Chapter 43

We had to pack all their sacks of clothes in the trunk and push down on the trunk lid to make it fasten.

The three girls rode in the back seat again, with Anna and Ava up front. Anna was sitting in the middle and I noticed her squirming, then sliding over toward me as close as she could with the floor-shift in the way.

She put her left hand on my leg then leaned over to whisper, “We’ll never be able to repay you for all you’ve done for us, but I want you to know, we’ll never forget this either.”

I leaned sideways, and while watching the road, I whispered, “Anna, none of you owe me anything. I care about my friends and there was no way I could leave you, Ava and Beth in that house alone. I’ll have some men move all your stuff up to my place and put it in one of the storage sheds out back.”

“JOSEY?”

“Hush, Anna. We’ll talk more about this later.”

It was almost dark when I parked in front of the house next to my Cadillac and the pickup. We had just gotten out of the car when the front door opened and every last one of my women came out to stand on the porch. I waved for them as I opened the trunk and they hurried out to help carry all of their clothes in.

I knew they were about to freeze in this cold air. All seven of my women - and Emmylou, were wearing thin gowns. Even in the dim light, I could tell they were naked underneath.

In the kitchen, I introduced everyone - and my women made me so proud when all of them hugged and welcomed each of the newcomers.

Rondo was sitting at the table drinking coffee, and even he stood to welcome the women. He didn’t hug them, but he shook hands with each of them.

As big and bad as this guy is, he still can’t greet a woman the way I do.

Calleen, Lisette, and Shirelle really made me proud when they told Beth, Ashley, and Alisha to bring their new clothes and come upstairs with them. I heard Lisette tell them, “We’ll show you our bedroom.”

Supper was ready to put on the table and they already had plates set at each chair around the table.

Before we sat down to eat, I told Rondo, “Tomorrow morning, after it warms up a little, I want you to get Joe and his brother to help you move Anna’s and Ava’s furniture and appliances up here and put everything in the shed next to the barn. I’ll have them pack up all their dishes and what clothes they have, and y’all can bring that too.

...”I found out today, that Jason Skelley owned the house and the quarter section of land it sits on. I’m already planning to ask Judge Skelley if he’ll sell the house and land to me, since it’s right across the county road from this farm.”

Rondo said, “I just wonder what all that man did own. You know he had money running out his ass, dealing big-time in drugs like he was.”

“I know that’s right, and you just made me think of something else too. The man had to have a huge stash of cash hid out somewhere.”

“Damn, Josey. Wouldn’t you love to stumble upon that stash before the law, or his daddy does?”

“I doubt he had any big money stashed in that house, but while you’re there, sort of nose around the place and see what you can find. There’s a gravel road that starts at the driveway and goes around the house. You may need to take a little trip back there while they’re loading the other pickup, or even after they leave.”

“I’ll check it out. That man could’ve had as much stuck back - as those bread-pans full of dough we brought from Jackson in the two trucks.”

“If you don’t find anything there, we may go take a look at that apartment he was living in. He was renting that, and I have to guess he was doing that to make it look like he didn’t have diddly-squat, other than what his daddy and step-momma gave him.”

After supper, the whole houseful of women started cleaning the kitchen while Rondo and I went to the living room to watch the news and weather.

“Josey, I heard on the truck radio, that they’re predicting a pretty good chance of snow, day after tomorrow.”

“I heard that too. Maybe we’ll see more about it on the news. If it snows, I wish it would come a big one. I’ve never seen but one big snow and that was years ago before I started to school.”

“I’ve never seen but a few scattered snowflakes - just a good dusting really. Not even enough to make a snowball.”

“It must have come a big snow here sometime or other, years back. There are three snow sleds hanging on the wall out in the barn.”

“I saw them. I wondered what they would do with them, other than pull each other around in the yard.”

“If we get a big snow, we’re taking our women to the levee.”

“DAMN - I wish it would come a big one, now. We’d be like a bunch of kids, wouldn’t we...

...”OH HELL – Look at that, Josey.”

There was a news reporter at the Collins County Courthouse and he was talking about the arrest of four Mexicans from the drug cartels in Mexico. Then, he told about Jason Skelley, the son of Collin’s County Judge Homer Skelley, being involved.

“HOLY COW! Would you look at that, Josey. They’re telling about you capturing the bunch from Mexico and turning them over to the sheriff. DAMN - Man - she’s one damn good looking woman too.

“I was in her office today. Her name is Mona Glass and she’s a good friend of mine.”

“I shoulda known she was one of your - good friends, when I saw her. Man, you got women everywhere around this place...

“JOSEY - Did you hear that? They just told that you’re going to get all the reward money.”

“Yeah, Mona told me there was a reward out for that bunch. If I remember right, she told me there’ll be eight hundred thousand - for all of them.”

“DAMN.”

“If I do get my hands on that reward money, I’m going to split it eight ways - with you, Hank - his two sons, and his nephew - then Granny, Momma and Charlie.”

