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Kentucky Man Finds Love by the Lake: A Story of Heartbreak and Unexpected Romance Draft Version: 1.0 Author of Another Yard and Driven Lust presents: CUMBERLAND FALLS Chapter 1 Jesse Cumberland was a simple man. Born and raised in Kentucky, he was an outdoorsman by nature. He served in the military after graduating high school to earn a living and learned the brick layer’s trade from his tour of service. He applied that trade after his tour of duty with a construction company that built new homes. At $25.00 an hour, he could make a decent living and live a comfortable lifestyle. Growing up on a tobacco farm didn’t prepare him for many of life’s challenges. The one thing he wasn’t prepared for was the challenges of love. He’d fallen in love with a girl in high school and managed to convince her to marry him. It was probably the biggest mistake in his life but hind sight is 20/20. Divorce papers waited on him when he returned from his military service. He found out later that she really didn’t love him as he thought and had carried on an affair with a guy she had dated in school the whole time he was gone. When his time was up in the military, her time was up with him it seemed. After those few gut-tearing, heart -wrenching months past, he swore to never love like that again How it was possible to take a rugged man that had military training, a fearless disposition, and tough as nails attitude, and then turn him in to a sobbing, broken shell was baffling to him; but it did. It certainly left a scar on that broken heart of his. His dad passed away the following year after his discharge and left him with the farm. He sold it because the industry had fallen and decided to invest it in his retirement. Not knowing the stock market at all, he sought property to put the money in to. A co-worker heard of his plans and recommended Lake Cumberland, claiming that if he had the choice, life by a lake with endless fishing seemed like a good way to retire. That conversation changed his life and he sought some cheap property near the lake. …the next moment changed everything
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Kentucky Man Finds Love by the Lake: A Story of Heartbreak and Unexpected Romance
Draft Version: 1.0
Author of Another Yard and Driven Lust presents:
CUMBERLAND FALLS
Chapter 1
Jesse Cumberland was a simple man. Born and raised in Kentucky, he was an outdoorsman by nature. He served in the military after graduating high school to earn a living and learned the brick layer’s trade from his tour of service.
He applied that trade after his tour of duty with a construction company that built new homes. At $25.00 an hour, he could make a decent living and live a comfortable lifestyle.
Growing up on a tobacco farm didn’t prepare him for many of life’s challenges. The one thing he wasn’t prepared for was the challenges of love. He’d fallen in love with a girl in high school and managed to convince her to marry him. It was probably the biggest mistake in his life but hind sight is 20/20.
Divorce papers waited on him when he returned from his military service. He found out later that she really didn’t love him as he thought and had carried on an affair with a guy she had dated in school the whole time he was gone. When his time was up in the military, her time was up with him it seemed.
After those few gut-tearing, heart -wrenching months past, he swore to never love like that again How it was possible to take a rugged man that had military training, a fearless disposition, and tough as nails attitude, and then turn him in to a sobbing, broken shell was baffling to him; but it did. It certainly left a scar on that broken heart of his.
His dad passed away the following year after his discharge and left him with the farm. He sold it because the industry had fallen and decided to invest it in his retirement. Not knowing the stock market at all, he sought property to put the money in to. A co-worker heard of his plans and recommended Lake Cumberland, claiming that if he had the choice, life by a lake with endless fishing seemed like a good way to retire.
That conversation changed his life and he sought some cheap property near the lake. He found three acres reaching up to the lake and bought a mobile home to put on it. He could walk through the forest he owned and be at the lake but a gravel road running past his trailer brought him out at a boat ramp. He was definitely pleased as punch with his purchase. How someone could neglect taxes on the property puzzled him. But their mistake was his prize. He cleared the trees and placed his trailer facing the lake.
It cost a small fortune, at least to him, to dig a septic tank, run electricity, and place a propane tank. But after a few months, you’d have thought that trailer was always there. Jesse started spending weekends and vacations on his new property.
In the beginning, he spent time on his property putting in a driveway, deck, and patio. Eventually, he was able to spend some time angling, the whole purpose of his efforts.
It was while he was fishing that he met Chase Scott. He was working on a lure when a boat eased up in front of him. “Howdy stranger!” the man hailed, leaning on a knee at the bow of the classy craft.
“Howdy” Jesse answered, pretending to be more interested in his lure than he was with the khaki-clad sailor.
