Much later, at home, Yancy sat quietly in the great room with a fire in the gas fireplace to take the chill off the room. She felt surrounded by a whirlwind, her life so changed in the months since Gen had arrived. Her emotions were in better check, she felt more like her old self, but most exciting were the feelings of love she had whenever she thought of Gen. Everything about her was enticing. She drew her like a calf to its mother. Yancy felt out of control, yet totally in control—weird and wonderful. While she knew intellectually she could walk away from this romance, emotionally she knew she had fallen deeply. She had never felt so committed to someone, never been so wanting to please them, to show them how much she loved them. It was outside her realm of experience, certainly, but somehow it felt natural, like she was being her true self with Gen.
Never much of a praying person, Yancy surprised herself by thanking God that Gen was in her life. Gratitude filled her heart. Giddy with happiness, she smiled and turned off the fireplace.
aaAA
On Friday, Yancy picked Gen up in the Rover. She knocked on her door and smoothed down the new black jeans and then pulled at the cuffs of her favorite red Western shirt from under her coat sleeves. In the window of the door, she checked the coyote slide of her bolo tie.
As she opened the door, Gen ogled Yancy with a big grin, grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her inside. “Ooh, you look cute!”
Yancy took in Gen’s outfit of a new pair of dark blue jeans and a flouncy blouse with dark blue flowers. “You, too.” She kissed her and grabbed her ass. “Maybe we could stay here tonight.”
“Oh, no you don’t. Let’s get going. I’m so excited.”
As usual, the low bum-bum beat of the bass guitar could be heard a block down the sidewalk from Spanky’s. Yancy’s pulse quickened at what she might find inside. Or who, to be specific.
They entered hand in hand, and looked around the crowd of women, lined up two-deep at the bar. Every table was full. Yancy walked with Gen to the wall nearest the tables and spoke directly into her ear over the din. “I’ll get some drinks and be right back.”
Gen nodded.
Yancy pushed through the crowd to catch a tall bartender with short, spiky hair, then she ambled back with two bottles of beer.
Together they scanned the scene, feeling the atmosphere of women together.
“I haven’t been to a lesbian bar since moving to Colorado. I have missed being able to openly hold hands or kiss a woman in public.” Gen looked into Yancy’s eyes, and smiled like a kid. “I’m so happy to be here. Let’s go.” She grabbed Yancy’s beer, placed both bottles on a shelf on the wall, and snatched her hand to lead her onto the dance floor for a Texas two-step.
The dance floor began to crowd with women, and they soon bumped into other couples. The next dance was a slow waltz. They circled the floor, floating together, their bodies fitting naturally. Yancy weaved effortlessly through the steps in smooth moves, with grace and a bit of athleticism. They smiled into each other’s eyes. Gen snuggled closer as they spun and dipped to the strains of the oldie, “The Tennessee Waltz.” The next old song was Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again.”
“One of my favorites.” Gen sang along with the band while they moved in rhythm to the romantic lyrics.
Yancy saw a familiar face close by, and suddenly felt a little panicked. She tried to steer Gen over to another side of the floor, but the couples were too packed to move much.
“Hey, lover.” Cheyenne sidled up to Yancy, threw her arms behind Yancy’s neck, and kissed her full on the mouth.
Yancy pushed her back quickly. “Hi, Cheyenne.”
A six-foot-tall, bulky woman came up behind Cheyenne, turned her around, possessively put her arm around her, and gave Yancy a steely glance. “What’s happening, baby? Is she bothering you?” Yancy thought she looked like a para-military captain, in her tight black T-shirt, camo cargo pants, and combat boots. Suddenly Cheyenne’s girlfriend pushed in closer to Yancy, inspecting her aggressively.
Yancy held up her hands. “No problem. Cheyenne and I know each other. Uh…this is my girlfriend, Gen.” She pointed to Gen, who was taking in the scene before her, slightly grinning.
Gen turned Yancy toward her to continue the dance, but Cheyenne stopped them by seizing Yancy’s arm. “Hey, don’t you want to apologize for last time? You kinda ran out on me,” she said in a high, whiny voice.
