Horner Springs Retirees #03

"No, it collapsed a long time ago and I doubt there is much that could be salvaged." Maureen said and took his hand. "Let me show you Billy and the girls."

Below the barn there were trees and a four wire fence of steel stakes and barbed wire. Maureen opened the gate and let Lester in then closed the gate. "They're, probably down under the trees by the river," she said and led him down to the flood plain that was quite broad and mostly grassy except at the waters edge. There were several sheep doing sheepish things in the shade of the trees. Maureen let Lester wander for a few moments as he looked at the river and the fence line.

"I hope he buys," she thought. "He looks like he's got the money. Why was Brent such a downer?" she wondered if she should have blown Brent this morning, "He's gay I know. But... But the bedroom was a good idea, and Les does have a manly manner." Maureen considered if she should be so familiar with a customer, again.

Les looked up and saw her smiling at him. "Why's there a gate into the next property?"

Maureen smiled, "So they can get in, in case there is a lost lamb or, they need to service their pump."

"Pump?" Les said as he walked up to Maureen.

"Yes, they've always used the beach to pump water, in the summer. The bank is too steep to install it down stream."

Les thought about it for a few seconds and asked, "Is it an easement in the deed?"

Maureen seemed shocked, "No, not that I'm aware of. Do you object?"

Les grinned, "Well, not really. I just wondered."

Maureen took him by the hand and said, "Let's find Billy, He's beautiful"

Les let her lead him deeper into the brush that screened the upstream part of the property. The slope was steeper on that side of the property, and he did want to see how they had fenced that side of the place.

Billy was lying down but stood and stamped his foot when he saw them come out of the brush that screened the lowest part of the pasture. A couple of ewes, with lambs, nervously edged up the hill. Maureen pointed and said proudly, "See? Isn't he magnificent?"

Lester looked at the ram that came forward as he recognized Maureen. He was a big sheep, it seemed to Les. His coat was short and he had almost a full curl to his horns. "What kind is he?" Les asked, more to acknowledge Maureen's enthusiasm, than for curiosity.

"A Peppin Merino, they come from Australia. He's second generation we've bred here. His daddy sired over a thousand lambs last year and I hope Billy can equal him this year." Maureen said, "He looks okay so let's not disturb him further." She turned, took Lester's hand and started out of the pasture.

Lester found out how loud sheep were when they were disturbed, and he didn't mind it so much until Billy, who was following them, decided to ask Maureen where dinner was, just behind Lester's back.

"Baa-a-a!"

Lester almost jumped out of his skin, "What the heck!?"

Maureen laughed, "He's hungry; usually I'm here just to feed them in the evening. He's got time confusion."

When Les turned, Billy saw him, lowered his head and stamped his hoof. "Why's he stamping his foot?"

Maureen led Les up to the fence, "He's telling you to get out of his space."

Lester opened the gate and said, "Let's not disappoint him then.

o~O~o

"Want to join the 'Mile High Club'?" She asked Les at the foot of the backstairs, "The base elevation here is 5,275 feet, we could do it on the stairs about half way up, but I have an airbed upstairs. That way we'd be sure and achieve our objective." She said with a grin.

Les kissed her cheek and said, "In the infantry, achieving objectives is a serious business. I've been trained to put my heart and soul into objectives." Les looked her in the eyes and said, "Know what I mean?"

Maureen who had been flirty since he got here, blanched, and stammered, "I'm, I'm sure I do." She smiled and took his hands in hers.

"Ba Boom!" a shot rang out, and Lester scooped Maureen off her feet and dove on top of her into a shallow depression. When she grunted, Lester came back from the war and said, "Holy shit, what was that?"

Maureen kissed him and said, "I knew you were manly, but my goodness." Then she kissed him again quickly, feeling a light sweat on his face. She sat up and said, "It's probably Aunt Jodie."

Lester looked up and saw a woman in a white terry cloth bath robe carrying a scoped lever action rifle near the fence line between the properties. She jacked the empty out on the ground and bent to pick up the brass.

"Aunt Jodie, what are you doing?" Maureen shouted.

The woman looked over at them, took an ear plug out of one ear, and said, "Maureen? A coyote." She said and pointed out toward the river. She grinned and yelled, "Isn't that a strange way to be selling real estate?" Then she laughed, long and loud.

Lester helped Maureen up and checked her for grass stains, then checked himself for bladder leakage. "All clear," he sighed.

