Chapter 3

Will took Carrie's advice, and invited Becky to go hunting. After she agreed to go with him in the morning, he pondered on what rifle to let her use.

Two things decided the answer. First, it would have to be a weapon that he felt she would like. Second, he wanted to make sure there was plenty of brass for it. With her temperament, he didn't want to be the one to tell her that she couldn't use the weapon after she became attached to it.

Frank had assured Will that he could make more cartridges. The smith spent over an hour dismantling and studying a couple. He seemed to think that he could make molds well enough to duplicate them exactly. Will hoped so. He didn't want to think about what would occur if they didn't fit the weapons correctly.

Will chose an 1876 Winchester .45-70 for Becky. It was an original, and he had always liked it himself. The rifle was made in 1896, and was one of the last produced.

For his own armament, he decided on a model 1886. It was also a Winchester, but was a .45-90. He often used this rifle for hunting. It was also an original, manufactured in early 1887. This was the first lever-action repeater designed by John Browning. Will always believed it was the finest of all the early Winchester rifles. Reloading cartridges was also a snap. It was just one more reason to like the weapon.

He and Becky left at sunup, and she seemed to be in a much better mood than last night. It hadn't started out that way, however. She had seemed a bit surly when Will had her try the Winchester.

She began by complaining, "Ain't a damn thing that you can teach me 'bout shootin' a gun!"

Her tune had changed quickly after only one shot. "This is one fine rifle!," she had said. "I could take down a darn Buff'ler with this!"

Will had assured her that was 'doable'. In fact, though he couldn't mention it, the weapon she was holding had been a favorite on the plains for just such an activity. They didn't expect to see any, though. This wasn't Buffalo country.

Will took the same pistols he had been using from day one. The 544s just 'felt right', somehow. Choosing a sidearm for Becky turned into an adventure. First, he had to overcome tradition.

Her first response had been, "You want me to wear what? The men around here would have puppies!"

"Last time I checked," Will responded, "I was a man. I don't feel a litter comin' on, quite yet."

His deadpan expression brought a momentary smile to her face, but it didn't last long.

Look, Will. Folks just don't do that around here. They don't like to even see a female with a long gun. A pistol would set 'em off for sure!"

He still had a hard time understanding the mentality of men in this place. He scratched his head and asked, "Why the hell is that?"

"Most men are probably afraid they'll shoot the bastard that owns them, master."

"You can knock that shit off about right now," Will calmly replied. "In case you ain't noticed, I'm not 'most men'. If there was any way I could get rid of the whole 'slave' thing between us, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Will could have sworn she was tearing up when, in a soft voice, she said "So, you don't really want me then?"

He was nearing the end of his patience. Perhaps that was why he said what he had been avoiding since he laid eyes on her.

"Oh, I want you all right. I want you very much. What I don't want, is to own you."

"Damn it!" Becky whimpered, "There you go again, being all sweet and shit! I wish you didn't own me, I like you too much!"

An idea occurred to Will, and he asked. "Is there any rule against a woman working for pay?

Becky looked confused, but after a last sniffle, said "No, but the men usually take all the money they make. Why do you ask?"

Will smiled. "Well, since I'd like to have some cuttin' horses, and you're a horse breeder; I figgered I'd give you ten golds, for five good un's, provided they're trained. I'd be happy to pay in advance, so you could have the cash you need to get started."

"What are you, some kind of sucker? It would only cost a..."

Will could have sworn he saw a light bulb 'switch on', over her head, about then.

"I could pay you back! That's what you mean, isn't it?"

He just nodded, and she asked, "What then? Are you just going to turn me loose and send me on my way?"

"If that's what you want, you'd be free to do it," he answered.

"What do you want?" was her reply.

"You, with no strings attached," he answered.

Before he knew what hit him, his arms were full of redhead. He managed to catch her without hitting the ground, if barely, and kissed her.

She seemed very surprised at first, and also woefully lacking in experience. Her enthusiasm more than made up for it, though. When they finally parted, he felt like he'd been kissed about as thoroughly as possible.

She looked up at him like the cat that ate the canary.

"You really shouldn't have done that," Becky smirked.

After Will asked why, she smiled and said, "Around these parts, if you kiss a free woman, it's a proposal."

