by Rhavensfyre
“Yes, I know. I stated the obvious.” Allyse drawled in a voice so dry she must have read Dani’s mind.
“I didn’t say anything,” Dani protested, trying not to squirm as Allyse dabbed the sutured gash with antiseptic, then added more antibiotic ointment. It stung.
“Your face did, darling. Your eyes and facial expression gave you away.” Allyse kept her attention on the wound. She didn’t want Dani to think she was laughing at her.
“I’ll remember that.”
“Don’t. It’s hard enough to read your thoughts as it is. I like it when you don’t hide yourself from me—thoughts or emotions.”
“Why?”
“That’s a silly question. I enjoy our conversations. I get to learn more about you. What you like, don’t like. It’s what friends do.”
“You want to be my friend?”
“Of course.”
“Now who’s being silly?”
“I don’t change my mind easily.” Allyse spoke firmly, trying to convince Dani to believe in her but she just stood there, silently shutting her out, her jaw clenched hard enough to make a muscle jump along her cheek.
“We’ll see,” Dani muttered, awkwardly starting to unbutton her jeans. “I’d like my shower now.”
Allyse sighed. She finished bandaging Dani's hand, then taped a plastic bag around her wrist. “I probably should have changed your bandage after your shower, but this’ll do if you’re careful. I’ll give you your privacy now, just yell if you need anything.”
“I will.” Dani watched Allyse leave, then stripped down to nothing. It was an awkward and painful experience and by the time she was naked she was sweating and shaking. Allyse hadn’t offered to stay and help, and her pride hadn’t let her ask for help. A part of her wished she had stayed, invited or not. That she chose to leave only confused her. What was all that about in the hall then? First she hugs her, then she runs away. It made her head hurt.
The shower took longer than she expected. It was a serious pain in the ass only having one good hand for everything. The plastic bag made her other hand even more useless, it felt like a giant balloon hand and the edges of the bag poked her when she wasn’t careful.
When she finished, she peeked out the bathroom door. “Allyse?”
“Yes. Is everything okay?” Allyse’s voice came from down the stairs.
“Good, you are down there. Can you stay there for a while?” she asked loudly, pitching her voice to carry. “This is really hard to do one handed.”
“Okay. Just remember to yell if you need me.” Please need me. All the blood in Allyse's body had rushed south when Dani had pulled her stunt earlier. It took every ounce of discipline she had to walk calmly away when she practically threatened to undress in front of her. It didn’t help that she had already gotten an eyeful the other night, and while that was something she wouldn’t mind seeing again, Dani didn’t call for help and she was left at the mercy of her imagination.
When Dani finally came downstairs, she was flushed from her efforts and her bandage had blood on it.
“Dani, your hand!”
“Yeah, I know. I think I might have popped a stitch.”
“Let me see.” Allyse reached for Dani’s hand, intent on examining the damage but Dani held her arm high above her head. Since she was quite a bit taller than Allyse, it was a very effective move.
“Dani, I need to check it.”
“It’s fine. There are twelve of them in there so I’m sure one or two less isn’t going to hurt anything.”
“You are seriously stubborn.” Allyse crossed her arms and frowned.
“I know,” Dani answered with an unconcerned shrug. Allyse wasn't saying anything she hadn’t already heard before. “Listen, I’ve got a few things I need to do in the office, will you be okay for a few hours on your own?”
“I can find something to do.”
“Good, I’ll find you when I’m done and we’ll wander around a bit.”
***
A few hours later, Dani popped her head into the kitchen. “Hey, did you still want to see the farm?”
“You know I do.”
“Well, let’s go then.” Dani grabbed her cowboy hat and called Callie to her.
Dani disappeared for a few minutes to check on something with Ellie, the assistant trainer, then popped out of the barn office and headed for Polo’s stall. “I just need to check on him before we wander around.”
“Sure.”
