by Naomi Niles
With her arms wrapped snuggly around my waist, I couldn't help but notice how wonderfully familiar that sensation was becoming.
The full moon was shining brightly overhead and lit the way as we rode down the worn path through the forest to the lake hidden amongst the trees. The water was crystal clear, with the moonlight reflecting off its still surface.
"It's so beautiful," Bethany sighed as we stared out at it. Then she looked at me and her eyes flew open wide. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" I tossed my shirt onto a nearby log and started taking off my boot, hopping up and down on one leg as I did so.
"You're getting naked!" She covered her eyes with her hands as her cheeks turned bright pink.
"Well you don't expect me to go swimming with my clothes on. They'd get soaked."
"Swimming! You expect me to go skinny dipping?" She sounded horrified, but as I pulled off my jeans, I saw her peek through her fingers to catch a glimpse.
"Of course. Why else would I bring you up to the lake? It's what we Hutchinsons always do in the summer when we need to unwind."
"Well, I'm not a Hutchinson," she huffed. I had stopped undressing when I got to my underwear, and seeing me safely covered by my briefs, she let her guard down and put her hands on her hips.
"No, you're a chicken," I stated, hoping to provoke her.
"What did you call me?" She glared. "You've been spending too much time with your brothers if you think you can goad me with childish names."
"Okay, but you're still a chicken. First, you were too afraid to talk to your dad, and now, you're too afraid to go skinny dipping. It's okay, most city girls aren't tough enough to really handle the country."
"Not that it's any of your business, but I already decided to go up to Frank Hill and tell him he's my father."
"Sure, you say that now."
"I'll have you know I made that decision at the dinner table tonight," she said, and her shoulders pulled back confidently.
So that's why she seemed so tense. Suddenly, Bethany started pulling off her shoes, saying to me, "And I am not afraid to go skinny dipping. City girls can do anything country folks can do."
"Prove it. I bet I can beat you to the water," I taunted as she threw her shirt at me. Her jeans were lying on the ground, and she was dressed in nothing but her pink, lacy bra and matching panties. God, she was gorgeous, and it took all my effort not to kiss her right then.
"Okay. I'll race you on the count of three," she readied her stance, with her eyes flashing and her mouth smiling from ear to ear. "Three...two...oh, crap! Someone is coming!"
She pointed at the road up the hill behind me, but when I looked back over my shoulder, no one was there. The road was completely dark and empty. I turned back around and saw she was already half the distance to the lake.
"You cheated!" I called after her, and bolted into a sprint.
As she neared the water, Bethany took off her bra and flung it behind her. Then stepped out of her panties seconds before running into the lake. Knowing she was now fully naked nearly made me trip and fall in the sand. I stumbled forward, and barely managed to regain my balance as she hit the water.
When I got up to the edge of the lake, I did the same thing and stepped out of my underwear, leaving my briefs lying in the sand.
The cold water enveloped me as I ran into the water, diving in once I was waist deep. I came splashing up out of the water to see Bethany swimming beside me. Her wet, blonde hair was slicked back and her face was beaming with joy.
"Wow, this water really is invigorating," she laughed as she stroked through the water. The moonlight dappled on the surface, making it seem to glow, and the night had a magical feel.
We swam in the cold, clear lake, laughing and playing. The stress I'd seen in Bethany's eyes earlier that evening was gone, and she seemed completely relaxed and at peace. It was getting late, however, and I knew she had a big day tomorrow, so eventually, it had to end.
I had packed a pair of towels in the pack on Whiskey’s saddle, and I handed her one as she stood shivering on the beach beside me with her arms hugged around herself.
She wrapped it around herself quickly, but I'd already broken my promise not to peek at her nakedness and seen her gorgeous bare flesh. I wrapped my own towel around my waist just as quickly, anxious to hide the evidence of my arousal.
We sat in the sand, waiting for our skin to dry before getting dressed and going back home to the ranch.
