The Weston Front (11 page)

Carefully and with my heart beating rapidly, I poked my head out.  The bear was still sauntering away on my left.  Peering around the large field surrounded by cabins and pine trees, I found a telephone pole with a red flashing light and a covered phone.  I didn’t even think twice.  I raced as fast as I could to the phone.  Was the bear behind me?  I glanced over my shoulder.  It had stopped, but it wasn’t gunning for me.  Yet. 

Tripping over my boots I fell knees first and skidded across a rocky path, then leapt back to my feet and dove for the phone.  I picked it up and was immediately connected to the emergency center for the Bar H Ranch.

“There’s a bear!” I shouted, just as the bear fully turned and starting heading towards me.  Oh shit.  I continued quickly. “A big brown bear at the Adventurer’s Guest Cabins!  I don’t know who else is…”

At this point the huge animal was now loping towards me so I squealed and dropped the phone, quickly searching for an escape.
 
Should I climb a tree?  No, you idiot!  Bears climb trees.  Should I just run and hope to lose it?  Ye
s
!  I ran for the cover of the pine trees just as a Hummer and a Polaris flew over the hill in the distance.

Good response time, sure, but the bear was still heading straight for me.  I huffed as I slid over small rocks and pine needles, clawing for the tree trunks and trying my hardest to get away.  I heard gunfire.  Oh crap, I didn’t want them to hurt the bear!  My heart raced as I continued to climb the steep hill.
 
No time for compassion!  There is a bear!

I finally reached a couple of boulders and leaned back against them to catch my breath.  The sun shone through an open patch in the pine trees and I was suddenly dripping with sweat.  I was scared to look back and see if the bear was there.  Was I ready to die?  No, I was ready to run.  Something rustled through the forest behind me and I shrieked as Rowdy startled me and swept me up into a hug.

“Jesus Christ!” he huffed, still holding onto me as he pulled a radio off of his belt and spoke into it.  “I’ve got her.  She’s fine.  I’m coming down.”

“Rowdy,” I croaked, as he set me down and looked me over.  He grinned and wiped some dirt off of my face.

“You’re safe,” he nodded, taking my shoulder and helping me down the steep, rocky hill.  “We got the bear with a tranquilizer gun and we’re shipping it off to an animal reserve tomorrow.  They’ve been searching for this particular bear for weeks…how’d you come across her?”

“She came across me,” I huffed, still trying to catch my breath as we stumbled out of the trees and were bombarded with a mass of hosts and guests and other various staff members. 

The Bar H Staff was trying to herd all of the guests away from the stunned bear and back towards the main part of the ranch.  The hosts were trying, as well.  Caroline practically knocked me down as she hugged me, squeezing the air completely out of me.  Everyone was talking but I couldn’t really hear anyone.

It was one pair of angry blue eyes that really got my attention.  He pushed through the crowd, handing off the tranquilizer gun, grabbed my white t-shirt with the little longhorn on the pocket, and yanked me behind him.

“West,” I protested, embarrassed that he was pulling me away as everyone watched.  But everyone wasn’t looking at me.  They were looking at the bear.  I felt marginally better until we reached my cabin and we walked right in…I’d left the door open.

Taking a deep breath, I prepared to explain myself but suddenly found the doorknob in my face as he flipped me around and yanked me up by the waist.  I grabbed at the back pocket of his jeans and kicked my boots as they floated around somewhere behind me, but I didn’t get a chance to explain anything.

He didn’t lecture or say anything at all, really.  I sure did, though.  As he held me at his hip he brought his hand down and began smacking my ass and it was loud and fast.  I begged for him to stop and cried out that I was sorry.  It hurt, sure, but I was certain the whole ranch could hear us.  When his hand left my waist and my boots slapped down on the floor, I was suddenly engulfed in a hug tighter than the one Caroline had given me.

“Get off, let me go!” I protested, angry that he’d treated me that way.

