by Brian Gore
"Really? Whatever fool would say a thing like that, don't know me too good do they?" Ben laughed. "I just been busy out to the ranch is all. You know how it is... damn bankers wantin' to get paid an' all." Ben joked.
"Tell me about it Honey. Money's so tight around my place I've almost come to sellin' myself!" she teased.
Ben teased back; "Well when you do get there Darlin', count me in! I'll be your first customer!"
"The Hell you say!" she told him with her hand on his leg again; "I could never charge an old friend like you. Yours is on the house Babe!" She gave his leg a squeeze, picked up her tray, winked at him and then swung her hips across the barroom, promoting her assets in pursuit of yet more tips.
Ben watched her walk away and let the air out in a long slow breath. Damn! What the hell is gettin' into women lately? He chuckled at how life can seem to change in an instant and took his first sip of a cool beer in a while.
He enjoyed his beer, and the one that came after that. The local band playing in the corner of the dance floor wasn't half bad, and the risque' banter with Emily... well... any man that claimed that wasn't a pleasure was either queer or a liar. The woman was a pleasure to be around.
"Funny" he thought. She was a bit younger then Eileen, ten years or more he guessed. And the banter was just as, invigorating... "Yeah" he thought... "that's the word, Invigorating!" But, with Emily, it was somehow different. She didn't do her teasing with him, in earshot of other folks. "Classier" he thought. "She's a classier, somehow more private woman."
He watched her flex her knees and do her stooping, to a thirsty table of Cowboys and their dates, and then watched the dates punching cowboys shoulders when she walked away, with every male eye at the table glued on her retreating, backside.
"Yup" Ben grinned to himself; "Classier, and more private."
Emily had been standing at the waitress station waiting on another order of drinks just passing the time with him, when Ben finished off the last of his second beer and stood up.
"Well, that's it for tonight girl."
"What? Already? You Ok Ben?" Emily asked, a slight tone of concern in her voice.
"Sure, why?" he answered her.
"Well, you're kinda quiet tonight, and hell Ben, you're still sober! Be the first time you drove back to the ranch like that in a while!" she teased.
"Better than that! I'm not driving anywhere, I'm walking!" He exclaimed, rattling the room key he held up. "Takin' off for a bit early in the morning, so I'm stayin' in town tonight. Besides," he said, sounding more serious; "A grown man can't stay drunk forever, can he?!"
"Well damn Ben, 'bout time! You are lookin' the best I've seen you in a long while. Good for you! Don't stay a stranger fella." She gave him a hug, picked up her tray and told him; "Get on out of here if you're not gonna drink. Toby only wants payin' customers litterin' this dump!" then walked off toward the back of the bar.
Ben stepped out into the cool of the evening and headed toward the motel. As he turned into the parking lot he tried to remember the last time he'd even stayed in a motel, and couldn't do it. Most likely he was staggering drunk at the time, and simply drowned any memory of it, he was sure.
Eileen was standing outside the lobby door, leaned against the wall, smoking a cigarette when he walked up headed for his room.
"None of those poor barflies could catch a cowboy for the night eh?"
"Not this cowboy Eileen, 'sides, I'm a good boy!" he responded.
"Good? Very! ... Boy? I don't think so!" Eileen told him with a smile and a flip of her eyebrows.
"You have a good night Eileen, I'm turning in! All you girls teasin' a man all the time has me plumb wore out."
"I'll believe the gals teasin' you part Ben... but wore out? You can tell that story to someone else who ain't been to the Rodeo! You sure you don't want me to come by for a, nitecap?" she winked; "I get off in a few minutes."
"I appreciate the offer Eileen, but I guess it's best if I just," Ben gestured with a flick of his finger, "go solo tonight." He smiled and started to turn away.
"Well, the offer stands cowboy." she exhaled a cloud of smoke as she told him with a smile of her own; "Your loss."
Ben smiled; "Yes Ma'am!", but walked away. He climbed the stairs, shaking his head and muttering to himself. "A cowboy must be gettin' senile when he turns down an offer like that, from a fine looking woman. It's not like I'm married or somethin'. I believe I'm seven kinds of a fool. Here you are sober enough to remember more then just waking up with the hangover after, and... just a Damn fool."
