Mia let her fingers, thumb, and tongue dance with Sid as she trembled and pulsed, moaning with ecstasy, her wet pink folds opening up like a late spring tulip, inviting deeper and stronger strokes. Mia responded accordingly, driving deeper, stroking more rapidly. Sid’s moans became louder.
“Mia. Yes.”
She maintained a consistent pressure and speed until Sid’s buttocks began to clench, and her legs quivered. Then she plunged as far and hard as she could until Sid fell silent, and her body seized, curling into Mia and then arching away, contracting and expanding with wave upon wave as she came.
“I’m here!” she cried, her voice broken and throaty.
“Yes, Sid, yes.”
Mia slowly extricated herself between Sid’s convulsions and moved beside her, grabbing the blanket and rolling into her. They curled together in the blanket by the fire under the stars. She’d need to talk with Sid about where she might have gone for those brief moments during their lovemaking, but now was not the time. A fierce headache that had been circling her since she’d tried to lift Flynn settled behind her eyes. Sid’s vanishing act was a runner’s wall she would have to tackle another day.
* * *
As soon as Mia fell asleep, Sid’s mind began to churn. She hadn’t wanted to leave, certainly not while every inch of her body was attuned to Mia’s touch, her desires prowling, hunting for immediate release. She wanted to feel it all, harder and faster and completely. But at some point, she’d gone somewhere in her mind. It had happened before. Sometimes, she didn’t know when it happened, but this time she did. It happened the moment Mia’s fingers found their way to the place that took away all distance between them. Her mind turned to all those wasted moments when she resisted surrender, believing it was weakness. Poised at a precipice with Mia, she was in the past, taking in for the first time the places she’d been. It overwhelmed her. Making love with Mia was so far away from the ambivalent mercenary transaction that she’d experienced with Aurora. This was new ground, and for a split second, she was afraid of where she might be heading.
But Mia had noticed. And not only did she notice, Sid realized with amazement, she stayed. She smiled and pulled Mia closer. New ground.
Chapter Twenty-five
Once the morning breeze followed the sun up the rise, Mia couldn’t get close enough to Sid to stay warm, as much as she tried. The fire had long ago died out, so she roused a spent Sid and led her into the trailer. Sid collapsed in the bed, pulling Mia under the covers, spooning her gently with her injured arm across Mia’s uninjured side before falling back into a dead sleep.
Mia smiled. It was clear from Sid’s physical responses the night before that she had not forgotten how to please a woman. The moment Sid had vanished was surprising, and when the time was right, she’d ask about it. For now, the fact that she’d returned and fully connected reassured Mia about how wonderfully things were unfolding. Even the fears she’d held about sex with someone after Riley, fears that she might think about her, call out her name, or worse, compare her new lover, had been put to rest as deeply as Sid now slept. Riley was gone. And Sid was Sid. She felt, smelled, and tasted different. She was different, and she made Mia feel different.
Mia’s mind was racing, so when she was unable to fall back asleep an hour later, rather than disturb Sid, she decided to feed the dogs and take Milo out for his final command session before Jack came by that afternoon. Flynn made his own decision about how he wanted to spend his morning; as soon as he’d finished his breakfast, he jumped into bed with Sid and gave Mia a “yep, this could’ve been you!” look.
* * *
Somewhere in the tangle of linens, something was vibrating. Half asleep, Sid thought it might be her, the effects of last night still resonating in her body. She rolled deeper into a fuzzy comforter, reaching out but realizing after completing a snow angel that she was alone in the bed. Except for something furry, which licked the foot that had gently kicked it. And the vibration of the? What?
Phone!
Sid jumped up and began ferreting through the sheets. She found it and flipped it screen side up. She read the text message before realizing it wasn’t intended for her. It wasn’t her phone.
Pick up, Mia! Please. Results in. Need to talk. It was from Leah, and seconds later, the phone vibrated again, this time indicating an incoming call. Normally, Sid would never touch someone else’s phone, let alone read a message or consider answering it, but it was impossible to ignore the sense of urgency.
