The land called to him as if calling a lover home after a long absence. Vin Tanner was a child of nature, a man with a hard and painful past, and the sights and sounds of the land was often the only thing that could sooth his battered soul.Today was not one of those days as he was asked by the judge to escort the young woman riding beside him to Red Fork to meet the train. When he asked the judge why him, he was surprised that the answer was that Chris was too abrupt, Buck would try to get to close, JD to young, Ezra not awake, Josiah was busy and Nathan was needed.
Vin shook his head after thinking about those short answers and the final one "Vin, I need YOU to do this." He normally wouldn't question when he was asked to do something as simple as escort someone to a neighboring town, but in this case the woman in question had made life in town rather difficult for many people in the three weeks she had been there if what Buck said was true.
He had been absent most of that time either out at the Reservation or scouting the boarders of the town, but he'd heard enough from the other Peacekeepers to know that she was a handful. "A beautiful handful." He couldn't help but think. He glanced back at her riding just off to his left.
Kitty sat straddle her horse as a man might, wearing pants and a flannel shirt meant for a man much bigger, so the tail ran down past her bottom and she was constantly rolling back the sleeves. She was built with a woman's shape though, nice plump breast, and a slim waist and in those pants a well-rounded bottom. Her long midnight hair was pulled back on both sides and hung down past her waist in the back. He smiled as he viewed the hat she wore, a Stetson perched on her head at least a size too big, but it did shade those big blue eyes of hers.
Vin looked back to the front scouting their trail and shaking his head at his thoughts. He didn't know the details of what she had done in town, never one to stick him nose into other peoples business.
While Vin had been assessing his assignment, Kitty had been assessing him. She slowed her horse down so she would be farther behind Vin Tanner and better able to view him. He was wearing his buckskin coat when they first started out that morning, but had removed it to fully reveal his blue shirt and although it was not tight she could not miss the smooth movement of muscle as he moved.
Signing deeply, she noted that he wore soft buckskin pants and worn cowboy boots with spurs. She also took note of the odd gun hanging at his side and briefly wondered about it. This morning she had been briefly introduced to him as her escort to Red Fork.
That took her attention away from the man riding in front of her. Red Fork, where she would get on the train and ride out of the west back east to New York. There she was suppose to stay with her Aunt Georgia and have her coming out ball and where her father hoped that she would find a husband. "A rich husband" she snorted, her father was not subtle about his desires for her.
"Find a man with money." It had been an order, and she knew better than to openly disobey him.
When she caught the stage from El Paso and landed in Four Corners, she thought she would find a way to get away from the escort her father had sent. Namely, her cousin's Hannah and John.
Well outside of Four Corners, the stage had been held up and John was shot breaking his leg as well, and Hannah was so frightened that once they got to the town, she went straight to the Church and only left to eat and see about John. That left Kitty all on her own in the Wild West town of Four Corners, and she promptly went to the saloon.
Well, many things had happened that she did not plan and she would not dwell on them now. Her first thought was not going to New York. She had a bit of money and could head to California where her father would not be able to find her so easy. She would make her own decisions about what to do with her life. Part of the problem was that she was no longer innocent and any man she married would know that she was sure.
She didn't want to think about that, her stupid belief that he had loved her and after her failed attempt to run away with him, she'd made an even bigger mistake in allowing him liberties that had painful results. When she refused to allow him that close again until they were properly married, he'd left.
The horse stumbling brought her head up and a reflex brought the reins up tight to her chest, pulling the limping mount to a lumbering halt. "Darn"
Vin was watching the trail, following what he knew was at least 6 horses that had passed the same trail only hours before them. After the stage robbery and some other incidents at the outlying ranches, this was a bit worrisome for him with Miss Monroe with him.
His keen hearing picked up the problem behind him and he stopped his own mount and turned back to see the young woman sliding off her horse. "Damn" He said under his breath as he moved back toward her to see what the problem was.
Kitty looked up into the blue eyes of the man still seated on his horse as he came along side of her. Her breath caught when she got a full close up look at how handsome he was, even with the long unruly hair and his dirty slouched Calvary hat.
"Ma'am" Vin tipped his hat with inbreed courtesy. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked as he dismounted.
She was standing so close that he had to reach out to steady her as she swayed back out of his way. "Sorry." He said immediately releasing her upper arms.
Before she could open her mouth to tell him what happened he was already down on one knee beside the horse.
Vin noticed the horse standing with most of his weight shifted to his right side, so he dropped down running his hand down the Bay's chest, he wrapped his fingers around the horse's foreleg, sliding it gently down to its knee to grip the cannon. He spoke quietly and gently to the horse as he tapped the fetlock and the horse instinctively bent his leg allowing Vin to take a look at the bottom of the hoof.
