A Lifetime of Storms

(Edited by

"larryinseattle")

Adam sat at his desk looking out of the window. Rain pelted down so hard he could just barely make out the barn and corral. The sound of the thunder rattled the windows as it bounced off the canyon walls. "A 'Boomer'," he whispered recalling the name his father had used for such storms. Storms in the mountain country of the North-west were no big deal but one's like this had a special meaning to him.

Slowly, the scene before him faded as images of the past formed in his mind. The first storm like this that he remembered was on the day his mother had died. She had been sick for months and though she had some 'good days' they grew fewer and fewer until she was gone. He was just 10 years old.

The second storm was much the same. The day had started out sunny and calm but just before noon the clouds had drifted down from 'the high country'. The rain poured like 'cats and dogs' as the saying goes. What made this storm different was not just how bad it was but what happened during it.

His dad had been out checking the livestock since before sunrise. He always got an early start on days when the weather was supposed to get bad. Usually he was home before the storm hit but that day he was late and Adam was getting worried until he heard the sound of footsteps on the porch. When his dad entered, his slicker was not only rain-soaked but also mud-splattered yet Adam barely noticed it. Instead his eyes were drawn to the woman entering behind him.

Her blonde hair was plastered to the top of her head and rain water dripped from the ends, splattering on the small rug by the door. Her mascara had run down her cheeks leaving long black streaks and whatever make-up she may have been wearing had been washed away. Her eyes were a brilliant blue and her cheeks were slightly reddened from the wind. In other words, she was the most beautiful, stunning woman he'd ever seen.

"Adam, this is Jessica. Jessica, this is my son, Adam. Her car skidded into the ditch down at the fork," dad said as a way to introduce the two of them.

"Hello, Adam."

"Hey, Jessica."

"Tell you what. Why don't you just call me Jessie? Everyone else does."

"Ok, Jessie."

"Adam, can you grab some towels? I tried to get Jessica's car out of the mud and well ...," he indicated his clothes. "I really don't want to spread all this mud and water all over the house."

"Ya, sure," he replied, finally breaking eye contact with Jessica.

He was less than half-way down the hall when the lights went out.

"Nothing new,"

he thought but the sound of a surprised yelp from the living room caused a smile to form. Grabbing some towels from the closet, he detoured into his dad's bedroom and grabbed two bathrobes before heading back.

There he found his dad standing with his arms wrapped around Jessica. "It's ok. It's just the power. It happens a lot up here when we have storms," he murmured, softly.

Jessica's response was a mumble that he couldn't hear.

Coughing, so they wouldn't be surprised by his presence, he watched as they separated, almost looking as if they were embarrassed being seen like that. Handing each a couple of large towels and a robe, Adam headed for the fireplace that dominated one of the walls. "I'll get a fire started," he said without looking at either of them.

"Thanks, buddy," his dad replied.

"Where can I ...?" Jessica started to ask.

"Just give it a few minutes for Adam to get a fire started and then ..."

A quizzical looked filled her face as she waited.

As expected from years of practice, Adam had a fire going almost immediately and the warmth began to drift outward to fill the room.

"Ok, this is how we'll do it," his father started to explain. "Adam, grab one of Jessica's towels and put it around behind your back like this ...," he demonstrated, "and stretch your arms out while you lift the towel so it's above your head," he continued. "Then come over here and stand with your back towards the fireplace. Not too close. Ok, Jessica. Now you come over here and stand by the fire while you dry off and change out of your wet clothes." Looking down at Adam, he joked, "Remember 'Chivalry isn't dead just a bit tarnished,' so no peeking."

Jessica, stepped behind the make-shift barrier and the sound of her wet clothes dropping to the floor quickly filled the room. To Adam, it seemed as loud as the thunder that persisted outside.

After she was done, his dad stepped behind the barrier, now consisting of only the towel he was holding, and changed. Jessica sat on a chair, pulling her legs up under herself and the robe, while she used a towel to dry her hair.

Adam was so mesmerized by the sight that he didn't even realize his father was done changing until he said, "Thanks again, buddy," while jokingly ruffling the hair on his head.

