by Wanda Edmond
They set off into the direction of the ranch, Lucy hoping on three legs. Devin glanced at his watch; they had been walking for about fifteen minutes now. He hopped it wouldn’t be too long before he could get in touch with someone soon. He gazed upward, the darkening skies made him uncomfortable, he hadn’t bothered to check the forecast before they left out because he was certain they would be out for too long. He mentally kicked himself, he should have known better. He was well aware that anything could happen on the nature tours and he should have been fully prepared for any situation. There was nothing he could now, but make the best of the situation and get his guest back to the safety of the ranch. When it was evident that the clouds were going to burst open at minute, He made the quick decision to find shelter. They had passed an old ranch camp earlier on, it was still miles away from the guest ranch but it would provide them with shelter.
“It looks like it’s going to rain, let’s try to make it to the old ranch camp before it starts” Devin informed Mary Lou.
“Yea” Mary Lou said looking up at the sky “the rain clouds are rolling in. Ranch camp, is that the area we passed earlier on with the bunch of old tent looking things?”
He smiled at her description of the ranch camp. “Yup, ranch camps are used for cattle drives. I’m sure we can find a decent tent for shelter there.”
As they walked, Devin had to admit to himself that he was impressed with Mary Lou; she was being a real trouper about this entire situation. He noticed her slight limp and grimace from earlier on, it was clear that she had been injured more than she had let on; but she didn’t say a word, so neither did he; he understood the need to hang on to one’s pride sometimes. She marched on quietly like a soldier and when he had mention taking shelter at the ranch camp she didn’t she freak out like he expected a city girl would. She was taking it all in stride.
The scattered tents came into view a few minutes later. Mary Lou was incredibly relieved. It had started to drizzle by the time they got there, she didn’t even care about getting wet, and she just wanted to sit down somewhere, anywhere. She had never walked this much in her life, and her right leg was giving her hell. She had injured it during her fall, but hadn’t mentioned it because it wasn’t a big deal plus she had wanted Devin to focus on the horse’s broken leg. But boy was she feeling it now; she needed to sit before she dropped.
She silently watched as Devin examined an A-shaped tent made of tarpaulin, finding it in decent shape he opened the flaps at the front and covered the ground with the blanket they had bought for their picnic. He signalled her to enter and left to tend to the horses. He walked them over to a large tree he figured could provide them with some semblance of shelter and tied them there. He tried his cell again, still no reception. His mood was darkening more and more by the minute; it looked like they were going to have to spend the entire night out here. He went back to the tent as the rain started to pour down. He entered the tent in a sour mood. Mary Lou was disappointed at the sight of the scowl on his face, the scowl he had sported when they had met for the first time. She tried to cut through the mounting tension in the tent. “So, how about that picnic now? I’m starving.”
He handed her the basket. “Sure, help yourself” he said gruffly.
Mary Lou took a sandwich out of the zip-lock bad and offered it to Devin, He reluctantly accepted. They eat for a few minutes in silence as the rain poured down outside. “You know, I have never been camping before. I can totally count this as my first camping experience, you know sleeping in a tent, on the ground, with the bugs”, she said looking at Devin with a smile hoping to lighten his mood. She continued “This isn’t half bad, hell it’s even kind of cosy in here, at least we’re staying nice and dry.” She got no response from Devin, she felt like an idiot babbling on and on. “Hello, earth to Devin.”
He sighed and threw her an annoyed glance “I’m glad one of is enjoying the experience” he snapped.
Mary inhaled sharply, holding on to her temper by a short leash. “What the hell is your problem?”
“What’s my problem?” he asked incredulously. He waved both hands in the air, “Everything! This entire day has been a, Miss Carpenter. First, I’m forced to pick you up at the airport. Then I had to cancel very important business meetings to spend the day entertaining you, because everyone that I have employed is completely irresponsible. Now, here we are stranded miles away from the ranch, forced to sleep on the ground in a tent. So excuse me for being a little pissed.”
