Chapter 21

"It's OK, Jack, they're dead. Mr. Jackson and Mr. Appleby were here to help. They drilled these cahoots good. They are both dead and none of us got nary a scratch."

The Deputy cautiously entered, gun at the ready. He holstered his weapon when he was assured all was good, sliding the retaining strap over the hammer once more. He confidently stepped forward. The man was as tall as me, and weighed about the same. Jesse knew him and they greeted each other. He looked down at the bodies. He turned the one lying face down over. He straightened up again after checking both.

"These two were in the latest batch of posters we got from the circuit court. They are both worth twenty five dollars. Nice work. I sent for the undertaker, he should be here shortly. If y'all will stop by the Marshal's office I'll give ya yur chit ta collect from the county clerk."

The undertaker's men quickly stripped the bodies of their belongings and placed them on the counter as the Deputy watched. Two double rigs with relatively new Colt Peacemakers, 30 dollars in gold, silver spurs, one new pair of boots, two good hats, one vest. I drew the line at the rest of the clothing. The bodies were hauled out and we turned to Mr. Barrow.

"Thank you Gentlemen," Mr. Barrow exclaimed, "I owe you big time. On behalf of my wife and myself, you've earned a 10% discount on your purchases in this store!"

We were amazed at the generosity of the shopkeeper. It was unusual to receive a gift like that, so we gladly accepted. Jesse had a list almost as long as mine. I handed my list to Barrow and Jesse handed his to Bonnie. We told them our wagons were outside and asked if they had a boy to load. They did, so we decided to go down to the Red Horse for a quick drink. I offered to leave a deposit on the purchases, but Barrow refused.

I was grabbed around the waist by a very frightened and worried young adolescent as we exited the store. Lizzy was scared; I could see it in her eyes amid the tears. I wrapped my arms around her and whispered words of comfort to her. I could feel the beating of her heart as I held her. It gradually slowed back to normal. I told Jesse I was going to take Lizzy to the Deli instead of going to the Red Horse. Jesse nodded his acknowledgement, and we went our separate ways. I held Lizzy's hand as we walked to the end of the block.

The delicatessen was a nice place. Several tables were spaced around and there also was a counter. Lizzy wanted to sit at the counter, so we took two at the end. A very cute redhead, with a very nice figure, came out from the back. I was looking at the menu board behind the counter and didn't notice her at first. Lizzy did and she started tugging at my shirt. She looked over at the girl and inclined her head once she got my attention. All of my attention was suddenly on the girl behind the counter.

"Hello, my name is Belinda. Did you hear that shooting next door?" I was captivated by the lyrical quality of her voice. I couldn't speak. Lizzy was more than able. She began singing my praises.

"There were two wanted men holding up the place when we entered the store. I was sent for the Marshal while Eugene and Jesse continued inside to confront the bandits. My Eugene and Jesse had dispatched the two men to meet their maker by the time I got back with the Deputy."

"Oh, heroes," Belinda almost swooned. She batted her green eyes at me while her smile froze me in place. Lizzy had to clear her throat the get our attention.

"This is Eugene. Jesse went to the Red Horse."

"And how do you fit in the scheme of things, little miss" she asked.

An indignant Lizzy answered, "Well, it just so happens that Eugene is married to my older sisters, and Jesse is married to my next sister. I'm the youngest, so I'm not able to marry Eugene for another two years, when I'm fourteen."

The girl laughed, "So it's all decided, is it?"

"Yes, that's what my sister and the other wives say, and what they say goes. Well, I guess Eugene could say no, but heck, the wives need more help anyway. He plumb wears them out at night, if you catch my drift."

Her eyes went wide at that revelation. "Just how many are there?"

"Let me think. There's Rebecca, Susannah, Becca, Clementine, Jackie, Michele, and Tara. And there is my sisters Lora and Lana, My other sister, Lisa just got married to Jesse. He has other wives, but I don't know all their names."

"My God," she exclaimed, "And he's looking for more?"

"No, his wives are looking for more. Like I said, he wears them out at night."

Belinda got a tingle in the pit of her stomach as she looked on the handsome man in a new light. Lizzy noticed the byplay between the two as the menu was being discussed and she decided she needed to talk to her sisters. This girl seemed nice, and Liz thought she might make a nice addition to the family. She wasn't worried about her position in the family. She knew she would be Eugene's wife in two short years.

