26: Cowgirls

"You know those pretty new boots are going to get all dirty, don't you?" I asked. It was a little chillier Saturday afternoon and rain was forecast for the night so they'd dressed appropriately at least. I don't know what it is, though, about girls and skin-tight jeans. Not that I was complaining. They still looked like twins in matching chambray shirts and their red hats and boots. "Did you shop together for a whole wardrobe?"

"No, just a few things," Rhonda said. "Don't you like having twin girlfriends?" Oh crap!

"And we talked to the nice man at the Al-Bar Ranch store about the boots. He gave us some special brushes and soap to clean them up and oiled them so they'd be resistant to water and mud. He said they were real cowboy boots and we could keep them looking good and still wear them in the barn," Samantha said.

"Yeah. They're not just..." Rhonda broke off and turned red. I looked at Samantha and she was red, too.

"What?"

"That girl Mercedes at the drama table?" Samantha said, getting close enough to whisper. "She said they were real fuck-me boots." We all laughed, but we were all beet red.

"Well, I admit they were a real temptation when you two sat on my lap yesterday. But now, with jeans, they're just cute cowgirl boots. Let's do some riding."

We worked with Gypsy for a couple hours with the girls taking turns in our little corral learning how to sit, hold the reins, and cue their horse for different strides. Rhonda had frequently been on Gypsy with me, but this was her first time alone in the saddle unless I had a lead rope on. She was comfortable and did fine. Samantha was a little more nervous, but the more she rode, the more comfortable she became.

Princess was in the pasture, but she kept pacing back and forth along the corral fence the whole time we were working. I finally went over and petted her and gave her a carrot. The poor girl just wanted attention. She was only seven years old, about a third Gypsy's age. Since Betts left for college, she was really settling down with me. She knew I was the giver of carrots and hay and my hand controlled the brush. As a show horse she was used to being brushed thoroughly every day. It always calmed her right down. I'd been trying to take turns riding the two on different days, but I didn't ride every day and I really think Princess missed it.

"Do you want to go for a ride, girl?" I asked. "You have to be polite and let us ride double." She just nuzzled her head under my arm sniffing at my pocket to see if I had more carrots. "Okay, ladies. Let's cool Gypsy off and brush her down while I get Princess ready and we'll go out for a trail ride."

"There's only two horses," Samantha stated the obvious.

"One of you will ride Gypsy out and the other will ride her back. Whichever isn't on Gypsy will ride double with me on Princess."

"Cool!"

They were enthusiastic about rubbing Gypsy down after I got the saddle off and Princess was practically purring as I brushed out her mane and tail. I wasn't about to use Betts' show saddle, but we had a good trail saddle for Princess, too. I got Gypsy saddled and led her outside where Rhonda and Samantha took the lead while I went to get Princess.

"Okay, who rides Gypsy first?" Rhonda raised her hand.

"Oh, I dropped something in the barn. I'll be right back," Samantha said and ran off. I gave Rhonda a boost into the saddle. I didn't have to change the stirrup.

"Can I lead?" Rhonda asked.

"If you want to. You know how to get to the stump where we mount?"

"Can I take the long way?"

"We've got plenty of time, so just stick to the trails so we don't get knocked off our horses by low limbs. If you have a question about which way, just shout out." Rhonda turned Gypsy smoothly and started to walk toward the woods. "Let us get mounted so you're not too far ahead," I laughed. She turned in her saddle and nodded. Then she grinned and I just knew she was loving being on Gypsy. I realized she wasn't looking at me, though. I turned back to mount up and my mouth dropped open. Samantha was standing by Princess with one hand on the horse's mane. The other hand was on her thrust-out hip. Above that there was skin.

I don't mean Samantha was topless, but she'd unbuttoned her chambray and tied it in a knot under her breasts. Really under. It was obvious she'd taken off her bra, too.

"Are you going to mount me?" she asked. "I mean, help me mount?" she giggled and it broke my trance. I laughed as I walked up to her.

"You are amazing! Do you want to ride front or back?"

"Hmm. Do you want me to press my almost naked breasts and hard nipples into your back the whole time we're riding, or would you like to have them in easy reach in front of you?" Crap! I looked up the trail where Rhonda was waiting while Gypsy grabbed a mouthful of thistle. I lifted Samantha into the saddle and swung up behind her. Princess danced a little to the left and I held the reins firmly, bringing my hand in contact with Samantha's stomach.

"I'm sorry, Samantha, but you do know that I'm going to have to put my arms around you in this position and might sometimes touch you a little, right?" She turned far enough that she could pucker her lips toward me, which I took as an invitation to kiss her.

"Brian, I give you explicit permission while we're on this ride to touch me anywhere above my waist outside or inside my clothes." Oh, damn! I'd just heard those words last night from Rose and wondered if the girls had worked on the wording together.

"You know," I said as I wrapped my arm around her and placed my hand on her bare stomach, "some of the guys really objected to the explicit permission thing because they've always been told that you just try something and if you don't get pushed away you keep going. But what you just said has to be the sexiest thing a girl could ever say to a boy."

"We'd never be brave enough to say it if it weren't for the agreement. For the most part, our moms have told us that if we let a boy hold our hand, he'll want to kiss us. If he kisses us, he'll want to touch our breasts. If we let him touch our breasts, he'll put his hand in our panties. If we let him touch us there, well, we were going to end up pregnant and out in the streets. Now we know that we can experiment and you won't go any further than we agree. And, Brian, I gave you permission because I really want you to touch me." I took the hint and Princess fell into step a few yards behind Gypsy.

