Ball and Chain Read online

  Clint felt his body responding to her. He hadn’t been in town for long, but Dot had caught his eye the moment he brought Eclipse to the stable. Every night since then, they’d been spending plenty of time together. They usually spent some time in the mornings as well. He set the package down so he could place his hands upon Dot’s hips. Clint had felt her body plenty of times over the last few days and nights, but the way she wriggled between his hands still put a smile on his face. His smile grew a bit more when he moved his hands down to cup her firm buttocks and pull her closer.

  “Does your back need watching?” Clint asked.

  “Of course,” Dot replied as she leaned back so she could pull her shirt open to reveal a thin cotton camisole. “But you could also watch my front if you like.”

  THREE

  Clint watched Dot’s back after all.

  He watched her back arch as he grabbed hold of her hips and entered her from behind. She was on all fours in the corner of one of the empty stalls at the back of the stable. Dot stretched out both arms and rested her chest against the floor as Clint slid in and out of her. When she straightened her arms again, Dot snapped her head back and got her pigtails to wiggle against her naked shoulders.

  “That’s the way,” she said. When she felt Clint grab her pigtails and pull her head back a little, she grinned and added, “You know just how I like it.”

  Dot’s pigtails were long enough for Clint to hold like a set of reins. He pulled them back just enough to lift her chin, but not so hard that it hurt her. It was something that took a bit of practice, but he must have gotten it right because Dot had worn her hair in the pigtails every night since the first one they’d spent together. She even had a special little groan that came up from the back of her throat whenever Clint tugged those pigtails from behind. He pulled them now as he drove his cock all the way into her until he heard that moan once more.

  Dot nudged her head forward until Clint let go of her hair. As soon as she was free to move, she crawled toward the wall and then turned around to look at him. “So you’re really leaving?” she asked.

  Clint had to suck in a breath to answer her, but he nodded and replied, “Yeah. More than likely at first light tomorrow.”

  “Then I want to get a good look at you before you go.” With that, she guided Clint toward a pile of loose hay and shoved him toward it.

  He let himself fall into the hay and then nestled his back against the rough padding. He didn’t have to wait long before Dot climbed on top of him and straddled his waist. Dot positioned herself so Clint’s rigid penis rubbed between her legs, but didn’t quite go in. She wiggled her hips back and forth as if to tease him for a while before allowing him to fully indulge in what she was offering.

  Dot’s body was lean and getting close to being considered skinny. Her trim figure was tight and a bit muscular from spending her days doing the work needed to keep her stable running. She had slender hips that were just wide enough for Clint to hold onto them. Her thin arms and legs wrapped around him nicely without feeling too bony. Even her small breasts were more than perky enough to match the rest of her. Little pink nipples stood erect like bits of candy.

  “You sure you don’t want to stay awhile longer?” she whispered.

  “I meant to leave sooner,” Clint told her. “I just couldn’t tear myself away.

  “On second thought,” he added as he strained to look toward the double doors leading out of the stable, “we might want to take this back to a bed before someone finds us.”

  “Worried about my customers?” Dot asked as she reached down to guide him to the wet lips of her pussy. “If someone comes by to peep, we might as well make sure they get an eyeful.” With that, Dot lowered herself down until she took every inch of Clint’s stiff column of flesh inside of her.

  Clint stretched out and placed his hands upon Dot’s waist. He rested his hands there without moving her, just so he could feel the motion of her body as she rode him. Dot’s strong legs pressed tightly against his hips and her stomach clenched as she ground back and forth on top of him. She kept her eyes on him as her eyes took on more and more intensity.

  Clint didn’t have to do anything to point. Dot in one direction or another. She slowly built up speed as her hands rubbed up and down along the front of Clint’s body. Soon, her hips were pumping in quick thrusts that got faster and faster as she built toward a climax. When the moment was right, Clint tightened his grip on her so he could pump up into her.