He couldn't resist. "How do they answer?"

"Well, in my case, you're still breathin' ain't you?," she said, adding an exclamation point with another kiss.

It took a while, but they managed to get back to the business at hand. Will tried Becky out on several different handguns. She eventually decided on one he liked a bit. It was an Uberti reproduction of the old Colt single-action Army, also chambered for .44/40 rounds... Becky preferred this to the double-actions that Will liked.

'To each their own, ' Will thought.

After twenty rounds or so, she was reasonably profficient. She claimed to have only fired a pistol a couple of times. If that was the case, she did damned good!

They traveled five miles or so before hobbling the horses and moving through the forest on foot. They hoped to find a deer.

They ended up with much more than they bargained for.

Becky was at least as much at home in the forest as Will was. As they moved silently through the trees, they heard some unusual, but familiar (at least to Will), sounds.

The first was an angry woman's voice yelling "Git, you varmint! Skeedaddle!"

The second was the unmistakable sound of a bear that was not pleased. After checking to make sure they were upwind, they crept closer.

It was an awesome sight to behold. It also scared the bejeebers out of them. The largest Grizzly Will had ever seen seemed to have 'treed' someone. The only thing saving her, was the fortunate fact that an adult Grizzly can't climb. They're just too fucking huge.

Unless Will missed his guess, this one had to be sixteen hundred pounds, if it was an ounce.

To make matters worse, the wind shifted. Naturally, the bear caught their scent. He (or she) evidently decided that two on the ground were better than one in the tree. With a hungry snarl, it loped their way.

It was only thirty yards away when they fired so closely together, that it sounded like one shot. After a couple of stumbling steps, it fell.

Will kept an eye (and his rifle) on it, as Becky went to check on the grizzly's would be dinner. By the time she returned with the thirty-something year old woman, he was pretty well convinced that it was dead. He prodded a couple of times to be sure.

The rescued woman was thankful. She was also pissed off at herself.

"If I hadn't of dropped my damn gun like some tenderfoot, when it snagged on that fuckin' bush! Anyway, I be thankin' ye. Slidin' down that monster's gullet woulda' ruined my entire evening!"

Becky and Will both cracked up. After a second, so did the woman.

She introduced herself as Nancy, and told them she lived a few miles west of where they were. She had been hunting, the same as them. By the time she figured out the bear was stalking her, it had almost been too late. She walked about twenty feet and picked up a musket. On the way back, she was studying their weapons.

"Don't think I ever see'd a rifle-gun like them you got," she observed. "Ah'm right glad to see em' now, though!," she studied the bear for a minute and observed, "Y'all seem to know how to use 'em, too! One 'pears to be a heart shot, but the other one is right square betwixt his beady little peepers!"

Becky looked pleased. 'As well she should, ' thought will. The headshot had to have been hers. He was sure where his had gone.

Nancy's mount had run off, for obvious reasons, and it took them a while to track it down. She offered to help them 'pack the critter home', and they quickly accepted. Even with the tools Will had brought, it was sundown before they headed back.

Nancy told them a bit about herself, but not until she found out through the conversation how they felt about the slavery issue. It was a revelation to her.

"I never heard o' no man not wantin' to own somebody," she admitted. "I gave up hope a long time ago, of findin' me a man like that. That's why I moved way out here where there ain't no people. I swore a long time ago that there ain't no man ever gonna call me 'property', I'll shoot 'em first!"

She looked at Becky, and shot a thumb towards Will. "Is there any more like that where he come from?"

"Depends on how you feel about older men," Becky said with a smile.

"How old we talkin'? Can he still sit a saddle and chew his own meat?"

Becky laughed before saying "That and more. He's fifty-three, and danged handsome. Until I met this critter here, I figgered to never know another man that good."

"That ain't old," Nancy said. "Sounds like you know this feller pretty good. Who is he?"

"My pa. He's the best judge of horseflesh I ever seen, and one of the hardest workin' men I know, too. I think he's what a man ought to be. If'n Will here don't let it go to his head, I'd even say that they're a lot alike."

They caused quite a stir upon their arrival. After the story was told, the four brothers volunteered to take care of the meat and the skin, while the 'hunters' got cleaned up. The bear had been some messy work. They had so much blood on them that it looked like the grizzly had won the fight!

