Book 3, Chapter 8

"Oh, boy, someone's in trouble!" Gil said under his breath.

"I think more than one of us, Gil old boy!" David replied as he vigorously waved to the family.

There at the front of the group stood Angela and Adele. Both had their hands on their hips and their stance showed they would broach no flimsy excuses. They were mad. Well, not quite true. They were relieved, elated that their family came through unscathed, and pissed off that they took so long to do it.

"Where the hell have you been?" Angela began "We've been worried sick about you. No word, nothing. We just had to sit here and think the worst!"

"And you know you could have sent one of the girls back to tell us the news. Whatever possessed you to ignore your loving family and cause us such distress? Shame on you, Gil Favor!" Adele was screaming by the time she finished.

Both men leapt from their horses, and charged their wives. Both women were swept up in the arms of their husbands. Instantly their anger melted away as they were flooded with kisses. The others dismounted and came forward. Jessica took Angela away from David to kiss her. When she then hugged the senior wife she whispered in her ear, "I've found us one. I've already had a sample and I know she'll be perfect."

Lisa was next as Angela held her arms out to the girl. She hugged her tight and asked how it went. Lisa proudly told her she killed at least four of the red-skinned bastards. That got her a hug from all the wives.

"And who is this?" Rhoda asked as Bobby came forward with his mother.

Lisa responded, "This is Robert Parrish and his mother Elizabeth - Robert likes to be called Bobby by his friends - He likes to read and he can write, too - He went to school for six years and he can cypher, too - He used to have his own gun and holster but he lost them when the Indians burned out his parents' farm."

All of that came out in a gush and Lisa turned red with embarrassment. The wives laughed and that caused the children to laugh, too. Jessica took her new sister by the shoulder and just squeezed. She whispered something in her ear that was just for Lisa. Lisa nodded and smiled. She took Bobby's hand and led him off to show him the camp.

In the meantime, Gil took Elizabeth's arm, and presented her to Adele. The two women adjourned to the campfire area, where Adele was just starting to make the noon meal. Elizabeth pitched right in. Both women chatted amiably as they cooked, getting to know each other better. The four wives had gathered around Stephanie, and it appeared they were interviewing her. Maybe that's exactly what it was, an interview. By the time the food was ready, the wives were ready to accept Stephanie as another wife. Now all they had to do was tell David he was getting married again. Oh, they also told Stephanie that they decided she should join them in marriage. Remembering Jessica's actions at the river, Stephanie eagerly agreed.

Angela told the others that she'd take care of the details.

Waite had finished riding the fences with Jesse, Jim and some of the hired hands. Almost all of the fence line was intact. There was part of the ranch that ran against Samuel Mount Calm's property. Several stretches of wire were down. Now Waite didn't want to accuse his neighbor of anything untoward, but it did look rather suspicious.

"Hey, Jim? You think you could have some of the boys watch this section of wire? It seems odd that almost all of our fencing is good except for this one little stretch. I would hate to think that Sam was rustling some of our herd."

"Sure thing, Boss. I'll put Jake and Colorado on it. If anything is going on, they'll find out for us."

The men rode back to the ranch house, arriving to hear the clanging of the bell. Just in time for supper!

The meal, cooked by Peggy Sue and Doreen, was excellent, as usual. Everyone at the table ended up full, unable to eat any more. The younger wives took over the job of cleanup and Waite and Peggy Sue adjourned to the parlor.

"I had another dream, last night, while you were out riding the fences. After Lisa Marie brought me off so well, I just blanked out. I'm sure now that another family is headed towards us. I saw two men, each with more than one wife and several children. They had gotten up in the morning and four of them had ridden off. When they returned, there were three more people with them, two women, and a young man."

"I think I had the same dream. Two men, relatively young, but one was older. The younger seems to be the leader, though. He has four women who look to him, while the older has one. The children seem to be a new addition to the group. I don't know where they came from, though. The new people include an older woman and a younger, which I think is a daughter. The young man is in his middle teens. He's almost ready to go out on his own if he wants. My feeling is they are headed for central Texas, maybe even near here. They are a long ways off right now, but are headed this way."

