Him Who Made the Seven Stars

Him Who Made the Seven Stars 21

Him Who Made The Seven Stars
By Waddie Greywolf

Chapter 21

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead

For some reason, the visit from the Rutherfords that weekend marked a new beginning for everyone in Billy’s family. They began to come together and coalesced into something which might best be described as a conjoining of the willing. They brought their talents together to form a working bond of freemen and slaves to get behind Billy’s dream of a better world for everyone, beginning with the Highland Shire Project.

Nick smiled to himself. He knew exactly why things went they way they did. Billy was learning to relax and enjoy himself. His developing relationship with the Rutherfords, and Randy in particular, was bringing a great deal of self-confidence and peace to Billy. Nick watched as the day unfolded, a new comfortable maturity began to grow within his young cowboy. Billy was always ‘together,’ but this was something different; something Nick never saw before. It was an inner peace which came over Billy which was palpable when he was around Randy. Billy wasn’t sure about the rest of the world and where he fit into it, but one thing he was sure of was, he very much wanted and needed to be Randy’s hero.

After breakfast and before they went their way to do their assigned tasks, Billy called for a brief meeting. He talked about what he’d like to accomplish for the week, but if they couldn’t get everything done, they would continue the following week. “I don’t know what happened this weekend, but I can feel the vibrations from you; everyone is ready and anxious to get started. I know it’s been several days of mass confusion around here leading up to the weekend, but I think we came together and are ready to begin work on the task set before us. I can’t tell you how proud and pleased I am with what we’ve accomplished so far. Let’s make this week count so perhaps the following week we can get more of your brothers morphed. “Hosanna!” Billy shouted, raised his right hand in a fist and stomped his right boot.

“Hosanna in the highest!” everyone replied and raised their fisted hands in salute and stomped their right foot. Some might look upon Billy’s salute to his family and their enthusiastic response as somewhat jingoistic; nevertheless, it did it’s job to unite them in a moment of elevated blood-pressure inspired patriotic unity and filled their hearts with a warm sense of togetherness in purpose and pride.

Billy looked upon those in other galaxies who were watching their actions like a reality show from Earth as the metaphorical 'heavenly’ hosts or ‘hosannas’ of the universe. It was sort of like ‘The Great Game of Life’ or ‘Rescue Earth’ coming to you from a small blue marble of a planet in the Sol system. “Yes, folks, you, too, can play at home from the comfort of your living room. Just place your credits to help determine the outcome of this real-life drama we bring you everyday. Billy Daniels and his family -- come on down!”

“Yeaaaah!” yells the audience and everyone sits glued to their vid-screen to watch the everyday happenings of their favorite enhanced hero and his family. Billy and his family were already experiencing their generosity and goodness.

Overall, it seems that ‘Hosanna' meant several things. There was no doubt in Billy’s mind it became a strong cry to the greater intelligences, the ancients of days, the Hosannas in the universe, for their help in the salvation of his world from a rabid theocracy and a life choking oligarchy; while at the same time, it was considered a declaration of praise. Therefore, Billy considered it could be derived, this multipurpose plea of 'hosanna’ to many races for help and/or praise, arose out of an agreeably positive connotation. Somehow, it seemed to fit within the context of the Church of the Highland Shire. His Edenist movement would be a humanistic gathering of like minds to celebrate the joy of life, creation, evolution, and to give thanks to the ancients of days. It certainly had more going for it than Scientology’s personal auditing hogwash or the third rate speculative fiction novel the Mormon religion was based upon; however, to be fair, the Bible and the Koran are no better than either. On the other hand, Billy sometimes thought he might like to see a religion based on the works of Dr. Seuss. Now there was a philosophy of life you could sink your heart and mental teeth into. Until then, our hero resolved with a sigh, he would have to remain a closeted Pastafarian.

As firmly resolved as Billy was the Highland Shire Project was not just another religious cult, he was also equally adamant it was not, in any way, to be considered a military movement -- neither passive nor aggressive. He thought the word ‘occupation’ might be an adequate description. He thought fondly of those who, in the final days before the complete takeover by the right wing fundamentalist supported by corporate wealth, made a valiant effort to occupy places within the larger metropolitan areas to protest peacefully, as was their constitutional right. They were harassed and belittled by the rabid right wing news while the corrupt corporate powers physically abused and tormented them. Unfortunately, their movement was too little too late. By that time, no one cared about a government of, for, or by the people. The constitution was said to be little more than a goddamn piece of paper and civil rights were trumped by corporate person-hood.   

Billy checked with his grandmother what day she and her two kitchen helpers planned a trip into Fredericksburg. He wanted to coordinate it so he could go with them, and if was all right with Mary Rutherford, they would pick up Randy on the way. Aside from boots and hat, he knew Kate would know more about outfitting a young buckaroo than he would. After all, she bought Billy’s clothes for years and still did. Kate easily consented to help, but suggested it might be the proper thing for Billy to invite Kayla along. Kate offered to pick out a couple of pretty things for her. Billy agreed. He called Mary, got her okay, and they set the time for Thursday morning around nine. Billy decided to take Nick with them as his protector for reasons of convenience and room in the van. Boomer wasn’t too happy about it, but a good talk with Samson made him feel better.

They made a day of it. They took the kids shopping first, had lunch at Denny’s, and drove to HEB and WalMart to do the ranch shopping. Kate picked out three handsome western shirts for Randy and three pair of boot cut Wranglers. Billy picked out a couple of western belts and encouraged him try on several different styles of western boots. Randy found a pair he liked similar to Billy’s and Billy bought them for him. After the addition of a couple of nice hats, a three ply beaver for winter or social occasions, and a straw for everyday wear, Randy looked like a junior buckaroo. He took one look at himself in the mirror and was stunned by his own transformation. He looked like a smaller version of his cowboy hero.

Kate picked out a couple of nice dresses and a beautiful cashmere sweater for Kayla. Billy offered to buy her some western boots if she thought she might like a pair, and she eagerly accepted. With a couple of suggestions from Kate, Kayla picked them out herself, and Billy paid for everything. Everywhere they went people recognized Billy and Randy and couldn’t believe they were shopping in their store. The same thing happened at WalMart. Everything came to a halt for a few minutes as folks gathered around to meet Billy, Randy, Kayla, Kate and her helpers. They wanted to know what they were doing at the WalMart in Fredericksburg and Billy told them they were shopping like everyone else.

Randy insisted on wearing his new western clothes and looked like a smaller copy of Billy. Many thought they were just a regular family at first until they recognized Billy. They dropped Randy and Kayla off on the way back to the ranch and stopped to chat with Mary and Evelyn Rutherford for a while. “Mary, I want you and Evelyn to start drinking an eight ounce glass of watcher milk per day. My grandma drinks one per day, and it seems to help her considerably,” Billy said and Kate agreed. Billy brought a gallon of watcher milk, set it on the table for Mary to put in the fridge.

“We’ve been feeling a lot better since our visit with you last weekend, but we’ll be glad to try it. It seems to have changed little Clara’s life. She has her bottle, drops off to sleep, and we don’t hear a peep out of her until it’s either time to change her or she’s hungry again. I swear she’s gained weight since the weekend,” Evelyn said.

