by Elisa Leigh
We eat in silence for a while until she puts her fork down and stares at me. She looks as if she may be debating whether she wants to tell me something. “A drunk driver killed my parents when I was seven. My Nana ended up raising me.”
I set my beer down mid sip feeling like shit for drinking in front of her. She surprises me when she laughs. “Leland, I said it doesn’t bother me. Just because you drink doesn’t mean you’re going to go out and drive your truck, killing someone and possibly you in the process.”
Her honesty is sobering and gives me the strength to share something I never have before. “My Granddaddy raised me too, right here on this ranch from the time I was three years old. I never knew my Dad. My Mom had an affair with a man in town and ended up getting pregnant with me. She left town when she found out and bounced around for a few years before coming back and giving me to my Granddad, and then leaving for good. She used pills, to cope I guess, and wasn’t a good Mom, at least she knew it.”
“What happened to your Mom?”
“She died when I was seventeen. Overdosed on pain pills. Honestly, I think the guilt killed her. She couldn’t live with breaking up someone’s relationship and being a shitty mother. Even after she died, I was angry with her, but as I got older I’m sad I never got to know her. Granddaddy used to tell me stories about how happy she used to be before everything went down. I wish I knew her then.”
Abigail is out of her seat and standing in front of me in seconds, wrapping her arms around my back and pulling me in for a hug. “I’m sorry Leland.”
I hold her body tight to mine, loving the feel of her in my arms. “There’s nothing to be sorry for Beautiful.” After a few minutes of Abigail rubbing my back and I holding her, I kiss the top of her head and lean back. “You finished eating?”
“Yeah.”
“Take a walk with me?”
“Absolutely.”
Eleven
Abigail
After about a fifteen-minute walk we arrive in front of a large building. “You ever ride a horse before?”
“No, I’m a little chicken.” I know horses aren’t mean, but they’re so big, I’ve always been afraid of doing something wrong and something happening to me.
“Horses are powerful animals that should be respected. If you treat them well and know your horse, they are loyal and won’t harm you intentionally.”
“That makes sense. I’m guessing you ride then?” I ask as he leads us into the stable where I see almost ten horses housed.
“Almost every day. I’ve had Grey for over fifteen years. I’d like to take you for a ride around the ranch and show you around a bit. Would that be okay with you?”
“Okay.” He makes it impossible to say no when he asks like that. Can’t say that I’ll mind having him pressed up against me either.
“Hey there Grey. I have someone special for you to meet.” Leland tells the brown horse that is much taller and much, much bigger than I am. While Leland works to get Grey ready to ride, he stares at me intently. It feels as though this horse judging me, have I come up worthy? Slowly, I walk up to him and offer my hand for him to smell, but he does nothing. Grey just gave me the get lost look, I’m so failing at this.
“Here Beautiful.” Leland places a carrot in my hand and guides it in front of Grey’s muzzle. “Hold your hand out flat, and he’ll take it. Don’t be afraid, Grey seems grumpy, but he’s a gentle giant.” I do as he says and watch as Grey leans down, sniffs the carrot and grabs it from my hand, tickling me and making me laugh.
“Can I pet him?” Leland nods then takes my hand and places it on Grey’s muzzle showing me how to touch him. He leans into my touch and begins to warm up to me. I continue rubbing Grey while Leland finishes putting the saddle on.
Leland leads Grey out of the stable and shows me how to get on, then helps me up. “Wow, it’s something being up here. It’s like seeing the world from a different perspective.”
“It’s not that much of a difference Abigail.” Leland laughs at me, and I stick my tongue at him. “Your daddy can be mean Grey,” I tell the horse, rubbing his firm back.
“Scoot forward so I can get up and sit behind you.”
I do as he says, scooting as far forward as I can. When Leland sits behind me, he grabs the reins with his left hand and pulls me back against him with his right.
“There, that’s perfect.” He says in his gruff, baritone voice, making me shiver.
