21 comments/ 61652 views/ 18 favorites The Irish Glen Ranch By: Grey Eagle 286 It was a hammer blow to my upper left chest. I clutched at it with my right hand. The ATC slowed rapidly, pitching me forward against the force of the blow, but not enough to keep me from flying off the bike. I landed on my back. The pain was excruciating. Heart attack? No, the hand clutching my chest felt sticky hot wetness. Blood! I had been shot! I lay in a slight depression. The ATC idled quietly twenty feet away. I raised my head a little but it dropped back in the dirt from the pain. I felt a lot of blood. I gritted my teeth and twisted to pull my little day-pack around to where I could reach it. I put my hand inside and felt around until I found the clean dry T-shirt. I pulled it out, then I found my knife and cut off a sleeve. I shoved a small wad of the sleeve in the hole in my chest. Damn that hurt! I half cut and then ripped a strip from around the bottom of the shirt. It was a struggle but I fastened a wad of the sleeve over the entrance hole using the strip from the bottom to hold it in place. I looked to the south and saw the clouds boiling up. I could hear the rumbling getting louder and louder. It would be on me soon. That might save me. The shooter had to be waiting for another shot. The only place he could be was about two or three hundred yards in front of me. There was a cypress hammock there that would hide a hundred men. I needed to hide but I was on mostly flat land, no cover. None! And he was good; he had just missed a heart shot on a target moving about ten miles an hour from a couple hundred yards. Damned good! I didn't want him to have another shot. A few raindrops hit near me. I heard an engine start from over behind the cypress. I heard an ATV move slowly off, staying out of sight behind the cypress. I crawled to my Honda and pulled myself up on the seat. It was raining harder now. I could see the trees and brush along the road on the north perimeter of the ranch. I could no longer see the cypress hammock. I pressed on the thumb throttle of the Honda and we moved off to the north. I felt myself getting weaker. As I neared the road I looked for a break in the brush along side the fill ditch beside the road. I knew I couldn't get the ATC across the ditch and the guardrail beside the road. Ahhh! I hit an unseen bump that really got my attention. I thought I was going to pass out from the pain. I saw an opening and eased the ATC down into the ditch. There was only about a foot of water in the bottom. I turned and rode up the ditch for a bit until the bike was hidden. I slowly crawled up the side of the ditch and struggled over the guardrail. Now the rain was coming down like a cow pissin' on a flat rock. I sat on the ground and leaned back against the metal guardrail. I had to rest a second. I felt warm and comfortable. I tried to turn on to my side and I couldn't move. I opened my eyes and looked into the biggest blue eyes I had ever seen. The eyes were set in a very cute little face framed by golden braids. There was a delightful sprinkle of freckles across her little nose and rosy cheeks. She turned and ran. I heard her call out, "Momma, Aunt Peg, he's awake. Come see." I looked around and saw I was in a hospital room. There was an IV in each arm and a cannula blowing oxygen up my nose. Two older versions of the girl followed her in the room and looked down at me. "How are you feeling?" one of them asked. I thought I was seeing double so I closed my eyes for a second. I popped them open and there were still two of them. "Are you twins?" They laughed and I noticed one had a tiny scar on her lip. Her eyes seemed to look right through me. I saw only her. She was truly beautiful, long blond hair in a ponytail, big blue eyes, and a sensational body. The other woman said, "I am Doctor Peggy Martin and this is my sister Pat Douglas and her daughter Sally." "I am very please to meet all of you. Sally's lovely face is a delightful sight to see when one awakens and is totally lost." Pat grinned at me. "She thinks she owns you because she saw you sitting along side of the road and made me go back and check you out. I thought you were dead at first, but you still had a pulse. A passer by helped us get you in the back of my pick-up and we brought you here to my sister." I looked at Sally, "Of course I belong to this beautiful little lady. I owe her my life." "No!" Sally said, "you belong to Momma, she gave you mouth to mouth and stopped your bleeding before we brought you here." I looked at Pat. "I owe you then, I always pay my debts." Dr. Peggy smiled at me, "We removed some small bullet fragments from your chest. You were darned lucky. The bullet hit the strap to your pack where it was folded over three times and broke it up some. It nicked your top rib and there were four exit wounds and several pieces that stayed inside. We got them all out. You are going to be all right. Because it was a gunshot wound I have to turn you over to the tender mercies of the law. This is my sister Lieutenant Pat Douglas of the Sheriff's Department." I looked back to Pat. "Am I under arrest?" She grinned, "Of course not Sir, we arrest the shooter not the shootee. I do need to question