Unwanted Company

Written By: D’be-D’be


The cattle drive was moving at a steady pace towards Abilene, Kansas. The herd was moving quickly because the smell of water was in the air, and when thirsty cows smelt water, they can really move.

‘It will be nice to reach the water hole,’ Trail Boss, Luke Morgan, thought to himself. ‘Both the cattle and the men need the rest and a bath.’ He was still deep in his own thoughts when the Scout, Vince Perry, came galloping up.

“Hey, Boss. I think there may be trouble ahead.”

“Trouble? What kind of trouble?”

“I spotted a wagon by the river bed and it looks like its stuck deep in the mud. If the cattle make a run for the water, the girls inside could get hurt”

“Girls, Vince? Did I hear you right?”

“You sure did, Boss. A group of traveling entertainers they are, Boss. Ad from what I could see, they’re mighty pretty!”

“Great! That’s all I need: a bunch of pretty women around a bunch of randy drovers. Okay, let’s take a look at what can be done to help the damsels in distress.”

As Morgan and Perry came up to the river, the girls began to squeal and yell with excitement at the thought of being rescued. Morgan pushed his cowboy hat back on his head and turned to his Scout. “Yep, you didn’t exaggerate, Vince. They’re pretty and they’re really stuck. Go get some of the other drovers and tell Pete to slow down the herd as much as he can until we get the wagon out of the way.”

“Yes, Sir! Wait ‘til the guys hear what’s waiting for them.”

Morgan shook his head as he watched Vince ride off as fast as his horse could run, whooping and hollering all the way. He turned his attention back to the women. “Excuse me, ladies. Is there one of you who’s in charge of this outfit?”

A tall, buxom blond stood up from her sitting position on the wagon seat and yelled. “I am, Mister, and who may you be?”

“Name’s Luke Morgan and I’m the Trail Boss of a bunch of drovers and cattle that I got a feeling you’re about to meet any minute now. And your name is?”

“Well, Mr. Morgan, I go by the name of Trixie Larue, the fastest gun in the west. I can also sing, dance, rope and ride.”

“I didn’t ask for your resume, ma’am, just your name.”

“Well aren’t you the cheeky one,” Trixie answered. Before Luke could reply, she continued. “That’s alright, I ain’t mad. I could never stay mad at a gorgeous man like you. Ain’t he just so handsome, girls? Look at him; tall in the saddle, muscles bulging out his shirt and that deep voice of his is sending thrills up and down my body.” The other girls giggled in agreement at Trixie’s observations.

Luke just moaned to himself. This perfect day had suddenly taken a wrong turn. He turned in his saddle at the sound of pounding hoofs. Vince had returned with eight of their twenty-five drovers. They were all grinning like adolescent school boys and if their tongues hung out of their mouths any lower, they would be trampled on by the horses. They quickly set to work getting the wagon out of the water and safely on to the dry land. When the rescue mission was accomplished, the drovers began helping the women down, hugging and spinning them around in the process.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Morgan’s authoritative voice rang out over the sounds of excited men and talkative women. “Gentlemen, I advice you to treat these ladies with respect. I’m sure after what they’ve just been through, the last thing they need is a bunch of dirty drovers groping them.”

The men showed their respect for their boss by immediately letting go of the women and stepping aside. Trixie turned toward Morgan and with the biggest sexiest smile she could muster, she exclaimed, “Oh my, I just love a man who’s in control.”

“Oh, brother!” Luke mumbled to himself and he settled his eyes on the writing on the side of the wagon. In big bold red lettering printed in on the side it said ‘TRIXIE LARUE AND HER SINGING COWGIRLS’. In smaller black print it stated all the things the cowgirls could do, a lot which had already been told to him by Miss. Larue herself.

“Mr. Morgan,” one of the drovers spoke out. “One of their wheels is busted up real bad and it will take a couple of days to fix it.”

‘Yep! The day has definitely turned down the wrong road and is headed directly into trouble!’ Morgan again thought as he dismounted and walked towards the wagon.

