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Subject: {ASSM} JC:Ed Biggers I-04 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi)
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<1st attachment, "biggers04.txt" begin>

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by 
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading 
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes 
without the consent of the author.

JC: Ed Biggers
Part 1: Epiphany
Chapter 4
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

The wind was a little gusty that night and the dust in the air caused 
the cattle to act nervous. It made Ed's work a lot more difficult as 
the cattle were unwilling to head into the bidding pen. His horse 
was having to work double time to keep the cattle headed in a 
straight line and in the proper direction. It was at times like this 
that it would be nice to have a well trained cow dog, but they didn't 
have one. Ed yanked on the rein to change the direction of his 
horse to cut off a cow that decided to head east rather than north. 

When the last cow had been pushed into the pen, he sat back as the 
bidding began. He looked up to see who was bidding tonight. To 
his surprise, Kelly was in the stands waving at him. He laughed at 
the situation and rode over to her. When he reached her, she called 
out, "Hello Ed."

Laughing, Ed called out to her, "Did you know that you just bid on 
those cows over there?"

At the look of astonished embarrassment, she put a hand over her 
mouth. He listened for a minute and then said, "Don't worry, 
you've just been outbid."

"Thank God." Kelly laughed in relief, happy that she didn't have to 
find a home for them in her little apartment. For a minute there, 
she had visions of sharing her little bedroom with four full grown 
cows. The image wasn't exactly pleasant, but it was funny.

Ed moved closer and picked her up. It took a little maneuvering to 
get her seated on the saddle behind him. She wrapped her arms 
around him, a little frightened to be on such a huge animal. He 
nudged his horse over to the fence near the bidding pen and 
stopped next to it.  He helped her get onto the fence. He said, "You 
can watch from here. They won't interpret any gestures you make 
here as a bid."

She leaned towards him and said, "thanks, I appreciate that."

"Time for me to get back to work, I'll be right back."

Ed rode over to the bidding pen. With easy commands on the rein 
he moved the cows out and back to their holding pen. He waited 
for the other guy to get his cattle into the bidding pen before he 
started directing the next lot in that direction. Kelly was seated on 
the fence post right next to where he would wait until the bidding 
for the current lot was finished. It would give him a quick chance 
to talk to her.

Another gust of wind threatened to scatter the four cows. He 
worked them back into order and down the chute towards the 
bidding pen. He stopped next to Kelly and asked, "So what brought 
you down here?"

She giggled and answered, "I wanted to see you work. You've seen 
me at work, so I thought I'd come down here."

He shook his head and replied, "I'm afraid there's not much to see."

Kelly laughed and said, "Well, I almost bought four cows. That 
was exciting."

He laughed and then noticed that the bidding pen was empty. The 
other guy working today had moved his cattle out. While waiting 
for the gate to be opened, he said, "I've got to get them in the pen 
now. I'll be back soon."

When the gate opened, he directed the cows into the bidding pen. 
He waited for the bidding to end. It wasn't going to take long. 
Bidding always went a little quicker when the cattle were nervous 
like today. He didn't know why, but they never fetched as good of 
a price on those days. The auctions usually lasted longer, but that 
was because it took longer to get the damn beasts moved. 

He had made about four trips that way, when on the fifth, he was 
surprised to find Nevada sitting on the fence next to Kelly. He 
stopped beside them both and said, "Nevada, I'd like you to meet 
Kelly. She's my girlfriend. Kelly, this is Nevada. He's my boss."

He glanced at Nevada for a second and then added, "And I'm Ed. 
And I'm probably in trouble."

As Kelly looked like she was afraid that she was the cause of his 
problems, Nevada laughed. He said, "No. I only came over here to 
meet the woman that tamed Ed."

Kelly looked at Nevada confused at the credit for taming Ed. She 
answered, "I didn't tame him. He's been this way as long as I've 
known him."

Nevada looked at Ed and could see the look of affection that he 
was giving Kelly. This wasn't the Ed he knew. There was a spark 
between the pair that Nevada, an old cowhand himself, couldn't 
miss. 

Ed glanced ahead and then said, "Whoops, got to work."

He directed the cattle into the bidding pen. They balked at moving 
forward and he had to use his rope on the ass of one of the cows to 
get it moving. It wasn't a hard blow, just a touch to make the cow 
think there was one behind it. That pushed the rest of them in and 
the gate closed behind them. He really hated nights like this. It was 
twice as much work as usual. He didn't know if having Kelly here 
helped or not, but it was nice to see her.

