Second Chances Pt. 02

"Ohh, that's cold," Peta complained with a giggle.

Richard began to step back but Peta pulled him close so his cock stayed firmly planted inside her.

"Sorry. I got carried away. It's your turn now."

"Seemed like you needed it," Richard remarked as he started fucking her slowly again.

They kissed again, softly this time. The passion had subsided much like the storm. It was still raining steadily but the lightening and thunder had drifted away with the storm front.

"Errr, could we change positions?" Peta asked, "this steel is really cold on my bum."

"Sure," Richard agreed pulling out, taking the opportunity to remove his boots and pants.

Peta hopped off the tray, turned around, places her hands on it and bent over. Richard stepped up behind her, slipping his cock back inside. She gasped as he pressed deep into her. It was his turn now. It felt so good he wanted it to last so he started off slow.

He'd been with a few women since the breakup. A couple he'd paid for, a few drunken one night stands. And there was those two Danish backpackers whose tent got shredded in a tropical storm in Queensland. His van had provided safe haven for them and they had repaid him with their bodies. It had been almost a relief when they left early the next morning to go for a swim.

Tonight was different. Peta wasn't obligated by money or weakened by liquor. She was giving herself with desire and passion and the feeling was mutual. Richard could feel the tingle and he knew it wouldn't take much longer.

Peta gasp had been involuntarily. Richard seemed big. She wasn't sure if it was because she hadn't had sex for so long or that she'd forgotten what it had felt like to have Fred inside her. Bent over like this wasn't her favourite position, she was self conscious about having a big bum, so exposing it completely rarely put her in a sexy frame of mind.

Offering herself this way tonight was the most practical solution. She wasn't going to lay back on the dirty concrete floor. But as Richard's hands gripped her hips tighter and he became more frantic the build up started again and she knew she was going to cum again.

"I'm going to cum Peta," Richard spoke urgently. "Do you want me to pull out?"

"No, no," Peta grunted. "It's safe, don't stop!"

Peta wasn't completely sure it was but she didn't want to be left hanging. Pushing back she began working her hips desperate to get to her destination. Richard grunted then swore softly and Peta felt him start to spurt inside her. She redoubled her efforts and was rewarded as she peaked again.

They stayed connected as each fought to bring their breathing under control. When Richard's dick softened and slipped out he stepped to the side. Moving up beside her he turned, resting his back against the door of the ute. Peta stayed where she was with her head down. With her practical side returning she did some quick calculations and decided it was indeed a safe time. Her period was only a few days away. Then she tried to figure out what she was going to say to the guy she'd just about raped.

"Do you want a beer?" Richard asked breathlessly.

"Yeah," Peta replied lifting head to look at the dark silhouette beside her. "You got some?"

"In the fridge in my ute. I'll go and get it."

Richard pulled his boots back on and trotted out into the rain. He still had his shirt on but when the lightening flashed Peta could see his bare arse. He nosed his ute in behind the truck. After getting out he opened the back door and spent some time rummaging around. When he appeared again he had two beers, a coat, a jumper and an old blanket.

"Which one do you want?" Richard asked holding out one arm with the clothing on it.

Peta took the coat. Richard spread the blanket on the tray of the ute and put the beers on top of it. Then he peeled off his wet shirt and replaced it with the jumper. Peta was shrugging on the coat when Richard's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Best get your wet shirt off too. You'll warm up quicker without it." He could see some reluctance on Peta face. "I'll go and switch the lights off. No point flattening the batteries."

Richard walked around the other side of the truck. After turning the lights off it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The lighting flashes in the distance provided enough light for him to get his bearings. When he got back to the ute Peta was sitting up on the tray with the coat on. She had the beers opened and she handed him one as he sat beside her.

"Cheers," Peta said, clinking her bottle against his.

"To the harvest," Richard added before taking a long pull from the bottle.

They sat side by side in the darkness sipping their drinks and listening to the rain drumming on the tin roof.

"Thanks for your help. I couldn't have got it done without it." Peta leaned against Richard and he lifted his arm around her shoulders.

"I didn't do very much really. You did most of the harvesting, and really we've got Fred to thank for looking after his gear so well."

