Chapter 23: (Episode VI)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

“I’m really sorry about all this,” Jake said to Clint as they both rode on horseback. “I know I’m leaving you in a big lurch. I had no idea it would take this much time. Things have changed in Hollywood in the last 25 years.”

“Ah ... don’t flatter yourself. Nobody here really likes you much anyway,” Clint said with a wink and a smile.

Jake rolled his eyes at his old friend. “Still, I feel kinda bad about it.”

“We’ll hold down the fort and you always have a home here with us ... you can come back when you’re done. Meanwhile, Jimmy can plunge a toilet just as good as you. And we’ll get another Jimmy, or Johnny, or Joey, and train him up. Circle of life thing, ya know? Besides, you brought us the movie people. They’ll be staying way past our usual season, so that’s a shitload of extra money. I just gotta figure who-all is gonna run this place over the winter. Marcie and I are snowbirds now and usually go down to Phoenix to stay warm, ya know?”

“Yeah, you’ll figure somethin’ out. How’s Jamie doin’?”

“Jesus Christ,” Clint cried out, sitting up straighter in his saddle. “Why didn’t you bring her up here sooner? She’s implemented some kind of engine ... optimizer ... thing that–”

“Search engine optimization?” Jake ventured.

“I guess, like I know anything about that internet shit. Anyway, the hits on our website have gone up over 100% in the two weeks she’s been here. Bookings are up, too. Hell, I reckon we will be fully booked soon for all of next year. We ain’t been fully booked since I don’t know when, way before Covid. She’s making us an Instagram account, too. I’m not sure what that is, but she said it’s important. Plus she’s setting up databases for all our animal records, customers, vendors, all kinds of shit.”

“Told ya she was good,” Jake said, his chest puffing out a little. He’d never been so proud of Jamie and was just tickled pink that she was working out so well for the ranch.

Clint stopped his horse about a mile away from the ranch. “I’ll never get over this view. Say, you guys still livin’ in that shitty shack? Come on, man. She needs a proper house.”

“In due time, old man. The Warner Bro’s don’t pay me in a lump sum. We’ll get somethin’ nice by spring.”

“You gonna marry her, Jake? I mean, I can’t for the life of me figure out why, but she really loves you.”

“I love these talks of ours. I always feel so deeply appreciated afterwards. But yeah, I want to marry her soon, if she’ll have me.”

“You better do it before she gets to know me better, or else it will be me she wants to marry. Race you to the barn!” Clint kicked his horse and took off, leaving Jake in the dust.

I should probably let the old fuck win, just this once, Jake reasoned.

Jake pushed himself into Jamie one last time and exploded inside her. Her body violently convulsed as the last of her orgasm overwhelmed her. He felt her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him as they struggled to get their breathing under control. When he rolled off of her his cock was expelled from her body and their combined fluids gushed out of her, making a wet spot on the sheets between her legs.

He pulled her tight into his arms and her large breasts crushed up against his hairy, muscled chest. “I’m never going to get tired of doing that with you,” he whispered.

She giggled. “You’d better not.”

He tenderly ran his hand through her fiery red locks. “Clint is so impressed with you, you’re making yourself invaluable to the ranch, love.”

She gave him a beautiful smile. “I’m trying to drag their operation into the twenty-first century, but I’m so happy that they’re pleased with everything I’m doing.”

“They are, baby, even his missus gushed about the great job you’re doing.”

“She’s so sweet and they’re both so easy to work for. Honestly, this is the best job that I’ve ever had.”

“Good, I want you to be happy here.”

She snuggled closer into his body. “I’m with you, Daddy, of course I’m happy.”

“I want us to live in this area ... forever,” he said a little more seriously.

“We just...” Jamie paused for a moment, trying to get her words right. “You know ... we might need a little more room.”

“What, you don’t like our little love shack?” he teased.

“You know I love it, but ... ummm ... we’ll need more room when it’s not just you and me.”

Jake smiled but took a few moments before he spoke. “Honey, do you really, truly think that’s a good idea? I’m ... not a spring chicken. Is it fair to the kid to have a parent so old?”

“It’s fair to the kid to have a good father, whatever his age, and you’re not that old.”

“I’ll be... 78 when he graduates high school, if I don’t die before then.”

“Oh, so it’s a he now, is it? And what if I want a little girl? What do you think about that?” she said playfully.

“Jaime, come on now. I’m being serious. I don’t want to short-change our kid just out of vanity or ... selfishness.”

“Daddy,” Jaime said seriously., “I want to have your baby more than anything in the world. You would be the best father I can possibly imagine. It’s worth the risk to me. That being said, you owe me a minimum ... and I mean a minimum ... of 20 years. You have to promise me that. Right now.”

“Ummm,” he stammered.

“I mean it! Promise me right now.”

Jake put his hands up. “Okay, okay! I give up. I promise I won’t die for 20 years.”

Jaime stared hard at him. “Remember the Cowboy Code, a good cowboy keeps his promises.”

“I mean it! I won’t get killed or get sick for 20 years. But I can’t guarantee anything after that.”

“Perfect.” Jaime smiled. “I know deep-down you want a child, too.”

He grinned. “I would love to hear the pitter-patter of little feet running around here.”

“How about I stop taking the pill?”

