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The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 01

By: MissKris14



I could think of a million better ways to spend my summer. Three of my girlfriends were shopping in Paris at this very moment, while I sat sprawled out in the backseat of our minivan, listening to my father singing along with the Rolling Stones and Luke and my mother chatting aimlessly with Lucy, my younger sister. In all honesty, I would have rather been heading anywhere else. Of all the places to take a family vacation, my parents chose a dude ranch in the middle of Nowhere, New Mexico, where, they had noted excitedly, we'd be able to ride horses and learn how to square dance. How thrilling.

We'd already driven two hundred miles that morning, and we still had another six hundred to go. We wouldn't reach the ranch until that evening, and it looked like I was going to die of boredom before then. My parents said that flying would have ruined part of the whole vacation experience. Apparently driving through desert for eleven hours and watching ungodly amounts of sand and cacti go by was something necessary I had to go through in order to fully appreciate life. 

I peered out the window through my sunglasses while twirling a lock of blonde hair, daydreaming about little cafés around the corner from the Eiffel Tower and trying to figure out how I was going to survive two weeks living in a cabin with nothing outside but dirt and farm animals. Apparently this was a fully functioning cattle ranch, meaning that its purpose wasn't solely for guests and tourists, although I think that was supposed to be part of the appeal. The rest of my family seemed to be in the spirit. My dad had bought us all cowboy hats and both Lucy and my mom were sporting new western-style boots. Even Luke seemed excited about going. He'd taken vacation time off work to go with us, which I admit, was one nice thing about this trip. I'd barely seen my older brother since he'd started working after he finished college.

It wasn't long before Lucy tried to draw me into conversation. "Kira, do you think there will be any guys there?" At fifteen, my sister had a one-track mind.

I smiled. "No, it's going to be an all-female ranch," I replied back sarcastically.

She gave a long, dramatic sigh. "You know what I mean."

Luke decided to jump in. "It doesn't matter how many guys are there because if any of them so much as looks the wrong way at my baby sister, they're going to see what the inside of a horse's ass looks like."

"Luke!" my mother exclaimed while my dad laughed. 

"Does that go for both sisters?" I asked, smiling.

"Darn tootin'," Luke turned and gave me a wink. He was five years older than me, and even though we were now nineteen and twenty-four, he still liked to pretend that I needed his protection -- one of his more endearing qualities...most of the time. 

We drove for what seemed like an eternity, stopping only for gas, food, and the occasional "I have to pee" from Lucy, who'd gone through about five water bottles that day. We got off the freeway around seven and drove along a dirt road for a half hour. This place truly was in the middle of nowhere. The sun was setting as we pulled off the track, under an archway that had "Waterman Ranch" engraved on it. 

As we drove in, the first thing I noticed was how big the place was. Huge amounts of green and brown pasture lay sprawled out around what seemed to be the main part of the ranch, where there were clusters of guest cabins in the distance and a giant house that stood in the middle of stables and corrals. Horses were out galloping in fenced areas and being herded into a large red barn by ranch hands. Groups of people that mostly looked like guests were walking into the big house, which would have looked like a mansion if it weren't made out of wood. There was an extensive porch that swept across three sides of the building, and many lingered outside sipping drinks and talking. 

After parking the car and grabbing the luggage, we were led to the cabin which the five of us were going to be packed into. To my surprise, it wasn't that small. There was a decent-sized living room with a kitchen that offset it. The main room was furnished with wooden sofas and chairs, and had a fireplace with a large rug in front. In addition, there were two bedrooms. I'd be sharing a room with Lucy, and Luke would take the extra bed in my parents' room. 

I put down my suitcase and walked into the bedroom. Two twin beds were placed about eight feet apart, and I chose the one on the edge of the room that sat directly next to a window. After sitting down and testing the bed, which actually felt quite comfy, I opened the window curtain and looked outside. Although it was dark, I could still see pretty well. In the distance, I saw men on horses leading cows into the stable. Others were walking toward the large house that sat in the center of the ranch, where a large amount of people were gathering. Small, colorful orbs hung in the air between the buildings now, and I realized they were paper lanterns, lit up in hues of red, green, blue and yellow. 

My mom came into the room and looked out the window with me. "You know everyone gets together at that main house at night. They call it, 'The Lodge', and there's music and dancing. I think we should all head out there, it will be fun!" How a middle-aged woman who had been up since six in the morning had so much energy, I had no idea, but that was my mother.

"Tonight? Don't we need to unpack?" I asked in a voice that made it clear I was less than enthused.

"You know, I'd think after twelve hours in the car today, you'd want to walk around for a little while," she answered, smiling.

She did have a point. A half hour later, all five of us were heading into the big ranch house. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting. The house looked big from the outside, but the inside seemed huge, and as soon as we walked in, I could see why they named it, "The Lodge". It looked like the lobby of a large hunting lodge. There was one main room, completely decked out in western decor. A fiddle band played in the corner while people danced on the hardwood floors in the center of the room, and there was a bar off to the side, where ladies in cowboy hats were serving food and drinks. The walls were decorated with things like antlers and pictures of the ranch from years ago, and paper lanterns like the ones outside provided an extra bit of glow to the already bright room. I had to admit, the place had character.

Shuffling over from the bar, a tall, slightly stout man, probably in his mid-fifties, introduced himself as the owner of the ranch. "You must be the new guests...the Davis family?" His voice was deep and booming. "I'm Jack Waterman, the owner of the ranch, and we're all pleased to have you here. If there's anything at all that I can do to make your stay more enjoyable, well then you just let me know." He was wearing a white, button-down shirt, large cowboy hat, boots, and he sported a thick salt and pepper mustache. While exchanging pleasantries with my parents, he had a big grin on his face.

"These are our daughters, Kira and Lucy," my mother introduced us to Mr. Waterman, thrilled that the owner of the ranch himself was getting to know us. "And my son Luke is over at the bar. We've been driving all day from southern California, but we had to come tonight and see what we were missing here."

"Our motto here at the ranch is ride hard during the day, and dance even harder in the evening," Mr. Waterman replied proudly. The man looked tough, but once he started talking he actually came across as very sweet. "This kind of shindig goes down every night and usually lasts for awhile. It's a great way to get to know the staff and the other guests. You all make yourselves at home, and don't forget to get up early tomorrow for the trail rides."

"Oh! Trail rides!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly, turning to my mom who nodded with her. I seemed to be the only one in the family who wasn't thrilled to have the chance to act like a cowboy...or cowgirl...for two weeks.

After a few more minutes of chatter, Mr. Waterman went over to greet others, while my parents started dancing. Everyone in the room seemed to be into the whole western theme, wearing clothing like jeans and boots and such. I felt extremely out of place in my blue cotton dress and flip flops. I didn't know that I would need to dress more appropriately on the first night here. Unlike normal families that would want to sleep after twelve hours of driving, mine wanted to learn the two-step.

"Alright ladies, which one of you wants to be the first to dance with me?" Luke was back from the bar, beer in hand, which seemed to be the drink of choice judging by what everyone else in the room was sipping. Lucy looked at me with a kind of pleading smile.

"You guys go ahead and dance away," I replied, relieved. I may have spent an entire day in the back of a van, but the last thing I wanted to do now was show off how gloriously bad I was on the dance floor. The room was starting to spin anyway, and I grew hot under the bright lights. The loud music wasn't helping either. "I think I'm just going to go sit out on the porch and get some fresh air," I tried to sound as though I was having fun. I wasn't.

The porch was much better though since I had never been one for large, noisy crowds. I leaned against the railing and gazed out at the ranch, which was a lot emptier now than it had been earlier. Others walked behind me, laughing and talking. The one thing I did love out here was that you could see the stars more clearly than I'd ever seen them before. Los Angeles was not exactly an ideal place for stargazing.

But then something more interesting, and dare I say even more beautiful than the night sky, caught my eye. A lone horse was running through a corral a small ways in the distance. Furiously tossing its head and bucking wildly, it seemed to be doing everything in its power to throw the rider who was trying to tame it. Even though the fenced area was lit, it was still dark and far enough away to the point where I couldn't see a lot of detail. Taking one quick look back into the Lodge where my family was laughing and dancing, I decided that walking up a little closer to get a better look wasn't going to hurt. Watching a crazy horse try and kill someone seemed much more interesting than what was going on here.

I walked down the steps of the porch and started making my way toward the corral. I don't think anyone saw me because it was pretty dark outside. Not wanting to be caught spying, I hid in the shadow behind the edge of the red barn that was stationed next to the area with the wild horse. Standing there, I poked my head around the corner.

My breath caught in my throat. Sitting upon the jet black stallion was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. His hair was as dark as the horse's, and he was tall -- maybe 6'3" or 6'4", I couldn't tell exactly because he was atop the mount. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and even though the night air was cool, his tanned skin glistened with evidence of the physical exertion of training a horse. All I could see was lean, hard muscle, rippling and straining in effort to handle the untamed beast. His legs tense under his faded jeans, cowboy boots digging into the sides of the horse, it was a wonder I could even stand because my legs felt like jelly. I clutched the edge of the barn for support. 

When he turned the horse around and his face came clearly into view, I only caught a glimpse of it before I quickly tucked myself behind the wall of the barn so he couldn't see me. A glimpse wasn't going to be enough. Reminding myself that it was dark, I slowly poked my head out again. His face was as hard as the rest of him, but incredibly handsome. I could see the determination in his eyes, and while he was straining to try and handle the horse, fixed in concentration, I could tell he was enjoying the challenge.

Completely absorbed, I stood there watching him for about ten minutes. The horse finally started to settle down, or at least it wasn't bucking as furiously as before. Five more minutes went by and the man swung his leg over the saddle and jumped off the steed. Still holding the reins firmly in his hand, he started patting the horse's mane while gently trying to sooth it.

"Shhh, attaboy. You're alright now, shhh..."

His voice was low, deep and smooth. As I watched his strong hands expertly guide the reins and rub the horse's neck, I imagined what those hands would feel like running all over me. Watching him made me astutely aware of my own body, which at this point felt feverish. 

He started walking the horse toward the stables...the stables I was standing right outside of! Snapping out of my fantasy world, I quickly realized that I needed to get back to the Lodge, or else be caught out here alone by the handsome horse trainer. When he was inside the barn with the horse, I briskly walked back toward the ranch house in the darkness, mulling over what I had just seen. 

Perhaps this vacation wouldn't be so bad after all if the ranch hands all looked like that! My instinct though told me he was something special. I lived in California and had seen plenty of gorgeous men. I'd never seen anyone like that before...or at least someone who made me feel like I suddenly didn't have any innards. What was wrong with me? The idea of a cowboy wasn't even particularly attractive...but I was attracted to that cowboy, there was no denying that. 

When I got back to the Lodge, I found out I had been missed. "Where have you been?" asked Luke who was nursing another beer just inside the doors to the main room. 

"I just decided to take a little walk. You know, look around the place." I tried to sound casual, but I don't think it worked. Luke raised an eyebrow suspiciously. 

"Where are Mom, Dad and Lucy?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Around here somewhere. Dad was dancing with Lucy last time I saw him. I think Mom made some new friends."

As he said that, I noticed my mother about thirty feet away, chatting with a woman who looked to be around her age, maybe slightly older. The woman was taller and had dark brown hair with some grey threaded through it, and like everyone else, she wore jeans, boots and a cowboy hat. Mom saw Luke and me, and motioned us to head over.

"Kira, Luke, this is June Waterman, Mr. Waterman's wife," my mom introduced us to the lady who co-owned the ranch. 

"I'm very pleased to meet the two of you," she smiled as she greeted us. "It's not often we get visitors from California at this place. Usually it's mostly locals from across New Mexico, and sometimes Arizona and Texas. I'm surprised you L.A. folks are interested in vacationing at a dude ranch."

Trust me, I'm not. I wanted to say it, but of course I just smiled and nodded my head. Mrs. Waterman seemed very nice. The least I could do was pretend like I wanted to be here.

As she was discussing different aspects of the ranch, Mrs. Waterman stopped in midsentence, looking across the room to the entry doors. "Ah, Tripp! There you are!" she exclaimed, a glowing, happy look in her eyes. 

I turned around to see who she was calling to. I wished I hadn't. I wished I'd just gone back to the cabin after my escapade by the barn. I wished at that moment I was invisible. 

He was wearing a shirt now, at least there was that. In the light, he was even more beautiful than he was twenty minutes ago. His eyes were a forest green, and he was sporting a five o'clock shadow that gave him a rougher look. You could tell he'd just been through hell. He was dirty and his black hair that fell past his ears was tousled, although now there was a brown Stetson upon his head. 

I didn't know what to do. Did I have time to quickly excuse myself and get away? If that man came near me, I wouldn't be able to string two words together coherently. I doubted I'd even be able to talk. As he walked over to where we were standing, he quickly stopped by the bar, where one of the waitresses handed him a beer and gave him one of the biggest, most obviously flirtatious smiles I'd ever seen. Soon he was giving Mrs. Waterman a hug and kissing her on the cheek with a loving look in his eyes. While he was hard and rugged, he looked more boyish when he smiled. And then that mouth of his opened and I heard his voice again.

"June, I'm only stopping in real quick for a drink. I'm worn out something fierce." He talked with a light southern drawl, which I thought was unusual since we were in New Mexico. I watched as he took a long swallow from his beer. He cocked his head back slightly as his strong jaw moved to swallow the liquid. I couldn't look away, not even if I wanted to. 

"You look horrible," Mrs. Waterman was laughing as she said it. The woman must have been crazy, I thought he looked like heaven incarnate. "Look at you, what have you been doing?"

"Just trying to break in that damn horse some more. I like doing it at night. Less hot, and not as many people around."

"Well I want you to meet Lisa Davis, she's here with her family from Los Angeles. They just got in a couple hours ago."

"Evening, ma'am," he smiled as he shook her hand. I had never been jealous of my mother before, but at that moment, I was. 

My mom smiled back. "This is my son, Luke, and my eldest daughter, Kira. I've got a husband and another daughter running around here somewhere." 

Tripp looked to Luke and nodded, and then he turned to me. The smile that was there when he'd addressed my mom and brother faltered a little. Oh god, what had I done, what was I doing wrong? Was I even standing up? My whole body felt like liquid as his eyes met mine for the first time. He didn't say anything, didn't even nod as he'd done with Luke.

"Tripp Carson," he finally said as if only talking to me, still staring into my eyes for two seconds before jerking his head back to smile again at my mom. "Very pleased to meet ya'll. I do need to hit the sack though," he turned to look at Mrs. Waterman. "I'm heading out early tomorrow to move the cattle."

Mrs. Waterman nodded. "Alright, you get off to bed. And do yourself a favor and take a shower first," she teased him. 

His eyes locked with mine one more time before he turned and walked toward the door. It was for no more than a half-second, but it was enough to further burn the image of his gaze in my mind for the rest of the night. After he walked away, Mrs. Waterman started talking about him.

"Tripp's like a son to Jack and I. His folks died in a car accident when he was twelve. Being good family friends and having known him since he was a baby, we took him in when they died. He didn't have anyone else. He runs this ranch probably more than we do now. I've never in my life seen someone with such a natural way with horses," she bragged.

"How awful to lose your family at such a young age," my mother said sympathetically. 

"It was hard on him at first, but he was strong and he loves the ranch. Loves Jack and I too, always has. As I said, he's like the son we never had. We never were able to have children of our own."

I listened intently to what Mrs. Waterman was saying. I had seen firsthand at how adept Tripp was at handling horses. Any other man would have been thrown off that black buck within thirty seconds...but not Tripp Carson. Tripp Carson...even the name itself sounded like one of a cowboy. My heart panged when I heard of his parents, but I was also glad that he had found a family in the Watermans, who seemed like kind people.

An hour later, we all walked back to our cabin after my family finally wore themselves out. "Did you enjoy yourself, Kira?" my dad asked, noticing my black stare off into the night. I shrugged and gave him a weak smile, still lost in thought. 

Would I see him again? The ranch was big, but it wasn't enormous, and the man seemed to have a prominent role in the upkeep of the place. If I just kept my head down and stuck with my family, I was sure I wouldn't have anymore interactions with him. As I thought of that though, part of me ached. I wanted to see him again, even if I turned to liquid when he was near. 


The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 01



That night, as I snuggled under the large quilt that was placed on the cabin bed, I dreamt of green, seductive eyes that bore into my very soul when they looked at me. I dreamt of powerful arms enveloping me and strong hands doing wicked things to my body. I dreamt of Tripp Carson.



The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 02



It was just my luck that I would see him again the next day, bright and early. Lucy had wanted to go on a morning trail ride, and, being the nice daughter that I was, I let my parents sleep in and went with her. There were about fifteen of us riding up a mountain trail, and Lucy rode beside me on her white and brown pinto. Now although I had lived for almost twenty years, the closest thing I had ever ridden to a horse was a little pony at the petting zoo when I was six. To say I was inexperienced is an understatement. My horse was more jittery than I would have desired, but luckily we all stuck pretty close together and were going at a slow pace. I didn't have to do much, as the horses followed the trail guide -- a perky woman with red hair, probably in her mid-thirties. 

I was actually enjoying the scenery when suddenly I heard a horse galloping quickly up the mountain. Actually, the closer the sound got, the more it sounded like a few horses running toward us. The tour guide stopped as Tripp and another man who was wearing a red shirt emerged and rode up to her. Both men looked slightly worried. Tripp was wearing a grey cowboy hat, which hid his eyes pretty effectively. As soon as I saw who it was my heart stopped, and I prayed that he wouldn't see me. I sat on top of a horse, and if he looked at me the way he had last night, I'd probably fall off.

The man who rode with him was talking to the trail guide. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I got the feeling they were looking for someone when I heard the guide say, "I don't know where he is," exasperatedly. I remembered that Tripp had said he was moving cattle today. Perhaps there was some sort of mishap. 

As the man with the red shirt spoke some more to the guide, my horse decided to have somewhat of a fit. Quickly jolted from my train of thought, I gave a yelp in surprise as the thing rose slightly on its hind legs and began to furiously toss its head. The small scream caught everyone's attention. Now, not only did Tripp notice me, but the entire rest of the trail party was looking my way, including the guide and the man she was talking to. 

My first instinct was to drop the reins, grab the saddle horn and hold on for dear life. The next thing I knew though Tripp was beside me with my horse's reins in his hand. He gave them a quick little pull and let out a short whistle. Instantly, my horse stopped throwing itself around and calmly stood there, as if just a second ago it wasn't trying to kill me. It took a couple moments for me to realize that I was all right. Completely mortified, I slowly turned to the left where Tripp was sitting on his mount, holding my hat that he had caught as it fell off my head while the horse was bucking. He wasn't smiling exactly, but he had an amused gleam in his eyes.

"Don't drop the reins next time, California," he said as he handed me my hat, the corner of his mouth edging upward. I couldn't say anything while I sat there looking at him stupidly, bathing in embarrassment as I took my hat and the reins. For a second I thought I saw that look again, the one he gave me last night where I felt like I was sitting there naked. But then he was off, riding back along with the other man who had finished talking with the guide. 

"You know him?" my sister asked incredulously as we watched them ride away down the mountain. People were still looking at me, but I didn't really notice. It took me awhile to even register that Lucy was talking, I was in such a daze. Snapping back to reality, I placed my hat on my head and turned to my sister.

"Uh, well...we met briefly last night. June Waterman introduced him to Mom and Luke and I," ...Oh and I also hid by the barn like a creepy stalker and watched him frolicking on a horse with his shirt off for a good twenty minutes.

"Well he's really, really handsome!" Lucy whispered, giggling.

"Yeah, I suppose he's pretty decent looking," I said nonchalantly, laughing inside my head as it came out. To say the man was decent looking was like saying fire was a little warm.

I was thrilled at the way he called me, "California," signifying that he had at least taken enough notice last night to remember where we were from... though perhaps it just meant that he didn't remember my name. I wondered how old he was. He was younger, definitely no older than his late-twenties, but still I knew my parents would consider him too old for me, not that they had any jurisdiction over who I dated anymore. 

Why did I think of dating? We were only going to be here for two weeks, and if something developed with Tripp, it could be no more than a summer fling. It was only the morning of our first full day there, but already this little family vacation was proving to completely undo me. He scared me because of the way he made me feel when I was around him. I didn't have control over myself, something I never experienced before. I always prided myself on being a very collected, intelligent person. Hell, I could be downright witty at times... but all that flew out the window with a simple thought of that fierce, gorgeous cowboy. 

The rest of the trail ride was uneventful. After my encounter with Tripp, it went by pretty quickly, probably because I was daydreaming through it. Before I knew it, we were back down the mountain and dismounting from our horses so the ranch hands could lead them back into the corral. 

I spent a good part of that afternoon in the Lodge playing pool with Lucy and Luke in a smaller rec room above the main floor, trying to relax and enjoy myself. It was difficult because my mind kept wandering back to Tripp and how completely mortified I was at almost falling off my horse earlier. Later, I decided to go back to the cabin where I lay reading until I fell asleep. My parents woke me up around six when it was time to go to dinner. We all walked over to the picnic area outside one of the barns where tables were set up and people were eating barbeque. The Lodge was also full of people heading in to eat and start dancing. 

"Are we going back to the Lodge tonight for more dancing and stuff?" I asked my parents as we sat there, stuffing our faces with what I found were some of the best ribs I'd ever eaten. 

My mom looked up at me with surprise. I was supposed to be the one who was reluctant to join in any of the festivities of our vacation. "Sure we are. We can go right after dinner if you want," she said smiling.

In truth, the idea of spending time in the noisy, crowded hall held no appeal for me whatsoever... unless a certain cowboy was there for me to feast my eyes upon. 

* * * * *

"C'mon Kira, I want a dance!" My brother gave me one of his impish grins.

I laughed. "Luke, you know I've never been much of a dancer."

"Suit yourself," he shrugged as he turned and grabbed Lucy to spin her onto the floor. I watched as couples twirled around to the beat of the music that was being played through mounted speakers. Unlike last night, there was no live band in the corner. 

"So you don't dance, you don't ride horses...what is it that you do, California?"

Startled, I jumped as the voice spoke right behind me. I recognized the sexy southern drawl immediately and my heart started racing. He must have been near... how hadn't I noticed him? I had been on the lookout ever since we first walked in. As he came to stand beside me, I turned to look at him, trying to calm myself. He was wearing a navy blue dress shirt tucked into his jeans, and a black Stetson that matched his dark hair. It was happening again, his nearness was turning my brains into mush. 

"You scared me..." I stammered out, averting my eyes to the dance floor and trying not to stare, as he was doing. Perhaps I might be able to talk to him if I didn't look, although that might be rude. 

"I'm sorry," he said softly in an amused voice, almost whispering. His eyes weren't leaving me, and I swear I could physically feel his gaze.

I turned to look at him again, not knowing what to say. He was unbelievably sexy, standing there with one hand in the pocket of his jeans and the other holding a beer. I had to cock my head upward to look at him, as he was so tall. It was difficult to utter sound, let alone form words. This had the potential to turn into the most awkward conversation of my life. 

"Perhaps you'd let me make it up to you by buying you a drink," his confidence made me even more embarrassed at my obvious nervousness. Then I realized that he had come over and actually initiated conversation. Could he be even slightly interested? Maybe I was crazy, but that last bit had definitely sounded like a pick-up line. 

"Well um...I'm not exactly twenty-one yet." Oh god, why had I said that? 

He raised an eyebrow, a smile forming in the corners of his mouth. "And just how old are you, California?" He took a long sip from his beer.

Old enough to know that I want you to fuck my brains out. My inner monologue didn't have any problem expressing itself.

"Twenty...well...I'll be twenty...next month..." 

"Nineteen...good god, you're still a baby," he was smiling now.

I think it was the teasing that snapped me out of my extreme nervousness and gave me a little self-assurance. I was standing there with every sexual fantasy in the book running through my head, and he called me a child. I turned to look at him once more. "Nineteen is not that young, Mr. Carson," I scolded lightly.

"Mr. Carson?" he laughed now. "Well if that don't beat all. I suppose it's appropriate though since I am your elder."

"What you are is someone who is starting to get on my nerves." My frustration was playful.

"Well in that case, I think you should call me Tripp," he was still smiling. 

"Are you this personable with all the guests here?" 

"No, ma'am, just the ones who won't dance, can't drink, and don't know how to ride a horse." I tried to resist the urge to laugh. His teasing had a natural way of making me feel carefree.

Before I could respond, the man who had ridden with Tripp earlier that day came up to us. He looked concerned. "Tripp, Johnny needs you in the barn, he's having an awful time getting the foal to settle down." 

I looked to Tripp, who was sighing, his cheery nature quickly disappearing. Reluctantly it seemed, he put his beer down on the bar and turned to me. "Sorry, California, I gotta run," he tipped his hat, gave a small smile, and with that, he quickly walked out the door of the Lodge. 

Standing there by myself, I took a moment to run through my mind what had just happened. I smiled, recalling the easy way he spoke to me. Suddenly becoming warm remembering the way he looked as he stood next to me, I decided to go stand out on the porch. Maybe I would call it a night and head back to the cabin. With Tripp gone, I wasn't going to have any fun sitting in the Lodge, avoiding the dance floor. 

The night air was cool as I stepped outside, and I shivered slightly in my jean shorts and short-sleeved shirt that I'd changed into earlier that day when it had been hot. I looked toward the corral where Tripp had been training the horse yesterday. It was empty now, and completely dark. Yet my eyes were drawn to the barn on the side, where I had stood only about twenty-four hours ago, hiding. There was light coming from the inside and one of the doors was open. 

My curiosity got the better of me. I knew Tripp was in there, and I just wanted a quick peek. No one would see me, I reassured myself as I began to walk over. I wondered what had made Tripp seem so uneasy, and I had a feeling it had to do with the reason I had seen him on the trail that day. As I approached the barn, I heard a few voices talking quietly on the inside.

"I'm not gonna lie, Tripp, it's pretty bad," came the voice of what sounded like an older man. I walked up behind one of the closed doors and peered in, hoping no one was looking at the entrance to the barn.

Tripp was kneeling on the ground next to an animal stall that was open, his sleeves rolled up. I couldn't see very well, but it looked like he was rubbing something. Concern was written all over his handsome face. 

The other two men in the barn, the older one who had just spoken, and the one who I had seen on the trail earlier that day who had fetched Tripp at the Lodge, stood up on the inside of the stable. All the men were looking down at something on the ground. The older one began to talk again. "Have you considered that maybe the best thing is just to..."

"Yes," Tripp's voice was hard and curt. "We'll wait a while to see how it goes though. Just do all you can for now, Johnny."

The men talked for a few more minutes before Johnny and the other man walked out to leave. I immediately got scared since I was standing by the main door, but then I was relieved to see that they were going out the back way. Tripp stayed behind, and I continued to watch him, but then he stood and turned toward the front door where half of my head was in view. Quickly I snapped back behind the closed door, where he couldn't see me. I knew it was no use though, I was sure he had seen me. My fears were confirmed when he walked outside and stood next to me.

Instead of looking at me as he had in the Lodge, he looked out toward the ranch. "Do you always eavesdrop where you're not supposed to?" He didn't sound angry, just curious.

"I'm sorry...I was just walking back to my cabin, and I saw the lights on..." What had prompted me to come out here? I should have realized the decision would put me in this situation. At least the other men had left. However, now I was left alone in the dark with Tripp, and I felt more exposed and vulnerable to his power over me, more so than I had in the Lodge with people swarming around us. 

