knee, “and then all the way up to here.”
Sophie placed her hand over the soft place between her legs and licked her lips. She began to sway back and forth, lightly stroking her black silk panties.
“Sophie,” he begged, leaping to his feet. “You gotta get out of here right now!”
But Sophie wasn’t listening. She just smiled, then opened her eyes and removed her other stocking and all of her underclothing from the waist down. She giggled as Wheeler came charging around his desk to stand before her puffing like a steam locomotive ready to roll. She giggled even more when his hand reached out against his will and he stroked her leg and then spread his feet apart as his manhood began to rise.
“What the hell are you doin’, drivin’ me crazy like this after these last few years?” Marshal Wheeler wheezed.
He expelled a deep, shaky breath. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve dreamed about you coming to me and doin’ something just like this?”
“Dreams sometimes come true,” Sophie whispered, placing her hands on his shoulders and spreading her feet apart.
Wheeler gulped, and his hand unbuckled his cartridge belt. “I could lose my job if someone walked in here right now.”
“The door is locked. We always locked the door when I came by for a visit, remember?”
He was so excited that he wasn’t listening. “Sophie, I’m real worried. You see, Ford’s friends almost shot me because I wouldn’t tell them where the marshal took him.”
“I won’t shoot you,” Sophie said. “I promise. You’re going to shoot me like you used to. Oh, Abe, I’ve really missed it. Missed it a lot.”
“You have!”
Sophie unbuttoned his pants, and his shaft jumped out to stand rigidly at attention. She took it into her hands and stroked it until the marshal quivered like a bird dog.
“I can’t wait,” he moaned, reaching for her.
Sophie stepped back. “First,” she said, “the information. Where are they?”
“Probably in Lone Pine,” he breathed. “If Ford’s friends haven’t found’em yet.”
“On horses?”
“No,” he said, bunching her skirt up above her waist and then hoisting her onto the top of Deputy Trout’s desk while swiping everything on the desk onto the floor. “They’re traveling in that old medicine wagon that was sitting out in back of the alley!”
Sophie lay back and spread her legs. Marshal Wheeler did have a fire left in him after all, and now, as he climbed onto her and began to pump furiously, Sophie lay back and sort of felt glad that the old badger still had plenty of ripe sap in his long timber.
Fifteen minutes after she’d gone inside, Sophie stepped back out of the marshal’s office.
“Oh, my heavens!” Molly said. “Your face is all flushed and you’re wearing a big smile!”
“Am I?”
“Yes, you are. I’d say it’s pretty obvious that Marshal Wheeler still has some life to him.”
“Yes,” Sophie said, smoothing her skirt, “he does.”
“I feel so sorry for the poor man. Will you start something up with him again?”
“If he collects that big reward I might.”
Molly laughed. “I swear that you are a mercenary devil, Sophie Flanigan!”
“A girl,” she said, “has to do the best she can with what she’s got while she’s got it.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Molly said, taking her friend’s arm. “Now, where did Marshal and Deputy Trout take that damned Ford Oakley?”
“They’d be about to Lone Pine,” Sophie whispered so she could not be overheard. “Maybe past that by now.”
“Lone Pine,” Molly said. “I just knew that’s the way he’d travel because it is so much prettier!”
“Well, it’s true and here’s the good news. They’ve got Ford hidden in that old medicine wagon that was parked in the alley for so long.”
Molly’s eyes lit up. “Then we can catch them on a couple of good horses!”
“If you’re woman enough for it,” Sophie taunted her.
“I am!” Molly vowed. “But you’ve already gone for one ride this morning. Can you handle another?”
Sophie giggled. “Let’s get changed and rent some good, fast horses and I’ll just show you how ready I am.”
And so the two pretty young women hurried away. In less than an hour, they were leading a pair of tall, fast horses out of the back of the local livery.
“You ladies gonna ride very far today?” the liveryman asked as he adjusted their stirrups.
“Oh,” Molly said, “I don’t think so. We’ll just be gone for the morning. Should be back by early afternoon.”
“Be careful out there,” the liveryman warned. “You never know who you’ll meet up with.”
