by Rita Lawless
They went to the kitchen, where he sat down while she started making a salad.
"By the way," she said as she worked, "Ben called a bit ago. He said Leroy Butler called to see how things were going with his mare."
"Matchstick has made her acquaintance twice now," Zander said. "Let's just say he was very happy to meet her."
He watched as Justice cut a tomato. After that, she picked up a green pepper. "So there will be a Matchstick junior running around in a little while?"
Zander winked at her. "This is not our normal breeding time, but she was ready. Would you like me to enlighten you on how long it takes the mare to foal? About eleven months. After Matchstick has done his thing, she'll go back to Butler's. We'll get pictures to put on the website to show what beautiful children Matchstick sires."
Justice moved around the kitchen with ease, and as Zander watched, his cock continued to throb. He thought that it would go down, but he supposed he was more excited about tonight's event than usually was.
When dinner was ready, they ate slowly. As they ate, he considered the space they were in.
"What do you think of this kitchen?" he said as he moped up spaghetti sauce with a piece of bread.
"It's not bad," she replied.
After he'd swallowed his food, he wiped his mouth. "I think it's the first room we need to redo. These appliances are old, and I would like to see you with a state-of-the-art kitchen."
"So I can produce state-of-the-art meals?"
"Exactly." He took a drink of his iced tea and leaned back in his chair. "I don't want to wait too long to get married. Do you?"
"No, I don't." Zander loved the look on her face, which showed she was just as excited about getting married as he was. "In the fall?"
"How early? I think October would be nice. It would be cooler and that means we could have it outdoors, which is what we want. Have you asked your parents about us using the garden?"
Zander took another slice of bread. "They said yes, of course."
"That's one thing off the list, then." She twirled spaghetti around her fork, and Zander thought she was a little distracted.
"What's wrong?"
"This whole bandit thing." She put down her fork with the food still attached. "Miss Agatha seems to think we can find it in a few weeks, when people have been searching for years."
"I know." Zander put down his own fork. "But I think she will understand."
"I don't." She picked up her fork, and then put it down again.
One of the things he loved about Justice so much was the way she involved herself in things. He was pretty sure it was because no one had taken an interest in her while she was growing up, so she compensated by taking an interest in everything she came across. "Don't worry so much," he said. "Things will work out."
After she agreed with him, they worked together to clean the dishes. When the kitchen was done, they spent time talking about a redesign, how they could blow out a wall and put in a kitchen island. They were in the middle of arguing about color, blue or red, when Zander gave the familiar signal for a time out.
"What?" she said, innocently.
"If we have to, we'll flip a coin," he told her. "But right now, we have other things to do."
He pulled a fresh bandana out of his pocket and started to fold it. After a few minutes, he could tell she got the drift.
"You're blindfolding me?"
"Yup." He moved behind her and wrapped the cotton over her eyes. "Not for long. I just want you to be surprised when we get there."
He took her hand and stared for the back door.
"Where are we going?"
"To the old barn," he said. "I spent the afternoon setting up something that will be a lot of fun for us."
He guided her down the three stairs, and then started toward the old barn. It would have to be reworked, since no one had kept any animals there since his grandfather's death ten years ago. Miss Agatha liked to ride, but she wanted her horse kept in the main stables, so it could be around the other animals. He always thought she used it as an excuse for her to come out and see people, too.
They entered the barn and he moved her toward the place he'd set up earlier today.
"I know how you love to ride," he said when he'd stopped her. "So I've made creative use of a saddle."
He felt her stiffen, and her soft moan was music to his ears.
"You set it up so I can ride you?"
"Yes, a good long ride…on my tongue" he said, kissing her gently. He moan turned into a deep groan of pleasure.
Zander knew he'd selected the right surprise.
Chapter Seven
Justice settled into her seat, her eyes drifting shut as Zander turned the car onto the highway and headed toward Austin. Today's ride would not be as thrilling as the one last night, but then again, nothing could beat the surprise Zander had had prepared for her. She was still a little stunned that he'd been so… creative. But being in the saddle had never felt so good.
After Zander had led her to the stables, he'd taken her off the blindfold and Justice had stared at the sight before her: an English saddle, propped on a sawhorse usually used to store tack. There were leather stirrups hanging from the ceiling on either side. At the top of the saddle was a pair of reins, also hanging from the ceiling.
"What exactly do you have in mind?" she'd asked, staring at the unusual sight.
"I want you to sit in the saddle while I feast on your pussy," he'd said, seductively. Your feet in the stirrups, your hands keeping hold of the reins. You're going to come hard—several times."
She'd objected to the idea, saying she would be less than stable while basically sitting on her ass with her legs and arms in the air. But he'd assured her it would be fine. It had taken a little while to get her situated, and there had been several times when she'd felt like she was going to fall.
Zander had waited until she'd gotten her balance, and then he'd bent and gotten to work. He'd started slowly, caressing her with his fingers and his mouth until she'd begged for release.
