Geek to Farm

She laughed softly. "Aren't you supposed to do something when you tell a girl that you love her?"

I bent down and kissed her. Her lips were soft and inviting and I pulled her into me as I felt her hands slide behind my shoulders to pull my head to her. As I opened my lips I found the titillating exploration of her tongue against mine and in an instant passion invaded every fiber of my being. With lips sealed and breath shared we kissed. At some stage we had to come up for air and I breathlessly stood staring at her in the dark, trying to see if her eyes said what her kisses were. She chuckled and rotated her pelvis, pressing against my very obvious indication of desire.

"Now, that's more like it," she giggled and slapped me softly on my upper arm. "Engaged and never even kissed. Bah!"

I laughed softly. "That's what Mom found so funny?" and she nodded against my chest before looking up. "She adores you."

"And I her," I mumbled, "but I am more interested in how her daughter feels about me."

Melanie giggled softly. "I'll ask her when I see her."

I pulled her against me and kissed her again. It was no less passionate but a bit more relaxed. So much so that at one stage she laughed into my mouth and then squeezed me so hard that I grunted. She separated from me and stood there looking at me in the darkness while laughing softly and then said tenderly; "I think Mommy's daughter loves you just a little too much."

"How do you know?"

She leaned her head on my shoulder and whispered. "Did you not find my behavior a bit strange that night Justin was killed?"

I had to chuckle at that. "I did think about it a day or so later but that night, no. I was just too overloaded with anger." I pulled my head back suddenly. "You don't mean...?"

She giggled softly. "No, I did not fall in love that night but I fell for you. Hard. There was something about you that touched me to my core." Her voice became serious. "When Peter was killed I wrapped myself in a coat of hate and sorrow that turned into stone over time. I dropped most of my friends and avoided any male contact as far as was possible. I thought I would never be able to love that way again and then you cracked that wall wide open with a simple look."

"And what was that look?" I asked softly while increasing the pressure with which I was holding her just a little bit.

She kissed me under my ear. "When I jokingly promised you my heart for the half and half you looked up at me and in your eyes was the most beautiful emotion I ever thought I would see. I cannot describe it but I reacted to it in the most wonderful way. I suddenly felt warm all over. Even though you were hurting, I wanted to hold onto you and let you take away my hurt. I just knew you would do it." She smirked. "But I had to wait forever for you to come to me."

I kissed her on her forehead. "My apologies. I was chasing you down at the wrong places. Even though, when you left that night I can remember thinking that there was a tune that I may just sing with you."

She hugged me a little harder. "What tune was it?"

"Our song," I said softly.

She pushed away and looked up at me. "I want to tell you something."

I chuckled. "As long as you don't tell me that you are spoken for."

"No, I am not," she whispered. "I had to bite my tongue to keep quiet about this on the way here for fear of making a fool of myself. I did not know you were one of the performers at the festival. When you ran onto the stage I found your gaudy dress quite funny but it fitted the period and then I recognized you. I felt a shock that hit me so hard I was breathless. You did 'The Flame' with so much feeling that I was mesmerized and from there you unknowingly chipped away at my wall to the point that when you sang 'Alone', I went to pieces. I wept so much that my last remaining close friend thought I was having a nervous breakdown but all it was, was that there you completely shattered the wall I had built around me. I felt completely vulnerable and at last I wept over Peter. I never could do that. It had festered in me and most probably made me ill without me noticing it. While I cried I realized something else. I had fallen hopelessly in love with you Johnathan. I knew I needed you. I eventually got myself together and moved to the front to try and make you see me. I had all kinds of scenarios of how I could make you see me, take notice of me but Kenny's Mom's death shattered all chances and all I could do was give you a scared wave when you did see me and then I ran."

I kissed her softly on her eyes and tasted the saltiness of tears. "I looked for you. Why did you run?"

"I realized how fragile I was Johnathan. I was terrified at the possibility that you may not feel the same. I ran to get away from that."

I took her face between my hands and kissed her deeply before pulling away. "If only you had known," I said with a chuckle.

"What?"

