The Wildes of the West 1_The Daughters of Half Breed Haven_Old west fiction of action adventure, romance & western family drama
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Pointing to Lijuan, Cassandra also added, “And you, Lijuan, are going to show us everything Mr. Chow taught you about that … that special way of fighting. He’s too old now to give us a refresher on it, so it’s up to you. We are going to learn all there is about that; we are going to practice with pistols, rifles, and all manner of guns until the Wilde women are the most capable and formidable ladies in this here territory! Are we all agreed?!”
The bank of the river filled with claps as everyone cheered her on. Cassandra returned their smiles, clasping her fingers together over her chest.
“I was hoping you would feel that way!” her pride was evident in her voice.
“Oh, there is one thing I must insist on!” Honor said, raising a finger to the air.
“Of course, there is,” Lijuan said, rolling her eyes.
“I got my purse stole by a ruffian with a big ol’ knife!” Honor said, ignoring her. “I want to learn all there is to know about handling a blade like that! You have simply got to find someone to train me in knives. Call it a point of pride, if you will!”
“I promise you, I will find you the best knife trainer in the west!” Cassandra chuckled. She looked around briefly and stared at everyone with a sudden serious look. “There is just one more thing.”
Virtually everyone noticed the change in her look. Even Whip glanced around before looking up at her, as expectant and as silent as the rest.
“Our picnic place is not random spot. I picked it because this is the land that Mr. Everett thought was worth the life of Daddy and Honor Elizabeth,” Cassandra said, catching their attention.
The silence broke off immediately. Everyone glanced anxiously around, murmuring at the same time.
“What is it about this place? We never knew what he was after here,” Honor pointed out.
“That day the sandstorm killed him, he told me,” Cassandra said, biting her lips. “I wanted to check it out for myself before I let you know.”
“You’ve known for a month?” Dutch’s eyes twitched in surprise.
“Yes, but I’ve verified that the information is correct. I came out here with a trusted friend that teaches at a school. I asked him to verify it for me. He did and he’s sworn to secrecy.”
“What is the secret of this land?” Bright Feather asked, as curious as the Wildes themselves.
Cassandra swept her hand through the air, indicating the side of a mountain behind them that rose upwards towards a clear promontory.
“The forest growing on this mountainside—this massive grove of trees—all are one type of tree,”
“Go on Sunflower,” Whip said, frowning at the large parcel and the tall trees. Deep in his heart, he was still an old Navy man and to him, all trees were more or less the same.
“It seems a while back, a professor from a school in Boston was on a canoe trip with some others that took them this way. They stopped here for lunch in this very spot,” Cassandra began to explain.
“People sure feel free to come and go as they please on our property,” was Lijuan’s annoyed response to this news.
“You know it is five hundred square miles! We do not even know where Black Hawk is and for all we know, he could be out there, roaming our land somewhere right now!” Honor pointed out. “Let alone knowing about a few people in a canoe. But please, do go on, Cassie.”
“The professor was astounded by what he alone saw and recognized for what they were. These trees are all sandalwoods,” Cassandra revealed.
“Sandlewhats?” Cattie had been exceptionally quiet, but seemed to be unable to recall if she had ever heard the word before.
“Sandalwoods.” Cassandra repeated, laughing. “I don’t blame you. I’d never heard of them either, until Everett told me. Anyway, Sandalwood is the most expensive and valuable wood in the world. It can mostly be found in far off India.
“India? And you are saying it’s growing right here in Arizona, on our land? How?” Dutch asked.
“I don’t know,” Cassandra shrugged. “Whatever natural forces carried some seeds aloft on wind halfway around the world or brought here by man, the one thing that can’t be denied is that the sandalwoods took root here and thrived.”
“Why is it so valuable?” Bright Feather asked.
“Because of the oil contained in it,” Cassandra replied instantly as if she had expected one of them to ask the question.
She glanced at the puzzled faces before giving an explicit description of what she had found out to be one of the most useful oils in the entire world. Focusing, she recalled what her friend had told her.
“This oil is used in the making of perfumes, lotions, soaps, and candles,” she explained. “Trade in sandalwood, according to my friend, dates to the beginning of trading in India. Realizing its value, the Sultan of Mysore as of 1792 declared it as a royal tree. Most of the production is earmarked for the extraction of oil and the rest is used for carvings and many more things.”
“So obviously, the professor knew there was a fortune here,” Dutch theorized.
“Yeah. Unfortunately for him, upon returning from his trip, he stopped in Carter Creek at Everett’s gambling hall and had the bad fortune to run up a substantial gambling debt,” Cassandra sighed. “Everett was going to have him killed when he found out the professor wasn’t good for the money. It seems, though, it occurred to the professor he could save himself by trading a very valuable piece of information in exchange for the debt.”
“Ah, so he told Everett about the fortune in wood out here in exchange for being allowed to live,” Lijuan presumed correctly.
“That was the deal the professor thought he was making,” Cassandra nodded.
“He must be the little man that pair of hooligans were talking about killing when they held me hostage,” Honor thought aloud.
