Love's True Obsession

Jack said, "So, what are we going to do today?"

Andy looked at him, and at the girls and said, "Well, I was thinking that we might be able to go for a hike and a picnic in the woods around lunchtime, if that agrees with everyone. I overheard one of the hotel employees mention that there are some good hiking trails and some private clearings up in the forest behind the hotel." He winked at Jack, who knew what he was talking about.

PART FORTY-ONE

"Sounds like a fun idea, Andy." Jack said.

"I'll stop by the front desk and ask them to pack a couple of picnic baskets for us while we change into some decent clothes and shoes for hiking, then we can meet down here in about an hour or so, ok?" Andy said. They all nodded in agreement, then paid the breakfast bills and went to their rooms, Andy stopping by the front desk to order the picnic baskets for their lunches. Joanie went upstairs with Ariel and Jack. They got to their rooms and changed into Jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. Ariel packed her pocket first aid kit into her fannypack with her cell phone, sun screen and sunglasses. Jack clipped his cell phone onto his belt. Joanie changed her clothes, putting on a pair of blue jeans, a gray t-shirt with a teddy bear on it, and her black Nike sneakers. As she was pulling her sneakers on, Andy came into the room with two large baskets.

He put the baskets on the bed and opened one of them. There was a bottle of wine, and a bottle of sparking cider in each basket, along with sliced meats, bread, cheese, fruit, two plates, napkins, silverware, and a pair of wine glasses in there too. On top of all the food were some ice-packs and a plaid picnic basket, one blue plaid, the other red plaid, and a first aid kit in each basket too. Andy changed his shoes and pants, then they took the baskets and left the room. Jack and Ariel were still in their room, so Andy knocked on the door, opening it when he heard Jack say, "Come on in, Andy. We're almost ready."

Andy sat one basket on the chair by the door and said, "Here's your basket, Jack. I checked to make sure they put everything in that I ordered, and they did., including a first aid kit, just in case. There's wine and cider, meat, cheese, bread, fruit, plates, napkins and silverware, and a picnic blanket too."

"Yum, Yum!" Ariel exclaimed.

Jack smiled at her enthusiasm as he tied his shoes and then said, "So, are we ready to go now?" They all nodded and left the room, locking up behind them.

Andy said, "I've rented four horses too, so we don't have to walk. They are in the stable out back of the hotel, all saddled and ready to go. We just have to tie on the baskets."

Ariel smiled and said, "That's great, Andy! It'll be fun riding the trails and easier to carry the baskets too. They seem to be pretty heavy." They picked up the baskets, and went outside and around the hotel to the stables in back. There were four horses saddled and waiting at the hitching rails.

Andy turned to Jack and said, "The black gelding, "Keiko", is for you, Jack. Ariel, the white mare, "Snowy", is yours to ride. Joanie honey, this brown mare, "Jenny" is for you to ride, and the gray gelding, "Charcoal" is the one I will be riding. Now, let's mount up and head out."

Jack and Andy tied the baskets to their saddles and then helped the girls up onto the horses, before getting on their own horses. They headed out, riding east toward the forest trails. Andy and Jack rode in front, and the girls were behind them, chatting and laughing. They rode slowly, because Ariel didn't want to go fast because of her pregnancy. She wasn't really supposed to be riding a horse while pregnant, but she would be careful and not go bouncing all around on the horse's back. They all decided that they could take their time and ride slow to enjoy the scenery. Every few minutes, Jack turned around to look at Ariel and ask her, "Are you alright, honey? Do you want to stop for a few minutes?"

She would reply, "Yes Jack, I'm fine, and no, I don't want to stop yet."

Jack slowed his horse enough so that he could ride beside Ariel, and Joanie went ahead to ride by Andy. Jack leaned over and gave Ariel a kiss and said, "I love you, honey." He took her hand in his as they rode close to each other.

She looked at him and smiled, then said, "I love you too, Jack. This was a great idea, going horseback riding instead of hiking, dear. I don't think I'd be up for all the walking. Oh! Jack, look over there, by the stream! I see a deer and her fawn getting a drink." Jack looked over and saw the two deer drinking from the stream and smiled. The doe looked up and watched the four riders pass quietly by. They didn't say anything because they didn't want to scare the animals. Ariel whispered, "They were so beautiful, Jack. Don't you agree?"

