A Summer By The Lake

She addressed the judge directly.

"Ma'am, my life is almost perfect. I'm a country girl now, if you force me back into the city I'll wither and die."

His lawyer was drowning and knew it. He tried to get her to say that she and her mother were under my influence and were just puppets. He was trying to lead her several times before the judge warned him.

Finally she snapped and started crying. I was out of my seat in a flash, but Sarah pulled me down. The judge didn't say anything, but it wasn't lost on her that when she was crying I was almost fighting to get to her, while her father sat and did nothing.

"Child, I think we've heard enough. If you got to choose, where would you go?"

"I'd go home with my mom and Harry, you're honor.

I'm safe there, Mom and Harry would make sure I was well cared for. Please your honor, can I go home now?"

Her father didn't take the loss well, fuming and vowing revenge while his lawyer tried to pull him outside the courtroom. He just barely missed a contempt citation.

Between sniffles she addressed the judge again.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome, my child. If I ever travel in your direction, I might stop by to say hello."

The judge smiled when B.B. showed her some pictures of her house and the lake. I was pretty much in every one of them. They drifted to the side and held a little private talk before coming back to us.

"Well, I'm going home now. I'd like to hug my daughter, but she's thirty and lives across the state. Think I'll call her tonight."

She looked at me.

"I just finished your last book. It's hard to believe it wasn't fiction. It was a tragedy, but a very good read. Working on the next one?"

I told her I was about half done, a novel, my first stab at pure romance. She pressured me until I promised her an advanced copy. B.B. giggled and said she would send her what she promised when the time is right.

"What did you promise to send her?" I asked as we got ready for the flight home.

She smiled her newly acquired grown up smile.

"A woman needs her secrets, Dad."

Sarahs' head snapped up. It was the first time she had heard her call me Dad. However, she said nothing. In fact, she was smiling when we left for the airport.

.................................................

To use the old fashioned term, we were going steady. Everyone assumed we were a couple now. Any invitations we got now were to both of us.

B.B. spent a lot of Saturday nights with the Sampsons while we went out. We returned the favor, watching over their children when they needed a little alone time. B.B. had her own room in my house now, and she and Sandy took advantage of it when they were over. Sarah and I would watch the youngsters until bedtime. We would do a little quiet snuggling and quite a bit of kissing before I would go back home to make sure B.B. and Sandy hadn't broken any furniture.

Most times I would find them asleep in front of my fifty two inch television, a romance in the DVD player. I would wake them gently and send them to bed. It was nothing for me to find them back in front of the television, asleep on a blowup mattress I bought just for these sleepovers, snuggled together, sleeping like a rock.

I usually started breakfast, calling Sarah to bring the little ones as soon as the things started getting done.

I was taking a break from writing a few months ago and B.B. had Rachel Ray on the TV, yelling for me to look.

The girl loved waffles, and Rachel was making them with cake mixes. Red velvet with cream cheese icing drizzled across the top. Chocolate with chocolate syrup. Strawberry with fresh strawberries and cream. The combinations were endless.

"Ooh, dad, look! Can we make some?"

I just grinned at her.

"Maybe. Promise to be as neat as always?"

She blushed. She wasn't inherently messy. just extremely disorganized. I had been working with her, threatening to banish her from my kitchen. Her mom had long ago banned her from theirs.

We bought a few cake mixes and syrups, and experimented. She was very good at it, and soon it became our Saturday morning breakfast. She would make the batters the night before and cook her concoctions the next day. Sarah would grumble about having to get up early on her day off, but would come. One day she came in, took off her heavy coat and boots, and redonned her robe. She was in flannel pajamas, and the lingering cold told me she hadn't bothered with a bra.

"I'm tired of getting dressed up to eat breakfast.", she said as she walked over to the fireplace, pulled a pair of thick fuzzy socks out of her robe pocket, and dragged a chair a little closer to the fire. Pulling a footstool in front of her, she propped her feet up with an audible sigh.

"Please Sarah, feel free to come over here undressed anytime." I said with a grin. We could hear B.B. giggling in the kitchen.