We go slow at first while we ride Grey around the ranch as Leland points out and explains what things are. We pick up speed when we ride out into one of the open pastures where the cattle aren’t grazing this time of year. The longer we ride, the more relaxed I become, leaning into Leland as he guides us around. He takes me past the small cabin area where some of the farmhands and Donna live.
Leland stops us, and we watch the sunset against the mountain range. I guess now is as good a time as any to tell him what I found out about the fire. “The fire chief called me today.”
“Oh yeah, what did he say? Can you go and do a walk-through of your apartment?”
I sigh heavily, not sure how Leland is going to take the news, but knowing I need to tell him. “He told me they found evidence that it wasn’t an accident and there is going to be an investigation.”
Leland goes rigid behind me, and I no longer feel his warm front pressed against me. “Why didn’t you tell me as soon as you found out?” He asks sounding pissed.
His tone flips a switch inside me, and I lose it. Who the heck does he think he is? “You weren’t even there for me to tell you. You big jerk! And when you came in you acted like some caveman, demanding I come to you.”
He’s quiet for a few minutes giving me time to cool down. It takes a lot for me to get upset, but when I do my fire burns hot and fast. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” Leland finally says.
“No, you shouldn’t have.” I snap back, not ready to get over myself.
He pulls me so I’m sitting snug against him. “I’m sorry Love. Will you forgive me?”
“For which part? For snapping at me or for going all caveman?”
Leland moves my hair to the side and places slow kisses against my neck while rubbing circles with his thumb against my hip. “I’m never going to apologize for the way you make me feel and how I react to it. I am sorry for getting upset with you and speaking to you in that tone. That was wrong of me.”
“So, what you’re saying is I should expect to see the caveman side of you regularly?”
He wraps my hair around his hand and pulls so I turn my face back to his. “Daily.” He growls before taking my mouth in a fierce kiss. When he pulls away, we’re both breathing heavily, and it takes us a few moments before we are breathing normally, and he’s signaled Grey to begin walking again. “When it comes to you and your safety Abigail, please don’t hesitate to tell me, however you need to do it. You are what matters most to me now.” I kiss him softly and say okay.
We ride in silence, Leland unable to keep his hands off me, whether he’s sliding his hand up my thigh, under my dress or gripping my hip and leaning his hard cock against my ass. After over an hour of riding, I’m over sensitized, and I need a break. I’m relieved when we ride back to the stable. Leland helps me get off and shows me how to take care of Grey once our ride is over. I help Leland brush Grey and watch what he does so that one day I’ll be able to do it on my own. Now that I’ve ridden a horse, I know it won’t be my last time.
We walk back to the house, our hands laced together, as darkness begins to descend around us. “Thank you for such a great day, Leland.”
He stops in the middle of a clearing and pulls me to his front. Under the stars, he rubs his thumb across my cheek and holds my face with his other hand. “Thank you for giving me this chance Beautiful. I’m never letting you go.” He leans down and kisses me softly but pulls away groaning when I try and take the kiss deeper. “If I don’t stop I’ll end up taking you in the grass instead of in a bed like you deser
ve.”
“Well come on then.” I grab Leland’s hand and start walking back to the house, knowing exactly where I want to be. He chuckles low in his throat, the sound doing all kinds of things to me. As soon as we step into the house, Leland takes charge, leading us to his bedroom. My heart is beating triple time realizing I’m about to get naked and do things I’ve never done before with the man beside me.
Leland turns to face me. He tucks my hair behind my ears then holds my face in the palms of his hands, laying a sweet kiss to my forehead and pulling back. “I have a few things I need to do. Why don’t you take a bath? There are some bath salts and bubbles near the tub, use whatever you want Beautiful.”
“But I thought we were…” I stop and bite my inner cheek, was I wrong?
“Abigail, I’m not in a rush. Now, I’d love nothing more than to slide between your thighs and make long sweet love to you, but I want to make sure you’re ready for that step. As soon as we walked in here, your pulse sped up, and your eyes got big.”
