Thunder Mountain Ranch

by McCarthy, G. L.

  Giving Sam a look and motioning her head in the direct of the dessert bar, Alex stood up to make a break for it. She said her good-byes to the parents and told the kids good night when she met up with them in line. Feeling very full, Alex put a couple of cookies in a napkin and grabbed her milk. She had taken her remaining bread bowl and requested it be put in the big refrigerator for her to have tomorrow. Sam went for the same, although she had finished her dinner of fried chicken and was a little envious of Alex’s leftovers.

  Alex looked around for Andy and Dean, but they were nowhere in sight. Smiling at Sam as she approached, Alex mentioned the disappearing act of their escorts which prompted Sam to shake her head and comment, “Boys will be boys.”

  When they walked out of the dining hall it was very chilly and neither of the women had on enough clothes to keep warm. Alex grabbed Sam’s hand and started running towards her casita, trying not to spill her milk or crush her cookie. They could finish their conversation and cookies in her nice, warm, and very private room. She just hoped Sam’s perfume had dispersed by now. As they entered, Sam had a question she had been meaning to ask all afternoon.

  “What did you say to Andy today when he kissed you and swung you around?” she had only been a little jealous of that kiss as she knew the motive behind it.

  “You’ve got a boyfriend, you’ve got a boyfriend.” Alex had been teasing him about the obvious way Dean felt about him.

  “That’s the truth. It was a good thing those idiot wranglers seemed to be drooling over you or they would have noticed Dean drooling over Andy.”

  “Drooling over me? I hadn’t noticed. I was too busy drooling over someone myself.” Winking as she made the comment, Alex saw Sam smile and blush.

  “So did you think of any other questions you wanted to ask?” Alex kept standing as Sam took a seat at her little table and looked at the picture and fetishes.

  “Not really. Is this Anna and Ramon?”

  “Yes. The picture was left in the crafts room. I found the fetishes in there too.” Wondering how much detail she needed to provide, Alex waited for the questions to come.

  Sam looked at the photo and then at Alex, trying to see what Anna had seen. There was definitely something about the eyes, a sparkle, that was certain. It was as if both could see into the future and knew what events were to come. Putting the picture back on the table she needed to ask the next question, but she had trouble finding the words. She looked at Alex, saw the look on her face, and wished she would answer the question for her without her having to ask.

  “Sam, I know we need to address the fact that we live thousands of miles from each other. But can we just have fun for the time being and see where this all goes? Who knows, we may start to get on each others nerves soon.” Alex still had a week and wanted to be able to enjoy it with Sam.

  “Okay, you’re right. One day at a time.” Sam knew it would be very hard for Alex to get on her nerves, but understood why she wanted to delay talking about this subject.

  Having no other pressing questions, Sam stood up. She wanted to kiss Alex, but not now after making the “one day at a time” statement. A better idea quickly came to her. The day after tomorrow there was going to be a full moon and the ranch always took a hayride out for a barbecue and the usual ghost stories although just retelling what really happened on Halloween could be scary enough.

  “Would you like to take a ride with me tomorrow night? I need to check on a few things out at the remote fire ring for the monthly moonlight ride.” Sam hoped it sounded like fun and not something that could be done during daylight hours.

  “I’d love too. Can we have a picnic dinner?” This sounded very promising to Alex and she would need to talk to Jessie about her girls being out very, very late.

  “Absolutely. And now I need to hit the sack. Moving all that hay has wiped me out.” Sam felt wide awake, but being in Alex’s room was way to tempting and it wouldn’t take much to get her in between the sheets.

  “Yes, you did have a very hard day. What’s your schedule for tomorrow?” Thinking about the ride was definitely going to make the day drag.

  “Pretty much the same as today, except no hay truck to unload. Would you like to go on the morning ride with me? Then I can help you finish the tack shed after lunch.” Sam had moved the ladder thinking it would deter Alex from scraping, but she was wrong.

