Saving Molly (2 page)

Molly headed west from the ranch house, heading for Kings Hole.  About 12 miles away, it was somewhere in that distant haze.  Kings Hole was a spring fed water hole that she and Willy had dug a few years back.  “Damned hard work.”  she thought, remembering the two months that summer that they had camped beside the spring.  The spring produced a small, steady trickle that had just meandered down the valley until it disappeared in the Texas heat.  The hole, a couple acres in size, collected water for the cattle.  The valley was home to the King family many years back so Willy named the spring, King's Hole.  It stuck with everyone, including the locals.  No one ever came here except when passing by.

Kings Hole was in a small valley, grass for 200 to 300 head, depending on the summer rains.  This year, the rains had come regularly .  She expected to find the cattle in good condition.

Chub carefully picked his way down the steep trail to the valley below.  Molly could see the cattle scattered over the valley floor.  A few here and a few there, with no more than maybe fifty or sixty head in a group. For the next few hours she sauntered along, casually riding past them, and taking a count of what she found.  This Molly wrote in an old notebook, kept in her saddle bag.  How many cows, calves and the number of dry cows.

The cows were in good condition.  Fat and healthy, they milked well and it showed.  The calves were big, strong and showed funny curiosity at this stranger riding past.  The older cows looked up and with a bored look, continued grazing.  The sun was getting low in the western sky.  “Better head for the cabin.”  Molly said to herself. 

She arrived at the cabin, just at supper time.  It had been built many years ago to house riders doing the same job she did today.  The place looked exactly the same as when she left it a month earlier.  She went inside and surveyed the interior.  One room with a table and four chairs, a pot bellied stove and a bunk against the far wall.  The only window held a view of the small corral behind.  She started a fire in the stove and went outside.  Chub was standing quietly at the hitching post.  Molly took her saddle bag, bedroll and poke into the cabin then returned and led Chub to the corral.  Removing the saddle and bridle, she rubbed the horse down with a handful of dried grass.  “No need to hobble him out.”  She thought.  “The grass is taller inside the corral than outside.”  Molly slid the three rails into place and headed for the well.  She would need water to make herself some coffee.

Supper was simple.  Fried bacon and potatoes with a slice of her home made bread and a cup of coffee.  She threw her bedroll on the bunk and change into her night dress.  While she waited for sleep, Molly began think about her life, how terribly lonely she was.  After a day at work, this is when loneliness crept in.  At night, when you finally had the time to be lonely. 

She ran her hand over her breasts and down her stomach to her mound.  Riding Chub all day had given her strange sensations that moved from between her legs up to her nipples.  The thought of that feeling made her nipples hard.  She pinched them both between her fingers and felt a rush of excitement flood her body.  With one hand she rubbed her mound and the with the other, Molly squeezed her breasts and nipples.  Faster, she made little circles on her hot spot and soon Molly felt a wave of pleasure.  If only she had a man to love her.

From the cabin Molly made her way to town.  She rode directly to the post office.  The post master gave her the bundle of mail and Molly headed directly back to the ranch. 

“I hope there is a good reply in that pile.”  She said aloud as she was cleaning up the stalls.  “I really need the help.”  Molly was a hard worker, but it would be nice to also enjoy the slower things in life, swinging on the porch, sipping tea, making cookies, anything but always working.

It seemed like forever before she was able to get into the house and take a look at how many replies she had from her ad.  She did get there.  After a quick wash up, she sat down at the table and began to open them up. 

“Holy crap, fifty replies.”  Molly didn’t know if she had the will to go through that many replies and decide.  In her mind, she could hear her father chiding her, “You always wanted to be different.  Well, here’s your chance to show you are just as good as a man.” 

Quickly she looked through a few, clearing out several from men who were above the age of 40.  That made her pile a bit thinner, knocking out half of the replies quickly.  One of them had been from a guy who was 55.  How he had even thought she would give him a chance. 

Another ten of the replies she would discard because the men were simply asking for too much money.

Joshua Adams was still at the top of her list, but there was one other person who had offered to work for her as well.  The only thing about him was that he was right at 38, a bit older, and still no experience.  Molly thought.  “Of the two, Joshua was the younger man and would have an advantage in learning the ranch work.

“Oh hell, what will it hurt to give him a try for 30 days.”  At least that way I’ll have a man here, and anyone who appears on the property will think we're hooked up.  It could protect her from the town folks looking for a wife for their sons or themselves.

Dear Joshua:

We were a bit hesitant on offering you this position, but have decided to give you a chance.  We will agree with the thirty day trial that you offered and if your services are satisfactory, you will be hired .

If you will please report at your convenience, to our ranch and start work, we would greatly appreciate it.

The Cassidy Family

In few weeks, she would have a worker, able help her with the ranch work.  The only thing that she would have to deal with, is trying to convince Joshua that her husband was ill and stuck in the bedroom.  As long as she could pull that off, he would have no clue that she was a widow.

