Hey y'all! Thank you so much for being patient with me, I really appreciate it! I have been working on this chapter for several days now and I think it's just about where I want it to be. I'm not sure when my next update will be, so please continue to indulge me with your patience. I WILL update...eventually. I could never abandon this story that I love so much! Getting ready for the new school year is a slow-going process and sooo time consuming! And of course, my grad school classes are still taking up a considerable amount of time. I just keep telling myself it'll be worth it in the end...and the end is just barely in sight! YAY! Well, I hope y'all enjoy this new chapter! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think! I love hearing your thoughts and getting some encouragement that the story is being enjoyed. Happy reading! xoxoxo
Sandor: Good morning beautiful.
Sansa really couldn't remember the last time she had gotten a 'good morning' text that she loved as much as Sandor's. Usually when Joffrey had texted her early in the mornings, it was to remind her to pick up the dry cleaning or something like that. No, not remind...demand. Waking up to Sandor's text sent a multitude of emotions surging through her mind. The first emotion was elation. She had never been so happy to have gotten a text from someone at seven AM. The second emotion that soon took over was anxiety. A part of her, that damn rational side of her brain again, knew that she was getting in too deep already. Letting Sandor get in too deep, as well. With some level of guilt, she remembered what Margaery had said last night at the bar, and knew she needed to heed her advice not to lead him on. But since she was feeling the deep affection she had for Sandor, did that mean she was ready for a relationship? Sansa brushed her emotions aside and began to text him back.
Sansa: Well good morning, handsome! What are you doing up so early?
Sandor: I'm feedin cows.
As if to prove to her that was really what he was doing, Sandor opened his camera on his phone and held it out to take a picture of himself as he sat in his tractor. Feeding cows was a slow going process. The rickety old feed wagon bounced along behind the tractor and the auger arm that dispensed the feed to his livestock was swaying with each bump on the dirt path between the cattle pens. He had his ipod hooked to the radio in the cab that was blaring his rather diversified taste in music. Everything from Hank Williams Jr. to The Last Mr. Bigg to Metallica. Sandor wasn't really a "lemme take a selfie" type of man, but with his hat and aviator sunglasses covering most of his scar, he figured he didn't look so bad.
When Sansa received the picture, she smiled and immediately dared herself to save the picture to her album.
Sansa: Oh I see. Thanks for the picture :)
Sandor: What are you doing? I don't get a picture? :(
Sansa looked down at her bare body and twisted her mouth to one side. She must have kicked the covers off at some point during the night. When her mother had been alive, she would gently chastise Sansa for her habit of sleeping naked. Catelyn Stark had insisted it was unladylike to sleep 'in the nude.' In an attempt to make herself look halfway presentable after a good night's sleep, Sansa ran her fingers through her hair a few times to smooth out the snarls. She pulled the light yellow sheet on her bed up just high enough to cover her pink nipples which were taut and puckered from the cool air in her bedroom. Holding her phone out above her at arm's length, Sansa gave the camera a slight smirk as she clicked the button. It didn't look raunchy, but Sandor would definitely be able to tell that she was naked. Before she could talk herself out of it, Sansa sent the picture and a text to go with it.
Sansa: I'm still in bed... ;)
Sandor got the text before the picture fully loaded. There's that damn winky face again... Holy shit! After nearly steering his 'still financed until 2025' tractor into the ditch, Sandor slammed his foot on the brake and brought it to an abrupt halt so he could get a better look at the picture Sansa had sent him. Behind him, the wheels on the feed wagon groaned as it came to a stop. Her fiery red hair was spread out on the pillow that her head rested on, and she had a coy little smile on her lips. There was a considerable amount of her luscious, pale skin on display as well. He longed to be in that bed bext to her, waking up to her smiling face, instead of bouncing along in the tractor. When it came to Sansa, Sandor's dick had a mind all its own. And at that point in time, it was steadily growing to its full, impressive length down the right leg hole. Sandor was immediately thankful that he had put on his looser fitting Cinch jeans instead of his snugger Wranglers that morning. In the privacy of his tractor's cab, Sandor adjusted his jeans to relieve the pressure of the fabric on his manhood.
Sandor: Well you just made me almost wreck my tractor...
Sansa: Now what on Earth would make you do that?
Sandor: Oh I don't know...maybe it's the fact that you sent me an almost naked picture of you.
Sandor: Not that I'm complaining or anything, you're absolutely beautiful.
Sansa: Thank you :) Well you did ask what I was going...and pouted for a picture.
Sandor: Ok first of all...I didn't pout. Second of all...I think it's very hot that you sleep naked...
Sansa: What makes you think I'm all the way naked?
Sandor: Just an educated guess. Am I right?
Sansa: Your intuition has served you well this morning...
A throaty groan rumbled from Sandor's chest. He closed his eyes and rested his head back on the rear windshield just behind him and let his hand pass once roughly down the length of his shaft.
Sandor: If you could only see what you're doing to me right now...
For a brief minute before responding, Sansa allowed herself to imagine just what Sandor was insinuating. She was pushing 27, and had been single and had chosen to mingle for most of her adult life, save for the two years she had been with Joffrey. Receiving and sending risqué pictures was something that Sansa was no stranger to. She definitely hadn't sent them freely to any random jerk on Tinder who had asked for them. But if she had become involved in a romantic situation with a man whom she had grown to trust, racy pictures had been exchanged. Just how brave was she feeling?
Sansa: Well I could see if you would show me...
What the hell...did she just...? Thinking he had surely misread her text, Sandor blinked his eyes and carefully read it again.
Sandor: You don't know what you're asking...
Sansa: Oh I think I do...
