Stars
AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, Will got up, padded down the hall, and came back cleaned up. He opened a drawer, put on a pair of boxer shorts, and crawled into bed next to me.
"I'm sorry I called you an asshole so much," I said quietly. "I got carried away."
"Don’t need to be sorry 'bout that. I am an asshole. Not going to apologize for who I am. And you don't need to apologize for who you are." He paused for a second. "Plus, I'm a kinky sumbitch, so I like it that you get carried away. Want you to get carried away with me again."
Okay, then.
I snuggled into his chest and he played with my hair.
"It's still early," he said into the top of my head. "Wanna beer?"
"Yeah."
"It's a nice night. Let's go outside. I know the spot. You can borrow something to wear."
I thought about whether I wanted to wear something of his, or go get my own clothes, braving an inquisition at the bunkhouse. But there was little chance of an inquisition. Stephanie was gone for the weekend, visiting her parents. Janine knew that I had a date with Will, and approved, telling me that she thought he was great, and that he was like a little brother to her. Since no part of Will seemed "little" to me, this was a funny comment, but it was still heartening.
"I'll go get sweats and meet you outside," I whispered.
"'Kay. See you in a few," he whispered back, and then kissed me gently.
I gingerly got up off of the bed, found the small amount of clothes that I had lost in this room, and retraced my steps to the downstairs, adding clothes to my body as I went down the hall. Will followed me in his underwear, and once I reached the front door and had my dress and shoes back on, he put his finger below my chin, drew me to him, and kissed me again. Then he put his forehead against mine and whispered, "Hurry."
I walked to the bunkhouse from Will's house, across the courtyard. Although a few outside lights shone on the buildings, the stars were out in full force on this moonless night. I hopped into the bunkhouse, skipped down the hall, and divested myself of my date outfit, putting on a pair of comfy yoga pants, a tank top and hoodie sweatshirt, and a pair of Tom's shoes. Janine slept, so I tried to be as quiet as possible. I put my hair up into a rumpled bun on the top of my head, and headed out, where Will stood outside, wearing a dark t-shirt, black track pants with gray stripes down the side, and flip flops. He was carrying two open beers and a folded up blanket.
"What, no Wranglers, cowboy?" I asked, teasing him.
He smiled and handed me an open beer. "C'mon." He took my hand and led me toward a path that I hadn't been on before. I heard a jingling, and Trixie came running up beside us, tail wagging, eager to continue our date.
"Where does she sleep?"
"Doghouse or my room. Depends on what she wants."
With how devoted that dog was to Will, I bet she spent almost no time at all in the doghouse.
We walked along a flat path that headed northwest and then headed up a small hill to a bluff overlooking the ocean. The path glowed pale so we could see without flashlights, as our eyes adjusted to the lack of light.
We stopped. He spread out the blanket on the ground and gestured for me to sit. We could hear the crash of the waves, but no other sounds. He took my beer from me, set it beside his on the ground, and lay down on the blanket. "Make yourself comfortable."
I snuggled up next to him, but down his body, my head on his belly, my legs tangled with his. Trixie plopped down next to us. For a while, neither Will nor I said anything, we just looked at the infinite stars visible in this beautiful place. I felt the rise and fall of his belly and heard Trixie's panting.
"You know," he said to the top of my head, surprising me by opening up, "I've grown up a rancher, and my dad was a rancher, and my granddad was a rancher, and his dad before him. Don't know what I’d be doing if it wasn't for farming and ranching."
For once, I shut up and let him talk.
“I see my parents whenever I want ‘cause they live here in a new house we built for them. I normally have Sunday dinner with them. They do their own thing, I do mine, but they’re close.
“Dad’s retired. I’m in charge now.
"Gotta offer to sell this place to some fancy developer. It would mean that I'd never have to work another day in my life. And I just can't get myself to say yes because I'd miss comin' out here and lookin' at the stars in the sky."
I propped myself up halfway and looked at him while he was continuing to share. "Farming and ranching is more than just a job. It's who I am. And if I gave it up, I dunno what I’d do. So I keep telling 'em no and they keep calling me back and offering me more money."
I looked at him, and traced his handsome face with my fingers. "I don't know what the right answer is. I just know that it's beautiful out here."
"Yeah," he said quietly.
He sat up and pulled me in front of him, so I could sit, leaning against him. He reached over, grabbed our beers, and we stayed there, under the stars, drinking beer in silence for quite a while.
After our beers were finished and the air chilled slightly, we walked back to his house hand in hand, with Trixie following behind.