Winter with Aunt Marin

Jack was amazed how hard his nipples were. Marin then lay back over the table after pulling off her knickers and gave the first day's instructions that would make him into a champion at fellatio.

He finished and she lovingly wiped away the juices over his face.

"You cunt seemed to come alive under my administration," he beamed.

"Darling could you remember to use the word pussy unless you have me really worked up when you can call it cunt or whatever else takes your fancy."

Marin worried during the night about the forlorn look she'd seen on Jack's face when she's imposed the 12 lengths rule. Next morning in the barn she removed 30 lbs of oats from the sack and told Jack to practice with that until he could do fifteen lengths with relative ease and she'd add another 20 lbs until he was running with a full sack. She also suggested on fine mornings Jack should run barrow loads of waste to the compost pit.

"This is to toughen me up so I can run 60 lbs twelve lengths?"

"Yes."

The pit of Marin stomach sank at the appreciative look Jack gave her. She thought it mirrored the look a young adult son would give his mother for her doing something extra-special for him. She whispered to herself, "You're finding your soul Jack. Now find your true grit as a man, a man your mother will look upon with pride."

"Why are you weeping Marin?"

"It's nothing."

"Don't give me that crap. What is it?"

"It's the cry of hope Jack, now fuck off and top up the auto hay feeders in the two wintering pastures. Send six full bales down the slide for Alpha horses and four for the Beta group."

Jack frowned. "How can you possibly predict what the horses will have eaten outside over the two days they are been out during the day?"

"They are my horses Jack. I watch them, I notice them and known what they eat. They are my other family and I care for them. Now get pushing hay."

"Anything you say boss."

Marin brought a smile to Jack's face. "We began an hour earlier today because today we beef up our riding program as a lot of the snow has gone. We should hit this before the really hard weather comes."

"Aye, aye. May we break into a full gallop today?"

"Yes, the ice has gone and I believe you are ready but fall off and don't come whining to me."

The following Monday evening Rogan said to Marin, "That boy's got a bee in his bonnet. He demanded today to pull the trailer skip full of split wood by himself like the big youngster Mace does."

"Mace took pity on the kid and explained technique to him and pushed to get Jack started. Jack noticed and snarled, "Get your hands off my skip you buffoon and Mace fell about laughing, as we all did actually. The boss wanted Jack to sign on fulltime and he said he'd let Ross Allen go, but Jack said Ross's father was off work sick so no way would he put Ross out of a job. What's happening to our gang hanger on?"

"I think we are all getting to him Rogan -- you, me, the horses and Ross. Look, Maureen MacDonald will be home from college for the weekend. I'll invite her to dinner on Saturday night and invite her to stay the night and for Jack to take her home in the morning and breakfast over there? It's about time he had a break. I'll talk to Maureen's mother. Providing she gets her daughter back early Sunday morning I don't think she'll mind."

* * *

Jack couldn't understand why on Saturday evening Marin wanted him in best jeans and the new sweater she'd brought for him.

"Are you cooking something special?"

"Yes, a four-course dinner. I feel like entertaining."

"Who?"

"You Jack and my lovely husband."

Jack was on the floor when he heard a vehicle rattle over the pipe livestock barrier.

"Someone's coming," he shouted.

They all heard a vehicle door slam.

"Answer the door please Jack."

"Okay -- stay playing with the choo-choo train little buddy."

Jack opened the door.

"Are you going to stand there all night with your mouth open or will you invite me in?"

"Oh, er. Maureen. Please come in. Is this a social call or are you invited?"

"Does it matter Jack? Now kiss me."

"Jack, that was a peck. A bit of tongue please."

"Shhhh. The oldies will hear."

Rogan and Marin were in the kitchen cracking up. They could hear everything.

"Jack, what a gorgeous top. I bet Marin bought that for you?"

"How can you tell, is it girly?"

"No Jack. The colors suit you very well and the pattern is definitely new season's."

"What's that?"

"Never mind Jack. Say something nice about me."

"Your dress looks ready to fall off with no straps. God your tits look great -- a mix of flesh and covered contours. They're a real great set Maureen."

"Oh Jack, you are such a darling. You'll be great when you're trained."

The pair entered the kitchen-living room and found their hosts locked together, tears streaming down their faces.

"Are you guys okay?" Jack asked.