I couldn't lie to myself. It was he who prompted me to walk over to the barn. I wasn't satisfied with our brief encounter, and I wanted more. Never before had someone had this kind of control over my actions. Fearing that I was obvious, I tried to make it seem like I was merely curious about the problem in the stables.

"That thing in the barn, is that why you rode up the mountain trail today? Was there a problem with the cattle herd?" 

He turned to look at me now, his face solemn before he gave a small smile. "I didn't realize you'd taken such an interest in our ranch after only one short day here." He glanced back into the barn quickly and his smile faded. Then before I realized what he was doing he took my hand and led me inside. "C'mon, I'll show you."

His grip was strong, but not forceful. I remembered his hands yesterday, as they tightly held the reins of the wild horse. They were powerful, and one of them was now holding part of me. His fingers were clasped firmly, and if they hadn't been, I was sure my hand would be shaking. I tried not to lose myself. 

He led me over to the stall where the men had gathered just minutes ago. It was then that I completely forgot about Tripp touching me for the first time. A young foal lay in a bed of hay. It was almost completely brown, but had a large white spot on its head than ran down between the eyes. From the position it was in, I thought it might be sleeping, but then I saw the sad, hurt look it gave me. I noticed its leg was outstretched, wrapped in bandages, and my heart broke. 

"She was out running with us in the fields today and got her leg caught in a snake hole. We got it out, but the leg was broken. Earlier when I saw you up on the trail, we were looking for Johnny, who's the animal doctor here." Tripp's voice was pained, and I could tell he cared about the young horse.

"Will she be alright?" I was having trouble controlling my voice. It wounded me to see the animal like this. She looked so helpless.

"The problem is at this early age, she really needs to be able to run and exercise her legs so they can develop properly. Her leg's in pretty bad shape, and we don't know if she'll ever be able to walk right again. Johnny thinks we should just put her out of her misery right now, before she suffers anymore." At this, Tripp paused for a moment. "I just can't do it. I have to give her a shot," he said quietly, almost whispering.

A tear slowly descended along my cheek. Tripp turned to me with sadness in his beautiful green eyes, which normally held an air of confidence. He looked at me, not as he had before at the Lodge where I felt as if he was trying to undress me with his eyes, but this time with an empathetic look of genuine concern. I had only known the man one day, but in that moment, we both shared an understanding that many people never experience together. 

I looked down at the floor of the barn, trying to hide my sadness by focusing on the scattered hay and animal feed beneath my sandaled feet. My pink toenails didn't go with the farm scenery at all. As I tried to collect myself, a rough thumb came to my cheek and lightly brushed away a tear. His hand cupped my chin, bringing my head up so that my eyes met his. He was no longer cocky or teasing, but gentle, and his eyes held a look of wonder in them.

"You're full of surprises, California," he said softly. His pet name for me was endearing at this point, and rolled off his tongue in perfect southern timbre. "C'mon, I'll walk you to your cabin."

I smiled lightly with great effort and nodded my head. Giving one last look back at the stall where the little filly rested, I struggled to shake the wave of depression that was overtaking me. Tripp is standing next to you, he's walking you to the cabin, focus on him, I tried to tell myself. 

It was easier when he started talking to me as we walked across the ranch to the area where the guest cabins stood. "So, nineteen, huh?" That teasing tone was creeping back into his voice. Lovely. He was going to start in on my age again. 

"I'll be twenty next month," I said dryly.

He chuckled. "Yeah, I believe you mentioned that. So are you in school?"

"I just finished my first year at the university."

"So you're one of those college girls who spends her summers trotting off to lovely western establishments such as this one," he joked.

"I was invited to go to Paris with some friends this summer, but I was kind of guilt-tripped into coming here with my family instead."

"Paris?" He snorted. "Don't worry, you made the right choice. The Waterman Ranch is greater than any site you could see in Paris."

"Greater than the Louvre?"

"Yes," he smiled. 

"What about Notre Dame?"

"You bet."

"Or the Eiffel Tower?"

"Oui, mademoiselle." The French was comical with his southern accent.

"I'm sorry, but I fail to see how a bunch of dirt and horses live up to all of those things."

"Careful, California, before I take offense. That's my ranch you're talkin' about," he said it jokingly, pretending to be insulted. "I happen to like dirt and horses."

I laughed along with him. "I thought the ranch belonged to Jack and June Waterman?"

"Well, it does, but they made me a partner after I graduated college. I don't ever see myself anywhere else. Ever since the Waterman's took me in, I've grown accustomed to life outside the city. This place has been my home for a long time."

"You went to college?" I regretted asking that like I was surprised. Who did I think he was? Some gorgeous dumb hic who just liked to ride horses? 

He smiled though. "University of Texas. Jack made me go after high school, said I had too much potential not to go to college. I did well, got a business degree, but my heart was here the whole time. Came back every summer, not wanting to leave again. I stuck it out though."

I nodded, trying to understand how a person could stand living in a place like this, completely removed from civilization. "I love school, I want to get a finance degree and go into accounting."

"Accounting?" he turned and looked at me as we walked. "I can't picture you sitting behind a desk number-crunching all day, California."




The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 02



"I happen to like number-crunching, and I've always been good at math."

"Nope. Can't see it," he teased me mercilessly.

"Well what can you see me doing?" I asked, trying to sound playfully annoyed. 

"Not riding horses, that's for damn sure," I didn't have to look at him to tell that he was grinning. "How someone almost gets thrown off one of those trail ponies, I have no idea, but you managed it." 

"It wasn't my fault, I was just sitting there! It was the horse, the thing was jumpy since I first sat down on it," I giggled lightly, remembering the scene from earlier that day. 

"Horses can sense fear, remember that," he was smiling. "Now I wouldn't want you to miss out on the complete Waterman Ranch experience, and after what I saw today, I'm not sure if you can handle riding on your own yet, so I think I should take you out sometime and show you how to do it properly." As he said it, an image flashed through my mind, but in my head, it wasn't a horse I was riding. Heat rushed through me, and I swore he read my thoughts. "Perhaps I could teach you a thing or two..." his voice became less playful and more sultry as he flashed a wicked smile. "About horses that is." 

My heart was beating fast as we walked up to the cabin, and I glanced up at his face as we stopped, which was partially shadowed by the moonlight. My voice was just above a whisper. "I'm sure you could..." I wanted to grab his shirt collar and drag him into the cabin with me. God, if only he would kiss me. I'd have given my right arm in that moment to just have him lean down... but he didn't. 

"Goodnight, California." And with another one of those glorious smiles of his, he turned to walk back to the stables. 

I walked into the cabin, careful not to make noise since my parents had turned in early and were probably sleeping. Luke and Lucy were still at the Lodge, and when I walked into the bedroom, I quickly went over to the window and pushed the curtain aside. It was dark, but I could see Tripp's outline becoming enveloped in the night. I watched him until he was no longer visible.

After closing the curtain, I threw my body on the bed, groaning. What a stud, I thought to myself. What would he taste like, feel like? I wondered how he would make love. If he had even a fraction of the skill in bed as he had training horses, he would be no less than mind-blowing, not that I had any true experience to judge him against. 

At nineteen, I was one of the last of my friends who still clung to her virginity. Actually, I wasn't clinging to it, I just hadn't met the right person yet. Sure, I'd had boyfriends, and I wasn't completely inexperienced, but there was never anyone who I could confidently say I wanted to do it with. I didn't care how old I would be when I finally took the plunge, but I knew it would be with someone who I deeply cared about, and had a shot at a meaningful relationship with. That was not Tripp Carson. 

The realization of it made me ache inside. Never had I felt such an intense longing and desire for someone before. I indulged myself, fantasizing about him, but I scolded myself for wondering if I would actually indulge if I had the chance to in the real world. What could come of a relationship with him? I was going back to California in two weeks, and I was not the kind of girl to give myself to someone who could be nothing more than a brief bout of summer fun. Even if he did find me attractive, which I was starting to think he might, what did that attraction mean? He probably hit on all of the girls who came through the ranch, and thought of me solely as a little nineteen-year-old piece of ass.

As I thought it, the voice inside my head told me I was wrong. Tripp wasn't like that. After seeing him in the barn today, I knew he was caring and gentle, and although he acted tough and cocky, I didn't think he had the capacity to hurt others. Something about him made me trust him, and I barely even knew the man. I remembered how he looked at the hurt foal, with pain in his eyes that matched my own. No, he wasn't a womanizing sleezeball. 

He had said he wanted to take me riding. With that thought, I squealed like a little girl at Christmas time as I got up and pulled a nightgown out of the dresser. There I was, fantasizing again. Taking off my jean shorts and shirt, I went and stood in front of the large mirror that hung on the back of the door. 

I carefully looked at the girl standing before me. Would Tripp find her attractive? Slowly, I unhooked my bra and tossed it over to my bed. I had a pretty nice figure, I decided. My breasts weren't gigantic, but they were pretty big on my frame, sitting high above my tampered waist. My wavy blonde hair was long enough so that it came down to just above my pink nipples. I wasn't short, although standing next to Tripp I certainly looked it. As I turned around slowly, I thought that my butt might be a little flatter than desired, but in general, it wasn't half bad. 

Although I might be thought of as pretty, I couldn't help but think of how I paled in comparison to that glorious man who I'd watched last night, riding a bucking horse in the moonlight. Quickly, I donned my nightgown and climbed into bed. Before closing my eyes, I peeked out the window one last time, and smiled as I saw a light coming from the barn in the distance. Even though my heart ached for the injured horse that lay in the building, I felt better knowing Tripp was there with it.



The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 03



"Kira?"

I jerked my head around and turned to my mother who had just said my name for the second time. "Are you alright, honey? You seem distracted."

Of course I was distracted. That morning I had woken up late from what I considered a pretty restless sleep, only to find a small note stuck to the outside of the window corner. After seeing it and immediately closing the curtain because Lucy was in the room, I waited until I was alone to slightly draw back the material and read the small scribble. "California – Meet me in the barn at 2." There was no signature, but it was obvious who had written it. The nerve of him! What if someone else had opened the window? How did he even know which window I slept by? 

Quickly, I walked outside to un-stick the note, making some ridiculous explanation to my family about wanting to smell the fresh air. After making sure no one was around, I slipped the small piece of paper into my bathrobe pocket before heading back inside. Back in the room where I was supposedly changing and getting ready to head to breakfast, I opened the paper to once again read what it said, confirming to myself the message hadn't changed in the two minutes since I had last seen it. My stomach began fluttering. I knew I shouldn't go, but the appeal of being with him was too much to turn away. 

Now, as I moved my eggs around my plate, completely distracted from my family who were chatting away, I kept glancing toward the barn where I was to meet Tripp later. The note sat snuggly in the pocket of my jean shorts. My mother had noticed my disengagement.

"Yeah, sorry, I guess I'm just not fully awake yet." I tried to sound as if I was tired.

"Well wake up and eat your breakfast," Luke said in bossy type of tone. "We're all going on that family hike up the mountain range in a few hours. Everyone at the ranch is supposed to be doing it. It's going to be fun."

I was really starting to feel as though I was going to be the party pooper of this vacation. "A hike up the mountain?" I asked with hesitation written all over my face. Great, now I had to make up some excuse to my family about why I couldn't go with them and the other guests to play explorer. 

"Yeah, I think all the guests are meeting at the bottom of the trail around 1:30," my dad piped in after swallowing a mouthful of bacon. My whole family was looking at me at this point, as if daring me to try and get out of it.

"Guys, I don't think I'm up for a long hike today, I haven't been feeling very well..."

Luke rolled his eyes at that one. "Seems you haven't been up for anything so far this trip...and where have you been off to these last couple of nights? We keep missing you at the Lodge."

I was starting to get annoyed. Sometimes Luke forgot that I wasn't twelve-years-old anymore. "Last night I went back to the cabin. I was tired, and you know I'm not a fan of the noisy, dancing atmosphere in the evenings."

Luke looked at me for a moment before focusing back on his breakfast and nonchalantly yet bitterly adding, "I saw you talking to that cowboy last night, the ranch hand...what's his...?"

"Tripp," I corrected him, scolding myself for doing it so quickly and potentially giving myself away. 

Luke was staring at me now, as was the rest of my family. My parents seemed merely curious, but Luke was giving me a questionable stare, as if asking me through his eyes what was going on. "Yeah...him..." he said slowly after pausing a moment.

Lucy broke the awkwardness by making matters worse. "Is he that super gorgeous one we saw on the trail yesterday?" The question was directed towards me. 

"Yes," I sighed. This was not a conversation I wanted to be having.

"So you think he's gorgeous?" Luke asked accusingly.

"No!" I almost yelled, extremely frustrated. "Lucy obviously thinks he's gorgeous. I barely know him."

"He's the one I met on our first night here, right? The one June Waterman introduced us to?" My mom asked. "Well he seemed like a lovely young man..."

"He's too old for her, Mom," Luke seemed almost as frustrated as I was.

Lucy jumped back in. "Wait, Kira has a thing with him?"

"A thing? What does that mean? Is this something I should know about?" This coming from my father. 

I snapped. "No one has a thing with anyone!" I got up from the table at that point and started to walk out of the picnic area, back toward the cabin. Sometimes I swore I had a dysfunctional family. 

"I think she definitely has a thing," I heard Lucy whisper before I was out of earshot.

* * * * *

My family came to check on me before they all left for the hike, asking once more if I was sure I didn't want to come. I assured them that I wasn't feeling well, and mentioned something about simply taking a long nap that afternoon. They were gone now, and it was time that I headed over to the barn.

I sincerely questioned myself for ditching time with my family for time with a guy that I barely knew anything about. Perhaps that's why I wanted to see him, because I was hungry to know him more. As I walked across the ranch, I noticed it was pretty empty. It seemed a lot of people really had gone on the hiking trip today, and I wondered if that was why Tripp had asked me to meet him at this time.

The barn door was slightly ajar. Trying to calm my nerves as I quickly ran my hands through my hair one last time, I opened it up and poked my head in. Tripp was there already, in the same place he was last night, kneeling on the ground while tending to the hurt filly in the little stall. He had on a t-shirt and jeans, which fit him impeccably, and his dark hair was tousled in a sexy, natural way that most men tried to achieve through styling. He looked rugged, especially with the five o'clock shadow he sported.

Glancing up as I walked over, he gave me a small smile that seemed to only bring out the sadness in his eyes even more. When I saw what he was doing I gave a tiny gasp that seemed to be a mix of surprise and horror. Tripp was changing the bandages on the foal's leg, and for a moment, I saw the extent of the gruesome injury.

"Don't look," he said softly, seeing my obvious distress.

I turned my back to the site, trying to gain a little bit of composure. "It's horrible," I whispered. Maybe I shouldn't have come here today, not if I had to be reminded of this. I had always been an animal lover, and it was almost too much to bear. 

"Yes, but she's strong. She may have a chance." I listened to the rustling of bandages and the soft voice behind me.

"What's her name?" I asked curiously.

"She doesn't have one yet, I haven't given her one."

"She's yours then?"

"A lot of these horses are mine. Jack trusts me more than anyone else with them. I'm in charge of all the livestock here at the ranch. Jack and June are more businesspeople and general overseers. They leave the fun stuff to me."

"You really know a lot about horses, don't you?"

"Been around them my whole life. Growing up in Texas, my folks had a small spread. I was always kind of a wild child, and my parents let me take out all my energy by riding. Always had a knack for it."

"...I'm sorry about your parents." I don't know what prompted me to say it. I didn't want to bring up bad memories, but my heart went out to the man who had been through so much after losing his family.

"Don't be, California," he said softly. "It happened a long time ago, and the Waterman's had been close family friends for awhile. They gave me a great home when they took me in. They brought me here, and I couldn't think of a better place to be."

At that moment I heard him start to stand. Figuring it was safe to turn around, I slowly spun and was greeted with Tripp's broad chest all of three inches away from my nose. He was quick to come and stand right behind me once he was done wrapping up the bandages. Startled, I took a couple steps back and craned my neck to look up at him, as he was almost a foot taller than me. He looked down at me with an amused, devilish smile across his face, and his close proximity started to have an effect on my ability to think coherently. 

Before I knew what was happening, he grabbed my hand and started leading me toward the other end of the barn. "C'mon, follow me." As if I had a choice, I thought, as he firmly dragged me along. "You're gonna learn to ride today, California." Great, just what I wanted – to further prove to Tripp how incapable I was at this particular task. 

We walked past stall after stall, some containing horses, some empty. I had seen that many of the horses were already out in the corral. When we were almost at the back door of the barn, I stopped, catching Tripp's attention. One of the last stalls held the black steed that Tripp had ridden a couple of nights ago. It looked bigger standing only a few feet away in its captivity. Although it wasn't restless as it was the last time I'd seen it, it certainly looked wild as its nostrils flared while its great yellow eyes watched us. 

Tripp stopped when I did, jolting my arm a little, and turned to see what had captured my attention. He smiled when he saw what I was looking at.

"That's Poodle," he said with a smirk.

I tried as hard as I could not to laugh. I really did. 

"...Poodle?" I choked out. The thing was majestic and downright terrifying. In my opinion, it was the Darth Vader of all horses, and Tripp had named it, Poodle. 

"Yep, he's a mustang. I've been training him for about a month now. He's still pretty crazy, but I'm really starting to make some progress. I wanted a challenge, and I certainly got that with him."

"But...Poodle? Don't you think he's more of a 'Shadow Beast' or something?" The horse was the farthest thing from a poodle that I had ever seen. 

Tripp laughed. "The first night I started with him in the corral, he was really giving me hell. I had to practically hold on for dear life, and for me, that's saying something. I told him to behave or else I'd call him some god-awful name just to spite him. He's still taking it out on me, although I've grown to sort of like the name."

The horse was staring at Tripp, and I swear, it almost looked as if it could understand him, as if it knew Tripp was teasing it. In general, the thing just looked downright pissed off.

"He looks angry, like he wants to charge at you."

"He's gonna be like a sweet little puppy once I get through taming him," Tripp said with a big grin across his face. The horse's nostrils flared even more. 

"Must be a lot of hard work though."

"Nah," he shook his head. "Training wild horses is what I do. I enjoy it." He paused and turned to look at me, a devilish gleam in his eye. "Now training you on the other hand, I've got my work cut out for me there... though I daresay I'll enjoy it far more than what I do with the horses."

Somehow, I got the feeling that he wasn't talking about teaching me to ride a horse. My face turned bright red, which seemed only to make him smile even more. I hadn't realized it, but he was still holding my hand. Embarrassed, I looked down and took it back when I saw he had kept hold of me throughout the time we stood there. 

He chuckled lightly. "C'mon, California," and with that, he headed out of the barn into the corral area, grabbing a cowboy hat that hung on a peg on the way out the door. 

There was a saddled brown mare all ready to go. It reminded me a little bit of the horse I'd ridden on the trail the other day. I began to get nervous. Of course I knew I'd be safe riding since I had Tripp there with me, but I didn't want him to see how inept I was at this kind of thing, although I assumed he already had a pretty good idea. 

Tripp took the reins and led the horse out of the corral and onto the main ranch spread. "Stand here," he said matter-of-factly as he stood on the left side of the saddle. I walked over and stood next to him. 

"Always hold the reins when you mount, and don't grab the saddle cause it will slide," he handed the reins to me while placing my hand on the part of the horse he called the wither, which I grabbed on to. I lifted my foot into the stirrup. It took me a couple tries to swing my leg around to the other side since the horse was pretty tall. Tripp watched me patiently, seeming amused. I wished I'd worn pants instead of jean shorts, even if it was hot. The shorts rode up my legs as I sat astride with one leg on each side of the saddle. 

I glanced down at Tripp, who now had a fiery look in his eyes, and seemed like he was trying not to stare at my backside. He stood slightly behind me, and I realized he probably had a great view of my ass.

"Good..." he said softly as his eyes swept over me before he gave a small shake of his head and seemed to return to reality. I blushed with embarrassment, but I don't think he noticed. "Now make sure you have a nice grip on the reins," he said. The next thing I knew, his foot barely touched the stirrup and he easily swung his leg over behind my back, firmly planting himself behind me in the saddle. 

"You're...you're riding with me?" Oh god, he was practically pressed against my back.

"Best way to learn. There's not a problem, is there?" I could sense the amusement in his voice, which had grown softer because of our close proximity. I didn't trust my voice just then, so I simply shook my head. "Good," he practically whispered now. Suddenly, he leaned forward to put his hands around mine above the reins. His hard chest pressed against me, and I felt his chin lean above my right shoulder as he softly gave instructions into my ear. "Now squeeze your legs, California."

I wasn't going to be able to do this. There was no way I was going to be able to do this. The way he said it was intimate, not at all like the way someone would normally instruct a person to ride a horse. He surrounded me, and while there was a very safe feeling about it, there was a very unsafe feeling about it as well. Once again, I felt myself losing control of my senses. 

I did squeeze my legs into the horse, but it wasn't necessarily because he told me to. It was more of a reaction to his sensual voice, trying to create pressure so as to alleviate the sudden throbbing between my legs. As I dug into the sides of the mare, we immediately were off in a steady trot. 

He showed me how to use the reins, and I was surprised I took in any of it. The strong hands and arms that I had indulged in watching tame a wild mustang were now covering mine, though I daresay they were much more gentle now than they had been the other night. His skin pressed against me and gave me goosebumps in the ninety degree weather, and I found it increasingly difficult to keep focused. I tried not to let my mind wander off into fantasies of those hands undressing me and touching every inch of my naked body. The grinding of the saddle against my crotch to the steady rhythm of the horse wasn't helping matters though.

"Relax, California, just let it come naturally," a hint of amusement still graced his voice, only now it sounded as if it was mixed with arousal. I couldn't tell if he was talking about the horse or the tension between the two of us. I wanted to let it come naturally, but if I did, I had a feeling we wouldn't be on the mount for very much longer.

I tried to focus on where we were going. We had headed in the opposite direction of the mountain trails where everyone was hiking. A cluster of buildings were coming into view. As we got closer I realized that they looked a lot like the guest cabins. 

Tripp relieved my curiosity, as if he read my mind. "They're staff cabins, where a lot of the ranch hands stay. There're also a couple of smaller barns out here that we use for storage and such."

"Is this where you live?"

"Nah, I have a cabin that's a ways down, closer to the other side of the ranch. This place can get pretty rowdy late at night, and while it used to be my scene, I prefer the quiet now after a hard day at work. Sure brings back memories though," he chuckled. "When I was growing up, I used to sneak out here at night, and Romero and the other hands would teach me how to play poker."

I smiled, picturing Tripp as a hotheaded teenager. "Who's Romero?" I asked curiously.

"Good friend of mine. He's the one you saw yesterday on the trail, the one who rode with me up the mountain."

I nodded, remembering the man in the red shirt. "The one who came into the Lodge last night?"

"Yep. He was always kind of an older brother figure to me. Jack and June think he was a bad influence though," he laughed. 

"What's down this way?" I asked as we passed the staff cabins. 

"There's a great riding area that I want to show you. We often take some of the horses down here and race them from time to time."

"Is it safe to say that you always win?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I used to back when I did it. People won't even bother challenging me anymore."

At that moment he removed his hands from mine. "I think you're ready now to do it on your own. Just keep a firm grip, and try to use your legs like I showed you when you want to change direction. Head that way," he pointed off past the cluster of cabins that we were leaving behind.

I had to admit, I was actually starting to get the hang of riding, although it really helped to have Tripp behind me, telling me exactly what to do. Beyond the cabins was an open dusty field that stretched farther than I could see. Back at the ranch, the houses and barns filled a lot of space, so there wasn't a lot of room to ride, except for in some of the larger corrals. Here, there was nothing but room. 

We'd been going at a leisurely pace, and it would have been relaxing if I hadn't been so tense with Tripp on the horse with me. "Ready for some fun?" Tripp asked in a voice that let me know what was coming. 

Before I could answer, he dug his legs into the side of the horse and we took off. I let out a yelp as he grabbed the reins from me with one hand while his other arm snaked around my midsection, keeping me from flying off. 

"Tripp!" I yelled. "Do you think this is the kind of thing a beginner should be doing?"

"Don't worry, California, I've got you," he said loudly. His arm held me so tightly that he was molding himself into my back. I was amazed when I saw that he was controlling the horse with one hand. I firmly gripped the saddle horn as we flew across the field.

After about a minute, I decided that I was having fun. I had never felt anything so exhilarating or thrilling. We rode like that for about ten minutes, in circles through the fields before ultimately heading toward a group of trees in the distance. 

"We're making a full circle back the ranch. If you head this way, you'll meet up with a creek that leads right behind the guest cabins," he said as a small building came into view. "I'll show you."

The creek ran between a few sparse trees, and we slowed and started to follow it down toward the direction of the ranch. A solitary cabin, about the same size as the one my family was staying in, sat a few hundred feet away from the water, but it was in the opposite direction of where we were heading.

"Tripp, what's that cabin back there?" I turned to look at the cabin and saw that Tripp was smiling behind me.

"That's my place, has its own little barn in the back and everything."

"That's where you stay?"

"Yep. Built it myself a few years ago after I came back from college."

It certainly was in a lovely area, and it was much more secluded from the rest of the ranch, which according to Tripp, was just a ways down the creek. I was surprised that it only took about a minute of riding at a brisk trot to reach the back of the guest cabins.

"So that's what's behind the cabins...I thought they were on the edge of the ranch," I said while glancing back at the creek."

"The ranch has a lot of land, but the cabins and main barns and such are all conveniently close to each other. You can follow that creek a long ways past my cabin and still be on Waterman land."




The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 03



We rode back to the corral. Tripp hopped down first. I had to admit that I had enjoyed feeling him so close, and after riding with him for an hour, the lack of his presence next to me was uncomforting. Instead of letting me get down off the horse myself, he effortlessly lifted me onto the ground after I swung my leg around.

"I'm sorry if you were looking forward to that hike everyone was going on today," he spoke to me as he led the horse into the stables.

"I think I had more fun with you," I said shyly. I was embarrassed after I said it, but Tripp turned to look at me with a big grin on his face.

"Is your family wondering where you are?"

"I told them that I didn't feel well. They think I'm at the cabin, sleeping."

I realized how much I was revealing – that I had lied to my family and ditched them in order to spend time with him. The way he was looking at me as we walked unnerved me, and I got the feeling that he was starting to understand how I felt about him. I was making myself vulnerable, and I didn't like it.

In the barn, Tripp calmly unhooked the saddle before grabbing a brush to run over the horse. I stood against the wall of an empty stall and watched his hands work. "Tell me about California, about where you live." 

I smiled. "What's there to tell? It's sunny with lots of palm trees."

"Have you always lived there?" His voice was quiet and relaxed, as if he liked simply listening to me talk. Every now and then he glanced over at me.

"Yeah, born and raised there, although my family does like to travel a lot, so I've seen many different places. I considered going to school on the east coast like my brother did, but I didn't want to be so far away."

"You're close with your family." It wasn't a question, more of a knowing statement.

"Yes, they're wonderful, even if they drive me crazy sometimes," I chuckled as he gave me an understanding smile.

He paused before asking the next question. "Are you close with anyone else?" His smile faltered as he grew more serious. He led the horse into its stall, closed the door, and then turned to stare at me while leaning against the wooden gate. 

Was he asking what I thought he was asking? He stood there dissecting me with his arms crossed. I decided to take the question on its face. "Well sure, I've got some good friends at school with me, and my best friend, Holly, has lived down the street from my house since we were six..."

"Is there someone special?" He was completely serious now, and he started slowly walking towards me, one step at a time. The same look he had in his eyes the first time we met was there now. I felt naked, and vulnerable, and...alive.

