Rodeo (BBW Cowboy Romance) (BBW Western Romance) (11 page)

“Well young lady, think you can just walk around my land as and when you please do you?”  He smiled, jumping down from the great height he sat upon.  He casually tethered the horse to the post and took off his helmet, his blonde unkempt locks escaped and bounced back to their former glory.  He was definitely a sight for sore eyes, dressed in a pair of black jodhpurs, riding boots and a clean, white polo shirt, he looked almost regal, a far cry from the raggedy young teenager I'd left behind, but had I really left him behind, I certainly didn't feel like I'd left Brereton behind and Brereton had certainly welcomed me back without any question. 

“What's his name?”

Tommy looked over at his horse and proudly stroked his thick, black neck and chest, “This is Hugo, he's a belter, isn't he?”

I agreed that indeed he was, and Tommy went on to explain how he'd come across him, bought him instantly and broke him in single headedly, “He won't let anyone else ride him, we've tried but he just tosses them off every time.”  Laughing he elbowed Hugo in his ribs, “You're a loyal young man aren't you Hugo?”  Hugo let out a deep whinny, as if he was agreeing with Tommy.

Loyalty, now there was a word for the day.  I didn't say anything but Tommy knew something was wrong.  Instead of pressing me though he climbed up onto the wall where I'd sat before and held out his hand for me to join me.  Sitting side by side on the perimeter of the ranch we probably looked like we had done all those years ago, only this time we were older and, maybe for Tommy, a little wiser.

“What's up, Blondie?” he playfully nudged me, and so with a great deal of self-containment, I opened up.  Once I'd come to the end of the story Tommy jumped down off the wall.

“C'mon, that's enough of all that, we need to have some fun.”

I tried to object but Tommy was having none of it, “Now come on Eva, I'm not dismissing your troubles but I don't have any other advice for you apart from telling you to leave the selfish bastard, it's probably not what you want to hear so as an alternative and an insistence on my part, I will take you to have some fun.  You need it and to be honest, so do I.”

So, I jumped down off the horse and before he could do anything about it, I un-tethered Hugo, jumped on his back and prepared to be tossed off, only I wasn't and as Tommy initially panicked and shouted out for me to not do it, he suddenly realized that Hugo was allowing me to stay in the saddle.  We both froze in amazement; mine more with relief but nevertheless, amazement.  I stroked his long, black silky mane and urged him to move forwards, he did, peacefully and happily.  Tommy walked at the side of us and as we returned to the ranch house, neither of us could find any words.

Walking into the stable it seemed that my being on Hugo's back caused quite a stir, bodies popped out from everywhere to have a look, I could hear a round of applause and noticed that Jess was jumping up and down on a bale of hay with excitement.  Hugo seemed to think that this was his one man, or should I say, horse show and he appeared to prance in his limelight.

Dismounting, I thanked Hugo for his good behavior and Tommy passed his reins to Jess for him to stable him.

“That was a silly risk you took then Blondie, but a well paid off one.”

I laughed at his remark, “Ah, Tommy, horses have great instincts when it comes to people and besides, I've been thrown from too many horses over the years, I wasn't afraid of that … however, I wanted to see if Hugo was privy to my feelings and you know what, I think he was.  He knew I was feeling a little fragile and he behaved accordingly.” 

Tommy agreed wholeheartedly, “Now, let's go get us some fun.”

He ran off ahead and into the house which in itself hadn't really changed that much, unlike the stables that had now become a growing empire.  Tommy had lost his parents a couple of years back and naturally he had inherited the ranch.  As kids we'd always spoken of our dreams and aspirations for the farm and the ranch and I'd always said how I'd longed to develop the farm into a place where people could come on their holidays and learn to ride horses.  Along with the inheritance of the ranch, Tommy's parents had made some shrewd investments so with a hefty life insurance policy and the sale of the investments, Tommy had been left millions of dollars, thus being able to turn the ranch into exactly that.  It wasn't like he was stealing my idea or anything, we'd both agreed on everything we'd talked about back then, I suppose we'd believed that we'd end up together and the farm and the ranch would be merged as one.  I was pleased for Tommy, he deserved it.

