Natural Attraction

by C L Green

  Trail riding had never held much appeal to me as a child. I realize that this may have been partially because of Twinkle being short. Most Shetland ponies are. Being short meant he tired out quickly so it wasn’t an enjoyable way to ride for either of us.

  Our lack of access to decent trails (riding on the side of the road was boring), would also have compounded my trail riding dislike. I just didn’t see the point to trail riding when there were more important, competitive things to do like dressage and show jumping.

  Now that I was enjoying trail riding, I could even see the appeal of endurance riding. Especially now that I had discovered most endurance rides were held in scenic locations.

  On several occasions over the past week I had even considered broaching the subject of trying out an endurance ride with Jax. This was something I continually talked myself out of for fear of sending him into a meltdown.

  Before I knew it, Sunday lunch at Ro and David’s was on us again. I watched in amusement as the whole scene from the weekend before played out again. Once again Jax snuck the children a big bag of lollies. Once again the boys sat outside to drink beer while the women prepared the feast.

  One small difference to the week before was that Christopher joined the men for beers and Mel joined us in the kitchen. She was clearly keen to hear about my week and she was bursting with excitement to tell me about hers. On more than one occasion I had seen Rebecca looking at us both with a soft look in her eyes. I believe she was happy to see that we were bonding and that her daughter was gaining the confidence to establish her own friendships outside the immediate family.

  I also noticed she listened to Mel telling me about Jett without adding comment. It was obvious she was enjoying the opportunity to listen to her daughter talk about boys without breaking the spell by being involved in the conversation. By the look of surprise on her face when she realized that Mel was crushing on a boy, I got the distinct feeling most of what she heard that afternoon had not been heard before.

  Ro’s meal theme for this week was Spanish.

  The meal comprised a delicious main of both vegetable and meat tortillas. These were served with salad and followed by a delicious cream filled sponge for dessert called Brazo de Gitano. Once again the cooking skills of Jax’s family astounded me They also left me feeling embarrassed that all I could offer for the day were my table setting and clean up skills.

  It was as the afternoon was winding up and people were starting to shuffle about preparing to go home that I overheard Jax talking with Christopher. He was finalizing some arrangement where Christopher would be staying at his house.

  “You’ll need to follow me out to the truck so I can give you my spare keys. Feeds will all be the norm, no special diets for anyone. Stay out of my bedroom, period. The rest of the house is yours to do with as you please. I suggest the spare bedroom opposite the main bathroom, it’s got a king-sized bed. No women to stay over either. Keep an eye on the water troughs, I’ve had a couple of ball floats jam with muck from all the dust this time of year.”

  Intrigued that it sounds like Christopher is moving in and taking responsibility for all Jax’s daily chores, I sidle up and slide my arm around his waist to listen in.

  “Sure. Enjoy yourselves. Next time Mel and I come.” Christopher nods as he moves off to say good-bye to the rest of his family.

  Yourselves. We are going somewhere?

  Deciding I can’t wait to find out what Christopher is talking about, I step in front of Jax and get straight to asking.

  “What was that about? It sounded like we were going somewhere,” I ask. I also decide to narrow my eyes and squint to let him know I am on to him.

  “We are.” Jax agrees, nodding and leaning in to give me a quick peck on the lips.

  “Okay,” I agree.

  I of course agree instantaneously because I can think of no better thing to do than to go anywhere with Jax, any time. In fact, over the past couple of days I have begun to experience brief moments of panic at the thought of having to go home at the end of the week.

  The thought of leaving Jax and leaving this dream lifestyle has at certain times, been overwhelming. I did of course realize this would all have to end eventually. Fairy tales do not last forever.

  I have a job and a life of my own. I have friends I haven’t seen for over a week and most importantly of all, I have a mortgage to pay. I can see myself spending weekends with Jax, but weekdays, sooner or later, are going to become complicated. The sad reality is that eventually I need to go back to work.

