Mary Janes

"George, I am so sorry, we had a party after work and I got a little carried away," she was peeking around the door talking to him through the small opening trying to ignore the freight train screaming around in her head.

"Tell you what, I'll count to ten and give you a head start, you go get dressed and I'll fix you something for that headache, how does that sound?" George smiled at her.

"Ok," Vicki nodded as she closed the door, undid the chain, and took off running to her bedroom, totally unaware that the door had sung open behind her giving George a full view of her pink panties with the bright red hearts that had slid just a little into the crack of her butt.

Vicki didn't have time to think and that was probably a good thing, she shifted into crisis management mode, the customer was not happy, and it needed to be fixed now. She scanned her closet deciding on the soft leather boots with the fringe, they were going horseback riding after all. Dropping her panties and tossing the t-shirt in the hamper, she gave herself a quick camp shower, washing her face, brushing her teeth, and scrubbing her pits and her crotch with a washcloth before she slipped on a clean pair of simple white cotton panties and pulled a sports bra with just a little padding on over her head.

A T-shirt that fell just off her shoulder and a pair of jeans, she slipped the boots on and tied the rawhide lace into a nice bow that disappeared into the fringe that ran around the top of the boots. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she ran a brush through her hair, opting for a high ponytail, and sat down to do her makeup.

Dropping her lip gloss into her purse and grabbing a denim jacket, she smiled at herself in the mirror and headed to the kitchen before she had a chance to change her mind; it had taken all of thirty minutes.

"Now that has to be a world record, even my mom can't get ready that fast," George laughed when he saw her, handing her a glass of something that looked absolutely gross, "just trust me on this, ok, it looks bad and it doesn't taste too great, but it will make you feel better."

Vicki looked at George and at the glass, he was smiling and nodding, so she pinched her nose and chugged it, it was gross, a mixture of pickle juice and orange juice with, what, raw eggs and some other stuff, cinnamon, really? It almost came back up. She grimaced and handed the glass back to George," that was disgusting, "she started to laugh and after a minute or two of letting it settle, realized that she did feel better, whether it was the hangover cure, or the way George looked at her was up for debate.

Vicki was a bundle of nerves and had no idea what to expect, at least the meticulously restored 72 chevy step side George was driving would give them something to talk about. He opened the door and she climbed in, waiting patiently as he walked around and got in the driver's side.

Getting George to talk about his truck was easy, he went into detail of everything he had done, overblown engine, upgraded suspension, modern electronics, he was impressed that Vicki not only seemed to be following along but that she knew what he was talking about.

It was going to happen, and George finally asked Vicki what she did, "Mid-Valley Construction and Landscaping," I'm a field supervisor, feels like I've been there forever, I've known the owners since I was little, she fudged a bit.

Small world, they do some landscaping at some of the buildings my dad's company owns, and what about that house, was Mr. Francis like your grandfather?"

"I didn't really even know him, I just did him a favor and evidently he appreciated it and didn't have any family, so he gave the whole thing to me, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

"Some favor, can I ask?"

"He must have been sick, and I mowed his yard and pulled some weeds and stuff, just seemed like the right thing to do. All I can figure is he thought I'd take care of it like he always did."

"Wow, you are full of surprises, cars, construction, and you mow lawns, you are definitely not what I expected," George laughed, "but in a good way," he tried to do a little damage control.

"What?" it did bother her a little and the old ire started to rise," so because I'm small and a woman, and I twisted my ankle and you saved me and I smiled at you, you thought I'd be some vacuous bimbo?"

"No, really, no, that's not what I meant," George was floundering a bit and Vicki found she was enjoying it, "It's just, well, nice to meet a girl that I can talk to about stuff that I like, not many girls know what it means when you mention that your pistons are point five oversized," he was blushing, "and you're well really cute too."

"So, I'm just a pretty face now, is that it?" Vicki had been on the wrong side of this conversation a few times and was torn by what she knew George was feeling and the pleasure she was having tormenting him. There was no way out unless she gave it to him.

