Farm

"Don't sell yourself short," I retorted, forking some bacon and egg into my mouth, making sure I'd swallowed before adding, "You've done a bloody good job this week. You're a natural."

She sat down with her own plate, nowhere near as full as mine. "I'm sure I was slowing you down."

I shook my head. "Not at all. And this will go on for a couple of weeks yet as we have thousands of the buggers to do, depending on time of year. And you've already spoken to most of the lads. They're a good sort."

"Well, at least they don't make a big deal of me being a girl."

"You're getting stuck in and doing a bloody good job while doing it. What's between your legs means fuck all in the grand scheme of things."

She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. The smile on her face spoke volumes. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"Trust me, if you weren't, I'd have told you. But you've got a good head on your shoulders. We might just need to put a bit of muscle on those arms of yours." She laughed at that. "Want to head to the river today?"

"That sounds great!"

"We'll saddle up the horses. Take some lunch with us too. Make a real day of it."

"It's a date!" I looked at her and smiled at the choice of words. I think she embarrassed herself as she clearly blushed. "I mean..."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

We made some sandwiches, adding a few bits of fruit as well, packing it all into a small bag before we changed and headed outside. Emily took the same horse she rode the previous weekend while I took my favourite black stallion. He could be an absolute bastard but I knew him well, and while he could be grumpy at times, he'd generally co-operate once I had him saddled.

It was a good couple of hours or so ride to the river, once again chatting about nothing important on the way until we crested the rise and the river came into view. Tying the horses to a nearby tree on arrival, I placed a blanket down, placing our bag of food on top of it as Emily stripped off. I'll admit I could do little else but stare when she stood in front of me in a black bikini, a thousand unsavoury thoughts filtering through my mind, plus involuntary blood flow to my crotch. I blinked rapidly and looked away for a moment before she walked towards the water. I watched her walk into it before she disappeared underneath.

"It's so cold!" she cried upon surfacing.

"It can be a little deceiving," I muttered to myself, unsure if I meant the water or what my niece looked like without most of her clothes on.

"Are you coming or what?" she called out, only her head now bobbing above the water.

I spent a few seconds willing my erection to disappear before I stripped down to a pair of swimming shorts and joined her in the water. We just enjoyed the cool water for a time as the sun was properly beating down, thankful that we'd put on some sun-cream before leaving the house. After floating around for a while, she then swam towards me and wrapped me in a hug. She didn't say anything as she did and I couldn't help but feel her skin against my mine, and her perky breasts against my chest. I tried really, really hard but the body has a mind of its own and it wasn't long until I heard her gasp. I pulled away in an instant.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I understand," she said quietly.

"You're my niece! But it's been a while since a near-naked woman hugged me like that. I'm sorry."

She swam towards me again and kissed my cheek. "It's nothing to be ashamed about, Brucey. You should be glad it still works," she said, I figured teasing me at the same time.

That defused any tension as I burst into laughter. "It works, trust me," I stated, not caring if she knew what I meant.

She just raised an eyebrow. "Good to know."

I didn't know what she meant by that and, to be honest, didn't really care. "You're a beautiful young woman, Emily. Never doubt that."

She smiled again before she swam away and the tension completely disappeared. I just took a deep breath and calmed down. We eventually got out and sat on the blanket I'd brought, slowly eating through the lunch we'd prepared. Once our appetites were sated, we lay back on the blanket side by side after I'd popped an umbrella to at least give us a little bit of shade.

"Can I ask a personal question?" she eventually asked.

"Sure."

"What do you look for in a woman?"

I scratched the stubble on my chin before replying. "I honestly don't know. Nothing in particular, I guess. As I said, I'm a rather simple man. What you see is what you get. What I have no time for is drama. I guess I would like someone as simple as myself."

"What about looks?"

"I'm not picky, to be honest. Sure, I have favourite features but, at my age, you don't let things like that spoil your choices."

"What about age?"

"You're sure inquisitive," I replied, unable to stop my laugh.

"Just wondering."

