1

In a small Wyoming town, just south of Wind River a place where everyone knew everyone else’s Business, and nothing kept for more than a day. Not even the goings on in the ranches even though most of them were 4 or 5 miles out of town. This was a place where nothing much ever happened. At least that was until Tyler Butler and his family moved into the old Henson ranch 10 miles from town. He and his heavily pregnant wife, Darlene already had seven children. Trenton then almost 15 and his only son was what made everyone in town take notice of the Butler’s or at least the way his father handled him the first morning he dropped his daughter’s off at school. Trenton sat in the back of his father’s truck dirty, cold and miserable while his sisters sat in the cab with their father.



He had Mary-Kate 10, Lilly-Mae 8, Amy-Louise 6, Betty-Sue 3 and twins Kasey-Leigh and Darlene Marie 1 with him. They were all petite little girls with Golden blonde wavy hair and blue eyes. They all wore a frilly sundress and had ribbons in their hair to match their dresses. Tyler Butler unlike his six little girls whom must take after their mother in looks and builds, was 6 ft 3 ins. in height with the build of a man who looked like he did a rigorous workout every day. His son on the other hand Trenton Joseph from what could be seen of him under his Stetson was dark like his father, he was tall but scrawny. He sat quiet and still in the back of his father’s truck while he saw his three eldest daughters into school. Why was he sitting in the truck bed cold and miserable when there was clearly enough room in the nine-seated cab for him?

However, they had not been there half way into town when he had to stop the truck to separate Trenton and Mary-Kate from squabbling. He yanked Trenton from the truck and held him by the scruff of the neck.

“If I weren’t half way into town right now I’d take down your pants and shorts and give you a real hard licking with the belt! In fact, what the hell, there ain’t no one here we’re in middle of nowheres anyways. Get off your shirt and get down your pants and shorts boy,” replied Tyler removing his belt.

“No Pa’ please weren’t my fault Mary-Kate started it!”

“I know I dun’t ‘avta’ tell you again Trenton Joseph Butler!”

Trenton took down his denim overalls and his boxer shorts and lay face down on the truck bed, Mary-Kate felt guilty as her father used his belt on Trenton’s backside.

“You’ve been at it all darn morning both of you! And your poor mum’s got enough on her plate without you two and your squabbling!”

Trenton wiped his t-shirt sleeve across his nose.

“And you don’t ever hit any of your sisters’!” he replied giving him another whack with the belt.

“But she, she yanked up my shorts!”

“That still don’t give you the right to go thumping her like that! Now get your pants back up and go sit in the truck bed out everyone’s way till you can learn to behave!”

“But that ain’t fair! Why you so mad at me, she was doin’ it too!”

Tyler grabbed his T-shirt.

“You want me to use this again!”

Trenton cowered and sobbed.

“No sir!”

“Then do as I tell you!”

He pulled his overalls back up and put his shirt on and his father grabbed him by the scruff of the neck again and threw him into the truck bed.

“Now get up back an’ you better sit there still an’ quiet till we get back home less I tell you to move and you dun’t want to sit for a week! You hear me boy!”

“Yes sir!”

So, Trenton was made to sit in the truck bed cold and miserable. He always got the blame; it wasn’t fair his sisters’ got away with everything.

Miss Walters the schoolmistress looked up from being introduced to the girl’s and saw the boy in the truck. He was not as neat and clean as his sister’s, in fact he looked as filthy as the men who worked in the quarry. His chequered shirt was scruffy and looked a few sizes too big, his denim overalls were only half on at the brace they were filthy and ripped at the knees and he had a scruffy grimy white long sleeve T-shirt underneath them. He could not have been much older than 15.

“What about the boy?” She asked.

“Trenton! Come here!”

“What for? I ain’t done nuthin’!”

Tyler walked over to the truck and gave him a slap on the ear. Miss Walters watched the boy cower.

“Get your no good, useless butt up boy and show some respect when you’re in the presence of a lady!” Tyler growled.

Trenton jumped out of the truck, took off his Stetson, and extended his hand to the teacher.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance ma’am, my name’s Trenton! Trenton Joseph Butler” he replied politely.

