by K. C. Crowne
“I can see why. It’s beautiful here.” She looked out the closest window with a contented sigh.
“You’re right about that. Happy about my decision. I wouldn’t trade this place for the world.”
She glanced around the barn. “Anything here I can help you with? I feel like I’m not really making myself useful while I’m staying.”
“Don’t you even think about that,” I admonished gently. “Like I told you, you’re a guest here. Your job is to relax and get better while you work through the loss of your memory.”
She stood up, shaking her head. “I insist. I’m sure there’s something I can do. It’d make me feel better if I was helping.”
I put my hand on my hip and regarded her. Jess was determined and wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself. I liked that a hell of a lot. I smiled at her, a show of respect. “Alright. If a lady insists, then I’m not gonna stand in her way.”
I stepped back and scanned the barn, looking for something for her to do. I went over to the wall where the supplies were kept and removed one of the horse brushes. “How are you at brushing?”
“Like, my teeth?”
I chuckled. “No, like your hair.”
“I’d say it’s something I can handle.”
I passed the brush to her. “Horses love bein’ talked to. But I think a little more than that, they like to be brushed. Why don’t you come over to Juniper and give her the royal treatment?”
Jess sidled to Juniper’s side, careful not to move quickly. “Anything to it?” she asked. “That I should know?”
“Nope. Just smooth, straight strokes with that thing and she’ll be the happiest horse you’ve ever seen.”
She nodded and began slowly moving the brush through Juniper’s thick mane. Juniper was calm, leaning a little into the brush. “Aw, you like that, don’t you? You’re such a beautiful horse, you know that, right?”
Juniper let out a soft snort as Jess continued to brush her.
“Feels good, right?”
I stepped back and crossed my arms over my chest, watching her from a distance. She continued brushing Juniper’s mane and speaking softly and sweetly to her. Something about her, watching the way she tended to the animal moved something in me, something I couldn’t explain.
“What do you think?” she asked after a minute or so of brushing.
“I’m thinkin’ you’re a natural. Might end up puttin’ you to work after all.”
She smiled. “Next maybe some braids.”
“Now, let’s not get crazy.” Jess let out an adorable, chiming laugh. I checked my watch, noting it was getting close to lunch. “What do you think about headin’ back to the house?” I asked. “Mama G should be puttin’ the finishin’ touches on lunch right about now. Not sure, but I’m thinkin’ BLTs.”
“The best BLTs I’ve had in my life?”
“You know it.”
She handed me the brush and I put it where it belonged as she turned to speak to the horse. “Bye, Juniper. Nice to meet you. And congratulations.”
Juniper gave one final snort and flick of her tail before the two of us headed off.
I opened the barn door, the sunlight pouring in through the wide gap. The day was still beautiful and clear, not a single cloud in the sky. The puddles were still a problem, but the ground would dry in a couple days as long as the rain didn’t return. The rains would bring a green spring, which I was grateful for.
“Anything new on the memory front?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Still the same as before – just impressions here and there. I’m starting to get a little worried.”
“The doctors said it should start comin’ back soon, right? I know those two guys – they may not have the gentlest bedside manner in the world, but they know their stuff.”
She nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right. And they did say a few days or weeks. And everything else feels better, at least.”
“That’s good to hear. Thinkin’ you just took a good bump to the head and got some things mixed around in there. The body’s very good at healin’ itself. Probably just need more time.”
Jess shivered as a gust of wind blew past, drawing my attention to her thin coat.
“Don’t know if that’s gonna to cut it for the cool weather. The sun might be shining, but it’s still in the forties.”
“I know,” she grumbled, pulling the jacket close around her. “But my heavier coat’s still drying.”
I was warm in my shearling jacket and seeing Jess suffering didn’t sit right with me at all. Without saying a word, I unzipped it and placed it over her shoulders.
She turned an expression of surprise my way, her gaze flickering over my flannel shirt. “But you’re going to freeze!”
“Don’t you worry about that. I’ve dealt with this kind of weather long enough to be able to tough it out.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. House isn’t too far off, and if one of us is gonna suffer, I want it to be me.” I flashed her a smile. “I insist.”
“Alright…if you insist.” She pulled the jacket tight around her gorgeous body. “This coat is so warm. Where’d you get it?”
“That was one of my father’s. Keeps me warm and reminds me of him. A good two-fer deal.”
We trudged along through the snow, the house about ten minutes ahead of us. I kind of wished I could fall back so I could look at her shapely form, but since my coat covered most of her, there was no need. And it would be rude.
“Your dad…” she said, her voice lilting up in a question. “What was he like?”
I chuckled. Where to begin? “My old man was most definitely what you would call a tough son of a bitch. Hard man to know, and a hell of a worker. Built his company from the ground up, and the house too. He was rough around the edges, sure, and definitely the strong and silent type. But he loved the hell out of all of us in his own way. Everything he did was for his family.”
“Sounds like a good man.”
“He most definitely was. Miss the hell out of the guy.”
She regarded me with an expression of both warmth and sincerity. Damn, the woman was fucking beautiful. I couldn’t resist looking at her.
