Chapter 5

The next morning was a little awkward for me but it didn't seem that way for Janet. At first, when I woke, it struck me as odd that I was scrunched over against one side of the bed, nearly in danger of falling out. Then I remember yesterday and turned to look at Janet.

She was already awake, lying on her side, facing me, and staring.

"Well, at least you don't snore," she said, then got out of bed and disappeared into her bathroom.

I went to mine for a shower and after dressing I headed toward the kitchen, intending to go milk Elsie before finding something to eat. Janet was way ahead of me. She was already in the kitchen fixing breakfast. She even let me sit at the table while she cooked this time but the conversation was still slim to none.

I took care of the dishes again after the meal and Janet returned to the bedroom I guess. She hadn't dressed before breakfast, cooking in her robe and house shoes. Did I mention how good she looked in them?

Sure I was going to feed this time, I took one step into the feed barn, checked things out and turned right around, heading back toward the house. I could hear Janet's shower running so I sat down in the living room and waited. Then I waited some more.

Janet came out dressed, about an hour later. She was wearing jeans, a blouse, and a pair of tennis shoes. I know that's not what they're called lately but it was still what I called them.

"I thought you went to the barn," she said.

"I did, but I came back in to show you the surprise."

"What surprise?" she asked.

"That's what I came to show you. Are you ready to go see it?"

"I guess. What is it, a new cow?" she asked, and I don't think she could have been any more sarcastic even if she'd tried harder.

"You'll see when you get there."

I didn't bother taking her inside the feed barn but led her around to look through the fence. Her new palomino Quarter Horse mare was still getting acquainted with Jack and Francis. Janet was speechless, but only for a couple of minutes.

"Where did that come from?"

"She. It's a mare. I don't know where she came from but she got here pretty much the same way everything else has. Maybe you'll understand what I've been trying to tell you. I do not have any control of whatever it is that's going on around here. We're at the mercy of something or someone and that's that."

"I guess you weren't lying after all, about some things anyway," she said, grudgingly.

"What are you going to name her?" I asked.

"Why should I name her?"

"She's obviously for you. I already have a horse, remember?" I asked.

"But I don't know a thing about horses. Yesterday was the first time I was ever on one," she said.

"Don't worry. I'll teach you to ride your new horse. By the way, there's another surprise for you in the feed barn."

She didn't wait for me this time. She went to the door and opened it. In half a minute she came out holding her new boots, smiling like she meant it.

"Don't tell anyone else but I've always wanted a pair of Cowboy boots. I never had the nerve to buy any though."

"Well now you have a pair and you didn't even have to pay anything," I said.

"I guess that's one way to look at it. Of course I did lose my car, but I owed more on it than it was worth and it did have a flat tire the last time I saw it. Even though I like the boots I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made the trade if I'd had a choice."

"Believe me, I know what you're talking about," I said.

That was pretty much the end of the conversation for a while. Janet took her new boots and headed back into the house. I fed the stock and then put Elsie in the milking stall to do my thing.

Things just rocked along peacefully for the next few weeks. Janet and I settled into a sort of routine as we became accustomed to each other. Little by little we grew closer, as if there was any sane choice. She even learned to milk Elsie and to feed the stock. We swapped out with those chores and cooking. Every other morning I cooked breakfast and Janet fed the stock and did the milking.

This morning it was my turn to cook, and as she often did, Janet spent a little time making fun of the way I did it while I was doing it. I didn't care. She wasn't exactly bitching and having someone to talk to beat hell out of not having anyone. She'd even started teasing me with accidental peeks of exposed flesh lately. Sadly she hadn't started sleeping nude or gobbling my goober or anything else of that sort.

It's true that the morning meals I did were not fancy. I knew how to fry eggs and bacon and how to toast bread. That was pretty much it for me and breakfast. After we finished today's version Janet bounced up to go feed Jill, Jack, Francine, Bevo, and Elsie. She was going to do the milking while Elsie ate. I was having a last cup of coffee, but not twenty seconds after she went out the door I heard her scream.

I was still barefoot but I jumped up, grabbed the Marlin, and was out the door before she screamed again. I saw her at once and then saw what had made her scream. It was the biggest black bear I'd ever even heard of. It was over by the horse pen, hoping for something tasty no doubt, but had probably been stung by the electric fence a time or two already.

Right now it was looking at Janet and no doubt wondering what all the racket was about. When it saw me approaching Janet it stood on its hind legs and gave us a demonstration of its own fine voice. I could almost feel it thinking about coming our way, so I took a couple of steps past where Janet was frozen in her tracks, to save her most of the muzzle blast, and put a round into the bear's chest, hoping that I'd aimed somewhere near the heart. I wasn't really sure where a bear's heart was located.

The 35 Remington hit hard enough to knock it down anyway, but it moved as if to get back up. I saw at once that wasn't going to be possible, because its rear legs weren't moving, at all. I must have nicked its spine with the first shot.

It tried to roar again but only blood came out of its mouth, quite a bit of it too. I'd already jacked the lever and now I drew a bead on an eye and fired again. In seconds it was completely still.

Janet got hold of herself then, partially at least. She looked at the bear and then looked at me and then launched herself at me. She nearly knocked me over and then reached up with both hands, taking hold of my head, and pulled my mouth to hers, kissing me almost savagely. It was our first kiss, but it was powerful and long lasting. Finally she backed off just a bit.

"That was a BEAR! A God Damned BEAR! It saw me and was going to eat me and you came out barefooted and killed it, just like that! You weren't even scared of it, you came right out and killed it, right now!"

"It probably wasn't going to eat you. It was just curious, maybe," I said.

"It was a fucking BEAR! I know it was. Bears kill people, and eat them. It was going to kill me and eat me, but it didn't get to because you came out and killed its ass in a heartbeat. Look at it," she said, pointing, "It's deader than shit. You killed it and saved me," she said.

"I guess you could look at it that way."

"You guess? You GUESS? Take me in the house and fuck me right now, RIGHT NOW!"

Who was I to argue?

I scooped her up in my arms and headed back inside. She put her arms around my neck and started kissing and sucking on it and then on the closest ear. I'll admit it was inspiring.

When we were inside I propped the Marlin against the door trim, shut the door and then flicked the switch to close all the blast doors. When she saw them shutting out the light she shivered in my arms.

"You're closing me in. It's a cave again now and you're going to take me to the back of it and do it to me good. My cowboy cave man. Take me back there and put some dick to me," she said, almost growling it.

In the bedroom I set her down, expecting her to take her quilt off the bed and put it away. We never even slept under it; she just put it on top of the comforter when she made the bed every day.

She didn't bother with it now though; she toed off her boots and began shucking clothes. I couldn't help it; I had to watch.

When she caught me at it she smiled and slowed down, teasing me with the snaps down the front of her Maverick Blue Jean shirt, then ignoring it, letting it hang open while she unbuttoned her Wranglers and slid the zipper down slowly.

She'd been teasing me for days already, testing me I guess. She'd quit pajamas for gowns as sleepwear more than a week ago and the last three nights she'd worn only a T-shirt. She used one of mine the first night and then switched to hers, they were so short they didn't quite reach the bottom of her buns and they looked great on her.