On the Frontier

[susurrus]

Aaron's concern for Abby almost made him forget that he was just as soaked as she was. However, as he tried to get her circulation going, she chattered, "You need to change," reminding him of his wet clothes.

It was only then that a wave of damp cold passed through him, causing him to shiver. Without a further word, he started undressing. He'd abandoned his union suit a couple months earlier, when the weather started getting warm, so all he wore under his clothes was a pair of cotton shorts, held on his body with a thin cord.

Once he was as naked as he was comfortable getting with Abby there, he stepped over to where she held the blanket open, inviting him to share it and the heat of their bodies. He knew there would be a lot of frowns should anyone else see, but who else would know? Of course, if the rain didn't let up enough to get Abby home, she'd have to stay the night. He knew that wouldn't go over well with her family. Still, he'd rather incur her parents' wrath than deliver her home with a case of pneumonia or something like that.

Inside the quilt, it was warm already. Abby's pretty body had done a good job of heating it up, and coupled with the fire, it was quite comfortable. Aaron felt Abby's bare leg touch his, something he hadn't expected. Once again, it made his cock react. Soon, he was stiff as could be, there in the quilt with Abby.

For a while, he just sat there next to her, but when that started feeling strange, he threw caution to the wind and slipped an arm around Abby's waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Thank you for your help today," Aaron said, finally. "I don't think I'd have gotten both those trees down if I'd been working alone."

Aaron was trying to find anything to say that could distract his mind from the soft, warm fact of Abby's nearly naked body so close to his...

 

[Perplexia]

[Abby didn't resist being pulled closer to him. 'It's just for the warmth' she told herself as she laid her head against him. "I had fun" she advised him shivering slightly only to be warmed up by his hand stroking her arm.
Her hand in turn moved over his back, feeling his skin against her finger tips. The electricity was back and she had no idea where it would take them. There would never be anyone but Aaron for her. She knew this without any doubt or reservations.
She turned and looked at his face, her fingers outlaying his features with gentle touches. "you are so handsome" she said softly smiling to herself as she reveled in the feeling of his skin.

 

[susurrus]

Abby seemed to enjoy the closeness of their bodies beneath the quilt, at least as much as Aaron did. She didn't protest when he pulled her closer. She didn't say anything when he rubbed her arm, under the pretext of warming her up with the friction. To be honest, it wasn't enough of a movement to actually be anything but the caress of affection that it was. When Abby returned it with a hand rubbing over his back.

Aaron was excited beyond belief. His cock was as hard as it had ever been, his breathing labored. His heart beat harder and more earnestly than it had when he'd been working.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Abby's face turn toward him. He let his gaze wander from watching the fire's dance to look deep into her pretty eyes. When her hand emerged from under the quilt and began to trace the contours of his face, a look of wonder in her eyes, his breathing caught. At that moment, he knew what he wanted, but knew he had to hold back.

When Abby whispered, "You're so handsome," he couldn't help but smile sheepishly.

Aaron slipped a hand out from the cover and started to caress Abby's damp hair in response, the vision of her thin cotton camisole wet and clinging to her body playing over and over in his head, "And you're beautiful," he returned.

An ache urged his body to take advantage of the situation, screamed that she was ready, but he wasn't sure, and that was what kept him from acting on that impulse. If Abby wasn't prepared, it would be disastrous, and Aaron wasn't ready to jeopardize what had developed over so many years between them on an animal impulse.

Instead, he leaned forward and once again kissed her...

 

[Perplexia]

Her eyes closed as his hand began to caress her hair. Her head rolling lightly under his gentle but firm touch. "thank you" she whispered in response to his words on her beauty.
His lips now upon hers she returned his kiss. Her mouth opening and taking his with in hers. They were practically naked and already in the most scandalous situations. "Aaron" she whispered through the kiss her hand upon his chest pushing lightly. It was one thing to be crushed against him with their clothes providing a barrier. But she wasn't sure she would be able to resist his advances.

 

[susurrus]

As the kiss deepened, Aaron felt his desire grow. The contact of their bare skin where it touched felt so good. His hand slowly caressed down until it rested on Abby's bare shoulder.

He was getting lost in what they were doing, until he felt Abby's hand on his chest, pushing lightly, though her lips only left his long enough to whisper his name, before they pushed into his once more.

It took a moment, but eventually what was happening sank in. With a jolt, Aaron jumped back, falling out of the quilt covering them both, and babbling nearly incoherent apologies.

 

[Perplexia]

Abby looked at him a bit shocked by his jolt and departure from the blanket. Her eyes were saddened by the loss of him next to her. She closed the blanket around her and looked away from him to the fire. Her heart sank at his apologies. "you have nothing to be sorry for" she advised lightly "it was my fault as well. I don't know what came over me, i'm sorry" she advised. A tear falling from her eyes as she continued to stare at the fire. The storm continued to rage through the night. There wasn't a way for her to go back home, they both knew it. There was going to be talk regardless.

 

[susurrus]

Aaron saw the look in Abby's eyes at his reaction to what almost happened between them, and his heart broke. Had she wanted him to continue, to let his animal desires have their way? Maybe he should have gone ahead with it and let go. People were going to think that was what happened, regardless, since she wouldn't be making it back home until the storm broke.

There wasn't a lot of thunder or lightning with this storm, but the rain came down in torrents. Getting Abby home in this, especially at night, would be practically impossible. Even so, he knew her parents would likely not be pleased with him. They'd be in their rights to rescind their permission for him to court her.

Still, she felt so good, so warm, against him. Her skin was so soft...

Aaron looked at Abby as she told him he didn't need to apologize, and saw her disappointment. She wouldn't even look at him.