“Christ, Blake!” he choked into my neck, holding the back of my head and under my legs.  “You scared the shit out of me!  Why on earth would you chase after a bear?”

I was still futilely struggling to get away from him, my arms pushing in between us, as I grunted, “I didn’t g
o
lookin
g
for it, asshole!  It showed up on my deck and since the touch panel screen was broken I had to go to the emergency phone to warn people!”

He breathed heavily as he held me against him, not ready to let me go even though I was completely resisting him.  “You listen to me.  When there are things like bears, intruders, fires, whatever, you worry about your own neck an
d
the
n
you worry about everyone else!  Understand?” he loudly said, sitting on the edge of the couch and perching me on his knee, still holding me tightly.

“No!” I grunted, trying to twist away from him.  He couldn’t be serious about not trying to help other people.  He was the one who was so worried about me instead of himself all of the damn time. 

“Blake…”

“No, I mean it!  That’s not how I’m wired!  So get used to it or leave me the hell alone!” I shouted, pulling at his light blue plaid pearl snap shirt as his arms still held me tightly to his chest.

He half sighed, half grunted in exasperation.

“You’re brave, Blake.  You’re kind and sweet and brave and no one doubts that.  But I think everyone out there can agree that running from the safety of your cabin to a phone across the field with a bear on your tail was really stupid!”

“Well then I guess I’m just another stupid girl,” I muttered, abandoning my struggle and sitting stiffly in his arms.  That had cut a little too deep.

He exhaled and rubbed his eyes.  “Do you see what I mean when I say trouble finds you?  I only left you like, three hours ago.  And look at this mess!”

“I’m sorry I’m such a stupid mess, West!  I really am!  Now get out of here!  Please!” I ordered with absolutely zero authority as tears spilled out of my eyes.  I was confused.  He liked me?  He was irritated with me?  He was tired of me?  I wasn’t sure.  It just hurt.  My chest hurt.  My body hurt.  I turned my head from him but he quickly stood and carried me into the bathroom.

“Come on, Sweetheart, it’s okay,” he calmly said, which only infuriated me even more.  He started running the water in the tub as he sat me down on the edge of it.  I tried to take the opportunity to run off, but he quickly grabbed my waist and pulled me back into him, his voice in my ear.  “If you get anything out of this conversation, Blake, then get this: you aren’t a mess.  You aren’t stupid.  You’re selfless, like I said, to your detriment.  You’re sweet and I love that.  And I’m sorry I lost it back there.  But you
…
scare
d
me.  And I didn’t like feeling like that; do you hear me?  I was terrified that I was going to be seconds too late.  Can you understand that?”

I nodded to get him to just shut up.  I think he knew it, too, because he still held me as the tub filled up.  He leaned back and wiped the tears off of my cheeks every few seconds, kissing my head and exhaling in ragged breaths.  So what if I’d scared him?  I’d been afraid, too.

I let him stand me up and help me out of my boots, but when he pulled my hat off and tried to take my shirt off after it I pulled my arms down and glared up at him.

“Get in the tub, Blake,” he sighed only halfway patiently, folding his arms across his chest and turning around.  I had half a mind to get a wet towel and crack it across his ass, but instead I just conceded and undressed.  A bath did sound like a great idea. 

The hot water felt good and again I was surprised that my ass wasn’t still stinging.  I closed my eyes and let out a long, shaky breath.  Then the water splashed and rose up to my chin.  My eyes shot open and across the bubbly water I saw deep blue eyes staring right at me.  This tub was enormous.

“I don’t remember inviting you in here,” I snapped, frowning and lowering myself further into the water.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, fully relaxed in the tub.  “I’m not leaving you alone when you’re upset.”

“Again
,
you’r
e
the reason I’m upset, asshole.”

“So what do you want to do this afternoon?” he asked, popping one eye open and catching me staring at his broad, wet chest.

“I don’t think I’m going to tell you,” I replied, sitting up and grabbing the body wash and a washrag.

