by Fox Brison
“Perhaps not, but I’m a lot more experienced than she is. Give her time, Dani, I can tell she’s going to be a great vet. She’s eager to keep learning and that’s an important thing in our line of work.” She rubbed my hands, warming them, and I felt it through my whole body. Her knees creaked as she straightened up.
“If we’re going to be fit for Jack and Jen arriving tomorrow we’d best get some sleep.” I was tempted to ask her to share my bed. She was still wearing her jeans covered in amniotic fluid but I don’t think my English rose could have looked or smelt any sweeter than she did right now. Exhausted, with bags under her eyes and pale in the shadowy grey of the early morning, there was a strange luminosity to her skin and eyes and a calmness I wanted to explore. Over and over again.
“You go ahead, I think the adrenaline is still pumping a bit too fast for me to sleep at the moment.” Haley said quietly.
“I think I’m going to head on to the cabin, I need some peace and quiet.” I took a deep breath, as if suddenly realising what I’d nearly lost all for the sake of a five minute blood test. “Thank God I was still in the kitchen jawing with Colin. Do you think I should bunk down with Stormy and Red in the barn?”
Haley regarded me warmly. Yes I was a panicky Mom and I didn’t care. “They’re settled for now. It’s best not to disturb them too much. I’ll check on them in a few hours. Sleep well,” she murmured softly.
I stood up and kissed her on the cheek “Thank you again, Haley, for everything.” There was more I wanted to say, much more, but the words stuck in my gullet. However, the sentiment was in our eyes, in our touch… but the word friend echoed, submerging the other emotions in a cold downpour of reality.
“Good night.” I turned and walked away.
Chapter 33
Haley
Thirty minutes later, and after a very hot shower, I climbed into bed, but despite being exhausted sleep wouldn’t come, and I could see no point in lying there getting more and more frustrated about it.
Sexually or otherwise.
I dressed and went down to the barn to check on Stormy and Red who were both fine, in fact they were more than fine. Red was going to be a mighty handsome stallion when he grew up.
Stormy done good.
Still I couldn’t settle, couldn’t shake the feeling that I was supposed to be somewhere else. I checked my phone; there were no missed calls, only a message from Jen saying that she and Jack would be arriving sometime after lunch tomorrow or rather later today. Dani was right, I needed sleep. I stared into the early dawn light, the play of shadows and flashes of colour where the sun hit the white fence or red roofed barn was largely ignored as I focussed on the present, focussed on what my deepest, darkest feelings were trying to show me, focussed on what the rapid breaths and warmth in my chest were trying to show me.
Dani was dead wrong.
Sleep was the last thing I needed.
***
“Haley? Is it Stormy? Is everything oomph-”
I stopped Dani’s questions with a kiss. And the jolt that damned near electrocuted me was all the confirmation I needed.
This was where I was meant to be.
I stepped back giving Dani an out if she wanted it. I hummed to myself as I gloried in her presence; she was beautiful. Her shirt was open down to her belly button and hung loosely out of her jeans revealing the gentle swell of her breasts. Her feet were bare and she looked good enough to eat, to taste… to consume with all of my senses. Our eyes locked, desire in every heated second. Without a word being spoken Dani took both my hands and led me inside. I stopped for a stolen moment to gorge on her beauty. The sun lit the inside of the cabin in warm golden hues and she turned with her head cocked, a silent question I quickly answered. I placed my hand to her cheek and let my finger track down towards her lips and then I kissed her again, softly.
There was no doubt in my mind.
This was where I wanted to spend eternity.
***
I woke up more tired, yet far more alive than I’d ever felt in my life. The bright sunshine shone through the open bedroom window, and the slight breeze ruffled the gingham curtains Nora had hung the day before. It was bucolic harmony, an utter peacefulness that a lifetime of meditation with a yogi in Kathmandu would fail to recreate.