The old man and his wife were retired and living in a lakefront redwood home across the lake. Jesse became pretty close friends with him even though Chase gave him a hard time.
“Know how to drive a Briar crazy?” Chase asked, when he found out Jesse was a Kentuckian born and raised.
“You got me.” he replied, eyeing the man suspiciously.
“Stick him in a round room and tell him to find the corner!” he replied with a chuckle, laughing at his own humor.
“Well, that was pretty good coming from a Buckeye that has his first and last name backwards.” Jesse retorted.
That got Jesse an invitation for dinner where he met Chase’s wife Clara. The lap of luxury came with a price as he enjoyed the central air with a five course meal. That payment was made to Clara as she grilled him on his love life.
Yes, he’d loved and lost and no, he didn’t plan on doing that again. Yes, he was available but no, he wasn’t looking for a relationship. She was rather insistent on his finding a lifelong mate, listing sound reasons why he should. He replied with his sound reasoning as to why he shouldn’t.
He left with an open invitation to visit any time and he did, every time he returned to the lake. For a couple of years, it was a pattern to visit the lake, work on his or Chase’s property, fish, and drink with the Scott’s. He helped Chase around the lake house and Chase helped him on the bigger projects like clearing trees at his trailer.
He spent a great deal of the winter away from the lake and didn’t know what it would be like retiring and living out the cold weather there. The following spring, he had a three day weekend and visited the lake again.
He found Chase and his wife gone with the boat still moored at its pier. He went back and wrote a note, ‘I was here but you were not, now you’re here and I am not, Jesse.’, and placed it between the doors of the lake house.
It made the weekend boring with Chase and Clara gone. He had to admit that he missed the old man but kept himself busy cutting his stockpile of wood and fishing. He left that weekend without hearing from Chase.
His crew was off a week for the Memorial holiday and he had some plans for his lakeside property. He loaded up his truck with supplies he intended on using and headed for his part-time home.
Once there, he unloaded his truck and headed to the front door. A note waited on him there, ‘I was here but you were not...’ from Chase. He smiled at that. The old man couldn’t come up with a good reply and used his instead. He made a mental note to tease the guy when he saw him later.
He disabled the alarm, settled in, and then went out back to get started on that barbeque he had planned. His job had its fringe benefits and left over supplies were in abundance. The trailer sat on the cinder blocks he’d laid and the sidewalk was made from expensive bricks left over. Now, his grill was going to be custom made.
Checking the time, he planned on getting the bricks laid that would hold that fifty-five gallon drum he had cut. He could imagine the grill from the back of refrigerators lying in it and cooking all the fish he planned to catch. The piping from an old stove running propane would save him money in the long run.
The higher the sun rose, the more clothes he shed. First, his shirt and then his hat and the bricks rose higher too. Squatting down to prep a brick, a rustle from the forest side of his property got his attention.
“What are you doing there?” a female voice called.
He was startled at first, not use to others being around, and then peeked over the wall of bricks blocking his view. A girl no older than twenty stared back at him as she stood by a tree at the opening.
“I can tell you what I’m not doing.” he replied, eyeing the blossoming young woman in his sights.
“What’s that?” she asked, furrowing her brow in curiosity.
“I’m not standing in poison ivy.” he pointed out, indicating the tinted red vines at her feet.
She skipped closer as if she’d seen a mouse and scurried to the edge of his work site. “How do you know that is what it is?”
He smiled deviously, “I learned it the hard way.”
The more he looked at the girl, the more beauty he saw. She was absolutely striking. Those eyes were intoxicating, begging him to look deeper in them. The blonde hair covered half of her face and feathered back with the gentle wind. He forced himself to loo0k away.
“Oh, it looks like a grill.” she noted, looking at his parts scattered around the patio.
“Yep, a barbeque pit.” he replied, and placed the brick into position. Troweling the access mortar off, he slung it back on his pan. He fought to focus his attention on the task at hand but lost the battle as his eyes wandered to the sandals with painted toe nails peeking back at him. He did prevent looking up as he knew doing so would hypnotize him.
“How tall are you making it?” she asked, eyeing his tanned muscles as they rippled from his efforts. She had seen the jocks at school that worked out in the gym. But this guy wasn’t gawking at her with his tongue hanging out like they all seemed to do. As the sun glistened from the sweat on him, she guessed him to be at least twenty. Since he seemed to be all brawn, she figured he had no brains. You either get a geek or get a muscle head; which was about the only choices she’d found.
