9th/10th October
The Saguaro, Nr Flagstaff, AZ
The roadhouse was everything they expected it to be and more. The oldest part of the building, now the restaurant area, did date back to the time when it began life as a mixture of saloon and stage halt. Its menu was dominated by all parts of "a beef" it was possible to eat. And maybe even some that were not.
The "cow pie" Lewis ordered was a portion of beef stew under crusty pastry the size of a small Japanese five door. And it arrived at the table with a pair of ovenproof china "horns" sticking out of the top, which made them all smile.
The server assured Ron that the "prairie oysters" were just regular meatballs when he hesitated, though they arrived as two, each the size of a baseball, either side of a central piping of creamed potato. There was an earthy, country style to the dining experience they suspected would not get re-told at the Carver family dining table.
The rear of the building was a newer structure. A mixture of huge bar and dance hall. Many "roadhouses" developed those after Prohibition. When some towns and counties retained ordinances against strong liquor and other activities "liable to corrupt the young". Like dancing. Or moving pictures and many of them were the first local movie theatres.
It meant some rural towns were the model of quiet and sober respectability on a Saturday night. Because most of the population got in their buggies and later their cars, drove across the county line and into a more liberal jurisdiction to have a good time. And were back in church Sunday morning, praying earnestly that their wicked neighbours along the highway would soon see the error of their ways.
Johnnie, Randy and one of the other hands from Mesa Creek had saved space for them to squeeze around their table inside. Where the five of them were introduced to Randy's wife and the girlfriend of the other. The young lady turning out to be the Reverend Jones' elder daughter. The band on the platform at the far end played a mainly "rock/country" style with occasional forays into what Caro told Alex was "Tejano" and some traditional "Nashville".
Which neither of them much liked and when their hostess Betsy got up to perform her "party piece" the pair of them sat pretending to shove their fingers down their throat and vomit. As Carver commented ruefully to Goren, it said much about twenty first century women they would do such a thing when being implored by another of their sex to "Stand By Your Man".
And until they actually played it, neither totally believed Caroline when she went up and asked the band to perform a song called "Get The Biscuits In The Oven And Your Buns In The Bed". It was proving to be an educational evening all round.
At times a funny one too. Ron Carver proved to have an amazing aptitude for "square" and "line dancing". At least he and Eames didn't lose each other during one formation the way Lewis and Caro did, resulting in something of a human "pile up" in their group. But it was Goren had Eames and Caro laughing until they almost ached.
Both knew the guy could dance very well. Had been taught ballroom as a kid by his parents who were, in happy times, keen and quite talented dancers. He'd certainly got both of them round the floor without making fools of themselves at one or two social occasions. But his total lack of aptitude for line dancing left you wondering how he ever coped with Army drill or managed to stay in line and step in occasional blue uniform parades.
Out of "hold" he seemed to lose it totally. Turned right when everyone else turned left or went forwards went they went back. Carver or Lewis or Johnnie or whoever was beside him at the time needed to shove him or yell extra instructions to even keep him roughly right and what was funnier was his expression. Just could not work out why he was so hopeless and in the end gave up.
It didn't especially surprise Eames that with his early start next morning, Ron excused himself quite early and that Caro and Goren went with him. One or other was going to drive him to the local airport and she supposed they had something else they might like to be doing.
Room 209, The Traveller's Rest
As Caro stretched out beside him she looked to Goren like a "Venus Reclining". Maybe the one by Poussin, which was his particular favourite, though "Venus Getting Her Breath Back" might be more appropriate. His eyes caressed her body from head to toe and all points between, his own heart rate and breathing rather closer to normal for the moment.
Then she reached out one arm to pull his head back down to hers and with a soft purr began to work her tongue inside his mouth. Not so much in a suggestive tempo as a very obvious one. Before he wrapped his arms round her and rolled her back on top of him.
Content to enjoy the sensation of her mouth trailing down his body until somewhere around his navel they both startled at the door to the next room banging.
