Pete and Dahl locked eyes and grinned, and then both burst into fresh peals of laughter.
I put my knife down and placed my hands on my hips.
“Seriously, guys. What is your deal?”
Dahl was took a couple of deep breathes and was able to gain a degree of control over her hysterics.
“The horses wouldn't let us ride today,” she said, and then once more joined Pete in knee-clutching, side-splitting laughter.
“What in the world does that mean?” I asked.
Pete choked down the last of his chuckles and then wiped tears from his eyes.
“Oh man,” he said. “I don't know, Anna. It was one of those things you had to be there for, I think. See, none of the horses were having it today. We took Sally out and she backed away from both me and Dahl like we had contagious diseases or something.”
“Right!” Dahl cried. “Then the next three horses we tried, did the same thing! All of them were like 'Ew! Get away from me!” and they all had these like, disgusted expressions.”
“Really, Pete?” I said. “You've lived on a ranch your entire life. You couldn't figure out how to deal with some spooked horses?”
Pete shook his head.
“I mean, obviously we could have dealt with it. But the whole thing was so funny, especially Dahl's commentary on it. She took every single horse's reaction as like a personal insult.”
“Hey!” Dahl cried. “Those horses were turning up their noses at us. Their noses and their...horse faces!”
I laughed, and Dahl caught my eye and grinned. She really did have very pretty eyes. The light was always catching in them, and highlighting the contrast between the vivid green of the outer iris, and the deep brown that grew like flames from her the edges of her pupils. She ran a hand through her jet black hair. I noticed how the dark curls accentuated the pale hue of her skin.
I turned away and began chopping herbs again. I looked down at my own tanned skin. It would never be pale and lovely like Dahl's. She looked like a delicate flower, even despite her brazen attitude. My own skin was always dark from working out in the sun. I wasn't even sure what my natural skin tone would be if it wasn't always kissed by the sun. At least my tanned complexion contrasted with my blonde hair and blue eyes in a way that I knew was quite pleasing to the eye.
“Let me help you do that,” Dahl said.
She came over to the counter and looked down at the piles of herbs splayed out.
“What are you working on?” she asked. “What can I help with?”
I found myself surprised by her offer to help. She always seemed so self-involved. She'd never struck me as the sort of person to help cut vegetables for dinner.
“Sure,” I mumbled, without meeting her eyes. “You can help me get dinner ready. I'm just making the side dishes right now. I have a chicken baking for the main course.”
Dahl nodded seriously, scanning the counter in front of her.
I was suddenly nervous, with the heat of her body so close to my own. Her elbow brushed mine, as she reached over to grab the scallions. I gave a small twitch and my breath hitched.
What was I doing? This was the yuppie wannabe cowgirl who'd been irritating me to no end for the past two weeks. This was the woman who was so full of herself, that she felt entitled to tell me how to run my ranch. She thought that reading a few articles made her more of an expert than two people who had actually lived and worked on a ranch all of their lives.
And that ridiculous outfit of hers! Every day she wore a different set of “ranch clothes”. It was always jeans that rose so high they covered her belly button, paired with flannel, and what were probably very expensive leather cowboy boots.
Still, here I was checking her out in that gaudy eyesore of an outfit. She looked like a caricature of what city folks believed ranch folks looked like. It was as if a small child had been asked to draw a picture of a rancher, and then that drawing had come to life. But here I was noticing the way those jeans fit snugly to her curves, drawing attention to her hips and the inward slope of her flat stomach. As Dahl began to slice the pile of herbs, neatly into small bits, I hungrily eyed the way the peaks of her breasts were just barely visible. She'd left the first two buttons of her shirt unfastened.
She caught me staring then and raised her head.
I flushed and looked away.
“Yeah,” I said hurriedly. “I just need to cut about two tablespoons of each herb. Then I'm going to cover the tomatoes with the herbs and bake the tomatoes in the oven for about twenty-five minutes.”