Nevada and Kelly talked through most of the auction. For the most 
part, Nevada explained how the auction worked and what the 
bidders were looking for when they bid on cattle. Kelly asked 
questions and made comments about the process. Many of her 
comments Nevada found humorous. There was, however, a long 
discussion about Ed and the changes in his behavior over the past 
week. 

When the auction was over, Ed rode over to where Nevada and 
Kelly were seated. As he directed the horse to a stop, he said, "So 
Nevada, are you done telling this young lady what a miserable 
beast I am?"

Shaking his head in disbelief that Ed would joke about himself in 
that fashion, Nevada answered, "I lied and I lied, but she still 
wasn't interested in me."

Ed sat back in the saddle and laughed aloud. Kelly grinned, not 
realizing that she was witnessing a first between the two men. 
Nevada climbed off the fence and said, "I've got to go look at the 
receipts and see how we did tonight. I'll see you tomorrow, Ed."

"Prepare to be disappointed, Nevada. Bidding was bad tonight, the 
cattle were too nervous," replied Ed. He shook his head, "I don't 
know why bidding is so bad on nights like tonight."

Stopping in his tracks, Nevada turned and looked at Ed. He 
realized that Ed actually paid a bit more attention to things than he 
had credited him. Maybe Ed wasn't just a dumb cowhand after all. 
He asked, "Would you like to speculate why?"

Kelly watched as Ed thought about it. She could see that he was 
considering several ideas and rejecting most of them. He finally 
answered, "It might be the pauses between lots is just a little longer 
and breaks up the bidding rhythm, but that's only a guess."

"What would you do about that?"

Ed shrugged and suggested, "Add a second bidding pen."

Nevada stood there looking at Ed with a thoughtful expression. It 
was actually one of the best suggestions that anyone had made on 
how to improve his business in a long time. He said, "I'll think 
about it. Now, take that lady of yours and get out of here."

Taking the advice to heart, Ed helped Kelly onto the back of his 
horse and rode over to the corral. When they reached it, he helped 
her to the ground. She climbed on the fence post while he rode the 
horse into the corral. Once there, he dismounted. She sat a little 
uncertainly, surprised at the warm sensation between her legs that 
even that short ride on the horse had generated. She cooed, "Today 
is the first time I've ever been on a horse. I think I like it."

Ed understood exactly what she meant. No cowboy was stupid 
enough to get between a woman and her horse. There were a lot of 
women in this part of the country that had their first orgasm riding 
a horse. With a wink at Kelly, Ed said, "Good, but I suggest you 
stay off them. I'd hate for you to end up bowlegged like me."

She laughed, wondering if he knew the effect that the horse had on 
her. She said, "Well, you really know how to handle that horse."

He patted the horse along its neck and said, "We've been working 
together for about four years. She's got about another two years in 
her before I retire her to pasture."

There was real affection in his voice, but he'd never admit to 
feeling that way about the horse. She watched as he ran a hand 
along the legs of the horse. Kelly said, "That's a nice looking 
horse."

"She's not bad." Bending down, he released the chinch straps that 
held the saddle on the horse. Standing, he lifted the saddle off and 
put it in its place. It only took him a minute to remove the other 
gear from the horse. Grabbing the curry comb and brush, he went 
to work on the horse. He talked the entire time to Kelly, but in a 
tone of voice intended to sooth the horse.

She watched and listened to how he talked. His intent might have 
been to calm the horse, but it had the opposite effect on her. Her 
body was reacting to him in a very sexual manner. By the time that 
he was done, her nipples were tenting her shirt through her bra and 
her cunt was soaking wet. Unaware of the effect he had on Kelly, 
Ed released the horse and put out its oats. Once that was done, he 
turned to Kelly and asked, "Would you like to get something to eat 
at the restaurant up the street?"

Preferring to go someplace where Ed could take care of a more 
urgent need of hers, she was about to suggest an alternative. It was 
about time for them to take the relationship to the next level, but 
she didn't want to make the first move. Instead, she agreed, "Sure, 
that sounds good."

He took her to her car and suggested, "Why don't you follow me 
there? It's just up the street."

"That sounds like a plan." 

