Emily woke up to a bird singing outside her window, and a fresh breeze teasing her skin. It was fresh and delicious, and she turned to savor the smells as she continued to doze. A moment later, there was a scurry of little feet, and several little tongues were eagerly licking her face and shoulder. "Go away," she murmured, putting a pillow between her face and the puppies, and turned onto her back. Then she felt several wet electric intruders on her rib cage and other very sensitive parts of her body, which caused her to sit bolt upright, eyes wide open. "Out!" she yelled, "All of you, out!"
Several pairs of little eyes looked back at her, sad and eager at the same time. She held up her hand dramatically, pointing toward the door, and a whistle from the kitchen summoned her wake up committee back to the kitchen, followed by several low chuckles. A strong aroma of bacon competed with the fresh outdoor scent, and she ran through the shower before dressing and putting on a little perfume.
The kitchen table was laden with a big bowl of scrambled eggs, platters of toast, bacon and sausages, a bowl of oranges and bananas, and a carafe of milk. Her place was set: sturdy farm dishware, with a huge steaming mug of coffee waiting for her. Lydia and Graham were sitting at the table listening to NPR, and sipping their morning joe with the remnants of their meal still in front of them. He was already in his overalls and t-shirt, she in her floral silk robe. "Sleep well, kiddo?" Graham asked in a gentle voice.
"Oh yes, thank you. You?"
"Very well," Lydia said, stroking the side of Graham's head. "I always sleep well out here, better than Dodge."
Emily shook her head. "You don't live here?"
"Goodness no, I gotta work for a living. I manage a hotel in Dodge City, and was lucky to get a couple of days off. Didn't want the kids findin' out or I'd get roped into Grandma duty."
"Lydia's been a regular out here for decades," Graham said, patting her knee. "How long have you been comin' out here?"
"How old's Brent?"
"Eighteen."
"25 years now, give or take." Lydia pointed over her shoulder at him: "Known this guy forever. It's like a refuge, a spa. I get out here a coupla time a month or so."
Emily shook her head. "I gotta sort a few things out. Aren't you married?"
"No," came from both of them simultaneously. "We're friends with benefits," Lydia continued, "I love him dearly, but couldn't stand to live with him very long. We tried, but I can't keep away from this old coot for long, either."
"Who's Brent, then?"
"Our boy," Graham said. "He's at Eagle Scout camp all summer, so don't worry. Won't get back till Monday. Knows we see each other regular, but not everything we do. Like most kids, he don't want to know about his parent's sex life, even though he knows how he got made."
"Da!" Emily exclaimed.
Lydia chirped: "He lives out here and keeps an eye on his old man. Helps us both out when we need it, like when I need the hotel painted or he needs to get the harvest in. Goes off to college this fall, poor kid, gonna be an artist."
Emily shook her head. "Wow. So wait a minute, you have other kids?"
"She has three more and I have five, and a lot of grandkids as well. They're spread out pretty well; when I saw you in Boulder in April I was stayin' with my boy Liam who teaches finance at the University. Every year we have a big gatherin' for 'em out here, they help bring in the wheat harvest, then camp and swim in the pond and we have a helluva ten days."
Emily's shoulders slumped for a moment. "Oh. I know you've done a lot of different things, Graham. Shit, don't think I've done anything yet."
"You will, kiddo, you will," Graham said matter of factly, patting her shoulder. "Takes time, and you're still young. Eat your breakfast and we'll take a ride, how does that sound?"
"Great," Emily replied, and filled her plate. They listened to the radio and drank coffee while she ate.
After breakfast, Graham looked her in the eye and said: "I have a proposition for you: ride like I do this morning."
"Okay," Emily said without thinking.
"Don't you want to think about that?" Lydia asked.
Emily shook her head. "Nope, I'm a good rider and I can do anything he can. My word." She spat into her palm and held it out to him, who immediately spit in his palm and took it.
"All right," Lydia replied. "I think you'll be sorry, but I'm not gonna be out there."
They went to their rooms to get ready, and Emily put on her riding leathers, only to find out Graham was wearing Bermuda shorts, a red bandanna, goggles over sunglasses, and flip flops. His skin was dark brown, and a few white hairs in his chest stood out. "I think you're overdressed," he remarked as she came in.
"Shit, are you crazy?"
"Nope, usually go out for my morning ride like this. The feel of the wind on your skin is wonderful. Right, Lydia?"
Lydia gave her a sad smile. "That's how he usually does it. So I think you've got to lose a few clothes."
He cut in. "You better wear your headset, and I'll have mine. We gotta stay in touch."
Emily stomped out of the room for a moment, and started unzipping. The thought worried her, but she was a stranger in the area and there probably wouldn't be a lot of traffic. The thought of riding topless appealed to her a bit, but still made her nervous. She tried coming back out with her sports bra on, but the others shook their heads sadly, so she shrugged and took it off. "We riding side by side or single file?" she asked.
"Single file. I'll ride behind you and tell you where to turn. Don't want anybody sneaking up on you."
"Besides you."
"Besides me. We'll have some fun after we get back, Lydia's got a couple of ideas."
"Great. Let's go."
He held up his hand and picked up a white bottle. "Wait, don't forget the sunscreen; don't want to burn your pretty little boobs."
The sky was fairly blue with a few clouds on the western horizon. Graham didn't put a helmet on, so Emily didn't put hers on either. "I'll let you go without the bandanna," he said. "Let's ride."
They pulled out onto the gravel road and he told her to head north. "We'll get to the pavement quicker this way, and I'd like to run there today. The back roads just got grated so there might be some loose patches of gravel around. We'll take it easy and not push the speed limit."
"Check." They turned left on a two lane blacktop three miles up the road and set off. For the first fifteen minutes they rode in silence; very few vehicles were on the road that day. She passed through a small town that was a grain elevator, a convenience store and a few houses: some guys sitting out front waved at her going by, and she saw them leap to their feet right after she passed. "Did you see that?"
"Not yet, there they are. Yeah, they gave me a look before they realized it was me. Perverts. You made a couple cars back there swerve in their lanes a little bit."