The Stable Boy

by Stalter, Harmony

  “That sounds promising,” I said with my own smirk. The phone began to ring. We looked at each other. We kissed until the answering machine picked it up.

  “Hey big sis, it is me,” we heard my brother say.

  “You should get that,” Josh said.

  “Okay,” I said. I picked up the phone. “Hey little brother, what’s up?”

  “Well, a few things,” he said.

  “Everything, okay?”

  “Yes, I wanted to tell you that I made vice president of my company today.”

  “That is awesome,” I said as Josh began chopping up some onions. I grabbed the other cutting board and fillet a couple of chicken breasts. “So have you decided on the big day, yet?”

  “Yes, that was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. We sent out the invitations. You should get yours in a few days. We are going to have it a couple of days before Christmas, this way you don’t have to make two trips up here.”

  “That sounds good,” I said, as Josh looked at me with a questioning look. I pointed to my ring finger and tried to tell him the wedding was going to be around Christmas. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders to indicate he did not understand. I grabbed a piece of paper and pen from the drawer and wrote it down. He smiled and gave a thumbs up. My brother could tell I was distracted by the uh-huh he was getting to everything he said.

  “What’s going on over there?” he finally asked.

  “Nothing, I am just cooking dinner.” I said.

  “Let me talk to him,” he said.

  “Let you talk to who?”

  “Josh, that’s who,” he said. I quickly scribbled on the piece of paper that my brother wanted to talk to him. Josh smiled and held out his hand for the phone. ‘Crap’ was all I could think.

  “Okay, hang on,” I said and handed Josh the phone.

  “Hello,” Josh said.

  “Hi Josh, this is Michael. I am Claire’s little brother,” Mike said.

  “Hi Michael, it is nice to put a voice to the name.”

  “I feel the same way. Maybe, for my wedding and Christmas we can put a face to it, too.”

  “That sounds like a great idea,” Josh said. “Congratulations on the engagement. Claire told me about it the other day. I, also, heard that your sister is pregnant.”

  “Yes, her third little monster. Wait until you meet the other two, they are characters.”

  “I can’t wait,” he said.

  “So, I have a brotherly question for you,” said Michael.

  “Ask away,” Josh said.

  “How long do you plan on staying around? Are you using my sister? What are your intentions?”

  “As I have told your sister and Alison, I am here for as long as your sister will have me. I would never use a woman. It is not how I was brought up. My intentions are to love her like no other.”

  “Alison’s still protecting her after all these years,” Mike laughed.

  “Very much so,” Josh, laughed.

  “Have you gotten to see the drunk Alison?”

  “No, I have not had that experience and I used to work for Bob, before he sent me to your sister.”

  “It’s a trip. If you stay with my sister, you will get to see it sooner or later. She is hilarious.”

  “How much funnier can she get? She is comical sober.”

  “I know, she is a pisser. Thank you for humoring me and answering my questions. I know my sister is most likely still undecided about you, but she will come around. The loss of John really took its toll on her. She is just protecting her heart. Give her some time, she’ll warm up to the idea of giving her heart to another.”

  “You’re welcome. I am happy to answer anything you may want to ask. It is your duty as a brother to protect your sister.”

  “Yes, it is, even from afar. I am the easy one. It will be Janie that will really grill you. Pray you do not speak to her until you come up here.”

  “That bad?” he asked.

  “Oh God, yes. My poor fiancé had to sit through an hour long question and answer session and I believe so did John.”

  “Thanks for the warning,” Josh said. I smiled, knowing the conversation was about Janie as I stuffed the chicken with onions, spinach, and mozzarella cheese and rolled it up. Placing it in a baking dish, I drizzled some olive oil over it and put it in the oven.

  “Let me ask you one more question,” Mike said.

  “Shoot,” Josh replied.

  “Does Claire still cook to music and dance around the kitchen?”

  “Yes, she does,” Josh laughed.

