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THEY SAID THAT THE train was going to change the lives of the people of Lincoln. They had been saying that for several years now, and they would probably continue to say it for several more years, in spite of the fact that they were now really, honestly, truly promising that train service would reach the city by next year. Or perhaps the following, at the latest. Until then, Theo was stuck with the stagecoach.
There were two a day in Lincoln: the ten o’clock stage, which had come down from Omaha and was headed west. Theo wanted the other one. The one that had spent the night in Lincoln, and which was headed east.
He pulled his pocket watch out and checked the time. Seven o’clock. Plenty of time. The stage didn’t leave until eight in the morning, and he was halfway to town already. It helped that he was traveling light, with only a single bag. Of course, even if he had wanted to bring more, he wouldn’t have known what to pack. Regardless of what was waiting for him, he would have to make do with what he had.
Theo pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his brow. It would be another warm day, and the walk was already making him hot. Still, he hadn’t given a thought to taking the carriage, nor riding Archie. Polly would need the horse, and leaving it for her seemed like the right thing to do, especially after what he’d done to her the previous night.
Like so many other things he couldn’t remember, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been with a woman, and he made up for it with Polly. By the time he finally buried his seed in her belly, he had touched and tasted every inch of her body, and she hadn’t disappointed. Truth be told, he was envious of whoever put her in a family way. Hell, even now his cock was beginning to firm up at the memory of how she had taken him in her mouth without even being asked.
She was a heck of a girl, and leaving the horse just seemed right. Walking out on her like this hadn’t seemed so clearly right, but he was trying not to let that bother him. The pull that he felt eastward—the attraction, like he was a sliver of iron being drawn to a magnet—was overpowering. It was like he was missing a part of himself, and he needed to find it.
Theo stuffed his handkerchief back in his pocket and looked toward Lincoln; he could see the town hall spire now, gleaming in the morning light. He was close, and he felt like things were finally about to begin. He picked up his pace.
~ ~ ~
POLLY FOUGHT BACK TEARS—NOT entirely successfully—as she hurried to get dressed. It felt like her entire life was falling to pieces around her, and waves of different emotions washed over her in turn. There was anger, of course, and disbelief. She could scarcely comprehend that he had abandoned her—abandoned them—like this. There was fear. If he never came back, she had no idea what she would do alone with a baby. It was such a scary thought that she had rarely considered it before, and she couldn’t bear to consider it now. It was an idea she would recognize only when she had truly run out of hope.
There was little hope left, however. She strode quickly through the house, and her eye was caught by the now-crumpled note still sitting on the table. Not what he needs, she thought. My Theo would never say that. It’s like he’s no longer the man I know.
A small voice piped up in the back of her mind just then. And that’s the point, isn’t it? He’s not exactly the man you married. He’s hurt. As soon as it had flared up again, her anger was wiped away. He’s obviously not thinking right. You can’t blame him for that. He doesn’t deserve your anger, and he needs your help.
In order to help him, however, she had to find him first. Before Theo could go east, he had to get to town. And to get to town, there weren’t many options. If she were lucky, he would have left Archie and she’d be able to drive the runabout to Lincoln. If she were unlucky, and he’d taken the horse, he would be well beyond her reach and she’d likely never see him again.
She was lucky. When she came around the corner of the house, she saw Archie in the paddock; he raised his head and snorted at her in welcome as she approached. Polly had never been a confident driver, but today she had no choice. Fortunately, Archie was mature and well-trained; he let her harness him with nary a snort, and he went willingly to be hitched to the runabout.
By the time she was finished and seated in the carriage, she was covered in a sheen of perspiration and she could feel her heart pounding like a war drum in her chest. She would have given anything to have a little help just then, but as she looked to the Deere farm, she knew that time was running short. There was only one kind of help she had time for.
Polly quickly put her hands together and bowed her head. Dear Lord, she prayed. Thank you for the time you’ve given me with Theo. He’s been a blessing in my life, but please don’t let that blessing come to an end. We both need your help now. Please watch over us until we find each other again. Amen.
She opened her eyes, snapped the reins hard, and set out to find her husband.
~ ~ ~
THEO TOOK A DEEP BREATH. He would miss the clean air out here. Heck, there were plenty of things he would miss. He had literally poured his sweat—and sometimes his blood-into his farm, and he worried about what would happen to it. He had friends here, better friends than he’d ever had in Massachusetts, and he worried about them too. Still, he was secure in his decision. There was something out there that was going to make him whole, and he was going to find it.
He slipped a hand into his pocket again, just to make sure that the ticket was still there. It was. His bag was still there at his feet, too. He took another breath. Calm down, he told himself. Everything is going to be fine. Better than fine, in fact. It’s going to be perfect.
