22 comments/ 35772 views/ 21 favorites Falling in the Rain By: Falling in the Rain Smiling to herself, she tried to come up with a mental picture of the woman. Frizzed out platinum hair, squinty eyes, and a chubby body. Laughing, Jess hadn't realized they entered the small ranch kitchen until she heard Lacy asked Jim, "Why is that girl laughing?" Turning abruptly, Jess lost all the laughter from her voice. The woman was tall, not as tall as Jess, but nearly, with long red hair that fell in curly waves to the middle of her back. She stood quietly next to Jim and smiled at Jessica. Well, she wasn't what she had pictured, that was for darn sure. Lacy wore a short black dress, that was entirely to revealing. Jess wanted to roll her eyes, but she knew that if she even tried, Pop would have her hide. Shaking her head, she figured, was a safer bet, so she did just that. "Hi, Jess." Lacy said and stepped forward toward Jess. Jess took an involuntary step backward. The woman obviously thought she was deaf, not blind. She had shouted at her like she couldn't hear a thing. "My name is Lacy," she said, and used her hands to accentuate the action. "Hello, Lacy." Jess said quietly. "My name is Jessica. Please call me such, and as much as I hate to inform you, I am not deaf. So quit shouting at me. You'll rupture my eardrums." Lacy looked startled at Jess's demands. She took a step back and blinked. After a moment Lacy spoke loudly, "What a pretty color for your eyes. Where do you get your contacts? I should like to get some." Lacy said loudly. Jess sighed and shook her head. Well, at least she wasn't shouting. It was a start. "They aren't contacts. They are my natural eye color. I'm physically blind." Jess told her looking back at the roast. "By the way, I think your dress is a little. . . hooker-ish, no I guess that's not the word I'm looking for. It's. . .Slutty. Yes. Slutty is definitely the word I am looking for." Jess repeated 'slutty' a few times quietly to herself, but quite loud enough for Lacy to hear. "Jim! Aren't you going to say anything?" "What do you want me to say? She's an adult. I can't tell her what not to say. Freedom of Speech, remember?" Jim said, chuckling to himself. He wasn't about to tell Lacy he thought the same thing. "Well, humph." Lacy muttered more to herself than anyone else in the room. She turned to leave the kitchen, then spun around, her mouth gaping wide open, like a fish. "But she's blind!" Lacy exclaimed. "No duh. A little slow on the pick up there." Jess said sarcastically. "So she can't see my dress. It's impossible!" Lacy sounded thrilled by the idea. She practically jumped up and down. Jess winced at the extra leg and cleavage that showed in the action. "Not really." Jim said. Jess glanced at her father and wondered if he had winced as well. "I said I was physically blind, but I can see you. You're about an inch or two shorter than me. Also, your dress is slinky and very slutty and two sizes too small. Your hair is red, and you wear too much make-up. Personally, I would rather die than wear that shade of... what would you call it? Trailer-park-blue eye shadow?" Leaning against the counter, she folded her arms and looked at Lacy. "And I can see your aura, and I don't like the color." Jess said with a smirk and a tilt of her head. "I have never been so insulted in my entirely life!" Lacy screamed and turned to Jim. "I never want to see you or your daughter again!" After screaming that protest, she stomped out the door. "Well, I knew you were brutally honest, Jess, but that takes the cake." Her father said. "Although, I must agree with my daughter about the dress." Jess shrugged, going back to pulling off the burnt sections of the roast. "It won't hurt you to love life, Jess. Love isn't a poison. I promise." "Everything is poison in a sufficient dose." Jess mumbled to herself, as her father walked out of the room. He stopped at the sound of her voice and turned to see if she had said anything. "Say something?" "Naw. Sarcasm is one's best friend." "Yeah." Jim said smiling over his daughter's words. "By the way, Jess, don't forget that my college buddy and his son are coming in a few days. So don't be rude to them, especially not as rude as you just were to Lacy, all right?" "Look Dad, I didn't mean to send her away. I just don't want you with someone that is not good enough for you. Lacy wasn't. I mean the problem is in the answer. Lacy?" Jess shuddered over the memory. "That is not even a name." Jim chuckled to himself. How could he have ever seen anything in her? It was obvious she thought that because she was going to be in his home, she was going to have "relations" with him tonight. Jim shook his head. Why hadn't he seen that part of her before? "I know Jess." He sighed to himself. "I know. Now, back to the topic you are trying to stray from. "You're to be nice to Roger and Josh. All right Jessica Marie?" Jim tried to make his voice sound stern. He wasn't sure he accomplished that goal when his daughter leaned up to kiss his cheek and smiled. "Sure." Jess said just to appease her father. "I promise not to send them packing." When Jim left the room, Jess smiled. "Not right away anyway." * * * * * Chapter 2 Three days later Jess rode Velvet, her favorite stallion, into the west pasture with the ranch foreman. Fences needed to be mended, and she couldn't do it by herself, so she'd brought Jed along. A long narrow road leading to the ranch lay to the south east of the pasture, leading only to town. "So when are my Dad's friends supposed to be here?" Jess asked, trying to entice conversation. Her theory was that with out interesting conversation, ranch work was as boring as book work. "Reckon that's them now, Miss Jess." Jed said, gesturing his completely white haired head toward the small road. Jess looked up from the older man's head to see a forest green F-350 pick-up driving down the road, kicking up dust and gravel as it sped past. A loud screeching of rock-and-roll music followed the pick-up. "I suppose you're right, Jed. Only teenagers with bad taste listen to that rock-and-roll crap." Jess stood from her crouching position at the fence and walked to her stallion. "And before you can say it, I will be a good little daughter and go help Pop play host, and I won't be rude. I promise." Jess mounted her horse with the agility of an Olympic gymnast. Turning Velvet away from Jed, she trotted slowly back toward the ranch house and barn. As she trotted, she tried to remember what her father had said about the man and what that meant in normal terms. Dad said he was responsible, meaning boring. He was funny, meaning immature. He was a man's man, meaning he was chauvinistic. She smiled in anticipation. Jess couldn't wait to sink her teeth into this one. Then, there was the boy. Her father had said the boy was a junior at the University of Montana, studying underdeveloped countries and some sort of history. Jess snickered. Guys like that weren't cut out for Rocking M. He was probably a tofu eating, poetry reading, homosexual man with masochistic tendencies. Jess smiled. Definitely. ~~~~ Josh Bennett climbed out of the thirty day old pick-up and looked around at his surroundings. A dilapidated barn sat to his left and a ranch style house to his right surrounded by a few tall oak trees. Josh shook his head. He wasn't going to let his dad work here. Conditions were just too bad, way too bad, especially for a guy who had a heart attack recently. Well, two years ago, was recent, wasn't it? No matter, Dad couldn't stay in this place, and that was the end of it. Looking behind him, Josh saw a lone rider on a horse in the distance coming toward the house. He couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman because the sun framed their back, and a Stetson rode low on their forehead. He shook his head. Probably an aimless drifting cowboy. Lord knew he had seen many of them in the town twenty miles away. "Besides, Josh," Roger Bennett's voice broke his son's concentration. "you might get killed by some drunk driver or something, son. I couldn't let you do that." "No, Dad. Poor, polluted, exploited, resource-depleted, population-pressured, deforested, and decertified countries, yes. Drunk drivers, no." Josh shook his head at his father's antics. "I still want to go." Roger shook his balding head at his son. "No matter. What I say goes. Understood?" He gave his son a dare-to-defy-me look. "No, not understood. I am a full grown man, and I will do what I like when I like." Josh slammed the door to the truck signaling the end of the conversation and headed toward the house. Roger followed behind him, muttering about what a damn fool his boy was, while smirking about it. "Not a damn fool, Dad. Just plain stubborn, is all." Jim Mills walked out on to the porch and spotted his friend and a young man walking toward the house. "Roger! It's good to see you. It's been, what, almost twenty years?" Jim shouted his welcome to the men as he stepped down the stairs of the porch. "You must be Josh." Jim held his hand out and shook Josh's hand. "You've got your mother's eyes." Jim said almost absent mindedly. Josh nodded. "Mom's green eyes and my father's stubbornness." The three stood talking for a few minutes before Jim began to brag about his newest horses. "You should see them, Rog. They are damn fine cuttin' horses. I'm thinking of letting Jess ride one in the barrel racing event at the county rodeo." "Well, let's see them." Roger said, almost as excited to see the horses as Jim was just talking about them. Together, they all shuffled toward the barn. Josh thought for sure it would fall down around them. ~~~~~~~ Jess saw the three men head toward the barn and disappear inside. She kicked her mount into a gallop and rode to the barn. She dismounted before Velvet came to a stop. Patting her horse's nose before taking the reins and heading toward the barn. Hearing voices from inside she slowed down. "Real