It was the first time Richard had used Peta husband's name. He half expected her to pull away from him but instead she huddled closer. It emboldened him to go further, something he regretted once the words were out of his mouth.

"The truck driver told me about the accident. Seems crazy that someone so meticulous could get hung up like that. Did they ever think he might have..." Richard's words died in his throat as Peta stiffened and pulled away. "Sorry, stupid thing to say... forget I ever mentioned it."

Peta didn't say anything. She just sat rigid beside him. He tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off. Richard looked at her in the dark. A stray flash from some lightening showed her eyes were open, starring straight ahead. After a couple of minutes Peta spoke in a quiet voice.

"I got a post-pack a week after it happened. The postmark showed it had been posted the day before Fred died in Lake Cargelligo. A quirk of the postal service means even though the truck that picks up the Lake mail comes through Airlie all the mail has to go to Bathurst to be sorted so it takes a week to make the round trip." Peta giggled. "We worked that out a couple of years ago so when we were sort of cash at the end of a month we'd make sure we posted the cheque's for our bills in Lake."

Peta went quiet again. Richard thought about prompting her about the parcel but decided to let her go at her own pace.

"When I opened it two envelopes fell out, one with my name on it, one with the boys. I recognised the handwriting straight away. Didn't need to open it to know what it was but I did. Sack-a-shit coward killed himself, but it was all for me and the boys."

Peta's voice broke and she went quiet again. After a moment her hands went up to her face and she wiped away some tears. Richard put his hand on her shoulder again. This time she didn't brush it off. Instead she moved closer again and pressed her face into his shoulder. Her shoulders shook as she fought to control her emotions.

"I shouldn't be so bitter." She continued between sobs. "I know it was fucking hard... Angus wasn't in school so I couldn't work... he was working for other people... trying to run the farm... he was never home... I'd get cranky... he'd get cranky."

Peta stopped again. Her shaking stopped and her breathing returned to normal. Richard tried another question.

"Had he been depressed?"

"No, he'd actually been really happy just before. We'd had a rough time six months before though. We hadn't talked to each other for a fortnight. I'd cracked the shits about being a single parent. I'd threatened to take off to mums with the kids. Fred went to the bank got a loan extension and stopped working for everyone else. Things seemed to be turning around, you know?"

Peta sniffed loudly and sat upright again. She found her beer and took a long drink.

"Turned out as well as getting a loan extension he upped his life insurance. Fred had been planning it all along." Peta drained her bottle before tossing it out into the night. "And I didn't have a clue. He'd been smiling and laughing, fucking me like a teenager..." she let out a sardonic laugh that died almost as quickly as it started, "then he was gone."

Richard just held her tight and let Peta cry it out. When she got herself under control she spoke again.

"Why do they do it? It's wasn't just Fred. A couple of other farmers in the district gave up in the last twelve months. Must be hundreds, across Australia. Why leave everyone that loves them?"

Richard wasn't sure if the question was supposed to be rhetorical. Peat stopped talking so he had a go at answering it.

"I'm no psychologist but I reckon it's got a lot to do with the job. Being a farmer you are more attuned to the circle of life thing." Richard paused as he searched for the words to make sense of what he was thinking. "I mean, in the cities a family pet dies, major disaster. There are even funeral directors and businesses that make money out of it. On the land it's just part of the day to day running of the farm. An animal is sick and can't be helped you put it down. Your favourite prize bull gets to an age where he's not reliable any more and he's off to the abattoir. You take the money you get, put a bit more with it and buy another."

"That's bullshit."

"Maybe. I just think farmers look at it a different way. It's a solution to a problem. Not one that everyone would take but..." Richard stopped as he tried to put his thoughts into words. "Okay, two guys are in a war. The enemy lobs a grenade between them. One guy jumps on it and is killed but he saves his mate. He's a hero. A farmer works out he can get out of debt and give his family a better chance, he's mentally ill. You had insurance, didn't you? Did it pay off your debts?"

