Chapter 10

Fiona finished cleaning up her face and pulled her pistol out. She headed towards the stairs and I stopped her.

“Fiona! You aren’t going to hurt Wilson’s wife and kid are you?”

“I said I was. You wouldn’t want me to be a liar, would you?”

“WHAT? Are you serious?”

“Yes I’m serious. You just went through two years of killing the men who murdered your wife and child.”

“That’s right and you saw what it did to me. I don’t want to see you slide down into the hell I was in.”

“I’m going to go and check to see if they’re OK and to make sure that his wife doesn’t raise the child to be like it’s father. If I have to use a gun to impress them, then I guess I’ll do that.”

Fiona turned and waved for Betty to follow her. Arly was about to follow Betty, when I placed a hand on his arm.

“Let ‘em go, Arly.”

“But Mick, what if they kill the woman and her kid?”

“They won’t. If I’ve learned anything about my wife over the past few days it’s that she can be deadly but she’s not a killer. She has an amount of compassion way bigger than mine. She’s going to have a little chat with Mrs. Wilson but she’s not gonna read her from the book.”

We heard the kitchen door fly open and both of us turned, drawing our guns before Buck and Slick skidded to a stop in the living room.

“Hold up!” “Whoa!” Buck and Slick yelled together, with both hands in the air in front of them, “It’s us.”

The two Sidel riders stopped dead in their tracks. Arly and I both took a breath and slowly let the hammers of our guns ease back into place.

“Is everything alright?” I asked, sliding my pistol into my holster.

“Yeah,” replied Buck. “The Valenzuela men went over the hill and we waited but no one came back. At some point they’re gonna want their rigs back. Valenzuela’s Segundo is a good man. He just might come back on his own to see if the coast is clear and then lead his men back.”

“I don’t like it,” Arly said behind me. “Those men have been following Valenzuela’s lead for a long time.”

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to see if they’re honest men riding for the brand or rotten bastards like the Wilson men. The looks on their faces when the Segundo told them what Wilson’s men were going to do to Klineside’s wife told me a lot. The Segundo looked to be solid enough to keep the Twin Roses running through all this. The Double Fork is going to need some men to keep the place going.”

“Yeah it is,” came a voice from behind me.

I turned to catch Fiona as she ran into my arms. She was shaking and held on tight. Betty went to Arly and as soon as he held her she broke down in tears. The two Sidel men stepped back and waited.

“Mick, the Double Fork is going to fail if some men aren’t brought in quick. Almost all of their hands were at Klineside’s place the rest are out on the range but that’s only four or five men. Wilson figured the biggest number of his men would take care of Hugh and then come back in time to take care of us.”

“And you know this how?”

“Wilson’s woman told me,” Fiona said still shaking. “He never married her, Mick. She’s basically been his prisoner. They have a one year old boy but he was the result of a rape by Wilson and some of his men. She’s not sure who the father is and neither was Wilson. Now that Wilson’s dead she’s leaving.”

“But after a year she has to be his wife legally. Back home in Wisconsin she would be considered a wife by common law. Does she know that the Double Fork is now maybe hers?”

“All she knows is her slavery is over and that she wants out.”

“Well let me talk to her. Maybe we can change her mind. If she wants to leave the least we can do is make her realize that she can sell the Double Fork and be set up for a good long time.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. Let me talk to her first. It looks like the only time she saw Wilson or any other man was when they were going to fuck her. She was like their own personal sportin’ girl. She’s not even wearing any clothes right now. Valenzuela had just finished up using her when we showed up.”

I don’t know why, but right then I walked over to Valenzuela’s body and put a bullet into his head. The bastard. It struck me that had I killed him in town I might have saved the girl from one more rape. I looked at Fiona and seemed to ask a question with my eyes.

“Mick, I was a sportin’ girl by my own free will. She wasn’t. When he felt the urge, he took her. If one of his hands did a good job at something, she was given to him. I’m not even sure if she’s right in the head anymore.”

“Arly!” I called out to the big man holding Betty as she cried into his shoulder.

“Yeah Mick,” he answered quietly.

“You and Betty might need to take over this place to keep it going. Buck, do many of the miners have experience working cattle”

“Almost all of them, Mick.”

“Where are they now?”

“They came tearin’ hell bent when they heard the shootin’. Right now they’re taking care of their horses.”

“Arly, would you go and talk to them about staying on here and working the ranch? This could be a new job for them. Warn them about Wilson’s wife and to leave her alone. This could all work out for the best. If the Sidel men want to get out of the mine and into the cattle business this could be their chance.”

“And with law and order in town,” Arly said, “some of those that left might be back. Whoever takes over Sidel’s mine will have a ready supply of men to hire. This could work out really well. Hell Mick, you might end up Sheriff and can stay here.”

“No!” I said firmly. “I’m going home as soon as all this is cleared up. I’d rather be up to my ass in snow than drunken cowboys on a Saturday night.”