After they got presentable, Nancy proved that she was about as subtle as Becky. She grilled poor Jess all evening. He didn't seem to mind much. Will couldn't blame him. Nancy was an attractive woman. She was built strong and solid, but that didn't mean that all the curves weren't right where they belonged. The outfit of cotton pants and flannel shirt, served to paint an outline of a fantastic figure.

Jess was in a festive mood to start with. The first thing out of Becky's mouth was "Well, pa, you got your wish! Will done proposed, an' I'm inclined to accept, provided Carrie gives her approval!"

If Jesse was pleased, Carrie was ecstatic. She squealed and rushed to hug the redheaded cutie. While they were occupied, Will made a trip to his safe. When he emerged, he started playing 'paymaster'.

First, he gave two golds each to Wei, Lian, and Gengi. He explained that it was their pay for doing the chores and housework. Then he handed ten golds to Becky. She immediately gave five back.

She turned to Jess and said "Now I can make it official, since I'm a free woman!," she gave Will a toe curling kiss to seal the deal.

The three Chinese girls looked uncertain, but after a long consultation with Carrie, they each proceeded to give Will one gold in return for their freedom. The brothers would be happy soon. Very soon, probably. Amy was already headed for the door. Before she made it, Will stopped her. He gave her two golds of her own, with the same excuse. He got a hug from her as well, when he said that he was pretty sure Amy had 'something' she would surely want to buy with it.

Will broke out some beer, along with some of his 'good stuff'. Jess about fell over when he got his first sip of good Kentucky bourbon. Carrie and Becky had to break them apart after an hour had passed. Jesse was determined to find out every little bit of information he could about the way it was made. Half of that time was spent explaining the 'sour mash' process, and why charred oak barrels worked best.

When Will learned why the girls were so impatient, he was, also. Carrie had learned another interesting little fact about this place. It turns out that all you had to do to get married, is to say that you were! He and Carrie hadn't been 'living in sin' after all!

In mere moments, Will and Becky were also married. No sooner had that happened, than a 'thundering herd' stampeded through the door. It turns out they weren't the only newlyweds in the bunch. From the way Nancy was snuggled up with Jess on the recliner, there would be another pretty soon!

Carrie insisted that Becky and Will sleep alone the first night. As it turned out, Will figured nobody in the county slept. Maybe nobody in the whole state!

Some women are bold and outspoken in public, but meek as a lamb in private. Not Becky. As soon as the door closed, she was getting naked. That wasn't a problem for Will. He happily joined her in nudity. In fact, he was getting happier with every stitch she shed. The redheaded woman was quickly nude and ready to pounce, in mere moments.

She was hotter than a two-dollar pistol! Will took in her naked splendor and smoldering eyes. He wisely refrained from mentioning any reference to a 'burning bush', but it would have been a valid statement. He could swear he saw smoke coming from her neat, flame colored pubes.

She was a vision, but the tan lines were so stark that it was almost comical. Women here didn't exactly run around in bikinis. Becky's arms and face sported a dark tan. The rest of her was white enough to blind him! The freckles stood out prominently, but in no way detracted from her beauty.

Will didn't know about Becky, but the quick wipe-down after they got home didn't suffice to make him feel clean. Thankfully, he had a nice bathroom attached to the main bedroom, complete with a large shower. This was (after some cajoling), enough of a novelty to entice her to join him there. She had never had a shower before.

He didn't think even cold water would help, but almost turned it on to see. She didn't want to stop kissing long enough to get clean. Washing her himself, only made it worse, especially the lower parts! The only time her lips seemed to leave his, was when he attacked the nipples that were doing their damndest to bore twin holes in his chest.

Finally, they were semi-clean and almost dry. She ran to the bed. Will almost asked if she had been comparing notes with Wei, but wisely refrained from doing so. She assumed the same 'my legs are spread, so fuck me already' position that the small china doll had used.

Will was a creature of habit. When an invitation like that was presented, he had but one response. Becky never knew what hit her. With her eyes closed, she had no idea until Will's tongue attacked her delicious red furred snatch. She went absolutely ape-shit!

