Montana Summer Ch. 07

"Aren't you going to ask me to dance," Jessi whispered in Ryan's ear.

Ryan blushed, "I would, but I don't know how."

"It's easy, I'll have you doing the two step in no time," Jessi stood up and almost dragged Ryan to the dance floor.

It wasn't long before Ryan had gotten the hang of it, and was enjoying himself immensely. Looking at Jessi as he danced he felt like he was on top of the world, the luckiest guy alive.

They had danced through three straight songs when the leader of the band announced, "Now here's a pretty little waltz for all the lovers out there."

Ryan wasn't sure what to do, but Jessi made his mind up for him when she wrapped her right arm around his waist, pulled him against her, and held his hand in hers.

As they danced slowly Ryan whispered, "You look beautiful tonight."

Jessi smiled up at him, "You are looking pretty good yourself cowboy."

She held him tighter and closer, Ryan could feel his erection beginning to grow, and Jessi could feel it too. She just moved tighter and tighter against him, loving the feeling of him getting turned on. By the time the waltz ended, they were both glowing.

Their glow did not go undetected by several pairs of eyes. Tears formed in those eyes, whispers exchanged, and heads nodded. "Tonight, after we get home from the dance."

Ryan and Jessi sat back down, Matt and Becky had followed them off of the dance floor. Ryan felt warm, but it he wasn't sure if it was the dancing, or Jessi that had him feeling so warm, most likely it was a combination of both.

Becky and Jessi excused themselves, and headed off to the ladies room. Bill and Suzanne, and Ryan's parents had gotten up and were dancing. Ryan had just polished off his second glass of ice water when he heard a voice.

"Hey cowboy, you're lookin' pretty damned hot tonight," Laura Hannah winked at him.

She was cute, a little shorter than Jessi, with long dark hair, and large beautiful eyes. Her jeans looked they had been sprayed on, she wore her white cowboy boots outside her jeans, and her tight top accentuated her well-built figure.

"Just where have you been hiding yourself?" Laura continued.

Before Ryan could answer Jessi had walked up behind him and put her arms around him, and smiling she said, "Hands off Laura, he's all mine."

Laura laughed, "Oh damn! Well I suppose I should go and try to find Jim. It's been nice seeing you."

Ryan watched Laura as she walked off, searching for whoever Jim may be, and from what Ryan could see Jim was one lucky man. The pockets on her jeans sent out a subliminal message as she walked, and what a message it was.

Becky laughed, and then looked at Ryan, "We used to call her Hot Lips Hannah when we were in the seventh grade, I think she had every guy at school chasing her."

Jessi shook her head and laughed, "And I was so damned jealous of her."

Becky nodded, "Oh god yes, we all were."

Ryan had danced more on this night than he thought he had ever danced before, mostly with Jessi, but Becky had grabbed his hand a couple of times and hauled him to the dance floor laughing and teasing Jessi, "You gotta share, I'm your best friend."

Midway through the evening the bandleader looked out at the crowd, "Bill, Bill McFayden, where are you, and did you bring your guitar."

Uncle Bill stood up and laughed, "I'm over here, the wife told me I couldn't bring it, and she said she didn't want a repeat of last year."

Bill was referring to last year's rodeo dance that had gone until almost five in the morning. The band kept playing, the people kept dancing, and the bar stayed open. Young Tom Baker, one of the deputies had pleaded with everyone to go home, he had said, "Come on, and shut it down, if the sheriff finds this party still going, he will have my ass."

One of the town wags had shouted out, "Just where is Milt, and his banjo?"

Someone had called Milt Walker, the county sheriff and got him out of bed. Milt showed up at the party...with his banjo, and the party kept going. The bar was officially closed, but unofficially the booze kept flowing with no interruption.

The bandleader chuckled, "But knowing you, you brought the guitar anyways."

Bill had reached under the table next to him, and raised his guitar case high in the air, "Damned straight I did!"

Aunt Suzanne just rolled her eyes, and held her head. She should have hidden the guitar.

Ryan loved listening to his uncle sing; he sang songs of the trail, of punching cattle, being far from home. Songs that lonely cowboys sang at nights with only the cattle listening as the stars shone brightly overhead. He could feel their loneliness as Uncle Bill sang of missing a girl so many days, and miles away.

He sat mesmerized, the haunting sound of the fiddle, his hand slipped over to Jessi; quietly they sat listening, holding hands. One particular song, Little Joe the Wrangler, almost brought tears to his eyes. It was music of a day that had long past, there was a simplistic beauty when Uncle Bill sang the Colorado Trail. Chills rang up his back as they sang Ghost Riders in the Sky. He had seen the Wanagi and could almost feel their ghostly presence as he listened to his uncle.

The hour was growing late when they finally filed out of the dance and headed home. Ryan found it a little odd, the silence in the car as they drove back out to the ranch. He and Jessi were wedged into the back seat with Aunt Suzanne, he loved that Jessi was right against him for the whole trip, their fingers playing little games with the other.

