by Reece Butler
She smiled in reaction to his slight flush. “If Keith’s anything like you, Aggie made a smart decision. I lived the so-called good life in the city. I had the clothes, the house, and the wealthy, self-important husband who ignored me unless I was convenient to him.”
“You had the trappings of a house, but none of the heart of a home.”
Marci slowly nodded. “I don’t think Ted had a heart. I was bored and unhappy, but trapped in a marriage I didn’t know how to escape. But he died, so now I’m free.”
Her mother got almost nothing from the men who’d left her pregnant and alone. But at least they’d had access to electricity, running water, heat, and warm clothes, unlike the pioneer women. Most people today didn’t have to work sixteen hours a day just to survive, though her mother did because she had too much pride to take charity. Their single-wide trailer wasn’t much bigger than the original MacDougal cabin, which was now Simon’s kitchen.
“Those women must have been strong to put up with three men while living in a small cabin, working dawn to dark,” she said.
“They were,” replied Donny. “Beth Elliott was the first. She married Trace, along with his twin brothers Simon and Jack, in 1871. Your Simon was real fond of her. She used to read him stories from her journals.” Donny chuckled. “We found out later she skipped parts because she didn’t want him to hear all the shenanigans she and the others got up to.”
“He’s not my Simon,” she muttered to herself as she put her hand on her back and stretched out. She looked up at Donny. “Simon’s reading one of those journals. It belonged to Beth Elliott. He showed me the MacDougal family bible as well.”
Donny raised his eyebrows. “You interested in history? He’ll talk your ear off if you let him.” He looked curious rather than angry at her wanting to intrude.
“I love reading about the lives of historical women. What they put up with, how they survived. It puts our lives in perspective.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “That it does.” He went back to work. After a minute he chuckled. “You and Simon seem to be getting along. He’s been wanting to read those journals since we were kids.” His face suddenly appeared over the stall. He winked. “Maybe you’ll cuddle by the fireplace and take turns reading them out loud. Could be you’ll act out a few scenes as well. Great-Granny Elliott was wild.”
“You saw me!” she squeaked. She knew her face flamed. He waved it off.
“That table’s been used for generations to bring pleasure, both physical and food-wise. Just like the matching one at the Rocking E.” His slow smile reached his eyes. “I guess whatever you were up to this morning makes you an honorary member of the family.”
She groaned and covered her face.
“Don’t get all embarrassed, Marci. You were doing nothing that me, Keith, and Aggie haven’t done. Mind you, there ain’t much that the three of us haven’t tried at some time or another.” His chuckle sounded so kind that she had to look at him. He gave her another big wink.
“Beth Elliott enjoyed the body God gave her and didn’t hold back. I heard a couple of my aunts giggling after reading about her taking all three husbands on a picnic at the Double Diamond’s hot spring. They must have been in their eighties but nothing can stop a determined woman, especially three men who’ve loved her for over fifty years.”
He turned away, thank goodness, as her eyes misted. She heard the sound of his high-stacked wheelbarrow trundle away. Someone had actually stayed married that long, and still loved each other, physically and emotionally? Was there something in the water here?
“We’re done, Marci,” called Donny. “I’d best get back to my dear wife.”
She wasn’t ready to see Simon again so she said she’d just look around for a bit.
“I’m going to say good morning to my laid-up cousin. I’ll be back with the kids about ten.”
He turned away and walked toward the house. She was sure she heard him mutter something about it being danged well time. The dogs stayed with her, giving her company. She talked to them, which meant she wasn’t talking to herself. It was about ten minutes before she heard Donny’s truck leave. She decided she’d better stop hiding in the barn and admit how much her pussy throbbed for more of Simon’s attention.
“I think it’s time for Mr. MacDougal to have a nap.”