Dani’s body was precisely as I remembered, no, correction, her body was a million times better than the technicolour dreams which had been my constant companions all week. Her soft skin, toned muscles, even the puckered scar on her shoulder could never be done justice by the poor imitations conjured by my memories.
I crept out of bed and in the early morning chill, grabbed the nearest thing to cover me, which turned out to be Dani’s favourite shirt. Mine too, as it happens – when it was on her at least. I loved each and every one of her shirts. And her soft jeans. As for her boots and hat…
And well the picture I’m painting should be obvious.
I shuffled into the kitchen and narrowed my eyes when I faced the beast that had been sent from hell to torment me. I shook my head. Had Dani never considered an electric kettle and fire? It took me ten minutes to light the stove, but once I did the smell of freshly brewing coffee from the ubiquitous enamel pot perched on top quickly got the neurons firing; it was either that or it was Dani’s unique scent on her shirt. I burrowed my head into its soft cotton folds and inhaled deeply. Definitely, the shirt. I caught sight of my reflection in the large glass door leading onto the back porch and shook my head.
God I looked daft.
Heightened colour blazing a trail from my chest up to my neck, and sleep tousled hair. I wrinkled my nose. Not sleep tousled hair. I’d never enjoyed quite such definite JFH before. The shirt was open at the front because although Dani was broader in the back and shoulders, I was the owner of quite generous… well curves shall we say… and the press stud buttons wouldn’t stay closed across my bust, no matter how firmly I pressed them down.
“Can’t sleep?” Dani asked, leaning against the bookcase. She walked over and took me in her arms as if it was the most natural thing in the world and she’d been doing it every morning for years. Her kiss was far more effective than the caffeine at sparking every synapse into life.
And then some.
Yes the blood was heading south raising a couple of peaks, and it had nothing to do with the chill in the air. “Too excited,” I said quietly. “Especially now,” I added with a moan. I poured two coffees and added milk to mine. Dani took hers au natural. In fact, it appeared to be a running theme with Ms Robbins as she prowled around as naked as the day she was born. The cold clearly held no qualms for her.
And the sight of her body was doing a stellar job of warming me up too.
“Good job we waited until I moved back in here to reconnect,” Dani winked. “Mom might have thought I was murdering you.”
I blushed. “Yes, well, if a certain cowgirl hadn’t taken such pleasure in lifting me to such heights I screamed her name over and over… and over again for good measure… it might not have been a problem. I didn’t know you had such a sadistic side.”
“Are you complaining?”
“Not one bit,” I answered with a lascivious grin.
“What time are JJ and J due?” Dani asked sipping her coffee.
Triple J. I liked that. “Lunchtime. How’s the shoulder holding up after last night?”
“It’s a bit stiff, you did work me pretty hard,” she teased.
“I meant when you helped with Stormy. You were in a pretty cramped position for quite some time.”
“Not bad,” she said. “The liniment you rubbed in has worked wonders. Reckon I have the prettiest and most thorough nurse in all of Wyoming.”
“Only Wyoming?”
“Heck, I didn’t want to seem too soppy, didn’t want to ruin this tough cowgirl fantasy you love so much.”
“I think that’s one thing you don’t have to worry about, sweetheart.” I kissed her and she pulled me onto her lap. “I’ll hurt y
ou,” I whispered gazing into her eyes filled with emotions I didn’t want to try and name.
Her fingers tightened into the soft skin of my hip. “No, you won’t, I won’t let you.” Dani kissed my exposed flesh where her shirt wouldn’t fasten before slipping a finger down to the next press stud; it popped and she kissed the newly exposed skin. Her finger trailed between my breasts and the next stud popped. She opened the shirt wider. “Cold?”
“Not anymore,” I whispered as her mouth found my already erect and aching nipple.
I couldn’t think about the past, the present or the future. Dani took me to a state of consciousness where these parameters didn’t exist.
And for the time being that suited us both.
Chapter 34
Haley
“So, you’re not going back to San Francisco?” I asked Jen. She and Jack had arrived just before two that afternoon, and after a hectic few hours that involved introductions, eating and a fair bit of drinking (my poor liver was going to need a month’s detox after this holiday) we at last got a moment alone.