"I'm glad you brought me here," Bethany smiled. "Even if you did have to trick me into getting into the water by calling me a chicken."
"Sorry about that. I guess you're right. I do spend too much time with my younger brothers." I chuckled with chagrin.
"It's okay. Your family is really wonderful. In fact, they're the reason I got up enough courage to speak to Frank Hill. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to find him out in the pasture and confront him."
"I take back what I said about your being a chicken. That takes real courage," I told her, and I gazed deeply into her eyes so she'd know that I meant it.
"Do you really think so?" Her voice had become very soft. Our faces leaned in close together, so our lips were practically touching.
"I do," I said, and my own voice had become thick. "And, you know what else? I'm really glad you came to the ranch. I want you to stay for as long as possible."
I took her mouth with my own then, devouring her with my passion. I realized in that moment that I was falling in love with her. I'd never felt that way about a woman before, and it scared me.
"We'd better go," I said, pulling away from her reluctantly. "You've got a busy day tomorrow."
"We can stay a little longer," she said, and I wanted to so much it hurt.
"No." I got up from the sand and started looking for my clothes.
"Why not? What's wrong?" Bethany looked as confused as I felt.
"Nothing is wrong," I assured her. "In fact, everything is too right. I don't trust myself not to take things too far."
"What does that mean?"
"It means, you're leaving in a month, and I don't want either of us to get hurt. Now let's go."
Bethany was silent as she got dressed and didn't say a word on the ride home. I didn't blame her for being mad at me, but I knew I had done the right thing. I knew that if we made love, it would impossible for me to give her up when the summer came to an end and she had to leave.
I just didn't realize it was already too late. I was already too deeply in love with her.
Chapter Seven: Bethany
"No. That's completely wrong." I yanked the pins from my hair, letting the intricate braid I'd spent the last twenty minutes working on fall completely apart.
Nothing I did seemed right. The dress I'd put on was too fancy, the sports jacket was stuffy, the shorts were too casual. Putting my hair in a ponytail was too lazy. Putting it up in a bun was too formal.
Finally, I realized I was trying too hard. Giving up on pretending to be someone I wasn't, I pulled on my favorite pair of jeans, a comfy blouse with pink flowers on it, and my good boots. I left my blonde hair hanging loose down to my shoulders and kept my make-up light.
This was me. This was what I looked like every day when I was living at home or going to school. Why should I try to change who I was just to introduce myself to my father? If he was going to meet me for the first time, shouldn't he meet the real me?
Feeling good about the way I looked, I went out to the stable where Brett helped me saddle up a gentle mare I’d been learning to ride named Rosie, and I rode her out to the far pasture, where I knew Frank Hill had been assigned to work out in the East field. It would have taken me forever to walk out there, but on Rosie's back, it was a pleasant ride.
I could see Frank in the distance as he walked along the fence line checking for broken boards. As I grew closer to him, I dismounted the horse and led her forward by the reins, my feet getting slower with every step.
What would I say to
him when I got there? Hey, Dad, I know you haven't seen me in nearly twenty years since you abandoned me on the day of my second birthday, but I tracked you down and now here I am.
The whole idea was ludicrous. He was bound to think I was crazy, and maybe I was.
What kind of reaction could I possibly expect from him after a shocking announcement like that? He was sure to call the police on me for being kind of stalker. William would have to come and arrest me and haul me off to the jailhouse. He couldn't possibly believe me, could he? Was it possible that he would look into my eyes and recognize me as being the little girl he had once loved? Would he pull me into his arms and hug me, saying, “I've missed you so much. I never wanted to leave you. I love you, Bethany.”
It made no difference if his reaction was negative, positive, or something in between. Frank Hill was my father. I'd waited my whole life to find him, confront him, and tell him I was his daughter. Now, that moment had come. I couldn't let fear of what might happen prevent me from completing my goal. I had to do it.
Taking a deep breath for courage, I stood tall and strong, and took the steps forward until I was just a few feet from him.