"Yes Jack, Marin said, wiping her eyes. We will never forget your stay here and as Maureen has said, you are such a darling."

They had cocktails and after a shrimp appetizer and a lightly curried chicken roll entrée Marin said airily, "Why don't you two go off to Jack's room and listen to music. Mains will be another fifteen minutes."

Maureen was pulling Jack away when he turned and said, "But I don't have music in my bedroom."

"Shoo, off you go Jack. Don't imagine problems."

Jack arrived home just before lunch next day. He pulled out cans of beer for Rogan and himself and poured vodka over rocks for Marin. "Isn't Maureen just a real honey?"

Rogan smacked his lips on the remains of amber liquid: "She's got freckles Jack."

Marin frowned at her husband and said, "Yes she'd absolutely gorgeous Jack. You two make a fine couple."

Rogan and Jack stared at Marin who suddenly found it necessary to straighten her neck chain.

"The horses look good," Rogan said, looking out the window.

No one answered or commented on his amazing eyesight that allowed him to ascertain the condition and health of horses grazing outside half a mile away. The awkward silence continued a little longer.

When Marin was dishing out homemade soup as thick as Irish stew, a plate of defrosted buns already on the table, Rogan engaged Jack in man's talk, whispering.

"What's she like to fuck?"

Jack was petrified.

"Come on, I did her mom once when we were both drunk."

Jack was horrified. "Er I haven't done it."

Rogan grinned and punched Jack on the upper arm. "Liar, I know of two times after you guys went to bed, again this morning and last night before we had the baked steaks."

The stupid ox Rogan meant Maureen and not Marin. Jack was flooded in relief. He grabbed Rogan's empty beer can and asked him did he want a replacement. Rogan nodded, watching Jack intently. Jack knew he said to say something. "It's like putting your hand into a box packed with captured squirrels."

Rogan sat back grinning. Phantom crisis over.

"Are you guys whispering about Maureen?"

"No," they both lied.

Half an hour after lunch Jack left the room and began dressing up to go outside. Rogan came out and asked what was up. Had he forgotten Maureen's parents were taking her to her grandparent's place for lunch before putting her on the bus for college?

"No, I'm going over to the barn to ran a sack."

"What?"

"Er, I'm building up my strength. Marin's been teaching me unarmed combat but we are still working on the importance of balance and moving weight when weaving and timing to have the weight in the right place to throw behind a punch. She says much of the success in any type of combat fighting including a lunchtime punch up is maintaining balance because without that you can't get weight in behind your blows."

Rogan looked at Jack thoughtfully. "Listen kid, you've grown a bit taller and packed on a bit more weight since you're been here and the horse riding and pushing barrows have made you fitter. I reckon you could take Ross now without any more work."

"Who's talking about Ross? I'm aiming to beat Mace."

Startled, Rogan grabbed his outer trousers and pulled them on and pulling his jacket off the hook yelled, "Marin, we'll clean up after we get back."

"Where are you going?"

"Over to the barn."

"You are not going to disturb the horses are you?"

Rogan whispered to Jack what was Jack going to do over there and when Jack repeated the phrase said, "I'm going to watch Jack run a sack."

"Well keep your feet dry and don't spoil Jack's routine. He's working up progressively so don't encourage him to show off."

"Women," Rogan complained as they walked off, dodging puddles left by the partial thaw. "They have to dot every 'i' and cross every 't'; no wonder they can't shoot or fish."

"Marin is good at everything. I thought she'd be good at hunting."

"Well she is Jack, don't screw me up. She is an exceptional woman and punches above her weight in almost everything she does. Look at her skating and her singing and in the security business the louts called her Hammer O'Hara. She hit the guys with simple leather gloves to protect her skin but when she went into a guy who was swinging they'd say it wasn't fair because they just couldn't bear to hit a woman. Right -- they couldn't hit her because she was generally too fast for them."

"Singing -- Marin sings?"

"Yeah, very softly when getting the kids asleep but I'm talking when she was lead with the Pine Valley Gals. They sing country and Marin is Dolly Parton without such a big chest, if you get what I mean."

Jack was astonished Rogan was taking such an interest in him. Until now Rogan had been polite but distant, as if resentful he had come into the family. At that the dime dropped for Jack; of course, Rogan and Marin had operated a business aimed and helping businessmen combat criminals and here was Jack, caught up on the fringe of a gang causing the authorities trouble coming to reside in Rogan's house and being with his children.

