Independence 3

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This is historical fiction - with the naughty parts included. It's entertainment. If you want to know more (which, quite honestly, I hope this tale encourages), search the facts out for yourself.

~~~

We left Scott's Bluff and had a good day. We made almost 20 miles, nobody got sick, and nobody died. Spirits seemed to be improving as the graves got farther and farther behind us.

I made my way up the side of the wagon train each day, checking in with folks, offering what advice or information that I could, and (of course) letting the kids ride on Slowpoke. He'd always been pretty good-natured but he seemed to be more patient with the kids than lots of other animals that I'd seen.

Edna and Ruth weren't the only ones that would clasp his muzzle in their hands and kiss him on the nose. I swear he smiled at them when they did it.

Slowpoke and Tolliver had a game where the boy would pretend to not realize the horse was standing right behind him. Jasper's boy would stand with his arms crossed in front of him, staring straight off to the horizon, as Slowpoke snorted and whickered right behind his head. Finally, the horse would lower his head, press the top of his snout up under the boy's rump, and then raise his head - launching Tolliver a foot or two into the air. Tolliver would land on his feet, turn around and give a big gasp of surprise like he'd just realized his equine pal was there, and then he'd give the horse affectionate scratches on his forehead and muzzle.

That evening, after dinner - and checking down the line with all of my wagons - Lydia came to see me again. Virgil started to get up when he saw her coming.

"You're fine," she told him.

"I don't need to be the third wheel," he replied.

"I'm just here to visit," she explained.

He finally sat. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"I wouldn't say 'no' to a kiss...," she said, grinning shyly.

I stood to my feet, hugged her, and gave her a kiss. Then I helped her sit down on my log.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Nathanial and Holly are using the tent," she explained.

"Holly's the auburn-headed girl?" I asked.

She nodded and said, "Yes."

"Has Nathanial talked to her father?"

"He said he did...," she replied cautiously.

"You don't believe him?"

"I'm pretty sure her dad thinks they're sitting down here, chatting with you two," she answered.

"I'm not taking a bullet for him," I warned her.

"I told him that he'd be ahead to address it head-on," she replied. "He's an adult..."

I studied her face for a moment.

"You'd better hope your brother doesn't put Jedidiah and Ruth in danger," I told her.

"I think Nathanial's hoping that her father won't cause a scene and wake the kids," she said quietly.

I just arched my eyebrows at her.

"He was pretty fired up when he came down here with a musket in his hands," Virgil told her.

She nodded and said, "I know... I know..."

I gave a heavy sigh. There really wasn't much more I could do. Nathanial - as his sister had stated - was technically a grown man and he could do whatever he wanted. Whether or not it was wise - that was a different story.

Lydia scooted closer and rested her hand on my shoulder - and her chin on her hand. Virgil raised his eyebrows at her. She laughed and told him to hush. He finally gave her a mischievous grin.

"I think I'm gonna go take a leak and then turn in," he said a minute later.

Lydia still hadn't moved. She stayed put until he went and did his business and then we watched him climb into the wagon and close down the front.

Lydia leaned closer and nibbled my ear.

"Just a kiss, huh?" I asked her, grinning.

"I wouldn't say 'no' to a quick fuck...," she replied.

She stilled, waiting for my answer.

"Fine...," I said after a moment, my little brain winning the argument with my big brain.

She hurried over to my gear, got my bedroll out, and spread it out on the dusty ground. She pulled her underwear off and then got down on her hands and knees, with the back of her dress thrown up onto her backside. She shook her ass at me - like a heated bitch of a dog. I growled as I stomped towards her, loosening my belt and getting ready to drop my breeches.

I stepped behind her, threw my pants and underwear to my ankles, and dropped to my knees. She reached between her thighs, caressed my balls, and then pulled my cock to her entrance. We both moaned as I slid inside of her. I had never fucked a woman like this - like an animal. Just the thought of it had me as hard as steel.

I pulled out and slammed back inside of her. She moaned. The second time, she was louder. I leaned down over her back, wrapped my hand around the side of her head, and covered her mouth. I pulled back on her face as I slammed my cock into her cunny from behind - rutting like beasts.

My pistoning drove her body forward and my hand pulled her back. In the middle, her curvy frame shook each time I pummeled her. I drove into her like a blacksmith's hammer striking the red hot iron. Lydia was red hot and I pounded her.

She whimpered as she came the first time and I kept fucking her. My orgasm was close and I drove towards it like a team of horses. She whimpered again and her pussy seized around my intruding prick and I was done for. I shoved into her until she had it all - and then I gave her all that I had. She moaned as she felt the heat of my seed squirting inside of her. I held her face in my hand until I was sure I was finished.

I pulled out of her and got to my feet. She got to her knees, turned, grabbed my ass, and pulled me closer. She took my slimy cock into her mouth and looked up at me as she licked and sucked our mingled fluids from my penis.

"I hope you don't expect me to kiss you," I told her, as she sucked me - long after I was clean.

She pulled off of me with a pop, smirked, and said, "We'll see."

I ran my fingers through her sun-bleached blonde locks and stared into her crystal blue eyes as she used her mouth on me a bit longer. I finally pushed her off of me and raised her to her feet. She wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her dress and pursed her lips.

She giggled when I sighed and leaned forward to kiss her. After the kiss, she bent down, pulled my pants back into place, fastened them, and buckled my belt. She gave me one last kiss and then headed off for her tent - once more carrying her underwear in her hand.

