In Every Cloud

by Tina Michele

  Bree stuffed the rogue meat into her mouth and jumped up from her seat. “Really? That would be wonderful.” She threw herself across Carson’s lap and draped her arms around her neck. “I’d love to go riding with you today,” Bree said before she pressed her salty lips against Carson’s.

  They finished breakfast and then Carson made Bree go get dressed while she cleaned up the kitchen. She was glad that Bree accepted her proposal for a day at the stables and even more so that she had helped put the smile back on Bree’s beautiful face. Carson licked her lips, which still tasted like Bree’s salty sweetness, and she smiled.

  *

  Bree loved the Pine Creek Stables. It was a gorgeous drive over the mountains and around Lake Lure to get there. It was the type of place that Bree imagined owning one day. It had beautiful fishing lakes, hundreds of acres of riding trails and pastureland, gorgeous barns, and a small working farm with a bed-and-breakfast. It was a fantasy she’d almost forgotten about until they pulled onto the long gravel road that weaved through the property. Carson pulled into a spot alongside a barn with a large “Welcome Y’all!” sign.

  Bree looked over at Carson with an enormous smile that she made no attempt to hide. “Are you ready?” Carson flashed an anxious smile and nodded before Bree jumped out of the truck.

  As rustic and natural as it was, Bree loved the smell of being on a farm. She linked her arm with Carson and dragged her along as she skipped into the barn. They were greeted by two trail guides who handed them identical clipboards with the obligatory “you can’t sue us if you die” forms. They sat on a long wooden bench where another couple already sat. Bree zipped through her list of checkboxes and signed her name on the bottom line. She looked over at Carson, who hunched over her clipboard and studied each statement before she checked the corresponding box. Bree was about to make a goofy comment about t’s and i’s until it hit her. She leaned over Carson’s clipboard and looked up at her. “Have you ever done this before?”

  Carson shrugged her shoulders up to her ears, and her cheeks turned pink. “Um, not exactly.”

  “Aww. You’ve never been on a horse before?” Bree asked as Carson turned to face her.

  “Well, honestly, no.”

  Bree found her innocence the most adorable and heartwarming thing she’d ever seen. Carson was willing to do something she had never done just because Bree liked to do it. Marion would have nev—No. Bree refused to let her steal another moment from her and Carson. “We don’t have—”

  “Absolutely not. We are going. I want to go,” Carson cut Bree off in mid-sentence.

  It was not a negotiation, and that was more than fine with Bree. She was now even more elated about being there with Carson to share a new experience with her. “Yes, ma’am. Then finish that form, and let’s go.”

  They finished their forms and listened as the guides led them through the very basics of horsemanship and trail riding. Carson seemed a bit more at ease with the experience once she realized they weren’t going to strap her onto a wild mustang, slap its ass, and send her racing over the mountains. That was until they were led out to the stalls and presented with their equine partners. Bree watched Carson while she stared in bewilderment as the guides picked through the group and assigned them each to a horse. They called Bree forward and paired her with a large white mare named Momma, and she smiled back at Carson, who still waited patiently to be chosen. Bree stood next to her mare as the guides double-checked the buckles and straps. Once she got the all clear, she slipped her foot into the stirrup and heaved herself onto Momma’s back. She looked back just as a cowboy called Carson forward. “We’re gonna put you on big Jack. He’s o’er there,” he drawled as he pointed at the end of the row toward a large black stallion that towered over the rest of the team.

  Carson flashed a look of shock as she walked past Bree whose own mouth was gaped open in surprise. Bree covered her mouth with her hand as she watched Carson being led over to the enormous black stallion. By the look on Carson’s face, the horse may as well have been a guillotine. Bree couldn’t see what was happening at the far end where Carson prepared to mount her horse, so she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous for her. When Carson popped up at the end of the row and onto her horse, Bree giggled at the look of pure excitement and pride on Carson’s face. She beamed from ear to ear, and Bree couldn’t see any of the anxiety that she’d had when they first arrived.