Ok, Sansa...you want it, you got it. With his foot still firmly pressed on the brake, Sandor opened the camera on his phone again, held it up and angled it towards his crotch. In a vain attempt to show off, Sandor pulled the fabric tighter around his thigh to make sure the outline of his dick was clearly visible. It was one of his better assets and by God, he was damn proud of it. What the fuck am I doing?!
When Sansa opened the picture Sandor had sent, he mouth fell open as she sat bolt upright in her bed. What she had been sent was...astonishing, to say the least. But Sansa felt this selfish, clawing desire to see more.
Sansa: It's so...covered.
No she didn't... Sandor tossed his head back agian and banged it a few times on the rear windshield as a grin crept across his face. Sandor was also no novice when it came to sending and getting racy pictures. Had he grown up in the era of smartphones that could send high quality hd pictures, he would have gotten himself into a lot of trouble.
Sandor: Ok, now you're getting greedy...
Sansa: Not greedy, just...curious :)
Sandor: Curious, you say? Well what would I get in return?
Playing hardball, huh? Sansa bit her bottom lip. What the hell am I doing? One minute I'm doubting even wanting a relationship with him, the next I'm considering sending him a naked picture!
Sansa: I promise you it'll be worth your while ;)
Before he had even finished reading her text, Sandor was hastily undoing his belt buckle and jeans to release his still rock hard cock. It sprang free and stood tall and straight. Before he opened his camera, Sandor glanced around to make sure Ray wasn't coming up on him on the four wheeler or something. He knew Bronn was also out on the farm somewhere riding his colt before his shift started. Sandor knew he would never live it down if Bronn caught him taking a picture of his dick while sitting in the tractor. Sandor held his phone far enough away to make sure Sansa would get the full effect. The steering wheel gave his thick shaft some scale and Sandor smirked as he took the picture.
Sansa inhaled a gasp when Sandor's picture loaded completely on her phone. Of the male body parts Sansa had seen in her life, this had to be by far the best. It was an impressive specimen, delightfully straight and inconceivably thick. And long. If Sandor ever decided he didn't want to farm or coach football anymore, he would never go broke in the porn industry. She must have spent longer than she realized looking at the picture, because Sandor texted her again.
Sandor: Well? Please don't tell me you've run away or anything...
Sansa: Haha no...just...enjoying the view.
Sandor: Oh so you see something you like?
Sansa: Oh yea...
Sandor: I was just joking earlier by the way. You do not have to send me anything just because I did.
Sansa appreciated Sandor saying he didn't expect a picture in return. But she had already thrown back the covers and was composing a picture from the waist up. She sat up in bed and bunched the covers around her hips to hide what was below and held her phone out. Using her upper arms to press her breasts together for a hint of cleavage, Sansa smiled shyly at the screen as she captured the picture. One click later, the picture was on its way to Sandor.
During the time that Sansa was taking to get a picture of herself, Sandor had continued down the dirt path fo finish filling the feeders. He had tucked himself back into his jeans, which was no easy task since his dick was still rigid. A renewed rush of arousal washed over him when he got Sansa's picture, and he once again brought his tractor to a screeching halt. Sandor was a self proclaimed boobs man. And as many red blooded, heterosexual males would do, he had appreciated the way they looked in person and on a computer screen. But Sansa's... holy fuck. Hers put all the others he had ever seen to shame. And he had seen a lot of boobs in his life.
Sandor: Wow. Just...wow. You are so sexy. There has never been a more gorgeous woman.
Sansa: Thank you :) You sure know how to make me blush.
Sandor: Well you sure know how to turn me on. Would you hate me if I saved that picture and used it to fulfill my selfish needs later?
Immediately, Sandor slammed his hand down on the steering wheel in regret of sending that text. He didn't want to straight up tell her he wanted to jerk off to the picture of her tits, but he wanted her to know that he thought about her sexually.
Sansa: No. Because I'll probably do the same thing with your picture... ;)
Well then...there that is. A smug, satisfied grin appeared on Sandor's lips as he drove on down the bumpy path to finish his rounds. He was still half-hard in his jeans, but he had work to do and satisfying himself would have to wait until later. Thankfully, Sansa steered the conversation away from a sexual nature.
Sansa: So you're going to pick me up around 5 this evening?
Sandor: Yea, if you still want to come.
Sansa: Of course! I'd love to see you in action :) What should I wear?
Sandor: Jeans would be fine. I wouldn't wear those pretty boots of yours though. You won't be back where there's mud and cow shit, but the rest of the stockyards is fairly dirty. So wear some shoes you won't mind getting a little dirt on. NO FLIP FLOPS!
Sansa: Haha! Ok I think I can handle that.
Sandor: Well I will see you at 5.
Sansa: See you then.
Sandor: Have a good day, darlin.
Sansa: You too :)
Before leaving her bed, Sansa reached into her nightstand drawer and pulled out her slim, pink vibrator. Ever since she had seen Sandor's picture...hell ever since she had met Sandor, she had been incredibly aroused. It had been far too long since she had given herself an orgasm, and even longer since a man had given her one. Using the picture to spur her wild imagination, she began to slide the vibrating toy along her wet folds. Sansa imagined what it would feel like to have Sandor's exceptionally large tool filling her up, pressing and rubbing her in all the right places. She pictured his hands exploring her body, touching and stroking all the delicate pleasure points that she loved to have touched. In no time at all, she brought herself to a breathy, throbbing release.
After a long, pampering shower, and completing the rest of her morning routine, Sansa texted Margaery.
Sansa: Hey girl, where can I buy some boots around here?
Margaery: Hello! What kind of boots?
Sansa: Just regular cowboy boots. Sandor invited me to come to the auction tonight at the stockyards and the only boots I have are fancy fashion boots.
