"She ain't no rattle-head, ma'am. If she wants him fer her man, it'll be her that says it."

"Mary Ben?" Ellie realized that being the center of attention was agony for the girl. Her head was bowed and the lamplight cast a rosy glow on her flushed face. Slowly she looked up and met Ellie's eyes squarely.

"Henry ain't no rattle-head either, ma'am. He said right out he wanted me. And I'm sayin' right out I want him 'n I'll stand by him." It was the most positive statement any of them had ever heard her make.

When Vanessa looked at her aunt she saw tears rolling down her cheeks. She and the young girl who sat within the circle of her son's arm were looking at each other as if they were the only two people in the room. An understanding was being forged between the two women. Ellie's lips quivered when she spoke.

"I'm proud to welcome you to the family, Mary Ben."

"Thanky, ma'am. I aim ta be a help to ya."

"Well." Ellie took a deep breath. "We'll have two weddings. Things are happening so fast my head is dosey. Oh, my! Mary Ben must have a new dress!"

"Remember that pink and white striped dress you made for me, Aunt Ellie? It's so tight I can scarcely breathe. We'll have time to fix it for Mary Ben if she wants it."

"That's right, Vanessa. It'll be perfect. She looks so pretty in pink, and she should have some pretty white slippers. You have your white ones, Vanessa, to go with the blue dress. We must go in to town and get some ribbons and things, and streamers to decorate the parlor. Oh, dear, I'll have to get a tablet and make a list of things to do."

The Hookers and John rose from the table. Each of them slapped Henry on the back and congratulated him.

"It's plumb disgustin'," Jeb said. "This young scutter come 'n took this little purty when I ain't had me no luck a'tall gettin' me a woman."

"If'n ya took a bath like I tole ya, ya might stand a chance." Clay hit his brother on the back with his hat before he slammed it down on his head. "Ain't that right, Henry?"

"I never thought Jeb smelled bada""

"He's joshin' ya, Henry. I had me one this past summer. It pert near killed me 'n didn't help none a'tall to get me a woman. Get on outta here, Clay, afore we have us a real chicken-flutter set-to."

While the women cleaned up after supper, Kain sat at the table and wrote letters for Clay to take to town the next morning. McCloud, at the store, would send them out with riders going toward the Parnells and to Morning Sun Ranch. In his letter to Logan, he asked him to invite Cooper's mother and Arnie, and to get word to Griffin.

He hoped that Della wouldn't hear about the weddings, although it was hard to keep such an event secret. She just might decide to come, especially if she thought Logan Horn would be there. It would matter little to her if she were invited or not. Should that happen, Kain would meet her at the gate and turn her away. He'd not allow her to disrupt this most important day of his life.

Henry was sitting patiently beside the door waiting for Mary Ben. Kain wondered what the years ahead would be like for him. Immature as he was he was luckier than most. He had his health, and with the love of a woman like Mary Ben and support from Cooper and Logan, he'd make out all right.

This would be a good opportunity for Ellie to meet Logan and Cooper and Sylvia Henderson, Kain thought, because if what he suspected were true, Ellie was due the surprise of her life.

The sound of hooves on the hard-packed road made Kain lift his head and listen. There could be as many as half a dozen horses approaching the house. He got to his feet.

"Henry, slip out the back door and go tell Clay and Jeb we have visitors. You women stay in the kitchen out of sight," he said tensely, then went quickly to his room. He took his gun belt from the peg on the wall and was strapping it on as he strode down the hall. He picked up a lamp and set it on the table beside the door just as a loud bang on the door rattled the oval gla.s.s.

"Open up!" The voice was loud and raspy; the owner drunk or near to it. "We come to have us a real sockdolager whoopla!"

Kain opened the door. A drover with dusty clothes and a weeks growth of whiskers stood on the porch. Four more of the same stood behind him.

"Where's the women?" he demanded and pushed on the door. Kain held it partly closed with his foot.

"You've been given the wrong information, men. I know what this place was in the past. It's a private home now."

"Ya mean it ain't no wh.o.r.ehouse no more?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

"I don't believe ya. This's always been a wh.o.r.ehouse. Yo're jist ahoggin' the women is what yo're adoin'." A short man with a walrus mustache elbowed his way to the front. "Stan Taylor told us The House is openin', by Gawd, 'n we come to get our rocks knocked off. Stan said there was two wagons a women."

"Stan Taylor was wrong. The women here are not that kind of women. Now leave before there's trouble."

"Who's goin' ta give it?" The c.o.c.ky little man hitched up his gun belt.