With the truck keys in his hand we both jumped into the vehicle and headed off up into the village.  “Where we going then?”  I asked, not really caring but a question just for the sake of it.

“We're going to have a drink, do the pub quiz, grab something to eat and then … who knows?”

I turned on the radio, the pub quiz? Tommy wasn't wrong when he said we were going to have fun, the villagers were very serious and competitive about their weekly pub quiz, I recall Grandpa coming home from the pub one night with a bruised shin from Mrs. Withers, the local florist.  He had shouted over her from an opposing team and she played hell with him, when he jokingly told her to pipe down she'd whacked him on the shin with her walking stick, he found it hilarious but she was deadly serious.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Withers was no longer with us so I felt at ease that her walking stick wouldn't be making an appearance that night.

We arrived at the Swan's Neck in plenty of time to find a seat, grab a drink and gather our quiz paper and pens together.  As I looked round I realized that we were actually the smallest team to be entering, however I didn't care, it was all for fun, we weren't there to win.  Picking Norfolk n Chance as our team name it didn't occur to anyone that we were already joking around, it was only when the quizmaster read out our name over the microphone that it dawned on him.

The first couple of questions were pretty easy but we weren't to be fooled, the more questions, the harder it became but you could feel the tension in the room, it was thick with severity.  For any of the answers that we didn't know, Tommy decided to write down a ridiculous possibility.  It was childish but it made us laugh.

It was so easy to spend time with Tommy, almost like we'd never been apart, we fell back into place so naturally, verging on too naturally.  It was noisy in the pub and although we attempted to talk a few times, it wasn't exactly the right night for intimate conversations and thoughts, I was thankful for the distraction.  Had it not been for Tommy that day I think I would have got in my car and driven home to confront John.  I realized that it had been the first time since the morning that I'd given John a thought, if my suspicions were correct he would be wining and dining the formidable Ms Grainger right now and I wickedly wished she would choke on whatever expensive meal she was eating. 

There would be plenty of time for confrontation, arguments and battles when I got home, I had every intention of calling John himself tomorrow to see what he had to say, where he was and what he was doing.  I had a good idea what he was doing but he had no idea that I knew, as far as he was concerned, he thought I thought he was busy with his conference for 2 days, so, catching the lying bastard telling lies to me would be him walking straight into my trap.  Was it a trap, did I want some kind of lie to be proved, did I want revenge?  I don't really know which direction my intentions were heading but for the time-being that seemed sufficient, for now I needed to concentrate on the night.

The drinks were flowing and everyone was smiling, the atmosphere was warm and I felt content, I was spending time with someone who liked me for whom I was, embraced my physique and saw no faults in me.  I don't for one minute portray myself to be perfect, who is? But with Tommy I knew he loved
me
.  I was surrounded by ordinary, down to earth people who didn't give a stuff who was currently head of the FTSE Index or who held the Forbes magazine cover that month. I doubt some of these people even knew who Donald Trump was, never mind John Cain. But, looking around, they were all happy; myself included to a certain degree, perhaps my own inner happiness had been here all the time.  I would never say that my education or time in the city was a waste, and if John and I were to separate I wouldn't have any regrets but I was starting to think that perhaps my true destiny was here in Brereton, whether or not Tommy was a part of that remained to be seen.

My cheeks were in pain by the time we left the pub.  Of course, we didn't win, we didn't even come close but it was all in good spirit and I'd loved watching everyone else's enjoyment just as much as I relished my own.  Tommy slipped his hand onto my shoulder as we walked down the steps and into the street.  The village was quiet and it dawned on me that most of the villagers were in the pub that night.  The village itself was compact and self-contained, only storekeepers had vehicles because everywhere was within walking distance for the villagers, it seemed strange to see very few cars but can you imagine how clean the air was?  There wasn't one single house that wasn't spotlessly maintained, beautiful lawns and gardens, paintwork immaculate and no litter to be seen, anywhere, it was idyllic and picturesque, I did feel more at home in the country than I ever had done in the city. 

I had of course been aware of Tommy's hand on my shoulder but it was merely a protective gesture rather than a possessive or suggestive manner.  It was when he gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze that it took me slightly by surprise, I looked up at him, “What?”

