by K. C. Crowne
“I do, but I wonder if Martha is willin’. She seems to be a bit slow this morning,” Silas said, hopping off his horse and walking over to Martha. He ran his hand through her mane and seemed to think about it for a moment. “If you don’t mind, it would probably be easier if we rode together.”
“You think—you think that’s a good idea?”
“I can take you on better trails too. With Martha, we’d probably just walk around the house a bit. It’s up to you, though.”
I gave Martha a squeeze. She walked two steps and started eating again. I squeezed with my legs and gave her a soft bump and she moved one step and that was it.
It would be a very slow trail ride today.
“If you were here longer, we could practice on Martha and move up to one of the bigger horses, but I fear we don’t really have the time today.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right.”
Silas gave Traveler a pat, and I looked over at the two of them. It would be so easy to just hop on his horse and go for the ride of my life. Or I could play it safe with Martha and maybe walk a few feet.
The choice was obvious, even if I knew it probably wasn’t the best idea.
“I’d be open to riding with you. I’d love to go on a trail if you’re up for it.” My voice was softer than I expected, almost like I was embarrassed to be taking him up on his offer.
Perhaps I was.
It wasn’t like me. I was normally outspoken, confident, and talkative - but being around Silas turned me into a schoolgirl with a crush.
“Hop off. Here, let me help you,” Silas said. He came over and held Martha steady as I essentially did the reverse of climbing onto the horse.
“You were great, Martha,” I said, stroking her soft nose. “Thanks for being my first.”
Silas gave me an odd look before he took Martha to the stables, leaving me with Traveler. He was so much taller than Martha, and bigger too. I was nervous walking over to him and wasn’t sure if I should. But I felt compelled to touch him.
I walked over slowly and rubbed the side of his face. “Hello, pretty boy,” I murmured. I stared into his big, brown eyes and felt a connection with him instantly.
This is why people love horses, I thought. I felt so cheated, as if I’d missed out on so much. For the first time, I could understand why some people might favor not living in the city. I couldn’t believe I had such a thought, but I’d also never experienced anything like this before.
It totally changed my view on life. Not that I planned to ever pick up and move to Texas, but I could see why some might be tempted to do so.
“You’re a natural, Molly,” Silas said, startling me with his low, deep voice.
I had no idea he was behind me. “Thank you,” I said, glancing back at him.
There was something in his eyes too - something that set my insides to smoldering. His eyes were hazel, almost a golden brown but with hints of green. It reminded me of the nature around us. They suited him, made him look almost wild. Untamed.
“Alright, since Traveler is a bit taller, let me help you up,” he offered.
He walked over, and while he held onto the horse from the side, he also helped hoist me up onto it’s back - his hands holding my waist and lifting me as if I weighed nothing at all. To him, I probably didn’t. The muscle and tone in his forearms alone showed that he was built from the years of hard, physical labor.
He hopped on behind me, and right away, his body pressed against mine sent chills down my spine. I was so wet already and cursing myself for it.
His big, strong arms wrapped around me and took control of Traveller. When Traveler moved, it was at a faster pace than Martha and took me by surprise. I fell backward into Silas.
“Sorry,” I said, blushing.
“It’s fine,” he said. “I can help you balance.”
We didn’t say much else - I really didn’t have the words. I was so turned on, I thought my panties might melt right off me. The friction from the trotting didn’t help matters either; it only added to the sensations inside me, the desire.
I’d have to take care of myself again this evening. If Christopher didn’t go out, I’d be spending some alone time in the bathtub. There was no way around it; I was so freaking horny.
I felt guilty for it too. I tried to stop the thoughts, but it was useless when Silas’ body was so close to mine - and maybe I was imagining it, but I swear I felt a bulge pressing against me. Was he as turned on as I was?
Did it matter?
No, because nothing could happen.
We exited the gated area and headed away from the stables, toward the vast expanse of land in the distance. He turned down a trail, with the sun above us and a stillness around us that I didn’t think I’d experienced in my life. Nowhere in the city was this quiet. I didn’t even know it could be this quiet.
“Mind if I ask you something?” Silas asked, breaking the silence.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Are you really my son’s girlfriend?”
I frowned. I didn’t want to throw Christopher under the bus, but I wasn’t sure what to say. Answer a question with a question, I decided. “Uh, why would you ask?”
Silas sighed. “Christopher and I have a complicated relationship, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
“Yes,” I said softly, eager to change the subject. “You weren’t part of his life until he was ten, and then you didn’t get to see him regularly until he was fifteen and his mother passed.”
“I wanted to see him sooner, but…”
I waited for him to finish his sentence, the silence around us suddenly becoming deafening.
“But what?” I finally asked.
“But his mother— she said it wasn’t a good idea. She was seein’ another man for a while, said that Christopher thought he was his dad.”
“Yes, Steve, I think.”
“Yeah, that’s his name. I guess they weren’t that serious since Steve wasn’t around after Heather’s death.”
“No, Christopher said they’d ended things prior to her diagnosis. I don’t think Steve ever found out, but Christopher said he never saw him again.”