  The trail guides led each horse out one by one. They kept the couples together and arranged their horses in the line accordingly. Bree and Carson were the last two to join the line, and Jack took his place at the rear.

  They rode through the creeks and trails and stopped from time to time when one of the horses ahead decided it would stop for a trailside snack or a sip from the creek. Jack took every opportunity available to put on the brakes in the middle of every stream they crossed. As instructed, Carson attempted to prevent his water breaks, but she proved no match for Jack’s robust and determined wants. Bree’s mare, on the other hand, was far less motivated. Oftentimes she slowed to a near stop, content to nap and wait for someone to come and pick her up on the way back. Bree gave up trying to motivate Momma with kicks and thrusts early on. At every opportunity she had, Bree glanced back to see the amusement that was still affixed to Carson’s face. The ride itself was a wonderful surprise, but the real gift Carson had given her was the hope Bree felt every time she looked at her.

  *

  Carson pulled up and stopped at Jim’s house as Bree had requested. As Carson hopped out of the vehicle, her knees buckled and she almost dissolved into a gelatinous heap on the ground. There was no way she could have played it off. As soon as she heard Bree roar with laughter she knew there wasn’t even a point. Carson leaned on the truck seat until she felt she had enough control over her legs to walk. She watched as Bree jumped out of the truck without even a flinch. Carson was a little jealous until she saw Bree round the front of the truck walking like she still had a horse between her legs. They each burst into hysterical laughter at the sad sight of the other. Carson closed the door of her truck and limped behind Bree to the kitchen door. Each of them cried a painful “ooh” or “ow” or “shit” with each step they took. Bree knocked on the door and waited for her uncle to answer.

  “What the hell happened to you girls?” he asked as he opened the door and let them in. His nose scrunched up as they walked past him into the house.

  “Carson took me horseback riding at Pine Creek. It was wonderful,” Bree said as she wobbled to the kitchen table and plopped down on the seat. “Ow!”

  Carson cringed because she knew Bree would regret sitting on the hard chair before she’d even done it.

  “Okay. Well, I guess I should head out,” Carson said as she motioned to the door behind her.

  “No, don’t go. I mean, why don’t you stay for dinner?”

  “Well, I need to shower off some of this barn smell.” Carson noticed the look of disappointment on Bree’s face and added, “But I can pick something up on the way back?”

  “Yes. I mean, if that’s okay with you, Uncle Jim?”

  Jim looked at them. “Ha! Like my answer would even matter? Of course it’s okay.”

  Carson leaned down and kissed Bree on the lips. “I’ll see you soon, sweetheart.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  While Carson and Jim sat hypnotized by the television, Bree got up from the couch. She gathered the wrappers and remnants of the Chinese takeout dinner they’d devoured. Carson offered to help, but Bree refused. “No. I’ve got it. You sit and watch the show. I have to get off my broken ass anyway.” Bree gave Carson a quick peck on the lips and then took the trash to the kitchen.

  She wasn’t surprised that there weren’t any leftovers. Carson and Jim could eat enough for a family of four when they got together. She guessed they would’ve eaten the packaging had they been able to digest Styrofoam. Edible takeout packaging, now there’s an idea, she thought before she tossed the trash in the ca
n and put the dirty utensils in the dishwasher. When she returned from the kitchen, Carson stared at the TV, but Jim fidgeted with his cell phone and stared off into space.

  Bree sat next to Carson and tapped her on the leg. “Hey. What’s wrong with him?” She motioned in her uncle’s direction.

  Carson looked over. “Oh, I have no idea.” She reached for the remote and turned off the television. “Hey, Jimbo. What’s going on, man? Why the newspaper face?”

  Bree looked at Carson and asked, “Newspaper face?”

  Carson laughed. “Yeah, it’s better than calling it poop face.”

  “Ewww. What the…?”

  Now Jim laughed. “That’s a good one, too.”

  Bree shook her head and waved her hand. “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.” She blinked several times. She hoped to erase the imagery associated with her uncle and his private bathroom moments.

