by Jane Majic
The Ranch
by Jane Majic
That was it...Emma had decided she had enough of the city life. This was the third time in two years that the loft had been broken into. It was time to pack it all up and start over...The money she came into, through a good investment would allow her to take a couple of years off and just do her thing. This was the perfect time to start..she was sick of her job at the newspaper..she had no partner, so there was nothing to hold her back. except her fear of the unknown. She had hooked up with this realtor named Amber a couple of weeks ago and Amber called the other night raving about this old farm house she had found for sale...said it would be perfect for her...just what she was looking for. So she grabbed her purse and out the door she went to meet Amber.
Through conversations, she knew Amber was with Amy. They had been together for almost eight years now and had a house on the lake. She had met Amy once briefly, she seemed nice enough...and she and Amber
kept wanting her to come for dinner, they had this nice girl they wanted her to meet. So with directions in hand, Emma got in the car and headed down the road to meet Amber at this ranch. When she saw the exit, she gently eased off the freeway and turned down this old dirt road...she came upon a circle drive and that is when she saw it...the most beautiful ranch style farm house set back among the trees...a veranda went from one end to the other..it needed some work..but nothing a little paint and sweat wouldn't fix up. As she drove up the drive she saw Amber's car. Standing beside Amber was this woman, brownish hair, mid thirties, not butch, but not femme, more the athletic looking kind of girl. Emma got out of the car and waved, as Amber and this mystery woman walked towards her.
"Hi Emma, I would like you to meet Nina."
"Hello, nice to meet you. "replied Emma.
"I brought her along because she runs her own construction business and I thought she could give you some input on how much work the ranch needs."
So with eagerness, Emma, Amber, and Nina walked up the steps.....is this the woman that Amber and Amy kept talking about wondered Emma..... Emma entered the house first....as she stood in the doorway and looked around, a feeling of excitement filled her. She began to imagine all of her things here, what she could do with the place. The three looked around, Emma asking questions and Nina giving her advice. Amber trailed behind and just watched on as the two women chatted about repairs and costs. Just the other night Amber and Amy were talking about how on earth they were going to get Nina and Emma to meet. Then Amy got the scoop on the farm house and it all came together...what a perfect opportunity to get the two of them together
As they locked up the house Emma headed toward the back yard to get an idea of the rest of the property. As she rounded the corner and stood near the house looking into the back yard, she stopped, her breath caught and the look in her eyes was indescribable. The trees, the flowers, and just at the end a pond...the ducks swimming. For a moment Emma pictured herself sitting on the veranda, the sun coming up, coffee in hand to fresh country air. This is the life...my life...this is what I want. And with that she turned looked at Amber and said. "I'll buy it". Her mind was made up.
The next day Emma met Amber at the office signed all the papers and the deal was done...Amber handed her the keys to the ranch. Emma raced home and started to make some calls. She had a month till the lease was up in the condo and there was still so much to do. She had already given her notice at the paper, a place she could truly say she would never miss. She had to pack and still decide on what she needed to start repairing the ranch. She walked in the door, threw her keys on the table and went to check the answering machine. She heard Amber 's voice and suddenly got nervous thinking something fell through and she did not get the ranch after all. But all Amber was calling about was to give Emma the number for Nina, in case she wanted to get in touch with her about fixing up the ranch....No other messages.
Emma walked down the hall to her bedroom. As she stood in the shower, she thought about calling Nina to find out exactly what needed to be done first. Nina seemed like a nice woman. Very attractive from what Emma could recall. As she got dressed and headed for the kitchen, Emma decided she would call Nina. She got the number and dialled, on the fourth ring Emma was about to hang up when she heard the hello...Wow Emma thought to herself "what a sexy voice". "Hi Nina, it' Emma, Amber introduced us the other week." Now Nina remembered who Emma was, as if she needed reminding. How could anyone forget Emma. She was tall, about 5' 7", nice build, blonde hair, curly in that wild kind of fly away look, and the bluest eyes Nina had ever seen. "Emma gave me your number, to ask advice on the ranch. Well I know that I need to go out and get some things and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind coming to the ranch with me tomorrow to take another look around. Maybe decide what needs done right away."
Nina knew she had an appointment on Saturday to go and look at this new site..but she did not want to miss the chance to see Emma. "Sure, sounds great to me." Nina would send one of her partners to go for her. It was no big deal.
"Great," said Emma," I will pack a lunch and meet you there."
Nina hung up the phone and sat thinking. Emma was a beautiful woman and she sure didn't want to just jump into something as she had so many times before. She was getting older and the thought of having someone to share things with was something Nina had been longing for more than ever these days....maybe I'm getting old, she thought to herself.
Saturday dawned and Nina hopped into her truck to head to the ranch house. She got there before Emma did, so she had a few minutes to check things out. The house was built strong. It definitely needed some work because it had stood unused for such a long time but it had great possibilities. She walked to the outskirts of the mowed property and noticed some wild roses growing there. She picked a few red ones, and a yellow one because, at heart, she was a hopeless romantic--always wanting to be the "white knight". As she walked back towards the front of the house she heard the sound of Emma's car coming down the driveway.