Maureen said, "I guess you should meet the neighbor." She took his hand and led him over to a gate in the fence between the properties,

Jodie was an ash blond, with freckled skin, Lester saw as he got closer. She appeared to be in her early fifties, hair in an impromptu pony tail and no makeup. Lester watched her hands on the gun. She racked another round out of the action and picked it up, then slung the gun over her shoulder.

Maureen opened the gate and said, "This is Lester Murphy, he's interested in the place."

"Glad to meet you, Mr. Murphy. I'm Jodie Sorbados." She chucked and said, "Sorry to scare you, I thought you were in the house. I saw Maureen's car."

"Well I guess I'm a little sensitive, people have been shooting at me for a long time. I'm still getting used to being a civilian."

Jodie smiled, "Are you just out of the military?"

Les smiled at her, "Yep, finished up thirty-two years and moved here. I kind of like it, here." He looked at Maureen and grinned at her.

Maureen smiled back, but turned to Jodie and said, "Aunt Jodie, you can't shoot off a gun in the city limits. What were you thinking?"

Jodie looked at her, "The City ends at the creek. Over here it's the county, and no judge in the county will take sides with a coyote. I got the bastard too. He was headed down toward your sheep, so you owe me a lamb."

Maureen blanched, "Good thing you got him then. I suppose I could let you have a ewe lamb."

"Well, I had my eye on a ram lamb, there are three of them now." Jodie said soberly.

"Well then I suppose you won't mind paying the stud fee for the three ewes you put down there then?"

"He ain't proved up on them yet."

Maureen saw that this wouldn't result in Lester's signature on an offer letter and changed tactics, "Why are you hunting coyotes in your bathrobe?"

"I always carry my gun when I go to the hot spring. You never know when you'll get a shot." Jodie grinned, "Besides, I wanted to try a new load in the three oh eight."

Lester asked, "Weren't you shooting a .30-30?"

Jodie glanced at him, "No why?"

Lester said, "Well that Marlin is usually in .30-30. I just assumed..."

Jodie smiled at Lester, "It's .308 Marlin Express. I guess you know a lot about guns? My Emile was crazy for Weatherby's. Too heavy for me."

Lester took another look at her and decided that she wasn't a bad looking woman. Les couldn't see any similarity between them but Jodie was a good fifteen years older than Maureen. Then he realized, that Jodie was more his age, maybe younger. He smiled and said, "You mentioned a hot spring?"

Jodie smiled, "Yes, Emile set up the pools and I was just going down for a soak. If you've already seen the house, why don't you join me?" She winked at him and grinned.

Lester couldn't help himself he smiled, and got a worried look from Maureen. Shaking his head, he said, "Thanks, just the same but I don't have trunks." He glanced at Maureen and saw her nodding.

Maureen took Lester's arm and said, "I was going to go over the renovation estimates with Mr. Murphy. I cleaned up the master suite like I told you."

Jodie took his other arm and said, "At Sorbados Springs, we don't use suits. Strictly au natural. Besides I've got a half gallon of Passion fruit punch and if you don't help me drink it, I shall be very drunk." Jodie looked across at Maureen, "You can come too, Maureen, so we'll have a chaperone." Jodie looked at Lester, "A lonely widow woman must protect her reputation."

Lester nodded but smirked at her and she grinned right back. Lester was enjoying his Sunday. It was almost noon and he thought he might get laid more than once today.

Maureen looked up at Lester in desperation and said, "Well, do you want to?"

Lester tried to figure out what the best answer was. He was out of his league. Jodie came to his rescue.

"Of course he wants too. He's just hoping you'll join us." Jodie said pulling Lester toward a footpath.

Lester was being pulled and Maureen said with some trepidation, "Okay, but only one punch for me."

The women propelled Les up the footpath to the house, where Jodie got robes and towels, while Maureen and Lester undressed in the house and put their robes on.

Jodie took the gun, Lester carried the jug of punch, and Maureen carried the plastic cups back down the foot path to the springs.

"No glass in the pool area," Jodie commented.

"Good idea, Jodie," Murphy replied.

"My Emil set up the springs, and put in the tub. We'll use it 'cause the pools are too hot this time of year." Jodie said as they walked down the path.

Maureen held his arm a little tightly every time Jodie spoke. Lester noticed the two women maintained a little distance between themselves.