“You know,” I said, changing the subject and tearing my eyes off her face. “This landscape’s pretty gorgeous.”
“It really is. I love it.”
“But it’s got nothing on you.”
For a moment, she was surprised, but her expression quickly turned into a dazzling smile. I’d say anything to get that smile out of her.
“Aren’t you a sweet talker,” she flirted. Then she regarded my flannel shirt. “OK, I told you the truth when I said you look like you could handle anything. But this cold’s got to be killing you.”
“If you think you’re gonna talk me into takin’ back my jacket, you might as well stop there.” The idea of this girl suffering in the slightest, even if was only from some cold on a short walk back to the house, was enough to get me keyed up.
“I’m sure. You’re probably as stubborn as you are tough. But I was going to suggest something else.”
“What’s that?”
“A little body warmth.”
Without saying another word, she stepped closer and snuggled up close to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and held her tight. Her body felt good as hell against mine. We walked in silence like that, slowly making our way to the house. Once we arrived at the door we stopped, standing there for a time. I didn’t want to let her go, and I could tell she felt the same way.
“Thanks for lending me your jacket,” she murmured as she slipped it off and handed it over.
“Anytime.” I took it and tossed it over my shoulder.
The two of us stood there, looking into each other’s eyes, her green gaze as lovely as springtime. And there it was again – that hot tension that had formed between us last night in her room. I should’ve resisted again, but it was too damn hard. Jess had a way of getting through the
barriers I’d put up, knowing how to get right to my heart.
She stepped up on her toes and planted a kiss on my cheek.
Fuck it.
Without a moment of hesitation, I pulled off my right glove, placed my hand on her chin, and turned her head toward mine. Then I kissed her.
Just like I’d guessed, she tasted like Heaven. Our lips lingered for a long time, my hands on her hips and hers on my chest. My senses took over, and I drew back. Jess regarded me with a heated expression, one that suggested she wanted more. But like last night, she was confused.
“Jess, you know we can’t be doing this.”
“But we both want it.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
She chuckled quietly. “Doesn’t matter?” she asked playfully.
I lifted a corner of my mouth in a small smile. “Your memory needs to come back before we do anything we might regret.”
It was hard as hell, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Jess and I, as much as we wanted each other, had to keep ourselves in check. Looked like I would have to be the one to take the lead on the subject.
We couldn’t stand out there like that forever. Not only that, but I had the mother of all hard-ons and needed to hide it. With one last squeeze, I let her go and opened the door. The two of us stepped into the warm entryway of the house and saw a few guests milling around here and there. We regarded each other again, neither of us wanting to move. But the chime of the bell for lunch snapped us back to reality.
“We should get somethin’ to eat,” I said. “Ready?”
She nodded and turned, leading the way to the dining room. The glimpse of her rear in the tight jeans did not help with the hard-on, and I had to think of baseball and pond scum to get the sight out of my head.
Lunch was delicious, of course. BLTs on fresh-baked bread, along with some killer potato salad. All throughout the meal, Jess and I tried to avoid making eye contact. When we finished eating, Jess headed up to her room and I went to mine. I was sticky and sweaty from working and felt like a shower was in order. But that kiss was still fresh in my mind, and I decided that while I was getting clean, I’d take care of something else as well.
I stripped off my clothes and glanced in the mirror as I passed. I wasn’t the type to be to fixated on my appearance, but I had some pride in being in good shape. My muscles were still big and defined. I had never been much for the gym – life on a ranch was a non-stop workout.
Once in the bathroom I took off my boxer-briefs and tossed them aside. My cock was still half-hard from the kiss and extraordinary view. I stepped into the shower, turned on the water, and let it flow over my body. I couldn’t wait to soap up. The pressure boiled inside me and needed to be released. I took my cock into my hand and closed my eyes.
The fantasy instantly came to life. Jess and I were in her room, the two of us on her bed. I was in nothing but my boxer-briefs, and she in nothing but that sexy as hell thong I’d spotted in her suitcase.
“I take it the kiss wasn’t enough?” she cooed, smiling seductively.
“Not even fuckin’ close.”
“So you want more.”
“I want more.”
“Tell me what you want.”
My eyes dropped to her tits, big and round and perfect, her nipples pink and hard. “I’d rather show you.”
I leaned down and grabbed her breasts, putting my mouth over the left nipple and sucking it, licking it. Jess moaned with pleasure as I touched her, her back arching underneath me. As I sucked her tits, I squeezed them too, feeling their soft ripeness.
Her body was like none I’d seen – full but muscular with curves in all the right places. And the way her auburn hair fell around her face was perfect.
“That feels so fucking good,” she moaned. “Don’t stop.”
I kept at it, turning my attention from one breast to the other. I moved my hand over her belly, under the waist of her panties and over the soft patch of hair above her pussy.
“You’re already wet for me,” I murmured. “I can feel it.”
“Just for you.”
Exactly what I wanted to hear. I spread her lips open and slipped a finger into her, then two. Her pussy wrapped around me, gripping me tightly.
