by Jackie South
Kayla sat on the same stool Jessica was taken advantage of by Trenton. Jessica knelt to Kayla’s level and asked to see her leg. Kayla lifted up her jean to expose her right leg, which had a huge black spot spreading from her knee all the way down to her ankle. Trenton bent down oddly close to Jessica and propped Kayla’s leg up on his knee.
Jessica didn’t budge. She enjoyed Trenton’s natural scent that was something like smoke and wood. Kayla gave Jessica a look that she recognized as a mix of shock and flattery because Trenton was rubbing his thumb along her bruise. Oh, how Jessica wanted Kayla’s leg to be her own leg. If Trenton were to touch Jessica’s leg with such care, Jessica would forget about him having a girlfriend. She would allow him to touch her again. Just for fun. All Jessica really wanted now was her needs met. Her needs to have a rough man take her and love her even if it was for a short time. At least, she thought, now I know not to be too taken away by his handsomeness.
The badly bruised leg was tended to by Trenton before he ordered another girl to walk Kayla back to their tent so she could rest until dinner. Jessica admired Trenton’s take-charge attitude. For some reason, when Jessica first met Trenton, she got the feeling from him that he wasn’t really one for engaging with kids.
“It’s good to see you caring about the girls,” Jessica said to Trenton once the girls lined up by the gate to leave for lunch.
“Don’t blame yourself,” Trenton whispered. Jessica assumed he was talking about Kayla’s leg.
Jessica reflexively shot back, “I don’t feel responsible for-“
“Jessica!” called one of the girls. Jessica walked out of the barn. “It’s raining.”
Sure enough, Jessica put out an open palm and felt small drops. She knew the weather would get stronger and had to rush the girls back to the mess hall or armory.
“Here, take my shirt,” Jessica heard Trenton say behind her. He held out his plaid button-up. “You don’t have anything to cover up in and it’ll get cold.”
Jessica was half angry and half grateful for the gesture but still spat out, “I don’t need it.”
“It’ll be cold,” Trenton insisted. He whispered and leaned in towards Jessica’s face. “Don’t be stubborn. Take it.”
Why was he being kind to her? Jessica couldn’t make sense of it since he had been acting distant. Maybe he did care about her? She threw the thought way back in her mind and grabbed the shirt to hover over her head. As she walked with the girls, they copied Jessica’s idea to use a shirt as an umbrella.
Chapter 5
That night, Jessica sent the girls to their tents without the routine song-sharing by the fire since it was still raining and increasingly getting heavier.
There was a light tap on Jessica’s cabin screen door and she could see that Kayla was drenched. She quickly let the teen in and asked her what was wrong. Kayla looked like she had been crying, but it was hard to tell form all the water dripping off the girl.
“My leg still hurts,” Kayla said, sitting on Jessica’s small bed. She lifted her jean leg to show that the bruise was just as big as before.
“Well,” Jessica started, trying to sound comforting, “it’s not any worse, but don’t touch it. That’ll make it worse.”
Kayla got up and began to sulk her way towards the door before Jessica stopped her.
“Sit for a while,” Jessica said, even though she was slightly irked by not being able to sleep. “Something else is wrong?”
Kayla turned and nodded. “Jovi says I made a big fuss about my leg. And said I’m a baby.”
This didn’t surprise Jessica because Jovi was a bit of a bully and had a reputation for it. “Don’t listen to her. Anyone who is a bully is a baby themselves.”
Kayla smiled. And, then, there was a cough by the front door. Jessica and Kayla both startlingly turned simultaneously to see Trenton outside the screen door, peering through and holding an umbrella. I wonder how long he’s been out there, listening in. Jessica motioned him in, still upset with his confusing behavior.
“Here,” Trenton said to Kayla as she went outside. He handed her his black umbrella. “Keep it until tomorrow.” Jessica thought she saw him wink at Kayla, who returned his smile and took the umbrella.
Jessica waited for Kayla to be out of earshot before saying to Trenton, “Now you don’t have an umbrella to get back.”
“I was hoping I wouldn’t go back to the ranch tonight,” he responded, making slow steps towards Jessica.
Jessica crossed her arms. “What do you want?”
Trenton shrugged. “I wanted to apologize.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Trenton? Apologizing? For what?
“You want your shirt back?” Jessica said, trying to avoid what seemed like the beginnings of a serious conversation.
Trenton opened his arms to reveal his drenched white tank and the six-pack that she could see through it. “Do you really want me to have a shirt?” he asked in a flirty tone, followed by a sly smile.
His smile faded and took Jessica’s hand in both of his. “I can’t lie to you.”
Jessica was taken aback by Trenton’s sudden boldness. She knew some cowboys who acted that way but they usually only wanted one thing. Luckily, Jessica remembered that she, too, wanted that one thing.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said. Jessica pulled her hand away. Now she was confused and started having more than just physical feelings for him again.
“Why are you saying this? Why’d you lie?”
“When I saw how much you worried about that girl, I thought ‘this is a woman who knows priorities and who is caring.’ I heard your conversation with Kayla just now.” Trenton took back both of Jessica’s hands. “And I was just tryin’ to rile you up.”
