Chapter 43

A few minutes before seven the next morning as Jeff turned into the hall toward the kitchen, he saw Captain Madison almost at the living room coming toward him from the other direction. Madison smiled and nodded his head toward the living room. Bill turned in before Jeff got there and was waiting for his host while standing by the big window.

"It looks cool out there this morning. The wind is blowing leaves and it's overcast," Bill said as Jeff walked up.

"Haven't been out, yet. Didn't go for my run this morning. Something about sitting in someone's room all night, or at least what was left of it after our little conference," Jeff teased.

Madison quickly turned his head to look at Jeff. "I didn't know that you did that all night... Uh, whatever it was. I figured that you gave me some kind of shot of something. Heck, Jeff, I don't know what to say."

"Oh, I sat in the corner and catnapped," Jeff mysteriously said.

"Can't you at least..."

"No," Jeff sighed. "I know that it has to sound stupid from your perspective, but I can't make any comments at all."

Madison turned back to staring out the window, obviously not satisfied. "I just wanted to tell you that whatever you've done has worked. Well, I don't know about the age thing, but I feel better than I can remember. Hell, I feel wonderful. Of course, I hope it isn't just the placebo effect, and I'm feeling good because... well, you know."

Jeff grinned at Madison. "If it is, it sure lasts a long time, and other people start noticing that you look younger, as well. Hard to think that is caused by the placebo effect."

"Well, whatever it is, I feel absolutely great."

"Great," Jeff said, his grin spreading across his face. "That's the way you're supposed to feel."

Madison's brow creased a little as he tried to choose his words, "Uh, I don't know how to say this, but I feel guilty..."

Jeff frowned slightly as well, a questioning look on his face.

Madison shifted, uncomfortable, "Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for whatever you did, it's just... Oh, crap, Jeff. All your older wives look so young. I know this thing — whatever it is — works. Heck, I felt so good when I stepped out into the hall that I almost jumped up and clicked my heels — assuming I could, of course. The only time I ever tried that, I busted my ass," he chuckled. "But... oh hell. What about Kathy and Linda?"

When Jeff started to speak, Madison went on, "Oh, I know they're young. My daughter is only fifteen — well almost sixteen. But a couple of years ago, one of the kids in her class died of leukemia. And, well, there's cancer and a host of other things that could affect either one of them. I'm feeling guilty that you've used this... whatever it is on me and not them, too."

Jeff put his hand on the pilot's shoulder. "I would think less of you if you didn't show concern for them. And the answer is yes, but not right now. We need to do this two more times now according..."... to the healer, he almost said, before catching himself. "Then we'll get around to the others. And I hope like heck that they sleep more soundly than you do. I can just see your daughter waking up with me standing over her while she is lying there in bed. That would be really tough to explain."

"Why not just talk to them like you did me?" Madison said, forgetting about the scene outside the window as the wind eddies tossed brightly colored leaves around.

"Because, I would like to do it without them being aware at all. If this... process ever becomes common knowledge, I'm going to have problems. And that's a gross understatement."

Madison sighed. "Okay. I guess I'll have to be satisfied, and again, whatever you did has made me feel absolutely great. I don't think I felt this good when I was a teenager, " he laughed.

Before he could say anything else, Diana stuck her head in the door. "You guys going to fast today, or come join us for breakfast?"

Both men chuckled and walked toward the door, Diana waiting for her husband so that she could put her arm around his waist as they walked toward the kitchen. His arm slid around her and surreptitiously cupped her ass for a moment. She squeezed his waist for a second in acknowledgement.

As they entered, everyone looked toward them. "Hey, the search party found you guys," Dave laughed. "Of course with Diana looking, it wasn't much of a search. Just a walk straight to Jeff. He wouldn't stand a chance with her in hide-an-go-seek," he finished, as Evie poked him in the ribs with an elbow.

"Oh. What was that for?" he muttered rubbing his side.

"That was tacky and it's been used before," Evie grinned as everyone laughed.

