BBW ROMANCE: BWWM Romance: A Cowboy’s Southern Comfort (Military Cowboy Pregnancy Romance) (Interracial Army Contemporary Fantasy Romance Short Stories) (42 page)

‘I’ll introduce you to the horses and get you set up with equipment tomorrow morning’

Rob was excited and obviously it showed on his face, as Sam smirked the way you would at an overenthusiastic kid. He placed the coffee mugs on the table along with the little dish of sugar and a plastic carton of milk. The two of them talked more about the ins and outs of the ranch, the sizes of the herds, places to be careful of and so on. Rob listened intently, Sam’s low rough voice was a pleasure to listen to and the coffee cup looked comically small in his spade sized hands. Eventually Rob got up and gestured to his room, saying he needed a shower and to get changed.

‘Of course! I haven’t even shown you where you’re staying’

Sam took him along a small staircase which led to a long landing and gestured towards the first room

‘It’s small but it’s got everything you need’

‘It looks great, thanks so much’

‘The showers just that door across from you. I’m next door’

Rob thanked him again. The room was bare; it had white walls and an iron frame bed, a small sink and a small wooden dresser. The view across the plain from the window was incredible and as the sun set the room was overflowing with warm orange light. Rob moved his stuff into the dresser and lay down on the bed, listening to Sam’s heavy footsteps moving down the stairs.

***

The next morning Sam knocked on his door at 4am.

‘We’re off to check on the herd at 5 when the sun rises’

‘See you in a few’ Rob replied groggily, his body highly reluctant to start working at this unforgiving hour. Nonetheless he pulled the covers off and threw on jeans and a t-shirt and some boots and made his way downstairs. They drank coffee together and ate some scrambled eggs quickly, but didn’t talk much. After Sam put his dishes in the sink, he mumbled something about equipment and Rob knew to follow him.

When they reached the stable there were two horses. One was an appaloosa with a glossy chestnut coat and white spots, and this one Sam petted first, which Rob took to mean that most likely the other horse was his. The second horse was darker in colour with huge dark eyes. Sam pulled out a tan saddle and bridle and fitted it to his own horse, and then gave Rob his own.

‘These two fellows are brothers, had them since they were foals’ Sam said proudly ‘Jack there is a very steady horse, he’s very calm usually but can get very fast very quickly so he doesn’t need much encouragement’

‘I had a horse like that back when I was a teenager, Buddy was his name’

‘You know what they’re like so’ Sam smiled.

They gathered up their supplies for the day and headed for the herd, which Rob could see off in the distance. The sun was rising at this stage and the entire area was bathed in a soft pink light. It was silent but for the grass stirring and the sounds of the horses hooves.

‘Have you always worked in ranching’ Rob asked

‘About 8 years’

Rob was surprised, Sam seemed so confident and comfortable in what he was doing, like he’d been working at this his whole life.

‘What did you do before, if you don’t mind me asking’

‘I was actually in the navy for a few years. I was a navy seal’

‘Wow that’s incredible, why did you leave?’

Instantly Rob knew he’d overstepped, Sam’s face hardened and he turned towards the light, away from Rob. Rob’s horse whinnied, and they moved on in silence.

It was a long day. It took several hours to move the herd onto the next field and one of the calves was injured. Sam took care of the calf, saying he would come back the next day to see if the vet needed to be called but that it should be fine. It was incredibly physical work, but Rob was content to be doing it and was completely fascinated by Sam. The confident way he handled the horse and cattle, the kind touch he showed with the calf. Originally when Rob met Sam he expected your typical rancher hard-ass who would have no time for a blow in like Rob, but he wasn’t. Though he didn’t talk much, the two of them seemed immediately in sync in the way they worked and they were able to sit comfortably in silence when they took breaks throughout the day. The sun beat down on them until finally it was time to head home.