“She has gained weight. I weighed her this morning, and she’s two pounds heavier. I was worried about her. She was too slight for a baby her size,” Mary said, “When would you like to come take a look at the ranch, Billy?” Mary asked.

“Soon. Next week if we can get away. Are you still considering my offer?” he asked.

“We certainly are. We have several more questions, but we can discuss them later when you come to take a look at the place,” Mary said.

“We’re working hard to get the first wave of Irin cowboys settled in their refurbished bunkhouse and start to become self-sufficient. Right now, they still depend on us to feed them, but we’re about to cut the umbilical cord, and they can cook for themselves. We have almost everything together. Once that happens, we can start building the foundations for larger more permanent quarters for them so they can move in there and we can import another group to do the same. The more we get un-morphed, the faster our project will grow until we have them all back to humanoid form,” Billy explained, “We probably will do the same here -- in stages,” he continued, “I won’t consider adding cattle until I’m sure my cowboy slaves can be self-sustaining, they won’t create a strain on you or Evelyn, and can handle the rest of the ranch by themselves,” Billy explained.

“That would be good because we’re just barely managing to keep life and limb together,” Mary said.

“You say there’s a separate small house for a ranch foreman?” Billy asked.

“Yes, it’s a small, two bedroom cottage,” Mary replied.

“I’ll start looking for a foreman. I want him to be a freeman. I don’t have a clue who it will be, but I have an idea we’ll be provided with one,” Billy said and smiled.

They made their visit short to get home to put away the perishables. After many thanks, hugs, stolen kisses, and promises to see each other again soon, Billy and his family left for the ranch. As they left, Billy noticed the wonderful setting of the Rutherford ranch. There seemed to be a creek that ran almost the length of the property and several deep granite holes which acted like catch basins for the water and created natural low-water dams. The hill country was rife with spring fed creeks which eventually fed into the James and Llano rivers. The ranch house and outbuildings were hidden behind a great rise, and the road into the property drove up and around the small mountain before you could see any buildings. Once you drove into the property, over the highest point, and around the bend, it was totally private and secluded. It couldn’t be seen from the highway.

It was early afternoon after Billy and his family arrived at the ranch. He just sat down to enjoy a cold glass of iced tea when the ranch phone rang. Billy answered, “Daniel’s ranch, Billy Daniels speaking,” he said.

“Mr. Daniels, this is Sheriff Will Tate calling,” Sheriff Tate said.

“Yes, sir, Sheriff. Good to hear from you. What can I do for you, sir?” Billy asked.

“I’d like to come out to your ranch and talk with you and your uncle when you have time, sir,” the sheriff said.

Billy knew Will Tate was single. “How, ‘bout this evening, Sheriff? Come for supper. We sit down to eat about six ever’ evening,” Billy invited him.

“That’s awful damn nice of you, Mr. Daniels. Being a single man, I don’t get many home cooked meals,” the sheriff said, “I’ll be there about five, so we can talk for a few minutes. Ain’t nothing urgent. Just an update on Orville Higginbothem and one other small matter,” he added.

“That’s fine. We’ll look forward to seeing you again, Sheriff,” Billy said.

The men said goodbye and Billy hung up the phone. “Set one more place at the table, Grandma, the sheriff’s coming for supper,” Billy said.

“Good. I like Will Tate. I think he’s the best sheriff we’ve had for a number of years. I just can’t understand why a man that good looking can’t find a good woman and get married,” Kate said shaking her head.

“Grandma, it ain’t up to us to speculate. Besides, you never know, he just might pitch for the other team,” Billy said with a grin.

“I don’t care, I still say a man that good looking shouldn’t be alone -- period -- no matter what his preference,” Kate said firmly.

“I couldn’t agree with you more. I think we should contribute to his upcoming election campaign. Any comments from the peanut gallery?” Billy asked his family.

“I don’t think you’re gonna’ get any gainsayers around this table,” Nathan said, “Question is, how much you plan to give him?” he asked.

“Don’t know. How much should I give him? How much does a small town sheriff spend on a campaign? Everyone in town knows ever’ body and aside from printing up a few signs, what are his costs?” Billy asked.

“With the big corporations cutting back every part of government from the top down, you can bet chore’ boots they made sure even the smallest towns cut their salaries. It was part of their war to wipe out the middle class, and so far, they done a pretty damn good job of it. I’m with Ms. Kate, we’s dang lucky to have an honest man like Will Tate for our sheriff. Now, I ain’t saying our sheriff is an opportunist or nothing, but making a sound donation to his re-election campaign jes’ might go a long way to keep prying holy-noses out of your business, Son,” Tron said, “If you wanna’ know his annual salary, it’s public record. One of your techs should be able to find out on the Internet, but my best guess is, a small town sheriff don’t live high on the hog. He’s gotta’ be doing it because he loves his job, the town, and the people in it. What do you think, Boss?” Tron asked Nathan.

“I’d guess Will Tate makes twenty-five to thirty-five thousand a year -- before taxes. After personal deductions he’s taxed for FICA, a mandatory health insurance tax paid to the health care corporations whether he’s sick or not, federal taxes, and religious tithes. Consider, for the sake of argument, he makes thirty-five thousand, he probably brings home somewhere between twenty-five and twenty-seven thousand,” Nathan replied.

“No wonder the poor man ain’t married,” Enoch said, and everyone agreed with him.

“How much should I give him,” Billy asked.

“At least five thousand, Son,” Tron said, “It’s a good solid figure to start, and there’s room to add more for the next election if you’re please with him,” he added.

“I agree with my ramrod, Son,” Nathan said.

“Me and ma’ partner agree with them old men,” Moss said and laughed.

“Enoch, I turn his punishment over to you -- make him hurt, Son,” Tron said and grinned.

“Yes, sir, Ramrod. I’ll see to it he gits what’s come’n to him,” Enoch replied and locked his arm around Moss’s neck and pulled him close. Everyone laughed.

“How much you plan on telling our good sheriff, Son?” Nathan asked.

“Probably not everything, but I won’t lie to him, neither. I ain’t gonna’ hide any of my family from him. If he comes alone, which I think he will, it will be easier to be open with him than if one of his deputies is with him. Besides, we may need him, and if I can sell him on our project, we might have a strong, reliable ally in Will Tate,” Billy said.

Billy went to his office in the tower and wrote out a check from his Highland Shire Project account for five-thousand dollars payable to Sheriff Will Tate. On the bottom he wrote a note: Donation for re-election fund. He put it in a small envelope and slipped it into his western shirt.

The sheriff arrived at the front gate but found a reception committee of brown woolly cows blocking the entrance. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed the ranch number. Billy answered, “That you at the front gate, Sheriff,” he asked.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Daniels. How do I get past them cows?” Will Tate asked.

“See them two steers in front of you, Sheriff? Their names are Zeus and Thor. Walk up to them, introduce yourself, tell them you’s expected for dinner, and they’ll let you pass, sir,” Billy said.

“You gotta’ be kidding me,” Will Tate said with a nervous laugh.

“Ain’t shit’n ya’ none, Sheriff. You can turn me over yore’ knee and whip me with your belt if’n I’s lying to you, sir,” Billy said.