"Frank Hill?" My voice sounded confident, despite the roiling in my stomach.
"Yeah. What do you want?" He took off his baseball cap and wiped his brow as he turned to look at me. He was about six feet tall, with a bit of a beer gut. He had brown eyes and a balding head, and I guessed correctly that he was in his mid-forties.
"My name is Bethany Foster." I extended my hand to him in greeting. "My mother is Jillian Foster. I'm your daughter."
Frank gasped audibly and staggered back a half step. "Bethany?"
"Yes," I nodded, smiling at him warmly.
"You're so grown up. You look like your mother. You have Jillian's eyes and smile. You didn't have much hair when you were a baby, but what you did was golden blonde, just like your mother's."
"I may look like her, but she says a lot of my personality takes after you," I said, feeling encouraged that he was remembering.
"No kidding? Like what?" he chuckled.
"Well, I'm creative. I love nature, which is why I like to paint landscapes. I'm stubborn, and don't back down from a challenge. Mom says I get all those traits from you."
"Well, I'll be damned." Frank rubbed his scratchy jaw with his hand. His voice shook a bit as he asked "How did you find me?"
"It wasn't easy. Mom would never talk about you, but I was always curious to know you. I used to search for you on the internet, hoping I could find you. There were a lot of Frank Hills, but none of them were the right one."
"How'd you know that?"
"Mom had thrown out all your pictures when I was little, but I dug some out of the trash and kept them hidden in my dresser. I'd stare at them all the time."
Frank's ruddy face blushed slightly. He plucked a cigarette from his shirt pocket and lit it with a metal lighter he stuffed back into the rear pocket of his jeans.
"So, how'd you track me down here?" he asked, blowing out a plume of smoke.
"When I turned twenty-one, I hired a private investigator. He discovered a post office box in your name in Riverbend. So, I got a job working at Hutchinson Ranch hoping to find you in town, and as luck would have it, you were working right here on the same ranch as me."
"I don't know if that's good luck or bad luck," Frank joked, and I giggled awkwardly.
It was strange talking with him face to face. He looked just as nervous as I felt, but it was exciting, and I felt things were going very well. This might be the beginning of a warm and positive relationship between us, and I felt my heart swell.
"It was definitely good luck, I think." I smiled brightly. "Don't you?"
Frank looked down at his boots and kicked at a clod of dirt on the ground, as if thinking. When he turned his face back up to look at me, his eyes were watery. I held my breath, anxious to hear the words I'd waited a lifetime to hear, but then something happened. I saw those warm, chocolate-brown eyes change right in front of me, into something cold, hard, and ugly.
"No, I don't think it's good luck that you found me." I felt like I'd been punched right in the stomach.
"What?" I swallowed hard against the lump of bile that had risen in my throat.
"Why do you think I left twenty years ago? Why do you think I kept moving around, always using P.O. boxes and unlisted phone numbers? Do you think it was because I wanted to be found?"
"Maybe you were avoiding my mother or someone else; but I'm your daughter. I thought you'd be happy to see me."
"What made you think a stupid thing like that? I never wanted a kid. I never asked for you to be born. I told Jillian to get a damn abortion, but she wouldn't do it."
"So, it's true. You never wanted me." Somehow I managed to keep my tears held back as my hands clenched tightly into fists.
"No. I never wanted a kid, and I don't want one now. Leave me the hell alone. Go back where you came from and never bother me again."
"Don't worry. This is the last time you'll ever see me."
I turned and ran. Unable to control my tears anymore, they ran freely down my cheeks, but my back was to him now and so he couldn't see. Sobs racked my throat, threatening to choke me, and my tears blinded me, making everything a blur.
I just followed the fence line, using the dark wood as a guide back to the ranch. I came to an opening, and knew I must have reached the end of the pasture. Still sobbing, I stumbled through it, hearing Rosie following me, running as fast as I could.