“If I counted right, that won’t leave any for you ... Josey, I don’t really need that much money. I’ve never had anything anyway, and I wouldn’t know what to do with a hundred thousand.”

“You know how much we put in my walk-in safe back there. I don’t really need any pocket money at this time either. Though I’d sure love to get my hands on Jason Shelley’s cash-stash. I know damn well he had one. He had to do something with all that money, and they deal in American money too. They don’t trust each other enough to write checks...

“I’m going to see if I can talk Judge Skelley into selling me that house and land. If I can get it, I’ll deed you an acre up on the county road. You need to build your daddy a nice home there, so he’ll move up here to be with his grandkids.”

“Damn, Josey - You ain’t right - Man. I’d love to do that. Maybe he can find a good woman and get married again, if I get him up here with Emmylou and me now that we’re finally starting a family.”

“How old is he?”

“Forty. He was nineteen and Momma was eighteen when I was born.”

“I hate to ask this - but where is she now?”

“She lives in South Carolina. She divorced Daddy while he was in the Marines. When he came back home, I was six - and I came out here to live with him.”

“I’ll find him a good woman, if you want me to.”

“Josey ... I’m going to build my daddy that house and I want him to have a good woman to love him and his houseful of grandkids. He’s living with two whores down in Jackson, and they’re robbing his ass blind.”

“I know a woman who would make him walk the line and make him smile in his sleep. She’s not a whore, but she’s as hot as any woman in that kitchen back there. Jessie’s a nurse too, if that rings a bell.”

“HELL-FIRE-MAN! You’re not talking about Jessie Bouché, at the County Health Department, are you?“

“She’s the only Jessie I know. I’ll talk to her tomorrow, and when I get through telling her about your daddy, she’ll be on your ass to get him up here so she can meet him.”

“You’ve never met my daddy. How will you tell her anything about him?”

“You told me once that you’re built just like him - in more ways than one. That’s what I’ll tell Jessie. He can live in that house we move Anna and Ava out of, until we get his house built.”

“Look at that, Josey. They’re showing the temperature may get down to twenty-eight tomorrow night, with a slight chance of snow. I’d love to make a snowball one time in my life.”

Before I went upstairs to be with my women, Emmylou pulled me aside in the kitchen and told me that Rondo’s sister, and her two sisters, would all three be at the bus-station at 1:30 next Wednesday afternoon. “You won’t believe Dixie Lee Hall is kin to Rondo when you meet her. She’s not real tall, but she has huge titties and blonde hair. It’s natural too, it’s not bleached. Rondo calls her Dyna Mite, and I believe she really is. That girl is crazy as hell, but the last time I saw her before we left Jackson, she told me she was still saving her cherry for the man of her dreams ... I told her all about you when I called. I told her that you could very well be the man she’s been saving her cherry for.”

“EMMYLOU! Did you set that girl up for me? What will Rondo think?”

“He will love you forever, if you can tame that little wildcat and make her settle down here close to us...

“You’re going to love her, Josey ... Just wait and see...

“Now ... My Doctor-friend I told you about, will be in Collinsville this coming Monday and I’d like to be with you when you meet her. I hope you’re serious about helping her start a clinic.”

“If she’s interested in coming up here to start a practice, we’ll have her up here as soon as she can pack her doctor’s bag and take her Shingle off the wall down in Jackson.”

“Josey, I’m going to fuck you raw in the morning.”

“Good, I love it raw. Now, get your ass in bed and rest up. We have Rondo and you a baby to finish making in the morning.”

The television was on when I went to the bedroom. I had to smile when I saw my six younger women sitting on the side of the bed, watching television. Behind them, were my six women - watching television. They were all dressed in thin, silky nightgowns and I had to stop and look at each of them.

They stopped watching television as I walked around the bed and reached for Jillian and Josalyn at the same time.

“Come to me. I’m so glad both of you are here with us. When I see the bruises on you, it makes me mad all over again. I’m glad he’s gone now and none of us have to worry about him screwing up our lives ever again. Give me a hug. I’ll be so glad when I can hold each of you and love you again.”

Jillian told me as she pressed her face against my neck, “Josey, we told Erica to give us some of those pills too. Josh and I want to wait until we’re well and have gotten our lives straight, before we get pregnant again. When we do, we want your babies.”

Josalyn had her face pressed to my neck on the other side and told me. “Josey, I heard what Jilly told you, and I want you to know, I need your cock in my pussy and your arms around me, but I’m so sore in my belly that I wouldn’t enjoy it, as much as I want you. Please, just hold us and let us love you until we can be naked with you like your other women.”

“We’ll wait, then we’ll make it special when both of you are ready. We have plenty of time, and we need to get back to normal around here, after all that’s happened since we partied naked in Jackson.”

“We know that’s right. GOOD-GOD - did we ever fuck and raise hell down there? You even fucked me on my wedding night, when that bastard passed out,” Jillian said.