Sid pressed answer. “Hello, Mia’s phone.”
“And who might this be?” Leah asked, drawing out the query.
“Hello, Leah. This is Sid.”
“Sid Harris. In the morning hours.” Leah’s tone was that of someone expecting it might be Sid, though Sid was perplexed to understand why. “What have you done with my friend?”
“She’s not here at the moment.” Sid looked around the trailer, spotting a piece of paper with her name scribbled on it propped up on the window frame at the head of the bed. She unfolded it. Out with Milo. Didn’t have the heart to wake you. Back at ten. Xo Mia.
“She’ll be back at ten. She’s out with Milo. Would you like to speak with Flynn?”
Leah laughed. “I know now why Mia was in such a strange mood last time we spoke.”
“Strange?”
“As in happy. Happy strange. I’m guessing she got past hating you? And maybe you decided against pressing trespassing charges?”
“Possibly.” Sid wasn’t entirely sure how Mia felt but wagered that as close as the two childhood friends were, Leah knew more than she did at this point.
“You will treat her nicely, right, Ms. Harris? Because I know where you live.”
“I think that’s a good bet.” Sid paused, weighing her next words. “I hope you don’t think I’ve taken advantage, or that it’s too soon since Riley—”
“No. No one thinks that. No one who knows and loves Mia. She’s worked hard to find her way again, and it seems like you’re a decent enough person. I’m sure you two will figure out a plan for when you head back to the big city, if that’s what you both want.”
Sid had been trying to figure out a plan to keep Mia close since their first kiss. “I’m sure we will,” she replied, hoping a solution would appear now that she’d admitted how much Mia meant to her. It didn’t. Think, Sid. Find a way. Abandon convenience.
“Good. I’ll hold you to that. Now, would you please ask Mia to call me the minute she’s back?”
“I will do that. Oh, and Leah, I’m sure your mom has already asked you to come to my dad’s birthday bash, but it would be really great if you could make it. It’s next Saturday. It would be a nice surprise for Mia, and it’s going to be one hell of a party. And bring your man!”
Chapter Twenty-six
Sid hung up and rolled back under the covers. Flynn settled in beside her, resting his head on his crossed paw, and staring at her with his big blue eyes.
“Yes, I know. You’re right.” Dogs always were. She’d eventually have to go back to Toronto and her job at the gallery, but thinking about it tied her up inside. For most of her life, she’d connected the ranch so closely to her mother’s death that sadness was all she could see. It was only on this trip that she’d been able to experience the memories without the pain. The Harris homestead felt again like home, so the thought of leaving brought about a different sense of loss.
And then there’s Mia.
Sid burrowed deeper in the bed. She wasn’t sure why Mia affected her so. She worried it was a rebound. After all, it had only been a couple of months since Sid salvaged what was left of her self-esteem and ended things with Aurora. It had been a torrid affair, and one that shouldn’t have gone beyond the carnal. Now, she wanted something real. Deeper.
Mia was real. And beautiful. And passionate. Perhaps she was the other pea in Sid’s pod. It’d be easy to lie in bed all day reflecting on the amazing night, but another vibration from a phone on the kitchen counte
r pulled Sid out from the sheets and back into her current reality.
It was Ella, calling to let her know that Martin needed to talk that afternoon. He was on set in Hawaii, but she could call him late-day. Sid found her clothes and threw them on. She’d need to put a few more pieces in place before she spoke to Martin and needed to be back at her desk to do so. She thought about calling Mia, then realized that Mia’s phone was still in the trailer, so she flipped the “out with Milo” note over and wrote her own.
“Keep the bed warm, buddy.” Sid ruffled Flynn’s ears and left the note on the kitchen table propped against the tequila bottle before heading out.
