[WS02] Taming Alex

by Jill Sanders

  By the time the chocolate mousse was served, Alex was sure she'd have to loosen the belt around her waist. She hadn't eaten such a wonderful homemade dinner in years. Although Travis' parents prided themselves on being some of the best hosts in town, she'd never warranted a dinner invitation. Not even after their engagement had been announced. She'd never even really been inside their large mansion, which sat at the top of a hill, just inside the town's city limits.

  Grant's folks, Glenn and Carol, as they had always liked to be called, had been old family friends. Her mother had been best friends with Carol all throughout high school.

  “Carol, do I really look like my mother?” she asked her as they sat out on their back porch under the candles and tea lights as the men stoked the fire in the fire pit and drank beer.

  Carol looked at her and sighed. “Yes, dear. Out of you three girls, you are the one that reminds me the most of Laura. Not only do you have her eyes, I hear you have her singing voice.” She smiled and leaned over to pat her hand.

  Alex nodded her head. “Dad used to tell me that.” She looked down at her hands sadly. “I wish I could remember more about her.”

  “Oh…” Carol stood up quickly. “I can help you out, there. I don't know why I've never thought about it before.” She turned to her husband and said. “Glenn, why don't you grab the old projector from the garage. Grant, follow him and bring the old movie screen. We'll sit out here for a treat.”

  As the men walked off towards the garage, Alex watched Carol rush into the house. “You stay right there,” she said over her shoulder with a grin. “You're going to love this.”

  Ten minutes later, after listening to Grant's father explain to him how to open the old movie screen, they all sat in the cushioned porch chairs as the old projector flicked on.

  Black-and-white images of teenagers on the old high school stage filled the screen. The noise coming from the projectors speaker was garbled. The high school auditorium looked the same. Even the same dark curtain hung in the background.

  “I think your mother was up next,” Carol said, fast-forwarding the old film. “Here we go.” She walked back over and sat down next to her husband.

  Then Alex saw her mother step up on stage with an old guitar. She wore a white skirt and a light-colored blouse. Her hair was a little longer than Alex's and hung much like hers did, straight with the slightest of wave. Then she started to play and Alex forgot to breathe. She listened to her mother belt out an old Dolly Parton song, her voice soft and much like Alex’s as she sang:

  Sometimes I try to count the ways and reasons that I love you

  But I can never seem to count that far

  I love you in a million ways and for a million reasons

  But more than this I love you as you are

  More than this I love you just as you are

  You are my inspiration, you are the song I sing

  You are what makes me happy, you are my everything

  You are my daily sunshine, you are my ev'ning star

  Ev'rything I'd ever hoped to find, that's what you are

  Ev'rything I'll ever want for 'mine', is what you are

  As the song progressed, she felt tears slipping down her cheeks. Grant slipped his hand in hers as her eyes focused, unblinking on the woman who had given up her life for theirs.

  She could faintly remember her mother whispering to her before bed, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her forehead, saying to her, “You are my everything.”

  When the song ended, the audience at the gym stood and applauded.

  Carol handed her a tissue and she quietly wiped her face.

  “Thank you.” She smiled at her mother's best friend and knew that she had a new memory of her mother that she would never forget.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Grant dropped Alex off shortly before ten. She had a big day tomorrow, which he knew would start before the crack of dawn. He'd entered Mojo and the girls into the fair and had to be there early, as well. They would be competing against thirty other goats for the blue ribbon, so the competition was stiff. The girls had to be loaded up and delivered to their stalls no later than seven tomorrow morning.

  They had decided Alex had better stay home that night since she had to load up and be there herself shortly before then.

  He tossed and turned for the first hour, then finally gave up and text her.

  “You awake?”

  She replied a few seconds later. “Yes.”

  “I miss you. What would you say if I climbed up your drain pipe and crawled in your window?”

  “I'd say it's a good thing Chase reinforced our gutters last spring. LOL.”

  “?”

  “LOL? It means laugh out loud.”

  “Oh, I'm still learning how to do all this. How are you typing so fast?”

  “LOL, do you see the little microphone button on the bottom left? Click it, then speak clearly into your phone and hit send.”

  He tried it and watched as what he'd said showed up on the screen automatically.

  “What does this…Oh, how cool is this?”

  He tried saying a few other things, getting used to the new technology. Finally, he text, “Well, I better let you go. Good luck tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, you too. I'll see you around. I'll try to stop by the girls’ barn before I'm on. Miss you.”

  “Miss you too, night.”

  He lay there for a while longer, thinking of Alex before finally drifting off.

  Morning came too quickly and things didn’t go smoothly. By the time Grant had the girls loaded up, he'd had to change into his back-up shirt. All of them except Buttercup had walked easily into the trailer. Buttercup, however, had decided it was time to play in the mud that had formed from the rain two nights earlier. After hosing her off and trying to dry her the best he could, he’d rushed into the house and changed. He got to the rodeo grounds on time, but then had to sit and wait in all the mess as everyone unloaded their animals. It took almost two hours, with the help of several fairground hands, to unload the girls and get them tucked into their spots. He'd been given numbers for each one that matched the numbers that hung on their gates. He took a few minutes to brush each one and make sure they were clean, especially Buttercup.

