Back To Country (Country Love #4)

by Vicki Green

  The next day is ‘bout the same. I’m gettin’ a little tired of bein’ in the barn but can’t seem to leave the colt. Doc Mills stopped by ‘bout midday, sayin’ the colt is a lot better and is outta the woods, gettin’ stronger every day. Larry stopped by, spent a little time with the colt, who he has now named Atlas. He told me it means strong, carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. I guess he did, fightin’ for his life. Good name.

  I’m supposed to be takin’ Tina out tonight but last night she told me she’d bring our date to me. Not sure what she meant by that but I know her enough to expect she’ll be comin’ over. I love how she respects me enough to know how hard it’s been for me to leave the colt. Love how sweet and tender she was with him last night. It was the first time we’d gotten a little more intimate, rollin’ around in the hay. Her breast was full in my hand, her mouth luscious, soft, and damn if my cock wasn’t harder than stone. It’s more than we’d done. Baby steps, I guess. Frustratin’ as hell.

  By supper time, I’m ‘bout ready to go up to the house and see what there is to eat. Since Atlas is standin’ now and eatin’ on his own, I could leave him be, but I think one more night here will make me feel a bit better. Might be silly to some. Guess it’s just the way I am. Sure will be glad to sleep in my bed though. I did move my makeshift bed of blankets and pillows to the next stall, knowin’ I’d be close but have a little more room. The barn door opens. I expect it to be Bart. He’s been bringin’ me food so I didn’t have to leave Atlas. Good man. Instead, I round the stall and stop, seein’ Tina standin’ there holdin’ a large sack and duffle bag.

  “Since we couldn’t go out, I thought I’d bring everything to you.” She smiles, lightenin’ up her face, her eyes sparklin’. She walks to me and I reach down, takin’ the bag. She follows me over to the stall I’m usin’ as my bedroom and I set the bag down. “Do you have a table or something we can use as one?”

  “Sure thing!” I smile. I walk out of the stall and over to a large crate. Settin’ the sack down on my workbench, I move the crate away from the wall. Openin’ the sack, I’m amazed at what she brought. I start pullin’ items out of the sack. Candles, paper plates, plastic silverware, and some amazin’ smellin’ food. By the time I get everythin’ set on the table, she walks up beside me.

  “Here. Let me help.”

  We work quietly, side by side. When done, the table looks incredible. Candles lit. Plates, plastic silverware and cups set. She sets the food down on the workbench and when she removes the lids, my stomach made horrible growlin’ sounds. She laughs, fillin’ the barn with beautiful music. I’d grabbed a couple of foldin’ chairs, settin’ them on either side of the makeshift table. I pull hers out, and she smiles sweetly at me as she sits then I sit down. She pours grape juice from a bottle into the cups. I take mine from her, our fingers brushin’ against each other’s and the sensation gave me shivers. “Here’s to our first official date.” I chuckle, pushin’ my cup against hers.

  “This is mighty nice of you to do. Appreciate it.” She smiles, dishin’ up some incredible food onto my plate.

  “I’m happy to do it. Besides.” She shrugs, fixin’ her own plate. “It might be the only way to have any kind of date.” She lets out a laugh, and I nod.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry ‘bout that.” Takin’ a bite, I let out a small moan. Damn, this is mighty tasty.

  A cold breeze blows in as the door opens. “Sorry, I’m late.” What in the hell is Bart doin’ here? I watch as he walks over to the workbench, settin’ a radio down. “Thanks for the amazin’ grub, Miss Tina.” He tips his hat as he walks by, winks at me, and walks out the door.

  “What....?”

  She stands, smiles, then walks over to the radio, turnin’ it on and changin’ the channel until soft country music fills the air. “I thought it would be a nice touch,” she says, sittin’ back down. “I dropped off some food for the guys on my way here and asked Bart if there was a radio I could use.” Damn! Smart gal.

  “It’s perfect. Thank ya.” I give her a wink and take another bite.

  We talk about our likes, findin’ out a lot of them are the same, about spring comin’ around the corner – yes, we talked about the weather, and a bit about our childhoods. I’m findin’ that even with growin’ up without a ma, it doesn’t sound like it was much different for her with the way her ma was. The woman didn’t show her any kind of love, wasn’t there for her when she needed a ma, and didn’t do any of the things I’ve heard a ma would do with a daughter. I’d feel even more bad for her ‘cept, she turned out so well despite it all.

