She yawned and stretched, then leaned back. She was seated on top of her trunk, her hands behind her on the trunk to brace her up.
"I wonder where my guide is. Should've been here a while ago..." she said to herself.
As she was sitting there she heard a door close and footsteps behind her. She turned, but the early morning sun was shining in her eyes, making her unable to see the person approaching her. She shielded her eyes just as the person blocked the sun.
It was an older man, early to mid forties. He was about six foot two, with graying brown hair in a ponytail and warm brown eyes in a tanned, weathered and rather handsome face. His dark jeans and tight black tee accented his tan, lean and very fit body.
She found herself immediately drawn to him. She swallowed involuntarily and fought off a blush as she stood to greet him.
He shut the door of the bar behind him and walked out. As he turned the corner of the entryway he caught sight of a girl sitting on a steamer trunk, leaning back. She was obviously in her late teens. Her honey colored hair hung past her shoulders in a ponytail. Her body was full enough to be chubby but coming off more as beautifully curvy. But then again, he'd always loved girls who had the bodies of the old fashioned pin-up models. This girl was like a pin-up model that had popped off her poster.
He walked over to her. She turned as he approached, squinting. She threw up a hand to shield her face just as his shadow fell across her. She dropped her hand, revealing a full and very pretty face, with oversized green eyes and thick dark lashes. Her eyes looked like sparkling green jewels surrounded by a lush fringe. She stood to greet him.
He extended his hand, and as she grasped it to shake he couldn't help but notice how soft her skin was.
"The name's Griffin," he said, "and I own and operate the bar behind us."
His hand was warm and surprisingly gentle.
"I'm Lee. I'm actually the new farmer..."
His face registered surprise.
"Really now?" he said. "So you're Charlie's little girl...you've grown up quite a bit."
She noted the emphasis on the word 'quite' before she spoke.
"You knew my dad well?"
"Mhm. Well enough anyways. He was a good man, Lee. It's a real shame you didn't get to stay here with him."
"His fault for him thinking he could marry a city girl and keep her here. By the Goddess, you should've heard the fit my mother threw when I told her I was leaving to take care of the farm!" she laughed.
Griffin laughed with her.
"I remember her. She was incredibly...stuffy. I was young enough to be enamored with her by her looks, but my did I learn quickly. Actually felt sorry for your dad. You know, you look quite a bit like her, but different...softer, kinder."
She blushed a bit and gave a small, somewhat nervous laugh. He didn't seem to notice, for which she was thankful.
"Yeah, I felt sorry for him too. I actually don't know what he saw in her or why he got with her. I mean, I'm glad he put up with her long enough to get me, but still..."
Griffin chuckled.
"So am I, honestly. When you were a baby you were my best friend."
"Oh?"
"Yes. I was the only person you'd let babysit you before your mother took you. You wouldn't let anyone else care for you. Treated that martini mixer like a rattle. Best martinis I ever had, by the way," he stated, winking at her.
Lee laughed so hard she shook.
"Oh Goddess, you're the 'Damn barkeep!' my mother would bitch about when talking about the valley!"
"Nice to know your mother remembers me fondly. The feeling's mutual."
She laughed from her gut, a deep, rich laugh. He liked it.
"So, why are you sitting here so early, hmm?"
She wiped tears of laughter from her eyes and caught her breath.
"Someone was supposed to show me to the farm, since I don't exactly know my way around. They're not exactly here, though..." she trailed off, scrunching up her face.
She was just far too pretty.
"Well, I'll show you then. It's actually right up that road there," he said, pointing.
Her face split into a radiant grin.
"Yay! Thanks!
She walked to the back of her steamer trunk and made to lift it. He quickly moved to help her.
"Let's each get an end."
She smiled at him and nodded. Together they lifted the trunk and walked off.
Lee wished the twenty minute walk and lasted longer when they reached the farm.
It was at the top of a short, steep hill. At the top, the hill leveled out, housing a huge field, a large barn, a chicken coop, and an old but well-kept whitewashed farm house.. A great line of trees circled the farm, like a giant living fence to block off the edge of the hill. The only available (and safe) way off the hill was the path they had just walked up. The path turned left and around the giant field, leading towards the farm house, then the barn and chicken coop.
