Betrayal Ch. 07 - The Epilogue

Nate and Linda joined them the next morning for breakfast, and then they rode out to the ranch together while the grandparents took care of the boys. There was a degree of foreboding, given the events when they were last here, but it was impossible to tell anything but ranching activities had happened. Nate didn't take they by the mass gravesite, but he told Tim that, if he had, no one would have had a clue.

They stopped by the ranch house after checking on the cattle and horses. There were no signs of the events there either.

Linda brought sandwiches, chips, and drinks, and they stayed for several hours just eating and visiting, letting the discomfort dissolve over time. By the time they left, laughter flowed easily as Nate reminisced about the night terrors and cougars screaming, and reminded her that even Joe was laughing at his daughter.

Jeannie got in the spirit, and, before they left, pointed at 'their bed' and smiled enticingly at Tim.

***

The porpoise were frolicking when they rode across the channel on the ferry, causing the boys to hop up and down in glee. As the landing drew near, they got back in the pickup and bubbled to Jeannie about the porpoise and 'eagles and going swimming in the ocean where you have to watch for jellyfish and sharks!

Their rental was a house; one of three in a triangular cluster set in the dunes just off the beach. A small sandy road led up to the three houses, which were built on wooden piers considerably larger than the base of telephone poles. All three houses were a full story above the dunes, and had a common parking area in the middle, with one slot under each house.

Tim had rented the smaller, two bedroom house in front. The two larger houses were empty until Wednesday morning, when the Jeannie and Tim's parents and their siblings were arriving, to spend the rest of the week. The larger bedroom had a king bed and bathroom, the smaller bedroom had a queen bed and an adjacent bathroom.

Tim and the boys were going to be in the larger bedroom, Jeannie in the smaller; or, that was the plan.

They covered the boys in suntan lotion, made them wear beach hats, and set up a sunshade shelter to keep their food, drinks, toys, and chairs under. Then they hit the beach, started playing in the waves near the shore, and hunting in the sand for shells, and the precautions were forgotten.

Fortunately, Jeannie remembered and forced a second round of suntan lotion and hat wearing before the castle building got underway. Tim was good at building moats and walls, but his technique with the finer points of castle building was lacking; Jeannie, on the other hand, could sculpt and trim like a beach bum, so daddy became a mule bringing sand and water for the artists.

A hamburger and shake from Custard's Last Stand, sitting on the deck watching the ships and planes and stars, and the moon rising out of the water. Mark went to sleep in Jeannie's lap, and Patrick followed on dad's lap. When they went to put them in bed, Mark wouldn't turn Jeannie loose. "I want to sleep with mommy," he complained sleepily. Tim shook his head, but grinned; Jeannie smiled, but with tears in her eyes.

The line was getting blurry.

***

Tuesday they tried surf fishing, which consisted of Dad baiting lines and casting, and Jeannie helping them hold the rods. That was more trouble than it was worth, so they went over to the ship channel and fished off a wharf using bobbers. It didn't matter much what kind of trash fish bit, it was still a big adventure, with lots of whoops and hollers.

With the stringer still empty, they stopped by the seafood market and bought fish and shrimp to cook at the house for supper, and hot dogs for lunch with a half-gallon of frozen custard for dessert. Their naps were longer than normal, giving Jeannie and Tim more time to talk, with a little flirting thrown in.

The conservative one-piece bathing suits she had been wearing did nothing to hide her lush body anyway, but Tim was very impressed by the maillot she wore that afternoon, and it showed. She took every opportunity to pose and show off, which only made his problem greater.

They played in the surf, then went shell and sand dollar hunting down the beach a good ways. The boys wanted to know why those men were whistling and yelling when they went by a group of college-age boys, but Dad explained they were just having fun.

A hundred yards down the beach he had fallen behind a dozen yards; he gave a loud wolf whistle and exclaimed, "Yea, Baby!" like the boys had. Jeannie smirked; Patrick and Mark gave him a puzzled look, and he pointed at a nearly pristine sand dollar he had found. They scurried over to add it to their bucket, and he winked at the real reason; she winked back, and wiggled her hips.