"Ya, sure," he'd replied, still barely able to look away from where Jessica sat.

After hanging Jessica's wet clothes on a chair near the fire, they spent the rest of the evening talking about the storm, the ranch, Jessica, and what she was doing out on a day like this, with only a short break when Adam and his dad cooked a meal over the fire.

Fortunately, no one seemed to notice how often he'd glanced over at the assortment of drying clothes. A light-tan 'business-cut' jacket with a matching skirt, a white blouse that almost seemed transparent when it was wet, black high-heels, tan stockings, and off to the side as if they were being hidden, a black and red, lace bra and panties. It was also fortunate that no one seemed to noticed the growing bulge in the front of his pants.

Outside, the storm seemed never-ending as the lightening and thunder crashed and flashed. Inside, things became more and more quiet as they became comfortable with each other until the clock on the mantel chimed ten times.

"Time for sleep," his dad started before coming to an abrupt stop. Looking at Jessica, he stammered, "I ... ummmm ... I'll sleep out here on the couch. You can have my bed."

Only vaguely aware of what has going on, Adam had already gone to bed leaving his dad and Jessica sitting in the living room.

When he got up the next morning the electricity was back on and there was a note on the kitchen table from his dad saying he'd left early to check for any damage caused by the storm. What he didn't see was any sign of Jessica or the usual stack of blankets that his dad left when he slept on the couch for some reason.

Just then, Jessica walked out of his dad's bedroom fiddling with the buttons of her blouse.

For the first time, he got a really good look at her. Standing about 5-foot, 8-inches tall, her hair, now pulled back in a pony-tail, was a golden yellow that hung to the middle of her back. Her blue eyes sparkled in the morning sunlight and her skin was lightly tanned. The last residual of make-up had been washed away and her lips were full and turned up in the corners so she looked like she was always smiling. Allowing his gaze to travel lower, he noticed that she was 'curvy' and that all the curves were in the right places, especially the ones around her bust.

"Damn, she muttered apparently unaware that Adam was there. "I was afraid of this."

"Afraid of what?" he asked.

Surprised, her head jerked upwards. Seeing him standing there, she hesitated before answering. "This blouse. I was afraid that the rain or drying it by the fire might shrink it ... and apparently it has," she finished as she moved her hand revealing that there was a large gap directly in front of her bust.

"Can't you pin it or something?" he asked.

"Not really," she teased as she walked past him, grabbing her jacket and buttoning it up over the blouse.

Just then his dad returned. He took Jessie back down to her car where a tow truck was waiting to pull her out. For the next 8 months, she showed up more and more frequently to spend time with him and his dad until they announced they were getting married. He had just turned 16.

They got married and Jessie gave up her job, quickly taking on the role of a rancher's wife. Even her clothing had changed. Gone were the tailored suits and heels, to be replaced my jeans, flannel shirts, and cowboy boots, not that it really mattered. According to one of his friends she could have worn a burlap sack and she still looked like a knock-out.

Nothing happened during the next storms except Jessica slid into the ditch again.

The fourth storm came up suddenly, just after his 18th birthday. His dad had been rounding up some cattle that wandered high in the mountains when it hit. Jessie had been in town getting supplies. The valley vibrated from the thunder as the rain formed fast-moving rivers where creeks and streams had been just hours before. As usual, the roads became slick and slippery. When Jessica got home, an image of the first time he'd met her flashed before his eyes ... she was soaked from head to toe.

"Where's your dad? He's not going to believe this but I slid off the road in the exact same spot as I did when I met him."

"He's not here," Adam called after her, a feeling of unrest growing deep inside. His dad didn't come home that night nor the next morning. That afternoon his horse limped into the corral.

A search party had quickly been formed. For seven days they searched before finding his dad's remains at the bottom of a ravine. The doctor later said it appeared he had been thrown from the horse while trying to cross a stream on his way home.

