by Redrae Gunn
Jace looked at Tony. It wasn’t like Tony to be up for a romantic sunset horse ride.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Tony said. “She cleaned the fridge, rearranged the cabinets a little and you didn’t say a word. Sure, you noticed but you didn’t get mad at her at all. Usually I get cussed up one side and down the other when the fridge isn’t organized properly.”
“I like the way she arranged it,” Jace said feebly. His feelings were hard for him to explain. He didn’t mind that it was different because it was Jenna that had made it different.
For years Jace had clung to the knowledge that when he woke everything would be where it was when he last saw it and that knowledge had kept him sane. Tony had even gone along with it through the years because Tony really didn’t care where things were and he forgave Jace for his obsessive flaw.
“Well let’s teach Jenna how to saddle a horse and then give her a couple riding lessons this morning,” Jace said. “Then we’ll have her start with a ten-minute ride and in two weeks we’ll have her worked up to an hour ride. The grooming and riding will also give her something to do.”
“Chickens, too,” Tony suggested. “She could feed the chickens and gather eggs when we saddle the horses or check the water tank. Then she is kind of with us out there at the barn and corral.”
Jace nodded his head, seeing where Tony was going. “She could help us weed the garden and eventually if she checked the fence for us while we were haying then that would free up a lot of our time for other activities.”
“I know that you are thinking about sex but when she was talking to Miles she said that she had never gone fishing,” Tony said. “I mean what is better than taking the camper, setting up a fire, having some beers, and fishing?”
Jace smirked.
“Okay so having Jenna between us after drinks, fire, and fishing would be the best,” Tony admitted. “But when she experiences something new she really experiences it.”
“It’s like seeing the farm through her eyes when we show her something,” Jace said thoughtfully. “I couldn’t get over how amazed she was with the lawn mower. You and I have grown up knowing that it was the first thing we were going to drive and something we would always have to do. Jenna sees it as a dangerous yet important piece of equipment. To us it’s a boring chore and reason to grab a beer. To her it’s a damn carnival ride.”
“Let’s go eat,” Tony said. “You can give her the key to the now ‘Jenna’s shop’ and we can give her some lessons about the horses. It’ll take most of the morning. We’ll be late getting home tonight. We still have to pick up those bales from the Swanson place.”
“I know that teaching her will make our days longer but in the end…” Jace trailed off thinking about having Jenna with them more often.
“It will be worth it.” Tony finished the sentence and headed inside. “We need to take a picture of the first fish that she catches. We’ll hang it on the wall downstairs next to our pictures.”
“She’ll probably catch a trophy fish and want to set it free,” Jace grumbled as he followed Tony.
The men sat at the table just as Jenna finished with the toast and set it on the table. The breakfast pizza didn’t need any toast but Jace liked his toast in the morning. Jenna noticed that some of the flavored coffee was missing. She smiled as Tony went to the little coffee maker and added more to his cup.
“We want to teach you how to saddle and ride one of the horses,” Jace said as he looked at Jenna dressed in a pretty pink tank-top and jean shorts. “You will need to change into long pants and I can’t stress enough the importance of sunscreen up here. The days are long and the sun is fierce.”
“Kira gave me some SPF 60,” Jenna admitted as she sat down at the table. She winced slightly as her swollen lady parts hit the chair. Walking had been fine. Sitting down reminded her of the night before and she could feel the heat moving to her face.
Jenna had already seen the bruises forming on her hips from when Tony had taken her. She also had the start of bruises on the insides of her thighs from where Jace had held her. She had touched each spot gently while looking at herself in the mirror earlier. The slight pain reminded her of how wonderful the night had been.
“Are you okay?” Jace asked.
To Jenna’s relief Tony laughed as he locked eyes with her.
“She’s just fine,” Tony replied as he gave Jace a little jab in the shoulder.
“I worry,” Jace admitted.
“And you have every reason to worry,” Jenna huffed before she could stop her mouth. “Both of you do. But I am a completely satisfied woman. Thank you again.”
“I didn’t think you could blush anymore,” Tony said and Jenna rolled her eyes at him.
“So I’m not getting fired?” Jenna asked. They had said that she wasn’t fired last night but the morning tended to make men remember that they were the only people that mattered.
“No,” Jace and Tony said together.
“We actually want to teach you some other things on the farm,” Tony said and then he looked at Jace. This was the opening statement and now Jace needed to pique her curiosity and get her to be that wide-eyed woman who wanted to learn everything.
“I want to give you this,” Jace said and he slid the key to the shop over to Jenna.
“My mom had all of these ideas,” Jace began. “Stuff she wanted to do, projects that she wanted to start but she was so busy with the farm that she didn’t get to see her plans through most of the time. Her shop is the one that looks like three barns put together in an odd way at the edge of the yard.” Jace pointed in the general direction.
“If one of her ideas was retro shag carpet we don’t want to see it through either,” Tony said and smiled.
“So I have a shop, too?” Jenna asked and her face lit up. She remembered the odd-looking barn. It was the only building that was painted different. It was a peeling and faded dark green. “It’s borrowed. I know it’s personal for both of you but really? I have a shop, too?”