Ed went over to his truck and waited to make sure that she had 
started her car. He led the way to the restaurant where he normally 
ate during and after work. Watching in the mirror, he made sure 
that she was able to stay right behind him.  He worried, as he 
drove, that he was moving too fast for her, but it sure was hard to 
resist her. 

He pulled into the parking lot and got out of his truck. Stepping 
over to her car, he opened the door for her. Unfamiliar with the 
place, she stepped out and looked around what was basically a 
truck stop. He took her by the hand and they walked into the 
restaurant. Rather than waiting to be seated, they went directly to a 
table to wait for the waitress to come over with the menus. 

The waitress arrived at the table and looked at Ed and then Kelly. 
She stepped back and looked at Kelly a second time. The attention 
being given her was immediately noticed by Kelly. Smiling the 
waitress said, "So you must be the reason Ed quit flirting with us."

Ed blushed and looked away while Kelly beamed at him. She 
asked, "When did he stop flirting with you?"

The waitress was sure she wouldn't be happy to be Ed's girlfriend. 
He had been a pretty obnoxious customer and didn't have a very 
good reputation in the area. She answered, "Oh, about ten days ago 
or so. Hard to say, really."

Kelly looked at Ed wondering if there was a connection between 
when they met and some of the changes in his behavior. She 
decided that it was because of her, the times matched well. She 
smiled and said, "That's about the time I met him."

The waitress took their orders and returned to her station. The 
parting look was clearly one of pity. In a very quiet tone, Ed said, 
"I think that the waitress feels sorry for you. She thinks you got a 
pretty rotten deal in taking up with me."

Frowning at his poor self image, Kelly asked, "You don't mean 
that."

Ed looked over at the waitress and said, "Why don't you ask her 
yourself when I'm gone."

Without warning, he stood and headed to the bathroom. He took 
his time, knowing that the waitress would serve their iced teas 
while he was gone. In the restroom, he rolled up his sleeves and 
washed his hands clear up to the elbows. After washing his face, he 
dried off and left the restroom. The waitress was just leaving the 
table as he arrived.

Kelly waited until he had seated himself before saying, "You were 
right. She did everything except tell me to run like hell in the 
opposite direction."

"I've been telling you the truth. I haven't been a very nice person in 
the past." He glanced in the direction of the waitress, sad that she 
was another example of a person that didn't like him. On second 
thought, it wasn't just her, it was the rest of the restaurant staff as 
well. He added, "A lot of people don't like me."

Kelly looked at him, the sadness in his voice expressing real regret, 
as her heart went out to him. Looking around at the waitresses, she 
realized that he had always been honest with her. She said, "You've 
been honest with me about everything."

Reaching out, he took her hand and said, "I would really like to 
make love to you, but I have to work a few things out in my mind 
first. I don't want to mislead you and hurt you in that fashion. You 
want something that I don't know if I can deliver. I haven't rejected 
it, but I'm seriously considering all of the ramifications."

The consideration he was showing her contrasted so sharply with 
what the waitress had said about him, she didn't know what to 
think. If he was the man the waitress had described, then he would 
have promised her anything and then dumped her after sleeping 
with her. She was about to answer that he could sleep with her 
anyway, when the waitress arrived with their food. 

Ed looked at the waitress and said, "It all looks very good to eat."

With a questioning look on her face, she answered, "Thanks. The 
good cook is on duty tonight."

"Really? I always find the food here pretty good. While I might not 
say it, I do find the service here excellent as well." Ed bent down 
to eat his Chicken Fried Steak. 

The waitress was left standing there. Kelly smiled at her and turned 
to her salad. When the waitress left, Kelly giggled and said, "You 
really blew her mind. She didn't know what to think, particularly 
after some of the things she said about you."

Ed answered, "That wasn't my intent. I know that she won't trust 
me for a long time, if ever. I have to earn her respect now. That's a 
lot harder to do after you've lost it once."

Kelly glanced in the direction of the waitress and asked, "Are they 
worth it?"

"The real question is if I am worth it." Ed looked around the 
restaurant wondering how many of the people in here knew him 
and, of them, how many didn't like him. 

That was a take on his position that she hadn't considered. To 
know that others disliked you must be very tough on the self 
image. The upshot of this discussion was that she wanted to sleep 
with him even more. She held his hands and said, "Don't worry, 
things will get better. I'll see to that."