"Well, dear, we will just have to keep our eyes and ears open for newcomers," Peggy Sue said. "Now then, the girls are finished with cleaning up the kitchen, and the sun has gone down. What say we gather our wives and make love to all of them ... except for Doreen, who is due any time now? We can love on her, but you aren't getting anywhere near her with that weapon you carry."

Speechless after that comment, Waite just grinned as he extended his hand to Peggy Sue, to assist her from her seat. The baby bump was just beginning to show on the five month pregnant Peggy Sue. Her milk was still in from Waite Junior and her husband loved to suckle. It was a real turn on for her, also. As they passed the kitchen doorway, Peggy Sue announced it was bedtime. Giggling, the girls in the kitchen put out the lights, and followed their husband and sister wife to the bedroom. Doreen was last up. She took it upon herself to put out the candles and lanterns, sinking the house in darkness except for the one candle she carried to light her way. As she reached the bedroom, all she could see was a wiggling mass of human flesh. She snuffed out the candle and joined the fun.

Angela decided that Stephanie should ride in her wagon. They started off, right after the noon meal, since the day was a little cooler than the previous days had been. David was teamster for this part of the trip. Angela sat on one side of him and Stephanie on the other. He continued to be vigilant in his scanning the horizon for trouble.

The women chatted about this or that as they rode. Every so often Angela would lean across David, supposedly to tell something to Stephanie in confidence. When she did, she made it a point of rubbing her chest against his body in some way. More than once her hand strayed to his crotch. The constant teasing had him rock hard for most of the journey. Stephanie couldn't help but notice. Her hormones were raging as she sat so close to the object of her desire. She noticed what Angela was doing, and she got into the spirit of the challenge. She took to leaning across to Angela, taking the opportunity of rubbing her tits against David. She didn't go as far as stroking his cock, but she did slide her hand up his leg a little.

Neither of the women knew his thoughts. He was all for adding Stephanie to his stable. She was very attractive. Her mother had made sure she went to school and she was smart. He knew she was good at kissing, and he suspected she would be a little wildcat in bed. She was only four foot, ten inches tall, but that didn't matter to him. She could ride cowgirl style. Her relatively small breasts looked large because of her overall petite nature. He figured they would still fill his hands with flesh once he had her in bed. He had to smile at the machinations of his wife and his soon to be wife. He was really enjoying himself. He just wondered when they would "trick" him into making love to her. He kept silent, and continued to watch the horizon for signs of trouble as he drove.

The trail swung northward towards Phoenix, a small sleepy town settled by a man call Jack Swilling from Prescott, the Territorial Capitol. It is said the early Maricopa Indians first settled the area, introducing irrigation farming to the area with 135 miles of canals. It was another two days before they reached the settlement. As they pulled into town, they passed two livery stables before finding one that had secure storage. Jones and Sons Livery boasted four large barns and several corrals. David made a deal to rent the large empty barn. All four wagons would fit inside, and he planned to let Wayne and Bobby watch over their cargo. There were two corrals attached to that barn which worked well, considering the amount of livestock they had acquired.

They gathered clothing in several valises and walked the two blocks to the Phoenix Hotel, located on the northwest corner of Washington and Third Street. It was a one-story adobe structure, built in an open square configuration. There was an inside court, and the rooms opened out into it. In the center, water had been diverted from outside, filling a deep hole, creating a 'swimming pool' for the patrons of the hotel. There was a canvas cover to keep the sun off the water. It was a cool refreshing stop for weary travelers.

They inquired about a general store in the vicinity and they were told the closest one, Goldwater's, was having a going out of business sale. The sparkle in Adele and Jessica's eyes was more than evident. They got the directions and told the boys they were going shopping. Gil and David could do nothing but follow along. Hannah and Lisa were left with the other children at the hotel. Wayne and Bobby were diligently guarding the wagons.

