Bareback

by D. Jackson Leigh

  “No, but—”

  “That’s all I need to know.” Tory strode out the door.

  Skyler crossed the room and took Jessica in her arms. “That didn’t go too well, did it?”

  “It’s not your fault.” Jessica relaxed into her lover’s embrace. “I should have told her.”

  “Don’t worry, babe. Tory has a good head on her shoulders. After a while, she’ll realize that we are really in love. She’ll understand that this has nothing to do with her. Besides, she has women lining up. Someone will take your place.”

  “I didn’t think I could be that easily replaced.”

  Skyler laughed at her pout. “Speaking as your lover, you, my delicious vixen, could never be replaced.”

  “Good answer,” Jessica purred.

  “But, speaking as your trainer, you have to get back to work and I have a barn full of horses looking for their breakfast.”

  “Slave driver,” Jessica replied, tilting her head for another kiss.

  *

  At lunchtime, Jessica limped up the stairs to her bathroom to inject her knee before Rampage’s afternoon gallops. The knee was swollen and bruised from the constant injections. But it was only a few months until Christmas, and, after the holidays, Rampage’s workouts would begin to grow shorter so that he would peak at the March trials.

  When her knee began to numb, she headed for the kitchen to make a sandwich. As she placed the makings on the kitchen island, she noticed Kate sitting alone on the patio. She had taken Charlie’s leaving very hard, and seeing her and Skyler so happy together probably made her feel even more alone. Jessica frowned. She’d been pretty insensitive.

  She grabbed a couple of sodas from the refrigerator and went to join Kate.

  “You miss him pretty bad, huh,” she said after a while.

  Kate cleared her throat. Her blue eyes were watery. “Yeah, I guess so,” she replied softly. “The kids come and go, but Charlie lived here for nearly a year while his mother was sick. It was nice to always have someone around to share the mornings and evenings with. Somebody around who needed me. I guess I needed him more than I realized.”

  “And now, when you need me, I’m spending all my time with Skyler,” Jessica said softly.

  Kate patted her on the knee. “You don’t need to be worrying about me. Kate Parker has always taken care of herself. But I do hope you aren’t making a mistake with Skyler. Even if she is sincere, it doesn’t mean she is capable of being the woman you deserve.” She gave Jessica a wan smile. “But don’t listen to me. I just get a little blue when the house is empty. You should enjoy every moment of being in love while you can. There’s nothing like that feeling.”

  “Have you ever really been in love, Kate?”

  “Oh, yes. Infatuated several times. Deeply, seriously in love only once.”

  “What happened?”

  Kate stared at her for a moment, then dropped her eyes to study the bricks of the patio. “She was worried that having two mommies would make her daughter the subject of ridicule.”

  Jessica’s jaw dropped. “You mean…Mom? When you left, it was because of me?”

  “Oh, honey. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. We both loved you too much to put anyone else first. I’ve never really loved another since her.” Kate cocked her head and smiled again.

  “Does she know that?” Jessica asked, turning this revelation over in her mind.

  Kate shrugged. “It’s water under the bridge, now. Promise me you won’t say anything to her, Jess. I lost her as a lover years ago, and don’t want to lose her as a friend because she doesn’t feel the same way.”

  Jessica studied Kate, wondering at the years of longing she must have suffered. “Okay. I promise. I was going to ask Mom to come up for visit because I haven’t seen her for months. I can’t go see her because Rampage trains six days a week. Now, I don’t know. I certainly don’t want to have her come here if it is painful for you.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course Laura can visit. I’d love to see her.”

  Jessica threw her arms around Kate’s neck and held on tight. “Oh, Kate. You’ve been such an anchor in my life. Mother’s not nearly as strong as you are.” She laid her hands on Kate’s tanned cheeks and gave her a smacking kiss on the mouth.

  Kate’s hearty laugh warmed her heart. “You better not let Skyler see you smooching on me. She always was the jealous type.” She shooed Jessica toward the house. “Get out of here. I’ve got paperwork to do. You two can come up later for lasagna.”