  We cleaned up, best we could. She’d only brought enough food for the two of us so there were no leftovers. I might have had one too many of her apple turnovers but damn they were good. Closin’ the lid on the last container and placin’ it in the sack, she turns around and smiles. Reachin’ behind her, she turns up the music then walks over to me. She folds into my arms and we begin to sway. Not tryin’ to sound like a girl but this is pretty damn romantic. I lean down and kiss her. Thought it would be a short kiss but our bodies took over. The heat and desire we’d both been feelin’, the frustration comin’ out in force only takin’ it out on each other. We kissed clear down the aisle between the stalls, findin’ the one with my bed made on hay. We stumble as we remove each other’s clothes. We fall onto the blankets with a loud whoosh, never breakin’ our kiss. Settlin’ in between her legs, I stop and cup her face in my hands, wonderin’ if I’m movin’ too fast. Is it too soon for her?

  “We don’t need to do anythin’ you’re not ready for, darlin’.” I search her eyes as she searches mine. In answer, she reaches down between us, takin’ my hard cock in her small hand, and begins to stroke it. I have to close my eyes at the intenseness. “Fuck,” leaves my mouth but I can’t seem to find it in me to stop her. She’s killin’ me. Finally, I grab her hand, pullin’ it off the one place that wants to be inside her warmth, and lay it above her head as I lean down and suck a pink nipple into my mouth. She squirms beneath me as I lavish her breast with my other hand, suckin’ and runnin’ my tongue over her perk nipple.

  “Nash.” She moans.

  Fuck, if the sound of my name comin’ from her after makin’ her feel this way don’t make me even harder. Blindly, I reach for my jeans, fumblin’ as I take a condom out of the back pocket. Hey, a man likes to be ready. I lean up, sittin’ back on my legs, and sheath my length. She watches, intently. After gettin’ settled again, I cup both sides of her face in my hands. “This might hurt a bit.” Her eyes widen. “Thank you for the honor of bein’ your first.” Her eyes glisten as I push inside her. Her brows lower but my girl is so strong. I stay still, givin’ her time to get accustomed to me and to relax.

  “How did you know?” she whispers.

  I smile. “I didn’t – for sure. You just seem like a good girl and from what you’ve told me, haven’t gone out much.” I rub the softness of her warm cheeks with my thumbs. “Which still surprises the hell outta me. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.” Her lips part then I cover them with mine.

  I start movin’ in and out of her, findin’ it easy with how wet she is. She starts meetin’ my movements and fuck if that don’t make me go faster, harder. Then she does somethin’ that surprises me. She wraps her legs around my waist and pushes against my bottom with her heels. Damn, that just made my cock grow even more and start pulsatin’ inside her. She reaches up and pushes her fingers into my hair, tuggin’ a little then pullin’. Now, not that I know firsthand, but I’d heard that a gal may not orgasm her first time havin’ sex. So, I reach down and start rubbin’ on her clit, hopin’ it’ll help make that happen for her. ‘Course, I hate the words “havin’ sex”, ‘cos to me – we’re makin’ love. I’m not a prude or nothin’ but it takes a lot of feelin’s to make love and fuck if I don’t have them. To me, I don’t take sex lightly and other times in my life were e
xactly that – sex. This? This is makin’ love. I know the difference.

  “God! Nash!”

  I kiss her as she releases. The look on her face causes my own release, her body shakes as mine shudders. Pullin’ outta her was difficult as I was more than comfortable there but I needed to take the condom off. Lyin’ down beside her, I pull her into my arms and pull the blanket over us. “Are you shiverin’ due to the cold or are you still comin’ down?” I kiss her head as she settles into me.

  She looks up and smiles. “Maybe a little of both?” I start rubbin’ her arm underneath the blanket, hopin’ to help warm her as much as I’m able. “Nash?” I look down and into her sparklin’ eyes.

  “Yes, Beauty?”

  “Thank you.” She smiles, her face all lit up.

