18. Excited
EIGHTEEN
Excited
WILLOW
One day to go until the Open House at the Ranch, and I was finally done with cookie dough, constant flour everywhere, and the heat of the oven baking the cabin.
I was just about finished forming the last pan of pumpkin spice cookies when Ash marched in and shut the door behind him like he owned it, of course.
“Willow?” he called.
“You’re back.” My voice hinted at my excitement about seeing him again.
In the week leading up to the Open House, Chris had saved three rescue horses from a slaughterhouse.
Ash and a couple of his men had to drive over to Idaho to pick them up in the horse trailer.
The timing couldn’t have been worse, with so much to do for the event tomorrow .
“You didn’t lock the door for once.” He chuckled, joining me in the kitchen.
“Ro has been in and out all afternoon between here and the horses. There’s no use. She thinks it’s a revolving door.”
His trust in living in the country and leaving everything unlocked often came up as a silly debate between us. He teased me about being a city girl, ever vigilant about locking doors.
He grinned. “I’m turning her into a country girl yet. Smells amazing in here. How are the cookies?” He reached for one and popped it into his mouth.
“Last tray.” I bent over and put it into the oven and set the timer.He came up behind me, gripping my hips and rubbing his hardness against my rump. I giggled and groaned and wiped my brow on my apron. “If I don’t see another sack of flour for a while, it’ll be too soon.”
“I just came from the barn. Ro is helping Colt put Marshmallow away after her ride. I figure we have about fifteen minutes before she heads this way,” he spoke against my clammy shoulder with a smattering of kisses.
“We have less than that because the timer on these cookies will go off in ten.”
“Challenge accepted.”
I laughed at him, but oh, how the mountain man proved he was serious.
He pressed my hands onto the counter on each side of the oven.
He hiked my skirt up and whipped my panties down, grumbling about the fact I wore them.
His pants hit the floor next, pressing my legs apart with his knees.
Then he plowed into me, his steel rod hot like lava.
“Somebody missed me,” I hissed, closing my eyes, loving the deep stretch of my walls around him, at one with the ecstasy of him inside of me. With his heat behind, and in front of me the oven, sweat beaded across my brow as he picked up a rough and demanding pace.
“Fuck yes. Two days is too long without your pussy.” His hands gripped me harder. Our skin slapped together, and grunts and moans grew louder, especially with no child’s ears in the cabin to hear. We had free rein to enjoy a little loud afternoon delight, and he took advantage at a fevered pace.
“Christ, you’re so tight. Can’t hold back,” he growled. His thrusts possessed me. I’d be bruised by morning, and didn’t care. He needed this. He needed me. His desire for me, since he finally accepted things between us, multiplied and drew me in so easily. I was addicted to the mountain man .
“Say it,” he grunted, voice breaking. “Say you’re mine.”
“I’m yours, Ash. Only yours. I always was.
Now, come for me. You’re such a hardworking man, saving those horses, and taking care of Ro and me.
You deserve this right now. Use me like a good boy.
” I patted myself on the back for all the praise I lavished on him and cast a sultry grin over my shoulder.
So what if I didn’t climax with him right now? I loved being here for him, opening my legs, and letting him use me for his pleasure.
I loved him. That took my breath away almost as much as feeling Ash breaking apart on a gruff groan and filling me up inside.
Since the very first moment I saw him as I stepped off the bus, I knew we were meant to be. I had every hope our souls would align, and we’d find a way to be together. We did, and everything happened so fast, each day only getting better.
“I stopped at the bank to get change for tomorrow. The buzz around town is that people are very excited to tour our facilities and see what we do here at the ranch.” Ash winked and grinned and stole a pumpkin cookie from the cooling rack after we cleaned up and put ourselves back together.
The counter was lined with trays for days, several varieties of cookies ready to be devoured by the large crowd we expected.
“Why, Ashton Rhodes, is that a happy face I see on you?” I teased him right as the buzzer went off. At long last, the last batch of cookies was done. I couldn’t look at or eat another. Although I didn’t mind the pumpkin spice scent that had permeated the cabin.
“Fine. I admit I’m looking forward to the event a little bit.”
“And you’ll be your smiling, charming self to all the people?”
“When am I not? Okay, don’t answer that.
But don’t worry. I’ll be on my best behavior.
It’ll be nice to see Chris and his wife again, and to introduce you to them.
Wait until you hear Nicoletta sing. It was sweet of her to agree to perform a few songs for everyone.
” He grabbed two more, one in each hand. I snapped a towel at him.
“If you keep eating these, I’ll be forced to bake more, but I’m done in this hot kitchen.”
“Come with me then. There’s something I want to show you.
” He stuffed one cookie in his mouth and linked hands with me.
We strolled outside on the crisp and sunny fall day up to the barn.
I thought about the first day I saw this beautiful landscape, and shivered at how the radio reported snow in the forecast over the week ahead.
“Tomorrow’s weather will be just like this, right? No sudden Montana snowstorm?”I prayed.
“I gave Mother Nature a stern warning to keep the white stuff away. I told her we’re doing a fall event, not winter.
” Ash’s boss-man voice sent me into a fit of giggles.
