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Rage boils in my chest, but I make myself remain still. Karina, meanwhile, is getting more bold. At this point, she’s climbed the ladder somewhat, sticking her butt out so that the brothers have a clear view of her panties. Shit, even I can see them, and to my horror, they’re crotchless. What the hell? Her outfit is already completely inappropriate for outdoor labor, and she has the gall to wear crotchless panties on top of it all, baring her glistening pussy for the men to see?
However, the brothers ignore it. Their expressions look amused, and they merely say a few more words before strolling off. Karina pouts, shaking her head. I bet not a lot of guys turn her down, but she’s getting rejected right now, that’s for sure. I can’t help but laugh into my gloved hand.
“All right ladies,” one of the ranch hands calls. “Time to get to work.”
And for the next several hours, we do. I’m not sure if it’s the beauty of the fall weather or my delight that Shane and Stanton didn’t given Karina the time of day, but I find myself smiling as I pluck apples. The time passes quickly, and I let my mind wander as I choose fresh fruit from the trees around me. I think about my parents and how I hope they’re not too lonely without me. I wonder what Bess and my other classmates are doing this week, with our homecoming dance just around the corner. I shiver again deliciously as I once again recall the feel of Shane and Stanton’s lips on my own.
We pause for lunch at some point, all of us ravenous from the work and eager for a break. I chat with a few of the girls, most of whom seem decent enough. Are we really miscreants? It hardly seems possible. One girl knows how to fold origami and was offering to make decorations for our rooms, while another professed to being an amazing baker. She even brought out her favorite oven mitts, a pair of cats smoking pipes. It was cute.
Too soon, however, we have to get back to the task of picking apples. I decide to wander a little further into the grove this time, ready for some quiet from the other girls’ incessant chatter. I scale a ladder and quickly fall into a rhythm, picking my way through tree after tree. For the first time in my life, nature and I are one. The breeze on my cheeks cools me, even as the rays of the sun warm my head.
I’m startled when I look up and realize that the sun has begun to fall behind the most distant mountain, casting me in shadow. I look around the grove for the other girls, but for some reasons, I can’t see anyone. Have I really drifted that far away?
Panicking slightly, I climb a little further up the ladder to try and spot the main group, but it’s growing too dark to see more than a few yards ahead.
Alarm rising in my chest, I scramble down the ladder and gather what buckets I can hold. I’m just about to start running in what I think is the right direction back to the group when there’s a rustle among the trees.
“Hello?” I call out in a trembling voice. “Is anyone there?”
Immediately, a deep voice answers.
“Juniper,” Stanton growls, emerging from the trees.
“We couldn’t find you for a little bit there,” Shane adds gruffly, his blue eyes searching. “We thought you’d run off.”
I laugh softly, relieved to be safe again.
“I didn’t run off, I just got a little caught up in the work I guess. Besides, where would I go?” I gesture at the enormous orchard. “We’re in Wyoming, the land of vast spaces.”
The brothers smile.
“You can say that again. But it was good, wasn’t it?”
I think for a moment before nodding.
“It was,” I affirm. “I had no idea that picking apples could be a type of stress relief, but it was calming. I could almost feel my blood pressure going down.”
Stanton grins.
“Good. Then our activity succeeded.”
“Nonetheless,” Shane grunts as he picks up one of my extremely full buckets of apples, “please be more careful sweetheart. We don’t want you to wander off like a lost little lamb.”
He’s close enough now that he reaches out a free hand and pulls my mouth to his. The cowboy kisses me deeply, smelling of musk, sweet fruit, and clean dirt. I lean into the kiss, completely caught off guard by his actions but utterly enthralled. Oh my god, are we going to make love here in the orchard?
Shane breaks away, and I immediately turn to look at Stanton expectantly, and he chuckles. “Demanding little thing, aren’t you?” the cowboy remarks, his voice husky.
I shrug and bend over to grab a bucket. Maybe not, then. But the man is quick and pulls me back into a standing position, his hand firm on my chin. “Good thing I’m demanding, too,” he growls, his mouth on mine within a second.
