Finding Home (10 page)

“
Almost too beautiful to
walk on,” Nat said, “but I am thirsty,” she said as she stepped off
the porch.

Gyp ran past Marissa and flew off the
porch into the blanket of snow following Nat. Nat bent down and
grabbed a handful of snow and pressed it into a ball before tossing
it to Gyp. Gyp jumped to catch the ball which disintegrated in her
mouth as soon as she caught it. Gyp shook her head and cocked it at
her master, looking dumbfounded as the ball melted in her
mouth.

“
It’s called snow, Gyp,” Nat
said with a laugh as she lifted the pump handle to draw some fresh
water.

Gyp raced her back to the porch where
Marissa was waiting for them. “Beautiful, but cold too,” she said
as she led them back inside.

She took the bucket from Nat and dipped
them each a glass of water and set a bowl for Gyp.

“
Will you stay here with me
tonight?” Nat asked.

“
Only if you promise to keep
me warm,” Marissa said as Nat pulled her into her lap.

“
I think I can do that,” Nat
said.

“
I am sure you can,” Marissa
agreed and leaned into Nat for a kiss. “I am getting warm already,”
she said when they broke the kiss.

“
There is much more of that
to keep you warm all night long,” Nat promised.

“
I am off tomorrow, so I
will look forward to being kept warm all night long,” Marissa
whispered into Nat’s ear as her tongue trailed down Nat’s
neck.

They kissed and caressed each other
until dinner was ready and they shared a hearty meal, with plenty
of leftovers for the next day. When Nat could eat no more she
pushed the plate away from her and sat back in her
chair.

“
I am about to explode,” she
said. “That was one fine meal,” she said.

“
We make a good team,”
Marissa said.

“
Yes we do,” Nat
said.

She stood to start clearing the table
and was stopped by Marissa.

“
I will get these,” she
said. “Why don’t you relax?” she said.

“
I will go down to the
smokehouse and check the wood then while you pick up the table,”
Nat said. “Then we are all done for the night and can both relax,”
she said.

“
That is a good idea,”
Marissa said as she watched Nat and Gyp leave the cabin.

Marissa rushed to clean the dishes and
then turned out the lamps except for one which she turned down low.
She tossed another log in the fireplace in the bedroom and turned
the lamp by the bedside low as she stripped off her clothes and
climbed between the cold sheets.

Nat and Gyp walked the path down to the
smokehouse where Nat placed several logs on the fire and checked
the security of the meat. Content that everything was progressing
well, Nat locked the smokehouse door and she and Gyp walked back to
the cabin.

The room was dim as she walked inside
and hung her coat by the door. She turned off the oil to the lamp
and the room was pitched into darkness. She could see the soft glow
of the lamp coming from the bedroom and followed it like a moth to
a flame.

Marissa was lying in the bed waiting
for her return.

“
Welcome back,” she purred
from the nice warm bed.

Nat smiled at her and reached behind
her head to pull the undershirt off her body. She then sat down on
the bed and unlaced her boots and removed them and her socks. Nat
stood to unfasten her pants and turned to see Marissa watching her
closely.

Marissa had not had the opportunity to
watch Nat undress and she smiled as Nat’s hands slowly lowered the
dungarees and tossed them aside. She admired Nat’s long, lean body
in the soft glow of the oil lamp and was disappointed when Nat
reached over and turned off the oil.

Marissa felt the covers rise and then
felt the weight of Nat’s body as she entered the bed. Nat pressed
her cold body next to Marissa’s and was welcomed into her warm arms
with a passionate kiss. Marissa pulled Nat on top of her and
wrapped her legs around Nat’s waist, holding her close as her body
warmed. The full moon had risen and was shining through the bedroom
window as Nat looked down into Marissa’s face. Her dark eyes shined
with excitement as Marissa said, “Love me tonight, Nat.”

Nat covered her mouth with a kiss and
loved her slowly and tenderly then later with wild abandon.
Marissa’s sounds of pleasure rang in Nat’s ears as she loved her
deep into the night and finally collapsed exhausted in Marissa’s
arms for a night of dreamless sleep.

PART SEVEN

The next morning Nat woke to the smell
of frying bacon. Marissa’s spot in the bed had turned cold as Nat
reached for her and realized she was not in the bed. She stretched
her body and then quietly crept from the bed and slipped on some
clothes. The air in the bedroom had grown cool with the dying of
the fire and Nat placed more logs on the embers and stirred them
until a small flame licked up the sides of the newly placed
wood.

Nat walked into the kitchen and hugged
Marissa from behind.

“
Good morning,” she said, as
her hands slid down Marissa’s arms and turned her body.

“
I hope you are hungry. I
felt like cooking a full breakfast this morning,” Marissa said.
“Gyp has kept me company in your absence and I think she has worked
up an appetite walking between the kitchen and bedroom to check on
you.”

Nat leaned down and stroked the dog’s
head. “She is a very faithful companion. I don’t know what I would
have done without her these last few months,” Nat said.

“
Have a seat at the table
and I will bring you some coffee,” Marissa said.

“
Thanks,” Nat said, as
Marissa placed a cup of the steaming liquid in front of
her.

“
You are welcome,” Marissa
said as she walked to the fireplace and pulled out a tray of fresh
biscuits.

“
Those look fabulous,” Nat
said, as she watched Marissa cut several open then placed a pat of
butter between the steaming halves.

“
How would you like your
eggs cooked?” Marissa asked.

“
I think fried would be very
nice this morning.”

“
Fried it is then,” Marissa
said, as Nat watched her take four eggs from the basket.