“No, my boss agreed to let me leave immediately,” Jen grinned. “I had two weeks of holiday booked to spend with you, so it was kind of a done deal.” She touched my knee. “Isn’t this place amazing?” I turned away from her palpable excitement, charming though it was, because every word she said felt like another twist of the knife. “Hales, are you alright?”
“Just tired,” I said. “It’s been a long week.” Actually, it’s been a long five weeks but who’s counting?
“Mmm…Sooo,” she began, a knowing little smirk plastered on her face as we watched the sun going back to bed from the rocking chairs on the porch.
“So?” I replied.
“It looks like you and Dani have let bygones be bygones.” That bloody smirk was still on her face. “You can thank me later.”
Thank her? Did she have early onset narcissism? “Jen,” I snapped, “I’m going to be honest here. If it wasn’t for Dani I’d be long gone, you do realise that, don’t you?”
Jen looked like I’d beaten her puppy and taken away its favourite chew toy. “But-”
“But nothing. You left me to fend for myself at a time when I needed you the most.”
“Hales, where is this coming from? I apologised and I’ll keep on apologising if that’s what it will take, but do you think that there could be another reason for your… I genuinely don’t know what to call it.” She turned to look at me and placed her hand on mine in a show of sisterly support. “Frustration? Anger? C’mon, Haley, talk to me.”
I closed my eyes. I was no longer tired, I was weary. I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t get invested here, that America was a four week holiday from reality, the ultimate Total Recall experience. Heck, I’d even created an alter ego in San Francisco.
Even though I’d ditched her at the first sign of a hot woman wearing cowboy boots and sexy smile.
But I was falling for this place, I was getting extremely invested in the ranch and the people that lived here. I had barely three weeks left and then… I groaned and then I would be back in England and if I thought I was devastated after Dawn’s infidelity, it would be nothing compared to what I was already feeling at the thought of leaving Dani behind.
So the real reason for my attitude?
I was jealous of my sister and the fact that she was going to be living the life I’d dreamed of since I was young enough to think ‘what if?’
“I’m sorry, Jen. My mind is a nest of snakes, all twisted and knotted and every time I think I’m getting close to working out where it all begins, or ends for that matter, another loop appears. I needed you to help me get the tangles out.”
“I’m not sure I could’ve helped you there, sis, but I think there’s a certain Wyoming native that will charm those snakes right out of your head, if only you’ll let her.” She motioned her head at Dani leaving the barn with Jack and waved. Dani waved back. They both looked over and laughed. “Wonder what they’re so happy about?” she asked, suddenly digressing from picking apart my emotional angst. Thankfully. I wasn’t ready to discuss what I was thinking, never mind feeling, about Dani Robbins.
“Might be the two lovely ladies waiting on the porch,” Nora said from the doorway. “Either that or they smelled the cherry pie I’ve put on the window to cool.”
“Oh wow,” Jen said. “I love cherry pie, and Haley’s been raving about your baking, Aunt Nora”
“Aunt Nora?” I mouthed silently.
“She insisted,” Jen mouthed back.
“Has she now?” Nora took a sip of her lemonade. It was the first time I’d seen her with anything but coffee. I must admit the jug she placed on the table, with drips of condensation dribbling down its side and onto the cork tablemat, looked very enticing. Soon there were five conversations taking, place and Nora was conducting them like it was the last night of the Proms and we were her orchestra.
Dani bent down and whispered. “Want to go make out in the barn?”
“I wanna do more than that,” I breathed excitedly.
“Yeah?”
“Oh yeah. There’s only one thing more delicious than your Mum’s cherry pie… you!”
***
“Hey,” Dani murmured softly. She was in a state of half dress and propped up on her elbow looking down at me. Her lips nibbled along my jaw, stopping briefly to tug on my ear lobe. I shivered in pleasure. Something so gentle shouldn’t be so damned hot. Her face was bathed by the early evening sunlight which caught on dust motes as they drifted to the ground.
