Page 10 of One Heated Summer

She took her hands from my shoulders and gripped the cheeks of my ass. Our lips met, kissing…urgently. With passion I’d never experienced. I pounded into her, my ass clenching and relaxing…and repeat. She met me thrust for thrust. At that moment, I knew I was in trouble…making love with Harlyn once would never be enough.

In the dim light, our bodies moved in unison, finding a rhythm that was both familiar and exhilarating. Every kiss, every whisper, spoke of a desire that had been building between us, now finally unleashed. The world outside faded, leaving only the raw, undeniable passion that consumed us.

My balls ignited with a familiar tingle…I was close. I crushed Harlyn to me, our breath mingled as our eyes met, hers smoldering. Her legs wrapped around my hips, heels pushed against my ass while her hands now rested on each side of my face.

Moments later, Harlyn jerked, shouted, and I felt the warmth of her orgasm surrounding my dick. I was pushed over the edge and groaned loudly as I emptied into her.

Moments of quiet followed, and struggling to keep my weight from Harlyn’s body, I rolled off to one side, pulling her with me. I wasn’t ready to release my hold on her. It felt like the storm outside had mirrored the tempest within us, and now, in its aftermath, it seemed we had found a profound sense of peace and belonging.

We lay quietly, exchanging soft kisses until the storm finally ended. Reluctantly, we dressed, and I drove Harlyn home. Dust covered everywhere, cattle looked at us as we passed, seemingly confused by their new dust coated world.

Pieces of equipment, furniture, and tree branches were scattered throughout the yard at Harlyn’s ranch and her men looked up as we approached, having already begun the cleanup.

Harlyn and I sneaked a kiss before I helped her from the truck. The men approached and we shook hands, bemoaning how it would take weeks to restore order to the ranches.

They wandered off to continue with their chores, leaving me to say goodbye to Harlyn. I placed both hands on her shoulders. “We have a great deal of work ahead of us. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to take a break and come over but I’ll call every day. I know you’ll be just as busy.” I ran a hand over my hatless head. “I…I really enjoyed being with you.”

Harlyn stepped closer, pulled my head down to hers and our lips met. The kiss wasn’t as passionate as those we’d shared at the barn but it was full of promise. Or so I hoped.

“I’ll be over in a few days because I sure as hell won’t last any longer without seeing you, cowboy.”

She gave me another peck on the lips and walked off to join her men. I stood watching the sway of her hips and the perfect roundness of her ass before climbing into my truck and heading home to see what damage the storm had done there.

The week following the storm was a whirlwind of activity as I worked alongside my men repairing the damage done to my ranch by the storm. We worked tirelessly to ensure we returned the place back to working order. The cattle were our priority and we drove them down to the creek, shallow because of the drought, and they drank thirstily while we cleaned their coats of dust. We’d been ordered by the government not to pull water from Grangefield Creek which ran from the mountains behind Grantin and along the edge of several ranches including mine and Harlyn’s but nothing had been said about the cattle drinking from it…Or bathing in it. And if the city assholes didn’t like it, they could go fuck themselves. Cattle were our livelihood but despite that, no man with an ounce of compassion would have left them in the dust covered state they’d been in after the storm.

Amidst the chaos of long days filled with usual chores and extra ones thanks to the storm, I delved deeper into my feelings for Harlyn. As promised, I’d called every night, sometimes late, but she’d always picked up, and we’d spent hours discussing progress on piecing the ranches back together.

“You sound tired,” Harlyn stated, sounding worn out herself.

“It’s been a hard week but we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Did you wash down your cattle like I advised?”

“Yes, and although I’m not sure it was a good idea to contaminate the creek the way we have, I agree it was necessary to prioritize the stock so in your words…the government can go fuck itselfif they have a problem with what we’ve done. I guess a positive is that we’d already moved a thousand head on to the stockyards.”

I laughed at Harlyn mimicking my voice about the government. “I can tell you, it would have made your job a hell of a lot easier than ours with five thousand head.”

“Are they all okay? We found eleven dead and four were new calves. It broke my heart.”

I heard the distress in Harlyn’s voice and wanted to rush over, take her in my arms and make everything right.

“We’ve counted forty-seven so far.”

“Calves?”

I cringed, not wanting to answer since Harlyn seemed to be so badly affected by the loss of babies. Losing calves in one way or another was a harsh reality of ranching, the same as it was losing their mama’s with difficult calvings.

“Nine,” I finally confessed and heard Harlyn sob. It was all I could handle. “I’ll be there in ten.”

I didn’t wait for a response, instead I disconnected the call, grabbed the keys to my truck, and patted my dog on the head as I headed from the house. Sheba, who’d been dozing lifted her head and gave me a disgusted snort before lying back down andclosing her eyes. I laughed, left the house, and seconds later was on my way.

The short drive to Harlyn’s ranch was a blur of gravel roads and dusty fields, my mind solely fixed on her distress. When I arrived, I noticed the front door slightly ajar. My heart pounded as I rushed up the steps, pushing the door open with a gentle nudge.

“Harlyn?” I called softly, stepping inside. The house was quiet, save for the faint sound of muffled crying coming from the living room. I followed the sound and found her curled on the couch, her body wracked with sobs.

She didn’t notice me at first, lost in her own world of grief. I knelt beside her, placing a hand on her trembling shoulder. “Harlyn, I’m here,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion.

She looked up, her eyes red and swollen, a mix of relief and sorrow washing over her face. Without a word, she fell into my arms, clinging to me as though I were her lifeline.

“I’m so sorry, darlin’,” I murmured into her hair, holding her tightly.

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