Trixie took a good long look at the Trail Boss as he inspected the damage and let out a long whistle. “Mr. Trail Boss, in my next life I want to come back as your horse so you can ride me all day long.”

The drovers and the girls laughed loud and hard at the blonde’s remarks, while Morgan for his part turned ten shades of red. He had never before come across someone who spoke as bluntly as this woman did and it caught him a bit off guard. Seeing their Trail Boss blushing just made the men laugh even harder.

The women had made themselves at home in the camp. Some of them offered to help Flapjack with the evening meal while others just sat around and flirted with a group of drovers. One of the girls who said her name was Jenny May was trying to make time with Colt, but gave up when she noticed all the young man was only interested in sending cold stares over to the Trail Boss and Trixie. Jenny May thought Colt was jealous of Morgan getting all of Trixie’s attention. If she only knew it was the exact opposite. Seeing how that blond bimbo was all over, Luke was driving Colt green with jealousy. It looked to him that Luke wasn’t trying to hard to discourage her either, which just made matters worse.

Colt excused himself and made his way over to Luke and the blond. On his way he picked up a blanket that was lying on the ground. When he approached Luke and Trixie, he threw the blanket around the woman’s shoulders to cover up her breast that she was practically pushing in Luke’s face. “Here, Ma’am. You look cold. Better cover up. Wouldn’t want you to get a chest cold or nothing”

Shrugging off the blanket, Trixie looked up at the young man standing over her. “Thank you, sonny, but I’m not a bit cold.”

“Are you sure, Ma’am? It sure looks like you’re cold to me!” Colt emphasized his words by looking down at the blonde’s nipples that were clearly visible through the flimsy cotton dress she wore.

Luke nearly choked on his coffee at the boldness of Colt’s remark. Trixie just laughed as she told the young man, “Well it’s nice of you to notice, sonny. I didn’t think you were old enough to know about such things.”

Realizing he couldn’t win a war of words with this overbearing woman, Colt spun his heels and made his way back to the other side of the camp. By his posture and the way he walked, Luke could tell Colt was pouting. A tiny smile formed at the corner of his mouth as he turned his attention back to Trixie. “I have to apologize for my young drover. I guess he didn’t like the way you were looking at me.”

“That’s okay, handsome. I’m used to men fighting over me.”

“I bet you are, but I better be the mature one here and say good night.”

Trixie stood up at the same time Luke did and blocked his way to his bedroll. She looked up into his eyes, placed her hand around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

Blushing and feeling very uncomfortable, Luke pushed her away and stated in a matter of fact voice, “Look, Miss. Larue, as long as your wagon is busted I’ll allow you to stay with the drive. However, that’s the only reason. Don’t get it in your head that I have some deep desire to take you to my bed. I’m just trying to do the gentlemanly thing.”

“What’s the matter, Mr. Morgan? You can’t handle a strong-minded woman?”

“No, I can’t. Call me old fashion, but I like to be in charge of my lover and partner. Besides, I don’t appreciate being fondled like some sex slave who’s just here for your amusement.”

“Oh, my! I just love an assertive man who takes charge. I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself from now on, but I hope you won’t do the same thing.”

“I give up! You’re impossible!” Luke walked away with sound of flirtatious laughter ringing in his ears.

Seeing Trixie alone, Jenny May walked over to her friend and tried to give her some advice. “Take it easy with that one, Trix. He can’t be pushed. He’s a real man in total control of himself.”

“Don’t I know it, Jenny. I guess you’re right. I’ll take it slow. But before we leave this drive, that hunk of flesh will be mine!”

“Not if I can help it!” Colt muttered to himself as he stood in the shadows, listening in on the conversation. He vowed he would never give her the opportunity to be alone with Luke again.