Standing outside of Polo’s stall, Dani was the very image of the western cowgirl, leaning on the fence rail with one booted foot propped up on it and her face shadowed under the wide brim of her cowboy hat. She was almost speaking too softly for Allyse to make out what she was saying, but from what she could tell Dani was trying to coax the reluctant horse to come to her.
“Come on, big boy, I won’t hurt you,” Dani crooned. Polo stuck his neck out as far is it would go and snuffled her hand, then shied away when she tried to pet his neck. “Someday you will trust me.”
“I could say the same thing,” Allyse said, then joined her at the rail.
“You see that he doesn’t believe me.” Dani gestured at the reluctant horse.
The buckskin gelding had retreated to the middle of the paddock and continued to watch the two women with wary interest. He stood stiffly, ready to bolt to the safety of the far edge of the wooden enclosure if threatened. Allyse had seen that very same posture, that same wary expression, not more than a few hours ago while she stood in a narrow hallway holding a woman who seemed to understand a horse better than she did herself.
“But he will.”
“I hope so.”
“I do to,” Allyse said, but she wasn't talking about the horse. She wanted Dani to trust her. She didn’t know how or why, but it was becoming obvious that something was brewing between them.
Dani sighed and moved away from the fence, painfully aware that the distrusting horse took advantage of her lack of interest to move closer to her. She knew without a doubt that if she turned and looked at him he would book it back to the middle of the enclosure.
“What would you like to see first?” Dani asked, changing the subject.
“The orchard?” Allyse chose without a moment’s hesitation.
Dani nodded and led Allyse out of the barn and over the hill that sat behind the house. A small gate separated them from her orchard, she opened it and invited Allyse in.
“This is my favorite place. I love it here. No matter what season it is, it is always peaceful.”
Grabbing an apple off a tree, she held it out to Allyse. Her mood lifted as she walked through the place she loved best.
“All organic. It’s safe to eat right off the tree.” Dani pushed her hat back and sat down under a familiar tree.
“Walk around, explore if you want.” Dani pointed to her right, intent on sitting in her favorite place and soaking up all the good energy. “There’s a stream right over there, and the artesian well that feeds it is a little farther upstream.”
“Come with me.” Allyse grabbed Dani's good hand and pulled. “I didn’t come out here to walk around alone.”
Allyse’s eyes flashed with barely restrained humor. “Remember what happened last time?”
That was enough of an argument for Dani. She scrambled back on her feet and managed to wipe the grass off her backside before Allyse commandeered her good hand again. “Okay, you win. But stop yanking on me. I only have the one hand right now.”
Allyse led Dani around land as familiar to her as her own nose but Dani didn’t protest. She was too busy watching Allyse fall in love with the land.
***
The tour around the farm didn’t make it any farther than the orchard, but that was fine with Allyse. It was fun exploring the meadow and following the stream running along the edges of the orchard. The small stream was quite expressive as it bounced along the small and large stones that changed its pitch and tone, the bubbly tones soothing in the background as Dani spoke
ardently about all the things that lived on her farm. She knew all the different species of birds and even the wild herbs that grew along its grassy banks. Allyse couldn’t remember half of what Dani told her, but she did enjoy listening to Dani's voice and the obvious pride and joy she took in the surrounding hills. Allyse remembered a time when she sounded like that, she just couldn’t remember when she had stopped. It had never bothered her before, but today it did. She sincerely hoped that Dani never lost that spark.
They had spent a good amount of time outside. Before Allyse knew it, the sun was starting to go down over the distant hills, bathing the late afternoon sky in bright crimson and amber light. Reluctantly, she asked, “Should we head back now?”
“No. I want to watch the sunset from here. Come over here and sit next to me. It won’t hurt your jeans to get some dirt on them.”
Several minutes went by. This time the silence between them was pleasant, a comfortable presence that didn’t need conversation to be heard or understood. Dani broke the silence first.
“Isn’t it gorgeous tonight?”
