Book 3, Chapter 14

The attack was well executed. The shots were almost simultaneous. Both targets received a fast flying piece of lead. David took a head shot while Bobby got his man in the gut. That didn't kill immediately, but the man was dead, even if he didn't know it yet. That left four active shooters, then three as someone from the wagons took out Smitty. It was now evident to McCormick that something was amiss. Too many of his men were dead and he had no proof that any of the shooters in the wagons were dead. He was ready to abandon this attack. He turned and raced for his horse. Since he was behind the other three, they didn't notice his passing.

They only shot for a few moments later, when the second unison shot ended the lives of Eddy Rochester and Kato Lee. Unfortunately, because David and Bobby were busy with that shot, McCormick escaped. Since no more shots were heard, David called out to Gil. When Gil responded, David and Bobby came trotting down the hill, rejoining their loved ones. The rear wagons were brought forward along with the string of livestock. After dragging the carcasses of the dead mules off to the side of the road, the last of the replacements were harnessed up to the wagons.

"Looks like we are on our last legs." David quipped. "If we loose any more mules, we'll have to leave a wagon behind. I sure am glad we're so close to the finish. Now, you older children keep the kids close. Gil and I are going to loot the bodies of those scudders, and some aren't very pretty with the head shots we took."

The two went to the rocky area and began pulling gun belts, turning out pockets and checking vests. All long guns were taken and several knives were also found. Each man had at least sixty dollars in gold, some had more. Gil found where the horses were tethered and he untied the line, walking the horses out to the roadway. Eli and Bobby had finished with disposing of the mules and they had tied lines on the tree that Smitty felled. They dragged it off the road so the wagons wouldn't have trouble getting around it.

They had just gotten the road cleared when a stagecoach came around the bend. The side of the coach was labeled Risher and Hall Stage Lines. The driver pulled up the eight horses and the shotgun rider looked over the situation warily.

"What happened here?" the old geezer on the coach asked.

"Seems someone thought it would be a good idea to bushwhack our wagon train," David offered.

"Well, mister, they was probably waiting for us. So, we're much obliged for your help," the driver responded. "The name's Devine, Andrew Devine, Sr. Most 'uns calls me Doc. Ma boy's up north in the mountains somewhere. Named after me. Ain't heard from him in some time. But then, that's probably more than what you want to know anyhow. My shotgun rider's name is Aloysius P Doody."

Well, hello Mr. Devine." David responded. "And howdy Mr. Doody. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Devine continued his dialogue. "What you do need to know is if you take them dead ones on to the stage stop, the station master will give you a chit for protecting the line. Each one of them is worth fifty dollars!"

"Hey, Doc?" Doody said. He'd dismounted and gone over to look at the bodies. "This here is Smitty Jones. He rides with McCormick. But I don't see McCormick, here. Musta got away. Man, whoever was shootin' did a gosh awful good job. I ain't seen this kind o' shooting in quite a spell."

Devine went on, "I bet all of those boys gots posters on 'em, too. You need to talk to the sheriff about it and check the posters. You may even get more reward besides what the stage line is offering. All you need to do is ask the Sheriff for the latest posters. He'll give you a stack. You might have a good haul there. Just stop in the sheriff's office in Marvin. It's about fifteen miles up. You should be able to make it before nightfall. The stage stop is only about five miles up. Check with the station master as you pass through."

David thanked the man for his advice and the shotgun rider regained his seat. The coach lurched forward as Devine urged them on. Not wanting to waste time, David and Gil mounted up and the wagon train trailed after the stage. David was certain the stage driver would tell the stationmaster they were coming.

Sure enough, when the wagon train pulled into the station the stationmaster was waiting. He examined the bodies that had been piled in the buckboard. He gave David a witness statement already signed by Mr. Devine and countersigned by himself. He instructed to take it to the stage line offices on the south side of the courthouse square in Waco for payment. He didn't have to take the bodies because of the statement. The stationmaster also suggested they see the sheriff in Marvin. David thanked him and the teams were urged forward once more. The sun was low in the sky when the travelers entered the small settlement of Marvin (the name would change to Eddy in 1882 when the railroad came through).