Kitty stood watching as the small horse stood still and then complied with every move that was asked of it. She found herself fascinated by the pull of the blue shirt across Vin's back as he moved, she wondered what it would feel like to have those hands run over her body as he spoke gently to her.
Vin stood up and wondered briefly at the blush on the young woman's cheeks as he turned to face her. "Got a stone bruise looks like. Gonna haft'a stop fer a bit." He scanned the area and decided on a stand of trees. They were greener than most around them, telling him that water was near by.
Kitty moved to mount the horse again not really knowing what a stone bruise was, when the hand on her arm stopped her.
"Can't ride `em, puts too much pressure on the hoof."
"What do you suggest then?" she asked as she took her hand off the saddle horn and placed her booted foot back on the ground.
Vin took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair before placing it back on his head and looking down at her. "You'll ride with me. We're gonna go over to them trees up there an make an early camp." After telling her his plans he walked back toward his horse knowing that she moved behind him.
She was very distracted as she watched him move, her eyes glued to his buckskin clad backside. Ride with him! That sounded fine to her.
Vin mounted the horse and kicked his boot out of the stirrup and reached down to her as she grabbed his offered arm and put her foot in the now empty stirrup swinging up behind him.
His horse was taller than hers and a bit on the frisky side as it side stepped and dropped its haunches down when she sat down on its back hip area behind the saddle. She grabbed at the first thing she found and since she had her arm around the front of Vin it was his gun belt that she got hold of slipping her thumb into the top of his pants as she tried to gain purchase on the shifting horse.
Vin felt the tug but could not help her more than to swing his arm back from the other side and grab her around her back and pull her to his own in awkward support.
She finally settled behind him and his black settled down as well with the added weight. Vin was very much aware of the soft breast pressed against his back and her arms around his waist. He tried to ignore the feeling of being held again by a woman. It had been a while for him and his body had a natural reaction to the presence of female heat so close to him.
He shook it off and turned to go back to the bay. Leaning down a little to reach for the reins, he felt her lean with him, causing her soft body to slide against his. He bit back a groan as he straightened in the saddle and felt her move again with him. Even the short distance to the campsite was going to be a long hard ride for Vin if he couldn't get his body under control.
Kitty was experiencing the same kind of feelings as Vin, his hard back, slim waist and hard flat belly where her hands were linked all fed her growing fascination with this wild man of the west.
Soon they were at the stand of trees and Vin was pleased to see that a small stream moved close by so the water would be okay to drink. He slid off the black and reached up to take her waist as she leaned down and rested her hands on his shoulders.
She leaned a bit farther into him that she needed to and failed to let go completely when her feet touched the ground. They stood like that for a moment, each feeling the attraction between them like lightning striking.
Vin was the first to let go, dropping his hands from her slim waist and stepping back so her hands dropped from his shoulders.
Kitty was disappointed that he did not kiss her. He did not seem to be a man of many words and she appreciated a strong silent man but he had said not more than a few words in all the hours they had been riding and she began to wonder if it was his nature or her presence. She could have sworn that he was feeling the same things that she was.
Vin took the lead of both animals and picketed them under a stand of trees but within reach of grass. He would lead them to the water to drink once he had all the tack off.
"Can I help?" Kitty asked from behind Vin as he moved around the horses.
Vin was not sure that she even knew how to sleep under the stars. The clothes she wore were not her usual as he'd heard about Mrs. Potter having a fit at selling them to her.
"Get some wood fer a fire. Stay close by - an' only small pieces so's ya don't end up snake bit." He turned back to his work with the horses.
Kitty stuck her tongue out at his back in a moment of childish display as she moved off to complete her 'Oh so complicated task.'
Vin was aware of her every move as he went about setting up the camp. He wanted the fire low and the food cooked so he could put it out before dark, not wanting to attract any notice out here even feeling it was fairly safe after reading the sign on the trail. Other than the six that came through earlier, there had been no movement through here is some days.
He finished laying out the saddles and blankets one on each side of the fire, when he turned to find her bottom up in his direction picking up more sticks. He couldn't help the grin on his face that threatened to burst into laughter as he watched her pick up sticks not much bigger than matches and place them in her open palm. It was then that he noticed the large pile of them at his feet where he had set up the stones to hold the fire.
Squatting down he took a handful of the twigs and put them in the circle to act as kindling for the fire. Then he moved over behind her just as she bent again to grab another handful of twigs.
Kitty almost fell on her face when she heard the husky voice from above and behind her. Her face went scarlet at the thought of her bottom in the air right in front of him.
"'Scuse me, miss, but I believe you've got enough now." He couldn't contain his laughter any longer and almost doubled over with it.
She straitened up and whirled around to come face to face with him and followed his gaze to her hand where a tidy little pile of twigs lay and joined in his laughter.