Unfortunately, when we came upon Ro and Eli with Colt and Knox, he dropped my hand.
Would Ro even notice or care if she saw us in such an affectionate display?
They were all up to something with wood and nails and hammers spread out before the barn doors. Ash explained, “I thought the kids would have fun selling tea and lemonade at their own stand tomorrow.”
“We’re going to be entre-poo-ers, Mom!” Ro’s voice squealed. Eli scowled at a nail, taking his hammering seriously.
“Entrepreneurs—and how cool. Why didn’t I think of this?” I stared in disbelief.
“Because you’ve been busy thinking of everything else, and doing a phenomenal job of it, too.” Ash winked. Winks were fine, nothing that said to Ro, ‘we just screwed around in the hot kitchen.’
“I texted Ivy about it, and she said she’d stop by after work tonight to give them pointers on sales technique,” Colt mentioned.
“Ivy?” Knox arched a brow with a loaded glance. “Did she say whether Daisy would be stopping by at all? Er, you know, to help us set up. The Wyldes are just as much a part of this Open House as we all are.”
“It’s all hands on deck, so you men keep your you-know-whats in your pants around the women tonight. We have a long list of things to do,” Ash ordered.
“Keep what in their pants?” Eli scratched his head.
“Can we paint the stand pink?” Ro took her new endeavor seriously for a third grader. All week, she and Eli had taken flyers to hand out at school, telling all the children to bring their families to the Fall Open House at the ranch.
Yes, it was all very exciting.
Juniper must have sensed me nearby because she made a lot of noise and ruckus from within the barn. I left them to it and went to see her, sensing Ash following behind me.
A few of the ranch hands were getting the new rescued horses squared away with feed in a quarantined section of the barn.
How sad it was to see their protruding ribs and misty eyes, matted hair and overgrown hooves.
But if anything I’d learned in my short time here was how much everyone cared for these magnificent creatures.
Given time here on the ranch, hopefully each one would spring back to life.
Dusty inspected them and administered medicine, saying hello to me as I passed by. He wouldn’t give up on them. None of the men here would.
I reached Juniper’s stall, and she stuck her neck out, stomping her feet.
“Hey there, little mama. My favorite rescue. How are you today? You’re going to show off your beautiful self tomorrow and be a good girl, right?
” I ran fingers through her mane, and she nodded and sighed.
Never had I felt so much love for an animal. Just touching her soothed me.
Ash came up behind me, and curled his arms around my waist, far enough away that Ro couldn’t see.
“I am looking forward to tomorrow. But mostly because you managed to put all this together in record time. You deserve all the thanks for it. I don’t know how you did it and still could find time for Ro, Juniper.
And also me and my rather demanding tastes. ”
“I have many talents. You’ve merely scratched the surface,” I flirted, then my breath hitched as he brushed his lips across my earlobe.
“After this is over tomorrow, I think we should talk about us. Because I’d like to have you in my arms for a long, long time and get to know every single special talent you have.” His cock hardened against my backside. “And I want Ro to know about us. I’m ready to tell her.”
I turned in his arms. “Oh, Ash. Really?”
“That’s not too fast for you, is it?” I shook my head.
“Good. I thought I’d have Poppy stay at the cabin overnight to watch Ro after the open house.
With the snow coming next week, I’d like one more time with you up at our ridge.
I even asked Dusty if he’d let us borrow his camper.
We’ll haul it up there after the open house tomorrow night, make love, sleep and wake up in each other’s arms, cookout, hike, relax, and stay until Sunday night.
We can talk about everything, just you and me at our special place. What do you say?”
“That shouldn’t even be a question.” A smile beamed across my face that he put so much thought into something special just for us. Butterflies flew like crazy in my stomach, and my body tingled, anticipating the night we’d have together. Even Juniper nodded her head in agreement.
It got dark and chilly early, and Ro was getting tired.
My list of things to prepare for the event was done, so she and I headed back to the cabin.
I left Daisy in charge of bossing the men about, to see to the rest of the list and with full faith that the ranch hands would finish up.
Everything would be perfect tomorrow; I just knew it.
I hadn’t even been a part of the ranch for very long yet I wanted this to be so successful for them and for their rescue mission.
After a quick dinner of pasta, and a bath, Ro was off to bed. Her little snores eventually reached me downstairs, so I made a mug of apple spice tea.
I took it to the bedroom window and peeked outside where, in the distance, against the bright light above the barn doors, the shadows of Ash and his men moved about, finishing up all preparations.
Would he come see me tonight and sneak into the cabin? I’d be sure not to wear panties to bed. The corner of my mouth turned up, but after cooking and all the work today, I needed a shower before I’d let him near me again.
I half-turned from the window when something caught my eye, and I stumbled back. A dark and bulky figure moved from the shed and cut in between two trees behind the cabin. I squinted and froze, straining to find it again, but I lost it in the shadows. My heart hammered out of my chest.
There was only one thing I figured it could be. And if I was right, we didn’t need this animal around the Open House tomorrow with all the families we expected to attend. I grabbed my phone and called Ash.
The second he picked up, I yelled, “Bear!”