“The person I'm toasting, of course, is Sam,” Brad said. “Who has been good to all of us, even when we might not deserve it. Because I know all of us, have at one time or another, done something stupid, made some kind of mistake, that would have had our pay docked at another ranch. But things aren't like that here. Here, things are different. Sam really cares about us and ranching, really wants things to go well. And I think they're going to. The bigger ranches, they might be bigger, but they don't know shit about ranching. Eventually, their cattle are going to run into problems because none of the little things are being done right. Let's continue to do things right here, so that in the end, we come out on top! To surviving, and to Sam and Lilly!”
All of the ranch hands raised their cups in the air. Lilly couldn't help but wipe a tear from her eye, and she noticed that Sam was doing the same thing. It was an emotional moment. Lilly had been worried that outing her feelings for Sam to the group might bring on negative consequences, but now it seemed like things were going to be all right. That there wasn't going to be any sort of blowback to speak of.
The party went on, and the ranch hands drank more and more. It wasn't long until Sam took Lilly's hand in hers and led her back to the cabin.
“I think it went well,” Sam said. “No one said anything about how it might not be fair or anything like that.”
“You sound like you were a little less confident than you let on,” Lilly said. “Because when we walked out there it was like you had no doubt in your mind how things were going to work out.”
“I was a little worried,” Sam said, leading Lilly up to the bedroom. “But I also knew that we were going to have to tell them sometime. I mean, how long we're we going to try to sneak away from campfires to fool around?”
Lilly didn't have an answer and flopped down on the bed by Sam. They both lay by each other cuddling, something that Lilly found to be just as exciting as some of the other things they'd done together recently.
“I just want you to know that I have the best intentions,” Sam said. “This isn't one of those things where I'm just saying what you want to hear. I'm saying what I really mean. I think that we have something special between us, and we should try to foster it. Not that we won't be doing work while it happens, though. The ranch is doing well, but that could change quickly considering what is going on up north. So we have to stay focused on work during the daytime hours.”
Lilly nibbled on Sam's ear while she talked. It was good to feel Sam's body vibrate on the bed beside her while she talked. The way that Sam's voice was a little deeper than normal was something that Lilly found so sexy, and even sexier when she held her ear to Sam's chest to listen.
“What are you doing?” Sam asked. “Listening to me talk?”
“Your voice is so sexy,” Lilly said. “I just can't get enough of it.”
Sam laughed at this and stroked Lilly's hair.
“I'm so glad that everything worked out for the best,” Sam said. “Because I was a little worried for a second. But then the Rocking U Ranch didn't let me down. They never do. This place is a great place, Lilly. You're going to love working here.”
“I already do love working here,” Lilly said. “You know that, Sam.”
They started to kiss passionately, their hands having minds of their own as they explored. Both Sam and Lilly felt exactly the same way they had when they first touched like this. Lilly hoped the feeling never went away. Because what they had was really special, even by modern standards. In ranching, it was rare that lesbian relationships were accepted, and even more rare when they were something that everyone was excited about. The Rocking U Ranch really was a hell of a place in that regard.
Sam kept her promise to Lilly and brought her past the brink as she had done for her earlier. After they both lay stroking each other's hair again. It wasn't long until they drifted off to sleep, a night of sleep well deserved after the long days of riding and herding.
Chapter 7
Lilly had a dream. She knew it was a dream from the start, unlike some dreams where she thought it to be real. In the dream she and Sam were walking down the aisle, holding hands. They were both in white dresses that weren't girly at all, but more sleek and trim than anything else. All of the hands of the Rocking U Ranch were there, and Brad was the one at the end of the aisle getting ready to marry them. Lilly looked over at Sam and saw Sam give her the most loving look Lilly had seen in a very long time.
As they walked, Lilly thought about all the ways that she could have handled her parents' ranch closing, and how those ways would have been all wrong compared to this. As she walked down the aisle she saw her parents, both of them so happy they tears streamed down their faces. Lilly couldn't believe how lucky she was.
When she woke, there was more work to do. And the next day was so busy, mending fences and herding now cattle into the main pen, that it blended in with the next seamlessly. Lilly and Sam started sharing the cabin, and the Rocking U Ranch continued on as if nothing was out of the ordinary. It was a great feeling to work hard and be accepted for who she was. Lilly had never thought she'd find the kind of family that she had at the Rocking U Ranch. Here, unlike nearly every other ranch, Sam and her were able to share time together without having anyone gripe about how it wasn't fair that one hand get more attention from the boss than another.
After the weeks turned into months, winter came, and the temperatures on the ranch dropped to more reasonable levels. There was more time to lounge. Lilly found that most of the hands at the Rocking U Ranch liked to read, and that's what they did in their down time. Brad was a writer, it turned out, and with Sam's and Lilly's permission had started writing all about their romance and how things were coming together for them. Both Sam and Lilly found it flattering.
One night Lilly had a nightmare. She woke up with a yelp, covered in cold sweat.
“What's wrong baby,” Sam said. “Did you have a bad dream because of the season change?”
Sam didn't believe in astrology, but she did think the season's affected people.
“No,” Lilly said. “I had a dream that no of this ever happened.”
“Oh, baby,” Sam said. “That does sound like a nightmare.”
They snuggled together and went back to sleep, Lilly finding comfort in Sam's arms.
*****
THE END
The Boss Page 10