Desert Hearts

As I walked triumphantly back to our small bunkhouse, the horrible fatigue of the day caught up with me and the last smidgen of adrenaline in my body faded away. Inside, I collapsed in a chair.

"Well, what happened?" she asked nervously.

"You're not grounded," I managed to croak, and shut my eyes.

I felt Samantha's arms encircle my neck.

"Thanks," she said, and pecked my cheek.

The sensation from her soft lips woke me up.

"You look really grungy...shower time!" she chirped.

Samantha helped me to my wobbly feet as pure fatigue consumed me. Rapidly, she relieved me of my sweaty clothing, wrapped a big towel around me and pointed me in the right direction. At the time I could have cared less that she saw me nude, that's how overly tired I was. Uncle Carl had constructed a shower for Samantha and me knowing that two teenage girls would need privacy from prying eyes. It occupied the outside corner in the rear of our very small cabin and was surrounded by a high wall. Open at the top and about six inches at the bottom, it was constructed from rough hewn barn board. A wide shower nozzle was overhead and a concrete pad the floor; utilitarian but functional.

My body ached something terrible as I took my towel off and sat naked on the bench along the back wall. Samantha came after me and got the water flowing. A small propane hot water heater served up limited amounts of steamy refreshing spray.

When Samantha shed her towel, it was the first time I saw her in the buff and nearly gasped out loud. The girl had a sleek, muscular bod that exuded femininity, simply breathtaking.

Samantha steadied me under the shower head with her strong hands on my arms for support.

"I'm ok now..." I told her, and there we stood, naked as the day we were born washing our bodies. Light twinges and tickles settled in my pussy, she was turning me on.

I couldn't help myself and gawked at her body. Small taut breasts with pink Hershey kiss nipples rode high on her chest, a full blonde bush, compact butt and the leanest, muscular legs I ever saw on a girl. Samantha was a true hottie. She caught me staring but it didn't seem to faze her one bit.

My admiration was short lived as we hastily finished and put on our fancy duds for the evening campfire. Samantha looked like a model, tall, lean and beautiful.

When the evening's activities ended, I dragged my grossly tired body back to our cabin and collapsed on my bunk. The next thing I remember was waking to the sunlight pouring in from the window. I tried to get out of bed but every muscle in my bod screamed in protest.

Then I noticed that someone had taken my clothes off because I was wearing pajamas. It could only have been Samantha but she was already gone, probably down at the stables preparing for the days work. As fast as I could, I dressed and hot footed it to the corral.

Samantha was putting the saddle on a horse when I walked up to her.

"Hi Sam...thanks for last night..." I said bashfully.

A warm smile graced her pretty face and my heart skipped a beat.

"Sorry I'm late..." I said apologetically.

'You worked really hard yesterday and I figured an extra hour of sleep would do ya good," she stated cheerfully, and winked at me.

I couldn't help myself and embraced her affectionately.

However, Samantha's generosity put us behind schedule and several guest had to wait for their mounts. Since she was the leader on the morning trail ride, I was left behind to muck stalls and do most of the manual labor around the stable. Despite my very sore muscles, I tried my hardest and everything on the list she handed me was done by lunch.

My efforts impressed Samantha and I think she realized that I had turned over a new leaf. A deep abiding friendship developed and for the first time in my young life, I experienced what it might be like to have a sister.

After dinner one night, Samantha announced that our chores were finished for the evening and I stretched out on my bunk and sighed, I was relieved that the days work was over.

"Hey, I'm gonna take a shower but do you want to go first?" she asked politely.

"Do you mind?"

I couldn't wait to wash the grime off my bod.

"Heck no...go ahead," she said.

While Samantha busied herself with paperwork; guest charts, who was checking in and who was checking out, the next day's activities, I disrobed until I stood naked with my back to her. A sudden feeling of shyness descended on me as I reached for the oversized towel. Why? I was at a loss to comprehend.

As I wrapped the towel around me, I looked down at my nipples; hard as bullets. Just the thought that she might have seen my backside turned me on.

Under the warm water of the shower, I hurriedly washed but to my dismay my pussy was creaming and in need of some attention. I hadn't frigged myself since I arrived at the ranch and I was long overdue.

My self-control evaporated and I leaned against one wall, legs spread wide and stroked my needy sex.

"Umm...oh...umm...oh..." I groaned, and prayed Samantha wouldn't hear me.

