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Montana Summer Ch. 01

By: D_K_Moon



This is a complete work of fiction, any resemblance to anyone alive, or dead, is completely coincidental. All characters in this story are at least 18 years of age.

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The morning sun coming through the window woke Ryan from his slumber. While the fog of sleep still enveloped him, he wondered where he was. As he awoke, he remembered he was in Montana at his uncle's ranch. Bill, and Suzanne weren't technically his uncle, and aunt. Bill and his dad were second cousins, but had grown up together following a tragic accident that had killed both his father's parents, and Bill's parents.

Ryan had jumped at the opportunity to spend the summer working on the ranch. He had only been here once before, and that was when he was six or seven. Occasionally, when his father had been in a reflective mood, he had reminisced about life growing up on a ranch. Those stories had always made Ryan yearn to come to Montana.

Several times over the years, Ryan had hopefully suggested the idea of coming to Montana for a vacation, but each time his mother had shot the idea down, preferring to travel abroad for their annual vacations.

Bill had picked him up at the bus stop in the wee hours of the morning, and brought him back to the ranch. By the time they had arrived, everyone was fast asleep, and Bill had put him in the spare room for the night. Ryan remembered lying there, trying to unwind from the trip. 

He had fantasized about the girl that had gotten off the bus a few hours before him. She had been about his age, cute, and a body that made men drool. Occasionally he had been able to see her erect nipples popping through her thin blouse, and that had given him a huge erection. 

As he lay there in the dark his erection returned, and his hand had slipped down to his cock and had begun to move up and down its length as he thought about the girl from the bus. The bed had begun to squeak a little as his hand picked up speed, and he hoped that no one could hear. He really needed to get off, but didn't want his relatives to think he was a wanking fool on his first night. It felt so good, his hand moving up and down his cock. He had felt his orgasm approaching, and had slowed down; he wanted the pleasure to last. When his orgasm came, it was very intense and was immensely satisfying. He had fallen into a deep sleep almost immediately afterwards.

He could hear sounds coming from downstairs; he glanced over at the clock, 6:00AM. He thought about rolling over and going back to sleep, but decided against it. Grabbing some clothes, he headed off to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

When he walked into the kitchen freshly showered, everyone was up, and sitting around the kitchen table. Suzanne jumped up from her chair and gave him a big hug, "Look at you! I think you've grown a couple of inches since the last time I saw you."

Ryan blushed, and hugged her back.

Bill and Jessica, or Jessi as she preferred to be called, were deeply immersed in a catalog. Jessi finally looked up and grinned, "Well looky here, middle of the day and you are finally out of bed."

Ryan grinned and sat down, "Yeah, yeah, let's pick on the city boy."

Uncle Bill looked up from the catalog, "We are going to put you out in the barn, we built a small apartment out there for the hired man. It'll give you some privacy. Your aunt and I have to run to town to get some parts, and some other stuff. Jessi is going to stay here and help you clean up your place in the barn."

It didn't escape Ryan's notice how Jessi had filled out. He guessed that she was about average in height, her light brown hair just touched her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes sparkled like the sun on a calm lake. She definitely had inherited her mother's figure. He thought she must have driven the boys wild in high school. He wondered how many guys had felt her up, and if she had gone all the way with any of them. A sudden stiffening in his jeans reminded him that he had better start thinking of something else.

"Anything we need to do while you are gone?" Ryan asked.

Bill shook his head. "Nope just get your new home in order, and then Jessi can show you around the place, and show you what we have going on."

Bill paused for a moment and looked at Jessi. "Take him up to the upper pasture, and make sure that little stream isn't blocked up again."

After Bill and Suzanne had left for town, Jessi gathered up a couple of mops, buckets, and all sorts of cleaning supplies and said, "Well let's get at it."

Ryan was happy with what he saw. The small living room connected directly with an equally small, but functional kitchen. The window in the bedroom looked out over corrals, and had a nice view of the mountains.

Ryan started on the kitchen while Jessi tackled the bathroom. It had taken all of the morning scrubbing and cleaning to get the small apartment cleaned up. About noon, they had the place looking respectable again.

"I like it." Ryan nodded his head and smiled at Jessi.

"I'm kind of jealous." Jessi put her hands on her hips and looked around. "I wouldn't mind living out here."

"It sure beats the dorm room I was living in."

Jessi gathered up the sheets and blankets from the bed, "I'll get some clean sheets and a couple of blankets and be right back."

Ryan looked over at the fridge, and groaned, he hadn't looked inside of it yet. He walked over and opened it, and was surprised to see that it was virtually empty, and spotless. Four bottles of beer were the only contents. The freezer was empty save a couple of empty ice cube trays.

Jessi returned with the fresh bedding, "Give me a hand making the bed."

As they were finishing with the bed Jessi stubbed her toe on something under the bed, she looked under the bed and fished a cardboard box from under the bed. She looked inside the box and grinned, "Hey, you're going to love this, something to make your lonely nights a little warmer."

Ryan gave her a quizzical look and then walked over and looked into the box. He felt his face redden as he saw it was full of porn magazines. He began to stammer something when Jessi laughed.

"Oh don't try to play innocent with me, I know you do it, I heard you last night."

Ryan reddened even more, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Jessi laughed even harder, "Oh come on, I heard the bed springs squeaking in your room last night. Either you had a mystery girl in there last night, or you were playing with yourself."

Ryan's face was the color of a stop sign now, and he didn't know what to say. Although he didn't want to admit it, especially to Jessi, he was excited at what she had found, and couldn't wait to explore the contents of the box.

Jessi teased, "Well if you like, I can take it to the trash and burn it, that is if you don't want it."

Quickly shaking his head, "No, that's ok."

"I thought that might be your answer," grinned Jessi. She began pulling the magazines from the box. All of the magazines appeared to be hardcore porn with titles like, Girls Who Love to Suck, Girls Who Crave Big Cock, Cum Crazee, and Big Tits Meet Big Cocks.

Ryan picked up one of the magazines and began looking through it, the first series was a busty young brown-haired woman jacking, and sucking two well hung men. Ryan's cock was fully hard, straining at his jeans. He licked his lips as he drank in the images in the magazine.

Jessi had continued pulling the magazines from the box, "Oh look, he has some videos too."

She looked up when she got no response from Ryan; he was totally engrossed in the magazine he was looking at. She looked down at the swollen bulge in his jeans and grinned, "Hey city boy!"

Ryan looked up at Jessi, "What?"

She giggled, and pointed at his crotch, "Would you like me to leave for a bit, while you take care of business."

Blushing even harder, Ryan put the magazine down, and with a touch of sarcasm in his voice, "No, I think I can control myself."

Tearing her eyes from the bulge in his jeans she pointed to the box, "There's a bunch of videotapes in here, too."

A look at the videos showed titles similar to the magazines, Big Tit Bonanza, Oral Fest 2004, and Handjob Honeys.

Jessi giggled, "Well, these should keep you warm when the nights are chilly."

Ryan gulped, "Well, I suppose it's better than Murder She Wrote reruns."

Jessi was starting to feel a little flushed herself; there was nothing she would have loved more right now than watching one of the movies and teasing herself to orgasm. From the size of the bulge in Ryan's jeans he looked to have a decent sized cock, it had been all she could do to resist asking him to open his jeans. She wondered if he was circumcised. She would have loved to watch him stroke his organ to climax and watch his seed shooting in long white streams. Jessi had heard him masturbating last night, but what she didn't tell him was that she had played with herself while listening to him. She had heard him moan, and she knew exactly what that meant, he was cumming. Her orgasm had immediately followed. While he had fallen asleep immediately she lay, there for a while wondering what his cock looked like, what it would feel like in her hand, and mouth. She had been mildly ashamed of herself of thinking about her cousin in this way, and had tried to shake the thoughts from her head.

Jessi's thoughts returned to the present, and she found herself once again staring at the swollen bulge in Ryan's pants. He was too busy looking at the titles of the videos to notice where her eyes were glued.

She cleared her throat as she attempted to clear the carnal thoughts from her mind. "Well, if there is nothing else you need to do here now, we should head up to the upper pasture to check out the stream."

Ryan looked up and nodded. "Yeah, I guess we should."

Ryan began putting the magazines back into the box, there was nothing he would have loved more than sitting there stroking his cock looking at the magazines or the videos, but there would be plenty of time for that later on this evening. And it gave him something to look forward to.

After stashing the box back under the bed on Jessi's advice, they climbed into a battered pickup and headed out to the upper pasture. The road was a narrow and bumpy. To refer to it as a road was rather optimistic. It was more of a one-lane dirt trail. The old pickup bounced and shook as they drove along. Ryan sat in the passenger's seat; he would sneak peeks over at Jessi as she drove, her breasts jiggling delightfully with each bump. After about a half hour, the truck came to a stop, and Jessi motioned for him to get out.

They walked down to a small streambed where a mere trickle of water was flowing.

"Damn," Jessi said while looking upstream. "Must be jammed up again. We had a lot of snow this winter, and the run off has been heavy, it's cut away some of the banks up higher, and it's been hell keeping the stream open."

She turned and looked at Ryan. "We have to head on up higher, and I have a pretty good idea where the problem is. Jessi gave Ryan a smile. "Looks like you'll be earning your keep today."

Jessi was right. She had known precisely where the problem was. The heavy runoff had caused the stream to cut a new path. The bank had collapsed again, clogging it with dirt, and rocks.

Ryan had begun working with a pick, trying to clear a path while Jessi shoveled the mud, and small rocks away. He stopped working and peeled his shirt off. Even though the temperature was mild, the increased elevation made the work harder, and his t-shirt was almost soaked with sweat.

Jessi looked up and wiped the sweat from her face, "Guys are lucky, they can take their shirts off when they start getting hot."

Ryan looked over and grinned, and for the first time he sensed he had the advantage, "Well, no one's stopping you from taking your shirt off too."

Jessi was surprised at his response, her face reddened a little, "Yeah, well if I did, I wouldn't get any work out of you, and you would be too busy trying to stare at my boobs."

Ryan just grinned and got back to work. 

About ten minutes later he heard Jessi mutter, "Fuck it."

He turned around, and she had removed her t-shirt, and was just wearing a grey sports bra. Her breasts were certainly nice sized, and he could see her nipples trying to poke their way through her bra.

She stuck her tongue out at him, "Don't get your hopes up buddy boy, this is as far as I'm goin'."

Ryan just grinned.

An hour later, they had the stream running freely once again. Jessi looked over at Ryan, "Good job," she looked down at her sweat-covered chest, "I need a shower."

Ryan laughed, "Me too, we had better drive back with the windows down, and our heads out the window."

Jessi had been impressed with Ryan. He definitely wasn't afraid of hard work, "I should apologize to you."

Ryan looked over, "For what?"

Her cheeks blushed slightly, "For teasing you about masturbating."

Ryan looked out the window, "Oh, okay."

"I mean, I shouldn't have teased you about it. It's a normal and healthy thing to do. I masturbate all the time too."

Ryan was surprised, although he knew girls did it too, Jessi was the first one to ever admit it. He laughed, "Well when I heard the bed squeak I should have known someone would have heard."

Jessi laughed, "Well I'm lucky my bed doesn't squeak, so no one knows when I'm uhmm, busy."

Again Ryan felt that he had the advantage, "So, are you─busy often?"

Jessi blushed, and just about drove off the road, "Well, uhm, often enough."

There was silence for a few minutes as they continued back to the house, then Jessi looked at Ryan. "So, have you done it with a girl."

He could have been coy and pretended not to know what she was asking, but he decided against it. "Yes, a few times." Few was precisely correct, three times, with three different girls.

"And you? Have you done it with a guy?" Ryan asked.

She shook her head, "Nope."

"Oh, still a virgin," Ryan teased.

Jessi grinned mischievously, "Well, certain parts, yes, and other parts no."

Ryan looked confused.

"Okay, since we are telling all, I've never gone all the way with a guy, but I have given a few hand jobs, and blowjobs."

Ryan was surprised, while he had intercourse, and had been on the receiving end of more than a few hand jobs, he had never had a girl finish him with her mouth. A few had sucked on him for a few minutes, but never long enough for him to finish.

Jessi grinned. "So do the city girls give good hand jobs, and blowjobs?"

Ryan laughed and looked out the window, his face turning a little red. "Well, the hand jobs have been good, but I've never had a blow job, well, all the way."

"Really? Why?" Jessi was surprised.

Ryan blushed even more, "Well, a few have put it in their mouth, but they said it made their mouth hurt, that I was too big."

Jessi thought about the bulge she had seen in his jeans earlier, before she realized what she was saying Jessi blurted out, "Jeeze almighty, how big are you?"

Turning his head and looking at Jessi, Ryan shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I dunno."

"I thought all guys measured themselves." Jessi giggled.

Ryan blushed. "No, really, the thought has never crossed my mind."

Jessi just shook her head. While she didn't have a whole lot of experience, she had only given head to four guys in her young life, and the few other cocks that she had held in her hand, she wouldn't have had any trouble taking them into her mouth if she had wanted to. She wondered how large his male organ was. The rest of the trip was finished quiet as the two of them were immersed in their private thoughts.

Ryan stared out the window, but his thoughts weren't on the passing scenery. He was imagining Jessi with a cock in her mouth, sucking it until it released its creamy load. He wondered what her mouth would feel like sucking him while he fondled her firm breasts.

When they arrived back at the house, Bill and Suzanne had returned from their trip to town.

Upon seeing their grimy appearance Uncle Bill commented, "It looks like the creek was blocked up again."

Jessi nodded. "Yeah, in the same place again."

"I'm going to call Frank and see if we can't borrow his backhoe for a day or two," Uncle Bill stated, "Well you two get cleaned up, Ma has supper goin'"

Ryan went to his apartment, stripped off his dirty clothes, and climbed into the shower. The hot water felt great on his body. As he lathered his body, he looked down at his semi-erect organ and thought about the treasure trove of porn under the bed. He might have enough time after his shower for a quick jack off session.

He heard a quick rap on the door, and then the sound of the door opening. "Hey city boy," Jessi's voice rang out, "I forgot to bring you some towels."

Her head peeked in the bathroom door as she tossed some towels in, "Hey you're not, uh, busy, are you?"

Ryan was about to tell her no, but changed his mind at the last moment. In a teasing voice, he replied, "Well, you can come on in and see if I'm busy or not."

Jessi was taken aback, she had been expecting a flat out denial, "Well, uhh, I might take you up on that offer, but..."

She stepped into the bathroom, and grabbed a hold of the shower curtain and quickly pulled it aside. She gasped when she looked at Ryan's partially erect cock, "Wow, it is big!"

Ryan had been surprised when she entered the bathroom, more surprised when she had opened the shower curtain, and down right shocked when she took his organ in her hand and began stroking it. It had only taken a couple pumps of her hand to get him to full erection.

Jessi was amazed at both the length, and the girth of his cock, it was definitely the largest one she had ever seen. As much as she hated to, she had to get back to the house. She released her grip, and her voice sounded slightly husky. "Hurry up, supper is almost ready." She paused, and she stared at his erection. "And save that for later."

As soon as Jessi had left Ryan climbed out of the shower, his cock still throbbing and pointing skyward. Her hand had felt so good on his cock, he wished she would have stayed and finished him off. He wondered what she had meant when she had told him to save it for later. 

After getting dressed, Ryan walked over to the house. The aroma of roasted chicken greeted him as he entered the kitchen. The growling in his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. 

Jessi grinned. "I'm glad to see that you weren't too busy to join us."

Ryan grinned. "I'm never too busy to eat."

Suzanne shot Jessi a quizzical look.

Jessi gave her mother a coy smile. "Just a joke, you know how you are always saying the city people are too busy to eat with their families."

Ryan suppressed a snicker while Suzanne responded, "Yes, that's the trouble with the world today, everyone is just too busy."

Jessi shot Ryan a sweet smile, and then winked at him.

Bill walked into the kitchen, and sat down. "Frank says we can have the backhoe on Thursday. We'll get that creek cleaned up and out of our hair for good, at least until next spring."

He looked over at Ryan, "Well, Ryan, and how was your first day?"

Ryan looked at Jessi, and then at Uncle Bill. "Pretty busy."

Uncle Bill nodded as he dished some potatoes onto his plate, "That's a good thing. We like to stay busy around here, don't we Jessi?"

Jessi smiled sweetly "Yup, dad, the busier the better."

Ryan just about choked on his iced tea.

Suzanne looked over at Ryan. "Are you okay?"

Ryan nodded and looked over at Jessi. "Oh yeah, just fine."

After supper was finished, Bill leaned back in his chair, "That was good ma, really good."

Ryan nodded in agreement, "Yes, I agree. Aunt Suzanne that was simply delicious."

Suzanne beamed in appreciation. "Thank you, Ryan. That was nice of you to say that."


Montana Summer Ch. 01



Bill turned his attention to Jessi and Ryan, "What do you two have planned for tonight."

Jessi looked at her father. "Ryan invited me up to his place. We're going to watch some videos."

Uncle Bill perked up. "Oh, something good?"

Ryan was mortified. He didn't know what to say.

Jessi laughed. "No, Dad. I was going to show him the video of graduation."

Bill feigned disappointment. "Dang, a good John Wayne movie would've just hit the spot tonight. Well you two don't stay up too late, we got some work to do tomorrow."

After Ryan and Jessi had left, Suzanne said to Bill, "Do you think it's okay for her to be up there with him at night."

Uncle Bill laughed and shook his head, "Yes Suzanne, I do. If you are worried, wait a little and then take up a plate of your world-famous cookies."

Ryan went to get the box from under his bed when Jessi said, "Wait, put this on, if I know my mother, we can expect a visit."

Sure enough, while watching the video of Jessi's high school graduation, and looking at the yearbook a knock came at the door, and it quickly swung open. A look of relief was evident on Suzanne's face as she said, "I thought you two might like some cookies."

Jessi's eyes twinkled. "Thanks ma."

After her mother left, Jessi pointed to the house. Now wait until the kitchen lights are out."

While Ryan was retrieving the box with the porn videos and magazines, Suzanne slipped into bed beside her husband.

"Everything okay up there?" He enquired.

"Yes," she responded. "Just fine." She reached down under the blankets to find his member. Her hand began to expertly coax it to life. His hand reached up under her nightie and began to fondle her large breasts.

Ryan slipped a movie into the VCR, hit play, and sat back down on the couch. Almost immediately, a woman with large breasts appeared on the screen, her small hand slowly jacking a very large and very hard cock. The man reached up and began to fondle the woman's large breasts while she continued jacking him.

Jessi giggled. "Looks like they both have a handful now."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, I'll say." 

His cock was fully engorged, straining for release from his jeans, and aching for release from its current condition. He looked over at Jessi. She was engrossed in the action on the screen, and was obviously enjoying it. 

"Do you like the movie?" Ryan asked. He had never met a girl who enjoyed watching porn movies, but he had never had the opportunity to view a porn movie with a girl before.

Jessi nodded her head. "Yes, my friend Becky's dad runs the video store in town. He has a selection of porn movies in the back of the store. Whenever I stayed over at Becky's, we'd sneak one or two of the movies out of the store, and watch them."

Ryan nodded. "Oh."

Meanwhile on the screen, the woman had taken her breasts in each hand, and wrapped them around the cock and was moving her breasts up and down over the fleshy pole.

"Have you ever done that?" asked Jessi.

Ryan shook his head, "No, never."

"Me either," responded Jessi. "Does it turn you on?"

Ryan blushed.

Jessi looked at the bulge in his jeans and that answered her question. "Aren't you a little uncomfortable like that?"

"Well, uhh." was all that Ryan could stammer.

Jessi giggled, "Open your pants up, and let it out. I want to see it again."

Ryan undid his belt, and pants, and then unzipped the zipper. His fully engorged cock sprang free, the tip already slick with his pre-cum.

Jessi's voice was husky. "Play with it for me."

Ryan began to move his hand up and down his hard shaft; he turned his attention back to the screen. The woman had now taken the man's cock into her mouth and she was slowly sucking it up and down. Ryan's hand moved in time with her mouth.

"Does it feel good?" Jessi whispered. "Your hand─doing that to yourself."

Ryan nodded. "Yes, it feels great."

"Can I touch it?" she asked.

Ryan turned his head and looked at Jessi; his hand stopped moving on his cock, he took her hand and placed it on his cock. "I would love for you to touch it."

Jessi began stroking Ryan's cock up and down. "It's so big, it's the biggest one that I've seen, and it's so hard."

"Mmm," Ryan moaned. "Your hand feels so good."

On the video, the woman was still sucking on the big cock, but now the man had both hands on her head holding it steady while he fucked her in the mouth.

"Do you want me to stroke you faster?" asked Jessi.

Ryan shook his head. "No, I want it to last."

Jessi's hand continued moving up and down his steely hard shaft. Jessi couldn't close her fingers around it. She leaned over the licked the pre-cum off the tip, and smiled.

"Show me your boobs," Ryan almost whispered.

Jessi smiled as she continued her slow stroking. "Wouldn't you rather watch the movie while I jack you?"

"I'd rather see some real ones," Ryan replied his voice laced with lust.

Jessi hesitated for a moment, and then took her hand from his cock; slowly she pulled her sweatshirt up over her head.

Ryan thought it took her forever to pull the sweatshirt off. Her breasts were very firm, the size of large oranges. Her pink nipples were very erect and jutted out stiffly, the areola were a little larger than a quarter.

She took his cock back in her hand and resumed her slow stroking, her breasts jiggling gently with her movements.

"Well?" Jessi asked, "What do you think."

Ryan was almost lost for words. They were the largest, and the most perfect set of tits that he had ever had the fortune to set his eyes on. "Awesome!" was the only word he could speak. He had stopped watching the action on the screen and was totally engrossed with her breasts.

"Can I touch them?" he asked hopefully.

Jessi nodded, "Yes."

He put a hand gently on each breast as her hand continued jacking him slowly. They were so firm, her skin so smooth, and soft. Gently he squeezed her titty flesh, and moaned softly as her hand picked up speed. He took her nipples gently into his fingers, tugging on them gently.

Jessi moaned, "I like it when you pull my nipples like that."

Ryan's hips had started moving in time with her hand, he couldn't help it, "I love your breasts, they're perfect. Your hand feels so good on my cock."

She tightened her grip slightly and sped her movements up; she loved how his hands felt on her breasts. Too many guys she had been out with had been too rough with them, but Ryan's touch was perfect, "I love how your cock feels in my hand, I want to make it cum, I love how you are fucking my hand. Can I make you cum?"

Ryan's voice was full of lust, "Yes, jack me off, and make me shoot."

He tightened his grip on her nipples and tugged a little harder as her hand sped up even more. His cock head looked like a large, wet, purple plum. Her hand was flying up and down his shaft; Ryan knew he couldn't last much longer.

Jessi couldn't wait to see him shoot, she loved watching guys shoot their loads. She felt him tighten up and knew he was going to cum.

Ryan moaned loudly, "Oh fuck!"

Jessi was jacking him as fast as her hand could move now; she felt his cock twitch and then a long white rope of cum shot high in the air and landed on her breast.

"Yes!" she squealed, "Cum on my tits!" She moved in closer after the first shot to catch the rest of it on her breasts. 

Ryan watched his load landing on her tits, he had never had a girl talk like that to him, and it just intensified his orgasm. His cock pulsed repeatedly, each time sending forth a shot of jizz onto her breasts. Finally his orgasm passed, and his cock ceased it's pulsing. As he stopped Jessi's grip softened, and slowed down.

She looked down at her wet breasts and smiled, "Wow, that was quite the load you were carrying." Her hands went to her breasts and she began to slowly rub it into her skin.

Ryan's head felt like it was spinning, "Whew! That was incredible."

Jessi smiled, her hands still rubbing his cum into her breasts, "I'm glad you liked it. Tomorrow I just might want to try to suck you off."

Ryan's jaw just about dropped, normally he had to coax, and cajole a girl into taking his cock into her mouth, but Jessi had just told him that she wanted to suck him.

She pulled on her sweatshirt, "I should go, and I don't want mom to get suspicious if I stay up here too long."

After Jessi had left Ryan lay in bed, he couldn't believe his luck. A summer job that was going to pay decently, and a hot looking girl who seemed to like at least some sexual activities, how could life get any better for a nineteen-year-old male? He did feel a little twinge of guilt; after all, he was related to Jessi. However, his cock certainly didn't take any notice.

---

Ryan was up at 5:30; it looked to be another great day. As he walked outside the sun was just coming up over the mountains to the east of the ranch. After breakfast, he helped his uncle load fence rails into the bed of the old pickup he and Jessi had used the day before.

Uncle Bill drew a map on the back of an old envelope, "Start about a quarter mile up from where the fence is next to the road, work your way along, and replace any of the broken stringers. I know there's quite a few along that stretch. Now be careful, there's cattle in that pasture, Frank's bull is in there too, and he is pretty ornery, especially this time of the year. Either Jessi, or your aunt will bring you some lunch."

Ryan spent the morning walking the fence line, replacing the poles wherever necessary. He had stopped working a few times to admire the beauty of the country. The scent of the pine trees was carried on a gentle breeze, the only noise were the sounds of the cattle from the pasture, and the constant buzz of the insects. Ryan thought, 'A person could get to love this in a hurry.'

He heard the truck coming before he saw it, he stopped work, and walked up to the road and waited. He had forgotten his watch this morning, but from the look of the sun, it had to be near noon.

As the truck approached he smiled, and waved, it was Jessi driving.

She stopped and winked, "Hey, big boy, after last night I've decided to change your name from city boy."

Ryan grinned at the reference to his erect manhood, "I'll have to think of a name for you."

Jessi laughed and grabbed the cooler from the passenger seat of the truck. They sat on the tailgate of the truck with the cooler between them. As they ate Jessi asked, "Did you enjoy yourself last night?"

Ryan grinned, "Oh yeah, very much, and you?"

Jessi just grinned.

"Were you busy after you got into bed last night?" he asked.

She nodded, "Very busy!"

"I would have liked to watch you," Ryan felt confident now that nothing he would say would offend Jessi.

Jessi smiled, and blushed slightly, "Well, I would love to have you watch me, and touch me, but—I'm on my period right now."

"Oh," Ryan responded, he hadn't thought of that possibility.

She continued, "But after I'm done...." She smiled mischievously, "How about you, did you do anything after I left?"

Ryan shook his head, "No, just went to bed. I thought I'd save it all for you."

"You just want to see my boobs again," joked Jessi.

"And how," Ryan grinned, "Just the thought of seeing them again makes me hard."

Jessi peeked at the growing bulge in his crotch, "And the thought of seeing you hard again makes my pussy wet."

Just then, the two-way radio crackled to life from the truck, "Jess are your there?"

Jess rolled her eyes, hopped off the tailgate and picked up the radio off the seat of the truck. "Go ahead mom."

"Dad just called, he needs you to run over to Walt's and pick up some parts for him."

"Okay mom, tell him I'm on my way," Jessi answered.

"Dad wants to know how Ryan is making out."

Jessi looked up and down the fence line, "He is about two thirds of the way to the meadow."

Jessi sat the radio back down, walked to the back of the truck, and packed up the cooler. Ryan hopped off the back and closed it for her. She ran her hand up and down the front of his jeans, bringing him to full erection once again, "Save that for me big boy, and I'll see what I can do for it tonight."

Ryan reached up and squeezed her breasts through her top, "You can count on that."

The rest of the afternoon Ryan worked on the fence, constantly fighting the urge to pull down his pants and jack off. Each time he thought of Jessi his erection would flare up again. She had mentioned that she wanted to suck him off tonight, and he wanted to save every drop of his seed for her.

When Jessi got back from Walt's she, found a note from her mother, 'Had to run over to Marie's to give her a hand, get supper started, and call Becky.'

Jessi picked up the phone and called her best friend, "Hi Becky"

"Jessi, how are you?"

"Great and how's things in town? Did Stan get back from college?" Jessi asked.

"Things are about the same, dad has me slaving away in the store," Becky replied with a giggle. "Stan will be here tonight. Are we still going camping this weekend?"

"I think so," Jessi replied.

"Oh, how's your city cuz?" Becky laughed. She knew that Jessi hadn't been exactly looking forward to his arrival.

"Oh Becky," Jessi gushed, "He is an absolute hunk now. Oh my god, I just about creamed myself when I saw him."

Becky laughed, "Oh! I can't wait to see him. How long before you try to get into his pants."

All Jessi could do was say, "Uhh"

"Jessica!" Becky was astonished, "You haven't already started fooling around with him, and he is your cousin."

"Well second or third cousin," Jessi responded, "I couldn't help it, all I can say is that he has biggest hard-on that I have ever seen."

"Ohmigod," Becky giggled, "I can't wait to meet him."

"I better go, dad's coming," said Jessi, "and I have to start supper."

Jessi started cooking supper while her father went through the mail. She heard Ryan drive up, and peeked out the window in time to see him walking into the barn. Visions of him naked in the shower floated through her head. The sight of him yesterday naked in the shower, his cock partially swollen, and standing straight out made her weak in the knees, she had wanted to get in there with him, get on her knees, and suck him into her mouth. She wondered what a cock that large would feel like between her legs, inside of her virginal pussy. 

'Oh fuck,' she thought to herself, 'I'm so fucking horny right now.' 

She resisted the urge to reach up and squeeze her hardened nipples, she was thinking about how his cock would feel in her mouth. She enjoyed sucking cock; she loved how the rubbery head felt filling her mouth, and how the smooth hardness of the shaft felt on her tongue and lips. Both she and Becky had learned how by watching the videos they would sneak out of Becky's dad's store, and then practicing on bananas.

Jessi looked around the kitchen, everything was ready, except for the potatoes, and it would be a while before they were done, just enough time for a shower and a bit of self pleasure.

"Dad," Jessi called out, "Watch the potatoes for me, they're in the oven. I'm going to hop in the shower."

"Okay," he replied from his chair in the living room. "I can do that."

Jessi moaned softly as the water hit her body. She was still on fire, she reached between her legs and found her pussy was almost dripping it was so wet. She took her finger and began to rub her clit quickly with one finger. Her other hand was busy pulling and tugging on her erect nipples, alternating between each breast.

"Oh fuck," she moaned softly, it felt so good.

She closed her eyes as her finger continued rubbing her swollen clit, in her mind she was back jacking Ryan off, she had loved how hard his jizz had shot from the end of his cock, and how it had covered her breasts. She had almost cum right then and there last night. She could feel it building within her now, it wouldn't take long for the relief to come. 

"I want to suck his cock," she moaned quietly to herself, "I want him to shoot his cum into my mouth. I want to taste his hot load."

That was it, that sent her over the edge. Her body shook as she peaked, her finger furiously working her clit repeatedly.

She had just gotten back downstairs when Ryan walked in; he winked at her as if he knew what she had just done. She smiled and winked back.

Over supper, Jessi reminded her mother of the camping trip this weekend.

Suzanne looked at Bill, "Sounds okay with me, are you going to invite your cousin?"

"Sure," Jessi replied, "Unless he just wants to hang around here trying to stay busy."

Ryan grinned, "I love camping, and I love it almost as much as staying busy."

Jessi suppressed a giggle, and then looked at her parents, they weren't paying any attention, and that was a good thing.

After supper was over, the dishes done, and the kitchen cleaned up Aunt Suzanne announced, "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm bushed, I think I'll have a bath and hit the feathers."

Uncle Bill stretched, "Me too, I think I'll watch a little TV in bed and go to sleep."

Ryan had headed off to his little apartment, and decided to change into his sweats. He thought that might be a little more comfortable, at least in the groin area. Jessi had told him that she would be about a half hour. He had looked at the covers of the videos, and put one in the machine. 

He was about to start wondering if she was going to show up when a soft knock came at the door, and then opened. 

Jessi smiled as she walked in, "Did you think I was going to stand you up?"

"Well, I was beginning to wonder," Ryan laughed.

"I wanted to make sure that they were asleep before I came over," she explained. She sat down right next to him on the couch, and cuddled up to him, "What are we watching tonight?"

"A real classic," Ryan laughed.

This tape was like the one they watched last night, no plot, just sex. This one started with a man laying on a bed, and two topless women undoing his pants and then pulling them off. The man propped himself up and began playing with each of the women's tits as they played with his cock and his balls.

"Ever had two girls at the same time?" Jessi asked.

"Nope, never, only in my dreams," Ryan replied.

"Would you like to?" Jessi asked.

"Sure, at least once," His cock was beginning to rise rapidly.

"Why?" she wondered.

"I dunno," Ryan answered, "Two sets of boobs to play with, two pussies to play with, four hands to play with my cock, two mouths to suck on it."

They continued watching the movie, the man was fingering one of the women while the other on sucked on his cock. Her head moved slowly up and down the length of his erect member. 

Ryan's sweatpants looked like a tent, his erection was poking straight up. He put his arm around Jessi's waist, and slowly moved his hand up to her breast. When his hand began fondling her breast, she slid her hand into his sweatpants, gently grasped his erection, and began to lightly pull up and down on it.

"Put your hand under my shirt," she whispered.

Ryan slid his hand under her shirt and began to fondle her bare breast, "So were you—busy, before supper."

"Oh god, I had to! I was so horny," she giggled.

"What made you so horny?" Ryan grinned.

"Thinking about your big cock" Jessi gave his organ a squeeze, "Were you busy?"

"Nope, but it was all I could do not to, I've had a hard on most of the afternoon," he replied.

"Oh," said Jessi, "And just what made you hard all afternoon?"

"Thinking about your breasts, and how they felt, how your hand felt jacking me off, and what your mouth might feel like."

"You like the thought of me sucking your big cock," teased Jessi.

Jessi kept pumping Ryan's cock, the palm of her hand was wet with his pre-cum. He was enjoying the feeling of her hand slowly pulling up and down on his erection. They sat there silently, Jessi slowly pulling up and down on Ryan's engorged member, and Ryan with his hand under her shirt playing with her breast and nipple. On the screen, one of the women was riding the man's cock while the other woman sucked on her nipples. 




Montana Summer Ch. 01



"Have you ever done anything with another girl," asked Ryan.

"No, not really," replied Jessi, "Becky and I have masturbated together lots, but we've never touched each other or anything like that. How about you, have you ever done anything with another guy."

"No, kinda like you, me and this friend I had in about the eighth grade, we used to jack off together, and have contests who could cum first, and furthest, just stuff like that," Ryan replied.

Jessi's hand kept it's same pace, never slowing, never speeding up, the head of his cock in her palm, her fingers moving up and down in a pulling motion on his shaft. 

"Sit on my lap," Ryan spoke softly, "And take your top of, I want to suck on your breasts."

Jessi got up, pulled Ryan's sweatpants down, and tossed them aside. After she had admired how hard his cock was, she licked the pre-cum off the palm of her hand, then slowly pulled her top off, and then sat down facing Ryan on his lap. His hands gently caressed her soft breast flesh. Her hand was now moving up and down his cock very slowly.

"Is that what you wanted to see all day?" she softly teased, "Is that what made you all big and hard all afternoon?"

He nodded, "Your breasts are so perfect."

Her nipples were rock hard, jutting out proudly. Each time his hand came in contact with them, she shuddered from the little shocks of lust that coursed through her body. She could feel her pussy getting wetter, and wetter, if only she wasn't on her period right now, she would have had him stick his hand down her pants and let him caress her most secret spot.

He leaned forward, and began kissing her breasts, alternating between on and then the other. When his mouth was on one breast, his hand was on the other. She gasped slightly when he sucked her nipple into his mouth and began sucking on it. His tongue flicked back forth across the rubbery nipple, and then he would bite lightly on it.

"I love how you suck my nipples. Your are making me so wet. Do you like my hand on your cock?" Jessi whispered huskily as his fingers, and mouth pulled, and sucked gently on her nipples.

"Yes, it feels so good, it's perfect," his voice was laced with lust.

"Mmmm," she purred, "If you think that feels good, wait 'til I start sucking on your big fat cock. You still want me to suck your cock don't you?"

Her words were turning him on even more, he was barely aware of anything other than the feeling of her breasts in his hand, and her hand moving slowly up and down his manhood, "Oh yes, I want you suck on my cock."

Her hand picked up a little speed, and she gripped him a little tighter, "Yes, I know you want me to suck you, I bet you want to fill my mouth with your big cock, and then I bet you want to shoot your hot cum in my mouth don't you."

Ryan was almost in agony, "Yes! I want to cum in your mouth!"

"Oh yes, I want to suck you off, I want to taste you so badly," Jessi moaned, "Tell me that you want me to suck you off."

"Oh fuck, yes, I want you suck me off, put my cock in your mouth, and suck me," Ryan's voice was shaky from the lust.

Jessi smiled, "Yes baby, I want to take your cock in my mouth."

Slowly she slid down until she was between his legs, she leaned forward and swirled her tongue over the purple head of his cock licking up the pre-cum off of the tip, her hand still jacking him slowly up and down. She reached down with her other hand and began to fondle his balls. She was surprised at how large they felt, like two large eggs. She licked his shaft up and town getting it good and wet. Ryan reached down and cupped his hands on her breasts, and moaned, "Mmm, that feels so good."

Jessi smiled, and then opened her mouth as wide as she could and began to drop her mouth over the head of his cock. Her tongue swirled around the tip as it entered her mouth. She was surprised at just how big he was, it was all she could do to get the tip into her mouth. Her head began to bob up and down, each time taking a little more of his cock into her mouth. Her hand continued its up and down motion on his cock. Her mouth felt so full, she just wished she could have taken it all, her bobbing motion picked up speed, and so did her hand.

Ryan had never felt anything like this before, he watched as she began sucking him into her mouth, her head moving up and down. He almost came just watching her suck on his cock. As her head began to bob up and down, his hips began rising and falling in time with her movements. His fingers tugged at her nipples in time with her sucking motion.

As his hips began moving up and down she took her mouth off his cock, "Yeah, I love that, keep doing it, fuck my mouth."

Ryan began to move his hips harder and farther, Jessi had ceased any motions, letting him fuck her in the face. Her blue eyes sparkled as they looked up at him; he knew she was enjoying what he was doing.

"Your mouth feels so good, I love having my cock in your mouth, and I love how you suck me. You're gonna make me shoot my load," Ryan was drunk with lust, he wanted to cum, he wanted to fill her mouth up with his jizz, he wanted to see her take in her mouth and swallow it."

She knew he was close now; she clamped her lips down tighter around his shaft and began to suck harder.

"Yes!" Ryan cried out as his cock pulsed, sending the first wave of his cum into her mouth.

She swallowed hard, and then pulled his cock almost out of her mouth, her mouth was open wide, and Ryan was looking down and saw the next long white rope of white jizz shoot deep inside of her mouth. Jessi took her hand and began stroking his wet cock as hard and fast as she could. Her eyes were on his, she could tell that he was enjoying watching his cum shoot deep inside of her mouth. After each shot of cum, she would swallow, savoring its salty, tangy flavor.

After his cock stopped its orgasmic spasms, she took his cock deep inside of her mouth and continued sucking on it getting the last drops of his juice. After he began to slowly soften, she finally released his organ from her mouth. She stood up and sat back down on his lap. "Well," she smiled, "Did you enjoy that?"

"That was incredible," Ryan's face was aglow with orgasmic bliss, "I have never felt anything like it before."

She stood up, and slipped her shirt back on, "It's getting late. I should be going."

Ryan was a little disappointed that she had to go so soon, but a glance at the clock confirmed that the hour was growing late, and life began early around here.

"We'll have a little more fun tomorrow," she promised as she left.

Ryan lay in bed, trying to relive every moment over in his head. He couldn't believe that she had just sucked him off. He closed his eyes; he could see her head bobbing up and down on his cock. He had felt so out of control when she let him pump his cock in and out of her mouth. He had heard stories this past year at college of guys face fucking girls, but had little luck finding anyone to even take his cock in their mouths, let alone let him fuck their mouths. Watching his cum shooting into her waiting mouth was incredible. Life was excellent, what more could he want. Well, he wanted to explore her pussy. As he dozed off, he wondered what the chances of her letting him fuck her were.

Jessi crawled into bed happy, she had just come from the bathroom, her flow had stopped, and her period was over. As she began to masturbate she thought of letting him touch her pussy. While she was sucking him tonight, she had wanted so badly to reach inside her panties and play with her clit while his cock pumped her mouth. She wondered if he would lick her pussy for her. All of sudden she realized that she hadn't even kissed him yet, but had jacked, and sucked him off. Her mouth was a little sore from having to open it so wide. His cock had felt so good in her mouth, it had filled it so fully. As her orgasm came over her she could taste him cumming in her mouth again, she wondered what that cock would feel like ramming in and out of her pussy. After her orgasm had passed, she was a little surprised to find herself wanting to fuck Ryan. This was the first time she had ever felt like that before. She knew he was the guy she wanted to take her virginity.

Nights in the high country even in the summer are clear, and have a chill. However, during this summer in Montana, there was heat wave beginning to build. Could they put the fire out? Only time will tell.



Montana Summer Ch. 02



This story is complete work of fiction; any resemblance to anyone in real life is purely a coincidence. All characters in this story are 18 years or older.

*

Jessi sat down, picked up the phone, and dialed Becky's number. Her dad and Ryan had headed off to borrow the backhoe from Frank, and her mother had gone back over to Marie's to continue helping Marie sew her daughter's wedding dress.

"Hello," said Becky.

"It's me," Jessi spoke into the phone, her voice cheery and bright.

"Hey you!" Becky's voice perked up. "What's up?"

"I talked to mom and dad last night, the camping trip is still on, and Ryan is coming."

"Oh goody," Becky giggled. "I want to meet him. Oh, Stan is coming for sure, and get this—he has talked Lindsey into coming with him!"

"Are they still going out?" asked Jessi.

"Beats me, but they must," replied Becky.

Jessi giggled. "Did he ever get into her pants?"

Becky burst out laughing. "I don't know, but I doubt it. From what I heard she is nothing but a tease. You can't tell anyone, but Kathy told me that she heard her brother and his friends talking about Lindsey. She said that she didn't put out at all, no pussy, no head, and not even a mercy handie. She said that they might be able to cop a feel under her shirt, and she might rub the guy for a few minutes through their pants, but that was about it. As far as they knew the only guy to get off with her was Sureshot."

"I can see that." Jessi laughed. "What I heard about Sureshot is all you have to do is touch his stiffie and he starts to spurt. That must have surprised Lindsey, to have him cum in his pants with her barely touching him."

Becky snorted, "That would have been funny to see. So what's the latest on your cuz?"

Jessi was quiet for a minute, and didn't answer.

"Spill it! Give me the dirt!" There was a giggle of anticipation in Becky's voice. She knew Jessi's silence meant that there had to be something juicy.

"I, uh, gave him head last night." Jessi felt a blush rise in her cheeks.

"You didn't!" Becky almost shouted. "What was it like?"

"Oh my god, it was all I could do to get the head of it into my mouth, he is so big." revealed Jessi.

An astonished Becky asked, "Just how big is he?

Jess thought for a moment, "Well, remember those big bananas we used to practice on?"

"Yes."

"He is little longer than that, and bigger around, I can't get my hand around it," explained Jessi.

"It's making me wet just thinking about it," giggled Becky. "Do you think I'll get a chance to see it?"

Jessi felt a tinge of jealousy and was surprised. She shook it off and replied, "We'll see."

"No fair! You have to share." laughed Becky. "You've got me all interested, now I have to see it how big it really is."

"Well, if we can get Stan and Lindsey out of our hair, maybe there will be an opportunity."

"Good!" Becky exclaimed. "I have to get going. I have to run the store for dad today." 

Jessi sat and thought after hanging up the phone. She thought she was being a little silly to be jealous over Ryan. After all, he was her cousin. He had admitted a desire to be with two girls. Also, she wanted to see the look on Becky's face when she saw the size of his erection. The thought of watching Becky jack, and suck on Ryan's stiff cock was making her wet, and since no one was around, and she had time, she headed upstairs.

She stood in front of the mirror, and pulled off her t-shirt. She reached behind her back and undid her bra, and let it drop to the floor. Her hands went to her breasts and caressed them slowly. Jessi was proud of her breasts, they were larger than most of the girls in town, and very firm. When in town, she could feel the eyes of the males ogling her chest, and deep inside she enjoyed it. Her fingers slowly pulled on her nipples, tingles of lust poured through her body with each tug of her nipples. 

Jessi walked over to her bed and lay down, propping her head up with a pillow. She had removed her jeans and underwear, and was stark naked. She watched the reflection in the mirror spread her legs, and then the hand that strayed down to her pussy. The finger in the mirror began to slowly rub her clit. She loved watching herself masturbating. There were times when she couldn't recognize the reflection in the mirror as being her.

She moaned lightly as the desire flowed over her. Her eyes closed as she thought about Ryan's erection. How she wished it was here for her to stroke and suck on. Her fingers moved faster as she remembered what it felt like when he was thrusting in and out of her mouth. Her pussy ached like it had never ached before, it wanted that cock inside of it. Faster and faster her fingers assailed her swollen clit, her eyes opened slightly, her cunt lips were so puffy, she spread her legs even further, and with her other hand she began driving her fingers in and out of her pussy. Jessi wondered if Ryan would like her pussy. Would she be able to get him to lick it like she had seen in some of the movies that her and Becky had watched. What would it feel like to have him shoot his load inside of her, would she be able to feel it? She closed her eyes, as she reached her orgasm she saw his cock in her mind, it was shooting its juicy load of warm jizz onto her face. "Yes Ryan," she moaned, "Cum on my face."

Her body shook and writhed as it climaxed, over and over in her mind she could see, and feel his orgasm on her face, she opened her mouth, and she could taste him.

After it was over she lay there, spent, and exhausted. She glanced at the clock and was surprised at how much time had passed. She jumped up and grabbed her clothes, and headed for the shower.

---

Jessi pulled up to where her dad and Ryan were working with the backhoe, and honked the horn of the pickup. She yelled at them and raised the cooler with their lunch over her head. It looked like they had made good progress so far this morning. They had dug away much of the bank that had kept collapsing in the creek.

"So what have you been up to this morning?" Bill asked as he bit into a sandwich.

"Oh just being busy," Jessi replied in a coy manner.

Ryan looked up in mid bite, his eyes were as big as saucers. Bill pressed good-naturedly. "Oh yeah, busy doin' what?"

A dreamy smile came over Jessi's face. "Oh nothing much, just busy."

Jessi moved her hand down to her crotch, her father's view was blocked by the pickup, but Ryan had a clear shot. She looked at Ryan and rubbed her crotch slowly, and seductively. "Busy talking to Becky, busy making your lunch, busy cleaning my room, and just being busy in general."

Ryan almost choked on his sandwich when Jessi moved her hand between her legs and began to rub. He had managed to make it through the morning without springing an erection, but now he could feel himself rising rapidly in his jeans.

The sudden growth in his pants didn't go unnoticed by Jessi. It was the exact reaction she wanted to get from Ryan. She pretended to drop something, knelt down, pulled up her t-shirt, pulled her breast from her bra, squeezed it, and pinched her nipple while looking directly into Ryan's eyes. Just as quickly she pulled her bra up, her shirt down, and stood up.

Ryan couldn't believe that she had just flashed her breast, and with her father mere feet away. The swollen organ between his was aching to be released. He saw her grinning at his discomfort, and all he could do was smile back.

For Ryan the afternoon seemed to stretch on. All he could think about was what happened the night before, Jessi sucking him to an earth-shattering climax. Watching her rubbing her crotch and flashing her breast at him while he ate his lunch, teasing him only served to make him hornier than ever.

---

Ryan was in the shower, and didn't hear the door to his apartment open. He didn't hear the bathroom door open either. He about jumped out of his skin when Jessi pulled the shower curtain open.

"I brought up your laundry, and thought I would see if you needed any help," Jessi giggled.

Ryan wagged his semi-erect cock at her. "I could have used some help about lunch time."

Jessi giggled again, "I know, I could tell. Well, hurry up, supper is about ready." She reached into the shower and gave his cock a quick tug. "We need to get the camping gear ready tonight, we will leave about three tomorrow. After we get that done we can...." Jessi gave Ryan one more slow tug on his erection and a wink and then exited the bathroom giggling.

After supper was done, and the kitchen cleaned, Ryan helped Jessi get all of the camping gear out of the rafters in the barn, and got it ready for the next day. 

Jessi pulled Ryan into one of the stalls and wrapped her arms around his waist, "You know, I've made you cum twice, and you've never kissed me."

She closed her eyes and turned her head upwards, Ryan's lips moved to hers, and softly he began to kiss her. Her tongue slid into his mouth, and began to swirl around his. Almost immediately Ryan began to grow hard. As the kiss deepened she pressed tightly against him, his erection pressing against her belly.

Her hand moved down to the bulge in his pants and began to rub it up and down. His hands squeezed her covered breasts as his tongue plunged deep into her mouth. 

"I'm dying here." Ryan pressed his hips against her hand. "You turn me on." His erection was so hard it almost hurt. 

"I'll meet you upstairs in a few minutes, let me make sure mom, and dad are in bed," Jessi panted.

Bill, and Suzanne were in bed. Suzanne's head was between Bill's legs, her head bobbing slowly up and down, sucking him, making him hard. She was a firm believer that if a man did a hard days work, he deserved a reward at the end of the day. Bill moaned softly as Suzanne's mouth worked to bring him to his inevitable climax.

When Jessi got up to Ryan's apartment in the barn, she found that he had changed into his sweatpants. She grinned as she looked at the bulge in the crotch. She snuggled next to Ryan on the couch and whispered, "Start the movie."

Ryan started the video and then asked, "So you were busy this morning? Damn! You had me so horny after lunch. I spent the afternoon thinking about you, and trying to hide my hard-on from Uncle Bill."

Jessi blushed, "Yeah I was busy this morning, it felt so good, the thoughts I had were so dirty."

"Really?" Ryan licked his lips, "So what were they?"

"I was thinking of your big cock," Jessi replied. She put her hand over the bulge in his pants and squeezed it. "What it felt like to suck you, and stroke you. What it looked like when you came," she stopped, her face was red, both from embarrassment, and lust. "Right at the end I imagined you shooting your stuff on my face. It felt so dirty, and so hot all at the same time."

Ryan reached under her shirt, slid his hand up to her breast, and began to fondle it. He was pleased to discover that her bra was missing. It made things so much more convenient. 

Jessi leaned her head on Ryan's shoulder, and slid her hand into his sweatpants. She began to rub his erection slowly. "I like it when you feel me up, you turn me on so much."

The guy on the tape slid his big dick into the blonde's shaved pussy, and began to fuck her.

As she jacked him slowly she asked, "Have you even seen a girl who had shaved all of her hair off of her pussy?"

Ryan shook his head. "Nope, can't say that I have."

"Do you like it?" she wondered.

"Yeah, I think it looks pretty hot," Ryan replied.

"Would you like to shave mine for you?" she asked.

Ryan's jaw dropped open for a moment, his face had a stunned look of amazement. "Would you?"

"I might," she replied softly. "If it would turn you on, I would do it."

Ryan decided to go for broke, he slid his hand down the front of her pants, and was surprised that she offered no resistance. When he slid his hand into her panties and found her already wet. Her only reaction was to open her legs wider to offer him easier access. Her hand continued its up and down motion on his shaft as his finger entered her pussy. His finger moved in time with her hand, moving slowly in and out, as her hand moved up and down.

"Your hand feels good," she whispered. "I like it."

Ryan smiled, "Your hand feels good too, I like the way you play with my cock."

The guy on the TV continued fucking the blonde, the only sounds were his grunts, her moans, and the sound of flesh slapping together.

He pressed down with his finger, it rubbed lightly against her clit as his finger continued fucking her pussy. He leaned over and began sucking on her nipples while his free hand squeezed and fondled her breast.

As Jessi watched the blonde being fucked hard, and fast on the TV she asked, "What does it feel like when you put your cock into a girl's pussy?"

Ryan thought for a few moments before replying. "Heavenly, sort of like when you sucked me, but different, it feels like it's completely wrapped in something warm, and sort of wet."

"Take me to your bed," Jessi whispered, she almost unable to recognize her own voice, "We'll have more room to fool around."

Ryan was stunned when he heard her say that, but wasn't about to argue.

They stood up together, and he led her into his bedroom. He didn't turn on the lights, but the room was illuminated by the glow of the moon shining in through the window. He pulled her t-shirt over her head and drank in the sight of her perfect breasts glowing softly in the silvery light. His hands cupped each breast, not quite able to cover each of them with his hand. He was still amazed at their size, and how firm they were. Jessi tugged at his t-shirt and then pulled it over his head. She slipped her thumbs into the waistband of his sweatpants and pulled them down. Ryan kicked them off into the corner. She sat down on the edge of the bed staring at his erection; she pulled him close to her and began to suck on him slowly, her tongue licking the pre-cum from the tip.

She liked the feeling of his cock moving in and out of her mouth, but she wanted more, she wanted to feel his hand playing with her pussy. She stood up again and Ryan undid her jeans and pulled them down. He pushed her gently back on to the bed, and pulled the jeans off. He leaned over, and she took his cock into her hand as he pulled her panties off.

They slid into the bed, Jessi lay on her back, her legs spread, and Ryan lay on his side, his erection pressed tightly against her. He leaned over, his hand moving down between her legs again, his finger moving up and down her wet slit, rubbing against her swollen and erect clit. His mouth moved to hers, his tongue driving deep inside her mouth as she took him into her hand and began to jack him up and down smoothly.

"Damn, you are a good kisser," whispered Jessi.

"So are you," responded Ryan as his lips went down to her breasts.

He licked them, and greedily tried to suck as much of her nipple and breast as he could into her mouth. As he sucked on her nipple, his index finger played with her clit while his middle finger was fucking her virginal pussy.

"I love how you are fingering me, you are making me so hot," cooed Jessi.

Ryan moaned softly through the haze of lust, his hips were thrusting to her hand. "Your hand feels awesome, I love how you jack my cock."

"The way that you fuck my hand, and my mouth turns me on even more," replied Jessi, her voice was full of desire.

Her hand movements had sped up, and her grip had tightened on his cock, his fingers had responded in turn, fingering her, and rubbing her clit.

"I want to suck your pussy," whispered Ryan. He had never tasted a girl before, other than licking the juices off his finger after fingering a girl.

"Oh fuck yes!" Jessi answered with a voice heavy with sexual passion. "I want you to lick my clit and pussy."

Ryan moved around and placed his head between her legs. He spread her petal-like lips open and began to flick at her clit with his tongue.

"Ohhh!" Jessi breathed deeply. "That feels so good."

She pulled his leg over so that he straddled her face. She pulled his cock into her mouth and began to suck on him. As soon as his cock was in her mouth, his hips began moving up and down, fucking her face. She lay still allowing him to move in and out, her hand jacking at the base of his cock, while her other hand gently squeezed and caressed his large balls.

He liked the taste of her pussy as he licked at her clit, quicker and quicker he flicked at it, moving his tongue back and forth across it. Her hips began to grind into his face. Ryan began to finger her with two fingers as he continued licking and sucking at her swollen nub. He loved how his cock felt in her mouth, his hips continued pumping back and forth.

Jessi felt her orgasm approaching first, this was the first time that a guy had performed oral sex on her, and it was great. She knew now why guys must like oral so much, it felt so good. She wanted him to cum while she was cumming so she sped up her hand movements on his cock, and sucked harder on him.

Ryan felt her body shake as it hit its climax; he knew his wasn't far behind. He could feel the pressure building in his balls, a couple of more thrusts and he would be shooting.

Jessi was riding high on the wave of orgasm when she felt his cock twitch, and the jizz shooting deep in her mouth. 

"Yeah, I'm cumming!" Ryan moaned loudly, he wished he could see his cum shooting into her mouth.

She pulled his cock from her mouth. "Oh god, so am I."

His cock spurted again and caught her on her face, it felt so warm and so wet, her hand jacked him hard and fast. "Yes, cum on my face."

He came harder than he ever had before, his jizz spraying on her face with each contraction. He continued fingering her clit as her body shook. He had never made a girl cum before tonight. It was a totally new experience for him. 

After they had both climaxed Ryan cuddled next to Jessi holding her in his arms, both their faces glistening in the moonlight with the other's juices.

Jessi got up, and went into the bathroom and wiped Ryan's jizz from her face. She really didn't want to, but it wouldn't be a good thing if she were caught going up to her room with Ryan's drying sperm covering her cheeks.

"I really want to stay," Jessi said quietly, "But I need to get back to the house."

Ryan walked with her to the house and kissed her softly under the glow of the moon, "I'll see ya tomorrow."

Jessi returned his kiss and then looked into his eyes. "I can't wait until we go camping tomorrow."

Sleep came easy for Ryan, after a hard day's work in the fresh air, and fooling around with Jessi. 'This is the life', he thought as he fell fast asleep.

---

Bill had come over to Ryan's apartment, and woke him earlier than usual. He wanted to get an early start on the day's work. Ryan got up quickly, dressed, and headed over to the house. It was just Ryan and his uncle, Jessi, and her mom were still in bed.

Ryan sat down to a breakfast of pancakes, ham, eggs, and a cup of strong coffee. In the city he rarely ate breakfast, or if he did, just a bite or two. Out here, it was different, breakfasts were large, and hearty, and he was coming to enjoy it.

"We'll get the livestock in the corrals fed, finish up clearing out the creek, and then we'll cut and haul some firewood up to the campsite." Bill outlined the plan for the day. "Jessi said she wanted to head out about three, and you should be back in plenty of time to get cleaned up."

It was quiet at this time of the morning, most of the cattle in the corrals were still bedded down. The horizon glowed with the reddish-orange of the summer dawn, the sun hadn't made its way above the mountains to the east.

The cattle began to rouse themselves as Ryan began to fill the troughs with hay combined with a bit of grain. 




Montana Summer Ch. 02



Bill stood with Ryan and surveyed the scene in the corral. "Well, that's done. Let's pop into the house for a quick cup before heading out. Them women should be up by now."

---

Becky honked the horn as she pulled up in front of Jessi's house. Suzanne stepped out and called out to Becky, "She's in the barn Becky."

Beck pulled around back, and stopped her small pickup. She walked into the barn and called out, "Jessica Marie, where are you?"

"Over here," called Jessi as she stepped out of one of the stalls.

"Well, where is he? Where's Mr. Well Hung?" Becky giggled.

"He and dad left first thing to finish up the creek, and then they were going to cut some firewood for us and leave it at the campsite. Dad said that they will back by three at the latest," Jessi replied.

"I don't know if I can last that long," Becky teased.

"Oh god Becky, he got me off with his tongue last night, it was incredible," Jessi said almost in a whisper.

Becky's eyes opened wide, "Wow! I can't get a guy to even try it on me. But hell, they all want us to suck on their dicks and get them off."

"Isn't that the truth!" Jessi returned her pitchfork to where it hung from the wall of the barn. "Come on, I need to get cleaned up. All we have to do is wait for Dad and Ryan, everything else is loaded except for your sleeping bags and clothes." 

The girls walked into the house and Becky gave Suzanne a big hug, and then followed Jessi upstairs.

Becky plopped down on the bed as Jessi stripped her clothes off, and got ready to get into the shower. Jessi motioned her to follow her into the bathroom, "Hey, I have to ask you something."

"What?" asked Becky as she sat down on the toilet seat.

"Uhm, have you ever thought about shaving your hair off, well, down there?" Jessi asked quietly as she showered.

"What?" Becky couldn't believe her ears.

Jessi stuck her head out from behind the shower curtain, "Have you ever thought about shaving your pubes off?"

Becky laughed, "Well, not recently, but I did once. Dad had a movie in the back called something like Bald Beaver Bonanza. I watched it a couple of times, I thought some of the girls looked hot with no hair. But no, I haven't ever really considered doing it myself."

From behind the shower curtain Jessi admitted, "I think I'm going to do it and surprise Ryan, he thought it was hot."

Becky thought about it for a moment, and quickly started to peel her clothes off, "Hell if you're going to do it, then so am I!"

Jessi laughed as Becky climbed into the shower with her, and began to lather up her neatly trimmed pubic hair. Both girls took razors in hand and began to shave away their hair.

"Ya know, Dad had some videos that showed women shaving themselves, nothing else, just that, and you'd be surprised at how often, and who rented them," whispered Becky.

Jessi was astonished. "You've got to be kidding! Who rented them?"

"You have to promise not to say anything to anyone," demanded Becky.

Jessi nodded her head in response. "I promise."

"Mr. Nelson from the bank, Mr. Richards, Sue's dad, Mr. Wendell, that's just a few of them," said Becky in a hushed tone.

Jessi giggled. "You mean we're sitting on a gold mine here, people would pay good money to watch a movie of us shaving our twats."

"I guess," replied Becky.

After they were out of the shower, they admired their new nakedness. "Get some baby oil, I read somewhere that it prevents razor burn," said Becky.

The girls had just finished dressing when they heard the truck with Uncle Bill and Ryan pull up. They ran downstairs, and out to the truck.

"Ryan, this is my best friend Becky, and Becky, this is the city cuz Ryan," Jessi said as she introduced them.

Ryan smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you."

Becky smiled back innocently. "Nice to meet you too, I've heard all about you from Jessi." then very softly as Bill had already waved at Becky, and was headed into the house. "And I do mean all."

Ryan looked at Jessi questioningly, but Jessi pretended not to notice.

Suzanne stuck her head out the door, "Becky, Stan called, they are going to be late, Lindsey is still getting her hair done. He said to head on up to the camp and they'll meet you there."

"Why anyone would get his or her hair done to go camping is beyond me," muttered Suzanne as she walked back into the kitchen.

Ryan loaded the coolers, and the stuff that Becky had brought into the truck and then looked at the girls, "I'm just going to grab a quick shower, and I'll be ready."

Becky giggled, "Can we watch?"

Jessi stomped on Becky's toe lightly and Becky yelped lightly, "Ow!"

Ryan grinned at the girls. "Sure. If you want to."

Jessi dragged Becky back into the house as Ryan went off to shower. Becky whispered into Jessi's ear, "Wow, he is cute."

Suzanne quizzed the girls on what they had packed in the truck to make sure that they hadn't forgotten anything.

Bill laughed, "Ma, they're just going up to the creek for a few days, not on a year long safari to deepest Africa."

"Well it never hurts to make sure that they have everything." Suzanne gave her husband a dour look. "I like to be prepared, unlike certain people I could mention."

Bill grinned at his wife. "I don't know what we'd do with out you."

"Probably forget where you left your butt," quipped Suzanne.

Looking at the girls, Bill said, "I'll haul some more ice up for the coolers tomorrow afternoon, and that should get you through the weekend. When are you planning on coming back?"

"I don't know if we've even talked about it," answered Jessi, "Either Sunday night, or Monday morning, who knows, maybe even Tuesday. When do you need Ryan back?"

"Doesn't matter." Bill shook his head. "Either is fine with me," he rubbed his chin and looked at his wife. "You know what, I think your mother and I will come up Sunday afternoon, I'd like to get some fishing in."

Suzanne's eyes lit up. "Oh yes Bill! Let's do that. We could have a fish fry Sunday night."

Inwardly Jessi was groaning, although she loved having her parents camp with her, it was definitely going to put a cramp into any fooling around with Ryan. 'Well it's just for one night,' she thought.

Becky perked up. "Are you going to bring your guitar?"

Bill laughed and gestured towards his wife with his thumb. "If I can sneak it past Eagle Eyes here, I will."

Bill was somewhat of a minor local celebrity, he was a fair hand at playing the guitar, and had a good voice. More than a few people had commented over the years that there was no one better at entertaining around the campfire than Bill. He sang mainly old cowboy songs that he had collected over the years.

Suzanne cast her eyes knowingly at her husband. "That's fine Bill, you can take your guitar, but there will be young folks there, you keep those dirty songs at home, and the same goes for your crock of Apple Pie, that stays home too, I'll be checking the truck before we leave."

Apple pie was a concoction made in a stone crock with apple pie filling and liquor. Bill preferred to make his with rum. It was best if mixed and left for a couple of days to stew, and then the stone crock would be set by the campfire to heat up, and then consumed while warm.

Ryan had walked in during the conversation and Bill took him off to the side, "In your truck you will find a stone crock, just make sure your aunt doesn't see it. I might need you for a few hours tomorrow after I bring up some more ice. If your Aunt and I are coming camping, we might need a bit more firewood."

Ryan couldn't imagine needing any more wood than what they had hauled up already, but the twinkle in his Uncle's eye told him that there was something he didn't know.

---

While driving, Jessi explained to Ryan that their fathers, along with their grandfather had built this campsite next to a mountain stream years ago. "Dad said that they would come up here all the time in the summer, fish, and pretend like it was the Wild West, and this was their hideout."

The drive had taken them about an hour, and most of it uphill, steadily climbing until they were almost at the edge of the tree line.

Once at the campsite they began setting up their camp. They had the tents set up, and beds made by the time Stan and Lindsey showed up. There was no denying Stan and Becky were brother and sister, both had the same hazel eyes, light brown hair, nose, ears. The only real differences Ryan could make out was that Becky was shorter, had longer hair, and of course boobs. Lindsey was drop dead gorgeous, shoulder length wavy blonde hair, and a curvaceous body. Ryan thought that Jessi's breasts were larger. 

Becky whispered behind him, "Put your eyes back in your pants, that girl is still as pure as the driven snow. Stan's been trying to defrost that iceberg for two years now, and as far as I know, still no luck."

Ryan turned and looked at Becky grinning back at him.

Ryan turned to Jessi. "Your dad said that he will need me for a few hours tomorrow, something about if he is coming camping we will need more wood."

Jessi laughed, "Well all I can tell you is that if Mom and Dad are coming camping, we can expect a whole lot of other people to show up."

Ryan looked at her with a quizzical look.

She nodded her head. "Just wait, that's all I'll say."

Becky wore a knowing smile on her face. "Words can't describe it, all I will say, is hold on and enjoy the ride."

Jessi and Becky introduced Ryan to Stan, and Lindsey. Stan and Ryan began to chop wood to get a fire going. They would need one to cook over, it wouldn't be long before the sun set behind the mountain, and a fire would be needed to ward off the evening chill of the high country.

By the time the girls had supper ready the sun had set, Stan threw a couple of pieces of wood on the fire, the flames licked hungrily at the dry pine, snapping and popping noisily.

The five of them sat around the fire and ate; they hadn't realized how hungry they had been. One by one, they sat their metal plates on the ground, Lindsey started picking them up and Jessi said, "Just leave the dishes until morning, Lindsey, it'll be easier to do them in the light."

They sat around the fire for while just talking, small talk, campfire talk when finally Stan announced, "I think Lindsey and I will take a short hike and then we will call it a night."

Becky looked at Jessi. "Yeah, I think I'll turn in, too."

Jessi nodded. "Goodnight everyone."

Ryan said his goodnights and headed over to the boys tent, stripped his clothes off, put on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, and crawled into his sleeping bag. He wished that Jessi were alone; he would have to have gone over and visited her for a while. His hardening manhood betrayed what kind of visit he had in mind. He thought about jerking off, but decided against it. He didn't want to make a mess in his sleeping bag, and was too lazy, and to warm to crawl out of his sleeping bag to get some paper towels, or Kleenex to jack off into. Hopefully, he could get Jessi alone for a while tomorrow and get some relief.

He had just about dozed off when he heard some rustling at the tent door; Stan stuck his head in. "Ryan, would you mind giving Lindsey and I a little privacy for a little while?"

Ryan nodded, and pulled himself out of his sleeping bag, and pulled a jacket on and went out to sit by the fire. He looked longingly at Jessi, and Becky's tent and sighed. He put a piece of wood on the glowing embers and watched it ignite. He could hear sounds of Stan and Lindsey making out coming from the tent. He smiled, and was tempted to move a little closer; at least out here he would be able to pleasure himself.

Ryan stood up and stubbed his toe, and cursed, "Damn it all to hell!"

He heard the zipper come down on the girls tent, and Jessi's voice, "What are you doing Ryan?"

He walked over to the tent and in a whisper, replied, "Stan wanted some privacy with Lindsey."

Becky's head poked out of the door above Jessi's. "Stan got her in the tent? Wow!"

"Yup," Ryan replied.

Jessi looked up at Becky. "Maybe the Ice Queen has begun to thaw."

"All I can say is, go Stan go," Becky giggled.

"Well, why don't you come in here for a while? No sense you sitting out there by yourself," suggested Jessi to Ryan.

"Yeah, come on in here," giggled Becky.

Ryan thought, 'What the hell,' and crawled into the tent.

It was pitch black in the tent, the moon hadn't risen yet, and Ryan fumbled his way around. He found himself in the middle with Jessi on one side, and Becky on the other.

Jessi giggled, "So were ya busy over there?"

Ryan was slightly embarrassed about the inference, not because of Jessi, but because Becky was there. He would have readily admitted to Jessi that he had thought of jacking off, but he wasn't ready to say it with Becky there. "No, not at all, matter of fact I was just about asleep."

He felt Jessi's hand on his crotch, and he immediately responded to her touch by growing very hard as she began to rub him. In a matter of seconds his organ was fully engorged, he wasn't sure what to do other than lay there and enjoy her ministrations on his cock. 

"I feel the blankets moving," whispered Becky, "What are you two doing?"

"Oh nothing," Jessi giggled back.

Ryan felt a second hand reaching down, he tensed up for a moment, but when it began rubbing his cock beside Jessi's he relaxed.

"Oh my god!" Becky gasped. "It's huge!"

Ryan felt Jessi tugging his sweatpants down from one side, and once Becky realized what Jessi was doing, she did the same from the other side. His cock was free, and he felt Becky's small hand moving up and down his swollen shaft while Jessi fondled his balls slowly, and gently. He felt Becky move around, and then lift the blanket, and all of a sudden a flashlight came on.

"Wow!" was about all an amazed Becky could say at first, her hand continued moving slowly up and down his thick, hard shaft, "That is amazing, that is one big dick."

She turned the flashlight off and lay on her side next to Ryan slowly jacking him up and down.

"I told you," Jessi said to Becky.

Becky nodded in the dark. "Yeah, you did, but I wasn't expecting that."

Jessi had rolled over on her side and now both girls had their hands on Ryan's cock, slowly jacking it up and down.

Ryan was in his glory, two girls were jacking him off, with his right hand he slid it under Jessi's t-shirt and began to fondle her breast, and he thought for a moment, and then took his other hand and slid it under Becky's t-shirt and began to feel her up as well. Becky's breasts weren't quite as large as Jessi's, but they were still a nice handful, and like Jessi's, very firm. Becky's nipple felt a little longer, and a little bit bigger around, he wished he could see his hands, each holding onto a tit while he was being masturbated.

"Well big boy?" whispered Jessi, "How do you like having two girls jacking your cock?"

"It's heavenly," moaned Ryan.

"Should we jack him off?" asked Becky.

"I think we should," responded Jessi.

"Well, he might make a bit of a mess in our bed," giggled Becky.

"Yeah, you're right," replied Jessi. "We don't want to have him make a mess in our bed."

Their hands kept stroking, keeping an even, steady motion. Jessi's pussy was wet, as was Becky's.

Jessi moaned softly, "Finger me."

"Me too," responded Becky, "Finger my hot little box."

Ryan slid his hands into each girl's pants, and was a little confused at first, and then he came to the realization that each of the girls had shaved their pussies. He wished he could see both of them, bald as babies. His finger found each of their slits wet, and waiting.

"So what should we do to keep him from making a mess," Becky's voice was a little hoarse with lust.

"I dunno," whispered Jessi. She was reveling in how Ryan's finger was fucking her, and how his hips were beginning to fuck their hands as they jacked him off. "Do you have any ideas?"

Becky nodded, little surges of pleasure zinged through her body as Ryan's finger played with her stiff little clit, "I think he needs to tell us when he is about to cum, and then he can cum in my mouth, that way there is no mess."

"Do you want to cum in Becky's mouth?" Jessi asked Ryan, she already knew what his answer would be, but she wanted to hear him.

"Oh yes!" Ryan responded with enthusiasm. "I'd love to cum in Becky's mouth."

This was unbelievable for Ryan, here he was with two girls, playing with two wet pussies at the same time, two hands jacking his cock, and two girls willing to suck him, and allow him to cum in their mouths. He struggles with girls in the city and at college made him wish he had come to Montana years earlier.

Jessi and Becky had picked up the pace, their hands moving quicker up and down his swollen pole. Alternately he was kissing one then the other while his fingers slid in and out of their hot, wet, young cunts.

"How does it feel?" whispered Jessi, "Playing with two pussies at the same time, and two hands jacking you off?"

"I love it," moaned Ryan, he was trying to make himself last longer, he could feel the pressure mounting in his body, and the urge to cum was getting harder and harder to fight.

Jessi wished it was lighter in the tent, she would have loved to see what his face looked like right now, and what Becky's looked like. She had thought that she might feel jealous sharing Ryan with Becky, but instead it had turned her on even more. She felt her own orgasm approaching.

Suddenly Ryan moaned, "Oh fuck, I'm going to cum."

Becky quickly took her hand off Ryan's cock and slid down and opened her mouth. It was all she could do to get the head of it into her mouth. She could feel Jessi's hand tapping on her chin as Jessi continued jacking his cock. Becky reached down between her legs and began to frantically play with her clit. 

"Yeah baby! Cum! Becky is sucking your cock, cum in her mouth with your sweet jizz," urged Jessi as her own body began to shake. Ryan's fingering of her pussy was driving her over the edge. She wished it was his cock in her pussy now, she wanted to fuck his cock, and she wanted him to fill her up with his meat. 

Jessi leaned over and whispered in Ryan's ear, "I'm going to fuck you this summer, I want to feel your big hard cock filling up my pussy." She locked her lips over his as she began to cum.

Becky couldn't get over how big his cock felt in her mouth, Jessi's hand had moved, and now Becky began to bob her head up and down as his cock rose to meet her mouth.

"Yes!" Ryan cried out as his cock began to shoot into Becky's mouth.

It was all Becky could do to swallow before the next spurt shot from the tip of his pulsating cock. Over and over, Ryan shot his seed into her mouth, and she loved it. She began to cum as her fingers rubbed her swollen clit furiously. She had lost count of how many times Ryan's cock had pulsed and fed his juices into her mouth. His cock felt so large and smooth in her mouth. Even after he had finished cumming she continued sucking his cock until it began to deflate. 

The three of them lay there, holding each other, basking in their post orgasmic glow. They heard the tent door rustle, and then the zipper on the door. Ryan quickly pulled up his sweat pants, and the girls adjusted their t-shirts.

Lindsey crawled into the tent, and then turned on her flashlight. "Oh Ryan, I almost forgot about you, well you can head on back to your tent now."

Ryan said goodnight to the girls and walked back over to the other tent. The moon had just started to rise, and Ryan thought it was the most incredible sight he had ever seen. He looked back at the tent where Jessi, and Becky were, an incredible sight for an incredible night. 

After Ryan had climbed into his sleeping bag Stan said, "Thanks for giving us some privacy."




Montana Summer Ch. 02



Ryan smiled to himself, he would give him all the privacy he wanted, "No problem."

"What did you do?" asked Stan.

"I ended up talking to Jessi, and Becky," he answered.

He heard Stan chuckle, "Well, I know my sister, and I know Jessi, I don't imagine there was a whole lot of talking going on," and then with a touch of sarcasm he added, "Well, at least one of us got some action tonight."

Ryan smiled to himself and rolled over. Tonight had been great, he was hopeful that tomorrow might present some more opportunities. He really wanted to see what Jessi looked like now that she had shaved, and he also wanted to see what Becky looked like naked. His cock twitched at thought of more action tomorrow.

As Ryan began dozing off to sleep he could hear the howling and yipping of various coyotes. He pulled the sleeping bag tightly around him and imagined what it would have been like a hundred years ago when this was still wild, and untamed country.

---

It was still grey outside when Ryan awoke, he sat up and saw that Stan was dressed and pulling his jacket on. "What time is it?" asked Ryan sleepily.

"I don't know, about five I think," answered Stan. "I'm going to get a fire going and get the coffee started."

Ryan slid out of his warm sleeping bag. The early morning mountain chill spurred him to waste no time in getting dressed. Once his jacket and boots were on, he exited the tent. Outside he reveled in the beauty of the early morning, mist was rising from the creek, and the only sound was the sound of the water rushing in the creek next to the camp.

He joined Stan at the woodpile, picked up an axe and began to split some wood for kindling.

Stan grinned at him. "We'll earn our breakfast this morning."

Ryan knelt by the fire, the warmth it gave off felt good. "It feels good. Being up here."

"I've been coming up here for years with your aunt and uncle, and the girls. Your uncle has taught me a lot about the finer points of camp cooking." Stan smiled, "Just wait until Sunday when your aunt and uncle are up here. Bill will bring his big, old Dutch ovens, and you will see how it was done in the old days."

The coffee began to boil over, and Stan quickly dumped a cup of cold water into the coffee pot, and sat it off to the side. "Grab us some cups."

Stan poured them each a cup of coffee, Ryan took a sip, he wasn't sure if it was because he was in the mountains drinking from a tin cup, but it was one of the best tasting cups of coffee he had ever tasted.

"Unwrap those potatoes I baked last night, and chop them up, and then chop up an onion and mix it all together, I'll get the bacon going," Stan said to Ryan.

A massive, heavy, black cast iron frying pan was on the fire, and Stan was laying strips of bacon into the pan, before long it was sizzling and the smell of the bacon mixed with the smell of the freshly brewed coffee.

A sleepy voice from the girl's tent called out. "Is the coffee ready yet?"

Stan laughed. "Yes it is, but you'll have to come out and get it, no room service up here."

The zipper zipped open, and three sleep eyed girls in sweat pants, jackets and stocking caps emerged from the tent.

Ryan laughed, and said jokingly to Stan, "I should have brought a camera."

Jessi looked at him with only one eye open. "Good thing you didn't, we'd have to take you out and shoot you if you did."

As soon as the bacon was done, Stan called for the potatoes, and dumped them into the frying pan to cook; in a smaller frying pan he began to cook the eggs. 

They ate their breakfast, and drank their coffee. The sun was up over the mountain by the time they had finished their breakfast. Ryan had almost forgotten how hungry camping made a person. 

Stan announced, "Well I did the cooking," He pointed to Jessi, and Becky. "You two can do the dishes and clean up. Lindsey and I are going to go fishing for a bit, and see if we can't catch our supper."

Becky giggled after Stan and Lindsey left, "Yeah, he's going fishing, but it's not supper he's fishing for."

Jessi flashed a mischievous smile. "I don't know if he is using the right kind of bait." She looked over at Ryan, "Any idea how his luck was last night?"

Ryan nodded as he gathered up the plates. "Yeah I think so, and I think it was all bad."

"I almost feel sorry for Stan," quipped Becky, "He's been going out with Lindsey for two years and I don't think he's gotten much past first base with her."

"I think he'll have to marry her before he gets anything off of her." added Jessi.

"I dunno if that will even help," replied Becky.

Jessi looked at the dirty dishes and said to Ryan, "Be a sweetie and grab that big kettle, and fill it up with water and put it on the fire."

Ryan finished his coffee and put the empty cup with the rest of the dishes. He filled the kettle from the stream and placed it on the fire. Once the dishes were done Ryan refilled the kettle so they could get cleaned up.

The day was warming up quickly, and Ryan emerged from his tent wearing shorts and a t-shirt. He could hear the girls rustling around in their tent. They emerged from their tent wearing tight tube tops and shorts.

It was obvious that neither was wearing a bra, and Ryan smiled. What a great view he thought to himself. As he ogled the girl's assets, he felt himself growing in his shorts.

"Well, I think I'm going to go try my luck at fishing," Ryan decided.

Jessi laughed. "You go ahead. I think we're just going to soak up some sun for a while."

After Ryan had left Becky and Jessi, the girls spread out a blanket on the ground and lay down on their backs. The sun felt so good on their bodies. 

Becky finally broke the silence. "So are going to go all the way with him."

Jessi was silent for a minute, then admitted, "I want to, oh, God how I want to, but he's my cousin."

"I'd let him do me in a New York minute," said Becky, "I'd love to feel him inside me," she paused briefly and then added, "Well, you've done everything but let him do you."

"I know, but that is just fooling around." Jessi found it odd that she didn't feel any guilt, rather her desire to have sex with Ryan had only grown.

Becky giggled, "I dunno, but I think blowing him is a little more than fooling around. Necking, and playing with him, that's fooling around."

"Each time I fool around with him I want to feel him inside of me, last night it was about all I could do not to climb on top on him and let him fuck me," sighed Jessi.

There was a silence for a few minutes then Jessi asked Becky. "Do you think it would be wrong for me to go all the way with him."

Becky shook her head, "No, not really, after all he's what, a third cousin, that's barely there on the related list. And it's not like you grew up around him."

Jessi nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right," She sat up and looked around and then pulled her tube top off, "Let's throw caution to the wind and go topless."

Becky giggled and puller her top off, she looked at Jessi's naked breasts. "I wish I had boobs like yours."

Jessi looked over at Becky, her breasts were a cup size smaller than Jessi's, her nipples though were longer, and her areola were a little puffy, "I don't know, I think yours look great too. I saw Ryan looking at them this morning, he looked like he was enjoying the view."

Becky laughed, and grabbed the suntan oil and slathered it over her breasts, and stomach and then lay back down and promptly fell asleep.

Jessi had oiled up her breasts, but lay there thinking of Ryan, wondering what he would feel like inside of her, she went to say something to Becky but realized that she was fast asleep. She dozed off with thoughts of Ryan's cock buried deep in her pussy. 

Ryan's luck at fishing had sucked, not a bite, or even the hint of a nibble.. He packed up his fishing gear and headed back to the camp. As he topped the bank and walked towards the campsite, he saw Becky lying on the blanket topless. He moved quietly closer, he wanted to get a good look at Becky's naked breasts.

He decided Becky's breasts were a little smaller than Jessi's, but her nipples, they looked like little mounds mounted on the tops of her breasts. He felt his cock swelling quickly in his shorts. Absentmindedly his hand went to his shorts and he began to rub it up and down. He thought about how Becky's breast had felt last night in his hand, and how her swollen nipple had pushed against the palm of his hand.

"Enjoying the view," Jessi's voice quietly came up from behind.

Ryan jumped and turned around, Jessi was standing topless in front of him with a huge smile on her face, and she looked at the bulge in Ryan's shorts, "Well, it does look like you were enjoying the view."

Ryan blushed as he stared at Jessi's glistening breasts, "Well, I uh...."

Jessi giggled. "It's okay."

She pulled him to a grassy area behind the tents, pulled him to the ground, and kissed him deeply, her tongue sliding urgently into his mouth. He returned the kiss, his tongue clashing with hers, their mouths moving over each other's.

He reached up and took her breasts into his hands, fondling them. Her hand reached down to his shorts, quickly undoing the belt, and the button and sliding the zipper down. She quickly grasped his swollen shaft and began to jack him to full erection.

"Did Becky's breasts turn you on?" she asked as her hand moved quickly up and down his cock.

"Oh yeah," Ryan responded as he continued squeezing her large orange sized breasts.

"Do you like them better than mine," Jessi pretended to pout.

Ryan shook his head, "Hers are nice, but yours are magnificent."

He reached over and slid his hand inside of her shorts, it still felt strange not feeling any hair, and then all of sudden finding her wet slit. He began to play with her clit as she stroked him.

"Oh, God, your finger feels so good," Jessi moaned.

His other hand continued playing with her tits, and nipples. He grasped the erect nipple between his thumb and forefinger and began to tug on her nipple, almost as if he was trying to jack it off. 

She looked down at his cock, the head was already wet with his juices, she licked her lips, she wanted lick it and taste it. She took her shorts off and got on top of Ryan, and began to lick the tip of his cock while her hand moved quickly up and down, "We have to make this fast, Dad should be here anytime."

"Put it between your tits," Ryan urged. "I want to fuck them like the guy on that video."

Jessi wrapped her tits around his cock, held her breasts tightly, and began to move up and down his shaft. She liked how his shaft felt between her breasts, and how her nipples tingled in her hands. She found she could lick the tip of his cock as she got to the base of his cock with her breasts.

Ryan reveled in how his cock felt between her slippery tits. He leaned his head up a little and began to lick at her bald pussy. He had begun to thrust his cock between her breasts, the tip sliding up to her lips with each thrust.

Unbeknownst to Jessi, and Ryan, there were two sets of eyes on them, watching them engaging in their carnal act. Becky had awoken and had gone looking for Jessi when she heard their whispers. She had hidden herself behind some bushes and was watching them, her hand down in shorts playing with her clit as she squeezed her breasts.

On the other side of the small meadow Lindsey had heard them and was watching them from just behind the tree line. At first she had been disgusted, but as she watched she felt herself growing wet. While Ryan's cock thrust between Jessi's tits she backed quietly away, she suddenly had a craving to feel Stan's finger playing with her.

Jessi moaned as Ryan's tongue played with her clit, "You're going to make me cum too soon."

Ryan smiled inside and sped up his tongue's movements on her clit. He loved how her pussy tasted, he took his finger and began fucking her with it, sliding in and out of the velvety tunnel.

Becky watched as Ryan sucked on Jessi's clit, 'Oh god', she thought to herself, 'I want to feel him licking my pussy like that."

Ryan's wet finger ran up and down her slit as he continued fucking her tits. Jessi had stopped moving up and down; instead, she concentrated on keeping her breasts tightly wrapped around his cock. Ryan began rubbing his wet finger on her tight little butt hole. He pressed and began to slide it in a little at a time. 

Jessi was a little scared, and nervous for a moment, no one had ever touched her there before. She had seen videos with Becky that had showed guys putting their cocks up there. It felt different; it felt good, but just different.

His index finger was now able to slide in as far as physically possible; he began to slide his middle finger into her pussy as the other finger fucked her in the ass.

Becky was about to cum as she watched Ryan sliding his finger into Jessi's ass. This put her over the edge, her body began to peak, in her mind all sorts of images raced, Ryan's cock in her mouth, between her tits, in her pussy, and now in her ass. Over and over her body shook, maybe tonight she would get another chance to feel that cock.

"Oh fuck!" Ryan moaned, his mouth coming off Jessi's clit for a moment, "I'm gonna cum!"

"Yes baby, cum for me, shoot your load for me, I want to see you cum," Jessi moaned. She licked her lips in anticipation. "Spray my tits with your juice."

Ryan moaned as his tongue beat a quick tattoo over Jessi's swollen clit. He had been surprised at how much it swelled up when she was sexually excited, his teeth nibbled at it as his tongue flicked back and forth across it.

The first spurt from his cock shot between her breasts. She took his shaft in her hand and began to jack his cock hard and fast. Thick gobs of sticky white cum shot from his cock over her breasts and over her belly.

Jessi's orgasm had taken over her body, her pussy ground into Ryan's mouth as his juices were squirting on her tits and mouth. 

Ryan was exhilarated, she always made him cum so hard, over and over his cock spurted, he thought he might never quit. 

Becky heard the noise first. "Damn!"

She quickly pulled up her shorts and ran back to the camp and quickly slipped her tube top back on, she grabbed Jessi's from the blanket and ran to the meadow were Jessi and Ryan were. On the way past the table, she grabbed a still wet towel.

Jessi was surprised, and a little embarrassed when Becky came crashing through the bushes. There she was with her legs spread wide open, and Ryan's cock still between her tits.

"Your dad is coming up the road!" Becky tossed Jessi's tube top and a towel to her.

Jessi jumped up, and Ryan followed, putting his shorts and t-shirt on quickly.

"Having fun?" Becky grinned.

Jessi and Ryan just grinned back, and the three got back to the camp just as Bill pulled up in the truck.

Bill and Ryan headed off to cut some more firewood. Jessi and Becky drained the water from the coolers, and added the ice that Jessi's dad had brought. Afterwards they had giggled about Becky dashing through the bushes, and Becky had admitted to Jessi that she had been watching and masturbating.

Jessi had told Becky about Ryan coming back and finding him rubbing his cock, and looking at Becky's naked breasts.

"Mmm." Becky smiled. "I wish I would have been awake."

Down at the creek Stan had been pleasantly surprised with his luck, the fish had started to bite. Lindsey had returned from the camp, and had started kissing him. She had put up no resistance when he rand his hands under her t-shirt and began to fondle her breasts. Usually it took a couple of hours before she would let him feel her up, and then only through her bra. What was even more surprising was when she took his hand and pushed it towards her crotch, she had let him play with her pussy, and that had never happened before. Her hand had actually rubbed his swollen and aching cock, almost to the point of orgasm. She had whispered, "Do you think you can get Ryan to give us some privacy tonight?"

In the summer in the high country of Montana there is always the danger of fire, whether from nature, or from man. The fires of lust burned hot on that mountain that summer. Nights were clear and cold, but this night promised to be hotter than ever.



Montana Summer Ch. 03



This story is a complete work of fiction; any resemblance to anyone, alive or dead is pure coincidence. All of the characters in this story are 18 years and older.

---

After the girls had taken care of the coolers, they grabbed a drink and sat down. Ryan had just left with Jessi's dad to get some more firewood. Becky's brother, Stan and his girlfriend, Lindsey were off fishing.

"I'm surprised Stan and Lindsey haven't come back yet," said Jessi as she looked towards the creek.

Becky laughed. "Well the fish must be biting, because I can't see him getting any action from Lindsey."

"Poor Stan," commented Jessi.

"Should we go swimming?" Becky changed the subject. 

"Let's wait until Ryan gets back, we can take him down there, too," replied Jessi.

"Good idea," said Becky nodding her head. A conspiratorial smile crossed her face as she asked, "Do you think we could get him to jack off in front of us?"

Jessi flashed her friend a knowing grin. "As horny as he has been, I think we could get him to do anything."

"I have an idea," Becky said mischievously. "But, it involves us doing something we have never done before."

"And what would that be?" Jessi asked curiously.

Becky felt a soft blush warm her cheeks. "Well, uh, we would touch each other..." She paused for a moment, and her voice lowered to just above a whisper. "On the pussy."

"Becky!" Jessi was astounded that she would suggest that.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two girls. Jessi couldn't get the thought from her head, feeling Becky's finger on her clit, and her playing with Becky. And all the while, Ryan would be watching and stroking his big, hard cock. Jessi felt herself growing wet at the thought.

Very quietly, Jessi looked at Becky. "Okay, we'll do it, but first we have to try it with just us. I'd hate to get started in front of Ryan and have one or both of us get all creeped out."

The girls took the blanket that they had been laying on, and went to the little meadow where Ryan and Jessi had fooled around earlier. They removed their tight tube tops, and shorts and sat side by side, Jessi's left leg was across Becky's right leg.

Jessi put her hand on Becky's pussy and found her already wet, Becky reached over and Jessi equally wet. At first Jessi found it strange to be touching Becky, but the more aroused she became, the more she enjoyed it.

Becky's free hand reached over and cupped Jessi's breast. She whispered softly, "I've always wondered what yours felt like."

Jessi's finger slid up and down Becky's wet slit, then moved to her clit, rubbing it in quick little circles. At the same time Becky was rubbing Jessi's clit, Jessi looked down, watching her hand, and Becky's hand. It was an incredible visual turn on. 

"You are making me so hot," Jessi whispered.

Becky was incredibly turned on, while she didn't think of herself as bi, or lesbian, she had discovered the videos that contained two or more girls having sex very erotic, and while watching them she had fantasized about Jessi.

"I love how you are touching me," Becky whispered back.

Jessi began fondling Becky's breast, squeezing it gently and then playing with her nipples. She pulled on them gently, and rolled the erect nipple between her thumb and forefinger. She had an urge to take the nipple into her mouth and suck on it.

Becky's voice was heavy with lust, "Well, do you think we could do this in front of Ryan."

Jessi was afraid that Becky was going to stop now, she wanted to cum, "Oh god yes! And watching him playing with himself would only make it better,"

Becky couldn't get over how good Jessi's finger felt in her pussy, it would only be a matter of minutes before she would climax. Her own finger sped up, moving in frantic little circles around Jessi's clit. She continued kneading Jessi's breast, rubbing the nipple up and down.

Jessi leaned over and kissed Becky on the mouth, her tongue driving deep into Becky's mouth. Becky responded by beginning to shake all over. Jessi knew that she was climaxing. 

As Becky's orgasm subsided Jessi was off on her own, she held Becky's wrist with her hand and began to hump it. "Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me," she whimpered as she came, and came hard.

After she composed herself, Jessi looked at Becky. "Damn, we should have tried that years ago."

Becky's eyes twinkled. "I know, that was great!"

"I don't know why I'm so freaking horny lately." giggled Jessi.

"You're always horny," laughed Becky.

"Yeah, I know," replied Jessi, "But, I'm even hornier than normal, sex is all that I think about lately."

"Must be Ryan's big dick," teased Becky.

"Must be," laughed Jessi.

The girls reluctantly got dressed, and went back to the campsite. They had only been back for a couple of minutes when Stan and Lindsey returned from fishing.

"Where's Ryan?" asked Stan.

"Dad came and got him, he wanted to cut some more firewood," replied Jessi.

Stan held up a stringer of rainbow trout. "Fish for supper tonight."

"Oh yum!" Becky declared.

Stan's face was lit up like a tree at Christmas, he and Lindsey headed down to the creek to clean the day's catch.

Jessi looked at Becky. "He seems pretty happy."

Becky nodded her head, "Yeah and I think there is more to it than just fishing. Lindsey was all aglow, too."

The girls giggled at the prospect of Stan making headway with Lindsey. Becky grinned. "We might have to go spy on them."

"Oh Becky, that's so wrong," replied Jessi, and after a moment she continued, giving Becky a conspiratorial wink. "And that's why we have to do it."

Barely able to suppress their giggling the girls quietly followed the trail that Lindsey and Stan had taken.

---

Ryan had just loaded the last of the firewood onto the back of the truck. He stood back and looked at the load on the truck.

Bill took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead with an old rag. "Well, what do you think? Do you think we have enough wood?"

Ryan shook his head. "I can't believe we will need all of this wood."

Bill chuckled, "Well we might not use all of it, but we will put a sizeable dent in it."

They climbed back in the truck and began to head back up to where the camp was. Ryan was looking out the window of the truck at the landscape. He turned to his uncle and asked, "Who owns the land the camp is on?"

"We do," replied Bill, "It's part of my great-grandfather's original homestead. Ask Jessi to take you to the old homestead site some time. 

Ryan was impressed, one hundred and sixty acres seemed like a lot to him. "How much land is on the rest of the ranch?"

"Ninety-six hundred acres."

"Holy crap!" Ryan was astounded. "That's a lot of land."

"Well, it sounds like a lot, but it's really not. About thirty-five hundred of those acres are pretty much unusable for ranching due to the terrain. We're running cattle on about four thousand acres right now, grazing. We've got twelve hundred acres of alfalfa and hay, another three hundred acres of oats," explained Ryan's uncle.

"It still sounds like a lot." Ryan was still getting used to the enormity of the land in Montana..

"I don't know if your dad has ever told you or not, but he is half owner of the ranch," said Bill as he looked at Ryan.

Ryan shook his head. "No, he has never mentioned it."

Bill chortled happily. "Now when you look around here, you will know that you are looking at your inheritance."

Ryan just shook his head in amazement. His father was an engineer, he worked for the city public works in the water treatment department, to his close friends he would often joke that he had the shittiest job in the city. He talked often about growing up on the ranch, and his escapades with his cousin. But, he had never mentioned about owning part of it.

"Wow, I never knew," said a slightly bewildered Ryan.

"I hope I'm not talking out of school here, but yes, your father and I own the ranch. Our grandfather set up an agreement when we were eighteen, and your father decided he would rather go to school than ranch. Neither of us can sell any part of the ranch without the other's permission, and the other has the right of first refusal. That's for all the land except for the land where the campsite is." 

"What about that land?" asked Ryan.

"Neither of us can sell it to anyone but the Forest Service," answered Bill.

"Why's that?" wondered Ryan.

"Well about fifteen years ago the Forest Service decided that the area by the campground needed protection, so they tried to take it over by using their powers of eminent domain. Your dad had a friend from college who was an attorney working in his father's law firm. He came up here and looked around and took on the case for nothing. He fought it out in court with the government and won, sort of," explained Bill.

"What does sort of mean?" asked Ryan.

Bill looked over at him and explained, "Well the government was denied their claim to the land, but if we ever decide to sell we have to sell to the Forest Service. We can pass the land on to our heirs providing there is no financial gain. Also we are prohibited from doing any development on the property. Further more we were ordered to allow the Forest Service access so they can get to their land up higher." 

Bill chuckled. "They volunteered to take over upkeep of the road up here, but your dad's friend told us not to do it. He said that if the Forest Service upgraded the road in any manner that it could be construed as us allowing development of the land, putting us in breech of the court's decision, thereby nullifying the agreement, and jeopardizing our ownership. I don't know if they were actually being that devious, but it wasn't worth the chance. So anytime we do any work to the road we go to the court first to get permission."

They had pulled into the campground and Ryan looked around. "Did you ever want to do anything up here?"

Bill shook his head. "Nope, your father and I always thought that this is the way it pretty much looked when our great-grandparents settled up here, and that's the way we wanted it to stay."

---

While Bill and Ryan were driving back to the camp Jessi and Becky had been hiding in some bushes watching Stan and Lindsey. So far nothing had happened Stan was cleaning the fish, and Lindsey was sitting on a rock talking to him. They were too far away to make out what was being said.

After Stan had finished cleaning the fish he stood up and stretched, Lindsey hopped up off the rock and wrapped her arms around his waist and began to kiss him. What happened next caused Becky and Jessi to gasp in disbelief, Stan slowly unbuttoned her shirt, opened it up, and slid his hands under her bra.

"Holy shit!" whispered Becky. "He's feeling her up."

Jessi nodded, too surprised to comment.

Stan and Lindsey continued kissing while Stan continued with his hands under her bra. Jessi had to bite her finger to keep from gasping out loud when Stan slid a hand down into her shorts. The girls could see his hand working up and down, and then Lindsey's hand began rubbing the bulge in the front of Stan's shorts.

"We better look for two moons in the sky tonight." giggled Becky.

Jessi snickered, "I guess the rumors of global warming are true, we're seeing a major iceberg melting."

The sound of the rushing water in the stream was broken by the sound of an approaching truck. It was obvious that Stan and Lindsey had heard, as Lindsey was quickly adjusting her bra, and buttoning her shirt. Stan was adjusting his shorts, and then bent down to pick up the fish, and his fishing gear.

"We have to get out of here," whispered Jessi.

The girls backed slowly out of the bushes, and then ran back to the camp just in time to see the truck with Ryan and Bill coming up to the camp.

Becky and Jessi regained their composure, and walked over to the truck, both girls gave Bill a big hug.

"Wow!" said Becky, "That's a load of wood."

Bill smiled. "Becky do you want me to call your dad and invite him up here?"

Becky groaned, "Yeah, you better, he'd be pissy for a month if he missed out. But please, oh please, tell him to leave the hat and fiddle at home."

Jessi snickered. "Oh sure like that would ever happen."

Ryan, and Bill unloaded the firewood, and stacked it neatly. Stan and Lindsey appeared from the direction of the stream. Stan showed Bill the cleaned fish, "They're biting."

Bill whistled and rubbed his hands together, "I can't wait to get up her tomorrow and try out my new rod."

After Bill had departed Ryan said, "I'd give anything for a shower right about now."

Stan looked at Jessi and Becky. "Why don't you two take Ryan down to the springs?"

"Good idea, let's go swimming!" smiled Becky.

A few minutes later with Jessi leading off they headed down the creek, Stan called out, "I'm going to start supper in about an hour, don't be too long."

"Oh great," muttered Becky.

After about a ten-minute walk they came to a spot where the creek widened, there was a pool where the creek flowed in one sided, and out on the other. Large slabs of rocks were on the side of the creek where the three walked.

Jessi set her pack down on the rock and announced, "This is it."

She pointed across the large pool. "The further you go over there, and the hotter it gets."

Ryan looked at the two girls. "I didn't bring a swimsuit with me."

Jessi smiled coyly. "That's okay, neither did we."

Ryan pulled off his t-shirt and then started to remove his shorts, he looked up to see the girls were already naked, and giggling. His cock began to swell immediately as his eyes drank in the sight of the two naked girls. He pulled his shorts off, revealing his hardening cock.

Jessi cleared her throat nervously, "We were wondering if uh..."

Becky was nowhere as nervous as her friend. "If you would jack off while we watched?"

"Well, uh..." Ryan licked his lips.

"We'll give you something to jack off to," offered Becky.

What more they could give him, he had no idea. He looked down at his rapidly rising erection, it was almost pointing skyward. "I suppose, what do you want me to do."

The girls giggled, and sat down on their towels, and spread their legs wide, giving him a good look of their pussies, Jessi pointed, "Kneel in front of us and play with your cock."

Ryan knelt on his knees, and took his shaft into his hand and began to stroke slowly while staring at the girls' pussies. From the way their pussies glistened, it was obvious that both of the girls were sexually excited.

"Oh fuck, that looks so hot," said Becky.

Jessi nodded her head in agreement, and then reached over and put her hand on Becky's smooth pussy and began to finger her slowly.

Ryan's jaw dropped, he had seen videos of girls together, but not in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine that he would see it live and in person. His hand continued slowly moving up and down his swollen shaft as he first watched Jessi fingering Becky, and then Becky beginning to play with Jessi's pussy.

Becky had her eyes glued on Ryan's hand. She had felt his cock last night in the tent, and had only had a quick glimpse of it, and today she had seen it from a distance, but this was her first good look at it.

"I think we should shave Ryan and make him smooth like us." Jessi's voice was husky.

"Oh fuck, that would be so hot, watching his shaved cock, and balls sliding into a bald pussy," responded Becky. Her finger was rubbing Jessi's swollen clit in tight little circles.

"Mmm," purred Jessi. "It would be nice to suck on a cock, and not end up with a face full of hair."

'This is so hot,' Ryan thought. 'I must be dreaming.'

"What about it Ryan, would you let us shave your pubes off?" Becky asked.

Ryan was so hot that they could have asked him to stand on his head, and whistle Dixie. "I think so."

His hand traveled up and down his shaft, the head was swollen, and purple, looking more and more like a large ripe plum.

Jessi's breaths were coming hard and fast, this was even better than when she and Becky had masturbated each other earlier. She was really enjoying feeling Becky's finger on her clit, and she found herself enjoying playing with Becky's pussy and clit. Momentarily she thought about what Becky's pussy would taste like if she licked it. That sent a shiver of pleasure through her body.

Becky was staring at Ryan stroking his cock; she loved the way his balls danced up and down as he pleasured himself. The lust in Becky had reached a point where all she wanted was to see Ryan's cock spurt, and to feel herself orgasm.

Becky's voice was laced with pure lust. "Does it turn you on jacking off while we watch?"

Ryan's head nodded. "Oh god yes!"

Jessi licked her lips. "Have you ever jacked off for a girl before?"

Ryan shook his head, "No, never."

"Do you like watching us play with each other," Becky asked.

"It's so hot," replied Ryan, his hand moving quicker on his cock. "It really turns me on."

"Would you like to suck my pussy like you sucked Jessi's today?" Becky's finger was moving quicker and quicker on Jessi's clit now.

"Oh yeah." Ryan scarcely recognized his voice as he asked Becky, "Would you like me to fuck your tits like I fucked Jessi's today?"

"Yes!" Becky whimpered as she was nearing her orgasm. "And I would like to have shoot your cum over them."

Jessi was getting really hot listening to Becky and Ryan talking dirty to each other, Becky's finger was sending her closer and closer to orgasm, "Would you like us both to suck your cock tonight?"

Ryan's hand was almost a blur on his cock. "I'd love to feel you both sucking my cock while I licked your pussies."

Becky was panting, her body had begun to tense up, and she knew she was reaching the peak.

Ryan cried out, "Oh fuck I'm going to cum!"

Jessi responded first, "Oh yeah baby cum for us, let us see you shoot your load."

His cock spurted long white streams of jizz, it landed on Becky, and Jessi's legs, and thighs. Jessi had started to cum as soon as she saw the first shot leave Ryan's cock. Ryan stood up, and took a step forward, the last two spurts from his cock landed on Becky's tits.

Ryan found that his knees were more than a little wobbly so he sat back down and shook his head, "Oh god, that felt good."

Jessi's head was still spinning; her breaths were still coming in ragged gulps. Becky leaned over and kissed Ryan softly on the lips, "Thanks," she whispered.

They plunged into the pool, the water was cold where they dove in. Ryan found as he moved across the pool that the water warmed markedly. He lathered up and luxuriated in the warm water. The girls swam over to him and giggled as the scrubbed his chest, and then his back. He gasped as they reached down and washed his cock, and balls.

They rinsed off in the cooler water, and climbed out of the water, and got dressed. About halfway to camp they ran into Lindsey. "Stan sent me to get you guys," Lindsey stated."He's about ready to start the fish."

"Anything I can do to help?" Ryan asked Stan when they arrived back at the camp.

"Nope, it's all under control, sit down and relax, you're the only one of us that has done any work today," answered Stan with a big grin on his face.

Ryan wasn't quite sure what Stan had meant by that comment, but all the same he was happy just to sit down and relax. He stared up at the mountains and remembered what his uncle had said this afternoon. He thought of his ancestors looking at the same mountain, and stream. The trees would have changed, but nothing else, this is the same country they had come to over a hundred years ago. All of sudden he felt very small, and almost insignificant. When he was dead and gone, his grand children and great grand children would see the exact same thing he was seeing right now.

The smell of the frying trout wafted through the air, Ryan's stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning. It was one the best meals that Ryan could remember eating, the trout was delicious. Ryan polished off three of them and a large baked potato before he set his plate down.




Montana Summer Ch. 03



He looked at Stan, "Damn, that was good."

Stan grinned. "I think it's because we are camping, I always found food tastes better when you're camping."

The girls did the dishes while Stan and Ryan split some more wood for the evening's fire. The sun had dropped behind the mountain; the sky glowed red in the west. One by one stars started to appear, and with each star's appearance the temperature dipped a little.

After it was dark Ryan gazed at the night sky, he had never seen so many stars. He heard the fire snapping, and popping as Stan fed more wood into it. The five of them sat there watching the fire, telling stories of camping trips past, and just enjoying the moment.

"Do you have a major yet?" Stan asked Ryan.

"No, not yet," replied Ryan.

Stan looked up at the stars, "If I had my way, I don't think there is nothing more I'd rather do than ranch."

Ryan nodded, although he had been here less than a week, he was quickly falling in love with the country, and the way of life. It just seemed less complicated, and he had never felt more free. He finally looked over at Stan and asked, "Why don't you?"

Stan laughed. "Money, it takes a lot of money to get started, just the land alone. Take your uncle, he probably has close to eight million dollars in land, and that's probably on the conservative side."

Jessi nudged Becky. "I think I'll turn in, it's been a long day."

Becky looked at Jessi. "Wha...yeah, I'm tired too."

The two girls got up and headed for their tent. Ryan stood up and stretched, "Yeah, that sounds good, I think I'll head of to bed, too. It's been a long day."

Lindsey looked at Stan, and then Stan asked Ryan, "Say would you mind giving us a little privacy in the tent for a little while."

"Yeah." Ryan nodded. "I'll just watch the fire."

Stan and Lindsey disappeared into the tent, and almost immediately Becky and Jessi came creeping back out of the tent, "Come over here," Jessi whispered urgently.

"We think that Stan might get lucky tonight, that's why we headed off to bed so early," Jessi whispered.

Becky giggled. "And we want to spy on them."

Jessi explained to Ryan what they had seen down at the creek, Stan feeling Lindsey up, and then with his hand in her pants, and Lindsey at least rubbing his erection through his pants, or maybe even jacking his cock.

They waited a few minutes and then crept close to the tent. They could hear the sounds of Stan and Lindsey necking, light moans, and whispers to soft for them to hear. 

"You've got beautiful breasts." they heard Stan speaking softly.

"Suck on my nipples, please," Lindsey responded.

Of the three, Becky was probably the most shocked. She wondered what Lindsey's breasts looked like naked. If there were anything like the rest of her, they would be perfect. 

"Would you like me to touch..." Lindsey paused "You, down there."

They couldn't make out Stan's reply, but moments later they could hear his zipper being unzipped. All three of them were thinking the same thing, would this be it, or would she go further.

"It's so big." Lindsey gushed.

Stan replied, "That because you make it so big."

"Oh Stan!" Lindsey's voice was louder than before, and it startled the trio listening outside, "That feels so good, take my shorts off."

Becky started to giggle, and then Lindsey said to Stan, "I think someone is out there, I thought I heard someone."

Jessi, Ryan, and Becky took this as their cue to head back to the other tent, quickly and quietly they retreated. They had just climbed into the tent and had the door zipped up when they heard the zipper of the other tent, and then Stan's voice, "No, there's nothing out here."

Ryan wiped his brow and laughed, "Oh man, that was close."

"I can't believe he is actually getting somewhere with her." giggled Jessi.

Becky replied, "It's a freaking miracle!" She ran her hands over Ryan's chest. "You might be here for a while."

Ryan feigned disappointment. "Oh damn."

Jessi reached down and found his erection was already stiffening, she giggled, "Oh yeah, I can see how disappointed you are, forced to be in here with us."

The interior of the tent was dimly lit by glow of the fire; Ryan could see Becky taking off her jacket. He reached over and slid his hands under her tube top and began to caress her breasts. Her nipples were already hard, and pressed into the palms of his hand.

Jessi kept gently rubbing the bulge in his pants up and down, she leaned over and began to kiss him, she felt his tongue moving into her mouth and she sucked on it slowly, teasing it with her own tongue.

Becky was enjoying his hands on her breasts, he had the perfect touch, some of the guys she had gone out with before would squeeze them until they hurt, or twist her nipples like they were knobs on a radio. Ryan's touch was perfect, almost like he was massaging her boobs, when he played with her nipples little electric shocks zinged through her body. 

Ryan felt so hard; Jessi's hand was continuing to rub him from outside his shorts. The tip of his cock poked up above the waistband of his shorts. He reached over with one hand and found that Jessi had already removed her top. Becky's hand moved down to his crotch, and he felt her pulling his zipper down, and undoing his shorts. His stiff erection sprung out into Becky's hand and she immediately wrapped her small hand around as much of Ryan's large cock as possible and began to slowly jack it up and down.

"Take your shorts off," Ryan urged, "So I can play with both at the same time."

Becky continued stroking his cock while Jessi pulled her shorts and panties off. Jessi's hand replaced Becky's as she removed her shorts, and underwear. Although there was a chill in the air none of them felt it, the fires of their lust were keeping them warm.

They knelt in a tight circle and Ryan began to kiss Becky, then Jessi, alternating between each girl while they took turns stroking his rock hard manhood.

Ryan reached down and began fingering both girls' wet pussies. Jessi had taken her cousin's cock into her hand, while Becky cupped his balls with the palm of her hand. 

"God that feels good," whispered Becky to Ryan, "You make me so hot."

"I like making both of you hot," Ryan softly replied.

He leaned over and took Jessi's erect nipple into his mouth and began to suck it. Jessi moaned as he lightly bit down on the rubbery nipple. Becky moved her hand and began to rub the slippery tip of Ryan's cock.

"Would you lick my pussy?" Becky asked, her voice heavy with lust.

"I'd love to lick your pussy," Ryan replied huskily.

After a little experimentation they opted for Ryan lying on his back with a couple of pillows under his head, and Becky straddling his shoulders on her knees with her legs spread wide open. Jessi was on her knees, her mouth licking his cock while he continued fingering her wet slit.

Becky tasted a little different to Ryan, not stronger, just a little different. He found he was beginning to really enjoy the slightly musky taste of Jessi's, and now Becky's pussy. His tongue lapped up and down between her pussy lips. Glancing up he could tell in the dim light in the tent that Becky was playing with her tits. He could feel Jessi sucking on the swollen head of his cock, he hoped she would take it all the way into her mouth and suck him off. 

Jessi was turned on, very turned on; she rocked her hips gently back and forth as Ryan finger fucked her. She turned her attention to his engorged cock and began to suck on his cock head while her hand slowly masturbated his male organ.

Becky's eyes were closed while she squeezed and kneaded her breasts. She had never felt a tongue in her pussy, or on her clit before. She had seen plenty of videos where men sucked and licked pussy, she thought it looked hot, but nothing had prepared her for the feeling. 

"Oh fuck that feels so good, suck on my clitty, make me cum," urged Becky.

Ryan flicked his tongue over her clit quickly, he could feel her body quiver each time his tongue came in contact with her swollen nub. Jessi's mouth was moving further and further up and down his shaft each time her head bobbed up and down.

He stopped licking Becky's clit for a moment, and moaned. "I love how you suck my cock, you make me so fucking hard."

Jessi grinned to herself as she took more of his cock into her mouth, she didn't think she could stuff much more in. Ryan's finger continued driving in and out of her pussy, oh how she wanted something bigger and harder to fill her pussy. She sucked a little harder and faster, she wanted a big stiff cock in her.

"You like it when we talk dirty to you don't you?" Becky's voice was ragged.

Ryan nodded; his face was too full of pussy to respond.

"You like having your cock sucked don't you?" Becky wanted to drive him wild with desire. "You like it when we suck you off and you shoot your cum into our mouths."

Listening to her was turning Ryan on even more, he thought it had helped that he had cum twice earlier in the day, he felt like he had a little more control, otherwise just listening to Becky while Jessi sucked his cock would have made him cum.

Becky continued as Ryan's tongue tried to fuck her, "You really liked watching Jessi and I play with each other's pussy. I think you liked jacking off while watching us, and then spraying us with your hot juicy cum."

Ryan's hips were pumping up and down driving his swollen dick in and out of Jessi's mouth. Becky had leaned forward, her hands on the ground as she ground her pussy into Ryan's mouth.

Listening to Becky had also made Jessi hotter, and after Becky had leaned forward Jessi straddled Ryan's hip and grabbed his cock and began to slide the tip up and down her wet slit. With her free hand she spread her lips open and rubbed his cock across her clit.

Ryan's hands were on Becky's ass cheeks squeezing them, her hips were moving so hard he was beginning to have trouble keeping his mouth on her pussy. His own hips were moving up and down as Jessi held his cock and masturbated with it.

Jessi was in a haze of lust when the unexpected happened, she had slid Ryan's stiff cock down between her sex swollen pussy lips, and Ryan happened to press forward with his hips at the same time. Jess's eyes went wide open when she felt his cock slide partway up her tunnel.

It took Ryan a moment to realize what had happened, he held still, he wanted to see what Jessi would do.

Jessi gasped, his cock felt so big inside her. This is what she wanted right now, he had his cock inside of her, she pressed down wanting more and more of it inside of her.

Ryan began thrusting his hips again, driving his cock deeper and deeper inside of her. It felt like his swollen member was being swallowed up into a tight, warm, velvety tunnel.

"Oh god fuck me Ryan, fuck me with that big cock," Jessi moaned.

Becky leaned back and felt Jessi behind her; Ryan's thrusts with his hips were stronger than ever, while his tongue moved harder and faster over her clit. 

All that Jessi could think of was, 'I'm getting fucked, oh god it feels so good, my cousin is fucking me, my cousin, my cousin is fucking me with his big hard cock, and it feels so good.'

As Becky leaned back Jessi reached around and began fondling Becky's tits. Becky moaned she was so close to cumming now.

"I love your cock, it feels so big inside me," Jessi moaned. Any guilt feelings she about fucking her cousin evaporated as his cock had entered her.

"Oh fuck, I'm going to cum," Becky's voice had a sense of urgency, "Make me cum hard."

Jessi began tugging on Becky's erect nipples, Becky's body began to shake as she moaned loudly, "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!"

Jessi was close herself, Ryan's hips were pistoning hard and fast, his cock plunging deep inside of Jess's cunt. While Ryan hadn't had sex with many girls, he was amazed at how tight she was, and how much she seemed to like being fucked.

Becky climbed off of Ryan and turned around and began to squeeze Jessi's tits, and then sucking and biting her nipples. That sent Jessi over the top, she began to cum, and cum hard.

Ryan could feel her pussy spasm, it felt like millions of little warm fingers trying to jack him off, "Oh fuck I'm going to cum," he warned.

"Oh yeah baby cum," coaxed Becky. She leaned her head down to Ryan's belly, "Jessi let me suck him off."

Jessi pulled herself off of Ryan and began rubbing her clit as Becky took his cock into her mouth.

Becky could taste Jessi's pussy on his cock as she opened her mouth wide and took his dick into her mouth. Her hand jacked up and down quickly as she began bobbing her head up and down.

"Yes, suck his cock! It looks so hot, his big cock fucking your mouth!" Jessi panted as her orgasm rocked her body.

Ryan looked down and watched Becky sucking on his cock, Jessi was right, it did look hot, her head bobbing up and down trying to take as much as she could into her mouth, "Oh fuck! I'm cumming!" Ryan's voice was ragged as he felt his balls tighten as his cock jerked, shooting his thick cum into her mouth.

Becky could feel his cum enter her mouth; her hand jacked him as fast as she could. The taste of his cum mingled with the taste of Jessi's pussy from his cock. Over and over he shot his seed into her mouth. After the last spurt Becky slowed down her sucking. She felt him growing soft in her mouth, and then looked up at him. It was too dark for Ryan to see her face, but she was beaming with delight.

Ryan's heart was pounding, his head was swimming, and it had felt so good.

The three of them climbed under the sleeping bag and they held each other tightly.

Jessi broke the silence, "Stan must have gotten lucky..."

Becky laughed. "I had forgotten all about Stan and Lindsey."

"I wonder if she plans on staying the night with Stan?" Jessi asked.

"What are we going to do with the stud here," Becky giggled, "It's fine that we can blow him, and he can fool around with us, but I don't know if he can sleep with us, what would people say?"

Ryan was wondering what he was going to do when Jessi started giggling, "Yeah our reputations would be ruined."

The girls hugged Ryan and smothered him with little kisses, Becky laughed. "Had you worried for a minute didn't we?"

Ryan nodded, and then laughed, "Yeah, you did."

The three of them froze when all of a sudden a blood curdling howl, similar to Tarzan's yell broke through the night air.

Becky giggled. "Hmm sounds like Stan must have gone all the way with Lindsey."

Jessi giggled. "Maybe I should howl like a dog in heat too."

Curled in the warm sleeping bags, and for the moment, sexually satisfied, the three of them quickly fell asleep.

--- 

Slowly the stars moved through the night sky, the moon traveled across the sky. A slight graying in the eastern sky betrayed the coming of another day.

Ryan slowly awoke, aware of only two things, the sun was up, and that he had two girls in bed with him. He grinned to himself, 'Life is good.'

Careful not to awake Jessi, and Becky he crawled out of the tent to be greeted by the morning sun. No one else was up, he looked towards his tent, and there were no signs of life. Ryan pulled his jacket on, even tough the sun was up, and there was still a chill in the air.

Ryan began chopping some wood for the morning fire. Just the sounds of the creek, a few birds, and his axe broke the silence. Before long, he had the fire blazing away. He walked down to the creek and filled the coffee pot with cold water. About the time the coffee had started to boil he heard a tent door opening, Stan poked his head out and grinned sheepishly at Ryan.

"I hope you haven't been out here all night," said Stan trying to sound concerned, but he had a smile on his face from ear to ear.

Ryan laughed. "No, I found somewhere to curl up."

Stan winked. "Yeah I bet you did."

Lindsey poked her head out of the tent, when she saw Ryan grinning at her she turned very red, and scampered for the other tent. 

As Lindsey entered the tent she woke up Jessi, and Becky. She looked at the girls grinning at her and she blushed deeply.

"So Lindsey." smiled Jessi, "Where have ya been all night?"

Becky chimed in. "And whatcha been doing?"

"Uhm, well..." Lindsey mumbled.

Jessi couldn't help it. "Well did you make Stan a happy man?"

Lindsey had to giggle; Stan had been a very happy man last night. "I'm surprised he didn't wake you up."

Becky nodded. "We heard."

Ryan's voice interrupted their conversation, "Coffee is ready."

"Oh yes, I need some coffee," said Lindsey, anxious to escape the grilling about last night that Becky and Jessi were looking forward to putting her through.

Ryan was tending a frying pan full of sausages while Stan was stirring up a bowl of pancake batter. He looked up to see Becky and Jessi grinning. Jessi pointed towards Lindsey, grinned, and nodded her head. 

Ryan grinned back at her, pointed back at her, and nodded. Jessi blushed slightly, and blew him a kiss.

Stan brought his bowl of pancake batter over to the fire, and placed the large frying pan on the grill over the fire, he looked at Ryan and chuckled. "This is what real men need, a real breakfast."

Ryan nodded his head in agreement as he worked his way through his breakfast. 'Drinking coffee from a tin cup, eating off of a tin plate, this was a familiar site for this place,' he thought, 'Four generations of my family have probably done this now, and not much would have changed in all that time.'

He daydreamed as he ate, picturing this place a hundred years ago, the trucks they came up in would have been horses back then, their nylon tents would have been canvas, most everything else would have been the same. Stan had explained that Uncle Bill had told him that when he came up here with his grandparents there was no such thing as a cooler; they had used a wooden box with holes through it placed in the cold water of the stream.

The sound of a truck coming up the hill made them all pause, and look towards the road. They were all surprised to see Bill, and Suzanne pulling in to the campsite.

Uncle Bill had smile that wouldn't quit as he hopped out of the truck. "Any coffee left?"

Stan answered, "Yup, there's enough for a couple of cups anyway. We'll empty the pot and get a fresh one going."

"Boy, you're up here early," commented Jessi with a smile on her face.

Suzanne came up behind Bill and laughed. "Well after he saw those fish Stan he was up at four packing the truck. I'm surprised he even waited for me."

"Well Ma, there was no time for lollygagging around, there's serious business to tend to up here, the fish are biting," Bill laughed.

Bill drank his cup of coffee, and looked at Stan and Ryan, "Now if you two boys can help me with my tent, I would certainly appreciate it."

Aunt Suzanne looked at the two tents that Jessi, and Becky had brought up, "That's what we need Bill, a new tent."

"Nothing wrong with our tent, I remember when it was new, just seems like yesterday," answered Bill.

"Oh when was that Buffalo Bill? Eighteen hundred and ninety eight," she teased.

As they unloaded the tent, and a bunch of poles, Ryan looked questioningly at Stan, Stan just grinned back.

The tent was a behemoth wall tent, made of canvas, and held up with ropes and poles. Ryan wiped his brow and looked at his uncle, "Jeeze, Uncle Bill, this thing looks like something out of a Tarzan movie, one of the real old black and white ones."

Bill groaned, "Oh not you too, and to think I had high hopes for you."

Suzanne just shook her head and laughed, "Oh there is hope for him alright, he can see right through you."

"Jessi, I need you to do me a favor, I need you to run into town and pick up your Aunt Amelia, she really wants to come out, but after church. We would have picked her up, but Jeremiah Johnson over there had to get right on up here."




Montana Summer Ch. 03



Jessi groaned and looked at her mother, "But mom, we were going to go swimming."

"You can go swimming after you get back with your aunt," her mother replied. "If you leave right now she should be home from church."

Jessi sighed, and gave Ryan a weak smile. She knew that once her parents got up here it would be tough to fool around with Ryan. After last night, she really wanted to feel his cock fucking her again, but the way things were looking, she might have to wait until they got home.

After Jessi had left for town Bill rubbed his hands together." Well I think it's time I went fishing"

Stan piped up, "Sounds great, let me grab my rod."

Lindsey smiled. "That's one great rod you have, Stan."

Stan blushed at the double entendre, and Suzanne gave Lindsey a puzzled look. 

With straight face Lindsey explained, "He had a lot of luck with his rod yesterday, maybe he will get lucky again today."

Suzanne smiled. "Oh, I see."

It was all Ryan and Becky could do to keep from laughing, and Stan understood her meaning completely. He felt himself swelling thinking about fucking Lindsey. At first last night Lindsey had been a little timid, but once she got turned on, she had been a little wildcat, almost like she was trying to make up for last time. They had fucked, and fucked last night. After he had came the first time, Lindsey couldn't wait to get started again, and what surprised him even more, was when she had eagerly taken his cock into her mouth to get him hard again.

Stan and Bill had all their fishing gear ready to go, Bill looked at Lindsey, "Are you coming?"

'Give me thirty minutes with Stan and I'll be cumming,' she thought to herself, she then smiled sweetly at Stan and Bill. "No, I'm going to help Suzanne get everything straightened up."

Becky nudged Ryan, and whispered, "Let's go swimming."

Ryan nodded and headed off to the tent to find a pair of shorts suitable for swimming. Becky emerged a short time later from her tent, wearing a large baggy t-shirt, and her swimsuit on underneath.

As they walked along the bank Becky said, "I can't believe Lindsey this morning, I about fainted when she was talking about Stan's rod."

"I was taking a drink of my coffee, and I about spit it up." laughed Ryan.

When they got to the hot spring, they lay their towels down on the rock. Becky smiled as she took her t-shirt off. She was wearing a hot pink bikini, and was showing a lot of cleavage. The bottom was hot too; it didn't exactly leave a whole lot to the imagination.

Ryan whistled. "That's hot!"

Becky grinned. "I'm glad you like it."

"Like is an understatement." Ryan was practically drooling.

Becky cupped her breasts in her hands and squeezed them together. Her soft brown eyes twinkled. "I would love to see you in a more revealing suit, something tight, and form fitting."

Ryan laughed. "Oh, like a Speedo?"

Becky licked her lips. "Oh that would be hot, although I don't think a Speedo could contain you."

"Well I guess it's best if I stick to baggies," quipped Ryan, and he meant it; just looking at Becky in that skimpy pink bikini was beginning to make him stiff.

Becky was a little nervous, this was the first time she was alone with Ryan, and Jessi had always been present when they had started fooling around. Now she had him all to herself for a while, and wasn't quite sure what she should do. She really wanted to fool around with him, especially by herself.

Ryan was nervous also. He didn't want to come on too strong. He wasn't sure if she would be receptive to his advances. He decided to wait and see if she made any hints, or sent any signals that she was interested.

Becky grinned and said. "Well, we might as well take a dip."

Ryan dove in first, and as he dove in Becky quickly pulled her swimsuit top up, completely exposing her breasts, and dove in after Ryan.

Becky surfaced just in front of Ryan. His eyes were riveted on her bare breasts. Ryan couldn't help staring. The sight of her wet, firm breasts, and hardened nipple were awesome. He felt his erection growing quickly. Just the thought of touching them again caused his pulse to race.

Becky looked down at her exposed breasts, and tried to act embarrassed, "Oh my gosh," she placed her breasts back in the swimsuit top. The look on his face told him everything she wanted to know.

"Brr," Becky shivered, "It's cold over here, let's move to where it's warmer."

Ryan nodded; he was thinking that it was fairly warm right where he was. He wondered if that was truly an accident or if she was he trying to make a move on him.

"Mmm, that feels better," Becky sighed softly.

Ryan moved further towards the source of the hot spring, just to see how warm it would get. It got warmer than he found comfortable, and started moving little back towards the opposite shore. The bottom came up fast, and in a matter of steps the water was only knee deep. In his mind he was still thinking about Becky's boobs, and his erection was still stiff. As he turned around Becky began to giggle, and she was pointing at his crotch. He looked down to see his erection sticking almost straight out, causing a tent-like bulge in his shorts.

Ryan moved back towards Becky, his face flushed from both embarrassment, and lust. 

"Did I cause that?" Becky giggled.

"Yup." was the only answer that came to Ryan's lips.

Becky's voice got softer. "Was it because you saw my breasts?"

Ryan nodded slowly. "Yup, sure was."

"Would you like to see them again?" Becky felt herself growing warm.

"Yes, I would." Ryan felt himself growing stiffer at the thought of seeing her tits again, and possible touching them.

Becky slowly undid the string that held the swimsuit on, she let the strings drop to her sides and smiled seductively, "You can see them, but you'll have to take the top off."

With his pulse racing he slowly put his hands under her swimsuit top, her breasts were very firm, and almost fit in the palms of his hand. Gently he began to fondle them, trying to explore every square inch of her tits. Becky loved the way his hands touched her breasts, it turned her on, and she could feel her breathing get deeper.

She reached between his legs and found his raging hard on, "You're so hard." she began to rub the bulge in his shorts. "And so big."

"You make me hard," replied Ryan, he loved how long her nipples got when he played with them, and how her nipples puffed out from her breast. He could almost cum by just looking at them.

"Reach behind my neck and undo the string." Becky encouraged him.

Ryan reached behind Becky, his erection poking through his shorts and up against her belly. He pulled on the string, and then stepped, and slowly removed her top. He put his hands back on to her breast and began to squeeze then gently. He loved how her tit flesh looked as his hand squeezed and fondled them.

Becky's voice was husky, "Let's get out of the water, I don't want someone to come along and catch us fooling around in the water."

Out of the water they got, and went about twenty yards into the trees, Becky immediately dropped to her knees and undid Ryan's shorts, and pulled them. Ryan kicked them off and looked at Becky, her eyes were glued to his swollen member. She stood up slowly running her breasts slowly up his thighs, she squeezed her tits together and rubbed them slowly up and down over his cock.

"Mmm." she purred softly. "That feels good."

"Yes it does." Ryan's voiced betrayed how horny she was making him. "I'd love to fuck your tits sometime."

"I'd like that," responded Becky, the heat rising in her body.

She continued slowly up his body, he loved how her breasts felt against his body. Finally when she was standing up she put her mouth over his, her tongue thrusting into her mouth. Ryan placed his hands on her ass and pulled him tight against her. His cock pressed tightly against her body as they kissed very slowly and very deeply.

Becky's eyes were almost drunk with lust, half closed, and half open, "Take my bottoms off."

Ryan knelt on the ground and slowly pulled down her bikini bottoms. He remained kneeling and put his hand between her legs. She responded by opening her legs, he pushed his finger between her legs and found her pussy was wet. Slowly he fucked her pussy with his finger.

Becky was turned on and that was an understatement. She loved his fingering, and like her friend she wanted to feel her first cock fuck her virginal cunt. His tongue replaced his finger, and she placed her hands on the back of his head and began to hump his mouth. Ryan enjoyed the taste of her pussy, his pushed his tongue in as far as he could, and then licking at her swollen nub.

Ryan began slowly stand up, his hand on his cock, he began rubbing it against the inside of her leg. Becky loved the feeling of his cock on her body; she could feel the wetness from the tip of his cock leaving a little trail.

Slowly Ryan continued until he had reached her pussy, he slid his cock between her thighs, and began to gently pump his hips in and out. The top of his cock head slid smoothly along her wet slit, he pressed up, stimulating her clit.

Becky was panting she was so hot; his cock rubbing on her clit was driving her wild. She wanted that big beautiful cock inside of her.

Ryan left his cock between her legs, and continued pumping it in and out, he reached her tits and began to squeeze them a little harder than before, and then began playing with her nipples, pulling on them, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger. 

Becky was whimpering with desires, her pussy felt like it was on fire, and she knew only his cock fucking her would put that fire out. She lifted her right leg up high and wrapped it around his waist. His could almost enter her, but not quite.

"I want you to fuck me, I want you to be the first one to fuck me," Becky's voice was just above a whisper, "Fuck me please."

Ryan scooped her up into arms and then lay her down on a patch of grass. Becky spread her legs wide, opening her pussy wide open. Ryan knelt between her legs, his cock proudly standing straight up.

He searched her eyes, and his hand slowly stroked his cock, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Oh god yes, Ryan!" Her eyes were almost pleading with him. "Fuck me, I want to feel your cock fucking me."

With his cock still in his hand he leaned forward and placed it at the entry to her shaved pussy. Slowly he pushed, and he slid right in, a half dozen thrusts was all it took for him to bury his engorged member deep inside of her. His cock felt like it was tightly wrapped in tight velvety glove.

"Your pussy feels so wet and tight," Ryan panted.

"Your cock feels so fucking big, it's completely filling me up." Becky moaned back.

It was like nothing else she had ever felt before; his cock was driving in and out of her hot tunnel. She raised her head and watched his distended organ plunging in and out.

Ryan liked the way her breasts bounced as he drove his rock hard cock in and out of her. They moved in unison, back and forth with each thrust.

"Play with your tits," Ryan urged.

Becky reached up and began to fondle her breasts, squeezing them tightly and pinching her nipples. Her hips thrust up hard as Ryan drove his cock into her; she was completely consumed in fog of fuck lust. Her voice was ragged, "Do you like watching me play with my tits?"

"It is so fucking hot," Ryan answered.

"Fuck me faster, your big stiff cock is going to make me cum." Becky moaned heavily.

Ryan sped up the speed, and intensity of his thrusts, she matched his thrusts, her ass coming completely off the ground as he buried his dick inside of her.

"It feels like your pussy is trying to suck me off," Ryan's voice was almost hoarse, he loved talking dirty to her. "You make my cock want to cum."

"I like making your cock want to cum, I love your big stiff cock, it makes my pussy want to cum. I like sucking your big dick, I love the taste of your cum in my mouth." Becky panted.

Her fingers were still on her nipple pulling and tugging on them. She could feel her orgasm building deep in side of her it wouldn't be long now.

"I like how you suck my cock, it feels so good to cum in your mouth," Ryan answered her, he could feel his own orgasm beginning to build, "I'm going to cum, where do you want me to shoot my cum."

That was it, Becky felt her body begin to shake. "I'm cumming, oh fuck it feels so good," she paused for a moment, trying to comprehend what he had just said. "Fuck my tits, I want you to cum on my tits."

Ryan kept fucking her pussy as Becky's orgasm peaked, he felt himself about ready to shoot his load. With a pop he pulled his cock from her ravaged pussy, and straddled Becky just below her tits and then leaned forward. Becky trapped his swollen organ between her breasts and squeezed them together. Her breasts weren't as large as Jessi's and she couldn't wrap them around his manhood.

She urged Ryan. "Fuck my tits, I want you to cum all over them, make them wet with your hot cum."

Ryan liked how her tits felt on his cock, and he began to slide his cock back and forth between them. His cock was slick with her pussy juices and it slid easily between her tits.

"Oh yeah baby, pump my tits, I want to see you cum on them." she urged him on.

He pumped his cock faster, and faster between her tits, he felt cock begin to spasm, "Oh fuck! I'm cumming."

Becky felt the first spurt catch her on the bottom of her chin. She released his shaft from between her breasts, grasped it with her hand, and began to jack him off, the next spurt shot on her breasts.

Ryan moaned as his cock shot its load, he looked down and watched his cock spurting his white cum on her breasts.

Becky liked the way it felt hitting her breasts; she milked his cock until there was nothing left. Ryan sat up and then took his cock into his hand and began rubbing his cum around her boobs with the tip of his cock.

Becky smiled. "I like that," she began rubbing his cum into her breasts.

The two of them lay there for a while, whispering, and giggling.

"I wonder what time it is?" asked Becky

"I dunno," responded Ryan.

"Do you think we should head on back?"

Ryan nodded, and then laughed. "Yeah we'd better before someone coming looking for us."

They put their swimsuits on and swam back to the other side, and gathered up their towels, and headed off back to the camp. Jessi was just pulling back to the camp with her Aunt Amelia. 

Ryan noticed that now there were several more tents pitched beside his uncle's tent, and a few more vehicles. Lindsey and Suzanne, and several other women that he didn't recognize had set up lawn chairs and were lounging in the shade.

Becky instantly recognized her mother and sighed, she was hoping that they might stay home. She resigned herself to the thought of no more action this weekend.

Jessi came into the campground leading an elderly woman by the arm. Aunt Amelia was in her eighties, but would only admit to being in her sixties. Suzanne introduced him to everyone as Roy's son..

After giving her mom a hug Becky motioned Jessi to follow here, and she announced to the others, "I'm going to change into some clothes."

After they were both in the tent Jessi said, "Okay sister, spill the beans."

Becky just beamed.

"Okay what happened?" Jessi asked.

"Ryan fucked me." was all Becky could come out with.

"Oh you little slut." Jessi giggled. "How did it happen?"

"Well we went swimming, and I let him feel my breasts, and then he had a huge hard-on, we went into the bushed and fooled around. I was about out of my mind, and I wanted to feel his cock in my pussy, and that's how it happened."

For a moment Jessi was concerned, "You didn't let him cum inside of you did you?"

Becky shook her head. "No, of course not. I let him fuck my boobs, and cum on them."

"Well how was it?" Jessi wanted to hear more of the details.

"It was fantastic, I'd love to do it again, except..." Becky paused.

Jessi was curious, "Except why?"

"Our parents are here." came Becky's reply.

Jessi nodded her head. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Jessi watched as Becky pulled off her swimsuit and began to get dressed, and then started to giggle. "Well if nothing else we can fool around in bed after everyone else is asleep."

Becky smiled widely. "Yeah, there is always that."

As the girls left the tent Aunt Suzanne called to them, "Jessi, Becky, give me a hand, we need to get things ready for supper."

Jessi whispered to Becky, "I got it, I fucking got it."

Becky whispered back, "What?"

"The answer to our dilemma." Jessi whispered back.

"What is it?" Becky could feel butterflies in her stomach.

"I'll tell you later." Jessi replied softly.

Things had gotten hot high up in the mountains. With the arrival of both girls' parents they had expected a cooling trend. However, Jessi had come up with an idea of how to keep the twin flames, lust, and desire burning hot.



Montana Summer Ch. 04



All the characters in this story are fictional; any resemblance to anyone alive, or dead is simply just uncanny. All characters in this story are 18 years or older. 

*

Ryan sat down and watched Jessi and Becky helping Suzanne prepare for supper. Under Jessi's and Becky's t-shirts he could easily make out the outlines of their bras. 'That's a first for this weekend,' he thought. Of the three girls, only Lindsey had worn a bra all weekend, the other two had gone au natural since they had gotten up here.

Absentmindedly, he wondered what Lindsey's tits looked like, they looked similar in size to Becky. Several times he hand seen her nipples trying to poke through her bra and shirt, and from what he had seen he deduced that her nipples were larger than Jessi's and Becky's.

He felt his member beginning to swell in his shorts, try as he may, he couldn't get his mind off of sex. He had more sex in the past week than he had had in his whole life, well other than what he had experienced with his right hand.

Jessi called over to Ryan, "I need a hand here."

Ryan stood up, aware that there was a bulge in his shorts, Jessi spotted it immediately, grinned at him, and nudged Becky. Becky grinned and slowly licked her lips and then inserted her finger into mouth and sucked it like it was a small cock.

Jessi giggled as she watched Becky, and then picked up an ear of corn and simulated fucking it.

Ryan whispered, "Yeah you need a hand, now I could a helping hand myself."

The girls giggled again; quite proud of the effect they were having on him. Jessi, and Becky would have liked nothing better than to lend him a helping hand, or helping mouth.

Ryan lugged a huge pot over to the campfire, and then on orders from Suzanne, to build a fire and to keep it stoked.