you when you feel up to it." "Now will be fine." She lifted a clipboard and asked my name. "I am Hamilton Adams Murphy. I live on the Irish Glen Ranch." "I know who you are now, you are 'Hambone' Murphy, you own the ranch." "Yes Ma'am, please just call me Ham." "Ham, who shot you? Do you know?" "No, I have no idea. The only person who might want me dead would be my ex-wife. I don't see her doing it unless she would profit from it in some way. I don't think she would shoot the gun then, she would get someone else to do it." "Well we are going to transfer you to the county hospital in Arcadia. Perhaps tomorrow." "Please let me stay here, I can pay. I am afraid the fact that I am alive will get out and the killer will try and finish the job. Have you told anyone I am here?" They looked at one another, "No, no one knows you are here." Pat looked at Dr. Peggy, "I think he is right. Can we keep him?" "I guess so, it won't be cheap though. This is just a little country clinic. We can do it though." Pat advised me, "I have to go to your ranch this afternoon. They filed a missing persons report on you. I am going to investigate." "Listen, my billfold is in the center drawer of my desk in my office. It is sitting on top of my S&W 9mm pistol. Can you bring them to me? I would feel safer with them." "I don't see why not. I will collect them as evidence and give them a receipt for them." said Pat. Everyone left and Sally returned with some soup for me. She fed it to me like an expert. I was impressed and told her so. She smiled her wonderful smile and told me she wanted to be a Doctor someday, like Aunt Peg. She told me her mother was a certified Emergency Medical Technician and a Registered Nurse as well as a Sheriff's Deputy. "Wow, you mother is an amazing and beautiful woman. What does your father do?" "He died a long, long time ago. I don't remember him. I only know what Momma told me. She never talks about him anymore." "Sally, can you keep a secret?" "Oh! Yes, I love secrets." "I think your Mother is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Now, listen, you must promise to never tell her I said that. OK?" "I won't tell. I promise! I think she is beautiful too. Aunt Peg is beautiful too!" "They are twins aren't they?" "Yes, they love being twins. They are best friends too." "I think I would be more comfortable sitting up. Could you ask Aunt Peg if it would be alright?" Ten minutes later I had several pillows behind my back and was feeling much better. Sally and I talked for hours. She was a very bright and perceptive girl. I really enjoyed talking to her. She was going to be a real heartbreaker in a few years. She was a virtual doll. Pat joined us later that afternoon. She looked at me, "I never realized you had such a big place. I thought all of it was where the office is. Heck, it is spread all over the place. You guys sure keep quiet about that place. No one seems to know much about it." "Yes, it is spread out quite a bit, it spreads over thirty square miles. That's 19,200 acres, a pretty good-sized chunk of land. When I am better I would love to show you all of it. It is a very interesting ranch, at least I like to think so." Pat smiled, "We would love to see the whole thing. Is the housing development down on the state road part of it?" "Yes, that's the worker's village." "Wow, that's a beautiful place with nice homes. Your ranch foreman seemed like a nice guy, he was very helpful and really concerned about you. He said you were too damned tough for anything serious to get you." "That was close enough for me." "He gave me the surveillance DVDs for the headquarters area. I haven't had a chance to look at them yet." "That TV over there takes DVDs, let's look at them together, I may spot something you would miss. OK." We watched until I was seen entering the office. I told Turk, the ranch foreman, I was going to ride my old three-wheeler up along the north part of the ranch to look for a site for an aquaculture farm. I wanted someplace close to a road, and not usable for much else. I needed a couple of hundred acres. I pointed out the area I was going to be checking on a large map. Pat asked me if I noticed the man standing off to one side. He looked very interested in what I was saying. I told her he was a ranch hand. Been with us for about three years. His name was Farrell Thompson or Thomas or something like that. We all just called him Farrell. I walked out of the picture and out the door. Farrell waited a few minutes and then furtively went to the big map of the ranch. He looked at it for a few seconds and then asked Turk if he could have the rest of the day off, he said he didn't feel well. Turk said there was no problem. He told Farrell to call in the morning if he was still sick. Farrell went out the door. We watched that tape for a bit then changed to the camera that covered the front of the building outside. After a while we saw me leave and walk out of camera range. A while later Farrell left and went to his truck, which was visible in the parking area. There was an ATV in the back of the truck. That was not at all unusual. Most of the hands had them. They used them like old time cowboys used a horse. Pat and I watched the rest of the pictures