"Crap, I thought it was kinda original," Dave said as Evie, unobtrusively slid a hand underneath the table to grasp his groin. He suddenly tensed and his face gradually changed color as she gently massaged his cock while continuing to smile sweetly at him.

"You know that I've got to get up and go to the breakfast bar as soon as we have the blessing," he whispered. "If you keep that up..."

"Uh hum," she said, smiling coyly at him.

"Be good," he whispered back, almost begging.

"Oh, I am good," she teased, but then let his dick go.

Kathy, unaware of the quiet exchange between the Henson's, said, "Good morning, Captain," as Bill sat down next to her.

"Good morning, pilot," he teased back.

"Still makes me feel good to hear that," Kathy said, a smile brightening her pretty face.

Jennie volunteered to say the blessing.

Evie, who had made sure that Linda sat by her, grabbed the teenager's hand and pulled her toward the breakfast bar as soon as Jennie was done with grace. "Come on. I want you to try something I made. I think you'll like it."

As Dave got up to get his food, he had eye contact with Jeff, who winked at him, then looked toward Evie and Linda. Dave looked toward the two, but didn't see anything that would make Jeff wink. Confused, Dave shrugged it off and got in line.

While loading her plate and talking to Evie, Linda, very aware of Jeff's multiple wives, noticed an almost constant interchange between the women and Jeff. Although there was nothing overtly sexual, there was an occasional touch between them, or quiet words now and then, interspersed with banter between all the women. Before breakfast was over, each of Jeff's wives had said something to her or asked something to draw her out to become more at ease with the group.

As she ate, Linda continued to think about the Matthews. Although they were discrete, she got the feeling that they were trying to make her feel at ease and welcome. No wonder Daddy said they were nice people. I'm so glad I got to come up here. And Dave is... Wow. He's super. And Evie is so nice to me. I had a ball last night. I can't remember when I've had such a good time. Well, not since Mom... Why did she do this to us?

Linda realized that she must have shown her emotions, because Evie gently squeezed her left hand and smiled at her. "Things will get better," Evie quietly said so only Linda could hear.

After breakfast, Dave walked into the living room where Frank and Jeff were sitting. Dave pulled up a chair, and when the conversation lulled, he said, "I just talked to the Thompsons. They're going to be home this morning, if you would like to take a ride down there with me. I saw Diana in the hallway and mentioned it to her. She said to tell you that they had things to do, and wouldn't be going with us."

Jeff grinned at Dave, "Okay. Sounds good to me. But remember, I'm along for the ride; you're the one negotiating with these people. I assume that Evie is going?"

Dave looked embarrassed. "I can't seem to get her away from Linda long enough to do anything. She's gone with Linda and some of your wives riding ATV's."

"Looks like she's checking out your future bride," Jeff said standing. "Come on Frank," he said, turning to Wainwright. "Let's go look at another farm."

"As long as I don't have to feed another damn mixer," Frank chuckled.

Dave managed to get a word in. "What the heck are you talking about, Jeff? You know that Evie would kill me if I even thought about another woman. You're the one with the harem. I'm strictly a one-woman man. And besides that, Linda is fifteen, for crying out loud..."

"Almost sixteen," Frank said, slapping Dave on the shoulder as he stood, "if I remember correctly. And besides, Arlene is barely sixteen, herself, not to mention that those other girls aren't exactly ready for a retirement village."

Dave frowned at him.

"Looks like you need to check on a larger bed," Jeff teased.

"Jeff, this isn't funny. You two keep kidding around like this, and Bill is going to hear you, then tear my head off. And I haven't done anything."

"Oh, that'll all work itself out, but you better open your eyes, Old Buddy, 'cause Diana says that Evie is 'shopping.' Seems to me that my wife is right. Besides, a little extra pussy never hurt anybody, right Frank?"

"Un uh. I'm not getting in this," Frank laughed.

"Come on. Let's go see the farm," Jeff said, mock pushing Dave toward the hallway.

"Shouldn't we be asking Bill if he wants to come with us? He might have some insight into Dave's expanding marriage..." Frank tried to seriously say.