Forgetting for a moment that he was speaking to a girl instead of a coworker, he responded with, “About crotch high or so.” and realized his blunder. The language of construction workers has never been elegant. He’d said plenty of things in the past he wished he could gather up and shove back in his mouth. This would be added to that list. His cheeks warmed a little in embarrassment.
Plopping on top of a pile of bricks, she thought, ‘Did he seriously just say crotch to her?’ and asked, “What?”
He quickly corrected himself with, “Up to my waist or so.” keeping his reddened face turned away from her.
She knew he dodged the issue but let it go. This was obviously one of those good ole boys you hear about. He had that southern slang and rugged good looks. She could see why girls fall for them so easily. Throw a suit of armor on them and they’d make a perfect knight.
“What’s your name?” she wanted to know, thinking it would be close to Billy Ray or something.
He stood up and wiped his hands on his blue jean cut-offs. He forced himself to look again at the aqua blue eyes that threatened to turn him to stone with beauty instead of snakes. “I’m Jesse; what’s yours?” he asked, extending his right hand.
She glanced at the six-pack he sported and a muscle-toned chest with a patch of dark hair in the center. Scanning further up at the hazel eyes looking intently back at her, she quipped, “I’m Angela, or Angel, or Angie. But, don’t call me Ann. I’ll smack you for it.” shaking the calloused paw on the man. It was her way, using humor, to avoid the awkward moment of his eyes locking on hers. A girl could lose herself in the universes he had for eyes.
“Ok, nice to meet you Ann...” he paused, and watched her raise her hand back, “Gee” he finished as she slapped the arm that shook her hand. “Hey, I said Angie!” he protested, feeling the sting she left behind.
“Too late; it wasn’t quick enough.” she giggled, “And I did warn you.” shaking a finger at him.
He tore his eyes away from her and picked up a brick, cutting it in half with his trowel. “So, are you here for the holiday?” he queried, looking back at the corner he intended to place it on.
Not accustomed to a man losing attention with her, she was almost offended when he turned away. ‘Didn’t his mother teach him to pay attention when someone was talking to him?’ she thought. “Yes, I am here until Sunday.” she informed him, and then asked, “Where’s your significant other?” Maybe he was taken and that explained his actions.
‘She didn’t waste much time bringing up a bad memory.’ he thought, “Divorced; where’s your boyfriend?” turning the table back on her.
“Dumped that scum like milk gone bad.” she replied.
“Oh, he’s probably with my ex.” Jesse suggested, “Sounds like they’d get along.” still placing bricks.
She laughed at his humor, “Probably”
An awkward silence fell for a few seconds and Jesse broke it with a question. “What’s your favorite color?”
She perked up, thinking his attention was back on her. “Sky blue” she replied, pointing up at the cloudless atmosphere.
“That’s a shame”
“Why?”
“I’d hoped it was brick red.”
“Brick…?” she started, and realized where she sat. She jumped up off of the bricks and tried her best to inspect her backside. Her once tight white shorts now had a red kidney-shaped pattern with white polka dots where her cheeks had pressed down on the holes.
“Why didn’t you say something?” she demanded, wondering if bleach would get the stain out.
“You sat on there before I could stop you.” he shrugged, finishing the last brick he needed to place.
The sight of it sunk in and started eating at her, “How am I supposed to get this off?” she howled, afraid to touch it and get it on her hands.
Jesse raised his eyebrows, “I’d dust it off for ya but you’d just slap me again.”
“You’re not funny Jesse!”
She turned in her attempt to look at it better. Those two kidney-shaped impressions came together to make an almost perfect heart as the center crept in to her back crevasse a little. He clinched his eyes shut and shook his head quickly to drag himself out of the daydream she’d just put him in.
She caught him doing it out of the corner of her eyes and almost smiled, knowing her charms had affected him. ‘He’s not gay.’ was Angela’s thought as she finished turning around.
“It’s just dust; comes right off.”
“Great, it will get the couch dirty.”
“Really, just dust it off with your hands.”
“And get my hands dirty?” she asked incredulously.
He shook his head with that, “Then, wash your hands.” he rationalized.
“Ewe, that is so nasty!” she snarled and pondered her dirty dilemma. “Go ahead, dust it off.” she consented, and turned her tush in his direction.
He didn’t know whether to be annoyed at the “too good to get dirty” attitude or be thankful to have the view she offered.