“I’m pleased to meet you too Trenton, replied Miss. Walters. “Will you be joining your sisters in school?” she asked.

She shook the grubby hand he held out to her; she did not expect them to feel so rough and calloused for a boy his age.

“Uh! No ma’am I uh don’t go to school not now. Got to help out on the ranch see”.

She looked at Tyler in surprise.

“But he’s so young! Surely he attends school!” She asked.

“He’s 14! Almost 15! Said Tyler sternly. “Hasn’t been in a classroom since he was 9. Won’t learn anything in a classroom that’s relevant to being a rancher, he learns all he needs to know alongside me back at the ranch! Get back in the truck Trenton!”

“Can I sit up front?”

“You can ’ave the back of my hand across your ear again and twice as hard as before if you don’t do as I tell you”.

“Please pa! It’s kinda cold in the back of the truck an’ I ain’t got no jacket!”

The young teacher cringed as she watched Tyler give Trenton another slap on the head, so hard that he fell to the ground.

“Get up boy and get back in that there truck! Or you’ll ’ave more than the cold to complain about you hear me!”

Trenton picked himself up from the ground and stood straight.

“Yes sir!” He replied and climbed back into the back of the truck.

“You girls have a Nice Day at school now! Said Tyler. “Sorry about the trouble miss, I’ll be seeing you, got things to do at the ranch and a young un’ to teach a lesson or two with the strap; only way to get through to that one is with a good hard thrashing”.

The young teacher was horrified, wasn’t the two slaps he gave him enough? He was at it again when they stopped off in town for some supplies.

Tyler gave him another slap when he dropped a sack of cement.

“Didn’t mean to let it go! It just slipped honest! An’ it’s real heavy”

Tyler grabbed him by the shirt.

“Don’t be a wimp! Get it sorted and don’t think you’re gonna get supper tonight for wasting that bag! It’s still gonna cost me! And you better get used it you gotta get back to helping the ranch hands and me get the ranch up to scratch! A little hard work won’t do you much harm!”

Tyler always did make Trenton work hard back on the ranch, while Mary-Kate, Lilly-Mae and Amy-Louise attended school and Betty-Sue, Darlene-Marie and Kasey-Leigh played, Trenton worked from dawn until dusk helping his father and his three ranch hands clear up and fix up the ranch. Trenton being expected to pull his weight and clear all the rubble while they dismantled the wooden out houses. To make room for the new brick ones they would build, and he’d be expected to help there too! Fetch bags of cement and bricks.

Things around town would never be the same again as long as Tyler Butler instilled hard work and strict discipline on his son. Especially when Tyler’s rules got stricter as Trenton grew. There was no time for hanging out in town or chatting to girls Trenton Joseph Butler had chores to keep him busy from dawn till dusk and his father wasn’t going to let thoughts of girls distract him or get him in any trouble!

Trenton Joseph Butler was now 17 and had grown almost as tall and as strong as his father, not to mention into a handsome young man that no teenage girl could resist. But with his father so hard and strict on him, no girl ever got the chance to get near him and Trenton did not seem to have much interest in girls anyway or, so it would appear. With having eight sisters, Trenton was no stranger to the details of a female body especially since his sister Mary-Kate was growing into a young woman before his very eyes.

It was not long before Tyler caught on to the way his son looked at Mary-Kate at the breakfast table one morning.

“Trenton Joseph Butler get both hands up on that there table where I can see them!”

But Trenton didn’t look like he heard him.

“Trenton!” Tyler growled.

“What’s up Pa?” replied Trenton still smiling at Mary-Kate over a mouthful of his oatmeal.

Tyler got up and began to remove his belt.

“Trenton outside!”

“What’d I do?”

Tyler slapped him across the ear and yanked him to his feet by the scruff of the neck.

“I said outside!” he growled.

He practically threw his son toward the mudroom. Trenton slid all the way to the entrance to the mudroom on his stomach. He sat up looking dazed and confused.

“You hear me you filthy little wretch! Get outta here! You make me sick!”

Trenton scrambled to his feet and ran out on to the porch.

“Tyler?” replied Darlene in shock.