"I'll have the apple pie," I said, "Do you by any chance have some ice cream to go with that?

Belinda nodded with a smile. "I'd like the same" Lizzy said.

"Two apple pies ala mode," she noted on her pad, "Coming right up."

She disappeared through the door and she brought back two large plates with pie heaped with ice cream a couple minutes later. She related that they had an underground storehouse where they kept ice brought down from the north by train in the winter. While the ice did slowly melt, they usually could maintain their supply of ice through most of the summer. It was usually gone by August, and they'd have to wait until the winter freeze up north to get more. They were nearing the end of their supply, but she had just made the current batch of ice cream for the lunch crowd. This was the only place in Waco that had the treat.

Lizzy and I enjoyed our treat, and I left a good tip when I paid the bill. Lizzy and I left the store, but I looked back at the vision of loveliness behind the counter. She waved and the cutest blush spread across her face and ample chest. I filed that away for later.

"I see our wagons are loaded," I started to say as we entered the mercantile, "I'm here to settle the bill."

"Bill's been paid already, Mr. Appleby. You're set to go." Barrow replied.

"What??? How? Who paid the bill?" I asked.

"Them two fellers you kilt paid the bill. See them saddlebags? They was on the fellers' horses. Plenty of gold coin in them. Paid your bill, Mr. Jesse's bill, and you still got lots leftover. I counted out the forty two dollars after the 10 percent discount for your supplies and there's still plenty left. Jesse was here when I done that, and he can verify the transaction if you want. He said he had to get going, so he left about ten minutes ago. You was gone such a long time he couldn't wait no more."

I was surprised and pleased we'd done well. With nothing further to say, we headed out towards home. We didn't catch up to Jesse, so we entered the yard alone. I pulled the wagon up to the back porch since it would be closer to the pantry, storehouse, and kitchen. I fixed the brake and unhitched the mules. I led them to the barn and turned them over to Sam. I motioned to a couple of the hands to come help unload and we were done about ten minutes later. I didn't think it would only be that long. The boys told me not to worry, and they pushed the wagon to the barn with the help of two other cowboys.

I tried to assist with putting things away and was thoroughly chastised for doing women's work. I did note with interest the intent discussion that was going on between Lizzy and her sisters. I had an idea about what they were discussing, but I did wonder nevertheless. Once dismissed, I went out to survey our compound to see what other improvements I could institute. I made my way over to the well house. It still amazed my how the temperature inside was so much cooler that outside. I was being made a believer in evaporative cooling.

The two milk cans, kept in the circulating water felt cold to the touch. I knew we would be fine with cream, butter, and milk supplied daily. I continued my tour of our little heaven on earth. I got to thinking about safety considerations against natural disasters, such as in tornados. I just vaguely remember that there was a tornado around Waco that destroyed a whole town. It was an F5 and the town of Jarrell was completely leveled by that terrible force of nature. It was in the late 90s when it happened, but we'd heard about it when other F5s destroyed towns in 2013, especially Monroe, Oklahoma. That storm even killed a professional storm chaser, Tim Samaras, who was a National Geographic researcher who even contributed to the JASON project for school children.

I decided right then we needed to have a storm cellar for protection. I sought Sam out and found him in the barn. He had finished with the mules and was straightening out the harnesses. He nodded to acknowledge my presence. I moved next to him to help.

"You know, we are really open to the ravages of weather out here on the plain. I was thinking that it might be a good idea to build a storm shelter, just in case."

Sam's eyes burned with a fire as he turned to me. "Yes!" he fiercely exclaimed.

I was taken aback by his response. He saw me recoil and eased back.

"I'm sorry, Boss. It's just that my baby sister, her children, and husband were killed by a twister in Oklahoma. It wiped out their entire settlement, as well as two others. Anyone who didn't have a shelter died. When do you want to start, and where should we put it. How big do you think it should be? Should there be more than one?"

"Whoa," I interjected, "Slow down there. Let's take things one at a time. Over there, in that area away from buildings and trees would be a good place. I want it to be large enough to hold our families. If we need to we can build more than one room. We are going to use concrete blocks to build the underground walls. We will build frames to lay out the concrete slabs for the roof."

Sam looked at me as if I were foaming at the mouth and was crazy. I looked back and explained.