  Carson rubbed Bree’s shoulders and laughed. “So, Jimbo, what’s up? Waiting for a call?” She motioned to the phone he flipped over and over in his hands.

  “Yeah, well, no. Okay, listen, I need to run something by you and I want to know what you think. Okay?” He looked at Bree, and her heart started to race.

  “Oh my God. What’s wrong? Are you sick? What happened?” Bree scooted to the edge of the couch.

  Carson stood up. “Hey, um, I’m gonna go so you guys can—” She began to excuse herself, but Jim interrupted.

  “No, sit. I want your opinion, too, Car.”

  Carson dropped back down and put her hand on Bree’s thigh. “Okay, I’m here.”

  Jim looked down at his phone and back up to Bree and Carson. “I don’t know where to start, so here goes. When your aunt Juliet died, it was pretty rough. I wasn’t sure from day to day whether I could or wanted to keep going.”

  Bree remembered all the nights she had heard him crying in his bedroom. “But you did, and I’m so grateful for that.” Bree touched his knee as she strained to hold back her tears.

  “So am I, sweetheart.” Jim smiled at her. “You were all that I had left, and I swore I would love you and only you for the rest of my life.”

  “And I love you,” Bree said. No longer able to restrain her emotion, she let the tears fall.

  “Oh, don’t cry, my love. It’s okay.” Jim patted her hand and reassured her. “Dammit, this ain’t going the way I thought…I guess what I’m trying to say is…I’ve met someone. And I want your—”

  “What?” Bree and Carson both blurted out in surprise. They all sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

  “I’ve met someone,” Jim repeated. “And I wanted to make sure you were okay with it first. Before I ask her out.”

  Bree squeezed Carson’s leg and stood up. She paced in front of the coffee table while Carson sat back in silence. “So let me get this right. You’ve met someone. A woman. And you want my permission to date her.”

  “Yes,” Jim said as he shifted to the edge of his chair and put his phone down on the table. “Bree, I—”

  “Who is she? Where did you meet her? How long has this been going on?” Bree stopped pacing and put her hands on her hips.

  Jim stood. “We met at work. It’s—”

  Carson let out the chuckle that she’d been trying to conceal. Jim raised his eyebrow at her and then glanced back when he heard Bree giggle. Her stern expression cracked with an uncontrollable grin.

  Jim stood in confusion and glanced back and forth between them until Bree came over and hugged him.

  “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.” Bree pulled away and held his hands in hers. “And if you dare tell us that this someone isn’t Barbara, then I’m afraid I will not give my blessing.” Bree and Carson both burst into laughter when Jim’s mouth dropped open in shock.

  “But…how?” He stuttered.

  “Seriously, Jimbo? A person would have to be blind not to see the way the two of you look at each other.” Carson said it before Bree could.

  Bree agreed. “Yeah, it’s disgusting.”

  “Dammit. I love you kids.” Jim pulled Carson up by her arm and wrapped both of them into a bear hug.

  Bree pretended to gasp for air. “Okay. Okay. Now I think someone has a phone call to make. Don’t you?” Bree looked at Carson and nodded.

  “Yes. We should go.” Carson pointed to the back door.

  Bree laughed. “We should.” Bree kissed her uncle on the cheek and grabbed Carson by the arm. She dragged her through the house as they shouted their good-byes to Jim.

  Once they’d made it out the back door and onto the driveway, they continued laughing. Carson grabbed Bree into her arms and lifted her off the ground. “That was great.”

  “That’ll teach him to make me cry like that.”

  Carson set Bree back down. “Yeah. I almost had to kick his ass for that one.”

  “Aww, you’d do that for me?” Bree blinked with exaggerated sweetness.

  “I’d do anything for you, Bree Whitley.” Carson kissed her softly.

  The words lit a fire inside Bree, and she kissed Carson back with a fierce desire unlike any she’d felt before. Bree sucked on Carson’s lip, which elicited a deep moan of desire. The sound fueled the heat that burned low in her belly. When Carson’s tongue touched hers, she felt an instant rush between her legs. “Come home with me?”

  Carson didn’t answer, but she didn’t pull away when Bree grabbed her hand and led her up the hill to the house.