The rest of the week carried on in the same vein. Usually they were home before dark, having completed the various chores of the day. Sam became a little more talkative as the days passed, but it would still be very difficult to call him chatty. It was clear he really cared about his animals, and that ultimately keeping them safe was his main priority. His notes all over the walls emerged to be a combination of information on the animals and various sketches of the surrounding landscape and even some self-portraits. His style was scratchy and dark, and everything was done on torn bits of sketch paper which came from a huge roll in the corner. Rob struggled to get a grip on his personality, he could move from being smiling and friendly to reserved and distant in the space of a few moments. He never slept or so it seemed. Rob could hear him pacing in his room most nights.

One of the mornings they didn’t have to get up so early Rob decided it was time to try running out in the countryside again for the first time in years. It was warm, but there were still edges of the desert night hanging round just after dawn. It was like the gym, only so much better. He had forgotten what it was like to have so much space to move, for the world to be so still and quiet and that he could move through it with such ease. He ran as far as the river that marked the boundary of the ranch and then turned back for the house.  When he returned, he noticed Sam in his boxers and robe standing on the porch watching him with a cup of coffee in his hand. His blonde hair was swept back and tangled. Rob slowed down as he approached the house, unsure of what to make of running with an audience like this.

‘I’ve made some breakfast’ Sam said and turned to go back inside

Rob followed him into the kitchen and sure enough a fairly impressive spread was laid out. They ate together quietly, listened to the tinny radio and read the paper. It was by far the most relaxed morning they’d had so far. When they had finished eating and cleaning up, the normal routine started. They began strapping the saddles to their horses and packing their bags for the day.

‘Can you come here and help me with something?’ Sam called out.

Rob walked over to the door of the stables where Sam was standing.

‘This door has come off its hinge somehow, can you help me lift it back in?’

He grabbed part of the corrugated metal door trying to get a purchase on it, then together they both made a great effort to lift the door but it didn’t get as high as the hinge. Suddenly Rob felt Sam behind him, his strong thighs pressed against Rob’s hips and his thick arms lifting the door from the edge. Rob worked with him, but his whole body felt a current go through it. He could feel Sam’s breath on the back of his neck and his heat through his clothes. The door latched into the fixture with a clang and Sam turned back to getting his bags onto the horse. Rob stalled at the door, unsure of what he had just experienced.

It was late afternoon by the time they reached the herd, which was further out than usual. There were two calves missing and this seemed to worry Sam as he mumbled something about coyotes and tried to count he calves again. It seemed strange to think of Sam in any sort of military setting, let alone something as elite as being a navy seal. Rob went back to helping count the animals and began to move them over the hill towards a stream. It was getting hot and there was a risk of them becoming dehydrated without encouragement towards water or so Sam said. Rob watched the tall, strong man stare out concernedly across the hills in the light which now had tinges of clay red as the sun was beginning to set. There was something intriguing and powerful about him that Rob couldn’t quite interpret. It was more than just his physical strength, the way he always knew what to do, felt no need to fill up the air with constant chatter the way people in the city did, Rob found it all fascinating.  He could never remember feeling this way about anyone, it felt the way teenage crushes are meant to feel but never quite did for Rob. Rob had never considered being gay and while he had known people who were gay he could hardly have called any of them close friends. The strange mix of fear and excitement made Robs skin buzz with anticipation. He wanted to touch Sam again, to feel the full weight of his body against his own. As soon as these thoughts floated into his mind Rob tried to brush them away, but they remained, pulsating at the edges of his consciousness.

The evening drew on, and slowly it was becoming dark, the sky turning burnt violet and casting dark long shadows of acacia trees across the undulating ground. There was the crackle of insects and a slight breeze making the leaves whisper. Sam was fanning himself with his hat and walking his horse slowly behind the herd, which were barely moving at this stage.

‘I think we should stay out tonight, see where these coyotes are coming from and how we can protect the cattle better’

Rob nodded, familiar with the routine. They settled themselves under one of the big trees. It was still warm, but there was a bite in the air. There were no clouds and the sky was darker than Rob had ever seen it. What seemed like millions of pinpricks of light emerged out of the sky and the moon towered over them all.