"Ryan, Jessi we need to have a little talk," there was something different about Uncle Bill's voice, almost like it carried a pain.

Ryan and Jessi sat down on the sofa in the living room, Roy and Margaret on the love seat, Suzanne in the old wingback chair, her expression seemed so sad. Only Uncle Bill remained standing, and he looked as if he carried the weight of the world on his broad shoulders.

Ryan and Jessi both flinched when Uncle Bill said, "I know there is something going on between you," he paused, his eyes looking up at the ceiling, looking for the strength.

Ryan's mind was racing, he wondered how anyone could have known, no one had caught Jessi, and him doing anything.

Jessi could scarcely breathe, without realizing it she had grabbed Ryan's hand, squeezing it tightly.

Uncle Bill took a deep breath, and continued, "Whatever it is, it doesn't matter, but it has to stop, and stop now."

Ryan looked over at his parents; his dad was looking at the floor, while his mother looked like she was trying to fight back tears.

Jessi was in a state of shock; she looked over at her mother for strength, but found none, her mother appeared to be softly crying.

Ryan went to speak; Uncle Bill raised his hand, "Hear me out Ryan."

"There is something you both need to know," Uncle Bill's normally booming voice softened to just above a whisper.

Jessi was squeezing Ryan's hand so tight he thought she might break it.

Tears appeared in Uncle Bill's gentle blue eyes, "You and Jessi..." he looked like he may break down at any second.

Aunt Suzanne's sobs were audible now, and Ryan could scarcely believe it when he heard his own mother begin to cry.

Uncle Bill would have rather died that night. It was killing him to tell them. He loved Jessi and would have sooner gone to his grave than to hurt her. And Ryan, he saw in him the son he never could have, and he didn't want to hurt Ryan.

Uncle Bill took a deep breath, "There can't be anything between the two of you...Ryan,... Jessi is," tears began flowing from Uncle Bill's eyes, "Jessi is your half sister."

Ryan sat there in silence, too stunned to speak. Jessi's face blanched, the look on her mother's, and her father's face told her that this was no joke.

Uncle Bill looked like he had aged ten years in the last ten minutes; he sat down in his recliner trying hard to regain his composure.

"What," that was all Ryan could find to say once he found his voice.

"He is telling you the truth," Roy's voice was close to cracking. He wasn't far from breaking down completely, he had no wish to hurt his son, or Jessi, "I am Jessi's biological father."

Jessi searched her parents faces for an explanation, finally she spoke, "I'm confused..."

Aunt Suzanne's chest was wracked with sobs as she remembered a night long gone, a night she almost wished had never happened. The night she became pregnant with her only child.

Roy struggled to find the strength, "You were almost a year old, and your mom and I had come back for a wedding. There was a party after..."he stopped and took a deep breath, "The reception with a few of us...someone spiked the drinks with some drugs, or something, the party got a little wild, and...I ended up having sex with Suzanne."

"How do we know that it was you that got Aunt Suzanne pregnant," Ryan blurted, his mind was racing trying to make sense of everything.

Uncle Bill's eyes were full of tears, "I had the mumps when I was twenty, and it left me sterile. The only other person to have..." his words trailed off, "...was Roy. That's how we know."

Jessi stood up and screamed, "Nooo!!" and ran out of the house.

Ryan didn't know what to do, he looked at his parents, and they were both in tears staring at the floor. He looked over to his uncle. Uncle Bill looked back, his face was full of sorrow, and he briefly nodded towards the door.

Ryan stood, not knowing what to say, he turned and went after Jessi.

He found her down at the corral, the blanket from the swing wrapped around her. Her eyes were wet, wet streaks lined her face from the tears. Ryan stood beside her, and looked down at the ground.

"I don't know what to say, " he said softly.

Jessi looked over at Ryan, and quietly she answered, "Me either."

There was a silence for a minute or two and then Jessi finally said, "Hold me Ryan, I want to be held."

Ryan wrapped his arms around Jessi, and held tighter than he had ever held her, he could feel his eyes welling up with tears. It almost killed him to see her hurt the way she had been.

"I love you Ryan," her voice soft like a gentle spring breeze, her arms held him tightly against her. She never wanted to let him go.

Ryan looked at her face, "I love you Jessi, with all my heart, I do love you."

His lips moved to hers, as hers moved to his, softly they kissed each other, slowly building. Ryan was almost ashamed as his body reacted to her kiss; he felt his erection swelling against her.

Jessi could feel it too, she looked into Ryan's eyes, "I don't want to have sex tonight Ryan."

Ryan nodded, "I understand."

"No, you don't," Jessi's voice as tender as he had ever heard it, "I don't want to have sex tonight, I want you to make love to me..."

Autumn comes early in the high country of Montana; already the leaves on the aspens are beginning to turn oranges, and reds like the color of the flames. From a distance, and in the proper light, it almost looks like the mountains are on fire. This fire signals that the end of summer is inevitable, as is the coming of winter. Things have been set in motion, things we don't have a complete understanding of, things that might require a leap of faith, things that we might even call magic.