  “I miss that. When I would come down to visit her and John, he would tell me to sit on the stair above him and we would watch her. It was a great time.”

  “I witnessed it the second night I was here. I watched from the hallway. She told me that John would watch her from the stairs. I think it is great. She thinks she looks like a fool.”

  “I know, I would cheer her on and John would laugh. It was great. Has she had a night out since his passing?”

  “That is something you will have to ask her, but I can tell you that she is going out on Saturday.”

  “Good, maybe Alison will talk some sense into her in her drunken state. Man, makes me wish I was there, just to see Alison come home half dressed,” Mike said with a laugh. I could hear it through the phone. Josh laughed with him. I shook my head as I made the homemade macaroni and cheese. Using a second baking dish, I poured the macaroni in it added four cheeses, and some milk. I put it in the oven next to the chicken.

  “You like Alison, don’t you?”

  “I told her I was going to steal her from Bob, but she just laughed at me,” Mike said. “I can only hope that one day she will see the error of her ways.”

  “Hey, all you can do is tell her,” Josh said smiling at me. “We only hope they take us seriously.”

  “Exactly, what is my sister doing? Did she leave the room?”

  “No, she is setting the table. I am guessing that dinner is almost done.”

  I shook my head.

  “Okay, well, let me talk to her one more time.”

  “Will do. It was nice talking to you. I look forward to meeting you.”

  “It was nice to talk to you, too. I can’t wait to meet you, man. Take care of my sister for me, okay?”

  “I will definitely be doing that. Here she is,” he said handing me the phone.

  “Hey Claire,” Mike said. “I think I like him. I will have to wait and meet him in person, but he seems to be good person.”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “Have you been going out with the girls like you used to since John passed?”

  “No, I haven’t. I was not up to it,” I said.

  “So, you have just been sitting home in that big house alone all this time?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Had I known that, I would have come down and stayed with you.”

  “I know you would have, which is why I stopped picking up the phone. You and Janie had your own lives to live. I did not want you to stop living them for me.”

  “But you are our sister. It is our job to take care of you. Mom and dad would have wanted it that way. We were always meant to take care of each other. That is why they worked so hard to make us all friends when we were kids.”

  “I know,” I said with a tearful smile. “Family was always important to them. They instilled those values in us. It will all be okay now, little brother.”

  “I know it will. I can tell that you are doing better by your voice. I can tell when you are lying to me, like everyone else can,” he said with a laugh.

  “Shush, you,” I said.

  “You know I love you, Claire.”

  “I love you, too, Mikey. I will call you on Sunday and fill you in on all the shenanigans from Saturday.”

  “If Alison loses her clothes take a picture and send it to me,” he said, laughing.

  “You really don’t want to get married, do you?” I said, laughin
g and shaking my head.

  “Yes, I do, she will just have to understand that my fantasy lies with my sister’s neighbor.”

  “Yeah, because that will go over well.”

  “Okay, okay, I will put it to bed,” he sighed. “I will let you go so you can eat dinner. I’ll talk to you on Sunday.”

  “Okay, talk to you then,” I said and hung up the phone.

  “What did he ask for?” asked Josh.

  “A picture of Alison sans clothes,” I said taking the chicken and macaroni and cheese out of the oven.

  “That is too funny,” Josh said, laughing.

  “He has always had a crush on her,” I said. “It did not help that two days after he visited for the first time we had gone out and she had just a bit too much tequila. He saw quite a bit of her when we got home.”

  “How old was he?”

  “He was 16,” I said.

  “Oh no, the prime age,” Josh said.

  “Exactly,” I said. “Ever since then, he has lusted after her. He even told her when he was 19 that he wanted to marry her. She laughed at him and this was after he got advice from my husband.”

  “John told him to tell her?”