The next morning started dark and cloudy with a threat of rain. Luke decided it was the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Let the cattle rest and graze because it was going to be sometime before the next grazing ground and also get that wagon fixed so those women could be on their way. He ordered a group of drovers including Colt, to go look after the herd while he and another group stayed behind to fix the wheel.

Colt didn’t like that arrangement. He walked up to Luke and as much as said so. “I don’t want to go work the herd. I rather stay here and work on the wagon.”

“Ah, Mr. Sanders. I wasn’t aware that this drive became a democracy where a drover can go against orders. When did that happen?” There was a cold warning to Luke’s question

“It didn’t, Boss. But I’m real good at fixin’ wagons. I did a lot of that for the soldier’s when they crossed our property, so I thought I’d be of better use here.”

“Oh really? I didn’t hear you mention that special talent of yours when you joined the drive. By all means, Mr. Sanders, please lend your talent to our endeavor. Joe, you take Colt’s place on point. Colt, go grab some tools and begin showing us how a real wagon-fixer works.”

Colt could hear the sarcasm dripping from Luke’s voice. It was mixed with a touch of anger but he didn’t care. All that mattered was that he managed to stay in camp in order to keep that woman from laying her hands on Luke again.

Truth be told, Colt did have a lot of experience working on wagons which he proved as he began molding the broken spokes back to their original form. He was so busy at his task; he didn’t notice when Luke moved to the chuck wagon for a cup of coffee.

But Trixie did and she took advantage of the Trail Boss being away from the others to saddle in next to him. She poured herself a cup of coffee then began small talk with Luke. She asked him how many cattle drives he’s been on and began telling him amusing stories of her adventures in the entertainment business. Despite himself, Luke found himself relaxing around this blond beauty and he even laughed out loud at a couple of her stories.

When Colt heard Luke laugh, he turned his head to see what was so funny. What he saw didn’t make him laugh at all. It did the exact opposite. It made him angry. Trixie had placed her hand on Luke’s arm as they talked, giving it a gentle rub now and then as she regaled him with her antics. He looked down at the bucket of grease in his hand and an evil thought came over him. He began to look around as if he was searching for something. He let on he found it by the chuck wagon and, with grease bucket in hand, made a move to retrieve it. As he approached the wagon, he faked a trip, which caused the bucket to go flying in the air and land exactly where he wanted it. Right on top of Trixie’s head. The blond woman began to scream and cry at the same time the slimy grease began to pour out of the bucket, covering her face and silk dress.

With as much sincerity as he could muster, Colt began to apologize to his intended target. “Oh, Miss Trixie, I’m so sorry. I have two left feet. Here let me help you get that stuff off.” Colt pulled a rag from his back pocket and did his best to remove some of the grease from the bottom of the dress but all he managed to do was rub the grease in deeper.

“Take your hands off me, you big clumsy oaf! Look what you did! You not only ruined my hair; you also ruined my one-of-a-kind silk dress I had made especially for me in New York. Oh, I could die! I could just die!” She was still wailing and screaming as she made her way to the back of her wagon.

Colt didn’t dare look up at Luke. He didn’t have to look to see the anger radiating from the older man’s eyes. Instead he just kept his eyes on the ground and shuffled his feet as he spoke. “I’m sorry, Boss. It was an accident. Really it was! She’s acting like I did it on purpose or something.”

“Did you?” Luke asked.

“No! No, why would I do something like that, Boss?”

“Look at me, Colt. NOW!” Colt knew his goose was cooked. The minute Luke looked into his eyes, he would be able to tell Colt was lying. “I’m going to ask you again, young man. Did you do that on purpose?”

“Uh, hmmm, I…..” Colt’s blue eyes began to mist up as he looked into the dark angry eyes of his Top. “I-I…..yes, I did. But I had a good reason!”

“Oh, I’m sure you did and I can’t wait to hear about it. But right now I have to see to Miss. Larue. Keep yourself close by, boy, because I’m not through discussing this with you!”