Today, hours later, she felt as if she would still climax from the sensations running through her body. He hadn't let her play with him, telling her that the evening was meant just for her. And what an evening it had been. His tongue had made love to her clit until she'd screamed and beg for mercy.
He'd given her about half an hour to recover, and then he'd started round two.
"What are you thinking about?" Zander said from the other side of the car.
"I'm not sure I have the ability to think today," she admitted. "I'm still reeling from last night."
"There's more where that came from," he said with a laugh.
"I hope so," she said as she stretched. She felt like the proverbial cat with a bowl of cream. "You intend to be kinky our whole marriage?"
"Damn skippy," he assured her, and they both laughed.
Justice put her hand on his thigh and squeezed. "When we get home tonight, it's my turn to play."
"I'll hold you to that," he said as he handed her the phone. "Map this out for me again so I can make sure we're going the right way."
The next forty minutes were spent making their way to Abel Gunner's house. When they got there, Louisa Gunner met them at the door. She once again explained that her father had some trouble remembering things, until he got to talking about growing up in Bluefield with the stories passed down to him by his father and grandfather.
"Be gentle with him if he starts to wander," Louisa asked. "I can generally pull him back on track by asking about grandpa."
She led them to a sunroom where Abel Gunner sat in a chair, watching an old western TV show. He was so engrossed by the show that he didn't acknowledge their entrance until his daughter touched his shoulder.
"The people from Bluefield are here to see you," she said. "Remember when we talked about them?"
For a moment, the older gentleman looked confused. As he tried to focus, Justice took in his attire. He was dressed in jeans, a we
stern shirt and boots, complete with spurs. It took a few moments, but finally he nodded and a big smile lit up his face.
"Here to talk about the bandits," he said. "I remember that story."
Before he could shake hands or be introduced, Abel went into the tale, the same one Zander had told her the other evening. There was no difference in the stories, and it was exactly what Skylar had written about in the magazine article. He'd concluded the story by saying it had been fun watching people search for the money over the years.
Justice was afraid the trip had been a waste, until Abel said, "Of course, there was the map."
"Map?" she asked.
"Drawn by my great-great grandfather," he said, pointing to a corner of the room as if the gentleman himself was standing there. "It goes straight to where the things are buried."
He laughed, as if he'd just told a joke that people two counties over could hear. Justice stared at Zander, and then she turned her gaze to Louisa, who looked confused. Justice indicated that Louisa should ask the question they all wanted to ask. After a few moments, she did, saying she'd never heard anything about a map, and she wanted to know what her dad was talking about.
"It's been passed down," he said, his voice rising as if he were getting angry. "I have it somewhere." He stood and patted down his pockets. "I know I do."
Justice had been so excited before, but now she felt as if the floor had dropped out from under her. She looked at Louisa, who was slowly shaking her head, a sad smile on her face.
"I'm sorry if we started something," Justice mouthed to her.
For a minute, Justice thought she would ask them to leave, instead she said to her father, "You've never mentioned a map to me, dad. Are you sure you have it? Or maybe someone else in the family has it."
For a minute, Abel looked confused. Finally, he said, "I guess dad still has it."
Justice saw tears form in Louisa's eyes. "I'm sure you're right," Justice said. "I appreciate your telling us the stories, though. I appreciate it very much."
"I'm thirsty," he said in response, and sat back down in his chair. Louisa offered to refill his tea glass, and when she left the room, Justice and Zander followed her.
"I'm sorry if we've upset him, and you," Justice said when they were in the kitchen.
"It's a new adventure every day," Louisa said. "But this is the first time I've ever heard him mention a map. Something tells me it's a fabrication on his part, but I'll look through his things to see if I can find it."
They said their thanks and Justice and Zander left. They had a few errands to run in Austin, things to do with Bandit Days. After that, they would head back to Bluefield. There was a small part of Justice that hoped Louisa would find a map, something that would lead them to the stolen goods.
But something told her that was not going to happen.
* * * * *
Three weeks later, the reality of her new life was becoming a reality. Justice had called her principal, who had told her that if he could find a replacement, he could let Justice out of her contract with no problem. A week later he'd called to say they had someone on the line, pending an interview, and Justice could be officially unemployed by the end of the month.
She'd called her apartment manager in Dallas, who had been less than thrilled, but said there was a waiting list for units. His call had come sooner than the one from the school. She had to have her things out by the end of the week so they could ready the apartment for another tenant. Justice would have to pay a fine, but that was okay with her. At least she was out of the lease.
Zander, Brice, Justice, and Emily had made a weekend of going to Dallas, where they packed up Justice's belongings and brought them to Bluefield.
Now, as she thought about the boxes of things in the basement, and the amount of furniture they needed stuffed into Miss Agatha's house, she wondered what they were going to do with it all. She and Zander would have to have a talk about it soon, and they would have to have a talk with Miss Agatha about what she wanted done with her furniture.