Walking back, the boys were on either side of Jeanie holding her hands, and Tim was carrying their bucket of bounty, some driftwood, and the omnipresent beach bag he took everywhere they went. Two older couples near the water stopped them, and one of the women said, "We saw you walk by a while ago, and we wanted you to know that you are just a beautiful family!"

Tim thanked them, but Jeannie had something in her eye and didn't say much; the boys beamed at being called beautiful.

After the seafood bounty featuring stuffed flounder and boiled shrimp, they again watched the sun set, the lights on the oilrigs and ships come on, and the stars come out. The moon was already up a little ways, so it was silver rather than orange when darkness came. They all cuddled up on the rocking love seat and the boys went to sleep at the same time. When they tried to put them in the king size bed, however, both wanted Jeannie to sleep with them, so Tim brought her nightgown, took his sleeping shorts, and they changed bedrooms.

Jeannie lay between the two boys, held them against her, and cried very quietly for a few minutes. Tim went to bed amazed at how quickly his guys had taken to his... what? Girlfriend? It was getting close to time to make that call.

***

The Kellys arrived in two vehicles at 10, the Hildebrands, plus Alan, at 10:30. He and Kathy were riding close together in the back seat, and it was clear to see that relationship was developing nicely.

As soon as everyone had their beach gear on, Tim asked Nate, Linda, Jan, and Gary to take Jeannie and the boys down to the beach, set everything up, and he and the parents would be down in a few minutes. They looked puzzled, but readily agreed.

"I asked you to stay because I need some advice. The relationship between Jeannie and the boys has grown a lot faster than I envisioned. In fact, Mark called her mommy Monday night, and both boys slept with her last night. I know, I know, that's not a bad thing -- but... I don't want Karen's parents to be blindsided by this.

How bad an idea would it be to invite them down and have them stay in your third bedroom, Joe and Emelia? I think if they saw for themselves that there is a natural affinity, maybe... Anyway, what do you guys think?"

There was a bit of back and forth as they discussed it among themselves and then with Tim, but they ultimately agreed. Tim's mother decided she and Emilia should be the ones to invite them, so they did; and they quickly accepted.

Jeannie was surprised when Tim told her, and she was nervous when they arrived later that afternoon. Karen's mom made it a little worse when they first arrived, but after a few hours her jealousy and resentment were gone, displaced by love for her grandsons and acceptance that they liked and relied on Jeannie a lot.

Meals taken together, beach time, souvenir shopping, posing for pictures, walks, and the nightly rig/ship/star gazing brought everyone closer; the boys prospered in the bath of love and affection.

The three younger couples went out to a club Saturday night, drank some beer, and danced. Nate, Gary, and Tim had to beat the college boys and professional lotharios off with a stick, but they managed, and the egos of the girls were about as inflated as their libidos by the appreciation the strangers showed.

Nate and Gary were in a hurry to get back to the houses because they were going to get lucky tonight! Tim plotted and planned all the way back, and when they got there he grabbed a couple of towels, his pickup keys, and Jeannie, and drove south down the beach toward the least populated area he knew of.

Jeannie scooted right next to him and asked, "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere private," he answered.

"We have the whole house to ourselves ; the boys are staying with their grandparents tonight, remember?" she inquired.

"Yes, Honey, but with what I have planned for you, I'm afraid they would all be awake before long," he explained sincerely.

"What? I don't... Oh! Really? Ha! You think a lot of yourself, don't you! I'm not like that!"

They started around one; by two the mattresses were deflated and the lone house anywhere near, which had been dark when they arrived, had all the lights on. She blamed him: what he did to her poor titties, kitty, and klitty with his mouth, lips, and tongue was just too much to bear silently!

They were dressed, sitting in the pickup, watching the waves breaking in the moonlight by the time the deputy cruised up and asked with a smirk if they had heard any strange noises. They had not; he blithely suggested they might feel safer about a mile down, where there were no houses and no one to report strange noises.

They thanked him; he turned north, they continued a mile further south, and went for a swim in the misty moonlight. Campers two miles south were certain they heard a Puma around three, but they just zipped up their tent and tried to go back to sleep.

