by Riley Moreno
Alice was very happy with the room that Alex had given her. She had been so worried that he would have just put her in his bedroom and she wasn’t at all comfortable with that idea. She barely knew the guy – and while that was the reason she was here, she wanted the opportunity to decide whether they were compatible or not. The room was spacious, far bigger than what she was used to. The city might be convenient for a lot of things but it was known for its small apartments and high prices. She wondered, suddenly, why she had been so enthralled by the city. The room was a little bit old fashioned and definitely not to her taste, but she assumed it had been decorated by either a much older woman or by a man. Perhaps even Alex himself. The thought of Alex decorating the room made her giggle.
Attached to the room was her own bathroom, and again she was grateful that she didn’t have to share this with anyone. She jumped into the shower but looked longingly at the bath. She hadn’t had a bath in a very long time – always choosing the speediness of the shower. Now, looking at the bath, she had visions of bubble baths and glasses of wine. I’m going to use you soon Mr. Bath, she said. But now, on her first morning, she didn’t want Alex to think she spent too much time sleeping and getting ready. She washed her hair and let hit hang loose. Her hair was a light blonde and if she didn’t straighten it, which she always did, it looked wild and untamed. Looking around for her straightener she couldn’t find it, and realised that she must’ve left it behind. Damn! She thought, and the shrugged, Oh well, au natural it is then. She couldn’t remember the last time she cared so very little about the way she looked. Even wearing makeup seemed an odd choice at this place, so she just popped on a slight whisk of mascara and a dash of lip gloss, allowing the rest of her face to breathe for the first time. She put on a pair of jeans, a loose t-shirt and a pair of sneakers. Horse-riding clothes she told herself, hoping that she’d have the chance to ride the horses today.
Seeing the horses had awoken something in her that she had completely forgotten had existed. When Alice was a child her father used to take her every Sunday to ride the horses. It was something she looked forward to each week – time with the horses and time with her dad – and she was definitely ‘daddy’s girl.’ Then, one day out of the blue, her dad went out in the morning and never came back. Looking back she could see that her parents were having problems but at the time she hadn’t noticed at all. She just thought that her dad had forgotten about her. Forgotten about the horses. Her mother had tried to explain that he hadn’t left because of her. Her mother promised her that the horses would not forget her. Her mother promised that she the two of them would never need her dad – that they would be fine on their own. And soon Alice had started to believe her. She stopped longing for her dad to come. She stopped thinking about the horses every week and wondering how they were doing. She hadn’t realised how much she had pushed those memories to the back of her mind until she saw those horses again – and then they all came flooding back to her.
Opening her door, she tentatively stepped outside. She wasn’t used to so much quietness and she wondered if she ever would. She wasn’t sure where to go – they hadn’t quite discussed what the new day would bring. So she went back to where they had been sitting the night before, and she was surprised to find Alex sitting there. He smiled when he saw me. “Good morning Alice. How did you sleep?”
Alex was looking at her in a way that made her feel self-conscious but a small smile was playing on his face so she hoped that he was happy to see her.
“Oh I slept like a baby. Better than I’ve slept in a long time. It’s so quiet here.”
He laughed, “It is. I was amazed at how noisy it was when I lived in the city. I slept so well too. I normally get up at around six each morning, but I only just got up now. I literally just sat down. Come, sit. Can I get you some coffee?”
Alice closed her eyes dreamily, “You speak my language. Coffee would be amazing.”
Alex got up and went to get her a cup. They sat together drinking their coffee and she wrapped a blanket around her. The mornings were chilly out here. She noticed Alex watching her and looking sadly at the blanket. “Oh I’m sorry. I just took this blanket. Was I not supposed to?”
“Oh no, of course you can. I’m sorry. Uh… that was my wife’s favourite blanket. But please, don’t take it off. It’s been a long time and it’s good to see someone using it again.” His smile was sad but genuine.
Alice asked him what happened to his wife. The story touched her and she couldn’t believe that someone as nice as Alex had lost out on the love of his wife as well as his father. She was glad that he had shared it with, even though she could see how much it hurt him to tell the story. “What about you?” he asked her, “Any big loves in your life?”
Alice felt saddened by the question, mostly because it was something she tried desperately not to think about. Sometimes it was easier to just pretend that you were happy with your life – that nothing was missing. “To be honest Alex, I have never truly loved anyone, and nobody has truly loved me. I’ve spent my entire adult life so far concentrating on my career – putting it first and foremost before anything else. And this kept my mind off the fact that someone so big was missing from my life. I’ve had some boyfriends and a couple of flings throughout the years – I mean, I’m only human, but nobody ever came close to the way I felt about my job. Ah, that sounds awful, doesn’t it? Hearing it out loud makes me embarrassed, even though for years it was something I was so proud of. I have never wanted anything more – well at least I thought I didn’t. But of course, I obviously do. I recently went out for dinner with a bunch of old college friends and I was made so aware of how much I was missing out on in life. Of how much more fulfilled they were than myself – even though I was more successful. Success is not necessarily defined by work though, as I’m starting to believe.”