* * *
“I can’t believe that is the same dog, Mia, really. You’ve done wonders.” Jack McCann stood beside her, shielding his eyes from the bright noon sun, his mouth open as he watched Milo work the herd. Milo’s focus was sharp, his energy high, and he was attentive to the twenty or so head but most importantly, to command.
“Bring them around, Jack.” Mia was now training the partnership, proud to hand the responsibilities of the lead to Jack. Milo moved the cattle from right to left, using one of the fences in the Miller’s two-acre stockade, a space that was perfect for this point in his education.
“Come-bye, Milo.”
Jack commanded him to go to the left of the stock, clockwise around them, which would redirect them away from the fence and take them to the right. This step tested the bond of dog and owner because the herd was no longer up against a fence. Milo moved with speed and agility, darting from side to side across the head of the herd and making use of the intimidation stance he’d first tried on Sid’s ATV, this time with great effect. Halfway through the turn, one steer began to splinter from the whole.
“Milo, walk up.” Jack directed him to approach the herd more closely to maintain cohesion. He did as asked and routed the stray back in, managing his position so that the fence was again supporting his efforts.
“Good job,” Mia said. “We’ll try one more. Even dogs with Milo’s energy get tapped out when they first start working, and it’s important not to diminish his dominance. Right now, the cows respect his authority, and for safety, it’s best to keep it that way. Ask him to bring them back and use the hand signal so that we start to build visual responses, too. It comes in handy on a windy day or when the herd is large.”
“Away to me, Milo.” Jack accompanied direction with his index and middle finger, thumb tucked in.
Milo conducted the redirection, keeping himself positioned so that no cow had the opportunity to splinter. That dog is catching on quickly.
“That’ll do.” Jack showed index and pinkie, rotating his wrist back and forth.
Mia smiled proudly. Milo trotted toward his owner with swagger. Working dogs weren’t driven by reward but by the heredity of their breed, assets born thousands of years ago when dogs ensured their species’ survival by capitalizing on the symbiotic relationship with humans. Mia enjoyed that the relationship was truly give and take. Domesticated dogs were sheltered, fed, and protected in return for their service, be it retrieving, hunting, or herding.
“Milo, you have every right to be proud of yourself. Good boy! You too, Jack. You obviously put serious time into studying the signals.”
“Sure did, and I’m just so impressed at how he seemed to respond.”
“You’ll see it again when we try it next time without the vocals.”
“Not that I’m in any hurry to see you go, but I’m wondering when we’ll be wrapping things up? Greg, my son, has been experimenting with drones to secure and herd cattle and, well, not that I’m opposed to modernization, but I’m excited to show him how capable Milo is.”
Mia felt as though her mind hadn’t registered his words. Or their meaning. This was the second time her mental acuity had faltered today; earlier, before Jack arrived, she’d struggled to recall a command sequence. Coincidence. She asked him to repeat his question.
“When do you think Milo will be ready to graduate?” He didn’t seem to have noticed the momentary lapse.
“Another week, I expect, based on his progress. We have some of the more complicated functions to work on like finding cattle in the bush, casting, and separating animals. But now that I know he’s safe around the herd, that’ll come quickly with practice.”
I’m fine. It’s just fatigue.
“And then what are your plans?” Jack leaned into the cab of his truck, reaching for his sunglasses on the dashboard.
Good question. Mia’s mind flashed to the night before. And then to the note she’d found that morning when she’d returned to the trailer:
Hated to leave. Work to be done. My turn to make dinner. Come around seven and bring the boys. Call Leah.
So, Mia knew what she was doing that night, but beyond that, she wasn’t sure. Is it too early to wonder how Sid might fit in with my future? “No plans yet.”
“Well, I wonder if you’d consider something a little different. I hope you don’t mind, but I mentioned your home-cooked dog food to my oldest daughter. She’s got a great mind for business and the credentials to boot. Her ears perked up as high as Milo’s when I told her how much he prefers your recipe over the stuff I was feeding him. Our family has connections to suppliers. But Jesse is all about manufacturing, marketing, and distribution. She’s visiting us next week from Saskatoon. Would you be interested in stopping by and meeting her?”
