Love for the Ages

"Is there a checklist somewhere that I should know about?" Ty asked, half in jest.

"Oh, there's definitely a list," she smiled devilishly, "but you'll never see it. I'll let you know as time goes on how many of the items you check off."

"I am who I am Kera. I'm a cowboy, turned Marine, turned cowboy again. I try to do right by my folk's legacy they left me, and just try to be a better me today than I was yesterday."

"Humble," she smiled. "That's another check."

Ty removed his hat and looking in her eyes, he slowly leaned over and kissed her supple lips, lightly at first, but as she responded, he intensified his kiss, reaching up with his hand to cup her cheek. When they parted, they were both breathing slightly faster and he let his hand linger in her cheek for just a moment before he let it slowly drop.

"I've wanted to do that from the moment I met you," Ty said, his voice husky and low.

"I've wanted you to do that from the moment I met you too," she replied softly.

"Kera," Ty started, "would you like to have supper with me Saturday night?"

"I would love to," she said simply.

Ty smiled, and leaned over and kissed her again. If the Moon had suddenly crashed into the Earth, he doubted he would have noticed. When he felt her mouth open slightly, he responded in kind and as their tongues touched, he felt what could only be described as a unity of their souls. They continued to kiss until Ty reluctantly pulled back, breathless.

"Wow," Kera said. "That's definitely another check mark."

"You just let me know if I get any red checks," Ty said playfully.

"Oh, believe me, I'll let you know," she mock threatened.

"Can I see you home?" Ty asked, "The sun's getting pretty low and I don't think we want to give your mother another scare so soon after the last one."

"I'd like that," she said, "and you're right. I had to sneak out to come riding today. She's been the typical mother hen since last week."

Ty stood, then helped her up from the rock. She was still favoring the sore ankle, but to her credit, didn't complain. He first pulled her mare in, unhooked her picket rope, rolled it up and stowed it and put on its bridle before doing the same for Buck. By the time he'd cinched his saddle and was ready to ride, Kera was already mounted and ready to go. They rode together, talking easily all the way to the edge of the ranch property.

"I better go on alone from here in case Mother pitches a fit when I arrive," Kera warned.

"I'll take my chances, but I will steal one last kiss before we ride up," Ty said, leaning over to her.

"You can't steal what's freely given, Cowboy," she smiled before meeting his lips.

Ty rode with her into the ranch yard. Her mother was sitting on the front porch and stood as soon as she heard the horses coming.

"Kera O'Shea!" her mother started before she noticed Kera was not alone and recognized Ty and his buckskin.

"Hello, Mother," Kera said sweetly, "you remember Ty."

"Yes, of course. Did you have to rescue her again, Mr. Lansing?"

"No ma'am. She actually found me goofing off this time up by a pool in the mountains. If she hadn't happened along, I probably would have fallen asleep and not woke up til morning," Ty joked, trying to ease the tension.

"Well she's not supposed to be out riding yet," her mother protested, but without much bark. "Her ankle is barely healed up."

"My ankle is fine Mother," Kera objected.

"Well, you need to get in here and get your weight off of it," her mother ordered.

"Go ahead," Ty said. "I'll take care of Nugget."

"Thank you, Ty," she said, but the look in her eyes conveyed much more.

"Yes ma'am," he said, tipping his hat chivalrously.

Kera and Ty dismounted and Ty took Nugget to the barn while Mrs. O'Shea escorted Kera inside the house. After he'd put the horse up and tended to her feeding and watering, Ty emerged from the barn, mounted Buck again and as he turned to leave, a flash of red caught his eye from a second story window. Kera was looking down at him and as he looked up, she blew a kiss. He returned it and rode off with a song in his heart.

*****

Saturday finally arrived. Ty awoke early as he had a lot of work to do before he picked Kera up at 3:00. He'd called her last night and asked if he could pick her up early and she had readily agreed. He also told her to dress casual in jeans and boots. She'd been intrigued but agreed.

He dressed quickly, grabbed a quick cup of coffee and some jerky and headed out. He worked all day, getting back in the house with barely enough time to shower and get ready to go pick Kera up. Once he was cleaned up and dressed in a new pair of Wrangler jeans, a Cinch Apache Lake long sleeve snap button shirt in light blue, and a new pair of Justin boots. From his closet he took down the hat box that held a new black felt Stetson hat his mother had bought him for graduation. He'd only worn it once, at her funeral. It was time to attach some happy memories to it as well as the sad one.

