Chapter 8

"You!"

Shrieked out from two directions at the same time as Clementine entered from the front porch, and Ginny had entered the house through the kitchen and just continued to the great room from there. I guess they both spotted me at the same time. It was a race to see who got to me first.

It was a tie as they both crashed in to me at the same time. They were hugging me and trying to plant kisses on me. Then they got to arguing with each other about who saw me first. It was beginning to be a real catfight when the Ranger spoke.

"ENOUGH."

The pair of vixens was cowed at his voice. They both backed away from me as though I were a pariah. Ginny backed into the couch with such force that she went flying onto it, legs all akimbo. Clem actually tripped on the lip of the rag rug and landed flat on her ass. She started to cry as did Ginny.

The ruckus had emptied the kitchen and all three of my wives had a front row seat for the performance. The Ranger stood forth and commanded that they stand. He placed them side by side at the end of the room. Then he turned and strode towards my women.

He held his arm out to Jackie. She shyly, took it and he escorted her forward. They stopped right in front of the two juveniles.

"Clementine Malone and Ginny Kirklin, may I present to you Jackie Appleby? MRS. Eugene Appleby."

Both girls' mouths dropped at the news. He left Jackie standing there and returned to retrieve Rebecca.

"Clem and Ginny, may I present to you Rebecca Appleby. MRS. Eugene Appleby."

He repeated his previous actions and escorted Mom forward.

"Miss Malone and Miss Kirklin, may I present to you Mrs. Appleby, mother of Eugene and his third wife?"

Tears were streaking down both young women's cheeks. They had been cowed and found lacking. They had made fools of themselves and they were sorely ashamed. They held each other as the tears flowed. They dared not move for fear of retribution at the hands of the master of them all. Phillips was the clan's Prime Alpha, and his word was sacrosanct.

But a miracle occurred the next moment. Jackie stepped forward and took Ginny in her arms. Rebecca also stepped forward, almost at the same moment, and took Clementine in her arms. Mom swept behind them both to encircle the girls in her arms. Peggy Sue motioned to Mom, guided the entwined girls off to another part of the house, and they were gone in another moment.

"What just happened here?" I asked the Ranger.

He laughed a hearty laugh. "Don't ask; you really don't want to know, but you will find out soon enough. Yep, your fate is sealed." He continued to laugh at my expense. I hadn't the foggiest idea as to why he was laughing. A shudder of impending doom flashed through me. Oh well, I'll find out soon enough. We were soon called to dinner. The party had been moved to the dining porch outside. It was the only venue large enough for all the families to gather. It had been especially constructed for that purpose, anyway. All of the Alphas were in attendance, as were their wives, this time around. I got to meet those who hadn't been near last time, and my wives were introduced to all the other women.

Rebecca commented about being able to remember all of them. I reassured her that they would help, and speaking of Rebecca, she and Clementine were virtually joined at the hip. I could say the same thing about Jackie and Ginny. Wherever they were, Mom seemed to be hovering close by. This continued all evening long. The musicians came out near sundown and the dancing started. They had a wooden plank gazebo where the dancing was taking place. I easily mastered the dancing style and was soon dancing with any partner there.

My dance card was filled. All of the wives asked if I would escort them on the dance floor. My wives yielded their turns in favor of Clementine and Ginny. The much-subdued aforementioned young ladies behaved themselves. They did tend to cling a bit, and they held themselves closer to me than the others. I found it enjoyable being close to them after all was said and done. They both smelled nice and I have to admit I found their touch a bit electrifying. I saw Mom watching us as I danced with Ginny. She had the biggest smile and she was nodding her head. I noticed the same with Rebecca and Jackie when I was dancing with Clementine.

'Curiouser and curiouser, exclaimed Alice, ' I thought to myself.

The day had been exciting, but now the night was here. I had become a bit nervous. I had just realized that I'd married both Jackie and my own mother today. That meant tonight was the first night of the honeymoon. Oh, was I in for it now. My wives descended on me and dragged me from the floor a few dances later. We had been afforded a large bedroom in a back corner of the house. We thanked our hostess, Peggy Sue, and she said she would pass the word on. She showed us to the back stairway and wished us a good evening. We ascended the stairs together and entered that room, not to be seen again for a good twelve hours.

