Chapter Six
I watched in horror as a huge black bear approached, coming after the food. It picked up the picnic basket and began tearing at it with its enormous teeth and claws. Luckily, I could see Adam running our way with a gun in his hand.
I stood up and ran in his direction, crashing into him. "There's a bear, Adam!" I screamed, glad I wasn't being chased by it.
I watched as he fired it into the air, making a deafening crack that split the silence in half. The bear growled and turned around towards the woods, running back into them in fear.
I took a deep breath, grabbing my chest. My heart was beating so fast I was sure it was going to give out. I knew there were bears in the woods and the mountains around Melville, but I had never been unlucky enough to attract one. He must have left the food sitting out there too long. Bears were notorious for scouting for human food all the time. I just hadn't thought about it.
Still feeling shaky, I clung to Adam's shoulder, glad that he was there with me. I don't think I would have fared so well otherwise.
"Thank you," I breathed, finally letting go of him and trying to catch my breath. "You better go get that horse before she runs away," I pointed back at the horse that was trotting along the water's edge. Adam ran over and grabbed the reins, leading it back over to us.
"Nah, I doubt she would have gotten far. But, I think we've had enough excitement for today. Maybe I should go ahead and take you home," he said, helping me up onto the horse.
I nodded and sighed. I wasn't ready for our day together to end, but I did want to go see my grandmother again. I hadn't seen her all weekend because it had been so busy with the farmer's market and dinner with the Walkers.
"Alright, I suppose you're right," I told him as he hopped onto the horse in front of me. I wrapped my arms around him again as he kicked the horse in the side, causing her to take off across the property. It was fun riding fast, but it got me back to the Young ranch much too soon.
“So, that was a fun lunch,” Adam said, and I couldn’t help but laugh. So far, everything with Adam had been such an adventure. I wouldn’t have taken it back for anything.
“You’re right about that. I’m sorry I freaked out so badly. He was clearly only after the food. But it was a bear. Thanks for coming to my rescue.” I hopped off the horse and looked up at him, wanting to leave him with something to think about. "I'm falling for you Adam Walker," I said simply, before running inside the house and shutting the door behind me. That was enough for now.
I walked in the house just to be bombarded by both of my parents. "Oh my gosh, Iris, are you alright?" my mother asked in her worried voice. She started checking me over like she might be looking for a bullet hole or something. Then, it dawned on me that that was probably exactly what she was doing.
"We heard a gunshot," my father added, crossing his arms angrily. I had a bad feeling where the conversation was about to go. But there was nothing at all they could do. I was in too deep with Adam to get out already. I sighed and pushed through them to the living room so I could at least sit down on the couch. "I'm alright, Mom, I promise. There was just an incident over there on the Walker property while we were having lunch. Don't worry about it."
My mother gave me a disapproving look but then said nothing. It was my father who spoke up and insisted on knowing more. "What kind of incident, Iris?" he asked in a scolding tone.
I sighed and decided to just get it over with. "He set out a picnic for us by the lake and then took the horse down to drink some water. But when he did, a black bear came up to the picnic basket and started rummaging through it. I got scared and screamed and ran to Adam, so he had his gun pulled out. He fired into the air and scared it away. It just ran back into the woods; no problem." I tried to make is sound as casual as possible, but there was no getting my father to calm down about it.
"He could have shot you or just angered the bear more. We could have lost you. This is why I told you not to associate with the Walkers, Iris! This is the last time I'm going to tell you; if you want to be under my roof you're not going to see him anymore."
He was making me feel a bit like a teenager again, though I couldn't think of a time I angered him. I walked up to my father and gave him a kiss on the cheek, mostly in defiance. "I do love you, Dad, but I'm in love with Adam Walker. There's nothing you can do to change that, so you'll just have to learn to be okay with it."
I smiled at him and left the room to get ready to go see my grandmother. I looked forward to telling her all about Adam.
My grandmother and I talked for hours about my date with Adam and about boys in general. I confided in her about how my parents didn't approve and asked her how she felt about it. She told me about my grandfather and how he felt that way about the Walkers as well. She used to sneak over there when he was working and talk to Adam's grandmother. It was funny how there was a long line of this hate among the men with the women trying to understand. But it was great to have someone on my side like that. She assured me my father would come around.
