Anne Ramsey stretched and contemplated the sun that was just beginning to glow in the window that faced east. It appeared that it was going to be another clear, summer day. She had some correspondence to answer today, as well as some figures to go over in regards to the new stallions that she was buying, but other than that her day was largely free. Which was fortunate since she hadn't gotten much sleep.
She'd had the dream.....again.
Although her husband had been gone for nearly two years, there were times that Anne still thought that she felt him in their bed, his warm presence making her feel safe. She'd had these sensations...these dreams.... almost since he'd first passed on. But, for the last few months, the dreams had taken a decided twist.
They would all start out the same, feeling him against her back, waking her with kisses against her neck as he had often woke her during their married life. But then, something would change. It would feel different, more intense, the kisses more intimate than Bart had ever displayed. And she felt a hand snaking around front, cupping a breast and stroking it and then moving down....down over her stomach....lower...lower .... stroking between her legs until she would gasp and roll over to find....to find......
Glenn Lambert.
In this same dream that occurred over and over, instead of Bart Ramsey, it would be Glenn Lambert's mouth covering hers as his strong hands stroked and caressed her body. It would be him, lying atop her, bare skin to bare skin, her hands roaming over his muscular back. It would be Glenn Lambert stroking and suckling her to a writhing, gasping frenzy, murmuring in her ear, insinuating himself between her spread thighs and then...and then.....
She would wake up.
She would always be disoriented, feeling that she was just this close to...to...something and then she would remember and collapse back against the pillows in frustration, her body feeling as tight as a drum and the telltale moisture running slick between her legs. She would end up throwing the covers back to allow her overheated body to cool off and usually ended up wondering how things had gotten to this point.
She had always admired Glenn and thought him an attractive man. It wasn't just his looks, but his presence and his heart that she had found attractive as well. His faithfulness to Lucy for all those years. His unconscious manner of leading people, even when they didn't realize that they were being led. His intelligence and business sense. He was just a man who drew people to him. He was a leader and she found that very appealing.
She remembered speaking to Bart about Glenn's solitary life after Lucy died. They had been laying in bed one night after they had had their version of intimacy, and Bart had told her what he and Bill Tate had planned to propose to Glenn the next week during Bart and Glenn's trip to Reno. While she had initially been shocked that they were going to propose he spend time with a high priced whore, she came to see the wisdom in it. Glen and Lucy had had a very happy marriage in every aspect; that was witnessed by the fact that they had seven children. She knew that the intimate part of their marriage ended shortly after Lucy had been diagnosed with her heart problem. Anne admired Glenn for remaining faithful to Lucy, even after her death. But, she also soon realized he was not a man meant to be alone, at least not in bed.
She remembered the difference in him after that trip, how much more relaxed and content he seemed. And, in many ways, she envied him, not that she could share that with anyone. It became a well know "secret" that he made several trips to Reno a year after that, to spend time with this Lorraine Harris that Bart had told her about. Once, on a trip to Reno with Bart, she'd insisted that he take her to The Gray Dove, just so she could see what the woman looked like. Looking through the window, she had been surprised at how very attractive and genteel the voluptuous blonde had appeared, not at all what Anne would have imagined a whorehouse Madam would have looked like, other than the rather low cut dress that accentuated her charms.
Once Bart had passed on, Anne and Glenn had naturally gravitated together to share their grief. Glenn had made a point of going over her books with her in case she had needed any assistance in understanding the workings of the ranch, but had been very impressed with her knowledge, realizing that she was really the driving force behind the business end of the Ramsey's ranch. Anne, on the other hand, knew what a gap Bart's passing had left in Glenn's life and, to his amusement, suggested an occasional fishing trip to a lake or stream that he and Bart used to frequent, or she would accompany him on a morning ride to some of his favorite parts of the ranch.
Anne always remembered the time that she had stumbled upon Glenn at the side of the lake in the meadow that he loved so much. She had been on the way back from taking some staples to the wife of a neighboring rancher who had fallen on hard times. She had just been about to emerge from the pines into the clearing when she saw Glenn's horse and then saw Glenn. It was clear that he'd just been for a dip in the lake, as the water still glistened in his hair and on his skin as he lay on the boulder in the sun, drying himself. Anne had been rooted to the spot by the fact that he wasn't wearing the first stitch of clothing.
While she had been a virgin when she married, Anne had grown up in a house full of brothers, most of whom she'd seen over the years either undressed or close to it, either on bath night or when they'd all been to the swimming hole in the summer. So, she wasn't completely unfamiliar with the male anatomy. However, even in his relaxed state, Anne had never imagined that there were men as well endowed as Glenn Lambert was! She wondered if a tool that large would cause pleasure or pain, but thinking about how happy Lucy had always seemed, she decided it was the former.
For a while after that, she had had a hard time looking at him without blushing when they met, as all she could think of was what was hidden beneath his clothing. Eventually, their friendship returned to an even keel, but that was about the times the dreams started. At first, they were dreams about Glenn and Lorraine Harris! Even though Bart was gone, Anne knew that Glenn still went to Reno to spend time with the owner of The Gray Dove. She would dream of the both of them on the boulder by the lake, making love in the bright sunlight. Or, sometimes, in the haymow of one of the barns at the Flying L, with Anne stumbling upon them and watching the ecstasy in the blond woman's face as she writhed beneath him. But, as Anne and Glenn had become closer friends, the dreams transformed from Glenn making love to Lorraine Harris, to him making love to her. Here. In her bed!
With a sigh, Anne decided that she was only frustrating herself further by this train of thought and swung her long legs over the edge of the bed to start her day. She had taken a bath the night before, so she simply availed herself of the washstand in the bedroom and filled the porcelain bowl with water from the pitcher. She took a quick sponge bath and then walked over to the closet, deciding upon a split skirt and blouse. Once her morning duties were done, she thought she'd take a nice long ride to, hopefully, clear her mind.
Anne went downstairs for breakfast, sitting alone at the large table, as was usual these days. She looked around at the large house, thinking that, while she loved the life that they'd had together here, it was still very much a reflection of her husband. Anne had never been fussy about decorations and the house reflected a warm, comfortable but decidedly masculine atmosphere. It was still very much the house that her husband had built when the ranch had begun to prosper and, while she had added her own touches here and there, it was a very large home that was filled with leather and wood furnishings, a great deal of heavy wood paneling and dark, masculine colors. It was her home and she loved it, but sometimes it became almost oppressive and she found that she had to get out into the sunshine to shake off the melancholy that she occasionally discovered herself slipping into.
After the cook served her breakfast, she went to the study to work on the books, deciding that the correspondence to her mother and her sister in law could wait until later. After looking over the figures she was pleased to see that there was more than enough to purchase the horses, as she had hoped, and dashed off a letter to the owner of the Hayes ranch outside of Carson City, informing them that, as per their prior correspondence, she would take all six horses and would send a crew to pick them up in three weeks.
She had just finished the letter when she heard a knock on the front door. Informing the cook, Rosa, that she would answer it, she opened the heavy oak door to discover Glenn Lambert standing on the other side.
"Morning, Annie. How are you on this fine day?" he asked, his hat in his hand and a smile on his face.
