“Maybe the cowboy way needs to change then,” she said, nudging him with her shoulder.
“I reckon you’re right. The boys sure seem to be enjoying it,” he said with a nod to the lake.
“Yes, they do,” she answered, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Coal. The way the wet clothing clung to her body accentuated her fluid curves and strong legs. Mary Leah felt a tingling in her body she hadn’t felt for months and couldn’t begin to suppress her smile.
The morning passed quickly and when Mary Leah saw Harley and the men riding back toward the lake she turned to Stan. “I’m going to head back and get lunch ready in the bunkhouse. You can bring the crew in whenever you’re ready.”
“We’ll see you in about fifteen minutes, if that gives you time enough,” Stan said.
“That should be plenty of time.”
After lunch was finished and the table cleared, Mary Leah told Coal she was going to drive in to town for some supplies.
“Do you need any help?”
“No, I think I can handle this. Do you need anything while I’m in town?”
She smiled at her sweetly. “I’m good, thanks. Be careful and I’ll see you at dinner. We’re going to grill some burgers tonight.”
“That sounds yummy. Y’all don’t make plans for dinner tomorrow because I’m going to cook some lasagna.”
“Homemade?”
“But of course,” Mary Leah said.
“I can’t wait for that.”
“Well, you are going to have to wait until tomorrow night,” Mary Leah teased.
“My mouth is watering already.”
“I’ll see you later,” she said and walked back to the house to get her keys and shopping list.
Coal and the boys loaded their tack on the truck and drove back to where they had tethered the horses they were training. By the afternoon, their steeds were performing maneuvers and had become accustomed to having a rider’s weight on their backs.
She watched as Mary Leah’s truck came bouncing down the drive and a smile grew on her face.
She was glad when Stan told them to head back to the corral to call it a day. Shadow had followed her patiently all day and she decided while there was still daylight she would take him for a quick run. His flanks quivered as she placed the saddle on his withers and then mounted. Shadow walked across the yard and she increased him to a smooth canter as they left the yard.
Mary Leah was disappointed to see her ride off, but walked out to the bunkhouse to find Harley. “Is there anything I can do for supper tonight?”
“No, ma’am, we will get cleaned up and start cooking soon. You can relax, and I’ll send one of the boys to fetch you when we get close.”
“Very well, but don’t hesitate to ask if there is something I can do.”
“You know what,” Harley reconsidered. “We could use a dessert.”
“I can handle that,” Mary Leah said and walked back to the house and entered the kitchen. She opened the pantry and found a yellow cake mix and a container of chocolate icing. She whipped up the batter and placed the cake in the oven to bake while she waited for Coal to return.
Out in the pasture, Coal was very pleased with the smoothness of Shadow’s gait, urging him faster until he was galloping at full speed. She gave him his head, allowing him to run hard for several minutes then slowed him to begin cooling down his muscles. She started back toward the corral when he had cooled down. She could see smoke rising and smell the grill as Harley was preparing to cook.
She removed the tack from Shadow and took him back to the corral, then walked into the house to shower before dinner would be ready. The smell of a cake baking greeted her at the front door and she walked in to find Mary Leah sitting at the kitchen table.
“Something smells terrific.”
“I agreed to make a dessert and I thought a cake would be nice.”
“If it tastes half as good as it smells it will be great.”
“Are you going to shower before dinner?”
“Yes, I am heading that way now. Why, do I smell like horse?”
“As a matter of fact you do, but it’s not an unpleasant smell,” Mary Leah said.
“I’ll be back soon,” she said as she grinned and turned to leave the room.
“Coal,” she said to stop her.
“Yes?”
“I wanted to apologize for this morning. I wasn’t expecting any of that to happen.”
“You aren’t the only one shocked by the visit, but I understand, and there’s no need to apologize.”
“Yes, I should have said something to support you instead of waiting for Melissa to confirm you were here all night.”
She stepped back toward her. “Really, it’s okay, Mary Leah.”
Mary Leah looked at her shyly. “Will you watch a movie with me tonight?”
“That depends,” she answered.
“Depends on what?” she asked, puzzled.
“Is there going to be popcorn?”
Mary Leah relaxed and returned Coal’s smile. “Of course there will be popcorn. Extra butter?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” she said and walked to her room.
She showered and dressed then walked to the kitchen to find Mary Leah finishing the icing on the cake. “That looks really good,” she said as she dipped her finger in the container of icing.
“Stop that,” Mary Leah chided.
She grinned and was about to say something when Gene came bouncing in. “Supper is ready,” he announced. He saw the cake sitting in front of Mary Leah. “All right, we are having cake,” he said with a huge smile.
“Can I trust you to carry it out to the bunkhouse?” Mary Leah asked.
“Yes, ma’am, I promise to be very careful,” he said, taking the cake from her and heading toward the door.
“Hang on, and I’ll get that for you,” Coal said. She opened the door for Gene, waited for Mary Leah to walk through the door, and then followed them across the yard.
Coal ate two burgers, chips, and baked beans, but made sure to save room for a large slice of the cake. She helped Mary Leah serve the cake then settled down with a piece for herself. She took a bite and moaned. “My lord, this is heavenly,” she said.
