Finally, the California Kid, in a resigned voice, said, “We’re happy you can walk real good now.”The reaction was not what she had expected. Cur...ous why they weren’t happy she could walk, she asked, “What’s the matter?”None of the men answered her. They all stared into the fire as if there was something very interesting going on within the flames. The air was filled with a sullen, almost bitter, feel. She looked around getting angry that they were not happy for her. Putting her hands on her. " Wicked lady pirates who take to one another's beds rather than any man's," she said."Fair enough," said I. "Have you been to a man's bed before?" I asked, stroking her hair."Only my master's," she said, and I could see the hatred for what she'd been forced to do. Well, none would force her here. It didn't look likely to be necessary."Men are such brutes," I said, my hand resting lightly upon her thigh. "Would it not be better if the delicate sex were to have... well, another sex just as. I remember him saying, "Marie, I have to be honest with you. I've never been with an escort before and don't have any idea where to begin. I guess you know I won you as a prize. Do you have anything in mind?"He was so sweet and yet honest. I didn't know many men like that.I remember telling him, "Jim, it's a date. I don't want you all uptight. Pretend we're old friends and are just going to have a good time for the next twenty-four hours. If it's my clothes that are bothering you, I can change.. ‘‘Where’s the house?’‘At the northern edge of our land; the previous owners had built the house near the only source of water on the land, a small stream that runs out of the mountain behind it and collects in a small pond before running underground. I had Miguel, our foreman, and the rest of the hands build up the sides of the pond so it could collect more water and dig a small canal to bring water deeper into the valley. Up here as in the valley below, water is the key to survival.’“I have to.