Margaery: Stubb's Mercantile girl! It's on the corner of Main Street and Archer Road, across from the courthouse :)
Sansa: Thank you!
Margaery: Sooo...did anything happen when Sandor took you home last night?!
Sansa: Well, if you consider making out like horny teenagers in the front seat of Sandor's truck "anything" ...then yes!
Margaery: AHHHHH! No way! OMG that's so exciting!
Sansa: Girl...I am feeling things...
Margaery: Yea I bet you were feeling some things last night ;)
Sansa: Not like that!
Sansa: I mean...I did feel sooomething...if you know what I mean. But I am starting to get feelings for him. Starting to feel things I didn't realize I was capable of feeling so soon after a bad breakup...
Margaery: Well girl...just take things at a pace you are comfortable with, and be honest with Sandor. He's a patient man. Hell he works with cows and high school teenagers! That takes a lot of patience!
Sansa: Haha you're right. He's too good of a man for me to mess this up.
Margaery: Well you let me know if you need anything!
Sansa: Ok thanks girl, talk to you later!
After quickly dressing herself and scarfing down a bowl of cereal, Sansa skipped down the stairs into the hot Mississippi sunshine. There was a gap in between the buildings that was wide enough for her car to fit in, and Olenna had given her permission to park it there. There was no possible way for her to get lost if she stuck to the main roads in the tiny town. There were only two of them anyway, Main Street, and Archer Road. They joined together in a sort of T shape, and that was what comprised downtown Paradise Holler. Stubb's Mercantile was easy to find. It was right across from the courthouse, just like Margaery had told her.
It was a charming little general store. Little wasn't really the word for it, though. It was fairly large and sold everything from work clothes and boots to pet supplies and hardware. The store wasn't very busy, and Sansa easily found what she was looking for. The boots she chose were actually very similar to the ones Sandor wore. Only the pair that was soon to be hers was in her size. She slid them on and admired them as she sat on a small bench in the middle of the aisle.
"Sansa?"
When she heard her name, she whirled around. Oh damn. Troy, of all people was standing at the head of the aisle she was on.
"Hey Sansa, I thought that was you."
"Hello, Troy. Good to see you again." In the light of day, he still looked just as handsome as he had the night before, illuminated by the neon and string lights in the bar. But just the same as the night before, no butterflies were flapping their wings ferociously at the lining of her stomach when she saw him.
Cautiously, Troy made his was down the aisle towards her. "In the market for some boots?"
Sansa had been in the process of tucking the boots back into the box they came in. She nodded and smiled.
"Tony Lama...nice choice. That's a good brand. They'll last you forever if you take care of them."
Boy this is awkward... Everyone in the small bar had seen her dancing with Sandor, Troy included. The tiniest hint of guilt crept into Sansa's chest as she thought of the way she had just left Troy hanging the night before. No doubt, he had been interested, and now maybe had his pride hurt from the whole situation.
As if Troy had read Sansa's thoughts, he ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. "We didn't get a chance to talk much more last night after you went back inside." Not really knowing what to tell him, Sansa shifted her weight unconsciously from one foot to the other and glanced around. Troy kept talking. "So...you and Sandor, huh?"
Empathy shone in Sansa's eyes as she finally made contact with his. "Troy, I'm sorry. I should have told you-"
A laugh from Troy cut her off. "Don't be sorry, Sansa. It's not a big deal. I mean, I'd much rather you be interested in me..." He let his voice fade away as red flooded his cheeks. "But Sandor's a good man. If he treats women the way he does his livestock, he'll be nothing but good to you." Troy laughed feebly at his attempt at a joke. "He's damn lucky too, to have you interested in him."
Sansa laughed nervously and drummed her fingers on the box that her boots were in. She appreciated the flattery from Troy, but it made the situation no less awkward.
"Well, just so you know...if things don't work out with you and Sandor, my offer will still stand." Troy reached out and patted Sansa's arm in an awkward, platonic sort of way. "I'll see ya around."
"Bye Troy. Thanks for understanding." Hastily, Sansa collected her purse from the floor and slung it over her shoulder. Troy had already given her a smile and turned away, heading for a different section of the store. Sansa exhaled a relived sigh as she neared the counter and was thankful that Troy hadn't turned out to be some asshole that was a sore loser. Having multiple men vying for her attention was flattering, but ultimately not something that she wanted.
Back in her apartment, Sansa tried on her new boots again with a pair of jeans. She pulled the cuffs of her jeans over the shaft of the boots and stood up. Smiling at her reflection in the mirror, Sansa executed an excited twirl and giggled. She took off her boots and jeans and shimmied back into her running shorts she had been wearing earlier. With a frown, she glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was only 10:00. What the hell am I going to do with the rest of my day? All of her boxes were already unpacked and her tiny apartment was nearly spotless. With a huff, Sansa collapsed onto her couch and crossed her arms. Free time was something that had been in abundance when she had been with Joffrey. He always found some excuse to leave her alone in their loft late at night or at random intervals during the day when they weren't at work. Then, Sansa had spent her time baking. Although her delicacies were gone unappreciated by Joffrey, claiming he didn't have much of a sweet tooth. Maybe Sandor has a sweet tooth, Sansa thought. With renewed spirit, Sansa leapt from the couch and bounded into the kitchen. I'll bake Sandor a pie. Everyone likes pie... Of course she didn't have any of the ingredients she needed for a pie, so she would have to make another visit to The Market. Since she didn't know type of pie was Sandor's favorite, Sansa decided to make one of her go-to favorite buttermilk pie. It was her Nana Stark's recipe, and she knew it by heart. After quickly jotting down the ingredients she needed, Sansa made her way to The Market.