Either way, he stood and approached his target. “You aren’t going to slap me now are ya?” he asked, wiping his own hands on his cut-offs.
“No!” she huffed, “Just get it off me.” and grabbed her knees.
He didn’t know if she realized what she was doing. If she did, then she was teasing him. If she didn’t, then she was too innocent for him to corrupt. Deciding that he couldn’t judge, he went ahead with her request.
“Don’t fart.” he warned, and swatted her derriere.
“Ewe!” she snarled, and felt his hand strike her cheek.
It was rather erotic for her as he dusted off that brick dust. She’d never imagined she would be in a forest bent over while a handsome mountain man swatted her tail. She could count on one hand how many guys had even touched her there and those weren’t erotic at all.
He let his last stroke be a spank, forcing the cheek to jiggle, and announced, “You’re good.” and then dusted his own hand off.
She let out a yelp from the last impact and quickly rose up. “Thanks” she mumbled, rubbing the sting out.
While Angela checked his work on her backside, Jesse went to gather up his brick-laying tools. She still saw a faint color on her pants but at least the majority of it was gone. Then she noticed that she had lost his interest once again.
The sun glistened off of his back, highlighting the muscles he acquired in hard labor. Her father warned her to date her peers or higher but nature always seemed to fight against it. ‘Too bad he isn’t rich.’ she thought, studying his physique, ‘Father would never approve.’
She got a look at his craftsmanship when the tools and mortar was cleared away. He had laid a geometric pattern in bricks and it looked stunning. “Where did you learn to do that?” she asked, pointing at his finished product.
“Mostly from others.” he said, standing beside her to check his efforts. “Want something to drink?” he asked, not sure how he could prolong her stay.
“Sure, what do you have?” she responded, eager to accept his hospitality.
“Inside, let’s check the fridge.” he offered, and headed for the back door.
She hesitated before entering, a fleeting thought crossing her mind. Going in to a stranger’s home in the woods might not be the safest course to take. A girl could be taken advantage of in this situation. She decided that she was probably alright and besides, ‘You can’t rape the willing.’ and she wouldn’t mind a good go-around with this hunk of a man anyway.
It was if he read her thoughts. “Come on” he nodded, “I won’t bite.” urging her on in.
She didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed as they walked down the hallway to the living room. The place reminded her of a ski lodge. A mural of a mountainous landscape adorned one wall. Photos of supposed relatives hung on the other and a gun rack holding two rifles was mounted on the third while several fishing rods were leaned up against the wall below it. A large window faced towards the lake with an unobstructed view. A couch sat under the photographs and a recliner faced towards the lake.
The kitchen was clean, which surprised her, since it was a man’s kitchen. Pans hung under a cabinet, hovering over a gas stove. A calendar was held by a magnet on the refrigerator. It showed last month’s dates with numbers written on the weekend days. Jesse pulled it off, threw it in a drawer and replaced it with the current month. With that, he opened the refrigerator door.
Beer and lots of it sat on all but one of the shelves. ‘The guy’s an alcoholic!’ she thought, staring at each of the shelves. “You know, a liver is kind of required to keep on living.” she scolded.
“Yeah? Good thing I only drink on weekends.” he replied, squatting down and grabbing two off of the top shelve. “Besides, I have some help drinking them.” glancing back at the long and slender legs she sported to hand her one. ‘That girl has legs all the way to her ass.’ he thought.
“Help?” she asked, taking it from him.
“An unary ole cuss around the lake” he started, popping the top on his beer, “likes to sit around and hurl insults at me from time to time.”
“Oh” she sighed, a little relieved that it wasn’t a girlfriend.
He sipped his beer and sat it down. “Remember I said I wouldn’t bite?” he asked, stepping closer to her.
“Ye… yes” she stuttered, as he entered into her comfort zone, his eyes piercing at hers.
“Well, something already has.” he replied, and grabbed her by the waist. Lifting her up, he sat her down on the counter top. “Wait here.” he instructed, and headed back down the hallway.
Not only was she baffled by his comment but his sudden man-handling left her in shock as she was treated like a sack of potatoes. She studied her surroundings while she waited, noting the woodwork and carpeting. The place lacked something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Maybe it had too much testosterone. She would definitely pick different curtains because the growling bears in the woods depicted on them were way over the top. Then she realized, 'The place needed a woman’s touch'.