Mary could no longer restrain her growing anger. “Oh, so all of this is my fault? Look, Mr. Copper, I didn’t ask to win a stupid contest, I didn’t ask for you to pick me up at the damn airport, I didn’t ask you take me out to the middle of nowhere; I was perfectly fine relaxing in my cabin. Ok?” She took a breath and continued her rant “I certainly didn’t ask to be thrown of a horse, almost breaking my neck and I didn’t ask to be stuck here in this crappy tent with you. So, if you’re going to play the blame game, leave me out of it mister.”
She scrambled out of the tent to get away from him before she socked him the head with the damn picnic basket. Devin followed after her. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Far away, from you” she hissed vehemently. Mary Lou stomped off. Luckily the heavy rain had developed into a light drizzle. She was still getting a little wet and her thick curls were going to rebel when dried, but she didn’t care, she just wanted to get away from the man who could so easily get her riled up. It was totally out of character for her to argue with anyone, she was always quiet and mousey, letting people walk all over her. But no way was she going to accept the blame for his shitty day.
Good lord, Devin Cooper was one mercurial individual. One minute he was angry and rude, the next he was sweet, charming, tender, then he was pure heat and passion, and then right back to rude and angry. What annoyed the hell out of her even more than his mood swings was the fact that she was helplessly attracted to him no matter what mood he was in. What was the matter with her? Who was she kidding? There is no way she could win man like Devin Cooper; she might as well put the idea out of her completely. Memories of their shared kiss in the stable and how he couldn’t pull away from her fast enough, assailed her. Her eyes welled with tears she refused to shed.
She sniffed a few times, looking around her. It suddenly occurred to her that she had no idea where she was or how far from the tent she had wondered. She had been so angry and hurt that she had just walked aimlessly into the night. Oh, this is just perfect, now I’m lost. Could this night get any worse? Mary Lou heard shuffling coming from the bushed to her left and stiffened, eyes going wide. Apparently it could get worse, now she had to worry about being eaten by wild animals. Peering into the bushes obscured by the night, she squinted trying to see what was hiding behind it. Please let it be squirrel or a cute little rabbit, she mentally pleaded.
Her prayer was not answered. To her horror a coyote stepped out from behind the bush. She slowly backed away, surprised that her legs could still support her, seeing as her entire body was shaking like a leaf. Each backward step she took, he stalked her, eyes focused solely on its prey. Without her even realizing, four more of the feral animals strode out in to the open. She was surrounded. Mary stood her ground, not because of bravery but because she was paralysed with absolute fear. Why hadn’t she been paying attention to how far she was straying from the camp? Now, she was going to die a gruesome death.
Devin finally spotted Mary Lou. He had big plans to lecture her on her stupidity and recklessness for wondering alone into the night. Although he knew he had hurt her feelings, he still though she would she more sense and just sulk outside the tent, within view. This environment could get very dangerous at night. She was standing with her back to him, as if she was frozen. Why the hell is she just standing there like that? Then, when he got closer he realized. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw about five coyotes surrounding Mary Lou. He had to think and move quickly before; they dec
ided to make her their main course. He grabbed a handful of stones; the first one he pitched hit one of the animals with a force that sent it to the ground. He threw another, which connected with one more of the animals. The two injured coyotes scampered of whimpering and the rest followed their lead.
He reached Mary Lou’s side swiftly, He had to get her back to the safety of the tent before the animals decided to come back. She still stood frozen, whimpering, her eyes bright with welled up tears. Devin shook her shoulders lightly and she slowly looked at him and blinked, as if only just realizing he was there. “Oh Devin!” she cried throwing herself into his arms “I thought I was going to get eaten. I didn’t know what to do.”
“You’re ok darlin’, I’ve got you” he reassured. Feeling her shiver, he rubbed his big hands up and down her arms. “Let’s get out of here before they come back.”
They made their way back to the ranch camp, Mary Lou never letting go of Devin. She was still in shock over her confrontation with the coyotes. She would be forever grateful to Devin for saving her life. Before they entered the tent, Devin looked up and around the camp inhaling sharply, His brows furrowed as he focused ahead of the tent where he had tied the horses. Concerned, Mary Lou followed his gaze, wondering what he was looking for. “What is it?” She asked.
