They moved around the trailer. She set up the Hi-Ties and Roger put out the water tubs and filled them. Once that was done, she pulled the hay bags from the trailer, added more grass hay, and tied them on the trailer close to each Hi-Tie. Once the spots were ready, the horses were unloaded. Coup was put on the side closest to the tack room and Harley had the other side. This made life easier on Ride day; she would be able to saddle up without having to move Harley out of the way. This also let the horses know who was going to work this weekend. Coup perked up and began to survey the camp once he found himself on the “working” side. He would watch every horse as it arrived, plotting strategy for his race.
“Now what’s next?” Roger asked while they stood in the shade of the trailer drinking cold water.
“We put down the awning, and then we work inside setting up the living quarters for our comfort and ease of movement inside,” she told him. “Maybe I’ll work inside while you sit for a few minutes. I know how to do it and there’s really not space enough for us both.” She looked sideways at him to see his reaction to this observation.
“You’re the boss, but remember I get all the heavy work and stretching. You’re not to pull those stitches.” He looked sternly at her. “Now, tell me how to set up the awning.”
She directed him and assisted where two sets of hands were needed. Soon the awning was giving shade, creating a nice place to set up the outside table with its folding chairs. They worked together to set up the interior. Bethany would move something out of her way and Roger would take it from her and put it where she pointed. The third item he took from her finally got her goat. “Look, I can lift and move things. I’m not an invalid. I am going to ride a 75-mile competition in two days, you know.” She glared at him when he took the basket of horse blankets from her and put them into the horse compartment for storage and easy access.
Roger wisely refused to comment and continued to help, even if she glared at him more than she smiled. Finally, when she almost dropped the case of bottled water on his foot he told her, “Look, I don’t care if you like it or not. I’m here to help you and watch over you. That means that I do the lifting, pulling, hauling and general physical labor. NO arguments.” He started to shake a finger at her, but quickly took it back.
“You’d better not shake that finger at me,” she warned. Then she realized that he was doing all the things a crewmember would do and she was giving him grief for it. She smiled at him. “You’re right, but for the wrong reason,” she said. “As my crew, it’s your job to do the labor while I concentrate on the horse and the ride. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’m not used to having a crew member.”
“See, I knew it was my job to take care of you; I just didn’t put it exactly right.” He smiled at her as he moved to take the sleeping bag from her. “Where do you want me to put this?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
“I was thinking we could use the bed in the gooseneck the same as we used the bed in the cabin last night. But after our lunch break, I’m not so sure anymore if that would be a good idea.” She smiled, but her eyes held uncertainty.
“I put the cot in the horse compartment but didn’t set it up. Let’s wait until later to make the sleeping arrangement decisions. Okay, honey?” He stepped closer to her and ran his hand from her shoulder to her elbow in a light caress. Then he took the sleeping bag into the horse compartment and set it next to the cot.
Bethany had felt his caress from her arm to her core. Once more, her heart beat more quickly and she felt her blood begin to heat. Damn. All he had to do was touch her arm and she wanted to fall into his bed. She wondered what they were going to do, then felt an inward smile. She knew what they were going to do; the only question was when. She shook off the thought, moved to the bench of the dining space, climbed up and reached to take down her ditty bag. The second she raised her right arm, she knew it was a mistake.
Roger was moving back across the trailer when he heard her gasp, saw her position and stepped in close to her. “I told you that I was going to do the stretching for you.” He pulled her arm down and lifted her off the bench into his arms. He carried her to the space in front of the door. “You go sit down. I’ll take everything off the bed and set it by the door. Then you can tell me where to put things.” He gave her a gentle push out the door.
Holding her side, she moved to the chair and sat down. That had hurt more than anything had since the knife itself. She lifted her shirt and saw bright red in the center of the dressing. Damn, it was bleeding. She felt like sitting there and crying. If he saw the fresh blood, he might fuss about her riding. She moved around to the tack area and found some clean gauze in the vet box. She quickly pulled the bandage off the wound, swallowing a yelp as the tape took skin with it. There was fresh blood, but the stitches looked okay; the bleeding was at the thread, not the wound. She pressed the old gauze into the wound to absorb the blood leaking around the stitches and held pressure for a moment before lifting it away. Stopped, good. She cut gauze and tape and slapped the makeshift bandage over the wound. It was a bit cockeyed, but it looked good enough. Maybe he wouldn’t notice the angle. She put away the vet supplies and walked around to the table under the awning. Roger was waiting for her with a speculative look in his eyes.
