He pushed a ceramic creamer toward me. I added a generous amount and took another tentative sip.
“Oh, much better.” And it was - smooth and creamy, and tolerable.
“How far is this Paradise Ranch?”
Chase had his back to me, finishing the eggs. He slid them onto a plate, adding a dash of salt and grinding of fresh pepper, before setting the plate down in front of me.
“About two hours north of here. It’s a small place but they turn out some great little fillies. I’m going to need to add some depth to the stock some time and I think this might be my girl.”
Chase sat next to me, digging in to his eggs. I did likewise.
“These are really good,” I said through a mouthful of cheese and crumbly bacon. I’m not a breakfast girl, but I’d gladly eat this on a daily basis.
Chase was done with his eggs before I was and piling dishes in the dishwasher while I hurried to finish, draining my coffee cup. I got the distinct feeling there would be no second cups of coffee this morning.
“Come on, get whatever you’re taking and I’ll meet you outside. You’ll need a jacket and probably a scarf. Otherwise, we’re traveling light. Lunch will be somewhere between here and there. There are a couple diners along the route back home that serve up good food. My treat.” He winked, his roguish smile making me laugh. And then he was out the door.
By the time I got outside, I could hear the throaty roar of a motorcycle. Chase appeared around the corner of the house on something large and shiny, chrome winking in the morning sun. I was speechless. Motorcycles ranked right up there with large animals on my list of things to avoid.
“You don’t look too thrilled with your chariot for the day, my lady.” Chase turned off the machine, swinging one long leg over it as he got off.
“I have no idea how to ride that thing.” I was still standing on the top step of the porch, hesitant to even approach it. Everything about it looked loud and dangerous and I already felt exposed, just standing on the porch.
“It’s easy. You just climb on behind me, hang on and let me do all the work. You follow my body, lean when I lean, straighten up when I do and just hang on.” Chase stood at the bottom of the stairs, holding out his hand.
“Come on, Abby. It’ll be fun. The wind through your hair…or over your helmet. It’s a great feeling.” He twitched his fingers and I had the impression he used the same gesture with horses that were reluctant to do whatever it was he wanted them to do.
“Okay. But go slow.” I walked down one step. Chase smiled, taking my hand. He helped me into a helmet that seemed very fragile but which he assured me would keep me safe. He donned his and then showed me how to get on the beast. He sat in front of me and I instantly wrapped my arms around his waist.
“Abby, I need to breathe. Loosen up a little.” He looked at me over his shoulder. “Ready?”
I didn’t have a chance to answer. The big machine roared to life and we were off down the driveway and out on to the road in front of the ranch. I had no idea how fast we were going but we seemed to be flying over the blacktop.
Once we hit the main highway heading north I finally relaxed my death grip on Chase’s body. I found once I relaxed, the ride became much more enjoyable. The fields were green, ranches visible in the distance at the end of long driveways. There were pastures full of horses and cattle, all of it under a cloudless blue sky that seemed to stretch for miles.
We stopped once for a break, my body a bit stiff but otherwise unscathed. I took off my helmet and Chase burst out laughing.
My hand went immediately to my hair, thinking it must be a mess. But Chase was shaking his head.
“No, darling, it’s not your hair.” He took a deep breath, finally gaining control.
“You have the biggest grin on your face. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were enjoying yourself on the bike.”
I had to agree; I was enjoying myself and I did have a huge grin plastered on my face.
“Okay. I can admit when I’m wrong. I’m having a great time.” That got me a big hug and kiss and then we were back on the road.
We got to Paradise Ranch well before noon. The sun was hot, hotter than I realized once we were off the bike.
Jake Rodgers, the owner of the ranch, met us, shaking hands with Chase, tipping his hat to me. He led us out to a nearby paddock with several horses grazing in the lush grass.
“She’s the chestnut there, on the right.” Rodgers pointed and I followed his direction. I have no idea what makes good horse flesh, but she sure was pretty.
There was a long discussion between Chase and Rodgers, much of which I did not understand. I wandered down the paddock fence, watching the horses graze, idly pulling the seed heads from a blade of grass.
I was still standing there, gazing off into the distance when I felt hands on my hips. Chase nuzzled my neck, arms wrapping around my waist. I leaned back against him, breathing in the warm air, scented with grass, horse and Chase.
“How’d the negotiations go?” I asked.
“Good. She’s mine. Comes from a long line of good stock, she’s got all her papers…and the price was right.”
I turned to face him. “That’s wonderful. What’s her name?” Things like that seemed just as important to me as papers and lineage.
“Well, Rodgers calls her ‘Mary Jo’, after his wife.” He shook his head.
“She’s got a nice proper name that reflects her lineage, but I’m planning on calling her ‘Abby’s Smile’…‘Abby’ for short.”
He was looking down at me, his eyes dancing, that roguish grin on his face. For the second time that day I was speechless.
