Memories on the Ozarks (Close)

[TabascoKV]

Almost as if he had read her thoughts, Dan’s tantalizing kisses and strokes lit her skin on fire. The delicacy with which he treated her was enough to push her over the edge of a cliff she still had troubles believing existed. The nights had warmed up considerably, but tremors still raced through her body. Her head tilted backwards as he moved up her leg, feeling oddly doted upon.

Sitting up, she kissed her way down his chest as her fingers worked to unbutton his shirt before pushing it off. She remembered last minute to remove the gun before she discarded his jeans. Moving slowly and feeling the sensuality in every motion he made, she gently lowered herself on him. Inhaling sharply as his cock slowly slid inside of her, she sat down, her legs wrapping around his waist. Leaning in, she gently massaged his tongue with hers.

 

[pa1ndru1d]

Danny rocked back and forth as she kissed him. He had had years of practice and enjoyed every minute of reading the woman he was with. His most pleasured moments had to do with giving her the ultimate pleasure and rarely did he allow his own actions to become hurried or rushed. When he did, it usually ended up being good as well.

His hands roamed over her body, front and back. Dan felt the scarring on her back and again the thought went through him, wondering who would harm such a beautiful creature…

Pushing her back gently, she was forced to put her hands on the ground behind her and arch her back and he put his hands on her tits, kneading them gently as they worked their pelvises against each other. He moved his hands to her hips to assist in keeping her upright as well as to counterbalance his own weight.

 

[TabascoKV]

Becca had never experienced anything as sensual as his hands gently learning every curve of her body. She involuntarily tensed as his fingers lingered on her scars, moving slightly enough so that he would continue on. The taste of his lips on hers was as satisfying as a drink of ice water in a desert, and she couldn’t get enough of him. She felt so petite in his control, and the complete trust she placed in him scared her.

It was a miracle to her how wonderful sex could feel and how much emotion could be evinced in the subtle push of his hips. With his steady rhythm, her passion was beginning to build and finally came to fruition. Crying out in rapture, her body arched in his hands, her eyes closing as the intense bliss ran through her body.

 

[pa1ndru1d]

Dan pulled her up close to him when she started to cum, holding her close to his chest and grinding against her. When she was finished, he continued to thrust, pulling out at the last minute to blow his load in between their bellies.

Sighing contentedly, Danny laughed. “You know, we never seem to be fighting when we are making love…” He held her against him for a bit, thinking of how good it felt just to have her in his arms.

“You want to ride down with me to my place so I can get some clothes?”

 

[TabascoKV]

Becca collapsed against his chest, her body feeling alive despite the fatigue. His muscled arms brought a protected feeling to her, and she prayed that her trust was not misplaced. Rationale convinced her that he couldn’t have an inner monster if her uncle had laid so much faith in him. She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent as they sat there gasping her breath together. When he finally spoke, his voice felt loud compared to the silence.

“Yes, but we can’t spend all our time together doing this.” Laughing lightly, she lifted her eyes to his. “Sure. Dan, if you don’t want to move up to the house, you really don’t have to.”

 

[pa1ndru1d]

“Even if we weren’t ‘dating’ now, I’d insist upon it, or…” Dan had a sudden burst of light flash in his miniscule brain, “better yet… to have you move down with me. Chances would be much better that Nick wouldn’t even dream of finding you in my cabin. But he’s gonna check the main house straight off.”

They lay there watching the stars through the open window for a bit longer before they got dressed and climbed back in her truck. Dan made sure to grab the gun before they left.

 

[TabascoKV]

“Dan, I’m not trying to live a caged life.”She spoke gently as they got dressed and climbed down the ladder. Once in the truck, she drove slowly to his house, the path all too familiar.

“I appreciate you looking out for me; I don’t want you to think I don’t. Nothing has changed since this morning except that you know now.” When they reached his house, she turned the truck off and hopped out, taking the keys with her.

“Chances are he’s given up on this place. It would have been the first place he looked, but it’s been so long.”