  “Perfect, see you at breakfast. No. Make that before breakfast for coffee, then I can help you feed. Then breakfast.” Alex was becoming very anxious and it was taking all her self control to keep from following through with what she wanted to do with Sam while standing in the buffet line.

  As Alex closed the door she knew she was in big trouble. A secluded moonlight ride to a remote spot. It would be next to impossible for her to keep her hands off of Sam. But what if Sam made the first move? That would be different and she was sure that Sam was in the same frame of mind. Having her open the flood gate would be okay with Alex, as then it wouldn’t appear that she was the instigator considering she lived so far away.

  Chapter 18

  The morning drug on, as predicted, but Alex was enjoying the trail ride. Lost in a daydream, she let Bruce plod along at his own pace. Sam was rounding up one of the kids who made the mistake of letting his horse stop and eat some wild oats. Watching Sam working was not helping relieve the desire to get her alone. They were having such fun together and becoming intimate could mess it all up. She hadn’t wanted to get involved with Cyn as she would miss her friendship, but this was different as the attraction had been there from the start with Sam. Not to mention the distance that would make seeing each other on a regular bases, impossible. Perhaps there wouldn’t be any sparks. Maybe Sam was a terrible kisser and frigid in bed. Somehow that didn’t seem very likely, but it would certainly take the lust factor out of the equation.

  Coming up along side of Alex, Sam noticed that far away look and really hoped that she wasn’t hearing voices again. She reached over to touch her arm. Alex jumped, which woke Bruce up and sent him bolting forward. He took five strides before she could bring him back to the walk. Sam apologized several times for startling her. Alex was laughing at what she was thinking about and having Sam bring her back to reality was very funny.

  Unsaddling the horses was helping to distract Alex from her thoughts. She was looking forward to finishing the tack shed as that would surely make the time after lunch fly by. At least that was the wish she had made and she really hoped it would come true.

  Her leftover bread bowl would taste even better as the flavor from the beef stew should have soaked in. Microwaving it made it smell divine. It was more than Alex could eat all by herself so she offered half of it to Sam. She decided to eat outside, as she didn’t want the other guests to think she had a special lunch prepared just for her. They found it very easy to rip the bowl apart and it literally melted in their mouth. Seeing some juice run down Alex’s chin, Sam wiped it away with a napkin. The look that passed between them would have told anyone watching that these two were falling in love with each other even if neither of them wanted to admit it or wanted it to happen right now.

  Sam brought the ladder so Alex could finish scraping the top sections of the shed. She had one little chore to do, then she would bring the air compressor to do it’s job. But it appeared that the painting would have to wait until tomorrow as there wouldn’t be enough daylight to dry the paint.

  As wished the afternoon flew by, and putting away the compressor was the last chore Alex had to do after she had finished the last section of the shed. It was getting close to dinner time, but instead of eating with the other guests, Sam had been preparing their picnic dinner to take on their moonlight ride. Alex headed to her casita to take a shower and put on warm clothes as it would be chilly to say the least.

  Alex wondered if tonight really could be the night. After all they had been through together, she felt even closer to Sam. She was sure Sam felt the same way, but what would she do if th
ere were fireworks after their first kiss? If Sam made the first move and there was a connection she would follow her lead. She hated to think this was just a fling, but maybe that is all it could be. Not having an intimate relationship with a woman for some time now, may be part of what she was feeling. Could it be she just wanted sex and not the emotional ties that go with it? She would have to wait and see.

  Alex approached the corral and saw Sam finishing up saddling Bruce. Smokey was all ready to go.

  “Hi. Do you need any help?” Alex knew she wasn’t late so Sam must have wanted to do this little job all by herself.

  “Nope, I’m all done. I hope you’re hungry because I raided the kitchen and we have enough for four people.” Sam was really hoping Alex had other things on her mind besides food.

  “I know we skipped dinner in anticipation of this picnic, but eating enough for two people may be a challenge. We’ll have to wait and see what develops in that department.” The main course wasn’t really what Alex was hungry for at this moment. Dessert was on her mind and Sam looked delicious.