“Nothing … you having fun?” he asked with an amused smiled.

“I am actually, just what I needed, thank you Tommy, and you're a good friend.”

I felt Tommy's hand go into mine and he stopped us from proceeding, “Is that all I am Eva?”

I looked into Tommy's eyes, his sweet, kind eyes and my heart indeed melted, “I'm married Tommy.”

“For now, but surely you're not going to continue now you've caught him out?” The questioning on Tommy's face was determined to get to the bottom of my feelings and it unnerved me slightly. 

“Tommy, John may have been rumbled … but at the end of the day, he still deserves a chance to explain and … I need to hear why he's chosen to do what he's done.” I paused but decided against holding back, “My feelings have never changed for you Tommy but at the moment you're a complication in an already messy situation.”

Without any kind of warning Tommy held my face and kissed me full on the lips, my immediate reaction was to pull away but I couldn't help falling into him, as his arms wrapped themselves around me I felt instantaneous safety, it was wrong but it felt just right. Running my hands up his strong back I could feel all the muscles rippling beneath my fingers and all I wanted to do was stay like this forever, nothing had changed between us, we were embarking on the same journey we'd taken twenty years ago. 

“Let's go back to mine.”  Tommy proposed and I couldn't find it in myself to refuse, I wanted this just as much as Tommy did and if infidelity was John's game then I could play it too.

It wasn't discussed but we found ourselves waking towards the stables back at the farm, on automatic pilot we pulled open the stable door and the familiar aroma hit me, in a kind of surreal fashion we were teenagers again; the smells, the nerves fluttering in my stomach and an intense feeling of anticipation.  Neither of us were novices but we might as well have been, I'd never wanted anything so much, yet at the same time I wanted to run for the hills. 

I barely had chance to do anything further before Tommy's hands were upon me, like an eagle intensifying his prey before death he held onto my shoulders, his eyes had darkened with a pool of desire. 

“You know this is right Eva; we're right, it was meant to be.”

His lips found mine and the feeling of overwhelming pleasure that took over my body was reminiscent of a thousand orgasms rolled into one.  I had always loved kissing Tommy and now was certainly no different.  As we'd enjoyed that same kiss 20 years previous, I now felt it with more reason, a definite conviction.  Both our hands began to wander and as we clutched at each other's clothes and explored one another's skin, I couldn't help sensing the electricity that was bouncing between us.

Tommy seemed to know every place that I liked to be kissed, including the really sensitive area behind my ear which seemed to have a G-spot waiting to be tickled, as soon as his tongue flickered over it I suddenly stepped up a gear.  Pulling Tommy down onto the floor, we were cushioned by straw and hay, and as we writhed and wrestled with each other's naked bodies there was eagerness,
almost a necessity that neither of us could control nor stop, or even wanted to.

With hungry abandon Tommy straddled me, his hands holding mine above my head, again his eyes darkened; his pupils abducted the entire color, I could feel how incredibly turned on he was and as I parted my legs ever so slightly, he found an opening and thrust himself inside.  I can't even begin to describe how delicious it felt, a wave of euphoric delight passed over me, through me and took me by complete arrest.  Unaware of how long this went on, Tommy and I enjoyed a heady concoction of torrid sex and gentle love making until we both, exhausted by passion and exercise, fell into a deep sleep.

Waking us from our slumber I could hear something scratching at the stable door, afraid that it was a rat I stirred Tommy who jumped up, pulled on his jeans and walked over to the door, as he opened it a burst of sunlight blared into the room, horrified that it was daylight we were both even more startled at the sight of Dollie standing before us, wagging her tail and barking excitedly that she'd discovered us.   I bolted up and got dressed, if Dollie was on the loose it meant that Grandpa wasn't far behind, how could we have fallen asleep until morning?  Tommy was of course on the same page and he snatched up his remaining clothes and quickly dressed; now we just needed to devise a plan of getting out of there without being seen. 

