by Lux Miller
Despite Raven’s urging to go out to the barn and take a gander at the new ranch hand, I manage to keep myself busy elsewhere for the majority of the day. The herds were just moved a week ago, so there’s not really any particular reason I need to have a horse with me today, anyway. I’m not sure I’m ready to face another man, especially if he’s as nice to look at as Raven’s insinuated. My heart’s still tender, and I’d rather not go down that road again right now.
I put my first and middle fingers between my lips and whistle sharply. Laughing, I kneel down as the ranch’s male guard dog, Duke, obediently trots to my side and sits to await further instructions. He’s doing his damnedest to be perfectly still while he waits for his commands, but out of the corner of my eye, I can see his tail thump excitedly as he grows impatient. He’s itching to get back to his herd, so I give him the visual signal to go, and he bounds off with graceful speed. He slows to a drift as he angles his body parallel along the perimeter fence.
I smile as I watch him go. He’s enormous, but graceful as he dives straight into the job he was bred to do. He’s been an unofficial member of the alpaca herd since he was ten weeks old. Now that he’s almost six years old, he mostly does his job without outside input, but he’s been thrilled to have me home and has been all wags and wiggles to take a minute away from the herd. He knows his duty, though. A few minutes away is all he can manage, especially since his partner is largely otherwise occupied.
He’s a ruddy tan color with a dark snout and if you stood him up on his haunches, he’d be bigger than me. He’s one of the best behaved dogs I’ve ever known, and he’s an excellent protector, along with his mate, Duchess. She’s slightly smaller than Duke, but she still tops a hundred and twenty pounds. The coyotes learned years ago they don’t want a piece of either of the majestic Anatolians that guard our herd.
Duchess lumbers over to me and sits beside me obediently. She focuses her attention back toward the dog barn where they sleep when exhausted. I know exactly what, or should I say who, she’s looking for - the nine little balls of fluff that meander out of the dog barn, yipping happily as they frolic in the sunshine. They make their way over to Duchess, and she yips sharply at the wayward pups, who amble over to her eventually. Once the brood is generally contained, she looks up to me and I nod, “Go ahead girl. Go do your thing. I’ve got this naughty little group of renegades.”
Duchess bumps my hip with her head, gives one warning bark to the puppies, then trots off after Duke to tend to the herd. They’ll be gone for hours, until the herd returns from grazing. Duke will likely sleep with the herd, as he often does, especially since Duchess got too pregnant to tend the alpacas. The pair have been with the herd since they were pups themselves, and in a few weeks, their puppies will be joining them.
For now, I’ve been tasked with socializing the puppies in preparation for their introduction to their duties. In other words, I’m puppy-sitting. I use the term puppy very lightly. While they’re just over two months old, each pup weighs over thirty pounds. My mom knows I’ve a soft spot for dogs, so the task of keeping up with them while their parents work has fallen to me.
I laugh as one of the giant balls of fur flops over onto its back, its tail wiggling wildly. “I don’t know how you’re going to make it in the herd. You don’t have a serious bone in your little body.” The puppy rolls back over and yaps at me in response.
I ruffle the fur between his ears and laugh, “I get it. I don’t fit in with my family, either. My father is a wildly successful, albeit somewhat cold, man. My mother owns an alpaca ranch. My brothers are off on their own, enjoying their lives… and I’m just sitting here pining over a man that probably never really wanted me in the first place.”
The puppy sits and cocks his head to the side, his little tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. His tail waves back and forth, creating a little dust cloud behind him. I sigh and stand up, clapping my hands to get their attention. The puppies gather around me in something that resembles a circle, but my attention is diverted elsewhere.
Across the pasture, I see a large, black horse rear up. I recognize her instantly as the mare my mother has tried to break for months. She’s wild, though, and even her ranch hand Hunter hasn’t been able to tame the free spirit. She kicks her front legs frantically in front of her and slams them back down to the ground. As she bucks her rear legs out, she twists like she’s in a rodeo, and I realize with horror that there’s a rider on her back.
