Chapter 50

I didn't expect to be awakened by someone kissing me on my morning ego after falling asleep while still loving Etta. I looked down and saw Lisa kissing and sucking me. She rose when my hand went to her head, and as she slid up on me, said, "Good, you can put the fire in my itch out. I wanted you last night, but Sharon only wanted to be with me. I love pussy, but I really love this thing that helped put my babies together."

I hugged Lisa to me as she slid me into her, and I told her, "I like this way better too. We fit perfectly, and I know we're super compatible by the way we made four babies at one time."

Lisa grinned as she said, "I made too many eggs, you fertilized everything, and it was probably more than one time with the way we were getting it on during that time. You did two eggs twice or something like that and look what you've created. I'm now a baby factory. How will you hold four of them at a time?"

"I don't know, Lover, but I'll learn. God, I love you so much and know we'll be good parents. That you decided to honor me with a baby is the most important part of this, and producing four at a time is a surprise on top of that."

Lisa said, "Let me up, I have to pee and I'm sure it's time to get going. I'm starved and all that good food is right next door."

We both went into the bathroom, and I stepped into the shower to begin. Lisa came into the tub to shower with me, and gave me some more good morning kisses. We were drying off when a naked Sharon came in and hugged Lisa. She looked at me and gave me a hug too. She said, "Etta's in the shower, and I'll clean up after her. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

We were getting dressed when Lisa said, "So how does she feel when giving you a hug while you're both naked?"

"She would have made me hard, but I didn't want to offend her. I know I have to be patient with her and I do want her to know I respect the way she feels."

Lisa asked, "Are you going to be willing when she wants to experiment with you?"

"Good question, but I'll know when it happens. She might never want to know what a man feels like. I'm fine with that. I like her for who she is and her abilities."

As we went outside, Etta said, "You know we should go to the church and help them with breakfast again. That's the biggest meal they serve every day, so let's go help out."

That's what we did and had a great time serving those who were having some trials in their lives. Some were nearly in rags, but the preacher said he would have them bathed and dressed in fresh clothes as soon as he could.

Everything the man did for his people made me want to help more but he was determined to show them how to help themselves. The man did a heap of praying for all those who needed help.

We had served everyone and were beginning to clean up, when we were directed to sit and eat with the other volunteers. The preacher offered a blessing and we all dug in. Etta began telling those gathered of the new farm while we ate. She told everyone at the table that they would have two thousand acres to raise beef, pigs, chickens, and all the crops needed to feed the animals and the church's people.

We were talking about the failed negotiations with the mining company, when the preacher said, "That doesn't sound like Carp. That man is a jewel and I know he contributes more than he should. He's often here on Saturday mornings, and is always at church on Sunday."

I told the preacher, "This isn't for public knowledge, but Carp is going to resign his position with Bering Mining and we're going to open our own mining company. Carp is going to be the manager of that. It wasn't Carp who threw the wrench into the works. He even gave us a warning." The preacher was smiling as he said, "That's so good. A man like that deserves to be the leader for a company that you would create. I promise to help him any way I can."

Etta commented, "That is what I love about this area. Anyone who shows their worth is recognized as being someone worthwhile. I had a feeling about Carp, and everything since our meeting has proven it to be right."

The preacher asked, "Do you think he'll be willing to hire some of the Native Americans from the reservation? There are many who want to work, but have no training or experience. The group that took the government money and only bought liquor are all dying off because of their habits, so a new younger group is now appearing and want to better themselves. Do you think Carp will hire them?"

I told everyone listening, "A guy like that will give everyone a chance to prove themselves. I think Carp is that kind of guy. He'll hire them all, but he won't be soft on them. He'll continue training them if they prove they have value, and we'll end up with a great workforce."

We were on the way back to the motel when my cell phone rang. "Johnson."

It was Carp, who said, "They didn't want my resignation and wanted me to work with them to pull out of here within sixty days. I figured I was going to be in a good position to help the new company, so I agreed to stay on board. They assured me that I would be sent to a new site that would pay just as well. They're going to be in for a surprise when I don't go with them. Are you good with that?"

"That sounds good to me, Carp. Continue to look for any contacts you might have to handle the uranium. I'll do the same. Stay in touch with me, and take this number down. It's for Ben Phillips, my investment genius and he has contacts worldwide. I'm going to call him and tell him about the uranium and our forming a new company to mine the gold. He's going to be crazy until he knows that it's under control. Bear with the man, and he'll settle down. He might know of some mining companies that specialize in uranium."