"Someone special?" the volume of my voice suddenly decreased to just above a whisper. I became alarmed as he walked toward me, and I tried stepping backwards even though the stall door was there. It was unlatched and swung open as my back pressed against it. He didn't stop, and slowly followed me into the empty stable, like a lion stalking its prey.

"You know...a guy?" His voice was even lower than mine. I swear, my heart had never beaten so fast in my entire life. My chest felt as if it would explode at any moment. 

At that point, I doubted if I could speak. "No," I whispered as I shook my head while continuing to walk backwards. He didn't smile, but the fire in his eyes seemed to burn more intensely. Suddenly I hit the wall in the back of the stall. The gate had closed behind him while he continued towards me. I was trapped, and I knew that something, both terrifying and amazing, was about to happen. Should I try to stop it?

"What are you doing?" I tried to steady my whisper, but it was broken as he closed in on me.

A strong, masculine hand wove its way through a strand of hair that partially covered my face and tucked it behind my ear before he placed his hands against the wall on either side of my head. He leaned down and gazed directly into my eyes before whispering in my ear, his deep voice soft and seductive. "I'm gonna kiss you now...California..."

Before I could respond, his lips covered mine, softly at first, but then more harshly as he drew me to him, his hands cupping my face. He tasted me, no, devoured me with fervor, slipping his tongue between my parted lips and gently drawing the upper one into his mouth. He kissed me with an expertness that made his horsemanship seem amateur. My legs buckled and instead of catching me, he came down with me, and soon we were both on our knees and in each other's arms.

Without thinking, my hands guided themselves through his tousled, dark hair before making a descent down his neck, shoulders, and then finally resting upon his chest. My tongue met his with equal ardor and before long, you would never be able to guess who had initiated the passion. We consumed each other, and nothing in my life had ever felt so perfect.

Part of me though was terrified at what was happening, and that part of me is what took over for one moment and stopped him. I gripped his face and agonizingly tore my mouth from his. He opened his eyes, one hand firmly wrapped around my back while the other grasped my bare leg, just underneath the edge of my jean shorts. I had only this moment before I would be completely consumed with my need for him, and then there would be no going back.

How I had managed to pull away from him, I don't know, but I was glad that one part of my mind still realized the intense desire I felt for him would only bring me heartache in the end if I let it continue. If I was in this much agony after a day of riding and a passionate kiss, then it would be torture to be his completely for a short while, only to have to leave and return to my life a thousand miles away. 

Quickly I scooted back a few feet, still on the ground, running my hands through my hair and already missing his mouth. Both of us were breathing hard, but he didn't move after I pulled away. He sat there frozen, with a look of pure wonder in his eyes, as if he was asking himself the same thing I was – what had just happened? That was no ordinary kiss.

We continued to stare at each other, breathing heavily and struggling not to continue what had just passed. I should never have come today. I should have known that it would be this wonderful with him. The man was dangerous in a way that threatened to destroy me. "Tripp..." my voice reflected the inner hell I was going through. "I...I can't!" With a billion screaming thoughts running through my mind, I quickly stood up and ran out of the stall, heading towards the door of the barn. 

At that point, I had to distance myself from him, I had to escape. I was just about to get to the door when his voice called to me.

"Kira."

It was the first time I'd heard him say my name, and a wave of emotion rushed through me as I turned around. He stood about ten feet away with a look of desperate need, yet firm conviction in his eyes. That conviction pulsed through his voice, which then spoke the words that would haunt me for the next twenty-four hours.

"Before you leave this ranch, I'm going to make love to you. And not just because I want it, but because if I don't, neither of us will ever forgive ourselves."

Part of me rejoiced, and part of me died. And then I ran.



The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 04



The excuse I had used yesterday about being ill proved to be useful today, although I doubted I even needed an excuse to lie in bed as I had been doing since I returned from my afternoon with Tripp. I was a train wreck, and everyone could see it. 

"Are you sure there's nothing I can get for you?" my mom asked in that sweet, caring voice mothers use when their children are sick. 

"Yes, I just want to lie here," I said, half-groaning, wedged between my pillow and the covers of the bed. In all honesty, I would have been content lying there for the rest of my life. I never wanted to get out of bed again, especially while at this ranch, where I could run into Tripp or see him wherever I went. The only safe place I knew to stay was here in the cabin. 

I didn't even open the curtain to look outside, as I usually did in the morning. Looking at the ranch, where I had spent the day with him yesterday, would be too difficult. So while my family went out to eat and subsequently enjoy whatever activities they had planned for the day, I wallowed in my own misery and stayed in bed, trying to think about something, anything, but that kiss in the barn.

My mom came back to check on me every hour and she brought me food throughout the day, which I only picked at, having almost completely lost my appetite. Later, Lucy stayed and played a few games of chess with me. My family thought I was still suffering from yesterday's pretend ailment, which consisted of a particularly gnarly headache. Today, I wasn't sure how pretend the headache was. I tried to distract myself by reading, knitting and periodically sleeping when I could. There wasn't a lot to do in a cabin with no computer and no TV... other than think of Tripp. Tripp Carson...

It was around six when my family left for dinner after a long day of god knows what. I knew I should have gone with them. I couldn't very well sit in this cabin for the rest of the trip, hiding under the covers, but I didn't want to see him yet.

His words from yesterday reverberated in my head. I knew he had felt exactly what I had, and I began to think that he may have been right. If I left this ranch at the end of next week without acting on whatever this was between us, I would have 'what ifs' for the rest of my life. What would be worse: being with him and then having to leave him...or leaving after never having been with him at all?

Once I asked myself the question, I was surprised how easily the answer came. Suddenly I didn't just want to see him, I had to see him. I threw the quilt off of me and got out of bed, immediately beginning to pace as soon as my feet hit the floor. Should I go out to the Lodge tonight? Would he be there? Would I be able to talk to him alone? What would I say? I want you? I need you? How do I go about this? What about my family? They thought I was sick. They'd be watching my every move.

I decided to take a shower while trying to collect the screaming thoughts whirling around in my head. Going to the Lodge wouldn't be a good idea. There would be so many people there, and I didn't think I could handle the awkwardness in that kind of setting. Maybe it would be best to wait until tomorrow, when I could seek him out on the ranch. Perhaps then I could simply pull him aside... 

Yes, I would wait until tomorrow before confronting him. I didn't want to seem desperate anyway, so wasn't it best to give it a couple of days and at least try and play hard-to-get? I wasn't cooling down however; the more I thought of him, the more I wanted him. Tomorrow might as well have been a thousand years away. 

Later, I lay in bed as my family came home from the Lodge. They all came in to check on me before getting ready to go to sleep, asking how I was feeling in their soft, tired voices that were laced with concern. I told them I was doing much better, which seemed to hearten them. If I was going to be going out tomorrow, then I needed them to believe I wasn't sick anymore. 

Trying to go to sleep, my eyes were closed as Lucy sat on her bed, brushing through her hair and chatting away. I drowned her out for the most part.

"Lucy, do you mind? I'm trying to get some rest," I said groggily. The quicker I forced myself into unconsciousness, the quicker tomorrow would come. 

"Oh...sorry, I guess I should let you sleep. I'm pretty tired myself," she said as she started to get under the covers. "Oh hey, I saw that cute guy at the Lodge tonight."

My ears perked up and suddenly I was hanging on to her every word. There was only one guy at this ranch that Lucy had deemed attractive. "What guy?" I asked, trying to sound sleepy and slightly annoyed, as though I didn't care.

"You know, the hot cowboy from the other day...Tripp, right? Saw him for a few minutes while we were dancing and stuff. He came in looking really pissed off, like he was angry."

My mind raced. I couldn't help but wonder where that anger stemmed from. "So? What's the big deal?" I asked, trying not to give away my interest.

"Well he sat down at the bar and another guy came and sat down next to him. I wasn't watching the whole time cause I was busy talking to this other girl. Her name's Georgette by the way and she's from Georgia. Isn't that funny? Georgette from Georgia! She's sixteen so she's my age, and she was telling me about how..."

"Lucy...what does this have to do with Tripp?" Sometimes I wanted to strangle my sister.

"Oh right! Well the next thing I saw when I looked over was Tripp had the guy by his collar slammed up against the bar, ready to knock the crap out of him. He would have too if Jack Waterman hadn't run over there when he saw it. Tripp stormed out after Mr. Waterman broke it up."

"He must have been pretty upset about something..." I said airily, telling it more to myself than to Lucy.

"Yeah...he looked like he was ready to tear in to anyone who got in his way...kind of like the way Luke was at first when Susan broke up with him."

The image of my brother's angry grief floated into my mind. We couldn't go near him for two weeks after his college girlfriend had broken it off one summer; he would bite off our heads for simply talking to him. Was it our encounter yesterday that had Tripp so angry? The behavior seemed out of character for the carefree, teasing cowboy I had ridden with through the pastures of the ranch.

Lucy chatted a bit more before falling asleep. I didn't hear anything she said as I lay there, feeling as though I had been hit by a semi. Soon, I realized that I wasn't going to be able to rest...I needed to see Tripp, I ached for him. After a half hour, when the room was filled with Lucy's soft snores, I had an idea, but it was risky. At that point though I didn't care, and I grabbed my cell phone off the nightstand and looked at the time. It was around ten, still pretty early. I didn't know if the rest of my family were asleep yet or not. I didn't even know if Tripp would be home at this time. As angry as he'd been, he may have gone off somewhere and gotten drunk for all I knew. 

I did know though that I had to do something. I couldn't sit in this bed any longer, but it was extremely difficult trying to get up the courage to get dressed, and walk out of the cabin. The realization came that it wasn't my family I was worried about, it was facing Tripp. In the end, my desperate need to see him won out over my fear. 

We both felt the agony of yesterday. I took it out by lying in bed all day, holing myself up in solitaire. He took it out by almost creaming someone who happened to rub him the wrong way. Instinctively, I knew he was going through the same hell I was, especially after the way he watched me run out of the stables yesterday.

Lucy's breathing was heavy with sleep as I tiptoed around the room, slipping a lavender sundress over my head. In the main room, which was empty, I quietly brushed through my hair while checking my appearance in the mirror. I must be crazy, I thought to myself as I softly opened the door and crept out into the cool night. Normally, I might have been cold, but now my face was flushed with the thought of what I was going to do. 

Once outside, I briskly walked behind the cabin, and somehow in the dark, I found the creek that Tripp had showed me yesterday. As I followed the water, I tried to calm myself by thinking of what I might say to him. Nothing came to me. What was I doing?

It wasn't a long walk. I don't know whether I was happy or utterly terrified to see light coming from his cabin, confirming he was not only in there, but awake. My heart had been racing since I had stepped out of bed, but now I was sure that it was about to break out of my chest and start running through the grass. 

Do it. Do it before you lose your nerve, I told myself harshly as I stood on his porch, my nose all of three inches away from the front door. 

Before I knew it, my hand rasped on the wooden entrance to the cabin, probably a little too harshly - a result of the immense amount of adrenaline coursing through my body. As soon as I heard the sound of my fist knocking, I cried inside my head, cursing myself for what I was doing. For a split second, I thought about running. Too late...

The first thing to greet my eyes as the door swung open was a massive amount of rock-hard, bare chest. A light shading of hair ran down the center, only to disappear into a pair of faded jeans that were zipped, but had the top button undone. I was reminded of the first night I saw him, atop his mustang, clad only in boots, jeans and a cowboy hat. What I had seen that night stood before me now in more detail than I could have ever wished for. It was an image that would be branded into my mind forever. I felt a dampness between my legs, and heat spread throughout my entire body. 

My eyes traveled upwards and latched onto his, which at first held a look of surprise before turning quizzical, and then finally understanding, after seeing the burning desire in my own gaze. He didn't say anything, but he stepped back a couple feet and moved aside, giving me room to walk into the cabin.

I knew once I entered, there would be no turning back. Knowing what was waiting for me inside though was more than enough to push me through the door. The inside of his cabin looked similar to the one I was staying in, except you could tell that somebody actually lived in it full-time. There was a large fireplace in the center of the room with a big wooly rug in front that covered the hardwood flooring. A small loveseat and a couple of chairs surrounded the lit fire and mantelpiece, which from what I could see held a few framed photos and what looked like a football trophy. The kitchen was to the left as you walked in, and on the right was a large door which I assumed led to the bedroom.

It registered that I was in his cabin, and I grew scared as I turned to him. He was staring at me with a hard look of stark need as he stood against the back of the loveseat, facing away from the fire with his arms crossed. His eyes roamed over me, but I could tell that he was not going to make a move, and was instead going to wait patiently until I made myself clear. 

I was the one who had gone there that night, I was the one taking the initiative. I looked at him with a pleading in my eyes, as if begging him not to make me feel this way...as if he could do anything about it. 

"I'm going back to California in a week and a half." I blurted it out, not knowing where it had come from. I was more telling it to myself than to him, trying to reason with my emotions.

"Then why are you here tonight?" his voice was steady and hard, yet quiet.

"I...I don't know," I said exasperatedly, turning away from him so that I could clear my head. With him standing only feet away from me and barely dressed I couldn't breathe, let alone think.

"Yes you do," he said behind me, softly.

"No...I...I couldn't sleep." If there was any logic behind my chosen words it completely escaped me.

"Well that makes two of us, California," his voice became lighter. "Would you like a drink?"

"A drink? N..no... I don't want a drink," I became frustrated, not with him but with the situation.

I heard him walk around to one of the chairs and sit down in front of the fire, his gaze still burning on my back. "Perhaps some music then?" I could tell he was beginning to tease me now, playing on my awkwardness and inability to convey my feelings. 

I sighed. "I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't have come tonight," my voice expressed my inner-turmoil. 

"But you did, and you are here tonight," his tone was suddenly soft and pained. "You need to admit it to yourself, so turn around, look at me, and tell me what you came here for."

I was defeated, but liberated at the same time. He was right. I was here, and there was something that I wanted more than anything I had ever yearned for in my whole life. 

Slowly, I turned to look at him, and without breaking the gaze between us, I walked over to the chair that sat across from him in front of the fire. I didn't sit down, but stood in front of the seat, facing him with about eight feet between us. Both of us looked as if we were going to explode at any second. Never in my life had I felt such tension in one room between two people.

"I want you," I whispered in a voice so soft that I doubted he heard me.

"You want me to what?" His gaze was wild and demanding. 

"I want you to make love to me." I was surprised at how easily the words came flowing out of me. They seemed to undo him, and he slowly stood with a look of desire in his eyes that promised to devour me.

"Come here, Kira." As he headily whispered my name, I couldn't get into his arms fast enough. Suddenly I was being crushed to him and our mouths met with fervor. His tongue penetrated as his hands roamed up and down my back, and then over my backside, squeezing and gripping handfuls of material from my dress. We were on fire. All I felt was his hard body and bare skin against me, underneath my fingertips. 

And then he pulled away and kept me at arm's length as he sat down once again in the chair behind him. "We have to slow down, I don't want to do this too fast. I want to enjoy every second of it." He was breathing hard, his eyes fierce and his body tense and stressed. 

I closed my eyes and nodded, knowing how he felt. There would be plenty of time to ravish each other. Right now I needed him to be gentle. I looked down at his pants and saw the huge bulge that I had felt pressed against me just seconds ago. Did I do that to him?

He reached out and took my hands, bringing me to stand in between his parted knees as he sat in the chair. His hands slowly moved up my arms to the tops of my shoulders where they rested for a moment. I tried to control my breathing, tried to stay standing as he seductively brushed along my skin with his fingertips. Then, he moved to grip the straps of my sundress, and in one unbearably slow motion, he peeled the garment off of me, and let it fall to my feet.

The man truly sounded as if he were in pain as I stood there, inches away from him, in my white lace bra and panties. He let out a soft groan between jagged breaths while his eyes roamed my body. Hesitantly, as if not trusting his self control, he reached one hand up to gently cup my breast through the thin barrier. My knees almost gave out. The ache I felt between my legs grew to the point of slight pain. 

"Tripp...?" My voice was breathless. I knew what I had to admit to him before we went any further.

"Yes, honey?" He was focused solely on caressing me.

"I...I, um...I'm not...very experienced with this type of thing..." oh god, please don't let him stop.

His fingers lightly moved over the outside of my bra while his eyes held a look of wonder as he softly pressed against my breast. He didn't look up at me until he realized what I was trying to get at.

His eyes went wide. "Are you...are you a...?" 

I nodded quickly before he could get the word out. I didn't want to hear him say it. His stare went blank for a moment before he slowly stood, cupping my face. His hands were gentle as he stroked my cheek with his thumb.

"Kira, are you sure you want to do this?" his eyes were cautious waiting for my answer.

"Yes." The fact that he asked showed what a gentleman he was, but I didn't hesitate one second before giving my answer. "Please..." I whispered in agony. "I'll die if you don't..."

That was all he needed to hear before he bent down and latched his mouth upon my neck. I moaned as his lips trailed kisses up under my ear and his tongue found a sensitive area behind the lobe. His hands wove through my hair, and I clung to him. 

The next thing I knew, I was being lifted into him arms and carried into the bedroom. His mouth never left mine as he sat down on the edge of the large bed, cradling me against his powerful body like he would a child. I certainly didn't feel like a child though. He held me against him, his hands roaming my back while his tongue delved deeply, tasting my mouth. Sitting on his lap, that hard bulge beneath his jeans teased my soaked panties, driving me crazy. I was glad he was holding me now. I didn't know whether I could support myself at this point, I was so weak with need.

"Grab a hold of my neck," he whispered against my mouth. As soon as I did as he asked, I felt those hands on my back move to unclasp my bra. He stopped kissing me for a moment and stared into my eyes as he slowly slid the straps down my arms, unwinding my limbs from his neck as he did so. My first instinct was to hide myself. I'd never been so exposed before, and part of me was afraid to make myself so vulnerable to this man who seemed to be controlling my every move and thought with his touch. I made an 'x' with my arms over my breasts as the bra fell to the floor.

"No. Don't." His voice was gentle but commanding. "Let me see you, Kira."

Defeated, I lowered my arms as he set me next to him on the bed. His eyes devoured me as he took in my large breasts and pink nipples, which were stiff and aching. Groaning, he lowered his mouth and kissed the very center of my chest while gently holding my back and pushing me down onto the bed. 

"I knew this was going to happen from the moment I first saw you in the Lodge," he said breathlessly as he adorned kisses across my body. I remembered the way he had looked at me that first time, like he was looking into my very soul. "I knew then that it was inevitable. That you and I are inevitable." His voice was a heavy, erotic whisper as his lips finally found a sensitive nipple and drew it into his hungry mouth. 

I wasn't expecting the intense pleasure that coursed through my body as his tongue lapped over the peaks of my breasts. His head rose and he gave me a small smile as he cupped each one with his hands, delicately thumbing my nipples. I writhed and moaned beneath his touch, and he watched me as one hand then made its way down my body.

"Yesterday was torture," he whispered to me while watching me tremble. "All I could think about was touching you...doing this..." his hand gently cupped my mound over my underwear and his eyes grew wide at finding how wet I was. "Sweet Jesus...I think we have to take these off, sweetheart." 

My modesty had completely flown out the window, and I moaned appreciatively when I felt him start to lean over me and slowly remove my panties, which were now reduced to a sopping wet piece of cloth between my quivering thighs. I knew it was coming soon. I needed to be touched there, I would beg for it if I had to.

He let in a sharp intake of breath when my hairless pussy became exposed. The underwear came off quickly, and soon I was completely naked. Tripp grabbed my arms and slid me to the top of the bed, where my head hit a pillow. His hands made their way down my body, caressing my arms, breasts, belly and thighs before taking hold of my knees and prying them open, revealing my throbbing cunt to his gaze. I had never been so exposed before, and I relished in the feeling of giving myself to Tripp in this way. Nothing had ever felt so right.




The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 04



"Tripp...please..." I moaned as his hands massaged my inner thighs.

"Shhh...you want this, Kira. You want me to look at you, to touch you." His fingers moved to my dripping snatch, and as if he were caressing a kitten, he peeled back the slick folds, exposing me fully.

"My God, look at that. That's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen," he said in awe as one finger pressed against the top of my slit before making a journey down. I moaned as he slowly moved over my exposed clit, and then down to caress the wet opening of my love canal. I lay there, naked and panting, overcome with desire. His hands were gentle but demanding, as if I was an untrained horse who needed taming. Slowly, he moved up and down along the outside of my sheath, but then, just as I thought he would push a finger in, he traveled back upward, juices dripping from his fingers, to press sternly against my clit.

"Oh!" I moaned deeply as his middle finger began to slowly circle my swollen nub. 

"Have you ever been touched like this before?" he asked breathlessly in my ear.

I couldn't form words at that moment. All I could do was shake my head back and forth against the pillow, crying out in pleasure.

He moved his other hand up to my breast and in parallel motion, began to circle around my nipple with his thumb, once in awhile grazing over it and plucking it between his fingers. It was almost more than I could stand, his hands moving expertly over my soft, naked flesh. Then he replaced the hand on my breast with his mouth, suckling a nipple as if his life depended on it, as he positioned himself between my open legs. 

I had never had sex before, but I knew I wanted it, I knew if he didn't enter me soon that I was going to go permanently insane. 

"Tripp...please! I need you inside me..." The way I sounded, one would guess that I was being tortured...and it was true - tortured with pleasure.

His mouth left my aching nipple and rose to kiss me gently, his hard, callused fingers still enveloped in the folds of my pussy. One finger slid inside my tight cunt as he gazed into my eyes, watching the effect he was having on me. "Not yet, Kira," he murmured against my lips while giving me brief, soft kisses. "There's something else first." I moaned and rocked against his finger, gripping it with my inner muscles. 

His mouth made a slow descent down my body, kissing and sucking everything he came into contact with. His tongue bathed me while I tried not to shatter into a million pieces.

"There are many ways to love a woman," he spoke to me sensually as he trailed kisses up my inner thigh. "And this is one of my favorites." 

And with that, he dragged his tongue over my slit while his hands parted me open, making me vulnerable to his exploring mouth, which made an effort to taste every soft, yielding inch of flesh between my legs. He circled my clit with his demanding lips before drawing the hard, little nub in and sucking gently. My fists gripped handful of bed sheets as I cried out in ecstasy while he made love to me with his tongue. 

"You taste amazing," he moaned as his lips caressed the slick, pink tissue. "Like milk and honey...and heaven."

"I'm...oh Tripp, I'm gonna...oh...!" I couldn't see straight, I couldn't think straight. He knew every sensitive spot, knew exactly what to do. It was as if everything around me had disappeared and the only thing that was left was his mouth against my pussy. 

"Yes baby, come for me. Come for me with my tongue inside you." The part of his mouth he spoke of entered me at that moment while a thumb came down to harshly stroke my clit. 

I was sent over the edge. Thank goodness his cabin was far enough away from the main spread, otherwise I was sure I'd have woken the entire ranch. Even I was surprised by the scream that tore from my lips as the throbbing in my loins exploded and tore my body in two. He rose and stifled my yell with his mouth, which descended down onto mine, enveloping my cries. As I rode out the pleasure, he softly kissed along my cheek and neck. One hand still cupped me between my legs.

I still wasn't completely aware of my surroundings, still was locked away in a euphoric haze when I heard Tripp sliding his jeans off. Breathing heavily, I opened my eyes to see him gazing at me with a look of starved hunger as he sat in front of me on the bed. My eyes traveled downward and widened as they saw the proof of that hunger. I should have known...was I expecting him to be small? Of course that part of him would be just as powerful as the rest of his body. 

Tripp saw my look of fear as I took in his size, and his male arrogance kicked in for a moment while he gave a small chuckle. "Don't worry, Princess, it'll fit," he reassured me, as if reading my mind. He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear while giving me a heartfelt look. "You're wetter than a summer storm," as he said it, the hand that cupped me began to once again start carressing. Dear God, how was it possible that this was happening again in such a short period of time? His fingers worked on me and I melted, giving a soft moan. 

As pleasure began to course through my body once again, I barely heard the sound of Tripp opening the night stand drawer next to us and unwrapping a condom. I felt a finger enter me, probing deeply before a second finger joined it, stretching and filling my pussy. Just as I was beginning to float away in bliss, the fingers left me, and I opened my eyes in frustration at the lack of pressure down there. Tripp was nestled between my legs, his face inches from mine as a hand caressed my cheek softly, and he leaned down to give me a lingering, gentle kiss. 

"Kira, it's gonna hurt," he whispered as if he himself were hurting with the thought of having to cause me pain. 

"I know," I nodded as my hands wrapped around his neck. "It's okay, it's worth it," I sighed as more of his weight came upon me. Being underneath his powerful body was more wonderful than I could have imagined. I knew that after the pain, I was going to be flying to the moon.

He gave me a small smile, appreciating my courage. It was time, and he positioned himself at my slick entrance, waiting for me to give the go ahead. I pulled his head down to mine and our mouths met as he pushed into me in one quick motion. His hands gripped my head as he moaned against my mouth. In truth, the moan was louder than my small cry of pain. After a couple of seconds, he opened his eyes and looked down at me, checking to see if I was alright. 

It had hurt, but the feeling of being filled so completely with him was quickly relieving the pain with a pleasurable ache. I stared into his eyes, which looked as though they were trying to see into my soul. In that moment, I swear, his gaze was more penetrating than his thick cock inside me. We both simply looked at each other for a minute before he began to move. 

There was no pain now, only a powerful, all-consuming satisfaction between us as slowly but deeply, he rocked against me. Our eyes were locked on each other, never so much as blinking. I was in his arms, and I was his as he filled me, over and over again. Now that he was finally inside me, I never wanted him to leave. He brought his forearms down to rest on the bed and his mouth gave me a single, passionate kiss before he grabbed the back of my head in one hand, holding my face in place, inches from his, as he thrust into my body. He stared at me as his other hand firmly sought my left breast. Feeling content as he took total control, I let him have me, completely, as I let go of everything I held onto and surrendered to his power.

The pleasure was so intense that it would have scared me if Tripp hadn't been holding me so tightly. His movement was incredibly sweet, and I panted and cried as he rode me. In his eyes was a ferocity that matched the forcefulness of his member, which was plunging into me so deeply that I thought I would rip. As he increased his tempo, our breathing became ragged and wild, like animals in heat. A thin layer of sweat covered us at this point, as our bodies strained to become as close as physically possible. 

It was then that I felt it, clearly building from inside of me, an explosion of dynamic proportions. My breathing stopped, and Tripp could tell what was about to happen. In his eyes, I could see the same fire that was moments away from consuming me. I lost control and my eyes closed as I floated away into that world where I would find release. 

"Look at me, Kira," his voice was harsh and commanding, filled with a desperate need that matched my own. He brought me back and forced me to open my eyes. I had never seen such intensity. "Right here," he pointed to his eyes with two fingers. "Look at me while you come."

And in that split second before it happened, the calm before the storm if you will, we shared something beautiful as our eyes locked on to each other's. There was a deep understanding between us, and I knew in that moment that my life would never be the same. He pulled out once more, and when he entered me again, my body went wild and I shuttered and shook beneath him. It was then that I saw heaven and the stars, and from the sound of Tripp above me, I knew he had gone there too. Our world came crashing down upon the two of us, and nothing else mattered at that moment. Nothing. There was just Tripp and Kira. 

A tear rolled down my face, not because of a particular sadness that had descended upon me, but rather because of the greatness and intensity of what we had just experienced, both mentally and physically. With the last tremors of orgasm running through us, he lifted me against him and sat back, cradling my face to his chest while he buried himself in my hair. I felt his soft lips graze the top of my head as I collapsed against his body.