  “John didn’t know that the girl he was gushing over was Alison. All he told John was that he was in love with a girl, but did not know how to tell her. John gave him advice. When it was revealed to all of us that it was Alison, John was in shock. Alison seen it as a sweet gesture from a teenage boy with a crush. Mike no longer claims to love Alison now that he is older, just sees it as a crush that still lingers.”

  “I believe that she is something he definitely lusts after and probably will continue to do so. She is the one thing he can’t have. And we always want what we can’t have.”

  “Yes, we do,” I said, thinking of how much I wanted him.

  “Why are you blushing?” he asked.

  “I didn’t know I was,” I said, smiling.

  “Yes, you are,” he said. “What’s on your mind?”

  “Nothing in particular,” I said, looking away.

  “Uh-huh, sure,” he said, as he cleared his plate from the table. I followed suit. I grabbed containers from the cabinet on the right side of the sink to store the leftovers. After putting the containers full of food in the refrigerator, I loaded the dishwasher. He stood up against the wall. He clicked the radio on. Billy Currington’s “Don’t” was playing when he walked over to me. I looked up at him. He grabbed me and danced around the kitchen with me. “I don’t ever want to leave your arms.”

  “I think that can be arranged,” I said, standing on my toes to kiss him. I felt his hands slide down my back and graze my cheeks. Reaching my upper thighs, he lifted me. I straddled him, wrapping my legs around his waist. He pinned me up against the wall. Keeping me there, he pulled my button down, sleeveless, black shirt open, buttons flew everywhere. Feverishly, he kissed my neck down to my waiting, heaving breasts. I felt his tongue slowly enter my cleavage. It slowly worked its way in and out.

  He reached up and pulled my bra straps down, allowing my breasts room to move. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me forward, burying his face deeper into my cleavage. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I wondered what his tongue and full lips would feel like on other parts of my body. My skin tingled with each new movement of his tongue.

  He walked toward the bedroom with me still in his arms. He went to turn into the bedroom, but did not clear the door. My left shoulder caught the door frame with a loud thud. Pain shot down my arm.

  “I am so sorry,” he said.

  “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” I said, kissing him. He walked us to the bed. Carefully laying me down on the bed, his tongue continued its seductive dance with mine. I tore open his button down, white plaid shirt. He wiggled his way out of it. Running my hands down his arms, I could feel every muscle in them. He laid his body on mine. His hard washboard abs against mine. The growth between his legs was prominent through his jeans. The more we kissed the more my nether regions throbbed and ached for him.

  Kissing his way down my neck, I sat up for him to remove my red, lace bra. He kissed his way down my torso. Unbuttoning my jeans, he pulled them down, revealing the top of my matching panties. I wiggled out of my jeans, allowing him to pull them off. Kissing my thighs, he pulled off my panties. He worked his way up my thighs. The feel of his rough five o’clock shadow on the soft skin of my thighs had my head spinning out of control. His tongue entered me. My breath caught in my chest. His lips enveloped mine. In a slow rhythm, he worked his tongue in and out of me. Each entrance drove me closer to the edge. My muscles tightened as I moaned in ecstasy. I felt the smile come over his lips. He gave me one last lick as he began to kiss his way back up my torso. He still had his jeans on. It was time for those to come off. He was kissing my neck when I reached down to unbutton his jeans. He grabbed my hands, pinning them above my head.

  “Not yet,” he whispered in my ear. Pulling the pillowcases off two pillows, he secured my wrists to the bedposts. Slowly kissing his way around my body, the ache that was just nagging became a desperate need to have him. His tongue flicked my hardened, erect nipples. Moaning, I struggled against my restraints.

  “Josh, please. I need you,” I said. I wanted to touch him, to feel him inside me. He again went down my torso with his lips.

  “You will have me, beautiful,” he said. He slipped out of his jeans.

  He entered me, immediately sending me over the edge again. He smiled. His thrust were slow and rhythmic. He was taking his time. He wanted to take me over the edge again. Kissing me, he pinched my left nipple. My back arched with another shot of pleasure coursing through my veins. He moaned with his own pleasure release. Reaching up, he untied my wrists. We were both out of breath. He collapsed next to me on the bed. We looked at each other smiled, and giggled. He passionately kissed me.