He went inside, sat on the bed, pulled off his boots and lay back against the pillow, picking up the remote as he lay back. It took ten minutes of flipping through the hundred or so channels the motel had on cable to find something that wasn't too bad to watch.
As he lay there watching he thought of Amanda and Timmy and pulled his phone out of his pocket, punched the number to the throw away phone he'd plugged into speed dial and listened to it ring.
Amanda answered on the third ring, sounding bright and alert.
"I didn't wake you did I... guess I'm not used to having folks around and needing to check in" he laughed.
"No Ben that's ok, I haven't gone to bed yet. Just sitting out on the porch, looking at the stars. It's so beautiful and quiet here.
"Yeah, Blythe's had a nice place up there."
"Ben? Thanks for calling. I was just starting to worry. Where are you?"
"No thanks needed Amanda. Only polite thing for a guy to do! I'm staying in a motel in town tonight. Turned out the horses and came in here. I'll see Linus first thing in the morning, and then be back there, sometime mid, maybe late afternoon. You two doin' ok on your own?"
"Yeah Ben. Timmy was bouncing around all afternoon. You'd have thought he'd won the lottery, he was so excited seeing that bear." she laughed.
"Ben?" a serious tone entered her voice. "We're safe here, aren't we? I mean, there's no way they could find us here, is there?"
"I can't see how girl. I worked for Blythe, more than twenty years ago. Someone would have to know me awful good to even come up with the idea of that place, and to tell the truth? I can't really think of more than one or two, and they're kinda close lipped about talkin' to curious strangers, if you know what I mean. No girl. You sleep easy; the two of you are real safe there. I promise."
"What's that I hear? You have a woman there Ben?" she teased.
"Hell no! I'm all by my lonesome. That's Lucille Ball squallin' on the television. Was the only thing I could find to pass the time that wasn't just tee total crap!"
Amanda laughed. "Yeah, television is not real high class theater is it? I'm getting cold Ben, I think I'm going to go inside and go to bed. You drive safe coming back tomorrow, Ok?"
"Yes Momma, I'll wash my hands after I pee, and look both ways before I drive through an intersection." Ben teased.
"You jerk!" She exclaimed. "Good Night!" and she clicked off her phone.
Ben just lay back against the headboard and watched Lucille, stomping grapes in a wooden tub.
He'd dozed off for a time, and Lucille was now a spaghetti western, when a solid knocking woke him from his light sleep. It took him a few seconds to get his bearings, as he sat up and put his feet on the floor.
Another round of insistent knocks got him on his feet.
"Damn it Eileen, what does it take to get you to hear NO! he muttered as he stepped over to the door and jerked it open... "Ei..."
... to find not Eileen but Emily standing there, with two bottles of beer!
"... uh... Emily!... wha... uh... you..." Ben stammered, not fully alert yet and now, his pulse involuntarily quickened with the surprise.
"Hey Cowboy." Emily grinned at him as she held up the two beers. "Thought I might talk you into a nitecap. The bar was really slow and you know how Toby is, doesn't want to even pay minimum wage if the register ain't ringin.! So, he closed early at midnight... I thought what the hell the night is young, and I did promi
se you one, on the house." she wiggled the beers at him with a wink. "Gonna invite me in?"
"Damn, Emily, don't tease an old guy like that, you could kill him!" Ben retorted.
"Ben." Emily looked up and down the length of the balcony; " You gonna leave me standing out here, in front of your door, so the whole damn town can watch me seduce you? or you gonna ask me in?" she asked in a solemn voice, a little louder this time.
"Jesus Emily!" Ben reached out to grab her arm and pull her in. "Hold it down or you WILL have the whole town's attention."
Emily giggled as she passed him and Ben swung the door closed.
When he turned to her she held out his beer. "Here you go kind sir! Your freebie!"
He reached out and took the offered long neck. "Whew! Thought so! You had me goin' there for a minute!" Ben told her, running his fingers through his hair.