Lee smiled. It would be another twenty minutes to walk around the field, so she wouldn't have to part ways with Griffin just yet.
After he set down his end of the trunk in the living room, he stretched. He almost could swear he saw Lee watching him out of the corner of his eye.
"Don't be a fool now, Griffin. That sweet, beautiful young girl couldn't possibly want anything to do with you!" he thought to himself. "So no use admiring her or letting anymore feelings surface!"
He walked over to Lee, shook her hand, and bid her farewell
Lee watched Griffin leave. After he disappeared from sight, she sighed and leaned against the wall.
"Don't you dare, Lee!" she told herself. "Don't you dare declare love at first sight! Nothing will come of it; he'll think you're just a silly little girl and want nothing to do with you!"
She rubbed at her face vigorously, and then set off to clean the house and unpack. Tomorrow she would start caring for the already sprouting crops her father had planted before his death.
The next few months passed by unbelievably fast.
The plants grew just fine on their own, so lee only had to water and weed. The rest of her free time she spent at the archeological dig. She was now fast friends with Dr. Carter and his assistant, Flora. Dr. Carter let her help dig, and even keep and sell the trinkets she found.
He was only interested in real finds, and he had plenty of funding, he said. Flora would laugh and say that he was just a typical man when it came to jewelry. Thsi would make Dr. Carter turn red and sputter.
Lee suspected they liked one another, and she approved of the pairing.
Her evenings were spent at the bar with Griffin and his barmaid, a pretty blonde woman named Muffy.
Lee was at first threatened by Muffy. She was almost always with Griffin. Lee relaxed though, after she found out Muffy had a definite thing for rich, younger men.
She eventually became good friends with Muffy, as well.
And, throughout this time, she grew closer to Griffin.
Griffin's new pleasure in life were the evenings he spent with Lee. They had a fair share of things in common, and they also introduced one another to new things. He shared with her stories of her father, recipes and books. She filled him in on what had happened with her once her mother left her father, and introduced him to comedy and music that he surprisingly liked. Similar tastes make bonding much easier.
He truly loved the time they spent together. And though he tried his hardest, he really did, he couldn't help but begin to truly love Lee.
On Wednesdays he went in to town to run errands and to visit with old friends. He once loved Wednesdays. Now he started to hate them just a little.
His friends were upset with his sudden attitude change until they realized he was missing someone. They encouraged him to go home early so he could get back to wooing, saying they'd rather see him settled down than at their house. He laughed with them, and silently wished the same things.
Griffin was out on one of his Wednesday runs when Lee stopped in to the bar to visit Muffy. She had found a beautiful pair of earrings at the dig the other day and knew that Muffy would love them. They would accent her eyes.
Lee was right. Muffy was absolutely thrilled.
They had been chatting for a while when Muffy mentioned only hoping she could find as nice a present for Griffin next week.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, you didn't know?" Muffy asked. "The tenth is Griffin's birthday."
Lee's eyes widened, then narrowed.
"Now Lee, don't you dare throw him a party!" Muffy cried.
Lee laughed.
"I'm not. I know he'd hate it. But what could it hurt if I make him dinner?"
Muffy smiled and winked at her.
"Dinner and dessert?"
Lee blushed.
"Muffyyy..." she whined. "You knooow..."
Muffy sighed, and shook her head.
"I know, dear. He has no idea that you're absolutely head over in heels in love with him. You're a virgin, never been in a relationship, and are nervous as hell! Honey, Griffin would be a wonderful first time; he's as in love with you as you are with him, and that'd make for the perfect first and only. He's just too nervous and afraid to do anything about it!"
Lee blushed harder, sputtering a bit before she replied with, "But Muffy...I never realized..."
Muffy laughed and put her arm around Lee's shoulders, pulling her in for a quick hug.
"C'mon, honey. Let me help you plan out your dinner and just how it is you two will finally get together!"
The next evening Griffin was cleaning up the bar when Lee slipped in. He glanced up, then pulled out a clean glass and poured in some ginger ale. She didn't like to drink alcoholic beverages unless it was a special occasion, so he had started keeping non-alcoholic drinks in the bar for her. He set it on the counter in front of a stool as she approached.