  When he finally wandered away from the large barn, he headed towards the food booths. The sky was clear of clouds and the heat was causing lines at the ice cream and lemonade stands. He stumbled across a few friends along the way, enjoying catching up with each one.

  He found Alex and they walked over to the food court area and grabbed a couple plates of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and potato salad, and two sodas. They made their way down a grassy hill towards a small pond full of ducks and geese and ate under the large oak tree that hung over the cool waters. When they'd eaten everything on their plates, he pulled Alex into his lap and they watched the ducks swimming and listened to the children rolling down the hill.

  Alex looked sexier than ever in her dress outfit, ready for her barrel racing competition. Her hat hung around her neck, and she wore a white shirt, a belt, and boots that were all lined with turquoise beads.

  When it was time, they walked up to the main arena, and Grant found Haley in the stands as the first round of competition started. Everyone laughed as they watched the small kids mutton busting. When the barrel racing started, Grant was on the edge of his seat as Alex bolted from barrel to barrel. He'd always been amazed at how fast she rode and how well she and the horse moved as a unit.

  At the end of the first competition, Alex was safely in the lead. Grant made his way down to the gate and talked to her as she brushed her horse, Sophie.

  They talked until Alex had to ride again. Before leaving, she leaned across the gate and planted a kiss on Grant’s lips. He pulled her closer and deepened it, taking his time to explore her mouth and enjoy the taste and feel of her.

  She pulled away and walked back over to her horse, smiling and waving at him. He turned around and al
most walked into Travis and his folks. Roy and Patty Nolan were some of the highest-class people in town. At least that's what they wanted everyone to think. But the people of Fairplay knew better.

  Roy had been the mayor for several terms now, and there was no end in sight. But at home, things weren't as in control. Travis was reckless and had a skill for ending up on the wrong side of the bars at the local jailhouse, and Roy was a pushover. Patty was the one that ruled the house. Maybe that's how Travis had ended up the way he was.

  The trio frowned in his direction, and then Roy stepped forward and stretched out his hand for Grant to shake.

  “Grant, good to see you. Still sticking around these parts, I see.” He laughed.

  “Yes, sir. I'm back home to stay.” He saw something flash in the man's eyes, but tried to avoid feeling bitter. This was the man who was trying to get his law license revoked, or at least that's what he and his father thought. The complaint had come from the mayor's desk, after all.

  “Good, good. You staying with your folks?” Grant could feel Travis' eyes pierce into him, but avoided looking directly at him.

  “No, sir. I purchased the old Wilkinson's place late last year.”

  “Wilkinson's? Out by Saddleback, huh?” There was a spark in the older man's eyes. Then he cleared his throat. “I was just talking to my old buddy down at the state board about that new business you and your daddy are starting up,” Roy said with a smile, as his wife coughed. When Grant looked towards her, he could see that her face and neck had turned a deep shade of red.

  “Yes, sir. We're real excited about it. My father's been looking forward to getting it up and running. Well…” Grant tipped his hat and tried to excuse himself from the odd situation. When he finally did break free, he walked around the oval arena and sat down next to Chase just as Alex and Sophie came rushing out of the gate.

  She shaved four seconds off her last run. The final rounds were set for tomorrow evening, just before the broncos came out.

  Alex changed into a jean skirt and blouse, then came out and sat with Grant. They watched the rodeo for another half an hour before heading back to check on his goats. Alex sat with all the girls, brushing them and cuddling with each one. Their ribbon ceremony wasn't until the next day, but Grant and Alex spent some time walking around, looking at all the other animals.

  Then they walked hand in hand around the fairgrounds, taking everything in, including the food tent where several of Grant’s mother's pies and canned goods had big blue ribbons attached to the nameplates.

  After a couple plates each of several different pies and goodies, they made their way across the field towards all the rides just as the hot sun was dipping lower, causing the fall sky to turn a pretty shade of fuchsia. The noise level here easily tripled. It seemed that most of the crowd had followed them here. Little kids ran around with brightly colored balloons tied to their wrists and cotton candy stuck to their faces.

  They rode almost every ride. When they rode the Ferris wheel, he pulled her close as it stopped with them at the top. He wrapped his arms around her and dipped his head for a taste. She was sweeter then he'd remembered. He felt her shiver as he pulled her closer and looked down into her deep eyes. He took the kiss deeper and couldn't stop himself from enjoying everything she had to offer.

  They didn't notice when the wheel started again, and by the time the attendant was pulling up the gate, they were both breathless and trying to figure out the quickest way back to his truck.

  “Hurry,” she said as they finally approached his truck in the back parking lot. She pushed his shoulders up against the side of his truck, melting herself against the front of him, using her mouth to heat him even further.