It was almost noon when we finally came downstairs again. We took some good-natured ribbing from the others, but Peggy Sue didn't let it go on too long. One thing was for certain, I knew each of my wives loved me with all their soul. I also knew they would be walking funny for a little while. I also knew I was out of commission for the time being, too!

Lisa Marie compassionately provided sustenance for us from their abundant larder. I ate until I was stuffed. I noticed my wives also ate heartily. Lisa Marie just smiled an inscrutable smile and continued supplying food to us. It took some time, but we were finally filled. I pushed back from the table, sipping the last of the third glass of milk I'd had.

"Oh, yes. That was excellent!" I exclaimed. "I don't know why, but dang I was hungry. That sure hit the spot. Thank you."

"You are quite welcome, kind Sir," she replied, "You're one of us; you need to keep your strength up. Your appetite will grow as your prowess does. You will be able to last longer with your wives and you will take more on. I can think of two right now that you will shortly take on."

"Whoa. Slow down. I've just been married yesterday, and I tripled my count from a week ago." I groaned. I can't take more on. I'll never make it."

"Think of this, Sir." Lisa said, "You just took care of three wives, and I would guess you did an admirable job from the looks of contentment on their faces. Perhaps you should ask them what they think. Remember to count how many sister-wives I have. You're strong, young but strong. I sense something strange about you. You may be a prime, like my husband. Only time will tell."

"Time," I chuckled, "I have plenty of time."

Truer words were never spoken before. After all, I have all the time in the world. We spent the next six months as guests of Ranger Phillips. I learned a lot about ranching from Jim and Jesse. We also were ready to move about the time our house was ready. Jackie and Rebecca were courting Ginny and Clementine as wives for me with Mom's blessing. I was outnumbered and would probably be even more so soon. Still I held out hope. However, my women were starting to complain that I was wearing them out at night and they needed help.

This was an ego builder, but I still didn't think I needed more wives. One afternoon, while the younger wives were out working in the garden, Mom took my hand and took me to the bedroom. Once there, she made love to me. When we finished, she snuggled up and I could tell something was on her mind.

"What?" I asked.

"It's time," she said.

"What?" I asked, again.

"It's time," she insisted, "We need help. You're just too much man for only the three of us. I talked with the Malones and the Kirklins, and they all agree.

"What?" I was playing dumb now. I know not to appear eager, but the time we'd spent together allowed me to really get to know the two. While they were a little young, that didn't seem to be an obstacle for anyone else. I'd surrender to the will of my wives and accept those two as wives.

Mom caught on and playfully slapped me on the leg. It was dangerously close to the equipment she had just recently used. I noticeably flinched and she profusely apologized. She snuggled her warm soft body up against mine.

"Please," she said.

"Yes," I replied.

We both nodded off for a short nap. We were still holding the embrace when we woke up. We rose and dressed once more. Mom shot Jackie a 'thumbs up' sign when we emerged from the upstairs. She winked in reply and turned to Rebecca to whisper the news.

"Oh, goody," she exclaimed, as she clapped her hands together. She caught herself and giggled. It was just another day on the ranch for Rebecca.

Mom took care of the details and a double wedding was planned for next Saturday. Excitement ran high throughout the week. The blushing brides had become the best of friends, and were continually in attendance with each other and at least one of my wives. They were becoming fully integrated with the rest of my family.

Saturday was almost anticlimactic. Everything went off without a hitch. It really didn't have a chance to mess up with that many mothers-in-law. We enjoyed the party and then the six of us headed off to bed. It was very interesting night. Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall? Not a chance.

We skipped church Sunday. Not only were the girls worn out, but frankly, so was I. I saw a movie once where the psychologist was talking about connecting a button to the pleasure center of a monkey's brain. The monkey pressed the button until it died. We came close last night. That's all I'm saying about that.