*****

"Mr. O'Shea," Ty said as he stepped out of the truck at the B-Bar-B. "How are you this evening?"

Rory O'Shea, who had been coming from the barn toward the house, looked at Ty appraisingly. He liked what he saw. Ty was all cowboy, but didn't seem to have the bluster that came with the breed. He was polite, well spoken, respectful, and humble, but he was also quietly confident.

"I'm well Mr. Lansing. I understand you're taking Kera out tonight," he said conversationally and without accusation.

"With your blessing, of course," Ty said quickly.

"Son, she's beyond needing my blessing, but it's good of you to ask."

Both men turned to the sound of the door opening. Ty doubted that a more radiant beauty existed on this or any other plane of existence. Her straight red hair was down, coming just below the tops of her shoulders. Her emerald eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun. Her white button down shirt fit her form perfectly as did the new jeans she wore. Her red Justin boots where polished and shined.

"Good evening, Miss Kera," Ty said, finally able to close his mouth.

"Good evening to you, Cowboy," she said, winking quickly.

"If you're ready?" Ty said, extending his hand to her. She took it and he led her to the passenger side of the truck, opened her door and waited while she climbed up on the running board and into the truck before shutting the door behind her.

"You kids have fun," Mr. O'Shea said.

"Thank you sir," Ty said, going around and getting in the truck.

As they backed out and started back down the drive to the highway, Ty reached over and placed his hand over hers on the truck seat. Just the touch of her skin was magical. She squeezed his fingers and slid over to the middle of the truck seat, leaning up, she kissed him on the side of the neck.

"I've missed you, Cowboy," she whispered in his ear.

"I've missed you too, Kera. You would think a guy that just spent the last six years traipsing all over the world would know what it meant to miss someone, and I thought I did, but this last few days have been something new for me," he admitted.

"I know what you mean," she said, taking him by the chin and turning his head for a quick kiss.

When they turned into the driveway of the Rocking-L Ranch, Ty could see the confusion in Kera's face.

"Did you forget something?" she asked.

"No, I don't think so," Ty said innocently, giving her left hand that he still held, a gentle squeeze.

Kera didn't say anything else up the long winding drive.

Ty pulled the truck up to the ranch house and killed the engine. He opened the door and stepped out, extending his hand to Kera who took it and scooted across, under the wheel, to exit on the driver's side.

Standing next to the corral was Gus. He was holding the reins to Buck and Blaze. Blaze had been Ty's mother's horse. He was a blood bay gelding with three white stockings and a blaze face. His family had never been terribly inventive when it came to naming horses.

"Are you ready to go to dinner?" Ty asked with a mischievous grin.

"We're going to dinner on horseback?" she asked.

"Is that OK?" Ty asked, suddenly unsure.

"Oh, that's more than okay," she smiled back at him. "Mark off another check."

"It's good to see you, Miss O'Shea," Gus said as they approached.

"It's nice to see you too Gus, and please call me Kera," she said as she leaned and kissed his cheek.

Ty had known Gus his entire life and had never once seen him embarrassed or blushing, but he blushed now.

"Yes ma'am, Miss Kera," he quickly corrected. "I believe you'll find your steed to your liking tonight. We've chosen an aged blood bay with plenty left in the tank. His name is Blaze. He can run all day and night and cut like a knife, but he's a gentle rider. He belonged to Ty's mother and she made a pet of him," Gus said, really hamming up the part.

"He's gorgeous," she said, reaching with both hands to stroke the horse's nose. Blaze reached for her as if he'd always known her, nuzzling her neck. "Are you sure she wouldn't mind?" she asked both Ty and Gus.

"No, Miss," Gus answered quickly, "she wouldn't mind a-tall. I figure she's looking down right now with a smile on her face knowing he is in such capable hands."

Ty couldn't help but wonder if there was a double meaning to Gus' words. Did he also think that Ty's mother would be smiling, knowing that he himself was as happy as Blaze in the arms of this fire haired beauty.

"Are you ready?" Ty asked, breaking the spell that had been cast over all of them.

"Yep, y'all better get moving," Gus said. "You got a ways to go, yet."

