by Fiona Zedde
"That's good, then. But I still miss her."
"Why don't you run by the shop and see her one of these days? I'm sure she would be glad to see you."
"I just might do that."
"Good."
Nikki kept sneaking peaks at Hunter as if reevaluating a former opinion, watching how she ate and responded to the not-so-subtle inquiries Victor threw her way. Despite the succulent flavor of Nikki's meal, Sinclair was too nervous to eat. She picked at her plate, tasting the tender bits of pork-infused red beans and the thick red-tinged sauce that perfectly complemented the white rice. It wasn't like she was going to marry the woman. Still her appetite remained sparse and her hands were cold with nerves.
"My dinner not good enough for you, Sinclair?" Nikki teased. Sinclair glared at her stepmother. Nikki knew damn well why she couldn't eat.
"Stop teasing, Nikki. You know that the food is good. I'm just not really hungry right now."
Four pairs of eyes looked at her as if she'd just flown over the moon in her underwear. Her father patted her hand and smiled.
Sinclair kept quiet. After the main meal they moved to the living room for dessert. Xavier quickly went through half the bag of cookies that Hunter brought him. It wasn't long before Nikki put him to bed, tucking him into her and Victor's bedroom until later on when she could move him. Victor brought out the cards and they sat down around the coffee table to play gin. Hunter was an aggressive player, unforgiving of Sinclair's inexperience and Nikki's niceness. She and Victor played in deadly earnest until, unexpectedly, Sinclair's father stood up to get drinks for the women-bottles of Guinness for himself, Sinclair, and Hunter, and carrot juice for Nikki. He and Hunter boasted loudly about who was the better player, slapping down cards amid laughter and chortles of amusement from the other women. They didn't talk again of serious matters, of Lydia or the relationship, or the fact that Sinclair was leaving in less than three weeks.
Later in the night, Hunter and Nikki teamed up against the other two in bid whist, becoming a true team of trash talkers while Victor and Sinclair beat them soundly at every game, laughing quietly to themselves even as their lovers grew louder in their defeat.
At three in the morning, they reluctantly packed up the cards and Hunter gathered her things to go. Sinclair walked her out to the night-blanketed verandah and, away from the curious eyes of her parents, gently kissed her. "Thank you."
"You're making me work hard for this, aren't you?" Hunter growled into Sinclair's throat.
"You didn't have to come tonight."
"Like hell I didn't."
Sinclair laughed. "Will I see you tomorrow?"
"Why wouldn't you?"
"Smart-ass."
"Better that than a dumb-ass." Hunter nuzzled her throat again. "Come to the house after dinner. Spend the night with me."
"Maybe."
Hunter laughed and pulled away. "Tomorrow." She walked backward down the short steps leading from the verandah to the gravel footpath.
Sinclair blew her a kiss and watched her walk out to her Jeep. She didn't go back inside until long after Hunter had driven away.
Chapter 20
want to go horseback riding." "Then go." Nikki turned to look at Sinclair. "There should be a few places on the beach that have horse tours."
The two women lay stretched out under an oversized beach umbrella while Xavier sat on the beach, building a fortress out of sand for his toy soldiers. It was the weekend again, and Sinclair was finally able to lure Nikki away from Victor to go to the beach with her. This time, they took a taxi at Sinclair's expense so they wouldn't have to wrestle with the umbrella on the motorcycle.
"I don't want to do the tourist thing, though," Sinclair said.
"Maybe Hunter can help you out. She knows a lot of rich people on the island. She might be able to find you a private tour or something."
"Hunter!" They looked up at Xavier's shout. The boy abandoned his fort to greet the woman and pull her over to see the results of his labor. She took something out of her backpack and gave it to him. Xavier looked puzzled, then after a few words with him, he nodded and put his gift, another toy soldier, with the others who were lined up to go into the fort.
"You know I think the reason he likes her so much is because she always brings him gifts."
Nikki smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that."
Sinclair rolled her eyes.
"Hey, ladies." Hunter left the fort to join them.
"Speak of the devil and she shall appear."