"When I started singing 'Alone' you popped into my thoughts and I sang that for you. I nearly fell off that stage when I saw you!"

Again she hugged me. "Collectively we must rate quite high in the stupidity stakes," she laughed and spoke while desperately kissing me. "Thanks for bringing me back to life Johnathan. I was lost for a long time there."

"Will you marry me?" I asked and felt her jerk. She pulled away from me and in the bad light of darkness I watched her eyes searching mine.

"You're serious Johnathan," she said breathlessly.

"Yes Melanie, I am." I almost whispered. "It is why we are here. I want your parents' blessing on this."

She giggled. "So now we are officially engaged and it is not just a story anymore."

I shook my head and chuckled. "No, we are not."

She jerked away from me. "No?"

"I am desperately awaiting an answer."

"Oh yes, of course you do!" she laughed and placed her hands on my chest where she started counting on her fingers. "Now let me see. For starters, you barely know me. You practically kidnapped me and took me to some godforsaken farm in the middle of nowhere. Without my consent you publicly advertise the fact that I am your fiancé and you threaten the life of someone who innocently tries to just say hello to me. And to top it all, you yourself said I cannot trust you."

"Anything else?" I grinned.

She giggled and looked up at me. "No. I already told you. I love you Johnathan. Desperately so, and yes I would like to spend my life with you."

There is something about a kiss after popping The Question. Up to that moment it is always searching. Afterward it is confirming. We kissed slowly, deeply and passionately. It was difficult to compare the blushing, apparently shy Melanie to the forceful lover who shamelessly squirmed against me, leaving me in no doubt as to what was in store for me once we got rid of our clothes.

I got to the stage where I could not take it anymore and I softly pushed her away from me. "Please Melanie. I need a break here. If we carry on like this... Neither of us are kids anymore and we've been all over and nothing is strange but if we do not stop..." I needed to take a few deep breaths. "Ever been to Africa?"

"No," she croaked. It was the sexiest thing I had ever heard and I shuddered.

"There is a type of monkey there called the Vervet. It is that cute little thing with the black face you almost always see on a brochure from there. The males indicate their virility by displaying their genitals which is the most stunning blue and the more senior a male is, the darker the blue. If we carry on here I will win any vervet male competition simply by color and I will also walk funny tomorrow."

All she did was to grind herself against me and giggle. "The Gestapo is long in bed and anyway, your room is outside the main building. No matter what noise we make, they won't hear a thing."

I think the first breath I took between there and the door to my room was when I had to tell the dogs that they were not welcome. As soon as that door closed behind us we were at it again but this time trying to stay locked in a kiss while undressing each other. Once I had her shirt open I reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. Those globes of love were set free and I was lost to this world. They simply fitted into my hands as if made to just be there and I gently twirled two very erect nipples between my fingers to the sound of her soft moans.

How we got out of the rest of our clothes after that is lost to memory but before long we were struggling for position on that bed and I felt her warmth envelop me as I slid into her. Foreplay was for next time. We simply fitted. I was concerned that I was going to lose it too soon but I was still trying to think of something to take my mind off the incredible sensation of her insides sliding against me when she arched her back and with a grunting whine started shaking and grinding against me. I simply could not hold it back and flooded her.

"Oh god I love you Melanie," I panted as I lay there resting on my elbows, trying to make out her features in the darkness of the room while we drifted down from the ecstatic high we had been on. I did not need to see her to feel the smile when I kissed her. We lay there kissing, talking and slowly making love until we drifted off to sleep with her head on my shoulder.

As was normal I woke early but this time to find Melanie sprawled over me with her head on my shoulder and a leg thrown across me with a beautiful breast just begging to be touched lying almost within kissing range on my chest. Moving as little as possible I gently ran my fingers over the soft skin and watched that delectable nipple pucker up. I lay there watching a thing of beauty while listening to Melanie's easy breathing, wondering what I had done to deserve this. I tried to ignore two things. The pressure building in my groin and the complaints coming from my upper arm. After a while the discomfort in my arm became unbearable and as gently as possible I detached myself from her. With a sigh she settled her head into the pillow and I carefully got up, got dressed and ambled to the kitchen where I found Mary busy with her typical early morning activities. Again I was greeted with a hug, followed shortly after by coffee.