“Here,” he said, quickly taking the rag and reaching out for me.  I jerked my head away but he grabbed my arm and pulled me into him.  I felt his hard legs on top of my feet, his hard abs against my knees, and yes, my hands were somewhere in the region of his hard cock.  I was surrounded by smolderin
g
we
t
cowboy.

“Jesus, are you turned on by this?”  I scowled, turning my head each time he tried to swipe the washrag across it.

“We’ve been over this,” he grinned, finally stilling my face in his large hand and rubbing the rag on my forehead.  “Dirt smudge.”

I snatched the cloth and threw it at the soap dish, still frowning at him.

“And you know I can find out very easily if you’re turned on right now,” he said in a low voice, mouth turned up on one side.  He was turned on, for sure.  Was I?  Surely not.

I immediately leaned back to the edge of the tub.  I was so not in the mood to play that game at the moment…and I was scared of what he’d find.

“I thought we’d go to the shooting range,” he offered, leaning back again and sinking into the water.

“Oh, I’m sure you’re jus
t
dyin
g
to take me back there,” I smirked, trying to relax as well.  I’d be damned if I let him keep getting to me.  I was tough. 

“Then what would you like to do?” he asked in a suggestive voice.  Toughness dissolved.  Now I was a very wet puddle of provocation.

I was immediately unsure of myself.  Unsure of him…unsure of everything.  I wanted to salvage my dignity…and my feelings.

“I’d like to go home,” I surrendered, leaning forward and resting my head on my wet knees.  “I’m tired.”

“You’ve never struck me as the type of girl who quits…”

“Yeah but I know when I’ve been beaten…don’t say it!” I quickly huffed, pointing at him as he opened his mouth and just laughed.
 
Laughed
.
  What an asshole.  I made to get out of the tub but he had other ideas.

He quickly sailed across the water and had the back of my head in his hand, the other somewhere under the water at my side.  Water splashed around us and his mouth pressed against my cheek as he mumbled, “You don’t know how much you turn me on.”  He pressed his body against mine and kissed me on the mouth, deep and hard. “An
d
tha
t
is such a turn on.”  He flipped us around so that he was on the wide ledge of the tub and I was forced to straddle him.  Oh God, his erection was pressed right up against me.  “My sweet, naughty girl.”  He rolled his hips into mine and kissed me urgently.  “Fuck me, my sweet, naughty girl.”

Shit, I was so easy!  I barely even made him fight for it!  He had his cock right at my entrance in about one second and was soon thrusting into me, groaning into my mouth and holding my body to his.  And man, he was talking dirty.  And I really liked it, obviously, because I only rode him for a couple of minutes before exploding around him.

Wasn’t I supposed to be mad?  And going home?

He came, too, which I was beginning to love.  Dan and I never orgasmed at the same time.  With West, it was like the sight of me coming was enough to make him come, too.  I sighed as I laid my head against his wet chest, feeling him still very hard inside me.  God, I really was a stupid mess.

“I want you to get your all of your things and come and stay at my place,” he mumbled into my hair, gently stroking the part of my back that was exposed out of the warm water.

“Why?  So I don’t get into any more trouble?” I softly asked, only halfway kidding.  I was still trying to come back down to earth.

“I don’t dare presume that you’ll ever b
e
ou
t
of trouble, Sweetheart.  I just want you close to me.”

“That’s sweet,” I replied with a very fake melodious voice.  I kissed his chest.  “But seriously, after today?  Aren’t we getting a little too close to one another?”

He suddenly shot up and caught me as I dipped under the water when I fell off him.  I coughed as he dragged me up for air, and then rubbed the water out of my eyes as he stared right at me.

“I’m not playing around here, Blake, and I know you aren’t either.”

“Look at how you reacted today!” I stated, standing up when he did and yanking the towel he offered out of his hands.  I wrapped mine around my shoulders as he did the same around his waist. “This is getting out of hand!  I’m leaving in four days!  We have to be realistic about this!”