The Stable Boy

by Stalter, Harmony

  “Oh my God. I am not telling her that.”

  “What did the little shit say?”

  “He said you need to answer the phone in that voice every time he calls.”

  “Oh Jesus.”

  “I am pretty sure you started something you shouldn’t have,” laughed Josh.

  “So am I,” she said, shaking her head. Mike and I were both laughing.

  “You go talk to your best friend and get ready for your evening out. I will speak with you tomorrow. Make sure you are alone when you call, okay?”

  “Yeah, that sounds like a plan,” I said, catching my breath. “Talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Claire. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Tell Alison, I love her, too.”

  “I will do that,” I said, hanging up the phone. “Mike says he loves you.”

  “I am sure he does.”

  “Your brother makes me laugh.”

  “He is a little crazy, Josh.”

  “I don’t think he is crazy. I just think he knows what he likes and that is you, Alison.”

  “I know he does. He has told me as much. Bob did not think a thing of it when he was 19. All he said was, ‘see babe you still got it.’ I was like, I never lost it.”

  “Can I tell you a secret. If this gets back to any of them, I will deny ever saying it.”

  “What?”

  “All the guys that work on your farm, still think you got it and Bob is one lucky guy.”

  “No they do not.”

  “How many times have you caught any one of them looking through the kitchen window?”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “No, I am not. You were always the topic of conversation when I was there.”

  “Jesus. I don’t know whether to be crept out or flattered.”

  “Take it as a compliment. I did not mean to make you feel weird about the guys. They are just admiring you. None of them can understand how Bob landed you.”

  “I was young and did not know better,” she laughed.

  “That is a horrible thing to say. Bob is one of the best guys on the planet,” I said with a laugh.

  “I know he is. I am a lucky woman to have him. He puts up with my craziness. I don’t think another man could handle it.”

  “Probably not,” Josh said. We all laughed.

  “On that note, I am going home. I will see you later. What time are you coming to pick me up?”

  “I will be to your house at six.”

  “I will be ready.”

  “Great, thank you for coming over.”

  “You’re welcome. Josh, Bob expects you to be at the house as soon as we leave, so you may want to follow Claire over.”

  “Tell him, I will be there.”

  “I will do that,” she said, getting up. She walked across the kitchen and out the front door. I watched her pull out of the driveway. Josh came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my midsection.

  “We okay?” he whispered in my ear. The combination of his arms around me and his sultry voice in my ear sent a shiver down my spine.

  “Yes, we are.”

  “Good,” he said, kissing my shoulder. I turned around to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I kissed him. He returned it. “Are you sure you are going out tonight?”

  “Yes, I am. Although I may be rethinking it,” I said with a smile. We heard a cry. We looked out the window and saw Cassie watching us. “I think your little girlfriend is jealous.”

  “It does seem that way. This is the second time she has done that to us.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “I guess I better go see what she wants before she gets louder.”

  “She will do that. Was that her in the barn the other night? I could swear I heard crying.”

  “When?”

  “Two nights ago.”

  “I did not hear it, maybe I was passed out.”

  “You may have been, but I could have sworn I heard her cry. Maybe there is something in there scaring her or she is just missing you.”

  “I have never had a pet cow before.”

  “This may be your first, but the way these animals act on this farm, it will not be your only odd pet.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes, John used to have all kinds of animals following him around. They all thought of him as their alpha. Now, it seems that you have become the alpha.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “It is. It means that they trust you. If they have someone they can trust, it keeps them calm.”

  “Great, then I will work on becoming all animal friendly, instead of just one.”

  “You already have. The colt likes you, too. The fact that he likes anybody astounds me. I could never get him to calm down and neither could Dave.”

  “My grandparents had horses. I helped my grandfather break them and train them. He taught me a few methods of calming them down. It works every time. Now, I have never had any type of fruit trees before, but, thanks to you, I am now learning about them.”

  “Thanks to you, I am learning the equipment. I am completely lost when it comes to that stuff. I don’t even know what half of it does. I just know that it was used quite a bit when this farm was booming.”

  “We will get it back to that state. It may take a little time, but it will be the farm it once was.”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Wanting to see it come back to life, for being here, and for waking me up out of the worst nightmare of my life.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, putting his arms around me, again. I rested my head on his chest. I closed my eyes and just breathed him in. He swayed from one side to the other. The phone rang. I did not want to let him go.

  “I suppose I should answer it.”

  “Probably,” he said with a laugh. I picked up the receiver to see that it was my sister.

  “Hi Janie.”

  “Hi Claire. How are you?”

  “I am great. How are you?”

  “I feel like a house that is about to explode.”

  “I am sure you are not that big, yet.”

  “Yet, thanks a lot sis.”

  “You’re welcome,” I laughed. “We both know that once you are in your last trimester you can barely walk.”

  “I know that is why I am not happy with our little brother.”

