Saving Molly
Saving Molly
by Lana Jane Caldwell
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Copyright © 2012 Lana Jane Caldwell
1. Willy
Molly Cassidy is a good woman and she needs a real man. The guys in her part of the country just didn’t seem to “cut it” in Molly's eyes. She lost her husband a little over a year ago, and finds that running her ranch by herself is a tough job. “Months of trying to figure out what the hell to do and still no idea. My god girl, you gotta get with it.” Molly thought to herself.
Fort Davis, Texas was not an easy place to be a woman alone, especially a woman trying to keep the land that she and her now dead husband had worked into a thriving ranch.
Molly and William had come to Fort Davis almost right out of the church on their wedding day. That was just about six years ago. Their place was a run down, ramshackle of an outfit a few miles form the old fort. Willy's father had won the run down ranch at a poker table. Abandoned for some years, it was quite the eye sore when she and Willy arrived. Molly's first thought as they rounded the curve and the place came into sight. “ Couldn't be a more appropriate gift. From one loser to another.” They pulled up to the front of the old house and sat quiet for a couple of minutes, just looking things over. “We're going to live here.” Molly said to Willy in a disgusted tone of voice. “It's not as bad as it looks.” Willy replied “You'll whip things into shape in no time, besides, the price was right”
“Let's go inside and take a look. We'll find some place to spend the night, after all, this is our wedding night you know.” Said Willy as he walked up the three steps to where the front door should have been. The hole was there all right but the door was nowhere to be seen. The kitchen, Molly found at the back of the house, was fairly large and appeared to be in better condition than the outside. The door had been closed, so, sure, it was dirty but everything was where it should be. A heavy, old plank table in the center of the room, some wooden chairs, a decent cook stove to one side and cupboards and counter across the room. A large window over the counter looked out to the back of the house. Three doors in the room, one to the hallway she had just entered from, the back door, directly across from the hallway and on the other side of the plank table and a third which Molly now swung open. Her eyes swept the room from one side to the other. A bed with an iron frame, one dresser, complete with mirror, although the glass was in several pieces on top of the dresser and a tall bureau of 7 drawers. The bedroom afforded plenty of space to walk as Molly moved around the bed to the far side of the room and looked out the only window. The view was one of the road they had come on and she could see it bend as it disappeared behind some trees. “Not bad.” said Willy as he entered the bedroom. “I'll bring our mattress in and we're set for our first night.” Molly looked at him and turned toward the kitchen. “See if you can find the front door while I get a fire going for supper.” That sounded like orders thought Molly. She did not wait for a reply.
“There's some wood out back.” Willy shouted from a distance.
Molly went out the back door toward a small shed just a few paces from the house. Sure enough. The wood, piled to one side was enough to last a couple of weeks. “Lucky.” She thought to herself. Other items of interest, several rusty garden tools, some wooden cases full of junk, a workbench of sorts, attached to the wall, loads of metal things just tossed under the workbench and a little two wheeled cart with a high handle. Molly quickly loaded the cart with wood from the pile and headed for the back door. Within no time she had a fire going in the cook stove.
The sound of pounding came from somewhere near the front of the house. Molly opened the hallway door and looked toward the front door. Willy was pounding the upper hinge with a hammer. She stood there a minute watching. “What in hell have I gotten into.” she thought as she watched him. Willy was a wisp of a man, walked with a funny kind of gait and for certain, there was nothing masculine about him. “Can you bring my things in.” She shouted and closed the door.
The hall door opened and Willy appeared, struggling with two boxes. One had cooking utensils, the other the food they brought with them. Molly went straight to work making supper. It was dusk now and would soon be dark. “Supper's just about ready. It's nothing fancy.” She said to Willy as he entered the back door. He threw in a canvas bag that Molly knew were blankets, sheets and pillows. Next came the mattress that Molly's mother had bought for them. “Okay.” he replied with a grin. He dragged the mattress into the bedroom, flopped it onto the old bed with a crash and much creaking from the iron springs.
Willy sat down at the end of the table and looked toward Molly at the stove. That, she knew was her cue to serve his supper. She set a plate in front of him and another with three broiled beef steaks, a bowl full of golden fried potatoes and a smaller plate filled with sliced cucumber and tomato. He dug right in without saying a word as Molly returned to the stove. She made a fresh pot of tea and placed the teapot and a cup beside his plate. Willy never looked up from his supper. She would eat after he was finished. That's just how things were.