I looked out the window from my old bedroom before closing the curtain and shutting the light off. It was bittersweet being home. On the one hand, I loved being able to look out at the stars and all the hills and trees that covered the country landscape. But, on the other hand, I was missing my Colorado life a bit. I enjoyed being independent and having a job to do every day even though I wasn't particularly attached to the city. And I did have memories and friends I had left there as well, but I couldn't imagine going back to those without Adam.
I lay down on my old mattress, making a mental note to replace it if I was going to be staying for a while and closed my eyes.
But as I began to drift off to sleep, I heard a pinging sound against my window. At first I thought it might be rain, but it beat irregularly without ever picking up. I wondered just for a moment if there was a scene out of a movie playing out. I peeked out the curtains to see that there was. I could just barely make out Adam in the moonlight.
I waved to him and tapped back as he threw another pebble at the window. He waved back to let me know he saw, and I closed the curtains again, before tiptoeing down the hall. It was hard trying to get the boards not to creak as I made my way through the living room, and I realized how silly I was sneaking around when I was in my 20s.
I grabbed the shawl blanket from the couch and wrapped it around me, knowing it would be a little bit chilly out there. I made it out the door and cringed at the noise the screen door made as it clicked shut. Adult or not, my father was sure to kill one of us for sneaking around in the middle of the night.
Without saying a word, I grabbed his hand and led him towards the chicken coop, farther away from the front door. "So what are you doing out here?" I whispered as he pulled me into him and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"Well, I guess I just wanted to see you. You know, I think we're far enough away that you don't need to whisper," he said with a quiet laugh.
"You're probably right," I admitted. "But, I'm just so nervous, you know?" I looked around, wondering what we should do and got an idea. "Hey, how about I return the favor from earlier and give you a tour of the ranch?"
"As long as there aren't any bears involved this time," Adam replied, tickling my ribs a bit.
I shook my head. "No bears allowed, but there might be a few chickens and horses." I took his head and led him the rest of the way over to the chicken coop, trying not to disturb the chickens inside. "These are our chickens. They make the most amazing eggs. We let them roam around out here sometimes, but at night this is where they sleep." I gestured like a model on a trivia television show.
I felt like this cool rebel as I led him again to back behind the house where the stables were; one of my favorite places on the property. "This is where we keep the horses, obviously. It's probably not a good idea to go in and spook them, but there are four of them including mine which is Cinnamon. You've already met him." I smiled, feeling a little strange as we walked around
in the moonlight under the stars with me showing him the Young ranch.
"What's that back there?" Adam asked, looking to the opposite side of the property. On the other side of the house sat an old horse drawn wagon. I smiled as I looked where he was pointing, thinking about the memories I had of it.
"That," I said with a sly smile on my face, "is something very special. C'mon; follow me." I walked fast, pulling the shawl tight around me as the cool wind whipped around my hair blowing it back in Adam's direction. I made it over to the wagon and climbed up inside, spreading the shawl out in the back of the wagon. I let my legs hang off the side and scooted over so that Adam could jump up next to me.
"This is pretty cool, Iris. Is it a replica or the real thing?" he asked, surveying the inside. The cover hid the moonlight from us and made it seem even darker than it already was. If I had to guess what time it was, I would probably have said it was half past midnight. I should've been tired, but my body was on edge, sitting next to Adam in the wagon.
"It's the real thing, actually," I answered with a smile, remembering my father telling me about it. "In fact, this is the very wagon that my great grandparents came in on when they settled here. My great grandfather just packed it up after marrying, and moved out here because he wanted to create a life for himself and have a lot of children. He wanted a ranch. And here it is." I pointed around me, feeling proud of my ancestor. From what I had heard, he was a pretty great man. "He went on to have six children, one of them being my grandfather. Anyway, the wagon has stayed in the family since then, but my father actually restored it to pristine condition when I was a kid. It was amazing, the work he put into it."
"Well, I can see why it's so special, then," Adam commented, catching my eyes with his in the dark. They gave off a warm glow that I didn't think I'd find in anyone else.
"That's why it is important, but not why it's so special to me. This is where I came when the kids picked on me about my ugly legs," I said softly, looking down at my pajama pants as if I could see the scars through them.
"Iris, there is nothing ugly about you," Adam whispered, looking right at me. Then, before I could think about it, he leaned in and kissed me like he hadn't kissed me before. Up until then it had been little pecks and maybe a couple of passionate lip locks, but this one had his hands rubbing at my hips and his tongue dancing inside my mouth. But, he pulled away.
