REPRESENTED (33 page)

             
“Him?” Karin asked as she watched Gus mount his horse effortlessly.

             
“Yep, gelded him myself” Gus bragged.

             
Karin wrinkled her nose in distaste at the thought and Gus laughed.

             
“I’ll help you if you need it” Cassie asked with a twinkle in her eye.

             
“You just want to get a hand on my ass” Karin whispered as she put her foot in the stirrup and rose up over the saddle easily.  “It’s a good thing I ride my bike all the time or those muscles wouldn’t get used” she said louder and Cassie laughed as she got on her own horse.

             
“We’ll go on up to that rise over thar” Gus pointed “it’ll give us a good view of the ranch and you can see what we’ve been talkin’ about.”

             
They headed out single file with Gus in the lead and Karin between them with Cassie bringing up the rear.  Cassie didn’t mind.  Karin looked fine in her tight fitting jeans and watching her ass in the saddle did something to her stomach.  It made her think of inappropriate things that were better left for the bedroom but she consoled herself with the thought that Karin had started it with her comment about her hands on her ass.  As she watched her ride though she realized Karin knew what she was doing.  She rode with one hand holding both reins and the other free; she wasn’t grabbing the pommel like newcomers always did.  They had purchased gloves to go with the hat yesterday and she was wearing them today.  She looked like she belonged there except for the make-up.  They took a well-worn trail made first by wildlife and then later by stock as they made their way through several paddocks and then along a field until they began climbing a long low hill.  The view made it all worthwhile as they sat on their mounts who reached down to take advantage of the break and munch on the prairie grass.  Gently rolling hills abounded all around them and generations of settlers had made it home but for all the settlement the only thing around for a long way was the ranch house they were now sitting above.  It was beautiful, it was wild, it was free.  Karin saw pheasants on their trek through the grasses and pointed them out when she did.  Cassie was amazed she could even see them.  She narrowed her eyes, something here wasn’t adding up about her classy and sophisticated girlfriend.

             
They rode for over an hour before meandering back towards the ranch house.  Gus figured the city girl by then would have a sore butt and he didn’t want to hear any complaints although she had surprised him on a number of occasions since she had arrived.  She seemed to be a pretty game bird.  He was beginning to admire her and could see some of the points his daughter liked about her.  She shore was pretty and smarter than hell; he could enjoy that in a woman. 

             
As they entered the ranch yard and Gus and Cassie had swung off their mounts the phone at Karin’s waist went off.  Her mount went crazy in reaction.  The noise drove him insane and he immediately began bucking and fishtailing.  Karin grabbed the pommel for dear life with both hands and held on tighter with her thighs.  First one way and then the other as the ringing continued.  She hesitated to let go to hit the button on the side of her phone but she had to if she wanted it to stop ringing and soon.  Faintly she heard “hang on Karin!  HANG ON!” but knew only she could get it to stop.  She let go with one hand as he bucked and see-sawed trying to get the rider off of him and get rid of the unfamiliar noise that had scared him.  Karin tried to push the button but then cursed her touch phone; with the glove on she couldn’t get to the thin button on the side to silence the ringer.  She tried to remove the glove and nearly punched herself as she put her finger to her mouth.  The bucking horse wasn’t helping her balance or her concentration to keep from being thrown from the saddle.  Finally she was able to whip off the glove and she spit it out to slam her finger on the small button and silence the annoying ring.  The horse calmed but only marginally and took off running with her still barely clinging to its back.  She lost her already cockeyed hat and her hair streamed out behind her in the wind.  Faintly she heard “HOLD ON!” and could recognize the scream coming from Cassie.

             
Cassie stared stunned momentarily before she called “hang on Karin!  HANG ON!” and she moved towards the bucking bronc.  Gus held her arm back and said “careful honey” as they both watched Karin try to shut off her ringing phone and finally rip off her glove.  She was holding her own as he whipped and swung trying to get her off his back.  When the horse took off running Cassie mounted her own horse and took off after them.  “HOLD ON!” she screamed her heart in her throat at the danger that Karin was in.

             
Karin let the horse have its head and then gently began pulling back on the reins.  “Shh boy, shhh” she crooned to him trying to calm him a little as she became a little more firm and pulled a little harder.  He was listening as he slowed and she was able to get him under control.  She began to slow his head long rush and began to turn him using her legs and the reigns to get him to slow and turn at the same time.  She finally got him to stop when Cassie galloped up out of breath and pulled her horse to a violent stop.  She felt weak in the legs and in the arms as she looked up and over at Cassie. 

             
Cassie had never seen her look so alive or excited for that matter.  Her eyes snapped and her hair streamed out behind her.  She looked strangely wanton.  Her chest was heaving from her exertions.  Cassie didn’t know if it was relief on her part but she wanted Karin as she had never wanted her before.  “Are you okay?” she asked concerned.

             
Karin smiled shakily “yeah, if I don’t get any more phone calls I will be” she gave a small laugh.

             
Cassie walked her horse close and pulled Karin into her arms.  “Oh my god, I am so sorry!  I thought you were a goner there for a moment.”  She felt suddenly like crying in her relief.

             
Karin found herself comforting Cassie now “shh, its okay, shhh.”  She patted her back as she tried to get her breath back.  It had been very exciting.  She certainly hadn’t been prepared for it but now that she was okay and the horse had calmed she was feeling pretty damn good.

             
Cassie pulled back and looked deeply into Karin’s jade green eyes her own flicking back and forth between Karin’s and asking “Are you sure you’re okay?”

