Very Momentous

"I work at it Cassandra. I'm telling you, It's a real grind but someone has to do it. He tossed her the present. "Forgot to give you this last night, thinking I probably wouldn't get a fuck unless I brought you a present. But it's a bind to take them back, so keep them."

Cassandra looked more miffed that pleased but when she opened the package all that changed. "Oh Pete, you are so thoughtful. It's a long time since a strange man bought me a present.

Pete grinned, thinking the description 'strange' suited him. He'd never wanted to be a run-of-the-road guy.

"Oh they are gorgeous darling and you have guessed my size brilliantly. My conservative husband wouldn't allow me to wear anything smaller than the kind of panties his mom wore. I ask you. That alone was ground for divorce. I had thought of going in for v-strings as soon as I arrived here but I was so busy looking at the shops I couldn't concentrate on buying anything. Get your cock up darling, I'm ready."

Pete couldn't believe how readily she'd slipped into calling him darling. Obvious securing a good fuck meant more to her than adhering to protocol so he must not think unkindly

They slept and then went out to dinner.

"What are you trained at Pete, if anything?"

"I trained and became a master technician in automotive technology as a maintenance technician and worked my way through the field and ended up as a supervisor in motor vehicle assembly."

"So you know how to fix trucks?"

"Yeah. Particularly Ford trucks, petrol and diesel."

"Ohmigod."

"What, are your ready for another fuck or does your truck need fixing?"

"I think you better come home with me."

* * *

Pete returned to the hotel after 4:00, spending a long, hot day in New Jersey looking for work, driving around in a car he'd rented by the hour over there. Cassandra pressed him to borrow her vehicle but he argued he didn't want to drive through Manhattan to find his way to the locality he wanted. Being a Kentucky boy he wasn't used too really big cities. He'd found nothing to suit him but had been offered three positions - two as mechanics and one as a spray painter. He looked at the premises and decided he wasn't interested. Cassandra has said she'd be up at the pool from mid afternoon cooling down so at the pool bar he purchased a six-pack of cans of beer and joined her.

Cassandra, talking to two women, waved and Pete managed to pull his belly in and straighten his back before the babes in their early thirties turned to look at them. He heard one say something he couldn't hear and then heard throaty laughs so guessed what they was about.

"Hello darling," Cassandra greeted, kissing him possessively. "This is Carole and her blonde companion is Milly."

"His girls. Nice figures. Sit down and drink a beer with us."

"Beer?" Carole asked.

"I thought the same but Pete has convinced me in this sticky weather it leaves a soda for dead, and he's right."

Pete passed around the cans and the younger women reacted as if they were taking a hand-grenade.

Milly said she and Carole would share and handed hers back.

Without just thinking it Pete asked, "What else do you two share?" They took off, leaving the can unopened, Milly complaining, "What a creep."

"When I take you home I won't have any friends left unless you submit to urgent training. Pete you just cannot talk to women like that, even if you smile your acceptance of their sexuality."

"Why not?"

"Because they think it's none of your fucking business."

"Are you angry with me?"

"Yes."

"Well I'm off into the pool to drown."

"Wait I'll come with you. Just don't be such a dickhead."

In the pool after swimming four lengths and feeling cooled off Pete apologized. "Connect with them again. They'll talk to you if I'm not around."

"I expect they will."

"Cassandra, I think I should explain. We are products of our environment. Since my family left me two years ago I have worked and played in an almost exclusive male environment -- the guys at work and my buddies during down time. After my divorce their wives snubbed me but they didn't."

"I think I understand that. Conversations centered on putting women down."

"Well I couldn't admit to except to say males were rarely the butt of our jokes and snide remarks. I guess you know most guys behave more humanlike when women are around?"

"No I didn't know that. God I'd hate to hear them become that low."

"Well surprisingly we do talk about interesting things such as sport, politics and even radiation deep in space and speculate on whether shops would be known to man if women never ventured out of the house."

"Out of the cave you mean."

"Ouch."

"This conversation is becoming desperate. May I tell you something?"

"Yes, of course. Er may I call you darling even when I'm not slobbering over you?"

"Of course; I'd really like that. I called my dad and he said to bring you home and he'd look you over."