He noticed a quiet rumble, and when he turned his head, he saw the stagecoach appear a couple of blocks away, turning onto the main street and heading toward the town hall. His pulse began to race, and his breath grew shallow in his chest as he watched it approach. When it finally rolled to a stop in front of him, if felt like he would burst, he was so excited.
The conductor leaped down from the box and came around to Theo’s side of the stagecoach. “Got your ticket?” he asked, and then opened the door. There were already a couple of passengers who had spent the night, but there was still plenty of room inside.
Theo bent to pick up his bag, and then fished in his pocket for the ticket that would set him off on his journey. As he handed it to the conductor, however, he was struck by the oddest sensation.
He had the distinct impression that he’d seen all of this before. Theo set down his bag and rubbed his eyes. His excitement had evaporated in an instant, and he now felt goosebumps form on his arms. Something’s wrong, he thought. It’s not supposed to be like this. He almost felt dizzy, and he could feel his pulse pounding.
“You all right there, mister?” the conductor asked. “You’re looking a little green.”
Theo stepped back onto the sidewalk and reached for the wall to steady himself. “Wait a minute,” he muttered.
“I don’t want you inside there if you’re going to be sick.”
“I just need a minute,” Theo said. “This is all confusing. It’s...wrong.”
The conductor and the driver exchanged a look. “I don’t know what’s wrong about it,” the conductor said. “You’re waiting for the stage, ain’t you? Well, here it is. You coming or not?”
Theo could only stare at the man like he was speaking a foreign tongue.
“We can’t wait around too long,” the conductor said. “We’ve got a schedule, you know? Are you coming?” the man repeated.
Theo closed his eyes briefly as he swallowed hard and forced himself to stand up straight. When he opened his eyes, he felt a tiny bit better, and he stooped to pick up his bag again. It wouldn’t be easy, but he knew what he had to do.
~ ~ ~
HER HEART BROKE AS she watched the stagecoach roll away, far down the road in front of her, east toward the wide open country. It had taken her forever just to get to Lincoln; she would never be able to weave through the traffic in town and catch a team of horses with a professional driver. As the stage grew small in the distance, she felt her own heart collapsing in on itself.
Polly’s eyes filled with tears, and she could barely see to steer the runabout to the side of the road at the wheelwright’s. Blurry figures came and went on the sidewalk and the street, and she heard the murmur of conversation as people passed her by. They were undoubtedly talking about her, but it didn’t matter now. Nothing did.
“Polly. Sweetheart.”
It was like a flood of air had come in where there was none before. She gasped and turned to see him there at her side, his bag in one hand and his hat in the other. Like he was going somewhere. Or coming back.
“Theo,” she cried as he reached for her. He helped her down to the ground and swept her into his arms. He kissed away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks, and the heat of his embrace erased the chill that had sunk into her bones. “You came back.”
“I never really left,” he said. His cheek was warm against hers. “I never got a chance to. I’m starting to remember.”
“What?” She stepped back to get a good look at him and took his face between her hands. “You are?” Never in her life could she recall things going as quickly from so very wrong to so very right.
“Bit by bit,” he said. “When the conductor opened that door up, it was like I saw something so similar before...I remembered that I was waiting for another stagecoach one time, and when they opened that one, the most beautiful woman I ever saw got out.”
Tears had begun to flow again, and Polly wiped her eyes. “I was met by the most wonderful man I’ve ever met.”
“You wore a green dress, didn’t you?”
She nodded.
“And your hat had a white ribbon?”
She nodded again. “I wanted to look pretty for you.”
He took her into her arms again. “You were gorgeous,” he said, then corrected himself. “You are gorgeous.”
“Do you remember everything?”
“No, not yet,” he said. “Most everything is still hazy. But one thing that had been bothering me is crystal-clear now.”
“What’s that?”
“Ever since my accident, I felt like I needed to go somewhere,” he said. “My memory was gone, but I knew that there was something for me in the East.”
“Did you remember what it was?”
“It was you,” he said. “It was never that I needed to go east. It was that something I needed was coming from there. I was trying to find you all along. You’re what I was missing. You always were.”
“Theo, it feels like you’ve been away from me,” she said. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’m never leaving again,” he murmured. “Now let’s go home.”
He helped her up to the driver’s seat and was about to go around the carriage when he stopped and returned to her side. “You know, I’m pretty sure that I haven’t told you this all week,” he said, taking her hand. “But I love you. Even if I don’t remember everything, I know that I love you. And that’s never going to change.”
She gripped his hand hard. “And I love you,” she said. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to hear that from you again.”