"Now look, guys..."

"Nah. I already asked him. He said he was hoping to lounge around the pool, swim a few laps and just relax. He's had a hell of a week with this divorce thing, so I didn't push him to come with us," Jeff answered.

"Too bad," Frank chuckled. "It would be a chance for him to get better acquainted with his new son-in-law."

"That did it," Dave said. "Now you get an extra knot on your head." Dave took off down the hall chasing Frank, both of them laughing and cutting up like kids.

In the back a few minutes later, Dave, anxious to change the subject, glanced at Jeff, "Probably should take your big pickup. It would be a lot better for riding around the farm. We could hook a trailer up and take some of the ATV's, but..."

Waiting for the garage door to finish opening, Jeff chuckled as he nodded toward the back of the property where they could see the ATV's racing up the ski slope. "Looks like we need to buy a couple more of those things if we're ever going to get to use them. Unless you want to go out there and tell those girls that you need two or three of their toys."

Dave open the back door of the pickup, then looked at Jeff. "I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I damn sure know better than that..."

Wainwright moved in front of Dave and got in the back seat. "Sit up front with Jeff. You two are the ones looking at the property."

"Uh, okay. Thanks."

They all got in. Jeff started the truck and looked at the gas gauge. Smiling, he backed out of the garage and hit the remote to lower the door.

"What are you grinning at, Boss."

"Oh, nothing. The tank is pegged. Someone topped it up. Probably one of the girls wanting to drive a little. I still haven't carried Arlene to get her license, and with worrying about that idiot maybe doing something, I don't let them drive as much as I should. The up side is that all the vehicles are quickly filled so that they can drive the few hundred feet to the pump."

"Teenagers driving," Dave laughed. "Better you than me."

"Oh, I don't know," Jeff said as he maneuvered the big pickup down the drive, "I imagine you're going to experience it shortly."

Dave frowned as he looked at his boss. "Jeff, uh, does Diana really think that Evie is... well, checking Linda out? Heck, I can't even say it."

"She broached the subject a little with Madison about that last night..."

"She what?" Dave said, jerking his head around to stare at Jeff. "Oh, shit. Madison is going to kill me for sure."

"Well, she just said that she didn't have any designs on Linda, referring to our marriage, but couldn't speak for Evie."

"Oh, shit. What did Bill do? No wonder he looked at me funny this morning."

"She didn't give him time to say anything," Jeff said, turning onto the county road. "Besides, she hit him with so much about then, that he was probably a bit overwhelmed, which if I know Diana and the rest of them, was all part of the plan. She's probably going to let the thought stew awhile, before she elaborates on it more. But she hit him, well, they all hit him with a united front about Linda going to school here."

Jeff glanced over at Dave, then continued, "Bill's divorce problems are probably going to come to a head Tuesday."

Wainwright sat up and leaned forward.

"He said that he hadn't had a chance to bring you up to date, Frank, but they're going to have a meeting Tuesday and the lawyers are going to try to finish this thing. If it works, he'll have sole custody of Linda, but still won't have the school problem taken care of, or a permanent place for Linda to stay. Although Diana and Helen were the primary spokeswomen in this, I've been blindsided by them enough to know when they've already agreed and discussed something. Of course using the word discussed in reference to something that my wives do, might not mean exactly the same thing it would if I were referring to us discussing something. Shit, we have to talk."

"How do they do that? I swear, Evie is beginning to do it with them. They just look at each other, then grin like they've had a whole conversation. It's starting to bug me."

"Don't expect to get any sympathy from me."

Stopping at the intersection to the main county road, Jeff waited for a car to pass, then pulled out.

Dave sat staring out the window as they wound on down the mountain.

Jeff touched his friend on the shoulder for a second. "Don't sweat it. I'm telling you this is going to work out. Diana thinks that you are soon to have a new wife. Linda is beautiful and smart. I used the healer on Bill last night. And don't even think about trying to say that you can't take care of another female, or that you don't care for her. It was darn near love at first sight, and you know it. Anyone can see it on your face when she's near you. To repeat: You're not going to get any sympathy from me about having another wife. And if what Diana tells me about the comments that Evie has made, well..."