‘It’s impressive isn’t it? You don’t get this in the city’

‘No you don’t. You can even make out the Sea of Tranquillity and the Ocean of Storms’

‘Never knew you were an astronomer’

‘Out here you kind of have to be. If you get lost sometimes it’s the only way to know your way back. When I was in the navy we were so often thrown in to strange places, these were the things that stayed consistent’

Rob didn’t quite know what to answer. It seemed like he was speaking about something more than just the navy but also he couldn’t help himself from pressing further

‘Why did you leave?’

Sam hesitated

‘I guess I just wasn’t cut out for it. It wasn’t the work itself, it was just being around people all the time. Sometimes you just need to be alone, you know?’

Rob nodded, but he got the feeling wanting to be alone hadn’t necessarily been Sam’s original desire. He said he wanted to be alone the way people say it after they’ve been sent away.

‘I can get that. My life had pretty claustrophobic before I came out here. There’s something cleansing about it’

‘Umhmm’

Sam rustled around in his bag and pulled out a neck of whiskey, gesturing towards Rob, who took it out of his hand and took a swig. The liquor burnt the back of Rob’s throat and it instantly went to his head. They passed the bottle back and forth, listening to the horses breathing and watching thin clouds pass over the stars. The whiskey kept them both warm and soon they were both drunk. They talked about Rob’s life in the city and Sam’s life in the army and had completely lost track of what their actual purpose that night had been. Out of the quiet night emerged the shriek of a hyena and immediately Sam became incredibly serious. He pulled a shotgun out of his bag, which Rob hadn’t realized was there and carefully scanned the direction from which the sound had come from. Rob didn’t move a muscle, watching Sam cock the shotgun. The coyotes shifted into few. There were two, thin and vicious looking and Rob could swear he saw their ears prick up when Sam brought up the gun and aimed it towards them. The gunshot cracked through the entire valley and there was a wave of response from the herd. A second shot, Rob watched the coyotes scatter and bolt away from the herd.

‘That should scare them away for a while’

Watching Sam with the gun was electrifying. There was a piercing certainty and aggression that Rob couldn’t resist. As Sam turned back towards Rob, he pushed towards him and kissed him, feeling his stubble against his skin and his lips which were surprisingly soft. Sam broke the kiss and looked at Rob intensely, and for a moment Rob panicked. Had he ruined everything? His whole body felt like it was about to split open.

Sam kissed him back. Deeply, as if he had been waiting to do so since Rob arrived. Still buzzing from the whiskey, Rob felt his breath on his face and Sam’s finger wrenched through his hair, knuckles whitened. Sam pushed Rob back against the tree they were standing under and he could experience the full force of the ex-navy seal’s strength. Pinned against the tree, Rob could feel Sam’s cock through his jeans and let out a small sigh, so consumed in the heat and power coming from Sam’s broad body. He heard the clink of Sam undoing his and Rob’s belt. Rob slipped his hand under Sam’s shirt, unclipping the buttons in the soft flannel exposing his hard, tanned chest. Sam caught Rob’s hand, pinned it above his head to the rough bark of the tree and pressed his other hand around Rob’s throat, squeezing gently while he pushed his tongue into Rob’s mouth. Sam’s movement were at once purposeful and fast and all of a sudden Rob felt himself be lifted off his feet. Despite the fact that Rob was a tall, strong runner himself, Sam picked him up like he weighed nothing.

‘Are you ready?’ Sam breathed, Rob could hear the smirk in his voice and all he could do was moan in answer, feeling Sam’s thick cock enter him and thrust gently at first in a rolling, slow way and then as Sam could see on Rob’s face how close he was, legs over Sam’s shoulders, he began to quicken. Sam relished having Rob in this vulnerable position, completely receptive, begging for more. Rob felt Sam bite at his neck and collarbone then moving back, panting hot breath into Rob’s ear. At once, with the spindly branches of the tree casting moonlit shadows over their bodies, both men felt themselves come at once, collapsing into each other; hot and contented. Still entangled in each other, they listened to each other breath until they fell asleep under the vast sky, full of stars.