# Car 54

####
© 2005 / revised 2014
K Pelle

### Chapter 17:
Caution - Heavy Cross Traffic Ahead

I did manage to fall asleep, but I don't think I slept for very long before I was awakened by a sound from old Duke. As I awoke fully, I heard a sharp yip and then a scratching sound, followed by Duke's claws clicking on the floor as he walked around.

Carissa moaned softly then and shifted, then sat up with a deep sigh.

"Duke, shut up!" she snapped in a stage whisper.

"He wants out," I whispered. "I'll have to get up and open the door for him."

"Can I do it?"

"I think I should," I sighed deeply, easing Corinna's head off my shoulder, then sitting up myself. "I think the pup's mama may have come back and wants him with her, not in here."

"You've got to be kidding!"

"No, first that thing with the wolves and coyotes was strange, then to have Duke bring in the pup is completely unreal. In a way it's so unnatural that it would almost make a strange sort of sense if his mama came back to claim the pup."

"Well, can I come see what's going on?"

"Sure. Why not?"

We eased out of bed and I yanked on my jeans again while Carissa grabbed her robe. Then we tiptoed across the room, using the moonlight shining in the windows to guide us. Duke was already at the front door of the cabin with the little pup between his front legs. When I cracked the door open, he snatched up the pup, then bolted out and away as if his tail was on fire. He only went perhaps two hundred yards from the cabin, moving toward a small stand of birch trees near the creek, then it looked like he set the pup on the ground and backed away a few steps. To my surprise he lay down after that, almost as if he was waiting to be certain something was going to happen.

"What do you think he's doing?" Carissa whispered.

"I haven't a clue. I've never seen anything like this," I managed a weak chuckle. "Normally, a Border Collie would kill a coyote pup because they've been raised to consider coyotes a threat. Right now I'm questioning whether there is a coyote or not."

"I thought you said it was, well half coyote anyway?"

"I could be wrong. Who knows? Right now I want to try to see whatever is hiding out there, then maybe I can guess what's going on. I'm going to stand here as still as I can and as quietly as I'm able, maybe I can see or hear something."

Carissa snuggled over against me and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders as if protecting her, then we waited. We couldn't really see very well, even in the bright moonlight, but after a moment I did see a slight movement in the shadows under the birches. After a moment or two I heard the little pup whimper. I felt Carissa perk up, so I knew she heard it as well. Almost at once there was one quick bark, almost a yip and the pup moved toward the thin trees.

"Damn," I murmured softly. "His mama is calling him."

"Him?"

"Unh huh, the pup was a male, about five weeks old or so, I'd say," I whispered.

The stealthy figure under the trees moved again; it was almost at the edge of the shadows from the trees, then it paused. Old Duke seemed to realise that he might be too close and he tried to slither backward. His efforts almost made me laugh because he made such rough work of moving backward without standing, but I managed to hold off my chuckles. Instead I concentrated on that slim shadow although I could barely distinguish it from the dappled darkness under the trees.

Had it moved again? I couldn't really tell because even in the calm of the night there was a slight breeze. As the breeze sifted through the birches, it stirred the leaves slightly, constantly changing the dappled shadows that fell on the lower growth near the base of the trees. Those shifting shadows disguised any motion the partially hidden canine bitch might have made. Whether it was a coyote or a stray dog gone wild, I couldn't tell, not unless I saw more of it's shape and size.

I found I was holding my breath and realised Carissa was as tense as me; her body pressed tightly against mine and she seemed to quiver in anticipation.

Another short yapping bark and the pup lifted up, toddled forward, his dark shape barely visible in the grass. He disappeared into the shadow, drawing a sigh from both Carissa and me. Since there was still movement under the trees, I tightened my arm around Carissa's shoulder, willing her to be quiet and remain still. A long moment passed, then another, but since Duke hadn't moved, we didn't stir.

A ghostly shadow shifted under the trees and I could see a form, a shape, still indistinct, but not truly the shape of a coyote. It was shorter and heavier somehow, not lean and lanky like a coyote. It slowly withdrew into deeper shade, then seemed to disappear.

"Did you see anything?" Carissa whispered.

"Just the shape, but it didn't look like a coyote," I answered just as quietly. "I think we've seen all there is to see though."