“Humm, that don’t sound too bad to me, but it’s just my luck you ain’t lying,” the sheriff said and laughed. Sheriff Tate got out of his patrol car and walked up to the two bulls. “Zeus. Thor. I’m Sheriff Will Tate. Mr. Daniels told me to tell you I’m expected for supper. Would you please let me pass?” he asked.

“Welcome to the Daniel’s ranch, Sheriff Tate,” Thor said, “We’ll be happy to let you pass, sir. Get back in your patrol car, and we’ll part for you. Oh, and by the way, Sheriff, if you play your cards right, you can still spank Master Billy with your belt,” he said, and the two bulls and several of the cows laughed.

Will Tate was stunned. Fortunately he had a good sense of humor, but talking cows? What the fuck was this? Why not? He read every science fiction book he could get his hands on since he was in junior high school. Later, he progressed to the more adult sci-fi stories on the Internet. His imagination was strong and fertile. He thought he could handle such a strange new experience. He thanked the bulls, turned on his boot heel and walked back to his patrol car. He could see the cows were already parting as he turned his ignition and slowly drove through their ranks. He remembered Preacher Womack saying something about guard cows keeping him from entering the Daniels’ property. What better way to block the entrance to keep out anyone you didn’t want visiting unexpectedly, the sheriff thought to himself. He wondered if he might buy a couple from the Daniels to keep the Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons from knocking on his front door when he was trying to sleep in on Sunday mornings.

Sheriff Tate slowly drove up the road, up the mountain, and around the bend, and could see the ranch house in the distance situated almost on the very top of the mountain. It was a beautiful setting and made Will long for a day when he could run his place as a working ranch again. Since he put his dad in a home, he couldn’t run it by himself, and was forced to seek additional employment. He ran for sheriff of the county on his record as a war hero and won by a landslide. Everyone, the entire menagerie of Billy Daniels’ extended family, was out front waiting for him. There was a big hairy critter towering over everyone, and the sheriff knew immediately what he was. Will used to run into his kind many times when he worked cowboying for different ranchers in the area. He even saw a couple around his place. There were a couple of other strange critters intermingled with Billy’s family. Two had beautiful wings who’s bodies looked ape-like and two perfect mature cowboys about half the size of the other men. They were so muscled out they looked like buffed-out minature body builders.

Sheriff Tate thought it remarkable the rest were fine looking folks including one giant black cowboy standing by a remarkably handsome older woman. Standing on her other side, with his arm around the lady, was another huge cowboy he recognized as Enoch Redbone, the man Orville Higginbothem tried to kill. The older lady and the big cowboy resembled each other, and Will wondered if they might be related. Next to Enoch was Moss Garrett whom he knew well and his dad, Tron. Then he spied the Daniels standing together with big smiles on their faces. Billy walked to the patrol car and opened the door for the sheriff.

“Welcome to the Daniels ranch, Sheriff,” Billy said and shook his hand.

“Glad to be here, Son,” Will answered, “but your bulls already done welcomed me at the front gate. Damn! I guess that means I don’t get to turn you over my knee,” he said and grinned.

“Don't bet the ranch on it, it’s still open for consideration, Sheriff. We’ll talk,” Billy said and winked at him. They shared a laugh.

Billy took the sheriff around and introduced him to everyone. Billy didn’t try to hide anything from him. He introduced Nick as one of his protector-slaves, who also just happens to be his surrogate dad, and his other three main protector-slaves, Clyde, Balthazar, and Boomer. He introduced Boomer as his number one slave, protector, and bonded mate. Billy watched the sheriff’s reaction closely but didn’t even see him blink. He was far too interested in Boomer as a Bigfoot. Will Tate was fascinated by the huge creature and grinned from ear to ear as Boomer took his smaller hand in his huge paw.

“How did you manage to domesticate such a magnificent creature, Mr. Daniels?” he asked.

“Billy! Just call me Billy, Sheriff. Who said he was domesticated, sir?” Billy asked and laughed. “We take care of him like we would any of our livestock. In return he watches over us and protects us. Boomer has several talents you’ll discover which makes him an ideal companion for some humans. Others might be afraid or not want to put out the effort to befriend one,” Billy explained.

“I shore’ as hell would," Will said and smiled at Boomer.

Sheriff Tate was equally impressed by Archie and Edith who were gracious and projected their friendship and concern for the lawman. Will was charmed by them. “You must be the folks who apprehended Orville Higginbothem. He ranted and raved about two creatures who looked like butterflies shooting him with rays of electricity and tying him up with that silk rope he had around him. We thought he was crazy and laughed at him. He said he shot one of you. If he did, I’m sorry,” Will said sincerely.

“Yes, he shot Edith, Sheriff, but me and my staff healed her,” Billy said.

“Like you healed that little boy in the parking lot at WalMart in Fredericksburg?” the sheriff asked.

“Yes, sir,” Billy answered quietly.

“Just like he healed my leg,” Enoch said.

“Just like he cured me of cancer,” Zelma Jane spoke up.

“Just like he made my little finger on my right hand grow back after losing it in a haying accident several years ago,” Moss held up his hand and showed the sheriff.

“Can you cure Old Timers’s disease?” the sheriff asked using an Eggcorn idiosyncratic substitution for ‘Alzheimer’s.’

“Depends on the cause, Sheriff. If it’s prions what’s gotten into the brain like in 'mad cow’ disease, I can cancel them for a spell, but they might come back. If it’s caused by spirochetes from Lyme disease, and many cases are, I can eliminate it altogether; however, it will take the brain of the victim several years to come back to a more normal state, and depending on how long they had the disease, depends on how much they remember and how quickly they recover,” Billy explained.

“My dad’s in a rest home in Brady, and he ain’t doing well,” Will said, “They keep him tied to a bed most of the time because he’s incoherent and wanders off. He don’t even know who I am when I go see him. It rips my guts out ever’ time I visit him, and I go one evening a week to spend some time with him,” he explained.

“Alzheimer’s is such a variable disease I can’t promise anything, Sheriff, but bring him to us, and we’ll do what we can for him,” Billy said.

“When?” Will jumped at the invitation.

“We got us a slow weekend coming up. Friday e’nins we put down our tools and begin our weekends. We ain’t got nothing planned. How about Sunday afternoon for dinner?” Billy asked in reply.

“That would be fine for me. I usually take Sunday off anyway to attend one of the churches in the community. I try to make them all on a rotation basis and usually get invited for a home cooked meal. There’s more to my madness than eight different ways to praise the lord,” Will said and grinned sheepishly, “There’s such a disparaging difference between them, you’d think they each believe in a different god and savior. They all see it differently, but not one see’s the bigger picture of how to apply their rigid beliefs to themselves, their community, or their personal lives. They’re so caught up in what they consider the sins of their fellow man, they never stop long enough to stand before a mirror and check the one’s inside themselves,” he added shaking his head in disbelief.

“That’s one of the reasons you come out to talk with me, ain’t it, Sheriff?” Billy asked and grinned.

“Yeah, the loudest mouth among them church folks is Clarence Womack of the holy roller church, and he’s got a grudge against you for not letting him make money for arranging an interview with you and them two major networks; Fox and the United Christian Network,” Will said.