Thankfully, it wasn't very busy and she was able to get in and out without running into anything this time. Baskets and large men included. She quickly gathered the items she needed and made her way back to her apartment. Being able to make home made pie crust from scratch was something Sansa prided herself in. She always got compliments on it and was usually asked to share her recipe. After churning together the flour, butter, shortening and water in her yellow KitchenAid mixer, Sansa gathered the dough and wrapped it in saran wrap to chill in the refrigerator. It had to chill for at least an hour, preferably two, so that left Sansa with nothing to do for another stint of time.
She flopped on the couch again and idly scrolled through her Facebook app. The realization that she hadn't yet searched for Sandor on Facebook hit her and she typed his name in the search bar. Sandor Clegane wasn't a very common name, and she found him without any trouble and quickly added him as a friend. To Sansa's surprise, the friend request was accepted almost immediately. He must be taking a break from work or something. Sandor's profile picture was of him perched on top of a big black horse, coiled rope on hand. She assumed it was the same horse from the rodeo pictures she had found in his office. Only this picture looked like it had been taken on his farm, because she saw the red barn in the background she had seen behind his house the night he took her home for coffee. Making herself comfortable on her couch, Sansa navigated to the rest of Sandor's pictures. There weren't very many of himself that he had uploaded, just views of the farm, groups of cattle bunched together, and a few of that same large bull Sansa had seen framed in his office. There were tons of tagged pictures of him though. 2,478 tagged pictures of Sandor Clegane? Don't mind if I do! Sansa swiped through picture after picture of Sandor. Most were of him on the sidelines of the football field, or gathered next to his players after a game. There were some taken by Bronn, that were of Sandor around the farm. Before she knew it, Sansa had swiped herself all the way back to 2016. On June 11th of that year, a young woman named Sammie Sue Jones had taken a selfie of her and Sandor as she sat on his lap. She recognized the walls of The Rivershack behind them. A wide smile crossed Sammie Sue's face as Sandor, in what looked like the same cowboy hat that he had worn the night before, closed his eyes and nuzzled his nose into her hair without looking at the camera. His arms were locked around her and a small smile was on his lips. Sansa scrunched her nose and recalled what Margaery had told her at the bar. This must be the woman that 'shit on his heart.' With that thought fresh in her mind, Sansa immediately decided she disliked this woman, and felt another unreasonable twinge of jealousy. There were a few other pictures of them together, including one where the woman sat behind Sandor on the same black horse, this time with no saddle, with her arms tight around his waist. They were laughing at one another in the picture, and looked happy. Oh well, Sansa sighed to herself. No sense in getting worked up about an ex. Everyone has them, including me.
After a leisurely nap that lasted longer than she intended it to, Sansa took the pie dough out of the refrigerator, rolled it into a sheet and pressed it into her prettiest flowered Pioneer Woman pie dish. It didn't take her long to mix the filling together and it was in the oven in no time. It was 3:15 and knew she needed to start thinking about getting so she wouldn't keep Sandor waiting. After setting the timer for her pie, Sansa went to her vanity in the bathroom and put on a light coat of makeup and expertly applied winged eyeliner and a few coats of mascara. She pulled her hair free from the elastic that held it and fluffed it a few times before running her straightener over it to rid her hair of the crease form the elastic. By the time she was done curling her hair with her curling wand, it was 4:05 and her pie was ready. While it cooled, Sansa dressed herself in jeans and her new boots and put on a plain, emerald green tank top that hugged her curves, but wasn't too tight. All she could think about while she was getting herself ready was the feeling of Sandor's lips on hers the night before. She closed her eyes as she remembered how his rough hands had felt against her smooth skin. As Sansa counted down the minutes until Sandor arrived, she wondered if he would kiss her again tonight. The thought only excited her more and she sat impatiently jiggling her legs as they hung off the couch. At 4:47, her phone alerted her to an incoming text. She lunged for it and saw it was from Sandor.
Sandor: Hey, I'm fixin to head your way. You ready to go?
Sansa: Yes I am! I'll be watching for you out the window.
Sandor: Ok, see you in a few minutes.
Sansa didn't reply, but instead went to the kitchen to wrap the pie dish in tin foil. Another text came through as she was putting the foil back into the drawer.
Sandor: I haven't been able to stop thinking about you all day...
When Sansa read his text, her heart soared. Not realizing what she was doing, she clutched her phone to her chest and breathed out a sigh.
Sandor knew he would never be able to tell Sansa about his constant thoughts about her in person, so he had chosen to tell her through a text message. Not the most suave move, he knew, and even though he was starting to feel a bit more comfortable around Sansa, he still got as nervous as a sixteen year old on his first date when it came to actually telling Sansa how he felt.
Sansa: I've been thinking about you all day too :) Especially last night in your truck.
Sandor: Well there's more where that came from.
It wasn't but a few seconds after Sandor had pulled up in front of the coffee shop that he saw Sansa bound down the steps of the building. The simple green tank top she wore contrasted beautifully with her pale skin and her fiery red hair. Her jeans fit around her in the most perfect way that made Sandor want to see if he could fit a hand between the fabric and the flesh of her ass. He reached across the front seat and opened the passenger door for her to climb in. Once inside with the door shut, Sansa put whatever she was carrying on the dashboard and reached for him. What started as a hug, turned into a passionate kiss when she pulled away from his shoulder where she had buried her face during the embrace to find his lips.
Reminding herself not to get out of hand, Sansa ended the tangle of tongues and lips with one last chaste kiss. "Hello."
"That was by far my favorite hello from anyone. Ever."
With a giggle, Sansa reached up and took the pie dish and set it in her lap as they drove.
"What's that?" Asked Sandor, nodding his head towards the dish in her lap.
With a sheepish smile, Sansa replied, "I made a pie."