Willy finished his supper and without a word, walked out the back door. Molly dished a plate for herself and ate her supper in silence. The aroma of cigarette smoke sifted through the back door. “He'll be back in soon and the fun will begin.” thought Molly. She did up the dishes and made their bed.
She removed her dress and hung it neatly on the hook on she found behind the door, jumped into her night clothes and walked over to her bag on the dresser. She searched until she found what she was looking for. A small bottle of perfume. A couple little dabs behind each earlobe and one between her breasts. “I guess I should smell nice.” she said to herself. This was Molly's first time with a man and she wasn't really sure if she was looking forward to it.
The back door closed, then Willy was throwing a couple more sticks into the stove.
It was dark outside and a small sliver of moonlight was shining onto the floor almost dead center in the room. Willy came through the door and began to undress. Molly watched. Like a kid, he dropped his clothes right where he stood. She couldn't see much, just his shape, then he slid under the covers.
Neither of them moved a muscle for a few minutes. “Molly.” he said quietly, “ I guess we have to do this.” He reached over and kissed her lips. It wasn't a passionate kiss nor was it very long. His hand stroked her body from her shoulder to her hips then lifted her nighty to her waist. Willy's hand massaged her mound roughly and parted her legs. He then rolled on top of Molly and was trying to push his member into her. She wasn't sure if he knew what he was doing. He wasn't even close. Molly reached down and found his hard member, guided it into position. A couple of years ago Molly's mother had told her all about the wedding night and what to expect. She said it would hurt a bit because his member would be big. Willy pushed and his hard member went inside her. It did hurt but not as much as Molly had expected. Willy sure wasn't taking his time about things. He went right into high gear. His strokes were fast, about 12 or maybe 15 all told. Willy moaned and as he did Molly felt the heat of his semen inside her. He then rolled off Molly, leaving her lying there with her nighty still up around her hips. Within few minutes he was breathing steady, fast asleep. She pulled her nighty down and rolled over onto her side, cupping both hands under her head. Molly almost laughed as she thought to herself, “ Well, my mother sure didn't know Willy. It really didn't hurt, his hard member really wasn't very big and he sure wasn't wanting to have sex all night long like you said he would.” Molly did in fact, laugh, very quietly to herself. “ What a joke this was. Maybe the joke's on me.” was Molly's last thought before she fell into sleep.
That was six years ago. She and her husband Willy never had sexual intercourse again.
2. Molly's Dilema
None of the town’s folk or the places where Molly and Willy had done business, took her seriously anymore. What was she going to do?
The fact that she had not loved her husband at least made his death that much easier to deal with.
"However," thought Molly, "If I ever get hooked up with another man, things were going to be a lot different the second time."
She wanted a real relationship this time, with a man she could actually love. "How was that going to happen, " she thought again "Soon, I'll be out of a home and have nothing at all, unless I can snare a man who would help her out of this dam mess."
Men in this part of Texas were often of the mind that they could take what they wanted. When a man passed on and left his woman alone, she was fair game. This was not something Molly looked forward to dealing with, so quick action was needed on her part.
She needed to get the word out that a good man, a hard worker was needed, and that he was to report to her farm in Fort Davis as soon as possible. Getting that word out was best done by, a newspaper add that would go out to the whole country. If she placed the add just before the paper went out, Molly might get some action fairly quick.
If she was lucky, that would be the case. This was an urgent problem that she would not be able to control for long. There were the men who would come only to woo her and not to work. It was no secret. Most local men wanted her ranch. They were out to get it, one way or another. Molly had a few friends in town and was told that some of the big ranchers planned to just let the ranch go broke and then would divide it up, amongst themselves. The cattle buyers wouldn't want to offer a fair deal to a woman when their biggest customers said not to.
Not one of those lazy, good for nothing sorts, was worth a dam. Like the one that had approached her with an offer to work.
Another had been bold enough to come to her on the day of her husband's funeral.
“Mrs. Cassidy, I know you need help now that your husband is gone. I’ll be more than glad to fill the bill. That's a real nice ranch you got. I sure would like to work for a woman like you.” The man had long, greasy hair, a big nose, and several teeth missing. “Not a chance.” Thought Molly to herself. She felt like smashing out another tooth.
