Sequel to A Promise Kept
"JD, you've got some company." Buck spoke softly to his friend. "Nettie and Casey just got back from Yellow Springs.""I'll talk to them tomorrow. I'm too tired to see her tonight." JD turned his back and snuggled down into the blankets.
"You can't run away from her forever, son."
A muffled voice came from under the covers. "Just don't want to face her tonight is all."
The older man shook his head and pulled the door shut as he left the boy's room. Ever since JD awoke after being injured saving children from a fire, the young man kept to himself. He kept his promises to little Sara but spent most of his time in his boarding house room or at the livery with only his horse for company.
JD's injuries inhibited his normal fluid motion but the damage to the boy's self-esteem remained critical. Feeling like a gelded stallion, the young peacekeeper feared he would never be able to achieve full manhood. Facing his girlfriend and admitting his shortcomings filled him with dread.
* * * * *
The door opened softly and the young girl stuck her head into the dark room. She heard the gun click and knew the weapon was aimed at her chest. "JD," she whispered, "It's me, Casey."
"Damnit, Casey. You shouldn't be here. Your aunt will kill us both," he whispered in return.
"Can I come in before anybody sees me?"
The young man sighed but relented, "Yeah, I guess."
The teenager silently closed the door before stepping over to her friend sitting up in the bed, his bare chest visible in the fading moonlight. "You all right, JD? I heard you'd been hurt."
"What cha' doing here?"
"I wanted to see you before we go out to the ranch. I missed you." She reached over to caress his shoulder but pulled her hand back when he hissed in pain. "I'm sorry."
Squeezing his eyes shut to prevent the tears from falling, he said, "I don't want you to get in trouble with your aunt." A small smile crossed his face. Glad she sneaked into his room, he said, "I missed you too, Casey."
"What happened to your shoulder? I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I got burned when the building exploded and the skin's still tender. How soon 'til you've gotta leave?"
"Aunt Nettie said we'd leave at sunup so I need ta get back." She gazed at her boyfriend, wanting to hug him but she was afraid of hurting him again. A fear or a pain clouded his eyes, almost a rejection of her advances. "Will you come out to see us?"
JD shook his head, "Not for a few days, Case." He didn't elaborate on his reluctance to spend time together.
Early morning light filtered into the small room and she got her first look at his bruised face and torso. Why wouldn't he let her care for his pain? "I'll try to get back to town to see you real soon," she said reaching for the door handle.
"Don't want you ta get in trouble with your aunt." JD didn't move from the bed.
She paused, wanting to question him more, but held her voice and offered him a caring smile. "See you later."
The injured boy exhaled after the teenage girl left his room. Thinking of her filled him with longing; his heart hurt in his chest knowing he sat almost naked under the covers while they talked. He cared for her but her reputation was more important than any desires bombarding his conscience.
* * * * *
JD limped back to his stuffy room hoping to take a nap. His stamina failed to return and sent him back to bed every afternoon. He held no enthusiasm for his job or life. Sure, he was a hero for rescuing the children but his soul squeezed all joy and hope out of his future. As he and Casey became closer he looked forward to kissing and holding her in his arms but now she wouldn't want a half a man. He knew the other men watched him, fearful he would try to harm himself. Maybe some afternoon he would go to sleep and never wake up.
Distracted he didn't notice the door to his room ajar. He pushed it open while reaching down to unbuckle his gunbelt.
"Hey, JD."
The young man looked up, surprised to see Casey sitting on his bed, her shirt unbuttoned halfway down, her sleeves rolled up past her elbows.
"Shut the door and take off your shirt." She smiled, holding a small jar in her hand.
"Casey, what 'cha doin' here? Your aunt.."
"She sent this salve for the burns on your back. It'll help them heal. Thought I'd help you rub it on, I know I can't reach all my own back." She stood from the bed and nodded toward the piece of furniture. "Lay down so I can get started."
He removed his vest and shirt before laying face down on his bed, unsure if he should allow her to begin her ministrations.
"Now, Aunt Nettie said this might sting at first, especially on any open places but I'll try to be real gentle." She took a generous glob of the concoction and smeared in across his pink skin. Though shockingly cold when it first touched his back the cool sensation soothed the tormented flesh. Her hands massaged his tight muscles and gradually he relaxed as she worked the salve into his skin. Her fingers worked loose tight neck muscles and her touch tickled his sides. Gradually he relaxed and fell asleep.