“Cat got your tongue? I like you, I like your name and I want to remember that smile you have on your face.” He pulled me close.
“Although it was a huge grin, but ‘Abby’s Grin’ just sounds silly.”
I pulled him down to me, kissing him hard. I think there were tears in my eyes when I finally let him go. There was a surprised look on his face.
“What was that for? Not that I’m complaining…” He smiled.
“No one’s ever named a horse for me before. I’m touched.”
Chase brushed a strand of hair from my forehead, then ran his finger down my nose. “You’re getting sunburned.” He kissed my nose.
“It’s cute. But I think we should be heading back. All this wheeling and dealing has given me quite an appetite.”
***
The storm clouds began gathering while we were eating lunch. We didn’t see them until one of the ranchers at the diner came in complaining the rain was going to keep him out of the fields for the day.
“We need to get going then, if there’s rain. One thing about riding a bike, you don’t want to do it in the rain. And you don’t have any rain gear.”
He paid up and we were on the road, headed south. The big ugly clouds to the west were growing at an alarming rate. Chase was pushing the speed on the bike, or at least it felt like he was. We seemed to be going faster than on the trip up.
The first lighting strike made me jump, squeezing Chase hard. The sound of the thunder was lost in the roar of the bike. The second strike was accompanied by a smattering of raindrops.
Chase pointed off to the right; there seemed to be a wall of dark gray hanging down from the clouds with flashing lights embedded in its depths.
Almost without slowing Chase turned down a dirt lane, heading away from the storm. I could feel the wind change, the smell of ozone on the air, a chill that made the hair on my arms stand on end. I peered over Chase’s shoulder, just able to make out a small barn at the end of the road.
Chase pulled up to the barn, had me get off and get inside, and then maneuvered the bike through the door. There was enough room for the bike and us, pushed up against several hay bales, well back from the opening. Once we were inside, we realized the barn had no door to close.
Within seconds the walls shook as the first waves of wind-blown rain and hail lashed the building. The world grew dark, the wind very loud. Lightening flashed, followed by the distant rumble of thunder.
“Well, looks like we made it here just in time.” Chase was looking out the open door of the barn, watching the waterfall in sheets, the hail bounce on the ground.
“Nothing about this was on the weather forecast. Must have blown up pretty quickly. Hopefully it’ll blow over just as fast.”
Chase turned back to me. “Hey, you’re shivering. You’re all wet.” He pulled me close to him, against the warmth of his body, rubbing my arms. I could smell the rain on his shirt, the musty hay smell of the barn, the engine smell of the motorcycle.
“Let’s get this off, maybe it’ll dry before we leave.” He tugged at the hem of my t-shirt, pulling it over my hair. With great ceremony he draped it over the handlebars of the bike.
I reached out, touching the sleeve of his shirt. “You’re wet too. You should probably take this off.” I winked up at him.
My fingers reached for the buttons, slowly undoing them as Chase watched, his eyes dark, as my hands brushed against his warm skin. My breath caught in my throat as I uncovered him slowly, his broad shoulders and chest, muscular arms. I stripped the damp fabric off of his body, spreading the shirt over the back of the bike.
When I turned back, there was a fire in Chase’s eyes, a fire that matched my own. We came together in a rush, hungry for each other, as we were new to each other. Chase’s mouth found mine, insistent, devouring; his arms wrapped around me, pulling me hard against him, hands moving over my back.
“Jeans, off. Now.” Chase growled the words against my mouth. We broke away from each other with a gasp. Chase’s eyes took in every movement I made as I stripped the damp jeans down my legs.
“Jesus, Abby.” He reached for me, almost blindly, pulling me against his nak*d body, his hands sliding down my back, cupping my ass, fingers pulling and tugging at my panties.
“What you do to me.” With one abrupt motion, he tore the panties; the remnants sliding down my legs. His hands slid up to my bra, tugging at the straps. My hands followed, holding his, stopping them from destroying all my lingerie in one fell swoop.
“Don’t tear the bra, please.” I reached back, undoing the clasp, letting it slide down my arms. His hands were on my br**sts, cupping them, pushing them together, watching his dark hands move over my pale skin.
He slid his hands back down to my ass, clutching, groping, his lips nuzzling my neck. Suddenly he picked me up. I slid my legs up his thick thighs, wrapping them around his hips. He took two steps forward, setting me on a hay bale.
I was momentarily surprised by the prickliness of the hay against my skin, but Chase was pressing me back, his body between my legs. He took one nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, sending little frissons of pleasure through my body.
But I wanted him inside me, more than I’d ever wanted anyone, it seemed. The wild storm outside, the rushing wind and hail, the flashes of light followed by the crack and peal of thunder, I felt like all of that was inside of me, building to an impossible crescendo. I needed Chase to release it, to let me be swept away by it, to let me be wild with him.