Emily stepped close. So close her breasts pushed against his chest, and looked in his eyes. "The beer is free Ben. Me, you gotta work for that." and she kissed him. Long and deep.
Now, Ben had been over the mountain and "Seen the Elephant", but this... damn, this was like nothing he'd ever experienced. It was like getting kissed by an electric wire.
He finally broke from her and staggered back a step. "God Damn Emily, I... you... wha... tha... I..." He just stopped trying to stammer out anything, as she set her beer on the table just inside the door and pulled that too tight tank top over her head... followed a few seconds later by the little bit of black lace she'd been wearing under it.
"I told you Ben, you were going to have to work for it. Time for you to get to work."
When his eyes opened in the morning, Emily was laying beside him, head resting, on her hand, propped up on her elbow, watching him.
Ben rubbed the sleep from his eyes as the memory of the night came rushing back. Like he'd thought, being sober, the memories are so much finer. Seeing her laying there on the bed beside him, the sheets piled up on the floor, he knew it wasn't a dream he'd had.
"Morning Emily." he whispered softly
"Good Morning yourself stud." she smiled at him, reaching out to run her fingers down the side of his face.
"I... uh... what... ummmm... look... " he started stammering again.
"Easy cowboy, you're gonna give yourself a stroke. Relax. It's Ok. You're Ok." she told him. "actually, you're a hell of a lot better than ok." she laughed, reaching down to squeeze him, wide, awake."
"What the hell is goin' on?" he finally managed to choke out.
"I told you to relax Ben. Look. There's no claims on you, understand that. Look, I had a short night with poor tips after nothing but leering cowboys for months. I haven't had a date in... weeks... and that guy was a total jerk. You come in, sober, and sober, you're a pretty nice guy. Hell Ben, even drunk you're polite! Ben, I've had a really crappy month, and a worse week... I just... I just wanted to spend a really nice night with a really nice guy. Ok? You can think I'm a slut if you want."
"What? Hell, Emily, you're a lot of things, but that? No way... it's just... Jesus Emily, I'm old enough to be yo...."
"The best damn Cowboy I've ever let in my bed!" She cut him off.
"Emily, I'm 54 years old, you're what, 26? 7?"
"Thanks Ben but it's 34."
"Which still, makes me old enough to be your..."
"Don't say it!" she exclaimed. "You ain't old enough to collect social security so can it!" she laughed at him. "and anyways, I'm still gonna have to come up with a story why I'm walking funny for the next couple days."
"It's been a bit" Ben told her. "Guess I had a little energy stored up."
She rolled over on top of him, stopped his protest with a kiss, and said; "Guess we better make sure we've burned off all of your excess energy old timer, before I sneak out of here."
Chapter 26
Linus McClaren was sitting at his desk in the Cattlemen's Bank, studying a loan application, when Ben knocked on the frame of the open door. He looked up to see a clean shaven, clean jeaned, clear eyed Ben Jensen standing there holding what looked like a grocery sack in his hand.
"Ben!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet and coming around from behind the desk. "I was going to call, was going to call you today! How are you?" While Ben just materializing unexpected was a surprise, his appearance was even more startling. It was as if he'd grown ten years younger, over night.
"What are you doing here Ben? What do you need?" He almost winced as he spoke the words, knowing the man was most likely, just weeks away from losing his ranch; the ranch that had been in his family for three generations.
"Me Linus?" Ben grinned, hoisting the grocery sack; "I don't want nothin'! I just came by to bring you boys, what YOU want!" he exclaimed, tossing the sack, that he'd tied closed, on the desk top. He reached out gripping Linus's offered hand in one hand, and slapped him on the shoulder with the other.
"What? What are you talking about Ben. You haven't sold any stock. I just talked with Buck, over to the stockyard an hour ago!"
"Linus! You checkin' up on me?" Ben ribbed the banker.
"Ben, I... uh... You know, I..." Linus stuttered.
"Relax Linus, relax, even if you were, you were just doin' your job. We both know that." Ben explained to him. "I know that. Look. Actually, I, uh... Lucked in to, an, uh, opportunity. I did a job for someone... took out the trash you might say, and got paid for it." Ben poked a finger toward the bag on Linus's desk.