  The move caught Dot by surprise. Her eyes snapped open and her next breath caught in the back of her throat. She tried to make a sound, but could only gasp as Clint pulled out and quickly impaled her with every last inch of his hardness. Once inside, Clint pulled her down and pushed up into her a little more. Dot’s body reacted instantly as her pussy tightened around him and an orgasm swept all the way down to the tips of her toes.

  “Oh, God, Clint,” she sighed. “Oh, God.”

  Just when Clint thought her orgasm had run its course, he began to move in and out of her again. Within seconds, Dot’s body started to shake again and she breathed as if she’d just run two miles in an uphill race. This time, Dot clenched her eyes shut and leaned down so her breasts were pressed against Clint’s chest. He could feel her shaking, so he wrapped his arms around her and rolled over so they were both lying on their sides.

  Keeping one arm wrapped around Dot’s shoulders, Clint reached down to cup Dot’s tight little backside. She draped one leg over his side and buried the other leg into the hay, which allowed her to keep moving without forcing him to come out of her. Both of them fell a bit deeper into the hay, but neither of them noticed. Clint was too busy driving his cock into her again and again, while Dot tried to catch her breath as another climax rushed through her body.

  Clint was always amazed at the tightness of Dot’s body. From the muscles under her skin to the warm pussy that enveloped him, Dot had a way of wrapping around Clint’s body like a second skin. As she let out a loud groan, Dot wriggled just the right way to push Clint over the edge. He exploded inside of her with one more thrust. After that, he barely had the strength to move.

  Dot pulled in a deep breath and let it out as she rolled onto her back. “You sure I can’t get you to stay for a while longer?” she asked.

  Clint let out a breath as well and replied, “I can’t even recall why I wanted to leave in the first place.”

  FOUR

  Fortunately, Clint didn’t see a good reason why he should hurry away from town as if he were carrying some sort of vital information to a battlefield somewhere. All he needed to do was take a look at the tightly wrapped package that had been sent over to the stable to recall just how important his mission was.

  In most respects, Clint was glad he’d accepted Ned’s job offer. It was good money and was a whole lot better than some of the other jobs he’d taken over the years. Clint made his preparations, had a hearty supper, and spent his last night with Dot in a real bed. When the sun rose the next morning, Eclipse was saddled and ready to go.

  “You sure that’s just a picture of Ned’s shop?” Dot asked as she tightened one of the buckles of the Darley Arabian’s saddle.

  Since he trusted her with the saddle and didn’t want to mess up such an easy job, Clint tied Ned’s parcel onto Eclipse’s back himself. After wrapping the parcel in his bedroll, Clint used a few lengths of rope to keep the parcel in place so it could hang over Eclipse’s left flank like an oversized saddlebag. He may have gone a little overboard with the arrangement, but that parcel sure wasn’t going to fall anytime soon.

  “It’s just a picture,” Clint assured her.

  “I don’t recall any photographer setting up outside of Ned’s barbershop.”

  Clint didn’t have to act to put the annoyed tone in his voice when he said, “I wasn’t here when it was taken. All I know is Ned had it done and went on about the expensive frame and glass he got to protect it.”

  “Fine, fine. That man always was a li
ttle squirrelly.”

  Clint chuckled when he heard that and fought like hell to say anything that might strengthen that opinion of hers. If Ned hadn’t seemed like a good enough sort who was paying him so well, Clint might have let something slip about the barber’s peculiar flower picture business.

  Switching to a different tactic, Dot pulled at her shirt until the top few buttons came loose. “How about we take one more trip to the back of the stables?” she asked. “Just a little tumble before you come back?”

  “I need to be going, Dot.”

  She frowned, but still reached out to slip her hand between Clint’s legs. “You sure about that? I know you like to pull my hair.”

  “You like it when I pull your hair.”

  “Same difference,” she said with a shrug. “From what I can feel, you like it just fine.”