“I was afraid of that. He done his best to intimidate me and my family to jump to his command, but we already made plans for the weekend. We weren’t gonna’ stop what we planned to make time for him. We had guests coming and had a lot to do before they arrived. My Uncle Nate pretty much put him in his place, and he didn’t like that a bit,” Billy said and smiled. “You mean them networks were actually going to pay him for an interview with me?” Billy asked.

“Yeah, together, it was close to fifty thousand dollars,” the sheriff replied.

“Holy shit!  And that’s what it is, holy shit! They never tried to contact me directly,” Billy said.

“That’s because Womack contacted them and told them you would only speak to them with him present, and he was calling as your religious representative in the community to make arrangements. He told them for a goodly donation to his church he would make it happen,” Will said.

“He what? You’ve got to be kidding. We’ve never been inside his church. I never had a conversation with the man,” Billy declared.

“I figured as much, but since he’s been one of my biggest donors to my re-election campaign, I felt obligated to come speak with you about it. So here I am doing my thing. He’s suspicious about what’s going on out here, and he wanted me to come out to stiff-arm you to show him around so’s he could sniff out evidence of demons or demonic possession,” the sheriff said, “Somehow, I don’t think healing folks would qualify as demonic -- maybe in his warped view of the universe, but I won’t give him the chance. Besides, I don’t ‘stiff-arm’ nobody unless it’s somebody like Orville Higginbothem,” he added.

“I wonder how much of that fifty-thousand Womack planned to give me?” Billy asked rhetorically.

“As long as you didn’t know nothing about it, you can bet yore’ ass he wouldn’t a’ said a word -- holy or otherwise,” the sheriff replied.

“That just may be a good thing to hold over his head in case he gets too pushy,” Nathan said.

“Naw, he has no conscience. Won't work on a man like him, Mr. Daniels. He’ll just claim it was the word of an infidel against the word of a man of God,” Will Tate said.

“Well, I cain’t gainsay that, Sheriff. I’s probably the biggest infidel you’s likely to meet, sir,” Billy lamented and grinned.

“Do you think a good bare-butt spanking wiff’ ma’ hand might make you see the error of yore’ ways, Son?” Will Tate asked with a concerned voice and wicked grin.

“H’it jes’ might, Sheriff,” Billy allowed and winked at him. The sheriff blushed and everyone shared a laugh.   

Kate came out onto the porch and rang the triangle for the first supper feed. She would ring it again for the fifteen Irin slave cowboys in about an hour. They only had one more day’s work on the bunkhouse, and they would have everything in place to take care of themselves and allow another fifteen of their brothers and sisters to morph. They actually had two rows of fifteen double bunk beds (upper and lower) but Billy only wanted fifteen more workers to morph to see how feeding and coordinating would come along. They had room for another thirty slaves, but providing for them might be a problem. He also had to think about his managers, Hank and Buck, so they would be able to order supplies and have them delivered or picked up to keep everything running smoothly.

Billy’s immediate family went into supper and stood around the table before anyone was allowed to sit down. They joined hands and looked to Billy to speak, “Let us be ever mindful of the bounty of food we have before us. Let us be grateful for it and our place in the universe. To all those out there watching over us we thank you for your care and generosity. We are most grateful. Hosanna!” Billy ended and everyone echoed, “Hosanna in the highest!” And they sat down to eat.

“So what news do you have for us about dear old Orville,” Billy asked as he passed a big platter of fried chicken to his guest.

“He’s already been arraigned and pleaded not guilty. His trial is set for next Friday. You and your men, Enoch Redbone, and Nick Samuels, will have to be there to testify against him, but with the videos of his conversation with his second in charge there’s little doubt he will be found guilty and made a lifetime slave. You said something about wanting to buy him, is that right?” the sheriff asked.

“Yes, sir. I want him for my slave,” Billy said without nuance.

“I think I can arrange it so’s you don’t have to go through a dealer. If the county can get the money for him directly by an interested third party then they’d rather do that; especially, if they can get a bit more for him than the average going rate for a slave his age and condition. He’s considerably overweight, you know?” the sheriff asked.

“Orville’s a big man, Sheriff. He’s overweight, but he carries it pretty well,” Enoch said.

“Granted, but when it comes to hard physical labor, he won’t last long before he starts to develop heart problems,” Will said.

“I don’t plan to work him to death, Sheriff. He will lose the weight eating slave chow and a nutrient biscuit two times a day. It will make the weight drop off him in a matter of months, and he’ll be healthier than he was when he became my slave. Until that time he will be doing menial work, cleaning up after our worker slaves, and helping to put their tools away. After six months, you won’t recognize him. I will keep his body sound and healthy. I want him for a slave for a long time. I want him to become an example of what happens to anyone who tries to do harm to a member of my family,” Billy said firmly. “Can you give me a firm price before he goes to trial, sir?” Billy asked.

“Yes, I already took the liberty to speak with the judge and bailiff on your behalf, and they said you could have him for thirty-five thousand dollars,” the sheriff said, “The standard price they get for a man his age and physical condition is twenty-five thousand to a registered certified slave dealer. He would jack that price up another fifteen to twenty thousand to make a profit,” Will added.

“No problem,” Billy said, “I’ll write you a check to take back with you. Me and my family will be there to back up my big brother. Can we expect Orville to be released to us after the trial?” Billy asked.

“As soon as he’s micro-chipped and the documents signed, he’s your property, Son,” the sheriff said. “Oh, yes, and you might want to put another bandage on Mr. Redbone’s leg like you done to fool me and get him a walking cane,” he added. Everyone laughed at his teasing.

“We’ll remember, Sheriff. Thanks for the tip,” Billy said.

<< Master Billy, >> came a wee small voice in his head.

<< I hear you, dear one, >> he replied.

<< The sheriff is experiencing considerable pain in his left shoulder. His wounds from his years as a Marine in the Middle East were not treated properly, and he lives everyday with the pain and scars from his encounters in battle, >> Edith sent to him.

<< You’re right to tell me, sweet lady. Once again, I’m in your and Archie’s debt, >> Billy sent.

<< Nonsense. We would do the same for any creature in pain knowing you will offer your talents to heal his wounds properly and give his soul the passion of a new direction, >> Edith replied.

Billy looked over to his pet and winked. Edith blushed. “Castor, be a good fellow and get our sheriff a big glass of watcher’s milk from the fridge on the porch,” Billy said.

“Right away, Master Billy,” Cass said and was away to the porch with the biggest glass he could find. He returned with a huge sixteen ounce plastic glass filled with milk.

“What’s this?” the sheriff asked.

“Watcher milk. The most nutritious food in the universe. Drink it. It will relieve some of the pain in your shoulder,” Billy said firmly.

“How do you know about my shoulder?” Will asked amazed.

“The beautiful winged creature across from you told me. She’s an empath, a telepath, and has many more wonderful talents as well. Try it. You’ll like it,” urged Billy.

“What’s a watcher?” Will asked.

“Boomer,” Billy replied.

Billy was surprised to see Will take the glass, raise it in a salute to Boomer, and took a big gulp. The funniest look came across his face, “Son of a...” he caught himself, “Sorry, Mrs. Daniels, Mr. Daniels, I wasn’t expecting it to be so good,” the sheriff said, “Well done, Boomer!” he exclaimed and raise his glass again and took another big drink. “That’s remarkable. You should market it,” he allowed.