Marissa cracked the eggs and dropped
their contents inside the skillet she had used to bake the
biscuits. They began to sizzle even before she reached the
fireplace. Marissa sat the skillet on a small rack and returned to
set the table as they eggs fried.

Gyp sat at Nat’s feet, licking her lips
as the smell of Marissa’s cooking filled the air.

Marissa finished the eggs and doled out
two onto Nat’s plate and one to her own, placing the last of the
fried eggs in a bowl she was preparing for Gyp. She mashed up the
egg and broke up a biscuit and a few slices of bacon and cubes of
fried potatoes into her bowl and mixed it together. Gyp waited
patiently for Marissa to finish and when Marissa bent down to place
her bowl on the floor, Gyp licked her face in
appreciation.

“
I do believe you are
spoiling my dog,” Nat said with a grin.

“
Gyp deserves spoiling just
as much as you do,” Marissa said as she served the bacon and
potatoes.

“
This looks and smells
great,” Nat said.

“
Get to eating then, before
it gets cold,” Marissa said.

Nat picked up her fork and began
devouring the food. The yokes of the eggs broke and spread out
across her plate and she used the fresh biscuits to sop up each
drop of the precious liquid.

“
That was really good,” Nat
said.

Gyp let out a soft woof, adding to her
praise.

“
I am very glad you two
enjoy my cooking,” Marissa said.

“
What plans do you have for
your day off?” Nat asked.

“
I have some laundry to do
and I thought I might bake a pie if I could talk you into going to
town and buying some apples,” Marissa said.

“
For your apple pie, I would
walk a hundred miles,” Nat said. “Are there any other supplies we
need?”

“
We have some meat left over
from dinner last night, so we can heat that,” Marissa said. “I will
also bring down some beans I canned this summer,” Marissa said, “so
I guess we are good for now.”

“
I will help you get the
fire and wash pot ready before Gyp and I walk into town,” Nat
said.

Marissa stood and was about to start
clearing the table, when Nat took her arm and pulled her into her
lap. She encircled Marissa with her arms and leaned down to softly
kiss her lips.

“
Thank you for such a
wonderful meal,” Nat said.

“
You are most welcome,”
Marissa said, as her cheeks flushed with color. “For a kiss like
that, I will cook for you every day.”

“
You don’t have to cook to
get a kiss from me,” Nat said as she kissed Marissa again, her
tongue parting her lips to tenderly probe her mouth.

Nat’s hand slid up Marissa’s leg
beneath her skirt. Nat could feel the quivering of Marissa’s body
as she softly stroked her thigh. Marissa placed her hand on top of
Nat’s.

“
If you keep that up, I
won’t get my wash done and you won’t get a pie tonight,” she
said.

Nat looked into Marissa eyes and she
saw the desire sparkling in her eyes.

“
I won’t perish without pie
and I am sure we can find another clean outfit for you to wear,”
Nat said as she lifted Marissa and carried her back to bed.
“Besides, it is still early in the day.”

Nat carefully undressed Marissa,
placing her dress on the chair next to the bed and she pulled her
shirt over her head and stepped out of her dungarees. She climbed
onto the bed and pressed Marissa’s body onto the soft
mattress.

Nat covered Marissa’s mouth with her
own as her hand softly cupped a breast, gently squeezing and
kneading the warm flesh. Marissa’s back arched as her moans
vibrated in Nat’s mouth. Marissa boldly reached down between Nat’s
thighs and found her soft curls damp with excitement. Her fingers
stroked the length of Nat’s lips, teasing her, as Nat’s fingers
slowly rolled Marissa’s nipples between her thumb and
fingers.

Nat’s tongue left Marissa’s mouth,
burning a hot trail down from her neck to her left breast where she
flicked the tip of her tongue across Marissa’s erect nipple.
Marissa smiled at Nat as her fingertips parted her lips and located
her swollen bud, lightly brushing it as Nat’s tongue teased her
nipple.

Nat closed her eyes as she struggled to
hold back her passion as Marissa ignited her body and covered her
breast, sucking her nipple deep into her mouth. Marissa moaned
loudly as Nat suckled her and slipped her fingers into Nat’s
wetness, penetrating her deeply. She curled her fingers inside Nat,
stroking her inner walls as Nat’s tongue swirled around her breast.
Nat’s hand caressed down Marissa’s side and came to rest between
her trembling thighs. Her teeth nibbled Marissa’s nipple as her
fingers gently spread her soaked lips and Nat’s fingers slid deep
inside Marissa.

Marissa began sliding her fingers in
and out of Nat’s body as she thrust her hips against Nat’s fingers.
Nat could feel the quivering of Marissa’s inner muscles as she
inserted a third finger, filling her body completely as she stroked
in and out of her body. Marissa’s breathing changed to panting as
her desire grew and her free hand pressed Nat’s mouth firmly
against her breast. Nat suckled her roughly and Marissa’s wetness
erupted to fill Nat’s hand, causing Nat’s pleasure to overwhelm her
as her body shook violently on top of Marissa.

Nat rolled over onto her back, gasping
for air as Marissa turned on her side to smile at her.

She watched as a small droplet of sweat
rolled down Nat’s side and moved to capture the salty offering with
her tongue.

“
I think we are both due for
a bath tonight,” she teased as her tongue licked up Nat’s
body.

“
That sounds like a
wonderful idea to me,” Nat said as she buried her hand in Marissa’s
hair and pulled her up for a deep kiss.

“
Do you still want to wash
today?” Nat asked.