"No shit? A pie for me?!" An incredulous grin appeared on Sandor's lips as he reached a hand over to peel back a bit of the foil. He drew it back after Sansa lightly slapped it away. "What kind?"
"Buttermilk."
"Mmmm...that sounds good. I'll definitely enjoy that later on." He teased.
"Well now wait a minute...I'll get to enjoy it too! You can't possibly eat the whole thing by yourself!"
A deep laugh rolled from Sandor's chest as he turned down his driveway. "I bet if I tried real hard I could. You haven't seen the way I eat yet..." Sandor put his truck in park in front of his house. Familiarity and comfort returning to him, he reached over and patted Sansa's thigh. "Why don't you run this pie inside and then we'll go hook the stock trailer up."
As Sansa climbed the steps to his porch, Sandor admired the way her ass filled out her jeans. As she stepped back down the stairs after emerging though the front door, he noticed her new footwear.
"New boots?" He asked as she climbed back into the passenger's seat.
"Yes, I got them from Stubb's Mercantile!" Sansa held a foot up for Sandor to admire. "Do you like them?"
Sandor smiled appreciatively and nodded. "Yes I do. I like anything that you wear." I would especially like you wearing nothing, he added silently.
It was then that Sansa noticed the large brace Sandor had on his left knee over his jeans. It was an imposing looking thing, with thick neoprene straps and heavy duty plastic joints. "Is that the leg that you hurt?" What a stupid question, Sansa, of course that's the leg he hurt!
"Yeah..." Sandor fidgeted with one of the velcro straps. "I usually only wear it when I'm on my horse or working out." Gloom plagued his face as he continued. "Can't do two of the things I loved the most anymore. Football and rodeo." He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "I guess I could team rope, since that wouldn't involve me jumping off my horse at high speed."
"What did you do before?"
"Tie down roping...calf roping. When you get off to go tie your calf, you step down hard on your left leg."
Understanding what he mean, Sansa nodded her head. She felt bad for Sandor. How horrible it must be to not be able to do the things you love anymore. "Well I'm sure that your experience has only made you a wonderful football coach."
"Hah! Yeah...they say 'those who can't do, teach.' Guess that's me. I've got a few kids around here I give roping lessons to, also." Without realizing he was doing it, Sandor reached for Sansa's hand and brought it to his lips. "Lemme get this trailer hooked up so we can get goin."
Sansa watched form her position in the front seat as Sandor expertly backed his truck up to the long trailer the she assumed his cows would go in. In no time, Sandor had the trailer hooked up and was artfully backing it up so the door was flush with the chute that would usher the cows onto the trailer. Sansa hadn't noticed the spurs jingling on Sandor's boots until he shut the truck off and slid out of the seat. Sansa followed suit and took in her surroundings as her feet touched the ground. They were a ways behind the house, but off to the side, where there were about half a dozen holding pens. One large one held about thirty or forty glossy, black cows whose coats shone in the evening sun. The black horse she recognized from Sandor's pictures was tied to a post outside the pens, saddled and looking ready to work. An older man emerged from the barn, sipping from a bottle of water and began to head their way. A huge smile appeared on his face when he saw Sansa.
"You must be Sansa." The man drawled when he was close enough to extend a hand out to her. "I'm Ray. You have no idea how happy I am to meet you."
Reaching out to shake his hand, Sansa smiled widely and blushed. "Yes, Sansa Stark. So nice to meet you, Ray."
"My you're pretty." Ray turned and winked to Sandor. "She certainly is pretty, son." The older man turned and patted Sandor on the shoulder before entering one of the pens.
"Is Ray your dad?" Sansa asked after hearing him call Sandor son.
Sandor smiled and chuckled lightly as he shook his head. "No, not exactly. My parents died when I was pretty young. He's been the only consistent father type figure I've ever had though. Even if I've only known him for a few years." He put an arm around Sansa's shoulders and squeezed. "I'll tell you all about it later." After a light kiss that sent delicious shivers creeping down Sansa's spine, Sandor walked to his horse and swung himself up into the saddle after pulling the rein loose that tethered him to the post.
From the top of a railing of a pen that didn't contain any cows, Sansa watched as Ray and Sandor sorted through the cows they would take to the sale. They worked together like a well-oiled machine. From horseback, Sandor would cut off the ones he wanted to keep in the pen while pushing the others towards another pen that Ray opened and closed the gate to. Seeming to know his job very well, Sandor's horse pinned his ears back and stepped towards the cows that needed to be pushed into the other pen. It was an interesting sight to see. Sandor's massive fingers closed delicately around the thin leather of the reins as he skillfully maneuvered his horse amongst the cows. After half an hour or so, Sandor had sorted out the ones they would load on to the trailer. From the back of his horse, he swung a gate open and was soon nudging the animal towards where Sansa was sitting on the rail. Both Sandor and his horse were wet with sweat, but Sansa reached around him for a hug anyway.
"What's your horse's name?"
Giving Sandor an affectionate pat on the neck, Sandor replied, "His name is Stranger."
Sansa reached out to scratch his broad forehead. "He's beautiful." Having never been around horses that much in her life, Sansa was a little nervous with his head being so close. She knew they didn't have teeth like dogs did, but they were known to bite from time to time. But she knew Sandor wouldn't have gotten him so close to her if he was a biter. "Hey Stranger."
In response to getting scratches, Stranger swung his head towards Sansa, almost throwing her off balance. He was just about to rub his large, sweaty head on Sansa's jeans when Sandor laughed and pulled him away with his right rein. "Careful. He likes getting scratches so much he'll rub his nasty, sweaty head all over you."
"He seems like a sweet boy."