We spent over half an hour, making out in the saddle. I got hard and Samantha did her best to rub me with her tight butt. In the process, she found some spots on the saddle that rubbed her the right way, too. I even had her hold the reins for a while as I cupped both of her breasts inside her shirt and rubbed her nipples. Princess came to a sudden halt as Samantha stiffened in the saddle and came. She leaned back into me to kiss me again and handed me the reins. I kept one hand caressing her tummy while we rode.

"Your tummy is as smooth as your breasts," I said. "You are amazing, Samantha."

"I use that hair dissolving cream on my tummy, too," she said. "I mean, how gross is it to put on your bathing suit and have dark hair running all the way up to your navel? I just come from a hairy family."

"I didn't notice that at the beach on Labor Day. Of course, I was really looking at something else."

"I dream about you kissing my pussy. Not right away, but someday I'll give you permission to do that again." My cock jumped.

"Uh ... speaking of your family," I said to change the subject, "thank you for getting Lexie to make friends with Judy. Judy is having a great time in Junior High."

"When I told Alexandra what you told me about Judy, she started to cry. She said she didn't know and she'd been so mean. Turns out she was one of the girls who had teased her. She's really a sensitive girl most of the time, but she just didn't realize she was hurting someone by going along with the crowd. Now, she kind of leads the crowd and even suggested that they needed a friendship pact."

Rhonda finally got to the mounting stump out in the woods. I still didn't like to look over to the tree where Cassie and I kissed so much and then broke up and then I saw her with Geoff. But how could I complain when I was pulling my hands out of the shirt of one of the prettiest girls in school? I hadn't seen Cassie this year and wondered if she was okay. She was a nice girl and I didn't want to lose touch.

I got Samantha mounted and said to just follow the trail and we'd be right behind her. Rhonda jumped up in front of me.

"Brian, um ... I give you explicit permission to ... um ... have your arms around me while we ride," she said. I got that message loud and clear. "I'll bet that wasn't the same as the permission Sam gave you," she giggled. I groaned. "Am I the best girlfriend ever, or what?"

"What? Did you put her up to that?"

"Well, I might have suggested that I'd be riding waaay out in front of you and wouldn't be able to see or hear anything that you two were doing."

"For a preacher's kid, you are sure evil."

"Isn't her skin soft and smooth?"

"Well, yeah. But there were two cute girls who sat on my knee Friday and gave me permission to touch their legs. Yours were just as smooth and silky and sexy as hers."

"She told me about the cream she used and said I had to do my legs if we were going to dress like twins." Rhonda dropped her voice and leaned back to whisper in my ear. "I didn't ... you know ... put it on my crotch, though. Eww. Gross." I laughed. Not that I was ever likely to see that.

"She even used it on her tummy," I said.

"And under her arms and on her upper lip," Rhonda said. "She's very pretty, but I really don't understand the whole attraction. It's just skin."

I didn't know what to say. I knew that if Rhonda had given me the same permission Samantha had, I'd be suspicious and then doubtful and then I'd do it. They were built a lot alike, but somehow I just knew Rhonda's breasts would feel completely different.

"Dad? Rhonda and Samantha said something interesting today." We were sitting down to dinner and Mom was serving her special meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

"What was that?"

"They wanted to know if I'd take Gypsy and Princess to the ranch with us next week. They both really love Gypsy."

"You didn't put either of them on Princess, did you?" Mom asked. "She's awfully spirited."

"No, but she did fine on the trail with us riding double. You know she just wants attention. It might be good for her to trailer out with Gypsy and spend the weekend on the trail with other horses."

"Well, she is Betts' horse in name, but you are taking care of her."

"Really, Dad. Is Betts ever going to ride again?"

"Really? I doubt it. At least not competitively. That's an expensive horse, though. I was considering selling her."

"Oh Dad! Don't do that! I mean, unless you have to. You don't have to pay me to take care of the girls. They ... Gypsy has always been a good friend to me, but she's getting old. She needs company and she likes Princess." Mom smiled at me and winked at Dad.

"Seems the horses are good for a young man's dating life, too." I blushed.

"Well, I'll call the ranch Monday and see what it would cost extra. If they're okay with it, I am."

Friday afternoon, Mrs. Gordon picked up Rhonda, Samantha, and me from school. The girls already had their gear packed in the car as Samantha had stayed at Rhonda's house the night before. I was surprised, though, to see Mrs. Cortales with her. We drove home and Dad already had the horses loaded. I grabbed my pack and tossed it in the trunk of the Gordons' car. The three of us piled into the big bench seat of the truck with Dad. Mom got in the car with Mrs. Gordon and Mrs. Cortales.

"I didn't know they were all going," Samantha said.

"Uh ... I think they are going to the ranch to meet Jennifer's and Courtney's moms."

"Really? Why?" Rhonda asked.

"I think it's another of the unwritten rules," I said. "Like you always walk your date to his or her door—depending on who drives. This one is something like the parents get to talk about their kids." Dad laughed. Rhonda was wedged right up against him and she and Samantha had managed to fasten the center seatbelt around the two of them. I was sitting on the outside.

"You've got it partly right, Brian," Dad said. "But we're not there to prevent you from having fun; we're there to help and protect you. Do you kids have any idea how hard it is for five mothers to even consider letting their daughters go for a weekend away with one boy? Well, let me rephrase that. The fact that there's only one boy works to your advantage. Believe me, all the mothers are going to tell their daughters to stay together so you are never alone with one of them."

"I'm so embarrassed," Samantha said. "That's exactly what my mother told me."

"Well, in spite of the agreement, she's worried about you, Samantha. You kids have grown up incredibly fast this year. None of us want any of you in a position where you get hurt. And that covers a lot of territory."