There were benches on the boardwalk outside the store and Angela told the boys to stay put. The rest of the women went inside. A little over an hour later Rhoda appeared at the door.

"Sweetheart, I need you to give me fifty seven dollars."

She batted her eyes, sweetly. Of course, David just handed over three double eagles, without a comment.

Adele arrived shortly afterwards.

"Gil, honey, I need twenty one dollars and fifty cents, please."

Gil knew better than to ask. He just handed over a double eagle and a half eagle. The men just looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders. Shortly the women appeared at the door. Adele took Gil's arm and Angela took David's. The others filled in behind. Angela and Adele seemed to have a destination in mind as they guided the men past the hotel. Making a left turn up Second Street, they shortly came to a Catholic Church. Just past the cathedral there was a small Baptist church.

Too late, the men realized what was happening (not that they minded, any). Adele knocked on the door, and soon a pretty matron opened the door.

"Yes, dearie, How can I help you today?" she asked.

"Is the reverend available to perform a wedding ceremony?" Adele asked.

"Yes! Oh, my! Yes, dearie! I LOVE weddings. Yes, come in I will get Reverend Graham for you. Now make yourself comfortable, it will just be a minute."

"I guess I need to make an honest woman of you, Adele," Gil confessed. "I am glad you thought of this."

"And I'm guessing I'm here to wed Rhoda and Georgette. I'm not quite sure how the Reverend will take that, but we'll see. If we have to find another minister, I'll marry Georgette here since she's older and take Rhoda as my wife at the next church," David put in.

Angela just nodded and smiled.

Just then the Reverend William Graham came in from the back. The matronly woman was sitting at a small organ pumping away with her feet, filling the air bladder of the pump organ. Reverend Graham asked who the groom was. Both men stepped forward.

"Oh, a double wedding. Not to worry. Please, gentlemen, come with me up to the altar. Ladies you may follow to the music, just like in the big city. Okay?"

The women nodded. The strains of the wedding march played out on the reedy sounding organ. It was definitely the thought that counted, here. Adele and Georgette walked down the aisle side by side with the other women trailing back. They stood beside there respective grooms, and Reverend Graham began.

"Dearly Beloved," and so it went. No one objected and they made it to "You may kiss the bride." There were handshakes and congratulations all around. Then Adele spoke up.

"Reverend Graham, would you be adverse to performing another ceremony?"

"No, not at all. Who's the lucky couple?" he responded.

"My daughter Rhoda, Georgette's cousin, also wishes to marry Mr. Morgan. You know, the man who just handed you a Double Eagle coin for your services?" Adele was smiling all the time.

Bewildered, the good reverend thought about it a bit, and decided it would be all right if he wed the couple. And so he proceeded to marry Rhoda and David. While everyone watched. They applauded at the end after Reverend Graham pronounced the happy couple man and wife. He was a little taken aback when Georgette also kissed the bride. However, he did beam with joy as David handed him another Double eagle gold coin.

"Well, if there isn't anything else then..." he began.

"Now that you mention it, Reverend, there is something else you could do for us," Angela put in.

"Yes miss, what would that be?" He replied

"You see Reverend Graham, we are a very loving group. I was married to David four months ago and Jessica joined us in marriage almost three months ago. We do have one more ceremony for you to perform."

"He does?" David and Gil said simultaneously.

"Be quiet, husband," Angela and Adele replied, also simultaneously.

"Yes, ma'am," they answered their wives.

"Now then, Reverend Graham, are you willing to do one more?"

"In for a penny, in for a pound. I don't see why not. We'll let God sort it out."

The girls parted and standing behind the group were Stephanie and Elizabeth. Both were dressed in matching white dresses. They both held bouquets of flowers and wore white lace veils. Each woman was beautiful in her wedding gown. Both men were flabbergasted.

"Close your mouth, husband. Stand up straight and marry this woman," Angela ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," came the reply.

"Ready? Dearly beloved..."