From Tim's perspective, their previous tryst had been earth shaking, but tonight's probably started a tsunami that would strike Cuba and Florida around noon tomorrow. From Jeannie's, she didn't even know some of those places and things were erogenous zones before tonight, and she was certain she had no bones or functional muscles left in her body; he had lifted her into the pickup because she couldn't walk, much less climb in.

He carried her into the house, cleaned her in the shower, dried her, and carried her to bed. He laid her nightdress on a chair beside the bed, but left her lying nude in bed so he could carefully examine her and determine if she really was physically perfect, or it was the moonlight on the beach. Upon closer examination, it wasn't the moonlight.

He slipped the sheet off her to check again in the early morning sunlight, and discovered that even her feet and toes were cute. Her legs, from ankles to hips, were indeed shapely works of art, with skin as soft as a baby's bottom covering powerful muscles. Her waist was tiny and her little belly concave when lying on her back, and her hips flared to his exact specifications. The high, tight ass was truly magnificent, and her more-than-a-mouthful breasts were perfectly shaped and topped with sensitive pink nipples.

He rated her shoulders and neck "exquisite", and the honey-gold hair framed a face that might be too girl-next-door to be termed "beautiful", but he couldn't see any way to improve any part of it. Therefore, she was beautiful!

So - beautiful, something like 34-24-35, with shapely limbs; something like 9.9 on his rating scale! Best of all, though, was her responsiveness; that put her at 10+, at least!

He decided that, if they ever did get married, he would invest in the best sound proofing available for the interior and exterior walls of their house, and then buy her some comfortable gags so their kids could sleep at night.

***

Their group included a couple of denominations of protestants was well as Catholics, but they all attended the early service at Trinity by the Sea Episcopal Church, and came away refreshed and revitalized. After breakfast at a café, they finished packing and said their goodbyes.

Karen's parents thanked them all for being included, and then Granny whispered, "She's a lovely girl, Tim. I can see that she loves the boys and they love her. I know Karen would not want you trying to raise them by yourself. I -- we -- hope it works out for the two of you.

Anyway, we love you and we love the boys, and we know you will keep us a part of their lives as they grow up. We lost our daughter, but she left us two amazing grandsons to love, and a wonderful son-in-law to love too."

Tim kissed and hugged them both, as did the boys, and then they drove away.

"What did she have to say, Son?" asked his mom.

"She said Jeannie is a lovely girl who loves her grandchildren and they love her, and they hope it works out for us," Tim answered with shiny eyes.

Jeannie crooked her head and asked, "Really? I mean they were nice, but I thought they would... I don't know, be resentful?"

"Daughter, as long as you take good care of Patrick and Mark, they will accept and support you! Well, and Tim. I can tell they love their three boys a LOT!" Emilia explained with a smile.

Jeannie put on her pouty mouth, crooked her head the other way, and asked, "Tim too? I mean these precious boys, that's easy! Their daddy, on the other hand, can be pretty trying!"

Nate, aware of the boys standing beside his parents, nonchalantly asked, "So, Jeannie, how was the moonlight ride? You didn't hear any jungle sounds or screaming Cougars, did you? I only ask because I thought I heard something once, and then a cop went down the beach in a hurry, so I wondered."

As he knew she would, she blushed scarlet, which caused the other adults to laugh, Tim to go hug her, and Patrick to ask wide-eyed, "Are there really Cougars out at night at the beach?"

"There must be," Nate answered seriously, "because I'm pretty sure I heard one! It sounded just like the one we heard at the ranch! Might even be the same one!"

"Who would win between a Cougar and a shark?" Patrick asked excitedly.

"If they are both in the water, the shark," Nate replied, "but if they are on land, I'll bet on the Cougar! Especially this Cougar!"

"Daddy, is a Cougar like a big, pretty kitty cat?" Mark asked. "I think I our teacher showed us a picture of one, if it's a big kitty."

Nate interjected, "Yes, Mark, this one is definitely a pretty, kind-of-big, kitty cat. I don't know how dangerous it is, but it can purr and scream pretty loudly, so maybe it is dangerous!"

"Enough!" Linda announced, trying to stop her husband and save her friend from the ongoing laughter. Of course, she was laughing just as hard as the others, and Jeannie, whose face was turned to Tim's chest, was smiling and giggling quietly.

