We are so worried about Bart. We know he’s off the grid. Honestly, it’s a relief to know he’s still alive. I don’t know what he told you about his past, so I’m not going to compromise his privacy, but anything you can tell me would be so greatly appreciated.
The whole family is anxious to hear an update on him.
Okay, so it’s settled. I’ll do my farewell ride at the Omak Stampede. That will give me an excuse to come your way. When you next see Bart, please tell him his kid sister will be doing her farewell tour at the Stampede and that I’ll have a broken heart if he doesn’t come see me ride one last time.
Brad and I are ready to start a family and our responsibilities are increasing at the ranch, so it’s time for this barrel racer to grow up and act like a big girl.
Please write again with more details on Bart and where you are. I’m assuming you’re near the Pasayten somewhere if you ran into him.
Kitty
Molly read Kitty’s email several times, smiling. How funny that Kitty knew about her nickname Molly Omak. Yes, she was born Molly McGuire but every man in the McGuire lineage going back as far she was aware used the nickname Mack, including her grandfathers, her father, and her brother. Thus, it’s Mack’s Diner at the resort, and Mack Road that leads to Molly’s cabin, and Mack Livestock Auctions started by her father and now run by her brother. It was a natural for her to race as Molly Mack and, well, Molly Omak just evolved from that.
She decided to sit on Kitty’s email and write back later. Jo was waiting and Shadow needed to get outside.
Jo was excited to get out of her stall. Molly saddled her up, and they headed out on their favorite ride. Out of the stables, Jo’s head was up and down, her nostrils drinking in the mountain air, signaling that she wanted to run. Jo gave her a kick and let her move into a gentle trot. In her day, Jo was a thrilling ride, a quarter horse with wheels, the best barrel racing horse on the circuit. Molly knew the trot wouldn’t last long, but Jo wanted to run and Molly wanted her to get the exercise. Shadow was barking her approval as Molly and Jo trotted a quarter mile up the trail.
Eventually, Jo slowed and they fell into a steady walking pace. The trail followed Alpine Creek through a beautiful ponderosa forest, the fresh pine intoxicating. Molly was at her happiest riding Jo in an old growth forest next to a mountain stream, Shadow trotting behind exploring smells.
Molly imagined that Bart, at this very time, might be walking through a similar forest, perhaps next to a creek, making long, athletic strides, holding the line for a fully loaded Beryl, Bear trotting behind. He wouldn’t know she’d made contact with Kitty, and she wondered how he’d feel about that. She also wondered to what extent he’d kept in contact with his family. He’d spoken warmly about Kitty and his family so, she didn’t feel an estrangement was there. But Kitty expressed concern about Bart, his whereabouts, how he was doing, and requested information for the family. She’d declined to talk about the PTSD, not knowing what Bart had shared with Molly. And she probably wasn’t sure about the nature of Bart’s friendship with Molly. But Molly guessed she’d know. Kitty was a barrel racer.And that’s what barrel racers did. They rode pell-mell by day and bonked cowboys by night.
Molly smiled thinking back on her rodeo days, and stroked Jo’s neck, “We had quite the time, didn’t we, girl.”
Chapter 7
Three weeks later, Shadow was showing. She had ten nipples that were enlarging, had an increased appetite, and was moping about in the mornings. Molly was excited. Bear was going to be a father. She and Bart were going to be grandparents.
Having studied Bear’s papers, she was pleased. His heritage was well documented and impressive. His father had been widely shown, winning both in his category and in the larger show. The documents and photos of Max and Milly, Bear’s father and mother, were great and would help sell the pups. And Bear and Shadow were handsome together, representing the best of the breed.
Molly started preparing the marketing materials. The custom in the industry was to begin prominently featuring the grandparents and papers, documenting the authenticity of the breed, then turning attention to Bear and Shadow, and finally, individual files on each pup. She would decide pricing once the pups were born, but the going rate for thoroughbred well-documented German Shepherd puppies of this quality was in the $1500 to $3000 range. The individual prices turned on the physical traits and coloring. Her goal was $20,000 based on tenpups at an average price of $2000. She expected interest from enthusiasts in at least ten western states for an offering like this.
The ten nipples were not an indication of litter size. Average litter size for German Shepherds was eight pups. The largest on record was fifteen, but ten was not unusual. And, of course, all might not survive or be robust. Molly had worked two years as a Veterinarian tech and was experienced in dog breeding. Many owners brought their pregnant female to the Vet a few days before birth so it could be overseen by professionals. Molly’s vet had four birthing rooms, and Molly had overseen hundreds of births.
Molly was creating a special birthing room at the cabin for Shadow. The normal gestation period for a German Shepherd was sixty three days. They were twenty one days in, so she was expecting the birth event in about forty days. A birthing room was intended to make Shadow feel comfortable. Molly had relocated Shadow’s sleeping mat to a pantry off the kitchen where she’d also set up her own medical supplies. She removed unnecessary items from the floor, moved Shadow’s sleeping mat into place, and set up water and feeding bowls for Shadow there. She wanted Shadow to expect that the birth would happen there. Molly didn’t need Shadow wandering away in the woods for the big event, a place where Molly couldn’t be present to help and document the process.