She laughed so hard that she lost her footing and moved forward just as he caught her to him. The feel of her body pressed to his took his breath away. She looked up into his blue eyes and took the last inches from between their lips as she raised up on the tips of her toes to plant a kiss dead center of his mouth.
Vin took it from there. Unconsciously tightening his grip on her upper arms, he pulled her up into an open mouth kiss and felt her knees give out as his tongue snaked in to play lightly with hers.
Kitty had never know her body could react like this to a simple kiss, she felt hot all over and she ached where their lower bodies touched. She loved his kiss, it was all consuming, he was devouring her with his mouth.
Vin froze when he became aware that he had moved one hand to her shirtfront with every intention of removing it and everything else from her body. Lifting his head he looked for a moment into her big dark blue eyes, kissing the tip of her nose he set her back down on her heels and stepped back from her.
He turned away with a mumbled and not heartfelt "sorry" and went to find some wood for the fire.
Kitty watched him walk away, and wrapped her arms around herself trying to bring her breathing under control.
Vin was mentally kicking himself, knowing by her response that she was in no way experienced and that with very little effort he could have had her on her back on the ground where she stood. He knew better than to get involved with a woman like her, a young woman to boot. He brought his body under control as he went about gathering the appropriate type wood for a fire.
Later that evening found the pair under an awkward silence around the campfire as Vin warmed the beans he had packed and laid out some jerky and cold biscuits. He avoided direct eye contact with her since the incident earlier, not wanting to see if she was afraid of him now, and he knew a part of him wanted to see the desire back in her eyes.
Kitty didn't understand why Vin had withdrawn from her. Her body thrummed every time she thought about that kiss and how it made her feel. Nothing at all like the times the other man had kissed and touched her and she thought she was in love then .My God - if this is what it could feel like with a man she barley knew what could it be with someone she loved? She wanted to know that being with a man did not have to be messy and painful. She wanted this man and set her mind now to finding a way to get his mouth back on hers.
The fire was out, it was dark and Vin was stretched out on his bedroll, head resting on his saddle and trying to block out the sounds of her as she moved around. He looked at the stars thinking this was going to be a long night and the moon was not putting off a lot of light, so everything was in shadows.
His hand went to his mare's leg as his eyes opened at the noise he heard. He let go of the gun as he knew it was her moving around again and this time very close to him. He sat up quickly as she came beside him and then laid back down with a thump when she moved one leg over his middle to stand over him in nothing but her long hair and her pantaloons. Her hair covering her naked breast from his view.
Swallowing hard, he raised up to his elbows and opened his mouth to speak only to have the breath leave him when she sat astride his middle, both feet tucked back, and laid her warm hands on his chest.
"I want you."
That was all it took for him, she had come to him and so any guilt he might have felt was gone.
She took his hat off and ran her hands threw his hair, then she reached down to pull his blue shirt out of the top of his pants. He watched her as she slid it up over his taut belly, past his well-muscled chest and then up and off over his head. She then ran her hands from the top of his shoulders down to his waist, tugging at the buckskin pants trying her best to figure out how to get them off of him without losing her seat on him.
Vin could feel her warmth clear through those pants and his body swelled in reaction to her position on him but for the life of him he could do nothing at the moment but lay and see what she would do next.
Kitty was at a point where she knew she was going to have to move, her bravado in coming over here to him did not extend to full nudity, so she had covered her breast with her hair and then left on her bloomers.
Vin decided that he had watched her silent struggle long enough "Are ya sure this is what ya want?"
"Yes," she breathed "I am no innocent... Well, not entirely anyway."
Vin decided to give her one more shot to change her mind "You'd better be sure lady 'cause when I come up off a' here there'll be no turning back." And he waited to see if that frightened her off and knowing himself well enough that if she said "no" at any point he would stop.
He watched as her eyes went large and then darkened with desire as she nodded her head and lifted off of him to move to his side.
She was thinking, It's about damn time he took control. She was not entirely sure what her next move needed to be and by her past experience it was to get him inside her as soon as possible and move for a few minutes. She was hoping for more than that from Vin but was not sure what all to expect.
Vin stood and reached for her bringing her up to stand in front of him. He reached out to move her hair back off her shoulders and exposed her breast to his gaze. His hand then moved to the waistband of her pantaloons and after inserting his thumbs at each side he moved down past her hips until he felt her take over as she moved them down and kicked them aside.
Now she stood before him in all her glory. He captured her eyes as his hands now moved to his own clothing and pulled them down and off, revealing that he wore nothing underneath.
Kitty watched, fascinated with the smooth muscled lines of his body as it was revealed to her, not perfect with all the scars but God he was beautifully male in all its glory, with tan, tight skin.