He glanced down at her replying, “I don’t see the horses at the spot where I tied them earlier.”
Mary Lou looked at him in confusion, wondering what that could have meant. The horses were missing? They really didn’t need any more bad luck for today; the day had been filled with one mishap after another. Seeing the worried expression on Mary Lou’s face Devin reassured her “The must have just broken loose, while we were gone and wondered off, they probably won’t go far. Anyway we can’t look for them right now, it’s really not safe out here so we are not leaving this tent again until morning” he finished. His gut told him that something wasn’t quite right. If the horses had somehow gotten loosed, the injured horse would have remained within the vicinity of the ranch camp, she couldn’t go far or too fast on her broken. So why were they nowhere in sight? They had not been gone for too long. He kept his concern to himself, not wanting to upset his companion any more than she already was. He would get up early and search for the horses first thing in the morning.
Devin ushered Mary Lou into the tent. He retrieved the flashlight that he had dropped into the picnic basket, turned it on and rested on top of the basket, providing them with soft glow of light. He sure was glad that he spotted the flashlight in one of the draws in the kitchen and threw it into the picnic basket for the heck of it; it sure came in handy now, he had not bothered to set up a fire, he didn’t want to attract any wild animals to the camp. The night was chilly but the temperature had not dropped too low, he had decided that they would be alright without the fire for the night. They sat side by side on the blanket spread out in the tent. Mary Lou glanced at Devin. “Did I thank you for saving my life?” She asked “Thank you Devin. Thank you for coming after me, even though I was a complete idiot wondering out in to the night like that.”
Devine gave a small smile, “No need to thank me Mary, you wouldn’t have gone out if I hadn’t been a complete ass. It was my fault. It wasn’t very fair of me to talk to you that way. I’m sorry.”
Mary Lou smiled softly and nudged him playfully with her shoulder, “Apology accepted Mr. Cooper.”
They sat for a moment in silence. Devin felt Mary Lou give a small shiver beside him. “Cold?” he asked.
“Yea a little” she said rubbing her palms over her arms.
He put his arms over her shoulders, pulling her close. Mar Lou was startled at the unexpected gesture. She swallow hard, being this close to Devin was wreaking serious havoc on her senses, not to mention her body. After a while she relaxed into his arms absorbing the heat that his body provided. “Thank you” she said faintly nestling more into his arms.
Devin broke the silence, “Mary, I really am sorry for the way that I have been acting since the moment we met. I’ve been a total jerk the entire time. You were right; none of this is your fault. I wanted to take you on the nature ride to make up for the way I had been acting. I thought you would enjoy the scenery and the picnic. Didn’t turn out too well, did it?” He chuckled softly.
Mary laughed, “its ok Devin, I understand that you were thrown into a situation involuntarily. Your schedule was disrupted and you were upset, like anyone would be. “And the nature ride wasn’t a complete disaster. I actually enjoyed myself. This place is absolutely amazing and so peaceful. This city girl has fallen in love with the country.”
He smiled broadly “Well how about that, I’m glad you like it here little lady” his western drawl emphasised. He paused for a moment. “I’m also sorry about jumping you like a hormone-filled, crazed teenager. It was highly inappropriate and unprofessional. You are a guest at my ranch and I should not have taken advantage of you like that” he rushed out.
“Devin-she began, but he cut her off.
“No Mary, it was improper of me but damn it I had been dreaming of doing it since the minute I laid eyes on you and merely lost my self control in the stables.”
Mary Lou couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He had been dreaming of it? Holy shit that means he was attracted to her. She untangled herself from his embrace and turned to look at him. In a moment of odd bravery Mary Lou took a deep breath and confessed, “Devin, you don’t have to apologize because I loved it.” She took a deep breath thinking to hell with it, I’m just going to let it all out. “Since I met you, I have been all hot and bothered and madly attracted to you. The moment you kissed me was probably the best moment of my life so far. I don’t get kissed by guys like you Devin. You made me feel wanted and beautiful for once in my life, then you pulled away and I was so disappointed because I realized that I was kidding myself. There is now way a man like you could want a girl like me. I mean, I’m not pretty and all my friends say I’m boring.”