A quiet funeral was held accompanied, ironically, by a gentle rain. When the will had been read, he was surprised to find that his dad had never changed it after marrying Jessica so everything was his. At 18 years old, he found himself responsible for a 400-acre ranch, 200 head of cattle, and a step-mother. The only thing he didn't get was the actual house which his dad left to Jessie.

All thoughts of going away to college also disappeared that day. Instead, he had a contractor come in and hook-up a state-of-the-art computer system that used federal communication satellites so he could continue his education on-line.

"Now this,"

he thought still looking out the window. He had been so engrossed in the past that he hadn't even heard Jessica come up behind him until she lay a hand on his shoulder and said, "Your dad would be proud of you."

"For what?"

"All of this," she finished with a wave of her hand to the scene outside. "In just four years you've taken his ranch and turned it into one of the largest ranches in the region. You've increased your cattle herd almost 5 times over. You purchased a good-sized portion of the land the local Native-American's hold sacred and turned it over to them ... and all of that while still taking classes to get your degree.

"Ya, like I really need a degree in ranching and agriculture to run this place," he replied curtly. "Sometimes I think maybe it was a waste of time."

"Really ... and what do you think your dad would say about that?"

Adam shrugged his shoulders, already hearing the answer in his head.

"He'd remind you that if you learned just one thing the whole time you were in school it was worth it. Right?"

"I guess so."

"Ok then. Now, what are your plans for the day?" she asked as she spun him around in his chair so he was looking at her. Even now, after six years of living together in the same house he couldn't get over how beautiful she was.

Today her hair hung loosely over her shoulders and her eyes sparkled yet there was something else ... something he couldn't quite put his finger one. She was dressed in a pair of snug jeans and a red flannel shirt with the tails tied together at her beltline. The top three buttons were open giving him a peek at her ample bust and ... that's when it hit him.

"She's not wearing a bra,"

he thought.

"Usually I can see a little bit of the lace from the bras she likes to wear but ... not today."

Shifting in his seat, he confirmed his suspensions when he has able to look along the contour of her breast almost to the ring of her areola. Even more proof was the slight protrusion of her nipple as it pressed against the front of her shirt.

"I had planned on taking a ride into town to check on some breeding stock at the stockyard but we all know about this family's reputation of driving in this kind of weather," he teased.

Flushed by embarrassment she lightly slapped his arm. "I'm not THAT bad."

"Hmmmm, let's see. Three major storms since you first came up here, three times in the same ditch at the same spot."

Together they laughed as the thunder rolled and rumbled outside. Then suddenly the lights went out. No yelp or sheik of surprise this time instead they just stood there waiting. "One, two, three, four," they counted in unison.

When nothing happened, he sighed. "I guess something happened to the power lines again. I'll get the fire going."

"And I'll grab some food to cook over it. Who knows how long it'll be this time."

With the ease of two people who had done this very thing more than just a few times, they quickly had their meal prepared. When they were finished, they sat staring into the fire as the storm raged outside.

"This almost seems like the first night I came to this house. The fire, the meal, sitting around afterwards ... do you remember?" she asked quietly.

"Ya, I remember," he answered as he watched the flames dance.

"The only thing that's missing is my wet clothes and lingerie hanging over a chair."

"Yep." Then in an attempt to cover-up what he'd said, he muttered, "What are you talking about? I don't remember any ..."

"Oh get off it," she teased. "I saw the way your were glancing at my things that night. I even remember how hard you blushed a couple of times and how you kept repositioning the pillow you had on your lap."

Realizing that she knew everything he admitted it reluctantly. "You're right but what would you expect from a 16 year-old guy? You were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen and then to have you sitting there when I knew you weren't wearing anything under the robe. It was like some kind of medieval torture."

"And what about now?"

"What?"

"You said I was the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen. Well ... what do you think of me now?"

Hesitating while he tried to decide how to answer her question, he turned his eyes back to the fire. Images of that first night mingled with what he had seen earlier while in his den. "I still think your beauti ... no ... that's not quite right," he started before pausing once again. Then with a sigh, he finished, "I think you're the most gorgeous, attractive woman I've ever met."

Now it was her turn to fidget in her seat. "So the fact that I'm 11 years older than you doesn't bother you?"