Her body took his breath away, the soft curves and lines of smooth flesh waiting for his hands to explore.
He took her down on her back in one smooth flow of motion and positioned himself beside her at the same time lifting her head with a hand at her nape to bring her mouth up to meet his, kissing her lightly.
For a long time, all he did was kiss her. She sighed as she felt the light brushes of his mouth against her own. He was gentle and slow and it was like exploring unknown territory all over again.
Vin nibbled her upper lip and he whispered, "Slow an easy," and captured her whimper in his mouth.
His hands drew her into full contact with him and she felt the sudden hardness of his desire against her. His mouth brushed her lips apart and one lean hand went slowly up against the silken skin of her thighs. He kissed her more insistently as he began to explore her intimately.
She gasped and his tongue shot into her mouth. She let her body fall open to his touch, to his desire and she moaned jerkily as he found a pressure and a rhythm that lifted her in an arch against him.
It was obvious to him that she had never truly known physical pleasure. She clung to him, her nails bit into him and she held on, riding the sensations as they came over her from his touch in so intimate a place.
"Easy," he whispered as she twisted against him. "This is just the beginnin'."
"Ah!" Her voice was husky, all she knew was the delight her body was discovering.
Her eyes closed so that she could savor it more fully these feeling he was brining her to. She was falling, the pleasure was dark and wicked and she gasped as the urgency of it increased all at once.
Kitty moaned as a jolt of pleasure lifted her up. Her eyes flew open and met his, but they were blind with building ecstasy that made her shiver with each brush and stroke of his fingers.
His lips pressed tenderly to her eyes, closing them and his touch became insistent. "Let it happen," he whispered above her.
Afterward she buried her head against his chest. It was embarrassing and shocking and her emotions were so scattered that she couldn't speak.
Vin, sensing her true inexperience, wanted her to know pleasure from his hands before he gave her his body.
After giving her a moment to compose herself he started all over again.
Kitty learned more about her own body than she'd ever known. His hands were expert as they brought her from one peak of pleasure to another, only to let her down gently at the last minute and start all over again.
"You're killing me!" she protested wildly, as he stopped short again and rolled with her bringing one long, hard-muscled leg between both of hers as he bent to her breasts again to take the peak in his mouth.
His fingers dug in at the top of her thighs and he chuckled against her body as he drew his hair-roughened leg against the inside of her soft one, "That's the idea," he murmured.
"What?" she gasped out.
Vin nipped her shoulder before his mouth moved back up her chin to torment her swollen soft mouth. He decided not to answer her.
Her hands were buried in the damp thickness of his long wavy hair and her body was trembling. He was still fiercely aroused, but when she lifted to tempt him, he only moved away again and continued to torment her.
After what could have been moments or hours, she felt him touching her as the hunger in him built. He moved over her, bringing his hardness into contact with her opening and sank deeply into her.
He groaned at the tight, velvety softness he encountered as he entered her.
She was adjusting to the newness of his invasion as he lifted his head and looked into her wide eyes. She felt him shiver with every hard downward thrust of his hips.
He was holding back waiting for her to find her own rhythm but couldn't hold much longer, "Shift yer body against mine til ya feel the pleasure."
"Oh yes!" she responded as she shifted until her body was matching his in opposing movements, bringing pleasure through her body as they both moved.
He felt her body dance with his, felt her arch up to him, pressing herself as close as she could get. She was rigid with it, he could feel the pulsing in her even as he felt it begin in him.
His release came so suddenly that he couldn't hold the muffled cry as his whole body flung up in satisfaction. He hoped she was with him as he had lost it entirely. He lay shuddering over her groaning as the waves of pleasure rushed over him.
Her mouth opened against his bare shoulder and she kissed him in gratitude. So this was what it was suppose to be like, a feeling unlike anything she had ever known.
Vin hugged her to him as he rolled to his side. He would rest for a moment and then get them both dressed. It would not due to be caught out here like this by any two or four legged creatures. He just needed a moment to catch his breath.
The night passed and the daylight came to intrude upon the area that they made.
Vin had fed and watered the horses and had everything ready to go by the time she woke up.
He helped her to her feet but did not offer more than his hand. He knew that they would part later that day and did not want to make it harder for either one of them.
Epilogue:
Vin headed back to Four Corner and his life there. He would not forget what she had given him that night under the stars, but life went on and he was a wanted man so he had nothing but to live day by day.Kitty sat looking out at the western landscape as it flashed by, a hand resting on the gentle slope of her tummy.
"Would it be wishful thinking of me?" she asked herself silently. Her plan was to go to California but now it would be as a widow and possibly a pregnant one if her wish came true.
She would never hold it over Vin or even tell him if it turned out to be true, but a girl could hope that loving like that could result in something special.
The End
Comments to: JDockery@aol.com