“Shame. Heather made him sound like a good father. Better than me, at least.”
“Well, he wasn’t there for Christopher and you were, so I’d say that makes you the better dad.”
“I guess,” he answered, and I felt his body move in a shrug. “Doesn’t change the fact that I barely got to know my son.”
We walked along a creek bed, the sound of rushing water helping to drown out some of the silence. I really didn’t know what to say to Silas. I hardly knew this man, and all the blood had left my head the moment our bodies were pressed together. But I wanted to help Christopher. And in a way, I wanted to help Silas too.
“You know, there’s nothing stopping you from getting to know him now.”
He snorted. “Hard to do that when he wants nothin’ to do with me. I try, Molly. I try to get him to talk to me, but you can’t force it, you know?”
“No, but I think inviting him out here was a good first step.”
“He normally refuses to come out. Not sure what was different now.”
I had an idea - not that I would share it with Silas. I had a feeling that it had a lot to do with Tyler. Christopher had made it sound like his dad was pushing him more than usual to visit, but from the sounds of it, maybe that wasn’t true. Maybe he just wanted to see Tyler and knew that he’d need to pull a fast one over his dad if he wanted to sneak out.
I loved my best friend, but sometimes he was a bit self-centered.
Didn’t mean I wasn’t going to do what I could to repair his relationship with his father.
“Christopher is afraid you won’t accept him for who he is.” I spoke slowly and carefully. I wouldn’t give away his secret because it wasn’t mine to tell. But it was about more than just him being gay. “He was raised for most of his life in the city, far away from the ranch. This life isn’t for him. B
ut he felt like it was pushed upon him.”
Silas sighed, his whole body moving with that one action. “I know, I know. It’s hard sometimes. I always thought if I had kids, they’d want to run the ranch one day. But I love him regardless of all that. I love him no matter what.”
If I thought my heart had melted earlier when he was talking to the horse, well, that was nothing compared to that moment. Hearing Silas’ love for Christopher nearly brought tears to my eyes.
We rode for a while longer, mostly in silence. Silas seemed to shut down again, and instead, we focused on the beautiful trail. The streaming water. The green trees surrounding us. The sunshine shimmering through the leaves. The smell of the earth and water and of things I couldn’t recognize.
It was pure magic, every step of the way.
I didn’t even realize we were nearing the end until the trail cleared, and I saw the stables in the distance.
“Was it everything you hoped it to be?” Silas asked as we trotted to the stables.
“It was amazing.” And I wasn’t talking about just the horseback riding. Being near him, listening to him talk about Christopher - everything about it was eye opening.
And I couldn’t wait to talk to my best friend.
Silas
Dammit, Silas, why did you ask her to ride with you? You know how long it’s been since you’ve been close to a woman! You should have thought this through.
And you shouldn’t have let your guard down.
I’d never confided in anyone like that. There was something about Molly that encouraged my soul to free itself of the burdens it carried. The talking helped a bit. It distracted from the growing erection in my jeans. Every time I thought I might get some relief, she’d press backward into me. I’d feel the warmth of her body against me, and I was a goner.
I had to cut the trail ride short out of fear of exploding. I couldn’t take it. I simply couldn’t be that close to her and remain a gentleman.
And that was sad because she seemed to enjoy herself. I loved that I could give her the experience. I wanted to take her out again and again, but I knew better - I needed to keep my distance. Even if she wasn’t Christopher’s girlfriend, she was much too young for me. Twenty years my junior. She was the same age as my son, for fuck’s sake. What was I thinking getting turned on by her?
Not that I could help it. It went beyond thinking - it was instinct. My body reacted to her and there was not a damned thing I could do about it.
We couldn’t get back to the stable fast enough. I was both eager to get away from her, but also dreading it. It really had been too long…I didn’t realize how much I craved the closeness. But I couldn’t behave this way toward her, so for that reason, I was cutting our ride short.
I’d keep my distance so I wouldn’t do something I’d regret and make myself out to be a bigger asshole than I already was to my son.
When we returned to the stable, I carefully helped Molly down. Her waist was so tiny, but her hips were full and nice to grab onto. I caught myself lingering with my hands on her body and abruptly pulled them away. We were both on the ground now, no need to keep holding onto her.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
“It’s fine.”
She was still close to me, standing only a few inches away. Traveler was to one side of the stable, blocking our view of the house. It was like we were in our own little world.
“Thank you again,” she murmured, clearing her throat. “I had a wonderful time.”
“Good,” I said. “I think everyone should get a chance to ride a horse at least once in their life.”
“Hopefully it won’t be the last time,” she said, hope in her eyes. Her tongue licked along her lower lip. They were pinkish red, almost like she was wearing lipstick - but no, they were natural. Just perfect.
I needed to get away from her, but I didn’t want her to leave. Abruptly, I offered, “Wanna feed some of the horses?”
“Really?” she squeaked, excitement in her voice. I nodded, and her smile was as bright as the sunlight outside. “I’d love to.”
God, I loved that smile.