 

[pa1ndru1d]

Dan wasn’t buying it. Men like Nick, or his father, didn’t give up. Most likely, he was biding his time or some situation in his life had come up to postpone the inevitable. “I’m not trying to cage you, Becca.” Dan had had a feeling that she wouldn’t accept moving in to his place with him, but he had to try.

“I just want you to be safe. That’s all.” He looked down and away from her for a minute, the memories of his mother flashing before him again. Dan grabbed a bag and started stashing clothes inside. “The only way I won’t blame myself if something happens to you is if I’m there to protect you. Unless, of course, you’ll let me teach you how to shoot properly…”

 

[TabascoKV]

Sighing, Becca looked at him for a long moment. If Nick ever did show up, she would leave in order to protect Dan and this farm. She wasn’t convinced that Nick wanted her dead, nor did she suspect that he ever would have killed her on purpose. Knowing his need for control, if he was still seeking her out it was to remind her who was in control.

“Dan, I’m as cautious as I can be. The truth is, you can’t watch me every second of every day, and I don’t want to live the rest of my life being babysat. If I thought for a moment that he had found me, I would be gone before he had a chance to make his move.” She knew that he wouldn’t like what she had to say, but he’d never be able to talk her out of it.

Smiling softly, she walked over to him and gently kissed his cheek.

“I know how to shoot. My uncle taught me young. Even if I had a gun, I can’t guarantee that I’d be able to pull the trigger.”

 

[pa1ndru1d]

Dan wasn’t going to be talked out of this one either. There was no way he was allowing another person he cared for get killed, or beaten, or raped… whatever just because he wasn’t there to stop them. By God, I’ll camp outside her house if I have to. He thought to himself.

“Fair enough.” He said, “But I’m staying at least long enough to get the security system in place that I ordered for the main house. And I’ve already set your phone up for speed dial. You do know that these are Nextel phones, right? That means you don’t have to make a cell call each time you want to reach me, you can just hit the speed dial and it will chirp me on the walkie-talkie. Ok. I’m done being the babysitter for the night. What you want to have for supper? I’m kinda hungry.”

 

[TabascoKV]

Becca turned and look at him with a peeved expression. A security system? Really? She decided to leave out the part of the conversation where she brought up how Nick could get around the security system. The last thing she wanted to do was put more concern in him. When he brought up the phone, her exasperated look increased.

“Daniel, I know how to use the damn phone.” She couldn’t keep the frustration out of her voice. Thankful when he changed the subject, she waited until he was packed before she headed to the door. It hadn’t occurred to her that’s he hadn’t eaten all day, and at the thought, her stomach growled. She drove a little faster on the drive back to the house.

“Honestly, a nice, greasy pizza sounds heavenly.”

 

[pa1ndru1d]

Dan burst out laughing at her expression. “Course you can use the phone, baby. Course you can.” He made his southern drawl to sound even more pronounced than it normally was. “Do you know how absolutely hot you are when you’re pissed?”

He was jostled around a bit when she hit the ruts at the speed she was running. “Pizza works for me. You want to pop in one out of the freezer, or I can call up a pizza joint I know.”

 

[TabascoKV]

“I’d rather pop one in the oven. I don’t think I have the patience to wait for one to be delivered.” They reached the main house and she jumped out. It occurred to her that they had left the door unlocked, as she was accustomed to doing. She needed to get back into the habit of locking the doors when she left. Turning on the oven, she threw the pizza in the oven. Sitting at the table in the kitchen, she peered up at him.

“I got the confirmation in the mail yesterday about the rodeo. We’re all set and ready to go.” She realized that between their anger with one another and the events that had taken place she had forgotten to tell him. Several of the farmhands were in various events, and she was in the barrel racing with Kaliisti. It had been so long since she’d done anything that she felt nervous. It was three weeks away, and she knew that they were ready.

 

[pa1ndru1d]

When Becca opened the door and let them in, he noticed she hadn’t used a key. He did a quick walk through the house to make sure it was still empty. Dan was becoming paranoid.

Dan almost asked her if it was wise to go ahead with the rodeo, but bit his tongue instead. Her words came back to his head She won’t be caged. Right. Cain’t blame her, I wouldn’t be either.