From here, it’s almost impossible to tell who the rider is, but I don’t think it’s Hunter. My mother told me that after the mare bucked off Hunter’s sister, Poppy, Hunter has refused to attempt to ride her. Poppy sustained a broken clavicle and went home to Jersey to heal. Nobody has been able to do much more than basic care for the horse since. Hunter refuses to try to break her, and Raven’s too green to even attempt it.
I watch, stupefied, as the horse desperately tries to throw the rider that clings to her neck like their life depends on it. With the size of the horse, there’s a good chance it might. I wasn’t planning to get on a horse today, but if I don’t do something, whoever is on the back of the mare is going to get hurt. I corral the puppies into their outdoor pen and take off running to the barn.
When I get there, I find Hunter staring at the empty stall where the black mare is kept. I rush up beside him and nudge him hard. “Who? What happened? Why is the black mare out?”
Hunter shakes his head. “That new ranch hand. I tried to tell him she was wild. He didn’t believe me… or he didn’t care. Whichever it is, he didn’t even bother to saddle her. He’s out there bareback. The mare won’t take a bridle, so he’s literally on his own…”
My eyes widen at him. “New ranch hand? The cute one Raven was talking about this morning?”
Hunter frowns at me, then shrugs. “I guess he isn’t bad looking. If you’re into the whole dark and brooding type. And he could really use a haircut. He doesn’t really look like any ranch hand I’ve ever known. Raven joked that your uncle dropped him off here under the cover of darkness a day ago. I did find him sleeping in the loft of the barn this morning, but your mother’d warned me ahead of time we had a new ranch hand coming, so it wasn’t a total shock.”
I wheel around to look at Hunter. “My uncle did what?”
He motions outside with a shrug, “I don’t know if that part’s true or just Raven making stuff up again. You know, she can act kinda weird sometimes. She’s really nothing like Aspen. Aspen is even-keeled and reliable. Raven’s… different… she’s like two different people, and I never know which one to expect.”
I shake my head and brush past Hunter. I swing open the gate where my horse, Fiona, is lazily munching on hay. “Come on, girl. We have to go get that crazy fool who is trying to ride Liberty.”
Fiona neighs and steps over to me, nuzzling her muzzle against my face. I pat her cheek gently and place a kiss on the end of her nose. Then I walk around her and drag a step stool to her side. I don’t have time to worry about a bridle or saddle, so I launch myself onto her back and gently grab her mane in my hands. I grip her strong body with my knees and click my tongue. “Let’s go, girl.”
She trots out of the stall, and I gently guide her out of the barn, then squeeze my thighs tightly into her sides and call out, “Yah, yah!” I lean down over her and rest my cheek against her neck. She takes off at a full run, galloping across the pasture. Thankfully, the ornery mare hasn’t thrown its rider yet, but I don’t know how much longer he can hang on. She’s bucking her body side to side roughly, and at this point, they’re either both going down or he’s getting an impromptu flying lesson.
I tug gently on Fiona’s mane as we approach Liberty. She stops and looks dead at me, fury in her eyes. Her nostrils flare several times as she catches her breath. I reach into my shirt and pull out the carrot I snagged from Fiona’s feeding trough before we left the barn and wave it around at Liberty. She pauses and stamps her hoof against the ground twice. I nudge Fiona
slowly up beside her and hold the carrot out to Liberty. She whinnies at me, then snatches it from my hand.
While the horse is briefly distracted, I offer my hand across to the rider that’s clinging to the horse for dear life. “Come on. You’d be a fool to stay on her. To be honest, I’m surprised you even ARE still on her.”
The rider looks up and my breath whooshes out of me like a deflated balloon. “Eli?!? What the fuck?!?”