He nodded and said, "Yeah they were, baby, but not as beautiful as my wife."

Ariel smiled and gently squeezed Jack's hand and said, "There's no man who is more handsome than you, my loving husband, whom I will love with all my heart and soul forever and ever." He leaned over and kissed her again, then they urged the horses to a trot to catch up to Andy and Joanie. Andy and Joanie had stopped at a point in the trail where it split into two trails, one going north and one going south.

Andy said, "The clerk at the hotel said that about a hundred yards down each trail is a turn off that leads to a couple of small cabins. The clerk gave me a couple of keys, one for us and one for you and Ariel, Jack. You get cabin number 3 down the south trail, and Joanie and I get number 2 on the north trail. Joanie, do you have your cell phone with you?" She nodded, then Andy said, "Good. So we can call each other if something happens, or when we're ready to head back to the hotel." He handed the key to cabin 3 to Jack, and they all said good bye and went in opposite directions to the cabins.

Jack and Ariel rode on the south trail for about fifteen minutes before coming to a path leading to a small cabin set back from the main trail. There was a small shed to the right of the cabin for the horses, and an outhouse on the left side, about thirty feet away. The cabin had a small porch in front, with two handmade chairs on the porch with a small table between them. They dismounted and led the horses into the small barn, feeding and watering them from the supplies in the corner of the shed. Jack removed the saddles and bridles, placing them on the hooks on the wall of the barn. He untied the basket from his saddle, and took Ariel by the hand, leading her to the cabin porch. He set the basket on the chair closest to the door, and took the key from his pocket and unlocked the door.

Jack picked up the basket and went inside. There was a lamp by the door and a pack of matches by it, so he lit the lamp. The light brightened the small twenty foot square one room cabin, revealing a full size bed against the left wall in the corner, a small dresser/night stand by the bed with another lamp on it, a fireplace in the far right corner with a supply of wood by it, a braided rag rug in front of the fireplace, a small table and two chairs in the near left corner by the door, and some shelves and a cabinet in the near right corner. There was a broom and dustpan on hooks on the wall behind the door, a bucket for water, and a supply of towels and washcloths in the cabinet on one of the shelves. Jack put the basket on the table as Ariel came inside and looked around. "Oh Jack! What a cute little cabin!" she exclaimed as she flopped down on the bed, which was covered with a floral Amish quilt.

Jack closed the door and sat beside her on the bed. "Are you cold, baby? I can light a fire if you are." he asked her tenderly.

"I am a little bit chilly, dear. But I don't think we need the fire to keep warm." she said with a wink. He chuckled as he started kissing her passionately, his tongue dancing seductively with hers. His hands slid up under her t-shirt and he began caressing her breasts. He was very surprised to find out that she wasn't wearing a bra under her shirt.

He tickled her and said, "Mmmmm what a nice surprise of not having a bra on, baby. Makes it much easier to do this." His head went down as he pushed her shirt up and his lips clamped onto her breast, sucking the nipple into his mouth like a newborn baby. She laid back on the bed, her head on the floral-covered pillow, her hair spread out around her like a halo.

PART FORTY-TWO

He suckled on her other nipple as she ran her fingers through his hair, pressing his face closer to her breasts. She moaned softly, then Jack said, "Take your clothes off, baby. I want to see your gorgeous body." He got up from the bed and she stood up and undressed, very slowly, giving Jack his own personal strip show. She removed her shoes, one at a time, tossing them into the corner by the bed. Next came her socks, which she tossed to Jack. He caught them and put them in her shoe. She slowly unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, turned around with her back to him, and slowly pushed them down off her hips. She was wearing a pair of red bikini underwear, and Jack could see the crack of her bottom through the thin fabric. He felt the blood pulsing in his loins in anticipation.

She tossed her jeans to the floor on top of her shoes and socks. Her shirt came off next and she tossed that at Jack too. She stood there in just her panties, the outline of her womanhood clearly visible to Jack when she turned around to face him. His member was rock hard and throbbing as she said, "Now Jack, my husband, it's your turn to undress for me!" She climbed on the bed and laid on her side, facing Jack, her head propped on her hand as she watched him take off his shirt, shoes, socks, jeans and boxers. "Mmmmmmm baby! Looking fine today, you sexy hunk! Come to mama!" she said. Jack wasted no time getting on the bed beside her and plunging his tongue deep into her mouth as his hands slid down under her panties and into her hot wet flesh.