and didn't see anything suspicious. She turned and looked at me, "Ham, I think that Ferrell has to be a suspect, he sure acted funny." "I have to agree with you, but why. I normally have very little contact with him. He really works for Turk, not me. I don't think I have ever even talked to him, except to say hello." "I'll have him watched. I thought I saw a rifle in the back window of his truck. Let's go back and look." We rolled back to when he came out and saw him walk to his truck again. Pat said, "Wait, look, he is talking on a cell phone. And look here is a rifle in the back window gun rack." "Hey, Pat girl, good eyes. Gives him everything he needed except a motive. I bet she calls him 'Sugar'." I reached over and patted her hand. She looked quickly at me and smiled. I said, "I need to call my attorney and see if there is any way he, or my ex could profit from my death." I told her to hand me my little daypack. She did and I pulled out my cell phone. Pat said, "It won't work here." "I know, but I don't remember his number, I have it programmed in the cell phone and here it is. Would you dial it on that phone while I read it off?" She did. "Hi! Jack, Ham here! How are ya?---What? They are?--- Listen buddy, don't tell a soul, someone almost killed me. I want them to think I may be dead.---Right! Here is what I need you to do, go over my divorce papers and see if there is any way Nancy could profit if I were killed?" "I know, but just reread it and see, OK? I'll call you back in a little while, OK. Right then, a half an hour. Thanks." I looked at Pat, "His office is in his home. He can do it." She looked at me, "Has to be Jack Yancy, he is good." I laughed, "Do you know every Attorney in the area?" She smiled, "You bet I do. I see all of them sooner or later. They all have to come through me to get papers served by a Deputy in De Soto County." I patted her hand, "Lucky guys!" "What?" "You heard me." "Listen, Sally is here with your dinner. I'll be back later." "Please don't leave me, I'll have a relapse and die." "Ham, you are being silly." "Am I? Can you eat with me?" She looked at me for a long time, and then smiled. "Let me go see if I can beg a meal. The meatloaf does smell good." Pat and Sally both ended up eating with me. Dr. Peg stopped by and changed my dressings and said everything looked good. I called Jack back and he said he was very upset. He told me what it was. I was upset too! When he was through I looked at Pat. "We now have a motive." I looked at her, "Jack says he never reread the complete divorce agreement carefully after he got it back from her. She had it for several days. She had signed it and had her signature notarized. He says someone inserted a clause saying that if I died in testate, she would inherit if I were unwed at the time of death. He said that on careful examination, the page that insertion was on was printed on different paper than the rest of the pages." "Wow! She has to be the one gunning for you." "Boy! I am sure glad you guys hid me. I think you saved my life again. I really belong to you now." "Really?' she smiled. I smiled back, "You are going to have a real hard time getting rid of me now. ' "Ham, You are a really nice guy, I know all I would have to do is ask and you would be gone. Right?" "Yes, you are right. Please don't ask." She leaned over and softly kissed my lips. "Sleep tight now, Ham. I'll see you tomorrow." I lay there and thought of Nancy, my ex-wife. I had loved her and thought we had a perfect marriage for the first several years. Then our lovemaking dropped off. She was always either tired, had a headache, or some other excuse. I started noticing some things she said about her activities didn't really add up. Nothing was so far off I could put my finger on it; just a nagging suspicion lingered in my mind. Then I scheduled a trip to Guatemala to visit an Aquaculture installation growing bullfrogs for frog legs. I asked Nancy to accompany me. She refused saying she hated frogs, and wasn't about to spend a week walking around looking at them. It seemed reasonable to me at the time. Now, I am not a totally stupid and foolish man. I knew she was very active on the Internet on her own personal computer. About a week before I was due to leave she went into town to have her hair done, she was always gone several hours. I had procured a new hard drive for her computer. While she was gone I copied her hard drive onto the new one. Then I replaced the old one. After I installed the hard drive in my computer I called an old friend and had him connect to my computer and run a program that found all the passwords to her various files. It was a real revelation to read some of her E-mails. She was evidently having a very active sex life out side our marital bed. Her messages setting up these liaisons were evidently never erased and were kept as some sort of trophies. Follow up discussions of the affairs were very graphic and it was evident she had many partners who were well aware she was married and her remarks about my sexual inadequacies were embarrassing and humbling. One of the partners was not given a name I recognized. He was just called 'Sugar'. Her communications with him were very sexy and she professed