It was just after six in the morning and I knew Grandpa would be in the yard somewhere, probably seeing to the cows, if we were lucky he would be herding them into the bottom field leaving us enough time to dive out of the yard, the only other hurdle we would have to bypass would be my grandmother seeing us from one of the windows.  It was funny thinking back on it but at the time neither of us were laughing, it would have seemed so disrespectful to my grandparents as well as making us feel like we'd done something sordid and that wasn't the case at all.  I'd never made love like that before and even though I'd only ever slept with a handful of men, Tommy managed to surpass any feelings I'd ever had before, despite our current dilemma, I didn't want to leave Tommy's side, my marriage was over … John had made sure of that but in my mind it was confirmed for certain.

With our hearts racing and brains working overtime we both managed to slip over the field wall and into Tommy's ranch, feeling pretty sure that neither of my grandparents had seen us we felt a slight sense of triumph. That was until we bumped right into Jess as he was coming into the ranch yard.  Clearly wearing the same clothes as we'd last been seen in, it was plainly obvious that we'd been up to something. 

“Morning Jess.”  Tommy greeted him casually.

Jess's face broke into a smile but he continued on his way, I bet he couldn't wait to get into the ranch to pass on the juicy gossip.  I pointed this out to Tommy and he just laughed, “Well that's ok isn't it?”

“No, it's not!” I laughed, “I've got a reputation to keep.”

Tommy winked, “So have I.”

Over coffee, Tommy and I chatted. It turned out his life was mainly occupied by the ranch; he'd not had anyone serious in his life, no children and no desire to get married. I thanked the Lord that John and I hadn't had children at that point. That would have been even messier than it already was.  This also suddenly reminded me that I had to call John, to see what was going on.  Tommy and I kissed goodbye.

“Come over when you're a little more informed eh?  I have a feeling you're not going to like what you hear and you're going to need a friend,” he squeezed my hand.

I smiled and blew a kiss in his direction, “I think we've exceeded the friendship line?”

Back at the farmhouse there was no-one to be seen, a note on the kitchen table from Grandma told me that they'd headed off into the village to pick up some supplies and would be back shortly after lunch.  I was kind of relieved that I didn't have to face any questions as to where I'd been, whether or not they'd seen Tommy and I sneaking out of the stable and also that I had some time alone to call John.

Mentally preparing myself I put a call through to John's mobile.  He picked up on the second ring.

“Eva, this can't take long, I'm up to my eyeballs with work and you've caught me on a short 5 minute break.”

So, there was to be no 'How are you? Hope you're ok, or 'I miss you' it seemed.  “John, I called your office yesterday.”  As expected there was a deathly and uncomfortable silence.

“Yes? Why do that when you can ring my mobile?” he questioned, as if I were in the wrong.

I had to tell a little white lie, “Your mobile was off John, your secretary said you were on a break, not in the Mercer Conference.”

I'd decided to give him no time to think, perhaps it was better I know whether he was prepared in telling lies or they just flew out of his mouth, it seemed the latter was the answer. 

“It was cancelled last minute … I wasn't exactly impressed so I decided to take off for a few days, a bit of a sulk, if you like.  Plus, it seems we both have a lot to think about at the moment Eva so I'm making good use of my time.”

Oh I bet he was.  I could have pushed it more but for now that was all I needed; he'd just proved he was a liar, that was the base of what I was building up to, a plan had started to form right there and then in front of me … I was going to allow John to hang himself and during that very first phone call, I'd handed him the noose.

“Well do use it wisely John, it's what we both need, time on our own, away from outside influences otherwise they'll cloud your
judgment.  By the way ...” and this was going to give him something to think about, “have you gone and bought yourself another new car?”

John hesitated for a second longer than he needed, “No … I did borrow Helena's car sometime this week though … mine was in for service.”

“Ah I see, that was kind of her, saves you getting a hire car.  Ok, enjoy your break and ...”

John interrupted me, obviously curiosity getting the better of him. “How did you know that Eva? About the car, I mean?”

I smiled, he'd reacted, “Miguel passed by the other night and noticed it there that's all.”

I could almost hear John's mind working overtime, “Right, yes, Miguel. Anyway, I have to go now, take care and don't be eating too much of that home-made food your Grandmother likes to fill you up with, you'll come back wider than an elephant.” The phone clicked dead.

