Chapter 6

Pap and I are just sitting, doing nothing more than enjoying the evening. He sat back with his burning bowl of sweet smelling tobacco, and I'm here with my thoughts. Where was I two months ago and do I care anymore about that old life? I wonder what would have happened if Dad had stayed in the hills of Kentucky with Mom instead of the beaches of Southern California. What ifs and who cares none of it matters.

Pap brought me back to reality. "So they mated up last evenin', been wonderin' when he will be movin' into the house."

"I bought them a bed for the bunkhouse until we work out all the rooming choices."

"There be lots of beds in the bunkhouse."

"Want me to trade a couple of those for the one in your room?"

"So what type of bed did you get them?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"I sure did. You just weren't a listenin'." We both chuckled.

"So what did you get done today?"

"Cattle are moved, crops look good. Spent the afternoon over at Hap's place."

"Any interest on his part?" I asked.

"He loves that land but Rachel loves them kids and grandkids. Rock and a hard place between them two."

"Can we make something work for all of us?"

"Not likely they will want you movin' in with 'em."

"Don't know if that would work. Tell me about the house they have there."

"Big two story with a porch and attic."

"Are they living in all of it?"

"Think them stairs are hard for Hal to climb so they just live downstairs."

"Hmm..."

"Whatcha thnkin'?" Pap inquired.

"What if we built them a single story ranch house? Offer to let them live there when they want for as long as they care to or are capable of. Then we take the big house and the rest of the farm."

"That might work. It gives 'em the freedom to come 'n goes as they please and still have a place to call home."

"Think you could interest them in that idea?"

"Be easier sell to Rachel with you and the trips there. Her knowin' you wanta be fillin' the house with young'uns might be a make'n her feel better about it."

"I'll take your word for it. You don't think my being from the city will discourage them?"

"We'll let it slip you're the new head of the clan. That bout fix everythin' as far as the city up bringin'."

"Grease for the wheels?" I smiled.

"Nope, the grease they be a want'n is greenbacks. But when they know you're committed to the clan life, like a pig is to sausage, folks trust ya'll more."

Shana came walking out the door and over to me. "Seems like a nice time for a stroll. See ya, Pap."

I winked at Pap and he just nodded his head. We were heading past the barn when I led us inside it. "I need to talk to Connie for a minute, Shana."

"Okay." Shana replied.

"In private."

"You got a secret?"

"Not if I tell you." She stuck her tongue out at me.

I walked over to Cletus who was watching Connie milk a cow that was not Betsy. "Nice mate you are, making her do all that work."

He turned red and moved Connie off the stool and started to milk. Then real softly I said, "Take Jana's bag up to the house once Shana, and I are not in sight." Then I said loud enough for everyone to hear, "And make sure Cletus works at romancing you tonight. Just because you're mated up don't mean he can forget about romancing you. The head of the clan has spoken."

I walked back over to Shana, and she was dying to know what the secret was. "So what did you whisper about to Connie?"

"Can't tell you that. I told you that before."

"I'm ready to be mated up with you, and you can't tell me your secrets."

"Sure I can once we're mated up. But if you want to know I'll tie you up and put some tape on your mouth after I tell you and keep you like that until it isn't a secret anymore."

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" I asked.

"You know what you're doing, and it is not my turn."

"Not me. I'm just a city boy. Don't know anything about what I'm doing out here in the country." I snickered and she looked at me with one of those looks.

"Well come on then, city boy. Don't want you getting' hurt out in the country. Need to get you in the house where you'll be safe."

"Was it safe in the house last night?"

"Don't start."

"How about if I just hold you close instead," I said.

"That you can do anytime." and she came over into my arms.

We spend a while sharing a wonderful kiss, stopped a couple more times before we got back to the porch, and she walked with me to the bedroom.

There Lana stood with a grin. "That was sweet of you."

"What was sweet of him?" Shana asked.

"It's a surprise. Don't want to ruin it." Lana said.

The two of them left with Shana no doubt giving Lana the third-degree.

I stopped in, used the bathroom and washed up before I went and opened the door to the bedroom. It was aglow in candles and there was Jana in a forest green intimate wear ensemble. She was stretched out on the bed with a look designed to melt icebergs.

I walked in and closed the door. "You look exotic in that."

"Someone special got them for me."

"Can I thank him when I see him?"

"I'll be doing that all by myself. Are you going to just stand there all-night?"

"No, I was going over to the closet and get out my painting supplies."

"Do you know how to paint pictures?"

"No, but with you looking so lovely I was going to learn how."

"I would rather you joined me." She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips.

"I can't be held responsible for my actions if joined you."

"Well we will talk about who holds whom responsible after you're here." She patted on the bed next to her. "But you're overdressed."

I wasn't by the time I was sitting next to her. She smelled and felt like the air after a thunderstorm. Clean, fresh but with the charge of static electricity still there. Her touch was added to that electrical feeling as she ran her hand over my chest. She would caress her nails on my skin and then slowly take them and apply just enough pressure to have them slowed as she pulled them. It put me into sensory overload and built the lust in me.