Colt watched Luke walk towards the women’s wagon, then ran towards his horse. Despite Luke’s orders to stay in camp, his fear of the repercussions for his actions caused him to bolt out and head towards the water hole.

Luke found Trixie surrounded by the other women on the far side of their wagon. She was a real sight. Her tears mixed with the grease caused huge white streaks to form on her cheeks. Her once pale blue shiny dress had huge dark blotches all over it. A huge blob of the black menace had even found its’ way to one of her white patton leather shoes.

Clearing his throat to announce his presence, Luke once more offered his apologies and assured the young woman that Colt would pay for a new dress.

Trixie would not be comforted by Luke’s apology however. Her anger and embarrassment were still present in her response. “I do not accept yours or your clumsy drover’s apology and with what you pay him, he would never be able to afford to replace this one-of-a-kind dress”

“Well, Miss Larue,” Luke responded in a soft gentle voice. “I’m afraid that’s all I can offer you at this time. What more can I do to make this up to you?”

“I want that boy punished for what he did!” she screamed out.

“Don’t worry, Miss Larue, he will be. I can personally guarantee that!”

“Good, see to it that you do! And after the deed is done, I want that young man to come to me on bent-knee and apologize in person for what he did.”

“I’ll see to it that he does,” Luke assured her.

“Fine! Now please leave me alone so I can salvage what is left of my dignity as well as my dress.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Luke spun on his heels and went to find Colt. He looked all over the camp before coming to the conclusion his little Brat had skipped out on him. Shaking his head, Luke mounted his own horse to set out and find him. Instinct told him to start at the water hole. Coming over the hill, he came upon Colt’s horse tied to a tree. He sat up in his saddle in order to see the whole area. His eyes finally rested on the young man sitting by the water’s edge and looking out into the distance. Luke stepped down, tied his horse next to Colt’s and made his way down to the water.

Colt didn’t have to look up to see who was coming, his own instinct told him it was Luke and he prepared himself for the round of discipline he knew was coming. “Hi, Luke,” Colt whimpered as tears began to fall down his face.

Part of Luke’s anger dissipated at sound of despair in his Brat’s voice but he held fast to what he had to do. “You ran away when I ordered you to stay in camp.”

“I know, Luke. I was wrong in doing that, just like I was wrong in attacking Miss. Larue with that grease. I’m sorry.”

“Why did you act that way, Colt?”

“Well, I ran away because I was scared and I guess I did my little tripping act because I was jealous.”

“Jealous! Jealous of what?”

“Of that blond hussy who couldn’t keep her hands off you. Every time I looked around, she was flirting with you. I didn’t like it, but it looked like you did!”

Sitting down next to his young lover and placing an arm around his shoulders, Luke did his best to once again explain to the young man the circumstances of their lives. “Oh, Cowboy. You know we’ve discussed this subject at length. There are going to be times when our paths cross with beautiful women and yes, there is going to be some flirting. Now even though we don’t feel that way towards the female sex, we can’t let on to it. If I saw a beautiful woman getting friendly towards you, I wouldn’t like it either, but we have to play the game, Colt. That’s just the way it has to be, whether we like it or not.”

“In my mind I know you’re right, Luke, but in my heart it’s hard to accept.”

“I understand completely, Cowboy. Although I know why you did the things you did, it doesn’t change the fact that your actions were wrong and that you are going to be spanked for doing it.”

“I’ve come to accept that, Luke.” Without being told to, Colt stood up, dropped his pants and shorts and assumed the position over Luke’s lap.

‘The young man is learning,’ Luke thought as he lifted his hand and brought down the first slap on the sensitive area of Colt’s anatomy. After several slaps, Colt began to shake as sobs raked his body. Knowing the young man already understood he had done wrong, Luke discontinued the discipline and spun the boy off and up into his lap.

“I’m so sorry, Luke, for acting in such a very immature way,” Colt whimpered as the last of the tears fell. He snuggled into Luke’s shoulder, wishing he could stay like that forever.

