Steamy Dorm

by Kristine Robinson

  Glancing over at Dahl, I saw that she wasn't in much better shape. She was shivering atop the mare, gripping the bridle with white knuckles and her teeth chattering. Still, she impressed me. She didn't complain and she urged the mare onward, keeping pace with my horse.

  We kept going, fighting against the wind and rain. It seemed like we wouldn't ever be back at the ranch. I knew it was my own fault that we were stuck in the rain for so long. Still, I shivered and shook and yearned for the sights of the ranch in the distance.

  Finally, the ranch was on the horizon. Finally, we were drawing near and the end of our ordeal was in sight Finally, we were crossing the last field before we would be in front of the house.

  I couldn't wait to be inside, in dry clothes and sitting in front of the fire. I remembered that our load of firewood was fully-stocked and felt thankful for small blessings.

  Then I saw something across the field, and my heart nearly stopped beating for the shock and terror that overtook me. That damned fence. Why had I procrastinated in fixing it?

  “Look!” I shouted to Dahl.

  I hadn't realized how loud the roar of the wind had become, but I could hardly hear my own voice. My guess was that Dahl couldn't hear it either.

  Still, she saw where I was pointing and her eyes widened. I knew that she understood the severity of what had happened. The fence was broken and the horses were nowhere to be seen.

  Dahl and I had let the remainder of the horses out into the pasture, before leaving for our extended ride. Now they were gone. They must have been scared by the storm and bolted.

  I swung my arm to the right, frantically pointing to the house.

  “Go back to the house!” I shouted.

  Dahl's expression was a question mark. She shook her head not understanding.

  I tried again.

  “Go back!” I screamed, my words becoming lost in the winds that beat against us. “Go back to the house!”

  Dahl turned to see what I was pointing at, and I could see her mouth form a small “oh”.

  I met her eyes and nodded, and then I spun my horse in the direction of the broken fence, urging the poor animal into a gallop. I felt terribly for the creature. I'd really asked a lot of him today and the horse must be nearing absolute exhaustion. I patted his side and pleaded with him to keep on going for just a bit longer.

  I rode through the next field and continued on into the fields of sparse peach trees that marked the end of the property. The wind began to quiet, just slightly, but it was enough for me to hear the pounding of hoofs behind me.

  I rolled my eyes and sighed.

  Just what I needed. Dahl was following behind me. Damn it. I didn't have time to search for the horses and keep an eye on Dahl. She was only going to get in my way.

  I decided to ignore her and focus on finding the animals. We continued across the field and just when I was beginning to give up hope, I spotted them.

  They were at the very edge of the property, milling about on the slope that led down to a rocky slope. They appeared to be scared, but had been slowed down by the incline of the property's edge.

  I brought my horse to a stop and jumped down. I crept towards the six horses, speaking to them in a low soothing tone, that I desperately hoped the horses could hear over the wind.

  I held my hands out in front of me, with my palms up.

  I approached one of the mares. She was one of the pregnant ones and she looked especially scared. Her breathing came in short, ragged spurts and her pupils were wide and dilated. I continued to approach her until I was only a foot away.

  “Easy girl,” I said, softly. “It's alright. Just be calm. Be easy. Let me bring you home.”

  A bolt of lightening struck then, cracking against the sky in a reverberating boom.

  The mare in front of me reared up and whinnied frantically. Her back hooves slid on the mud and the mare began to fall. I froze in fear and screamed. The horses body began to fall towards me, and I willed my feet to move, but they refused. I was going to be crushed beneath the weight of my own horse.

  But before the horse's large body could fall onto me, probably crushing and killing me, I was yanked out of the way by a firm and unyielding grip.

  I gasped as the horse's body hit the ground where I had been standing only a second later. I cried out, grabbing onto Dahl's body for support.

  “No!” I cried out. “The horses!”

  Dahl wrapped her arms tightly around me.

  “It's alright!” she whispered into my ear. “You can do this. You can save them. I know that you can. Just keep moving, and tell me what I need to do to help you.”