"No, well, yes, I mean no, dammit, yes you're cute and obviously smart and I like that you can talk about cars but, shit, I quit, I give up, I'm sorry I said anything."

Vicki couldn't help herself, she started laughing," George, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that to you, I'm glad that you think I'm cute," she smiled at him. She realized it was true, it freaked her out a bit, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she caught a glimpse of a thought, she thought he was cute too.

The realization caught her by surprise, and she got quiet, realizing again what she was doing, it had only been a few months since she had put on those damned shoes and less than a week since she had come out at work, she liked who she was becoming but still had no idea where this was going or what she was doing, and she was on a date with a guy. Vicki could feel the butterflies growing in her gut, she looked out the window and just watched the scenery go by, how far was it to his family's pace anyway?

"You ok over there?"

"Yes, I'm just a little nervous, I've never been around horses," another white lie.

"They're just like big puppy dogs, especially Sundance, I think the two of you are going to get along just fine." George smiled at her, and she relaxed just a bit.

"Labs or rottweilers?" she gave him a little side eye.

"Depends on the horse," George chuckled, "but Sundance, definitely lab."

They pulled up to the gate, George pulled out a remote and clicked the button, the gate was huge, massive rock work with elaborate double gates with the name Granger Ranch cut into a huge metal sign above it all, it hit Vicki, other than his truck and where he worked, she didn't know anything about George.

"Wait a minute, Granger, as in Granger Communications, as in Granger Media Group, that's your family? I thought you just worked for them."

"Well, I do that too, and besides, all you had to do was ask and I would have told you anything you wanted to know. I do have to admit, the look on your face is worth it, especially after all that crap you gave me before," it was George's turn to laugh.

The drive up to the house and the horse barn took another thirty minutes, Vicki looked out the window at the fields, beautiful horses running and playing, some just standing around eating the lush green grass, the white rail fences immaculately painted, it was out of a movie. It was too much.

Just like when Tommy and his friends chased Victor in the fifth grade, all she wanted to do right now was run.

Vicki couldn't get out of the truck when George opened the door. Petrified, she just stared at the huge ranch house in front of her and the massive horse barn off to the left. Yeah, her dad did ok, a lot better than ok, but this was ridiculous, this was real money and with that came a truck load of judgment and scrutiny and with everything else she was dealing with, it was just too much.

"Vicki, What's the matter?"

"George, I just can't, this, all of this, it's too much. I don't belong here," there was no emotion in her voice. Her head was spinning, thoughts of everything that could, would go wrong flew through her mind.

"Georgie is that you?" a woman's voice found her ears, her eyes focused and a handsome woman who was approaching the truck from the barn, slapping a pair of work gloves on her leg, she was dressed in a plaid shirt, with filthy jeans half in and out of a pair of boots that looked like that had been dug out of the ground, she had a huge smile and the kindest face. Vicki started to relax, "and is this Vicki, the young lady that you haven't been able to stop talking about?"

"Hey mom," George gave the lady a big hug, "and yes, this is Vicki."

What the hell was going on?

"Well, you two come up to the house, Martha just made some lunch and I'm sure there's plenty."

"That was your mom, she works here, I thought your family owned the ranch," Vicki was still in a daze.

"We do, but it is a ranch, everybody works here, now come on, Martha is an excellent cook and whatever she made is going to be a lot better than the sandwiches I packed."

Vicki turned toward George, "explain," was the only thing she could think to say.

"My grandfather got into radio in the fifties, jumped on Rock and Roll almost before the term was coined and then bought up a bunch of other stations, the family got into cable when it was brand new and then internet, now we own a bunch of stuff all over the place, mostly infrastructure now, but still a few radio stations and a few other outlets. So yeah, we own this place, but from day one, my great grandfather said no free ride, if you're a Granger and you want a piece of the pie, you work your ass off and earn it, and we all do.

My mom was probably covering for Joe, whose wife just had a baby, and mucking the stalls in the barn because it needed to be done."

"And you?"

"Me, I help run the cable company, when I met you, we were having a lot of service issues, so I was covering a route to make sure everybody got the help they needed. The fact that you are so damned cute and so damned clueless right now is just a bonus, now come on, I really think the reason my mom is out here today is because she wants to meet you. I don't date a lot, so like it or not, you are kind of a big deal to her."