"Hey Emma" Nina called as Emma got out of the car. Nina was again struck by Emma's appearance, as she looked gorgeous in a cute, simple sun dress. Nina held out the flowers with a slight blush, "Here you go...beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl" Emma looked surprised but happy as she brought them to her face to smell the wonderful fragrance that only roses can bring. They stood for a few minutes, Nina looking at Emma and Emma taking in Nina's appearance...5'5" kind of slim build, brownish hair with just a hint of some red, blue eyes that sparkled when she laughed and a dimple that showed itself when she smiled. She stood in blue jean cut-offs, T-shirt with a flannel tied carelessly around her hips, and her work boots...quite a sight.....and she gave me roses Emma mused to herself....
So deep in thought was Emma that Nina had to say her name twice to break into her thoughts..."Um, Emma? Emma, hey, are you ok?"
"Oh yes, just fine...just thinking." Nina said
"Well would you like to get started with the place and give me some idea of what you are looking for"
Emma replied "Sure let's go." She unlocked the door and they both walked into the empty place. As they stood in the foyer they looked toward the living room. They took the three steps down into a somewhat sunken living room. It was big, with a huge fireplace as a focal point. Some glass doors led out onto the veranda on one side and on the other side, three steps led to the dining room. It had a built in china cabinet, and it was obvious that it was hand built from someone who loved this place. On through another door to the kitchen. This was big with a separate pantry lined with shelves, a mini vegetable cellar, and another little nook that looked as if it was made for storing wines....so much for being "average" ranch folks that had lived here. There was a small bedroom off of the kitchen as well as a bathroom. Doors again led to the outside to th
e wide wrap around veranda that completely circled the place. A set of steps off of the kitchen led upstairs to the end of the hallway. As they walked back through to the living room Emma made comments on possible things she would like done and Nina jotted them down in the notebook she had brought. As they climbed the wide stairs to the upstairs Nina was treated to the sexy image of Emma ascending the stairs in front of her which again led her thoughts in other directions than being the construction consultant for this woman.
She quickly snapped back to the present as Emma spoke to her. The master bedroom was big and also had its own fireplace and bathroom. There were several possible for improvement and Nina pitched the idea to Emma. "What would you think of a huge skylight? It would add lots of light during the day and it is really beautiful at night. The bathroom also needs a bit of work. It is big enough to have a large shower-a walk in one, plus a garden tub and you would still have lots of room...what do you think?"
Emma was struck by the idea and that Nina had very good suggestions. "Wow, that sounds great. Can you do things like that?"
Nina replied with a laugh, "Of course I can, I am a builder."
They moved though the rest of the upstairs and Nina wrote down more of Emma's ideas. They walked back down and out the door, standing and enjoying the warm breeze floating around them.
"Do you want to look around back?" Emma asked.
"Why sure, that is why we are here, to figure out what you want to do with the place." As they walked around they noted that the backyard was nice and fairly large. Two shady trees were close, "perfect to hang a large hammock" mused Nina and Emma looked surprised and said "I was thinking that same thing" causing them both to laugh. The back deck needed work. Emma said she wanted a place big enough to grill and maybe a hot tub if it could be managed. The "tour" of the place ended up in the small one car garage that also looked like it needed a bit of fixing up. Emma watched as Nina checked things out jotting down notes, figures, and diagrams.
"Hey I'm starving, what about you?" Nina was saying, breaking Emma out of her thoughts.
"Yes, I am too. Let's eat on the front porch."
"Sounds great! I will go and get the basket" Nina said and Emma was struck with how thoughtful Nina was. Nina grabbed the basket and an old blanket from her truck and met Emma on the porch. "thought we could use this so you don't get your dress all messed up...it's probably the only thing that isn't dirty in that ole truck "she said jokingly. "Do you need help?"
Emma said, "No I will do it, sit and relax." Nina sat and watched as Emma bent to start removing the lunch. Her blond hair was tied back and was gently ruffled by the breeze, her arms nice and firm as she lifted things from the basket, the neckline of her dress dipped as she moved, showing just a hint of the tops of her breasts. The swell of her hips as she stretched and the outline of her nice tight ass as she reached for something just beyond her reach. Nina was getting a butterfly feeling in her belly and knew this was just not how she was going to do it this time...she jumped up and told Emma she would be right back, she was just going to check out the pipes and electrical stuff while she finished getting lunch ready. Emma looked somewhat perplexed at Nina's sudden burst of activity. She had been very aware of Nina watching her and was wondering now if maybe she had been wrong about Nina. Emma had thought Nina was attracted to her but maybe she was wrong, maybe Ninawasn't, maybe she wasn't even single. After all, she wasn't sure that this was the woman that Amber had been wanting to fix her up with....
As soon as Nina got out of earshot she began talking to herself in earnest."What am I getting myself into here?" she wondered aloud. She checked out the pipes and the wiring and had gained her composure by the time she rejoined Emma on the porch.
"I thought maybe you got lost down there, "laughed Emma."What does it look like?"
"Well it looks as if you can move in as is. Most of the things you want done are for improvements, but the place is in good enough shape for you to move in and work on stuff a bit at a time."