"We need coals, and lots of them for the Dutch ovens," she explained.

After the fire was started he helped Jessi haul some water from the creek. She grinned at him once they were out of hearing range of the camp, "So, I heard you have some fun earlier."

Ryan blushed, and he knew that Becky had already told Jessi all about it. "Yup, sure did."

Jessi asked, "Did you like fucking her?"

A mischievous smile crossed Ryan's face. "Yup."

"I wish I could have seen it, I would like to see your big cock fucking her." Jessi's voice betrayed her desire.

Ryan's voice sighed, "Well I don't see much chance for us to do anything tonight."

A conspiratorial smile grew over Jessi's face. "I dunno, I have a plan."

Ryan's curiosity piqued. "What is it?"

"I'll tell you later, I have a couple of details to work out," Jessi replied. "I have to ask Stan if he wants to help, and now that he is getting something from Lindsey I'm quite sure he will be more than happy to help us."

About an hour later the fisherman came strutting back into camp proudly displaying their bountiful catch.

Bill grinned as he looked at his wife, "Here you go, I caught 'em, I cleaned 'em, now work your magic woman, and cook these up."

Suzanne wagged her finger at her husband, "You been drinking some hooch down there at the creek, or has the sun addled your mind? You don't call me woman! Cook your own damn fish." She started laughing, "Now hand me those fish, someone has to cook them right, and it's a woman."

Bill watched as Suzanne took the fish and headed to the campfire. "Now that's a good woman."

Amelia shook her cane at Bill. "Yes, she'd have to be a good woman to put up with the likes of you" She chuckled. "Don't you forget, I used to dust your diapers when you were knee high to a gopher, and I think I could still do it."

Everyone laughed heartily, there was still enough spunk left in Amelia to do it.

Becky's mom asked, "Where's Stan and Lindsey?"

"Stan wanted to try his rod up further." Becky's dad replied.

Jessi and Becky giggled; they knew which rod Stan and Lindsey were talking about, and where they were going to try it up further.

Suzanne looked at the long stringers of trout, "I think we've got more than enough fish for supper."

Becky's mom studied the fish and nodded."Becky, head up the creek and fetch your brother."

"Jessi you go with her," added Suzanne, she looked over at Ryan. "And I need you to cut some more wood to build those coals up."

Jessi and Becky headed off upstream in search of Stan and Lindsey, talking quietly as they walked.

"So what did you think when he put it in you?" asked Jessi.

"Like nothing I've ever felt before, I thought he was going to split me wide open," giggled Becky.

"Ohmigod yes," responded Jessi, "Last night, when I rubbing him against my clit, it sort of popped, and oh god, I wanted him to do me right there. I know I would have let him fuck me anytime if he had asked me, but to have him take my cherry right in front of you."

"Well, technically, behind me, my back was turned the other direction," snickered Becky, "Hey how about the time you watched me go down on a guy for the first time, Donnie Preston."

Jessi giggled, "Yeah you looked terrified, and Donnie's tongue was hanging out, how long did he last in your mouth, about five seconds?"

Becky giggled, "About that, if he would have been in the rodeo, it would have been scored a no ride.They continued walking upstream until the stream took sharp right bend,

Jessi looked around, "They should be around here somewhere, should we yell, or sneak," her face had become mischievous.

Becky pretended to think for a moment, "Oh sneak, it's gotta be sneak."

When they reached the apex of the bend in the stream Jessi held up her hand, "I thought I heard something," she whispered just above the noise of the stream.

Cautiously they moved into the trees, after they had gotten a few feet in was they spotted their objective. Stan's rod was getting a workout all right, but not his fishing rod. His back was up against a tree, Lindsey was kneeling in front of him, her shirt was open, and her bra pulled up over her breasts. Her breasts weren't quite as large as Becky's, but her nipples were the size of silver dollars, or maybe a little larger. They jutted out proudly like little cocks in heat from her tit flesh.

Quietly Jessi and Becky moved a little closer and crouched down. Lindsey's hand was moving back and forth Stan's cock, jacking him slowly.

Lindsey asked Stan, "Does it hurt when it's hard like that."

"No, not really, but your hand feels so good on it," Stan replied.

Jessi felt her nipples harden while watching Lindsey jacking on Stan's cock, she wished she could feel Ryan's stiff member in her hand right now.

"Am I doing it right," asked Lindsey.

"Yes," replied Stan, "Maybe a little faster."

The girls watched as Lindsey's hand picked up speed on Stan's swollen cock. Jessi was impressed with the size of Stan's manhood; it was nice sized, not as long or as thick as Ryan's but still a nice size.

Becky also was noticing the size of Stan's erection, and was beginning to get turned on watching Lindsey jacking her brother's cock. She had inadvertently seen him naked over the years, but never with an erection. She thought it was nice size to suck on, but felt guilty about thinking about sucking her brother's stiff cock, but thought it was at least okay to watch him being pleasured. She wished she could get her hand in her pants and play with her clit while she watched.

Jessi had slid her hand into her shirt and was playing with her nipple; she could feel the fire in her pussy building. 

Stan bent over a little and began to play with her breasts while her hand continued it's even back and forth movement on his steely shaft. She moaned a little when he played with her nipples.

"I like it when you play with my boobs," Lindsey's voice was husky, "It make my pussy all warm and tingly."

Stan said something the girls couldn't hear and then Lindsey replied, "Well if I had only known what it was really like sooner."

Becky looked over at Jessi who was busy playing with her tits and nipples, and then put her hand between her legs and began rubbing her crotch through her jeans. She was mesmerized by Lindsey's hand moving on her brother's cock.

"I'm so damned horny I think I'd fuck a bear," whispered Jessi.

Becky had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing out loud.

"Your tip is all wet," Lindsey said.

"Rub it on your nipple," Stan urged.

Lindsey took his cock and rubbed the wet precum all over her nipple, it glistened orange in the late afternoon sun. Her hand had begun to move a little faster, and Stan had begun moving his hips to meet her hand.

"Suck on my cock," Stan urged, and then added, "Please."

Lindsey looked at the shaft in her hand, the head was swollen, and reddish purple, "I don't know, I think it's kind of gross to put that thing into my mouth."

"C'mon Lindsey, at least give it a try," Stan almost begged.

The girls giggled, Lindsey was an oral virgin also, they had always suspected it, but this was proof.

'If she doesn't suck his cock, I might have to do it myself', Jess thought to herself, she could hardly wait until later tonight when she could get Ryan alone.

"I don't think it will fit into my mouth," Lindsey replied her hand moving back and forth quicker on his cock.

"Just give it a lick, and try," Stan urged.

Finally she gave in she gave the tip a lick, and then licked it again, finally she looked up at Stan, "Okay, I'll try, but don't you dare finish in my mouth."

Stan nodded as she began to take little by little into her mouth until she had taken about half of it in. Her head began to move back and forth while her hand continued jacking him.

Becky was almost appalled with herself, here she was watching her brother getting his cock sucked, and it was turning her on. She could feel the dampness of her pussy coming through her jeans as she continued rubbing her crotch, oh how she wished she could frig her clit right now.

Lindsey was starting to get into it now, her mouth and hand were moving faster and faster over his cock, his hips were pumping in time with her, trying to drive his cock further into her mouth.

"Oh god, I'm going to cum!" Stan yelled out.

Lindsey quickly pulled his cock from her mouth, but not before a long white rope of cum shot into her mouth, she pulled down on his cock and jacked him furiously, taken spurt after spurt on her tits. 

Becky had a mini orgasm as her brother climaxed, she had never seen him cum before, and she could feel her body shake while she rubbed herself. It was erotic watching him cum, the expression of pure bliss on his face as he released his load on to her tits. She felt a pang of guilt pass through her body, but then a twinge of guilty pleasure.

Jessi watched with envy as little rivulets of white cum slowly dribbled down Lindsey's tits. She squeezed her breasts tightly, pinching her erect nipples.

Stan looked like his knees were a little shaky as he grinned down at Lindsey, "Was that as awful as you thought it would be?"

Lindsey turned beet red, "Well, actually, no it wasn't," she paused for a moment, "I actually enjoyed it, and uhm, I didn't mind the taste, it wasn't like I had been told."

Stan looked at the sun, "We better get back to camp before someone comes looking for us."

"Yeah," Lindsey nodded in agreement. "Next time we fool around I want you to use your tongue on me," she pointed towards her crotch, "down there."

As he pulled his pants up Stan grinned, "I'd love to."

Lindsey stood up and wiped Stan's cum from her tits with some tissues, and then slid her bra back down, and buttoned her shirt.

Jessi and Becky had backed out of where they were and headed back down to the stream. "I'm so fucking horny right now, I almost wish you had a cock so you could fuck me," Jessi giggled.

Becky giggled and simulated a guy jacking off, "Oh baby suck my cock, and then I'll just pass out, I'm a real stud."

Jessi laughed, "Oh yeah, and how about, hey baby, I gotta new truck, wanna fuck?"

They waited a minute and then began to walk upstream and called out, "Stan! Lindsey!"

A few minutes later Stan and Lindsey appeared from the trees looking very, very, pleased with themselves, and a little guilty. Becky grinned at Lindsey, and almost blushed looking at her brother who just minutes ago was getting his cock sucked while she masturbated herself to orgasm.

The sun was glowing red in the west when the sound of a steel triangle rang out loudly. Ryan just about jumped out of his skin, he heard the sound on television, and in the movies, but had never heard the real thing. And at the same time Jessi, Becky, Lindsey, and Stan had appeared, and from the look on Jessi and Becky's face they had a tale to tell.

"Come and get it!" Aunt Suzanne yelled loudly.

Ryan didn't think he'd ever seen so much in one place at one before, there was fish, stew in a large Dutch oven, baked beans, ears of corn, potatoes, freshly baked biscuit, and bowls of different salads.

The meal was a noisy affair, people laughing, and conversing, it took Ryan two plates to try a little of everything. He thought to himself, 'People can take their haute cuisine and stuff it, this was real food.'

"Did you get enough to eat?" Aunt Suzanne asked Ryan.

Ryan grinned, "One more bite, and I may burst,"

Aunt Suzanne beamed, "I hoped you saved a little room, we've got peach cobbler for desert."

"Oh, I've heard dad talk about it before, I think I'll be able to squeeze in a bite or three," Ryan smiled.

That was like music to Aunt Suzanne's ears, nothing pleased her more than her than to be complimented on her cooking.

As the women cleaned up the dishes, the men started the bonfire going, Uncle Bill looked over his shoulder and almost in a whisper, "Ryan, go grab that crock, and set it on that flat rock," he pointed at a large flat rock at the edge of the fire pit.

It wasn't long before they had a nice sized bonfire blazing, they all sat around on benches made of old railway ties. They sat in three groups, the older men, Jessi, Ryan, Becky, Stan, and Lindsey, and the older women.

At first the men talked about how their ranches, complaining about the high cost of feed, fuel, insurance, equipment, and the low prices for their cattle. The women talked about what was on sale and where, the latest gossip from town, who was seen sneaking around, and with who.

After a while they starting telling the same stories that had told around the campfire for years. Some of the stories went back to when the first people settled in the area. 

Ryan's favorite was story of his great-father. He had been only about nine or ten, and had gotten lost in the mountains behind the homestead. He spent the first night alone, hungry, and cold. He spent most of the next day trying to find his way home, without any luck. The sun was beginning to set when heard the sounds of horses, he ran towards the sound and found he had run smack dab into an Indian hunting party. To put this into perspective this wasn't many years after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and this was the first time his great-grandfather had stood face to face with an Indian.

He was scared; he felt the weight of the small rifle in his hands, but immediately realized it would be of no use. One of the Indians said something and motioned to him to approach them. The Indian dismounted, he pointed to the young's boy's rifle, and he handed it to the Indian. The hunter looked at the small rifle, hefted it in hand, and showed it to the rest of the hunting party. Several of the Indian chuckled. The Indian handed it back to Ryan's Great-grandfather and said something, and handed him his rifle back, and then remounted his horse.

The Indian pointed to the back of his horse, and motioned to Ryan's Great-father to climb up on horse.

He was taken back to the Indians camp; it took them until the sun was just down. The arrival into the camp was met with a lot of curiosity. In front of the teepee that was in the center of the camp an older man with long grey braids stepped and looked at the boy with some curiosity. The old man pointed at boy's small gun, he wasn't sure what to do. The Indian that he had ridden prodded him to hand the gun to the old man, who then took it, and looked at it. The boy wasn't sure what to do next so he stepped forward, extended his hand and said, "I'm please to meet you sir, my name is William George McFayden Junior."

The old man looked puzzled and looked to the man standing next to him. He whispered something to the old man. A broad smile broke across his face,

The Indian then looked at William, and in decent English replied to William, "Chief Spotted Owl of the Lakota tells William George McFayden welcome to his camp."

William relayed his story of getting lost, and didn't know how to find his way home. The Indian that spoke English said, "We will take you home in the morning."

They fed William, and gave him a place in a teepee with two of the men that had brought him to camp.

Before they left the next morning the Indian who spoke English, Runs With Elk, took him to the Chief. Spotted Owl took a bear claw necklace from around his neck and put it around William's neck, and then spoke.

Runs With Elk translated, "William George McFayden, this means you are a friend of the Lakota, all of the Seven Nations will know you as a friend of the Sioux."

William wasn't sure what to do, his mother always told him that a gift received should be repaid with a gift, he looked directly into the eyes of the Chief and presented his small rifle and said, "This is my gift to you, it means that the Lakota, and all of Seven Nations are the friend of William George McFayden Junior."

Spotted Owl placed his hand on William's shoulder and spoke softly and kindly, and then retreated back into his teepee.

The rode quietly back finally Runs With Elk said, "That was a good thing you did with the Chief. He said you were a brave young man. You gave him a powerful gift; you will always be welcome in our camp. The Chief has given you a Lakota name."

William spent a couple hours learning how to pronounce the strange sounding name until Runs With Elk was satisfied, William asked, "What does it mean?"

Runs With Elk responded, "You will have to learn for yourself."

A few months later a couple of trappers stopped at the homestead, and were given supper. During supper they kept looking at the necklace around William's neck. Finally after supper was done and they all sat outside in the cool fall evening one of the trappers asked William were he got it.

After William told the story to them the one trapper whistled, "That's quite a story."

"They gave me an Indian name, would you like to hear it?" asked Will.

The trappers grinned, "Yup, sure would."

William carefully recited his Lakota name careful to make sure it was perfect.

The jaws dropped on both of the men as they stared at the boy, finally one spoke up, "Well that necklace, and that name, they have given you a great honor."

Ryan was quite impressed with the story. After the story was finished the men went to get their musical instruments.

Jessi winked at Ryan, "Let's get some hot chocolate going, and I know they will want some tea made for their Blueberry Tea."

Ryan nodded and followed, everyone was talking and laughing and having a great time. Jessi handed him a couple of large coffee pots and lead him down to the stream.

Now that they were out of sight she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him deeply. Ryan instantly ran his hands up her sides and kissed her back, their mouths ground tightly together, their tongues driving as deep as possible. His hands began to fondle the sides of her breasts, it felt funny, and it was the first he had felt they contained by a bra.

Jessi's hands dropped to around his butt and she began to grind against his cock that had swollen to full size almost immediately.




Montana Summer Ch. 04



"I want to fuck you so badly," She whispered, "Your hard dick makes me so hot. I'd love to suck it right now, but we might get caught."

"You make me so hard," Ryan whispered back, he had now worked his hands around to the front of her shirt and was playing with her tits, "I want to fuck you again, your pussy felt so good on it."

They resumed kissing again, Jessi's hand was rubbing Ryan's hardon while he had slipped on hand down to her crotch of her shorts and began rubbing it. He thought he could feel the warmth from it already.

Jessi whispered, "We watched Lindsey giving Stan a blow job, it made me so freaking horny, I wanted your cock so badly."

She could feel her breathing deepen, she loved turning him on. He was still fondling her breasts, he wanted to feel them against his naked chest, she reached for his zipper, she wanted to feel him in his hand.

A voice came from the camp, "Jessi, where are you?"

"Shit!" Jessi exclaimed softly as she let go of the zipper on Ryan's jeans, then she turned and yelled to the camp, "Right here, we're getting water."

Ryan quickly filled both pots with cold stream water and then headed back to the camp, "That was close."

Jessi nodded, "Yeah too close."

Aunt Suzanne, and Becky's mom told Jessi and Ryan to sit down and they would finish the hot chocolate, and tea. When they sat down at the campfire the men had their instruments tuned, and ready to go. And, yes, Becky's dad was wearing the hat that Becky had been dreading, a large old-time cowboy hat, and his fiddle was with him.

They began playing a slow instrumental tune with the two guitars, and three fiddles. Time seem to melt to Ryan, the music was almost haunting, the older men who minutes ago were jocular, now seemed to be very serious. The flickering yellowy orange light from the fire, and the shadows cast by their hats over their faces gave them an ethereal look.

After the song was over Uncle Bill looked at the other men, "Gentleman, I think it's time."

All of the other men grinned as Uncle Bill pulled the crock with the hot apple pie from the fire and held it high in the air at which time the other men hooted and applauded.

Aunt Suzanne groaned, "I told you to leave that," pointing at the stone crock, "behind!"

Keeping a straight face Uncle Bill replied, "I didn't bring it up here, I just found it here."

"I'm sure you did...," said Aunt Suzanne looking around, "You probably had Ryan bring it up here for you,"

Uncle Bill grinned and popped the cork out, and took a long slow draw from the crock and passed it to the man next to him, who in turn took a drink.

Stan took a drink and looked at Uncle Bill, who nodded, and passed the jug to Ryan.

"Bill!" chastised Aunt Suzanne, "You can't give that to him, he's just a boy, and below the legal drinking age.

Uncle Bill grinned, "Up here there is no drinking age, he's been doing the work of a man, he'll be treated as a man."

Ryan took a swallow of the Hot Apple Pie, it went down smooth and easy, he felt a glow building inside his body; he turned and winked at Jessi.

The fire crackled as the men began playing, they sang old cowboy songs, songs of a time long past. The music spoke of cattle drives and men, the land they loved, and the women they missed. The songs traveled all over the West, from the Brazos, to Colorado, down into old Mexico where they sang of young cowboys and smoldering women. They sang of being in the great alone, of gunfights and brawls in the saloons of a thousand towns. The longing for a wife, or a girl left behind they sang of this too. 

Ryan was drawn into the music, a hundred years ago he would have been the age of many the cowboys they were singing about. Before he knew it, it was over. Uncle Bill announced that it was late, and that he could hear his pillow calling for him.

Everyone stood up and stretched, it had been a good night by the fire. Ryan gave Jessi a questioning look. The look she returned to him told him to just relax, and wait.

Aunt Amelia stood up and stretched and looked at the tent with a questioning eye, "I don't know Suzanne if my old bones can take the tent life, do you think someone can take me home?"

Aunt Suzanne smiled, "Of course dear, Jessi can run you in."

Jessi pretended to pout a little, "Who wants to come along with me?"

Becky yawned, and pretended to be sleepy, "I'm too tired, and I just want to go to bed."

Stan and Lindsey both said they were ready for bed also, then Stan nudged Ryan, "Oh, I guess I'll go with you."

Suzanne looked at the both of them, "Drive careful."

The ride into town passed quickly, Aunt Amelia prattled on asking Ryan questions about how his parents were, and then telling stories about Ryan's father when he was young, and all the mischief him and Uncle Bill got into.

After they had gotten Aunt Amelia safely home Jessi told Ryan it was his turn to drive. Jessi sat right beside Ryan as he drove through town. As Ryan shifted he kept his hand on the shifter, which when in second, and fourth was right between Jessi's legs. As the lights of the town disappeared in the rear view mirror Jessi started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Ryan asked.

"The look on your face when I came back from the tent wearing this long jean skirt," Jessi replied.

Ryan chuckled, "Well, I thought it was the most unattractive thing I had ever seen."

"Well it is warm to wear around the fire, and it has one other advantage," replied Jessi, her voice turning mischievous.

"And what might that be?" Ryan asked.

"Well," Jessi said slowly as she undid some buttons on the side, "It has these buttons on the side that I can undo.

Ryan watched out of the corner of his eye as she undid the buttons on the jean skirt. "And," she continued, "I'm not wearing any panties underneath it,"

With that she opened the skirt to reveal her naked pussy, "See, and the one pocket has a huge hole in it, so while sitting at the campfire when everyone including you thought I was just sitting there with my hands in my pockets to keep them warm, I had my hand in my pocket playing with myself."

Ryan slid his hand over her smooth mound, and down to her open lips, "You naughty girl."

She reached over and began to rub his growing hardness, "Yeah, I am naughty, and I know you like it."

Ryan moaned softly as Jessi rubbed his growing cock through his jeans, "Oh that feels good."

She undid the button on his jeans and then slowly pulled the zipper down and set his cock free, it felt so warm, almost hot in her hands. She began to slowly stroke him as his finger found her hot, wet treasure. His finger slowly slid in and out as he drove down the deserted road.

As the truck pulled up to a stop sign Ryan licked his lips and looked at Jessi, "Why don't you pull your top off?"

Jessi giggled, "Well I've never been topless riding around in a truck before." She pulled her jacket off, then slowly undid her shirt, opened it revealing her bra. 

Ryan's erection pointed straight up from his lap, he was still stopped at the stop sign, and was tempted to stroke his cock while he watched her undo her shirt. "Take the shirt off," his voice was hushed.

The shirt came slowly off, and then Jessi reached behind her back and undid the clasp to her bra and slowly removed it to reveal her naked breasts. Ryan reached over and ran his hands over her firm breasts. He noticed some lights coming up behind him in the rear view mirror and had to abandon Jessi's breasts and resume driving.

Once up to speed again he reached around held Jessi in one arm and began playing with her breast as he drove. Her hand had returned to his cock and was slowly jacking him. He reveled in the feeling of her soft tit in his hand, the nipple was fully erect, and felt rubbery as he played with it.

"I've been so horny all night just thinking about you and your cock," purred Jessi.

"I get hard just thinking about you," responded Ryan.

"Do you get hard thinking about Becky?" Jessi teased as her hand traveled up and down his swollen shaft.

"Well yeah," replied Ryan, "But not as hard as I get when I think about you."

"What do you think about when you think of me?" Jessi pressed.

"About the way your hand feels jacking me off, how your mouth feels when you suck on me."

"Do you like it when I suck your hard cock," Jessi was getting turned on more and more as the conversation continued.

"You make it feel so good," Ryan answered, the lust rising in his voice.

"What about when Becky sucks your cock, she likes to suck you," Jessi licked her lips, she hadn't planned on sucking him, but the urge to take his cock into her mouth was beginning to build.

"Yes," Ryan moaned softly, "I like it when Becky sucks me, it turns me on a lot, but I like it when you suck me even more, especially when you let me shoot in your mouth."

Jessi leaned over for a moment and licked the tip of Ryan's cock, tasting his precum, savoring the slightly salty flavor in her mouth, "I love the taste of your cum, and I like how it feels when you cum in my mouth."

Ryan had moved his hand back between her legs and was stroking her erect clit with his finger as he drove. He had slowed down a bit, he wanted to make this last. He had often fantasized about having a girl play with his cock as he drove, but it had never happened up until now.

"Did it turn you on fucking Becky today?" Jessi's voice was heavy with lust.

"Oh god yes, it felt so good."

"Did you like fucking me last night?"

Ryan's hips were moving a bit as he drove, "That was really incredible, it just sort of popped in, and before I knew it, my cock was buried inside of you."

If Ryan could have seen her cheeks he would have seen her blush deeply, "I wanted you inside of me so bad that when it happened I didn't want it to stop, and I don't think I could have stopped, your cock felt so big inside of me, god I want to feel your cock inside of me again." They had pulled off the main road and were now on the private road that led up to where the camp was. Once about a mile up the road Jessi told Ryan to stop the truck.

"I want you to fuck me right here and now," Jessi whispered.

Ryan laid her down on the seat of the truck and then pulled his shorts off. She had spread her legs wide, and he could see her pussy glisten from the soft glow of the dashboard lights. He knelt before her opening and put the tip of his cock at her waiting opening. He leaned forward and looked down into his cousin's eyes and then slowly slid his cock all the way into her tight pussy on the first thrust. He had never felt a girl so wet, so ready to accept his swollen member as Jessi. 

He moaned softly, "Your pussy feels so good on my cock."

Just the feeling of his organ entering her slick tunnel had almost sent her over the edge, "Oh yes, your cock feels so big in my pussy fuck me Ryan, I want you to fuck me hard."

Ryan began to piston his hard cock in and out of Jessi's tight pussy, pulling it almost all the way out before slamming it back in hard and fast. Her pussy was so tight and wet he couldn't believe it. He could feel his lust rising fast in his body, he was fucking his cousin, and he loved it. 

The truck door came ajar, and the dome light came on, he could see her tits bouncing as he fucked her near virginal cunt. Jessi looked down at his cock pounding in and out of her bald pussy. It looked so big, and it glistened from the juices from her pussy. She loved watching it go in and out of her. She felt her orgasm approaching, all she could think of was that his cock was making her cum, and she was going to cum hard.

She sank her fingers into his ass cheeks trying to draw him deeper inside of her, "Fuck me Ryan, fuck me hard, your big, stiff cock is going to make me cum."

Her words spurred him on to drive even harder and deeper inside of her, he could feel the tip of his cock hitting up against something as he pounded his cock hard and fast into her soft pussy. He could feel her body shake, and then her cunt tighten up and begin to spasm as she began to cum. It felt like her pussy was jacking his cock, trying to milk the cum out his balls.

Ryan knew he couldn't last much longer, he felt the need to cum rising inside his balls, "I'm gonna cum", his voice was ragged.

He pulled his cock out of her pussy and her hand grabbed it immediately and she began to furiously stroke his member. Ryan looked down as the first spurt shot from the tip of his cock and landed on her chin, leaving a long white rope of jizz from her chin down over her breast. Over and over he felt his cock pump forth jets of white cum, landing in long white strings on her body, it turned him on even more watching his cum landing on her body, coaxed out by her talented hand. Even after he quit shooting she kept jacking him until he began to grow soft.

She rubbed the cum into her tits as he looked on, "You like watching me do that don't you."

Ryan nodded, "Yes I do, almost as much as I like watching it shoot onto your tits."

"I like watching you cum on my tits too, but not as much as I like the feeling of your cock fucking me. That was incredible," Jessi's face shone with the afterglow of sex.

Ryan nodded, "It was incredible, you feel so tight when I'm inside you."

The couple hurriedly got dressed, and continued on up to the camp, when they arrived back up at the camp they were surprised to find Aunt Suzanne, and Becky's mom still up.

"We just wanted to make sure that you two got back okay," Aunt Suzanne said.

"We were beginning to get worried about you," Becky's mom said.

"You know Aunt Amelia," said Jessi, "We had to go in, and then she had to show Ryan all the pictures."

Aunt Suzanne laughed, and the relief was evident, "I had forgotten that Ryan had been over to her house in quite some time. Well it's late, you two head off to bed."

Ryan said goodnight and walked with Jessi up to the tents, he wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her goodnight, but he could feel the eyes watching them as they walked back up to the tent.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about Suzanne," said Becky's mom.

"Yeah, you were right," said Suzanne, "Well, I suppose we should turn in ourselves, the fishermen will be up early and wanting breakfast."

Becky's mom laughed, "Isn't that the truth. Well goodnight."

Jessi crawled into the tent, and quickly undressed and climbed under the blankets, she noticed that Lindsey was sound asleep in her sleeping bag.

"Well?" whispered Becky.

"Well what?" giggled Jessi softly.

"You know what sister," laughed Becky, "Spill the beans, how was it?"

"Oh god, it was incredible," Jessi could barely contain herself.

Becky was almost beside herself with anticipation, everything had gone wrong for Lindsey and Stan, her mom had walked the three of them up to the tent so there was no chance for Lindsey and Stan to fool around. Her and Lindsey had just crawled into their beds, and Lindsey had fallen quickly asleep. Becky had lay there with all sorts of sexual thoughts coursing through her head. When she had been sure that Lindsey was sound asleep she had begun to masturbate and had heard the truck with Ryan and Jessi pull up.

"Tell me everything," Becky begged, "I'm so horny."

"Well, as soon as we left town I started to tease him a little," Jessi began, "I showed him how my skirt unbuttoned, and then I showed him that I wasn't wearing any underwear."

Becky had started to play with her pussy again, and Jessi was fully aware of what she was doing. It turned her on knowing that her friend was playing with herself as she talked.

"I started rubbing his cock through his shorts as he drove, he was so hard already," Jessi continued, "He started to finger me, and I undid his shorts and started jacking his cock."

Becky was rubbing her clit back and forth in little circles. She was getting hotter by the minute. She had begun to tease her nipples to full erection with her free hand.

Jessi was getting turned on her and had begun to play with her own pussy, "When we came to Division Road he told me to take my top off."

"Did you?" asked Becky.

"Yes I did, I felt so dirty, riding in the truck topless, and it turned me on so much, then he reached around me and began playing with my tits as he drove," Jessi replied.

"Were you still jacking him?" Becky asked.

"Yes I was," Jessi had begun to play with her own tits now as well as her clit, "Then we started talking about me sucking his cock, and fuck it made me so hot. I wanted to suck his cock right then and there."

Becky whimpered softly, "I love how his cock feels in my mouth, play with my pussy, please."

Jessi reached over and began to rub Becky's clit, Becky then began to rub Jessi's pussy, "His cock feels so big when I've sucked on it. And then this afternoon watching Lindsey sucking on Stan's cock, I got so turned on I had to play with myself."

"Oh yes," replied Jessi, "That turned me on too. I was so wet; I wanted a cock so bad. I loved it when Stan shot his stuff on her tits."

Becky was humping Jessi's hand now, "That was so hot, c'mon tell me, did you let Ryan fuck you tonight."

"His cock felt so big inside of me, I was so wet he just slid that big thing right into my pussy, I thought I was going to cum right there and then. He fucked me on the seat of the truck, it felt so fucking good."

Becky whimpered, "Oh fuck I wish there was a cock inside of me right now, I'm going to fucking cum."

Jessi rubbed her friends clit harder and fast, she could feel her own orgasm approaching as well, "Cum for me Becky, I want you to cum. Think about Ryan dicking your tight cunt. You love that big cock don't you?"

Becky didn't answer but Jessi could feel her head shake, "You love that big cock fucking you, and you loved that big cock when it took your pussy cherry didn't you. You loved it when that big hard cock shot it's cum into your mouth didn't you?"

Jessi couldn't believe the way she was talking to her friend, it was turning Becky on, and it was driving her on too, "If you could you would go over there and fuck that cock right now wouldn't you? You want that big cock deep in your cunt fucking you like the little whore you are. You want to make that big hard dick shoot it's nasty hot cum in your face don't you."

Becky couldn't take any more; she was over the edge, both her hands were holding tightly onto Jessi's hand grinding it deep into her pussy. Jessi had her free hand on her pussy rubbing frantically, bringing herself to her own orgasm. 

What the girls didn't see was the blankets moving where Lindsey was sleeping, or supposed to be sleeping. She had been listening to the girls and had began to masturbate herself, and had cum at the same time as the other two girls. She couldn't believe how dirty the two girls were in their sex talk, and she couldn't believe how much she liked it. She wondered what Ryan's cock was like, and what it would be like to suck him, and to have another girl play with her clit. 

Ryan awoke early; it was barely grey in the tent. He tried to fall back asleep, but it was futile. Quietly he pulled his boots, and a jacket on, and exited the tent. The morning was quiet, nothing was stirring, to the west the sky was still black with night, the east was just a light grey, probably an hour til sunrise he thought.

He felt groggy so he walked down to the stream; he was surprised to see Lindsey kneeling by the water. She stood up quickly, and whirled around at the sound of his approach.

"Oh, it's only you," Lindsey was obviously relieved, "I thought it was an animal."

"Nope, just me," Ryan smiled. 

He couldn't help but notice Lindsey's erect nipples poking through her t-shirt. They were longer than any nipples that he had ever seen before.

Lindsey noticed him staring at her chest and was about to zip her jacket up when she glanced at his crotch and saw the growing bulge in his sweatpants. She licked her lips nervously, and reached out and grasped his growing organ in her hand.




Montana Summer Ch. 04



"It's so big," Lindsey commented quietly.

She pulled Ryan to the side of the path and knelt down, and pulled the band of his sweats down releasing his organ to the cold morning air. Her hand began to slide back and forth on it. 

Ryan looked down and watched her tits jiggle as her hand jacked his cock quickly back and forth, "Show me your tits."

He was surprised when she stopped jacking his cock and lifted her t-shirt up over her breasts, and then went back to jacking his cock.

Ryan wasn't quite sure what to do next, "That feels good."

Lindsey looked up at him, "Does it? Would you like me to try to suck it?"

Ryan nodded, "Yes, I would like that."

"I don't have much experience so you will have to tell me if I'm doing it right," Lindsey continued jacking his cock quickly back and forth.

Ryan softly moaned, "That feels awesome."

Lindsey began to gently fondle his balls with her free hand, "How does that feel?"

"I like it, just be careful that you don't squeeze them too hard," Ryan responded. 

Lindsey smiled up at him, "Thanks for letting me practice on you."

Ryan grinned back, "Anytime."

Lindsey's hand felt different on his shaft than Becky, or Jessi, it was hard to quantify the difference. 

Lindsey was still surprised at the size of Ryan's erection, she couldn't get her hand completely around it, and she was having doubts about being able to get it into her mouth. His knob was huge, quite a bit larger than Stan's, but like Stan's it was beginning to get wet. She could see why Becky and Jessi were in love with his cock, it was beautiful, she wondered what it would feel like buried inside of her, Stan's felt like it was about to split her open, but Ryan's was even bigger around.

Faster and faster she stroked his cock, stopping every now and then to lick the tip of it, she liked the taste of the pre-cum on Ryan's cock, it was just a little saltier than Stan's. 

"Do you want me to sit down," Ryan asked, "You might find it a little easier to suck on it that way."

"Okay," Lindsey responded, she released her grip and let Ryan sit down on a stump. He spread his legs open, and she knelt between them. She took his cock in her hand and slowly pumped it as she placed her mouth over the top of his cock head. Little by little she took more and more of him into her mouth. Up and down her head moved, her tongue swirling around his shaft. She found that the more spit that she had in her mouth made it easier to suck his engorged organ.

She was taken aback a little when Ryan reached down and began to fondle her tits. His touch was gentle, and soft, she liked the way he was playing with her breasts.

"Your nipples are so long," he whispered.

She pulled her mouth off of his organ and looked down at her breasts, "I know, I've been thinking about having them shaved so they aren't so long."

"Oh no, don't do that, I think they look really hot like that," Ryan protested.

She took his cock back in her mouth once again, she was beginning to enjoy the feeling of a cock in her mouth, and she could understand what Jessi, and Becky were talking about. Up and down her head moved, she could feel the tip of his cock hitting the back of her throat, she looked up into his eyes, she could tell he was enjoying it.

Ryan was enjoying this unexpected blowjob; she was really getting into it. He thought that she was actually taking more of his cock than Becky, or Jessi had into her mouth. He put his hands on the back of her head urging her to suck more of his stiff cock into her mouth. His hips were rising to meet her mouth.

Lindsey was surprised when she felt Ryan's hips rising and falling, and then when he put his hands on the back of her head she thought, 'He's fucking my face.' She felt her pussy grow even wetter at the thought of Ryan fucking her face. She felt a little depraved, and it turned her on even more. Faster and faster she moved her mouth, and she sucked harder, she wanted to taste his cum in her mouth. 

It wasn't long before Ryan obliged, shooting stream after stream of cum into her mouth. She sucked even harder; she didn't want any of it to escape. 

Ryan didn't even have a chance to warn her that he was cumming, but he didn't care, he wanted her to take his load in that warm soft mouth. With each spurt she would swallow, finally he had nothing left to give her, and her motions slowed down. 

She looked up at Ryan, "Well, how was it?"

Ryan's breathing was still ragged, "That was awesome, if that's how you do with just a little experience, I'd like to see you after you've had some practice."

Suddenly her expression changed, "Please don't tell Stan, I did it so...," her voice trailed off.

Ryan shook his head, "No I won't say anything, I think I understand."

She pulled her t-shirt down and zipped up her jacket, "Thanks, I appreciate it. We'd better get back up there before someone gets up."

No one was up when they got back to the camp, Ryan got the fire going, and the coffee started. Lindsey had disappeared into the tent where Stan was. He smiled to himself, he imagined that Stan was getting the wake up of his life.

The eastern horizon was glowing orange, the sun would be up before long. The sounds of the birds in the trees announced that they were awakening from their slumber. As the coffee pot began to boil he could hear some rustling from the tents down lower. Ryan got up and walked towards the tent where Stan and Lindsey were.

"I think people are getting up down below," he whispered near the door.

He sat back down at the fire and watched the coffee, in a matter of moments Stan and Lindsey appeared from the tent, and Stan wore a smile from ear to ear. Lindsey smiled, and then winked at him, and then disappeared into the other tent.

"Ready for some coffee Stan?" Ryan grinned.

"You bet I am," Stan exclaimed happily, "Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day."

Ryan smiled, "Yup, it certainly does."

Everything was so different up hear Ryan thought, the air smells different, it sounds different, and the women are all horny. Ryan chuckled as he took his first sip of coffee.

A booming voice roared from below, "Damn, it's a great day to be alive!"

Uncle Bill, and Becky's Dad climbed up the hill to where Stan and Ryan were sitting sipping their coffee.

"Now this is the life," Uncle Bill chuckled as he poured a cup of coffee, "Clear crisp morning, good hot coffee, and a stream full of trout just waiting for us."

Becky and Stan's dad laughed, "I've got a new fly I'm dying to try out."

Uncle Bill slapped his thigh, "Well let's down this coffee, and then let's get a head start on the rest of the troop."

The four of them went fishing; Ryan found a new love, fly-fishing. They had hiked up the stream farther than Ryan had gone before to a series of calm pools. The surfaces of the pools were like glass, you could see the ripples of the insects as they landed on the water, and then took off. You could see the fish nipping at the surface, capturing their breakfast. He was amazed at the dexterity of the two older men in casting; they could place their flies exactly where they wanted. Ryan had a small measure of success, and managed to land a couple of nice sized trout.

Uncle Bill had exclaimed when Ryan had caught his second trout, "There's your breakfast man, and I'll have Suzanne cook us up some eggs, nothing like fresh trout and eggs for breakfast."

The sun had been up for about an hour and a half when the ringing of the dinner bell could be heard.

Stan and Becky's father looked up, "Sounds like we are being paged for breakfast."

Stan and Ryan cleaned the catch, and took it up to Aunt Suzanne to cook. The camp was alive with people, all with plates of breakfast, and coffee in hand.

Becky and Jessi were busy helping cook, and both of them grinned at him as he had walked back up from the creek.

As Ryan sat and ate his breakfast of trout, eggs, and hash browns he thought he had found something that he had been missing all of his life. He watched the people, and he looked at the mountains. He realized that he belonged here, these were his people, and this is where his family came from. For the first time in his life he felt like he was home, truly home. Sure life growing up with mom and dad had been great, but they had lived in a big city. It had been a place to be from, but here in the mountains of Montana, these were his roots.

He sat his plate down, and looked over at his Uncle Bill and exclaimed, "Damn, it's a great day to be alive."

No one noticed it, but there was a small tear in the eye of Uncle Bill.

Sometimes the simplest of things are the most important. Sometimes these are the things we spend our lives looking for. Too many people spend their lives chasing things that in the end aren't important. The mountains in Montana are simple, they were there when we were born, and they will be there when we are gone. There's magic in those mountains, time stands still, life harkens back to a simpler time.



Montana Summer Ch. 05



All the characters in this story are fictional; any resemblance to anyone alive, or dead is simply just uncanny. All characters in this story are 18 years or older. 

With breakfast over, Ryan sat on the large rock and just took in the beauty of the morning. He almost felt like he had been reborn. The world had taken on a new look for him. Some people might even describe what he felt as an epiphany. 

He felt more alive up here than he had ever felt before in his life. The smell of the pine wafting on the cool morning breeze, the sounds of the water running in the creek below, punctuated at times by the sounds of birds. The site of a trout rising in the cool morning air, the way the water sparkled in the sunlight. It all blended together to give him a fresh look at life. 

He looked around at the people in the camp, they were so different than most of the people that he had met before in his life. These people liked him simply for who he was. What he had, what clothes he wore, what car he drove, what kind of sneakers he had, none of it mattered one whit to these people. People here were judged on what was on the inside of a person, and nothing else.

Lindsey, like Ryan, was lost in her thoughts. She couldn't believe at what had happened to her on this camping trip. She had arrived up here a perfect virgin. Now she felt like she was turning into a regular little slut. She couldn't believe how much she had enjoyed sex. Now she couldn't get enough of it. Earlier this morning she had sucked Ryan off, telling him she wanted to practice. The truth was she had heard Jessi, and Becky talking about how large his cock was, and she had wanted to see it for herself. Before this trip the thought of performing oral sex had almost turned her stomach, but now she loved the feeling of a hard cock in her mouth, and most surprising to her, she loved the taste of man cum. Dreamily she looked over at Ryan and wondered if there were a way she would be able to fuck him some time. She would love to feel his large cock buried deep within her.

Stan watched Lindsey, and wondered what was going on in her head. He was amazed at the transformation in Lindsey over the past couple of days. He didn't know what caused it, nor did he care. Before this weekend he had felt her up, usually through her shirt, and she had never touched his erection. Early in the weekend Stan had felt a tinge of jealousy towards Ryan. He suspected that he was getting action from both his sister, and Jessi. He had almost passed out from shock when he was fishing and Lindsey came up to him and undid his jeans and pulled his hard cock out and began to jack him off. What surprised him even more was when she opened her shirt up and stroked him until he came all over her tits. Stan shook his head to himself, what a weekend!

After the dishes were cleaned up, everyone started the process of breaking camp. Ryan found it to be an almost melancholy chore. He wished he could just stay here forever. The sleeping bags were all rolled up, and stowed in the trucks. The tents were struck and carefully folded and repacked into their storage bags. The area was swept for any trash that remained. By the time they were done there was no evidence left that they had been there.

Uncle Bill looked over the area, satisfied that all was in order, "Jessi, you and your mom take my truck back, I want to take Ryan up to the old homestead before we head back to the ranch."

Ryan climbed into the other truck, and Uncle Bill headed up the road towards the mountains. After about a half mile on the road Uncle Bill veered off the road, onto to what looked like an abandoned road. Road was probably a very optimistic term, trail may have been a better description. Unused trail would have probably been the most accurate term to use, branches slapped at the truck as it wound its way along. All of sudden the trail opened into a large clearing, a log cabin at the far end.

"This is it," Uncle Bill beamed.

"It looks like it's in pretty good shape," said Ryan as he surveyed the old cabin.

Uncle Bill nodded, "Yes it is in good shape, your dad and I rebuilt it one summer when he came home from college, and I've kept it up ever since."

Retrieving a ring of keys from his pocket Uncle Bill unlocked the door and opened it up and motioned for Ryan to enter.

"Wow," Ryan said as he looked around the two-room cabin, "It's not very big is it."

"Nope, sure isn't. But you have to remember they built this by hand, and you would have to cut wood by hand in the winter to keep it warm, so back then, smaller was probably better," Uncle Bill pointed up at the small loft, "That's where my grandfather would have slept. This is actually the second cabin they built. The first one was just one room, probably around ten by twenty. I think my grandfather said that after they built this cabin they used the original cabin for chickens until it burned down."

A large wood burning stove still stood in the kitchen, an old table and a couple of chairs still sat by the window. Ryan walked into the other room, and tried to picture what it would have looked like when it was occupied.

Uncle Bill led Ryan outside, to a place at the edge of the meadow where a trio of headstones stood. "This is where my great-grandfather, and great-grandmother are buried. My grandfather had a sister who died when she was only a few months old, and that is who the smaller stone is for."

"What happened to her?" Ryan asked.

Uncle Bill shook his head, "I don't know. It takes us what, twenty or thirty minutes to get to town. It would have taken them probably a full day, or more to get to town from up here. To get a doctor up here would have taken at least two full days. Anywhere you go around here, to where people are buried from this time, you see an awful lot of young children buried. It was a tough life up here back then. Things we take for granted now killed people back then. Antibiotics were unknown, doctors were scarce, and families depended a lot on the skills of the mother and her knowledge of home remedies when people got sick. A lot of times, it wasn't enough."

Ryan looked at the dates on his great-great grandmother's headstone and automatically calculated her age, "Thirty-nine, she wasn't very old when she died was she."

Uncle Bill nodded, "Nope, she died from influenza. More people died in the influenza epidemic of 1916-1917 that were killed in the war."

Ryan shook his head; he had been enamored with the beauty of the rugged country. He hadn't thought of how hard, and unforgiving life must have been up here for the first settlers. 

He pointed to the headstone of his great-great grandfather, "You never said what his Indian name meant."

"I asked quite a few people, I guess some things are hard to translate from Lakota to English," said Uncle Bill, "But what I've learned is that it roughly translates to Little White Brother of the Wolf. I've been told that there were various clans of the Lakota, and the one he had run into were members of the Wolf clan. According to my Grandfather he remained close with the Lakota for his entire life."

Once back at the ranch the camping gear was unloaded and put away. There were still the everyday chores of the ranch to take care of. Horses had to be fed, and watered, stalls to be cleaned in the barn, equipment to be checked, and fueled for the next day's work. By the time all was complete the sun was setting, and Aunt Suzanne had the evening meal ready and waiting for them.

Ryan stepped down off of the tractor and walked over to the pickup parked at the edge of the hay meadow. He pulled the truck up next to the piece of equipment, and then climbed into the bed of the truck. He began pumping fuel by hand into the tractor, by the time he was done pumping he could feel the sweat running down his face.

There was a time that he found that annoying, but more and more he enjoyed it. It meant he was working. He found that he enjoyed the hard physical work on the ranch. He could see the results of his labors, tangible evidence that he had been there and worked. Today he was 'haying'. He was running a tractor pulling a swather, cutting swaths of hay twenty-four feet at a time, leaving it in neat rows behind him. Uncle Bill had said that they would let it sit for a couple of days, and then bale it. 

He looked up at the sun, he had quit wearing his watch, and time didn't matter out here much. Work started early in the morning when the sun came up, and often would end in the evening when it was too dark to see. The camping trip had ended a few days ago, and it was back to the business of running a ranch. Uncle Bill was hoping for a second crop of hay before winter, and if the good weather continued there was a good chance for the second crop.

Ryan hadn't had any time alone with Jessi since they came back from the camping trip. Everyone was up before the sun, and not back until the sun was well down. Today Jessi, and Uncle Bill had saddled the horses and had headed up to the high pasture to check on the cattle. They were pastured in the high meadows where the grass was almost knee high this time of year. 

He looked at what had been completed thus far, and what was left, and at the sun again and decided he had better quit daydreaming if he was going to get the field completed today.

"You like him, don't you?" Uncle Bill commented to Jessi as they rode along. It would have been quicker to drive, and to use four wheelers to accomplish what he had set out to do, but he enjoyed riding. 

"Who?" Jessi asked innocently.

Uncle Bill cast her a dour look, and then smiled, "I may be getting on in years, sister, but I'm not senile, at least not yet. I'm talking about Ryan."

Jessi blushed, uncertain of what to say, "I don't know what you mean."

"Ha!" Uncle Bill guffawed, "I've seen the look on your face when he appears, you light up like the fireworks on the fourth of July."

Jessi nodded her head, "Yeah, he's okay."

"I like him too," Uncle Bill smiled.

They were counting cattle as they rode; Jessi was keeping a running tally on a small notepad as they rode in the upper pasture.

"I think he likes it here," Uncle Bill continued.

Jessi had to grin, yeah he liked it here, what guy wouldn't like it here considering the amount of action he had seen in the short time he had been here.

"I'll see how he likes it near the end of summer. I'd like him to come back and join me. I'll have to talk to his father, after all the ranch is half his."

"Why didn't Uncle Roy stay and ranch with you?" Jessi asked.

Uncle Bill looked over from his horse and shook his head, "Well, we finished school together, and there was enough money to send one of us on to college, he wanted to go, and I didn't so he went. He didn't dislike ranching, but always thought there was more to life than praying for rain, chasing cattle, and wading through snow up to your armpits. After our grandparents died and left the ranch to the both of us he told me that he wouldn't do anything to break up the ranch, and that I had a free hand to do whatever I thought necessary. I've tried to send him money when we've had a good year, but he always sends it back to me, and tells me to put it back into the ranch."

They rode in silence for a while then Uncle Bill pointed towards the mountains, "I saw something this weekend that I hadn't seen in quite a while. I watched Ryan looking at the mountains, the look in his eyes looked just like my granddad. He loved these mountains with a passion. He always told me that each time he looked at them that it was like seeing them for the first time."

The sun was slipping down towards the mountains in the west by the time Ryan had finished He disengaged the PTO on the tractor, and disconnected the swather from the tractor to its full height. He stopped by the pickup and grabbed his lunch box. Uncle Bill had told him to bring the tractor in when he was done, and that they could pick up the truck in the morning.

It was late when he arrived back at the house. From the look of things Jessi, and Uncle Bill hadn't gotten back much before Ryan. They were still taking care of the horses when Ryan pulled the tractor and mower next to the barn.

"Well how did it go?" Uncle Bill asked.

"Good," Ryan shook his head, "It's all done."

Uncle Bill smiled, "Good job, now let's get some supper, hopefully ma kept it warm for us."

If you had asked Ryan what he ate for supper that night he wouldn't have been able to answer. He was bone tired, after he ate he said goodnight, and headed up to his little apartment, had a shower, and fell into bed. 

About the same time Ryan, and Jessi had collapsed into their beds Becky had climbed into hers. Not for the same reason that Ryan, and Jessi had, they were exhausted, Becky was horny. She felt the need to masturbate, since coming back from the camping trip she had kept playing what she had seen that afternoon when Lindsey had taken Stan's erection into her mouth and sucked it until Stan had climaxed in her mouth.

Over and over in her mind she replayed the scene, except that in her fantasy it was her mouth on her brother's engorged organ. 

She had realized one thing since coming back from camping, all she had to do was talk about Lindsey and the bulge in Stan's pants would swell slightly. Stan and Lindsey had gone out every night since they had returned; she could only imagine what they were doing. She wished it were she with Stan.

She wondered what it would feel like to have Stan touch her breasts; her hands would travel to her breasts and softly caress them. Becky would tease her nipples to erection, imagining Stan's hands gently squeezing her tits, and playing with her nipples.

She could see Lindsey's hand on his manhood, stroking it slowly, making it hard, she wished she could put her hand on his organ and tease it to full erection. Her hand traveled down to her shaved pussy, her finger looking for that special spot, and then beginning to rub it. She wondered if Stan would like her shaved cunt. She felt so dirty when she used that word in her mind.

"Stan, you are making my cunt wet," she whispered as she continued playing with her clit, "Would you like me to suck your big, hard cock? Do you want to fuck my hot cunt with your big stiff cock?"

Faster and faster she worked her clit as she fantasized about her brother putting his big, stiff cock at the entrance to her mouth. She could feel herself opening her mouth and slowly sliding her mouth over his cock-head. Her tongue would swirl around his steely shaft; she could almost taste his pre-cum in her mouth as she fingered her slippery slit.

As she climaxed she imagined his cock filling her mouth, his cock pulsing and shooting its hot load into her mouth.

She lay there afterwards, as always feeling slightly guilty about fantasizing about her brother.

When Ryan glanced at the clock, it was 5:00 AM, time to get up. Something was different this morning; he was still too groggy to put a finger on what it was. He pulled his jeans on, then his t-shirt, and socks. He sat down and pulled his work boots on, and then laced them up. When he walked down into the barn, it was immediately apparent at what was different; it was cloudy, and drizzling.

He stopped at the barn door and looked towards the mountains, they were wrapped in clouds and mist. From the look of the ground it must have rained most of the night. He walked into the kitchen of the house. Aunt Suzanne was busy at the stove cooking breakfast; Uncle Bill was absorbed in reading the local paper, even though it was almost a week old. Ryan walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down.

Uncle Bill looked up from the paper, "Damned weatherman, if he says there is an eighty percent chance of rain, we won't see a drop, ten percent, you had better get the hip waders out, it's gonna pour for day," he sighed softly, "Well, we needed the rain, I just wish it had waited a couple of days."

Before coming to Montana Ryan had rarely eaten breakfast, but now he found himself looking forward more and more to the first meal of the day. Around here it was probably the biggest meal of the day. More often than not it consisted of fried steaks, eggs, pancakes, fried potatoes, and what ever else Aunt Suzanne could think of.

Ryan sipped his coffee and looked over at his uncle, "So, what's the plan for today?"

Uncle Bill looked up and took off his reading glasses, "Well, the pickups could stand to have the oil changed, the loader on the John Deere has a hydraulic leak that needs fixing, that tractor you brought in could stand some servicing, I think we will spend the day in the shop taking care of the equipment. After breakfast we will run up and pick up the truck you left at the hay meadow."

Ryan nodded and was about to speak when Jessi came downstairs. She was still in her pajamas and her breasts jiggled deliciously with each step she took. Ryan could feel himself swelling as he tried not to stare at her.

Jessi could feel his eyes glued to her, and she was glad. She knew what effect she was having on him, and she loved it. Just the thought of him being hard gave her a tingling feeling in the pit of her stomach. She grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down beside Ryan.

She smiled brightly, "Good morning everyone."

She reached beside her and gave Ryan's crotch a quick squeeze, she was pleased to find him rock hard already. Maybe today if all went well she might have some time to spend alone with him. Since coming back from camping she had masturbated herself to sleep every night, thinking of Ryan, and of ways to have fun with his big hard cock.

Ryan gave Jessi a quick glance and then looked quickly around the kitchen, Aunt Suzanne was busy with her cooking, and Uncle Bill had returned to studying his paper. 

He looked back at Jessi who was grinning like a Cheshire cat, he was tempted to reach over and rub her crotch, but in the state he was in, he wasn't sure if he could just stop at that so in the end he just gave her a weak grin.

After breakfast Uncle Bill, and Ryan had gone off to retrieve the truck from the hay meadow. Uncle Bill showed Ryan where all the tools were in the shop, and where the oil, and filters were kept and left Ryan to take care of the trucks.

About mid-morning Uncle Bill announced that he had to head off to town to pick up some parts. Around lunchtime Ryan had finished with the trucks, and had done all he could do with the tractor when a familiar head peeked into the grease pit.

Jessi grinned, "Are you having fun down there playing with your tools?"

Ryan laughed and tossed a wadded up paper towel at her, "Oh yeah, loads of fun."

"Well I'd like to play with your tool," Jessi's look was mischievous.

Ryan's penis began to grow rapidly erect, his voice was husky, "You can play with that tool anytime you want."

"Have you been busy with your tool?" Jessi was getting turned just teasing Ryan.

Ryan shook his head, "No, I haven't."

Jessi was surprised, she really didn't believe him, "You're lying, you must have played with it at least once since we came back."

Ryan shook his head again, "Nope, when I get to bed, I've been asleep before my head hits the pillow.

She pretended to pout, "Oh, so you haven't thought about me at all?"

"No," Ryan replied, "I've thought about you a lot, but just haven't had the time to do anything about it."

"Does it get you hard when you think about me?" Jessi continued to tease him.

"Oh yeah," Ryan replied, "You try running a tractor with a boner for hours on end."

Jessi stepped down into the grease pit, and begin rubbing the front of his jeans, "Oh wow, you are so hard already."

Ryan softly moaned, oh how he wanted to fondle her luscious tits, but his hands were greasy, "Be careful, it won't take me much to cum right now."




Montana Summer Ch. 05



"Really?" Jessi smiled, and unzipped his jeans, and undid the button on his jeans and pulled his engorged cock free and began to stroke it.

"God that feels so good," Ryan whispered.

"So you haven't watched any of those dirty movies, or looked at any of the magazines?" Jessi asked as she continued to jack his cock up and down. She was surprise at how wet the tip was already. Pre-cum dripped from his cock in a slow steady manner as her hand moved up and down his swollen shaft.

"No, not at all," Ryan's eyes were half closed, he was enjoying the attention his erection was receiving at the moment.

"I'm surprised," Jessi whispered, "I've had to play with myself every night since we came back. I think about you, and your big stiff cock when I play with myself, do you like that?"

"Mmm yes," Ryan's breathing had quickened, and his face was flushed with lust.

Jessi loved how his big cock felt in her small hand, it felt so powerful, and in turn it made her feel powerful knowing that her small hand could conquer it. Her pumping on his steely hard shaft picked up speed. She wanted to make him cum right here, right now.

"Should I stop now, or do you want me to continue," whispered Jessi.

"No, don't stop! Keep doing what you are doing," Ryan quickly replied.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Keep jacking my cock like that," Ryan whispered.

"Do you want me to make you cum?" Jessi's hand continued it's rapid up and down motion on his thick shaft.

"Oh fuck yes, make me cum, jack me off, I need to cum so bad," Ryan's eyes were closed; he was leaning against the wall in the grease pit. His hips were moving in time with the movements of her hand.

"I love jacking you off, I especially like the way you fuck my hand when I stroke you," Jessi's voice was just above a whisper, "It make me so wet when I play with your cock."

"Oh fuck, I'm going to cum!" Ryan's voice was quivering with lust.

Jessi's hand flew faster and faster along his shaft, "Oh yeah baby, cum for me, shoot your big load for me, I want to watch you pump your hot cum."

Jessi dropped to her knees, "Cum in my mouth, I want to taste you," she opened her mouth wide and her hand was almost a blur on his cock.

Ryan looked down at Jessi, her mouth just in front of the tip of his cock, her tongue out, and mouth wide open, ready to accept his treasure. He watched as the first long stream of jizz shot forth from his cock and landed on her lips, mouth, and tongue. Over and over his cock pulsed, and with each pulse he would let out a groan, the wet sticky cum landing on Jessi's lips, and in her mouth.

Midway through his orgasm Ryan looked into Jessi's eyes, "I love it when you let me cum in your mouth, it's such a huge turn on."

Jessi smiled and continued pumping his cock until it quit delivering it's warm, pearly white cum. She ran her lips over his swollen cockhead and took as much of his cock as she could stuff into her mouth, savoring the taste of his cum.

After she stood up she looked directly into his eyes, "Now it's time for you to get into the shower, I want to fuck you."

"What about your mom?" Ryan questioned.

Jessi laughed, "She went to town with dad, we might see them about dark. With the rain most of dad's cronies have probably headed off to town too, so they will be sitting around flapping their gums about the rain, crops, cattle, and the same with mom.

They went up to Ryan's small apartment; Jessi stood in the door to the bathroom and watched Ryan removing his clothing. When he was naked he started the shower, she loved looking at him naked. His erection either hadn't completely subsided, or he was beginning to get hard again, which ever it was, she didn't care. She liked the way it stuck out, and how his heavy balls hung between his legs.

Ryan looked at her and grinned, "You can get in too if you want."

Jessi giggled, "You just want to see my tits."

Ryan nodded, "Yup, sure do."

She removed her t-shirt, and shook her bra encased breasts at Ryan, and then undid jeans, and took them, leaning forward to pull them off, and offering Ryan a good long look at her breasts.

Ryan could feel the swelling increasing in his erection as he watched Jessi strip. He loved looking at her naked body, her full firm breasts were just asking for him to play with them. When her bra came off they barely dropped at all, and her nipples were fully erect.

When Jessi was naked they climbed into the shower together, the warm spray of the shower felt good to the both of them. Ryan wrapped his arms around Jessi, and his hand clamped down on the cheeks of her firm ass, and he pulled her tightly against him.

His erection pressed into her belly, and her breasts were squished against his chest. They stood there silently with the water coursing over the both of them, neither saying a word. Their lips met, Ryan's tongue probed its way into her mouth. Slowly their tongues danced in almost ritualistic dance.

Jessi could feel her head spinning from the kiss as she pushed him away from her. She picked up the bar of soap and began to wash Ryan's chest. His hands came up and he began to gently fondle her breasts as she lathered up his chest and belly. 

Ryan like how her large, but very firm breasts felt. He could feel his erection growing larger, and firmer. He looked down momentarily and could see it begin to point straight up again. Her nipples were swollen, and very hard already. He started to pull on them gently, knowing full well the effect that it would have on Jessi.

Her soapy hand grasped his stiff organ and she began to slide it back and forth, pleased at how hard it was already. Her pussy was getting hotter, and wetter by the minute; she loved how he played with her tits.

"My turn," Ryan smiled at her after he was clean. He turned her around and took the soap and washed her back slowly. He lathered up her firm ass cheeks, rubbing and kneading them with his hands.

He pressed towards her, his stiff erection pressing into her back as he reached around and begin to rub the bar of soap over her breasts, and then down to her belly. He set the soap down and put both hands on her soapy tits and began fondling them.

"Oh god, you make me so fucking horny," Jessi moaned.

Ryan reached down and put his cock between her legs and began to pump back and forth and he continued playing with her hard nipples, "You make me so hard."

Jessi spread her legs slightly allowing his cock to rub back and forth along her wet slit. She leaned slightly forward and put the palms of her hands against the shower wall.

Ryan's cock was fully erect, almost to the point of aching. It was a good thing that Jessi had jacked him off, otherwise he would have probably cum from just humping between her legs.

"Fuck me," Jessi's voice was tinged with lust, "Put your big cock inside me and fuck me."

Jessi spread her legs further in anticipation of accepting his swollen sex organ into her wet, and willing pussy. Ryan bent down and took his cock into his hand and placed it at her wet opening. 

Jessi moaned as she felt his cock sliding up into her, she loved the feeling of his cock filling her up. She reached down and began to rub her clit as he began to fuck her. Surges of pleasure flowed through her body from both her finger on her clit, and from his manhood pumping back and forth inside of her.

Ryan loved the feeling of her tight, wet pussy on his cock, she was so tight, and so wet. He had put his hands on her hips and began pushing his cock in, and pulling it out, slowly at first. He wished he could see her hand playing with her clit as he fucked her, he thought it was so hot that she was masturbating while he was fucking her.

"I'd love to watch you play with your pussy again sometime," Ryan broke the sound of the water, and of their wet flesh slapping together. 

"Oh yes baby, I'd love to have you watch me," Jessi responded, the thought of having him watch her masturbate turned her on even more, "I'd like to watch you play with your cock. That was so hot watching you jack off by the stream."

Ryan slammed his cock in and out of her tight tunnel harder and faster. The thought of jacking off while she watched him turned him on even more. He kept one hand on her hip pulling her towards him as his shaft slid in, and pushing it back as he pulled back. His free hand went to one of her bouncing tits, and he back to squeeze her nipples tightly. His voice was hoarse with fuck lust, "Would you suck on your tits while you played with your clit?"

"Yesss," Jessi moaned deeply.

Jessi moved her hips in time with Ryan's thrusts, as he pulled out of her she would try to clamp down on his cock with her pussy muscles, trying to keep it from moving. She could feel herself on the edge of an orgasm, but it was too soon. Jessi slid her hand further back and pressed the palm of her hand on the bottom side of Ryan's slick shaft. She put her thumb and forefinger around his shaft and began to move her hand back and forth.

"That feels so good," Ryan's voice was drunk with lust.

"Your cock feels so good, I love how you fuck me," Jessi responded.

"I love fucking your hot pussy," Ryan responded, he enjoyed talking dirty to her, "You make my cock so hard."

"Fuck me baby, fuck me hard," Jessi urged.

Ryan sped up his motions, his hand returned to her hip, pulling and pushing hard. Jessi bent over lower, she could see her tits bouncing back and forth, her nipples looking like little poles standing on mounds of titty flesh. Best of all she could see his cock sliding back and forth, it glistened with her pussy juices. She enjoyed watching his cock sliding in and out; she tightened her grip on his cock, continuing to jack him while he fucked her.

"Oh yeah, fuck my cock baby, you make my cock so big and hard when you stroke it. You make it want to shoot," Ryan scarcely recognized his own voice.

"I like making you cum," Jessi was panting, her orgasm was only seconds away, "You make me cum so hard, no one has ever made me cum the way you do."

Ryan could feel a flood of wetness on his cock as Jessi began to peak. He was now fucking her as hard and fast as he could in the wet shower. He could hear her moan over and over as his cock slammed hard into her. He could feel his own orgasm beginning to build as her body began to shake.

"Oh fuck, I'm cumming," Ryan's voice shook with a sense of urgency as he pulled his cock out of her wet cunny.

Jessi watched as her hand moved hard and fast over his cock. His hips hadn't stopped, now it was just her hand that he was fucking. Ryan reached down and found her hard little clit and began to rub it back and forth in time with her hand motions on his inflated sex organ.

His finger sent her over the edge, she was in full orgasm now, "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck," she moaned over and over as her body was wracked with her climax. She saw his cock spurt long strings of pearly white jizz. 

Ryan had stopped his movements and allowed Jessi to jack him to a climax. His head felt like it was spinning as he began to shoot his load. 

"Oh yeah, make me shoot," Ryan urged.

Jessi's hand was almost a blur on his cock as it continued to spew it's cargo in long strings, "Shoot for me, I love watching you cum, squirt all of your creamy juice for me."

As Jessi's body shook Ryan's cock kept pulsing, shooting until he had no more cum left to shoot.

Jessi turned around and wrapped her arms around Ryan's neck and kissed him deeply, "That felt so good."

At about that time the hot water began to turn cold, Jessi and Ryan climbed out of the shower and began to dry each other off. They climbed into Ryan's bed and held each other, whispering things to each other quietly. Before long the both of them dozed off.

The sound of a honking horn of a vehicle coming down the driveway woke Jessi and Ryan up. Jessi glanced at the clock, "Holy shit, we fell asleep."

Ryan jumped out of bed and peered out the window, and with a great sigh of relief, "It's Becky, I don't see you mom and dad's truck."

Jessi had run to the bathroom and hurriedly dressed, "Oh god, I'm so glad it's just Becky."

Ryan stretched and began to gather some clean clothes to put on. Jessi walked back into the bedroom and grinned while staring at Ryan's manhood that was dangling lazily between his legs.

"Every time I look at your cock I just want to get down on my knees and start sucking it," Jessi smiled wickedly at Ryan.

"You better watch it, talk like that will get me all stiff all over again," Ryan grinned back, he pointed down at his organ that was beginning to slowly swell.

"Put that monster away, it's corrupting me," Jessi laughed.

Ryan shook his hips; his cock slapped back and forth, "I think it's the other way around."

While Ryan quickly dressed, Jessi brushed her hair while looking in the mirror.

A voice from the barn called out, "Jessi, where the hell are you?"

Jessi opened the door, "I'm up here, I'll be down in a sec."

As Ryan and Jessi walked down the stairs Becky smiled, "And what were you two doing up there with no one around to chaperone."

Jessi grinned, "Nothing, just taking a nap. Next time we are left alone I'll call you and you can be the chaperone."

Becky looked at the bulge in Ryan's jeans and grinned, and then licked her lips, "I'd like that! I'd like that a lot!"

Jessi laughed at Becky, "Whoa there girl, settle down, let's go to the house, I need to get supper started."

Ryan just smiled and followed the two girls, he could feel his erection growing at the thought of having his way with both of the girls again.

Jessi started cooking supper, "So what's the occasion for the visit?"

Becky slapped her forehead, "I almost forgot, I got my letter of acceptance from the college this afternoon. Have you checked your mail today?"

Jessi ran over and gave her friend a big hug, "That's great Becky. No, I haven't checked the mail today," she looked over at Ryan, "Be a big sweetie, and run down to the mailbox for me."

Ryan got up out of his chair, "No problem."

He walked out on to the porch and saw Uncle Bill, and Aunt Suzanne driving up.

"Did you get the mail?" Ryan asked as his aunt and uncle got out of the truck.

"Sure did," responded Uncle Bill as he held up a few letters, and a couple of magazines, "Since you are out here grab some of the bags out of the back of the truck."

Ryan was still getting some of the bags out of the back of the truck when he heard a scream coming from the kitchen. The door flew open and Jessi came running out to him, "I got accepted too."

Jessi, and Becky danced around in the driveway while Uncle Bill, and Aunt Suzanne laughed. 

Ryan was happy for Jessi, but he felt a small wave of sadness flow over him. It brought back the realism that he would be leaving for school also, and that Jessi would be leaving too. Any time that he thought about this summer ending he would shake it off, and quickly try to think of something else. He hadn't ever felt like this before, and he didn't quite understand it. He wondered briefly if he was falling in love with his cousin, or if what just the infatuation with all of the sex he was getting. Ryan tried to shake it off, but a sad, and lonely feeling lingered.

Becky stayed for supper, throughout the meal her and Jessi chattered back and forth making plans. They both decided against staying in the dorms, and would prefer renting an apartment, or house together.

Uncle Bill studied the calendar and then announced, "Becky, call your dad, I think we need to head to Missoula Sunday afternoon, that way we can start looking for a place for you two girls on Monday morning."

After the meal was over Ryan excused himself, Becky, Jessi, and Aunt Suzanne were still busy discussing what the girls would need for "their place." Each of them had what seemed to be about a thousand questions, finally Aunt Suzanne threw her hands up in the air, "Go find Ryan and ask him, he started last year, he should know most of what you are asking."

Jessi looked around, "Where did he go?"

Uncle Bill looked up from the paper he was reading, "I think he headed off for high ground for safety."

Becky, and Jessi cast a dour glance at Uncle Bill who then replied good naturedly, "And I can't blame him, the way you three hens are cackling away,"

Aunt Suzanne gave him a frosty look, "Well at least we plan ahead, you on the other hand would head off with nothing but your ass attached."

Uncle Bill laughed, and then sighed deeply, and retreated back to his paper, he knew he would lose this battle if he continued.

Aunt Suzanne grinned, she knew victory was hers, she looked over at the two girls, "Go find Ryan, he should be able to answer a lot of your questions, and the ones he can't we can head over to the school next week and check with your counselors."

Jessi and Becky burst through Ryan's door still talking a mile a minute.

Ryan was stretched out on the sofa, with just a pair of sweatpants on, he laughed at the girls, "Don't you two knock, what if I would have been naked or something."

Becky grinned, "I was hoping you were naked, and I would have helped you with the something."

Jessi giggled, "Get your mind out of the gutter, or move over and let me in."

Jessi's expression changed when she looked at Ryan, "We have some questions for you about college."

Ryan patiently answered all of their questions. He explained everything he knew, he agreed that if they were serious about college that an apartment, or a house would be better than staying in the dorms. 

After Ryan had answered all of their questions Becky leaned over and kissed Ryan on the lips, her tongue darted quickly into his mouth, "Now let's see your collection of dirty movies."

Jessi just smiled at Ryan, "Let me get them."

As Jessi read off the titles Becky commented, "Seems like he was big boob kind of guy."

"Yup," replied Ryan, "And most of the magazines too."

"Do you like big boobs?" Becky asked.

Ryan blushed slightly, "Well, yes, but I like all sorts of boobs."

Becky lifted up her t-shirt, she was wearing a hot pink bra that pushed her breasts up, and together, and showed a lot of cleavage, "Do you think my breasts are big?"

Ryan stared at Becky's breasts, while they weren't as quite as big as Jessi's, they were definitely larger than any of the previous breasts he had experienced. "Yes, I would say that they are big," Ryan answered.

Jessi had inserted a tape into the VCR and started it. A large breasted girl appeared on the screen wearing just her bra, and panties. As she danced around her breasts jiggled and shook. Her hands would squeeze and knead her breasts slowly, teasing the cameraman, she would almost remove her breasts from the bra cups, but then would stop, and then dance around some more.

Becky giggled and pointed at the growing bulge in Ryan's sweatpants, "I think he likes that."

Jessi nodded, "Yup, I think he does." She stood up and removed her top and began to dance around mimicking the girl on the video. Becky followed Jessi's lead and stood up and began to dance seductively for Ryan.

Both girls would glance at the video and do what the girl on the tape was doing. They played with their tits, and squeeze them, shake them, make them jiggle and bounce just like the tape.

Ryan's cock was fully erect, he had quit watching the tape, instead he watched Jessi, and Becky. "You two are hot," he said, he could feel his head spinning with desire. He could scarcely believe what was unfolding in front of him.

Becky grinned, "Show us how hot we are making you."

Ryan pulled down his sweatpants and exposed his erection for the girls.

"Mmm, that looks so inviting," Becky cooed.

Meanwhile on the tape the girl had removed her bra, and was now playing with her large, and erect nipples. Both Jessi, and Becky removed their bras, and began to play with their own nipples, pulling, squeezing, and flicking them to full erection.




Montana Summer Ch. 05



When Jessi began to suck on her own nipples Ryan thought he was going to cum right then and there. It was so hot; he looked down at his cock and saw the pre-cum beginning to leak from the tip.

Becky couldn't quite get her nipple to her lips, but she was able to flick at it with her tongue. She reached down into her pants with her free hand and felt her already wet slit. As her finger touched her clit she moaned softly.

The girls sat down, one on each side of Ryan as the girl on the tape began to slowly stroke the cock of a man that had appeared on the tape.

Becky's hand was first to reach over to Ryan's swollen organ, and she began to stroke it in time with the girl on the tape. 

"Jessi, we should do this for Ryan," Becky commented as she watched the tape.

Jessi giggled as she played with Ryan's bloated cock-head, "I think we already are."

Becky shook her head, "No, I mean make a video for him."

"What?" Jessi was surprised at Becky's suggestion.

"Yes, we could make a video of us stripping for him, jacking him off, sucking his cock, and him fucking us. It would give him something to remember us by, and what he is missing while he is at school. It would give him something to jack off to on those cold and lonely nights."

Jessi liked the idea, "Well we would have to make a copy for us too."

Becky nodded as her hand kept slowly moving up and down Ryan's thick shaft, "Oh definitely, give us something for those cold and lonely nights too."

Ryan was already turned on with the attention the girls were giving to his engorged erection, but the thought of them making a video for him turned him on even more.

"What do you think Ryan, would you like to make a video with us?" Becky asked seductively.

Ryan nodded and smiled, "I'd love to."

Becky stared at Ryan's big, stiff cock, "I want to suck him."

Jessi smiled, "Go ahead."

Becky got down on her knees between Ryan's legs and took his cock in her hand and guided it to her mouth, slowly taking the head into her mouth, and then as her head moved up and down she would take a little more each time.

Jessi took Ryan's hand and placed it on her breast, "Play with my tits as she sucks your cock."

Ryan watched Becky's head bob up and down on his cock, he liked the feeling of her mouth on his stiff organ. He loved how it felt when his cock-head rubbed against the roof of her mouth and then almost to her throat, he was surprised at how much of her cock she was able to take. He reached over and began to squeeze Jessi's large breasts with his hand. As he began pulling on her nipples she slid her hand down into her pants and began to play with her swollen clit.

Jessi was getting turned on watching her friend sucking her cousin's cock, "Fuck her mouth Ryan, like the guy on the tape."

Ryan looked up at the TV and saw the man had taken hold of the girl's head and was pumping his cock back and forth into her mouth. Ryan placed his other hand at the back of Becky's head and he began to pump his hips back and forth.

It turned Becky on even more when Ryan started fucking her face. She closed her eyes and imagined her brother doing the same thing to her. She'd let Stan use her like this for his pleasure if he wanted. Ryan's big cock felt so good, she liked the way it filled it filled her mouth. And now her head was being held still by his hand and the feeling of his erection sliding in and out, the tip hitting the back of her throat with each thrust made her clit tingle. She felt her pants being tugged down, and then her friend's hand rubbing her swollen clit.

"How does that feel?" Jessi asked Ryan.

"It feels fucking great!" Ryan answered, his hips coming up off of the sofa with each thrust into Becky's willing mouth.

Jessi had looked at Becky's face and saw the look of wanton abandon there. She was hit with the urge to play with Becky's pussy while she masturbated. She reached over and pulled down Becky's sweatpants, and began to finger her willing pussy. Jessi was surprised at how hard Becky's clit felt against her finger. She rubbed Becky's clit with her forefinger, and inserted her middle finger inside of Becky's slick cock tunnel.

Ryan watched as Jessi played with both her own, and Becky's pussy. He loved the way her breasts jiggled with each movement she made. He now had both hands on Becky's head, and moving her head up and down on his cock as his hips thrust back and forth. He could feel tighten her lips around his shaft, her hand massaged his heavy cum laden balls.

Becky was nearing orgasm, she was still fantasizing that it was Stan's cock in her mouth. Her jaw was beginning to ache from being open so wide for so long. She didn't care though; all that mattered was pleasuring the cock that was pumping in and out of her mouth. She didn't care if he came in her mouth, or on her face, or wherever he wanted to shoot his load, she only cared that he did cum. She could feel Jessi's finger rubbing her clit, her hips moved with Jessi's fingers.

Jessi stared into Ryan's eyes as she masturbated herself, and her best friend. It wouldn't be long before he came, she could see the signs in his face. Jessi had already peaked once, and was working on her second orgasm. 

"Oh yeah, I'm gonna cum," Ryan exclaimed loudly. 

He squeezed the muscles in his groin, trying desperately to prolong the ecstasy, but the need for release was too great. He groaned loudly as the first long, hard spurt of jizz shot forth from his cock, and into Becky's mouth.

Becky started to cum as she felt his hot jizz flow into her mouth. Her body shook hard as waves of pleasure surged through her body. She loved the somewhat salty taste of his jizz, she pretended it was her brother's cum that she was tasting.

Ryan cried out each time his cock pulsed out its creamy load, his head spinning with pleasure. Finally after several dry contractions Ryan collapsed back on the sofa, both Jessi, and Becky collapsed in a heap beside of him.

Uncle Bill's voice boomed from below, "Becky, your dad is on the phone."

"Oh shit," Becky muttered as she hurriedly scrambled to put her clothes back on.

Jessi gave Ryan a quick kiss on the cheek as her and Becky were leaving, "See ya in the morning stud."

It always seemed so quiet after Jessi left; Ryan shut the TV off and headed off to his bed. Mornings seem to come around so quickly out here.

After talking to her day Becky decided to spend the night at Jessi's, there had been an accident on the road into town, and it was blocked off in both directions.

After the girls had climbed into bed Jessi asked, "Well, did you enjoy that?"

Becky purred, "Yes I did. I enjoyed all of it, Ryan's big dick in my mouth, and you playing with me the way you did."

Becky stopped, "I'm sorry that I hogged him up, I should have at least offered you a go at him."

Jessi giggled, "That's okay, I jacked him off in the shop this afternoon, and then after that I let him fuck me in the shower."

"You little slut," Becky giggled back, "How was it?"

"Oh god it was fantastic," Jessi whispered back, "He fucked me from behind, I came so freaking hard."

The girls whispered back and forth until they dozed off. Becky fell asleep with visions of Stan sliding his slick cock in and out of her pussy from behind. She wondered if Lindsey let him do that.

The next few days passed quickly, the weather was prime Montana summer, clear warm days, with cool nights. After everything dried out Ryan ran the tractor, and baler, and baled up the hay that he had cut. The bales were hauled into the ranch and stacked for use in the coming winter, or to sell to other ranchers.

Uncle Bill, and Jessi had been working with Ryan on his horsemanship, and both felt comfortable with sending Ryan out alone on Bernie, a ten year old chestnut gelding. It was a pleasant day for riding, Ryan was in no hurry, and neither was Bernie who seemed somewhat miffed at having to leave the corral and the feed bucket for a day of work.

"Always be aware of where you are, and what's around you," those were the words of advice that Uncle Bill had given him, "There's cats up there, and there's bears, you don't want to get between a momma and her cubs. Trust Bernie, he can smell a bear coming a mile away, and he will let you know. If you spot a bear, stop, and slowly move back the way you came."

Once away from the ranch Ryan felt like a real cowboy. From the way he looked it could have been 1880, he had the boots, he had the hat, and he was wearing chaps. A rifle in a scabbard was strapped to his saddle, all he was missing was a six gun strapped to his hip. Occasionally he would spot a place where the barbed wire of the fence had been knocked down, and he would stop and nail it back to the fencepost. Bernie would watch Ryan while he worked, and Ryan could swear that the horse was casting doubtful glances his way.

About noon he stopped at a small creek for lunch, and to let Bernie get a drink and munch on some grass. He gazed up at the mountains, a cool breeze descended down the slope, the tree branches moved lazily back and forth. The air was alive with sounds of the buzzing of insects, and the chirping of birds. 

He cut two of the apples that Aunt Suzanne had packed for him into quarters and walked over to Bernie and fed them to him. After that Bernie seemed to warm up considerably to him. Ryan quickly learned that Bernie knew his business; the horse would almost automatically stop each time the barbed wire drooped. 

It was getting late in the afternoon when Ryan decided it was time to turn around and head back home. He was surprised at how fast the day had passed. Bernie seemed to realize that they were headed back to the barn, and his beloved feed bucket and picked up the pace for the ride back home. 

It was near twilight, and still about an hour or more from the ranch when Ryan stopped to relieve himself. As he was zipping his jeans back up he looked up towards the mountains. There were six riders about a hundred yards up from him riding slowly, and quietly. They had appeared from the trees and were riding through the other side of the small clearing that Ryan was in.

Ryan squinted, trying to make out who they were. They were all naked from the waist up, each had long braided hair, and only blankets were on the backs of the horses.

A chill went up Ryan's spine, he looked over at Bernie, and his eyes were as wide as saucers. The last of the riders stopped and looked down at Ryan; he could feel the rider's eyes bore through him right down to his soul. He was older than the other riders, and had what appeared to be several feathers in his hair; he called out to Ryan in a language Ryan didn't understand. The rider's hand went up to his throat where he clutched a necklace, and he spoke again, and then he raised a small rifle into the air and spoke again. He put the rifle down, and spoke for a final time. The rider raised his other hand in what appeared to be a farewell gesture and began to turn his horse.

Ryan raised his hand, he tried to speak, but no words would come out. As swiftly as they appeared, the riders had disappeared into the trees. And with absolutely no sound. Ryan realized that the hair on the back of his neck was standing straight up.

Ryan remounted his horse and in no time Bernie was near a full gallop. It was near dark, Ryan couldn't see much except for shadows and shapes, he had to trust that Bernie knew where he was going.. Whatever they had seen back there, Bernie didn't much care for it and was making for home as fast as he could.

Uncle Bill was in the barn when Ryan rode up, "We were beginning to get a little worried about you."

Ryan shook his head as he dismounted, "Nope, we're safe and sound."

Uncle Bill looked at Bernie, "Looks like Bernie wanted to get home."

Ryan nodded, "And me too. Bernie got kind of spooked at the bottom of Baxter's"

"Really, what could spook Bernie," Uncle Bill chortled, "Other than the fear that the oat bucket might be empty when he got back to the barn."

Ryan hesitated, "Well, we saw some other riders in Baxter's."

Uncle Bill's head snapped up, "Who the hell is riding up there?"

"I don't know," replied Ryan, "But they looked like Indians."

Uncle Bill let out a chuckle, "And just how did they look?"

"Well, they all had long hair in braids, all were naked from the waist up, and I couldn't see or hear any sounds of saddles. The one who talked to me, I couldn't understand what he was saying, he looked older, and he had some feathers in his hair."

The older man's hand gripped Ryan's forearm tightly, "You're telling me the God's truth, and you're not making this up are you? Jessi hasn't told you anything has she?"

Ryan shook his head in confusion, "No, Jessi has told me anything, why?"

Uncle Bill relaxed his grip, and ran his fingers through his hair and stared Ryan straight in the eyes, "Well, I never seen it, but my grandfather did. Exactly what you saw, and so did his dad. I don't know the Lakota name, whatever it is, it means ghost riders. A few years after my great-grandfather met Runs With Elk, and Spotted Owl, Spotted Owl and five or six other men from his village were hunting around Baxter's when a bolt of lightning struck the whole group down. Since then some people have seen them riding around twilight."

Ryan realized that his mouth was hanging open, and he quickly snapped it shut as his body shivered.

Uncle Bill was smiling, "I've heard that it is a good thing that they let you see them," then he looked at Bernie, "You better get Bernie rubbed down, and over to his oat bucket before he gets impatient. Come in to the house for supper when you are done out here."

After Bernie was taken care of Ryan walked into the house, Aunt Suzanne, and Jessi stared at him with what could only be taken as amazement.

Jessi was the first to speak, "You saw them, the Ghost Riders?"

Ryan nodded, "Well, I guess I must have."

"From anyone else, I would have said hogwash," stated Aunt Suzanne, "But from you, I have to believe it. How would you have known?"

"Were you scared," Jessi asked.

"Scared, nope not a lick" began Ryan, who waited for a moment, "Petrified would best describe it."

Later that night as Uncle Bill, and Aunt Suzanne lay in bed, Uncle Bill looked at his wife, "I want Ryan to be a part of this ranch, and in so many ways he is so like my grand-father, the way he looks at the mountains. He seems to like the work, and the ranch."

Aunt Suzanne nodded; she had seen the same things in Ryan. He was a lot like Uncle Bill's grandfather.

"I need to look up Charlie Red Elk and talk to him about the Ghost Riders," Uncle Bill said out loud.

Aunt Suzanne was too busy remembering one key detail about Uncle Bill's grandfather that gave her a small level of disconcert, he had married a distant cousin. She had no proof of any sort, but deep inside she knew something was going on between Jessi, and Ryan. It had to stop whatever it was, it wasn't right. Suddenly she remembered that they would be going to the city in a few days to find a place for Jessi, and Becky and she relaxed. She would only have to be diligent for about six weeks then Ryan would be leaving for his school, and Jessi would be safe at State, where, hopefully she would find a boy.

Sleep was a long time coming for Ryan. He lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to replay every detail of what he had seen up at Baxter's. He clearly remembered the facial features of the one who talked to him. It was the color of polished leather, deeply lined from years of being in the sun, wind, and rain. There was kindness in the face, he could hear the words that he had spoken in his mind, but when he tried to say them out loud they wouldn't come forth. Each time he listened to them in his mind he felt that he understood what he was saying, but the meaning just barely eluded him. Finally it came to him, it was something like,"It is good to see you again old friend, welcome home."

When that moment of understanding came it was all so clear. This was home. He was home again. He had been gone far too long, all of his life. Ryan quickly drifted off to sleep, the last thought he had was he wondered if he would see the Ghost Riders again, he hoped he would.

There are things that can't be explained in the mountains of Montana. Not everything is cut and dried, not everything is black and white. Once the mountains of Montana are in your blood they never leave, even when that blood crosses generational lines. Ask anyone who has grown up in Montana; ask them if the love of the mountains ever leaves their soul.



Montana Summer Ch. 06



All the characters in this story are fictional; any resemblance to anyone alive, or dead is simply just uncanny. All characters in this story are 18 years or older.

Ryan checked the list again. Everyone had headed to Missoula the previous evening, Uncle Bill, Aunt Suzanne, Jessi, Becky, Stan, and their parents. Uncle Bill had left him a list of chores that needed to be done while they were gone. Mentally he checked off the items that he had already completed, things that were going to have to wait until tomorrow, and things that still needed to be done today.

One thing about working on a ranch, there certainly wasn't any opportunity to get bored; there was always work to be done. Although they had only been gone less than a day, Ryan already found himself missing Uncle Bill, Aunt Suzanne, and Jessi. Especially Jessi. It seemed to get harder and harder to get any time alone with her lately, Aunt Suzanne seemed to always pop up at the most inopportune times.

They had had a few minutes together a couple of nights ago, they were in the barn and Ryan had just run his hands under her shirt and was beginning to fondle her breasts when Aunt Suzanne came out of the house on some pretext, and that had put the brakes onto any fooling around. Later that night Ryan had been so horny that he had masturbated while perusing the big tit magazines that had been left in his apartment. After his first round of masturbation was complete he was surprised when he thought that this was only the second time that he had jacked off since coming to the ranch. Jessi and Becky had kept his cock well serviced the whole time he had been here.

He folded the list carefully, and placed it back in his shirt pocket and set out get some hay for the horses in the corral. Bernie perked up immediately as Ryan approached.

Ryan laughed, "I didn't forget about you."

Ryan had discovered that apples and carrots were the key to Bernie's friendship. He cut the apple into slices and slowly fed them to the horse while scratching his ears. Once the apple was gone Ryan began to put hay into the trough, and oats into the buckets around the corral. Finally he checked the water in the trough, and made sure that it was full.

More and more often Ryan had wondered that if this wasn't the life for him? He knew his mother had her heart set on him going to law school, but now the thought of being chained to a desk in an office for the rest of his life was even less appealing than it ever had been. He liked to be able to stop work for a few minutes and stare at the mountains around him. Each time he looked at them it was like seeing them again for the first time. He liked working outside; he liked the physical aspect of ranching. He had put on twenty pounds since arriving here, and it was all muscle. Ryan had looked at himself in the mirror the other night and was pleasantly surprised at the transformation. 

Uncle Bill had dropped subtle hints about Ryan working on the ranch, not as a hired hand, but as a partner. More than once he had reminded Ryan that Ryan's father was half owner of the ranch, and that there was a place for Ryan here. Early on Ryan had wondered if his thoughts of staying, and becoming a rancher weren't directly tied to his feelings of lust for his busty cousin. After the night he had seen the Ghost Riders at the foot of Baxter's Canyon, and had realized what they had said to him, he knew his love of the mountains, and the ranch were separate from the feelings he had for Jessi.

Ryan worked until it was almost dark; instinctively he walked towards the ranch house, but then stopped when he remembered that there was no one there. He would shower first, and then fix something up for supper.

As he got into the shower the hot water flowed over his body. That was something else that felt so much better here. Back home a shower was something that you just did every morning, and before you went out. Here it felt so invigorating after a hard days work, he felt so clean and refreshed after taking a shower. As he showered he thought about the rainy day that Jessi and he had had sex in here. His penis began to swell.

Ryan laughed and looked at his stiffening erection, "Whoa there big fella."

He thought he would save that for later, after supper, maybe put a dirty movie on, and slowly stroke himself to climatic bliss before going off to bed. His mind changed gears, supper, what could he make for supper that wouldn't take forever in a day. In his mind he could smell pizza. His stomach growled and reminded him how much he liked pizza. As he finished his shower pizza was still on his mind, maybe he could hop in one of the trucks and head to town and pick up a pizza.

Out of habit he wrapped a towel around his waist before heading out of the bathroom. When he opened the door he could definitely smell pizza, he walked into the kitchen slash dining room slash living room and was surprised to see Lindsey sitting on one of the kitchen chairs with a pizza on the kitchen table.

Lindsey looked up and smiled, "I promised your aunt that I would come out and check on you every couple of days. I hope you like pizza."

Ryan laughed, "I love pizza, let me get some clothes on."

Lindsey felt a little twinge of lust surge through her body, as she looked at his half naked body. She would have loved to have the towel drop and be able to see him completely naked. She still got chills when she thought about the last morning of the camping trip when she had enticed him into allowing her to perform oral sex on him. She had heard Jessi and Becky talking about how large Ryan's manhood was, and had wanted to see for herself. At first she didn't think she would be able to get his erect cock into her mouth, but had surprised herself when not only she was able to get it into her mouth, but also she was able to suck him to climax.

By the time Ryan had reemerged from his bedroom Lindsey could feel herself becoming slightly damp between her legs. He reached into a cupboard and retrieved a couple of plates.

He looked in the fridge and said, "I can offer you Pepsi, or Pepsi to drink."

Lindsey pretended to think for a moment, "I think I will have the Pepsi."

Ryan was famished, it had been quite a while since lunch, and that only had consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich and an apple.

"Quaint little place you have here," Lindsey said as she looked around.

Ryan nodded, "I like it, and considering how little time I spend around here, it's perfect."

Lindsey nodded, in her mind she could picture Ryan and Jessi doing also sorts of things to each other up here away from prying eyes and ears, "Well, it's nice that you have your privacy."

Ryan thought he knew what she meant, but he was wasn't quite sure, "Yes, I like that."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, eating their pizza. Lindsey continued to have visions of Ryan and Jessi performing an ever increasing number of sex acts in this very place. Each time she thought about it, she would get a little more turned on, and the more turned on she got the more lurid the sex acts she envisioned. She looked at Ryan and smiled sweetly, ever since she had lost her virginity to Stan on the camping trip she felt like she had turned into a horny little slut. And Stan wasn't complaining, not one little bit. She wanted Ryan, she wanted to feel his big stiff cock, she wanted to feel it slide between her lips into her mouth, and then she wanted to feel it sliding in and out of her pussy.

After they had finished eating Lindsey raised her arms and stretched, making her already snuggly fitting shirt even more tight, and more revealing. Ryan noticed for the first time that Lindsey wasn't wearing a bra. He must have been hungry. The material just wrapped itself around her breast flesh. Her puffy nipples sat atop her breasts like cherries on an ice cream sundae. Ryan thought her buttons on her top might pop at any moment, rather he was hoping that they might.

"May I use your bathroom?" Lindsey asked.

"Be my guest," Ryan pointed the way.

On the way out Lindsey spotted one of the magazines that Ryan had jacked off to the previous night, and picked it up.

"What's this? Don't tell me you like this kind of porno stuff?" Lindsey said with more than a tinge of disgust in her voice.

Ryan blushed a deep red, "Well, uh, I..."

Lindsey thumbed through the magazine, enjoying the look on Ryan's face, and the pictures in the magazines, "Don't you think it's kind of sick?"

Ryan had regained a modicum of composure, "Well, really they aren't mine, we found them in a box up here after I moved in."

Lindsey looked up from the page, "Them, you mean there is more than just this one?"

"Yes, there was quite a few, and some movies as well," Ryan explained.

"Movies," she looked up from the magazine, "Like the magazines?"

Ryan nodded, feeling a little guilty; he looked down and stared at Lindsey's long, lithe legs for a minute. He had felt his shaft beginning to swell as he watched Lindsey staring at the pictures in the porno magazine. After a moment he looked up at Lindsey, and answered, "Yes, just like the magazines."

Lindsey had never seen a real hard-core porno magazine before, she had seen some soft core magazines, and some even had couples in it, and while some of the pictures had shown the men with erections, it was nothing like this. As much as Lindsey didn't want to admit it, the images were turning her. The thought of watching a video even turned her on more. She had never seen a hard-core porn movie before. Before she had given herself to Stan he had hinted on more than one occasion about watching some triple x rated movies from the store, but she had always managed to change the subject.

Although she had a pretty good idea of the answer, she wanted to hear it from him, "Do you like this stuff? Does it turn you on?"

Ryan blushed a little, "Well, yeah, I guess I kind of like it."

"You didn't answer me, does it turn you on?" Lindsey pressed, enjoying the fun she was beginning to have with Ryan.

Ryan squirmed a little in his chair, he was doing his best to try to get his growing erection to subside, he nodded, "Yes it turns me on."

"Oh, so it makes you get all hard, what do you do then?" her voice became hushed, "Do you masturbate?"

Ryan felt like he was stuck in an episode of the Twilight Zone, here was this vivacious young woman, only a few years older than him asking him if he like jacking off to porn videos, he nodded his head, "Yes."

Although Lindsey had been a virgin until just recently, she had been very active sexually in the solo sense. She enjoyed masturbation, and couldn't imagine anything better than playing with herself. Well, that was true up until she had blossomed on the camping trip. She knew some of her college friends pretended that they found masturbation, by either male, or females somewhat depraved. She also suspected that in the still of a dark night that their fingers found their way to their anxious clits.

"There's nothing wrong with masturbating," Lindsey confided, she didn't want Ryan to suffer too much, "It's a healthy, and normal thing to do. I enjoy it."

Ryan was quite surprised at her admission, Lindsey was one of the last people he could have imagined playing with herself, let alone admitting that she did it, and enjoyed it as well.

"Come here Ryan," Lindsey held her breath.

Ryan stood up, the bulge in his pants was evident, and he walked over to Lindsey.

Lindsey set the magazine down, "Put your arms around me and kiss me."

Ryan was taken aback; this isn't what he expected at all. He put his arms gently around her, and lowered his lips to her waiting mouth. His lips had barely touched hers when her tongue darted into his mouth. She put her arms around him and pulled him tightly against her. She could feel his hardness growing rapidly against her belly. 

When the kiss ended Lindsey was breathless, her voice husky, "Would it turn you on if I told you I wasn't wearing any underwear?"

Ryan was turned on, extremely turned on. He was glad his cock was hard, and that it was pressing against Lindsey, "Yes, it would," he answered.

His hands traveled down below her jean skirt, and then he ran his hands underneath, and was surprised to only find her firm ass cheeks in his hands. As his hands squeezed and fondled her butt her hand traveled down to his zipper, and pulled it down. She undid the button on his jeans and then slipped her hand down to his warm, and waiting cock.

"It's so big," she whispered as she tried to wrap her hand around it and began to gently stroke it up and down.

Ryan pulled back a little so she had a little better access to his swelling erection, her hand felt so good on his cock. He also wanted to see her tits; he slowly started undoing her blouse. Lindsey made no effort to stop him; she was totally engrossed with his cock, slowly moving her hand up and down it. It amazed her to think that she had actually sucked him off, she found his member to be even larger than she had remembered.

When the last button was undone Ryan opened her blouse. Her breasts were smaller than Jessi, and Becky's, but she had those puffy nipples that just sat on top of her breasts. Ryan gently touched one, then the other. He rolled them around between his thumb and forefinger and watched as they became erect. 

"Do you like them," Lindsey almost sounded timid. She was a little self-conscious about her nipples.

Ryan was almost speechless, he looked directly into Lindsey's eyes, "I think they are fantastic."

He cupped her breasts together and leaned over and sucked on one of her nipples, he could feel her shudder as he lightly bit down. Her breasts were very firm; he liked how they felt when he squeezed them. He could feel Lindsey rubbing his swollen cock head against the palm of her other hand as she continued to slowly rub his steely shaft up and down.

Ryan continued playing with Lindsey's tits, and he looked into her eyes, her lids were slightly closed, a look of wanton desire spread over her face. He reached down between her legs, she moved opened them to allow him full access to her sex.

He was surprised to find hair; he had become so accustomed to Jessi, and Becky with their shaved pussies. It wasn't very long, and it seemed to be neatly trimmed. His finger slid in between her engorged pussy lips, and into her wet tunnel.

"Oh fuck," Lindsey moaned softly, "Fuck me with your finger."

Ryan began to slide his finger back and forth in her pussy as Lindsey continued to slowly jack his cock. His other hand continued to caress her breast, his hands running over each one lightly, feeling her erect nipples rubbing against the palm of his hands.

"You're making me so horny," Lindsey said with lust in her voice.

"You're turning me on too," replied Ryan, "Your hand is making me so hard, I can barely stand it."

"Would you like to fuck me?" Lindsey asked, she knew what he would say, but still, she wanted to hear it from him.

"God yes!" Ryan exclaimed, "I want to fuck you so badly!"

"Take me to your bed," Lindsey whispered, and then slowly licked, and then bit his ear.

Ryan led her into his bedroom, Lindsey sat down on the bed, "Take your clothes off for me," her voice had a sense of urgency.

Ryan pulled his shirt off, and then pulled his pants off. He stood there, in front of her, naked. His cock stuck straight up into the air. The head of his cock was swollen, and looked like an angry purple plum. The tip was wet with his pre-cum juices.

Lindsey slipped her shirt off, and tossed it on the end of the bed, she stood up and undid her skirt, and let it drop to the floor. She sat back on the bed directly in front of Ryan and reached out and grasped his stiff erection, and pulled him towards her.

"I want to suck you," she said just before she placed his cock into her waiting mouth.

Ryan set his hands on the top of her head, "Oh fuck that feels good."

Very slowly and deliberately Lindsey moved her head up and down, taking his cock deep into her mouth, she would force as much in as she could take, almost to the point of gagging, and then sucking very hard and pulling her head back, her tongue working the shaft as it retreated.

Ryan couldn't believe how her cock sucking talents had improved from the camping trip; lucky Stan must be the recipient of a lot of practice on her part. Over and over, she repeated the motions with her head. Ryan felt on verge of cumming when she stopped.

She smiled up at him, "I'd love for you to cum in my mouth, but I really want to feel that big cock fucking my pussy."

Lindsey leaned back on the bed, lifted her legs, and then spread them wide open, "Fuck me Ryan, put that big cock in me, and fuck me with it."

Ryan grasped his cock in his hand, knelt against the bed, and began to rub his cock head slowly up and down Lindsey's willing slit. She rested her legs against his shoulders and then propped herself up on her elbows and watched him teasing her hungry pussy with his cock.

"You're driving me wild," Lindsey's face had a look of desperation, "Shove your cock in me, and fuck me with it."

Ryan continued his teasing, "You like my cock? You want me to fuck you with my cock?"

"Oh yeah baby, I want to feel your big strong cock inside of me, fill me with your big, stiff, dick," Lindsey responded. She was moving her hips back and forth, trying to capture his cock.

Slowly he began to put pressure on his hips, sinking his cock inside of her a little at a time. Each time he would sink another inch of his cock into her, her pussy felt so good on his cock, it was almost a creamy smoothness. Finally his cock sank all the way into Lindsey's creamy cunny.

Their eyes locked together as Ryan began to pump his cock into her, moving very slowly until he was almost all the way, then thrusting very hard, so hard that her ass came up off of the bed, then slowly he would withdraw, and begin slowly pushing back with the hard thrust at the end.

"That feels so good," Lindsey panted, "I love how you fuck me."

"Your pussy feels so good on my cock, I love fucking you," responded Ryan.

Over and over he repeated his movements, he sped up a little, always thrusting hard right at the end. He knew he was at the perfect speed, if he didn't speed up any more he felt like he could fuck her like this forever and not be in danger of cumming. He wanted to give her a fucking that she would never forget.

If Lindsey had thought sex with Stan was good, this was over the edge. She had already had one small climax, and she could feel a second one building. His hard member filled her up like she had never thought possible. His sharp thrusts sent surges of pleasure surging from her clit. 

Their eyes remained locked on the other, each one willing the other to higher levels of pleasure. Her hips had begun to move with his, and like his, she thrust hard towards him as he thrust his cock hard into her.

Ryan sort of rolled over, pulling Lindsey with him, so that she ended up being on top, he pulled her tightly against him, he could feel her breasts mashing into his chest. He put his hands on her firm butt cheeks and began thrusting harder than ever into her slippery tunnel.

"I love your cock," whispered Lindsey hoarsely as her orgasm approached, "I love how it fucks me, I love how it feels in my hand, and I love feeling it in my mouth."

Ryan responded back, "Your pussy makes my cock feel so good, I liked how your hand made me so hard, and I loved how you sucked on my cock. You made me want to cum so bad in your mouth."

"I love taking your cum in my mouth," Lindsey moaned as she felt her body began to spasm with pleasure, "If you want me too, I will suck you off, you can finish in my mouth if that's what you want."

Ryan felt drunk with lust; it turned him on to hear her talk like that. He could feel her cumming; he could feel the wetness explode around his cock. As much as he wanted to pull his cock from her pussy and move it to her mouth, he loved fucking her hot, tight cunt.




Montana Summer Ch. 06



He pulled hard on her butt cheeks spreading them as he pounded her tunnel of lust; he slipped his finger near the bottom of her pussy and could feel her wetness. He then pressed his wet finger against her tight little butt hole.

Lindsey gasped, no one had ever touched her there before, it was a shock to her system, but she didn't care at this time, fuck-lust had taken over her body.

Ryan pressed firmly as his finger began to enter her virgin anal cavity, each time pressing a little further in. Soon he was down as far as he could go, and his finger moved in and out of her ass in time with his cock. It thrilled him to be able to feel his swollen manhood through the thin membrane that separated her ass from her pussy.

Lindsey couldn't believe what she was feeling, "Oh yes Ryan, fuck my ass with your finger, god, your cock feels so big inside of me."

Momentarily Lindsey wondered what his big cock would feel like if he put it in her ass. Just the thought of that made her feel even more depraved and forced her over the edge. She bit down hard on Ryan's shoulder as she began to cum.

He couldn't help himself, he felt his hips moving harder and faster, her body kept pace with his, meeting his thrusts shoving her hips against his. He could feel her pussy trying to grab his cock as she climaxed, he could feel his own orgasm getting ready to start.

Lindsey dug her hands under Ryan's butt cheeks, trying to pull him deeper and deeper inside of her, she looked down into his eyes, "Cum for me baby, I want to feel you shoot your cum inside of me. Make your hot cock spurt for me baby."

Her words were driving him faster and harder, "Oh yeah, let me shoot in your pussy. I want to cum inside you."

Ryan felt his balls let loose, over and over he pulsed sending his jizz deep inside of her, his voice was hoarse and urgent, "Yeah, oh yeah, I'm cumming for you."

Lindsey could feel his thick, white cum flooding deep inside of her. It was what she needed to feel, Ryan finishing deep inside of her it topped off her orgasms. As his spurts slowed, and finally stopped their movements slowed, to the point of being slow gently thrusts. Lindsey was surprised how long Ryan stayed hard after cumming, Stan's cock deflated immediately after letting loose with his jizz. 

They lay there quietly for a while, finally Ryan broke the silence, "Uhm, I'm sorry that I came inside of you, I couldn't help it."

Lindsey made a funny face, "Why are you sorry, I'm glad that you did."

"Well, I wouldn't want you to get pregnant," Ryan was feeling slightly guilty.

Lindsey kissed him on the lips gently, "You are so sweet. I'm on the pill, I won't be getting pregnant."

Ryan felt a rush of relief flow over him.

It was Lindsey's turn, her voice was small, almost timid, "Please don't tell anyone about this, even Becky and Jessi, I wouldn't want Stan to find out. I don't want to hurt his feelings."

Ryan kissed her softly, "No, I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Lindsey had to get up and get dressed, she told Ryan that she had to get home, and get to bed, and she had to be at work first thing in the morning. Besides, she didn't want to give anyone anything to talk about.

Ryan pulled his pants on and walked her back to her car, and kissed her softly, "Thanks for the pizza, and, well, everything else."

Lindsey giggled, "Well thank you for the everything else."

She climbed in her car and started it; she rolled down the window, "Don't forget, I still want to feel you cum in my mouth again."

Before Ryan could respond she took off, honking the horn, and waving out the window as she made her way down the driveway towards the main road.

Ryan watched her taillights disappear and then made his way back to his apartment in the barn. He was surprised at the time, and headed off to bed, morning was going to come all too soon.

A large bear walked towards Ryan. Ryan stood perfectly still as the animal approached. The grizzly snorted and sniffed at Ryan and then stood on his back legs, towering above Ryan.

Ryan felt no fear; he just stood there, and stared at the magnificent creature. The bear must have been twelve feet high Ryan would later remember. He felt almost insignificant in his presence.

The bear spoke, "You are not afraid of me?"

Ryan shook his head, "What reason do I have to fear you?"

The bear laughed, "Most white people fear what they do not know. Do you know who I am?"

Ryan was surprised at his answer, "Yes, you are, Mato."

The great bear nodded, and then sat down on his haunches, "How do you know my name?"

Ryan slowly shook his head, "My tunkasila knew you."

"Yes, he did, I spoke to him many times during his life," the bear nodded his head.

Ryan felt he was like a bystander when he found himself asking, "Are you a gode?"

"No, I am not false, I am here because you seek answers," replied the bear.

Ryan nodded, "Can you tell me why I was visited by the Wanagi?"

"He said le mita cole, my friend has returned to the mountains," replied the bear.

Ryan nodded, "It is good to be back."

The bear dropped so that he was standing on all fours, "Get on my back so that I can show you what you want to know."

As soon as Ryan climbed up onto the bear's back the bear began to run, mist swirled all around. Suddenly they were on the plains, an immense herd of buffalo grazed on the prairie. The buffalo began to run, a group of hunters on horseback armed only with bows, and arrows were attempting to separate a small group of bison from the herd. Ryan felt what the hunters felt as he and bear joined the attack. He felt hunger, real hunger for the first time in his life. He knew what it meant to have people depending on him, if he failed, not only would he go hungry, but also women, and children back in the village would feel the pain of an empty belly. He could feel what it was like to be a hunter, the huge weight of responsibility that was on his, and the other hunters' shoulders.

He hunted elk, deer, bear, and even moose with the Lakota. He felt prowess at the end of a successful hunt, dejection, and even shame when the hunt failed.

Every part of the animal was used for something nothing was wasted. For a person who came from a disposable society it was an eye opening experience.

The scene suddenly changed they were at a large fire, men played the drums while others danced, they were celebrating the successful hunt. Men relived the day's hunt over and over. Hunters talked of how they rode, their horses shoulder to shoulder with the great shaggy creatures at full gallop. They gave thanks to have meat for their bellies, and hides for their lodges. He looked up at the mountains as the dancers danced, and the drummers drummed. He understood what it was he felt, this was a sacred place. And now it was his time to assume his duty, even though he was not Lakota, it was his time to protect this place, as his great-grandfather, and grandfather had done.

He saw the different dances, heard the songs, and the drums. He understood what each meant. He watched young men go on laments for the first time, becoming hunters and warriors. He saw young girls becoming young women, then wives, raising children of their own.

With the bear he watched as the village followed the buffalo herds, summer and winter. He felt the bite of the winter winds, the hunger that accompanied the cold, harsh winters. He felt the heat of the summer sun on the plains. He felt the cool, clean air of the mountains. There was something about the mountains; they were special, almost like they had a power of their own.

He felt like he had lived lifetimes with the Lakota, when he asked the bear, "How can I be here so long, haven't I grown old and grey in my bed."

The bear laughed, "There is no time here, we could stay here for what would seem an eternity for you, but no time would pass."

Ryan looked at the bear, "Thank you my brother for showing me the way."

The bear reared up on his hind legs and held one large paw in the air, and placed the other on Ryan's shoulder, "Ka dish day."

Ryan nodded, "Yes, Ka dish day, until we meet again."

The sound of the alarm clock woke Ryan up. He lay there, pondering the previous night. First the wild sex with Lindsey, and then the dream. This dream was different though. Most dreams evaporated as soon as one awoke, the memories fading like the morning mists with the rising sun. This one was different; he could remember each and every detail of the dream with astonishing clarity. He wished his uncle were home; he needed to talk to someone about it.

Ryan had just gotten back from town; he had delivered a load of hay bales to the IFA store. A battered old pickup pulling a horse trailer pulled into the yard. Ryan didn't recognize the truck, or the occupants of the truck.

An old man with long white hair done in braids got out of the passenger side of the pickup, his face time-worn, and weathered.

"I'm Charlie Red Elk, and," he pointed to the driver of the pickup, "This is my son Walter."

"I'm Ryan, if you've come to see my uncle, I'm afraid he isn't home."

"Actually, I came to see you. Your uncle called me before he left and told me that you had seen the Spirit Riders."

Ryan nodded, "Yes, I saw the Wanagi."

Charlie nodded, "Did any of them speak to you?"

"Yes, the one who was last in line, and the oldest, at from what I could tell. I couldn't understand what he said, but it felt like he was welcoming me."

Charlie paused for a moment, then his dark eyes locked on Ryan's, "Why do you call them  Wanagi?"

"That's what Mato>

"Who is Mato?" Charlie questioned.

"The bear that came in my dreams last night," Ryan answered.

"Tell me your dream."

Ryan replayed the dream in his mind and told Charlie every detail he could remember. Charlie stood there passively, showing no emotion on his face as Ryan told him of the dream.

Ryan looked questioningly at Charlie, "What does it all mean?"

Charlie shook his head, "That I cannot tell you, you will have to discover that for yourself," Charlie pointed his finger at Ryan's chest, "I think you know what is in there, and I think you know what it means. You can accept it, or not accept it. That is the choice that it is yours."

Ryan nodded, "I think I know what you mean. It's just that I have never..." his voice trailed off.

Charlie's face softened, and put his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "I know it is not easy to accept, even for someone who was raised as Lakota may have a hard time understanding, and accepting what has happened. Explore your dream and try to discover what you were meant to learn. Dreams like yours do not fade, and will last for a long time."

Ryan nodded, "Thanks for listening."

Charlie looked up at the mountains, and then back at Ryan, "You can talk to me anytime. You have been given a great gift; it is not many who receive a visit from a true spirit guide. Now, my son and I would like to ride up there and spend the night," Charlie pointed at the mountains behind the ranch house, "So, we would like permission to ride on your land."

"I don't see any problem, just park your rig by the barn over there," Ryan nodded, and then before he knew it, "You know you don't need permission to ride on this land, it was your land long before we were here."

Charlie nodded, and smiled, "It is still good to ask."

"Maybe some day you, and I, and your son will make camp on the mountain together," Ryan was sincere in this offer.

"That would be good," the warmth in Charlie's voice was genuine.

As the old man and his son mounted their horses Ryan raised his hand in farewell, "Ka dish day."

Ryan was surprised; those were the final words that the Ghost Rider had spoken to him before riding off.

Walter's mouth dropped open as his father responded, "Ka dish day Chikala Ska Shunkaha."

"Little White Wolf?" Walter asked later after they were away from the ranch.

"That was the name our people gave to his great-great-grandfather," Charlie smiled as he rode.

As Charlie and Walter rode towards the mountains Walter turned to his father, "Do you think he really saw the Spirit Riders?"

Charlie nodded slowly, "Yes, he did. He also had a visit from a spirit guide."

Walter looked incredulously at his father, "A white man."

Charlie looked at his son for a minute, "His skin may be that of a white man, but in his soul there is a brother to the Lakota."

Ryan leaned up against the corral and watched the two men ride off, he watched them until they had disappeared into the trees. Ryan felt the nuzzling of a horse against his face, he looked up, it was Bernie mooching for a handout.

Laughing Ryan reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a carrot and snapped it into several pieces and fed them to the horse. For the first time in his life he could feel a bond building between himself and an animal.

Ryan walked into the house and heard the beep of the answering machine, there was a message from Uncle Bill, and they would be home tomorrow evening.

He was glad that he was alone tonight. After he had showered and eaten he had come back outside and leaned back in a lawn chair and watched the stars. It was clear, and it was cool, Ryan had noticed the days were shorter, and the nights were cooler. He remembered reading a poem by Robert Service, about being out in the Great Alone. He wished he could remember more of it right now, it seemed appropriate at this moment. 

The moon was rising, and was near full. Ryan sat, almost mesmerized at how the mountains looked in the silvery light. He could hear a coyote howling, it sounded like it was fairly close by. Other coyotes would answer, and for a few seconds there was a cacophony of coyotes howling, and yipping. Then almost at once it would quiet down again.

The howling of the coyotes triggered his memory, softly he recited while staring at the moon over the mountains, " Were you ever out in the Great Alone, when the moon was awful clear, And the icy mountains hemmed you in with a silence you most could hear."

Ryan was happy he remembered at least a little of it, he sat there quietly for quite some time, pondering his future. When he finally got up to inside a calm had come over him.

Originally Uncle Bill, and Aunt Suzanne had a room, Stan and Becky's parents had a room, Jessi, and Becky were together, and Stan had his own room. But on the last day a plumbing problem had forced them to evacuate one of the rooms, so for the last night Uncle Bill, Suzanne, and Jessi were together in one room with Jessi sleeping on a pullout sofa sleeper, Becky and Stan's parents in a single, and Becky, and Stan sharing the only remaining double bed room.

Becky was almost asleep when she heard some noises coming from Stan's bed. She listened for a moment, and then the realization came to her, he was jacking off. Here, in the same room where she was. She was immediately turned on.

"What are you doing over there Stan?" she asked, trying hard to keep from giggling.

The noises stopped, "Nothing," he replied, "Go to sleep."

Becky had to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing, "Well, I was almost asleep but you woke me up, what were you doing over there?"

"I told you, nothing," there was a hint of exasperation in Stan's voice.

"You've only been away from Lindsey for a few days," Becky teased, "You need to play with yourself already."

There was silence from Stan's bed, he was embarrassed that she knew what he had been up to.

As Lindsey continued teasing her brother, her own hand had slipped between her legs, "It's okay Stan, everyone does it. I was just shocked to hear you doing it in the same room with me."

Stan just grunted a reply, his hand was still on his cock, and it was still rock hard. He had been trying to save it for Lindsey, but tonight of all nights, the night when he had lost his privacy, he had been thinking of Lindsey, and of her willing mouth, and even more willing pussy and had gotten a monster hard-on.

Becky was feeling a little guilty from the silent treatment she was getting from her brother, "I'm sorry Stan, I shouldn't have said anything, I should have just let you finish what you were doing."

Stan finally spoke, "It's okay, I should have made sure you were asleep or gone into the bathroom."

Becky's finger continued to slowly play with her clit, "Stan?"

"Yes," came his reply.

"I have a confession to make," Becky's voice was hesitant.

Stan was surprised, and asked, "What is it?"

"It turns me on knowing you are over there playing with yourself," Becky closed her eyes.

Stan was shocked; he didn't know what to say. Over the years he had had fantasies about his sister. Especially when Jessi spent the night, he had always fantasized about the two of them having wild lesbian sex in Becky's bed. But now, this, his own sister was admitting she was turned on at the thought of him masturbating, this was completely beyond belief. He felt his cock swell suddenly in his hand.

Stan thought for a minute, and then asked, "Well, what are you doing over there."

"I have my finger on my clit playing with it, are you playing with your cock?"

Stan's hand resumed its movements up and down his stiff shaft, he rolled over so that he was facing her bed, "Yes," he admitted, "I'm playing with my cock."

"Are you hard?" her heart was pounding as she asked him.

"Very hard," came his reply, his voice wasn't as steady, "Are you wet?"

"I'm very wet," Becky responded, "I'm putting a finger deep in my cunny."

Becky began to finger herself, this was going better than she had hoped. She wished she could see his hand on his cock, or even better put her own hand on his cock and stroke it.

Stan's hand was moving slowly up and down, he knew if he stroked too quickly that he would cum in a matter of seconds, "Do you play with your breasts when you masturbate?"

"Sometimes," Becky replied. She slid her free hand up her t-shirt and began to play with her hard nipples.

Stan breathed in deeply, he thought this may be a make or break question, "I'd really like to see them, can I?"

To Stan's surprise the small light above Becky's bed came on, Becky sat towards him and pulled her t-shirt off, "Do you like them?"

Stan was busy drinking in the sight of his sister's breasts, he thought they were perfect, "Oh yeah, I do like them."

He could see that her hand disappeared under the blankets, and presumably was between her legs, he could see her arm moving, and correctly assumed she was actively masturbating while talking to him. He liked how her breasts looked; how they stood proudly out from her chest, so round, so very perfect. Her nipples were erect, almost begging to be sucked.

"Show me your cock," Becky urged.

Stan sat up on the edge of the bed, and removed the blankets, his hand moved up and down his inflated shaft slowly.

Becky licked her lips, she couldn't believe she was actually looking at her brother's aroused cock. And it looked very aroused, the tip glistened with his juices in the soft light. Becky pulled the blankets aside and let Stan see where her hand was, and what it was doing.

Stan was almost panting, "Your pussy is bald."

"Do you like that?" Lindsey asked.

"Y-y-yes I do," Stan stammered. He had seen lots of pictures, and videos of women with shaved snatches, but he had never seen one live and in person.

Becky breathed in deeply, lust had taken over her body, "Would you like me to help you?"

Stan could scarcely believe what he had just heard, "Help me?"

Becky nodded as her finger stroked her hard clit, "Would you like me to touch you?"




Montana Summer Ch. 06



Stan paused momentarily, there was a battle going on in his mind. The good Stan told him that this was wrong, the Stan with the erection wanted to feel her hand on his manhood, then slowly he got up from his bed and sat down beside his sister, "Yes, I would."

Becky reached over and put her hand on his stiff erection, his cock felt so hard in her hand, she began to slowly move her hand up and down his shaft. She saw that he was staring at her tits, "You can touch my breasts if you want. I'd like you to feel them."

Stan's touch was hesitant at first, he couldn't believe he was feeling his sister up. He looked down at his cock and watched her hand slowly jacking him up and down. He liked how her breasts felt in his hands, soft, and warm, so very firm and pliable. He heard her gasp softly as he touched her nipples.

"We shouldn't do this, it's not right," although the words came out, Stan's voice didn't sound very convincing.

Becky knew deep down that it was wrong for her to be jacking her brother off, but she couldn't stop now, she was hotter than she had ever been in her life. Her momentary guilt feeling evaporated like a single raindrop on a hot summers day.

Stan didn't want Becky to stop, no matter how wrong it may be. His cock was aching with desire, and it needed to cum desperately. He wanted Becky to finish what he had started, he wanted her to jack him off, and he wanted her to see him cum.

"That feels so good," Stan moaned.

Although she had no intention of doing so, she asked him, "Do you want me to stop?"

Stan shook his head, "No, please don't stop, I like how it feels. I want you to jack me off."

Becky liked how Stan was touching her breasts, she was surprised when his hand slid between her legs and he began to slide his finger over her clit and into her pussy. She spread her legs slightly so he could move more freely. She began to move her hand up and down his shaft quicker and quicker. She squeezed it more tightly as she began to jack him off in earnest. Oh how she wanted to bring him to orgasm, she wanted to see his cum squirt from the little hole at the tip. She could feel Stan's hand moving faster and faster over her clit, and inside of her. 

"Fuck me with your finger Stan, make me cum," she urged as she jacked him faster and faster, "I want to feel you cum, don't hold it back I want to see you shoot your hot load."

Stan's finger sped up, sliding back and forth, in and out of her slippery cunt, and rubbing her engorged clit at the same time. He knew his time was short, he could feel his cock tingling all over, he knew he was about to cum.

"Yes!" Stan exhaled as he felt the first contraction; a long white string of cum flew straight up in the air.

Becky felt herself beginning to peak, she was doing it, she was making her brother cum. His fingers were still rubbing over her clit, stimulating it more and more with each thrust of his fingers. Over and over her brother's pearly white treasure spewed forth from his cock, landing on his chest, belly, and her hand.

Stan fell back on the bed as his orgasm subsided. It had been wild, he couldn't believe how strong it had been, it had taken his breath way.

She closed her eyes as she felt her orgasm overtaking her, it was so intense, she was riding a wave of pleasure, and it took her higher and higher. She could no longer hear, or see anything, lights exploded in her head as she came, and came.

Stan didn't know what to do once it was over, if it had been Lindsey there, he would have kissed her, and held her, expounding on his love for her. But this was his sister, he just didn't know what to do. In the end he got up, and went into the bathroom, and cleaned his cum from his body.

Becky curled up in her bed, she could sense that Stan was uncomfortable, and when he came back out of the bathroom she thought she would take it easy on him, "Goodnight Stan, and thank you."

"You're welcome," Stan responded, he was glad there was nothing else his sister wanted at the moment, and crawled into his own bed. He lay there for quite some time trying to make sense of what had just happened. He fell fast asleep well before he had made any decisions, or judgments.

Becky was glad to be alone with her thoughts. She was overwhelmed by how turned she had gotten with Stan. Just before she dozed off she was making plans on how to do it again with Stan, the next time she would use her mouth on him.

Ryan had taken care of all of the everyday chores around the ranch. He had saddled up Bernie and had ridden to the herd of cattle he had just fed. He had a list of tag numbers that he needed to separate out and place in a holding pen.

Ryan thought Bernie did all of the work, once Bernie knew what steer that Ryan wanted, and where Ryan wanted the steer to go, it seemed like Bernie took over. Weaving from side to side, preventing the steer from rejoining the rest of the herd. Once in the chute Ryan would reach up and pull on a rope that hung in the corral that closed the gate. Ryan would then ride to the other end of the chute and open the gate to the holding pen, drive the steer into the holding pen, and close the gate, and then reopen the gate to the chute.

Charlie and Walter Red Elk had ridden back down from the mountains and had placed their horses in the horse trailer. They walked to the corral and watched Ryan working the cattle.

Walter watched Bernie and turned to his father, "That's a good horse."

Charlie nodded, "Yes it is, the rider is good too. He doesn't know it yet, but he already knows what he is doing. Watch his legs."

Walter watched Ryan's legs and feet as they made subtle movements, giving much needed information to the horse.

Charlie watched Ryan and Bernie working, "It is a thing of beauty when man, and horse work as one, you would think they had worked together for years."

Walter nodded; he agreed it was amazing to watch. 

Repeatedly Charlie watched as Ryan picked out a steer and had it in the holding pen seemingly with a minimum of effort. He and his horse moved as one, while Charlie no longer rode much anymore he had worked on enough ranches in his time to know that doing what Ryan was doing was a lot harder than he was making it look.

Uncle Bill, Aunt Suzanne, and Jessi pulled up into the driveway. Bill noticed at once the presence of Walter's old rig parked by the barn. He saw the two men standing at the corral and pointing.

"Charlie, Walter, what's going on?" Uncle Bill smiled at the father and son.

"Howdy Bill. We are just watching your nephew working some cattle," Charlie replied without looking away from Ryan.

Just then a steer got away from Ryan and Bernie. Bernie went from almost a dead stop to a full gallop, got right up to the steer, turned on a dime, and sent the steer back in the other direction.

"Christ on a crutch," Uncle Bill's hand went to his head, "How the hell did he pull that move off without falling off the horse?"

Walter snorted, "That's the fourth or fifth time he has done that since we have been standing here."

Aunt Suzanne, and Jessi walked up and stood beside Uncle Bill.

"What's so interesting?" asked Aunt Suzanne.

"Watch your nephew," replied a spellbound Uncle Bill.

At that moment the steer tried another break for freedom, at a full gallop Ryan's hands went for the lasso on his saddle. The lasso snapped out smartly in a perfect circle and with a jerk of his wrist he sent the loop over the steer's neck. Ryan quickly wrapped the rope around the horn of his saddle and press hard forward in his stirrups. Bernie's front legs splayed out and came to an instant stop. The bawling steer hit the ground, and then got up and shook his head and looked at Ryan.

"C'mon big fella, into the chute with ya," called Ryan as he led the animal to the holding pen.

Jessi looked at Ryan and Bernie, she didn't know who was having more fun, the horse, or the rider. Ryan had a smile that wouldn't quit, and Bernie looked like a Labrador retriever at a lake with a rubber ball.

She turned to her father, "I haven't seen that much spunk out of Bernie in years."

Uncle Bill nodded, "Me either."

Ryan led the steer to the chute by the rope and closed the gate behind him. Once in the chute Ryan removed the lasso from around the steer's neck, then opened the gate to the holding pen and shooed him in.

Ryan checked the tag number off of the list. He counted the number of tags, and then the number of cattle in the pen. Once he was satisfied he remounted Bernie and headed towards the corral.

As Ryan headed to the corral he noticed for the first time that he had had an audience, he smiled and waved. Ryan removed the saddle from Bernie and brushed him down. He gave the horse another piece of a carrot before heading off towards the house. Everyone had gathered in the driveway.

Charlie and Walter had waited for Ryan, Ryan walked up the Charlie's side of the pickup, "How was your night on the mountain."

"It was good," Charlie said, "You call me anytime if you want to talk. I don't know what I can do, but I can listen."

Walter smiled for the first time at Ryan, "That was good riding with you and your horse."

Ryan waved as they pulled out of the driveway, and then turned to his uncle, "Welcome home, how was the trip?"

Uncle Bill chuckled, "Any time you go to the city with the women you know you're going to wear out a pair of boots just following them around."

Ryan waved at Aunt Suzanne, and Jessi as they entered the house, and then he looked back at his uncle, "Anything I can do to help."

Uncle Bill popped the trunk and smiled, "Well since you are offering cowboy, you can lend a hand here."

Ryan laughed, "Yeah some cowboy, it was the horse doing all the work."

Uncle Bill stopped and looked Ryan in the eye, "Hell, I've been riding for close to fifty years, and I ain't never been able to ride like that at a full gallop, no reins in my hand, and then let loose with a lasso, and hit a steer on the first throw. Walt and Charlie tell me you were three for three," Uncle Bill nodded, "And one more thing, yeah, Bernie's is a hell of horse, but Bernie needs to be told what to do. Tell me who taught you to ride using your feet the way were."

Ryan shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, it just felt natural."

Uncle Bill nodded, "Uh-huh, that is natural, natural to a cowboy that has worked cattle for a few years," Uncle Bill pointed to Ryan's boots, "And fewer yet do it with no spurs on." 

Ryan looked down at his boots, putting spurs on hadn't even occurred to him.

"And furthermore," Uncle Bill continued, "Why did you even try to separate those cattle on your own, normally it's a two man job? It certainly wasn't on the list I left you."

Ryan pulled the folded papers from his pocket, "This is what you left for me."

Uncle Bill looked at the papers and shook his head, "Well the one page was for you, and this is what we were going to do tomorrow. Well let's get all this female stuff into the house, and then we will sit down and have a chin wag." 

He watched Ryan carrying the suitcases into the house, and then he shook his head. He looked to the corral where Bernie was munching on some hay, and out loud he said, "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't of seen it with my own two eyes."

Ryan gave his uncle a rundown of everything that had been done since they had been away. 

Uncle Bill listened intently, then laughed, "I think I'll go away more often, seems like more work got done here without me."

After supper Ryan and Uncle Bill sat outside on the porch, Uncle Bill turned to Ryan, "Did you talk to Charlie about what you saw in Baxter's Canyon the other night?"

Ryan nodded, "Yes, I did."

"What did Charlie have to say about it?" 

Ryan drew in a deep breath, "The night before Charlie came I had a dream. Charlie said it was a spirit guide."

Uncle Bill became very still, he had heard of such things, but had never truly believed in it.

Ryan continued, "A large bear came to me, and talked to me. He took me places, and showed me things."

"What sort of things," Uncle Bill was a little hesitant, he now felt like he was prying into something very personal.

Ryan shook his head, "It's hard to describe, I saw the prairie, full of buffalo, and I felt what it was like to be a hunter. I saw a Lakota village; it was...it was like he wanted to show me what it meant to be Lakota. The dream felt like I had spent lifetimes with them, I kind of know what the mountains mean to them..."

Uncle Bill nodded, "I know some of them are sacred to them...but what they mean to them, I don't know. Did you tell Charlie about the dream?"

"Yes, I told him," Ryan replied.

"What did he say about the dream?" Uncle Bill asked.

Ryan looked into his uncle's eyes, "Not much, that I had to discover what it meant on my own. He said that he thought that I already knew in my heart what it meant."

Uncle Bill nodded, "Do you think you know what it meant."

Again Ryan stared straight into his uncle's eyes, "Yes, I do, at least I think I do."

Uncle Bill waited, he could feel his heart pounding.

"This is where I am supposed to be, this is what I am to do with my life."

"How do you feel about that," Uncle Bill asked.

"I don't know, it's hard to describe," Ryan answered, "I do know it is what I want to do."

Uncle Bill looked down at the porch, and then he looked Ryan in the eyes, "I just want you make sure that this is what you want. It's a hard life at times."

Ryan nodded, "I know it won't be easy," he looked at the mountains that surrounded the valley the ranch lay in, "I have never felt so strongly about anything in my life. Almost since the day I got here I have felt like this is where I am supposed to be, I can't imagine living without all of this," he pointed again to the mountains.

"What are you going to tell your father?"

Ryan shook his head, "I don't know yet. I do want to finish school though, I need to see about changing my major, there must be degrees in ranch management, or something like that." 

Uncle Bill nodded, "I think that is a good idea. The physical work of ranching hasn't changed much, but the business of ranching is far different. A good education will be important."

Ryan nodded, his father wouldn't be the problem, all that his father wanted from him was to get and education, and do what ever would make him happy. His mother on the other hand wanted Ryan to become an attorney. Social status was very important to her, and ranchers, while necessary in providing meat for her dinners, were way down on her list of where people ranked.

The next morning Uncle Bill decided to send Ryan to town to run some errands. At the last minute Jessi decided she needed to go with him, she told her parents she needed to get some personal items.

As soon as they were out of sight of the house Jessi slid over in the seat and sat right beside Ryan as he drove.

She had a twinkle in her eye when she asked, "Did you miss me?"

Ryan smiled and kissed her cheek quickly, "Yup."

Jessi leaned her head on his shoulder, "I missed you, I thought we'd never get home."

Ryan was surprised at the softness in her voice, "It felt like you were gone for a month."

"You were just horny, admit it," Jessi giggled.

"Well, yeah, a little, but I really missed seeing you," Ryan said as they drove into town.

"You've changed," Jessi said as she watched him drive.

Ryan laughed, "No I haven't."

Jessi squeezed his shoulder, "Yes you have, it's hard for me to put my finger on it, but you've changed."

Ryan shook his head, his heart felt as light as a feather, "Well when you figure it out, you tell me."

"Well, for one thing, just a few weeks ago you barely knew which end of a horse to climb on, and then yesterday, you looked like you've been riding all of your life," Jessi replied. She had thought about that a lot last night, she had wanted to talk to Ryan last night, but he had been busy with her father.

"I think it was just Bernie making me look good," Ryan looked over at her.

"You have changed, whatever it is, I like it," Jessi kissed him softly as he rolled to a stop.

"The new and improved me," Ryan chuckled as he turned onto the main road into town.

Jessi was quiet for the rest of the trip into town, she just cuddled next to Ryan as he drove. She had noticed a change in herself too. Lately every time she saw him she would feel her heart doing little flip-flops. She had been excited to go to Missoula, and to get ready for school, but once there she found herself thinking of Ryan constantly, and not just sexually. She had missed him very much. She had begun to wonder if she was falling in love with him. Earlier she had dismissed such thoughts from her head as just a case of lust. But now, she had the thoughts more and more often, and instead of dismissing them, she had begun to revel in them.

Uncle Bill sat at the kitchen table sipping his coffee, his wife looked over at him, "You're awfully quiet this morning."

He looked up at his wife, he motioned to the chair across the table, "Sit down."

Aunt Suzanne knew that he had something on his mind, she poured herself a cup of coffee, and sat across from him. She knew better than to try to pull anything out of him, she knew when he had it straight in his mind, he would tell her.

Uncle Bill cleared his throat, "I had a long talk with Ryan last night."

She nodded as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Ryan wants to take up ranching with us," Uncle Bill stated.

"What do you think Roy will say about that?" Suzanne asked quietly.

"Oh, I don't know," Bill replied, "It's not Roy I'm worried about, it's Margaret. She has always seen us as poor peasant people, scarcely worthy of her notice."

Suzanne chuckled, she knew exactly what her husband was saying, finally she asked, "Do you think it is the right thing, for Ryan?"

Uncle Bill nodded, "Yes, I do. He has taken to this life like a duck takes to water. After watching him working those cattle yesterday, I don't know how he did it, but it was like watching my grandfather on a horse."

Aunt Suzanne stared down at her coffee cup for a long time. She had mixed feelings right now, on one hand, she was glad that Ryan wanted to take up ranching, it ensured that the ranch would keep going for another generation, she looked up at her husband and voiced her apprehension, "I know we have talked about this before but, do you think there is anything going on between Ryan and Jessi?"

Uncle Bill knew that question would be coming, he had no proof, but he wasn't blind either, he reached over and grasped his wife's hand, "I don't know, I really don't. If there is, we will sit down and have a talk with the both of them. They deserve to know the truth."

Tears welled up in Suzanne's eyes, "Yes, I suppose they do. I was just hoping that..." she paused for a moment, "That, that was dead and buried."

Bill nodded, "Yes, me too, it always seems to come back to that doesn't it?"

Suzanne squeezed her husband's hand, "Yes, it does."

It had taken Jessi, and Ryan a good part of the day to complete all of their errands in town. The back of the truck was loaded down with ranch supplies, and with groceries.

Jessi giggled, "Remember the last time you drove us from town."

Ryan grinned, "How could I forget."

He could feel his penis beginning to swell, he remembered how he had told Jessi to remove her top as he drove. She had sat beside him, topless, her hand in his pants jacking him as they drove along in the dark.

"You looked so sexy sitting there with no top on," Ryan felt his heart pounding in his chest.

"I have to admit, that really turned me on that night, just the thought someone might see us," Jessi replied.

They had left the main road by now, Jessi thought for a minute, and then undid her shirt. The bra she was wearing clasped from the front, she quickly undid it, and let her breasts fall free.




Montana Summer Ch. 06



"Do you like that?" she purred softly into Ryan's ear.

Ryan slipped his arm around her, his hand cupped her naked breast, "You make me so hot all the time."

Jessi's hand reached down to his jeans and she deftly undid the button, and pulled the zipper down, then reached in and grasped his growing erection, "I like making you hot," her hand slowly moved up and down his hardening shaft, "And I like making your big cock hard."

Ryan enjoyed the feeling of her hand on his member, "You do that so well, making me hard."

"Just thinking of your hard cock makes my pussy wet," Jessi nibbled on his ear as her hand continued it's slow jacking motion.

"I'd want to lick your wet pussy again, I liked how it tasted," Ryan moaned softly.

"Would you?" Jessi was surprised; she would love to feel his tongue lapping at her bald pussy again.

Ryan continued fondling her tit as he drove; he loved how it felt in his hand when he squeezed her firm titty flesh.

"I'll sneak out of the house tonight after mom, and dad have gone to sleep, and you can lick my pussy," Jessi could feel her pussy gush with wetness at the thought of watching his face buried between her legs.

Jessi was the first girl that Ryan had tasted, well, he had he licked his fingers after fingering a girls wet cunny on several occasions before, but that was it.

"Be careful," Ryan warned, "Or you are going to make me cum."

"I like making you cum," purred Jessi, "Do you want me to make you cum right now, or do you want to wait until later."

"Both," Ryan moaned.

"Good answer," Jessi grinned, "Pull over on the side of the road."

After Ryan had pulled the truck off the road Jessi asked him, "How do you want to cum, in my mouth, or would you like me to jack you off onto my tits?"

Ryan was almost at the point of no return; his voice was almost desperate, "I want to cum on your tits."

Jessi smiled, she enjoyed the feeling of his hot cum on her breasts, she had Ryan put his back to the door of the truck, and then leaned over him, the tip of his cock between her tits, her hand began to move quickly up and down on his shaft. From her experience with him she knew that he was close to climaxing.

Ryan reached down and gently played with her nipples as she continued stroking his cock up and down quickly. He squeezed her breasts, together, the head of his cock between her firm titty flesh. He loved the feeling of his rubbery cock-head between her breasts.

"Let me feel your cum on my tits," Jessi coaxed, she knew it turned him on when she talked dirty to him, "Make your big cock shoot all over my tits."

"Oh fuck, I'm going to cum," Ryan moaned.

"Yes, cum for me, make my boobs wet with your spuzz," Jessi's hand gripped his steely shaft even tighter as she continued jerking him off.

"Oh yeah!" Ryan exclaimed as the first long white string of pearly cum shot forth between her breasts.

Jessi watched as the cum started spurting from the tip of his cock, she moved his cock so that it shot on one breast, and then the other. She enjoyed watching Ryan cum; there was something so very sensual about watching his cum spurting out on to her body. It felt so warm as it splattered against her breast. Faster and faster her hand moved, trying to coax all of the cum from his ball sack.