I was standing in the back door wondering about a thousand things when two arms encircled me from behind and two lips made contact just below my ear. "Next time, wake me when you get up Mister. I like being able to say hello before we get up."

I swung around in her arms and found two lips waiting for mine. I liked kissing this woman and I let her know it until an apologetic chuckle behind us announced Bart's arrival from where-ever he was. "I don't want to break up a good time you two, but you are blocking the door and I need to get inside." We laughingly stepped aside and I got a playful jab in the ribs from him as he passed. I took that as his nod of approval.

As breakfast wound down I asked; "Is there a pleasant restaurant in town?"

"legacy is a very pleasant and romantic restaurant," Mary said with a wink.

I smiled. "May I invite the entire Scholtz family for dinner with me tonight?"

Bart started to protest but Mary cut him short. "You need to take a break my love," after which he smiled resignedly and nodded at me.

Some time later Melanie took me to a barn and made me get on a tractor. I was thankful it was not one of the gigantic ones I had seen in the big barn as I had jokingly been told that it was expected of me to be able to use it if my time on the farm was to be tolerated for any length of time. Understanding the controls was easy and soon I had a reasonably sized plough hooked up. Melanie sat next to me on the mudguard and directed me to a patch of land quite some distance from the main buildings.

Apparently driving a tractor involves a lot of kissing as Melanie found all kinds of reasons to either demand or dish out kisses. I decided I could easily spend as much time as possible on tractors but as soon as we reached that patch of land she deserted me!

She made me park at a specific spot and indicated a post at the other end. "Aim for that. When you get to the other side, pull the plough up and go towards that post over there," she smilingly said indicating another post some distance from the other. "Turn towards me, drop the plough and aim for the post where I will be standing." She kissed me deeply and got off the tractor leaving me up there feeling very vulnerable and exposed. Over the din of the engine I heard her yell, "One-five revs, second gear, low range! I love you!"

It was simple! I selected the gear ratios, engaged the clutch, pushed up the hand throttle and lowered the plough into the ground. I felt the plough bite into the soil and then all hell broke loose as that damn tractor swung to the right with enough force to jerk the steering out of my clutching fingers. I fought with the steering and got a painful whack on my thumb while desperately trying to get that tractor pointing in the right direction again. Memories of people on tractors always looking back made me look over my shoulder. What I saw made me cringe. The furrow I had made looked like a dog's hind leg and nothing like the beautifully straight furrows you see when driving past farms. Back there at the beginning Melanie was on her knees and I could see she was screaming with laughter

Feeling like a Goon I grabbed that steering and tried to pre-empt that blasted tractor in its waywardness. I reached the post at the end, lifted the plough knowing that I left chaos behind me but having learnt a few things. As I turned at the post I saw Melanie at the other side and as soon as I was lined up I dropped the plough, ready this time for that swing and felt like sticking out my tongue when that tractor tried to make a fool of me again. Aiming at Melanie and keeping an eye on the furrow at the back I managed to draw a reasonably straight line in the soil before lifting and turning again at the end with the heavenly smell of upturned soil filling my nostrils. Melanie, it seemed, had exhausted her supply of laughter and was only smiling when she indicated that I must stop. I did as I had been hurriedly taught. I dropped the plough and shut down the engine before getting down and then that beautiful woman attacked me with kisses all over. By the second the idea of ploughing was becoming more and more alluring. If earning kisses meant I had to drive a tractor, then so be it.

Melanie made me stand at the side of the field, got on the tractor and went about repairing the damage I had done. As it is with most things in life, she made it look so easy and soon she had quite a bit of very attractive ploughed field to show for her troubles. My phone got a bellyful of pictures of the most beautiful girl in the world driving a tractor in the foothills of the Rockies. I got another lecture on how to plough and after a few minor mistakes I got the feeling for it. It was anything but the professional job I saw in my mind's eye but it was close enough to earn me more kisses. By the time we went home for lunch I was trembling with hunger and I marveled at the fact that I rarely had lunch at work. And that went for breakfasts as well! So much for my idea of hard work...

