“I think I’ll stay out here and just make sure everything is all right until the storm totally passes,” Garrett said as he stood near Buckjoy.
“We could probably head in; I think the worst is over.”
As much as I worried about the horses, I was tired and desperate to get some sleep. Our night with my parents had left me totally exhausted.
“I know, but I just have a bad feeling. Why don’t we make ourselves a bed in the corner and campout?” Garrett suggested.
I wanted to say no to him. I was sleepy and just wanted to climb into bed and close my eyes, but the smile on his face was convincing me to stay with him. Plus, he was so enthusiastic and he thought it was a brilliant idea to campout in the horse barn. He obviously didn’t understand that field mice also loved to campout in the barn when it rained.
“I’m not sure I want little critters crawling all over me all night long,” I laughed.
“Hey, hey now. You said I was bigger than the average guy,” Garrett said as he thrust his hips playfully toward me.
“Oh, my God. Fine, I’ll stay out here with you, but I’m making us a better bed than a straw one.”
“Deal,” Garrett said as he turned back to petting Buckjoy and calming him. “I think I saw some blankets up the ladder in that loft area.”
“Blankets? Really? Why were you up in the loft? Hmmm…” I laughed.
The loft was old and rickety; I wouldn’t have considered going up there on any normal day. And I couldn’t imagine why Garrett would have gone up there. Perhaps he had been trying to find a spot to hide all his secrets.
“Yeah, why? Is it weird that there are blankets up there?”
“Sort of. I wonder who would have put them up there. I’ll go get them,” I said as I prepared myself to climb the old ladder.
I climbed up the rickety old ladder and found what looked like a makeshift bed. There were four, square bales of hay up there and a thick blanket over them. There was some hay filled in a sack as a pillow and a couple other blankets over the top. It was actually a pretty ingenious bed and for a moment I thought Garrett had been the one behind it. I had to laugh, but then I couldn’t help but wonder how the hell all the hay got up there. That ladder certainly wasn’t sturdy enough to hold a man carrying hay up it.
“How is it? Should I just come up there?” Garrett yelled as he stood at the bottom of the ladder.
“Did you do this?” I asked but then realized it had to be much older than when Garrett arrived. “We haven’t had square bales around here for at least ten years. I bet one of the old ranch hands made this place up and hid out here all day to avoid working,” I said almost under my breath.
“Sounds like a smart man,” Garrett said as he climbed up the ladder and joined me in admiring the makeshift bed. “Maybe I’ll use it as my secret napping area from now on.”
I knew Garrett was joking because he worked harder than I did. Garrett took pride in the work he did on the farm, as if he was part owner in the property or something. Neither my father or I ever had to tell Garrett to get things done, he naturally just worked. He always worked until late into the evening and seemed to be willing to work even longer than that if we needed him.
“Or maybe we can use it as our secret love nest,” I teased.
When I turned around Garrett was already taking off his shirt and looking at me with that familiar look that told me he was ready to take me. I loved that look in his eyes and I wasn’t opposed to having some fun in the hidden love nest we had found.
“Come here,” he beckoned me.
“Oh yes, sir,” I laughed as he pulled me close to him.
It was exciting to be in the barn during a thunderstorm. Garrett worked slowly and pulled off each piece of my clothing. He lingered on my raincoat buttons and licked his lips as he dropped the coat to the ground. Then he did the same thing as he worked to unbutton each of the buttons on my shirt. Before I knew it, we were both standing there naked with our skin pressed against each other and the cool breeze of the storm exciting us both.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and he lifted me up and gently set me back onto the makeshift bed. His eyes were locked with mine and I felt the love he had for me. Of course, I wouldn’t say the word love in front of Garrett, but I felt it and that was good enough for me. Nothing about our future together mattered to me in that moment, I was happy to have him there and delighted to be the woman who he was about to make love to.
Slowly he kissed down my body and my nipples hardened with the anticipation. There was a light breeze seeping through the rafters and it sent goose bumps throughout my body as well. The lights were still on down in the main barn, but it was just a glow of light up where we were. There was just enough light that I could see his face and watched him enjoying the taste of my body.
My heart was so full with Garrett there. He was a kind, hardworking man who treated me the way I had always wanted a man to treat me. It was like a fairytale, yet I knew it wouldn’t last forever. Never in all of my adult life had I thought I would be all right making love to a man that I knew I wouldn’t have a long-term relationship with. It just hadn’t been my thing, but there I was; enjoying every moment of my time with Garrett.
The thing that really surprised me was just how much I liked myself when I was with Garrett. I was nicer, happier, and enjoyed life so much more since I had met him. I could only hope I would be able to maintain this new view on life after Garrett decided it was time to move on. And secretly, I did have a tiny bit of hope that he would decide he liked it at the ranch and wanted to stick around. I knew it was wishful thinking and I didn’t care if it seemed illogical, I still held out hope.
If he did have to leave I hoped we would keep in touch. I hoped we would go on a real date to a movie someday. Perhaps even continue our romance long after he decided to leave the ranch, but I honestly was all right if we never got to move our relationship forward in that way. I was learning more about myself and my heart while I was with Garrett than I had learned in all my years as an adult. I knew that I deserved a man like him in my life, which was a huge lesson that had taken me many years to understand.
As Garrett’s lips moved up and down my body, I felt so relaxed. I felt his warmth as his lips touched my warmth and then quickly continued up my body. He thrust into me and I moaned out louder than I had expected. I surprised myself and instantly bit my bottom lip in an effort to prevent myself from making too much noise.
“Louder,” he beckoned me with a mischievous grin.