“That sounds incredible!” Dahl gushed. “Mmmm, what does a hot tomato even taste like?”
I laughed.
“Well, you'll find out in about thirty minutes,” I said. “If we get these chopped quickly, anyway.”
Something caught my eye then. I leaned over the counter to get a better view out of the small picture window over the sink.
“What is it?” Dahl asked.
I watched a thick and rolling storm cloud center itself over the farm. It was moving quickly, as if propelled onward by a massive force. There seemed to be an ever increasing pressure driving it. The cloud tumbled in and over upon itself. It was so dark that the gray faded to black in the very center.
“I think I see what spooked the horses,” I muttered.
“What do you mean?” Dahl asked, craning her neck to see what I was looking at. “Oh whoa! I see it. That is some storm cloud!”
Pete came up behind us to get a look out of the window.
“Damn,” he said. “I guess that would make the animals a little skiddish. That came in fast, too. The skies were clear an hour ago.”
“Yeah, it makes me nervous,” I said. “I really don't like the looks of that weather. We've had so little rain these past few months, and now we see this.”
I clicked my tongue.
“I don't know,” I muttered. “I'm worried about flooding. The ground has hardened up and the banks of the river might overflow.”
Peter rubbed my shoulder brusquely. It was his clumsy and pointed way of trying to comfort me.
“Don't worry about it,” Pete said. “I checked the forecast this morning. The same way that I always do. There were no warnings. Nothing at all about floods.”
I spun from the window to face Pete and cocked an eyebrow at him.
“Did the forecast say anything about that tornado-in-training up there? It's not reassuring that we've had no flood warnings, if they also didn't mention a giant thunderstorm heading our way.”
“It is weird,” Dahl interjected. She was still leaning across the counter and watching the ominous cloud with interest through the glass.
“Let's get these tomatoes in the oven,” I said, nervously.
I wanted to get my mind off of that brewing storm.
Unfortunately, there was something else brewing. I couldn't keep my eyes off Dahl as we ate dinner, and I was disgusted with myself for being so attracted to someone that I found so irritating.
I watched Dahl's plump lips as she bit down into a juicy tomato. The juice trailed lightly down her pale chin. She giggled and wiped it away with a cloth napkin.
Then she began to suggest ways to improve the size of the tomatoes, and the spell was broken. Her lips were only attractive until she started to talk.
Chapter Three
I was still trying to convince myself that I wasn't attracted to Dahl when I went to bed that night. I washed my face and then pinned my hair up, standing in front of the bathroom mirror. I pulled on a pair of green and pink plaid pajamas and then stepped out into the hall.
I started, as I rounded the corner and nearly collided with Dahl. She was wearing a short black bathrobe, that wasn't quite holding together in the front.
“Oh, geez!” I gasped. “You scared me, Dahl!”
Dahl put a hand on her heart.
“Yeah,” she laughed. “You gave me a little bit of a fright too.”
Dahl bit her lip and gave me a piercing look tha
t scanned the length of my entire body.
I shivered under her intrusive stare.
She took a step forward, and grinning, leaned forward placing her lips directly next to my ear.
“You look really cute in those pjs,” she whispered.
I gasped as her warm breath kissed my ear. She was so close that I could smell her. She smelled like cinnamon and lavender. She smelled somehow both warm and floral. Like Christmas cookies and flowers
I found myself trembling, as Dahl took a step back. She gave me wink and then flounced off down the hall. I watched her tight little rear flouncing under the thin fabric of her robe. The pale and smooth skin of her toned legs nearly shimmered in the moonlight that flooded the hall through the picture window.
I steadied my shivers and then darted into the safety of my bedroom.
I had dreams of her that night. I saw Dahl in that same clingy bathrobe. It hugged her wide-set hips, revealing the pointed angles of her hip bones. Her legs were exposed almost in their entirety. They were absolutely lovely. Her calves were fitted and shapely. Her thighs were thick and beautiful. In my dreams, she gave a little spin, flaring out the nightgown's hem and exposing the cheeks of her heart-shaped rear.