  *

  The sight of Skyler’s drop-dead sexy smile temporarily erased Kate’s request from Jessica’s mind.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” Skyler purred. “How about if I saddle Con Air and we make Rampage’s afternoon gallops an outing for both of us?”

  “Only if you stop looking at me like that. I won’t be able to concentrate enough to stay in the saddle.”

  They saddled the horses and headed for the maze of wide, dirt trails that wound around the paddocks and through the surrounding woods. Skyler carried a stopwatch and timed four- and five-minute slow canters with three-minute rests in between. The horses pranced and pulled at their bits, eager for something more vigorous.

  The morning had brought the first icy breath of winter, a sharp change from the previous day’s warm sun. Jessica’s cheeks were pink from the cold, and her eyes glowed with the energy radiating from her steed.

  “These guys really are geared up today,” Skyler called to her. “Why don’t we just let them get it out of their systems? Follow me and see if you can keep up.”

  Con Air lengthened his stride and veered to jump a paddock fence. Rampage followed close on his heels. A zigzag race across the meadow took them over a stream and a large fallen tree trunk before they leapt the fence again and headed down a lane through the woods. When the path widened, Rampage edged next to the gray. Just as the bay was taking the lead, they broke out of the woods and Skyler turned Con Air sharply to the right. Not expecting the turn, Jessica and Rampage lost ground when they made a wide loop to alter their direction. The big stallion pounded the ground hard to catch Skyler and the gray. They were steadily gaining ground as they trailed Con Air over several fences. Glancing over her shoulder, Skyler hunkered down on Con Air. Man, that bay was some horse.

  She eased the pace a little, and Jessica nudged Rampage into the lead. Skyler pulled Con Air back to give Rampage room to take the jump ahead, but stayed close enough to keep up the pressure of the contest. She saw Jessica’s head lift a little in surprise. The water jump. Skyler had led them intentionally onto the cross-country course.

  It took only that split second for Jessica to determine it was too late to abort the jump without risking injury. She leaned close to Rampage’s neck and urged him forward with her hands and legs. Rampage responded immediately and sailed confidently over the jump and through the water. Piece of cake.Skyler and Con Air followed closely behind.

  “We did it!” Jessica yelled as she pulled the big bay up. She turned an accusing glare on Skyler. “Very crafty, Ms. Reese.” Rampage snorted in agreement. “How about I beat you back to the barn.”

  “How about we walk the horses back to let them cool down.” Skyler smiled.

  They walked the horses side by side for a while in com-panionable silence. Skyler reached over and took Jessica’s hand.

  Jessica soaked up the adoring gaze directed at her. “Have I told you how much I love you?” she asked.

  “I never mind hearing it again,” Skyler replied.

  *

  The young horse shifted away uncomfortably as Skyler’s dandy brush ran over his coat with the same tense speed as the thoughts racing through her head. “You’re telling me that I have to meet your mother with no advance notice? Shit, Jess. I really don’t have a good track record with in-laws.”

  Jessica snatched the brush from Skyler’s hand.

  “Skyler Reese, I never would have imagined you could be such a coward. First of all, my mom is going to lo
ve anybody I do, and secondly, I was just trying to find a way for her and Kate to quit dancing around each other and talk about how they feel. That’s why I asked her to come.”

  “Do you really think Kate’s ready for this?”

  “She’ll never be ready at the rate she’s going, and neither will Mom. They’ve wasted years of their lives because they were too chicken-shit to face things together.”

  Skyler smiled at Jessica’s stern posture, elbows out and hands on her slim hips. “You’re beautiful when you’re angry,” she teased.

  “Don’t change the subject.”

  “Okay. You win. When is she getting here?”

  “She just arrived. I’m going to go see her now and you’re joining us for dinner.”

  “So I can at least get a shower and change into clean clothes? That’s a relief.”

  A quick image of Skyler in the shower turned Jessica’s gaze from angry to sexy. The corners of her mouth curled in a seductive smile. “Wear what you had on the night of the fund-raiser. I could hardly keep my hands off of you at that party.” She trailed a finger down Skyler’s shirt, tracing a path between her breasts and finally hooking her finger into Skyler’s waistband to pull her closer. “Maybe I could use a shower, too.”