The day when the house was finished came shortly afterward. I'd paid extra to get the house done. It had three stories and twelve bedrooms, as I planned on having a lot of children. Even Mom was looking forward to carrying several of my children. Each of my wives was trying to get pregnant and I found we needed a larger bed. Then I remembered the inventory sheets at home uptime. I reminded Mom and Jackie and it suddenly all fit. Those crates in the basement, designated Waco would be the furnishings for the house. I suggested I transfer back and start moving the crates. They agreed.

I set the watch and transferred. The house gratefully was empty since I was returned to the point of origin, the kitchen. I headed downstairs. The clipboard was hanging on the nail and I checked the inventory list. Crates 1066 to 1091. Damn, that was a lot. I found the location after only an hour of searching. I had finally figured out the system and I ended up at the location. Each crate was labeled with the room. My watch was imprinted with the layout of the house, so I could transfer a specific crate to a specific room. I spent the next two days transferring crates.

The best surprise was the bed. It was huge. The crate for the master bedroom was huge. I was afraid it wouldn't fit in the room, so I transferred it to the main room instead. This meant more work, however, but it didn't take long with the six of us moving the stuff into the bedroom. I hadn't told Clem and Ginny about the watch yet, and we told them the stuff was delivered when they went to visit their mothers. They didn't question it because time travel was way beyond their ken. It had taken Rebecca weeks to reconcile herself to it. We were waiting for the best time to inform them about our ability.

We set to the task of emptying the crates and setting the rooms up once I had all them transferred. We wondered at some of the stuff, but we could figure out the owner's gender as the rooms took shape, so we had an inkling of the future. There strangely was no pictures, paintings, or any other indications of the ownership of the rooms. I guess granddaughter sanitized the stuff before moving it to storage.

We had been settled in for about a month when Mom came to me and said we needed to go back. I reminded her that time had only progressed a half an hour since we left. She told me she missed the conveniences at home and wanted to go back for a while. We could always return tomorrow. She put up a remarkable argument, and it was decided we should go. So we told Clem and Ginny that evening. It took several hours, which occurred after sex. I don't care how you work it. Sex with six takes time! It was late when we finally got through to them. We would go in the morning so we would be rested. It was going to be shortly after noon when we arrived home.

Morning came. The younger wives took advantage of me, and then we got out of bed. I told them not to bother with breakfast, we'd take care of that in a bit. My five wives draped themselves against me. I continued the practice even though I knew I only had to contact one and they could hold hands with each other and still transfer. I'd proven that with the crates. I just liked the contact. I told them to hang on after setting the watch, and I activated it. We were instantly transferred to the living room of the house.

We were just in time, too. Someone was pounding on the front door. I looked around the corner but couldn't see who it was. I sent Mom to get the Tommy gun while I watched the door. She quickly returned and I took the weapon from her. I handed her the Colt. She knew how to handle it and she would watch the back door and protect the other wives.

"Alright!" I called out, "Hold your horses. I'm coming."

When I reached the door, I set the floor jam block into position. It would allow me to open the door about an inch before the door hit the tempered steel pin set in the floor. I cautiously opened the door enough to peer out. The door smashed up against the wedge.

"Ouch, God damn it!" the voice outside complained. "I hit that hard enough to splinter any door. Something is weird here. Let's look at the casing."

"Hold it right there," I called out. Jackie had retrieved the .41 cal and positioned herself to our advantage. One of us somewhere in the future was taking notes about our setup here. I found that I could defend from several positions. I eased up into the crow's nest once everyone was settled up in position, looking down on the scumbag unseen. I noted he had his gun drawn and he fired into the door. The bullet just bounced off and dropped to the floor, its energy expended.

"Last chance to live" I shouted. He fired five more times at the door to no avail. I fired a short burst from the Thompson. He fell backwards and the body slid down the porch stairs. Most of the blood was seeping into the ground, so there would be little cleanup required. I heard sirens in the distance. I hurried back down from the crow's nest and put the Tommy gun away. I sent Jackie to the attic with Rebecca, Ginny, and Clementine. I told her to lock the access door once she was inside. I have to admit that we had a great panic room with that setup. Mom and I quickly changed clothes. Jeans, shorts, and muscle-T with flip flops for me and Mom. I can say she was quite a distraction with daisy dukes and bandeau top (which was definitely too small). We stepped out on the porch when the first patrol car rolled in. The Deputy District Attorney riding with the Chief of Detectives was right behind.