The last comment should have hurt my feelings but it didn't, I was used to John's crass remarks about my size; to him I was the size of an elephant, however I was nowhere near that size and his remarks were starting to wear less and less thin by the day.  I'd planted a little seed for him to think about, he may or may not suspect that I'm onto him and he may not have even cared but I wasn't about to roll over and let him off without having a little bit of fun myself.  What Tommy and I had done hadn't influenced my judgment or decision but had certainly helped me realize that John's attitude and treatment towards me was less than acceptable, then to discover that he was having an affair, with Helena Grainger of all people, enough was enough, it was time for me to stop thinking about everyone else's feelings and concentrate on my own.

I immediately rang Miguel and told him about the phone call, at the end of my story he squealed with delight.

“Oh girlfriend, you have got it going on! Perfect approach and application, slowly, slowly catch the monkey!”

I smiled to myself, Miguel's verbal expressions never failed to do that and he enjoyed every moment of the drama.  “What do you think I should do next though?”

I hadn't really given any thought to the extent and continuance of my plan, I'd only managed to think about the initial question, now John had confirmed my suspicions I had to think of what was going to make him fall into the end trap.  I could have quite easily told him there and then that I knew he was with Helena and that she was welcome to him, that I'd embarked on a reunion with Tommy and that I was staying in the country but I didn't know whether that was in
my
plan never mind anything else … besides, I knew John too well and he would be like a child with a toy, if someone else came along to share and play, he would be snatching the toy straight back.  Did I want John to show his possessive side or was that not enough anymore?

It was evidently too early for me to be coming to any kind of conclusion at the moment, I was still reeling from the initial discovery, then the whole 'Tommy' situation came into it, not to mention the fact that John was now definitely lying to me. 

Hearing a noise from the yard I looked out of the window to see my grandparents arriving back from the village, Dollie was perfecting her usual interrogation of the car and what they were unloading from it, anything whatsoever that crossed the farmyard entrance had to be passed by Dollie, she was ruthless in her pursuit of the odd titbit or treat that may have been brought in for her.  I went downstairs to help with the unpacking of the goods.

“Ah, there you are." Grandma smiled. “We were beginning to think you'd got lost, can you grab these for me my dear?”

I took a couple of plastic bags from Grandma which was obviously household shopping bags, whilst Grandpa took the farm supplies and stored them in the front barn.  They were endearing to watch, such a team, each knowing their role and what the other one was going to do next, I wouldn't be surprised if they were able to finish each other's' sentences off. 

“Lunch will be ready in half an hour,” she called after my Grandpa whose arm rose in the air as a sign he would be there.

Turning to me she smiled, “Ok, you'd better sit down and tell me everything … you don't have to worry, I know you were with Tommy last night … don't either of you ever attempt to enter the world of espionage … your escape plan sucked.”

It was an inevitable smile that crossed my lips, I knew there was no fooling my grandmother, but it hadn't be out of deviance and I knew she understood that without having to make any excuses.

“Firstly Grandma, I didn't set out to sleep with Tommy, it just happened … but I'm glad it did.”

It felt strange having this type of conversation with my grandmother but it was cards on the table time, if I was to have any chance of working this whole mess out, I had to be honest and the person I was offloading onto had to know absolutely everything otherwise there was no point in seeking advice.  Grandma took it all in her stride.

“Do you regret anything?” she asked, pouring the tea carefully into the pre-warmed pot, as she stirred the bags around I was without hesitation able to respond truthfully.

“No.  I'm not proud that I have slept with someone behind my husband's back and although he has already done that to me, I know that two wrongs don't make a right, but, I knew what I was doing when I slept with Tommy … and it's not the first time.”

Stating this fact was perhaps more nerve wrecking than admitting my infidelity but Grandma never flinched.

“Eva, honey, I may seem like a dinosaur and a little behind the door where sexual behavior is concerned, but you're my little girl and I knew the moment you became a woman, I also knew that that moment was with Tommy.  My goodness, you only have to look at you two to see that you have a connection, I saw it the moment you bumped into each other at the party the other night … I'm not a judge Eva, I love you and want the best for you … but, to be honest I always saw ultimate unhappiness for you and John.”