"Damn, do women discuss everything?" Dave rhetorically asked, frustrated.

"Yep," Jeff sniggered. "Afraid so. Wait until you have several of them, and there is always one of them wanting to hold your dick in the morning, guiding the stream while you're trying to piss. And the giggling doesn't help, either."

It was all that Jeff could do to keep a straight face at Dave's shocked look.

From the backseat, Wainwright said to Jeff, but still chuckling at Dave, "If you're done scaring this poor man to death, how about letting him tell us about this farm we're going to see. How much land are we talking about, again?"

Relieved to change the topic, Dave turned to Frank. "Something over twelve hundred acres, plus the forty that we're going to leave Thompson with."

"How in the heck are those two women going to handle all that? That's bigger than their present farm, isn't it, Jeff?"

"Yeah, it is, but I doubt it's going to be 'just' the women. Diana says that Carla will be in Fred's bed before the month is out."

"Yeah, that's what Margaret thinks, too, but still, that's a lot of farm."

Dave turned to look toward the back for a moment. "We've got barn plans and an architect working on things. With everything that can be automated, it will cut down a lot on the daily chores. With Jeff's permission, of course, we're going to put in feed storage bins — small silos actually — beside the barn. When the grain is mixed and ground into feed, it will be stored in those bins. Automation will carry it to the feed troughs. They'll be able to open gates and doors at the barn from their house. There will be cameras throughout the operation, and alarms when things don't go the way they're supposed to.

"They'll still need some help for an operation this big — I'm speaking of the combined farms — but most everything will either be handled automatically, as I've said, or from the seat of a piece of equipment."

Jeff glanced in the mirror at Frank. "From the general conversation, I'm pretty sure that Carla and Sam never took a real vacation. They had either the Hodkins or the Thompsons feed their stock for a day or two when they had to go somewhere, but with a farm or ranch being twenty-four seven, neither of those women have been anywhere much.

"Even when Jessica was going to college, she stayed at home on weekends. Seems a shame. Both of those women are sharp as can be, and they work their asses off. I want them to be able to enjoy themselves a little. Lord knows they haven't had much good to come into their life since Sam was diagnosed. If we can automate most everything, maybe during the off-seasons when there aren't crops to take care of, someone else can fill in for them with the cattle so they can travel a bit."

Frank reached over and tapped Jeff on the shoulder. "Not many months go by without some of my group going to Hawaii. There would be plenty of room on the plane. I have to pay for the hotel, anyway. Another suite isn't going to break me." Then chuckling, he continued, "Since my outfit will be doing the advertising for the homes the corporation is going to build, we could have a conference in Hawaii. That way Wainwright, Inc. could cover the costs and maybe it wouldn't seem so much like charity to her. Do Carla and Jessica good to rub elbows with a few vice presidents, and them good to be around a couple of working gals."

Leaning back in his seat, a grin on his face, he continued, "Yeah, a week or two in Hawaii about mid-winter might thaw them out after they've frozen their rear ends off fooling with cattle on that farm. That valley isn't going to get as cold as the top of our mountain, but it's still over eight thousand feet. It darn sure is going to get a little chilly now and then. No matter how used to cold they are, Hawaii will be one hell of a change."

"It might be two suites by then, or a double suite," Jeff said as he swung out to pass a tractor pulling a hay baler, shortly after turning onto the state highway.

Wainwright caught Jeff's eye in the mirror again. "Why should Jessica be in a separate room? Who says that she won't be in Fred's bed along with her mother?"

"Now, Frank, just because..."

"The way Jessica was hanging onto Fred, I don't think she's given over to her mother being the only one having him. Jessica isn't out of the running, yet. And remember, before you say anything, I'd just about bet that those women have figured out your situation. It's not a new idea with her. She has a model to go by. If your bunch can do it, then so can she."

"But Fred is so much older than Jessica," Dave broke in.