He turned on the bed and propped himself up against the pillows, bringing me atop him, my face still resting within his hands, against his hard torso. A few minutes went by without us saying a word to each other. Unlike moments before, the room was still now, and the sound of musical crickets outside and Tripp's slowing heartbeat serenaded the silence. 

"I didn't think it would be like that..." I whispered softly against his skin.

"I didn't think it could be like that, Kira." his voice was a mix of wonder and confusion. 

I was expecting myself to be amazing at what had just passed, but I wasn't expecting the same feelings from him - someone so skillful who had obviously done this so many times before. The confirmation that it wasn't always this amazing gave me a warm feeling inside as I lightly ran a hand along the crevices that separated the muscles on his chest and abdomen. Our sweaty, naked bodies lay there, spent. Both of us were absolutely exhausted. 

"You're so beautiful," he whispered it more to himself than to me as he gazed down and gently played with a piece of my hair while running his fingers up and down the smoothness of my back. 

It was the type of thing you typically heard before the sex, during the seduction. He didn't need to say it now...but he did. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't hide my smile, and I lightly kissed his chest to show my appreciation.

"How is it that you've never done this before?" His voice was gentle, but curious.

I wasn't particularly thrilled about discussing my virginity, but I supposed it would make sense to open up to him at this point. "I never had found anyone who I wanted to do it with. I hadn't found the right person."

He rolled us over so that we were on our sides now, facing each other. A hand came up to softly caress my cheek. "And I'm the right person?" he asked in amazement.

After what we had just shared, I felt no shame in letting him see inside me. "I knew you were the right person since I first saw you atop that black mustang the night I arrived," I whispered shyly.

His grin was enormous. "You saw that?"

"I hid behind the barn and watched you..." 

He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "You sneaky, little mouse, you. Always seem to be in places where you shouldn't be." 

I smiled. "I couldn't help it. I saw you off in the distance and I had to get a better look."

"Were you disappointed?" his voice was playful as we lay there.

"No..." I whispered. "I wanted to be that horse. I wanted to be the one you were on top of, riding, working your hands against..."

A hand shot up and quickly covered my mouth. Tripp's face was playfully stern. "If you keep talking like that then I'm going to be unable to stop myself from doing something that you're undoubtedly too sore to do again right now."

He was right. While we were together, joined, it was magnificent. But now that we were bathing in the afterglow of ecstasy, my body began to feel the consequences of our passion. There was a noticeable ache between my legs, and it wasn't the pleasurable kind. 

I smiled and apologized as he removed his hand. Then he flipped me over and nestled his head in the cradle of my neck and he wrapped an arm around me. I knew he was tired, not just from the sex, but from the long day of working the ranch as well.

"I should let you sleep," I said softly, knowing he was starting to doze off.

"Mmm, stay right as you are and I'll be asleep in a couple minutes." His voice was sleepy and content.

"Tripp, I can't stay tonight..."

"Yes you can, California," he whispered in my ear.

I smiled at his use of the nickname. "I had to sneak out. My family thinks I'm sleeping, and there will be hell to pay if I'm not there when they wake up."

Tripp groaned behind me. "Nineteen years old...your parents don't allow you to make your own decisions yet?"

"Of course, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't disapprove of me running off in the middle of the night into some guy's bed who I just met. Not to mention someone who's older than me by...how old are you?"

"Twenty-seven," he said dryly.

Well that wasn't that bad. "I wish you'd stop thinking of me as a child," I said, referring to his comment on my age.

"If I thought of you as a child you wouldn't be lying here naked in my bed." His hand cupped one of my breasts, as if to further his point. Even his lightest touch was electric. 

I sighed. "Tripp, when you touch me, it makes me weak..."

At that point he shot up out of bed. "What did I say about talk like that?"

I giggled and turned around to look at him. His back was to the bed, and he was running his hands through his hair. Muscles rippled up and down his entire body, and I drank him in with my eyes. My God, I wouldn't doubt that the man had the nicest ass in the history of humankind.

"I swear, you're going to be the end of me, girl," he said teasingly as he pulled on his jeans before turning to smile at me. "If you must get back to your cabin though, I'll walk you there."

About ten minutes later, after Tripp had refused to let me dress myself, murmuring something about my wearing clothes being a sin as he slowly and quite agonizingly ran his hands across my body while putting back on my underwear and dress, we were walking back to the guest cabins. 

"Favorite color?" he asked as we took our time.

"Purple."

"Green."

"Like your eyes," I smiled. "Favorite food?" This had been going on for a couple of minutes.

"Chili...although after tonight I think that's changed. I'd much rather eat you..."

"Tripp!"

He laughed. "What about you?"

"Mmm...chocolate covered strawberries, most definitely."

It went on like this as we walked. I wanted to learn him, know everything about him, read him as if he were a book. I wanted to know what he loved and hated about the world. I wanted to know what he was afraid of, what type of car he first drove, and the name of the street he grew up on. 

But for now we had this, our hands intertwined and our bodies embracing in the night. It took us awhile to get to the main ranch. He kept stopping to kiss me and hold me. By the time we were approaching the cabin, I was dizzy. 

"Spend the day with me tomorrow," he whispered as he nuzzled my neck, pressing me up against the back of the house.

"Yes...oh yes..." I sighed as his hands cupped my face and his mouth once again slashed over mine. I'd do whatever it took to see him as much as possible in the upcoming days. This was no longer a family vacation, it was a time for me to explore my inner most desires. He was my drug, and I planned to overdose. 



The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 05



The next morning, I was sitting on my bed, brushing through my hair, and completely oblivious to what was going on around me. I could still feel him on my body, and even though there was a small ache between my legs, I welcomed it as a reminder of what Tripp and I had done last night. I relived those moments over and over again as I dreamily got ready for the day. 

"Earth to Kira?" I turned when I heard Lucy and saw her watching me from her side of the room. She was cautious, and didn't seem to be her normal, bubbly self. Then I found out why.

"Yesterday I got up to get a drink in the middle of the night," she said, a frown upon her face.

Well shit, it was just my luck something like that would happen. Sneaking out hadn't been the most fool-proof plan, but it had seemed like the best idea at the time. Then again, I thought, perhaps this wasn't such a bad predicament. If I was going to be spending this vacation with Tripp, then shouldn't I tell at least one person in my family, especially the one person who might actually understand my situation? I didn't have to tell her everything...

"So?" I asked her casually. I wasn't about to incriminate myself, and chose to play the ignorant act until she spelled it out.

"So...you weren't there. You weren't in your bed, sleeping. You were gone, I looked out into the main room too. And then, I lay awake for about twenty minutes and heard you come in, tiptoeing." 

I turned to face her. "Did you tell anyone?" I asked, concern written all over my face.

"No...but what's going on, Kira? It seems like every time we turn around, you're gone, or you're staying behind at the cabin or something. Where did you go last night? I thought you were sick?" She certainly played the part of the concerned younger sister well. 

"Lucy, you promise you won't tell anyone?"

"...Sure, as long as you spill because now you've got me curious."

I decided that this was the type of thing sisters should be able to share with each other. "There's someone here, at the ranch, and...I was with him last night."

Her eyes got wide and then her face lit up. "Oh! Why didn't you say something sooner! Tell me, who is it? Is he cute? Wait a minute! I know who it is. It's him isn't it? Tripp! The one Luke said you had a thing for!"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down!"

"Oh, Kira! He's gorgeous, I'm so jealous!" she squealed.

"Well as Luke said, he's too old for me, so he's definitely too old for you," I laughed. 

"Wait, what did you guys do last night?"

"We walked around the ranch." It was partly true, so I didn't feel bad about misleading her. Tripp had walked me back to the cabin, which constituted walking around. She didn't need to hear the other part. 

"So you like him?" Once you got Lucy going off on boy talk, she didn't shut up. I just smiled and nodded. If she only knew how much I liked him...the word "like" didn't even begin to cover it. 

"Has he kissed you yet?" she giggled as she asked it. I swear, this was better than daytime television to her. Again I nodded, and more giggling ensued. 

"With or without tongue?" 

"Lucy!" I turned and buried my face underneath my pillow as I laughed. Oh god...the mention of the word "tongue" got my mind racing. She asked if he had kissed me. I laughed inside my head as visions of his mouth against my dripping pussy flashed through my brain... The pain in between my legs now turned into a pleasurable throbbing. What time was it? Nine o'clock, I thought to myself, looking at my watch. I was going to go to breakfast with my family, and then I would meet Tripp in the main barn, where he was working today. 

This morning, we ate in the Lodge, which had a buffet set up for the guests. People buzzed and bustled around us, and my parents seemed to be on a first name basis with some of the folks who they'd met over the last couple of days. I tried to listen to the conversation at the table, but in my mind I was wondering how quickly I could get away with eating and then excusing myself. The knowledge that Tripp was in the barn, only a small ways away from the Lodge, had my heart racing.

Some people who apparently had already met my parents came over to our table. My mom's face lit up when she saw them, and they exchanged pleasantries. They were an older couple, and reminded me of my grandparents, but there was also a younger man, probably just slightly older than myself, who stood next to them. By the look on his face, I could tell that he wasn't enthused about schmoozing with us over breakfast.

"So do you mind if we join you?" the older woman asked, smiling at my parents, and then to Luke, and Lucy, who also seemed to know who these people were. 

"Of course! And who is this, I don't think we've met before," my mom motioned to the young man. 

"No, no you haven't," the older man started saying. "This is our grandson, William. He wasn't on the trail with us a couple days ago."

So that was where they all had met -- on that hiking trip that I had skipped so I could spend the day with Tripp. No wonder I seemed out of the loop. 

"Nice to meet you all, and please, call me Willy." The man put on a smile as soon as his grandparents introduced him. I didn't know if anyone else saw it, but to me it looked fake, matching perfectly with his voice, which reeked of arrogance. 

"It's a pleasure, Willy," my mom said with her typical friendly grin. "And I don't think you all have met Kira yet, have you?" She turned to look at me and I shook my head. "Kira, this is Mr. and Mrs. Marshall. We met them the other day. They're staying the week as guests as well." Being polite, I smiled and nodded a greeting. My mother continued, this time to the Marshall's. "Kira's my eldest daughter, and she was sick the other day during the hike."

Across the table, I saw Luke roll his eyes. He was still suspicious about my strange absences for the past few days. Sometimes, when his brotherly nosiness kicked in, he could be a royal pain in the ass.

"Well I hope you're feeling better, dear," this coming from Mrs. Marshall. "I know how awful it is to get sick on vacation."

"Thanks, yes I'm feeling much better. It must have just been something I ate." I was beginning to feel guilty about the amount of people I was selling this facade to. Maybe I was imagining it, but I thought I heard Lucy give a small chuckle when I said it. 

The Marshall's sat down with us, and I was surprised when Willy took the seat directly on my right, instead of sitting near his grandparents, who were on the other side of the table. 

He was handsome, there was no denying that. He had light brown hair that was full, but cropped just above the ear, and his chin was strong and pointed. He wasn't tall, but not short either, probably around Luke's height, I thought. Even though he was at a dude ranch, he seemed to dress nicely, wearing khaki pants and a striped collared shirt that was tucked into them, a black leather belt around his waist. As he sat next to me, he turned to give me a grin. Something about him made me feel uncomfortable...I think it was his eyes. Although he acted warmly, they didn't match the rest of his pleasant demeanor. There was a coldness in them...and I definitely didn't like the way they flickered over my chest a moment too long before coming up to meet my face.  

I gave him a polite smile before turning to concentrate on spreading jam on a piece of toast. "So, Kira, are you in school?" Willy began to strike up a conversation. That arrogance was still in his voice, and I wasn't pleased at the idea of talking about myself to him. I turned to look over, acknowledging his question and gave a simple "mmhmm". 

Apparently my mother felt the need to add her tidbit. "Kira just finished up her first year at UCLA. She's going to major in finance." Lovely, now the conversation was focused on me.

"That's great, I just graduated from Harvard, top of my class, with a degree in international relations," Willy answered. He seemed like the type of guy who brags about his degree, his job, his car, etc. I continued to nod politely. 

"Willy's going to be an ambassador someday," Mrs. Marshall said proudly.

"I'm attending Stanford in the fall to start my masters in foreign policy," he said with that trace of haughtiness in his voice. 

Well good for you, Mr. Ivy League, I thought, beginning to get annoyed, even though Willy wasn't necessarily doing anything wrong. It was just that something about him rubbed me the wrong way, and I definitely wasn't in the mood for conversation at this moment. My mind was still racing with thoughts of Tripp, and the passion we had shared last night. Was it too soon to excuse myself?

And then, as if my mind had conjured him into reality, there he was, across the room, talking with Jack Waterman. I hadn't seen him walk in, but he stood near the entrance now. He looked amazing, wearing a thin plaid shirt that hung open to reveal the tight white tank-top underneath, and jeans that molded against that perfect butt of his. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbow and there was a smudge of dirt on the white undershirt, a telltale sign that he'd been working. He looked rough, hard, and utterly delicious. Everything from yesterday was coming back to me in a wave of desire. All the man had to do was stand in the same room as me. 

"Kira?" My mother said my name, snapping me back into reality. Oh god, I was staring and hadn't heard a word that was being said at the table. Quickly, I looked down at my plate before glancing at my mom. 

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked, hoping no one had noticed that something else in the room had captured my attention. 

"Mrs. Marshall asked you about how you're liking school," my mother had a wary look on her face.

I looked to Mrs. Marshall, who was staring at me curiously. "Oh!" I tried to sound chipper. "Oh, well it's great, really beautiful campus, and I'm going to be rooming with some of my friends from the dorms next..." 

In mid-sentence, my fork suddenly hit my plate with a loud clatter when I made the mistake of glancing toward Tripp. He had noticed me now, and he was staring at me with that look in his eyes that made me feel weak. It was as if he were picturing me sprawled out underneath him, naked, instead of sitting down to breakfast in a room full of people. 

"Kira, are you alright?" someone at the table asked, I wasn't sure who since my mind had gone to mush at that point. 

"Um..." Look away from him, look away before they notice who you're staring at, I told myself. How I managed to pry my gaze from him, I don't know, but I managed. "Sorry...I...uh..." C'mon, get it together, Kira. I could still feel his eyes on me, and I had to get out of there, before I ended up running into his arms in front of everyone. "I'm sorry, you know what, I just realized I left something back at the cabin. But I'm finished with breakfast anyway...stuffed and couldn't eat another bite. It was delicious though. You should all try the pancakes, they're really good." I had absolutely no idea what I was saying as I got up from the table and pushed my chair in. If I had retained even a scrap of sanity, I would have realized that everyone was staring at me as if I was crazy because all I'd had to eat were some eggs and toast. I don't even think they were serving pancakes that morning.

He had left the Lodge as soon as he saw me start to get up from the table. I all but ran out of the room. Once I was on the porch a strong hand grabbed my arm and pulled me around the side of the building, where less people were present. He dragged me down the stairs, and I had to practically run to keep up with him. 

"C'mon, the stables are empty right now," his voice was rough and by the way he acted, it was as if he were a ticking time bomb, about to explode at any moment. 

We ran the last few yards into the large barn and slammed the doors behind us. We were wild for each other. Not even so much as glancing to see if there were any stable-hands around, he pinned me against the wall by the door and attacked. His hands quickly wove through my hair and grabbed fistfuls of it to pull my head back so my mouth pointed upward, primed for his descent. A tongue immediately penetrated my lips, dizzying me and completely blurring my senses until I was covered in a haze of pure ecstasy.

"It took all my willpower not to go over there and ravage you in front of your family," he groaned as scalding kisses were placed down my neck. "I wanted to rip your clothes off and have you on the goddamn breakfast table." 

My hands gripped his shoulders for support and held on as I gave a small moan. Suddenly, he grabbed my butt and squeezed while lifting me against the wall and moving forward. My legs wrapped around him and he held me there. His powerful hands were moving all over my body now as he pinned me to the wall, as if he wanted to feel every inch of me at once.

"Tripp..." I grunted. "We can't do this here can we? Won't someone come in?" I was almost at the point where I didn't give a rat's ass. The whole ranch could watch us for all I cared, I just wanted him inside me. That small, rational part of me decided to say something though.

He groaned against my neck and paused, as if trying to get his passion in check. "No..." he said before slowly placing a single kiss on my lips, his mouth lingering for a moment. "No, we can't do this right now, not in here, in the middle of the day." He backed up an inch and placed me on the ground. My legs were a little wobbly and he grinned. "I'm sorry, Darlin', it's just when I saw you all I could think about was last night."

Oh did I know the feeling. I had been in a semi-haze all morning just remembering what we had done last night, running through every detail in my mind blissfully. "Tripp, I want to do it again," I said in a soft voice. I didn't think I would ever get enough of him.

He chuckled and reached for me, turning me around and wrapping his arms around my front. "We will. You can't imagine how much I want you," he whispered softly in my ear. I had a pretty good idea if the rock-hard bulge I felt against my back was any sort of indicator. 

Just then we heard a sound from the back entrance of the barn. Someone was coming in. I looked to Tripp who quickly grabbed me by the hand and shoved me in one of the empty stalls. I realized it wouldn't look good if we were seen alone together in the stables. It would be quite obvious what we were up to, so I crouched down in the corner of the stall and waited.

"Tripp?" a man called out from across the barn, his voice was getting closer. 

"Over here, Romero," he called back in a voice that sounded less than enthused. At this point I could hear him moving something, probably to make it seem like he was working.

"Tripp, we need an extra hand with the cattle. We're not moving them fast enough and we need to get them in before it starts raining." Romero was standing next right outside the stall at this point. I tried not to move or make any sound.

"Shit, isn't Rick around?" The annoyance in Tripp's voice was quite clear.

"It's his day off, and all the other hands on duty are out there already. What have you got going on in here that's so important anyway?" 

"I told Jack I'd clear out the west end of the barn before the storm tonight. Supposed to do it last night, but didn't get around to it," he sounded as if he were making up an excuse. 

Romero chuckled. "Yeah I bet you didn't. Heard you were too busy almost murdering Jimmy. What'd he do now?"

"Nothing," Tripp said quickly in a hard tone that expressed his desire to move on to a different subject. I remembered what Lucy had told me last night, about Tripp fighting with the man at the Lodge. She said he'd been angry and someone had set him off.

Romero though didn't back down, and was still laughing good-naturedly. "Probably still going on about that little blonde thing you got the hots for." 

"Forget it, Romero." That had definitely seemed to hit a sore spot, or perhaps the harsh tone of voice he used was because the 'little blonde thing' was listening only a few feet away. "I'll saddle up and meet you out at the herd in a few minutes." It seemed as if Tripp just wanted to get the man out of there.

"Well don't take your time," Romero's voice called back as he walked toward the exit of the barn after being dismissed. 

I heard the doors on the other end of the stables shut, but I waited until Tripp opened the gate to the stall before standing up and walking out. He looked at me apologetically.

"Little blonde thing?" I raised my eyebrows. 

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Some of the guys may have noticed my interest in you and were ribbing me about it yesterday when I wasn't in the mood."

I was amused at this point. "My sister told me an interesting story last night about something she witnessed at the Lodge..."

Tripp groaned. "Great. Your family were the last people I wanted seeing something like that." He grabbed a saddle off the wall and brought out a horse from one of the stalls. "I was going crazy yesterday after the way we'd left things in the barn. I thought I'd scared you off for good, especially when I realized that you'd holed yourself up in your cabin after that." 

So I had been right. It was our kiss in the barn that had him so riled. He walked over then and put his arms around me, leaning his face down to rest on the top of my head. "I couldn't believe it last night when I opened my door and saw you standing there," his voice was soft and earnest. 

I buried my face in his hard chest and inhaled. He smelled wonderful to me, although he'd been working most of the morning. "I wish you didn't have to go..."

His hands cupped my face and he kissed me with what seemed like all the strength he could muster. "Will I see you tonight," his lips against mine were as urgent as his words. 

"At the Lodge?"

"No...come to my cabin. Sneak away if you have to. I have to see you..." He was trailing kisses down my neck, and I moaned as I held his face to me. He had to leave, and it was torture knowing I had to spend even a few hours away from him.

"Tripp...please..." my legs were turning into jelly.

"Promise you'll come."

"I'm going to come right now if you don't stop doing that," I whispered wickedly.

He groaned as his eyes danced and smiled. "Tonight, California. Don't keep me waiting," he said breathlessly as he reached around me and gave my behind a playful squeeze while quickly kissing the tip of my nose. 

Fire burned through my entire body as he we gave each other one last look of passion before we each turned around, him to his horse, and me for the door. If we stayed a moment longer, we both knew we'd never get out of there. 

I forced myself to focus on something, anything but him as I walked back to the cabin. Looking around the ranch though, all I could see was Tripp Carson...he was everywhere. Sometimes when I thought of him, of us together, I tortured myself for a few instants by imagining what would happen at the end of next week, when I left, and he stayed here on this ranch. Only a few instants, before I would cast it from my mind, telling myself that next week was eons away. And then I would replace such thoughts with nearer futures, such as tonight. I let my mind dance with fantasies of what would come that evening, and the small ache in my gut dissolved some.

* * * * *

"Kira!" I ignored my brother's call to me as I quickly walked towards the door of the Lodge. Let them think what they wanted to, it didn't matter to me anymore. They couldn't control me, I wasn't a child. I had diverted questions from my family that day, who at this point were becoming quite suspicious about what was going on with me. After dinner, when I had said I was leaving, I didn't want to stick around for the inquisition. 




The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 05



As I left the Lodge, I noticed that it was pretty cloudy outside, and then I remembered that Tripp and Romero had been talking about rain. That was fine, it didn't take long to get to Tripp's place, especially at the quick rate I was walking. The need to see him was all-consuming, and my legs couldn't carry me fast enough. 

But by the time I walked up to Tripp's porch, I was soaked to the skin. After only a couple minutes, the light drizzling had begun, and that had quickly turned into a heavy, pouring rain. My jeans were plastered to my legs, and my thin tank top...well it might as well not even have been there. At this point, it was completely see-through, and my nipples were so hard that even through my bra they were quite visible. For some reason I didn't think Tripp would mind. I was freezing though.

I banged on the door harshly so he could hear it through the sound of the storm. It opened quickly and it only took a couple seconds of seeing me standing there, shivering, for him to swiftly pull me inside. The warmth of the cabin was nice, and I saw that he had the fire going in the main room. 

He dragged me by my arm without saying a word and led me into a pretty decent-sized bathroom, where he quickly proceeded to strip me. "Good god, woman, you look like you just went for a swim," he chided as my bra came sliding down my arms, exposing my wet nipples to the air. My hands instinctively came up to cover my revealed chest, but Tripp quickly pulled them away as he began to undo my pants. I sucked my breath in and he smiled knowingly. "They don't have umbrellas or jackets in California?" 

"It wasn't raining when I left the Lodge," my body played between feelings of freezing and arousal as he slid my pants and underwear down my legs. I looked down and I saw the look of need in his eyes. He was fierce and powerful, and I realized I liked the feeling of standing there in front of him, completely naked, while he was still clothed, drinking me in with his eyes.

He turned from me and worked the nozzles on the shower next to us. "I'm gonna put your clothes in the dryer. Get in before you freeze to death." His voice was heavy and filled with want as he motioned to shower. 

The water was deliciously warm as I stepped under the spray, relieving my shivering body. I closed the clear, glass sliding door and just stood there for a moment, letting the warmth cover me until the goosebumps dissipated and I was no longer cold. The shower felt wonderful and I would have been content standing under the water forever. 

Wanting some circulation back in my limbs, which were still stiff from the cold rain, I looked around for the soap, which I found to my left on a ledge filled with shampoo and other items. Tripp wouldn't mind if I quickly washed myself down. He was probably waiting for me out in the main room. I pictured his strong hands moving over me...

"Don't," I heard him say as I took the soap. I turned my head and saw him standing in the doorway through the glass. Had he been standing there watching me? "I want to do that," he said softly. I froze, desire flooding through me.

His clothes were off in an instant before he slid back the door to the shower and stepped in with me. The sight of water spilling down over his rugged chest was almost too much for me to handle. I tore my eyes away and looked down at his throbbing member, just as glorious as I remembered it. "Oh, Tripp..." I whispered in need. He quickly spun me around and pressed me against his back, shielding me from the water. 

I felt his cock nestled against the upper part of my backside. Instinctively I started to rub myself against it, craving some friction between us. "Don't move." His hands grasped my waist, steadying me as he said the words.

"But I..." I was whimpering at this point. 

"Don't, Kira. Give me the soap." 

A hand came over mine and took the bar of soap, sliding it through my fingers into his. He lathered his hands together, creating a buildup of suds before he reached down and grasped my shoulders, slowly massaging them. It felt heavenly, his strong fingers warming my body and kneading my sore muscles. He worked his way down my back, alternating between deeply working my skin and lightly tracing his fingers over it. When he reached the area just above my backside, he grasped my hips and slowly ran his hands up the side of my body, lifting my arms above my head and fitting them around his neck as he swooped in to rest his chin on my shoulder, pressing himself against me. 

"You don't know what you do to me," he whispered in my ear as he slid his hands up my belly. Even though I was soaked from the shower, I could feel my juices beginning to run down my thighs. His touch was soft and hard at the same time. The ruggedness of his calloused skin was delightful will the gentleness of his touch and the soap running over me. 

"When I'm not touching you, I'm in agony." He sighed as his hands moved upwards slowly to cup my breasts, as if to emphasize his feelings. 

"And I'm in agony when you're not touching me." I whispered breathily as he gently plucked my nipples until they were hard nubs under his fingers. He massaged and worked my flesh until I began quivering. Moaning softly, I started to slowly unwind my arms from him so I could touch myself. I was going mad. "Then again, sometimes when you are touching me I'm in agony..."

"Pleasurable agony, Darlin'...No, keep your arms around my neck." His voice was soft but commanding. I moved my arms and wrapped them back around him, lifting my breasts in the process so he could continue his caressing. 

"Tripp...I...I think I'm clean there..." I hissed as my nipples were drawn once again into his persisting fingers. 

He chuckled deeply. "Yes, ma'am," he said in that sexy southern drawl of his before he moved his hands down. One arm clutched me around the waist, holding me in place, while a soapy hand moved through the folds of my sex. I gasped in shock and gratification, and my legs impulsively closed together, wanting to trap his hand there and keep the delightful pressure continuing. 

"Sweetheart, how am I supposed to wash you if your legs are closed like that?" He teased me wickedly. Sucking my breath in, I moved my legs apart, waiting for the explosive ecstasy that his fingers would give me. "That a girl...God, your pussy's so smooth..."

I moaned as fingers brushed over my clit before once again moving through my slick folds. "For...for you..." I tried to articulate, but I was finding it difficult. He pet me with those strong hands as if I were one of his horses. His control and potency were mind-blowing. 

"For me? Well Ms. Davis, I'll just have to show my appreciation then, won't I?" His finger began moving over my clit in tight circles and his tongue descended upon my neck, licking away drops of water that spread over my skin. I whimpered softly, drowning in the satisfaction his touch gave me. 

"You're wet, Kira...is that for me too?" he whispered as a thick finger entered my tender cunt and began fucking me slowly. 

"Yes..." I moaned, partly in response to his question, partly because of the delight his hand was giving me. "Yes...yes...yes!" I couldn't stop saying it. He still massaged my clit with his thumb, and then his finger embedded in my sheath was joined by another, and together, they began exploring me faster and more deeply. His hand was slick with a mixture of water, soap, and juice that freely flowed from my pussy. As my breathing became short and ragged, I gripped his neck so hard that I was sure my nails left marks. 