It was strange to think that all the things from her life were stuffed in those boxes. It brought two things to mind, Abel Gunner and her upcoming marriage; not that those two things went together, but they both taught her lessons about life. The marriage idea taught her to take the bull by the horns, and the Gunner thing told her to leave no stone unturned, even if it hadn't given her the answer that she wanted.
Thinking about everything, including the changes there were going to make to Miss Agatha's house, made Justice smile. The older woman was doing better every day, and was now taking an active part in the planning for Bandit Days. To that part, Miss Agatha and Priscilla had come to the house the day before to deliver a selection of costumes for the event.
Justice knew the people who worked the events were required to wear period dress, but she had hoped they would overlook her. The amount of boxes the ladies had delivered assured her that they wouldn't. She hadn't looked at them yesterday, and as she and Zander had sat under the tree making love last night, the subject of clothing had not been introduced.
Now she knew she couldn't wait for long. Miss Agatha would demand an answer when they went up to the house for dinner tomorrow. Justice and Zander would have to discuss it tonight. For his part it would be easy, a pair jeans, a leather vest, a hat, a holster with gun and some boots.
Justice on the other hand had a few selections, or so Miss Agatha had told her. She could be a respectable lady, in a dress complete with bustle, or she could be a saloon girl. Without even opening the boxes, she was pretty sure she knew which one she was going to select.
But she wanted to ask Zander's opinion first. And what better way to do that then to be dressed and ready for him to see the saloon girl outfit when he came home from work that day.
After she opened both the boxes, she decided the saloon outfit was the right decision. The respectable lady getup would be hot to wear in Texas at this time of year. There was less material to the other outfit, which meant she would be cooler.
A look at the clock showed that Zander would be here soon. She'd already made a pasta salad for dinner, which would go with the hamburgers that Zander wanted to grill. They were in the fridge, ready to go. The usual activity when he came home was for him to shower, have a beer and then they ate dinner.
Tonight would be different. She wouldn't put the outfit on until he was in the shower. When he came out, she would be lounging on the bed. The hardest part would be trying to decide what to say first.
"Hey cowboy, can I offer you a whisky?" she rehearsed, hoping her voice sounded seductive. Or how about, "Whisky, whisky, or me?"
That sounded lame to her, and she decided she still had time to figure it out before Zander came home.
She was figuring different phrases when her phone rang. Emily's name showed up on the dial, and Justice smiled. Having her friend this close would be perfect.
"Hey sis," Justice said, liking the sounds of that word on her lips.
"Heads up," Emily said. "Your mother is here."
Justice's stomach dropped to her knees. Finally, she said, "What?"
"She's here, at the house. She said a friend of a friend told her you were getting married and she wanted to come here and talk to you about it. She's in there lamenting to Miss Agatha right now that you didn't call her and tell her about it yourself."
"Oh crap," Justice said. The room seemed to spin. "Did you tell her I'm here?"
"Nope, none of us did." Emily's voice was low. "What do you want me to do? I can tell her you're in Dallas."
Justice thought about it for a few minutes. Things wouldn't get any easier if she lied to her mother. "Tell her you left me a message. That will give me time to get hold of Zander. I'd like him to be with me when I first talk to her."
There was a pause, and then Emily laughed. "Sure, I will offer her tea."
* * * * *
Justice stood by the side of the truck, balling her hands into fists, and then straightening
them out as far as she could.
"Relax," Zander said as he came out of the house. "I want you to take a few deep breaths and stop being so nervous."
"I had hoped not to see her until after the wedding," Justice said. "I would call her and say, 'Oh, by the way, I got married,' but I guess that's not going to work now."
Zander stepped in front of her and put his hands on her shoulder. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "Worry is for the weak," he said. "I understand that seeing your mother is stressful for you, but if you worry about it, all you do is make it worse. I'm going to be there with you, and we're going to have a nice dinner with her and try to play friends. That's the easiest thing to do, and it's the best. Do you agree?"
"Yes." Justice put her hands on his chest and placed her forehead between them. "I hate it that I feel this way." He held her close, which helped to calm her nerves. "I had fun plans for us when you got home tonight."
"They're not cancelled, just postponed," Zander said.
She knew he was right, but it didn't make her want to jump in the car and head toward the house.
"Good sex tonight," he said, "with spanking and everything."
"How can I turn that down?" she kissed him.
They got into the truck and headed for the house. As they drew closer, Justice's nerves calmed a little. Zander was right. Worry only made it worse. All she would have to do is be honest with her mother. It was time for Justice to take a stand, and not feel bad about it if things turned sour.
They found everyone sitting on the patio in the back, enjoying a drink. Justice was surprised to see her mother was by herself, without the man she was married to at the moment.
"Hello mother," Justice said as she stepped onto the porch. Her mother was redheaded this time, she noticed.
"Justice, my darling." Her mother stood and enveloped her in a huge hug. She took a step away from her, a pout on her pretty face. Her mother had always been pretty, and she wasn't any different now. "I can't believe I had to hear from Earlene that you're getting married. How could you make a decision like that without me?"