He started to stroke her intimately and her body trembled slightly in anticipation of his hard shaft being buried deep within her. She slid her hands down over his shoulders and chest, over his tummy and down to caress and stroke his hard shaft. She pushed him back on the bed and got on top of him with her bottom in his face. He buried his tongue and fingers deep in her love nest, licking and sucking her juices while his fingers moved rapidly in and out of her hole. She moaned as she bent her head and brushed her hair against the purplish tip of his manhood, feeling it throb and jerk in her hand. She flicked her tongue out and teased the head, stroking it tenderly. She swirled her tongue around it and then took him into her mouth to lick and suck on him. Her tongue lovingly stroked his swollen organ as she sucked him hard and fast.

"Ohhhhh babyyyyy! You gotta stop before I blow my load! I want to cum inside you baby, not in your mouth!" Jack growled at her. He pushed her off and laid her on her back with her legs spread wide and her knees bent. He got between her legs and positioned himself at her wet hole, which still had her honey flowing from it. With one thrust, he was buried deep within her. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly, letting her taste her woman cum on his lips and tongue. She moaned loudly as he began moving within her, slowly at first. His left hand moved up and started gently squeezing her breasts while his right hand began applying pressure to her swollen clit as he made love to her. She began panting and within moments, she was convulsing around his shaft, sucking him deeper into her sheath.

She lifted her legs and locked her ankles around his waist. She slid her hands down his sides and squeezed his butt hard, and pressed against his butt cheeks to push his throbbing maleness deeper into her. Jack ground his pelvis against hers, which made her moan and pant his name louder. Within seconds, he was pulsing deep within her as he released his hot sticky seed against her womb. He collapsed on her, his elbows supporting his weight. "Wow baby, that was sooo good!" he panted in her ear before he kissed her.

"Mmmmm yeah, it sure was, Jack. You are the greatest, my love! I love you so very much." she said tenderly as Jack slid free of her body and laid beside her on the bed. He pulled the blanket up over them and they snuggled together, her head resting on his shoulder and her hand on his chest.

They laid there for about an hour, then Ariel's stomach growled. Jack looked down at her and she smiled and said, "I guess I'm a little hungry, honey. Can we have some lunch now?" Jack nodded and got out of bed to get the basket. His firm muscles moved so gracefully that he reminded Ariel of a jungle cat, sleek and muscular and made for loving. She smiled tenderly at her husband as he placed the basket on the floor by the bed. Ariel sat up and tucked her legs beneath her so she could smooth out the blanket on the bed before Jack spread the picnic blanket on it. He sat the basket on the bed and started taking out the contents of it: a bottle of wine, a bottle of sparkling cider, two glasses, two plates, napkins, silverware, a plastic container of sliced ham and roast beef, a container of sliced cheddar cheese, a covered bowl of mixed fruit, a tub of cottage cheese and some bread and a small jar of mayonnaise.

Jack made them each a sandwich, spooned some fruit and cottage cheese onto each plate, and poured them each a drink of the cider. They ate the lunch and then Jack put away everything, back into the basket. He put it back on the table and put the picnic blanket on top of the basket. Then he got back in bed with his wife. They snuggled down under the blankets and fell asleep. A few hours later, they woke up to hear knocking on the door of the cabin. Jack got dressed and went to open the door.

It was Andy and Joanie. "Dude, did you fall asleep? We were all supposed to meet at the trail sign an hour ago!" Andy said.

"Sorry dude, we kinda got a little distracted and lost track of time." he told Andy with a chuckle and a wink.

Joanie said, "You guys better get dressed so we can get back to the hotel in time for dinner. It's almost five o'clock already."

"Ok, we'll be right out. Just give us about ten minutes to get dressed and clean up in here, ok?" Ariel said to Joanie.

Andy said, "I'll get the horses saddled for you while we wait." Jack nodded and closed the door so he and Ariel could finish dressing.

PART FORTY-THREE

They dressed quickly and Ariel made the bed while Jack repacked the picnic basket neatly so the blanket would fit back in it. Andy and Joanie had the horses saddled and waiting when Jack and Ariel emerged from the cabin. Jack locked up and helped Ariel up onto her horse, then he tied the basket to his saddle and mounted up. With one last look at the cabin, the four lovers rode back down the trail and returned to the hotel. They turned the horses over to the stable boys who were there waiting for them, and carried the baskets inside, giving them and the cabin keys to the clerk at the front desk. They went to their rooms to change their clothes before dinner.