“For that, we’d need a heard of watchers, and as it is, we only got Boomer and several enhanced people who can morph into watchers. We collect their milk. I can change into a watcher myself, and they hook me up to the milking machine,” Billy explained.

“I don’t understand any of this, but if it will help the pain in my shoulder, I’ll drink anything you set before me. I just never expected it to be so good,” he said and took another drink.

Kate announced to everyone dessert would be served after they feed the Irin cowboys. Billy stood with the rest of his family and helped clear the table. Will was going to help, but Billy told him to sit still and finish his milk. He was a guest, and they could handle the rest. When the kitchen was cleared and Kate’s crew were getting ready for the next crew, Billy called to his team. “Nick, Clyde, Boomer, I need you with me and the sheriff in the barn. Ms. Zelma, may I borrow your faithful attendant for about an hour?” he asked.

“Of course, you may. Nice of you to ask, though. You need him right now more than I do. Enoch and Moss will see to me,” she said and grinned. Zelma Redbone was a woman who dearly loved herself some cowboys, and she thought her nephew and his mate were just about the two finest looking young buckaroos she’d seen in a while.

“Come with me, Sheriff. We have business to attend to in the barn,” Billy said firmly.

“Am I gonna’ get to spank yore’ butt, Billy?” he asked eagerly.

“Not with your arm the way it is, but after I take care of you, if you feel up to it, you can make your mark, and leave it as red as you like, Sheriff. It would be a pleasure, sir. Might even make a better man out of me,” Billy called the sheriff's hand with his outrageous cowboy hyperbole.

“Damnation, I love a cowboy with spirit,” Will said and the men shared a laugh.

They got to the barn and after talking privately with Billy for a minute, Clyde, Balthazar, and Nick disappeared. “Woah! Where’d them men go?” the sheriff shouted.

“To another dimension next to ours to wing-up. They’ll be back in a second. Now, take off your clothes Sheriff. Boomer, give him a hand,” Billy ordered.

“You mean strip naked, Son?” Will asked somewhat bemused.

“No, you can leave your boots on. Without his boots a cowboy’s plumb naked,” he said and laughed at his own nonsense.

Boomer acted like a groom and gently helped the sheriff remove his clothes. Billy undressed at the same time, but pulled his buckaroo boots back on. The men stood naked before each other. Billy took one look at Will Tate, his heart sank, and a lump formed in his throat. The man’s body was scarred from stem to stern. Whoever put him back together took just a bit more care than Dr. Frankenstein did sewing up his monster. Billy was surprised the poor man didn’t have a metal rod sticking out of his neck on either side. The sheriff was a physical mess. The sight almost brought tears to Billy’s eyes, but he held them back to be strong for the imposing presence of the hero before him. He fell to his knees in front of Will Tate. About that time, there came a great flash of light and Billy’s angel-slaves reappeared fully fledged. They were naked except for their leather harnesses and buckaroo boots.

The sheriff was startled and amazed, “Holy crap!” he exclaimed, “This ain’t fair. You never said nothing about no angels, Billy,” he said, “and why are you on your knees, Son?” he asked.

“They’re my slaves, part of my greater family, just like the Irin cowboys and Boomer. I’m on my knees ‘cause I gotta’get chore’ genetic information from you, and since I don’t particularly fancy drinking your blood or urine, I’m gonna’ give you a big sloppy buckaroo-buddy blowjob. Make that big lawman cock reach for the sky, hombre,’ ‘cause I’m a’ gonna’ suck yore’ baby batter clean out of you, Sheriff, faster’n you can wipe the snot off’n yore’ nose on a windy day. Yore’ cowboy gizz contains the information I need to rebuild you. This way, I get to kill two birds with one blowjob. I get yore’ DNA to keep on file within me, but that ain’t all. Last year, when I’s going though puberty, I used to jackoff for hours fantasizing about suck’n me off a big, handsome lawman, and now I’m gonna’ get to do it,” he said and giggled like a school boy.

“All this, a blowjob from a young cowboy I admire, and angels, too? How close to heaven can I get?” the sheriff asked Billy’s attending angels.

“Don’t let them fancy words of his buffalo you none, Sheriff. Just look on it as another reason to give his tight little cowboy butt a good strap’n wiff’ yore’ belt if’n y’ain’t pleased with his performance,” Nick said and his brothers slapped him on the back to show their approval and laughed. Boomer roared with laughter.

“Get down on it, Son. Let’s see what chu’ got,” the sheriff challenged.  

Billy wasn’t disappointed with the sheriff’s penis. While the rest of his body may have been tattered and torn and put back together with a lick and a promise, his cock was quite handsome and responded gratefully to Billy’s attention. Since Nick enhanced Billy’s throat to comfortably take his demon-dad super-cock the sheriff presented no problem for our young cowboy hero. After Billy skinned back the considerable foreskin of the sheriff’s penis, he engorged his mouth and throat with the sheriff’s big, long, fat cowboy cock and made obscene sounds of pleasure bordering on the downright disgusting. Billy could tell by his response, Sheriff Will Tate was not a newcomer to having his cock sucked, but he was totally unprepared for Billy’s onslaught to take him to the hilt on his first plunge. Billy rested with his lips pressed tightly against the sheriff’s abdomen. Then, he began to move and and take short strokes on his cock. He kept it up until he could feel the sheriff building to climax. He pulled back just in time to take Will’s full load into his mouth and swallowed every precious ounce.

“That was fantastic, Son,” Will Tate said breathing heavily.

“Thanks, Sheriff, you were pert-damn good yourself and tasty, too. Now it will take a while for me to assimilate your DNA information into my body. I will leave you for a minute in the capable hands of my three slaves,” Billy said and disappeared.

“Don’t tell me...” the sheriff said to the three gathered angels.

“Y’ain’t seen nothing yet, Sheriff,” Nick said and grinned, “Right, guys?” he asked confirmation from his brothers.

“Unbelievable,” agreed Clyde as he shook his head.

“Beautiful, and so handsome,” submitted Balthazar, “I’m proud to call young Billy Daniels my master,” he added.

“Hear! Hear!” added Nick and Clyde.

In a flash Billy returned with his golden wings. Sheriff Will Tate damn near shot his load again. Standing before him was the most beautifully handsome creature he ever saw in his life. “Billy -- Son -- is it really you? Are you an angel, too?” he asked.

“Naw, Sheriff. I’s just a plain old brown-dirt hill country cowboy what was called away from Earth about a month ago and enhanced by two different advanced races of people and asked to do a job I couldn’t refuse. Them wings you see was given to me to heal the sick and people in pain like yourself. I’m here with you and my angel slaves doing my job. I’m gonna’ fix you so’s you’ll have faith in me to help your dad. Boomer, hand me my red bandanna from the back pocket of my Wranglers,” he said. Boomer handed Billy his bandanna.

“I’m gonna’ fit this around your eyes, Sheriff, and tie it behind your head so's the light we produce to heal your wounds won’t hurt yore’ eyes none,” Billy explained and carefully folded the bandanna and put it up to Will’s face. The sheriff held it in place as Billy gently tied it behind his head. “Are you comfortable, sir?” he asked.