"They have been building with concrete for about forty years now. I can get a large supply of the materials, so don't worry about that. What we do need to do is get the hole dug. We can spare the guys from the range now that the herd has been reduced from the roundup, and put them to use here. Let's fill up the two bunkhouses and get that hole started. We need to measure out an area twenty four by thirty six. I'll get the concrete and blocks brought here. I think there is a mason in Dallas who I can hire to come down and lay the block. He'll have plenty of help. I'll send a telegram in the morning."

Those plans complete, I shook Sam's hand and turned to go back to the house. I had lost all track of time, and I saw Rebecca at the big triangle, ringing it out to call everyone in for dinner. I was first to the wash trough, and thus first in line for the food service. Each wife took the time to stop by my seat during the meal to touch, kiss, fondle, or whatever. There was a lot of activity in the bedroom that evening too.

I told the family about my plans to build the storm shelter in the morning. I told them I would be going uptime to purchase the needed blocks, bagged concrete, and other supplies. Mom stated she wanted to go, and the others were quite happy to stay at home. Mom and I decided we'd leave now and come back tomorrow. I reminded them all that I could come back right after I left with the watch. They said it was OK, telling me not to worry about timing it. I didn't think anything of it.

Mom and I hopped to the attic where we changed clothes. We'd left a change there when we started the adventure. I checked the security console I installed as a remote to the system that we had installed after the fiasco with those gangsters. The console showed everything was clear and no one had disturbed the house since the last time we were home. Breathing easier, I led the way down to the secret door and opened it. I locked it in place after going through, and we exited the closet.

"Whew, we need to air this place out. The air smells," Mom commented.

"It may just the difference between the fresh Texas air and here, you know," I responded.

"No, this air is stale. The house has been closed up too long. We need to recirculate fresh air. Let's open the windows and get the air moving while we take that little trip to Lowe's."

We made ourselves busy as we opened all the windows and pulled the drapes to let the sunshine in. I pulled the Mustang around the front of the house. Mom suggested I get the REO instead when she saw it, and she also told me to hitch the long trailer as that would be the easiest way to transport the materials we were going to buy. I had to chuckle.

"That would be true if we were the usual buyer. We're not. We'll get free delivery because of the size of our purchase, and remember that Donny is the assistant manager. We went to school together and he owes me. So, we take the Mustang."

"Alright, we take the Mustang," Mom smiled at me, "Just be careful with your driving. You have responsibilities now."

I smiled back. "I'll be careful. My best girl will be right beside me after all."

Mom blushed at that and took my hand as we exited the house. I used the house key to lock the door and set the alarm. We were headed for the store on Plainfield Avenue twenty seconds later. I steered us to the contractor's desk once inside. I told the associate I needed enough block to build a 24x36 full basement. I also told him I would need enough sack concrete to make a six inch slab with footings. He frowned until I told him there would be no access for a Redimix truck. That he understood. I also got enough plastic to make underlayment possible, and added in tools including their largest cement mixer, electrical generator, and pump. While most of the building would be by hand, there were certain things we could use. I also got cement supplies, water hoses, etc. The bill with the 5% discount came to $3200. I gave them the address for delivery and they said it would be there by ten AM tomorrow.

Mom wanted to go shopping at the big box store. It wasn't the same as when Mr. Sam was alive, but old habits and all that. We spent about three hours and had filled five baskets with supplies, paper products, soaps, etc. There was no reason we had to do without when we had the luxury of the watch. We would be careful not to reveal some of the things outside the family, of course. There were time travelers there, but they were mostly married to time residents. We took awhile to checkout, even though we each took a lane. There were friendly clerks who helped, and there was little hassle.

We just piled the bags together in a heap when we got home. I bent over and touched the pile and activated the watch I'd preset to the storeroom. I left the pile in the middle of the room and stepped out. Lora was startled by my presence. I kissed her soundly and told her I brought presents and that I'd see her tomorrow. I asked her to straighten the storeroom out and she was more than happy to oblige after the kiss.

I winked back in just as Mom started to open the door. I reminded her to disable the alarm. We didn't want any surprises. She cringed at the thought and complied. The door opened and we went in. I reset the alarm after the door was closed.

"Well, what do you want to do now?" she asked, raising her eyebrows a la Groucho Marx.