Ryan liked watching the streams of jizz landing on her tits, long wet white lines covered each of her tits, after he had quit spurting Jessi rubbed his cock head in the cum on her tits, and then over her erect nipples.

Jessi could feel her clit twitching; she had felt a mini orgasm flow through her body. She couldn't ever remember cumming just from jacking a guy off.

Ryan stared at Jessi's cum covered tits, "That looks so freaking hot."

Jessi looked down at her breasts, cum was beginning to drip from them onto the truck seat, she liked the way her boobs looked, she had just about covered them completely with his cum. She sat up and took her tits in her hands and forced them towards her mouth where she began to lick the cum off with her tongue.

"I'm glad you think so," grinned Jessi just before she began licking at her erect nipples, "Feels good, and tastes good too."

Ryan watched as she licked and sucked on her nipples, she was so hot, he couldn't believe one girl could turn him on the way she did.

As soon as they got home Jessi headed up to the bathroom, she needed to get cleaned up. It's not that she wanted to get rid of the cum that was left on her body, she was afraid that her mother might notice that particular smell.

Ryan found supper to be an odd affair; he kept catching his aunt and uncle staring at him. He wondered if they knew something about Jessi and him fooling around on the way home. It was an odd meal, usually mealtimes here were loud and boisterous, but tonight, it was near silence.

Ryan shot Jessi a glance; she looked back at him with a look of bewilderment, and shrugged her shoulders.

After supper was over Uncle Bill asked Ryan, "Are you going to call your dad?"

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, but I think I will wait until morning, and call him at his office. It might be better that way, it will give him some time to tell mom."

Uncle Bill tried not to chuckle, but couldn't, "I understand that. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes when he tells her."

Ryan nodded in agreement. He wondered if that wasn't the reason for the silence at supper tonight.

Jessi announced before trudging up the stairs, "Well I think I will take a long, hot bath, and head off to bed."

Ryan could hear the water running upstairs in the house, he could tell that Uncle Bill, and Aunt Suzanne were tired, so he excused himself and headed off to his apartment.

After he showered he sat down on the sofa and turned the TV on. There was a baseball game on the one channel that he could receive clearly. He started to watch the game, but soon fell fast asleep on the sofa.

Jessi had waited until her parents had gone to sleep, she could tell they were asleep from the various snoring sounds that emanated from their bedroom.

She positioned various pillows in her bed to try to make it look like a body occupied the vacant bed. Then, with all the stealth she possessed she crept quietly down the stairs, out the door and headed off to the barn.

Jessi tiptoed up the stairs to Ryan's apartment, knocked softly, and then opened the door. She smiled when she saw that he was fast asleep. For a moment she thought that she would just let him sleep and head back to her room, but just then Ryan opened his eyes, and smiled.

"Hey you made it."

Jessi smiled, "Yup, I sure did." 

Ryan stood up and rubbed his eyes, he walked over the Jessi and wrapped his arms around her, "I'm glad you did."

Jessi laid her head against his chest, she liked how it felt to be held by Ryan.

She wiggled her hips against his leg, "Take me to your bed."

Ryan turned out the lights and led her into his bedroom. The moon's silvery rays came in through the window casting a ghostly glow in the room. His hands went to the belt on her bathrobe, and slowly he pulled it until it came undone. Ryan slipped the bathrobe from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He looked at her body, and then at her face.

"Take your clothes off," Jessi's voice was barely above a whisper.

She stood there and watched as he removed his t-shirt, he slipped his sweat pants off and stood there in front of her, naked. She looked into his eyes, and then she caste her gaze downwards. Ryan's penis was already partially erect, sticking out, and down.

Jessi moved close to him and cupped his balls in her hand, she watched as his erection grew quickly until it stood straight up. Ryan reached up and gently cupped both of her breasts in his hands, her hand gently caressed his balls, and they felt heavy in her hands.

Ryan pulled her to the bed, Ryan lay on his back, Jessi on her side. Jessi took Ryan's stiff erection into her hand and started to slowly jack it up and down. Ryan slid his hand between her legs; she lifted her leg and opened her willing sex to him.

Ryan found her already wet, slowly and gently he began to stroke her clit, and then very quietly he whispered, "I want to lick your pussy."

Jessi looked into his eyes, "Please..."

Slowly Ryan began to slide down, licking and sucking on her nipples, kissing her breasts gently, down to her belly, his tongue leaving little wet traces everywhere it went. All the while his finger kept slowly stimulating the hard nub at the top of her pussy.

Ryan was more than a little nervous, he was about to do something he had never done, perform oral sex on a girl with the sole intention of giving her an orgasm with his tongue. He wanted to get it right; Jessi had performed oral sex on him numerous times, and always to a successful conclusion.

He opened her pussy with his fingers, and lapped experimentally at her wet slit. He liked the light musky taste of her pussy, his tongue moved up her slit, he found her swollen clit, and he was surprised how hard it felt against his tongue already.

Jessi closed her eyes, she enjoyed the feeling of his mouth and tongue on her breasts, and his fingering of her clit was sending little pulses of electric pleasure throughout her body. She moaned softly when his tongue slipped between her sex swollen pussy lips and began to lap at her. But when his tongue touched her clitoris for the she gasped.

"Oh my god Ryan!" Jessi exclaimed.

Ryan was startled and looked up.

"Oh don't stop," she urged, "That feels incredible."

Ryan was relieved and moved his tongue back to her clit; he began to flick his tongue back and forth across the little pearl of her womanhood. He slid his hand between her legs and slowly began to finger her at the same time.

"Yes, oh yes, oh yes," Jessi moaned, her hands went to her breasts and she began to pull gently on her nipples.

Ryan was enjoying licking Jessi's pussy; it excited him to know that he was turning her on. He put his lips up to her clit, and gently sucked on it. He lightly nibbled on it with his teeth before going back to flicking at it with his tongue. Back and forth his tongue flicked, then in little circles, then back to flicking.

Jessi was in pleasure heaven, she found her hips moving of their own volition, they were trying to grind their way against his mouth. She couldn't believe how turned on she was getting.

"It's no wonder guys like having their cocks sucked," Jessi moaned, "If it feels anything like what you are doing to me..."

Ryan could feel her hips moving against him, even though his cock was not receiving any stimulation he could feel it throbbing. Over and over his flicking at her clit continued pausing occasionally to give his tongue a rest, and then he would suck on her clit, his two fingers now plunging in and out of her wet cunny.

Jessi wanted to feel him in her hand, and in her mouth, she wanted to suck on him right now, she wanted to feel his cock in her mouth while he continued performing oral sex on her.

"I want your cock in my mouth," her voice was slurred with lust.

Brian turned and straddled her body; she reached up and grasped his throbbing erection with her hand. His mouth returned to her pussy, he wanted to make her cum with his mouth, and tongue. Jessi's hand jacked his cock back and forth quickly. She opened her mouth and pulled his cock into her mouth.

Ryan moaned as he entered her mouth, it felt so soothing on his cock. Her head bobbed up and down as her hand moved back and forth along the shaft.

Jessi liked how his cock filled her mouth; her tongue swirled around the tip as she quickly sucked back and forth on him. The little waves of pleasure that coursed through her body were growing stronger and stronger. 

Ryan's eyes were closed as his tongue flicked faster and faster, making little circles around the base of her clit, and then flicking across the swollen nub. His own hips began to match hers, his hips driving his cock to her mouth, and hers grinding her pussy against his mouth.

He slid one of his wet fingers to her butt hole, and began to slip it in. Every so gently he pressed against her tight hole, slowly it entered, a little at a time. Before long he had a finger in her pussy, and one in her ass, fucking both holes at the same time while his tongue and mouth took care of her clit.

She gasped as she felt his finger enter her other hole. At first it felt strange, but after he had worked it in and was doing both holes at the same time it felt great. She knew she wouldn't last much longer. She took her hand off his cock, and allowed him to drive his cock as deep into her mouth as he could. She was letting him fuck her face, and fired her lust even further. She took her wet finger and pressed it against his butt hole. Slowly it slid in.

Just as she got her finger all the way in his ass she heard him moan loudly, his hips jerked violently and a huge load of cum filled her mouth, it was all she could do to swallow in time for the next spurt. He was cumming in her mouth; his spurts were hard and long as her finger continued fucking his ass, her own orgasm started at the same time.

Ryan gasped as he felt her finger enter his ass. It felt strange, not bad, or uncomfortable, but just strange. When her finger touched his prostate, he exploded. Lights flashed in his head, he felt his cock spasm, his balls almost ached at the force of his orgasm, he had never cum so hard in his life. Over and over he spurted, filling her mouth with his salty treasure. 

Jessi's world turned upside down as she came, she rode high on the wave of pleasure, she could barely feel her body, she was only remotely aware that Ryan's cock was still in her mouth and still shooting. It was only by instinct that she swallowed.

They lay there afterward, wrapped in each other's arms, both feeling wrung out by their climaxes, but very satisfied. The silence said it all, no words weren't needed.

Jessi's voice was very soft, "I wish I could stay here all night, I want to wake up with you in the morning," her tone changed to a gentle laugh, "Do you wake up happy or grumpy."

Ryan chuckled, "Happy."

He stroked her hair as her head lay on his chest, "I wish you could stay too."

Eventually they got out of bed, Jessi put her robe back on, and Ryan slipped on his sweatpants. He walked her to the house, and then he kissed her softly.

On a whim Jessi asked him, "Do you love me?"

Ryan nodded, "You know that I do..."

Jessi was surprised that he answered; she wasn't surprised at his answer though. She stood on the porch, and studied his face for what seemed to be an eternity. She kissed him gently on the lips and turned to go into the house, she stopped and looked back at him, "You know that I'm falling in love with you, don't you."

Ryan nodded and watched her slip quietly into the house.

Sleep was a long time coming for the both of them. It was one thing to fool around the way they had been. But, to admit love...neither of them had really been in love before. Each had had crushes, and infatuations...but this was different.

At breakfast, things had returned to normal, everyone talking at once, and laughing. Uncle Bill as always making plans for the day ahead, and changing them a half dozen times. One thing didn't escape Aunt Suzanne's careful scrutiny; there was a glow about her daughter, and her nephew. The way each one's eyes sparkled, and their faces lit up when they looked at each other. Aunt Suzanne felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

After breakfast Ryan sat down with the phone in his hand, this was the first step, and had to be done. He could hear the phone ringing in the earpiece. 

Ryan's father's voice came over the phone, "Engineering, this is Roy."

Ryan took a deep breath, "Hi dad."

"Ryan! Good to hear from you. How's ranch life treating you?"

"That's why I'm calling, dad, there's something I need to tell you..." Ryan exhaled softly. He was taking the first step.

The mountains have captured another. And in that, another generation of a family ranch is secured. It is a continuation; an affirmation of a lifestyle where the work is hard and rewards are few. A lifestyle where the one true love is the love of the land. It is hard to look at the mountains and not be in total awe of the power that created them. For some that power still resides in them, even today.



Montana Summer Ch. 07



All the characters in this story are fictional; any resemblance to anyone alive, or dead is simply just uncanny. All characters in this story are 18 years or older. 

Ryan walked back into the kitchen after talking with his father. He poured a cup of coffee; he could feel three sets of eyes following his every move. 'Damn that tastes good,' he thought as he sat down at the table.

"Well?" Uncle Bill enquired, "How did it go with your dad?"

Ryan nodded, "Good. Actually better than I expected, his main concern is for me to finish school. Once I explained that I was, and that I'm just going to change my major, he was fine."

Cracking a wry grin, Uncle Bill responded, "Yeah, well I wouldn't want to be in his shoes when he tells your mother tonight."

Ryan couldn't help but laugh, the mental picture he had of his father telling his mother wasn't a pretty one, "Nope, me either. I don't think I would even want to be a fly on the wall."

Aunt Suzanne had been silent, but she finally spoke, "I would have never thought you would have wanted to take up ranching with us. I want you to know Ryan, that I'm happy you have, I truly am."

There were reservations in Suzanne's heart, but she had none about Ryan partnering up with her husband, she had seen with her own eyes the transformation that Ryan had made. When he first arrived, he looked and sounded like a kid from the city, now it was like he had grown up on the ranch. Her reservations were from her fear that Ryan and Jessi were getting too close.

Jessi couldn't believe what she was hearing, it was all she could do not to get up and dance around the kitchen with joy. She knew there had been a change in Ryan, now she realized what part of it was.

Just then the phone rang, Aunt Suzanne got up and answered it, "Hello...yes, he is, let me get him for you."

Aunt Suzanne pointed at Ryan, "It's for you."

Ryan's heart sank like a brick in a river; surely his dad hadn't called his mother already. With trepidation Ryan took the telephone from his aunt.

Taking a deep breath, and steeling himself for the oncoming verbal onslaught he finally said, "Hello."

The voice on the other end wasn't his mother demanding an explanation, nor was it his father.

"Ryan, this is Walter Red Elk, we met the other day."

Ryan felt a surge of relief pour over his body, "Hi Walter."

"I have a big favor to ask of you."

"Okay," Ryan replied, "What is it."

"Well," Walter explained, "My cousin Amos broke his leg last night. We are entered in the rodeo next weekend, in the team-roping event. He can't ride, so," Walter hesitated for a moment, "I was hoping you would fill in for him."

Ryan was down right astonished, "Me. Are you sure you called the right person."

Walter laughed, "After watching you ride the other day, yes, I am sure."

"I wouldn't even know what to do," Ryan replied.

"I could show you, we could work at your ranch, I know you could do it," Walter's voice sounded like it was starting to lose hope.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders, "Well, we can give it a try."

Walter's voice brightened, "Good, I will swing by tomorrow and we will get started."

Ryan sat back down at the table and looked at his uncle, aunt, and cousin, "You're gonna love this, Walter wants me to ride with him in the rodeo. By the way, what's team roping?"

"What happened to Amos, he usually rides with Walter?" Uncle Bill asked.

"Busted his leg, that's what Walter said," Ryan replied.

Uncle Bill nodded, "Well team roping, there's two riders, and a steer. The steer gets a head start. The riders then take in after the steer, one of the riders, a header, has to rope the steer around the head, or horns, and straighten him out, the other rider, the heeler, has to rope the hind legs. Time stops when the horses face each other, and the ropes are taut."

Rubbing his chin for a moment, Uncle Bill continued, "Seems to me that Amos was the header, and Walt the heeler."

Ryan sat there trying to make heads or tails of what he had just gotten himself into. The whole time Jessi sat there with a grin on her face that just wouldn't quit.

"And just what would make Walter think I can do this?" asked Ryan.

"Well, what you were doing with the cattle the other day, when you roped those steers that were making a run for it, that's exactly what the header does," answered Uncle Bill.

"Oh!" exclaimed Uncle Bill, slapping his hand to his forehead "I dang near forgot, a livestock hauler will be here today for those cattle. Jessi, take Ryan out to the corral and check out those steers in the holding pen. You know what to look for, show Ryan."

Jessi nodded and then grinned at Ryan, "C'mon cowboy, we've got cattle to check."

As they walked to the corral Jessi explained, "Dad takes a lot of pride in his cattle, and he has a reputation for producing top grade beef. He doesn't use any growth hormones like some of those big outfits do."

As they turned to go around the barn towards the holding pens Jessi grabbed Ryan and pulled him down into a pile of hay. She sat on top of him grinning, "I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed last night."

"Me too!" Ryan ran his hands up her shirt and fondled her breasts, "Mmm, you're not wearing a bra."

Jessi pulled on her shirt, the snaps quickly popped apart exposing her bare breasts, "I like going bra-less sometimes," a mischievous grin came over her face, "Especially when I'm around you."

Ryan cupped each breast with a hand; he continued to marvel at how her breasts felt in his hands, his erection strained against his jeans. He stroked her hard nipples, and then rolled them between his thumb and forefinger.

"Do you think we have time?" Ryan asked.

Jessi feigned a sad look and shook her head, "Probably not, I think mom suspects something, she has been giving the both of us some weird looks."

Ryan smiled and continued fondling Jessi's breasts, "I know what you mean about the looks. I guess we should check the cattle."

Jessi nodded and got up, while she did her shirt back up, "Maybe I should start wearing skirts with no panties, that way we could get at it quicker."

Ryan laughed as he got up, "Yeah, we wouldn't get anything done at all then."

Jessi rubbed the bulge in his jeans with the palm of her hand, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you all hard."

"Well you rubbing isn't helping it at all," Ryan's cock had responded to Jessi's touch as it normally does, rising to full erection immediately.

"I bet if I rubbed it long enough it might help it," Jessi giggled.

"Maybe," Ryan replied, "Damn, you are making me so hot."

Jessi's voice became almost anxious, "Would you stroke it for me?"

"Out here?" Ryan was surprised.

Jessi licked her lips, and nodded, "Yes..."

"Right now?"

Jessi nodded again, "Yes"

Her hand continued rubbing his stiff erection through his jeans, she wanted to watch him pleasure his own cock. Something about watching Ryan masturbate turned her on. Becky and Jessi had watched him jack off at the creek while camping, and she had enjoyed watching his hand stroking his stiff shaft.

"Are you sure?" Ryan was still a little hesitant.

Jessi nodded one more time.

Jessi's continuing stimulation of his erection was turning Ryan on more, and more, "Where do you want me to do it?"

"Over there," Jessi felt a surge of excitement flow through her body as she pointed to a small shed. She would be able to watch both Ryan, and the door to the house.

She watched as Ryan pulled down his zipper, and reached in and pulled his rigid cock out of his pants. His hand began to slowly move back and forth along its length. It did feel good, he leaned his back against the shed. Jessi's eyes were glued to his hand and cock.

"Is this what you wanted?" Ryan whispered huskily.

"Yes it is. Do you like me watching you?" Jessi felt her panties becoming damp, and her heart began to beat faster.

"You make my cock so hard, yes I like jacking off while you watch," Ryan was becoming more turned on.

"I like watching you, your cock is so big, I loved watching you when we were camping," Jessi was almost breathless.

Ryan began stroking a little faster, "That was so hot, watching you and Becky play with each other."

Jessi felt her pussy tingle, it was beginning to get wet in her panties, she had enjoyed having Becky play with her pussy, and she liked stroking Becky's clit, and fingering her, "Maybe I could arrange for you to see that again, would you like to watch Becky and I play with each other again?"

Ryan's hand moved quicker along his swollen dick, "I'd love that."

Jessi loved watching his hand pleasuring his cock; the head was swollen and dark red, like a ripe plum, little droplets of his pre-cum leaked from the little hole in the end making the very tip wet, and slick. She licked her lips; she wanted to drop down to her knees in front of him and lick the tip clean, and to taste him.

"Show me your tits," Ryan's voice had a sense of urgency.

Jessi quickly undid her shirt and exposed her breasts to Ryan.

"I love your tits," his voice a little shaky, "Please play with them for me."

Jessi quickly caste a glance towards the house, it was safe, there was no one was in sight. She slid her hands up to her breasts and she began to squeeze them slowly, and provocatively. 

"That is so hot," Ryan panted, his eyes feasting on the sight in front of him.

His hand felt so good on his cock, watching her slowly squeezing her firm breasts in her hands. Her nipples had responded they had grown fully erect. Jessi teased them, and tweaked at them as she watched Ryan masturbate. The feeling of her hands on her own breasts turned her on even further.

"Would you like it if Becky and I made the video, would you jack off while watching it?" Jessi was getting turned on; she could feel her panties becoming wetter. She now wished she had picked somewhere else, she wished she could reach in her pants and slip her finger between her puffy pussy lips and stimulate her swelling clit.

Ryan could feel his hard cock throbbing; he knew it wasn't going be very long before he would be spurting his cum, "Oh yes," he moaned softly, "I would jack off every day watching a video with you and Becky."

It was too much for him, he couldn't stop it now, he began moaning as his hand picked up speed, frantically moving back and forth on his steely hard shaft; his engorged member needed release, "I'm going to cum!"

Jessi pulled hard on her nipples, it sent little surges of pleasure through her body, she could feel her clit throbbing, "Yes Ryan, I want to watch you cum, stroke that big, hard cock for me, make it shoot. You are so fucking hot, I am so wet now, oh Ryan, make your cock cum for me."

The last verbal onslaught finished it for Ryan; he could feel the dam bursting, he cried out, "Oh fuck Jessi, I'm cumming for you."

His cock pulsed, a long string of warm, sticky, white jizz shot out in a long arc from the hole in the tip of his cock. It was joined by five or six more, and with each Ryan would moan loudly.

Jessi enjoyed watching the white, sticky jizz shooting from his cock, into the air, and landing on the ground with a splat. She watched his face contort with pleasure as release came for him. She knelt down in front of him and took his still hard cock into her hand; she smiled up at him and then began to take him into her mouth. She could taste his cum, she sucked hard, trying to clean any left over cum out of his cock. Jessi liked how he tasted in her mouth, a sort of tangy, peppery taste. After she had cleaned his spent organ she stood up and kissed Ryan slowly and gently.

He could taste himself on her tongue; he really didn't mind the taste. His knees felt a little shaky from his orgasm. He looked deep into Jessi's eyes, marveled at how beautiful they were.

"Thank you for doing that for me," Jessi's voice was soft, and warm, "That was so hot, you have no idea how turned on that made me."

"I liked doing it for you," Ryan replied, "I would really like to watch you sometime."

"Mmm," Jessi purred softly, "I'd like that, that would be so hot, playing with myself while you watched."

The slamming of the screen door to the house brought the both of them out of their reverie.

"Damn!" Jessi swore as she quickly buttoned her shirt, "We had better check those cattle."

Uncle Bill walked up to the corral, "Well Jessi, what do you think?"

Jessi nodded her approval, "They look good dad."

Uncle Bill looked at Ryan and smiled, "You know, sometimes they are stubborn, and damn but they can be stupid. And I've lost many a nights sleep because of them, but by God there is nothing I love more than working with cattle."

Ryan looked at his Uncle, and nodded. He knew what his uncle meant; working with the cattle was becoming his favorite. Ryan was beginning to talk to them, just as his Uncle did; he enjoyed hearing their throaty mooing as they grazed. 

The sound of a diesel truck intruded on the quiet of the day. The driver pulled into the driveway and continued past the barn to the corrals. The driver evidently knew what he was doing as he backed the rig up to the chute.

"Hey Bill, how the hell are you?" the large driver roared as he climbed out of the cab of the truck.

"Bucky," Uncle Bill yelled back, "I thought you were dead, or drunk, or in jail."

"Naw, they don't have a box in my size, there ain't enough whiskey to get me drunk, and hell, there ain't no jail big enough to hold me," Buck laughed as he walked towards the corral, "Me and Mabel, we didn't care much for Texas, we kind of got homesick for the mountains. It was just too danged flat down there."

Uncle Bill chuckled, he could sense a joke here, "Just how flat was it Bucky?"

"Well it was so danged flat," Bucky's face was aglow with happiness, "That you could watch your dog run away for two days."

Bucky looked at Jessi, "Damn, you've grown up little girl."

Jessi smiled walked over and gave the big man a hug, "Hi Uncle Bucky, hey what did you bring me?"

"Your favorite," Bucky produced a handful of suckers.

Jessi looked at Ryan, "When I was little, anytime Uncle Bucky came out he would bring me suckers. When I was six I wanted to marry him."

"And I've waited all these years for her to catch up to me," Bucky laughed heartily, "And I have saved myself for her."

Jessi blushed and swatted Buck on the shoulder, "You stop that."

Uncle Bill shook his head, and then pointing at Ryan, "Bucky, this is Roy's son, Ryan," then looking at Ryan, and pointing at Bucky, "Ryan, let me introduce you to the biggest liar in this here parts, one Mister Winston Buchanan."

Bucky shook Ryan's hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you," then looking at Uncle Bill he shook his head, his broad face beamed, "Damn it Bill, the kid might have been really impressed with me if you hadn't of told him my real name."

"Ryan, Bucky's mom taught history at the high school, and when her sons were born she decided to name them after the three great leaders during the second world war, so we have Franklin, that's Frank down the way, Josef, or Joe who runs the IFA store, and Winston. Bucky you have to tell the kid how you came by that moniker," it was all Uncle Bill could do to keep from bursting into laughter.

Bucky shook his head, "You would have to bring that up wouldn't you. Well when we were kids, Frank was Frankie, and Joe was Joey, but there was no way in hell anyone was going to start calling me Winnie, so I told everyone my name was Buck, from the first three letters from my last name, and that eventually turned into Bucky."

As Bucky let down the ramp into the back of the truck and Uncle Bill readied the chute Jessi piped up, "Are you staying for lunch Uncle Bucky?"

"Damn straight I am, you better go tell your momma that I'm here, and that I haven't had a good meal since the last time I was out here."

Jessi headed up to the house as Uncle Bill, Ryan, and Bucky got the cattle loaded into the truck. She walked into the house, and into the kitchen, "Mom you'll never guess who is here, Uncle Bucky."

Aunt Suzanne rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, "And I suppose he is planning on staying for lunch."

Jessi nodded.

"We'll be lucky to be rid of him by breakfast," Aunt Suzanne laughed good-naturedly, "We had better get cooking," she grinned at her daughter, "We might have to slaughter a hog."

Bucky walked through the door first, and over to Aunt Suzanne. He picked her up off the floor and gave her a big kiss on the cheek, "How's the prettiest girl in Montana?"

Aunt Suzanne blushed, and then hugged the big bear of a man, "It's so good to see you back Bucky, how's Mabel?"

"Ornery as ever, I get the farmer's supper every night," Bucky paused, "Hot tongue, and cold shoulder."

Suzanne swatted him with her dishtowel, "And knowing you, you probably deserve every bit of it. How she can put up with the likes of you is beyond me. Now go wash up, lunch is ready."

Lunch was a boisterous affair; Bucky had everyone laughing with his stories. Ryan had laughed until his sides hurt, he couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so much. It much closer to supper than lunch when Bucky and his rig finally pulled out of the driveway, and headed off towards the main road.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on catching up with the chores around the ranch. Between the three of them, Uncle Bill, Jessi, and Ryan, the barn got cleaned out, the cattle, and horses fed. And Bernie got his apple, and carrot for the day.

Watching Bernie follow Ryan around the corral Uncle Bill laughed, "That damned horse is turning into a mooch."

Ryan scratched Bernie's ears as he bent his head down towards Ryan's pocket, "Yeah he is, and we'll have to put him on a diet soon."

"I'll check on the cattle in the high pasture in the morning if you will check on the water by the creek, make sure it's still running free, that way you can get back here and get your first lesson from Walt," Uncle Bill mused as he watched the setting sun.

As they ate supper Ryan looked up at the clock, "I wonder how dad is doing with mom?"

Uncle Bill checked the time, "I don't know, but if he is smart, he will wait until after supper, no sense in spoiling a perfectly good meal."

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, you are probably right, and he will probably try to get a few drinks down her too."

Uncle Bill chuckled at the thought of his cousin getting his wife half tanked up before giving her the news. 

After supper Jessi excused herself, and went up to her room to call Becky.

"Becky," Jessi was almost breathless, "Oh do I have some news for you! Ryan is going to be ranching with dad fulltime, well, after he finishes school."

"Wow," Becky replied, "That's awesome."

"I don't know why, but I am just giddy over this," Jessi shook her whole body with excitement.

Becky laughed, "I know why, you're in love with him."

Jessi could feel her cheeks redden as she tried to deny it, "No, I'm not."

"Who are you trying to fool sister?" Becky teased her friend, "I can read you like a book."

"So what's up with you," Jessi changed the subject, she wasn't quite ready to admit to her friend that she was falling for her cousin.

Becky's voice became quiet, and very soft, "Oh God Jessi, I don't know if I should tell you."

Jessi was immediately interested, if Becky was hesitating then it must be good, "What is it Becky, you have to tell me."

Becky took a deep breath, "I jacked Stan off."

Jessi's mouth dropped wide open, "You what?"

"I gave Stan a hand job, the last night we were at the motel," Becky had closed her eyes.

"Becky!" Jessi was more than a little shocked; she knew that since the camping trip that Becky was having fantasies about her brother, but to have her move from fantasy to reality, that was almost seemed madness to Jessi, "He's your brother!"




Montana Summer Ch. 07



"I know," Becky's voice was quiet.

"I don't now quite what to say," Jessi had a million questions zinging through her head at the moment, "What were you thinking?"

Becky took a deep breath, "I was almost asleep and heard something, it was Stan's bed moving, and he was jacking off in the bed next to me."

"Oh my god," Jessi's head was still spinning, "So what happened next?"

"I asked him what he was doing, it made me so hot, I knew what he was doing, but I wanted to hear what he would say," replied Becky.

"Wow," Jessi was spellbound, "Sooo...tell me..."

"I was so hot, I had started to finger myself, I was so turned on, and I told him that it turned me on, that he was jacking off. Then I told him I was fingering my pussy. I couldn't stop, I was just so turned on."

Becky took a deep breath and continued, "He wanted to see my boobs, so I turned the light on over the bed, and took my shirt off, and then I asked if I could see his cock. He was so hard, and his hand was slowly moving up and down. I don't know what came over me, I wanted to feel his cock so bad, and to see it cum."

Jessi could feel her pulse begin to quicken, "My god Becky..."

"I then took the blanket and took it off of me and let him see me rubbing my clit, and fingering myself," Becky paused and took another deep breath, "Then he sat down beside me, and I started to play with his cock, damn, he was so hard. He started to play with my boobs, and then my pussy. When he touched me I thought I was going to explode, I started cumming, and cumming, I just started stroking his cock as fast as I could, and then he came."

"Wow," Jessi shook her head, "What happened after?"

"He looked a little uncomfortable, and he went to the bathroom and went back to his bed," replied Becky.

"How did you feel after?" Jessi asked.

"I felt almost wired, I don't know how to explain it."

"Has Stan said anything to you since you came home?" 

"No, it's almost like he is avoiding me," Becky's voice was quiet.

"Ok, I have to ask," Jessi took a breath, she had to know, "Do you feel guilty now?"

"That's the strangest part, I thought for sure that I would, but I don't, not at all. I want to suck him now," Becky answered, "I want to feel him cum in my mouth."

At first Jessi was going to remind Becky that Stan was her brother, but suddenly it came to her, Ryan was her cousin. Granted it was a little different, growing up they hadn't seen much of each other, but in a way, it was still the same.

"Are you sure you want to do that," Jessi finally asked.

"I think so," replied Becky, "Oh damn, mom needs me. I have to go, I'll call you tomorrow. And I want to know what you and your stud have been up to," Becky giggled as she said goodbye.

Jessi slowly removed her clothing, she wanted to take a bath, and she wanted to masturbate right now. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but Becky had turned her on, and watching Ryan jack off earlier had left her horny all day.

About the same time Jessi was talking to Becky a couple sat in a very exclusive restaurant, they had just finished their meal, and were on their second after dinner drink.

Margaret smiled at Roy the dinner had been fabulous. The drinks before dinner, the wine with the meal, and now the drinks after dinner had loosened her up. She felt a warm buzz through her body.

Smiling seductively she looked at her husband, and leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Usually you don't bring me here unless you are really horny. You must want me to suck on your big cock tonight."

For a moment Roy thought about waiting until after sex to tell his wife. As usual, she was right. Normally Roy only brought her here when he was horny, and he had found that after an evening here Margaret was only too willing to take him into her mouth and suck him very slowly until he erupted, spraying the back of her mouth with his cum.

Although Roy could feel himself stiffening, he knew the erection wouldn't be lasting long, he cleared his throat, "Ryan called today."

Margaret had slipped her hand under the table and had started to stroke her husband's growing erection through his pants, "Oh good, and how is he."

Roy was enjoying the attention that his manhood was receiving, and was so tempted to just gloss over the conversation that he had with their son earlier in the day, "He said that he is having a great time."

Margaret was intent on bringing her husband's sex organ to its full erection as she ran her nails along its length through his trousers, "His dad will have even a better time once we leave here."

In his mind he knew all hell was going to break loose, he smiled at his wife, and knew that the promised blowjob was going to disappear very quickly.

"God, I am so horny, I'd love to get down on my knees and suck you under the table," Margaret's voice had gotten husky, "I want to feel your big cock in my mouth so bad right now."

Roy groaned inside, it was almost next to impossible to get his wife to go down on him normally, and he was about to throw it all away, "Ryan says he wants to change his major, and to go into ranching with Bill."

It took several seconds for what her husband had just said to sink through Margaret's lust, and alcohol haze, her hand continued rubbing Roy's cock. Then her face blanched, she sat straight up, her fist came down on the table, "What!"

Roy's prediction was correct, his erection deflated as quickly as it had risen, "Ryan said that he wants to change his major, and to go into partnership on the ranch with Bill."

The lust disappeared from Margaret, as did the alcohol haze, she was stone cold sober, "There is no fucking way, no fucking way in hell that my son is going to be a fucking farmer!" her fist pounded on the table emphasizing each word.

"Rancher," Roy corrected.

"I don't give a good God damn what you call it, rancher, farmer, I have his future planned, and he is not going to fuck this up. He will become an attorney, join the DA's office for a few years, run for city council, and then for the Senate. With my family's connections he can be in the Senate by the time he is forty or forty five, that is his future," Margaret's eyes were burning with rage.

Roy's voice was calm, "What about what Ryan wants?"

"What the fuck does he know about what he wants? He wants what I want him to want, and that is the fucking end of it," Margaret's voice was icy, and Roy could feel the chill.

"He is an adult, and he can make his own choices now, besides, the ranch is half mine, and I plan to sign that half over to him," Roy reminded his wife.

Margaret stood up, "Oh yes, the ranch, the fucking ranch, I tried to get you to sell your half of it several times. If you had done what I told you to do we wouldn't be having this fucking problem now."

Margaret fumed; the ranch had been one of her father's few mistakes in his life. Before Roy and Margaret were married her father had insisted that Roy sign a prenuptial agreement, intent on protecting his daughter's personal wealth, and completely unaware that Roy was half owner in a ranch in Montana. Margaret had been livid with her father when it became known exactly what the ranch was, and how much the land was worth. Over the years she had tried unsuccessfully on several occasions to have her husband liquidate his half of the ranch. 

Roy sighed, and followed his wife out of the restaurant, and into the night.

The sun had set when Charlie Red Elk emerged from the sweat lodge. He had fasted for the past two days, eschewing any food or drink, and purifying his body during rituals in the sweat lodge. His arms were painted black from the elbow down, as were his legs, from the knee down, streaks of other colors adorned his face and body. Charlie sat down under a large cottonwood tree, and opened a small pouch.

He began to sing softly as he prepared to light a fire. He used no matches, or lighter, instead he lit the fire in the old manner, using flint, and a steel knife. As he struck the flint against the steel a small spark caught in a small pile of dried grass. Carefully he blew, very gently nurturing the spark; it glowed brightly as his breath blew softly across it. A small piece of grass began to char, then smolder, the spark was still alive, and growing brighter. Finally a small flame flickered; skillfully Charlie added a little more grass, then a few small twigs. The fire came to life licking at the fuel. The twigs became small branches, then to larger branches. The fire began to crackle as the flames grew.

As the fire took hold Charlie picked up a small drum, he began to beat it slowly, almost like a heart beat, his voice rose and fell with the drum, his eyes were closed. For hours Charlie sat drumming, and singing, pausing only to add fuel to the fire.

A few days previous Charlie and his son had gone up to the mountain and stayed the night. Charlie had had a vision on the mountain. It was nothing like anything he had experienced in his sixty-seven years. It had been a powerful vision; he had emerged shaking and unable to speak for almost an hour. He had meditated on the vision for the past two days, and now was seeking meaning to this vision.

Although his eyes were closed he could feel them approach, five riders dressed in the old style. Their horses made no sounds as they rode slowly towards Charlie. Four of the horses stopped at the edge of the light made by the fire, one rider continued, sliding off his horse silently, and stood before Charlie on the other side of the fire.

The rider addressed Charlie, "Hello my brother."

Charlie stood and returned the greeting, the sound of the drum, and the song still echoed in his head. He knew of the Wanagi, but this was his first confrontation with one of them.

"Am I in your world, or are you in mine," Charlie asked.

The rider shook his head, "We are in neither," he pointed down at the fire.

Charlie looked down and was surprised to see himself, still sitting there, singing, and drumming. He looked at the rider, "Will I know that I was here?"

"Yes, you will remember our meeting, now let us smoke the pipe," the rider turned to his horse, and from a bag he retrieved a pipestone pipe. He took a small twist off tobacco and placed into the pipe, with a smoldering stick he lit the tobacco. He did this six times, pointing the pipe to the cardinal points of the compass, the sky, and to the earth. After he was finished he passed the pipe to Charlie who did the same as the rider, putting a small twist of tobacco into the pipe, pointing it, lighting it, inhaling the bitter tobacco smoke, drawing on the pipe each time he pointed it in a new direction.

The two sat down cross-legged by the fire.

Charlie finally spoke, "I had a vision."

The Wanagi nodded as he stared into the fire.

Charlie looked over and watched himself, still singing, and playing the drum. The odd thing he would recall later was that at the time he saw nothing out of the ordinary in this scene.

Charlie continued, "I saw the mountain destroyed, bolts of lightning raining down from the heavens. I saw a wolf, dead, and a buffalo, dead, on what remained of the mountain."

"So what is it you seek from me my brother," the Wanagi asked, his voice like a cold autumn wind.

"I seek meaning," replied Charlie.

The Wanagi nodded, and was silent for what seemed an eternity, "It is Tatanke you seek."

Charlie nodded. "I have been calling for him."

"He will come," the Wanagi replied.

"What of the boy?" Charlie asked.

"The spirit of his great-grandfather lives within him. He has only begun to awaken," came the reply.

The Wanagi, stood, and then climbed back up on his horse, as Charlie rose the Wanagi raised his hand, "Ka dish day."

Charlie raised his hand in return, "Ka dish day"

Charlie watched as the riders silently rode off disappearing into the mists of the night.

All through the night Charlie kept playing his drum and singing, not once changing the beat of the drum, nor did the song he chanted change.

The sky was growing pink in the east when he appeared, Tatanke, the bison.

Suddenly Charlie stopped his chanting, and drumming, his head slowly raised. He had been given what he needed. Meaning. He opened his eyes and pondered on what he had seen. He stood up, and began to walk back to where his house was. His mouth was dry, his lips felt cracked, and he needed some tea. His belly was empty, he needed some food, but his mind was clear, it was now full of the knowledge he had been seeking. He walked with the gait of a much younger man; he had felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

Ryan awoke about the same time Charlie was setting off for home. He lay in bed waiting for the cobwebs of sleep to clear. As his mind became focused he was filled with trepidation. He wondered if his dad had told his mother, he knew that it wouldn't have been a pretty sight. Once his mother had her mind set on something it was full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes, and anyone who happened to get in her way.

Finally the urge to urinate forced Ryan from his bed, and to begin the day. As he washed his hands, and face he looked at the face in the mirror. His hair was longer than when he had arrived, his face was darker from the long days in the sun. Staring at the eyes in the mirror he saw something different, there was a confidence in them.

Ryan laughed and addressed the face in the mirror, "Let's see how confident you are when your mother calls you."

He felt better now that he had laughed; he walked back into the bedroom and pulled a clean pair of jeans, and a western style work shirt from the closet. He pulled his jeans on, then his shirt. Ryan reached into a drawer and pulled out a pair of socks and walked into the kitchen. He sat down, pulled his socks on, and then reached for his cowboy boots. 

Aunt Suzanne was busy cooking breakfast, pancakes, and sausage; she looked out the window and saw Ryan making his way towards the house, "Bill, he's coming."

Bill looked at his wife, "He's going to love this."

Ryan walked into the house, immediately he sensed something was wrong. Well maybe not wrong, but he could sense the tension. He smiled at his aunt, and as always kissed her on the cheek, "Good morning Aunt Suzanne."

Suzanne handed Ryan a cup of coffee, "Good morning Ryan," then looking at her husband, "Bill?"

Uncle Bill looked serious, "Ryan, sit on down, and take a load off your feet."

Ryan sat down, and took his first sip of coffee.

"You dad called last night, around bedtime, and I didn't see the point in spoiling your night's sleep," Uncle Bill began, "Seems your mother didn't take the news of your proposed career choice very well."

Ryan cracked a wry grin, "No, I don't imagine she did."

Uncle Bill nodded, "No, but it gets worse."

Ryan stared at his uncle, "What do you mean."

"They're coming out."

"Here?" Ryan was incredulous, "To the ranch?"

Uncle Bill nodded, "Yup."

"Holy crap," he could scarcely believe that his mother was coming out to the ranch. To his knowledge the only time she had ever been out here was when he was just a baby. 

Ryan's head was swimming; things were even worse than he had imagined, "When?"

"Next Thursday," Uncle Bill replied.

A week, a week was all the time he had left to live. Well, that's how Ryan felt at the moment. He had a hard time imagining his mother trotting around the ranch in her Gucci shoes. The thought of manure getting on her designer shoes did bring a smile to Ryan's face.

"So I take it that things didn't go well for dad," Ryan asked.

"Apparently not, he didn't have a lot of time to talk, he didn't want your mom to know that he was on the phone with me. Then he called back this morning just before he was going to leave for work to tell me that they were going to be coming next week."

Breakfast was quiet, even the normally bubbly Jessi was quiet; she had come downstairs and had flashed Ryan a quick smile. Ryan couldn't believe his parents were coming, and he had a whole week to prepare for the onslaught of what only could be termed Hurricane Margaret.

By the time Ryan had checked the creek, and driven back to the ranch Walter was already there waiting for him. At least he had this to take his mind off the impending doom that he felt.

Bernie was happy to see Ryan walk into the corral, he trotted over and nuzzled Ryan's pocket looking for the daily ration of carrots and apples. Ryan fished his knife from his jeans and reached into his jacket pocket and cut the carrot into pieces. Ryan saddled Bernie and led him over to where Jessi and Walter were standing.

"Hi Walter," Ryan smiled, and then he winked at Jessi.

"I appreciate you doing this," Walter reached out and shook Ryan's hand.

Walter and Jessi already had a number of steers in one of the smaller holding pens, Jessi's job was to open the gate, and send them out one at a time.

"After you rope, and dally, you want to move the steer to the left," Walter explained, "I'll be right behind you and will rope the steer's feet."

"Dally? What's that," Ryan asked.

"It's when you loop the rope around your saddle horn, be careful not to get your finger caught up in the rope. You can lose a finger that way," Walter explained.

Ryan nodded, "Okay I think I understand, but what is the point of team roping?"

"Once a cow gets to be a certain size, it's too much for one man, and one horse to handle, it's a way to brand, or doctor a larger animal," Walter answered.

Ryan's first couple of attempts at roping were failures, Walter rode over to him, "You're trying too hard, you are trying to think as you are letting the lasso go, don't think about what you are doing, trust your instincts."

Ryan nodded, then backed Bernie back up to the fence, and then nodded at Jessi. She opened the chute and swatted the hindquarters of a steer sending the steer running out into the main corral at a full run. 

Walter yelled, "Go!"

Ryan swatted Bernie on the rump with his coiled lasso, and Bernie took off at full speed after the steer. Bernie closed quickly; Ryan had the lasso twirling, and then snapped it with a flick of his wrist. The loop dropped over the steer's head, and Ryan quickly looped the rope around the saddle horn. Bernie pulled up and to the left, turning the steer, but not letting him drop. Walter had been in hot retreat, bringing up the rear, as soon as he saw Ryan's loop land, his snapped out toward the ground, at the rear legs of the steer.

Bernie had known what to do; he backed up keeping the line tight and the steer straight. Ryan looked at Walter who for the first time was smiling, "Now that's what I'm talking about," Walter was grinning from ear to ear.

Ryan heard a whoop coming from Jessi; he turned and looked at her pumping her fist in the air, "Wahoo! That was great."

After Walter had left for the day Ryan led Bernie into the barn, and removed the saddle, and blanket. He picked up a brush and began to brush Bernie down.

"You did good today," Ryan spoke to the horse, "You make me look like I know what I'm doing."

Bernie turned his head and rubbed it against Ryan's shoulder.

Ryan stopped his brushing and looked into the animal's large dark eyes, he reached up and scratched behind Bernie's ears, "Yeah, I know, you want an apple. Well you deserve one."

Jessi walked into the barn and stopped, and watched Ryan. She smiled softly as she watched Ryan talking to Bernie, brushing him, and talking to him some more. Finally she walked to the stall where Ryan and Bernie were, "Hey cowboy, I brought you something."

Ryan turned in time to catch an apple that Jessi tossed in his direction, he smiled, "Thanks, that will make someone very happy."




Montana Summer Ch. 07



Jessi climbed up onto the stall next to Bernie's, "That is one sad horse you have there cowboy."

Ryan looked at Jessi with almost a hurt expression, "What do you mean, I think he is a fine horse."

Jessi laughed, "He was a fine horse, but now he is just a spoiled mooch."

Ryan looked at Bernie and stroked his forehead, "You don't listen to her fella, she's just jealous that I don't bring her apples and carrots."

Ryan amazed Jessi; she had to keep reminding herself that he hadn't grown up on a ranch. She could see the bond between Bernie and Ryan; she chuckled to herself as she looked at Ryan and Bernie, a cowboy and his horse. She felt a burning in her eyes, suddenly she was quite touched by the relationship that Ryan had with the horse. It was same relationship she had with her own horse.

"A few weeks ago dad and I would have told you that Bernie is a horse past his prime, but you've done something to him," she hopped down off of the stall she had been sitting on, patted Bernie's rump, and kissed Ryan softly on the cheek, "And something to me."

Ryan watched Jessi leave, his heart seemed to flood with emotion as she walked out of the barn, he looked back at Bernie, "Maybe I should take her apples and carrots."

Bernie seemed to recognize the word apple and nudged Ryan's arm, Ryan laughed and began to feed the horse pieces of apple, "Okay I know, you don't want to share the apples with anyone."

After Ryan had finished grooming Bernie he led him out of the barn, and into the corral with the other horses. Bernie went into the corral with his head high, there was almost a strut in his step. Ryan closed the gate that led from the barn to the corral, and then sat atop the top rail watching the horses. He had never realized that animals could have personalities.

Uncle Bill met his daughter on the porch of the house, "How did it go with Walter today?"

"It went great, Ryan really got the hang of it quick," Jessi answered.

Uncle Bill rubbed his hands together, "Good, it's about time we had someone from this place in the rodeo again."

Jessi laughed, "But you have to see Ryan with Bernie, it's almost pathetic, it's like watching a boy with his first puppy."

Uncle Bill raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

Jessi nodded, "Yup."

Uncle Bill turned from the house and headed for the barn. When he got to the barn Bernie was trotting around the corral, his head high, and mane flowing. You could almost see Bernie telling the other horses that there was a new sheriff in town.

"You like that horse don't you?" Uncle Bill looked up at Ryan.

Ryan hadn't heard his uncle approaching and was surprised to hear his voice, he looked down, "Yes, I really do."

Uncle Bill watched Bernie, and like his daughter, was quite surprised at Bernie's rebirth over the past few days. He looked up at Ryan, "Well, he's your horse now."

Ryan gave his uncle a quizzical look.

"He is your horse now, I'll sign the papers over to you," Uncle Bill smiled, "The only condition is that you pay the apple bill from now on."

"I don't know quite what to say," Ryan replied, "Thank you."

His own horse. Wow! He had never had as much as a dog growing up, his mother had always referred to any potential pet as a filthy animal.

"What's left to be done out here?" Uncle Bill asked.

"I have load some hay, and grain up for the horses, Walt and Jessi took care of the cattle. We need to check on that automatic filler for the cattle, it's sticking again. I'll make sure their water is full before I finish up," Ryan replied.

"Well, I'll go in and get cleaned up then," Uncle Bill walked in the direction of the house. He stopped part way, and turned and studied Ryan, who was still sitting on the corral fence. Ryan's mannerisms, the way he talked, the way he walked, it was all so familiar.

The setting sun painted the mountains with an orange glow; Ryan thought it almost looked like the mountains were on fire. He had finished feeding the horses, and had checked the water in the trough for the cattle. The work was done; another day had come to an end. He loved that there was no real sense of time out here, work started when it was light, and ended when the work was done, or it was just too damned dark to see. 

He had never felt this alive before; he was feeling things he had never imagined before. The grandeur of the mountains humbled him; he had felt a connection with the mountains from the first day he had arrived. Since his encounter with Mato, his spirit guide he felt a deeper reverence for the land, and the mountains. He was beginning to understand some of what he had been shown. Land, it was the key to life, without the land there was nothing. Before he got to the ranch dirt was dirt, dirt meant dirty, now dirt was life. Life sprang forth from the dirt, that life gave others life. He knelt down and picked a handful of dirt and smelled it, it was the smell of life.

He gazed up at the mountains, still and silent in their majesty, each one with it's own distinct look. He wondered how many generations had the mountains' witnessed coming and going. A man's life wouldn't even be a blink of an eye in the life of a mountain. 

After supper Ryan had gone back outside and had sat in the swing on the porch. Jessi had come out a few minutes later and sat down beside him.

"Hey cowboy, penny for your thoughts," Jessi had looked at his eyes, and he had looked like he was a million miles away.

Ryan smiled at Jessi, "Oh, I was just thinking about...just everything. Stop teasing me, I know I'm not a cowboy."

Jessi chuckled, "You may not think so, but you're more of a cowboy than most of the so called cowboys around here."

Ryan cast a doubtful look at his cousin.

"Watching you today with your mooch of a horse," Jessi shook her head and paused for a moment, "It was incredible to watch, you work so well together, it's hard to tell where the horse stops and the man begins. There's a lot of guys around here strutting around wearing jeans, and boots, with a big hat on their heads that like to think they're cowboys. There's damned few that can do what you are doing out there, so when I call you cowboy, it's because you are a cowboy, and it's meant to be a compliment."

Ryan looked into Jessi's eyes, and then smiled, "Thanks. Coming from you, that means a lot."

Jessi grabbed the blanket that was beside the swing and placed it over her and Ryan. She leaned her head onto his shoulder. More and more she enjoyed being with him, at first it was just the sex, and she loved the sex with him, right from the start. Now it was more, she enjoyed being with him; her heart would flutter when she would see him. His naiveté was still there, honest to a fault, but that had been joined with a steely resolve, a self-assuredness that he didn't even seem to be aware of. 

"Were you ever in love?" the moment Jessi said it she wished that she hadn't.

"No," Ryan shook his head, "Not really, I had a couple of crushes, but the girls didn't even know I existed."

She cuddled closer to Ryan, and softly whispered, "Put your arm around me and just hold me," the thought of being his first real love warmed her soul. 

Uncle Bill peeked out the window and Aunt Suzanne's voice was anxious, "What are they doing out there?"

Uncle Bill jumped about a foot in the air, "Damn it women, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that. They are just sitting in the swing talking."

"Sneak up on you," Aunt Suzanne cast a dour look at her husband, "I could have been banging on a skillet with a hammer, and you still wouldn't have heard me."

Uncle Bill just shook his head and rolled his eyes at his wife.

"Shouldn't you go out there," Aunt Suzanne pointed towards the porch.

"Leave them be," Uncle Bill had a touch of melancholy in his voice, "They're not doing anything, let them have a little happiness, after all Roy and ..." his voice trailed off.

Bill peeked outside one more time, and then retired to his chair, and paper. He knew there were feelings between his daughter, and his nephew. He saw it every time they were together. 

Ryan and Jessi were quiet for the most part, just swinging and looking up at the stars. It felt good to hold Jessi in his arms, although the fires of lust lurked just below the surface, this was different. This felt like what was meant to be.

Jessi kissed Ryan softly on the cheek, "I need to go to bed."

"So do I," Ryan replied, "I could have just sat here all night holding you."

"That would have been nice," Jessi smiled, then her voice changed, a gentle loving voice, "What would have been nicer would to have you hold me in bed for the whole night."

"Mmm, that would be nice too," Ryan closed his eyes and imagined the two of them in bed, naked, their bodies against each other.

Jessi stood up, and so did Ryan, she put her arms around his waist and looked into his eyes, "Goodnight cowboy."

Ryan put his arms around Jessi and looked down at her, "Goodnight cowgirl."

Their lips met, softly at first, the passion slowly building, and Ryan's tongue slipped between Jessi's lips and into her mouth. Jessi flicked her tongue against his, pressing her body tightly against his. Deeper and deeper his tongue thrust into her mouth, their tongues danced a dance of love, and lust. Their bodies pressed tightly together, their arms, and hands moved over each other as they kissed.

As the kiss ended Jessi could feel her heart racing, she felt dizzy, she felt wild, "Damn, I love you cowboy."

Ryan was no better off; his pulse was like a trip hammer at full speed. He felt his erection swelling in his jeans, "And I love you too cowgirl."

Jessi placed her hand on the front of jeans and felt the swollen bulge, "I wish I could do something with that tonight..."

"Me too," Ryan replied, "But it's okay, maybe we will have some time to ourselves tomorrow."

They kissed again before Jessi walked into the house. Jessi felt like she was floating as she walked up to her room.

Becky had just gotten into bed when she heard a knock at her door, "Come in."

Stan walked into her room, he looked like he had just gotten out of the shower, his hair was still wet, "Becky, I've come to apologize."

Becky gave Stan a funny look, "Apologize? For what?"

Stan cast his eyes towards the floor, "For the other night, in the motel."

"Oh, that," Becky's tone softened, "You don't have to apologize."

"Well, it wasn't right, I shouldn't have let things go as far as they did," Stan was still staring at the floor.

Just thinking of that night gave Becky goose bumps. She had given her brother a hand job while he had finger-fucked her to an orgasm. She could still see his cum shooting from the tip of his cock in long, high arcs.

"Stan, I enjoyed it, didn't you?" Becky knew she had to be careful and not press to hard.

Stan looked up, and nodded. He thought he could make out her nipples hardening under her t-shirt. "Yes, I did enjoy it, but that still doesn't make it right."

Becky could feel his gaze on her breasts; she wished she had worn something a little more sheer; she wanted him to be able to see her tits. She ran her eyes down his body, there was definitely something growing in his groin. A little fire began to ignite deep inside of Becky

As Stan stared at Becky's nipples that were making little tents in her t-shirt, he could feel his erection beginning to swell in his boxers that he used for sleeping. He didn't want to get hard, at least not right now, maybe later when he was alone in his room. There just wasn't a whole lot Stan could do about it, the more he concentrated on making his erection disappear the harder he got.

Becky made her voice as small, and as innocent as possible, "I liked touching you Stan, and I liked it when you touched me. Did you enjoy feeling me up, and then playing with my wet pussy?"

She had a pretty good idea what effect that would have on Stan, and that's what she wanted. The night at the motel wasn't enough to curb her cravings for her older brother; there was more she wanted to do with him, so very much more. Becky wanted to feel his swollen cock in her mouth, she wanted to feel his inflated organ sliding over her lips and touching the back of her throat. She wanted to feel him filling her mouth with his cum, she wanted to taste him, and she could feel her pussy becoming wet.

Stan's resolve began to slowly melt, like a snowdrift in the April sun, "Yes, it felt great, what can I say, you have a beautiful pair of ti..., I mean breasts."

Becky smiled gently, "It's okay Stan, you can call them tits, I don't mind, and I'm glad you think they are beautiful."

Becky's hands went to her breasts and she squeezed gently together. She was sure she saw a further rise in Stan's boxers.

"I liked how your hands felt when you touched me for the first time. It made me even wetter than I already was," Becky tried to remain looking innocent.

Just remembering how Becky's breasts had felt in his hands made Stan's manhood swell even more, he shook his head, like he was trying to break the spell, and his voice cracked slightly, "I need to go"

"Why do you need to go?" Becky asked, she was worried that he might be serious.

Stan looked at Becky, and licked his lips nervously, "Because I'm starting to get...excited."

Becky tried to look understanding, "Is your cock getting hard Stan? Is thinking about what we did turning you on Stan?"

He nodded, "Yes, it is turning me on, and you know it's getting hard," he self-consciously tried to hide his growing hard-on with his hands. Just the way she said the word cock melted his resolve even further.

"Would you like me to give you another hand-job Stan? Isn't that why you really came here?" Becky hoped that she was causing him to weaken.

Stan's cock was aching now; it was fully erect at this point, and crying for relief. Stan might care who got him off, but right now Stan's cock didn't care, Stan's cock wanted someone, anyone to take care of its current condition.

"No! That's not why I came here!" Stan looked around the room, almost like he was looking for another exit. He sighed softly, "I don't know why I came here, and maybe it was to prove to myself that I am stronger than I really am.

Stan's hands dropped away from the front of his boxers, his cock was threatening to poke out the front. The sight of the bulge made Becky even wetter than she already was.

It took all of Becky's willpower to move her eyes off of the huge bulge in his boxers, and to look into his eyes, "Would you like to see my tits again?"

No words came from Stan's mouth, he just nodded. Becky smiled and pulled her t-shirt off exposing her bare breasts to her brother.

"Can I touch your cock again?" her voice was full of anticipation.

Stan hesitated, and then pulled his long boxers down and let them drop to the floor. His cock was fully erect, and stood out proudly, the knob was already purple, and swollen, and wet with his pre-cum. Stan walked over to Becky's bed, Becky lifted the blanket up and motioned for him to get in.

As her hand grasped his rock hard cock she whispered, "I like touching your cock Stan, you have no idea how much it turns me on," her hand moved up and down his hard, smooth shaft, "I like jacking your hard fucking cock Stan, it makes my cunt wet."

Stan was taken aback for a moment at Becky's language, but he liked it, it turned him on, he reached over and began to fondle her rock hard nipples, "I like how your tits feel in my hands."

"Feel my hot, wet cunt Stan, finger me Stan, fuck me with your fingers," Becky was turned on to the point of being wild.

Stan slipped his hand down his sister's pajama bottoms and found her pussy already wet, and slippery, he began to finger her slit with his middle finger. Each time his finger rubbed over her engorged clit he could feel her hips move.

"Do you like me jacking your big, hard dick Stan?" Becky whispered, and her hand moved up and down the length of his cock, every few strokes Becky would let her hand slide up over his plum like cock-head and rub his slippery pre-cum on the palm of her hand.

"Oh fuck yes, it feels great," Stan responded, "Can I suck your nipples?"

Becky loved what she was hearing, "Suck them Stan, I want you to bite them, it really turns me on."

Stan continued fucking his sister with his finger as his mouth went to one of her breasts. He opened his mouth and tried to suck in as much of her breast as he could. Stan liked how her firm, round tits felt in his hands, and mouth. He pulled his mouth slowly off until just the nipple was left. His tongue flicked at the tip of her nipple as his teeth clamped gently down, he could feel her body tense, and he heard a low moan as he bit a little harder.

Becky's eyes were glued on Stan's cock, she liked watching her hand traveling up and down the shaft, then all the way over the head in a twisting motion, capturing all of his wet, slippery goo, and then stroking again. Stan's fingering was really turning her on; she knew she would be cumming soon.

Becky closed her eyes, she felt her hips beginning to hump Stan's hand, "Oh fuck," she cried out, "I'm fucking cumming too soon."

Stan was almost panting, "Oh yeah Becky, cum for me, I want to see you cum," his finger quickly moving in tiny circles around her swollen clitty.

He sucked harder, and even bit down harder on her nipples, he pulled on them with his teeth. He squeezed her one breast hard with his free hand, kneading it roughly as he fingered her even faster.

Her hand left his cock, and she grabbed the hand that was fucking her wet cunny and began to hump it as she came.

"Oh fuck Stan, I'm cumming for you Stan, oh fuck, oh fuck," Becky cried out loudly as felt her body climaxing. 

Stan was surprised at the intensity of Becky's orgasm; she had his hand locked in her hands while her hips humped hard against his finger. He could feel her jamming her clit against his knuckle as she started shaking.

"Oh yeah Becky, cum, I want you to cum hard," Stan was breathless; he found it incredible that he was getting his sister off. He loved it, feeling her cum against his hand.

As soon as Becky's climax had passed she reached for his cock again and began to jack it up and down quickly, "Can I suck your cock Stan?" her hand gripped him a little harder, and her strokes increased in speed.

"Yessss," Stan was extremely turned on by now. He loved having his cock sucked, and since Lindsey had gotten good at it, Stan had been in his glory. Something about watching his cock disappear into someone else's mouth really turned him on.

Becky slid down, opened her mouth wide, and slid his stiff erection into her mouth. The way it felt in her mouth was incredible; it didn't quite hurt her jaws as much as Ryan's cock did. Her head began to bob up and down, her tongue twirled at the underside of his shaft as it slid in and out of her mouth.

"God yes Becky, suck my cock, that feels so incredible," Stan was losing any sense of composure, "I didn't know you were so good at sucking cock."

Becky reached down and began to play with her clit; it turned her on again to hear Stan speaking such filthy things to her, and it turned her on even more to talk dirty to her brother.

She paused her sucking, and gazed up at Stan, "Oh yes Stan, I am a good cocksucker, I love sucking your big, hard, cock. Keep talking dirty to me, I like it."

That drove Stan even wilder, "Yes Becky, keep sucking my big cock. I want to cum in your hot, wet mouth, I'd love to cum on your face, would you like that Becky? Would you like to feel my cum spurting on your face?"

Becky sucked harder and faster, the things he was saying to her made her hotter, and hotter, she wanted to feel her brother cum, she wanted to taste his cum, and she wanted to feel him coat the inside of her mouth with his jizz. Her finger was hard and fast on her clit, she wanted to cum again with his cock in her mouth.




Montana Summer Ch. 07



"Make me shoot my cum, suck me harder. I want to cum in your sweet mouth, oh fuck, I'd like to spray your face with my jizz," Stan could feel his orgasm approaching.

The thought of Stan shooting his cum on her face sent Becky over the edge, she began to cum again, and cum hard. She stuck three fingers in her twat and began to hump them as her other hand moved up and down with her mouth on Stan's cock.

"Oh yeah!" Stan yelled out, "Suck me Becky, I'm cumming!"

Becky was cumming hard as she felt Stan blasting his peppery jizz into her mouth, she sucked greedily, not wanting to lose one drop. She swallowed as fast as she could, she moaned loudly with his cock still in her mouth.

Stan's eyes rolled back in his head as he began to shoot, the first spurt was so intense he thought he was going to pass out, he groaned each time his cock pulsed out it's hot, white load. He could hear her moans, and he could feel them on his cock, it felt so wild, he was cumming so hard that his balls were aching.

Becky continued sucking him well after his orgasm was over, it was only when his cock was completely deflated that Becky released it. She slid back up and kissed Stan on the lips. 

Stan's eyes opened, and he smiled, "Damn, that felt great."

"Mmm," Becky purred, "It sure did."

Stan felt strange, he didn't feel like he felt the other night in the motel, he didn't want to get up and get away. He just wanted to lie there, and hold his sister in his arms.

The days seemed to run together, there was so much to do, all of the chores, and working with Walter. Ryan and Jessi scarcely had time to say hello to each other. It seemed that over the past week Aunt Suzanne always had something for Jessi to do, and it was always away from where Ryan was.

It was the morning of the day that Ryan was dreading the most, the day that his parents were due to arrive. They were going to rent a car at the airport, and make the two and a half hour drive to the ranch; they would arrive at the ranch sometime in the afternoon. He tried to take his mind off of it. Tomorrow was the first day of the rodeo, Walt had told him that they would be riding twice on Friday, and Saturday, and then if their times held up, they would be in the finals on Sunday.

And there was the big Rodeo dance Saturday night; it was the social event of the year for the small town. Aunt Suzanne and Jessi had come home the other night with a new shirt, jeans, and a new cowboy hat for Ryan. Ryan's original hat was looking a little worse for wear, it was dirty, sweat stained, and generally looked like it had been run over, and stomped on several times.

At breakfast Ryan really didn't have his normal appetite, Uncle Bill was uncharacteristically quiet, and Aunt Suzanne seemed preoccupied. Only Jessi seemed to be her normal self, Ryan enjoyed watching her bounce into the kitchen. And bounce she did, still wearing her pajamas, and her breasts unfettered by a bra bounced deliciously under her t-shirt. Jessi winked at Ryan and blew him a kiss as she got herself a cup of coffee. 

"What time do you think they will get here?" asked Jessi breaking the silence.

Uncle Bill looked up from his cup of coffee, "I would imagine about two-thirty, I think their flight gets in about ten-thirty."

It was mid-day when Walter and Charlie Red Elk arrived at the ranch; Ryan was pleasantly surprised to see Charlie. Charlie had placed his hand on Ryan's shoulder and shook his hand. 

"It is good to see you Charlie," Ryan's greeting was genuine.

"And it is good to see you. My son says that you and he have a good chance to do well at the rodeo," Charlie reached into a bag and retrieved a fringed deerskin jacket that had elaborate beadwork on the front and back, "Since you will be representing the Wolf Creek Band, we would be honored for you to accept this gift."

Ryan marveled at the craftsmanship of the jacket, "Thank you Charlie, it's awesome."

Charlie smiled; his dark, weathered face had a genuine look of happiness that is derived from the pleasure of giving someone a gift that is truly appreciated. Charlie took Ryan by the arm, "Come and walk with me for a few minutes."

They had walked for a few minutes when Charlie asked Ryan, "Have you thought about your meeting with your Spirit Guide."

Ryan nodded, "Yes, and seems the more I think about it and try to understand it all, the more questions I have."

Charlie shook his head in agreement, "Even for an old man like me it is the same. It is often difficult to understand what it was they intended for you to discover, I have found at times that the journey along the path to is what they intended in the beginning. The answer at times is almost without any meaning."

"Okay, I think I understand that, but what I don't understand is, well," Ryan paused to get his thoughts straight, "Before the dream it was all I could do to stay on a horse, and now it is like I have been on a horse all of my life."

"Think about what you told me of your dream, you said that you felt like you had spent lifetimes as a Lakota in your dream, you did spend lifetimes, and you learned to ride over, and over again. So your ability to ride is because you have learned it many times. The same for your ability to speak in the language of the Lakota, did you realize that is what we are speaking now?" 

Ryan stopped, he hadn't realized it, it had felt perfectly natural, "No I didn't."

"Tell me what you have learned about your dream," Charlie asked.

Ryan looked at Charlie, and then at the mountains, "I know what it is like to be Lakota, I know some of these mountains are important, I'm not sure exactly why. Probably the one thing that I know is that this is where I am supposed to be, and it is where I want to be."

"You have made a good start, we will talk again. There are things that I must show you, but today I want to see if you are as good a rider as my son says you are," Charlie's, usually stoic face glowed with happiness.

Ryan put his arms around the old man, and hugged him, "I appreciate your help, but the one thing that is beyond me, is simply, why me?"

"I do not know that answer, possibly it is because the spirits of your great-great grandfather, and great-grand father live inside of you," answered Charlie as he shrugged his shoulders.

Ryan gazed around, "It is so different here from where I grew up, and although I have only been here a short while, part of me feels like I have been here forever. Now I can't imagine wanting to be anywhere else."

Charlie smiled, "I feel like that every day. Maybe a small part of us has been here forever," he pointed to the mountains, "This is my home, and the home of my father, and his father before. I do not know how many generations our people have been here, and I would not want to be anywhere else. I was born here, and I will die here," he turned and looked at Ryan, "Perhaps one day next week, you and I will go riding together," he pointed to one mountain in particular, "There are things I need to show you up there, and those things may help in your understanding."

Ryan and Walter had been practicing for about a half hour when a black Lincoln pulled up into the yard. Aunt Suzanne felt her heart pound as she watched the car pull in from the window. As usual Jessi was helping Ryan, and Walter at the corral. Charlie and Uncle Bill were leaned up against the fence watching and talking.

Roy stepped out of the car, he was happy to see the ranch again; there were so many good memories here. Margaret on the other hand, was not particularly happy to be here, she didn't like the earthy smell of a working ranch.

Roy spotted Bill by the corral and took his wife by the arm and led her over to the corral. They arrived at the corral just in time to see Jessi sending out another steer with Ryan and Walter in hot pursuit.

"Is that Walt," Roy spoke to his cousin.

Bill turned and gave Roy a hug, "Good to see you Roy, glad you made it," he looked at Margaret, and tipped his hat, "Good to see you too Margaret."

Margaret smiled politely, "And it nice to see you too Bill."

"Yup that's Walt," Bill continued, "They're practicing for the rodeo tomorrow."

"Who's the cowboy riding with him," Roy asked, he could only see the other rider from the back.

Margaret gazed out at the other rider, she couldn't see his face either, but his shoulders were broad, and the way he rode, she felt weak at the knees, she wondered how a cowboy like that would feel riding her.

Bill laughed, "That's your son."

Roy was amazed, "That's Ryan?"

Margaret's little fantasy came to a crashing stop, that was her son? That cowboy looked like he was taller, and definitely heavier than Ryan.

Bill nodded, "Damn fine cowboy don't you think?"

Roy nodded his head, "Yeah, I'll say, especially considering he hasn't ridden a horse before this summer."

Charlie walked over and shook Roy's hand; "It's been a long since I have seen you. It is good to see you again Roy."

"Good to see you again Charlie, where's Amos?" Roy asked.

Charlie shook his head, "He's layin' around the house I guess, he busted his leg up pretty good."

Roy nodded his head, "Well tell him I said hi."

Ryan had spotted his parents, and nudged Bernie in their direction. Jessi had hopped over the fence and had gone running to where everyone was standing. She wrapped her arms around Ryan's dad and gave him a big hug, "Hi Uncle Roy."

Roy returned the hug, "I can't believe how much you're grown since the last time I saw you."

Margaret looked at Jessi, "Jessica, my, but you have become a young woman."

"Aunt Margaret, how nice to see you," Jessi was lying through her teeth, Margaret was the last person she wanted to see, but she politely hugged her.

Ryan rode up and dismounted, "Mom, dad, good to see you,"

Roy was genuinely pleased to see his son, "That was a damn fine piece of riding out there."

"Thanks dad, I have to give a lot of credit to Bernie," he pointed his thumb at his horse, "And to Walter."

Margaret immediately saw the changes in her son. Gone was the urban slouch, he now stood straight and tall, his face was tanned from being outdoors. He looked like he had put on weight, and from the way his body felt when he had hugged her, it was all muscle. And something else, there was a confidence that she had never seen in him before. It made her a little uneasy; it may be harder than she thought to cow Ryan into doing what she wanted. 

Walter had ridden up, and paid his respects to Roy and Margaret, and then spoke to Ryan, "We need to be there about nine, that will give us time to get registered, and to get the horses ready, and size up the competition."

Ryan nodded, "Okay, I'll be ready."

Charlie and Walter headed off to load Walt's horse into the horse trailer.

Uncle Bill looked at Roy, "Well, let's head on over to the house, we can get your things out of the car, Suzanne has the guest room all ready for you."

Margaret looked at her son, "Ryan, I need to talk to you."

Ryan nodded, "Sure, give me a few minutes and I'll be there."

"Now Ryan," her voice was firm.

"Okay, meet me over in the barn, I have to take care of Bernie," Ryan hopped over the corral, mounted Bernie and headed towards the barn.

Jessi could feel the icy chill from her aunt, and was glad to walk back to the house with her father, and her uncle. She chuckled under her breath as she watched her aunt walking carefully to the barn, taking great pains in not getting her shoes soiled.

When Margaret reached the barn Ryan had already removed the saddle from Bernie, and had begun to brush him, "We need to talk about what your father told me. Is it true, that it is your intention to go into business with Bill."

Ryan nodded, "Yes, that is correct," he braced himself as he continued brushing Bernie; he knew that this was just the calm before the storm.

"I won't allow it," Margaret's tone of voice would have frozen water in the Sahara.

Ryan stopped brushing Bernie and turned to face his mother, "What do you mean, you won't allow it."

"I have plans for you, and working on this...this...whatever you call it, in the middle of God knows where, I will not stand for it," Margaret's temper had begun rising.

"What about what I want," although Ryan's tone was gentle there was no mistaking that this was more of a statement, and less of a question.

Margaret waved her hand at him and shook her head, "What do you know of what you want. You're too young to be making such a foolish decision."

"I know this is what I want, and that this is where I am supposed to be. From the first day I got here, I felt like I had come home. And how am I making a foolish decision, I'm still going to go back to college and get my degree, just not," Ryan's tone remained even and calm.

This wasn't going the way Margaret had planned, she fully expected to intimidate Ryan, but instead was beginning to feel a little intimidated herself. She had expected to be talking to her son, a mere boy, but instead she found that she was talking to her son, a man, "How can you give up the power and wealth that you could have with my family's connections. With your looks you almost guaranteed a seat in the Senate, and who knows what after that."

Ryan took his mother by the hand and led her out of the barn, and then pointed to the mountains, "There, that is real power. Imagine the power that created them, and wealth, I feel rich already," he pointed to his heart, "In here, I feel the richness of an honest days work, I feel the richness of the land, and what it brings. What more could I want?"

Margaret didn't know how to answer that, she didn't know how to break through that steely resolve she sensed in him, "Don't you want to follow in your Grandfather Malloy's footsteps?"

Ryan scoffed, "What, patting men on the back, shaking their hands, smiling at them, and then as soon as they are out the door, cutting them to pieces, plotting against them," he shook his head, "No mother, I don't want that life. I don't want to be behind a desk answering to someone. I want to be here, this is what I want, and this is what I am meant to do, and this is where I am meant to be."

A rage smoldered in Margaret, things were not going her way, and Margaret was a woman who was used to getting her way...all of the time. She decided to change course, "What will you do if I cut off your tuition money."

Ryan just shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I have the money I have made this summer, and I can always get a student loan."

Margaret knew the money threat was hollow, Ryan didn't know it yet, but her husband had brought the papers to sell his half of the ranch to Ryan for the paltry sum of one dollar per year for five years. All that was required was for Bill, and Ryan to agree to the terms, and sign the papers. She was powerless to interfere, and that just made her rage smolder even more, she stamped her feet, "I will not have my son disgrace my family's name by becoming nothing more than a...a...common farmer."

Ryan wanted to lash out, but to do so would only give her mother a victory, he took a deep breath, "Well if living on the land, and doing an honest job will disgrace your family's name, then so be it. You have no say; this is the life I want. If you cannot accept that, then I don't know what to say to you."

Margaret turned and stomped towards the house, she was furious, someone was going to pay, this was her husband's idea to have him come out here for the summer, his words burned in her mind, "It will do the boy good, have him see how the other half lives," he was going to pay, oh God she would make him pay for this.

Ryan grinned at Bernie, "It looks like we might have just won that round," he returned to brushing Bernie down. He had just put Bernie into the corral when a familiar set of hands wrapped their way around him.

Ryan turned around and wrapped his hands around Jessi, "Hey what are you doing out here?"

Jessi had changed into a jean skirt, and a western style shirt, Ryan loved how she looked when she dressed like that. The shirt fit snuggly following the contours of her body, and the skirt allowed him to see her legs. Ryan had never really thought of himself as a leg man, but when he watched Jessi walking around in a skirt, the sight of her legs usually got his manhood rising.

Jessi grinned, "Well your mom came into the house, and man is she pissed off. She started yelling at your dad, and then at my dad. Then everyone started hollering."

"Glad I missed it," Ryan grinned, "Mom came into the barn and tried to talk me out of staying here. I just stood my ground, and finally she headed off to the house."

"Well when I left, things had calmed down a little, but the talk was still pretty serious, I just sort of snuck out, I don't think anyone noticed I left," Jessi smiled softly at Ryan.

Ryan grinned and ran his hands down her back to her butt.

Jessi whispered, "I'm not wearing a bra."

A bulge began to grow in Ryan's pants. He ran his hands slowly up her sides.

"I'm not wearing any panties either," she whispered again.

Ryan smiled, "You make me so hot."

"Oh baby," Jessi looked into Ryan's eyes, "You drive me wild. I had to play with myself last night thinking about you."

Her hand reached down and she began to rub his growing erection. She could feel the heat of his growing manhood through his jeans.

"I would have loved to have watched you," Ryan's voice was husky.

"I imagined you were watching me," Jessi whispered in his ear, "And that just made it hotter."

Ryan ran his hands over her breasts, feeling their familiar firmness. He felt Jessi's fingers tugging at his zipper. His eyes closed as she pulled his hard dick from his pants, her hand felt cool on his hot member. 

"Mmm, that feels so good," Ryan's heart was pounding, he leaned over, and pressed his lips against hers, they parted as his tongue slipped into her mouth. Her tongue flicked at his, and then drove hard into his mouth.

Jessi liked how Ryan kissed her; it was like he was trying to consume her. She sucked on his tongue as she felt it entering her mouth, flicking and stabbing at it with her own. Her pulse raced, and her heart pounded. Her hand was still on his distended shaft, stroking it, and then rubbing it, running her nails lightly along it. It felt so smooth, so hard; her fingers ran over the veins that had begun to bulge out along its length. She loved the power she had over his cock, how she could bring it to its full length with seemingly little effort.

Ryan squeezed her braless breasts through her shirt, their mouths still locked tightly together. He savored the feeling of his hand trying to capture her breast, then squeezing it gently, her taut nipple trying to force its way through the fabric of her shirt.

"You turn me on," Ryan's voice was soft and husky.

He slipped his hands under her skirt and began to knead her firm, bare ass cheeks. Years of riding, and working on the ranch had given Jessi an ass that Hollywood actresses would die for. 

"Oh cowboy, you light my fire," Jessi replied back. She loved the feel of his strong hands squeezing, and pulling her butt cheeks. Her pussy felt like it was on fire; she could feel herself becoming wetter by the second. She had begun pumping Ryan's cock in earnest now, she wanted to turn him on, drive him wild with lust. Most of all, she wanted to feel his cock driving deep inside of her.

He slipped one hand between her legs, down over her shaved mound; his fingers found her slit hot, and wet. He liked the feeling of her warm, slippery wetness on his fingers. Ryan slipped his middle finger into her tight tunnel and began to slide it back and forth.

"Oh God, fuck me with your finger," she moaned, "That feels so good."

Ryan's eyes were closed; the feeling of Jessi's hand pumping hard on his steely hard cock was sending him higher and higher. He continued plunging his finger in and out of her pussy as fast as he could.




Montana Summer Ch. 07



"I want you," Ryan's voice was slurred with lust.

"Oh yes Ryan, I want you too, I want you to fuck me right now," Jessi's voice was wild, and full of abandon, "I want you to fuck me right here in the barn."

"Oh yes baby, I want to fuck you," Ryan felt like his cock would explode, he didn't think his cock had ever been this hard, or this on fire ever before, and a dip into her pussy was just what he needed to quench his cock's thirst for lust.

Jessi let go of Ryan's cock; she loved how it pointed straight up into the air when it was hard. She turned around, spread her legs wide and bent over, holding on to the rails of the stall with both hands, "Fuck me Ryan, put your cock in me."

Ryan flipped up the back of her skirt, her pussy looked so hot, and glistened with her slippery juices, her pussy lips were puffy with passion, and he could see the nub of her hard little clit poking out. He put his hand on his cock, and guided it to her entrance and pushed. He slid straight in; she was so hot, and so wet, his cock felt saturated with her slickness. 

Jessi moaned as she felt the full length of his cock entering her. It filled her pussy, and made it feel so full, it was the feeling she craved. He began to thrust hard in, and out of her, she matched his thrusts, pushing back with her hips and arms. He leaned over and opened her shirt, letting her breasts fall out of her shirt.

She could only imagine what she looked like, a cock driving into her from behind, her tits hanging from her shirt, bouncing wildly as Ryan pounded her cunny with his big, stiff cock. 

"Faster, harder, oh Ryan fuck me hard and fast right now," Jessi moaned, her voice urging him on.

Ryan abandoned her breasts, and now put his hands on her hips, pulling her and pushing her. Pulling her hard against him as his cock sank deep inside of her, his balls banging against her butt with each thrust.

It sent her higher and higher, she was wild with desire, Ryan had sped up the frequency of his thrusts, and was slamming harder and harder into her wet pussy. She felt the onset of her orgasm, "Oh fuck Ryan, I'm going to cum... oh God baby, you are making me cum."

"Yes!" Ryan almost shouted, "I want to feel you cum!"

Jessi peaked at that moment; she felt her pussy flood with her juices, Ryan's cock felt so good. Her clit felt like it was on fire, she screamed out, her voice was shaking with the fury of her orgasm, "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck Ryan, I'm cumming. Fuck yes, I'm cumming so hard..."

"Yes Jessi, cum for me now, I want to feel you," Ryan could feel her tunnel contracting around his cock, trying in vain to capture his slick member as it continued sliding in and out.

Their bodies slapped together as they fucked, Ryan loved fucking her from behind, it seemed so...kinky...especially out here in the barn.

"Ohhhh, yessss!" Jessi moaned as her body shook, she was gripping the rail with all her might. Ryan's stiff cock continued to plunge in and out of her tight pussy further heightening her orgasm.

Ryan felt his own climax rapidly approaching, he squeezed with all his might, but he knew it was going to be in vain, he couldn't prolong the inevitable any longer, "I'm going to cum," his voice was hoarse and urgent. Just before he felt the first spurt, he pulled his cock from Jessi's cunny, she reached down and felt his cock rubbing along her slit, she grasped it with her hand as he began to cum.

Spurt after spurt surged forth from the tip of his swollen cock-head covering her hand with his sticky, white cum. Jessi liked the feeling of his jizz shooting over the palm of her hand.

Ryan moaned loudly as his cock jerked and convulsed, he could feel her hand rubbing his cock as he came. His body tensed, and shook, he felt dizzy. He stopped and pulled back allowing Jessi to turn around, he watched as she licked some of his cum off of her hand. 

Jessi kissed him softly, "Oh Ryan, that was incredible."

"You're the one that is incredible," Ryan hugged Jessi tightly and then kissed her on the lips.

Jessi's face just glowed, she smiled softly at Ryan, "You're the cowboy I've always wanted, and you make me feel so special."

Ryan was touched by her words, he didn't know what to say, he decided words weren't important right now, he just held her tighter.

"I'm going to run upstairs and get cleaned up," Jessi's face was alight with love, and happiness.

Ryan watched her walk up the stairs to his apartment. His heart was doing little flip-flops. He smiled, and sighed softly, then picked up the pitchfork and began to toss fresh straw into the stables.

He looked up as Aunt Suzanne walked into the barn, for a moment he wondered if she had heard them, but the look on Aunt Suzanne's face put his momentary panic to rest.

"Have you seen Jessi?" She asked.

"She ran up to use the bathroom," Ryan had pointed towards his apartment.

Ryan saw what he thought was a brief look of relief wash over his aunt's face, "Do you want me to go up and get her?"

"No, just tell her to come to the house and have her give me a hand with supper when she comes down," Aunt Suzanne smiled at Ryan, the she asked, "Did your mother give you a rough time of it?"

Ryan shook his head, "No, not really, I just stood my ground, there was nothing she could really say."

A tear appeared in the corner of Aunt Suzanne's eye, she suddenly reached out and hugged Ryan tightly, "You have no idea how happy you have made your uncle, or me. You've become like the son we never had."

After supper as the men sat on the porch Roy remarked, "I haven't had a meal like that in many a year. That felt good."

Meals on the ranch were simple, no haute cuisine here. Just good, hearty food cooked with skill and love...and lots of it. Tonight's supper was fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh carrots, fresh peas, and topped off with apple pie. The beverage de jour for tonight's meal was a choice of coffee, or milk. Margaret, who was used to a more sophisticated diet, had a pained expression on her face throughout most of the meal, but a close watch would have revealed that she had a second helping of almost everything.

"So, you're sure this is what you want?" Ryan's father asked his son.

Ryan nodded slowly, "I've never been so sure of anything in my life as this."

Although Roy wouldn't admit it to his wife at this particular moment, he had never been prouder of his son than he had been today. There had been many times in his life that he had regretted leaving the ranch, and the life he had grown up with. With Ryan deciding that his future was here on the ranch, Roy felt like a small part of him was coming home.

It was more than just a rodeo. It was the county fair, and by far the largest social event of the season. All over the county livestock was being groomed for the show, cattle, pigs, roosters, all looking their best waiting for their time in the ring, and the judging.

Recipes that were closely guarded, and handed down from generation to generation were pulled out; ovens were filled with breads, cakes, and all manner of baked goods for the judging. Preserves of all kinds were tasted carefully to make sure they met the maker's expectations, and hopes for a blue ribbon this year.

Farmers, ranchers, and townsfolk all came together for the three days of the fair. Old friendships were renewed, and new ones formed. Prices of cattle and grain would be discussed over and over, the amount of rain that had been received so far this year, predictions of crop yields, of when the various crops would be ready for harvest.

Men whose faces were weathered by the sun, and the wind, with hands roughened by years of hard work talked with men whose faces were pale, and whose hands were well manicured. They spoke of fuel prices, insurance, prices of new equipment, and interest rates.

The culminating event of the weekend was the annual dance that was held on the Saturday night after the rodeo was over. Lord only knows how many marriages were a result of the dance, possibly a few divorces, and for that matter, how many babies came in this world nine months later.

Walter and Ryan walked out of the registration office; all they had to do now was wait. Team roping was to start about noon, there were fourteen teams entered in the competition this year. Walter had carefully studied the list and sized up their competition from what he knew from years past.

"Well, do we have a chance?" Ryan asked.

Walter nodded, "Yes, I think so. I've seen most of these teams before."

Jessi found Ryan grooming Bernie, getting ready to saddle him; she walked up to him and kissed his cheek, "How's my cowboy?"

Ryan grinned, "Damned nervous."

"You'll do just fine," Jessi's eyes sparkled in the sunlight, then she looked at Bernie, "Hey mooch, I brought you something too," she reached into her jacket and fed Bernie a couple of pieces of carrot.

"I've got to go, we are all in the stands, even your mom," Jessi giggled.

Ryan rolled his eyes, "I wonder what it took to get her here."

Jessi kissed Ryan softly once more, "Good luck Ryan, I'm so proud of you. I love you."

Before Ryan could answer Jessi had turned and was running for the stands. What Ryan couldn't see were the two tears of happiness that slowly ran down her cheeks.

Ryan was filled with warmth as he turned to Bernie, "Well fella, I don't know how I got here, but I'm depending on you to make us all look good."

As luck would have it Walter and Ryan had drawn the first run. They entered the open-air arena on horseback. Ryan was surprised at the number of people in the stands, considering it was a work day for most, and just before noon.

Deep in the recesses of Bernie's brain a distant memory came to life. He had been here, or a place similar to this when was younger. He had spent much of his early life in places like this; this is what he had been born to do. Bernie strutted as he trotted around the arena, his head held high, this felt good, he felt like he was a young horse again. He liked the man who rode him now, he was gentle, his voice was kind, and Bernie could sense an inner strength within the man.

The PA crackled to life, "Okay folks, now for the team roping event, and first out of the chute will the team of Walt Red Elk, and Ryan McFayden representing the Wolf Creek Lakota Band. Usually Amos rides with Walt, but he has a broken leg. Hope you get well soon Amos. Ryan is from the Rocking M ranch."

Ryan got Bernie into position in the box, he felt like his stomach was churning. "Breathe Ryan, breathe," he whispered to himself. He scanned the crowd and looked for Jessi, when he looked up at her she waved wildly back at him. He glanced over at Walter; he nodded back at Ryan as if to reassure him.

Bernie shook his head as he waited, his hoof pawing at the dirt impatiently. He knew what was coming, and he was ready, today he would run like he would have run ten years ago. Today was Bernie's day.

The chute opened and a steer bolted like he had Satan on his heels. As soon as the steer crossed the barrier Bernie knew it was time to run, he felt Ryan's heels against his side, he hear Ryan yell, "Yeah Bernie," he pushed hard with his hind legs, and pulled with his front, in just a few steps he was at a full gallop, his nostrils flaring, his mane flying wildly in the breeze There is a beauty in watching a horse and a rider when they work as a team, and on this day, that's what Bernie and Ryan were like, they were one.

Ryan had his lasso out twirling as Bernie ate up huge chunks of ground with each stride, they were closing fast; Bernie carefully watched the steer running in front of him, making minute adjustments in his pursuit of the running steer.

Jessi was screaming wildly pulling on her dad's arm, "Look at Bernie run!"

"Now!" it was like a voice in Ryan's head, he snapped his wrist sending the lasso flying through the air.

Roy held his breath as soon as he saw Ryan let the lasso go, he had a hard time believing he was watching his own son. He was bursting with pride, a small tear formed in the corner of his eye.

Even Margaret had gotten into the excitement, she was screaming and jumping up and down, she watched as the lasso left Ryan's hand and headed towards the steer's head. As much as she didn't want to admit it, deep down she could see that he fit into this lifestyle.

Walter was hot on the heels of Ryan and Bernie, a fraction of a second after Ryan had sent his lasso flying Walter had his own lasso spinning waiting for Ryan and Bernie to turn the steer to the left.

The loop fell perfectly over the steer's neck; Ryan quickly looped the rope around his saddle horn. Bernie knew what to do even before Ryan signaled with his left foot, and the reins, Bernie lunged hard to left, pushing hard with his front legs, pulling the steer with him.

Walter's lasso flew from his hand, and captured both of the rear legs of the steer, Walt's horse pulled up hard, Bernie turned hard again facing the steer, and Walter's horse.

A horn blew signaling the time had stopped. Ryan grinned at Walter as he rubbed Bernie's ears. They let the steer go, and wrapped their ropes as they road to the end of the arena.

Walter gave Ryan a thumbs up sign, his normally stoic face was animated, "That's what I'm talking about!"

The PA crackled again, the voice hushed at first, then boomed, "You sure that's right? Five point nine nine, and no penalties, looks like Walt and Ryan have come to win, that's a very good time, the bar has been set, let's see if any of the other teams can beat that time."

Jessi was jumping up and down excitedly in the stands, "Did you see that, did you see that, I have to go down and see them." 

Jessi raced down through the stands, and towards where Ryan and Walter were. She couldn't wait to wrap her hands around Ryan and hug him tightly. While most people might have seen a young cowboy on a horse that was maybe past his prime, Jessi saw a knight in shining armor.

Roy and Bill were still laughing, they had finally sat back down, Bill shook his head, "You know Roy, we've had that horse for four years, and the fastest I have ever seen him move is a quick trot to the oat bucket at feeding time. We put Ryan on Bernie because he's a good-tempered cuss, and figured he wouldn't move any faster than a trot. I don't know what your son has done, but that's not the horse I bought."

Roy just shook his head, "I can't believe that's my son."

Later on Suzanne would have wished she had come earlier, she had missed the first ride as she entered her apple crisp into the baking contest. The look on her husband's face had said it all; he had beamed as he had gone into great detail describing Ryan's and Walter's ride.

Jessi almost tackled Ryan as she ran up, "That was awesome Ryan," she wrapped her arms around Ryan and squeezed with all her might.

Bernie nudged Jessi as if to say, "Hey, I'm the real star here?"

Jessi laughed and wrapped her arms around Bernie's neck, "You were awesome too Bernie."

Walter laughed, "What about me, do I get a hug too."

"Oh Walter," Jessi grinned and hugged him, "Thanks for all your help, you guys looked great."

Walter nodded, "That's a damned good time, especially for our first time out. If we can keep this up, we have a good chance of finishing in the money."

After the second round Ryan and Walter were in second place, down by less than tenth of second over the leaders. Walter was more than happy, he was ecstatic, his hope had been to still be in the top ten, and they had more than surpassed that goal.

Aunt Suzanne had been there for their second ride, and had tears in her eyes after Ryan and Walter equaled their first round's time. After the team-roping event was over they all sat in the stands and watched the rest of the events.

Ryan was impressed with the bucking events, Aunt Suzanne had nudged him, and pointed at Ryan's uncle, and father and whispered, "Those two were pretty good on a bucking horse in their day. Your uncle almost went pro one year."

Ryan looked at his father; he had almost forgotten that he had grown up in this environment. He could almost see the glory days of their youth shining through their faces as they laughed, and reminisced.

After the second day of the rodeo Ryan and Walter were solidly in second place, three tenths of a second out of first place. Walter was confident, he told Ryan, "If we just keep our heads, and keep riding the way we have we are still in this, anything can happen, they can break the barrier too soon, the header can miss, the heeler can miss. Some of it is just the luck of what animal you get."

They had headed back home early from the rodeo so that everyone could get cleaned up for the dance. Ryan had laid out the new clothes that Aunt Suzanne and Jessi had picked out for him. He was looking forward to the dance, and being able to spend some time with Jessi. Once out of the shower he shaved, and then got dressed. He looked in the mirror and was happy with what he saw. He figured Jessi must have picked out the jeans, as tight as they were. The white western style shirt fit snuggly as well; he slipped his belt through the loops, and went to pull his cowboy boots on. 

The first time he had put cowboy boots on it had felt a little funny, he thought he might fall over because of the tall heels. He had seen boots with lower heels in the store, but Jessi had told him that the taller heel was better suited for riding. He looked at his boots, and went into the bedroom and retrieved a boot brush, and some polish. A few minutes of cleaning and buffing had made a world of difference. Satisfied with his work he pulled his boots on and stood before the mirror. He picked up the fringed deerskin jacket that Charlie had given him. It fit perfectly; he marveled at the beadwork, it was so colorful, and so intricate. He liked how it looked on him; he put his new hat on, adjusted it, smiled, and headed to the house.

Margaret was the first to see Ryan as he walked into the house, she was impressed, and she had to keep reminding herself that this was her son. With his boots on, and standing straight he looked at least two or three inches taller. He had stopped looking like a boy, and looked every inch a man.

Ryan's jaw dropped when he saw Jessi come down the stairs. She had done her hair, and had applied makeup. He didn't think he had ever seen a more attractive girl in his life. She had a western shirt that almost matched Ryan's, a little more of a creamy color. She wore a short jean skirt that showed off her perfectly formed legs, and to top it off she had on cowboy boots that matched the color of her shirt. It was all he could do to stop himself from running over to her, hold her in his arms and tell her how beautiful he thought she was.

Jessi looked at Ryan and her heart skipped a beat, he looked so hot in those tight jeans. She was glad she had bought a size smaller than what Aunt Suzanne had recommended. Jessi smiled, and winked at Ryan.

"Where did you get that jacket?" Margaret asked.

"Charlie Red Elk gave it me, he said it was his way of thanking me for helping out Walter," Ryan replied.

Margaret touched the soft leather, and studied the beadwork, automatically trying to appraise the value of the jacket.

They arrived at the dance a just as the band had started playing, and were able to get a good table close to the dance floor. They were soon joined by Stan, and Becky's parents, Stan and Lindsey, Becky, and a guy named Matt, Jessi had whispered that Matt had gone to school with them, and that he had always had the hots for Becky.

The hall had filled up quickly with all manner of cowboys, cowgirls some authentic, and others not. Ryan thought the band was pretty good, especially for a small town like this. It wasn't long before the dance floor was crowded for each and every song.




Montana Summer Ch. 08



In this chapter, and in the last couple of chapters I have introduced some Lakota culture into this story. All of it is accurate as far as I can tell, I have done a lot of research into their culture during the writing of this story, and I am not trying to trivialize, or sensationalize their beliefs. If I have offended any members of the Lakota, or any members of the Great Sioux Nation, I most humbly apologize here and now. It has never been my intent to make a mockery of things that some people hold to be sacred. I encourage anyone who has read, and enjoyed these stories to do some more reading on the heritage of the Lakota. This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Tatanka Yotanka, and Tashunka-Uitco, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse, two great men and leaders whose only crime was to try to protect their homes, their way of life, and their people. This is also dedicated to the memory of the people who died at the massacre at Wounded Knee.

And now, Chapter 8...

All of the characters in this story are at least 18 years of age or older I would like to thank everyone that has left me comments, or sent me emails for the previous chapters. It is quite overwhelming to me at how much this story has touched so many readers...

Her words still echoed in Ryan's head, "I want you to make love to me."

They had gone to Ryan's apartment in the barn and had made love. It was different than before. It had been like a summer storm in the mountains, building slowly. Soft and gentle starting like the summer breezes preceding a storm. Like the mounting winds, their passion had built steadily. The anticipation, and expectation were like the boiling black clouds pouring over the peaks. His entry into her was like the first bolt of lightning, and first clap of thunder. The fury of their lovemaking was like that of the storm, wild, and free. When they reached the crescendo of their act it was like the heavens opening. As the storm departed they were left with the peace and the calm of the after.

When Ryan awoke Jessi was still there beside him, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder, her arm across his chest. He had softly stroked her hair until her eyes opened; she had smiled quietly into his eyes. Their kisses were soft, and meaningful, their caresses gentle, and caring. Neither wanted to leave the bed and face the day, they felt that as long as they stayed in that bed that their dream was still alive.

In the house there had been an uncomfortable silence when they walked in. Aunt Suzanne's eyes were puffy, and red from too many tears. Uncle Bill had looked almost gaunt, like the life had been sucked from his body. Ryan's father didn't look much better than Uncle Bill, his mother looked like she had aged a decade overnight.

Ryan quietly drank his coffee in silence; Jessi had gone upstairs to shower, change. He looked at the clock, he needed to get going. There was still the rodeo, and Walter was counting on him. Ryan got up and placed his cup on the counter and walked outside without uttering a word, and climbed into one of the trucks and headed off to town.

Aunt Suzanne watched Ryan leave, and she looked towards the stairs. She sighed deeply, and slowly walked upstairs and knocked on Jessi's door. She opened the door; Jessi was laying face down, her face was buried in her pillow. Aunt Suzanne couldn't hear it, but she could see that Jessi was crying.

Jessi turned over and looked at her mother, "If you are here to just yell at me..."

Aunt Suzanne felt her heart ache as she looked at her daughter, "No, I'm not; I was going to; but, I can't, not now."

Jessi sat up, and made room for her mother to sit, she wrapped her arms around her mother, "Oh mom, I don't know what I am going to do."

"I'm so sorry that this has happened," Suzanne began to cry with her daughter.

"I love him, I love him with all my heart," the tears poured down Jessi's cheeks.

Suzanne held her daughter tightly wishing that there were something she could do to ease her pain. She tried to think of the words that might comfort Jessi, but right now there were none that came to mind.

"Did you want to go and watch him ride," Suzanne asked softly.

Jessi nodded, "Yes, I have to."

"Well you get yourself cleaned up, and ready to go," Suzanne stood up, she turned and looked Jessi in eye, "Did you use any protection last night?"

Jessi shook her head, and her cheeks reddened, "No, but he didn't; finish inside me."

"Okay, but next week we are taking you into see Doc Taylor, you need to get on the pill," Suzanne walked out and closed Jessi's door, and began to sob silently.

---

Ryan tried to put everything that had happened the night before out of his mind as he saddled Bernie. Charlie had come over and had wished him luck. Walter had talked to him as well, telling him just to relax, and to ride like they had for the past two days.

The draw for the day was simple, the top ten teams started in an inverse order, that meant Walter and Ryan would start second to last. Ryan didn't feel much like watching the other teams ride; he stood there quietly with Bernie. There was an ache in his heart today unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Ryan was just getting ready to mount Bernie when Jessi walked up. Bernie whinnied, and nuzzled Jessi in greeting.

"Hey mooch, are you going to make us all proud today?" she smiled softly as she rubbed his ears.

"You doin' ok?" Ryan asked.

Jessi smiled weakly, "Not really, I could use a hug."

Ryan wrapped his arms tightly around Jessi, and held her close, softly he whispered, "I love you Jessi."

She looked up and kissed Ryan tenderly on the lips, "I love you too cowboy. Go out there and do it for me."

"I will," there was conviction in Ryan's voice.

He watched Jessi head back to the stands, his heart beating faster. He didn't know what the future held for them, it there was any future at all. It seemed like his father had fucked that up for him, at least that was the way it felt to him at the moment. 

Ryan mounted Bernie, and moved over to where Walter awaited. It would be their turn in the arena shortly.

Becky spotted Jessi in the stands and made her way up the stairs and sat down beside Jessi, "Hey sister, what's the word of the day."

Jessi tried to smile; it was a half-hearted attempt, "Crap, that's the word."

Becky's mood turned serious, she knew something wasn't right, "What's wrong Jessi."

"Oh Becky," tears appeared in Jessi's eyes, "I don't even know where to start?"

Becky put her arm around Jessi, "Start at the beginning."

"We got home last night from the dance, and dad said that they wanted to talk to Ryan and I," Jessi hung her head, "Oh Becky, it was awful, it turns out that Ryan, and I are brother and sister, well, half brother, and half sister."

Becky's mouth dropped, she was stunned, "What the fuck?"

"Can I stay with you for a few days?" Jessi looked at her friend, "I can't stay at home, at least for a little while."

"Oh God yes, you can stay with me," Becky was still in shock, "What the hell is going on?"

Jessi wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, "I'll tell you the whole story later."

Becky nodded, and gave Jessi a supportive hug, "Okay, whenever you feel up to it."

The PA crackled and announced, "Okay now riding will be the team in second place, Walt Red Elk, and Ryan McFayden, they still have a good chance of taking first place, they are only three tenths of a second out of first."

Jessi grabbed Becky's arm and yelled, "C'mon Ryan!!"

Jessi and Becky watched as the steer left the chute; Bernie and Ryan took off like they had been shot from a cannon, Ryan's head was low, almost touching Bernie's. They held their collective breath as Ryan's lasso began to twirl. As soon as the loop landed smoothly over the steer's head Bernie leaned his whole body to the left, pulling the steer with him. Walt was right behind Ryan, and he caught the rear legs of the steer, and the horn sounded.

"Damn, that was good!" Becky cheered.

Jessi gave Becky a big high five, "Yeah!"

The girls headed down to end of the arena where Ryan and Walter would be with their horses, the PA crackled to life, "That was one hot ride folks, five point seven nine, let's have a big hand for our local boys Walt, and Ryan."

"That was great Ryan," said Walter as he dismounted.

"Thanks Walt. I took a big chance, I let go of the lasso about two steps sooner than before and let Bernie take over," Ryan replied.

"Try to do it again on our next go round," Walt nodded as he listened to the PA give the final riders' times, "We gained two tenths, we are only down by one tenth, we gain two tenths again, and its ours!"

"Hey cowboy, how about a hug for a pretty girl," Becky teased Ryan while Jessi gave Walter a hug.

"Where's the pretty girl?" Ryan laughed, and hugged Becky tightly.

Becky balled up her fist and laughed as she shook it in front of Ryan's face, "You watch it buster."

Jessi walked up behind Ryan and put her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, she stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear, "You're still my cowboy."

Ryan turned around and smiled softly at Jessi, he put his arms around her and held her tightly, "Yeah, and that's how I like it."

There was a small tear in Jessi's eye, "I'm going to spend a few days with Becky, and I just want you to know that it's not because of you. I just need time away from Mom and Dad right now."

Ryan nodded, his expression was sad, "I do understand, and I'm gonna miss you."

"You don't have to miss me, I'm not leaving to be away from you, you can come in and see me anytime," Jessi kissed Ryan on the cheek.

Bernie had noticed all the attention that he was missing out on; he pushed his head gently against Jessi.

"Oh Bernie, I didn't mean to ignore you," Jessi hugged Bernie's head, she rubbed his ears gently, "After all you are the star."

Walter laughed, "That is one spoiled horse."

Ryan shook his head, "You think?"

The second and the final round for the day, and for the competition was set to start immediately after the end of the first round. After Jessi and Becky returned to the stands Ryan stood beside Bernie talking to him softly, and stroking the side of his head.

Although there was no way that Bernie could know, much less understand the scoring; deep inside he knew that he, and his rider was doing well in the competition. He could sense Ryan's nervous excitement. Bernie was anxious to get back into the arena; he loved the thrill of the chase, and roar of the fans. He knew the faster he ran, the more thrilling the chase was, and the louder the approval of the fans. He shook his head, and then turned it so he could see Ryan on his back.

Ryan looked into Bernie's eye, he leaned down and whispered into Bernie's ear, "We're gonna do it Bernie, you and me, we're gonna do it."

It was their turn; Ryan and Walter rode around the arena, waving at people they knew, people they thought they might have known, and just anyone who would wave back.

Ryan backed Bernie into the box. Adrenalin was beginning to pump through both horse, and rider. Bernie sensed that it was almost time, his muscles tensed waiting for the moment that they would be needed to propel a little over twelve hundred pounds of horse and rider forward.

Ryan glanced over at Walter and gave him a nervous nod. Walter mouthed back the words, "You can do it."

The chute opened, the steer felt a quick slap on its rump, he wanted to be free of the chute and took off out into the arena in an attempt to escape.

Jessi, and Becky saw the gate open, and the steer began to run, they rose from their seats and started to stand.

Uncle Bill, and Roy held their breath.

The steer was running as fast as it could, it passed the barrier, and had no understanding of what the barrier was. 

This was it, it was time, Ryan's spurs touched Bernie, and his coiled lasso slapped Bernie on the rump.

The massive muscles in Bernie's hindquarters fired, and pushed him forward, his front legs lifted off of the ground for a fraction of a second, and they landed on the ground in front of the horse. As his rear legs extended, his front legs hit the ground, and muscles in his shoulders pulled him and the rider forward. Over and over, this was repeated so that in no time he was at a full gallop. 

Ryan's hand was light on the reins; he knew Bernie didn't need anything from him in the pursuit of the steer. Ryan's heart pounded as pure adrenalin took over. It all seemed to be unfolding in slow motion in front of him. He felt his arm begin to spin the lasso.

Jessi was screaming wildly as she watched Bernie, his long legs a blur as he was rapidly gaining ground on the running steer.

Becky was yelling and clapping her hands as she watched Ryan getting ready to rope the steer.

Uncle Bill's arm was extended, his finger pointing at Ryan.

Roy was holding his breath; his fingers were crossed behind his back.

It seemed too early, but Ryan sent the loop flying through the air towards the steer's head.

Walter had started twirling his lasso just waiting for the moment that Ryan and Bernie moved the steer to the left. Walt was going to take a chance, he calculated in his head where he thought the steer's feet would be.

Bernie watched for the rope to land and prepared to send himself sideways.

Jessi had her hands at her mouth; she was bouncing up and down nervously as she waited for the loop to land.

Ryan had his hand on the rope, beginning to loop it around the saddle horn, his left foot was poised waiting to spur Bernie on his left side, the reins were looped around his left hand, ready to pull hard to the left.

Roy closed his eyes, he couldn't watch, the pressure too much.

Uncle Bill cheered as the loop dropped over the steer's neck.

Walter sent his lasso sailing towards the hind feet of the charging steer.

Bernie dropped his left side and tried to turn on a dime, he was attempting to change the direction of almost two thousand pounds of steer, horse, and man in an instant. He sucked in a massive gulp of air, and then with every ounce of energy he had, he pulled hard on the steer.

The steer stepped right into Walter's lasso, Walt's horse dug it's front feet into the dirt trying to stop the roped steer.

Jessi and Becky were cheering wildly, Roy had opened one eye, and Bill felt his heart start again.

Bernie turned hard to the right, and stopped, then backing slowly to keep tension on the rope.

The horn sounded. It was over. The crowd was on their feet cheering, they could sense they had just seen an incredible ride.

Walter tossed his hat in the air as he rode over to Ryan, "That's gotta be even better than our first time."

Ryan's heart was pounding hard, the adrenaline still coursing through his body, he leaned forward and whispered into Bernie's ear, "You did it Bernie, you showed them."

"Hot damn Walt!" Ryan slapped Walter on the shoulder as he rode up, "That felt good."

"Five point six seven," the PA announcer yelled, "I don't care where you're from, that was one hell of a ride by Walt, and Ryan. Let those two cowboys hear what you thought of that ride."

As they rode around the arena waving to everyone Bernie was almost strutting, his head held high. Bernie loved this, the sound of the crowd, the feeling of the man on him rubbing his ears, his gentle voice excited.

Jessi and Becky had tears in their eyes as they whistled and yelled, they made their way down to the arena and waited for Walter and Ryan. Jessi spotted Charlie waiting for his son; she walked over to him and gave him a hug, "Thank you Charlie, thanks for everything you've done for Ryan."

The normally stoic Charlie had a huge grin on his face, and tears in his eyes, "He's..." Charlie was too choked up with emotion to continue.

Walt and Ryan rode out of the arena whooping, and hollering, they could sense victory now.

Becky, and Jessi held onto Ryan as they watched the final team. They would have to pull of a five point five or better. The steer was out, and the team was riding hard, the header hit his mark, but disaster struck for the heeler, he only got one of the hind feet, and that would result in a five second penalty.

It wouldn't matter what their time was now, Ryan and Walter had won the team-roping event.

Ryan was too stunned to speak as Jessi, and Becky cheered, Uncle Bill, and Roy had come down out of the stands and had joined the small group.

Charlie came over to Ryan, he still had tears in his eyes, "I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me, my son, and the whole Wolf's Creek band."

"I'm just glad that Walt asked me," he gave Charlie a hug, "And that he had faith in me."

Uncle Bill walked up to Ryan, his eyes still had a look of sadness to them, "You did good Ryan, for what it's worth right now, and it's probably not worth a lot, I am proud of you," 

Ryan looked his uncle in the eye, "Thanks, and it does mean a lot."

After the awards were presented Ryan just stared at the belt buckle, it was the size of a small plate. Jessi and Becky hung off of him like he was a rock star. Each time he looked at Jessi he felt a small twinge of sadness, she was the girl he loved, and she loved him. She didn't feel like she was his sister, he wondered if he would ever be able to change the way he felt about her.

Roy and Margaret had left just after supper; they had an early morning flight and were planning to stay the night at the hotel that was right beside the airport. Not much had been said when they left, Ryan had only given his parents perfunctory hugs, and mumbled his farewell. Jessi had gone into town to stay with Becky. What should have been a night for celebration was the loneliest night Ryan had experienced since he had arrived in Montana.

There wasn't a lot for Ryan to do, he went up to his little apartment, showered and climbed into bed. When he laid his head on his pillow he could still smell the perfume that Jessi had worn the night before. As he closed his eyes he felt the cruel sting from the tears of sadness in his eyes.

---

Bill's fingers traced the gentle curves of her body, she felt so smooth to his touch. As his hand caressed her neck, he closed his eyes. She was his first love. He pulled her body tightly against his; he loved how she felt against him. He could whisper his secrets to her, he could tell her of his heartbreak and sorrow, and she would listen quietly, she would ask him no questions, and tell him no lies. His one hand softly caressed her neck and as his fingers ran over her, she began talking to him. Her voice could be gentle, and soft, she could be wild, and raw, she could be whatever it was that he wanted, and needed.

Bill's eyes were closed as he played his favorite guitar and he began to sing, "Close the door before you leave, and cover up my feet, Fetch me the bottle, and let me cry myself to sleep."

Suzanne could hear her husband singing and playing downstairs; she could feel the pain in his voice, she knew the anguish that was in his soul. She knew he would down there for hours until he worked some of the pain out. Listening to him made her tears come, and also somehow soothed her, she was still softly sobbing as she fell asleep.

Jessi and Becky had just climbed into bed; she had told Becky everything that had happened the previous night in the house. Several times she had broken down, and had begun to cry. 

"I just don't know what to do, I know that there can never be a future for us, but I still love him so much," Jessi was glad to be here with her friend.

"I wish I had the answer," Becky was trying to console her best friend.

"Damn him," Jessi was half laughing, and half crying, "Damn him for making me fall in love with him."

"Yeah," Becky laughed, "It's all his fault. If he was here right now..."




Montana Summer Ch. 08



Jessi wiped away the tears, "Oh yeah, I know what you'd be doing if he was here right now. A lot of help you would be."

Jessi felt better, Becky could always cheer her up.

---

Breakfast was quiet, Uncle Bill looked tired, and Aunt Suzanne wasn't wearing her normal cheerful smile.

Uncle Bill played with the eggs on his plate, finally he looked at Ryan, "Has what happened changed your mind about going into ranching with me."

Ryan shook his head, "No, I still want to, I feel at home here," he looked into his Uncle's eyes, "It's like I know that this is what I am meant to do. Jessi was a big part of it, but now..." his words trailed off.

The rodeo, and county fair had put them behind on their work on the ranch, and Ryan was glad that there was so much to do. For the most part it kept his mind off of missing Jessi. For three days it was starting just after dawn, and working until well after dark until he too exhausted to do any more, eat some supper, and collapse into bed. He had called Jessi a couple of times to check on her, and just to hear her voice. During the calls his heart soared, and after he was left with a wanting hunger in his soul.

At night Ryan would dream of Jessi, all kinds of dreams, some wild and hot, some soft, and romantic. He would awaken from the dreams and be filled with disappointment, as the reality would sink in. How he cursed his father for what his father had done, he wondered if deep down his mother was gloating. It had seemed that he had won the confrontation with her, had she got just a little revenge on him for not bending to her will? It always seemed to take an eternity for sleep to return after one of the dreams, and when it did, it was a fitful sleep.

---

"Damn, I'm horny," Becky giggled as she lay in bed with Jessi; they had just turned the lights off.

"Becky!" Jessi shook her head and laughed, that was classic Becky, and she was always one to speak her mind.

"Well it's the truth," Becky snickered.

Jessi swatted Becky with a pillow, "You're a nut."

"Yes I am," Becky was laughing, "Would you mind if I got myself off."

"Right now?" Jessi was laughing so hard her sides hurt.

Becky bounced her hips up and down on the bed, "Uh huh. You could leave for a few minutes, go take a shower, make a sandwich, and vacuum the living room. That would give me more than enough time."

"Stop it, you're killing me," tears were running down Jessi's cheeks, when she finally caught her breath, "I thought you were serious until you told me to make a sandwich, and vacuum."

"Yeah, I thought that was good, but I am horny, do you wanna talk dirty like we used to do?" Becky was referring to when they were younger and used to whisper things that wanted to do to certain individuals.

"I had almost forgotten about that, I used to get so turned on," Jessi giggled.

"So did I," replied Becky, "Do you want me to start?"

"Yeah, give it your best shot," giggled Jessi.

"I, uh, gave Matt a blowjob the other night after the dance, and I let him cum in my mouth," Becky whispered softly, "I liked sucking on his hard cock."

Jessi was giggling, "You slut! You always let the guys cum in your mouth. My turn, I had Ryan jack off for me out by the corral."

"Oh, I wish I was there, I loved watching him jack off for us when we went camping," Becky could feel the wetness building between her legs. 

"That was so hot," Jessi replied, she could feel the effects of her own arousal.

"I don't know what was hotter, watching Ryan stroking his cock, or you touching me," Becky's voice had gotten quiet.

Jessi could feel her cheeks grow warm, "I liked that. Feeling your finger playing with my clit, and I liked touching you."

"Would; would you like to do it again; now?" there was a touch of hesitancy in Becky's voice.

"I...uh," Jessi's heart was pounding in her chest, "Uh...do you?"

"Yes," Becky nodded her head. She slipped her boxers, and panties off; she ran her finger between her legs feeling the moist warmth.

"Okay," Jessi's heart was still pounding; she pulled her shorts, and panties off.

Jessi reached over and slid her hand between Becky's legs and touched her moistness, she slowly began running her finger up and down between Becky's lust swollen lips. Becky's hand moved between Jessi's legs, she ran her fingers lightly over Jessi's smooth mound, and down to her damp slit.

"That feels so good," Becky moaned softly.

They were laying on their sides, with their top leg, pulled up allowing the other girl's hand free access. Their faces were just inches apart, in the dim light in the room they could just make out each other's face.

"Oh yes fuck me, fuck me with your finger," Becky moaned as she felt Jessi's finger slide up inside her wet channel. Becky's hips began to move in time with Jessi's ministrations. 

Jessi was growing hotter and hotter, both from the effects of Becky's finger, and her own touching of Becky, she liked how it felt when she slid her finger in and out of Becky's wet pussy. Hesitantly she slid her free hand under Becky's t-shirt and began to fondle her friend's firm breasts, she found her nipples already erect, and waiting to be teased.

Becky closed her eyes, she had wanted that, but had been a little afraid to ask Jessi, "Yes," she whispered, "That feels so good."

"Touch my breasts," Jessi looked at the dim outline of her friend, "Please, I want to feel your hand on them."

As Becky slid her hand under Jessi's top she also slid her finger into Jessi's slit and as deep as she could go, in and out her finger slid as it rubbed across Jessi's clit. She cupped Jessi's somewhat larger breast in her hand and began to knead it. Her fingers found Jessi's nipple already crinkled and erect, Becky began to gently pull on it, like she was jacking a tiny cock.

Jessi's hips were moving back and forth, she was consumed by her lust now, she wanted to cum, and she wanted make Becky cum. She could sense that Becky was on the edge, she moved her fingers faster and harder across her swollen clit, and deep inside of Becky's hot, tight hole. The way Becky was pulling on her nipples sent little flashes of pleasure all the way to Jessi's clit.

"Oh god, oh god," Becky moaned, "I'm so fucking close..."

Jessi's own climax was building fast, "So am I," she was almost panting.

They had moved closer and closer so that now their hands almost touched each other's as they stroked, and teased each other's clits, and pussies. Both girls were moaning softly. Jessi was gently tugging on Becky's nipples, alternating, between one then the other. The urge struck Jessi to take Becky's nipple into her mouth and suck on it, Jessi leaned her head down and squeezed Becky's breast so that the nipple was almost like a point, she sucked the dark pink nipple into her mouth and flicked her tongue over the rubbery nipple.

"Oh fuck, suck my tits Jessi," Becky was overwhelmed with her lust, "You're going to make me cum."

Jessi sucked hard on Becky's hard nipple, nipping at it with her teeth, she felt her own orgasm coming on, growing like a small flame that would soon become an inferno. She grabbed onto Becky's shoulder as her hips ground hard against Becky's hand, her body vibrating as she began to climax.

Becky's climax started just milliseconds after Jessi's, her world spun out of control, she felt her juices release from her pussy. She rode the crest of her orgasm like a surfer rides a wave. 

Jessi's face was flushed as she continued climaxing; her clit felt like it was going to burst, her moans were almost incomprehensible, her eyes were closed as her body continued shaking.

It took them a few minutes after their orgasm had ended to compose themselves; Becky leaned over and kissed Jessi softly on the lips, and whispered, "Thank you, I needed that."

---

"Go ahead and ride the fence line, I'd go a mile or two past Baxter's, and then head on back," Uncle Bill explained, "Sometimes we have trouble with bears knocking down the fence. They don't have much time now to build up fat for the winter, sometimes some of the weaker, and older ones will come down from the hills and go after some of the younger cattle. It's not the black bears; there are still some grizzlies up there in the high country around the tree line. You see one, just steer clear, your horse will tell you if there is a bear near, he can smell them before you can see them. If Bernie gets spooky like, turn around and head back a little. Don't try taking a bear down with that Colt on your belt, it won't hardly slow one down. I don't know if I even want to take on one with that 30-30 on your saddle."

Ryan nodded as he saddled Bernie; there was a chill in the air this morning. He was wearing jeans, shirt, and a lined jean jacket. Over top of his jeans he was wearing a pair of leather chaps with little silver buckles. His beat, and battered cowboy hat sat lazily upon his head, and a pair of tight leather work gloves on his hands. As his feet hit the ground the spurs on his boots rang out lightly, almost sounding like tiny chimes.

Bill had brought out a gun belt with a holster, and a revolver, "Now remember, when you're riding keep your hammer on an empty chamber, that way you can't shoot yourself in the foot," Uncle Bill chuckled, "And believe me, there's a few people around here that have done it."

Ryan looked at his Uncle, "You?"

Uncle Bill shook his head, "No, but it wasn't for a lack of trying, blew the end off of a boot once, and damn it, that was a good pair of boots."

"Keep this loop around the hammer, it will keep the gun from coming out of your holster," Bill pointed to a small rawhide loop hooked over the hammer of the Colt.

Ryan was surprised at how heavy the pistol, and belt felt. What was even stranger to him was that once he strapped the belt on how natural it seemed to feel. As he mounted Bernie he was struck with the thought that this is what a cowboy a hundred years ago would have looked like. His hand rested momentarily on the polished wooden grip of the Colt, it almost felt reassuring.

"Keep a weather eye out for bears, especially ones with youngsters," Uncle Bill yelled at Ryan as he began to ride away.

Ryan raised his hand, signaling that he had heard, and understood his Uncle. It felt good to be back on Bernie, and getting away from the ranch. The past few days had been rough on Ryan, he hadn't seen Jessi since Sunday. Ryan felt like he had been cast adrift on a sea of anguish. Bernie responded to the touch of Ryan's spurs and broke into a run.

The cool air rushing past his face felt good, he leaned forward in the saddle enjoyed the ride. The aspens on the one side of the trail were beginning to show signs of the fall; some of the leaves had turned yellow, and some orange. The oat field on the other side of the trail was almost ready for harvest, another week or two at most.

A couple of miles up the trail Bernie slowed to a trot, Ryan rubbed Bernie's ears, "Feels good doesn't it, it's a great day to be out here."

It was a beautiful day, the sky was clear, and as blue as blue could get, and not a cloud in sight. Ryan stared at the mountains ahead of him. Above the tree line the green of the trees gave way to the dark grey of the rock, as he studied the granite monoliths he could pick out differing shades of grey, small patches of reddish colored rock. He had noticed that the mountains never looked the same, as the sun traveled overhead the shadows would change, giving the mountains a different look. Some of the peaks were still capped with a crown of bright white snow, and especially on day like this, the snow was so bright it had a bluish tinge to it.

Ryan never got over the grandeur, and the majesty of these mountains, it humbled him, he never ceased to wonder how something could be so large, and so permanent. The more he studied them as he rode the more he saw, he could pick out rock slides that probably happened more than a hundred years ago, that looked like they had happened only yesterday. Large trees, probably fifty or sixty feet high that were laying at crazy angles, snapped like matchsticks by tumbling rocks. He could see the strata lines in the rock where at one time the earth had heaved up, driving the mountains soaring towards the sky.

As Ryan and Bernie rode the fence line they would stop occasionally and Ryan would pull his fencing hammer from a saddle bag, and some U shaped fencing nails to nail up a piece of barbed wire. 

Bernie watched Ryan as he worked. He liked this man, he trusted him, and he treated him well. Bernie couldn't understand why, but the man that rode him made him feel years younger. He liked his soft voice, his gentle touch with the spurs, and the easy way he worked the reins. Bernie followed Ryan to where Ryan was working with the fence, and nudged him with his nose.

Ryan laughed, "What do you think you're doing? I know what you're after, just give me a minute, and I'll pull an apple out for you."

After Ryan had finished nailing the wire back on the dancer, he walked around the horse and pulled an apple from the other saddlebag. He fished a knife from his pocket and cut slices off the apple and fed it to Bernie.

He put his hand on the side of Bernie's head, "You know big fella, on days like this, you feel like you're the only friend I've got," then Ryan smiled and chuckled, "But I know the truth, you only like me for the apples."

As they approached the draw that led to the entrance to Baxter's Canyon Ryan felt a chill, he remembered the evening up here that he saw the Wanagi, he wondered if he would ever see them again. There had been a majesty in the way they rode, tall and proud on their horses. He could still see the face of the rider that had spoken to him. His features had been weathered from years in the sun, and the wind. His high cheekbones had given his face a look of strength.

Ryan looked at a gap in the fence, "What the ..."

He dismounted Bernie and walked over to the fence, someone had opened the small gate, and had left it open. Ryan looked down at the ground at some tire tracks; he knelt down and studied them, only one set. He could see where the driving wheels of the vehicle had spewed some dirt, and from that he knew the direction of travel, towards Baxter's, and no sign of a vehicle making a return trip.

Ryan studied the tracks, and followed them with his eyes as far as he could. He thought for a moment about heading back to the ranch to get his uncle. The feeling of the weight of the Colt on his hip gave him confidence, and he changed his mind.

Gone was the smile from his face, it had been replaced with a grim look of determination; he knew there should be no one up here. The only people that he knew that should be in Baxter's would be Charlie, or others from the Wolf Creek Band, and he knew they wouldn't have driven, nor would they have left the fence open.

"C'mon Bernie," he gently urged Bernie in the direction of the tracks. 

The land rose as he rode towards the canyon. He could feel his stomach churning, he was nervous; he could feel the rush of adrenalin surging through his body. His eyes moved constantly looking for anything resembling a vehicle, listening for any sounds that were human made.

The draw made a sweep to the right, and as Bernie and Ryan were halfway through the sweep he spotted a quick flash of sunlight on glass. There was a vehicle in the trees up ahead. Ryan's hand instinctively went to the pistol at his side. His thumb flipped the rawhide loop up off of the hammer, and his hand pulled the pistol partway out of the holster, and then let it drop back down, loosening the holster's grip on the cold steel of the .45. 

There wasn't any sign of anyone around the vehicle as Ryan cautiously approached the small SUV. He walked around the vehicle and immediately noticed the out of state plates. He tried the doors, but all were locked, he put his hand on the hood, it was cool, so the vehicle had been here for a while at least.

Kneeling in front of the SUV Ryan studied the ground looking for any clue that would show him what direction they had headed. He walked over to Bernie and took his reins in his hand, and led the horse as he continued scanning the ground. Over there! Something white! A cigarette butt, Ryan picked it up and sniffed it, the sour smell of burnt tobacco filling his nostrils. He rolled the butt in his fingers, the tobacco wasn't dry, and it hadn't lay here for long. His eyes followed the trail, he knew where they had gone, someplace where people shouldn't be. A place that meant something to him, he had seen it in his dream, Mato the bear had taken him there. 

Ryan urged Bernie forward after he had mounted him, moving slowly up the trail carefully watching for any signs of people. It was likely that he would be outnumbered; he knew he had to spot them before they saw him. Surprise would be his only advantage, and that was the one thing going for him, he knew they were up here, but they didn't know he was here.

About a mile from the SUV Ryan saw something, he stopped, there it was again, a flash of color. Bright red was not a natural color up here in the mountains. Ryan urged Bernie into the trees and stopped a few yards in. He continued tracking the bright red, now he could see them, well parts of them. Three heads, some arms, he could hear their voices now, but couldn't make out what they were saying; from the sound of it they were either happy, or excited about something. The way they were walking they weren't watching for anyone, and that gave Ryan a small sense of relief, he still held the advantage.

He wanted them to pass, then he would leave his place of concealment, he wanted to come up on them from the rear, more advantage for him. His right hand flexed and momentarily touched the smooth wooden grips of the Colt.

Two men and woman passed where Ryan and Bernie quietly waited, none of the three gave as much as a glance as they passed. Each man had a large green military style duffel bag slung over his back. More advantage for him, the bags looked heavy and a little unwieldy.

Ryan touched his spurs to Bernie, and rode out into the open, "Excuse me," Ryan called out.

The trio whirled around, their reverie interrupted by Ryan's voice.

"You mind telling me what you're doing up here?" Ryan's question wasn't a question; it was a demand for an explanation.

The swarthy faced man, apparently the leader smiled, an oily smile, "Well sonny, we just came up for a hike, and what's it to you? Shouldn't you be playing with some cows or whatever it is you people do out here?"

"Hey Hank, don't be mean to the boy, he's kinda cute," she had nasally, almost annoying accent.

Ryan smiled back at Hank, it wasn't a smile of happiness, or friendship, it was the smile of grim determination, "Well for one thing, this is Rocking M ranch land, and I'm from the Rocking M," he pointed to the duffel bags, "What's in the bags?"

Ryan had turned Bernie so he was sideways to the trio, his right hand hidden from view by his body. He watched the third member of the part start to move sideways, "You just stay where you're at."

"Listen sonny, we don't have time to play twenty questions with you, why don't you and your horse go play somewhere," Hank's voice had a tinge of frustration.

Ryan's right hand rested gently on the grips of the Colt, Ryan felt the sensation familiar, and comforting. He kept his eyes moving watching the trio, trying to assess where the danger would come from, and when it would come. 

Ryan saw Hank give a quick glance over to the third member, "Listen sonny, we just collected some souvenirs up there, I know people who will pay big bucks for authentic artifacts like this, now if we give you a hundred bucks would that be enough to send you along your way?"

Ryan shook his head, "No, and no amount of money is going to get me along on my way, and you're not leaving the mountain with those bags. I suggest you just set them down, and start walking down the hill."




Montana Summer Ch. 08



Ryan saw the other man reach for something inside his jacket, reflexes took over, Ryan wouldn't remember drawing the Colt from its holster, his thumb cocking the hammer as he brought it across Bernie's back. The second man's arm was coming up with an automatic as the Colt exploded into life, the lead slug hitting him in the shoulder, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Ryan's thumb automatically cocked the hammer again, his arm rotating towards Hank.

"You two, put your hands in the air, and keep them there," Ryan ordered.

Hank had been in his line of work all of his life, and recognized the tone in Ryan's voice, it was the sound of a man in control of a situation. He slowly set his duffel bag on the ground; he carefully watched Ryan's face for any sign of weakness, there was none that he could perceive.

"You fucking shot me," the wounded man cried out.

Ryan ignored the man on the ground, he pointed at the woman, "You, move those bags up here, and be quick about it."

The woman would have been willing to trade sex for what was in the bags a few seconds earlier. She had thought about the young cowboy, and what was in his pants, the thought of what she would find there had turned her on. Now she knew there was no bargaining with him, she thought that he looked young, but he also seemed to have nerves of steel. For her, that just heightened the sexual attraction. Stella, that was her name, moved the bags to the spot where Ryan wanted them.

"Now, get his gun by the very end of the barrel with your thumb and finger, and bring it up here," Ryan looked at Hank, "You might as well toss your gun over here, with your left hand, and don't try to tell me that you don't have a one. I can see the bulge in your coat."

Hank swore softly under his breath, he couldn't believe that a kid on a horse had taken them. He slowly reached in his jacket and tossed his gun to where the duffel bags sat.

Stella dropped the other gun on the ground where Ryan directed.

"Toss the keys to the car, and your wallets up here now."

"What, you're fucking kidding me, you're going to rob us now? Hank had the sound of surprise in his voice.

"Nope," Ryan responded, "You can pick them up at the sheriff's office when you get back to town."

After the keys and wallets had been deposited on the ground, Ryan motioned with his pistol, "Pick up your friend and start moving down the hill."

Hank and Stella helped pick the wounded man up and Stella looked at Ryan, "He's hurt, we need to get him to a doctor."

Ryan nodded, "When I leave you will find the keys on the trail."

He watched them move down the hill, and once they were far enough down the hill he climbed down from Bernie, collected the wallets, and the two guns, and put them in one of the saddlebags. Then he tied the duffel bags together and slung them over top of the saddlebags.

Ryan and Bernie started down the hill and gave the trio a wide berth. About halfway to the gate Ryan dropped the keys on the trail, and spurred Bernie, "Ok fella, it's time we rode."

It was only when Ryan and Bernie rode up to the ranch that Ryan began to shake. Uncle Bill had coming running from the house when Ryan and Bernie had ridden in at a full gallop. White foam was around Bernie's nostrils and mouth, his big chest heaved, as he sucked in air.

Uncle Bill took one look at Bernie, and then at Ryan, "What the hell..."

As soon as Ryan had told his uncle what had happened Uncle Bill headed into the house and was on the phone with the sheriff.

Ryan was pulling the saddle off of Bernie when Uncle Bill came back outside, Ryan had a tear in his eye, he looked at his uncle, "Bernie was at a full gallop all the way from Baxter's, and he didn't slow up once."

Uncle Bill whistled and ran his hand through his hair, "God almighty, that's close to fifteen miles."

About the time they had Bernie cooled off, and rubbed down the Sheriff and one of his deputies arrived. 

Milt Walker, the sheriff, climbed out of the passenger side of the Ford Expedition, Tom Baker, the deputy was driving.

"Over here Milt," Uncle Bill waved.

"Afternoon Bill," Milt said as he walked up with his deputy in tow, "How's Suzanne, and Jessi."

"Just fine Milt. Howdy Tom," Uncle Bill acknowledged the presence of the deputy.

"Ok, now tell me, what the hell is going on, the dispatcher said something about a shooting up in the hills," Milt looked at Ryan who was still shaking a bit.

Uncle Bill pointed at Ryan, "He was riding the fence when he found the gate open under Baxter's Canyon, seems that he came across a group of people trying to steal stuff out of the canyon."

"What kind of stuff?" Milt asked.

Ryan pointed to the two duffel bags, "Looks like it's all Indian artifacts."

"Who got shot, the dispatcher said something about someone being shot?"

"I shot one of them, he was going for a gun, and I shot him in the shoulder," Ryan explained.

"Your gun was holstered?"

"Yes."

"You're telling me, that one of them went for a gun, you were still mounted, and you drew, and fired, and got him the shoulder," Milt took his hat off of his head, and ran his fingers through his graying hair, "Who the hell do you think you are, Wild Bill Hickock?"

The radio that Tom was carrying crackled, "King One, Dispatch."

Milt took the radio from Tom and responded, "King One."

"We got a call from the hospital, they have a man in the ER with a gunshot to the shoulder."

"Roger that, get three units rolling to the Hospital code red, there should be a man and woman with the wounded individual. They are to be held on charges of trespassing, theft, and attempted assault. I'll be bringing Ryan McFayden in to identify the suspects, and to get his statement."

"King One roger, King 3, King 5, King 8 code red, repeat King 3, King 5, King 8, code red, St. Luke's Hospital ER." Milt handed the radio back to Tom as the dispatched units acknowledged.

Milt looked at Ryan, "You don't mind coming in do you?"

"No, not at all," Ryan replied.

"Well Wild Bill, you might want to take that gun belt off, and take off your chaps, and then we will get going into town.

Ryan handed the gun, and holster to Uncle Bill and headed to the barn to take his chaps off, he stopped, and turned, and pointed to the saddle bags on the ground, "Look in the saddlebags, I took their wallets, they're in the right side, along with their two guns."

Milt looked at Tom, "Take care of that, put the wallets in evidence bags, make the guns safe, and then have dispatch run the serial numbers of the guns."

Aunt Suzanne drove up the driveway and immediately noticed the Sheriff's Expedition parked by the barn, and she noticed the serious look on her husband's, and the Sheriff's face. She shut off her car and walked quickly to where the men were standing.

"What's going on?" there was a look of concern on her face.

"Ryan caught some people trying haul some Indian stuff out of Baxter's, and," Bill paused, "He ended having to shoot one of them."

Suzanne's face blanched, she grabbed her husband's hands, "Ryan, is he okay?"

"Yes, yes, Ryan is fine, he's taking his chaps off, Milt and Tom are going to take him into town, they think they have them at the hospital, Milt wants Tom to identify them, and then give his statement," Uncle Bill tried to allay his wife's fears.

Just then Ryan walked out of the barn, and Aunt Suzanne ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him, and began to cry, "Thank God you're okay."

"Just a little shaken up," Ryan patted his Aunt's back as she continued to hold him tightly.

Milt looked at Ryan, "Okay let's get going, the other units are at the hospital, and have a man and woman matching your description in custody."

As Ryan climbed into the Expedition Uncle Bill ran up to door where Ryan was sitting in the back, "We'll meet you over at the Sheriff's office.

---

Becky answered the ringing phone, "Jessi, it's your mom."

Jessi rolled her eyes and took the phone from her mom, "Hi mom."

"What!" Jessi's face went white.

Becky immediately became concerned because of the tone of Jessi's voice; she looked at Jessi and mouthed the words, "What's going on?"



"No way," a little of the color had returned to Jessi's face, "Where was it?"

"Is he okay?" Jessi's hand gripped the phone tightly, and then relaxed.

Jessi looked at Becky, "Dad is getting on the phone, Ryan...Hi dad."

Becky hissed quietly, "What about Ryan?"

Jessi mouthed the word, "Wait," at Becky.

"Oh my god, you're kidding," Jessi started laughing, "Really? He's on his way into town now? Okay, we'll meet you at the Sheriff's office."

Jessi hung up the phone, tears started coming from her eyes.

"What's going on?" Becky was beside herself, anxious for an explanation.

"Ryan was up around Baxter's Canyon, and he found three people trying to take some Indian stuff out. According to dad a guy went to pull a gun on Ryan, and Ryan drew down and shot the guy in the shoulder. The Sheriff is bringing Ryan into town to ID the people, and mom and dad are going to meet him over at the Sheriff's office, and we can meet them there."

Becky's mouth dropped open in disbelief, "Ryan shot a guy? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, a little shaken up, that's all," Jessi wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Let me get dressed, we'll take mom's car," Becky headed into the bathroom to get ready.

Jessi stood at the window and looked towards the mountains, tears still flowing slowly down her cheeks, she softly whispered, "My cowboy..."

---

Ryan had positively ID'd Hank, Stella, and the third man at the hospital. The one called Hank had tried to protest saying that Ryan had held them up and shot his buddy in the shoulder, but the Sheriff cast a dour glance in Hank's direction, and hadn't even responded to the man's accusations.

Hank and Stella had been taken into custody, and the man in the hospital was placed under arrest, and a deputy posted at his hospital room door.

Now Ryan's stock in the small town had already risen because of what he had done at the rodeo the past weekend, people in town thought of him as a local now, one of their own. Old men who gathered at the local café for coffee and a good chin wag in the mornings said they hadn't seen cowboying like that in many a year. On this day Ryan could have run for mayor, and the mayor would have voted for him. Word had spread through the town like wildfire, and when Ryan emerged from the Sheriff's office a crowd of about forty people had gathered to slap him on the back.

What Ryan had done meant something to them, they could relate to it. He had defended his land against interlopers. As the story spread through the town it had become embellished, people had gathered to see the young cowboy who had remained as cool as ice. Like a tale that could have come out places like Deadwood, Dodge City, or Tombstone, they came to marvel at the young hero who had slapped leather with the villains and had come out on top.

As soon as Ryan had come out Jessi had run up to him, wrapping her arms tightly around him, "Oh God Ryan, if you would have been hurt, I don't know what I would have done," her tears started flowing again as she buried her head into his chest.

Ryan held her tightly fighting off his own tears, he had missed her, missed her more than he thought humanly possible. He was afraid that his voice might betray him but he managed to whisper out, "Oh Jessi..."

They had stopped at Becky's on the way home after eating in town, Jessi had decided to come home, and needed to get her belongings. She sat in the back seat of her mother's car with Ryan; the darkness hid her hand that was locked with Ryan's hand.

Ryan had gone out to the corral to check on Bernie, and to give him an apple. Bernie nuzzled Ryan's shoulder as Ryan began to slice the apple, and feed it to him.

"I'm going out to see Ryan," Jessi told her parents.

Her mother had objected, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Damn it, I'm not a child anymore mom, he could have been killed up there today, I'm an adult, and I'm going to go see him," Jessi had a look of determination on her face as she walked out the door.

"William!" Aunt Suzanne looked at her husband.

"Leave them be, haven't we done enough to screw things up these past few days," Uncle Bill's face was tinged with sadness, "And she's right, he could have been killed up there today. They'll be heading off to school soon, and maybe that will cool things down. But tonight, just leave them be."