“No, that’s okay, I’m going to spend a bit more time before I make any decisions about my life.” She had said, even though that was not the case.
Love was not something that her husband William Cassidy had shared with her. Their relationship had been arranged by their families from the age of nine, for both of them. It had been some sort of bet that her father had lost playing cards. William's father had won her hand in marriage for his son. The fact that at the age of nine, his parents already knew that William would never be able to find a woman on his own should say quite enough.
In this wild part of Texas, women didn’t have a say about much of anything. Certainly not when it came to what father’s decided first, and after fathers, came the husbands. If a woman was unlucky enough to have brothers, she would have to answer to them as well. A free thinking woman in these times, was one that would be shunned and run off, if she wasn’t careful.
As far as love was concerned, it was something that many women never find. Their father would match them up with another family, made of the right stuff, or they would be lost in a card game, just like Molly. Before she even knew a thing about men, women or relationships, her life had been decided for her. It was damned shame and something that Molly was definitely not going to put up with.
Thankfully, her father had passed away a few years back, otherwise, he would have control over the man she chose for her next husband. Or rather, he would be doing the choosing for her. If Molly could help it, she would be able to avoid the marital arrangements and instead gain a much needed ranch hand.
It had to be done carefully, and very smoothly in order to actually work. Striding into her living room, she pulled out a piece of writing paper and started to compose her add.
“Looking for ranch hand, able to work on the ranch, will be fed and have free housing. Need a strong, young man, old enough to sell at market and to work hard all day long.”
Scratching her head, she tried to think of what else to place in the ad. Something that would not give away the fact, she was a single woman. “Maybe that’s enough?” She looked closely at the ad once more, “Well what the hell. How can I be any more vague than that.” Molly laughed at the thought.
Several days later, Molly stopped off at the newspaper office, The Prairie Fire. A little old gentleman read her handwritten copy and said “How long?” “How long what?” asked Molly. The man looked at her, lower his spectacles and said slowly, “How long do you want your add to appear in the paper. Cost so much a week.” “Oh” Said Molly “Well. How about a month?” “That will cost you a dollar.” he replied. Molly paid the dollar and headed for the general store.
Making supper, Molly was thinking. Going into the kitchen she thought about the type of men she would have come to her home and ask about the job. There might even be some odd types that will apply for the job. She wasn’t prejudice and had nothing against any man, although, some races might create problems with selling her cattle at the fall sale.
How was she going to handle this whole situation. She sat at the table and poured herself some tea as it was about the only thing that would calm her down. Right now, Molly almost wished her father was still alive. He could make all these decisions and it would be just fine with her. So what, if she never experienced any joy, pitter patter of little feet running through the house, or the love of a man, one who would look her in the eyes, and tell her “I love you Molly.”
The tears slipped from her eyes easily as she thought of the pain of not knowing those feelings yet and wondering if she would ever have them. Life in Fort Davis wasn’t any piece of cake, but, she had to admit. She was better off than some of the women she had known in the past.
For the next couple of weeks, Molly stuck to her regular routine. Up at daybreak, chores around the yard, feed the critters, collect the eggs and fork manure out of the stalls. “I think I'll let a couple of these horses out behind the barn. That way no shoveling shit.” After breakfast, Molly headed for town and the post office.
The postmaster handed her the mail out of her box. “Not much Molly. One from clear across the land though.” It was from a man who lived way across the country. She read the letter.
Dear Cassidy Family:
I am happy to hear of your need for a ranch hand. The fact is, I do need a job myself. I am coming out west in a few weeks. I have never worked on a ranch but can ride, shoot and rope as my father had a farm before he left my Mother and I.
Not that this matters to you, so I will tell you of my qualifications for your position. I am only 26 years old. I do work hard, and am in good shape. Though, I have never worked on a ranch before, I am more than willing to learn and work hard to make up for any short comings that I may have in the beginning. I assure you. I am a quick learner and would not take much training in order to do good work on my own.
Since, I have never worked on a ranch, I will give you my services free, for a month. That should be long enough for you to see my work and decide if you like the job I do.
Please keep that in mind when you are looking through the replies you are sure to receive. If nothing else, this could be the one part of my offer that will make me stand out from the crowd.