“Yeah, I’m good with that. Is there anything we should do? I mean like a waiting period or something?”

“Hmmm, from what I’ve read, not really. But we should talk to an OB-GYN. Do they have those here in Montana?”

“Naw, women just have babies out in the barn.”

She gave him a sideways glance. “I’ll stop taking the pill as of now. You might just have to finish in my mouth for a couple of weeks.”

“Or in your ass,” he said with a sly smile. “After that I will get you pregnant. But I’m gonna want some of that milk when it comes in.”

“What? Seriously? Our baby has to share with you?” she said playfully.

They shared a hot romantic kiss. “Yeah, Jake Jr. will have to.”

“Or maybe Jill? I kinda like that name too if it’s a girl.”

“Jill ... I love that name.” He thought for a moment. “Boy or girl, the baby is going to have to learn to share,” he said blithely.

She laughed. “Yes, the baby will.” She snuggled up on him, her fingers twirling his chest hairs.

They both basked in the afterglow for a few moments. “I ... ummm ... I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but when are you going to make an honest woman out of me?”

“Oh yeah, that.”

“Yeah, that.”

“Should we do it right away? Or maybe wait for spring?”

She gave him a radiant smile. “I think I can handle a spring wedding.”

“Spring it is, then. This is going to be an exciting year! We could possibly have a baby by this time next year.”

“I’m counting on it. Don’t go and get kicked by a horse, you gotta keep those family jewels safe for me.”

“Gee, thanks!”

There were a few moments of comfortable silence before Jake remembered something. “Oh, remember to keep Saturday morning open; we’ll go into Bozeman and do a little car shopping. Your old hooptie isn’t going to do very well once the snow starts falling.”

“Hooptie? How the hell do you know what a hooptie is, cowboy?”

“Hey, I’m hip to the lingo, I’m a down alley-cat.”

She laughed. “Please, don’t ever say ‘hip to the lingo’ again, okay?”

“Don’t all you young people still say down alley-cat?”

“I think they did back in the ‘20s, the 1920s! I need to drag you into the twenty-first century too,” she teased.

He slid his thigh between her legs and she opened them for him. “You make this old man feel like he’s 18 again.”

They exchanged another hot little kiss. She pressed her breasts into his chest and took his hardening cock into her hand. “You’re not that old,” she whispered.

He rolled onto his back and Jamie gracefully slid on top of him. He took his erection in his hand at its base and guided it inside her with one long push. She let out a deep moan and placed her hands on his chest. No matter how many times he made love to her, his hunger for her could never be sated.

“Can I have everyone’s attention?” Clint called out over the DJ’s public-address system. The small crowd of ranch employees stopped their murmuring and looked up from their dinners to focus on Clint.

“First I want to thank everyone for coming tonight. I know Saturday is usually your night off, but the next few weeks are gonna be pretty busy and ... well ... we’ve got to celebrate our big star, Jake McClintock! Come on up here, boy!” A hearty round of applause accompanied by lots of shouting followed his opening remarks while Jake left Jamie’s side at the dinner table and made his way to the little stage where the DJ booth sat.

“As you know, Jake is leaving us for a while to star in some movie or something, what’s it called again?”

Jake shook his head and leaned into the microphone. “It’s a Netflix series called Montana Skies Again.”

After some more shouts, Clint continued. “Yeah, that’s it. Was their marketing team asleep at the wheel or something? I mean that title ranks pretty low on the creative scale, you know what I’m saying?” The crowd chuckled at the lackluster title.

“I didn’t write it,” Jake explained. “I’ll just show up and ... you know ... say my lines and do my work.”

“Show up and do your work, just like you’ve been doing for us for over 20 years! You know, folks, olde Jake here, he saved this ranch single-handedly back in the ‘90s. After the fire, we were pretty much circling the drain. But my boy swept in with some of that Hollywood money and saved our ass, and he ... he kept this ranch going.” Clint looked at his friend, his eyes turning glassy, and gave him a big old bear hug.

Jamie looked on, touched by the depth of emotions shown by these two old friends, and Clint returned to the microphone. “Of course, he ended up sticking around here like a sick mule and we couldn’t ever get rid of him until now, right?” Jake threw his hands up in laughter along with everyone else.

“Naw, we will miss you, buddy. Anytime you wanna come back, the barn door is always open. ‘‘Course, if you do come back you’ll have to start back at the bottom and work for Jimmy!”

“Yeah!” Jimmy shouted. “And you better make the coffee right!”

After the laughter died down, Clint resumed. “So Jake, I hear you have an announcement of some import?”

Jake leaned into the microphone again and took a deep breath to compose himself. “Ummm ... Jamie and I will be gettin’ married in the spring.” After much hooting and hollering, Jake said, “And you’re all invited! We’re gettin’ hitched here at the ranch.”

“Alright, folks! Open bar until 9 o’clock!” Clint’s last announcement signaled the DJ to start playing music and everyone tried to congratulate Jake and Jamie at once.

Jake finally got to talk to Jamie after several minutes passed. “There you are!”

“Daddy!” she cried, and hugged him tightly.

“Daddy?” interrupted Darryl. “You know I’m better lookin’ than him, right?” He gave Jamie a big hug and then slapped Jake on the back.