Black Conley (15 page)

Black looked at the clouds that appeared to be full of either snow or rain. The way the temperature dropped while they were out, he was certain there would be snow by morning. This was the time of year he disliked the most. The darkness of night came far too early for his liking and if what he'd heard about Montana winters were true, they would be snowbound from the first of October until the middle of April or maybe even longer.

He knew once winter set in, Clayte would slink back into his hidey-hole and not come out again until spring, when tracking him would be a hell of a lot harder without the snow.

Belle stood at the window in her office, waiting for Janna and Black to return. She knew it was foolish for her to be jealous of Black riding with Janna, but she couldn't help herself. After one afternoon and one evening with Black, she felt as though he was her man. If only he wouldn't be leaving once the men responsible for the rustling were behind bars, she would be happy. Black was the kind of man she'd dreamed of all her life. He was well spoken, extremely handsome, and a considerate lover. What more could a woman ask for?

At last, she saw them ride into the dooryard. As he had the day before, Black allowed Janna to dismount and come into the house while he took care of their horses.

"Did you find any more breaks in the wire?” Belle asked as soon as Janna entered the kitchen.

"No, everything was good. Black doesn't think they'll hit us again until spring. He thinks we'll get snow tonight. It was good to ride with Black today and get to know him better."

"Better?” Belle asked, almost afraid to hear what Janna would say next.

"Not in the way you're thinking. I asked if he'd be coming to my bed, and he turned me down. That man has it bad for you, even if he doesn't want to admit it. Why don't you come up to my room while I get cleaned up for supper and I'll show you what to do with one of my feathers? I think that man would purely love it if you were to torture him so delightfully."

"You mean he didn't...” Belle couldn't bring herself to finish the last of her sentence.

"No, Belle, he didn't fuck me out in the open the way he did you yesterday. He's one of those odd men who once they find a woman they want, they don't dally with whores or anyone else who crosses their path. I did ask him about that bullwhip he carries on his saddle and he assures me he can use it as expertly as he does his guns. Can't see where that would come in handy, but then again I don't know how to use one. I plan to ask him to teach me over the winter. We have to have something to do to pass the time. It won't take much to keep an eye on the cattle and if he's right and the rustling calms down, he won't be able to do any further investigation until spring. Do you think Annie's son planned it that way?"

Belle pondered Janna's question as they went up to her room. “I don't know,” she said, entering the bedroom. “I know he didn't come himself, and that could mean that he figured it would take all winter for Black to get all the evidence he needs to arrest Clayte, if he is the one behind the rustling."

Janna stripped off her trail-dusty clothes and poured water from the pitcher into the basin. From the steam that came from the pitcher, Belle knew that Annie had filled it with boiling water as soon as she saw Black and Janna ride up to the house. If this pitcher were filled with hot water, the one in her room would be filled as well so that Black could clean up before supper.

Rather than watch Janna take her sponge bath, Belle concentrated on the trappings of the room. It was a house rule that the girls had to keep their own rooms clean. It was too much to ask of Annie, and Belle knew there were things that were private; the girl's bedrooms were one of those things. The only time Annie came to the girl's rooms was when she brought up the laundry and filled their pitchers with hot water.

On the dresser, a picture that Belle decided must be of Janna's parents sat beside two vases, each filled with beautiful feathers. They ranged from exotic peacock feathers to an eagle feather and even a goose feather. The colors of each feather made them look like a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

"Take your pick of those feathers, Belle,” Janna said, without turning from her washstand.

Belle was embarrassed to be caught gawking at the array of feathers in the vases. “I-I didn't mean..."

"Of course you did. Everyone looks at them and wonders what I do with them. My suggestion would be the peacock feather. It's larger and softer than most. It's the easiest to use on a man's body, especially his cock and balls, and it drives them crazy. I should know, I've made enough money off of them."

Belle sat down on the neatly made bed. “What do you plan to do with all your money? I mean, each of you girls have substantial bank accounts. I know that one day you'll all leave me. Where will you go?"

"You'll laugh at me."

"No, I won't,” Belle replied. “It's been a long time since I've had a girlfriend to exchange confidences with."

Janna buttoned her dress before sitting next to Belle on the bed. “Well, all of us have been talking about it and we all want the same thing. There are a lot of kids who lose their folks. They either get killed or get sick and die. Most of them, like Cara and me, get shipped off to the first whorehouse that comes along and the rest is history. Kids shouldn't be made to work like that. Now that Clayte could turn out to be the rustler, I can't help but wonder what will happen to his kids. With Nettie gone, they're far too young to fend for themselves like Cara and me had to."

Belle nodded. She too had been thinking about Clayte's kids lately. Even though she didn't want to be his wife, she did wonder what would happen to them if Black found out Clayte were the one behind the rustling. They certainly weren't old enough to take care of themselves, and none of them had asked to be born, especially as Clayte's kids. In all rights, the Diamond A belonged to them, but even the oldest wasn't old enough to run it.

"I think it sounds like a good idea, and it might come about sooner than you think."

"What are you talking about?"

"When the stage came in the other night the driver gave me a letter from the stage line. It seems that the railroad will be coming through Larson's Gap next summer, and that means that the stage will stop running, putting us out of business at least for the stage stop. That leaves me with the addition to the house. Without the passengers, you girls will be out of work and the addition will be empty. It would make a perfect orphanage, if that's what you have in mind."

"Do you mean it, Belle?” Janna asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Lacy contacted the proper authorities and even though we had enough money to meet the requirements, we didn't have a place to open an orphanage. Without that, we couldn't get our certification or our funding. The territorial government pays for each orphan, that's how orphanages make their money. If we could use the addition to the house, it would be perfect. I've talked to people who have run away from orphanages because they were in the middle of the city and the kids couldn't get out to play. Here they could play all day and when they were old enough, they could learn about ranching."