“Sure, no problem,” the sheriff replied.

“Clyde just put a clean horse blanket on a bail of hay. We want you to lie down on it,” Billy instructed.

They helped the sheriff lie down, and once they were satisfied he was comfortable, they raised their wings and began to rebuild him. Billy was thankful to have his three angel slaves. He knew he couldn’t do the job without a one of them. He now understood why it was necessary for Balthazar to become his third angel, and he was more grateful than ever. While Billy’s three angels provided the muscle and the strength behind what they were doing, it was Billy’s show. It was his powerful enhancement and heightened intellect which directed and completed the project. It took them a little over an hour, but they persisted until the sheriff’s body looked like he was never close to a battlefield. He was returned to his pristine state of health and masculine physical beauty he enjoyed before he was sent to the Middle East to become gun fodder for the corporate ghouls. He was nothing more to them than a figure on paper. His broken body was thought of as little more than an unfortunate accident of war; collateral damage.

“I think your patient drifted off to sleep, Master Billy,” Balthazar said.

“I know. I have that effect on people. My demon-dad often drops off to sleep still inside me after he shoots his load,” Billy lamented. Nick blushed and grinned. Clyde and Balthazar roared with laughter. “I gave the sheriff a suggestion to relax and told him to go to sleep if he could. I knew several adjustments and replacements were going to be painful. I wanted to spare him as much discomfort as possible,” Billy explained to his team.

“Ain’t never seen no healer do what you just done for that man, Master Billy,” Clyde said shaking his head in awe, “Please, don’t never deny me my right as your slave to pay homage to your boots when I feel the urge, sir,” Clyde said.

“That goes double for me, Kemosabe,” Nick agreed.

“Make that triple for me, Master. I never witnessed anything like what you accomplished. He’s better than brand new. He’s got his parts back in their proper order and is completely free of disease,” Balthazar said, “Extraordinary work, Master,” he added.

“Thanks, gentlemen, but lets be fair about this. We make a great team, and I couldn’t a’ done what I did for him if’n it weren’t for you men. He’s together because we’re together. I will never underestimate your contributions when it comes to healing another. Thank you for your help and support,” Billy said as he hugged and kissed each angel.

“He looks so peaceful, I hate to wake him, but I want my dessert and you men certainly deserve yours,” Billy said, went to the sheriff and gently shook him, “Sheriff Tate -- Will -- it’s time for dessert. We need to get your clothes on and take you back to the house,” he added as he lifted his bandanna from the sheriff’s eyes.

“Are you through with me?” he asked.

“No. Absolutely not! We'll never be through with you, but we’ve completed our task for this evening. We hope you’ll be pleased. Boomer help the sheriff get dressed,” Billy said, and the big monster gently helped the sheriff.

“I don’t hurt no more. The pain is gone. Did you do that, Billy?” he asked.

“No, me’n my slaves, we done it together, Sheriff. I only done the directing while my angel-slaves did the hard work. I was more like an orchestral conductor while my team toiled furiously to make corrections for you so everything will work in harmony from now on,” Billy explained.

“Whatever you done, I’m certainly grateful, Son. Come to the arms of yore’ sheriff, and let me give you a big hug and a kiss,” he said.

Billy readily complied, but couldn’t help ask, “What? No spanking?” he asked. Everyone laughed.

“Let’s save that for later when we’re both up to par and feeling randy,” the sheriff conceded.

The men, accompanied by Boomer, walked up to the ranch house and into the kitchen area. Kate and her staff had dessert sitting on a side table waiting for anyone who wanted it. The cowboys already finished their dessert, and what was left, was for Billy, the sheriff, his three bird-men, and Boomer. It was fresh peach cobbler, and it was delicious. When the men sat down to eat their sweet treat, all eyes were on the sheriff. No one said anything, but Billy could tell they were amazed at the change in him. There were no mirrors in the barn or the part of the house where they were. Will was a handsome man, but now he was stunning. He was totally unaware.

“By the way, Sheriff, stick this in your pocket,” Billy handed him the envelope he put into the pocket of his western shirt. "It’s a check for your re-election campaign from the Highland Shire Foundation,” Billy said.

“Thanks, Billy, I really appreciate it,” he said.

“And here’s another from the Daniel’s ranch corporation,” Nathan said and handed him another envelope.

“And another from the Redbone Rural Political Fund, Mr. Tate,” Zelma said and handed him another small envelope.

“Thank you very much. I didn’t expect this when I come out here. I just wanted to get to know Billy a little better and eat a good meal. It wasn’t just a good meal. It was one of the best meals I had in years, Ms. Kate. With these donations I feel like I’ve become a part of your family,” the sheriff said and his voice quavered a bit.

“If you only knew, young man,” Zelma said quietly and smiled.

“You are a part of our family. Don’t forget, I have a part of you inside me, Sheriff. I have the blueprint of your physical person on file. I can become a perfect copy of you in an instant to appear as your twin brother. We’ll look forward to having you and your dad out this coming Sunday anytime after nine in the morning but before one p.m. We sit down to dinner at one,” Billy said.

“Thanks, I’ll pick up dad early Sunday morning and we should be here no later than ten. Will that give you enough time, Billy?” Will asked.

“Plenty of time, Sheriff,” Billy replied, “and before we forget, here’s another check for thirty-five thousand dollars payable to the county clerk to purchase Orville Higginbothem as a slave for the Daniel’s ranch,” he said.

“That’ll do it, Son. Aside from court appearances, it’s practically a done deal,” the sheriff said.

After dessert, the sheriff said his goodbyes but had to have hugs and kisses from his healers. No one complained. He even hugged and kissed Kate and Zelma goodbye. He got into his patrol car, turned it around, and headed slowly down the road so’s not to hit a cow. He came to the cattle guarding the gate, but they parted and allowed him through. He rolled down his window and thanked Zeus and Thor. “Hope you enjoyed your visit, Sheriff. Come again soon. We’ll look forward to seeing you,” they told him.

“I will. I been invited for Sunday dinner, and I’ll be bring’n ma’ dad. See you gentle cows then, and thanks for your hospitality,” he said and drove on.

When he arrived back at his place, the sheriff sat down at his table in the kitchen and took the three envelopes from his uniform pocket and put them on the table. He carefully opened each one. The first was Billy’s check for five thousand, and he almost lost it. The second check was from Mr. Daniels for two thousand from the Daniels Ranch. He was again stunned, but even more so when he opened Zelma’s envelope and in it was a check for three thousand dollars. He was ten thousand dollars richer from his visit to the Daniels ranch. To that point the largest donation he ever got was from that weasel faced little preacher for a hundred bucks. He couldn’t believe it. He was so excited he didn’t know if he would be able to get to sleep, but he had to be up early the next morning for work.

He undressed in his dark bedroom. Will didn’t pay much attention to his body until he walked naked to the bathroom and caught a glimpse of himself in the full length antique mirror his mother left him. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at his body. He was stunned beyond words. Not only did he not hurt anymore, but all the ugly scars and suture marks were gone. His body was as perfect as it was the day he was send to Afghanistan. He fell to his knees in front of the mirror, placed his face into the palms of his hands, and rocked to and fro as he wept tears of joy and thanksgiving for having found Billy, his family, and his squadron of angels. He knew, without a doubt, they would help his dad.