  Dahl released me and I looked up into her hazel eyes, blinking back tears.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  Dahl gave one curt nod, and then I turned my attention to the mare.

  Chapter Four

  I approached the mayor with trepidation. The horse was grunting and huffing in pain. My gut wrenched, as I saw that her leg was badly twisted beneath her. To further complicate matters, the mare's midsection was expanding and contracting in the telltale sign of labor. The stress of the storm, as well as the mare's fall, seemed to have brought the pains of labor on. She was going to give birth to her foal right here in the midst of this terrible storm.

  I looked around, seeing that the sky was only continuing to darken and the wind was once more increasing in strength and intensity. It was now so dark, it nearly looked as though it were night, and it was hardly mid-afternoon. My hair whipped around my face and the rain beat against my cheeks.

  I put a hand on the mare's belly and cooed softly to her, praying that she'd make it through this all right. I felt a presence beside me, and turned to meet Dahls' eyes. Her lips parted and she put a hand on my forearm.

  “Dahl!” I cried out over the roar of the wind. “Do you think that you can round up the other horses while I stay with her! This horse is in labor!”

  Dahl's eyes widened in fear and for a moment I thought that she was going to bail on me. I thought that she was going to tell me she didn't know what to do, or balk in fear. But that trademark confidence of hers presented itself once more. She set her mouth into a hard line and nodded.

  “Yes!” she cried. “I'll do it.”

  Each of our tasks took hours. The foal was slow in coming and I panicked for the health of the mare. She seemed to be holding up and remained in stable condition, throughout. Still, I worried that giving birth to a premature foal in a raging storm, with a badly broken leg might be too much for her.

  While I focused on the birth of the foal, Dahl focused on leading the other horses back to the stable. She started by tying the bridles of the two horses we'd ridden that morning together. Then she soothed one frightened horse at a time, leading them back with her own mount.

  The process took hours and the storm didn't let up any. If anything it only worsened at points. Finally, Dahl had led all of the horses back to stable, just as the nose of the foal was starting to show. Dahl set herself down next to me and gripped my arm as the foal was born into the world.

  Dahl cried out in joy, taking the newborn foal into her arms. I looked down at the animal in wonder. It really was a miracle that he was alright.

  Then I examined the mare. She wasn't in good shape. Now that her foal was born, her previously stable vital signs seemed to be wavering. Her breathing was beginning to slow and her eyelids were drooping Inspecting her leg, it was clear that there was only one option and it was going to break my heart.

  “Dahl,” I said. “I need you to take the foal and go back to the stable.”

  She glanced nervously over at the mare.

  “What about the mother?” Dahl asked. “How are you going to save her?”

  I shook my head.

  “We can't Dahl,” I said sadly.

  I reached into the side-bag that hung at my hip and pulled out my revolver.

  Dahl's eyes widened in shock and horror and her jaw dropped open.

  “
What?!” she gasped. “No! There has to be some other way! Maybe if we can get her back to the stables she'll recover...”

  I closed my eyes and shook my head.

  “I'm sorry, Dahl,” I said. “But that would only prolong her suffering. She is going to die. I love her and I want to make it as quick and easy for her as possible. It's horrible sometimes, but this is just a part of living on a ranch. You have to make tough choices.”

  Dahl's breath hitched in her chest and her hazel eyes filled with tears.

  “This is terrible,” she said thickly. Her voice was choked with tears. “I wish that you didn't have to do this.”

  “I know,” I said. “If there was any way to avoid this, I would. You don't need to see it though. Take the baby down to the stable and keep him warm. Get him out of the rain, before he gets sick.”

  Dahl swallowed hard, blinking against her tears. She then gently lifted the baby horse from the ground and held him close to her chest, as she crossed the field.

  When I was sure that Dahl was out of earshot, I approached the mare. She was becoming less stable with every passing moment. It was as if her body understood that the birthing process was over, and now it was giving up. Her breathing was erratic and her pupils so dilated, they nearly appeared dead already. Her eyelids continued to flicker and droop.