She blushed before she could stop herself and then smiled the adult version of the way B.B. did.

"I might just take you up on that."

It was my turn to blush. Her smile got bigger and she told me to get her some coffee.

After that they would both show up in pajamas, and after breakfast we would idle around the fireplace, reading the paper or catching up from our week, while B.B. played on the computer.

When B.B. had Sandy over and she tasted the waffles, things got complicated. As she made more friends, they became part of the breakfast group.

It kind of got out of hand. Sarah and I would go out and come back to a houseful of teen girls. It became a chore to get everyone up and to my house.

B.B. quickly solved that dilemma.

"Da..H., you've got this four bedroom house all to yourself. Why don't we all just spend the night here? We girls could have two bedrooms, Mom could have one, and you'd have yours. If you and mom were to share, I could have even more friends over. Wouldn't that be fun?"

I don't know who blushed more. We hadn't been intimate yet, but we were close. Still, I didn't want our first night together to be in a houseful of teen girls.

So we started hosting sleepovers. We made sure all the parents knew us and knew the situation. Most just grinned and secretly thought we were idiots for not sleeping together. It worked out well, because sometimes the other parents hosted sleepovers, and we didn't have to worry about B.B.

It was one of those nights when B.B. was gone, right before Christmas, that it happened.

We went out dancing, her favorite activity. I had gotten better, but still couldn't keep up. We had a circle of friends, and she danced almost every dance. We had two newcomers in our group, friends of friends. She seemed nice, he seemed on the make. He made it a point to try to dance with all the wives and girlfriends. Most did, once. I don't think I saw anyone repeat.

She never danced a slow song with anyone but me. I had gone to the bathroom, and she was standing to let a couple back into our booth, when he grabbed her and had her on the floor before she could recover. She tried to keep distance but he kept pushing against her. I came out just in time out to see her struggling. He did a turn and had her back to the group, grinned at them, and started inching her dress up. I was practically running across the floor. She stamped his foot and he let go. You could have heard the slap in the next county. The bouncers got to him before I did, in fact one of them had to hold me while the other two hustled him out, his embarrassed wife trailing behind.

She clung to me, not in fear but rage.

"I'm glad the bouncers got to him first, in a way. Would you have hurt him?"

I had calmed down a little by then.

"I would have done my best to kill him. Nobody touches my woman like that."

She stiffened and looked in my eyes.

"Am I your woman?"

I looked into her eyes. Time to declare my intentions.

"Yes, you are. You will be, for a long, long time if I get my way."

In a surprisingly meek voice she "Okay, honey. Can we go now?"

I wrapped my arms around her and guided her to the door. I got her in the car and before I could turn she pointed across the parking lot.

"Take me there."

It was the local motel. They got a lot of trade from the bar. Couples not wanting to drive after drinking, people hooking up, travelers trying to relax, that sort of thing. It wasn't five star, but it was a clean, well kept place. It was managed by the wife of the police chief, so it was patrolled a bit more often. Misbehavior of any kind was not tolerated.

I didn't hesitate. Marissa Cook lived in my neighborhood and worked at the motel to make extra money. She handed us the key and tried her best not to smirk. It would be common knowledge where we spent the night before breakfast.

We weren't on each other like animals, but we did manage to pop some buttons and ruin a good pair of hose. I hadn't been with anyone since we started dating, and she hadn't been with anyone since her husband.

So, the first time was a little hurried. But over the night we grew acquainted with each others' bodies. She was short, just over five feet, with small firm breasts proportionate to her frame. Just a bit more than a mouthful. I know, I tried my best to suck them all into my mouth. Very responsive to stimuli, as attested by her moans.

Her ass was in my opinion, perfect. Heart shaped and firm, I had a hard time getting enough purchase to nibble, but her squeals and the way she shoved it back into my face made it more than worth the effort. And her taste was like honey from wildflowers, sweet and aromatic, from what I actually got to taste between her bucking and moaning, before she finally settled down and shoved my head forward so far I couldn't breathe.

Her smoothness was gone, replaced by a nicely furred strip. She told me later she had gone native, didn't country girls like fur?