Once in the privacy of their room, Jack pulled Ariel to him, kissing her deeply. When he broke the kiss, she looked into his smiling eyes and asked, "What was that for, Jack?"

He grinned and said, "Because I am married to the most wonderful, beautiful, sexiest woman in the world and I love her with all my heart and soul, and she's carrying my baby!" Then he kissed her again.

She pushed against his chest and laughingly said, "If you keep that up, dear, we're going to be late for dinner with Andy and Joanie." They quickly changed their clothes and went downstairs for dinner, enjoying the company of their closest friends.

Seven months later: Ariel carefully made her way down the stairs of her house after her nap, accompanied by Precious and the sound of hammering and sawing in the addition that Jack and Andy were building onto the house. They were putting up the inside walls on the baby's room, just off the kitchen, by the bathroom. Precious, her faithful golden Retriever, had grown into a gorgeous dog, and was very protective of her master and mistress. Jack had taught her to fetch things for him and for Ariel, even teaching the dog to open the refrigerator to get a can of soda or beer, or a bottle of water for Ariel. She was now eight and a half months pregnant, and only had a couple of weeks left before her due date.

She opened the front door and let the dog out, then went to the fridge and took out a bottle of water for herself, and two bottles of beer for Jack and Andy. She made her way to the doorway of the nursery and stood there watching them work. They were lifting up the sheets of drywall and nailing them to the 2x4 studs on the wall. Ariel had decided to paint the walls a pale yellow and put up a border of wallpaper along the ceiling and painting a mural on the wall with nursery rhyme pictures. As she stood there thinking about the painting, Jack came over to her and kissed her, bringing her out of her daydream. "Hi there, sexy! Did you have a good nap, baby? I hope we didn't wake you." he said lovingly.

"No Jack, you didn't wake me. Precious started whining and wanted to go outside, so I had to come down and let her out. And besides, I got thirsty and wanted to see my sexy hard-working husband working on our child's room." she said with a wink.

"It's almost done, baby. Just have three more sheets of drywall to put up, and then spackle the seams, then you can start painting." he said. Suddenly, Ariel let out a gasp of air and her hand flew to her stomach. Jack saw the shock in her eyes and asked, "Baby? Are you ok?"

"No Jack." she gasped, "I think the baby's coming!" She looked down her legs and saw a puddle forming on the floor. "My water just broke, Jack. It's time!" Andy came running over to help Jack get Ariel out to the couch, then he called Joanie on the phone to get her to meet them at the hospital. Jack grabbed Ariel's suitcase, the diaper bag and the baby seat from the closet and took them out to the car as Andy helped Ariel to the porch and out to the car. Jack was putting Precious in the barn as Andy and Ariel came out of the house.

He took Ariel and helped her to the car and Andy locked up the house. Another sharp contraction made Ariel double over in pain so that Jack had to stop by the car and wait for the pain to pass before helping her into the front seat. Andy jumped in his truck and followed Jack and Ariel to the hospital, where Joanie was meeting them. Within ten minutes, Jack had driven to the hospital. Joanie was waiting outside with a wheel chair for Ariel. Jack checked Ariel in at the main desk while Joanie and Andy wheeled her up to the maternity floor with the nurse. Joanie was pushing the wheelchair and Andy was carrying Ariel's bags and the baby seat.. They got her settled into her bed in the room. She had just been examined by the doctor when Jack came in. "Are you alright, baby?" he asked, concern showing on his face as he tucked the blanket in around her and held her hand.

"Yes Jack, I'm fine. Women have babies all the time! I know what to expect, thanks to our LaMaaz classes, and with you and Joanie and Andy all here, I'll be in good hands, darling." she said. She started her breathing exercises as another strong contraction came on. "They are getting stronger and closer together now, Jack." she whispered to him. "It wont be much longer until our son or daughter is born, darling." she breathed as the contraction subsided. Jack wiped her forehead with the wet washcloth that was by the bed and kissed her tenderly.

"I love you so much, Ariel." he whispered in her ear. A couple minutes later, another contraction came, stronger than the others and Ariel was feeling the urge to push. Jack had Andy run out to the nurse's station to let them know.