Authors: Samantha Forest
Emma mumbled some sort of agreement, unsure of whether Kate actually wanted her to get up and help or not. She fidgeted with her bracelets, clinking the thin gold bangles together and trying to think of things to talk about. This wasn’t like her, who was normally such an extrovert and never lost for words. Kate broke the silence by asking if she’d like something for dinner
“Um, sure, that’d be great!”, her voice peaking at the end of the sentence like some dumb valley girl. She wanted to pinch herself in retribution, she still needed to convince Kate to let her stay here.
“Omelette sound okay?”, Kate replied, completely unaware of Emma’s inner debate.
“So what brings you away from city life?”, she asked over her broad, strong shoulders.
“Well my company went under really suddenly, so that was the main thing, but in all honesty I just needed a break from all of it. My area of work is pretty stressful, and I figured I could use a change of pace for a while”, Emma explained, watching the other woman carefully crack eggs and chop up potatoes. “Plus I grew up around here.”
“That makes sense. I’m a bit of a newbie around here”, Kate replied. “My family is Native American and we trained horses further south. I came here looking for something a bit different. Plus I like all the snow.”
Emma was pleased that Kate’s demeanour seemed to have softened while she cooked. They continued to chat about their families and their careers. While horse training and advertising were wildly different fields, Emma found an instant sense of kinship with Kate. It emerged that they both liked the same music, were dog people over cat people, and funnily enough were complementary star signs
“I don’t believe in all that shit”, Kate laughed through a mouthful of omelette, “but I am a typical Scorpio.”
“I’m sure you don’t”, Emma smirked. It was almost midnight by the time they finished talking, and then Kate showed her to her room. The soft patter of snow on the window filled the room, and Emma fell asleep the moment she lay down.
The next morning, it was almost 10am before Emma woke up, and the moment she realized this she leapt out of bed. She ran downstairs to find Kate at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee looking over the newspaper. Emma began spluttering an apology for oversleeping, but Kate smiled and said she hadn’t expected her to be up early the first day.
“However”, she said, “there’s a heap of orders, receipts and a bunch of other stuff over there that’s all yours.”
Emma smiled and went to take a look. None of it looked too complex.
“Maybe getting dressed first would be a good option before starting on that?”
Emma blushed. She was still in the silk shorts and camisole that she had slept in. She headed back upstairs to get dressed.
The two worked at separate ends of the kitchen table for a few hours in silence until Kate headed back out to feed the horses. Quietly, Emma followed her, peeking her head around the stable door to watch Kate speak quietly to the horses as she refilled the manger. She pressed her forehead into the muzzle of each horse in a way that was so sweet and uncharacteristic of this otherwise strong, tough woman that Emma couldn’t help but giggle. Kate immediately darted around, spotting Emma behind the door.
“Don’t just stand over there spying on me, come say hello to the horses.”
Emma blushed again and walked over as Kate introduced her to each one, their big, dark eyes glinting in the soft light of the barn.
“Let’s go for a ride”, Kate said. “You take Bella over there, she’s fairly calm and doesn’t mind the snow.”
Bella was a huge draft horse whose size instantly made Emma anxious.
“I honestly don’t have a huge amount of experience horse riding, Kate”, Emma stuttered.
“Seriously, you came all the way out here and you can’t ride a horse?”, Kate smirked. “I’ll have to fix that.” She gestured towards a saddle and bridle and Emma brought them over with some effort. Kate put them on the horse. She then bent down and interlaced her fingers and for a second Emma had no idea what was going on.
“There’s no way you’re getting on this horse without a boost.”
A little embarrassed, Emma complied and hopped up on top of the horse. Kate got on the horse behind her and her arms came around Emma’s waist, gently holding the reigns. A slight movement of Kate’s legs, and the horse started moving forward with a gentle, plodding motion. When they got outside, the entire area was cloaked in snow, but this didn’t seem to bother Bella, who happily meandered onwards making big, crunching footsteps in the snow. Kate’s arms were strong and solid, her chest warm and soft. Emma was almost feeling a little sleepy after a while, which Kate seemed to notice as she prompted the horse to speed up. They were only at the slower end of a canter, but with the wind whipping around them, it felt much faster and Emma’s heart was racing. She pushed her body back into Kate and turned her face against her, holding onto the reigns for dear life. By the time they slowed down, it dawned on Emma that Kate was practically doubled over with laughter.