His smile was wonderful. It was the same broad, bright, toothy smile that never failed to bring out a smile of her own. “Honey, from now on you’re going to hear that from me every day,” he said. “And if I forget to tell you, you’ll just have to remind me.”
“That’s a deal.” She watched him as he went around and climbed aboard, and once they were underway she reached for his hand again. They rode like that, hand in hand, all the way back to the farm.
They didn’t speak much along the way, but Polly was content with what had already been said. Just having her husband back—and hearing him say that he loved her—was more than enough for the moment. Besides, she had other things on her mind.
As soon as the carriage rolled to a stop in front of their home, Polly turned to him and took his hands in hers. “Honey, that was wonderful when you took me to bed last night,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong. But it wasn’t you. I want my husband to make love to me now.”
Lust sparked in his eyes, and without another word he hopped down from the driver’s seat and hurried to her side of the carriage. She was expecting him to help her down, but instead she found herself tumbling into his arms. Her husband carried her as if she were weightless, only depositing her at the doorstep.
“Believe me, there’s nothing I want more than to make love to my wife,” he said, as she turned to open the door.
She could feel him hard against her bottom as he pressed his body against hers. He slipped one arm around her belly, pulling her to him, and with his free hand he was already massaging her breast.
She giggled. “You could at least wait until we get to the bedroom.”
“I could barely wait until we got home,” he murmured, pulling her along down the hall, and bolting the door to their room.
If the night before had been about getting right to work, Theo seemed determined to make up for lost time now. He undressed her slowly, like he was unwrapping a precious gift, and seemingly paused to kiss every inch of her as her flesh was revealed. His hands were warm and strong, running all over her as if to memorize the feel of her curves, and every time his mouth brushed her skin, she felt herself growing more ready for him.
By the time he had stripped her entirely, she could feel herself soaking between her legs, and her pulse was racing. Her breath became shallow as she watched Theo get undressed, freeing his broad shoulders from his shirt. Freeing his abdomen, lightly ridged with muscle. Freeing, finally, that cock that she was waiting for.
“I missed you so much,” she said. “I missed my husband in bed with me.”
He took her in his arms. “And I missed you. You are so beautiful,” he said quietly, then moved his mouth to hers. She could smell his shaving soap as he kissed her, fresh and clean, and she slipped her arms around him. His tongue brushed hers softly at first, then strongly as she began to kiss him back. His mouth was sweet and hot, and as his tongue swept across her lips she felt herself becoming even wetter.
He steered her to the bed and almost instantly slipped into her, filling her to the hilt with one long stroke that made her gasp. “Oh, that’s perfect,” she murmured. It always amazed her how well he fit her pussy. It was like he had been made just for her.
“It is,” he agreed, gently biting her earlobe. “But I want a little something else.”.
“Oh, really now? What’s that?” she asked, though she already knew what he was after. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard this.
He ran a hand down her side and cupped her buttock. “I want this sweet bottom of yours. Will you give it to me?”
She furrowed her brow, considering it. “Well, that depends. Are you going to kiss it first?”
His grin grew wide as he pulled his cock out of her. “You’re damn right I’m going to kiss it.” He knelt on the floor, pushed her thighs apart, and dived in.
He licked her softly at first. His tongue brushed against her gingerly, as if he were unsure of himself, flitting out to land gently on her lips, teasing them apart only the tiniest bit. Then, when her taste had awakened him, Theo pressed on, letting his tongue slip deeper. He brought his hands to her hips, pulling her tightly to him as he worked his mouth over her, slickening her flesh as his tongue swiped the entire length of her pussy.
Polly let out a whispery moan as she pulled her knees up a bit. Theo slipped his hands onto her thighs, pushing them even farther apart as he buried his tongue deep within her, and Polly felt her legs tremble. “Theo, I love your mouth on me there,” she murmured.
“I’m just getting started,” he said. He slowly drew his tongue away from her pussy and began kissing the back of her legs, working his way to her buttocks as he ran his hands over her strong, smooth thighs. He gently spread her ass cheeks apart to better reveal the sensitive pink skin within, and began softly kissing the inner walls before finally letting his tongue land on its target. Polly exhaled sharply as Theo began to stroke her asshole with his tongue, prodding and swirling, grabbing her hips and pulling him strongly to his face. Her legs shivered as he pressed against it with his tongue, trying to push his way inside.
“Oh, lord,” Polly whispered. “That’s so good. But I want more.”
“What do you want, darling?”
“Just a second.”
Polly swung her legs over, then rolled off the bed. She hurried to the kitchen and dabbed two fingers into the lard dish. It was cold at first, but in just the few steps back to the bedroom it began to warm on her skin, and she rubbed her fingers together. Her skin was instantly greasy and slick, just like she needed.