  It took every bit of conviction Clint could muster, but he took hold of Dot’s hand and moved it away from his groin. Quite simply, it was either that or put off leaving town for a good, long while. “I do like it,” he told her. “That’s the problem. Right now I need to get going.”

  Dot grinned like the proverbial cat that had swallowed the canary. “I suppose I can allow that. You do still owe me for the stable fees, though.”

  “After all I’ve done for you?” Clint asked in an offended tone. “You should be paying me.”

  For once, Dot was the one caught off her guard. She recoiled and glared at Clint as though she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. “Clint Adams, that was the most . . .” As soon as she saw the smirk on Clint’s face, Dot allowed her words to trail off.

  He dug into his pocket with one hand and came up with a bit of cash he’d set aside for this occasion. “Here you go,” he said. “It’s all there, including the cost of that feed we kicked over.”

  “What feed? Oh! I remember. You did get a little rowdy there.”

  Clint checked the knots holding Ned’s parcel in place and then gave Eclipse another once-over before climbing into the saddle.

  “So . . . you will be coming back?” Dot asked hesitantly.

  “Yeah. I’m sure Ned will want to hear his picture was delivered. Also, there might be something I need to bring back for him.”

  “How long are you going to make me wait?”

  “Shouldn’t be more than a week. I don’t plan on racing into Oregon, but I won’t be dawdling either.”

  Dot smiled and rubbed Clint’s leg. “Don’t take too long,” she said. “Or I might just lose interest by the time you decide to come back.”

  Clint tipped his hat to her, pointed Eclipse’s nose toward the stable doors, and flicked the reins. Dot ran ahead to push the doors open a bit wider for him and then waved as he left. Just as he was beginning to entertain the thought of taking her up on her offer for one more quick roll in the hay, Clint felt the wind rushing against his face.

  It was a beautiful morning. The sky was filled with clouds, but they were the thick white kind that didn’t do much to keep out the sunlight. On the contrary, those clouds seemed to fill up with daylight and let it trickle down onto the world like water from a fat sponge. The air was warm, but the breeze was cool. It only became cooler as Eclipse broke into a run to put the town behind him.

  The big Darley Arabian stallion’s hooves pounded against the earth and kicked up dirt with every powerful stride. Soon, the horse’s muscles were working like a steam engine to carry Clint northward. More than happy to get such a good start on the day’s ride, Clint leaned forward and gripped the reins as his lips curled into a smile.

  Oregon wasn’t more than a day’s ride away, but the trail would cut into the trees soon enough. Better to let Eclipse run at a full gallop while the trail was wide and open country spread out in front of them. Once they got into the wooded areas, the Darley Arabian would be able to move at a casual gait at best. Despite the slower pace, Clint was looking forward to the change in scenery. Already, he could see the tall trees stretching up in the distance and he was looking forward to picking out a quiet stream somewhere to spend the night under the stars.

  The directions he’d gotten from Ned weren’t extensive, but Clint knew his way around Oregon well enough to find Hinterland. And if he had to wander a bit before making his way to the town, well . . . Clint figured that wouldn’t be so bad.

  FIVE

  Clint had been riding for only a few hours and the trees still loomed in front of him. Every step of the way, he’d felt as if Eclipse was about to charge into the woods before he would have a chance to pull back on the reins. But no matter how furiously the Darley Arabian ran, those stubborn trees only crept forward at a snail’s pace.

  Mountains had a way of doing the very same thing. They could remain just outside a man’s reach for days at a stretch until the man came up to them. Clint wasn’t worried about the trick that had been played upon his eyes. He knew well enough that Oregon was still right where it was the last time he’d been there, and he’d reach the trees soon enough. In the meantime, he pulled back on the reins so Eclipse could rest for a bit.

  Even after the stallion had slowed to a walk, Clint’s ears were still filled with the roar of rushing wind and the echo of hooves against the earth. He settled into his saddle and let the echo fade away. Once they did, he was able to discern another set of sounds.