"I see."

Cassandra moved away slightly and her voice tightened. "Don't you want me to help you find work? Is my only use to you something for you to fuck?"

"Aw come on Cassandra. Give a guy a break. There hasn't been much time for anything else -- either thinking about it or doing it. You know how it goes. Apart from your cunt I know little about you."

"God Pete, you really do require training. I don't even know where to start."

"Tell me about your father and that will tell me a lot about you."

Cassandra's mouth dropped open.

Pete looked puzzled. "What?"

"That comment of yours was rather an acute observation."

"Well here's something else baby. You are showing some rough edges yourself that probably were not there before you began suspecting your ex was cheating on you and your father by flicking off cattle for his personal gain and found he was fucking other women. You should have erased the creep."

"I almost poked him with a knife one evening smelling some other woman's sex on him. I saw red and took the butcher's knife from the kitchen and was going into the dining room where he was sitting, half asleep, waiting for late dinner. At the kitchen doorway I realized what I was doing and dropped the knife and only my working cowgirl boot saved my foot from being sliced through to the bone."

"Men can be such cunts can't they baby?"

Cassandra frowned and then said she'd accept that as sympathetic support. "Keep going like this and I might even think you are good for me. Will you come to the ranch?"

"Yeah, why not. It might be interesting checking out your dad when he watches me fucking you to aware points for style, movement, power of thrusting, depth of penetration, satisfaction on your face, amount of... "

"Shut up Pete. I'm now too fearful to take you home with me."

CHAPTER 2

They left the hotel in Cassandra's F-150 pickup at 4:00, after their final cooling swim, on a journey of over 1500 miles they'd decided to do it non-stop apart from gas/meal breaks, taking turns to drive and arriving at the ranch in time for dinner next day.

"Why stop overnight somewhere to be kept awake half the night by you wanting to fuck and with the remainder of the night punctuated by loud road noises?"

Cassandra had to admit he had a point. She had driven to New York before so after turning from the Lincoln Tunnel and on to the New Jersey Turnpike began telling Pete about the ranch set-up in detail as they headed to I-280 W.

"When our maternal grandmother died there was enough money to buy the neighboring ranch for my two brothers and she left me granddad's share in our family ranch she'd inherited from granddad. Dad was happy for me to farm with him but after a year it was decided to merge the two properties to operate on economy of scale."

"Good thinking," Pete said, placing a hand on her thigh.

"You were raised on a beef and grain farm so will be aware of what I'm talking about. We now have a ranch of almost 72,000 acres that covers just over 110 square miles and carries 6400 mother cows and all support cattle plus a 1600-head feedlot for weaning and holding the best of weaned stock through to they gain weight to sell-on at optimum prices. As you probably know our state has very high summer temperatures and they plummet in winter. Calving begins around March 12 and we are really into winter feeding by late January to early February for usually around 100 days."

"Yeah, people and beasts don't always have it easy."

"Dad and I work one half of the farm with the help of two ranch hands who live in a bunkhouse. My elder brother Bruce and brother Nick have their own houses and work the other farm also with two permanent ranch hands. Seasonal labor is brought in as required. Bruce is married to Paula and they have two kids with another on the way and Nick and Sierra have one with another on the way. We work the farms as one generally but labor is switched according to what's going on at each half of the farm because my brothers managed their half of the land differently to dad and me as they have their own ideas. They are entitled to do that but get no credit for it because the company pays for everything and the income is divided into four. If either half of the property over-spends or under-spends on budget that difference is built into next year's budget for fairness and that allows my brothers to spend more chasing results and of course if they achieve better results dad and my practices change the next year. Naturally it's vital that one half of the property doesn't have all new vehicles and machinery while the other half operates frugally. There has to be checks and balances to fine-tune economic management. Close liaison between the four of us is the key. The idea is to ensure no one is disadvantaged."

"Sounds difficult to manage but I guess it works because you are family. Did you and your husband have to live on one-quarter share of next profit after all outgoings?"

"Yes, but that made us just the same as dad and mom and my two brothers and their wives. My plan is to share my income with you with you working on our joint property."

"I see. What as?"