She gave as good as she got when it became my turn. I've always considered myself average at six and a half inches. I was amazed when she went down to the base the first time, holding and humming softly. She stroked my shaft with her small hands and played with my balls the whole time. She would slid all the way off, circle the head with her tongue slowly, looking me in the eye, before plunging back down. When I felt myself losing control I tried to pull off, but she reached up and covered my hand with hers and pushed down, firmly. I literally saw stars when I erupted.

She let me rest for about fifteen minutes before sliding down my stomach. Ten minutes later she slid over my body, lining up and slowly, slowly, sinking down. She was so incredibly tight it took her almost ten minutes to get firmly seated. She sat, giving little gasps as she started rocking, working around in small circles. After a few minutes I started thrusting up. She started sliding up and down, short small strokes at first, but in a few minutes she was pounding into me savagely. I rolled her over and she locked her legs behind me, pulling me in. For four or five minutes I pounded her mercilessly, her urging me on the whole time.

She surprised me with her strength, arching into me, actually pushing me back. I responded by slipping almost out before ramming hard and holding it. She shrieked as we both exploded. Her muscles clamped around me so hard I didn't think I could force it out, but I did.

After a few minutes of savoring the feeling, I rolled off, pulling her to me.

I started to tell her I loved her but she put her fingers to my lips.

"Shhh. Let's just enjoy the glow for a minute."

The next thing I heard was the shower running. I stumbled to the bathroom to find it locked.

"Just a minute" I heard.

I was about to get dressed and find a bathroom when she came out wrapped in a towel.

"All yours" she said.

I stumbled in and emptied my bladder, then hopped into the shower. I left the door open but she didn't come in. When I came out she was gone. She had left a note.

"Getting coffee"

I dressed and she came back in with the coffees. She wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Sarah, what's wrong? Are you ashamed of what we did last night? Was it a mistake? Talk to me."

She fidgeted for a moment.

"I swore I would never let myself love anyone else. My husband ruined me. It took you telling me and a year of reflection and a little counseling to get to where I didn't automatically hate all men."

"I'm sorry I took most of it out on you, but you were handy, and you let me rant. All my hate for my ex got dumped on you. I still don't know why you took it."

"But you were so kind, so patient. The only time you forced me to behave was over B.B. You know she loves you, don't you? I saw one of her school notebooks and she had B.B. Smith on it. As far as she's concerned you're her father, and she fusses at me to make it happen."

"So you've got two hearts to consider here. If we don't work out, they'll both be broken."

"I'm sure I love you, I just don't know how to handle it. Help me, please? Please?"

I got down on my knees and hugged her as she sat on the bed.

"Honey, I'll help you. It's in my own best interest. I carry my scars, they're just not as visible as yours. But you melted them. I promise I'll do the same for you. Okay?"

I held her while she cried. I might have been a bit misty eyed myself. When she calmed down I helped her up.

"Come on, we have to go home. I'm sure our child will notice something is up if we don't"

When I said 'our child' I felt her shudder and grip my hand tighter.

..................................................

To say B.B. knew something had happened was an understatement. When we picked her up she immediately saw the stubble on my face[she knew I hated being unshaved]and that we were wearing the same clothes we left her in. In retrospect, we should have gone home and changed, but neither of us were thinking clearly. Her grin made her face disappear.

"Not a word" I whispered in her ear as I collected her.

She made it five miles before she couldn't contain it any longer.

"So, did you guys have a good time last night? Dancing I mean?"

Sarah blushed and hid her face in her hands. I just grinned.

"Why yes we did, B.B. A really good time. Thank you for asking. I hope to do a lot more dancing in the future. Don't you, honey?"

Sarah just moaned a little and shut her eyes.

I looked at B.B. in the rearview mirror and caught her eye. I cut my head over at her mother and mouthed 'stop it' to her. She nodded.

"Well, I'm just glad our family is all home safe and sound. What's for lunch?"

..................................................

Everybody knew. There was no such thing as a secret in our little community.

Nobody said anything, well, not directly of course. A lot of odd things came up in conversation at church, though.

