Bouncing Back

"Okay and thanks for bringing those steaks. Now that's the type of woman you ought to be looking for, a woman with some fire in her belly who appears unafraid and willing to take chances. She looks the type who'd rather be screwed all afternoon than go shopping or out to coffee with the girls."

"And then what?"

"Christ Shelton where's your imagination? She'd get dinner, clear away and know she only needed to watch a bit of television and it would be time to screw again."

Shelton loved the way his aunt could draw pictures in his mind.

"Wow, that makes me feel like bouncing back and attempting to pin her tail."

"Shelton darling, you're dreaming if you think a classy dame like that would even consider having you touch her."

"She has humanity; she likes Elsa and Elsa likes her."

"Well I can follow your logic son but at the same time I don't like your chances. Look, if you really are thinking about bouncing back why not give it a go. You've had women say no to your before so you'll be used to rejection."

""Who says women have said no to Shelton Acland?"

"Darling I think I know women," his aunt laughed. ""You'd scare them titless rushing at them like a randy young bull."

* * *

The three Acland brothers lived like they were semi-retired and each had his oldest son working as a foreman. The three ranches shared a boundary and were worked as a family cooperative totaling 116,300 acres, a complicated formula being used to apportion costs and to share profits and demands of capital investment. The brothers took turns at chairing the cooperating for a term of two years.

The system worked pretty well and the cooperative's attorney was called in whenever there was a dispute that the brothers couldn't settle unassisted.

Shelton drove straight to Uncle Jack's place because it was the birthday dinner of his eldest son Mark and everyone was invited for dinner, with drinks starting at 4:00.

One of the his uncles asked what he'd done that day since he's ducked work on the ranch that afternoon.

"I took 300 pounds of aged steaks from our last kill to Ma's and Chuck you won't believe what happened to me when I stopped for gas. This gorgeous chick drove in behind me and I chatted her up."

People at the three tables outside under umbrellas stopped to listen, including the women. Shelton was the best-looking guy on the ranch and the families assumed he'd be out hunting hard to find a replacement for Lily.

"We exchanged vehicles and he was a third of the way down Langton's straight in my pick-up when I went past her in her Mercedes as if she were stopped."

"How fast?" asked Ernie his father.

"One hundred and fifty," Shelton lied, aware everyone was listening.

"Liar, one-ten to one-twenty would be tops down that lumpy highway," said his dad. "You must have been tanked up on too much of Ma's coffee and hallucinating. This whole thing has been made up."

"No it's true dad."

"Shelton you are telling us a woman you don't know gives you her Mercedes V8 E550 and tells you to go for a test drive and she'll meet you at Ma's. You have to be dreaming."

Every one laughed and Shelton said hotly, "Why don't you guys believe me?"

"I'll tell you what Shelton," said his Uncle Dave. "Everyone is over at my place on Sunday for Ruby and my wedding anniversary. You have this phantom woman there in her fancy Mercedes and we'll all know your tale was no bullshit."

"Mom she's the daughter of some woman you went to school with."

"Who?"

"I don't remember but she lives in Coatesville."

"Probably a couple of thousand girls went through high school during my time there son. Can you be a little more specific?"

Everyone laughed.

"You were the only female she couldn't beat at longer distance running."

"Oh god, I know who you mean. Beryl Street now Beryl Lyndon."

"Yes that's the one."

"Well Beryl has two daughters, both married who both live in New York State somewhere."

"Well this daughter's marriage has crashed and she'd taken her husband's car and couldn't care less who drove it."

"That sounds plausible Shelton but perhaps it would be best if you front up with her on Sunday."

"I'll try," Shelton said and people laughed and some shook their heads. He was teased about it all night and soon stopped insisting it was true because it appeared to be no use protesting.

* * *

Shelton now had half a name and next morning her called his aunt.

"Hi Ma, it's Shelton making a quick call. Um that lady Mrs Lyndon. I've forgotten her other name?"

He held his breath because Ma could become bloody minded at times.

"Christ Shelton, you aim to lay that woman and you don't know her name? It's a wonder you've remembered her surname.

He cringed but crossed his fingers.

"Laurel you fool. Say it ten times aloud and you'll remember it."

"Thanks Ma," he yelled, cutting the call, relieved but his hands were sweating. He thought he'd gotten out of that quite lightly.