"Jana, if you keep that up..."

"Nothin' is stoppin' you but you. I have dreamt of being ravished, but I won't tell you those dreams."

I pulled her to me, and we shared a kiss. I ran my hands over her body. Her skin was hot and the silk cloth slid as I touched it. The lack of blood flow to my brain had me moving slowly. I stopped to explore Jana's body as I tried to recall the nuances of being ravished that I had read in all of those English classes I attended over my formative years. The key as I recalled was slow and intense. Rushing was rape and the lack of intensity had left the women feeling used.

We left love bites in places where others could see. By the time we were finished there was nothing left of her ensemble that could be worn again. The candles had all nearly burnt-out when we retrieved the bedding back off the floor to go to sleep. I never heard the rooster and missed holding Lana that morning. Lana came in and kissed me awake.

"Go take your shower, Baby."

"Lana?"

"It's okay. It's more than okay. We'll talk about it after breakfast. Now scoot."

They all looked but not one said a word. But the stares were there all the same. We finished and I scooted out to the porch with Pap and Cletus. Coffee in my hand, I was just content to sit there. Lana came to join us and took my hand. No words were needed as we headed out.

"She floated in a little before dawn. I know that feeling and how it makes me feel."

"It just happened and progressed in a world of its own."

"I've been there. No need to tell me. I love you."

"Lana, I love you and admit that I am lost. I am falling for your sisters. Everything I know says it's wrong. I'm a one-woman man but each of them is an extension of you and you a part of them."

"Baby, not having a better explanation it is like, we feel each other's emotions."

"What? How? When?"

"We're identical triplets connected since conception. I don't know the answers, but it is how they knew when I brought someone to be the head of the clan that they could just accept him. When we're close we can just feel what one another feels in a broad way, if that makes sense to you."

"Then who was I with last night? Jana? You? Shana?"

"You were with Jana. We were not right there with you so it was just you two, but before, when I was here and getting the room ready, I could feel her desire for you and then this morning I could feel her love."

"This is so different!"

"It's all we have ever known so for us when we're together it's special."

"Now what?"

"There are no doubts between us about you. We're all feeling the same love for you."

"What I mean is. What do we do about it now?"

"Just do what we have been doing. There is no rush, grow in your love for each of them. Just because I'm telling you what we feel, I know you, baby, and you need to feel about them like you do me."

"And you're sure because once I feel about them like, I do about you. I am not going to want to give them up."

"I know, baby. It's what makes you so special to me. You're the needle in the haystack."

"Lana, this is just so much to accept. Why didn't you tell me?"

She looked in my eyes. "I can't even explain exactly what it is. How could I get you to understand without you being here? I didn't want to risk your not coming. And no, before you ask, there are no more surprises from me."

I kissed her and held her. She was right. She was always right about us. From the time we first met in the coffee shop, and she asked me out. It's funny how I was tongue-tied when she did that.

"I missed being there with you this morning."

She kissed me. "You're forgiven but I missed you holding me."

"I'll hold you anytime all the time."

"I love you."

"I love you too." And we walked back to the house, body pressing to body, arms wrapped around each other. She kissed me and I went and sat by Pap.

Jana brought my coffee out and gave me a kiss when she did. Then she went back into the house.

"So Son, what's the plan for today?"

I looked up. "We can adjust the cameras, since I got the walked-talkies. And I need to install the alarm, so I know when they're activated."

"Is it working now?" Cletus asked.

"It should be. Let's go take a look at the monitor."

We headed back in the house and the monitor had several pictures going. I stopped and clicked on one of the thumbnails and there was a squirrel. Actually, when you clicked on all the ones that were running, there were either squirrels or birds being watched.

Pap and Cletus were chuckling which brought the rest of them over and they all were laughing.

Harry asked, "Is that what we were looking for when we put them up?"

"Funny, Harry"

"Well we have some bugs to work out of the system. Any ideas Pap on how to keep the squirrels away?"

"You get ready to work, and I'll get to figurin'."

I went to retrieve the alarm that I had bought when I was out with Connie and the walked-talkies that were now all charged up after I had remembered to have Tammy plug them in for me yesterday. Cletus and Harry went and got the ladder out. Pap took a while but he came into the house holding a spray bottle with something in the bottom of it. "What's in there, Pap?"

"I put some of the hot peppers we grow in the bottle and added some water and ammonia. You spray it on and it's a deterrent. Won't last past a rain or two, but it should make them cameras less interestin'."

"I'm worried about the sensors now. They are set to detect any motion and with the wildlife they will be running most all the time."

"Well we can check them every day. A worse case we just have to go and change them batteries. We worked a long time to get this right. Don't seem right not to be usin' 'em best as we can. Way I'm figurin' we will either need them within the week, or we won't."

So we worked adjusting the cameras right up to when they called for lunch. We talked back and forth on the walked-talkies and then they sprayed the cameras with Pap's miracle repellent. There was still video of birds and squirrels, but we didn't get anymore close-ups.