  “He told me you were a bit mad at him because of the date he chose to get married.”

  “Yes, he knows what I am like when I am pregnant. He can be such a vindictive person. I swear he is just doing this to get back at me for all the times I was mean to him when he was a child.”

  “Janie, I don’t think he would be that spiteful. Maybe he did not choose the date. Maybe it was his fiancé’s choice. He did tell me he has nothing to do with the planning. He is leaving everything up to her.”

  “Well, then she should have taken my pregnancy into consideration. I know she doesn’t like me, but still.”

  “Why doesn’t she like you, Janie? What did you do?”

  “I only did what I did with John. I questioned her. She took offense to some of my questions. She doesn’t even come to the house for the kids’ parties or for holidays. That is going to have to change when they get married.”

  “Janie, you can’t go around demanding things to change. This is Mike’s life, not yours. I know as our big sister you feel you have to take the place of mom and dad, but we are all grown ups. We can take care of ourselves and make our own decisions, good or bad.”

  “I know, but I worry about you both.”

  “It is your right as a big sister to do so. We worry about you, too. It is what families do. Have you tried making peace with Mike’s fiancé?”

  “No.”

  “Janie, you need to before the wedding and the holidays.”

  “I will try to. She is very uppity.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, I have seen her since the
questioning and she just refused to talk. She even walked away from me when I saw them in the mall.”

  “Hmm, well try again. Maybe you can talk to her over the phone and just tell her that you would like to have lunch with her, just the two of you.”

  “Okay, I will do that. I will see what she says.”

  “Good. How are my munchkins and the hubby doing?”

  “Everyone here is great. I called to tell you that your angel got an A on his book report. He said it was important that I called and told you.”

  “You let him know that I am so proud of him. Is he there?”

  “No, he is at soccer practice.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I am good. This pregnancy is going easier than the last two. It should. After all, I am a pro at this point.”

  “Yes, you are,” I laughed.

  “How are you doing?”

  “I am good. I am getting ready to head out tonight.”

  “Who are you going with?”

  “Alison and Vanessa, the usual suspects.”

  “That is great. Are you going to your usual spot or what used to be your usual spot?”

  “Yes, Christian Kane is playing there tonight.”

  “That is awesome. We saw him a few months ago. He is great in concert. You will love him.”

  “Is that how you ended up pregnant again?”

  “No, wait, maybe. I did get pregnant around that time. Well, shit. I think it may have been,” she laughed.

  “Do you want me to thank Christian for you?”

  “Oh hell no. You are so wrong. What time are you leaving?”

  “I am going to get Alison at six and we are headed to Vanessa’s where we will meet up with Angelica, Stacie and Susie. We are going to all go together. We want to be there by seven.”

  “Yes, you better be. I don’t know how popular he is in your area, but I know that when we went the line wrapped around the building.”

  “Thanks for the warning. I will have to let the girls know.”

  “Yeah, the place was packed. How is the farm going? Is the new stable boy working out for you?”

  “Yes, he has been great. He helped birth a calf, calmed my unruly horse, planted the winter crop, and pick the pears and apples. I am teaching him about the fruit trees. His grandparents farm did not have fruit trees. He is teaching me about the farm equipment, since John would never let me anywhere near it.”

  “You are worried about being on the farm alone again aren’t you?”

  “Yes, which is why I am having Josh teach my the equipment.”

  “Will you do me a favor?”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “If you end up alone on the farm again, will you please entertain the idea of selling it and coming home?”

  “I don’t know if I can do that. This is the home John and I made together. To leave it, just feels wrong to me.”

  “I know, but that place is so big. You are one person, Claire. You cannot do everything. Please just think about it.”

  “I will think about it, but I am not promising anything.”

  “Okay, that is all I ask. I love you, Claire. Go get ready for tonight and have a blast.”

  “I love you, too, Janie and I plan on it.”

  “Good, the past two times I have spoken to you, you sound happier. That makes me happy. I am glad you are beginning to feel like you again.”

  “Thank you, Janie. I am slowly coming back to me.”

  “That is great to hear. Go and get ready. Tell Alison, I said hello.”

  “I will do that. Give everyone my love.”

  “I will,” she said and hung up the phone. Janie was never one to say goodbye. To her it was like you would never speak to the person again. She was not always like that, but after we said our goodbyes to our parents it was always an abrupt hang up on the other end of the phone after the conversation ended. I placed the receiver back in the cradle. I turned around to see that Josh was gone. I looked down the hall and it was empty. I went outside to find him working with Cassie and the colt. I smiled.

  “Hey,” he said when he noticed I was there.

  “Hey.”

  “How is your sister?”

  “She is good. She just wanted to tell me that my nephew got an A on his book report.”

  “That is great. You know, I don’t think I have ever received an A on anything.”