She hopped onto the bar stool and greedily slurped at the ginger-ale, giggling as the fizz tickled her nose. Griffin smiled and placed his elbows on the counter, leaning forward.
"So, what're you doing here after hours?"
Lee took a long drink, then set her glass down in front of her.
"Well..." she began, rubbing her hands together nervously. "Uhm..."
Griffin chuckled, reaching over the bar to gently pat her shoulder. She sputtered a bit more, then sighed and took a deep breath. Griffin withdrew his hand and went back to leaning on the counter.
"Well," Lee started again. "The tenth is your birthday. I was just wondering...how would you feel about coming over to the farm for dinner. I'm not the best at planning, but Muffy's said she'll help me get everything ready. It'll be a great dinner, and...well, it'd just be for you and me," she finished, twisting a lock of her hair between her fingers.
Griffin found he couldn't breath. He watched her face, watched her twirl her hair as she looked at everything else in the room besides him. He swallowed a few times, licking his lips. His mouth was suddenly dry. He hurriedly pulled out another clean glass and poured himself some ginger ale. After chugging nearly the entire glass, he inhaled deeply and leaned over to place his hand on Lee's arm
"I think it sounds like a marvelous idea. What time do you want me over there?"
He watched her eyes widen, and her face split into a brilliant smile.
"Six-ish on the tenth."
Lee leaned against the hoe, wiping sweat off her brow and sighing. It was hot as hell, and she was tired, excited and impatient. Tomorrow was Griffin's birthday, and Muffy would be coming over at noon to help her start fixing the dinner and getting dressed.
She shivered in anticipation at the thought of her and Griffin alone together in her house. Now that she knew how he felt about her, thanks to Muffy, she knew why he never came over to her house when she invited him. The plan Muffy had come up with was brilliant in its simplicity.
Lee allowed herself to daydream for a few minutes. Her imagination had been in overdrive the past week and she quickly turned beet red at the things it came up with. She puffed up her cheeks and blew out the air, trying to fight off the blush she felt developing on her face and the tingling sensation spreading across her body.
She shook her head and went back to work. Hopefully being productive would keep her imagination in check. It would definitely make the day go by faster. As she worked a blissfully happy sigh escaped from her lips as she thought about her upcoming dinner with Griffin.
At noon on the tenth Muffy headed to Lee's to help her set things up. Griffin watched her gather her bags together, then nodded a terse goodbye.
"Remember, Griffin! Get yourself cleaned up and dress nicely! I've already set out your best jeans and dress shirt," she called as she left.
As soon as she was gone, he ran to the shower. A half an hour later he was dressed and pacing.
At five thirty Muffy was back. She giggled at him as she watched him walk the floor.
"Just another thirty minutes!" she called out as she disappeared up the stairs.
He glared after her.
At six he nearly ran out of the door. He composed himself, and somehow managed to maintain a steady brisk walk. When he reached the farm house he hesitated, then opened the door and walked inside.
"Lee?" he called out softly as he walked into the living room.
"I'm right here," she replied.
He turned towards the kitchen, and his breath caught in his throat. She was framed by the light from the kitchen doorway. Her hair was down, laying in waves across her shoulders. She was stunning in a high waisted white dress with a tight bodice and babydoll sleeves. Though her bust wasn't that small, the tight dress flattered her breasts and glorified them nicely. The dress hugged her waist until her hips, where the skirt loosened and swirled to her knees. Her shoes and lips were a matching red, as were her cheeks from an intense blush.
Lee was thrilled. So far the evening was going perfectly.
Once dinner was over, she cleared the plates and pulled out the rich chocolate cake she'd made. Lee watched Griffin eye it appreciatively. The each had a large slice of cake, then nearly waddled into the living room to sit and chat.
They'd been there for twenty minutes when Lee jumped up. She hurried to the kitchen, saying she'd forgotten something. Griffin settled back and waited. A few minutes later, Lee returned with a wine bottle and two glasses.
"I found this in the basement. Apparently my dad had a little collection. I thought you might appreciate it," she said as she uncorked the bottle, poured two glasses, and handed him one.
Griffin breathed in the scent of the wine, swirled it a little, and took a sip. The wine was perfect; his eyes closed and a small grin twitched at the corners of his mouth. Bless this beautiful, thoughtful girl whom he loved so dearly. She had planned out the perfect birthday for him. He opened his eyes again and finally let the smile he'd been holding back crease his face.
