Chapter 9

Nancy noticed the bank sign when they pulled into the terminal in Missoula.

It read -5 degrees. She didn't have a warm coat. It was never this cold this time of the year. Piles of snow flanked the streets where the plows had shoved it aside to make room for the cars and trucks. She saw Herb standing there in his warm coat, gloves, boots, and a hat with hound ears tied with a strap across his chin. He looked like a rube but he looked warm too.

She gave a hug and chaste kiss to Irma then made her way to exit the bus.

It was good to see a few familiar things she remembered when her parents brought her to Missoula usually for things at the hardware store. Her and Herb embraced for a moment.

"You've got to be freezing," he said feeling her shivering body.

"It's so cold," her teeth chattered.

"Where's your things?" he inquired.

"This is all I've got," she went through the door Herb had opened for her.

"You don't have a change of clothes?"

"I have few things in the backpack to wash. Herb, I'm pretty hungry. Can we get something to eat?"

"Sure, of course," Herb took her by her elbow and headed for the terminal restaurant. They found an open booth. Nancy had eggs, hashbrowns, toast and tea. Having had a Whopper the night before, she didn't feel like having meat. She wolfed down her food like as if it would be taken from her. Herb just sat there watching her eat while sipping his black coffee.

"I think we should get you something warm to wear."

"I don't have that much money on me, Herb."

"That's okay," he smiled. "You can owe me." 'Damn, she's beautiful, ' he thought as he watched her drinking her tea.

Nancy liked the down coat, boots, and woolen gloves Herb had bought her.

On the way back to Poison, Montana she told him her story leaving nothing out. He took everything in stride until she brought up her brief marriage to Phil Slyers. The thought of her having love affairs with other women kind of sounded kind of erotic. He had a couple of porn tapes hidden and watched them now and then. He liked those better than a man and a woman, he had to grin at that. The marriage to a man made him feel envious of him though Phil was dead.

Herb had a 2000 acre spread about five miles north of the town. It was ten pm when they arrived. As Nancy stepped out of the warm truck into the cold air, she looked into the clear skies and saw a multitude of stars. She smiled despite the chill that she was back home again. There was a full moon over Montana and she recalled what her father told her as a little girl. When the moon was full, the weather would change the next month for better or worse.

'Like marriage' she thought, hearing the coyotes yipping and in the distance a distinctive howl of a wolf.

"Nice sky tonight," Herb stepped beside her.

"Beautiful," she replied seeing her own breath vaporize.

They went inside and Herb turned on the fan to his pellet stove. There still was glowing embers so he threw two scoops of pellets into the stove. Within a few minutes the whole stove ignited and soon the fan sent heat throughout the entire first floor of the house.

Nancy spent a lot of time sleeping. Herb thought she was fighting depression and advised her to see a doctor. Nancy's excuse was that there wasn't one close enough in this weather. Herb had taken her to a restaurant in Kalispell for Thanksgiving dinner. It was more of a buffet than a sit down meal. Her appetite was good but she always seemed tired so without further adieu he took her to see a doctor. They diagnosed her as having Epstein Bar Syndrome.

Epstein Bar in of itself wasn't infectious nor life threatening, but that was the reason for her was so tired. She was given shots and prescription because her immune system was weak. Dr. Gloria Anderson said in her weakened immune system, could open herself to lupus, fibremyalgia and other crippling diseases so the doctor warned her not to forget to take her iron pills. They tasted awful but she took one in the morning and one in the evening.

By the New Year, it had gotten dangerously cold. The temperatures had fallen to minus sixty degrees without the windchill. Herb had to get up early to start his large truck to deliver bales of hay and warm water to his herd of cattle. On one particular night Nancy walked into his bedroom and slide in beside him as he slept. Not even his loud snoring deterred her from his body warmth. He had his longjohns underwear and she wore silk longjohns with her sweatshirt and pants with two pairs of white socks. Nancy cuddled up to his back and tossed an arm about his waist. He didn't even wake up. Feeling warm, she too went back to sleep.

Herb was surprised when he awoke the next morning to find himself spooning with Nancy. Sometime during the night they both turned and he was cuddling her back. He could smell her sweet shampooed hair and a slight odor of her perfume. He just laid there with his morning hard on poking into one of her asscheeks. Although his bladder was full, he didn't move feeling a little electric shock run through him.

"I was too cold last night," she told him. "Besides, you're nice and warm. But I can't for the life of me figure out that nice feeling I have on my butt cheek," she ended with a slight giggle.

"Ummmmm, it's my morning woody," he stated seriously. "I really have to take a piss. My teeth are almost floating."

"Well we don't want to have that. Pee and comeback to bed, it's cozy."

"I have some cattle to feed."

"If you stay another half hour, they won't die."

"Okay, a half hour," he hurried to the bathroom and relieved himself. He ran back into bed and presumed his position."

"Where's that woody?" Nancy teased.

"That went by the wayside when I emptied my bladder."

"Too bad," she said turning to face him. "It felt nice."

"It's been a long time," he replied.

Nancy leaned her face to him and kissed him on his lips. "Be patient with me, Herb. When I feel better, things will change between us."

One day Nancy drove into Poison to the bank. She had her funds transferred from San Jose to Poison. She was given a deposit slip when she produced the CD that was due that day with a few thousand dollars interest. They took the whole amount into a new CD which the rate being a little less. Then she put Herb's name down as her beneficiary. As long as she kept all of in there she was able to avoid paying taxes on the interest. She told them to keep rolling it over until she directed otherwise.

Herb had given her one hundred dollars to spend on herself. She went into a small outlet store and purchased some sexy silky undergarments and a few other items such as a satin blouse much like Erin had on for her job interview and some other feminine things at the thrift shop. She reasoned she might need the blouse sometime if they went out to someplace nice or if she were able to get a job somewhere.

"Why Nancy Kine," a familiar voice said from behind. Turning she saw one of her classmates from school.

"Julie Simms!"

"How are you? I heard you were in California. I could tell by your long hair that it was you."

"Yes, I just arrived before Thanksgiving."

"I'll buy you a cup of coffee and we can go over old times," Julie smiled.

"Okay," she said, knowing all the cruelty that Julie had done to Herb. Of course there were two sides to every story and Nancy was anxious to hear Julie's.

They walked over to a small cafe and got some hot chocolate instead of coffee.

She noticed that Julie was really packing on the pounds as her nice little ass in high school was fast turning into a bubble butt. She recalled Julie's mother being vastly over weight.

"So how are things?" Julie asked as they sat in a table sipping the hot liquid.

"I'm staying with Herb Wilson until I get my act together. He was kind enough to allow me to crash at his place until I get my head screwed back on right."

"I heard some girl moved in with Herb but I didn't know it was you."

"Yes, he was my prom date if you recall. Dave got mono and couldn't make it. He was kind enough to fill in as a last minute replacement. I didn't know who I could turn to. My husband died a little less than a year after we were married. I was kind of devastated and needed to get away and Herb took me in for the time being."