In this part of the country, it was accepted that a widowed woman was fair game for any man.  Molly knew that she would say no, to any man who would ask her to marry.  She had several offers since Will had died.  “It was clear that they were more interested in getting their hands on my ranch, not my body.”  Molly Chuckled.  There had to be real love in her next man.  Once she had a man on the ranch, she hoped, she could convince him to play along if her plan was discovered by anyone. 

Molly was going to have to make this place look a little different if she was going to try and pull off the husband sick ploy at first.  She figured, she could try that for a bit, at least until she got a feel for Joshua Adams, and knew whether he might go along with the plan. She could only hope.  In the back of her mind she could hear her father every now and then, “You're going to fail.”  It only drove her to work harder and try to make a go of the ranch.

3. Joshua

             
Early in the morning, five weeks from when she had sent the reply to Joshua Adams, Molly woke up to a knocking on the door.  Getting dressed quickly, she ran to the front door.

“Hello.”  She said as she opened the door.  The words died quickly in her mouth when she looked up at Joshua Adams. 

“Oh no, I don’t know if this will work.”  She shook her head, looking at the man standing in front of her.  He was big, 6’ 2” tall, a lithe muscular body and cute.  That wasn’t the problem, it was how he was dressed.  Joshua Adams had a Sunday suit on.  Why would he come to work at a ranch in that outfit?

“Hello Mrs. Cassidy.  I'm Joshua Adams.  Sorry about the outfit.  I would have come wearing work clothes, but I do have a change in the bag I brought.  It’s just, I didn’t want to look all, well, low class while traveling.”  He blurted out.  His voice was deep, and the plea almost sounded funny coming from such a big man.

Molly looked him over, “Well, I guess.  Here, I’ll show you to your room, and you can change there.”  She led him down the hall to his room.  Opening the door for him, she turned and walked back down to the kitchen. "10 minutes to fresh coffee." Said Molly.

“Excuse me Mrs. Cassidy, how does this look?”  He asked from behind as he came into the kitchen.

Molly was startled and jumped, not used to having anyone in the house with her.  Turning,  she saw he had changed into a work clothes.  Denim jeans hugged his thick, strong legs, while the shirt he wore was white and tight, hugging his broad torso.  This man was very well built.  Molly felt something stir deep inside, a feeling she had never felt with William, or for that matter, any man.  It was not something she was used to and she was not sure if she really enjoyed the feeling.  “It’s fine.”  She replied curtly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you.”  Joshua’s deep voice was honest and sincere.

“No it’s okay.  I’m just not used to anyone in the house with me.  Well not down here anyway.”  Molly answered, trying to smooth her tone with Joshua.  It wasn’t his fault that she had this reaction to him.  “Do you like coffee?”
             
             

“Yea sure.”  He smiled.  The smile was like tonic to Molly.  His smile was hugely attractive.  There it was again.  That unfamiliar sensation.

Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, “How do you like it?”  She asked him.

“Black please, don’t want to make it too girly.”  He laughed.

“Too girly?”  Molly had never heard coffee referred to anything to do with the sexes.

“Sorry it’s a joke we used to have back home.  One of the guys there used to put cream and sugar in his coffee and one day someone asked him if he always drank his coffee girly.  I just thought it was funny.  Never heard it referred to anything but coffee, you know?”  He explained.

Molly chuckled, “I  thought the same thing when you first said it to.  I haven’t heard it referred to anything but coffee in my life either.” 

“Well you not very old so I wouldn’t doubt that, you couldn’t be more than 18 years old.”  He came back with.

Molly smiled then laughed.  t was pleasant to have a man who actually would compliment a woman.  William had never done that once in his life.  “Thanks, I’m 24 though.”  Her smile didn’t fade.  Joshua admired the look.  She looked even younger with that smile on her face.

“So how long has your husband been out of commission?”  Joshua asked her.

“Oh, just a few weeks now.”  Molly had to make it seem like very little time.

“And you’ve been doing everything by yourself?”  He looked at her quizzically.

“Yes, been trying to.  It’s been difficult.   I was hoping to run the ranch myself until he got better, however, I don’t think that's going to happen.”  She answered somewhat honestly.

“Like I told you.  I may not have experience, but you can tell, I’m no weakling either so I think this will be work that I’m well suited for.  I’m more than willing to learn and well, we can work out any details later on, once you're ready.  I hope to pick things up quickly, in a couple of days.  That way you'll be able get back to the woman things.”  Joshua explained.

Molly’s face bunched up a bit, on the woman things comment, though, she had to admit. Those were the things she did miss.  “Yeah I guess your right.  If it takes you that little time to learn, I can get right back into the swing of things or close to normal.” 

Joshua grinned at her, “Good, I hope to make your life a whole lot easier to deal with.”