“You okay there, little lady?”, Kate smiled. This was turning out to be a rather embarrassing day for Emma, but she couldn’t help but feel butterflies in her stomach at the fact that Kate had just used a pet name for her. They went home at a slower pace and Kate explained all the various basics of horse-riding.
***
By the time they got back to the ranch house, Emma’s fingers were blue with cold and she felt her muscles faltering.
“You’re real sensitive to the cold aren’t you? You should go get into the heat before you go and collapse on me.”
Emma nodded, her teeth chattering, and made her way upstairs to the shower. The bathroom was covered in complex mosaic tiles that in certain lights seemed almost metallic. The shower itself was even bigger than Emma’s shower at home, (if she could still call it that), and she was surprised when she first saw it. The modern rainfall showerhead and soft recess lighting were so stylish and modern in comparison to the rest of the house, which although it had its rustic charm, couldn’t really be called beautiful. Emma pulled off her clothes and dropped them into a heap as she stepped inside the shower. The warm water made her feel lightheaded as she felt it course down her back. She closed her eyes for a moment, tilting her head backwards. Almost dreamlike, she felt a hand slip around her waist and Kate’s soft lips kiss the hollow of her collarbone, pushing away the water that gathered there. She pushed aside Emma’s hair to expose her sparrow-like neck, tracing her kiss up along her ear and ending in the smallest nip of her teeth. Kate’s body was muscled and solid, but her skin was so soft. Her hands gently explored all of Emma’s curves, pushing the tips of her fingernails over her hips and down her back, like she was plotting a route to a place she had always wanted to go. Emma turned her head over her shoulder, pushing her full lips onto Kate’s. They kissed deeply; wet, slippery and warm. Time paused as Emma pushed herself up on her tiptoes, their breasts pressed together gently. Kate’s were bigger than her masculine frame had hinted, her nipples small, pink circles as Emma gripped the point of one between her small fingers. She pulled it into her mouth, sucking deeply, her mouth full and satisfied. A tiny sigh escaped Kate’s mouth and she massaged Emma’s breasts in her hands, then moved her fingers delicately down along her abdomen. The sheer expertise of her touch, the way she knew exactly how gentle to scratch with her nails made shivers run all through Emma’s body, and she felt her clit throb, her body begging for Kate to keep going. Kate caught the tiny fold of skin around Emma’s clitoris and rubbed gently, first in circles, and then up and down, revelling in Emma’s swollen sex. Emma’s heart quickened, and her breathing became heavy as she felt herself edge closer to orgasm. Biting gently at Kate’s nipples, she pulled her nails down the spine of the taller woman, pulling her in closer. Kate pushed two and then three fingers into Emma, rolling her free thumb against her clit until she was almost whimpering. She made a come hither motion with her fingers, feeling the inside of Emma tighten and pulsate. Emma could feel Kate smile into her kiss, asking her in an almost whisper how much longer she could wait, how much more she could take. Emma’s low moan indicated that the answer was not a whole lot, and Kate’s pace quickened. Emma’s hips rocked into Kate’s hand, almost tasting the deep, muscular pleasure struck by the soprano notes of her clit, which at this point felt as if she was being electrocuted, but in the best way possible. With one final breath, she let her body collapse into rolling waves of ecstasy as she came. Kate’s other hand caught the middle of her back and pulled her in closely, kissing along her neck and her tiny, fragile shoulders. When Emma opened her eyes, her head still swimming, she met Kate’s gaze with her mouth slightly open, droplets of water running off her lips. She didn’t know what to say or what had just happened, only that it had been incredible. Kate flashed her brilliant smile, let go of Emma, and got out of the shower, rubbing her short hair against a while towel so it stuck out in fluffy spikes. Emma, still in shock, took a moment to admire Kate’s ass, which seemingly was another thing covered up by her loose, masculine clothes. She turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself, unsure of what on earth she had just experienced.