* * * *
Marci had been gone a while when the throbbing in Simon’s leg finally got to be too much and he decided it was time for drugs. He tried to get the crutches but knocked them on the floor. After cursing a blue streak he hauled off his shoe and sock and used the long toes of his good foot to pull them closer. That took a while. Then he almost fell out of the chair bending over to get them. He managed to grab the heavy wooden table before he toppled over. Once he got his crutches under him and balanced, he shuffled carefully across the floor to the counter.
That was when the kitchen door opened and Donny stepped in. He had that gleam in his eye that meant trouble. He looked around, sniffing the air. One side of his mouth curved up knowingly. He grabbed the childproof bottle off the counter right by Simon’s outstretched hand. He opened it with a flat-handed twist and handed it over.
“Four kids,” he said by way of explanation.
He sauntered to the sink without any effort at all and filled a glass of water. He waited while Simon swallowed the pills. Then the gleam got stronger. He set his fists on his hips and raised an enquiring eyebrow. Simon began his slow shuffle back to his chair. Donny waited, unmoving, until Simon landed his butt safely.
“Her boobs aren’t bad. Nice and compact.”
Simon cursed. “You didn’t tell her you saw—”
Donny shrugged, which could mean anything. “Didn’t have to. She knows the sun comes up in the East, shines through that window”—he pointed to the big one over the sink—“and lights up the whole room.” He grinned and tilted his head toward the table. “Good thing that’s sturdy. Mind you, Marci doesn’t weigh near as much as Aggie.” He scratched his chin. “Of course, there was just one of you, and since you were dressed I don’t think the table was rocking like it was with both of us making Aggie scream. Unlike,” he added with a grin, “Marci, who was cut off too soon. So, cuz, what’s your plan to finish the job?”
Donny always had to have a plan. Simon tended to wing it. He had a major plan for his life but he wouldn’t tell anyone, even Donny. No one other than he and Lance, and maybe some of his uncles, knew what would happen without heirs. No one wanted those bastards from Texas to take over. He might find evidence in the diaries to support the family stories of how cruel Finan MacDougal was to the Elliotts he’d taken in, and to his sons by his second wife, Nevin and Ross. Maybe that would sway a judge should the worst happen. He hadn’t asked a lawyer for an opinion as to whether the document was still legal. Didn’t want to waste the money if it wasn’t necessary.
“This cast comes off Monday morning. Marci feeds me and cleans the house while I do what I can. She’s welcome to stay as long as she wants. When Lance comes back, I should be fine, and we can go on as usual.”
Donny strolled past Simon into the bedroom. He hummed for a moment, then came out. “The lady’s suitcase is beside the bed you slept in. Now why would that be?”
Simon refused to be embarrassed. That didn’t stop his face from heating. “The lady insisted on staying near in case I needed something. Doctor’s orders.”
“I’m impressed,” said Donny. He snickered. “Impressed that you could say that with a straight face. So, how often did you, ah, need something?”
Donny knew him almost as well as Lance. Simon was better off coming clean before Donny started in on him. “It was more a case of what the lady needed. Turns out she’d never had an orgasm.”
“As in past tense?”
Simon couldn’t help bragging. He was a man, and had done a man’s job even if he was half crippled. He leaned back in the chair, trying to get comfortable.
“Let’s just say she’s discovered a ne
w type of fun.” He shot Donny a foul look. “She would’ve had another if you’d taken five minutes more getting here.”
“Five minutes? It takes you that long to make a hot woman come?”
“I like to make her wait for it. That way she enjoys it more.”
“Ah, boyo, you’re all heart.” Donny slapped him on the back. Simon jerked forward from the blow. “I’ll be back about ten with the kids.” Donny’s eyes went to Simon’s lap. He snickered at the obvious lump bulging out the sweatpants. “Better be finished by nine thirty in case we’re early.”
“Don’t be early.”
Donny stopped with his hand on the doorknob. “Marci and I had a chat in the barn.”
Donny could be too damn honest sometimes, telling things that Simon wished kept quiet. “What did you tell her?” He groaned at the wicked smile spreading across his cousin’s face. Donny straightened up and adjusted his hat.