~~~

It took us three days to get to Ft. Laramie. Each night, Lydia came and chatted with me and Virgil until he headed off to bed. After that, Lydia and I either fucked or made love - and then she walked back to her tent - always carrying her undergarment instead of putting them back on again.

The weather had held out but - now that I appeared to have a regular companion to consider - I decided that I could use a tent. Mr. Bond had announced that we'd spend a day at the fort - giving everyone a chance to do a little trading. We would leave at sun-up the following day.

The wagon master had quietly pulled Mitchell and me aside and warned us to be very clear with our people - letting them know that there would be no delays while we waited for this or that person to reappear. We would leave at the appointed time and - if they weren't back - they would simply get left behind.

I had a mission and I didn't delay in accomplishing it. If I was going to buy a tent, I wanted one like I'd had in the Army. I headed straight for the fort and worked as quickly as I could to get to talk to the quartermaster. When I finally found him, I explained what I wanted and why. He listened.

When I was finished, he very emphatically and firmly informed me that he was not allowed to sell equipment that belonged to the fort. He went into great detail about how they were always short on supplies and equipment because people didn't take care of the stuff that had been assigned to them and they sometimes never even bothered to bring it back from their deployments.

The whole time he went on and on, he worked to dig out a tent, carry it out of his office area, and set it on the ground a few paces from his official space.

Finally he said, "If you find any of our equipment just LYING around somewhere, there's really nothing I can do about it."

When he finished, he gave me a wink. I pulled out my wallet, tugged out a $5 note, rolled it up, squatted down, and tucked it under his boot. When I stood up and nodded to him, he just laughed.

I grabbed the bag holding the tent, threw it over my shoulder, and walked away.

The tent should have cost $15 - and that would have been a civilian one. This one was easily twice as good. The problem was that it was also more than twice as heavy. I really didn't need to throw that extra weight on Slowpoke. When this occurred to me, I turned and headed towards the stables.

After talking to the hostler, my options came down to a $15 mule with a bad attitude or a $25 pack horse that looked like it was on its last legs. I bought the horse. I also bought another set of saddle bags.

I loaded the tent onto the horse's back - between the saddle bags. Next, I found a vendor selling apples and I bought a bushel basket full. I emptied the basket into the saddle bags and then returned the basket to him. I pulled an apple from the pack horse's load and offered it to the animal. He looked at me like I was crazy for a moment and - when I held it there another second - he snapped it up like I was about to snatch it away. His eyes brightened as he chewed his treat. I decided to call him Dusty. The poor thing looked like he'd never been bathed or even brushed.

When he finished the first apple, I dug out another. I held it in front of his face, told him what his name was, and told him to follow me. I took a big bite out of the apple and then gave the rest to him. I turned and started walking back towards the wagon train. I had left Slowpoke to relax and graze. It wasn't that far to the town (or the fort) and I hadn't had anything to carry when I had left.