Flustered, Ed wanted to change the subject. He was about to tell 
her that she had better start eating before her food got cold, but she 
was having a salad. He looked down at his plate and said, "I better 
eat this before it gets cold."

Releasing his hand, she said, "Yes, you had better eat it before it 
gets cold. I want you to have all of the energy you can for later."

Ed slowly ate his meal as Kelly picked at her salad. She was trying 
to figure out how to get him in bed with her. First, that ride on the 
horse had started her juices flowing. Then, the way that he had 
taken care of the horse had really turned her on. After that, his 
honesty totally lowered all of her barriers. Finally, his 
understanding about how others viewed him had totally convinced 
her that he was worthy of being her first husband.

For his part, Ed was thinking furiously about whether he could be 
the kind of man that she wanted as a husband. He didn't know what 
they called a man that slept with both men and women. He knew 
what a faggot was and he couldn't think of himself that way. Still, 
to have two wives was pretty incredible. He realized that he had 
never asked about Dr. Hayes and if she had talked to her.

He quickly finished his meal and looked up to see that Kelly was 
watching him. There was a hunger in her eyes that he couldn't 
define. In a way, it frightened him. He had never been looked at 
with that kind of intensity. The waitress, noticing that they were 
finished, came over to clear the table and ask if they wanted desert. 
"Would either of you like some desert?"

Kelly answered with a smile in her eyes, "Yes, but not here. We'll 
get arrested for performing indecent acts in public."

The answer had come while Ed was taking a sip of iced tea and he 
almost choked on it. Even the waitress noticed the shock on his 
face. Without missing a beat, the waitress asked, "Should I bring 
the bill?"

Ed was still coughing as Kelly answered, "Quickly, please."

"Is he okay?"

About that time, Ed took a deep breath and started to recover. 
Kelly said, "I'll tell you tomorrow. Personally, I expect he'll be 
great."

Even though the waitress blushed, it was nothing compared to the 
blush that washed over Ed. Both women looked at him and 
laughed. The effect was to increase his blush to a brighter red. The 
waitress left to total the bill, hardly able to contain her laughter. 
She liked the woman, but still felt sorry for her. It was nice to see 
him blush, she had suspected that he was a blowhard. 

Ed paid for the dinner and left with Kelly. He had no idea if she 
was serious or not, but she said that she would follow him home. 
He drove slowly, unsure of himself and what was going to happen 
when they arrived at his place. For a change, the drive home was 
too short.

He parked and waited for Kelly to pull up to the driveway. The 
light was on at John's place and Ed wished that he had ten minutes 
to talk to John before she came over. When she parked, he opened 
the door for her. They went into the house. On entry, she looked 
around at the house assessing the contents. She said, "You know. 
This house does fit you in a way."

He stepped back and looked at her. "Why do you say that?"

She looked around at the room with a critical eye. There were a 
few things that she would change if he let her, but it wasn't that bad 
of a room. She said, "A lot of the furniture is old and needs to be 
replaced by something a lot better. However, some of the furniture 
is very nice and will last another lifetime or two. Sturdy and well 
built. Reminds me of you, that's all."

Looking around the room, he wasn't sure what needed to be 
changed and what should be kept the same. Of course, that 
described how he viewed himself too. He laughed, "So you've now 
seen my home."

Kelly asked, "Where's your bathroom?"

He led her to the bathroom and turned to return to the living room. 
As he walked back to the living room, he heard the shower come 
on. Kelly said, "Aren't you going to come in here to wash my 
back?"

In mid-step he froze and slowly turned around. She had removed 
her shirt and stood there looking at him. That same hungry look 
had returned to her eyes. When she dropped her bra, he slowly 
stepped forward transfixed by her eyes. She bent down, still 
looking at him, and lowered her jeans. Straightening, she stepped 
out of the jeans. Standing before him in her panties, he still stared 
in her eyes. She smiled and teased, "There's more to look at than 
my eyes."

Once his eyes flicked down her body, Ed knew that he was lost. 
The only word that came to his mind was perfection and she 
defined the word. His body reacted in the manner of men down 
through the ages, his cock swelled nearly crippling him with the 
pressure in his pants. The pain was so intense that he had to undo 
his pants to free his cock from the confines. 

Sitting upon the toilet lid, he struggled to remove his boots and 
then his socks. Kelly watched with amusement as his fingers 
turned to jelly. There was nothing romantic about the way that Ed 
thrashed about trying to get undressed. As he finally wrenched his 
pants off, he burst out laughing as Kelly joined in. He said, "Well, 
if that ain't smooth, I don't know what is."