I felt pretty good about the situation when I hung up. Etta was deep in concentration during the call. She smiled at me immediately after I hung up, and said, "You have really influenced that man. He's a good guy and will do everything you two have agreed on. I'm really impressed that you recognized his value with only a single face to face meeting. You're like your father in that you know people's value."

I had told Carp that I would probably go home to Florida, and he said he would stay in touch daily to keep me advised of what was happening. He felt that Bering Mining would quickly pull out if they knew they were going to be kicked out. The amount of gold they might mine in the time allotted to pull out might not be worth the penalties if they stayed. Carp knew to have Ben Phillips transfer funds to purchase any equipment left on site.

When I talked to Ben, he said, "Any equipment already at the suspected uranium site is going to have to be quarantined until the EPA has surveyed it and confirmed that it isn't contaminated. I doubt they will want to go through that and will abandon everything there."

I made sure Ben knew that we needed another mining company to mine the uranium. He said he knew of several companies that would jump at the chance, and to consider what I might want to sell the site for. I explained that the sale of the site had fallen through because Bering Mining had attorneys who were trying to screw up the deal. Ben was apologetic that some attorneys weren't forthright like he thought he was. I told him that I agreed with him since he wasn't a snake, but a rather very good lion to watch our investments.

We made sure the preacher went out to the ranch with us again so he could begin organizing how he wanted to handle the property. He stated to Etta, "There is so much land here that I want to raise some beef, pork, and poultry, but I want to have as big a garden as possible so we're able to can enough to feed everyone who wants to help work the land through the winter. The growing season is just about over, but we could probably get a decent crop of vegetables before the first frost if the folks would get out here and make a garden. I think the men we need to get this started are on the reservation. I'll bet they would be willing to accept a few days' pay to get this underway. I can get some of them to begin cleaning the house and outbuildings. Take me to the reservation and let me talk to the elders. You need to meet them anyway."

We drove about ten miles toward the hills before we came to the reservation. We parked in front of the tribal meeting building, and went inside in search of the elders who had offices there. Two older men in plaid flannel shirts and jeans were standing at a door, and looked up at our group as we came in. One of the men stood up straighter and came to us with his hand out toward the preacher. "My brother churchman Carlman; you are always helping our people, and now you honor us by coming here. Come to our meeting room and sit down to talk. Do we need all the council?"

The preacher said, "That might be good if you can get them. I want you all to meet these people I have brought."

The one man went off in one direction as the other one led us to their meeting room. He said, "I know Etta May. She has been a good neighbor for many years. We still miss her son, as he was a special student of mine. He learned the ways of the mountains, the forests, and the rivers. We all miss him."

The second man came into the meeting room with three other men dressed similarly to the first two. The man we had been talking to was in the center when they sat down, and asked, "Churchman Carlman, who have you brought to us today?"

The preacher stood up to speak, but the elder waved him to sit back down. The preacher said, "You know I have an easy name to use instead of Churchman Carlman. Please just call me 'Jim'."

The five elders all nodded, but didn't say anything, so Jim continued, "You know Etta May, and I want to introduce you to Chuck Johnson, who also helps me to provide for those who need help. He has two women with him."

The elders were all smiling because I had two attractive women and not just one. I wanted to laugh, but knew I shouldn't. I don't think Sharon understood why the elders were all smiling. Jim said, "Chuck Johnson has purchased the Bennett place, and is giving us the use of it to raise beef, grains, and vegetables for the local people and yours too, if you want. The reason we're here is to gather a workgroup that will begin the garden and clean and bring the barn up to date. The big house needs to be cleaned and painted, as does the bunkhouse. I thought your people might help us do this."

The preacher looked at the men, and then motioned toward me to help him. I said to the group, "It's my property now, and it needs to be cleaned and made ready to help many. You will select those who need help and who might stay in the bunkhouse. We will need a leader among your people to buy stock to raise and to negotiate for food for the stock. You men are in a position to select that man. I will honor your selection."

They were still not at ease, so I told them, "You are traditional people and need to hunt to feed your families. All the land we're talking about will be open to hunt except that land near the house and buildings. There will be too many animals to feed and everyone will starve if you don't hunt the land."

I let that sink in for a minute then said, "Those men who will work for me will be paid a fair wage, with taxes paid and withheld. If you want to send women to help clean the house, please do so, and they will be paid as well. I want the property to be something special, and you can help me. I can also help you because we're going to raise enough beef, vegetables, and table items to feed everyone throughout the year."

Etta and Lisa were focusing on the men across the table. You could see them thinking this through as to whether or not it was real. Saying something now would be seen as a sign of weakness, so I sat with the others on my side of the table and waited.

"Leave us for a few minutes while we discuss this, Churchman. You offer much and ask for little, but we need to talk about this."