"Age is just a number, I guess," I stated, with a shrug, "Though I wouldn't want someone too much older than me. I'm not expecting kids at my age but you never know. Not too many young women could handle this life, though, as I've said before."

"Oh, you'd be surprised..."

I turned to face her and she immediately looked away. "What do you mean?" I wondered.

"Nothing." I heard the tone and I think she was embarrassed. So I left it alone.

"What about you? What do you look for?"

"I want a man. A real man. Not a boy. Not someone who spends more time in the mirror doing his hair then me. Not someone who spends more time getting dressed than me. Or, heavens above, wears more make up than me."

I burst into laughter again. "Seriously? Guys do that nowadays?"

"You'd be surprised. Then there are those who spend entire time worrying that he's going to offend me. I particularly hate white knights and so-called 'nice guys'. I can look after myself. I can understand wanting to defend me. Yes, I like to think I'm a somewhat modern woman but they often ask 'What do women want?' I'm quite simple. I just want a real man. Someone who'll protect and provide and, I tell you what, I'd spend my time keeping him happy."

"Feed him and fuck him, right?"

"Spot on, Brucey."

"Sounds like you need a country boy, then. Plenty of 'manly' men around here, I guess, compared to city boys."

"Oh, definitely."

I heard the tone again but thought nothing of it. Maybe she had her eye on one of the lads who worked for me already. If she told me who it was, I'd certainly try and introduce the two in a better setting. I picked good lads to work for me. They worked hard and were generally good boys. I knew they'd treat my niece the way she deserved to be treated. Though I'm not sure I'd want to know about them having sex in my house, particularly considering it had been a while since I'd had any.

Without a word, Emily got to her feet and bounced back down into the water, calling me to join her once again. I was ready to go to sleep but figured I could do with another dip. Thankfully she didn't come too close to me this time as I knew how my body was going to react if she touched me again. But we spent at least another hour in the water before we got out, dried ourselves off, dressed and, after packing our gear, mounted up and headed back to the house.

It had been a long day despite it being rather relaxing, so we didn't have much for dinner and eventually parked ourselves in front of the TV, leaving the lights off. It wasn't long before I was feeling rather sleepy as Emily practically snuggled into me in the end. I just wrapped an arm around her and gave her a cuddle. Eventually I could sense she was sleeping, noticing her eyes closed and her breathing rather regular so figured she was. Trying not to wake her, I gently lifted her off the couch and carried her into bed, making sure she was snug under the covers. I kissed her forehead and looked at her for a moment. Even while asleep, she had a little smile on her face. I took that as another sign that she was happy. Then her eyes opened briefly and the smile broadened.

"I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart," I replied quietly, kissing her forehead again, "Get some sleep. It's another busy week coming up."

Walking to my own bedroom, I realised that was the first time she'd said those words to me since coming back. And certainly since she'd last been up to the farm. I understood the reasoning why. Apart from her brother, who lived even further away, I was the only family she had who cared about her. There was no doubt we were already close. I enjoyed having her presence in the house and I knew she was already enjoying life on the farm and the simplicity of life in general.

It was another long week of early rises and hours of shearing in the heat, leaving the pair of us exhausted once the sun went down. We'd always have dinner together and enjoy the nightly ritual of the veranda and a beer, but we'd generally head to bed early. It was probably the Thursday when I was reading a book and felt the need for a piss. I had to pass Emily's room on the way to the toilet and thought I heard something while on the way to the toilet. Desperate for a piss, I headed straight to the toilet. On the way back, I was sure I heard something again.

I didn't want to invade her privacy but I was wondering what it was. Her door was slightly ajar, so I stayed out of sight and listened. There was no misunderstanding about what she was doing. I took a step back and thought to myself that I should just head straight to my bedroom. The other half wanted to listen. It was a conflict that was eventually won by the more carnal side, shall we call it. I stepped forward again and there was no missing the fact she was masturbating. And she was having one hell of a good time, from the sounds of it anyway. I felt my cock thicken but certainly wasn't going to join in. Well, I wouldn't do it at her door anyway.