Uncle Bill got up and gave his wife a hug, "Things will work out, they always do," he let out a big sigh, "Damn, I meant to call Charlie, I wonder if he is still up?"

---

Jessi walked outside, and out to the corral, she rubbed Bernie's head, "Hey mooch."

Ryan smiled at Jessi, "You should have seen him today, he ran at full gallop all the way from Baxter's to the ranch, and didn't slow up once."

Jessi shook her head, "He amazes me, since you started riding him he has changed to what Dad always thought he could be," Jessi looked into Ryan's eyes, "And you amaze me too cowboy," she wrapped her arms tightly around him, "I don't know what I would have done if you had been hurt up there. I don't even want to think about it."

Ryan held her in his arms, never wanting to let go, he knew it was wrong of him to feel the way he did, but he couldn't help it, "Naw, I was pretty careful up there."

"I've missed you so much," she whispered as she laid her head against his chest.

Ryan felt his heart melt, "God Jessi, you have no idea how much I have missed you."

"Do you want to go up to your place and talk for a while?" Jessi asked quietly.

"Yeah, I would, but what about your mom and dad?" Ryan replied.

"I told them that I was I was an adult, and I was coming out to see you, tonight they can go to blazes, I want to spend some time with you, we don't have a whole lot of time left before we both will be gone."

Ryan took Jessi's hand, and they headed up to Ryan's place in the barn.

Ryan sat down on the couch, and Jessi lay in his lap looking up at him, she reached up and touched his cheek, and giggled, "My cowboy is going to be the talk of the town tomorrow morning. They might even put a statue of you downtown, the last of the gunslingers."

"I hope not," Ryan laughed at the thought, "I doubt if anyone will remember my name by next week."

Jessi grinned, "Well I bet you could go into town tonight and get laid in under five minutes, especially if Hot Lips Hannah spots you, I saw her the other night, I think she has the hots for you."

Ryan playfully tapped Jessi on her head, "Hell I don't even know her, and I don't think I've said more than two words to the girl."

"Well, I saw the look in her eyes the other night, and if we hadn't have shown up, no telling what she might have done to you," Jessi enjoyed teasing Ryan, she loved the way he blushed.

"Hmm," Ryan pretended to be thinking hard, "Maybe I should go into to town and look her up, I'm kind of feeling my oats tonight."

"You brat, you do that, and I'll never talk to you again."

"Well, a fella needs a little action every now and then," Ryan sensed that he might be gaining an advantage.

Jessi sighed softly, "Yeah I guess you do, hell I needed a little action myself," Jessi blushed, her voice got very quiet, "Becky and I played with each other last night, like we did when we were camping."

Ryan groaned, "Oh god, don't tell me that."

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you," Jessi teased.

"No, you shouldn't have," Ryan could feel his erection swelling quickly.

Jessi was feeling mischievous, "And just why, pray tell, why shouldn't I have told you."

"You know damn well why," Ryan sighed and shook his head, he had no control over the ever swelling organ in his jeans.

"Uh uh," Jessi shook her head, her face as innocent looking as she could get it, "I have no idea what you mean."

"Damn you Jessi," Ryan laughed, "You know what you do, you make me so damned hard."

"Oh! Are you hard? Oh poor boy, maybe I should leave so you can take care of yourself," Jessi felt herself getting more than just a little turned on, but she was also having conflicting thoughts about Ryan, after all, he was her half brother. She pushed that thought out of her mind; he was her cowboy first, and foremost.

She loved teasing Ryan, "Would you like me to get you a movie to watch, or maybe one of those magazines, maybe they would help," she sat up and reached her hand down to the bulge in his jeans, "Oh, I see what you mean, you have a real problem here."

It felt so good to Ryan, to feel her hand rubbing up against the hardness in his jeans, "Yeah I do, and your not doing anything to help it."

Jessi's voice purred, "Well maybe I could do something to help it, what would think about that?"

Ryan closed his eyes, her hand felt so good on his swollen erection, he too was having a battle of wills in his mind, he knew it was wrong, but the way he felt about her, it wasn't the way a brother should feel about his sister, in the end he whispered, "I'd like that, having you do something to help it."

Jessi felt her own lust rising, she could feel the heat growing between her legs, her clit began to get that feeling, a sort of an itch, an itch that needed to be taken care of, "Would you like me to take my top off? I know how much you like my boobs."

"Yes," Ryan licked his lips in anticipation, "You know I'd like that."

"Do you want to go back to your bedroom, I think we would be more comfortable back there," Jessi's hand kept moving up and down along the bulge in his pants.

Ryan nodded, "Yes, let's go back there, we will definitely be more comfortable."

Jessi stood up first; she pulled on his hand, pulling Ryan up off of the couch. She put her arms around him and pulled him tightly against her. Jessi could feel Ryan's hardness pressing against her as she moved her lips to his and began to kiss him deeply.

Their tongues slid in and out of each other's mouths, their lips ground hard against each other's. Ryan pulled Jessi tightly against him, his hips grinding his stiff erection hard against her. Jessi's hands dropped to Ryan's butt and she began to squeeze his firm ass cheeks in her hands.

"Do you think this is wrong?" Ryan whispered.

"No, not now," Jessi whispered back, "I don't care right now, I just want you."

Ryan led Jessi to the bedroom and began to slowly remove his clothes; Jessi took her shirt off, and then her pants. She watched as Ryan unzipped his jeans, and pulled them down. His stiff cock was already poking out of his boxers, she licked her lips, and how she wanted that cock.

As soon as Ryan was naked Jessi pointed at the bed, "Lay down," she paused for a moment, "Please."

Jessi pulled her panties off, but left her bra on, and then straddled Ryan, his engorged member just inches from her smooth, shaved pussy, "You've said that you want to watch me masturbate, now you're going to get your chance," Jessi smiled at Ryan, "Would you like me to take off my bra?"

"Oh yes, I want to see your breasts," Ryan eyes were glued to her hands as she reached and began to undo the clasp at the front on her bra. Slowly she undid the black lacy bra, and slowly let go, the bra cups stayed in place on her firm breasts. Ryan's breathing increased as he watched her slowly bend over, her bra finally dropped away revealing her naked breasts, her pinkish nipples already fully erect.

With one hand Jessi spread her swollen pussy lips open, allowing Ryan to fully explore her sex with his eyes, "Do you like that Ryan?"

He reached for his throbbing member, "Yes I do, that looks so hot."

Jessi pushed his hand away from his cock, "Don't touch yourself, not yet, I just want you to watch me for now."

Ryan let go of his erection and watched Jessi as she spread her legs further, her pussy mere inches from his aching cock. Her right hand went between her legs, and she began touching her swollen clit, her finger beginning to bring the relief that it sought so desperately.




Montana Summer Ch. 08



"Do you want to know what I'm thinking about while I'm playing with myself?" Jessi's voice was laced with lust.

"Yes," Ryan's eyes were locked on her fingers that were deftly touching her clit.

"I'm thinking of your big hard cock, and how much I love it," this just made Jessi even hotter, she continued, "I like sucking on your cock, taking as much of it as I can, feeling it fill my mouth completely. Do you like it when I suck you Ryan?"

Ryan wanted to touch his cock right now, it was all he could to refrain from taking his aching organ into his hand and begin stroking it. He was so hard, and so turned on that he could feel his manhood throbbing, "Yes, oh fuck yes, I love it when you go down on my cock, sucking me off the way you do."

Jessi's finger sped up, rubbing up and down on her clit, "You like that do you? Do you like cumming in my mouth? I love it when you cum in my mouth, you taste so good."

"You know I like it when I cum in your mouth, My cock just aches right now, I need to stroke it," Ryan moaned, he was in near agony watching Jessi.

"Wait," Jessi said, she reached down and gave his cock a few strokes and then held the tip flat against his body, she scootched forward and spread her puffy labia open and began to move her hips in quick little movements, rubbing her wet clit against the under side of his aching dick.

"Play with my tits," Jessi moaned, "Squeeze my nipples."

Ryan moaned as she began to rub her wet slit along his rigid shaft, it felt so good; he reached up and began to fondle her jiggling tits. They felt so firm in his hands; he ran his fingers over the smooth surface of her breasts, down to her nipples, pulling on them gently.

"Does that feel good Ryan?" Jessi whimpered as her hips went faster and faster, stimulating her hard little button.

"That feels awesome," Ryan's eyes were half closed with lust, 'I've never felt anything like it before."

"Oh yeah baby it does feel awesome, your cock is so hard," Jessi's hips continued moving in short, sharp thrusts, moving as fast as she could move. The stimulation that her clit was receiving was sending pulses of pleasure flowing through her body fueling her lust even more.

Ryan would cup her breasts, squeeze them gently, and then pull her nipples, and then let go, and then watch her breasts jiggle and shake with her movements; he could feel the pressure in his balls.

"Oh baby, you're going to make me cum soon," Ryan's voice was hoarse with carnal desire.

Jessi moved further up on Ryan, her hand went between her legs, she grasped his stiff cock in her hand, and held the tip hard against her clit and began to jack his cock rapidly, "Yes Ryan, cum for me, cum hard against my clit."

Jessi's climax was only seconds away now, the tip of his engorged organ against her aching clit felt so good. Her hand moved up and down his shaft as fast as she could move it. Her body began to shake at the same time that she felt the first spurt of hot, creamy cum shooting against her clit. She felt so slick and wet from his cum, and from her own juices. She could feel each spurt against her clit, and it made her orgasm even more intense.

Ryan groaned loudly as the release came, her hand was jacking him furiously, he could feel her hard little nub poking against the rubbery head of his cock. Each spurt brought him further relief, with Jessi's hand coaxing the load from his cock.

After Jessi's orgasm passed she collapsed next to Ryan, her eyes were sparkling as she asked him, "Well, did you like that."

Ryan kissed her gently on the lips, "Damn, I don't think I've ever been that turned on before."

Jessi put her arms around Ryan and kissed him, "Me neither, never. God I love you cowboy."

Ryan held her tightly, "I love you too Jessi, with all my heart."

They lay there in each other's arms for the longest time, just whispering and talking the way lovers do. Just enjoying the moment, made all the more special because of the love they felt for each other.

The hour was late when Ryan walked Jessi back to the house, he didn't want her to leave, he wanted for her to spend the night. Jessi felt the same way, she didn't want to go either, but in the end they knew it was for the best for Jessi to go back to her own bed. Otherwise they would have to face the accusing glances of Jessi's parents. When Ryan climbed back into his bed, sleep overtook him quickly. It was the best he had slept in days.

---

Charlie and Walter Red Elk pulled into the yard about the time that everyone had just finished breakfast. They had brought Walt's old pickup with the horse trailer in tow, and with what looked like supplies for a day or two in the high country.

Uncle Bill and Ryan met Charlie, and Walt in the driveway, and Charlie's face betrayed his feelings, Charlie looked at Ryan with sadness in his eyes, "I heard what happened yesterday, and I'm glad you are safe. I thank you for what you did."

"Come on out to the barn, I'll show you what Ryan took off of those three," Uncle Bill said as he began heading over to the barn, "I didn't take any of the stuff out of the duffel bags, I just looked inside, and knew that I needed to call you. Milt, and Tom took some pictures of the bag, and just opened the top of the bag, and took some more pictures. He said that was all that he needed, he told me to release it to you. He would like you to come in when you get a chance and give him a list of what was in the bags."

Charlie nodded, "I will do that."

Uncle Bill showed Charlie the duffel bags, and Charlie looked inside and tears came to his eyes, "Grave robbers, that's what they were," he looked up at Ryan, "They were lucky it was you that came across them and not someone else. They would have never found the bodies up there in the mountains."

"Get the horses out of the trailer Walter, we need to take this stuff back up there," Charlie slowly got up.

"Need a hand Walt?" Ryan asked.

"Sure, I can always use a hand," Walter nodded.

"Ryan," Charlie called after Ryan, "Would you like to go up there with us, some of your questions, the answers are up there."

Ryan nodded, "Sure, I would like that, as long as it's okay," he directed that at his uncle.

"You staying overnight up there?" Uncle Bill asked Charlie.

Charlie nodded, "Most likely."

"You go get some things together, I'll help Walt with the horses," Uncle Bill replied to Ryan.

"You think Bernie is up to another ride up there?" Ryan asked.

Uncle Bill nodded, "Yeah, he should be okay as long as you don't push him, don't run him, and rest him every now and then."

Ryan packed some clothing, and personal items into a small bag, and grabbed one of the sleeping bags out of the barn. He saddled Bernie, and led him out of the corral to where the others were standing.

"Oh, I gotta grab something from the house," Ryan said as hurried towards the kitchen door.

Ryan ran into kitchen and grabbed half dozen apples from the refrigerator, he looked at Aunt Suzanne, "Bernie."

Suzanne shook her head and yelled at Ryan as he ran out the door, "There goes tonight's apple pie."

"Sorry about that, and I won't be here, I'm going with Charlie and Walt," Ryan called back.

Jessi had come down the stairs with a towel on her head, she had just gotten out of the shower, "Where's Ryan going?"

Suzanne looked up at Jessi, "With Charlie, and Walt."

Jessi ran out the door, and across the yard to where the horses and men were standing, she gave Charlie a warm hug, "You take care of my cowboy."

Charlie's somber expression warmed, "I think he takes pretty good care of himself, but me and Walt, we will watch out for him.

Ryan smiled, and then put his arms around Jessi, "You stay out of trouble while I'm gone."

Jessi leaned up and kissed the tip of Ryan's nose, "You too cowboy," her heart did little flips looking at him, his hat pulled low, part of the collar to his jean jacket was flipped up, giving a bit of a renegade look. The way he wore his chaps, and the gun strapped to his hips made her knees a little weak. The way his eyes sparkled against his sun tanned face, and the lazy grin on his face took her breath away.

Jessi stood with her father and watched the three men ride off, Charlie and Ryan leading side by side, and Walt with the packhorse in tow. Even after Bill had gone back into the house Jessi stood and watched well after she had lost sight of them, her lips whispering her love for her cowboy.

"Ryan," Walt called over up to him as he rode behind.

"What?"

"I heard you out drew that guy you shot, that true?" Walt asked.

Ryan turned and looked at Walt, "I don't remember, I saw his hand goin' into his coat, and the next thing I knew he was down on the ground, shot, and my hand was holding the gun pointing it at the other fella."

Walt just shook his head in wonder; this young cowboy was full of all sorts of surprises. He had been amazed when his father had told him that Ryan had been visited by a spirit guide, and had seen the Wanagi. Ryan's riding, and roping at the rodeo had been a big part of winning the team roping event, and now this. Walter was beginning to agree with his father that there was something special about this young man.

They had stopped just past where Ryan had had the confrontation with the three thieves the day before at a small creek to have some lunch, and to rest the horses, especially Bernie. Walt had just shook his head when he learned that Bernie had run at full speed from Baxter's Canyon all the way to the Rocking M ranch.

They had eaten some bannock, a type of bread made from flour, water, salt, and baking powder that was usually fried, or roasted over an open fire, along with some beef jerky, and some canned peaches. Walter had built a small fire, and had made some sage tea; at first Ryan had found it very bitter, but not bad after Charlie had added some honey to it.

Charlie pointed up at mountain, it wasn't nearly as high as the surrounding peaks, as a matter of fact, it looked like someone had taken a knife and sliced the top off, leaving a nice flat mesa for the top of this small mountain, "This place where we are going, is sacred, it is a burial ground for our people," Charlie's eyes were misty looking, "The things those people took were from the burials of many of my friends."

Ryan felt a sudden chill run up his back, he was nervous, he had always felt a little creeped out when he had driven past a cemetery. He nodded as Charlie spoke, taking some comfort in the fact that Walter and Charlie would be with him.

Charlie continued, "We believe that the spirits of our ancestors are here, and that we can walk among them," Charlie looked at Ryan's face and attempted to assuage his worries, "No harm will come to us, as we are going there for righteous reasons. And when we get up there, things will become a little more clear."

It was mid-afternoon by the time that they reached the plateau, Ryan could sense something different about this place, it was dotted with groves of Aspens, and Cottonwood. It was quiet up here, almost an unnatural quiet, the air felt different, almost heavy feeling. 

Charlie pointed to a raised burial platform, "It was the way of our people to bury our dead in this way, in the open, that way the spirit could find it's way to what you would call heaven. If we buried the body in the ground, the spirit would be trapped. Generally a person would be wrapped up, and placed on a platform with all of his possessions."

"Do they still do that today?" Ryan asked, as he looked at the platform in a cottonwood tree.

"It is coming back, a lot of the people are beginning to return to some of the old ways," Charlie pointed to one old gnarled tree, "That is where I want to be placed after I die." 

The rest of the daylight hours were spent trying to replace the items from the duffel bags on the platforms that they had been stolen from. After a while Ryan had set off on his own, stopping where there was evidence that the resting place had been tampered with. He found things on the ground that the thieves had discarded; Ryan would carefully replace it back with its owner. His original morbid feeling about being around the dead had been replaced with sadness, he found himself wondering about who the person was, what their life had been. What had been their dreams and desires? Ryan felt at peace with himself, over and over he had feelings that he had been here before. By the time the sun had set most of the relics had been returned to their rightful owners. Some of it though Charlie just wasn't able to find a place for.

"I'll think on it overnight," he told Ryan and Walter, "Maybe an answer will come to me."

While Ryan and Walter got the camp set up, Charlie had started a fire and prepared a meal of stew and bannock, with strong black coffee to wash it down. The horses were unsaddled, and brushed down. Ryan cut up a couple of apples and fed them slice by slice to Bernie. After the horses had been fed and watered they were tied to a remuda line. They sat quietly after the meal was over, each seemed to lost in their own thoughts.

Ryan stared at the fire as he sat on the rock, he looked up at Charlie, "You know I wasn't scared yesterday, not of dying, I didn't get scared until I got home."

Charlie nodded, "There is a strength when you are doing right, there is a power in the truth, and it can make us all feel ten feet tall"



"Are you afraid of dying?" Ryan looked at Charlie.

"No," Charlie poked at the fire with a stick, and then looked at Ryan, "When the pale rider comes for me, I will welcome him with open arms, and embrace him like an old friend, I will kiss his cheeks. To fear your death, is to fear your life, death will come to everyone. It is as important as your birth, the beginning of your life, death is a part of your life; it is the end of your life. Worrying about your death that will surely come is wasting your life. I have had a good life, and I have danced in many Sun Dances, and I have tried to observe and keep the old ways alive. I am a lucky man, I have lived two lives, I have lived in the land of my father, and his father, I have a strong son, I am a respected man. I have loved, and been loved by many women," Charlie paused for a moment and looked over at Walter, "Even my wife."

Walt just chuckled and shook his head.

"What did you mean, you had lived two lives?" Ryan asked his eyes were on Charlie.

Charlie stopped playing with the fire and looked up at the stars, "When I was about your age, or maybe a little younger I was an angry young man. I blamed all of my weaknesses and faults on every one else. I lived in a whiskey bottle, and I was a drunkard, I wouldn't listen to my father and mother, I caused them great pain, and even greater shame. Finally an old man came and talked to me one day when I was in jail, and asked me why I had no pride. I asked him what did I have to be proud of; I was an Indian living on a reservation. He shook his head, and told me that my ancestors roamed the plains; part of the greatest light cavalry in the world, they fought with Tatanka Yotanka, or Sitting Bull. He told me that some of my ancestors probably died at Wounded Knee. He said to deny pride in myself was to deny my ancestors. He told me that I was Lakota, and to take pride in that. He took me to my first AA meeting, and through him I learned the way of the warrior. And that began my second life."



"What do you do now? Ryan couldn't remember anyone telling him what Charlie did for a living.

Walt snorted, "He's the chief, he just causes a lot of trouble for the rest of us."

Charlie shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Damn kids."

Ryan stared at the fire for the longest time and then looked at Charlie, "I remember becoming a warrior..."

Walter sat in silence, and waited for his father's response.

Charlie nodded his head, "I thought that you might"

"I remember what it meant, and how it felt. There was honor among them then, and I remember something else," Ryan eyes were locked on to the flames licking at the wood in the fire.

Charlie's voice was gentle, "What else do you remember?"

"How proud I was to be Lakota, there was never any fear in me, and maybe that is part of the reason I wasn't scared yesterday," he looked at Charlie, and Walter, "I know I'm not Lakota, and I will never be, but I know what it is to be one."

"You may not have been born of a Lakota mother, or had a Lakota father, but in your soul you are one of our people, and you have the heart of a warrior. You proved that yesterday. In the old times what you did yesterday would have made you a warrior in the eyes of the village, yesterday you met the enemy, and you counted coup," Charlie's voice carried a lot of conviction as he spoke, "You have met the Wanagi, you have had a visit from your spirit guide, and you have defended the sanctity of this place, in my eyes you are as much a Lakota as me, or my son."

Walter spoke for the first time, "I was skeptical when my father told me of your dream, but after I worked with you before the rodeo I changed my mind. I knew you spoke from your heart, and then when I heard about what happened yesterday I again knew you were what my father said you were. Tonight you spoke of how you felt yesterday, that you felt no fear in battle, only after. Someone who was false would have never admitted that. I welcome you as my Lakota brother."

Walter rose from where he had been sitting and walked towards where Ryan was sitting. Ryan rose to meet him and Walter embraced him like a man who embraces his brother. 

Charlie got up and he embraced Ryan too, "I too welcome you as my Lakota brother."

Ryan was overwhelmed, he hadn't thought of himself in the terms that Walter and Charlie had expressed. Later as he lay in his sleeping bag staring the multitude of the stars, he replayed parts of what had happened yesterday to portions of the dream he had with Mato. He understood what Walter had meant now, he could remember from the dream what it felt like the first time a Lakota boy proved himself, and he was struck at how similar the experience that he had yesterday resembled the dream.

As Ryan slept he began to dream, he saw five riders in the mountains, the skies were black, as black as hell at midnight. The clouds roiled, and churned, deep rumbling shook the earth, bright bolts of lightning struck various spots on the mountains, more often than not leaving a tree split, and smoking.

The leader of the five men pointed up towards the mountain, he yelled at the four with him, "There is shelter at the other side."

The winds whipped and howled, large mature trees groaned and creaked from the force of the wind. It was just after the time when the sun was highest in the sky, but you couldn't tell, it was almost as dark as a moonless night.

The riders urged their horses up to the plateau of the flat mountain, and were at a full gallop across. The trees opened up to a rocky area, the riders were grouped close together, and riding hard to escape the fury of the Wakinyan. Ryan knew these men, but couldn't quite place them in his dream. A large bolt of lightning struck, killing the men immediately.

Ryan felt like he was with them as they walked towards Hihankara, the crone who guarded the Wanagi Tachanku, the Way of the Spirits, the great white road in the sky. He watched as the five showed Hihankara  their sacred marks and tattoos. She was not convinced, and kicked them from the Wanagi Tachanku  and they returned to the Earth. But not as men, as spirits doomed to roam the earth.

He recognized them now; they were the spirit riders that he had met that night at sunset. 

Ryan looked at Hihankara, "Old Sister, why did you send those men away?"




Montana Summer Ch. 08



She looked at Ryan, "They have much to do yet, and it is not yet their time. Now you must go now, or show me your marks."

Ryan awoke with a start and looked around, Walter, and Charlie were both sound asleep, and the embers from the fire still glowed. He lay back down and stared at the Milky Way, and fell sound asleep.

---

Becky got out of the shower, and dried off her body, she looked in the mirror and admired her nakedness. She liked how her nipples stood out from her breasts; she admired her flat stomach, and her smooth, bald pubic area. 

Becky whispered to her reflection in the mirror, "You look so hot, if I had a cock it would be hard."

After she dried off she slipped into her fuzzy bathrobe, and wrapped her hair in a towel, and left the bathroom. She listened at her brother's door to see if he was still up, she could hear his stereo playing so she rapped lightly, and before waiting for an answer she opened the door and slipped in.

"Jesus Becky!" Stan quickly pulled his blankets up over him, "You could at least wait for me to say come in."

Becky looked at the open girlie magazine on the bed, "Oh, I am sorry, I didn't realize that you were busy."

Stan grabbed the magazine and tossed it under his bed, "I didn't know that I needed to put a sign on my door letting the world know what I am doing at any particular moment."

"That would be too funny," Becky laughed as she sat down on her brother's bed.

"Oh sure, really funny," Stan was little annoyed at his sister.

"So what Stan, you were jacking off, it's not like I haven't seen you doing that before," Becky smiled, "Where's Lindsey been, did you guys have a fight or something?"

Stan shook his head, "No, her and her mother flew to Denver for a couple of weeks."

"Oh, now I understand," Becky pulled the towel off of her head and began to brush her hair, "That's why you were partying with yourself up here. I hope you went out and at least bought yourself supper, that's the least you could have done."

"You're a regular comedian Becky, you need to be on television," Stan's voice was a little on the sarcastic side.

Becky fell for it, "Really?"

"Yeah," Stan nodded, "That way I could change the channel."

"You ass," Becky laughed.

Every time Becky raised her arm to brush her hair Stan could see her breast in her bathrobe, and this did nothing for his erection. He had been close to cumming when she came in the door; his cock ached for release right now. Stan wondered if Becky wouldn't mind helping him get off tonight. He was still amazed at how hot she had gotten the night that she had sucked him off into her mouth. Stan wondered if she would let him stick his cock into her pussy, he was pretty sure that she wasn't a virgin. He knew that Ryan had fucked her when they were camping; he had heard that from Lindsey, who had heard the girls talking in the tent. 

Becky had stood up and was continuing to brush her hair, she looked at Stan for a moment, "You got awful quiet, what are you thinking about?"

Stan blushed slightly, "Oh, nothing."

"Liar," Becky laughed as she watched herself in the mirror, "I walk in here, and your playing with yourself, and now you're awfully quiet, I know you're thinking about something."

"Really! I'm not thinking about anything right now," Stan was thinking of something, and that something was that smooth shaved pussy between Becky's legs, and how good his cock would feel buried in it.

Becky sat her hairbrush down, and looked at her brother, she could feel her pussy getting warm. She knew he had a big hard-on under those blankets, and she was getting into the mood to play with a cock

"When I came in, you could have kept playing with your cock. I would have helped you," Becky's voice softened, "I'm naked under this bathrobe, I bet if I let it drop, you would think of something."

Stan's voiced dared her, "Try it and you might find out what I'm thinking about."

Becky's cheeks flushed, this was the first time that Stan had turned to the aggressor, and she really hadn't expected this from him. Her hands dropped to the tie at her waist that kept her robe closed, and slowly she undid it, she let it drop to the floor so that she was standing naked in front of her brother.

"Ok," Becky's voice was husky, "Tell me what you were thinking about."

Stan lifted the blanket revealing his rampant erection, the swollen head was almost purple, "I was thinking of you Becky, and how much I would like to fuck you right now."

Becky thought that this wasn't supposed to be happening, she was the one that was supposed to initiate anything sexual between them. After all, this was her fantasy. She felt a little scared, but she felt the heat building deep inside of her, she knew if she touched herself right that she would find herself wet, and ready for her brother.

"I don't know Stan, I mean jacking you off, or sucking your cock is one thing, but letting you fuck me..." Becky's eyes were locked on his erection.

"Come on over here," Stan's voice commanded, "You can play with my cock, while I play with your pussy. God, I wish Lindsey would shave like you, it's so hot."

Becky smiled and slid into Stan's bed. Her hand grasped his swollen cock and began to slowly stroke it up and down. She felt her brothers hands on her breasts, and she felt one hand slide down over her belly and between her legs, she moaned softly as his finger worked its way between her lust swollen labia and into her wetness.

The palm of her hand rubbed the wet tip of his erection rubbing the slick pre-cum over the purplish tip. She ran her fingertips down his shaft to his balls. Her hand cupped the twin eggs of his existence and gently fondled them, weighing them in her hand. Stan's finger had begun rubbing at her clit while his one hand squeezed the softness of her breasts.

"That feels so good Becky," Stan moaned as her hand slowly rubbed his hard-on from the base to the tip.

"You like that Stan?" Becky purred, his finger was working its magic on her clit; she was past the point of no return now. 

"Yes I do, it makes me so hot," Stan's hips were moving to meet the actions of Becky's hand.

Stan alternated between stimulating his sister's swollen clit, and driving his finger as far as it would go up her tunnel. He wanted to fuck her tonight, a hand job, or a blowjob wasn't going to do, and tonight he wanted to feel his hard cock sliding into his sister's hot pussy. 

"Your finger is driving me wild Stan, I like the way you finger fuck my pussy," Becky moaned.

"How about if something else fucked your pussy," Stan's voice was hot with lust.

"I don't know Stan, I..." Becky's voice trailed off.

"You know you want it Becky, you want to feel my hard cock fucking you," Stan kept pressing his sister.

"I'm worried, I'm not on the pill and..." Becky began to stroke Stan's cock faster in hopes of making him cum quickly.

Stan couldn't take it any more; he pulled himself away from Becky, and turned her over. Kneeling behind her he grabbed her hips roughly and pulled her up so that the entrance to her pussy was at the same level as his cock, he guided the tip to her wet entrance and pushed.

"Stop Stan!" Becky cried out as she felt his cock at the entrance of her wet pussy. Suddenly she felt his cock driving deep inside, "No Stan, don't." 

As Stan began to fuck her from behind Becky's cries for him to stop ceased, she began to move her hips in time with his, "Oh fuck Stan, just don't cum inside me, I'm not on the pill."

"I won't I promise," Stan moaned, her pussy felt so good on his cock, she was so tight, and so wet. 

Becky's fear, and apprehension had evaporated, she was enjoying how Stan's hard man meat felt buried in her hot cunny, "Fuck me Stan, I want you fuck me hard."

Stan had his hands on Becky's hips, he was watching his cock disappear, and reappear from her naked pussy. He thought it looked hot as his glistening cock slid in and out of her repeatedly. He looked up and he could see himself fucking his sister in the mirror across the room. Stan liked the way her tits jiggled like two pink mounds of jelly as he drove his manhood in and out of her.

Becky had reached up between her legs and was fingering her clit as Stan pounded his cock deep inside of her. She looked down, she liked the way her tits looked, the way her hard nipples pointed straight down, and she could see his wet cock pulling in and out. Becky took her hand off of her clit and she made an O with her thumb and forefinger around her brother's cock.

"Oh fuck Becky, that feels awesome," Stan panted as he continued to drive in and out of her hot pussy. The feeling of her wet flesh wrapped around his swollen manhood was driving him to the brink, but the feeling of her hand on his cock while he was fucking her; he had never felt that before.

Becky could feel the warning signs that her orgasm was near, "Turn me over Stan, I'm about ready to cum, and I want you to see my eyes."

Stan pulled out of her pussy, and allowed Becky to get on her back, she spread her legs wide, and put her calves against his shoulders as he reentered her, "Oh yes Stan, I want you to fuck me hard, make me cum."

Their eyes were locked on one another as Stan pumped his cock hard in and out of her. With each plunge of Stan's engorged shaft Becky got closer and closer to her peak. She put her hands on her breasts and began to pull at her erect nipples. She closed her eyes she was going to climax.

"Yes Stan I'm cumming," Becky moaned loudly as her body began to shake.

Stan could feel her pussy clamping down hard on his shaft, it was almost like it was vibrating on his member, he knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer, "Yes Becky cum, I want you cum so fucking hard right now, I'm going to cum too."

As Stan pulled out Becky let her legs down, she reached down and grabbed his stiff cock and pulled him towards her and then began to jack him as fast as she could make her hand move.

Stan reached back and put his finger on Becky's clit, rubbing it up and down driving Becky higher and higher. He closed his eyes; Becky's hand was going to make him cum. He forced his eyes open, and looked down and watched Becky jacking his cock.

"Oh fuck!" Stan exclaimed as the first spurt of his jizz shot out and landed on Becky's tits.

Becky was still shaking when she felt the wet, warm cum land on breasts, she opened her eyes and watched as spurt after spurt squirted from the tip of her brother's cock.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Stan moaned over, and over as his cock ejaculated its creamy treasure over his sister's breast and belly.

As Stan's climax ended he collapsed on the bed beside Becky, he held her tightly against him, feeling the warm stickiness of his cum against his chest.

Becky smiled into her brother's eyes, "That was great," then she giggled, "I'm going to have to take a shower again."

Stan nodded, "I know, me too."

They lay there for a while, enjoying their post orgasmic glow. Inside Becky's head she knew what she had done was wrong, but it had felt so good. What harm was there in having a little fun. She rationalized it to herself, she would be going away to school, and would be away from Stan, as Stan and Lindsey would be returning to Colorado for the school year. 

--- 

Ryan awoke, and looked around. Walter was tending the fire, a blackened coffee pot sat at the side of the fire; steam was beginning to escape from it. He looked around for Charlie, but there was no sign of him.

"Good morning Walt."

Walter looked up from the fire, "Good morning, how did you sleep?"

"Good," Ryan replied, "I slept like a rock."

Ryan climbed out of his sleeping bag, he reached into the bag he had brought with his belongings and got a clean pair of socks out and pulled them on. He reached for his boots and looked around, "Where's your dad?"

Walter pointed towards a point where the land was a little higher, and that had a clear view of where the sun would rise, "Up there."

"What's he doing up there?" Ryan asked.

"He's praying, he is thanking the sun for coming back for another day," Walter replied, "He does it every morning, rain or shine, hot or cold, he will go out and prays to the Sun."

"Do you think he would mind if I went up there?" Ryan asked he wanted to talk to Charlie about the dream he had had during the night.

Walter shook his head, "No, he won't mind, especially you, go ahead, I will get breakfast going." 

The morning air was crisp and there was a smell of dampness on it. The smell of autumn in the mountains, clean smelling, there was no hint of civilization up here. The sky to the west was bright orange; the sun was still below the horizon when Ryan got up to Charlie.

Charlie was sitting cross-legged on a blanket, his eyes were closed, and his hands rested on his knees. Ryan sat quietly beside Charlie and watched the horizon. As the first hint of the orange peeked above the horizon Charlie began to chant softly, Ryan recognized the words and began to chant with him.

After the sun was completely above the horizon Charlie stopped and opened his eyes, "You didn't have to come up here Ryan."

"I wanted to. Besides I wanted to talk to you about a dream I had last night," Ryan replied.

Charlie stood up and folded the blanket, "Tell me as we walk back to the fire."

Ryan told Charlie the dream, trying not to leave any details out, he had just finished when they arrived back at the fire.

"Coffee is ready," announced Walter.

Ryan picked up an dark blued enameled metal coffee cup and held it out for Walter to fill with coffee, Ryan looked at Charlie, "Well, what do you think?"

"I'm not sure, but I can show you spot where the five were killed, it was up here that it happened," Charlie pointed towards the north, "We will go there after breakfast, Walter can pack up and we will catch up to him on the trail."

"Breakfast is ready," Walter announced.

"Traditional Lakota breakfast," Charlie winked at Ryan, "Bacon, eggs, and fried potatoes."

Ryan laughed and took a plate full of food from Walter; he sat down on the same rock that he had sat at the night before. He ate his breakfast, and drank his coffee, the three men making small talk.

"That was good Walter, nothing like a breakfast outside in the mountains, what a way to start a day," Ryan loved this, being outside in the mountains on a clear morning. The smell of the wood smoke from the fire mixing with the aromas of cooking bacon, and coffee wafted through the air. He felt a real sense of tranquility up here unlike any he had felt in his life before.

---

"Hello," the voice was gruff and raspy, like that of a man who smoked too much, and who's sleep had been interrupted.

"Kenny, it's me Hank," the caller identified himself.

"What the fuck are you doing calling me at this time of the fucking morning," the man called Kenny was clearly irritated.

"Listen, I don't have much time, I'm in trouble," Hank, "I only have five minutes for this call."

Kenny had been his line of business long to enough to realize what Hank meant, "What the fuck do you want me to do about it."

"Bail me and Stella out," Hank hastily replied as he watched the deputy looking at his watch, "I will make it worth your while."

Kenny scoffed, "With what, that Indian shit you try to peddle, I don't need no tommyhawks."

"Tomahawks," Hank muttered, "Rhymes with cold, thing about it"

Kenny's interest piqued, "Okay, where are you, and what's it going to take."

Hank began to give him the pertinent information as the deputy tapped his watch.

---

After the dishes, and frying pans had been cleaned, and repacked Charlie and Ryan saddled their horses and set off to the north. The sun had risen into the sky and had begun to take the chill from the air.

"What is strange about your dream," Charlie began, "Is that I have never heard of anyone talking to Hihankara and living to talk about it. It would be like a Christian having a conversation with St. Peter."

Ryan nodded and listened as they rode.

Charlie continued, "I will have to call some friends who might know a little more than I do. I saw the Wanagi a couple of days after Walter and I came up here, it was the first time I had seen them. When I was up here I had a vision. Once I got home I started fast, and pray, I was trying to make some sense of the vision I had. They arrived while I was praying, and we shared the pipe and talked. A little more has come clear with the telling of your dream, normally the Wanagi are doomed to spend eternity in a place between our world, and the spirit world. From what you have said the Wanagi that you, and I have met have a purpose, and still have the chance to walk the Wanagi Tachanku."

"What was your vision?"

Charlie shook his head, "I would like to tell you, but if I do it would change you, and then the vision would become false."

"Okay," Ryan frowned momentarily and wondered what Charlie would have seen in his vision.

"This place that we are going to is a place where people come to have visions," Charlie explained, "This is where Walter and I came a few weeks ago. It is a special place, and sacred place to us. "

They intersected a trail that led off to the left it lead to a narrow cut in the rock, here the trail was barely wide enough for a man and a horse to travel through. After a few minutes the trail suddenly widened, and opened up into a small clearing where there was a small pool of water, and a cottonwood tree.

"This is it, this is where Spotted Owl and four others were killed," Charlie's hand swept over the area.

"In the old times young men would come up and prepare themselves by fasting, and cleansing themselves in a sweat lodge and spend their days, and nights in meditation, and praying for a vision," Charlie explained.

Ryan immediately felt a connection with the past here, he climbed down off of Bernie and looked around. Ryan knelt down and picked up a small leather pouch from the ground.

"Here Charlie, this was on the ground," Ryan handed Charlie the small pouch.

"It's very old," Charlie replied, "This is buffalo calf hide, I don't know of anyone that can get this anymore."

Charlie looked in the small pouch; it contained a bear claw, an eagle claw, an elk tooth, a small feather from a hawk, and a piece of deer antler. He closed the pouch back up and stared thoughtfully at the ground.

"I think this is for you," Charlie handed the pouch back to Ryan, "I think it has been left here for you. Put it around your neck."

Ryan took the pouch from Charlie and slipped it over his neck, "What's it for Charlie?"

"I'm not sure, but it wasn't here when Walter and I were here, and it's old, over a hundred years, but it looks new. And the stuff that is in it, I will have to think it about it more, but I am sure of one thing and that is that it was left for you to find."

"There is one more thing I need to show you, and it is the greatest secret of them all," Charlie's tone got very serious, "My sons don't even know what I am about to show you, the last chief showed me, and now I will show it to you."

Ryan followed Charlie past the small pond and out of the small clearing. They hiked to a spot where water from the pond exited the rock. About a hundred yards downstream, he stopped at a place where there was a small eddy. Charlie scooped some of the sand from the bottom of the creek, and began to let it wash away; when most of the dirt and sand were gone he held his hand up for Ryan to look at.

Tiny little flecks of gold shone in Charlie's palm, Ryan's mouth dropped, "Is that..."

Charlie nodded, "Yes it is, that's gold, and the mother lode is right up there," he pointed back to where they had left the horses.

"Why haven't you taken the gold out?" Ryan asked, "Wouldn't that help your people out a lot?"




Montana Summer Ch. 09



All the characters in this story are fictional; any resemblance to anyone alive, or dead is simply just uncanny. All characters in this story are 18 years or older. 

This is the ninth chapter of Montana Summer Series; I am simply amazed that it has gotten this far. Thanks to all the people that have kept me up late nights writing. I would also like to thank fellow writer SelenaKittyn for editing this chapter.

* * * * *

Ryan lay awake in bed. Sleep wasn't coming easily tonight. He wondered if Jessi and he could really run away somewhere new and start a life together. Montana felt like home. 

Life on the ranch felt like this was the life he was destined to lead. They had talked about it, and in the end had decided to at least wait until the end of the fall semester at school before making any decisions.

There was one thing that Ryan didn't tell Jessi. He wasn't even sure how to tell her. Ryan just couldn't come to terms with the fact that Jessi was his half sister. When he looked at her he felt love, and not the kind of love that siblings have for each other. Ryan was totally in love with Jessi, a deep romantic love. What puzzled Ryan the most was that he had the same feeling of providence about Jessi that he had for life on the ranch, and the Montana mountains. It all seemed so intertwined, almost predestined. He was unable to put these feelings into words, and have them make any sense.

When sleep finally came, there was still no respite for Ryan. He saw visions of Charlie, the Wanagi, and a terrible storm on top of the mountain. He saw he and Jessi trying to run away from the mountains, but the mountains wouldn't let them escape. When the morning came, he felt exhausted and drained.

---

Hank and Stella walked out of the jail in the company of a balding man in an ill-fitting suit. They followed the man to a rented luxury car. The balding man directed Hank to the back seat, and Stella to the passenger side of the Lincoln.

Kenny McGuire climbed into the driver's seat. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and sucked the bitter smoke into his lungs. 

"Okay, you got me all the way the fuck out here in fuckin' Mayberry, and I've bailed you're fuckin' asses out of jail. Now you better start talking, and talking fast. I hate wasting time as much as I hate wasting money."

Hank stared at Kenny's cigarette and licked his lips. "Give me a smoke first, I'm dyin' for one."

Kenny tossed the pack of cigarettes into Hank's lap and watched patiently as Hank lit a cigarette.

"That mountain we were on, the one where we found the Indian stuff- there's gold up there." Hank exhaled a plume of bluish grey tobacco smoke.

"How do you know that?" Kenny's eyes opened wide, his interest was piqued.

Hank looked out of the car window towards the mountains. There's a vein of quartz running through that mountain."

"So?" Kenny's brow furrowed, he didn't understand what quartz had to do with gold.

Hank reached into his pocket and handed Kenny a rock. "Look at it! That's quartz, and those sparkly flecks, that's gold."

"Okay." Kenny felt excitement building in his gut. "How much do you think is up there?"

"Millions." Hanks voice was quiet as a grin spread across his face.

"What are we going to do about it? How do we get to the gold?" Kenny glanced over at Stella. The way she looked at him and smiled made Kenny think that she may have some interest in him. Kenny wasn't the kind of man that had an attractive woman very often, well, unless he was paying for them.

Hank rolled the window down and flipped the cigarette butt out the window, "We need to see if we can do this legal. We need to see if anyone owns the mineral rights."

"What about Sal? Does he know about the gold?" Kenny asked.

Hank nodded. "Yes he does."

"Before we leave, I will stop and see him." Kenny rubbed his chin. "He needs to know to keep his mouth shut. I'll bail him out as soon as they release him from the hospital."

Stella reached between Kenny's legs and began to rub him slowly. She felt him growing hard at her touch. Men of action, and men with money turned Stella on. She felt a warm feeling growing between her legs.

---

Uncle Bill hung up the phone and sat back down at the kitchen table. He looked over at Ryan and spoke softly. "That was the sheriff. He wanted to let you know that the man and woman that were arrested were released on bail this morning."

Ryan looked up from his breakfast, he was glad that Jessi and Aunt Suzanne were upstairs. "You don't think they will be coming around here?"

Uncle Bill shook his head. "I don't think so. The sheriff had a deputy follow them out of town. The only stop they made was at the hospital, and they were only there for a few minutes."

Uncle Bill paused and looked towards the stairs to make sure that his wife, and daughter weren't in sight yet. He turned back towards Ryan, and said in a near whisper, "Any time you leave the ranch you just make sure that you have that Colt strapped to your hip."

Ryan felt a little chill run up his back. 

"Did Charlie show you anything special when you went up Baxter's?"

"What do you mean?" Ryan cautiously asked his uncle.

Uncle Bill nodded. "There's more than meets the eye up there. I know it and I'm pretty sure that Charlie knows it. I have a sneaking hunch that he showed you something up there."

Ryan nodded. "Charlie showed me lots of things up there, but there was one thing in particular that he told me that he hadn't even shown Walt."

"Uh huh." Uncle Bill reached into his shirt pocket and pulled something out and slid it to Ryan's hand. "Is this what Charlie showed you?"

Ryan looked down at the gold nugget, and then nodded. "Yes, Charlie showed me that. He wasn't sure if you knew or not."

Uncle Bill nodded. "Grandpa told me. This was just before he died. As far as I know, I am the only one that he told. I do know that your father doesn't know, and I think you know better than to tell him or your mother."

Ryan cringed at the thought of his mother finding out about the gold. Money was everything to her. She would see gold in the ground as money in her pocket. The fact that the area was sacred wouldn't matter one whit to her. As much as he loved his mother, he knew that she could never find out.

"Does Aunt Suzanne know?" Ryan asked. 

"Nope." Uncle Billed shook his head. "You are the first person that I've told."

The conversation ceased as Aunt Suzanne and Jessi came down the stairs.

"What time are we leaving?" Jessi beamed happily.

"As soon as we finish this last cup of coffee." Uncle Bill laughed, knowing full well that this probably wasn't the last cup of coffee.

Everyone was heading up to one of the high pastures that was free range on BLM land. This was the annual cattle drive, a tradition from the past that was kept alive by several of the old time ranching families. They would spend four days and three nights herding the cattle back down to pastures in the valley. 

Most of today and all of tomorrow would be spent rounding up the cattle into one large herd. The nights would be spent around the campfire singing songs and telling tales. Most everyone one would take a couple of hours riding night herd, keeping the cattle from wandering off. 

"I'll get the horse trailer hooked up," said Ryan getting up from the table.

"Want some help?" volunteered Jessi.

"Help is always appreciated," smiled Ryan.

As soon as they were outside, Jessi slipped her hand into Ryan's. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm doin' okay." Ryan looked at Jessi as they walked towards the truck. "I didn't sleep good last night. I kept having these weird dreams."

Jessi's brow furrowed. "What kind of dreams?"

Ryan stopped and shook his head. "Just weird dreams. You and I were running away, but the mountains wouldn't let us escape."

"That is odd!" Jessi remarked. "I had a similar dream, only I was trying to get to you, I could see you, but I could never catch up."

Ryan wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I don't know why, and I don't know if I should even be telling you this..." He looked up at the mountains for a moment, trying to form his words. "I wish I could give you a reason why I feel this way, but I can't. So much has happened to me this past summer, and that includes you. And so much of it seems like it was pre-destined, like it was meant to happen, that it's my destiny. That's how I feel about you. Like we are meant to be together. I don't want you to hold any false hopes out for us. I don't even understand it myself."

Jessi searched Ryan's eyes for what seemed a very long time and then she kissed his lips softly. "I love you, cowboy. I didn't mean to fall in love with you, but somewhere along the way I did. I don't want to love anyone but you. You are going to have to be the one to tell me it's time for me to move along. Until then, Ryan, I won't give up hope. If I don't at least hope a little..." She buried her head against his chest and held him tightly.

---

"Stan?" Lindsey looked at Stan. Her fingers twisted the edge of the sheet nervously. She gave Stan a questioning look as he was getting dressed.

"What, baby?" Stan looked at Lindsey. She was still lying in bed, the sheet partially covering her nude body.

"Can I ask you a question?" Lindsey watched his eyes.

Stan nodded as he put his shirt on. "Sure, ask away."

Lindsey began cautiously. "Last night, just before you came." She paused and took a deep breath. "You called me Becky." She caught the flicker of guilt in his eyes even before he had the chance to reply. "I just want to know what is going on."

Stan felt like the bottom had just fallen out of his life. How in hell could he have been so stupid as to call out Becky's name? He knew the damage was done, but there was nothing he could do but to try to deny it and minimize the damage. "Nothing is going on."

"You're lying Stan. I saw it in your eyes even before you answered." She felt the sting of tears beginning in her eyes. It hurt Lindsey that he was lying to her. "I have always been truthful with you. I told you about Ryan when we were camping, and I told you about Ryan when you and your family were out of town. Why can't you be honest with me now?"

Stan sat down on the bed his shoulders slumped. "Because she is my sister." Stan looked at Lindsey in the eyes. "She's my sister, and I couldn't stop it from happening." Stan felt that there was no sense in holding anything back now, he might as well come clean and tell Lindsey the whole story.

Stan took Lindsey's hand in his. "I'll tell you what happened." He began with the night in the motel where Becky had given him the hand job, and the he told her about his sister performing oral sex on him. Finally he finished up with what had happened the other night with Becky and him having sex in his room.

Lindsey looked at Stan. He looked like all of the air had been let out of him, "Why didn't you just tell me?"

Stan shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't think you'd understand. I don't even know if I understand."

"Do you plan to keep having sex with her?" Lindsay asked in a quiet tone of voice.

She was almost afraid of what his answer might be.

Stan looked at Lindsey and then down at the floor and shook his head. "No."

"Thanks for being honest Stan. That's all I'll ever ask from you." Lindsey wasn't sure how she felt at the moment. Her feelings were a jumble of confusion and betrayal.

Stan finished dressing. He looked at Lindsey. "I'll call you later, okay?"

His voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Yes Stan. Please call me later. There is a lot we need to talk about. You just might have to give me a little time."

---

Charlie Red Elk sat at his kitchen table and looked out over his beloved mountains. He was thinking of Ryan and what the young man had become. He had talked to his wife and son about his idea. Now he was going to meet with the tribal council this morning.

He wondered what their reaction would be when he presented his wishes to the elders. In the Lakota tradition, he was the chief, but that didn't give him absolute power when it came to tribal affairs. The true power rested in the tribal council.

Esther Red Elk sat down across from her husband and looked at him. She had seen a great change in her husband this past summer. A spark had been lit in him again. She could see the fire of the young man that she had married many years ago.

"You think they will approve of your idea just based on your word," Esther asked her husband.

Charlie came out of his thoughts; he hadn't realized that his wife had sat down. "I don't know. I hope they will. That boy is as much a Lakota as you or I, on the inside anyway." He turned his gaze from the mountains to his wife. "Do you know what Ryan told me?"

Esther shook her head. "No. What did he tell you?"

Charlie smiled and then laughed. "He told me that he would teach me how to shoot a bow from a moving horse." Charlie shook his head. "Me, a Lakota chief, and this young white boy is going to teach me how to use a bow." He took a sip of tea and continued. "I wish our young men had one tenth the passion that Ryan has. Part of my plan is to honor Ryan, and part is to try to spur some of our young people from their complacency."

Charlie's eyes grew misty. "He also told me that he knew what it felt like to be Lakota. There was pride in his voice when he said that. The way he said it reminded me of Danny Little Bear."

Esther put her hand on Charlie's hand. Danny Little Bear was the man that had talked to Charlie while he was in jail. He had also been the best man at Charlie and Esther's wedding, and godfather to Walter. For her husband to say that anyone reminded him of Danny Little Bear was beyond remarkable.

---

Ryan, Jessi, and Uncle Bill had arrived up the BLM open range just before noon. Aunt Suzanne was going to come up with Mabel a little later. They got the horses unloaded from the trailer, and saddled.

Frank Buchanan came over and shook everyone's hand. He handed Ryan and Uncle Bill a hand drawn map. "Ryan, I want you and Jessi to ride up north to the tree line, and then work your way back towards the camp. Bill and I will work our way from the other side, and we should meet somewhere here." Frank pointed to a spot on the map. "Bucky and Ernie Slidell and his boys will be up here pretty quick, and they are going to work these other areas."

Ryan mounted Bernie, and he and Jessi headed out. He smiled at Jessi atop Raoul, her favorite horse. If it wasn't for her long hair flowing down from her cowboy hat and her breasts straining her cowboy shirt, she would look like any other young cowboy.

"Feels good doesn't it?" Ryan commented as they rode along.

Jessi took a deep breath of the mountain air. "It never gets old, coming up here." She looked at Ryan. "Looking at you, it's not hard to imagine that I have gone back in time." She got a mischievous smile on her face. "I love you, cowboy. But I what I want to see is what that mooch of a horse of yours will do." With that, she swatted the hindquarters of her horse and galloped across the rolling landscape.

Ryan laughed as put his spurs lightly to Bernie. "Go get her!" he yelled to his horse.

Bernie responded like he had been shot out the end of a gun, he loved the thrill of the chase. The other horse had a bit of a head start, but even with the extra weight of Ryan as a rider Bernie, held the advantage. He was bigger and stronger than Jessi's horse and Bernie loved to run.

---

Five men were what constituted the Wolf's Creek Lakota Band Council. None were under the age of fifty-five. They took their seats in the Tribal Council house and watched as Charlie Red Elk stood before them. All of them wore their hair in the traditional fashion, parted in the middle, the long braids going part way down their backs. 

Willy Running Deer was the eldest member of the council. Generally, out of respect for his age he was recognized as the leader of the council. He stood up and looked at Charlie. "Okay Charlie, we are ready to hear you now."

The council listened with stoic faces, not betraying any emotion as Charlie finished making an impassioned speech. "He knows of our ways, and maybe he knows more of the old ways better than most of us. He spoke to me and my son of the pride he has for the Lakota, and these were words he spoke from his heart. I am proud to call him my brother. He has a spirit guide, and a powerful one. He has protected our sacred ground, and I have to add, with significant peril to his own safety. He has met our enemy with bravery in his heart, and his actions. He has earned a place among us, as one of us."

Willy Running Deer spoke up. "Has this ever been done before?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes it has, with Ryan's great-great-great Grandfather, Little White Wolf."

The council whispered among themselves for a few minutes, then Willy Running Deer addressed Charlie again, "So this is just a ceremonial honor you would like to bestow on the boy?"

"Yes, it is only ceremonial," Charlie replied.

"Then we have no objection, we would be happy to welcome him as an honorary member of the Wolf's Creek Lakota band." Willy Running Deer smiled at Charlie.

Charlie stood and opened his arms. "Thank you my brothers. You have made an old man happy, and proud this day."

---

Tony (Sal) Salvatore lay in the hospital bed staring blankly at the ceiling. While his outward demeanor was quiet and impassive, inside was another story. Kenny had just been in to see him, and to let him know that his bail had been posted and that once he was released from the hospital he was a free man.

Kenny had told him, "Keep your fuckin' nose clean and get the fuck outta town as soon as you are released."

Sal's mind churned. He still couldn't believe a damn snot-nosed kid with an antique single action Colt had taken him down. Sal was plotting his revenge. Yeah, he would get out of town all right. But that wouldn't happen until he had taken care of a little business — a little business with a young cowboy.

---

Most of the leaves of the deciduous trees had turned to color from soft yellows to brilliant reds. There was a chill in the air up here in the high country. It smelled like autumn, that crisp, cool smell. It wouldn't be long before the snows would come, and stay for the winter.

Ryan pulled the map from his pocket and examined it. He passed it over to Jessi. "Looks like we're where we're supposed to start but I don't see any cattle."

"No, it's not uncommon. They'll move around a lot during the day." She pointed at the map. "We need to work our way up the tree line and then back towards where we started from."

As they rode along, Jessi looked over at Ryan. "Are you going to miss me when you go away to school?"

Ryan's smile was sad. "What do you think? Of course I'm going to miss you." Ryan sighed softly. "Why did you even have to ask that?"

"I just wanted to hear it from you, that's all."

"What about you? Are you going to miss me?" Ryan quipped.

Jessi's face turned sad. "I will miss you, cowboy. I will miss you more than you will ever imagine."

Ryan started at the large granite monolith that reached towards the sky. He hesitated for a moment. "Are you going to date while you're at school?"

She stopped her horse and looked at Ryan. "No. Not while I have one grain of hope for us." A tear appeared in the corner of her eye as she asked, "What about you?"

Ryan had turned Bernie and had moved right beside Jessi and her horse. He leaned over and kissed her softly. "No Jessi. I love you. There is no one that could replace you."

Jessi looked down at the ground. "Have you thought about transferring schools?"

Ryan nodded. "Yes. I have. I will probably transfer next fall."




Montana Summer Ch. 09



"So I won't see you until spring?" Jessi felt like spring was a lifetime away at this point.

Ryan shook his head. "No, I've already decided to come back here for Christmas, and for Spring Break.

Jessi perked up and her face broke into a wide smile. "Well, that's not too bad. I don't think I could go the whole school year without seeing you."

"Yeah." Ryan looked at Jessi. "I don't think I could go that long without seeing you either."

She laughed. "Well we had better get back to looking for cattle."

Ryan nodded, and turned Bernie around. They continued following the tree line until they came across a group of cattle.

Jessi turned and looked at Ryan, "Don't get them moving too fast, just keep them at a walk."

"Okay, where do you want me to be?" Ryan asked.

"Once we get them moving, I want you near the front. Bernie is a better cutting horse than Raoul. Just trust in Bernie, and follow his instincts. I will keep them moving, and you will keep them moving in the right direction.

Once the small herd was moving Ryan fell back a little, watching the cattle as they moved along. He heard a sharp whistle and he looked at Jessi. She was pointing off to his left. Standing in the stirrups he looked in the direction that she was pointing and spotted several strays.

Ryan waved back at Jessi. He tapped Bernie on the left with his spur and tugged the reins to the left. Bernie circled around behind the four head of cattle that were peacefully grazing. Ryan let out a sharp whistle and yelled, "Git there!"

The four strays broke into a slow run and Ryan and Bernie followed behind until the cattle had joined the herd. Ryan watched as Jessi and Raoul moved back and forth along the rear, keeping the cattle moving.

Over and over, Ryan would set out and bring in small numbers of cattle, each time adding to the overall number. By the time the met up with Uncle Bill and Bucky, they were herding close to a hundred head of cattle. From the looks of it Uncle Bill and Bucky, had even more.

As the two herds merged, Jessi moved forward up to the left flank. Ryan smiled and waved to her. Ryan chuckled as he looked at Bucky. He had on what must have been the largest Mexican sombrero in the world. It took a man the size of Bucky to make a hat like that look good.

Ryan looked over the herd of cattle and tried to imagine what the big cattle drives from Texas to Kansas must have been like with thousands of longhorns on the move. Young men like himself would have spent months on the trail away from home and loved ones. He glanced over at Jessi and thought that his upcoming school year would be his own trail drive away from his family and loved ones.

When they arrived back at the camp, they moved the cattle over to the holding area. Water troughs and feed areas had been set up for the cattle. 

Ryan was surprised at the number of people up here now, some he knew, and some he didn't. After the cattle had been taken care of, Ryan followed Jessi to the temporary corral where the horses would be kept. After removing the saddle from Bernie, he reached into his saddlebag and retrieved an apple.

"Bet you thought I had forgotten," laughed Ryan as he began to slice the apple and feed it to the horse.

Jessi chuckled as she watched her cowboy and his horse. She walked up and poked Ryan in the ribs. "I'm surprised you didn't bring a sleeping bag for your pet."

"Watch it, girl, or I'm just gonna have put you over my knee," Ryan teased.

Jessi's voice got soft and low. "I just might like to try that." 

As Ryan paused and looked into Jessi's eyes, a soft smile spread over his face.

Uncle Bill walked over and interrupted the exchange between them. "Your chaps are lookin' a little worse for wear." He handed Ryan a can of saddle soap and a rag. "Take them off and work some of that into them. You'll have them looking like a million bucks in no time."

"How many head do we have in?" Jessi asked her father.

Uncle Bill took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair as the looked over towards the cattle. "We figure we are just shy of three hundred and fifty head."

"How many should we have?" Ryan looked at his uncle.

"Six hundred and forty seven," Uncle Bill replied.

"That's almost three hundred left. Do you think we will get them all by tomorrow?" Ryan asked.

Uncle Bill nodded. "Oh yeah, with all of the people we have up here now, we'll get them rounded up."

After Uncle Bill had headed back over to where the cattle were Ryan unbuckled his chaps and lay then down on the ground. He began to work the saddle soap into the leather.

Jessi knelt down beside him. "I'll help you."

Ryan grinned and tore the rag in half and handed it to Jessi.

---

Kenny handed Hank the ticket. "Tell Tony we need a guy who's a geologist, and someone who has experience in mining. Don't say nothing about gold. If he has any questions, you tell him to call me. Understand?"

Hank nodded. He wasn't too happy about leaving Stella behind with Kenny. He was very horny and had been looking forward to having sex with Stella, but now it looked like it would be a night in a Denver hotel with a girlie magazine and his hand.

"Good." Kenny slapped Hank on the back. "You call me when Tony has someone lined up for us, and I'll arrange the tickets for the flight back."

Kenny walked out of the small terminal building and back to the car. Stella was listening to the radio and doing her nails.

"Hank's on his way, now it's just you and me." Kenny smiled as he drank in Stella's physical attributes with his eyes.

Stella smiled. "Maybe we should go check into the hotel?"

Kenny started the Lincoln and pulled out of the parking spot. "Yeah let's go find a room with a king-sized bed and get checked in."

Stella slid over next to Kenny and began to caress his swelling in his crotch. "I like king-size beds." She squeezed his stiffening erection. "Especially with king-size men."

---

The sound of a clanging steel triangle announced that supper was ready. Everyone dropped what they were doing and headed over to the makeshift chuck wagon where Aunt Suzanne and Mabel and Ellie Buchanan stood ready to feed the hungry hands.

Supper tonight would have been pretty typical for ranch food of yesteryear: floured steak cooked in a Dutch oven served with beans and fresh biscuits. Dessert was a choice of apple crisp or peach cobbler. The beverage of choice was hot coffee, plenty of hot, strong, cowboy coffee.

Aunt Suzanne and the other two women beamed as they watched the hungry cowhands eating their supper. Most came back for second helpings, and an adventuresome few even managed a trip for thirds. Bucky Buchanan was the only one to make four trips.

Uncle Bill called out, "Hey Bucky, you keep eatin' like that and we are going to have to get you a bigger horse."

Frank, Bucky's brother snorted. "He keeps eatin' like that and we won't make it back with any cattle."

Aunt Suzanne shook her ladle at Uncle Bill and Frank. "You two leave our best customer alone."

The sun was beginning to set, and there was a definite chill in the air. A fire was quickly started and everyone grabbed something to sit on. A pair of headlights appeared on the road and Ryan recognized the truck as it pulled in towing a horse trailer.

Walter and Charlie Red Elk walked over to the fire where everyone was sitting. Charlie grinned. "I heard there was a bunch of cowboys up here on the mountain, so Walt and I decided to hit the warpath and try to find them. Have you seen them?"

Uncle Bill chuckled, "They left! They spotted us and high tailed it south."

Walter smiled. "Well, can you use a couple of more hands?"

Frank Buchanan laughed. "Yeah, but you better be quick in the chow line, Bucky's here."

Ryan got up and walked over to Charlie. "It's good to see you, Charlie." He looked over at Walter. "And good to see you, Walter."

Walter patted Ryan on the shoulder. "Nice seeing you, too, Ryan." Then he laughed. "Let me see if Bucky has left us any food."

Charlie came back with a plate heaped with food and sat down beside Ryan and Jessi. "Nice to see you up here Jessi. Not often we get good lookin' young women up here for this."

Jessi gave Charlie a warm hug. "Well anytime there's a good- looking man like you up here, I'll be here too."

"You make an old man feel good." Charlie smiled as he began to eat.

Jessi reached over and squeezed Ryan's hand in hers. The warmth of the crackling fire felt good, and the feeling of her hand in his was even better. She was thinking of all the changes since the last time they had sat at a fire together. The last time was when they had gone camping, and she liked Ryan then, but it was more of a lusting, adventurous feeling. Those feelings had grown to a deep love over the summer. She couldn't help thinking that there wasn't much time left for her and Ryan. They would both be heading off to different schools in a couple of weeks.

"Ryan," Charlie began as he sat his plate down. "I met with the tribal council this morning. I spoke to them about you. I have told them about your meeting with the Wanagi, your meeting with Mato, and what you did in Baxter's canyon."

Ryan listened intently to Charlie's soft voice. There was a certain richness to it that Ryan loved. He wondered why Charlie would have talked to the tribal council about him.

"They have given me permission to make you an honorary tribal member of the Wolf's Creek Band." Charlie looked at Ryan with happiness in his eyes as he finished.

Ryan mouth dropped a little. "Charlie, I don't know what to say, I'm honored that you would do this for me."

"It's the least I could do for what you have done for us." Charlie smiled, and then continued speaking. "I have another motive. I hope your example will spur on some of our younger tribal members to try to discover who they are."

Jessi leaned over and kissed Ryan on the cheek and whispered, "I'm so proud of you, Ryan."

Charlie's voice dropped, "Do you still have that little pouch that you found up on the mountain." 

Ryan put his hand on his chest and felt the small pouch. He nodded at Charlie. "Yup, right here."

Charlie nodded, his voice was just above a whisper. "Good. Keep it with you always. I talked to a friend of man in South Dakota who knows more than I do. He thinks it might have something to do with the Wanagi, something to tie you to them, and he feels that it is important for you to keep it with you."

Ryan nodded. "I will."

In the meantime, several guitars and a fiddle appeared around the fire, and songs of the trail were the entertainment for the evening. Ryan had thought Uncle Bill had a great singing voice, but was blown away when Bucky and Frank began to sing together. He closed his eyes and felt like he was at the Pecos, headed with a herd of Longhorns towards Dodge City.

--- 

Kenny opened the door to the hotel room. He had taken Stella out for supper. Now he was looking for a little entertainment for the evening.

Stella smiled and gave Kenny a soft kiss on the lips. "Let me go take a shower and get fresh and clean for you."

"Don't you take too long," Kenny teased. "I don't want to have to start without you."

"Don't you go starting without me, sugar," Stella's voice was low and sultry as she headed for the shower. "I'm worth the wait."

Kenny licked his lips in anticipation. He was glad that he had sent Hank to Denver alone. What she had seen in Hank was beyond Kenny's comprehension.

He got up off of the bed and knocked on the bathroom door. "While you're getting ready I'm going to get us some cocktails. Is there anything you would like me to pick up?"

Stella's muffled voice came through the bathroom door. "Whatever you're getting is fine with me."

She luxuriated under the endless hot water of the hotel shower. This was the kind of place she could get used to. Stella didn't find Kenny attractive, but she could overlook his physical shortcomings if this was indicative of the treatment she could expect from him. After she climbed out of the shower and had dried off, she examined her body in the mirror.

"Not bad," she whispered to herself. "For being thirty-four."

Her breasts still retained their youthful shape and showed no real evidence of sagging. She wished they were a little larger. Stella had wanted Hank to pay for a breast enlargement procedure, but he never seemed to have the money. A smile crossed her face. Kenny seemed to be a man with money. Maybe she could get what she wanted from him.

She was drying her hair when she heard the door open. "I'll be out in few minutes," she called out.

"Take your time," she heard Kenny answer. "I'll make us a couple of cocktails, or would you prefer champagne?"

This was her kind of man! "I love champagne," Stella answered back. She tried to remember the last time that Hank had bought her champagne.

Kenny had taken off his tie, and was propped up on the bed sipping on a rum and coke. He had poured Stella a glass of champagne and had it ready and waiting for her. He could feel his erection beginning to swell at the thought of having sex with Stella. It had been a while since he'd had a woman, and even longer since he'd been with a woman as attractive as Stella.

He was not disappointed when Stella came out of the bathroom. She was wearing a long, black silky robe that seemed to cling to her in all the right places. This only caused his cock to swell a little more.

Stella gave Kenny a sultry smile. "You like?" Her voice was sultry as she turned around in almost a slow seductive dance.

Kenny licked his lips and nodded "Oh yeah, baby! Very much!"

She picked up the glass of champagne and took a sip. "Mmmm," she purred. "Very nice."

Her hand pulled the tie on the robe and it fell open. She sat her champagne down and then let her robe slip to the floor. "What do you think of this then?"

She was wearing a black garter belt with stockings and a black lacy bra that barely covered her nipples and that maximized her breasts. She could see the swelling in Kenny's trousers and she knew that he wanted what she had.

What turned Kenny on the most was the lack of panties: just the garter belt and the stockings, and a small closely trimmed tuft of hair between her legs. His erection swelled in his pants. "Incredible." It was the only word that came to mind.

She picked up her champagne and strutted around the room, her breasts jiggling with each step. Stella liked the feeling of Kenny's eyes undressing her even further. She slid onto the bed and put her hand on the bulge between his legs. "Looks like you have something I should take care of."

Kenny smiled as her hand moved up and down the swollen bulge in his pants. 

"Kick your shoes off," Stella whispered as she undid his belt and then pulled the zipper down. She sat up and grabbed the cuffs of his trousers and pulled them off with a quick tug. Next came his boxers.

She put her hand on his swollen member and began to stroke it slowly. "Your cock is so big. I like men with big cocks." 

"Oh baby, where have you been all my life?" Kenny's voice was thick with lust. He reached up and put his hands on her breasts and began to fondle them. He pulled down on the cups of her bra and set her breasts free. He liked the way her nipples were already hard and sticking straight out.

"Looking for you, honey," Stella moaned softly as she ran her hand up and down his thick shaft. "Would you like me to suck your cock for you? Would you like me to make you cum in my mouth?"

"Oh, yes!" Kenny wanted to feel her mouth sucking his hard organ. "Suck me! Baby, let me fill your mouth with my hot cum."

Stella smiled. She had a talent for using her mouth to pleasure men. She was still in high school when she discovered that she had a talent for performing fellatio. Over the years she had just gotten better at it. She enjoyed it. Using her mouth to bring a man to orgasm gave her a sense of power.

The tempo of her hand movements on his thick shaft increased and she looked Kenny in the eyes. "How do you want me to do it? You want me to suck you while you lay there, or do you want to sit while I kneel between your legs, or do you want to stand while I suck you off?"

Kenny couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I want to sit and watch you sucking me off."

Stella slid off of the bed and knelt as Kenny sat on the edge of the bed. She took his swollen erection into her hand and began stroking it slowly as she looked up into his eyes. Leaning forward, she began to flick at his cock with her tongue. Her tongue flicked up and down the length of his shaft while her hand continued to slide over his thickness.

"Oh, yeah, baby," Kenny moaned as he watched her tongue flicking and licking up and down his erect member.

With her eyes locked on his, she licked his already swollen tip. She liked the somewhat salty taste of his pre-cum. Opening her mouth wide, Stella slid the head of his member into her mouth. In a slow and deliberate manner, she moved down the length of his shaft until his wiry pubic hairs tickled her lips. Her tongue bathed the underside of erection as she slowly began to pull her head back while sucking very hard.

"Oh, god, that feels so good!" His voice was heavy with lust as he watched her head move back up over the length of his swollen cock.

Up and down, she continued moving her mouth along his smooth shaft while her hand fondled his heavy balls. Stella wanted to make this last. She wanted this to be the best blowjob of his life. She increased the tempo a little at a time, twisting her head as she sucked. She felt the touch of his gentle hands caressing the hair on the top of her head.

Kenny was in a delightful agony. He had felt women pleasure him orally before, but nothing like this. His original intention was to have his fun with Stella and then send her back to Hank. That had all changed with this evening. There was no way he was going to let this woman leave him!

She kept increasing the tempo, her head bobbing up and down on his engorged organ. Stella watched his eyes. She knew his eyes would be the place where she would first see his impending orgasm. The eyes always got a blank, faraway look just before she felt the warm, thick, peppery cum spurting from the tip of his cock. He was almost completely out of her mouth when she pushed the tip of her tongue against the little hole in the end of his cock-head.

"Baby, make me cum!" Kenny was almost there. He felt the need to climax. He wanted to feel that fleeting, sweet ecstasy of his orgasm.

Stella moved her head up and down, faster and faster, and she felt his hips moving with her of their own accord. He was fucking her mouth as she sucked him now. Stella loved that feeling. It meant that he was losing control. She heard him cry out, and a fraction of a second later, she felt him erupt into her mouth

"Oh! Oh! Ohhhhh!" Kenny's moans were loud as he felt his cock spasm in rapture. It had been a long time since he had cum this hard. He felt dizzy, lights flashed in his eyes, and his legs quivered.

Stella put her hand on his slick, wet shaft and stroked him hard and fast, trying to coax just one more spurt out of his balls. She continued to suck and stroke him until his erection began to subside.

---

"I just need some time, Stan," Lindsey almost whispered into the phone. All day she had been torn between the feelings she had for Stan and the revulsion she felt from his admission that he had been having sexual relations with his sister.

"I'm sorry, Lindsey, I wish there was something I could say..." Stan's voice trailed off.

Lindsey tried to choke back the tears. "Oh, Stan. I just have to think this out."

"I understand, Lindsey, but please, please don't give up on me." Stan felt like he was pleading. He was worried that he was losing Lindsey and there was nothing that he could do about it.




Montana Summer Ch. 09



Lindsey's voice was hushed. "No, Stan. I'm not giving up on you. Please don't think that. You're special to me, and I care about you. Call me tomorrow and we can talk some more."

Stan sighed. "Okay, Lindsey. You have a good night, and I'll call you tomorrow."

Stan stood there looking at the phone, he wished the call hadn't ended. With a sinking heart, Stan walked upstairs towards his room.

As Becky came out of the bathroom, she grinned and winked at Stan. "Hey big brother."

Stan looked at his sister for a moment. "Becky, can I talk to you for a minute? In my room."

Becky could feel that something was wrong. She nodded and followed Stan into his room. "What's up?"

"We can't do what we've been doing anymore." There was sadness in his voice that Becky had never heard before.

"What's going on Stan?" There was concern in Becky's voice.

Stan took a deep breath and sighed. "I fucked up, Becky. Lindsey and I were...and, well, I said your name."

"Oh my God, Stan!" Becky exclaimed. Her eyes opened wide with shock.

Stan hung his head like a whipped dog. "Wait, it just gets worse. I told her about us."

"Stan, I'm so sorry." Becky felt her eyes burning with impending tears. "I never thought...or meant for something like that to happen."

Becky reached over and hugged her brother, wishing she could change things now. She felt guilty now about what had happened. She never thought Lindsey would find out.

---

Ryan was jarred from his slumber by the sound of the steel triangle and by Aunt Suzanne yelling, "Come and get it, breakfast is ready!"

The sky was only graying. The sun hadn't risen yet. The smell of fresh coffee and cooking bacon wafted through the air. The sounds of people waking up broke the silence of the morning.

Jessi looked over at Ryan. "Hey, cowboy, how did you sleep?"

"Good," he replied quietly. Their sleeping bags were next to each other. They had fallen asleep holding hands. 

Ryan put his arms above his head and stretched. He was trying to muster up the ambition to climb out of his warm sleeping bag. He watched Jessi moving around in hers. "What are you doing?"

Jessi rolled her eyes at Ryan and then whispered, "Putting my bra on."

Ryan face broke into a mischievous grin. "Can I help?"

Jessi giggled. "No! I'd sooner have you helping take it off."

A warm rush flooded through Ryan's body. "I think I like your idea better than mine."

Bill laughed as he got up to the front of line. Bucky was wearing a white apron as he stood in front of a large grill cooking bacon, and hash browns. "Hey, Bucky, how did they rope you into cookin'?"

Bucky looked up from his work and flashed a big grin. "Your wife told me that there was a special surprise for whoever was in first in line for breakfast this morning." Bucky held up a large metal spatula and waved it at Bill. "And this was my surprise." Bucky's whole body shook as he laughed. "I should have known better."

The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon as the last cup of coffee was finished. All of the hands gathered around the remnants of the morning fire to plan out the day. They paired up into teams of two once again, and each team was given an area to cover.

Ryan was happy that he had been paired up with Jessi again for the day. He could think of nothing better than spending the day with Jessi riding in the mountains. There was peace and solitude up here. The crisp air felt invigorating, and after a hearty breakfast, he was ready to get on with the day. 

---

The sound of his ringing cell phone jarred Hank from his slumber. His voice was groggy with sleep. "Hello."

Hank was trying hard to wake up. The early hour and the fact that he had consumed a considerable amount of cheap scotch last night was interfering with the process. He instinctively reached for a pack of cigarettes and lit one. His throat felt raw from too many cigarettes, and the cheap booze.

The voice on the other end of the phone had an accent that Hank couldn't place. "I heard that you're wanting to meet Tony?"

"Yeah, I am. When can I meet him?"

"Depends on what you want to meet him for."

Hank exhaled a plume of smoke. "Kenny told me to only talk to Tony, and nobody else."

There was a silence at the other end of the phone. From experience Hank new that wherever the caller was that Tony was there with him. He patiently waited. In his mind, he could see Mr. Accent talking to Tony.

"How's noon?" the voice on the phone asked.

Hank nodded as he squinted at the hotel clock. "Noon's great. Where do I go?"

"Someone will pick you up. Where are you staying?"

"In Aurora, just off the freeway at the Super Six Motel," Hank replied.

"Noon." The connection was lost. 

Hank set his phone down and looked at the clock and muttered, "Seven fuckin' o'clock. These people don't fuckin' sleep in Denver?"

---

Doc Taylor examined the wound on the patient's shoulder and then stood up. "I'm releasing you. I'll give you prescriptions for antibiotics and a painkiller. You'll need to change the dressing daily, and keep the area of the wound clean. Just wait here and the nurse will be back in with your discharge instructions."

A smile came over Sal's face, but it was a mirthless smile. "Right fucking on!" His voice was only a whisper. Now he just needed to find that kid, and then he could be on his way.

After Sal had been released from the hospital, he walked into the parking lot. He found the SUV that had been left for him. His first piece of business would be to get his prescriptions filled. 

He pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the main street. Sal remembered seeing a drug store.

Sal walked up and down the aisles of the drug store, not really looking at the merchandise. He was waiting for the pharmacist to fill his prescriptions. He watched as an attractive girl wearing a cowboy hat walked in to the drugstore.

"Becky!" The dark haired cashier called out.

Becky turned and smiled. "Hey, Laura, I didn't know you were working here."

Laura nodded. "Yeah. Just until I head off to school. What are you up to?"

"I just have to grab a couple of things, then I'm headed up to where they are having the cattle drive. I'm going to give Jessi's mom a hand, and spend the night."

"Oh!" Laura started to giggle. "Is that hunky cousin of hers going to be up there? Damn, what's his name?"

"Ryan," Becky answered. "And yup, he's up there helping with the roundup.

Laura winked at Becky. "He could round me up anytime. I can't believe he was in a shootout."

Becky's eyes opened wide. "Oh my God! I couldn't believe it either."

Sal's ears perked up. He couldn't believe his luck! The girl had said she was going up there. All he had to do was follow her and she would lead him right to the kid. Sal saw the pharmacist wave at him. He walked over to the counter and picked up his prescriptions. 

Becky didn't see the SUV pull out behind her as she left the drugstore and headed out of town. 

---

Ryan took his hat off and wiped his brow. This was tougher than he thought it was going to be. While Jessi took care of the cattle they had rounded up, Ryan chased down the solitary animals that resisted. He would get them started to the twenty-some animals that Jessi kept moving towards the camp, when out of the blue they would make a break for it. Then the chase would be on. Bernie would take off faster than a cheap when the dinner check was presented. Once past the running steer, Bernie would turn the animal back in Jessi's direction.

Jessi rode up to where Ryan had stopped. "Thirsty?

Ryan nodded his head as put his hat back on. "Damn straight I am."

Jessi reached back and pulled a bottle of water out of her saddlebag. "Catch!" She grinned as she tossed the bottle at Ryan.

Ryan caught the bottle with a gloved hand and quickly twisted the cap off and began to drink. The cool water tasted almost sweet. He was surprised at how thirsty he had become. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Well, what do you think of punching cattle now?" Jessi's face was alight with a bright smile.

Ryan laughed and shook his head. "God, they're being pains in the ass, and some of them are downright ornery."

Jessi nodded. "Yeah. That's because they've been up here on their own since spring. They've gotten used to doing what they want, when then want."

Ryan nodded his head as he looked at the cattle, then he turned his gaze back on Jessi. Even in a cowboy hat, western shirt, and chaps she looked good. "Damn you look hot, girl."

Jessi giggled. "Do you think? I don't think I look hot, I think you're just horny."

"Yeah, you're right about me being horny, but you still look hot."

Blushing lightly, Jessi moved her horse close to Ryan, and she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Flattery will get you everywhere, cowboy."

Ryan chuckled. "I hope so."

Jessi reached over and swatted his butt. "Brat!"

She pulled the map from her shirt pocket and then pointed towards the mountains. "Follow the little draw up to the trees, and then angle back towards me. If you find too many for you to handle by yourself, just leave them, and bring what you can. We'll head back and get the rest after getting this bunch back to the camp."

Ryan nodded. "Okay."

He gave Bernie a little tap with his spur. "C'mon, Bernie, let's get at it."

---

Becky was on her way out of town when she got close to where Lindsey lived. A pang of guilt coursed through her body as she thought of Lindsey. On the spur of the moment, she pulled her car over to the curb and looked at the door of Lindsey's house.

"Fuck!" Sal cursed. The girl had suddenly pulled over. Had she spotted him? It was too late to pull in behind her, he was already right up on her. He watched as the girl got out of the car. He felt a small bit of relief when she didn't even glance in his direction as he passed by. Maybe she hadn't spotted him after all. Sal pulled over in the next block, where he had a good view of her car in his rear view mirror.

After ringing the doorbell Becky could feel her heart pounding. She didn't know if there was anything that she could say to Lindsey to help patch up things between Stan and her, but she felt like it was least she could do. It had been her that had seduced Stan on the first two occasions.

Lindsey opened the door and looked at Becky. "Becky?" There was no warmth in the greeting. Normally Lindsey would give Becky a warm smile and a friendly hug.

Becky could feel the tension between them. "Can I talk to you, Lindsey? It's important."

Lindsey just nodded and opened the door wide and stepping aside to let Becky in. She motioned Becky to follow her into the living room. "Sit wherever you want."

Becky took a deep breath. "Stan doesn't know I'm here. He told me what happened. I was heading up to help Jessi's mom. I saw your car, and at the last second I decided to stop."

She looked at Lindsey directly, and for the first time she could see the signs of hurt on Lindsey's face. Her eyes looked puffy from crying, and there were dark circles under her eyes that betrayed Lindsey's lack of sleep.

"I'm sorry, Lindsey." Becky hung her head and focused on a piece of dust on the coffee table. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have done what I did. "

Lindsey stared at Beck and shook her head back and forth. "No, it's not just your fault, Becky. Stan could've said no. And he should've said no, but he didn't."

"But I..." Becky could feel her tears welling up in her eyes, part of it was guilt, and part was shame. She tried again to find the words. "I was the one that started it. I shouldn't have done what I did, it was wrong. I know it now, and..." Becky paused for a moment. "I knew it then. I didn't think of you Lindsey, and I'm sorry. I wish I could go back and change everything."

Summoning her courage, Becky looked at Lindsey and was a little surprised to see tears streaming down Lindsey's face. That opened the floodgates in Becky's eyes. The tears that had been building started flowing as Becky began to cry too.

Lindsey got up from her chair and sat down beside Becky and hugged her. "Thank you for coming over here. It's just going to take me a little time. I just don't understand why you and Stan did what you did."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Becky looked at Lindsey. "I don't either. Since Stan told me last night, I have been trying to come up with an answer that makes a little sense. I just..." Becky closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Do you plan on having sex with your brother again?" 

The question pierced Becky's heart like a knife. Lindsey hadn't said Stan's name. Your brother, those two words rang in her ears, echoing in her head, making it the whole situation seem even tawdrier. 

Deep down Becky could appreciate how Lindsey must be feeling.

In a slow and deliberate manner, Becky shook her head, her voice was quiet, as she answered, "No, Lindsey, no, I don't."

"Thank you Becky. I'm glad you decided to stop and see me." Lindsey's voice had a little of the icy tone that it had when Becky had first arrived.

Becky got up from the sofa. "Well, I should be going."

Lindsey nodded. "Yeah, and I have to get ready for work." Lindsey walked with Becky to the door. "Again, thanks for stopping in. Anytime you want to stop by, please do."

"Thanks, Lindsey." Becky gave Lindsey a warm hug before heading back to her car.

---

Kenny had just gotten back into the hotel room when his cell phone began to ring. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Hank. "Yeah," he answered gruffly.

"It's me, Hank."

"I know. What's up?"

"I'm meetin' Tony at noon."

"Good."

"Couldn't we have just called Tony and done this over the phone?" Hank asked. 

"No, well, maybe, but, Tony is old school. He wants to meet people face to face. The important thing to remember is Tony is going to want to know why. And you don't know a fuckin' thing. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it." Hank answered.

"If Tony needs to know anything, you tell that old motherfucker to call me." 

"Okay. I'll call you back after I meet with him."

"Good." Kenny sat the phone down and smiled at Stella.

"Hank?" she asked.

Kenny nodded. "Yeah?"

Stella smiled and patted the empty space in the bed beside her. "Why don't you get back into bed?"

Kenny grinned, remembering the hot sex that had ensued after she had given him the blowjob last night.

"What did you have in mind?" 

Stella purred seductively, "Well, I don't know, but I'm sure something will pop up."

Kenny laughed as he removed his clothing, his cock already beginning to swell with enthusiasm.

---

Sal watched the girl get back into her car. He started his SUV, and when she was moving, he put the transmission in drive and signaled that he was pulling out. He watched her eyes in the mirror as she passed, but she didn't even glance in his direction. It was obvious to Sal that she hadn't even noticed his presence. 

As they left town, Sal allowed himself to fall back, following about a quarter of a mile behind. They traveled up a series of back roads that steadily climbed in elevation. Sal spotted the camp before Becky had even signaled to turn in.

Sal stopped his vehicle, and waited for her to turn in. He waited for a few minutes and then slowly began moving again. He passed the place where Becky had turned in and continued a few hundred yards up the road until he found a spot where he could conceal his vehicle.

From his place of concealment, Sal studied the camp. There was hardly anyone around at the moment. He walked back to his vehicle and opened the back. He retrieved a small tool kit and then got busy removing one of the read door interior panels. Sal was confident that the local Sheriff's department would not have done a real thorough search of the vehicle. 

He smiled as the door panel came off. It was there. He reached his hand in and retrieved several packages that were wrapped in black plastic. After the door panel was replaced, he sat down on the rear of the vehicle and began to unwrap the packages.

Sal loved the feeling of the gun in his hand. It had a calming effect on him. He smiled at the .45 caliber automatic pistol. This was going to get him the revenge he desired. The other packages contained several boxes of ammunition, and spare magazines for the automatic. The final package contained a cleaning kit for firearms. 

As he disassembled the weapon, Sal smiled. While some men enjoyed a woman, Sal enjoyed guns. It was almost an act of love as he meticulously cleaned the weapon. With an experienced eye, he painstakingly cleaned, checked, lubricated, and rechecked each piece and part of the weapon. There was almost a sense of disappointment when he finished reassembling the automatic. He pulled the slide back, enjoying the sound of lubricated steel on lubricated steel. There was a metallic click as he dry fired the weapon several times.

He turned his attention to the magazines and began to load them. He would inspect each cartridge, and wipe it with a clean rag before slipping the round into the magazine. Armed with his weapon and a pair of binoculars, Sal set out to find the perfect spot. He found a dense thicket that was midway between the camp and where the cattle were being held. 

Sal sat down and waited. If there was one attribute that Sal had, it was patience. No boredom set in. His mind was continually evaluating the camp, and his plan. He was ready to exact his revenge on the young cowboy that had shot him.

---

Hank sat down at the table across from the older looking man. His pure white hair was slicked straight back. His glacial blue eyes seemed to pierce straight through Hank's hell bound soul. To say that he was nervous at this point in time was a gross understatement. Hank had been nervous since the two well-dressed men had picked him up in the black Lincoln limo. Not a word had been exchanged between Hank and the two men riding in the front seat on the entire drive from Hank's hotel to their destination.

They had pulled up in an alley and had taken Hank in through the back door that led into a kitchen. The two men directed Hank to a private room in the back of a restaurant to the table where the man with the white hair sat.

"I'm Tony." There was an accent to his voice. Hank would have guessed Italian, but he would have been wrong. It was Sicilian. The voice was soft, and low, and Hank knew about voices like this. They were not voices to take be taken lightly, or to be trifled with.

Hank nodded. "I'm Hank. Kenny McGuire sent me."

Tony nodded. "And how is my old friend?"

Hank was taken by surprise at the reference to Kenny and Tony being friends. "When he put me on the plane yesterday he looked good." 

"Are you hungry?" Tony's manners, like his dress, were impeccable.

"Well, uh..." Hank began to answer.

"Then it's settled. You will have lunch with me." Tony then directed his attention to the open door and called, "Vincenzo!"

One of the two men that had brought Hank entered the small room. "Yes?"

"Bring my guest a plate of food for lunch." Tony's ordered.

Looking back at Hank he asked, "Now what can I do for my old friend Kenny?"

Hank cleared his throat. "Kenny is looking for a geologist that can keep his mouth shut. And Kenny said that he should know something about mining."

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "And what does Kenny need with a geologist?"

"I don't know." Hank lied and held his breath momentarily.

"And why doesn't Kenny just put an ad in the paper? Wouldn't that be the easiest way to find such a man?"

'Fuck!' Hank thought to himself. 'Why the fuck didn't Kenny come himself?'

Shrugging his shoulder Hank answered, "I don't know." To be quite honest, Hank didn't know.

Tony leaned forward. "And what is Kenny looking for?"




Montana Summer Ch. 09



"Again, I don't know. Kenny didn't tell me, he said for me to tell you that if you had any questions, that you were to give him a call." Hank could feel his palms becoming sweaty.

The man that Tony called Vincenzo came back into the room carrying two plates of a pasta dish that Hank didn't recognize. Whatever it was, it smelled good, and Hank's stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten much in the past few days. They ate in silence, a silence that Hank was grateful for. He had a nagging feeling that this meeting wasn't going as well as it should. There was something about Tony's manner and tone that suggested, well, Hank wasn't sure. He didn't quite know how to read the white haired man who was sitting opposite from him.

After the meal was finished and the plates taken away, Tony produced a cigar from his jacket pocket and then looked at Hank. "Smoke if you wish, we aren't open for business yet, so the no-smoking law isn't in effect."

As Hank lit his cigarette he found it a little incongruous that this man sitting across from would be the least bit concerned with a local no-smoking bylaw.

"So, my friend Kenny requires the services of a geologist with a knowledge of mining, but you don't know what type of mining." Tony raised his eyebrows at Hank. "This is correct so far?"

Hank nodded. "Yes."

Tony took a long draw off of cigar and exhaled the smoke in a slow, narrow stream. "And because my friend Kenny sent you here to see me, I can only assume that the project may not be..." He paused. "Legal. Correct?"

Hank felt a little uncomfortable, and he wasn't quite sure how to answer. "I don't know about the legalities of this project. All I know is that Kenny said that he needed someone who could be trusted to keep their mouth shut."

"Okay. Give me a couple of days and let me see what I can do for you. When you get back to your hotel and you make your call to Kenny, please give him my warmest regards." Tony smiled a soft smile that made Hank a little nervous. "And tell him that I will be giving him a call."

The two men that had brought Hank to the restaurant seemed to appear from nowhere. Tony stood up and extended his hand. "I will be in touch."

Hank shook the offered hand. "Thank you for lunch. I enjoyed it."

Tony smiled a warm smile. "My pleasure."

As the three men got ready to leave, Tony called to one of his men, "Vincenzo, a moment if you please."

The other man led Hank out through the kitchen and back to the waiting limo. Hank felt a small sense of relief to be out of the restaurant and into the car. Now if he only got to the hotel he would feel even better. 

"Vincenzo, take our guest back to his hotel. Call around to our friends. See if we can find such a man, a geologist." He tapped his fingers on the table as he sat deep in thought. "I sense our guest wasn't completely forthright with me. I think he knows more than he was letting on. But that can wait for now. Call me at home tonight and tell me of your progress."

"Si padron." Vincenzo left and joined his partner in the limo and gave him a slight nod that let the other man know to proceed back to Hank's hotel.

Hank poured himself a drink as soon as he was back in the hotel. He picked up the cell phone and dialed Kenny's number.

---

The sound of an elk bugling for a mate broke the quiet of the early afternoon. Ryan shivered for a moment. He found the sound eerie, almost forlorn. He pulled his binoculars out of his saddlebag and scanned the trees in the direction of where the sound had come from. 

He spotted the bull elk and watched him through the binoculars. He could see his head move and then, a second or two later, he could hear the high-pitched bugling sound. The elk was magnificent, his brown head and neck contrasting with the tan of his body. His wide rack of antlers rose from his head almost like a crown, making him look majestic among the trees. 

Could any place in the world be any more majestic than this? He felt awed by his surroundings. The craggy bluish-grey mountain standing like a sentinel to the land surrounding it and the large bull elk standing like a regal sovereign among the aspen and pine trees only added to the magic of the scene.

There was a deep love in his heart that had been awoken by his summer here. He wondered how he was going to be able to be away from all this. What was he going to do without the mountains, his aunt and uncle, Charlie and Walter? Jessi! How was he going to be able to be away from her? His heart ached for a moment at the thought of being away from the one that was so dear to his heart.

Ryan saw some movement and then smiled. He spotted a cow elk coming down from the side of the mountain, headed towards the bull elk. There seemed to be some preliminary greetings, and then the two elk disappeared from sight.

What he had seen was affirmation of the magic he felt. Within hours, with any luck, a new life form would begin deep within the cow elk's body, a life that would come into this world while Ryan was still at school in the spring. Ryan wondered, if he came up here next year would he see the offspring from the impending mating?

He was at the edge of the tree line and had only spotted one steer along the way. With a gentle nudge of his spurs, Bernie set off again. They set back towards where he planned to meet Jessi at a gentle trot. By the time he reached Jessi, he had gathered a half dozen strays. Much to Ryan's relief, none of strays gave him any problems. They seemed to content to along with Ryan.

A shrill whistle got Ryan's attention, and he spotted Jessi and took his hat off and waved it over his to signal her. He was surprised, because it looked like she had almost doubled the number of cattle she was driving. 

"Looks like you could use some help." Ryan was looking at nearly a hundred head of cattle that Jessi had under her control. "Where the hell did they all come from?"

"About a half mile back," Jessi answered. She looked and sounded tired. "Right where I crossed the creek, I found them all there looking happy as clams."

"Clam happy cows!" Ryan laughed heartily. "That's a new one on me."

Once near the camp, Uncle Bill rode out and assessed the group of cattle that Ryan and Jessi were bringing in. "How many do you have? Did you keep a count?"

Jessi nodded and handed her father a slip of paper. "I kept track of them as we went along. Unless I miscounted, with the large group I found lounging by the creek we should have ninety-eight."

Uncle Bill did a quick calculation on the paper that Jessi had handed him. He looked up at Jessi and Ryan. "Well, with what you brought in we are now twenty-six head short."

In the meantime, two more riders had come up and had taken over moving the cattle that Jessi and Ryan had herded in. They turned the group slightly so that they were headed towards where the feed and water was.

"Well, you two might as well go grab a cup of coffee. We still have three groups out, and with a little luck they will have the remainder of the missing animals."

Ryan and Jessi rode over towards the camp, both satisfied with the feeling of a job well done. 

Aunt Suzanne yelled over to them as they rode past, "Hey! We got fresh chocolate chip cookies and coffee, head on over get some."

An anonymous voice bellowed, "Yeah! And you'd better get a hurry on, I see Bucky a-comin' and he looks hungry."

"I bet Bucky can do some damage to a pan full of fresh cookies." Ryan laughed as he looked over at Jessi.

Jessi nodded in agreement. "Yup, he can. I've seen him do it."

After they had taken care of their horses, Ryan and Jessi got a handful of cookies and a cup of fresh coffee and sat down on a makeshift bench made from a log.

"Hey Ryan!" Walter Red Elk called out as he road into the camp.

---

Sal perked up at the sound of Ryan's name being called out. He picked up his high power binoculars and began scanning the camp. He locked in on a young cowboy sitting beside an attractive girl. As soon as Ryan looked up, Sal recognized him.

A sense of accomplishment flowed through Sal— he had found the boy who had shot him. Now he just needed to wait for the opportunity. He felt no need to rush. The perfect time would present itself to him, all he had to was to wait and have patience.

---

The cheap scotch burned like liquid fire flowing down his throat. It was his third shot in about five minutes. It had taken all three shots to get his hands to stop shaking. The trip back to the hotel had been as silent as the trip there. Hank felt like mouse that was being toyed with. He knew he hadn't sold Tony on his claims of ignorance, he had sensed it.

Hank flipped open his cell phone and scrolled down until he came to Kenny's number. He pressed the send button and put the phone to his ear and waited for it to ring.

"Yeah." Kenny's voice came through the phone.

"It's me. I just got back." 

"What did Tony have to say?" Kenny asked.

"He said that he would look around and get back in touch with me in few days. He also said that he was going to give you a call. I don't know if he believed my story about knowing nothing." Hank waited for Kenny's response.

"That's not surprising. Tony is no fool. I'll give the old fuck that." Kenny paused for a few seconds. "You stay put and wait for Tony to call, and keep your nose clean."

Hank poured himself another drink, kicked his shoes off and sat down on the sofa next to the bed. He picked up the remote for the TV and began clicking through the channels.

---

Becky walked over to where Jessi and Ryan were seated and stood in front of them with her hands on her hips. "What, don't I get at least a hello or something?"

"Becky!" Jessi jumped and hugged her best friend. "There! Does that make you feel better?"

Becky's face lit up as she nodded. "Much better." She gave Ryan a playful kick in the shins. "What about you buster, or are you going to make me get tough with you?"

Ryan shook his head as he rose and wrapped his arms around Becky and hugged her. "Oh, hell no! We don't want to make you get tough. I don't think the world is ready for that."

"Yeah," Becky teased as poked Ryan in the ribs. "You don't want that."

Becky turned her attention to Jessi. "Oh, I saw a friend of yours in town. And they just might come on up here." Becky was doing her best to keep a straight face.

Jessi furrow her brows in thought. "Who?"

Becky started giggling. "Hot Lips! I saw Laura in the drug store, and she asked if your hunk of a cousin was going to be up here. So don't be surprised if she doesn't come up here hot on the trail of an individual who shall go unnamed."

Jessi rolled her eyes. "Oh, God! That's all we need!"

"Hot Lips on the prowl!" Becky couldn't contain her laughter any more.

Ryan looked at both the girls. "What? Obviously a girl with good taste."

Jessi punched Ryan in the shoulder playfully. "Oh! You are just too full of yourself."

Becky grabbed on to Jessi's arm. "Come on, give me a hand. Let's leave Mr. Wonderful to bask in his own glory."

"Sounds good to me." As Jessi began walking with Becky, she turned to Ryan and winked. "See ya in a while, cowboy."

Ryan laughed at the two girls as he watched them walk off. Charlie and Walter were walking over with cups of coffee in their hands. Ryan was glad to see the both of them.

"Well, how did you two make out?" Ryan addressed the father and son team.

"Good." Walter nodded. "We got in just before you. We brought in about thirty head."

Charlie sat down. "Ahh, this feels good."

"Having a good time, Charlie?" Ryan asked as he sat back down.

Charlie nodded. "Anytime I can get out like this, it is a good time."

Walter chuckled. "You'd have to knock in him the head and tie him up to have him miss something like this."

Charlie sighed as he looked at Walter and Ryan. "There are days that I think I was born too late. I like the old ways. Even the old ways of the White Man, I can appreciate some of them. This is good that we still do this, relive some of the past. In reliving the past, we honor the ones that came before us."

Ryan nodded in agreement. "It must have been a hard life back then."

"Yes." Charlie looked around the camp. "It was hard but I think it was a simpler life too. Good men lived by their word." Charlie looked at his son and tried hard to conceal a grin. "And the young people respected their elders."

Walter began to laugh. "Yeah, well back in the old days they probably had respectable elders to respect."

Charlie had a look of mock hurt on his face. "You are going to bring up flirting with that waitress in the restaurant the other day."

"And the girl at the grocery store, and the girls at the band office, and the..."

Charlie pointed at his graying hair as he interrupted his son, "Just because there is a little snow on the roof doesn't mean there's no fire in the furnace."

Ryan was laughing so hard his sides started to hurt.

Frank Buchanan walked over from where the horses were tied up, and tipped his hat. "Sorry to interrupt. Walt, you got any of that homemade liniment with you? We got a horse down there that I think could use some."

"Yeah, I got some in the truck. I'll go get it and meet you down at the horses." Walt got up and went to get the liniment from the truck.

Walter was highly regarded in the area for his knowledge of horses. He worked part time for the local vet and was often called upon by local horse owners for his expertise.

After Walt and Frank had left Charlie turned to Ryan. "And are you enjoying this?"

"Just being out here in the mountains, it makes me feel so free." Ryan sat his cup down, and then pointed towards where he had been earlier in the afternoon. "Up there this afternoon I heard an elk bugling and then I saw a cow coming towards him through the trees. Where else but here would it be possible for me to see something like that?" Ryan paused for a moment. "Then there is what you've shown me. There are times I have to remind myself that I didn't grow up here, that I have just spent the summer I here. I feel like I have lived a lifetime here."

Charlie's eyes began to get a little misty. "I am glad you feel the way you do about being here. You have a love for life and for people that is a gift." Charlie put his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "I can't believe you didn't grow up here either now. I feel like I have known you for a long time. One more thing, Ryan. I am glad that you have embraced the heritage of the Lakota the way you have. You could teach some of my people a lot about what it means to be Lakota."

Ryan got quiet. "Can I ask you a question, Charlie?"

"You can ask me anything, anytime," Charlie responded.

"Your spirit guide. Can you contact him anytime you want to?" 

Charlie's brows furrowed as he formed his answer in his head. "That is a difficult question to answer. I think much of it depends upon the individual. For me, I follow what I was taught. I spend a day in a sweat lodge fasting, purifying my body and my mind. Then I will sing and play the drum to call my guide to me, and most times I am successful. I have talked to others who say that they can contact their guide whenever they want, but, I have some doubts."

Ryan nodded and sat and thought about what Charlie had just said.

"Have you tried to contact your spirit guide?" Charlie looked into Ryan's eyes.

"No." Ryan shook his head. "I have been tempted to try a couple of times, but I had no idea of how to go about it."

"With you, Ryan, it might be different. Your spirit guide came to you without you seeking him. Clear your mind, you want quiet with nothing around you to distract you. Concentrate on your spirit guide and on the reason for contacting him. Call his name in your mind. Be patient, if you are not successful at first, keep trying." Charlie hoped the advice he gave him was what Ryan was looking for. 

---

Becky and Jessi walked slowly to where Aunt Suzanne and the other women were busy starting to prepare supper. Cooking for a group like this was a full time job. As soon as one meal was done the women would begin preparations for the next meal.

Becky stopped. "Oh God, Jessi, I have the worst news."

Jessi frowned. "What is it?"

Becky took a deep breath and sighed. "Well, Lindsey found out about what had been going on between Stan and me."

"Oh fuck!" It was the first thing that came to Jessi's mind to say. "How did she find out?

"Something happened, and well, I guess Stan called out my name while he and Lindsey were doing it." As embarrassing as it was, it felt good to Becky to admit it to her best friend.

"Damn, Becky!" Jessi felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "So what is going to happen with Stan and Lindsey?"

Becky looked down at the ground and shook her head. "I don't know for sure. I stopped and saw Lindsey on the way up here this afternoon. She said that it was just going to take time for her to get over it."

Jessi gave a sigh of relief. "At least there is some hope."

"Yeah, I know." Becky nodded. "I don't know what I was thinking. And don't tell me you told me so."

Jessi reached over and hugged Becky. "You know I would never do that to you."

Becky felt a little better now. "Thanks for listening. I feel better now."

"Good." Jessi pointed towards where the women were cooking. "Maybe we should go over there and show them how it's really done."

Becky laughed as they began walking again. "Oh! I'm going to tell them you said that."

"Don't you dare, Rebecca Marie!" Jessi had visions of her mother and the other women setting down their cooking implements and telling Jessi to go ahead, and show them how it's done.

---

"We need to go do some shopping," Kenny stated in a matter of fact manner.

Stella's eyes lit up. Kenny had just mentioned her favorite word. "Where are we going?"

Her reaction did not go unnoticed by Kenny. "I saw a mall. We need to get you something more conservative, more business-like."

Stella furrowed her brows for a moment, she was puzzled. "Why?"

"We need to look business-like for our little operation. We need to impress people. As soon as we hear from Hank on whether Tony can find us a geologist you and I will need to go looking at property records," Tony answered her in a calm tone of voice.

"Why don't we just do that tomorrow? Why do we have to wait for Hank?"

Kenny explained, "I need to find some maps, that's another thing we are going to be looking for. I need to figure out exactly what property we are going to be doing the searches on. I don't need people knowing where we are looking, at least not until we are ready to make our move."

Stella gave a little pout. "Maps and business suits, that doesn't really sound like a fun shopping trip."

Kenny reached over and caressed Stella's smooth face. "I'm sure we will be able to make it more fun for you after we find what we need."

--- 

Tony pulled the beeping cell phone from his pocket. He was sitting in an overstuffed chair in a room lined with shelves filled with books. "This is Tony," his voice was soft as he answered the phone.

"Padron, it's Vincenzo."

"Yes, Vincenzo."

"I think we have found the man you are looking for."

Tony sat up in his chair. "Tell me about this man."

Vincenzo was looking at a small note pad as he read what he had written. "He is a mining engineer, specializing in hard rock mining."

"Is he a geologist?" Tony asked.

"Si, Padron, he is also a geologist."

Tony smiled to himself. "How do we know this man?"

"He has had a run of bad luck with the horses, Padron." Vincenzo continued. "And to make matters worse he has lost his job."

Tony feigned compassion. "Then we must call our friend. I want to meet with him, tomorrow if possible."

Vincenzo nodded. Tomorrow if possible meant tomorrow. "Si, I will arrange it Padron. Do you want to have Mr. Hank at the meeting also?"




Montana Summer Ch. 09



"No," Tony replied. "I want to meet our friend alone at first. I want him to know where his loyalties will lie before he meets with Hank."

"I will contact our friend. Is there a time you would like to meet him?" Vincenzo asked.

Tony walked to his desk and flipped open his planner. "Any time between two and six will be fine. Call me when you know what time you will be bringing our friend."

"Si padron."

"Thank you Vincenzo. You continue to serve me well."

Tony closed his phone and sat back down in his chair. He was surprised that Vincenzo had tracked someone down in such a short period of time. Then again, he shouldn't be surprised. Vincenzo had never failed him yet. Tony started thinking that perhaps a promotion was in order for Vincenzo.

--- 

Hank was bored. His hotel room almost reminded him of the jail cell that he had spent a few days in. Well, it wasn't quite that bad, the bed was at least better, and there were a few more channels on the television. He wondered what Stella was doing. In actuality, there was no doubt in his mind what she was doing. Fucking Kenny. He had seen the look in her eyes after Kenny had bailed them out of jail. 

There were no romantic feelings between Hank and Stella. It was a simple relationship. Stella needed someone with some money, and Hank needed someone for sex. Hank lit another cigarette and looked out the window of the motel. Darkness was descending. He picked up the remote and began to click through the channels once again. As usual he found nothing of any interest. 

"Fuck it." He muttered to himself as he reached for the phone book. Maybe a night at strip bar would improve his melancholy mood. He felt himself smiling as he thought about watching some bouncing titties.

---

The fading daylight didn't perturb Sal in the least. As the light began to fade, he reached into his bag and brought out a pair of military grade night vision binoculars. He continued watching his quarry. 

Each time Ryan moved, Sal would study his movements and begin calculating whether the time was right. He knew it would be no trouble getting to Ryan, and shooting him. The problem was getting away. What was the point of shooting the kid just to be captured? Sal knew that the right time would present itself— it was just a matter of patience.

His hand slid over the handle of the .45 automatic. He loved the feeling of the heavy weapon in his hand. He preferred the .45 to the 9mm. He felt that the .45 had more stopping power. 

The aroma of the camp supper was heavy on the air, and the smell of cooking food reminded Sal that he hadn't eaten all day. He reached into his bag and pulled out a granola bar. As he ate the bar, he didn't taste it. He was playing a scene in his mind: he could feel the kick of the pistol, and he could see the bullet ripping into the young cowboy. The feeling of the upcoming revenge was sweet. Sal wished he would be able to spend some time with his victim after he had shot him, but he knew that it wouldn't be possible. 

---

After supper everyone gathered around the fire. Frank Buchanan was holding a piece of paper in his hand. "From the totals everyone gave me, it looks like we have accounted for all of the cattle. We will start moving them at sunup tomorrow and we will get them down to Bear Creek this year. It will take us about an hour longer, but it saves on us having to truck water down to where we will spend the night. Bill has tonight's night herd schedule."

Bill stood up and pulled a paper from his jacket pocket, "Okay, listen up. Me and Charlie will take the nine to eleven, Ryan and Frank will have it from eleven to one. Walt and Bucky from one to three, and Judd and Milt will have the home stretch. Whoever gets done with breakfast first needs to spell Judd and Milt so they can grab some coffee and breakfast."

Frank walked over to Ryan. "Meet me down by the horses about a quarter till."

Ryan nodded. "No problem."

"If I were you, I'd try to grab some sleep a little later," Frank advised before he walked away.

Ryan tossed a couple of pieces of firewood onto the fire which had started to die. He watched the flames licking at the fresh fuel. The flames spread rapidly over the new pieces of wood, bringing fresh life to the fire. Ryan could feel the heat of the flames on his face.

"Hey, cowboy, you're looking lonely." Becky grinned as she sat down beside Ryan.

Ryan looked up and smiled at Becky. "Hi, Becky. No, I was just watching the fire."

Becky nodded. "Yeah, I like watching fires too." She snuggled close to Ryan. "Jessi's mom has her doing a bunch of stuff over there. Jessi told me to come over here and keep you company."

Ryan smiled as he felt Becky move close to him. He was about to say something when Becky asked, "Do you like me, Ryan?"

He was astounded. He hadn't expected a question like that at all from Becky. He took her hand in his. "Yes Becky. I do like you, how could I not like you? With all that we have done together..."

Becky giggled remembering the sex she had shared with Ryan on the camping trip. "Yeah, well yeah, there was that. But I was wondering...oh hell, I'm just making a fool out of myself."

Ryan squeezed her hand. "No, you're not making a fool out of yourself. Just ask me what you wanted to ask me."

There was a serious look on Becky's face, a look that Ryan couldn't recall seeing ever before. "Well, Jessi has told me everything about you and her. I know about you two being half brother, and half sister. Well...and please don't ever tell Jessi I asked you this. If things don't work out between you and Jessi for whatever reason. Would you even consider going out with me?"

Ryan looked at Becky. Gone was her normal smiling, smart-ass look—it had been replaced with the soft look of a young woman. Ryan put his arms around Becky and gave her a warm hug. "I can't think of anyone I would rather go out with than you if things don't work out for Jessi and me."

"Thanks, Ryan." Becky planted a kiss on Ryan's cheek. "I want things to work out, I want you to know that. I want that more than anything. I've never seen Jessi so happy and alive as she has been these past few weeks."

Jessi walked up carrying a tray with three cups of hot chocolate and some freshly baked cookies. "Hey what are you two looking so cozy about?"

Becky piped up before Ryan could answer, "I was trying to talk Ryan into taking me to the bushes over yonder and fucking me."

"Becky!" Jessi started laughing. 

Ryan just sat there with his mouth hanging open, looking first at Becky and then at Jessi and then back at Becky again.

Becky punched him lightly on the shoulder as she laughed. "I knew that would get ya!"

Ryan took one of the cups of hot chocolate and took a sip. "Is this how cowboys did it back in the old days on the range? Hot chocolate and fresh cookies?"

"Yup!" Jessi answered. "Well, it's the way they would have done it if I would have been there."

Ryan sat his cup down and put his arms around both girls and pulled them hard against him. Both girls put their arms around Ryan and the three of them just sat and watched the fire, caught up in the moment of friendship, and love.

Bucky and Walter walked over to the fire. Bucky nudged Walter with his elbow as he looked at Ryan and the two girls sitting by the fire. "Walt, that is one sad lookin' cowboy settin' there."

Walt chuckled. "Yeah, I wish I was as sad lookin' as he appears to be."

Ryan looked at Bucky and Walter. "Yup, it's a tough life."

---

Norm Campbell cringed when he looked through the peephole in the door. He knew full well who the men at his door were. He knew what they wanted, and he knew he didn't have what they wanted. His first instinct was to pretend that he wasn't home, but he knew that wasn't going to fool this pair. Even if it did fool them for a few minutes, he knew they would just wait outside in their car.

He opened the door at looked at the two men standing there.

"Mr. Campbell, you remember me, Vincenzo. We have some business to discuss with you. May we come in?"

Norm nodded, stepping aside to let the men enter.

They stood in the hallway of the townhouse. "You know why we are here Mr. Campbell. We are here in the matter of the twenty-thousand dollars that you owe. We feel that we have given you enough time."

"I'm out of work..." Norm began.

Vincenzo interrupted, his finger tapped Norm's chest with the end of each sentence. "You were out of work when you placed your last bet! You being out of work didn't stop you from betting! If you would have won you wouldn't have let the reason of you being out of work stop you from collecting your winnings from us."

Norm's shoulders slumped. "I don't have the money. I don't have any money."

"What if I could show you a way to pay your debt to us in another way? Would you be interested?" Vincenzo could sense that this man was now ripe for the picking.

"Yes!" Norm felt a small bit of relief. He could see a light at the end of the tunnel. "I would be very interested."

Vincenzo gave Norm a smile. "Good, good. You will be meeting with a man of some importance tomorrow. He will have some questions for you. Your future may well hang on his impression of you. My associate and I will be by to pick you up at about one."

"How should I dress?" 

"Dress like you are going for a job interview." Vincenzo answered. "I appreciate your co-operation. Please be ready when I call tomorrow."

After he closed the door, Norm began to shake. He wondered how he got himself into such a mess. The way the man named Vincenzo put it, his future may well hang on his impression. The urge to pack a bag with some clothing and to flee was almost overwhelming. With no money, there weren't many places to go and when they caught up with him... he shuddered at the thought.

Vincenzo looked at his silent partner. "Now we can go get some sleep."

As the other man drove, Vincenzo made a call on his cell phone. "Si Padron. Our friend will meet with you at two." He nodded his head. "Yes, you have a good night too."

---

The warmth of the fire, and two girls flanking him, were making Ryan sleepy. He finally said, "Well, I should go try to catch a couple of hours sleep."

Jessi leaned over and winked at Becky, then she looked at Ryan. "I'll walk with you, and tuck you in."

Ryan grinned. "Okay, that sounds nice."

Jessi held Ryan's arm tightly in hers as they walked down to where their sleeping bags were set up.

"Zip our bags together and I'll snuggle with you." Jessi gave Ryan a sweet smile in the dim light.

"Are you sure?" Ryan asked. "What about your mom?" Ryan knew his uncle had already headed out for his turn at watching the cattle.

Jessi shook her head. "She won't come down here. She's having too much fun with Mabel and Ellie. Besides, if she does come looking for me, Becky will run down here and warn us."

Ryan quickly zipped the two sleeping bags together. He took his jacket and his boots off before slipping inside the sleeping bags. Jessi was right behind him and they wasted no time zipping the bag up completely.

Jessi giggled as they wrapped their arms around each other. "Now, isn't this better than climbing into your sleeping bag by yourself?"

Ryan grinned as he pulled Jessi against him. "You know it is." Ryan felt his erection rapidly growing against her body.

Jessi purred as she felt his hardness pressing against her. "Mmm, I can tell that it is better already." She slid her hand down to his crotch and began to rub against his hot hardness.

"Oh god that feels good." Ryan moaned before he put his lips to hers and slipped his tongue between her willing lips.

Jessi felt his tongue invade her mouth. Her tongue fenced with his in a mock duel. Their tongues rose and fell against each others, flicking and stabbing. She ground her mouth against his, wanting him to consume her. She felt the proverbial fire building deep inside of her, a familiar dampness growing between her legs. It seemed that each time she and Ryan fooled around, she got turned on faster each time.

Ryan slid his hand under her t-shirt and began to fondle her breasts through her bra. He loved how her firm flesh felt. He could feel her nipples growing hard and trying to force their way through the thin material.

"Undo it." Jessi urged. "I want to feel your hands on my breasts."

He slid his hand around to her back and, with a deft flick of his fingers, the clasp came undone. Jessi pulled her arms through the arms of her t-shirt and then pulled her bra off. She put her arms back through the t-shirt and whispered, "Touch my breasts."

Ryan put both of his hands up the front of her t-shirt and began to feel her warm breasts. Jessi's hands began to work on undoing his belt and then to unzip, and undo his jeans. She slipped her hand in and retrieved his hot and hard cock. Jessi wrapped her hand around it and began to pump it slowly as she reached in and began to massage his balls through his jeans with her other hand.

"Oh, baby, you make me so hard and so horny." Ryan moaned as he enjoyed the feeling of the slow movements of her hand jacking his hard cock.

Jessi enjoyed the feeling of his hands fondling and playing with her breasts. "I love making you hard, cowboy."

Her hand continued its slow stroking movements on his hard shaft. She liked the feeling of his stiff member in her hand, his shaft was so smooth and taut. Jessi could feel each vein popping out as her hand moved back and forth with light smooth strokes in a twisting motion. She ran her hand up over the swollen tip and felt the wetness of his pre-cum before giving the bulbous tip a gentle squeeze and moving her hand back down over his shaft.

Ryan's fingers were playing with her nipples, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger, and then pulling on them. When he tugged on them, Jessi felt a surge of pleasure stream through her body.

His hand reached down to her jeans and undid her belt. After undoing the buttons on her jeans, he slid one hand under her panties and over her smooth mound. His middle finger found her slick wetness as it parted her swollen pussy lips.

"Oh yes, baby, finger me." Jessi moaned softly. She wanted to feel his finger fucking her as she continued her masturbatory manipulation of his rigid shaft.

Their mouths locked again, each one trying to consume the other. They continued stimulating each other's sex organs, trying to drive the other wild with desire.

"Help me pull my pants off." Jessi's voice was heavy with lust.

Ryan slipped her jeans down over her ass as Jessi got up on her knees. She pulled them off and stuffed them at the bottom of the sleeping bag. Ryan went to pull his own pants off and Jessi stopped him. "No, leave them on. I want you to fuck me with your jeans on."

She reached down and undid his shirt and slid her t-shirt up and then lay on top of him, her breasts pressing hard against his chest. "Too bad it's so cramped in here, I would love to suck your cock."

Ryan's hands were on Jessi's firm ass kneading her cheeks with his hands. "I don't think I would last long in your mouth right now."

"I know." Jessi whispered. "I like it when you cum in my mouth and I like how fast you get hard again."

Just the thought of having his stiff cock in her mouth turned Jessi on even more. She tightened her grip on his shaft and began to jack him even faster. Ryan's finger was on her clit, rubbing it back and forth, making Jessi shiver with pleasure.

Ryan's cock was aching for release, and the way Jessi was stroking him now, it wasn't going to take much to make him cum. "You're going to make me cum if you keep that up," Ryan warned.

"God, I wish we had all night, and I would jack you off, suck you off, and then fuck you," Jessi whispered into Ryan's ear.

Ryan slipped his middle finger deep inside of Jessi's pussy. "I would finger you, and suck your clit, and then fuck you like we've never fucked before."

Jessi positioned herself so that she was directly above his swollen cock." I want you to fuck me."

She lowered her hips and felt his rigid member penetrate her lust-swollen sex. Ryan moaned as he felt her velvety wetness envelop his aching cock. As their bodies began moving in unison, Ryan grasped her ass. His hips rose up hard and fast, driving his cock deep inside of her.

"Oh yeah, baby, fuck me hard! Drive that big cock into me!" Jessi liked how Ryan's cock felt pumping in and out of her slit— it felt like he was filling her completely. 

Ryan reached down with his finger and could feel his cock pumping Jessi's hot pussy. He loved the feeling of her slippery juices on his finger. He moved his finger back up and began to press his finger against her tight butt hole.

"What are you doing?" Jessi gasped as she felt his finger trying to enter her other hole.

Ryan's finger slid slowly in, with each pump of his hips a little more of his finger would penetrate her ass. He could feel his cock fucking her pussy through the thin membrane. He timed his finger thrusts into her ass with the thrust of his cock into pussy.

"Oh god, Ryan! That feels so fucking good. Fuck my ass with your finger." Jessi's eyes were closed, she could see bright flashes of light with each wave of pleasure. Her orgasm was fast approaching. She could feel his cock rubbing against her swollen clit as it moved in and out of her pussy. 

He felt the familiar pressure building in his cock and balls. He knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer. Their bodies were moving hard and fast against each other. Ryan's hips rose as Jessi's plunged downward. Her breasts bounced against his chest as they drove harder and faster.

"Baby, I'm going to cum," Ryan warned.

That pushed Jessi over the top. "Oh yes, baby cum, inside of me. I'm on the pill now." Her words were ragged as she began to peak.

Ryan felt her body shake and her pussy begin to convulse around his cock. He released a loud groan as he couldn't hold back anymore. He felt his cock convulse and begin to spurt its pearly white cum deep inside of Jessi. He could feel the wetness of his hot cum mixing with her juices. He loved the feeling of filling her pussy with his hot cum. His orgasm was as intense as any as he held felt before.

Jessi's voice shook as she hoarsely whispered, "I'm cumming, too!"

She could feel his cock shooting its hot load deep inside of her. It was the first time Ryan, or any male for that matter, had cum inside of her. Jessi felt her vaginal muscles spasm and she tried with all her might to grip his slick shaft with her pussy. She rode Ryan hard and fast as she came. For those scant seconds she was carried away to a place where she was oblivious to everything except for Ryan's cock, and her own orgasm.

After it was all over, the two lovers lay there quiet, just holding each other and looking up at the star lit sky.

---

Sal had followed Ryan and Jessi from the fire down to where the sleeping bags were. His night vision goggles were designed to pick up heat and convert it to a visual image.

"Son of a bitch, they're fucking!" Sal whispered in amazement. He could see the image of their bodies locked together in carnal lust. "Enjoy your fuck, kid, it's the last one you will ever have."

---

A voice came from the dark. "God, you two, I could hear you half-way up to the fire."

Jessi giggled. "I hope you liked what you heard, Becky."

Ryan felt his face grow warm as he blushed. "Did anyone else hear?"

Becky flopped down beside them. "Nope, I don't think so."

"What time is it?" Ryan asked.

Becky looked at her watch. "A few minutes before ten."

Ryan laughed, "Well, no point in trying to get some sleep now."

Jessi poked him in the ribs. "What, are you complaining?"

Ryan gave Jessi a soft and lingering kiss. "You know I'm not. The only thing I'm going to complain about is having to get out of this sleeping bag. I suppose I should get out and get a cup of coffee."




Montana Summer Ch. 10



This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any real person is just amazing. All characters are eighteen years and older.

This is the tenth chapter in a series that has amazed me. This is a love story between a boy and a girl. It also is a story of love between people and their way of life. Sadly, it is also a lament to a people whose way of life has been lost. The Lakota lived in harmony with their world and understood nature in way that most of us do not. They lived in balance with their environment and instead of trying to change their environment, they adapted their way of living to their world.

*

The sudden flash of light was followed instantly by darkness. He saw a glimmer of light in the distance and began walking towards it. As he got closer to the light, he felt like he had been here before. It was the Wanagi Tachanku. Ryan didn't understand why he was here. He had been riding Bernie and then—he couldn't remember anything else. 

Hihankara looked at Ryan and smiled a toothless grin. "Come closer to me, I need to see if you have the sacred marks before I can let you pass."

Ryan stared at the old crone of a woman—he knew he had seen her before, he just couldn't remember the exact circumstances. As he began to step forward, he heard a loud growl behind him. He turned and faced a large bear standing on his hind legs.

"I don't think you want to go there." Mato pointed towards the Wanagi Tachanku.

Ryan recognized Mato and instinctively trusted him. "Why am I here? I should be riding Bernie."

Mato shook his big furry head. "I don't have the answer for why you are here. All that I know is that you called for me."

"I wish I could remember." Ryan struggled to recall what he had been thinking about.

"Come with me, let's get away from this place." Mato nudged Ryan to get him moving.

The darkness disappeared and the sun was shining brightly. Ryan looked up at the sun and figured it to be about midday. The land was flat with an undulating sea of grass as far as the eye could see in any direction.

Mato swept the horizon with his large paw. "This is what is was like before the White Man came. After the Lakota acquired the horse, this was their home. Tatanka fed on the long sweet grass of the plains. The Lakota followed the herds throughout the year. Tatanka gave us meat for our bellies. He gave us hides for our lodges and clothing, and sinew for sewing and for our bows. We used his bones for tools. Nothing was wasted."

The bear motioned for Ryan to climb on his back. With Ryan atop his back, the large bear began to run across the flat terrain, gobbling up huge distances with each stride. Ryan watched in wonderment as they passed herds of grazing bison. The plains gave way to the foothills and then to the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains. It seemed now that Mato bounded from peak to peak with each stride. 

When they came to a stop, Ryan climbed off of the bear's back and looked around. "This looks familiar." He loved these grey-blue mountains. The air was sweet with the scent of pine and sage. 

Mato nodded. "It should look familiar, you have been here before."

Ryan's mouth dropped and then he looked at Mato. "This is where the cabin was built, where my family first lived when they came to Montana." There was a small clearing with long, green grass where the cabin now stood. This was the place where he wanted to live. If there was a heaven on earth, Ryan thought it must be here.

The sound of running water surprised Ryan. He didn't remember a creek being near the cabin when Uncle Bill had brought him here. "What happened to the creek? It's not there now."

Mato pointed up the side of the mountain. "A rock slide changed the course of the creek and now it feeds into the larger creek to the west." The bear pointed to the clear water of the creek. "Taste it."

Ryan knelt down and scooped up a handful of the cold water. It tasted fresh and almost sweet. "Tastes good." Ryan stood up and dried his hand on his shirt.

"Too many of our creeks and rivers have become poisoned. Too many of the animals are growing sick and die from the poisoned waters." Ryan could see a look of sadness in Mato's eyes as the bear spoke. "Too many have left this world never to come back."

The scene changed again and Ryan found himself standing on the top of Baxter's. It looked much like it had when Charlie had brought him up here. Burial platforms were scattered over the flat top of the mountain. 

"This is as it was," Mato's spoke softly. He pointed to a pair of red-tailed hawks soaring high over head. 

The sky clouded over and everything went black for a moment. When the light came back, Ryan found that they were still standing on Baxter's, but everything had changed. The roar of heavy equipment filled the air and the stink of a gold processing plant fouled his nose. Heaps of slag dotted the landscape and the place where the burial platforms had stood had been bulldozed flat, trailers for work and living scattered about in a haphazard fashion.

"And this is what could be." There was anger in Mato's voice as he rose up on two legs to his full height. He pointed to the sides of the adjoining mountains. Great swaths of virgin timber had been clear cut from the slopes, leaving the earth susceptible to erosion from rain, spring melt, and wind. 

Ryan shuddered at the site of the mine. "How could this possibly happen?"

"Greed. It what happens when men only think of riches for themselves. They have forgotten that these things were put here by Wakan Tanka for all to use. Man, wolf, bear, squirrel, jay, hawk, and the eagle."

"How?" Ryan questioned. He looked at the devastation and destruction and felt a fire burning deep within.

The bear looked at Ryan. "I don't know. It is just one of many possible truths."

Ryan set his jaw. The fire inside built towards a righteous rage. "Yeah, well as long as I live, it will not be one the possible truths. I will spend my last breath defending this place from what you have shown me."

The vision of the mine disappeared and the mountain appeared, as it was the day that Ryan, Charlie, and Walter had ridden up there and spent the night. Ryan felt a sense of relief seeing the mountain back in its present state. 

Mato sat back down on his haunches. "It is good that you feel that way. There are too few people today that love the land as you. It will take strength for you to stand up to people who wish such things."

Ryan nodded. "I am strong." He rested his hand on the shoulder of Mato. "You make me stronger."

A deep voice startled Ryan from behind, he turned and saw one of the Wanagi standing behind him. It was the one he spoke to on the two previous occasions. "Mato, it is good to see you again, old friend."

"It is good to see you again, Spotted Owl," Mato replied.

Spotted Owl pointed at Ryan. "I wanted to make sure he was safe from harm. A white man with a gun tried to do him harm tonight."

Ryan looked at Spotted Owl and asked, "Who was it?"

"He was the one of the men that desecrated the héta wakan," Spotted Owl replied.

"Am I dead?" Ryan held his breath.

Mato shook his head. "No, if you were dead you would have gone past Hihankara and crossed over the Wanagi Tachanku."

Spotted Owl nodded. "You are in a strange place with medicine men. An old man called Charlie and a young woman are with you."

The scene on Baxter's faded away until Ryan was alone and everything was black. He could hear Jessi talking to him but she sounded so far away. He could feel her hand squeezing his and he tried with all his might to squeeze back. The searing pain screamed in his head and then all went black again.

---

Jessi looked at the doctor. "Will he be okay?"

Dr. Rashid looked away from the images of the boy's CAT scan toward Jessi. "His EEG looked good." He pointed at the myriad of images illuminated by a fluorescent light. "I don't see any real damage to the brain, other than some swelling, but the skull has been fractured from where he hit the rock. We have installed a shunt that should relieve the pressure, and we have placed him in a drug-induced coma. " The doctor's face grew into a warm smile. "I think the young man will be just fine. It just might take a little time."

"How long is a little time?" Jess was worried, she wished her mom and dad were here right now.

The doctor removed his glasses and looked Jessi in the eye. "It is too early to give a definitive answer." He pointed back at the images of the CAT scan. "The treatment of brain injury is not an exact science. We aren't sure how much damage has been done, if any to his brain. The signs are encouraging because there isn't any evidence of any significant or ongoing internal hemorrhaging. We will continually re-evaluate him. A specialist will be in to see him later in the morning. Undoubtedly he will be better equipped to answer any questions than I am."

Jessi nodded. "Thanks." 

Charlie stood up and put his arm around Jessi's shoulder. "Ryan will be okay. Trust me. Now let me take you down to the room they have set up for us. You need to lie down and get some rest. I will stay with Ryan, and if anything changes I will come and get you."

Dr. Rashid's voice had a firm and professional manner as he spoke, "Yes, you need to get some rest right now. "

Jessi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I should get some sleep." She looked over at Ryan. "I just don't want to leave him right now. I don't want him to think I am abandoning him."

Charlie made a shushing sound. "You know he wouldn't ever think that, now come along." He took her by the arm and led her out of the room.

After Charlie had left Jessi resting in the room, he walked past the nursing station. Dr. Rashid was standing there writing some notes in Ryan's chart. Charlie paused and spoke softly, "Thank you for all that you have done for the boy."

Dr. Rashid stopped writing and looked at Charlie. "I wish I could do more for him right now. But..." A quiet sigh escaped from the doctor. "I have left orders for the charge nurse that if the girl needs something to help her sleep to call me, and I will order something."

"Thank you, I appreciate that." Charlie shook the doctor's hand.

He walked back into Ryan's room. He looked at the monitors with their constant pattern of squiggles. Lines ran from Ryan's arms to various bags of fluids hung on IV poles on both sides of his bed. Charlie was a simple man. He eschewed technology for the most part. The phone at his home had the old style rotary dial and there was no answering machine to leave a message on. There was no DVD player, no VCR, no microwave oven and the black and white television was so old that it had a knob to change channels. Charlie felt a bit overwhelmed when confronted with this much technology at one time. He felt like a fish out of water, a little like a man out of time in this place.

Charlie noticed that someone had removed the small pouch of talismans from Ryan's neck and had placed it on the table next to the bed. Charlie picked up Ryan's wopiye and tied the leather lace around Ryan's neck and slipped the pouch down inside of his hospital gown.

His eyes were misty as he held Ryan's hand and spoke in his soft voice, "If I had ever been blessed with a second son, I would have wanted him to be like you. I don't know if you can hear my words right now, but I hope you can." With a gentle manner, he stroked Ryan's hair as he talked to him for a long time.

Charlie moved his chair next to Ryan's bed and sat there holding the boy's hand in his own. It wasn't long before Charlie dozed off. 

---

Bill was outside packing the suitcases into the trunk of Suzanne's car when he heard the phone ring. He ran into the house and looked at his wife as she hung up the phone. "Was that Roy?"

"No, it was Becky, she wants to come along with us. I told her we would pick her up on our way through town."

"Damn," Bill swore softly. "I was hoping it was Roy."

Suzanne could see the worry on her husband's face. "Hopefully he will call in the morning."

Bill nodded and then looked around the kitchen. "Well, everything is packed. Anytime you are ready..."

"Just let me get my purse," she replied.

The eastern sky just had a faint grayish tinge to it after they had picked up Becky and began the long drive to Missoula. The car was quiet, each person was lost in their own thoughts and worries.

Becky's cell phone chirped from inside of her purse. "Hello?"

She leaned forward in her seat and whispered to Bill and Suzanne, "It's Jessi."

"Yes, your mom and dad just picked me up and we are on our way." She listened to Jessi and then replied, "Thanks Jessi, yes, I will tell them. I love you, too."

Becky put her phone back into her purse. "She said she was sneaking a call in, they aren't supposed to use their cell phones where Ryan is. She said she talked to the doctor, and that Ryan is stable right now, and that he thinks he will be okay. She is going to get some rest right now, and Charlie is staying with Ryan."

Bill let out a sigh of relief and looked over at his wife. "Thank God."

Suzanne reached over and patted her husband's shoulder. "Yes, we do need to thank God."

---

Daylight had finally come to the mountaintop. Sal's body still lay where it had fallen. The jovial mood of the cattle drive had been replaced with a somber pall. The thoughts of the remaining ranchers were on Ryan. Moving the cattle had now become just another chore and the men faced the task with a steely resolve. They were a few hands short now. Once word filtered down through the town as the day broke, men would stop what they were doing, pack up some gear and head up to lend a hand. This was the way of these ranchers in Montana—if someone needed help, everyone pitched in.

Milt Walker, the sheriff, and Walter Red Elk looked up as they heard one of the deputies call out. A vehicle had been found and it was assumed that it belonged to the man laying dead on the ground with five arrows in his chest. 

The vehicle was searched thoroughly and pictures were taken from every conceivable angle. Every item in the vehicle was cataloged and photographed. 

"Dispatch, King-One." Milt called the dispatcher on the radio from his vehicle.

"King-One Dispatch." A voice on the radio answered back.

"Marie, call Bitterroot Towing and have them send a truck up here. We've got a vehicle that needs to be impounded." 

"King-One, ten-four."

"Marie, do me a favor. See if you can't call the hospital in Missoula where they took Ryan McFayden and get an update on his condition. We've got some mighty anxious people up here." Milt released the push-to-talk switch on his microphone and looked at Walter. "And I'm one of them."

"King-One. I'm calling now. Standby." 

Milt and Walter waited for what seemed to be an eternity. In reality it was only a couple of minutes before the radio crackled back to life. "King-One, Dispatch."

"Go ahead," Milt answered.

"I've talked to the hospital, but they can't give out much information. I was able to talk to Charlie Red Elk. He says that the doctor told him that Ryan is in stable condition right now and that Ryan should be ok. One more thing—Charlie wants Walter to call Charlie's wife and let her know where he is."

Walter felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders, he looked at Milt. "I'll go down to the camp and let them know before they started heading down the trail."

"Good idea." Milt nodded his head 

Walt pulled his cell phone from his pocket and looked at the display. "No signal." Walt asked Milt, "Can you get your dispatcher to call my mom and let her know where my dad is?"

---

Stan finished his shower, dressed, and went downstairs to the kitchen. The house seemed quieter than normal. His mother was standing at the kitchen counter looking at the paper.

Stan poured a cup of coffee and sat it on the table. "Good morning, mom."

Judy Randall looked up the from paper and smiled. "Good morning, sweetheart."

"Anything in the paper?" Stan asked.

She answered as she continued to read the article on the front page. "Oh, not a whole lot."

"Where's Becky? Did she stay with Jessi up at the cattle drive?" Stan asked as he poured cereal into a bowl.

Betty looked up from the paper and looked at Stan. "She went with Bill and Suzanne to Missoula."

"That's odd," Stan remarked in an off hand manner. "She didn't say anything about going with them to Missoula. I thought she was going to go up and hang out with Jessi and Ryan."

"Oh my God, you don't know..." Betty looked at Stan. "Ryan got hurt up on the mountain last night. The guy he shot last week got bailed out of jail yesterday, and I guess he tried to get even with Ryan. I guess he got thrown after he was shot and really cracked his head. They flew him by Life-Flite to Missoula."

Stan just about dropped his bowl of cereal. "What the hell? Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know. When Bill and Suzanne picked up your sister this morning they still hadn't heard anything," Judy replied. "Becky tried calling a few hours ago, but the call got dropped. I haven't been able to get a hold of her since."

"Yeah, the cell service is pretty spotty at best for most of the way." Stan sat down at the table. He felt like he had been hit with a brick.

Stan looked at the clock. It was still a little early to call Lindsey. She had worked late last night and would still be asleep. He sat down and put his spoon into his bowl. It was only when he was halfway through eating that he realized that he hadn't poured any milk into the bowl. Stan was in a state of shock. He had just seen Ryan the other day, laughing and full of life. Now he was in a hospital fighting for his life.

---

Ryan sat atop his horse and scanned the horizon. There was no sign of buffalo. He sniffed the air, the wind was blowing out of the west. There was the acrid smell of smoke in the air and the sunset had been orange the previous night. 

Ryan looked at Grey Eagle. "Do you think they have moved because of the smell of smoke?"

Grey Eagle pointed the ground. " Could be. They're moving east, and not stopping very often."

The smoke had the smell of burning wood, and not the sour smell of burning grass. It could only mean that there was a big fire far to the west in the mountains. Grass fires were a constant danger on the plains, during this season, in a year that had seen little rain. Massive thunderheads had built up late in the afternoon the past couple of days and had brought wind and lightning, but no rain.

Ryan remembered what it looked like to see the prairie ablaze with fire—a wall of flames devouring the dry grass. Once the grass started to burn there was nothing that could stop it. The fires could get so large that they generated their own wind and that wind only forced the fire onwards. Only when the fire ran out of fuel to consume, or if the heavens opened up with a deluge, would the blistering maelstrom be stopped.

He remembered the blackened ground, knowing that there would be no buffalo there that winter. He remembered the struggle for the village to find enough food to make it through the winter. They had moved west that winter, further west than they had ever moved before. They had moved into the land of the Crow and the Blackfeet, and had hunted heheca and tahca throughout the winter when they could. Lives had been lost that winter because of the lack of food. It was remembered for years after as the waniyetu sápa, the black winter.