her deep love for him and swore she would marry him when her problem was solved. The last few messages made it clear that she was planning a large party the weekend after I left on my planned trip. I cried with the hurt until I realized most of her descriptions of me were completely false. She evidently needed to have the blame for her cheating to be my fault. She even said in several of her last E-Mails that I had refused to let her go with me on my trip. Naturally, unknown to her, I canceled the trip. I left the ranch as planned and got a Motel room nearby and stayed out of sight until the weekend. I rented a pickup truck with tinted windows and found a spot where I was hidden and could monitor the people entering the house. By about eleven that night there were about twenty people there. There had been no new arrivals for the last hour. I left my hiding place carrying my camera gear and slipped up to the house and went out to the back. There were sliding glass doors opening from the living room onto a small screened in porch. I had to ease through the landscaping bushes that screened the porch from out side view. There was a full-blown orgy in progress. People fucked other people or groups of people here and there. I carefully set up my video camera beside a little clump of small palm trees. I was getting a great shot of everything going on in the large room. Nancy was the center of attention and was directing the action. She was yelling that she needed more cocks over where she was and told the guys where she wanted them and how they were to be used. There was a naked guy wandering around with a large camera filming the whole thing. I wanted to get my hands on that film or tape. Thank God I had found her E-Mails and had had several days to think about them and was prepared for the scene before me. Things in the orgy seemed to be slowing down a bit around midnight. I walked in on the screened in porch and stood in the open door to the house, I had my Smith & Wesson 9 mm automatic pistol in one hand and a spare 14 round magazine in the other. I fired two rounds into the ceiling of the room. It was followed by dead silence. I yelled, "Everybody except Nancy get up against that wall of the room. SHUT UP the damned screaming unless you want me to shut you up." I looked at the guy with the camera and told him to gently place it on the floor. Nancy just stared at me then burst into tears. She started to get up. I snarled at her, "Stay on your back with your fucking legs spread you bitch. Just stay in your natural fucking position. Listen up now. Each of you in turn, starting from the left, go find your clothes and carry them back here. When you are dismissed leave here as fast as you can. I don't want to have to hurt anyone so please cooperate." Nancy tried to say something and I told her to shut up, "You have gotten these people in enough trouble, don't make me hurt any of them. Keep your fucking mouth shut. You have nothing I want to hear, now or ever." When the first person, a woman who looked familiar, came back with her clothes in her arms I told her to take her billfold from her purse and remove her drivers license and place it on the floor in front of me. When she put it down I glanced to see that it was her license. While I was looking down I caught a movement from the people in front of me and looked up to see a guy lifting a lamp. I fired a shot that hit a few inches over his head and sprayed he and several others with plaster. He dropped the lamp. I looked at him. "That was a warning. I could have as easily killed you or just shot your balls off. Right now I really don't care which you fucker. Don't try and test me. I am the meanest and deadliest man you have ever seen." The woman ran out the door. I pointed to the next person and he ran to get his things. He was back quickly. "You know what to do. Now get!" The line grew shorter rapidly. One man turned to look back at me and saw my pistol pointed directly between his eyes. I said, "Freeze! In case you don't believe me, watch those three wall-lamps on the three different walls." I put the pistol in its holster on my side. I drew. POW POW POW All three lamps shattered and fell. There were a lot of wide eyes now. The cameraman came in with his clothes and dropped his license on the pile then looked at his camera, then at me, I grinned and shook my head. When there were only two men left I asked them if they were each driving a separate vehicle. They both nodded yes. I had them each get their clothes and contribute to the ID collection. When they were done I told Nancy to get up on her feet. The Irish Glen Ranch "Nancy I will tell you just this once, I know just about everything you have been doing. I have read every thing on your computer. I will have divorce papers waiting in the hands of a Deputy by the main entrance to the ranch tomorrow at five. Also there will be every thing you own that is in this house. That includes clothing jewelry and your car. You have your own accounts, your name is already off our joint accounts and all our credit cards have been closed. I don't want to ever hear from you or see you again. Now get out of my house and out of my life." That was over 18 months ago and I knew I