Chapter 3

With Rory’s expertise, the two wagons were rigged and one of the horses was added in front of the two mules, and soon the six of us were traveling towards the tall peak in the distance.

“That sure is a tall mountain there,” Rory said as he drove the rig.

“That’s Pike’s Peak, Rory. Oro City is just past it and to the North, about halfway between the mountain and Denver,” his girl Betty Mae told us.

“If it’s that tall from here, that is gonna be a long trek,” I worried out loud.

“We’ll get there before the winter storms hit. There used to be a lot of gold mining there, but the gold petered out and they found silver in the sand that was washed away while they were looking for gold.”

“Betty Mae found out about the place from a miner,” Raylene explained. “He gave her his gold claim in payment. He said it was worth about $50. We decided to leave Wichita after there were some questions about whores robbing cowboys. We didn’t, but some where we were working did. We’re hoping that some working girls can make a good living in Colorado.”

“If the goal was to make money, why not go to Denver?” Mick asked Raylene.

“Honestly, we ain’t that pretty and the women in Denver are. Plus, there are so many whores in Denver that sometimes you’re lucky to make two dollars for a fuck. Here look,” she said and handed Mick a piece of paper. “This is what the top house in Denver is charging.”

Mick looked at the paper and his mouth slowly gaped open. He handed it to Rory, and he had the same reaction. Rory waved me over since I was riding scout. When I got next to the wagon, he handed the paper to me and I looked at Opal Anne and she actually blushed. It said:

“French fashion with fingers in asshole $2.50 – Common fuck $1.50 – Dog fashion $1.50 – Fucking the tits w the tits tight $ .80 – Watching a fucking match with girl to jerk you off $ .65 – Your prick sucked while sucking a woman’s cunt $4.00”

There was more but the one that really caught my attention because it was so sick was:

“No discount for gold or silver nuggets. Stink fingers and jerking-off matinees for young men under 21, every Wednesday from 2:30 to 4. Customers must enter with cash in one hand and tool in the other. If you are not a self-starter, stay at home and jack yourself off.”

“You see, we weren’t gonna get rich in Denver,” Raylene said in a very matter of fact manner.

“Well, maybe you don’t need to be whores anymore,” I said looking at Opal Anne. “I know I wouldn’t be averse to having Opal Anne be my woman from now on.”

The other two women looked at Opal Anne and then looked at my brothers.

“I feel the same way, Raylene,” Mick said.

“Me too, Betty Mae,” Rory added.

“Well girls, it looks like we need to find a preacher or a judge when we get to a town,” I said cheerfully.

“I bet if we go through mom’s things, we can find some rings for the ladies,” Rory said.

The ride was smooth after that with my brothers trading off between riding scout, driving and resting. The next time Mick took his rest break; he and Raylene went back to the second wagon for some privacy and consummated their relationship. The same with Rory and Betty Mae.

When my turn to rest came along, I sat next to Opal Ann and held her in my arms and fell asleep. When I woke up, she was still holding me.

“Hi.”

“Hi. Have I been out long?”

“About an hour: you’ve got another hour before you have to ride scout.”

“Can I just sit here with you till then?”

Opal Anne leaned over and kissed me long and soft, before she whispered, “Thank you for not fucking me. It means a lot.”

So that was our consummating, we cuddled for a couple of hours, although she did slide her hand around to get a real good idea of the size of what I was packing. Sitting there with Opal Anne was the best feeling I’d had in my life. It was better than sleeping in front of the fire with my dog when he was a puppy and I was kid.

“So, Opal Anne,” I asked. “How long have you been a whore?”

“A little over two years.”

“Can I ask how many men you’ve had?”

“No.”

I looked up at her before I spoke to assure her, “It doesn’t matter to me, but I was wondering if I was going to be able to measure up to the big ones.”

“Well, I ain’t ever had any big ones and I ain’t ever had any niggers. I hear tell that they are huge. And if what I just felt between your legs is real, you and I won’t have any problem in bed.” Opal Anne leaned in close and kissed my head.

The journey proceeded with no further delays or problems. Thanks to the planning of my brothers and me, we had plenty of water to get us to the next water source, a big shallow river. We camped for the night and Opal Anne and I cuddled to the sounds of my brothers incessant fucking. We decided to wait until we could do it in a real bed. I think Opal Anne still doubted my veracity. I think she thought I was looking for a warm body for the trip and then a fond farewell.