Linus reached over, curious now, and untied the sack and looked in. His eyes widened and darted back up to Ben's when he took his look.
"Damn Ben! How much is here? He almost shouted.
"Not sure Linus. Didn't count it myself, but they said there should be $75,000, or there-a-bouts."
"For hauling trash Ben?" Linus asked skeptically.
"It was a lot of trash buddy" Ben grinned.
"This is a problem. Too much money, in one place, at one time, the Feds start asking questions. Where'd this come from, really?" he looked at Ben questioning.
"Really, Linus, it's best you don't know. But, it's mine, and now it's the Bank's. I don't see the problem. The damn feds don't know how many cows or horses I've got and I've never shown you a bill of sale before when I've paid my note. Any way, you're the money man, I'm sure you'll figure out a way to make your directors happy, and keep the Feds out of my affairs."
"Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence Ben" Linus quipped. "I do have to say, you're lookin' good man!" It was Linus's turn to slap Ben on the shoulder. "What's happened. Where'd this come from?" He asked again, gesturing at Ben.
"Not real sure about that either Linus. Let's just say, every once in a while, an old hoss gets a second chance."
"Well, whatever, I'm not comfortable having this much cash sitting here on my desk! Wait here a second. Let me give this to the head teller and have her get it counted up for us. Be right back."
Linus stepped over to the door but turned back to Ben just as he was about to pass through. "You can't know how good this makes me feel Ben. It was killing me, what I was being forced to do. What I was going to have to do! This is a good damn day Ben!" The grin on his face ran from ear to ear, and even made Ben smile.
Linus was back in a couple of minutes with two cups of coffee from the pot in the lobby. "Sit down Ben, sit, while we wait on the counting."
Ben sat in the chair in front of the Banker's desk while Linus walked around the big desk to settle into and lean back in his high back leather chair, still grinning.
He took a sip from his coffee and asked Ben; "Did you hear about the excitement over west of Ennis?"
Ben looked up, suddenly on alert. "Ennis? Nah... I've just been at the ranch. Haven't heard anything about anything. You know how lousy reception is out there most of the time..." Ben took another sip of his coffee to hide his eyes.
"Seems some bunch of drug dealers got in a fight over there, a couple days ago, out in that summer cabin area, you know, that subdivision out on the far side?" Linus said.
"Left three men dead on the ground. The State police ID'd them as having been members of one of those Jamaican Drug gangs from back east."
"Huh! What are Jamaican drug dealers doin' in Montana?" Ben asked, feigning ignorance.
"I guess the Sheriff was thinking along that same line. I guess that's why he called in the State Police to help with the investigation. Three dead drug dealers was a little more then his department could handle all by itself I guess." Linus said with a wide eyed look.
"It's a funny thing though." he added.
"Funny?" Ben asked.
The Head Teller cleared her throat at the doorway, and Linus motioned to her and said; "Connie, come on in."
She stepped across the room and handed him a slip of paper, and left the office.
"Yeah, funny, as in strange. I heard on the news this morning that those men were shot with a 30-30. Strange weapon for a bunch of drug dealers." Linus just shook his head and looked at the cash ticket the teller had handed him.
"Well Ben" he spoke, not looking up from the ticket. "Apparently, counting was not one of the higher skills of the "They" you worked for."
Still on edge, Ben asked; "How's that? The mortgage due is $75,000 right?"
"Actually Ben, it's a tad over $73,000... but, this here, what was in the sack, is only..." Linus hesitated for a second; "$80,000 dollars!" Linus laughed. "Jesus Christ Ben! Where in the hell did you get eighty grand, without selling a hair on a hide?" He hesitated a few seconds with Ben just looking across the desk at him. "You're really not going to tell me are you?" He said, partly disbelieving.
Ben looked at him stoically, for several more seconds, then cracked a wide grin. "Nope Linus... I ain't! and Linus? I've got places I have to be." He stood and started moving toward the door. "I'm sure you'll figure out how to put that against my debt. I'll come by in a few days and you can tell me how much trouble I'm in." Ben laughed.