While one hand squeezed and rolled a tit, the other worked quickly, swirling fingers through my swampy crease, finding my clit and flicking rapidly over the hyper sensitive knob.

Suddenly, a noise disturbed my solo fling as the door opened and Samantha's head came through. I desperately tried to cover-up but what was the point? She caught me...er...red handed.

"Oops...sorry...I should've left you alone," she stated apologetically.

Never in my eighteen years did I feel so mortified. I practically ran to my bed, naked, forgetting my towel. I flew under the covers as my body shook with anxiety. What must Samantha think of me? Diddling myself in the shower, what's wrong with me? I chastised myself.

The distinct sounds of a person singing came from the outdoor shower. Samantha's voice sounded lovely, like a finely tuned instrument. At first I thought it was a Country/Western ballad but when I listened closely, I recognized the tune as Janis Ian's "At Seventeen", one of my favorites. My eyes welled-up and I couldn't stop the flow, even when I heard Samantha return.

The last remaining light of the day was fading fast and she lit a kerosene lantern. She must have heard me sniffle and sat next to me. My back was turned and her hand on my bare shoulder sent an electric shock through me.

"Hey Mel...you ok...are you crying?"

"Yeah," I answered tremulously.

"Why? Don't be upset...there's no shame in masturbation...I do it too," she said very kindly.

"You do?" I turned and gazed into her deep blue eyes.

"Sure...did ya think you were the only one?"

In the late 1970's women were discovering their bodies, their sexuality and a new vibe had replaced the old tried and true view of sex.

Samantha gazed at me with such heartfelt fondness that my heart pounded in my chest. Her pretty face glowed from the diffuse light of the lamp and I wanted her to kiss me but was overly shy.

Samantha's expression changed to a more serious look.

"Yer eye is all healed-up, took awhile..."

"Sam...can I ask ya something?"

Yeah, what's on yer mind?

"Can you teach me how to box...ya know, like you?"

Samantha's face lit up.

"It'd be an honor," she said in her Western drawl.

"I have a confession to make," I stated timidly.

"What could you possibly have to confess to me about?"

"Well...ah...I heard ya singing in the shower and...I love that song..."

Uncontrollably, the tears sprang to my eyes again. There was something so sad yet poignant in the lyrics that it never failed to have this effect on me.

Samantha held me close and patted my back as I softly bawled on her bare shoulder. Unbeknownst to me the bed sheet had dropped and my naked upper torso was against Samantha. We stayed that way for a long time as the sensation of her arms around me was one of the most pleasurable things I had ever experienced.

Finally, I pulled back and the rush of air on my tits alerted me to my predicament. Quickly, I pulled the covers up to my neck.

"Sorry," I said and blushed, my face growing hot.

"Why? You have a very sexy body Mel," she said appreciatively.

While Samantha's comment fired my libido, I unexpectedly yawned and the mood was broken as fatigue overwhelmed me.

"I'm soo tired Sam," I sighed.

Samantha tucked me in and tenderly kissed my forehead.

"Nighty night...sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite," she trilled in a motherly voice.

As I drifted toward slumber, I recalled an incident only a couple of months past that had me questioning my sexuality. **** Samantha wasn't the first girl to pay me such a nice compliment. Several of my closest girlfriends had said as much and while I never had a bi-sexual encounter, I was more than curious. My most secret desire for a female of the species resounded within me. The feelings had grown especially strong during senior year of high school.

While, I'd heard other girls talk about it, it was usually kept under wraps. The times had changed but girl on girl sex was frowned upon and nowhere near today's level of acceptance. No one wanted to be accused of being a "lezzie" and risk censure as a social outcast.

When two of my friends had a girl fling, it surprised me; Patty a pretty and slender brunette with green eyes was popular and never lacked for dates with the opposite sex. Penny, a shy redhead with a body honed by years of gymnastics training, dated sparingly but the boys were after her.

I was closer to Penny who admitted to me that she was bi-curious and I think her admission got me seriously thinking about my own feelings. The whispered conversation took place at a pool party in late spring when she pulled a half-smoked joint from a plastic baggie and held it up.

Penny was the last girl in our circle to turn eighteen and she wasn't a risk taker. While she usually followed the straight and narrow, she discovered weed about the same time as me and was a committed devotee.

"Where'd ya get it?" I asked.