He returned with something in his hand. She didn’t know what it was until he laid it on the counter beside her. As his hand pulled away from it, she recognized a pair of tweezers.
“I have to tell you, it isn’t very often I get to say to a girl what I am about to say to you.” he started, watching her eyebrows furrow with curiosity.
He had certainly gotten bold all of a sudden. She was a little pleased to have maintained his attention so long this time. But his flirting skills really needed some work. “What is it?” she asked, wondering what he was getting at.
He placed a hand on each of her knees and said, “I need you to spread your legs.” and jerked them apart.
Her eyes flew open along with her legs, surprised at his quickness. Thoughts came rushing back of her bent over outside. ‘Ok, this is going to beat that!’ “What are you doing!” she gasped, as his hand started up her leg.
“If you thought brick dust was gross, you might want to turn your head for this.” he cautioned, and finger tips crept to her pants’ hem.
She looked him in the eyes and dropped them to his disappearing fingers. He almost touched THE END
Author of Another Yard and Driven Lust presents:
CUMBERLAND FALLS
Chapter 1
Jesse Cumberland was a simple man. Born and raised in Kentucky, he was an outdoorsman by nature. He served in the military after graduating high school to earn a living and learned the brick layer’s trade from his tour of service.
He applied that trade after his tour of duty with a construction company that built new homes. At $25.00 an hour, he could make a decent living and live a comfortable lifestyle.
Growing up on a tobacco farm didn’t prepare him for many of life’s challenges. The one thing he wasn’t prepared for was the challenges of love. He’d fallen in love with a girl in high school and managed to convince her to marry him. It was probably the biggest mistake in his life but hind sight is 20/20.
Divorce papers waited on him when he returned from his military service. He found out later that she really didn’t love him as he thought and had carried on an affair with a guy she had dated in school the whole time he was gone. When his time was up in the military, her time was up with him it seemed.
After those few gut-tearing, heart -wrenching months past, he swore to never love like that again How it was possible to take a rugged man that had military training, a fearless disposition, and tough as nails attitude, and then turn him in to a sobbing, broken shell was baffling to him; but it did. It certainly left a scar on that broken heart of his.
His dad passed away the following year after his discharge and left him with the farm. He sold it because the industry had fallen and decided to invest it in his retirement. Not knowing the stock market at all, he sought property to put the money in to. A co-worker heard of his plans and recommended Lake Cumberland, claiming that if he had the choice, life by a lake with endless fishing seemed like a good way to retire.
That conversation changed his life and he sought some cheap property near the lake. He found three acres reaching up to the lake and bought a mobile home to put on it. He could walk through the forest he owned and be at the lake but a gravel road running past his trailer brought him out at a boat ramp. He was definitely pleased as punch with his purchase. How someone could neglect taxes on the property puzzled him. But their mistake was his prize. He cleared the trees and placed his trailer facing the lake.
It cost a small fortune, at least to him, to dig a septic tank, run electricity, and place a propane tank. But after a few months, you’d have thought that trailer was always there. Jesse started spending weekends and vacations on his new property.
In the beginning, he spent time on his property putting in a driveway, deck, and patio. Eventually, he was able to spend some time angling, the whole purpose of his efforts.
It was while he was fishing that he met Chase Scott. He was working on a lure when a boat eased up in front of him. “Howdy stranger!” the man hailed, leaning on a knee at the bow of the classy craft.
“Howdy” Jesse answered, pretending to be more interested in his lure than he was with the khaki-clad sailor.
The old man and his wife were retired and living in a lakefront redwood home across the lake. Jesse became pretty close friends with him even though Chase gave him a hard time.
“Know how to drive a Briar crazy?” Chase asked, when he found out Jesse was a Kentuckian born and raised.
“You got me.” he replied, eyeing the man suspiciously.
“Stick him in a round room and tell him to find the corner!” he replied with a chuckle, laughing at his own humor.
“Well, that was pretty good coming from a Buckeye that has his first and last name backwards.” Jesse retorted.
That got Jesse an invitation for dinner where he met Chase’s wife Clara. The lap of luxury came with a price as he enjoyed the central air with a five course meal. That payment was made to Clara as she grilled him on his love life.
Yes, he’d loved and lost and no, he didn’t plan on doing that again. Yes, he was available but no, he wasn’t looking for a relationship. She was rather insistent on his finding a lifelong mate, listing sound reasons why he should. He replied with his sound reasoning as to why he shouldn’t.