"Well, now that my precious kitten has been outed and properly harassed in front of everyone, I suppose we should get on the road too," Joe declared. "When are you coming home, Kitten?"

"Maybe never, Daddy! You and Mom and my sister and Alan were enjoying Nate's juvenile humor entirely too much!" Jeannie stated with a faux frown and scrunchy face.

"Kitten, before you pout you need to remember that I was at the ranch too!" Everyone roared, and Tim hugged Jeannie's head to his chest protectively, holding his hand over her ear. She grinned like the Cheshire Cat, remembering what it was that made her yowl and purr last night, and at the ranch.

Nate took her away from Tim, wrapped his arms around her, picked her up, spun her around, and said, "It's only 'cause I love you, Sis!"

They all hugged one another, said it was so much fun they had to do it again before football season, and left Jeannie, Tim, and the boys waving goodbye on top of the dune.

"Is there any chance we could stay just one more day?" Jeannie asked plaintively.

"Already taken care of!" Tim replied.

***

One more day and night at Port Aransas, three more days at the ranch, and Jeannie returned to her parent's home in San Antonio. Tim and his sons drove to Austin and their rented house, but he was ready to start looking for something permanent.

Tim was up early the next morning, ready to make things happen in their personal life so he could feel secure before he had to put more focus on the upcoming football season. He took the boys to the Happy Lions Learning Center, which was the day care center where they stayed last year and would stay this year during the school day. Miss Beverley was as glad to see them as they were to see her and their friends. After watching the excited hellos and hugs, Tim got serious about finding a permanent home.

Rather than looking for another realtor or talking to the one he had hired for his house, he inquired around. After all, he knew a lot of locals, and they knew everything that was going on in the area.

Deciding to start at the administration building, which was full of gossips and know-it-alls anyway, he first looked in on the superintendent, where he got a very nice welcome. After their visit, he stopped outside and asked his secretary if she knew of a nice, affordable place for sale closer to the school. She told him he should call a builder she knew who was buying and fixing up old properties. It was Darrell Cunningham, whom he also knew, so he looked up his business in the phone book and called.

Darrell happened to be in the office; he told Tim he had just the place, and invited him to come take a look. Since they were both free, they agreed to meet in thirty minutes.

After they shook hands and had the obligatory Texas greeting, Darrell explained that the house and land he was gonna show him previously belonged to an older couple with failing health. They sold it to him for a nice profit over what they paid, and moved to Dallas, where their daughter lived. Darrell admitted that the 'nice profit' they made resulted in him getting a great deal in today's market, and he almost felt guilty about buying it... but they and their kids were happy, so he was too.

He had begun fixing everything up, starting with pulling the worn carpeting and refinishing the wooden floors downstairs, and the stairs to the second floor. There was a lot left to do: improve the electrical and plumbing, repaint the interior, and reroof.

The exterior native rock walls were in great shape and it was remarkably well insulated for the era, with the rock fascia over concrete block, covered with thick paneling in the living and dining rooms, and gypsum board in the other rooms. The trees, shrubs, and lawn were also in good shape; trimmed and well-watered.

Tim explained that he couldn't buy any house until his house sold, but Darrell offered to provide interim financing for up to six months. Making two mortgage payments would be a struggle, so Tim called the realtor with whom he had listed his house. She excitedly told him she had been trying to call him because she had someone interested, and asked if he could meet her at the house.

When the realtor showed up she there was a young couple with her. She introduced Tim to her niece and her niece's husband, and asked if she could show them around. He agreed, but warned that nothing had been cleaned or straightened in over a month.

They didn't care; they loved the house, and made a full-price offer on the spot. Having already signed the necessary documents when he hired the realtor, he took their offer and they all signed more documents. They wanted to move in three weeks from Monday, which meant he had to get on the stick!

He called Darrell and told him he was ready to meet and hear the offer. Darrell and his son, Dale, who played football and threw the shot and discus, were on the roof checking the worn and faded cedar shingles when he drove up. They climbed down, shook hands, Dale and Tim talked about the upcoming season, and then Darrell asked, "Sure I can't sell this place to you right now, Coach? I'll give it to you for what I paid plus 10% and the cost of the repairs I've already done. Believe me, that's a great deal for a house this well built on 11 tree-shaded acres!