“Thank you,” I said.
Dahl gave one curt nod, and then I turned my attention to the mare.
Chapter Four
I approached the mayor with trepidation. The horse was grunting and huffing in pain. My gut wrenched, as I saw that her leg was badly twisted beneath her. To further complicate matters, the mare's midsection was expanding and contracting in the telltale sign of labor. The stress of the storm, as well as the mare's fall, seemed to have brought the pains of labor on. She was going to give birth to her foal right here in the midst of this terrible storm.
I looked around, seeing that the sky was only continuing to darken and the wind was once more increasing in strength and intensity. It was now so dark, it nearly looked as though it were night, and it was hardly mid-afternoon. My hair whipped around my face and the rain beat against my cheeks.
I put a hand on the mare's belly and cooed softly to her, praying that she'd make it through this all right. I felt a presence beside me, and turned to meet Dahls' eyes. Her lips parted and she put a hand on my forearm.
“Dahl!” I cried out over the roar of the wind. “Do you think that you can round up the other horses while I stay with her! This horse is in labor!”
Dahl's eyes widened in fear and for a moment I thought that she was going to bail on me. I thought that she was going to tell me she didn't know what to do, or balk in fear. But that trademark confidence of hers presented itself once more. She set her mouth into a hard line and nodded.
“Yes!” she cried. “I'll do it.”
Each of our tasks took hours. The foal was slow in coming and I panicked for the health of the mare. She seemed to be holding up and remained in stable condition, throughout. Still, I worried that giving birth to a premature foal in a raging storm, with a badly broken leg might be too much for her.
While I focused on the birth of the foal, Dahl focused on leading the other horses back to the stable. She started by tying the bridles of the two horses we'd ridden that morning together. Then she soothed one frightened horse at a time, leading them back with her own mount.
The process took hours and the storm didn't let up any. If anything it only worsened at points. Finally, Dahl had led all of the horses back to stable, just as the nose of the foal was starting to show. Dahl set herself down next to me and gripped my arm as the foal was born into the world.
Dahl cried out in joy, taking the newborn foal into her arms. I looked down at the animal in wonder. It really was a miracle that he was alright.
Then I examined the mare. She wasn't in good shape. Now that her foal was born, her previously stable vital signs seemed to be wavering. Her breathing was beginning to slow and her eyelids were drooping Inspecting her leg, it was clear that there was only one option and it was going to break my heart.
“Dahl,” I said. “I need you to take the foal and go back to the stable.”
She glanced nervously over at the mare.
“What about the mother?” Dahl asked. “How are you going to save her?”
I shook my head.
“We can't Dahl,” I said sadly.
I reached into the side-bag that hung at my hip and pulled out my revolver.
Dahl's eyes widened in shock and horror and her jaw dropped open.
“What?!” she gasped. “No! There has to be some other way! Maybe if we can get her back to the stables she'll recover...”
I closed my eyes and shook my head.
“I'm sorry, Dahl,” I said. “But that would only prolong her suffering. She is going to die. I love her and I want to make it as quick and easy for her as possible. It's horrible sometimes, but this is just a part of living on a ranch. You have to make tough choices.”
Dahl's breath hitched in her chest and her hazel eyes filled with tears.
“This is terrible,” she said thickly. Her voice was choked with tears. “I wish that you didn't have to do this.”
“I know,” I said. “If there was any way to avoid this, I would. You don't need to see it though. Take the baby down to the stable and keep him warm. Get him out of the rain, before he gets sick.”
Dahl swallowed hard, blinking against her tears. She then gently lifted the baby horse from the ground and held him close to her chest, as she crossed the field.
When I was sure that Dahl was out of earshot, I approached the mare. She was becoming less stable with every passing moment. It was as if her body understood that the birthing process was over, and now it was giving up. Her breathing was erratic and her pupils so dilated, they nearly appeared dead already. Her eyelids continued to flicker and droop.