was over the hurt. She was a sick woman. She begged me through my attorney to forgive her. It never happened. The three of us spent a lot of time together. Sally, Pat, and I, and often Peg. Pat and I grew very close. I loved every second of it too. Finally I was well enough to leave, I had been there two weeks, all the stitches were out and I was fully recovered. We all sat and talked it over. I looked at the three women dearest to me in the world. I told them I really didn't want to leave them. A tear ran from my eye as I looked at Pat. "The first thing I want to do is to give Dear Aunt Peggy this little check for taking care of me when she didn't know if I could ever pay her. Here." "Ham! I can't take this, this says ONE MILLION DOLLARS! This is too much." "Well Dear Girl, would you take a week of my pay?" "That would be reasonable." "That is what you have in your hand, dear." "Really?" "I have several choices to make tonight regarding my future. I want to set a trap for the person who wants to kill me. I think that if I announce my engagement to Pat it would force them to move. I want it to be a short engagement. If pat would agree, I want to take her to Tampa and let her pick out an engagement and wedding ring set. Will you do that?" "Is that necessary? We don't have to go that far just to fool them." I reached out and took her hand. "First I have to say that I know I will have no future without you as a big part of it. I want you to really marry me. I love you Pat." "Oh! Ham, Yes, Yes, I will marry you. I do love you." I looked at Sally, "Are you good with that girl?" "Yes, I sure am. Aunt Peg and I have been wondering how long it would take the two of you to figure out that you loved each other." "Darn, I thought I hid it pretty darn well." "Ham, dear man, you have looked like a love sick puppy for the last two weeks." Said Peg, "And Pat is no better. Sometimes I have thought I would scream if I heard her tell me how wonderful Ham is one more time." "Was I really that bad?" "Not really, I happen to agree with you." The sisters hugged and kissed each other and Sally gave me a really nice kiss too. Sally looked at her mother, "Momma, did you know Ham is wearing a gun?" "Yes dear, I noticed that, I was going to ask about it." I looked Pat in the eye, "I am licensed to carry it. I have too much respect for you to wear it if I didn't. Do you want to see it?" "If you say it is true, that is as good as gold to me, dear." I looked at Sally, "Girl I have heard you like horses. Is that correct?" "No, I LOVE horses." "Well, that's good, I have the sweetest little roan mare on my ranch I have ever seen. She is a three year old, very pretty and every one of the hands loves her, they all call her Sweet Pea. She's too small for any of the men to ride for very long so I am going to give her to you. You will have to take care of her and see that she gets her exercise every day." "MOMMA! Did you hear?" "Yes Dear I sure did, that's a big responsibility. Are you sure you want it?" "Yes, yes, yes, I do, I do. I do want it. But how will I get out there to ride her?" I grinned at her mother, "Sally, Dear, I hope you will be living there very soon." "What?" "Yes, your momma and I need you to be with us. OK? I have what I think is a very nice five bedroom house with a screened in pool and all. Best of all it is only a half a mile from the stables and I'll teach you how to drive my golf cart back and forth." "Wow!" I looked at my fiancée and said, "How soon can we be married?" "Tomorrow." "That's a short engagement alright." "Hey no one else has to know, we can announce it will be in a week or less to put the pressure on your killers, but I don't want to wait, do you?" "Tomorrow it is then! If you can get off in the morning we can fly up to Tampa and go to the jewelers and be back before noon. Then I know some people in the County government and we should be able to get our blood tests and license pretty quick." "I can guarantee we will." my love said. "I'll stay here tonight and then we can drive to the ranch and get my plane and fly to Tampa. We'll just give every one at the ranch a quick story that we are engaged." "Turk and the others I questioned will recognize me." "Maybe, but I doubt it. Let your hair down, put on a little more makeup and wear a dress and heels and you look totally different than the bitch in the deputy uniform." She giggled and grinned at me. "Slutty or classy?" "Mmmm, let's see, why don't you go for classy. You are going to have to live there for the rest of your life." "My God, you are right, I can save the slutty for just you." The next morning we were in the air by eight and back by eleven thirty. We breezed through the paper work and were married at Peg's house in a private ceremony. Sally spent the night with Aunt Peg and we went to a Motel in Port Charlotte for our Honeymoon. We had a nice dinner and walked hand in hand to our room. I sat and watched her undress. She didn't really tease, it was so erotic for me watching her she didn't need to do anything to get me aroused. Her eyes never left mine and I stood and walked to her and kissed her and held her tight when she was down to her bra, panties, garter belt and hose. I released her and started