When spring came, the blackened ground turned green with new grasses, even richer than before. The old men talked about how the ground died with the fires in the summer and autumn, and how it was reborn again in the spring after the snows had healed the earth. 




Montana Summer Ch. 10



They had sent the other two hunters back to the village. It was time to move the village the—herd was moving. It would be at least a week before the village would catch up to them. Ryan hefted the sack of dried meat that was tied to his horse and was satisfied that there was plenty of food for the two men.

Grey Eagle climbed off of his horse and put his ear to the ground. He listened intently for the telltale sound of buffalo on the move. "No sound."

Ryan slipped off of his pony and knelt to the ground and examined the signs. The buffalo droppings were still fresh, the tracks in the ground were still sharp. Ryan looked carefully at one hoof print in the dirt. The edges of the print hadn't had time for the wind to erode them.

"How old are the tracks?" Grey Eagle asked.

"Less than a day, maybe early this morning," Ryan answered as he stared to the east. "Maybe they've slowed down, or have stopped."

Grey Eagle stared off in the same direction as Ryan. The sound of the screech of a hunting red-tailed hawk caused the both of them to look skyward.

"I wish I had the eyes of our brother in the sky," commented Grey Eagle.

"Yes," Ryan replied. "He can probably see the herd from where he is."

They spent the afternoon riding and following the tracks of the bison herd. The village would soon be struck, the thipis pulled down. Litters would be made from the long pine poles and all of the village's belongings would be loaded on them. Then the trek to follow the herd would begin.

Just before dark, Ryan and Grey Eagle stopped at the bank of a small river and made camp for the night. They had confirmed that the herd hadn't crossed and had turned south, following the meanderings of the river.

Ryan helped gather up wood for the fire. He watched as Grey Eagle struck his steel knife against a piece of flint. A large spark dropped into the small pile of dried grass. Grey Eagle carefully blew on the spark. He nurtured the spark as several strands of grass began to smolder. With a practiced hand he dropped in pieces of crushed, dried leaves. Smoke began to curl up from the dried grass. Suddenly a small flame burst into life. More and more dried grass and dry twigs were added. As the fire began to grow, larger pieces of wood were added. The fire was typical of any Indian fire and it was kept relatively small so the two men could sit close and stay warm. They heated pieces of dried meat over the flames and ate and talked quietly.

Grey Eagle was about the same age as Ryan, and was yet unmarried. There was a girl in the camp that he had his eye on. He told Ryan that he had heard through certain intermediaries that she liked him also. Grey Eagle told Ryan that he was gathering gifts to be presented to the girl's father and then the courtship would begin in earnest. 

They talked way into the night, sharing their hopes and dreams. They could have been two young men from anywhere in the world and anywhere in time.

Ryan slipped under his sleeping robe. As he closed his eyes, Ryan found himself alone in a dim world that was neither light nor dark. Ryan heard the grumbling growl of the bear before he saw him.

Mato spoke as he sat on his haunches, looking almost man-like. "That was the Lakota way in those days, following the great herds as they roamed the plains. Most times they moved slowly, depending on the grasses. Our people would follow and try to stay close to sources of water."

"How did the Lakota come to live in the mountains around where the ranch is now?" Ryan asked.

"As the white man moved west, some of the Lakota moved west ahead of them, trying to cling to their way of life," Mato replied. "They were some of the lucky ones. They were missed in the initial round ups of the Lakota due to the isolation of the area and they weren't forced to live on the reservations."

"It's too bad the fires did so much damage," Ryan remarked as he reflected on what he remembered of his time with Grey Eagle.

"Grass fires were feared and respected. Fire renewed life. It was the same in the forests where the fire would kill the diseased and insect-infested trees and start the life of the forest all over again. Some of the trees of the forest need the heat of the fire for their seeds to open up. Today the white man tries to control the fires and they don't let them burn. One day the forests will burn with a ferocity that hasn't been seen in a long time. The way of Wakan Tanka is better—it keeps the balance."

Ryan nodded as he listened. He wanted to wake up but when he tried to bring himself to consciousness, he was unable to do so. Finally, he gave up and looked at the bear. "I keep trying to wake up, but I can't. Why can't I wake up?"

Mato shook his head. "I don't know. You have been hurt, I can feel that. Spotted Owl said that you were in a place with medicine men."

"Yes, I guess that means that I am in a hospital." It was the only thing that made any sense to Ryan. He knew that he wasn't dead, and that had been his initial fear. 

---

Walter pointed to a spot in the bushes. "He was there for a long time. Look at how some of the grass is pressed down into the earth. He had a good view of the camp from here." 

Milt nodded. "Yeah. It looks like he watched the camp from here. When Ryan started riding night herd he must have backtracked to his vehicle, dumped off his gear, and then went to the spot where he ambushed Ryan from."

"Yup. I think you got it right." Walter nodded.

"That only leaves one question." Milt looked over to where the coroner was preparing to load Sal's body into his van.

Walter knew what that question was. And he had an idea what the answer was. It wasn't one he was going to put forward, however, certainly not to the sheriff. 

"Where the hell did the arrows come from?" Milt rubbed his chin. He had exhausted all possibilities. There were no other vehicle tracks. The only recent tracks made by horses could be accounted for. "How the hell does a man get off eleven rounds and take five arrows in his chest and not leave any signs of anything?"

Walter just shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I can tell you one thing. Cliff Thomas, the District Attorney is going to love this. Especially this being an election year. He's going to be on my ass like white on rice."

A small piece of silver plastic wrap caught Walter's eyes. He reached in and picked it up. "Looks like he might have had something to eat, like a granola bar, here."

Milt took a small envelope from his pocket and opened it. "I think I saw some sort of power bar in his vehicle. We'll see if this matches. For all the good that will do. I can see myself now." He pretended he was talking to the DA. "Yes, we do know he ate a power bar from where he watched the camp. We have no idea where the arrows came from, or who shot the arrows into the deceased."

"That's why you get paid the big bucks, Milt." Walter wore a wry grin on his face. He looked down at the camp and saw that they were almost ready to move out. "Well, if you are done with me, I'll get over to the camp and give them a hand moving them cattle. They are a bit short handed right now."

"Yeah, Walter, you go ahead and give them a hand. I appreciate all of your help." Milt nodded. "Would you mind taking my horse down with you. I'll come back up later and hook up to the horse trailer and pick him up tonight or tomorrow."

"No problem," Walt answered. "I've got a few to take with me. Having a few extra horses around never hurt."

---

It was about noon when Bill, Suzanne, and Becky arrived at the hospital in Missoula. Each had tried at various times to get some rest as they drove but were unable to fall asleep. 

They walked into Ryan's room. Charlie was sound asleep in the chair beside the bed, his hand was still holding Ryan's hand.

Bill tapped Charlie gently on the shoulder. "Charlie."

Charlie's eyes snapped open, and he grinned at Bill. "You better be careful sneaking up on an Indian like that. I might not have been sleeping."

A feeling of relief surged through Bill's body. If Charlie was cracking jokes, then what Jessi had told Becky earlier on the phone must be true.

Pointing at Ryan, Bill asked, "How is he? Any change?"

"No," Charlie answered. "Another doctor is supposed to see him today, some kind of a specialist. The doctor that was here earlier said that they were going to keep Ryan..." Charlie struggled to remember the exact words the doctor had used. "They are going to keep him in a drug-induced coma for a few days. He said that this was normal with injuries like what Ryan has."

"What about the gun shot?" Bill asked.

"Just nicked him good." Charlie answered. "They cleaned it up and put a dressing on it."

Suzanne and Becky were on the other side of the bed. Each had tears in their eyes. First Suzanne, then Becky, gave Ryan a hug, and a kiss.

"Where's Jessi?" Becky asked Charlie.

"Down the hall," Charlie replied. "They have a room down there for family members to get some rest in. I walked her down there earlier so she could get some sleep."

"Do you want me to drive you over to the hotel so you can get some sleep?" Bill asked Charlie.

Charlie shook his head. "No, I would sooner just get some rest here."

Jessi walked into the room. Her face lit up when she saw her parents and her best friend.

She gave everyone a hug. "I'm glad you made it. Have you heard from Uncle Roy?"

Bill shook his head, "No, but we were out of cell range for a lot of the trip. I'm going to try to call him here in a few minutes."

Charlie stood up and stretched. "I think I will try to get a little sleep."

Jessi wrapped her arms around Charlie and hugged him. "I'm glad you came with me. I don't know what I would have done without you here with me."

"I'm just glad that you let me come," Charlie responded.

After Charlie left, Jessi whispered into her father's ear, "Can I talk to you outside the room?"

Bill's eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. "Sure." He followed Jessi out. "Okay, what's up?"

"I saw one of them." Jessi was almost breathless.

"Saw who?" Bill asked.

"One of those spirit riders." Jessi looked around to make sure no one could hear them.

Bill was astonished. "Where?"

"In Ryan's room. He was standing there talking to Ryan." 

"Are you sure you weren't sleeping and just dreamed it?" 

Jessi shook her head. "No! Charlie, was there with me. He told me what he was saying. He was talking to Ryan. After a few minutes, he walked over to Charlie, and told him to tell me to go to Ryan."

Bill didn't quite know what to say. "Are you sure?" That was all that he could come up with. 

Jessi gave her father an impatient look. "Yes Dad! I'm sure! Go talk to Charlie, he will tell you." She pointed down the hall. "Room five-thirty-six."

Bill nodded. "I think I will do just that. You tell your mother that I'm going to go try Roy again."

He knocked quietly on the door and walked in. He was glad to see that Charlie wasn't asleep yet. "Charlie, can I have a word with you?"

"Sure." Charlie sat up on the side of the bed. "I think I know what this is about, Jessi told you about Spotted Owl. He's one of the Wanagi that Ryan has seen."

"So it is true?" Bill had fully expected Charlie to deny the whole story.

"Yes," Charlie replied as he nodded. "It is true."

"Why? Why Ryan?" Bill was beginning to get overwhelmed.

"I don't know why it is Ryan." Charlie began. "All I know is that he is tied to the Wanagi somehow and is wakan."

Bill rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Spotted Owl, wasn't that the name of the chief when my great-grandfather first moved here?"

"Yes, it is the same person," Charlie answered.

"Hell, Ryan isn't even Lakota. I just don't understand."

"I don't understand, either. Your great-grandfather wasn't Lakota but I think some of him lives in the boy, and I think that is why he is important to the Wanagi." Charlie shook his head. "More has happened to that boy in a few months than has happened to me in a lifetime. Do you realize that he can speak Lakota as well or maybe even better than I do?"

Bill shook his head. "No, I had no idea."

"I know he told you about the dream he had with the bear in it." Charlie waited for Bill to respond.

"Yeah, he told me a little about it. That's when I gave you a call," Bill answered.

"What I don't think he told you about the dream, or maybe he just didn't realize it at the time was that he lived lifetime after lifetime as a Lakota in that dream. I know it doesn't sound possible, but he did. That's why he could ride like he does now. He had lifetimes of experience to fall back on. He has told me things..." Charlie paused and looked out the window. Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes. "In that boy, there lives the spirit of a warrior. He has shown my son what it means to be proud of being Lakota." Charlie began to chuckle. "Do you know what that boy told me when we were coming back down off of Baxter's?"

Bill shook his head. "No, I have no idea. What did he tell you?"

"He told me that he was going to teach me how to shoot a bow from a running horse." Charlie shook his head. "He is going to teach me how to hunt tatanka, buffalo."

Bill sat there confused. He had come to Charlie with what he thought was one simple question, and now had more questions than he had answers.

"Was it Spotted Owl and the others that did that fellow in?" Bill asked.

Charlie nodded, "Yes, it was."

"One more question, why was Spotted Owl here?"

"I can't say for sure. I think he was here to make sure that Ryan lived." Charlie answered.

---

"Here's the printout from NCIC." Deputy Travis Parks handed Milt the single sheet of paper.

Milt looked over the printout—absolutely no convictions, a perfectly clean record. He thought for a moment. "Send the prints to the FBI, see if Salvatore Castolinni is who he said he was."

Travis nodded and headed for the door, then he stopped and turned. "Oh, before I forget, we called the home number that was on the bail form but it's his cell number. There are no numbers stored in it, and it looks like he had cleared out any recent call information."

Milt thought for a minute. "Call over to Cliff Thomas' office and see if we can't get a subpoena issued for his cell phone records."

"I'm on it," responded Travis as he left Milt's office.

The only things that had been found in Sal's pockets were the bond receipt he had received when he had left the jail and a wallet. The wallet contained a few hundred dollars in cash and a driver's license. No credit cards, no notes, no receipts. It was the wallet of a man trying to remain hidden.

Milt looked at a copy of the bail-bond. He picked up the phone and dialed the number listed for the bond guarantor.

---

Kenny and Stella were just finishing breakfast in the hotel room when Kenny's cell phone began to ring. He picked up the phone and frowned when he looked at the number on the display. "Hello?"

"Yes, that's me," Kenny answered the caller's question.

"Oh, hello sheriff." Kenny looked at Stella and shrugged his shoulders.

"No, I haven't heard from Mr. Castolinni since I posted his bail. Why? Is there a problem?"

"Yes, I know where Hank is. He is in Denver. I put him on the plane myself." Kenny was confused at the line of questioning. "Yes, I know where she is. She is here with me, and has been the entire time since being released."

"No, I don't know if Mr. Castolinni has any family. Why?" 

Kenny dropped his fork on the table and his face went pure white. 

Stella became concerned. "What's doing on?" she whispered.

"Yes, you should be able to get Hank at the number on his bond. I have called him several times over the past couple of days on it." Kenny was still white when he sat the phone down.

He looked at Stella. "Sal. He's..." Kenny couldn't believe what he had heard. "He's dead."

Stella was shocked. She had never cared much for Sal—she always found him to be almost cold. One thing was for sure, he had remained impervious to her feminine charms. In the two years that Sal had been with she and Hank there wasn't a time she could remember Sal being with a woman. "What happened?"

"Don't know for sure, the sheriff didn't say."

---

Hank was still in bed when his cell phone woke him up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he felt his head pounding. "Yeah." His voice was raw and gruff. His hand instinctively reached for a cigarette.

"Yeah, I'm Hank! Who the fuck are you?" Hank's hangover was making him irritable. 

Hank grimaced as the caller introduced himself as the sheriff of the podunk town that he had been arrested in. "What can I do for you?"

"I think Sal had a sister somewhere in Arizona." Hank searched for his cigarette lighter. He cursed silently when it fell to the floor.

Hank shook his head. "No, I don't know what her name is. Why?"

His hangover disappeared for the moment. "He's what? He's dead? What happened?"

Hank set his phone on the nightstand and sat down on the bed.

A groggy voice sounded from the other side of the bed. "What time is it?"

"It's early, go back to sleep." Hank had all but forgotten about the stripper he had picked up last night at the club. Sal was dead. It seemed so incomprehensible. He had just seen Sal the day before yesterday. Hank laid back down on the bed and tried to make some sense of the situation.

---

Norm Campbell heard the doorbell ring. He glanced at his watch. If nothing else, Vincenzo was prompt. He made one final check of his appearance in the mirror, picked up his attaché case, and opened the door.

Vincenzo nodded his head in approval. "You look very good, Mr. Campbell. I'm glad to see that you decided to cooperate with us."

Once at the restaurant, Norm was directed to sit on a chair in the kitchen. He only sat for about five minutes before Vincenzo came back and directed him into the restaurant itself.

After Norm was seated, Tony looked at Vincenzo. "You can wait outside."

"I would like to thank you for taking time out from your day to come and see me." Tony looked directly into Norm's eyes. "I understand that you have a debt—a debt that you unfortunately are unable to repay at this time."

Norm struggled to find something to say. "Well, I uh, lost my job and ..."

Tony held up his hand. "That's not why I asked for you to come here. I understand that you are a mining engineer?"

Norm shook his head. "No, I am not an engineer. I am geologist. I do have some experience on the processing end of mining."

"What kind of mining do you have experience with?" Tony carefully watched Norm for any signs of deception.

Norm felt a little more at ease as he answered. "Mainly copper and gold."

"Very good." Tony leaned back in his chair. "Now, I will tell you why I have asked you here. I have an associate who is in need of a person such as yourself. I don't think my friend is being completely honest with me. I need a man who knows where his loyalties lay. Do you understand what I am saying" 

"Yes, I think I know what you are saying."

Tony nodded his head. "Good. I like having people around me that I can trust. You will do what my friend asks you to do. You will also report to me as to what you may happen to find. My friend will pay you well for your time. If you live up to your side of the bargain, then, your gambling debt will be forgiven."

Norm Campbell nodded. On one hand, it was good that he would be employed in some manner and that the dark cloud of his debt would finally be lifted. On the other hand, he wondered what he was getting him self into, but he felt like he had no other choice. 

After Norm had left, Tony spoke with Vincenzo. "I appreciate what you have done. You have found a suitable candidate for what Kenny is looking for. I will call him tonight and let him know that we think we have found someone for him. I don't want to tell him too soon. He may get suspicious if we come up with a person too fast. We'll just let the two of them sit for a couple of days."




Montana Summer Ch. 10



---

Charlie was still asleep. Suzanne and the girls had gone shopping to get Jessi some clothes. All she had brought with her were the clothes on her back. Bill still hadn't been able to get a hold of Ryan's parents. He tried to remember his last conversation with Roy. He had mentioned that they were going to Mexico, but he couldn't remember exactly when Roy said they were going. Bill stared at the boy in the bed. He was still feeling overwhelmed by the conversation with Charlie. There was one thing that both he and Charlie could agree on. From the first day that Ryan had come to the ranch, Bill had felt something special about the boy. 

Ryan reminded him of his grandfather. The lazy, easy going smile and the way Ryan looked at the mountains especially reminded Bill of his grandfather. If Bill and Suzanne could have had a son, Ryan was what they would have wanted. The night that Ryan had agreed to go into ranching was one the proudest moments of Bill's life. The McFayden name would continue to grace the Rocking-M ranch for another generation.

The specialist had been in to see Ryan and the news he brought was optimistic. They would continue keeping Ryan in a comatose state for the next few days and monitor the swelling in his brain. The bad news was that the brain was still swollen, but the good news was that the swelling had stopped. The specialist had reaffirmed that Ryan's EEG was normal.

Brain damage. Those two words haunted Bill. The doctor had said that there could be possible brain damage when Ryan was brought out of the drug-induced coma. All Bill wanted was the same boy back. Tears welled up in his eyes, Ryan was much too young for something like this to happen. He still had the rest of his life ahead of him. 

Bill held Ryan's hand in his. His voice was quiet. "I wish things were different, Ryan. I wish it was me lying in that bed. I wish you could have married Jessi. Since she was born, I have imagined what her future husband would be like. And he would have been just like you. I would have been proud to have you as a son."

Bill squeezed Ryan's hand and for a moment he could have sworn that Ryan squeezed back.

---

Ryan found himself on Mato's back once again, bounding over the prairies. They spotted a large herd of bison grazing.

Mato circled around the great herd. Ryan spotted a group of wagons making their way towards the herd. Each wagon held about a dozen white men. They seemed to be laughing and handing bottles of liquor among themselves.

"Watch," Mato commanded.

The wagons pulled to a stop and some of the men got down onto the ground while the others sat or knelt on the wagon bed. Suddenly, the quiet of a summer's afternoon was broken by the sound of gunfire. The men were shooting as fast as they could. The herd began to run, but for nearly a hundred of them, it was too late. Their massive and majestic bodies dropped to the ground.

Ryan looked on in horror at the slaughter unfolding before his eyes. Tears welled up as he looked at Mato. "I feel so much shame."

The bear put his big paw on Ryan's shoulder. "You bear none of the shame for their actions. Your family has always tried to protect the land."

A feeling of sickness welled up inside of Ryan as he watched the men climb back on the wagons and head off in the direction that the herd had set off running. They left the carcasses of the downed bison to sit under the hot summer sun.

Mato looked on with a great sadness in his large eyes. "This was the beginning of the end. First the buffalo hunters came. They were just after the hides. Then men like this came and it was considered great sport among some of the white men at the time to see how many animals they could kill in an afternoon. In just a few short years, there would be no more herds to feed our people and the other tribes of the plains."

Everywhere Mato took him, there were signs of past slaughters, rotting carcasses with only the carrion feeders taking advantage of the kills—piles of sun bleached bones stacked up waiting for wagons to pick them up to be shipped back east to make fertilizer.

Ryan saw children and women starving. He saw the once proud Lakota being herded like animals on to reservations—their horses, their weapons, and their way of life confiscated. Life on the reservations was a study in squalor. Unscrupulous Indian Agents from the government stole food that was meant for the Lakota, and the food that did make it to the starving Lakota was often rancid and not fit for human consumption.

A feeling of helpless rage boiled within Ryan. "How could they do this?"

Mato shook his head. "Greed. The Wašicun at the time felt that it was their manifest destiny to conquer the continent and that their way was the only way. Many of their kind did not see the Lakota, or any of the other tribes, as being humans. They saw them as being animals. Very little attempt was made to understand the people that were here first."

"My heart is filled with a great sadness at what I have seen today." Ryan looked down at the ground. 

"I know. It was important for you to see this. It was important for you to understand what has happened. Nothing can be done for what has happened in the past. All you can do is learn from this and not let something like this happen again." Mato motioned for Ryan to climb back up onto his back.

---

Kenny called Hank's cell phone. He smiled at Stella as she brushed her hair while he waited for Hank to answer.

"Yeah!" Hanks gravelly voice answered.

"It's me," Kenny responded. "Did the sheriff call you about, Sal?"

"What the fuck is going on?" Hank ran his fingers through his hair. He still couldn't believe that Sal was dead. They had been partners since just after Sal had gotten out of the military. The stripper that he had picked up the previous night had just left. She made Hank promise to come back to the strip club where she performed, and that was one promise that Hank intended to keep.

"I don't fucking know." Kenny sounded a little exasperated. "I tried calling that stupid fuck all day yesterday."

"So did I," Hank replied.

"Tony called me this afternoon." Kenny's voice turned to a more encouraging tone.

"What did that old prune have to say?" asked Hank.

"He thinks he has a line on someone we might be able to use."

"Any idea when?" Hank picked up another cigarette and lit it.

"Couple of days, maybe a little more. He said he would call back and let me know." Kenny winked at Stella as he talked to Hank.

"Okay," answered Hank as he took a deep drag off of his cigarette.

"You okay with money?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Hank answered.

"Good. You keep your nose clean and just hang tight until I hear from Tony."

"Yeah," Hank replied. He was going to tell Kenny to give Stella his love, but decided against it. The stripper he had picked up was just what he wanted and needed. The idea of spending another night at the strip club watching women take their clothes of appealed to Hank. He would bring her back to the hotel for another round of sex. He hadn't found anything that she wouldn't do.

---

Milt looked up as Travis knocked on the sheriff's door and walked in. "We got a positive match from the FBI on the prints we sent in."

"Is he who he said he was?" Milt asked.

Travis nodded and put the report on the desk. "Yup, one Mister Salvatore Vittorio Castolinni."

Milt sighed. He had hoped to come up with another name. He picked up the report from the FBI and began to read it. "Military service, Marines, discharged for psychological reasons. No criminal record." He looked up from his desk at Travis. "Cliff is going to have a fit when we send this report over to him. We have a man who tried to shoot Ryan McFayden. From the witnesses, me included, one shot was heard. There was a significant pause, and then the deceased emptied his magazine at something, or someone. He has five antique arrows in his chest, which according to Charlie Red Elk, would have had to have been shot at fairly close range to pierce the victim's chest. And no evidence of anyone else in the area."

The sheriff looked out the window for a moment. It was days like this that made retirement appealing. "Have we heard anything about the search of the vehicle?"

Travis shook his head. "Nope, nothing yet. I think they just got started on it."

"Okay, let me know when you hear anything."

Milt picked up the phone and dialed a number and played with a pencil while he waited for an answer.

A deep booming voice answered at the other end of the call. "Ferguson here."

"Hi, doc, Milt here. Say, when do you plan on doing the autopsy of the guy you brought in this morning?" 

"Eight in the morning."

The sheriff glanced at his calendar. "Would you mind if I sat in and watched?"

"As long as you bring beer and pizza," Dr. Ferguson responded.

"Beer and pizza at eight in the morning." Milt chuckled. "You are one sick man, Angus."

"I'm the picture of health when compared to some of my patients." A hint of Angus Ferguson's Scottish brogue still came through when he joked.

"Okay, I'll see you at eight in the morning."

---

A hospital orderly wheeled Ryan's bed back into the room. They had performed another MRI on Ryan's head.

Bill and Charlie watched as they plugged his IV pump back into the outlet behind the bed. The monitors never seemed to change. Ryan's pulse remained constant, never wavering. A nurse followed the orderly into the room and she looked at Bill and Charlie. "Would you mind stepping outside? I'm going to change his dressing and we are going to clean him up."

Bill looked at Charlie. "Let's go down to the cafeteria. I'll buy you a cup of coffee.

They found an empty table in the cafeteria and sat down with their coffee. 

"Charlie, can I ask you something?" Bill looked across the table at his long-time friend.

"Sure," Charlie replied.

"I know I don't know as much as maybe I should about your culture. I know there is a lot of it I don't understand. Does the bear in Ryan's dream mean anything?" Bill hoped he wasn't going to offend Charlie.

"Yes, it does. It is very wakan, I guess holy would be a good comparison. Back in the old days, men that dreamed of Mato were very special. They automatically became leaders of the Bear society," Charlie replied in a hushed tone of voice. 

Bill played with the plastic spoon on the table in front of him. "I dunno if means much but, since Ryan got here, he has reminded me a lot of his grandfather. I can see it in the way he walks, and the way he looks when stares off at the mountains." 

Charlie nodded. "I know the first time I met Ryan, I knew there was something about him that set him apart. That was even before he told me of his dream." Charlie looked Bill square in the eyes. "Ryan is destined to something great in his life. I know this to be true. I had had a vision when Walter and I camped up on Baxter's a few weeks ago. It was the most powerful vision that I have ever had."

Bill was interested. "What was the vision?"

Charlie shook his head. "I still don't understand much of it. I saw Ryan on top of the mountains. The mountains were crumbling down and there was much lightning. Beside him stood Mato, the bear and Tatanka, the buffalo. Overhead circled Cetan, the hawk."

"And you don't know what it meant?" Bill asked.

"I told this to Ryan when I was trying to explain his dream to him. A lot of the time the path to discovering the answer is more important than the answer itself." Charlie took another sip of his coffee.

"Does Ryan understand what his dream meant?" Bill wondered.

Charlie thought for a few seconds before answering. "I think there are parts of it that he understands now. He is growing with his understanding. A dream such as the one that he had is not like the dreams that you or I have at night that fade quickly in the morning. He remembers every little detail of the dream that he had." Charlie looked up from his cup of coffee. "It is a remarkable thing, dreams like that. It is hard to explain to someone who has never had one. They give a person a sense of their destiny."

Bill thought about his nephew laying in the bed in ICU. "He is a remarkable young man. I only hope he comes out of this..." The emotion choked Bill's voice.

"I know he will come out of this." Charlie looked around to make sure no one was near. "Remember, Spotted Owl has seen him. Inside his mind."

"God, I hope you are right." Bill hoped that what Jessi and Charlie had told him about a ghost of a Lakota warrior visiting Ryan was true. He remembered what his grandfather had told him about the Lakota. He had said that they had different beliefs, and just because they were different, that didn't make them wrong. 

---

Jessi was alone with Ryan. Becky had gone outside to call her parents, and Suzanne had gone down to the cafeteria in search of Charlie and Bill. Jessi leaned over and gave Ryan a gentle kiss on the cheek.

The quiet of the room was only interrupted by the steady hum-drum beep of the monitors. Jessi found it almost eerie. She still wasn't used to seeing Ryan laying there helpless. His eyes were closed and his face expressionless. His ever-present smile was what she missed seeing the most. Only the rise and fall of his chest gave him the appearance of having life.

She stroked his cheek as she whispered, "Come back to me, cowboy." The tears started flowing down her cheeks. "I feel lost now without you. You have no idea how much I love you. You have come to mean so much to me, I don't know if I could go on without you."

Becky stopped at the door. She heard Jessi talking to Ryan. It felt like she was intruding on something private. She turned to leave but Jessi called her back into the room. "It's alright, Becky. You can come in."

"I didn't want to interrupt you. I know that you can't talk to Ryan like that when your mom and dad are around. I thought I would give you some privacy with Ryan." Becky knew that Jessi loved Ryan, but it wasn't until this moment that she realized how deep Jessi's love for Ryan was.

Jessi wiped the tears from her eyes. "Oh, Becky, there is nothing I wouldn't say to Ryan that I wouldn't want you to hear. You are like my sister, and you know that. You are Ryan are the two most important people in my life."

Becky walked over to Ryan's bed and hugged Jessi with all of her might. "Thanks for including me in that. Yeah, you are like my sister too."

As she reached over and squeezed Ryan's hand, Becky looked at Jessi. "You know, I love him too, Jessi. Not as much, or in the same way as you, but I do love him."

Jessi nodded. "I know you do. I have felt it since we were on the camping trip." Jessi smiled a brave smile. "That's when I started falling in love with him too."

Becky's eyes started tearing up. She tapped Ryan playfully on the head. "You big lug, now you've got both of us crying."

---

Ryan was in the mountains riding single file with a group of Lakota. Runs With Elk was in the lead, and Ryan was bringing up the rear. The hunt had been successful. Two deer were draped over the horses of the hunters. It would be a good night in the village. The drums would beat long into the night as the hunters told the story of their hunt. People would want to sing and dance. Their hearts would be full of joy and their bellies would be full of venison.

A sudden movement in the trees caught the attention of Runs With Elk and he held up his hand and stopped and pointed to a small grove of aspen. There was someone moving in the trees.

A young boy, no more than nine or ten, ran out of the bushes. He held a small muzzle-loading rifle in his hands, the barrel pointed down to the ground. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the Lakota hunting party.

Small Deer climbed down off of his horse and motioned to the boy's gun. The young boy looked uncertain at what to do at first. Small Deer pointed once again to the rifle, and then to himself. The boy understood and handed the rifle to the hunter.

"Little wašicun, little mázawakan," joked Small Deer as he showed the other hunters the small weapon. "What should we do with the little hunter?" Small Deer handed the rifle back to the boy and nodded in an approving manner. "Strong mázawakan for wašicun walita."

Runs With Elk spoke up, "We will take him with us. Look how he stands there with no fear on his face. I know where his family lives. I will return him to his home tomorrow." 

Ryan felt a shock run through his body. He knew who the young boy must be. It was his great-grandfather! He agreed with Small Deer's last comments—the young boy showed bravery.

Runs With Elk moved his horse towards where the boy was standing. "Come, we will take you to our village. I know where your people live. I will take you home in the morning."

The young William McFayden was surprised to hear the Lakota hunter speak to him in English. He grasped Runs With Elk's arm and climbed up on to the back of the horse. His eyes locked on to Ryan's eyes for a moment and he felt something familiar.

As they rode into the village, the people came out from their thipis to welcome the returning hunters. The sun was near setting as the men dropped the carcasses of the deer on the ground.

The women from the village clucked appreciatively as they set out to skin the slain deer and to prepare the meat for cooking. It would be a good night in the village with fresh meat for everyone.

One woman called out, "Why did you capture such a small wašicun. If he were a fish, we would throw him back." The other women began to laugh at the joke.

Runs With Elk laughed and answered back, "You are mistaken, sister, we did not capture him, he captured us and forced us to bring him here. He is wašicun wakan, he shows no fear of the Lakota."

After tying up the horses, Runs With Elk motioned to the boy. "Come with me."

Ryan followed as they walked towards the teepee of Spotted Owl, the leader of the small village.

Spotted Owl stepped outside the door of his dwelling and eyed the young white boy walking with Runs With Elk. "What have you found?"

"We found him in the mountains He is lost." Runs With Elk replied.

Spotted Owl looked at the boy, and then at Runs With Elk. "What do you plan on doing with him?"

"I know where his people live. I will take him there in the morning," answered Runs With Elk.

The young boy stepped forward and, to everyone's surprise thrust his hand toward Spotted Owl. "I am William McFayden the third and I am pleased to meet you."

Spotted Owl looked at Runs With Elk with a confused look on his face. As Runs With Elk translated what the boy had said, a broad smile broke over Spotted Owl's face. "Tell him that I am Spotted Owl and that I am pleased to meet him as well."

Spotted Owl pointed at William's rifle and Runs With Elk whispered to the boy. "Hand him your rifle, he wants to look at it."

William handed his small rifle over to Spotted Owl, who hefted it and held it to his shoulder. "Tell him that his weapon is very strong. Ask him if he is a good hunter."

"Spotted Owl wants to know if you are a good hunter?"

A broad grin blossomed across William's face as he excitedly answered. "Yes, I got three rabbits a few days ago."

When Spotted Owl heard the translation he smiled as he put his hand on the young man's shoulder. "When we feast tonight, he will sit at my side as my guest."

The village feasted on fresh venison and young William sat between Runs With Elk and Spotted Owl for the meal. The dancing began after they had finished eating and Runs With Elk explained what the different dances meant. Ryan studied the young boy as he watched everything with rapt attention. He smiled as Runs With Elk took William into the circle and began to teach him how to dance. A surge of pride flowed through Ryan as the boy quickly caught on to the series of steps.




Montana Summer Ch. 10



Later the hunters got up one by one and danced, showing the village how they had stalked, and hunted the deer. Spotted Owl looked at Runs With Elk and said, "Ask the young hunter if he wishes to dance and show us how he hunted his rabbits."

William looked a little nervous at the request but went into the circle by the fire with his rifle in his hand. He mimicked some of what he had seen some of the other hunters do. He danced showing how he had spotted the rabbits and how he had slowly crept up on them and then shot them. 

Spotted Owl was enormously pleased with the boy's performance and gave him a warm pat on the back.

The next morning, Runs With Elk took young William to the teepee of Spotted Owl. All of the village gathered around as Spotted Owl took a bear claw necklace from his own neck and tied it around William's neck. "This will tell all Lakota, Nakota, Dakota people that you are a friend of the Lakota and always welcome in their villages and around their fires."

William was taken aback at the gift. He could tell by the reaction of the people watching that it was very high honor that had just been paid to him. He remembered what his mother had always taught him, that a gift must be given to one received. All he had was his small rifle. He stepped towards Spotted Owl and presented the small rifle to him. "This will show Spotted Owl that all of the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota people that they are a friend of William McFayden the third, and that they are always welcome in his house."

There was a hushed silence as Spotted Owl took the rifle into his hands. "You are indeed wašicun wakan. You are a brother to the Lakota, and as a brother, your Lakota name will be Micaksica Skayakel."

Ryan smiled, Little White Wolf seemed to suit the boy perfectly.

After Runs With Elk had departed with William, Ryan found himself alone with Mato once again.

"I saw my tunkansila last night." Ryan commented to the bear.

Mato nodded. "He was a good man. He was able to live in two worlds. He spent much time with Runs With Elk throughout his life. He danced in many Sun Dances when he grew older. Runs With Elk was his tunkansila, although it is the word for grandfather, it means something like teacher for the Sun Dance. After Spotted Owl was killed, Runs With Elk became the leader of the village. In later years, Micaksica Skayakel was often sought by White Man and Lakota alike for his wise council. There were many people from both worlds that mourned his passing." Mato looked at Ryan. "There is much of Micaksica Skayakel within you, and like him, you are wašicun wakan."

---

Stella watched Kenny working at the small table in the hotel room. She had only been with him for a few days but she had enjoyed those days immensely. She found that once you got past Kenny's gruff exterior that there was a very gentle man underneath. No matter what they were doing, he treated her like a lady. This was something that she wasn't used to after being with Hank. It seemed the only time that Hank had any consideration for her was when he was horny and wanted sex.

Kenny looked up from the maps he was studying and saw Stella watching him. He was quickly becoming accustomed to having her around. He stretched and looked at the time. "Are you hungry? Should we go out for dinner?"

"I would love to. It seems like we have been cooped up in this room for a month." Stella sat up on the bed and placed the book she had been reading on the nightstand.

"Yeah." Kenny stretched. "It does feel like that. Maybe we will go out for a couple of drinks and some dancing after dinner."

Stella brightened. "Oh yes! That sounds like a great idea. Let me get changed and put some makeup on."

They found a small Italian restaurant that was quite cozy. The ambience of the establishment was enhanced by the candles that lit the tables and the Italian music that played in the background. They were seated at a small table near the rear of the restaurant. After their order had been placed, they sat and sipped on their drinks.

"Does Sal's..." Stella thought for a moment for the appropriate word. "Sudden departure, change any of your plans?"

"Yeah," Kenny replied as he sat his drink back on the table. "There is no way we can send Hank back there for the foreseeable future. They would watch him like a stripper

at a car salesman's convention." Kenny paused for a moment while he thought. "As a matter of fact, I don't think any of us should be seen there for a while. At least not until the first court date. Speaking of which, I need to find you a good attorney. I am pretty sure we can get all of the serious charges dismissed from you. Maybe Sal's sudden departure will have a silver lining in it. We could change things around, make it appear that he was the brains behind this operation. We might even be able to get Hank off with something light."

Stella shook her head. "I don't know if that will work. Hank has a previous conviction for something similar in New Mexico a few years back. At least, that's what he told me."

"Well, it should work for you," Kenny responded with a warm smile. "And at this point in time, that's all I really care about."

For the first time in a long time, Stella felt like someone cared for her. For her the person, and not for her as a sex object. She liked the feeling. Stella reached across the table and gently touched Kenny's cheek. "Thanks for saying that."

Stella felt like a teenager on her first date for the rest of the dinner. She found herself looking at Kenny and trying to find positive things about his looks. There was something that she found attractive about him now, and it wasn't just his money.

The food and the service at the restaurant were both superb. After the meal had ended, both Kenny and Stella were in a jovial mood. As Kenny helped Stella on with her coat, he asked, "Well, should we try to find somewhere to get a drink and do a little dancing?"

Stella's eyes sparkled. "I would love to!"

They found the place that the maitre'd from the restaurant had highly recommended. The ambience of the club was high energy. Kenny looked askance at the place at first, but Stella urged him to go in.

Kenny found himself enjoying himself with Stella. She was impressed at his dancing ability. Stella couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed herself as much as she had on this evening. 

On one trip back from the bathroom, Kenny stopped and watched Stella. It seemed like a steady stream of men walked up to her and asked her to dance. She turned every one of them down and her face seemed to light up when he returned. It had been a long time since Kenny had seen a reaction like that on the face of a woman.

Back at the hotel, neither felt like getting into bed right away, so Kenny mixed them both a drink. He looked at Stella and smiled. "You are one hot dancer, lady."

Stella grinned back at Kenny. "You think so? You should see me really dance."

Kenny licked his lips. "Mmm, that I would really like to see."

"You would? Well, why don't you just park it in that chair and I will put on a show for you." Stella gave Kenny a smoldering look that caused his pulse to pick up a few beats.

She retreated into the bathroom and returned a few minutes later. Stella turned on the radio and played with the tuner until she found what she was looking for, some soft, slow jazz.

She began moving with the music, running her hands down the front of her short black dress. Just the way she moved was sensual, and provocative. The expression on her face was sultry. When she looked at Kenny, there was a sexual pout on her face that advertised pure desire.

Kenny was enthralled with her performance. No part of her body seemed to stop moving at any one time. He could feel his erection growing in his pants. She would bend over and allow him a good look at her cleavage and then smile and straighten back up. Her hands would raise her dress at other times and he could feel his heart pound as she lifted her hemline. Just when he thought he might get a glimpse of her panties, she would let the dress drop and flash a wicked grin in his direction.

She could see the swelling growing in his pants and was pleased. The warmth was growing inside of her. She liked the idea of him watching her and getting sexually turned on. The idea of him fantasizing about her right now was something she found erotic. The more turned on she got, the more sensual her dance for him became.

After the third song had played, she reached behind her back and slowly unzipped the dress. As she danced she began to let the dress fall down her arms.

"Oh yes, baby! Take it off!" Kenny urged.

Stella ran her tongue around her lips as she looked at Kenny straight in the eye. "Do you want me to take it off? Do you want to see what's underneath?"

Kenny nodded. "Yeah, baby! I want see what's underneath!"

"Then unzip your pants and let me see your big hard cock." Stella's voice was husky and provocative.

Nodding, Kenny undid his belt, and then unzipped his trousers and pulled his rigid member out.

"Mmm, I like that." Stella purred as she let the dress fall to the floor.

Kenny's mouth dropped open. She had removed her panties! Her hairless pussy was framed by the black straps of her garter belt running down to her black stockings. Kenny reached for his cock but was admonished by Stella.

"No, baby! You leave that alone for right now. I just want you to watch me."

Kenny nodded as his eyes moved up her body to her black lacy bra. They barely contained her milky-white breasts. He loved how her breasts jiggled as she moved. Her hands squeezed her barely encased breasts. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to touch himself. The tip of his cock was swollen and bulbous. The tip was wet with his pre-cum. 

As Stella danced, she watched his stiff cock pointing up at the ceiling. It took all of her self-control to keep from getting down on her knees and to start sucking on his engorged cock. Her hand slipped down between her legs to her swollen pussy lips. She felt a surge of lust as her finger slipped into her wet slit. Stella brought the finger up to her mouth and her tongue began to slowly flick and lick at her wet finger. She like the taste of her own sexual excitement. It drove her wilder, but she wanted to drive him on to the point where he couldn't take it any more. She wanted to drive him so wild that he would almost resort to force to relieve his sexual excitement.

She thrust her hips sharply in time with the music as she simulated having sex. She slipped her hand into her bra cup and began to titillate her nipple. As she pinched her nipple, she watched Kenny. He was salivating while he watched her. 

"You're making me so fucking horny!" He spoke with a voice laden with fuck-lust. "I want to see those gorgeous tits of yours."

Stella turned so that her back was to Kenny and she reached around and undid the fastener on the bra. She turned in a slow and deliberate manner, her bra still covering her breasts.

"You want to see my tits?" Her voice was like smooth velvet. Stella slipped both hands under each cup and bent over letting the bra fall to the floor. Her hands squeezed and kneaded her firm breast-flesh. She could feel her hard and rubbery nipples poking into the palms of her hands. She pinched her dark pink nipples with her thumb and forefinger and then pulled on them. She could feel her clit throbbing and begging for attention. All she would need to do is touch herself for a couple of seconds and she would orgasm.

"Yesss!" Kenny loved watching Stella playing with her breasts and nipples. His cock was aching now, it was so hard. He could feel each beat of his heart as it throbbed in his engorged cock.

Stella pulled her hands away from her breasts and began to shake them at Kenny. "Would you like to touch my tits, Kenny? I bet you would like to take your big fat cock into your hand and jack off all over them." Just the thought of feeling his hot jizz on her breasts pushed her closer to the top.

"Yeah, I would like to put my dick between those beautiful tits and yours and fuck them until I came all over them." Kenny moaned, he wasn't sure how much more he could take.

Stella couldn't take any more and she slid her hand between her legs and began to rub her swollen clit hard and fast. "Do you want to watch me cum? I'm going to cum right now, Kenny."

Her whole body began to shake and quiver as her orgasm hit her. Her eyes were locked on to Kenny. She could see him pulling his pants off and then his shirt. 

He jumped up out of his chair and forced Stella up against the wall. He lifted her right leg up and held it in the crook of his elbow. He dipped down slightly and guided his aching cock to the entrance of her wet pussy. With a sharp thrust, he drove his steel hard cock deep inside of her.

"Oh, yes!" Stella moaned. "Fuck me! Fuck me with that big cock! Fuck me hard!"

Kenny's hips thrust his inflamed member in and out of Stella's slick tunnel. "Yeah, baby! I'm going to fuck you like you've never been fucked before."

His free hand squeezed her breast and his cock felt like it was wrapped in a velvety wetness as it slid deep inside of her body. He pumped hard and fast in and out of her, almost lifting her off of the floor with each thrust. 

"Oh god, oh god, oh god," Stella moaned. "I'm going to cum again, baby! Your big hard cock is going to make me cum. I love how you fuck me!"

The feeling of his stiff manhood driving rapidly and deep into her was sending her to the edge again. She looked down and could see his glistening shaft thrusting in and out of her hot, tight tunnel. She loved how it felt as she watched it. Stella reached down between Kenny's legs and began to fondle his heavy balls as he continued fucking her like this was the last time he would have a woman.

"Yes, play with my nuts." Kenny moaned as her hand gently squeezed and tugged on his sack. "God, that feels good."

"Oh, fuck!" Stella cried out as her body began to shake. "I'm cumming again!"

Kenny could feel her pussy contracting around his meaty shaft as she climaxed. He wasn't going to be able to last much longer. He felt the urge to climax building deep inside of his body. Faster and harder he pumped his cock in and out of her vibrating pussy. 

"Finger your clit." Kenny urged Stella. "Try to cum again, I want to feel you cum hard again."

"Oh, yeah!" Stella moaned as her finger began to rub her clit hard and fast. She had just barely come down off of her orgasm when she started to head back up again towards another climax. "I want you to cum with me this time, baby!"

"Yes, I want to fill your hot pussy with my jizz." Kenny could feel the sweat dripping off his body. He watched Stella's luscious tits bouncing wildly as he kept up his torrid pace. The sound of their bodies slapping together filled the room. "Your pussy feels so good on my cock."

"I'm glad, baby. Your cock is heaven. You fuck me the way I want to be fucked." Stella was close to her third climax.

Kenny cried out, "I'm cumming." He felt his cock spurting hard into her pussy.

Stella felt his cock shooting its hot load deep inside of her. "I'm there too, I'm cumming too."

She held his shoulders tight in her hands and she was attempting to move up and down, matching his movements. She began shaking hard against him as her orgasm hit.

Kenny's movements began to slow down as his cock expended the last of its creamy white treasure. He finally let her leg drop to the floor and he leaned in and kissed Stella deeply, driving his tongue deep into her mouth like he had just driven his cock into her pussy.

He picked her up and carried her over to the bed. The lay there for a long time, Stella cuddled tightly against Kenny. This was something else she had never received from Hank that she craved after sex. She just wanted to be held.

Her eyes were moist with emotion as she looked at Kenny. "That was incredible, baby, no man has ever done that to me before."

Kenny smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Incredible doesn't seem to be a strong enough word to describe what happened. I have never been so turned on in my life."

---

Milt showed up precisely at 08:00 at the coroner's office.

Angus Ferguson was already wearing his pale green hospital scrubs. He pointed to the bathroom. "There are some clean scrubs in there that should fit you."

Milted nodded and went in and began to change. He knew how messy Angus could get at times. Once he had changed into the scrubs, he walked through Angus' office into the back room where Angus had begun his preparations. He was dictating some notes into a microphone.

"The deceased appears to be of Mediterranean decent. There is nothing remarkable about the deceased. He is five-feet-nine inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and seventy-one pounds. There are no tattoos or piercings on the deceased's body. There appears to be a scar on the right side of his abdomen that would be indicative of an appendectomy being performed at some time in the past. The scar does not appear to be recent. The one remarkable point about the deceased is five arrows appear to be piercing his chest. It is my assumption at this time that one or more of the arrows are the cause of death."

Angus looked up at Milt. "You ready?"

"Anytime you are, doc." Milt replied. He was glad that he decided to skip breakfast this morning. He already felt that queasy feeling building inside of him.

Angus nodded, and then stepped on the switch that activated the tape recorder. "I will first try to remove the arrows."

Taking a scalpel he cut deep along the entrance point of each arrow. He grasped the shaft in one hand and began to pull on it firmly. With a little more cutting the arrow came free. One by one the other arrows were removed. 

"Jesus!" Angus exclaimed. "These arrows are antiques."

The arrow tips were long, elliptically shaped pieces of sharpened bone that were attached to the shaft with sinew, and then coated in hide glue. The feathers of the triple-fletched arrows were long. Milt immediately thought of turkey feathers by the color and size.

"I'd say willow shafts, just by looking at the knots," surmised Angus.

"Yeah, I think you are right," Milt replied.

Each of the five arrows were almost identical. Each had the same style of arrowhead. Each shaft was painted yellow, and the same style of feathers had been used on each one. There were very subtle changes with some of the markings. 

"Any idea what the markings mean?" Milt asked, hopeful that the doctor might have an answer for that.

"No," Angus shook his head. "You might need to talk to Charlie Red Elk. He might know of someone. Also there is a museum in South Dakota that has a fascinating display of Lakota arrows. They might have some clues to what the marks mean. Another idea would be to call the University, I think they have a Native American studies program."

"So you think they are Lakota arrows?" Charlie asked.

Angus nodded as he replied, "Oh yes! Most definitely Lakota, and made in the old style. Someone put a lot of work into shaping the shafts, putting the tip and feathers on, notching out the nock. Not to mention the work put into crafting the arrowheads."

Milt held one of the arrows in his gloved hand. "I thought all arrowheads were made of flint or obsidian."

"No, bone was fairly common choice among the Lakota," Angus remarked.

Now came the part that Milt hated the worst. He listened as Angus dictated his notes.

"Five arrows, appearing to be of Native American manufacture, or manufactured by someone in the style of antique Native American arrows, have been removed from the body. Each arrow is twenty-six inches long and tipped with a sharpened bone arrow head measuring four inches in length. We will now open up the chest cavity."




Montana Summer Ch. 10



Milt closed his eyes as Angus started his bone saw. The sound and the smell of the saw cutting through the bone made Milt feel weak at the knees.

The result of the autopsy was homicide by person, or persons unknown, each of the arrows had pierced Sal's heart and any one of them would have been enough to cause instant death.

Angus signed his report and looked up at Milt. "I'll send this over to Cliff's office and I'll send a copy over to your office also."

"Thanks, Angus. I appreciate it," Milt answered.

Milt's stomach still hadn't quit churning by the time he reached his office. He thought about getting a cup of coffee on the way in but decided against it.

Deputy Travis Parks poked his head into Milt's office. "Call Ray down at the garage, he's dying to tell you what they found in the SUV."

Milt looked up. "What did they find?"

Travis grinned. "Oh, about one hundred and twenty thousand dollars in cash and a hi-powered military sniper's rifle."

Milt's jaw dropped. This whole case was getting stranger and stranger as time went on. "Where was the money?"

"Well, according to Ray, the money was divided up among all of the door panels. The rifle was in a panel in the cargo area."

Milt picked up his phone and called over the garage. "Let me talk to Ray, this is Milt," he replied after someone answered the phone.

---

The days all seemed to blur together. Someone was with Ryan constantly day and night. They all took turns sitting with him. Each day the news was the same, very little change, no better, and no worse. After five full days which felt like an eternity the doctor had some good news for a change.

"We are going to discontinue the drugs that are keeping him in the semi-comatose state. As the medication wears off, he should begin to wake up. But," the doctor cautioned. "It may take him a day or two to regain consciousness. He may drift in and out for the first little while. It is completely normal, since he is also on some strong IV pain medication."

As the day wore on, each became concerned at the lack of progress in Ryan waking up. Each time, the nurses would remind them of what the doctor had said, that it would just take time.

Late in the afternoon, there were signs of Ryan coming back to life. He seemed more restless. His eyes would open momentarily, and then close again. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. Each time his eyes would open, they would hope they would stay open, and then a sinking feeling overcame them as his eyes closed and he drifted back off.

Everyone except for Jessi went down to the cafeteria for some supper. Jessi elected to stay with Ryan. She asked her mother to just bring her back a sandwich. She didn't have much of an appetite. Jessi sat next to Ryan's bed and held on to his hand. She was watching the television when she felt Ryan squeeze her hand tightly. 

Jessi turned and saw Ryan's eyes half opened and focused on her. Tears started flowing like a summer storm down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, Jessi." Ryan's voice was slurred and weak.

"Oh, cowboy! These are tears of joy. How do you feel?" Jessi took her other hand and caressed his cheek.

"I dunno, I..." Ryan drifted back off to sleep again.

Jessi ran out of the room to the nurse's station. "He talked, he talked!"

Ryan's nurse was sitting at the desk filling information in chart, she looked up at Jessi. "Did he know who you were?"

Jessi felt giddy, she didn't know what to say but her head nodded up and down rapidly.

The nurse got up from the desk and headed towards Ryan's room. Jessi caught up with her in a couple steps. "He talked! I can't believe it."

The nurse checked Ryan's vital signs, and then took a small penlight and shone it into Ryan's eyes. She looked at Jessi. "He might do this all night. Part of it is the medication he was on, and part of it is the pain medication he is on right now. It's a positive step though. He woke up and recognized you."

The nurse was right. Ryan would wake up briefly for a few minutes, say a few words, and then drift back off to sleep. 

The next morning, the doctor came in early and evaluated Ryan's progress. "He is coming along," he told the group huddled around Ryan's bed. "We are going to cut back on his pain medication until he is conscious, or if there are obvious signs of pain, we will increase the dosage to the next level."

---

Hank picked up the cell phone on the first ring. He looked at the display. It was a Denver number. "Yeah, Hank here."

"It's Vincenzo. Tony would like to meet you this afternoon, if that is convenient with you."

"Yeah, that's fine. What time?" Hank looked at his watch.

"Three o'clock," Vincenzo replied. "Tony has a man he would like you to meet. He hopes he will meet with your approval."

Hank felt his heart race momentarily. He had just about given up hope on Tony coming through with someone.

"That will work for me. Are you going to pick me up again?" 

"Of course," Vincenzo replied. "I will pick you up at 2:15."

Hank pressed the end button on his cell phone. He looked at the woman sleeping in the bed. He sat down on the bed and roused her. "Wake up, good looking."

"Hey, what time is it?" she asked.

"Early," Hank answered. "About 10:30. I have to get you back home. I have some business I have to take care of this afternoon."

She shook her head. "Let me sleep. I can take a shower here and take a cab to the club."

Hank smiled. It had been another wild night with her. Tonight, he was going to try to get her to bring one of her friends back to the motel. He loved watching two women getting it on. That was the one of the things he could never get Stella to do, get sexual with another woman while he watched.

"Okay, baby, you sleep, I'm going to have a shower, and then I will get us some coffee." Hank looked at the time. He reached for his cell phone and went into the bathroom.

He started the water running and then called Kenny. He waited as the phone rang. 

"Hello?" Kenny sounded groggy as he answered the phone.

'He must have been up all night fucking Stella.' Hank decided. "I heard from one of Tony's little bitches a few minutes ago. Tony wants to meet me about 3:00, they say that they have a guy for us."

"Good! Be as evasive as you can while you are at Tony's place. Set something up with this guy for the weekend. I will fly in and interview him with you."

"Okay, I will call you back after the meeting," Hank replied.

---

Norm Campbell had received a phone call from Vincenzo shortly after Hank had talked to him. The only difference in the phone calls was that Norm would be at Tony's an hour before Hank. Tony wanted another opportunity to speak with Norm.

He was ready and waiting outside on his doorstep when Vincenzo pulled up with the limo. Vicenzo got out of the car and opened the back door for Norm. "Good afternoon, Mr. Campbell. Good to see you again."

Norm nodded at Vincenzo. "Nice to see you , too." Norm didn't really mean it. He couldn't think of anyone he wanted to see any less than Vincenzo. Norm was afraid of Vincenzo—his dress, his manners, everything was impeccable. There was an aura of strength and power about him. Norm had no doubt that Vincenzo could be as cold and as ruthless as they came should the situation demand it. 

As they left, Vincenzo looked back through the open window that separated the front seat from the passenger area of the limo. "We are going to Tony's house for today's meeting."

"Who says crime doesn't pay?" Norm thought to himself as the car pulled up to Tony's house. It was a large, sprawling, two-story red brick mansion. The front of the house was lined with white fluted columns. After Vincenzo opened the door and let Norm out of the car, Norm just stood there and admired the house.

"Follow me," Vincenzo motioned. They rang the doorbell and waited for an answer. The door opened and they were ushered into a large open area. 

The man who answered the door looked at Norm. "Do you have any weapons?"

Norm shook his head. "No."

The man smiled. "Well, I still have to search you. Boss' orders for everyone."

"Okay. Go ahead." Norm stood still as the man frisked him.

"Open your briefcase." He ordered after he had finished searching Norm.

Norm set the thumbwheels to the correct code and opened his briefcase. 

After searching the case, the man nodded to Vincenzo. "He's clean."

Vincenzo nodded. "Follow me."

Norm was led into the library and Vincenzo pointed to a chair. "Sit down. Tony will be in shortly to see you."

The room was warm. The fire was burning in the fireplace, and not a gas fire either, a real wood fire. Norm could imagine himself in this room at night, the fire going, sitting in a large comfortable leather chair reading a good book. Rows and rows of leather bound books lined the shelves. Paintings of ships sailing under full sail adorned the walls tastefully.

He heard the door to the library open and he stood as he saw Tony walk in.

"Sit, sit." Tony gestured. He sat down in a chair opposite from Norm. "Can I get you anything? A drink perhaps?"

"No, thanks," Norm replied. He was still a little nervous.

"I have asked you here today because in about an hour you are going to meet with a representative of the group that was looking for a man like yourself. I also wanted to assure you that you have nothing to worry about with these people. You will not be in any danger."

"Well, thanks." Norm did feel a little better.

Tony continued, "And I wanted to make sure that you knew where your priorities lay."

"With you." Norm replied.

"Good." Tony nodded his head. "I will be paying you. As will they. I am paying you for information. They will be paying you for the actual work that you will be doing. Do you understand?"

Norm perked up. "Yeah, it sounds like it could be a sweet deal for me as long as I don't screw it up."

"Precisely," Tony replied. "There is to be no gambling while you are in my employ. No playing the horses, no betting on games. Is that understood?"

Norm hung his head. His gambling is what got him into this situation to begin with. He looked up at Tony. "Yes, I understand."

"Good." Tony was nodding his head, his hands were under his chin, fingertip to fingertip. "Otherwise, you will be having a visit from Vincenzo. It would not be a pleasant visit."

That sent chills up Norm's back. "No, I understand."

Tony reached into his blazer and produced an envelope. "I know you are in some financial difficulty at the moment. This should help you get your affairs in order."

Norm took the envelope from Tony. There was a bundle of one hundred dollar bills with a paper band around them. Five-thousand was marked in pen on the band. Five-thousand dollars. That would certainly help get things back in order. He slipped the money into his briefcase.

"I will give you same amount on the first of every month while you are in my employ, and as I said before, if you serve me faithfully, your debt to me will be forgiven. If you do not serve me faithfully, you will owe me the gambling debt, plus all of the monies that I have paid you, and as some financial institutions advertise, certain penalties will be assessed. And these are not financial penalties."

Norm understood the veiled threat implicitly. "I understand. I will do whatever you ask of me."

"I thought you might. Now that we have that behind us let us proceed with our business." Tony smiled, and this smile seemed to be genuine. "A man by the name of Hank will be here shortly. I seriously doubt he will reveal much here. I fully expect him to contact you within the next day or so to set up a meeting. Another man by the name of Kenny will probably be in attendance. Kenny is the man you will be working for. I want you to let me know where the meeting will be and when. I will want to know what is discussed at the meeting. I am eager to hear what they want with a man such as yourself."

"You don't know?" Norm asked.

"No." Tony shook his head. "Both Kenny and Hank have been very evasive, much as I would be if the roles were reversed. Don't expect them to trust you completely from the start. They will suspect that you are working for me. Just do as they ask. Only ask questions that you think are pertinent. Don't try to go fishing for information. Patience is the trick here."

A knock was heard on the library door. Tony looked at the Rolex on his wrist. He smiled at Norm. "Right on time. Any questions before we let our guest in?"

"Yes, only one," Norm responded. "Who do I call? You, or, Vincenzo?"

"Ah, yes." Tony reached into his pocket and handed Norm a business card. "You will contact me. I would prefer it if you called me in the evenings at home. If, for some reason, you feel that it cannot wait, call the cell number on the card. I would advise you to commit both of those numbers to memory and to get rid of the card."

Norm nodded. "Okay. That's all I had."

Tony stood up. "Good! Now we will meet our other guest."

---

Stan checked the time and then dialed Lindsey's cell. She should be at lunch now. 

"Hello?" Lindsey answered the phone on the first ring.

"Hi, Lindsey." Stan waited to see what her tone of voice would be today. It had ranged from almost icy to barely lukewarm the past week.

"Hi, Stan." She was actually happy to hear from him, but she tried to keep her voice aloof.

Stan was a little disappointed, There was still no real emotion in her voice. "Becky called. She said that Ryan is beginning to wake up. He has opened his eyes a few times and has talked a little."

A flood of relief passed through Lindsey. She liked Ryan, she liked him a lot. There was just something about him that she found almost irresistible. "Thank god, that is the best news I have heard all week. Any idea how long he will be up there?"

"No," Stan answered. "They have no idea. The doctors won't even give them a guess at this point."

"Well, at least he is beginning to come out of it." Lindsey's voice sounded a little more chipper.

"Yeah, Becky said he recognizes everyone, and she said the doctors said that was great sign." 

"I'm glad," Lindsey responded. "I just hope there is no brain damage."

"Yeah, me too. Well, I guess I should get back to work here." Stan felt like he wasn't getting anywhere with her.

Lindsey could sense the despair in Stan's voice and relented a bit. Her voice softened. "Stan."

"Yes?"

"If you want to, you can come over tonight. Mom will be out, so we will have some time. We really need to talk." 

Stan felt like a condemned man who got a last minute reprieve. "I'll call you later and let you know what time I will get out of here. Any movies you want to see?"

Lindsey felt her face flush. She had enjoyed the dirty movies that Stan had brought from the store. She wasn't quite sure what he had meant by the comment and decided to be non-committal. "I don't care, Stan."

"Okay, I'll see you later." Stan felt better than he had in days.

---

Ryan opened his eyes. There was dull, throbbing ache in the back of his head. It hurt to move. He could see all of the IV's running into both of his arms and he knew he was in the hospital.

He looked around the dim room and he had no idea what the time was. Ryan didn't know what day it was, he didn't even know if it was day or night. He heard a snoring sound on his right. He moved his head slightly to the right and smiled. It was Charlie. 

"Hey! Charlie!" It was an effort for him to talk. 

Charlie opened his eyes and looked at Ryan. A smile grew over the old man's face. "I thought I was dreaming when I heard you."

"Will you be my tunkansila?" Ryan's voice was raspy.

Charlie gave Ryan a puzzled look.

"For the Sun Dance, will you be my tunkansila?" Ryan repeated the question.

Charlie felt a lump in his throat. "I would be honored."

"I have spent much time with Mato. It felt like I would never return to this world. He has shown me much. We have much to talk about." Ryan reached for Charlie's hand and held it. "Mato says I am wašicun wakan. Do you think I am?"

Charlie nodded his head slowly. "Yes, I think you are." 

As Ryan drifted back off to sleep, Charlie kept watch over him. Charlie's voice was just above a whisper. "Yes, Ryan, you are wašicun wakan, just as Micaksica Skayakel was. You will be a man who will live in two worlds. I saw this in my vision, but I just didn't believe it possible."

Jessi walked into the room and looked at Charlie. "What did that mean?"

Charlie looked at Jessi and then pointed at Ryan. "He is wašicun wakan, a white man who is—blessed. He is much like your great-great grandfather. It was said he lived in two worlds. The world of the Whites, and the world of the Lakota, and he was equally respected by both. Ryan is like that. He is special." Charlie looked at Ryan with tears of joy in his eyes. He squeezed Ryan's hand tightly. "Very special."

Jessi put her arms around Charlie and hugged him. "Well, Ryan has told me that he thinks you are special, too."

Charlie nodded. "I know that now. He asked me to be his tunkansila, his teacher, for the Sun Dance. That is a great honor."

Jessi looked at Ryan and then back at Charlie. "He is very special to me, too."

"I know. Although I am an old man, I can still tell when two people are in love." A smile crossed Charlie's face.

"Well, I didn't know it was that obvious." Jessi blushed.

"One would have to be blind and deaf to miss the love that you two share." Charlie's voice was quiet.

---

As soon as Hank was back in his hotel room, he called Kenny from his cell phone.

Kenny had been on pins and needles waiting for Hank's call. When his phone rang, he grabbed and answered it. "Yeah?"

"Well, I met him." Hank was looking out the window of his hotel room. He wanted to make sure that the limo had left the parking lot.

"Does it seem like that he could be our man?" Kenny asked.

"Yes." Hank replied. "He is everything we were hoping for. He is a geologist. Most of his experience has been with gold and copper. He does have a mining background."

"Fantastic!" Kenny was feeling exuberant. "Have you set up a meeting with him?"

"I wanted to talk to you first. I thought you would want to be in on it, too." Hank replied. "I told him that I would be calling him back tonight and let him know when we would be meeting."

"I will be there Saturday. Let's set up a meeting for, say, around 7:00. I'll call you later and tell you where I'll be staying." Kenny winked at Stella.

Kenny set the phone down and rubbed his hands together. "Looks like we may have found our man."

Stella had an anxious look on her face. "Will I be going with you?"

"Of course you will be going with me." Kenny smiled at her. "Unless you don't want to have to see Hank, then you can stay here."

"No." Stella put her arms around Kenny's waist and smiled into his eyes. "I want to go with you. And Hank be damned."

---

Stan rang the doorbell and waited for Lindsey to answer the door. He held a bouquet of a dozen red roses in his hand. 

The door opened and Lindsey's face lit up when she saw the flowers. "Are those for me?"

"Yes, they sure are." Stan felt the apprehension melt away. That look of joy on Lindsey's face was all that it took.

Lindsey took the flowers from Stan. "Sit down, I'm just going to put these in some water. They're absolutely beautiful, Stan."

Stan sat and waited for Lindsey to reappear. He wasn't sure what he should say first. This might be his only chance to get their relationship back on track and he didn't want to blow it. Thoughts raced through his mind of things to say and with each one there was a pitfall. In the end, Stan decided the best thing to do was to say nothing and to let Lindsey lead the conversation. 




Montana Summer Ch. 11



This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any real person is just amazing. All characters are eighteen years and older.

*

"What exactly did he mean?" Jessi asked Ryan after Spotted Owl had left. "There is no blood of your great grandfather in me?"

Ryan was trying to control his excitement. "I think he was telling us that you are not related to me and that my father is not your father."

Jessi looked at Ryan, her brow furrowed in thought. She was trying to grasp the enormity of the situation. She looked directly into Ryan's eyes. "Who in hell's name is my biological father then?"

Ryan reached for Jessi's hand and shook his head. "I have no idea. I need to talk to Charlie first. I need to ask him something."

"What do you need to ask him?" Jessi asked.

"I need to ask him if Spotted Owl could be right. I mean, how would he know? I don't want to get all excited over this just to be let down." Ryan tried to control his excitement over the prospect that he and Jessi were not related.

"What about Mom and Dad? Do we tell them?"

"No," Ryan replied. He squeezed Jessi's hand with both of his own. "We need to make sure we are right before we tell them."

Jessi sighed and then leaned over and kissed Ryan on the cheek. "Yeah, you're right. We need to make sure. Can I tell Becky? I have to tell someone."

"Just make sure she keeps it to herself." Ryan smiled and nodded. 

There was a knock on the door and the nurse walked in and smiled at Ryan. "Okay, I need to change your dressing." She looked at Jessi. "It might be better if you waited outside."

Jessi nodded and walked outside and waited in the hall. She looked down at the floor. Each of the light-blue linoleum tiles had been identical at one time. Jessi had begun to recognize the differences now in each of them. Little nicks here and there gave each one a look of its own. 

She glanced up as the nurse removed her latex gloves and tossed them in the trash. The nurse looked at Jessi. "You can come back in now. The doctor called. He is releasing Mr. McFayden to the IMC unit. As soon as a bed comes open, he will be moved."

Jessi nodded at the nurse as she walked back into the room. "Thanks." 

"No problem," the nurse replied. She pointed at Ryan. "He has come a long way in a few short days. Sure surprised me when I came in and saw him tonight."

Jessi stared at the nurse for a moment. "Surprised you? How?"

"I've been off a couple of days. I wasn't expecting to see this much of a change in him. I'm glad. He seems like a nice kid."

"Yeah." Tears began to well up in Jessi's eyes. "For a cowboy, he's alright."

The nurse smiled. She could sense the bond between the young man in the bed and the girl. These were the kind of nights she wished that there were more of in her line of work—tears of happiness instead of tears of sorrow. "Okay then, I'll leave you alone with him. If you need anything, just let me know."

Jessi took the nurse's hand in hers and squeezed it. "Thanks. It seems like it's not enough, but I don't know what else to say except, thanks for everything you have done for him."

The nurse smiled at Jessi and her kind face seemed to glow. "You're welcome. You don't have to say anything else."

She watched as Jessi walked over to Ryan and kissed him on the check. She smiled and walked to the nurse's station and sat down. She looked at the charge nurse who was sitting at the desk writing in a patient's chart. "Penny, do you remember what it was like to be young and in love—really in love?"

The charge nurse looked up, her glasses perched precariously on the end of her nose. "Honey, I've got four kids and a husband. I don't even remember my own damn name half of the time." 

---

Norm Campbell hung up the phone. This was the phone call he had been expecting. He looked at the money sitting on the kitchen table. For the first time in his life he felt that he was not in control of his own destiny. 

He walked into the bathroom and studied the reflection in the mirror. The man looking back at him had lost something. It was more than the wife and child that he had forfeited due to his gambling habit. It wasn't the job at the mine he had lost due to his inability to get his work done because of his addiction to betting. The man looking back at him in the mirror looked like he had lost his soul. 

He had been tempted to call his wife and tell her that he was working again—that the bills were paid, that the house was no longer in foreclosure, that there would be no more phone calls late at night demanding money. Each time he picked up the phone, he would stop. What would he tell her? How would he explain where the money was coming from?

The overpowering urge to bet on sports was only conquered by the fear of Tony somehow finding out and Norm subsequently discovering what a man like Vincenzo was capable of.

Norm turned the faucet on and let the water fill the bathroom sink. He splashed the cold water on his face as if trying to wake from a dream. He sighed when he realized that this was reality and not a dream. 

He sat back down at the kitchen table and took a sip of his coffee and looked at the notes he had carefully written down on a notepad. Like most people in his line of work, his notes were exact and precise. He began to plan on what to wear and how to present himself. This meeting was as important as the one he had with Tony a few days past. He had to sell himself to the man he was going to meet later this evening. 

With a sigh of resignation Norm picked up his cell phone and dialed the number he had committed to memory after his meeting with Tony and Hank. 

A familiar voice answered. "Yes."

"Vincenzo, Norm Campbell here. I have been contacted and the meeting is scheduled for tonight."

"Very good, Mr. Campbell. I will tell Tony that you called," Vincenzo replied. His soft Sicilian accent still gave Norm chills.

---

Ryan sat up in his new bed. He had been moved overnight while he had been sleeping and barely remembered the move. He liked his new room as much as anyone could like a hospital room. The color was different than the room that he had in the ICU, and there was at least a window in this one. Ryan was grateful to see the sun again. It seemed to warm his soul. 

He looked up as his aunt and uncle walked into his room. "Good morning."

Aunt Suzanne leaned down and hugged Ryan tightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Good." He pointed to where the electrodes had been attached to his body for telemetry. "At least I'm not wired up anymore."

Bill sat down in the chair on the other side of Ryan's bed and set his hat on the small table. "You're looking better. You've got some color back in your face."

"I'm feeling a lot better," Ryan replied. He pointed at the morning sunlight streaming in the window. "I can tell what time of day it is now. Up in the other room, I could see the clock, but I had no idea if it was day or night."

Bill's tone of voice turned serious. "Do you remember anything at all at about what happened?"

"No, nothing much." Ryan tried hard to remember . "All I know is I heard something and Bernie reared up, and then next thing I remember is waking up in here." Ryan didn't want to mention the dreams he had to his uncle yet. More important than the dreams themselves was the visit from Spotted Owl. Ryan wanted to talk to Charlie first. "Where's Charlie?"

"Downstairs on the payphone, talking to his wife." Bill replied. "Oh, I almost forgot." Bill raised his hand to his forehead. "Walt called last night after we left for the hotel. He says to say hi to you."

"Did they get the cattle moved?" Ryan suddenly remembered the reason for being on the mountain the night he was injured.

Bill nodded. "Yup, they got them all moved. Frank and Bucky are going to get our cattle moved over to that south pasture."

Ryan looked out the window at the mountains that surrounded the city. Overnight he had done a lot of thinking and had reached a decision. It was a decision that he knew deep down that he had to make and it was bound to make his parents, especially his mother unhappy.

After taking a deep breath, Ryan looked at his aunt and uncle. "I'm not going back to school this semester. For one, I don't think I will be ready, and for two, I don't want to leave Montana."

Suzanne looked at her husband and then at Ryan. "What will your parents say about this?"

"Nothing good, that's for sure." Ryan's laugh was devoid of humor or happiness.

"Your education is important," Bill began. "Especially today. Ranching has become much more complex since I started and it's just going to continue to do so."

"Yes, I understand that," Ryan agreed. "I'm not dropping out of school completely. I just don't think that I'm ready to go back. Not now. I thought I would check out the community college and register for some classes."

Bill ran his fingers through his hair and his eyes told the story. "Well, I'll tell you one thing. I'm not going to be the one to tell your mother."

Ryan shook his head. "No, I will tell her."

There was a look of concern on Suzanne's face. "Are you sure this is what you want, Ryan? I don't want you to regret this decision in a few years."

"Yes, I know this is what I want and I understand the need for an education. I'm not abandoning my education. I'm just changing the direction of my education. That's all." Ryan did his best to explain his decision.

Bill studied his nephew's face intently for a few moments. "Your aunt and I will support your decision, and we will do whatever we can to help."

Ryan felt better now that he had told his aunt and uncle. "I appreciate that, and I appreciate everything you have done for me over the summer."

Charlie walked in the door and came over to Ryan and shook his hand. "It is good to see you looking better."

"Thanks, Charlie. Everything fine at home? How's Walt?" Ryan asked.

Charlie grinned. "Yes, things are fine at home. The wife still remembers my name and says she hasn't sold my clothes yet. Walt is good and sends you his best wishes."

---

Stella was impressed. They had flown first class to Denver and it was her first experience in the front of the plane. Once they had landed, a limo from the hotel was waiting for her and Kenny. The hotel room took her breath away. She had never seen a suite this large or luxurious. After the bellhop had left the room, she looked at Kenny and her voice was breathless as she asked, "Are you sure this is the right room? I have never seen anything like this before."

Kenny smiled. The look on her face was almost worth the money he was putting out for the room. "Yes, baby, this is the right room. Yeah, it's a little pricey, but we are going to try to impress a man tonight. What could be better than something like this?"

She smiled and hugged Kenny. "No one has ever treated me the way you do. I almost feel like a lady." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Kenny on the cheek.

"You are a lady, Stella." Kenny felt a warmth flow through his body. "Don't ever let anyone tell you different."

Her eyes studied his face looking for any sign that he was just teasing her or leading her on. She couldn't find any evidence that he was just playing with her emotions. "Thank you." Stella's voice was gentle.

Stella walked into the bathroom. "Oh my god," she whispered to herself. "I can't believe the size of this bathroom." The marble Jacuzzi tub sat a cross from one of the three fireplaces in the suite. Two large showers with shower heads on both sides flanked the tub. Gold plated fixtures that looked like swans adorned the sinks and the tub.

Kenny called out, "Would you like me to call the concierge to get you into the spa?"

She came out of the bathroom and smiled at Kenny. "Oh yes! I would love that."

Kenny chuckled as he picked up the hotel room phone and called the concierge.

---

The doctor examined the wound on the back of Ryan's head and then checked the wound on Ryan's shoulder. He evaluated the range-of-motion of the arm and, once satisfied, he had Ryan put his arm down. "Well, I think we can safely state that you are on your way to a full recovery."

"How long before I can go home?" Ryan gave the doctor a hopeful look.

Looking up from the chart in his hand, the doctor replied, "Oh, I think a few more days and you should be ready to leave this place. I want to have one more MRI of your head done tomorrow, just to confirm that there is no bleeding in the brain. If that comes back clear I would think just a day or two more. I want to get you up and walking tomorrow."

After the doctor left, Ryan closed his eyes and thought about the ranch and the mountains. He missed the freedom he had grown accustomed to. He missed walking outside and smelling the fresh air. He chuckled as he thought about Bernie. He wondered if Bernie missed him at all. Ryan thought one thing was for certain—Bernie may or may not miss him, but he felt assured that the horse was missing his daily apple ration.

Charlie ambled back into the room and sat in the chair beside the bed. He hoisted a bottle of root beer in the air towards Ryan. "I'm on the hard stuff today."

Ryan laughed and licked his lips. "What I wouldn't give for one of those about now."

Charlie got up and looked up and down the hall outside Ryan's door. Once he was sure that no one was on their way into the room, he reached into his jacket pocket and produced another bottle of root beer. "I thought you might be feeling that way about now, so I brought one for you, too."

Ryan licked his lips in anticipation as Charlie removed the cap and handed him the bottle. Ryan took a long swallow of the root beer and then said with conviction, "Damn, that's good!"

"Yup!" Charlie nodded with a bright smile covering his face. "It is damn good, and I hate to drink alone."

After downing most of the bottle of root beer, Ryan looked at Charlie with a serious expression on his face.

"I can see you have something on your mind," Charlie remarked.

"Yeah, I do. I got a lot on my mind. I'm just not quite sure of where to start," Ryan replied in a quiet tone of voice.

Charlie sat his bottle on the small table and then leaned over and rested his elbows on his knees. "Start anywhere."

"I had a lot of dreams, Charlie," Ryan began. "They weren't like the first dream I had or the one I had up on the mountain."

"What kind of dreams were they?" Charlie's voice was soft. He was eager to hear what Ryan had to say.

"At times, I would see and be with Mato. Most of the time, I wasn't. It seems like I spent a lot of time living the Lakota ways. I even saw when my great-grandfather met Spotted Owl and Runs With Elk."

Charlie sat there spellbound. He had never heard anything like what Ryan was telling him. The dreams that Ryan told him about were so detailed, there was no doubt in Charlie's mind that in some manner Ryan had lived in those dreams.

Ryan continued. "At one point I thought I was dead. Mato kept me from crossing over the Wanagi Tachanku. I would try to wake up, but I couldn't. I saw Spotted Owl, and from what he said I knew I was in the hospital." 

Ryan paused, there were tears welling up in his eyes. "They saved me." His voice got quiet, just above a whisper. "I saw them—Charlie, I saw them—just before I got thrown."

Ryan shivered at the memory. "You should have seen them Charlie, their horses were running at a full gallop and for a moment I could see the grim look in their eyes. They were wearing war paint, and their bodies were painted, too. Their horses were at a full gallop and yet none of them held a rope or rein. They had their bows in their hands and pulled back. Then I fell backwards and that was it. They saved my life, Charlie. And I don't understand why."

Charlie studied Ryan as he clasped his hands and collected his thoughts. "I don't know why Ryan, but I do know one thing—you are wakan. You are like your great grandfather. You are a wakan wašicun. You have a great gift. I don't know if can give you all of the answers, but I will be your tunksila. I will try to show you the way.

Ryan reached over and patted Charlie on the shoulder. "Thank you. I have one more question for you. I need you to promise you won't say anything about this to anyone."

"You have my word," Charlie promised. 

Ryan took a deep breath. "You know Jessi and I are close."

Charlie nodded.

"And you know that Jessi and I are..." Ryan closed his eyes for a moment. "You know that we are related."

Charlie wasn't sure where Ryan was heading with this, but again he nodded.

"It's even more complicated than you probably realize." Ryan told Charlie the whole story of the confrontation after the rodeo dance, and what Uncle Bill had revealed. "I can't explain it, but it feels like Jessi is a part of this, almost like she is part of my destiny.

Charlie's face was passive as he listened to Ryan. Inside, he ached for the boy and the girl. He had seen the love in their eyes when they were together. He couldn't recall ever seeing two people more in love than Ryan and Jessi. He had to agree with the one statement that Ryan had made. He hadn't told Ryan about one little piece of the vision he had up on Baxter's. He had seen a girl at Ryan's side and that girl had been Jessi.

"Here's what I wanted to ask you. Would Spotted Owl tell me something that wasn't true?" Ryan held his breath and waited for an answer.

"I don't think so." Charlie began. "What did he tell you?"

"He said that there was no blood of my great-grandfather in Jessi. Well, actually what he said was that Jessi would bear me a son. I told Spotted Owl that it wasn't possible and that Jessi was my half-sister. Then he reached over and touched Jessi and told us there was no blood of my great grandfather in Jessi."

A look of shock washed over Charlie's face. "No, I don't think Spotted Owl would tell you anything false. He would tell you what he would believe to be true. Now if it was Iktomi that would be a different matter."

Ryan was excited. "So it's true then!"

Charlie raised his hand. "I didn't say that. I don't know the answer. All I know, or think, is that Spotted Owl would not deceive you."

---

Norm Campbell straightened his tie and then knocked lightly on the door to the hotel suite. He was impressed already. He knew this hotel wasn't cheap and that a suite here must cost a considerable amount of money.

Stella answered the door and smiled at Norm. "Please come in, we have been expecting you."

Norm was impressed with the suite. He had only seen something this opulent before on television. He wondered how much this place went for a night. 

"Mr. Walker will be out in a moment. Please make yourself comfortable. Can I get you anything?" Stella showed Norm to very comfortable looking chair that sat opposite a matching sofa.

"Diet Pepsi if you have it," Norm responded. He thought as he watched Stella walk to the wet bar, 'And the night with you.'

Stella could feel his eyes studying every detail of her body. She liked the feeling that she could stir desire in men with nothing but her presence. When she had asked Kenny how to dress for tonight his reply was only one word—"Hot".

Kenny came out of the bedroom carrying a couple of folders. "Good! You're here!" 

Norm stood up as Kenny walked over and shook his hand. He liked Kenny's handshake, firm and deliberate.

"Sit down at the table. There is some information that I want to show you. You met my partner a few days ago? He should be here shortly." Kenny pointed to the round table, off to one side.

Stella brought the drinks to the table and set them down if front of Norm and Kenny. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, I will leave you alone."




Montana Summer Ch. 11



Kenny flashed Stella a smile. He was more than pleased with the way she looked and with the way she conducted herself. "Thank you, Stella. I'll call you if we need you."

Just as Stella was about to go into the bedroom, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get that." She knew it was Hank at the door. 

Stella opened the door and smiled at Hank. "Come in, they are waiting for you."

Hank's eyes popped out of his head. He had almost forgotten how good Stella could look when she got dressed up. "Looking good, baby."

Stella smiled and whispered, "The feeling is not mutual."

Hank glared for a moment but then remembered that Mandy, the dancer from the strip club, promised that she would bring one of her friends back to the hotel with her tonight. 

"Bitch," he whispered as he walked past her towards where Kenny and Norm were seated.

Stella retreated back into the bedroom. She was glad to be rid of Hank and she wondered why she had put up with him for so long. 

Kenny looked at Norm. "We are in need of your services. We have a location that we believe that could be..." He paused for a moment. "Profitable for all of us."

"What exactly is it that you require from me?" Norm asked.

"Confirmation and advice," Kenny replied. "We need to know what we have found at a certain location is what we think it is."

"Where exactly is this location?" The moment Norm asked the question he wished he would have waited.

Hank shot Kenny a concerned look as Kenny replied, "Well, I think it may be a bit premature to divulge the exact location, but southwestern Montana is the general area."

"I understand your concern." Norm replied. 

"Good." Kenny continued, looking over at Hank. "Show Mr. Campbell the samples."

Hank reached into his pocket and handed a leather pouch to Norm.

Norm opened the bag and dumped the contents onto the table and then looked up at Kenny. "I take it that this little venture is not exactly above board?"

Kenny nodded. "That's probably a good assessment of the situation."

Norm arranged the samples in front of him. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small, hi-powered magnifying glass. He carefully examined the samples and then looked at Kenny. "Very interesting. What can you tell me about where these come from?"

Kenny looked at Hank. "You might be better equipped than me to answer that question."

"Well, it's on the top of a relatively small mountain. There was a vein of quartz visible where we took a couple of those samples from."

Norm looked at the samples. "I suppose that filing a mining claim on the land is out of the question?"

"Precisely. There is no chance of filing a claim." Kenny replied.

"Then these samples are worthless, in that case. The ore would have to be processed to get any gold out of it." Norm pointed to the samples of quartz that were flaked with gold. He then pointed at the nuggets. "These on the other hand present some definite possibilities. Did they come from the same area?"

"I think so," Hank replied. We found them...well, let's say for the sake of saying that the answer is yes."

"Just by looking at the samples, my guess is they came from a stream, or creek. I would have to visit the area to get a better idea. There is gold there. I have no doubt about that." Norm concluded.

Kenny joined the conversation. "Okay, if there is gold in the creek, how hard is it to get out?"

"Not hard. It's not likely we can set up a gold placer, but we could pan for the gold. It takes almost nothing in the way of start up capital. Just some shovels and pans and camping equipment."

"The important question here is whether we can make any money?" Kenny looked directly at Norm.

"I can't answer that until I have physically looked at the area," Norm answered in matter of fact tone of voice.

"And the other stuff is no good to us?" Kenny pointed at the quartz samples.

"Nope. Not really. We can poke around a bit and see if we can find a vein though. That's where all the gold really is." Norm replied. He stared at Hank for a moment. "Didn't you say there was an exposed vein of quartz?"

"Yes, least wise that's what it looked like to me," Hank replied.

"Interesting." Norm rubbed his chin as he thought. "And you said the top of this mountain was pretty much flat?"

"Yup, just like someone had sliced the top of it off," Hank answered.

"Well, I'll have to see it before I can say too much. It sounds like there may have been a geological event there at some time in the past that may have done some of the work for us. When can I get a look at this place?" Norm found his initial apprehension had given way to excitement. He was eager to take a look at this mountain. Geologically, it was interesting. His initial thought was that the mountain could have been volcanic at one time and that would explain the odd shape. The top may have been blown away by an eruption similar to Mt. Saint Helens.

Kenny cursed Sal and his stupidity under his breath. "We've had a slight setback. It probably wouldn't be wise for and of us to show up around there for a little while. I will let you know. Are you interested in our little—project?"

"Yes, very much. If for nothing else, I would like to check out that mountain. It sounds fascinating." Norm replied.

Kenny smiled and nodded at Hank. "Well then, let's get down to business. You probably will be needing some money for your services. I would like to remind you that I expect you to keep what we have discussed here in complete confidence."

"I understand." Norm felt his heart pound. There was Tony. He didn't dare cross Tony. He felt a shiver go down his back. It was the kind of shiver that his mother would have described as someone having just stepped on your grave.

---

"Hey, cowboy." Jessi smiled as she walked into Ryan's room. The room was dim, as the main light had been turned off.

Ryan opened his eyes and grinned. "Hey, good lookin'."

"I hope I didn't wake you up." Jessi leaned over and gave Ryan a kiss on the cheek.

"No, I was just laying here thinking." Ryan reached over and squeezed her hand. "You know, when you first started calling me cowboy, I thought you were making fun of me."

Jessi laughed and shook her head. "Oh, God, no!" She blushed and looked down at the floor. "I think that's when I first fell in love with you. You looked so damned sexy on that apple-mooching horse of yours."

"Hey!" Ryan let out a warm laugh. "You leave that fine horse of mine out of this. I kind of miss him."

"Yeah!" Jessi teased. "You probably love him more than you love me."

Ryan stared into Jessi's eyes. "You know that I couldn't love anyone or anything more than I love you."

Jessi's voice got soft. "Yes. I know that and I feel the same way about you."

"I talked to Charlie this afternoon." Ryan squeezed Jessi's hand. "I asked him about Spotted Owl and what he told us."

"And?" Jessi felt her stomach doing little flips. "What did he say?"

"Charlie doesn't know for sure, but he doesn't think Spotted Owl would have told us anything that wasn't true, or at least he wouldn't have tried to deceive us," Ryan replied.

"Oh my God!" Jessi exclaimed. "So it could be true then?"

Ryan nodded. "Sounds like it."

"What does this mean? For us, I mean." Jessi felt like the weight of the world had just been lifted from her shoulders.

Ryan's face wore a mischievous grin. "Well, Spotted Owl did say that you would bear me a fine son. So sounds like I get lucky at least once in the future."

"You're just lucky you're laid up in that bed right now. Otherwise I would have to attack you right here and now." Jessi winked at Ryan.

"Oh, baby, you're lucky I'm stuck in this bed right now, else I'd be up and chasing you round this room." Ryan snickered at the thought.

"I'd probably let you catch me." Jessi's voice got husky. The thought of having sex in Ryan's hospital bed turned her on. She could see a bulge growing under the blanket. Jessi was glad that she wasn't the only one feeling the same way. She giggled as she pointed at the lump that was growing under his blanket. "Do you want me to get the nurse? Maybe she can do something about that."

"Oh, thanks a hell of a lot." Ryan rolled his eyes. "I think my nurse is about eighty."

Jessi got up from her chair and went to the door to check the hallway. She pulled his curtain slightly so the view to Ryan's bed from the doorway was blocked. Jessi sat back down in the chair and grinned at Ryan. She pointed to the table beside his bed.

"Lotion." She picked the bottle up and squirted some in her right hand. After moving the blanket and sheet aside, she moved his gown out of the way and began to rub the lotion over his erect member.

"Oh, fuck!" Ryan exhaled. "Oh, baby." The slick feeling on his stiff cock was incredible. He liked how her hand felt as it covered his shaft with the slippery lotion.

"Do you like that, cowboy?" Jessi whispered as her hand began to stroke his steel hard shaft.

"You know I love it!" Ryan couldn't have cared if the entire hospital staff walked through the door at that moment. The feeling of Jessi's hand starting to slowly jack him was the best medicine he had felt in days.

"I'm glad you like it." Jessi's hand lightly gripped his cock as it moved back and forth along its entire length. "It turns me on doing this to you. I like how your cock feels in my hand."

She loved watching his eyes as she stroked him. There was a look of wild abandon in them. Jessi could feel the heat and the wetness building deep inside of her. She reached down and began to rub her crotch through her jeans. Her eyes alternated between watching her hand pleasure his stiff member and looking into his eyes.

"Oh yeah, baby. I like how your hand feels right now." Ryan voice was thick with lust.

Her hand sped up a little and squeezed tighter. "I'd suck you right now, but I need to watch the door."

"Oh baby!" Ryan gushed. "I'd love to have you suck me right now. You drive me wild."

"When you get out of here and we get back home, I promise I will suck you." Jessi panted as she continued stroking Ryan's engorged cock. The head was swollen so large now that Jessi was sure that it was in imminent danger of bursting. Her nipples were aching and she wished she could take her top off and squeeze them, or better yet have Ryan play with them.

"I want to suck on your clit while you suck me." His voice betrayed how turned on he was. He couldn't prevent his hips from rocking in time with her hand. 

Jessi wished she could slip her hand into her pants and rub her swollen and aching clit. She whimpered softly as her hand rubbed up and down between her legs. "I love when you do that, when you fuck my hand like that. You're the only guy that's ever done that to me."

"Your hand isn't the only thing I would like to be fucking right now. It feels so good." Ryan's eyes were half closed as he enjoyed Jessi's hand stroking him.

Her hand moved back and forth from his swollen cock-head down to the base. She gently squeezed the tip and then captured his slippery pre-cum in the palm of her hand, mixing it in with the lotion that already lubricated his thick, firm cock.

"I'm glad you like it," Jessi whispered back. "I like jacking you off. You have no idea how much it turns me on." She could feel the heat of her pussy through her jeans. "I like watching you cum as I stroke you."

"You keep this up and you won't have to wait very long for me to cum," Ryan warned. He could feel the pressure rising deep inside of him—it was the precursor to his impending orgasm.

Jessi's hand sped up and her grip tightened as she began to masturbate him in earnest. She wanted to make him cum, to see his hot jizz spurt from the tip and feel it on her hand. There was an audible thwap, thwap sound as her hand stroked him hard and fast.

"Cum for me, baby. I want to make you cum." Jessi desperately wanted to hump something besides her hand. 

She was jacking him as fast as she could, now, her hand was almost a blur. She stared at her hand as she tried to coax his cock into shooting his thick, hot, white cum all over her hand and his belly.

"Oh fuck, oh, fuck, I'm going to..." Ryan closed his eyes as he felt his cock release its first torrent.

"Yes!" Jessi exclaimed as Ryan began to spurt his jizz from the tip of his cock. Over and over, it sprayed long, white streamers of semen onto his belly. She felt some of it on her hand and fingers. 

Ryan moaned with each spurt and the room seemed to spin as he peaked. Her hand continued its frantic stroking for as long as he continued to shoot his cum. She slowed down and finally stopped, but she didn't release him from her grip, just holding his manhood in her hand.

She grinned at him. "Did that feel good, cowboy."

He was trying to catch his breath, "It felt great. You have no idea how good it felt. I just wish I could have done something for you."

Jessi smiled. "You don't worry about that. When I get back to the hotel, I will take care of myself."

After Jessi had cleaned him up and left, Ryan fell quickly asleep—it was the best night's sleep he had since arriving at the hospital.

---

"Tony? It's Norm Campbell." Norm had called Tony as soon as he had arrived home.

"Mr. Campbell. Good to hear from you," Tony replied. "What can I do for you?"

Norm sat down in his recliner with a beer in his hand. "Nothing. I just wanted to let you know that I had my first meeting with Kenny tonight." 

"And how did the meeting go?" Tony was well aware that Norm had met with Kenny this evening.

"I think it went well enough. It's gold that they are after."

"I suspected as much. Did they give you any details as to the location?"

Norm took a sip of his beer. "No, just that it's somewhere in southwestern Montana."

Tony chuckled. "I didn't think they would give you the combination to the safe at the first meeting. What is your professional opinion to as what they had to say?"

"Well, they have definitely found gold. Whether it is viable to remove the gold, remains to be seen. I really won't be able to give anyone an answer to that until I see the physical location."

"You have done well, Mr. Campbell. I appreciate you living up to your side of our agreement. Please keep me apprised to any new details. Did Kenny give you any idea of when you might have a chance to check out this location?"

Norm sat his beer on the coffee table. "No. He said something about a setback, and that it probably wouldn't be wise for us to be poking around the area for a while."

"Ah yes. I think I have the answer to that for you. There was another man involved with him. He seems to have gotten himself killed by doing something stupid. I really don't know many of the details, though. I want you to call me at least once a week, even if you haven't learned anything new, just to check in." 

"I will," Norm promised.

After the call was over, Norm set the phone down and took a long drink from his bottle of beer. A man had gotten himself killed. Tony's words rang in his ears for a long time. What in hell's name had he gotten himself into?

---

"Damn! It's good to be home!" That was Ryan's first comment after getting out of the car.

He had never missed a place as much as he had missed the ranch while he was in the hospital. The dull throbbing in his head seemed to be erased by seeing the ranch and the mountains. The earthy smell of the ranch was like a tonic and invigorated him.  

It warmed Bill's heart to see Ryan this way. All of his prayers had been answered. Ryan had emerged healthy and strong. The doctor had told them that there would be no lasting effects from his injury. He had warned Ryan to not to try to do too much too quickly and to just give himself time to heal. The doctor had also told Ryan that he may have headaches for the next few months on and off, but with time, they would disappear.

Jessi watched Ryan walk down to the barn. She couldn't remember seeing a look of pure joy like the one she had just seen on Ryan's face. Jessi knew exactly where Ryan was headed and a smile crossed her face as she walked into the house. She emerged a few minutes later carrying a couple of cut up apples in her hand.

As soon as Bernie spotted Ryan walking towards the corral, he trotted to the fence. It was the man that rode him. He had missed this man as much as a horse was capable of missing a human.

Ryan reached up and rubbed Bernie's ears. "Hey, fella. How have you been? Did you miss me? Well, I sure missed the hell out of you.

Jessi smiled as she watched Bernie bury his head into Ryan's shoulder while Ryan stroked his neck. It touched her that the two of them had bonded the way they had. They made quite a pair. 

She chuckled when she walked up behind Ryan. "I hate to interrupt this little love-fest but I brought you some apples for your mooch."

Ryan and Jessi both laughed as Bernie seemed to perk up at the mention of the word apple. They took turns giving Bernie slices of apple. Jessi looked at Ryan. "I swear he is smiling at us."

Ryan put his arm around Jessi's shoulder and hugged her. "I have everything a man could want."

Jessi laughed. "Okay, cowboy, what is it that you have?"

Ryan smiled and looked into Jessi's eyes. "I'm living in the most gorgeous county in the world. I've got the world's smartest horse." His voice softened. "And I have you."

Jessi was touched. She put her arm around Ryan and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm glad you are staying here and not going back to school. I'd be afraid of one of those city girls chasing you down."

A hearty chuckle emerged from Ryan. "You forget, those girls wouldn't give me a second glance."

"Not back then." Jessi looked up at Ryan. "They would now. You don't realize how much you have changed since coming here."

"I haven't changed." Ryan scoffed at the idea.

"Yeah, cowboy. You've changed. You're bigger and stronger. You've changed inside, too. When you first got here, you were like a little lost puppy. Now, you've got self-confidence. You carry yourself differently, you walk straight and tall. And women find that very attractive." Jessi leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "You've got half the single girls in town trying to think of ways to meet you."

"Oh, I don't think that's true." Ryan blushed. "Maybe Becky, and that's about it."

"No, there's a lot more than just Becky, believe me." Jessi snuggled closer to Ryan. The tone of her voice turned serious. "I thought I was going lose you, I've never been so scared of anything before in my life. Make a promise, Ryan. Promise me that you will never leave me."

Ryan was about to make a joke, but he looked at her first and saw the tears forming in her eyes.

He turned and held her in his arms. "Oh, Jessi, I promise that I will never leave you. I love you, Jessi. I wish I could tell you how much I love you, but I don't have the words."

Jessi sighed softly as she buried her face into his chest.

---

"Milt." The intercom jarred the sheriff from his thoughts. "Pick up line one."

"Milt here," he said after picking the phone up.

"Cliff Thomas here." Milt cringed slightly. "And I think you know why I'm calling."

Milt took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. The thought of running a gas station with his brother in Boise was sounding better by the moment. "Yeah, I got a pretty good idea."

"God damn it, Milt. There's an election in a few months and I don't need a case like this hanging over my head. What are you doing about it?" Cliff sounded agitated.

"We are investigating all of the leads we have at the moment." Milt looked at a blank notepad on his desk and it reminded him of the list of active leads they had on the case at the moment.

"What leads, Milt? Do you have any leads? Rumor over here is that there are no leads."




Montana Summer Ch. 11



ds."

'Fuck,' thought Milt.

"Right now we don't have much to go on. We have a couple things we are looking at. Also, I plan on going out and talking to the McFayden kid this afternoon, he got home yesterday from the hospital."

"I just don't understand. You were out there. Some guy gets five arrows in his chest and you have no leads?" The level of frustration was increasing in the district attorney's voice.

"We've been over the area with a fine toothed comb, Cliff. There was nothing. There were no tire tracks. All of the hoof prints from horses were accounted for. All foot prints by people were accounted for. Five arrows, that's it. That's all we found—five arrows in the deceased's chest and those have been sent out to be identified. Everything else at the scene belonged to the deceased." Milt felt like he was on board a sinking ship and that he was the captain doomed to go down with his vessel.

"Well, when I start getting phone calls from voters demanding to know why there is no one being prosecuted for a murder..."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back for Milt. "Now you just wait one fucking minute, Cliff! First off, it's my job to be the sheriff, and yours to be the DA. I have never walked into your office and bitched at you when someone we've arrested has walked free. Secondly, this son-of-a-bitch tried to kill the McFayden kid, so I don't think you're going to get any fucking phone calls from any broken-hearted voters."

After the phone call was over, Milt stared at his desk. Mentally, he went over everything that he and his staff had done. He had been wearing a badge in this county for twenty-four years. He had spent the last eight years as the sheriff of the county sheriff's department. There had been no sloppy police work by his department, of that he was confident. 

There was one piece of evidence that Milt had intentionally held back from Cliff Thomas, and for that matter, everyone else. He reached into his top drawer and pulled out a leather pouch and emptied the contents onto his desk. The gold sparkled seductively from the quartz and the four small nuggets gleamed on his desk.

He had a feeling that what he was looking at had a lot to do with what had happened on Baxter's. Milt was afraid that if the word got out that there was gold on Baxter's that the area would be inundated with would-be prospectors. The deputy that had found the pouch while conducting an intensive search of Sal's SUV had personally delivered the pouch and the news to Milt. He locked the pouch in the bottom drawer of his desk before reaching for the phone.

---

Jessi and Suzanne had headed into town to do some shopping. There were only a few days before Jessi and Becky would be headed back to Missoula to start the fall semester. Bill was holed up in his small office taking care of the paperwork that had piled up while they were out of town. Ryan was puttering about in the barn, cleaning it out and putting fresh straw down.

He had made three calls this morning. The first to the university to officially withdraw. The second call had been to the local community college to set up an appointment with a counselor. The third had been to his father and he had left a voice mail. 

He felt that he and his parents were beginning to drift apart. Maybe if he had gotten a chance to actually speak with his father, he wouldn't be feeling the way he did. It wasn't a sad feeling, just more of a hollow empty one. He knew his mother would be the one that one would upset the most. Ryan let a long sigh escape and then went back to cleaning the barn.

Ryan walked out of the barn and leaned up against the corral fence, staring at the mountains. He thought about what <BMato had shown him in his visions. He had stopped thinking of them as dreams. Ryan had accepted that they were on a different plane than his nightly dreams.

The sight of Spotted Owl and the other Wanagi riding to his rescue flashed through is mind. Their faces had been painted for battle and each had a grim and determined look. The sound of their war whoop was the last sound he remembered before waking up in the hospital. 

"Ryan." Bill interrupted his day dream. "Milt Walker called. He wants to come out and ask you a few questions about what happened. I hope you don't mind. I told him it would be fine to come out."

"Yeah, that's fine." Ryan nodded. He wondered what he could tell the sheriff. He certainly couldn't tell him about ghost riders.

It was warm, a little warmer than normal for late August, and there was a heavy feeling to the air. White, puffy clouds were beginning to boil up over the mountains. Ryan thought the clouds looked like pieces of popcorn.

Bill studied the sky when he saw Ryan looking at the clouds. "We might get a thunderstorm later on. Sure feels like it."

"Yeah, feels like it." Ryan responded it. "Are Aunt Suzanne and Jessi going to be back before lunch, or are we cooking for ourselves?"

"Oh hell, son! What are you thinking?" Uncle Bill roared with laughter. "We won't see those two until o-dark thirty. They haven't been shopping since before you got hurt. They have to make up for lost time."

The funk he had felt when working in the barn had completely disappeared. He laughed along with his uncle at the thought of Aunt Suzanne and Jessi hitting all the stores in town.

"I'm surprised Suzanne didn't hitch up the horse trailer to the truck when she headed into town. I sometimes think that woman believes that it is her place in life to ensure each store in town turns a profit." Bill slapped Ryan on the back. "C'mon, I'll rustle us up some grub for lunch."

---

Janice Evans sighed as she watched her daughter eating breakfast. A few more days and she and Jessi would be headed off too school. She was having a small anxiety attack—Stan would be leaving for Denver, and then Becky. The house was certainly going to seem quiet.

Last night, she and Becky had curled up on her bed while her husband was still down at the store. Becky had told her about Bill and Suzanne talking to Ryan and Jessi. She had felt the blood drain from her face. She and Rob had been at the same party. The videos they had at the store for rent paled in comparison to some of the things she had done that night.

The phone rang and Becky sprang up to answer it. She mouthed the name Jessi. Janice smiled, seeing herself twenty years ago in her daughter, the excitement of a whole new life ahead of her.

Janice felt a pang of disappointment. Her new and exciting life came to a crashing halt just months after graduating high school when she had become pregnant. She sighed remembering that there was so much that she had wanted to do. After Stan was born, there was never the time or money, and then when Becky was born, all thoughts of those dreams were lost in raising a son and a daughter.

A smile crept over he face as she watched the animation in Becky's face while she talked to Jessi. On second thought, she decided she had led a pretty good life. She had a husband who still loved her the same way as when she was eighteen, she had two great children, and there would still be time to accomplish some of those dreams.

"Hey, Mom! Jessi and her mom want us to go to lunch and do some shopping. Let's go!" Becky was almost bouncing up and down.

Janice laughed at the little girl act her daughter was giving her. "Yes, let's do it. Tell Jessi we'll be there as soon as you get some clothes on."

Becky blew her mom a kiss. "You're the best!"

---

Charlie arrived at the building that held the tribal offices and meeting hall. He had gotten a call earlier from the council of elders that they wanted to talk to him. He had asked what the meeting was about, but had only been told to be there.

He sat in his customary seat and looked at the five men that comprised the council. He tried to read their faces but came up empty. These were men, like himself, that kept their feelings masked behind stoic faces. Charlie cleared his throat. "It's good to be back."

Bobby Two Bears gave Charlie a quick smile. "Good to have you back, Charlie."

Peter Little Deer looked right and left at his fellow council members and then at Charlie. "This has to do with the request you made to us a couple of weeks ago. We've changed our minds about your request."

Charlie stood up, the blood in his veins beginning to boil with rage. He started to say something but Peter Little Deer waved him down. "Hear me out, Charlie."

With the rage still seething inside of him, Charlie sat down. He was already planning on the words he would use.

"We've heard what happened to the boy. It is common knowledge around here that the man who tried to kill the boy was one of those who wanted to desecrate the burial place of our ancestors." Peter paused and looked at Charlie, studying him to see if his temper was subsiding.

Once he was sure that it was, Peter continued. "It's also known around here that the man was killed with five arrows, five Lakota arrows with no signs of tracks. Rumors have abounded around these parts for many years about five ghost riders. Some even claim to have seen these Wanagi. It's pretty obvious to us that the boy was saved by an intervention by the spirits. It is our desire to have a Hunka ceremony, and to make the boy Hunka. This is our wish."

Charlie was stunned. To make Ryan Hunka was akin to making him a Lakota in every way. "I don't know what to say, other than you have made me very proud and very happy."

The five men seated across from Charlie broke into broad smiles. They knew what this would mean to Charlie. Peter Little Deer stood up and walked over to Charlie and clapped him on the shoulder. "I hope you are pleased with our decision."

"I am." Charlie replied. "You have made a good decision. The boy is a wakan wašicun.

Peter nodded his head in agreement. "I will be the walowan and the rest of the council will assist me. I want you to be the one who presents the boy to the other hunka.

As Charlie walked home, he was on top of the world. He noticed his son's pickup parked in front of his house.

He walked inside and greeted his son. "Good to see you again."

Walter studied his father carefully, suspecting that the old man had a plot hatching under that grey hair. "Yeah, Dad, good to see you, too. Been a long time—six-thirty last night if my memory serves me correct."

Charlie ignored the good-natured barb that Walter had tossed his way. "Would you mind much driving me down to see, Ryan?"

Walter pulled the keys to his pickup out of his pocket. "How about if I just give you the keys to the truck and you can drive yourself?"

Shaking his head in mock depression, Charlie responded. "How would it look to people to see a wise and powerful chief driving himself around?"

Walter couldn't resist. "Well, if we had a wise and powerful chief, it would be one thing, but we have you."

"You wound me in my soul." Charlie clasped his hand to his chest. "If I had a good son, things would be different around here."

Esther shook her head at her husband and son. "Both of you, get out of here. You will drive me mad before my time."

Walter stood up and hugged his mother and nodded his head towards his father. "How did you manage to live with him all this time?"

Esther swatted her son on the butt and watched them walk out the door and out to Walter's truck. A small tear formed in her eye, she wondered how she got so lucky. She had a good man for a husband and a good man for a son. She thought fortune must have shone on her the day she met Charlie.

As Walt drove down the gravel road he looked over at his father. "You are a wise chief. I can only hope to be like you some day."

Charlie looked at his son. "And you are a good son. I don't think a man could have had a better son than you. You will be better than me. It hasn't taken you as long to learn some of the things about life as it took me."

"I had a good teacher." Walter's voice cracked with emotion.

---

The black clouds roiled over the mountaintops. The distant rumble of thunder sounded like a far off kettledrum being beaten. Flashes of blue-white lightning could be seen leaping between the clouds and the ground.

"I damn well hope there's some rain in those clouds," remarked Bill as he watched the storm build. "It's damned dry up in the high country. It wouldn't take much to get a fire goin' up there right now."

Ryan shuddered for a moment as he envisioned a wall of fire sweeping down through the pristine forest on the mountains. He sniffed the air, catching the faint sweet smell of rain on the breeze.

"Well, it smells like rain." Ryan tried to sound hopeful.

They both watched as the thick black clouds moved over the tops of the mountain. The sound of the thunder was growing louder with each passing minute. The breeze began to freshen a bit. 

Ryan thought the way the clouds churned and boiled made the clouds look angry. The thunderhead was magnificent, climbing tens of thousands of feet from the cloud bottoms. The sun was soon hidden by the storm clouds and the look of midday was replaced by the diminished light of the early evening. Even now, Ryan could see some of the clouds light up with internal flashes of lightning as bolts jumped from cloud to cloud.

"I love watching a good storm," remarked Bill.

"Yeah," Ryan replied. "When I was young I was afraid of them."

Bill looked over at Ryan and chuckled. "Well, when your dad and I were young, we were afraid of them too. Our grandfather told us a story about storms when we were about six or seven."

Ryan's interest was immediately piqued. "What was the story?"

"Well," Bill pointed to the approaching clouds. "He told us of a story that supposedly took place down in Texas. Seems that there was a cattleman rounding up his cattle and getting them ready to take them to market. There was this nester living on what was open range at the time, and had fenced him off some land. A quarter section I would imagine." Bill paused for moment and watched the flashes of lightning.

"But anyway, it seems that a bunch of the nester's cattle got mixed in with the other fella's. Whether this was by accident, or on purpose is pretty much left open to interpretation. Well, I guess the nester got a little hot under the collar and went charging after the cattleman to retrieve his cattle. A showdown ensued, and seeing as the cattle were pretty thin as it was the cattleman didn't want to get the cattle upset and risk a stampede and have them run any more weight off. I guess they probably would have been longhorns. They were a pretty damned skittish breed of cattle and would stampede at the drop of a hat. Nothing like these pampered pets we wrangle around here." Ryan watched as his uncle pulled a can of Copenhagen from his shirt pocket and got himself a chew.

"Nasty habit." Bill commented as he put the can back in his pocket. "Take my advice and don't start."

Ryan nodded as his uncle went on with the story.

"Well, the cattleman ended the conversation by pullin' a gun on the nester. The cattleman was a little short handed and as the story goes he only had two hands riding night herd. The nester had snuck back after if had gotten dark and once he felt that everyone in the camp was asleep he started firing a gun and let a blanket on fire and got the herd a running."

Ryan and Bill jumped as a clap of thunder startled the both of them. "That was close," Bill remarked.

" I guess this was on a mesa, and about two to three hundred head of cattle plunged to their death off of the side of the mesa. The cattleman caught up with him a day or too later and they say that they tied him to a horse, then blindfolded the horse and ran the horse off of the mesa. The legend goes that around that whenever there is a storm around that area that cattle and horses begin to stampede for no reason at all. They say it's the ghost of the nester running the herd off of the edge of the mesa." 

Bill paused for a moment and watched the skies, noticing that only a few seconds now separated the bright flashes of lightning and the sound of the thunder. At times, it sounded like the sky was being torn apart.

"Well, they say that if watch the storm, you can see the cattle being chased by ghostly riders. Grandpa used to say it was the devil's herd being chased by lost cowboys. A young kid heard the story on a ranch in Arizona back in the twenties. Later on he wrote a song, Ghost Riders In The Sky."

Ryan watched the storm and immediately understood the symbolism. The wind seemed to come out of nowhere. The smell of rain was heaving on the wind. Not too far in the distance, the rain was coming down hard and moving towards the ranch.

Bill looked at Ryan and pointed to the coming rain. "We'd better get to the veranda, else folks might say that we don't have the good sense to get out of the rain."

Ryan grinned at his uncle. "Oh, hell, no! We don't want people to think that about us, even if it may be true."

The wind began swirling and whipping, dust and debris in the farmyard went flying every which way. The flashes of lighting grew stronger and more frequent. The booming thunder seemed relentless. It was impossible to tell which clap of thunder accompanied which bolt of lightning.

Bill had a worried look on his face as he studied the clouds. "I hope there's no hail in those clouds. We still got that two hundred acres of oats to get off."

The first raindrops splatted on the ground in big, heavy drops. The sound of the drops hitting the roof over the veranda sounded like the steady rat-a-tat-tat of a drum. The speed of the rain increased until the sound of the raindrops on the roof was a roar. Within minutes, the ground was soaked and large puddles quickly formed in the driveway. The rain fell in sheets.

Ryan was trying to remember if he closed his bedroom window. There was a flash of lightning and an instant clap of thunder as the bolt struck a pine tree across the barn yard. The smell of ozone was heavy on the air. Ryan looked at his uncle and couldn't believe what he saw. His uncle was laughing and cheering the storm on.

"It's a wonderful sight to see. It makes a man feel alive." Bill pointed at the still smoking tree. "It shows a man who really is in charge."

Ryan understood what his uncle was saying. The power of the storm did make him feel small. As fast as the deluge had started it was over, the storm quickly slowing to a steady rain, the kind of rain that farmers and ranchers look forward to.

"Well, looks like we are out of work for the rest of the afternoon." There was no disappointment in Bill's voice. "Sit down and take a load off your feet. I'll be right back." Bill went into the house and returned with his guitar.

Ryan sat and listened to his uncle play the guitar while they both watched the rain. "You're pretty good," Ryan remarked. "I think you could have made a living at it."

"Thanks," Bill replied. "And don't think that I never had dreams. I saw Marty Robbins once. I wanted to sing like him." The music that Bill was playing changed. "I even wrote a song that I thought was something like what he sang back in those days. Would you like to hear it?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to hear it."

"It's called the Cowpoke's Lament." Bill cleared his throat and then began to sing.

I sat across from an old cowpoke, He looked at me, and I at he, And then I said, old son, where have you been, And what did you see.

His old grey eyes looked me over, and came his reply Down from the Brazos, the Pecos, and the Red, Up to the Snake and down 'long the Rio Grande, With all my pards, most now long dead.

From the mountains and deserts, All across Texas, and all the flat land, I jingled some horses, an' punched cattle, For most near every brand.




Montana Summer Ch. 11



I've only got one more wish says he, With a voice most steady and strong, Make me a promise, and swear it so, The last roundup is nigh and I ain't got long.

Take from me my saddle and spurs, Sing me a song of joy, I need no dirge, Scatter my ashes to the four winds, Bury my bones not in the cold earth.

And I'll be riding once again, With my chums that I knew from afore, We'll ride the last roundup up in the sky, And he closed his eyes and spoke no more.

"Wow!" Ryan was impressed. "That was really good. And you wrote that?"

Bill beamed with pride. "I certainly did."

A familiar vehicle drove up the driveway and interrupted Ryan and Bill's conversation.

"Well, looks like the law is here son." Bill winked at Ryan. "Should we take our chances and make our stand here or should we make a run for it?"

Ryan laughed. "I think he's got us surrounded."

Milt Walker opened the door to his SUV and waved. "Howdy!"

Bill whispered to Ryan, "Watch this." He then grinned at Milt and gave a big wave. "Hey Deputy Dawg. What's shaking'?"

Milt chuckled. "You watch yourself there Bill, I do believe there is still an open case from about twenty-five years ago, something involving an outhouse and a stick of dynamite?"

Bill laughed. "I'm surprised that no one has ever solved that mystery Milt. You were there after all."

"Yeah, I was, but it was you that lit the fuse," Milt shot back as he laughed.

Bill had tears rolling down his cheeks as he looked at Ryan. "Your dad drove the getaway vehicle. Took us damn near a week to get that truck clean. We didn't quite expect the contents of the outhouse to hit the truck."

Milt sat down in a chair on the veranda. Pointing his finger in Bill's direction, he explained, "Your uncle here was just supposed to toss the lit stick into the outhouse, but no, not Bill, he sent the damned dynamite down one of the holes of the privy. Well, I think you can figure out the rest of the story."

"I'm surprised we lived to see eighteen." Bill was still chuckling. "Can I get you a cup of coffee, Milt?"

"Yeah, I could use one about now." Milt answered. As Bill went into the kitchen, Milt turned to Ryan. "I suppose you know why I'm here?"

"Uncle Bill told me that you were coming out to ask me some questions. I don't know if there is anything that I can tell you, but I'll do my best."

"That's all I can I ask of you." Milt pulled his notepad from his pocket. "Just tell me what you remember."

"Well, I had ridden to the south end of the herd, and was about halfway up when I stopped. I was just sitting there when I heard a shot and my shoulder started hurtin' like hell. My horse reared up at the same time and I fell off backwards. The next thing I really remember is waking up a few days later in the hospital." The only detail Ryan had left out was him seeing the Wanagi charging in to his rescue.

"Other than the day up on Baxter's, had you ever seen Mr. Castolinni before? Milt looked up from his notebook to observe his reaction to the question.

"Nope. Never saw him before," Ryan answered.

Milt sighed and closed his notepad. "Well, I didn't really expect you to remember anything from that night but I had to ask."

"Can I ask you a question?" Ryan queried the sheriff.

Milt nodded his thanks to Bill who had just handed him a cup of coffee. "Sure," he replied to Ryan.

"What about the other two, the man and the woman, do you think they anything to do with it?" Ryan sounded a little anxious.

"No," replied the sheriff. "They were both accounted for. I don't think they had any knowledge of what Castolinni was up to." He saw the relief on both Ryan's and Bill's faces.

---

Kenny looked at Stella as they were eating lunch. "I'm going to have to go back home tomorrow. Things are beginning to pile up in the office." He was nervous. He had grown fond of Stella over the past few weeks.

Stella felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She could feel the brush off coming. There was a stinging feeling in her eyes. She steeled her body to hear what was coming next.

"There is no one there." Kenny began. "And I just wanted to know if you wanted to come back with me?"

A feeling of shock and surprise went through Stella. This wasn't what she had expected to hear from Kenny. She had hoped, but she had hoped for things before in her life and had been disappointed more often than not. Stella reached over and squeezed Kenny's hand. "Yes, I would. That is, if you really want me to."

Kenny knew that physically he was no prize. At first, when Stella had moved from Hank to him, he knew it wasn't for his looks. He knew that Stella had just seen him as a means to an end. Kenny didn't feel that way now. He sensed that Stella liked him, and she seemed to enjoy being with him. 

He liked how she would stand in front of him and tie his tie for him. Her eyes would be intently watching her hands and fingers as she made his tie look perfect. After she was satisfied with how the tie looked, she would always look up into his eyes and smile. Kenny, big tough Kenny, would melt at that smile. He smiled and nodded his head. "Yes I want you to. Very much."

When Stella looked at Kenny now, she didn't see his thinning hair, or his pockmarked face. She didn't see any of his physical imperfections at all. She didn't the ruthless and somewhat underhanded attorney. She saw for the first time in a long time a man who cared for her as a person, and not just a great piece of ass.

---

Walt and Charlie drove up the driveway to the ranch just as Milt was leaving. Milt waved as he drove past Walt's old pickup.

Bill looked over at Ryan. "Damn, we're popular today." He chuckled as he added. "Maybe we should have charged admission at the road?"

Ryan almost choked on his coffee at the thought of a carnival barker collecting admission from people driving up to the ranch. 

Bill stood up on the veranda and waved at Walt and Charlie. "C'mon up here and grab a chair and stay dry." A gentle rain was still falling from the thick clouds that blanketed the mountains.

"What brings you two out this way?" Bill asked.

Charlie and Walt shook Bill's and Ryan's hands. Walt cracked a grin. "I'm just chauffeuring our wise and powerful chief around the countryside."

"Just be damned glad I let you." Charlie quipped back. He looked at Bill. "Looks like you got a bit of rain here. "

"Yeah, we did." Bill responded. "For about ten minutes, it was coming down in sheets." Bill pointed to the tree that had been struck by lightning. "That one got hit while we were sittin' here watching the storm."

Charlie nodded his head. "When we were coming into town it was looking pretty dark out this direction. We sure need the rain."

Bill glanced up at the high country. "Yeah, we do, I can't remember a summer being this dry in some time. With all that dead timber up high and the Forestry service not allowing people to haul it out, it's a question of when not if the high country will go up in flames like it did around Yellowstone a few years back."

"You're lookin' good, Ryan," Walt said as he sat down. "A hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you."

"I'm feeling pretty good," Ryan replied back. "Just trying to take it easy."

Bill excused himself to go into the kitchen and get coffee for Charlie and his son.

Charlie looked at Ryan. "I could have called you and told you this over the phone but I wanted to tell you in person. I met with the council earlier today. They want to have a hunka ceremony for you.

Ryan furrowed his brow in thought for a moment. "Can I be <>hunka? I'm not Lakota."

"The <>hunka ceremony will make you the same as a Lakota. All Lakota that are <>hunka will recognize you as being ate.

Ryan could remember the <>hunka ceremony from the dreams he had while in the hospital. It was an important part of Lakota life. Men that were <>hunka would do anything, including risking their lives, for another <>hunka. If a <>hunka was hungry you would give him food, even if it meant you would go hungry yourself. If another <>hunka was cold, you would give him clothing, even if it meant you would be cold. The principles of <>hunka were one of the reasons for the strength of the Lakota.

"I don't know what to say." Ryan was feeling a bit overwhelmed. With the tribe, he would be accepted as being as Lakota as anyone who had been born into the tribe. "Do you think they did that with my great great grandfather, made him <>hunka?"

"I don't know," Charlie answered. "I would be surprised if they didn't. It wouldn't surprise me if Spotted Owl, or Runs With Elk, didn't adopt him."

"Why would they have adopted him? His parents were still living." Ryan wondered.

"It wouldn't have been out of the ordinary for them to have adopted him out of friendship. It would have made him Lakota in the eyes of the rest of the tribe," Charlie explained. "It would have been a great honor bestowed upon him."

Bill had come back with the coffee and was listening to the conversation. "Charlie, I think you are right. I remember my grandfather saying something about that. I remember him saying that his grandfather was a man who lived in two worlds."

"I've heard that term used before," Charlie replied. 

Ryan thought for minute and he looked at his uncle. "When I was in the hospital, I had a lot of dreams. In one of them, I saw the first meeting between young William and Runs With Elk and Spotted Owl."

Bill listened in amazement as his nephew told the story of his great grandfather 

"I wanted to talk to him," Ryan continued. "Mato didn't think it would be a good idea. I watched him, though. I would have liked to have known him later on when he was grown."

"I would have liked to have known him as well." Charlie leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. "I remember my grandfather speaking about him. He was a wise man and was respected by everyone."

"Oh!" Ryan sat up in his chair. "I just remembered something." He pointed at his uncle as he spoke to Charlie and Walt. "We are going to start a buffalo herd!"

"What?" Charlie couldn't believe his ears.

"Yup," confirmed Bill. "It's an idea I've been kickin' around for a few years now. I thought it would be nice to bring the buffalo back. Now that Ryan is going to be my new partner on the ranch, I thought it would be a good time to branch out a bit."  

Charlie's voice was choked with emotion. "It's a good thing that you are doing." The news had taken Charlie by surprise and it had warmed his soul.

"It will be good to be able to show our children the buffalo." Walt broke his silence. "It's one thing to show them a picture and to talk about them, but to be able to bring them out here and show them...it will be like they will be able to look back into the past for a moment."

Charlie sat quietly as the others talked. In his vision, he had seen buffalo on the mountain. He never thought that it might have meant that the shaggy beasts could make a physical return to the area. Charlie was filled with a sense of excitement. To no one in particular, he whispered, "Damn! It's good to be alive." ---

Lindsey lay in bed. Stan had just left. She was feeling a little ashamed of herself. The sex with Stan had been hot, even hotter than usual. Something happened that had never happened before. Her hand slipped between her legs as she relived the evening's events. Lindsey's finger found her sex wet and ready.

It had started off much like normal. They had curled up in her bed and had watched a movie that Stan had brought from the store. Lindsey loved watching the porn movies Stan brought over, even though at first she didn't think she would enjoy them. 

Stan had kept at it, trying to get her to watch one with him, and wenshe had finally relented she had been surprised at how turned on she got while watching them. What even made them hotter was that she would stroke Stan's swollen erection while he rubbed her swollen clit. At first, they had been quiet while watching the action on the television. Little by little, they had begun to talk while watching the movie, their comments becoming smuttier and smuttier with each movie they viewed together. 

There was one exception to this evening. That difference was in the video they were watching. One of the scenes featured a girl that bore a striking resemblance to Becky. She had been the first one to comment when she had asked Stan if he liked watching his sister sucking cock on the screen. She had immediately sensed Stan's growing excitement and it had turned her on even more. 

Lindsey had leaned over and taken Stan's cock into her mouth and had fantasized that he was her make-believe brother. She had almost had an orgasm when that fantasy began to play in her head. She wanted to suck her brother off, to feel him explode in her mouth. His orgasm was quick in coming and she felt his warm, thick cum coat the inside of her mouth. She knew Stan liked it when she let him finish in her mouth. 

She felt him pull her over top of him. As Stan's tongue began lapping at her clit, she felt the beginning of her orgasm. The same time her body began to shake, Stan began to flood her mouth with his hot, peppery semen. Lindsey swallowed as fast as she could and then waited for the next spurt.

Afterwards, they had talked about what had just happened. Lindsey was confused with the feelings she had just had.

Lindsey had blushed. "I don't know what came over me. I thought about you being my brother and I just got so hot."

Stan's face had blushed a deep red. "I don't think I have ever been so turned on as I just was."

"I just feel kind of creepy, in a way. I don't want you thinking that I'm Becky." Lindsey admitted her fear to Stan.

Stan had suggested, "Well, maybe we can pretend you are my sister. I don't mean pretending you are Becky, but just that we are brother and sister, kind of a role-playing thing."

They had started off by pretending to have Stan catch Lindsey masturbating to a porn movie. He had coaxed his fantasy sister into letting him play with her wet pussy. His finger slid between her puffy lips and into her entrance. He had brought her to orgasm when he rubbed her clit.

Stan had begged her. "C'mon, sis, stroke my cock for me, I'm so horny."

Lindsey pretended to be hesitant. "I've never touched one before."

He had wrapped his hand around hers and moved their hands up and down his rock-hard shaft. 

Lindsey closed her eyes and began to masturbate harder and faster as she thought about when her brother had slipped his cock inside of her. She had never felt Stan fuck her as hard before. Her fingers assaulted her erect clit, hard and fast. Lindsey could still feel Stan's swollen cock pounding in and out of her drenched tunnel. 

She had reached up and had began pulling her on her nipples and squeezing her breasts. She had looked into Stan's eyes. "I bet you've tried to peek at my boobs before."

"Yes, I have." His voice had a husky and heavy sound to it. 

Lindsey had found her hips rising and falling to meet his thrusts as he filled her tunnel with his engorged cock. "You can't finish inside of me, I'm not on the pill and mom will get mad if you get me pregnant." Her body began to shake from the force of her orgasm.

Just a few seconds later, Stan had pulled his member from her pussy she had reached up and stroked his cock as he sprayed his pearl-colored jizz over her belly and breasts.

When it was all over, Stan lay beside her, holding her tight in his arms. That's when the thoughts began again—the little feelings of guilt. They didn't seem to last long. 

Lindsey could feel her self-induced orgasm building quickly. When her orgasm came, it was hard and fast. It was good thing there was no one else in the house, she screamed so loud that she startled herself. Her orgasm was so intense that she thought that she might pass out.

---

There had been a lot of work to be done. The fall hay crop had needed to be mowed and to be given a few days to dry before baling. Two hundred acres of oats needed to be harvested—it would provide feed for the livestock along with the hay. Bill thought they would have more than enough hay and oats to get them through the winter, and they would be able to sell some of the excess to other ranchers or to the feed store in town for some extra cash.

Before the snow came, some more of the cattle would be sent to market. Bill was concerned at the low beef prices at the moment. He told Ryan that they would hold off selling any cattle until the price improved. The one saving grace at this time was the contract he had negotiated earlier in the summer. The buyer had been very pleased with the quality of the cattle in the initial shipment and was planning to exercise his option and buy another shipment in a few weeks.

Ryan had ridden Bernie every day since returning from the hospital. The feeling of his horse beneath him and the crisp morning air was the best medicine in the world. Being back at the ranch, and around the mountains, made him feel alive. 

He hadn't been able to spend much time with Jessi, as she had been busy with her mother, preparing for her departure for the fall semester. Ryan had met with the counselor at the community college and had signed up for a few classes. At this time, it felt right for him. He would be attending school and furthering his education, and at the same time working on the ranch. 

His parents had returned from their vacation and had been aghast when they learned at what had happened to Ryan. His mother, as expected, was totally against his decision and had screamed and cried on the phone. Afterwards, he had talked with his father. He hadn't been exactly excited about Ryan's choice but had told his son that he would support him in whatever he did.

Ryan begged his aunt and uncle not to make any mention of his stay in the hospital. His reasoning was that if his mother found out, she would be on the first flight out here and wouldn't leave without her son in tow, no matter how long it took. 

Bill and Suzanne had been reluctant at first but they understood Ryan's reasoning. The turning point came when Ryan reminded his uncle and aunt that he was no longer a child and could make his own decisions.

Bill had gotten out of his chair and put his arm on Ryan's shoulder. "You are an adult and your aunt and I will treat you as one. I don't necessarily agree with your decision not to tell your parents but it is your decision to make."

"Thanks," Ryan replied. "I appreciate that. I will tell them what happened. I just think it's too soon to tell them and it wouldn't serve any purpose other than to get mom all riled up. I think we can all agree that is not something any of us wants. If I was still in the hospital, or if I was having problems, then telling them might be the right thing to do."

Suzanne actually felt better after listening to Ryan. He had made a good point—as much as she thought of him as a boy, he wasn't. Ryan was a man and needed to be treated as such. She hugged Ryan and then kissed him on the cheek. "Okay, we'll go along with what you want."

After the discussion was over, Ryan sat at the kitchen table sipping his coffee. The days were getting shorter now as the sun was taking longer each day to make its climb over the mountains. The sky was still dark with a hint of grey in the east. Bill had his nose buried in the paper. Suzanne was busy cooking breakfast. Ryan loved the smell of the cooking hash browns and bacon and fresh coffee.

"Ryan, don't forget to bring anything you need washed and stick it in the laundry room before you head out," reminded Aunt Suzanne as she cooked. "I'm doing laundry this morning."




Montana Summer Ch. 11



"I dumped it off on my way in this morning," replied Ryan. He had been daydreaming of Jessi. He could hear the shower running upstairs. There was nothing that he would have liked better than to sneak upstairs and climb into the shower with her. 

After finishing his first cup of coffee, Ryan got up and poured another one. He looked over at his uncle. "What's the plan for today?"

Bill looked up from his paper with his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. He joked to people that it wasn't his eyesight that was the problem, it was that his arms had gotten too short. "The hay is going to take another day or two before we can bale it. I've probably got a half day left and I'll have the oats in." Bill rubbed the stubble on his chin as he appeared deep in thought, then his eyes lit up. "Oh! I know what you can do this morning. Run Jessi in to Becky's and then take the old blue pickup into Bitterroot Dodge. Ask for Vern, he knows what needs to be done with it."

Suzanne looked over from the stove and shot Bill an inquisitive glance. "I didn't think you were going to..." The look from her husband stopped her from saying any more. She looked back down at the stove and let a quiet chuckle escape. Her husband was up to something, there was no doubt about it.

---

Stella had been more than impressed with Kenny's home. It was a fairly new home in an upscale neighborhood. The decorating was tasteful and he had mentioned that he had done it all himself. For a man what on the exterior, seemed devoid of any physical beauty, his inner beauty showed through in his home.

She sat outside on the patio drinking her coffee, his words last night still echoing in her head. "I want you to consider this your home for as long as you choose to stay." With those words he had handed her a ring of keys. He had taken her into the four-car garage and told her, "You are welcome to drive any of these vehicles at any time."

Kenny sat in his office and reflected on the last couple of weeks. He had flown out of here in a foul temper to bail out one of his clients and had returned happier than he had ever been in his life. His secretary had even commented to one of the other women in the office that she had never seen him happier in all of the time she had worked there.

Sal's death still made Kenny uneasy and it wasn't sentimentality for a man he had only met briefly. It was that his plans had been upset. There was also Norm Campbell, the man that Tony had provided. Kenny had no doubts as to the man's professional credentials. Then there was Tony. There had been a working relationship between Kenny and Tony for almost a decade. The most important detail that he had learned about Tony was that Tony never gave anything away for nothing. Tony thought about Tony first, second, and last. There was always something in it for Tony. Kenny had no doubt that Mr. Campbell was reporting directly back to Tony. He smiled at this thought, as it was precisely what he would do if the situation was reversed. He knew he would have to make a deal with Tony, and sooner was probably preferable to later.

First things first. He had done some planning on the flight home and he now read over his notes before reaching for the phone.

"Yeah?" Hank's gruff, and probably hung over voice answered the phone on the first ring.

"It's me," Kenny began. "Are you awake and are you sober?"

"Yeah, I'm awake and I'm fuckin' sober," Hank snapped back.

"Good. How do feel about living in Denver for a while?"

Hank sat up straight and looked over at the girl in his bed. "It's fine with me. Should I look for a place to live, or just stay in the hotel?" It was more than fine with Hank. He couldn't think of anything better. He wondered what the girl would think, once she found out he would be staying in Denver, for a while at least.

"I'd look for a place to live," Kenny answered. "We are going to open a business. A mining exploration business."

"What the fuck do I know about mining exploration?" Hank thought Kenny must be out of his mind.

"You've got Mr. Campbell for all of that. I am going to set up an LLC in Delaware, as it's the easiest place in the country to do it." Kenny's mind was racing down the list of details. "You need to look for some office space, nice office park, not too fancy but no dump either. You need to set it up like a real office, get some computers, desks, chairs, the whole deal. I don't care if you hire a girl that does nothing but suck you off, I just want the place to look on the up and up."

"Is it worth it?" Hank asked. "Sounds to me like you are putting a lot of money out."

"Yeah, and it's more than worth it. Don't you concern yourself with the money, it won't end up costing us a nickel in the end," Kenny replied. He would be able to launder some money through this business and it would save him more than he was putting out right now for an associate in the Cayman Islands to do the same thing.

"Should I give Campbell a call?" Hank asked. 

"Yes, he might as well do something to help." 

Hank thought for a minute and then asked, "What the fuck do we do if happen to get a real customer?"

Kenny laughed at the thought of Hank panicking over a real customer. "Well, that's what we have Mr. Campbell for."

"Well, I'm going to need some operating capital to get this started."

"As soon as the incorporation papers are done, I will set up a bank account in Denver for you to use. In the meantime, start looking for a location. Campbell should have some ideas where to look."

After the call was over, Kenny marked a check by another item on his list. He picked up the phone and made another call.

"Mr. Campbell?" Kenny questioned when a male voice answered the phone.

"Yes?" came the reply.

"Good, Kenny here. I want to go over a few things with you before we proceed any further in our relationship." Kenny paused for a moment before continuing. "What I need from you is complete honesty. Can I get that from you for the next few minutes?"

Norm felt a little nervous and it took him a moment to reply. "Yes, I can do that."

"Okay." Kenny began. "I want you to understand that I have known Tony for a long time, and I know Tony doesn't give anything away. I realize that he has some sort of working agreement with you. Am I correct in that assumption?"

Norm closed his eyes and grimaced. He wasn't cut out for this type of business. He exhaled deeply. "Yes, you are."

Kenny felt a small wave of relief. If Norm had said no he would have known he was lying and couldn't be trusted.

"I appreciate your candor, Mr. Campbell. I have no problem with that, I was expecting it. Now, here is what I want from you. All I want you to tell me is what you are going to tell Tony, and when you will be telling him. I will not try to dissuade you in anyway, or try to have you feed Tony a load of bull. Is that agreeable to you?"

Norm was a little surprised at Kenny's reaction. "I don't see any problem with that."

"Good!" Kenny thought that this was going better than he expected. "I fully expect you will be calling Tony after our conversation. The only thing I would leave out if I were you is, I wouldn't tell Tony that I know. I imagine that he is paying you right now, and what's the point of paying you if I know that you are reporting to him? We might as well keep our mouths shut and let Tony keep forking over the cash for you."

"Okay, I can live with that. As long as I don't have to cross Tony I'm fine. I don't want him after me." Norm had relaxed a little.

"No, I don't want you to cross Tony, either. I will be calling Tony in the future and offer him a piece of the action." Kenny changed the subject and went on to explain to Norm his plans of setting up a business in Denver. 

"Can I buy equipment?" Norm asked

"Hell, yes!" Kenny replied. "I want this to appear to be a legitimate business. If someone comes in looking to hire you, I want to be able to at least give the impression that we know what we are doing." Kenny went on to explain what he had told Hank to do, and for Norm to expect a call from Hank.

After the call to Norm was over, Kenny sat back in his chair with his hands behind his head. For the first time since he had received the news of Sal's death, Kenny felt that he was back in control. 

Kenny wasn't the only one feeling some relief. Norm Campbell felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He wasn't going to let Tony know that Kenny was aware of the deal he had made with Tony. 

"Two down and one to go," Kenny said out loud. He dialed the next number on his list. 

When he heard the familiar soft accent answer the phone he replied. "Tony, it's Kenny. I want to express my satisfaction with the man you sent over."

Tony smiled at the other end of the line. "Good, I am glad that you found Mr. Campbell a suitable candidate."

"More than suitable. I want you to know that I won't forget about you once we commence our little—venture."

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Tony replied.

"But I insist." Kenny knew this was just part of the game.

"As you wish," Tony was smiling. Tony enjoyed doing business with Kenny. He felt Kenny still honored and respected the old ways. 

Kenny sat back in his chair. He thought things had gone well and real progress had been made. 

---

"Hey, cowboy, you ready to go?" Jessi had walked out of the house and on to the veranda. 

Ryan had been sitting in a chair, staring off at the mountains and daydreaming. He had been contemplating the first dream he had with Mato and what it had meant. Ryan felt that he understood now what the dream had meant. Charlie had been correct when he had told Ryan that sometimes the journey to understanding was more important than the final answer as to what the dream meant. He felt like he had come a long ways since that dream, that his whole life had changed. Life seemed to hold a deeper meaning for him and he felt now that there was a purpose, a reason for his being. 

Ryan looked up from his chair and smiled at Jessi. "Any time you are."