* * * * * * *
The special ordered beds came the next morning. The family just finished their breakfast, and were getting ready to feed the second shift. Everything was brought to a halt. The Irin cowboys were excited. They wanted to get the truck unloaded as quickly as possible. Their breakfasts were put on hold as they worked to unload the sixty beds and placed them in the bunkhouse. They didn’t bother to place them in their waiting custom bed frames. Hank told the cowboys to stacked the beds, and they could finish after breakfast. Buck signed for them as purchasing agent for the Highland Shire Project. It made him and Hank feel good and important in the scheme of things they never got to experience on Retikki Prime. There, they were glorified servants, and while their skills were unique and treasured, they didn’t get the same sense of belonging like they were experiencing on Earth with Billy and becoming a part of his family.

Just like entertainment industries on Earth, so they were in the farthest reaches of space in galaxies so far removed from us, our most powerful telescopes couldn’t find a trace of light from their presence. All these many worlds in uncountable galaxies were tuning in every minute of every day to see what their favorite Earth people in Master Billy Daniels’ family was up to. The producers of the show, the Irin and Grigori, ran polls to see who and what was being watched the most. Always at the top of the polls were Hank Renfrow and his life partner Buck Appleby. More folks tuned into their particular channel to watch what they were up to from minute to minute, and when they decided to get 'randy’ with each other, their polls would skyrocket in the viewer ratings. When Hank fucked his partner they were not quiet lovers, and upon reaching a climax, you would think they were calling to the devil to release the hounds of hell. Star-bells by untold numbers of beds throughout the universe would ring to announce the birth of a new star in a distant galaxy. Hank and Buck remembered to bring their star-bell with them and would ring it after a good romp in the sack. “Hosanna!” Hank would say.

“Hosanna in the highest!” Buck would reply.

* * * * * * *
Later in the morning a truck from WalMart arrived with ten folding tables and sixty sturdy folding chairs. Each table would seat ten Irin cowboys so they figured they only needed six, but for sake of room and comfort, they ordered four more they would either store for emergencies or put outside if some of the men wanted to eat outdoors during the warm months. It turned out to be popular, and they build a paver stone patio on the far side of the bunkhouse, covered it with an aluminum roof, screened it in, and installed large overhead circulating fans. They increased their dinning area by the same square footage as the bunkhouse itself.  

Hank and Buck came to Billy to talk with him, “Master Billy the cowboys would like you to inspect their work. We already done told them their work was excellent and much better than we expected. They listened politely, but we could tell they’s a bit disappointed. Me and Buck got to talk’n it over, and we come to the conclusion they jes’ need a pat on the back and a ‘well-done’ lads approval from their master. Being slaves, we can appreciate their request. Knowing your master is happy and proud of you is worth more than gold to a good slave,” Hank said.

“You’re absolutely right, and that’s why I chose you for my number one ranch management slaves. Let’s plan it for this e’nin before our weekly hoe-down for the cowboys and the rest of the herd,” Billy said.

Billy had his slaves move the temporary stage from the eastern side of the big barn to the rear. There was a rise between there and the road and it sloped into a nice valley behind the barn and then rose again after several hundred feet. He never noticed it before but the natural setting created bowl effect for the sound to amplify and carry down through the valley. In a clearing about about fifty yards from the stage was an area where the dancing cows could trip the light fantastic without being observed from the road. Billy’s cowboys under the direction of Hank and Buck knew how their master wanted the stage set up and got to work. When they finished, Hank and Buck said their master would like to inspect their new living quarters and everyone was to walk up to the bunkhouse.

Billy, Nathan, Tron, Moss, Enoch, and Boomer were waiting for them on the front porch of the bunkhouse. Hank and Buck opened the door for them and they went inside. Billy left the work to the slaves under the supervision of Hank and Buck. He didn’t bother them much except to ask an occasional question or make a suggestion. Once in a while they would have a brief visit from Nathan, Tron, Moss, or Enoch out of curiosity, but they hadn’t seen it since completion. The men were stunned. The place was incredible and transformed into a close, but comfortable living quarters for the cowboy-slaves. Billy was more than a little impressed by the detail the men managed to accomplish in such a short period of time. He was in awe and so were his companions. Boomer asked if they had room for him. They thought that was a great gesture of approval. Billy raved and raved. The shower room and the toilet facilities were pristine and immaculate.

Billy was mostly impressed by the design and execution of the beds. There was ample room between them so the cowboy in the lower berth could sit upright in his bed. They added catch rails on the top bunks to keep a cowboy from rolling off and dropping to the floor. There were built in ladders at the foot of each bunk for access to the top bunk. Every bunk was perfectly made with a nice, big pillow at the head of the bed. Hank and Buck spent one afternoon on the Internet with Archie and Edith’s help to find quality linen and a warm blanket for each bunk. The best buy they could find for the most quality was a large hospital supply who offered quality tread count cotton sheets and some excellent blankets. The more you spent the cheaper the overall price, and they scored a good deal.

Every inch of the building and furnishings had a fresh coat of paint which brought it all together. “I notice when you rewired, you very cleverly added outlets in the wall for both bottom and upper berths. Let’s find some kind of small reading lights and install them at the head of each bed so a man what want’s to read in his bunk will have light,” Billy said.

“It will be done, Master,” Hank replied and the cowboys applauded their approval.

“And you told me as of tomorrow morning you have everything ready to begin feeding these men, and they will become independent?” Billy asked.

“We’re ready, Master Billy. We still have some adjustments and additions to make, but we’ll be fully ready to take care of the thirty salves who will be living here after this evening, sir,” Hank replied.

“Good. Glad to hear it. It will take some of the load off our staff up to the big house. I only hope I can find the words to convey to you men how pleased and proud of you I am. What chu’ done here in a brief period of time is nothing short of remarkable. I’m proud of every man, and even more proud to call you my slaves and have you as part of my family. As a small reward and token of my appreciation -- this very evening -- each of you gentlemen will get to pick out of the herd a man or lady of your choice to morph and share your bunkhouse with you,” Billy said, “That will bring our work force up to thirty men. By the end of next week, I hope to double that number to sixty. We already have the beds. We just need to learn to take care of those we have now. With Hank Renfrow and Buck Appleby’s guidance I feel confident we can make that goal. Just remember you won’t only be doing it for your master, you’ll be doing it for your brothers and sisters so they might have a more comfortable lifestyle. As a final word: Thank you, men, for your hard work and dedication to the Highland Shire Project. Hosanna!” Billy shouted, held his right arm up with a fisted hand and stomped his right boot.

“Hosanna, in the highest!” they shouted in return, their fisted right arm raised in a counter-salute, and stomped their right boot. It sent chills up Billy’s back. A round of applause went up for their master. They liked the idea of choosing the next group of slaves to morph. They already had the bunks made up for the new crew. After shaking hands, several hugs, many pats on the back, and more well-done-lads, the cowboys went out to the herd and returned with a naked man or woman leading them by the hand like a big brother. Billy was surprised they chose eight men and seven women this time. Clyde didn’t have to outfit but one smaller female. Hank and Buck had clothes in stock for the rest of them. They eagerly took advantage of the new shower facilities to rid themselves of the cow smell and quickly dressed to enjoy the upcoming musical hoe-down as it came to be known. The veteran cowboys even shared their evening meal with their newly morphed brothers and sisters. It was almost a sacred rite with them and became a tradition. The first meal they would eat as a newly morphed humanoid was brought and set before them by their previously morphed brother or sister.