"Yeah, but it was a fucking nightmare. The police investigator ruled it an accidental death but the insurance company wanted a coroner's inquest. There was a clause in the contract that stipulated if Fred's death was suicide because he'd increased the pay out inside the last year they wouldn't have to pay the new amount."

"What about the notes?"

"Only Marci, myself, and now you know they existed."

"Do they still exist?"

"No. I burnt them. He quit on me and the boys. He gave up the right to be their parent." The depth of feeling in the statement shocked Richard.

"So you got all the money?"

"Yeah. The insurance company delayed and threatened, but the police didn't change their opinion, so they had to pay up." Peta looked up into Richard's face hoping to gauge his reaction even though it was dark. "So do you think less of me now you know I've lied to the police and committed fraud?"

"I'm no fan of the police, or the laws they enforce." Richard replied and he dipped his head to kiss Peta on the lips.

Peta returned the kiss, prolonging the time their lips touched. Then she snugged in tight against him.

"Want another beer?" Richard asked.

"Ummm," Peta stalled for time.

The truth was she wanted something else. Sharing this secret with Richard made her feel even closer to him. The kiss has reignited a fire within her. What she really wanted was to take his dick in her mouth, suck him hard so he could fuck her again. But she didn't want to seem like she was desperate or some kind of nympho.

"Nah, I'd better get home." Peta finally replied, resisting her revived libido.

"Okay, I'll start my ute and turn the lights on so we can find our clothes."

Richard pushed himself off the tray and made his way towards his ute. Peta was a little disappointed he hadn't tried to dissuade the semi naked woman beside him. After getting their discarded garments they got in the ute. Richard drove to the house through the steady rain. Pulling up at the front gate of the house yard they faced each other again.

"Do you want your coat?" Peta asked hoping he'd say no. She didn't want to put her wet clothes on again.

"No, I'll get it another day."

"Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow night? Celebrate our successful harvest... no wait. The boys have something on at school tomorrow night. How about Wednesday?"

"It's a date." Richard said as he leant over and kissed her cheek.

Peta stood on the veranda and watched the tail lights of Richard's ute as they disappeared down the driveway. When she saw the headlights sweep onto the main road she headed inside. Quietly and without turning on any lights Peta made her way to the bathroom. After dumping the wet clothes in the laundry hamper she hung Richard's coat behind the door and had a shower.

Later in bed Peta pulled Fred's pillow to her chest as was her routine. For a while she had put one of his shirts over it so she could smell him again. Tonight was different. Peta couldn't shake the feeling she'd been unfaithful to his memory. The pleasant soreness between her legs a reminder that she had give herself to another man. Her head overrun with thoughts of how she could and would do it again. Rolling onto her back Peta stared upwards towards the ceiling. The idea came to sleep in the spare room but she dismissed it. Eventually she drifted off and woke the next morning with the big soft pillow cradled in her arms.

Chapter 13.

Richard drove out his front gate in steady rain. The tropical moisture had been forecast to be gone by Wednesday. As was often the case Mother Nature rarely played by the weather bureau's rules. The last report he'd heard that afternoon suggested the rain could hang around till the weekend. Sodden sheep stood with their heads down in paddocks as he drove past. Harvest equipment washed clean of dust sat stationary in unfinished paddocks, tarps covering the vital parts.

Peta could expect a little bonus for her wheat in the shed he thought. The quality of the grain left in the paddocks would surely be downgraded to stockfeed making hers more valuable. A little smile played across his lips as he thought of Peta. It vanished pretty quickly as he reaffirmed to himself, tonight's the night, you have to tell her.

He'd spent most of the day rehearsing in his head and out loud before a mirror what to say. Trying to imagine her reactions and ways he could answer the inevitable questions. Yesterday would have been a better time. He just hadn't been prepared. Peta had arrived unannounced just after lunch. He'd been on his hands and knees punching down nails in preparation to sand the cypress pine floor in the dining room. The radio was blaring and Bundy was curled up under the kitchen table. A privilege only afforded to him when thunderstorms were about. The door opening had startled him and then she'd walked in holding his coat in her hand.

"I'm just returning this." Peta had said.