“Just the truth. But I’d say the lady’s eager for more of whatever you gave her this morning.” He opened the door and stepped through. At the last moment he turned and looked over his shoulder. He waggled his eyebrows. “You be good, now.” He looked at the cast. “Or at least as good as you can with that stiff leg.”
Simon tried to get up to chase after Donny and demand to know what he’d told Marci. He’d barely gathered his crutches when he heard the roar of a V-8 diesel as Donny drove home to his wife, fellow husband, and children. Then the only sound was his own breathing and the loud tick of that black-and-white cat clock. It kept lousy time, but he’d never bothered to get a new one. It never seemed to matter before.
“For God’s sake, you’re forty years old,” he muttered. “Shouldn’t be holding on to old things that have no use.”
Did that include the memories of rejection? Should he tar Marci with the same brush as their ex-fiancé, and their mother? How could he trust Marci when almost everything he knew about her were assumptions. Maybe she didn’t like city living. Maybe she’d always had a secret hankering to live on a ranch with a couple of cowboys.
“Yeah, right. And maybe I’ll be able to ride tomorrow.”
He liked things to stay the same. Life hadn’t changed much since his parents died. Familiarity was comforting, just like this cabin. His ancestors had built it by hand. Each generation had added to it as circumstances had changed. His father added a huge sunroom to the back so their mother could look up at the mountains while she tended her plants. When she was alive, they had fresh tomatoes most of the year, and herbs all year round. But there was never enough time for the extras that a woman provided to turn a house into a home.
Just looking around, taking the time for once, he saw things that made him cringe. The thick layer of dust on top of the fridge was one. Who cared about it when he never put anything there? Same thing for the curtains over the sink. He’d used them too often to dry his hands when he didn’t see a dish towel nearby.
Everywhere were signs of neglect. Had he given up on everything except keeping the ranch going because he figured he wouldn’t have sons to pass it down to? The way the market was, if they didn’t have a good year, they could go under anyway. That would mean letting the rich Texan MacDougals take over. Why should he keep things up, only to lose it all to a bunch of strangers?
The Montana MacDougals had kept an eye on their Southern cousins over the years. He didn’t know if the ones in Texas even knew they existed. Perhaps they had nothing to worry about.
He didn’t believe the family stories about gold nuggets hidden around the valley. Not anymore. He and Lance had done their fair share of searching over the years. They’d never found more than a few speckles of gold. It was enough to make a ten-year-old happy but not near enough to save a ranch. From what he could tell, all the gold had gone south to Texas in 1863 so Finan MacDougal could establish his Bar MD ranch.
Even if he and Lance did produce a son, could they get the ranch back into the black or would they lose it all anyway? He’d been working too hard for too long with his head in the sand, plodding one foot in front of the other to see the total size of the mess.
Breaking his leg had brought his life to a crashing halt. Everything he’d taken for granted was on the line. No more could he coast through life with one day no different from the rest. He was going to beat this problem. And that started with taking control of himself. Now that he’d been thinking of other things his cock had finally calmed down enough that he could pee. Just realizing it turned it into an urgent matter. The bathroom was twice as far as the front porch. Marci was in the barn. If she looked out, she’d see him.
“Too damn bad,” he said as he struggled to his feet. “She’s been married so she’s seen a man taking a leak before.” He took careful steps toward the door. “Two more days and I’ll get this damn thing off. Another couple of weeks and I’ll be good as new.”
He made it to the door. It took some maneuvering but he got out. Instead of one or two ravens, there were at least eight lining the ridge of the barn. One of them must’ve spotted Marci and told the others. How she reacted to the thought of guardian ravens would tell him a lot.
He wrapped his left arm around the post. Stretching the fabric of his sweatpants let him haul his cock out the top. He sighed in relief as he watered the ground. There were always flowers around the house when he was a kid, but that was another thing that took a woman. He was just finishing when Marci sauntered out of the barn. That explained where his dogs were, the traitors.