He danced about singing "Laurel, Laurel, Laurel, Laurel, Laurel, Laurel, Laurel, Laurel, Laurel, Laurel."

Maggie his married sister came in and asked what was up with him.

"I was thinking, um, of a crossword clue, the name of a flowering shrub, and was trying to remember it."

"You don't do crosswords."

"Well Ma does and asked me for help with something," he lied.

"What was the clue?"

Shelton thought Christ why didn't she shut up. "Er a grass instrument."

"Gee what a stupid clue. What's the answer?"

Oh no. She was about to make a fool of him. Why the fuck had he lied? The inspiration hit him between the eyes. "Lawnmower."

Maggie looked at him and appeared rather impressed. "Help me off with my riding boots."

She sat and he faced away from her and stepped over her leg, grabbed the heel and pulled with an upward movement, she stopping sliding forward by pushing the other boot hard against his butt.

The boot came off with effort.

Shelton had the other boot almost off when he said, "Your lower legs are fattening; are you pregnant?"

"Asshole," she yelled and pushed her leg against his butt with all her might and Shelton lost his grip and went flew forward, narrowly missing splitting his head open on the steel and glass coffee table.

"You bitch," he shouted.

Their mom came in and said to her 33-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter, "Now, now children. Behave and keep your voices down. I've only just got Samantha asleep."

* * *

A tough-faced woman came to the door and Shelton's first thought was Laurel's mom would be a great match for his mom if they had a catfight.

"Good afternoon ma'am, I'm here to see Laurel."

"Is she expecting you?"

"I think so."

"Why aren't you certain?"

"It wasn't set in concrete."

"I see. You best come in and allow my husband to interrogate you. I have my doubts about you."

Shelton followed her fat ass into the kitchen and they both stopped abruptly as they saw Laurel in her underwear.

He had a hot flush. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Gee he could imagine getting his head between those beauties. He noted her thighs were slender and yet athletic-looking. He practically purred thinking oh boy did he like her. Two dogs on the floor climbed to their feet and slunk away from him. Christ what a reception!

* * *

At they drove off in the F250, Laurel said encouragingly, "I've often thought about you since our first meeting."

"Not ravishing my body I hope."

Laurel didn't laugh. She turned to him and said, "Would you like me to do that to you?"

"Jesus," Shelton yelled, having almost lost control of the vehicle at the corner as he turned and loosing concentration had to swerve to avoid a vehicle parked too close to the corner.

"Have I offended you?"

"Christ no Laurel. Run that past me again."

"If you want sex you are welcome to help yourself. We both appear in limbo since our divorces and everyone needs sex, daily if possible."

Daily? Shelton glanced at Laurel with hugely increased interest. "We both need to bounce back."

She looked at him as if he were a genius and said, "Yes, that's exactly it. What a wonderful expression to describe our situation."

"You know," he said attempting to sound scholarly, "I really wonder if most people want sex. I mean viewing the situation globally and I really mean recreational sex?"

"What ever led you to that lopsided view?"

"Well I'm virtually always thinking about sex and wanting to involved but I have this opinion that I'm a man alone."

"Or grossly under-educated. Aren't you aware women feel the need to be fucked?"

Shelton sucked in breath to try to stop his head spinning.

"I've never, never had a woman ask me for sex unless she was soliciting. Er not unless I had heated them up first with a fair bit of heavy groundwork executed with expertise."

"Have you ever engaged in sex with a female?" Laurel asked. "It you have I'd be surprised because you appear to view copulation so abstractly."

Shelton said stiffly that he'd engaged in many mutually satisfying encounters of sexual intercourse and he'd pounded his wife daily until her old boyfriend reappeared on the scene.

"Saying to a woman you pound other women sexually is very unlikely to impress her Shelton," Laurel censured. "Look, answer this. If I tear off my panties and open my legs for you, what is likely to be your first thought."

It was a trap, a mile wide, but Shelton failed to see it, concentrating on trying to impress that he was a man's man.

"I'd say something like you have a fat pussy and then ram it in with the objective of making you come like a waterfall."

"Oh Shelton," Laurel groaned, "You asshole."

Shelton slipped into sullen silence, thinking what did this women want: to be shafted by him while he recited poems that she approved?

As they entered the strip with the best bars Laurel said to pull over. He obliged and turned off the motor.