He left with an open invitation to visit any time and he did, every time he returned to the lake. For a couple of years, it was a pattern to visit the lake, work on his or Chase’s property, fish, and drink with the Scott’s. He helped Chase around the lake house and Chase helped him on the bigger projects like clearing trees at his trailer.
He spent a great deal of the winter away from the lake and didn’t know what it would be like retiring and living out the cold weather there. The following spring, he had a three day weekend and visited the lake again.
He found Chase and his wife gone with the boat still moored at its pier. He went back and wrote a note, ‘I was here but you were not, now you’re here and I am not, Jesse.’, and placed it between the doors of the lake house.
It made the weekend boring with Chase and Clara gone. He had to admit that he missed the old man but kept himself busy cutting his stockpile of wood and fishing. He left that weekend without hearing from Chase.
His crew was off a week for the Memorial holiday and he had some plans for his lakeside property. He loaded up his truck with supplies he intended on using and headed for his part-time home.
Once there, he unloaded his truck and headed to the front door. A note waited on him there, ‘I was here but you were not...’ from Chase. He smiled at that. The old man couldn’t come up with a good reply and used his instead. He made a mental note to tease the guy when he saw him later.
He disabled the alarm, settled in, and then went out back to get started on that barbeque he had planned. His job had its fringe benefits and left over supplies were in abundance. The trailer sat on the cinder blocks he’d laid and the sidewalk was made from expensive bricks left over. Now, his grill was going to be custom made.
Checking the time, he planned on getting the bricks laid that would hold that fifty-five gallon drum he had cut. He could imagine the grill from the back of refrigerators lying in it and cooking all the fish he planned to catch. The piping from an old stove running propane would save him money in the long run.
The higher the sun rose, the more clothes he shed. First, his shirt and then his hat and the bricks rose higher too. Squatting down to prep a brick, a rustle from the forest side of his property got his attention.
“What are you doing there?” a female voice called.
He was startled at first, not use to others being around, and then peeked over the wall of bricks blocking his view. A girl no older than twenty stared back at him as she stood by a tree at the opening.
“I can tell you what I’m not doing.” he replied, eyeing the blossoming young woman in his sights.
“What’s that?” she asked, furrowing her brow in curiosity.
“I’m not standing in poison ivy.” he pointed out, indicating the tinted red vines at her feet.
She skipped closer as if she’d seen a mouse and scurried to the edge of his work site. “How do you know that is what it is?”
He smiled deviously, “I learned it the hard way.”
The more he looked at the girl, the more beauty he saw. She was absolutely striking. Those eyes were intoxicating, begging him to look deeper in them. The blonde hair covered half of her face and feathered back with the gentle wind. He forced himself to loo0k away.
“Oh, it looks like a grill.” she noted, looking at his parts scattered around the patio.
“Yep, a barbeque pit.” he replied, and placed the brick into position. Troweling the access mortar off, he slung it back on his pan. He fought to focus his attention on the task at hand but lost the battle as his eyes wandered to the sandals with painted toe nails peeking back at him. He did prevent looking up as he knew doing so would hypnotize him.
“How tall are you making it?” she asked, eyeing his tanned muscles as they rippled from his efforts. She had seen the jocks at school that worked out in the gym. But this guy wasn’t gawking at her with his tongue hanging out like they all seemed to do. As the sun glistened from the sweat on him, she guessed him to be at least twenty. Since he seemed to be all brawn, she figured he had no brains. You either get a geek or get a muscle head; which was about the only choices she’d found.
Forgetting for a moment that he was speaking to a girl instead of a coworker, he responded with, “About crotch high or so.” and realized his blunder. The language of construction workers has never been elegant. He’d said plenty of things in the past he wished he could gather up and shove back in his mouth. This would be added to that list. His cheeks warmed a little in embarrassment.
Plopping on top of a pile of bricks, she thought, ‘Did he seriously just say crotch to her?’ and asked, “What?”
He quickly corrected himself with, “Up to my waist or so.” keeping his reddened face turned away from her.
She knew he dodged the issue but let it go. This was obviously one of those good ole boys you hear about. He had that southern slang and rugged good looks. She could see why girls fall for them so easily. Throw a suit of armor on them and they’d make a perfect knight.
“What’s your name?” she wanted to know, thinking it would be close to Billy Ray or something.