After that the two of them went downstairs for breakfast. Alice couldn’t believe how relaxed her first morning had been so far and how desperate her body and mind had been for some time to simply unwind. Back in the city she would normally gulp down a coffee in the morning, and grab something on the way to eat – always trying to maximise her time at work. Now, she had already spent a few hours simply waking up slowly, showering and drinking coffee. And she had never felt more alert and happier. Downstairs, the table had been set for him. Alex assured me that this wasn’t a normal occurrence - that normally he insisted on making his own breakfast in the morning. But today was a special occasion, and there were a few people that wanted to make a good impression on Alice.
Alice was then introduced to Beatrice, along with a few other members of staff who had herded together to lovingly produce a breakfast set for a king and queen. “Join us,” Alex had insisted and Beatrice and the staff had eagerly agreed – not putting up any objection at all. It was probably why they had made so much, in the hopes that they would be able to join and talk to Alice, but they pretended as if they had not expected it at all.
“Alice, it is such a pleasure to meet you. You are an absolute vision. Beautiful.” Beatrice was frank and to the point in all her assessments and Alice had a feeling she would be the perfect person to talk to if she wanted any inside scoops on Alex. The girl to the left was a younger version of Beatrice, and Alice assumed it was her daughter. She was staring open mouthed at Alice and then as if she was holding in something that was just about to burst to said, “What is in like in the city?” Alice smiled at her, “Oh it’s so different to here. I like the city, I’m not going to lie. It’s fun and it’s exciting and there’s always a million things to see and do. But you’re almost too busy in the city – and you spend very little time just relaxing. You also forget to breathe and to look at the stars and to appreciate the sunsets. But I do believe everyone should experience the city at some stage of their life – because life is all about a balance of both, don’t you think.” Alice realised that she was perhaps being a bit too philosophical but as she looked at the girl she couldn’t help but smile
. The girl was nodding gravely, taking everything that Alice had said to heart and Alice had an overwhelming urge to hug her.
After breakfast Alex told her that he needed to get some work done but that she was welcome to do anything that she wanted – whether that was work or sleep or explore. He told her who to speak to for the horses and assured her that Beatrice was always around if she needed to find out anything about the ranch. Once he was gone, she settled herself back on the porch with a cup of coffee, opening her laptop to get some writing down. But she couldn’t write a thing. All she could think about was the fact that the only reason she had come here was to get some experience, write a novel and then to leave. She had no intentions of feeling so content in this place and she felt wracked with guilt at the idea of leading Alex on. Don’t be stupid, she told herself, you’re a businesswoman! You always have been. Get your novel done – no matter what the cost.
Alice looked once more at the horizon, closed her laptop and sighed. Okay, but after I go ride those horses.
Chapter 7
Alex
The next few weeks went unbelievably fast and Alex couldn’t believe how fast it took him to feel at ease with Alice. This woman who arrived dressed for the city seemed to adapt so easily to life on the ranch. As much as he had found her attractive at the start, he had not expected her to enjoy this type of life. It was hard to adjust to a new way of living and he figured after just a few days she would want to go. But over a month into her stay and she seemed like one of the family already. Her and Beatrice had especially gotten on well and Alex often came back from a day out on the field to find the two of them in the kitchen baking cakes – their hands and faces covered in flour.
The first time Alex had seen this his heart had lurched. It was the first time that he had considered Alice as anything more than a friend. She had flour everywhere – even in her hair – and it had made her look so unbelievably sweet that he had felt his heart start racing. I think I’m starting to fall for this girl, he though, watching her laugh. That night, on the porch with a glass of wine, she had admitted that she hadn’t laughed so much in ages.
“Beatrice is like a mom to me already. Now I know why you like her so much. She’s motherly and yet feels like a best friend all at once.”
“And she really likes you,” he had told her. He could see this had made her happy.
That night marked their five weeks of being together. He was surprised that nothing had happened between the two of them but he had decided to stay as gentlemanly as possible and not to push anything. Also, he couldn’t quite figure out how she felt about him. Sometimes he felt sure that she wanted to take things further, but then she would pull back and retreat into herself. She had spent a lot of time writing but he noticed that the more she wrote the more he felt her pull away. But tonight, the two of them sat easily together on the porch, cradling their third glass of wine that evening. And when they got up to go to bed he simply walked straight up to her and kissed her. He could tell that she was surprised because she immediately pulled back. But then she looked at him, cocking her head slightly to the side as if to consider him again, and then leaned back in for more. The kiss was gentle and sweet and he immediately felt his heart start to race. He wrapped his arms around her so that he could closer and the two of them stood like this for ages, exploring this new feeling that had come over them. When he pulled away he noticed she was smiling, and he was smiling too.
“Well that was unexpected,” she said, her fingers playing against his lips as if trying to remember the feeling.
“Alice, you’re beautiful. I hope I didn’t overstep the mark. I just couldn’t help myself.” Alex suddenly felt the need to explain himself. “I won’t lie to you – I’ve been wanting to kiss you since the day I caught you and Beatrice baking in the kitchen.”