Casey looked at the young man, wishing he stayed awake but she knew he was tired before she started rubbing his back. Her fingers tingled from the salve but her heart beat rapidly from the intimate contact with his back. Maybe tomorrow he'd let her apply the salve again.
* * * * *
Refreshed from his nap, JD awoke and looked around his room but he was alone. His back lost some of the stiffness usually present when he got up. Nettie's salve really worked. Did Nathan know about this stuff? He picked up the jar and removed the lid. A pleasant smell greeted his nostrils. He smiled and shook his head. This stuff worked for burns. Wonder if she had anything for bruises? That evening JD joined the others in the saloon for the first time since being injured. No one commented on his reappearance but their usual teasing and banter welcomed him back to the group.
* * * * *
JD woke early the next morning. The first rays of sunlight lit the horizon when the young man walked towards the livery. He felt stiff again. Would Casey be available to rub some more of that stuff on his back? After carefully mounting his horse, he rode toward the Wells' ranch, not wanting any of the others to see him leave town.
The warm summer sun heated the air and JD could feel perspiration running down his chest and back, stinging his tender flesh. As he rode over the rise behind Nettie's house a buggy pulled out of the yard and headed toward town. Someone stood waving at the departing vehicle. JD's legs ached and he needed water so he kneed his horse down the gradual slope, gasping as his body shifted forward in the saddle.
"Good morning, Casey," he greeted the girl standing in front of the barn.
Not expecting to see anyone this morning, she jumped at the voice. "JD. Didn't think you were going to be riding out this way for a while."
His smile changed dramatically as he dismounted. Like a thousand pins jabbing his legs, he grabbed the saddle horn before falling into the dust. Casey dropped her shovel and ran to his side. "Still hurts to ride," he choked out, waiting for the sharp pain to dissipate.
Her eyes grimaced, unsure about his last statement. "What's wrong with them? Did they get burned too?"
She almost missed his negative head shake. Gradually the color returned to his face and he met her eye contact. "Could I get a drink? It's gotten really hot."
After he tied his horse in the shade and loosened her saddle, the young couple climbed the steps to the small house. JD lowered himself down onto a wooden chair on the porch while Casey went inside to get him some water.
He greedily drank the water and closed his eyes, letting the moisture satisfy his dehydrated tissue. When he opened his eyes, Casey sat staring at him.
She gingerly reached out to touch his cheek, the bruise still evident. "How's your back?"
"Wouldn't mind some more salve on it. Your aunt got anything for bruises?"
"Aunt Nettie won't be back for a while. Let me rub your back again before I finish my chores."
He looked up at her, his eyes locking onto hers and thinking of what could be but his pragmatic side ruled and he said, "Let me help you do the chores first." He finished the glass of water and followed her slowly to the barn. The aches and pains in his back and legs lessened as he daydreamed about the girl leading the way.
An hour later, with chores finished, they rested in the shade of the front porch, drinking their fill of fresh water. "Sure is getting hot. I hope Aunt Nettie stays in town 'til it cools off. Want me to make you a sandwich?"
JD slowly opened his tired eyes before shaking his head, "I ain't hungry, just tired. Tired of hurting all the time. I don't do nothing but what I get wore out."
"Nathan say if that's normal?" She scooted closer and tenderly rubbed his leg above the knee, meaning to offer comfort but not realizing her affect on the young man.
He swallowed, trying to remove the lump stuck in his throat, before he asked, "Would ya rub some more of that salve on my back now?"
Suddenly realizing how intimately she touched him, she pulled her hand away like it was on fire. "I…ah… well, maybe, if.. you'd like me to." She jumped up and ran into the house and returned in a few seconds with a blanket and a green jar. "How about under that tree?"