As soon as the truck was out of sight of the house, Jessi scooted over in the seat so she was next to Ryan. She kissed him on the cheek. "How are you? I feel like we haven't had any time for ourselves since we came back."

Ryan patted her on the knee as he drove. "I'm fine. I think I'm getting stronger each day. Yeah, I know, I've felt the same way but you've been busy getting ready to head off to school."

"Does that bother you?" Jessi asked. "Me going off to school while you stay here?"

Ryan shook his head. "No, not at all. You're close enough that either I can come up once in a while, or you can come home for the weekend. I'm glad that I decided to stay, and just go to the community college for right now."

"I know you've made dad happy by staying, and mom too." Jessi smiled as she thought of her mom. "She'll have someone to mother while I'm away."

"And I've made myself happy too," Ryan spoke as he drove along the gravel country road. "This is where I think I'm meant to be. My life has changed so much in the past three months. I really feel that I have a purpose now." He glanced over at Jessi. "And I feel like that purpose involves you."

Jessi hugged his shoulder. "I kept remembering what you said, about how you felt about me, and you felt like we were meant to be together. I just kept hoping and believing that there might be a way. I love you, Ryan. I love you with all of my heart. I can't imagine being without you now."

Ryan pulled into the parking lot of Bitterroot Dodge after dropping Jessi off at Becky's and got out of the truck. He laughed to himself at the sight of a salesman making a beeline towards him. "Like a shark smelling blood," he whispered under his breath, remembering what his father always said about car salesmen.

"Good morning!" The salesman greeted Ryan with a handshake and a smile as he quickly looked over the work battered blue farm truck that Ryan had pulled up in. "What can I help you with this morning?"

Ryan shook the man's hand. "Well, my uncle sent me in, Bill McFayden, he said I was to talk to Vern."

"I'm Vern. Come inside and grab a cup of coffee or something to drink." Vern pointed towards the showroom. "Are the keys in the truck?"

Ryan nodded. "Yup, they're in the ignition."

As they walked into the showroom, Vern called over to the receptionist. "Lisa, get Ryan here anything he wants and show him to my office. I've got to talk to Mel for a minute or two."

"What can I get you?" the receptionist smiled at Ryan.

"A cup of coffee would be great," replied Ryan.

She returned with a cup of coffee and pointed Ryan in the direction of Vern's office. "Have a seat and Vern will be right with you."

Ryan sat in the comfortable leather chair and sipped his coffee and looked at Vern's office. There were pictures of Vern's family on the large desk. From what Ryan could ascertain from the photographs, Lisa, the receptionist was Vern's daughter.

Vern walked into his office and sat down at his desk. He studied Ryan for a moment. "Mel says it might take a while to do what your uncle wants." 

'Oh great!' Ryan groaned to himself. 'Stuck here for the day.'

"It's a slow day around here." Vern looked up from his desk. "Let's go outside and take a look at some of the new trucks."

Ryan was instantly wary. "Sure, but if you're looking at trying to sell me a truck, you might as well stop right now. I don't have any money, and I don't really even have a job."

"No." Vern flashed Ryan a disarming smile. "I wouldn't do that, especially to Bill."

They stood out in the lot looking at the new trucks and Vern turned to Ryan. "If money was no object, which truck would want to drive out of here today?"

Ryan looked at the trucks and he found it kind of exciting imagining just taking which ever one he wanted home. Since coming to Montana, he had grown accustomed to driving trucks. He liked the way he felt while driving a pickup. He walked around the new trucks and finally pointed to a white Dodge 3500 four wheel drive. "That's the one."

Vern nodded. "Nice truck." He opened the driver's side door and motioned for Ryan to get inside. "Hop up in there, let's see how this baby fits you."

The leather seats felt comfortable in the tall truck. He loved the new car smell of the truck. Vern climbed into the passenger seat and looked over at Ryan. "What do you think?"

"It's big." Ryan looked out over the hood. "I like it."

Vern put the key into the ignition. "Let's take it for a spin around town."

Ryan turned the key and listened to the Cummins diesel engine come to life. He watched the oil pressure gauge rise and waited for a minute before he released the emergency brake and eased the truck into gear and headed onto the street. 

The truck had a feeling of power as he accelerated up through the gears. They drove through town and out onto the highway where Ryan let the truck have its head. He was surprised when he looked down at the speedometer and saw that they were doing close to ninety miles per hour.

"Wow! This thing just wants to get up and go!" Ryan was impressed with the truck as he let it slow back to the speed limit.

After he brought the truck back to the dealership, Ryan looked over at Vern. "Damn, this is one nice truck."

Vern grinned. "Yes it is, and it's yours."

"What?" Ryan thought Vern had lost his mind.

"This truck is a gift to you from your uncle. Come back into my office. I have a few papers for you to sign." Vern couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Ryan's face.

Ryan read the note that Vern handed him. It was from his uncle. It simply read, "A cowboy needs a truck." He couldn't remember a time when he felt so overwhelmed. 

When Ryan pulled up to the house, he saw his uncle sitting on the veranda wearing the biggest smile he had ever seen. 

"That's a fine looking truck." Bill commented as he looked the new truck over.

"I don't know what to say. Thank you doesn't seem to say enough." Ryan looked at his uncle with gratitude on his face.

"There is nothing you have to say. You have worked damned hard around here, and this ranch is half yours. You need your own truck. The blue one has about had it, anyway." Bill was beaming with happiness. "Now take me for a ride in this thing."

---

Charlie walked into the Sheriff's Department and stepped up to the desk.

"Can I help you?" the deputy asked.

"Yes," Charlie replied. "I'm here to see the Sheriff. Charlie Red Elk. He called and wanted me to come in."

"Let me call him and let him know that you are here." The deputy pointed to a row of chairs against the wall. "Take a seat over there."

He dialed the Sheriff's extension. "There's a Charlie Red Elk here to see the sheriff." He nodded and hung up the phone and looked at Charlie. "He said he will be right out."

A few minutes later Milt appeared from the back. "Charlie, glad you could come in. What say we go grab us a cup of coffee."

"Sounds good to me," replied Charlie as he shook Milt's hand.

The local coffee shop had the regulars parked at their normal tables as Milt and Charlie walked in. The coffee shop was one of the major social gathering spots in town. Like any small town coffee shop, major issues of the day were discussed here along with prices of cattle and grain. Milt held up two fingers for two cups of coffee as he and Charlie took a table at the back of the coffee shop away from anyone else. Of course, this sparked some inquisitive banter among the regulars.

"I thought it best to get out of the office for our little talk," Milt began. "This meeting between us is off the record so to speak. It's more for my sake than anything else. I think you know why I've asked to see you."

"Yeah, it's about the death of that fella." Charlie looked Milt square in the eyes.

Milt nodded as he took a sip of coffee. "Yup. First off, I want to tell you that I don't think you or Walt, or anyone from the band, had anything to do with what happened up there, but I think you do know what happened. Whatever it is you know, I am quite sure it's not something that I can put in my report." 

Milt watched Charlie's face for any change of expression and then continued. "I got the report back from the arrows they dug out of that guy. The fella at the university was about pissing in his pants over the arrows. He said they were the genuine article and that he hadn't ever seen arrows of that quality. They could find no trace of any modern glue, sinew, or feathers and his opinion was that they were from around the 1870's to the 1880's."

Charlie looked at his coffee. "Well, he would probably know. I never got a chance to see them myself."

Milt nodded. "When they send them back, I'll give you a call. You can come in and see them for yourself."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that." 

"Let me tell you a story," Milt started.

Charlie laughed. "Sure, I'll listen, you're payin' for the coffee."

Milt smiled at Charlie's comment and continued. "Well, you know my family has been in these parts almost as long as anyone. My granddad died when I was about seventeen or eighteen. Just before he died, he told me a story. He claimed to have never repeated it to another person during his life, and I had never heard it before." The sound of breaking dishes interrupted Milt's story. 

The flurry of four letter words flying from the kitchen and caused both Charlie and Milt to chuckle. "Someone's day just went from bad to worse," Milt commented wryly.

Milt took a sip of his coffee and continued. "His time was near he said, and he no longer feared telling the story. He said he wanted at least one person to hear it. It seems that when he was a young man he decided that he would spend a summer prospecting in the mountains. Well, it seems he went up the backside of Baxter's to that creek that runs down it. He claims to have found gold in that creek."




Montana Summer Ch. 12



This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any real person is just amazing. All characters are eighteen years and older.

*

Ryan sat high up on the hill behind the old cabin. He had hauled the horses from the ranch to the cabin earlier in the morning and then had returned with hay and feed for them. Even though his uncle told him that it worked, Ryan was still surprised when, with just a few pumps on the handle, water flowed into the trough from the old cast-iron pump.

He had almost forgotten what quiet, real quiet, was like. No man-made sound was audible. He strained his ears for the sound of anything mechanical and was pleased that none could be heard. The rustle of the leaves moving in the breeze and the buzz of insects were the only sounds. The hands of time seemed to have moved backwards by a hundred years and more. 

The horses were gathered around the trough where Ryan had placed their feed and seemed to be enjoying a leisurely lunch. At least that's what it looked like from where Ryan was sitting. 

Ryan's thoughts turned to Jessi. Something had happened just before Jessi and Becky had left for Missoula. He had tried to get Jessi to tell him what it was, but all she would say was that when the time was right, she would tell him, and that it had nothing to do with their relationship.

They hadn't had much time together since Ryan got out of the hospital. It seemed lately that there was always something going on to keep them apart. He missed the early days of the summer when there always seemed to be time for them. 

He plucked a piece of dry grass and began to tie it into little knots. When he was done, he looked at the once-straight piece of grass and thought it resembled his life in a way, what had been something fairly simple had slowly complicated itself as the summer rolled by. He still had no idea how to approach his uncle and aunt with the possibility that he and Jessi were not related in any way. 

The sound of a laboring truck engine broke into Ryan's thoughts. He looked down the hill and towards the road. He recognized the sound of the motor before the truck became visible. Ryan stood up and brushed the grass from his jeans and made his way down the mountain.

If there was one bright spot, it was that Jessi and Becky should be home this evening. He had missed Jessi. It was more than just the sex, a lot more. It was just being around her and being with her that he missed. He missed her smile, hearing her laugh. He missed seeing her come downstairs in the morning for breakfast and having her wink and blow him a kiss. He missed the way she would reach under the table and squeeze his knee.

The truck emerged as Ryan got down to the cabin. Long wooden poles were stacked in the bed of the truck and hung over the cab and Walter's old horse trailer was hooked onto the. The truck pulled to a stop in front of the corral and Walter and Charlie got out and stretched..

"We made it!" Walter announced.

Ryan shook both Walter and Charlie's hands. "I'm glad you did." He pointed at the corral. "I've got feed and water in there for the horses."

"Good." Charlie nodded. "You two take care of the horses and I will look for a good place to set the tipi."

Walter shook his head and laughed good-naturedly. "Oh sure, whenever there is work to be done."

"This is serious business." Charlie pointed around the clearing. "One must find the best spot."

Walter rolled his eyes and then directed his comments to Ryan. "And at his age, that means a spot close to the outhouse."

Ryan couldn't help but laugh, and he found the thought of Charlie making a midnight dash to the outhouse somewhat amusing. Hell, it was downright funny.

After the horses had been unloaded, Walter backed the horse trailer next to the corral and unhitched it. They looked around for Charlie and found him staring at a piece of ground in the far corner of the clearing. 

"I wonder if that's the spot?" Ryan asked.

"I dunno," Walter replied. He then yelled down at his father, "Is that where you want to put it?"

Charlie looked up from the ground and waved Walter and Ryan over.

"Guess that's it," Walter stated. "Hop in the truck and let's get this thing set up."

"Look." Charlie pointed at the ground. A ring of rocks was visible on the ground beneath the grass. "It looks like someone set up camp here once before."

Ryan stared at the rocks that Charlie had found. "Do you think that was before or after the cabin was built?"

"After," Charlie replied. "If it was before there would be more than just one tipi set up here."

"Would you mind giving me a hand unloading the truck?" Walter asked.

"No, not at all," Ryan replied. 

They unloaded the long poles first, and then the bundles of canvas that had been carefully folded and bound with rawhide laces.

Walter pointed to three poles that were tied together at the top. "This goes up first." 

Once the poles were vertical, Walter told Ryan, "Hold on to this one and I'll spread the other two out."

Walter set the two other poles so they were equal distance apart, and formed the diameter for the base of the tipi. A long rope hung from where the poles were tied to the ground. Walter pointed to the remaining poles. "Okay start placing them about the same distance apart."

Ryan followed Walter's lead and began to set the other poles in place. After the last pole was set in place, Walter grabbed the rope that was hanging and began to slowly walk around the base of the tipi pulling it taut with each step. He made three trips around the base before he stopped. 

Charlie had been busy getting the lift pole attached to the canvas. He walked around the poles and inspected each one. 

Once he was satisfied, he looked at his son. "Okay, I'm ready."

Ryan watched as the father and son lifted the canvas into position and began to cover the pole frame. A sudden gust of wind threatened to carry the canvas sailing.

"Ryan," Charlie called out. "Get in the middle and see if you can't hold the canvas down."

Ryan laid himself against the tipi with his arms spread wide and tried to keep the material flat against the poles. Several times the wind threatened to take both Ryan and the canvas for a ride.

"Come around front," Charlie called to Ryan. When Ryan got to the front of the tipi Charlie pointed to where the canvas joined. "Pull tight on that as high as you can reach. Walter is going to put in the lacing pins."

Walter was inside of the tipi, standing on a stepladder. He started from the top and inserted the lacing pins one at a time. Once that was complete, he emerged from the interior of the tipi and admired his work.

Two poles remained on the ground and when Ryan asked what they were, Charlie replied, "Those are for the smoke flap. See how the ends of the pole are tapered and smooth? There are pockets sewn into the canvas for the poles."

With an expert eye, Walter guided the pole into the pocket and set the pole into the correct position. Last came the medicine pole and once it was set in place Ryan stood back and looked the tipiover. The bottom two feet of the canvas had been dyed a dark red, and the top was covered with stylized drawings of hunters on horseback chasing buffalo, and of other scenes of traditional Lakota life.

"Who did the paintings?" Ryan pointed at the tipi.

Charlie grinned. "My wife and Walt's wife."

"Wow!" Ryan shook his head in admiration. "They did a good job." This was the first time Ryan had been up close to a tipi and he was surprised at how large it was.

"I'm gonna put the interior up," Charlie remarked. "You can help Walter stake it down."

Ryan looked at the edge of the canvas and wondered how they were going to stake it down as there were no grommets or holes of any kind along the bottom of the tipi.

Walter saw the look on Ryan's face and chuckled as he carried a sack of rocks and a bag with wooden pegs and ropes. 

"Come here." He motioned to Ryan, opened the sack of rocks and pulled one out. 

From what Ryan could see all of the rocks were about the same size and very smooth. He watched as Walter wrapped the rock with the canvas and then tied one of the ropes around it. Walter then drove one of the wooden stakes into the ground and lashed the rope to the stake. He looked up at Ryan. "See, Lakota technology at work."

Ryan nodded. "I'm impressed!. Do you want me to give you a hand?"

"Sure," Walter replied. He took another one of the rocks and showed Ryan how to tie the knot. "We want two of these between each pole. Try to space it out so they are even."

Walter watched Ryan tie two of the small rocks to the canvas and, once satisfied, he began following behind Ryan, pounding wooden pegs into the ground and tying them off. 

"How secure is it in the wind?" Ryan asked.

"I dunno, but I've never seen one blown down that has been put up right." Walter replied. He grinned and pointed towards the door. "Let's see how the interior decorator is doing."

"I heard that." A voice came from inside the tipi. "If you're done out there you can always come on in and give me a hand."

The inside of the tipi was roomier than Ryan expected. He watched as Walter helped his father finish tying up the inside liner. 

"No floor?" Ryan asked.

"Some people put floors down, I don't," answered Charlie. "I got a couple of old Navajo style rugs that I put down." 

Ryan helped Charlie and Walter haul their gear from the truck into the tipi. He chuckled when he found a couple of air mattresses. "This doesn't look too authentic to me."

Charlie winked at Ryan. "Comfort over tradition. It's more for the wife than for me."

Walter rolled his eyes and just grinned at Ryan.

"See if you can't find me some nice sized rocks for the fire ring," Charlie asked.

Charlie dug out a shallow pit in the center of the tipi for the fire. As Ryan and Walter brought in rocks, he began placing them in a circle until he had surrounded the pit he had dug. 

"Well, that looks good," Charlie announced as he stood up. "All we need to do now is make the beds and head home to pick up the women and the food."

"Can I just leave the horse trailer up here?" Walter asked.

"I don't see why not. I'm just going to leave that one here too. I guess I'll back it in next to yours." Ryan pointed in the direction of where his truck sat and where Walter had parked his horse trailer.

---

Jessi and Becky had left Missoula and were headed home. The three days they had spent at the university had been hectic. There had been books to buy, registrations to complete for student services. They had attended the freshman orientation and had gotten loaded down with all sorts of booklets and pamphlets.

"Maybe I should have just stayed at the apartment." Becky looked out the window as Jessi drove.

"Don't be silly. We'll have a great time up at the old cabin. You love going up there." Jessi responded.

"I know but..." Tears began forming in Becky's eyes again.

In the information that they had received in orientation, there had been a flyer advertising the family planning clinic on campus. Jessi had taken Becky in for a pregnancy test. The nurse said that they would have the results back in a few days and that they would contact Becky when the results came back from the lab.

"There is nothing you can do right now. No amount of worrying is going to change the fact that you are or you aren't pregnant." Jessi tried to alleviate some of her friend's fears. "And remember what the nurse said, those home pregnancy tests sometimes give false positives."

Becky smiled weakly and looked over at Jessi. "Yeah, I know. But, what if, Jessi? What if I'm pregnant? What do I tell mom and dad? That Stan and I were fucking and he knocked me up? What a fucking mess!"

Jessi shivered momentarily. "I know what you mean. Well, for the weekend, let's just go on the assumption that you aren't pregnant. Let's just have a good time and we will deal with the 'what ifs' when we get back to Missoula."

Becky knew Jessi was right. She tried to put her fears behind her and to look forward to the weekend. She smiled and poked Jessi in the ribs. "Do you think your cowboy missed you?"

Jessi beamed. She couldn't wait to see Ryan again. After all, it had been almost four days since she had last seen him. A virtual lifetime. "If he knows what's good for him, he will have missed me." Jessi laughed and made a fist.

Becky couldn't help but laugh. She looked at her friend and chuckled. Jessi was more than just a friend. There was a bond between them that had been there from the first day they met at school in the first grade. She remembered how they would dress alike and pretend to be perturbed when people thought they were sisters. No matter what disaster befell, one of them the other was always there for support.

Becky closed her eyes as Jessi drove. She was glad that she came and she was glad that they were spending the weekend at the old cabin. Her eyes closed and she began to doze as they traveled along the highway.

Jessi was glad when she saw that Becky had fallen asleep. Rest was what Becky needed right now, since she hadn't been sleeping well lately. Jessi had been embarrassed when her mother had taken her to see Doc Taylor to get a prescription for birth control pills, but now she was relieved that pregnancy was the one thing she didn't have to worry about.

---

Bill looked into the back of Ryan's truck. "Do you think we have enough stuff?"

Ryan leaned against the bed of the truck and looked at all of the gear and supplies stacked in the back. "Looks like we are going on safari for a month, doesn't it?"

"Well, four days. I guess Jessi and Becky will have to head back on Monday. I think she said classes start on Tuesday." Bill stretched. He was ready for a weekend of relaxation.

"Yeah, my first classes are on Tuesday also," Ryan stated.

Bill studied his nephew for a moment. He had been almost dreading having this conversation with Ryan. "Well, it's probably good that Jessi is headed off to school. I think you two have gotten too close. And, according to your aunt, she thinks you two are even closer since we had our talk."

Ryan was shocked at the turn the conversation had taken. He was going to reply, but there was no point in denying what his uncle had said. It was probably pretty obvious that he and Jessi were in love.

Bill's eyes looked sad as he looked at Ryan. "I just don't want anyone getting hurt. Not Jessi and not you. Hopefully this time apart will cool things down between you. I wish things were different, Ryan, I really do."

"What if I told you that Jessi and I weren't related at all? What would you say then?" Before Ryan realized what he was saying, he had already blurted it out.

A look of shock crossed over Bill's face. "What the hell are you talking about? You heard what your dad and I told you that night."

Ryan nodded. "Yes, I did. But, something happened when I was in the hospital." Ryan paused for a moment as he studied his uncle's face, he knew he couldn't stop now, he had to tell him what everything he knew. "You know about the Wanagi. When Jessi was with me, Spotted Owl appeared. He told us that Jessi would make a fine wife and that she would bear me a fine son. I told him that it was impossible, that Jessi was my half-sister. He told me that no blood of Little White Wolf flowed in her veins. That would mean that we are not related by blood in any way whatsoever."

"A ghost told you that," Bill scoffed. "Come on, you were probably dreaming, they had you on a lot of medication while you were in the hospital."

"Yeah, that's true, but Jessi was with me when it happened. She saw and heard the same thing. How would you explain that?"

Bill remembered the conversation that he had with Charlie Red Elk at the hospital. He knew he was dealing with things that couldn't be normally explained. He would talk to Charlie once he got up to the cabin. Charlie might be able to shed some light on what Ryan was saying. "I can't explain any of it, Ryan. The only thing I ask of you right now, is that you say nothing to your aunt. It was hard enough on her telling Jessi that I wasn't her real father. She is convinced that it is your dad that fathered Jessi."

"I don't want to hurt anyone." Ryan lowered his voice, he didn't want to take the chance of his conversation traveling through the kitchen window. "Jessi and I were thinking of having a DNA test done to confirm it. We thought we would need actual proof before coming to you."

Bill leaned up against the bed of the truck and looked at the ground. "God damn!" He looked over at Ryan. "I'm not upset with you, Ryan, this is just a big damned mess. I guess the DNA test would certainly help set the record straight." Bill kicked a rock across the driveway and then he gave Ryan a stern look. "Okay, I want your promise on one thing. That if the DNA test comes back and shows that you and Jessi are related, I want your promise that you two will move on with your lives."

Ryan nodded. What his uncle was telling him was nothing but the straight truth. If the DNA test came back and showed that they were indeed related, there couldn't be any future for the two of them. Finally Ryan raised his head and looked his uncle square in the eye. "You've got my promise."

"Thanks, Ryan. I appreciate that." Bill walked around the truck and put his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "I really do. You already know where I stand. I would be more than proud to have you as my son."

"Thanks," Ryan answered. "I do appreciate you telling me that."

Bill looked at the time. "Why don't you get this stuff up to the cabin. As soon as Jessi and Becky show up, your aunt and I will head on out."

---

Kenny picked up the phone, "Yeah?"

Hank's gravelly voice came from the other end of the line. "It's me."

"Have you made any progress?"

"Yeah," Hank replied. "Campbell and I went out looking at office space and we think we found something. I gave them a cash deposit to hold it."

"Good." Kenny was surprised that they had found an office this quick. "I should have the incorporation papers back after the weekend. You will need to have Campbell go down and apply for a business license. I don't want my name, or your name, on the license. As soon as the license is taken care of, I will be able to open a bank account for the business."

"Okay, I'm going to need some money, I'm starting to run a little short. I got myself an apartment. With what I put down on that and then the office, I'm just about tapped out."

"Can it wait until after the weekend?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah, I can hold out that long." Hank replied.

After hanging up the phone, Hank lit another cigarette. Things were going well in Denver for Hank. All of the objectives that Kenny had given him had been met. Norm Campbell had proven useful in finding an office. He had hooked up with a stripper and now was moving from living in a hotel to living in an apartment. Life couldn't get much better for Hank at the moment.

Hank gave the hotel room one more cursory look. He had packed his belongings and was getting ready to head over to the small one-bedroom furnished apartment he had rented. 

---

Ryan pitched his tent on the other side of the clearing, away from the house and away from Charlie's tipi. He wanted some privacy in the off chance that He and Jessi would have some time together. Ryan really wasn't expecting it to happen. He thought his aunt and uncle would keep a close watch on their daughter.

He had carried the boxes of food and supplies that his aunt had packed into the cabin and put away what he could. He walked outside and admired the view. There was something majestic about Charlie's tipi sitting at the edge of the clearing. 




Montana Summer Ch. 12



Ryan sat down in one of the chairs on the porch and enjoyed the peace and the quiet. He could understand why his ancestors had picked this spot. There was something special about it. The warmth of the afternoon sun made him drowsy and before long he was fast asleep in his chair.

---

It wasn't until Bill pulled up with his wife and the two girls that Ryan awoke from his afternoon nap. He wore a sheepish grin now that he had been caught sound asleep on the porch.

"Now there's a man after my own heart," his uncle chortled happily. 

Ryan stood up and stretched and grinned at Jessi. "I just sat down for a minute and bam! I was out like a light."

"Sure, sure." Jessi smiled at Ryan. "I've heard that story before."

Ryan helped the girls and his aunt in with their bags. He hauled Jessi and Becky's up to the small loft.

"God, I love this place," Becky gushed with enthusiasm. "I still remember the first time I came up here with you, I think I was six or seven. I couldn't think of anything more exotic than sleeping up in that loft. I remember always waking up and smelling your mom cooking breakfast. Those were the best times."

Suzanne looked at the girls and laughed. "Trying to get you chatterboxes to go to sleep at night was a real chore. I never knew two little girls that could talk more than you two did up there in that loft at night."

Jessi nodded in agreement. "I bet we told a million secrets up there. Each one was more important than the one before."

All of Becky's problems melted away like the snows of late spring. Jessi was right, she told herself, there was no point in worrying about things until she heard from the Family Planning Clinic at the school. This place held too many magical memories for her.

Walter and Charlie returned with their wives just as the sun was about to set. Charlie remarked on how the days were growing shorter and the nights were growing longer.

Bill replied, "Well, Charlie, that just gives us more time around the fire to swap lies."

Charlie gave Bill an astonished look. "Us? Lie? Nothing but the gospel truth from these lips."

Esther, Charlie's wife, rolled her eyes. "I've heard it all now."

Charlie introduced his wife to Ryan. "This is Esther, and Esther this is Ryan, the boy that I told you about."

Esther almost glowed with happiness. "Charlie has told me a lot about you. You must be a remarkable young man to have made such a great impression on him."

Ryan blushed. "Well, I don't think I'm too remarkable."

Walter introduced his wife. "Ryan, this is Maggie, my wife."

Ryan shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Maggie nodded. "My pleasure. Walter and his dad have told me a lot about you, and your family. I brought you a book that you might be interested in. It has some similarities to the story of your great-grandfather."

"I'd like to see it." Ryan replied.

Walter whispered. "Now you've done it. She'll talk your ear off."

Maggie gave Walter a withering glance. "I heard that."

Charlie kept a straight face as he looked at Ryan. "Maggie is a Shoshone, and their women talk a lot."

Esther gave Charlie a good-natured swat to the butt. "At least she makes sense when she talks, unlike a certain long-winded old man that I know."

"I guess I should stop while I'm ahead,." Charlie responded. He looked at Walter. "Let's get that stuff loaded into the tipi before it gets dark. 

"I'll give you a hand," volunteered Ryan.

"You go and help too, Bill," ordered Suzanne. "And we'll get some supper started."

"We made a bunch of fried chicken, and potato salad," said Esther. "I didn't think anyone would be much in the mood for cooking tonight."

"I made up a big pot of baked beans, we can have those too." Suzanne looked at Jessi and Becky. "You two get the Coleman stove fired up and we'll heat those beans up."

After supper was finished, Jessi and Becky took the dishes into the cabin to wash them. Ryan started a fire in the fire pit. Chairs were hauled out and set up around the fire. The night lit up with the orange flames from the campfire. For a while it was quiet, everyone seemed content to just stare at the flames, lost in their own personal thoughts. 

Ryan stared up at the sky, it seemed like more stars than he had ever seen were out tonight. Each one seemed to be twinkling in its own separate way.

Charlie broke the silence. "I've been doing this all of my life, camping out. Sometimes for fun and sometimes because it was just something that had to be done. It's something that I have never gotten tired of, sitting around a campfire after a good meal with friends and family. What could be better than this?"

Bill nodded. "Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. Life really doesn't get any better than this." He looked over at his wife and daughter. "It's time spent with family and friends that is important."

Maggie sat down next to Ryan and handed him a book. "This is the book I was telling you about."

Ryan looked at the cover. It was titled "Among the Shoshone: The White Indian Boy.".

Maggie explained: "It's the story of Elijah Nicholas Wilson. His family came west to Utah in the 1850's. He ran away from home at one time and lived with the Shoshone for about two years. Later on, he became one of the first Pony Express riders. He died near Jackson, Wyoming and the small town of Wilson is named after him. There is a monument to him in the old South Park cemetery in Jackson. Among the Shoshone he was known as Uncle Nick."

"I read that book several times when I was young." Bill looked up from the fire. "He led a pretty extraordinary life." Bill looked at Maggie. "Didn't his son write a book also?"

Maggie nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, he did. I believe it was called "Return of the White Indian Boy."

Ryan set the book in his lap. "Thanks. I'm looking forward to reading it."

"I read it too." Charlie looked at Ryan and Bill. "There are quite a few similarities between Uncle Nick and Little White Wolf." Charlie looked down at the fire and stared at the flames dancing over the red hot coals. "It's likely that he was adopted by Spotted Owl, or Runs With Elk."

"But, his parents were still alive?" Ryan looked over at Charlie.

Charlie nodded. "It's a little different. It's much like what we are going to do to you. It's more along the lines of a way of showing endearment and respect. By adopting your great-great-grandfather, it would show the rest of tribe that he was like a brother and should be treated the same way. Even within the tribe itself, it wasn't uncommon for a man to adopt a young boy as a means of showing respect."

Jessi and Becky emerged from the cabin carrying a large coffee pot and a tray of freshly baked cookies. "Hot chocolate and cookies anyone?"

"I'd love some," Charlie responded immediately.

"Somehow I don't see hot chocolate and cookies as being traditional Lakota-around-the-campfire-fare." Ryan chuckled as he took a cup and a handful of cookies.

"I've made it my own tradition." Charlie grinned as he wolfed down another cookie.

Jessi sat down next to Ryan and gave his arm a quick squeeze. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I want you tonight."

Ryan mouthed back how? and Jessi just winked at him. He felt a feeling of excitement growing in the pit of his stomach. Private time with Jessi had been at a premium lately as there seemed to always be something preventing them from being together.

Suzanne basked in the warmth of the fire. She looked at Jessi and wondered where the time had gone. Her little girl had been replaced with a beautiful young woman. She caught Jessi looking at Ryan and it made her heart ache to see the look on Jessi's face. There was no doubt in her mind that her daughter was deeply in love with her nephew, and he with her.

Bill broke the silence. "I remember Grand-dad saying something about some stories William McFayden had written down, but I've never seen them." 

Ryan perked up. "That would be something I would love to read."

Charlie nodded his head in agreement. "I would too." He looked at Bill. "You have no idea where they could be?"

"No," Bill replied. His face was scrunched up as he tried hard to remember what his grandfather had told him. "I don't think William had much of an education, at least from what Grand-dad said. He grew up in this house. It wasn't until he was married that he moved down to where the ranch sits now and built the first house."

"Is that the house you live in now?" Ryan asked.

"No," Bill answered. "The house we live in now was built by my dad. They hadn't lived in it long before he and your grandparents were killed in that car wreck. The house Grand-dad built burned a couple of years later. It sat where the equipment shed is now, and part of the shed sits on the foundation of the old house. Anyway, he and grandma had already moved into the new house, because it had more room for them and me and your dad."

Bill gazed at the cabin for a moment. "What I remember him telling me about William, is that at nights, William would tell them stories of when he was a boy and they were all written down. Now, William's wife had some education. It's possible that she's the one who actually wrote the stories down. I've never seen them, though I've never actually looked for them. All I know is that they aren't in any of the stuff at the house."

Sparks flew up into the dark evening as Charlie dropped another log onto the fire. "Could be they got destroyed when the old house burned up."

Bill nodded. "Yeah, that's what I've always thought, too."

Jessi stood up and stretched. "It's been a long day, I'm ready for bed."

"Me too." Becky stood up. "I'll see everyone in the morning."

Ryan gave Jessi a puzzled look. "Good night."

Becky waved. "Don't stay up too late."

After the girls had gone into the cabin, Ryan looked at Charlie and his uncle and asked, "So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" 

"I hadn't really thought about it," Bill replied. He looked at Charlie. "Anything in particular that you would like to do tomorrow?"

Charlie glanced over at Walter for a moment and then turned his attention to Bill. "I thought I would show you something that likely you've never seen."

"Oh, and what might that be?" Bill was intrigued.

"There's a set of two waterfalls about four hours ride from here that I don't think you've seen before," Charlie replied. "I thought Ryan might like to see them."

"I'd like that." Ryan looked at Charlie and his uncle. "That sounds like it would nice to see."

"Waterfalls?" Bill stared at Charlie. "I've been all through these mountains for all of my life and I haven't ever seen any waterfalls."

Charlie grinned. "I know. Not too many people around anymore that know the way."

"Where the hell are they?" Bill questioned.

Charlie pointed to the dark peak behind the cabin. "We gotta go up and around to the backside of the mountain. There's an old trail that runs up through there. The entrance is hidden, and we will have to leave the horses and hike in from there."

Bill shook his head. "I know that trail and I've been up and down it I don't know how many times."

Walter reminded his father, "Don't forget, we need a couple of good flashlights and fresh batteries."

"We have a couple of flashlights," Ryan volunteered. "And I remember packing some new batteries."

"What time do you want to leave?" Bill asked Charlie.

"I think we should be on the trail by dawn. That will give us plenty of time to get there and get back before it gets dark," Charlie answered.

"Who all is going?" asked Bill.

"Oh, you would have to tie me down to keep me from going," laughed Ryan.

Esther laughed as she looked at her husband. "You can go gallivanting about the mountains all you want. I plan to sit and relax."

"I'm with her." Maggie pointed at her mother.

Suzanne looked at her husband. "Oh, don't look at me, Wild Bill. I didn't come up here to park my butt in a saddle all day long. Jessi and Becky will probably want to go."

"Well, if we want to get an early start, I suggest we turn in now." Charlie stood up.

"Yeah, sounds good to me," Bill replied. "I can hear the pillow calling my name already."

Ryan said goodnight and walked off in the direction of his tent. He heard the sizzle of water on hot coals as his uncle doused the campfire with a large bucket of water. He was excited about the ride tomorrow.

Bill and Suzanne entered the cabin. Suzanne pointed up at the loft. "Let me check on the girls."

Bill looked at his wife. "For God's sakes, Suzanne, they aren't children anymore. Leave them be."

Suzanne hesitated on the steps leading up to the small loft. "I guess old habits are hard to break. I can't believe they are grown up already."

Bill nodded. "I know, I was just thinking the same thing." After Suzanne had reached the bedroom, Bill looked around the cabin and blew out the kerosene lamp.

---

Ryan unzipped the tent and crawled in through the door. He quickly stripped down to his underwear and started to get under the covers.

"What the...!" He exclaimed as he touched warm flesh.

"Shh!" Jessi giggled. "What are you trying to do? Let everyone know that someone is waiting in your bed?"

"Well," Ryan grinned as he slid all the way into his bed. "I wondered how you were going to pull it off."

"Well, when we said we were going to bed, Becky went into the cabin, while I circled around to your tent. She is going to give us some time and then get up to use the outhouse. She'll come over and get me and we can both sneak back into the cabin with no one knowing."

Ryan wrapped his arms around Jessi. "Mmm, and you're naked too!"

"I thought it would save us some time." Jessi giggled. She reached her hand between his legs and found him already stiff with anticipation. She pulled his boxers down as far as she could and then Ryan kicked them off.

"I'm naked now, too." His voice had gotten huskier all of a sudden.

Her hand rubbed his hardness up and down slowly, she whispered into his ear just before she nibbled on his earlobe, "And that's the way I like you best. Hard and naked."

Ryan liked how Jessi's hand felt on his stiff member. He reached over and ran his hand over her naked body. Her skin felt warm and smooth. His hand found her firm breasts, her nipples already taut, either from the chill of the night air, or sexual excitement, or a combination of both. His hand squeezed and kneaded her flesh, he loved the springy texture of her breasts.

"I love how you touch my breasts," Jessi purred as she ran the palm of her hand up and down his excited cock.

"I like the way they feel." Ryan's whisper was tinged with excitement as he replied.

Jessi began to pump his cock in earnest. "We don't have a lot of time."

He reached down between her legs and found her pussy already warm and wet. His finger slid between her delicate lips and he found her clit in a state of swollen excitement. His hips rocked in time with Jessi's manual manipulation of his steel hard erection.

"You're so hard," Jessi panted. "Did you jack off while I was gone?"

"No, I wanted to save it all for you." Ryan moaned as he rubbed her hard nub.

"Mmm." Jessi's voice was husky with lust. "I wish I had time to suck you and fuck you tonight. I like it when you have a big load to shoot in my mouth."

"You keep talking like that and you're going to make me cum in your hand," Ryan warned.

"I wouldn't mind that either." Jessi stroked his engorged cock a little quicker. "Fuck me, Ryan, fuck me now."

Ryan positioned himself between her spread legs and placed his dripping cock at her sodden entrance. He felt Jessi's hands gripping his ass to pull him into her. His cock slid easily into her slippery tunnel. To Ryan it felt like his cock had been enveloped in a warm, creamy, tightness. He moaned as his shaft sank right to the base.

Jessi held her breath as she felt his cock filling her sex. His hips began to move, pulling his stiff cock almost all the way back out and then sinking it back. As his cock sank to where their pubic bones touched, she felt her clit explode with pleasure.

"Fuck me hard, Ryan." Jessi urged as her hips drove hard against his thrusts. 

The still of the night was broken by the sounds of their flesh coming together and their moans of lust. They moved as one as Ryan drove his stiff, desire laden shaft in and out of Jessi's tight sexual canal. 

"You feel so tight." Ryan's voice was husky with his desire.

"That's because your cock is so big." Jessi answered. 

Ryan moved his mouth down to Jessi's and thrust his tongue into hers as his cock drove into her pussy. Back and forth their tongues moved back and forth, exploring and dancing with the other's. 

Jessi continued feeling little electric shocks coursing through her body as his cock rubbed against her swollen clit. She forced it against the slick shaft that was pummeling her sodden sex. She knew her orgasm was impending. It would only take a few more strokes of his hard cock to send her over the edge and into the climatic abyss.

Ryan could feel the walls of Jessi's slit tightening. He knew she was going to cum. He reveled in his ability to make her have an orgasm. He sped up his thrusts and closed his eyes. His breath was ragged and hot. Even in the chill of the Montana evening his forehead was beaded in sweat.

"Oh, fuck, Ryan! I'm going to cum," Jessi panted between breaths. Her body began to shudder and shake. 

Ryan felt the walls of her wet pussy beginning to contract against his cock and it felt like a million little fingers trying to jack him off. The ache in his balls increased, he could feel his cock swell even further as it readied to shoot its pearly white jizz deep inside of her.

"Yeah!." Ryan almost shouted as his cock began shooting. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" He moaned over and over with each load of sperm delivered into her waiting slit. 

She felt his hot, thick cum flood deep inside of her. She liked the feeling of his seed inside of her. She felt his thrusts slow as his climax passed. Jessi ran her hands up and down his strong back. 

They lay there cuddled tightly together under Ryan's sleeping bag. Jessi leaned over and kissed Ryan. "God, I love you, cowboy."

Ryan felt his whole body go warm. "I love you too, Jessi. I love you more than life itself."

Jessi basked in the warm afterglow of sex. She was worried that Becky had fallen asleep and then again, she didn't really care. There was nothing that she would have liked more than to spend the night in her cowboy's arms.

"You ready for a shock?" Ryan asked Jessi as he held her in his arms.

"Okay." Jessi's curiosity was piqued right away. "I'm ready." 

Ryan took a deep breath. "I told your dad about what Spotted Owl told us in the hospital."

Jessi was silent for a minute, then in a quiet voice, she asked, "What did he say?"

"Not a lot. I don't think he believed me. He made me promise not to say anything to your mother."

Jessi shivered for a moment at thought of telling her mother. "Why, Ryan? Why did you tell him? I thought we agreed to wait until we had proof, like a DNA test."

Ryan sighed. "It was an accident."

Jessi was perplexed. "How could it be an accident?"

"Well, he started on about how he thought it was a good thing that you were going away to school and how both he and your mom thought we were still too close. Then, before I knew it, I said something like, what if you and I weren't related, and would that make a difference?" Ryan shook his head at his own impulsiveness. "Then I told him what Spotted Owl said."

"Well, maybe it's a good thing that you did say something." Jessi tried to put a positive spin on it.

"Well, there's more." Ryan's voice got quieter.

Jessi didn't like the sound of his voice. She was apprehensive. "What?"




Montana Summer Ch. 12



"Well, I promised him that if the DNA test came back saying that we were related, that we would go our separate ways." 

Jessi buried her head into Ryan's chest. "Oh, God, Ryan. What if we are wrong? What will we do?"

The strength returned to Ryan's voice. "We aren't wrong, Jessi. I know what Spotted Owl told us is the truth. Trust me in that."

The conviction in Ryan's words made Jessi feel a little better. "I do trust you and I believe you."

Jessi lay there with Ryan. He just had to be right, and there could be no other option. There was no way that she could be without him. Her love for Ryan was total and complete. His strong hands on her naked flesh comforted her. She was about to doze off when she remembered that Becky was supposed to come for her. "I hope Becky hasn't forgotten about me."

"I've been meaning to ask you. Is Becky okay? She just doesn't seem like Becky." 

"Oh, Ryan." Jessi hugged him hard. "I'm not supposed to say anything. You need to promise me that you won't say a word to her or to anyone else if I tell you."

"You have my word," Ryan promised.

Jessi's voice got very serious. "Well, Becky thinks she's pregnant." 

Ryan's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Yeah, just before we went to Missoula she used one of those home pregnancy tests and it came back positive." 

"Holy crap!" Ryan couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Well, that explains a lot then." Almost as an afterthought Ryan asked, "Who's the father?"

Jessi had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Well..." She didn't know if she should tell Ryan or not.

"Did she tell you?" Ryan pressed.

Jessi nodded her head in the dark tent. "Yes, she did." She took a deep breath. "She said it's Stan."

"Stan? Her brother, Stan?" 

"Yeah, her brother." Jessi waited for Ryan's reaction.

"Oh my God. I can't believe she..." Ryan stopped in mid-sentence. "Well, I guess I shouldn't say anything. Especially after what you and I have been through."

"I know. Becky reminded me of the same thing when I said pretty much what you were going to say." 

Ryan shivered for a moment. It was the kind of moment where superstitious people mention that someone has just stepped on your grave. "Well, we never grew up together and you never really felt like my sister to me. What is she going to do?"

"I dragged her butt into the clinic at the school to have a pregnancy test done. She should get the results back after we get back to Missoula." Jessi felt Ryan's arms hold her even tighter.

"What's she going to tell her mom and dad?" Ryan thought out loud.

Jessi just shook her head. She had no idea what Becky was going to tell her parents. She was about to say something when they heard someone rustling with the flap on the tent.

"Jessi?" Becky whispered

"Yeah," Jessi replied.

"You ready to go?" Becky asked.

"Give me a sec." Jessi reached for her pajamas.

"Be quick," Becky urged. "It's damned chilly out here."

---

The sky was still dark when Bill opened the door to Ryan's tent. "Ryan, time to get up."

Ryan opened his eyes. It felt like he had just fallen asleep. "What time is it?"

"Just past five. Get up and give me a hand saddling the horses. Your aunt is up cooking breakfast and the coffee is ready." 

"Okay, I'll be right out," Ryan replied, his voice still groggy. 

Ryan found his uncle, Walter and Charlie all gathered at the corral getting horses ready for the day's ride. 

"Good morning, Ryan," Walter called out.

"Morning to you too," Ryan replied. "It will be a better morning once I get a cup of coffee in me."

Ryan slipped the saddle blanket over Bernie's back and then set the saddle on top of the horse. "Easy there," Ryan calmed Bernie down. "I know it's early for you, too. You were probably dreaming of apple snacks when you got woken up."

After Bernie was saddled and tied to the corral rail, Ryan looked around for Jessi's horse. It was the last of the horses that needed to be saddled. Jessi and Becky came out of the cabin as Ryan was getting the saddle on Jessi's horse.

"I would have done that," Jessi said as she walked up to Ryan. "Good morning, cowboy," she whispered. "How ya feelin' this morning."

Ryan winked at her and whispered back. "Much better!"

"Which one am I riding?" Becky asked.

"Mom's." Jessi pointed to the dark brown gelding with the star on his forehead. "You've ridden Duke before."

Becky laughed. "Indeed I have. The first time I rode him, he dumped me into the creek, and then I swear he stood there and laughed at me."

Ryan looked around. "Where are your wives?" He asked Charlie and Walter.

"Keeping the tipi from flying away." Charlie answered with a deadpan look on his face.

It took Ryan a second to catch on to Charlie's joke. "Oh, I see!"

"They think that this is supposed to be a relaxing weekend," Walter interjected.

Suzanne's voice rang out from the porch. "Breakfast is ready!"

The sky was just turning grey in the east as everyone sat down for a breakfast of ham, eggs, and sourdough pancakes. The large, blue, enamel coffee pot steamed on the old wood stove, filling the cabin with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Ryan heaped his plate with food and sat down at the table. No words were exchanged as everyone busied themselves with breakfast.

Ryan hadn't realized how hungry he was until he had finished his meal. He took his plate and placed it in the dish tub and then he gave his aunt a kiss on the cheek. "That was delicious, Aunt Suzanne."

Suzanne beamed happily at Ryan. "Thanks, Ryan, I appreciate that. If you're done with breakfast you might want to take the stuff for lunch and the water out to the horses and pack it into the saddlebags."

"We'll give you a hand." Becky came over and picked up some of the food that had been packed in plastic bags.

Jessi grabbed some of the water and then the three headed to the corral. The rest of the group joined them about the time the saddle bags were packed and closed. The eastern horizon was a pinkish glow when they mounted the horses and headed out.

At first the trail moved gently up the slope, meandering through the tall trees. Ryan could see no logic to the trail, he could only assume that it was an old game trail made by generations of animals that made the mountains their home. They had to ride single file, with Charlie in the lead and Bill bringing up the rear.

It was a cool, clear morning as the sun broke over the mountains to the east. The creaking of the saddles and the muffled sounds of the horses' hooves on the trail were all that broke the silence of the morning.

Ryan spent a lot of time lost in thoughts of William McFayden, Spotted Owl, and Runs With Elk. There was a good chance that they had ridden these very same trails. He remembered the dream where he was riding with Runs With Elk, when they came across a very young William McFayden. Although the young boy had been lost in the mountains, he had shown no outward fear toward the Lakota hunters. 

He watched Charlie as he rode, his long grey braids hanging down on either side of a battered cowboy hat. He felt a strong bond with Charlie now, a bond that seemed to go outside the bounds of time. There was a fire that burned within Charlie that Ryan found addictive. He had a zest for life that Ryan never knew existed. Ryan had never met anyone before that was so comfortable with who they were. It inspired confidence in Ryan to just to try to be who he was.

The trail got steeper as the began to climb the mountain in earnest. Ryan looked up at the blue grey rock of the mountain top. The white of the snow contrasted with the dark rock. He felt small and insignificant in comparison to the majesty and grandeur of the mountain.

When they came upon a small stream, Charlie halted the group. "Stretch your legs and let the horses take a drink."

"It's beautiful up here," Ryan commented to Charlie.

Charlie nodded. "Yes, it is."

Bill looked at Becky. "How are you doing? I think it's been a while since you've been riding."

Becky rubbed her butt. "Oh, I'm going to be sore tomorrow, I just know it. It's worth it though."

Jessi's horse finished drinking and she turned to Becky. "Yes, it is worth it."

Bill asked Charlie. "Are we making any progress?"

"Just up ahead the trail forks. We will take the right hand trail. It's not as steep. The trail follows around the mountain and stays pretty flat. We should be there in a couple of hours, maybe less."

"I haven't been riding up here in years." Bill remarked. He thought for a minute. "You know, Charlie, I don't think I've been up here since Jessi was a baby. I used to come up here elk hunting with granddad, but we used to stay on this side of the mountain. I think I remember the fork you are talking about, but we always stayed to the left."

They remounted and continued following the trail as it wound its way up the mountain. The sun had begun to warm the riders and the forest became more alive with the sounds of birds and insects. The narrow trail soon crested and the riders began to move around the mountain. 

Charlie halted his horse while Walter kept leading the group. Charlie was waiting for Ryan to catch up to him. The trail was wide enough for two horses at this point. 

"I wanted you to see this," Charlie commented as he rode beside Ryan. He pointed to an almost obscure trail as they rode past it. "That would have been the trail down to the Lakota village in the time of William McFayden."

Ryan strained his eyes, trying to find something familiar from his dream.

"It's probably three hours riding from here," Charlie explained. "There's a nice sized creek that flows in the bottom of the valley. Some time you and I will have to take a ride down there. You can still see the rings from where the tipis were."

"I'd like that," Ryan said as he followed the trail Charlie pointed out with his eyes. He remembered what the small Lakota village looked like from his dreams. He wondered if it was the same place. He was sure that he would recognize the area.

It was late morning when Charlie called another halt. "We will have to tie the horses and hike in from here."

"How far of a hike is it?" Bill asked as he studied the mountain. There wasn't even a sign of a creek or stream, let alone a waterfall.

"About half hour, not that far," Charlie replied.

Ryan and Walter strung a line between two trees and made sure the horses were tied securely to the line. Walter reached into his saddle bags and retrieved a pair of flashlights. He handed one to Ryan, along with some fresh batteries. "Never hurts to have spare batteries."

Bill was still studying the forested slope of the mountain. He had given up trying to guess where they were going. 

Charlie led them a few hundred yards up the steep slope. He stopped and pointed behind a tall pine tree. "We have to enter here. I have to warn you now, it's pretty narrow in there but, it's not that long. Twenty minutes and we will be out of it and at the falls."

Ryan was glad he had one of the flashlights. He got down on his hands and knees and followed the girls through the low opening to the cave. Once inside, he shone his flashlight around the narrow cave. "How do you think this was formed, Charlie?"

"I don't know," Charlie replied. "My guess is that it was an earthquake thousands of years ago or longer."

"It's kind of creepy," Becky laughed nervously.

Jessi shivered. "I hope there are no spiders in here. I hate spiders."

They followed Charlie for what seemed to be an eternity for some of them but, in reality, was only about ten minutes. They moved slowly, guided by Charlie and his flashlight. They rounded a corner and daylight could be seen from the exit.

Bill was astounded at what he saw--two waterfalls each about twenty feet high running over a rock ledge and into a pool. "I'll be damned!"

Ryan stood in awe of the sight. He looked at Charlie. "I've been here before. I just know it, I can't remember when, but I know I've been here before."

Charlie nodded. "This is where men came to have for hanbleyapi, the vision quest. It is very wakan. This is where I came after..." Charlie stopped for a moment and looked at the ground. "This is where I came after I found my self respect."

Ryan put his arm around Charlie's shoulder. "What was it like for you?"

"I was scared." Charlie's mind traveled back through time. "I had quit drinking by then. I didn't know what to expect, I had never paid much attention to the elders when they had tried to teach me the Lakota ways. Danny Little Bear was my teacher then." Charlie's eyes looked moist as he thought of man that had probably saved his life. "I wish you could have known him, Ryan."

Charlie stared at the pond. "I remember coming up here, I didn't expect anything to happen. For the first couple of days, I just went through the motions. I prepared a sweat lodge and I cleansed myself. I would spend the days chanting and singing but, in my heart, I wasn't really putting forth any effort."

"I remember sitting here and wondering how many days I should remain before going back. What would I tell Danny? Should I tell him the truth that nothing happened or should I make something up? I felt ashamed of myself at that point. Danny had put so much effort into trying to make me a man and I was not even trying. I vowed that the next day would be different. My whole life changed. I refocused my mind and my hanbleyapi was successful. I had my first real vision."

"What was it?" Ryan asked Charlie quietly.

"Tatanka came in my vision. He showed me what I could be." Charlie stopped for a few seconds and collected his thoughts. "I think he showed me you that night."

Ryan was surprised. "What?"

Charlie nodded his head. "Yes, he showed me a white man and told me that, one day, I would meet a waŝicun that would be like a son and a brother to me. I had almost forgotten that part of the vision. The first day that I met you, I knew you were the waŝicun from that vision."

"I wouldn't have even been born when that happened." Ryan tried to grasp the magnitude of what Charlie had just told him.

"No, you wouldn't have." Charlie hadn't thought of that before. 

The pond that the water from the falls flowed into was about a hundred feet across and there were no visible signs of where the water flowed. Bill studied the pond and looked over at Charlie. "Where does the water go?"

"I think it's part of an underground stream and I think whatever caused the cave to open up caused this to open up, too," Charlie replied. He was glad he had brought them here, especially Ryan. He had wondered if Ryan might remember this place from one of his dreams.

Jessi walked over to Ryan and held his hand as she gazed at the two waterfalls. "It's beautiful."

Ryan nodded his head in agreement. "It really is."

Becky was standing by the pool and looking into the water. She looked back at Ryan and Jessi. "The water is so clear."

"Let's see how far we can climb up there." Ryan pointed to a ledge near the top of the falls.

"Amazing little spot," remarked Bill as he looked at Charlie.

"Yes, it really is." Charlie sat down on a large rock. "It's been quite a few years since I was last here." He looked at Bill. "I really wanted Ryan to see it."

Bill sat down beside Charlie. "Remember our little talk at the hospital?"

Charlie looked directly into Bill's eyes. "Yes, I do."

"Would you mind if I asked a few more questions?" 

"No, feel free to ask me anything." Charlie thought he had a pretty good idea of what was coming.

Bill looked at Walter, who had stretched out in a small patch of sunlight and appeared to be taking a nap. He removed his hat and began to toy with the brim. "I'm not sure how much you know about Ryan, and Jessi, and I'm not too sure how to start this out."

"Ryan has told me everything," Charlie replied. "And about Jessi, too."

"Well, Ryan told me something yesterday," Bill started. He watched as Ryan and girls made their way up towards the waterfalls. "He told me that he talked to Spotted Owl and that Spotted Owl says that Jessi isn't related at all, well, by blood."

Charlie looked down at the ground. "They are in love." He looked at Bill. "I guess a man would have to be blind not to see it."

Bill only nodded. He knew what Charlie said was right. "Do you think what Spotted Owl told Ryan is true, that they aren't related?"

"Ryan asked me the same thing," Charlie answered. "I don't think Spotted Owl would have intentionally misled Ryan and Jessi. I don't have much experience with the Wanagi, but after what they did for Ryan, I think they are here to watch over him."

Bill set his hat back on his head. "Yeah, I kinda thought that was the kind of answer I was going to get."

"I'm sorry you didn't get the answer you were looking for." Charlie watched Ryan as he helped the girls get on to the small ledge.

Bill shook his head. "No, it's not that. I hope what he told Ryan is true. I'm more worried about how Suzanne is going to handle this."

Charlie was surprised at Bill's comment. It wasn't what he expected. He wondered just who Jessi's father really was. 

The view from the ledge was breathtaking. Ryan could see that Charlie and his uncle were deeply engrossed in a conversation and that Walter looked like he was catching up on some sleep that he had lost this morning. "What do you think?"

"Amazing!" Becky looked down at the pool below. 

"It's beautiful." Jessi squeezed Ryan's hand. "It feels—special here." Jessi couldn't quite put into words what she felt at this moment.

Ryan looked at Jessi. He had felt the same thing the moment they had emerged from the cave. It was a special place and, even more than that, he felt a deep spiritual awakening inside of him.

---

The ride back to the cabin seemed to take less time, and probably did, as the trail was mainly downhill all of the way. Ryan was lost in thought for most of the ride. He knew some day he would return to the waterfalls and have his own hanbleyapi. 

By the time they got the horses into the corral, fed and brushed down, the sun was beginning to set. The growling in Ryan's stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten much since breakfast, just one of the sandwiches that Suzanne had prepared when they had started back down the mountain. When he had peeked into the cabin to see what was on the menu for supper, he had been chased out by his aunt. "You will see when it's ready." That was her only comment. 

Esther Red Elk had put the run on her husband and son when they had tried to peek into the kitchen. Jessi and Becky were welcomed into the kitchen with open arms and immediately put to work.

Bill started a campfire and the men gathered their chairs around the crackling blaze. He pointed towards the cabin. "Looks like we aren't welcome in there. Any idea what they've got cooking in there?"

Ryan shook his head. "No idea, I just stepped onto the porch and got hollered at."

Walter chuckled. "Well, I think I know what's cooking, but I'm sworn to secrecy."

The sun was just beginning to set behind the mountain to the west. Already there was a chill in the air. It didn't take long in the autumn for the temperature to drop with the setting sun. Ryan stared at the sunset and at the mountains. One of the mountain's secrets had been given up today. He wondered how many more secrets there were in the surrounding mountains. 

Pointing at the mountains, Ryan addressed Charlie, "A fella could probably spend his entire life in these mountains and not learn everything there is to know about them."

Charlie looked up at where Ryan was pointing. "Well, I have spent my life in these mountains and I sure don't know everything there is to know."




Montana Summer Ch. 12



Bill agreed with Charlie. "I've been all through where we were today and I had no idea that those falls were there. I know my grandfather sure didn't mention them to me and I'm pretty sure he would have said something about them at least once."

"There's a lot of secrets in these mountains and I'm afraid that one of them has gotten out. One that was better left kept secret or forgotten." Charlie's voice had turned serious.

"What do you mean?" Bill was curious at what Charlie was alluding to.

Charlie reached into the pocket of his faded jean jacket and pulled out a small leather pouch. He handed the pouch to Bill. "I got this from Milt the other day. One of his men found it in the vehicle that belonged to that fella that tried to kill Ryan."

Bill opened the pouch and poured the contents into the palm of his hand. The nuggets caught his attention first. He then noticed the reflection from the gold in the quartz samples. "These came from Baxter's?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. Up until a few weeks ago I thought I was the only one that knew for sure. I wasn't sure if you knew, but Ryan told me that you did."

"We are going to have to keep a careful watch on Baxter's from now on. If the fella that took a pot shot at Ryan knew about the gold, I have no doubt that his partner knows about it too." Bill felt a sinking feeling in his belly. 

Ryan spoke up. "Why don't you mine it for the band? It would make sense for you to get the gold out and use it for the reservation."

"It's not quite that simple, Ryan. The big problem is that part of Baxter's is on your land, and the back half, and that's where the creek is, is on government land. We could mine on your land and have that money go to the band. The government land is a whole different story. That gold would belong to the government, and it's pretty likely that we wouldn't see anything, all that would happen is that Baxter's would be destroyed."

Ryan felt a chill. What Charlie had told him was almost exactly what Mato had told him. "No, the gold must be kept a secret." He watched as Bill tossed another log onto the fire. "I've seen what could happen, and it's not something we want."

"Do you own the mineral rights to land on Baxter's?" Charlie asked.

"I think so," replied Bill. "I would have to have an attorney check the land deeds." Bill thought for a minute. He looked at Ryan. "I think I will give that attorney friend of your father's a call and talk to him."

The mood around the fire had turned somber. Each of them stared at the fire and contemplated what would happen if the knowledge that there was gold in these mountains got out. A rush of people would pour into the valley like a river in the spring swollen with the melting snow. They watched as the flames quickly spread over the newest piece of firewood and began to consume it. It reminded Ryan of what would happen to the small valley if the knowledge of gold on Baxter's became public.

.

"Come and get it!" Suzanne's voice broke the silence. 

The four men rose as one and headed towards the cabin. Ryan licked his lips as the aroma of the supper reached his nostrils. He picked up a plate and walked to the stove. Esther stood there waiting with a ladle in her hand and loaded Ryan's plate with a delicious smelling stew. Fresh biscuits waited on the small kitchen table. 

Ryan took his plate outside and sat by the fire. The stew was delicious, it had a different flavor to it, one that he couldn't quite place. The hot meal felt good after a long day of riding and exploring. 

"Do you like it?" Walter asked as he sat down beside Ryan.

Ryan nodded and swallowed the stew. "It's really good."

"Elk stew. I thought it might be a nice change of pace, so I brought some elk meat with me."

"I've never had elk before. I like it though, and it's pretty damned tasty."

Charlie heard Ryan and agreed with him. "I have to say one thing about Walter's choice of a wife, she's a good cook."

"Yeah, I'll say she is. This is as good as anything I've ever tasted." Ryan grinned as he put another piece of the elk meat into his mouth.

Ryan looked at Walter, "What does Maggie do? I mean besides cook and help with the kids."

"She's a drug and alcohol counselor. She works for the government," Walter replied.

Bill joined in the conversation. "Are you still working for Max?" His question was directed at Walter.

"Yeah, he got the snowplowing contract for the county again, so it looks like another winter of work," Walter answered.

The women joined the men at the fire and at first there wasn't a whole lot of conversation. Just the sounds of people enjoying a good meal in the outdoors. 

When Ryan set his plate down, he felt like he would burst if he took another bite. He looked at Maggie. "My compliments to the chef."

"Why, thank you, Ryan," Maggie replied. She then looked at her father. "See, Charlie, your son isn't the only one who likes my cooking."

Charlie chuckled. "Well, what can I say, the poor boy was half-starved and just didn't know any better."

Esther reached over and gave her husband a playful swat. "You stop that. You know Maggie is a good cook, you've even said so at times."

"No! He really admitted that?" Maggie was laughing.

"More than once." Esther smiled smugly at Charlie.

"Busted!" Charlie wore a look of mock defeat on his face. 

Jessi grinned at Ryan. "I don't think I've ever cooked anything for you."

Ryan thought for a moment. "I don't think you have. Can you cook?"

"I can't even boil water," Jessi teased.

Suzanne cleared her throat. "She's lying, Ryan. She's a fine cook. She even took home a ribbon at the county fair last summer."

"Aha!" Ryan teased. "You're just trying to scare me off."

Jessi reached over and squeezed Ryan's hand. The look in her eyes was all that was needed. 

Suzanne watched the Jessi and Ryan. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew that this couldn't continue and was grateful that Jessi and Becky would be headed back to school in a day or two. Suzanne had mentioned something to her husband when then were in bed the previous night about how she was worried that Ryan and Jessi were still in love. What her husband had said next had perplexed her all day, he had said something to the effect of, "What would you think of Ryan if he wasn't related to Jessi?"

She had been confused at his comment, and when she tried to get further clarification from her husband she had found that he had fallen sound asleep and no amount of prodding and shaking would arouse him from his slumber.

"Hey, Becky and I were thinking, do you want to go swimming tomorrow? We can go over to the upper hot springs." Jessi turned at looked at Ryan. 

"Sure. We can drive on over there," Ryan answered. 

Jessi shook her head. "No, lets ride the horses. There's a trail over to the creek, it's not as far that way. It might take us an hour by horse."

"Sure, what the hell, sounds like fun to me." Ryan liked the idea of taking the horses. The weekend had been like a step back in time and he wasn't in any rush to get back to the present. 

Ryan sat back in his chair and just drank in the atmosphere. What could be better than this, all of the people that he cared for in one place enjoying themselves? There was nothing like sitting around a campfire on a cool evening. It was hard for Ryan to believe that he hadn't lived here all of his life. 

He watched Jessi talking to Becky and Maggie and he felt his heart skip a beat. He knew she was the one. There were no bounds to the love he felt for her. She made him feel whole and complete and like she was a part of him. This was nothing like the crushes he had experienced before in his life, this was a deeper feeling. He let out a soft sigh and smiled when he thought of how she felt in his arms.

Jessi had felt her mother's eyes watching her when she had been teasing Ryan. She wished more than anything that she could look her mother in the eye and tell her what Spotted Owl had told her and Ryan. She knew that wouldn't accomplish anything at this time. She knew her mother was adamant that Ryan's father had been the man that had fathered her. Jessi had tried to talk to her mother on several occasions about what had happened on that night but, each time she had tried to bring the subject up, her mother had gotten quiet and refused to divulge any more information.

Bill set his cup of coffee down on the ground. "How long have your people been in this area, Charlie."

"I don't know for sure. Originally, before the Lakota had the horse, we were further east in what is now Minnesota. People have told me that the Lakota got the horse in the mid 1700's. Before we had the horse, we were not a strong people. The horse changed all of that. With the horse, we could follow the buffalo, and we could hunt him."

Charlie paused as Walter added more wood to the fire. "So the Lakota moved west into the Dakotas and eastern Montana. We know that my people were here when your people got here. This was Blackfoot land at that time, I would guess. The Lakota and Blackfoot were not on good terms. I don't know why my ancestors left the plains and ventured west. My guess is the encroachment of the white man necessitated their move into the mountains of Montana."

"I'm surprised they weren't rounded up by the army and sent to the reservation," Ryan commented. 

"I am, too." Charlie looked at Ryan. "But, at the time, there were just a few white families here, and there was never any trouble between them and the Lakota. They seemed to be able to co-exist with the white people living in the valley where the town is, and the Lakota living in the valley behind Baxter's. I think the village was probably pretty small, maybe sixty people in all. When the people in Washington realized that we were here, they sent an Indian Agent out with the intention of moving the village to the Dakotas. By this time, William was a grown man, and from what I heard, he sent the man from Washington on many wild goose chases."

Bill chuckled. "I remember grand-dad telling me some of those stories. I guess William and one or two of the other ranchers in the area volunteered to work as guides and basically took this poor fellow in circles. Finally, with winter approaching, he gave up and went back to Washington."

"It was just before World War Two that the government granted us the land that we had lived on for so many years. That's when the Wolf's Creek Reservation came into being." Charlie got up and stretched. "Well, I think I have had enough for one day. I think it's time that I took these tired bones to my tipi and get some sleep."

Bill stood up. "Yeah, I think it's time to hit the feathers, too, we've had a full day."

It wasn't long before everyone had retired to the comfort and warmth of their beds. As the moon rose over the mountains the group slept. A new day would soon be here.

---

Norm Campbell sat at the kitchen table. He was drunk and intended to get even drunker. Some legal papers were on the table in front of him. It was a petition for divorce from his estranged wife and she was seeking sole custody of their only child. Each time he read the list of reasons for divorce, his heart ached. There was nothing he could do to deny any of the charges. He did have a gambling addiction. He had neglected his wife and child to pursue his gambling. 

The whiskey burned as he swallowed it. He wondered how much of it he would have to drink before the pain stopped or he passed out. He had truly lost everything now. He had lost his job. He had almost lost the house. His pride and self-respect were on the verge of being lost. He was working for a group of common criminals. And now, he was going to lose his wife and child. 

The radio played in the background, the volume turned down low. It was late and they were playing old country and western music. It seemed like every song was about a lost love, of pain and regret, and hopes for another chance. Each song hit home and hit hard. Norm looked at the phone on the table. He had tried to call her several times. Once he had even heard the phone on the other end ring once before hanging up.

What would he tell her? Would he tell her of the man that he owed the gambling debt to giving him a job? Would he tell her about Kenny and Hank? Would he tell her that one member of the group had already been killed?

He filled the glass again with the amber colored whisky and took another long drink. When the bottle was near empty, he stumbled into the bathroom and vomited. He passed out on the bathroom floor next to the toilet. At last he had found peace.

---

Ryan woke just before the sun had risen. It took all of his resolve to sit up and expose part of his body to the cold to reach the heavy blanket that sat folded and unused at the other side of the tent. In the dim light, he could see his breath. It was definitely the coldest morning he had seen since coming to Montana and it was bound to just get colder. 

As he snuggled back down in his sleeping bag he lifted the door flap on the tent. He was surprised to see the ground was white with frost. No smoke rose from the cabin's chimney and it was pretty obvious that the occupants were still sound asleep. As Ryan warmed up he dozed back off.

The sun was up when he woke again. He could hear noises coming from the cabin. Smoke now rose from the chimney. Ryan reached for the clothes he had laid out the night before. While it took longer to get dressed, it was definitely warmer this morning to put his clothes on while still cocooned in his sleeping bag.

He put his lined jean jacket on over his shirt and then pulled his boots on. As he walked to the cabin, his boots made a crunching sound on the frost-covered ground. Fresh, that's how his father would have described a morning like this. 

The cabin was warm when Ryan entered and the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee radiated throughout. His aunt and uncle were seated at the table by the window sipping their morning coffee. 

Bill raised his cup towards Ryan. "Good morning! Get yourself a cup. How were you last night? Warm enough?"

Ryan poured a cup of Suzanne's strong, black coffee. "Morning! I woke up just before dawn and was cold, but I put that extra blanket you talked me into packing over top of me, and I was fine after that."

Bill grinned. "I've been caught in too many early fall frosts this time of year. That was a hard freeze last night. According to the old thermometer in the outhouse it was twenty-six this morning."

Why anyone would have mounted a thermometer inside the outhouse baffled Ryan, but there it hung. 

Suzanne winked at Ryan and pointed at her husband.. "Well, someone else needed an extra blanket this morning."

Bill rolled his eyes in mock resignation. "You didn't need to go telling the boy that."

Ryan changed the subject. "You know, I wouldn't mind living up here."

It didn't surprise Bill to hear Ryan say that. "It would be a little harder than what you are used to, especially in the winter. You have to keep a fire going pretty much day and night. Melting snow for water gets old after a while." Bill chuckled. "Me, I kinda like just turning the faucet."

"Well, I don't know if I would want to spend the winter up here, but the summer, that's a different story," Ryan replied.

Bill rubbed his chin for a minute. "Well, I don't see any real problems with that. We can talk about it when spring rolls around."

Suzanne looked out the window at the view of the mountains. "I always wished we could have built our house up here. This is where I wanted to live when we first got married."

"You never talk about your family." The thought had just struck Ryan. "How long have they been in this area?"

"Mom and dad are both dead and my only sister lives in Phoenix. My great-grandparents moved here just after World War I. He was a blacksmith and he opened his own business. My grand-father was a welder and opened a welding and machine shop. Dad took over the business when grand-dad retired. There was no one for Dad to pass the business down to when he got older, so he sold it." 

The sounds of footsteps on the cabin's porch interrupted Suzanne's story. A quick knock sounded, and Charlie and Walter stepped through the door.

"Good morning, Charlie. Good morning, Walt." Bill greeted the father and son as they entered the cabin.

"Good morning. Is the coffee ready?" Charlie waved.

"It certainly is, help yourself." Suzanne pointed at the stove.

Charlie and Walter poured themselves a cup of coffee and then sat down at the table. Walt took a sip of the coffee and then looked over at Bill. "Damn chilly last night."

Bill nodded. "Yeah, it was. That was a hard freeze last night, and damned early for it."

"I don't remember the last time it froze this hard, this early," Charlie commented as he sipped his coffee.

"Fifteen years ago," Walter replied. 

Bill calculated the year in his head. "That was a tough winter. I hope this isn't a sign of another winter like that."

Ryan shivered just thinking about the cold. He had never been one for cold weather. "Just how cold does it get around here?"

"It's not uncommon to see forty below a few times during the winter," Bill replied.

Ryan's jaw dropped. "Minus forty? Christ on a crutch! I don't think I've been in anything below zero."

Charlie laughed. "Yup, those are the days that you don't do much but sit by the stove and drink coffee."

"Once it gets under forty-below, it's just damned cold." Walter set his cup on the table. "Heavy equipment can break axles. Diesel fuel will start to gel, propane won't flow. I had a pickup a few years ago that, when you went to open the doors, the damned door handles would snap off from the cold."

"Seriously," Bill began. "On days like that, we just do the bare minimum. Feed the livestock, and check on them. There's not a hell of a lot a guy can do when it's that cold."

Ryan inched his chair just a little closer to the stove and felt the warmth of the wood fire that was burning inside. He just kept wondering at how he was going to manage to stay warm when it got that cold.

---

Milt Walker sat at his kitchen table, sipping his morning coffee. He hadn't slept well for the past week, ever since he had gotten the report back on the arrows that he had sent in for analysis. The report had confirmed what he had learned in his conversation with Charlie Red Elk. The words of the report had burned into his brain, "The arrows are consistent with the mid to late nineteenth century Lakota." 

He had called the professor who had written the report, just to confirm the findings. He was told that they were the finest examples of authentic arrows from that period that the professor had even seen, and would the sheriff be interested in donating them to the university for their collection?

Milt had reread the files on the people that had been arrested on Baxter's. With the exception of a misdemeanor trespass on the one called Hank, their records had been clear. The gold. It kept coming back to the gold. Had they been up there looking for gold, or was the finding of the gold a mere coincidence? 

He had ordered his deputies to keep an eye on any out-of-state vehicles that hung around town for any length of time and to report it directly to him. He got up from the kitchen table and walked into the den. Milt looked up at the picture of his grandfather. He could have sworn that the picture smiled at him for a moment. 

---

"Breakfast in bed?" Kenny smiled as Stella set the tray on the bed. "I could get used to treatment like this."

Stella smiled at Kenny and sat on the bed. She had gotten up early and gone down to the kitchen and prepared breakfast for Kenny. His surprised smile had made it all worthwhile. 




Montana Summer Ch. 12



Kenny couldn't believe his luck in finding a woman like Stella. She was everything he could want in a woman. There were days now that he wanted to pinch himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. 

After he finished eating, he looked at Stella. "That was delicious." Kenny felt a warm glow flow through his body. This is what life was supposed to be like. 

"I'm glad you liked it." Stella leaned over and kissed Kenny on the cheek.

There had never been a time in her life that she could remember that she was as happy as she was right now. The only thing that worried her was the gold. It scared her, especially after hearing Kenny talking on the phone with someone about Sal. When she learned that he had been killed by multiple arrows, a chill had run through her body. Something deep inside of Stella told her that more people would die if the search for the gold went on.

---

Jessi led the way on horseback, with Becky and Ryan following. After breakfast, Ryan, Bill, and Walt had driven down to the ranch to feed and water the horses and cattle. The freeze had extended down the mountain to the ranch. In areas still shaded from the sun, frost and bits of ice were still evident. It was sure sign that, in the mountains, autumn now ruled supreme and winter wasn't far off.

By the time they had left the cabin on horseback for the hot springs, the day had warmed comfortably. There was that unforgettable smell and feel of fall in the air. The aspen leaves were falling as they rode. The gentle breeze blew the now-dead leaves from the branches and they began to blanket the ground with orange and red.

"Did you guys remember to bring your bathing suits? I forgot mine." Ryan spoke as they rode.

Jessi turned in her saddle and faced Ryan. "Do you think mom would have let us out of the cabin if we didn't have them?"

Becky turned at the same time. "We weren't planning on using them though. Well, I suppose I could wear mine, that is, if you don't want to see my boobs."

Ryan grinned. "No, that's okay, I don't mind."

Jessi grinned. "Somehow, I didn't think you'd find it much of a problem."

The trail met and paralleled the creek until it came to a set of rapids. The water looked angry as it crashed against the rocks. Ryan whistled to himself as he thought about trying to run the creek in a kayak. 

"We're almost there." Jessi pointed above the rapids. "The hot spring is just above the rapids. We'll tie the horses up here and hike the rest of the way."

Ryan nodded and dismounted Bernie. He made sure the horses were securely tied to a tree and then retrieved his towel from his saddle bags. He walked beside Jessi and Becky as they made their way along the bank of the creek. Even before they got to the hot spring, he could smell the sulfurous odor. 

They were above the rapids now, and the creek was calm in contrast to how the water was where they had left the horses. The hot spring was a pool of water about twenty feet across. Ryan put his hand into the water and found it very warm and inviting.  

"There are a couple of hotter ones over there." Jessi pointed across the creek as she began to unbutton her shirt. "But, they are too hot to spend any time in."

Becky pulled her tee shirt off and then she slipped out of her jeans. Ryan couldn't help but stare at both of the girls as they got naked. He found himself becoming erect despite his efforts not to become excited.

Jessi slipped her shirt off, and then removed her bra. Her nipples reacted to the air and hardened immediately. She watched Ryan looking at Becky and could see the bulge growing in his pants. Jessi turned and looked at Becky and winked.

"Are you sure you don't want us to put our swimsuits on?" Becky teased Ryan as she slowly undid her bra. "It's not going to bother you to have two naked girls around, is it?"

Ryan pulled down his jeans, his stiffening cock making his underwear look like a tent. "Oh, I don't think bother is the word you were looking for."

Jessi felt herself becoming turned on as she watched Ryan strip down. She folded her clothes neatly and stood up. By this time, Ryan had removed his underwear and revealed his stiffening cock to the girls.

Becky licked her lips as she removed her bra. Her hands began to fondle and squeeze her breasts until her large nipples were as stiff as Jessi's. "I take it you like what you see?" Her comment was directed at Ryan.

"Oh, yeah, you know I do!" Ryan exclaimed. Becky's breasts weren't quite as big as Jessi's, but her nipples were larger and darker. 

Becky had been in a state of sexual arousal since leaving the cabin. The thought of seeing Ryan naked and the possibility of getting another opportunity to feel his large, hard cock in her hand and in her mouth had made her clit tingle. Her and Jessi had whispered about this in bed the previous night and had gotten each other turned on to the point where they were so sexually excited that they were almost dying. The only thing that had kept from engaging in mutual masturbation was that Jessi's parents were sleeping downstairs from where they were, and both were afraid that their cries of passion would awaken Bill or Suzanne.

Ryan stared at the two naked girls standing a few feet away from him. The sight of their firm breasts and Becky's teasing made his stiff organ to stand out proudly. He wanted the both of them to see how turned he had become.

"You want to feel her tits, don't you?" Jessi reached over and began to fondle Becky's firm breasts.

"Oh, yeah!" Ryan replied with a husky tone to his voice.

"Well, c'mon, she wants you to play with her tits. Don't you, Becky? You want Ryan to feel you up." Jessi continued to run her hands over Becky's breasts, pausing now and then to pinch her nipples and roll them between her thumb and forefinger.

"God! Yes! I want him to touch me. I want to touch him. I want to feel his cock. I want to take that big cock into my mouth and suck him." Becky could scarcely believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. 

Ryan stepped forward. His hands joined Jessi's hands and began to squeeze Becky's firm titty-flesh in his hands. He moved one hand over to Jessi's breasts and started to fondle hers at the same time. Ryan moved closer to Becky and the tip of his swollen erection poked her in the belly.

"Tell her to suck you," Jessi urged. She wanted to see Ryan fill her friend's mouth with his engorged cock.

"Suck my cock, Becky," Ryan ordered, his voice full of desire and lust.

Becky dropped to her knees and took Ryan's stiff manhood into her hand and began to stroke it. She opened her mouth wide and began to suck him while she jacked him with her hand.

Jessi watched as Becky's mouth began to devour Ryan's engorged sex organ. "Does that feel good? Do you like Becky sucking you?"

"It feels awesome. Yeah, you know it, I like Becky sucking my cock." Ryan had both of his hands on Jessi's breasts. As Becky's head moved back and forth on his stiff shaft, he began pulling on Jessi's nipples, stroking and pulling them like they were little cocks.

"Finger me!" Jessi's voice was urgent. "I want to feel your finger inside of me right now." She pressed her mouth up against Ryan's and thrust her tongue deep inside of his mouth. A moan escaped as she felt his finger slide inside of her slippery tunnel and begin to fuck her.

Becky could see Ryan's finger moving into of Jessi's pussy. She reached between her own legs and began to finger her clit as she moved her head back and forth along the length of his rigid shaft. She took him until she felt the tip hit the back of her throat. As she pulled her head back, she swirled her tongue over his swollen head. Becky could taste the slightly salty taste of his pre-cum.

Jessi looked down at Ryan's cock moving in and out of Becky's mouth. Ryan's finger was rubbing little circles around her lust-swollen clit. She felt Ryan's mouth move onto her breast and he began to suck hard on the nipple closest to him. A soft moan escaped from her as his teeth bit her taut nipple gently. Her hand squeezed her other breast while her fingers pulled and pinched her nipple. "Oh, baby, I love it when you suck my tits."

Ryan began to thrust his hips in time with Becky's bobbing movements. Becky's oral stimulation of his cock was driving him wild. His index finger moved faster and faster on Jessi's hard pearl of pleasure. At the same time, Ryan's middle finger was sliding in and out of her slick tunnel.

Becky could smell the musky odor of Jessi's wet pussy and this only made her masturbate herself harder and faster. She enjoyed the feeling of Ryan thrusting his stiff member in and out of her mouth. It turned her on that he was fucking her mouth the way he was, and that he was using it to get himself off. She wanted to feel his cock blast her mouth with its creamy load. Her fingers beat a quick tattoo over her erect clit, sending waves of pleasure throughout her body.

Jessi reached between Ryan's legs from the rear and cradled his heavy balls in her hand. Her own orgasm was imminent as she whispered hoarsely to Ryan, "I want to see you cum in her mouth." 

Becky was quickly approaching her own climax. She placed one hand on Ryan's engorged shaft and began jacking his cock hard and fast as she sucked on the portion in her mouth. As much as she wanted to feel his stiff cock fucking her aching pussy, she wanted to feel and taste him in her mouth. She hoped that before the weekend was over, she would have the opportunity to feel his big cock fill her tight pussy.

"Oh fuck! I'm going to cum!" Jessi's voice was slurred as she began to ride the wave of her orgasm. She grabbed Ryan's hand with both of hers and began to hump his fingers and hand. Loud moans escaped her mouth as her body tensed and shook.

Ryan knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer. He looked down at Becky and warned her, "I'm going to cum, too!"

Becky opened her mouth wide. She had heard Jessi say that she wanted to watch Ryan cum in her mouth. Her hand gripped his slippery shaft and began to stroke him hard and fast along his total length. She heard Ryan cry out as the first long rope of pearly white cum shot from the tip of his cock. Only part of it landed in her mouth. The rest of it hit her cheek. When she felt the thick, warm jizz hit her face, her orgasm exploded.

Jessi was still in the throws of her own climax when she saw Ryan cumming on Becky's face. The sight of his white cum on her face caused Jessi to peak for the second time in a minute. Her voice was unrecognizable when she hoarsely urged Ryan, "Yes! Cum on her face!"

Over and over, Ryan's cock pulsed, sending streamers of jizz into Becky's mouth and onto her face. Becky's eyes were locked onto his as shot his load. Although Ryan was lost in the haze of orgasm, he was certain that Becky had deliberately aimed his cock so that his cum landed on her lips and cheek. He felt Jessi's fingers dig hard into his shoulder as she struggled to maintain her balance as she came hard. His own knees felt like rubber.

After Ryan's orgasm had subsided, Becky took the tip of his cock and rubbed over her cum soaked lips and cheek. Jessi had dropped to her knees and Becky guided Ryan's wet cock to her face and began to rub it on Jessi's lips.

The two girls took turns sucking Ryan's cock until it had gone limp. Then they turned their attention to each other and began to lick the remnants of Ryan's sticky cum from each other's faces.

Becky grinned at Ryan when it was all over. "Well, cowboy? Did you enjoy that?"

Ryan nodded his head, scarcely believing at what had just happened. "That was incredible."

"I think he enjoyed it," Jessi tittered. "Let's get in the water and relax."

The water felt incredibly warm as Ryan climbed into the hot spring. "Oh, this feels good."

The girls followed him in and the three of them sat close together on a large submerged rock. Ryan put his arms around each of the girls and held them. In his mind, he was thinking that a year ago it was a rare piece of luck when he was able to have sex with a girl and now, well, that had all changed. What had just happened was beyond any fantasy he could have dreamed up.

"How many hot springs are up here?" Ryan asked Jessi.

"I have no idea," Jessi replied. "There are at least a half dozen that I know of. There are probably more though. This one and the one we went to earlier in the summer are two of the best ones. Some of the others really stink and are really hot, too hot to even get in."

Ryan leaned back and relaxed in the warmth of the water and friendship. He stared at the now white peaks of the surrounding mountains. It wouldn't be long before the mountains would be covered in a blanket of snow. For a moment, he felt a pang of loneliness. Jessi would be driving back to Missoula in a couple of days to start school. He reminded himself that she would be coming home for weekends now and then, and that he could drive up to see her as well. 

"Becky, didn't you say your mom and dad were coming up here today?" Jessi broke the silence that had fallen over them.

"Yeah, dad bought himself a new camper for the truck. He said that it was his graduation present to himself and he wants to use it a couple of times before winter," Becky replied. 

"Are Stan and Lindsey coming out, too?" Ryan asked.

"No," Becky answered. "I think Stan is going to watch the store while mom and dad are out here. They are flying out to Colorado late tomorrow night. I think classes start on Wednesday for the both of them."

"I'll have to try to get into town before they leave and say goodbye." 

---

"Let me take the kids' clothes up to their rooms and then I'll be ready to go," Janice Evans answered her husband. He had gotten their new camper ready while she had finished up the laundry. They were going to spend the remainder of the weekend camping at the old McFayden cabin. 

She carried the basket of clothes up and paused to look at the pictures that hung at the top of the stairs. It was a time capsule of her two children from the time they had been infants. Janice felt a pang of loneliness as she admitted to herself that her babies had grown up.

This would be the first time that both of her children would be gone and just she and her husband would be left at home. Her husband had been excited at the new freedom that having both of the children at college would bring, but it was tempered with knowing that their children had left the nest and were getting ready to start a new phase of their lives.

She walked into Stan's room and set his laundry on his bed. It looked like Stan had already started packing. His suitcases were out of the closet and sat there half-packed. Janice had noticed a change between Stan and Lindsey and she was glad of it. She had liked Lindsey the first time Stan had brought her home to meet the family while they both were still seniors in high school. They seemed closer than ever. Janice hoped that this would result in a wedding at some time in the future.

Janice shook her head as she entered Becky's room. It was a clutter, as it normally was. One would have thought that Stan's room would be the one to be in a state of continual confusion and that Becky's would be the neat one. It was the opposite. Stan had kept his room neat and organized as long as Janice could remember, and Becky's room had always been a challenge. 

After setting Becky's clothes on the unmade bed, Janice noticed the overflowing garbage can in the corner of the room. She shook her head in exasperation. "That girl!" At first, Janice was just going to leave it for Becky, but once in the hallway she set the laundry basket down and went back into the room to retrieve it. Now that she had seen the trash overflowing on to the floor, it would gnaw at her like a pesky thorn until it was emptied. 

As Janice picked the wicker trash can a small box fell to the floor. She bent over to pick it up. She glanced at the box and then froze. The trash can fell to the floor. It was a home pregnancy test kit. Janice felt her knees go weak and her head spin. No! It wasn't possible. There was no way that her baby could be pregnant. She was too young!

"C'mon, Janice! Let's get going." Rob Evans' voice sounded from the kitchen.

His voice brought Janice back to reality. "Coming," she called back. She left the trash can where she had dropped it and stuck the pregnancy test kit in her pocket. 

"Are you okay?" Rob asked as he watched his wife walk down the stairs. 

Janice fought to regain her composure. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking about the kids and how it seems it was just yesterday that they were both just babies."

He put his arms around his wife and held her tight. "Yeah, time sure did fly. Well, you will have grandchildren to spoil sometime in the future." 

Grandchildren! The word sent a shock through her body. Yes, they might have grandchildren sooner than they expected. She managed to flash a nervous smile at her husband. "Well, grandpa, let's get going if we're going."

He laughed heartily. "Okay, grandma."

Janice felt a sudden chill flow through her body. She was too young to be a grandma, and her daughter was much too young to be a mother. Although Janice's life had been good, she didn't want her daughter to miss out on what she had to give up because of a surprise pregnancy.

---

Ominous black clouds began to build to the north. Ryan and the girls climbed out of the hot springs and began to towel down and get dressed. The warm water had completely relaxed Ryan and he was dreading the hike back to where the horses were tethered. At least it was downhill. 

Becky reached over and gave Ryan's flaccid cock a tug. "I wanted to feel that inside of me." She pointed to the oncoming storm. "But, it looks like I'll have to wait until tonight."

The rumbling sound of thunder interrupted Ryan's response. The thought of having sex with Jessi and Becky at the same time caused his organ to begin to rise again. There was no time now, though. It looked like the thunderhead was moving directly towards them. 

Jessi reached over and pumped Ryan's expanding manhood. "Yeah, it looks like we will have to wait until everyone is in bed."

Ryan rolled his eyes at the girls. "Oh sure, get me all hard just before we have to go."

"You like it and you know it." Jessi teased as she gave him another quick stroke. "It gives you something to look forward to."

The booming of a thunderclap was the closest yet made the group get back to the task of getting dressed. Once dressed, they began to hurry down the trail and back towards the waiting horses. A sudden movement in the bushes ahead caused the trio to stop in their tracks.

"There's something in there," Jessi said quietly.

Ryan nodded, he was about to speak when a large, brown bear emerged from the thicket about forty feet from where they were standing. It was massive. In a way, it reminded Ryan of Mato, his spirit guide. Unlike Mato there was no hint of familiarity or friendship.

"Fuck!" Becky exclaimed. "What do we do?" The sound of fear was palpable in her voice.

"Don't make any sudden movements." Ryan's voice was quiet but firm. "Just start backing up slowly and don't look straight into his eyes."

The bear stopped on the trail and looked at Ryan, Jessi, and Becky. It reared up on its hind legs and stood to what Ryan figured was close to nine feet tall. It put its nose high in the air and sniffed in their direction.

Ryan motioned the girls back and then looked in the direction of the bear. "It's okay, big fella, just relax and we will soon be out of here."

Jessi grasped Becky's arm, preventing her from running and probably saving her life. "Don't run!" Jessi warned Becky. "If you run it will just make the bear chase you."





Montana Summer Ch. 13



This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any real person is just a fluke. All characters are eighteen years and older.

Becky couldn't take it anymore, it felt like the world was closing in around her and she had to get away. The feeling of everyone's eyes boring through her was overwhelming. Escape! That's what she needed. She jumped from her chair and ran into the cabin, sobbing as she went. Suzanne looked at Jessi and motioned for her to follow her friend. 

Jessi could see Ryan standing with his mouth gaping open. She was torn between wanting to go to him or following Becky into the cabin. In the end, she knew she had to go to Becky. She motioned for Ryan to move away from the campfire. None of the other women had spotted him yet. She whispered, "I'll look for you later."

Ryan was confused and not sure what to do. He had a hard time believing what he had just heard. Becky had told her mother that she was pregnant and that he was the father! Why? Why had she named him? 

Perplexed, Ryan decided that the best thing for him to do right now was to head over to where the rest of the men were still looking over Rob's new camper, and avoid his aunt and Becky's mother.

Suzanne didn't know what to say to Janice. Somehow, she felt partially responsible for Becky becoming pregnant. There was an uncomfortable silence around the campfire now. The jovial mood had vanished and had given way to a nervous silence. Each of the women wanted to say something, but none of them could come up with the words they thought appropriate to break the icy hush

Janice's head hung down. It was the news she feared—her daughter was pregnant! It was the situation that she had dreaded almost since Becky was born. Over and over, she had promised herself that she would make sure that her daughter wouldn't make the same mistake that she had almost nineteen years ago. It had come as a bit of a shock when Becky had named Ryan as the father. 

Jessi found Becky lying on the bed with her head buried in a pillow. Although Jessi couldn't hear her, she could tell from the way Becky's body was shaking that she was crying.

The anger that Jessi had felt on her way into the cabin evaporated. She sat down on the bed and put her hand on Becky's shoulder. Becky turned over on the bed and looked at Jessi with a look of desperation.

"Oh, Jessi, I'm so sorry." Becky sat up and looked down at the floor. "I didn't know what else to do."

"Why did you say it was Ryan?" Jessi needed to know the answer.

Becky shook her head. "I don't know..." She looked up at Jessi. "I felt trapped. My mind went blank. I didn't know what to do and I couldn't think of anything to say to Mom. Then I looked up and saw Ryan walking out of the shadows, and then I just blurted out his name. Oh, God, Jessi, I don't know what I'm going to do now."

Jessi put her arms around her friend. "I don't know either, Becky." She was being honest. "You just stay here and try to relax. I need to go talk to Ryan for a few minutes." Jessi had no idea what to do. She knew she had to see Ryan as soon as possible to let him know that she was trying to straighten the mess up. 

Ryan walked around Rob's camper. The men were sitting inside talking. He decided against joining them. He needed time to think. He was still in a state of shock. The stars twinkled brightly overheard and Ryan searched for an answer in the sky. He felt a surge of elation when he heard Jessi call his name.

Jessi put her arms around Ryan and she held him in a tight grip. "I talked to Becky, she's a wreck!"

"She's a wreck? What about me?" Ryan replied with a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

"I know," Jessi replied in a sympathetic voice.

"Why did she say it was me?" 

"She says that she couldn't think of anything to say, and then she saw you. Your name was the only one she could think of. There was no way that she could tell her mom that her own brother is the father of the baby." Jessi explained as best she could.

Ryan had been upset but Jessi's explanation calmed him down. "Yeah, I know what you mean. What about your mom? I imagine that she must think I'm the jack-ass of the year."

"Don't worry about mom. I'll talk to her and let her know that you aren't the father." Jessi did her best to reassure Ryan.

"Thanks." Ryan felt somewhat relieved. 

"There is one thing I want to ask of you, and please don't say no." Jessi hoped Ryan would agree.

"What's that?" Ryan looked into Jessi's eyes.

"If you see Becky's mom, don't deny it, yet. I don't think she has told Becky's dad yet that Becky thinks she is pregnant. I need to get to her before she tells her husband." Jessi's mind raced.

The sound of the rest of the women saying goodnight interrupted Jessi and Ryan. Jessi kissed Ryan quickly on the lips. "Head over to your tent and go to bed. I have to talk to Becky's mom and then my mom."

Ryan hugged Jessi and then circled around to his tent. He wasn't sure what Jessi could do, but whatever it was, he hoped she could clear up the mess that Becky had started. He stopped, turned, and looked at Jessi. "Please tell Becky that I'm not mad at her."

"I'll tell her." She was glad Ryan had told her that. "Goodnight, my cowboy." She whispered as she watched him head over to his tent.

Jessi stepped out of the shadows and blocked Janice's path towards the camper. Janice looked at Jessi and her eyes glistened with tears in the moonlight. "Yes, Jessica? Is there something I can do for you?"

There was no doubt in Jessi's mind that Becky's mom was upset. The only time she called Jessi or Becky by their given names was when she was angry or displeased.

"I need to talk to you for a minute. It's about Becky?" Jessi hoped Janice would listen to her.

Janice didn't say anything, she stood there and waited for Jessi to speak.

"Becky thinks she is pregnant, but she doesn't know for sure." Jessi began. She was glad that Janice wasn't making a move to get past her. "I took Becky to the family planning center at the university just before we came back here. They said they will have the results in a few days. Probably about the time we get back to school."

Janice felt a small measure of relief. There was still a small chance that her daughter wasn't pregnant. "You have to promise me that you will call me and tell me what the results are."

"I will, I promise." Jessi nodded. "As soon as I know something I will let you know."

Janice squeezed Jessi's hand. "Thank you, Jessica, I appreciate that."

"There's one more thing." Jessi almost hesitated. At first she wasn't going to say anything more but, she felt that she had to. "I think I know who the possible father is, and I know that it is not Ryan."

"Well, who is it then?" Janice demanded. "Why did Rebecca say it was Ryan?"

"She was scared. She didn't know what to say and then she saw Ryan walking towards the campfire and his name was the only one she could come up with." Jessi explained.

"Then tell me who it is," Janice demanded once more.

Jessi shook her head. "I can't tell you. It is something Becky will have to tell you..." Jessi paused for a moment. "If the test comes back positive."

"Okay, I'm going to wait until you tell me what the results of the test are before I say anything to my husband." 

"Thanks, I appreciate that." Jessi had accomplished what she had set out to do.

Janice managed a weak smile. "Thanks for talking to me. Becky is lucky to have a friend like you, and Jessi, please tell her that I love her and that I'm not angry with her."

"I will." Jessi nodded and then headed off to the cabin. There was still her mother to deal with. At first she was going to tell her mother about Stan but, at the last minute she decided against it. There was no point in taking any chances without Becky's permission. 

It was quiet in the cabin when she walked in. Jessi checked the cabin's bedroom but there was no sign of her mother. She climbed the stairs to the loft and found her mother holding Becky in her arms.

Suzanne looked at her daughter and she had tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "It's okay. Becky has told me everything." She directed her attention back to Becky. "You get into bed, Jessi will be back up. I want to talk to her for a few minutes."

Becky nodded and began to get ready for bed while Jessi and Suzanne went back downstairs. She had felt a sense of relief when she told Suzanne the truth. Somewhere she had read, the truth will set you free, and she knew what it really meant now. She had held nothing back. Suzanne was like a second mother to her, there wasn't a time in her life that she could remember when Suzanne hadn't been a part of it. Becky could always trust that Suzanne wouldn't try to judge her but, just listen to her with patience. 

"How long have you known?" Suzanne looked straight into her daughter's eyes.

"She told me just before we went to Missoula," Jessi answered. "Did she tell you that I made her go to the family planning clinic at the university?"

Suzanne shook her head. "No, she didn't tell me that."

Jessi nodded. "I made her have a pregnancy test done there. They said it would be a few days before they had the results. We should hear from them when we get back to Missoula."

Suzanne ran her fingers through her hair. "What a mess. Now Janice thinks Ryan is the father of Becky's child."

"No, she doesn't," Jessi stated. "I talked to her just before I came in here."

"You didn't tell her that..." Suzanne gripped Jessi's arm and there was a note of concern in her voice.

"Oh, God, no!" Jessi exclaimed. "I just told her that Ryan wasn't the father and that Becky would have to tell her, if she is pregnant."

Suzanne sighed. "You go to bed. We can talk more about this in the morning. They say things look better in the light of the morning. I somehow doubt this will look any better no matter what light we cast on it."

Jessi nodded in agreement and gave her mother a hug.

"I've really made a mess out of things this time. Haven't I?" Becky's voice betrayed that she was still crying.

"No, I've talked to Ryan and your mom." Jessi whispered as she slipped into bed. "They both said to tell you that they love you. Your mom knows that it's not Ryan but that's all I told her."

"Thanks," Becky whispered back.

Jessi put her arm around her friend's shoulder and then closed her eyes. 

---

Bill woke up. The sky was still grey-blue. He fought the urge to go to the bathroom. In a vain effort, he tried to close his eyes and fall back to sleep, but the need was too strong. There was a definite chill in the cabin and he didn't want to crawl from the warm comfort of his bed. His body's needs told him otherwise.

"Dammit, growing old is hell," he muttered as he pulled his boots on and then slipped his jacket over his pajamas.

There was an autumn mist in air this morning that made everything look soft and blurred. Bill looked over at Ryan's tent. "Boy, if you want to live up here, you're welcome to it. I'm too damned old to have to trot out here in the cold just to take a leak."

Bill rounded the corner of the cabin and the urge to urinate vanished. He froze where he stood, not believing what his eyes were seeing. He thought the pounding of his heart was sure to wake everyone up. At the edge of the clearing, not more than fifty yards away, he saw five riders, naked from the waist up, riding in single file. Their long braids hung down past their shoulders. 

When the riders stopped, Bill held his breath. The rider in the lead turned and, for what seemed an eternity to Bill, their eyes locked. There was a feeling of power and strength in those eyes and there was a burning pride in them as well. The expression on the man's face never changed as he looked directly at Bill. He was never sure if they disappeared into the mist or into the trees. 

There was no way that Bill could sleep now, so when he went back into the cabin, he lit a fire in the stove and prepared the morning coffee. As he waited for the coffee to brew, he sat at the table and stared out of the window. He had heard Ryan and Charlie talk about the Wanagi but, up until now, at least to Bill, they had been purely mythical, the stuff of legend. The feeling of the rider's eyes on him was something Bill wouldn't forget. It felt like the man was peering into the very core of his soul.

Bill's rustling around in the kitchen had finally woken Suzanne from her slumber. She could feel the warmth from the fire in the stove in the cabin. The smell of the coffee was too much of a temptation for her to resist. She slipped a heavy robe on and walked out to the kitchen.

She paused when she looked at her husband. Half joking, she commented, "Bill, you look like you've seen a ghost. You're as pale as a bed-sheet."

Bill looked up at his wife, his voice was as serious as she had ever heard it. "Yeah, I think I did."

Suzanne wasn't expecting the response she got from her husband. She poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. "Are you okay, Bill?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Then what's going on?" she asked.

Bill took a deep breath and then he looked Suzanne directly in the eye. "You've heard Ryan and Charlie talk about them ghost riders. I forget the Lakota word they use."

Suzanne nodded and listened to Bill as she sipped her coffee.

"Well, I got up to take a leak. I got to the corner of the cabin and I saw them at the edge of the trees."

"Are you sure you weren't still half asleep, still dreaming, or something like that?" Suzanne offered what she thought was a reasonable explanation.

Bill shook his head adamantly. "No. I was wide awake. As wide awake as I am now, there is no doubt in my mind. I saw them."

He had been pondering on the reason why they had chosen to let him see them, and to let him know they were real. The only answer he could come up with was that it was their way of confirming what Ryan had told him a few days ago was the truth. Even after they had saved Ryan's life, Bill still had a hard time accepting that ghosts of long dead Lakota warriors had intervened on behalf of his nephew. The talks with Charlie had helped somewhat but, up until this morning, he had still harbored seeds of doubt. He no longer had any doubts that Ryan and Jessi had seen them.

Suzanne was silent for a few minutes. "What exactly did you see?"

"I saw five riders, naked from the waist on up, with long braids and feathers in their hair. They weren't usin' any saddles from what I could see," Bill answered. "They were riding single file right at the edge of the trees. They stopped and the one in the lead looked straight at me." Bill shivered as he remembered what the stare felt like. "If felt like he could see right through to my soul."

She studied her husband as he gazed out the window, and she wondered if what he had seen was real, or if it was a product of his imagination. There was no doubt in her mind that he believed he had seen something. She knew from twenty years of marriage to Bill that he wasn't given to making things up—well, there had been times that Bill had stretched the truth, but those times were few and far between, and done only in jest.

Bill welcomed his wife's silence while he sat and thought about what happened. What struck him most was remembering the story that he had told Ryan about the song, 'Ghost Riders in the Sky', and that how at this moment, he knew how the old cowpoke in the song must have felt.

Suzanne finished her first cup of coffee and looked at her husband. "Well, I suppose I could get breakfast started."

Bill looked away from the window and at his wife. "That sounds good. What's on the menu for this morning?"

"Oh, I was thinking of ham and eggs with some hash browns. How does that sound to you?" 

Bill grinned and got up from his chair. "Sounds good to me. Let me give you a hand."

Even though he busied himself with dicing potatoes, onions, and red and green peppers his mind was still consumed with his brief encounter with the phantoms of the mountains. 

---

Ryan had been awake for some time but, with the morning chill and with what had happened the previous night, he was in no rush to get out of bed. The dawn had been a welcome sight. It meant that he no longer had to fight to try to sleep. He hoped that Jessi had talked to her mother and let her know the truth of the situation.

It wasn't only Ryan that hadn't slept well. Becky had tossed and turned most of the night. She lay in the bed trying to think of what she was going to say to Ryan today, and she only hoped that she would be able to find the courage to face him. Then there was her mother. What was she going to say to her? It felt like her life was falling apart and that she had no control over it.

Suzanne climbed the stairs to wake the girls up. Breakfast would soon be ready and she would need some help. She saw Becky's eyes begin to tear up as soon as their eyes met.

Careful not to disturb her daughter, Suzanne sat on the edge of the bed and put her arms around Becky. "Everything is going to be alright. Tears aren't going to change anything."

Becky sniffed, "I'm such an idiot. I really screwed things up last night."

"Well, Jessi talked to your mom and to Ryan last night before she came in. She said that she set everything straight with the both of them." Suzanne continued to comfort Becky.

"Oh, God! She didn't tell mom about..." Becky assumed the worst.

"No," Suzanne reassured Becky. "She didn't tell your mom anything. She said that it was up to you to tell your mom."

"I need to apologize to Ryan." Becky did her best to pull herself together.

"You get dressed and go out to Ryan's tent and tell him that breakfast is almost ready. It will give you a couple of minutes to talk to him." 

Becky was nervous as she walked towards the tent. Several times she stopped and thought about turning around and head back to the cabin. Each time she would take a deep breath and continue on.

"Where's Becky?" Jessi asked her mother as she came down from the loft.

"I sent her to wake up Ryan," Suzanne replied.

Jessi shot her mother a puzzled look and then Suzanne whispered in Jessi's ear, "She wanted to apologize to Ryan for what happened last night. I thought it would be best if she could do it in private."

Jessi nodded and asked her mother, "What do you need help with?"

Becky knelt down in front of the tent and paused for a moment. "Ryan, can I talk to you for a minute."

He was surprised to hear Becky's voice coming from outside of the tent, and he sat up and replied, "Yes, come on in."

Becky opened the tent door and slipped inside. She knelt and looked at Ryan for a moment and then looked down at the ground. "I want to apologize for what I did last night. I am so sorry..." She stopped, the tears burning in her eyes. 

Ryan reached over and put his finger on her chin and raised her head so that he could see into her eyes. His voice was soft. "It's okay, Becky. Jessi talked to me last night."

"I just didn't know what to say! I couldn't tell my mother the truth and my mind went blank. Then I looked up and saw you, and your name was the only name that I could think of." Becky could feel the tears streaming down her face as she talked to Ryan.

Ryan put his arms around Becky and hugged her. 

"I'm sorry, Ryan. I just hope that you will be able to forgive me." Becky buried her head into Ryan's shoulder.

As Ryan stroked her hair his voice was calm and reassuring, "You know that I already have."

"Thanks, Ryan. That makes me feel a lot better." Becky felt a wave of relief wash over her. 

"Good, I'm glad that you feel better." Ryan smiled. 

"Oh, I almost forgot, I was supposed to tell you that breakfast is just about ready." Becky turned and reminded Ryan as she was leaving the tent.




Montana Summer Ch. 13



"Let me get dressed and I'll be right in."

---

After breakfast, Ryan went out to the corral to feed the horses. As soon as Bernie spotted Ryan, he trotted to the gate and waited for the man that rode him. Ryan laughed as he opened the gate.

"No, I haven't forgotten about you." He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved an apple and a small knife. With the knife, Ryan began to cut the apple into slices and fed them to his horse.

Ryan felt quite a bit better than when he had gone to bed. No one had mentioned what Becky had said the previous evening, and Janice had gone so far as to give Ryan a quick hug when he had walked into the cabin. 

Breakfast had been a boisterous affair with everyone talking at once. One thing Ryan had noticed was that he had caught his uncle staring at him several times and each time he had looked deep in thought. Ryan hoped his aunt hadn't said anything about Becky claiming that he had gotten her pregnant.

Ryan had just finished feeding the horses and filling up the water trough when he heard Bill call out for him. He felt a sense of dread when he saw the serious look on his uncle's face.

"I'd like to talk to you, Ryan."

Ryan leaned the pitchfork against the top rail of the corral and steeled himself for the expected verbal onslaught.

"I don't know quite how to put this to you," Bill began, his eyes focused straight into Ryan's. Bill paused for a moment and gathered his thoughts and then his voice got quiet. "I saw them this morning."

This wasn't what Ryan had expected to hear and he was taken off guard. "Who did you see?" 

Bill took a deep breath and then let the two words release as he exhaled. "Ghost Riders."

"What?" Ryan couldn't believe what he had just heard.

Nodding, Bill continued. "I saw them this morning when I was on my way to the outhouse."

He turned and pointed to the grove of trees where he had seen the Wanagi. "Right over there. There was a mist this morning, and they seemed to ride straight out it and then they disappeared right back into it. They stopped just before I lost sight of them and the leader turned and looked right at me." Bill shivered for a moment. "It felt like he was looking straight into my soul."

Ryan hung on to every word as his uncle relayed his early morning experience and, when he had finished, Ryan found himself speechless—all he could do is shake his head in amazement.

Bill looked down at the ground for moment. "I believed you when you said that you had seen them, but I didn't believe that they were real."

"They're real, there's no doubt about it," Ryan interjected.

Bill nodded in agreement. "Well, now I believe it. I think they let me see them intentionally. When the leader looked at me..." A shiver passed through Bill's body.

"That was Spotted Owl."

"Yes, well, when he looked at me I could almost feel him talking to me." 

Ryan furrowed his brow. "You know, the first time I saw them, that is exactly how I felt." Ryan stopped for a moment, and he wasn't sure how to phrase the question, so finally he just asked. "What did it seem like he was telling you?"

Bill thought for a moment. "It's hard to put into words, but it was like an affirmation of everything that you had told me about them."

Slowly Ryan asked his uncle, "So, you believe what I told you about what Spotted Owl said about Jessi, that we're not related?"

Bill stared up at the mountains, his eyes seemed to get a little misty and then he looked at Ryan. "Yes, I believe you now." The tone in Bill's voice hardened a bit. "It's going to take more than you and I seeing ghosts of dead Lakota riders to convince Suzanne, though."

"Yeah, I understand." Ryan agreed with what his uncle was telling him. It would take a hell of a lot more to prove to his aunt that he and Jessi were not related. "Well, Jessi is going to check into DNA testing once she gets back to school."

"That might be the best thing for the two of you to do." Bill was thinking of how to tell his wife. "That way it would prove it one way or the other."

After leaving Ryan to finish up his chores with the horses, Bill walked across the clearing to where he had seen the ghost riders. He knelt down and stared at where Spotted Owl had stopped his horse. He had half expected to find signs of horses, but there were none. All he could see was undisturbed grass. His grandfather had told him on more than one occasion that there was magic in these mountains and that there were things that couldn't be explained away with logic and science. It made Bill wonder if his grandfather had known of, or had seen what he had seen, this morning. 

Bill let out a long, soft sigh and gazed at his surroundings. His thoughts were of his wife and his daughter. If the Wanagi were real, then what Spotted Owl had told Ryan and Jessi was true. Bill scratched his head as he whispered to himself, "Then who in hell is Jessi's biological father?" 

He looked back towards the cabin and wondered how he was going to tell what he knew to his wife.

---

Jessi and Beck had just finished making the bed and straightening up the small loft. Becky sat on the bed and looked at her friend. "We had some of the best times up here when we were younger." 

"Yeah, we sure did." Jessi smiled as she remembered. "And, there will more good times up here."

"I hope so." Becky's face had a wistful look to it.

Jessi sat down beside Becky. "Are you going to tell Stan before we go back?"

Becky shook her head. "No, I don't want to, not just yet. Things are just starting to get back to normal with him and Lindsey. I don't want to screw that up on a maybe."

"What if, what if you are...?" Jessi didn't want to say the word pregnant.

"I don't know what I'll do." Becky's face was full of worry as she looked at Jessi. 

---

Ryan had finished taking care of the horses. He removed his hat and wiped his brow and looked around. At one end of the clearing was Becky's parents' new truck and camper, and at the other end was Charlie's tipis. To his left was the newest of RV's and to his right was the first American RV. He chuckled as the thought of the contrast of the old and the new struck him.

He could see Rob and Janice puttering about their camper. Walter had the hood up on his old pickup and was tinkering away. Uncle Bill was kneeling in the grass at the edge of clearing. He knew the women were in the cabin cleaning up.

After thinking for a moment, Ryan decided to go check out the tipis to see what Charlie was up to. He walked over and peeked under the door flap and saw Charlie straightening up inside.

"Do you mind if I come in?" Ryan asked.

Startled, Charlie looked at Ryan and smiled. "You shouldn't sneak up on me like that. After all, I am a warrior, but yes, please come in."

Ryan sat down on one of the beds. "I was just thinking while I looked at Rob's camper and your lodge, the tipis is like the original RV."

Charlie chuckled at the analogy. "I suppose you are right. I really love using this thing, it seems to bring me closer to my heritage. But, there are times that I wish it had a bathroom, especially on those chilly nights."

"Speaking of bathrooms, did Uncle Bill talk to you about what happened to him this morning?"

Charlie gave Ryan a quizzical look. Had he missed something in the conversation? He shook his head slowly and replied, "No, he didn't say anything. Why? What happened?"

Ryan was sure that his uncle would have talked to Charlie already. "Well, I dunno if I should say anything?"

Charlie's interest was piqued now. "Should I go talk to your uncle?"

"No." Ryan shook his head. "I guess he will talk to you about it when he is ready."

"Is everything okay?" Charlie wondered out loud.

"Yeah." Ryan was torn but, in the end, he thought that telling Charlie might be the right thing. He looked at him and his voice dropped to almost a whisper. "He saw them this morning, just before dawn. He was headed to the outhouse when he saw them, Charlie. He saw the Wanagi."

"That makes some sense." Inwardly, Charlie was surprised, but he showed no emotion on his face. "He seemed different this morning, like a man who had a lot on his mind." Charlie studied Ryan as he asked, "Why do you think they showed themselves to your uncle?"

"Well, I almost hate to say what I think. It would seem that I am being too presumptuous and placing too much importance on me and my problems." Ryan was too embarrassed to tell Charlie that he thought they had made their presence known to his uncle so that Bill would know what Ryan had told him was true.

Charlie smiled at Ryan. "Don't sell yourself short, I think it is because of you that they showed themselves to your uncle."

Ryan changed the subject. "Do you think there is time for you to take me where you think the old village was located before winter sets in?"

"I don't see why we couldn't take a weekend and ride in there," Charlie mused. "It's been quite some time since I was last there." 

"Good! I'll call you later this week and we can make some plans."

Charlie nodded. "You might want to ask your uncle, he may want to come along with us."

Ryan nodded in agreement. "I think he might, and I'll ask him." Ryan picked his hat up and stood up. "I guess I should go see what's going on." He chuckled as he made ready to leave the tipis. "I wouldn't want anyone to think I was trying to avoid helping out."

"I think I will pay your uncle a visit. I have a feeling he might want to have a talk with me." 

Ryan stopped at the door way of the tipis. "Please don't tell him that I told you." 

"No, I won't say a thing."

---

This was the last day they would be able to spend at the cabin. Jessi and Becky would have to head back to Missoula the next morning. After the previous day's excitement with the bear, no one was particularly interested in leaving the cabin. It was decided by all to just spend the day relaxing around the cabin.

Charlie and Bill spent most of the morning deep in conversation near where Bill had seen the Wanagi. Suzanne was glad to see Bill with Charlie. If there was anyone who could make sense of what her husband had seen it was Charlie.

Rob spent time cleaning and puttering about in his new camper. It seemed that every time he opened a cabinet or cupboard, he would discover some new feature. Janice was glad that he had something to occupy his time. She wanted to talk to Becky alone for a few minutes. She felt that things had gone badly the previous evening and wanted to let Becky know that no matter what happened, pregnant or not, she would be there to support her.

Suzanne and Esther sat on the porch and discussed what the evening meal would consist of. Walter and his wife had gone for a short hike up the mountain. She had gotten a new camera and wanted to take some pictures while the colorful orange and red leaves still hung on the aspens.

Ryan emerged from his tent, after he had opened the doors and the windows to air the tent and his bedding out. Even though the sun felt warm, the air hadn't lost its crisp feel. There was that damp smell of decay that people associate with autumn on the breeze. The days were getting shorter and shorter. Ryan looked at the snow-covered peaks around him and wondered how long it would be before the snows would blanket the ground up here and further down in the valley.

Using a small whisk broom, he began to sweep out the tent. He was just about finished when a familiar voice broke the silence.

"Hey, cowboy, do you do windows, too?" Jessi's voice was cheerful.

Ryan poked his head out of the tent. "Only for certain pretty girls."

Jessi laughed. "You're smooth, really smooth."

Ryan just laughed and finished sweeping out the tent and then sat down in the grass. Jessi lay down in front of Ryan and propped her head up in the palms of her hands. "I'm going to miss you and I don't know how I'm going to stand it."

"I'm going to miss you too," Ryan replied in a quiet tone. He attempted to lift both of their spirits. "Well, it's not going to be that bad. You can come on some of the weekends and I was planning to take a few trips up to see you."

Jessi smiled at the thought of Ryan coming to Missoula to spend the weekend. It would be nice to have him there and not have her mother watching over their every move.

"Where's Becky?" Ryan asked.

"She and her mother went for a walk. She wanted to talk to Becky."

"Oh boy." Ryan grimaced. "I wouldn't want to be in her shoes right now."

"No," Jessi replied. "I don't think it's like that."

Ryan snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot, your dad saw Spotted Owl and the rest of the Wanagi this morning."

Jessi's jaw dropped. "No way!"

Ryan nodded his head. "Yup."

"Wow!" Jessi exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Well, I guess he was headed to the outhouse just before dawn and saw them riding along the edge of the trees. He said that they stopped and that Spotted Owl looked straight at him."

Jessi laughed. "I bet that gave him the shock of his life."

"Yeah, I think it did, in more ways than one." 

Jessi furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"He now believes what I told him about us seeing Spotted Owl at the hospital, and he also believes what Spotted Owl told us," Ryan answered.

"Wow!" Jessi let out a low whistle. "I didn't think about that."

Ryan reached out and touched Jessi's cheek. "He thinks that's why they showed themselves to him, to let him know that what we said was the truth."

Jessi they for a few minutes trying to absorb what had happened. She felt her spirits lift and it felt good to know that her father was on their side now. Jessi stood up and pulled on Ryan's hand. "Let's go for a walk."

They hiked up the slope behind the cabin and sat down just before the tree line. They were high enough that they could see a good deal of the valley unfold below them. Jessi leaned her head against Ryan's shoulder. "As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to live up here. When I was a little girl, I would always wish just before I went to sleep that when I grew up, that this would be my home."

Ryan put his arm around Jessi and squeezed her shoulder. "I would like to live up here too. From the first time your dad brought me up here, I knew this is where I wanted to live."

In Ryan's mind, he could see the house that he would like to build for Jessi. They sat up there, high on the slope for most of the afternoon talking like young lovers do. For a few hours they were lost in world of their own. To them it was perfect, full of plans and dreams. It was only when Suzanne began calling for them did they leave that world. Each felt a bit of disappointment as they walked down the hill and returned to reality.

---

Kenny's cell phone chirped. At first he wasn't going to answer it, as he was about to get into the shower. When he saw the name on the caller ID, he changed his mind and answered the phone.

"Kenny, my friend, I thought I would give you a call and see how the man I found for you was working out." Tony's voice was soft and smooth. Every time Kenny heard it, he was reminded of velvet. Kenny gave a momentary shiver when he reminded himself at how much power was behind that voice.

"He is working out very well," Kenny replied. He knew Tony wouldn't be calling just for a social visit. There was a reason for everything the man did. 

"When do you plan on starting your little—project?" Tony enquired in a polite and patient manner.

"I was thinking of waiting for spring." Kenny sat down on the bed and pulled his shorts back on. He always felt vulnerable when he was naked and on the phone. 

"I'm not trying to tell you how to run your affairs, but I think it would behoove you to at least check out the area before the snow comes, so you can be ready in the spring." Tony's suggestion sounded more like a command than a suggestion.

'Behoove?' Kenny thought. 'Who the fuck says behoove anymore?' He took a deep breath. "Well, with what happened to Sal, I thought it might be a good idea to lay low on this for a while."

"I can understand that and I can appreciate your caution. I don't think I would send your man, Hank, back in there. He's too hot to be seen around that town right now. I have another idea." Tony explained.

"Okay, let's hear your idea." Kenny was curious.

"Photography!" That was Tony's single word reply.

Kenny was confused and blurted out, "What the fuck does photography got to do with looking for gold?"

"We send your Mr. Campbell there with one of my people. They could pose as photographers taking pictures for a travel magazine," Tony elaborated.

"I don't know if it would work. What if someone checks out the travel magazine?" Kenny asked.

"Not a problem. The travel magazine is Italian and if anyone takes the trouble to call them, they will be told that they are indeed working for the magazine," Tony replied.

"I'll have to check to see if Mr. Campbell knows anything about taking pictures." Kenny had an image in his mind of two men running around the mountains with those cheap disposable cameras that were sold everywhere.

"I have a man that can handle the photography end of it and Mr. Campbell can pose as his assistant," Tony explained.

Kenny nodded his head, and he could think of no more objections. The thought of getting some men in there before the snow came had serious merits. For one thing, they would be able to confirm the existence of the gold and maybe get a feel for how much gold there was. "Okay, when do want to do this?"

"It will take me a few weeks to get things set up. If you are in agreement, I will start the planning from my end."

"I will speak with Mr. Campbell and let him know that you will be in touch with him." Kenny was trying to think of a legitimate reason for him to be in the small town in Montana at the same time. He wanted to watch over and protect his interests.

"Good. I will be in touch." 

Kenny was sitting on the bed when Stella walked into the room. "I thought you were going to shower."

He looked up at Stella. "Yes, I am. I got a phone call from Tony. I think he's trying to move in on the gold deal."

Stella felt a chill run down her back. There was something about the gold that made her apprehensive. "What gives you that idea?"

"He wants to have the area scouted out before winter sets in," Kenny replied. He paused and then added. "And he already had a plan worked out."

"Is it a good idea to go back there so soon?" Stella asked.

Kenny shook his head. "I don't know. I would have rather waited until spring, but Tony wants us to at least get a good look at the area. I'm worried that it might be too soon to go back, especially after what Sal did. On the other hand, once we know what is up there, then it will give us the whole winter to develop a strategy for getting as much gold out as we can in the shortest amount of time."

"Are we going to be going back there?" 

"Yes." Kenny reached out and took Stella's hand in his. "We'll be going back as well. I want to meet with the DA and see about getting the charges against you dropped, and see if we can work out a plea deal for Hank."

Stella watched as Kenny walked into the shower. She sat down on the bed and looked into the mirror. The worry on her face was evident. The thought of returning to that town had left her feeling uneasy. 

When Hank and Sal had begun to loot the Lakota burial platforms, she had told them that she had felt something was wrong. They had just laughed her off and had continued pilfering the burials. Now, Sal was dead, and the man that she had begun to fall in love with was talking about going back there. She wasn't a religious woman by any stretch of the imagination, but tonight she was going to pray. 




Montana Summer Ch. 13



---

Darkness had fallen by the time supper was finished and everything cleaned up. The fire crackled merrily in the stone fire pit. The warmth of the fire felt good to the people sitting in a circle around the blazing campfire, and as soon as the sun had set, an autumn chill descended. Contentment radiated from everyone's face. The supper had been delicious. They had feasted on Dutch oven chicken, baked new potatoes and fresh green beans from Esther's garden. For desert they had eaten apple crisp with whipped cream.

Bill stared into the fire. There was something mesmerizing and comforting in watching the dancing flames, they were ever moving and changing. Every now and then a loud pop would emanate from one of the burning pieces of wood, and sparks would fly into the air like a miniature display of fireworks. 

The long talk that he had with Charlie earlier in the day had set him at ease. He smiled at the thought of Charlie. He was sure that by the time Charlie was done explaining Hell, it would seem more like the annual Rotarian Bar-be-que.

"I don't suppose you brought your guitar with you?" Charlie finally broke the silence.

Bill slapped his knee. "Well, as always, the wife thought it would be a better idea if I left it at home..."

"But, as always, he probably chose to ignore the advice of his wife." Suzanne shook her head and laughed as she interrupted her husband.

Bill's face carried a look of mock hurt. "You cut me to the quick. Did you think I would go against your advice, and bring my guitar along?"

Suzanne laughed. "Oh, of course I would think that. You've done it far too many times for me to expect otherwise."

Shaking his head, Bill replied, "Well, for your information, I did not bring my guitar with me."

Suzanne looked askance at her husband and then raised her eyebrows. "But..."

"Well, if Ryan would be so kind as to go to his truck and fetch my guitar from the back seat." Bill's face now had a wry smile. "Technically, I did not bring my guitar up here. Ryan brought it."

Ryan stood up and laughed. "Oh sure, get me in trouble now."

Charlie got up from his chair at the same time. "Let me get my fiddle."

After retrieving the guitar from his truck, Ryan sat back down and watched Charlie tune his fiddle. "I didn't know that you played."

"Yes, I learned from my father. He was a good fiddler when he was alive. It was the one thing that made my father proud, that I followed in his footsteps when I took up the fiddle. This was his favorite one," Charlie replied.

"What about you, Walt? Do you play too?" Ryan asked.

Walter nodded. "Well, I can play a bit on the guitar."

Bill looked up from his guitar. "Don't let him try to fool you, Ryan. Walt is a damned fine guitar player."

The two men began to play. Ryan had heard his uncle play before. Somehow it sounded different with the fiddle. They was a plaintive and forlorn quality to the music, and Ryan found the feelings of regret and pain almost palpable as he listened to them play. He couldn't remember the words to the song, but he remembered that it had something to do with a woman lamenting her lost love.

Jessi had spread a blanket across Becky, Ryan and herself. She reached under the blanket and searched for Ryan's hand, and once she found she put her small hand in his. A smile grew on her face. She knew her mother teased her father about bringing the guitar along, but she also knew that her mother loved to listen to him play. Some of her earliest memories were of her father playing and singing to her to sleep.

Off in the distance, the mournful howl of coyotes only added to the music. Bill and Charlie seemed to be lost in what they were playing. Charlie's eyes were closed as he played and Bill stared off into another time and place as his fingers moved over the strings of his guitar. For Ryan, it was the perfect ending to a weekend of camping. 

The thoughts of what would come were on Becky's mind. Each time she looked up from the fire and at her mother, she would catch her staring at her. Her mother had smiled at her the last time she looked up and mouthed the words, "I love you." That had restored some calm inside of Becky. 

She had taken a walk with her mother earlier in the afternoon after she had awoken from her nap. Feelings that she had let her mother down threatened to overwhelm her. Janice had reassured Becky that no matter what happened that she would continue to love her and give her whatever help and support that was needed. It was the first time since Becky had thought she was pregnant that she didn't feel that she was alone. 

Suzanne felt herself being filled with feelings of sadness. Her little girl was grown up and would be off at school for most of the next nine months. She looked at Becky, whom she had regarded as almost a part-time daughter for the past twelve years. They both had grown up to be attractive young women. Gone were the days of when they would come in with skinned knees or jars containing frogs or butterflies. 

She prayed that Becky wasn't pregnant and at the same time she gave thanks that she had the foresight to get Jessi on birth control. Her heart sank when she looked at Jessi and Ryan. It would take a blind man to miss that the both of them were in love. To Suzanne, it was a love that could never be fulfilled, but she had suspicions that the two of them had been intimate. It was only her self-denial that kept her from admitting what she knew deep down inside, that her daughter had given herself to her nephew. She only hoped that the separation of Jessi being in Missoula would cause them both to come to their senses.

It seemed like Charlie and Bill had been playing forever when they set their instruments aside to take a break. Ryan was a little disappointed that the music had stopped. Bill had got from his lawn chair and excused himself.

"I enjoyed that." Charlie's face was beaming with happiness. "It reminds me a bit of when I was young and my father would play way into the night with his friends."

"I'll tell you what," Ryan replied. "I could sit here all night and listen to you and Uncle Bill play."

"You'll see some real playing after we hold the Hunka ceremony. There is quite a bit of excitement in the people and all seem to be looking forward to it."

"When is it going to be?" Ryan asked.

"I think in about a month. I got a hold of Nathan Two-Horse last week and he will be coming down from Rosebud to do the ceremony."

"Oh." Ryan was a bit surprised. "I thought someone from here was going to do it."

"Well, we talked about it at the council meeting last week. Louis thought it would be better to get Nathan down here as he has conducted many Hunka ceremonies. Those shamans have a lot of secret rituals and Louis hopes to learn some from Nathan," Charlie explained. He wouldn't have objected if the council had settled on Louis, but he was much happier having Nathan conducting the ceremony. This was an important rite to the Lakota that was beginning to make a comeback and, with Nathan it would follow all of the old customs.

"Are we going to get together before the ceremony?" 

Charlie nodded his head as he set his cup of tea down. "Yes, I want to start getting with you a couple of nights a week within the next few days. Do you remember the Hunka from your dreams?"

Ryan furrowed his brow in thought. "Sort of, bits and pieces anyway. It's a funny thing about those dreams. Some of it, I guess what is important for me to know, is as clear as day and other things are almost foggy. Like when you and Walt put up the Tipis, you would think that would have been something I would have seen hundreds of times, but I couldn't remember anything about it."

Charlie looked skyward as if he would find an answer by peering at the heavens. "Dreams are mysterious things. I think a man can spend his whole life in just trying to understand one dream." Charlie looked down from the sky and at Ryan. "Like I told you before, I think a lot of the times the journey one makes in achieving an understanding of one's dreams is more important than the meaning of the dream itself."

Ryan nodded. He hoped Charlie was right, as he felt no closer to understanding what most of his meant than he when he first had them. The one thing that stood out in his mind the most was that he felt the dreams were meant to teach him an understanding of the Lakota and of their ways.

"It's getting late." Bill had returned. "I think I'm going to turn in."

Jessi had been dozing and the warmth of the fire and the music had made her sleepy. She looked at Becky and then leaned over Ryan and gave her a gentle shake. "Becky, we need to get to bed, we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Becky lifted her arms above her head and stretched. "Yeah, we do."

Esther and Rose helped Suzanne gather up the cups and carry them into the cabin. The men folded up the chairs and put the fire out. As soon as the fire was out, it was nearly pitch black, as the moon hadn't risen yet.

Ryan had hoped to spend a little bit of time with Jessi tonight but that didn't look like that was going to happen. Just before her and Becky went into the cabin she had squeezed his hand and whispered her love for him in his ear and then followed her mother and friend into the cabin.

Ryan fished his small flashlight from his jacket pocket and looked at the dim outlines of the other men. "I guess I'll head off to bed."

With their well wishes echoing in his ears he made his way to his tent and quickly undressed and got into his bed. Sleep was quick in coming and his head had barely touched the pillow before he was fast asleep.

In the cabin, Bill lay next to his wife in the bed. It was so quiet Bill swore he could hear time passing. His eyes were wide open as he stared into the black abyss of the night. So much had happened today, and he was a changed man. Things that he had always regarded as superstitious hooey had manifested their reality to him today. 

Suzanne had been married to Bill McFayden for enough years to know when he was asleep and when he was awake in bed trying to make sense of a problem. Tonight she knew he was laying along side her deep in thought. It wasn't as if he tossed or turned, it was just something she could sense.

"What are you thinking about, Bill?"

His hand reached over and found hers. He had been thinking about how to tell his wife what he now believed to be the truth regarding Jessi and Ryan. There was a fierce debate raging inside of his mind on whether to tell her the truth or make something up. The big problem was that if he made something up,his wife would see through his deception. Finally, in the end, the truth won out. "I was thinking about Jessi and Ryan."

Suzanne let out a sad sigh. If it were any other boy, she would have been happy for her daughter. There was no doubting the depth of the love that they shared with each other. "I just don't know what to do, Bill. Short of sending Ryan packing down the road, I just don't know what to do."

Bill snorted. "I don't think sending Ryan packing down the road would do a blessed thing. They would still find each other and I think we would lose a daughter in the end."

Suzanne had no doubt that what her husband said was the truth. If she had thought that sending Ryan away would have had the slightest possibility of success, she would have already suggested it. A smile grew on her face and she knew she would have never gone through with it. Suzanne loved her nephew as if he were her own son. Ryan was a remarkable young man and in the short time he had been here, he had touched almost everyone he had come in contact with.

"I know," Suzanne replied. "And that's why I never suggested it. I just don't want either of them to be hurt and all I can see for them on the road that they are heading is heartache and grief."

Bill thought that this could be the opening that he had been waiting for. "What if, and I'm just saying, what if. What if Jessi and Ryan weren't related? What would you say then?"

"Don't you start talking nonsense, Bill McFayden." Suzanne's reply was curt.

Bill rolled over and faced his wife in the dark. "No, seriously. What would you think of Ryan and Jessi if they weren't related?"

"I would be happy for them. A little worried because they are both so young, but I would be happy for the both of them. I think Ryan is going to make some girl a fine husband one day." 

Bill took a deep breath. He felt it was now or never to tell Suzanne what he knew and what he believed. "I want you listen to what I'm about to tell you, and try to keep an open mind." He paused for a minute and when he heard no objection from his wife, he started to relate what he knew. "Both Ryan and Jessi have told me the same story. When Ryan was in the hospital in Missoula, he and Jessi were in his room late at night. They said one of them ghost riders, Spotted Owl they called him, came into the room. Ryan said he told them that Jessi would make him a fine wife and that she would bear him a son."

"That's just balderdash, Bill McFayden, and you know it," Suzanne interrupted her husband.

He put his finger to her lips. "Just let me speak my piece and then you can have your say." Bill continued his story. "Ryan said that he told this Spotted Owl that it was impossible, that Jessi was his half sister. Well, they said that Spotted Owl touched Jessi and inferred that there was no blood relation between them."

"How can you give any truck to a story like that?" Suzanne scoffed at the idea.

Bill shook his head. "I know. That's what I felt when they first told it to me." Bill paused for a minute. "Until this morning, until I saw the ghost riders for myself."

"Are you sure that's what you saw? Could you have still been half dreaming? You were barely awake! Bill, are you sure you just weren't fooled by the early morning mists?" Suzanne knew she had already offered these suggestions earlier in the morning. She was like a drowning woman, grasping at any possibility.

"No, it was real." Bill's voice got really quiet. "When the one in the lead stopped and looked at me, I knew it was real. I could feel him looking into my soul."

"Then that would mean that Roy isn't..." Suzanne's voice trailed off.

Bill reached up and stroked his wife's face. "I know what it means."

"But, it just isn't possible." Suzanne felt close to tears.

Bill tried to soothe his wife. "Do you remember everything about that night? I know I sure as hell don't."

Suzanne didn't answer. She knew her memories of that night were blurred by both the drugs that had spiked their drinks and by the passage of time.

Finally she spoke, "Then who is Jessi's father?"

"I am," Bill spoke with conviction. "I held her when she was sick and you needed some sleep." A warm glow flowed through Bill's body as he remembered Jessi growing up. "I'm the one that built the monster trap for her closet when she was three. Who taught her how to ride a bike, and then how to ride a horse? I'm the guy that showed her how to fish, and how to shoot. Who the other person is doesn't matter. All he did that night was donate some sperm."

"I didn't mean it that way, Bill, and you know it. No man could be a better father than you have." Suzanne had regretted what she had asked the moment it passed over her lips.

"Well, Ryan and Jessi told me that they are going to get some sort of DNA tests done to confirm that what they think is true."

Suzanne buried her head into her husband's shoulder and began to sob. The lurid visions of that awful night came flowing through her mind like a river that has broken through a dam.

---

It was a holiday Monday and it was early. It was six in the morning to be precise. Milt Walker sat at his desk at the Sheriff's Office with a cup of coffee. It was the perfect time to try to get some of the administrative work that was associated with his job done. The phones were quiet.

He was reading the forensic report on the arrows that he had sent to the crime lab. There had been no fingerprints on any of the arrows. Detailed examination of the arrows had revealed exactly what the museum had told Milt, that the arrows were consistent with arrows made in the latter half of the nineteenth century by the Lakota. No modern materials had been used at all in their construction.

After reading the reports, Milt placed them in the file with all of the other information regarding the case. The last meeting that he had with the district attorney regarding this case had gone much better than the first. As Milt had predicted, there were no calls coming in for demands that the killers be found and justice served. 

Talk had changed, as had the season. Cattle prices and feed prices were as popular as ever. Now that school had started, the hot topic of discussion was the upcoming high school football season. Expectations were high for the current team. The first two games were going to be key to the season. The local team would play their arch rival and perennial division championship contender at Homecoming, and the second game would be against one of the teams that made it all the way to State last fall. 

Milt Walker smiled as he thought about the weekly re-hashing of the Friday night football games at the local café. One of the pictures on his desk was of his son in his football uniform. His son had proven himself to be a formidable tackle in his sophomore year. He would be a full time starter this year and hopes were high for a college scholarship.

The ringing of the telephone brought Milt out of his daydream. He answered the phone, knowing full well that it was his wife.

"What are you doing down at the office?" she asked.

"I got up early and thought I would sneak down here and get some paperwork taken care of while it was still quiet. I should be home in about a half-hour," Milt replied.

"Okay," his wife answered, and she sounded like she had just gotten up. "I'll wait a while and then I'll get breakfast started."

"See you in a few." Milt responded before hanging the phone up.

He looked at the file on his desk and then picked it up and walked over to his file cabinet. He looked at the four drawers in the cabinet and tried to decide which was the least used. After deciding that the third drawer was the least used he "accidentally" placed the file at the back of the drawer, right behind the file titled Inventory of County Furniture: Sheriff's Department.

Satisfied that it would take a miracle for anyone else to find the file, Milt donned his hat and headed home for some breakfast, and hopefully some football talk with his son.

---

Dawn was just breaking when Suzanne woke up. She was grateful that the morning had come as she had slept fitfully through the night. It was as if she would doze off for a few minutes and then suddenly wake up. Over and over, she thought about what her husband had told her. It was a fantastic story and one that she had a hard time believing. There was no doubt in her mind that he was telling her the truth as he saw it, but it was still hard for her to come to grips with it. 

If Roy wasn't Jessi's biological father, then who was? She could have sworn that he was the only person that she had sex with that night and the only other man that she had sex with besides Bill. Maybe Bill was right and maybe it could have been the drugs that she had consumed in that spiked punch that had clouded her memory. Suzanne just didn't know. 

Deep down, she knew how Jessi felt. She had felt the same way the first time she had gone out with Bill. Her own mother had been shocked because, at the time, Bill was seen by many around town as nothing more than a rowdy young cowboy with not a lot of prospects. 

Suzanne smiled and looked at the man who had shared her bed for over twenty years. He had proven her mother wrong, especially after she had gotten pregnant with Jessi. A lot of the qualities that had been in Bill as a young man were present in Ryan. Uncertainty reigned supreme in Suzanne this morning.




Montana Summer Ch. 13



"I might as well get the coffee going." Suzanne wasn't one to lounge around in bed after waking up. She reached for her robe and quickly wrapped it around her. It was another chilly morning.

It wasn't long before the fire was roaring in the old stove and the heat began to radiate throughout the kitchen. Once she started working on breakfast, the uncertainty she had felt earlier began to evaporate. She smiled as she remembered what her grandmother had always said, "There's nothing like hard work to take troubles off a person's mind." 

The coffee had just finished brewing in the blue enamel coffee pot on the stove when Suzanne heard the sound of heavy boots on the porch. The door swung open and Ryan walked through the door.

He flashed her his normal big grin. "I woke up and saw the smoke coming up from the chimney." Ryan looked at stove and asked, "Is the coffee ready?"