“I’m that easy to figure out?”
“I’m just that in tune with what you’re feeling Love.” He hugs me and kisses me on the cheek. “Take a bath Abigail, I’m sure you’re sore after our ride. I’ll be up in a little while.” He says and walks out of the room.
I walk into his bathroom, and I’m speechless. This man has a huge bathtub, built with room for two. I turn the water on and find some bath oils that smell like cinnamon and spice and pour it in. Let’s see how he likes that. I undress, step into the tub sinking all the way in and immediately relax. Leland wasn’t kidding about being sore after our ride. My thighs and stomach are killing me. I wash my hair and body then soak my body. This is the perfect end to a great day, I think, drifting off to thoughts of Leland and me together.
“Abigail, wake up Beautiful,” Leland says gently, rubbing his thumb across my parted lips.
I smile up at him shyly. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
Leland looks at me like I can do no wrong. “Come on, I’ll help you out.” He holds out his hands and helps me stand, taking a long look down my body. I watch his face, the way his eyes fill with hunger and tongue wets his parted lips. I grab his hands and step out and wait as Leland wraps a towel around my body. “I’m going to grab a quick shower.” Leland kisses the top of my head and begins undressing.
As much as I want to see him completely naked, I’m too embarrassed to continue watching him. I turn around and walk into his bedroom where I find another one of his shirts and boxers sitting on the bed.
Twelve
Leland
I know she wants me, but she’s nervous too. Lord help me be strong and not take her before she’s sure, I pray as I lather my body with soap and rinse off. My dick is rock hard after seeing Abigail without a stitch of clothing on her beautiful body. I think about rubbing one out before going to bed, but I refuse. The only place I want to find pleasure is in her tight virgin pussy.
I get out of the shower and dry off. Entering the bedroom, the room is dark, but I can see Abigail asleep in our bed. I pull on a pair of boxer briefs and get into bed, careful not to wake her.
Abigail rolls over to me, snuggling into my chest with her arm draped over my stomach. She kisses my chest and mumbles, “This is a comfy bed.” Damn, she smells like cinnamon rolls.
I look down and find her eyes closed. “Yeah, Love, it’s comfy,” I say more to myself since she is gone to the world at this point. Combing my fingers through her silky golden hair, I’m relieved we’ve fallen into place so seamlessly. After hearing about the fire, I worry someone will try and take her from me. I hold her close, knowing I will do anything to protect her and keep her.
∞∞∞
My alarm goes off at four thirty in the morning, just like it does every day. Only now, I have someone worth staying in bed for. At some point in the night, we moved, and I wake up snuggled up to her back, my dick hard and seated perfectly between her ass. I grab my phone and quickly shut off my alarm, so I don’t wake her up, then quietly get out of bed. Stumbling around in the dark I grab my clothes for the day and go into the bathroom and shut the door to get ready.
After a quick shower, I get ready for my day and open the door to find the bed empty and made, the light on in our room. Walking out to the living room it’s nice to see the windows open and blowing in a cool morning breeze and the smell of coffee brewing. Abigail sees me, and her face lights up. Standing there in my shirt and boxers, I’ve never seen her look more beautiful. I walk up to her and pull her in for a morning kiss that leaves me wanting to forget about work for the day. “I tried my best not to wake you.”
She shrugs. “No worries honey. I’m used to waking up this early. I was waking up earlier at home. This is when I do all my baking, and then I have time to deliver everything fresh each morning.”
I sit down at the dining room table and pull on my boots. “Did you make a list of everything you need so you can get started again?”
“Yep. I did it yesterday. You already had all the tools and pans I use, so that is a relief. Thank you again for letting me do this.”
“No need to thank me, this is your kitchen now.”
She walks over to me, my coffee in her hand and sets it down in front of me. “My kitchen?”
“Abigail, your clothes are in my closet, and you slept in my bed.”