"Well not rustling cattle, that's for sure. My ex worked as a handyman but I have bigger plans for you to help us boost profits. Let's talk about it."

Pete had found that very interesting. "I figure you want me to be responsible for maintenance and repair of all vehicles and other machinery."

"Oh, bright boy. What we spend on getting crews out from town is horrendous but of course with the balers and some of the other heavy machinery we might still have to do that."

"Probably but we'll see. Have you any idea of the vehicles involved."

"Everyone including the ranch hands and wives have a pickup.

"So that's a dozen, plus one for me."

"Yes, and a spare one for emergencies. Then we have six tractors, the balers as I mentioned, four farm bikes, a drain digger, a forklift, a heavy truck for bringing in the hay, seeders... and so it goes on."

"I'd need a fully trained mechanic as an assistant, someone that could come in each day."

"What, so you could sit on your butt?"

"Okay, let's start with the pickups. How old are they?"

"Ah, six months to twelve years I think. Say nothing more. I can see where this is heading as the big truck is twenty-seven years old and two of the tractors were pushing twenty years."

"You are rather bright for a woman."

"Thank you darling. Talk to my mother like that and you'll have a broom handle poked all the way through one ear and out the other. Mom is the chairman of Phelps Family Farms and chews tractor tires for breakfast."

"Oh fuck. Honey, please turn and head back to New York."

Cassandra giggled. "If you like what you see and decide to stay I'm going to like you hanging around me. You're funny."

* * *

A man and woman came from the house, greeting Cassandra warmly, both eyeing Pete.

"If this him?"

"Do I need to answer that dad?"

The mother muttered, "God, aren't men thick."

Cassandra had told Pete her mom had her when she was eighteen, eldest in the family of three, so that would make the mom fifty-nine or sixty and Cliff was three years older.

Dad and mom, I'd like to introduce Pete Somers, formerly of Kentucky. He's run out of work as a motor vehicle assembly supervisors because of the shift away from pickups but as I hold you on the phone dad he is fully trained under the Ford-sponsored motor scheme as a master technician in automotive technology.

"Do you have your papers with you son?"

"Yes sir."

"Then I won't need to see them will I? Call me Cliff and this here is Cassandra's mom Lilly."

"I'm pleased to meet you ma'am. Please call me Pete."

"Well you appear to have lovely manners Pete for first impressions are usually the best aren't they?"

"You could say that ma'am or you could say in time a saddle proves itself."

A glance at Lilly told Pete he'd scored and a glance as Cassandra informed him she was looking at him admiringly.

"Are you sleeping with our daughter?

"Huh?"

"I asked you..."

"I heard you Mrs Phelps. You took me by surprise. It's something you should ask your daughter in private."

"Don't be impertinent. Answer the question."

"No, I definitely will not."

"Oh Lilly, this one ain't going to be pushed around. You best get used to it."

"Yes mom, he does, and we have sex at least twice a day."

"Cassandra!"

"Yes I know mom. But then I always was impertinent which is why you had to take it out on the men."

"I really don't know what you two are talking about. Come in and freshen up. I'm expecting you to stay the night so bring in your bags. I was bold enough to make up only the double bed."

"Oh mother, how lovely and adult of you."

"Your kindness will be repaid Mrs Phelps."

Lilly tapped her teeth with her thumbnail. "Something tells me Pete that I'll need more time than usual to make my mind up about you."

"These two things will speed you along mom. Pete is used to all-male company and he enjoys teasing."

"Nothing irritates me more than being teased. I only found that out after marrying your father."

"Men have too much respect for women otherwise they'd tease them Mrs Phelps."

Lilly swung around to deal with Pete but met a poker face. Her husband was grinning though.

"Get their bags Cliff. Stand around all day grinning like that and you'll grow chipmunk cheeks. Lilly, wearing a cowgirl shirt, jeans and boots sprang up the steps and disappeared inside.

"Well son, that's round one to you," Cliff said. "She doesn't want you here. She says Cassandra has made her mistake and should have the sense to settle down and live out her life like a widow. I'm afraid Lilly will be inside plotting. She was rather taken aback with the strength of your defense."

"What defense" Who's fighting whom? She just has rather a sharp tongue, that's all."