The sheriff was just closing his office door when David approached.

"Sheriff?" he called out.

The sheriff whirled on his heels and drew his sidearm.

"Whoa, there!" David shouted, raising his hands.

"What do you want? Why are you sneaking up on a man silent-like? Don't you know you could git yourself kilt?" the sheriff asked.

"Well, sheriff, I'm sorry if I startled you. I've got some dead bodies here. These men tried to hold up my wagon train, and we had to dispatch them. The stage line stationmaster suggested we stop by to see you and check on rewards posters. He recognized some of these men from posters he'd seen. Can I get a stack of posters to check through?"

"Sure enough. I can give you vouchers you can cash at the courthouse in Waco if you find any on the posters. I will have to get the posters back when you're done though."

"That's fair enough" David put in. "We should be able to get through them in short order. Then what do you want us to do with the bodies."

Sheriff Dan Troop thought for a moment. "Just east of town is a pit mine that's been abandoned for several years. You can chuck them bodies down that hole. Ain't nobody gonna complain. That way the town ain't gotta pay for no funeral."

Gil and David spent about an hour going through the posters. When they were done they had twelve posters on seven of the men. The total value was seventeen hundred fifty dollars. They got chits from the sheriff for the dead men. Deputy Johnny McKay accompanied them out of town to show them where the pit was. It only took about twenty minutes but by the time they got back to town, it was full dark. The moon was full, though, and provided ample light for passage.

Adele and Angela had taken charge and moved the wagons just out of town. They had set up camp by a creek that was running cold and sweet. The food had gotten cooked and when the men arrived, it was served. The stress of the day had taken its toll and everyone was on the verge of exhaustion. It was bedtime and that's all anyone wanted. Sleep came quickly to the family.

Peggy Sue was restless. She wasn't sleeping well. She woke with a start. Waite felt her move. They had made love that night. He had brought her to the heights three times. He massaged her breasts and tweaked her nipples, which set her off one more time. She slid off to his right side.

Now awake again, her movement disturbed Waite's slumber. In a few moments, he was awake.

He rolled on his side and looked at his queen.

"What's bothering you, my love?"

"Close, I feel them. They are close. Tomorrow we need to send the men out to find them, to bring them home. To bring them to us."

"Yes, I know," he replied. "I have felt them, too. They are near. I feel they will arrive in the next two to three days, if that long."

Peggy Sue snuggled up to her husband.

"You know best," she whispered as she quickly succumbed to sleep.

Most of the family was up as usual. The children did sleep a little longer than normal. That may have been because of the late night last night, so they were allowed to sleep. Breakfast was cooked and ready when Hannah and Lisa went to wake the children. Once aroused, they scurried out to get in line for breakfast. The feeding of the children didn't take long and soon the family was again ready to go. Sheriff Troop told them they should make it to the courthouse before two o'clock today. He also advised them how to go to get to Mexia. That would take a day. The train would be able to camp just about anywhere once they crossed the Brazos River Bridge.

With many thanks to the sheriff for his advice, the wagon train left out on their last leg of the trip. The strains of 'Are we there yet?' could be heard from the children over the noise of the wagons. And Murphy's law held true. The reins on the harness of the second prairie schooner broke. Then the left rear wheel of the buckboard came loose and rolled off down a hill. It took ten minutes for Eli and Bobby to just bring it back and another ten minutes for Gil and David to force it back on the axle.

They had just started up again when the sky opened up and they were drenched with rain. The trail turned to mud, and the heavily loaded wagon that David was driving got mired in the mud. So everyone had to get out in the pouring rain and help push the wagon out of the quagmire. The wagon was really stuck and Gil finally unhitched the team from his wagon and doubled up his team with the original team. No sooner did they get the wagon unstuck then one of the stringer lines broke loose and twelve horses were freed and the older children were sent scurrying after them.