I walked over to where Slowpoke was tearing grass from the earth and waited for Dusty to approach. I dug into the saddle bags and pulled out two apples. I stepped over between the two horses. Slowpoke's head came up. Dusty stepped closer. I explained to both of them that they needed to work together and be good boys and I would always try to find them treats. I gave them each an apple and then left them to keep each other company. I walked over to Virgil's wagon. He was shaking his head at me but smiling.

"Bribery will get you everywhere...," he said, laughing.

"I certainly hope so," I replied with a grin.

"You know that tent's not going to help with the noise," he teased.

"I bought a muzzle too," I told him, watching his face for a response.

He raised an eyebrow at me and asked, "Did you...?"

"No," I said, "but I probably should have."

He started laughing.

Just then I felt a pair of hands grip my ass from behind.

"Is that you, Mr. Bond?" I asked in a raised voice.

Virgil was laughing so hard now that he was bent in half. He had tears in his eyes. I turned to find Lydia looking at me with an odd expression on her face. I glanced around and - not seeing anyone close by - gave her a quick kiss. She grinned and kissed me a second time.

"Whose horse is that?" she asked.

"That's Dusty," I answered. "He's in charge of temporary housing."

She looked over at the animal and then back at me.

"You bought a tent?" she asked.

"And a muzzle...," Virgil said quietly.

"What's that?" she turned to ask him, since she hadn't heard him clearly.

I only knew what he'd said because I'd read his lips (and knew what he was thinking).

"... and some apples," I told her - pretending to be clarifying what the older man had mumbled.

I strode over to Dusty and retrieved two apples. I brought them back and handed them to Lydia.

"You and Nathanial can split them with the kids," I told her.

She nodded and said, "I'll probably just let the kids have them. Nathanial won't care and they'll love having something different - and sweet - to munch on."

She gave me a quick peck on the lips and headed back to take the treats to the kids.

I went to Dusty, slid the tent from his back, and found a spot to set it up. As I took all of the pieces out of the bag, I had to look twice. Somehow, this tent was different than mine. There were some pieces that I didn't recognize. I finally started to just start setting it up. When I was finished, I still had a handful of items left.

I had just figured out what they were when Virgil walked up.

"You bought cots too?" he asked. "Are those Army issue?"

I held my finger to my lips to shush him. He laughed and shook his head.

"What'd those cost you?" he asked.

"I... uh... may or may not have found them...," I replied.

He slapped me on the shoulder and started laughing again.

"Did you at least give the man some money?" he asked, realizing what I was suggesting.

I thought about denying it for a moment.

I nodded and said, "Yeah. Five bucks."

"Sounds like you got one hell of a find," he replied, shaking his head.

I got the cots set up and placed them inside of the tent.

After that, I pulled the saddle bags off of Dusty, found my curry brush, and got to work trying to clean the poor beast up. He shook and shivered as I relieved him of layer after layer of grim, grit, and dust. When I finished - and went to return my brush to its place - he gave me an earful and shook his head up and down.

"You're welcome, you mangy brute," I said, laughing.

I patted him on the butt as I headed back over to visit with Virgil.

I looked up to see Maybelle arriving with Tolliver and Edna. The little blonde tore free of her mother's grip and ran to me with her arms open, wanting a hug. I picked her up, hugged her, and kissed her on the temple.

"Go see if Dusty will talk to you," I told her. "If he plays nicely, you can get an apple out of the saddle bags for him."

She looked over at the new horse and shrieked.

"Get one for Pokey too," I called after her. "He's liable to be jealous."

She ran up to Dusty, kissed him on the nose, and went straight for the saddle bags. He just stood there, chewing his mouthful of grass, watching her. His eyes widened when he saw what she was digging for. She came up with an armload.

"Just two, you little demon!" I yelled.

She pretended to be offended but quickly put back all but two.

I looked back to see Tolliver watching his sister.

"Well," I said. "You might as well make sure the beast doesn't eat her along with the apples."

He glanced up at his mother - who nodded - and he was off like a rocket.

I watched as the two of them fed the horses their treats and then spent several minutes giving them hugs, pats, and scratches.

"You're gonna be out of apples before the day's out," Virgil laughed.

"Probably," I agreed.