I gestured toward the old dog as he slowly stood and turned back toward us. Perhaps I was imagining it, but the way he walked it seemed to me that he had a slight prance to his step, almost as if he was proud of what he'd accomplished. I

"Look at that old bugger," I chortled. "He seems happy with himself."

"Maybe he just doesn't like babysitting?" Carissa snickered.

"Hmmph, maybe," I snorted, watching as Duke came up the steps, but didn't come to us, instead he circled, then lay on the porch deck."It looks like he wants to stay outside tonight."

"Perhaps he feels that he might be needed again and wants to be available, not locked inside?"

"Yeah, maybe, but I think we should get to bed."

"Umm, I guess, but I was thinking, if Corinna did pee the bed, shouldn't we get the sheets off the mattress and let it air out? Other wise it will stink to high heaven tomorrow."

"It's a little late for that, isn't it?"

"Well, better late than never," she pulled away from me and walked toward the back porch.

I followed and was with her as she ran her hand between the tousled sheets. Then she snorted. "I think Corinna fibbed so she could sleep with us. If she peed, it sure wasn't while she was in bed."

"Well, she might have just needed company. After all, she was awfully wound up yesterday," I excused her.

"That's all you have to say about it! You don't mind?"

"She didn't do any harm, so what's to be upset about? Lots of folks have a hard time asking for a snuggle."

There was enough light from the moonlight reflecting in the windows that I could make out her head as she shook it slightly, then she moved closer and ran her arms up mine.

"You are something else," she sighed as she pressed against me gently.

"What?" I asked, hugging her gently.

"Oh, you just seem to understand so much about people's emotions."

"Only sometimes," I snorted.

"Oh shut up and kiss me," she lifted her face toward mine.

One kiss led to another, then that led to a bit of petting. Things escalated from there. We decided that since Corinna hadn't actually messed up the bed, we didn't need to go back to the other room. Unfortunately that old roll away folding bed wasn't really made for lovemaking, but we made do, even though it squeaked and complained about our activities.

Afterward I was worn out and didn't want to move. Carissa complained that the narrow bed was too small though and finally she simply kissed me goodnight, then left me there.

I was shocked awake in the morning by Dad's baritone chuckle and a snicker from another male voice. As I sat up, I realised that my pants were laying beside the bed and although I couldn't see them from the bed, my gaunches must have been there too. I was naked under the covers.

"What's up, Dad?" I managed to mumble. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure, not now," he grinned. "Your mother and I brought the Coulters up here to find their wayward daughters and we expected ... well, I'm not sure what we expected. I know that no one guessed that we'd find the front door wide open and you snoring in the back porch. Where are the twins?"

"In the big bed in the bedroom, I guess," I was waking up rapidly and reached out to grab my jeans and my gaunches. "We had a hell of a night, what with wolves and coyotes howling. Then Duke brought in a darn pup of some sort. Later he woke me by barking and wanting to take it back outside. Carissa woke up then, but I think Corinna slept through that. Personally, I think I was awake half the night."

"I see, well, get your pants on. You've got company. You might knock on the girls' door and wake them too," he backed out the door, closing it softly behind him.

"Great," I sighed, swinging my feet to the floor and pulling on my jeans.

Barefoot and shirtless, I walked out into the main room, readying myself to face the music, only to find it empty and the front door closed. I could just see Dad through the curtains on one window, he was gesturing at something he was pointing out to Mr. and Mrs. Coulter, then I could hear them all laughing.

Knowing I was going to need a cup of coffee to wake up, I threw the teakettle on the coal-oil stove and lit it. After that I tapped lightly on the bedroom door before slipping inside to grab my shirt and my shoe. Both of the girls were laying tight together, sound asleep, with their arms around each other. I shook Carissa's shoulder.

"Hey. Wake up. Your folks are here. So are mine. They think you two slept in here and I spent the whole night in the other room, okay?"

"You did, most of it anyway, dammit!" Corinna answered while Carissa just grinned at me, then winked broadly.