"And are you going to come for me? Are you going to come for me all over my hand?" His fingers curled and found that wonderful place inside my pussy, pressing against it as his thumb bore down on my clit. My whole body began convulsing and the arm around my waist held me tight, keeping me from falling. "Come for me, Kira." His whispered words were like magic, sending me over the edge. The hot steam from the shower enveloped us as I came, explosively, wondrously, with his fingers deep inside me.

When I stopped contracting around his fingers and he knew my orgasm was complete, he gently turned me around so I could lower my head to his chest, my arms still wrapped around his neck for support. For a moment I couldn't move my body. The combination of the steamy atmosphere and the intensity of what had just happened left me in a content haze. I was perfectly happy just staying like that for minute, in Tripp's powerful arms. I would be perfectly happy staying like that forever.

Before I realized what was happening though, I felt a light stream of water flowing against my now sensitive groin, cleansing me. I opened my eyes and blushed when I saw that Tripp had one of those detachable shower heads, which he held between my legs. He smiled as he washed me off with the soft spray, removing the soap he had bathed me with. I would be lying if I said the water wasn't spreading warmth through my loins once again.

"I think you've had enough time in the shower, Miss," he said and he reached behind him and turned the water off. I gave a soft moan of disappointment as the warm stream left my body. He chuckled as he dragged us both out of the stall and grabbed a large white towel. After quickly rubbing himself down, he began to move it over me, slowly, trying to catch every drop of water.

"I wish I could do this with my hands," he said breathily as he began to lightly brush the places he had already dried off with his fingertips. 

"You aren't tired yet of putting your hands all over me?" I asked, partly joking. 

"I will never tire of touching you," he said seriously. "I could do it all day, all night...it still wouldn't be enough." With that, he scooped me up in the towel and carried me into the main room. I expected us to be heading into the bedroom, but then I saw that he'd laid out a blanket and some pillows in front of the fireplace. 

The storm seemed to have worsened outside, and my eyes widened when I saw a flash of lightning through the window. The subsequent clap of thunder made me jump. I didn't realize how bad the weather had gotten.

"Are you afraid of storms?" Tripp asked gently as he laid me down in front of the fire. 

"No, I'm just not used to them. We don't really have them where I'm from."

"You kidding me?" he asked as he covered me with his naked body.

I shook my head. "We get rain only a few days out of the year, and even then it's not much. No thunder or lightning." 

He leaned down and captured my mouth with his. "Well, looks like I'm gonna have to keep you safe then," he murmured against my lips before taking them in full force and tossing the towel that lay between us off to the side of the blanket. Our naked bodies, still damp from the shower, were warmed in front of the fire and melted together. I don't think I would ever get enough of kissing him. Just last night I had been a virgin, and now, I wanted to do everything with him. I wanted to do everything that was physically possible between two people. 

"Tripp?" I whispered, breathing heavily while his mouth suckled at my neck.

"Hmm?"

"Will you teach me?"

"Teach you what, Sweetheart?" he lifted his head long enough to ask it before going back to placing kisses along the base of my throat.

"...Everything." 

He stopped and paused before lifting his head to look into my eyes. The answer was vague, but I could tell he had understood me perfectly. A warm smile spread across his face as he placed his forehead against mine, still staring at me with a heartfelt look before whispering to me. 

"Darlin', it's gonna be a long night."

And it was ... a very long night.



The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 06



The days had fallen into a routine schedule. Tripp worked often, but when I did see him, we usually met in the barn, where we would nurse the young filly, or go out riding...or make love, which was our favorite way to spend the time. Each night he would take me, slowly, quickly, passionately, tenderly, ruthlessly. We did it multiple times, in multiple places, and in multiple ways...and every time we would worship each other's bodies as if we were the last two people on the face of the earth. The day after that horrid storm we ended up falling asleep together on the fresh straw in one of the storage barns, exhausted from the previous night when our passion had been as restless as the raging rain. 

My family wasn't stupid. After that rainy night when I hadn't come back to our cabin, they figured out what was going on, especially after they confronted Lucy who had received a text message from me telling her that I was all right, and that they shouldn't worry about me. I had never really been in this situation before, and surprisingly, my parents didn't try to stop me from seeing him...though I had listened to my mother and father heatedly talking one evening in their room.

"Well what are we supposed to do?" My mom had said, talking quietly to my father with clear frustration in her voice. "She's nineteen, she can do what she wants."

"I don't care, this is a family vacation, and I'm the one paying for it, which means I make the rules about running off in the middle of the night with strange men!" My dad rarely got angry, but he was mad about my behavior. 

"He's not strange, he's like a son to the Waterman's. I met him our first night here, he seemed very nice."

"He's too old for her, and didn't you see him in the Lodge the other day? Nearly smashed that man's face in two!"

"Well what do we do? We can't lock her in the cabin, and you think if we tell her she can't see him that she'll listen?"

"We could go home early."

"We are paid for two weeks, we are not going home early," my mother whispered tightly. "Besides, it wouldn't be fair to Lucy or Luke. I think Kira's an adult now, and she's got to make her own decisions and learn from her own mistakes."

"What if she gets pregnant? Is that a mistake you want her learning from?"

I hadn't wanted to listen to anymore after that bit, so I crept back to my room, my stomach churning. But I was surprised when the next time I was with my parents, they hadn't mentioned anything about what was going on. I would be lying though if I said my family, including Lucy, who at this point realized just how deep my relationship with Tripp was, acted completely normal around me. The disapproving looks were never-ending, and I felt as if I was constantly being watched. In truth, they were scared for the same reasons I was, and they pondered the same question that I worked to force from my thoughts – what was going to happen when we left? 

Now though, we all sat at the breakfast table where we were joined by the Marshalls, another routine that had been going on the last few days. I blinked sleepily with a glass of orange juice at my lips, trying to drown out the sound of Willy next to me, bragging to us about his relationship with some senator. Instead, I tried to remember all the wonderful reasons why I was so sleepy that morning. Neither Tripp nor I had really slept much last night. Every time we tried, we somehow wound up making love again. If I was tired now, I felt awful for Tripp who was working out on the range. 

"Kira, you really do need to take me up on my riding offer. What are you doing today?" Willy had been asking me to go riding with him for days now. So far, I had been able to effectively deflect his persistent proposals to, as he had put it, show me his fine horsemanship skills. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud at that one.

"Willy, I've already said, I'm really not much of a horseback rider." I tried to sound polite in order to appease my parents. 

"That's alright, I'll help you. I'm quite good, I even won an equestrian contest at my parent's country club a few years ago." At that point I choked on my sip of orange juice, trying to hold back the giggles. All I could picture was Willy trying to show me how to ride after all the times I'd gone out with Tripp behind me in the saddle. 

"Erm, sorry, just swallowed wrong...um..."

"Kira, I think you'd have fun going out riding with Willy." My father knew that I wanted nothing to do with Willy, but anything that took my focus away from Tripp was good in his eyes. "Besides, we're here on vacation at a dude ranch and you've hardly ridden any horses yet."

That wasn't true. I'd gone out with Tripp several times now. He loved to show off how capable he was at riding by demonstrating the various things he could do to my body while still keeping control of the horse. I shuddered at the memories, heat washing over me. 

Willy was smiling as I glanced over at him, racking my brains for some excuse to get me out of this. The whole table was looking at me and I could tell I was defeated. 

"Well, I guess I could go today..." It was true, I could go, as I wasn't planning on meeting Tripp until tonight, since he had to spend most of the day out with the cattle. The idea was completely unappealing to me though.

"Fantastic," Willy said with one of his fake smiles that suggested motives ulterior to those he presented. "We can go take the South Trail down toward the main road."

"Lucy," I turned to my sister, begging her with my eyes. "Would you like to come with us?" If I had to endure this, I sure as hell didn't want to do it alone. 

Before Willy could protest, my brother piped in. "Actually, Lucy was going to come with me this afternoon up to see some of the caves on the mountain. We've been meaning to go up there all week." I groaned inwardly. Luke of course was siding with my father on this whole thing. Lucy gave me an apologetic look before I turned back to give Willy a forced smile that came out to be more of a grimace. 

"I...I guess it's just us then," the hesitation in my voice couldn't be missed, but Willy took nothing of it. The man was too arrogant to even consider that I wasn't interested in him.

* * * * *

A couple hours later, Willy and I walked into the barn. Correction - Willy walked in, I was more dragging my feet behind him in reluctance. We had talked to one of the ranch hands outside about taking two of the horses out. After Willy reassured him that we knew how to ride, he had told us they had someone in the stables who would help prep the horses. It was a pity that the ranch didn't require a guide to go along with guests who wanted to ride down some of the shorter trails. I wished Willy had wanted to go riding through the mountains, where we would have needed someone to accompany us. However, I think the aspect of being alone together was the whole point of this outing for the stubborn man. I firmly reminded myself that since we weren't going to be around anyone else, like our families, I didn't need to take any bullshit today. 

I cringed as soon as we walked through the door, and my heart leapt up into my throat. I wasn't expecting Tripp to be the one in the barn, tending the horses, but there he was, rubbing down a chocolate-colored mare, looking as beautiful and dashing as ever in a worn pair of jeans and a dirty white t-shirt. He had told me he was going to be out on the trail for most of the day, and this was the last thing I needed right now. It was bad enough having to go out riding with Willy at all, let alone having to hear a bunch of guff about it from Tripp. 

He looked formidable, especially wearing the dark Stetson that covered much of his face, but he turned to us as we walked into the stables and his eyes bore into mine before glancing over to Willy. I had frozen momentarily before deciding that in order to avoid an awkward situation, it was best to try and act normal, as if I didn't know Tripp intimately. The difficulty of keeping myself from running into his arms however was proving to be a nuisance. 

An eyebrow rose on Tripp's face as Willy went ahead of me. I widened my eyes and rolled them, glancing at Willy in front of me, trying to signal to Tripp my intense discomfort with what was about to happen. Tripp didn't say anything, but the hard, confused look on his face didn't go away. 

"We'd like two horses to take out on the South Trail." Willy said it to Tripp in a cocky manner that reeked of superiority. I instantly became annoyed, or at least, more annoyed than I already was, at the way Willy acted as if he were better than Tripp, who he obviously saw as no more than a simple stable hand.

Tripp seemed amused though as he raised both eyebrows now and spoke to Willy in an accommodating tone. "There's a fine selection of thoroughbreds down at that end of the stables for someone like yourself." He said it in a way that recognized Willy's self-importance as he pointed toward the other end of the stalls and started walking toward me. "You ma'am might be more interested in some of the ones down here." His back was turned away from Willy so the man couldn't see him take my arm as he dragged me down a ways, out of earshot from where Willy began examining the horses. 

"I tried, Tripp. He wouldn't take no for an answer," I whispered, frustrated. 

"Well perhaps he needs some persuasion..." Tripp turned around to look back toward Willy, a fist forming in his hand. 

"No." I put my hand on his arm to stop him. "His grandparents are friends with my mom and dad, and they've been joining us for meals recently. I've been deflecting his advances for days now, but I couldn't today, practically my whole family was against me. They were pressuring me to go." 

His eyes rose at that. "Doesn't your family have an idea that you're involved with someone else at the moment?"

Involved. That's what he called us. It wouldn't have been my word of choice, but it was a start at least, some sort of recognition of us as a couple. Of course I didn't know what he meant by 'involved'. That could just mean sex, but I refused to believe that. There was something between us that went much deeper than a purely physical need, even after just the few short days we'd known each other. 

"How could they not when I'm sneaking off to your bed every night? I think that's why they wanted me to go with him. I'll just ride for a little while and then I'll feign a headache or something. It won't be that bad. Besides, don't you need to get back out to the herd?"

"I suppose..." he looked at me hesitantly. "I don't know, California. I don't like the idea of you going riding alone with some pup who looks like he couldn't manage a pony from a petting zoo." 

I smiled at him. "Well you're just going to have to trust that you've done a good job teaching me this last week."

He grinned. "For some reason the last few times we've been riding, I don't think you've been concentrating very hard on my instruction." He began curling a piece of my hair in his fingers. I gave him a look of mock surprise. 

"Why Tripp, of course I have!" I lowered my voice to a sultry whisper. "You think I wasn't listening to you when you were telling me to lift my skirt, or ride your fingers...or grab your..."

"Kira!" he growled as desire flooded his gaze. "I have half a mind a drag you back to my cabin right now and spank you."

"Now, now," I teased. "That sounds delicious, but it wouldn't be very sporting of you. Poor Willy, I think he deserves a chance to show me how impressive his riding skills are." Tripp could tell I was choking trying to hold back my laughter. "By the way," my face grew concerned and serious. "How is the foal doing today?"

"No better or worse since you saw her yesterday." Tripp seemed somber as well. I suppose one couldn't expect a horse to get better in only a little over a week, but it was disheartening not to see any improvement. 

"Kira!" Willy yelled across the stables. "Have you found a horse yet? I've chosen mine."

I rolled my eyes and looked at Tripp. "Saddle up Winter for me." He nodded, giving me a light smile. Winter was a white mare we'd been out with a few times. She seemed to like me, and even when I'd been on her alone without Tripp, I'd been pretty good at handling her. I was surprised at how much my horsemanship skills had improved in just a few short days. Then again, when you had a master like Tripp giving you one-on-one lessons, anyone could become adept at riding one of these things.

We walked over to Willy who was looking at us curiously. My eyes sank with the prospect of having to waste my time with this man, who had a cold gleam in his eye. 

"Kira, are you all right? You seem a bit weary." Willy looked at me skeptically. 

"I suppose I'm just tired," which was true. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." 

Tripp choked on a laugh and turned to give me a hidden smile before he began preparing for us to head out. We both knew neither of us had enough sleep, and with the memories of last night, I couldn't help but wish it were Tripp that I was going riding with, although I tried not to think about it. Dwelling on the matter would simply make it worse. It was just with Tripp there in the barn, it made it so much more apparent how unappealing Willy was.

Tripp saw my forlorn look, and whispered to me before I mounted the horse. "You can still say no..."

"No. It would be so rude to back out now... I'm going."



* * * * * 

Willy and I headed down the South Trail which would take us through a couple of hills before leading back to the ranch. I tried to focus on something besides his annoying chatter during our ride, such as the beauty of the pastures before us. My mind floated back to one of the first conversations I had with Tripp, where he gushed about his love for this place. I hadn't seen it at the time, the appeal of it all, but as we rode up the small green hilltop that overlooked the fields, I realized how much I had grown to enjoy being here, a place so different from the smoggy, bustling city I was used to. 

My newfound appreciation for the ranch of course had to do with my intense feelings for Tripp. In my mind, Tripp and this land were one and the same. How could I not appreciate something that was so much a part of him? It was dusty and there wasn't much to look at, yet in just over a week, I had found myself beginning to feel at home at the Waterman Ranch.

"Kira?" Willy snapped me out of my train of thought and I turned to look at him. "You've been awfully quiet. I'm not boring you, am I?" His voice didn't sound hurt in any way, but it gave off a hint of anger, something I hadn't heard before in his typically pompous, oblivious character. 

I raised my eyebrows and decided that the best course of action for this ride would be to put up a courteous front. "I'm sorry, I'm not bored, I just don't have much to say," I said politely, trying hard not to let my annoyance show. 

"Yes I have noticed that you're more of a quiet girl." His voice relaxed some. "I like that. I can't stand women who like to talk too much." He said it as if there was nothing wrong with it, as if he were talking about the weather. The smile on his face was completely fake and insincere, almost as fake as mine had been a moment ago.

I gritted my teeth together as I gave Winter a small kick, picking up the pace. "Well I'm glad I could be so accommodating for you," I said in a tone only lightly drenched in sarcasm. Willy chose not to notice.

"You know we have a lot in common, you and me," he said smugly.

"Do we?" I failed to see it.

"You strike me as the type of girl who knows what she desires in life, the type who's willing to go after what she wants." 

I didn't think that sounded like me at all. I thought I knew what I wanted before I came here, to this ranch. Now, everything was so confusing. What I desired in life suddenly wasn't so clear anymore. The idea of returning to my old life in California right now made my stomach hurt.

"And I suppose you're the same way?" I asked airily as I thought on my own situation. "Always going after what you want?" Of course he was, I told myself. Mr. Ivy League, Rich Daddy, Senator Schmoozer always got what he wanted.

His conceited laugh was unnatural and out of place as we rode down the pastures of the ranch. In a place so care-free and lovely, Willy seemed like a weed in a rose garden. "I do have a tendency of setting a goal and making it happen," he said arrogantly. "That's how I finally got you to go riding with me, wasn't it? Not taking 'no' for an answer? Being persistent? It's a good quality to have."

This man was going to be seriously put out when he found that I had no interest whatsoever in any sort of relationship with him. The only reason why I didn't argue with him, or tell him that he had a better chance of establishing a romance with one of the cows than he did with me, was because I didn't want to start anything. It would be too much effort, better to simply decline his advances later if he decided to become more explicit.

If only the ranch wasn't so deserted out on some of the shorter trails, such as this one. Aside from the scenery and my own inner musings, there was very little to distract me from my riding partner. We rode down a couple more miles before he started in on a new subject. "So you're going to the big dance in a couple nights aren't you? All the guests are going to be there, and I'm sure your family has expressed interest." The way he said it, it was as if he'd already decided that I was going. 

But indeed my family had expressed interest, and last night I had heard Lucy tell me all about it. Apparently every summer, on the first Saturday of August, the Waterman's had a big formal social at the Lodge which they put a lot of work into. My family had been excited that we were going to be here when it was to take place this year. I had been mildly intrigued, wondering instantly if Tripp had any interest in going, since we usually spent our nights together. But then again, as one of the main hands on the ranch, why wouldn't he, especially if it was supposed to be a dance for the guests and the staff. As Willy just confirmed, it was the type of thing that everyone usually went to. 

"Yes my family mentioned something about it to me last night. I suppose I'll be going, especially if everyone else is. I wouldn't want to miss out on all the fun..." That last part was said rather dryly, as I thought about bright lights, loud music and large crowds. It would probably be even worse than the typical nights that took place at the Lodge. Suddenly I wasn't so excited anymore. 

"Excellent. Well I suppose I'll see you there then..." 

I could tell this was leading up to something. "Yes...I suppose you will," I said hesitantly.

"You know, if you'd like, we could go together."

I had experienced quite a number of awkward silences in my life, but this had to be one of the worst, and it only grew more uncomfortable the longer I left it. Finally I said something.

"Willy, why did you ask me to go on this ride with you?"

He gave a small laugh, like it was obvious, almost insulting me for asking such a stupid question. "Well I thought I've made it clear that I like you, Kira. And you know I think we would complement each other well..." his tone was courteous, but completely forged. 

"Willy..." I figured using logic was the best way to address this. "You know, my family only has a few more days here at the ranch, and after that we're heading back to California. I'm not really what good it would do to start something between us..."

"Well it's not as if I'm asking you to marry me, Kira. I just believe that I would be good for you. And you know I travel to L.A. frequently..." 

He would be good for me? My god, his arrogance was astounding. With men, I usually liked to at least try and let them down gently before I laid the cards on the table. I could see though I needed to be more frank.




The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 06



"Listen, I'm just not really interested in being involved with someone right now." I said it in a curt manner to get the point across. At least I had said "with someone" instead of "with you," as I had wanted to.

"I see." The way he said it made me think that he was angry. However, he quickly reverted back to his typical phony politeness. "Well then perhaps we could just be friends," he turned and gave me the most forced smile I had ever seen. Friends my ass, I wasn't buying it. I gave him a small smile and a nod anyway. 

We rode for another fifteen minutes, and as we chatted, I felt as if he were still trying to lure me into something. I tried to keep the pace brisk so we could get back quicker, and I was relieved when the main ranch came into view. One thing that did surprise me was how well I was handling the horse. I was skeptical at first about my abilities, since I was use to riding with Tripp behind me, and I knew no horse would dare get skittish while Tripp was on the saddle. However, I quickly realized I had learned a lot about riding during my time with my handsome cowboy. 

I had hoped that Tripp would be in the barn when we got back, but there was another stable hand there to help tend to our horses as we rode into the corral. Tripp was obviously still out with the cattle. As soon as we dismounted, I rejoiced, ecstatic to end what I knew was the worst hour I had spent on this vacation. 

I tried to wrap things up as we walked out of the stables. "Well, thanks for the ride, Willy, I should be getting back to the cabin now to see what my family's up to..."

"At least let me walk you back," he stared at me intently, watching as I tried to leave his company, as if he knew I wanted to get away. I groaned inwardly, forcing myself to give him a slight nod before turning and heading toward the cabins, expecting him to follow me and further torture me with his overconfidence. 

However, I wasn't expecting him to grab my hand as we approached the cabin and lean in toward my mouth, which was parted in surprise. I panicked when I turned and saw his face inches from mine, eyes closed, lips primed and ready. Weren't there people around? No, I realized that we were hidden in between a couple of the cabins. Luckily I snuck my other hand in between us just in time to catch his mouth with it. I looked at him in surprise for a moment before taking a step back. 

"Willy, what are you doing? I was serious earlier when I said I wasn't interested," I looked at him, annoyance written all over my face and threaded through my voice. 

He seemed angry as his grey eyes flared. "Kira, I think you'll find me quite appealing if you just let it happen." He reached for my other hand, trying to pull me to him.

"Stop it," I said harshly as I yanked my hands away from him. I was the angry one now, in fact I was furious. Suddenly, everything came to the surface, and I lowered my voice as I watched his shocked face. "Let me make this clear. I don't like you. The only reason I went riding with you today was to appease my parents. The thought of you kissing me makes me sick, and I can honestly say I would rather put my lips on that cactus," I pointed to the prickly plant that stood a few feet away. "You can forget it, Willy," my voice was cold, and I knew I was showing a completely different side of myself. 

He stood there dumbfounded, and I didn't want to wait for an answer. I turned and ran up to the cabin, slamming the door as I went inside.

* * * * *   

"Tripp where are we going? It's the middle of the night!" I laughed as he led me by the hand down toward the area where the barn stood. But it wasn't the barn we were heading to, it was the Lodge, which although was normally bustling with people, looked to be pretty empty now, and none of the lights were on. "It's only midnight, where is everyone?" I asked as we walked onto the porch.

"Jack and June like to close up around eleven since all the staff here get up pretty early. It makes clean-up easier. Besides, most of the guests aren't really the type to party until all hours of the morning." We walked in and I blinked a couple times, trying to make out something. It was pitch black except for a tiny bit of moonlight coming in through the windows. "Wait here," Tripp said as he walked off into the darkness. He obviously knew his way around the room well. I stood in the doorway, trying to see his figure as it walked toward the bar area.

Suddenly I gasped as all of the paper lanterns that hung from the ceilings lit up, giving the room a warm, romantic glow. The lighting was different from how it usually was, since the main ceiling lamps weren't on, brightening the place up. I looked around the room, not used to seeing it completely empty and all cleaned up. The floors were swept and the chairs were up on the tables. Instantly, I decided I liked this atmosphere much more than the typically crowded, noisy hall. 

"What do you think, California?" Tripp was behind the bar, resting his forearms on it, looking at me with a smile on his face. I turned to him and started walking over. 

"It's great, much better than it usually is," I smiled coyly. "Are we supposed to be in here though?" I was only slightly worried that someone would walk in on us.

"Hell no," he gave me a wide grin. "But Jack and June won't mind if I use it tonight for a little romancing. After all, I'm their favorite hand around here." He gave me a wink and I laughed. 

"Romancing you say?" I sauntered over to the bar and sat down on one of the stools in front of him.

"Yes, ma'am, I plan on getting lucky tonight." That devilish grin was plastered all over his face, and I raised my eyebrows at him teasingly.

"Oh really? And just how do you plan on doing that, Mr. Carson?"

"There's a girl with me who I'm crazy about, and when I'm near her, I'm always lucky," he said sweetly before covering one of my hands with his.

I blinked a couple times at him. "Tripp, how am I supposed to resist you when you start talking like that?" I was trying to be light with him, but it was hard, his words had such a profound effect on me.

He laughed though. "You're not, honey, that's the point," he grinned at me. "By the way, you haven't said anything about your ride with Mr. Jackass," he said it with a slight bitterness as the smile left his face. 

I wasn't looking forward to discussing it with Tripp. When I had approached his cabin that night, I had jumped on him in a fit of passion, not wanting to talk, and before things got too heavy he had led me out the door. Right now, the last thing I wanted to be reminded about was my awful day. There were much more pleasurable things to concentrate on. 

"It was awful, but I survived it," I said dryly. I didn't see the need to worry him or make him upset by telling him about how Willy had almost kissed me, especially since I doubted that I'd have any more interactions with the man.

"You're not going to see him anymore are you?" his voice was hesitant, and I couldn't miss the jealousy there.

"God, no. Once was enough, and now that I've gone, I won't need to take anymore shit from my parents about it."

"Language, California," he teased me, obviously ready to move on to a different subject. "Now, what's your poison?"

Even though I had just finished my freshman year of college, I had never been much of a drinker, mostly because I hadn't felt very secure getting smashed at a lot of the parties I'd been to. But here, with Tripp, I felt a little more daring. "Well..." I started, "I've always wanted to try whiskey..."

"Whiskey?" he asked in mock surprise, pretending to be taken aback. 

I laughed. "Well isn't that what I'm supposed to drink here, at a dude ranch?" 

He reached down and brought two shot glasses up to the bar. "Whiskey is what cowboys drink, not ladies."

"Well couldn't we make an exception this time?" I asked with a smirk as he poured each glass. 

"I suppose...but I don't think you're gonna like it," he smiled knowingly and held up his glass, encouraging me to do the same. "What should we toast to?" 

"...To cowboys," I said after pausing a moment, brazenly staring at him so as to give him no doubt that I was referring to one specific cowboy.

He smiled before looking at me in much the same manner and saying softly, "and to ladies." With that, we clinked our glasses together before the whiskey touched my lips. I got about halfway through my shot before I started choking. The stuff felt like Drano going down my esophagus. 

Tripp tried hard not to laugh as he poured me a small glass of water, which I accepted gratefully, before he finished off the rest of what was in my shot glass. The man was a true cowboy, and could drink whiskey like it was iced tea. He sighed loudly at me, pretending to be annoyed. "I can see I still have a lot to teach you, California," he joked.

"Because being able to shoot hard alcohol is such a redeeming quality," I said as I sipped my water, watching him laugh. 

"Perhaps not, but being able to dance certainly is," he grinned at me as my eyes got wide, seeing where this was going. 

"Dance? I should warn you, I think I'm even worse at dancing than I am at drinking."

Tripp was under the bar again, and suddenly the hall came to life with the soft sound of a slow country song. "Don't worry, it's easy when you have someone leading you. Besides, you need to learn for the social tomorrow." He walked out from behind the bar and extended his hand like a true gentleman. "Won't you please dance with me, Miss Kira?" He was smiling from ear to ear. How could I resist, especially when he spoke to me in that deep southern drawl?

I took his hand, and he led me onto the floor, under the soft lighting, with the music enveloping us. His other hand wrapped my arm around his neck before coming to rest on my waist. I looked up at him hesitantly, but he was still smiling at me with a gentle look in his eye, the one that was often there when his arms were around me, and I relaxed, feeling at home as he held me close. And then, before I knew what was happening...we were dancing.

It was perfect this way. There was only us – no large crowds of ranch guests, no hot, bright lights. I didn't realize we were doing it at first, that's how natural it felt. As I pressed my cheek to his chest, getting as close to him as possible, he took us around the floor. I wasn't tripping over my feet, or stepping on his toes. It felt wonderful actually, moving with him to the rhythm of the music. 