“How’d it look? Did you tear out any stitches?” He knew when he came out and she wasn’t sitting that she had gone to take care of her injury. He was uncertain if he should trust her evaluation of the severity of the damage.
“You’re way too sharp. It bled a little, but the stitches are okay. I just didn’t want you to see the blood and go ballistic.” She looked him straight in the eye as she explained her actions.
He accepted her explanation and trusted that she wouldn’t hide a problem that could be dangerous. “I wish that you’d let me change the bandage for you. I promise the only thing that will send me over the edge is if there’s infection or stitches hanging out of your skin.”
“Next time,” she smiled. She moved over to the doorway and directed him to put various items in selected places. They put some items closer to hand and others out of the way as unneeded. “You can tell I use the bed as a storage area when traveling.” She moved inside the trailer and looked around to verify everything was in its proper place for the weekend. “Let’s sit down for a bit. What do you want to drink? I’m having iced tea.” She grabbed a bottle from the fridge and held her hand inside while he decided.
“Well, a shot of whiskey would help my nerves, but I’ll take tea too.” He smiled in at her. He waited to help her down the stairs, taking the drinks from her as he did so.
They sat down, putting the small snack table between them. Neither one wanted to break the silence so they studied the tea bottles as the silence stretched between them.
“I guess we should acknowledge and discuss the elephant in the room.” Bethany studied the label then looked up at him. “I think we’re mutually attracted. There’s some fiery chemistry between us.” Bethany noticed his eyes were cornflower blue, but seemed to be getting darker as she watched. He reached out and took her hand.
“Is that all you feel--chemistry? ‘Cause honey, I’m afraid that chemistry is only a small portion of what I feel.” His eyes were royal blue and his face turned to stone in his effort hide how much he wanted her to admit to something beyond chemistry.
“I’m scared. The last man I trusted with my heart trampled it into the dust and left me in his wake. I don’t want that to happen again. I’m not certain I could survive it.” She let him hold her hand and laced her fingers with his. She looked longingly into his eyes, hers pleading with his not to hurt her.
“The last time I let anyone get close to me, I lost her to cancer and almost lost my mind. I’m terrified, but you’ve been working your way into my heart since we met.” He admitted. “I’ve never met a woman like you. I want your body, but I want more than just your body. I want you.” He found his thumb softly rubbing the pad of her palm, trying to reassure her. Her eyes went soft when she looked into his.
“I think we need to just let this play out for a while. We can talk ourselves into or out of anything. Let’s just go with feelings for the weekend. Words can be next week. Okay?” Bethany asked. They sat at the table holding hands for a while, sometimes looking into each other’s eyes, sometimes looking down.
Roger wanted to hold her, to kiss her, make love to her. Holding hands only made him want more. “I vote for an early dinner.” He said, looking at her across the table. Her eyes jumped up to his and he saw the smile and understanding there before she ever opened her mouth.
“I think that’s a fine idea. Maybe by the time we finish the Ride Manager will be back and we can introduce ourselves before bedtime,” Bethany rose and went into the trailer. “What do you say to steaks?” she asked. She had brought two but intended them for the drive home to celebrate. Somehow, it felt right to celebrate tonight.
“Sounds good. Did I see a gas porta-grill in the side pocket of your trailer?” Roger moved toward the side compartments.
“Yep. You’re in charge of cooking them; I’ll get them seasoned and ready for the grill.” She smiled at him from the door. “I’ll make the salad.”
Roger found the grill, heated it and Bethany brought him two nice New York cut steaks. He put them on the grill and reached for her at the same time. His kiss was warm, but not demanding.
“Hmmm. You better not start something you don’t have time to finish before dinner.” She smiled shyly at him, pushing him back toward the grill. “I have to finish the salads.” Her voice was low and breathy as she moved away.
Watching her go, he smiled; feeling his pants growing tight and uncomfortable again. Damn, that woman had a nice ass. Her front wasn’t bad to look at either. He pictured her naked but the complete picture eluded him. Something smelled hot and he realized he was burning the steaks. He turned them and took a long drink of his tea as a blue Ford F250 truck pulled into the field and moved over to the other trailer. He heard a noise and looked across the farthest end of the field to see two riders coming into camp. Good. He wanted introductions out of the way, so later there would be no interruptions. He smiled.