  I realize I shouldn’t complain about not seeing my friends. Jax has offered a few times for me to invite them over for a meal. Every time I have declined. This is because I am not yet ready to share him with the rest of my world.

  Inviting my friends over to a meal, at a house other than my own suggests a relationship with the owner of the house. I am also aware that we haven’t discussed what the nature of our relationship is. I am aware however, that Jax is treating it as something that is going to last a lot longer than these two weeks. He often refers to the future as if I am planning on staying with him forever.

  I have been ringing Jen every day to report on my progress with Maverick. I have even let on that I am developing strong feelings for Jax. Jen is ecstatic and keeps encouraging me to go for it.

  What I am going for, I’m not sure. Is there anything more than this?

  “Just okay?” Jax breaks into my reverie. He raises his eyebrows and purses his mouth looking incredulous that I have just agreed to whatever he has planned.

  “Why? Isn’t okay enough?” I ask cheekily.

  “Sure it is. But aren’t you gunna even ask where we’re going?” He asks turning his head to the side slightly and giving me the side of his narrowed gaze.

  “Sure. Where are we going?” I ask amused, deciding that I’d rather just know or we could end up in some guessing game for the rest of the day.

  “Me, you, Maverick, Trouble and the golden girls are heading for four glorious days riding and fishing the banks of the mighty Murray River. Five star gooseneck accommodation will be provided. Hot nights of drinking and debauchery should be expected. You up for that?”

  Was I ever!

  Not caring that I am responding excitedly in front of his family, I launch up and plant a big hot, wet, sloppy kiss on his lips. I am acting like a child receiving a big bag of lollies and I am grinning like a madwoman.

  “Hell yeah. Sounds fantastic,” I spout excitedly against his lips.

  “Thought you might be keen,” he mumbles against my lips before pushing me gently away. “We leave first thing in the morning. Christopher will be staying at my place for the next three nights so he can do the morning and evening feeds for the horses. He’s not happy he’s not coming. He and Mel love camping on the Murray too so I have promised to take them with us on our next trip.”

  Us.

  That word flows naturally from his mouth and implies a longer term relationship. I briefly entertain the idea of mentioning the ‘us’, and the future, but decide against it. This could be something to discuss while we are away camping perhaps?

  Excited that we are now headed off on a trip and that I get to do it with my favorite friends in the world, my mind moves to packing and what I will take. As I do this, it occurs to me I have never seen a gooseneck at Jax’s place.

  “Um... Who’s gooseneck are we taking?”

  “No flies on you,” Jax grins. “Mine.”

  I wonder how this can be.

  “And where is your gooseneck currently? Does it transform down to hide somewhere at your place. I can’t recall seeing a gooseneck anywhere,” I reply sarcastically.

  Looking at me with an amused look on his face, I stare at him impatiently waiting for his response. I regret my impatience seconds later as I watch a wave of pain fly over Jax’s face before his eyes go blank.

  “It’s at the Walker Civil depot. It’s brand-new, nearly three years old and never used.”

&nbs
p; “Oh,” I reply realizing I have stumbled on dangerous ground.

  Hoping to skirt off the subject, I watch Jax’s face and lean in to give him a soft, lingering, closed mouth kiss on the lips. I feel his lips smiling against mine and he draws back, the sparkle back in his eyes.

  “It’s okay Ash. I’d ordered it custom-built about a month before Jess died. It was supposed to be our new home away from home. She never got to see it and I didn’t want to see it either. When it was due for delivery, Dad arranged to have it delivered to Walker Civil where it has sat under cover for all this time. At first I figured we would just take my double float and a tent. Then, the more I thought about it, I realized the whole experience would be so much better in the gooseneck. Dad’s bringing it across later this afternoon.

  I’m looking forward to seeing now. Hopefully we will get more opportunities to use it in the future. We’ll have power, a flat screen television, a queen-size bed, a full kitchen and bathroom including toilet and there’s even air-conditioning. There are lightweight yards for the horses as well.”