Sarah got the brunt of it. Little things kept coming up.

"My Aunt Carole makes the prettiest cakes you ever saw. Her wedding cakes are famous. I have her card dear, in case you ever need a cake for a festive occasion."

"You know, we haven't had a wedding in the church in ages, don't you miss them? Nothing makes me happier than to see two young people start out on the right path. And Reverend Sampson's youngest, what is she five, six now? I bet she'd make an adorable flower girl, don't you think?"

One lady gave her a card for a seamstress that specialized in wedding dresses.

She stormed up to me between Sunday school and regular services.

"What have you been saying?"

"Not a thing my love. But these people aren't blind, they see the way I look at you. And that kiss you gave me when we got out of the car fueled a few tongues, I'm sure.

She colored. She had been so happy she did give me a nice kiss in the parking lot.

I embarrassed her further by kissing her cheek.

"Get used to it. They're probably already planning the bridal and first baby shower."

She got even redder. Then sad.

"We need to talk, later."

I just hugged her tighter and walked into church. Half way through the service her little hand reached out and captured mine. She never let go until we left.

Reverend Sampson grabbed me while June was deep in conversation with Sarah.

"Just so you know, I do a mighty fine wedding service."

I grinned.

"I'll keep that in mine, should the need ever arise."

................................................

Christmas came. It was a joyous time. Sarah and B.B. made me take them for a Christmas tree, and we spent seven hours going from farm to farm before they agreed on the perfect one. The farmer was going to cut it when B.B. stopped him.

"Can we get it with roots?"

He got out his tractor with an odd attachment. We watched as he scooped it out of the ground and then ran it through a machine that wrapped it in burlap. He gave me a list of instructions for keeping it alive.

It went into my house, they already had a small artificial tree. I was terrible at decorating, so the girls took over while I sat with a cup of coffee, watching. I don't think I was ever so happy.

B.B. called me Dad openly now, as if she were daring her mom to say anything. Sarah never commented. To her, we were already a family.

She told me she hoped we married soon, she hated having different last names. Sarah had taken her maiden name back after the divorce. So, B.B. had given her name as Parker at school, even though legally she was Jones.

"Smith is just so much better, don't you think?

Much simpler to remember."

Sarah and I went Christmas shopping together and separately. She made me promise not to get carried away, which I did and promptly broke.

It was a lot more fun to shop with B.B., in her opinion too much is never enough. I had to reel her in a little when it came to her friends.

"Honey, don't get carried away. Most of your friends don't have the financial means you do. Some may not even be able to give gifts. Consider their feelings."

I could tell she hadn't thought of that. It troubled her for a few days. The economy was still in a slump. Jobs were hard to come by in our little area and many were struggling.

I was often amazed at her analytical mind and huge heart.

She approached me while her mother was at work. She got home from school before her Mom left work, and she always stayed with me until she got off. We would usually have dinner ready and would talk about our day. It was getting harder and harder to let them leave.

"Dad, I have an idea. I've talked to all my friends, and instead of exchanging gifts this year we're going to donate our money to the 'White Christmas' program. Will you help us?"

"White Christmas' was a program started by Christian Ministries, a coalition of local churches to help the community. They worked with the Department Of Social Services, identifying and helping people in need, however they could. Sometimes it was help with power and heating bills, sometimes it was food and clothing, sometimes it was just counseling. This particular program targeted people who wouldn't have a Christmas without help.

Of course I was willing to help. We got a list of families in our area who were in desperate need.

We took the money her friends and church youth group donated and bought presents for the families. An unknown donor pledged to triple whatever they and the church in general raised. We had the age, sex, and size of each family member.

The whole church got behind the program. It was decided we would distribute the presents on Christmas Eve, early in the morning. That way the parents could put the presents under the tree for Christmas morning.

We made sure everyone had at least one new set of clothes, and enough groceries to last a week, including a feast for Christmas.

I took one church bus, filled with kids in one direction, while Sarah took the other. We met at seven in the morning. Reverend Sampson gave them a small lecture about being kind and respectful.