The young couple walked the short way to the large oak tree. While Casey spread the blanket on the ground, JD removed his gunbelt and shirt. When she stole a glance at her friend she saw the deep discoloration on his chest that continued below his waistband. Inwardly she flinched as she remembered overhearing her aunt's conversation with Buck the first night they returned to town. Forcing a smile, she told him to lay down on the blanket. She repeated her actions of the previous day and rubbed his tight muscles until they relaxed under her hands. Working her way down from his tense shoulders towards his waist, she was surprised at how far down his spine her hands traveled. JD looked like he was asleep but Casey suspected he was playing 'possum. Daringly she let her hand drift below the waistband of his pants, expecting him to respond to her playfulness. What she didn't expect was JD quickly rolling over onto his back with her salve covered hand caught in his trousers.
Quickly she pulled her erring hand out while he gasped. "That stuff feels good. Want to put some on my chest?" he asked, his voice unsure of its volume and his legs glad he was already laying on the ground.
Unwilling to make eye contact with the young man, half-naked in front of her, she scooped out another glob of the green salve and gently began rubbing the bruised area. JD shut his eyes tightly, afraid to speak but enjoying the stimulation of her hand on his skin. He knew he should tell her of his inability but didn't want to loose the wonderful sensation his mind received every time she touched his nipples or the area below his navel.
Casey concentrated on being gentle so she missed the range of emotions flittering across her friend's face. A strange ache developed in her belly but she ignored its presence. JD breathed deeply through his mouth and she felt the rise and fall of his ribcage. Her fingers tingled from the healing ingredients as she tenderly caressed the worst bruise on his lower abdomen. Without opening his eyes he reached down and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his fly, exposing more discolored skin. Shudders ran up and down the girl's arm as she applied the salve and felt the hair under her fingers. She had never seen this much of him before, let alone the fact that her hand caressed mere inches from his most private area.
The rattle of harnesses and nickering of the horses brought Casey's thoughts out of her dreamworld. Someone was coming and that someone would probably be her aunt. Casey wiped her hand off on a corner of the blanket and ran into the small house.
Nettie Wells surveyed the small yard as she pulled her horse to a halt. JD's horse stood sleeping under a tree, its tail swatting the occasional irritating fly. Under another spreading oak she spotted a blanket with someone asleep in the middle of it. Casey, girl, what you gone and got yourself into this time? The older woman trusted the youngest of the town's peacekeepers but lately the two teenagers gave her reason to question that trust.
"Casey, come help me unload these supplies," the white haired woman called out, waiting for her niece to appear.
The girl walked out of their home, wiping her hands on a small towel. "Aunt Nettie, I figured you'd wait until it cooled off some before coming home." The girl's face revealed more than the few words did.
"So you two decided to occupy yourselves out here, while I was gone?"
The young woman glanced over at the sleeping form under the tree and gulped air before she answered, "He didn't know you'd gone to town. He come to have me rub some more of your salve on his burns. Said it helped him finally get some sleep. We didn't do nothing wrong," she added shaking her head for emphasis.
"Little girl, I can tell you ain't being fully truthful with me."
"Honest, Aunt Nettie. He's hurtin' something awful. He helped me finish the chores and then I rubbed some of that stuff onto his back. He fell asleep. I heard you coming home so I went in the house to start lunch. Nothing happened."
Nettie looked at her young charge and then over at the shirtless boy asleep under the tree. The salve left a sheen on his pink, healing skin. Maybe the two were innocent of the indecent thoughts careening through her more experienced mind. Maybe they hadn't crossed the threshold yet.
She walked towards the blanket but gasped when she got close enough to see JD's discolored chest. The rainbow of fading colors, the greens and blues, blacks and purples, gave ample evidence to the boy's injuries. Casey walked up to stand beside her aunt and grabbed the wrinkled hand. "He's hurtin' really bad. Even his ridin' hurts him and you know how he loves to brag about his ridin'. I didn't mean to disappoint you; I just wanted to help him feel better."
"That stuff won't do anything for bruises. They just take time to fade." Nettie saw the remaining evidence of the salve on JD's front, spreading from his upper chest to below the open waistband. Girl, you know better than to play with fire.
"Do you have anything else for them?" Casey eagerly queried her aunt.
Nettie paused before replying, waiting for her anger to dissipate before speaking. "There might be something he could try but he won't need your help to do it, girl. For now, we'll just let him sleep. Let's see what you whipped up for lunch."
The two women walked hand in hand to the house but the older woman sneaked a look back at the lonely oak and her slumbering friend. Buck's description of the boy's injuries weren't exaggerations and what she intended to suggest would probably embarrass him but the cure worked.