I raised the gun and did what I had to do. I took aim, but I shut my eyes as I pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot was loud, even over the noise of the still raging storm.
Chapter Five
I stumbled back to the farm, feeling deflated, as if there was a void opening up inside of my chest cavity. But even though dealing with the mare had been hard, I knew that it was necessary. Just as I'd explained to Dahl, the mare would have died anyway. I had only shortened her suffering.
That was the thing about living on a farm, you learned quickly about the inevitability of death. I'd learned from a young age that just as birth is wonderful and miraculous, death is abject and terrible. Still, both are necessary, and it's not possible to have one without the other.
I wanted more than anything to run into the house and throw myself down in front of the hearth, peeling away the wet denim and flannel that the rain had pasted onto my body. But before I could dry my own bones, I had to check on that newborn foal. I made my way over to the barn. My toes were nearly numb from the moisture that had invaded my shoes.
I threw my weight into the barn door and pushed it open. I felt an instant relief as I stepped in and found relief from the rain. That rain had been pounding down on my body for several hours now. The absence of the torrent of water, alone, was lovely. I shut the door behind me with effort. My strength was truly beginning to wane. I shivered as my body registered the temperature difference. It wasn't heated, but still the barn was several degrees warmer than the stormy atmosphere outside. It was probably because of the shelter provided by the thick boards of pine that made the walls and roof, and the added layer of insulation that came from the plentiful bales of hay. Inexplicably this increase in warmth, this caused an uncontrollable shaking and shivering in my body. Even my teeth began to chatter with a force that shook my jaw.
“Hey, Anna.”
I finished latching the door shut and turned in the direction of the soft voice behind me.
I turned my eyes towards the rear of the barn, where I could see Dahl curled up on a pile of hay. She had the tiny foal curled up and sleeping beside her. I was pleased to see that she had cleaned him. Even the rain wouldn't have been enough to remove all of the blood and embryonic fluid. Yet, here the foal was clean as a daisy. His hair was fluffy and dry.
“You cleaned him!” I gasped. “You took care of him!”
Dahl gave a soft smile and shrugged, absentmindedly stroking the foal's side.
“Of course I did,” she replied. “You told me to take care of him. I'm not actually as useless as you seem to think I am.”
I felt my eyes widen and my mouth pop open.
Dahl laughed. Her laugh was hearty and full. It was a deep and throaty noise, coming from somewhere in the depths of her diaphragm.
“What?” she asked. “That's true isn't yet? You think I'm just a useless pain?”
I felt my cheeks flush.
I looked at the barn's floor, as I shyly made my way over to where she sat.
“Did Pete tell you that?” I asked sheepishly.
Dahl laughed once more.
“I knew I was right,” she quipped.
I bit my lip.
“Well...I don't think you're useless anymore,” I said. “After today, I'm sorry that I ever thought that about you. You really helped me out today. I couldn't have ever gotten through all of that without your help.
Heck! I might not even be alive. If you hadn't been there, that mare might have killed me when she fell. You were so quick on your feet....I just-”
Dahl reached out and clasped my hand. She looked up at me with wide, imploring eyes.
“It's okay,” she whispered. “You would have done the same. I know that you would have.”
She blinked up at me and I felt myself once more dazzled by the beauty of her multicolored eyes.
“Here,” she whispered again, using that same breathy and sultry tone. “Sit down here, next to me. You can pet this little dude. He's really soft and warm.”
“Okay,” I murmured.
I ran a hand through my wet hair, using my fingers a makeshift comb to separate a large clump into smaller groups of strands. I settled myself down on the hay next to Dahl, pulling my legs beneath me. My body was still being wracked by shivers, but they were weaker now. They were beginning to subside.
“Geez,” Dahl said. “We both better get out of these wet clothes soon. We're soaked to the bone. No scratch that! To the soul. We're soaked so deeply that it has surpassed our physical beings.”