“I’ll explain later when I’ve dealt with him!”

Trenton was confused as far as he knew all he was doing was eating his breakfast.

Tyler walked out on to the porch, grabbed him by the scruff off the neck, and struck the belt hard across the backs of his legs.

“Ow that hurt! What’d I do Pa?” He asked.

“Get your pants down!”

“But Pa I ain’t done nothing!”

Tyler struck the belt across his legs again, Darlene grimaced, and her heart ached as she heard Trenton wail in pain.

“I said get your pants down!”

Trenton did as he was told and pulled down his overalls.

“The shorts too!”

“No, no Pa’ please! I, I didn’t do anything was just eating my breakfast!”

“You think I was born yesterday? Don’t you lie to me boy! Want me to use a switch instead? He growled. “I said get ’em down!”

Trenton gulped and took down his boxer shorts. He leaned on the porch fence and his mother and sister’s held their breaths as they listened to the snap of the belt and Trenton’s howls at every strike.

“What he do Mama! I don’t like it when Pa gives Trenton a wuppin’!” replied Amy-Louise putting her hands over her ears.

But it didn’t help she could still hear Trenton howl and every strike of her father’s belt.

“I don’t know sweetheart! Guess it had to be something pretty Bad for him to get it on his bare backside 8 times over and be threatened with a switch too! Come here!”

Amy-Lou ran into her mother’s arms and Darlene hugged her close.

“He’ll be alright pumpkin. I guess it’s for his own good! At least that’s what your pa’ keeps telling me”

Trenton pulled his boxer shorts and overalls back up and wiped his shirtsleeve across his nose.

“You can sit there and wait till the girls finish breakfast before you go back and finish yours”.

“But I didn’t do anything Pa?”

Tyler grabbed the front of his shirt.

“Don’t come the innocent with me you little pervert! D ’you think I’m blind? I saw the way you were ogling Mary-Kate and I damn well know what you were doing under that table too!”

Tyler let him go and Trenton leaned against the porch post and gulped. He had just begun to understand why he had been given a thrashing. He wiped his shirtsleeve across his eyes and looked up at his father with a guilt stricken look.

“Didn’t mean to look at her like that I, I just!”

Tyler gave him another swipe on the ear. Trenton hiccupped a sob and cowered when his father lifted his hand to strike again.

“I know you’re just a dirty little pervert, so you can stay out here for now and finish your breakfast when the girls are finished, and I said sit”.

“Can’t it hurts!”

“You want it again! I said sit and it’s supposed to hurt, so as you’ll think twice ’bout doing it again! Now sit down!”

Trenton grimaced as he slowly sat down on the top porch stair.

“Now don’t move till I say so!”

Tyler went back inside without Trenton and sat down to finish his breakfast.

“Ty what’s going on with you? Darlene asked. “And where’s Trenton?”

“Out on the porch and he’s staying there until the girls have finished breakfast then he can finish his”.

“What on earth’s got into you Ty?”

“I don’t suppose you saw the way he was looking at Mary-Kate? And what he was up to while he was lookin’ at her as well”

“You’ve gone crackers Ty!” said Darlene.

“Have I? Said Tyler. “So, then I don’t suppose you’ve noticed that Mary-Kate’s been growing a little over the last year and I don’t just mean her height there’s some physical changes too! And I know Trenton’s caught on to it too! And it ain’t the first time I caught him at it. Just didn’t believe it the first time! So, from now on he can go sleep in the bunkhouse with the hired hands and have his meals with them too!”

Mary-Kate was going red in the face.

“Oh, heck Tyler! Said Darlene. “He can’t help it! It’s all part of growing! You didn’t give him a thrashing for it did you?”

Knowing fine well he did for they heard every strike all eight of them and Trenton’s howls too.

“Enough to make him think ’bout what he’s done and sit on it for a while”.

“You should have told me! I’d have talked to him!”

“He needs more than a talking to and he’s sitting on the talking to I gave him!”

“Geez Tyler! You gotta stop being so hard on the boy and it’s your darn fault!”

“What do you mean? How is it my fault our son’s having filthy thoughts about his own sister!”