"Well, I wouldn't go so far to say that it would be permanent. But Jessica and Carla seem to me to be really close. They act like sisters or close friends, instead of mother and daughter. When women are close, they fucking tell everything, in case you two haven't noticed," he sarcastically said. "I'd bet my bottom dollar that Fred is going to get some Jessica pussy, and according to Margaret, Carla is a forgone conclusion. Besides, there is the healer. And your old buddy is darn sure looking a lot perkier. Might be that Jessica could learn a thing or two from him about loving."

Laughing, they continued on down the road talking about Fred, the farm and the two women.

"The next driveway on your right," Dave instructed as Jeff slowed. "The little road behind Carla's property extends on around to the Thompson's place, too. So if you decide to use the front section for houses, we'll still have easy access, although it will be a little farther, of course."

Both the Thompsons came out on the front porch when they drove up. After introductions, Edmond said, "I know that you want to look over the place Mr. Matthews, but first let's go inside and sit down. Jody and I have several questions.

As soon as they got inside, Jody turned to Jeff. "I've just taken a big peach cobbler out of the oven, and we have some vanilla ice cream. Why don't we just sit at the table?"

Jeff started to object when he caught a look in Ed's eye. "Ma'am, that would be fantastic. Peach cobbler is one of my favorites. Lead the way. You have three walking appetites that will be glad to follow."

Ed grinned at Jeff as they turned toward the kitchen. "Jody loves to cook, and with the kids gone and no hands on the farm to feed, she only has me to fatten up these days."

As they entered an enormous farm kitchen/dining room combination that must have been thirty feet long, Jody said over her shoulder. "I still get to cook a little on the third Sunday of every month when our church has potluck, but I do miss cooking for everybody. We have two small houses on the farm where our help lived, but they got jobs in Denver and moved on as we wound down our operation. You folks have a seat," she said, indicating an enormous table at the other end of the kitchen. "I'll be there in a moment with the cobbler."

After the food was in front of them, had been tasted and praised, Ed got around to their questions. "Mr. Matthews, your project manager has said some nice things about you, and to be frank, we talked to Carla. I swear, that woman thinks that God sent you, and I think she's serious. But that notwithstanding, we need to know some things. Best not just beat around the bush. Mr. Henson here says that Carla is going to manage and run our place as well as hers. We're all for that. That poor woman has had a hard time. But the plan for building houses might just be a problem for us."

Glancing at his wife for a moment, he continued, "Your offer of allowing us to keep forty acres and our home is generous, to say the very least, but we want this place to stay a farm. The farm has been in the family for three generations, and we had hoped it would be there for four, but the kids finished college and moved on with their careers. They made it abundantly clear that they weren't going to have anything to do with farming or ranching."

Putting his spoon back on his plate, Ed leaned back in his seat and looked Jeff in the eye. "We're always reading on the news on the net or seeing something on television about people clashing with farms. Housing developers build right up against a farmer's or rancher's fence, then the homeowners piss and moan about a tractor waking them up at five o'clock in the morning, or maybe running all night in the spring of the year. The idiots move in right next to a hog farm and gripe about the smell. Then they try to bring in every organization they can think of to put the farmer out of business.

"I finally saw this guy on TV — I think he was some type of anthropologist or something — that said all the hoopla about farmers over-fertilizing and screwing up the streams was a bunch of bunk. He said that his studies showed that the most of the fertilizer was coming from the hundreds of thousands of homes along the rivers and streams where the people were fertilizing their lawns. Farmers have tried to tell people for years that a farmer over-fertilizing is ridiculous. Fertilizer costs big money, and we can only afford the minimum amount for our crops. I'm obviously not a scientist, so I don't know who is right. I suspect both are, to a certain extent, but farmers and ranchers are catching hell from every direction, it seems."

Ed sighed, then continued. "There's always some idiot on television saying that farmers shouldn't use insecticides or fertilizer. I wonder what the heck that idiot would eat if we didn't, because crops won't grow without fertilizer, and if you don't use insecticides, there's nothing left to harvest? But I'm getting off the subject.