I laughed.
“You're too much, Dahl,” I said softly.
I reached a hand across her lap to pet the fur of the foal. His eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling gently, as he slept. It was amazing that he could look so peaceful now, considering he had been born in the midst of such raging chaos.
My eyes drifted over Dahl's lap. Her light jeans had become dark with the water that soaked them, and they clung thickly to her toned legs.
I brought my hand back to my own lap and shook my head.
“I'm so sorry, Dahl. None of this would have happened if I hadn't taken us on such a long ride. I just...”
Dahl darted a hand up, placing her fingertips gently over my mouth.
“Shhhh,” she said. “It's alright, Anna. Today was hard, but we made it through.”
I nodded and watched the smile that lit her eyes. Before I knew what I was doing, before I could stop myself, I was pressing against the hand that she held in front of me. I pursed my lips and pressed them into her hand, kissing it eagerly.
Dahl's hand darted back, and I realized what I'd done.
“Dahl! Aghh! I'm sorry! Crud, what am I even doing?”
“Shhhh” Dahl said again.
She lifted her body slightly and began to shift towards me. She glanced warily over her shoulder and I realized that she was moving slowly so that she didn't disturb the foal.
Dahl entered my space and took both of my hands in hers. She stood, pulling me gently to my feet.
“Come on,” she said. “Let's get out of these wet clothes.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let's get inside.”
“No need,” Dahl said with a sly grin. “I thought you might come here first. I figured that you'd want to check on the little guy. I grabbed you some clothes from the house. They're over there in that empty stall.”
Dahl pointed over my head towards a stall that had been vacant for quite some time now.
I gaped at Dahl.
“Thanks Dahl! Wow, that was very thoughtful. But wait...” I looked up at down at her still soaked body. “Didn't you get any clothes for yourself?”
Dahl nodded.
“I did, yeah. I was going to change out here. I just wanted to keep an eye on the foal until he calmed down. He was really antsy and skiddish for the first few minutes after we got here. Anyway, I just got so distracted by him. He's so cute and precious. Especially now that he's sleeping.”
“Yeah, I love it when they're babies,” I said with a smile.
I made my way into the stall and found the clothes that Dahl had laid out for me. I'd never been so happy to see dry clothes in my life. I pulled off my shirt, gasping with relief as the sticky fabric pulled free of my skin. My skin tingled, immediately glad to be free of the wet layer.
“Oh, that's better!” I gasped.
I hooked my thumbs into the waistband of my jeans and began to peel them down. The jeans had just cleared my hips and rear, when I remembered Dahl.
I spun to see her leaning against the stall's frame, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and a vivid smirk playing out across her face.
I flushed as I met her eyes. I was topless, wearing only my thin white bra, and my jeans were halfway down, bunched up around the lower half of my thighs.
“Sorry,” I muttered, self-consciously. “I didn't mean to just start stripping. I'm just so cold!”
Dahl laughed and took a step forward. She grinned coyly and fluttered her thick eyelashes dangerously.
“It's fine,” she whispered.
She took another two steps, coming right up close to my face. She left barely an inch between us. The peaks of our breasts were nearly touching, and my own chest had begun to heave wantonly.
Dahl placed the tips of her fingers beneath my chin and tilted my face upwards. With her standing so close to me, I had to look up to meet her eyes.
“It's...more than fine,” she breathed.
I swallowed, unsure of what to say. I felt exposed and awkward, standing in my underwear with my pants down by my knees. I wouldn't even be able to step away from her, without having to resort to an undignified sort of waddle.
“What are you doing, Dahl?” I asked.
Dahl quirked an eyebrow.
“I like you, Anna,” she said. “You're strong and you're brave and you always do what's right. Not to mention this-”
I cried out as Dahl clapped a hand down on my rear.
I gasped as she began to knead and pinch, pulling me even closer to her.
“Dahl,” I breathed.