undressing my self. Neither of us were self conscious about our bodies. I loved the way she looked and she had seen me at my worst. When she was nude she walked to me and kissed me, she took my hand and led me to the bed. She lay on the bed and held her arms open to me. I lay beside her and took her gently in my arms. "This is where you belong, girl, where have you been?" "Looking for you Darling." I kissed her tenderly and with all the love I felt for her. She sighed. I kissed her again with lust and desire. She crushed her mouth to mine. "Now, I need you now." she whispered, "Right now." I moved over her and felt her legs spread to accept my body. Her hand moved between us and guided my cock to it's new home. I entered her slowly. She was wet, hot and ready for me. I couldn't believe she was as turned on as I was. I slipped all the way inside her until my pelvis hit hers. I pulled back out and plunged back to her depths. I wanted to prolong the glorious feeling of being inside her. I couldn't control my body. It went out of control with the waves of ecstasy that flooded through my body. I totally lost it. I fucked her like a wild man, I wanted to be sweet and gentle, instead I thrust in and out like a crazed animal. I was swamped by the urge to breed with this wonderful female. Planting my seed deep inside her was my only goal. I stiffened as I spurted pulse after pulse into her womb. I didn't want it to be this way. I fell on the bed beside her. I tried to kiss her and she pulled away. "Oh! God Pat, I didn't hurt you. I, I didn't mean it. I just lost it. I love you so damn much my lust carried me away. Please forgive me, please." "No, I have nothing to forgive you for, Lover, you were magnificent. I have never known what it meant to be ravished before. Now I know. I loved it. I hope our loving is not like that all the time but I loved it. Damn you are a beast. A delightful and wonderful beast." I pulled her to me and held her tight. I told her I loved her with all my heart and soul. I pulled the covers over us and cuddled her to me. She snuggled right up to me. "I love you my dearest husband, that was wonderful loving, really wonderful." We rested for almost an hour and then we started exploring each other's bodies. We kissed each other everywhere. She had a perfect body. Mature, but not in anyway past her prime. I found her nipples with my fingers then with my mouth. They were perfect in every way. I kissed my way across her belly and looked up as she watched me kiss her. I found her sweet pussy. She lay open to me. I licked from the sweet bottom and into the tasty top. I found her clit and she paused her sweet purring and just whispered, "Oh yes!" I worked my tongue inside her pussy and lapped at her juices. I licked and sucked on every little wrinkle and fold in her inner lips and explored with my probing tongue as deep as I could get inside her love tunnel. I took my time and went over everything at least twice to be sure I didn't miss anyplace. I gave special attention to her little clitoris hidden beneath a little hood of skin. She was hard to hold still after I played with her clit for a while. I moved down and smooched my way to her little puckered hole. She jumped when I poked the tip of my tongue inside a ways. I licked all around it as she squirmed. I put my tongue as far in it as I could and wiggled it as hard as I could. She jerked and shook. Her fluids gushed from her vagina and I hurried to slurp them up. She lay still for a moment and I moved up beside her. I gently kissed her lips. Her eyes flew open. She softly smiled at me and said, "Your ex-wife was totally insane. You are unbelievable. I love you and your turn is next. I will never let you go." We soon fell asleep and didn't awaken until morning. We got dressed and hurried to Pat's house. Sally and Peg rushed out to meet us. They wanted to go to my house. We all loaded in my big SUV and headed off. I looked over at my sweet wife. "Dear, I think we can take a tour of the ranch first, then see our house and after that we can go to the stables for a second or two if we have time." I was watching Sally's face in the mirror. Her head dropped in disappointment. I couldn't stand it, "Well maybe we can go to the stables before the house." Her head jerked up. We were on the ranch when I saw her looking out at all the horses and I stopped at the stables. We all piled out and Sally ran to the fence. "Where is she, where is Sweet Pea?" I said, "Right behind you." She turned and saw Turk holding the little mare. I handed Sally a lump of sugar. She put her hand out with the sugar and the gentle soft lips of the mare brushed her hand as she took the sugar. The horse lifted her head and stretched out to nuzzle Sally's cheek. Sally threw her arms around the mare's neck and cried. She looked up and ran to me and hugged and kissed my cheek. "Poppa Ham! I love her, she is beautiful. Oh! She has a new saddle too!" "Sally this dried up old man here is Turk, the Boss of this ranch. He wants to go for a ride with you and Sweet Pea. I'll help you up on Sweet Pea while he gets his horse." "I don't need any help." She was on the mare's back in a second. Her face was beautiful as she smiled at her mother and her