I glanced at Jasper's wife.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"The kids missed their ride," she replied. "They were driving me crazy."

"So you brought them down to drive me crazy instead?" I asked, grinning.

"Yes," she said, grinning as well.

We watched the kids for a minute or two.

"How are you and the widow getting on?" she asked.

"Good," I said. "Any concerns?"

She shook her head and said, "No. You're good for each other."

"Anybody else say anything?" I asked her.

"She mourned long enough and loudly enough for them to know she misses him. With the way things worked out, I think most folks won't mention it to their neighbors. I know I haven't heard anything."

"Good," I said. "That works better for me."

She nodded and said, "... and that works better for the rest of us."

"You heard any screaming from the redhead's dad?" I asked her.

She glanced at Virgil and said, "He's settled some. He's not exactly happy. He would have been mightily offended if you'd been the one to argue with him. As it was, it's hard for him to be too disagreeable about advice from someone who's been around almost as long as his parents."

"Virgil," I laughed. "Maybelle says you're older than cow-shit."

He grinned and said, "She's mostly right."

"I said no such thing!" Maybelle complained.

"He's just getting after me cuz I got after him earlier," the man told her.

She didn't ask what that was about but she quirked an eyebrow at him.

Virgil laughed and said, "I told the boy he was going to need something better than a tent to keep that widow woman from screamin' her head off while he's tryin' to breed her."

Maybelle blushed. I laughed. She swatted me on the shoulder. I just laughed harder.

"You're not wrong...," she said quietly a bit later.

"I'll bring the kids back in a bit," I told her. "If you want to go see if Jasper's in the mood."

She guffawed at me - but quietly left a bit later. I glanced over at Virgil. He just grinned and motioned for me to keep my pie-hole shut.

Tolliver and Edna didn't even notice their mother was gone for probably an hour. I was delighted to see that Dusty seemed to be just as docile and well-mannered as Slowpoke.

"Can I ride him?" Edna called out.

"We can try," I said. "The hostler sold him as a pack-horse so I don't know if he's been broken to ride. He may just think you're a bag of apples though."

She stuck her tongue out at me. I grinned and lifted her onto Dusty's back. He turned and looked at me.

"That alright, boy?" I asked him. "I'll take her down if it bothers you."

He whickered at me and then went back to grazing. I stayed close but let the little blonde sit there. She wriggled a little but mostly stayed put. She was done with her ride a few minutes later. I pulled her down and set her back on her feet. She hugged my neck and kissed my cheek before she let go. I hugged her back and kissed her on the temple.

"Thanks, Thomas," she said quietly.

"You're welcome, sweet girl," I told her.

Edna went back to her place - standing by the horses and giving them scratches. Dusty bonked her with his nose and she hugged his face and giggled. He went back to consuming his meal.

I gave them another half-hour or so and then I walked Tolliver and Edna back up to their parents. Maybelle's face looked a little flushed and I started to give her shit but she told me to hush. I released her children's hands and turned to head back to my spot - with a grin on my face.

I had a few other young visitors over the course of the afternoon - as they got bored with standing in one place and pestered their parents to come visit Slowpoke. They were all delighted to see that I had added another animal to my tiny herd.

Virgil and I sat and visited a little later than normal - watching a few daring individuals slink back out of the fort and the surrounding homes and businesses to tumble into their tents. Lydia didn't come visit that night. My assumption was that she - like many other mothers - had been more worn out by us remaining in one place than they would have been by us sticking to our normal routine of slogging our way along the trail.

~~~

Morning came with Mitchell's wake-up call, and everyone began readying themselves to resume our journey. I laughed as I watched one man come hopping towards the wagon train, trying to get his pants and boots on even as he made his way across the hard-packed dirt.

At daybreak, we began to move. I watched the town - to see if we had any more stragglers - but I didn't see any. Either there weren't any - or they were still sleeping. Only time would tell.

I left Dusty with Virgil as Slowpoke and I made our way up through the wagon train, visiting with folks and giving the kids a brief break from walking. I whispered in his ear that he might have to start taking a turn carrying the tent and let Dusty entertain the children. He bared his teeth, laid his ears back, and shook his head back and forth at me. I laughed and tousled the tuft of hair on his forehead.