Yancy, wanting nothing more than to fall through the floor because Gen was witness to this, carefully removed Cheyenne’s hand off her arm. “Sorry, Cheyenne. I’m kind of busy right now. See you later.” She then focused on Gen’s face, giving her a look of apology.
The combat woman holding Cheyenne’s waist moved into Yancy’s personal space. “Hey, cowgirl. The lady said you need to apologize.” Then she shoved Yancy, who lost her balance by tripping over her boot and crashing onto the floor amidst the crowd of feet. Others on the dance floor moved away from them, watching the action, while women screamed or gasped. Someone cheered, “Go get ’em, cowgirl!”
Yancy’s face clouded with fury, and she bunched her fists as she came up from the floor like a small tornado. Gen reached out to stop her forward movement.
“Get away from me, creep,” Yancy said with a low growl.
Cheyenne’s girlfriend began moving into Yancy’s personal space again. “Yeah, or what, you little wuss?”
Gen grabbed Yancy by her belt and pulled her off the dance floor. “Let’s get out of here.” The other dancers opened a wide path for them, peering at the couple.
Yancy let herself be tugged out the door and onto the sidewalk, still breathing fire. “That son of a…”
They hurried out the door into the night. Yancy paced the sidewalk, trying to catch her breath. “Hey.” Gen slowed Yancy’s pacing, and gently stroked Yancy’s cheek with one hand. “Hey.”
Yancy looked at Gen. Her shoulders relaxed. She breathed heavily for another minute, then broke out into a smirk. She and Gen both cackled uncontrollably. Yancy made sure Cheyenne’s girlfriend was not coming out after them, then gathered Gen up in a tight embrace and passionate kiss.
“Mmm, mmm,” Gen murmured, throwing her arms around Yancy’s neck. “I should not reward you for bad behavior.”
Yancy laughed again. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” She tugged Gen’s hand and they scooted quickly to the Rover.
aaAA
They held hands all the way home. During most of the drive, they rehashed the excitement at Spanky’s, of Yancy’s near-punch of the bully. Yancy shut the engine down after she pulled up in front of Gen’s house, unlatched her seatbelt, and reached across to kiss Gen tenderly.
Gen’s libido sparked into hyper-drive. Her mind shut off and her body took over. “It’s still a little early. Would you like to come in?” she whispered in between kisses.
Yancy’s answer was to sprint out of the Rover and over to the passenger side before Gen could completely shrug out of the seat belt and gather her purse. They walked arm in arm to the door, Gen unlocked it, and Yancy held it while Gen entered.
Yancy’s hands found Gen’s face, cradling it softly, and she peppered it with light kisses. Gen grabbed Yancy’s hand to lead her to the couch in front of the fireplace, then she pulled Yancy to lie on top of her, where Yancy’s solidness covering her felt so right.
Yancy crouched over Gen and kissed her deeply, their tongues playing a game with each other. Gen’s core heated. Yancy leaned on her elbow to kiss her way across Gen’s face and chin for some moments. Yancy then kissed Gen’s neck and down her blouse front, opening buttons as she went. She pulled the blouse out of Gen’s jeans, and pushed it off her shoulders.
“Oh, God, you are beautiful.” She breathed heavily into Gen’s neck and cleavage, her hands massaging Gen’s breasts. Gen groaned and thrust her chest forward, grasping and caressing Yancy’s nape to keep her close. Yancy found the bra closure and unsnapped it. Gen shrugged it off. Her skin felt like it
was melting at Yancy’s touch.
Gen loosened Yancy’s bolo tie and tugged at it to remove it over Yancy’s head. Yancy’s pearl-snap buttons flew open to reveal her tight, small chest. Gen palmed each of Yancy’s breasts while Yancy positioned her leg between Gen’s thighs and rocked into her. The solid muscles of Yancy’s body spurred Gen to caress her back and those defined abs.
The sound of rasping breaths and moans filled the living room. Their hands roamed all over each other’s bodies, hot core pressed up against hot core. Gen lost her ability to think as lust propelled her, took her over.
Gen grabbed Yancy’s hips and ground herself into her thigh with small thrusts as Yancy continued to suck and nibble Gen’s full breasts, first the left, then the right. The touch made Gen’s clit throb and her core dissolve with heat and wetness. She pressed into Yancy, rocking her into her knee. Then Yancy took over and kissed Gen lower and lower. Gen could smell their scents of desire rising. Gen’s mind in a fog of want, she closed her eyes and operated entirely on touch, taste, scent, and sound.
