Chapter 163: Helter Skelter

Editor: nnpdad 18 June 2021

Mouse stuck to me like glue. Ever had a monkey on your back? I had a Mouse at my side every moment throughout the rest of the day.

Reunion with Michelle? That was a hug and a peck on the cheek with Mouse snuggling up tightly next to me.

My assistant/little sister Sonya? She was too busy being a good assistant and didn’t even have time to talk to me. I got a quick hug and that was it.

Matilda? I got a scornful look and then was made to rub her tummy where I thought there might be a small bump.

But through it all, Mouse was glued to me. She was my shadow or, more often, was leading me somewhere. What a fool I was to think that I was in charge of my own life.

There were still Mary and Banshee to deal with. Why did I come back?

I found Timmons first. He was with his family, but I pulled him away. We had to sort this mess and fast. We had four boat crews that needed handling before we had an issue, the guys needed to know the plan so they could be settled and happy. Fabiola showed her worth at that moment. The boatmen were all to sleep in the new boatsman’s lodge house tonight, after the cargo was unloaded. It would be tight because she hadn’t expected four boats when they built the lodge. But it would work.

Michelle and Sonya showed their mettle by announcing that working parties had already been set up to transport the goods to town and to stand guard tonight. The newcomers were already being organized to start the walk up to the village. Timmons and I simply looked at each other and shrugged.

I mounted, with Mouse still attached. Brin and his bitches led us as we started to make our way back up the bluff to home. At the top of the bluff, I turned to look back and the sheer number of people shocked me. With all the kids counted, we numbered more than a hundred. What the hell had I done here?

Heck, my cattle now numbered almost two hundred head, in total. 40-odd of them were dairy cattle in varying stages of production. There was a woman-girl plastered to my back and making her intentions delightfully yet distressingly clear. She still seemed too young for me; I’m not a cradle robber.

I also had to deal with Banshee and Mary, those two were the jokers in the deck and I seriously didn’t want any part of either of them. Regardless of how attractive they might be, nothing good would come of that sort of encounter. Actually, I just wanted a shower so I kicked my mount up to a canter and headed home. I had a shower there waiting; I also had bourbon and, hopefully, some fresh sweet corn.

At the corral I grabbed my saddle bags headed for my camper, I told Mouse to put up the mule and meet me later. Yes, it was rude, but I wanted a shower and clean clothes and I wanted a chance to think. I had forgotten how much easier it was to be away from all of these women problems. I briefly considered saddling Lunch and heading off to finish my deal with Henry Leavenworth. Being on the trail alone again would be a hell of a lot easier than dealing with this.