He stood up and wiped his hands on his blue jean cut-offs. He forced himself to look again at the aqua blue eyes that threatened to turn him to stone with beauty instead of snakes. “I’m Jesse; what’s yours?” he asked, extending his right hand.
She glanced at the six-pack he sported and a muscle-toned chest with a patch of dark hair in the center. Scanning further up at the hazel eyes looking intently back at her, she quipped, “I’m Angela, or Angel, or Angie. But, don’t call me Ann. I’ll smack you for it.” shaking the calloused paw on the man. It was her way, using humor, to avoid the awkward moment of his eyes locking on hers. A girl could lose herself in the universes he had for eyes.
“Ok, nice to meet you Ann...” he paused, and watched her raise her hand back, “Gee” he finished as she slapped the arm that shook her hand. “Hey, I said Angie!” he protested, feeling the sting she left behind.
“Too late; it wasn’t quick enough.” she giggled, “And I did warn you.” shaking a finger at him.
He tore his eyes away from her and picked up a brick, cutting it in half with his trowel. “So, are you here for the holiday?” he queried, looking back at the corner he intended to place it on.
Not accustomed to a man losing attention with her, she was almost offended when he turned away. ‘Didn’t his mother teach him to pay attention when someone was talking to him?’ she thought. “Yes, I am here until Sunday.” she informed him, and then asked, “Where’s your significant other?” Maybe he was taken and that explained his actions.
‘She didn’t waste much time bringing up a bad memory.’ he thought, “Divorced; where’s your boyfriend?” turning the table back on her.
“Dumped that scum like milk gone bad.” she replied.
“Oh, he’s probably with my ex.” Jesse suggested, “Sounds like they’d get along.” still placing bricks.
She laughed at his humor, “Probably”
An awkward silence fell for a few seconds and Jesse broke it with a question. “What’s your favorite color?”
She perked up, thinking his attention was back on her. “Sky blue” she replied, pointing up at the cloudless atmosphere.
“That’s a shame”
“Why?”
“I’d hoped it was brick red.”
“Brick…?” she started, and realized where she sat. She jumped up off of the bricks and tried her best to inspect her backside. Her once tight white shorts now had a red kidney-shaped pattern with white polka dots where her cheeks had pressed down on the holes.
“Why didn’t you say something?” she demanded, wondering if bleach would get the stain out.
“You sat on there before I could stop you.” he shrugged, finishing the last brick he needed to place.
The sight of it sunk in and started eating at her, “How am I supposed to get this off?” she howled, afraid to touch it and get it on her hands.
Jesse raised his eyebrows, “I’d dust it off for ya but you’d just slap me again.”
“You’re not funny Jesse!”
She turned in her attempt to look at it better. Those two kidney-shaped impressions came together to make an almost perfect heart as the center crept in to her back crevasse a little. He clinched his eyes shut and shook his head quickly to drag himself out of the daydream she’d just put him in.
She caught him doing it out of the corner of her eyes and almost smiled, knowing her charms had affected him. ‘He’s not gay.’ was Angela’s thought as she finished turning around.
“It’s just dust; comes right off.”
“Great, it will get the couch dirty.”
“Really, just dust it off with your hands.”
“And get my hands dirty?” she asked incredulously.
He shook his head with that, “Then, wash your hands.” he rationalized.
“Ewe, that is so nasty!” she snarled and pondered her dirty dilemma. “Go ahead, dust it off.” she consented, and turned her tush in his direction.
He didn’t know whether to be annoyed at the “too good to get dirty” attitude or be thankful to have the view she offered.
Either way, he stood and approached his target. “You aren’t going to slap me now are ya?” he asked, wiping his own hands on his cut-offs.
“No!” she huffed, “Just get it off me.” and grabbed her knees.
He didn’t know if she realized what she was doing. If she did, then she was teasing him. If she didn’t, then she was too innocent for him to corrupt. Deciding that he couldn’t judge, he went ahead with her request.
“Don’t fart.” he warned, and swatted her derriere.
“Ewe!” she snarled, and felt his hand strike her cheek.
It was rather erotic for her as he dusted off that brick dust. She’d never imagined she would be in a forest bent over while a handsome mountain man swatted her tail. She could count on one hand how many guys had even touched her there and those weren’t erotic at all.
He let his last stroke be a spank, forcing the cheek to jiggle, and announced, “You’re good.” and then dusted his own hand off.
She let out a yelp from the last impact and quickly rose up. “Thanks” she mumbled, rubbing the sting out.