aunt. I adjusted her stirrups. I think the smile on my face was as broad as it gets. Turk rode up and smiled at Sally, "Let's go girl. We'll start out at a walk. You look like you know what you are doing." We watched as they rode off. Sally's pigtails flopping up and down. They walked, then trotted away from us. Then they turned and galloped down a cross trail. They stopped and talked for a bit. Then they turned toward us and Sally's legs flew out to each side as she kicked Sweet Pea in the ribs. Sally flew past us lying along they mare's back screaming "Go Girl, GO!" Turk was trailing along behind them laughing his head off. He slid to a stop beside us. "Look at her go! Ain't nothing' I can teach her. They are bonded already; I have never seen that little horse run like that before. Damn look at them go!" Sally swung Sweet Pea around and headed back. Then she jumped off the horse and hugged its neck. They walked back toward us with the horse nuzzling the girl's cheek. Sally was talking softly to the little horse. When they reached us Sally handed Sweet Pea's reins to Turk. "Thank you Uncle Turk, I love her." She kissed the soft muzzle and whispered to the horse, she turned and walked to us. "Let's go see the ranch." We drove up the road past the Stables, I pointed out the big grove of old huge oak trees. "That is where the ranch house is located. Up ahead is the Orange juice plant. See all the trailers waiting to be loaded with juice. These are farm trailers loaded with oranges waiting to be processed. You can see down this road is the hog ranch. The pulp and rinds from the oranges are mixed with grain we grow and it is fed to the hogs. We won't go down there today, the smell is hard to take and it seems to stay with you for hours and hours. We have several thousand hogs at any one time. Down the next road ahead on the left is the Methane gas plant and the generator building and steam plant. The waste from the pigs is piped to the Methane plant and it is processed and made into a gas. The gas is piped to the generator plant and makes all the power for the ranch, the irrigation system, and the meat packing plant. We even usually have excess power we sell to the power company. We sold them several million dollars worth last year. On the right over there is the meat packing plant and the smoke house. We have our own brands of sausage and smoked hams, plus we produce items under private store labels. There are a lot of trucks waiting to be loaded here too. The bones, hides and other parts from the hogs and cattle are ground up and dried. Some is mixed into the pig food but we have a lot left over. We want to use it for fish and maybe frog food. We'll cut down this road through the pasture land and you can see the animals." Pat looked over at me, "Ham, I never knew all this was here. This is a huge industrial installation as well as a ranch." "Hey look!" yelled Sally, "Buffalo!" "Yeah, girl, we run about a thousand head of buffalo right now. Up there on the right is one of our cattle herds. They are about ready to ship north to the feedlots for fattening." We rode in silence for a while then I pointed out the orange groves in the distance. They stretched as far as you could see. Peg said, "Ham, is all that yours?" "Yes, Sis, is sure is. There are 5,000 acres of groves now with more under development. The whole ranch is thirty square miles, roughly six miles long and five miles across. That is a little over 19,000 acres all-together. What you see over here is something I am very proud of, our worker's village." "This looks like an upscale housing development." Exclaimed my wife. "What are the lots? About an acre?" "Yes, dear, that is exactly what they are. Over there are the apartments for the single workers and some of our retired folks. When people work for me they can elect to have part of their pay deducted for company housing. As they stay longer and longer they gain equity in the house until at the end of twenty years they own the house free and clear. Electric and water is free." Ham! This place is beautiful! The landscaping is fabulous. Everything is so neat and clean. I can't believe this. These are two to three hundred thousand dollar estates anywhere else." "Well, we have our own construction crews too. We are always building something. The workers maintain everything. They insist everyone keeps things nice. People who were retiring, or had to leave for one reason or another have sold several back to the company. They have the option to sell to anyone they want after twenty years of service." "Does the little General Store belong to you too?" "Yes, but it is leased to one of our retirees. Residents have a card and they get a nice discount. The guy running it gives the residents of the big trailer park down the road a discount card also, but not as big. He wants to double the size of the store. He is talking about putting in a beauty/barber shop and maybe a Pizzeria and a couple other shops too. My housekeeper and cook do almost all our shopping here now." We drove back to the house. The house was virtually new. I had totally remodeled it after the divorce. I wanted a complete change. The pool and patio were new as was the Master suite. I told everyone