  I raised the gun and did what I had to do. I took aim, but I shut my eyes as I pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot was loud, even over the noise of the still raging storm.

  Chapter Five

  I stumbled back to the farm, feeling deflated, as if there was a void opening up inside of my chest cavity. But even though dealing with the mare had been hard, I knew that it was necessary. Just as I'd explained to Dahl, the mare would have died anyway. I had only shortened her suffering.

  That was the thing about living on a farm, you learned quickly about the inevitability of death. I'd learned from a young age that just as birth is wonderful and miraculous, death is abject and terrible. Still, both are necessary, and it's not possible to have one without the other.

  I wanted more than anything to run into the house and throw myself down in front of the hearth, peeling away the wet denim and flannel that the rain had pasted onto my body. But before I could dry my own bones, I had to check on that newborn foal. I made my way over to the barn. My toes were nearly numb from the moisture that had invaded my shoes.

  I threw my weight into the barn door and pushed it open. I felt an instant relief as I stepped in and found relief from the rain. That rain had been pounding down on my body for several hours now. The absence of the torrent of water, alone, was lovely. I shut the door behind me with effort. My strength was truly beginning to wane. I shivered as my body registered the temperature difference. It wasn't heated, but still the barn was several degrees warmer than the stormy atmosphere outside. It was probably because of the shelter provided by the thick boards of pine that made the walls and roof, and the added layer of insulation that came from the plentiful bales of hay. Inexplicably this increase in warmth, this caused an uncontrollable shaking and shivering in my body. Even my teeth began to chatter with a force that shook my jaw.

  “Hey, Anna.”

  I finished latching the door shut and turned in the direction of the soft voice behind me.

  I turned my eyes towards the rear of the barn, where I could see Dahl curled up on a pile of hay. She had the tiny foal curled up and sleeping beside her. I was pleased to see that she had cleaned him. Even the rain wouldn't have been enough to remove all of the blood and embryonic fluid. Yet, here the foal was clean as a daisy. His hair was fluffy and dry.

  “You cleaned him!” I gasped. “You took care of him!”

  Dahl gave a soft smile and shrugged, absentmindedly stroking the foal's side.

  “Of course I did,” she replied. “You told me to take care of him. I'm not actually as useless as you seem to think I am.”

  I felt my eyes widen and my mouth pop open.

  Dahl laughed. Her laugh was hearty and full. It was a deep and throaty noise, coming from somewhere in the depths of her diaphragm.

  “What?” she asked. “That's true isn't yet? You think I'm just a useless pain?”

  I felt my cheeks flush.

  I looked at the barn's floor, as I shyly made my way over to where she sat.

  “Did Pete tell you that?” I asked sheepishly.

  Dahl laughed once more.

  “I knew I was right,” she quipped.

  I bit my lip.

  “Well...I don't think you're useless anymore,” I said. “After today, I'm sorry that I ever thought that about you. You really helped me out today. I couldn't have ever gotten through all of that without your help. Heck! I might not even be alive. If you hadn't been there, that mare might have killed me when she fell. You were so quick on your feet....I just-”

  Dahl reached out and clasped my hand. She looked up at me with wide, imploring eyes.

  “It's okay,” she whispered. “You would have done the same. I know that you would have.”

  She blinked up at me and I felt myself once more dazzled by the beauty of her multicolored eyes.

  “Here,” she whispered again, using that same breathy and sultry tone. “Sit down here, next to me. You can pet this little dude. He's really soft and warm.”

  “Okay,” I murmured.

  I ran a hand through my wet hair, using my fingers a makeshift comb to separate a large clump into smaller groups of strands. I settled myself down on the hay next to Dahl, pulling my legs beneath me. My body was still being wracked by shivers, but they were weaker now. They were beginning to subside.