She was wrong, of course. I’d fallen deeply in love with her and my plan for her future included many babies and lots of white hair and wrinkles. I was more than content to hold her close at night and wake up looking at her face in the morning. She was my woman and I didn’t need to sink my cock into her to prove it.

The mountain grew larger as we got closer and soon, we were faced with the need to turn North and follow the front range into Fountain City. We decided to stay there for a few weeks while we stocked up on supplies, bought two more mules and got ready for our climb into the mountains to the claim we were going to take over.

While we were there, we all got married. Mick, Rory and I rummaged through our mother’s jewelry box and found several rings, including her wedding ring. Being the eldest, I took that ring for Opal Anne. I went back to camp and in front of my brothers and the other women, got down on my knee and asked Opal Anne to be my wife. Realizing that I really was serious, she cried and said yes.

We went to city hall and found a judge. He was cheerful to be able to do a triple wedding and we were pleased that he got all of our names and combinations right without a hitch.

The night of our wedding, Opal Anne and I went to the hotel and made love for the first time. The bed had a big fluffy mattress and we needed the cushioning.

“Husband?” Opal Anne asked after our second time. “Have you ever had sex with a woman from behind?”

“No, Wife, I have not.”

“Will it bother you if I do some things with you that I’ve done with another man before?”

“Opal Anne, I want to do everything a loving man and woman can do. Hell, I wouldn’t mind if you did things to me that a woman who only likes me will do!”

I smiled at my own joke and Opal Anne proceeded to make me a beneficiary of her experience as a whore. At some point during the evening, I told her she wasn’t my whore, she was my wife forever. She cried.

In the morning, we made love again, holding each other in our arms and kissing the whole time. When it was time to get up and go to the camp, I went and got us some fresh water and we washed up. It took us longer to get dressed than it did to get undressed last night. Funny how that works, but when we were dressed, we headed down for breakfast.

“It’s been a long time since I sat down and ate in a restaurant,” I said, taking Opal Anne’s hand from across the table. “If I do anything that is inappropriate for the husband of a fine and beautiful lady, you’ll tell me right?”

Opal Anne looked at me like she’d just seen me for the first time. She reached across the table and put her hand on top of mine.

“Mr. Paul O’Dell, you really do love me, don’t you?”

“Mrs. Opal Anne O’Dell, I’ve loved you since I first heard your rough old voice telling me your name.”

“Well, in that case you have to know that there is very little that you can do that I will consider inappropriate.”

“So, if I finish breakfast and I belch and fart out loud, it’s OK?”

“No, Paul. And you know that you would never do that. You are a true gentleman and an honorable man at that. But if it makes you happy, I will be proud to guide you through the intricacies of the world of high society.”

We had ham and eggs and biscuits and gravy, and a lot of coffee. When we were done, I paid the tab and only flinched a little at the $7.75 bill. Opal Anne needed to teach me how to tip the waiter and explained that in many restaurants, the person serving the food or drink made very little money from the establishment. She explained that they made their money by treating the customer well and making tips.

“So how does it feel to know that from now on you’ll only be working for my tip.”

“Paul O’Dell, if you ever only give me the tip, it’ll break my heart.”

“Oh, my dear, I plan to give you more than the tip forever.”

We returned to our room and pack the few things we’d brought with us and went back to our camp. Upon our return, we found that some things had changed. Dramatically.

When we knocked on the tent frame someone said “Come on in.”

I lifted the flap for Opal Anne and found Rory banging away at Betty Mae with a naked Mick sitting on the other cot with an equally naked Raylene sitting in his lap. Mick and Raylene smiled, Raylene rose to give Opal Anne a hug. When she came to give me a hug, I stepped back away from her.

“What’s the matter, Paul? Doesn’t your sister-in-law deserve a hug?”

“Raylene, first, no, you’re naked and second what are you doing sitting on Mick’s lap while your husband is rutting his wife?”

“Well after the wedding, the men folk decided to come back to the camp. Betty Mae and I wanted to sleep in a soft bed. Rory and Raylene went round and round and had a big fight. So, we all packed up and came back to camp. They kept fussing and Betty Mae said that maybe Mick would be happier with me. And Rory said maybe he would, and that set off Mick.”