He sighed. “We need to talk about them kids out there. I don’t think it’s a good idea to put them in danger. We should consider cancelling the rest of the groups for the season.”

The pizza came out of the oven and they sat at the kitchen table to eat. It was a greasy mess, just as she had asked for. It almost slid down the gullet of its own accord. But it hit the spot.

 

[TabascoKV]

She froze at his words, trying to bite down the anger that was beginning to build. Setting the pizza down on her plate, she picked up the paper towel and wiped her hands off. She shook her head before dropping her paper towel back down on the table.

“Dan, he wouldn’t hurt those kids. I don’t think anybody would even realize that they’re back there unless one of us took them down there. If it will make you feel better, I won’t go down there.” Nick wasn’t a monster across the board. In fact, he adored children and had involved her in several conversations about having a house full some day.

 

[pa1ndru1d]

Dan had made up his mind, however. He would send the children home and cancel any future outings until he could find a way to ensure their safety.

“The same way he adored you, before you found out different? So, let me get this straight, it’s okay for you to impose limitations on yourself, but not ok for me to do the same, in dealing with your safety or the safety of those around you?” Dan nodded as he spoke, his own anger beginning to rise. “You have got to be the most stubborn woman I know.” The words escaped before he could rein them in.

Oh, shit. He thought. I’m so screwed now.

 

[TabascoKV]

Her appetite was lost as they moved back into familiar territory. She glared at him with a mixture of hurt and anger. Standing up, she slammed the chair in its place under the table.

“I expect you to trust me to not put them in danger.” Her voice came out a yell as she walked towards the door. Snatching up her keys, she looked back at him. “You’re the biggest ass I know.”

Halfway running out the door, she jumped in her truck and sped off. The road blurred behind her tears, and she blinked rapidly to clear her vision. She ended up at Matt’s, his truck in the drive. Getting out, she knocked on his door. When he opened it, his smile appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“Beth, what’s wrong?” There was concern in his voice as he stepped out on the porch. Without hesitating, she threw herself in his arms and erupted into sobs.

“He’s so awful.” That was all she could get out through her tears. Matt wrapped his arms around her, leading her into the house.

“What happened?” Leading her to the couch, he helped her sit down.

 

[pa1ndru1d]

Dan followed her to Matt’s and walked in the door just as she finished telling Matt what had happened. He was a bit surprised to see Sheila sitting in the easy chair when he stepped in the living room. Becca’s back was facing him as she sobbed her story out.

Matt looked up at Dan where he stood in the doorway quietly and then back to Becca. “Hate to say it, Beth, but Dan’s right on this one.” He patted her hand where she sat next to him, “You don’t think about your own safety as you do with others. Even if Danny is a bit… raw with his approach.” Matt frowned at Dan and Dan shrugged a bit. “Let’s face it, Beth,” Matt continued, “You’re entire family has a stubborn streak that runs a mile wide… That’s not to say that Danny doesn’t have a similar streak in him as well…”

 

[TabascoKV]

When Dan entered, she turned and glared at him. Becca could certainly see the safety concern and understand them, but she felt like she was being ganged up on. She looked helplessly up at Matt, unable to hide her hurt. He wasn’t supposed to agree with Daniel. Shaking her head, she stood up, feeling defeated.

“Forget it. I’m going to bed.” Without so much as a glance at Dan, she left and drove back to the house. She locked the door to her bedroom, and crawled into bed.

*

Dan and Becca had returned to skirting around one another, but she could tell he was watching her carefully. It quickly got on her nerves, but she kept it bottled up inside of her rather than speak to him. Tuesday they were hit hard with a thunderstorm that cleared out by Wednesday. Becca and Jon were working in the barn moving bales of hay. Dan was off doing who knew what, and Becca found herself able to relax without his eyes watching her.

She and Jon made polite conversation about the rain and the upcoming rodeo, but she was thankful he didn’t push too hard for conversation.