“Why?” Jessica thought men became more confusing than women at times.
“Because you irritated me. Sayin’ all that stuff as if nothing happened between us,” he said in a louder, angry tone.
“I had to be professional,” was Jessica’s defense.
“But you don’t have to be fake. Why act like nothin’ happened?”
There was a long pause of which Trenton took advantage and gently pecked Jessica’s cheek with the same thick and warm lips she had missed for too many days. She could hear Carol’s voice saying, ‘men cause trouble ‘round here.’ And Jessica knew that Carol would be right. But Jessica couldn’t help herself. She took Trenton’s neck in her hands and pulled his lips to hers.
He wrapped both his arms around her back and slid them down to her lower back. Jessica ached, yearning for him to grab her ass. Or hips. Or something. She groaned when he let go of her and rubbed the excess water out of his hair. The water was warm and hit Jessica’s cleavage and neck.
“When I saw you caring for that girl,” Trenton said, “I thought ‘this is a woman I should be with.’” He got closer to Jessica and grabbed her again, pressing his stick against the in-between of her legs. “A woman who cares about others.”
Those last words made Jessica melt and shiver. His tongue was pressed against the bottom niche of her right ear. He whispered her name a few times in almost a growl. Jessica didn’t want to get in too deep with her feelings but when Trenton gently touched her cheek with his thumb and stared into her eyes, she knew he was a man she could love. A man to keep and to stop playing games with.
With this revelation in her head, Jessica untied her thin shorts’ strings guiltlessly. Trenton took control, pushing Jessica to the bed and propping himself on top of her. This time, she could see his face. Jessica also reveled in running her hands along his ripped abs that were still wet from rain. He smelled completely like rain.
Their clothes didn’t stay on for long, and Jessica jumped at the chance to grab his staff in her hand. She watched Trenton arch his own back and neck. He rolled his eyes back, closing his eyelids as she teasingly stroked him. When he was very wet, Jessica placed him inside her. He groaned and moved down to her bare breasts, cupping them with h
is hand and kissing them. Her hips automatically rocked simultaneously with each motion of his pounding body.
The immense fullness Jessica felt was enough to let out a scream. Trenton let out a small groan and covered her mouth gently when he was finished. They let out a few laughs from their impulsiveness. Jessica was happy about her spontaneous self when she was with Trenton. She always wanted to be that girl.
Trenton covered them up with a thin blanket that was kicked off her bed and whispered a ‘you’re beautiful’ before spooning Jessica and falling asleep. She felt happy like she imagined those giddy girls with boyfriends in high school must’ve felt. And Jessica let herself feel fulfilled because she hoped she would never have to find satisfaction with another man.
Chapter 6
Sure enough, Carol looked alarmed when Jessica brought Trenton to the mess hall for breakfast. Jessica tried to explain to her boss that she believed she was in love with the ranch hand. Carol, though, made every excuse in the book for why Trenton should quit working with the horses at the camp.
“I’m not asking him to leave,” Jessica said sternly. She was surprised by her own bravery. Did she not care about her job anymore?
But what was more surprising was the fact that Carol smiled and patted Jessica’s shoulder as if approvingly. “I’m glad to hear you say that,” the older woman said. She nodded in Trenton’s direction, and they watched him get his tray of food with the teens. “I see him lookin’ at you with pride. I also never saw you so happy and open with yourself. You’re as free and content as fish in a lake.”
Jessica appreciated Carol’s little speech but was happier when Carol opened her mouth with the last demand. “And I want you to work at that ranch of his when this summer’s all done and over with. You’re gonna be bold, ya hear me?” Jessica’s boss beamed up at Jessica and then left the mess hall.
Once the girls left the camp at the end of July, Carol closed the gate and shooed Jessica away from the road.
“Go on,” Carol said. “Trenton said he’s moving in the rest of his horses at that ranch today.”
Jessica was very prepared to ask him if he’d want her to stay around. She drove her little car up to his little house next to the red barn with white wooden letters nailed at the top. Bob’s Barn. She secretly wanted to read her and Trenton’s name up there.
In the barn, Jessica found Trenton hanging up saddles. A common –and hot- job he had at the camp. He greeted her with a long kiss. His skin was darker and dirtier than the first time they had met.
“Need help closing the camp?” he asked.
“No,” Jessica shyly said. Be bold, she told herself. She didn’t know exactly what to ask him. All she knew was that she wanted to stay with him throughout all the months of the year. “If you need another ranch hand-“
“Of course you’re staying. Even after you’ve fulfilled our deal,” Trenton interrupted. He said this in a matter-of-factly manner. He pointed to a black horse. “And that can be your horse. Anne.”
Jessica was relieved that Trenton wanted her around. But she was overjoyed by his gesture of giving her a horse. Sure, she assumed it was a rescued horse, but she knew that this was proof that he wanted her to stay around for a while. And there wasn’t much that could take her away from the cowboy that caused her so much trouble and exhilaration.