My mother had been right. Frank did leave because of me. He didn't want anything to do with me. My own father hated me. Fueled by emotion, I jumped onto Rosie's back and urged her into a gallop. Blinded by tears, I couldn't even see where the mare was taking me, but when I saw an opening in the fence, I steered her through it, knowing that must be the way back.
I couldn't believe my own father had rejected me so brutally. It was silly of me to have expected anything else, but the reality of it was still devastating. I leaned against Rosie's strong neck, buried my face in her mane, and cried away all my pain, trusting the horse.
Eventually her running slowed to a walk, and I cried away all of my tears until my throat was dry and my eyes were red. I pulled Rosie to a complete stop and looked around. Surely we must be home by now, but when I took in the scene around me, all I saw were trees. She hadn't taken me to the ranch; somehow we'd ended up deep in the forest with no trail or path to follow back home.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" I shouted out into the trees. A flock of birds flew up into the air above me, but other than that, there was no response. I looked up at the sky and saw the sun was high in sky. I was already thirsty and hungry, with no idea which direction to go in to find my way back to the ranch. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was in trouble.
Chapter Eight: Colton
"Hey, Mama, something smells good." I hung my Stetson on the hook by the door and entered the dining room. Brett, Tom, and Travis were already filling their plates, but William was out working a night shift.
"Are you alone?" Mama glared at me as I took my seat. My stomach rumbled at the sight of my favorite dish: shepherd's pie.
"Of course I'm alone," I said, confused by her question.
"Well, where is she? I thought she was with you."
"Who?"
"Bethany. Who else? Besides me, she's the only other she here." Mama sounded exasperated, and it took a moment to understand just what she was saying.
"Wait a minute. You mean, Bethany is missing?"
"I haven't seen her since she left a little while after breakfast. I thought she was going to paint, but her canvas in the barn hasn't been touched."
I turned to Brett, who always followed her around like a dog. "Where was the last place you saw her?"
"I saddled up Rosie for her this morning. She said she was taking a short ride, but I didn't ask where. I'm sure she hasn't gone far. Probably out sun tanning or doing her hair." Brett shr
ugged and shoveled a forkful of food into his mouth. Christ, how could he eat at time like this? I wondered.
"Rosie isn't in the stable, so she never came back. Where do you think she could have gone? She might be trapped someplace or lost." Mama was severely worried, and now I was, too.
"She was going to talk to Frank Hill this morning, out in the east pasture," I told her.
"Why would she do that?" Mama asked. I hesitated to break a promise, but now wasn't the time to be keeping secrets. I explained the reasons, and everyone at the table looked stunned.
Travis said, "Well, she's not with Frank now. He was working the east pasture all morning checking the fence line to make sure it was safe for the herd to be transferred. I saw him at noon during lunch break and he looked agitated, but I didn't ask him why. I sent him to help Mack and Butch move the herd in the afternoon into the east pasture, and then he went home to his cabin at the end of shift just now. Bethany wasn't with him."
"I saw the two of them talking in the late part of morning when I was riding past. They were standing by the fence at the back end of the east pasture,” continued Brett. “That's the last time I saw her."
"That's where I'm going to start my search," I stated. My heart was thumping in my chest, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so worried about someone.
"I'll call Will and tell him we have a missing person." Mama said and directed Brett and Travis to search the ranch grounds while Tom went to talk to Frank Hill.
"Come on, Whiskey. Let's find Bethany," I urged the horse into a gallop. The pasture was filled with grazing cattle. I wound my way through them, calling out Bethany's name, but there was no sign of her. Mack and Butch would have noticed if something was amiss when they were working today.
It didn't make sense. What could have happened to her? I hadn't known Bethany more than a couple of weeks, but I already cared deeply about her. In fact, as I thought about all the terrible things that could have happened to her, I realized that I loved her.
Suddenly, I noticed hoofprints in the dirt on the other side of the fence, and I knew instantly they must belong to Rosie, although it surprised me that a novice rider like Bethany would have gotten the mild mannered mare to jump the fence.