Jace grinned and Tony nodded his head.
“Can I add a little New York flare to her projects?” Jenna asked. “If it seems appropriate of course. I’m not going to go decorating your trucks with purple decals.”
Jace gritted his teeth.
“I don’t like purple much either,” Jenna said as she smiled at Jace and raised her eyebrows.
Tony could only laugh. Only Jenna could probably talk Jace into placing purple decals on his truck. Jace would probably do it with a smile on his face. Jenna had, without even knowing it, given Jace peace of mind and she’d earned his trust.
Jenna finished her meal. She cleaned up the dishes and changed into the jeans the men had wanted her to wear. She tucked the key into her pocket. She wanted to see the shop as soon as the men left. They had said that no one had been in there for probably ten years and Jenna was curious to what was inside.
Jenna donned her hiking boots. The boots would work for now but they were already planning another trip into town. Jenna didn’t mind in the least. She liked being right where she should be. Between both of them.
* * * *
“So Princess is the gray mare,” Jenna said again. “She is the one that Jace rides because she can take his weight and they work well together. Dale is the buckskin gelding and Tony rides him because they work well together. Dolly is the white and red paint mare that I will be riding because she is easygoing and with my weight she will walk circles around both of the horses that you two are riding?”
“Princess is part draft horse,” Tony said. “Jace isn’t little and he has a firm hand. He needed a horse that will obey immediately and one that can hold him for hours on the trail. When we move cattle it is no easy task.”
“Tony is a good-sized boy, too,” Jace said. “Dale is as reliable as ever. He’s big for a regular farm horse so he can maneuver as Tony needs him to do and carry Tony for hours.”
“So what about Dolly?” Jenna asked.
“Sh
e is the offspring of a true Native American horse,” Jace said. “She will carry you like you are a fly for hours. Days, if need be. Some of those horses don’t have a good temperament. Dolly is a babe. She was used for a couple years to give rides to kids with special needs, but don’t let that be the reason we are starting you on her. She is smart and patient. She isn’t going to go all crazy on you if you accidentally kick her wrong. She’ll probably just stop and wait for you to give her the right signal.”
“Okay,” Jenna said as Jace instructed her on how to place the saddle. She tightened the girth strap and then Jace boosted her into the saddle. “Only ten minutes a day?”
“No,” Tony said as he sat on Dale and rode to where Jenna was shaking on Dolly. “We are working you up to at least an hour.”
“Okay,” Jenna said as she looked at the ground on either side of her. She was pretty high up. Jace was adjusting the stirrups to fit her legs and he smiled at her. She tried to smile back but could only grimace.
“Jenna?” Tony asked, watching the precious tears forming in her eyes as the fear took over the excitement.
“I’m damned near apple pie right now,” Jenna managed. “Way past lemon meringue.”
“You trust me?” Tony asked, and then he revised his statement. “Do you trust us?” He pointed to Jace and himself.
Jenna nodded her head.
Tony maneuvered Dale in front of Dolly and placed a lead rope on her halter. “Come on, Dolly,” Tony said softly and Dolly started to walk beside Dale.
“Wait, please, Tony,” Jenna yelled.
Tony pulled up on Dale and Dolly stopped behind him.
“This won’t work,” Tony said, looking at Jace.
“Jenna, come up here and you and I will take Princess around the yard,” Jace said.
“Flip for it,” Tony said. “You already get to teach her how to drive the truck.”
“I taught myself how to drive the truck already,” Jenna said as she released her death grip on the saddle horn and Tony pulled her from the horse.
Tony laughed and raised his eyebrows. “How did you manage that?”
“I Googled it.” Jenna smiled, pleased with herself. “Then I watched the video, set the diagram of where the gears were on the seat and went with that. It was rough at first but I suffered minimal whiplash and only killed it five times before I was able to move it into the main driveway.”
Tony was laughing so hard he was nearly in tears. This was too good. Jenna was so smart and it was a nice change from the monotony. She added a certain amount of spark to everything that she did and she seemed to go at everything with full speed.
“Jace can take you with him and Princess,” Tony conceded. Then he looked at Jenna. “How’d you get on the Internet?”
Jenna gulped. “I tried a couple of different things and then thought of my own password and tried something else.” It wasn’t a lie. She had tried a couple of different passwords. She had thought of her own password and then she had tried something else. She just omitted the part of Kira giving her the something else to try.
“And what, sweet Jenna, is your password?” Jace asked as he watched Tony place a hand under her ass and boosted her up behind him on Princess.
“It takes two, all one word,” Jenna said. Her voice shook and she squeezed her eyes closed as she wrapped her arms around Jace as tight as she could get them. If she fell off he was coming with her.
“It takes two, huh,” Jace said. It wasn’t a question.
“Pretty sick and twisted, I know.” Jenna sighed.
“Tony gets to spank your pussy for that bad thought about yourself,” Jace said.
Tony grinned. “Twice because you said sick and twisted.”
Jenna was going to reply that she wasn’t letting him anywhere near her pussy but she knew that it was a lie. She tried to think of something smart and witty as a comeback but Jace had leaned forward and they had started to move.