I just raised my hands as if in surrender and backed out the door, closing it behind me. Corinna believed I'd snuck away and Carissa knew enough not to say anything, but I was going to have to skirt carefully around the truth as I talked with our parents. I was certain we'd all be in one kind of trouble or another if they knew I'd spent even ten minutes in bed with both girls, especially since everyone was nude. As I stepped outside, I postponed the talk with them for a moment or two by calling out a good morning, then running around the cabin toward the outdoor biff. I could hear Mom and Dad laugh, then the Coulters politely join them. When I walked back toward the cabin afterward, Dad winked at me and Mom grinned, so I knew I wasn't in deep trouble, at least not yet.

"Hi everyone. So, what do we owe the honour of this visit?" I decided to dive right into the trouble zone.

"Oh Cris. Do the math, one teenage guy, two teenage girls, all alone in an isolated cabin, what do you suppose we expected?" Mom said sharply.

"Well, we certainly didn't expect to find him snoring loudly in one room and the girls asleep in the other," Dad laughed loudly, more at her than anything else. "As well as that we certainly didn't expect to find everyone asleep at ten in the morning, especially not you."

"Ohhh," I groaned. "I was awake most of the darn night. Between the girls yammering and talking for hours, then the wolves, coyotes and the dumb dog howling, barking and mucking around with pups, I had an awful night. That reminds me, I've got to let out the young stock and the chickens. I locked them all in last night."

"You haven't had your coffee yet, son," Dad rested a hand on my shoulder for a second. "I'll get John to give me a hand and we'll do that for you."

I protested, but Dad won the discussion, which left me facing Mom and Mrs. Coulter.

"How is Corinna?" Mom asked blankly.

"P'd off with Wil!" I snapped. "I don't know exactly what he did, but he sure punched all of her buttons."

"You must know something, don't you?"

"Not much that makes sense to me," I sighed. "Can we go sit down, for some reason my leg's hurting?"

"Could you lean on the Jeep, Chris? We wanted to find out what you knew before we talked to the girls," Mom suggested.

"I don't really know much, Mom. Didn't you talk to Wil?"

"He was drunk when we got home last night and wouldn't say anything this morning. Then he insisted on going out on the tractor with the cultivator. All we know is he and Corinna had a fight. Afterward, she walked off in a huff, then had Tom come and get her, but she didn't go home. Since we knew you and Carissa were here, we thought we'd check with you."

"Well, that's about all I know," I shrugged. "Oh, Corinna did say something about Wil being jealous of me, but I think that was sort of a side bar to their fight."

"Well, everyone knows he thinks you outshine him, so he may be slightly jealous, but that's neither here nor there. We'd like to have an idea what they fought over to see if we can help to patch things up between them."

I just threw my hands in the air, deciding that whatever Corinna had said last night was her business. If she wanted to tell Mrs. Coulter or Mom that was up to her. I was saved from saying much more though. Carissa came to the doorway of the cabin, shouting good morning and saying that the coffee was ready. That was the best news I'd heard all morning.

Ten minutes later, I was sitting on the front porch, sipping a coffee and eating a breakfast of eggs and bacon when Dad and John Coulter came back from letting the animals out. They went inside to get coffee, then came out to sit with me.

"The place is looking good, Chris," Dad said, sounding proud of me. "You haven't exactly been fooling around have you?"

"I've had a lot of help."

"That's possible, Chris, but it takes a good organiser to see what needs to be done immediately and then get his help to see things his way," Mr. Coulter smiled. "I'm impressed. I've had men in their thirties working for me who couldn't do as well."

"What does age have to do with anything like that?" I frowned. "So I'm only sixteen, so what? Look at Tom, he's younger than I am and Mr. Dolens would love to have him come work for him as a mechanic because he's so darn good. Then there's George. He could sell darn near anything to darn near anyone. Heck, Mr. Dolens just made an offer to hire both Tom and George to work around his garage."

"I had heard that offer just might have something to do with the stock car," Dad laughed.

"It does, but that's not important," I shrugged. "I was illustrating a point about guys who grow up on farms. We get to be independent pretty darn early in life, and if we're given a chance, we usually jump in and do well."

"Hmm, I suppose," Dad nodded soberly. "The three of you aren't exactly comparable to most young men though. Look at Wil; he's nothing like you three."