  *

  Carson followed Bree into the dark house as her heart pounded in her chest. Carson kicked the door closed behind her before she wrapped her arms around Bree and claimed her mouth for her own. Carson needed to feel Bree’s skin on hers. She wanted to lick every inch of Bree’s body. She’d imagined so many times how she would work her way down from her neck to settle in the warmth between her thighs. Carson kissed Bree’s neck and Bree moaned with pleasure. Carson was wet. She knew Bree was, too, and she needed to feel it. Carson slid her hands down Bree’s back and pulled their bodies together as she pressed her thigh between Bree’s legs. Bree gasped.

  Wrapped together, Bree guided Carson backward until they reached the couch. Carson lowered Bree down and hovered over her as her eyes plotted out the path that her tongue would take. She straddled Bree’s hips and sat back on her own legs as she memorized the body under her. Bree ran her hands over Carson’s chest. She teased her nipples to tight peaks through the thin material. Carson was thankful she rarely ever wore a bra. As Bree unbuttoned Carson’s shirt, her pulse and breath quickened. She tried to refrain from pressing herself down onto Bree but failed when Bree raised her hips to make first contact. Carson shuddered as the stiff seam of her jeans pressed into her clit. Bree released the last button and opened her shirt to expose her breasts. Before Carson could wish for Bree’s warm mouth to be on her, Bree sat up and took one of Carson’s nipples into her mouth. Carson’s head fell back as she offered herself up for Bree to devour.

  She needed to touch Bree and feel her smooth heat. Carson slipped her hand between them to the button on Bree’s jeans. In one swift motion, she had the button and zipper open to allow room for her hand to slide into Bree’s panties. “You are so wet.”

  Bree’s head fell back as Carson eased her fingers into the smooth folds. “Oh, God.”

  Carson positioned herself between Bree’s legs. She leaned down over Bree. “You feel so good.” Carson cupped Bree in her hand and slid a finger inside her as she licked the side of Bree’s neck.

  Carson slid another finger into Bree and pulsed them in and out. Bree’s hips bucked and Carson matched the rhythm that Bree set. She was close. Carson could feel it.

  “Carson, stop.”

  “What?” Carson asked, thinking she’d heard wrong.

  “Please. Stop,” Bree said.

  Carson pulled her hand back as Bree attempted to sit. Carson sat up to allow Bree room to move. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” Carson reached out for Bree’s face and felt the tears on
her cheek.

  “You’re crying.” Carson pulled Bree into her arms.

  “I’m okay,” Bree said as she pressed her head against Carson’s chest.

  “Baby, look at me.” Carson lifted Bree’s chin with two fingers and looked into her eyes. “What’s going on?”

  Bree closed her eyes as the tears streamed down her face.

  “Shh, it’s okay,” Carson cooed as she rocked a weeping Bree in her arms. She had no idea why Bree was upset, and she didn’t know what else to do but hold her. They sat in the silent darkness for a while until Carson suggested that she leave so Bree could get into bed.

  “Don’t leave. Will you stay with me? Hold me for a while?” Bree asked.

  “Anything, remember?”

  *

  Bree stood at the edge of her bed and brushed her wet hair when Carson came up behind her. “Hey.” Bree turned around to see Carson there with a steaming mug.

  “I made you some tea,” she said before she set it on the nightstand.

  Bree smiled. “Thank you. Oh, I got you something to wear. It’s in the bathroom. There are towels, too, if you want to shower. You don’t have to. I was just…”

  Carson touched Bree’s face. “Thank you.”

  Carson went to the bathroom to shower and change while Bree slipped into bed. She was embarrassed about what had happened and more than a little frightened that Carson thought she was a nutcase or worse, a tease. She sipped her tea while she waited for Carson to return.

  When the bathroom door opened, Bree set her cup down and shifted to make room for Carson. “It’s not my style,” Carson said as she stood in the doorway and pulled the pink duck print pajama pants out to the sides. “I’ve always considered myself more of a little piggies kinda girl.”