  “Okay, I’ll get the gate so you and Bruce can head out.” As Sam closed the gate she saw Jessie standing by her office. She waved and mounted up.

  Alex had informed Jessie of their plans and not to wait up, just in case they were having too much fun to come home at a reasonable hour. Jessie insisted that Sam take a rifle along, and the two-way radio, just in case.

  Sam needed to trot to catch up to Alex. As they rode along, the moonlit trail, they had plenty of light to see where they were going. Both horses were walking at the same pace so their riders could talk about the upcoming activity. Their destination was the ranch’s remote campfire ring. Sam’s job was to make sure there was plenty of firewood, then check the tanks to see where the water level was, as there would be a lot of thirsty horses. The ride itself took about thirty minutes at a steady pace. Both women chatted about nothing specific, just something to fill in the silence and disguise what was really on their minds.

  At the campsite there were tables for setting up the food line and pots to do the dishes. Alex was unpacking the food while Sam made a big fire and placed a blanket down so they could sit in front of it. It could get very chilly out in the desert and sitting near the fire was one way to stay warm. As she finished making notes of what needed to be done, Alex called her and announced that dinner was served. There was way too much food, and the selection was vast. As Alex made herself a small sandwich she noticed Sam wasn’t eating anything.

  “Are you eating, or is this all for me?” Suddenly Alex was feeling self-conscious about eating at all. Washing her hands in the cold water she wiped them off and took her sandwich closer to the fire to get warm.

  “Not to worry, I’m just pacing myself. But you go ahead and enjoy.” Sam’s stomach was in knots. She was planning on kissing Alex tonight and needed to make the move soon before she lost her nerve. She was hoping this wasn’t a suicide mission and victory would be hers, but so much was riding on this first kiss. Sending up a little prayer, Sam could only hope for the best.

  “Okay, then have a seat. I hate eating alone.” Alex patted the spot next to her and put her sandwich down to take a drink of water.

  Sam took her place next to Alex, but needed to lean forward to move a log on the fire. As she sat back Alex was looking at her with a strange smile on her face. Sam thought she looked amazing in the fire light with the moon shining overhead. She reached out with her right hand and caressed Alex’s face. Alex closed her eyes as she felt her warm touch and her heart started to pound. As Sam traced her jaw line she stopped at her chin and brushed her thumb across Alex’s lips. She leaned in and gently kissed Alex who leaned forward to meet her. The feeling was one neither had felt in a very long time. Sam opened her eyes and saw Alex slowly opening hers then moved in for another kiss. This time Alex kissed Sam while putting her hand around the back of her neck and pulling her towards her. Her lips were soft and her tongue gently slid into her mouth. Sam pulled it in further by gently sucking on it. As they continued to kiss Alex took her teeth to playfully pull on Sam’s lip. She heard her sigh and let go. Sam looked at Alex and kissed her the same way she had been kissed. Alex had always wanted her lover to be so in tuned with her movements that they would realize that was how she wished to be kissed too. She pulled Sam up so they could stand face to face as she kissed her on the neck, then her earlobe. Sam was loving the sensual way Alex was teasing her and became very aroused. As Alex kissed her neck again this time she raked her teeth across Sam’s skin sending goose bumps up and down her left side. Sam moaned and leaned into Alex wanting her to do it again, and doing so made her knees nearly buckle from the pleasure. Sam needed to pull back and get control of herself, but was lost in Alex’s caresses. Feeling Sam buckle, Alex gently guided her down to the blanket. Holding on to her belt was forcing the crotch of her jeans to come in contact with her clitoris which was now swollen and throbbing. Sam was lost in a wave of pleasure that was building with every second. The heat of the fire was nothing compared to the heat Sam was feeling between her legs. As she felt her legs bending, and nearing the ground, she reached back to find the blanket directly under her. Alex had guided her down and she was perfectly placed on the blanket. Sam wasn’t wearing a bra which was obvious to Alex. As she positioned herself next to Sam she was slowly unbuttoning her shirt as she continued to kiss her softly. Sam’s mind was occupied by the continuing kisses each one more sensual than the one before. Sam wanted Alex more than she thought physically possible and unbuckled her own belt and unzipped her jeans as she was lost in the moment with Alex gently kissing her breast. Her nipples hardened and Sam felt her clit aching to be touched. Taking Alex’s hand she placed it inside her opened jeans and moaned as she slid her hand down inside her underpants. Feeling Alex’s hand she responded, “Yes, please, yes.” Alex found her wet and swollen and slid her index and middle finger down on both sides of her throbbing clit. Sliding her middle finger inside and using her thumb to message her clit, Sam’s back arched as the climax hit her like an explosion. Her clit was pounding from the blood pulsating through it and Alex’s middle finger was being clinched with each beat. Sam’s heart was pounding and she was breathing heavily. She couldn’t speak or move as she was locked in a wave of pleasure. When the pulsating had subsided she looked up at Alex who was gently kissing her face, not moving her hand until Sam had felt as much pleasure as she could. She was totally spent, and wanted to fall asleep, but wanting to reciprocate she started to raise up. Alex pushed her back down and shook her head, she then zipped up her jeans and pulled her shirt together.