Erica Granger was possibly the nicest person I had ever met, we chatted, and she told embarrassing stories about George and never pressed when I deferred on answering a question she asked, instead, she took my cue and went another direction. I was pretty sure the way I reacted when she first saw me and my wide eyes, told her I felt I was way out of my league, and I think that made her like me a little more.

Martha serves us lunch and when she sat at the table with us, I knew there was something special about this family, when Erica got up to get a refill for her tea, she took Martha's glass with her; Martha was the cook and housekeeper, but Erica was no better than her, they just had different jobs.

"If you two are going for that ride, you'd better get to it, as for me, I think a shower is in order," Erica smiled at both of them," Vicki, it was so nice to meet you. I hope I get to see you again, and George, there's a bushel of apples in the tack room," she excused herself. Vicki looked at George, he smiled at her and winked, she was having trouble believing that this was all real.

"Apples?"

"Come on, I'll show you, you are about to be Sundance's new best friend," George smiled and took her hand, leading her out the back door toward the barn.

Sundance was a beautiful pinto, smaller than the other horses in the barn, George had been right, she was nothing more than a big puppy dog, especially when he cut an apple in half and put it in Vicki's hand, showing her how to feed it to the mare. Sundance followed her out of the barn to the coral like a dog on a leash, waiting for the other half of the apple she knew Vicki had in her other hand.

Ranger was amazing, a big muscular chestnut colored stallion with three white socks, Vicki could see the fire in his eyes, when George walked up to him, gave him an apple, and hugged him around the neck, Ranger used his nose to pull George closer, those two were close.

Vicki stole another apple from the tack room for Sundance and George indicated that it was perfectly fine but that was probably enough for one day, she watched as he saddled the horses, noting how he moved around them, making sure that he always had a hand on the large animal, so they knew where he was, explaining that being behind a horse unannounced, even Sundance, was a very bad idea.

George put his hands together lacing his fingers like a cup and bent down next to Sundance, Vicki picked up in his cue and placed her left foot in his hands, letting him lift her up to get on the beautiful animal, before he adjusted the stirrups and made sure Vicki was secure. She was nervous, but excited, Sundance whinnied and shook her head.

"Somebody else want to go for a ride, too," George laughed.

George climbed on Ranger and gave Vicki a quick course in how to navigate, what was stop and what was go, left and right, especially with Sundance, was little more than touching her neck with the reigns, she should go in the opposite direction. A few quick turns around the corral and Vicki and Sundance were ready to go.

Out the gate and across a huge pasture, walking at first and then George taught Vicki to gallop and even had her let Sundance run, by the time they got to the trees, Vicki was exhilarated, laughing uncontrollably and happier than she had been in a while, this was magic. George was having as much fun watching Vicki's reaction as he was being on his favorite horse.

It took over an hour to get to the plateau with the oak tree and the little pond, it was more beautiful than George had described, Vicki could see the entire ranch from here. George helped Vicki down and laid out a blanket for them to sit on, pulling out some apples for the horses and some fruit, cheese, and wine for the two of them, it was the most romantic thing Vicki could have imagined. Victor had thought it had been romantic the one time he took a girl to Olive Garden.

They sat and talked and snacked and drank wine while Ranger and Sundance milled around them nibbling on the grass. George had an MBA from a very good school and Vicki admitted that she had been in some trouble in high school and just went to work for Mid-Valley right after graduation. George didn't seem to care in the least, "field supervisor, sounds like you're doing pretty well though?"

"Yeah, I guess I am. I like what I do and I'm pretty good at it," she smiled at him and got a funny feeling in her stomach.

George never tried anything, nothing not even once. While Vicki appreciated it, it also made her wonder just what George was up to, Victor would have been all over a girl at this point or tried to be if a date had ever gotten this far. Was there something wrong with George, was there something wrong with her, had he figured it out and was he just being polite?