  “I was good in English. Whenever I wrote a paper, I would get an A. Janie and her husband are both really smart. Janie was a straight A student all through school. She got a full scholarship to the college of her choice. Mike was the same way, which is why he is now a vice president in the company he works for. I am pretty sure the brains skipped me or maybe it was just the lack of caring. I always had an A in English class, but the rest, not so much. I never failed a class, I just did not do enough to get As.”

  “I never failed either, but I was lucky to pass some classes.”

  “That is pretty much how I felt. I was an average student. I did not mind fitting the mold. I wasn’t looking to break it. I was content the way I was.”

  “So was I, for the most part. Sometimes, I wish I did better so I could have gone to college and gotten a better job. Maybe, I could have saved my grandparents home.”

  “I am sure that if they would have told you about what was going on, then you would have done everything in your power to help them.”

  “I would have.”

  “It was not your fault. They never told you. We can’t change the past, as much as we want to.”

  “I know. We have to live for the present and hope for the future.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  “What time is it?”

  “I don’t know. Why?”

  “I was just wondering. I know that you need to get ready soon and I wanted to get a few things around here done before we left.”

  “Let me check and I will let you know.”

  “Okay,” he said. I went back into the house to look at the wall clock I kept above the kitchen sink. He followed me. “It is four. Where did the day go? I guess I should shower and get ready.”

  “Sounds good, I am going to feed all the animals.”

  “Okay, I will see you when I finish,” I said as I headed up the stairs. I walked the hall to the bedroom. As soon as I hit the door, I began to strip down. The dress was still hanging on the closet door where I left it. I turned on the shower and let the hot water cover the shower floor before stepping in. I closed the sliding glass door and began to wash my hair. I felt the cool air from the door being slid open flow over my body. His hands replaced mine. I closed my eyes. His muscular hands giving me a scalp massage made me melt. I became putty in his hands. He rinsed my hair and picked up the conditioner. Massaging it throughout my scalp.

  He picked up the soap and began washing down my back to my ass. He moved his hands to my front. I turned around to face him. He washed my shoulders and arms. Working his way across my collarbone, he began to wash down my chest, paying careful attention to my breasts. Dragging the soap across my midsection, he smiled down at me. I smiled, knowing what was coming next. He moved his hand below my waist. I felt his hand between my legs.

  “I promise I won’t keep you long,” he said, almost whispering it. I smiled at him. I could have cared less how long it took. He pinned me against the wall. His lips crashed into mine. An explosion of sensations took over my body. I wanted him. I needed him. I wanted to feel his length inside me. His every touch electrified my skin. He slid me up the wall. I felt him enter, sliding me down him. I smiled, wrapping my legs around him. He lifted me up and down while kissing my neck. I gasped as he bit my neck. Every time I slid back down his length, he hit my pleasure spot. I could feel my muscles beginning to contract around him. I bit my lip. I did not want it to end, yet. I was hoping the pain would distract me from the pleasure. I was wrong. The pain drove my pleasure into overdrive. As I came, he did the same. He lifted me up and off of him. Keeping me
pinned against the wall, he kissed me. “I’ll let you finish getting ready.”

  I nodded my head. He backed away from me. My legs could barely hold me up. He left the shower. The cold air hit my skin, immediately creating goosebumps. I braced myself against the wall. I needed to calm down before I left the shower. I took a couple of deep breaths. When I felt my legs regain their strength, I finished washing my body and left the shower. I walked out of the bathroom half expecting to see him lying on my bed in all his glorious nakedness. He was not there. I checked the time. I had exactly forty five minutes to get dressed, do my hair, and make up and get to Alison’s house. If I did not make it in time, she would know. First thing I did was get dressed. Then I proceeded to do my hair. All I ever did with it was blow dry it and brush it out. It was too long to really style. Then I put my make up on. I rarely ever wore it. The only time I even attempted to put it on was on our girls nights out or for weddings. I checked myself out in the mirror. Satisfied with how I looked, I headed down stairs. He was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

  “I knew that dress would look beautiful on you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Are you ready to go?”

  “I am,” I said. We walked out of the house. He kissed my neck as he came up behind me.

  “Have fun tonight.”

  “Thank you. I am sure we will.”

  “So am I,” he said, opening my truck door for me. I climbed in my truck. I watched him walk over to his. He climbed in and gave me a smile as he started it up. I headed out. He followed. I made it to Alison’s door with two minutes to spare. She was waiting outside. Bob was standing next to her. He gave me a smile and a wave. I returned his gesture. Alison climbed into the passenger side of the truck as Josh was pulling in. He looked over at the two of us and smiled. We gave him a wave and smiled back. I backed out of the driveway.

  “So, you ready to get drunk?”

  “I am. How about you?”

  “When aren’t I ready when we go out?”

  “That is a good point.”

  “Are you going to crash at Vanessa’s if neither of us are in driving condition?”

  “Yes, there is no way Bob will be able to come and get me.”

  “Good, at least we have a plan.”