  Reachin’ over, I run my fingers through her soft long hair. “What are ya thankin’ me for?”

  She leans up and kisses me. “For the best day of my life.”

  I look at her swollen lips and kiss her back. We didn’t go to sleep for a long time after that. There was a lot of kissin’, some fondlin’, but we finally settled in, keepin’ each other warm.

  Mornin’ came much quicker than I’d have liked. I could have held her in my arms for eternity and been the happiest man alive. But she was gonna have to get to her shop pretty soon and she said she wanted to make breakfast first. Who was I to argue? It was an incredible night and an amazin’ breakfast. I hated to see her go. Feelin’s stir inside me as I walk her to her car. I take her keys from her hand, get inside and start it up, lettin’ it warm up a bit. “I hate to see you leave,” I say after gettin’ out of the car, wrappin’ my arms around her.

  She looks up at me and smiles. “I hate to go.” I lean down, givin’ her a kiss, and I’ll be damned if I can’t help smilin’. “God, last night,” she whispers. I open my mouth to speak, but I don’t think I can really say what I’m feelin’. She smiles. “I feel the same.” I kiss her again, hard, feelin’ her fingers move up and into my hair. Tiltin’ my head, I make the kiss deeper, not able to get close enough. Finally we stop, only to get some air, then we start up again. I hold her close, fistin’ some of her long hair, her ample breasts pressin’ against my chest. Fuck, if I’m not hard again. I move back but only a bit and stare into her eyes.

  “When can I see you again?” She smiles and I gotta tell ya, there ain’t no better feelin’ than knowin’ I helped put it there.

  “As soon as possible?” I kiss her again, wishin’ it could be tonight. “I’ll check with the girls when I get to the shop.” She kisses me but neither of us move. “I guess I’d better go.” I lean down and kiss her again. Reluctantly, I step to the side, open the car door for her, watch her sit down, and shut the door. Takin’ a couple of steps back, I watch her start to drive away, givin’ me a wave. I lift my hand, holdin’ it up until she’s down the long drive and I can’t see her anymore, yet I still stand here.

  “You’ve got it bad, my friend.” I feel Bart pat my back as he stands beside me.

  “Yup,” I respond with a smile.

  Chapter Twelve

  Tina

  “OH, MY GOD! OHHHHH! MYYYY! GOD!” I’m seriously glad it’s too cold out to have my car windows down because I can’t stop screaming. I have to tell someone. Who can I tell? Sadie. I make a U-turn as I was almost to town. I start heading back, thinking if anyone saw me, they’d think I was crazy. I am crazy! Crazy in – love. No! It’s too soon. I can’t be. That’s just silly. I snort loudly. I’m just totally swooning over a cowboy. Not just any cowboy. My cowboy, who made love to me. Me! No guy has ever looked at me the way Nash does. Treated me with respect. Touched me like I’m some kind of precious gem. Not one guy has ever given me chills just from his voice. “Okay. Okay. Calm down, Tina.” I take some deep breaths letting them out slowly. “OH! MY! GOD!”

  I make it to Sadie’s in record time, putting my car in park and practically running to the front door. I start pounding on the door, excitement flowing through me at a rapid rate. And I haven’t even had sugar yet! I ring the doorbell then knock some more. Shit! Was she going into work this morning? I can’t think! The door opens and Sadie stares at me, holding Evie.

  “Tina? Are you okay? Is everything okay at the shop?” I nod eagerly. She smiles. “Okay. Come in. Want a cup of coffee?”

  I take Evie from her arms and follow her to the kitchen, sitting down at the table. “Hey, Little Miss. How are you this incredible morning?” She looks up at me like I’m the crazy aunt. Okay, I am the crazy one.

  “What’s got you so chipper this morning?” I look up as Sadie walks toward me holding two cups.

  I take a cup. “Oh, nothing,” I sing-song.

  “Okay, spill.” She smiles.

  “Well, last night....” I remember I’m holding Evie and cover her little ears. “I can’t tell you in front of the b-a-b-y,” I whisper. She laughs.

  She stands. “Well, she’s asleep so I’ll go lay her down in her crib.” I look down and see Evie is asleep. Huh. Sadie takes her from me and I take a drink of my coffee. I feel like she’s been gone forever and am about to bust when I hear her walk back into the room. “Okay, now. What’s this....?”