“I am glad you approve,” Mary Leah said with a smile.
“It is fantastic,” Harley said. “Does anyone else need a big glass of cold milk?”
“Sit tight old-timer and I’ll get it,” Lucas teased.
“I got your old-timer,” Harley shot back with a grin. “Add some ice too, then, whippersnapper.”
Coal chuckled at the two men and was amazed with how well the entire group got along. She had worked at other spreads that didn’t come close to the harmony she felt here. The men, Melissa, and Mary Leah were beginning to feel like family. Her eyes fell to rest on Mary Leah, and she felt the smile growing on her face.
With nothing but crumbs left on the cake plate, they walked back to the house. Coal rinsed the plate and placed it in the dishwasher while Mary Leah got their movie set. “Do you want popcorn now?” she called from the den.
“No, ma’am, I’m still stuffed from dinner,” she answered as she walked into the den.
“All set then?”
“Yes’m, I am,” Coal said as she sat next to Mary Leah on the love seat.
Mary Leah turned the player on and started the movie. Then she reached up to turn the lamp off. She tried to concentrate on the movie, but all she could think about was the warmth seeping into her from Mary Leah’s body as their thighs touched. She could feel her eyes drawing away from the movie to look at Mary Leah. When Mary Leah caught her looking, her eyes filled with passion.
“Do you not like the movie?” she asked innocently.
“I guess I am a bit distracted,” she answered, happy the darkness of the room hid her blush.
“What has you distracted, Ms. Bryan?” Mary Leah asked coyly.
“It could be the beautiful woman next to me that I am dying to kiss, but I’m not sure.”
“So why not kiss her and find out.”
Coal leaned over to brush her lips softly across hers. “Yep, that’s definitely the distraction,” she whispered against Mary Leah’s cheek.
Mary Leah’s hand found the remote and turned the movie off, leaving the room in complete darkness. “There, now the movie isn’t a distraction anymore,” she said as she pulled closer for another kiss.
They deepened the kiss as Mary Leah’s hands roamed over Coal’s back. She was breathless when she broke the kiss and felt Mary Leah’s body trembling. “I want to make love to you,” Coal breathed against her skin.
“Yes, please, Coal,” Mary Leah whispered, her voice full of need.
She stood and lifted Mary Leah from the love seat and began to walk down the hall to her bedroom.
“Coal.”
“Yes?”
“My bed is bigger,” she said and led her into the bedroom.
Coal kissed her sweetly as they stood next to the bed. She broke the kiss and her hands were shaking as she pulled the shirt over Coal’s head. She removed the sports bra and her fingers marveled at the smooth skin as her eyes devoured Coal.
Coal’s hands wandered down to the hem of her blouse and Mary Leah gasped with shock and grabbed Coal’s hands.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure if you’ll want to see me,” she said, tears glistening in her eyes as the painful reminder of Judy’s harsh words came flooding back to her.
She lifted Mary Leah’s chin until their eyes met. “In my eyes you are perfect the way you are.”
Mary Leah relaxed and allowed Coal to continue undressing her, but waited for the rejection that was sure to come when Coal removed her bra and prosthesis, and saw the scars reminding her where her breasts once were.
Coal could feel the tension in Mary Leah’s body as she slipped her hands behind her back, unclasped her bra, and let it fall to the floor. She guided her gently onto the bed, and lay down next to her as her fingers tenderly caressed the trail of scars on Mary Leah’s body, causing her to shiver.
“Does this hurt?” she asked softly.
“No, Coal, it feels fantastic,” she managed to say. She was surprised how aroused she was becoming as Coal’s fingers softly explored her body and her lips planted silky kisses along the damaged flesh.
Mary Leah pulled Coal on top of her and they kissed passionately as her hands roamed across Coal’s back. She whispered to Coal. “I want to be naked with you.”
Coal smiled and climbed off the bed to remove her jeans while Mary Leah slipped out of hers. Mary Leah took Coal in her arms and pulled her atop her naked body.
Coal snuggled into Mary Leah’s body and remained propped on her elbows as their bodies slowly melted together in a passionate embrace.
Mary Leah pulled Coal’s face to hers for a deep kiss as their bodies moved together in a sensual dance. The rest of the night they explored one another’s body until both lovers were completely sated.
“That was so beautiful,” Mary Leah whispered as her fingers played across Coal’s stomach, her head resting on Coal’s shoulder.
“It’s just the beginning,” Coal whispered back to her as she felt the first tears fall from Mary Leah’s face.
†
When Melissa returned from her trip, her first point of business was to track Coal down. Bobby had called while she was driving home. He informed her that a man had turned himself in and confessed to shooting Billy Ray. He was the husband of a local woman that Billy Ray had been involved with, and when he learned about the affair he flew into a killing rage. Bobby asked that she apologize to Coal for him, but Melissa assured him that Coal was aware that he was just doing his job.
Coal and the crew were walking from the bunkhouse when she pulled into the yard.
“Someone got on the road mighty early this morning,” Harley said as Melissa parked the truck. “I hope everything is okay.”
“Welcome home, boss,” Coal said as she removed Melissa’s bag from the backseat and tossed it to Gene.