The hot spring was a two inch pipe coming out of the ground which poured steaming water out into a small concrete pool that then over flowed into a plastic pipe which emptied into a another pool. The area around the pools was paved with sandstone flags and there were two chaise lounges, with a small table between them. A short board fence with hooks made a place to hang towels and shielded the area from the house. A small but modern hot tub with gazebo was on the down hill side.

Murphy averted his eyes as Maureen and Jodie disrobed and slipped into the hot tub. Maureen said, "Okay, Les, now you can come in."

Lester turned and saw the women were tits deep in the bubbling tub and were, almost modest as they grinned at him.

He grinned and said, "Aren't you going to cover your eyes?"

The women looked at him, looked at each other, and snickered. "Should we?" Jodie asked Maureen, who smirked at Lester and shook her head slowly.

Murphy shook his head, disrobed, hung it on the fence and carried his drink to the tub, his half hard dick swinging as he lifted his leg to step up into the pool. Jodie made an odd noise, he didn't know what it meant until he eased himself down into the fairly hot water and sat amid bubbles and jets that massaged his spine. "Oh, that's good," he said and looked directly at Jodie who had moved to be opposite him.

"Emile used to say it was like slipping back into the womb," Jodie said grinning.

"I doubt he was actually that polite," Maureen laughed and sipped her drink.

Jodie looked at Maureen and grinned, "Well he was, shall I say, earthier in his language. But that's what he meant."

Murphy sipped his drink and thought about money, where it would come from, and where would it go, how he was going to cover the hole in his savings and, perhaps more immediately, was he going to get screwed, fucked, or laid in this transaction?

Murphy asked Jodie, "Maureen tells me that the place was a house of ill repute at one time."

"Oh that was a long time ago, and it was a house of some repute, at the time. Congressmen and Ambassadors stayed at Horner House. Finest accommodation in the valley, of course there wasn't much here in the 30's. The Street cars came up to the edge of the Village, and there was a carriage to take guests around. The Hot Springs up at the lake was the main attraction then." Jodie sipped her drink and slid down in the water a bit.

"What about the street name?" Murphy asked Jodie.

"Slippery Richard Road? It was previously known as Slippery Dick Road, until the city complained to the County. It was named for "Slippery Dick" Horner, a cousin of the Horner Springs Horner's, who came out from back east to operate the Horner Springs Traction and Freight that the Horner family had agreed to finance."

Jodie laughed and continued, "Richard had some disagreement with the family and went on to make his name in bully beef and lard during the Spanish American war. It was the lard that gave him the name, well, and his shady dealings."

"Richard left a small fortune to his son and three daughters. His son went to Spain to fight the fascists and returned a changed man."

"His grandson was called to fight the Japanese and never made it over seas. He spent the demobilization period in a government warehouse, getting rid of stuff. From then on he dealt in War Surplus and things he never talked about."

"My husband, Emil inherited the place, but by that time he had this place and so he just kept it, in case he had two sons." Jodie frowned and said, "That wasn't to be however, so Maureen inherited the place. Emil thought she would be able to sell it."

"So you are the owner?" Lester asked Maureen.

"Well, actually the family trust is the owner but I have full control, as long as Aunt Jodie goes along." Maureen said and looked at Jodie.

Jodie slid up and reached for her drink. "I have an obligation to the Family. It may be mine by marriage, but it's all the family I have."

"Well, so what do you think Les?" Maureen said and leaned toward him.

Murphy considered the tactical situation as he sipped his drink and thought; he looked at the strategic situation. He had the money for the house, but the repairs and reconstruction that Brent's estimates covered were worrisome.

Both women were watching him closely and seemed anxious, he sipped his drink and said, "I need some time to figure it all out, financing and how much of the reconstruction I can afford. I like the house, but it is really too big for one man. I'd rattle around in there like BB in a boxcar." He laughed, but the women didn't join him.

Jodie said, "You could reopen it as a Bed and Breakfast, the tourist trade is coming back now."

"Yes, that's what I had hoped for, Horner House reopened and its name cleared, after all this time." Maureen said and stroked Lester's leg.

Les looked at Maureen, "Well that's an idea. Not sure how good I'd be as an inn keeper. Or, why anyone would want to stay here when they could stay in town?"