The first discovery Will made about his new bride, was that she was a screamer. If this girl was having fun, then by god, the world was gonna know it! From the sound of things, she was enjoying herself quite a bit.

His second discovery was that she absolutely loved to fuck. He was thankful that he hadn't attempted to force himself on her. She probably would have killed him. She was coming pretty close now, and she was willing! After five minutes, her screams rose at least three octaves, and she started biting and clawing. Her ass was going wild, too. Will was having trouble staying mounted!

In self-defense, he threw her legs over his shoulders and began to do a little 'power fucking'. She seemed to love that even more. Then he gave her a good whack on the ass. Big mistake!

That sparked an orgasm that caused the walls to shake. Then she screamed, "Do it again! Beat my ass, you brute! Don't slow down, neither!

One more smack brought a 'FuucckkMeeee!!!', as she had the best one yet.

Will watched her eyes roll up in her head as he collapsed next to her. She was out cold. He shook his head and wondered what he had gotten himself into.

He went to the bathroom to check his back. Sure enough, she had drawn blood in several places. There would be some bruises on his shoulders from her teeth, too.

'Damn!' he thought, 'I'm either gonna have to put her on her hands and knees every time, or tie her up! Hmmm, now there's a thought... I wonder if she'd like that?'

Becky was awake again by the time he got back to bed, and ready for more. She wasn't a bit apologetic about being loud. "I don't care who knows how fantastic my husband is in bed!," she explained. "Let 'em be jealous!"

When she saw what she had done to him, however, she was sorry as could be.

"I swear I had no idea! I was so out of it, I just went wild! Nothing has ever felt that damn good before. All I could think about was that big thing in me, and how I wanted more of it!"

Will had a suggestion for round two that sounded safer. It might help her burn off some of her seemingly boundless energy, too. She loved it on top. After she let the world know that, and they had recovered some, she whispered in Will's ear.

"Do you think you could do it to me from behind, again?"

"If there's anything left, I'd be happy to," he replied.

Her voice lowered even more, as if she was embarrassed.

"Would you spank my ass some while you do it? I really liked that."

This was the only time he'd heard Becky sound even remotely meek. Her request must have touched something in Will that he didn't know was there, his dick knew though. The damn thing perked right up!

Before they started that, She decided to return the favor for what he had done in the beginning. There are some situations where enthusiasm is not a good thing. Giving head is at the top of that list. Will was patient though, and Becky was a good student. He didn't let her finish, however. He wasn't sure he had four in him tonight, especially with Becky!

In four strokes, the headboard was playing a tune on the wall. Becky let everyone know she liked the song it was playing. The high notes followed every slap on her ass. The lyrics were a little monotonous. Will didn't think "Harder," SLAP, "YEesss!" repeated twenty times before a scream, would ever make the top forty. It sounded fine to him though. It felt even better!

Will was up before Becky in the morning; or, to more precise, later that day. She hadn't been completely sated until after four o'clock. It was six-thirty when Will stumbled into the kitchen. Carrie, Jess, and Nancy were there already. Will profusely thanked 'whoever was responsible', when he discovered there was coffee.

As he got a cup, he heard two women gasp, and Jess say "Damn!, that girl o'mine really is a wildcat! She done clawed you to ribbons!"

He knew that he should have worn a shirt. He had tried, but it felt better without one. When Will turned around, Carrie was gone.

Nancy noticed his concern, and said "Don't worry. She just went to get some salve to put on what's left of you.," she shook her head. "You must be somethin' else in the sack. Y'all kept the whole danged house up. at least those that wasn't doin' the same dance! Them others led the boys to their doom, once they heard the racket."

She took Jesse's hand, and the rancher actually blushed. It got deeper when she added "Poor Carrie was all by her lonesome after a while. I know it's quick... and I s'pect you and your 'wild child' had a thing or two to do with it... but me an' Jess done got together, too. Can't say as I'm complainin' or anything, though. I done found out where Becky gets it from! I jus' be glad I hain't got no claw marks on me!"

Jess was rescued by Carrie's return. She lightened the mood as she spread the soothing substance on Will's back.

"Your new wife asked for breakfast in bed. Seems she can't seem to walk this mornin'. We ain't got no salve for that particular spot, neither."

Will's new father-in-law shook his head.