"My brother left it in his car ashtray...I found it this morning...the knucklehead went crazy looking for it...he never suspected it was me..."

Penny lit the doobie and offered me the first toke which I readily accepted. As I pulled the potent smoke into my lungs, I unobtrusively eyed her lithe muscular form. Attired in a skimpy bikini, there wasn't an ounce of extra fat on her body. The girl was smokin' hot by today's standards.

"Can ya keep a secret?" she asked conspiratorially.

Although I had a reputation for a being a snooty bitch, I wasn't the type to gossip, especially when it concerned my friends.

"You know me Pen, I won't spill the beans..."

"I was at Kyle's last Saturday for a swim party. Everyone's high as a kite and I notice Patty givin' me the once over...ya know like I'm a piece of meat."

"Ya mean our friend Patty?"

"Yeah," she answered, and I'm sure the look on my face conveyed shock.

"So we start talking 'bout school stuff and it bein' so close to graduation, when she asks if I'd like to try some weed in a bong. I'd never used one but I figured why not?"

Penny took a toke and held the smoke in her lungs for a long time.

"Ooh...just had a nice rush...anyway the bongs at her house, so we sneak away and she tells me her folks went to Las Vegas for the weekend. Right away I think somethin's up but decide to play it cool. I'm sittin' in a chair by the pool when she comes back and gives me a quick lesson on how to use the thing.

The stuff Patty had is really good and after a few hits I'm super buzzed. Now ya gotta picture, we're mostly in the dark, just enough light to see what we're doin and she asks me if I want to skinny dip.

Ya know me, I'm not stupid and I think...my first time with another girl, it might just as well be with a friend. We're in the pool and I can barely see when Patty comes up behind me, puts her hands around front and cups my boobs.

Let's face it I don't have much, maybe a hand full. I let her feel me up and my pussy gets all twitchy. Patty's tonguing my ear and asks if I'd like to go in the house. I practically drag her inside to her bedroom and well..."

Penny looked sheepish for a moment.

"Have you ever...with a girl?" she asked shyly.

"No...not yet."

"Thought about it?"

"Yeah..."

"Let me tell you...it's the best. Patty licked me like a Popsicle on a hot day. I spent the night and...wow!"

Penny's story wet my bikini bottoms. Later that night in the privacy of my bedroom, I diddled myself imagining it was me between Penny's legs.

****

Early the next morning, Samantha gave me my first boxing lesson. We rehearsed some of the basic moves and at the conclusion I realized that I had a lot to learn.

"Hey, don't get discouraged...it takes time," she said encouragingly.

Since it was our day off, Samantha wanted to give me a riding lesson. We hurriedly ate breakfast and led our horses into the corral. Sam went to retrieve her saddle and I followed. Without thinking, I hoisted my saddle, carried it out and placed it on Ginger's back.

"Mel! You did it!" She said in a booming voice.

For the first time without Samantha's help, I was able to saddle Ginger. I beamed with pride at my accomplishment. More than anything, I wanted to assist Samantha when she led the trail rides with the guests or during the overnight camp-out. But in order to do so, I had to be competent at caring for my horse and on horseback. At least I felt like I was on my way.

We rode out in the same direction, toward the distant towering mountains. Samantha watched me carefully and gave me positive criticism when it was necessary. I followed her instructions to the letter.

We spent most of the morning in the idyllic setting. During our return to the ranch, we stopped for a break. Samantha dismounted and I took the opportunity to take some photos of her and the scenery.

"Gosh Sam, it's really beautiful out here..." I gushed.

"Yeah...I feel lucky having all this as my backyard...but I'd like to go to the beach sometime...take a swim in the ocean...I've never been there...always wanted to..." she stated wistfully.

"You on the beach in a bikini? You'll raise quite a ruckus when the guys get a look at you..."

Samantha blushed.

"I don't even own a bikini," she said regretfully.

I eyed her up and down, appraising her form.

"You'll look GREAT in one, trust me...I know!" I declared.

Samantha's bashfulness made her even more appealing to me. This beautiful young woman who had every reason to be conceited about her looks was guileless, sweet and charming. Be still my beating heart, I said silently to myself, remembering a line from English Literature class.

We returned in time for lunch and after a brief siesta, Samantha gave me another boxing lesson in the high heat of the day. I didn't last very long and I begged her to stop.