  “Geez,” Dahl said. “We both better get out of these wet clothes soon. We're soaked to the bone. No scratch that! To the soul. We're soaked so deeply that it has surpassed our physical beings.”

  I laughed.

  “You're too much, Dahl,” I said softly.

  I reached a hand across her lap to pet the fur of the foal. His eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling gently, as he slept. It was amazing that he could look so peaceful now, considering he had been born in the midst of such raging chaos.

  My eyes drifted over Dahl's lap. Her light jeans had become dark with the water that soaked them, and they clung thickly to her toned legs.

  I brought my hand back to my own lap and shook my head.

  “I'm so sorry, Dahl. None of this would have happened if I hadn't taken us on such a long ride. I just...”

  Dahl darted a hand up, placing her fingertips gently over my mouth.

  “Shhhh,” she said. “It's alright, Anna. Today was hard, but we made it through.”

  I nodded and watched the smile that lit her eyes. Before I knew what I was doing, before I could stop myself, I was pressing against the hand that she held in front of me. I pursed my lips and pressed them into her hand, kissing it eagerly.

  Dahl's hand darted back, and I realized what I'd done.

  “Dahl! Aghh! I'm sorry! Crud, what am I even doing?”

  “Shhhh” Dahl said again.

  She lifted her body slightly and began to shift towards me. She glanced warily over her shoulder and I realized that she was moving slowly so that she didn't disturb the foal.

  Dahl entered my space and took both of my hands in hers. She stood, pulling me gently to my feet.

  “Come on,” she said. “Let's get out of these wet clothes.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Let's get inside.”

  “No need,” Dahl said with a sly grin. “I thought you might come here first. I figured that you'd want to check on the little guy. I grabbed you some clothes from the house. They're over there in that empty stall.”

  Dahl pointed over my head towards a stall that had been vacant for quite some time now.

  I gaped at Dahl.

  “Thanks Dahl! Wow, that was very thoughtful. But wait...” I looked up at down at her still soaked body. “Didn't you get any clothes for yourself?”

  Dahl nodded.
>
  “I did, yeah. I was going to change out here. I just wanted to keep an eye on the foal until he calmed down. He was really antsy and skiddish for the first few minutes after we got here. Anyway, I just got so distracted by him. He's so cute and precious. Especially now that he's sleeping.”

  “Yeah, I love it when they're babies,” I said with a smile.

  I made my way into the stall and found the clothes that Dahl had laid out for me. I'd never been so happy to see dry clothes in my life. I pulled off my shirt, gasping with relief as the sticky fabric pulled free of my skin. My skin tingled, immediately glad to be free of the wet layer.

  “Oh, that's better!” I gasped.

  I hooked my thumbs into the waistband of my jeans and began to peel them down. The jeans had just cleared my hips and rear, when I remembered Dahl.

  I spun to see her leaning against the stall's frame, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and a vivid smirk playing out across her face.

  I flushed as I met her eyes. I was topless, wearing only my thin white bra, and my jeans were halfway down, bunched up around the lower half of my thighs.

  “Sorry,” I muttered, self-consciously. “I didn't mean to just start stripping. I'm just so cold!”

  Dahl laughed and took a step forward. She grinned coyly and fluttered her thick eyelashes dangerously.

  “It's fine,” she whispered.

  She took another two steps, coming right up close to my face. She left barely an inch between us. The peaks of our breasts were nearly touching, and my own chest had begun to heave wantonly.

  Dahl placed the tips of her fingers beneath my chin and tilted my face upwards. With her standing so close to me, I had to look up to meet her eyes.

  “It's...more than fine,” she breathed.

  I swallowed, unsure of what to say. I felt exposed and awkward, standing in my underwear with my pants down by my knees. I wouldn't even be able to step away from her, without having to resort to an undignified sort of waddle.

  “What are you doing, Dahl?” I asked.

  Dahl quirked an eyebrow.

  “I like you, Anna,” she said. “You're strong and you're brave and you always do what's right. Not to mention this-”