  Turning my head, I blurt, “Nash and I made love last night!” Her eyes widen but a smile forms quickly. She leans down and hugs me hard.

  “What? How?” She sputters as she releases me and sits down beside me.

  I give her a weird look. “Sadie. I would think of all people you would know how that works.”

  She laughs and covers my hand with hers. “I mean, did you all go on a date? Tell me about it.” Oh. Oh!

  I laugh as I wave my hand around. “I was just kidding ya.” I think. “Anyway. I hadn’t heard from Nash in a few days and we were supposed to go out last night so I got concerned and went to his house Thursday night to check on things – uh, on him.” I smile. She leans in, listening intently. “Well, come to find out, there was some bad things happening with his new colt and he’d been practically living in the barn helping to nurse him.”

  “Oh! How horrible.” She gasps, sitting back in her chair.

  “He’s okay, now.” She breathes out a sigh of relief. “So, I stayed there for a while and well....” My skin becomes warm with the blush that covers my face. Her brows raise, her eyes playful. “We fooled around. It was – amazing.” I take a big drink of my coffee but she doesn’t take her eyes off me. “He was still worried about the colt so last night I cooked and made some dessert and surprised him with a candlelight dinner in his barn. It turned out more than incredible, Sadie.” I start getting excited, reliving everything again in my mind. “I had a radio and played some soft country music, which you know I hate with a passion.” She nods smiling. “And we danced!” I sigh. “We were so in sync. He dances really well. So, I’d also taken over some stuff for afterwards....” I waggle my eyebrows. “If you know what I mean.” She laughs and I start squirming in my chair. “Oh, Sadie. It was so much more than I ever could have dreamed. He was.... God! It was the most amazing, incredible thing that’s ever happened to me!” I let out a sigh, leaning my arms on the table, looking out the back door, dreamily.

  She leans over and squeezes my hand, bringing me out of my daydream. “I’m so happy for you, Tina.” She sits back and picks up her cup. “So, you finally had a date!”

  I lean back in the chair and let out a dreamy sigh. “Yeah. Kinda? I mean, we didn’t go out but staying in his barn was really nice.”

  She leans forward, resting her arms on the table, and folds her hands. “Aww, Tina.”

  “No! I mean, we made it work. We’ll go out – out, on a real date. I’m sure. But Sadie. I can’t even....”

  Her brows raise. “That good?” She winks.

  I let out another sigh and lean my arms back on the table. “Yes. So good.”

>   “Were you nervous?”

  “Yes. No? I guess a little. He just made me feel so comfortable. I can’t believe I didn’t kick him in the nuts.” She laughs. “Or poke him in the eye or something. I didn’t even stutter!” She reaches out and covers my hand, squeezing.

  “When it’s right, when it’s meant to be, then everything falls into place. I’m glad he made you feel comfortable, took care of you the way a man – a gentleman, should. I like Nash and think the two of you together are perfect.”

  I smile. “Me too.”

  I left Sadie’s with a kick in my step. I called Misty and told her I was on my way and she told me not to rush so I took my time. Went home, took a long shower, and I gotta tell ya – my lady bits are pretty sore. Well, it’s no wonder. I’m no expert but when I saw his length and girth, I was curious how in the hell it was gonna fit inside me. I mean – I thought all his other muscles were very large but oh, my God!

  I make it to the shop by ten o’clock and I’m glad I did. There’s a rush of people. I immediately walk to the counter, giving my good mornings, and start helping customers. By eleven, the rush was gone but now it’s time to get ready for the lunch crowd.

  “I’ll go get the sandwiches ready,” Misty says smiling. “After the lunch rush, you’re telling me everything.”

  I turn to her, still wiping off the counter. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  She smiles then starts walking toward the back room. “Yes, you do,” she sing-songs. Damn! Does it show?

  A few minutes later, I’m at the small table to the left of the counter, filling the different containers with sugar packets, creamers, and swizzle sticks. The bell over the door rings, telling me another customer is here. “Be right with you.” I concentrate on filling the napkin holder, my mind still in the clouds from last night.