Bailey nudged her hand, looking for treats, and she laughed, opening her mouth wide. The sound rang through the yard, emphasizing the silence that had preceded it. The ravens watched her with interest. He suddenly realized a certain advantage of an openmouthed laugh. It proved she could open wide for other activities as well.
He had a sudden fantasy of Marci dressed as a nurse. He closed his eyes, figuring he had time to enjoy it before she came near.
Marci the nurse wore a very short, very tight white dress, a white garter with matching stockings, white heels, and nothing else but a smile. She found him lying on his bed in pain and said she’d make him feel all better. She eagerly pulled back the sheet to find his hard cock. The one in his hand grew to match. Then she brought her mouth close and whispered—
“You want help with that, Mr. MacDougal?”
“God, yes!” he groaned to his fantasy nurse.
“Then we’d better get you back to bed before you fall over. I’ll get the door, but you need both hands on your crutches.”
The nearby sound of her voice brought him crashing down to earth. He opened his eyes. Marci, looking very amused, held the door open. She pulled her lips to the side as if fighting off a laugh. Was she laughing at his cock? She was certainly staring at it. That wasn’t all she was doing. With her sweatshirt gone again those amazing nipples were tight berries straining against her thin T-shirt.
He was horny. She was horny. “Back to bed?” he croaked.
She skimmed her free hand over her breast. He groaned, wanting his mouth and hands there. “Should I start without you?” She tilted her head and lowered her eyes.
“Hell, no!”
Somehow he managed to get through the door and all the way to the housekeeper’s suite without even thinking about it. All he had to do was follow that swaying, enticing backside. He stopped at the side of the bed, panting from both exertion and anticipation. She hauled his shirt over his head then took his elastic waistband and bent over. In one swoop he was naked to the toes. She pulled back the sheets and motioned for him to sit. She lifted his right leg for him, helping while he got straight on the firm mattress. If his leg hurt, he didn’t notice.
“Ah, Marci?” He cleared his throat. “What’ve you got in mind?”
She quickly stripped to nothing but skin. His mouth went dry. He didn’t know what had brought this wild woman into his life, but he was not going to jump off this horse when the eight-second buzzer went off. Hell no! He was going to ride it until it was plumb tucker
ed out. She jammed her fists on the curve of her hips and licked her lips.
“I’m gonna ride me a cowboy. You ready for the ride of your life?”
“Hell, yeah!”
Chapter Thirteen
Marci hid her uncertainty as she looked at Simon’s cock. She wanted the mind-blowing orgasm she was sure Simon could provide, but it had been many months since she and Ted had sex. It was one of the ways he punished her. After she realized her wedding-night disappointment wasn’t going to improve, she never let on that she liked him staying away from her room. By then she disliked everything to do with him. But Nikki was living in the basement apartment, though she spent most of her time at the hospital as an intern. She could not have said anything to Ted that would have forced Nikki out. He had no idea Marci purposely did things to irritate him so he’d stay away from her bed.
While she’d barely seen Ted’s cock in the dark, she was dang sure Simon was a lot thicker. And longer. And oh, boy, did she want him pounding deep inside her in a way Ted never could, or would.
Simon had given her a rocking good orgasm with his mouth last night and this morning. He would have given her another equally good one if Donny hadn’t driven up. Donny had all but told her to go for it, to take whatever she wanted and let Simon enjoy himself as well. The heat rising to her face wasn’t all embarrassment. A lot of it was sheer sexual need.
But did Simon have any condoms? Ted always used one, so she’d never had sex without it. He insisted it kept her germs off. She was happy to go along with that. Once she realized he was shooting blanks he was no use to her. Now was not the time to try sex without a condom. It was the most fertile part of her cycle and, even though she wanted a child, it must be with someone who understood she would be the only parent. Simon was too desperate for a child to chance it. She had no intention of sharing her life with a man again because she’d discovered the woman shared, and the man took. But she shouldn’t put someone like Simon, or Donny, in the same category as Ted. Maybe not even the same species.
