RED HOT RANCH

by Swale, Lizzie

  “It’s just a kiss,” she muttered. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

  Between the chores and the school work Jenn still found time to go riding with Christopher. In what was left of her spare time she went into town with Andrew for dinner or a movie or just to have coffee and laugh over old stories. Some evenings ended with a kiss and she told herself not to feel guilty. I’m not lying to them. No one has talked about going steady or being a couple. We’re just spending time together.

  It was a cool rainy evening near the end of August and she was just putting away the kitchen towels, the last job on her list for the day, when Andrew came in. “Are you busy this evening?”

  She’d wanted to go riding but didn’t think, with the rain, that it would be a good idea so she said, “No, I’m free.”

  “Great, I was going to start up the fire place. Did you want to come and sit with me? I could pull out those photo albums we’ve been meaning to look at.”

  A great clap of thunder rolled around the house. “A fire sounds perfect,” she said.

  He brought out a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses and the promised photo albums.

  “I forgot there were going to be naked pictures of me in these!” she laughed when he came to the pages of photos from the anniversary party she’d attended as a toddler.

  He leaned in closer to her and draped an arm over her shoulders. “Now that I would love to see,” he purred.

  “I’m right there!” she said, pointing at a chubby faced and very muddy toddler with wispy blonde hair. Her hair, shoulder length now and thick, had darkened when she was twelve or so into a light brown and she like the wear it in a ponytail or braid with bangs. After breaking up with Austin she’d considered cutting it but now she was glad she hadn’t.

  “You’re right here,” he said. He kissed her and she forgot all about the baby photos and hair styles. The fire was crackling, the wine was making her feel warm and tingly, and his lips felt amazing. The kiss was soft and slow and warm. He caressed her cheek. By the time he pulled away her heart was racing, her breathing was shaky, and all she could think was, I don’t remember the last time someone kissed me like that.

  “Can I kiss you again?” he said.

  “Please,” she almost whispered. “Oh, please.”

  He was trying to keep the kisses romantic but she responded with a hunger that set him on fire. He pulled her close, their kisses blurring together one after the other. His hand never left her cheek.

  He pulled away again and she followed, desperate for the attention. “Let me touch you,” he said. “Please.”

  She sat back and took her shirt off in response.

  Even with the blatant invitation he was so polite she wanted to scream. He kissed her again, letting his hand run down her neck and shoulder before gently skimming over her breast.

  She pulled back just far enough to say, “Touch me, please. Really touch me.”

  He cupped her breast in his hand and squeezed. She moaned against his mouth. She reached for his hand, intending to place it between her legs, but just then the door down the hall opened and they heard heavy footsteps in the mudroom.

  He pulled back. “My dad’s home early.”

  Being caught naked in her boss’s living room with her boss’s son wasn’t something that excited Jenn and she felt the panic rising. “What do I do?”

  “Behind the couch.”

  She grabbed her shirt and dove for cover.

  Jim walked by, stopped, doubled back and came in. “Andrew, that’s a lot of wine for one person.”

  “One’s for Jenn,” he said.

  “Did she disappear?”

  Behind the couch Jenn quickly and silently pulled her shirt on. Then, in a flash of inspiration she pulled her phone out of her pocket and sat up. “I’ve got it!”

  “What ya doing back there?” Jim said.

  “Dropped my phone and kicked it. Guess I really polished the floor this week because it slid a ways. I didn’t know you had photos of me from that party.”

  “I didn’t realize it either, which one is you?”

  Jenn came around and pointed to a page in the open book.

  Jim smiled. “That was some party. Well, you two enjoy your evening.”

  When he was gone Andrew started laughing. “Well, that hasn’t happened since I was a teenager.”

  “Me too.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Good-night Andrew. Thanks for the wine and the conversation and the confidence booster.”

  “Jennifer, you do know you’re amazing, right?”

  She shrugged and stood but he caught her wrist.

  “Jenn. I’m serious. I know you left a bad situation. Dad didn’t say much but I figured it was bad enough. Don’t let one asshole ruin your life.”

  “Sure. I’ve got an early morning, school and all. Good-night.” She went to her room and got ready for bed but as she slid beneath the covers she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

  “Just a little,” she whispered, “Just to calm down.”

  Though she had unpacked her clothes and books she still had a small suitcase under the bed with more private items, including a vibrator. Now she leaned over the edge of the bed and fished it out. She lay back, tucking the controller and toy under the covers with her.

  “Andrew,” she whispered and let the image of his face and memory of his kisses flood her mind. She turned on the vibrator and placed it against herself. She hadn’t played in weeks, hadn’t felt loved or wanted since Austin had turned mean. The kisses, the touching, and the wine had left her wet and horny.

  “Yes, Andrew, yes,” she whispered as memory turned to fantasy and she imagined him touching her, caressing her, maybe even fucking her. She imagined his long, lean body without the clothes and it was enough to send a spike of pleasure through her body. She imagined he would be all lean muscle from the hard ranch chores. His hands were like leather, warm and worn. He would be good to her and touch her in ways that were meant to make her happy.