“Baking in the kitchen? But I was a mess that day!” She seemed surprised by my revelation.
“You even had flour on your nose. Alice, trust me, you were adorable.”
Alex wasn’t sure what she was thinking but suddenly she came forward and kissed him. The second kiss started out slower and then got more and more intense. Alex felt his body reacting to her with ease – as if having her with him was the most natural feeling in the world. Then she pulled away and smiled, “Good night Alex.”
“Good night Alice.”
The two of them went to bed and Alex found himself unable to sleep. Tossing and turning and thinking constantly about Alice and her beautiful lips. He hadn’t felt this way in a very long time and for the first time since she arrived he allowed himself to dream about her and to imagine a future in which she was in.
The next few days the two of them were like giggling teenagers together. Even Beatrice noticed and shot him a look of interest when he walked past, her eyebrows raised as if in a question. It was hard to get anything by her so he just grinned and gave her the thumbs up. When he walked past her he whispered, I really like her. Beatrice beamed and gave him a hug, whispering, I like her too. When Alice walked in she found the two of them in this embrace and laughed in return. She must’ve known they were talking about her.
That night Alex came back late from work – he had been training a new kid on how to deal with the cattle and it had gone on longer than he had expected. Taking on a new person had been something he had been thinking about for a long time – to lessen the load for himself and Beatrice had been insisting for years that he do it. She was the one that found this kid so he decided to give it a go. The kid was eager and willing to learn and Alex was happy with how the day had gone. He came back exhausted and immediately went for a shower. When he came out he was wearing only his towel and almost got the fright of his life when he saw Alice sitting watching the view. She stood up when he came in. “Oh Alex, I’m so sorry. I couldn’t sleep – it’s just so beautiful outside tonight so I thought I’d come and look at the view for a while. I didn’t hear you come back in. Um… sorry.” Alex noticed her glancing at the towel and he felt suddenly embarrassed. He went forward and stepped outside. She was right – the view was beautiful tonight. It was very still and the air was warm with only a slight chill.
“No, that’s okay Alice. Sit down. I’ll join you.” Alex didn’t even know how it happened but all of a sudden they were kissing again. This time he felt her hands around his naked torso and he shivered in delight. The kissing got more intense and he reached over and pulled her shirt off. She had been wearing a t-shirt over a pair of denim shorts and she stopped kissing him to pull those off too. He stood and stared at her. “Alice, you’re beautiful.” She was wearing a light pink bra and matching panties – which looked incredible against her tanned skin. It also seemed a very unlikely thing for her to wear – far more feminine and sweet then he would have imagined – and it simply made him like her even more. Soon they were both naked and in bed together. Alex was amazed at how easy it felt to be with her, how natural it was to have her body against his. He kissed her everywhere and he was delighted by her reaction to his kisses. Making love to Alice was amazing at when it was finished he kissed her softly on the mouth and told her to stay with him that night. “You’re incredible,” he told her and then closed his eyes, ready to fall into a deep sleep. “You are too,” he heard her say, but her voice sounded sad and far away. He wanted to question her more but as he closed his yes
Chapter 8
Alice
Alice cannot believe it. Five or six weeks into her stay – she can’t even tell as time has begun to slow down – and she’s already started to fall in love with Alex. Love? She asked herself over and over again, I wasn’t supposed to fall in love. This wasn’t a part of the plan.
Alice had started her novel. For the first week she hadn’t started it at all, but eventually, once she had found her feet at the ranch, she had found herself getting more and more inspired. Soon she was writing all day and loving the process. Back in the city she had tried to write before but she always got too distracted and found herself giving
up too easily. But now she was writing faster than she had ever typed before. In fact, it was already something that she was proud of – something that she believed had a lot of potential. And yet, the growing feeling that she was using Alex to get this story was starting to weight on her heavily. It was okay at first. She liked him but she made sure to keep her distance. But ever since they kissed it had started to become hard to remove herself from the situation. When they slept together she had completely allowed herself to give in to the emotions and for just that time she had felt completely at peace. It was only afterwards, when he had kissed her good night that she had started to feeling remorse for what she was doing.
Alice had never expected to find love, nor had she thought that she would enjoy being on the ranch so much. A few years ago she would never have believed that she would want to live so far away from the city – so far removed from the hustle and bustle of that life. But now, as she walks through her day with deliberate slowness, she can’t help but realise how happy she is. This type of lifestyle suits her more than she ever imagined. She hadn’t worn her high heels or put on much makeup in weeks, and she didn’t miss it at all. Her old boss had emailed her, saying that he hoped her break was going well and reminding her that his offer still stood to take her back. “We miss you here Alice,” he had said. She had closed her eyes then, thinking about her old life and wondering how it made her feel. But instead of longing for it she found her thoughts going back to Alex each and every time. She couldn’t lie – she had thought about kissing Alex long before the two of them had actually done anything about it. It was hard not to think about it with a man such as him.