"Oh come on, Dad. Don't put Wil down, he does darn well and you know it. Look at him right now. He's come home early because he aced his course at Ag. school. He stepped right in on the farm, doing a darn good job of pulling his weight, and a little bit more. He did it without even taking a break, and that's after working his butt off all year at school, too. Heck, he just had a bust up with his girlfriend, yet he's out in the field, driving a tractor like nothing had happened. He may have had a few drinks last night, but he's out doing a regular job of work today. Shucks, he did better than I did today. I slept in and someone else did my work this morning."

Dad laughed softly and Mr. Coulter smiled.

"Talking about Wil, what do you know about him and Corinna?" Mr. Coulter asked.

"Not a darn thing. I just know they had a fight and she didn't want to be home alone last night. Or perhaps she just wanted to be with her twin, I don't know and it's not something I plan to pry into. If she wants to tell me, she will, but even then it will be between her and me."

I suppose I came across as a bit vehement. I know both Dad and Mr. Coulter looked surprised, then got strangely quiet for a few moments. I'd finished my coffee and excused myself to see if there was any more. As I walked in the door, Mom and Carissa were sitting at the table and talking quietly. I wasn't sure where Corinna and Mrs. Coulter were and I didn't ask.

"More coffee, Chris?" Carissa asked, getting to her feet.

"I can get it. I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation."

"Oh, we were just talking about you," Mom winked at me. "Weren't your ears burning?"

"Hah, if that old wives' tale had any basis in truth, Corinna's ears would be in flames," I snorted. "I wish everyone would just give the gal a break."

"Whoa," Carissa stepped over to me and gave me a quick hug. "Everyone just wants the best for her. They're trying to pour oil on troubled waters."

"Maybe, but you can drown in that kind of crap," I growled. "It's her business, let's just keep our noses out of it until she wants to talk."

"But, what about Wil?" Mom asked.

"Maybe he should think about what set off her temper, that might be the best thing. As it is, it sounds to me like he was feeling sorry for himself last night, then got drunk because he knew he'd screwed up. Of course I could be wrong, who knows? I haven't talked to him, face to face, and Corinna hasn't said anything to me that she didn't say to Carissa, so I'm as much in the dark about the whole thing as anyone else. On top of that I don't feel that their fight is any of my damn business, so just leave me out of it."

Both of them were silent as I finished readying my coffee, then went back outside. At the moment I was grouchy at everyone. Instead of stopping on the front porch and getting into another discussion with Dad and Mr. Coulter, I walked away from the cabin. I just wanted to be alone for a while.

For some reason my steps took me out toward the clump of Birch trees where the pup had disappeared last night. I knew I wasn't a good enough tracker to be able to follow any tracks that might be there, but for some reason the area seemed to draw me toward it. I was well into the trees before I saw a patch of grass that had been mashed flat by something. Then I noticed the dark brown streaks of dried blood and I began to worry about the mother of the pup. Whatever kind of animal she was, whether dog or coyote, I knew from the blood that she was injured.

Hanging the empty coffee mug on the dead branch of a tree so it hung above the bloody patch, I began to move off in the direction I thought I'd seen her go last night. As I said, I'm not a great tracker, but I'd hunted enough deer to follow a blood trail and she had left a clear one. As she'd moved through the longer grass, the blood had been oozing from her wound and it had marked her path, that is it did if you knew how to see it. The brown of dried blood showed clearly against the green leaves, especially in the morning sunlight.

I lost the trail on the outer edge of the patch of trees, but by then I had an idea of the general direction she was headed. Instead of trying to trail her across the area that Tom had mowed with the tractor, I headed straight for the creek bank. Only a moment later I found an obvious trail made by some animal and only a few feet from its start there was another bloody mark on the weeds that grew there. To make a long story short, inside of only a few minutes I saw a hole dug into the bank under the roots of a willow and guessed that she had dug a den there to have her pups. At the moment there was no sign of either her or the pup, but I made up my mind that I was going to come back and watch for signs of life later, after I had less company to deal with.

By the time I had backtracked and picked up my coffee mug, then had walked back to the cabin, everyone was out at Mr. Coulter's car. As I walked up, Mom came over to me and gave me a big hug.

"We're going to go home now," she said quietly. "And I think you're right. I think this whole thing is between Corinna and Wil. What happens is up to them."