Clearing the dishes from the table, Casey turned and saw JD standing in the doorway, his shirt in place and buttoned to neck. Recovering in time to not loose the dishes, she quickly turned toward the small washstand. "You hungry? I'll make you a sandwich."
"Naw, I'd better get back to town. Buck's probably got the place tore up looking for me. Thanks for the backrub." He looked at the floor unsure of the cold shoulder from Casey. Had he hurt her someway? Sometimes, when they were together, it was so grand but most of the time he didn't have a clue what she really meant to say.
"'Fore ya go, son, I need to have a word with you." Nettie walked out onto the porch and JD had no choice but to follow.
"Yes ma'am?" His voice betrayed the false bravado he hoped to portray.
"Walk with me." She grabbed his arm and led him toward the barn. Neither spoke until they reached the cool interior, dust motes danced in the sunlight penetrating the holes and cracked wood.
"There's a way to get rid of them horrid bruises," she started to say.
"You saw them?" JD interrupted, a blush spreading across his face.
"Now don't go getting uppity in your britches. You were here alone with my niece, shirtless and having your pants open. By rights I should be runnin' you off with my Spencer, but I believe Casey when she says nothing happened."
"Ma'am I wouldn't do nothin' to hurt your niece." JD looked directly into the white haired woman's eyes, his honesty showing.
Nettie nodded her head, agreeing with his admission. "That's why I'm going to tell you how to get better but the cure is likely to embarrass you and its not something she's able to help you with anyhow."
JD waited for her explanation, holding his normal exuberance in check. She closed her eyes, searching for the best words to use. "Buck told me about you rescuing the children during the fire and how you cared for the little Turner girl. So with seeing your chest and abdomen, I can image where else you are hurtin'."
The young man's eyes grew large and he stopped breathing. Was she really going to talk to him about being hurt down there? Suddenly, remembering to breathe, he inhaled the dusty, stale barn air, choking as the dust assaulted his airway. Gasping for breath, he started walking out of the claustrophobic building.
"JD, I know you aren't used to an old biddy like me talking with you about these things, but this will help you heal faster. Will you stay and listen?"
"Yeah, I..I guess," he stuttered, finally regaining his ability to inhale and exhale without coughing.
"Sunshine will help fade them black and blue marks. But havin' such fair skin you gotta be careful. You find yourself someplace private that's real sunny. The sun has a way of helpin'."
A scowl reached the young man's eyes before he overcame his discomfort. "You mean I sit outside with nothin' on and that will heal me?"
Holding back a chuckle at the boy's question, she answered, "I believe the sun will help but you need to be careful that you don't sit in the sun too long and get burned."
"How long will it take?"
Nettie could almost see the young man's mind racing, wanting to accept that maybe he could be a real man again. "Well it's been a few days already and I'm sure you're healing already, in all places."
"No, I mean, I can't get… ah...what I mean is that I can't…Oh damn I can't believe I'm talking to you about this." He inched his way out the door and limped quickly to his horse. Tightening the cinch he turned expecting to see the white-haired woman but was surprised to see Casey standing behind him.
"You gonna come out ta see me again tomorrow?" She stood close to his side.
JD looked over her shoulder trying to spot the girl's aunt. "I gotta leave. I'll talk to ya later." He pulled himself into the saddle and rode from the Wells' yard.
* * * * *
JD waited until the other lawmen occupied themselves at the saloon with a card game following their noon meal before sneaking away to collect his horse. He stuffed a blanket into his saddlebag and rode toward the hills behind the Wells' property, searching for the perfect spot to begin Nettie's cure. The sun warmed the air and his sweat soaked shirt irritated his tender flesh.
Unable to sleep the night before, JD rode the adrenaline high all morning waiting to start. Riding high into the lonely hills he found a perfect spot. A lush, grassy spot next to a south facing rock outcropping seemed private yet gave him access to the full advantage of the sun's rays. Tying his horse in the shade, he loosened the cinch. After taking a long draw on his canteen he left it hanging off the saddle. He spread the blanket across the grass and gave a last look around to make sure any well-meaning friends hadn't followed him. Satisfied that he was truly alone, he stripped off his sweat soaked shirt and laid it across a rock to dry. Checking the surrounding countryside again he removed his pants and drawers.
