Chapter Fourteen
Lainey
Our picnic was beautiful. The run-down trailer in the middle of nowhere was quite shocking, but hearing Calvin talk about his childhood was endearing. I understood why he’d brought me out to his special place, where the wind kissed the grassy Texas plains. It was all very beautiful, and I enjoyed the time we spent together there. After our delicious meal, we mounted our horses again. I didn’t think there was any way I could get into the saddle, but as soon as I settled in, it wasn’t so bad.
“It’s time we see your property now and get an idea of what you and your dad have bought,” he smiled.
“I shudder to think,” I quipped.
We traveled farther down the hill, and he told me about how his previous neighbors had been there for many years before us. He took us to a little lake on our ranch I didn’t even know we had. I couldn’t believe it—we had our own little lake. It wasn’t big enough to put a boat on, but it was a nice little watering hole, nevertheless.
Ducks swam on the surface, apparently taking a rest from their annual migration, according to Calvin. We got off our horses, and he showed me the tadpoles and frogs just under the surface of the water. We acted like kids again, laughing and giggling, then he took off his shirt and stripped out of his pants, leaving himself standing in just his underwear. I didn’t know why I was shocked to see him practically naked. Lord knows, I’d seen plenty of it the night before, but not out in the open air like this.
“Whatcha doin’ there, nature boy?” I asked.
“Fancy a dip? The water is perfect this time of year,” he said as he ran and dived into the water.
“Can’t you get rickets from standing pools of rancid water?” I asked sarcastically.
“No, that’s not how you get rickets, but you can get Legionnaire’s disease.” he said as he splashed water up on me.
I backed away just in time.
“Hey!” I shouted. “You almost got me wet.”
“That’s the point. I want to make you wet,” he said with a wink. Damn he was sexy, then he splashed again.
“What kind of disease was that?” I asked.
He started walking out of the lake and headed toward me, looking a little ominous.
“You only get it if you swallow the water, however, your clothes will get very wet if you don’t take them off now,” he said in a playfully menacing tone.
“Why?” I backed away cautiously.
“Because when I reach you, I’m going to throw you in the drink,” he exclaimed as he rushed for me.
Instinctively, I ran. He was too fast for me though and caught me easily. Sweeping me up into his arms like a baby, he carried me to the lake.
“NOOOO!!!” I yelled.
“You’d better get that shirt off then, before I toss you in,” he threatened again.
“Wait, wait, put me down and I will,” I said, acting as if I was a damsel in distress.
I resigned myself to the fact that it could be a fun game and took off my shirt and jeans just in time before he picked me up and tossed me out into the freezing cold water. I wanted to be irritated by that, but it wasn’t as freezing as I thought it would be, and it was fun swimming and splashing about with him.
There I was, almost naked in the middle of the vastness of our ranch, with a beautiful blue sky, and a man I had to admit to myself I was falling in love with. He caught me again as I was treading water after swimming out to the middle. He pulled me into his arms from behind me as the water lapped around us and I felt his hardness through his underwear jutting into my back. I turned to him and wrapped my legs around him, making sure my pussy sat right on top of his hardening erection.
“Having fun?” I asked as I wiggled on his engorged cock.
He leaned in and kissed me. I returned the kiss as the water gently lapped around us. The cool, fresh air tickled our skin as we kissed and wriggled on each other. I wanted to make love to him on the banks of the lake like they did in the movies, but frankly, my body was too sore from riding horses all day, and him all the previous night, so we just fooled around and enjoyed being close to each other.
After we’d kissed and groped to the point where we’d either have to stop or make love, I suggested a swimming race across the pond instead. Of course, he beat me, but I didn’t do too badly. I only came in a few seconds behind him.
“Ha! You’re a good swimmer.” he proclaimed.
“I won third place in our school swim championships, so I should be.” I gloated.
“Well, then. That’s it, we’ll have to swim out in this lake more often. Maybe you can beat me one day,” he goaded.
“I’m just off my game because of the horseback riding and sex. I’m not used to either, but I’ll win next time,” I said with more bravado than belief.
He got out of the lake and started to dry himself with his shirt.
“Why are you getting out?” I asked.
“It’s getting late and we’ve hardly seen any of your property yet. There’s more, so we should get going before it starts getting dark.” Now he was being Mr. Sensible, just like my dad—which wasn’t entirely all bad.
“Okay,” I sulked.
“There’ll be plenty of time to swim another day.” He still sounded like my father.