I listened for a good five or so minutes, to her moans and heavy breathing. And then she said something that completely startled me. She said my name. I don't know if she knew if I was there or not. But I certainly didn't misinterpret that. There was no-one else on my farm who shared my name. I was the only Bruce on the farm. I was the only Bruce in the nearest town. So, unless she knew a Bruce back in the city, she was thinking about me while masturbating. It was almost too much because part of me started to think very unsavoury thoughts.

I quickly but quietly headed back to my room. I came no more than five minutes later, the only thoughts racing across my mind as I beat my meat being those of my niece. I felt disgusted with myself afterwards but also a little bit relieved. I wouldn't say there was any sort of sexual tension between us but, well, I'd certainly cracked a few erections around her while I was left with the feeling I was the sort of 'manly' man she looked for. I'll admit to feeling a little perplexed about everything. There was no missing that my niece was attractive. A beautiful young woman, as I'd told her before. But she was my niece and there are boundaries one doesn't cross. I certainly wouldn't want to betray the trust she'd put in me.

But, the other part of my mind was thinking that she clearly thought of me as some sort of sexual being, particularly if she was thinking about me while masturbating. Perhaps she was just lonely and needed a man to think about while she did so. The one thing I knew is that it was definitely not a subject we could discuss. I certainly didn't want to let her know I listened to her masturbate. I figured she did. Everyone did. But still...

On a Saturday, we only ever did a half day, everyone knocking off by lunchtime. If we had to do a full day, we only did light duties around the farm, making sure the important jobs were completed. Emily and I were busy clearing out one of the barns when I asked if she was interested in going into town that night.

"That sounds like fun. What sort of entertainment is available?"

"You've got around half a dozen pubs. There's also the RSL, where you can get a decent feed, there are some pokies and they sometimes have a band on. If you're looking for some sort of nightclub, you're out of luck. You'd have to head to the city for that."

"Those have never interested me. Why don't we try one of the pubs and go from there?"

We knocked off a couple of hours early because I figured 'Why the hell not?' We both showered and I figured, since I was going out on the town for the first time in quite a while, I'd dress nicely for it, putting on a good pair of jeans and a nice shirt. I even went all out and put on some aftershave, completing the look by wearing my good boots.

Wandering out into the front room, I was joined by Emily a few minutes later and she pretty much took my breath away, my mouth going dry as I looked her up and down. There was no missing the blush on her cheeks as my eyes simply devoured her. Sensible heels on her feet, long tanned legs, a summer dress that ended about halfway down her thighs, tight to her body and showing off her bust, and a bit of cleavage, and only thin straps over her shoulders, exposing her tanned skin. She wore faint make-up but she didn't really need it.

"What do you think?" she asked, standing a little awkwardly as I stared at her in silence.

I cleared my throat. "You look gorgeous. I mean... You look stunning, Em."

The smile lit up her face. It probably lit up the entire room. She walked forward and kissed my cheek. Then I heard her sniff. "Is that aftershave?"

"Yeah."

She stepped back and crossed her arms. "You think this is some sort of date?"

I noticed the smirk on her face. "Not often I get to treat a young woman to a night on the town. Figured I should scrub up and smell nice at the same time. You ready to go?"

"I am. Are you driving?" I nodded. "How will we get home?"

"I'll try not to drink too much. The local coppers don't mind us driving a little over the limit. If we've both had too much, one of them will drive us home."

She raised both eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

"Of course. Country coppers look after us locals. They certainly don't want to screw us over."

"I learn something new every day."

We arrived in town half an hour later, and it was busy. A couple of my favourite pubs were full to bursting. I wasn't sure if Emily wanted somewhere quiet, but she just grabbed my hand and we wandered into one of the better pubs in town. We managed to find a booth, not terribly surprised that Emily sat next to me, not across. We ordered some food, a couple of beers and spoke with each other, though we were visited by numerous people I knew. For some reason, whenever I introduced Emily, I never mentioned she was my niece. And she made no mention that I was her uncle. No-one said anything but I was left wondering if they thought she was my date. Considering I was easily double her age, that would certainly set tongues wagging, small country town and all.