We had some bodies to bury and by the time we’d dumped the bodies of the dead Valenzuela riders, Valenzuela, and Wilson into the pit where the dead cattle were dumped, it was too late to ride back to town. Arly, Buck, Slick, and I walked back into the main house and found Fiona and Betty cooking in the kitchen.

“Fiona, I don’t want to speak to Mrs. Wilson yet. Would you please ask her if we may stay the night and if so which rooms should we use?”

“Sure, love. I think it’s wise to keep men away from her for now. She’ll choose when she wants to speak to men again.”

“Thank you, love. If she says it’s OK we’ll get the Sidel men settled in bunkhouse if they want to stay.”

Fiona went upstairs and after about fifteen minutes she returned with Mrs. Wilson and her son.

“Mick? This is Sarah Wilson and her son. She says you can stay and the men with you can stay in the bunkhouse.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Wilson...”

“Sarah! My name is Sarah. I don’t want that man’s name fixed to me.”

“Very well, Sarah. Thank you for allowing us to stay. I might add that I think we’ve found some good honest men to stay and keep the ranch going for you.”

“That’s what Fiona said. If I stay that will be a big help.”

“Sarah even if you sell the place and leave having it in good shape will earn you more money,”

She nodded and went to the kitchen with her son in tow. Fiona and Betty made dinner for everyone, with help from Sarah.

The Sidel riders ate politely, without being boisterous. That seemed to calm her a bit. After coffee, they made their way back to the bunkhouse. We’d all conversed at dinner about them staying on and helping Sarah to keep the ranch going. Once we’d convinced her that she was now the owner of the Double Fork, she’d decided to stay for a short time to see how running the ranch went.

Buck offered to take on the job of ranch foreman and made sure that the Sidel riders who chose to stay on understood what Sarah had been through and that bad things would happen to anyone that made her situation any worse.

The house had several bedrooms for guests and Sarah directed Fiona and me to one, Betty and Arly to another. Buck and the Sidel men all took up space in the bunkhouse. We kept two men on watch; one was stationed on the front porch and the other around the back door to the bunkhouse, just in case the Valenzuela men returned.

Sarah and her son, slept together in her room since he was still scared by all the strangers. I woke during the night while walking to the outhouse, I thought I heard crying coming from her room. I was tempted to knock and check on her but I thought that might be too much. Fiona was still asleep when I went back to our room so I just snuggled against her and went back to sleep.

There was a knock on the door and Fiona jumped out of the bed and rushed to the door.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Llewellyn, it’s time for breakfast.”

The voice was that of Sarah. Fiona opened the door a crack and looked out.

“Thank you, Sarah. Mick and I will be down in a bit. Are you waking everyone?”

“No. I was hoping one of you would wake the men in the bunkhouse for me.”

“Of course. We’ll take care of that as soon as Mick and I are dressed.”

“Thank you.”

Fiona closed the door and turned to find me awake and watching. She came back to bed and kissed me.

“Mick, Sarah says it’s time for breakfast. We must have overslept.”

“I don’t think so. It’s still dark outside.”

“Come on, husband, you have to wake the bunkhouse.”

I crawled out of the most comfortable bed I’d ever been in. As I stretched my arms in the air, my hard cock popped out of the front of my long johns and Fiona was right there. She took it in her hands and gently stroked it and slid the long shaft around her cheeks, stopping to lick each time the knob passed her lips.

“Fiona, we are going to be very late if you keep doing that.”

“Then, dear husband of mine, I suggest that you shoot quickly so I can consider my day off to a great start.”

Taking the shaft into her mouth, she began to aggressively stroke the shaft outside her mouth. It didn’t take long for her ministrations to have the effect she wanted. I shot off the first spurt into her mouth and she quickly pressed my entire cock all the way down her throat until her face was buried in my curly hair. Grabbing my ass cheeks with both hands, she pulled me into her mouth as far as possible and shook her head left and right until she felt me going soft.

“That was what I needed,” she said after pulling off and licking her lips. “I didn’t want to wait any longer with Wilson being the last cock in my mouth. Now get dressed.”

I pushed my cock back into my long johns and dangled it down my right pants leg. I pulled on my pants, shirt, and boots before strapping on my gun belt. Fiona did the same and came to kiss me when she was done. I held her and slid my hands down to her ass giving the mounds a good squeeze and jiggle.

“I’m ready,” I said.

“Me too. I hope that someday Sarah can feel like this with a man.”

I don’t know where that comment came from but I took it to mean that she loved me and I kissed her again as I opened the door. Sarah was standing just outside and snapped to attention when she saw us.

“I’m sorry!” She said quickly and in a panic, directing her words at me. “Really. Please don’t be angry!”

“I’m not angry, Sarah,” I said softly. “Fiona and I were just sharing a loving, good morning kiss.”

Her expression changed from one of fear to one of confusion. It came to me that she didn’t understand the concept of a loving kiss. I didn’t know what to say and was saved by my wonderful Fiona.