We went outside the tribal building and were standing around the Expedition we had driven here. Several kids came up to us and asked what we were doing. Jim told them we were talking to the elders about what kind of school they should have. We were alone as soon as they heard that.

The senior elder came out and invited us back in. The man in the middle said, "Chuck Johnson, we have come to feel you are sincere in your desire to help us and others. We will help you and work for you to clean up the buildings that you now own. Our braves will help plant a late garden, and also help bring in any stock wandering around out on the range. It would be something good if you will share some of the beef with us."

I was excited to have had my offer so readily accepted. I said, "You honor Etta and me, and the memory of her son. The ranch you will restore will be a tribute to our combined people. It will be a great place for all."

Jim said, "I will work on a plan tonight and will meet your men at the ranch house about nine tomorrow morning. If any who are going to work want to have breakfast with us, have them come to the church any time after six thirty." The elders stood up, and I suppose that was to let us know this powwow was over.

In the car driving back toward Cut Bank, I told Jim, "How about I stay another day to help you plan? I'm going to drop you off at the church, but I'm going to open a separate bank account that you will be a signer on. This account will be for materials, the payroll we will have, seed, feed, and livestock. I need to find a bookkeeper/accountant who can take care of payroll and taxes. I'll call Ralph because he probably knows someone."

Jim looked worried, and asked, "It sounds like you're going to spend a lot of money on the ranch. Will that reduce the gifts you've been sending? I think we can renovate the ranch without you having to spend so much money."

"I've been very fortunate since I got out of the military, Jim. I've been very lucky, but I've also remembered that I must give back to everyone around me who need help. I have several charities that I'm involved with, and this will be another. I want this place to sparkle because I might have some people come to stay from time to time. We'll decide what rooms they would use and you can arrange for someone to cook and clean for them when they're here. Let's stop by the electric company to have the electric turned on and you call an electrician to go over the wiring in the house and the outbuildings to make sure there is no danger of a fire. You also need to call a plumber to check the pump and water lines. I love that big old house and barn and want it to be a happy place."

Jim said, "My head is spinning with things to do. Just give me a budget and we'll get that place put right. I just thought of something. We'll have to check fencing for all the areas where we suspect animals are and restore that to usable condition as well. Our friends from the reservation will be busy for a long time."

I dropped Jim off at the church before going to the bank that Etta uses. I explained what I wanted and set up a bank account for the ranch. I was talking to the bank representative, when I suddenly had to stop and ask Etta, "What are we going to call the ranch? Why don't we think about it tonight and give the name to the bank in the morning? I want to make a couple of deposits meanwhile. One for the mining company, which also needs a name, and one for the ranch. I used a piece of paper to write 'mining company' and the numerals for $1,000,000, and then I wrote 'ranch' with the numerals $300,000. I handed a debit card to the representative and she looked at me strangely. "Do you have this kind of money on a debit card, or is this an American Express credit card?"

"It's a debit card. I'm sure the balance exceeds what I want to deposit today. Now, the mining account will have a local signer who you probably know. He's the supervisor for Bering Mining out at Etta's place." The woman said, "You mean Carp? He's such a good man. I see him at church every Sunday."

"The ranch account will have Jim Carlman, the preacher, as a signer and both accounts will also have Ralph Davis, the attorney, as a signer, and finally, if we can find an accountant who can provide some bookkeeping and tax work, he or she will also be a signer on both accounts."

The bank representative said, "I think you should ask Ralph about an accountant. He knows someone who is very good and helps a lot of the businesses around here doing tax and accounting work."

I told the lady, "We'll be back in the morning with names for the accounts. Go make the deposits."

"Oh, I've done that while we were talking. All done, and I must say that you do keep an extraordinary amount of money in that debit account."

We were in the car, moving toward the motel, when I thought to call Carp. I advised him when he answered that I had set up a bank account for the new mining company and funded it with sufficient capital that he should be able to get started and operate without worrying about payroll, fuel costs, and other maintenance expenses. The man said, "I'll probably be out of here by five thirty or so, are you going to be at the motel lounge? I can stop by and we can have one and go eat. I'd like that."

The women wanted to use the bathroom and wash their faces when we parked at the motel. We had been busy since early this morning. I found my flight bag and took a big spiral notebook out, and put an extra pen and pencil set in my pocket. The four of us went to the lounge when we were ready, where Etta, Sharon, and I ordered our favorites, while Lisa had a virgin something or other. I asked the waitress if she could bring us an assortment of snacks, and to replenish them when our guest came.

I opened the notebook and said, "The mining company is on your place, Etta, so you should name it. Think about it a minute while I call Ralph."