"You little liar," he said softly, smiling down at me and giving my waist a squeeze. "I can see what you mean when you said you couldn't dance," he joked. I laughed and looked up into his eyes. Perhaps it was the music, perhaps it was just the fact that I was in his arms, but as we moved, I began to grow weak, like I was being swept away into a different world.

Our positions began to change from the traditional arrangement. He lifted both my arms to wrap around his neck while he swooped down to hold my waist, spreading his hands wide to capture as much of me as he could. My face was cradled now beneath the crook of his neck, and I deeply inhaled his rich, masculine scent. His hands moved against the fabric of my shirt, gently grabbing handfuls of it every now and then as we moved. 

I was getting warm as he caressed me through my clothing, moving his hands up my back, pulling me to him even closer than we already were, something I didn't think was possible. One hand then lightly twisted a handful of my hair and moved my head back, away from his chest. He looked down at me, and I realized the intensity he was feeling matched my own. We knew then that we were going to have each other, right there in that dimly lit room. The thought thrilled me to my very core.

As he held me tightly, his hands reached down to grab my hips and slightly lift me onto his thigh, which was obscenely rubbing against the front of my skirt. The friction was delightful as he rocked me against him to the music, guiding me along his leg. I clung to him, losing myself, and then I felt hands guide over my buttocks, grabbing material and lifting my skirt to feel the flesh underneath. The red lace thong I was wearing did nothing to shield me from the fingers that caressed the soft globes of my ass. 

I was going wild at this point, gyrating on his thigh as he firmly clutched my backside, my skirt hiked up around my waist. I felt sexy...and dirty, knowing that the lights were dimmed and anyone could walk in at that moment. Occasionally I would glance up into Tripp's eyes, which were staring at me intently, finding pleasure in watching me grind myself against him. I knew my face was contorted in an expression of ecstasy. 

In my foggy haze of delight, without even realizing what I was doing, my hand, which had been caressing his chest through his shirt, reached down and clutched the large bulge in the front of his pants. His sharp intake of breath brought me out of my stupor, and I smiled as I began stroking him through the outside of his jeans. I was getting even wetter just from touching him, feeling the raw heat and power that radiated through his jeans. 

"Tease..." he murmured dizzily as I continued to ride his leg, feeling quite dizzy myself. I whimpered when he finally set me back on the floor and spun me around, pressing his hard erection into my back. He whispered softly in my ear, his words having a direct effect on my intense arousal. "Perhaps, Miss, you'd like to get better acquainted with that..."

"Perhaps I would, Cowboy..." I whispered back as I reached my hand around behind me to grab him, showing him just how much I would like that. I wanted to see him, touch that part of him, taste him. 

That last touch was all it took. He grabbed my arm roughly, and led me over to the bar, pressing me up against it before he kissed me, hard. My hands moved over his chest, and I began to unbutton his shirt as my fingers roamed over his hard torso. I was in the mood to explore, and I was done being coy, at least for that moment. One hand moved over the front of his jeans as I slowly unzipped them, and I was rewarded with an appreciative groan.

Knowing what I wanted, he took me by the shoulders and placed me in front of him, turning so that his back was now pressed against the bar, leaning against it. I was starving as I dropped to my knees, brings his pants down with me. He loved it when my mouth was on him, and I enjoyed nothing more than bringing him pleasure. Carefully, I hooked my fingers inside the rim of his boxers and slowly brought them down, hungry for what lay beneath, but wanting to savor the moment. 

Hardness encased in smooth, silky skin, straining and pulsing before me - this was one of my favorite parts of him. He looked unbelievably sexy with his shirt open, revealing his firm chest and cut abs. I grew weak looking at his proud member, just inches away from my awaiting lips. The first time I had done this, in front of the fire as rain poured over the cabin, I had been nervous, afraid my inexperience would be evident. But he had loved every second of it as he taught me how to drive him mad with my mouth and tongue. In a few short days, I had all but mastered it, knowing just what he liked. 

I tentatively touched my lips to the tip of his cock, and his hips flexed and jerked in response. Looking up as my mouth closed over him, taking him in inch by sweet inch, I saw his eyes were half closed, but the flecks of green that I could see were dancing wildly. Loving that I had this effect on him, I reached around the back of his calves to give myself leverage as my tongue swept over him while he further pushed himself between my lips. It was only when my mouth was completely filled that I began a slow rhythm back and forth upon his member, trying to fit as much of him as I could into me - a task that was quite difficult due to his size. 

He cupped my chin and looked down at me wondrously. "Kira, undo your shirt," his voice was thin and raspy. 

Without taking my mouth off of him, I moved my hands to my blouse and started undoing the buttons one at a time, slowly, seductively. My head didn't move, but I simply held him between my lips while looking up at him as I undressed myself. I felt his cock jerk as he watched me, and if my oral cavity had not already been preoccupied, I would have been smiling.

"Shit, just the sight of you is enough to make me come..." he rasped.

"Language, Cowboy," I gently teased him, mocking his words from earlier. He groaned when I removed my mouth in order to say it. 

"Minx," he smiled. "C'mon, take it off and give it to me." He was referring to my shirt which was still draped over my shoulders. 

I slid my arms through the sleeves of the blouse before my mouth engulfed him once more. Once the shirt was off, I handed it to him and he set it on the bar next to where he stood, completely out of my reach, furthering the idea that he didn't want me to wear it. He wanted to see me, and the concept thrilled me to my very core. 

"The bra too, Kira," he said softly with that wicked smile of his as he reached out his hand in front of me and motioned with his fingers. This was so bad, I thought, as I took in my situation. The lewdness of it shocked me and excited me at the same time. I knelt on the hardwood floor with my skirt hiked up around my waist, undressing myself and exposing my body to the cool room, handing him each garment as it came off, all with his throbbing cock held between my lips. I absolutely loved it, all because of the man I was doing it with. 

My nipples stiffened instantly as they met the cool air and I gave a soft moan. This seemed to be too much for Tripp, and he suddenly grasped my arm once my bra was off and dragged me to my feet, pulling me in to ravage me with his lips. He was wild as his hands slid over my naked back, then down to grasp my buttocks, pushing me into his erection which was still wet from my mouth.

"Feel that, Sweetheart?" he growled against my neck as he nipped and suckled at it. I moaned and grabbed for his shirt, pulling it off of his shoulders and letting it hang on his elbows since his hands weren't going to leave me. That was all right, as long as I could grasp his bare arms and feel his biceps rippling under my fingers. I kneaded his flesh and egged him on. With the way he attacked my neck, I knew I would have a mark the next day that was going to be difficult to hide. 

Then he flipped us again, pressing me against the edge of the bar before turning me around, my back toward him. My skirt was whisked down instantly, effortlessly, and I stepped out of it, kicking it toward the side and out of our way. His hands slid along the side of my torso, leaving goose bumps behind the areas they touched, and ran down my arms before grasping my own hands. He was stretched out behind me, pressing into me, his member pulsing against my ass. I tried to wiggle against him to create some friction where I desperately wanted it, but he held me still, and placed my hands on the bar before gently bending me over slightly, arching my back.

"You know, I have half a mind to blister your backside," he whispered as he slid down onto his knees behind me, his hands trailing down my back. 

"For...for what?" I quivered when his fingers roamed over my buttocks, clad only in the skimpy thong, and cupped each cheek. 

"For being too beautiful..." I couldn't see him, but I knew from the way he caressed me that he was absorbed in my flesh. "But I don't think I could do that, see it would be a crime to redden something so lovely." I felt his lips graze over one cheek, and then the other as fingers took the waistband of my panties and slowly worked the garment down my body. He let them sit on my upper thighs while his hands and mouth explored my naked backside.




The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 06



Just when I thought my legs were going to collapse, I felt a finger enter my pussy, thrusting all the way inside, filling me. I held on the edge of the bar to support myself and drew a sharp intake of breath. One of his hands was still kneading my ass as his mouth gently placed kisses along my skin, all this while his other hand carefully made love to me. After a moment, he removed his finger and reached up to begin circling my clit, spreading my juices and driving me positively mad.

"Tripp...please..." I moaned as his motions increased in tempo.

"Oh god, Kira, I have to taste you," he groaned with his mouth against my ass, giving it one last nip before standing and turning me around. I whimpered with the loss of his hand in between my legs. His lips crushed mine in a dizzying kiss, and I then I was lifted in his arms. I clung to his neck, returning his zeal with equal fervor as our tongues met and began to dance to the music of our furious passion. He placed me on top of the bar directly in front of him, and I gave a small gasp at the coolness of the countertop against my bare skin. 

"Lean back, baby," he whispered against my mouth. I didn't want to, I wanted to go on kissing him forever. The bar top was wide enough for me to lie back on, but I would have to let go of him, surrender his delicious embrace to do so. I continued to work my mouth against his, but he persisted, murmuring against me. "Honey, Lord knows I could kiss these lips of yours all night, but right now there's another certain place I want to kiss you, and if I don't get my mouth there soon I'm going to starve to death. You wouldn't do that to me would you?"

Just the thought of his tongue touching me there was enough to throw me back on my elbows, stretching my torso out before him. He grinned before whisking my panties completely off and pulling up a barstool. He then took each of my legs in his grasp and placed my feet on top of the counter, one on either side of my butt, which he dragged to the edge of the bar. I was incredibly exposed in this position, and as he took me in with his eyes, a new excitement burned through me. His hands slowly ran up and down the insides of my thighs, which were almost shaking uncontrollably. The cool air of the empty, dimmed Lodge caressed the warm flesh that begged for Tripp's mouth. 

The way Tripp sat on that barstool, with my dripping pussy just inches from his face, he looked like he was about to dig in to the most delicious meal of his life. His eyes were hungry and he practically drooled over me as his fingers slowly parted my lips to more fully reveal my glistening inner tissues.

His voice was hoarse. "You're wet...so wet, Honey...I can't tell you what it does to me to see you like this."

But he did a good job of trying to show me as his tongue pressed against the very bottom part of my slit before slowly, agonizingly making its journey to my clit, dipping into me on its way up. Once his tongue met my pulsing bud and his mouth latched over it, I felt two fingers push into me and start caressing my inner walls. My god, the man was trying to kill me. 

Every time I felt his mouth against my most sensitive areas, it felt like the first time. It was shocking, and more intimate than anything I'd ever experienced, not because of the act itself, but because of the way he did it. Tripp was completely in tune with my desires. He knew I wanted to be exposed, naked, explored...for him...all for him. I wanted him to know me better than I knew myself. It was like he was trying to uncover something deep within me. He was thorough, and took his time to caress every inch of my pussy, inside and out, with his tongue. When he did it, I felt myself losing all control I had over myself, and there was nothing that didn't show, didn't come to the surface. In those moments, it was just me, and he saw it all. 

His tongue was like a wave that washed pleasure over the beaches between my legs. I was drowning, and just when I thought I would become lost under the tide forever, he would stop, giving me time to catch myself before bearing down on me again. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't do much of anything except writhe on top of that bar.

"Tripp, I'm dying!" I managed to get out as his tongue brushed a particularly sensitive spot on the underside of my clit. 

"You're not dying, Sweetheart," he whispered against my flesh. "You're coming alive for me."

Oh and I was! I was being born again. I cried out in ecstasy as his fingers massaged that special place inside of me while his mouth ravaged my clit. It was coming - the earth was about to shatter. My hands firmly gripped the edge of the counter and my toes curled. I panted and shook and tried to hold onto my sanity. 

And then he stopped.

"Tripp!" I think I screamed it, but I wasn't sure. All I knew was that his mouth and fingers had left me.

"You're gonna come with me inside you," he groaned as he stood up and grabbed my waist, bringing me off the counter. 

My feet didn't touch the floor though. He wrapped my legs around him and held me there against the bar top, which I still leaned back on with my elbows. Penetration was immediate. I sank onto him, fully taking him inside me, every delicious inch. Hands moved over my breasts as he thrust, once, twice, and then a third time before he ever so gently touched my clit. That was all it took.

I came, and came...and came. The feeling of him driving in and out of me prolonged it, and soon my orgasm melted with the force of his movement, creating one ultimate sensation that seemed to go on and on. He took me possessively, moving his fingers over my skin, grasping whatever he could get his hands on. His eyes didn't move away from my face though. He watched me as pleasure conquered my body and I floated in and out of a conscious state. 

It was to the point where I would have been in pain if I hadn't been experiencing one of the most gratifying sensations of my life. The way he filled me, I was surprised I wasn't ripping apart. He was a madman, pounding against me as if his life depended upon it. The savagery of it was all-consuming, and soon we were both covered in a fine sheen of sweat. My breasts heaved under his hands as he strived to go deeper. I swear I could feel him all the way up to my gut. I didn't know what was happening to my body, I wasn't even sure anymore if it was pleasure that I was feeling. All I knew at that moment was the overbearing sensation that threatened to destroy me. There were no words for it. 

And then, I couldn't believe it, it was happening again. My body still hadn't come down from the last earth-shattering climax, and now I was climbing to meet another. My eyes tore open and stared at Tripp in disbelief as my mouth hung ajar. I tried to breathe, but I couldn't even tell if I was doing that. 

Tripp could see what was happening to me, and as I saw his face above me - the only thing I could really see at that point - I knew he was there as well. The intensity that had been building for the past few minutes suddenly detonated, and sensation consumed us as he spasmed inside me. It was like nothing I had ever felt before, like I was no longer in my body, but drowning somewhere in a pool of ultimate awareness. I couldn't feel each individual part anymore. I didn't have hands, or feet, or arms, or legs, or even skin...but I was there, with him, and I was sensitive to a steady rhythm that was driving us. Whether it was the pounding of my head, our heartbeats, or his hard member taking me, I didn't know.   

He had stopped moving once it was over, and slowly, my body came back to me, reverberating. I couldn't move though, and I was only vaguely aware of Tripp's movement to pull me to him and turn so he could lean back against the bar with me in his arms. It was as if I were brought back to a reality I hadn't seen in eons. And then, I began to sob.

He pulled my face into his bare chest and stroked my hair as he held me, whispering in my ear things I didn't have the capacity to register at that moment. My body shook as I sat there against him on his lap, still joined with him. He simply held me, brushing my skin softly with his fingertips, trying to calm me down.

"I'm sorry," I said after awhile, still sniffling a bit. "I don't know what just happened, it scared me...I don't understand it..."

A hand caressed my cheek, and I finally found the strength to lift my head and look up at him. He gazed at me in wonder, as if he didn't understand it either. 

"Don't try to," he finally said in a soft voice, gently pushing my head back against his chest. 

That was the night I learned to dance. And even if I refused to admit it to myself, it was also the night I learned I was in love with Tripp Carson.



The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 07



I picked out one of the only semi-nice dresses I'd brought with me on the trip for the dance that evening. It was a yellow and white strapless sundress with a flowered sash that tied around the back. Spending more time than I usually did getting ready, I finally got my hair to curl just right, and let it fall down my shoulders. I decided I looked pretty good as I spun around a couple times in front of the mirror, looking at my reflection.

The way the Lodge was set up surprised me. The main lighting was turned down a bit, and instead of the paper lanterns that usually hung, white icicle lights had been strung up along the walls and from the ceiling. The tables to the sides of the large dance floor had tablecloths on them now, and little candles sat in the middle, lit up, giving the place a more formal glow. A lot of the more traditional wall decorations had been taken down too, although the place still had a very distinctive western feel. Most of the men were dressed in boots and cowboy hats as usual, although now they wore them with suits. It was odd though seeing so many women in dresses, as most everyone usually wore jeans, even at night. I thought it was a nice change from the usual atmosphere. 

June Waterman came over to greet us as we walked in. She was wearing a dark blue dress that reached the floor, a flower pinned to one of the straps. "Well don't you all look magnificent!" she glowed as she looked over each of us. "We've got an open bar tonight so help yourselves." I saw Luke's eyes perk up with that bit of information before he floated off. My eyes followed him to the bar where people were sitting and drinking, with elbows resting on the mahogany surface. I choked back a groan as I remembered how a couple nights ago, I had sat naked on that surface with Tripp's head buried between my legs.

After we had both recuperated from our lovemaking, we made sure to thoroughly scrub down the bar and the stool we had sat upon, twice for good measure. Laughing, Tripp talked about being disowned if the Waterman's found out about what we had done. "If only the Health Department knew..." he had said jokingly. "We'd probably lose our license." Now, as I looked at the bar, all I could think about was him. 

My parents and Mrs. Waterman exchanged pleasantries while I scanned the room for any sign of Tripp. I could tell everyone was enjoying themselves, and many were out twirling around the dance floor to the music that was being played by the country band set up on a small stage in the corner. I didn't see Tripp anywhere, and I turned back toward Mrs. Waterman. I could tell why Tripp had had a good life after the death of his parents. June Waterman was a kind woman. As if she read my mind, she looked over at me and smiled. 

"Don't worry, Kira, that boy of mine is around here somewhere," she laughed lightly. 

It was strange to hear Tripp referred to as a boy. To me, he was about as manly as a man could get. I smiled at Mrs. Waterman and nodded. Just the thought of Tripp had my heart beating faster than usual. It was strange, being with him every night for just over a week, and still feeling the same way I felt when I first saw him atop that crazy black stallion. I wondered if it would ever stop -- my craving for him. 

The Marshalls came up to us then to join in the conversation, or at least Mr. and Mrs. Marshall did. I didn't see Willy anywhere as I scanned the room once more. 

"Kira, you look lovely this evening," Mrs. Marshall said as she approached us. I smiled and muttered a 'thank you', wondering if Willy had said anything to his grandparents about our outing yesterday. I decided he hadn't since nothing seemed amiss as the Marshalls lightly chattered with June and my parents. 

Lucy tugged at the hem of my dress. I turned to her, asking her with my eyes what she wanted. She pulled me a few feet away from the adults who were talking.

"You never told me how your ride with Willy went," she asked curiously. I rolled my eyes and tried to explain.

"Let's just say I made it clear by the end of it that I really didn't want anything to do with him. He's an asshole, just as we suspected." I smiled and tried to be light about it.

"Oh...did you make him mad? He's staring at you...no don't look!" My head had instinctively shot around at that, looking for the man she was talking about. I quickly readjusted myself back toward Lucy. 

"Where is he?" I whispered. 

"He's over in the other corner, I noticed him when we first came in. He just looks kind of pissed off, and you know, he hasn't been at breakfast..."

"Don't worry, he's just mad that I rejected him."

"You mean he actually hit on you?"

"He tried to kiss me...don't act so surprised! You all should have known that would happen if I went out with him alone! He hasn't been subtle about his feelings towards me, I mean with him sitting next to me every day during breakfast and practically slobbering on me."

"Oh Kira, I should have stood up for you the other day, I'm sorry..." my sister seemed genuinely apologetic. 

"Hey, it's not your fault, don't worry," I said gently. "And besides, I took care of myself. Nothing happened, it was just annoying. It was actually good that I went since now I won't have to deal with him for the rest of our time here." 

We conversed for a couple more minutes, but then Lucy made me nervous when she stopped in midsentence as she spoke. Her eyes got slightly bigger, and I noticed she was looking over my shoulder. I gave her a questioning look before turning around to see a large frame standing over me. Slowly, I took a step back toward my sister and smiled as my eyes met with Tripp's.

I looked over him shamelessly. He was magnificent. Of course I would always prefer him without any clothes on, but this was a close second. He wore a fine black Stetson, boots, slacks and a cream-colored dress shirt that brought out his dark features perfectly. A small, round, silver buckle glistened on his leather belt. My breath caught in my throat as I looked up into his eyes again. He seemed just as taken with me, though I had no idea why. I paled in comparison. The entire room paled in comparison. 

"I don't think I've had a chance to meet your sister yet, California," Tripp said as he looked at Lucy with one of those smiles that could make any girl's thighs quiver. He extended his hand and I watched as she took it, her wide eyes never leaving his. 

"Lucy, this is Tripp Carson. Tripp, Lucy." I introduced them, amused with Lucy's reaction. I sympathized with her, completely understanding how she felt. 

"Pleased to meet you, Lucy," Tripp's polite southern drawl was mesmerizing, and all Lucy could do was nod. 

"Tripp!" Mrs. Waterman had turned to us once seeing who was there. "Isn't he as handsome as the devil?" she joked as she went over to pat Tripp on his arm. He smiled and wrapped the arm around her. "Kira has been waiting for you all night," she jokingly scolded. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself for making her have to wait!"

I groaned inwardly at her teasing, quickly butting in to rectify it. "I've only been here for fifteen minutes..."

Tripp played along though. "My god, what an ass I've been." A shocked look crossed his face. "Miss, you'll have to allow me to make it up to you." I could tell by the look in his eyes that he had plenty of ideas on how he could make it up to me. 

"Well...perhaps I was a little put out..." I said, my eyes dancing with laughter and desire. He smiled and took my hand. 

"Wanna get some fresh air for a little bit?" he asked, motioning his head toward the door. 

I laughed and nodded, following him onto the porch that wrapped around the Lodge. The night air was cool and felt refreshing. We walked over to the railing on the right side of the building, where there was a little bit more privacy. I glanced at Tripp as he came up behind me and put a hand down on either side of me, effectively trapping me against the ledge of the porch. Sighing, I leaned back into him as the arms now reached to wrap around me from behind. 

He rested his chin on top of my head as we looked out onto the darkened ranch. "You look beautiful, Kira," he said softly. 

My heart soared when he said things like that, although I tried not to show it. Instead I gave a small giggle and whispered, "I suppose you don't look too bad yourself, Cowboy...hey!" His arms had unwrapped themselves and I felt him pinch my backside before his hands came to rest on my bare shoulders, lightly brushing my skin. "What would you like me to say?" I asked before lowering my voice to a whisper. "...That you make me weak with desire and I feel empty without you inside of me?" 

"Yes." He said tightly before he spun me around and ruthlessly captured my mouth. I moaned softly as his tongue slipped between my lips. It was indecent, the way he kissed me there on the porch. I knew the few people who were in sight would have been staring if they had seen, and a couple probably were. I didn't care though. Every care in the world seemed to fly out of me when he put his mouth on me. 

Eventually he stopped, and turned me back around to face the ranch, allowing us to revert to our old positions. I was breathing harder though and it took a moment for the dizziness to pass. 

"I think your sister likes me," Tripp said. I could tell he was smiling.

"She thinks you're one of the most handsome men she's ever seen," I said laughing.

He gave a satisfied sigh as he continued to tease. "I knew I would like that girl." 

"Well I can't say I disagree with her taste." He gave me a small squeeze after I said it. "The rest of my family disapproves though," I grew more serious. It was getting harder to ignore the fact that I would be leaving in two days. I hadn't wanted to talk to him about it, afraid of his answer, afraid of the pain that would come with addressing it. At the same time though, I desperately wanted to know how he felt about me...about us. 

"No doubt they think I'm too old for you," his voice was still light as he held me between his arms.

"Perhaps..." I said quietly. I found myself trying to hold it in, but I couldn't anymore. This wasn't something we could continue to ignore. "I think it's more than that though. I think they're more hesitant about our locations rather than our ages..." the way I said it, it was clear that this concern was very much my own. 

"Kira..." his voice was stern, warning me not to continue. I was barely listening to him though.

"This reminds me of the night I first saw you," I said gently as I gazed out to the dark corral in the distance. "You were there," I pointed out, "and it was one of the most fascinating things I'd ever seen, the way you rode that horse," my words were soft and reflective. "I remember thinking, as I snuck over to the barn and watched you, that I would have given anything for you to touch me with those hands, for you to put your arms around me. And now..." my voice cracked. "I'm not sure that I wouldn't go back and change it if I had the chance." I was surprised by my revelation. The thought of losing him was so painful that if it came to pass, I knew I would forever be tortured with memories. 

He spun me around and grabbed my face, his eyes bearing into mine, which were starting to tear up. "Don't say that," he commanded harshly. 

"What are we going to do?" I asked, my whisper filled with despair. 

His mouth came down on mine with a desperate need, as if willing me to forget everything. 

I used all my strength to break from him. "No...no you can't just kiss me and make it better."

"Yes I can," he said breathlessly.

"No..." I tried one more time before his mouth was there again. Alright, perhaps he could, I thought, as his lips moved upon mine once more. 

I tried to fight it, but soon my intense sadness turned into a raging desire while his hands grasped me and held my body to him. I was joyous and angry at the same time. How was it that he had this power over me? 

"Tripp, I need you," I whispered against his mouth. He groaned and nodded, unwrapping his arms and steadying me as I wobbled on my feet.

"The barn..." he whispered , his voice desperate. 

"Let's go..." I wanted answers, but at this moment I wanted him more. Perhaps I could have both if we went somewhere more private.

"Tripp!" both of our heads shot around to look and see who had called to him. It was Jack Waterman, who was walking toward us, embarrassment plastered across his face due to the intimate situation he had interrupted. "Erm...sorry, but uh, we need you inside for just a moment."

Tripp rolled his eyes and looked back to me. "All right, I'll be there in just a minute," he said curtly. As Mr. Waterman walked away, Tripp apologized with his expression. "Go to the barn, it'll be empty, everyone is here at the dance tonight. I'll meet you there in a couple of minutes. This shouldn't take too long." 

I nodded, trying to smile. "Hurry up," I whispered to him, trying to convey my need. He kissed me one last time before taking off into the Lodge.

This was ridiculous, I thought to myself as I headed for the stables. All he had to do was touch me, kiss me, and I completely lost my mind. I really did want to try and make an effort tonight to mingle with people and maybe even dance with the ridiculously amazing, wonderful, perfect man who I had become obsessed with, but all that had gone out the window when I saw him. I wondered when it would ever dwindle - my need for him.

Never. The answer kept reverberating in my head. Never would this need dissipate. In fact, it seemed as more time went on, the greater it grew. The concept scared me. Would I be able to go on if he decided to end it when I left?

My thoughts tortured me as I opened the door to the barn and stepped inside the darkness, quickly finding the switch that turned on a dim, overhead light. It wasn't much, but at least I could see some. The hay scattered on the ground crunched underneath my short heels. I realized that my more formal outfit was completely out of place in this setting, though I figured it didn't matter much. I had a feeling I wasn't going to be wearing it for much longer. It was funny how when Tripp and I were alone, our clothes seemed to function only as a starting formality that lasted but minutes before they were shed. 

I walked down the barn and into one of the empty stalls, leaning over the swinging door from the inside and allowing myself to rock lightly on it as I used my feet to guide it back and forth. I allowed myself to think of all the things that Tripp was going to do to me, and began to grow wet. Perhaps I should undress now, I thought, before deciding that Tripp may want to do that part. I wouldn't have had time anyway, I heard the door to the barn open, and my excitement grew.

"Well that didn't take very long," I said in a seductive tone as I opened up the gate to step out and greet Tripp. What I saw caught me by surprise though, and I stopped in my tracks and gave a curious look to the man who was walking up to where I stood. "Willy, what are you doing here?"

A mean smile was plastered on his pale face as he approached me. "Were you expecting someone else?" The way he said it, it wasn't a question. "I saw you come in here and thought I'd see how you were doing on this fine night. You look ravishing..." he met me and his hand came up to brush my cheek. I quickly slapped it away. His breath reeked of alcohol, and he no longer had a fake countenance, but instead his face showed his true colors, and they weren't pretty.

"Well you can turn around and leave, I'm not interested in your company," I said in a hard voice, trying not to show the small amount of alarm that now crept through me. The audacity of the man to follow me in here! Especially after what I had said to him yesterday by the cabin! One would think he might have gotten the idea that I wasn't interested. Perhaps I should write a strongly worded letter to Harvard about their admittance of someone who obviously was dumber than the horse in the stall next to me. 