Gen moaned, writhing beneath Yancy. Just as Yancy began to undo the button at the top of her jeans, Gen opened her eyes wide, suddenly coming out of the fog of lust to realize what was happening and grabbed Yancy’s hand. “No, Yancy. Stop. We’ve got to stop.” Inhaling deep breaths, she pulled herself to a partial sitting position with her head supported against the arm of the couch, her body tingling and throbbing.
Yancy ceased her movements immediately. She cast a concerned look into Gen’s eyes and said, “Did I hurt you? What’s wrong, Gen?”
“Nothing. Oh, darling.” Gen continued to pant, her breath slowing somewhat, her eyes still filled with need.
“Did you just call me darling?” Yancy grinned, her face inches from Gen’s.
Gen nodded and caught her breath, trying to get herself under control. “We need to stop. You don’t know what you do to me.” She exhaled.
“Oh, I might have an idea.” Yancy grinned wickedly.
“You are so arrogant.” Gen slapped the arm still wrapped around her waist.
Taking on a serious tone, Yancy looked at her and said, “No, darlin’. I know, because of what you do to me. I have to tell you, no one has touched me the way you do. I love how you stroke me, fondle my cheek. When you brush your hands through my hair, you set me on fire.”
Yancy pulled Gen to sit up beside her. Gen regarded her closely, hoping Yancy spoke the truth.
“I…You are so perfect, so beautiful. I don’t…” Yancy’s eyes held a plea. “Oh, hell. I’m in love with you you.” Yancy leapt up off the couch and stood in front of the fireplace with her hands deep in her pockets. Her red shirt flapped wide open, revealing tight abs and white skin between her breasts. Her eyes studied her boots.
Gen rose and came to Yancy. She cupped her cheek, tipping her face up so that she could peer directly at her. Gen felt tenderness toward her as she brought her lips to brush gently against Yancy’s and continued to stroke her jawline with long fingers. “You.” She shook her head. “You are so many things, so many contradictions. You make me lose my brain function. I’ve tried to tell myself this…That I can’t possibly feel what I’ve been feeling.” Gen took a deep breath in her trepidation at being so open with Yancy about her feelings. She kissed Yancy and pulled back. “God help me, Yancy, I love you, too.”
Yancy blew out and hugged Gen tightly to her.
Gen snuggled into the warmth of Yancy’s arms. Her heart pounded with exhilaration at the idea that they loved each other. Gen softly caressed Yancy’s face. She exhaled with a satisfied smile. Then, she looked down at both of their torsos. She was nude from the waist up, while Yancy’s shirt was totally open.
Yancy’s eyes followed Gen’s and she began laughing. “What does this mean for the banned hanky-panky, Doc? Are we out of compliance? Or at least about to be?”
Gen hugged Yancy tightly to her, laid her head on her shoulder, and whispered, “Oh, God. I don’t know.” She then gazed deeply into Yancy’s eyes, her heart about to beat out of her chest. “I want you so badly. But I was hoping we could have something very special in Phoenix. To be together where we aren’t distracted by patients, or mothers, or horses…or bully girlfriends.” She searched Yancy’s face. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Yancy stroked Gen’s back for a moment, then said quietly, “I know just what to do, darlin’. Leave Phoenix to me.” She kissed Gen lightly on her lips, her eyebrows, her chin, and back to her lips. She winked. “I think I have been barred from the house for the rest of the night, wouldn’t you say? Knowing there is next weekend…”
Gen, excited about next weekend in Phoenix, also feared what Yancy had planned. What would happen? Could Gen let go of her fears and open herself fully to a woman who she still needed to trust with all her soul?
About twenty minutes after Yancy left, Gen received a text. “I will be dreaming of you all night, chèrie” And a heart emoji.
aaAA
The next Tuesday, Marlene Edwards’s BMW crunched on the gravel into the Triple D fifteen minutes early for her lesson. Victor and Yancy were fixing a water pump in the corral as Marlene strutted up to them. Yancy’s shirt and jeans were streaked with oil and grease, and both her boots and jeans were wet. Marlene cast her a look of disgust. Yancy grunted.