"Yes, it is." Suzanne motioned for Ryan to sit down at the table and she poured them each a cup of coffee. "Did you sleep well?" she asked as she sat down across from Ryan.

"Like a rock! I don't even remember getting into bed last night." Ryan took a sip of the fresh coffee.

Suzanne studied Ryan as she drank her coffee. The boy had changed so much since coming here. He had learned how to ride, and had ridden in the rodeo. He had been involved in a gunfight, and had been shot. He carried himself with a quiet confidence that seemed older than his years. Just a couple of days ago, he had survived a run-in with a large brown bear. She smiled to herself as she looked at Ryan and she could understand how her daughter could fall in love with him. He was a remarkable young man.

"Do you think you will ever regret giving everything up to stay here and live on the ranch?" Suzanne was curious.

Ryan looked down at his cup of coffee and then over at his aunt. "I didn't give anything up. Before I got here, I didn't have anything. Here, I have everything." Ryan was silent for a few seconds. "I never felt like I really fit in back in the city. I was like a shoe that was a size too big. Yeah, you can wear it, but it never feels comfortable."

"Right from the first day that I got here. I felt like I was home and that I had a purpose here," he continued. "Now, I can't imagine wanting to be anywhere else."

"You look like you've put on some weight since you arrived." Suzanne could tell he was bigger and stronger.

Ryan laughed. "I think it's your breakfasts that did it. That's something else, back in the city, I might eat something for breakfast and I might not. Here, I look forward to your breakfasts, they just seem to make the day sunnier."

Suzanne laughed heartily. Ryan had washed away the final bit of gloom that had been hanging over her. "That may be the biggest piece of malarkey that I have ever heard, but it has earned you your breakfast this morning."

Some rustling could be heard coming from the bedroom and Bill appeared in the doorway with a grin on his face. "A fella can't get a decent day's sleep with all the nattering going on in here."

"Yeah, you were just afraid that we were going to start talking about you, and with the way your hearing is, you bust your butt outta that bed to make sure you didn't miss anything." Suzanne's face wore a warm smile for her husband.

Bill sat down at the table and grinned at Ryan. "Well, what's your take on the day so far?"

Ryan raised his cup and smiled back at his uncle. "It's a damn fine day to be alive."

Suzanne got up from the table and began to prepare breakfast. She glanced over and looked at her husband and nephew. Somehow what had seemed near disastrous last night didn't seem so bad in the light of the day. If Ryan ended up not being related to Jessi, and if they were truly in love then maybe, just maybe, it could turn out to be a good thing.

---

After the breakfast was over, Jessi and Becky went to pack up their bags and Ryan went outside to take his tent down.

Charlie, Walter and Bill were sitting on the veranda finishing their last cup of coffee.

"Would you mind if Esther and I stayed up here for a couple of more days?" Charlie asked.

"Of course not," Bill answered. "How long do you want to stay up here?"

"Two, maybe three days, and maybe even four. It all depends on how long I can keep Esther happy up here," Charlie answered. He then looked at his son. "Just come back up in a couple of days and check on us. Don't bother taking the horses back with you today, your mom and I might want to take a ride."

Walter shrugged his shoulders. "That's fine with me. Do you need me to bring you any supplies?"

Charlie shook his head. "Yeah, pack up some grub when you come up in case you mother and I decide to stay longer."

"I'll give you the keys to the cabin." Bill wished he could spend a few more days up here, too, but there was too much work to be done on the ranch. "We'll leave all the food that is left for you. There should be plenty of feed and hay for your horses."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Charlie replied. He had talked to his wife about staying up here for a few more days and was pleased that she was more than happy with the idea. It felt good to have the opportunity to get back to his roots.

Once Ryan had his gear stowed in his truck, he walked up onto the veranda. "Don't worry about the horses, Walt and Charlie can give me a hand getting them loaded up into the trailer and I can haul it back. I need you to get Suzanne and the girls back down to the ranch. The girls need to get their car loaded and get on the road before it gets too late. I would like them to get back to Missoula before dark." Bill looked around to make sure neither of the girls was near. "It makes nervous if they have to drive that highway at night."

Ryan nodded. "Okay, let me get their stuff loaded up. I'll start on the chores once I back down there."

"Okay, I shouldn't be too far behind you," Bill replied.

Deep down inside, Ryan was a little disappointed that his aunt was coming with them. He had hoped to have a little time alone with Jessi before she left, but that didn't look like it was going to happen.

Becky's parents had already left and Janice had made the two girls promise that they would stop in before they left town. "Besides," Janice reminded her daughter. "You have clean clothes at home that you need to pick up before you leave."

Once back at the ranch, Jessi and Becky wasted no time in getting Becky's car packed with their belongings. Suzanne went through the pantry, pulling out jars of preserves and canned vegetables for the girls to take back with them. She had insisted that the girls take a cooler filled with frozen meat with them. "It will stay frozen until you get to your apartment." 

"Well," Becky laughed. "We won't be going hungry."

Ryan carried the heavy cooler out to Becky's car and placed it in the trunk. He carefully checked all of the tires with a pressure gauge to make sure that they had been inflated properly. He then opened the hood and checked the oil and water. He shone a flashlight on the serpentine belt as his uncle had taught him, carefully looking for any signs of cracks. Once Ryan was satisfied that all was in order, he closed the hood. 

Just as he was finished, Jessi came out of the house, "Quick," she whispered. "Let's go into the barn while Becky keeps mom busy in the house for a couple minutes."

Once out of sight of the house Jessi wrapped her arms around Ryan. "I'm going to miss you, cowboy."

Ryan smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. "I'm going to miss you, too."

"I wish we had more time..." Jessi's words trailed off.

"I know," Ryan answered. "I wish we had more time, too. I guess the way to look at it is like this, we will have the rest of our lives to be together."

"Yeah, I know. I try to tell myself that, but it doesn't seem to help."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Bill's truck pulling into the driveway. Jessi's face conveyed the disappointment that she felt inside. "I guess we had better say our goodbyes now."

Ryan leaned over and kissed Jessi on the lips. Their tongues surged and retreated from each other's mouth. Ryan could feel his heart race from the kiss.

Jessi's eyes were moist and she was trying hard not to cry. She looked deep into Ryan's eyes and tried hard to burn that image into her mind. "I love you, Ryan."

"I love you, too. When do you think you will be coming back?" 

"There is a long weekend in early October and I think we will be coming home for that." Jessi held Ryan as his arms continued to hold her close to him. "We need to think of a reason for you to come up and stay the weekend with me."

"Oh, I can think of a good reason to come up and see you." Ryan tried to make Jessi smile with a bit of humor.

It worked and Jessi wiped her eyes then smiled. "Yeah, I bet you can."

Ryan walked Jessi to the car. Becky and Suzanne were just emerging from the house and Bill had parked the truck and walked over to where Jessi and Ryan were standing.

"Did you make sure everything was okay with the car?" Bill asked Ryan.

"Yup," Ryan answered. "Everything looks good."

Jessi hugged her mother and then her father. She looked at Ryan and she didn't care what her parents thought, she gave Ryan a hug and kiss before climbing into the car.

"You two drive carefully, there are idiots out on the highway," Bill warned.

"We'll be careful and we'll call when we get there," Jessi promised.

Ryan felt a tinge of sadness as he watched the girls drive down the driveway and on to the main road.

Suzanne had tears in her eyes and quickly excused herself and headed back into the house. Ryan saw that his uncle's eyes were looking a little moist and that was okay. His were the same way.

Bill let out a deep sigh and looked at Ryan. "Well, what do you say we get to work and get those horses unloaded?"

Ryan nodded. "That sounds good to me." At least it would take his mind of off Jessi and make the day pass quicker.

---

"Well, how did the camping weekend go with Dad's new camper?" Stan asked his mother.

Janice tried to put a bright smile on her face. "Dad loved showing his new toy off and it was much more comfortable sleeping in there than I expected."

"Speaking of the great white hunter, where is Dad?" Stan peered through the window and noticed that the car was gone.

"He went down to the store to see how everything went over the weekend." Janice had busied herself putting away the unused food from the camper.

Stan put his sandwich on a plate and began to head toward the stairs. He paused at the bottom step and looked back towards the kitchen. "What's up with Becky? She seemed, I dunno, really on edge when I talked to her."

Janice closed her eyes and braced herself against the kitchen counter. Stan was the only person she could tell. She hadn't breathed a word to her husband about Becky. "Stan, please don't breathe a word of this to your father. He has no idea. Your sister thinks that she is pregnant."

The paper plate that Stan had been holding fell from his hand. His face blanched, and for a moment, he thought he was going to pass out. Stan's heart raced like a trip hammer. A million thoughts raced through his head. Was he the father? Did Becky tell their mother that they had engaged in sex on several occasions? What would Lindsey say once she found out?

It took Stan what seemed an eternity to reply to his mother. "Oh my, God! You've got to be kidding." Stan bent down and picked his sandwich and the plate off of the stairs. As much as he didn't want to face his mother, he knew that he had to go back into the kitchen.

Janice had tried not to cry, but a few tears had escaped. She was glad to see her son come back into the kitchen. "Jessi took her to the family planning clinic at the university. She should know for sure one way or the other this week. Becky used one of those home pregnancy test kits and it came back positive."

"Did she say who the father was?"

Janice shook her head. "No, she wouldn't tell me. She said that she wanted to wait until she had the results back from the family planning clinic."

Stan felt a surge of relief flow through his body. He would have to call Becky and talk to her once he was in Denver. He wasn't sure if she wanted to hear from him, but he knew it was what he had to do.

--- 

Becky and Jessi had gotten back to their apartment in Missoula before dark. Jessi had called her mother and let her know that they had arrived safely. Suzanne had promised to call Becky's mother to let her know.

Neither of them felt like cooking so they went to the pizza place that was only a couple of blocks from where they were staying. Jessi noticed the improvement in Becky's mood and when they got home from supper, she had commented on it.

"I think it's the not knowing that's the worst," commented Becky. She felt better now that she was away from her parents. "Either I'm pregnant, or I'm not. No amount of worrying is going to change that fact. Hopefully, I will know either tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest."

Jessi had changed into a pair of boxers and an old t-shirt. She flopped down on the bed beside Becky. "Well, we can hope for the best."

"And plan for the worst," replied Becky.

Jessi turned serious. "If you are pregnant, what are you going to tell your parents? I mean as far as the father."

Becky shivered for a moment. "I don't know. I just can't tell them that it is Stan. It would kill them."

"Yeah, I sort of know what that is like already, with me and Ryan."

Becky nodded and then got up and then walked into the bathroom to get changed for bed. "Do you think your parents know that you and Ryan have done it?"

Jessi giggled. "Well, they don't know, but I am quite sure that they suspect it. I think Dad knows, and I think Mom knows as well, but I think she is in denial." Jessi sighed. "I wished I could have gotten to fuck Ryan one more time before we left."

"Yeah! Me too!" Becky walked back out of the bathroom. She looked at her friend and was sorry that she had made the comment. "I'm sorry, Jessi. I shouldn't have said that."

Jessi squeezed Becky's hand. "No, don't worry about it. I was just missing him."

"Does it bother you when I fool around with you two?" Becky asked. "I sort of just invite myself along at times."

Jessi looked at Becky. "No, not at all. I think it's hot. With you, it's different. We were both fooling around with him before I fell in love with him."

"Yeah, it is hot. It really turned me on to have you watching me sucking him." Becky could the warmth building between her legs. 

Jessi felt her cheeks flush. "It turned me on, too."

"Hey, are we still going to make that video for Ryan?" Becky had a mischievous look on her face.

"Oh yes! I think we should!" Jessi grinned. "The thought of him jacking off while watching a video of us drives me wild."

"I want to be so dirty on it, I can't even tell you." Becky was struck with the sudden urge to slip her hands into her shorts and to start playing with her pussy.

"Oh yeah? What do you want to do?" Jessi could feel the warmth spreading in her thighs.

Becky took a deep breath. "I want us to start by feeling each other up and then to start undressing each other. Then I want us to play with each other's tits and suck each other's nipples. Then I want to start playing with your pussy while you play with mine." Becky was too turned on now to be embarrassed. "I want to try going down on you and lick your pussy."

Jessi held her breath for a moment. "I'd like that. I'd like to lick yours, too." 

"And I want to talk really dirty to Ryan as we fool around," Becky continued. "Talk about how much we like his hard cock and how we hope that he is jacking off while watching us."

Jessi's voice was a hoarse whisper, "You've got me so turned on now."

Becky slipped her boxers and panties off. "So am I."

It only took Jessi a second to slip out of her shorts and underwear. She reached and put her hand between Beck's slightly spread legs and to find her wet slit. "Just thinking about you sucking Ryan's cock turned me on."

Becky slipped her hand between Jessi's thighs and began to slide her finger along the warm, wet slit. "I wish we had that cock here right now, I would suck it again for you."

"I want to watch him fuck you with it." Jessi replied as her finger found the swollen nub between her friend's legs.

"Mmm, I'd like that." Becky's finger played with Jessi's engorged clit. "Where's the wildest place you two have done anything?"

Jessi's hips had begun to hump against Becky's hand and fingers. She thought for a second. "Well, I have him a hand-job when he was in the hospital. I wanted to suck him off, but I was afraid we'd get caught."

"I'd love to watch you give him a hand-job." Becky's voice was full of lust as she felt Jessi press hard against her hand. 

The thought of masturbating Ryan to orgasm while Becky watched fueled Jessi's wanton passion even further. She slipped her finger into Becky's slippery tunnel as she pressed her knuckle against the swollen nub of Becky's clit. "Maybe we should video that for us, we could take turns making Ryan cum."

"That would be so hot," Becky replied. "And, maybe we could get him to jack off for us, too. That really turned me on when we were camping this summer."

"I don't think we'd have any trouble talking him into masturbating for us. He likes to be watched while he strokes his cock." Jessi rubbed Becky's clit faster and harder now. "I'm so turned on now. Do you want to know what else turned me on?"

"What?" Becky asked.

"When you let Ryan cum on your face, that just sent me right over the edge, I came so hard when I saw that." The mental picture in Jessi's mind almost drove her over the edge. The feeling of Becky's finger fucking her hot tunnel was driving her wild with lust. She leaned her head down and began to suck on Becky's erect nipples.

"Oh god," Becky whimpered. "Suck my tits, I love how that feels."

Jessi's tongue circled around the stiff nipple that rose from Becky's breast. Her lips closed around it and she began to slowly suck it into her mouth like a miniature cock. As she gently bit down, her tongue flicked back and forth in quick, fluttering movements, she liked how her friend's nipple felt in her mouth. 

Becky moaned and fondled Jessi's breast with one hand, and continued masturbating Jessi with her other hand. She thrust her hips in a gentle motion against Jessi's hand and bathed in the waves of pleasure that washed over her body.

Nothing existed in Jessi's mind except for the blinding lust that she felt. She wanted to make Becky cum like she had never cum before. The way that the fire raged in her own body told her that her climax was going to be monumental. 

Jessi raised her head from Becky's breast and she scarcely recognized her voice as she spoke. "I want to taste you, Becky."

"Oh yes! I want to taste you, too!" Becky responded.

They repositioned themselves so that Becky lay on her back with her legs spread, and her knees pulled up slightly.

Jessi felt her heart race as she lowered her mouth to Becky's sex. She could feel Becky pulling down on her hips to bring her pussy in contact with Becky's mouth. With her fingers she spread open Becky's delicate lips, exposing her hard nub of a clit and then began to run her tongue from her clit to her opening. The taste surprised her a bit, it was similar to the taste of her own juices that she had licked from her finger while masturbating.

Becky held her breath as she felt Jessi opening her sex. A jolt of pleasure hit as she felt her friend's tongue touch her clit. No one had ever done this to her before. Jessi had told her about Ryan going down on her and how good it had felt. As Jessi's tongue circled and flicked her pearl of lust, she ran her own tongue along her friend's slit.




Montana Summer Ch. 13



It surprised Jessi at how much she enjoyed performing oral sex on her friend. Becky's tongue now lapped at her own sex, sending waves of pleasure flowing through her body. 

Becky inserted her index and middle finger into Jessi's opening as she sucked Jessi's erect clit between her lips and flicked her tongue in quick sharp back and forth motions. As her tongue moved back and forth, her fingers moved in and out of her warm, moist tunnel. She could feel that her face was wet with the juices from Jessi's pussy. As Jessi moved her hips, she ground her sex into Becky's face.

It was almost at the same time when the two girls began to peak. Jessi moved her mouth away from Becky's clit and began to manually stimulate her. Her own body seemed to shake as gave in to the storm of her orgasm.

Becky's body shook hard as she felt the burning deep inside that announced her own climax. Her world seemed to spin out of control and bright lights flashed in her head.

When Jessi could finally move, she lay next to Becky. Both of their bodies were slick with sweat. No words were exchanged, they both lay their trying to collect their breath. 

"Wow." That was all Jessi could manage to say. She waited for a minute. "Well, I guess I should go to..."

"Don't go," Becky sounded vulnerable. "Please stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone."

Jessi nodded and put her arms around Becky. With the post-orgasmic glow still upon them, they quickly fell asleep.

---

Norm Campbell sat in the back seat of the black limo. Vincenzo had picked him up for a late night meeting with Tony. He had received a phone call from Kenny and the conversation had been short and to the point. Something had been different in Kenny's voice in this call. Norm thought he detected a note of worry in Kenny's voice. 

Vincenzo ushered Norm into the study and then went to announce their arrival to Tony. Norm looked at the books lining the shelves. The broad variety of subject matter surprised Norm. He had never thought of Tony as being the reading type of person. 

"Mr. Campbell, how nice to see you again." Tony's greeting was warm and seemed to be genuine. "Please sit down and make yourself comfortable." 

"It's nice to see you again as well." Norm hoped his reply sounded convincing. The truth of the matter was, he couldn't think of two people that he wanted to see less than Tony and Vincenzo.

"Kenny wanted to wait until spring to send you into the mountains," Tony began. "I would sooner have you at least give the site a preliminary look before winter. I would like to know if it is worth our while pursuing this venture and I don't want to have to wait almost six months."

Norm nodded his head. He now understood why Kenny had sounded a little worried on the phone. Tony was beginning to make his move. 

"There was apprehension on the part of Kenny going back so soon, especially after what happened with his other man. I think I have a plan that will explain your presence in the area and should avert any suspicion as to what your motives really are."

"Okay, so what is your plan?" Norm felt a tingling of excitement. The professional part of him wanted to see the mountain that Hank had described to him.

"You will be in the area taking pictures for a travel magazine," Tony replied and he carefully watched Norm to see his expression.

"Hell, I have a hard time using one of those disposable cameras." Norm was instantly disappointed. "And who is going to believe that I am with a magazine?"

Tony smiled. "You will be the photographer's assistant. I have a photographer and you will have credentials from a legitimate magazine."

Norm felt a little better. He had to admit, Tony's plan did have some merit. "Okay, so who is the photographer, and when do I get to meet him?"

"You've met him already." Vincenzo spoke for the first time.

"I have? When?" Norm tried to think of who he could have met recently that was a photographer.

Vincenzo smiled. "Yes, it's me."

"You?" Norm couldn't hide his surprise. Vincenzo was the last person he would suspect of having any skills other than breaking someone's arms and legs.

Tony let out a soft chuckle. "Yes, Vincenzo is actually quite a good photographer. You may have a hard time believing this, but photography is one of his passions in life."

Vincenzo nodded. "Yes, it is. I actually studied photography at the University of Turin."

"What do we do if someone asks what we're doing? From what you say, the town is fairly small and we will probably be noticed." Norm was trying to find any holes that he could in Tony's scheme.

"Let them ask, the more publicity we get, the easier it will be to hide what we are really doing. If you give people a reasonable explanation, they generally tend to believe you. Think about this for a moment. In the middle of the day, a van drives up with a cable TV logo on the side and parks in front of your neighbor's house. A man in work clothes gets out and straps on a tool belt and then walks up to the door. What do you think? Are you suspicious?"

Norm shook his head. "No, I don't think I would be."

Tony smiled wide, his perfect white teeth gleamed. "Exactly! That's because I have given you a perfectly legitimate reason for the man to be there. Did you realize that more burglaries are committed during the day than at night? At night, people are more cautious and more inclined to be suspicious. I will give the people of that town a reason for the two of you to be there. The more publicity we get, the easier it will be for us to hide what we are really doing."

How freaking perfect is this, Norm thought. Tony had hatched a plan, that at least on the surface, had a reasonable chance of success and Tony's man would be with him every step of the way.

"Okay, when do we get started?" Norm asked.

"A few weeks," Tony replied. "We have some preparations to make. I need you to make sure that you have whatever equipment that you will require ready within the next week."

The thought of tramping through the Montana wilderness with Vincenzo caused Norm to shiver for a moment. He turned his attention to Vincenzo. "Do you really intend to take pictures?"

"Most certainly, and I hope the magazine will publish them as well." Vincenzo then grinned. "Who knows, you might get your picture in an Italian travel magazine."

---

Becky and Jessi arrived home from school and the light was blinking on the answering machine, indicating that there was a new message. Becky pressed the play button and listened to the message from the nurse at the family planning clinic. Becky felt her heart race as she listened. She was scared, all she had to do was call, and they had the answer. Whether it was the answer that she wanted to hear, or if it was the one that she had been dreading for a couple of weeks, that was the only question left.

She looked at Jessi. "I'm so scared, Jessi. I don't want to call them."

Jessi looked at the clock. "Well, they will be open for a few more hours. You can wait for a while if you want to, but you have to call them today. Like you said yourself, it's the not knowing that is the worst."

"I lied," Becky tried to make a small joke out of her nervousness. "I think finding out that I am pregnant is worse than not knowing, now."

"Yeah, and finding out that you aren't pregnant would be a whole lot better, wouldn't it?"

Becky stared at the phone. She couldn't bring herself to pick it up and dial the number that the nurse had left in her message. The fear of what she might hear seemed to paralyze her arms. Boom! Boom! It was the sound of her own heart in her ears. 

Jessi could see the look of dread in her friend's face. "You have to do this, Becky."

Becky nodded. "I know." She took a deep breath and with trembling hands she picked up the phone and called the clinic.

The receptionist put her on hold and with each second of waiting Becky felt like she died another death. The urge to hang up the phone was almost overwhelming. If Jessi hadn't been there at her side, she thought that she would have hung up the phone and gone and buried herself in her bed.

"Miss Evans?" The nurse's voice came on the line. "I have your results."

In a timid voice, Becky managed to squeak one word out, "Yes?"

This was one part of Nurse Reynolds job that she disliked the most. Like most of the girls she saw, this was too young, and too unprepared, to be pregnant. None of them were ever happy to get the news. She often wondered what it would be like to work in an environment where the news she had to give so often would be met with tears of joy and not with tears of fear. She quickly scanned the results from the lab and tried to remember what this girl had looked like. "We got the results back from the lab, Miss Evans. It came back positive."

Becky felt the world spin out of control. This was exactly what she had expected to hear. For days, she had tried to steel herself for this moment. "Oh my ..." She wasn't able to finish her statement.

"The doctor wants you to see an OB-GYN as soon as possible," Nurse Reynolds continued. "They have an opening at 8:20 tomorrow morning. Can you make it?"

Becky tried in vain to remember what her schedule was for the next day. "Yes, I think so."

"Miss Evans, I need to know for sure. It's important that you keep this appointment. The doctor wants you to have a couple of more." The nurse tried to be both firm and reassuring.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Becky began to panic.

The nurse hesitated. Yes, there was something wrong, but this had to come from the doctor. She had immediately recognized what the doctor suspected by looking at the lab results. "He just wants you to have some other tests done, Miss Evans, to make sure that there is nothing wrong with you." She paused for a moment and then added, "Or with your baby."

'My baby' Becky thought. This was the first time she had used that term. It was almost like she had forgotten that being pregnant meant that she would be carrying a baby inside of her body. "Yes, I'll be there." Becky confirmed that she would be at her appointment.

Becky hung up the phone and looked at Jessi and burst into tears. "I'm pregnant."

It was what Jessi expected to hear, especially after listening to Becky's half of the conversation. Jessi put her arms around her friend and tried to console her. "Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know," Becky managed to get out between sobs. "The doctor wants to see me tomorrow morning to do some more tests."

"What kind of tests?" Jessi asked.

"I don't know. She didn't say." Becky closed her eyes. She wished that this was just a bad dream and that she could wake up shortly and just be able to shake it off. 

---

Hank sat across the desk from Norm and was a little surprised at what he was hearing. Norm was relating what Kenny had told him and what he had learned from his late night meeting with Tony and Vincenzo. Hank had spoken with Kenny the day before and had a rough idea of what was going on. 

After listening to what Norm had to say, he had to begrudgingly admit that the plan sounded good and it appeared that a lot of careful thought had been put into it. A large map from the U.S. Geological Survey Department was spread out on the desk.

Hank pointed to a spot on the map. "That's where it is." He traced his finger along the map. "You can get up to about here. I guess you could get further if you have a good four-wheel drive vehicle. It took us about two and a half hours to hike from where we parked to get to the top."

Norm nodded and took notes as Hank spoke. He was surprised at how calm he felt now. Once the real planning had started, his professional background had kicked in. For the first time since he had gotten involved with Tony and Kenny, he felt like he had some control back in his life.

"This is the little creek we were talking about. I think there is gold in it. Sal said he would have bet his life on it." Hank felt a little shiver go down his back. Sal had bet his life in those mountains and had come up the loser.

Norm studied the map and looked up at Hank. "It looks like a good spot to look." He pointed at an area near the bottom of the mountain and near the creek. "I wonder if we can get in there. It would the perfect place for us to set up camp. It would give me the chance to check out the creek."

"I don't see why you couldn't." Hank pointed to a wiggly line on the map. "It shows some sort of a road heading at least part way in."

Hank was glad that Kenny had told him to stay in Denver. If too many of them showed up in town at the same time suspicions could be raised. It wasn't only that but, with what happened to Sal back there, Hank was extremely hesitant about setting foot in that area again. 

What bothered him the most, and he hadn't admitted it to anyone, was that they had tried looting some Lakota burial platforms and Sal had ended up with five arrows in his chest. To Hank, this had a deep significance and served as a warning for him to stay away. Besides, he would be happier staying in Denver and fucking his stripper girlfriend.

"How long do you think it will take you to come up with some results?" Hank asked as he watched Norm writing on his note pad.

The geologist looked up and stared at the map for a few moments. "Oh, I'd say a week will tell us if there is anything up there that we can work with."

'Better you than me,' Hank thought.

---

Although she missed the comfort of her bed and the convenience of her bathtub, Esther was glad that she agreed to stay for a few more days up at the cabin in the tipis. She gazed her husband as he puttered around the camp. It gave her a warm feeling inside to watch him. This was what he loved, being out in nature and trying to live in the old way. Esther could sense a change in him. He seemed to hold his head a little higher and there was more spring in his step. At times like this, she thought that Charlie was a man that had been born too late. 

Charlie was in his glory. His wife was right, out here, he was a changed man. As he had grown older, he had gotten more reflective in his life. Many an hour had been spent imagining what life would have been like if he had been born one hundred and fifty years earlier. There were times that he felt frustrated that he would never experience the life of his ancestors. Occasions like this gave him a small window into what their life would have been like.

The peace and solitude gave both of them comfort. There were no sounds of modern life up here—no jangling of phones or the incessant jabbering of a television, no cacophony of vehicles with missing mufflers running up and down the roads at all hours of the day or night, and none of the headache-inducing music that some of the younger generation seemed to enjoy.

Charlie reveled in the sound of a hawk soaring high above, its shrill screech sounding just before it dove in pursuit of some prey. At night, he had built a small fire outside of the tipis to ward off the chill of the night air. They had sat near the fire and listened to the singing of the coyotes. Charlie told old stories that had been handed down from one generation to the next.

Esther enjoyed times like this. It took her back to when she was a young girl and her grandfather would sit and tell many of the same stories that Charlie knew. She had often wished that her grandfather had lived long enough to meet the man she married. 

"I think I could spend the rest of my life living like this," Charlie told his wife as he watched her frying up the trout that they had caught earlier in day. 

Esther looked up from the fire and waved the smoke from her eyes. "Yes, I know you could. I think I would miss my washing machine and dryer. Well, not so much the dryer, but the washing machine for sure. I wouldn't want to have to beat your clothes on a rock by the creek just to get them clean."

Charlie laughed at the mental picture of his wife doing laundry by hand and had to admit that she had a point. "Well, I might try to stay cleaner longer if that was the case."

Esther laughed as she turned the fish over. "No, you would just go around in dirty clothes." Her tone turned serious. "I remember my granny washing clothes in a tub with a washboard. I remember trying to help her and how tired I got. It was just plain hard work and she would spend the whole day at that washtub scrubbing clothes. I remember her hands, all red and cracked from the soap they used."

Charlie nodded. "Not everything about the good old days was so good, I guess. All the same, it's nice that we have the time to spend up here and that we can still enjoy it."

Time didn't matter here. They got up when it was light and went to bed sometime after dark. Charlie thought that was what was wrong with the world today. People seemed to be a slave to time. You had to be up at a certain time, you had to be at a certain place at a certain time, you went to bed at a certain time. Days were divided up into small bits of time with various tasks assigned to each block. People walked around with books devoted to planning their days, or they had a small electronic device that did the same task. It seemed that the faster society went, the less time people had for the simple things in life. He wondered what his ancestors would think of a long weekend. He laughed inside at the thought.

After they had eaten their meal of pan-fried trout and baked corn-on-the-cob, they sat and watched the sun begin to make its descent behind the mountain to the west. For a moment, the sun was in Esther's eyes, and she could see Charlie's profile silhouetted against the sunset. For a brief moment, Esther saw the man he could have been if they had lived more than a century before. 

Charlie loved the sunset, the ending of another day. Tomorrow his son would come and to take them home. For tonight though, this was their home and time had stopped. He was Lakota and he was living in the old way.

---

Bill leaned up against the bed of the pickup and studied the cattle in the pasture. "Well, I think most of this lot will go. They look like they gained good weight over the summer."

"When are we going to move them down to the ranch?" Ryan asked.

"I have to get a hold of the trucking company and see when they are planning to show up. I still need to decide how many head we are shipping out," Bill replied. "I'm hoping we can get them moved down to the ranch tomorrow or the day after."

"How do you decide on which ones stay and which ones go?" Ryan asked.

"Well, we will keep all of the yearlings, and all of the pregnant cows. Mainly we will be selling off the three-year-old and some of the two-year-old steers. We want to keep all of the pregnant females to build the size of the herd up. The yearling steers aren't big enough yet to make any real money."

Ryan nodded. "I've been meaning to ask... I haven't seen any bulls. How do the cows get...?" Ryan blushed as he tried to find words that made sense.

Bill chuckled. "Artificial insemination mainly, but occasionally, now and then, I will use a bull. There are ranchers around here that offer the services of their bulls."

Still blushing slightly Ryan asked, "Well, wouldn't it be easier just to let nature take its course?"

"It might mean less work for us, but there are a lot of advantages in using AI. If we only used bulls we might only have a few bulls for the herd. By using AI, we can get semen from as many different bulls as we want. The advantage in that is that it keeps the bloodlines of the herd mixed. We don't want any in-breeding in the herd and that helps in keeping any genetic defects to a minimum. By keeping records, we know when the cow was impregnated and who the sire is. If we left it up to nature, we would have no guarantee that all of the cows are going to get their chance with Romeo?"




Montana Summer Ch. 14



This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any real person is just a fluke. All characters are eighteen years and older.

*

Becky lay strapped to the gurney in the back of the ambulance. They had started her on oxygen for the short trip to the hospital. She wished Jessi was in here with her, but she was following directly behind in the car. 

"Are you feeling okay?" The young paramedic who was riding in the back with her asked.

Becky nodded. "Yes, just a little scared, I guess."

He smiled at Becky and patted her hand. "Well, you are allowed to be scared." He thought she was cute and tried to re-assure her. "I'll come up and see you after they admit you. You'll be just fine."

"Thanks." Becky smiled. "But, you don't have to do that."

"Hey it's no problem," The paramedic replied with a warm smile. "We like to take care of our customers."

Becky thought it was nice that he might come and see her. It gave her a warm feeling and without realizing it, she had stopped being scared.

---

The drizzle had let up and Charlie stood outside of the tipis and took a deep breath. He enjoyed the fresh, clean smell right after a rain. He was glad that he had brought some firewood in before going to bed. He had awoken to the sound of the raindrops making little drumming sounds on the canvas of the tipis.

Esther emerged from the tipis and stood beside her husband. "It's a good day for staying in." She looked at the heavy clouds that drifted low over the mountains. "I don't think it's done raining."

Charlie nodded. "I think you are right." He looked to the treetops. "I think the wind is shifting. I will have to adjust the pole for the smoke flap before long if it keeps changing."

It was important to keep the pole that controlled the smoke flap. Otherwise the smoke from the fire inside wouldn't be drawn out and the inside would become extremely smoky, to the point of being unbearable.

"I'm going to get some more dry wood from the cabin. Is there anything that you need from in there?" Charlie asked.

"No," Esther replied. "There's nothing that I can think of right now."

As Charlie walked to the cabin he thought about the dreams he had last night. He wondered if they had meant anything or if they were just a regular dream. It was unlike any other dream that he could remember. He would try to discover if there was any meaning in it and then try to make sense of the answers. 

Charlie was glad that Ryan had asked to go to where his ancestor's village had once stood. Since having the talk with Bill about the Wanagi he had felt the urge to go there. He felt like there was something there to discover and that is what his dream had told him.

---

Bill stared into the bottom of the trunk. "Well, I'll be damned!"

Suzanne felt her knees grow weak for a moment as she looked over her husband's shoulder. She was speechless at what she saw. 

Ryan felt that he was looking into a mirror. The photograph in the bottom of the trunk was the face that he saw every morning in the mirror in the bathroom, but it wasn't him. The picture was so much older. 

Bill carefully lifted the old picture from the bottom of the trunk. It was a fairly large picture, about eight by ten. In the picture, a man about Ryan's age stood with a Lakota male who looked to be quite a bit older.

The edges of the photograph were flaked and Bill was afraid that it might fall apart in his hands. "Mom," he said to Suzanne. "Take this and see if you see anything on the back."

Suzanne took the picture and carefully turned it over. In fine flowing script there was something, but it was hard to read as the ink was faded. "It says Will and Runs—I can't quite make out the rest, and then ninety-six."

Ryan felt a shiver go through his body. "Runs With Elk, that's what it will say."

"I'm going to set this over here." Suzanne carefully placed the picture on an old dresser.

Bill was taken aback at the direct resemblance between the young Will and Ryan. "Damn, you could be his twin."

Ryan swallowed. "It was like looking into a mirror."

Suzanne knelt back down and pointed. "That must have been her wedding dress. And look, that must be a picture of them the day they were married."

There was a picture in a simple wooden frame of a young woman wearing the dress that was in the trunk sitting on a chair with a young man standing beside her. In her hands, she was holding a bouquet of flowers.

"I never knew any of this existed." Bill was filled with a feeling of astonishment. He let out a soft laugh. "Now I know how those fellows must feel when they find something in Egypt."

Suzanne's voice was full of emotion. "This dress is over a hundred years old." She lifted it from the trunk and was surprised at the condition it was in. "I wonder if..." Suzanne stopped herself from saying what was on her mind. She had wondered if Jessi would like to get married in the dress. The man in the picture bore an uncanny resemblance to Ryan, and she resembled Jessi and for a second she thought it was a picture of the two of them dressed in vintage costumes.

She was struck by the coincidence of what had happened to her husband and then the discovery of this trunk. Suzanne was suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that none of this had happened by chance. 

Her train of thought was broken by Ryan's exclamation: "It's them! What you told me about the other night."

Ryan was holding what appeared to be a series of diaries in his hand. The top one was open. 

Bill was rendered speechless by the discoveries. They were all things that he had heard about during his childhood, but had never seen and never expected to see. The past had come alive before his eyes. He stood up and looked at the picture that Suzanne had set down on the dresser. He found the resemblance between the young Will and Ryan uncanny. The eyes, the way they both stood and the smile—it was like Ryan was the very reincarnation of Will. 

The weathered dark face of the other man, very prominent cheekbones and a pair of eyes that seemed to show strength reminded Bill of Charlie. He was dressed in buckskins and the top showed evidence of fine beadwork. He wondered what the occasion had been for them to pose for what would have been, back then, a very formal portrait.

As Ryan read the words that were written in a fine flowing script, the past came alive. He was transported to a place that he had only seen in his dreams.

---

It was late afternoon and Becky felt like a guinea pig. She had been poked and prodded, and had just gotten back to her room after having an MRI.

Her nurse had introduced herself as Lisa. Becky had liked her immediately. Lisa had a trace of a southern accent and had immediately put Becky at ease when she had arrived in her hospital room.

"How's my patient?" Lisa's green eyes flashed warmly as she walked in and looked at Becky.

"I'm good," Becky replied. "Just a little nervous I guess."

"You just relax and let us do the rest." She stopped and smiled at Becky. "The surgeon called and he said he will in to see you about 7:00."

"Are they going to do the surgery tonight?"

"That's all up to him, darlin'. He'll let you know when he sees you," Lisa answered as she wrote on a piece of paper that she had pulled from the pocket of her scrubs. "Oh, your friend said she was running home to get you a few things."

A knock came at the door. It was the paramedic that had been in the ambulance. "Can I come in?"

Becky smiled. Secretly, she had hoped that he would come and at least say hi. "Sure."

Lisa winked at Becky. "I know this guy. If he gives you any trouble, you just call and I'll come in and kick his ass."

The paramedic grinned. "Yeah, she will." He laughed and whispered loudly: "They say she is the meanest nurse in the place."

"Damn right I am." Lisa laughed as she left the room.

He reached around his back and produced a small bear and some flowers. "I brought you these. Hope you don't mind."

Becky thought her face might break if she smiled any wider. "Thank you, but, you didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. My name is Josh." 

"I'm Becky. Sit down if you want."

Becky smiled at him as he pulled up a chair, and she still thought he was cute. He had blue eyes. She hadn't noticed that when she was in the ambulance.

---

"Hello," Janice answered the phone.

"Hi, Mrs. Evans." Jessi closed her eyes. She hoped she could carry through with the lie.

"Hi, Jessi." 

"Becky is in the hospital." Jessi started. "And she wanted me to call you."

Janice felt her heart race. "Why? What's the matter?"

"She has a cyst." Jessi crossed her fingers for luck. "They are afraid of it bursting and want to take care of it."

Janice was puzzled. She didn't think people were normally hospitalized for cysts. "What is her room number?"

"Two-twenty-six," Jessi replied.

"How long is she going to be in there? Did the doctor tell her?"

"I'm not sure." Jessi felt relieved. This was the truth. She didn't know how long Becky would be hospitalized. "The doctor she saw this morning thought she might be released tonight, or in the morning. He said it all depended on what time they got her in."

This made a little more sense to Janice. Maybe it was a cyst after all? "What about the pregnancy test?"

One more lie and it was over. That was the thought in Jessi's mind as she answered, "It came back negative."

It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from Janice. She breathed out a sigh of relief. "Okay Jessi, tell Becky that we love her and tell her to call me as soon as she can."

Jessi hung up the phone and sighed deeply. She had packed a few things for Becky and was getting ready to leave when the phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hi, Jessi. Is Becky around?" It was Stan.

"Hi Stan. No she's not. She's in the hospital." Jessi answered.

"What..." Stan sounded shaken at what Jessi said.

"No," Jessi interrupted. "It's nothing serious at all. Just some—uhm—female problems."

"Oh." Stan sounded relieved.

"Stan, she's not pregnant." Jessi suspected that this was the reason why he was calling.

"She's not?" Stan knew what a man who got a last minute reprieve must feel like.

"I'll have her call you back, Stan." Jessi was in a hurry to get back to the hospital.

"Thanks, Jessi. Tell her I called."

---

Suzanne sat quietly in her chair in the living room. One of the diaries they had found had belonged to Will's wife, Ellen. There were over ten years of entries in it. She had sat there reading a voice from the past. All manner of events were told, births, deaths, marriages. Some of the names were unfamiliar to Suzanne, but many of the families still made the valley their home.

For the past two hours, Suzanne had lived in the late nineteenth century. Life had been hard, there was no doubt about it. Ellen must have been a strong woman. Each of her entries, no matter what the event, showed that she looked for something good in everything.

After she stretched and rubbed her eyes, she looked at the clock and announced to the cat that was stretched out and snoozing on the sofa,: Look at the time! I had better get supper going. I'm going to have two hungry men in here before I know it, and they'll be looking for something to fill their bellies."

It had been hard for Ryan to concentrate during class today. He kept finding his mind wandering back to what they had found in the trunk. The wedding dress had been nice to find. The diaries had been far beyond anything that he could have hoped for, but the picture of Will and Runs With Elk—that was priceless. As he had stared at the picture, he had felt like he could almost reach out and talk with him.

Ryan felt that he knew the man that was standing next to Will. He had met Runs With Elk in his dreams. His memories were of a strong leader full of confident pride. As he had stared at the picture, the realization that Runs With Elk was the last generation of Lakota warriors that had roamed the plains freely had struck him. This was a man who would have been of fighting age at the time of the Little Bighorn. Ryan had wondered if he had ridden with Tatanka Yotanka at some time.

It was dark when he pulled up into the driveway. His mind had wandered so much that he had didn't remember much of the drive home. Mentally, he chastised himself for allowing himself to daydream as he drove. On these country roads, a mistake could prove to be fatal.

The smell of frying chicken greeted him as he walked through the door and into the kitchen. "Something smells good!" Ryan proclaimed as he gave his aunt a warm hug.

Suzanne smiled. In his own way, he always made her feel special and appreciated. "How was school?"

"Good," Ryan answered as he poured a cup of coffee. That was the fuel that kept the ranch going. There was always a pot of the strong, black brew ready for anyone that needed a cup. "How was the rest of your day?"

Suzanne looked around to make sure her husband wasn't in hearing range. "Well, I seemed to have loafed most of the afternoon away reading Ellen's diary."

"Did you find anything interesting?" Ryan inquired.

Suzanne stopped what she was doing at the stove and wiped her hands on a towel. "I found it all quite fascinating. I felt like I was there with her as I read it. She was a well educated woman, especially for that time." Suzanne turned the heat down on the stove and sat down at the kitchen table. "I think we take too much for granted today. Life was so hard for them. She seemed to be a woman of strong faith and convictions and that's what carried her through the bad times."

"I know that she wasn't very old when she died, I think Uncle Bill said about thirty-nine." Ryan commented as he tried to imagine what it would have been like for the first white settlers in the area.

"So many of them died young, and there was no medical care to speak of. Maybe a woman would work as a midwife." Suzanne's thoughts went to the diary and she felt an overwhelming sadness. "So many children died. Each time a child died that Ellen knew, she would write something about them. It was their faith in God that kept them going." Suzanne got back up to check on her cooking. Half to herself, and half to Ryan she quietly said. "Lord knows, they had nothing else to keep them going."

Ryan looked around. "Where's Uncle Bill?"

"He said he was going to take a shower before dinner." Suzanne turned and looked at Ryan. "But, that was over an hour ago, so I suspect that after the effort of climbing the stairs and showering, he may have felt the need to take a nap."

Bills voiced boomed from stairs, "I heard that!" 

He looked at his wife. "How can you say such things about me?"

Suzanne raised her eyebrows. "Well, tell us just what you were doing up there."

Bill winked at Ryan and then looked at his wife. "I took my nap first, and then I took my shower. You had it wrong."

"Oh Bill! You didn't. You didn't lay on my nice clean bed with your dirty work clothes on?" Suzanne was aghast.

"Nope." Bill shook his head. "I was nekkid."

"Oh Lord, give me strength." Suzanne shook her head in exasperation.

"And if the boy hadn't have been here, I would have come down here nekkid and chased you around the house."

Suzanne was turning beet red. "Stop that right now, Bill McFayden!"

Bill was on a roll and he knew it. "I used to tell your aunt that once Jessi was grown up and gone away, that I was going to walk around the house nekkid all the time, just like them nudist people."

"Bill!" Suzanne exclaimed. "You are going to ruin Ryan's appetite if you keep this up."

Ryan broke out laughing. While the thought of his uncle roaming about the house naked had little appeal, the aroma of his aunt's frying chicken more than made up for it.

"Well, Ryan? You still got an appetite for some of your aunt's fried chicken?" Bill grinned happily.

"Damn straight I do," Ryan replied enthusiastically.

"See, the boy is relatively unharmed by my shenanigans."

Suzanne couldn't help but laugh. She knew that she should have been used to her husband by now. A warm feeling descended over her that told her that all was right with the world tonight.

---

Walking back into the hospital brought back memories of when Ryan was in the same hospital. When Jessi got up to the floor where Becky was staying, she saw that the door to her room was closed.

Jessi stopped at the nurse's station. Becky's nurse was sitting there writing in a chart. Her hair reminded Jessi of the sunset, gold with a tinge of red. She stood at the counter and announced her presence: "Excuse me."

Lisa looked up from her work. "Hi."

Jessi pointed at the door to Becky's room. "Can I go in?"

"The surgeon is in there with her right now. I think they are going to take her in tonight," Lisa answered.

Jessi then pointed to the guy standing outside of the door. "Who's that?"

Lisa smiled. "That's Josh. He was one of the paramedics that brought her in. He's been sitting in there with her since just after you left"

"Oh, I thought I recognized him." Jessi was glad that Becky hadn't been alone while she was gone. 

"He's a good kid." Lisa sat her pen down and looked at Josh for a second. "He's a fireman and sometimes on his days off he will do a couple of shifts with Med-West. I took care of his mother when she was in here last year. I got to know him then."

Jessi laughed. "Oh, a fireman! Becky will like that."

"Well, I think they like each other. They've been in there laughing and talking a mile a minute."

"I suppose I could go introduce myself." Jessi hesitated.

"What's your name?" Lisa whispered. "I'll introduce you."

"Jessi."

Lisa stood up. "Yo! Josh! Front and center!" Lisa chuckled. "I love bossing firemen around."

Josh walked over to the nursing station. "You rang?"

"Josh, I would like you to meet Jessi, Becky's roommate. Jessi this is Josh." 

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Josh offered his hand to Jessi.

"Nice to meet you, too." Jessi smiled warmly. This was definitely the type of guy that Becky would be attracted to.

He looked a bit taller than Ryan, and bit broader in the shoulders. Jessi suspected this came from his training. His light brown hair probably always looked slightly askew. She knew Becky was a sucker for a guy with blue eyes. He looked like the kind of a guy that a girl's mother would fall in love with.

The surgeon soon came out of Becky's room and walked over to the desk. He looked at Lisa. "They will be coming to get her in about an hour."

Lisa nodded.

He scribbled something on a piece of paper. "Give this to her as soon as you can, darlin'."

Lisa called after the doctor as he was walking down the hall, "Oh sure, it's darlin' when you want something."

He laughed and waved his hand in the air as he continued to make his way down the hallway.

"You can go on in and see her now." Lisa turned her attention to Jessi and Josh.

"Did you two meet?" Becky asked as they walked into the room.

Jessi nodded. "Yep, we sure did."

"I just wanted to say bye," said Josh. "I have to be at work by six tomorrow."

"Thanks for coming in and keeping me company." Becky's eyes sparkled as she talked to Josh.

"No problem, I enjoyed it," he replied.

"You'd better call me." 

He laughed and patted his pocket. "I've already got your number programmed into my cell." He walked over and gave Becky warm hug. 

After Josh had walked out the door, Jessi giggled and grabbed the chair and sat down next to Becky. "Okay, sister. Spill the beans."

"I like him." Becky smiled. 

"Well, he's cute!" Jessi was glad for Becky.

"Yeah he is." Becky's mind was preoccupied with wondering what it would like to have him kiss her.




Montana Summer Ch. 14



Jessi relayed the messages from Becky's mom and brother. She reached down and picked up a small backpack. "Here's the stuff you wanted."

They sat and chatted back and forth until the nurses came with a gurney to take her for surgery. As they wheeled Becky out, she looked up at Jessi with a faraway look in her eyes. The medication the surgeon had prescribed to relax her had taken effect. "You know that you are like my sister, and I love you."

Jessi squeezed Becky's hand. "And I love you too, Becky. "

It was just after midnight when the surgeon sat down in the chair in the waiting area and tapped Jessi on the shoulder and woke her up. "We're all done. There were no surprises and she will be just fine. I will be in about nine to see how she is doing. I fully expect that she will be ready to go home."

"Thanks." Jessi yawned. 

"You will be able to see her in little bit. The nurse will come and get you."

Jessi nodded. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

After Becky was wheeled back to her room, Lisa called an orderly and had him bring a cot in and set it up in Becky's room. "You just lie down and get some sleep. Becky is going to be asleep most of the night anyway."

As she was doing her rounds, Lisa peeked into the room at the two sleeping girls. She was reminded of her best friend when they were growing up. A tear appeared in the corner of her eye as she whispered their pledge, "Friends to the ends." A drunk driver had cut her friend's life short. 

---

Norm checked all of his gear. All was ready. He only had to wait for Vincenzo to pick him up at the office that he and Hank had rented. He had been caught totally off guard when Vincenzo told him that they were going to travel to Montana in a RV. It would take them a few days to get to Montana, and it would give Vincenzo a chance to take some photos along the way to establish their cover of doing a shoot for a travel magazine.

"Watch yourself," Hank had warned. "Don't trust that guy as far as you can throw him. His boss may be charming to talk with, but he is as ruthless as they come."

Hank's warning had made Norm feel uneasy. He had already suspected as much, but had tried to ignore his suspicions. 

"Take this." Hank had given Norm a small automatic pistol. "And don't let on that you have it."

Norm took the weapon and studied it.

"Just pull back on the slide. That will put a round in the chamber. Then just pull the trigger."

Norm felt for the weapon in his pocket. He had to admit that the cold steel of the automatic in the palm of his hand gave him a sense of security. He just hoped that he would never have to use it. 

He was still holding the gun when he saw Vincenzo drive around the corner. The RV pulled up to the roll up door and Vincenzo emerged from the vehicle.

"Are you ready to go?"

Norm nodded and pointed to where his luggage and gear was stacked. "Yes, just show me where to stow this stuff."

---

All had gone well. Becky had gone home the next morning as the surgeon had predicted. She had been sore for a few days but with each passing day there was significant improvement. Life soon fell into a routine with going to school and doing homework. 

Josh had called Becky everyday and had even come over to the apartment to see her a few times.

"Saturday night is the Annual Firemen's Ball and I was hoping that you might like to go with me." Josh had finally worked enough nerve up to ask Becky out.

Jessi had to go into the kitchen. She didn't want to laugh. She thought poor Josh looked like a scared rabbit. 

"I could find a date for Jessi, too." He added this hoping that the prospect of having someone for Jessi would make her agree.

"I don't think Jessi is interested in meeting anyone," Beck replied.

Josh looked crestfallen. He saw his hopes of a date going up in flames. He cursed himself for his stupidity. He should have waited a bit longer before asking her out.

Becky continued, "She has a guy back home. I'd love to go with you, though."

It's funny how one moment a person can feel disappointment and in the next feel joy. That's what happened to Josh. "Well, Jessi can still come with us, that is, if she wants to."

Jessi had heard the conversation through the kitchen door and at that moment she missed Ryan more than she thought possible. 

---

Charlie stood and stared at the picture that Ryan had called him about. The resemblance between Ryan and the man in the picture was nothing short of amazing. He had stared at Runs With Elk and tried to memorize every detail of the man. He reminded Charlie of his grandfather, especially the eyes. It wasn't the look of a defeated man that stood there. The eyes seem to burn with pride, with who and what he was.

"Tokala," Charlie whispered. "Look at the wristbands."

Ryan studied what Charlie had pointed out. 

"He must have been a man of bravery and honor to belong to the Kit Fox Society." Charlie marveled at the detail present.

"I remember him from the dream. From what I remember, I think he was highly regarded. There was great strength in him." Ryan thought for a moment. "Do you think he became chief after Spotted Owl?"

Charlie shook his head. "I don't know. There were no written accounts kept, just stories passed down from one generation to the next."

"I wonder if there will be something in the diaries about Runs With Elk?" Ryan wondered out loud.

"I didn't think about that," Charlie answered. "I would very much like to read those, if you wouldn't mind."

"Aunt Suzanne has been talking to that fellow from local historical society. He suggested that we make copies of the diaries so that the originals are preserved. I'll ask her to make a copy of them for you."

"I would like that." Charlie was looking forward to reading the accounts of the past that were written by people that were actually there. "If I could, I would like to get a copy of this picture, too."

"I'll tell Aunt Suzanne that you want a copy." 

"I would like to talk to you a bit tonight about the Hunka Lowanpi," Charlie spoke as they sat down.

"Hunka means ancestor. Once you become Hunka you are related to all other Hunka.. If another Hunka is hungry, you will take the food from your mouth and give it to him, even if it means that you will go hungry. If he has no moccasins for his feet, you would give him yours, even if it meant that you would go barefoot. If he is cold, you will give him your coat, even if it leaves you with nothing to wear." Charlie paused. "If your brother needs help, you will do everything in your power to help him. In the old days, Hunka would not steal horses or women from other Hunka even if they were from another tribe."

As Charlie spoke, Ryan could recall bits and pieces from his dreams. He knew that in his dreams he had been familiar with the Hunka practices.

"We are going to give you a Lakota name. Ihanbla Mato 

"Dreamer of Bears?" Ryan liked the name. "That seems appropriate."

"I thought so. It came to me in a dream. I heard the name and I didn't recognize it at first. Then I saw you riding Mato and I knew the name was yours."

Ryan nodded. He knew what it was like to be astride Mato and to feel the power and strength of the great bear.

"You talked about wanting to see where the old Lakota camp was. I was thinking about us going up there in a couple of weeks. One of the things you will need to do before the ceremony is to seek a vision. I thought that would be a good place for you, as you have been there in your dreams." 

Ryan wondered if he would recognize the place from his dreams. He felt drawn there. Something almost magical had happened there. The world of his ancestors and the world of the man sitting next to him had come together and had forged a bond that transcended cultural, racial, and generational bounds.

"As the Hunka, you will be expected to provide a feast for the people, and you will be expected to give gifts," Charlie explained.

Ryan nodded his understanding. "I've talked to Uncle Bill about that and we are going to donate a whole beef for the feast." Ryan stood up. "I'll be right back. I have your gift already."

"I want you to have this." Ryan spoke quietly after he had returned. "I found this at the bottom of the trunk and didn't say anything. As soon as I saw it, I knew what it was, and it is important to me that you accept this gift."

Ryan opened a leather pouch and removed a bear-claw necklace and handed it to Charlie. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the necklace that Spotted Owl gave to Will."

Tears formed in Charlie's eyes. His normally stoic face was overcome with emotion. It took him a few minutes to say anything. "I don't know what to say. I can't accept a gift like this. I have nothing to give you in return."

Ryan put his hand on Charlie's shoulder. "You have given me a gift already, a great gift. You have given me your friendship and your wisdom. Through you, I have become who I was meant to be."

Charlie listened to Ryan's words as he stared at the necklace in his hand and he looked up, his eyes still wet with emotion. "You are indeed wašicun waken. You may not be aware of it, but you are wise beyond your years."

---

"Hi, Becky." Stan's voice was warm.

Becky was glad to hear from her brother. "Hey Stan! It's good to hear from you. I apologize for not calling sooner, but things have been hectic around here."

"No problem," Stan replied. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. How are you feeling?"

"Really good." Becky paused for a moment. At first she wasn't going to tell Stan, but Jessi had told her about her brief conversation with Stan.

"Stan." Becky closed her eyes. "It's important for me to tell you this. I really don't know why, but it is. I was pregnant. There was a problem. It was a tubal pregnancy and they took care of it."

Stan felt his hand holding the phone tremble. "Oh god, Becky..."

"You and Jessi are the only ones that know...well, other than the doctors," Becky went on. "I'm glad that I'm not pregnant, but I'm sad at the same time. I will always wonder what the baby would have looked like."

"I'm sorry that it happened. It's my entire fault." Stan was glad that Lindsey was out shopping. He wouldn't have wanted her to hear what he was saying.

"No, Stan," Becky replied. "I'm the one that started it. I don't know why. I had these fantasies and it was me that pushed you."

"I should have had the sense to just leave the room and walk away. The door was never locked." Stan sat down in a chair and put his hand to his head. "I should have known better. I should have been a better big brother to you."

Becky laughed softly. "Oh, Stan, you were always the best big brother a sister could want."

"Thanks, Becky. I appreciate that."

"I still have those fantasies, Stan, that's what scares me," Becky admitted. She hadn't even told Jessi. No matter what fantasy was in her head when she masturbated, it always ended up being thoughts of Stan that drove her over the edge. Although, the past couple of nights a certain cute fireman had replaced Stan in her fantasies.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't," Stan replied. "But, I think I know now that's where it's best kept, in fantasies." Stan didn't want to admit to Becky that more than once he and Lindsey had engaged where Lindsey was his little sister. Not Becky, but his imaginary little sister.

"Yes, I agree," Becky replied. "Hey, I met a guy here, and I really like him."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." Stan was glad the subject had changed.

"Well, we are going on our first date on Saturday night. I'll let you know how it turns out."

"You had better." Stan laughed. "Well, I should get going. I've got a paper due that I need to write."

"Okay, Stan. Thanks for calling."

"You're welcome." Stan stopped for a moment. "I love you, and tell Jessi that I said hi."

"Bye, Stan, and I love you, too." After Becky hung up the phone she was glad that she had told him the truth. 

---

Suzanne had read most of Ellen's diary over the past few days. She had called Mr. Higgins from the local historical society and told him of their find. He had been ecstatic to learn of their discovery. She had taken the books in for him to look at. His first advice was to copy the books to protect the originals.

She looked up as her husband walked into the room. "Bill, I want you to read something." She opened the diary to the first page. "This has been on my mind since I first read it."

Bill pulled his glasses from his shirt pocket and then sat down and began to read.

06/08/1890 My life here has become an intolerable purgatory. It matters not that the accusations made against my character have been proven false. I still wear the Scarlet Letter and find myself under increasing pressure to resign my position in both the school and my membership in the church. It seems to me that hypocrisy reigns supreme in these so called progressive times. What is worse is that my accuser remains unscathed. Mother has written to family in Montana and has heard back at last. Her cousin and her husband traveled to the Montana Territory ten years ago and have a small ranch outside of the town. There may be a chance for me to teach school in those parts.

09/22/1890 I find myself now in the wilds of Montana. The ranch is small, but cozy and the family has done everything to make me feel most comfortable and welcome. Cousin Will is a cowboy and looks quite dashing. He is quite friendly with the local Indians and can even converse with them in their own language. He chastises me when I use the word Indian and tells me that they are Lakota. I received quite a scare the first time that I met one of them. I was led to believe that they were a savage people with no morals. Through Will I have learned otherwise, and he has offered to take me to their village.

12/17/1890 It has been some time since I have taken the time to sit with pen in hand and write down my thoughts. I have become quite adjusted to life in the West. I am awestruck by the simple beauty of the land and of the people who make this place their home. I will only admit this to these pages, but I have found myself falling in love with my cousin. I know it is wrong and against the teachings of the Bible. He is not my full cousin, but a second or third cousin. I pray each night for guidance from God above, but my feelings for him only seem to get stronger.

01/02/1891 It's the dawning of a new year, and a new decade. This century is drawing rapidly to a close. Last night we went to a dance in the town to celebrate the New Year. It was bitterly cold and I had to bundle warmly in the wagon with Will as aunt and uncle drove us all to town. I had impure thoughts about Will as we rode into town and do not dare to write them down. I am scared of my feelings and thoughts more than ever now. Will kissed me at the stroke of midnight and admitted that he had feelings for me as well. How my heart raced!

02/12/1891 I know not whether to hang my head in deepest shame or to dance with joy. Will and I were caught in a most compromising position in the barn by my aunt a few days ago. She has demanded that the two of us be married. 

Bill's jaw dropped. He looked up from the pages at his wife. "I had no idea. I'm—I'm—speechless."

"That's how I felt as well. As I read it, all I could think about was Jessi and Ryan and the similarities." Suzanne had been keeping this to herself for two days now.

"You're not going to give this to the historical society, are you?" Bill asked.

Suzanne shook her head. "No, I didn't tell him. I don't think it would be right. I may take passages from it at some time and allow them to be published, but not the whole diary."

"It's almost spooky when you think about it," Bill mused. "I don't put a lot of truck into things like destiny and such, but when it comes to Ryan, I really have to wonder."

Suzanne looked at the picture of Will and Ellen that she held in her hand. Thinking of Ryan and Jessi and looking at the picture made the past come alive.

---

"So Ryan is coming up next weekend?" Becky called from the bathroom as she applied her makeup.

Jessi had just finished doing up her bra and was trying to decide what top to wear. "Yes, he is. I'm so excited. It will be the first time in a long time that we will have some real time together."

Becky laughed as she examined herself in the mirror. "Are the two of you going to make it out of the bedroom?"

"I haven't decided yet," Jessi replied with a grin, then she added. "I hope not."

Jessi was excited because Ryan was coming up to spend next weekend with her. She had talked to the graduate student that taught her biology course and asked him how they would go about getting a DNA test done. The graduate student told her that he was doing a doing a paper on DNA for his doctoral thesis and would be happy to take samples from the both of them. She had explained what they were looking in the vaguest terms possible and he had reassured her that he would tell her the results. She had even enlisted Becky into the program on the spur of the moment.

"Well, how do I look?" Becky emerged in the doorway.

"Hot! Wanna stay home and fuck?" Jessi teased. "Seriously, you look great Becky."

Becky had decided to wear a short denim skirt with a black, lacy top. Jessi had finally decided on jeans and a white sweater.

The doorbell ran and Becky looked nervously at Jessi. "Do I look okay?"

Jessi grinned as she went to answer the door. "You look just fine. He wouldn't notice if you had pie on your face. Now, go hide in the bathroom and pretend like you aren't ready."

Jessi pushed Becky into the bathroom and closed the door.

"C'mon in." Jessi greeted Josh and let him in to the apartment. "Becky is just about ready." She laughed to herself. She had never seen two more nervous people. 'This is going to be a fun night,' she thought to herself.

As Josh, Becky and Jessi walked into the hall where the dance was being held, they were being observed by a young man standing at the bar sipping on a drink. Most girls would have called him good looking. He bore an uncanny resemblance to a popular young actor of a few years ago, it was a resemblance that he did all he could do to encourage and exploit. He noticed immediately that Jessi seemed not to have a date for the dance and he smiled.

"Oh, baby," he whispered softly as he ogled Jessi. "You're going to ride the baloney pony tonight."

He had done this many times in the past. He knew not to approach too quickly, instead followed them with his eyes and made note of where they sat. It was from experience that he had learned to let the quarry get seated and get comfortable before making his move.

'Would she come willingly?' He wondered. 'Or, would he have to resort to the little vial in his pocket?' Either way, he didn't care. Some nights he even preferred them a little drugged up. It gave him more opportunities to pursue some of his kinkier thrills.

---

"You going somewhere?" Bill asked as Ryan walked into the house. 

Ryan had showered and changed into some clean clothes. "Yeah, I'm supposed to meet some people from school. We're going to a movie and then out for pizza after."

Suzanne smiled. "It will be good for you to get out."

"Yeah," Ryan replied. At first he didn't really want to go, but Jessi had talked him into it. "Just no messin' round with Laura Hannah," she had warned with a laugh.

Ryan had blushed as he had told her about the fantasy that he had masturbated to a few weeks earlier. "No, I don't see that happening."

Laura Hannah was glad to see Ryan show up and disappointed at the same time. She had made a date with Jim Oliver. While they weren't really dating, they had gone out a few times. A date with Jim usually entailed her giving him a hand-job in the theatre as he felt her tits up. This was usually followed by pizza and then more fooling around in the car and culminated by Laura giving him a blow-job.




Montana Summer Ch. 14



Everyone there was a couple with the exception of two, Ryan and a girl named Cheryl. She was a tall slender girl, willowy in appearance with long light brown, wavy hair. She was cute with large, brown eyes and a few freckles around her nose.

Cheryl looked uncomfortable as they walked into the theatre she finally turned and looked at Ryan. "You're probably a nice guy, but I've got a boyfriend. He's at state right now."

Ryan felt a bit more at relaxed now. He grinned at Cheryl. "Well, we have something in common then. I've got a girlfriend and she's at state too."

"Cool," Cheryl responded. She felt a bit more at ease now. She didn't know Ryan and had only seen him around at school. She was only vaguely aware of what happened to him earlier this summer. This was only from phone calls with her mother as she had spent most of the summer traveling with her boyfriend and his family.

---

Jessi was having a good time with Josh and Becky. She was glad that Josh had asked her to come along. The place was packed and the band was good. Josh had explained on the way to the dance that all of the fire departments in the county participated and the proceeds went to aid burn victims.

He had waited long enough. It was time to make his move. He casually walked to the table where Jessi was sitting. The band had just finished a song and had started into another. He tapped Jessi on the shoulder and flashed a smile at her, "Would you care to dance?"

Jessi looked at Becky. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Why not, go dance. We're not going to ditch you and take off."

She stood up and laughed. "You better not. I have the keys."

Becky was having the time of her life. She found that her and Josh shared a taste in music. As she watched Jessi dancing she leaned over and asked Josh, "Do you know who he is?"

"Nope," he replied. "I don't think I've seen him before."

As she danced, Jessi found her mind wandering to thoughts of Ryan. She wondered what he was doing. It had made her happy when she convinced him to go to the movies with some of the people from his classes. She had felt a tinge of jealousy when she thought about Laura Hannah being there, but had fought it off. 

After the song ended, Jessi smiled at the guy that had asked her to dance. "Thanks for the dance."

He felt a little chagrined, because during the dance she seemed too preoccupied. Her eyes had looked distant and she had paid very little attention to him. "We're already up here. Would you like to dance one more?"

She looked over at Becky and Josh. They seemed to be engrossed in conversation. Jessi wanted to give them their privacy. It was with a bit of reluctance that she agreed to dance to the next song. He looked attractive, but there was something about him that was unsettling. She couldn't put her finger on it. 

"Well, did you have fun?' Becky asked as Jessi sat down.

Jessi shook her head. "There is just something creepy about that guy. When he looks at me, it feels like he is trying to see me naked."

Becky looked around to get another look at the guy that Jessi had just danced with. She had been to busy talking with Josh to pay much attention to him. "That is creepy."

"Yo! Josh! What are you doing here with one of my ex-patients?" It was Lisa, the nurse from the hospital.

Josh turned around and grinned. "Hey, Lisa. Mom was asking about you."

Becky smiled happily and stood up and gave Lisa a hug.

"How are you feeling, girlfriend?"

"Really good," Becky replied. Lisa was holding on to the arm of a man and he looked a little older than Lisa. 

"This is Brian." Lisa introduced the man at her side. "He's a writer and is doing a story about Montana." She pointed to Becky, "She was a patient of mine, and this is her friend, and you've met Josh before.

The man who had danced with Jessi maintained his vigil from his vantage point. She was the one he wanted tonight. The way her breasts had jiggled slightly when she danced had turned him on. He would touch them tonight with his hands, lips, and his cock. It was only a matter of time. Whether she knew it or not, she was coming home with him tonight. One way or the other, she had no choice. He would wait a few more songs and go ask her to dance again. It had angered him that she had paid precious little attention to him. He kept his rage subdued. After all, there was more than enough time after he had her at his place to satisfy all of his urges.

The band started playing a slow song and Josh looked at Becky, not sure if he should ask her to dance. Becky could sense his hesitancy and reached down and squeezed his hand. "Aren't you going to ask me to dance?"

Josh swallowed and managed a grin. "Would you like to dance?"

Jessi smiled as she watched them walk to the dance floor. She was just about bursting with happiness for Becky. She thought that Josh was the perfect guy for Becky. 'They look so cute together,' she thought. Becky's bubbly personality seemed to fit perfectly with Josh's quiet, laid back manner.

Becky liked how it felt to be held by Josh as they danced. She laid her head against his chest as they moved with the music.

'Damn!' Jessi thought as she saw him approaching.

He flashed his smile at Jessi again and pointed to the dance floor. "Would you like to dance again?"

There was something about him that set Jessi on edge. She found the thought of him touching her in any way repugnant. "No, I would prefer to sit this one out.'

Still smiling, he thought, 'You'll pay, bitch. You'll pay tonight for telling me no.' He pulled out the empty chair at the table and as he sat down he said, "Is this seat taken?" 

It sounded to Jessi like more of a statement than a question. He was already in the chair before she could speak. She hoped the song would end soon and that Josh and Becky would return. She didn't like being alone with this guy.

"So, you don't like slow songs?" He tried to turn on his charm that had worked so many times in the past. He had been disappointed that the girl seated next to him hadn't made the usual comment on how he looked like a certain actor. 

"Well, I do, but..." Jessi looked for Becky and Josh. She had lost sight of them on the crowded dance floor.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Lance." He offered his hand.

"Jessica." Jessi reluctantly shook his hand.

Through the corner of his eye, he could see her friends leaving the dance floor. He might as well give it a shot. He wasn't worried though. If this direct approach didn't work, he still had his backup plan in his pocket. "So, would you like to go somewhere? So we can get to—know each other better."

Revulsion poured through Jessi's body. She knew exactly what his inference meant and it gave her chills. Her reply was curt and cold. "No."

"C'mon baby, I could have my pick of the girls in this dump. I decided to let you be the one for me tonight." 

His sheer arrogance annoyed Jessi. "I said no! And no means no! No, not now! No, not later! No, not ever!" 

She was glad that Becky and Josh had returned. Feeling the safety of her friends, she looked at Lance. "Now, that you've overstayed your welcome, leave!" 

Becky looked at Jessi with a concerned look as the man got up from table and glared at the three friends. "What happened?"

"Something about that guy scares me. He asked me to go with him, so he could get to—know me. He then told me that he had decided that he was going to let me be the one tonight."

Josh shook his head. "Jeeze, if balls were bricks, he'd have a mansion."

Jessi and Becky laughed at Josh's comment. It had broken the tension that had been felt at the table.

---

The movie had been quite enjoyable. Ryan was glad that he had been beside Cheryl, because it had put her between him and Laura. 

They had gone to the local pizza place after the movie and had talked about the movie as they waited for their food. Again Ryan found himself sitting next to Cheryl. 

"What do you plan to major in?" he asked.

"I'm not sure yet. That's why I decided to stay here and not go to state this year. I thought I would do some core classes this year and then hopefully I can decide." Cheryl had noticed how Laura had kept staring at Ryan, how she had tried to put herself next to him, and how Ryan had managed to avoid her.

"What about you?" she asked. "What's your major going to be?"

"Agricultural administration," Ryan replied. "I was going to major in communications, but I changed my mind."

As the evening wore on, Cheryl found herself more and engrossed in conversation with Ryan. She found him interesting to talk to. When she finally looked at the time and at the empty table, she realized that she and Ryan were the only ones left.

"Well, it looks like everyone bailed out on us," she commented.

Ryan had only been vaguely aware that people had left and hadn't paid much attention to their goings either. "Yeah," he laughed. "And probably stuck us with the tab too."

"Oh." Cheryl hadn't thought of that. "I've got some money..."

"Don't worry, I'll get it." Ryan grabbed the bill from the table and walked to the register.

"Do you need a ride home?" Ryan asked after he had paid the bill.

Cheryl looked around "Well, I guess I do. I came with Tammy and Paul, and since they've left, I'm sorta stuck."

"I'll drop you off." Ryan smiled.

She was impressed when he unlocked the door to his truck and held the door for her. When they stopped at her house she was even more impressed when he had gotten out of the truck and again had opened the door for her.

"Thanks for the ride, Ryan. And thanks for everything else. I had a good time," she said after she had gotten out of the truck.

"I had fun, too," Ryan replied. He looked Cheryl in the eyes. "Listen, I know you have a boyfriend, and you know I have a girlfriend. I was thinking that maybe every now and then we could go see a movie and grab something to eat together. It's not really a date, but like tonight. We could just sit and talk."

Cheryl studied Ryan's eyes. "I think that would be kind of nice." She hesitated for a moment and then kissed Ryan softly on the cheek. "You are a sweet guy, Ryan."

Ryan watched her walk up the sidewalk to the front door. Once she was inside, she turned and waved. Ryan returned the wave and then got into his truck and headed out to the ranch.

As he drove home, his thoughts were of Jessi. This time next week he would be with her. They would have the whole weekend to spend together. 

---

Lance was waiting for the perfect opportunity. He was keeping a vigilant watch on the table. Her words still stung in his ears. He would show her. No one ever told him no. As he watched, he fantasized about what he would do with her. He could feel his erection straining in his pants, aching for release. 

'What was her name?' He struggled remember. 'Bitch, that's your name tonight. Suck my cock, Bitch. Would you like me to fuck you in the ass, Bitch?'

Outwardly, he looked calm, and looked to be just watching the crowd. Inside, a rage boiled over. The only thing that would quench the fires of this rage and lust would be the total humiliation of the girl.

Becky and Josh got up to dance again. Jessi got up at the same time. "I'm going to the little girls' room."

Josh turned his head and called to Jessi. "Mention my name and you'll get a good seat."

Jessi rolled her eyes and headed towards the bathroom giggling.

Now! This was the chance he had been waiting for! The vial was open in his hand as he walked towards the table. He stopped at the table and pretended to be looking around. The hand with the vial paused over the top of the glass of Coke that sat in front of where Jessi had been sitting. Several drops fell into the glass. He headed out to his car. He had some preparations to make.

Jessi returned to her seat and went to take a drink. The glass was to her lips when she stopped. Something glistened on the ice cube. The top of the drink looked oily. She carried the drink back to the bar. She set the glass on the bar and called to the bartender, "Can I have a Coke please?"

He could feel his heart racing in anticipation as he walked back into the dance. He had arrived in time to see her sit down and take a drink. 'Success!' The thought raced through his mind. He checked his watch. 'Thirty minutes! Thirty minutes and the bitch is mine.'

He watched the minutes tick by and softly he counted them out, one by one. It seemed to take an eternity. He could still remember the words of that whiny bitch of a grandmother. She was always quoting from the bible. 'All good things come to those who wait.' Her words echoed in his mind and for once, her words had a ring of truth to them.

Time was up. Now he just had to wait for his chance.

Jessi's hands were sticky from some spilled soda. While Becky and Josh were off dancing again, she decided to go wash them. She looked in the bathroom mirror and smiled. Her cowboy was coming next weekend.

She had just left the bathroom when she felt her body slam against the wall. It was him! She felt his hand squeeze her breast roughly.

"I think it's time we left, dear." His words were laced with sarcasm. "I think you've had a bit too much to drink."

He liked how her tit felt in his hand. He could hardly wait until she was in the car. He knew he wouldn't be able to wait. He would get a good look at them there. Then he would take her back to his place. 

The thought made his mind spin and it turned him on so much that he saw lights. Lights, bright white lights, lights so bright that they hurt. Pain! Searing pain! He fought the urge to vomit as he doubled over in pain. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't understand for the first few milliseconds at what happened. His balls felt like they had been smashed with a hammer.

Jessi had driven her knee up as hard as she possibly could into his groin. "FUCK YOU!" She had screamed at the top of her lungs as her knee had crushed one of his testicles.

One of the firemen that had been tending bar had heard Jessi's screams and had gone to investigate. When he found the man doubled up on the floor, he looked at Jessi and asked. "What happened?"

Jessi shook head. "I have no idea. I came out of the bathroom and..." She pointed to the man on the floor. "He slammed me against the wall and started to grope my breast and mumbled something about how it was time for me to go home with him."

"What happened to him?"

"I pulled down hard on his shoulder and kneed him in the crotch as hard as I could," Jessi replied.

Becky had heard Jessi scream and had leapt from the table and ran in the direction of the bathrooms. Josh was in hot pursuit right behind her. 

"That was danged scary." Becky couldn't believe what had happened. 

"I thought there was something creepy about him." Jessi still felt shaky from the incident.

Josh walked back over to the girls. "I was talking to one of the deputies. He said they found some drugs on him. They think it's that date rape stuff."

The drink that had looked funny flashed back into Jessi's mind. "Oh my God! When you two were dancing, I went and washed my hands. I got back and went to take a drink and something looked funny, like there was an oily film on the top. I wonder if he drugged my drink with..."

Becky didn't want to say what was on her mind.

"That's not all," Josh continued. "They searched his car and found duct tape and rope. They found a digital camera in the car, and it's got pictures of girls that he has done this to before."

Jessi shivered at the thought of him touching her.

---

Ryan and Bill had been up since before the dawn. While Suzanne had prepared breakfast, they had saddled the horses and had them into the trailer. The sun was just threatening to come up over the mountain to the east when they mounted the horses.

The air had a bite to it this morning and the frost was heavy on the ground making it look almost white. Ryan was glad he had thrown an extra sweatshirt on under his jacket. He fished around in his coat pockets and found his gloves and pulled them onto his hands.

Once away from the truck, the scene of Ryan and Bill riding could have taken place anytime in the past century. Both were wearing battered cowboy hats and well-worn coats. Their jeans were covered by leather chaps that were deeply tanned from years of use. A cowboy from the 1890's would have found their tools of the trade very familiar.

Ryan scarcely noticed the weight of the gun belt on his hip anymore. It had become routine when he went out riding on the ranch. Over the past few months, he had done some shooting and had become more proficient with the weapon. It now felt like an extension of his arm when he shot.

Bernie was glad to be out of the corral and to feel the weight of the man on his back. He felt the urge to run and to feel the air whipping at his head. In the distance, he heard the sounds of cattle and he knew that he would be working. Bernie enjoyed the thrill of the chase and the battle of wills that it took to get a stray back into the herd.

Bill reined his horse in and Ryan followed suit. "Look, over there at the edge of the trees." Bill's voice was a quiet whisper.

Ryan followed Bill's finger with his eyes. "Wow," he whispered. A huge bull elk stood at the edge of the trees and was staring at the two men. Ryan marveled at how regal the creature looked. His rack of antlers was impressive; they spread wide and high from his head like a crown of horns. The dark hair around his neck gave the appearance of that he was wearing a mantle. 

The elk finally turned and trotted into the bush and out of sight. Bill turned to Ryan. "I never get tired of seeing that."

"He looked..." Ryan searched for the word he was looking for. "Majestic. It felt like this was his land we are on and that we were intruding."

Bill nodded. "That's a good way of putting it. You are right. His kind have been here longer than us, and probably longer than any of the Indians as well."

Bernie shook his head and whinnied as to say, "Okay, let's get to work."

Ryan laughed and scratched the horse's ears. "Yeah, yeah, I can tell. You want to get after those cattle."

"There are times when I could swear that horse understands you," Bill joked as he urged his horse forward.

Ryan had to agree with his uncle's assessment. He had felt a bond between them from the first time he had ridden Bernie.

They could see the main body of the herd and most of the animals were still resting on the ground. Bill suggested that they ride up to the end of the pasture and begin to sweep back down, rounding up any lone animals along the way.

Bill scanned the pasture with his binoculars, searching out any cattle that were away from the main group. He pointed to a thicket about a hundred yards away. "Looks like there is one bedded down over there."

Nodding at his uncle, Ryan touched his spurs to Bernie and headed towards the small grove of young aspen. Once he got closer, he could see that the animal was dead. He turned and waved at Bill, motioning for him to follow.

Ryan dismounted and looked at the remains of the young steer. He estimated that the animal was about half eaten. 

Bill examined the area and looked for any clues that might tell how the animal had met its death.

"What do you think happened?" Ryan asked.

Bill shook his head and pointed at the ground. "Can't really tell. All I can see are some coyote tracks." He knelt on the ground. "I doubt the coyotes could have done this, but there is no doubt that they've been feeding on the leftovers. Might have been wolves, or it might have been a bear."

"Wolves?" Ryan questioned. "I didn't think there were any left in this part of the country."

"Well, they started reintroducing them down in Yellowstone a few years ago. Walt says he saw some wolf signs last winter." As he stood up, he cast one last glance at the dead steer. "If I was betting,I'd put my money on the bear. Wolves generally don't leave that much behind."




Montana Summer Ch. 14



Once they remounted, Bill warned, "Keep a weather eye out, especially when you're near the trees. If it was a bear killed that animal, he might not be too far away."

They got the herd moving on its way towards the ranch. They kept the pace slow as to make it easier for the two of them to handle the cattle. For the most part, Ryan and Bill rode behind the herd, and occasionally Ryan would take off after an animal that had decided to stop or go off in a separate direction.

---

Jessi hung up the phone. She looked at Becky. "I have to go downtown to give the police a statement about that creep last night."

Becky shivered at the thought of what could have happened to Jessi. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"Yeah, that is if you don't mind." 

The jovial mood that had prevailed for most of the evening had certainly been dampened by the man's attack on Jessi.

Jessi had been tempted to call home, but the hour had been late, and she had decided to wait until the morning. 

Josh had brought the girls home and had slept on the sofa after they had sat up talking. Jessi was glad that Josh had stayed. It had made her feel safer, and she suspected that Becky was even happier. When Jessi had gone to bed, the two of them were sitting next to each other watching television.

As they drove to the police station, Jessi asked, "What time did you go to bed last night?"

"About two," Becky replied.

"So?" Jessi giggled as she tried to pry information from her friend.

"Nothing happened." Becky blushed. "Not that I didn't want anything to happen. We just sat there and talked for a while."

"What time did he leave?" 

"He had to be at work by seven. He woke me up about six to say goodbye," Becky answered.

"Is he going to ask you out again?" 

"I think so. He has to work the next couple of days. I think he said that he has next weekend off. Maybe when Ryan is here, we can all do something together." 

"I don't know about that," Jessi joked. "I don't think I'm going to let him out of bed." 

They waited in the lobby until a detective came and took them to an interview room. "I need you to write down everything that happened last night. I'll just be down the hall. Come and get me when you're done. I have some questions that I need to ask you. It won't take long."

He poked his head back in the door. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Becky shook her head and Jessi replied, "No, I think we're fine."

He nodded and closed, but did not latch the door and left Jessi to write out her statement. She wrote every little thing she could remember about what had happened at the dance, including the drink and that she had noticed what looked to be an oily film in the glass of Coke. When she was finished, she read it over and handed it to Becky.

"See if I left anything out." Jessi stretched her arms and watched as Becky read.

---

The weather was changing. When the dawn broke, the skies were clear and blue. As the morning had worn on, clouds began appearing. The breeze had picked up and had changed until it came out of the north-west. Ryan thought the breeze had a bite to it and, even though the sun was still shining, there didn't seem to be the warmth to it.

Bill had been watching the clouds as they formed and gathered over the mountains. He knew the smell and what the breeze meant. "Snow." He pointed to the clouds. "Feels and smells like there is snow in those clouds. We might get our first skiff of snow this afternoon or tonight."

Ryan looked at the clouds. They looked different than what he had become accustomed seeing. He thought they were lighter in color and seemed to have less definition than the summer and early autumn storms. "The wind certainly seems to have a nip to it."

"You can smell the first snow of the year," Bill said as he continued looking at the clouds. "It's hard to explain, but it just smells different."

Bernie kept an eye on the cattle. He was almost like a sheepdog watching the flock. When one of the steers decided to take a left turn from the herd, he began to change direction without any guidance from Ryan.

Looking to his left, Ryan spotted the steer making his way towards a patch of grass. "C'mon, Bernie."

In a matter of seconds, Bernie had caught up to the steer and blocked its path to the grass. It looked up and Ryan and made a bawling sound. "Yeah, I know its lunch time. I'm getting hungry, too. Now get along there."

Bernie moved closer to the two-year old steer and that was enough to get the steer moving back towards the herd. Once the animal had rejoined the group, Ryan dropped back to where Bill was.

Bill studied Ryan as he approached. "I've got a question for you."

Ryan could see the serious look in his uncle's face. "Okay."

"If the DNA tests come back the way you and Jessi suspect, what's next? Are you two planning on gettin' married?" 

The question surprised Ryan. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "We've never really talked about it."

"Well, you had better promise me one thing." Bill was surprised. He had been sure that they had talked about it.

"What's that?" Ryan asked.

"Well, if you do decide to get married, you gotta promise me that you won't do something stupid like go to Vegas and elope."

Ryan shook his head. "I don't think that's something either of us would want."

Bill's smile returned. "Good! I've spent eighteen years raisin' that girl and by damn, when she gets married, I want to be the one to give her away."

Ryan hesitated but then he looked his uncle square in the eyes. "I know there's some question as to Jessi's..." He didn't want to say what he thought. "Well, anyway. To me, you are and will always be Jessi's one and only father. And, if and when we get married, I want you there to give her away to me. Any other way would be just plain wrong."

It warmed Bill's heart to hear Ryan's answer. "I've told you this before and I'll tell you again. If Jessi and you aren't related, I can't think of a better person to have as a son than you."

---

Detective Matthews was a squat plug of a man. Due to the grey hair that ringed his bald head, his nickname to his colleagues was Friar Tuck. That's exactly the thought that ran through Jessi and Becky's minds as he sat down.

He read through Jessi's statement carefully and then looked up. "Okay, that looks very good. According to the suspect, you asked to meet him by the bathrooms, and that you were planning on going home with him. Is there any truth to this statement?"

"Hell no!" Jessi exclaimed. A wave of revulsion passed over her.

"Yeah, that's what I thought as well." Detective Matthews wrote as he spoke.

"Have you ever met him anywhere before?"

Jessi shook her head. "No, I've never seen him before last night."

He looked at Jessi's statement again. "Other than the two dances, and then when he sat down at the table, you had no other contact with him?"

"No, none at all," Jessi answered. 

"Did you invite him to sit down at the table?"

"No, he just sat down. He didn't even really ask, just sat down and said something about the chair not being taken." Jessi shivered. "He really gave me the creeps."

Detective Matthews nodded his head. "Yeah, he gives me the creeps, too."

Jessi looked at the detective. "He's not going to be let out of jail, is he?"

"No, I don't think you have to worry too much about that. He has outstanding warrants in Michigan and New Jersey."

Jessi let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that makes me feel better."

Detective Matthews smiled for the first time. "Well, when he gets released from the hospital, he will be arraigned here on assault and attempted sexual assault charges and then extradited back to Michigan or New Jersey. He won't be seeing the light of day for a long, long time."

After the girls left, Detective Matthews allowed himself to chuckle. 'That's one tough young lady,' he thought to himself. The man in the hospital was in a great deal of pain. According to the officer guarding the room, the man's scrotum had swelled up to the size a grapefruit due to his ruptured testicle.

---

As soon as Ryan and Bill had ridden up to the horse corral, the kitchen door flew open and Suzanne was flying towards them at a dead run.

"Something's up," Bill commented as he dismounted. 

"I'll take care of the horses," Ryan volunteered as he took the reins to Bill's horse from his hand.

Bill nodded and headed towards his wife as Ryan led the horses in to the barn.

Bill could tell that his wife was crying as she neared. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Suzanne tried to catch her breath. "Jessi....she..."

Bill was immediately concerned. "What's going on with Jessi?"

Putting her hand to her chest, she calmed herself down. "Oh, God, Bill. Jessi called a while ago. She was attacked at a dance that she and Becky went to."

Visions of his daughter being attacked flew through Bill's mind. "Is she okay?" he asked anxiously.

Suzanne nodded. "Yes, she's fine. Nothing happened. A guy grabbed her and tried to force her to go with him and she—she did what you taught her to do."

Bill allowed himself a brief smile. "What about the guy that grabbed her? Where is he?"

"In jail. Well in the hospital right now, but as soon as he is released, they will take him to jail."

Bill looked towards the barn, and then back at his wife. "You go get a fresh pot of coffee on the go. I'll go tell Ryan."

Ryan raced to the house after getting the horses unsaddled and brushed down. He called Jessi's number in Missoula and Becky answered.

"Hi, Ryan." Becky greeted him.

"Is Jessi there?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, but she's in the shower right now," Becky replied.

"Is she okay?" 

"She's fine." Becky chuckled. "She's doing a heck of lot better than that pervert, that's for sure."

"Huh?" Ryan was confused for a moment.

"Oh my God, she kneed him in the nuts so hard that he busted a ball." Becky had a hard time to keep from breaking out in peals of laughter.

Ryan chuckled. "Good, it serves the asshole right."

"I'll have her call you when she gets out," Becky promised.

---

Charlie paused and watched the first snow flake of the winter begin to drop from the skies. It was still a little too warm for them to last more than a fraction of a second when they hit the ground. Once the sun had set and the temperature dropped, the snow might stick on the ground and last for a few hours in the morning. 

He set another piece of wood on the chopping block and swung his splitting maul directly in the center. Walter had dropped off two more cords of wood during the afternoon, and Charlie had set right out to begin splitting the large pieces of wood into smaller pieces that would fit into his wood-burning stove.

The house was equipped with a propane furnace and hot water heater, but Charlie preferred the cozy feeling of a warm fire burning in his wood-burning stove, and he enjoyed chopping wood. It always made him feel productive and it gave him time alone with his thoughts. He enjoyed the fresh, clean smell of the pine as he split it.

No one ever seemed to bother him when he was chopping. He chuckled as he thought, 'Who's going to bother an old man with an axe?' Charlie was happy with the wood that his son had brought. It split cleanly and there weren't many times that he had to reverse the maul and drive it down hard on to the chopping block to break the wood apart. Not like last year's, a lot of it had been what Charlie called "twisty wood," where instead of running straight, the grain of the wood seem to spiral, making it difficult to split by hand.

Charlie's thoughts were still on the dream that he had a few nights ago while he and his wife had stayed in the tipis at the old McFayden cabin. He had seen death. The pale rider had been in his dream. Was it a foretelling of his own passing that he had witnessed, or was it someone else's?

His own death didn't concern him. What did concern him was that he had seen Mato, the great bear in the same dream riding on the backs of the Wakinyan. He had seen seven men making preparations for going to war, putting paint on their faces, careful to make sure each line, each color was perfect. He could hear them singing the war chants, extolling their prowess in battle. The powerful sound of the drums beating in a slow rhythmic cadence seemed to shake the earth. Dancers wearing cloaks and headpieces represented the spirit of Sungmanitu the wolf spirit,the spirit of war circled nearest the fire while the painted warriors dance in an outer circle. In their hands they carried their bows, lances, and war clubs.  

Their faces wore the proud defiance of an as yet undefeated people. These were the men of the seven tribes, the Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Oglala, Hunkpapi, Teton and Yankton. The wašicun, the white man, had named them the great Sioux nation.

"And death rode with them," Charlie whispered as he saw the pale rider riding in the midst of the warriors. Even though he was sweating under his sweater, he shivered as he felt a sudden chill pass through his body. 

--- Ryan sat in the small cafeteria at the college. It was the gathering spot for students either waiting to go to class or those that had just finished a class. He was going over the notes that he had made regarding the upcoming paper that was due in two weeks. A familiar voice interrupted his concentration.

"Hi, Ryan."

He looked up and inwardly groaned. It was Laura. "Hey Laura, how's it going?"

She made a funny look with her face and shrugged her shoulders. "Could be better, and it could be worse."

Laura sat down and studied Ryan for a moment. "Are you trying to avoid me, Ryan?"

"No, I'm not trying to avoid you," Ryan answered, bending the truth slightly as to not hurt her feelings.

"So what's the matter then?" 

Ryan shot her a confused look. "I don't think anything is the matter, at least nothing that I can think of."

"I sort of wondered. I don't think I could have dropped any more hints that I liked you without being about as subtle as a brick to the head." Laura's face had taken on a different look. There was a touch of sadness in it.

"You know it's not that, Laura. I think you know that I'm sort of going out with Jessi." Ryan stated. He wasn't quite how he should describe his relationship with Jess to her.

"Yeah, I kind of thought that. So there's no chance for me?" Laura hated that she had asked that. She already knew what the answer was and she felt pathetic for asking it.

She was grateful, that when Ryan answered, he at least tried to spare her feelings. "There is always a chance for everything, Laura, that's why people play the lottery, even though you have a better chance of being struck by a meteor. There is always the hope of hitting the jackpot."

"I suppose my chances with you are about the same as winning the lottery then?" Laura smiled.

Ryan smiled. "Yeah, I'd say that it's about even."

"Thanks for being honest with me. A lot of guys might have taken advantage of the situation." Laura was a bit envious of Jessi. "Well, I hope can we at least be friends?"

"I don't see why not." Ryan agreed.

Laura looked up and spotted Jim Oliver looking around for her. She looked at Ryan, and then at Jim. "Hell no," she said as she got up from the table. Laura knew that she couldn't have Ryan, but there had to be more out there than Jim Oliver. Dinner and a date to Jim meant a bag of ninety-nine cent tacos and a blowjob.

Ryan glanced at his watch and picked up his books. It was his last class of the afternoon. He smiled at that thought. It was also his last class of the week. He would be in Missoula this time tomorrow.

---

Jessi was a happy girl. Her guy was here. She had waited on pins and needles, watching the clock all day until she heard his truck pull into the driveway. After almost knocking Josh down, she had raced outside and threw her arms around him.

Ryan had laughed. "That's quite the greeting."

Jessi was so happy that she had tears streaming down here face. "I love you, cowboy, and I'm so happy that you are here."

He held her tightly in his arms, and he thought his face might break if he smiled any wider.

Jessi took Ryan, Becky and Josh to lab at the university where the graduate student that taught her biology class conducted his research. He was glad to see that Jessi had brought in a couple of more subjects willing to donate DNA samples.

Each of them had to fill out a detailed questionnaire that asked a great deal about their family heritage. Jessi had to leave the father's side of her family blank as she didn't know who her biological father was.

It came as no surprise to Jessi or Becky that Ryan and Josh seemed to genuinely like each other. Becky was especially happy to see them get along so well. By the time Josh and Becky left to go see a movie and go out for dinner, it seemed that Josh and Ryan had been friends for years. 

Ryan was glad that Becky and Josh had gone out. He wanted to spend some time with just Jessi. It had seemed over the past month and a half that they hadn't had any time together.

"Well, here we are alone." Ryan said as he put his arms around Jessi. "Does this give you any ideas?"

Jessi smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. "All sorts of ideas." She pointed to the couch. "You just take a seat for minute and I'll be right back."

She giggled to herself as she headed to the bathroom and began to run water in the oversized tub. As the tub began to fill, she lit the two candles that sat on the tub and two more that were on the bathroom vanity. Jessi smiled as she turned the light off and surveyed the scene. 

After reading the instructions on the bubble bath, she poured some of the scented liquid into the bath water and giggled as the thick foam began to spread across the surface. Jessi removed her clothes and paused to look at her naked reflection in the mirror. 

As she slid into the tub she called out to Ryan, "Hey, cowboy, come on back here for a minute."

Ryan walked down the hallway to the bathroom. His eyes widened when he saw Jessi in the tub. A smile grew across his face.

"Wanna come in and play, cowboy?" Her voice sounded sultry and soft.

"Oh yeah! You know I do." 

Ryan closed the door to the bathroom. The room was already getting steamy from the hot water filling the tub. He turned towards Jessi and unbuttoned his shirt. He undid his belt and then unzipped his fly.

Jessi was getting turned on by watching him removed his clothing. She licked her lips in anticipation as he removed his shirt and hung it on the door. When he slipped his jeans off, she could tell by the prominent bulge in his shorts that he was growing hard already.

Ryan slipped his thumbs into the elastic band on his shorts and pulled them down. His cock popped out and stuck straight out. He could feel her eyes on it and it only turned him on more.

Jessi smiled at his growing erection. "Come on in, cowboy. The water is great."

As he slid into the tub, he breathed in deeply. "Oh, that feels so good."

"Glad you like it." Jessi smiled at Ryan as he made himself comfortable. She could feel the familiar warming deep inside of her.

She slid her foot up between his legs until the sole was touching his erection. Gently, she began move her foot up and down on the bottom of his shaft.

"Mmmm," she purred. "It looks like someone is horny."

"You know I am," Ryan replied in a husky tone of voice.

"How does that feel?" Jessi smiled at Ryan as she continued the motion of her foot against his cock.

Ryan moaned softly. "It feels so good."

He began to slide his foot between her legs, and slowly moved it back and forth. Jessi opened her legs to allow his foot to touch her pussy. Ryan was enjoying the feeling of her foot rubbing up and down his stiff shaft.




Montana Summer Ch. 14



Jessi reached down and held his foot with her hands and began to rub his big toe against her clit. Her nipples hardened instantly as little surges of pleasure ran through her body. She pressed the sole of her foot harder against his cock and continued moving it up and down.

"If you keep that up, I'm not going to last very long," Ryan warned.

"Oh, yeah?" Jessi smiled through her foggy veil of passion. "Maybe I should make you cum in here, then take you into my bed and make you cum again in there."

"I like that idea," Ryan replied with his eyes half closed.

She liked the thought of making him cum. She wanted to see him spurt. She wanted to taste him release his thick, hot cum in her mouth. Jessi could feel her pussy aching for the feeling of his hard cock filling it up. She began to hump her hips against his foot rubbing her clit. 

It turned her on to talk dirty to Ryan, especially when they were both so horny. "Would you like me to suck your cock for you? Would you like to fill my mouth with your cum?"

Ryan was aching now; his cock was so hard that it almost hurt. "Yes! I would love to feel you sucking me off."

"Sit up on the edge of the tub." Jessi's voice had turned husky. 

She knelt between his legs as he perched himself on the rim of the tub. Ryan reached down and began to fondle her breasts as she took his cock in her hand and began to stroke it. Her other hand went between her legs and she began to masturbate as she began to lick the salty pre-cum from the tip of his cock.

Ryan moaned as Jessi opened and began to take him into her mouth. He continued to fondle her breasts and play with her nipples as her head bobbed up and down on his engorged organ. He knew it wasn't going to take much of this to make him cum.

Jessi liked how his cock filled up her mouth; she could hear his soft moans as she moved her head quickly up and down. Her fingers rubbed her clit and she wanted to make herself cum at the same time as Ryan. It wasn't going to take much tonight to get herself off. She could feel her orgasm lying just beneath the surface.

"That feels so good, baby." Ryan groaned with pleasure. His whole erection tingled and he felt his balls tighten. 

Jessi closed her eyes and let the lust take over her. Her fingers rubbed her clit back and forth in quick frantic motions. She was about ready to climax and wanted to taste him as she came.

She sucked hard as her mouth moved in short, rapid movements. Her hand moved up and down at the base of his shaft matching the quick motions of her mouth. 

"Oh, god...." Ryan moaned as he felt his cock ready to shoot. He erupted in her mouth. Over and over, his cock pulsed, sending his hot, thick cum to the back of her throat.

Jessi felt his cum flooding into her mouth as she began to peak. She loved the taste of his juices in her mouth. It seemed like there was so much, and she swallowed quickly, trying to keep up with his orgasm.

Her body shook as she climaxed. She felt his hands on her head, his cock hitting the back of her throat. Her mouth was filled with the tangy, peppery taste of his cum. It seemed to take forever for either of them to begin to slow down.

She took his cock out of her mouth and began to stroke it slowly with her hand as it began to grow soft. "Well, do you feel better now?"

Ryan's breathing was still ragged, his heart pounding from the intensity of his orgasm. "You know I do." He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. "I love you, Jessi."

Jessi sat up and put her arms around Ryan's neck. "I love you, too—cowboy. Why don't we go get into bed now?"

"Sounds good to me."

---

Becky now had a good idea how Jessi felt with Ryan. It was the same feeling that she got when she was with Josh. They had gone to a movie, and now they were going out for something to eat. She wanted to give Ryan and Jessi as much privacy as she could.

"What did you think of the movie?" she asked Josh as he drove.

Josh turned and flashed her a lazy smile. "Well, I certainly wouldn't have gone on my own. I usually don't go to movies like that, but I enjoyed it. Definitely a lot better than what I was expecting."

"Well, you should have said something, maybe we could have picked something else to see." Becky rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "Men!"

"You sounded like you really wanted to see it, so I thought what the hell," Josh answered. "Maybe I just need to broaden my horizons."

"I'm glad we went and saw it." Becky leaned her head on Josh's shoulder as he drove. She was glad he had a truck with bench seats so she could sit close to him. 

"Chinese okay?" Josh asked as he pulled his pickup into a parking lot.

"I love it!" Becky replied enthusiastically.

The waiter showed them to a table in the rear of the restaurant. There were few empty tables and there was a combination of the dull buzz of conversations and Oriental sounding music coming from the speakers mounted in the ceiling.

Becky was surprised when Josh pulled her chair out for her and waited until she was seated before sitting down. It was a first for her. She usually counted herself lucky when she didn't have to pay part or even the entire tab after a meal.

When the food came, Josh picked up the wooden chopsticks next to his plate and began to eat with them.

Becky watched him eat. "I could never get the hang of using them."

Josh laughed. "Well, we come here a lot to eat when we are working. Only the rookies use a fork, so I learned pretty quickly."

He gave Becky a quick course in how to use chopsticks, and her initial efforts had the couple laughing, almost in tears. 

"If I ever need to go on a diet, I will use chopsticks." Becky laughed as she tried to pick up a piece of lemon chicken from her plate. "I could starve if I depended on my skill with these things."

When they got back to the house, Josh got out of the truck and went around the truck and opened the door for Becky. He walked her up to the door and smiled at her. "I hope you had a good time tonight."

"I did. I had a great time." Becky pointed at the door. "Would you like to come in?"

Josh looked at his watch and sighed, "I'd love to, but I have to get up early for work. I really should go home."

"Okay." Becky nodded. "Call me when you can, and stop by anytime."

He hesitated for a moment and then put his arms around Becky and put his lips to hers.

Becky wrapped her arms around Josh and held him tightly against her. She had wanted this kiss for such a long time. She allowed his tongue to slip into her mouth, and she was lost in the passion of the kiss. Her world spun in circles as she closed her eyes. She felt consumed by his kiss and she didn't want it to end.

---

Ryan and Jessi lay in the bed enjoying the afterglow of their lovemaking. He held her in his arms and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Your dad asked me something the other day," Ryan said, breaking the silence.

Jessi giggled, "Since when is he my father and not your uncle."

Ryan gulped, "Well, since he asked me if we planned to get married." After a short pause he added, "That's if the test comes back the way we think it should."

"He asked you that? No way, I can't believe it!" She wished that she could have seen the look on Ryan's face.

Ryan nodded as he stroked her hair. "Yeah, and I damn near fell off of Bernie."

"What did you tell him?" Jessi giggled as she asked him.

"I didn't know what to tell him. I just told him that we hadn't talked about it. I couldn't think of anything else to say. Here we were, herding cattle, thinking that it might snow at any moment, and out of the blue he asks me when we are getting married."

She leaned over and kissed Ryan on softly on the cheek and started to giggle again. "I wish I could have seen the look on your face."

"Yeah." Ryan nodded. "I imagine it was priceless."

"Did he say anything else?" Jessi asked.

"Yeah," Ryan replied with a smile. "We aren't supposed to elope. He said he spent eighteen years raising you and didn't want to be cheated out of giving you away."

They both heard the door closing that announced Becky's return from her date with Josh.

"Are you two busy?" Becky's voice came through the door.

Ryan grinned and Jessi giggled. 

The door swung open and Becky hopped on the bed. "Well, it's too bad if you are."

"Have you no shame?" Jessi tried to keep a straight face.

"Nope," Becky replied. "I've seen the both of you naked before."

"How did the date go?" Jessi asked.

Becky sighed loudly and put her hand over her heart. "I think I'm in love. The date was fantastic. And—he kissed me at the door."

"Woohoo!" Ryan laughed.

Becky punched Ryan playfully on the shoulder. "You stop that. Josh is a nice guy." She sighed again. "I just don't want to screw this up."

Ryan reached out and held Becky's hand. "I really like him, Becky. He seems like a good guy."

---

The sky was still an inky black color when Ryan crawled out of bed. He quickly dressed and walked out to the kitchen. He pulled the small tin of coffee out of the cabinet and set about making a pot of coffee. He glanced at the clock. Charlie and Walt would be here at any time. 

A smile crossed his face when he thought that exactly a week ago when he had been in bed with Jessi. He needed to find more excuses to go up to Missoula for a weekend.

Ryan had gathered his gear together before going to bed, and all that he needed to do now was to get Bernie saddled and ready to go. Walt had already hauled the pack horses to the ranch. Ryan had hooked the big horse trailer that he had borrowed from Frank Buchanan to his truck. They would drive to the base of Baxter's Canyon and then take the horses over the flat topped mountain and down the other side to where the old Lakota village had been.

Since finding and reading the diaries that had belonged to William and Ellen McFayden, Ryan had been more excited than ever to visit the site of the Lakota encampment. He felt drawn to the place that had played such an important part of William's life even more.

Ryan chuckled as Bernie gave him an 'are you out of your mind' look. "I brought you an apple." Ryan produced a slice of apple from his coat pocket before he started to saddle the horse.

The pack horses and Bernie had been loaded into the trailer. The familiar sound of Walter's old pickup broke through the silence of the pre-dawn. Ryan couldn't see the headlights yet, so there was enough time for him to refill his coffee cup. As he poured the hot coffee into his cup, his eyes looked at the gun belt with revolver hanging on the wall. His uncle's words kept echoing in his head. "I don't care who you are going with, but any time you are riding up in those mountains, you take that with you. It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."

Ryan always found it a bit eerie whenever he strapped the Colt around his hips. It always seemed to feel so natural and comforting to feel the weight of the weapon at his side. He pulled the revolver from the holster and checked to make sure that there was no cartridge loaded in the cylinder where the hammer rested. He wrapped the belt around the holster and set it on the table.

After filling his cup and thermos, Ryan turned the lights out and went down through the barn in time to see Walt and Charlie coming up the driveway.

"Are you ready to go?" Walter asked as he opened the door on his pickup.

Ryan pointed to the horse trailer. "Yup, the horses are all loaded, and my gear is stowed in the back of the truck, so I think I'm ready to roll."

Ryan looked into the cab of Walt's pickup and pointed at Charlie, who appeared to be sleeping. "I suppose he's just resting his eyes."

Walt chuckled. "I think he was asleep before we left we pulled out of his place."

"I'll follow you," Ryan offered. 

Walter nodded and walked to the front of his truck. He bent down and locked the manual hubs for his four-wheel drive into the engaged position and looked up at Ryan. "Just in case. With that bit of snow we got, it could be a bit slippery in a couple of spots."

It was light by the time they reached the bottom of Baxter's Canyon. There was more snow up here than down at the ranch and Ryan had been thankful for the four-wheel drive.

Charlie climbed out of the truck and stretched. "Looks like it's going to be a clear day," he commented to Walt and Ryan.

---

Vincenzo poked Norm Campbell on the shoulder. "Time to get up."

Norm opened his eyes and groggily asked, "What the hell time is it?"

"Six," Vincenzo replied.

The previous day, Norm and Vincenzo had taken pictures of the town. People had been curious and asked what they were doing. Much to Norm's surprise, Vincenzo had been warm and engaging with the townspeople. A buzz had gone through town when it was discovered that the two men were taking pictures for an Italian travel magazine.

People just couldn't do enough for the photographer and his assistant. Although this was just a ruse to get up into the mountains and check for gold, Vincenzo took the photography seriously. He fully intended on submitting the pictures to the travel magazine in hopes of having them published.

Norm groaned and crawled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. "What's the plan for today?"

"We are going to find a ranch owned by a Bill McFayden. It is on his property that the flat top mountain sits on. We are going to ask permission to take pictures on his land. Of course, we will take pictures of him and of his ranch."

"What if he doesn't want to cooperate?" Norm asked as he got ready to get into the shower.

Vincenzo smiled. "I don't think we will have much of a problem. People in small places like this, they like to help other people. It's a part of what makes them who they are. Trust me. Mr. McFayden will be all too happy to let us photograph both him and his ranch."

---

Ryan was glad that he had heeded his uncle's advice and had put on long underwear. There was a breeze on the mountains and it had a bite to it. He wore a long coat similar to the ones that Charlie and Walter wore. Even though they weren't working cattle all three of them wore chaps to protect their legs.

Charlie wasn't surprised when he watched Ryan strap the gun belt to his waist. Given all that had happened to Ryan in the mountains, he would have been more surprised if he hadn't brought the gun with him. Walter had brought his 30-30 along as there was the ever present danger of mountain lions. They would be down lower as the snow pack increased in the high country.

Ryan found a stark beauty in the landscape with its blanket of fresh snow. The evergreen and pine trees looked almost black against the pure white of the snow. The deciduous trees of the mountains had long lost their leaves, although here and there a solitary orange leaf could be seen still stubbornly clinging to its tree.

Charlie rode in the lead position with Ryan and Walter following, each leading a packhorse. Once they had reached the top of the flat plateau, Charlie called for a halt to give the horses a rest. 

"We're making good time. We should be there and have our camp set up well before dark," Charlie said as he looked at the sun. He owned a watch, and wore it with regularity, but seldom looked at it, preferring instead to use the sun as his guide.

Ryan pulled the thermos out of his saddle bag. "Coffee anyone?"

Walter chuckled as he reached for his insulated, gas station coffee mug. "That's the best offer I've had all morning."

After filling Walt's mug, Ryan filled the cup from the thermos and handed it to Charlie.

Charlie smiled, and shot Walt a grin. "Good thing someone here has respect for their elders."

"What? Did you forget your mug in the truck—again?" Walter shot back.

"Yup. A good son would have made sure I had taken it out of the truck." 

Ryan smiled as he watched Walter and Charlie. They finished their coffee and remounted the horses. Ryan thought as they rode. There was a true bond between the father and son. All of comments they made back and forth were expressions of love for the other. There was a closeness between them that he had never experienced with his own father. It gave him a sense of emptiness when he thought of his father and how far apart they had grown.

---

Stella had been on edge since they had left home. No matter how much Kenny had tried to reassure her that there was nothing to worry about, the sense of foreboding hung over her like a black cloud.

"It's all going to be okay, baby." Kenny kissed her on the cheek after he had parked the car at the hotel. "We have an appointment with the DA later on today. That's all we are here for. I told him that we would be here for the weekend in case more time was needed."

"What about the two guys that are here looking for the gold?" Stella asked.

"Like I told you before, I might run into my guy in the hallway, or at the ice machine. That's it. I just need to be here," Kenny assured her. "I have no desire to haul my butt up into the mountains. That's what Norm and Tony's guy are here for."

Stella nodded and waited for Kenny to open the car door for her. She felt a smile grow on her face. She enjoyed how he treated her like a lady. 

After checking in, Kenny looked at Stella. "Did you bring that dress with you?"

Stella nodded. "Yes, of course I did."

Kenny opened his briefcase and pulled out a file. "I want you to look professional when we go in there. Appearance and first impressions are so important. Especially since the DA has never actually met you. Wear the glasses, too, they make you look studious."

When he saw that the worried look remained on her face, Kenny walked over and put his arms around Stella. His voice was soft and quiet. "You just relax. I'm not going to do anything that's gonna screw what I've got going for me now."

The feeling of his arms comforted her. She closed her eyes wishing that this feeling would never end.

---

Sheriff Milt Walker sat at his desk, mulling things over in his head. He wondered if too many years enforcement hadn't turned him into a cynic. Two events that seemed to be totally unrelated were taking place. Each one of them seemed innocuous enough, but together, it caused him to pause. Especially in a town of this size, where very little happened or changed on a day to day basis.

He studied the business card in his hand—he had typed the web address into the laptop that sat on his desk. It looked legitimate, but he couldn't read any of the information on the site as it was all in Italian. He reached for the phone and dialed the number that was at the bottom of the card.

A woman's voice answered the phone. "Travel Italiano, how may I direct your call?"

"Hi there," Milt replied. "I need to verify if an individual is currently employed by your company."

"One moment please, I will transfer you." 

Milt waited as the on-hold music played over the phone.

A man with a heavy Italian accent then came on the line, "This is Bruno, and how may I be of assistance to you?"

"Yes, this is Sheriff Milt Walker of Wolf Creek, Montana. I need to verify if an individual is working for your company."

"Sure, no problem what is their name?"

Milt looked at the card. "Vincenzo Nappolinni."

"Oh yes, Mr. Nappolinni. He doesn't actually work for us. He is a freelance photographer and has been retained to take photographs for a project in Montana and Wyoming. Why do you ask? Is there a problem?"

"No, no problem. I was just making sure that he was legitimate," Milt replied.

After hanging up the phone Milt went back to his contemplation. It had been Bill McFayden's call this morning that had set off Milt's internal warning system. Bill had mentioned that the photographer and his assistant had been out to the ranch and had asked for permission to take pictures on his property.




Montana Summer Ch. 15



This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any real person is just proof there is a pattern to randomness in the universe. All characters are eighteen years and older.

Suzanne lay in bed beside her husband. She rolled over. "I'm worried, Bill."

Bill wasn't asleep, and he opened his eyes. "What? Worried? What are you worried about?"

"Jessi and Ryan," She whispered in the dark. "I'm worried if the tests don't come out the way they hope they'll do something..." Suzanne felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"Hush." Bill reached over and put his arm around his wife. "You've nothing to worry about. I had a talk with Ryan a couple of days ago. He promised me they wouldn't do anything foolish."

"I hope so," Suzanne replied quietly. Bill's arm around her comforted her.

"I'm glad you didn't listen to your mother's advice and married me anyway." Bill kissed Suzanne softly on the cheek. "I've never regretted marrying you, not for a minute."

"I haven't either, Bill. I could never see myself being married to anyone else." Suzanne paused as she thought for a few moments.

"Do you suppose that's how Jessi and Ryan feel about each other?" Suzanne asked.

"I think it's exactly how they feel." Bill's voice was warm and soft.

---

Charlie was up before the dawn. The older he grew, the earlier he rose. His wife teased him that before long he would be getting up before he went to bed.

This was his favorite time of day. All was quiet. The slate for the new day was clean and always held promise. He gave thanks as the sun rose. He had been granted another day. Winter was almost upon them, and Charlie knew he was in the winter of his life. More and more, he looked at each day as a precious gift not to be squandered.

He thought of the two still sound asleep in the tent. His son was in the summer of his life, and Ryan in the late spring. So much lay in store for the both of them. Charlie smiled. There was no envy in him, only joy.

There were no regrets. What was the point of regretting what was already done? Charlie was well aware at times, he had made poor decisions in his life. He hoped he had learned from those choices and had tried to not make the same mistakes a second time. 

Steam rose as the orange flames from the fire licked at the soot-covered coffee pot. As soon as the coffee was ready, Charlie would start cooking breakfast and wake the sleeping pair in the tent.

Charlie felt an affinity to this place. This is where his ancestors had lived. It was a link to his past. He slipped his hand inside of his shirt and felt the bear claw necklace Ryan had given him. It was another link to the past.

The aroma of brewing coffee and the sizzle as it boiled over broke Charlie's reflections. He pulled the coffee pot from the fire, opened the lid, and poured a cup of cold water into the pot to settle the grounds.

The smell of coffee and cooking bacon found its way into the tent. Ryan opened his eyes and lay there for a moment. His stomach growled and reminded him he was hungry. He pulled his pants and shirt out from beneath his sleeping bag. 

Ryan wasted no time in getting dressed. The chill in the air saw to that. As he pulled his boots on, he called over to Walter. "Hey, Walt, you might want to wake up. It smells like your dad has breakfast cooking."

Walter opened his eyes and stretched. "Yeah, we better get out there, or he'll eat it all."

Charlie looked up as Ryan came out of the tent. "Good morning! Hope you slept well."

"Like a rock," Ryan replied as he stretched. 

"Is Walt awake?" Charlie asked as he kept watch on the frying pan full of sizzling bacon.

Ryan nodded his head as he picked up a towel and a bar of soap. "Yeah, he's getting dressed." 

The cold water sent a shock through Ryan's body as he splashed it on his face. There was no doubt he was fully awake now. He watched the steam rising from the creek as he knelt by the water. He couldn't imagine a more perfect morning. The sky was clear, the air was crisp, and the aroma of fresh coffee and bacon beckoned.

---

Norm Campbell finished his cup of coffee and looked Vincenzo. "If you have more guys coming, you need to call Tony."

Vincenzo turned from watching the rising sun. "What for?"

"I need a couple of gallons of nitric acid, and a couple bottles of mercury."

"What do you need that for?" Vincenzo was curious.

"I have some with me, but not enough for the number of people coming. The nitric acid is used to dissolve the impurities. Mercury is then added and boiled off, leaving pure gold," Norm replied. He thought for a moment and added. "Make sure his guys get steel gold pans, and not aluminum."

Vincenzo shrugged his shoulders. "Does it really make a difference in the pans?"

"Yes, the mercury reacts with the aluminum, and will end up destroying the pans, among other things," Norm explained.

The sun had fully risen by now. Both men got up from their seats at the table and put their dishes into the RV's sink.

As he pulled his coat on, Norm commented, "I'm going to head further up the creek and see what I can find."

Vincenzo picked up his camera case. "I'll be up there in a while. I want to take some pictures first."

Norm left the RV and pulled his pack from the storage bins located underneath the vehicle and began to make his way towards the stream.

After Norm was gone, Vincenzo pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a familiar number.

"Good morning, Vincenzo." Tony answered his phone.

"Good morning, Padron." Vincenzo greeted his boss.

"I was talking with Mr. Campbell this morning. When you send the men, there are some items he asked be sent with them."

Vincenzo listed the items Norm had requested. "I have been forced to rethink our conversation of last night."

"How so?" Tony enquired.

"I think I will need Mr. Campbell until we are finished here. It seems the process of obtaining the gold may be a little more complex than I first thought."

"I trust your judgment, Vincenzo."

Norm hiked up the creek. He noticed a change in Vincenzo last night. Hank's words of warning echoed in his head. He slipped his hand into his coat pocket and felt for the weapon Hank had given him. He felt relieved to find it still there. At least Vincenzo hadn't gone through his pockets.

He stopped and thought for a moment. He turned around and made sure he wasn't being watched. Once he felt he wasn't being observed, he pulled the gun from his pocket and ejected the magazine. A wave of relief washed over him when he saw the ammunition was still there.

---

Stella looked over at Kenny. He was still sound asleep. She smiled and reached over and stroked his cheek with a gentle touch. There was no doubt about it. She had fallen in love with him. It didn't matter that he wasn't exactly handsome. He treated her far better than any man before. For the first time since she could remember a man treated her as a person and not just as a sexual toy.

He did nice things for her, bought her little gifts for no reason, sent her flowers just to let her know he was thinking of her. The one thing above all else, the thing which meant the most to her was, when he asked her opinion, he actually listened to her.

She had been nervous when they had entered the DA's office yesterday. Kenny patted her on the knee and promised that everything would be okay. By the end of the meeting, Kenny got what he had wanted. The felony charges would be dropped, and she signed an agreement pleading guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of trespassing. 

Kenny paid the fine for the misdemeanor at the courthouse. They went out to dinner to celebrate. There weren't many choices for fine eateries in the small town, but the one steakhouse there was, promised local beef. Kenny grudgingly complimented the quality of the food.

After returning to the hotel, they engaged in a long bout of lovemaking. They both were exhausted by the time they were done, and Stella had fallen asleep with his arms wrapped around her.

She leaned over and brushed her lips over his chest and left a soft kiss. There was no response and she smiled. Her voice was quiet. "I love you, Kenny. I think you know that."

A grin spread across her face as she whispered, "And I know just how to wake you up."

Stella slipped her hand under the blank and brushed her fingertips across his flaccid member. She raised the sheet and watched her fingers teasing him. The sight of his cock beginning to become erect pleased her. 

There was still no response from Kenny. His eyes were still shut and his breathing was slow and quiet. The tips of her fingers continued to slowly graze up and down the length of his growing erection. 

She slipped her fingers down further and ran them over his balls. From experience, she knew that if she wanted him to stay asleep, not to touch him there for anything more than a short period of time.

His organ slowly swelled, and the blood filling the spongy tissue and Stella smiled as his cock continued to thicken until it was fully erect. She used the tip of her finger to stimulate the sensitive area on the underside of his erection. 

The first time she had done this, she had been able to make him orgasm with just using the tip of her index finger, and Kenny hadn't woke up until just before his cock had pulsed, sending streams of thick, white jizz all over his stomach.

That's not what she wanted today though. She wanted him to wake up and enjoy her giving him pleasure but—not just quite yet.

Stella slipped her free hand between her legs and her fingers dipped between her already swollen lips. She exhaled in a slow stream as her finger slid up and down her wet slit.

She repositioned her body so her head rested on Kenny's belly. Her tongue flicked at the tip of his swelling cock-head, moving it in little circles. Occasionally, the very tip of her tongue probed the slit at the end of his cock. 

Her head moved slowly as she opened her mouth and let his cock slide through her lips. Stella was careful not to move too quickly. She wanted him to wake slowly as she sucked him. 

The feeling of his organ filling her mouth and what she was doing turned her on. Her fingers rubbed her clit in a slow circular motion. She swirled her tongue around the head of his erection. She took him further into her mouth in a slow, deliberate fashion.

She held him deep in her mouth for a moment and slowly began to pull her head back, sucking lightly until just the tip remained in her mouth. Her finger dove into her velvet-soft tunnel and began to slide in and out.

Stella moved her head back and forth over his fully engorged cock. She liked how the smooth skin of his wet shaft felt as it moved over her lips. The tip of her tongue caught the slightly salty taste of his pre-cum leaking from his swollen head. 

Kenny was dreaming. He was in a courtroom, trying a case. After taking a seat, he found he had a hard time hearing what the judge was saying. He felt a set of lips on his cock. He looked down and saw Stella dressed in a business suit sucking his cock. The more she sucked, the less he could hear.

The courtroom slipped from his sight as his eyes began to open. The image of the black-robed judge evaporated but the feeling of his cock being sucked only grew more real. His eyes slowly opened to the realization Stella had his erection in her mouth.

She felt his hand move to her head and he began to stroke her hair. He was awake. She felt his hips thrusting in time with movements of her head. 

"Oh, baby," Kenny moaned. "That feels so good."

He reached around, cupped her firm breast, and played with her erect nipple. "You have the finest tits, baby." He liked how firm they felt as he squeezed the supple flesh of her breast. He rolled the rubbery nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

Stella's finger rubbed against her clit, moving faster and faster. It wouldn't be long before she would peak. His hands and voice were driving her to the brink. 

The tip of her tongue pressed hard against the underside of his shaft as her head and his hips combined their movements. She wanted to feel him cum in her mouth. She wanted to taste him and drink his essence. 

"You suck my cock like it's never been sucked before." Kenny's whisper was hoarse with lust. He knew he wasn't going to last long. 

She felt the end of his cock hitting the back of her throat as she struggled to suck all of it into her mouth. As her body began to shake, she placed her hand on his wet shaft and began to jack his cock with short fast strokes. 

Stella let the tip drop from her mouth. "Cum in my mouth baby, let me taste you." She slid the tip back in her mouth and began to work his organ with her mouth and hand.

"Oh, baby, I'm gonna cum in your mouth." Kenny closed his eyes as he felt his cock pulse and the slight burning sensation as his creamy cum burst into her mouth.

Lights flashed in Stella's head as she tasted his semen spurting over her tongue. Her head was still as her hand coaxed every drop of his pearly white cum from his cock into her mouth.

Her pulse was still racing when Kenny pulled her body up beside him. She felt his lips on hers, and his tongue slip into her mouth. She loved that. Unlike most of the men she had known, Kenny never had a problem kissing her after she had performed oral sex.

She snuggled against his body and felt warm. 

"Good morning, baby." Kenny's voice was soft and gentle as he wrapped his arms around her.

---

Ryan set his plate down. "That was a good breakfast, Charlie."

Walter nodded his head in agreement. "Damned good."

Charlie beamed with pride. "Thanks." He didn't care to cook at home, but once out in the mountains, he found cooking a relaxing and almost spiritual experience.

Ryan stood up and stretched his legs. It felt good to be out here. Although the temperature was still well below freezing, he felt as warm as on a spring day. He sipped his coffee as he looked towards the creek. It all felt so familiar to him. 

"I cooked, you clean up." Charlie spoke to his son.

"Sounds fair to me." Walter finished his cup of coffee and began to heat some water in a pot.

Ryan turned as he heard Charlie's voice. "Well?"

"I feel like I've been here before, and just not in my dreams. It's so hard to explain."

Charlie knelt down on one knee. "I love this place. I wish I could live here."

Ryan looked down at Charlie. "Why don't you? There's nothing stopping you."

The older man chuckled. "I don't think I could get the wife away from her modern conveniences, not to mention her afternoon stories on the television."

"I guess you feel the same way about this place as I feel about the cabin." Ryan paused and thought for a moment. "Funny, isn't it? Will lived at the cabin, and Spotted Owl lived here. It's a bit like going back in time."

Charlie hadn't thought of it in those terms before. Ryan's comment about it being like going back in time caught him by surprise. Charlie had no answer for it. He felt there was a lot of truth in the statement. His voice was quiet when he finally replied, "I never thought of it like that." He stood up and brushed the snow from his knee. "You show an understanding beyond your years at times."

Ryan smiled as he looked at Charlie. "I've had a good teacher."

Charlie felt a warm pride inside. "I wish I could help you more."

"I don't think you could have helped me anymore than you have. The most important lesson you taught me was it's the journey to discovery which is important, and not necessarily the answer."

A small smile crossed Charlie's face. "It's good you took it to heart. I was more than twice your age before I learned it was true."

"Something is going to happen," Ryan stated in a matter of fact voice.

Charlie was curious. "What will happen?"

"I don't know. Spotted Owl told me to seek my vision here." Ryan looked at Charlie. "I can feel it out there." He pointed towards the mountains. "My vision is out there—waiting."

"Waiting?" Charlie was astounded. "You can feel your vision?"

Ryan nodded. "It's hard to explain. I just know."

"I don't know what to say." Charlie had never heard anything like this before. "It takes most people careful preparation and sometimes days to have a vision, if they have one at all."

Charlie carefully studied the young man. His eyes seemed to be staring off into another place in time. There was no doubt in Charlie that Ryan had an incredible gift.

"Do you know where you will seek your vision?"

Ryan nodded, turned, and pointed to a specific spot. "There."

Charlie suddenly felt a cold shiver run down his back. He had a fairly good idea what that spot was. It was most likely where Spotted Owl's thipis had stood.

---

Jessi watched the minute hand on the clock slowly move. In front of her was a piece of paper with a phone number. She wanted to call, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear what he had to say.

She went to take a drink of coffee, but her cup was empty. Good! It was an excuse to delay calling, even if for a few minutes. 

"Coffee ready?" Becky walked into the kitchen and stretched. 

"Yup." Jessi reached into the cabinet and retrieved a cup emblazoned with the John Deere logo. She filled the cup and handed it to Becky. "What time did you get in last night?"

"Just after midnight," Becky answered. "I invited Josh over for supper tonight. I thought maybe we could order pizza and rent some movies."

"Sounds good to me." Jessi sipped on her cup of coffee.

"Did you call yet?" 

Jessi shook her head. "No, not yet. I wanted to make sure that he was there before I called."

Becky looked at the coffee pot shaped clock over the stove. "Well, I think he should be there by now. Call him."

"I know. I'm just kind of nervous, especially after what he said last night."

"I'm up now. Let's do this together." Becky put her arm around Jessi's shoulder and gave her a hug.

Jessi nodded and retrieved the cordless phone and punched in the numbers. As the phone rang, she looked at Becky. "Here goes nothing." She was already prepared to hear the news she had been dreading. She felt like she was trying to grasp on to a dream made of smoke. 

"Good morning, DNA Lab." The familiar voice of her instructor answered.

"Hi, it's Jessi McFayden. I was calling to get the results."

"Hi Jessi. Yes, I have them right here." He gave Jessi the numbers for the matching samples.

Jessi wrote down the numbers on a pad of paper. "There's no chance of error?" It was her last gasp hope.

"No," replied her instructor. "We double check all of our results as we do them."

"Okay, thanks." Jessi hung up the phone and then looked at sample numbers they received when they donated a vial of blood for the DNA tests and compared them with the numbers she just wrote down.

The number assigned to Ryan didn't appear on the pad. She gasped audibly when she realized what the numbers her instructor had given her meant.

"Well?"

"Look." Jessi was speechless.

Becky leaned over Jessi's shoulder, and when she realized whose samples matched, she dropped her coffee cup. "What the..."

Jessi looked up at Becky. "I don't know what to say."

"Me either." Becky was shaken to the core of her existence.

Both girls were silent. They just stared at each other. Finally, Becky stated the obvious. "This means we're sisters?"

"Half sisters." Jessi's hands were trembling. "This means we have the same father."

"I just don't know what to say." Becky continued staring at Jessi. She shook her head. "Sisters? God almighty! This is so weird. I've always thought of you as my sister. I just never imagined."

"I know. I've always felt the same way." Jessi started to laugh. "Remember when we were young, how we would dress the same, and do our hair the same and then laugh when people would ask if we were sisters?"




Montana Summer Ch. 15



Becky shook her head and a smile crossed her face. "Little did we know."

"What now?" 

"I think we need to go home next weekend." 

Jessi nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I'm going to call Dad."

"Tell him not to say anything to my parents. I think it's best if you and I break it to them together." 

Jessi wished Ryan was home, but she knew he was with Charlie and Walter. She was almost bursting. It was just the proof she and Ryan needed. 

---

"Bill McFayden, you look like you've seen a ghost," Suzanne remarked after her husband hung up the phone. She had just come downstairs. "Who was on the phone?"

"Jessi."

"And you hung up before I had a chance to say hi. What am I going to do with you?" Suzanne shook her head in exasperation at her husband.

"You might want to sit down," Bill replied. His voice had a serious tone.

"There's nothing wrong, is there?" Suzanne began to worry.

"No, everyone is fine." Bill took a deep breath. "Jessi got the results of the DNA tests back."

"Maybe I had better sit down." Suzanne turned and walked into the living room.

Bill followed his wife, got down on his knee, and held his wife's hand. "She got the results back. She and Ryan are not related by blood. She says she knows who her biological father really is."

Suzanne fought back the tears. There were tears of joy for her daughter and there were tears of regret for that night so long ago. "Tell me."

"Rob."

Suzanne's head dropped and she put her hands to her eyes. "I just don't remember. I don't remember."

Bill tried to comfort his wife. "That's not important. Nothing has changed. You are Jessi's mother, and I am her father. Rob was just the sperm donor." He leaned down and kissed Suzanne on the cheek. "I love you more today than I did yesterday, and I promise you I will love you more tomorrow than I do today."

Suzanne managed a brave smile. "Oh, Bill, I don't know what I would ever do without you."

"Well now, that's something you won't ever have to worry about." Bill smiled into Suzanne's eyes. "I still say I married the prettiest girl in the valley, and I got the best of the deal. I got you and you got me."

As he stood up, he asked, "Can I buy you a cup of coffee?"

After wiping her eyes, she smiled at her husband. "I don't know if your credit is any good around here."

"That's the spirit." Bill followed his wife into the kitchen. "I almost forgot─the girls are coming home next weekend. Becky doesn't want us saying anything to Rob or Janice before they get here. I think Becky wants to break it to them."

"Do you think that's a wise idea?" Suzanne asked as she poured two cups of coffee.

"I'm not sure. I do know it's better than you or me calling them up on the phone and saying, by the way, you're Jessi's biological father."

Suzanne set the cups on the table and sat down. She took a sip of her coffee and looked at her husband. "What about Roy? Who is going to tell him?"

"Damn! I completely forgot about Roy." He let a long sigh escape. "I'll talk to Ryan about it when he gets back. His dad needs to be told the truth."

---

Jessi finished drying her hair and walked out of her bedroom and into the living room. She looked at Becky sitting on the couch and sat down beside her. "What's wrong, Becky, you look a little down?"

Becky shook her head and tried to smile. "This whole thing about Dad being your biological father just has me a bit freaked out."

Jessi put her arm around Becky. "Yeah, I can imagine. It freaks me out a little too."

"Well, I guess the good thing is you know you and Ryan aren't really related."

"There's something else, Becky." Jessi felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "I never had a sister or a brother. I always wanted one. When I was young, I used to pray for one. I remember one year when I wrote a letter to Santa Claus, all I wanted that year was a sister." Jessi looked at Becky in the eyes. "Now I have a real sister, Becky. I have you. I finally have the sister I always wanted."

Becky felt the tears begin to roll down her cheek. "Thanks for saying that. I didn't think about it like that."

Jessi smiled. "Now cheer up. Isn't a certain fella supposed to be showing up here in a few hours?

A smile broke over Becky's face. "Yeah, he is."

"Hey, I just thought of something." Jessi's face lit up.

"What?"

"Does Josh work next weekend?" 

Becky thought for a minute. "I don't think so. He said something about Monday to Thursday next week."

"Why don't you see if he wants to come home with us?" Jessi asked.

"I think that's a great idea!" Becky's funk had evaporated. "I'd like Mom and Dad to meet him."

"I hope we don't scare him off." Jessi laughed. "You really think he might be the one?"

Becky's face flushed a little. "I don't know, but I hope he is. The way you talk about Ryan is how I feel about him."

Jessi felt warm inside. She was glad that Becky had found a guy. 

"Speaking of Ryan, when are you going to call him?"

"Not until tomorrow. He's off camping with Charlie and Walt."

"Well, I better be your maid of honor when you get married," Becky teased.

"Well, what if we don't get married?" Jessi suddenly remembered what Spotted Owl had told them in the hospital—she would make Ryan a fine wife and bear him a strong son. 

"Yeah right." Becky didn't believe Jessi for a minute. "You're going to get married, and you're going to marry Ryan."

Jessi's voice got quiet. "Sometimes I wonder how much control we actually have over our future." 

---

Suzanne lay in bed. Her mind focused on that night, nineteen years ago. They had just been at a wedding and afterwards someone had suggested they have a party. The night was still young, and no one wanted to go home.

Ryan was just a baby, and had been left with Suzanne's sister. 

"Come on you two, it's still early." She could still hear Bill talking to his cousin. "The baby's just fine."

Margaret and Roy finally gave in, and it was off to the party. The liquor flowed like water. Bill, Roy and several of the others had guitars and spent most of their time singing up a storm.

It was beginning to get late when two couples Margaret didn't know arrived at the party. Shortly after is when things began to get hazy.

She concentrated on her memory, trying to bring it all back. Margaret remembered taking a drink and a funny feeling going through her body. The guys quit playing and everyone sat around, talking and drinking. 

Suzanne remembered feeling turned on. One of the strangers fondled Margaret's breasts and she had offered no resistance when they pulled her top off. She remembered beginning to masturbate as she watched one of the strangers put his erect cock up to Margaret's mouth.

There was a faint remembrance of her own clothes coming off, hands groping her breasts. There was a blank─like she had passed out. Then the feeling of being entered, and looking up and seeing Roy's face full of lust as he pumped his cock in and out of her pussy.

Suzanne squeezed her eyes tightly closed as the memories flooded back. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she remembered a feeling of pleasure─at that moment, she was enjoying what was happening. It didn't matter the cock belonged to her husband's cousin. It just felt good.

There was another blank spot and the feeling of a cock still in her. It felt different. Something she didn't realize before. She remembered seeing Janice on her hands and knees with someone fucking her from behind, and another man pumping his cock in and out of her mouth.

She remembered looking down as the cock pumped vigorously in and out of her. A new memory popped into her head─her hands running through long wavy hair just as she heard his animal grunting that signaled his sperm was shooting deep inside of her.

Suzanne's eyes snapped open. Long wavy hair? Both Bill's and Roy's hair had been short and straight. The only one with hair at the party with long, wavy hair was Rob.

She remembered. Suzanne found herself at peace. She knew what had happened. There were still guilt feelings at what she had done. Those would never completely leave. But the understanding of what had happened made her feel calm. 

Her arm wrapped around her husband as she hugged him. He was sound asleep. A serene smile crossed her face as she kissed his shoulder, and then whispered, "I love you, Bill."

---

The snow was gone, and the trees were covered with leaves once again. It felt like early summer. There was still a lot of snow on the peaks of the surrounding mountains. The grass in the pasture was high and green. It looked like it was going to be a good year. The rumble of hooves caused Ryan to turn.

His heart leapt with excitement as he watched a small herd of bison thunder past. Their ears were tagged, so Ryan knew this wasn't a vision of the past. He stood and watched them graze on the sweet grass. 

Ryan felt no fear when the largest of the bulls lifted his head and began to walk towards him. The great shaggy beast stood before Ryan and pawed at the ground with his hoof. Ryan was impressed with size of the animal, and noticed there was no ear tag. He had never been so close to a bison before. 

"Tatanka." Ryan was filled with a reverence and spoke in a hushed tone as he reached out and touched the animal's forehead. He was surprised at how soft the hair felt. 

The bison shook its huge head up and down as Ryan looked on with awe. 

Ryan took a step back when the animal began to speak.

"This is part of your legacy. You brought the pteoptaye back."

Ryan shook his head. "It was my uncle who had the idea to bring them back."

"Yes, but it will be your lifelong commitment which fulfills his dream." Tatanka raised his head high in the air. "You will bring pride back to my people. They will once again take pride in being Lakota."

"I don't know how I could do that." Ryan felt humbled by the words of Tatanka.

"You are wašicun wakan, Ihanbla Mato , as was your tunksila, Chikala Ska Shunkaha. Like him, you are the bridge between two worlds."

"I would have liked to have known him."

"You do know him. His spirit lives within you. I can show you what he was like in life. Put your hand on my forehead and close your eyes."

Ryan placed the palm of his hand on the forehead of the great bull and closed his eyes.

He knew exactly where he was. He was in the Lakota village. He watched as a rider rode into the village and reined his horse to a stop. He knew the face of the rider immediately. It was like looking into the mirror. He watched the rider dismount and watched as he greeted a man seated in front of a thipis.

"I was hoping to see you." Spotted Owl raised his hand in greeting. "How is your family?" 

"My family is fine and they hope all is well with you." Will sat down on the blanket and crossed his legs.

"I would like to see them again," Spotted Owl replied. 

Will felt he had to ask. The question had been on his mind for days. "What will you do if the soldiers come and try to move you from your land?"

Spotted Owl looked at the young man seated before him. Will had never seen the Lakota chief look so determined and proud. "I am Lakota. I was born Lakota, and I will die Lakota. Wakan Tanka gave the land and tatanka to the Lakota. We could ride for many days and not leave the land of the Lakota. We were a free people. I will not live in a land where the Lakota live like your cattle, fenced in on land that is their own. If the soldiers come, we will dance the wacipi zuyá and cry hoka hey, it is a good day to die as we go into battle." Spotted Owl's eyes turned sad. "I know we will lose. There are too many wašicun and we are too few."

Will nodded. "I will dance the wacipi zuyá with my Lakota brothers."

"No, this is not for you to do." Spotted Owl shook his head.