“Hey, Beth. There’s a bale of hay in the loft. Would you mind climbing up there and just pushing it over?” Jon walked up to her and leaned against his pitch fork. “I’d do it, but I landed hard yesterday off that bull.” Jon was bull riding in the rodeo.

“Sure, no problem. It’ll be a nice break from shoveling.” Grinning, she climbed the ladder, and tried not to remember what she and Dan had done right next to that bale of hay just nights before. Grabbing the twine, she gave it a tug and it moved fairly easy. Looking down, she made sure that Jon was out of the way before she tossed it down.

The next few moments happened too quickly for her to remember the chain of events. A rattling sound hit her ears that turned her blood cold. Turning her head quickly, a rattlesnake who had found a home behind the bale of hay she’d moved had risen up before her. In one swift movement, it lunged forward, catching her thigh.

She screamed out of pain and fear as she fell to the loft floor. It relinquished its hold on her leg and dove further up. In an effort to protect her face, she threw her arms up, and the snake burrowed into her left arm. Jon had already begun climbing the ladder on the first scream, his pain forgotten.

“Shit.” The word escaped him before he could stop it. Reaching out, he grabbed the snake on the head, wincing as he pulled it off from her. The tail whipped around as the snake attempted to free itself. Setting it down, he replaced his hand with his foot, crushing the snake’s head. Grabbing his phone, he hit up Daniel to chirp him.

“Call an ambulance. Now.” He yelled into the phone as he turned back to Becca.

Tears had begun to fall down her cheeks as she sobbed, her arm and leg beginning to numb.

 

[pa1ndru1d]

Dan stayed for a minute after Becca left and asked Sheila and Matt how the reparations were coming. Matt and Sheila both mentioned it was rough going but they were still working at it. Matt reported that he was still sober and that was a good thing. At one point, Matt left to use the restroom and Sheila thanked Dan for being strong enough to turn her advances away the night of the party. He gave her a hug and told her that it wasn’t a problem.

Matt did tell Dan that if he wanted a chance with Beth, he would need to learn to rein in his errant tongue some. Dan told them that he’d promise to try.

When Dan returned to the main house, he knocked on Becca’s door. When she wouldn’t answer, he leaned his head against the wood. “I’m sorry, Becca. I was, am, the biggest ass.” He stood there for a bit and then tapped his fingers against the oak before going back to his own room.

*

Try as he might, Dan could not give Becca too much leeway in the coming days. He would put it in his head to do something away from her to give her the space she craved but inevitably would end up back within eyesight of her. Every time he’d go away, horrifying visions of his dead mother, beaten and swollen, would swim back within his mind. Dan would find any excuse to check up on her, usually it would be just so that he could catch a glimpse and know that she was fine.

He did, however, spread the word to his trusted hands to keep him informed if she was in danger. Dan also told everyone on the farm in a mass meeting one night that if there were any strangers that showed up on the farm, for any reason whatsoever, he was to be told immediately and if anyone failed to do so they would face instant termination – without exception.

*

Dan was working hard at keeping to himself when the call came through. He wasn’t far away, digging a new ditch on the other side of the corrals to bring in freshly irrigated water to the little pond near the pasture border. He chirped Jon back, “Listen to me Jonny, use something to tie off her arm, then take off your belt and wrap it up high on her leg and hold it tight. I’ll be there in half a minute.” Dan was still a hundred yards off but had no vehicle nearby. His phone clutched in his hand he ran full bore toward the stables.

Dan called the ambulance as he ran, giving the address and telling them to hurry. He had never run so fast in his life. Adrenalin and fear pushed him to his limits. Dan lost his hat somewhere in the pasture as he flew through it. Smashing into the barn door, it swung open with a crash and he fumbled for the first aid kit that hung on the wall. The contents spilled everywhere as he hurried for the anti-toxin filled auto-syringe and some alcohol swabs.

He hustled up the ladder, syringe between his teeth and found her lying up near the hay bales. Jonny had tears in his eyes as he gripped the belt in his hands. Becca had a red handkerchief tied tightly around her upper arm, but she was pale, oh so pale. Dan swallowed hard, instinct taking over.