Polly got back into bed and pulled one leg up, then dabbed a glob of lard onto her asshole. Theo let out a low sigh as he watched her, obviously enjoying seeing her touch herself like that, and when she smeared the rest of the grease over his cock, it felt like a throbbing rod of iron in her hand.
“Touch me,” she said. “Touch me down there.”
His grin barely concealed his lust. “My pleasure,” he said, then dropped back down between her legs. He let his fingers play lightly over her, tracing her slit down, slowly going lower and lower and further smearing the grease, until she could feel him pressing against her asshole. Polly quivered under his touch, the thought of the impending pleasure sending a shiver through her, and she gently pushed against him until his finger slipped inside her.
Theo let out another sigh of pleasure as he began to slowly pump her ass, working his finger in and out. He nuzzled Polly’s pussy with his mouth, his tongue returning to the warm folds of flesh, and wrapped his lips around the clit. He gently sucked, tickling the stub with his tongue, and Polly’s hips bucked. She clenched her asshole around her husband’s finger, tightening her grip as Theo drove in and out of her ass.
“Lord, that feels good.” Polly had thrown her head back, her neck arched as she cupped her heavy breasts, flicking her fingers over her nipples. “How many fingers is that?”
“One.”
“Give me two.” She squealed a little bit as Theo captured her clit between his lips, teasing it with his tongue while he slipped a second finger into her. “Just like that.” She bore her hips down, pressing herself against his hand, urging him inside.
“God, I love doing this to you. But I’ve got to have you now,” he said, and she could hear the strain in his voice.
“My poor man,” she cooed, as she squeezed herself around his fingers one last time. “I’m not going to make you wait.”
He eased his fingers out of her and placed a last tender kiss on her thigh. “Get on your hands and knees,” he said.
She turned over for him, with her belly hanging heavily, her tits hanging heavily, and Theo’s hands on her hips already. There was something animal about being taken from behind like this, and she absolutely loved it.
She could feel him nuzzling against her backside, and she backed her hips to press against him. His entire body was deliciously hard against her: she could feel nothing but tense muscle, from his thighs to his arms to the thick cock that was nestling between her butt cheeks. She reached behind and took him in her hand, then rubbed the head of his cock between her buttocks, smearing the grease across her skin.
“Take me,” she whispered, then pushed back against him. Polly couldn’t contain a cry as he entered her; the bedsheet crumpled in her fingers as she clenched her fists and held on. She could feel him moving one hand up her back, gliding across her skin before reaching up to gently squeeze her shoulder. He rocked his hips slowly, letting himself enter only bit by bit, but always driving himself in deeper until she felt him press against her buttocks.
Polly’s breath was stolen away as he began to pump her. There had been a time when she never would have believed that she would let a man take her like this, let alone enjoy it. But truth be told, Polly had loved it from the first time she’d tried it. She was a slave to her own body now, and her body needed to have his cock filling her ass. Her body trembled and her hips bucked involuntarily, pressing back against him, taking everything he could give her and aching for more. The growl that leaped from her throat was unladylike, but undeniably lusty.
Theo pressed into her as he leaned close and slipped one hand down her body, gliding across her belly toward her groin. He remembered how to touch her, that was clear. His hand between her legs, trapping her clitoris between two slick fingers, was enough to send her racing toward the edge.
“Theo, honey, you’re going to make me lose control of myself.”
“We’re going to do this together,” he said. His voice was choppy and his breath was fast now, as if he were barely hanging on. With his free hand, he grasped her hip for leverage. He was filling her slowly, deliberately, as if he wanted to make sure she was feeling every inch of him as he slipped inside, and he paused briefly at the end of every stroke, once he had buried himself completely in her ass.
He leaned close and kissed her at the base of her neck, in that spot that always made her melt. His lips were soft on her, his tongue hot, and those kisses were just what she needed to push her over. It probably seemed to Theo that he was using her to satisfy his lust, but at that moment she knew that it was just the opposite. Polly was rocking her own hips now, taking all he could give her, grinding against him, using his body just for her benefit.
She gasped as her orgasm raced through her, pushing all other thoughts aside like floodwater. At that moment, the only thing that mattered in all the world was the pleasure that was overwhelming her. The stress of the last few days was gone. The tension had disappeared. It didn’t matter that her husband had gone away; the important thing was that he’d returned, and she had him right where she needed him.
The fire that had raced through her was like a fuse to Theo’s lust as well. While Polly was just coming back to herself, she felt his grip on her tighten, and there was a familiar groan as he buried himself entirely within her. She could feel his cock pulsing within her as Theo’s passion overflowed. As Theo shuddered, filling her with his cum and holding her like she’d never escape, he whispered her name. It had never sounded sweeter.