"I'm sorry," he said, pulling away and looking out into the night.
"Stop apologizing for kissing me," I told him, pulling him back into the wagon so that his head rested on the shawl. I kissed him again, pouring all my heart into it. If he didn't know how I felt then, there was no telling him. I felt something in us both loosen as I continued to kiss him, both of us becoming out of breath. My body felt warm as we pulled ourselves further into the wagon. I was laying half on top of him, rubbing my body up against him as his hands traveled down my hip to my thigh. I tensed up for just a second, feeling nervous about his hand being that close to my scars. But I had to let it go someday.
He reached his thumb down into my waistband and ran it along the skin at the top of my delicate flower. I giggled softly into his mouth because it tickled just as much as it felt good. I could feel his chest move in a silent chuckle as well. I gasped as his whole hand plunged inside, his fingers finding that soft, sensitive spot and beginning to rub in a circular motion. I let my body slip down onto the blanket, and a sprawled on my back with my eyes closed, letting his hand continue to explore me.
Adam leaned over my body so that I could feel his breath on my neck, and I rocked my hips up against his hand to increase his pressure on me. I reached out to find his curly hair and ran my hands through it absentmindedly. It was course in places and silky in others, giving my hands something to do while pulling his hand out and running it up under my shirt, tugging the shirt up over my breasts. He left them exposed, and I shivered as the chill hit my nipples, making them harden.
Adam began to kiss up my body starting at my navel and then stopping at the middle of my chest. After a pause, he moved over to each breast, giving each one ample attention with his tongue and teeth. I could feel that my panties were becoming very wet because my body was responding to his warm touch. I wanted to say something so badly that would make him hurry it up, but I knew that would ruin the moment.
My breathing became shallow as he tweaked my nipples with his fingers, moving back down my stomach with his mouth and tongue trailing my skin. It felt like I was being burned everywhere he touched.
Then, he slid his hands down to meet his mouth and hooked his fingers in my pants, tugging them down. I squinted my eyes shut, feeling nervous. Even in the dark I knew he would see the ugly scars on my left leg. But he didn’t miss a beat, pulling my panties off after them, leaving my whole body exposed to him. There was no hiding anymore.
I relaxed as he began to gently kiss the edges of the scars, lifting my leg to his mouth. His fingers moved upward, dancing just at the entrance to my wet center. The torture was terrible, and I groaned in protest as he moved away from me. I opened my eyes to see that he had gotten up onto his knees and was unbuttoning his shirt. I felt my insides begin to ache with passion for him as he bared his chest, discarding the shirt behind him. I could make out the few curling hairs making a trail down to his pants and his slightly defined pecks.
I had to reach out and touch him, letting my fingers slide down his body until it reached the button on his pants. I started to unbutton and unzip him, looking up for approval. He didn’t stop me, so I went for it, pulling them down along with the pair of boxer briefs he had on underneath.
I could see that he was feeling the same way for me; his member swollen and standing at attention for me as he looked down on me with affection. I took him in my hand and spread my legs for him. I guided him downward as he placed himself between my thighs, and I set the tip of his shaft just at the entrance to my center.
I bit my bottom lip nervously as I removed my hand, allowing him to decided when and how he wanted to explore inside of me. He didn’t wait long. Looking right into my eyes, he plunged deep inside of me. I squinted my eyes shut in a moment of pain as he spread me wide open. After a few seconds, as he began to slide in and out of me, I relaxed as the pain went away. He leaned down over my body, kissing down my neck and sucking on it.
I moaned as he left a trail of purple marks down my collar bone, and I picked up my legs to wrap around him. His member was able to plunge deeper inside, and I gasped at the feeling. I pulled at his hair and forced his lips back onto mine, tugging at his bottom lip with my teeth.
Adam picked up the pace, thrusting into me hard. We were both panting and caught in the moment. I could hear him groan with pleasure under his breath. Then, my legs squeezed around his body before I lost control of them. They began to shake uncontrollably as I felt a rush go through my body. It wasn’t unlike that feeling I get on roller coasters just before they plunge down a steep hill.
Then, my center squeezed around him tightly, making me scream and wad the blanket up in my hands. My legs went limp and slid down his body as I looked to him to see that he was reaching his apex as well.
(3 Book Romance Bundle) "Escape to Vegas" & "Love, Forgiveness & Horseshoes" & "The Cowboy's Love" Page 15