"Stranger's kinda mellowed out in his older age. He used to be really mean and wouldn't think twice about biting anyone. But I guess now he's gotten over himself." In an act that surprised himself, Sandor kissed the air in Sansa's direction before guiding his horse back towards the cattle that were left in the pen.
From her perch on top of the panel, Sansa watched as Sandor and Ray pushed the remaining cows down a lane that led back out towards one of the open fields behind the barn. When they came back a few minutes later, Sansa joined Sandor and Ray at the entrance to the big, red barn.
After checking the time on his phone, Sandor slid from Stranger's back. He winced as his left leg hit the ground. Riding always made his knee stiff, but it was the easiest way to gather cows. "I'm gonna put Stranger up and go change real quick before we go." Sandor loosened the front cinch of his saddle and let the back one hang loose. Stranger heaved an appreciative sigh and cocked one back hoof up to rest on his toe.
Ray stepped forward and held out a hand to take the horse's reins. "Why don't Sansa and I put him away while you go change?" With a sideways smile, Sandor handed over the reins and turned to give Sansa a kiss on the forehead before heading to the house.
Ray draped an arm across Sansa's shoulders. "Come on, my dear. This way." He led Sansa and Stranger into the alley of the barn and picked up a rope halter.
"So how long have you known Sandor?" Sansa asked as she watched Ray slip the bridle off of Stranger's head and replace it with the halter. Now free of the bit in his mouth, Stranger opened it wide for a yawn and shook his head, tossing his long, black mane about.
"Oh, well now let's see...we've known each other since he moved here about eight years ago. He rented the house I live in now and started to work here on the farm in addition to his teaching job." Ray pulled the heavy saddle from Stranger's back and carried it into the tack room and set it on one of the wooden saddle stands.
"Did you teach him what he knows about cows?"
Ray emerged from the tack room and gathered the lead rope of Stranger's halter and began to lead the sweaty horse to the wash racks for a much needed hose down. "No, his uncle had a cattle farm that he worked on while he lived with them." Sansa stood back as she watched Ray hose the horse off. Stranger seemed to like the cool water spraying on his steamy skin and he curled his lips back and shook his whole body. "Has Sandor not told you about his family?"
"No, not yet."
"Ahh." Ray turned the water off and hung the hose back on its rack. "Well I imagine that would be something he would like to tell you about." He gave Sansa a reassuring wink as he began to scrape the extra water off Stranger's body with what looked like a squeegee to Sansa.
"Is it not a very happy story?"
Heaving a sigh, Ray turned to Sansa. "No, my dear I'm afraid it's not." On the way out of the barn, Ray stopped and left Stranger standing to drip dry in the barn aisle. He motioned for Sansa to follow him into what Sansa discovered was a feed room. After filling three buckets with a scoop of grain each, he dusted his hands off on his jeans and looked at Sansa once more. "If he hasn't told you about his family yet, then I'm sure he hasn't mentioned that he used to be a very angry young man."
"Here, let me get some of those." Sansa said as she reached for two of the buckets. Being very intrigued by Ray's revelations of Sandor, Sansa wanted for him to elaborate, but wasn't quite sure how to ask him to. Luckily, Ray continued speaking as they carried the feed buckets out into the evening sun.
"I'm not talking about just being grumpy on bad day, I mean...mad at the world, miserable cuss to be around." Sansa stood back as Ray opened a gate for Stranger to amble through. He then poured the buckets of feed into three other buckets that hung inside the fence. Two more horses came running from the far side of the field. One was a beautiful palomino color with a nearly white mane and tail. The other was a bright red sorrel with a red mane and tail to match. Stranger pinned his ears at the other two and claimed his bucket with a snort. Sansa was dwelling on Ray's words. So far, Sandor had been nothing but nice and sweet towards Sansa. She couldn't imagine him being mean in any way. "He didn't open up to anyone really, didn't trust anyone. He still doesn't open up very easily, I guess. But he's softened a bit. Nowhere near as mean and angry as he used to be."
"What changed him so much?"
As the horses ate their feed, Ray reached a hand over the top wire of the fence to rub the palomino's forehead. He sighed thoughtfully. "Well, I'd like to think I had some part in that." He chuckled. "I guess I was the closest thing he's ever had to a therapist. Sandor and I used to spend hours talking. Talking about life, his problems, love...the lack of love. We talked a lot about his injury and how it changed his life. At first, he thought it changed him for the worst, but he finally has come to terms with how his life has ended up so far."
They both heard the front door slam and turned in time to see Sandor job down the steps. He had changed into fresh jeans without his brace, a light blue button up shirt and the same cowboy hat he had worn to The Rivershack. "Alright, y'all ready to go?"
The sale barn was set up with a small arena in front of the auctioneer stand. There were rows of seats, each row higher than the one in front of it, like a miniature stadium. Sansa was amazed at the speed of the auctioneer's complicated, tongue twisting speech. While Sandor pushed his cows one at a time through the sale pen, Ray sat with Sansa in the stands to keep her company. Sansa and Ray chatted idly about nothing in particular. They talked about the people Sansa had met so far in Paradise Holler, places she should see while she lived here, and things she should do. She liked Ray immensely and even though she didn't know the extent of it, she was thankful for the impact that he had had on Sandor's life. Once all of Sandor's cows had gone through and had been sold, Sandor joined Sansa and Ray in the stands. Ray went off in search of some old friends he had seen earlier. Sansa had been so involved with her conversation with Ray, she hadn't gotten a chance to ask about how everything at the auction worked.
"So what do the numbers on the cow's sides mean?" On each of the cows that came through the small arena, there were stickers that had two numbers separated by a forward slash.
Happy that Sansa was interested in the ongoings of the auction and was asking him questions, Sandor leaned into her so she could hear him over the auctioneer. "So the number to the left of the slash is her age. The number on the right is the number of months since she's been bred."
