Jesse has inherited his Grandfather's ranch. Now he must fight his father to keep it while he must honor his Grandfather's last wish of seeking Coyote.

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Chapter 16 Going East

The two men started to laugh at Merry's comment, before Jesse shushed them. Tom came over and
picked up the little girl to carry her back to her room. “Was she awake when you got back George?” asked Jesse.

“Everyone was asleep when I came in. I napped on the couch until Tom woke up. I think Gail took the main bedroom. Tom and Cindy have the guestroom with the baby. And they put Merry in your aunt's old room. I can wake Gail up if you want me to get her to help you with your bath.”

“No, let her sleep she is going to have to get up to begin breakfast to feed the hands in a couple of hours or so. A few of more hours isn't going to hurt me being dirty. I will nap in the easy chair in the office while you nap on the couch. Why was Tom up?”

“He had just finished feeding and changing the baby. Lets get a few winks in before the day starts.”

About 5:00 am, Gail came down to the kitchen to begin getting breakfast ready for the ranch. She put on the coffee to brew while she mixed the biscuits to place in the preheating oven. She slid a pan of bacon in the oven and began frying some sausage. It wasn't long before the aromas spread through the house waking the occupants. George was the first one to walk into the kitchen looking for a cup of coffee. He put his arms around his wife as she was at the stove working on the sausage and kissed her on the back of the neck. “I just love a woman who knows her way around a kitchen.”

Gail turned in his arms to kiss him when Tom and Cindy walked in with the baby. “Eweee. They’re at it again,” Cindy said to Tom teasing her parents. Tom turned the young mother toward him, “I think we should join them.” as he kissed her.

“Has anyone seen Jesse?” asked Gail.

“She is sleeping in the easy chair in the office,” said the ranch foreman.

“I was,” said Jesse. “That smells so good.” Gail was pulling the biscuits and bacon out of the oven. “Do you need any help?”

“Child, you sit over there out of the way. I have this. If I need any help George or Tom can pitch in.”

Cindy spoke up, “Mom, I can help.”

“Cindy, I need you to take Jesse up stairs and help her with her bath and then get Merry up and dressed.”

George started cracking eggs into a bowl to scramble them as Jesse and Cindy ate a sausage and biscuit a piece. They then worked their way up stairs to the bath.

Jesse stepped into her bathroom and started to strip out of her dirty clothes. She had managed to get her pants unbuttoned and down around her ankles, when Cindy came into the bathroom. Jesse was embarrassed as she stood in the middle of the floor in her shirts and boxers. “Now that we are alone tell me what's going on,” whispered Cindy. “You were a boy and now I am to believe that you are a girl?”

“I was changed into a girl by Coyote.”

“You may have fooled everyone else, but I helped changed your diapers when I was five.”

“Help me finish getting my clothes off then you can examine me if you want to. I am going to need help in bathing any way. I need to look my best when I step into court two days from now, and I'm not supposed to get the cast wet”

The older girl unbuttoned the shirt Jesse was wearing, helped her take off the outer shirt and t-shirt. The younger girl's pert breasts bounced as the loose t-shirt was pulled up over her head and then slid down over the cast. “Whew, you stink like a girl who has not bathed in weeks and there is a slight odor of dirty dog,” said Cindy.

“I was on my spirit quest when Coyote changed me. He, also, changed me into a wolf for nearly a week. That is where I met Merry.”

“I'll let you take your boxers off while I fill the tub. After cleaning you and Merry, its going to need a good scrubbing. You met Merry up on the mountain? Where are her parents?”

“They are still up there.”

“What? You mean her parents live in the wilds on the mountain!”

“Yes, they wouldn't last very long down here.”

“I don't understand.”

“Merry was a wolf pup until just a few days ago. Coyote decided that I should become a shaman, and one of the gifts The Great Spirit has given me is healing or knowing the what needs to be done for someone to be healed. Merry has a hole in her heart that doesn't allow it to work properly. She was changed to a little girl, so that I can help get her the medical attention she needs.”

“Didn't you say that The Great Spirit gave you the gift of healing. Why can't you heal her?”

“Sometimes, I am not supposed to heal someone or I am to get them to a doctor. Coyote decided that Merry is to be my sister and part of my family, the lesson with Merry is that I am to listen to the Spirits, do what I can, and know what I can't do. Sometimes it’s just to listen and ease the person into the afterlife.”

The tub was full of bubbles when Jesse turned to step into it. “A bubble bath. Really! I am too old for a bubble bath, too dirty, and don't have the time.”

Cindy said, “A girl always has time for a bubble bath and is never too old. It will relax you and relieve some of the tension you have been under.” Jesse gave the older girl a skeptical look. “Look you soak for twenty minutes to “loosen” the dirt and I will go get Merry up and dressed. When that is done, I will come back and help you finish. Don't do anything, but soak and dream about that boy you are going to marry.”