We had to go through the whole nine yards again, of course. The CSI unit found the slugs from the empty gun. I explained about the door being specially constructed of bulletproof material. That coupled with the spent lead gave credence to our story. The meat wagon showed up and removed the carcass from our yard. I was surprised to learn the man today was on the FBI's most wanted list and there was a hundred thousand dollar reward, dead or alive, for him.

"Looks like I'll be adding to the old college fund," I commented to the ADA.

"Nice job, Son. You saved the state a bundle in room and board also. Sometimes Old West justice fits better than what the bleeding heart Liberals would have us do. You know, I haven't met one single murder victim's parents who remained liberal."

The officers of the court drove off after about a half hour. This was getting to be a ritual around our house. It had to stop. We needed to find out who was responsible. We needed additional information even though we had our private detective working on the case. We'd keep after it until we got the answers.

I whistled the 'all clear' out and the others soon joined us. Three of them froze when they entered the room. They were staring and Ginny had her hand over her mouth. Rebecca quickly looked away.

"What happened?" Clem asked, "Why did they take your clothing and leave you with just your underthings, and why are they so short?"

Jackie laughed out loud at that. I wasn't going there either. Mom would have to explain why she was nearly naked in plain sight. It wasn't like there was a stream for skinny-dipping anywhere close, but I did think of the pool. I took my young wives out back to the pool and stripped them down nude. We jumped into the pool and had a great time. The concrete pond quickly became a gathering place. It wasn't long before it became nearly impossible to keep clothes on them. Now this was fine with me, but that might pose a problem downtime.

I proposed the following at dinner that evening: Rebecca, Ginny, and Clementine would stay at the ranch. I would come and go as time allowed, which was quite funny, of course, considering I had all the time in the world. Mom and Jackie would stay here in up time. Jackie would accompany me on trips and Mom would join in if it interested her. I could keep everyone happy this way and still explore time like things started out. The inventory in the basement indicated that I would continue to do that anyway, so why not formalize things a bit.

Mom and Jackie agreed right away. The three downtime wives balked a bit. I assured them that I still loved them very much. I reminded them that there would be more time for each with only three to share with. That got their attention and they agreed in triplicate. I suggested we adjourn to the master bedroom now that everyone was happy. That meant Mom's bedroom now that we were married. The huge four-poster bed would fit us all and it soon got a workout like it had never seen before.

I dressed in my Waco clothing the next morning. I told Mom and Jackie that I was taking the others back. Mom told me to be careful and gave me a searing kiss, tongue and all. Jackie tried to duplicate it, but maturity and practice won the contest. I assured them I was prepared and let them know I had my Kevlar on. The last item to get before leaving was my gun. I had a thought as I pulled it out.

"Have you been to Tactical Arms to register the Thompson yet, Mom?"

"No, Dear, not yet. We've been so busy that I haven't."

"Well, how about today. Will you go today?"

"Of course, anything you want. Is there something you want me to get while I'm there?"

"Yes," I replied, "I was thinking about what the Ranger said about my gun. What I'd like is for you to purchase a modern reproduction of the gun in .41 caliber so I won't have the trouble with the hammer spring. It will look exactly like mine, but it will be better. Be sure to get the five and a half inch barrel, too, OK?"

Mom marveled at my intellect. It was perfectly logical to get a modern duplicate of an old time weapon to maintain the authenticity, and yet get the durability of the modern manufacture. She suggested I give Tactical a call to and order it and she'd pick it up. There would be no chance for error that way.

She's brilliant, you know. It's just another reason to love her. I hugged her tight and took the opportunity to cop a feel. I slipped away and dialed the number from memory. I got Sam, who knew me. I told him I wanted the Uberti copy of the 1877 Colt DA in .41 caliber with the five and a half inch barrel. He was surprised, but quickly recovered.