"The Corgis?"
"A pack of coyotes will happily eat a small dog. If these little guys see a predator they have a scared bark that will bring the big guys running. No pack of coyotes, or even wolves, will take on three or four Great Pyrs."
"They kill them?"
"They will if they get hold of them, but the coyotes have learned what happens if they tangle with the guard dogs. Generally they run off when they see them coming."
"What's that thing that looks like a giant mop?"
"Arpad? He's a Komondor. Hungarian guard breed. He's kind of an experiment. I get most of these dogs from rescue organizations, and they asked me to try him out. So far he's pretty impressive."
"Why rescue?"
"People see these cute little white puppies or cool, exotic looking dogs and don't realize how much work it is to care for them properly. They end up giving them to breed groups, and some of my contacts there will call me if they have one they think will fit in. A job on a Colorado cattle ranch isn't a bad life for these guys."
"You got Arpad that way?"
"Yep. He looks like a joke but there's a big, tough dog under all that hair. There's no weather bad enough to bother him, and any varmint that tries to bite him just gets a mouthful of hair before he spins around and bites through their neck. If I can get more I'm going to."
"You don't breed them?"
"I get plenty of calls from rescue outfits that need homes for these dogs, and they always fix them before they send them out. We have a litter of Corgis back at the barns but we don't breed the big ones."
Her eyes lit up.
"You have a litter of puppies? I want to see!"
"When we get back, sure."
"You don't let them in the house?"
"They're working dogs and keeping them that way is better for everyone. They have a couple of warm stalls in the barns that are set up with dog doors so they can come and go without the cows bothering them. They like to patrol the place at night, so having them in the house is a pain. Anyway, you can imagine what Tia Carmen would say if I let a pack of dogs track dirt in the house."
'So it's not safe to be out at night?"
"If they know you, there's no problem. Last year some drunk idiot wandered onto the place. We found him the next morning, backed into a corner by two Great Pyrs and a Komondor who wouldn't let him move. He was pretty sober after spending all night in that corner."
Once we got the pregnant cows safely coralled near the barns, I took Laura to see the baby Corgis. Apparently she had texted her girlfriends, since they all showed up at the barns. The sight of cute girls cooing and playing with even cuter puppies drew all my hands to the stall rails to watch the fun.
"What is up with this one?"
"He's a runt and has a missing leg. I'm not sure whether he's going to be any use here."
"Mike!"
""What?"
"You do not dare hurt this little one! I take him home if I have to!"
"You live in an apartment, don't you? Can you really manage a Corgi there?"
"I do not care! Promise that he can stay here!"
How could I deny her anything?
"OK, I'll give him a home. Not like I don't have a lot of useless animals on this place already. I can't promise that he'll get enough to eat, though."
"Someone go get me some milk!"
One of the hands ran up to the kitchen and came back with a bowl of milk, which the little guy sucked up without moving from Laura's lap. Lucky little bugger.
"I will feed him until he is big enough to eat solid food!"
"Ok, we'll keep him here. I promised."
"Thank you, Mike."
Good Lord, was there anything I wouldn't do to see that look in her green eyes? Really, even though I try to be realistic about useless mouths, I have too many. A dog or a horse that spends its working life here deserves a soft bed or a warm barn when it gets old, not a bullet. Even if all they do is teach the young dogs manners or let little kids ride them around the corral, they're still some use to me. What's one more?
That night, after dinner, I took Laura for a walk. We ended up at the gazebo I had built at the edge of the cliff behind the ranch. Secluded with a great view of the valleys down below the cliffs, especially in the sunset. Laura was thrilled.
"Oh, this is so beautiful!"
"Especially with you here."
She turned and looked up at me.
"Flattery will get you everywhere."
I put my hands on her waist.
"You sure you don't mean nowhere?"
She smiled, and her hands slid up to my shoulders.
"Try me."
I pulled her in, and her arms wrapped around my neck. Her lips opened as they met mine, and our tongues explored each other carefully. I was lost. I had heard of, and even participated in, what I thought was a French kiss, but the way this French girl kissed was a completely new experience. Eventually she dropped back to her natural height. Her head settled on my chest.
"Mon dieu, Mike, you kiss me like I'm the last girl on Earth."
"If there is another girl on Earth I don't want to kiss her."
She leaned up and kissed me again.
"Mike?"
"Hmm?"
"I want to do something just for you. You've knocked yourself out caring for your sister and ranch for years, and it's time someone took care of you. No strings attached, you don't need to do anything, just relax and enjoy."
Eh? She pushed me back onto the old chaise lounge I kept out there. Then she unhooked my belt buckle, unbuttoned my Levis, and reached into my boxers. Oh. Out it came.
"Oh, nice..." she said to herself. I couldn't believe this was happening. Then she leaned over and kissed the head.
"Uh, Laura, you don't have to do this."
"I WANT to do this. Bad. Unless you're telling me you don't like it. I don't think I believe you, though."
She kissed/nibbled her way down the shaft.
"It seems to like me."
"Yeah, it sure does. Oh, maaan, keep doing that..."
Giving her instructions on fellatio was like telling Picasso how to draw. Up and down, first just her tongue and then her whole mouth engulfing me, her hands following along or caressing my balls. As I got close to the point of no return I started running my fingers through her silky hair. She pulled back and blew a cool stream of air over my overexcited cock.
"I said this is just for you. Relax, enjoy, and don't you dare push my head down."
"Uh, ok."
She got back to work and soon had me close again. She somehow had the whole shaft in her mouth and started rubbing her tongue up and down the sensitive underside. That did it. I gave her the courtesy tap.
"Laura, I'm gonna..."
She kept right on doing what she had been doing until I was drained. Then she pulled back, gave the tip one final kiss, and rested her head on my thigh. She smiled up at me.
"I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did."
"I'm sure I enjoyed it more."
She pulled herself up and rested her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her.
"Don't be so sure, I really liked that."
We were quiet for a few minutes, just cuddling.
"Mike?"
"Hmmm?"
"My flight back to Montreal leaves in six days. You and I could have a pretty great time for those six days, but your sister says that if we do you'll get all depressed when I leave and she doesn't want that."
"Damn, you and my sister are planning my sex life?"
"Katie really loves you. After living together for three and a half years we don't have a lot of secrets from each other."
"So I get a week of wild sex with a beautiful, sensual girl as long as I promise not to develop feelings for her? I'm not sure I can do that, to be honest. I already think you're pretty great."
"The feeling's mutual. I'm not trying to blackmail you, just to be honest. I know this ranch is your life and I don't see how this could turn into anything more than a long distance, see each other every couple months kind of thing."
"Well, hell, this is too much to work out tonight. Let's call it a night and look at it again in the morning."
We walked back to the house quietly, hand in hand. At the bottom of the stairs I turned to her.
"Want to come up to my room?"
"Not tonight, Mike. Let's think about it a little."
She reached her arms around my neck and kissed me thoroughly before she headed off to her own room. Watching her go was a study in mixed emotions: aesthetically it was a real experience, but emotionally I hated that she was headed away from me. God, life was getting complicated.