In my dream, I felt a confidence in myself. I knew what I wanted and I went for it. I approached her with a certainty and fervor, taking her in my arms and landing a smooth kiss upon her maroon lips. They were soft and parted easily to make room for my tongue. The taste of her was exquisite.
I wrapped my arms around her frame, pulling her close to me, and she allowed me to do so. She pressed her breasts into mine and eased one of her legs in between the two of mine, leaving the top of thigh pressed gently into my sex.
I produced an utterance that was nearly primal. It was something between a roar and a hiss. It ended with a string of air escaping from between my teeth. Even in my dream-state, I felt myself more becoming aroused than I'd been in ages.
I wanted her with a desire that was nearly feverish. I shook and ached and tried to contain myself. I wanted to run my hands over every inch of her body, grabbing, pinching, caressing, and exploring.
I planted one hand firmly on Dahl's hip, luxuriating in the feel of her pronounced and angular hip bones beneath my fingertips, while allowing my thumb to press into the smooth, flatness of her stomach. Her skin was soft and malleable. It was like a delicate silk.
The other hand I dug into her short, black curls. I tightened my grip and gave her hair a sharp tug.
Dahl gasped and gave a small cry of pain. But she didn't ask me to stop. She only stared at me with parted lips and widened eyes.
I began to kiss her again. This time moving with purpose and rhythm. I pressed into her, moving in one slow, upward motion, pulling her bottom lip upward as I did so. I repeated this motion three more times and with the conclusion of each kiss, I gave her curls another sharp tug.
She gasped each time, as if it were a surprise. She allowed me to be rough with her and I relished the sensation of her quivering beneath my touch.
I took the hand that was resting on Dahl's hip and began to slide it down lower. Dahl sighed against me, as I grabbed at her rear end, squeezing and kneading hungrily. Her rear was the most incredible tactile sensation. It was plump and smooth and my fingertips slid over it easily. I started on the other edge of her rump and then began moving inward, until the tips of my fingers dipped slightly into the crevice between her gorgeous cheeks.
Dahl gasped and I continued to inch my fingertips deeper into the crevice between her plump cheeks. I reached my goal and let my fingertips knead it gently. I went slowly, inching just a bit of my finger into the folds. Her body exerted and incredible tightness and heat around my finger. I allowed myself to play for only a moment more, before giving my finger one final twirl and then extracting it.
Dahl began to grind her thigh deeper into my sex and I began to feel and intense pressure building.
Then Dahl looked into my eyes and she said, “This is also how you make a horse trot, by digging in with your thighs. I know a lot about riding horses. I'll bet I could teach you a lot.”
I cried out, shoving Dahl away from me in disgust.
I woke up then. I was laying in bed, sweating. It seemed that the dream had had quite the physical effect on me. The light filtering in through the vinyl slats over the windows, was still gray. It was very early. I looked at the clock and saw that it wasn't even six am. Normally I wouldn't get up for another thirty minutes.
I decided to get out of bed anyway. It would be nice to get out for a ride, maybe avoid Dahl for a good portion of the morning. I really wasn't in the mood to see her.
That moment in the hall last night had been odd. I was sure that Dahl had been flirting with me. The way she'd looked me from head to toe with an appraising look and then entered my space, whispering seductively into my ear. I shivered thinking of the way the heat of her breath had tickled my ear lobe.
Then there was that dream that I'd just woken from. It had been one of the sexiest dreams I'd ever had. In fact, it was one of the only sexy dreams that I'd ever had. I didn't have sex dreams very often. When I did they weren't very vivid or tangible. Not until this one at least.
I got dressed quickly and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I crept downstairs and left the house through the door in the kitchen.