Chapter 14

When we walked into the restaurant that evening I still felt the effects of driving a tractor for almost a full day. My arms and shoulders ached! My neck was stiff from almost continually looking over my shoulder and my hands, especially the left, had blisters. But! We had ploughed a large field and I knew why farmers sometimes just stood looking at a ploughed field. I had sat on the tractor today, looking at upturned soil and apart from the feeling of having achieved something of great value to myself, in my mind's eye I saw that field green with corn or something similar in the not so distant future. I vowed to be here to see that.

While scanning the menus, Bart ordered a bottle of wine and I could not help smiling to myself at the memory of the last time I had partaken some nectar of the gods. I thought the smile was fleeting but both Bart and Mary had obviously seen it.

"That smile has a story Johnathan!" Mary laughed softly and I nodded, feeling my smile widen.

I indicated Melanie. "As you know, we met, or really saw each other, for the first time the night Justin was killed. The night after that I was lonely and still very angry after a hard day at work so I decided on a steak cooked outside, accompanied by a few beers and a bottle of wine." I became animated and had my guests laughing merrily as the story progressed. When I illustrated the way I had fallen against the house I had to wait a while for Bart to grab some air, as for some reason, he found the whole thing much funnier than I thought it was. The two women found my attempts at first aid exceptionally funny and Melanie leaned in to give me a lingering kiss on the light scars.

"And so," I laughed. "I smiled hoping I do not bring shame to this family if I had a little glass of wine."

Bart was still chuckling when the wine arrived and after it had been poured he lifted his glass in a laughing salute. "To you Johnathan. You meet our daughter and then it takes you two weeks to meet her again. After that you practically kidnap her to her own home." He shook his head. "On your first day in town you pick up a scrap with a member of one of our most prominent families and then you act as if you are engaged to Melanie. Next move?"

I squeezed Melanie's hand and decided to just dive in. "How about getting married?" I asked and felt my hand being clamped hard.

Mary giggled and Bart had a hundred naughty devils in his eyes. "Is this a funny way of proposing to Melanie or are you trying to find out if you have our blessing?"

I smiled at Melanie. "On the first night we met, she promised me her heart for some half and half. I took that as a particular willingness to get involved with me so, after singing her a song of hopeless love in front of thousands of people I abducted her to a place she would feel safe." I pulled her in for a soft kiss. "Last night I asked her to marry me and after some very hard negotiating, she reluctantly agreed."

Melanie laughed happily. "That is a lie!"

I put on a faux hurt face. "Oh my gosh! Did I misunderstand you?"

As answer she grabbed my face and kissed me hard. "I love you Mr. Gough. With everything I have. Just so my parents can hear me say it I repeat it here. I want to share my life with you and therefore I want to marry you." Those magnificent eyes glittered when she came close. "I want a million kids with you to drive my parents to distraction!"

Bart guffawed and turned to Mary. "You think we should give these young upstarts permission to get married?" She nodded happily and he turned to me. "The two of you are long gone past the age where you need our permission or blessing but we appreciate you asking. Any idea when?"

I just laughed. "We can get married tomorrow for all I care but I think my mom would want to be present."

Melanie pulled on my arm. "She can fly here!" and I laughed while fishing for my phone. "Maybe I should just let her know what has happened in the past week or so." I looked up at Bart. "Do you mind if I just send Mom a message?" and he laughingly shook his head.

I was typing a message to my mom when an idea sprang to mind and I turned to Melanie. "You've been taking pictures of me in the last few days. The one you took today when I came towards you on the tractor?" Melanie nodded. "Send it to my mom with the message; 'He asked. I said yes.' I will give you the number."

Seconds after the message went through my phone rang and I declined the call, sending a photo of Melanie on the tractor instead and added; 'Dinner at restaurant with in-laws. Can I call later?' I knew my mom was bouncing on her toes but telling her everything that had happened in the time since the music festival was going to take long and I considered talking on a phone in company or even worse, during a meal, as very rude.