Ranchland – Chapter 9

Ranchland – Chapter 9

Amy woke to an empty bed, and a hidden fear snaked through her dawning consciousness. She’d gotten used to waking every morning to the warmth of her uncle Ben’s body caressing and pleasuring her, sensuously introducing her to the new day. This morning though, he wasn’t behind her, holding her close to him as he filled her with his massive masculinity, or luxuriously lapping at her own femininity. She felt alone and deserted, and a wave of panic swept over her.

“Ben?” she called out. “Where are you, Meat-Ball?” There was an eerie silence that permeated the ranch house, its existence crushing the joy of the new day that had become such an integral part of her life on the ranch as her uncle’s lover, and as the mother of their daughter Angela. Leaping out of their bed, she started to search through the building for the two people that meant more to her than life itself.

“Ben? Angela?” she called as she poked her head into every room in the place. With each explored area that brought no signs of her uncle or daughter, her panic increased. A complete tour of the residence proved unfruitful. In an act of final desperation, she flung open the back door, completely oblivious to her state of total undress, and screamed out their names.

“Ben! Angie! Where are you two?” She was almost outside on the back deck before she spotted both of them, sitting under the newly-constructed pergola’s awning cover, in conversation with Collin Taylor as the three of them sat around the outdoor table.

“Please don’t yell, Little One,” Ben greeted her, a warm smile on his face at the sight of his niece, “and you might want to put something on. It’s a little chilly out here.” His voice spoke more of his concerns for her health than any level of modesty that might be involved.

“Shit, I couldn’t find you two! I’ve been calling and calling. Don’t you ever do that to me again, Ben Calhoun! You hear me?” Amy let her field of vision expand as she became aware of Collin’s presence, his eyes rivetted to her nakedness. Maybe she should have been embarrassed, and in any other circumstances off the ranch, she probably would have. But this was Ranchland, and the people here were her family. She probably knew as much about each one of them as she knew about herself.

“Morning, Collin” she casually greeted the ranch-hand. “Let me go grab my robe, and I’ll be out to join you. You guys save me any coffee?” She felt Collin’s eyes running up and down the length of her nude body, noting the approval on his face for the woman standing in front of him. For some perverse reason, his stares gave her a warm feeling inside.

Returning to the deck after having put on her fleece robe and getting herself a cup of “wake-me-up juice”, as Ben called it sometimes, she joined the two men, retrieving her daughter from Angie’s father and sitting the child on her own lap. Angie cuddled her Mom, pressing her head tightly to Amy’s breast in an attempt to get closer to the sounds of her mother’s beating heart.

“Sorry to flash you like that, Collin,” she began to apologize, “but this asshole isn’t where he’s supposed to be!” Her derision was delivered with a biting tone, but also accompanied with an aura of the love they shared.

“That’s okay, Ma’am” Collin responded. “With a body like yours, you have nothing to apologize for, and I mean that as the sincerest form of flattery. Your body reminds me so much of my . . . older sister.” Collin’s focus drifted from the subject his gazing, as the memory of an earlier time swept across his inner vision. “I haven’t seen Cynthia since . . . well, not since Shelly turned six, I guess. I miss her, too. Hell, I miss both of them. Don’t get me wrong; Janice is the best wife a man could ever have, and the kids mean more to me than almost anything. But there’s just something about losing track of a sibling . . . ”. Collin’s focus returned to the three others sitting on the deck with him, a perceived look of embarrassment beginning to show on his face.

“Collin,” Ben said quietly, “she knows. We both do. We weren’t going to say anything until you told us yourself, that’s all. I made a promise – we both did – that we’d keep it hushed up until the day you were ready. This morning’s that day, isn’t it?”

Collin searched both their faces for a sign that his story wouldn’t upset or repulse either one. Angie’s conception may or may not have been through an actual incestuous union, and that discrepancy played on his mind. There was only one direction to follow, however, and that was to share everything about him and his sister, their relationship then and now, and the reality of his first-born daughter.