  After a quick glance to be sure they were alone, Skyler followed Jessica’s tug and kissed her lover deeply. “Race you upstairs,” she whispered before lunging to get a head start.

  *

  Laura Black was an older version of Jessica. She had the same dark hair, but peppered with gray and cropped in a short style more fitting her age. Her eyes were the same unusual blue as Jessica’s.

  “Hey, baby. How is your knee?”

  “I’m doing fine,” Jessica said. The numbness from her earlier injection was wearing off, but she could still walk like she’d never been injured.

  “Kate seems worried, but you aren’t even limping.”

  Jessica waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Kate and Skyler are just worry warts, Mom. I’m fine. The knee just looks a little bruised from the last steroid shots I got and they’re freaking out over it.”

  “Well, that’s good to know. Now, tell me about this Skyler I’ve been hearing about.”

  Jessica blushed. “Skyler’s my trainer and, well…Mom, she’s the love of my life.”

  Laura’s eyebrows arched. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you use that phrase when referring to a person rather than a horse. I was starting to worry.” She glanced at Kate, who was sitting next to her on the couch with her eyes shining. “Is it true?”

  Jessica grinned. Having Kate and her mom together really made her feel like she had a whole family again. She wished Kate hadn’t made her promise not to say anything. Her mother hadn’t lived with anyone else, man or woman, since Kate. Jessica was convinced she must still love her or she would have hooked up with someone else during all these years.

  Kate raised her hands in a “hands off” gesture. “I’m definitely not getting in the middle of a mother-daughter thing. All I’ll say is that I’ve known Skyler since she was a kid. She’s the best trainer I’ve got and more committed to the youth equestrian program than anybody who works on this farm. And,” she took a deep breath, “they both seem to think they’re head over heels for each other. I feel like carrying a bucket of ice water around to throw on them a couple of times a day.”

  Jessica laughed. “Skyler’s tough on the outside, but a real marshmallow when it comes to the kids.” She walked behind the couch and leaned over to wrap her arms around her mom’s shoulders. “She’s also tall, blond, and incredibly sexy. You should see her in riding breeches.”

  “Quick, Kate. Get your bucket of ice water.” Laura laughed, laying her hand on Kate’s arm. “Seriously, Jess. Come around here and sit down. I want to talk to you.”

  “Oh God, Mom. This isn’t the sex talk, is it? If it is, you’re about ten years too late.” Jessica caught a warning look from Kate and realized her mother was struggling with whatever she had to say. She sat on a chair opposite her and said more seriously, “You’re okay, aren’t you, Mom? You’re not going to tell me you’re sick or something, are you?”

  Her mother gave her a weak grin. “No, honey, I’m just fine.”

  Jessica glanced at Kate again. “Are you going to tell me you’ve met someone, too?”

  Laura gave Kate a quick, reassuring look. “No. It’s nothing like that. It’s just that…well, Jess, falling in love with another woman isn’t an easy lifestyle. I know you’ve had relationships with both men and women. I’m concerned that something I’ve done has made you take this direction in your life.”

  Jessica let out the breath she was unconsciously holding. “Is that all?” She moved to take her mother’s hands, squeezing them firmly. “Mom, you know as well as I do that being gay isn’t a choice. My few relationships with men were really either close friendships or just experiments. You’ve given me every opportunity to choose men over women.” She paused and glanced at Kate. “I’m afraid that you may have given up too much for my sake. All these years you’ve never lived with anyone since Kate.”

  The Parker heiress shifted uncomfortably in her chair and looked off into the distance, mumbling, “Let it go, Jess.”

  Don’t worry, Kate, I’ll stop short of telling her how you feel. Carefully, she said, “I’ll always be grateful to you for bringing Kate into my life. You know how much I love her. She’s been a wonderful second parent even though she has spoiled me rotten over the years.”