“Shush! Tyler!” She replied motioning to the girls still sitting at the table.

“Damn it Tyler! He must be all confused. I reckon it’s about time you let him socialise with some of the other kids in town and had a word ’bout you know what! Man, stuff if you get my drift and you better tell him it ain’t wrong when there’s a right place and time”

“Seems to me he knows enough already!”

“Tyler!” she scolded in her best no nonsense tone.

Tyler scrubbed his hand down his face.

“Alright I’ll have a word and I’ll think ’bout letting him out!”

Mary-Kate finished her breakfast and went out to see her brother. She felt her heartbreak when she heard him sobbing, he was almost 18 and their Father could still give him a thrashing with his belt hard enough to reduce him to tears. Mary-Kate felt guilty for she was partly the reason he got the thrashing. Mary-Kate sat down beside him and put her arm around him. He wiped his shirtsleeve across his face and she heard him sniff.

“You okay?” she asked.

Trenton nodded.

“Reckon it’s blistered! I’m sorry Mary-Kay’, I didn’t mean to, to”.

“It’s okay I know! Reckon you need a girlfriend!”

“That’s gonna be ’ard! Pa won’t let me off the ranch, not to socialise anyways”.

“Then maybe you should try something else,” Mary-Kate suggested.

Trenton looked at her puzzled.

“Do you get erections when you look at me like that?”

Trenton went red.

“You what?” he asked.

“Like the way you did at breakfast!”

“Pa says, I’m a dirty little pervert!”

“You’re not a pervert Trenton; it’s just how guys learn to take control of their bodies an’ I guess it must be hell on you locked up in here with eight sisters and no boys to talk with”.

“Geez Mary-Kay you better not let Pa’ hear you talkin’ that way and what would you know ’bout that anyway?”

“C’mon Trenton I’m not a lil’ girl anymore an’ I know you’ve noticed, wouldn’t be sitting out here suffering an’ thinking about it otherwise an’ we get it all at school. Betcha’ I could tell you more n’ you know ’bout it!”

“Yeah that wouldn’t be ‘ard, considering I ain’t never been to school since I was 9 and haven’t had any mates to share it with, kinda missed out on all that! And mom an’ Pa’ never said nothing. Sorta had to figure it out for myself! But I reckon I’m still a little confused”

“That’s what mom told him! It’s not fair that Pa’ don’t let you go out to socialise how does he ever expect you to get a girl!”

“Maybe that’s his whole point. Pa’ seems to reckon girls will jus’ distract me an’ he won’t get a decent days work outta me! But I don’t reckon he can keep me back from it forever not when he let all you get out! That just ain’t fair! I, I mean how am I supposed to find out things? Like, like oh heck”

Trenton screwed up his face.

“It’s okay I won’t tell him. Just it do it differently, use your allowance and buy some of those Playboy mags”.

“No way! He’d kill me! Reckon I’m safer jus’ reading bull riding magazines”

“Not if he doesn’t know you’ve got them, he’s going to move you in with the hired hands in the bunk house”.

“Why?”

“I don’t know maybe he thinks you’re getting too grown up to sleep alongside your sisters, maybe he thinks you’ll jump into bed with us or something”.

“You’re sick!”

“Me sick? I’m not the one who was perving on my little sister!”

“I wasn’t perving!”

Mary-Kate reached into his folded down overalls and yanked up his boxers.

“Ow! Ow! Cut that out!“”

“Only if you promise to stop perving on me!”

“I wasn’t perving on you!”

Mary-Kate grinned and yanked at his boxers harder.

“Ow! Okay I promise! Now please let go! My backsides already on fire”

Mary-Kate smiled at him and Trenton bit his lip.

“C’mere!”

Trenton inched closer and she gave him a hug.

“It’ll be alright!”

“But how Mary-Kate he’s real mad!”

“He’ll calm down mom talked to him!”

“Thanks Mary-Kay!”

When their three sisters came out leaving the three youngest ones inside, his father gave him permission to go in.

“Mary-Kate Butler what you up to girl?” Her father asked.

“Nothing Pa’!”

“Then go somewheres else. He’s in enough trouble already! And you can get inside an’ finish your breakfast!”