They caught a break when the rain stopped. They managed to get the rest of the wagons around the mud pit. As they traversed the next hill, the sky cleared and the ground was dry. There was no sign of the rain. It was a miracle. No, it was Texas! They continued down the road, coming up to Waco from the south. The clock at the courthouse told everyone it was three o'clock. The wagons actually took up two sides of the courthouse square. David went in to the clerk of the court to cash in the chits for the wanted posters.

At first the clerk was disinclined to pay, but David pulled his vest back, showing his Colt with his left hand, while resting his hand on the Colt at his hip. He tipped his hat back on his head and mentioned that the chit was from Sheriff Troop and he reminded the man that Troop was a friend. That got him moving and he processed the chit and delivered the cash to David without any further ado. David left the courthouse and immediately crossed the street and entered the Stage Line office.

He introduced himself to the manager there, Mr. Lawrence Hagman, and presented the receipt from the stationmaster. Hagman recognized the signature and immediately paid the bounty. He then offered David a job patrolling the route for the stage company. David asked if it would be all right if he thought about it. He also mentioned that he had to find a place to live first and get settled in. Hagman agreed that those were reasonable requests. He suggested David take care of that first and then get back in touch. David agreed to get back with him in a month or so. They shook hands and parted company.

Two doors west was a branch of the Wells Fargo Bank. David whistled and Eli came running. He gave a message to him and sent him running. His wives were walking towards him a minute later. They all entered the bank. David asked for the manager, Mr. Bodkin. The man shook hands with David and invited him into his office. He was courteous enough to hold the door open for the woman. He politely asked them to be seated. He had plenty of room in his spacious office. Unknowingly he turned to David and asked,

"And which of these lovely ladies claims you as husband, Mr. Morgan."

All of them," he replied nonchalantly.

Bodkin's eyes bugged out momentarily. He started to stutter, but then shut up and collected his wits. When he was ready he continued,

"Very well than, what can I do to serve you and your, um, family?"

"We want to open an account with Wells Fargo. A joint account with rights of survivorship."

"Very good," Bodkin replied. "And which one of your lovely wives do you want to be on the account with you?"

David smiled and repeated, "All of them."

This caught Banker Bodkin by surprise. He flinched this time, but his voice did not betray him.

"That's highly unusual, Mr. Morgan."

"So, then, you don't want my business? I have two thousand six hundred and fifty dollars to deposit right now, and I guess between thirty and fifty thousand more to come."

Bodkin stared. His mouth dropped open.

"You'd be better off closing your mouth before a fly gets in there," Rhoda said sweetly. She inhaled deeply after that, putting a mighty strain on the buttons on her bodice.

His mouth snapped shut. "Th ... Th ... Thirty to Fifty Th ... Th ... Thousand?" His voice cracked at that. He was shaking.

"Yes, that's right. I have some funds I haven't counted yet so the number could be even higher. So, are you, or are you not, interested in my deposit?" David demanded.

"Why, yes, yes, of course. Please, I didn't understand the implications at first but yes, I can set that up with all your wives as joint owners."

The rest of them had also inhaled deeply and thrust their chests out, in a delightful display of feminine charm. They were all wearing their altered dresses with the extremely low scoop necklines for effect. Their tit flesh jiggled with their movements and they were shamelessly putting on a display for the banker.

Twenty minutes later, David and his wives left the bank laughing. Banker Bodkin quickly locked the door and hurried off to find Sadie for some relief. The family crossed the street and headed back to the wagons. On the way, Jessica reminded David that they needed to head out to Mexia, where her cousin lived. They would be able to locate her when they got there. It was one day's travel by wagon, so they headed up the wagons and crossed over the Brazos River on the new bridge. The road was well traveled but they only drove about three miles out before pulling off at a turnout to camp for the night. It was early still, about six thirty, but there looked to be at least two hours of sun left.