"Should I take offense?" Hunter sat in the sand beside them and gave Sinclair's butt a playful pat.
"It's not like we're telling you something you don't already know," Sinclair grinned. "Nikki was just saying you might know about a private horseback riding tour. I haven't been on a horse since my grandma took me to Montana when I was eighteen."
"I can't guarantee you any experience you have here is going to be like Montana when you were a teenager."
"Hmm, I could think of at least one." She exchanged a heavy lidded gaze with Hunter, swept her eyes over the other woman's taut body in its cutoff shorts and thin T-shirt. The exhilaration of her first ride had been coupled with a healthy dose of fear and breathlessness. Not unlike the time Hunter had taken her at the castle, her body hard and sweaty as it pounded against Sinclair's from behind.
Hunter coughed. "My apologies, you would certainly know better than I."
"So what about the horseback riding?"
"I have some friends who own horses." She lay back in the sand and watched Xavier chase little seabirds away from his fort. "I'll call them this evening."
"So what brings you out of your dungeon on such a gorgeous day," Sinclair asked. Over the past few days, Hunter had been working feverishly on a project that left her little daylight time to spend with her lover.
"You, of course." Hunter flashed her a smile. "I brought you something."
Beside them, Nikki suddenly stood up and went to join her son in the sand.
"Really?" Sinclair sat up. "What is it?"
Hunter opened her backpack and pulled out something heavy wrapped in cheesecloth. "Here."
It was a camera. One very much like the one that Sinclair had broken in the mountains, only it was older, an antique where hers had merely been old.
"Oh my God!" Sinclair took the camera, marveling at its metal and leather housing that gleamed in the sun.
"This one is metal, so in case you decide to beat someone's face in with it, it'll survive the attack, and the guy at the shop said that it works just fine with the 35 millimeter film you were using before. It's from 1972 or something. All I knew was that yours was old so I looked online then ran down a guy in Kingston that happened to have this." Hunter took a quick breath as if to stop herself from talking. "Is this close enough to what you had?"
"Are you kidding?" Sinclair let out a squeak and grabbed Hunter in a fierce hug. "This is wonderful. Thank you. I can't believe you did this for me."
"Why wouldn't l?" Hunter's palms were hot against Sinclair's back and neck. "You mean a lot to me. This is nothing."
"It's hardly nothing, you crazy woman." Sinclair kissed her mouth. "This is very unexpected. Thank you."
"Good. I'm glad you like it. The film from the broken camera is in the plastic bag too. I think you can save some of the photos." Hunter reluctantly pulled back from their hug. "I have to go. Work."
Sinclair groaned in disappointment. "Really?"
"Yes. But I'll be done with this project by Tuesday." She brushed her fingers over Sinclair's cheek. "Come to my house on Wednesday morning by seven. I can arrange for us to go riding then. OK?"
"OK." Sinclair grinned, clutching her new old camera as she watched Hunter wave at Nikki and Xavier then walk away toward her jeep. After she drove away, Nikki came back to sit next to her stepdaughter.
"Nice," she said, pointing at the camera.
"Yes, it is. So is Hunter."
"She gave Xavie a new toy." Nikki dimpled
. "A girl soldier. "
They both laughed.
"At first, he didn't even know what to do with her. He had no idea they made girl soldiers."
"But I'm sure Hunter set him straight." Sinclair looked down at the camera. "God, it's going to be so hard to leave."
"That's two weeks away. Don't think about it now, just enjoy the time you do have."
A bittersweet smile tugged at Sinclair's mouth. "You're right." She touched the younger woman's arm. Nikki made a low noise and hugged her tight.
It just happened that Hunter did know some rich people with horses, friends she'd known in England years ago. The Rai-Spencers were an attractive, charming couple. Madeline was an English barrister who had enough of London's rain and noise and decided to move back to the country where her parents were born. Her wife, Radha, was a dancer who had been forced into early retirement by a knee injury and who now wrote bestselling novels for British lesbians. The women looked vaguely familiar to Sinclair, but she couldn't quite place where she'd seen them before.