nice, Mr. Mills." "Josh, call me Jim. Mr. Mills makes me feel old." Deciding to put Velvet away in a minute, she gave him another affectionate pat before tying his reins to the side fence and entering the barn. Immediately, her nose was assaulted with smells of animal dung and hay. Stepping inside the door, she spotted the mysterious two men talking with her father in Velvet's stall. "I gave him to Jess because she absolutely loves him. Velvet has to be her best friend." Jim smiled as he spoke about her and her pet. Moving forward, Jess moved to stand outside the stall and leaned against the wall. She heard the foot steps of the three coming toward her and folded her arms over her chest. Her father and the boy's father moved past her with out realizing she was against the stall behind them. When Josh tried to walk past her, he got two steps from her before she suddenly had the urge to pull him back. Whipping her right arm out, she grabbed the back of his flannel shirt and pulled him back, unintentionally pulling him close to her. A second later, a large hay bail fell from its spot in the hay loft. Josh stared at the young woman before him. She had chocolate brown hair and the most exquisite blue eyes he had ever seen. Josh shook himself mentally and looked away from her to the hay that had fallen. "Thanks. I think you saved me, but I'm not sure." Josh said slowly moving away from her. "Thank God," he mumbled under his breath. Jess shrugged. "Did you ever think that God really didn't save you but was out to get you and missed?" Josh whipped his eyes to hers, staring at her he really didn't understanding what she had said. "Huh?" He asked dumbly. "Never mind." Jess said rolling her eyes. Josh continued to stare at her as she moved away from the stall and traveled toward where her father and Roger stood staring at the two of them. Josh shook his head and followed her. "You must be Jessica." He said, aware of how completely dumb he sounded. "I heard you were. . .different." He tried to sound as polite as he possibly could, but knew he failed the task miserably. "Yes, I'm Jess, and yes, I am different." She turned to give him a small glance over her shoulder as she walked. "I'm physically blind." Josh stopped in his tracks and stared after her. She continued to walk on, walking around another bail of hay that lay for some reason or another in the middle of the walk way and followed after her father, who was now leading his toward the opposite end. He was startled spitless. If she couldn't see, how did she maneuver around the hay bails? As if sensing his question, she turned around and placed her hands on her hips. "I said I am physically blind, but I can see psychically. I can see your blondish brown hair, your very green eyes, and your color." "My color? You mean my race?" "Your aura field. It's nice." Jess clarified. "It's a mix of color. Green, blue, purple and a little yellow and orange. Very well mixed." Jess stopped suddenly. Realizing she was rambling she closed her mouth quickly. Dear Lord, was she actually rambling? "I shoulda let the hay bail hit him." "What?" "Nothing," Jess said, and turned away. Embarrassment stained her cheeks, and she suddenly felt very awkward, and turned away from the boy who in less than five minutes, had made her so confused and very unsure of herself, walking toward the exit. Never once, in all the time she could remember, could she ever recall feeling this way. Now, this. . . this. . boy comes in and messes her all up. Breaking into a dead sprint when she saw the two older men leave the barn, Jess fled even more quickly. There was no way in Hell she was going to be left alone with this kid. No way in Hell. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Your daughter looks a lot like Pamela." Roger said quietly to his friend as they rounded the corner of the barn and headed toward the house. "All except those eyes. She would have been a picture of Pam if she had those chocolate brown eyes Pam did." Jim dropped his gaze to the dirt and rock strewn about the path and nodded sorrowfully. "Every time I see her, I think of her mother. It's too bad she can't remember her. She was a wonderful woman." Jim looked up, a pained expression on his face. "Damn, I miss that woman." Roger looked over at his friend and patted his back in a gesture of sympathy. "I know, Jim." Roger said quietly. "I know." They walked to the house with out speaking toward the house. "I don't think I've ever seen my son speechless. Your daughter really got his goat." Roger chuckled trying to turn the topic. Roger knew he had successfully completed his goal. Opening the back door into the house, through the kitchen, Roger held it open for his friend, and entered after him. "And I have never seen my Jess get so flustered before." Jim said smiling as he pulled out food from the refrigerator. "You and Josh are in for a treat. I'm cooking tonight." Jim thought to add. "Ah, but you're lucky! Since Angela died I've become quite the chef for Josh and myself." Jim lowered his gaze to the kitchen sink and sighed. "Don't, Jim. I know how hard it is, now." "Rog, I am so sorry. I. . .I never told you how sorry I was when Angela passed." "Don't worry about it. It's been almost a year now." Roger was quiet for a moment, his face drawn. Slowly, he let out the breath he hadn't realized he held and turned to smile at his friend. "Come on, Roger. My specialties are Mac and cheese, and if your lucky and give me a little brown nosing, I can even boil a few hot dogs." Smiling, Roger nodded. "As long as I don't have to cook." * * * * * Chapter Three Placing the delicate china plate on tip of the previously towel dried three, Jess reached for the last one on the rack. Gently Jess wiped the china that her mother had picked out before her wedding, silently admiring the gentle floral paint. Her father sat at the kitchen table behind her telling his guests a story she had heard a thousand times. Shaking her head she gave the plate one last gentle picked up the small stack and placed them in the china cabinet adjacent from the kitchen table. "Then your father did the stupidest thing I have ever seen. . ." Her father's voice blurred into background noise again, when suddenly the noise level elevated when peels of laughter erupted from the men behind her. Jess smiled as she listened to her father's voice blurring into the night background noise. He never did get tired of story telling. "We went fifty miles down the Amazon in three and a half hours, traveling not quite fast enough to water-ski, but fast enough to dangle a hand over the side and not get eaten by piranhas." Jim said almost giggling. Roger nodded along with Jim, and sipped at the coffee Jess made a few minutes earlier. "Actually," Josh said "piranhas prefer dead, sick or injured prey. They're attracted to rotting meat, if memory serves me correctly." "They'd spit you out anyway, Dad. No one likes a tough skinned rancher. They taste funny." Jess said teased her father as she placed the last plate in the cabinet. Josh laughed at Jess's unexpected joke. Jess felt surprise creep up her spine. He had a sweet laugh, deep and strong. She was taken back by the heartiness in it. She couldn't help but laugh along with him. Abrupty realizing she was laughing like a loon, Jess closed her mouth quickly, and forced herself to look stern. "I've gotta get to bed," she stated quickly. The sooner she could get away from this boy, the better her piece of mind would be. She turned toward the living room and got two steps away before Josh announced he had the same intention. "I better hit the sack, too. Dad, don't be up too late. You're still recovering." "Jess, would you show Josh to his room? I'd appreciate it." Jess nodded to her father and listened to Roger wave off his son's concern. "I have an idea," Jim said, interrupting Roger's speech to his son. "Jess why don't you take Josh out riding tomorrow? I have a feeling, he'll be good at it." Jim said with a wink Roger's way. "Dad, I don't think..." Jess began. "That's a wonderful idea! Josh would love a few rides with Jess. Wouldn't you, Josh?" Roger smiled broadly and turned to Jess. "I think Josh would love to go." He said, ignoring the fact that his son was shaking his head adamantly. "Okay, you two. Off to bed." Jim said, waving them off to bed from the table. Jess shook her head and sighed. Great, now she was stuck all day taking this green-horn all over the ranch on horse back. Jess paused briefly in her thoughts. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad after all. She grinned, thinking about the pleasure of watching him tomorrow, walking like a bowlegged hooker after she was done with him. Oh yes, she would absolutely enjoy that. "This way." Jess said, heading through the door. She wasn't able to keep her amusement out of her voice. Walking quickly through the living room Jess turned to climb the stairs. "What's got you so amused?" Josh asked, raising an eyebrow. "Nothing," Jess answered a little too quickly. "Wait, let me help you up the stairs." Josh said, catching up with her, he held his hand out to her. "Did you not hear me this afternoon, or was I talking to one of the cows?" Jess wanted to shout at the top of her lungs but settled instead for an outraged look on her face as she told him, in no polite terms, where to shove it. "I can see perfectly fine, so take your good intentions and shove them up your tail pipe, because I don't need them." Josh looked stunned at her for a moment, then nodded, and let her lead the way. Climbing the stairs, she could almost feel his questioning eyes on her back boring holes into her. She didn't say anything to him as she led him to the bedroom where she had been told to put his luggage. It was the room across from hers. "This is it," she said opening the door, and leaving it open. "Sleep tight." She said and started across the hall to her room. Falling in the Rain "Yeah," he said as he flipped the switch on. "Night." ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jim set his coffee cup on the table, leaned back in his chair, and smacked his lips. "It's scary how similar they are, isn't it?" He asked, watching the two walk away. Roger nodded his agreement. Turning to Roger, he set his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Jess is a born rider. I think she'll teach Josh quite well, but the fact that he is not family might throw Jess off." "Excuse me?" Roger said. "Are you insulting my son because he's not family?" Playfulness evident in his tone of voice. "No, no." Jim said and let out a scoffing laugh. "No, I mean that Josh is the only boy close to Jess's age she's ever met that hasn't judged her or wanted to coddle her. Josh wants to understand her, I think, and because he's a person outside our little family who has wanted to know her personally, it just might throw her off." Roger nodded along with Jim's explanation. "I understand." He said as Jim finished his explanation. "I hope she can over come that some day. How else will she ever get married? She does want to get married, doesn't she?" "Honestly, Rog, I have no idea. For all I know, she plans on becoming a nun." Jim was silent before he gave a slight chuckle. "Well, she could be a nun if she didn't curse like a sailor on a two day pass." Roger grinned at his friend. "Do I need to ask where she got that from?" "No, you know I curse like a sailor, too." Jim stated grinning like a fool. The two men moved on from the topic of Jessica, to old times, and finally their wives. Two hours and another pot of coffee later the two friends parted ways for the night and went to bed. Chapter Four 5 a.m. the next morning Josh woke up to a pounding in his head. Wondering if he was going crazy, he tried to ignore it. Finally realization hit him. He was at the Mill's ranch. It was a pounding at the door, not in his head. "What?" He croaked. Glancing at the clock, he read the red numbers. Hell, it was only five in the morning. What the hell was going on? Throwing the heavy quilts off his body, he pulled his boxer shorts up and headed toward the door of the small room. Glancing out the window by the bed, his mind registered it was still night outside. Stars and moon. No sun. Gripping the cold medal handle he felt a chill run down his spine at its feel. It was damned cold. Gripping it tightly he swung the door wide open, and he stared in shock and annoyance at Jessica, standing freshly washed and clothed, looking bright eyed and bushy tailed. He knew his hair was a mess, and he felt suddenly shy about appearing bare chested in front of her. Dispite the fact he had appeared less clothed while on the swim team, and in front of a ton of people. "What?" He asked, surprised at how quiet his voice was. "Come on. It's time to go riding." Jessica chirped. "No." Josh slammed the door in her face and dropped like a dead body back into the bed. Pulling the quilts back over his body, he put a pillow on his face as he heard the door open. "Yes." He heard Jessica state stubbornly through the pillow. "No." Came Josh's mumbled reply. "Stars and moon. No sun. Still dark. Not getting up." Jess wanted to laugh at Josh's pitiful condition. He wasn't even awake enough to form complete thoughts. Amusement quickly gave way to annoyance when she realized he was going back to sleep. "Now!" Jessica said, her cheerful chirp now a demandingly bitchy voice. She reached down and grabbed the quilt from his lower back and pulled down. She was in the process of trying to figure out what it was snagged on when she heard a muffled protest. "Hey!" Jessica ignored the protest and the groping hand that tried to slap her away. Instead she gave a sharp tug. She flung the blankets on to the floor. "Rise and shine, city slicker." Josh felt dumb struck. Holy God! Did this girl just rip off his shorts and tell him to get up. Sudden anger flashed through his mind and body and he became ridged with it. How dare she? Turning on to his side toward her, he tried to grab the blankets when he realized she was getting an eyeful. Realization on Jess's part was slow. She didn't quite understand why he was boxerless until she glanced at the quilt. Oh, she thought lazily. There they are. "Uh. . ." he quickly covered himself with his hand, shocked and surprised at Jessica's reaction. She simply shook her head at him and headed toward the door. "Now that your up, get the lead out. Your dad said to take you riding, and if you don't move that. . ." Jess turned and raised an eyebrow at him, "butt of yours, I'll leave you here," she threatened. "Is that a promise or a threat?" Josh asked sarcastically. "What do you think?" She smiled sweetly at him as if she hadn't a care in the wide world, and turned from the room, closing the door behind her. Feeling a blush stain her cheeks, Jess resisted the urge to fan herself. Giving herself a tough mental shake, she squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. Striding to the stairs, Jess descended like a royal. Her thoughts focused on finishing breakfast. Now lets see here, she thought, the sausage links are done, but the eggs still need to be scrambled. . . Ten minutes later, Jess set the plates of sausage and eggs on the table as Josh walked into the room, drying his hair. "Have a seat," she said, "Sausage and eggs for breakfast." Josh nodded to himself more than her, and sat down at the table. "Where should I put this?" He asked holding the towel out. Jessica walked over to him, and took the towel from his hand, her fingers tips brushing his. "I'll take it." She told him. A wave of sensations rolled through him. He watched her walk away and shook his head. No, this was his dad's friend's daughter. He wasn't going to think anything impure about her. "What?" Josh realized he had been concentrating on convincing himself he wasn't going to think anything like that, he hadn't noticed Jess was looking at him. He turned to his plate and gazed at the food on the table. "Looks good, Jessica," he said before Jess could answer his question. "Jess." She said sitting down across from him. She picked up the white platter she had put all the sausage on after cooking it and put three links on her plate before handing the platter to him. Josh put a few on his plate and watched her follow suit with the eggs. Jess wasn't hungry this morning. It was the only morning she could ever remember not being hungry. What was with her today? Glancing up from her plate, she saw Josh watching her. With out a seconds hesitation, she stabbed her fork through the link she had been pushing around on her plate and tore a chunk off the tip of it. Josh suddenly sat up straighter, looking away from Jessica to his plate, a grimace on his face. Jess almost choked on the bite as she tried to swallow, the laugh in her throat almost pushed the sausage out of her mouth. Luckily for her, she was able to finish chewing and swallow before he noticed anything out of the ordinary. The food hit Josh's stomach like a rock. His mind registered the food was tasty but he wasn't interested in eating it. Pushing his plate out of the way, he noticed that Jessica hadn't eaten any more of her breakfast either. "So, I guess we're both not hungry. How about we go riding?" Jess nodded, and took her breakfast to the garbage and tossed it away, placing her plate in the sink. "All right, city slicker, lets go." She said, and headed out the kitchen door with Josh right behind her. She walked slowly toward the stables, admiring the time of day. It always had been her favorite time when she and her mother would sit outside before Jess left with her father to go to school. With the sun barley peaking over the hills in the distance, the sky was lit up with enchanting colors. She could still remember how her mother would draw in a breath at the sight every morning. She always reacted like the sunrise she was seeing the first she'd ever seen. Watching the pink swirl into orange and yellow. The blue sky held a dark quality the father from the sunrise it was. Holding her breath, Jess sent up a quick prayer to her mother, as she did every morning. Looking at Josh, Jess quickly looked away when she felt a pang on envy. He had his mother his entire life. Jess only had seven short years. Sighing, she forced her mind back to the present. "I've got a horse all picked out for you." Jess stated as they entered the stables. "Great," Josh said, rolling his eyes in sarcasm. "You'll be riding Sugar," Jess continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "She's calm, easy to handle, and really easy to stay on. She's a good horse for beginners." She thought to add. Josh stopped near the stall she was standing at. A brown speckled mare stood inside swishing her tale. "What? Do I look like a child to you?" He asked. "Maybe." "Very funny. I'm older than you." He said. "Well, I'll tell you what. You can have a choice, Sugar or Twister." "Twister? Which one is she?" "He is two stalls down." Jess paused and finally motioned for Josh to look for himself. "The one bucking and twisting." Out of stupidity, or curiosity, Jess didn't know, Josh walked down the corridor to Twister's stall. The black beauty was rearing and twisting in the constraints of the stall. Josh in pure awe, moved forward until his body was pressed against the stall door. Jess opened her mouth to tell him that wasn't the smartest place to be, when Twister kicked up, clipping Josh in the chin. Stumbling, Josh fell backward as a lightning pain shot through his head. For a quick moment, the entire world went red as the pain slashed through him. His eyes closed as he let the pain slide through him, knowing if he let it slide through, he could get it done and over with. It didn't work out that way. He didn't know how long he laid there, but with the pain, it seemed like eternity. When the pain subsided enough, Josh slowly opened his eye lids. Jess was looking