"Am I not hunka? Do I not have a Lakota name? Do you not call me Chikala Ska Shunkaha? My hunka ate taught me a hunka must give his brother the food from his mouth, the coat from his back, the moccasins from his feet if he is in need. He taught me if my brother was in trouble I must do all I can to help him, even if it were to cost me my life. I am a brother to the Lakota. You and I are hunka, you are my Lakota ate, and you know my words are true. If the time comes, I will dance the wacipi zuyá with my brothers and cry heka hoy. I will die with my Lakota brothers before I see them shamed any more."

Spotted Owl nodded and put his hand on Will's shoulder. "You are a true brother to the Lakota and a wašicun wakan and a man of two worlds." He looked at Will; he was full of pride at what the young man had become. "Have you told your family of your decision?"

Will nodded. "Yes, I talked to my father."

"And what did he say?"

"Well, I don't think he likes it, but he understands." Will's voice got quiet.

"No, it is not easy to see your son go..." Spotted Owl didn't want to add the words that were in his mind─to his death

A young boy, about twelve, galloped into the village. "They come! They are almost at the head of the canyon!"

Spotted Owl rose from the ground. "Very well, summon the council."

Ryan watched with rapt attention as every man, woman and child of the village listened to Spotted Owl. Other members stood and spoke after Spotted Owl had finished speaking, and there was not a dissenter among them. They would begin the wacipi zuyá. 

They danced far into the night, singing and chanting songs of their bravery and glory in battle. It would be their last stand and they were determined to go into battle with dignity and honor. In the morning, they would meet the soldiers and demand they leave the land of the Lakota. Spotted Owl would give them the ultimatum

Ryan thought Will looked remarkably calm as Runs With Elk applied the war paint to his face. He wore a Lakota war shirt and buckskin leggings. He had removed the saddle from his horse, choosing instead to ride as a Lakota with only a blanket on the back of his horse.

They met the column of mounted soldiers about midday, at the entrance to the canyon. Under a flag of truce, Spotted Owl, Runs With Elk, and Will rode out to meet the soldiers.

"I am Lieutenant George Carter of the U.S. Calvary. I am here today to demand you surrender your weapons and make preparations to travel to South Dakota to be placed on a reservation under federal control." The young lieutenant was nervous. At his briefing before leaving the post, there had been no mention of any possibility of conflict with this band of Lakota, but here were the Indians in full war paint, looking grim faced and determined. He looked at Will and was astounded. "You're a white man. What are you doing with these Indians?"

Will looked at Spotted Owl and waited. Spotted Owl nodded his head and gave Will permission to speak. "Today I am here as a Lakota, I am Chikala Ska Shunkaha and I will translate for Hinhan Gleška, chief of this band of Lakota."

"Will you ask these Indians to lay down their arms and come peaceably?"

Will turned to Spotted Owl and translated. He listened carefully to Spotted Owl's response and then faced the officer. "Spotted Owl says this has been Lakota land since the time of his father's father. He asks you to turn around and to return to where you came from. He will allow you to take your weapons with you."

"Allow me..." The lieutenant wore an expression of disbelief. "Does he understand what I told you?"

"Yes, he understands fully," Will replied quietly. "He will not leave his land. He knows he is outnumbered and he will lose. It is better to die as a free Lakota than to live as a prisoner. Heka hoy, it is a good day to die."

"He has no choice in the matter. The government says he must go."

Will nodded as he listened to Spotted Owl's reply. "Your government is not his. He is Lakota. He asks you what you would do if he came to your village and demanded you leave. Would you not fight to keep your home and your land?"

The lieutenant was about to answer when his sergeant tapped him on the shoulder, "Sir, riders approaching." He pointed to four men riding hard and fast towards them.

Ryan watched the four riders coming closer at a full gallop. White, frothy foam flew from the mouths of the horses, their chests heaving as they breathed in massive gulps of air. The riders leaned forward, their voices hoarse from urging their mounts on.

The most distinguished of the four riders looked haggard and worn. He spoke to the lieutenant after reaching the spot where the meeting was taking place. "Well, I'm damned glad I got here in time."

"In time?" The lieutenant was becoming confused.

"My name is Justice Taylor. I have an injunction issued by a U.S. Circuit Court Judge." He reached into his coat, retrieved a folded document, and handed it to Lieutenant Carter. "Under the Dawson Severalty Act, Indians are allowed to own land. As this valley has not yet been settled, the ownership of the land is somewhat in doubt. An application has been made with the courts to deed this land to the Lakota. You are hereby instructed to turn around and march back to your fort."

"I have my orders." Lieutenant Carter was confused as he began to read the one page legal document.

"Yes, you do." Taylor softened the tone in his voice. "And they have been overruled by the courts. You are more than welcome to accompany us to town where you can send a telegram to your superiors."

"That's not necessary. I will return to my regiment and await further orders." The lieutenant turned and looked at Will and Spotted Owl. "I'm glad there will be no blood shed this morning." He went to turn his horse around, and stopped, looking at Will. "You may tell your chief I would have done the same thing if I were in his place. Good day to you."

Will explained to Spotted Owl what had happened. "They want to have the government recognize this land as being yours."

"Will the soldiers come back?" Spotted Owl was a little leery.

"No," Will answered. "This is Lakota Land. They will not be back." A smile grew on Will's face. "You won. The day is yours."

Everything seemed to fade. Ryan opened his eyes and looked at Tatanka. He was full of emotion as he spoke. "Thank you for showing me that. I can't seem to find the words to express how I feel."

"Close your eyes once more. There is something else I want you to see."

It was the mountainside behind where the cabin stood. The old cabin was barely recognizable. Two additions grew from both ends. An old man with white hair flowing from beneath a worn and battered cowboy hat sat on the slope with a young boy who looked to be about three or four.

Ryan heard the young boy speak as he pointed upwards.

"Look Gwanpa Charwie, look, a bird." His face was full of awe and wonder as he watched the bird circling high overhead.

Charlie replied, "Yes, a bird. It's cetan, the hawk."

A smile formed on Ryan's face as the boy tried to repeat the Lakota word. He studied the boy's face carefully─he could see Jessi's eyes and nose. Ryan felt his eyes tear up with pride. "That's my son."

Ryan opened his eyes. He was sitting on the blanket. From the look of the sun, hours had passed. He sat and tried to take in all he had seen. He felt different. He felt changed. 

---

Bill looked for the number in the address book which sat by the phone. After dialing the number, he sat down in the chair and listened to the ring. He hoped there would be an answer. 




Montana Summer Ch. 15



He had changed his mind, the more he had thought about it, the more he knew that he needed to call Ryan's father. They had grown up together, cousins, raised by their grandparents after the accident which claimed their parents' lives. Even though lifestyles and distance separated them, a bond remained between the two men.

"Hello." A woman's voice answered.

"Hello Margaret, it's Bill. Is Roy around?"

The woman's tone turned frosty. "Yes. Let me get him for you."

In the background, he heard her. "Roy! Your cousin is on the phone and wishes to speak with you."

"Hi, Bill." Roy's greeting had a great deal more warmth in it than his wife's.

"Howdy, Roy. I've got some news for you." Bill paused for a moment. "Some really big news."

"Okay, what's up?"

"You might want to sit down." 

"I'm sitting down, is everything okay?" A bit of worry had crept into Roy's voice.

"Everything's fine, everyone's fine. It's just─Jessi had some DNA testing done. It's a long story as to how this came about, and I'll save it for the next time you're out this way. Anyway, it turns out you're not Jessi's biological father after all."

"What?" At the other end of the phone, Roy sat back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. "Are you sure?"

"Well, as sure as I can be. Jessi had Ryan up in Missoula and they had their DNA tested Seems as if they don't share a common father. So, I would say it lets you off of the hook."

Roy was bewildered. He closed his eyes and tried to replay that night in his mind. "Well, who the hell could it have been then? Was it you after all?

"No, it wasn't me. I know who it was though, it was Rob."

"What the...?" Roy was almost speechless. 

"There's more. A lot more. I almost don't know where to begin." Bill felt like the little Dutch boy who had pulled his finger from the dyke. 

After Bill related the story of Ryan being shot, and ending up in the hospital, Roy was angry. "Why the hell didn't you call us?"

"I tried," Bill, replied evenly. "For days, I tried, but you were on vacation. Your cell always went straight to voice mail. I called your work, I called your father, but no one had any idea of how to get a hold of you. Ryan was out of the hospital and home before you returned."

Roy shook his head in frustration and muttered, "Fuckin' Margaret and her vacation getaways."

"There's more. Ryan and Jessi are closer than ever. Nothing has changed on that front."

"Somehow after watching them, it doesn't surprise me," Roy commented.

"I know. I've talked to them both until I felt like I was blue in the face. I didn't want to push too hard. I was afraid, as strong headed as the both of them are, they would take off. I thought it was best to have them here at least where we could keep an eye on them."

"So you think they will..." Roy's words trailed off.

"I have no doubt. It's eerie; it's almost as if it's preordained. Do you remember Grandpa talking about the diaries Ellen kept of Will's life?"

Roy nodded his head. "Yes, yes, I remember. No one ever knew what happened to them."

"I know what happened to them."

"What?" Roy's curiosity was piqued.

"Your son found them when we were clearing out the loft in the barn," Bill replied. "I damn near fell over. There was a picture of Will and Ellen in with the stuff. My heart damned near stopped. It looks like a picture of Ryan and Jessi."

"Are you serious?"

"Damn straight I am," Bill replied. "I'm not going to tell you your business, but I think you need to come on out and see you son. He's changed so much from when you were here in the summer." Bill waited for a moment. "Charlie says there's something very special about Ryan. I can never remember those Lakota words Charlie uses. He says that Ryan is a man who lives in two worlds. Ryan and Charlie are very close. There's a real bond between them."

"I don't know." Roy watched his wife walk back into the room. "I'll talk to...no, never mind. Yes. I think we need to come up and spend a few days."

"Good." Bill was happy. "Ryan's turned into a fine young man." Bill could feel his eyes tearing up. "I'd be proud to have him as my son. I already see him as the son I never had. You need to be very proud of him."

Roy's voice turned quiet. "Thanks, Bill. I appreciate you saying that. And I've always been proud of Ryan. I'll give you a call and let you know when we're coming."

Roy hung up the phone and looked at his wife. "We're going to Montana to visit Ryan."

The tone of her voice would have frozen water in the Sahara. "I am not going to that God forsaken ranch again. If Ryan wants to live there, then fine. I'm not going so he can embarrass me again."

Roy hated when his wife got like this. "I know you're so damned afraid he's going to sully the fine Sinclair name. Funny thing, when I talked with your father a few weeks ago and told him of Ryan's plans for staying in Montana and becoming a rancher, he was quite pleased. I'm going. You're going. We're both going. That's it. End of conversation."

Bill left the kitchen and sat in his chair. He was glad he had made the call. The kitchen door slammed. Suzanne was home. "Come on in here, Suzanne. I've got a storm warning for you."

Suzanne sat her bags on the kitchen table and walked into the living room. "I just heard the weather on the way home. They didn't say anything about a storm."

"No, but they didn't know Roy and Margaret are coming."

Suzanne sank into her chair. "Oh dear. So, I take it they know."

Bill nodded. "Well, Roy does. How much he tells Margaret is anyone's guess."

---

Walt looked towards Ryan as he spoke to his father. "He hasn't as much as twitched."

"I remember when I went on a vision quest and had a vision." Walt took a sip of his coffee. "Scared the hell out of me."

Charlie didn't remember his son being scared after he had his vision. "Really? I don't remember that."

Walt nodded as he set his coffee down. "Yeah, I had this vision of having to take care of you when you got really old." 

Charlie smiled and shook his head. "A good son would see it as an honor."

A smile broke over Walt's face and a chuckle escaped his lips. "Seriously, I just remember feeling very different. It was humbling."

"Yes, that's how I felt too," Charlie replied.

Some movement from Ryan caught Walt's eye. He set his cup down and stood up. "Looks like he's coming back. He will probably want to talk to you, and I don't want to make him feel uncomfortable. I think I'll go fishing."

"Do you think you'll catch anything?" Charlie asked.

"No, not really. Unless there are a few stragglers." Walt stretched. "You know what they say; a bad day fishing still beats a good day at anything else."

Walt headed down to the creek with his fishing rod as Charlie sat and sipped his coffee. He saw Ryan look around briefly. He wondered what the boy had seen. There was no envy in Charlie.

"Where's Walt?" Ryan asked as he sat down by the fire.

Charlie pointed behind him with his thumb, towards the creek. "He's fishing." He picked up a cup, poured some coffee into it, and handed it to Ryan.

"Thanks." Ryan was grateful. He felt chilled.

Ryan looked down towards the creek. "Do you think there's any fish still in the creek?"

"Hard telling. There could still be some." Charlie knew better than to press Ryan. He knew Ryan would talk about what he had seen when he was ready.

The coffee took the chill from Ryan's body. The hot liquid in the blue enamel plated cup warmed his hands. 

There was a long silence. Only the crackling of the small fire made any noise. Ryan sorted through his thoughts. He wasn't sure where to begin. So much had been shown to him. So much had given him joy. Some was confusing. 

Finally, Ryan looked at Charlie. "I suppose you're waiting for me to say something."

"Only if you want to."

"I want to. I just don't know where to start." 

Charlie raised the coffee pot from the fire. "Maybe another cup of coffee will help."

Ryan nodded and passed his cup to Charlie. He studied the older man and felt the burning of tears in his eyes. Ryan heard his voice crack with emotion. "I saw my son, Charlie."

---

Jessi crawled into bed. She wasn't tired; she just wanted to give Becky and Josh some time alone. Feelings of loneliness swept over her when she saw Josh and Becky together. Josh reminded Jessi a bit of Ryan and she found herself missing him.

A smile crossed her face as she thought about the three nights Ryan had spent in this bed with her. The weekend had been full of wild, raw sex, and soft passionate lovemaking. In between, there had been plans about the future. 

The future─a warm tingling swept through her. They had a future now, something, which a few months ago, seemed impossible. She wanted no other life than one with Ryan on the ranch. 

How he had changed in her eyes! It amazed her he had only been on the ranch for six months. He had grown from a city boy into a man before her eyes. He was her cowboy, and she was his girl.

She suppressed a giggle when she thought of Josh and Becky. It was obvious there was something between them. Jessi had never seen Becky light up over a guy the way she did with Josh. And he was like a puppy around her. She wondered if that happy grin was permanently frozen on his face.

---

"Have you had supper?" Suzanne asked Ryan as he walked in the door.

"No. We packed up this morning and had lunch on the trail." Ryan took off his hat and coat and hung them on the hook beside the door.

"Let me warm you up some supper then." Suzanne was glad to see Ryan back.

Bill set his paper down on the table and took his glasses off. "You need to call Jessi in a minute." He looked up at the clock. "Well, you could wait. She's due to call in about two minutes."

Ryan looked at his uncle with a curious look on his face.

"She's got some news for you and has been calling here about every five minutes for three or four hours."

"Oh, don't listen to him." Suzanne rolled her eyes and shook her head. "She's called twice."

"I've got some news for you too." Bill knew Ryan wasn't going to be exactly thrilled.

"Oh? What is it?" 

"Your mom and dad will be here next weekend for a few days." Bill was surprised at the look on Ryan's face.

"Good," Ryan replied. His face had a look of sadness. "There's a lot I need to say to my dad. I watch Charlie and Walt, and they pretend to bicker back and forth. There's something between them that Dad and I seemed to have lost."

"What about your mom?" Suzanne asked.

"That'll be fine. I think she knows she can't bully me anymore." Ryan chuckled and gave his aunt a hug. "It will all be okay. Does her good to get out of the city and see how the other half lives."

Ryan sat down at the table and devoured his supper. It never failed to amaze him at how hungry he got when out in the mountains. 

"How was the trip?" Bill leaned back in his chair as he watched Ryan eat.

Ryan nodded and paused in his eating. "It was amazing. It was a bit like going back in time."

Bill looked up at the clock and stood up. "Well, I think it's time for me to haul this carcass upstairs and grab a shower and then get into bed."

"Yeah, I need to do the same," Ryan replied as he carried his plate to the sink.

"Don't forget to call Jessi." Bill paused at the bottom of the stairs. "Knowin' my luck I'd just be dozing off about the time she'd call again."

Ryan went out to his small apartment in the barn and pulled his boots off. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Jessi's number.

The phone scarcely had time to ring. "Cowboy!"

"Hey, Jessi." Ryan was glad to hear her voice.

"I thought you'd never get home. I've been dying to talk to you since yesterday morning."

"What's up?" He leaned back on his couch.

Jessi squealed with delight. "The tests came back negative. Spotted Owl was right!"

Ryan sat straight up. "Oh my God!" 

"You have no idea how excited I've been. I was half tempted to drive home, saddle up my horse and ride you down."

"I certainly wouldn't have complained." Ryan felt his spirit soar. It was the miracle they had been hoping for. "I just feel so..."

"Relieved?" Jessi interrupted. "That's how I felt. All those months of you telling me not to lose hope, and you were right. Oh, Ryan, I wish you were here right now so I could just kiss you."

"Me too! God, Jessi, I knew it in my heart; I think I've always known. But, now, to know there is proof! I'm just giddy!"

"Did Dad tell you Becky and I are coming home this weekend?" 

"No, he didn't," Ryan replied. He thought of his parents coming up for the weekend. "Oh, did he tell you my parents are coming this weekend as well?"

"Yes. How do you feel about it?" Jessi had been a little concerned when she learned that Ryan's parents were going to be at the ranch. 

"Believe it or not, I'm really glad they are. I really need to sit down and have a talk with Dad. I feel like we've lost something or maybe it's something we never had."

"Can I ask you serious question, Ryan?" Jessi felt her heart pounding.

"Sure."

"Do you see us together?" Jessi closed her eyes and waited for the answer.

Ryan wished he were with Jessi; he wanted her to be able to see his eyes when he answered. "Yes. I have seen it almost from when I first came up here."

Tears filled Jessi's eyes. "I've almost been afraid to dream it could be true."

His voice lowered and his body shook. "Jessi, I saw something when I was with Charlie and Walter. I had a vision and I saw something."

"What was it?"

"Jessi..." Ryan felt himself choking up with emotion. "I saw our son."

Jessi almost dropped the phone. She opened her mouth but no words would come out.

Ryan continued, "He looked just like you, Jessi─his eyes, his nose."

The tears flowed down Jessi's cheeks. "Oh, Ryan..." She was too choked up with emotion to vocalize her thoughts.

"I love you, Jessi." 

She wiped her eyes with a Kleenex. "I love you too, cowboy. God, how I love you."

After hanging up with Ryan, Jessi realized she hadn't told him about Becky's dad being her biological father. She smiled; it gave her an excuse to call Ryan when she got home from school.

She hugged her pillow tightly and fell asleep dreaming about being married to Ryan and the two of them living in the cabin. 

---

Norm stood back and watched Tony's men panning for gold. They had caught on quickly and now each man had his own spot along the creek. Norm shivered as he looked at the men. They were as tough a lot as he had ever seen. He would be glad to be out of here and back home.

He set his portable stove up next to the creek and got ready to extract the gold from what the men had panned. He trudged back down the trail to the RV to get one of the jugs of nitric acid and a bottle of mercury. 

Norm opened the storage unit under the RV and went to reach for one of the glass jugs.

"...Tony gives his okay." The voice was unfamiliar to Norm.

He heard Vincenzo answer, "Tonight. You and I will go to the hotel. I will have Mr. Campbell call them on the pretense of bringing them out here. Once in the car, we will terminate the two of them and dispose of their bodies. Later on, we will clean out their hotel room, and we will have one of the men drop the rental car off at the Missoula airport."

"What about the guy you have out here?" 

"As soon as we are done here, he is done. He is useful to us for the time being." 

Norm froze. His immediate thought was to start running, and not stop until he was well away from here. The flight instinct went away almost as soon as it had come on. He knew he had to think. Quietly, he pulled his chemicals out from under the RV and hoped neither Vincenzo, nor the other man spotted him as he made his way back to where his equipment was set up.

Only when he was back where he had set his equipment up did he risk taking a glance towards the RV. There was no sign of Vincenzo or the other man. He let loose with a sigh of relief as he began to set to work.

His mind was on other things as he put the gold panned from the creek into a large crucible. He added the acid and watched the chemical reaction. 

He had two things going for him—time. He had time. It would be at least a few days before the illegal mining operation was complete. And they didn't know he knew. He had the element of surprise on his side. There was time for him to formulate a plan for his escape.

He thought about Kenny and the woman with him. He didn't feel any allegiance towards Kenny, but he didn't want to see any harm come to him or the woman. He had liked her; she had been pleasant when they had met.

As the acid continued to work, Norm pulled his cell phone from his pocket and flipped it open. He was elated to see he had a signal. He paused for a moment, and then searched for Kenny's number and pressed send. It was the least he could do. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he sat back and did nothing.

---

Kenny was growing increasingly frustrated. He couldn't understand why Hank wouldn't return his calls. He hadn't heard from him in three days now. There was a standing agreement Hank would at least check in once a day, and Hank hadn't missed a day until now.

Hank was always reliable and punctual. A seed of worry had begun to grow inside of Kenny. He had been expecting some contact from Norm Campbell, but so far, there hadn't been any word. 

"Is there something wrong, Kenny?" Stella sat on the bed next to him.

"I don't know. I can't get a hold of Hank," Kenny replied.

"I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I've had a bad feeling about coming here," Stella replied quietly. Each day they had been here, she had noticed herself becoming more and more apprehensive.

Kenny managed a confident smile. "Don't you worry, everything will be okay. Hank is probably sleeping off a drunk somewhere."

The sound of his cell phone ringing brought a smile to his face. "That's probably him now."

He picked up the phone and answered the incoming call. "Kenny."

Norm spoke in a hushed tone. "It's me, Norm Campbell. You need to listen; I don't have a lot of time."

The color drained from Kenny's face as he listened to what Norm had to say. "That son of a bitch. I have half a mind to give him a call..."

"No! Don't do that!" Norm interrupted. "I was told not to contact you. If they find out I've called you, then..." Norm didn't finish.

"Okay," Kenny responded. "I understand. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Norm shook his head. "No, don't do anything. There's nothing you can do at this time to help me. I'll let you know when I'm out of here."

After disconnecting the call, Kenny looked at Stella. "Pack your things. We need to get out of here as soon as we can."

Stella looked scared. She had never seen Kenny look this worried before. "What's wrong?"

Kenny shook his head. "That fuckin' Tony is fixing to double cross us. We have to be out of here as soon as we can."

Norm felt better after he hung up with Kenny. He had done what he could do. Now he had to concentrate on getting himself out of this situation. Once they discovered Kenny gone, he knew he would be suspected immediately. He pulled his cell phone out again and deleted the record of the call he had just made and, to be on the safe side, he erased all of Kenny's contact information from his phone.

In ten minutes, Kenny and Stella had packed, checked out of the hotel, and were on the road. Instead of heading towards Missoula, where they had rented the car at the airport, they headed south. Kenny's plan was to drive to Idaho to catch a flight out of Idaho Falls, or Pocatello. 

---

Milt Walker sat at his desk. His most pressing order of business at this point was trying to decide where to go for lunch. Not that there were a lot of choices in town. He knew he would end up at the café and get involved in whatever the hot topic of conversation was among the regulars.




Montana Summer Ch. 15



He was about to get up when his phone rang. "Sheriff Walker."

"Milt, Phil Rivers here."

Milt smiled. "Howdy Phil."

"Listen, Milt, I ran the name you gave me a few days ago, and nothing came up."

"Well, I guess that's good news." Milt felt a little disappointed. He felt for sure that he had been on to something when he had called Phil.

"I got something else for you," Phil continued. "Does the name Harold Andersen, aka Hank Andersen, Hank Andrews, mean anything to you?"

It only took a split second for the name to register in Milt's mind. "Yeah, he's one of the guys we caught with Indian artifacts from Baxter's a couple of months ago."

"Well, he's dead." 

"What?" Milt was caught off guard with the news. "What the hell happened?"

"He was found dead three days ago. At first the local PD thought it was a robbery or a drug deal gone bad. The detective in charge of the case gave me a call. He wasn't totally convinced it was a robbery. The scene was too clean. They found him dead in a stolen car wiped clean of any prints. No shell casings, nothing, just a corpse. He thinks it's a mob hit, and that's why he called me."

Milt doodled on a pad of paper. "His attorney and the woman who was charged at the same time are here in town. I think I'll pay him a visit." 

"Sounds like a good idea," Phil replied.

"Let me know if you find anything more out about that murder." Milt chuckled for a minute.

"What's so funny?" Phil asked.

"Nothing really. At least your corpse wasn't found with hundred-year old arrows sticking in it."

"I heard about that. Did you get anywhere with that one?" Phil was curious.

Milt smiled to himself. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you. If you come fishing this spring, I'll tell you after we've had a cocktail or two."

"One of those is it?" Phil laughed. "I think I will take a week off and come fishing in the spring."

"Good!" Milt looked forward to seeing his friend again. "You just let me know when you're coming and I'll take the week off too."

---

Things weren't going the way Vincenzo had envisioned them. He had tried several times to call Kenny on his cell phone, but each time the call went straight to voice mail. Finally, he called the hotel, only to find Kenny had checked out.

His immediate thought had been Norm contacted Kenny. He walked up the hill towards where Norm was working and called out his name. "Norm, may I have a word with you?"

Norm turned and held his hand out. The burner on his stove was at full blast and the mercury was boiling off in the crucible. His voice was muffled through the respirator. "Stay back!"

Vincenzo stood and watched Norm work. Finally, Norm shut the propane burner off. He lifted the crucible with heavily gloved hands and a lump of shiny gold fell out onto the makeshift table.

After removing the respirator, Norm called Vincenzo over and pointed at the table. "That's what ninety-nine percent pure gold looks like."

"Very impressive." Vincenzo was impressed. His opinion of Norm had changed since they had started looking for gold. He may have been an incompetent gambler but he certainly knew what he was doing when it came to mining gold.

"You wanted to see me?" Norm asked.

"Ah, yes. Can I borrow your cell phone for a couple of minutes? Mine has quit working."

"Sure." Norm reached into his coat and handed his phone to Vincenzo.

"I'll bring it right back." Vincenzo turned and made his way back down towards the RV.

There was no doubt in Norm's mind as to what Vincenzo wanted the phone for. He was damned glad he had the foresight to erase the history of the call to Kenny, and to remove Kenny from the phone's address book.

Vincenzo found himself feeling a bit relieved when he could find no evidence on Norm's phone of a phone call to Kenny. He sighed. He was going to have to call Tony and give him the news. It wasn't something he was looking forward to doing. He prided himself in being a man who got things done.

He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and selected Tony's number. He put the phone to his ear and waited for the answer.

"Vincenzo, good to hear from you."

"I have some bad news, Padron. Kenny and his woman left town this morning." 

Vincenzo readied himself for Tony's temper.

To his surprise, Tony remained calm. "I was afraid of that."

"I checked Mr. Campbell's phone, and there is no record of him calling Kenny." Vincenzo was eager to show the reason for Kenny leaving wasn't something from his end.

"No, there was a foul up at this end." Tony stated. "The men who terminated that Hank fellow misunderstood the instructions and did it two days early. I suspect Kenny somehow got word of Hank's demise and decided to leave town." Tony paused for a moment. "Don't worry about Kenny. I'll take care of him from this end now."

Vincenzo nodded and looked up the mountain towards where Norm was working. "And I will take care of Mr. Campbell when we are finished here."

"Good, you do that. I think I will fly out there later this week and take the goods back with me. I feel safer that way."

"I agree." Vincenzo nodded his head. That way there would be no temptation for one or more of the men to try to make off with the gold on the trip back to Denver.

Vincenzo felt a huge sense of relief after completing the call. It felt like a weight lifted from his shoulders. He looked at Norm's cell phone and put it in his pocket. As long as he had it, there was no chance of Norm Campbell making any phone calls.

---

"Well, that's damn disappointing," Milt muttered as he climbed back into his vehicle. He had missed Kenny and his girlfriend by a couple of hours. He knew Kenny couldn't have been physically involved in the murder of the man in Denver. He and his client had been in the DA's office on the day of the murder. There simply wasn't enough time for him to have driven to Missoula, flown to Denver, committed the murder and then flown back to Missoula and driven back here.

He looked at his watch and then pulled his cell phone from his belt and dialed Phil Rivers' number. The call went straight to voice mail. Milt hated leaving messages and waited for the beep. "Phil, it's Milt Walker. I went over to the hotel to speak with Kenny, but he checked out a couple of hours before I got here. Give me a call and let me know if you want us to broadcast an alert and see if we can't bring him in for questioning."

Milt looked at his watch again and decided to go for lunch. "Might as well see what the gossip is for the day."

---

As they headed south, Kenny tried to work out a plan in his head. He wasn't sure if Tony would have a man watching the airport in Missoula or not. Kenny wondered how long it would take Tony to discover they had headed south. 

"Is everything okay, Kenny?" Stella asked again. 

He looked at her, and shook his head. It was time to tell her the truth. "No. It's not."

Stella nodded and reached over and put her hand on his shoulder. "Okay. Just how bad is it?"

Kenny took a deep breath as he drove. "I think Hank is dead. We were going to be next."

Stella felt an involuntary shiver shake her body for a moment. Once she regained her composure, she looked at Kenny. "What are we going to do?"

Kenny shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think it's safe to go home."

Stella didn't want to say anything about the gold; she had felt all along something was going to go wrong. "What are we going to do after dropping the car off at the airport?"

"I don't know," Kenny replied as he pulled into a truck stop. "All I know right now is I need to take a whiz and fill up with gas."

After using the bathroom, Stella walked back out to the car and got in. She watched as a motor home pulled up on the other side of the pumps. When Kenny got back into the car, he was greeted with a large smile.

"You look pretty happy." Kenny wondered what could have changed her mood in the past five minutes. 

Stella nodded. "I think I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"That!" Stella pointed to the motor home fueling up beside them.

Kenny thought she had lost her mind. "A Winnebago, or whatever it is they are called? How the hell is that going to do us any good?"

"Well, you said we can't go home. Staying in a hotel leaves too much of a paper trail. We need somewhere to live. Why not a house on wheels?"

"Hmm." Kenny studied the RV with renewed interest. "You might be on to something there."

Stella showed Kenny a magazine she had picked up from the truck stop. "This might give us some ideas." 

As they pulled back onto the highway, Kenny's cell phone began to ring. He picked it up and looked at the display. "Fuck, it's Tony."

He let the phone ring and go to voice mail. Stella looked at Kenny; worry was painted over her face.

"I gotta think for a minute." Kenny's fingers tapped on the steering wheel as he accelerated. He turned and asked Stella. "Do you have a grandmother, a favorite old aunt, someone like that?"

Stella furrowed her eyebrows. She couldn't see where this was going. "I have an aunt in Tennessee. I haven't seen her in years though."

"That'll do." Kenny picked up the cell and dialed Tony's number.

Tony was surprised to see Kenny calling him. "Kenny, how good of you to return my call."

"Yeah, I was gassing up the car and didn't get to the phone in time. What's up"?

"Vincenzo says you left town. Is everything okay?" 

"No, it's not. Stella's aunt is in the hospital in Memphis and we're heading out there to see her." 

"Oh?" Tony questioned. "I hope it's not something serious."

"Well, we aren't sure. We got a call this morning and the doctors have advised her family to..." Kenny stopped and waited.

"Oh, I see. Well, I won't bother you then. I was hoping to see you. I was planning on flying out to Montana on Friday for a day or two."

"I'm not sure when we will be back. I'll keep in touch and let you know what our plans are." Kenny hoped Tony was buying the story.

"Okay, my friend. You do that."

Kenny sat his phone down and looked at Stella. "We may have bought ourselves a few days. Start flipping through that magazine and look for dealers in Salt Lake."

As Kenny and Stella continued their southward journey, Tony dialed another number on his phone.

"Si, padron." Vincenzo answered his phone.

"Good news, Vincenzo. I spoke with Kenny. It seems like his girlfriend has a family emergency. That's the reason for their sudden departure. I don't think you should do anything with Mr. Campbell until we have Kenny in our hands."

Vincenzo looked up at the mountain where Norm was working with other men. "I will wait for your instructions. Are you still planning on flying out this weekend?"

"Yes, Friday or Saturday. I'll let you know."

---

Milt Walker sat in his SUV, his fingers tapping time with the song on the radio. Sometimes a man learns a lot by just keeping his mouth shut and his ears open. He had sat at the lunch counter at the café and had listened to some of the regulars gossiping back and forth.

The one thing, which had stood out in the conversation, was no one had seen the photographer in close to five days. A trip back to the hotel had confirmed Mr. Nappolinni hadn't checked out of the room, and the room was still paid up for the rest of the week. 

The manager said the rooms hadn't been slept in for quite a few nights, but had mentioned Mr. Nappolinni had been in twice to pick up packages which had been sent to the hotel.

His fingers kept tapping as he thought. Something was missing. A piece of the puzzle. On the surface, everything looked legitimate. A little voice in the back of his head kept whispering to him. It was a little voice he had learned to trust during his career enforcement. 

Milt sighed as he looked at his watch. There was a county commission meeting in ten minutes, and he was expected to attend. He had asked for money to upgrade the police radio system and would have to answer questions as to why he felt an upgrade necessary. 

He put Mr. Nappolinni in the back of his mind as he shifted the SUV into gear and headed in the direction of the county building.

---

Ryan was heading out of town, and he waved as he passed Milt Walker. Ryan was feeling on top of the world. The DNA tests had confirmed what he felt in his heart for months. Jessi was coming home for the weekend. A smile crossed his face in anticipation of spending time alone with her.

When his parents came out in the summer, he'd been filled with a feeling of trepidation. It was different now. He was actually looking forward to seeing the both of them. He knew his mother still wasn't happy with his decision to give up the life she had planned for him but that was something she was just going to have to live with. He wondered what they would think when he told them he intended to make Jessi his wife. 

Bill was walking out of the barn when Ryan pulled up. He waited for Ryan to get out of his truck. "How was school today?"

"Pretty good," Ryan replied as he gathered his books up. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Good. Your dad called. He and your mom will be here Thursday night."

Ryan nodded. "I'd like to talk to you." Ryan hesitated as he looked in the direction of the house. "Before we go in for supper."

Bill nodded. "Okay, you go put your books up, and I'll meet you in the barn."

Ryan set his books on his kitchen table, which had become his makeshift desk. He took a deep breath and looked into the mirror. He wanted to do the right thing, and he felt what he was about to do was the right thing.

Bill was waiting for him when he came back down the stairs. Ryan looked his uncle in the eye. "I know you've talked to Jessi, and she's told you the results of the test."

Bill nodded. "Yes. She told me."

Ryan summoned his courage. "I want to ask your permission to date Jessi."

Bill studied Ryan's face for a few moments before responding. "What if I say no?"

It wasn't the response Ryan had been expecting. "I uh..." He was lost for words.

"Well, I'm not going to say no. You're both over eighteen, so there's nothing I can really say or do to stop you."

Ryan sighed a breath of relief.

"Ryan, I've always told you I'd be proud to have you as a son. I can see how happy you make Jessi." Bill shook his head. "At times I feel like I've have had no control, like I was along for the ride. Almost like it was destined to happen."

Ryan felt a shiver pass through his body. "I know how you feel. I can't explain it."

Bill leaned up against the stall. "I'm glad the test came back the way it did. I know your dad's carried a lot of guilt for many years. I think that's the main reason we haven't been as close as we once were."

"Hopefully them coming up here this weekend will help."

Bill let a smile grow on his face. "I think it will." 

"How's Aunt Suzanne taking it?"

A small sigh escaped from Bill. He stood and looked out the barn door towards the house. "She's holding up pretty good. She's still not quite over the shock of who Jessi's dad is though."

"What?" Ryan didn't remember Jessi saying anything about knowing who her biological father.

Bill got a funny look on his face. "Didn't Jessi tell you?"

Ryan shook his head. "No, she must have forgotten."

"I don't know." Bill felt a little torn. He didn't think Jessi would have purposely withheld the information from Ryan. He felt Ryan deserved to know the truth. "It's Rob, Becky's dad."

"Holy shit!" Ryan blurted the epithet out before he realized it. His mouth dropped open as he began to understand what it all meant. "That means Jessi and Becky are..."

Bill nodded. "Sisters, well, half-sisters, and that also means Stan is her half-brother, too."

Ryan was stunned. He just stood there staring at his uncle. He wondered how Jessi and Becky had taken the news. "You know how I feel. To me Jessi only has one father, and that's you."

"Thanks, Ryan. I appreciate that." Bill gave Ryan a warm smile and patted him on the shoulder. "How about we go in and see what your aunt has cooked up for supper?"

"I think that's a great idea."

--- It was their fourth morning on the run. Kenny and Stella were putting mile after mile between themselves and Tony. Much to Kenny's surprise, he found he was enjoying himself more than he could remember. Each day seemed to be a new adventure.

They found an RV dealer who had been more than willing to pick them up from the airport. This was their slow season in Utah, so the prospect of making a sale was incentive enough for the salesperson to make the trip to the Salt Lake airport.

Kenny had been skeptical at first. He thought of RV's as a poor man's way of travel. He had visions of cheap wood paneling and psychedelic shag carpeting as the sales representative drove them to the dealership.

They found a large bus-like motor home which was only a couple of years old. The salesman had told them it had only been used once. Medical problems had ended the original owner's dreams of life on the road. Kenny was a man who knew quality and he was amazed at the quality of the furnishings. He was sold on the unit when the salesman pushed the button that operated the slide outs. 

When he looked at Stella, no words had been necessary. He knew she loved it. They spent the night in a hotel as Kenny arranged to have his accountant wire the funds to the dealership. By noon the next day, they were headed south on I-15.

They were both surprised at how friendly their fellow RV'ers were. Each night they stopped at a park, and it wouldn't take long before fellow travelers stopped by to strike up a conversation. Kenny learned a lot in those first days about his motor home. He found his fellow RV'ers more than happy to share their knowledge.

"We're going to have to get one of those." Kenny spoke up as they rolled down the interstate.

Stella looked over at Kenny. "What do you mean?"

Kenny pointed to the RV ahead of them towing a car on a dolly. "A car and a trailer to tow it with."

"Oh." Stella set the road atlas down and looked at what Kenny was pointing at.

"Well, that is, if you like doing this?" 

"I love doing this. It's like a dream. Every morning we wake up in a new place. Just you and me. What more could a girl want?" Stella looked at Kenny and then down into her lap. "You know that I've fallen in love with you."

Kenny felt his heart pound as he gripped the steering wheel. "I think I was in love with you the first time you kissed me."

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask you this. What about the gold?" Stella wanted to know. She had lain awake at nights worried he intended to go back to Montana.

Kenny shook his head. "I don't want anything more to do with it." There was conviction in his voice. He had thought long and hard about it. Two men had died because of the gold. If not for Norm Campbell's warning, two more people would have likely died.

"What about Mr. Campbell?" There was a touch of concern in Stella's voice.

"He said he could take care of himself. Right now there's not a lot we can do to help him."

Stella found relief in Kenny's words. And he loved her. She felt a warm glow build in her body. It had been a while since someone had told her that, and meant it.

Kenny reached for his cell phone. "I need to call that bastard, Tony." He dialed Tony's number and waited as the phone rang. No one picked up, the call went to voice mail. "Tony, Kenny here. I just wanted to give you an update. We'll be back in Montana on Friday or Saturday. I'll give you a call when we land in Missoula."

He closed his phone and set it on the dash of the RV. He looked at Stella as he drove. "That'll give us a few more days before he realizes we aren't coming back. By then we'll be lost where he can't find us."

"Where are we headed?" Stella picked up the road atlas again.




Montana Summer Ch. 15



Kenny shook his head. "Don't know. Wherever the road takes us. You've got the map. I'm just doing the steering."

---

Roy found Bill in the barn saddling a horse. "Hey, old man."

Bill looked up and smiled. "Roy! I didn't hear you drive up. How long you been here?"

"Just got here. Suzanne said I'd find you out here."

Bill finished cinching the saddle and then reached out to shake Roy's extended hand. "It's good to see you. I've got to ride out and check a few things. You wouldn't want to ride along, would you?"

"I'd love to. It's been too long since we've gone riding together."

The two men walked out to the corral. Roy eyed the horses. "Which one is Ryan's?"

Bill pointed to the horse that had begun to walk in their direction. "That's Bernie." Bill let out a chuckle. "Your son has spoiled that horse rotten. He's more like a big puppy than a horse."

"That's a good lookin' horse." 

Bill waited until Bernie got to the fence and reached out and scratched Bernie's ears. "He really is. He was a bit of a disappointment to us at first. I was almost to the point of trying to sell him, and then Ryan started riding him." He shook his head. "I don't know what it is, but the horse really responded to Ryan. They seem to have some sort of mutual understanding."

"Well, which one do you want me to ride?"

Bill looked over the horses in the corral. "I think Blackie will suit you just fine. He's pretty even-tempered."

Roy saddled the horse under Bill's watchful eye. It had been quite a few years since he had last ridden, but he hadn't forgotten how to saddle a horse properly.

"You almost looked like you knew what you were doing," Bill joked as they mounted up and headed out.

"Well, you can take the boy out of the ranch, but you can't take the ranch out of the boy." Roy laughed as he settled into the saddle.

They had ridden in silence for a bit, each man lost in his own thoughts. Only the sounds of the horses' hooves breaking the thin crust of the snow broke the quiet of the afternoon. Although the day was clear and the sun shone brightly, it didn't seem to provide much in the way of heat. 

"I've always missed this." Roy looked at the landscape before him. "The mountains, life on the ranch. I hate to admit it, but I'm a bit envious of Ryan."

"You could have come back." Bill turned his head and looked at Roy.

"Yeah, I know. Margaret would have never been happy here though. She was born into a different way of life. And, well, there was always what happened." Roy felt a lump growing in his throat.

Bill shook his head. "You know I never held that against you."

"I know that. I think every day I would've seen Jessi would have only made me feel guilty." 

"That's in the past. Now we know it wasn't you. You weren't the one." 

"How's Suzanne dealing with it?" Roy asked quietly.

"Pretty good, all in all. Better than I expected."

"What about Ryan and Jessi?"

Bill reined his horse to a stop. "They're closer than ever. Remind me to show you the picture we found up in the loft of the barn. Damned eerie. Old Will is a dead ringer for Ryan. There's a picture of Will and Ellen when they got married, and you'd swear it was a picture of Ryan and Jessi taken at one of them tourist places where they dress up in old-time costumes."

Roy shook his head. "Well, I doubt if Ryan will listen to me, but I'll see what I can do."

"I don't think it will do much good. The both of them believe it was meant to happen." Bill paused. He wasn't sure if he should say anything more.

"Meant to happen?" Roy scoffed at the idea. "That's ridiculous."

Bill studied his cousin for a minute and then took a deep breath. "Do you remember Grandpa telling us a story about ghosts up in the high country?"

Roy let out a warm chuckle as he thought about their grandfather telling tales late at night. "Yeah, I do. Grandpa could spin some wild yarns."

"It's no wild yarn." Bill's voice was steady and calm. "It's the truth."

"C'mon Bill, you're not going to tell me you believe there are ghosts in these mountains." Roy watched the expression on Bill's face. There was a dead seriousness in it.

"Yeah, I am. I've seen them." Bill's voice and the look on his face caused Roy's blood to run cold.

"Where?"

"We were spending the weekend before Jessi started school at the cabin. I got up to take a leak just before sun-up and I came round the corner of the cabin... and I saw them, ridin' single file, five of them. They stopped and the one in the lead looked at me. I don't mind telling you, Roy, I've never felt as scared as I did at that moment. His eyes, I can't begin to describe his eyes, but it felt like he was lookin' straight into my soul."

Roy had never seen Bill this serious before. "And you're sure you saw them. They couldn't have been a dream or something?"

Bill shook his head. "Nope. It was no dream. Ryan has seen them as well. More than once." Bill hesitated for a moment. "The night that Ryan got shot, the guy who shot him was killed by five arrows. Just before Ryan's horse threw him, he said he saw the ghost riders bearing down on the fella with the gun. Come morning, there wasn't a single sign of any other riders, well other than the five arrows poking out of the guy who took the shot at Ryan."

"But, what does all of this have to do with Ryan and Jessi?"

"When Ryan was recovering in the hospital, Jessi was in there when one of them appeared in the room. According to Ryan, it was Spotted Owl. He pointed at Jessi and told Ryan she would make a good wife, and she would bear him a son. Ryan says they told him they couldn't marry because they were brother and sister. Spotted Owl then told them Jessi was related by blood. Then Jessi and Ryan had the DNA testing done."

Roy shook his head as he looked at Bill. "It's almost too fantastic to believe."

"Yeah, it really is," Bill replied as he started his horse moving. "I know if someone was telling me the story, I'd have a hard time believing it myself."

The two men rode in silence for a long time; it was only when they were almost back at the corral when the silence was broken.

"Bill, I don't want you to take this the wrong way. I'm glad I'm not Jessi's biological father. I've always felt it seemed to put a wall up between us. I've always felt guilty about what happened."

Bill looked at Roy as they rode. "I've felt the same thing. Hopefully, we can put all of this behind us now, and try to forget that night once and for all."

---

Norm dropped another nugget into an empty Green Giant corn can. The label on the can showed bright yellow kernels of corn. Now, the can was three quarters full of nuggets twice the size of original contents and larger. 'Pricey can of corn now,' Norm thought as he covered the top with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Nuggets like this were worth more than just their weight as gold. Jewelry makers would pay top dollar for them to make earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.

The sun was getting close to setting. The men had stopped their work for the day. Vincenzo had sent two of them into town to pick up some supplies. They only had enough chemicals for a couple of more days, and Norm was beginning to get nervous. 

He had a rough idea what Vincenzo's plan was. As soon as they stopped the panning, his usefulness to Tony would be finished. Over the past few days, Vincenzo had spent a lot of time with him watching what he did and had even taken part in the process of eliminating the impurities and reconstituting the gold with the mercury.

Norm lay awake long after going to bed for the past couple nights, trying to formulate a plan for escape. He thought his best opportunity would be when Vincenzo left to pick up Tony. He studied the map of the area under the pretense of looking for other likely sources for gold. He figured his best chance was to head up over the mountain and down the canyon. He had seen what looked to be a ranch on the map, and thought he might be able to find help there.

His mind was made up, and it didn't matter if he was going to have to spend a little time in jail for his actions. He would call the authorities and tell them everything he knew. It was his only real option. Once he left, his life would be in constant jeopardy. There could be no returning home. He had money saved from what he had received from Tony and Kenny but it wasn't enough to sustain him for any length of time, especially if he was on the run.

If he had an advantage, it was experience in the mountains. He could read a map, and use a compass. He had ferreted away a few supplies─bottled water, some energy bars, and spare batteries for his flashlight. When he put away his equipment, his small backpack would be ready.

Norm stood up and stretched. The sun was just getting ready to duck down behind the mountains. An overwhelming sense of being watched came over him. He tried not to panic. His immediate fear was his plan had been discovered. His fingers had a death grip on the strap of his pack as he turned around. 

Not more than twenty feet away was a man on a horse staring at him. Norm had never seen anything like it in his life. 'Isn't he cold?' Norm wondered as he stared in bewilderment at the near naked man. Two long, black braids hung down past the man's shoulders. 

When the rider's eyes met Norm's, he felt his whole body stiffen. No words were exchanged. The rider raised his hand and pointed in a direction different from the one Norm planned to make his escape. 

Norm quickly glanced back down the mountain to see if any of the other men by the RV had spotted the rider. There was no evidence the men had seen anything. Norm turned to look at the rider, but he was gone.

He dropped his gear and trotted up the mountain to where the rider and horse had stood. There was nothing to be seen except undisturbed snow. No tracks─nothing to prove what he had seen was real. His whole body began to shake, was the rider been trying to help him in some way?

---

Ryan crawled into bed and lay there looking at the dark ceiling. The evening had gone better than he could have imagined. It seemed his mother had come to accept the choices he made for himself. More than likely, she still harbored some disappointment, but at least for tonight, she had not vocalized her objections.

His father told him Margaret's father was more than pleased with Ryan's decision to take up ranching. According to his father, his exact comment had been, "If he decides to go into politics later on, his ranching background will put him in good stead with the voters of Montana."

Ryan had sensed immediately the tension he felt when his parents visited earlier in the summer was no longer there. His mother had been very amiable towards his aunt and uncle. There had been no rolling of the eyes, or snide references of how bucolic she perceived ranch life to be.

Roy looked with amazement at the pictures and the diaries Ryan and Bill found in the old trunk in the barn. He had looked up at Bill at one point and commented, "I don't remember how many times we heard about the diaries, and how Granddad lamented their loss."

A smile formed on Ryan's face. Tomorrow Jessi would be here. He was looking forward to spending time with her this weekend. He was happy to hear Josh was coming with the girls. He liked Josh from the moment Becky introduced him. It was going to be a good weekend. Warm thoughts flooded his brain as he drifted off to sleep.

---

"You're awful quiet today." Esther looked at her husband. He had scarcely uttered a word all morning.

Charlie shook his head. "Just thinking."

His eyes focused on the mountain in the distance. He felt a general unease. It was a feeling something was wrong, but it was something he was unable to put his finger on. 

The dream kept coming back to him. The dream of the warriors preparing for battle, and of the pale rider sitting on his horse in the distance, waiting, loomed in his mind. What did it mean? Was the vision of the pale rider an ominous portent of something to come?

"I'm going in to town. Do you want to go?" Esther asked as she finished her final cup of morning coffee.

"No. I think I'll saddle up the horse and go for a ride." Charlie finally turned his gaze to his wife. 

"Don't get lost." Esther chuckled under her breath.

"Hmpf!" Charlie huffed indignantly. "I know these mountains like the back of my hand."

"Just be home in time for supper." Esther continued laughing to herself as she went to get her coat and purse.

Charlie was grateful for the moment of levity in an otherwise somber morning. "You know me. I'm not one for missing a meal."

After Esther left, Charlie went out to the corral and saddled his horse. He stuffed the lunch he prepared in one side of the saddlebags and set out at a quick trot. Once out of sight of the village, he slowed his horse to a walk. The crisp air felt good. It made him feel alive. 

---

"Where's your boyfriend?" Janice looked at her daughter.

"I dropped him off at Jessi's. We're all supposed to go out there for supper. Ryan's parents are in town for a few days."

"What time are we supposed to be out there?"

"Around six or so. Suzanne said it didn't matter. We're just supposed to show up whenever we're ready." Becky had her hands tightly clenched behind her back. She had left Josh out at the ranch because she wanted to talk to her parents alone. 

She took a deep breath and looked at her mother. "I need to talk to you and Dad before we got out there. There's something important I have to say to the both of you."

Janice stopped what she was doing and looked at her daughter. "There's nothing wrong, is there?"

Becky shook her head. "No, there's nothing wrong. It's just something I need to talk to you and Dad about."

"Your dad should be home anytime." Janice looked up at the clock. "Are we supposed to get dressed up or anything?"

Becky laughed. "Nope, it's a come as you are supper."

"Sit down." Janice pointed to a chair at the small kitchen table. "How serious are things with this boy?"

Becky felt her cheeks redden. "Well, not too serious yet. I really like him. We're still at the getting-to-know-each-other stage. I don't know if I should call him my boyfriend or not."

Janice sipped her coffee and smiled. "It seems each time I call, he is there. I was just wondering." The sound of a pickup pulling into the driveway interrupted Janice and Becky's conversation. Janice looked at the clock again. "Sounds like your father is home."

Becky craned her neck and looked out the window. "Yup, it's him."

Rob came through the door wearing a big grin. "Get over here and give me a hug, girl."

Becky got up from her chair and put her arms around her father. "Hi Dad."

"Well, you're looking good." Rob looked around the kitchen. "I thought you were bringin' that boy home to meet us."

"I did. He's out at Jessi's right now."

"Becky says that she wants to talk to us first," Janice interjected.

"Oh?" Rob looked at his daughter. "What do you want to talk to us about?"

"Sit down with Mom and me." Becky felt nervous. She had gone through this conversation with her parents a thousand times in her head.

Rob nodded and pulled a chair out from the table and sat down. "Okay, what's up?"

Becky felt her palms grow damp with nervousness. "I...uh." It was harder than she thought. She tried again. "It's about Jessi and Ryan."

Rob gave Janice a do-you-know-what-she-means look. Janice just shook her head slightly.

"Oh, God. Okay. You know Ryan and Jessi are close. And you know about them supposedly being half brother and sister."

"Yeah." Rob nodded, a little confused at what this had to with them. "I knew about Jessi and Ryan, and about Roy being Jessi's father."

"I knew I should have brought Jessi with me," Becky said more to herself. "Jessi and Ryan had a feeling they weren't actually related. So, they had a DNA test done at the University."

Janice still couldn't quite understand what this had to with them. "Okay, so what did the test say?"

"They're not related. Ryan's dad isn't Jessi's dad."

Rob shrugged his shoulders. "I guess Bill was wrong. He must be Jessi's biological father after all."

"No." Becky shook her head. "There's no evidence that they are related at all."

"Okay but what does this have to do with us?" Rob asked.

"We know who the biological father is." Becky's voice got quiet. "When Jessi and Ryan had the DNA test done, it was for a study of some sort. Josh and I went with them and donated samples for the study."

A small gasp escaped from Janice's lips. 

Becky looked her father straight in the eye. "The test showed Jessi and I have the same father."

All of the blood seemed to drain from Rob's face. "There's got to be some sort of mistake here." He looked at his wife. "It's impossible."

Janice reached for Becky's hand. "And there's no chance of a mistake?"

"No, Jessi already asked. The samples are tested multiple times. The results were the same with each test."

"Why don't you go upstairs and get ready. I want to talk to your father for a few minutes." 

After Becky went upstairs Rob looked at his wife. "I never had sex with Suzanne, I promise."

Janice looked at her husband. "I think you did." She closed her eyes as she felt the burn of tears. "Probably the night of that damned party."

Rob hung his head in shame. "Maybe. I don't remember much about that night."

Janice wished she didn't remember what she did. Most parts of that evening were still crystal clear in her head. She felt helpless to stop what she had been doing. For months after the party, she had been haunted with dreams of what she had done.

---

Milt Walker answered his phone. "Sheriff Walker." 

"Hi Milt, it's Phil Rivers."

"Hi Phil! Good to hear from you." 

Phil chuckled. "I hope you think so after you hear what I have to tell you."

Milt sat up straight in his chair. He reached for a pen. "What have you got for me?"

"Well, I went to lunch with some other agents today, and there was one from New York with us. He specializes in RICO investigations. He overheard me talking about Vincenzo Napolinni. He said the name sounded familiar. After lunch, he called his office. Seems that Mr. Napolinni works for one Antonio 'Tony' Scarlucci."

"How's Scarlucci spelled?" Milt wrote down the names on a yellow legal pad as he heard them.

"Tony worked his way up in the mob. He ran liquor in Jersey for a few years, then got into the numbers racket in New York and slowly moved up. They sent him out to Denver about fifteen years ago to take care of the 'Family's' business. Mr. Napolinni's uncle and Tony's cousin were married in Sicily."

The eyebrows on Milt's forehead rose as he listened to the FBI agent from Denver.

"Mr. Napolinni has been in the US for about five years, and works for Tony. We don't have any hard evidence of any wrongdoing on Mr. Napolinni's part, but they believe he has worked his way up to be Tony's right-hand man."

"Well, what about the travel magazine Napolinni is supposed to be working for, is it really legitimate?"

"Yes, in that it regularly publishes. The ownership, however, leads some people to believe it's a front for money laundering in Italy."

"I don't mind telling you, Phil, I've got a funny feeling about all of this. It just doesn't sit right with me." Milt mused as he doodled on the pad in front of him.

"Doesn't make a lot of sense. I can't see Mr. Napolinni coming out here just to take pictures," Phil responded.

"No, I can't either." Milt's voice got quiet. "There's another reason they're here, and I have a funny feeling I know what it might be."

"Really? Care to share your thoughts?"

"It's just a hunch, but it's the only thing that makes any sense. You have to promise not to tell another living soul what I'm going to tell you. You're going to find it hard to believe."




Montana Summer Ch. 16



 This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any real person is just proof there is a pattern to randomness in the universe. All characters are eighteen years and older.
 The ringing of the cell phone roused Kenny from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes as he stared at the display. 

"Who is it?" Stella's voice was groggy.

"Fuckin' Tony!" Kenny pressed a button on the cell phone to silence the ring. He glanced at the clock. "Kind of late for a social call."

After returning from the bathroom, he looked at the display on the cell phone. "Looks like he left us a message. I wonder if he's sending us his love." There was no humor in his voice.

Stella shivered for a moment. The past few days had been bliss for her. There had been no talk about Tony or the gold─just following the road during the day, and finding some place to spend the night. 

Kenny listened to the voice mail and deleted it.

"Well?" Stella sat up in the bed.

Kenny smiled at her. "I don't think we should expect a Christmas card from Tony." He slid back into bed and took her hand. "He's pissed. He knows we've given him the slip."

"Do you think he'll be able to find us?" The anxiety was noticeable in Stella's voice.

"Anyone can find anyone. It all depends on how much money─and how much time─they're willing to invest." Kenny paused and put his arm around her. "So far we're doing all the right things. We're not using the cell phone to make calls. The credit cards I'm using are corporate cards from dummy companies, which Tony wouldn't know anything about. We're not staying in any one place for long. I even registered the motor home to one of the companies. We're not leaving much of a trail for anyone to follow."

"That makes me feel a little better." Stella snuggled close to Kenny.

"There's one more piece of news," he added. "Looks like Mr. Campbell made his getaway."

Stella was feeling sleepy again. "I'm glad. He seemed like a nice man."

---

Tony closed his cell phone in disgust. It had been days since he had last spoken with Kenny. It was too late to do anything about him tonight. In the morning, he would call an associate and start the hunt for Kenny and his woman. Norm Campbell was more of an immediate threat. He doubted Kenny would go to the police, but Campbell was the unknown card. 

"How long until we're ready to leave?" Tony checked the time on his watch.

"Two, maybe three hours," Vincenzo replied. 

Tony nodded and dialed another number on his phone. 

"What do you want us to do with the horse?" One of the men interrupted Vincenzo's train of thought.

"Take him to the edge of the clearing, and fire a few shots into the air to send him running." 

The man was relieved. He liked horses and didn't want to see this horse harmed. Much of his early life included working around the barns and stables of various racetracks. He looped the reins around the saddle horn, and as he yelled, he slapped Charlie's horse on the rump. He fired a couple of shots into the air, more for Tony and Vincenzo. The man suspected this horse was no stranger to the sound of a firearm.

Charlie tried not to show any emotion when he heard the two gunshots. Relief flowed through his body when he caught a glimpse of his mount at a full gallop. Charlie knew the animal would run for a bit and then circle back towards the reservation. His horse was safe.

Charlie's mind kept going back to Ryan's vision and Ryan's words. "Charlie, I saw my son, and you were teaching him Lakota." Visions were true. He had been trying to loosen the rope his hands were bound by, and so far without much success. But the vision told Charlie he would survive. 

"That fucking son-of--a-bitch!" Vincenzo's voice seethed with anger.

"What?" Tony turned and looked at Vincenzo.

"That fucking Campbell took the can with the larger nuggets." Vincenzo stared off into the darkness. 

"How did he manage it?" Tony felt his own rage building. Since his arrival, it had been one frustration after another. 

Vincenzo shook his head and slammed the door to the small storage compartment which held the gold. "He was still working when I left for town."

Tony squeezed Vincenzo's shoulder until the younger man winced in pain. Tony's voice was soft, but laced with venom. "He has betrayed us." Tony ignored the fact that he and Vincenzo had planned Norm Campbell's murder. "And even worse, he has stolen from me. We will find Mr. Campbell and we will deal with him." Tony's blue eyes seemed even colder in the silver glow of the moonlight.

Vincenzo nodded. He knew exactly what his employer meant. Mr. Campbell would die, but not before suffering for a very long time.

--- 

Norm Campbell paused. He looked back in the direction of the camp. The sounds of two pistol shots in the distance caused him to shiver. He wondered if the old man was dead now.

He was grateful the moon had risen. There was enough light for him to travel without using the flashlight to search for obstacles and, as a result, he was able to travel faster. He studied his map, checked his watch, and tried to estimate how far he had gone.

Several times, he spotted horse tracks in the snow. He assumed these were from the old man and his mount. They gave him hope there was a house, or houses, in the direction he was headed. 

Norm took one of the bottles of water from his pack and took a drink before slipping the backpack over his shoulders. He could feel the can containing the nuggets against his back. His original plan hadn't included taking any of the gold. It was a spur of the moment decision. He decided he needed proof to back up his story. The nuggets would make a powerful statement.

He got back on his feet. "Okay, let's get moving." It felt comforting to hear his voice break the silence of the night.

---

Drums beat in the background as the singers chanted. Ryan stood still, his eyes focused on Spotted Owl. 

"Tonight our purpose here comes to an end. We will pass Hihankara and travel the Wanagi Tachanku, the Way of the Spirits. You are ready; we will no longer be needed after tonight."

Ryan nodded. "I think I'll miss you."

Spotted Owl put his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "We will meet again." He pointed to the sky. "We will ride together in the next life."

The paint felt cool on Ryan's face as Spotted Owl carefully applied it. There was a meaning for each stroke and each color. A single eagle feather already hung from the back of Ryan's head signifying the others accepted him as a warrior.

Even though it was late fall, almost early winter, Ryan was dressed the same as the other warriors, naked from the waist up, and wearing buckskin breeches. He felt neither cold nor warm. He was in the world of the Wanagi, the world between the living and the dead. 

As they mounted their horses, Ryan pointed to a lone rider on a pale horse off to one side. "Who's he?"

Spotted Owl turned to Ryan, his voice hushed. "That is the pale rider, Death. He rides with us tonight."

A shiver passed through Ryan as his thoughts immediately shifted to Charlie. 

---

As the time passed, Charlie began to get worried. He listened as the last of the gear was stowed in the compartments of the motor home. Charlie strained to hear the group standing below the window of the RV. As long as he was here, in the shadow of Baxter's, there was hope for rescue. Once on the road, his chances and his future seemed dim.

"The pilot will be waiting for us at the airport." Tony addressed the group. "Vincenzo will come with me. The rest of you will drop the motor homes off at the airport and rent a couple of vans to transport the equipment back to Denver."

Charlie shivered as he heard the next order. It confirmed his worst suspicions. 

"Find a bridge and dispose of our guest over the side. Do it before the sun comes up."

"Any questions?" Vincenzo addressed the four men. He waited for a moment for a response. When there was none, he pointed to the motor homes. "Let's hit the road."

Once in the SUV, Vincenzo inserted the key into the ignition and started the vehicle. He turned the lights on, put the vehicle in gear, and began to move. All of sudden his foot hit the brake pedal hard.

Neither of the two men who entered the motor home looked at Charlie as they took their places in the driver and passenger seats. The man in the driver's seat turned the key and the engine came to life. A greenish glow from the instrument panel reflected off his face.

The vehicle began to move and stopped almost immediately. "What the fuck?"

Tony had uttered the same words a second earlier, "What the fuck?" 

Tony and Vincenzo stared at the six riders blocking the trail to the road.

"Must be friends of our guest back there." Vincenzo retrieved an automatic pistol from his pocket. The metallic sound of the slide as he released it punctuated his statement.

"It's fuckin' freezin' out, and they're almost naked," remarked the man in the passenger seat.

Charlie slid over in his seat so he could see through the windshield. A feeling of elation flowed through his body when he recognized the  Wanagi. The feeling was short lived when he saw the pale rider of Death standing alone to one side.

"Ryan," Charlie whispered as he recognized the young man seated beside Spotted Owl.

"Aim for the wheels." Ryan whispered to Spotted Owl. "They can't travel if we shoot the tires out."

Spotted Owl passed the word to the other riders. It was time.

Ryan reached over his back and pulled an arrow from his quiver. He waited for Spotted Owl to give the signal. He felt every muscle in his body tense. 

"Heka Hoy!" Spotted Owl yelled the Lakota war cry. His heels kicked at his horse, urging him to a full gallop.

Using only his feet to guide his horse, Ryan pulled back on the bowstring. The feeling of the knuckle of his index finger tucked in below his cheekbone was so familiar. He let go of the string just before passing the tire. Reaching over his shoulder, he pulled another arrow from the quiver on his back.

Tony and Vincenzo stared unbelieving as they watched the six warriors split into two lines and charge the vehicles. As the warriors passed the vehicles, they let loose their arrows and immediately reached for new ones while at a full gallop.

"Jesus! This is fucking nuts!" The man in the passenger's seat readied his pistol. He opened the side window and fired off a half dozen shots in rapid succession as Ryan and the Wangagi made a second pass. 

"You missed!" The driver spat out in disgust.

Charlie smirked. "It wouldn't matter how well you shot, you can't kill someone who died well over a hundred years ago."

The driver and his passenger both turned and looked at Charlie.

---

Norm had spotted the riders as they rode past on the ridge above. He recognized the rider in the lead as the same one he had seen earlier. He didn't hear a sound as they passed. A cold shiver shook his body as he glimpsed the rider on the pale horse. Somehow, Norm knew he didn't want to feel his gaze upon him. 

A speck of light was now visible in the distance. Norm broke into a jog as he focused on the light. He felt a sense of urgency. Each step meant about three feet. Three feet closer. He no longer stopped to check his bearings; the bluish-white light was the beacon he followed.

His shoulders ached from the weight of the pack. He began to wish he had left the gold behind. As he ran, his lungs burned and his legs began to feel like clumps of lead, but he continued, his eyes focused on the light, which drew nearer with each stride.

Norm's body tried to tell him to give up and stop, but his mind prevailed. His mantra was one more step, one more step. He chanted the words silently in his mind in time with his feet hitting the snow-covered ground.

His heart was pounding a staccato beat and he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. His hand tugged down on one of the shoulder straps of the backpack. The other arm pumping back and forth as he jogged.

Individual buildings were visible now. His spirit soared— he was going to make it! There were lights on in the nearest house. He leaned against the doorframe, his chest heaving as his body tried to get enough oxygen. With the little strength he had left, he began to pound on the door.

The light from inside almost blinded him when the door opened. Norm pointed in the direction he had come from. "Old man. Creek. Hurry." 

Norm collapsed to the ground and began to vomit. 

The man who answered the door looked at the woman standing behind him. "Go get Walter." He knelt down, put his arm under Norm's, and helped him into the house.

---

"What are you doing up?" Milt's wife tried to focus on the digital clock on the nightstand.

Milt was pulling up his pants. "I can't sleep. I'm heading down to the office to get the search for Charlie started."

"Be careful." Her voice was thick with sleep.

"I will." Milt sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled his boots on. He looked at his wife who had fallen back asleep and whispered, "I love you."

Normally, like most police departments in the country, they would wait for twenty-four hours before beginning an investigation on a missing person report. This was different. This was Charlie Red Elk, a man for whom Milt had a great deal of respect. Charlie wasn't a man to just up and disappear from his family for no reason.

His conversation with Phil Rivers played in his head as he drove to his office. Milt wasn't a man to believe in coincidence. Too many things were pointing in the same direction: the murder of the man charged with theft of relics from the Lakota burials on Baxter's, the sudden disappearance of the attorney and the woman originally charged as an accomplice, the photographer with the mob background showing up out of the blue, and now, the disappearance of Charlie Red Elk. According to Walter, the tracks indicated Charlie had headed down the trail which skirted the base of Baxter's Mountain. 

The common denominator in Milt's mind was the gold. He nodded at the on-duty deputy as he entered the Sherriff's Department. "Quiet tonight?"

The deputy jumped off the desk where the cute, young dispatcher was sitting. "Yeah, whole lotta nada going on."

The young deputy headed towards the break room. "I'll make a fresh pot of coffee."

As he unlocked the office, he looked at the dispatcher, "You battin' your eyes at my deputies again, Sherry?"

Sherry shot Milt a knowing grin and batted her eyes at him. "Who, me? Would I do something like that?"

Milt was grateful for the lighthearted moment. He unlocked the gun cabinet in his office. He selected a shotgun and a high-powered rifle with a scope. Out of habit, Milt checked both weapons with a meticulous eye. 

---

"What the fuck are you talking about?" The driver looked at Charlie.

Charlie gestured in the direction of the Wanagi with his head. "They're ghost riders. They died over a hundred years ago. This mountain is sacred ground. It's their final resting place."

"He's just trying to spook us." The passenger looked at the retreating horses and riders.

The driver pulled his pistol from the pocket of his coat. "Yeah? He's doing a good job of it."

Vincenzo steadied his arm against the open door of the SUV and emptied the ten rounds from his 9mm Beretta at the retreating horses. "What the...?"

"You missed!" Tony barked. "I thought you could shoot."

Vincenzo had already pulled the spent magazine from the weapon. He slid a fresh magazine with ten rounds into the weapon and released the slide. He shot Tony a withering glance. "I can. I didn't miss, some of those shots had to have hit."

Ryan followed Spotted Owl's lead, circled around, and stopped. Some of their arrows had penetrated the tires while others had bounced off the tread. At least one tire in each of the vehicles was making a hissing sound as air leaked out.

"Aim for the lights this time," Ryan suggested to Spotted Owl. "It will be harder for them to see."

Spotted Owl nodded and passed the order to the rest of the riders. 

"Here they come again." Vincenzo opened the door of the SUV and knelt on the ground, resting his hand on the open window and using the door as a shield. 

The lead rider raised his bow and pulled back, letting an arrow loose. Vincenzo had the rider in his sights and pulled the trigger rapidly, emptying the magazine into the rider's chest. 

Vincenzo was stunned. His intended target hadn't fallen from his horse. He was confused as the rider continued past the SUV. He ejected the empty magazine and let it fall to the ground. Vincenzo inserted a loaded magazine into the handle of the weapon and released the slide. 

Charlie's ears ached from the sound of the two pistols firing simultaneously.

"Jesus! What the fuck is going on?" There was concern now from the man in the passenger seat. "I got one fuckin' clip left, and we haven't hit a damned thing."

"Yeah. Me too, the rest of my stuff is in my bag." The driver watched in his mirror at the muzzle flashes coming from the vehicle behind them. 

Charlie sensed the rising fear in the two men seated in front of him. He was relieved to see Ryan appeared to be unharmed. 

Ryan was exhilarated. Two of his arrows had found their mark. Just the running lights of the motor homes and the park lights of the SUV were left glowing.

Tony felt more than a little uneasy. He had seen puffs of snow kicked up by the bullets. That was all, though—none of the riders appeared to have been touched. He could hear the shots ringing out from the vehicles behind the SUV, and they seemed to have as much success as Vincenzo. 

"Thirty rounds, and nothing to show for it," muttered Vincenzo. "I have ten shots left." 

"It's got to have something to do with the guy we got tied up in the RV." Tony reached for his door handle. "Maybe we can use him to get out of here."

"This thing's not going anywhere. Both tires are going flat on this side." 

Tony stepped out of the SUV and looked at driver's side of the vehicle. "There's one flat over here." He looked back at the crippled motor homes and then at the mounted warriors. The scene was surreal. The light of the moon bathed the mounted warriors in a silvery glow. They seemed to be waiting.

"Get the fucking old man out here," Tony snarled at Vincenzo. 

---

"He's waking up." The woman called to the two men talking in the kitchen.

Walter set his coffee cup down, walked into the living room, and knelt down by the sofa. "What do you know about an old man?"

Norm looked at Walter. It took him a few moments to realize he had made it to safety. "The creek at the end of the mountain. You have to hurry. They'll be leaving, that is if they haven't already."

"Who?" Walter questioned.

"Tony and Vincenzo." Norm sat up and gripped Walt's arm. "You have to hurry! They plan on killing him as soon as they are out of town."

"Why?" Walter was confused as to why anyone would want to kill Charlie.

Norm spotted his backpack sitting on the floor. He reached for it and pulled the can containing the nuggets out, removed the makeshift lid and dumped the contents on the floor at Walter's feet.

"Sweet Jesus!" Amos exclaimed. "Is that...?"

Norm nodded his head. "Gold. The creek is full of gold. They've been pulling gold out of the creek for over two weeks now."

Walter stared at the nuggets lying on the floor. "Put them back in the can. I'm going to see if I can get hold of Milt."

He picked up the phone and dialed 911.

"Nine-one-one dispatch, how can I help you?" 

"This is Walter Red Elk. I need to get hold of Milt right away."

"He's in his office, let me transfer you."

"Yes, Walter?" Milt had just finished his cup of coffee.




Montana Summer Ch. 16



"You have to get to the north end of Baxter's as soon as you can." Walter sounded breathless.

Milt listened to Walter and then sprang into action. 

"Sherry!" Milt bellowed as he opened his office door. "Get whoever is on patrol to head out to 256 and set up a roadblock─and tell him to step on it."

The deputy who had been typing at his desk turned around and looked at Milt. "What's going on?"

"Walter Red Elk just called. Some fella showed up at Amos' house and said some guys have been hauling gold out of the creek and are holding Charlie prisoner. Get your shotgun. You're coming with me."

Milt threw his jacket on and grabbed his weapons. He stopped at the dispatcher's desk. "Sherry, get hold of everyone, and have them head out towards 256. And tell them to be quick about it."

The young deputy hung on as Milt wheeled his SUV around and headed towards the highway with the lights flashing and siren wailing.

---

Vincenzo ran back to the first RV, opened the door, and leapt up the steps. He pulled at Charlie's arm and ordered, "Outside, old man!" 

He held his weapon at Charlie's head as his pushed him toward where Tony was standing.

Ryan had an arrow ready in his bow. He felt nervous as he watched Charlie being dragged out of the RV. 

Spotted Owl began to walk his horse slowly towards the vehicles. Ryan and other riders followed behind. 

Ryan's fingers tugged at the bowstring. He could feel the tension of the situation rising.

"Stop right there!" Tony screamed. 

Charlie was ready to die. He thought of his wife and his son. Throughout the evening, he had reviewed his life, and for the most part, it was a life he was proud of. If he was to die tonight, he would die with dignity. He would die as a Lakota with his head held high and proud.

There was fear in the man's voice. Charlie could almost taste it. The cold steel of the other man's weapon pressed against his temple. It didn't bother him. His eyes were locked on Ryan's.

Ryan felt Charlie's gaze upon him. His whole body felt like the bowstring. 

"Back the fuck off, or we shoot the old man right here and now." Tony's voice had the high pitched shrill of fear.

The four men from the motor homes had left their vehicles and stood behind Vincenzo and Tony with their guns in their hands.

Spotted Owl didn't move. He just sat there, his eyes locked on Tony.

Tony felt the stare. It seemed to burn clear through to his soul. A cold shiver passed through his body. His throat seemed to tighten. He looked back at his men. "Make sure your guns are ready."

"Get ready to shoot the old man." Tony's voice cracked as he addressed Vincenzo.

A sadistic smile crossed Vincenzo's face. Nothing had gone right all evening. Someone needed to pay, even if it was this old man. He thumbed the release and heard the slide snap home with a metallic click. His finger began to put pressure on the trigger. All he needed was the word from Tony.

Ryan knew it was now or never. In one motion, he pulled all the way back on his bow and kicked his horse in the flanks. 

Spotted Owl was only a split second behind Ryan, his fingers touching the familiar point on his face as he pulled back on the bow.

It took Tony almost a full second to react. He gaped open-mouthed at the two riders approaching at a full gallop. He turned to Vincenzo and screamed, "Kill him!"

---

"Bill, it's Walt. I think Dad is down at the bottom of the creek comin' off of Baxter's. There's some guys there that have been takin' gold from the creek."

"I'll get Ryan and head on over there. Did you call Milt?" Bill was wide-awake and sitting straight up in bed. 

"Yeah, he was already in the office and headed right out."

Milt Walker had his SUV topped out at over one-twenty. As he drove, he barked orders to the pale-faced deputy sitting beside him. "Get on the radio and call the Highway Patrol. Have them looking out for one or two motor homes heading north or south within about a..." He paused as he looked at the time. "Make it two hundred miles, either direction just to be on the safe side."

He covered the six miles from the Sheriff's office to the roadblock in under three minutes. Those three minutes seemed like an eternity.

He turned off his siren and lights as he came to a stop. Milt rolled down his window and addressed the deputy who walked over to his vehicle. "Seen anything, Dave?"

The deputy shook his head. "Nope. Nothing."

"Okay, follow us. The rest of the guys should be out here shortly. We're gonna take it nice and easy until we know what we're up against. When we get within a mile of the creek cut your headlights. There's enough moonlight to see where we're going, and I don't want our lights to give us away."

The sound of gunfire in the distance broke the silence of the early morning.

"Fuck!" Milt cursed and grabbed the microphone to the radio from the deputy. "This is King One, shots fired, I repeat, shots fired!"

The deputy next to Milt felt a surge of adrenalin course through his body. As Milt stomped the accelerator, the deputy jacked a round into the shotgun.

---

The man standing directly behind Vincenzo panicked when Ryan and Spotted Owl charged. He raised his pistol as he began to step back. 

The scene seemed to play out in slow motion. Ryan's eyes focused on the hand that held the weapon next to Charlie's head. He could see the finger tightening on the trigger. He held his breath and let the arrow fly.

Vincenzo felt a searing pain in his wrist. His hand felt paralyzed. His arm swung around as if pulled by an unknown force.

Two arrows pierced his wrist, sending his arm flying backwards and his weapon sailing towards the ground. Vincenzo heard a roaring sound in his ear and his face felt wet. It was the last sensation he would feel. The man behind him had stumbled as he backed up, his finger had accidentally pulled the trigger, and the slug passed through Vincenzo's skull.

Tony screamed and fell backwards as Spotted Owl drove his foot into Tony's chest as he rode past. He saw a flash of light and felt a searing stab of pain and as his head struck a rock.

The man who had stumbled and shot Vincenzo turned and ran towards the mountain. The other three fled as they saw the other warriors begin their last charge.

Ryan wheeled his horse around and pulled up to where Charlie stood shaking. He dismounted and cut the rope that bound Charlie's hands. "Are you okay, Charlie?"

Charlie nodded. "I was beginning to think for a while today was my day to die."

Spotted Owl joined Charlie and Ryan, looked up towards the sky, and then down at the pair. "Our time here is over. It is time for us to ride the Wanagi Tachanku."

Charlie reached his hand towards Spotted Owl. "Farewell, Hinhan Gleška."

"Take care of our young friend. He is a special young man." Spotted Owl pointed at Ryan.

"I will care for him as if he were my own son," Charlie responded.

"It's time for us to go," Spotted Owl said to Ryan. 

The rapid staccato of gunfire erupted for a moment and then stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

---

Bill bounded up the stairs in the barn, pounded twice on the door and burst through it. 
"Ryan, get up. Walt knows where Charlie is."

Ryan and Jessi sat upright in bed as Bill appeared in the doorway. 

"I know," Ryan replied as he got of out bed. "And he's okay."

Bill looked at Ryan, then at Jessi and back at Ryan again. "What?"

Ryan had pulled his pants on, and was reaching for a shirt. "I'll tell you on the way."

---

Milt pulled off the road and stopped. He climbed out of his SUV and shone his flashlight on the ground. Tire tracks were visible where a vehicle had left the road. He turned to his deputies. "We can't go charging in there like the cavalry."

"Let me hike in a bit and see what I can see," Dave offered.

"You got your radio?" Milt asked.

Dave nodded. "Yes."

"Take my binoculars." Milt handed them to Dave. "And for Christ's sakes, be careful."

Milt turned to the other deputy. "Take Dave's truck and set up about a quarter mile back. As backup arrives, have them come in slow and quiet."

Only the ticking sound of the SUV engine cooling interrupted the pre-dawn quiet. Milt watched in the direction Dave had headed. He kept an eye on the dash mounted clock. Each minute seemed to stretch interminably. 

"C'mon, Dave, call me," Milt whispered as his eyes watched the radio. 

The radio snapped to life. "King-One, King Twelve. King Three and King Five are headed to your location."

"Ten-four." Milt responded. At last, back up was beginning to arrive. 

Just as the other units pulled in behind Milt's SUV, Dave appeared out of the darkness.

"I can see the parking lights of one vehicle and the running lights of the motor homes. I couldn't see anyone moving around. It's damned quiet."

Milt went through all the options available to him now and came to a decision. He would have liked to wait for daylight, but the sounds of gunfire not long ago had made him anxious. "Who has some of those parachute flares for search and rescue?"

"I do. I got a case of them." One of the newly arrived deputies spoke up.

"Good. Grab two or three of them and let's have a little look-see." 

The deputy and Milt followed the same path Dave had taken, staying close to the trees. They stopped where Dave had stopped. The yellow and red park lights and running lights of the vehicles were visible. The moon was getting ready to set behind the mountains and the eastern sky was still a dark grey.

"Well, what do you think?" the deputy whispered to Milt.

"I'd like to move in closer, but I don't know if that's such a good idea."

Milt pointed to two spots in the sky. "Do you think you can put a flare there, and there?"

"Don't see why not." The deputy pulled two flares from their containers. 

"Do it!" Milt ordered.

"Don't watch the flare, look down at the ground until it's lit. The flash of it going off will momentarily blind you." The deputy pulled the lanyard on the first flare.

There was a whump as the first flare sizzled skyward. The sound of the second flare launching quickly followed.

Milt looked down at the snow. The bright white light of the flare instantly lit up the area. 

They saw a man standing next to the first RV, waving, and then heard a voice. "It's me, Charlie Red Elk, come on in."

Milt closed his eyes for a moment and gave thanks. Charlie's voice was a welcome sound. He looked at his smiling deputy. "Tell them to head in, but be cautious."

The first vehicle stopped to pick up Milt and the deputy. A grisly sight awaited them. Milt could see blood on the snow, and two men down. He reached for the microphone. "Dispatch, King One. Roll medical to our location." He paused for a minute. "And you might want to call Angus Ferguson. I have a feeling we'll need the services of our County Coroner."

---

"How do you know he's okay?" Bill asked Ryan as they followed the narrow road.

Ryan looked straight out the window. "It wasn't a dream. It was as if I was part of it. I was there."

Bill felt a chill run down his back. "With the ghost warriors?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah." After a moment of silence, he added, "They're gone now."

"Gone?" 

"Spotted Owl said their purpose was done. They could pass over after tonight." Ryan felt a tinge of sadness. 

Bill fell silent. His mind traveled back to the early morning when he'd had the briefest of contact with Spotted Owl. The meeting had changed him. He couldn't begin to imagine how the Wanagi had affected Ryan.

"I know what needs to be done." Ryan interrupted Bill's reverie. 

"Done?" Bill's brows furrowed as he looked over at Ryan. "What do you mean?"

"The gold. I know what needs to be done with the gold."

"What?" 

"I want to talk to you and Charlie together."

---

"You okay, Charlie?" Milt's voice was anxious. 

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Any others?" Milt had knelt down and checked for any signs of life in the two motionless bodies.

"Yes, four of them. They headed up towards the mountain." Charlie pointed towards the dark silhouette of Baxter's Mountain. "There was another fella, but he cut outta here on foot around sunset or so."

Milt nodded. "Yeah, he ended up at Amos' place. Then Walt called me."

Charlie looked in the direction where he had last seen Norm Campbell heading. "I wondered if he wasn't trying..." 

The first two flares had burned out, plunging the area into pre-dawn darkness.

"Fire off a couple more of those flares towards the mountain and let's see what's out there." Milt felt on edge in the darkness. There were too many places a man could hide out here, and Milt didn't like the feeling of being an easy target.

Dave nodded and fired off two more flares. They illuminated the side of the mountain with the same bright light. Milt scanned the area for any signs of movement.

"Over there!" One of the other deputies pointed to a spot a few hundred yards beyond the vehicles. "Looks like three, no, make that four bodies on the ground."

"Fuck!" Milt swore under his breath. He could see this Saturday would be a long one.

"Dave, tell Sherry to get Murphy out of bed and get him out here. Tell her to call the State Police and see if we can get another crime scene team out here." He surveyed his manpower and directed three deputies to check on the four bodies lying on the snow. "Check and see if any of them are alive."

The remaining deputy was busy stringing crime scene tape around the three vehicles. Milt waited until they were out of earshot before he turned and looked at Charlie. He pointed at the arrows sticking from the tires of Vincenzo's small SUV. "Are you gonna tell me more tales about ghost riders?"

Charlie looked Milt square in the eye. "No, not tonight. I didn't see much. I was tied up in the motor home." He pointed to the RV directly behind him.

"Good." Milt shook his head. "You can tell me the whole story at my retirement party." 

The radio on his belt crackled to life. "King One, King Twelve. Walter Red Elk is at my twenty with another fellow. Want me to hold them here or send them in?"

"Send them on in," Milt responded.

"Four men, all dead." Dave had jogged back down to where Milt was standing. "There's a shit load of empty shell casings up there too."

"Move everyone back." Milt shook his head and stared at the ground. "We need to wait for the paramedics, and Angus."

Walt pulled his truck in behind Milt's SUV. He felt a sense of relief as he saw his father with the sheriff.

"It's good to see you're okay." Walt put his arms around his father and gave him a warm hug.

Norm followed Walter and looked at the scene with shock. He felt no sympathy for the two men lying on the ground. 

"My name is Norm Campbell and I'll cooperate with you totally." He extended his hand to Milt.

"I appreciate that," Milt replied as he shook the man's hand. "I'm Milt Walker, the county sheriff." He pointed to the bodies on the ground. "I've got a few questions for you."

---

"It was a hell of a mess up there," Bill commented as he took a sip of his coffee. It was early afternoon and he had just gotten home from Baxter's.

"I can imagine," Roy responded. "I'm just glad Charlie is alright."

Bill nodded. "Yeah, so am I."

"So, what's the theory on what happened?" 

"I'm not too sure. Milt was pretty tight lipped." Bill leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. "I got some hunches of my own, but from the little that Milt let slip, he seems to think there was a fight over the gold."

"What did Charlie say?"

"Charlie was sayin' less than Milt, and that's why I've got some hunches of my own." 

Roy played with his spoon on the table for a minute. "You're not thinking of trying to tell me another ghost story, are you?"

Ryan's words kept echoing in Bill's head. "It's something Ryan told me on the way out there this morning. And when we got there, he didn't seem to be the least bit surprised at what was waitin' there for us. Like he had..." Bill stopped. It was all too incredulous to believe.

"When's Ryan coming home?" 

"Walt and Charlie are going to drop him off."

The two men sat in silence, both absorbed in their own thoughts.

"I'm hungry," Bill announced out of the blue. "Do you think them women left us any pie?"

Roy grinned and looked at the fridge. "Let's have a little peek."

---

"Mr. Campbell, I'm going to have to take you into custody. There's a whole lot I need to ask you." Milt took the handcuffs off his belt. "You're not under arrest at this time." 

Norm nodded his head in understanding. "Do I need to have an attorney present?"

"That's up to you. I can't give you legal advice. At this time you're not under suspicion for any of the shootings. If during our interview I think I might consider placing you under arrest and charging you, I will stop the interview and inform you of your rights."

"I suppose I'll be spending the day in jail."

"Most likely," Milt replied. "Probably a couple of days."

Norm shrugged. "Well, come to think of it, I don't have anywhere to stay."

Milt allowed a smile to peek through his stern expression. "We'll do our best to make you comfortable." He changed his mind about the handcuffs and put them back on his belt. 

Based on the information Norm Campbell provided, a deputy was dispatched to the airport. The pilot Tony had hired was taken into custody for questioning and the plane impounded. 

In the light of day, the full magnitude of the scene was visible. Arrows were sticking out of tires and in the area of the headlights on all of the vehicles. Dark red splotches of blood stained the thin crust of snow. Outlines made in orange spray paint marked where the bodies had lain. 

"Well, Milt..." Angus Ferguson wiped his brow. "We got them all tagged and bagged. I'll be heading back into town now."

"Thanks, Angus. When do you think you'll be starting the autopsies?" Milt asked as he watched a deputy escorting Norm to one of the vehicles.

"Probably first thing Monday morning."

"Any idea how long it's going to take to get them all done?" 

"Tuesday afternoon, I think. There's not much doubt what killed five of the six. Just a matter of deciding who shot who." Angus pointed up to where the four bodies had lain. "It looks to me like those four had a shootout at close range. All the entry wounds appear to be on the front sides of their bodies."

Milt nodded. "Yeah, that's what it looks like to me too. I'll give you a call on Tuesday and see how you're making out."

Angus gave Milt a grin. "You're not coming over to watch?"

Milt cast Angus a dour look. "As much as you know how I would just love to come on over and watch, I think I'm going to have my hands full."

"I could wait until you have time," Angus joked. He knew from experience how squeamish Milt became observing autopsies. 

"That's an offer I think I'll turn down." Milt shook his head. Just the thought soured his stomach.

While Milt was talking to Angus, Ryan and Charlie walked to the creek. They stood and watched the water flowing down the side of the mountain. 

"I know what we need to do." Ryan turned to Charlie. 

Charlie nodded. "I thought you might. Especially when Spotted Owl said his work was done here."

"I want to talk to you and Uncle Bill together about my plan." 

"Okay." Charlie nodded his head in agreement. "We need to do something. Too many people know now." He knelt down on one knee and dipped his hand into the ice-cold water. "And too many people have died because of it."

"We're going to make some changes, Charlie." Ryan's eyes seemed to be looking at another place. 

Charlie watched Ryan. "Times like this, I feel like I'm just along for the ride."

Ryan turned and looked down at Charlie. "I know how you feel."




Montana Summer Ch. 16



After standing up, Charlie felt weary. He hadn't slept at all. "I'm feeling tired now. Let's go back. If Milt doesn't need me for anything else today, I think I'm going to have Walt take me home."

---

"You know more about what went on than you're telling." Jessi looked at Ryan.

Josh and Becky had just left. Ryan's parents had followed Bill and Suzanne up to bed. Just Jessi and Ryan remained up.

"I couldn't tell them everything." 

Ryan's mind went back to the last minutes when the other four riders had charged after the fleeing men. The riders rode single file through the men. The men panicked and began to fire wildly at the Wanagi. In the mayhem, they ended up shooting their companions. Ryan shivered as he saw the pale rider rising to the sky. He had reaped his bounty in the early hours of the morning. 

"Are you going to tell me?" Jessi's voice was quiet.

"If it's something you really want to hear." Ryan wrapped his arms around Jessi and kissed the tip of her nose. "I don't want there to be secrets between us, but just give me a day or two and then I'll tell you."

---

"You got a visitor," Norm looked up as the deputy opened the cell. 

The deputy held the door open and motioned for Norm to exit the cell.

"A visitor?" Norm questioned. He wondered who could possibly be coming to see him.

The deputy led him into the visiting area. "You have thirty minutes. You aren't to give anything to, or take anything from your visitor. No touching, and keep your hands in plain view, preferably on the table."

Norm was surprised to see the old man Vincenzo had taken prisoner sitting at a table in the visiting area. He walked up to Charlie and asked, "Are you here to see me?"

Charlie stood up, and extended his hand out of habit. "Yes, I thought I would come in and thank you for what you did."

"We're not supposed to touch." Norm looked at Charlie's hand as he remembered the deputy's words.

Charlie nodded and sat down. "I forgot. It's been a while since I've dropped in here. My name's Charlie Red Elk, and I probably owe you my life."

"I'm Norm Campbell. I'm just glad I was able to do something."

"Can I ask why you did it?" Charlie was curious.

"I don't know." Norm shook his head. "They were planning on killing me when my usefulness was done. I thought your life was in danger, too." Norm studied Charlie's face. He could see kindness in it. "I want you to know one thing. I'm not like those other men." He stopped for a moment. "I made some mistakes, and then some poor choices. That's how I fell in with them."

"I know about making poor choices." Charlie replied. "It's what we do with our second chance, that's what matters."

"Yeah, it looks like I might get a second chance. That's if I don't end up being charged with anything."

"I think what you did for me will go a long way. Milt says you're co-operating. That'll help a lot as well." 

"I hope so." Norm nodded. "I'll have to try a real job when this is over."

Out of curiosity, Charlie asked, "What kind of work do you do?"

"I'm a mining engineer and a geologist." Norm sighed. "Well, that's what I did before getting into this mess."

"Hmm." Charlie looked at Norm, and thought about what Ryan had said. "Would you consider moving here?"

Norm paused for a moment. "I don't know. I hadn't given it any thought."

"You think about it and I'll come back and see you again." Charlie stood up. "I have to meet my wife for lunch. She doesn't like to be kept waiting. Oh, I left some magazines and things for you with the deputies."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

---

"Do you love him?" Margaret looked at Jessi. She was pleased she had some time alone with Jessi. Suzanne had gone into town to pick up a few things. Ryan, Roy, and Bill were doing chores around the ranch.

She was glad they had come back to the ranch. It had been a long time since she had seen her husband so happy. Her pride would prevent her from telling anyone, but she was proud of what Ryan had become. Her son had found himself, discovered what he wanted to do, and had seized it. 

Jessi blushed and smiled. "Yes. I really love him."

"Are you sure?" Margaret pressed. "I want to make sure it's just not some sort of crush or passing infatuation."

"No, Ryan is my life, just as I am his." 

"Have you two talked about getting married?" 

"No." Jessi shook her head. "Not really."

"Just don't do something foolish like elope to Las Vegas. I want a proper wedding."

Jessi giggled. "My dad had the same talk with Ryan. We haven't talked about getting married. I don't think either of us wants to run off and get married. I want a real wedding, too. I want Dad to give me away." 

"I can't believe how much Ryan has changed." Margaret wondered how much the young woman sitting across from her had to do with the change.

"I know what you mean." Jessi thought back to the quiet, almost shy city boy, and what he had become. She had a hard time believing she had known Ryan for less than six months.

"He belongs here." Jessi broke the quiet pause. "Did mom show you the picture of Will and Ellen?"

"No." Margaret shook her head. "I don't believe she did."

Jessi got up from her chair and disappeared upstairs. She returned in a few minutes carrying the old photograph Ryan and Bill found while cleaning the loft in the barn.

Margaret's heart almost stopped when she looked at the picture. "Oh my God!" She looked up from the picture and stared at Jessi for a moment and then back down to the picture. "It could be you and Ryan in this picture."

"Yeah, I know." Jessi looked at the couple in the picture. "It's eerie."

---

"It's days like this that make me want to chuck my job and come back to this way of life." Roy paused and looked at the sunlight reflecting off the snow-capped mountains.

"Then why don't you?" Bill heaved the last bale of hay off the wagon.

Roy watched the white-faced Herefords gather around the hay and begin to eat. "I don't know. I don't think Margaret would go for it. And I don't want to make Ryan feel like I'm moving in on his territory."

"I don't think he'd see it that way." Bill held on to the hay wagon as Ryan began to turn the tractor around and head back to the ranch.

"Maybe in a few years I'll come back, buy a bit of land back, and play rancher."

"You'll never have to pay for a piece of land. Leastwise, any land from me." Bill put his hand on his cousin's shoulder. "This was, and always will be your home."

"Thanks, Bill, I appreciate that. Maybe I'll talk to Margaret about building a vacation home here. A place to get away to." Roy nodded as he thought about it. "Yeah, I'll think I'll run that past Margaret."

As the tractor rumbled over the pasture, the wagon bounced along with the two men laughing and talking about old times. By the time they arrived at the ranch, both men were red faced with tears rolling down their faces.

"God, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time." Bill wiped his eyes.

Ryan stopped the tractor and shut it off. He climbed down and walked back to the wagon. "Looks like you two have been having fun."

"Swapping lies from the past." Bill hopped down off the wagon and pointed toward the driveway. "Looks like Walt and Charlie."

As Walter pulled up and opened his door, Bill put his fingers in his mouth, let loose with a shrill whistle, and waved.

"Howdy!" Charlie greeted Ryan, Bill, and Roy.

"Good to see you, Charlie." Roy extended his hand.

"It's good to see you too, Roy." 

"How are you feeling?" Bill asked.

"Good. Esther's cooking and good night's sleep, that's all I needed." Charlie grinned.

Ryan stepped towards Charlie and gave him a hug. "It's good to see you."

Charlie's and Ryan's eyes locked for a moment. Ryan could see the gratitude in the older man's face.

"Did you find your horse?" Bill asked. 

"Yeah, he beat me home. Esther got up and found him standing at the gate to the corral waiting to be fed."

Ryan laughed. "Sounds like a certain horse I know around here."

"Ryan, you said you had an idea for the gold, and you wanted to talk to Bill and me together about it. I don't want to be too pushy, but I'm a bit worried. There's word all over town now about the gold."

"Well, I'll leave you three alone to discuss your business." Roy went to leave when Ryan grabbed his arm.

"No, stay, Dad. I'd like you to hear it too."

Ryan paused for a moment, and organized his thoughts. "You've already said it, Charlie. The word is out about the gold. That was the reason for Spotted Owl and the Wanagi. They were here to protect the gold until the time was right."

Charlie nodded, and understood what Ryan meant. Bill and Roy were listening intently to Ryan.

"The time is now. We need to plan on mining the gold beginning in the spring. I know some of the gold is on the ranch, and some is on reservation land. Here's what I propose. We need to set up a joint venture. Part of the money goes to the reservation in a trust, and part of it goes to the ranch."

Ryan pointed at his uncle. "You've talked to me about an idea you've had, to bring the buffalo back. I want to do that, but in a bigger way than what you thought. I want us to buy those two sections that are for sale on the other side of the creek. It's marginal pasture land for cattle, but I think it would work for buffalo."

Bill nodded. Ryan didn't know it yet, but Bill had already made an offer on the property. 

"I want to have a herd of a few hundred animals. I want to establish a breeding program where we can end up donating animals to other groups wanting to start their own program."

Charlie couldn't help but think of what Ryan had told him from the vision. "I like it. I would like to see the buffalo back."

"Charlie, you can do a lot for the people on the reservation. You're a strong leader, and I know you'll do a good job with the reservation's share of the gold."

"I'm all for it," Bill responded. "The biggest problem I see is figuring a way on getting the gold out of the creek and the ground."

"I think I might have a solution. I visited the fellow that Milt has locked up for questioning. He's a mining engineer or something." Charlie replied.

Bill smiled as he watched Ryan and Charlie. He turned and winked at Roy. "I know an old man and a boy who are going to be surprised."

Roy grinned and replied in a hushed tone. "I wish I could stick around and see it."

---

"I think this is yours." Milt passed a cell phone across the table.

Norm nodded. "Thanks."

"I've talked to the DA, and I don't think any charges are going to be brought against you. You obviously weren't around when the shooting started. You have an ironclad alibi for the period of time in question. I'd like you to stick around for a few days, but I don't want to keep you locked up."

"You've done a lot to make my stay here comfortable."

"I can put you up at a hotel at the county's expense while the investigation continues. I need your word that you won't leave town until I'm finished." Milt studied the man sitting across from him. A lifetime of experience enforcement had told him Norm Campbell wasn't a criminal.

"No, that's fine. And you have my word that I won't try to sneak out of town."

Milt called one of the deputies in to the interview room. "Take Mr. Campbell over to the hotel and get him set up there. The county will be paying for his room and meals for the next few days. If they give you any trouble, just have them call me."

Milt retreated into his office and stared at his notes. In most investigations, he would take the facts and the evidence and try to re-create what had happened. This case was different. He was trying to come up with a story that fit the clues. He had suspicions of what really happened, but he had a feeling no one would believe it.

---

"You take care, too." Kenny set his cell phone on the dash and looked out of the window of the motor home.

"Is something wrong?" Stella looked with concern at Kenny as she took her seat beside him.

Kenny shook his head as he tried to put his thoughts together.

"Who was on the phone?"

"Norm Campbell." 

"Is he okay?" 

Kenny nodded as he turned and looked at Stella. "Yeah, he's fine."

"Did he get away from Tony's men?"

A smile grew on Kenny's face. "Yes, he got away."

"That's a relief." Stella was glad Norm was safe.

"There's more." Kenny paused for a couple of seconds. "Tony's dead."

"What?" Stella's mouth dropped open.

"Yeah, him and his men. Campbell didn't know exactly what happened. He made his getaway, and found his way to a house. By the time the law got there, everyone was dead." Kenny could scarcely believe the news.

Stella shivered. "I knew something was wrong with that gold. It just seems to be bad luck."

"I tend to agree with you there." 

Another thought hit Stella. With Tony gone, there was no need for them to be hiding out on the road. She was enjoying their life together in their house on wheels. "What does this mean for us?" 

He knew what she was getting at. Kenny smiled and took her hand in his. "It can mean whatever you want it to mean."

Stella's voice got quiet. "I like what we're doing, the way we're living right now."

"So do I, I've had some thoughts over the past few days, of what we'd do if..." His words stopped for a moment. "When we thought we were safe."

"What did you come up with?" Stella was curious.

"I like this life. I was thinking of selling out to my partner. I think I've had enough of the 'high life.' I was thinking of selling the house, and a bunch of the stuff. Things I don't really need."

"And?" She liked what she was hearing and wanted to hear more.

"I don't know." Kenny shrugged. "Wander around. I do like the idea of having a place to go back to."

"Where?"

"I don't think we've found it yet. We'll know it when we find it." Kenny felt free, freer than he had ever felt before.

"I like that idea." Stella felt like she was in a dream. If she was, she didn't want to wake from it.

"In the meantime, I would like to turn around and head to Las Vegas." 

There was a bit of trepidation in Stella's voice when she asked, "What's in Las Vegas?"

Kenny turned the key and started the motor home. He turned and smiled at Stella. "Wedding chapels."

---

"Can I talk to you alone for a moment?" Roy looked at his wife. He held her coat in his hand.

"Outside?" Margaret gave him a quizzical look.

"If you don't mind."

Margaret shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not."

Roy took his wife by the hand and began to walk up the driveway towards the road. There was a chill in the afternoon air that hinted winter could be just around the corner. 

"I really love it here," Roy commented to his wife as he gazed up at the mountains.

Margaret didn't say anything. She could tell Roy had something on his mind. 

"I'd like to build a house here for us." He continued looking up at the mountains.

"You're not suggesting we move here?" Roy's statement didn't surprise Margaret. After the past few days, she had been expecting it.

"Not permanently. Like a vacation home. I'm thinking about going part time, like Ralph Wickford did last year." Roy finally turned and looked at his wife. "I want to do more with my life than just work, I want to be able to enjoy myself."

"So we'd still live in the city?" Margaret wasn't ready to give up her social life at home.

"Yes, there, and here. There is the possibility we could have grandchildren here at some time in the future. I'd like to be close to them."

Grandchildren. The notion of Ryan and Jessi having children hadn't crossed her mind. She couldn't imagine being a grandmother. "I never thought of that." 

"Where would you want to build your vacation home?" Margaret asked her husband.

"I'm not sure. I would have said the old cabin, but Bill tells me that's where Ryan wants to live."

Margaret thought about the picture Jessi had shown her. "I can see him wanting him to live there."

Roy turned around and pointed in the direction of Baxter's. "There's some great spots back up in there for a house."

"Has Ryan changed? I mean, to you, does he seem different?" Margaret changed the subject. 

"Yes," Roy answered. "He's changed a lot." He was proud of what his son had become. "For the better."

Margaret nodded. Her son had changed. She could see some of her father in him now. The same quiet confidence seemed to exude from Ryan. There was no doubt in her mind her son would become a leader. He was turning into the type of man other people liked to follow. She understood now why her father had been happy with Ryan's choice.

When Ryan entered politics, she wanted to be close, to guide him and support him. A smile grew over her face. She might get what she wanted after all. Margaret hugged her husband. "I think building a house here would be a wonderful idea."

"Really?" Roy was stunned. He hadn't expected Margaret to agree so quickly. He sensed she had an ulterior motive, but he didn't care. Victories were rare to come by with Margaret. He would gladly accept this one, no matter what strings were attached.

---

"I like it here." Josh turned to Becky. 

They had hiked up the trail behind the house. Within minutes, they were out of sight of the house. They now stood on the crest of a large hill. They could see most of the town laid out below.

Becky squeezed Josh's arm. "I love it here. After I graduate, I'd like to come back and live here."

"What do you want to do?" Josh couldn't remember Becky stating what her major was.

Becky smiled and shook her head. "I don't know. I haven't decided yet."

Josh pointed to a squat, flat-topped mountain in the distance. "Is that where...?"

"Yes, it is. You'll have to get Ryan to tell you more about it. I've never been up there. Some people think it's haunted. There's a Lakota burial site up there."

"A guy could fall in love up here," Josh mused.

Becky put her arms around his waist and looked up into Josh's eyes. "Yeah? Then kiss me."

---

Milt looked up as he heard a knock at his door. "Come in."

Angus Ferguson's head poked through the door. "Are you busy?"

"No, I was actually waiting for your call. Come in and have a seat."

"I brought the results with me. I wanted to go over with them you in person." 

Milt watched as Angus pulled a stack of files from his old-fashioned briefcase. "I thought you only carried your lunch in that thing."

Angus grinned. "Aye, that and the latest Playboy. My wife would never think to look in there."

"So what's the verdict?" Milt asked.

"Five died of trauma due to gunshot wounds. The sixth died from blunt trauma to the head, presumably from falling and his head striking a rock." Angus peered through his reading glasses. "And he would be one Mr. Antonio Scarlucci."

Angus set the file aside and opened the next one in his stack. "Mr. Vincenzo Napolinni died from a gunshot wound to the head. Single shot. He probably died instantly. We found the weapon on John Doe number four."

Milt began taking notes as Angus spoke. "What about the other four?"

"They were fingerprinted, and the prints were sent to the FBI at your request."

"Yeah, I thought they might be the people to contact based on my conversations with Phil Rivers."

Angus nodded and looked at the other files in his lap. He set them down in front of Milt. "You can read all the details for yourself. Each of the remaining four was killed by a gunshot, or gunshots. Each slug matched samples obtained from one or more of weapons retrieved at the crime scene. Bottom line, we have a weapon to match each slug retrieved. I'm confident there is no missing weapon or weapons."

"Based on my discussions with Norm Campbell, he is the only survivor of the party. And he has an alibi as to where he was at the time of the shooting."




Montana Summer Ch. 16



Angus still held one folder. "What story are you going to give to Cliffy?"

Milt leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. "The way I see it, they were getting ready to leave and a fight broke out over the distribution of the gold. A shootout ensued, fatally wounding all of those involved. I think it's a pretty open and shut case."

"Aye, it is." Angus' face was grave with concern. "I'll certainly not be arguing with you once the inquest is held." He held up the last folder. "What you do with this is your business, but I would like to talk to you about it."

"What is it?"

"I took pictures of the arrows I pulled out of that fellow who was killed a few months ago. I compared them with the ones found at the crime scene."

Milt felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He leaned forward and put his elbows on his desk. "What did you find?"

"They're identical to the ones found in the earlier case." Angus opened up the folder and showed the pictures of the arrows.

Milt shrugged his shoulders. "They could have looted one of the old burial sites."

"Aye, that's a possibility." Angus produced another photograph. It was a close up of the shaft of one of the arrows. "See those markings on the shaft? All of the Lakota put marks on their arrows so when they hunted, or went to war, they would know who could claim the kill."

Angus put photograph after photograph on Milt's desk. "Five of the arrows match the ones we pulled from that fellow. The sixth is a new one. It would lead me to believe there was at least one more person involved in this incident."

Milt tapped his pencil on the desk as he studied the photographs.

"Were there any fingerprints on the bow you found?" 

The sheriff shook his head. "No." He almost added thankfully.

Angus studied Milt's face for a minute. "You know what really happened out there, don't you?"

"No, not really." Milt was being honest.

"You have your suspicions then?" Angus raised his eyebrows.

Milt sighed and leaned across the desk. "Yes, I do. I will deny ever saying this. There are things out there which can't be explained, or proven."

Angus smiled and nodded his head. "Aye, I've heard whisperings of late about spirits in the mountains. Sane men like you and I, we don't pay much heed to tales of ghosties and things that go bump in the night." Angus winked at Milt.

He closed his briefcase. "Well, I'm off to see Cliffy. I promised I'd drop by and give him copies of the files I gave you. I seemed to have forgotten to make a copy of the seventh file though. I've probably forgotten it existed. I wouldn't remember it if it got lost."

"What day is the official inquest?"

"I think Thursday, at ten o'clock. I need to check with Cliffy. With the election only a month away, I would imagine he would be anxious to get this cleared up as soon as possible." 

"Yeah," Milt agreed. "I would, too."

Angus stood up. "You look over the files and get back to me. Like I said, I will support your conclusions at the inquiry."

After Angus had departed, Milt studied the file with the photos of the arrows. He wondered whom the arrows with the new markings belonged to. He took the folder over to the shredder. One by one, he fed the photographs into the machine. He looked at the negatives for a moment and inserted them into the shredder, too.

He scooped the shredded material from the bin, placed it in a garbage bag, and carried it back to his office. Tonight when his wood stove was burning brightly, and his wife had gone to bed, he would feed the contents of the bag into the stove and watch it disappear into oblivion.

---

Jessi sat on a bale of hay and watched as Ryan groomed Bernie. "What was it like? The other night?"

Ryan stopped brushing his horse and turned around. "It's hard to describe. It was surreal. It was like being in a dream where you had total control of your actions, and were completely aware of your surroundings."

"I'm glad Spotted Owl and the others are at rest now. I can't imagine what it was like for them, having to wait for so long." 

"I asked him about that." Ryan sat down beside Jessi. "He told me the place where they were, there was no real sense of time."

"I would have liked to have known him when he was alive." Jessi remembered when Spotted Owl touched her arm when Ryan was in the hospital. "He seemed like a kind man."

"Kind?" Ryan thought for a moment. "I guess that's one way of describing him."

"How would you have put it?" 

"I think he was a strong leader, a man who led with wisdom and compassion. I think his friends would see him as compassionate, and his enemies would see him as ruthless."

"Were you worried about getting hurt?"

"A little. Especially when they started shooting. I knew they couldn't do anything to Spotted Owl, and I knew my body was still in bed with you."

Jessi put her hand in Ryan's hand. "I wonder what would have happened if I would have tried to wake you up?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea."

She squeezed his hand and kissed him on the cheek. "All I care about is you're here and you're safe, cowboy."

Ryan grinned. "Me, too!"

"What do you think about your dad building a house around here?" 

It had been the main topic at dinner. What surprised everyone present was Margaret's apparent enthusiasm for the idea. 

"A few months ago, I would have hated the idea, but now I like it." 

"Your mom seems to have changed." 

Ryan had seen the change as well. "Yeah. I really think Dad not being your biological father had a lot to do with it."

"I think you're right." Jessi leaned her head on Ryan's shoulder. "Mom had a talk with me this morning."

"About what?" Ryan asked.

"She wasn't too happy about Dad catching me in bed with you the other morning."

"I wondered if anything was going to be said about that." Ryan put his arm around Jessi.

"She said although we were both technically adults, and can do what we want, she would prefer we show a bit more discretion."

Ryan couldn't help but chuckle. "Neither of us expected your dad to come barging into my bedroom at four in the morning."

"I just sat there with my mouth open." 

"Are you going to 'sneak' up tonight?" Ryan looked into Jessi's eyes as he kissed her.

"You know it, cowboy!" Jessi returned his kiss. "It's my last night here."

---

Charlie was exhausted. His wife was playing bingo with Walter's wife at the community center, and the house was quiet. The tribal council had called an impromptu meeting to discuss the news of the gold.

A quick knock came at the door and Walt peered in. "Meeting over?"

"Come in. Yeah, it's over." It took a considerable amount of self restraint for Charlie not to add thank god.

Walter poured himself a cup of coffee before joining his father at the table. "Well, how did it go?"

"A little rocky at first, but in the end, I think it went well." 

"Oh, yeah?"

Charlie nodded. "Some of them had visions of striking it rich. And some of them were suspicious of Ryan's plan, thinking he was out to cheat us."

"That's not likely." Walter scoffed at the idea as he took a sip of his coffee.

"No, it's not." Charlie looked at his son.

"Do you think they might be more accepting of him after the Hunka ceremony?"

"I'm hoping they will. I want them to see his sincerity about our history and our way of life." 

"Too bad we already hadn't performed the ceremony. Some people might say he is doing this because of the gold," Walter speculated.

"There is nothing we can do about people like that. It shows their feelings and judgment is being blinded by the gold. This is our big chance, Walter. We can make a difference in people's lives. We can use it so our young people get the education they need. There's a lot we can do to make the community better."

Walter studied his father for a moment. "It's a big responsibility."

"Yeah, it is. It's going to be a lot of work. Money doesn't make life easier, it makes it more complicated." Charlie paused for a moment. "There's going to be a vacancy on the tribal council in January. I want you to run for the position."

"Me?" Walter laughed. "Who'd vote for me?"

"A lot of people. You're well respected."

"Why would I want to be on the council?" 

"I want you to think about becoming chief when I retire. Being on the council will be good experience for you."

Walter laughed again. "You? Retire? That's a good one."

"Yes. I've been thinking more and more about it. Now that we are going to be mining the gold, it's going to take a younger man, a stronger man."

Walter realized his father was serious. The laugh disappeared from his voice. "You are a strong leader. Probably the best we've seen in many years. I don't know if I'm the man for the job─if I were elected, that is."

"You are the right man, Walter. Just trust in yourself."

"I'll think about it," Walter promised. "When are you planning on retiring?"

"Probably within the next year or two, depending on how things go."

"What do you plan on doing after you retire?"

"Enjoy life, enjoy my grandchildren."

Walter chuckled. "You don't have any grandchildren."

Charlie nodded. "I know. That was a hint."

---

Ryan glanced at the clock. It was past the time Jessi should have been here. He was beginning to wonder if she was going to be able to sneak out of the house when a light knock sounded at the door.

His face lit up when the door opened and Jessi appeared. "I was beginning to get worried you weren't going to be able to make it."

Jessi shook her head. "My mom and your mom were still talking, so I decided to take a shower and by the time I was done, they had gone to bed."

"Do you think they know?"

"That I was planning on coming out here to be with you?" Jessi giggled for a moment. "I think they know. They just don't want us to make it too obvious."

Jessi removed the coat she was wearing over top of her pajamas, sat down beside Ryan, and leaned against him. "I've been looking forward to this all day."

Ryan wrapped his arm around her shoulder and hugged her tight against him. "So have I."

She felt warm with his arm around her, in both her body and soul. Her conversation with Ryan's mother came back to her. This was the feeling she had tried to convey earlier in the afternoon.

"I love you, cowboy." Her voice was as soft as new-fallen snow.

Ryan hugged her tighter and touched her face with his free hand. "I love you, too." He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. 

"What do think our future is?" Jessi looked into Ryan's eyes as if she were searching for the answer there.

"That we'll get married," Ryan replied without any hesitation.

"Is it what you want?"

"More than anything else." 

Jessi smiled and kissed Ryan. "That's the answer I wanted to hear."

"What about you?" Ryan asked. "Is it what you want?"

No words came from Jessi's mouth, her face gave Ryan the answer he wanted. Finally, she whispered, "I can't imagine wanting anything else."

"When?" Ryan asked.

"Yesterday," Jessi answered.

Ryan's face glowed with love and happiness. "Yeah, sounds good to me, too."

"I think we should wait until we are both done with school, though. If nothing else, it should convince my parents and yours that we're serious." Jessi held her breath and waited for Ryan's response.

"It seems like such a long time, but I think it's the right thing for everybody. Especially us." Ryan paused for a moment and kissed Jessi again. "It's not like we are going to be apart for four years."

Jessi kissed him back and whispered, "Take me to bed now."

Ryan stood up, scooped Jessi off the couch, and carried her to his bed. As he laid her down, he smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."

---

"Josh is taking me to meet his parents tomorrow night." Becky looked up from her books.

"Wow!" Jessi put her pencil down on her notebook. "This must be getting serious. You've taken him home to meet your folks, and now you're going to get to meet his."

Becky let out a small grin. "I think he likes me as much as I like him. I wouldn't exactly call it serious though."

"I know he likes you a lot." Jessi laughed. "I somehow think it's a bit more serious than you are letting on."

Becky's face turned a light shade of pink. "Well, I hope it is. Tell me what you think, and be honest. Do you think he's the right guy for me?"

"I think you're the only one who knows for sure," Jessi sat back in her chair and studied her best friend for a moment. "If you want my opinion, I think he's the perfect guy for you."

The sound of Becky's cell phone ringing interrupted the conversation. 

"Look, he called an hour ago, and he's calling again," Jessi teased.

"No, it's Mom." Becky looked at the caller ID on the phone. "Hi Mom."

Jessi watched as Becky's eyes grew wide. "No way!"

Becky's hand went to her mouth as she gasped, "Oh, my God!"

From the look on Becky's face, Jessi knew whatever the news was, it had to be juicy. She whispered, "What is it?"

Becky held up one finger and mouthed the words, "Hold on."

"Wow! So when..." Becky nodded her head as she listened to her mother.

"Yes, I will definitely call." Becky looked at Jessi and grinned. "I love you too, Mom, and tell Dad that I love him."

"Well? What is it?" Jessi was almost bouncing up and down on her chair.

"I can't believe it." Tears began to flow down Becky's face. "I'm going to be an..." She stopped and her smile got wider. "We're going to be aunties. Stan called Mom to tell her Lindsey's pregnant!"

"Aunties? Us?" Jessi squealed with delight, jumped up from her chair, and gave Becky a hug. "Are they going to get married?"

"Yes! Mom isn't sure when because they haven't set a date yet, but the baby is due in May. They might wait until after the baby is born."

---

The inquest into the death of the six men began promptly at ten a.m. on Thursday morning. 

"Have you determined a cause of death for all six of the individuals?" Cliff Thomas, the district attorney, directed his question to Angus Ferguson, the county coroner.

"Yes, I have." Angus pointed to a diagram he had made on a marker board, which indicated where all the bodies were found. "Antonio Scarlucci was killed by blunt force trauma to the head. This occurred when his head struck a rock on the ground. A large bruise was found on his chest which indicated that he was likely struck by a blow which caused him to fall backwards."

Angus referred to his notes. "The cause of Vincenzo Napolinni's death was a gunshot to the anterior portion of his skull. The bullet exited the front of his skull and was recovered at the scene. This bullet matched the gun found on the person of Eugene Kuzsko."

"Two more bullets matching the gun used by Mr. Kuzsko were found in the chest of Paulo Antonetta and caused his death. One bullet was found in the abdomen, and two more in the chest of Mr. Kuzko, these bullets matched the gun found in the hand of Alfonse Rickard."

Angus took a drink of water and continued. "One bullet was retrieved from the skull of Alfonse Rickard, and it was from the gun found next to Gaston Garabaldi. Three bullets were found in the chest of Mr. Garabaldi, and were from the gun found next to Mr. Antonetta."

"On what basis did you determine which bullet came from what gun?"

"I had the sheriff provide samples of bullets fired from each gun and compared them to the bullets removed from each of the deceased," Angus replied.

Cliff referred to the yellow legal pad in front of him. "Were your results confirmed by anyone else?"

"Yes, images were taken and forwarded to the crime laboratory in Missoula where all of my findings were confirmed, and a copy of their report was sent to your office."

"Will the physical evidence be sent out for verification?"

Angus nodded. "Yes, Milt said he has talked to the FBI in Denver and they will perform another test to confirm my results."

"Thank you, Angus, that's all I have for you." Cliff turned in his chair. "Okay, Milt. We'll hear from you next."

After being sworn in, Milt sat down in the chair across from Cliff and opened a folder.

"How did you happen to be at Baxter's Mountain on the morning of the killings?"

"I received a call from Walter Red Elk. He had information that Charlie might in the vicinity of Baxter's Creek, and his life could be in danger."

Cliff checked off a question in his notes and looked back up at Milt. "What happened when you got to Baxter's Creek?"

"We stopped about a mile short of the turnoff. I was waiting for more backup to arrive when we heard a large volume of gunfire. We then proceeded to the turnoff and began to reconnoiter the area."

"What did you find when you arrived at the scene?"

"Six dead men, and Charlie Red Elk."

"What is your professional opinion as to what happened?"

"Based on the information provided by Norm Campbell, we believe a fight broke out over the stolen gold, and a gun battle ensued."

"What leads you to believe there was a gun battle?"

"A total of one hundred and twenty empty shell casings were retrieved at the crime scene," Milt answered.

"Did you find any evidence which would lead you to believe that any other person or persons were involved?"

"No." Milt shook his head. "No evidence was found at the scene which would lead us to believe there was anyone else involved. This is corroborated by information obtained from Charlie Red Elk and Norm Campbell."

"One more question. Angus mentioned you have coordinated with the FBI office in Denver to look at the bullets to confirm his findings. Can you tell us the status of their investigation."

"The bullets have arrived in Denver, and I'm told they should have results back to us by early next week."

"That's all I have for you, Sheriff." The district attorney referred to his notes for a moment before calling Charlie's name.

"Tell us what happened in your own words on the morning in question."

"They had my hands tied, and while they were packing up, I must have fallen asleep. I woke up when I heard the gunfire. I didn't know who was shooting at who, so I ducked down to the floor. The two guys that were in the motor home went outside. A short time later, I heard some yellin' and then a short time later, some more gunfire. It got quiet after that, and I finally got up from the floor and went outside. Milt and his deputies showed up a few minutes later." Charlie and Milt exchanged knowing glances for a moment.

"So, to the best of your knowledge, there were no other individuals at the scene at the time of the shooting?"

Charlie shook his head. "No, I didn't see anyone else."

It was Norm Campbell's turn to testify. His testimony took up the rest of the morning. He provided details on the makeup of the group, and backed up Charlie's statement that no other individuals involved.

"There's no sense in continuing these proceedings," Cliff announced as he looked up from his yellow legal pads. "I accept Angus' findings in this matter and declare the investigation closed."

---

"Can I buy you lunch, Charlie?" Milt caught up to the older man in the parking lot.

"I'm always available for a free lunch," Charlie replied. "Walt probably won't be here to pick me up for another hour or so."

"What do you plan doing about the gold?" Milt inquired as the two men walked down the sidewalk together.

"I think we're going to start mining it in the spring. Bill and Ryan have talked to me about it. I've talked to Mr. Campbell, and he is willing to move here and help us."

"He seems like a decent fellow." Milt held the café door open for Charlie.

"Yeah, I think so, too."

The eatery was full with the lunchtime crowd. When Charlie and Milt walked in together, the buzz of the conversation dropped noticeably. They found an empty booth near the back and sat down. 




Montana Summer Ch. 16



Milt took off his Stetson hat and placed it on the seat beside him. He pointed towards the front of the restaurant and leaned towards Charlie. "You know most of them have their ears waggin' in our direction hopin' to pick up on a tidbit."

Charlie chuckled. "I imagine the rumors are flowing hot and heavy."

"Yeah." Milt agreed. "I'm glad you've decided on mining the gold. Too many people know about it by now, and with each day more and more people are going to hear about it."

"That's pretty much how we had it figured too." Charlie stopped talking as the waitress came over to take their order.

After she left, Charlie continued. "We had a council meeting the other night. We're going to start having someone keep an eye on the creek."

Milt nodded. "Good. I'm going to make sure my guys patrol out there at least once a day for the next little while."

"I don't think we'll have much of a problem once the snow really comes and the cold weather sets in." Charlie took a drink from the cup of coffee the waitress had left.

"I'm damned glad this whole thing is closed now, and even happier that Cliff didn't ask any questions about those damned arrows."

"Did he know about them?" Charlie asked. "I was sort of surprised myself."

Milt gave a sly grin. "Well, there was no mention of them in the report I sent over, and I don't think Angus mentioned them either."

"What about your deputies? Did they have any thoughts as to how they got there?"

Milt lowered his voice. "They think the arrows came from one of the burials, and one of the dead hoods used them to stop the others from leaving. I didn't say anything to discourage their theory." 

Charlie smiled and took another drink of his coffee. "Hopefully those arrows will get lost somehow."

"What arrows?" Milt winked at Charlie.

Milt knew he was breaking the law when he had gone into the evidence vault and removed the box containing the arrows. His initial plan had been to burn them, but he had been unable to bring himself to destroy them. Instead, he had stashed the arrows in the large gun safe in his basement.

"You won't have to worry about finding them anymore. They're gone now." 

Milt cocked his head and looked at Charlie. "What do you mean, gone?"

"Their job is done. I guess they were here to watch over the gold until the time was right. They've crossed over. Their spirits are at rest now." 

"How do you know?" Milt was curious.

"I can't tell you, at least not right now. You might not want to know." 

Milt stared at Charlie for a minute or two. "After I retire, you and I are going to have to go camping for a week or two in the mountains."

Charlie nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. I would enjoy spending some time camping and fishing with you."

---

Ryan left his books on the seat of his truck and headed straight to the house. The kitchen was warm and cheery. The aroma of supper cooking greeted him as he walked in the door.

"Smells good in here." Ryan sat down at the table. "Where's Uncle Bill?"

Suzanne turned from the stove. "Hello, Ryan. He had to go over and give Frank a hand with something."

Ryan picked up the newspaper sitting in front of his uncle's chair and laughed. "Hey, this paper is only a week old."

"That man and his newspaper. You don't dare throw them out until they are at least six months old, and then he's still going to complain there was an article in it he was meaning to read." Suzanne set a cup of coffee in front of Ryan and sat down at the table.

"Oh, your mom called." Suzanne suddenly remembered. "She wanted me to tell you they got home last night, but it was too late to call."

"Wow!" Ryan smiled. "Mom called here. That's a first."

"Yes, it certainly was. You know, Ryan, when you and Jessi started all this DNA stuff, I was worried. I thought you two were going somewhere you didn't need to go. I was wrong and I'm glad you did it. Your dad and your uncle are now like they were twenty years ago, and your mom too."

Ryan looked up at his aunt. "I know, I don't think I've ever seen Mom so happy or so relaxed."

"Ryan, I'm glad they are planning on building a small place here to come to. I hope you are as well."

"I am. I think it's a good thing. I don't think I've ever felt as close to my parents as I did this weekend."

Suzanne's face glowed with happiness. "I'm happy to hear that, Ryan."

"So am I." Ryan sat back in his chair and thought for a moment. "It seems like all is right with the world now."

Suzanne couldn't agree more. She had felt the same the way for the past few days. Even her apprehension over Ryan and Jessi's relationship had disappeared.

She looked at the stove and then at the clock. "I guess we'll go ahead and start eating without your uncle since there's no telling when he'll get home. I'll warm him up some supper when he gets here."

There was no argument from Ryan; he had been ready for supper since midway through the afternoon.

---

Norm Campbell stared at his cell phone. He took a deep breath and pressed the send key and waited for someone to answer the ringing phone. 

"Hello." Norm was relieved it was his estranged wife who answered and not his mother.

"Debbie, it's me." Norm hoped she would at least hear him out.

"Yes?" Her tone was definitely frosty.

"I want to sell the house."

"Why are you calling me about this? I think it would be best if you have your attorney contact my attorney."

"Don't you want to at least know why I'm selling the house?" This conversation wasn't going the way Norm had hoped.

"Not really. You probably owe some gambling debts." 

Norm closed his eyes at the bite of her words. "No, that's not it. I haven't placed a bet in a couple of months now." He wanted to add that the ordeal of the past week had cured him of gambling, but thought it best to keep his adventure quiet for the moment.

"Okay, so why are you selling the house?" There was the slightest hint of a thaw in her voice.

"I've got a job─in Montana, I'm moving as soon as I get everything in the house packed up and put on the market." 

"How long is this job supposed to last?" Debbie was all too familiar with some of Norm's jobs that lasted only a matter of weeks.

"I'm going to be honest. I don't really know. I'm going to be running a very small gold mining operation. It could last for quite a while. It all depends on how deep the vein goes."

"Why are you telling me all this?" 

Norm detected a little more warmth in his wife's voice. "I was hoping we could give it another try."

"I don't..."

"I know we can't just pick up where we were. I realize it's going to take time, and I'm willing to take that time," Norm interrupted.

"Alright, Norm, I'm at least willing to listen to what you have to say. I want you to know one thing. I'm never going to put our daughter in a situation like you had us back in Denver again. She deserves better than that, and damn it, Norm, so do I."

Norm closed his eyes against the burning of impending tears. "I know. All I can do is say I'm sorry and prove it with my actions." He looked at the small calendar on the desk of the hotel room. "What about if you and Kate came out here for Thanksgiving? That would give me time to get the house cleared out, up for sale, and find a place to live here?"

"Norm, let me think on it. I don't want to get Kate's hopes up only to have them dashed."

"That's all I can ask for. Can I talk to her?"

"She's in bed right now." Debbie's voice softened a bit more. "Why don't you call tomorrow afternoon, maybe I'll have an answer for you then as well."

"I will." Norm smiled. "One more thing, Debbie."

"Yes?"

"I love you." Norm held his breath. 

"Norm, you know I love you, too. That's never been the issue."

After the call was over, Norm lay on the bed with his hands behind his head. It had gone better than he hoped. At least she was talking to him. There was a long way to go, but at least they were talking.

---

The early winter wind blew cold across the South Dakota prairie. An old man watched as the fire he had started hours ago slowly died down. Soon, it would be time. He studied the sky with knowing eyes and then trudged the few hundred yards back to his house. It was time to get ready.

Nathan Two-Horse had fasted for more than a day in preparation for his sweat. He removed the blue jeans and western shirt of the White Man and donned a pair of buckskin breeches and a homespun shirt. 

He would seek a vision tonight. Nathan had been in contact with Charlie Red Elk and had asked him to come to Montana and preside over a Hunka ceremony. Nathan had agreed and was surprised the young man was a wašicun, a young white man. 

He could find no written record of a white man being made Hunka, and none of the other elders could recall a white man taking part in the ceremony. Nevertheless, there was no reason to believe it couldn't be done. Nathan trusted Charlie's judgment. Tonight he would seek a vision─guidance from the spirits.

---

Bill McFayden paced along the length of the corral. He reminded Ryan of a nervous father-to-be in the waiting room of a maternity ward. Ryan couldn't believe his ears when Bill had told him of the impending arrival of a bull and some cow bison. 

"I wanted it to be a surprise for you, and for Charlie, too." Bill's face beamed with joy. Bill had been planning this day for weeks. An ad in a magazine had led to a phone call, and the acquisition of the bison.

Ryan had immediately called Charlie and invited him and Walter to the ranch to witness the arrival of the buffalo.

Ryan turned to Charlie. "I don't think he's excited at all."

Charlie nodded. "I have to admit, I didn't get much sleep last night. I was up early and waiting for my ride to arrive."

"Yeah, I'll say he was up early. He called me at four a.m. to see if I was ready to go." Walter feigned a yawn and took a sip of his coffee.

"I wonder where he is." Bill looked at his watch for about the fortieth time in the last five minutes.

"Oh, probably still in bed," Ryan joked. 

"Well, he said he'd be here by eight." Bill checked his watch again.

"What time is it? Eight-oh-four?" Ryan winked at Charlie.

"No, it's eight-oh-six." Bill rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Shows how much you know." 

"Here he comes now." Walter pointed to a truck pulling a livestock trailer coming up the road.

Bill checked his watch again and grinned. "And it's about damned time, too!"

Ryan and Bill had spent the past week expanding the corral to make room for what Bucky was hauling in his truck. 

"This is a great day," Charlie's normally stoic face showed the emotion that was in his words.

As Bucky pulled into the driveway, Bill waved and pointed to where he wanted the truck backed up. The gate to the corral was wide open and the four watched as Bucky backed the truck up to the exact spot.

"Mornin', Pilgrims!" Bucky chuckled as he climbed down from the cab of the truck.

"Pilgrims? Who the hell are you talking to? You're the one who's late!" Bill quipped as he shook Bucky's hand.

"Charlie, Walt." Bucky grinned as he shook their hands. "I expect you're about as excited as Bill and Ryan are."

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, I was just sayin' that this is a great day."

"Enough of this chin waggin'." Bill slapped Bucky on the back. "There'll be enough time for jawin' once we get this truck unloaded. I want to see what my sixteen thousand dollars got me." Bill looked at Ryan. "Well, what it got us."

"Let's get at it then. I haven't had my breakfast yet, so the sooner we get this truck unloaded, the sooner I can try to impose on your gorgeous wife and your hospitality for something to eat." Bucky pulled down the ramp to the hauler.

Bill picked up a hammer and banged on the side of the hauler. "Rise and shine."

Eight female bison followed by a bull made their way down the ramp and into the corral. They sniffed at the feed and began to eat almost immediately.

Ryan was filled with awe as he watched the shaggy beasts. 

Charlie fought back his emotions. He was seeing something he had thought impossible— he was witnessing the return of the buffalo. He turned to Bill. "I can't find the words right now. Thank you doesn't seem to be enough."

---

Charlie's thipis was set up next to the community center for the ceremony. The smell of beef cooking on the large spit over an open fire covered the entire village. There was an air of excitement in the small settlement. First would come the ceremony. Then the celebratory supper and dance in the hall would immediately follow.

All was ready. With Charlie's blessing, a nugget from the illegally mined gold was now a part of each gift that Ryan would give to each person in the village. For the men, he had placed a new knife, ceremonial tobacco, and a new blanket in a bag. The women would receive a new set of cookware, a roll of ribbon, and a new blanket.

In preparation for the ceremony, Charlie led Ryan around the village. Three red stripes on Charlie's right cheek extended from his forehead to his chin. All of the older men gathered at the place of the ceremony wore the same red stripes on their faces. Some were naked from the waist up, their torsos painted in the same red color.

Nathan Two-Horse wore a bear robe. He had seen the spirit of the bear during his vision. The strength of the dream had left him almost breathless by the time it was over. 

Ryan's hands were bound like a captive and he was placed inside the thipis. The shaman emerged from the lodge and announced. "Is there anyone here who wishes to save this young wašicun?"

Becky and Jessi were standing off to the side with Jessi's parents. She whispered to Jessi, "Aren't you going to save him?"

Jessi poked Becky in the ribs. "Shh! I'll 'save' him later."

Charlie stepped forward. "I will save Ihanbla Mato." He used the Lakota name he had bestowed upon Ryan, which translated to Dreamer of Bears.

Nathan Two-Horse nodded. "Very well, the ceremony will begin."

Ryan stood where the shaman told him to. The altar made of earth was in front of him, and the small meat rack was to his left. He recognized many of the objects from his dreams and from the explanations Charlie had given him over the past weeks.

Faded red stripes adorned a buffalo skull on the altar. Charlie had explained red was a strong color, and it was the color of the sun. The meat rack was painted blue, the color of the sky. The mysterious ear of corn chosen by Nathan in a secret ceremony sat beside the buffalo skull. It was striped with red and blue, and signified the food that came from the ground.

Tatanka, or the buffalo, was considered hunka as it shared its meat with the Lakota. The skull represented the food which came from the buffalo.

Only the Hunkayapi were allowed in the lodge. The musicians sat along the edge of the  thipis and began to play their drums and sing. After everyone was seated, Nathan entered the  thipis. The shaman's assistant took two long wands and began to apply blue paint to the shafts. Long tufts of horsehair sprouted from one end, and each was decorated with eagle feathers. After the wands had been painted, the assistant began to shake the horsehair wands over the spectators, one by one. Once he had finished up with Ryan, the assistant handed the wands to the shaman.

Ryan watched as Nathan filled a long ceremonial pipe with tobacco. The pipe was handed to Ryan, along with a burning stick from the fire. Ryan took a couple of puffs of the acrid tasting tobacco and passed the pipe to Charlie, who then passed it to the assistant.

Nathan was the last to smoke the pipe. He handed the pipe back to assistant. "The Grandfather, the Father, and the Sons are with us in this lodge. We have smoked in communion and the Mediator has gone up to the White God. I will now make the sacred smoke to drive away the evil spirits."

The assistant adjusted the buffalo skull on the altar. Nathan waited until he was finished and filled his pipe with a mixture of the bark of the red willow and tobacco. In an earlier ceremony, the shaman blessed the tobacco mixture. The assistant placed some coals from the fire on the fire stick, and pushed the stick into the earth altar to make the spirit fire. Nathan used one of the coals from the fire stick to light his pipe.

Nathan faced the altar and addressed the buffalo skull. "Grandmother, you have taken the horns from this skull. The wakanka of this buffalo still watches for the dawn. These horns we will honor." 

Ryan watched as Nathan lit the pipe and listened to him address the skull again, "Hunka of the buffalo, this meat was yours, but you gave it to us. If there is a portion of it that you want, tell us and we will give it to you."

The shaman opened a small pouch and began to sprinkle it over the meat, which hung on the small rack. "My preparations are good and they make this meat sacred."

Nathan handed a wisp of sweet-grass to his assistant who crushed it in his hand and sprinkled it over the spirit fire. 

As the air filled with the incense of the sweet-grass, Nathan looked up, "White God, favor us on this day. West Wind, keep the Winged One in your camp this day. Sun, we beg you to keep Iktomi and Anog Ite from this camp this day.

"Ihanbla Mato and all Hunkayapi are present here today. I am Nathan Two-Horse, shaman of the Oglala Lakota. I have traveled many miles to be with my Lakota brothers. For many years, I have studied and observed the old ways. My magic is strong and is right."

He looked at Ryan and Charlie. "This is an old and sacred ceremony. Once you are Hunka, you must follow the ways your Ate has taught you. I know how to wave the horsetails as our ancestors did. I will do this now. The young people forget how to do this."

"This young man desires to be Hunka. I will make him a Hunka as our ancestors were made to be Hunkayapi. The Sun looks on us and the Wind is pleased. The Wolf has gone to the hills. The Earth and the Rock and the Buffalo are in this lodge. They will help me make this young man a Hunka."

Nathan emptied his piped onto the ceremonial chopping board, and handed it to his assistant who then placed the refuse from the pipe into the spirit fire. It would be a sacrilege to empty the contents of the pipe on the ground.

After refilling the pipe and relighting it, Nathan walked to the door of the lodge and raised the mouthpiece towards the sun. "Mihunka, we will bring you a grandson this day."

Returning to his seat, Nathan handed his assistant some more sweet-grass for the spirit fire and then addressed Ryan. "Today I will make you Hunka. I will teach you how to live as a Hunka. These men whose bodies are painted red are Mihunka, they will tell you of the Hunkayapi. When they speak, let your ears be open."

Walter was the first one to speak. "To be Hunka is to be brothers. Once you and I are Hunka I will see you as my brother. It is a sacred obligation you are taking on. My father will become your father, and my mother will become your mother. You will be brother to all Hunkayapi. If they have no food, you will give them your food. If they have nothing for their feet, you will give them your moccasins. If they have no coat to keep them warm from the winter wind, you will give them yours. If they need help, you will go and help them. A true Hunka owns nothing, but has everything that his brothers have."