“You like when I touch you like that?”
“So fucking much. Don’t stop.”
I moved up to kiss her as I continued to finger her pussy. Unlike the kiss we’d shared on the porch, this one was all tongue. Hers moved against mine, her delicious taste filling my mouth. And as we kissed, I moved in and out of her, feeling her body writhe under mine.
She pulled her lips from mine. “More. I need more.”
Her hand clasped my cock, by that point stone solid. I didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what she was thinking. I took my fingers out of her pussy and quickly pulled down my underwear, my cock springing out, hard and dripping.
Jess did the same, rolling the thong panties down her legs and exposing the perfect pink line of her pussy, her lips glistening with arousal.
“God, this body’s all I’ve been able to think about,” I growled, staring at her perfect form.
“Then take it.”
Without another word, I grabbed my cock, positioning it between her lips, savoring how fucking good it felt.
“You ready for this baby?”
She nodded as she bit her lip in anticipation of what was to come. Then I pushed inside her. She let out a moan as I entered her, her pussy gripping my cock tight. I filled her, giving her every inch I had. And there were a lot of inches.
“Fuck…fuck,” she moaned as I penetrated her.
Once I was fully buried, I propped myself up on my arms and stared the fucking glorious sight of her body under mine. I leaned in for a kiss before pulling my hips back and driving into her. Another moan poured from her lips, her breasts bouncing from the thrust. I thrust over and over, the pleasure pulsing from my cock like nothing else. She felt so good it almost hurt.
I lowered myself and kissed her again, our tongues playing as I pounded her hard. It didn’t take long before her eyes widened, her mouth opened into an “O”, but no sound coming out. I could tell by the way her pussy gripped me that she was coming hard.
“I’m gonna come inside you, baby. You want it?”
“Yes! I want it!”
I passed the point of no return, my cock throbbing as I emptied myself into her. I let out a grunt, and her another moan as we froze in place mid-orgasm. The pleasure exploded below, Jess’s pussy dripping all over my dick.
I opened my eyes and I was back in the shower gasping for air, my hand covered in my cum. Hell of a fantasy.
I wanted it to come true.
Jessica
All I could think about was that kiss. Ho-ly crap. Sure, Wyatt had pulled away again, talking about how it wasn’t a good idea. Maybe he was right, but I didn’t care. I wanted him to kiss me again, to put those big, rough hands all over my body.
Of course, I wanted even more than that. I wanted him to be on top of me, pounding away. I wanted to feel his cock inside me, as deep as he could get.
Thinking about him was enough to soak my panties in an instant.
But no, he had to be the responsible one between the two of us. But what if he was right? Was there a chance that I had a family waiting for me? The idea sounded totally ludicrous to me. I couldn’t imagine being married, that I would have taken that plunge and not be able to remember the man I loved enough to be with him forever.
And what about him and his past heartache? It was strange to think that a woman could have a man like Wyatt in her life and do him dirty like that. A liar and a thief – that’s all she was, if the stories the family had told were true. I had no reason to think they weren’t. The entire Walker family struck me as trustworthy and genuine, which was one of the reasons I felt so drawn to Wyatt.
Once I was back in my room, I thought about hopping on the bed, stripping down to nothing, and having a little fun with the
memory of that kiss. Maybe Wyatt would interrupt me again. Maybe he’d decide he couldn’t hold back any longer.
I decided that I’d finish what I’d started that morning.
The suitcase was on the bed, and I reached for it. As I put my hands on the sides of it, I saw a small compartment I hadn’t noticed before. It was sealed with a zipper, which I quickly opened. Inside was something small and hard and rectangular. A digital camera. Weird. Why would I have something like that? Most people took pictures with their phones, and I had no reason to think I was an exception.
The camera was expensive, if I was guessing. It was small enough to hide but had tons of features that only a pro would need. Was I into photography or something?
I wanted to see what was on it, so I turned the camera on and went through the menu until I came across the picture reel. The first few pictures were of the Rainbow Canyon Ranch. Strange. Some were taken from afar, but others were up close. It seemed like every detail of the place had been captured –maybe fifty or so pictures in total.
Why did I own a camera with pictures of the ranch? Is that what I’d been doing when I’d had my accident?
I noticed something else about the pictures – they weren’t all taken on the same day, or at the same time of day. Some were at night, some were during the day. Some had a clear sky in the background, while others revealed a stormy sky.
I’d apparently come to the ranch many times before…to take pictures? And what else was strange was that none of the pictures were of the inside of the house. It was as if I’d been shooting from a distance, maybe even hiding.
I continued scrolling through the pictures. When I hit next, I saw a photo that made me freeze in place, total shock gripping me.
The photo wasn’t of a house – it was of a person.
Wyatt.
Like the shots of the house, it’d been taken from a distance. He was dressed in his usual flannel, standing in front of the barn with his hands on his hips, as if taking in the scene. The next was of him seated on the porch, his hands wrapped around a mug of coffee. I could tell by the change of clothes that it wasn’t taken on the same day as the previous one.