In a few minutes the ceremony was over. Their equally happy family escorted the happy couples from the small church. As they walked down the street, with the bride on the arm of her husband, passersby offered words of congratulations, encouragement, warning and condolences. It was amazing how friendly the people of Phoenix were. The wedding party turned into a very nice restaurant a block from the hotel. When the owner noticed the wedding dresses, he went all out for the wedding party. He even provided a wedding cake at the end of the meal. They weren't quite sure where he got the cake, but they felt special.

As the sun went down, David asked the owner if he had a bus boy that could take food to Wayne and Bobby. It was taken care of immediately. There was so much food sent, that the boys had enough left over to have for breakfast, too. They were happy and didn't mind the guard duty. In fact they felt proud that David would trust them with the responsibility.

The wedding party continued when a small band started playing. This restaurant would be an upscale place in a hundred years. Even now, in 1876 it was really nice.

Of course, David insisted on taking his wives, one at a time out on the dance floor. Jessica, almost as tall as David, was graceful as she waltzed with him. Rhoda and Georgette both were unsure, not having danced before. David just told them to relax and he'd take care of them. Both did beautifully and were beaming when he brought them back to the tables. Last to dance the first dance was little Stephanie. The height difference was fourteen inches and several at the table just had to smile. However, David was dead serious as the couple waltzed together. Stephanie didn't tell him she had lessons in dancing and could do several different styles, so David was surprised when they performed perfectly.

When they finished he dipped her back and kissed her with a lot of passion. Her legs grew weak as she quivered with desire. They walked back to the tables, but David had to steady her along the way.

Gil and Adele and Elizabeth didn't have any problem. Both women had been dancing many times in their lives and their wedding dances when off without a hitch. Next it was Gil's turn to dance with David's wives while David took a turn around the floor with Elizabeth and Adele. They all had great fun and stayed until closing time. David went to the owner to pay the bill. He couldn't believe how little the total was.

"Surely you've made some mistake. This is way too small a bill for all we've had and all you've done for us," he said.

"No, senior, it is my pleasure to host your wedding. You and your wives, I would say all the ones you danced with first are yours. I could tell be the way they looked at you. You and your wives I wish a very happy life. You see Rosita there by the bar? And Margarita at the front door. We have been married for over fifteen years, and are all very happy together. It was Margarita's idea to offset the cost of your party. I agreed immediately when I saw the love each one of your wives showed to you. You are very lucky."

David thanked him and proceeded to pay the pittance requested. Then he added a very large tip for the band and the waiter and the bus boy and anyone else he could think of. The owner just smiled and shook his head. The whole group was in good spirits as they left the bistro. They hadn't gone more than a hundred feet before the women were accosted by several drunken saddle bums. They had come up from behind and grabbed Georgette, Rhoda and Adele, who had been walking behind the rest of the group talking to each other about the events of the day.

"Say there misshy, give ush a kish!" one of the drunks slobbered as he spoke.

"Unhand me, you uncouth cad!" Adele exclaimed.

Georgette screamed as the one who grabbed her started pawing the front of her dress. Rhoda swing her fist at the man in defense but was grabbed by the arms by a third drunk. He picked her up and was backing away as she kicked and squirmed.

"Thish one's slippry ash an eel."

The man's slurred speech proved he was no more sober than the first one.

Their actions were intolerable. Both David and Gil stepped forward to intervene on their wives' behalf. David pulled the drunk away from Georgette. With balled fist, he slammed it into the man's jaw. The cad dropped like a stone. The second man took exception to that action and drew his revolver. Before he could do anything David had his own gun out and fired. He holstered his gun while the man fell back against the wall and slid down to the ground, dead.

While this was happening, Gil was protecting Adele. He drew his gun and cold cocked the man. He spun off and landed unceremoniously in the street. The sound of the gunshot had stirred up the law. A deputy came running up to see what was transpiring, his gun in his hand. He was met by Angela. She held up her hands.

"Oh, thank God you've come! I was so scared. I was afraid my husband would be hurt defending our honor," she said, pouring it on thickly. "I don't know what I would do if you hadn't come to rescue us from the clutches of these ruffians."