  “Just rest a minute. We have all night.” Alex laid her head back down and moved closer to Sam placing her hand in the middle of her chest. Both women fell asleep and awoke to the sound of a coyote howling at the moon.

  Alex suddenly felt like she had gone too far. She raised up on one elbow and looked at Sam, her face aglow from the moonlight, who was looking at her with a smile on her face. She reached up and pulled her down for another kiss. Alex felt relieved that they were of the same mind, but panic stricken as to what was in store for the two of them now. After several passionate kisses Alex needed to say what was on her mind.

  “Sam, I think I need to apologize for my sudden forwardness and possibly crossing a line you weren’t ready to cross.” Alex wanted to take full responsibility for the past several hours events.

  “Alex, I’m a big girl and I didn’t do anything I didn’t want to do. I wouldn’t change a thing, although this does change things quite a bit.” Sam had wanted this to happen she just didn’t think it would all happen tonight.

  “I know, I was going to take it very slow and make sure the next woman I was attracted to was also looking for a best friend, lover, soul mate, and confidant. Not that I don’t think you are all these things. I guess it would appear to someone looking from the outside that only knowing you for a week was rather fast to have learned so much in such a short time.�
� Alex had put a lot of trust in the fact that Jessie had put them together and would know what her cousin was all about.

  “True, I guess I’ve put so much trust into what Jessie knows about you, that when I finally met you face to face it was like we were old friends, even though we had never talked before.” Sam felt like she knew who this woman was down deep even though Jessie had only told her a little bit about her over the years. Even back before she told Jessie she was having troubles with her last girlfriend she heard how wonderful Alex was and if both of them were ever single at the same time she was going to get them together.

  “Yes, I’ve felt very comfortable being with you. It’s almost like we were lovers a long time ago and have just been reunited, as in one of those old black and white movies.” Could finding the right woman be this easy and fast, or was Alex fooling herself? Was it possible that after a year, this too would fall apart like her relationship with Dez? But Anna had told her the right one was coming. Was this it or just wishful thinking? She needed to talk to Jessie and think about all that had just transpired.

  The color of the sky was still black as Alex looked at her watch to find that it was four o’clock and both women agreed it was time to get back to the ranch. Alex felt energized and the fact that she only had a few hours of sleep was not a factor, at the moment. Both women packed up the food and Sam made sure the fire was completely out before they cinched up their horses and headed for the ranch. Taking back as much food as they had brought, Alex thought about having a big breakfast since she had eaten very little for dinner. She thought Sam must be starving as she had nothing to eat. Mounting up, both Bruce and Smokey were anxious to get back as they wanted breakfast too. Alex looked over at Sam who moved Smokey over so she could lean over and grab her for another kiss. Alex hoped Sam was trying to let her know she was all right with the way things were going. One day at a time was all they should think about right now. The future was out of their control, as was the sun rising in the east. Enjoy the moment and life will happen as it always does in good time.