The soft glow of the fire seemed to somehow provide a feeling of security, intimacy, and openness that he had never imagined as he replied. "Actually, I was attracted to older women even before you came here. In fact, the first woman I ever saw nude was the wife of one of dad's seasonal workers. She was down by the stream washing up and I stumbled across her. When I first got there she was wearing just her panties and bra but after a couple of minutes she took those off, too so she could wash herself. I sat there in the bushes frozen in place watching her. When she left, I slipped away unnoticed ... or so I thought. That night all I could do was think of her and what she'd looked like but what really hooked me was what happened a few days later ..."

"What was that?"

"I was in the barn working when she came in. She seemed kind of nervous since she kept looking around before she came up to me and whispered, 'These are for you' as she pressed the panties and bra into my hands. Her and her husband left the next day but after that all I ever fantasized about were older women."

"What about the girls you dated in school?"

"I did that to keep anyone from guessing my secret. Even my dad never knew. The couple of times he asked about this girl or that girl, I always told him what he wanted to hear but those relationships never went anywhere."

Just then the clock on the mantle chimed ten times breaking the mood.

"Time for me to get to bed. Long day tomorrow checking for any damage from this storm," he said as he rose and headed down the hallway. Calling "Good night," just before closing his door.

Jessica sat there, her mind in a turmoil. Time stood still as she thought about what he'd said until she got up, quickly banking the fire, and placing the grate in front of it to keep any sparks for popping out, before she headed to her room.

Once there, she stripped off her clothes and looked at her reflection in the mirror. The soft, gentle glow of the candles she had lit fluttered behind her.

"Not too bad,"

she thought as her hand slid over her body. Now 34 years old, she still had the type of body that caused men to stop and whistle while women glared at her wishing they had been so lucky.

Her skin was no longer just lightly-tanned but bronzed from long hours in the sun. What no one knew, except her husband, was that the tan was almost complete since she frequently took rides into the hills where she shed her clothes. Her breasts had grown from a 34D to a 34DD/E, depending on the bra manufacturer. She'd teased her husband that it was because of all the time he spent playing with them or latched onto them when they made love. Fortunately, there was very little sag. Her waist narrowed to just 24 inches before her hips flared out to a lush 38 inches.

"Not too bad at all,"

she mused.

Lightly, she ran her finger tips along the contour of her neck causing goose bumps to form, though from the coolness of her room or the excitement she was feeling she knew nor cared. Slowly her hands moved lower, rubbing her open palms across her nipples as they hardened. "Yesssssssss," she hissed as her body responded. Instinctively, she cupped each breast in her hand while squeezing a nipple between her index finger and thumb. A light sheen of sweat appeared across her forehead as her body reacted to her touch. "So long," she whispered as she recalled the last time she had felt a man's touch on her body. Teasingly, she used her fingertips to draw figure '8's around her breasts moving closer and closer to her nipples and then fluttering away. Wrapping her arms across her breasts, she crushed them to her chest as if a man was pressing against her.

Moving backwards, step-by-step, she continued to watch herself in the mirror until she felt the back of her legs touch the side of her bed. Laying back, she stretched out across it while in her mind's eye a form slowly emerged from the shadows; tall, muscular and rugged. He moved with the lethalness of a mountain loin.

Easing her hand down across her stomach, she felt the muscles ripple. Gently she explored her belly-button and tugged on the belly ring that had been a present for her second anniversary. She imagined the ruby-red stone glimmering in the candle light as she moved her hand lower to the junction of her legs. There she began to lightly rub the hair surrounding her womanly treasure, playing with it, as her mind drifted further.

In the darkness, her hand delicately probed her mound. Her nether lips were swollen with desire and if she had looked, she would have seen that they were a darker red then the skin around them. The furrow between her lips was spread, invitingly, and seemed to pulse each time she drew near while her womanly nectar slowly dripped from the opening to coat her lips and inner thighs. She found the sensitive nub at the top of her slit and moved her fingertip around and around her pleasure center as her mind played out the image of her lover quietly coming and standing beside her.