  Laura’s eyes filled with tears. “I just had to know, Jess. I’ve always worried that you would be influenced by my life and find it as hard as I have.”

  “I’ll tell you what I have learned from you, Mom. I’ve learned not to let what other people think keep me from being happy.”

  Laura looked up sharply.

  “Mom, millions of heterosexual couples raise homosexual children, and the reverse is true, too. If you did anything to contribute to my sexual orientation, it was just passing along a gene that makes me love women. That doesn’t upset me.” Jessica waggled her finger at her mother. “But if I end up getting your high blood pressure gene, I’ll surely be pissed about that. But I’m glad you brought this up. I want to say something you’ve needed to hear for a long time.”

  Her mother looked puzzled.

  “Mom, your life has only been hard because you made it that way. I love you to death, but if you hadn’t been so freaking paranoid about how things would affect me, you may have been able to have someone to share your life with other than me.” She turned to a wide-eyed Kate. “Dinner at seven as usual?”

  Speechless, Kate nodded.

  “Good. I’m headed to the barn. Skyler and I will join you later for dinner.” She planted a quick kiss on her stunned mother’s cheek and strode off to Creek Barn.

  Kate and Laura stared after her.

  “I just can’t get used to her being a grown, opinionated woman instead of my little girl,” Laura said.

  “You and me both,” Kate said uncomfortably.

  *

  The aroma of a roast with carrots and potatoes filled the room and made Jessica’s stomach growl. Watching the two older women working together to prepare the meal, she wished she could have been a fly on the wall to hear what they said to each other after she left for the barn. She hadn’t planned to trek all the way back, but she wanted to leave the house for a while to give them a chance to talk. They seemed to be doing fine.

  Laura, as usual, looked elegant, even in casual clothing. She wore gray pants and a pale pink cashmere scoop-necked sweater. Kate wore a dark blue nylon running suit with a silk tank top under the jacket. As always, her sleeves were pushed up her strong forearms.

  “Mom, Skyler’s very nervous about meeting you, so please try to make her feel at ease,” Jessica said. “I feel like a teenager waiting for my prom date to show up.”

  Laura smiled at Kate. “She makes it sound like I’d actually be something other than a gracio
us hostess.”

  Kate chuckled. “You do sort of have that steel magnolia face on tonight. You’re going to scare my poor horse trainer to death.” She turned to Jessica with a big grin. “Don’t worry, Jess. I’ll rein your mother in if I see Skyler start to panic and head for the hills.”

  “I can see you’re both enjoying this immensely. If you don’t behave, I’ll make you sorry later,” Jessica said with mock sternness.

  She heard Skyler’s knock at the front door, and shot one last warning glare at Kate and Laura before heading down the hall. Jesus, Skyler was nervous. She never knocked. She usually just stuck her head in the door and hollered.

  Skyler stood on the porch, shifting from foot to foot, in the fading light. Jessica ran her eyes appreciatively over her lover’s lean body. She made faded jeans look so sexy.

  “Hey, good looking. If you don’t already have a date for tonight, I’ll bet I can find you one.” Jessica paused as her appraisal reached Skyler’s footwear. “Hey, where are the boots you wore at the party?”

  Skyler looked down at the topsiders she’d chosen. “Come on, Jess. I don’t want to appear too butch when I meet your mother for the first time.”

  Jessica wrapped her arms around the tall trainer. “Baby, there’s nothing butch about you. You are way too beautiful.”

  Skyler tried to slip out of her embrace. “What if your mom sees us?”

  “Skyler,” Jessica said in an exasperated voice. “My mom is gay, too, you know. She won’t find anything uncomfortable about us touching each other. And, besides, she already knows I’m crazy about you.”

  Skyler relaxed a little and hugged Jessica tight. “I like your outfit. What is that perfume you wearing?”

  “Opium.”

  “It’s never smelled that good on anybody else.”

  “You better not be smelling other women anymore,” Jessica teased.

  Skyler planted a quick kiss on her lips. “What other women? I only have eyes…uh, and a nose for you, dear.”