Sincerely
Joshua Adams
Molly liked the response, but wasn't sure if a greenhorn could do the job. She needed a man to just get to work. Not someone to coddle. Someone she could tell what needed to bee done and he would go off and do it. No explanation or questions.
Again she felt the loneliness, not because William had died, but because her father was no longer around. Molly was happy that William had passed on. She had long since grown tired of pretending to be the caring wife. Hell, anyone who really knew William would have been well aware of his weakness for young men. In their marriage they had sex only one time, and that was the night of their wedding.
She had no clue what it was like to really make love, as some of her friends had described to her. The one time with William, well, it had left her with nothing. She felt nothing, no excitement, no feelings and definitely Molly had not experienced any pleasure in the act. If she remembered right, the whole experience had only last a minute or two.
Taking care of the ranch by herself was nearly impossible, though she was proud to say, so far, she had done it, alone. Harvest season was coming up soon and Molly knew that none of the buyers out there would consider fair dealings her. She had placed the ad and now sat wondering if she should give the untried Joshua Adams, a shot at it.
Molly checked for mail again today and was handed a bundle of envelopes. Perhaps this process would be one that could take care of itself quickly.
She rode home, passing old Fort Davis , and read a few letters on the way. This guy had experience but required her to have a contract for him to sign, one that would pay him for at least a year’s service. The amount he requested was well above her means, even if harvest sales went well. Another was past fifty, too old. Two more which Molly dismissed as not suited to the cowhand job.
Shaking her head, she just wasn’t quite sure if the whole idea with Joshua Adams would be a good choice. There was no doubt, 26 was not too old. She herself was 24 years old, a bit younger, but a man his age should be able to handle the work with ease. Again she just wasn’t sure about his lack of ranch experience. Would he be able to handle things for her.
“I’ve got to get some rest." she said to herself, "Chores will need to be done early.” She decided, instead of making a quick decision, to sleep on it. There would be more replies to her add in the next couple of weeks, she hoped. After that she might be able to make a better decision. This would be the first and hopefully only time that she would need to make a major decision in her life.
Sleep that night was tough for Molly. She had so many things running through her mind. Including nightmares of her father yelling at her for not having found a man already. “You need a man. A man who knows how to make the right choices. Damn it Molly, you’ve always been so incorrigible, your whole life.”
It was true. When she was little, Molly was always in trouble for not following the rules the right way. She had even beaten up a boy in the third grade. He called her a name that she didn’t appreciate. Girls weren't supposed to do things like beat up tough boys. She didn’t care. The little bastard was mean and he deserved it. She gave him a bloody nose, got kicked out of school, and her parents made her apologize. Her mother had been proud of her, but her father had whipped her butt until it was raw.
Waking in the morning, Molly felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. The animals would not wait. The sun was barely up in the sky. The morning was cold. It was getting closer to the winter months with short cold days. Molly enjoyed this time of the year. It allowed her to start a fire in the house. The fireplace would be blazing almost every night as the sun got further away.
“Oh, if only.” She said aloud, wishing for so much more, but really shaking her head to wake up. Molly knew she didn’t have it bad at all, if she could only get a decent ranch hand to help her. Maybe could finally live her life the way she had dreamed of. In a way that made her happy.
Going out to the barn, she fed the critters in the barn, the corral, milked the cows, picked the eggs from the coop, and cleaned up the stables. It was several hours before she was done with the work. She carried a jar of coffee, strong and black, sipping from it as she worked.
After breakfast, Molly saddled Old Chub, a dun colored gelding. She liked Chub. He was big, tough but sort of friendly, in a horse kind of way. Reliable, sure footed, she could drop the reins and he would stand until she returned. Other horses might head for the barn at the first chance. Lots did. He would blend into the dry parts of the landscape, making her less visible from a distance. You just never knew, in this country, what might crawl out from behind the next rock. A woman had to be vigilant. With that thought, she stuffed her winchester into the scabbard and checked her saddle bag to make sure there was ammunition. She filled her poke with enough bread, hard tack, bacon and coffee to last a couple of days. Closing the door, she walked down the steps to Chub and stepped into the saddle. “C'mon old boy. Let's have an adventure.” she said to Chub. She rode past the corral, checking the trough and hay. Full, good for a couple days.