Kelly giggled, pleased to see that he was able to keep his sense of 
humor. Now that he had broken the tension, he was able to remove 
his shirt and boxers without much difficulty. Kelly looked at his 
erection, pleased that he found her attractive. She lowered her 
panties to her knees and then let them fall to the floor. With a 
beckoning motion, she stepped into the shower. The water was 
warm and perfect for a shower.

Ed followed her into the shower, entranced by her beauty. Picking 
up the soap, he slowly lathered her body. He covered every inch of 
her skin. Sighing, she felt a thrill throughout her body as he ran his 
hands along her limbs and felt every muscle under her skin. The 
strong hands caressed her body even as they washed her. The 
sensations were almost too much for her, as the care and slow 
speed tickled every nerve of her body. When he ran his hands 
between her legs, washing her gently, she almost collapsed as her 
legs threatened to give out from under her. When he washed her 
hands, he slowly soaped each and every finger individually. She 
had never experienced anything so sensuous. 

The feel of her smooth body under his hands was the most 
incredible sensation of his life. Ed nearly came when his hands 
caressed her breasts; cupping them in his hands he could feel her 
nipples digging into the palms of his hands. When his hands ran 
between her legs, he exploded right then. She never knew as the 
running water masked what little come made it to her legs. He 
knelt and washed her legs, taking his time. Each leg, from top to 
bottom was washed with considerable care. His erection never 
wilted.

When he had finished washing her, she turned and started to wash 
him.  She wasn't nearly as patient as he had been. She wanted him 
and didn't want to wait. Her hands managed to cover most of his 
body, but she spent a considerable amount of time washing his 
cock and balls. As her hands ran over his cock, she imagined it 
inside her. She was pleased that he didn't come from her touch, 
wanting to make sure that he was ready for her. 

After rinsing him, she led him from the shower by the hand. When 
they reached the living room, she looked to him and asked, 
"Where's the bedroom?"

Picking her up in his arms, he carried her into the bedroom and set 
her on the bed with a gentleness that he had never shown a woman. 
As he kissed her, he lay down next to her. He had never before 
been to bed with a woman that wasn't drunk out of her mind. 
Unsure of himself, he chose to take his time paying attention to as 
much of her body as he could. 

Kissing her from head to toe, he returned to that mysterious region 
between a woman's legs. Never having kissed a woman there, he 
was somewhat lost and let her reaction to his actions guide him. He 
must have done it right because she came. Her legs locked around 
his head as she made little animal noises. The shaking of her body 
fascinated him and made him feel powerful that he could give such 
pleasure to a woman.

His body screamed for release. Unable to resist the demands of his 
body any longer, he moved between her legs and slowly entered 
her. His first orgasm in the shower was long forgotten by a body 
that had never known such intense intimacy with a woman. She 
wrapped herself around him, urging him on with words and touch. 
He quickly reached a fast hard rhythm, unable to hold back his 
desire for her. He didn't know how long he was atop her before his 
come burst forth. It didn't matter, she was ready for it, an orgasm 
washing over her well before he came.

Ed lay next to her, basking in the glorious afterglow of a full body 
orgasm. He ran his hands over her body, feeling it shiver under his 
touch. He whispered, "You are so beautiful. I love you."

The words shocked both of them in equal measure. He had no idea 
that he was going to say that and she had not expected it at all. 
Once uttered, he knew it was true beyond a shadow of a doubt. He 
did love her.

She wrapped herself around him and held him very tight. Years of 
doubt, fear, and worry evaporated under the influence of those 
three words. She looked into his eyes wondering if he was the one 
that would accept her conditions of marriage. She cooed, "I'm so 
lucky to have found you at long last."

It wasn't the declaration of love that one might have expected, but 
it was what Ed needed to hear. She could feel him relax under her 
touch. Kelly knew could fall for this man, maybe even to the point 
of giving up her plans for a group marriage. That idea scared her 
much more than she was willing to admit.

He held her tightly and fell asleep, content with his situation, all 
doubts gone for the moment. She didn't fall asleep so quickly, but 
spent a few minutes watching him sleep. She smiled at the idea 
that in some ways he was a normal man that fell asleep after 
completing the act. Of course, he had just worked a long day and it 
was late.