"Good to see you again, Hunter." Madeline hugged her friend. "Twice in one week. Rare but most welcome."
Radha took her turn in Hunter's arms. "Yes, we know it's not quite a social call, but we love seeing you anyway." She turned to Sinclair. "And this is the woman you told us about?"
"Yes. This is Bliss Sinclair. Sinclair, these are my very good friends."
When Madeline turned to Sinclair, she remembered where she'd seen them before. At the party three weeks ago. They were the same beautiful couple she hadn't been able to take her eyes off of.
"It's good to finally meet someone who she's dating." Madeline pulled Sinclair into a tight embrace. Her skin held the tang of indoors, air conditioner, and expensive soap. "You have no idea the pains she goes through to keep her love life secret from us."
"Don't exaggerate, Maddy."
"Ha! She doesn't at all exaggerate." Radha kissed Sinclair warmly on the cheek. "A pleasure."
Madeline looped her arm though Sinclair's. "Come and have a drink of something cold before you run out to play with the horses."
The women plied them with fruits and drinks before showing Sinclair around the large two-story Spanish-style house. It was a gorgeous space, cool with ceiling fans spinning lazily in every room and walls the color of Jamaican fruits.
"Hunter is familiar with everything in the stables," Radha said with an impish smile. She flipped her long braid over her shoulder as she spoke. "The horses know her. Just have a good time and come in to see us when you get back."
In the stables, Sinclair watched Hunter with the animals. She did know what she was doing, greeting each horse by name and fishing a carrot from the bulging pockets of her cargo shorts for them. She was gentle and teasing and the horses responded well to her. The smell of horse, manure, and leather marinating in the heat made Sinclair eager to leave the confines of the neatly kept four-horse stable, but as Hunter soothed the animals with her soft voice and sure hands, Sinclair, too, became soothed and was content to simply watch.
"Radha and Madeline are very nice women," Sinclair said.
"They are. I knew Madeline when I lived in London. She'd been unhappy there for as long as I could remember. Only when she and Radha met did she want to do anything about her unhappiness." Hunter looked up at her with an odd smile. "They're good for each other."
"Were you and Madeline lovers?"
"No. But we thought about it. After Radha came on the scene there was no chance, of course. Love at first sight and all that."
Sinclair's eyes followed the sleek lines of Hunter's body. "That's beautiful."
"Yes. It is."
Hunter disappeared into a stall to saddle a quiet brown horse. The plaque on the door named her Dahlia. She led the horse out and handed the reins to Sinclair.
"Just hold her gently. She won't bite or anything. I'm going to saddle up Glimmer and walk them both out."
When she was finished, she quietly took the reins back from Sinclair and led the horses into the paddock just beyond the barn door.
"Do you remember much from your teenage riding lesson?" Hunter asked, her mouth a curving tease.
"Only to sit my ass down, hold on to the reins, and follow the horse in front of me."
Hunter chuckled. "That won't help you in this case, I'm afraid."
She showed her how to mount on the left side using the mounting block, how to turn the horse, and how to prevent Dahlia from galloping away if she saw something tempting ahead. The height from atop the shifting horse was disconcerting and took some getting used to. Sinclair held the reins tightly then remembering Hunter's advice, relaxed her grip.
"That's good. Now stay loose in the saddle. Allow her movements to guide you." Hunter gracefully mounted her horse without the aid of the mounting block. "Watch me." She and Glimmer walked around the paddock. The movement of Hunter's hips atop the pale horse was hypnotic. It wasn't long before Sinclair forgot why she was supposed to be watching her lover in the first place. She simply stared, admiring the lean and graceful body that swayed in the saddle.
"You watching?"
"Absolutely." Sinclair smiled lazily at her.
Hunter walked Glimmer back to Dahlia's side. "Really?"
"I swear." Sinclair had only enough courage atop Dahlia to reach out for her lover and slip her fingers through the ends of Hunter's thick hair. "But I can watch you even closer if you'd like."
Hunter chuckled and leaned in to complete the motion Sinclair began, meeting her lips and accepting their moist warmth. The horses snorted at each other then shifted, pulling them apart.