  At first, he thought the sounds weren’t new at all. They were awfully close to what he’d heard before, although a bit more frantic. They sounded like horses galloping at full speed, so Clint turned in his saddle to get a look for himself.

  Sure enough, there were horses behind him. Three of them, to be exact. The group was tearing along the trail that Clint had put behind him not too long ago. As near as he could figure, Clint guessed those other riders would close in on him within the hour. That time would be cut down plenty if Clint decided to draw Eclipse to a stop and wait for them, but he didn’t see any good reason to do that.

  Odds were those riders were just on their way to their own spot and using the same trail to get there. Clint wasn’t expecting any company, so if his first guess was wrong, there wasn’t any cause for him to meet up with them.

  Clint dug in his saddlebag and found his spyglass. He looked through the eyepiece and adjusted his angle until he got a better look at the approaching riders. They didn’t look familiar, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. It would have been a real shock if he did recognize the men thundering in his wake.

  “All right, then,” Clint muttered as he dropped the spyglass back into his saddlebag and twisted around to face front. “I suppose there’s one real good way to see if you boys are following me or not.”

  Because Eclipse had been with Clint for so long, the stallion responded to the slight tapping of Clint’s knee against his side. The Darley Arabian shifted gait to veer a bit to the right, but didn’t change stride. That way, when Clint finally did snap the reins, Eclipse took off in his new direction like a bullet that had ricocheted off a rock.

  In a matter of seconds, Clint had left the trail and was racing through a stretch of taller grass and fallen logs. Although he urged Eclipse to run a bit faster, he kept his eyes on the ground ahead of him so he could try to steer away from anything that might cause Eclipse to stumble. Every so often, the Darley Arabian would jump or swerve on his own to avoid an obstacle that Clint had missed.

  After getting to a clearer stretch of land, Clint turned around to glance behind him. The other riders were still back there, but he couldn’t tell whether or not they were responding to Clint’s sudden change in course. He rode for a while longer and then turned around again. He didn’t even need his spyglass to tell that the riders had not only changed their course but had also whipped their horses to go faster as well. All three of the men were cutting through a pond that Clint had passed earlier and were closing the distance fast.

  For the next few minutes, Clint was nervous. He wasn’t actually worried about the prospect of someone following him. He wasn’t even concerned th
at those three men might be out to put him down. But he didn’t want one of them to fire off a lucky shot before Eclipse could carry him to the cover of the nearby trees.

  Clint stayed low in his saddle and let Eclipse run a good deal below a full run. That way, he could watch for how those three riders came at him and possibly even get a closer look at one of them. If any shooting started, he was more than ready to finish the job.

  It wasn’t long before the three men matched Clint’s winding path and let him know for certain that they were following him. Before too long, he even heard a few anxious hoots from the three men chasing him. When he heard those excited voices, Clint grinned and patted Eclipse’s neck.

  “You ready for another run, boy?” he asked.

  While the Darley Arabian might not have understood the words, he responded well enough to the slightest touch of Clint’s heels against his sides. The stallion got its legs moving even faster until the rumble of its hooves sounded more like rolling thunder.

  It didn’t take long for the hoots and hollering behind Clint to fade away. Not only were the sounds swallowed up by the pounding of hooves against the earth, but the three riders no longer had anything to hoot about. Whenever Clint snuck a few glances over his shoulder, he saw the other men had their hands full just by keeping up with him.

  Well . . . they tried to keep up with him.

  Less than a minute after Eclipse really hit his stride, the shots started coming from the three riders. Clint could hear the distinctive crack of a rifle along with a pistol to add to the mix. Only one of the rifle shots came close enough for Clint to hear the hiss of flying lead, and he was too far outside of pistol range for him to worry about that weapon. The only thing Clint had to concern himself with was the outside chance of a rifle shot being fired dead-on from the back of a racing horse. Once Clint circled around a patch of trees and veered around to put the tree trunks between him and the riders, even that long shot was no longer a concern.