“That's right,” she said, staring down into my eyes with an unwavering intensity. She appeared suddenly serious.
“That's right,” she repeated. “Say my name, darling. I want to hear you say it.”
My lips parted and all that came out was something that was almost a squeal.
Dahl brought her other hand up to my right breast and began to knead and pummel it with a vigor that exceeded that which she displayed on my rear end. I had never been handled so roughly and it wasn't a treatment that I ever thought I would enjoy. But I did enjoy it. So much.
Dahl's aggressive lust for me was stirring a multitude of emotions and sensations within me. I couldn't believe how badly she wanted me. I wanted her to want me. I wanted her desire directed at me forever.
“Dahl,” I breathed again.
She closed her eyes and bit her lip, easing up the assaults on my breasts and buttocks. Her strokes became more gentle, slowly turning into a soft caress.
I reached up and took one of her damp curls, twirling it around my finger. I stood on the balls of my feet and reached my lips up to hers. They touched and tingles spread from my lips all the way down to my toes.
Dahl brought her hands down to her hips. Her thumbs pressed firmly against my stomach and her fingers lay against the small of my back.
Her hands were so big! There was so much power and energy in them.
I pressed my breasts against Dahl's torso and their peaks began to stiffen beneath the thin fabric of my bra.
I smashed my lips into hers, hungrily. Her response was just as hungry, just as eager. Her lips moved in sync with mine. Pushing and pulling in a sort of dance.
I placed one hand against the ample swell of her breast, pressing gently against the side of it. I brought my other hand down to her opposite thigh and began to explore the toned and hardened physique of her legs. Her muscles rippled and clenched under my hands.
Dahl grabbed me then. It was done with a force and suddenness. My body slammed into hers and with a cocky grin, she flung her own body backwards onto a pile of hay.
I shrieked as Dahl hit the ground, with me on top of her.
“Dahl!” I cried out. “What are you doing?”
I lay on top of her torso, smiling down at her.
“You've already figured out what doing. Haven't yo
u sweetheart?”
She quirked an eyebrow at me and all I could do was giggle.
Dahl rolled then, flipping me onto my back.
I gasped and felt a need began to build between my legs. It was something that had been slowly growing. Each moment up until now had been kindling. I felt myself filling with a delicious heat and tension.
Dahl began to trail a finger down the center of my torso. She allowed her fingertip to trail languidly from my clavicle, to the space between my breasts, and then continuing on the slope of the stomach. With each inch covered, my body tensed and quivered all the more.
Finally, her painfully slow journey had ended and her hand was hovering over the space between my legs. She grazed the waistband of my white underwear and I heard myself whimper with need.
“Do you want it?” she asked tauntingly.
“Yes,” I moaned. “Yes. You know that I do. You know I want it Dahl!”
She came closer, hovering her face above mine. She grinned and it was that same over-confident grin that had irritated me so much before. But what I once saw as cocky and arrogant, I now saw as capable and strong. This woman was so much more than I had thought she was.
She began to ease her fingers inside of my underwear. Her fingers drifted slowly through my tufts of hair and I felt that I was surely going to explode with want if she didn't touch me soon.
Then she did touch me. She darted a hand down to my opening and crushed her lips down onto mine at the very same instant. The thought occurred to me that Dahl was not parting both of my sets of lips at once. She seemed to invade my mouth with her entire tongue. I groaned against her.
Dahl shoved her fingers inside of me just as forcefully and I bucked beneath her. Using two fingers she pressed deeply into me, invading and exploring. The sensation was rough at first. I'd never been entered into with such vigor and lack of pretense. But my sex had been ready and I adapted to the feeling of her digits inside of me, very quickly.
Dahl started by using her fingers to plunge and press into me deeply. She then began to part and flex them. It seemed that she was trying to cover as much as space as possible. She continued to twist and gyrate and it seemed that she meant to explore ever corner and crevice inside of me.
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