Sitting on the blanket, he turned until the sun shined directly onto his injured and bruised skin. The warmth felt good on the discolored tissue. He leaned back onto the rocks and waited for the solar orb to do its work. If this didn't work, he wasn't sure what he would do.
Crickets chirping filled the air with sound while grasshoppers and other insects flittered around his little paradise. Few animals moved in the still, warm air but waited for the cooler evening air. A hawk circled overhead, searching for its next meal. JD watched it swoop and dive. The monotonous hum of the bugs and the need for sleep enticed the young man to close his eyes for a short moment. The sun continued to offer its rays into the secluded spot but JD didn't notice. The rocks cradled his back and his eyes remained shut as he gave into slumber.
The lonely whinny of his horse awoke him from his dream state. Unsure where or why he was sitting naked on a south-facing hill, he reached for his pistol. No horse answered his mount's call and JD shut his eyes, waiting for his rapid breathing to calm. The sun hid behind the area trees and the hot, still, mid-day air gave way to the cooler breezes of the earlier evening.
"Oh, my gosh. I fell asleep. She said be careful. Damn." He looked down at his chest and gently touched his pink skin. Feeling warm to his touch, he let his hand drift slower. Bad enough to be bruised, but sunburning the area below his waist, that was truly stupid. The young man gathered his clothes and blanket, wondering what he should do.
Wearing only his boots and hat, JD mounted, sitting on his shirt to protect his legs from sticking to the leather saddle. He hooked his gunbelt over the pommel and draped the blanket over his shoulders. Hoping a dip in the stream would cool his anguished hide, he rode toward the well-hidden swimming hole, praying the entire time that no one would discover his latest blunder.
Annoying mosquitoes swarmed around the still backwater. Slowly dismounting, he tied his horse close to the water. As he removed his boots and socks, he mentally berated himself. Wouldn't he ever learn? How would he explain to Nathan getting burned in such a tender location? Leaving his clothes strewn on the riverbank, he dove into the water and enjoyed its cooling effect. He sat in the shallows while letting the running water wash over him. His fevered flesh cooled but his muscles ached sitting in the cold water.
As the daylight faded he listened to the area wildlife coming to life, venturing down to the stream for the life-giving moisture. A large raccoon sat at the water's edge cleaning its face. A family of white-tailed deer drank all the while keeping an ear alert for danger. Bats swooped through the dwindling light eating the abundant mosquitoes.
JD sat mesmerized by the animals' nocturnal activity, oblivious to the noiseless strokes, cutting through the swimming hole. Feeling something touching his foot, he yelped.
"What the?" sputtered a voice.
"Dang it Casey. What are you doing here?" JD asked forgetting he sat naked in the shallow tank.
She treaded water in the deeper pool, surprised to find anybody in her private swimming hole. "What are you doin' here, JD? Ain't it awful late for you to be out here swimming?"
"I could say the same thing about you. Why don't you leave and then I'll get out of the water?"
"I come here almost every night. Even Aunt Nettie knows that I come down here after chores are finished to cool off. You leave first and then I'll get out."
"I can't, Casey," his voice almost a whisper. Sitting in the cold stream water stiffened his leg muscles.
"Why, JD, you're nak.."
"Yeah, ya don't gotta advertise it to your aunt. Just leave and then I'll get out and leave you to your swim."
"What 'cha doin' here really?" Her voice softened and he heard the tenderness and concern in it.
"I tried your aunt's remedy for bruises, sitting in the sun and letting it fade them, but I fell asleep. Now I don't gotta worry about them bruises no more. Sunburn hurts a lot more."
"Actually that's better; now her burn salve will help."
"Nothin's gonna help me anyhow, Casey." Unable to endure the cold water any longer, he started to rise.
Realizing he was getting up, she quickly turned her back to give him privacy. Something bothered her friend and she wanted to help him remove the sadness from his voice. Swimming quickly to the opposite bank, she grabbed her clothes, mounted her horse and rode further down the stream to the shallow crossing. Expecting to meet JD somewhere along the trail, she was surprised to find him sitting near the water, wrapped in a blanket.