Ralph answered on the first ring. "I've been busy today doing some things about the church, the ranch we just bought, and the mining company. The ranch could become a paying operation, and the preacher is going to be supervising what could be a large contingent of Native Americans from the reservation to restore the house and buildings. I've set up a bank account for the ranch that I listed you as a signer on, along with the preacher and an accountant who I need to find. That brings me to the question, do you know of an accountant I can hire that will do the bookkeeping for the farm and probably the mining company as well?"

Ralph burst out laughing and said, "You really don't know, do you? My wife does the books for half of the businesses here in Cut Bank. How about we get together and you can tell her what you want? Of course, since she's my wife, you won't have the advantage of having an accountant who will report to you if I start doing crooked stuff with your property. This will only work if you really trust us, and we work to earn your trust. Even so, I'll bring you a letter setting out a full disclosure, with a place for you to sign waiving any conflict of interest, and in the spirit of 'trust, but verify', I think you should have the books audited at least annually by someone from outside."

"Good idea, Ralph. We're at the lounge in the motel right now, and will be here until it's time for supper. How about coming over and have a coffee, Coke, or something stronger and I can give your wife the details."

"We're on our way, Chuck. It is thirsty time, isn't it?"

Etta was smiling and said, "I knew she was an accountant and did a lot of bookkeeping for people, but I forgot about it because we're using Ralph. That will work out very well."

I asked Etta, "How about we suggest to Carp that he move into the house at your place when he gets here? There's no sense in having a place like that boarded up and deteriorating. He can get out of what probably is a cracker box apartment that way."

Etta said, "I like it. Carp will be able to be close to his work, and could even have the mining office there. They have that big office trailer, but the house would be that much nicer. We won't need the offices they have here in town where we were yesterday. You're going to be a lot smaller and more streamlined."

I tapped my pen on the notebook, and asked, "What should we name the ranch? We'll probably have to have a brand if we raise a lot of beef, so it should be something easy."

Etta said, "I'll bet Jim would probably say 'God's Place' if you asked him, but since it is going to benefit many for the long term, how about calling it 'Blessed' or 'Blessing'. The place is certainly a 'blessing', as is the owner to be able to make it benefit so many."

"I like it, Etta, the name for the ranch and that company will be 'Blessed', or maybe 'Blessing', instead. I served with a helicopter pilot by that name who was a great guy, and it can sort of commemorate him as well as giving God credit for the good things happening here. We'll get Ralph to either incorporate or make it into an LLC. Ralph and his wife can guide us. He has to form the mining company too, and that brings us back to what to name the mining company, Etta."

My loving aunt looked me in the eye, and said, "I want it to be 'EVMC Mining' for 'Etta, Virginia, Marion, and Chuck'. Is that OK?"

"Perfect," I said, as I wrote that on my pad. "Now we need to plan on how to attack the ranch restoration. Where should we start?"

I had flipped the page on my notebook and wrote 'Order of Restoration'. I opened the notebook so that I had the back of the first page to write on, and wrote 'Restoration Projects'. I wrote 'Clean up the landscaping to make the place look lived in' under the title on that page. I next wrote, 'Inspect electrical', then 'Inspect plumbing'. I was cooking now and wrote, 'Test construction on all floors', 'Inspect roofs and repair or replace as needed for all buildings'. Etta said, "Rebuild fence." Sharon suggested, "Inspect and refurbish farm equipment."

We were busily writing down items to accomplish when our huge new friend walked in followed by the attorney, Ralph Davis, and a woman. I introduced Carp to Ralph, before saying to Ralph's wife, "I'm sorry, but I've forgotten your name. I know you came to Florida with me, but I don't always remember names."

The woman said, "We may not have even told you. We don't crossover between what Ralph does and what I do. We don't want people to think we share information that we shouldn't. We talk and have to because of what we do, of course, but we don't say each other's name when we're with customers."

"Okay, you didn't, but I want to know your name especially if we're going to use you as our accountant for the mining company and the new ranch we bought."

She looked at Ralph, and then back at me, "I'm Wilma Corbet Davis. Born and raised in Montana, and educated at the University of Montana. That's where I met this guy."

We all sat as the waitress took drink orders and said she would be right out with another round of snacks for us.

I said to Carp, "We've selected a name for our mining company. It will be EVMC Mining. The name might be a little camp, but who cares. We're a country organization." I looked at Ralph and said, "Take notes, Ralph. The mining company should be incorporated as EVMC Mining. Do your thing and make sure you and Carp go by the bank and sign signature cards. You should do that too, Wilma."