Looking at him seriously she said, "This is not working out between us is it?"

He said no and she asked did he know why.

"Because I want to bounce while you appear intent on kicking ass."

Laurel slowly nodded and she said there was more than a little truth in that statement. "We are guilty of losing the plot. You being overly interested in screwing me because you've found a gal who's offered to do it with you and I have gone too far attempting to examine your motives and behaving like a know-all to raise the level of your sexual maturity."

"Are you apologizing?"

"Yes absolutely."

"Me too, I apologize. I became overly excited as you described it when you said people needed sex daily. I began wondering how many times a day would be consider doing it with me each day. I guess I am sexually uneducated. I never knew people actually wanted sex; I mean apart from me. I think about it several times a day and thought I was hugely abnormal, a walking menace to society."

"Oh your poor darling." Laurel said reaching and pulling him on to her, Shelton plunging down a hand to release his seat belt to help facilitate her maneuver.

She soothed, "You are definitely not over-sexed for a guy, I can promise you that but perhaps I'm oversexed compared with most women."

He reached for a tit as they kissed for the first time and she reached and squeezed his erection.

"Oh god," she said. "Let's go to White's Hotel. They used to rent rooms by the hour so they probably still do and they have a bar and grill open late. I need to be fucked but please drive impeccably."

Within seconds of the door closing Laurel, without warning, foot-tripped Shelton and seized his far arm to break his fall on to the carpet. She crashed down on to him, unzipped him and then worked at stuffing his erection into her mouth.

"Jesus," Shelton boggled, still panting from the shock of the fall. He ignored Laurel's cosseted tits, instead reaching up under her skirt and under her panties to find to his delight what he'd call a super-fat pussy, all powered-up and ready to go, dripping and pulsating slightly.

They sucked and fondled and then shed some clothes and swung into some solid fucking while moaning and delivering endearments, sweating and ignoring the disgusting suction sounds. Although Shelton had come three times he absolutely exploded when Laurel jerked him off with her tongue and a finger up his back passage.

After an hour's sleep they went to the bar and grill for drinks and a steak, suddenly having the feeling they now both knew one another very well.

Driving Laurel home just before 1:00 Shelton said, "That was a truly amazing evening. I feel I have bounced back, almost over the moon."

"Me too." Laurel said. "You were unbelievably good."

"May I ask you something?"

"Yes we can do it again and again."

"Great but I really mean will you do me a favor?"

"Yes of course. How may I pleasure you?"

"Will you come to my uncle's ranch today for lunch. It means a two and a half hour drive to get there but I'll give you directions and you'll find it easily. You go past Ma's place and take the first road on the right, Links Road, and ten miles along that road you'll see four large grain silos on the right. Turn on to the access track that runs between those silos and you'll come to Uncle Dave Ackland's ranch house. There will be about forty people there, mostly my relatives, for Uncle Dave and Aunty Ruby's 36th wedding anniversary. He was the first of the three brothers to marry."

"Why are you so anxious for me to be there?"

"I shot my mouth off about you and your Mercedes, No one believed me so now my credibility is as stake. I was asked to have you front up for lunch today."

Laurel laughed and said that would teach him for shooting off his mouth to try to impress people. "Yes I'll be there. I'll be late as I'm attending a mid-morning christening at my cousin's church so I suggest you don't say I'll be arriving.

CHAPTER 3

Shelton was glad his mom and sister fussed around with food, dressing and both raced back to change clothes again because the delays meant they'd arrive late and he'd take the ribbing in one dose.

He drove all the family in his father's 7-seat SUV and as everyone piled out they were warmly greeted and then came the calls, 'Where's this dream woman Shelton?'

The call was taken up and even the women were into it. Finally he said, "Okay, okay. You are entitled to believe I lied and believe there's no dream woman and no black slinky Mercedes Benz."

The forty-three people including kids and ranch-hands were finishing mains when Jed the youngest brother said, "Car coming."

One of the ranch hands said, "That vehicle is going hoppity hoot judging by that dust plume stretching out behind it."

Everyone laughed.

Then Jed's eldest son Lester announced: "Folk what we have coming at us about eighty mile an hour is a black mid-sized Mercedes. I guess it's Shelton's dream woman."

Shelton's mom called, "Shelton is that the truth. Lie and I'll box your ears."

"What you see is what you get mom; you better believe it."