4. Joshua's Story

             
             
After they finished coffee, they headed out to start the chores.  Molly not only explained but showed Joshua what needed to be done, and he was right.  Joshua did pick it up very quickly.  Not that any of the work was really hard to understand.  They worked side by side as if they had been doing this together for years.  The talk was free and pretty open in most cases.  Joshua told her a bit about his past work and the trip to Fort Davis.  His manner was pleasant and most of all, friendly.

Molly listened to him tell his stories and she could hear the compassion in his voice.  The fact that he had lost his job didn’t seem to hold nearly as much weight, as the fact that many of his friends who had kids to feed, lost their jobs as well.  “If, I do a good job for you, some of the money I make, I’m going to send back to a few of my friends to help out.” 

She had to wipe the tears from her eyes when he said that.  Looking at him, as big as he was, you would never have thought there was such an old softy inside.  Many times as they worked, she took a moment to survey him.  His muscles were rippling and so nice looking.  A few times she had almost been caught starring when he turned around to ask a question or tell her something.

The feelings she had as she watched him, were completely foreign to her.  Molly had never wanted a man to touch her before.  And the wetness, she hadn’t experienced that either, except once when she had been reading a book her friend gave her.  The couple were in love and the man had just taken his woman for the first time, making love to her with all his might and strength.

The chores took half as long, since there was two of them working today, and when they were finished, they headed inside.  “You can wash up out there.” Molly pointed to the porch.

“I saw that.  I’m going to clean up after that workout.”  He smiled at Molly.

“I’ll fix some lunch.  Once your done, you can eat.”  Molly said, trying to abide by the rules of men always come first.

“No please, you wash up first.  You have to feel as dirty as I do.  I can wait a bit to eat. It’s really no big deal to me.”  He stated.

“Okay, if you say so.”  Molly answered, shocked that Joshua had told her to wash up first and not make his meal.  Maybe he wasn’t like all the guys she had ever met.

She washed the dirt and sweat from her body, and thought of Joshua.  “I wonder what he looks like naked?”  She could picture those muscles, wanted to touch them, to see if they felt as hard as they looked.  Her body reacted to the images in her mind, and soon she had the need to touch herself. 

Molly rubbed her body until that small wave of pleasure made her moan.  She stopped, hoping she hadn’t moaned too loudly.  If she did, Joshua would think she had been using her ill husband.  That thought was dirty to her.  The picture of William in her mind just about stopped her pleasure all together.  The quick thought of Joshua and the wet, white shirt clinging to his muscles did her in.  Her body shook as that pleasure came again.

Flushed and feeling better than she may well have felt for months, she walked to the kitchen where Joshua was sitting with a notebook and pen, writing.  “Hi, I’m so sorry I took a bit long.”  Molly apologized.

“It’s not a problem, Mrs. Cassidy you’ve been nice enough to give me a heck of a chance.  The last thing I should do is complain.”  He stated.

“First off, you can call me Molly, okay?”  She said.

“Sure Molly.  I do appreciate the chance you’ve giving me.  There was nothing for me back in my home town anymore.”  He explained.

“Really Joshua, you don’t realize how much you can help me out.”  Molly admitted.

“Well, with your husband being hurt, I’m sure you might have run into quite a few problems.  There are men who will take advantage of a woman in those circumstances.  Even if her husband is still alive, they will won't do business with you, or at least not give you a fair price, I’m sure.  That’s how it was back in my part of the country.”  He told her.

“Your right, it’s that way here too.”  Molly pulled a frown.  “However, if you work out and you like the job, and are able to do it, this could be a good deal for both of us.” 

“Don’t you mean all of us, there are three of us, right?”  Joshua looked at her closely.

“Yeah, I meant all of us.  William is very ill though, I don’t know.  Oh never mind.  I don’t want to put all my problems on you.”  Molly stopped.  The truth was she felt bad, just lying to Joshua.  He seemed like such a good man.

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to make you sad either.  I just like talking or writing.  I guess I’ll be quiet and let you do what you need to for a bit.”  He smiled and then looked down and began writing in his book.

“So what are you writing?”  She asked, curious.

“Just a little story.  I kind of like making things up, and I do little short stories in here.”  He explained.

“That’s really neat.  I’ve never known a guy to be creative like that.”  She said.

“I only do it where no one can see, um, you won’t tell anyone about it will you?”  He looked nervously at her.

“No don’t worry.  Your secret is safe with me.”  She smiled and turned to make breakfast.

Molly hummed as she cooked.  Suddenly she remembered that Joshua was also in the room, when she heard him clear his throat.  “Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you.”  She apologized to him.

“No you didn’t.  It’s nice to hear a woman’s humming in the background.  Since I was a little boy, my mother used to do the same thing.  I always loved sitting in the kitchen when she was cooking.  It was always so warm and comforting.”  He smiled as he remembered the years with his mom.