"I guess this means that they're eager to get started," Hunter murmured with a smile.
"Me, too." But Sinclair was talking about something else entirely.
They took the scenic route from the Rai-Spencers' densely green backyard with its acres of grass and fruit trees and color dappled flowers blazing under the sun. Once they stepped through the iron gate and crested the rise of the hill, miles of gold-washed mountain land spread out like a tapestry before them.
"I don't remember much of this growing up, but my mother used to talk about seeing the island by horseback all the time." Hunter and Glimmer moved at Sinclair's side. "She hated the island, but once she was away it was all she ever talked about. How could I have loved England when she served up visions of this," she waved her hand at the vista below them, "to me everyday?"
They rode steadily down the mountain, ducking their heads to pass beneath low hanging tamarind trees thick with vines. Hunter pointed out hidden oases of wildflowers growing in the green forest-the scarlet ginger and bright orange bougainvillea and white jasmine and red hibiscus. Their colors were dazzling.
At midday they stopped to eat the sandwiches and water Hunter brought along in her backpack, leaving the horses to graze a short distance away on the abundant grass.
"Thank you for doing this for me," Sinclair said, leaning back against a thick shade tree. "It's been a perfect day."
Hunter bit into her sandwich. "My pleasure."
Sinclair expected some smart-ass comment from her, but was surprised by Hunter's look of quiet satisfaction and nothing else.
Even with stops to get food and water for the horses and to take photos of nearly everything between the Rai-Spencer house and their destination, they made it down to the beach well before dinnertime. The sun hung teasingly near the horizon, still full and white in the sky, while under it the Caribbean Sea sparkled a luminous turquoise. Glimmer and Dahlia quickly trotted down the well-worn path from the mountain to the water's edge, eager for a change in terrain. The horses splashed in the water, kicking up white sand and seawater on the women's bare legs and arms. They tossed their necks over the water, whinnying.
"They probably want to play in some water they can drink," Sinclair said, laughing as another splash caught her.
"Me, too." Hunter slid Sinclair a laughing look. "Food now, I think."
She and Glimmer led the way to a
nearby seaside restaurant. The women tied the horses to a hitching post near a gigantic trough of water and walked in to have a proper dinner.
"Fun times, good company, and food." Sinclair lightly bumped Hunter's hip with her own as they walked into the restaurant. "You are, hands down, the best guide out there."
"Of course I am. Wait until you see what I have to show you when we get back."
"If it involves more of your wet skin then I'm all for it," Sinclair said.
They sat out on the deck so they could keep an eye on the horses while they ate. As Sinclair looked around the restaurant indulging in a bit of people watching, a familiar face caught her eye.
"Lydia is here."
"Really?" Hunter didn't look up from her menu. "What are you in the mood for?"
"Something tasty. When was the last time you talked with her?"
"The day she almost caught us naked at your father's house." Hunter looked up and saw something over Sinclair's shoulder that made her grimace. "Damn, I hate dyke drama." She put her menu down and stretched her lips in a bad imitation of a smile as her ex-girlfriend drew close. "Hullo, Lydia."
"Hey, kids."
Lydia was not sober. She sat down at the table with her customary grace, but Sinclair could smell the alcohol on her.
"How are you, Lydia?" she asked.
"I'm not really dealing well with my sister's betrayal. Other than that, I'm fine."
Hunter made a rude noise. "Get over yourself, baby. This is not about you."
Sinclair stared at Hunter in surprise. Her lover looked annoyed and not in the mood to hide it.
"How can you say that when she took you away from me." Her voice rose. "I wanted you back."
Sinclair looked down at the table. This was either going to get really ugly, or it already was.
"I'm not a toy to be-" Hunter stopped and stood up. "Tell you what, Lydia. Come with me for a second. Let's talk somewhere private." She didn't look at Sinclair.
The younger woman threw her sister a narrow-eyed look as she stood up and followed Hunter. People turned to stare at them and, after the two women disappeared from view, watched Sinclair to see what would happen next. Sinclair bowed her head over her menu, annoyed and embarrassed.