Jesse threw a wet wash cloth at the retreating Cindy. “I DON”T HAVE A BOYFRIEND.”

Cindy stuck her head back into the bathroom, “Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.” Stuck her tongue out and retreated again.

'If I have to face lawyers for the next few days I better look the part of a college educated woman and shave,' Jesse thought to herself. She started to reached over to the sink and picked up her razor. It was unused most of the time. As, true to her heritage, she did not have to shave often as a male and then just the stray hair. Cindy looked back in on the younger girl. “No shaving until I get back. You are just to relax. I will be back in a few minutes, I about have Merry ready.”

Cindy came back and found that the younger girl hadn't listened and only nicked her legs twice as she was shaving them. “I told you to wait. Shaving your legs is learned, and shaving them while trying to keep your cast dry is even harder.” Cindy showed Jesse how to use soap to make the razor glide easier and then used the razor on the girl's underarms. She gently raised the broken arm and let it back down as she finished shaving the young girl.

“How is your arm feeling?”

“It is throbbing some, but I can handle it.” Stepping out of the shower, she noticed that Cindy had replaced her old, ragged, blue, bathrobe with a thick, fluffy, pink, one. She let the older girl help her slip into it and then walked into her bed room.

On the bed, she saw where Cindy had laid out a pair of pink satin panties with a lacy trim and the matching bra. “If you are going to be a girl you might as well get used to wearing this stuff.” The older woman helped pull the panties up. The feel of the panties sliding up her legs was different from the boxers she used to wear, but it was putting on the bra that gave her the most trouble. The older girl had to gently pull the shoulder strap up the broken arm, and then she worked the other arm into the other strap. Cindy helped Jesse place her breasts in the cups and then fastened the bra behind her. The feeling was unlike any she had experienced. 'This must be the way Big Spot feels with a saddle,' she giggled. The girl realized the bra gave her breasts support when she moved.

They found a knee length denim skirt with a western theme and a white cotton blouse that had some western embroidery on it. After putting these on, Jesse found a pair of cowgirl boots to match the outfit.

When they came down stairs, Merry was sitting at the table eating the eggs and bacon, that was set before her, with her hands. She hadn't mastered drinking from a cup and had spilled milk on herself and the table. George was sitting there holding the cup for her. Merry would drink, but sometimes she would try to lap at the milk.

Gail gasped when she saw the younger woman, “Child aren't you a sight. You are more beautiful than your aunt.” The woman turned round to gaze at the little girl “Last night, I thought you were bringing home a wolf pup. This little girl is hardly three years old. And you found her on the mountain being taken care of by wolves.”

“Miss Shilling, up until a few days ago, she was a wolf pup. She was just weaned off her mother. Coyote turned her into a little girl so that I can get her help. She has a hole in her heart and needs to see a cardiologist to get it fixed.”

“Your Grandfather always talked about Coyote like He was some sort of god. You want me to believe that an animal has special magic so It can change wolves into people.”

“Not just any animal, Miss Shilling. Coyote is one of the deities of the ancient people. He was more associated with the southwestern tribes, but that is where my Grandfather picked up his beliefs. I have met and spoken with Him. He changed me from a male to a female.”

“Now you are pulling my leg. Your Grandmother told me you were her granddaughter with a strong tomboy streak.”

“My Grandmother was very ill. After I was born and my Aunt died in the accident, she treated me like I was a girl. Granddad and I decided it wouldn't hurt to go along with her as she seemed to be better after a visit from her granddaughter. She kept asking God for a granddaughter to ease the pain of her loss. Now she has one.”

“George, is what she is saying true. Just looking at her, I can't believe she was ever a boy.”

“Darling, Jesse hasn't lied to you or pulled your leg. Up until a few days ago, she was a boy.”

“So how does a young girl survive on the mountain with wolves running around?” asked Ms Shilling.

“This is another tale you won't believe Miss Shilling, but this particular pack of wolves and my family has had a history back to when my ancestor first settled this region. It was then that the two families began to be intertwined. Members of my family can actually become wolves, not werewolves as in the stories told around campfires where they have no choice but to become wolves when the moon is full. If they answer the call to come run with the wolves, which is the spirit animal of my family, they will become a wolf. Those who become wolves can choose to take a mate from Merry's pack and remain a wolf or they can change back. They can still run with the wolves when they feel the need. Sometimes the person that has changed into a wolf, if he has decided to take a mate from the pack, can bring their mate back to the ranch and they will both become human.”

My Grandfather decided not to run with the wolves when he was young. I think he had already married my Grandmother. My dad refused to hear the call. He has always been angry about something. He had a fight with my aunt just before she died. That seemed to deepen his anger. He moved east and met my mother. She somehow calmed him, but when she died, his anger boiled over again. Because my dad refused to hear the call of the wolves and swore he would chase the pack off the mountain, my grandfather left the ranch to me.”