Trenton gulped when he looked up at his father, then at Mary-Kate, she winked at him and Trenton bit his lip.

Tyler yanked him to his feet by his shirt.

“Trenton Joseph Butler you want me to give you another wuppin boy!”

“Uh! No, no sir!”

“Then get in there!”

He practically threw him into the house and slammed the door behind him. His mother watched as he just managed to stay on his feet then watched him flinch as the door banged behind him. He stood in the mudroom with his hands wedged in the pockets of his overalls with his head bowed. She watched him quickly wipe his shirtsleeve across his face.

“Come sit down love!”

He ran over and sat down; his mother rubbed her hand on his shoulder and heated up his breakfast for him. She caressed her thumb down his cheek as she put his bowl down. He looked up at her and smiled slightly.

“You okay love?” she asked.

He nodded and continued to eat his oatmeal. She pulled up a chair next to him.

“There anything you’d like to talk about?” she asked.

“I, I don’t reckon so!” he replied not looking up.

“How about what happened earlier?”

Trenton looked up at her. She watched him gulp; he had guilt written all over his face. She watched him shake his head. Then he looked at her with the guilt-ridden face again.

“I’m sorry mom! I, I didn’ uh mean to, to look at our Mary-Kate that way honest!”

“I know you didn’t sweetheart! She replied. “I suppose you’re just a bit confused we should’ve talked about things before now!”

“Is Pa’ really goin’ to put me in the bunkhouse? He asked. “Mary-Kate says he’s planning to move me into the bunkhouse with the hired hands!”

“I’ll talk him round love! Maybe he’ll change his mind when he’s calmed down a little!”

“No, it’s okay! I’d rather sleep with the men now! I mean I’m practically a man now anyways an’ I reckon I’ve more than out grown sharing with my sister’s!”

Darlene grabbed his face in her hand and rubbed his cheek. He watched her sigh.

“You okay mom?”

“Sure, sweetheart I’m fine! I just can’t believe you’re goin’ to be 18 next summer!”

“All the more reason to move in with the guys then huh!”

“I’ll look you out some thick blankets and get you some new pyjamas when I go for the girl’s school stuff later on!”

“Pyjamas! He said horrified. “But I just wear my sweats in bed ain’t no way I’m wearing pyjamas!”

Darlene smiled.

“It can get cold in there at nights specially in the winter, no central heating like in here only the range!”

“I know! So, I’ll wear a t-shirt or something!”

“Oh Trenton! I wish there was another way, I’m not so sure I like the idea of you in that bunkhouse! With all those drunken hired hands”

“I’ll be okay mom! Thanks for keepin’ my breakfast, guess I’d better go see what needs doing!”

“I’m sorry love! I guess we should’ve had a chat ’bout all that stuff ’specially with you not getting to socialising with kids your own age!”

“It’s okay mom! I better go find him!”

He kissed the top of her head. Darlene sighed he’d got so tall this past year almost as tall as his father and he had his build now too not like that scrawny little kid anymore. Instead, he towered over her and was tanned and muscular from all that hard ranch work in the sun. She couldn’t believe he was going to be 18 next summer!

Darlene sighed as she watched him put on his work boots and rancher jacket and his Stetson. That was all he ever knew was to work hard on the ranch! Mucking out and taking care of cattle and be expected to pull his weight just as much as the ranch hands, when he should have been out having fun, he let Mary-Kate, Lilly-Mae and Amy-Louise go to their friend’s houses sometimes and in time; he’ll let the other girls go too. She wished he’d listened to her about letting Trenton stay on at school a little longer. Tyler insisted he was wasting his time and school wasn’t teaching him anything. But they were just beginning to understand that Trenton might have been dyslexic. Tyler wouldn’t listen, pulled him out of school, and said he needed him on the ranch. As a result, Trenton is practically illiterate and can just about write his name. He didn’t even have any friends his own age, he was going to be 18, and he didn’t so much as have the chance to chat to any of the local kids. His father didn’t let him past the road end unless he was running them errands. She had to talk to Tyler some more and see about him letting Trenton do some socialising with some kids his own age even if it was just one night a week.