“Forget it, Cowboy. I already have.” Luke kissed the tears from the young man’s cheeks. “The lady demanded I do this and she is waiting back at camp for an apology. So get yourself together and do just that.”

“Yes, sir,” Colt replied as he got off Luke’s lap and lifted his shorts and pants up over his hips, hissing a bit as cloth touched the sensitive skin.

Colt stood in front of the blond woman with downcast eyes, waiting for permission to speak

“Well, do you have something to say to me, young man?”

“Yes, Ma’am, I truly do, I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for what happened. You were not the target I was going for.”

“What do you mean, young man?” the woman asked, curiosity showing in her voice.

Saying a silent prayer that Luke would forgive this little white lie, Colt continued, “I was aiming for Mr. Morgan. You see, I was…I am jealous at the way you look at him. I wish you looked at me that way.”

He was proud of himself when he saw the reaction on this woman’s face. By stroking her ego, Colt had managed to turn her anger around to the point that her next words were practically dripping with sweetness. “Oh, you precious boy! I never guessed you had a crush on me. How can I not forgive such an acknowledgment of your affection for me.”

“I can understand how you didn’t know how I felt about you. I’ve never been around a woman like you and I didn’t know how to act if I got near you, so I just admired you from afar.” As Trixie cooed in delight, Colt thought ‘Damn, I’m good! She’s really buying this bull!’ before offering, “Miss Trixie, I know I can never replace your beautiful dress, but please let me do something to make it up to you.”

“Fine. Just pay me for what the seamstress will charge me and we’ll call it even, alright?”

“How much would that be, Miss. Trixie?”

“Ten dollars should cover it.”

Colt let out a whistle. “Ten dollars! I’m afraid I don’t have that kind of money. I’ll have to ask Luke, I mean Mr. Morgan, if I can borrow it against my wages.”

“You do that, young man. Speaking of Mr. Morgan, did he do the other thing I asked him to do?”

Colt reached back to rub his sore butt and looked down into the dirt. “Oh yes, Ma’am. He surely did. I’ll be a little uncomfortable on night watch tonight, that’s for sure.”

Trixie giggled at the admission but let the subject drop. Instead she told Colt to go find the Trail Boss and get her money. Colt did just that.

The next morning the rain had cleared and the herd was ready to be move. The women’s wagon was finally fixed so they made plans to part ways with the drive and make their way into the upcoming town. The drovers were sad to see the women go but Luke was grateful they’d decided to move on.

“Okay, gentlemen, I ain’t paying ya to gawk at a bunch of women. Butt those saddles and get that herd moving! We still have a long way to go!”

With a final goodbye, the drovers reluctantly obeyed their boss and made their way to the cattle. Luke remained until the women were out of sight. When the wagon was no more than a spot on the horizon, he turned to Flapjack and tried pushing him into speeding up his cleaning so he could get ahead of the herd.

“Bet you’re glad they’re gone, eh Mr. Morgan?’ the elderly cook asked as he threw pots and pans into the back of the chuck wagon.

“Glad doesn’t begin to describe how I feel about their leaving, Flapjack!”

The older man just chuckled at Luke’s remarks then continued to clean up the camp. Luke set off to join the rest of the drovers. He pulled in next to Colt who picked up the teasing twinkle in his Top’s eyes.

“Miss. Larue told me about your crush on her.”

“Oh ya, about that. I had to say something about why I did what I did. Besides, I was just following your advice about playing the game.”

“Ha, ha! Don’t worry, Cowboy. I’m not mad about that little white lie, just as long as a lesson was learned.”

“It was, Luke, it surely was! I understand that sometimes deception is necessary. I’ll try and keep my jealousy in check, but you know part of this is your fault,” Colt teased.

“My fault! How is any of this my fault?”

“You’re just too damn sexy and irresistible, that’s all!”

Luke let out a belly laugh at the boldness of his young Brat’s remarks. Before he rode away he promised Colt he would thank him for the compliment properly, real soon.

The End