"Thanks, Mom," I hugged her back. "Hey, I forgot to ask, how did Beth make out at the show?"

"She got second place in barrel racing and placed in the top eight in everything else that she entered. She also got an offer from some guy who wants to buy every Appaloosa she has and he's offering top price."

"Wow!" I really was surprised.

"She wants to talk to you about it."

"Why me? I don't know anything about Appaloosas as a breed. She knows a lot more than I do."

"Oh, but she's not talking about buying any more Appaloosa stock. She's thinking about buying Quarter Horse mares and breeding them to your stud."

"Oh boy," I sighed. "What next?"

"Who knows? You've even got your dad dreaming about your idea of a horse ranch," she grinned at me. "Now, just so you're warned, you may be sleeping on that folding bed again tonight."

"Pardon?"

"Well, Carissa told her folks that she feels you need a hand to look after the place for now, so she wants to stay for a bit. And, Corinna wants to stay with her, at least for a while, until she gets her head screwed on straight over Wil."

"Oh great, so I get plunked in the middle, huh?"

"In the middle of what?"

"In between Wil and Corinna, Mom. Don't you see, he's going to think it's me that she's run off to be with?"

"Oh, I think after talking to Carissa, I can straighten him out on that," she chuckled. "The way she feels about you right now, I think she'd much rather the two of you were up here alone. By the way, do you have enough condoms?"

"Mom!"

"Just asking," she snickered. "I told you before, I'm far too young to want to be a granny."

"Liz, are you almost ready to go?" Dad called just then. "John has an appointment in town in an hour or so and we need to hurry."

"Yes Willard," Mom called, then gave me a quick kiss.

"Be good and if you can't be good, be careful," she grinned as she pulled away.

I followed her over to the car and was surprised to have Mr. Coulter shake my hand, then astonished to have Mrs. Coulter wrap her arms around me and hug me tight.

"Please look after my girls," she whispered in my ear.

"I'll do what I can, but don't expect miracles," I whispered back.

"Knowing you, I'm not so sure what to expect," she gave me another little hug, then pulled back and looked at me with a bit of a smile.

There were more goodbyes all around, then in moments, they were driving up the hill and I was alone with the twins.

"Wow. We got lucky," Carissa said as she moved close to me and wrapped an arm around my waist. "I wonder what they'd have done if they'd found us all asleep in the same bed?"

"Well, in the first place I think if it hadn't been wide open. they'd have knocked on the cabin door before coming inside. I must have left it unlatched last night and Duke must have pushed it open to get inside. Maybe he got chilly or something. What surprised me was that the bedroom door was closed. Why did you close that?"

"I didn't" She grinned. "Corinna said she did."

"Well, he was snoring so loud he was rattling the windows. He woke me up."

"Sorry about that," I had to grin because she sounded so annoyed. "Aren't you glad I didn't stay in the other bed and snore in your ear?"

"Hmmph, I'd have found a way to wake you and stop you from snoring," she tried to sound grumpy, but then she grinned. "Come to think of it, after hearing you two bouncing around on that squeaky bed, I know I'd have found a way to wake you up, a pleasant way too."

"Hey, it's a good thing you didn't say anything like that while Mom and Dad were here," Carissa chided her. "Besides, who says I'd have let you get away with anything like that?"

"Well, I'd have offered to share, which is more than you did."

"Since when would I want a share of my guy when I can be greedy and keep him to myself?"

"Hey you two, cut that out," I said soberly. "Even teasing about stuff like that could get us into trouble if anyone overheard it."

"Who's going to hear us out here in the boondocks where the wolves and the coyotes roam?" Corinna swung her hand in a sweeping motion at the empty horizon.

"Oh, that reminds me, Chris. I saw you over in the trees where that little pup's mother was last night and you looked like you were following a trail. Did you figure out where she went?"

"Maybe, but if it's her, it's not good news," I sighed. "Whatever was there was wounded and bleeding."

"Oh no."

"Yeah. I did find a hole that might be a den, but I don't know what to do about it. I was thinking of taking some dog food down there this evening and putting it outside the den in hopes of luring her out into the open. That way I can see if she's a runaway dog or if she really is a coyote. To be honest I can't see a coyote setting up a den this close to humans though."