"You're right, it's wonderful."
She sat back with her glass, sipping it slowly. Griffin broke into a story about a birthday years ago that had been a disaster from the start. This continued on for a while; stories, talk, laughter, until the wine bottle was a little over half empty. A warm feeling filled Griffin. He watched Lee out of the corner of his eye. He loved her, totally and completely. He couldn't hide it anymore, but he couldn't just directly come out with it.
"You know..." he began.
"Hmm?"
Lee turned to face him. He set his glass aside and reached out to touch her cheek. She blushed, and her gaze dropped shyly.
"Thank you. So, so much. This has been an amazing birthday."
He smiled as her blush darkened, and stroked her cheek gently. Suddenly, she set her glass down next to his and leaned forward. He started as her lips met his, then couldn't help himself.
He slipped a hand behind her neck, pressing her close to keep their lips together. His other hand supported her back as he leaned her backwards on the couch. He shuddered as she tangled one hand in his hair and wrapped the other around his waist, holding him close.
They laid there for several minutes until Lee gently pushed him away.
"Griffin...let's..."
He held his breath. He wanted this to continue. He wanted to feel her. He needed to feel her. To taste her more. He wanted and needed to get out of these now too tight jeans and get...into her.
He waited.
She blushed.
"Let's...continue this in my room..."
He immediately climbed off of her. He then picked her up and carried her to her room.
Once there, he gently laid her on the bed. She sat up, kicking off her shoes. Soon she had her dress and undergarments removed. Griffin watched her, breath shaking. He leaned forward slowly, nuzzling her neck and caressing her sides and breasts while she unbuttoned his shirt and unzipped his jeans. He pulled away from her long enough to finish undressing himself.
He gently pushed her back down on the bed, and as he moved to position himself on top of her, she glanced down and blushed, mouth open in awe. He followed her eyes and smiled to himself. He was very proud of his size. He knew, though, that he would have to be very careful to not hurt Lee. He kissed her softly and slowly spread her legs, kneeling between them.
He stopped kissing her.
"...are you ready?" he whispered.
Eyes wide, breath in her chest, Lee nodded.
He readied himself between her legs, and pulled her arms around him. She held him tightly. He pressed his lips to hers, and moved forward. She was hot, wet and incredibly tight. He moaned into their kiss. He felt himself reach her hymen, and with one hard thrust was through. Her body convulsed and she bit back a cry.
He kept thrusting, ignoring his growing urge to climax. He wanted to climax with her. Soon her body began to tense and she couldn't bite back her moans. He knew she was close. He began moving harder and faster. Finally she orgasmed, and when she did so did he. They both moaned deeply as their juices mixed together.
He rolled off of her, and pulled her tight against his chest, breathing hard.
"Lee, I love you. So much. I have from the day I met you."
She gazed up at him lovingly, then nuzzled his chest and snuggled closer. Her lips brushed his collarbone as she sighed contentedly.
"I love you too."
When she awoke, Lee carefully pulled away from Griffin. He grunted and rolled over. She smiled and stroked his hair, then went to dress and make breakfast.
The evening of Lee and Griffin's dinner, Muffy had plenty of work. When asked where Griffin was, she would smile and say that he had plans for the evening and would be out all night.
Vesta, another farmer in the valley, glanced meaningfully at Muffy. She'd seen Griffin and Lee together, both in and out of the bar, and was just waiting for them to finally get together. Muffy caught Vesta's eye, and winked. Vesta roared with laughter and bought the crowd in the bar a round of drinks.
Griffin woke to a light touch on his cheek. He reached up and pulled Lee's hand to his lips.
"I've got breakfast made," she said after she leaned to kiss his cheek.
He sat up and pulled her to him.
"It can wait."
He pushed her back onto the bed and rolled on top of her while she laughed.
By that evening breakfast had grown cold and they'd made love several times. Even in the shower.
"So much for cleaning up," Lee moaned as Griffin pinned her to the shower wall.