Still dressed in only her underwear, she slipped into her shirt, buttoning it while walking towards the sullen young man.
"JD, what's wrong?"
"Your aunt ain't got a salve that will heal what's wrong with me." He looked up, shocking her with his depressed expression. "When I got hurt... well, I can't do it no more."
Frowning she asked, "What JD? What can't you do?"
"I can't be a man. Someday I hoped that we could..." Embarrassed he paused before continuing. "That we could sleep together." He felt the blush rising in his cheeks when he heard Casey's gasp. "Don't worry. It ain't never gonna happen. When that building exploded I landed on a support beam and another one trapped me from on top. I landed, straddling that beam, crushing myself. I can't be a father. Hell, I can't even rise up for the occasion."
"Shush JD." Sitting close to her fellow teenager she could imagine his worries. She reached out and caressed his exposed arm. "Let's take care of those burns, but first, how about we walk over to the meadow, get away from all these bugs?"
Neither spoke as they walked, JD wrapped in the blanket and Casey wearing her shirt over her cotton union suit. Sitting down on a small rise covered in grass and wildflowers, Casey handed the small green jar to her friend. He took the jar but stared at the lid.
"This stuff ain't gonna heal anything. I only wanted to grow up, be a man and now I'll be the kid forever. Sometimes I don't even want to."
"Stop right there JD Dunne." Casey voice raised in anger. "Getting it, whatever it is, getting it up ain't important. What you said earlier, I don't think I'm ready for what you want ta do, not now anyhow. That's not to say someday I might change my mind. But you're talkin' like if we don't…don't do it right away, there won't be some day in our future."
Barely able to see her friend's sorrowful face in the pale moonlight, she paused to catch her breath. "Now give me that jar, lay back and let me rub this salve onto your new burns. Things will look better in the morning, that's what Nettie's always a'telling me."
She pushed him onto his back and opened the blanket, seeing even less of him than she saw the day before.
"Ain't gonna help none Casey. Just go home and leave me alone."
"Shut up JD and let me put this salve on then I'll go home." Her voice left no room for argument but that didn't stop the easterner from grabbing her salve-laden hand.
"Why bother Casey?"
She bowed her head before answering, "Because I care, JD. I care that you're hurting on the outside and on the inside."
Escaping his grasp she plopped the glob of salve on his chest and started smearing it across his skin. Already cold from his visit to the water, the salve's contact sent goosebumps across his entire body. Her hands gently caressed his chest and belly, igniting a small fire within his soul. The other times she applied the salve he felt desire but physical feeling remained void. Tonight the youthful desire returned but as her hands wandered lower a small tingling joined the emotional reaction he experienced.
Casey remained silent but continued massaging his pink skin, touching his upper torso, front and sides. She watched his face as she progressed down his belly, her hands straying under the corner of the blanket. She scooped up another glob and began applying it to his upper thigh, circling the entire muscular limb. Switching to the other leg, Casey ignored the growing feeling in her own belly. Her own breathing increased as she concentrated on her task and tried to ignore what she felt when the back of her hand accidentally touched him.
The brief whisk of Casey's salve covered hand against his bruised and burned self sent jolts of pleasure through his body. At his quiet moan, she pulled her hand from under the blanket. "Don't stop. Please, don't stop putting the salve on me, Casey." His hoarse voice was barely audible and Casey looked down at her shaking hand.
"I can't do it JD. It ain't right. If my aunt should come lookin for me, she'd..."
"She'd shoot me with her carbine. I promise I won't touch you but please, don't stop. I need you to rub that salve on all of my burns. They won't heal unless you do it." Looking at her face, the moonlight reflected her fear at his suggestion.
The troubled young man laid on the blanket, his hands balled into fist while grabbing the blanket tightly. He tried to focus on the natural sounds around him but all he could hear was his own heart beating and Casey's ragged breathing. He needed her to touch him, to apply the salve to all of his burnt flesh. He knew she held the key to his inner healing, even if she wasn’t ready to respond to his physical desire. The slight touch of the back of her hand onto his soft member sent jolts of pleasure to his brain.