Mia had never contemplated going to market with her dog food, but she knew that trying to find a natural food that Flynn would eat was hard, if not impossible, to find in stores outside of a few major urban centers. Even online offerings were meager. “Why not? Sounds interesting.”
“I’ll warn you, she’s like her brother Greg. She doesn’t always hoe a straight row. All about organic this and non-GMO that. Imagine, a vegan in a house full of beef producers!”
Mia could easily do that. The vegan and vegetarian bandwagon was now a brigade, rolling into rural areas and finding serious consideration and receptivity where there used to be none. She’d even started to experiment with natural plant proteins, working them into Flynn’s mix more and more over the years.
“See you Monday, then,” Jack said. “Come for lunch. I’ll make sure there’s something other than tofu on the table.”
Mia waved as he drove off and then started hiking up the road to her trailer. After only a few minutes, the hill seemed unusually steep. To avoid thinking about it, she turned her mind to the decisions she’d soon need to make. It was high season for ranchers, so most wouldn’t have the time to spend on their dogs until the fall. That left her with almost two months to sort out her next move. Until just hours ago, when Leah shared Jim’s results, she thought she might go to Vancouver to spend time in support of Leah and her husband. But Jim’s clean bill of health was the best possible reason to have to change that plan. To what, though?
After another few minutes, she found it simpler to curse the hill again. It wasn’t that she couldn’t think of what she would do next—or where she would do it—that bothered her most; it was the looming realization that her ability to make decisions quickly and rationally felt compromised. The doctor had mentioned that concussions could cause temporary impairment, but she hadn’t had any other symptoms so had dismissed the possibility.
By the time they arrived at the trailer, Milo was ready for a nap. And so was she. Her sleep cycle had been commandeered by her injuries and meds. Could that also account for the odd disconnect between Jack’s words and her cognitive processing? Maybe these strange challenges weren’t symptoms but side effects. Two more days of the antibiotics, and she’d hopefully be back to herself. As she stepped into the trailer, she was aware of a profound lack of energy and thought back to last night when she wasn’t just tireless; she was boundless. Perhaps it took the right carrot, because right now, she was dragging. Flynn, on the other hand, had been in bed all morning, and as much as Mia wanted to shower and catch up on her sleep before dinner, she was resp
onsible for his needs. She took him outside and played with him until his fatigue matched hers.
“Glad you’re feeling better, my boy. But I think Milo has the right idea. Time for a nap.”
Mia set her alarm, giving herself plenty of time to get ready for the evening. Her mind floated back to the night before: the taste of tequila and honey, the feeling of Sid beneath her hands and tongue, the sound of her breath and the gold specks in her eyes flashing like fireworks as she came. Even now, hours later, Mia found herself aroused. She could smell Sid in the sheets, and she immersed herself in them, comforted by the presence of the woman she already missed. Knowing she wouldn’t find peace until her urges were sated, she let her fingers roll and ramble through the wetness between her thighs. Fantasies of Sid beneath her tongue quickly escorted her into a quivering release, and she soon after surrendered to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Sid would’ve preferred to stay in Mia’s bed all day, but as adorable as he was, Flynn was no substitute for the woman who’d captured her heart. Besides, she had work to do, and the sooner she put her plan into place, the better. By the time she’d cleaned up after tending to the ranch chores, the sun was already over the yardarm. She sat at her desk and reviewed the plan. She read and reread Ella’s latest missives, then reached out to a few foreign contacts to make sure all the pieces needed to resolve the problem were in place.
Hopefully, Martin will still trust me.
Martin Stephens was the only person in her professional realm aside from Ella whom she’d invited to use her abridged moniker. Not even Aurora had called her Sid. Martin had always been genuine with her, and as they’d developed a friendship, she felt comfortable reciprocating. It was late afternoon when she placed the call to him.
Where We Are Page 16