             
Karin smiled “I am now.”

             
“Jeezus” Cassie let out as she let her go.  “Let’s head back” she looked over her shoulder and saw her daddy watching them from far away.  They had galloped a longer way than either had realized.  “Can you ride him back or would you like to ride double?” she offered watching Karin closely.

             
“As much as I’d love to have my arms around you, I’ll ride him back” Karin smiled again to reassure her.

             
They set out carefully and Cassie watched her closely from the corner of her eye.  Karin handled the reins as though she knew what she was doing. “You’ve ridden before?” she asked cautiously.

             
Karin smiled “every chance I got as a kid.”

             
Cassie looked at her incredulously “you never said a word; you let us assume you’d never been on a horse.”

             
Karin shrugged her elegant shoulders “you know what they say about assumptions.  It isn’t my fault you made them.”

             
“You could have at least told me!”  Cassie said annoyed.

             
“You could have at least asked me!” Karin retorted with a grin.

             
She had to concede that was a valid point.  “Are you really okay?” she had never been more relieved seeing Karin still in the saddle when she rode up.

             
Karin nodded “I don’t want a repeat of that though, whew that was somethin’” she said imitating their drawl.

             
“I can’t believe you stayed in the saddle!” Cassie said admiredly.

             
“I have the feeling I’m going to be feeling that later.  My crotch is going to be sore.” She laughed at herself.

             
“I’ll massage it” Cassie offered slyly still feeling some of the arousal of a few minutes before when she had seen the wonderful look of excitement on Karin’s face.

             
Karin grinned in response and increased the pace of their ride back.

             
“You okay lil lady?” Gus asked concerned as they rode up into the paddock.

             
Karin nodded.  “I’ll just take it a little easier from now on.”

             
“You might want to turn that contraption off around the animals” he indicated her ever present phone that had caused all of the problems.

             
“Are you kidding?  This is my lifeline” she grinned.

             
He had noticed it was always with her and that she was frequently on it.  She had excused herself during dinner last night and while he had thought it rude Cassie explained it was part of her job.  He didn’t have to like it but if it helped his little girl he wasn’t going to complain.  He looked at her differently now though.  He had thought Cassie was just smitten by the big city gal and now he realized there was a whole lot more to her than he had thought.  She sure could ride and after what he had just witnessed she sure had a lot of gumption.

             
Karin gingerly got off her horse.  She was a little wobbly but thought she hid it well as she leaned against her horse and whispered to him.  He seemed to understand and one of the ranch hands came to take the two girls horses.  Karin walked with bowed legs towards the house feeling muscles that hadn’t been used in a long time.  She knew she was going to have some bruises too. 

             
“Do you need some help” Cassie grinned watching her.

             
Karin looked over at her and laughed “naw, I’ll manage” and tried to walk normally.  She stepped in a big pile of manure which was just like hitting a banana peel and slipped nearly doing the splits and winding up flat on her back side.

             
“My God Karin are you okay?” Cassie stood over her instantly trying to help her up but Karin waved her away.  Cassie was looking concerned but trying to keep from laughing at the same time.

             
Karin beat her to it she started with a giggle and ended up with a big belly laugh.  “If they could only see me now” she got out before collapsing in laughter that brought tears to her eyes.  The other two couldn’t help but join in.  It took a long time for it to wind down.

             
Gus and Cassie helped her to her feet and tried to brush her off.  Gus handed her the hat he had collected for her when her horse took off.  From that moment on Gus liked this big city gal a whole lot more, she certainly could roll with the punches. 

             
Karin stopped at the back porch and pried off her boots and left them to dry on a mat so she could clean them off later.  “How bad is my backside” she asked Cassie who was still giggling sporadically.  She tried to look over her own shoulder.

             
“You’re going to have to take your pants off” Cassie told her and Gus turned away mumbling about work in the barns.

             
“Could you go get me something to put around my middle?” Karin asked her as she realized her predicament.  She peeled off the blouse that was covering her camisole and looked at the back of it.  It was covered in muck.

             
Cassie went into the house and returned carrying a robe.  Karin stripped her pants off right there with Cassie holding up the robe to block the view from the barns and hoping none of the ranch hands could see the French cut bikini’s that Karin always wore.  They threw the shirt and pants over the railing to dry out and Karin wrapped the robe around her middle and walked in looking very fetching in her satin camisole and white ankle socks.

             
Karin was dressed in another pair of jeans and a camisole after taking a hot shower to remove the muck from her hair.  She had it back in a ponytail and for once was not wearing make-up.  She looked a far cry from Fifth Avenue but had a wholesome clean look about her.  Cassie certainly appreciated it as they ate their lunch.  Gus came in and suggested they take out some of the ATV’s to the farther reaches of the ranch.  He grinned as he added “since horseback riding was out.”  Karin laughed with him.

             
Cassie took her out on the ATV over the hills and Karin loved every minute of it as she had her arms locked around her.  They laughed and talked and scared up birds as they road on and off the trails.  Cassie had never seen this side of Karin and she fell deeper into love with this amazing and diverse woman.

That night they had a barbeque with the ranch hands and some of their wives and family milling around.  Karin played beer pong with some of the younger hands much to Cassie and Gus’s surprise.  She was good too which had them amazed and disgruntled by turns.  A couple of them tr
ied to hit on her but she pointed out she was too old for them, was in love with a beautiful woman, and they played beer games too poorly for her to even consider it.