Chapter 186

THE RETREAT, SUNDAY NIGHT

Arlene and Hope turned into Hope's suite, both girls laughing and talking as each carried a puppy snuggled in her arms. When they entered the bedroom, Arlene nodded to the package Hope carried. "That plastic drop cloth should work just fine."

"I hope so," Hope replied as she put Sugar in her kennel, closed the door, then opened the package that contained a painter's drop cloth. Arlene helped to strip the sheets from the bed. As they were spreading the plastic, she grinned over at Hope. "This might make a crinkling sound when you move on the bed, but it should protect the mattress."

The two girls worked to tuck the fitted sheet on next. "Jennie and I were worried last night that Sugar would pee on the bed, even though we took her out every hour on the hour throughout the night. At least this way, she'll only wet the sheet if she screws up."

"So, Sugar didn't sleep in her kennel, either?"

Hope giggled. "No, she did about the same thing you told me Spike did – kept waking us up howling for her mother. As soon as I gave up and put her in bed with us, she went right to sleep. I don't think she really understands why we keep taking her outside all the time, though. She looks at us as if we've lost our minds when one of us opens the back door and she feels the cold. Jennie and I did at least alternate taking her out. You should have gotten someone to help you. Even with Jennie and me swapping out, we're both tired today. I'm going to bed early tonight, and Jennie probably will, too."

"Yeah, I did it by myself," Arlene said, "but you can bet I'll accept help tonight – if someone volunteers. Daddy isn't, uh, enthused to have Spike sleeping with us, particularly since the little turkey keeps snuggling up to him (Jeff). He keeps telling me to get my 'rat, ' but I think Spike is wearing him down. He found Daddy in the living room a little while ago. When Spike saw him, he ran over and whined to be picked up. Daddy reached over and rubbed Spike's ears, then said, 'Where did you come from, Rat?' Then he hollered, 'Arlene, come get your dog.'"

"Did you turn him loose in the hallway?"

Arlene giggled. "No, no. I put him just inside the living room door. Spike saw Daddy and did the rest himself."

The two girls giggled about Spike liking Jeff, then, "Have you introduced Spike to Billy?" Hope asked.

"No, not yet. Selina was busy and I didn't ask her where Billy was. Has Sugar met Billy?"

A frown creased Hope's brow. "Unh uh. But I wonder what Billy will do when he sees them the first time."

"With Billy, who knows? But you can bet it'll be interesting."

EARLY MONDAY MORNING

Jeff's internal alarm woke him a few minutes before four A.M. Beginning to pry himself from between Diana and Arlene, Spike started wiggling and whining as the Prime put too much weight on him. Not again, he thought, exasperated. Every time I put that ... dog back with Arlene, he waits until I'm asleep, then snuggles against me. Gently, he rolled Arlene to her back, then did the same for her mother. Carefully, he placed the sleeping puppy on Arlene's belly and made his way out of bed.

As he stood, Kayla walked over, stopping momentarily to kiss her mate's cheek before heading for the bathroom, still half asleep. Ten minutes later, both were dressed in their running gear and had walked out the back door. "Oh, crap, that's cold," she muttered as a gust of icy wind hit them. "That's a cruel way to wake up, but it's darn sure an efficient one."

Chuckling, Jeff agreed as they broke into a slow jog down the driveway to warm up for their run.

VAN AND ADRIANA CARTER'S FARM

At 5:00 A.M., Van went down to the barn and found the lights already on inside. Hearing a tractor at the other end of the big building, he walked on out into the yard. Paulette was just setting one of the round bales into a feeder in the big lot. He stood, figuratively scratching his head, until the tractor swung around and its lights crossed over him. He waved and returned to the other end of the barn, wondering.

He wasn't worried about her operating the tractor; on the contrary, Paulette had been driving one since she could reach the pedals and was as safe as anyone he had ever seen. Truth be told, he thought, she can do most anything I can with either of the big machines.

Paulette also drove the pickup and big truck around on the property, but not on the road, of course. But five o'clock? She usually got up at six. Even then, she first got ready for school before helping her mother with breakfast. If Adriana didn't have anything pressing to do in the house, after taking Paulette to the bus stop, his wife would help him with whatever was going on at the moment.