“Okay, really it may take me a bit of time to get used to you being in the house with me.”  She told him.

“You would think you’d still be used to your husband being around.  You said he’s only been ill, what, a week right?’  Joshua asked.  “A few weeks now.” Molly replied.

Oh crap.  Molly hadn’t thought about that aspect of her story.  How was she going to cover this one up.  She hated lying, but didn’t really want to tell him about her husband being dead.  She was stuck in a spot where she didn’t know what to say.  “Yeah, well he was always so quiet and left me alone a lot of the time.”  It sounded lame to her, but he seemed to accept it for now.

“Well, I’m not quite that quiet.  Most of the time you’ll hear me, before you see me.”  He chuckled.

“Let's eat, hope you enjoy it.”  Placing a thick steak and some potatoes in front of him.  “What would you like to drink?” 

“Water is fine with me, it’s one of the best drinks for you, you know.”  He answered.  “Will you sit down with me and eat.  I hate eating alone.”  He offered her.

Normally, the woman would either wait for the man to finish and eat once he’d left, or go to another table and eat.  “Sure, if you wish.”  She answered.

“Yeah, I don’t know if you could tell, but I’m not of the same mindset as a lot of men.  My mom was on her own and raised me to treat women with respect.  They aren’t slaves for men to take advantage of.  They should be able to enjoy life just as much as I can.”  He explained.

Molly smiled.  “Your mother sounds like a great woman.” 

“She was and I sure miss her a lot these days.”  He looked off into the distance.

“How long ago did you lose her?”  Molly asked him.

“It was two years ago now.  Seems like only yesterday at times when the pain of loneliness closes in.”  He answered.

“I’m very sorry for your loss Joshua.”  She said.

“Thanks Molly.”  He smiled at her, the sadness erased quickly with that simple process. 

Molly studied him as much as she could, while he ate.  The guy was handsome alright.  A regular hunk.  He had a thin nose, chiseled body, not too much muscle, but the kind that was lean.  “He looks good enough to eat.”  Thought Molly.  There was that hot, wet feeling again. 

His hair was light brown, cut short and was still slightly wet around the edges from washing.  Taking in a deep breath, she could smell his manly cologne and the soap he had used.  It smelled so good.  William had always used plain stuff.  He didn’t want to smell manly, because he wasn’t a man.  He only liked men.  Shaking her head in disgust at the memory of her husband, Molly looked at this man across the table and felt something different.

It wasn’t just the moistness she had felt, but she actually liked him.  She thought he seemed like a nice guy.  He looked up and caught her studying him.  Instead of getting upset or asking anything, he simply smiled at her, and went back to eating. 

She took that as saying, it was fine if she looked at him and studied him.  He had nothing to hide.  Molly kept looking at him, wondering about his mother, and how she had taught him to be gentle and compassionate.  Molly bet, he would be a completely different type of lover than William had ever been, or rather never been.  For one thing.  She was certain that Joshua Adams would not be into men or boys at all.  He would want a woman in his bed.  Another thing that came to mind was that he was passionate and he most likely wanted to make sure his woman would be satisfied.  Maybe it wouldn't just be about making babies for him, or for his pleasure.  Molly had noticed the bulge at the front of his denim jeans.

Blushing at the last thought, not knowing where it had come from, she gasped.  He looked up quickly. 
             

“Is everything okay Molly?”  He looked at her concerned.

“Oh I’m fine, sorry.  It’s just really odd to have you here, and to eat with you.”  It was not something she had ever done with William.  He always expected her to wait until he was finished his meal.  He would sometimes eat so slowly that Molly would be ready to pass out from hunger.  It was because she had caught him once in the barn with a boy of 18.  They had both been naked and William had been sucking the boy's cock.  Molly didn’t want to know, what else they did after she left, but William had seen her look at him.  The look had been one of shock and then it had turned to disgust.

Odd for Molly to have so much free time during the day, she decided to bake a cake for supper tonight and cook a nice roast.  She was so into the free time and doing other things that she forgot about keeping up with her story of having an ill husband.  Joshua had stayed in the kitchen most of the day with her, and had only been gone for a few minutes to his room.  Returning to the kitchen, he stopped her cold with one question.

“You know Molly.  Did you remember to feed your husband today?”  He asked her.  Molly chilled.  The fact was, she hadn’t even thought about keeping her story straight.  All she would have had to do was take a plate, stay there for a bit like she was feeding him and it would all be okay.  However, now she was caught, pretty much red handed.

Looking down at the floor, she tried to figure out the best way to approach the subject.  How could she tell him and still expect him to trust her in other ways.  She looked at him and saw the question on his face.  Was she lying to him.

“Joshua, I think I need to explain things a bit more to you.”  Molly started and then sat at the table, looking up at him.  He joined her.