“No doubt Hale Everett figured the information best be kept to himself lest someone else find out and makes a hasty retreat over to our ranch to try and buy the land containing the sandalwoods for themselves or worse, we find out and would rule out any sale,” Cassandra concluded with another sigh.
“So, the rest we know," Catalina spoke after a few seconds of silence. “They came out and made their pitch only to find out Honor is the official owner of this bit of land. So how does it feel to be a timber tycoon, Honor Elizabeth?”
“I would not know a sandalwood from a dogwood from a cottonwood,” Honor said solemnly, staring ahead. “But I shall tell you, knowing it did not find its way into the hands of a pair of evil men like that means as far as I am concerned, these trees are safe on this mountainside … forever.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, including Blue River who had been silent throughout the entire explanation. He stared ahead at the widespread woods with the rest, chuckling when the others continued to find new ways to tease her about being a timber baron.
Eventually, the family turned to the river once more, admiring the beauty of the distant horizon and the way the rays of the fully risen sun dispersed all around the water, giving it variants of gold. Having the picnic was only the beginning of fun for everyone; they were still going to have more, talking about their adventures, and when the three men were engaged in discussions more suited to men off to the side, the women laughed among themselves with tales of their various dalliances and teased each to no end.
As the day wound down, young Blue River especially looked forward to canoeing back home with everyone. The idea of setting sail with his family, no matter how small the boat was, gave him a family-bonding feeling that would last a lifetime.
CHAPTER 11
* * *
The Present
State of Arizona
May 1913
Allie’s eyes were barely open. She yawned drowsily once more, fervently trying to keep her eyes from fluttering closed. She coiled on the sofa, her mouth forming her words in her head trying to stave off the night’s breeze drifting her off to sleep.
“My goodness,” she whispered, each word slowly leavi
ng her lips. “You had such a wonderful family. I wish I could have had one like that. It was just me and my brother raised by a stern elderly uncle after our folks died when we were toddlers. All those things you did, and the way … you loved … each other … Miss Catalina … that picnic sounds like a perfect day … a wonderful day.”
The last word left her lips with a soft sigh. She was asleep now and Cattie couldn’t help smiling at how resolute she was to the end of the tale. She reached over and grabbed a blanket, covering Allie’s body with it before turning to the burning fire with an inward smile.
“Sleep now … and yes, that was a wonderful day … the day we decided nothing was ever going to stop the Wildes,” she spoke, basking in her memories.
“Oh,” she said only to herself now after a while, giggling slightly, “and I remember Honor telling me it was an even more special day for her when we got back from the Rock River.”
*****
Mrs. Chow met everyone in front of the ranch house with a friendly wave. Cassandra, Lijuan and Bright Feather stepped into the house immediately, dispersing towards their various rooms while Dutch and Blue River assisted Whip to get his cast through the door. Honor was about to step through the door when Mrs. Chow quickly approached her, telling her the reason she was actually waiting at the door.
“You have visitor, Miss Honor,” she said quickly as was her way. “He come early. Would not come inside. He say he wait for you around side of house. Much handsome man. I go now. Fix Mr. Whip his tea,” she said, running straight into the house without glancing back.
Honor looked around quizzically at first before heading around the side of the house, wondering who it was. She got her answer immediately when she found a tall black and burly man sitting on the stump of a cedar tree Whip had cut down the year before. Her heart almost left her chest when he rose and turned to smile at her.
“Quillan! So, you finally came!” Honor screamed excitedly, running over to him. “I was wondering when you were going to show that handsome face of yours around Cedar Ledge. I am sorry that you must have been waiting a dreadfully long time for me,” she said, the words rushing out of her mouth.
“It doesn’t matter how long I had to wait—you’re worth it,” Quillan admonished, lifting her free from the floor, with his muscular arms, into a warm embrace.
Honor looped her hand around his arm immediately, dragging him away from the ranch house.
“Shall we go for a walk?” Her question accompanied by a wink.
Quillan chuckled, allowing her to literally drag him further from the house. It didn’t take long before they had made their way to an old log cabin, Quillan initially admiring the small, dim and welcoming interior. The smell of pine and age were enough to distract him, but as soon as the door closed behind her, Quillan turned to stare at her with a curious expression.
“What is this place?” he asked her.
Her lush curly ringlets of her hair and cocoa skin shone in the dim late-afternoon light as she stepped towards him, her eyes ablaze with mischief. Mirthfully Honor waved her hands to indicate the entirety of the cabin as she spoke.
“This is home,” she said. “It is where my family used to live while Daddy built the grand Cedar Ledge Ranch house.”
“Oh.” Quillan said, glancing about. “Sure feels homey.”
Honor was obviously pleased with his remark. Her hazel eyes lit up with appreciation before she stood in front of him, quite eager and expectant.
“Thank you once again for helping with my stagecoach business. All of you.” Quillan offered nervously.
He had never been this anxious before, but being in a room with her had such an effect on him. His anxiety hit the roof as soon as she closed the distance between them with a single stride and placed a finger on his lips.