An hour later Jenna had actually taken Dolly for a ride by herself. She had learned some signals and was grinning so fully that her cheeks had started to hurt. All the fears she’d had earlier had faded. Jace was a great teacher and Tony was always smiling and laughing at her questions. He was never mean when he laughed. He just seemed to laugh when he was caught off guard and it seemed that nearly all of her questions took him by surprise.
“So we groom them when we are done using them?” Jenna asked.
“Like aftercare when sex is done.” Tony smirked. The way that Jenna blushed made his cock ache and he wished that they could get a day off soon just to spend it around the house with her. Maybe they wouldn’t even leave the bed.
On the way back to the house Jace had told Jenna that they were going to be late getting home and that they would just take their lunch with them. Jace was pleased that she looked disappointed.
“It’s because of me right?” Jenna asked. “The learning to ride Dolly.”
“It’s more because of us,” Jace admitted as he pointed to himself and Tony.
“We don’t want you getting bored and we were thinking that it would be more fun to have you with us than not with us,” Tony added. “So it’s mostly because we’re selfish.”
Jenna laughed. “I’d like that, too.”
Inside the house Jenna quickly packed lunches of leftover pizza and sandwiches. She added a couple of apples and filled their thermos with the rest of the coffee. She filled the gallon container with water and was just about finished when her phone rang. It was Kira wondering if she wanted to go into Watford City to get some supplies.
Jenna ran the idea by Jace and Tony. They agreed that it would be okay with them. Tony had laughed when Jenna had hugged him. Jace had grunted but he had kissed the top of her head. Then Tony had given her a piece of paper with an address and a couple of other things written on it.
“We just need more chicken feed from the feed store,” Tony said. “If Kira doesn’t want to stop there that’s fine. It’s just outside of town so it’s not out of the way. We have an account there so all you have to do is bill it to Antelope Bay Ranch.”
Jace handed Jenna a credit card. “If they can’t reach us, or don’t take your word for it, use this. It’s a card for farm expenses.”
Jenna nodded her head.
* * * *
On the way into town Kira started giving Jenna advice about the coming winter. Jenna had reminded her that her contract was only for four months. Kira had laughed at her and told her that from the look she saw on the men’s faces when she had stolen Jenna for the day she would be there indefinitely.
Kira had advised about making a list of things that need to be done around the inside of the house during the winter and offered to teach Jenna how to make a new braided rug for the entry. Jenna thought that it was a great idea. Almost all of the windows needed new curtains, too. It was something else she could learn how to make.
Jenna had mentioned that she was nervous a little when the men were gone. Strange trucks, vans, and cars had pulled into the driveway, turned around and left. She wasn’t sure what to do if there was a problem.
“My friend Gunner has some killer surveillance equipment,” Kira offered. “He has motion-activated sensors that snap a picture of any vehicle coming onto my property. I’m sure he can do the same for you. He likes running the plate numbers and getting information. It kills his boredom.”
“That would be nice,” Jenna said.
“Also, I play war games,” Kira said. “I would suggest that you start playing them, too.”
“War games?” Jenna asked.
“Definitely,” Kira said. “You don’t want to be trapped in your house if a stranger enters. Never, ever, hide in the house. Because by the time that help arrives the stranger will have found you.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Jenna said. Kira was right. “What do I do then?”
“Run,” Kira said. “Start running and get to know the terrain. If you know where the rocks, low branches, dips, and othe
r potential dangers are and they don’t then you have an advantage. I have a code that I will text Gunner. It’s ‘Operation War Games live,’ which means someone is at my house and for some reason they have scared the piss out of me because they aren’t acting right. You know how in the city your gut tells you to cross the street instead of going past that person leaning against the building?”
Jenna nodded her head.
“Same thing. So when Operation War Games happens, Gunner will contact Rock and the police for me and alert them to my situation. It could be twenty minutes to an hour before someone arrives so I need to be able to get away from the house and the danger for that amount of time,” Kira said.
“You’re a marine though. I’m not,” Jenna said.
“I don’t carry a gun with me when I am weeding the garden.” Kira laughed. “All but one weapon is locked away. I don’t want to be anywhere near the house if the intruder found that one weapon and I have none.”
“Smart,” Jenna said. Then she asked Kira about a different scenario that she had envisioned. “What if one comes in the front door and one in the back door?”
“The doors on the bedrooms lock,” Kira said. “They would have to kick down the door. That gives you maybe three to five seconds head start. Learn how to jump out of your window in three seconds.”
Jenna shook her head. It sounded impossible.
“Three seconds is a long time,” Kira assured her. “When it’s life or death and everything is moving in slow motion it will seem like an eternity. Trust me. Even a three second head start could save your life. Especially if you know the terrain.”
“It would give me enough time to get to the corral and to the horses,” Jenna said. “I’ve seen Tony not use a saddle before and they are teaching me to ride Dolly. A horse would give me an advantage, too.”
Kira nodded her head and smiled. “It’s different from the city where the cops will be there or a passerby will intervene. Just don’t run down the damn road.”