"Don't get too excited yet. We'll have to see if the railroad really comes through town. Then we can start planning for this orphanage, if that's what you and the others want. At least you wouldn't be leaving me, and Annie would be thrilled to be able to play nursemaid to all those kids."

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Black stood on the front porch enjoying an after-supper cigarette. The wind had shifted from the west to the north and the chill of it made him shiver. The clouds he'd watched earlier in the day now obliterated the moon making him even more certain that by morning there would be fresh snow on the ground. He hoped it wasn't too deep. There was a cave at the far end of the ranch that he wanted to check out in the morning. If the snowfall were too heavy, he wouldn't be able to get to it right away.

He couldn't put his finger on why he wanted to explore it, but something in his gut told him that such an exploration would be worth his time. It seemed as though it would be the perfect place to hide both men and horses. If that were the case, maybe it was where the rustler he'd winged was holed up.

"A penny for your thoughts,” Belle said, joining him on the porch, her shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"I was just thinking about some of the land I saw today when we were riding the fence line. Have you done any exploring around here?"

"A little, why?"

"I noticed some caves along the bluffs overlooking the creek. How big are they?"

"From Pa's letters, they have to be pretty good-sized. He said that him and Roy prospected for gold up there one winter, but didn't ever find any. I always meant to go out and explore them, but once Pa died, there wasn't enough time to do the things I wanted and still run this place, especially since I couldn't get any men to work for me. Your best bet would be to ask Roy about them. I'm certain he knows every inch of those caves after prospecting."

Black stubbed out his cigarette and turned to face Belle. “That can wait until tomorrow. I have more important things on my mind.” He put his arm around her shoulder and guided her back inside the house. “It's far too cold out here for you. I can think of some things that would warm you up quite quickly."

When they entered the kitchen, it came as no surprise to see that everyone else had already gone to bed. Even Roy and Annie had left for the night and were more than likely enjoying each other in the warmth of their bedroom. They were, that is, if Black could believe everything Roy said about the nights he spent making love to his wife.

Belle thought of the night she had planned for Black. Earlier in the day, Kate had instructed her on the fine art of sucking a man's cock until he came in your mouth. Somehow she couldn't get past the idea of sticking a living, pulsing organ into her mouth. It made her almost gag to think of having to swallow his cum. As for the pulsing part, she'd felt that inside her just the night before and it had been as exciting as the act itself.

Janna's feathers were more to her liking. They put her in control without her having to actually put her lips around his cock and balls. She'd taken the peacock feather that Janna offered her and placed it on the stand beside her bed. Tonight, Mr. Black Conley was in for a pleasant surprise.

With his arm securely around her waist, Belle knew that their night together would be an exciting one. Just the feel of his hand through the fabric of her dress excited her. She knew that having him in her bed would be even more so.

As they made their way through the house, she stopped at each burning lamp and turned them off for the night, leaving a trail of darkness behind them.

At the top of the stairs, the soft glow of the lamp burning in Belle's bedroom illuminated the hallway, giving credence to the fact that the other girls were already in bed. The only door that was open belonged to Belle.

Once inside the room, Black kicked the door shut and pulled Belle into an even tighter embrace. When he slipped his hand down the front of her dress to caress her breast, she pulled away.

"Is something wrong?” he asked.

"Nothing is wrong. It's just that last night you were the one to give me pleasure, and tonight I plan to return the favor."

A wicked smile crossed his lips. “And just what do you have in mind, Miss Barton?"

"You'll see, but you have to give yourself over to me entirely.” She reached up to undo the buttons on his coat and then to loosen his string tie and open his shirt so that she could inspect his magnificent chest. With great care, she slipped the coat and shirt from his arms and proceeded to run her hands over the mat of hair on his chest before tweaking his male nipples between her thumb and forefinger until they became hardened pebbles.

He didn't move, but moaned softly as though she was giving him the greatest pleasure in the world. She wondered if he was pretending in order to please her, or if he was actually aroused by what she was doing.

When she moved her hands to the buttons on his britches, she opened them one at a time, exposing his cock. The long johns were gone and there was no hint of any other undergarments to get in her way of freeing him from his pants.

As soon as his cock reached the open air, it stood at attention, begging her to take it in her hands. As she did, she remembered what Kate had told her earlier. What would it feel like to suck him dry and then beg for him to be aroused again so that he could cum inside her body, rather than her mouth? Her fingers curled around his cock.

"Take off your clothes for me,” he whispered.

She smiled at him coyly, but did as he said. The chill of the room didn't seem to bother her, as she stood before him completely naked. She liked the way he looked at her body.

"I know you want tonight to be about me,” he said as he pulled her into his arms, “but I need to feel you against me. Having you stand there and not being able to touch you is sheer torture."

They moved toward the bed as though they were one. Once he sat down on the edge of the bed, he pulled her down with him. She knew if she wasn't careful, her plans could easily be altered and the new techniques she had learned would not be used.

Being on top, she slid from his embrace until she was on the same level as his cock. The thought that had been so repulsive only hours earlier now drew her like a magnet. The feather forgotten, she slid her lips down his velvety foreskin as she kissed every inch of him. For the first time she had a close-up view of his balls, and they completely fascinated her. Taking the sack in her hands, she opened her mouth and took the length of his cock inside her.

Just as she imagined, the hard organ pulsed with a life of its own, prompting her to suckle it while she played with the sack that she held in her hand. Kate had told her to be gentle, because a man's balls were the most vulnerable part of his body.

Without warning, he came in her mouth. She wondered if she would be able to swallow it without gagging, but found it slid down her throat very easily, leaving the salty taste of him in her mouth.