“Come on Sarah. I’ll help you start breakfast while Mick checks the bunkhouse. We can have a little lady talk, too.”

As they walked away, Fiona placing her arm around the woman’s waist, I thought I heard Fiona asking for her son’s name. I walked out of the room, closed the door behind me, and followed them down the stairs. Outside, the horizon to the East was just barely beginning to glow and feint streaks of orange and red were beginning to streak the sky.

I allowed a few minutes for the sun to move higher and for my eyes to get used to the dim light before walking to the bunkhouse. I opened the door and stopped. In the light of several low set lamps I could see that there were more men in bunks than I’d had ride up with us. I drew my pistol and went back out the door, closing it quietly.

I ran around to the other end of the building, gun in hand, hoping to find the Sidel man on guard duty. I stopped at the corner of the bunkhouse and peeked around it. The man standing guard had a sombrero.

I pointed the gun at him and quietly said, “Who are you and why shouldn’t I shoot you?”

The man instantly raised both hands high overhead. Neither one held a gun. I slowly moved around the corner of the building and quietly repeated myself.

“I asked who are you.”

“I am Pedro de Rivera. I rode for Senor Valenzuela.”

“He’s dead and his men all left yesterday.”

“Yes, but some of us came back last night. I wish to ride for the Double Fork.”

That confused me to no end. The sun was a bit higher and I pointed to the bunkhouse door and said, “Inside.”

He opened the door and stepped in. He stood straight not at all like he was sneaking in. I followed and as soon as I was inside I went to the nearest lamp and turned the wick up to make the flame brighter. He did the same to the lamp on his side of the room. He wasn’t trying to hide anything.

“Buck!” I called out loudly and the place exploded like a kicked anthill. Men flew out of beds, several starting to reach for their guns before stopping with no orders from anyone.

“Mick! It’s OK! Relax.”

“Buck, would you please explain what the hell is going on?”

“Yes sir. Diego came back last night. He’s the Valenzuela Segundo. He rode right up to the back door with his hands up and asked to talk. Seems that he and his men ran into the few remaining Wilson riders and while they were laughing at all of the naked Valenzuela men, someone threw a rock at the leader and knocked him off his horse. Before anyone could rouse themselves the Valenzuela men had taken the Wilson men off their horses and overpowered them.

“They did to the Wilson riders what you did to his men and sent the Wilson men packing naked as jaybirds. They rode back here to get their rigs with the idea that they would get their things and go home. When they found out that Valenzuela was dead and why, some of the men decided to head back to the Twin Roses. Others asked to stay here and ride for Mrs. Wilson. I figured to give them the chance.”

I thought about it for a few minutes and put my pistol back in its holster.

“Breakfast is being made in the main house. I don’t know if there will be room for all of you men. You might have to go in two groups. Mrs. Wilson is not used to men. Wilson allowed her to be raped by his men. When we rode in here, Valenzuela had just gotten done having her as a gift from Wilson.”

That brought some looks of anger from several of the Valenzuela riders.

“Look, I have no idea what sort of man your boss was outside of my fight with him and his actions with my friend Arly Conroy’s woman. I don’t even know if he’s married or has a family. If you men are going to ride for Mrs. Wilson, and the brand, you need to know that she’s been repeatedly raped by Mr. Wilson and his riders. She was used as a prize.”

“Mick,” Buck looked at me with an expression of pure hate. “I told the Valenzuela men that she’s had a hard time but I didn’t know none of this shit. I’m gonna stick with her now cause she just deserves a fair shake.”

“OK, Buck. The women are making breakfast, Pick out half your crew and send them up when they get dressed. No one shows up in their johns or I’ll shoot ‘em myself.”

“You got it. I’ll send a mix of Sidel and Valenzuela men. The Sidel men know how to act. What do you say? Fifteen minutes?”

“That should work. I’ll go tell the women what’s going on. And Buck...”

“Yes sir?”

“You’re a good man. Thank you.”

Buck nodded and turned to organize the men. I left the bunkhouse by the front door and walked back in the brighter dawning. Opening the door to the kitchen the smell of coffee and bacon filled my senses and almost knocked me over. Fiona came to me and hugged me before taking me by the hand and leading me to the table.

“Mick, I’d like you to meet Travis. He’s a year old and Sarah is his mama.”

I smiled at the little boy and roughed up his hair a little. The boy giggled and tried to smooth out his hair. He reached up to rough up my hair and then stopped in confusion, not knowing what to do with a head with no hair at all. I smiled at him and giggled.

“Fiona, y’all are in for a surprise. You better cook up a lot of food. Some of Valenzuela’s men came back last night and want to ride for the brand here. I talked to Buck and I agree with the plan. He’s gonna send up the men in two groups.”

Fiona looked shocked.

“My love, Buck knows what happened to Sarah and how she’s been used. I said nothing about the little boys parentage. Let Betty know. Tell Sarah more men are coming so she isn’t in a panic. Other than that you can tell her what you think is wise.”