by Ivy Jordan
Travis
I acted like I was surprised to see Harper again that evening, but the truth was that I’d been walking around for an hour already hoping that she was going to come out of her room. I was almost going to give up when I saw her. She smiled at me and waved shyly.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey.”
“What you doing out here?”
“Walking. Thinking. How about you?” I asked.
“Same.”
“Want to go out for another ride?”
“I’d love to,” she said.
We didn’t talk about what had happened the other night. Instead, we climbed onto the horses and rode out into the field. Harper told me that she had spoken to Jillian and that she and her boyfriend were sorting things out. I could hear the happiness in her voice when Harper spoke about her.
“She’s lucky to have you as a friend,” I said.
“Thank you. I’m lucky to have her too. She’s one of the good ones. Not many of them in this world.”
“Why do you think I like horses so much?” I said. “They will never let you down.”
“Oh, speaking of horses… I think I’m going to buy one when I get back to the city. I found a place that keeps them too. I’m so excited. There’s absolutely no way I can go without having a horse now. It feels like I’ve been riding them my whole life. I’m not sure if that sounds stupid or not. Maybe I’m just some stupid city girl who is going to forget about them the moment I get home, but I don’t think so.”
“I don’t think so either. The connection between you and the horses, especially Thunder, is incredible. I’m glad you’re doing that, Harper.”
“Me too. I spent such a long time today just looking information up on them. I learned a lot. But there’s nothing quite like going for a ride to make you learn even quicker. Thanks for taking me out again tonight. It means a lot to me.”
“It’s a pleasure,” I said. “Although judging by those clouds out there, I don’t think we can be out here for too long.”
The clouds in the distance were very dark, and I couldn’t tell yet if they were moving towards us or away from us. I would have to keep an eye out for it because the weather could change very quickly out here. I made a conscious effort not to go too far out in case we had to hurry back. But, within no time, it was clear the weather was taking a turn for the worst. The dark clouds looked even more ominous than before, and I could see that they were now moving towards us. If we didn’t move soon, we were going to get caught in a horrible storm. As if reading my mind, Harper pointed up to the sky.
“Should we go?” she asked.
“Definitely. This looks like it’s going to be a big one. Come on, let’s go. We’ve thankfully got some time before it hits us.”
We made our way back to the barn, but I stopped when I noticed something in the distance.
“What the hell?” I said as I saw a figure on horseback dressed all in black.
“That’s hilarious. It looks like a bandit out of a movie or something. Although… wait… who is that?” she said, and I could tell that she had gone from being amused to being somewhat frightened.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I mean, it’s not like we’re in the eighteen hundreds here. There shouldn’t be men in black riding around and snatching animals from local ranches. Although that is exactly what that person looks like. Someone is obviously trying to play a joke on us. Hey!” I called out.
“Hey!” Harper called out too. But instead of stopping the figure suddenly began to ride away from us.
“Shit. I’m going to see who it is,” I said.
“I’m coming with,” Harper said before I could stop her.
The moment the bandit saw us coming, he kicked the horse and set it off into a gallop. But he obviously didn’t know what he was doing because the horse began to panic, and we saw it throw the rider off. We rushed up to see what was going on. The man was lying on the ground. He was groaning in pain, and he seemed to have broken his arm. I couldn’t tell who it was because he was wearing a mask and when I asked him he didn’t say anything. Eventually, I climbed off the horse and pulled the mask off.
“Jackson? What the hell is going on?”
“My arm,” he says in pain.
“Forget about the arm for now. Tell me what you are doing out here? And why are you wearing this mask? Are you trying to prank us or something?” I wasn’t even sure why I was so surprised. Out of anyone, I probably should’ve known that it would be Jackson. This was just the sort of weird stunt that a guy like him would try and pull. I was starting to think more and more that there was something wrong with him.
“I’m not pranking you. I promise,” he said.
“Then what are you doing?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve… I’ve been going on night rides, from the first night we got here actually. I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. I really wasn’t trying to cause any trouble. That’s why I came out at night. I didn’t want anyone to know about it. I was just… well, I was playing a sort of game. That’s all.”
“A game? What sort of game?” Harper asked. She’d also climbed off her horse and was looking down at Jackson in confusion.
“Uh. Nothing.”
“Jackson, you might as well tell us. Anyway, the quicker we get out of here, the better. Tell us so that we can be done with this,” I said.
He sighed. “I was planning to stage a mock raid on the ranch, and I was going to steal one of your dairy cows. I thought it would be fun. I mean… I would’ve put the cow back, of course. I wasn’t going to actually put anyone in danger. That’s not what this whole thing is about. I’m not really a bad person. I was just acting out.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Jackson was a little eccentric, but this was taking it a little too far, even for him. I could feel the anger welling up inside me. “Jackson… what the hell were you thinking? How could do that? How could you even consider doing that? Have you lost your mind? You can’t just steal a cow! That’s crazy.”