The phone rang in the kitchen of the ranch house. Kate answered. “Howdy, Ms. Daniels, this is Sheriff Tate calling. I’s wondering if one of the Daniels men was around so I could thank them for their generous gifts to my reelection campaign,” he said.

“Where are you, Sheriff?” Kate asked.

“Sitting here in my office about to go home for the evening,” Will replied.

“How quick can you drive out here without harming yourself?” Kate asked and giggled.

“With or without ma’ siren, ma’am?” Will asked and laughed.

“Without. We don’t want to scare them cows to death,” Kate said and laughed.

“About ten -- maybe fifteen minutes,” Will said.

“Come on out for supper and you can thank them along with Zelma Redbone. They’s already done morphed the next fifteen Irin slaves, and after we feed them, they’re going to celebrate with a hoe-down out behind the barn. Come for an evening of food and some of the best music you’ll ever hear anywhere,” Kate urged him.

“‘At sounds like heaven on Earth to me, Ms. Kate. I’ll be there in ten without the siren,” Will Tate promised and laughed.

The sheriff didn’t have time to run home and shower. It was a cool day, and he didn’t get out of his office much. He thought he probably could get by. He said goodbye to his deputy and told him if he was needed to page him. He would be out to the Daniel’s ranch for supper. He walked out of the station and got into his car just as Clarence Womack was pulling up. He didn’t stop to see what Womack wanted. He was way past his quiting time on the clock, and he was more interested in supper than he was whatever palaver Womack had in mind. He waved to Womack, pointed to his watch like it was after his quiting time, backed his patrol car into the town square and took off for the Daniels ranch. He didn’t worry about Womack seeing the direction he took because his ranch was out the same highway.

Womack walked into the Sheriff’s station and saw the younger deputy behind his desk. “Where’s the sheriff going in such a hurry, Deputy Andy?” Womack asked in his oily manner. The young deputy suffered several run-ins with Womack and his loud, obnoxious brand of fire and brimstone demonizing anyone who didn’t agree with him. Andy wasn’t about to tell him anything.

“Sorry, the sheriff didn’t mention where he might be going, but I have a feeling he’s on his way home to clean up and drive to Brady to take his dad to supper. He does that several times a month on Friday e’nins,” Andy replied convincingly.

“Harumph! He saw me pull up, pointed to his watch, and drove away. I wanted to speak with him for a minute,” he said like he was angry.

“It was way past the sheriff’s quit’n time, Preacher. I was late coming in because of an emergency. My little boy picked up a pecan in the yard and tried to swallow it whole. We rushed him to the clinic. The doctor did a Heimlich maneuver on him, and it popped right out. We was afraid he’s gonna’ choke to death. Sheriff Tate was good enough to wait for me, and didn’t even dock my pay. He’s a good man and a better sheriff. I’ll be happy to take a message for you. He usually checks in with me 'afore he calls it a night,” Deputy Andy said.

“I’ll catch him later,” Womack growled, turned on his heel, and walked out. He didn’t say anything about being sorry for Deputy Andy’s little boy. Nor did he ask how the boy was doing after such a traumatic accident. Of course, Deputy Andy didn't attend his church, either.

* * * * * * *    
As Will Tate turned onto the highway, he passed the Lowe’s grocery store and turned into the parking lot. He went to the vegetable section and gathered up a dozen large bags of bulk carrots and pushed his cart to check out.

“Ya’ll sure must love you some carrots, Sheriff,” the horse-faced, tall, skinny woman with horned-rim glasses said at the check out counter.

“Naw, just got me some wild ponies around my place. I leave ‘em out for them now and then. They’s gotten to where they’ll walk up and take ‘em from me,” he said.

“You know we got them bulk sacks of ‘em outside the store with the peanuts and deer feed stacked against the wall?” she asked.

“I know. I just wanted these in a hurry. This will do for tonight, and I’ll get the others later,” he replied.

“I jes’ love horses,” she said looking at the bulge between the sheriff’s legs and licking her lips.

“So do I, dear, -- the bigger, the better,” Will said and grinned. The clerk had no idea what he was talking about but thought it was funny and laughed.

Will headed for the door and heard her tell another clerk how funny and handsome she thought the sheriff was. Will rolled his eyes toward heaven as he headed for his patrol car. He thought to himself he probably should have been a gentleman and offered her one of his carrots. Then he laughed. He suddenly realized, he hadn’t felt this good since he came home from the service. The least he could do was turn Billy Daniels over his knee and give them both what they so desperately needed.

* * * * * * *
“Billy, the sheriff called to thank you, Nathan, and Zelma for your gifts to his reelection campaign, and I invited him out for dinner to tell you himself. He should be here any minute. I didn’t think you’d mind,” Kate said, raised an eyebrow, and grinned knowingly at her grandson.

“What? Me mind? Surely you jest, woman! I cain’t get me enough of seeing that man. There’s just something about a man in uniform with a big gun on his hip and a bigger one between his legs,” Billy said like he was exasperated because he didn’t have a clue.

“A-men to that, Brother Billy! Ya’ gotta’ love a lawman with big guns!” exclaimed Zelma Jane, “Hosanna!” she added.

“Hosanna in the highest!” echoed Billy and Kate. Everyone shared a laugh.

* * * * * * *
The sheriff drove his patrol car over the cattle guard and up to the lead bulls guarding the gate. They saw it was the sheriff and gave the word to let him pass. They parted and Will drove in among them, stopped, put his patrol car in park, turned off the engine, grabbed his bag from the store and got out. ‘E’nin, everybody,” he said to them.

“Good evening, Sheriff Tate, nice to see you again. We overheard conversations from the big house you might be coming out. Welcome,” said Zeus.

“I brought a few treats. I know it probably won’t be enough for everyone, but we’ll rotate next time I bring some. You folks like carrots?” he asked.

“They’re like candy for us, Sheriff,” Thor said.

“Good. I bought a dozen packs and there should be at least a dozen in each. I’ll cut them open and empty six on this side of the road and six on the other. First come first serve, but only one each so a number of you can enjoy,” Will said.

“What a nice thing to do, Sheriff Tate. The gesture alone captures our hearts and imagination. Thank you, sir,” Zeus said and Thor agreed.

Will Tate emptied all the packages and spread the carrots over the ground to make them easier to get to without a lot of pushing and shoving. When he was finished and said his goodbyes, he drove up to the house to again find the family waiting for him. This time no one looked strange to him. They looked like they belonged together. Will was welcomed like a long lost member of the Daniels family. There was no doubt in his mind he was now a fully fledged member, but he was not lost. Sheriff Will Tate found his place in the universe and hitched his wagon to a bright and shining star.

End of Chapter 21 ~ Him Who Made The Seven Stars
Copyright ~  ~ 2012 ~ Waddie Greywolf
All Rights Reserved ~
Mail: waddiebear@yahoo.com
WC = 12418
07/24/2012

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