“Jim Allison?” Collin quizzed.

“Yeah, it was Jim. He made us promise not to let it go any further than our kitchen, though, and I can understand why. There’s no condemnation in anyone’s hearts for what went before, for what happened between you and your sister. We’re just sad that we can’t help you fix it.”

“Well,” Collin began slowly, his thoughts forming even as he spoke, “if you’re okay with Shelly moving in with Janice and I, mabe we can repair some of that. God, I sure hope so, for her sake. Cynthia’s gotten so bitter over the last ten years, and it’s beginning to affect . . . my daughter. No one should have to go through what she has. We just want her to find some real happiness. Between you and Amy, Jim and Beth, and Cynthia and I, this whole arena of incest should be the subject of a university psychology study, I swear!”

“I think I missed something, somewhere” Amy put in. “What is it that you feel Ranchland has to offer your daughter that she won’ find anywhere else? Don’t get me wrong, Collin. As far as I’m concerned, she’s more than welcome. But you seem to have a lot of your hopes tied up with her moving here. Why?”

“Shelly’s been on the negative side of the fence,” Collin started to explain. “Her mother resents the fact that our daughter was the product of a brother-sister relationship, and that resentment has been a part of Shelly’s life for as long as the poor girl can remember. But here, the Allisons have a close relationship with their three kids, and now you and Ben have Angie, another example of a child born into a house full of love. Tanya and Jason are probably the only two here that haven’t been subject to something incestuous. Hell, even Tim and Josh are involved that way, and there’s a lot of love between those two brothers. I’m really hoping that some of that influence will rub off on Shelly. She deserves to know that she’s loved, and that her roots aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Can you think of a better place to find that out than here?”

“So what happened, Collin, if you don’t mind me asking” Ben asked. “Why would your sister be so bitter? The way Jim told it, there had been a lot of love between you two, at one time.”


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Collin Taylor walked into the house after school, tired from another hard day of trying to understand mathematics. His sister Cynthia was the genius of the family when it came to academics. He was more of a hands-on kind of guy, which explained his love of shop, and sports activities. One more year of high school, and he’d never have to open another text book in his life!

He’d also be able to put his feelings for Becky Thomas behind him. She’d been his steady girlfriend for the last two years, until she suddenly told him that she wanted nothing to do with him any more. The news had come at him with no warning, and no explanation. He’d felt used, discarded, and very much disillusioned about love. Becky had taken up with a group of troublemakers soon afterwards. In a way, he was glad to be rid of her, but in many others, he missed the closeness they had once shared.

Walking into the kitchen, he was surprised to find his sister sitting at the table, her head in her hands, and tears rolling down her cheeks, splashing onto the table top as she cried her heart out. The sight ripped his guts out, and all he could think of was to console his sister. Walking over to where she sat, he put his arm around her shoulder, then kissed the top of he head, his feelings for her coming out in the process.

“Hey, Sis, why the tears?” he inquired. “You know I hate to see you sad and crying. What’s up? What’s going on?”

Cynthia looked up into his eyes, hers red and full of pleading, then she grabbed her little brother around his waist, and held on to him as though he were her last chance for survival. She clung to him like that for several moments before loosening her grip, then turned her eyes back towards her little brother as he stood over her, trying to offer her some semblance of safety and security.

“It’s . . . it’s that asshole Paul Kinghorn” she stuttered, the unmistakable venom coming through in her tone.”That son-of-a-bitch’s been cheating on me with Patsy Wilcox for months, apparently! God damn it, but I’d love to cut his balls off, right now!” She reaffirmed her grip on Collin’s waist as she allowed another river of tears to escape her eyes.

“Paul?” Collin squeaked. “Isn’t he the guy that you . . .?”

“Yeah,” Cynthia sobbed, “he’s the bastard that broke my cherry!