"Guess that's Lewis back" she said softly.
"Can't go through a door without slamming it"
He writhed slightly as her tongue tickled his right hip.
"So long as he's not knocking here in five minutes"
"If he does…" his attention left him for a moment "If he does he's a dead man"
"Speaking of not dead yet"
Then his attention focussed again. Very rapidly. On part of his anatomy, the word "prehensile" and how that didn't just apply to the tails of certain monkeys.
Four Winds Cottage, Mesa Creek Ranch
Eames woke to see Johnnie's hair spread out across the pillow he was more or less face down in. It had been like a silken sheet brushing over her body and limbs at times. Almost like he used it as an additional way to arouse her.
She lay a moment as a series of images went through her head, though all of them about how astonishing he was as a lover. Uninhibited, sensual and no question good to look at. His body firm and toned but not like some muscle bound gym addict and one he had great control of. Without making you feel he was doing you a favour.
Very unselfish until he sensed she was beyond pleasuring further as they shifted positions in his bed and at least twice Eames found herself clinging to the rails of the bed head. Then he wasn't so much rough, as focussed on achieving his own release and for a guy, did that in a fairly verbal way.
They had both known the moment they stepped through the door there was never going to be any "coffee". He'd taken her hand and without a word led her down the hall to his bedroom, shut the door and proceeded to undress her. Somewhere between there and the bed, their clothes were slowly shed and he never actually kissed her on the mouth until they were both on it, naked and he'd kissed a lot of other places first.
As Eames made to get out of bed he woke and turned over. Somewhat belatedly she got shy as she covered herself with the sheet.
"Why are you going Alex?" he asked softly.
"Because I have to" she replied realising she had no options for modesty given where her clothes were.
"Y'all not fifteen with your Daddy gonna come looking for you" he shrugged not seeming bothered by how much of him, her sheet clutching left exposed.
"Maybe not" she said getting up and going to retrieve some clothes. "But I still have to go"
"Before Bobby comes looking for you?"
"Don't be stupid" she said sitting on the end of the bed to begin dressing.
"But it's him it most bothers you knowing where you've been"
She turned to look at him knowing that was true but not replying as Johnnie shoved an extra pillow behind his head and lay watching her.
"Is that because you sort of feel you are still on duty?"
"In a way perhaps I do" she fastened her bra and turned her panties right side out.
"So did the lovely Caroline get her own room?"
"That's different and you know it so stop being so…so foolish"
"Did you ever sleep with him?"
"No!" Eames snapped.
"Why not?"
She stood up to pull on her underwear and pants. "Because it complicates the situation. Even for a one-time…thing. Goren is complex enough and for anything more you heard yourself. We were not joking. We are not each other's type. And why this sudden fascination with our relationship?"
"Just curious why what Bobby would think matters so much?" yawned Johnnie.
"Like the opinion of someone you worked with never counted?"
She slid into her shirt and began to fasten the buttons.
"Sure Alex. But I never had a one on one partnership like that. Just curious how much it is like a marriage? Like you hear people say about cops"
Eames shrugged. "In some ways it is. Just without the sex. In our case anyway"
"But you must have wondered what he would be like in bed?"
"No I have not" she lied sitting down again to put on her socks.
Johnnie laughed softly. "Everyone thinks that sometime about someone they know well. Livens up a dull meeting for a second or two. You can bet your life he wondered that about you. He's a guy. Guys do that"
"Maybe some women do too"
"So you did think about it Alex" he teased her.
"Once" she said slipping into her shoes. "For all of five seconds about five years ago. Happy now?"
"Not really. Not if I can't persuade you to stay" he reached out his hand.
Eames sat on the side of the bed; aware dawn was breaking and took it. Trying to resist the temptation just looking at him intensified.
"I'm dressed now"
"Pity but before you go we must discuss…"
Anything more Johnnie was about to say was interrupted. By loud and insistent banging on the front door.
To be continued…