While Angela checked his work on her backside, Jesse went to gather up his brick-laying tools. She still saw a faint color on her pants but at least the majority of it was gone. Then she noticed that she had lost his interest once again.
The sun glistened off of his back, highlighting the muscles he acquired in hard labor. Her father warned her to date her peers or higher but nature always seemed to fight against it. ‘Too bad he isn’t rich.’ she thought, studying his physique, ‘Father would never approve.’
She got a look at his craftsmanship when the tools and mortar was cleared away. He had laid a geometric pattern in bricks and it looked stunning. “Where did you learn to do that?” she asked, pointing at his finished product.
“Mostly from others.” he said, standing beside her to check his efforts. “Want something to drink?” he asked, not sure how he could prolong her stay.
“Sure, what do you have?” she responded, eager to accept his hospitality.
“Inside, let’s check the fridge.” he offered, and headed for the back door.
She hesitated before entering, a fleeting thought crossing her mind. Going in to a stranger’s home in the woods might not be the safest course to take. A girl could be taken advantage of in this situation. She decided that she was probably alright and besides, ‘You can’t rape the willing.’ and she wouldn’t mind a good go-around with this hunk of a man anyway.
It was if he read her thoughts. “Come on” he nodded, “I won’t bite.” urging her on in.
She didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed as they walked down the hallway to the living room. The place reminded her of a ski lodge. A mural of a mountainous landscape adorned one wall. Photos of supposed relatives hung on the other and a gun rack holding two rifles was mounted on the third while several fishing rods were leaned up against the wall below it. A large window faced towards the lake with an unobstructed view. A couch sat under the photographs and a recliner faced towards the lake.
The kitchen was clean, which surprised her, since it was a man’s kitchen. Pans hung under a cabinet, hovering over a gas stove. A calendar was held by a magnet on the refrigerator. It showed last month’s dates with numbers written on the weekend days. Jesse pulled it off, threw it in a drawer and replaced it with the current month. With that, he opened the refrigerator door.
Beer and lots of it sat on all but one of the shelves. ‘The guy’s an alcoholic!’ she thought, staring at each of the shelves. “You know, a liver is kind of required to keep on living.” she scolded.
“Yeah? Good thing I only drink on weekends.” he replied, squatting down and grabbing two off of the top shelve. “Besides, I have some help drinking them.” glancing back at the long and slender legs she sported to hand her one. ‘That girl has legs all the way to her ass.’ he thought.
“Help?” she asked, taking it from him.
“An unary ole cuss around the lake” he started, popping the top on his beer, “likes to sit around and hurl insults at me from time to time.”
“Oh” she sighed, a little relieved that it wasn’t a girlfriend.
He sipped his beer and sat it down. “Remember I said I wouldn’t bite?” he asked, stepping closer to her.
“Ye… yes” she stuttered, as he entered into her comfort zone, his eyes piercing at hers.
“Well, something already has.” he replied, and grabbed her by the waist. Lifting her up, he sat her down on the counter top. “Wait here.” he instructed, and headed back down the hallway.
Not only was she baffled by his comment but his sudden man-handling left her in shock as she was treated like a sack of potatoes. She studied her surroundings while she waited, noting the woodwork and carpeting. The place lacked something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Maybe it had too much testosterone. She would definitely pick different curtains because the growling bears in the woods depicted on them were way over the top. Then she realized, 'The place needed a woman’s touch'.
He returned with something in his hand. She didn’t know what it was until he laid it on the counter beside her. As his hand pulled away from it, she recognized a pair of tweezers.
“I have to tell you, it isn’t very often I get to say to a girl what I am about to say to you.” he started, watching her eyebrows furrow with curiosity.
He had certainly gotten bold all of a sudden. She was a little pleased to have maintained his attention so long this time. But his flirting skills really needed some work. “What is it?” she asked, wondering what he was getting at.
He placed a hand on each of her knees and said, “I need you to spread your legs.” and jerked them apart.
Her eyes flew open along with her legs, surprised at his quickness. Thoughts came rushing back of her bent over outside. ‘Ok, this is going to beat that!’ “What are you doing!” she gasped, as his hand started up her leg.
“If you thought brick dust was gross, you might want to turn your head for this.” he cautioned, and finger tips crept to her pants’ hem.
She looked him in the eyes and dropped them to his disappearing fingers. He almost touched THE END
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