After the shower, Lee changed the bed linens while Griffin made dinner. They'd come to the realization of how tired they were after finding a bag on the front porch. An envelope rested on top. Inside was a letter from Muffy, congratulating their relationship and telling Griffin that he deserved a vacation with Lee; she, Muffy the amazing barmaid, would run the bar while he was "away". Their fit of laughter took what little energy they had left, and they'd decided to spend the rest of the evening relaxing and enjoying each other's company.
"Dinner!" Griffin called.
Lee pulled the comforter up to the headboard, and went to eat dinner with her new lover.
They spent the next few days together, Griffin staying over at Lee's. They were inseparable, enjoying their new relationship, one another's company, and one another's bodies. For Griffin, it had been years and his nubile and virile young lover made his blood stir. Lee was finally indulging her sexual appetite; Griffin was an amazing lover, and his appetite matched hers. She knew that if anyone knew of the frequency of their encounters, that they would say the relationship was built solely upon lust. But while there was lust, and a good amount (for a man who hasn't made love in over a decade and a girl who hadn't ever done anything), but there was even more love. They loved one another deeply, and felt the need to show it physically to make up for the time they had loved one another but hadn't done anything about it.
Griffin hugged Lee tight and kissed her temple. They were snuggled together on her couch watching a movie. When it ended, Lee got up to put another one in. Once she was up, he slipped a hand into his pocket and fingered the ring there.
On the day Muffy dropped off his bag of clothes, he'd taken it into Lee's room to put things away. At the bottom of the bag he'd found another envelope and a ring box. Hands shaking, he read the letter from Muffy:
I've seen you eye it when we go into the city. I know how much you two love one another, and I know that you two belong together. You can pay me back for the ring later; just hurry up and ask the girl already!
He'd fingered the ring gently then, turning it and letting the light shine on it. It was a truly beautiful ring. A slim silver band held a decent sized green jewel that reminded him of Lee's eyes. He'd known it was wishful thinking every time he'd stopped to look at it in the window of the jewelry store, but he couldn't help himself. The ring had sparked his imagination. He'd slipped it into his pocket and put his bag away. The blue feather that fell out of the envelope, an old village tradition, went into the breast pocket of his shirt.
Now, laying there on the couch, watching Lee put in a DVD, he fingered the ring and thought. He had the ring. He had Lee. He just was afraid. Afraid that she didn't want him as much as he wanted her. Afraid of being rejected. Afraid that it was too soon.
Griffin exhaled softly as he watched Lee sort through her DVDs. She must have heard him, because she turned to look at him. She smiled at him, a smile that lit up her entire face. Her eyes shone, full of love and happiness. She giggled and blew him a kiss, then went back to picking through her DVDs. He decided then and there that tonight, he would do it. He would ask her.
She finally picked a movie and put it in, then came back to the couch to sprawl on Griffin with a grunt. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his chest. The ring was still clutched tightly in his hand.
Halfway through the movie, Griffin finally worked up the courage to go through with his decision.
"Lee, darling?" he questioned softly.
"Mm?"
She twisted her head to look up at him, her eyes soft and loving. His breath caught in his chest; she seemed to do that a lot to him. He hesitated, then took her hand and lifted it to his lips. He gently kissed it, then slid the ring on to her finger. With his other hand, he pulled out the blue feather (which was still in perfect condition despite having been laid on), and twirled it in front of her eyes.
He felt her breath still. She held her hand out and stared at the ring. After a few moments, she jumped up off the couch. He was prepared for the worst, which is why he was unprepared when she tackled and kissed him. The feather dropped from his fingers and floated to the floor.
He knew it was a yes.
Suddenly he felt invigorated. He pulled Lee around and underneath him.
"Again!?" she cried, laughing.
"Again!"
Lee laid next to Griffin in bed, stroking his chest.
"You really want to make plans already, sweetheart?" she asked.
"Well...yes. Only if you want to, though."
"Hmm...well, do you have anything in mind so far?"
Griffin paused, looking thoughtful.
"Well...something simple. In the bar, with all of our friends, of course. We could get Gustafa to play the music at the reception. I think...the end of this month?
She tilted her head up to look at him.
"Sounds good to me," she decided, and pulled him on top of her.
"Again!?"
"Again!"
As they made love, a breeze from the window caught the blue feather on the dresser. The breeze blew the feather up and around the room to land on the pillow beside them.