"You guys saw it?" Corinna asked. "Can't you tell what it is? What did it look like?"

"All we saw was a dark blob moving in the shadows of the trees," Carissa said patiently. "Chris thought it was the wrong shape for a coyote, but all I saw was a vague shape that shifted around a bit. Whatever it was, even Duke didn't get very close. He just took the pup out and dropped it on the ground, then backed away and waited for it to go to its mama. After it did, he came back to the porch and lay down. We came inside then and I was going to pull the wet sheets off your bed, only they weren't wet. You fibbed."

"Well, maybe I was moving too fast to get the bed wet, but I know I wet myself. My panties were soaked when I yanked them off and this morning they stank. You know that! You were the one who told me to throw them in a bucket of water and soak them."

"Whatever. Anyway, Chris, are we going to try to catch sight of what's in that hole or are we going to do something else today?" Carissa demanded.

Since I felt that whatever was in that hole would hide out during the bright sunlight hours, especially if it was wounded, I vetoed that idea. We'd have to be on watch for that late in the evening or early in the morning if we wanted to see any movement at all, probably near sunrise or sunset.

Instead I suggested we go check the fences along both sides of the valley. Most of the hills and cliffs surrounding the valley were steep enough that cattle and horses couldn't climb them easily. However, anywhere that a gully caused by water runoff from the heights meant there was a good chance of the stock finding an easy path upward. All those spots had been fenced in the past, but over time the fences in those areas would give way, so they had to be checked and repaired if we planned on keeping any stock on the ranch.

We didn't head out right away though, we took the time to have a bit of lunch, fill a couple of jugs with cold water and make a thermos of coffee. I found some gloves for all of us and insisted that the twins needed to change into long-legged jeans and long sleeved shirts so they wouldn't get all scratched up by branches as we worked. While they were changing, I loaded a chainsaw, a swede saw and a couple of light axes into the back of the Jeep, then I hooked a light trailer behind it. I threw some more tools in that, a digging shovel, a spade, a pry bar, and a logging chain, along with a posthole auger, and some fencing tools. Everything we did took time though, so it was almost one in the afternoon before we were finally ready to go fencing.

When the twins came out to join me, Corinna gave me a rough time about all the tools, so I explained that the trail we were going to follow was a bit rough. We might need all those tools just to drive around the whole trail in the Jeep. That sobered them up in a hurry and I had to go on and explain further.

Over the years that Grampa Bender had lived in the valley, he'd gradually cleared a trail along the lower edge of the steep hills and cliffs that ringed it in. Originally the trail had been cut by hand, and was meant to be just wide enough for him to get through with a horse drawn wagon. However, a few years ago Dad and Uncle Tom had rented a small caterpillar tractor to do some work on the ranch land in the lower valley. That summer they'd driven it up the escarpment from the lower valley and had roughed out an area about ten feet wide on each side of Grampa Bender's trail. They'd cleared back the trees and brush, then they'd eased a few of the worst grades along the trail. That meant Grampa Bender could use a tractor and trailer to get around the trail and he'd retired the old horses and wagon that he had been using. Since that time, every summer we mowed back the verges to prevent the trees from reclaiming the area.

I was certain that if the tractor and mower could make it around the trail, the Jeep certainly could. But, since I had a suspicion that Grampa Bender hadn't been out there for a while I wanted to have some tools along just in case Mother Nature had created some problems. In the past I'd seen trees down, boulders on the trail or washouts interfering with the track so I wanted to be prepared.

Because I wanted to try driving the Jeep, Carissa rode shotgun and Corinna hopped in the back. We drove almost to the bridge on the road that climbed the hill out of the valley, then turned right, going through a gate and into the upper pasture. The first half mile or so of the trail ran along parallel to the creek and was paralleled by the barbed wire fence that Grampa Bender had put up to keep the cattle from breaking down the creek banks. Then the fence swung left and ended against a steep wall. The creek bed at that point was shallow and had a gravel bottom, so the trail crossed over at that point. Now instead of heading almost due east, the creek swung south and away from the cliffs for a while, but the trail we wanted to use no longer followed the creek. Instead it began to follow along near the base of the cliffs.