“Follow me,” I said, stepping away and hoping the physical distance would help with the erection pressing against the front of my pants.
She followed me over to the feed. I didn’t think she’d want to just merely fill the troughs, so I grabbed a treat for her to give one of the horses instead - an apple. There was a table in the stable and I whipped out my knife to carve off a few pieces.
I handed them to her. “Here you go,” I said. “Traveler will eat these right out of your hand.”
We walked back over to the horse we’d rode together. Molly held out the piece of apple, her hand shaking a bit. I feared she might jerk back when the horse got near, but she didn’t. Traveler took the apple from her hand, chomping happily as she grinned from ear-to-ear.
“Amazing,” she sighed, her happiness beautiful on her face. “I never thought I’d get to feed a horse.”
“You’re welcome to anytime. Just ask,” I offered. “I’m happy for the help.”
I winked at her and she giggled. God, she was so adorable. I stroked Traveller as she finished feeding him, my gaze never leaving Molly. It had been a long time since anything had captured my attention the way she had.
She fed him the rest of the apple and stroked his neck. I got the feeling she never wanted to leave - and truth be told, I didn’t want her to either. She moved to the animal’s flank, once again standing closer to me.
“I really can’t thank you enough,” she said. She stared up at me with those beautiful blue eyes, batting her lashes at me. The way she nibbled her lower lip was practically begging for a kiss, but I knew I was imagining it - I was seeing what I wanted to see. No way was a girl as young as her hitting on an old man like me.
Yet I found myself leaning closer to her, as if there were a magnet between us, pulling us together. I couldn’t stop it.
I wanted to feel her lips against mine.
I wanted her pressed against me.
I wanted her with every inch of my body.
“There you are!” Christopher’s voice broke the silence, shattering the moment. I jumped back, as did Molly. He walked around the corner of the stable, his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face.
“About time you got back.”
“Sorry,” Molly said, smiling at him. “We’ve been back a little bit. I was just feeding the horses.”
“We have a date, remember?”
“We do?” Molly asked, blinking at him. Then it hit her, and her eyes widened as if she was suddenly pulled from a daze. “Oh yes, lunch. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, I’m starving. And I told a few friends we’d meet them at noon,” he said. “Think you can go like that?”
“Uh yeah, I think so,” Molly said, giving herself a once over. She turned to me with a sweet smile. “Maybe your dad would like to join us?”
I caught a glimpse of Christopher’s face. He flinched as if she’d smacked him. “Nah, I got stuff to do around here. You kids have fun.”
“You sure?” Molly asked, her persistence surprising me.
“Yeah, go. You don’t want an old man hangin’ about.”
“Okay,” she said, her smile faltering a bit as if she didn’t like the answer. “But thank you again. I really appreciate the ride, Silas.”
“Anytime,” I said. Then I cringed when I realized I’d offered her another shot at riding - something I probably shouldn’t have. My poor body wouldn’t be able to resist a second time. I was lucky Christopher had interrupted us when he did.
“Alright, let’s get going, Molly. We’re running late.”
Molly didn’t seem eager to leave the stables. She patted Traveler one last time before following Christopher, and my gaze lingered on her ass. She glanced back at me, and I hoped I’d looked away before she caught me.
She offered a sweet smile, and I had to steady myself against the horse
Damn, son
, I asked myself again. Where on God’s green earth did you find this one?
Molly
“This place is such a drag,” Christopher commented, leaning back in his chair.
I looked around the small dive bar. It was empty. Just the two of us.
“I thought you said your friends were meeting us?”
Christopher rolled his eyes. “I only said that to get us out of there faster.”
“Oh, okay,” I said. I picked up the menu, and after a second’s perusal, I realized it was extremely limited. Mama G had mentioned making lunch, and her food was amazing - it was hard to imagine any reason to come to a place like this with home cooked food at the ranch, but perhaps I’d be surprised.
“So what’s good here?” I asked.
“Nothing. It’s all shit,” Christopher said, sounding like a petulant child.
“Then why are we here again?”
Christopher had sprung this whole “date” thing on me on a whim in front of Silas. I’d pretended like I knew about it, for his sake, but it had been news to me.
“Because I had to get out of there and talk to you. I think we should leave a day or two early. I looked, and we can reschedule our flights. It’ll only cost a small change fee, and the price difference—”
“Wait, you want to pay to leave earlier?” I didn’t want to tell him, but I was having fun. Leaving early was the last thing on my mind.
“I can’t take it here any longer.”
“Christopher, I don’t have that kind of money, and unless something has changed, I don’t think you do either. I doubt your father would appreciate paying for the difference to cut the trip short after he was kind enough to pay for us to get here in the first place.”
Christopher scowled, but I could tell he was thinking about what I’d just said. He let out an audible sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I can handle a few more days.”
“Damn right you can,” I encouraged. “Besides, what about Tyler? We both know he’s the real reason you came all this way.”
Christopher offered me a sly grin. “You caught on, huh?”
“I did,” I said with a nod. “Not that I’m complaining, but I wish you’d have been honest with me.”