Everyone got busy with his or her normal routine. The creek was just over a slight rise, nestled in gently rolling hills. It rose from a spring about two miles north and wended its way down to the Brazos. The water was cool and clear. The thirsty animals were grateful to be allowed all they could drink. The grass was lush and green and the boys fashioned a rope corral, using the thick rope retrieved from Sarah's barn. There were enough trees that they could make a large area for the animals to graze. However, since they were nobody's fool, each animal had hobbles placed on their legs to insure they would not try to escape. They ran out of hobbles though, and half a dozen of the ponies had to stay on pickets. It was okay, since the oldest of the horses were the ones so tied.

While David was in the courthouse, Adele had taken Elizabeth across the side street to the butcher shop. There she had found the shopkeeper had just taken in some beef that hadn't been smoked yet. She bought several prime steaks and some stew meat. As she left the shop, she noticed that the general store had some fresh vegetables on display. She got potatoes, carrots, celery, peppers and radishes for the stew and bought several Texas sized potatoes for baking. She had returned to the wagon before David had finished. Tonight they would celebrate. The women got busy with the cooking. The children were all sent out to bring in wood for the cook fire. Soon after the smells of cooking stew wafted through the campsite. The iron pot was boiling merrily as Sarah and Stephanie prepared the potatoes. They found some large elephant-ear leafed plants that they wrapped the potatoes in before burying them in the coals of the fire. They would cook but the green leaves would protect them from scorching. Baked potatoes and stew for all was on the menu with steak for the adults.

The stew was just about ready when Adele put the steaks on to cook. She knew both husbands would want theirs medium rare, so those were put on last. The other steaks were much smaller and there were enough for all of the adults and teens. Once all the meat was cooked the potatoes were removed from the coals and prepared. Adele had actually gotten some butter and chives to add to the potatoes. David said the blessing on the food and thanked the maker for allowing them to make their trip and arrive virtually unscathed. It could have been a disaster, but someone must have been looking over them.

Once the blessing was finished, they dug in. The stew was just right! Elizabeth did comment that the seasonings and herbs were getting a little low and hoped there would be a store that had a stock. They would have to plant herbs once they found a place to live. The other women agreed and Sarah reminded them they had brought all the seeds from the farm, so they were ready for gardening. Eli spoke up reminding the rest where the seeds were located, as it had been his job to pack them.

Everyone was contented and full when the sun went down. Many of them felt relief that their trek was over and several couldn't believe that they were actually here. The children were excited and it was difficult to get them to calm down and go to sleep. Hannah had the touch though and soon the youngsters settled down.

David settled in to the mattress in his Conestoga and the women all crowded in. He made out with each in turn, while the others touched, stroked and sucked him and each other. They would take turns tonight. Everyone wanted a celebratory fuck, complete with attached orgasm. He was happy to oblige. Using his fingers and lips he brought several to just short before entering them. The heady musk of women in heat only fueled the desires of his women. It turned out to be a continual stream of orgasms as one after another announced their satisfaction. As usual Rhoda took her turn last so she could sleep on top after her cum.

Fully sated the women cuddled in close to David as his weary eyes closed. He didn't open his eyes again until morning. They were just finishing their breakfast when the pounding of horse hooves was heard. Since the campsite was secluded and hidden from the road, they didn't worry about highwaymen. What they didn't know was the rider, Jesse Jackson, was looking for them. Jesse didn't know he'd passed his quarry, already. He was just one of many riders sent out from the main ranch house.

Some people say 'ignorance is bliss' but it sure can be a pain in the ass. It would have saved everybody time. But onward now. The Morgan wagon train was fed, watered and hitched and ready to go. The road to Mexia was rather straightforward. When automobiles became the rage, the road would become part of Hwy 84. For now, it was a good wagon trail. They drove out around 8 am, heading east. The day was overcast and cooler than normal. The road was dry and they managed to make the twenty miles to Mexia without incident.