I am not sure how I know all this. It might be the shaman in me. I am supposed to become a shaman and Matthew Two Bears is to train me.”

“That old Indian. Some say he is magical, but I never believed it.” Said Gail. “And now, you are going to hang around him.”

“More than that, he is going to live here until he decides to leave.”

“Well, it’s your ranch. I hope you know what your doing.”

“Miss Shilling this is what Coyote told me to do. If you keep an open mind, you may find this most enlightening.”

They looked back at Merry with the spilled milk on her clothes. With George's help, she was trying to dry it out of her clothes. “She is such a lovely child. Getting her cleaned up and into bed was … an adventure. She kept telling me that wolves don't take baths. I told her little girls do. Cindy showed up with up with her baby, and I told her the trouble I was having with this child, so they both gave the baby a bath before putting it down. Merry asked Cindy why she didn't just lick her clean. We got a good laugh out of that. Cindy had to explain that humans don't lick their children clean, our tongues weren't designed do to that.”

Cindy said, “I managed to coax her into the bath tub with bubbles and that it would be fun. 'All little girls liked taking bubble baths.' I shampooed her hair and then put some cream rinse in it to help get the tangles out. Her hair is so lovely, I didn't want to cut it.”

Merry was dressed in a short romper dress with a cotton t-shirt underneath. She had on anklet socks and Merry Jane shoes. Jesse sat beside the little girl, “You look so pretty. I like your hair in the braid.”

“I don't like the shoes.”

“Why not?”

“Wolves don't wear shoes.”

“Are the shoes hurting your feet?”

“No.”

“You will get used to them. Sometimes we go without shoes, but it is hard on our feet.”

Jesse asked Cindy, “How did you get her into the shoes?”

“I had to put shoes on the baby.”

While they were talking Doc Henley came in. “Am I in time for breakfast?”

“Of course,” said Gail and she started to put together a plate for the doctor.

“I had to get a few things together at the hospital. My daughter has things covered, so when are getting this show on the road.”

“I have a few things to pack,” said Jesse. “But it shouldn't take long. I need a business suit for court and some shoes. The rest can be casual.”

“Do you know what time the hearing is?” asked Tom.

“It is at two o'clock. I'm supposed to have a DNA test before we get there, but I have been on the mountain until now. My lawyer back east has a DNA expert to read the results once we have them.”

Doc Henley spoke up, “I know of a place in Helena that can do the DNA test for us and fax the results to us at the courthouse where the hearing will take place. I get involved in paternity cases every now and then. I hate to see a single mother being stiffed by a dead beat dad.”

Tom said, “Alright, you and Cindy go pack what you need, and we will get on the road. The charter plane won't leave without us, but it is still a long flight.”

“Why a charter plane,” asked the doctor.

“Because my ID doesn't match me any more, and trying to get through TSA is hard enough at best.”

Cindy and Jesse ran up stairs to pack. Cindy was pulling underclothes out of the bureau, while Jesse was pulling skirts and blouses out of the storage boxes that had been brought down out of the attic. “I'm going to have to stop and buy a suit for court,” said Jesse. “There are plenty of casual clothes, but I don't see anything that will work as business attire.”

“When you get to Helena, have Tom take you by a mall and get an outfit from one of the upscale stores. If we had the time we would find the prefect suit, but sometimes one just can't go on a shopping safari like one should. Also, if you have time once you get back east, go by a salon and get your hair done. Otherwise, put it up in a pony tail and clip it down. Stop at Claire's in the mall to get your ears pierced and the hair clips you will need.”

“I wish I was going with you, but I decided to stay here with Mom. I can help her cook and clean up afterward, but mostly she can help with the baby,” said the older girl with a grin and pointing to her head.

They both giggled at that. And started down the stairs. Tom took the suit case out to the car with Cindy following so they could say good-bye and Cindy could tell him what he needed to do when they reached Helena.

While they were upstairs packing, Doc Henley had examined Merry. She had taken her wet clothes off and was standing in the kitchen in her panties. Gail had walked up stairs to get some clean clothes for the little girl. The doctor had put his stethoscope in the little girl's ears where she could hear her heart and she was listening to George's heart. The girls came down stair to this scene and couldn't help but laugh at the concentration on Merry's face as she was listening the ranch foreman's heart.

“George are you ready?” asked Jesse.

“Somethings have come up on the south range that I must attend to. You'll have Doc Henley with you, so I know you are in good hands. Even without Doc, you could take this on by yourself.”

“In that case, Doc are you ready? Tom is outside waiting.”

“Let's go. I'll tell you what I found during my examination of Merry as Tom drives. Also, I'll put a call into my pediatric cardiologist friend on the way. He is in the same building as the DNA lab.”