We watered the horses from a spout not far from the lake. They’d been resting in the shade, but needed water and carrots, then it was back on them… ugh. The second go around hurt much worse than the first and my legs were screaming in pain, but it was a good kind of pain. I felt my city muscles hardening and my body being pushed. I figured this was what bodies were made for—being outside and being active. When I thought about it, I regretted how soft the hustle and bustle of the city had made me.
As we circled around our ranch, we saw nothing but open land. Not much of it was being used for anything and there were crumbling buildings dotted all over the place. First, we came upon a dilapidated hay barn, lopsided and falling down. Next, we passed a barn with a massive hole in the roof, and a stable which had one whole wall missing.
“What happened to all these old buildings?” I asked Calvin. Everything seemed so desperate and neglected.
“The prior owners didn’t need them anymore. They were elderly and just couldn’t keep up with the maintenance,” he said as we trotted past.
“Seems kind of sad,” I shared with him.
“Yeah, but it’s a lot of work running a ranch, and those old folks couldn’t do it anymore,” he added.
There was no way my father would be able to keep up with maintaining all these building either, and as much as I wanted to repair it all, I wouldn’t be able to do it on my own. Soon I’d be concentrating on school and getting my master’s degree. There wouldn’t be time to worry about worm-rotted wood. Although they looked so forlorn, the idea of tearing them down seemed a crime.
I remembered a story I’d read about a woman in California who was an animal rights activist of some sort. She rescued farm animals and raised awareness by teaching disadvantaged city kids about their lives by letting them visit her farm to learn about them. She had a place on the west coast, another in Tennessee, and they were very popular for education and inspiration.
I wondered if I could combine my desire to work with troubled children as a psychologist and use the ranch as well. Maybe I could create something similar by making it a summer camp for troubled kids. My life was peachy compared to theirs, but even I felt the positive effects of clean air and the open country after just one day. I imagined they’d feel the same, interacting with animals, growing their own food, and camping under the stars.
Suddenly, I felt energized and excited about the prospect of giving back to the community while still working in New York and Texas. I looked at Calvin riding ahead of me, I was so excited about my new idea that I wanted to share with him. I had a lot to plan and work out if this crazy notion was going to take root.
“Is it hard to get permits to use the land as a non-profit?” I asked casually.
“I’m not sure, I’ve never tried. What’s brewing in that pretty head of yours?” He must have seen the scheming look in my eyes.
“Not too much just yet, I was just thinking of ways to use the land to help others. We could renovate those buildings and use them as part of a learning project for troubled children.”
He looked at me, stunned and speechless for a moment. I let the silence play out for a minute as we rode.
“That’s very ambitious,” he said after a minute.
“It is, but I think it’s something I can do, and I’d be able to work here and in New York.” I said with a flirty smile.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” was all he added.
“We’d have to apply for grants and hire a bunch of people to help out,” but I was mostly talking to myself.
I mulled over everything I might need to do as we continued along the perimeter of the property. It was an endless sea of dead grass, broken fencing, and miles of disuse. It would be a lot of work, but I felt it would be so worth it in the end.
When we got back to our house, Dad had just set the dinner table and the welcoming aroma of seared steak, biscuits and gravy hit us the minute we walked in the door.
“Wow, that smells amazing,” Calvin commented.
“That does smells good, Dad. When’s dinner?” I was starving.
“Right now. Just wash up and I’ll serve,” he said jovially.
Over dinner we told Dad what we’d seen, and Calvin shared some ideas he had about using some of the land as an organic farm. Dad would have to hire people no matter what he decided, but growing produce might be an option. He’d been considering keeping bees and, of all things, candle making. That surprised me, but maybe now he was retired, it was his chance to bring out his creative side.
I shared my idea about creating a summer sanctuary with barn animals and crops for inner city kids, and Dad loved the idea. I thought Calvin still believed my idea was half-baked, but I didn’t care, I was ready to start on my plan.
“Don’t you think that’s going to be a lot of work, honey?” Dad asked cautiously.
“Everything out here is a lot of work, Dad. I’m beginning to learn that’s the nature of country living.” I was being as earnest as I could.
Calvin chuckled and said, “Today wasn’t even working, Lainey,” he teased.
“And I feel like a locomotive ran over my ass, so sitting on this aching butt and filling out a few forms for a grant proposal should be a lot easier than riding around the prairie on horseback with you,” I said, smiling, and rubbing my sore backside. They both laughed, but I wished it was Calvin doing the rubbing.
But that would have to wait for another time.