"C'mon, Kira. I'm not used to women telling me 'no', especially when I've made myself clear about how attractive I find you..." his hand reached for my cheek again.

"Willy, you're drunk," I pushed him away and began to walk toward the door, trying to create distance between myself and the man since he clearly wasn't going to. 

His arm caught me around the waist and panic spread through me. "Well that shouldn't matter too much to you, Kira. You're giving it to that ranch hand." He grabbed my wrist as I wiggled out of his grasp. "Saw you two out on the porch. Whether I'm drunk or not, I'd think you would welcome the improvement," his tone was sickeningly sweet with a cruel edge to it. 

"Let me go, Willy!" My hand whirled around and I struck him across the face. That only seemed to anger him. He still held onto my wrist and he reached for my other arm. I hadn't realized how strong he was. If only I could get out of his grip, I could make a run for the door. He was intoxicated to the point where he'd probably have trouble keeping up with me. I could at least make it outside and scream. 

"You little bitch," he said viciously in reaction to my slap before forcing me against the wall of one of the stalls, pinning my arms against it. His body pressed against me so I couldn't move, his closeness prevented it. "If I had known you were a slut, I wouldn't have bothered with all that polite, gentlemanly crap. You like it rough don't you? That's why you're spreading yourself for that cowhand. Tell me, how does he give it to you?" I opened my mouth to scream, but Willy brutally covered it with his, forcing his disgusting tongue in. He tasted like whiskey, and I felt myself gag. 

I bit down on his tongue with all the force I could muster, and he howled in pain, jumping back a step before quickly backhanding me with such force that I was thrown to the ground, dazed. I couldn't believe what was happening, and I got out one good scream as I felt Willy's hand moving up my leg, under my dress. His other hand quickly covered my mouth. I had never felt such fear before as I struggled to somehow throw him off of me. 

But then the front door to the barn burst open, and a wave of relief flooded over me. I couldn't see as I lay there, facing away from the door, but Willy, who had been hovering over me, stood up with a look of fear in his eyes. I knew what was going to happen, there was no doubt in my mind. My eyes closed for a couple of seconds as I heard an angry roar heading toward us. I winced and tried to collect myself when I heard a fist connecting with a jaw, and subsequently, a body being slammed into one of the stalls.

As I sat up and looked behind me to see Tripp holding onto a bloody, battered, and quite unconscious Willy, fear entered me again. I didn't want Tripp to get in trouble for this, and that was what was going to happen if he kept going. 

"Tripp, no!" I scrambled to get up and raced over to him, grasping his arm and wincing at the sight of what his fists had done. "Don't kill him, you'll go to jail! I'm okay, he didn't do anything! Please!" He had already stopped, and then he let go of the man and let him fall to the floor. He didn't look away from him though. I had never seen Tripp look that way before, blinding hatred pouring from his eyes. I could tell he wanted to do more. 

It was the sound of me breaking that brought Tripp out of his unsighted rage. I choked back a sob and immediately, Tripp's arms were around me, cradling my face to his chest. "Shhh..." he whispered as he stroked my hair. Then, as if in sudden realization, he pulled my head back gently and looked down at my face and then over my body, trying to see if I was hurt.

"Are you all right?" he asked seriously, his voice laced with worry. I blinked and nodded my head, trying to calm myself down. In truth, I really was fine. My cheek stung and my legs were a little skinned, but Willy hadn't had the chance to do anything that bad except give me the fright of my life, which was why I was crying. 




The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 07



"God damnit," Tripp whispered as he gently tilted my head up and saw my swelling cheek. For a second he turned back toward Willy with a murderous gaze, but as my hand tightened on his arm, he once again faced me, and hugged my body to him before lifting me up in his arms and carrying me out of the barn. 

He didn't walk far before we reached a small wooden building. As we went in, I realized it was some type of storage pantry, with goods stacked up along the walls. Tripp sat me down in a chair and went to one of the drawers to grab what looked like a cloth napkin. Then he walked through a door into the adjoining room and I heard him fumbling around with something else. When he came back, he knelt in front of me and held the napkin, which was now filled with ice, up to my cheek where Willy had struck me, a mixed look of concern and anger in his eyes. I didn't move for a moment, and simply let him hold the ice to the hurt side of my face, while he stroked the other side gently with the back of his hand. 

"Hold this here, I have to go for a few minutes, but I'll be right back," he said softly. I knew he had to go take care of Willy, so I took the ice and nodded to him. What was going to happen? Would the police be involved? This was the last thing that I wanted right now, I was in no mood to deal with people, and I knew my parents especially were going to have a fit. Although I had been scared out of my mind while it was happening, I felt a more pressing urge to resolve a different problem - different than what had just happened with Willy. But for that, I needed to be alone with Tripp, something I knew wasn't going to happen for awhile yet.

It was actually nice to be alone with my thoughts for a moment before all hell broke loose. The door swung open minutes later and my mother and father rushed over to me, immediately bombarding me. I sighed as I answered the "what happened?" and "are you okay?" questions. I felt bad because they were clearly worried, and I tried to convey that I was all right, that nothing had happened. It had simply been a close call.

"This is all our fault," my mother cried. "We never should have pressured you to go riding with him. There clearly was a reason why you didn't want to. We just thought..."

"Mom, it's not your fault. There was no way you could have known, and it was my choice too. Really, I'm okay." I was slightly annoyed though. Here I was, the one who had gone through the traumatic experience, and I was the one doing the consoling. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Tripp came back as I spoke to my mom and dad. He told us that Willy would have to go to the hospital before he could be taken into custody because of the broken nose and various other injuries that Tripp had dealt him. The police were on their way at that moment, and would need to talk to me that night to make a report. I looked at Tripp with a pleading in my eyes, and he apologized with his expression, knowing that all I wanted at that moment was to go somewhere away from the commotion. He looked like he wanted to rush over and hold me, but knew better than to do that with my parents there. 

"I never would have thought that Willy would do such a thing..." my mother was still upset. "We sat at him with breakfast every day! His grandparents are our friends!" 

I swear my parents were getting more worked up than I was. Why wasn't I more distraught? I realized it was because I would soon have to face another more terrifying dilemma, one that had been plaguing me for over a week. 

I tried to tell my parents that I was fine and that I didn't want to talk to the police, or anyone for that matter. Tripp took my hand and told me that once we both gave our stories to the cops, then we wouldn't have to worry about it for the rest of the night. 

And so, a half hour later, both of us stood outside next to two squad cars and talked to some officers who were taking notes, while the rest of the ranch gathered outside of the Lodge, buzzing excitedly and trying to see what was happening. It wasn't often that the Waterman Ranch was visited by an ambulance and a couple of cop cars. I might have laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious. The crime scenes that I'd seen in L.A. would put this one to shame. 

I went through my part of the story, having to admit why I was waiting in the barn by myself. The officers didn't say much except the occasional, "and then?" I found it harder to talk when I got to the part about how Willy had grabbed me and began talking to me in his drunken fit. 

"Just tell us exactly what he said, as much as you can recall. His words can make all the difference for an attempted rape charge," one of the officers told me. 

Rape. The word reverberated in my head. Is that what had almost happened to me? Somehow looking back on it, the situation hadn't seemed as bad as it should have if that word was appropriate. 

Tripp was behind me with his hands on my shoulders as I recounted what I could remember of Willy's actions. I felt his hands tighten in rage as I told the police what the man had said to me. "Shit," I heard him breathe behind me before he turned around to try and collect himself. It was difficult saying the words that Willy had accosted me with, but having Tripp hear them was extra painful, especially because he was mentioned in the slew of hateful speech.

The police continued to question us awhile more. By the time it was over, I could sense a depression in both Tripp and I. After recounting the tale to the officers, I realized that what had happened with Willy didn't really matter so much. Nothing truly serious occurred, and I had Tripp there with me, which made it all better. He made everything all better...but in two days, he wouldn't be there anymore. He would be gone, and I would be expected to return to a life which two weeks ago, I had been perfectly content with. That old life seemed so far away now. Tonight had finally made me realize that my world was quickly going to be crashing down over me. 

"Kira, I'm so sorry that you had to go through this..." Tripp started to show some of the pain he was feeling as we watched the squad cars drive away. I too was sorry that I had to go through it. He was referring to what had gone on in the barn though, which was not what I thought of when he said the words. "I should walk you back to your cabin," his voice was dead and emotionless as he began to slowly move. I didn't want to go back to the cabin. I wanted to tell him everything I was feeling.

"Tripp, wait, I wanted to talk to you tonight..."

I don't know how, but he seemed to understand what it was that was plaguing me. "Kira, with everything that has happened tonight, I'm not sure this is the best time." He sounded tired and confused. Confused was the last thing I wanted him to be. I needed him to be my rock, my support. I needed him to hold me and tell me everything was going to work out.

But I didn't get a chance to respond. In that moment, I saw Luke rushing over to us with a furious look in his eyes, similar to the one Tripp had when he dealt with Willy. My parents had told my siblings about what happened, but they couldn't talk to me with the police there questioning us. Now, I had never seen my brother so enraged before. 

He didn't even acknowledge me as I stood there in our semi-secluded area near the barn. Instead, he went right for Tripp, not even bothering to stop for a moment before he slugged him across the cheek. 

"Luke!" I screamed out as I ran to stop him from throwing another punch, which he was already primed for. I didn't make it in time, but Tripp, who had been taken aback, was ready now and easily deflected the swinging fist. 

"You bastard!" my brother yelled to Tripp as I grabbed his arm, trying to rationalize with him. "How dare you do this to her!" He barely glanced my way as he tossed me off before moving in on Tripp again. Tripp was preventing Luke's attacks by averting the hands or simply turning aside when my brother charged at him, but he didn't do anything to hit back. 

"I'm not going to fight you!" Tripp said harshly, trying to make my brother see that this was a one-man brawl. If it had come down to a fight, there was no doubt in my mind who would have won. Tripp had a good five inches on Luke, and was much brawnier. 

"Luke, please!" I cried. What the hell was going on? "He saved me tonight, he's the reason why I'm all right!"

"No, Kira! If it weren't for him, none of this would have happened!"

"What does Tripp have to do with Willy wanting me?" 

"You wouldn't have gone to that barn!" 

"You don't know that! There would have been another way!" I was getting furious now at my brother who didn't realize what Tripp had done for me that night. 

"Look at you! Defending him like some brainwashed little girl! What do you think is going to happen? What is going to come of this?" He motioned back and forth between Tripp and I, momentarily abating his physical hostility. 

I realized then that this wasn't solely about what happened tonight. Luke was asking the same question I had been asking myself. I fought back tears as I tried to remain calm. "This is none of your business, Luke." My voice was low and serious.

"It's my business when some redneck treats my sister like a slut that he can just use and toss aside!" 

Tripp winced at that one, his face contorting into anger and... remorse? Surely I misread his expression. After everything we had shared together, it was not going to end with me simply packing up and leaving, never to see him again. 

"Luke, you have no idea what you're talking about," I tried not to cry. "This was just as much my doing as it was his! You think I didn't have a say in this? You think I didn't choose this?"

"You're nineteen, you don't know what you want!"

"Yes, I am nineteen, and I'm not a child anymore! I don't need you to tell me what I should be doing with my life!"

"He's using you, Kira!" He turned now back to Tripp, who had been standing there with a look of regret on his face. "You low-life piece of shit!" I didn't know what was more painful, Luke's words or the fact that Tripp wasn't denying them. 

Tripp saw the punch coming, but did nothing to stop it this time. He barreled over as Luke took him in the gut, probably knocking the wind out of him. I cried out and once again, hurled myself at Luke, who shrugged me off and stepped back, giving me one last hard look and shaking his head before turning around and walking away with his back toward us. 

I was too angry to cry at that moment. It had been so unfair of him, my brother, to come up on Tripp like that, knowing that he wouldn't fight back because he cared about me. I ran over to Tripp, who was still nursing his stomach, and tried to embrace him, putting my hands on his face and bringing his face to mine.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," I whispered, placing my forehead against his.

"Don't be, Kira," his voice was tortured and his eyes were closed, but he brought his hand up to stroke my hair.

"What are you thinking?" I asked urgently after a few moments as I stroked his face, trying to get him to look at me, to let me in.

"I don't know..."

"Yes you do, tell me!" I said harshly, frustrated with his silent thoughts.

"I feel terrible..." he spat out, tearing himself away from me and turning around. He ran his hands through his hair, and I stood there, waiting to hear the rest. "I feel terrible for doing this to you."

"Don't, Tripp, you saved me tonight, it wasn't your fault," I tried to reason with him.

"Yes, yes it's all my fault! Not just tonight, everything!"

I froze where I stood, anger slowly threatening to consume me. I saw what was happening, what was going to come to pass in a matter of moments. "You feel terrible. Why?" My voice suddenly turned cold. "You feel terrible for making me fall in love with you?" 

His face shot up to look at me as I said it, as if he couldn't believe it. He began shaking his head, willing it to not be true. "No...no, Kira, you can't, you're leaving!" He brought it to the surface. The misery was written all over his face as he turned back toward me. He was in just as much agony as I was, so why didn't he do something about it? 

"Yes, yes I'm leaving, Tripp, I'm leaving in a couple of days." It took every ounce of willpower to hold the tears back and keep my voice steady. I tried to be strong. He said he felt terrible, what did that mean? He felt terrible for all that had happened between us? Did he wish he could take it back? He had to feel something, he had to! "So what are we going to do?" My voice had dropped to a whisper, turning careful and detached. 

"There's always next summer," he said softly after a moment. 

I died a little inside. "Next summer? I see what this is... Sure, we'll wait until next summer." I broke, my voice caving in, leaving behind the cool tone and turning wild. "I'll go back and we'll fucking wait until next summer! Why don't you just say it! That you don't want me anymore! That you're done! That my brother was right!"

He started shouting too. "It doesn't matter if I want you or not! It doesn't matter how I feel! You tell me how it's supposed to work! Tell me that, Kira! You're in college, you have school to finish up! And I have to be here on this ranch. Shit, we've known each other for two weeks, that's all it's been. Two weeks! We can't base a commitment on that!" He became as frenzied as I was. 

The tears were streaming down my face at this point. His words washed through me like ice. 'That's all it's been' - was that what he thought about these two weeks, the greatest two weeks of my existence? I was furious, and I was crushed. 

"Well this must be really convenient for you, Tripp, me leaving and all. You don't have to do anything, the situation fixes itself, doesn't it?" My voice was cold and broken, and unable to stop myself, words poured out of me in anger. "I bet you fuck every piece of ass that comes through this ranch! How many women across the country are pining in their beds at night for Tripp Carson?"

The astonishment and hurt exploded all over his face as I spat his name out like it was a disease. Good. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted his world to end, just as mine was at that moment. I felt as if I couldn't breathe, like my chest was collapsing in. We simply stood there and stared at each other for a few seconds, me - with tears running down my cheeks and the feeling in my gut like I was about to be sick, and him - with a face contorted in anger, sadness, and confusion.

"Don't feel terrible, Tripp. I don't love you, how could I love you?" I spat out coldly. "I hate you, and I hate you more than I've ever hated anything!" I couldn't look at him anymore, I couldn't watch the effect my words were having. As I began to sob, I turned and ran. I ran and ran, and I didn't stop until I reached the cabin.

After I tore up the stairs to the small porch I threw myself against the railing, bending over it while I gasped and choked with the worst pain I had ever been in. I wanted to vomit. I tried, but nothing would come up. Was this what it felt like to die? I certainly felt as if I were dying. 

Later that night, I lay in bed, willing myself to sleep so that I could escape the anguish. It was one of the first nights in awhile that I was actually sleeping in my cabin bed, instead of Tripp's, where I usually snuck off to in the evenings. It felt foreign and unnatural. Looking back, I found it odd that I had all but forgotten about Willy, yet it made sense. Willy would have merely raped my body. How insignificant my body seemed at this moment. Tripp had been more thorough. Tonight, Tripp had raped my heart.



The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 08



I hate him, I told myself. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. Perhaps if I repeated it enough times in my head, it would suddenly become true. I tried to focus on all the bad things about the man who had robbed me of my sense for the past two weeks. He was overbearing, overconfident, and completely unnerving. How could I even consider being with someone like that, someone who was wholly able to reduce me to an illogical, quivering mess? 

I ached. I didn't hate Tripp. What I did hate was being a slave to my emotions, which were telling me that I was in so far over my head at this point that there was no recovery in sight. I couldn't sleep...hell, I could barely breathe. The staggering words I had spoken...no...yelled at Tripp that night kept echoing through my thoughts. Lying in bed, I realized they weren't as warranted as I had believed they were when I harshly dealt them, especially that part about hating him. I couldn't hate him if I tried, no matter how much I wished I could. 

But he wasn't trying. He wasn't even giving us a chance! He had said something about next summer. That was of course just a gentle way of telling me he didn't want to make it work, that he wasn't interested in continuing whatever amazing, wonderful thing this was. Was it only I who felt it? Was it simply the fact that I was in the throes of my first love and completely blinded by the man who had awakened me to passion? I had heard of this happening so many times -- a girl falling for a man who was only interested in one thing. Yet there had definitely been hurt all over his face when I told him I didn't love him, and that one glimpse of emotion he showed was what pushed me out of bed.

I shouldn't have been in that bed anyway. It was the most awful, uncomfortable bed I'd ever slept in. Lumpy, cold...even the covers felt scratchy and coarse. I compared it to Tripp's heavenly bed that I floated away in every time I lay on it, like I was sleeping on a cloud. That of course had nothing to do with the man who slept in the bed with me. It was just a damn nice bed... perhaps it was the mattress. 

Quietly, as I was so used to doing by now, I snuck out of the cabin. What time was it, I wondered. I had been trying to sleep, grieving for God knows how long. Time wasn't something I was consciously aware of.

It must have been late though, I realized when I saw that most of the lights were out among the buildings in the main part of the ranch. The Lodge was silent and empty, and even the paper lanterns that usually lit up the night hung in shadow. It didn't deter me, I could still see well enough to find the creek in the back of the guest area. Hell, I had snuck off to Tripp's cabin so many times, I could probably find it with my eyes closed.

I don't know why I expected to see his lights on. Perhaps because I was used to it, but his cabin was certainly dark now since he was undoubtedly sleeping at this hour. That was all right, he would simply have to wake up and listen to what I had to say. He had to listen! The guilt of my actions from that night was quickly washing over me like icy water. 

The steps to his porch creaked, piercing the quiet night, as I walked up to the door. I was nervous, but at this point, desperate to see him. I didn't want to leave things between us as we had left them earlier. My heart beat wildly as I banged harshly on the wooden entrance, trying to be noisy enough to wake him. Impatiently, I waited for some sign that he had heard me, and after a few moments I knocked again, louder this time. Why wasn't a light turning on? Why didn't I hear someone shuffling around inside?

"Tripp?" I called loudly as I banged some more. "Tripp I want to talk to you!" Did he not want to see me? Was he purposely ignoring me after what I had said? My stomach started to lurch even more than it already was. "Tripp! Please open up!" 

I ran around to the side of the house where his bedroom window sat. It was still dark inside, and the curtains were drawn. Harshly, I rapped on the window. "I didn't mean it, Tripp! I didn't mean what I said!" I cried. My flat hand continued banging until it began to sting and tears trickled down my face. He wasn't in there; he would have come out if he was. 

Slowly, I went back up to his porch and sat down on the wood in front of his door, bringing my knees up to my chest so I could rest my head on them. With one last tiny bit of hope, I reached up and tried the door handle, but it was locked. Where was he this late at night? 

As I looked up at the sky I noticed I couldn't see the stars. Dark clouds billowed in clusters around the moon, and it looked like tomorrow it was going to rain. 

Who was I kidding, it already was. 

* * * * *

Desert. That's what I saw as we drove through the ranch back to the cabin the next afternoon, returning from the police station in town. There was nothing even remotely attractive about it. A light rain trickled down upon the windshield as I sat there dead in the back of our van, staring out at the place that had in one night transformed from an open western paradise, into a dry, barren prison that would forever jail my heart. 

I couldn't even find happiness in the fact that Willy in all likelihood was going to be convicted for his crimes last night. The Watermans were a big name in this part of the state, and good friends with the district attorney, who had said there shouldn't be a problem with the prosecution. With as numb as I was, I realized I didn't care anymore what happened to the man... well, maybe I cared a little. I was still furious with him, and part of me wished Tripp hadn't beat him so badly, only because he left nothing for me to have. I stiffened thinking about the way Tripp had torn into Willy last night. Thank goodness he wasn't going to get in trouble for the thrashing he delivered. Prosecutors had said he'd acted in my defense, which was true. Personally, I thought he might have gone a little overboard, but I certainly wasn't complaining. 

There was no way though that I could be more miserable than I was at that moment. As we drove through the ranch, it took me back to that first night when we arrived here, when I had seen him on that horse in the corral, bucking about like a wild man on a mission to prove something. Had I said I couldn't be more miserable? I soon found out I could by reliving the memories of the past two weeks.

I was more rational today, but I was also more dejected, probably because as the time quickly passed, the more it sank in, the fact that it was over. It was also heartbreaking because I started to realize Tripp had been right. The only thing I could be mad at now was the horrible situation we were in. There was no way to make it work, and the awful part was I had known it from the beginning. Still, I had run to his cabin that night, and begged him to make love to me. 

The main question running through my foggy brain was whether or not I was going to see him again before we left. I still needed to apologize...but that could always be done through a cordial letter or something of the sort. Oh god, how could I even think of doing something so awful? Besides, I knew I needed to see him out of a purely selfish desire to one last time indulge myself with his image. I'd go to him again tonight, and if he wasn't in the cabin, well then maybe it wasn't meant to be. 

Last night I had wanted to apologize, but more importantly, I had wanted to hear how he felt, even if his declaration was as horrible as him telling me he didn't feel the way I did. At least then I would have closure. After finding the darkened cabin empty, I had sat there by his door for an hour. I hadn't been waiting for him, but I felt closer to him, sitting there on his porch. It sure was better than lying in that awful bed back at my cabin, which I eventually returned to.

There was still a good amount of the afternoon left when my parents and I returned to the cabin. The family spent most of the day packing and relaxing, as we would be leaving early the next morning. No one was really in the mood to do anything fun. It was raining, and the events of last night had quickly put a damper on the enthusiasm my family usually showed. Everyone around me was being sickeningly nice, and I hated it. They knew how miserable I was, both from the trials of yesterday and the fact that I was going to be leaving something behind, a part of me I would never get back. 

When my father had offered for us to leave this afternoon, I had told him no. Immediately after I said it, I asked myself why, but I didn't change my answer. Perhaps I was a masochist, wanting to draw out the torment this place continued to inflict upon me. I didn't even pack, like the rest of the family did. Packing seemed so final. I suppose part of me clung to some small strand of hope that I was going to wake up from this nightmare. I could always do the packing later... Yes, I'd do it later...

A few hours into the afternoon, as rain continued to trickle over the land outside, Luke's voice came from the entrance to the bedroom. "Kira?"

I lay in bed reading, facing the door, but quickly turned around so my back was to him. I wasn't talking to Luke. Last night, I had been too upset to do much of anything except go right to bed and miserably lay there, trying to sleep. I'd done enough yelling with Tripp, and didn't want to get into another screaming match with my brother. Today, I found I was so drained, though still quite furious, that it was easiest to simply work with the silent treatment in order to express my anger. 

This was the third time Luke had tried talking to me that day. I still wasn't interested. He had been good about leaving me to myself, but now, I heard him shut the door and walk toward my turned back. Lucy and my parents were in the other room playing a board game, but their voices cut out when the door closed. Groaning inside my head, I made a point of continuing to ignore him, even though we were the only two people in the room.

The bed sank a little as I felt him sit down on the edge behind me. "Kira, c'mon, I'm your brother," he said softly. I snorted and went right on reading the same damned paragraph that I was starting over for the third time now. Some brother, I thought, remembering his behavior from the previous night. 

He continued even after I made it clear I wasn't interested, but this time with regret in his tone. "You know, when Mom and Dad came in the Lodge last night and told me what happened, I don't think I've ever been that freaked out before. I saw red...I was worried," his voice became slightly broken. "I was so worried for you, Kira. I've been worried about you this entire vacation, and that moment was it for me, the last straw, I couldn't contain it anymore."

I listened, though I pretended not to. To further sell the act, I turned an unread page in my book. Luke didn't understand I was no longer a little kid. Growing up, he'd been there for me, and it was wonderful. But now...

I decided to talk. Maybe I could end this quickly. "Luke, that's your problem. You worry too much. I'm not in braces and pigtails anymore, and Tripp is not Bobby Thompson from the third grade who you can push in the mud after he pours applesauce all over my dress." My voice was cold, and I might have felt bad if my depression as well as my anger for his actions last night hadn't prevented it.

"You're right, this is much more serious..."

"You can't just step in whenever you feel like it and act like you own me!" I started to get angry. I knew I was taking out my pain and frustration on my brother, although he did deserve it. "I know you worry, but that doesn't give you the right...you have to let me live my own life!" 

"I didn't want you to get hurt like I did! I didn't want to see you have to go through that!" He raised his voice, trying to get his point across.

I knew he was talking about Susan, his old girlfriend, and I now I knew how he had felt, and where all that angry grief came from that summer she had broken it off. I turned and faced him now.

"Well...it looks like even you weren't able to prevent that, Luke," I said without any trace of emotion in my voice before I turned back around, dismissing him with my body language. 

He stood up off the bed and walked to the door, but paused before opening it. His voice was soft and apologetic. "The only thing I can tell you, Kira, is that with time, I got over it. The pain doesn't last forever." With that, he opened the door and exited the room, unable to see the tears that began to wet my pillow. 

* * * * * 

That evening, I walked to the barn in the dark, damp weather, listening to guests outside as they roamed the pastures, making their way to the Lodge for the usual festivities. It seemed odd that everyone was acting so normally, but I reminded myself that there was no reason why they shouldn't be. It was only I who felt anything but typical.

Originally, I was going to try Tripp's cabin once more, but I changed my mind at the last minute, especially after realizing that it was still quite early in the evening. There was one thing I wanted to do before I left this place. The sun was setting, although you couldn't really tell because of the rain clouds that cluttered the sky. At least the weather today matched my mood. 

Like most nights, the barn was empty, just as I knew it would be. For a moment, I simply walked through the dim, vaulted building, brushing my fingers along the wooded stable doors as I went. I tried not to become heavy with emotion as I noticed the small things in this place which held so many recollections from the past two weeks. There was the saddle hanging on the wall -- the large one Tripp would use to take us riding on. There was the jet black mustang with the funny name down the way. There was the empty stall with the broken door...where he'd kissed me for the first time. It was odd how as I walked through this place, I didn't even think about what had gone on here last night. There were too many wonderful memories for that. 

Slowly, I walked down the narrow part of the barn that held the stables, and noticed one of the gates was slightly ajar. I hesitated. Funny it should be that one, the one I tended to visit whenever I happened to come to this place with Tripp...and it was the one I intended to visit now. 

I couldn't leave, not without saying goodbye to her. Quietly, I walked in and went over to where the foal lay. She seemed to recognize me when she glanced up, shuffling a bit. I sat beside her and gently started stroking her head, tracing the white spot that began just before the mane. How beautiful she is, I thought to myself. Before I knew it, I began to softly hum, staring aimlessly at a soft patch of hay on the ground.

"I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself," I whispered after a moment, talking to the little filly. "But I suppose that's selfish of me, isn't it? I'm not the one with a broken leg that is threatening my very existence," I paused in contemplation. "We're actually quite similar, you and I. I wonder which of us is worse off. I'm broken too, and right now I'd welcome a broken leg if it meant that my heart could somehow mend. I feel like my existence is threatened, that's what it seems like."