"I hope we can find good land around here," Angela told David. "It would be so nice if we could get something like those two spreads we passed about noontime. I really think we should have stopped to ask about ranchland there. But, anyhow, let's find Jessica's cousin and see what's what."

"Good idea, wife" Dave retorted, all the while knowing that was exactly the plan.

Jessica was on the seat with them and they all were looking at the signs on the stores, searching for the family name. Suddenly, Jessica cried out.

"Look there!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Smith, Sampson and Sons, General Merchandise."

She pointed to the large mercantile on the corner of Milam and Sherman streets. Of course they didn't know that yet, but on with the story. The train pulled up across the street from the store. An excited Jessica jumped down before David could get the team tied off.

"Hold up there, missy!" he called out. "Wait for the rest of us."

Impatient as ever, Jessica could hardly contain herself.

"Oh, all right, just you all hurry up!"

As large as the wagon train was, it still only took about five minutes for everyone to gather at the front. The children's hair was brushed. Clothing was dusted and straightened. The men even washed their hands in the water trough in front of the feed store. Once everyone was ready, Jessica took David's arm and pulled him across the street. They climbed the steps onto the boardwalk in front of the store and stopped. Jessica's shaking left hand reached for the door handle.

"Relax, baby," David whispered in her ear. "It's just cousins, and you've met them before. Take a deep breath and we'll go in."

To the rest of the family, he commented, "Let's not overwhelm them. I suggest that just Jessica, myself and Angela go in first. Once the surprise is in the open, then the rest as will fit may come in. Gil, you might want to wait until we come back to introduce your family. It might be less daunting that way."

With that, David opened the door to the store and held it open while Angela and Jessica stepped into the store. The sun through the large windows facing south lighted it. The store was very large and looking at the stock, it was a thriving business. There were rows and rows of display tables and racks of ready-made clothing. The household section contained pots, pans and even china dishes. Both women stopped at a table with women's hats and started trying them on. A tall, redhead with fair features and a nicely rounded body approached the pair. Jessica was facing Angela who was facing the woman.

"That one looks lovely on you," the woman began, "it suits your coloring and your dress. I think it's on sale for only tw..."

Jessica had turned around and Maybelle recognized her cousin.

"Jessica!" "Maybelle!" the two exclaimed at the same time.

They hugged tightly, and bounced around a bit. It was quite a sight. To say Maybelle was robust would be an understatement. To say she was Rubenesque would be right on. Her 50 G bust took up a lot of space, as did the rest of her 5'10, 190 pound superstructure. She was a solid woman with a huge bust and very generous hips. Plush would be putting it mildly. A guy could get lost in her flesh, and her husband did that almost nightly. And when he was away on business, her Brother George acted as stand-in. For when Maybelle got horny, she had to have pleasuring. Sometimes she'd take both men on at the same time. She especially liked those special times when her husband buried his thick cock in her cunt and then her brother stuffed his huge member in her voluptuous ass. She would orgasm for what seemed like hours when they did that.

A large man with red hair and a handlebar mustache came out of the back room.

"What's the ruckus about out here?" he demanded. "Well I'll be hornswaggled! If it ain't little Jessica. Or should I say big Jessica, now. Damn, girl! You're all growed up!"

George grabbed on to Jessica and his sister and gave both women a bear hug. Amazingly, he easily lifted both women off the ground and swung them around.

Just then another man came out from the back. He too was tall, but not as tall as George.

"What's going on here, Belle?"

"Oh, Hyrum, come see. Meet my cousin Jessica. She growed up in Californy. She's come here to live!" the excited Maybelle exclaimed.

"Glad to know you, Jessica. And who are these two you got with you?"

"Well, ah, this is my husband David Morgan. He brought us all here for a better life than what I had at Pa's mine."