Father and daughter exchanged glances and sighed.

Over dinner Lilly said, "I'd like to take you over the pick of the ranch tomorrow Pete.

"I'm not sure we need to go; you can just wait until the other two are out of the room to warn me off your daughter and offer me $50,000 to take off and never to be seen again.

"My offer would have been $500 had I been thinking that. No I just want to ride out and allow you to view the ranch how it should be seen -- on horseback. Oh, I'm sorry. Can you ride?"

"I last rode three weeks ago. Next to... er... doing things with a woman my favorite past time is horse-riding. I grew up on a farm and had my first pony when I was four."

"Oh."

"Can you ride Mrs Phelps?"

She replied acidly that she got by.

"Mom also got a pony on her fourth birthday and competed in rodeo in her late teens."

"Oh, how impressive."

"And you are going to tell me you rode rodeo I suppose?"

"No Mrs Phelps. That seemed far too dangerous for me. I chose stockcar racing instead."

"You have to be kidding?"

"No, I'd tease you but not lie to you Mrs Phelps. Just local region stuff, not big time. I did take an All-State title for rookies though.

After dinner the women went off and the men went to sleep in front of TV. An hour later Cassandra woke them and they went to bed. She said, "I was in bed with mom. I told her everything I know about you and have learned about you, missing out any stuff that would have irritated her, and I think when we go off riding with her tomorrow you'll find her a little different."

* * *

Pete was up at dawn and walked the quarter mile to the barn and found eight horses in the adjoining pasture. He caught one that came up to him and knew it would be Lilly's horse and went out on her to bring the others into the corral. He picked out two and roped them and let the others go.

Lilly saw him riding in. "That's not my horse you're leading and neither is it my second preference."

"Well if you are stroppy enough to try to race me I wouldn't want you saying I won because I was on a bigger horse. Mine is slightly larger to allow for our difference in weight."

Lilly sighed and said as he wished. He would have to pick the best horse for himself. They did race and she eased off to call it a draw. She also talked intently to Pete about his farming experience, supervising staff, keeping records and accounts, experience at being part of the management team, experience with dispute resolution and his mechanical ability in dealing with non-Ford vehicles and assorted machinery.

"Will the ramrod put me through this grill?"

"No she will be satisfied with my report."

"She?"

"Yes with degrees in agriculture and farm management, Cassandra is by far the most qualified person to run this outfit and does that very well."

"Cassandra?"

"God Pete, you are so sharp most of the time and then you become dense like this. Yes, Cassandra. Didn't she tell you? Oh, judging by the complex frown I guess not."

Pete grinned weakly.

"I assume she didn't she almost went to jail for whipping her husband with a rifle butt? No, obvious not. She caught him with Arthur Orchard's wife Lisa gagged and tied to the ground with four pegs and was just ripping Lisa's clothes off when Cassandra drove up and launched her attack. The Orchard family and our lot have been our family friends for almost ninety years. The foul pig received treatment for neck and shoulder fractures and a broken nose. The testicle that almost had to be removed was hit by Cassandra's boot before she gun-whipped him."

"Christ."

"Exactly. We thank God Cassandra was lucky enough to come before a female judge and four of the jurors were female. The jury returned a not guilty decision, finding that Cassandra the defendant had been provoked into subduing her husband in midst of committing a ghastly attack on Mrs Orchard and she had carefully avoided inflicting severe injuries in the desperate need to disable the attacker."

"And the divorce proceeded while the nasty swine was in jail?"

"Yes and he's been deported back to his homeland where she found him when touring Europe."

"Why wouldn't Cassandra have told me both of those things? They are very significant."

"She went to New York to celebrate her freedom, not to dwell on her immediate past or to talk about the ranch."

"Well that's true. She only began talking about the ranch on the way here. I suppose she told you I'm married and my wife has run away with her lover, taking our two children with her and that was two years ago?"

"No she hasn't mentioned it. She would leave you to discuss that with me or both Cliff and me when you were ready, if you ever were. With you willing to leave New York to come way out here I guessed there was something not right in your backyard. Is the runaway family the only thing?"

"Yes and the shock of my career ending. I was at that plant a long time."

"Are you going to look for you wife?"