After perhaps another quarter mile we came to the first section of what I call 'gully' fencing. It stretched across a steep gorge that marked a turning point and grade change in the surrounding hills. A pole fence ran from bank to bank of the steep little washout and was the first place I stopped and got out of the Jeep. A trickle of water ran down the bank at this point and had gradually cut away the soil and rock. I didn't really expect any problems with this piece of fence since this area was so close to the cabin, but I had to check anyway. I took time while we were there to explain to the twins what we were looking for in the way of problems as I checked posts and poles, but there weren't any problems so we hopped back into the Jeep and carried on.

The further we drove, the more the cliff face swung toward our right until we were driving almost due south, but we were still travelling parallel with the cliffs. As we drove, we'd pause at each little gully to check that the fencing was okay. We'd probably driven well over a mile before we came to the first longer stretch of fence and even that was only about four or five hundred feet long. Since this fence was as long as it was, it had the first stretch of barbed wire fencing we'd looked at and I had to point out the kind of problems we could find on a fence of that sort. Actually I found one weak post and a strand of the wire was badly corroded and had been broken. I didn't stop to make a proper repair right then though, because I hadn't brought along enough wire to replaced the corroded length, instead I used a shorter length of wire to make a temporary repair, but I made a mental note of the problem and we carried on.

As we drove along, Carissa was fascinated with the way the cliffs and hills along the side of the valley seemed to drop in shelves or steps which had relatively flat areas alternating with steeper sections. So I explained that we thought the whole area had been a lake sometime in the distant past and that the water had eventually broken through the escarpment at the bottom end of the valley. When it had drained, it had left shelves at each stage of the erosion of the retaining rock and those shelf-like areas had been beaches at those times.

"You mean this whole area was underwater at one time?" Corinna stared around in awe.

"Unh huh, at one point in the past there was probably four or five hundred feet of water right where we're driving," I chuckled. "The creek still flows through a swampy area over toward the other side of the valley, which was probably the deepest point when this was a lake. Actually I'd like to fence that area off, then we wouldn't have any problems with the stock getting into trouble in the muck and mud of the swamp."

For some reason the idea that this had once been a lake fascinated the two of them and they peppered me with questions about it until we came to the cliffs that cut off the upper ranch from the lower end of the valley. As the cliffs that towered above us swung toward the west, they gradually became steeper, then their height began to drop suddenly until they simply ended at the gap where the creek ran. The change was so sudden it seemed as if they'd been roughly chopped off, leaving a hundred-foot high cliff edge, then the gap where the creek ran. We were about to drive downhill toward the creek again, but off to our left we had a tremendous view out toward the farms and ranches stretched out below us. I found a relatively flat area and pulled to a stop to show the two of them why Grampa Bender hadn't bothered to fence this section.

When we walked to the edge of the drop off, we were facing a short, but very steep sided gorge. This was where the water from the lake had burst through and it had worn away the soil and softer stone that ringed the valley, only stopping at the layer of hard basalt that formed the base under our feet. Eons ago the little creek that now ran over the cliff must have been much larger because it had worn away an almost half-mile-wide gouge in that upper barrier. The underlying basalt ended beneath our feet, in fact the whole valley floor dropped rapidly at that point. We were standing on the edge of a cliff that dropped almost straight down for eighty feet or more.

The drop off seemed to frighten both Carissa and Corinna, but the view was one more fascination to add to their memories of the day. Both of them stood there and indicated points of interest that they could see down the gap in the valley, including Dad's and Uncle Tom's farm buildings. However, since they were both obviously uncomfortable about being so near the cliff edge, it wasn't long before they wanted to move on.

Crossing the creek at that end of the valley was fun because of the way it had cut into the rock near the falls. Since the water ran in a gully that it had cut near the cliff edge, you had to drive upstream along the creek for nearly a quarter-mile. When the bank levelled out, you entered the creek and drove along the creek bed on solid rock for a short distance before climbing out of the creek on the other side. Since there was only one small section of fencing back toward the gap on that side of the creek, I didn't plan to look at it that day. Instead I carried on heading upstream, going north now and back toward the cabin, but on the other side of the valley.