As I stepped outside, I smiled at the cool air of the early morning. Birds were chirping and cawing, and a flock of crows was fluttering about nearby, searching for grubs in the soft earth by the garden. I took a deep breath of dewy morning air and leaned my neck back to rest my eyes on the starlit sky. Despite the rising sun, there were a number of twinkling constellations still visible and the three-quarters moon was still bright over the ranch.
I hustled across the lawn and into the shed. As I briskly jogged across the grass, I noticed that the same storm cloud I'd been so worried about last night, was still hovering over the ranch. It was still rolling and if possible, the center of if had become even darker and grown even larger.
I shook my head. We were going to get some serious rain later today. I was glad that I'd decided to come out for a ride early. It would probably start to rain by early afternoon. At least that meant that Dahl wouldn't be able to take her afternoon ride. Which meant that I'd be able to continue avoiding her.
I jogged into the shed and said my hellos to all of the different horses. Some people think that it's strange to talk to animals, but I think it would be strange not to talk to the living creatures that I spend so much time with.
Before choosing a horse to take for a ride, I fed the animals, doling out hay and grain to the horses, and then stepping out into the chicken coop to lay down some feed for them, as well. The chickens were already milling about, most of them awake and ready to start their days.
I made my way back into the stable and looked around trying to choose a horse that would be a good for a longer ride. I saw that Travis was already wide-awake and he appeared somewhat restless in his stall. I placed a saddle on Travis and gently placed the bridle around his muzzle. Travis was a large brown horse with a wonderful energy. He was always very playful and silly. He begin nipping and neighing as soon as I came to his stall. I grinned at his enthusiasm.
“You're up already too, huh?” I cooed at him. “You're anxious for a nice morning ride too?”
“I know that I am!”
I jumped at the voice behind me. A heavy dread settled itself upon me.
“Morning Dahl,” I groaned.
I turned around to see Dahl fully dressed and grinning.
“What are you doing up so early?” I asked.
Dahl shrugged.
“What about you?” she quipped.
Dahl went to Sally's stall and began to saddle the mare.
I rolled my eyes and sighed.
“Are you sure you want to come? I'm going to be taking an especially long ride today.”
“Yeah,” Dahl said. “I'll be alright.”
“Really,” I insisted. “I don't think you've ever ridden this far before. I'm not sure you'll be able to handle the exertion.”
Dahl finished saddling Sally and led her out of the stall.
“Don't worry about me,” Dahl said with a wink. “I've read a lot about how to ride long distances.”
“Of course you have,” I muttered.
We began to ride, setting out on the trail that Dahl normally took, but then continuing on. Dahl did alright for the first hour. She didn't even groan that much on hour two. But by our third hour of trotting through the hilly terrain of the forest, she was complaining of a sore rear end and pain in her lower back.
“Seriously, Anna,” she whined. “I know that I said I could do this, but I didn't know that you would be riding for this long. How long until we turn back? I'm in pain over here!”
“We'll turn back soon,” I said. “I did tell you that this was gonna be a longer ride. I warned you.”
I felt a small surge of pride. I'd done it. This know-it-all was going to have to admit that she wasn't the expert rancher that she kept trying to pretend she was.
Admittedly, the only reason that I was dawdling for this long on the ride was because I was trying to test Dahl's endurance. I was irritated that she'd insisted on coming. I was irritated with her; everything about her, and the way that she got underneath of my skin.
Rain began to fall and I cursed myself for taking us so far from the ranch, only to make a point.
“Let's turn back,” I called to Dahl. “Hopefully, we can make it back before the rain gets too heavy.”
Dahl nodded.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Let's book it.”
We turned the horses back towards the farm. The rain began to fall faster and faster. We increased the speed of our mounts as the rain increased in severity.
We were only at the halfway point to the farm, when I realized that I was completely soaked. My hair was dripping and clinging to my face is wet clumps that had come free from my ponytail. My clothes stuck to my body like a second skin and tiny rivulets of water traveled down my face, neck and arms. Even my socks were wet inside of my work boots.
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