Stunning. Tranquil. Strong.
Each and every descriptor paled in comparison to the real life model. “Hey,” I whispered right on back. We had made love, quietly, gently, the mood in the barn influencing our touches.
“Thanks for helping out with the chores today, especially after your sleepless night.” She winked and grinned. It was her sexy grin. She had three or four smiles that I was beginning to recognise, but I think that one was my favourite because it was joined by the hint of desire in her ebony eyes. The boards in the loft creaked as she sat up.
There was something about Dani today, something different. Like a part of her that had been closed was open.
“If this is my method of payment, you can pencil me in for as many shifts as you like.” I said.
She threw her head back in an unabashed laugh. “I feel I’m getting the best out of that deal, though I wouldn’t want you to think I was taking advantage.” She rubbed my back as I sat up. “Haley, you don’t think that, do you?” she asked apprehensively.
“God no, Dani. No. I guess it’s what with Jen being here it’s reminded me how temporary all this is.” And that was slightly depressing. I didn’t want the jealous feeling I still held to encompass the good ones that suffused my body. I couldn’t allow what we had in the now to be ruined by a fleeting wish for the future.
“Look, how would you feel about staying at the love shack with me for the last few weeks of your vacation?” She ducked her head and I smiled. I loved when she went nervous on me. It was just as sexy as her confident swagger, if not more so.
“I’m not sure,” I hesitated.
“How about one night at a time?” Dani suggested.
“Now that’s a plan I can get on board with,” I reached up and pulled her closer for a kiss. We were both skirting around the main issue, but I’d much rather do it in Dani’s bed than alone in mine.
***
I loved napping. It’s one of life’s simplest pleasures and one which isn’t enjoyed nearly enough. Nowadays if we take time out it usually involves chasing our tails, looking at our phones to see what’s trending on twitter, or scrolling to see who’s posted what on Facebook. When did we lose the ability to be content to do nothing for an hour and not worry about what we might be missing?
There was something about the hay loft, the golden straw, the warmth of the sun breaking through the tight boards and the soft snuffles of the horses. It was every bi
t as relaxing as an hour spent soaking in a hot bath surrounded by bubbles and candles with a glass of wine in hand and I drifted off to sleep.
Plus, Dani just plumb wore me out – her words, not mine.
When I awoke Dani was still there right next to me. “Did you sleep?” I asked stretching my arms above my head.
“A little,” she replied. “But I was enjoying watching you too much.” Her compliments felt genuine; she certainly knew how to make a girl feel wanted and I blushed. I was a messy eater, a messy crier and was probably an ugly sleeper too.
I surreptitiously wiped my chin just in case there was any drool lurking.
“I’d better go and check on the love of your life,” I sat up and pulled my clothes straight.
“Stormy’s-” Dani stopped whatever she was going to say before deciding on, “I think they’re fine. I heard Red feeding again. Might move them outside for a few hours tomorrow. What do you think?”
“We’ll see, I don’t want to risk it before we get their bloods back.” I realised I might have been overstepping. “God, I’m, sorry, Dani. There I go taking over again.”
“It’s okay. In fact it’s more than okay. There’s no one I trust more than you when it comes to Stormy and Reds well-being.” She started playing with a piece of straw then grinned mischievously. She began to trail it over my body, tickling me and as I made a grab for it she lifted it higher and then hid it behind her back. I reached my arms around her waist trying to get at it and Dani groaned as my body brushed against hers. She took my lips for a passionate kiss that once again left me breathless, a state I was getting used to.
That and arousal. Seriously, no one had ever pressed my buttons like Dani did. Heck, I think she might have found some I didn’t even know were there! “I should think about going ahead to the cabin and clearing you a couple of drawers.” She hesitated and picked up another piece of straw. This time I headed her off at the pass and she smiled nervously. “Unless you’ve had a change of heart?”