“Oh, they’re back. Good. We’ll go over after we eat,” Bethany said, bringing out the two salads and the paper plates for the steaks. “For steaks, we get real silverware. Can’t eat meat with plastic,” she explained.
Roger turned the steaks again, poked them gently and put one on each plate. “Medium.” He told her as he handed her the plate. He watched her enjoy the steak, smiling at the almost passionate expression in her eyes when she savored the flavors of the meat. He hoped he would see that expression and more later.
Finishing the last bite of meat, she smiled when she noticed him studying her intently. “What, do I have juice running down my chin?”
“No, but I want you to look at me the way you looked at that steak. The look in your eyes was pure heat.” He laughed at her blush. “It’s okay to enjoy your food. But you make me hot watching you.” He wanted badly to attack her right there and then. Unfortunately, he noticed they were about to have company.
“Hello, I’m Heather and this is my husband Bill Dunn. We’re the ride managers.” The tall willowy brunette held out her hand to Roger then Bethany. Her husband did the same.
“I’m Roger Meadows, crew, and this is Bethany Wilcox, who plans to ride the 75 on Saturday,” he introduced himself and Bethany to the Dunns. They shook hands. “Would you like to sit down?” He offered his chair to Heather, found a bucket for her husband and sat himself down on the steps of the trailer.
“Thanks. Nice to see you here early. Where did you come from?” Bill asked. “Wait, Bethany Wilcox, aren’t you the writer who’s been ‘Riding the Regions’ the past year or so?” Bill pointed his finger at Bethany as he asked.
“Guilty,” Bethany admitted. “I’ve been writing a series on the different regions for about a year now. We came here from Riverview, Colorado,” she answered. “I’m surprised you recognized my name. Most folks might remember the articles, but seldom who wrote them.” She laughed deprecatingly.
“We’ve been fans all along. We’d love to see some of the places you’ve been.” Heather smiled at her. “Are you using this ride for one of your articles? How cool is that? Thank you.” She smiled hugely over at her husband as Bethany nodded. “Our ride’s going to be in the EN and TR. Wow!”
“I hope to be able to finish the Ride. Coup is ready, but we all know anything can happen.” She smiled at them. “But then again, my motto is ‘Finish or go home with a good story’. Either way, you’re a winner.” She laughed and stifled a yawn. “Looks like our early start is beginning to tell. I’m pooped. What time is check-in tomorrow?”
“I’ll have all the forms available any time after ten and will be ready to accept entries at noon. The Head Vet will be here at three,” Heather told them as she stood. “It’s been nice meeting you. I’ll look forward to talking more with you tomorrow.”
They all stood and shook hands once more. Roger and Bethany waved as they left for their own trailer.
“I thought they’d never leave.” Roger said as he reached for her. His arm slid around her waist and pulled her close. “Are you that tired, or just tired of company?” He nuzzled her hair.
“I think we need to move inside. We might embarrass ourselves or the Ride Managers if we stand out here and begin necking again.” She nibbled the underside of his chin. “I’ll race you to see who can take care of their horse first. Need to fill hay bags and water buckets for the night.” She made a dash for the hose. She took Harley because he was on this side of the trailer. She filled his water tub and topped off his hay bag. She was almost back to the door of the living quarters when Roger rounded the front of the truck and managed to open the door for her. “I think that’s a tie.”
Roger stepped close behind her and pinched her fanny as she moved into the trailer. He wanted to bite it, but lost his nerve. Later. He noticed she only giggled at the pinch. He smiled.
“Now what was that as I came through the door?” She turned to ask him when he closed the door and carefully locked it.
“I couldn’t keep my hands off that amazing ass, just like I want to feel all of you.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. His hands moved under her t-shirt, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin. His kiss deepened as his hand came up to the underside of her breast and shaped it. He flicked his finger across the tight center, causing her to arch her back, pushing herself more completely into his hand.