He'd gone to her and taken the coat. Offered a cup of tea... five minutes later they were on the new purchased bed in the master bedroom. Like the previous night the first fuck had been urgent almost desperate. Afterwards they'd removed all their clothes and explored before the second round. As they both lay sweating afterwards Richard had been about to start his confession but Peta had looked at the time on her phone.

"Shit! I've got to pick up the boys."

She'd thrown on her clothes and scrambled out the door without even a kiss goodbye. So he'd decided tonight was the night. Next week he had to head off. The cherries were almost ripe in Orange so his regular gig at an orchard beckoned. He'd spend Christmas with his uncle there. Come back and do some more to the house before heading back for the apple harvest.

Where Peta fitted into those plans he didn't know. After the last couple of days he dared to dream but he owed her the truth. No matter the injustice, she deserved to know. And deep down he knew, if she happened to find out from someone else any chance of a happy ending would vanish. The thoughts of how the next few hours could turn out filled him with dread. His stomach churned to the point he thought of pulling over at the Watter's front gate to vomit. Instead he sat up straighter in his seat, gritted his teeth and continued up the driveway.

Peta had a pain too, but it was just part of the natural cycle of things. The cramps had started during the previous night. On the bright side she wasn't pregnant. She was sitting with the boys supervising their "cramming" for their end of year exams. Her mother had banished her from the kitchen while she prepared dinner. It wasn't that Peta couldn't cook, it's just they didn't do their best work side by side. The sound of the dogs barking in their cages alerted them that their guest had arrived. The two boys looked up expectantly hoping for a reprieve from the swatting.

"Alright, you can take a break but you will be doing some more before bed tonight."

Angus and Murray quickly disappeared to their bedroom before she had a chance to change her mind. Peta picked up the books they'd been using and placed them on the coffee table. Standing up she did a quick check of her appearance in the mirror then went to greet Richard. By the time she got outside he was already through the back gate. Peta waited on the veranda. They embraced warmly and their lips met briefly with a hello kiss. Richard was mindful of Marci watching through the kitchen window so he broke the embrace before there was a chance they got carried away.

"Is that your bill?" Peta said gesturing to the envelope in his hand.

"Yeah, I did a tally up this afternoon." Richard replied as he handed it to Peta and followed her inside.

"I'll just write out a cheque for y..."

Peta stopped short as she opened it causing Richard to run into the back of her. She whirled around and held the piece of paper up in front of his face.

"Seriously, this isn't enough."

"It covers all the time I spent here." Richard stepped back surprised by her reaction.

"I'm not a charity case Richard. Just because... you know." Peta didn't spell it out but Richard knew what she was getting at.

"I know, it's got nothing to do with that. I was surprised myself but that's what the hours added up to." Richard explained.

"What about travel?"

"It's only up the road."

Peta bit her lip, and action Richard had learned showed she was about to make the "final" decision.

"I'm not happy about this." She held the bill up to emphasise her point. "We will discuss it after dinner and I will be paying you more."

Richard shrugged his agreement and Peta continued on down the hallway. On the way past the kitchen Richard offered a greeting to Peta's mum.

"Hi Marci," he said with a cheery smile.

"Hello," she replied in a not completely friendly but not hostile tone. Maybe I can get a win there too, Richard thought as he followed Peta to the living room.

The dinner turned out very civil except for Marci's insistence on using the usual alternative for Richard's name. While being called Dick didn't worry Richard, and the boys found it amusing, it had the desired effect on Peta. After the third time she bit back and Marci was happy. Revenge was sweet though. After they'd eaten Peta set up the boys' books on the table then suggested to Richard that they take their drinks outside.

"So I'll just clean everything up after cooked then?" Marci asked sarcastically.

"That would be great, Mum. You're such a treasure." Peta's reply was sugar sweet as she pulled Richard out the door.

They giggled like naughty children all the way out to the veranda. They chose the love seat rather than the separate chairs they sat in last time. An embrace quickly became a kiss, then another. Just when it started getting hot and heavy Peta pulled back.

"I don't think it's going to work tonight," she whispered. "Not here, not yet." Richard nodded his agreement. "And it's that time of the month so it'd be messy anyway."