As the days approached, Molly would begin day and night monitoring. She knew the timing and the signs to look for. Once those started, she would be close by at all times, day or night.
The correspondence with Kitty had been fun. The day after getting Kitty’s first note, Molly sent a long note telling Kitty whatshe knew about Bart. That he had a place in the wilderness well off the grid that he didn’t share with anyone. She reported that Bart was in good health and good spirits and that they’d spent a weekend together. She didn’t give details but she knew Kitty the barrel racer could fill in those blanks.
She told Kitty about Beryl, the jenny mule, Bella, the lost and found lynx, and Blitz, his hunting falcon. She sent a photo of the leather bracelet Bart had made for her and talked about the beautiful leather hat, vest, and moccasins he wore. She reported he was reading a Kindle and coming out of the mountains about once a month. And she spoke generally about the PTSD disability and the requirement that he be in touch with his VA-appointed therapist. She’d debated talking about that, but decided Kitty and the family probably knew about it.
And she told Kitty all about Summer’s End and her family history there. Several weeks after sending that email to Kitty, she’d learned inadvertently from Mai that Kitty had reserved three cabins and one RV site for the weekend of the Omak Stampede. Since Kitty hadn’t told her about that, she could only conclude that Bart’s family was coming to see Kitty’s farewell ride and hopefully to see Bart. Molly decided she’d tell Bart about Kitty coming for the Stampede but not that Kitty had reserved cabins and an RV spot for that weekend. That was Kitty’s deal. Maybe when the time got closer, Kitty would share her plan.
The Omak Stampede is one of the largest rodeos in Washington State, second only to the Ellensburg Rodeo, one of the top ten rodeos in the country. Molly had grown up with the OmakStampede, watching it as a kid, working it her teen years, and finally, competing in barrel racing and calf roping.
Following high school graduation, Molly was crowned Queen of the Omak Stampede, an honor for any young cowgirl. The qualifying was more a show of horse skills than a beauty contest. The crown went to the best young female rider, but it was a bonus when the queen was also lean and attractive, as Molly had been. Being a rodeo queen carried many responsibilities. Besides leading the traditional Omak Stampede parade through town with floats and marching bands, and leading the Queen’s Ride that opened the rodeo itself, the queen was expected to represent the Stampede at other regional rodeos.
Every rodeo begins with a Queen’s Ride where all visiting queens dress in their finest rodeo outfits and carry the flag of the rodeo they represent. At a major rodeo like the Omak Stampede, it wouldn’t be unusual to have twenty visiting queens, dressed in their finest, holding a flag, and riding at top speed around the edge of the arena to screaming and applauding fans who love the event that features the best young female riders in the region. Many of the queens also participate in events. And that was Molly’s introduction to the rodeo circuit. She liked it so much that it became her way of life after community college.
Bart’s next visit was scheduled for May 25, a Thursday, and one week after Molly had confirmed Shadow’s pregnancy. As the day approached, Molly could feel the anticipation. He’d said he’d stay with her, and she was counting on that. She was surprised how much she was looking forward to seeing him. As the day approached, she was conscious of her body. Anticipating several days of sex, her body was talking to her. She was aroused. Shefelt it in her breasts, between her legs, and in her head. Her dreams were sexually charged, and she woke aroused. She knew how to take care of herself, and she did, more often than normal.
Knowing Bart had only purchased six condoms at the store and that they’d had sex three times, she assumed he only had three on hand. Well, based on her plans, that would never do for a two or three day visit. Not wanting to buy them from Betsy, she stocked up at a Tonasket drug store where she was less well-known than in Omak or Okanogan. She felt silly at her age slinking around buying condoms, but the public enjoyment of Bart’s last purchase at the resort store had her on guard.
She wondered how long he’d stay, and what his business was. He’d said he had a business day scheduled for May 25. She knew that involved a video call appointment with his VA therapist. He’d said that would be at the federal building in Okanogan. He was required to be physically verified by someone, and then proceed with the video call in a conference room. She could picture that. But did he have other business that she didn’t know about? She had no idea.
And his visit would include provisioning. She could guess the kinds of things he might regularly need: flour, sugar, salt, grains, spices, and the like. Did he have an oven? Did he make bread? She could envision fresh and smoked meat. A sharp shooter in the wild likely wasn’t going hungry. But what else was he cooking, and how was he doing that? Most likely a wood burning stove, but how would he get that to a remote retreat? And a stove wasn’t very practical in the hot summer. Maybe he cooked outside in the summer. She could visualize an outside cooking rack set up over an open fire. The image of a mountain man living off the grid in a secret hideaway was wildly romantic. And it carried many questions that Molly enjoyed mulling.
What about the sex? Well, if he stayed at her place, there’d be sex. Lots of sex. And that was a good thing. But what wouldhappen on arrival? Would the clothes be on the floor in the living room with her backed up against a wall? Well, that’d be just fine. She could do rough and kinky, especially with this guy. Or would it be more patient. Maybe a drink, a hot shower, and a cuddle before the main event.