  “I’ve fallen in love with you, Claire,” said Josh. “I don’t know how or why, but I have definitely fallen hard for you.”

  Embarrassed, I turned away from him.

  “I know you have not fallen for me the way I have for you,” he said, wrapping an arm around me. “But I am not going anywhere. I will wait for you.”

  “Thank you for understanding,” I said. “I am sure I will get there, but I just can’t bring myself to give you my entire heart, yet.”

  “I know,” he said, kissing my naked shoulder. We laid that way the rest of the night. It was the most peaceful night of sleep I had since John’s passing.

  8 Alison and Vanessa

  The alarm woke us up a few hours later. It definitely was not enough sleep for either of us, but we both had busy days ahead of us. I went up stairs to shower and get ready to pick up Alison. I did not want to get distracted by showering with him again. With Alison, you had better be on time or her suspicions would rise. I came down the stairs freshly showered. Josh was feeding the animals. I had promised him and Mr. Deabring some pear pancakes. Since these took some time, I needed to get started right away.

  Putting the eggs, honey, vanilla, almond extract, almond meal, kosher salt, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and arrowroot powder into the blender, I turned it on high to blend it all together. While that was blending I peeled, cored, and diced up my pears. By the time I was done with the pears, the batter was perfectly blended. I poured the mixture into a bowl and folded the pears into it. Letting it sit for ten minutes, I perked some coffee and set the table. We were both going to need as much coffee as we could get today.

  I heated the griddle, then poured a ladle of the batter onto it. Two minutes for one side and an additional minute for the other, the pancake was fully cooked. I transferred each pancake to a plate. I made sure to place a couple into a container for Mr. Deabring.

  “Josh, it’s time to eat,” I shouted.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “You’re most welcome,” I said as he planted a kiss on my cheek. Looking at the clock, I grabbed a travel mug and poured the c
offee into it.

  “I better go,” I said. “Alison is one for punctuality.”

  “Yes, she is,” he said.

  “I’ll see you later,” I said. “I don’t know what time, but I will be back.”

  “Okay, have fun and tell Alison I said hello,” he said.

  “I will,” I said, giving him a quick kiss on his lips. I walked across the kitchen and out the door. I could feel him watching my every step. I got in my truck and gave him a wave as he watched through the kitchen window. He waved back. I drove to Alison’s house. She was outside waiting for me.

  “Good morning,” she said, climbing into the truck.

  “Good morning,” I said.

  “You look a little tired. Are you sure you are up for this?” she asked, smiling.

  “Yeah,” I said. “It has been quite some time since I treated myself to some retail therapy. Where are we off to first?”

  “Let’s get some breakfast, as I did not eat yet and you know I cannot shop on an empty stomach.”

  “That sounds great as I am starving,” I said as my stomach grumbled loudly.

  “At least, I am not the only one hungry,” Alison said, laughing.

  “I didn’t realize I was that hungry until you mentioned food,” I said, pulling out of her driveway and heading toward town.

  “How was your night?” she asked, giving me a side glance.

  “Good,” I said. “How was yours?”

  “Not too bad,” she said. “Bob and I watched a movie and turned in early. By the looks of you, I don’t think you got much sleep.”

  “Restless night, which is normal,” I said, trying to thwart her questioning. “I did, however, speak to my brother. He said to tell you hello and he still wants to steal you from Bob.”

  “How is the little shit?”

  “He is good. He just got a promotion. He said he sent out the invitations to his wedding, expect one.”

  “I will be on the lookout for it.”

  “I think he is hoping you’ll go up there to stop the wedding,” I said, laughing as we pulled into the grocery store parking lot. “I got to drop these off to Mr. Deabring. I will be right back.”