that as we drove. This would be a complete new start for Pat and Sally. Not a thing was left from my first marriage. I told her she was free to change anything she wanted to change, except me. Pat laughed, "I don't see a major make over there. I kinda like you as you are." They all loved the house. The pool had a grotto featuring a waterfall and lots of plantings. The master suite also opened on to the patio and pool. There was a huge walk in closet for each of us. Her was the biggest by far. Her dressing area was large too. Pat hugged me, "This closet is bigger than my bedroom. How will I fill it all?" "Fredrick's of Hollywood and Victoria's Secret." Peg laughed at us, "I think this man wants you pregnant but I don't think, from all the shoe racks, that he plans to keep you barefoot." "I think we are already working on the first part." I said, "Are we?" "Yes, Dear Man, we certainly are." Peg looked at Pat, "How long have you been off the pill?" Pat smiled and blushed, "Over a week." "What, you decided to have his baby then?" Pat smiled at me and nodded. "Yes, I knew then I would try." "Really," Peg asked, "you wanted him then?" "When I saw a handsome, intelligent, sexy, zillionaire walk by I just went for it." "Really, you didn't know all that stuff then." "I knew the handsome, sexy part and that is enough, the rest is just gravy." I had to love that girl. She loved the master bath too. It featured a very large shower and a huge whirlpool tub. Pat and several of her fellow officers from the Sheriff's Department looked over the ranch and decided that at the house was the best spot for the trap. There was only one ideal spot, my home office. It was the only room in the house that was open for a long-range rifle shot. Infrared detection gear was set up to cover the area the shot would have to be fired from. All the approaches to the house were covered too. Monitors were set up in a spare bedroom. Men with night vision goggles would be in position to capture the shooter if possible. Taps were put on my ex-wife's residence and on the phone of Farrell Thompson. It was about eight o'clock that night when I got a call on my new private line. It was the chief investigator for the Sheriff. He told me he had a tape he wanted me to hear. I listened as I heard Nancy tell someone to do it tonight or never see her again. He said, "Honey I'm really scared. I think this is just too easy. I know I scouted this out last night. I could see him clear as a bell working on his computer. I was over a mile away and that big spotting scope you bought brought him in clear as a bell. I will have to get in with in 200 yards tonight though to be sure of a clean kill." "Sugar, you can do it, then we will be together living in luxury for the rest of our lives. I can't wait to fuck you when you get home to me. Hurry, You can get away. They won't hear you with that silent muffler on your bike. Don't forget to throw the muffler away on your way home to me." "I'm still scared." "Then don't ever come back here. I'll get someone else to do it if you don't love me." "No, I'll do it. I'll do it tonight. Be ready to get out of town." "Oh! Sugar, hurry back to me. I need you so bad." "Well that is the recording, what do you think?" "I think he wants to get laid tonight." "Yeah! The bitch stuck it to him. He'll try tonight. We will keep you posted on his movements. I think she will try and bug out before he gets back. If he is successful she can always say she got scared. I think she already has a plan to get rid of him. She has to do it to feel safe." The Irish Glen Ranch "I just don't like Pat being out there in the dark with a killer." "Hey, I hate it too. She says this is her swan song. She wants to be a housewife from now on." I picked up the little walkie-talkie radio and said, "Pat, this is Ham, do you read me?" "Perfectly dear. I am in position." "Did you hear the wire tap tape?" "Yes I sure did. It looks like tonight will be the night." "Please be very, very careful, I can't stand the thought of you being out there in the line of fire. I am about to call the whole thing off." "No! Don't do that. I'll let you know when to start the projector." "Right." Two hours dragged by very slowly. I was a nervous wreck. Then he was reported sneaking in the gate on his ATV. Different positions reported him right up until he was along the line he would have to fire from. Pat called and told me to start the recording. I did. The projector showed the recording of me sitting at the computer. From out side it looked completely real. Nothing happened. I sweated and swore. Nothing. Then the window to my room burst inward spraying glass all over the place. I flipped off the recording and was plunged into darkness. I held my breath and prayed. Then I heard a shot from the distance. I ran to the window crunching through the broken glass to look out. I saw floodlights moving toward a man standing with his hands over his head. I started breathing again when I heard that sweet voice call, "Ham, we got him. It's all over. Nancy is in custody too." Tears ran down my cheeks. Picked up my phone and hit #1. "Yes." "Peg, She is alright, it's all over. I have to go find her." "Yes Ham, go find your crazy wife. Kiss her for me."