“You really shouldn’t thank any of us, it was our pleasure to help. Besides, it feels so long ago already.”
He stared into her eyes, wondering why he felt captivated by them from the first moment he had come to in the stable and found himself looking into them. He was keenly aware of feeling weak around her and there was no way he could deny the desires that came with such weakness.
“I have waited a long time for this,” Honor whispered. “I do not think I would love to talk about the stagecoach or any business at all.”
Quillan nodded his head immediately, taking her word for his desires. He parted his lips and suckled her fingers, indicating that he had no intentions to say anything else too. Honor melted immediately, pasting her body against his and giving him ample opportunity to place his palm on the curve of her heart shaped ass. He couldn’t stop staring into her eyes and she wouldn’t stop leaning closer as each second ticked by.
“I am going to kiss you now,” he told her.
There wasn’t any need to, but he felt he should tell her, anyway. The way her lips melded against his after that sudden declaration was arousing. Their teeth clanked together while the room suddenly echoed with their moans and footsteps as they rushed together towards the old cabin’s sofa. Quillan landed few seconds later on it, breathless. Honor knelt in front of him afterwards, freeing his zipper and reaching for his already-aroused cock.
Everything is happening so fast!
Honor froze when the huge rod jolted out, ready for the taking. Quillan felt his chest fill up with pride at the total admiration and surprise that filled her face. He knew his black cock was huge, but he never expected it to astonish her that much. She held it in both palms now, jerking it with vigor and pouting her lips around the tip.
This is pure heaven, Quillan.
It was. Quillan could think of nothing else but warmth and insatiable desires. Her warm lips kept closing around his dick, moving downwards slowly until half of his cock was deep inside her mouth. When she began to move her head, allowing it deeper into her throat, Quillan felt his balls clench together with pleasure, urging him to move his hips.
She moaned a soothing complaint as he held her head and created his own thrust into her mouth. He couldn’t believe that he was screwing her mouth so passionately and wasn’t even listening to the loud pleasure filled sigh that escaped her lips. When his body was overwhelmed with release, he leaped back to the sofa, allowing her to take control of the blow job once more.
“God! I want to be inside you, Miss Honor!” Quillan called out, nearly drunk with lust for the enthralling beauty. “Let me make love to you!”
His body wanted more than she was giving him at the moment. They had done a lot, but she was still fully garbed in her dress. It felt like hell having to see her naked thighs whenever she moved on the floor and being unable to let his cock travel deep in between.
Honor Elizabeth… Right now, it felt like she was the only woman that could make him feel so weak and powerful at the same time. Being able to make her do everything sexually possible to him was something he wanted to continue to do for a long time. He wasn’t sure what Honor thought of him, but it sure felt like she considered him to be a man of her dreams.
Quillan reached for the hem of her dress unconsciously, parting it from her shoulders and letting it slide down to her waist. Honor, sensing that he was after another adventure that involved more of her body, left his cock alone and stood in front of him before wriggling out of her dress. Quillan almost lost his breath seeing her dress fall to the cabin’ flooring to reveal her entirely naked body.
“I… I….Oh sweet Lord!”
He had never stammered before too. He was unable to think of any reasonable word to describe how beautiful she was as he stood to his feet in front of her. He held her waist and made her turn her back to him. He pushed her to the cabin floor, placing her on her knees and making sure that her ass was perfectly arched as he wanted it to be.
“Here.” He said, placing one of the cushioned couch pillows underneath her knees.
She willingly agreed to stay exactly as he had positioned her. She was on her knees and hands now, staring over her shoulder at him with a lot
of expectations in her eyes.
“Make love to me, Quillan,” she said half pleading and half commanding.
He didn’t have to hear that again. Quillan gripped her waist tight, knelt behind her and thrust in deep into her from behind. Honor bucked for a moment, gasping and then spoke.
“More.” Honor surprisingly moaned, reaching behind him to grab his rock solid, behind.
Her need drove his. Her whispers created a need fiercer than he could control. He gripped her waist tighter and let the animal inside him loose. He began to thrust faster and deeper now, touching every corner of her womanhood with his piston.
“I can’t stop, Honor!” he cried as she felt herself begin to gush.
“Don’t! Don’t! Don’t you dare stop!” she half snarled in her passion.
Whatever had taken over both of them, it wasn’t going to end soon. Quillan let every other thought diminish for now, wanting nothing more than to pleasure her.
When his climax finally came, the name on his lips was hers.
*****
The Present
“How long was I out for?”
Cattie didn’t bother to glance behind her at the approaching voice. She stood in the open doorway now, staring into the night’s sky. Allie had wrapped the blanket around herself now, slowly stepping forward to join her at the doorway.
“It’s been a couple hours,” Cattie replied her. “You deserved the rest. Everything you did earlier, but more than that, comin’ out of your way to deliver that letter from Dutch. I’m sorry I didn’t properly thank you about that until now. It means a great deal; your effort.”
“I can only apologize it wasn’t here sooner,” Allie nodded. “Perhaps, in time to save Bright Feather.”