After dinner, we headed to a different pub which played a little music on a jukebox. Being a country town, the music tastes were simple. Either country, country rock, rock or blues. Emily surprised me yet again by choosing a few country tracks, then didn't surprise me by getting me to dance with her. I'm ready to admit that I have two left feet but, to my laughter, she wasn't exactly graceful either. No matter what, we were both having a great time, laughing away, and there were plenty of hugs being shared.

We ended up heading to a third pub, and then a fourth, before I suggested I'd better not keep drinking. It was already getting rather late but we were still enjoying ourselves, so we both switched to non-alcoholic drinks. I think it was probably midnight by the time we got back in my truck for the drive back to the farm. It was pitch black around us, the only illumination coming from the headlights.

"Stop for a moment," Emily requested after I'd driven a few minutes.

"Why? Are you sick?"

"No. Just stop a moment." I brought the truck to a halt as she'd asked. "Turn off the lights." I did that too as Emily opened her door and got out. I followed her, wondering what she was doing. Even though it was pitch black, it didn't take my eyes long to adjust and I could see she was looking up.

"They're so bright. So vivid. I didn't know there were so many."

"No light pollution out this way."

"It's beautiful," she whispered, wrapping an arm around me. I did the same thing in return. She eventually shivered and said, "Take me home, Bruce."

Bruce. Not Brucey. Strange, but I thought nothing of it. The rest of the drive home took place without incident and in relative silence. After parking the truck, we headed inside and she grabbed a couple of beers out of the fridge, heading out to the veranda like normal. We continued to sit in contented silence until I was starting to feel a bit tired. I yawned to suggest I was ready for bed. She just looked at me and smiled.

We headed inside and stopped outside her room. "I had a good time tonight."

"Me too," I said.

"Does the date get a kiss goodnight?"

"Of course," I said, and I leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"No, I mean a real kiss."

"Em..."

She laid a hand on my chest and, even in the darkness, I could read her eyes. "Please kiss me."

"You're my..."

"I know who I am. I don't care. And I know you find me attractive."

"Of course I do. But..."

She took a step closer to me and ran a hand down my shaven cheek. I grabbed the hand and kissed her palm before she wrapped it around my neck. She then helped bend my face down to meet hers. She quickly licked her lips before mine met them. I knew I shouldn't be doing it. I knew it was wrong.

But, by god, it was good to kiss another female for the first time in what felt like years. The mind and body were on automatic pilot as I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight to my body. I was then surprised when she made the first move to introduce her tongue. I met her move and it wasn't long before I had her pressed against the wall and my erect cock pressed against her. I eventually had to break the kiss and meet her eyes, both of us breathing hard.

"We really shouldn't go any further," I whispered.

"But what if I want you to?"

I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind of a thousand thoughts, all of them wrong. But most of them were also things that I probably would have wanted to happen too. The sexual tension between us had increased over the past week if not longer. "Are you really sure about that, Em?"

She kissed me softly on the lips. "Yes. When you asked me about what man I wanted, I was describing you."

Her mind was obviously decided already. But mine was in complete and utter turmoil. To make this sort of decision, to actually take the decision to sleep with my niece, of all people, required a clear head. "Em, I need to think about this."

"Oh..."

I grabbed both her hands and squeezed them in reassurance. "Emily, I can tell you've already made your mind up. This is what you want. But I need to think. Please give me that." Even in the darkness, I could sense the disappointment. Eventually she nodded. I released one of my hands and gently stroked her cheek before kissing her softly again. "We'll talk about this in the morning when we have clear minds."

"My mind is already clear," she said quietly, almost a little defiantly. She reached up to kiss me again and I couldn't help lose control for another few seconds, the desire to have my way with her nearly overwhelming my self-control completely. But I again broke the kiss and let go of her. She seemed to understand that the moment was over. She walked to her door and opened it, not before turning back one last time. "I know you heard me the other day when I was masturbating."

"Shit..."

"Why do you think I said your name? I wanted you to know. I wanted you to come into my room."