"Oh ok, so that cow there..." Sansa squinted her eyes at the cow in the pen. "...she's two years old and is five months pregnant."
Sandor put a hand on Sansa's back to rub up and down. "Correct." He flashed her a smile. "But technically, that out there is a heifer."
"What's the difference?"
"Well if she's only two, that means this is her first calf. Usually, they don't have their first calf until that age, and a cow that hasn't had a calf yet is called a heifer. And if there's a zero on the right side of the slash then..." Sandor prompted to see if Sansa had caught on.
To his delight, Sansa answered correctly. "Then that means she's not pregnant?"
"You got it." After pulling Sansa in for a kiss on the forehead, Sandor whispered into her ear. "I'll never get tired of being able to do that..." Sansa smiled at the thought and found herself thinking the same thing. Sandor handed Sansa the card with his bidding number on it. "You wanna bid for me?"
Hesitantly, Sansa took the card and scoffed at him. "How will I know when to bid?"
"I'll let you know when to hold it up."
As the auction progressed, Sandor explained to Sansa what he looked for in a potential cow or heifer. When one came along he was interested in buying, he nudged Sansa to hold the card up. Sansa felt a little silly doing it at first, but she soon got caught up in the excitement as the auctioneer directed the sale of the animals.
"So why are you always selling and buying cows?" She wondered out loud as a cow came through that Sandor didn't want to bid on.
"Well, we have three bulls that we breed to our herd, and we usually keep the heifers that are born from the bulls, and sell the steers. But we've got to keep up with the breeding carefully to avoid inbreeding. We can breed our cows to the same bull several times, but we can't breed their offspring to the one that sired them, so we sell them, or breed them to one of the other bulls. But folks around here are always wanting to buy ones that have been bred to our best bull, so it's a good way to make a little extra money here and there."
"Oh I see." Sansa scooted a bit closer and Sandor's arm wrapped around her waist. "And your best bull...does he have a name?"
"BSR Easy E. He's the one in the picture above my desk in the office."
Sansa smiled at his name. "What do the letters mean?"
"BSR stands for Brother and Sons Ranch. And I added the 'Easy E' in there because he's a pretty laid back bull. Real easy to handle. I call him Easy." Once more, Sandor pulled Sansa closer for him to whisper. "Of course, I'd be pretty easy going too if my only job was to fuck all the time..."
Sansa shuddered in response to the way Sandor's lips brushed across her earlobe. Knowing he better stop before his body started reacting to his thoughts of Sansa, Sandor pulled away with a wink and turned his attention back to the auction.
By the time the auction was over, Sandor had purchased fifteen unbred cows that he would soon breed to Easy. Even though he bought more than he sold, Sandor still made a profit, since his heifers had gone for more than the rest.
After securing his new cows in a large holding pen for the night, Sandor unhooked his trailer and soon found himself once again with Sansa on his front porch with coffee. This time, there was also the pie Sansa had made. It was fairly late, so Ray had gone home, politely declining Sandor's invitation to stay and have a slice of pie. Moses happily greeted Sandor and Sansa at the front door and joined them in the warm night air. He had been very put out that Sandor had left him behind. But it had been too hot to let him stay in the truck during the auction and dogs technically were not allowed inside the livestock arena. The sun had long since gone down, but the porch lights gave off enough of a soft glow to illuminate the area around the rocking chairs they sat in.
"MMMM...Damn! This pie is delicious, Sansa!"
Hiding a smirk behind the hand that held her fork, Sansa giggled. "Thank you! So is this your favorite kind? Did I guess well?"
Having quickly finished his slice, Sandor was resorting to licking the remaining crumbs and pie filling from his fork. "Well, as amazing as this is, it's not my favorite kind."
"Oh really?" Sansa began as she set her empty plate on the small table between them. "So what is your favorite?"
"You'll just have to guess." Replied Sandor as he tossed his fork onto the plate next to Sansa's. He shot her a wink. "Try again. Next time, maybe you'll get it right."
Sansa grinned and narrowed her eyes. "Oh ok...I see exactly what you're doin. You just want for me to keep bringing you different kinds until I figure out which is your favorite."
"I will neither agree or disagree with that theory."
Sansa crossed one leg over the other and heaved a content sigh. In her mind, she began making a list of possible pie options that could potentially be Sandor's favorite. Chocolate, lemon meringue, apple, sweet potato, pecan... Sandor's voice jolted her thoughts away from her mental list.
"You asked earlier if Ray was my dad...and I told you I would tell you about it later..." Sandor began. He paused to collect his thoughts. "I was real young, five...maybe six. I don't remember exactly. One night, our house caught on fire. I remember waking up smelling the smoke, being scared to death. Crying. Not knowing what to do. My dad ran into the bedroom I shared with my older brother, Gregor. Only Gregor wasn't in there." Sandor bit his lip and cleared his throat, trying to recall the horrifying night that he had repressed for so long. It wasn't a story he told very often, especially not to people be hadn't known that long. It had been a long time since he had told the story. Years, maybe. But he really wanted to take a chance and open up to Sansa. "My dad snatched me up out of my bed and carried me outside...my brother was already out there, though we didn't know why. He left us in the front yard and went back inside for my mama. I don't know why she hadn't already gotten out. Only..." with a shuddering breath, Sandor paused. "Only they didn't make it out in time."
Tears filled Sansa's eyes as she processed Sandor's words. A hand flew to Sansa's mouth to stifle her gasp. "Oh Sandor, I'm so sorry." She reached over and placed a hand on his knee. With tears stinging behind his eyes, Sandor closed them and kept telling his story.