“Yes,” Allyse said, watching Dani as Dani gazed at the sky. She understood the awe in Dani’s voice. She felt it, too, but it had nothing to do with the fiery sky above them. When Dani turned to look at her, Allyse couldn’t resist any more. What she desired most at that moment in time was so close to her, a mere hands breadth away. Her lips brushed against Dani’s, as lightly as a butterflies kiss. When she felt those soft lips respond to her touch, she did it again. She gasped when suddenly urgent fingers threaded behind her head, tangling in her hair and bringing her closer. The kiss deepened, a natural progression that left her breathless and uncaring when their lips parted to taste the sweetness of a shared apple on their tongues.
Blood pounded past her ears, deafening her to everything but the sound of her heart beating wildly in her chest and Dani’s breath, ragged and deep and hot against her.
Chapter Nine
The kiss ended as suddenly as it had begun. Dani pulled back first, but found she couldn’t let Allyse go just yet. Somewhere between the time when her lips first met Allyse’s and now, the sun had sunk below the horizon, proving the glowing orb to be a shy eye that seemed intent on providing them some privacy. Everything was cast in shadow, including Allyse’s face. A carefully placed caress along her cheek and across her lips told Dani she was smiling, the playful nip across her thumb pad that followed made her tremble and gasp. A whirlwind blew through her, it was the sound of her blood thundering like a storm through her veins. She had to take a few deep breaths before she could find her voice.
“We should go,” she rasped. That storm made her uncomfortable, and she suddenly needed her space back. She stepped away, trying to untangle herself both physically and emotionally from the other woman, but her body and mind continued to betray her. All she could think about was how Allyse’s hair felt as soft as poured silk, and how naked her hands felt once they abandoned their prize. She licked suddenly dry lips before trying again. “Come on, we should get back to the house.”
To Dani’s relief, Allyse simply nodded and let her take the lead. There was no real path back to the gate other than what the rabbits had made and Allyse wasn’t familiar with the route. She didn’t want her to get hurt stumbling around in the encroaching darkness. A single misstep or gopher hole and you could sprain your ankle, or worse, and the tree’s became black limbed claws eager to catch your face or snag your clothing if you weren’t careful.
The walk back was filled with a charged silence that matched the sharp contrast between the crimson sky above them and the green/black shadow around them. A few low flying fireflies blinked along the path ahead of them, randomly marking out the time between steps. When they got closer to the house, Dani slowed down and then stopped. They were just inside the elliptical yellow glow of the porch light. The ground was smooth and safe the rest of the way—Allyse wouldn’t need her to get home safely from here.
Dani finally broke the silence between them only to say something she didn’t want to say, but needed to. She couldn’t go inside with Allyse now, not without a few minutes alone to think things out.
“Why don’t you head in? I’m sure you’re hungry and I need to check on the horses one last time.” Dani was already turning away to head for the barn when Allyse stopped her. A gentle hand on her arm was all it took. She had responded to her like a well-trained horse, giving in to Allyse’s cues too easily and…she hated to say it, almost eagerly. That wasn’t like her, and it was scaring the crap out of her.
“What about you? You must be hungry, too.”
“I’ll grab something later.” Dani backed away.
The hell you will! Allyse thought, scrambling to keep her balance when everything was shifting beneath her feet like loose sand. Everything was going great, and then? Then, it just wasn’t. Allyse took one last look at the house then turned back. Her indecision didn’t last long. She was Allyse De Leon, and she never ran away from a challenge, personally or professionally. She turned her feet towards the barn and headed after her. Dani had gained a good bit of distance between them already, but that was alright with her. She was enjoying having her meals with the younger woman. She had no intention of missing a single one if she could help it.
***
Dani walked straight to her favorite mare’s stall. She needed to talk and Bella was always a good listener. She rarely interrupted her and she never judged her. “Hey, gorgeous. How's my favorite girl tonight?”