He opens his mouth to say something, but Liberty grunts as the carrot greens fall to the ground underneath her. I lean over and grab his hand. “Come on. Get over here…”
Eli opens his mouth to argue, but shuts it just as quickly. He grips my hand tightly, and I pull him over onto Fiona’s back. He straightens up and straddles Fiona behind me. I glance over my shoulder at him and raise one eyebrow. “Nice hat. Now hold on before you fall off and take me down with you.”
Eli nods and wraps his arms around my waist, scooting up against my back so that his body is pressing against mine. I squirm, then lean over to whisper sweet nothings into Fiona’s ear. As I finish, I pat her neck, then stroke my hands lovingly over her fur. Her left ear twitches and for the first time since I saw the rider in danger, I let my guard down.
His voice is quiet as he asks, “What about the mare?” I shrug and nudge my knees into Fiona’s sides, guiding her in the opposite direction of the barn. She obliges with a loud whinny before she begins to trot out into the pasture. I glance over my shoulder at Eli, and just as the first time we met, I feel a sharp jolt buzz through my body as our eyes meet.
“Duke and Duchess will corral her back. Then Hunter will put her up. She’s somewhat tolerable if you aren’t on her. Why on Earth would you try to ride a horse without a saddle?”
Eli shrugs, his hands playing with the bottom of my shirt. I squirm in front of him, and I can feel that he’s aroused. Leave it to the crazy fool to be turned on by danger. Then again, based on what I know of his personality, he probably laughs in the face of danger. His voice is thick and heady as he replies, “You’re riding a horse without a saddle.”
I sigh heavily and roll my eyes, even though he can’t see. “First of all, I’ve been riding since I was four. Fiona was born here, so we’ve known each other since she was a foal. She’s my horse, and I’ve been riding her since I was ten. Plus, she’s broken...and not fucking crazy like Liberty.”
Eli sighs, resting his chin on my shoulder. He chuckles softly. “The horse’s name is Liberty?”
I nod and glance over my shoulder at him, “It seemed appropriate. She refuses to give up the freedom of being wild.”
Eli nods, chewing on his bottom lip. Then he responds, “Your uncle said if I could break her, that you’d give me a second chance… I figured it was worth a shot.”
I tense up. “So he is meddling in my love life.”
Eli exhales heavily and places several light kisses along my neck. “I made a mistake, Ashley. I didn’t know you’d see that.”
I tense. “See what? You fucking my stepmother in my father’s bed? How could you think I wouldn’t be angry to see that? What was I to you? A game? A way to screw over my father? What did he ever do to you?”
Eli’s body relaxes and he loosens his grip around my waist, putting distance between us. “You really have no idea what your father is capable of, and the truth is, you probably wouldn’t understand my motives. I fucked Helen because I could. Because it finally made me feel like I had a say in my life. She didn’t order me to do it - she asked me to do it.
“For the first time since my mother died, I got to call the shots. I wasn’t a servant doing someone else’s bidding. I was seventeen and enjoying the company of a woman that it felt good to fuck. I’m sorry she was your stepmother Ashley, but I don’t regret it.
“The only thing I regret is that my stepfather fucking videotaped it and held it over my head for the last three years. He blackmailed me into doing all the work in your father’s gardens. Every one of those award-winning gardens is my work. And they took the credit for it. Your father got accolades, my stepfather got paid, and I got nothing. I take that back… I got beatings when I tried to speak up.
“So, I bucked the system. I was tired of being told what to do and how to do it. I made my own choice. And I’ve been forced to face the consequences for my actions. Your uncle owns me. Your father hates me. And my stepfather will probably kill me if he ever gets his hands on me for destroying his perfect, little world.”
I nod slowly. “And me? Was I just another ‘fuck you’ to everyone?”
Eli sighs heavily behind me, his hands gripping my hips tightly. “No, Ashley. You’re the first thing I ever wanted that wasn’t because of my vendetta with the world. I wanted you… for me.”
