(I can only apologize for the lateness of this chapter: My health does and always will come first... Many, many Thanks for those folks that follow me and comment on my tales. The last chapter is near written and will be posted in the next two weeks... After that, We will see. Again, My deep appreciation for your patience and understanding.)
Debra Ann had become near pleasant to the ranch hands around the L & L west ranch, though many of them barely understood English. Luis had been short with her those first days after returning from the main ranch and Lucas Blake's ask to have them stay away from the main ranch until after his return.
Luis was slow coming around as he saw what she were trying to do, even pleased with her often-shared smiles and an occasional open hook or button here er there.
It was after their first week being home while she were clearing the dinner table that he'd asked her to join him on their small porch.
When she did, she set in her rocker and him in his high-backed chair. She was special pleased a glass bottle of his brought all the way from Old Mexico tequila set the small table. His favored heavy cup, near full, was at his side and one of her own china cups rested half-filled on her side of the table. She smiled but held her tongue until he started taking soft as he looked at her.
"You have right to know about the past and what brought that pretty boy Blue here."
He held her eyes, maybe waiting for her to say something. When she didn't, he started again.
"That first year after we left home were hard on my brother Mateo n me. We had nothin' but a double-bladed axe n a wide bladed knife, the clothes on our back and that family bible n rosary. There'd been many a hungry night after a long day's work then n most that winter. I do believe Mateo hated it more then I did if that were possible. But we stayed, sometimes him lettin' me eat all that we gatheret or snared. The long comin' spring brought ol' Black Sam to us."
Her husband slow swallowed some from his cup. Debra Ann did the same as she held her husbands troubled eyes.
"Sam were a long-time mountain man; a mulatto freed by his father to a tinker that knew his trade well but lovet his liquor. Fact that Sam favored his mother with his dark skin and negro features solved his father's problem, but not so much Sams. After a few hard years, he simply walket off during one of the tinkers' binges. He was a good man that jist walked away from the hatred folks more often then not sent in his direction. He shared his jerked meat n what he had left of sugar n flour n salt from the winter. He callet his brown n black, broke-eared pack mule Geraldine."
Debra Ann's face soured as she again drank her tequila, mostly for Luis's sake. She kinda liked the burn and growing warmth it sent deep in her belly. She favored Lucas's Lernids, but as a lady she never said so. Both were far better than Luis Tee's harsh homemade liquor.
"For whatever reason, Sam took a likin' to Mateo n started callin' him Buck. He stayed with us a good month n a half er two, teachin' us how to use his traps, make better snares and Buck to shoot his long gun. I swear we each added thirty pounds and growed near an inch during that time. He had us hard workin' on the beaver we trapped. Once we learnet the how to's, we both started worked the trap lines near every day. We skinned those pot lickers, scrapet and slow dried their hides near a low fire, all the time listenin' to tales 'bout Sam's past n the comin' Rocky Mountain Rendezvous. Ol' Sam hunted elk n deer, even bringin' a bear home: draggin' 'em back to us to skin n ready their hides. Like I said before, we both ate well durin' that time."
Luis drained the half-left cup of tequila, refilled it before starting again.
"It seemet a lot quicker then it were and he started packin' for the last leg of his add-vent-chure as he called it. Day before he left, he asket if Mateo n me wanted to tag along. Not havin' much we were ready in a snap of a squirrel's tail."
Debra Ann looked to her teacup n her husband went to half fill it again. She was feeling it, warming her in the coming cool night air.
"Ol' Sam taught us how to pick out a landmark in the far-off in the direction we were headin' n head straight towards it, keepin' an eye behind us markin' another spot that were in line to home. Two weeks it took us. There were maybe fifty, sixty folks: Traders, mountain men, whores; even some Indians, though I didn't know the difference 'tween 'em then. The Indians had some horses n buffalo hides... Even some fox n raccoon; most anything that had a thick, smooth coat they could trade."
Luis looked at his wife and then about before reaching over to run his hand over the top of her thigh. Debra Ann liked it but had to wonder some.
"Finish your telling Old Man."
She half smiled.
"Black Sam made us a deal a day before the Rendezvous endet. He'd winter with us giving us some traps of our own, his old long gun for Buck and a wide bladed steel knife for me. He'd even bought a big ol' used cooking pot for the cabin to sweeten the deal."
Luis ran his eyes over his wife, resettled in his chair and began again.
"The followin' Spring, some weeks after Black Sam got the itch n left, Mateo told me to do somethin'... I can't for the life of me remember what it was. Well, I took offense. Harsh words were said n when Buck begun shoutin' n actin' like our Pa, I hit 'em hard as I could. As he laid there on that dirt floor, I made my decision and lit out. We never saw each other again".
Debra Ann looked into her husband's eyes. She saw his hurt. So, slow moving around the table, she settled in his lap and wiggled her bottom a bit slipping her hand inside her open shirt. The hurt in his eyes changed to need; she wanted some comfort too. A flash of a wide smile under blue eyes n her ready-to-harvest wheat colored hair slid easy onto her face. She lifted Luis's hand n put it on her breast.
"You gonna be able to finish what you start Luis?"
He slow shook his head.
"Only thing I can promise is I want you more than anything in this world Debra Ann.
I been hard on you these last days, right or wrong, but what's done is done. That's all bygones now."
He kissed his wife soft, leaned back a bit and half smiled as he held her eyes.
"Maybe if I took you from behind and lookin' out our bedroom window."
His smile widened some as she slow stood up and took his hand.
"You hoping one of the hands will see what belongs to you naked and doing her wifely duties with her tired old fool of a husband?"
Luis wet his lips.
"Er even two maybe."
Debra Ann soft smiled.
"Then we should leave the curtains open some and the oil lamp burning low."
Luis Tee felt the tightening below. He didn't like the thoughts that ran through his mind much, but loved the feeling of his pecker twitching like it were. Pulling Debra Ann's mouth to his, he kissed her hard and deep. His wife tugged at his tightening nipple.
Breaking the kiss, she looked up him.
"And if one of the hands see us Mr. Tee?"