Paulette helped around the farm in the afternoons, particularly with feeding the stock and getting the eggs ready for market. Five in the morning on a tractor just wasn't the daughter he had raised. Dammit, he thought, she's showing me she can be an adult. But one early morning on a tractor in the cold isn't going to change my mind. She's too fucking young. Too young to have sex, and too young to get married, let alone be number three wife in a marriage.

Lost in thought, he continued with his chores. Later, he realized his daughter was close just before she grabbed him from behind in a hug. Even through both their coats, he could feel the pressure of her breasts against him. His mind brought a picture of her to the fore, albeit fully dressed. Still, he thought that her breasts were almost as big as her mother's. When did my daughter grow up?

Spinning around, he grabbed her in a hug, his eyes misting. He blinked and tried to make his voice jovial, teasing to cover his embarrassment. "What's with the early girl?"

"Daddy, I'm serious about learning to be a good wife. Mom has always helped you as far back as I can remember. I've heard you tell people that the two of you are partners."

"But Jeremy works in town, or at least the company he works for is based there. He's usually on a jobsite somewhere else, I guess. Just remember that he doesn't live or work on a farm any more."

For a second, Paulette had a look on her face that he couldn't interpret, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. "So? I need to learn to help you more, anyway. Mom will have morning sickness pretty soon. She says she was nauseated for the first couple of months when she was pregnant with me." Then with an impish look, "Did you two get a start on the baby last night?"

Van could feel his face flush. His first thought was to lecture her, but then again, if she were an adult, he would have just chuckled. Quickly throttling his flash of anger, he took a breath instead. "For your information, young lady, your mother and I did make love..."

"She isn't fertile yet, I suppose," Paulette said as if she were discussing the weather. "But I'll bet it won't be long. Keep in there, Daddy. I want a little brother or sister."

Van wasn't sure about the 'keep in there.' It could have two meanings, and the sparkle in his daughter's eyes probably meant she had realized both of them.

Instead of calling her attention to it negatively, he responded with, "I intend to."

Paulette, suddenly more serious, looked up at her father as she took both his hands in hers. "I'll help a lot more than I've been doing in the past, Dad. You've always said that with all of us pulling together, we could do anything. I won't spend any more money than I absolutely have too, either. I already have plenty of new clothes, and I can take my lunch to school. That will save a few dollars a month. There are other things that I can help cut back on. We can make it even with Mom tied up with pregnancy and a new baby."

Van grabbed her in a hug again, patting her back. "Baby, we're fine financially right now. I'm working on a couple of ideas that should help take care of things while your mother is pregnant. I don't want you worrying about our future. Just let me take care of that. Now scat and get cleaned up for school. We'll talk more later."

Paulette pulled his head down and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. "You're the greatest daddy there is."

He swatted her behind as the two laughed and she hurried out of the barn.

Back in the house, Paulette quickly showered and dressed for school, wanting to talk to her mother. When she walked into the kitchen, Adriana turned to her daughter. "You look pretty," then doing a double take, "Oh, you look really pretty."

"Thanks Mom. You do too. I think it's Little One," Paulette said, feeling her more sensitive nipples rubbing against her bra. "I feel really... great." She couldn't help the blush that told her mother more than the teenager intended.

"Me, too," Adriana said as she gave her daughter a quick hug. "Skillet's hot. Start the sausage and pour the juice, will you? The gravy is ready and I'll have the eggs on in a minute. The biscuits need to come out of the oven in five minutes. Were you helping your dad at the barn?"

Paulette put the sausage in the skillet. "Yeah. I got up a little early and gave him a hand with the feeding."

Adriana stole a glance at Paulette, not wanting to embarrass her more than she probably already had. She looks different, somehow – full of life, even more adult this morning. Diana said she looked twenty because she wants to, and with Little One, maybe I will, too. I sure wouldn't have to guess that Paulette wants to look sixteen. Oh, my. She'll be fifteen Wednesday. My baby is growing up far too quickly. Better get the job done soon, Van. I'm too young to have an empty nest.

On the way back from the barn, Van remembered he needed to check the oil in the pickup. While he had it on his mind, he did that, then left his boots on the front porch and came in that way instead of the back door he usually used when coming in from the barn. He walked down the hallway in his sock feet, but stopped just before entering the kitchen as he heard his daughter say, "Mom, I have a confession to make. Please don't get mad at me. I really didn't intent for it to happen."

"You spied on us again?"