"I am, if you don't leave."

"Looky here, fellers. We got us a rooster what's goin' to run us outta his chicken yard all by hisself. I think we ort a pull his tail feathers."

"If you want to get your rocks knocked off with a bullet, go ahead and try it. But I think you should know that if I miss, there's a buffalo gun pointed at your belly that won't miss and a couple of Texan six-guns pointing at the rest of you. You better think about it before you start trying to pull tail feathers."

"C'mon, Lyster. Stan could a been wrong."

The man named Lyster shook off the hand that tried to pull him back from the door. "We're Clayhill men. Clayhill runs thin's round here, and he don't stand fer havin' his men pushed round. It was a long ride out here. We ort a have us a drink fer it."

Kain's temper flared. "Listen you stupid s.h.i.thead. Clayhill doesn't run this place. You'd better get the h.e.l.l off it before I forget I didn't want any trouble."

"C'mon, Lyster. Quit yore jawin'. Yore makin' a a.s.s a yoreself. Sorry, mister. We ain't aimin' fer no trouble."

"Yo're the a.s.s fer backin' down, Matson. Shee . . . it! This p.i.s.s 'n vinegar blowhard's don't 'mount to no more 'n a fart in a whirlwind. He thinks to run us off so's he'll have the women all to hisself."

"Do ya want that I let loose on that thar blabbermouth, Kain? I got this here ole buffalo gun loaded to the brim 'n she's jist itchin' to go off." John's voice came out of the darkness.

"That 'n what's got the floppy mouth is mine." The drawl came from one of the Texans. "I got my sight right on them rocks a his he's wantin' to get knocked off."

"Ya got the last floppy-mouthed b.a.s.t.a.r.d we run on to, Jeb. I got my sight on jist the place to give 'em a new a.s.shole."

The men turned and left the porch in a body, and headed for the horses. Lyster stood alone on wobbly legs, then turned and followed, threatening what he was going to do to Stan Taylor when he caught up with him.

"Dadgummit! Why'd they have to go 'n be so confound reasonable fer?"

"Hit's the night air, John. Hit's plumb calmin'."

"Twas what I said 'bout the a.s.shole what done it. Ya can't get along without one, but I ain't never seen no feller what wants two of 'em."

"If'n ya wants to think ya run 'em off, Clay, go ahead. Me 'n John knows it ain't so."

Kain waited until he could no longer hear hoofbeats, then called out, "Much obliged."

"Don't mention it." The trio headed back to the bunkhouse.

Kain closed the door, shot the bolt, and went back to the kitchen.

"They were a bit rowdy, and mad because they made the long ride for nothing. Stan Taylor spread the news all right. They'll probably take a piece of his hide for sending them on a wild goose chase, but they'll spread the right word, and I doubt if we'll be bothered again."

"I hope not." Ellie hung the dishpan behind the stove. "Imagine them coming out here thinking . . . that!"

"I think it's exciting, Aunt Ellie."

"Vanessa!" Ellie scolded, but her eyes were bright with excitement, too.

"What did they want, Kain?" Henry asked with a puzzled frown. "One of them said something about rocks. They didn't ride out here to get rocks, did they?"

Kain looked at Vanessa's sparkling eyes and twitching lips. She raised her brows and the expression on her face was expectant.

"I think they came out here to drink and watch a show. They'd heard there was a redheaded woman out here who danced the cancan."

"Van can't dance like that!"

"Henry Hill! I can too dance the cancan!"

"I ain't never seen you. I only saw you at a barn dance, and then you got mad and kicked Martin McCann on the shin so hard he had to be helped in his buggy. You said he pinched your bottom."

"I'm glad to know she doesn't like her bottom pinched, Henry. I don't want my shins kicked until my side is healed."

Mary Ben hung the wet towel on the rack beside the cookstove and glanced at Henry. She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Is there anythin' else fer me to do, ma'am?"

"Not tonight, dear. In the morning we'll have to put our heads together and make plans. There will be a hundred things to do between now and Sunday. We'll have to figure out what day we'll go to town. What do you think, Kain?"

"Give me another day and I'll ride in with you. I need to call on the preacher and see if he can come out next Sunday. Come to think of it, I should see him before I send out the letters asking folks to come."

Henry lifted Mary Ben's coat off the peg, put it around her, and they slipped quietly out the door. As soon as it closed behind them he wrapped her in his arms, kissed her, then held her away from him and looked down into her face.

"What's a wh.o.r.ehouse, Mary Ben? I heard talk about it, but n.o.body would tell me what it is."