“I promise I wasn’t going to hurt anyone or the cow. You can see… I’m not even armed. I just wanted to live every part of the cowboy experience. I wanted to fully immerse myself in the characters. I wanted to be the good guy and the bad guy. That’s why I’m all in black now and why I was all in white during the day. I wanted to see what it was like to play both sides. That’s all. There was no harm in it.”
“Well, you’ve managed to break your arm. So there is harm in it. And you could’ve hurt the horse. He was so panicked when you tried to make him gallop. And all this extra riding is not good for him. He’s an old horse, Jackson. In fact, we’ve been worried about him because he’s been looking so tired. We thought he might be sick; now I see that it’s because you’ve been forcing the poor old guy to go out every night.”
“Oh. I didn’t know he was old.”
“And that’s exactly why you shouldn’t be taking the horses out without consent. You clearly don’t know them well enough. Look, there he is. Thank goodness he’s all right. Come on, let’s get you back. I’ll help you onto the horse slowly. We need to get back before the storm.”
We managed to get Jackson back on his horse and the three of us rode very slowly back. Jackson spent the entire time apologizing to us and whining about his arm, which he claimed to be getting worse by the minute. I no longer felt any sympathy towards the guy. In a way, I was glad that his arm was hurting.
“Jackson, you were taking some big risks out there, you know. You shouldn’t be going on night rides. That’s why we are all here. We do rides during the day to keep you safe.”
“Oh yeah? Well, how come you and Harper can go out and ride at night and it’s okay? Why is it only bad if I’m doing it?”
“I took Harper out with me, and we went slowly. Also, I’ve been riding a horse since as long as I can remember, so Harper was safe. I also wasn’t galloping around like an idiot and frightening the poor horse. I know you want the whole experience, bu
t this is getting a little out of hand.” I sighed. I felt bad shouting at him, but it wasn’t good that he was putting himself and the animals in danger. “How’s your arm?”
“Not good,” he said quietly, and I could tell that he meant it.
Eventually, I decided that it was better to take Jackson to the hospital. We secured the horses into the barn and then made our way back to the house to find Mike. When Mike came out, he looked concerned, but I explained to him what happened. I could see that Mike was moving from being amused to being disappointed, which was exactly how I felt too.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take him,” Mike said. “No point us all going.”
“Thanks, Mike. I can’t believe this,” I said to him.
“Yeah, it’s crazy. Well, I’ve told Jackson that he can continue staying with us, but if he tries any more stunts with stealing the horses, even for a few hours, then we’ll call the cops. I can’t have him putting everyone in danger like this. He’s taken the whole thing a bit too far. Thankfully you were out there though. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t caught him. Especially with this big storm coming.”
I nodded. “I know. Thank goodness. Well, the horses are secured in the stable and everything is locked. Hopefully the storm isn’t as bad as we think it’s going to be.”
“I hope not. I better get going so that I can be here before it hits. You guys better get back inside too.” I knew Mike wanted to say something about Harper, but she was standing right there, so he decided not to. But I knew this was going to be a conversation for the next day.
When they were gone, I looked at Harper and chuckled.
“Well, you can’t say we don’t provide the guests with entertainment, hey.”
“Entertainment is putting it mildly. That guy is insane.”
“He is. Well, I’m glad we caught him.”
“Me too. Uh… so… I guess I better head back. Uh, could you drive me? I don’t really want to be walking out there right now.”
“Ah, shit. Mike has the car. Well… never mind. You can come and wait out the storm in my room. I mean… if you don’t mind.”
Harper grinned. “I don’t mind at all.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Harper
The rain had started by the time we got inside the house. Travis led me into the house and into his room. I looked around in surprise when I noticed how sparse it was. Other than the bed, closet, and desk there really wasn’t much inside. Not even any photos on the wall. I got the impression that Travis was not the sort of guy that spent money on unnecessary things but this still seemed a little extreme. I turned to look at him.
“Uh, nice room. Very… minimalist,” I said.
He smiled. “Oh, this is Mike and Allison’s home. I’m just staying here while the group is here,” he said. That made more sense. I wondered where his house was and what his real room looked like. I suddenly wanted to know everything about him, but just as I was about to say something he spoke first.
“You’re a natural with the horses. I’m impressed with how you handled the whole thing with Jackson.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I’m pretty pleased that I didn’t panic, even if I did think he was some bandit for a few minutes.”
“If I didn’t know better I’d say that you were born to work on a ranch and not in PR in New York City. This life suits you.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I never thought anyone would ever say that to me. It’s good to know I have this side to my personality. I had no idea. Although, I’m not quite as dedicated as Jackson. Did that really happen tonight? Was he really going to try and steal a cow?”
Travis shook his head in amazement as he thought about what had happened. “I’ve seen a lot of crazy things in my life but I never for one minute thought I’d see something like that. He actually changed clothes from morning to night so that he could play the good guy and the bad guy? The whole thing is so crazy.”
“So crazy. It would be entertaining if it wasn’t also so completely insane. That could’ve all gone so wrong.”