  “It sounds wonderful.”

  I speak softly and smile back at him hoping he is okay. I then start to daydream at how wonderful our five-star facilities will be on the side of the river. “Are we there yet?”

  He grins happily, “No, but we’d best get our butts home and start packing!”

  *****

  It’s our last night on the river and I do not want to go home.

  Sitting under the awning of the gooseneck, I have my feet up on an Esky. I am also sipping an ice-cold glass of bourbon and Coke as I watch the fish rolling lazily in the water at front of our camp. It has been the best holiday I have ever had.

  Having been on all sorts of generic holidays to resorts and theme parks, my first horse riding trip to the Murray River has eclipsed them all. Of all the fun holiday memories I’ve ever had, this one now sits firmly as my number one experience of all-time.

  So far I have enjoyed two full days of pure bliss. Getting up early both mornings, we have ridden the horses for hours along the winding dirt tracks skirting the mighty Murray River. My golden girls have also spent this time running along behind the horses having the time of their lives.

  With wildlife in abundance, we would often need to call the dogs back to us as their attention was distracted by a constant supply of wallabies, ducks, goannas and sometimes even snakes. Luckily their senses of self-preservation around the snakes were well tuned and they would only growl if they saw one before deciding to stay well away.

  The early morning sounds of the cockatoos flocking to the waters’ edge to drink were deafening. They did this in preparation for the long, hot days but I loved and accepted them as part of the river. Riding along in the peaceful surrounds of the state forest adjoining the river, I had never felt more at peace with myself and with the company I was keeping. To avoid the heat of the day, we always rode in the morning and returned to camp by lunchtime. The afternoons were hot so we spent our time swimming and fishing.

  My girls were now officially gray and black from being permanently wet and muddy from rolling in the Murray dust. There were in fact so dirty, I had decided they would travel home in the back with the horses. There was no need for all that dirt inside the truck cabin.

  As I sip slowly on my drink, I take long slow sniffs of air to enjoy the strong eucalyptus smells. I am waiting for Jax to finish a phone call with his father. Apologizing that he needed to make the call in private, he had wandered off with my dogs well into the distance, leaving me alone to relax in camp.

  Having just spent the better part of three full days essentially joined at the hip, I am feeling the loss of his presence as I sit alone with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company. I am having morbid thoughts of having to leave this place and I am having morbid thoughts about going home to my house a few days after that.

  The problem first and front in my mind is that I don’t want to go home.

  How do I tell Jax this?

  How do I tell him that I have only known him for just under two weeks and I think that I am in love with him? How do I tell him the thought of going home makes me want to cry. For me, wanting to cry is a bad thing. I don’t cry and I’m not a crier. I am an arguer and a swearer, not a crier, so why do I feel this way?

  I have decided that it’s likely that Jax feels something for me as well. He has been so attentive. That and the fact that our bed sports have been nearly blowing the roof of the gooseneck. We are both fully aware that our sexual compatibility quotient equals yes!

  Even knowing this I still don’t know how to tell him how I feel. The more I worry over it, the worse I feel.

  I pour myself another drink and decide that I’ll just get tanked and let it all pour out. I change my mind again a few short minutes later. I am terrified I will scare the poor guy off so decide I had better not say anything. I just need to go home, see how I feel after a few days without home and reassess.

  I may just find the strong feelings I am experiencing are purely the result of my closeness to him. They may just fizzle the moment I get home.

  I doubt it though.

  I slam another drink down and decide to pour another.

  Where is he?

  I estimate he’s been gone for over half an hour and I could do with some company. Feeling lonely, stressed and just a little bit teary, I quickly slug down a third drink. I then realize that I am starting to feel significantly better.

  Things are not so grim with a few under my belt so I decide to pour another. I then decide to head over to the yards to talk to the horses.