  “Alex, my god, you have to slow—” He whispered and then groaned when she slowly undid several of the buttons on his shirt and raked her nails across his stomach muscles. He quickly reversed their positions, pulling her up as he dipped his head and took her lips faster, harder. Their breathing hitched out loudly in the quiet parking lot. The dim lights here gave them plenty of privacy. His boots scraped across the soft grass under their feet as he pushed her legs farther apart so he could stand between them. His hands ran over her hips, pulling her shirt up until he could finally touch her heated skin. Her fingers dug into him, holding, pulling.

  When they heard voices, they pulled apart and looked at each other. Alex laughed nervously as she tucked her shirt in. He quickly opened the door for her and helped her into the truck.

  When he got behind the wheel, he noticed that his hands were shaking. Instead of starting the truck, he sat there while his knuckles turned white on the steering wheel as he tried to level his breathing.

  “Grant?” He could hear the desire in her voice. “I didn't mean…I can't think…” When he looked over at her, he could tell she was as affected as he was. Then she was in his lap as her mouth took his again. His hands raked over her, grabbing at her clothing. He heard something tear and felt satisfaction when finally her skin was exposed for his exploration. She arched as he scooted further into the middle of the large front seat so she could wrap her hips around his. Her tight skirt hiked up her hips. He yanked her panties aside, sinking his fingers into her heat as she moaned.

  She fused her mouth to his as her fingers fumbled to release him from his jeans, then she was straddling him again, her soft skin up against his as his hands ran over her silky softness. The windows fogged up as they feasted, moving faster than even he'd ever imagined. Before he could get himself under any kind of control, she was sliding down on his length and swaying those luscious hips to her own internal rhythm. He leaned his head back against the headrest and held on as she drove him a little closer to losing his sanity.

  Alex came back to her senses when she heard a couple of car doors slam. When the lights of someone's car flashed for a second into the cab of Grant's truck, she closed her eyes to the brightness and cringed, hoping that some young family hadn’t gotten a view of what had happened a few moments before.

  He'd destroyed her. All day long, he'd been the perfect gentlemen, opening doors for her, buying her little trinkets at the fair, kissing her softly at the top of the Ferris wheel. She'd never experienced anything like it before. Travis had always been too busy with himself to show her a good time.

  In all the years she’d attended the rodeo, she'd never had more fun than she'd had with Grant today.

  Cracking her eyes open a little, she looked down at him and smiled. His hair was a mess from her fingers. He was resting his head back and his eyes were closed as he tried to steady his breathing. She could feel his heart beating frantically against her own and smiled a little more. They'd destroyed each other. Satisfaction. Complete and utter satisfaction.

  “I've never done that before,” he said, without opening his eyes.

  She chuckled. “Really?”

  “Well, I've done that.” His eyes opened and she could almost see him blushing in the darkness. “Just not…”

  She laughed and leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips. “Me, either.”

  “Come on,” he said when they heard more car doors shutting. “Sounds like the gates are closing. I'd better get you home so you can rest for tomorrow’s big event.”

  When they drove up to the house, Lauren and Chase's truck was already parked under the light.

  Grant's eyes stayed focused straight ahead. “Listen, I didn't mean…” He trailed off as he turned towards her. “I mean…We went so fast we forgot…”

  She looked at him, her head tilted a little. Then she began to laugh when his meaning finally hit her. He frowned even more until she leaned over and placed a kiss on his lips.

  “Don't worry about it. I've been on the pill since I was seventeen and haven't missed a day since.” She giggled.

  “Oh,” he said, frowning a little more. She thought she'd see relief in his face, but there was none.

  “What?” she asked, her smile slowly dipping.

  “What?” He looked up at
her, “Oh, no, it's nothing.” He smiled slowly at her, running his hands over her arms.

  “Grant? How long have we known each other?”

  His smile was faster this time. “Not long enough, darlin'.” He pulled her closer and when he finally let her go, she'd forgotten what she'd been trying to get out of him.

  When she walked in the front door, she was surprised to see Haley sitting in the living room with a boy. Alex almost tripped over her feet and had to grab the door frame to keep from falling over.

  “Hey,” Haley said, looking over the back of the couch. An old movie was playing on the set and the boy's arm was around her sister's shoulders.

  “Hey,” she replied back, and when the boy turned around, she noticed it was Tom Blake, one of the boys from Haley’s class at school. Tom was a good enough guy, but not the kind of guy she'd imagined her sister going for. After all, Haley had been hopelessly devoted to Wes Tanner since grade school. When Wes had left Haley high and dry by joining the Army, she had waited. She hadn’t gone out once in all the time he’d been gone, and Lauren and Alex thought their sister would have rather joined a nunnery than try and date anyone else.

  So it came as a shock to see Haley and Tom snuggled together on the couch, watching old movies.

  “Well, I'm heading up. Night.” She rushed up the stairs and stopped at the top, listening for a short while. When she couldn't make out anything, she quietly made her way down the hall and knocked on Lauren and Chase's door.

  Chase answered in his boxers, and Alex rushed in the room. Lauren had the sheet tucked around her shoulders. Alex knew she'd interrupted something, but didn't care.

  “Did you know that our sister is downstairs with a boy?”

  Lauren blinked a few times, shock registering on her face.