"Well that sounds just great" said Emma. "Will you be able to do the work that needs done? I know this is probably a very small job compared to what you normally do, but I really would like you to do it if you can."
"Right now we are so backed up, but if you wouldn't mind if I worked on it in the evenings and weekends, I think I can make time to do it."
"Oh no that would be fine. Just work when you have the time."
With that part of the conversation completed they were free to enjoy the food and the company. Time moved by so swiftly that Nina looked at her watch, surprised at how much time they had spent there."We better get this cleaned up and get moving" she said reluctantly. They cleaned the remains of the lunch up and walked back to the vehicles. They parted with the agreement that Emma would call Nina once she had moved and was ready for the renovations to begin.
The next month flew by. Emma was busy packing and before she realized it was moving day. The movers packed the truck and with no sadness in her heart she said goodbye to the city life and happily faced the future and the "country life". She spent the next several weeks unpacking and arranging things to her liking.
One evening, just as darkness had fallen, she heard the sound of a vehicle coming down the driveway. She glanced out the window and recognized a familiar truck pulling to a stop in front of the house. She watched as Nina jumped out and bounded to the front door. Emma found that her heart was pounding so loudly, she thought it would bounce out of her chest. She opened the door just as Nina knocked. Emma said, "I thought maybe you forgot about me out here."
"No chance of that," Nina said honestly, "we've just been so damn busy. Hey, the place is looking great, you've done a lot already. "she said with appreciation. They went into the living room and Emma brought Nina a beer. They talked quite a while about a variety of things, both just enjoying the company of the other.
Emma got up to go upstairs for the notebook she had started with ideas for other improvements. When she returned, it was to find Nina fast asleep on the couch, the beer bottle still clutched in her hand. Emma smiled to herself, thinking how cute she looked asleep. She didn't have the heart to wake her so she took the bottle from her hand and gently covered her with a quilt. She went to bed herself with a content feeling, knowing Nina was there...and dreamed pleasant dreams.....
Nina woke at her usual early time and was momentarily confused as to her surroundings. She remembered with a groan..."oh great, way to go, way to make a good impression...fall asleep on her couch..." She got up and stretched and made her way to the kitchen. She hoped Emma wouldn't be too mad but she needed her coffee in the morning...she also needed a shower....bad...having come straight from a job last night. She found a towel in the bathroom that was off of the kitchen in the smaller bedroom and jumped in the shower.
Upstairs, Emma woke with the aroma of fresh coffee and smiled to herself...she could get used to that every morning. She put her robe on and padded down the stairs and into the kitchen. She heard the running water from the bathroom and stepped into the small bedroom. The adjoining bathroom door wasn't shut and she noted that she could see the outline of Nina in the shower. She was somewhat embarrassed but also curious. she called out, "Do you want something for breakfast?"
Nina opened the shower door and for a heartbeat Emma saw Nina, all of Nina, and her heart stopped. Nina leaned out and Emma noted the muscled arms and legs, small firm breasts, flat tummy, and neatly trimmed pussy, all in that second in which time seemed to stand still..."Don't go to any trouble, whatever you normally have." and she closed the door. Emma felt a flip-flop in her tummy and a jolt between her legs and was momentarily rooted to the spot.
At that moment she heard the taps being turned off and she quickly ducked out into the kitchen, chiding herself, "She is just a friend, don't ruin it by doing something stupid." She just hoped she would be able to do that, considering how warm she was and with the tingle between her legs....this is going to be tough.....
Nina walked out
of the bathroom to the smell of bacon cooking, "Need any help in here" she asked Emma..
"Sure you could make the toast if you don't mind." So as the two made breakfast they chatted about the repairs that would be made to the ranch...Emma figured it would be the perfect time to bring up the question that had been haunting her for some time now.."So Nina, your partner does not mind that you will be spending all your extra time out here helping me?"
Nina turned laughing.."Partner what is that? It has been so long since I have been in a relationship I almost forgot what partner meant"...
"So how long have you been single" asked Emma.
It had been so long since Nina had talked about Laura. "My partner died two years ago Her name was Laura. We were together for ten years. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and died a year later, since then I have put so much of my time and energy into my business that I never really had time to date. What about you Emma, no one special in your life?"
"No not for some time now..I finally have come to the realization that I am destined to live my life alone," Emma answered with a chuckle.
Just as they were about to sit down and eat breakfast the phone rang..Emma excused herself to answer the phone..It was Amber calling to see how things were coming along. When Emma told her that she and Nina were having breakfast, Amber was elated. "Now now calm down Amber it is not what you think, Nina came over last night to discuss repairs on the ranch and fell asleep on the couch". Emma asked Amber and Amy to come for dinner. She had picked up some steaks at the butcher's the other day and had meant to call but just did not get around to it.
"Sure," said Amber "we will be there say around seven."
"Great see you then, tell Amy I said hello."
As Emma walked back in the kitchen she was laughing to herself..."It was Amber calling to see how things were going. When I told her we were having breakfast she jumped the gun, thought we had something going on"
Nina laughed.."leave it to Amber she is always playing match maker"