  Feeling tipsy, I find myself annoyed that I can’t just talk to my golden girls like I normally would. They have once again abandoned me for Jax.

  Bitches.

  Muttering to myself, I wander to the yards to find Maverick and Trouble happily camped. Each has their own small yard and they are munching on bales of hay while they slowly swat at the flies with their tails.

  I start to feel sorry for them as they have actually been plagued by both flies and mosquitoes since our arrival. I have been doing my best to keep the repellent up to them both but the dirt just ends up sticking to it and the flies land on the dirt.

  Maverick greets me with a small nicker as he looks up from his hay net. Because I am empty-handed with no bucket of feed or other suitable snack offering, he decides to ignore me and resume his focus on the hay. Trouble gives me an interested, yet bored look that says ‘you are not Jax’. It is not long before he turns away from me to look in another direction and focus his attention on his fly swatting skills.

  Annoyed that I’m feeling tipsy and that seemingly no one wants to spend any time with me, I decide to wander back and sit on the edge of the river. I then decide to dangle my feet in the water.

  Five minutes later and I’ve had enough dangling. This is because the river shrimp like my feet way too much and they are relentlessly nipping at me. I feel their tiny, razor like claws sting as they nip and I am annoyed that I cannot catch them with my hands. They are quick and the slightest movement causes them to take off, far out of reach.

  Stealth shrimp, I’d eat you as payback if I could catch you!

  Starting to feel abandoned, I finish my fourth drink and then try to stand. I realize that my fourth drink may not have been my best idea of the day. I realize this when I find myself feeling a lot more tipsy than when I first sat down.

  Swaying slightly, I carefully stand and climb / sway my way back up the bank to the gooseneck. I do this thinking that perhaps I ought to stay away from the water in my current condition.

  Aware I am now at risk of drowning if I should happen to fall in the water, I get myself a glass of iced water and resettle back in my chair under the awning.

  I have barely started sipping on my water when I finally hear the sound of Jax striding back to camp. He rounds the corner of the gooseneck grinning, the girls hot on his heels. Bending down to lay his signature hot kiss on me, the girls race down
to the river and launch in for yet another swim. Jax eyes my glass of water with surprise and sets about making two more bourbons, one for him and one for me.

  Setting my new drink down next to me, I eye it warily and decide to continue with my iced water. I watch the girls climbing out of the river to start the joyful process of rubbing their shoulders to the ground, back feet peddling as they coat themselves in another layer of dirt. This goes on for a few minutes before they all decide they have recruited enough dirt to become natives so they head back and flop down at Jax’s feet.

  “Bitches,” I mutter drunkenly. I am becoming despondent that not even my dogs want to spend time with me.

  “What was that?” I hear Jax chuckle, “Someone sounds drunk.”

  “Fucking bitches.” I mutter again staring into my glass of ice water. “They now officially love you more than me. Why is that?” I ask him this not expecting him to answer. To my surprise, he does, and he does so honestly.

  “Beef liver.” He announces chuckling away and looking impressed with his self.

  Confused at his statement, I drag my eyes away from my glass and look into his now cheerfully sparkling blue eyes. He throws his drink back, and steps up to make another.

  Apparently he’s thirsty.

  “What was that?” I ask as my interest is peaked and I realize that he may be giving me the ‘trade secret’.

  “Beef liver,” he says as he plunks the bourbon bottle on the table and sits down with his second drink. He looks across at me, his dimples flashing and his eyes sparkling.

  “That first day when they kept running off I searched the Internet for, ‘Ways to make your dog like you’. One of the answers was to rub beef liver on the bottom of your pants so you smelt good to them.

  I did it for the first couple of the days. Then, between the beef liver and the truck rides, they didn’t need any tempting to be my friends anymore. They just started hanging around. I wanted them to like me because I wanted you to like me too. I figured it was like impressing someone's kids to impress the parent. Unfortunately, I think I may have overdone it.”