"Please Sam, can't we do something ah...more restful?" I pleaded

"Sure...I'm sorry...guess I'm used to all the activity."

"Who taught ya how to use yer fists?"

"Daddy, he said everybody should know how to protect themselves, girls too."

Coated with dust, I announced my intention to shower and Samantha showed me how to light the propane water heater. I practically ripped the clothes from my body and stood naked waiting for her. We'd decided that showering together would economize the amount of water needed to get sufficiently clean

Any shyness I had about my state of undress was gone. While we washed, I admired her slim athletic body, the lean muscles from years of laboring on the ranch just under her pale skin. But, I caught her giving me the once over too.

As I said before, I was shorter in stature, 5' 4" in my stocking feet, slender with short brunette hair and a full dark brown muff in those pre-grooming days. In spite of my slacker status, I was devoted to jogging for exercise and five days a week, I traversed my neighborhood.

For the rest of the day we took it easy and Samantha taught me how to play Blackjack. The nuances of the card game escaped me and we played with pennies. By bed time, I was thirty cents poorer.

Each day, my duties around the ranch became a little easier and less physically demanding. My body was tighter and far stronger than at any time in my life. When I looked at my bod in the mirror before a shower, I saw little muscles under the surface just like Samantha's only hers were larger than mine.

Not only was Samantha my friend but my best friend, none of my gal pals back home treated me with the kindness and caring that she displayed. At night after a long day, we'd lie in our bunks and talk or chat amiably about our lives. Except for my most private thoughts, I'd tell her anything.

Samantha was just as giving and I had a sneaking suspicion that she was as attracted to me as I was to her. The fond glances and affectionate smiles conveyed more than friendship, it took me awhile to sort out my feelings but I wanted her like I wanted a guy. Only my emotions were more intense and my body pulsed with need. On a few occasions, I wet my panties thinking about her nude bod next to mine; kissing her, running my hands over her lithe form. While I was unfamiliar with girl sex, I had a good idea what it entailed.

In July, the rodeo was coming to town for three days and luckily our one day off coincided. Samantha wanted to take me and meet her friends. She found some western duds, hat and boots in her wardrobe from her younger days that fit me and I looked like an honest-to-goodness cowgirl.

Although I'd only seen a rodeo in passing on the TV, I was fascinated by the sheer physical nature of the events, especially the bull riding contest. The animals had humps on their backs and Samantha told me the breed was called a Brahma.

During a break in the action we went to the refreshment stand and met up with some of Samantha's friends. They were just as sweet and kind as Samantha but one guy in particular took a shine to me.

Curtis was very cute but shy and had that "aw shucks" way about him. We sat together for the rest of the events and I found him easy to talk to. But, sad to say, I felt no spark with him.

Samantha had her eye on the leader of the pack. Ray was tall like her, handsome and virile looking. The boy had swagger to his step that came across as conceit but he was genuinely nice to me and his eye was on Samantha as well.

Ray invited everyone to his folks place for a campfire and beer. I looked at Samantha and she looked at me for my consent and off we went.

After a few beers the guys got a little rowdy and challenged each other to a beer guzzling contest. Ray won and I never saw anyone drink a can of suds so rapidly. Everyone was feeling no pain when Curtis pulled a joint out of his shirt pocket.

I started smoking pot as a senior in high school and was never one to pass up a doobie, preferring the high over drinking. A couple of tokes and I wallowed in the fuzzy sensation that permeated my head.

As a pretty redhead to my right took the last puff from the tiny "roach" in her fingers, I noticed couples pairing up and wandering off in the darkness. Curtis was looking at me as if to imply he wanted to take a walk with me. My insides were in revolt but when I saw that Samantha was MIA, I thought, what the hell and took his hand.

We strolled for awhile until I could barely see in front of me. Curtis stopped and gazed at me with a hungry look, taking me in his arms. A little too forward for my taste but I let him kiss me.

After a several mouth on mouth crushes, I took stock of my feelings; nothing, I felt nothing. Not a smidge of chemistry between us.

"Hey...maybe we should be getting back..." I said in desperation.

Curtis had such a look of disappointment on his face that it moved me for a nano second. He let go of me and we made our way back to the campfire and sat in silence. There wasn't much to say; he had no chance of getting lucky with me and we just waited until everyone else appeared. Ray and Samantha came back next and Ray looked none too happy which delighted me. She looked at me as if to say,