Dan pulled at her jeans, exposing her thigh with a rip that made Jonny look away and blush. “Keep that tight, Jonny, keep it tight.” Dan didn’t recognize his own voice as Manager Dan took over. He tore open the alcohol swab with his teeth and wiped down the area just above the belt and injected the rattlesnake anti-venom with a sharp stab.

“Everything’s gonna be ok, Becca. Hang in there. The anti-venom should start workin’ shortly and the ambulance is on its way.” He hoped. Dan kept talking to her in a calm and soothing voice, trying to keep her from passing out.

The ambulance arrived shortly after and the paramedics told him to drive along after since he wasn’t family. In a fit of worry, Dan flew closely behind the ambulance as they drove down the deserted Missouri county roads to the nearest hospital in West Plains.

 

[TabascoKV]

Becca was beginning to feel lightheaded and cold. After awhile, she closed her eyes, vaguely aware of what Jon was doing. Her teeth began to chatter, and she could barely hear Jon’s voice anymore. A metallic taste settled in her mouth as if she had been sucking on pennies. Her eyes partially opened when she heard Dan’s voice, but they felt too heavy to keep open. She cried out lightly as he stuck the needle in her.

The ride to the hospital took a turn for the worse. Becca’s chest had begun to tighten up and her lungs couldn’t get the oxygen they needed. When they pulled up in the back of the hospital, they took her out at a run.

*

“Dan?” Stepping out a few hours later into the waiting room, Dr. Phillips walked up to Dan. “She’s going to be all right. We have her sleeping in a room. She had an allergic reaction in the ambulance, and we’re running tests to see if it was to the snake or the anti-venom. We want to keep her overnight to keep an eye on her.” Dr. Phillips let him know what room number she was in before he returned to his other patients.

 

[pa1ndru1d]

Dan told the doc that he would be staying as well and waited until the nurses were out of sight before he found a way to sneak into Becca’s room. He quietly pulled a chair over and put himself in it, staring at her. His mind went over the things he was supposed to do when someone got snake bit. He knew he had grabbed the correct anti-venom. Granted no one ever knew if someone was allergic to it until it was in them already. Still, Dan’s mind spun at the possibility of making Becca even worse off than she was.

At one point the nurse came in to take Becca’s vitals and check her progress and found Dan in there sleeping in an incredibly uncomfortable chair. She thought about kicking him out of the room, but draped a lightweight blanket over him instead. So long as he doesn’t upset my patient. She thought.

Danny woke up every twenty minutes to a half hour. His dreams kept waking him, alternating forms where Becca was being chased by snakes or faceless ex-boyfriends that Dan could never quite catch. At one point, he woke up gasping for air as if he had been running a marathon. Each time he woke up, he’d reach over and lightly brush his hand against Becca’s. “I’m sorry, Becca.” He’d whisper.

 

[TabascoKV]

Becca woke up briefly off and on throughout the night, but she didn’t remember any of it. She fought a fever, and the nurses kept an extra eye on her as they pumped her full of medication. When the sun peeked into her room, she opened her eyes halfway. Her arm and her leg hurt, and it took her a moment to realize where she was. She saw Dan sleeping in the chair beside her, and furrowed her brows slightly.

“Danny?” Speaking in a whisper, she swallowed dryly.

 

[pa1ndru1d]

Dan heard her voice and, at first, incorporated it into his latest dream. The faceless brutal being that was her ex-boyfriend had finally caught her and was choking the life out of her, the “Danny?” he heard in his dream was a cry for help and he was still unable to reach her.

He awoke with a choked off cry of alarm, his eyes flashing open. “Thank God, Becca. You’re ok.” The relief in Danny’s voice was unmistakable and undeniable. He reached out for the hand that didn’t have the IV sticking out of it and held it lightly. “I’m here, baby.”

 

[TabascoKV]

The way he awoke startled her, and she looked at him with concern in her eyes. His hand felt so warm against her cold body, and she wished she could curl up in the rest of his warmth. She smiled at his voice, her eyes closing for a few moments before she reopened them.

“What happened?” Everything seemed like such a blur to her.