By the time she had dressed and dried her hair, she noticed a text from Tom, asking her out for drinks. She replied that she’d love to. Some familiar company might help her make sense of her recent lesbian encounter. She threw on a chiffon pink top with a keyhole gap over her cleavage, and a tiny gold chain with leather-look leggings and some high-heeled boots. It was drastically out of character for this area, but Emma felt like she had something to prove. She headed out to her car and was relieved that she and Kate didn’t cross paths on the way. The heavy clunk of her car door closing was reassuring. She felt contained and in control as she pulled out of the driveway and out along the dark, icy roads. Her thoughts raced as she tried to process what had happened between her and Kate. At first she attempted to be fairly rational about the whole thing – two people on an isolated ranch, sparks were bound to fly. It didn’t mean she was gay. Nonetheless, just thinking of Kate’s fingers inside her made her ever so slightly wet, even as she tried to push the thought away.
***
She eventually reached the bar, which wasn’t as much of a dive as she had expected. The outside was clad in bright neon signs advertising drink deals, but the inside was clean and nicely lit. It didn’t take her long to spot Tom. Though he had changed considerably in the years since they had last seen each other, there was still no mistaking his mischievous eyes and bright, welcoming smile. Emma’s body instantly relaxed as she saw him. He had really grown up. His football player physique had solidified into that of a man who knew hard work, his chiselled features accented by a dark beard. He had a vodka and coke ready for her, remembering her favorite drink from back in their teenage years. She walked over to him, each step carefully placed so as not to catch her heels in the floorboards. She sat down opposite of him in the booth, and they chatted about her abrupt departure from city life and what they had been up to since her high school years. Emma explained about her career, but she got the feeling she was boring him. She sipped her drink as he explained how his business as a mechanic was going.
“So how are you finding ranch life?”, Tom asked, in a sudden change of topic.
“Oh it’s been interesting so far. Mostly I’ve just been working on accounts, but I went out on horseback today, which was fun.”
“Your outfit says you’re acclimating to the whole cowgirl life well.” Tom laughed. “And Kate, how’s she?”
Emma gulped, afraid that Tom somehow already knew what had happened between them.
“Oh, she seems nice. She keeps to herself though really. I don’t see a whole lot of her.”
“Is that so?” he replied, taking another swig of his beer. Emma was relatively content that she had imagined his initial suspicion, and tried to divert the conversation back to local gossip. As he bought her more drinks, she became more flirtatious, and they were joking like they had in school. The music got louder and the bar began to fill up. Emma had completely forgotten it was a Friday night. Tom invited her to dance. It was a slow song, and it had been years since Emma had danced like this with anyone, man or woman. The scent of his cologne filled her head and she leaned against his shoulder, listening to his heartbeat underneath the music. They swayed together as his hand slipped over her ass, squeezing gently. She lifted her head in anticipation for a kiss, and sure enough there he was, his rough beard tickling her face. She enjoyed kissing him, but now, under the influence of the vodka, the memory of Kate’s soft skin in the heat of the shower was simply impossible to ignore. She pulled away from Tom and made an excuse about feeling ill and having to go home. Tom looked angry.
“So I guess Kate got to you then. Good to know you’re happy to be a dyke while still taking drinks from me.” His face was twisted in disgust. Emma was sure she felt several eyes turn towards them, the rage in his voice cutting through several conversations. She stumbled through several half-hearted apologies and pushed her way out of the bar. As she got into her car, her eyes welled with tears. How could Tom say a thing like that to her, knowing everything she’d been through with her job and having to move? How could he be so cruel? She wanted to say the word “dyke”, to see what it felt like in her mouth, but she couldn’t do it. It sat stone-heavy on her tongue, making her feel choked and trapped. She turned the keys in the ignition and gripped the steering wheel tightly, rubbing the plastic coating under her fingers until it was hot from the friction. She felt the engine rev up and looked at the road through her tear-filled eyes. She had never driven drunk in her life, but at this moment she couldn’t care less. She was a dyke with no friends, no career, and no money. All she had was this fucking car in this dead-end town, and Kate waiting for her at the ranch. She wanted to scream at her, to punish her for even making her consider this as a possibility in her life. Emma was an ultra-feminine ex-gymnast for Christ’s sake, nothing like the butch woman who had taken her in. So why did Emma find her so irresistible? From the outset, she hadn’t been able to take her eyes off of her. Her confidence, her strength, her swagger – there was something so unusual and so attractive about her that she just couldn’t look away. She hadn’t even considered pushing her away in the shower.