The conversation started to lag," You ready to head back?" he asked, but there was that smile, dammit what was she feeling for him? She had never even looked at a guy before, much less thought she would go on a date with one, and now she was worried because he hadn't made a move on her, and his damned smile was giving her butterflies.

She helped George pack up their trash and waited patiently until he could help her onto Sundance, following him and Ranger down through the trees to the big meadow. George looked at her and smiled, Vicki replied with a broad grin and a devilish look in her eyes, George nodded, she flicked the reigns and shouted "heyah." Sundance took off toward the barn, Vicki was flying, she had sprouted wings, the wind in her face, her red hair flowing behind her as the ground flew under Sundance's feet. The beautiful beast slowed to a trot and then a walk, pulling up to the barn, snorting and taking a deep drink from the water trough. Vicki slid from the saddle and collapsed, making a dirt angel in the corral, laughing uncontrollably.

"You might want to get up before you get stepped on," George was laughing just as hard as Vicki.

They worked together putting the tack away and George showed Vicki how to properly comb and brush a horse, she stole another apple and gave it to Sundance, hugging the filly hard, getting a nuzzle in return.

They walked back toward the house and without thinking, Vicki slipped her hand into his as they got to the kitchen door.

Erica and Martha were chatting busily working on something that smelled wonderful. If it was anything like lunch, it was better than it smelled. Erica turned as they walked in the door, "You are staying for dinner, aren't you?" Vicki recognized the same tone her own mother used; she was not asking.

"That would be nice," Vicki smiled at Erica and then at George, she was so excited and so happy, she completely forgot to be nervous.

William Granger was George's father and he insisted that Vicki call him Bill as soon as he met her, the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar telecommunications company, he acted like he ran the gas station down the street. Dinner was wonderful, once again, Martha joined them, this time it was Vicki who dominated the conversation, going on and on about their ride and how wonderful it had been and the feeling of being on Sundance's back at a full run, this got an interesting look from Bill, but George just smiled at him.

"Dad, she's a natural, you should see the way she sits a saddle." Vicki had worked for everything she had in her life, fought tooth and nail for a lot of it, but that simple comment made her as proud as anything else she had ever accomplished.

Vicki helped clear the table and George and his father disappeared for a little father son chat, both coming back with smiles, Vicki wondered exactly what they had talked about and decided that was one question she was absolutely going to ask. Erica gave her a big hug," it was nice to meet you, Vicki, please do come see us again," she smiled sweetly. Bill just smiled a huge smile as he shook her hand just before George opened the door and helped her into the truck.

They rode in silence for a while, Vicki looking out the window as the stars started to fill the sky, "thank you for today," she said softly.

"It's me who should be thanking you, my parents are in love with you, by the way," George laughed," but don't worry, I explained that this is just one date. My mom won't start planning the wedding until at least date number three."

"Shut! Up!" Vicki punched him in the arm, and they rode the rest of the way back to her main road in silence, both smiling and stealing glances at the other.

"So, you and your dad, what was that about," she finally broke the silence.

"To be honest, he wanted to make sure my intentions were above board, that I was being completely honest with you," George answered quietly.

"Well, are they, are you?" she put her hand on his leg and gave it a gentle squeeze," it might be ok if your intentions were less than completely pure, you know," that made him smile.

"I promise, my intentions are mostly above board," he laughed, and as for honesty, "I figure I'm dealing with a girl and a few secrets are just part of the game. Finding out what they are is all part of the fun," his hand found hers and held it in place on his thigh.

"I guess you're right," Vicki scooted across the bench seat next to him and laid her head on his shoulder looking out the front window at the lights in the distance, her mind awash in a sea of confused thoughts.

George walked her to the door and stood nervously for a minute, "Vicki, today was really nice and I like you."

"Is there a 'but' in there?" she was getting nervous.

"It's just, like I said, I don't date a lot, but, well, "Suddenly, doubt raged inside her, Vicki could feel the tears welling in her eyes, she liked George, too much for just one date. Today had been wonderful and it was over before it even started, devastation, anger, fear, they were all there, the perfect little fantasy world she had been building for herself was about to come crashing down, she knew it.