"Woman driving, only occupant," Lester who really did have great eyesight said.

People came forward of the tables to watch the arrival, knowing it was crunch time for the usually popular Shelton Acland.

The car stopped under heavy braking sending up a dust cloud but the gentle breeze wafted the dust away from the gathering. A woman climbed out and waved and called hi folk. She wore a white Stetson, tight black long-sleeved silk shirt, short white leather skirt showing off great legs and black and white ankle boots.

Guys holding on to their drinks whistled and catcalled.

Shelton scampered down to greet the visitor and the women clapped as he kissed her soundly and led her forward to began the introductions, starting with his aunt and uncle.

Ma Black yelled, "You guys should have known Shelton wouldn't have lied to you. He's not into bullshit. I met Laurel on the day Shelton's unlikely drive happened. Isn't she darn pretty guys?"

"Yes," roared the guys and the women applauded.

There was some reseating at tables and Shelton sat Laurel between his mother and father. He sat at the next table with Ma Black and his grandparents and his sister who was nursing Samantha and next to her was her husband.

Everyone enjoyed a lively afternoon.

Ernie called his family together, they being the last family to leave.

"Why don't you stay the night darling," Bess said to the visitor. "You can have Shelton's bed and he can go out to the bunkhouse on East River."

"Oooh a bunkhouse. I've always wanted to sleep in a bunkhouse."

"Well not out there alone," Bess said. "It's not used unless the men are working cattle over there or haymaking.

"I'll be safe, I'll sleep with Shelton," Laurel said brightly.

Bess looked slightly shocked until Ernie said to his wife, "Good god woman, get off their backs. They're adults and she won't do it with him unless she wants that to happen."

"Yes mom, butt out," said her daughter.

"Very well. Go out after dinner and I'll pack breakfast for you."

Shelton stayed right out of the discussion but continued to look hopeful.

"Mrs Acland, I'd like to go out now while there's still plenty of daylight left to experience ranch atmosphere walking along by the river and gazing out at your spread and looking at sleek critters."

"Looking at what?" Bess asked puzzled.

"She means cattle, Ernie laughed, his beer belly shaking.

Shelton said, "Mom you go with Laurel now in the Merc and pack food for dinner and breakfast for two. Dad will drop me off and I'll come in with two horses and saddlebags. Let's do the whole thing the Western way Laurel has in her mind."

"Oh how exciting," she squealed and everyone laughed.

Maggie and Samantha went in the Mercedes with her mom and Laurel.

* * *

As the car sped down the dusty farm road Maggie said Laurel was a skillful driver.

She then lobbed a big one, "Are you and my brother having sex?"

"Yes but only the one session so far but you ought to get into it big time tonight."

Bess sighed and said she couldn't understand how young people could talk so openly about sex that really was such a private matter.

Laurel glanced at Maggie in the back seat and they grinned at each other.

"If that talk is to continue I'd like you to block Samantha's ears," Bess said stoutly.

The other two women giggled, knowing Samantha was only ten weeks old.

Finally Bess asked the other thing that was top-of-mind: "Laurel you can ride a horse?"

"I expect so."

"You expect so?"

"Well women are expected to be modest Mrs Acland but it's some years since I've ridden but I ought to be okay. I had m own pony from the age of ten to sixteen and competed in eventing which means a combination of cross-country and jumping."

* * *

Laurel, who'd changed into jeans and shirt, flew out of the kitchen side door when Elsa arrived and began barking for her. She'd appeared to have been directed to get Laurel. Laurel skidded to a stop at the fence and said in admiration, "Omigod, what beautiful horses as they ran her eyes over the sorrels."

"Acland ranch is known widely for the quality and condition of its horses," Shelton said proudly. "Which horse do you want, you choose?" he asked, dismounting.

"The filly with the smaller saddle you silly boy," she giggled.

They were deep in a kiss when Bess and Maggie arrived with the provisions and Bess said dryly, "Unbuckle the saddle bags for me Shelton."

They rode off at an easy lope.

Maggie who'd been an accomplished horsewoman noted Laurel's straight black and her relaxed right arm hanging loosely at her said and assured her mom, "Laurel can really ride."

"Oh what a quaint bunkhouse," Laurel cried, ninety minutes later."

"Built around 120 years ago with little change apart from the introduction of a solar-powered water heater and improved rat control."