down at him, her ghostly blue eyes looking at him, her face showing her concern. "Josh, you okay?" Josh took the hand she held out to him, and pulled himself up. He nodded slightly, then winced over the pain the action caused him. "Ouch," he mumbled more to himself than anyone else. Especially Jess. "How many fingers, city boy?" Jess asked, her voice laced with masked sarcasm. Flashing her a look of what he hoped was annoyance, he answered her. "Three," he muttered, "and a thumb." "Well, your not dead, and your head still works. You'll be fine." Jess assured, convinced the danger was over. He rubbed his chin, and knew he'd have one hell of a bruise on his chin by tonight, but at least it wasn't cut. "I think Sugar would be great." He said, and smiled over the amused look Jess gave him. "What? Isn't a man allowed to change his mind?" Jess shook her head. "Naw, you haven't even made your mind up yet." She looked almost amused with the entire situation. Josh absently rubbed his forming bruise, wincing as he answered it. "Sugar." "All right." Jessica said stepping away from Josh so he could walk to the horse stall. "Sugar it is." She watched him as he walked past her, and started down the corridor. Looking at the horse in the stall that had just given him such a jolt, Josh sighed. Twister had calmed down and stood docile in his stall eating his oats. Shaking her head, Jess followed after Josh, shoving her hands in her pants pockets, she began to push the hay on the ground around with her feet as she walked steadily forward. "You sure you don't need an ice bag or something?" "You never offered me one." Josh stated. "I'm offering one now." Josh touched his slowly blackening chin, gently moving his jaw back and forth. "Naw, it'll bruise, but I think it will be all right." Josh smiled at her. "I don't mind a good bruise or two, especially when I earn them." Looking up into his eyes, Jess saw a sudden sparkle there. Jess watched his eyes marveling at their crystal clear clarity. Josh turned abruptly, starting toward the stall again, ignoring her. Jess sighed and shook her head. It was his pain. Looking at his gate as he walked Jess smiled to himself. He certainly didn't have any good ranch clothing did he? The way his jeans fit over his hips and hind end. . . What am I doing? Her mind suddenly screeched. Good Lord, Jessica Marie Mills! Don't think anything like that! He's your dad's friend's son! Scolding herself, Jess didn't notice when Josh turned and gave her a confused look. "Don't think what, Jess?" He asked, looking at her. Looking up, Jess realized she had been speaking out loud. "I was talking to myself." She said, averting her eyes and her hands to the stall door. Hearing the words echo in her mind, she cringed inwardly. Talking to herself? Opening the stall door, she tried to ignore the fact that she knew he was looking at her. "It's a good thing you chose Sugar. She's very docile." Oh God, was she rambling again? Glancing up at him quickly, she noticed that he was looking at her with an amused look on his face. "What?" She asked, as she walked over to the stalls wall to pull the bridle down. Pulling it down, she looked over at him, and tilted her head, repeating her question. Josh had a look on his face she hadn't ever seen before. He looked. . . astonished. Oh God, he couldn't believe he'd noticed. He wasn't supposed to notice when his dad's friend's kid was wearing chaps, and they were great for her figure. Well, her legs anyway. He wanted to feel ashamed, embarrassed uncomfortable. Hell, even a little guilt at this point was fine by him. He didn't. He wanted to walk over there and push all her dark hair out of her face, look into those ghostly blue eyes of hers, and. . . and what? His mind yelled, begging to know the answer. And what? Wait, why shouldn't he walk over there and look into her ghostly blue eyes? He was a guy; she was girl, a very beautiful girl. No, Jess was all woman, he had to admit to himself. Not only was she was eighteen, and could make all her own decisions, but she was beautiful in a way that girls weren't and women were. Almost as if she'd lived more thoroughly than anyone in their eighteen years should. Hell, why shouldn't he notice when a beautiful woman was wearing chaps? He was a man after all, a perfectly normal man, with a perfectly normal reaction to a beautiful woman. "Well?" Jess asked interrupting his thoughts. "Uh. . ." he started, unable to think of anything to say. Clearing his throat, he forced himself to tear his gaze away from Jessica and look at the dirt and hay on the floor. "I was just thinking, your decision for my horse was, you know, good." He forced the lie out of his mouth. Suddenly, Josh realized he looked like a second grader admitting he had a crush on his teacher. Looking up quickly, Josh looked into her eyes. He was beginning to feel the effects of a sudden episode of cotton mouth. Great. Shaking her head, Jess quickly saddled the horse, a lot quicker than he thought it took, and was leading her out of the stall a few minutes later. Jess was murmuring quietly to the horse, as she walked with her to the corral. Josh couldn't make anything she said to the horse out, but she must have agreed, because the mare began to nod her large head. Stepping out, of the barn and into the adjoining corral, he noticed another horse already saddled, prancing around. It was a beautiful black horse, obviously well taken care of. His mane was just as dark as the hair on his body, Josh let out a whistle. "Tell me that is Sugar." Josh said to Jess. Jess couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. "No, that's Velvet." She told him. "He's my stallion." She handed the reins to Josh. "I understand that you can ride fairly well." Josh looked appalled at the very thought of it. "Didn't your dad tell me the truth?" Dad told her that? Why had he done that!? He had never ridden a horse in his entire life. "I. . . um. . . haven't ridden in a while." He said. "So, if worse comes to worse, its lack of practice." He said, attempting to make an excuse for his future indiscretion. Feeling a sudden fear of the large animal next to him, Josh took an involuntary step backward. "If you were good once upon a time, you'll be all right now. It's like riding a bike." Swinging into the saddle of the black animal, Jess impressed Josh. She hadn't even stopped the horse to mount it. Oh lord, he was in trouble. Pulling the reins of the horse, Jess came to a stop a few yards away from Josh. "Well, lets go, city boy," she said gesturing toward Sugar. Turning toward the horse, Josh took a deep fortifying breath in preparation of his first ride. Putting a Nike encased foot in one stirrup, he pulled himself up quickly. Forgetting common sense enough to swing his other leg on the other side of the horse, his body's own momentum threw him off the other side of the animal, his foot sliding helplessly out of the stirrup and across the saddle. Landing face first into the mud, Josh didn't feel the physical pain of landing, but instead the squish of mud in places he wasn't sure it was natural to have mud. "Oh my sweet. . ." Jessica was off of the horse before he had hit the ground. Running to his side, Jess prayed for devine intervention, as he laid motionless on the ground. Images of him in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the neck down, flooded her mind. Please move, she prayed as she ran to his side. Please move, Josh. She didn't realize she was chanting it in a whisper. Dropping to her knees when she reached him, she placed her hands on his back and pushed lightly as she whispered his name. "Josh. . .Josh, please, don't be hurt." She said as she leaned down to see if he was breathing. "My dad would kill me if I killed you on your first day out here." To Jess's shock and surprise, a muffled laugh came from Josh's still form as he flipped over and grabbed her, knocking her off her balance. Jess fell on her back next to him, in the mud. Josh quickly took advantage and rolled gently on her. "You jerk!" Jessica said knowing her voice lacked any real bite. As Josh yelled with peels of laughter, his chest rumbled against her as she tried to move away from him. Pulling her even closer Josh rolled over pinning Jess beneath him, and continued to laugh. Jessica pushed against his chest, struggling under him. As if suddenly aware that she was under him, Josh looked down at her and smiled. Jessica felt a small flutter slide down her spine. Jess was unaware she quit struggling, as stared up at him. His eyes looked into hers, almost seeming to bore into her soul. His eyes were soft, reflecting the warmth in his smile. Josh couldn't believe that ho one had claimed this treasure for their own. She quit struggling under him, and he almost couldn't hold his sigh of thanks. Unsure of what she would do, Josh couldn't resist the urge to touch her. Reaching up, he brushed his thrum across her cheek lightly. she was so beautiful, he almost felt his breath catch in his throat. Jess felt his feather light touch on her skin and didn't know how to react. Sudden realization that she wasn't moving anymore, Jess resumed her struggles more violently. "Let. . .Me. . GO!" She screamed. Josh immediately rolled over, letting his arms slide away from around her. What had he done? Regret swamped through him, as he watched Jessica push her way up form the mud he had held her down in. Her chaps and jeans were completely caked with mud. Her blue and red flannel shirt gaped wide open when she turned and glared at him. Her white shirt underneath looked brown, with white stained spots. Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked at Jessica's face, and saw a blank expression. Not knowing if she was as angry with him as he was with himself Josh decided the safest thing to do, aside from fall over and dying on the spot, was to simply smile at her. Flashing her a wide, white toothed grin, he hoped it was all he would need to get a similar reaction from her. Falling in the Rain Jessica stared at Josh as if he were some alien creature from another planet. Why in the good Lord's name had he done that? And what had she felt when he had? Nothing, something inside her screamed. You felt nothing! Suddenly Josh propped himself up, and smiled widely at her. For the first time in her life, Jess was completely speechless. He had just held her down in the mud, and now he laid there, in the rich dark brown mud, and grinned like a lunatic at her. He didn't hold you down to hurt you or anything, something inside her called. He was laughing, it said, and he thought you were enjoying yourself, too. Besides, he let you go when you said you wanted to be left alone. True, Jess thought, but that was all she was about to admit. With out a single word, Jess turned away and walked toward the house, leaving Josh alone in his muddy misery. Chapter Five Josh trudged his way up the path toward the house twenty minutes later. After trying to guide Sugar back into her stall and not making it, he decided to simply tie the reigns to the post. Soon after tying the horse up, Josh walked slowly toward the house. Sloshing as he walked, Josh felt mud in places he didn't even know he had. Wincing, he pushed his leg out to the side and pulled his jeans out from his tender areas. "Much better." He said on a sigh, and started again toward the house. A shower sounded like heaven at that precise moment. The screen door opened, and Roger walked out, a cup of steaming hot coffee in his hand. Raising an eye brow, Roger looked at his son with curiosity. "Don't even say it." Josh said. "Not a damn word." He said as he climbed the stairs to the porch. He felt the mud crunch as he lifted and bent his legs to climb the stairs. As he walked past his father toward the door, he tossed a glance to the older man. "I don't think Maria will want your muddy shoes inside," Roger commented. "Maria?" "The house keeper that comes three times a week." "She won't even see me." Josh sounded so confident, Roger didn't want to burst his bubble by saying that Maria was just inside the entry hall. Roger shaking his head, a smile sliding across his lips. Josh groaned as he pulled the screen door open and stepped a muddy foot inside. "Um, I don't think so." A small feminine voice with a slight Spanish accent said. Turning to his left, he saw a small woman of Mexican decent standing in the middle of the living room. "Take off those muddy shoes, and leave them outside. You can clean them later." Josh turned to the door and exited quickly, letting the screen slam and bounce a few times. Glancing at his father, he saw the smile had spread to his eyes, as the older man turned away, drinking at the cup of coffee he held. Josh rolled his eyes upward and slipped his shoes off quickly. "I hate to say I told you so. . ." Josh could hear the laughter in his father's voice. "Yeah, you would." He opened the door, and making sure the woman wasn't in the next room, made a dash toward the bedroom he now occupied, trying not to make any noise as he went up the stairs. Dashing inside the room, he grabbed random clothes from his suitcase, after stripping out of his mud caked clothing, and made a dash for the bathroom adjoining his room. Opening the door, he entered quickly and locked it behind him. Hearing a soft "ah-hem" behind him, he leaned his head against the door, closing his eyes. Today just wasn't his day. He should never have opened his door when Jess knocked on it this morning. "I thought this was my bathroom." He said more to himself than the person behind him. "It is, but my father is using our bathroom, so I thought to use this one." At the sound of Jess's annoyed voice, Josh spun around, dropping the clothes he had in his hands to the floor. Jess stood on the other side of the bathroom, practically squished against the wall, staring at him. When he looked at her clothing, he gulped. Oh Lord, he was in a mess. Jess wore a pair of jeans, and he assumed nothing else, because she clutched the large blue towel she was using against her chest. Josh knew he was staring at her, but he couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from her. Her shoulders and arms were a golden color, and Josh felt an almost undeniable urge to reach out and touch her. Jess tilted her head at Josh. He had turned and looked at her, then promptly grabbed the clothing he had dropped in an attempt to cover himself. Wow, Jess thought with a smile. She had been flashed by him twice today. Wonder how many more times she'd see his "bits and pieces" before the days end. You should not be thinking about that, Jessica Marie!-her mind suddenly yelled. Yanking her gaze away from his private area, she looked at his face and realized he was staring at her chest. Sighing Jess spoke, "Sorry, Josh. The bathroom's occupied. Please, get the hell out." she said slowly letting darkness fall over her features. Realization of her words was an agonizing torture. "What?" Josh asked sounding slightly confused. He had been too busy looking at her chest and imagining what was underneath it to hear her correctly. "Shall I reiterate?" Jess asked, openly glaring at him now. "Get the hell out. The bathroom is occupied." Josh didn't stand there long enough to hear the second sentence. He opened the door and was half way out of the room when he heard the whipping noise. Quickly, to his astonishment and pain, she had whipped the towel from her hair down from her head and whipped him in the butt with it. He jumped as the door slammed shut behind him. Spinning around, Josh glared at the door as he rubbed his sore cheek. What the hell was that for? "This isn't over." He grumbled as he turned from the door. He winced when he heard her laugh gaily from behind the door and knew she had heard his vow. "Well. . ." he said at a loss for any other words, " . . .it isn't!" He shouted and turned away from the door and away from the girl who had made his life so complicated so suddenly. ~~~~~~~~~~ "So how was your ride?" Roger asked an hour later, when Josh sauntered down the steps into the living room. "Interesting." He said and plopped down next to his father on the overstuffed sofa. "One question, and then, I am going to kill you." Josh said, wincing over the action. Roger chuckled and shook his head. "Shoot," He asked sipping his steaming coffee. "Why did you tell her I was some great rider when I have never ridden a horse before in my life? Dad, I could have really embarrassed myself!" "From what Jess said when she came down earlier, I assumed you already did." Roger mumbled before taking another sip of his hot coffee. "I wanted you to impress her." He shrugged. "Nothin' wrong with that." Josh rolled his eyes. "Great, now you sound like a hick, too, and we've only been here a day." Turning toward his father, Josh began to scold him. "Dad, look, you've got to forget this Josh-has-to-get-married-and-have-kids complex. I'm almost twenty three, not forty. You need to stop trying to throw girls at me or trying to impress them for me." "Well if you hadn't messed up with Cheryl a few years ago, you'd be married already." "Cheryl and I are friends Dad," Josh cringed inwardly. If his dad only knew. Cheryl was the queen bitch, and he thanked God every day he didn't have to speak to her again. "We're just friends. Jess and I? We're not even friends; bitter enemies is more on target. So, just stop, okay?" "Is it so wrong that I want my son to get married someday, and have a couple of kids while I am still around to see them? I didn't think that it was. Maybe, your too selfish to care about anyone but yourself." "Dad, that's enough." Josh shouted, and stood. "I'm going to take a walk. Try to remember, you have your own life, and I've mine. So, stop it. I am not going to marry anyone, especially Jessica Mills. Is that understood?" Josh turned with out waiting for a response and left the house, letting the front door slam shut behind him. That meddling old man was going to be the death of him. Ever since Cheryl had broken up with Josh two years ago, he had been all over Josh about getting married and having a lot of kids. No way. He wasn't getting married for years and years. Maybe, not even then. "I'll be married to my work." He said out loud as he rounded the side of the house and headed toward the corral. "I'm just going to work on my riding skills for me." He told himself. "I don't want to impress anyone." He especially didn't want to impress that stuck up little girl that had given him nothing but misery since he got here. Chapter Six Six Weeks Later "You've got a visitor." Jim Mills stood behind Josh in the barn. Josh turned slowly, and looked at the man who had the most frustrating daughter in the world. "Me?" Josh asked, lowering the pitchfork he held in his hand to the ground. "Yeah. It's a woman." Shock was evident on Josh's face. Tossing the fork to the ground, he looked over at Jed, and nodded toward Jim. "He's got a visitor." Jim supplied for him. He looked back at Josh. "A woman." He said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and grinned. Josh shook his head and gestured for Jim to take the lead. For the past six and a half weeks, Josh had been a ranch "hand" as Jed referred to him. He simply thought of himself as doing chores so his father wouldn't have to worry about them or do them himself. Josh wanted to curse. He and his father hadn't really spoken since the argument about marriage six and a half weeks ago. They maintained polite conversation but nothing more. Jim had given them speculative glances as he watched their exchanges for the past weeks, regarding each of the two men with respect toward their business. Jess wasn't as subtle. No, she had gone right up to Josh and demanded to know why he was being so "incredibly rude to that poor sweet older man." "Believe me. If I told you, you would want to strangle that 'sweet older man.' He's