"I don't know. Let's see what comes up," I teased right back.

She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the bedroom. We came into the kitchen two hours later to see if there was anything edible after a hot refreshing shower. The cupboard had plenty of canned goods and there were sodas in the refrigerator. Good enough. We had just started to fix things when the phone rang. I got it on the second ring. I listened without comment, and then said I understood and would see them soon.

I stopped Mom from opening the canned stew. "We need to go, leave that."

She looked at me with a questioning look on her face.

"You'll see in a minute." I grabbed her hand and activated the watch at the same time.

Mom knew exactly where we were when we appeared in our suite at the Retreat. I picked up the phone and asked the AI to connect me to the Matthews'. There were a couple of clicks and the line opened.

"Hello," Jeff said.

"It's Eugene," I replied.

"Oh good. We're actually in the ship. I'll send someone..."

"I can get there if that will help," I interrupted.

"Not a problem. If you'll head out, there will be a Trooper to escort you once you leave the back door. Be sure to grab a heavy coat. It's cold out there."

Indeed. The wind bit through the coat's heavy folds. Mom stayed in and headed for the kitchen where she knew she'd find the rest of the clan. I continued on through the snow. I didn't see the escort, so I continued to where I was sure the ship lay hidden. I put my foot out and felt the surface of the invisible ramp. Emboldened, I proceeded up the ramp into the off-world ship. I was met by Arlene, dressed in her ship's uniform as 1^st Officer. She was second in command of this mighty spacecraft. The ship was the perfect temperature and I shed the outer covering.

"I thought someone was being sent?" I queried.

"Oh they were, you were escorted the entire way." She smiled as she spoke. "You just couldn't see them, is all. Please deactivate your suit for our guest, Sergeant."

Avery tall, very efficient looking soldier instantly appeared. His uniform didn't look like anything I'd ever seen, and his shoulder weapon definitely looked strange. I sure didn't want to mess with that guy. I nodded a greeting to him and he returned the gesture. Arlene dismissed the man and asked me to follow her.

"Good to see you again, Eugene. We seem to have a problem," Jeff began. Jeff filled me in on how one of his wives had taken a scout ship without his knowledge and discovered another ship of different origin. She had watched the ship for a long time and just returned with a disturbing report. Arlene was preparing to take the scout out there next to continue the surveillance.

"I'm trying to cover all bases here now. I know that watch does amazing things. I was wondering if you'd gone very far into the future."

"You mean like Doc Brown in Back to the Future?" I asked. I immediately continued; "No, I haven't tried. I didn't dare go anywhere that never happened. I can do things like take a ride on the Titanic, but go ahead???"

We discussed it for a bit, and then it came to me. "I do know someone who might be able to help. Let me go see."

Jeff was about to speak when Eugene winked out. He winked back in an instant later. Beside him was a very well filled out young lady with wild red hair and green eyes.

"Wendy!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Well, yes and no," the beautiful redhead replied. "I actually go by 'V', as in the fifth. Like from the future..."

"How," Jeff asked, "I thought you couldn't or wouldn't go forward in time, Eugene."

"I didn't. I went to Junior's place, and the Powers that Be were visiting. They heard me out and called V in to help. V came back with me."

"Why didn't the Powers that Be come?" Jeff asked.

"Are you kidding?" V retorted. "Nothing would get accomplished if they came. Now since they didn't brief me, would you be so kind?"

So Jeff repeated the story to V. She listened attentively. She nodded when Jeff mentioned the other Alien race. She smiled when he talked about what had been observed around the spacecraft. V stood when Jeff finished his narrative.

"You tell a nice story. The Powers that Be have a crush on Earth. That's why they allow the watches. That's also why I don't think you need worry that much. They are from the FAAAAAARRRR future. They know everything. They'd know about it if that ship was going to destroy the Earth. Since they didn't mention it, I'm willing to assume that they either are no threat, or that your efforts were successful."

Jeff still looked troubled. She continued. "Mom, that is, Wendy IV caused more havoc in retaliation for attacks on our family than what occurred during your Civil War, World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Middle East, and China Sea Wars all together. The Princessipality controls more of North America that the old USA does, but that won't be for a while yet. It's nothing for you to worry about. Now, I should be getting back if you are through."

"Do you know for a fact the aliens won't invade Earth?" Jeff asked.