Her hand settles on her hip, cocking it to the side, and gives me a look. “Meaning what?”
“Meaning you live here now.”
“This is a conversation most couples have after months or even years of knowing each other Leland, not after two days!”
I pull her between my legs and wrap my arms around her back, just over fantastic ass. “Will you move in with me Abigail?”
She throws her head back laughing. “Just like that?”
“We aren’t most couples Beautiful. We’re us. I don’t care what anyone thinks, but you. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“Yes, I’ll move in with you.”
“I thought we already decided on that,” I say to myself, and she smacks me in the shoulder.
“Smart ass, I never answered you.”
“I thought it was implied.” She shakes her head and walks over to the pan of cinnamon rolls she made yesterday and puts one on each of the plates she got out.
“Are you and Donna going out this morning to get everything you need?”
“Yeah.”
“My keys are hanging up by the door. You should take my truck. There’s more room to fit everything you need.”
“You sure you don’t mind?” She asks, turning to face me.
“I’d feel better if you drove the truck. It’s more reliable than what you’ve been driving around. Knowing you, you’d probably run out of gas before you got to town.” I say and start laughing when she glares at me.
“I was going to warm you up a cinnamon roll, but now you get nothing!” She says, quirking her eyebrow at me.
“That’s okay, I’ll eat it cold.” I kiss the top of her head and snag my coffee before walking over and grabbing one of the rolls and walking out to my Gator ATV. I finish the roll in four bites and wash it down with my coffee. When I get to the stables, I go into my office to make a few phone calls. The first one being to the sheriff.
“Kennison, what do I have the pleasure of talking to you for?”
“Good morning sheriff, I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with the fire at Abigail Ryland’s apartment. I was told it wasn’t an accident.”
“What business of that is yours?”
“Cut the shit Harvey and level with me. Abigail is my woman now. Tell me what you have so I know who to protect her from.”
“Goddamnit, I shouldn’t be telling you any of this, but I will since your granddaddy was my best friend and I know you mean well. Chief Warren called me yesterday and told me what his guys found at the apartment. Seems it was made to look like an accident, but whoever did it fucked up and left some evidence.
We are assuming based on that the person has some experience with fire to be able to execute this in a way that makes it look like an accident.”
“You think it’s one of Warren’s guys?”
“If you would have asked me a few days ago, I would have said no. After looking into a few of these guys I can’t be sure. Look, man, we’re still waiting on the arson investigator to come in and report on his findings. All of this is mere speculation.”
“Fuck me.”
“Keep an eye on your woman Kennison. Abby is one of the special ones, I’d hate to see anything happen to her.”
“Let me know what the investigator has to say.” I hang up the phone, pissed I don’t have anything else to go on. It’s wild to think anyone would want to harm Abigail. She’s such a pure soul who isn’t mean to anyone.
My next call is to the dealership in town. I order Abigail the same truck as I have, which is the best in its class. If she wants to continue baking, it's my job to make sure she is safe doing it. I’m going to support her in any way I can. He promises to have the truck delivered sometime today. I sure hope Abigail likes surprises.
Thirteen
Abigail
When Donna came in this morning, she helped me game plan a little better for my orders. The woman is a wiz at organizing things in a way that makes sense. She ended up looking at my list then asked me to give her all the details about who my customers are, what they order, and when I deliver them. We spent a couple hours talking about my business and with her insight she made me see that I could be doing more. She’s making me see this more like a legitimate business than a side one that is barely getting me by.
After we left the ranch, we decided to grab lunch before doing our shopping. I learned that Donna used to be married to her high school sweetheart, but he became an abusive alcoholic when she couldn’t have any children. She told me how responsible she felt for what he was going through since she saw it as her fault. Donna went through several rounds of IVF, but it never worked. She struggled with depression and said she contemplated suicide when things were at their worst. Eventually, she was able to walk away, leaving her old life behind her. Leland saw her working at a truck stop diner a couple years ago with bruises covering her face and offered her a job on the spot.