Gus held the reins until Kera mounted, just to make sure the gelding wasn't intending any trouble, but he seemed as calm and meek as a lamb so Gus handed the reins up to her.

Ty swung up on Buck and side by side they started out. Gus' mind went back many years and he could see himself and his Maggie riding like that. Finally, he shook his head and wiped his eye and started toward the ranch house.

*****

"So dinner's in the hills?" Kera asked after they'd climbed steadily for a while.

"Something like that," Ty said, mysteriously.

Kera was in love. That was all there was too it. It had been love at first sight and now she was hopelessly, helplessly in love - with Blaze. His gait was so smooth. He seemed to sense where she wanted to go before she even moved a rein. He moved along tirelessly keeping up with the big buckskin but didn't seem any the worse for wear.

"You know, you may have already been beat out for my favorite guy of the night," she teased.

"Yeah, that Gus is smooth with the ladies," Ty said stoically.

"I didn't mean Gus you goof, although he was quite charming. I was talking about Blaze. He is a dream to ride. I've been riding since I was six years old and I've never ridden a horse I liked more. I could ride him for hours. If Buck's anything like Blaze, I can see how you spend so many hours in the saddle."

"My dad had a way with picking horses, and training them. I don't mean to say he was a horse whisperer or anything, he just understood them, seemed to know what made each horse tick. What their individual likes and dislikes were. I regret now not learning more from him when I had the chance," Ty said wistfully.

"You seem to be doing alright, Cowboy, and know it or not, you do have the 'touch'. That mare of mine, Nugget, did you know that she was a rescue? We got her from small spread ranch outside the valley. She had been beaten badly by the man that owned her. When we went to pick her up, she wouldn't let my dad get near her. He worked until he needed to sit down a take a break. As soon as he walked away, I started talking to her and within minutes she had come up and let me scratch her. 20 minutes later I had a halter and lead rope on her and was walking her toward the stock trailer. I got her loaded up and was ready to go by the time my dad got back. We took her home and he tried to get her out of the trailer. I thought she was going to kill him or herself she was so upset. I asked him to let me try. Again, with him out of sight, she calmed down and I was able to get her out of the trailer and into the corral. She's been skittish of men ever since we've had her. She finally lets my dad handle her because he won her over with carrots and sugar cubes, but none of the ranch hands can. The fact that she let you approach her after I fell off, tells me a lot. I trust animal's opinions of people more that I trust my own. Oh and by the way, that's another check mark," she grinned.

The trail had become a little steeper and a little more narrow, requiring then to ride in single file. After a couple of switchbacks, the trail finally opened up on top of the mesa. As they rode out onto the mesa and Kera got her first look at the valley below, she was speechless.

"I know this isn't a fancy restaurant," Ty said, reaching out to take her hand, "but I wanted to bring the most beautiful girl I know to the most beautiful place I know."

"Oh Ty," she said as if she were trying to catch her breath, "It's so beautiful. I can see this mesa from my room at home. It always looks so big, imposing, and formidable. Looking up at it, I never dreamed what the view could be looking down from it," she said, squeezing his hand.

"It may have been a bad idea bringing you here," Ty said quietly, almost sadly.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"This has always been the most beautiful view in this country, but now that I've seen you here, it will never be the same if I come up here without you," he said, leaning over and kissing her gently on the lips.

"Oh Ty," she said as he sat back up, "when you look at me with those gray eyes, I really do feel as beautiful as you seem to think I am. I like that feeling. Call it vanity if you will, but I love that you see me that way."

"You are beautiful Miss O'Shea, and blind eyes could see that," he said passionately.

She looked again at the panorama laid before her. Taking all of it in from the Rocking-L, down to the Lazy-A, over to the B-Bar-B, and as she looked further right she saw something she had completed missed when they rode up on the mesa. There was a table, two chairs, a fire pit, some boxes and sacks.

"Is this where you brought me for diner?" she said, cocking her head toward the small camp site.

"If you'll do me the honor?" Ty said.

"It would be my pleasure." she smiled. Without saying so, she'd checked off a dozen more checks today.

Ty, as always, saw first to the horses, picketing them on a large grassy area where a depression held temporary water from recent rains. Once the horses were settled, Ty sat Kera at the table and set about building the fire. As the fire was catching, he opened an ice chest and pulled out a couple of steaks, which were already seasoned inside zip-lock bags. He placed the steaks on the grill over the fire, pulled foil wrapped potatoes from a different box and sat them around the coals of the fire. He put a pot of coffee on to brew and once everything was cooking, he removed two tin plates, silverware, and tin coffee cups from one of the boxes and set the table.