"Ralph and Wilma, the ranch is going to be known as 'Blessing'. The 'Blessing Ranch' because It's been a blessing to be able to afford it, and a blessing to be able to provide a place for the preacher to raise beef, a big garden, and farm the land to provide food for the animals we're going to have. You two are going to have to decide how to handle the project. It might be best to incorporate, but you two decide and do what you need to do. I'll give Ralph a power of attorney to get this done."

Carp was enjoying his drink while listening to me. I turned to him, and said, "I want you to move into the farm house as soon as you can get those people out of your hair, Carp. Etta would love to have you live there and you might even be able to have the mining office there too. I'm sure it would be better than an apartment in town."

Carp was looking stunned as he sat at the table like a mega blob for a few seconds. He became animated and said, "You know, I can have that place cleaned up and made into a hell of a nice place to live. Do I thank you or Chuck, Etta? I think you're the one to thank, though. I've grown fond of your home area and it has nothing to do with the gold on the property. I feel the presence of people there. People from long ago, and some from not that long past. It's close enough to town that I can do my food shopping there and to go to church on Sundays. I might even be able to volunteer out at the ranch site sometimes."

Etta flooded my head with, "See what I mean by Carp being a good man? I hope he finds a mate here; maybe one of the Indian maidens who has been passed over for too many years. Knowing Carp, he would be very content to make a more mature Native American woman his mate."

I'm glad she didn't say that out loud, as that could have really embarrassed Carp.

I looked around and asked, "So, does everyone understand what our objectives are, and what you need to do immediately and in the near future?"

Wilma said, "You're going to need a lot of insurance for both endeavors. How about I use Ralph's power of attorney and get you properly insured out on the farm? We'll do the mining company when we're closer to the takeover."

I figured I should drop by the bank to increase the farm deposit by another two hundred thousand. This was going to be more expensive than I thought, but well worth it. I should be able to pick up some big bucks by keeping some of the hot folks out of sight up here, instead of out on the island or over in Hawaii. I would be a preferred caretaker with three locations.

I looked around and said, "How about we go next door and eat? Tonight's special is supposed to be beef stew, and I was told there would be biscuits. Let's get something to eat."

We were getting more done than I expected, and I was biting off a lot more than I should, as usual. Going into the mining business is really off the wall. Etta was giving me carte blanche on everything. It was her land and her home, but she had readily agreed to let Carp live and work out there. Maybe we should call that "Carp Blanche" instead.

The farm now had sort of a plan that I would add to over the evening, before meeting with the preacher tomorrow. I would tell the two names to the bank, and Ralph would provide the documents to open the accounts. I needed to increase the farm account, and to also write a fat check to Ralph for his services.

I awoke in the morning feeling refreshed, knowing that I now had a plan of action. The mining was settled, and Jim would feel better and begin to get into restoring the big home to good condition when he met the men from the reservation at the ranch.

We went to the church to help serve breakfast, and told Jim that we needed to meet the reservation workers at the ranch. I said I had a plan on how to begin. We quickly ate after serving breakfast, and drove out to the ranch. I showed Jim the list of items that I had compiled and the order I thought we should do them. Jim told me, "An electrician and plumber are both coming this morning. They will let you know what has to be done to make the buildings safe."

I told Jim, "One of the first things to do is to get the truck and tractors cleaned up and running. Get someone from town if none of the men from the reservation have mechanical experience."

Jim said, "One of the families who are in trouble right now can help. The man is an excellent mechanic. The garage where he worked at closed, so he's been doing odd jobs and shade tree repairs, but it hasn't been supporting his family. Can I hire him to fix the truck and tractors? He could probably do any repairs on the equipment and even operate it to work on the late garden."

"Call him, or go get him if he doesn't have a phone. He can use the empty machine shed to work on everything."

Jim called the man and he said he knew where the ranch was and would be on his way. The man arrived with his wife, who was carrying a little one about a year old. I was introduced to Harry and Janet Harper. I showed him the truck, tractors, and equipment, and offered him a full time job working on the ranch. I thought the man would begin crying. Janet Harper asked, "I can work in the house. I'm sure the place needs cleaning. We'll have to wait until we have electricity and water."

I told them with a smile, "All help will be appreciated. We're going to have several men and maybe women from the reservation here to work too."

Pickup trucks and vans were arriving. One van had an electrical company sign on it, and the other told the world it brought a plumber. The pickups were full of men from the reservation. Each one had three in the cab and five in the bed. Twenty-four men were going to get some work done.

Jim stayed with me as I told the electrician and plumber what I wanted. The electrician said he would hook his portable generator up to the well so the plumber could begin. He could begin inspecting wiring before the electric company arrived to hook the service up.