At that point we were driving along the edge of the swampy area that always worried me because either cattle or horses could get into trouble there. At least it was a warm day and there was a breeze blowing, so the mosquitoes and gnats didn't bother us while we were there. At the top end of the swampy area there was a small waterfall, perhaps ten feet high and at it's base there was a deep pool. That pool was about ten feet deep at its deepest, about fifty feet wide and perhaps a hundred feet long. The whole pool was a gentle 'S' shape and parts of it were shade by trees, with other portions opening onto grassy verges.

I pulled to a halt and gestured at it. "There's the best swimming hole in the whole valley if the bugs aren't out. If you ever want to catch a trout though, the best spot is just below the falls."

"Are you suggesting we go for a swim?" Carissa grinned at me. "It's sure warm enough to try skinny dipping."

"Nope, I can't go swimming with this darn cast on my leg," I sighed. "That's why I didn't mention it before."

"The two of us could go swimming," she grinned even wider. "You could be our safety man on the shoreline and keep an eye on us so we don't get into trouble."

"I could go for that," Corinna giggled from the back seat.

"Hmmph, you just want to tease my guy," Carissa turned and stuck her tongue out at Corinna.

"I think you both want to tease me. I shouldn't have even stopped here. Besides, you don't have any towels to dry yourselves off and the sun is going to be behind the cliffs soon. You wouldn't even be able to lie in the sun and dry off."

"You could squeegee our bodies dry with your hands, then we could dry off easily enough," Corinna giggled again.

"Jeez, now you want him to rub down your whole body? What is this anyway, a blatant attempt to get him in the sack?" Carissa bleated.

"Just offering alternatives," Corinna laughed aloud. "And teasing my big sister a bit."

"What do you mean, your big sister? You're fifteen minutes older than I am."

"Ah, but you weigh more."

"Maybe a pound or two, but with all the work we've been doing I might be less than that."

"So, that means you would have built up muscle, which still makes you bigger."

"Okay you two, quit arguing," I laughed and reached for the key to start the Jeep. "I think stopping here was an altogether bad idea."

That pause changed the mood of our drive though. All the way back to the cabin they teased me and each other. When we stopped to look at a fence, I'd find one of them walking so close to me that our hips would bump, or as I reached to test if a pole was solid, I'd find one or the other of them leaning close enough that her breast would brush my arm. On top of that the banter between them was continuous and both of them seemed to get more raunchy as the time passed.

By the time we got back to the cabin I had a raging hard-on. I'd even gotten dragged into the randy talk and the sexual innuendos. As we unhitched the trailer and put the chainsaw and other tools away in one of the outbuildings in the farmyard they were both helping, but bumping and mashing against me whenever they got the chance.

Once the tools were put away and we'd all gone into the cabin, Carissa simply grabbed me, grinding her belly against mine as our lips met. She'd barely moved away and I'd hardly drawn a breath when Corinna was facing me.

"Oh, Sis. You call that a kiss? Watch this," she proclaimed.

Before I could even move, she was climbing my frame and her tongue was doing its best to check my tonsils. She no sooner pulled away than Carissa was back, then vice versa. By the time the two of them were done with me the second time, I was weak kneed, short of breath and horny as a seven peckered owl. It suddenly dawned on me that Carissa was no longer fighting the fact that Corinna wanted sex, in fact it almost seemed as if she was setting me up. I was gradually being pushed backward and steered closer and closer to the bedroom. At the same time they seemed to be losing clothes as we moved. Each time I found a different twin in my arms, I found that there was more bare flesh for me to touch.

Before I realized what was happening we were in the bedroom, my shirt felt like it was coming unbuttoned and my belt was undone. Then I felt the bed behind my legs, still being pressed backward, I was in danger of losing my balance ...

At that moment we all heard a car horn tooting loudly, so loudly that it sounded as if it was just outside the front door.

"Shit!" Corinna swore vehemently.

She was echoed by Carissa's harsh "Damn."

Suddenly we were all scrambling to get our clothes back on and fastened up. In short order we were dressed again, then we went to the door. Standing outside were Tom and George, but Beth was along with them and to my astonishment, the McAdam twins, Jean and Jess were there too.

"Hi guys, it's party time," Beth hollered loudly.

All I could do was hope that all of them took the expressions on our three faces to be signs of surprise, not a show of our frustration.

### Chapter 18