buck River saw hit the dirt. River slapped Tuck on the back.

  “Good. We have fresh meat.”

  Tuck smirked and slapped his thigh.

  “Damn right it’s good! If yah hadn’t been talkin’, I would have got ‘em!”

  Hearty laughter from the two men echoed across the pasture going to pick up their prize.

  As the rolled in front of the house Becca ran out the door looking at the deer in the wagon.

  “I thought you were going to get honey…honey?”

  Tuck laughed at River’s snort. River frowned at him.

  “We have many jars Becca. Your idea very good.”

  River jumped off the wagon and kissed her.

  “You are very smart. Honey was easy to get with what you say.”

  Tuck tipped his hat to Becca.

  “We had a few injuries though Miss Becca, River will need your healing touch.”

  Tuck started to laugh and River smirked. Becca looked him in the face as he was trying to avoid looking at her.

  “You were stung? Let me see!”

  Tuck laughed harder.

  Becca gave them a questioning look. Tuck could hold it back not longer.

  “He got stung on the ass! Got him good too!” Becca chuckled.

  “Well! I’m not surprised! They always go for the sweetest spot.”

  River rolled his eyes and blushed as Tuck laughed harder.

  “Wooo wee! I’d best go take care of my own business before I start something.”

  River gritted his teeth at the laughing cowboy.

  “Too late!”

  Tuck got out and set the cases of jars on the porch.

  “I’ll gut the deer and hang it River. We can cut it up later today for smoking. That way your wife can tend to your…wound.”

  Tuck jumped in the wagon and drove the horses to the barn laughing the whole way.

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  They had arrived in town that week and it was a blustery early November day
. River dropped Becca off at the mercantile on his way to the feed store. As soon as he was out of sight, Becca hiked up her skirts and ran to the Doc’s office.

  She had been ill for some time and had come to the end of her trying to hide throwing up every day. River was getting suspicious and eyeing her funny when she would come from the privy brushing out her skirts while she washed out her mouth. She was so tired she just didn’t have the strength anymore.

  Becca looked around before she ran into the Doc’s office. The Doc about jumped out of his skin when Becca came rushing in and slammed the door.

  “What the hell? What the matter woman? Someone dyin’?”

  Doc looked concerned as Becca ripped her bonnet off.

  “Yah got to check me quick, Doc. River is down at the feed store and I have ta know.”

  Doc looked at her like she was insane.

  “What ARE yah talkin’ about woman?”

  Becca was very nervous fumbling with her bonnet strings.

  “I have been kinda queasy sick in the mornings and I have started to gain weight. My dresses are tighter around the middle. I’m falling asleep at the oddest times. Yah got ta tell me…am I dyin?”

  The Doc tried his best to look concerned but he broke into laughter.

  “Come inside and let me examine yah. I already can guess what it is.”

  Ten minutes later she was walking out of the room buttoning her blouse.

  “You are sure? It’s River’s child? I married Harrison in the spring.”

  The Doc patted her arm to reassure her.

  “And you were just a few weeks with him. You would have had symptoms long before now if it was his. You’re just newly pregnant by a couple of months, Becca. River is the father of this child.”

  Becca grinned as tears ran down her cheeks.

  “Thanks Doc.”

  He patted her back reassuringly.

  “Sleep. Take naps. Eat well. River will be thrilled I’m sure.”