“I’m here. I’d like a word with you before we get started.” Her severe face brooked no refusal.
Yancy apologized to Victor while she wiped her greasy hands on a rag, and followed Marlene into the barn some twenty feet away.
“What do you want, Marlene?”
Marlene came very close to Yancy. So close Yancy could smell her expensive perfume and feel heat radiating off her breasts. “I want us to be like we used to be,” she said petulantly. “What have I done?”
Yancy took off her hat to wipe perspiration from her forehead. She did not meet Marlene’s stare. “Marlene, it was never right. It wasn’t in the past and it isn’t now. I can’t do this anymore.”
Marlene’s face looked like the personification of “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” so Yancy backed up a step.
“If you think this is the end of us, you are sadly mistaken. I will gladly tell my husband that you forced yourself on me. That you caught me in the barn, and that you coerced me to have sex with you. He will believe me in a heartbeat, don’t think he won’t. Your reputation will see to it that no one will stand up for you. You will be kicked off the board in an instant. Mommy or no mommy!”
Yancy gulped. “You wouldn’t do this, Marlene.”
“Just watch me.” Marlene moved in and grabbed Yancy’s shirt.
Just then, Victor entered the barn. “I don’t think you have much to stand on, Mrs. Edwards. You don’t remember that I have been around nearly every Tuesday afternoon, and I know what you’ve been doing. You have been the predator, not Yancy.”
Marlene’s head whipped around. “Who asked you? You’re Yancy’s hired hand. No one will believe you.”
Victor smiled innocently and shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not, but do you really want to take that chance with your reputation, Mrs. Edwards?”
Yancy breathed in gasps, watching Marlene’s face go from sneering bully to hateful bitch in the blink of an eye. She shot Yancy a look of disdain. “You don’t know a good thing when you’ve got it. You are one small-time player.” She turned on her heels, and said as she made her way out of the barn, “I guess lessons are over, kids.”
Yancy looked at Victor gratefully, took off her hat, and said, “I think we barely escaped, my friend.” She laughed. Quiet Victor could always be counted on. “Thanks so much. I am sorry you felt you needed to come to my rescue, but I am very glad you did.”
Victor smiled at her, nodded his head, and turned back to the work on the paddock pump.
aaAA
The rest of the week couldn’t go by fast enough for Yancy. Tuesday evening, she was on the phone for about an hour
with the host hotel for the RHA convention in Phoenix. On Wednesday morning, she met with Jim, the administrator of Valley View, because she was scheduled to make a presentation on their rural clinics, with Gen’s assistance. Jim and she updated an existing series of PowerPoint slides with the latest information on the clinic’s facilities, clients, staffing, and funding. Gen would then end the presentation with case studies of two clients. Because she had represented the board many times with various clinic funders, Yancy could do Valley View’s standard dog and pony show by heart. On Saturday, Gen would present the case studies without slides, in a more narrative form. They were ready for the business of the Phoenix conference.
Chapter Twenty
Gen heard a knock on her door Friday at 5:32 a.m., according to her cell phone. She had just put on a pair of light sweats after coming out of the shower, and was still toweling her wet hair, wondering who in the world would be showing up at her door in the dark of barely morning. She hurried to spy through the front picture window curtain. They weren’t scheduled to fly to Phoenix until much later that morning, yet here Yancy was, patiently standing on her small front porch.
“What in God’s name are you doing here at this hour?” she asked more curtly than she had meant, as she wrapped the towel around her head.
Yancy, grinning like the Cheshire cat, held up a brown bag. “Breakfast,” she declared as she breezed past Gen to the kitchen. Gen followed.
“I thought you weren’t a morning person?” she demanded, hands on her hips, the towel thrown across the back of a chair.
Yancy closed in and kissed her. “Good morning to you, too.”
“You are crazy.” Gen laughed.
“Darlin’, this is just the beginning of the day. Get ready for some fun.”
Gen pulled herself out of Yancy’s arms and peeked into the bag. “What do you have? Ooh, my favorite, scones.” She inhaled with pure joy. “Where did you get these?” She looked up at Yancy. “Don’t tell me. Connie, right?”
Reclaiming Yancy Page 16