She was staring at the ground, not able to look him in the eye after her confession. She missed the astonished expression on his face before he cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. “What the hell do you mean you are not pretty? Plenty of men must be chasing you down in Detroit.” She shook her head sadly. “Well city men must all be blind” he continued. “I don’t understand how anyone can think of you as boring; you are smart, witty and sexy as hell. Plus you don’t you don’t put up with my crap, you don’t hesitate to tell let me know when I’m being a jerk” he laughed, “and you are one of the most responsive women I have ever met. The way your body answered to my touch in the stables... hell I want you Mary Lou Carpenter.”
Mary Lou’s breath was coming out in small gasps as she stared up at him wide eyed. She couldn’t believe that he really and truly desired her, just as she did him. She slowly moved closer to him, her eyes never leaving his, feeling incredibly brave. With her lips inches away from his she whisper “Then take me, Devin Cooper.”
Chapter Five
Devin stared in to Mary Lou’s eyes looking for any sign of uncertainty, but he saw none in her passion clouded eyes. He covered the short distance between them and captured her lips with his own. He drew her onto him, so that he legs were straddling him. He delved deeper in to her warm, welcoming mouth with his tongue. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts on to his chest; he could feel her nipples harden against him. His hands bunched in her thick curls, pulling her closer to him. Mary Lou moaned softly her body pliant against his. He reached his hands down and grabbed the tail of her tank top pulling it over head. Her full breasts were barely contained by a yellow lace bra. He reached around and undid the hooks, releasing her breasts which he cupped with both hands. He had been right, he mused, remembering when he had first saw her at the airport, and they were a more than hands full. His lips trailed soft kisses down her neck and chest; going lower he took her right breast in to his mouth, sucking gently. Desire shot through Mary Lou, coursing down
to her pussy. Her head dropped “Devon” she moaned.
Hearing her groan his name his so sensually, turned him on even more, if that was even possible. He needed to hear her call his name like that again. He gently eased her on to her back, coming down beside her. He caressed her face briefly then trailed his hands down her torso, coming to the top of her shorts. He unfastened the button and zipper, pulling the shorts and panty off in one move; she eased up to make the task simpler. She was now fully exposed and vulnerable beneath his stare, her breathing quickened. He studied her in the soft glow of light coming from the flashlight, not say a word, his eyes moving leisurely down her naked body. She had the urge to cover herself and hid from his intense gaze. What is he thinking?
As if reading her mind, Devon whispered “You’re beautiful”.
“Undress for me Devon, now, I need to see you” she said, unable to believe her new found bravado. The Mary Lou she knew would never have been courageous enough to make such a demand.
He raised his eyebrows and smiled, getting up on to his knees “Yes ma’am” he drawled. He slowly pulled his shirt over his head, undid the zipper of his jeans and pulled it off. He hooked his fingers in the waist of his boxer and rolled it down his hips, all the while maintaining eye contact with her. She was propped up her elbow staring up at him; she broke eye contact, her gaze travelling down his body. He was a work of art, strong muscular arms, and sculpted washboard abs. When his penis sprang free, standing proud and tall, her eyes widened. Damn! This cowboy is well endowed, she thought.
“You’re magnificent” she breathed.
She reached up and pulled him down to her anticipating the feel of his hard naked body against her softness. He came down on her, careful not to crush her with his weight. The moment their bodies made contact, the heat of passion erupted in to a full blaze consuming them both. “I can’t wait Devon; I need to feel you inside me now.” He reached down and slipped a finger, then two inside her, testing her readiness. He moved his fingers in a slow back and forth motion, she was dripping wet. “Devon please” she begged. He eased his hips between her legs, his cock hard cock pushing against her entrance. He slowly pushed forward not wanting to hurt her. She wrapped her legs tightly around his hip as pulled him to her forcing him to enter her fully. She gasped at the fullness, her nails digging into his arms. “Are you ok sweetheart?” He asked down into her wide eyes.