"I don't really remember my mother. Not very well. She used to sing to me when I was sad or scared. That's really one of my most vivid memories of her. She was very beautiful, I know that. I know all little boys think that their mama is pretty, but she really was. I still have a few old pictures of her that my uncle gave me. That's where we ended up. Gregor and I. My aunt and uncle took us in. They lived close to Oxford, Mississippi, and own a small cattle operation. Nothing as big as this one here, but the same basic concept. It made just enough money to keep us afloat. My aunt and uncle had four kids of their own, so Gregor and I made six. That was a lot of mouths to feed, and a lot of the time, we had to go without something else if it meant keeping us all fed. I stayed in hand me down clothes, shared a bed with my cousin, stuff like that. But my uncle was...is, still is...a good man. He took me to football practice, and taught me how to swing a rope. He used to rodeo and saw that I loved the horses that his neighbor had. His neighbor let my uncle teach me to ride and rope using his old horse. So he made me a deal. He said if I worked hard at it, and showed promise, he would somehow find me a decent horse." Sandor paused to laugh at the memory of his first horse. "So I practiced and practiced, I roped the dummy for hours on end, until my hands bled. My uncle kept his word too. He found this sorry old nag that a buddy of his was selling for cheap. We would pull up to rodeos and ropings in this old beat up truck and shitty trailer. Our rig was the laughing stock at the junior rodeos. Most everyone else had fancy trucks and trailers they brought. But they didn't laugh when I showed 'em all up and left with a fat check. I always saved the money I won to use for my next entry fee, or for my football gear. My uncle never would take any of it that I offered to him, as a thank you. He always insisted that I keep it, because I had earned it. I paid my way wherever I went. I never took it for granted either." For a brief minute, Sandor considered telling Sansa the story of his scars. Yet another reason why he got laughed at whenever he went out in public. But he decided against it.
He mentioned a brother... Sansa thought as Sandor finished his story. "What about your brother, is he still alive?"
A hint of darkness clouded Sandor's eyes as he fidgeted with his fingers in his lap. "That, my darlin...is another story. For another time."
The clipped tone of the words he spoke hinted to Sansa that the topic of his brother was a tense one and she shouldn't push it any further. After a minute, Sandor's voice broke the silence. "So you haven't really mentioned much about your family..."
With a sigh, Sansa looked sadly over at Sandor. "Well, it's not much happier than your story."
"Oh. Well, it's ok, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Sansa shook her head. Since Sandor had opened up and told her about his family, she wanted to do the same. "It was almost three years ago. My parents and my two younger brothers had driven down to Atlanta to meet the man I was dating at the time. We all had dinner together, my older brother, Robb and his wife were there, too. My little sister, Arya wasn't there, though. She's in school abroad. It was late when they left to drive home. I remember mom kissed me goodbye and told me how happy she was that I had finally found someone who was worth settling down with. She liked my ex. He was so charming. That was all complete bullshit though, some to find out." Laughing slightly at the though of how superficial Joffrey had been, Sansa paused. Telling Sandor about her last relationship would help her make Sandor understand why she wasn't ready for another one. She knew she should suck it up and tell him, but she was scared. One difficult story at a time, she decided, and only stuck with the story of how her parents died. "Dad was driving mom's car. The police later said the man in the van fell asleep and sideswiped their car when he woke up and overcorrected. My dad lost control of the car and it spun around. The..." Sansa stopped to pull in a ragged breath. "The semi truck...that was behind them...the driver couldn't stop in time." Tears were beginning to spill from her eyes as she choked on the words. "It ran right into them. Killed them instantly. Mom, dad...oh God...Bran and Rickon. They were so young. Bran was going in college at Vanderbilt...Rickon had just graduated high school." Unable to go on, Sansa dropped her head into her hands and let her tears flow, her shoulders shaking with her sobs.
Seeing Sansa cry was something Sandor couldn't bear. His heart ached for her in a way that he was familiar with from his own family situation. He reached across the space between them and eased her hand out from under her face. Gently, he pulled her to him, encouraging her out of her chair and into his. Sansa rose and crossed the few steps to his rocking chair and sank into his lap, drawing her knees to her chest and resting her feet on the arm of the chair. Strong arms circled around her as he began to rock the chair back and forth against the wooden floor of the porch. Sandor tucked her head under his chin and held her close. Comforting someone was something Sandor felt like he was not very good at. Before he could talk himself out of it, Sandor began to sing, low and soft. Since his mother had sang to him as a form of comfort, maybe it would provide Sansa with a bit as well. At first, his voice sounded awkward and foreign to him as he rasped out the lyrics to a song his mother always used to sing to him.
"There are places I'll remember,
all my life, though some have changed,
some forever, not for better,
some have gone and some remain,
all these places have their moments,
with lovers and friends, I still can recall,
some are dead and some are living,
in my life, I've loved them all..."
Suddenly remembering the next few words of the song, Sandor let his voice fade away. He kept rocking the chair and tightened his grip around her but still kept his fingers gently tracing up and down the length of her upper arm. From within his strong arms, Sansa moved minutely against his chest and smiled. "Don't stop..." she whispered quietly. The rhythmic creak of the rocking chair and Sandor's warm, deep voice were hypnotic.
"But of all these friends and lovers,
there is no one, compares with you,
and these memories lose their meaning,
when I think of love, as something new,
though I know I'll never lose affection,
for people and things that went before,
I know I'll often stop and think about them,
in my life..."
Once again realizing which words came next, Sandor froze. If he were to continue, he knew it wouldn't be a lie. But Sansa nestled her head deeper into the curve of his neck and breathed a sigh against his skin that elicited goosebumps underneath the stubble of his beard.
"Keep going..." Sansa urged again, her voice barely audible.
Sandor closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Before he continued, he pressed his lips to the top of her head.
"In my life...I love you more..."