"How did you get all this up here?" she asked, bewildered.

"Gus and I and two pack horses," Ty smiled at her as he put a plate down in front of her. "We packed it all up this morning and set it all up. You can't tell it by looking at him, but Gus is a bit of a romantic, so when I told him this is what I wanted to do for our first date, I had to rein him in with all his suggestions. If he'd had it his way, there's be a cabin built here right now."

"Well, maybe you should have let him run things then," she laughed.

"If you want a cabin up here," Ty said, sitting down and taking her hands in his, "I'll surely build you one, but I'd want it to be a sight better than what Gus and I could have thrown together in four days."

"Why Ty Lansing, are you talking future plans?" she teased as she squeezed his hands.

"I've done nothing but make future plans since I met you, Kera O'Shea. I don't mean to speak out of turn, or to scare you away, but this is no teen boy crush, or passing infatuation. I aim to see this through as far as it will go, and I know how far I'm ready to go, so I guess the rest depends on you."

"I'm willing to stick around and see where this goes," she said quietly.

"That's all I can ask," he said, getting up to check on the steaks.

Talk through dinner lightened. They each talked of dreams they had, things they liked and things they didn't like. He told her of his travels in the middle east, how some places were harsh, inhospitable, and just miserable, and others held their own beauty and sometimes you could actually forget why you were there and just enjoy. She told him of her trips to Ireland with her family and how much she thought he would like it as well. He agreed that he'd love to travel there someday. They both shared a desire to visit Australia. They found they had much in common. When dinner was over, he went to one of the packs and pulled two large blankets out and spread them on the ground. He sat down and patted the blanket next to him. He pulled his boots off and set them aside with his hat on top of them and laid back on his back. She did the same on the other side. The sun had set and the stars were starting to come out. The fire had died down so there was little glare. Kera moved closer to Ty, reaching to take his hand and gazed up as the stars seemed to blink on rapidly, one by one. Soon, there were stars everywhere. She marveled at the expanse of sky.

"I can't believe how many stars there are, and how clearly I see them," she said in wonder.

"Yeah, it's amazing what a little altitude and clear air can do. I've spent many a-night laying here just like this just watching the stars, thinking, planning. Every big decision I ever made in my life was made on this mesa."

"And what's your latest big decision?" she asked, dreamily.

"This," he said as he rolled over and pressed his lips to hers.

Kera responded immediately by wrapping both her arms around his neck and squeezing him to her. Their tongues danced in each others' mouths as he wrapped his long strong arms around her, pulling her closer. As she broke their kiss and gasped for breath, Ty moved his lips to her neck. His nose buried in her fragrant red hair. Her soft moans told him he was on the right track. He moved down, following the line of her throat until he reached the 'V' of her shirt. He reached up and deftly undid the top button and proceeded down her chest planting soft kisses as he went. Button after button fell to his advance. He was now directly between her soft firm breasts. He gently kissed the swell of each breast were it was exposed above her white lace bra. Kera's continued soft moans and her hands on the back of his head spurred him onward. He continued down the row of buttons until he came to the waist of her pants.

He grabbed her shirt at her waist and gently pulled upwards. Kera arched her back as her shirt was pulled from the waistline of her pants. Undoing the last two buttons, Ty laid her shirt open and gazed in awe at the flat toned stomach, her bra clad breasts heaving with her ragged breaths. He started at her waist and reversed course, kissing his way back up her stomach, underneath under each breast, and finally back up the center. The bra was a front clasp, which he released. As he pulled the lacy cups to the side, he was rendered mute by the twin masterpieces before him. They were just the perfect size to fill the palms of his large hands. They stood proudly upon her chest which was dusted lightly with freckles. The areolas were a light pink and no bigger than a quarter. The nipples were slightly darker and engorged causing the to harden deliciously.

Kera gently pulled his head toward her left breast, but instead of going straight for the nipple, he turned his head slightly, kissing the underneath curve of her breast. He followed the curvature around the outside edge as her moans now turned to frustrated cries, until finally he flicked his tongue across her nipple.