My entire body tenses at his declaration. I tug softly on Fiona’s mane until she comes to a stop. I dismount, leaving Eli still sitting on her back. We’re in the middle of nowhere, the small path surrounded by fruit trees. Eli slides down from Fiona’s back and approaches me cautiously, pain and worry on his face. My gut twists with the possibility that he could be hurt, but I’m still mad at him.
He closes the distance between us, his hands resting firmly on my hips. Despite my mind screaming at me to push him away, I can’t seem to make my body cooperate. He leans down over me, backing me up against a tree. He presses his body against mine, and it instantly reacts to him. Stupid, traitorous body and its needs.
He presses his forehead against mine and slides his hand up underneath my shirt so that they’re resting on my bare skin. I shiver involuntarily, and my heart speeds up as his nose brushes mine. “Ashley, I don’t know how to say I’m sorry in a way that you’ll understand. In a way that makes sense. What I did was unforgivable. I know that, but I’ll never forgive myself if I walk away from a woman like you.
“Not without trying with every fiber of my being to make you understand that this wasn’t… isn’t… some fast and furious fuck fest. Ashley, the sex with you is incredible, but that isn’t what I want from you… what I need from you. Your mother said you were heartbroken… your heart wouldn’t be broken if it wasn’t involved…”
I gasp, my chest heaving with short breaths as I try to calm myself. “I… I don’t know if I can do happily ever after. If there’s even one out there for me. What if I’m always destined to get my heart broken by the men I think I can trust?”
His chest rumbles as he presses his body into mine. “You won’t know, if you don’t try… take a risk, Ashley. Forget our pasts. Take a gamble that the man you’ve been wishing on stars for may have been right in front of you all along...”
TWENTY-FOUR
Eli
Attempting to ride the unbroken mare was probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever done - and I’ve done more than my fair share of stupid things. I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes more than once as that feral beast reared and bucked like she was possessed. Somehow I managed to hold on long enough to do exactly what I set out to do.
I have to admit I didn’t expect for Ashley to hop on a horse and tear across the pasture to come to my aid, but judging by the look on her face, she didn’t realize it was me. To be fair, she looks nothing like she did in the city. She isn’t wearing a bit of makeup. Her hair is braided in matching pigtails instead of coiffed in her signature waves. Her clothes might be what surprises me most. She’s wearing cowboy boots and plaid, but it’s not a fashion statement. And I’ve never seen her more beautiful. It’s actually hard to breathe around her. I’ve never been this speechless around a woman in my life.
Right now, Ashley and I are in the middle of a clearing somewhere in the woods on the west side of her mother’s property. There’s a pissed-off black mare roaming somewhere on the other side of the copse of trees, and two enormous dogs that look more like small horses prowling around like they’re on the hunt. Hunter warned me that they were friendly, at least, but very serious about their job of protecting the herd. I fully expected that Hunter’s next words woul
d be sheep or cows or maybe goats, but no… Ashley’s mother has a herd of alpacas.
Despite the baffling absurdity of the details surrounding what brought us to this moment, the fact remains that Ashley is pinned between my body and a tree and our lips are mere inches apart. She’s close enough that I can smell the earthy scent of coffee on her breath, despite it being late afternoon.
I lay out my case for Ashley to give me a second chance, and she doesn’t shove me away. She doesn’t agree, either, but it’s a start. Before she can change her mind and definitely turn me down, I close the distance between us and capture her mouth in a kiss. It’s innocent enough at first, but within seconds, Ashley thrusts her tongue against my lips and demands entrance.
Who am I to deny her what she wants? I’d probably give her anything she asked for… despite the short duration of our relationship thus far, she owns me. I part my lips and groan as she delves her tongue into my mouth. I’m trying not to think of the incredible sex we’ve had in the past, but I’m not succeeding very well. It’s almost embarrassing, but my dick twitches the moment her lips touch mine. When she deepens the kiss, it jumps, straining against my jeans.