a menace, and I will not let him get away with trying to run my life. He has to know I'm a grown man." Jess gave him an exasperated look. "You don't look so grown to me. You're only twenty one?" "Nice try. I'm twenty two." Josh had said to her. "Oh, my bad." Jess rolled her eyes and walked away from him. She hadn't really spoken to him either in the last few weeks. What was he supposed to have said? Oh, by the way, my father thinks you and I should get married and have a lot of children. So, how about it? No, he didn't think so. That wasn't going to happen. Josh let out a breath as he followed Jim from the barn toward the house. Jess had been almost constantly on his mind lately. It seemed like every time he did something she was there, making fun of him, or making a rude comment about his abilities. When she wasn't there making those comments, he wished she was. Now, where had that come from, he asked himself, as he stepped up on to the porch. Jess was just an annoying child, and so what if she made his heart rate jump ten notches just thinking about her. He was only going to be here another six weeks. It was still longer than he had expected to stay, anyway. He wouldn't let himself get too attached to anyone here or let them get very attached to him either. He was heading out to a foreign country, a third world country, where military battles raged in the streets of cities, not forests or deserts. Who knew? He could easily get shot, or stabbed for being a foreigner. "She's in the living room." Jim's voice shook Josh out of his thoughts. "Yeah, okay." Josh said, and walked past Jim into the living room. A small woman sat in a chair facing the opposite side of the room. The copper color of her hair shone brightly in the sunlight streaming in from a window at her side. She sat with her back to him, her foot lightly tapping on the hardwood floor. Her hair was slightly familiar, and the tapping only added to the familiarity. "Can I help you?" Josh said, stepping closer to the chair. The woman jumped out of the chair, to her feet, and spun around to look at him. Oh, God. No, not God. Holy shit. A wide smile spread across her face. "Josh-ie." Her voice was twangy and high pitched. "Cheryl?" He asked wearily, his voice involuntarily cracking. "Hi, honey!" she said and stepped forward, throwing herself into his arms and hugging him tightly. "What in the good Lord's name are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Texas somewhere? What are you doing in Montana?" Josh asked, totally befuddled. "Well, I heard you were here, so I thought I should come and visit you. My father has a ranch house up here, and I have been staying there for the last week overseeing some things." She hugged him again. "I am just so happy to see you. It's been way too long." She said. "Yeah," Josh said numbly. "Two years. You know, since we broke up?" "Well, you shouldn't dwell on the past." She told him in the voice he remembered as entirely too sweet and come hither. "What are you doing here?" "I wanted to see you." She insisted as she pulled away from him and looked at him. If Josh believed her, he did a good job of faking his face, and glaring at her with the look that said he didn't believe her. "Oh, all right. Your father called me." Rolling his eyes, Josh said, "I figured as much. He's never let me live down the fact that we broke up." Josh shook his head, and sat down on the couch. Leaning forward, he placed his head in his hands and sighed. He was going to get that old man someday. Just wait until he could get that old man alone, with out Jess- Oh, son of a- "You have to leave!" Josh yelled jumping up form the couch and towering over Cheryl. She shrugged. "I can't." She stated simply. "Why not?" Josh demanded. He had to get her out of here. If Jess saw him with Cheryl, she'd- no, he wasn't going to think about that. He knew what she would do. "You have to get out." "Well, I am here for a week so get used to it. There isn't even a plane back to Dallas for another three days. I'm stuck here." Josh shook his head stubbornly. That wasn't going to happen. He had to get her out of there, now. "Why? Have you met someone or something?" Her eyebrow raised at the possibility. "Look, Cheryl..." "Who is your friend?" Josh jumped a foot in the air at the sound of Jess's voice. Spinning around, he saw her face and jumped to the conclusion he had been trying to prevent. "It's not what it looks like!" "And, it looks like. .?" Jess asked. "NOTHING!" Josh shouted. Jess gave him a confused look. "Um, all right." Jess said, and after giving Cheryl an appraising look, disappeared into the kitchen. "I suppose that's a yes to my question. Congratulations. She's very pretty." Cheryl said, looking up at him. "I'm tired. I'm going to the room Mr. Mills gave me to stay in." With Cheryl's departure, Josh was alone in the room. Looking at the door Cheryl disappeared into and then to the door Jess disappeared into and yelled loudly. "AH!!" He let a fraction of the frustration he had pent up, out. Well damn, he'd need to scream a few hundred more times. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jess walked slowly into the large kitchen. Glancing around quickly, she was glad there was no one in the room. Walking slowly over to the sink, Jess leaned down, bracing her weight on her forearms and bowed her head. What was going on with her? When she had walked in to the living room to tell Josh that Jed needed him back in the stables as soon as possible, and saw Josh clinging on to some girl, she'd felt. . .she'd felt. . .oh hell, she'd just felt. What right did she have feeling this way? Josh didn't mean anything to her, so why? She didn't want him, but the thought of that other girl touching him sent red flags of alarm up and down Jess's spine. No, no one else could have him but her, but she didn't want him. Damn it, what was wrong with her? Jess tried to refocus her anger, aiming it directly at Josh. It was all his fault of course. If he hadn't been so, well so Josh, she surely wouldn't feel this way. Would she? "What the hell. . ." Jess turned when the sound of someone shouting at the top of his lungs echoed through the kitchen. She didn't think twice as she started toward the door, but when she reached for the handle, she pulled her arm back as if she had been burned. No, if Josh was injured or hurt in any way, he could at least crawl to the kitchen if he needed help. He didn't scream in pain anyway. No, that wasn't a scream of pain like she heard him give a week ago. When Maggie, the old mare that had belonged to her mother, kicked back and nailed Josh clean in the trousers, he had more than yelled in pain. No, he cursed worse than she ever had, and screamed every one of them on the top of his lungs. Jess smiled at the memory of Josh limping around like a cowboy who'd been in the saddle for too long. He'd walked like that until yesterday. Walking back over to the sink, Jess let her palms slide on to the cold white porcelain, as she watched out the window. It was being abnormally nice for summer. The sky was blue, not a cloud in sight, the wind at a minimum, just a faint breeze every now and again but nothing spectacular. Hell, they hadn't even had a thunderstorm in over four months. Hearing the front door slam, Jess saw Josh walk across her line of view and head directly for the stables. His stride was long and the way he held his body suggested that he didn't want to talk to anyone or do anything. Well, Jess thought with a grim smile, that is just too damn bad. Racing into the living room Jess grabbed her boots, and only stopped long enough to slide them on to her feet. A sudden smell caught her attention two seconds before she sneezed. The heavy floral scent nearly sent Jess to her knees. "Damn city women. If Josh wanted one of them, he should have left them in the city. He doesn't have any right inviting them out here." Jess scurried from the room, lest she sneeze again. When she reached the stables two minutes later, Jess didn't see Josh anywhere inside. Stepping in, the familiar sent of horses and hay filled her nostrils, bringing with it a smile of appreciation. What else could a girl ask for than a father who loved her, a horse farm that was flourishing, and a boy who- wait a minute. A boy who what, Jess? She asked herself. "I swear to high heaven, if I don't get out of here soon I'll kill someone." Josh's muttering came from Maggie's stall. "You know what I mean, Maggie? I mean you've been here longer than I have so you have to." Jess slowed down and peaked inside the stall. Josh was brushing Maggie, his sweat soaked Stetson rode low on his forehead, displaying a tanned neck with beads of sweat trickling down to his shoulders. Jess forced herself to swallow. He wasn't wearing his shirt. His back was to her, but every move he made accentuated the muscles he had earned while working for her father. He wasn't the flabby boy he was when he had first arrived there. He was tanned now, not the albino looking thing he was when he had arrived. His back flowed with his muscles. Jess forced herself to exhale. She must of exhaled louder than she thought. Josh turned and peered up at her, his eyes piercing hers. "Jess." Josh stared in shock at Jess. She stood in the stall doorway chest heaving with each breath she took. She looked mad as a hornet and as appealing as water to a dying man in the desert. He straightened slowly coming to his full height and looked out at her. "What do you need?" Josh was surprised at the harshness of his voice. Forcing himself to relax, he tipped his hat up so he could better see her. Jess stood there staring at him as if she had never seen him before. Jess stepped into the stall, closing the stall door behind her. Stepping close to him, she stopped with in a foot and a half of him. "Who is she?" Her voice was a whisper. Josh's heart fell, and he dropped his head, before looking back up at her again. Her face was