Bethany felt the shockwave of his pinching and fondling from her breast to her core. She felt her blood become molten when their tongues tangoed in her mouth. She rubbed her hips forward against the solid mass she could feel through his jeans. When his hand slid under her thigh and brought it up over his hip, she whimpered her need into his devouring kiss. She began to unsnap his shirt, reveling in the feel of his chest hair. She felt a chill and wondered how her shirt and bra were laying on the floor, but the chill left when his mouth moved down to devour her breast. He nibbled and nipped one breast while his hand began to tease the other. All the while, she stood with one leg over his hip, rubbing her core against his firm muscles. On some level, she was shocked at her own boldness, but nothing mattered except the feel of him. Her hands moved down to his buckle, rubbing the front of his jeans before the buckle came open.
Roger almost dropped her when her hand rubbed down the length of his heated flesh. His hips jerked forward and it sprang free of the restraining boxer briefs and jeans. Her hand closed around him, exciting him further. He moved his hand from her breast and began to open her jeans.
She trembled when he lifted his head from her breast and moved to set her away enough for him to get around her clothes. She moaned. “Easy baby, just slow down, I’ll get you there.” He muttered. His hands slid her jeans and underwear down. He found himself on his knees pushing them off her feet and he sucked in a deep breath. Her scent was heat, flowers and spicy musk.
He carefully lifted her onto the edge of the bed, spreading her legs with his knee while he climbed up into the bed with her. He feasted his eyes on her creamy body as he made his way up the bed to cover her body with his. He finished kicking off his pants before his heels cleared the end of the bed. He stopped to pay attention to her breasts before he moved over her. He spread her legs so that he could rest with his hips pressed into her sex. He reclaimed her mouth in a deep kiss that seemed to continue to the edge of Heaven. He felt her tense when he moved to her entrance, and he paused, his hand stroking her and moving up to her breast.
“Having second thoughts?” His voice was hoarse and his breathing ragged, but he had to make certain she wanted this as much as he did.
“Condom?” She questioned.
“Damn, no.” Roger moved his body away from hers with a frown on his face.
Bethany reached to the storage door over her head. She pulled out an unopened box. “I bought this box right after my divorce. Thought I should be prepared, then never had any need of them; until now.” She gave a throaty laugh.
Roger fumbled with the box, ripping it in half before he got a package out with it’s precious condom sealed within.
“Let me, before you rip it in half.” This time the laugh was deeper when she took the package, tore a corner, removed the condom and erotically sheathed his rod.
Roger could wait no longer, he moved back between her legs and thrust into her. The heat of him filled her; she squirmed to take all of him. He began to ride her slowly; she was on fire and could hardly stand the slow rhythm he was building. She rose to meet his every stroke and he became more aggressive. The rhythm built until sweat fell from him and her body was slippery with it. She could feel the pressure building from the friction; her moans pushed him to move faster as she met him thrust for thrust.
He watched her face while she reached for that amazing release she needed so badly. He felt her climax before she felt it. Her muscles gripped him tightly and began to spasm, taking him over the edge with her as they both shattered in a world of fire. He opened his eyes to watch the wonder on her face, her body continuing to shudder with each contraction.
Her eyes came slowly back into focus. Now she knew. His eyes turned royal blue during lovemaking, as warm as the ice gray of his anger was cold. She felt her body contract around him in aftershocks and loved the feel of him within her. This felt right and perfect. Her hands reached around his neck and pulled him closer to her. She sighed against his shoulder, planting kisses each time an aftershock hit. “Wow. What train hit us, and what time does it come by again?” She wondered aloud.
Roger held her and rolled over until she was lying on top of him. “I’m not certain, but I don’t think I’m moving for a while. That was amazing, baby.” He kissed the top of her head. “You are so perfectly beautiful and so hot. I don’t think I’ve ever held such heat in my arms before. Never.”
She smiled, hiding her face in his chest. “I’ve never had an orgasm before. If that wasn’t what just happened, then I don’t think I could survive having one.” She snuggled into his arms. Her movement caused him to slide from her body. She felt lost without that contact. She reached around and pulled the sheet and blanket up over their bodies. “I guess we figured out the sleeping arrangements,” she whispered. “I can’t move and I would be surprised if you can.” She fell asleep listening to the steady sound of his heart beating.
During the night, she awoke in Roger’s arms. She smiled when she felt him become aware of the fact he was in her bed. His body tensed as he woke up, then his hand moved to her breast and he relaxed while his thumb began to play with her nipple. She sighed and felt her body responding to his.
They made gentle, passionate love until they were sated once more and fell back asleep in each other’s arms.