The horse seemed almost like she understood, and gently nuzzled my hand as I spoke to her, as if trying to comfort me. My voice lowered to a whisper. "I love him, you know, I'm sure of that now." The intense realization came upon me quickly. I of course had known I loved him, but actually admitting it to myself was something different.

I continued talking, slowly growing deeper in sorrow. "I don't know how to be me anymore. I can't be Kira, the old Kira, the way I used to be. That's love isn't it? When someone changes you, and you realize you can't go back? ...And when you lose them and you realize you can't go on?"

I broke, and began to sob quietly. "I wish I knew how to fall out of whatever this is! Falling in is so easy, especially with him...it was so easy, easier than anything I've ever done. Why can't leaving be just as simple? I wish I knew how to be something else, how to define myself as anything but his! How pathetic is that?" 

Perhaps not as pathetic as spilling your heart out to a crippled horse, yet I didn't care. I tried to steady my voice, looking down at the small injured animal. "But look at you," I bowed my head, almost as if I were praying, and turned to the young foal, who was gazing up at me with sad eyes. "You seem weak..." I murmured as tears silently rolled down my cheeks. "I wonder if you will ever run again, or feel the sun on your mane. Will you ever have something worth living for?" 

I didn't hear anything, perhaps the ringing in my head prevented it, but I saw a flicker of shadow across the floor, cast from the dim lighting that lined the stable walls. My vision was foggy from the tears, but I glanced up to see what had cast it. 

He stood there, leaning against the open stable door, the man who I was weeping over. At first, I thought him a fantasy my mind projected, but I became nervous after a few moments, when he didn't disappear. How much had he heard? I had dealt with enough shame last night when we argued, when I practically begged for his love, begged for him to want me through my angry words. 

Now, he looked pretty bad. There was a day's growth of whiskers, and his clothes were disheveled and unkempt, as was the dark hair I could see poking out from under his Stetson. His face was tired, as if he hadn't been to sleep in a long time, and a small brown mark lay on his cheek below his eye where Luke had struck him yesterday. Every bit of him was hard and rugged, and I still found the sight of him enchanting. 

He didn't say anything, but just stood there, staring at me. What was he thinking? I couldn't tell, which was unusual for us. He didn't look sad, and there was no misery on his face, as there was with mine. It hurt me even more to see that. 

"Have you come to say goodbye?" I asked softly, trying to keep my voice steady. If only I could will myself to look away from him, but I couldn't. No, I wanted to torture myself awhile longer. 

"Goodbye..." he said it, not to me, but more to himself, as if contemplating what the word meant. "I've been looking for you," his soft voice caressed me gently. 

"Well here I am." A moment passed and he still made no move. 

"She's not weak, Kira, she's strong," he said at last, passion igniting in his voice. 

"Oh god, how much did you hear?" I looked away now to stare at the floor with tears running down my face again, this time in shame. 

"No, Kira, no!" he whispered harshly as he quickly walked over and got down on his knees in front of me. He was telling me not to be ashamed as his hands grasped my face and forced me to look at him. The feeling in his eyes was indescribable. 

Wasn't there something I had wanted to tell him? Oh yes...best to get that off my chest. "I didn't mean what I said last night," I whispered, still embarrassed. "I don't hate you..."

"I know," he said softly. "I heard everything you just said, I've been sitting in one of the stalls since you came in." The way he said it, you would think he was telling me what he ate for lunch, as if there was nothing wrong with what he just admitted to.

"You...you..." I stuttered with a mix of anger and intense mortification. My face was turning red, I could feel it. Unfortunately at that moment, I was having trouble forming words, so I could neither berate him nor try and explain my earlier confessions. 

"Kira, it's all right, I know you were angry last night. Hell, I was angry too..."

Did he honestly think I was still feeling sorry for my poor choice of words last evening? "It doesn't matter!" I spat out, still humiliated, before I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. "I've realized that you were right. I do care for you, Tripp, but you were right. There's no way to make it work." I attempted to be strong in order to redeem myself for my moment of weakness he had overheard.




The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 08



He stared at me blankly for a couple of seconds before his face hardened and his voice became deadly serious. "Don't you do that, Kira. Don't try to run away from it..." 

"But you were right! I didn't give you a chance...all I heard last night was that you didn't want to be with me. That's what I took it as. But I see now, I see that it can't work, you were trying to let me down easily because you were thinking clearly when I wasn't."

"Damn it, woman! I just stood a few stalls down and listened to you tell that horse that you love me. "

I hesitated. "No..." I whispered in pain. 

"No? Are you going to sit there and tell me that everything you just uttered was a lie?"

"No....you weren't supposed to hear it! That's not fair, I thought I was alone!"

"Well I did hear it. And I'm damn well not going to let you take it back!" At this point, his voice became just as pained as mine was. "Jesus Christ!" he hissed before finally turning away for a moment.

"Tripp? I'm so confused..." I whispered, trying to understand what he wanted from me. 

"You're confused?" He turned back to stare at me, his eyes wild. "I don't know what the hell you've done to me, woman. I thought I did the right thing last night, by realizing that whatever this is can't be more than a powerful, lustful infatuation. That's what logic tells me --that two weeks isn't long enough to feel this. But my god..." he stood up and yanked the hat off his head while running his fingers through his unkempt hair. 

"Did you know I slept in here last night?" he continued as he began pacing in front of me. "I slept here because my goddamn bed smells like you." 

I sat there, shocked at what he was saying. My heart began beating wildly. 

"I couldn't do anything in that cabin. I couldn't even sit in my living room without seeing you in front of the fire, curled up on my rug...or take a shower without picturing you under the spray. I opened up my fridge this morning and took out that carton of orange juice that you like to drink from, and it was driving me crazy knowing your lips had been on it. You're everywhere, Kira!"

I stood at that point, taking a step toward him. He looked as if he were in agony as I took his face in my hands, and this time it was my turn to force him to look at me. His eyes were deep pools of emotion. There was feeling there, and tenderness, and...something else.

He calmed himself for a moment, and then his voice was slow and deliberate. "I got scared last night, because I didn't know what this was. ...But when I realized that I wouldn't be with you anymore, once it set in that you were really leaving," his voice became burdened, "That's when I really became scared." 

I knew then what I saw there in his eyes. "Tripp..." I whispered.

"Don't leave," he interrupted as he grasped my shoulders, his eyes pleading with me.

"What?" I was confused, but his words were quickly having a glorious, dizzying effect on me. 

"Please," he sounded as if he were hurting. "Don't leave me." 

"But..." I tried to get something out before his mouth came down and caught mine in a spellbinding kiss, capturing me as if trying to keep a part of me forever. I was a goner and I knew it. Pretty soon I'd be agreeing to whatever he said. I'd do whatever he wanted, I had no control when he held me and put his mouth on me. That was all right. I didn't want any control at this moment. I simply yearned to be washed away in the wonderful knowledge that he wanted me. 

"California..." his voice was caked with emotion as he buried his face in the crook of my neck, stroking my cheek with his thumb. "Don't you understand that I've got no direction without you," he softly nuzzled my neck as he whispered against my skin. 

"Oh, god. Oh...Tripp, what are we going to do?" I whispered with desperation in an oncoming haze of joy and euphoria.

"We make it work," he said simply. "That's what two people do when they're in love."

Either my heart stopped beating at that moment, or it began beating so quickly that it overwhelmed me. Whichever it was, my chest felt like it was about to explode.

He continued. "I've never been in love before...but if love is what you described it to be a moment ago, then I love you more than a man ever loved anything in his life." 

"Tripp..." I whispered breathlessly, not wanting to wake up from this magnificent dream. "Say it again..." I couldn't believe what was happening.

He chuckled lightly before he looked down at me seriously. "I love you," he said, as if testing out the words. "I love you...I love you..." 

It was a soft mantra the way he kept saying it as he placed kisses along my neck and up across my face. I clung to him, not wanting him to stop. The harder I pulled him to me the more I realized I wasn't dreaming. My hell had just turned into heaven, and at that moment I knew a thousand miles of geography between us was nothing. In just two short weeks we had formed something that could overcome that.

We stood there in each other's arms for a few moments. "Mmm, Kira don't you want to say something to me?" he moaned against my neck.

I giggled with delight. "What for?" I teased, still clutching his head to me. "You've already heard me say it with your eavesdropping. Perhaps you shouldn't be so stealthy..." 

He pulled back slightly and looked at me. "I know you love me," he grinned. "But if you won't say it then I guess I'll just have to get it out of you using my methods of torture." His sensual voice caressed me and I shivered. As he ran a finger down the front of my chest, I had no doubt what sort of methods he referred to. 

"Torture you say? That sounds like something I might enjoy," I reached for him.

He scooped me up in his arms and moved us to one of the larger, empty storage stalls where a couple of blankets were laid out. I guessed this was where he had slept last night. He smiled down at me. "Uh uh, you're supposed to be in agony..." 

"Pleasurable agony, darling," I grinned at him and he burst out laughing, remembering his words from days ago.

"What am I gonna do with you?" he said as he wrapped his arms around me after setting me on the ground.

"Love me," I whispered in his ear, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling us down onto the soft covering above the straw. "Just as I love you with all my heart."

He squeezed me. "That goes without saying, honey." 

"Oh, but I do love to hear you say it."

"Well in that case," he whispered in his sexy southern drawl as he began unbuttoning my blouse. "I love you, Ms. Davis." My skin began to warm as he let my shirt hang open and moved to hold my face while he kissed the side of my neck. "I love everything about you..."

I sighed contently. "Everything?"

"Oh yes, ma'am," he whispered slowly, his words heavy. "I love your smile, your laugh, your eyes that light up when you're happy." His tongue brushed my neck behind my ear as one hand moved my hair out of the way. "I love this little freckle that hides behind your earlobe..." 

I shivered with delight, not having even realized I had a freckle there. He continued talking as he placed kisses along my neck and then upon my shoulders and collarbone.

"I love how you look like an angel when you're sleeping, and how you scrunch your nose up when I wake you in the morning. I love the way you bite your lower lip when you're trying to think of something to say, but can't find the words." His thumb came up to lightly stroke my bottom lip as he said it. Then, slowly, his hand moved inside of my blouse, and his fingers caressed the tops of my breasts that thrust out of the low-cut bra I wore. Heat engulfed me as he reached into the lace to find a pebbled nipple, and I flushed at the level of intimacy.

He laughed affectionately before whispering sensually in my ear. "And my darling girl, I love how you still blush for me when I touch you..." 

His soft words thrilled me even more than his fingers moving upon my flesh. I moaned softly with a mixture of physical pleasure and sheer, unadulterated joy. Yes, I was blushing, blushing for this unbelievably perfect man who I had fallen for. I loved him.

And he continued to tell how he loved me, his voice laced with thick desire. "I love how full your breasts are...how they fit perfectly into my hands. I love how your nipples stiffen when they're under my fingers...I love how you moan when I do this..." He gently began circling the nipple inside my bra with two of his rough, calloused fingertips, and it rose to meet his touch. How well he knew me, I thought, as I began to softly whimper between shallow breaths. 

When his hand left my breast I groaned in disappointment, and he chuckled knowingly. "Don't worry, love, there's more...there's always more." He slowly began to pull my open shirt down my arms, feeling as much of me as he could along the way. His words were like an aphrodisiac, caressing me, making me ache for him. 

"I love the way you shiver when I undress you..." he continued as my clothes left my body, leaving me in my bra and panties. The chilled air of the barn cooled my skin, but Tripp's mouth was eager to warm it by kissing and licking every inch he unveiled. The places he couldn't reach with his lips, he stroked with his fingers. It was too much for me. His ardent declaration of love coupled with what he was doing to my body heightened my sense of ecstasy. 

At some point his shirt had come off as well. Everything was hazy to me as we drowned ourselves in passion. I felt hard, bare skin under my fingers and soon my hands were just as active as his, running over his solid torso in need. Muscles rippled under my grip as he fiercely held me to him. The hands on my back that supported me stopped caressing briefly to unhook my bra before he quickly turned me around and wrapped his arms around my midsection. 

"I love how beautiful you are, Kira," he groaned as he moved my hair away from my neck before slowly dragging his tongue up the feverish slope. "I love how when I see you naked I completely lose control." His thumbs lightly slid under the loose bra straps and guided them down my arms. More groaning ensued, from both us. Once my breasts were free I slid my arms up behind me and Tripp guided them around his neck.

My flesh melted under his touch as we sat there in the barn on top of the soft hay. He moved his hands gently over the front of my body, running his fingers over my belly and breasts, making me tremble in his arms as he continued to kiss my neck. The pulse between my legs grew into an unforgiving throb, and I found myself losing patience. I ground my hips against the heavy bulge in the front of his jeans. 

Groaning, he stilled my movements by firmly cupping me between my legs. "I love how for someone so innocent, you know just what to do to make me wild," he murmured. "Luckily I have some tricks of my own..." I held my breath as his first and middle fingers began to steadily move over my wet slit, which was hardly concealed by the small inch of thin, damp, satin fabric that lay on top of it. 

"I love the way you always wear the sexiest panties." He seemed to be amused with my underwear, slipping his fingers into the crotch of the tiny garment and playfully taking a hold of the material, pulling it away from my body. "Is there any point in wearing these, Sweetheart? Besides to drive me crazy? I mean, they barely cover anything...not that I'm complaining," he whispered as he chuckled.

"Mmm, it's a California thing," I joked through my sighing as his fingers continued to tease me. 

He laughed before softly singing a familiar Beach Boys tune in my ear. "I wish they all could be California girls..."

I giggled as he slowly turned me around and gently lay me down on the blankets. My smile faded slightly when I looked up at his face. His stare was heartfelt and tender, and a wave of love washed over me. Returning his look, I wrapped my hands around his neck and pulled him down for a tender kiss that didn't stay tender for very long. His mouth began to ravage me, pushing his tongue past my lips so that it could meet mine in an erotic dance. 

Soon the tongue was no longer in my mouth, but swirling around a nipple while his thumbs brushed the undersides of my breasts. Immediately, I grasped his shoulders, squeezing and moaning my appreciation. 

But then his mouth lifted and he looked down at me. I must have stared up in need, using my expression to ask him why he had stopped. I didn't mean to be so dependent on his touch, but I couldn't help it. 

"I love the way you beg for it with your eyes..."

"No...no I don't," I shut my eyes tightly, refusing to believe I was so obvious.

"Oh yes you do, my dear. And if I don't get it from your eyes, all I have to do is feel you to know how much you want me." I gasped as a finger slipped underneath my soaked panties and slid into my warm canal with ease. 

We both groaned as he used his entire hand to pet me while his middle finger caressed my inner walls. "I love the way you faithfully keep your pussy smooth for me." He stroked my dewy lips, feeling their softness, enhanced by the moisture that coated them. "I love how swollen you get down here, how you unconsciously grind yourself against my hand when you want me to touch your clit. I love the sweet little sounds you make when I finally appease you and stroke that little nub that throbs for my touch." 

"Tripp," I gasped as he began to circle my bud. "If you don't stop talking like that...I'm going...I'm going to..."

"You're going to what? Come for me? Now, now...we can't have that, can we?" He gave my clit a little pinch before he pulled his fingers from underneath my panties and slowly brought them to his lips, tasting them. 

"I love how your juices are like ambrosia to me," he sighed and closed his eyes as my moisture coated his tongue. I knew I was in for something when he looked down at me with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "...And I love how one taste is never enough."

Moving like a man on a mission, he had my panties off in two seconds, quickly sliding them down past my quivering ankles before he grasped my arms and yanked me into an upright position. I didn't know what the goal was, so I tried to relax at let him adjust me to his liking. He took me in his arms and crushed my body to his, bringing me up to my knees. Our mouths met, our lips touched, our tongues danced, and I melted into him with a powerful longing I didn't know I possessed. 

Somehow, with senses whirling, we managed to get his pants off, and once our bare skin met, I softly sang my pleasure to him as he began a slow, languorous journey down my body. I was drowning in ecstasy, but I still heard him whisper to me as I sat there on my knees. "I love what I'm about to do to you..."

Before the words could register, he dived. Grabbing my hips and raising me upward to create a space between the ground and my bottom, he threw himself on the blanket and positioned his head back underneath me, between my legs. Firmly, he lowered me onto his mouth and I let out a large gasp when his tongue penetrated my moist opening. I shuddered but he grasped me firmly, and all I could do was slowly float away as his lips moved upon the most sensitive part of my body. But then I opened my eyes and realized what position we were in, taking notice of the glorious, pulsing organ before me, and a new desire started to spread. 

With a greed that matched his, I leaned forward on my forearms and attacked. There was something about taking this man's cock between my lips that thrilled me and gave me an unbridled joy. Perhaps it was the appreciative moan I received when I first swirled my tongue over the thick head before closing my mouth over it. Of course I was doing quite a bit of moaning myself. He lapped and sucked between my legs, and my ministrations to his sex only egged him on. 

We fed off each other, lost in complete abandonment. I rocked on top of him as the lower part of me throbbed on his lips. My own lips struggled to maintain a steady rhythm, as it was difficult to do much of anything when he put his mouth down there, let alone focus on giving him pleasure. How I managed, I don't know. The experience was so intense, and I found my senses blurring.

He was good. Although I devoured him, taking as much as I good into my mouth and wholly devoting myself to working him in and out of my lips, he didn't falter or let up. A strong hand kneaded my buttocks while he raided my opening with his tongue, and I felt as if my entire body were being doused in pleasure, instead of just that one area. The man had the ability to make me lose myself, and I loved it... almost as much as I loved him.

I moaned around his cock as his wet tongue flickered over the stiff apex of my mound. When he took it in his mouth and began a gentle sucking, I knew I was done for. I lifted my head and trembled, trying to say something, but nothing would come out. I simply gasped and whined while he worked between my legs.

"T...T...Tripp..." I finally whispered shakily, as if I were dying there on top of him. "Please..."

That "please" is what did it. He responded to my soft plead, and I knew he would give me the moon right then if I asked for it. He turned my body around so that I came face to face with him, and it was clear neither of us could wait any longer. We kissed, tasting one another on each other's lips. His eyes were wild as he looked up at me with a hard, penetrating stare, and he gave a slight smile as he took hold of my straddled hips.

"I love how you cry out when you take my cock inside you," he said softly with a trace of amusement. I didn't understand the humor and looked at him defiantly, as if challenging his allegation. He cocked an eyebrow, and with a devilish smile, he lifted me, and impaled me on his organ. 

He moaned in contentment, both from the feeling that came with entering me, and from the arrogant satisfaction he derived in knowing he was right. My cry was primitive as he sank into me, inch by thick, glorious inch. "God...yes..." he sighed below me, closing his eyes in sheer bliss. "I love the moment I first enter you, and how it feels like I'm entering the gates of heaven." I knew the feeling, and heaven sounded like a pretty accurate description. 

He gave me a moment to adjust to the sensation, and then, in the dim room with flickering lights, as a gentle evening rain continued to bathe the barn and serenade our passion, we proceeded to love each other in zealous abandonment. I rode him with an unbridled ardor that he matched as he used his strong arms to help move me up and down the length of him. I quivered and quaked, he caressed and conquered, and together we slowly gave a piece of our souls to one another. 

After a few moments, he raised his upper torso to meet mine, still firmly holding me and moving me upon him. As his arms wrapped around my middle, circling me protectively, he fixed me in a wondrous stare. Our faces were now but inches away from each other's, and though our bodies wildly mated, though our mouths hung open, panting heavily, our eyes stayed consistently trained, not doing so much as blinking. 

He spoke, not breaking the intense connection, but only heightening it. "I love you, Kira...I love you so much." 

"Tripp..." I whispered steadily. "Coming to this ranch was the best thing that ever happened to me."

It's odd how our passion usually rendered us speechless when we wrapped ourselves in the sensation of each other's bodies. Usually I had trouble forming the most simplest of phrases. But strangely, our words came easily now, almost as if they were as effortless as the lovemaking itself. I didn't even have to think about them as they came pouring out of me. 

We were swept away then, exploding off into some distant, blissful utopia where only we existed. For us, time stood still, and the earth stopped turning. Something happened there in the barn that night. It consumed us, and we were born again, renewed in each other's love. 




The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 08



"Do you know one of the things I love about you most of all, Kira?" he whispered in my ear after we were spent, lying there with our limbs entangled. 

"Hmm?" I lay there perfectly content and bathed in the glow of his words.

"I love that you're mine." 

Oh yes, Mr. Carson, I thought. All yours...

* * * * *

"What do you mean you're not coming home with us?" My father watched incredibly as I ran around the cabin, stuffing things into my suitcase. 

"I'm not!" I squealed happily, skipping into the bedroom to sort through my clothing. "I'm going to stay here awhile, until the end of summer."

"But, Kira, honey," My mom tried to stay calm and rational so she could talk some sense into me. "You have a whole month and a half before school starts..."

"And I'm going to spend it here on this ranch, and there's nothing anyone can say to talk me out of it."

"To hell there isn't!" My dad's voice suddenly got about ten times louder. "You've only known the man a couple of weeks! You can't just shack up with some cowboy that you happen to fancy!"

"Oh yes I can!" I laughed. "And he's not just some cowboy, he's mine. My cowboy..." I sighed. It was almost sickening how happy I was, but my parents were still putting up a fight for this lost cause.

"I think it's positively romantic," Lucy said dreamily, earning her a stern look.

"Kira, you need to stop and think about what you're doing," my dad yelled to me. 

"Already thought about it!" I called from the bathroom. It was true. I had thought about it for two whole seconds after Tripp asked me to stay with him, which was one second more than I needed. 

"We can't let her do this." I heard my father talking to the others.

"Well..." my mom was hesitant. "What do we do? I think she loves him. Look how happy she is." 

"It's been two weeks! She doesn't know what love is," my dad said cynically. 

"I do love him," I walked into the room with a smile on my face. "And I am happy, so don't worry."

"Don't worry...sure, honey, we won't worry. We're only leaving you on a cow farm in the middle of nowhere, a thousand miles away from your home with some man who you just met. What's there to worry about?" My father's sarcasm could cut through ice. "Kira, you're throwing your life away."

"Throwing my life away? It's only for the rest of the summer! It's not as if I'm dropping out of college," I said exasperatedly. 

"Kira, you've always been so rational..." My mother was still hesitant as well.

"Well maybe that's the problem. Maybe it's time that I start being a bit irrational," I answered.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" she asked me gently. She wasn't worried, or mad, or even sad as she said it. Just cautious, as if she understood how I felt, but at the same time wanted what was best for me. 

"I have no idea what I'm doing, but I have to trust it." My face was glowing.

"I think you should let her stay." The family, all gathered in the living room of the cabin now, turned in astonishment to Luke, who stood with his arms crossed in the doorway to the bedroom. He smiled at me before saying, "She's not a kid anymore."

I was perhaps the most astonished of all. The room was silent for a moment before a humongous grin spread across my face. Quickly, I crossed the room to give my brother a hug. No other gestures were needed to express my feelings, but he whispered in my ear as I reached for him. "I'm so sorry, Kira..."

"Don't." I said firmly. "I'm incredibly happy at this moment, so don't ruin it by reminding me why I should be mad at you," I told him lightly, breaking away from the hug. I then turned to everyone else before saying, "Well...I think that settles it. I'll be back tomorrow morning to get my suitcase and to see you all off!"

And with that...as everyone except Luke, who was still smiling, gaped at me, I ran out the door and started making my way across the ranch. The rain had stopped, and the sky was clear now...imagine that. 

The Lodge was busy and bustling as usual, but there was only one person I wanted to see. After scanning the room though, I couldn't find him anywhere, but I did see Jack and June Waterman coming toward me. Mr. Waterman looked hesitant, while Mrs. Waterman had a smile floating upon her face. 

"Good evening, Kira," Mr. Waterman greeted me politely. 

"Good evening to you both," I smiled. "I don't suppose you would happen..."

"To know where Tripp is?" Mrs. Waterman finished my sentence, smiling tenderly. "I believe he mentioned something about getting some late-night training in with that horse..."

"Oh, thank you!" I started to turn around to head out of the building, completely oblivious to anything but my goal of finding Tripp. 

"Kira..." Mrs. Waterman's voice was gentle.

I turned back. "I'm sorry," I laughed lightly. "I guess I have a lot on my mind."

Jack and June exchanged knowing glances before Mr. Waterman cleared his throat and began to speak. "Tripp has given us some...uh...some interesting news. We want you to know that we're concerned for you, and even though we disapprove of Tripp's hasty decision to..."

"You disapprove," Mrs. Waterman piped in, rolling her eyes at her husband. "Personally, Kira, I am so pleased that you came to stay with us this summer. I've never seen Tripp like this before. There's always been something missing, even when he's doing what he loves here." She turned toward Mr. Waterman. "And Jack, I trust Tripp. He might be a bit impetuous, but you know Kira is in good hands."

"Well of course, I mean, Tripp is a good man, and we raised him well but..." Mr. Waterman stammered.

"What my husband is trying to say is that we're both here for you if you ever need anything." 

A warm smile lit up my face upon hearing her words. "Thank you both so much. Somehow I have a feeling though that I'm going to be just fine here for awhile."

"That's the feeling I have too," Mrs. Waterman patted my arm. "Now...off you go! I know you're looking for that scamp of mine."

I nodded enthusiastically and gave Mrs. Waterman a hug before making my way to the door. The night air was cool, but I was so happy that my face was flushed and I didn't notice. As I walked out onto the porch, I looked to the stable area, and just like that first night, what I saw took my breath away. 

The lights were lit in the corral, and there was a lone, black horse bucking and twisting about, sleek and majestic looking against the backdrop of the night. But it was the rider I noticed first and foremost. A strong, bare torso strained to control the beast, as hair the color of midnight blew in the evening air, damp and tousled. Hard, thickly muscled arms handled the reins with a clear expertness, and one could tell the master was enjoying the challenge. Taking a deep breath, with fantasies twirling through my mind, I began to walk over to get a better look. Perhaps I would hide behind the edge of the barn, and watch him for awhile. 

* * * * *

Epilogue

That was the summer I went with my family to visit the Waterman Ranch. I arrived with doubt and cynicism, and I left, flying back to California, with more love in my heart than I could have thought possible. 

Of course, while we believed we could endure a long-distance relationship, seeing each other during school breaks and long weekends, Tripp found himself renting an apartment for us in the city only a month after I left New Mexico. For the next two years, he spent half of his time at his home, among dirt and horses, and the other half in Los Angeles, conducting business for the expansion the ranch was going to undergo. 

I worked my butt off finishing my degree a year early, which was no easy task, and wouldn't you know it, there happened to be an opening for a finance manager at the Waterman Ranch when I was done. Tripp was in charge of hiring for the position, and one early summer afternoon, we sat in his office on the second floor of the Lodge while he thumbed through my resume, pretending to consider my qualifications. I soon found out the job came with one very important requirement. Before he gave me the position, Tripp slipped a diamond ring onto my finger.

The sun began to set on a beautiful autumn evening, and the sound of the harp was gently accompanied by the sound of horses in the distance. There was one that Tripp was particularly fond of -- a brown filly with a white spot on her head. He had named her, "California," and as we said our vows on the small hilltop overlooking the pastures of the ranch, she ran with the strength of a thousand horses. 

The End

*

Author Note: I truly appreciate the time everyone has taken to read my first story. Your wonderful feedback and encouragement has meant the world to me! I cannot express my gratitude enough! Thank you all!