Maureen smiled and said, "Well Horner House does have a cachet. Now of course it's just an old house to most of the town. If it were resurrected, and the prices were high enough, 45% occupancy could cover the costs. I looked at it before," she said, "I just never could afford it."

"Wait, what's cachet?" Lester asked.

"That little something that adds a twist, an accent if you will, a characteristic feature or quality conferring prestige." She grinned and stroked Lester's leg with her foot and his thigh with her hand.

Jodie snickered and said, "They say Horner House was famous for its cachet, back in the twenties. The only accommodations in Horner Springs where all the staff were Futter Institute graduates. Of course the staff turnover was high but there were a lot of wedding's thrown at Horner House then."

Lester had a thought about weddings, and his mind was drifting off into wedding nights, when he realized how much money a good wedding chapel in a town with the right wedding laws could make. He made a note to see what the local ordinances were.

"Well I guess girls with college degrees in the twenties were pretty rare." Murphy said and realized that his dick was hard and Maureen was rubbing his belly.

Jodie laughed, "The Institute, doesn't grant degrees, but they provide a hell of an education. Or so it appears. Maureen is a graduate and Student Advisor."

"Really, so did you study real estate in school?" Murphy asked and moved so she could fondle his good parts.

Maureen smiled and slid next to him where she could advance her case, and whisper in his ear, "Well the Institute doesn't have vocational classes, but I did study, sales and marketing, I guess you could say." She kissed his ear and squeezed his dick.

Lester glanced at Jodie who was reaching for her drink, so he reached up and pinched Maureen's breast softly.

Jodie sipped her drink and said, "I saw that Mr. Murphy. I wonder just what you're in the market for? It doesn't look like real estate to me." She grinned at them.

Lester blushed and glanced at Maureen, "Well, I'm having a hard time separating business and pleasure."

Maureen leaned back and recovered her drink. "Business can be pleasure, if you do it right." She grinned and finished her drink.

Jodie giggled and said, "If you're going to get another, could you fill mine too?"

Maureen stood and took Jodie's cup, "I'm going to get out and cool off," She looked at Lester, "You can stay if you like, I'm just going to lie on the chaise."

Lester looked up at her, captured by the sight of her, wet and naked. He took a deep breath and nodded. The water was above her knees, her pussy was almost bare and what little hair she had was wispy. The little droplets were vainly clinging to her momentarily, only to drip off into the pool.

Lester wondered if he would be like them, able to caress her for a moment, but in the end he too would be shed. He looked up at her breasts and face and thought about her and the future. He smiled and said, "I'll stay, but I could use a refill."

Maureen took their cups and got out of the tub. Lester watched her go and Jodie chuckled.

"You seem to me to be an ambitious man, Lester." Jodie said.

Les looked at her and smiled, "Yeah, I try to dream big otherwise you never gain anything of real importance."

Jodie nodded, "I've found at our age that, you can't wait for things to happen, you have to make them happen."

"That's true of any age. At our age we just realize that there is more time in the past than in the future." He looked at Jodie and grinned a bit, "That's why I decided that I would get out of the Army. I'm looking to enjoy the rest of my life."

Jodie smiled and looked wistful, "Emile always said that life was a crap shoot, bet big when you have it." She moved over next to Lester, "You want to enjoy the rest of the afternoon?" she asked quietly, looking at Maureen pouring the drinks.

Les looked at her, "Sure, what do you have in mind?"

Jodie stroked his arm and said, "How do you feel about education?"

Les felt Jodie's thigh next to his and he could see, Maureen's smooth curves, her breasts swayed as she stepped to the tub carrying the drinks. He looked at Jodie and said, "I'm generally in favor of it, why?"

Jodie grinned and accepted the cup from Maureen who was smirking at them.

"Well, Aunt Jodie, I see you decided?" Maureen said.

Jodie laughed and nodded, "We were just discussing, how at our age, you have to go after what you want, not wait for it to come to you."

Maureen stooped over to hand Lester his drink, one hand on the side of the tub, her breasts dangling, she grinned at him, "And what about you, what do you want?"

Lester looked at her as he accepted the drink, he took a big gulp of it, more to give himself time to think of something wittier than, "I want you to sit on my face," he didn't think she'd understand. "I, I, I want to get out and cool off now. This tub is a little hot after all."

Jodie was holding his arm and her breast was pressed against it, "Oh don't go yet."

Les smiled and looked at her, "Well I'm starting to sweat."