"It's a house where women'll do it with men for pay."

"Do what?"

"Get in bed with 'em, couple with 'em. Ya know, like what we'll do when we marry."

"They want to do it with women they don't even know?"

"If'n they don't have a woman they do. There's a lot a women who do it. It be the way they make their livin'."

"I'll have my own woman, won't I? We're going to get married! After next Sunday you'll be mine forever."

"I'm already yores, Henry Hill!"

"I know it, but then everybody will know it, too. I'm just so proud of you, Mary Ben. Kiss me again, my sweet and pretty girl. I thought you'd never get through with those old dishes."

"I'll be a help to yore ma. I promised her I would."

"Ma likes you."

"I like her, too."

"Let's go to the wagon."

"We'd better not. Yore ma trusts me, 'n I ain't wantin' to let her down. It's gettin' harder 'n harder to hold out against ya. We ain't got much longer to wait now. After we get married we'll be together ever' night."

"I was looking at you while you were drying dishes, Mary Ben. You're just so pretty and you're my girl. I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming."

"If'n I am, I don't want to wake up."

"Let's sit down here on the end of the porch. You can sit on my lap and I'll keep you warm."

"I was surprised at ya speakin' up like ya did in front of ever'body," she said after he had sat down and pulled her onto his lap. The old yellow dog came out from under the porch and lay down beside them.

"Why? You knew we'd get married sometime. I just didn't like hearing about Van and Kain when we wanted to get married, too." He leaned back against the wall and covered them with her coat. "I like holding you like this. You're . . . just a little girl, and sweet." His hands roamed over her small body, and his lips nuzzled her ear. "Do you think we'll know what to do when it comes time?"

"We'll know what, but maybe not how, at first," she whispered and slipped her hand inside his collar at the back of his neck. She moved her face so their lips could meet. He kissed her gently, as always. "We'll learn how. Most folks have younguns 'n they have to do it to get 'em."

"Kain said it'd hurt you at first. I don't want to hurt you." He hugged her fiercely. "I don't think I could stand to hurt you, my sweet girl. Kain said I'd have to be careful, and I will. Sometimes I get so big and so hard, and I think I can't put this in Mary Ben, she's too little."

"Yes, ya can, silly. Babies come outta there, so it stretches. You ain't to worry about it, Henry. Ya ain't to worry a'tall, hear?"

"Kain said men want to do it more than women. He said men could do it every day and not get tired of it. He said if you didn't want to I wasn't ever to force you, and I won't, I promise I won't. He said when we both wanted to do it it would really feel good."

"Kain must a told ya a lot of thin's."

"He did. He said if I wanted to know something to ask him and he'd tell me the best he knew how. He knows about women and a lot of other things. He said if I touch myself when I'm big and hard it'd not make me go crazy. I always thought it did."

"What else did he say?"

"I told him I got like that when I was with you, and that I wanted to kiss you awful bad. He said it was all right for a man to get that way when he was with a pretty girl he liked. I guess he does when he's with Van. You know what, Mary Ben? I've got you now, and I won't have to be asking Kain."

"Do you want us to have a baby, Henry?"

"Won't we get one if we do it?"

"Some people don't have but one youngun, some none. My ma jist had me. That mean old b.a.s.t.a.r.d that took us to Oklahoma put it to her lots of times, but she never had no more. He'd make her bend over, throw up her skirt 'n poke it in her. He tried to do it to me when I was just a little girl, and Ma cold-c.o.c.ked him with a spoke from a wheel."

"Did she kill him?"

"No. I did. Later I shot him dead. He was nothin' but a mean dirty old skunk. He was hurtin' Ma. I told him to stop 'n he wouldn't." She shuddered and cuddled closer in his arms. "I didn't even stop 'n think 'bout it, I jist shot. I'd shoot somebody hurtin' you, Henry."

"You would? Ah . . . honey girl," he whispered between kisses. "I'm suppose to take care of you."

"We'll take care of each other . . . 'n yore ma, too. I jist love ya so much, Henry." She felt his breath heat and quicken as his kiss deepened. He pressed her against the elongated hardness that sprang up between them and moved his hips in jerky little motions. She pulled away and framed his face with her hands. "We'd better stop, sweet man, afore you get to hurtin' bad," she cautioned. "Soon I'll not have to tell ya to stop. I'll be with ya all night long 'n we'll do all the lovin' ya want."

"Ah . . . Mary Ben, I just hurt to have you."

"I know ya do," she crooned, and stroked his cheek with a feather touch. "Jist be still. It'll go away, like it done afore."