She removed her hand from under the blanket and scooped up more salve. Swallowing the lump in her throat and keeping her eyes tightly shut, she forced all thoughts from her mind except the fact that her friend needed help, help that included his need for her to apply the healing salve to his sunburned skin. She reached under the blanket and using only her fingers she gently touched him. Most of the salve dropped off onto his legs. Working blind, she moved her hand to locate the medicine, touching more of him hidden under the blanket. As she moved her hand to smear the salve to more of his skin, she felt a hardness. She looked at JD's face and saw the pain gone and a smile replacing the frown.
"Don't stop. Please don't stop."
Casey continued her ministrations as she overcame her shyness. Knowing she only possessed the nerve to do this once, she made sure she massaged every inch of the growing member. Leaving her hand resting on its base, she whispered, "What do you want me to do now?'
Afraid to open his eyes and look at the girl, he instructed, "Just keep doing what you've been doing. Just keep doing it."
* * * * *
Nettie Wells jumped up from her chair when she heard the horse's approach. Grabbing her Spencer carbine she walked out onto her porch and waited for her uninvited visitor. Bad enough her niece decided to go swimming alone but the girl usually returned quickly after washing the day's dirt away. The older woman sensed trouble and her guest better have a damn good reason for bothering her now.
"Miz Wells, hate to come callin' so late."
"That you, Buck Wilmington?"
The mustached lawman rode up to the house and stayed in the saddle. "I was just wonderin' if'n you'd seen JD around here today. He disappeared from town around noon. It's just, well, we've been kind of worried about him lately."
The white-haired lady shook her head in agreement. "I may be at fault with him missing today. He was out here yesterday and I told him how to heal them bruises faster."
Buck leaned onto the saddle horn. "Any idea where I might find him?"
"No, I wish I could help. I told him to find a sunny private place and let the sun do some of the work, but I warned him about sitting in the sun too long."
Nodding in agreement, he sighed. "Boy's been through enough lately. Wish the sun could heal all them troubles that's botherin' him."
"He's been working on that too and if'n he isn't careful he'll be feelin' more pain coming from me."
"Now ya can't blame the boy; stuff like that's important when a fellow's that age." Buck smiled at the memory.
"May be important but he'd better think twice about involving my niece in his healing. That girl's just as eager to discover what you fellows seem to always be discussing."
"Yes, ma'am. I can see the problem. Well, I'd better keep on riding."
"If you see Casey, send her home. She went swimming and hasn't returned yet."
"You don't suppose they met?"
"Mr. Wilmington, I want to believe the best about them teenagers. She better not disappoint this old woman."
* * * * *
JD laid on the blanket with Casey tucked at his side as they stared at the clear summer sky. He pointed to different constellations and shared their names. Both were fully dressed when Buck rode up the small hill.
"You too plannin' on livin' 'til tomorrow or ya waitin' for Miz Nettie ta come a huntin' ya down?"
"Hi Buck." JD sat up, a huge smile decorated his face.
"Hi Mr. Wilmington, " Casey added. "Guess we lost track of the time. Did you know JD knows the names to lots of them stars? They make some interesting pictures."
Buck smiled. These two been doing more than just star gazing, he thought "He'll have to tell me about them some night. Right now I think you'd better get home, Casey. Your aunt's worried."
"Guess you're right. 'Night JD, Mr. Wilmington." She jumped up and adjusted her saddle before heading home.
JD sat on the ground watching her ride away on her horse, remembering their evening together. Buck sat down on the blanket beside his friend. "Want to talk about it, son?"
"What? Huh?" He turned his face to look at the older man. "We didn't do nothin' we regret."
"You feeling better? She helpin' you heal?"
"Yep." He smiled and stood up waiting for Buck to get off the damp blanket. "Let's go home. Can't wait for tomorrow ta get here. It's gonna be a great day." They mounted and rode in silence for several minutes before the younger man spoke, "Wonder if Nathan knows what's in Nettie's salve. He ought to get some. The stuff really works."
"Yep, it sounds like the right stuff to heal what ails ya."
"Come on Buck. Just used it on the burns." The darkness hid his blushing. How could this man beside him read his mind and know his thoughts?
"Amazing what the sun can cure, ain't it?"
Looking at the older man, JD laughed. "I know Buck. I can't put nothin' over on you." Letting his smile bubble through his voice, "Yep, Nettie's salve really heals what needed healing!"
THE END
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