turning a light shade of pink, her eyes taking on a stormy quality. Falling in the Rain "Do you really want to know?" When she didn't say anything and didn't move, Josh sighed and concluded that she did. "Her name is Cheryl O'Brien. She is an ex-girlfriend my dad never let me forget. He asked her to come up here, and she did." When a hurt look appeared in her eyes, Josh knew he had achieved the one thing he had been telling himself to avoid. "I begged her to leave, I really did. Please, believe me, Jess." With out thinking, he closed the distance between them and took her shoulders into his hands. "Jessica, I don't want to be anywhere near her anymore. Can you believe me?" "You looked pretty comfy locked in that hug. She looked nearly as blissful as you did." Jess said stepping backwards, hoping he would drop his hands from her shoulders. Wrong, he followed her instead. "We don't mean anything to each other," Josh tried to explain. "Liar." "What do you want me to do? Apologize for something as stupid as a hug?" He hadn't meant to shout his question. "No, you idiotic, chauvinistic, arrogant-" Jess screamed at him. "I apologize! There are you happy now? I'm sorry." Josh yelled at her, letting his anger control his words for the moment. "Fine!" "Fine!" Jess turned to walk away from him, but Josh grabbed her by the shoulders again and made her face him. "Let me go!" Jess looked up in to his eyes as she struggled against him. Josh thought he had died. Looking into those ghostly blue eyes that belonged to Jess, he felt oddly complete, and it scared the hell out of him. Changing his focus from her eyes to her mouth. "What are you thinking about?" Jess asked abruptly, her voice a strangled whisper. "I'm thinking about kissing you." His whisper was just as strangled as hers. "DON'T!" Jess suddenly screeched in his ear. "Why not, Jess?" he asked, pulling his head away, from her screech. "Cuz I said no, you stupid, pig headed, ass-" Josh's lips closed off her protests. His lips were hard on hers, almost forceful with out actually being forceful. Sighing against his lips, Jess suddenly felt limp. She let Josh hold her up as he kissed her. Josh felt her go all pliant on him and softened his kiss. Slowly he pulled his lips away, and began to nibble on her lips tenderly. He couldn't believe he had gone this long with out giving in to his urge to kiss her. Now that he had, he had been richly rewarded. Pulling his face away from hers, he looked down into her face. Her eyes were closed, her checks slightly blushed. She looked beautiful. "Your so beautiful," Josh murmured, and caressed her cheek with the rough palm of his hand. At his soft touch, Jess opened her eyes, and felt completely undone. "Sorry. Hands are a little rough from all the work." He explained, hopefully she wouldn't mind. He leaned his forehead down until they were touching. Sliding hid head down, he rested it in the crest of her shoulder and neck. Inhaling her scent, he prayed that if this was a dream, that he never wake up. Jess stepped away, as if she had herd his prayer. Josh looked up, watching her back away. She backed away enough that he stopped laying his head on her shoulder, but not enough that he let her go. "I. . .I should g-go," Jess mumbled as she stepped out of his arms and rushed toward the exit. She quickly ran the distance separating the barn from the house. Running into the house, Jess crashed into the kitchen. Almost crashing into Maria. "Sorry Maria," Jess said, and watched the little Mexican woman shake her head. "Slow down, senorita Jess." Maria smiled at her and walked out the kitchen door and toward the hen house. "Jess, is there something wrong? Do you want to talk about it?" Jess sighed and shook her head. Walking over to the kitchen counter, she tried not to replay what had just happened in her mind and failed. Heat flooded to her cheeks, and stayed there. What was going on with her? Her stomach felt like it had butterflies in it, and her heart was racing quicker than it ever had. Her blood felt hot rushing through her veins, and she felt herself trembling all over. Placing a hand on her forehead, she felt for a temperature. Nothing out of the ordinary. She could just be hungry. She nodded to herself, thinking that would be an acceptable solution to the problem. Walking over to the refrigerator, she opened it and stared inside blindly. Feeling her stomach roll, she closed it quickly. No, she wasn't hungry. The mere thought of food made her suddenly nauseated. What was it then? The answer was sudden and obvious. Josh. "Thought you were outside. Swear I just saw you walking out to the stable." Jess jumped at the sound of her father's voice. It had been a long time since anyone had snuck up on her. Her hearing was so sound that she usually heard anyone who approached. Gripping the door handle of the refrigerator tightly, Jess squeezed her eyes shut tightly. "I was. I came back." She answered just as tightly. "I came back to the house to tell Josh he was needed back in the stables. I walked in on him and his girlfriend embracing." "How do you know it was his girlfriend. Maybe, she was just a friend." "Highly doubtful." "Oh? Why do you say that?" "Because, when I first walked into the room, Josh was embracing her, so I walked out so he could have his privacy. When I came back a few minutes later, they were still embracing. If that is a definition of a friend, then I don't want one." Jess sat down next to her father at the kitchen table. Laying her hands on the table, she laid her head on top of them. If that were true, she said to herself, then why the hell was he kissing her? "Not feeling well?" Jim interrupted her thoughts and brought her careening back into the present. "A little stomach upset and a headache." When Jim Mills didn't answer. Jess looked up to find him smirking. "What?" She asked her father, totally befuddled. Her father didn't want her to not feel well did he? "Looks like my daughter got bit by the green monster." "Huh?" "Jealousy." "What me? Jealous? Of. . .?" "Cheryl." Jess laughed nervously. If he only knew. "Yeah. That's right. I'm jealous of a big haired, city girl, who smells like the city she came from." Jess sneered. "Yeah, I'm so jealous." Jess said sarcastically and shook her aching head. No, she felt like crap for kissing another girls' boyfriend. Jim shook his head in return. "Not of her," he corrected, "but because Josh likes her." Jess gave him a blank look. "And he doesn't like me? Is that what you are trying to say?" "No, I'm sure that Josh likes you just fine." Jim corrected again. "But Josh likes her likes her." Jim said with emphasis. "Understand now?" He asked. At Jess's odd look, he knew without an answer that she didn't. "Hardly." Jess answered, thinking her father was completely off his rocker. Her? Why would she be jealous of whom ever Josh held affection for. They'd just kissed, and that didn't mean anything. It's not like she loved him or anything. That would be different. Wouldn't it? "Let's go to the movies tonight, Jess." Jim said. "Just you and me. Come on. It'll be fun." Jim looked pleadingly at his daughter. "I suppose." Jess agreed and headed up to her room after giving her father a quick hug. She was hoping she wouldn't have to see another living soul until she left with her father. Closing the door, she stepped over to her closet, and pulled out the only dress she ever recalled owning. The knee length blue dress had belonged to her mother. Jess only wore it on the special occasions that she went into town for a movie or dinner with her dad. Chapter Seven Josh continued to muck out each of the stalls in turn, and before he realized it, night had over taken the countryside. "Hey, kid," Jed said. The older man walked into the last stall Josh had begun to clean. "You almost done in here?" He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the job the he had done. "Yeah, I'm just finishing up in here. Couldn't take me more than ten more minutes." Josh said as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Good," Jed nodded. "When your done, clean up the tack room, and you can head on up to the main house and get some grub, okay?" Josh nodded almost absent mindedly, and turned back to the duty at hand. "Oh, and, kid," turning back to Jed, Josh felt sweat drip down his cheek and spatter on to his sweat encrusted t-shirt. "Good job on the stalls. They haven't been this clean since Jim cleaned them last, and that was a while ago." Jed turned on his heel and left Josh to finish his duties. Turning back to the job at hand, Josh tried once again for the umpteenth time to focus on the job and not that infuriating little minx that had his boxers in a bunch. When she fled after his kisses, Josh had experienced a wide variety of emotions. First disappointment because his wish hadn't come true, then amusement that she had fled so suddenly. Soon after he was in denial. He simply couldn't believe he had done that. Just kiss her like that with no swaveness in it, nothing. Now he was into anger. Not with Jess, but self directed. How could he do that? She'd never really been around guys, and he'd taken total advantage of that. God, did that make him a letch? Hang on a tick, Josh suddenly thought, she didn't exactly stop him. Maybe she had wanted him to kiss her. Anger lifted from Josh's mood, replaced by mild curiosity. Would she want him to kiss her again? That was a possibility worth thinking about. ~~~~~~~~~~~ When Josh opened the door to the kitchen a little while later, Jess was leaning causally next to the kitchen sink, sipping hot coffee. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress, and was eyeing Cheryl, who sat at the table arrogantly sipping her own cup of coffee. Disgust and disapproval shone bright in her eyes, although masked on her face. "Why don't we look fancy?" Josh teased gently as he walked into the kitchen. Jess looked up at him with disdain for him showing clearly on her face. She could mask her distaste for Cheryl, but not for him. Great, this was going to be fun, Josh thought with stifled sarcasm. The only thing better than mucking out the stalls all day, then cleaning the tack room, was coming home with a scorned woman inside, or worse, Jess on PMS. "You don't look,-" Jess sniffed and her nose wrinkled, "or smell that fancy." Josh rolled his eyes, and shook his head. Looking at Jess, he found himself unable to pull his eyes away from her. She was just to darn pretty to ignore. "You're staring." Cheryl pointed out. "Can you blame a guy?" He asked in self defense, never looking away from Jess. "She's the best looking thing I've seen in six weeks." Then, two things happened that he hadn't believed could ever happened. Jess blushed and Cheryl told him to get a room, and left the kitchen. He should have figured that little trick out earlier. "What about your girlfriend? Chelsea?" Jess prodded, nodding to the still swinging door she had exited from. "She doesn't count. She's a something I gave up with out so much as a qualm two years go." Josh smiled, and sat down at the kitchen table. "You look really good, Jess." Too damn beautiful for your own good, Josh thought as he looked at her, blushing lightly. Why was this happening to him now? He didn't need an infatuation, not when he was leaving soon. "Thanks." The thank-you was unexpected and almost inaudible. Josh wasn't sure if he had heard it or if it was his imagination until Jess looked up from her folded hands at his face, expectantly. "For what? The compliment?" "Yes. It was kind of you." She said averting her attention to her coffee cup once again, fiddling with the handle. "So, what's the occasion anyway?" "Dad and I are going to a movie in town." "Mind if I tag a long?" He asked, his enthusiasm clear. "Could be fun." Jess was prepared to turn him down flat, but he had just said something really nice about her, so maybe she wasn't as ready to turn him down as she thought. "What about Chelsea?" "Cheryl won't go. She doesn't like to go out very much unless it's to a party of some sort. Rich girls like parties." Josh rolled his eyes. "One of the reasons we were never really matched. She likes the sicioety sh- stuff, and I am a much more go to the movies and chill at home with Chinese food, kinda guy." "Oh." Jess wasn't prepared for a rebuttal for that comment. "Do you think I could go?" Josh asked again when Jess didn't elaborate on her short reply. "I guess so." "Great," Josh said, "I'll just go take a quick shower and change." "Okay." Josh stood and headed toward the door, knowing full well Jess's eyes were on his back as he retreated. Turning abruptly, Josh flashed her a wide grin, a very male grin and winked before letting the door close behind him. What was wrong with him? He'd been acting like this for the last few days; winking at her before leaving a room and smiling unexpectedly at her all the time. Jess shook her head. Whatever was happening with him, needed to stay with him. Jess stood up to go tell Josh he couldn't come with her and her father to the movie just as Jim walked through the kitchen door. "That was really nice of you, Jessica, inviting Josh to come with us to the movie. I'm proud of you." Jim smiled down at Jess with a loving look only a father could give. "Uh, thanks, Pop." Jess said, ashamed she had almost made it out the door to tell Josh he couldn't go. "Well, when I ran in to Josh, almost literally, I was on my way to cancel our date. I'm sorry, honey. I'm tired tonight, and I think I'm just going to go to bed early. Now that you and Josh are going though, you should go and have fun." "Pop, if your not feeling well, I'm just gonna stay and keep you company." Pushing away from the counter, she sat down next to her father at the kitchen table. Placing her coffee on the table, she began to reach for her father. "No, Jess." Jim's voice was stern. "Why is this such a big deal?" "It's not." Jim assured her. "I just want you and Josh to go out and have a good time." Jim slouched in his chair slightly, and sighed. "That's not all Jess. Josh is leaving soon," Jim confided, "Roger is really going to miss him when he leaves." "When is he leaving?" Everyone on the ranch had heard Josh's spiel on third world countries and why he was going there. He had planned to leave weeks ago but remained. Jess had forgotten he was leaving at all. The reminder was a wake up call. "I'm not sure. Next week, the week after." Jim shrugged his shoulders. "It really doesn't matter to Rog. All he figures is that his son is leaving, and let's face facts here, Jessica. He may not come back." At that slow ominous tone in her father's voice, Jess felt a shudder run through her. "For the rest of the time that Josh is here, I want you two to become at least friends." Jess stared down at her coffee cup on the kitchen table, Josh may not come back. The realization flowed through her. It was the least she could do, be nice to her father's friend. She could be nice to him. Jim suddenly shrugged his shoulders. "Now that you two are going to a movie together, I think you should get to know one another better." Jim began to dig in his jean pockets before pulling out a wad of bills and setting them in front of Jess. "Here," he said, gesturing to the bills, "go to Georgio's in town, and get some pizza or something else Italian, after the movie." "I don't think that's a good idea, Pop." "I think it is." "I'm not going to take Josh on a date." "I'm still your father, young lady," Jim reminded her, "and your not taking Josh on a date. He's taking you on one." ~~~~~~~~~~ Josh quickly peeled off the sweat encrusted clothing he worked in all day and stepped into the shower. He took the quickest shower of his life and jumped out. He dressed in his favorite jeans and a regular white undershirt with a plaid blue long sleeve shirt over it. Leaving the first three buttons open, he tucked the shirts into his pants as he shoved his feet into his Nike cross trainers. Running full force out of the door, he nearly knocked Cheryl over. "Whoa!" He said as he skidded to a stop in front of her. "Where are you going all dressed up?" Cheryl inquired with a sneer. "Cow tipping or on a manure run?" Josh looked into her face and remembered why he had broken up with her. She was an awful person, and he couldn't stand looking at her. "Look, Cheryl, I don't have time for this or you. I have to go." "I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm going back to Dallas." "So?" Josh inquired. "Does it look like I care?" "Don't be cold, Josh. It isn't very becoming. Well, I was thinking that you could come into my room tonight. We meshed very well in bed. I think we mesh very, very well in bed." She added running a suggestive finger down his shirt front. "Actually, Cheryl, thanks, but no thanks. Not interested." "What?" She practically shouted as she snapped back as if he had slapped her. "What do you mean your not interested? Have you turned gay since we broke up?" With out waiting for a response, she continued. "It's that Jessica girl, isn't it?" "You don't know what your talking about." Josh stated angrily. "Oh, I don't?" Cheryl put her hands on her hips and thrust her chest toward him, as if trying to entice him. Little did she know she was hamburger and Jess was his filet mignon. "No." Pushing her out of the way, Josh quickly continued on his way. Running down the stairs, Josh hoped Cheryl wouldn't follow him. Breaking into a dead run when he hit the main floor, he burst into the kitchen with the force of a small tornado. Jess sat at the kitchen table. She looked awful pale. "You feeling all right?" "Yeah," Jess said. Standing quickly, she grabbed a wad of something from the table top and headed out the back door. "Come on. Let's get a move on." Jess said over her shoulder, not really looking back at him. "Wait, Jess," Josh said. "What about your Dad?" "He decided not to go. He's tired." Jess mumbled under her breath, as she let the screen door slam behind her. "Wait Jess," Josh touched her shoulder gently. Turning Jess looked up at him, a look completely foreign to him on her face. "Jess, did I do something? You look like your pissed at me or something." "Why does everything have to revolve around you, Josh? Could it be that maybe I'm fine? That maybe I just want to go?" Letting her temper get the best of her for a moment, Jess ranted. Between Chelsea or Christi or whatever her name was, hugging Josh like nobody's business, and then Dad telling her she was actually jealous of her, Jess felt like pulling her hair out. "Why do you hate me so much?" Josh demanded in a rush. "I don't hate you!" Jess fumed at him. "You make me crazy!" Jess hit her forehead with the palm of her hand as she spoke, emphasizing her point. "Yeah," Josh said, looking remarkably solemn suddenly. Touching her shoulder, Josh leaned closer to her. "You make me crazy too. Crazy for you. . ." Before Jess could respond, Josh leaned down and grazed his lips against hers. When she didn't deny him, Josh pulled her closer and kissed her fully. When he finally pulled away, Jess's eyes were closed and she leaned her body against him, and her arms had wound their way around his neck. Strange how he didn't remember any of that happening. Opening her eyes abruptly, Jess pulled away from him and almost ran out the door. It looked as if she had the devil chasing her. This was going to be one hell of a night, Josh thought, smiling ruefully. And damn him to hell if he wasn't looking forward to it. Chapter Eight The ride to the movie was quiet with hardly any word spoken between them. Josh took his truck, figuring he should use it, since he hadn't driven it since he arrived on the ranch weeks earlier. When the silence finally got to him, Josh turned the stereo on and hit the compact disc button. He didn't remember what was in the player, but it was his truck, his music, so he'd like what ever was in there.