  Her nerves leapt and her hips bucked up. She bit her lip so the only sound of pleasure that escaped was a low groan. She didn’t want to be shouting Andrew’s name into the stillness of the night. She shuddered through wave after wave of intense jolts and then pulled the vibrator away. She was out of breath and warm all over as she tucked the toy back under the bed.

  The release relaxed her and soon she was drifting off to sleep.

  Chapter 7

  It rained on and off for two days. When the sun finally reappeared Jenn found herself rushing through the house work and yard work, anxious to get out to the corral to continue her lessons with Christopher.

  When she got out there in a pair of old cowboy boots Christopher had found at the thrift shop in town and her most comfortable jeans she found he had two horses saddled and tied to the fence on the outside of the corral.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  “We’re going for your first trail ride,” he said. “Don’t panic. Marabelle knows how to follow. For the most part she’ll just walk out with Blaze here and won’t be a problem.”

  “For the most part?” Jenn’s voice was a squeak and she didn’t care.

  “Well, they are animals, not machines. She might spook but we’re going down a trail she’s familiar with so the chances are slim.”

  “What do I do if she spooks?”

  “Lean back and hold on. If she tries to run, lean back, pull hard on the left reign, and forcer her nose to your toe. She’ll have to run in a circle then and once she figures out she’s not getting anywhere she’ll stop.”

  “That’s why you have me practice circles?”

  “Yup. Saved me from a few falls. Come on, we’ll just walk today.”

  “Okay.” She took a deep breath and let him give her a boost into the saddle. Once she was settled he untied the horses and swung into Blaze’s saddle. While she mostly climbed up Marabelle’s side and sort of slid into the saddle, he swung up in one smooth motion and landed lightly
in the leather seat. When he looked over his shoulder at her, smiling under that battered cowboy hat, she blushed.

  “Are you ready?”

  She nodded.

  “Give her the signal to walk and we’ll move out.”

  The two horses started across the lawn together towards the trees. There was an opening there and soon they were walking down a wide, well-kept path between old trees. The last of the day’s sunlight filtered down through the canopy of leaves. Marabelle did follow without fuss giving Jenn time to appreciate the scenery, both the trees and the cowboy in front of her.

  He was dark where Andrew was blonde and it made his five o’clock shadow more pronounced making him look more rugged. He was a little broader than Andrew but still in the long and lean category. Though he and Andrew were about the same age Christopher looked a little older, a little more weathered.

  The path took them on a loop through the trees. At one point the path forked and Christopher went right. Marabelle tried to go left. Jenn let out a startled “Oh!” and tugged at the reigns. Marabelle stopped and planted her feet.

  Jenn looked up at Christopher. “Now what?”

  “Open with your right arm and leg, lean forward just a little, and give her a solid tap with your left heel. She should come.”

  Jenn followed the directions and Marabelle just stood there.

  “Tap her harder. Don’t worry, you can’t break her ribs.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better!” Jenn said.

  “Make a clicking or kissing sound as you tap her, and lean a little further forward, just remember to sit back again when she starts walking or you’ll go over her shoulder.”

  Jenn took a deep breath and tried again. This time Marabelle snorted and started walking towards Blaze.

  Christopher smiled broadly at her before turning Blaze and continuing down the trail.

  “So what’s down the other fork?”

  “There’s a pond down there. Marabelle likes going that way.”

  “I think I’d like to go that way sometime too.”

  They came out a hundred yards or so from where they started and the horses made their way back to the corral as if on autopilot.

  While they took care of the horses Christopher praised her progress and offered her pointers. She asked questions about riding, about Marabelle, and even about Christopher’s rodeo career.

  “Thanks again for teaching me to ride, I’m really enjoying it,” she said once they were finished.

  “Good,” he said, taking a step towards her. “Because I’m really enjoying this time together.”

  “Me too,” she said, taking an involuntary step back. She smiled but her heart was pounding. She found she was a lot closer to the post between Marabelle and Blaze’s stalls and her retreat was cut short.

  He stepped in close to her, looking down at her with heat in his eyes. It was dark in the barn, and warm. They were surrounded by the earthy smells of horse and hay and summer. She put a hand on his chest, not to restrain him but to steady herself. His smile made her knees weak. She swallowed hard.

  “I love watching you on a horse. You belong up there. A little more confidence, a little more practice, and you’ll be riding rodeos.”

  “I couldn’t.”

  “I believe you could.” And then he kissed her. It was a kiss of hot passions straining against leather reigns the way a horse strained to run free. In the back of her mind she knew she was asking for trouble after letting Andrew get her shirt off and now letting Christopher kiss her like this, but she wanted it. She kissed him back, hard and demanding. He groped her breast through her shirt and when she gasped against his mouth his tongue darted out to play with hers.

  His hand moved under her shirt and she started making desperate whimpering noises. He reached down and pressed his other hand between her legs. She swung her hips, rubbing against his hand. Her hands reached for the buttons of his shirt, managing to undo the top three.

  There was the sound of tires on gravel and then a car horn honked.

  “Shit,” he muttered pulling away from her.