She was dimly aware of him kissing her in the morning and saying 
something to her. While she slept, Ed wrote a note explaining that 
he had to work today and that he would call her later. The note was 
signed 'Love Ed.'  When she woke and read the note, her eyes 
became moist.

For Ed, the workday passed quickly. The day after an auction was 
pretty easy. He basically sat around until someone showed up to 
collect their purchases and helped them load the cattle into the 
trailer. The work was not demanding and most of it was done on 
foot. Slow rebellious cattle weren't a problem today.

He did take the time to go in the office and order flowers for Kelly. 
Ed, seated in the chair next to Nevada, quietly explained what he 
wanted the card to read. The woman at the hospital flower shop 
knew Kelly and giggled the entire time he placed the order. 
Nevada watched him with a grin that went from ear to ear. 

When he hung up the phone, Nevada said, "You really like that 
lady, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. She's one of the best things that's ever entered my 
life," replied Ed with a quietness in his voice. The tone of his voice 
gave a thoughtfulness to his answer that contrasted with the 
simplicity of his words.

Deciding to take a chance, Nevada asked, "Is she responsible for 
the new quiet Ed?"

It would be nice to give her responsibility for the changes that he 
had undergone, but the reality was that he had changed first and 
that had allowed the relationship. Ed answered, "No. I saw 
something that I didn't believe existed and it made me think about 
who and what I was. I met her about the same time."

Raising an eyebrow, Nevada took a sip of his coffee. He wondered 
what Ed could have seen that would affect him so much. "UFO?"

The laughter that came from Ed was genuine. Hardly able to 
contain himself, he answered, "Hell no. If I had seen one of those, 
I'd have immediately gotten drunk. Everyone would have heard 
about it."

Nevada could easily imagine that. It still left the question as to 
what Ed had seen unanswered. He asked, "So what did you see?"

Ed asked, "What's the bravest thing you've ever done?"

Nevada was thoughtful and couldn't really come up with 
something brave. Finally, he said, "Well, I helped get a bull off a 
rider in a rodeo once."

Just about anyone that worked a Rodeo a couple of times, had done 
that. Ed said, "I saw a real honest to God hero."

When Nevada merely lifted an eyebrow, Ed added, "This guy 
basically walked naked through a hundred rattlers to rescue a kid. 
Afterwards, he just shrugged it off. I found out that he had run into 
burning buildings to rescue people trapped inside, was shot 
stepping in front of a bullet meant for someone else, and ... Shit, 
there are just too many things this guy did that are brave."

"That impressed you?" He recalled that Ed had taken some guy to 
the hospital last week for snakebites. He hadn't gotten the whole 
story, but from what Ed said it sounded to him like the guy was 
prone to exaggeration. 

"A little."

"And he told you all about his heroic deeds?" Nevada wondered 
what kind of blowhard Ed had decided to believe.

"He didn't say a word. It was all in his medical record," replied Ed. 
He added, "The doctor read it out loud as she examined the scars 
on his body."

"And all that impressed you?"

Ed laughed and said, "What impressed me was that he was 
embarrassed by the attention. He's modest, quiet, helpful, 
considerate, and smart. He's everything that I'm not."

Nevada was quiet for a moment and considered everything that Ed 
had said. If what Ed had seen was true, then he had found a very 
good role model. He liked Ed a lot more this way than his former 
boastful and loud self. He finally said, "I like the new Ed a lot 
more than the old Ed. Kelly's a lucky lady to have found you at the 
time she did."

Ed stood and replied, "No. She's not lucky. I'm the lucky one. Two 
weeks ago, she'd have slapped me."

Nevada, eyes narrowing as he studied Ed while he left the office, 
wondered if the change was permanent.  He had been getting rather 
good feedback about Ed from the customers. If the change was for 
the better and it lasted, he'd give him a raise. His comment about 
the bidding pen the previous night had a ring of rightness about it. 

Ed wandered out to the yard to take care of the work there. A few 
buyers arrived at the same time and Ed took care of them all in 
short order. Finally, there were a few pens containing the cattle 
bought by the same buyer. He only had to wait for that customer to 
arrive and once done could leave for home. In the mean time, he 
leaned against the fence looking at the desert spread out in front of 
him. He nodded as he remembered what John had said about the 
scenery here. The desert did have the ability to inspire awe in a 
person that was open to it.
<1st attachment end>


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