"You know Jack, you have been a real surprise agreeing to come here and I've noticed your attitude change dramatically," Rogan said.

Jack thought that's confirmation he's thawed.

"I regarded you as being dumped on us because you were being such a little shit that your parents couldn't handle you. Marin is kin to you but she had enough on her plate with the horses as well as the kids and looking after us. But you knuckled in, which was the surprise, even to changing Peggy's crapped pants and I'm telling you, rather you than me. You've been pushing shit in the barn instead of using the tractor and trailer and hauling the wood skip at work and all that puzzled me until just a few minutes ago when it all became clear. You want to topple Mace because it will make you feel like a man and Marin is working to get you there because she feels it will take you far beyond ten seconds of glory."

"If I can do it."

"Jack, be like Marin. She never thinks there is nothing she can't do. If it doesn't work out at first she just keeps gnawing away until she finds a way around the problem to get the result she wants."

"She is so inspirational. I almost wished she was my mother."

Rogan place a big hand over Jack's jacketed shoulder and said, "Your mom's okay and I don't want you to forget that. As you know Philip, Pauline and Marin grew up on their parent's farm in this district over in that direction in the foothills. Marin was proving a real dunce at school, couldn't get her mind around things as everything distracted her, so I was told. Then there was a terrible winter when the family lost so many cattle they were almost wiped out. They were practically cut off for three months, food being brought into them by packhorses. That three months is now being repeated with you holed out here, isn't it?"

Jack looked at Rogan and they exchanged deep looks.

"You mother was home from college and was trapped in with the family. So she got hold of Marin who was in low primary grade and brought her to heel, teaching her schoolwork, about the world, how to sew and cook and rejected their parent's protests and took Marin out in new blizzard conditions to feed ailing calves and horses and they'd join their father to break out hay for the cattle camped out in the trees around the ancient homestead. If it hadn't been for those trees and your grandfather never having thrown away end-of-season bales of hay in his life - they had three haystacks in various stages of decomposition - the family would have been wiped out financially."

"Well one morning it suddenly was all over -- the appearance of dim sunlight was behind thinning cloud and that afternoon sunlight finally broke through. Two days later Pauline went back to finish college and a few days later little Marin returned to school where her grade teacher was staggered to find a wayward student was now one of her top learners, a transformation that had occurred in a little under three months of dreadful weather."

"I've heard mom talking about that but didn't listen. For some reason I switched off on things like that."

"I wonder who was like that when she was young?"

Jack grinned and thumped Rogan on the shoulder. Rogan brushed his shoulder and said, "A gnat out at this time of year."

They grinned.

In the barn Rogan asked what was the weight of the sack and was told 60 lbs. "Not 160?"

"No," Jack said indignantly and grinned sheepishly when he spotted the teasing grin.

He ran the sack eight lengths and finished in virtually a stumble.

"Pick it up and run again."

"I'm stuffed."

"Pick in up and run again. As soon as you're hitting the pain barrier you're stopping. Try to run through it and get your second wind."

"I could kill myself."

Rogan roared, "Bullshit. Don't be a wimp. If you die I'll tell everyone I was wrong, it was my fault. How the fuck are you going to topple Mace in a friendly fight if you give up like this?"

To Jack's astonishment he managed another four lengths.

"Don't look so pleased Jack. You goofed. Had you not stopped you would have made fifteen lengths, either that or I'm wrong."

Rogan took Jack into the track room and told him to strip to the waist. "This is going to hurt Jack and bruise you. For fuck sake don't you dare allow Marin to see the marks because if she does she'll have my balls for breakfast."

"What?"

"Never mind. You can't fight unless you can take punches. What I going to do is to hit you repeatedly with a knotted towel. It won't be too painful at first but that will change when I soak it."

Jack grunted as the knot slammed into the sides of his arms as he danced on his feet, moving backwards and forwards as instructed.

"Add some weaving, looking straight ahead and not watching out for the towel. It will be hurting you Jack but I can flay it much harder. We'll work up to that. This is all about building you mind to cope with incoming blows they get through your defense."

Jack, almost crying, said if they became any harder he was off home.

Rogan dropped the towel and went to leave the room.