  “It’s not for us,” she said.

  “It is. I forgot. Jim has someone coming to look at Honey’s hooves today. He’ll want me to help.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  He bent in fast and kissed her hard. “We’ll continue this later.”

  She could only nod. She shuddered and took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m going in now.”

  He nodded, already reaching past her for a lead rope. As Jenn went out she passed Jim and a man she’d never met.

  “Didn’t expect to see you out this way,” Jim said.

  “Christopher is teaching me to ride,” she said, smiling. “He’s just getting Honey out now.”

  “Glad he’s on top of things. I almost forgot and I’m the one who made the appointment.”

  Jenn forced a smile and rushed to the house. She hadn’t planned on using the vibrator again so soon but with the way her life was suddenly going she might be needing it a lot more often.

  Chapter 8

  Over the remainder of the summer Jenn found herself busier than ever. Riding lessons with Christopher regularly ended with steamy kisses and wandering hands, either out behind the barn or in the barn. Quiet evenings studying were interrupted by Andrew, a bottle of wine, and romantic conversation followed by snuggling make-out sessions in the living room.

  The difference between them was becoming apparent. Andrew treated her like he was wooing a princess, all candlelight and wine and gentle seduction. She felt special and safe with Andrew. There was nothing safe about Christopher. Christopher wanted her and she could feel his control straining every time he kissed her. The wild passion of it scared her a little but it excited her more.

  She passed her first college intro course with flying colours and started her second. She had the house and yard work arranged in an easy routine that kept her busy but never left her scrambling. Her vibrator was on its second set of batteries since moving in. Something always interrupted before things could get out of hand with either Christopher or Andrew and while it left her frustrated and desperate for any kind of release she was thankful she didn’t have to answer the question of whether or not she really wanted to sleep with either of them and move their relationship to some other level.

  It was the end of August before she had to throw a wooden spoon, and she threw it at Jim when he kept trying to pick the potatoes out of a roast dinner simmering in the slow cooker. Her aim was good and she’d hit him on the shoulder. He’d stared at her and she thought for sure she’d be fired. Instead he burst out laughing and said, “Okay, okay! I should know better than to cross a woman in the kitchen!” He wandered out still chuckling.

  After the long weekend, as she and all the boys were sitting down to dinner, she said, “You know, I think I should be taking more than one class at a time.”

  “What does Kevin say about that?” Andrew said.

  “I emailed him yesterday and he replied that it would be a good idea, given how good my grades were in that first course. He invited me to come down tomorrow and he’d help me with the paperwork.”

  “I’m tied up tomorrow,” Andrew said. “I have to be in the city for an exam that I can’t write out here. Can you postpone it a day?”

  “I could take her,” Christopher said. “I need a few things in town and it doesn’t matter when I go. Tomorrow’s as good as any day.”

  “I owe you a day off anyway,” Jim said, nodding. “James, Michael, and I can manage the chores for one day. We’ve done it before.”

  The topic of discussion shifted to ranch related stuff for the remainder of the meal. Afterwards Christopher lingered to help clear the table while Andrew went off to study and the others went out to look over possible repairs on a tractor.

  “You didn’t have to volunteer,” she said. “I could have put it off a day.”

  “I’ve never gotten to go shopping with you,” he replied.

&nbs
p; And it was true. So far they’d never been off the ranch together. Andrew or Jim ran her to town for the weekly errands and Andrew was the only one who treated her to ice-cream or coffee or dinner.

  “Well then I think I’d like that,” she said.

  “We need to get out to the pond one day before it gets too cool,” he added.

  “Can’t we just wear a sweater while we ride?”

  “Sure, and we can have a bonfire too. But if we want to go for a dip in the pond we’re running out of days.”

  “I’ll try to rearrange the housework to fit it in,” she said. “When do you want to leave tomorrow?”

  “Does after lunch work for you?”

  “Sure.”

  The next morning she pulled out a frozen lasagna and left it on the counter with baking instructions. After a lunch of scrambled eggs, toast, ham, and sausage she and Christopher piled into his beat up truck and headed for town.

  As they pulled into the college parking lot Jenn twisted around in her seat.

  “What is it?” Christopher asked.

  “Just a familiar looking car. But there’s probably a dozen of those in town so it can’t be who I think it is.”

  “Well, I’ll wait out here in the truck. I don’t like Megan much, and she doesn’t like me.”

  “She doesn’t like me either. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  The meeting went smoothly and Jenn was back in the truck twenty minutes later. Her gaze was drawn to the familiar car, a beat up white four-door sedan, one of those sporty model cars that teenage boys owned.

  The teenage boy who had owned the one in her memory wasn’t a teenager anymore and he shouldn’t have any idea where she was.

  “Jenn, hey, everything all right?”

  “Yup. What did you need to do in town?”

  “New boots. And we should get you a proper pair.”

  “Oh, the second hand ones fit nice. I don’t want to spend money on that just yet.”

  “Your choice,” he said, backing out.

  Andrew would have tried to buy them for me, she thought. She wasn’t sure if she liked being pampered more or less than she liked her independence being respected.