Travis nodded. “I know. I’m really glad we were out there. I would hate to think what would’ve happened. Can you imagine the chaos? A man dressed in black coming out to steal a cow in this storm? It would’ve been bad. It’s going to be one of those stories that we talk back on and laugh one day. But probably not just yet.”
“It really is the craziest story. I still can’t believe it. I wonder if Jackson is going to feel remorse for it, or whether he still wishes he could be out there fighting some imaginary battle?”
“I have a feeling it’s the latter. I just wonder how long he had been planning all of this. Poor guy. I sort of feel sorry for him even though I’m also annoyed like hell with him.”
“I feel the same way. Like he must have a bit of a sad life to come up with all of this. So, uh… do you think this storm is going to be bad?”
He nodded. “I think so. I hope it just passes over, but I’m not sure. The clouds looked ominous out there, and that rain is starting to come down now.”
“So, uh, what do you want to do?” I asked. I felt suddenly shy around him, like I was only just realizing that the two of us were alone in his bedroom.
“I found that kissing helps a lot if you’re scared of a storm.”
I grinned. “Oh yeah? I didn’t know that.”
“Are you scared?” he asked as he walked up to me.
“Petrified.”
Soon we were kissing again. There was something incredibly romantic about kissing with the sound of the rain outside. It felt like we were cocooned in our little bubble of safety together, and I realized that I never wanted to be anywhere else but there. It was going to be hard to leave Travis behind, and maybe even hard to leave the sweet simplicity of life at the ranch. But I would have to worry about that another time. For now, the only thing I wanted to think about was the way his mouth felt against mine. It was perfect. He was perfect.
He eagerly pulled my t-shirt over my head and tossed it aside. I kicked off my boots and shimmied out of my jeans and then slowly took off my bra and panties while his eyes roamed over me. The room in the light flickered and suddenly switched off, and we were plunged into darkness. He reached out for my hand and led me to the bed to lie down while he took off his clothes. I could feel him parting my legs, and I gasped as I felt him enter me in the darkness. Every now and again the light would turn back on, but only for a few seconds before switching off. In that time I’d get a glimpse of his handsome face, or look down and see his body on top of mine. I wrapped my legs around the bulk of his body and pulled him in toward me, allowing him to thrust even deeper than before. I had no idea if there was anyone else in that house. I wasn’t sure where Allison’s room was or whether Mike had come back. It didn’t matter. The rain was coming down even harder now, and I was sure that nobody could hear us. I lost myself in the darkness. Without the light, I found myself more in tune with my other senses. Every touch was heightened. Even the smell of Travis was elevated. My hands dug into his back as I arched and shivered against him, moaning aloud as the waves of orgasm crashed over me. I locked my legs around him, holding him inside me as I savored the moment—a moment I wished could last forever. Was this what sex was supposed to be like? I’d been missing out all these years.
Afterwards, as I closed my eyes and fell asleep beside him I wondered if I would ever have sex like this again. Perhaps only country men knew how to do it this way, while I was going to be surrounded by city boys. It was almost a pity that I would have to go.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Travis
I woke up with a fright at the sound of thunder. It was so loud it sounded like it was inside the room. Harper was next to me sleeping but the moment I sat up, she opened her eyes too. She looked at me in surprise, as if she’d forgotten where she was or what we had done. The sound of thunder rumbled overhead, and her eyes widened. Just then, we heard a loud crack and the room lit up from the lightning.<
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“Whoa. This storm is crazy.”
“So crazy. Oh my god, look out there!” I said and pointed out the window. The lightning struck again and lit up the area outside.
“Did it hit the tree?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. It looks like maybe.” It was hard to tell from where we were, but it looked like a tree out by the ranch might’ve been hit. I’d been here before when there had been storms and it was always scary. It wasn’t something you easily got used to, and being away from it for so long only amplified it.
“You don’t get storms like this back home,” she said.
“I think we need to make sure that the animals are still secure, and maybe get some of the smaller ones together and bring them inside. I’m always worried about the animals when the storm is this bad. Maybe you should wait here? It’s probably a lot safer here.”
Harper was already out the bed. Another hit of lightning struck and I was able to get a glimpse of her beautiful naked body as she searched for her clothes. I wished now that the storm would go away so that I could take her back in my arms. “No way,” she said. “I’m coming with you. And don’t bother trying to change my mind. You won’t find someone nearly as stubborn as me.”
“I believe you!” I said and began to look for my own clothes which were strewn around the room.
We got changed and hurried out the room. I was about to head straight to Allison and Mike’s room when I saw Allison rushing down the corridor. She stopped when she saw me.
“Oh good. I was about to come looking for you. This storm is crazy.”
“We were coming to look for you too. Where’s Mike?”
“He’s not back. He’s still at the hospital waiting for the storm to pass. I told him to wait there until it clears instead. No point him driving out in this weather. But I really want to go and check on the animals.”
“That’s exactly what we were thinking. But Mike has the car doesn’t he?”
“It’s fine. I have my truck here. I don’t mind doing it, Travis. The two of you can stay here.”