"No, Mom. Well, yeah, I guess, but not like you think. I really didn't have the foggiest idea about the two of you making love in the morning. Yesterday morning at the Retreat, I was just going to ask if you were ready for us to go help cook, and I opened your bedroom door. I think I was actually saying something as I walked in – well, partway in."

"So you saw us?"

"Yeah, Mom. But please don't get mad. I guess I was so shocked that I just stood there for a second. It ... it's like everything just burned into my brain. Oh, Mom. You're so beautiful. I wish I could someday look half as good as you do. Your breasts were sort of swaying and jiggling, and you had your neck arched back as you screamed out. Honest, as soon as I unfroze, I stepped back and closed the door."

"And your father?"

"Well, I couldn't really see anything. You were, uh, sitting on him. I think you were coming, and I suppose the two of you were sort of..."

"Together," Adriana offered, trying to hold back a giggle.

"Yeah. I could see Daddy's face though, and he had the oddest look. It kinda makes me want to giggle even thinking about it."

Adriana stared at her blushing daughter for a moment. "I guess you didn't do anything wrong. If anyone did, it was your dad and me. We should have locked the door. But ... this little alien of the Matthews has Van and me so ... revved up, that we can't leave each other alone..."

Paulette hesitated for a second, then went on with a rush. "I need you to buy that vibrator for me, Mom. Just think about what all this has done to me. Little One has enhanced us. Arlene told me all about what Little One has done to us, uh, what it means, and ... you talk about the two of you being 'revved' up. What about me? I don't have anyone to help me out, and I absolutely refuse to push anything up inside me. Jeremy is going to be my first, and my last. But I need something more than my fingers, Mom. I really do."

Adriana hugged her daughter. "I bought you three different clitoral vibrators online last night. They should be here tomorrow." After a moment, she realized that her daughter was quietly crying on her shoulder. Grabbing a dishtowel, she wiped the tears away. "I guess this enhancement thing has a bit of a downside, huh? You okay to go to school?"

Paulette sniffed and grabbed the towel to dry the last of the tears. "Yeah, but come and get me at noon, please. I can eat lunch here, and all I have in the afternoon is study hall, anyway. I'm way ahead in all my classes, and I don't want to sit around study hall just thinking. As you know, I usually do my homework in class – well, the most of it, anyway. Usually, by the time study hall begins, I don't have much, if anything, to do, but I don't feel like helping out the other kids today. I already catch enough crap from being double promoted and being a couple of years younger than everyone else in my class."

Adriana gently took her daughter's face in her hands, their faces close. "I'll be there at twelve. I wish you hadn't seen us. I know that didn't help. I'll make sure to lock the door from now on."

There was a moment of silence as mother and daughter stared at each other. "Please don't," Paulette got out in a whisper. "That's something you would do to a child. You need to talk to me about making love, and I need to learn so I can please Jeremy."

"Baby, watching or listening to your mom and dad isn't the answer. I'm sure Connie and Denise will be glad..."

"You, Mom. I'll eventually ask them, but you're the person I respect more than anyone on earth. You need to talk to me, Momma. Oh, I certainly know the basics of sex. You explained all that a couple of years back, but I want to know how to please my husband – when we're finally able to marry."

Adriana cleared her throat as she almost said no, that Connie and Denise would tell her those things, but the look on Paulette's face gave the mother pause. Can I do this? Can I tell my daughter how to please her man? Adriana found herself nodding. "We'll talk, Baby. We'll start when we get you home from school today."

Van quietly backed up a few steps, took a breath, then put his feet down hard as he walked toward the kitchen. "Did Paulette tell you she had half the feeding done by the time I got there this morning?" Van exaggerated as he burst into the kitchen, but his mind was still locked on what his daughter had seen at the Retreat. He didn't know whether to be pissed, proud, or scared shitless.

Adriana looked a look at him, probably already having realized that he had heard at least part of the conversation. The woman is psychic, he thought as he went to the sink to wash his hands. I've never been able to hide anything from her. "What's for breakfast? I could eat a horse – raw."

"Me, too," Paulette chimed in as she turned the sausage over. "I put in a few extra patties 'cause I think I can eat three, myself," she tried to say nonchalantly, but her red face gave her away.

"I guess we're all hungry," Adriana added to the conversation. "Didn't I hear you go into the kitchen last night, Baby?" she asked her daughter.

"Yeah," Paulette laughed. "I ate two peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwiches about one-thirty, but I'm really hungry this morning, anyway."