The bay mare looked at her with sympathetic liquid brown eyes, then snuffled her shirt for the treats she usually kept there. “What am I supposed to do, huh? I’m really out of my depth right now. She kissed me and it was great, actually better than great, but I can’t settle for being a vacation fling with her.” Dani laid her forehead on Bella’s neck, breathing in the calming smell of horse and sweet hay as she contemplated what that one kiss meant to her. “Ah hell, I wish you could talk. Maybe you could help me figure out what to do.” Dani scratched Bella behind the ears before moving to Polo’s stall.
She wasn't surprised when he didn’t move from the back of his stall to approach her, but at least this time he didn’t turn his rear to her. “Hey, big boy. I know what Erick says, but we’ll prove him wrong. We have time.” Dani fished out her last treat and held it out. Polo stretched out his neck and sniffed. She could tell he wanted it, but he wasn’t willing to come any closer. She sighed and dropped the sweet into his feed bucket. “You know, Polo, I know what it’s like to not have any friends, but you have me now. This is your home and I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you again,” Dani promised, trying not to let her disappointment rule over everything else. All she knew was that she wasn’t going to get any more answers tonight. Plus, she had to get home before Allyse came looking for her. Before she left the barn, she turned back one last time to make sure everything was in order. Polo had his head hanging over his gate and he was watching her. From the way his jaw was working, he had found the treat she had left for him. I guess they are right, every journey begins with a single step.
***
Allyse hurried back to the house while Dani talked to Polo. She shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but that wasn’t what was driving her.
A vacation fling. That was definitely what Dani thought she was looking for, and why wouldn’t she? As far as she knew, Allyse was going to be here for a month, tops, then it was back to New York, her job and her family.
But I don’t do casual. Her denial was a moot point. Dani only knew her from what she had heard from Erick. She would have no way of knowing how Allyse was when it came to sex or relationships. Listening to Dani talking to herself, trying to figure out what to do— all of it really made a few things hit home. Dani was special. More importantly, Allyse had to admit that Dani was becoming very special to her.
Allyse never considered what was happening between the two of them as a fling. What am I doing, then? She hadn’t thought that out either, or th
e consequences of falling for someone so far away from her.
She ran upstairs to her room. She needed to talk to Erick before Dani came back. He was her friend and Dani's uncle— maybe he could help. She hit the speed dial and waited impatiently for him to pick up, the nervous tap of her shoe beating out a muffled staccato on the throw rug beneath her feet. She started speaking as soon as it stopped ringing, not even giving him time to say hello.
“Erick, I have something important to tell you and I hope you won’t be upset because I am not sorry.” The words tumbled out of her in a jumbled rush.
“Okay?”
“I kissed Dani,” she blurted out defiantly, daring him to protest or object.
“Good.” Erick’s response was not what she had expected. She snapped her teeth shut around the explanation she had already been rehearsing. She floundered around for a bit, lost in a conversation she was sure was going to be more of an argument, with her trying to defend herself and Erick accusing her of improper behavior.
“You’re not upset?” she asked, not ready to give up her skepticism just yet. She had expected more of a reaction from Erick after making her announcement.
“No, I’m glad. I think you would be good for each other. Just one thing, Allyse.” Erick sounded dead serious. “If this is something you are interested in pursuing, I say go for it, but if all you want is a brief fling, don’t. It’s really easy to hurt her, and she doesn’t bounce back like some do.”
“That’s almost the same thing I just heard Dani say.” Allyse felt the universe start to crumble around her. “A summer fling. That’s what she was worried about.”
“That’s not surprising. Dani doesn’t do casual. She’s an all or nothing type of person.”
“You know I don’t do casual either Erick. I’m not that shallow,” Allyse responded, knowing she sounded peevish. Out of all the people in the world who knew her, Erick was the only one who knew just how true this statement was. “I just find myself drawn to her. Just listening to her talk…”