"Nah, just joking Rogan," Jack lied.

Rogan picked up the towel and really whacked Jack just under the heart.

"Get your head and guard up, here comes the follow up."

The blow caught Jack across the face and he staggered backwards.

"Shit, sorry. We'll stop now."

"Unless you keep going at least another ten minutes I'll walk in to Marin with my shirt off and let her see what a maniac she's married to has done to me. And providing she cooks them I'll eat one of your balls."

Rogan grinned and they continued on. When they finished he said Jack's right eye was swelling already.

"Bunch your fist and give me a light touch on that spot."

"Why?"

"I'll explain we were shadow boxing and you landed me one."

"She'll berate me."

"Oh, unable to ride a verbal punch from a girl eh?"

Rogan bunched his fists and then relaxed and grinned. "You know Jack, you mightn't be such a bad asshole after all."

Marin saw Jack's puffed eye socket as soon as he walked into the room.

"You beast," she shrilled at Rogan, running toward Jack who pushed her away as asked her to fetch ice. Marin ran to him with a pack of frozen peas.

"Leave me, leave me. I'll do it."

"Rogan, how could you be such a monster? You are a trained brawler and Jack is only eighteen."

"Stop fussing Marin. We were shadow boxing and he landed me one. Probably accidentally although I don't know if that's true," Jack said, grinning at Rogan standing behind Marin.

Marin swung around and said icily, "Rogan O'Hara, now you listen to me..."

"Marin leave him or else I'll have to deal with you."

Marin swung around and looked at her insolent nephew.

"Er, verbally I mean. I've had the best time I've ever had with Rogan. For the first time he's taken an interest in me, treating me like...like..."

"Yes?"

"A son."

Marin spun around and rushed at Rogan, whimpering.

"Aw, okay if I have a bath? You two look as if you need time on your own."

Marin pushed Rogan away. "Yes dear, off you go. Rogan in and play with Peter who's in his bedroom with Peggy. The weekend is your time with them. Remember? But you are a darling entertaining our big boy, although roughly."

The house phone went and the call was for Rogan. Marin came into the bathroom without knocking, took one look at Rogan's chest and thrust her hand over her mouth crying 'Oh god. How many times did he hit you? It's dozens. I'll murder the skunk."

"He never hit me. These are from a knotted towel. Rogan says if I can't take a punch I'll be next to useless. This is to toughen me up and I agree with him. Allow him to teach me his way and you keep on with your way."

"He'll ruin my slow build up, the way it should be done."

"Dotting every 'i' and crossing every 't' eh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Nonsense I suppose. Give me a sexy kiss and get out of her before he gets off the phone. Let him find you in the bedroom with the children. I don't want Rogan seeking us together like this. And please don't interfere with what he is doing. Today is the first day he's taken an interest in me. Don't wreck that."

"You're not fair to me and I bent over backwards, against my whole instinct, to throw Maureen at you."

"Cut your jealously and get out. I love you and that's that; end of story. Here, let me have a quick feel. Jeepers it's wet."

"Drama makes me excited."

"That's wonderful news. Now fuck off before we're caught."

* * *

The settled weather was continuing so the horses had been left out for the past three nights. Marin had explained to Jack it was a fact that horses fared better out in the open but there was a threat from ice and she didn't want her horses hit by flying debris. After Jack had filled the chaff boxes and hay feeders while Marin walked around the horses, she returned to saddle up in the pre-dawn.

"That's not Jessie."

"You want to toughen up so today you ride Guy. He's far more powerful that Jessie and testy with it though perhaps that's not an appropriate word for a gelding but you'll know you have been riding after ninety-minutes on him. That's if you manage to stay on him."

"Ah, a real ride?"

"Yes, we're going to the back of the farm checking on boundary lines to make sure deer haven't broken through."

"Ah, so that explains the rifle."

"We love venison."

"Well I don't. Mom calls it eating Bambi."

"God you city dwellers amaze me. What about Clarence the Lamb and Mobi the little calf? Anyway you always ask for seconds when I serve venison stew."

"Have I eaten venison?"

"Yes, quite an amazing amount, especially since you've begun fucking Maureen."

Jack lost his smile. "I've told you, I don't want you whining in that jealous tone."

"Am I whining jealously? Sorry. Actually I adore Maureen. She's a wonderful young woman and very talented."