Suddenly needing to get out of the situation, Aaron untied the shorts from his waist, kicking them off, and throwing open the door, walked nude out into the roaring rain.

 

[Perplexia]

Abby sat for a few moments staring at the fire. She heard the door open and close. Turning she saw his shorts upon the floor of the cabin. She rose from the blanket and went and picked up their clothes placing them in front of the fire to dry.

This was going to be a scandal. No matter what didn't happen, the situation was impossible. Finding some of his supplies she put together a soup and some hot tea for their dinner. Eventually Aaron would come back in and he would need warming up again.

The fire danced the light flickering off her pale skin as she placed more wood on the fire.
Placing a chair in front of a fire she found some of his clothes and set them out for him w/ a towel.

With the time she had to ponder it became clear they only had a few options available. Aaron could seize to court her, and she would have to undergo an exam to prove she was still pure.

The other option was a quick wedding. She would still want to do the exam simply to stop the gossip.

Those were really the only two options she could come up with. People would find it hard to believe that they hadn't consummated their relationship. One day of courting and now they were at an impasse.

 

[susurrus]

Aaron stood out in the pouring rain, his mind racing with thoughts of what had almost occurred inside. The water coursing over his naked body did nothing to calm the arousal in his body, simply adding to the embarrassment he felt at how he'd almost lost control.

Were he and Abby doomed? It certainly seemed so. When word of the fact that Abby hadn't come home after helping Aaron on the farm, there would certainly be conclusions drawn. The storm wouldn't even be considered. The fact that Abby had spent the entire night with Aaron would be the center of the matter. That it was a very poor idea to bring her home in such weather would very likely be irrelevant. Abby's parents would be more interested in what the situation looked like, and what others would think, rather than any protests he or their daughter could make, insisting that nothing had happened.

He could always attempt to take her back home, but she was already safe and dry in his house. It seemed very stupid to dress her once again in clothes that were likely only half dried, if that, and drag her out into the storm, to stumble her back home.

No solutions to their situation came to mind. Chances were good that conclusions had already been drawn. Instead of retreating to the house when the storm hit, he probably should have saddled up Buck and gotten Abby home as quickly as possible. Neither of them were thinking that clearly at the time. Now, it seemed, there was plenty of time to contemplate the worst.

Finally, he turned back to the house. He was still totally nude, but at that point, he didn't really care. Opening the door, he stood there, the warmth of the fire heating his front, the cold and wet of the outside at his back.

"Abby, do you want me to try to take you home? Chances are, people have already made up their minds as to what's going on here, but maybe getting you home might make tongues wag a little slower."

 

[Perplexia]

Abby continued to stare at the fire when he came in. Not wanting to turn and see him naked. She avoided his question and said lightly "there's a towel and dry clothes by the door."

Her mind was made up, as she stood gathering her semi dry clothes and placing them on. "i'll get myself home." she advised lightly trying to avoid looking at him as she attempted to get pass him.

 

[susurrus]

Aaron noticed that Abby very consciously wouldn't look at him. It was then he realized he was totally naked.

Abby was obviously uncomfortable with this whole situation. Regardless what they'd almost done a little while ago, this wasn't the time to act on such urges, no matter what they both might feel.

Aaron watched as Abby got dressed, mumbling something about getting herself home, then tried to get by him, studiously avoiding looking at him.

He reached out and grabbed her face, pulling it around so it looked up into his. "You will not make your own way home. It's three and a half miles. It takes better than an hour to walk here on a good day. I'll saddle Buck and we'll get you back home. Sit back down and wait for me."

 

[Perplexia]

Abby looked at him her nostrils flaring. "I will do what i wish to do Aaron" she stated rather stubbornly her eyes staring directly into his. Very rarely had she not been compliant with his wishes.
However his grip didn't release her chin.

 

[susurrus]

Abby didn't resist Aaron much, but he wasn't going to let her roll over him like he'd seen her do so many other people.

Keeping her gaze locked on his, he told her sternly. "You sit yourself down and wait for me. You are not going out in this alone."

 

[Perplexia]

"You're not the boss of me Aaron" she responded defiantly. "what are you going to do put me over your knee and spank me? You're not my husband, or my father. If i go home alone i can claim i got caught in the storm and lost. If you go with me, then they won't buy that both of us did. Let me go and maybe i can save us."

Her voice got softer as she pleaded with him. "they'll believe that i defied you and set off on my own. I'm that impulsive and stubborn. I will be fine, let me go."

 

[susurrus]

Aaron was surprised that Abby didn't just sit, as she'd been told. Her reasoning was sound, but there was another way to look at it, too...

"Look, the bridge at Fulson's Creek is more than likely washed out by now, and the water about three times as high as usual, and fast. There's one other crossing within ten miles, and it's hard to find, even when the weather's good.

"And they may think you stood up to me and went out in this, but then they'd wonder how I could let you go in such weather, in the dark. They wouldn't think much of me as a man, if I couldn't keep a skinny little girl from wandering out in a downpour.

"Besides," he finally said, any anger and frustration starting to give way to genuine concern, "I couldn't forgive myself if I let you go, and anything happened." He reached down for Abby's hands and gripped them tight. "At this point, I don't care what anybody else thinks, as long as you're safe."

He paused a moment, gazing imploringly into Abby's eyes. "So, will you please sit down while I get dressed? I'll saddle up Buck, we'll get you home, and I'll know you're home alright."

 

[Perplexia]

Abby frowned at him and reluctantly complied. "You do realize that even though we're innocent this could put an end to the courtship. Don't you realize what i'm going to have to endure to provide my innocence?" Tears began to fall from her eyes. For so long she had waited for Aaron to see her as she saw him, and now it was to be over.

 

[susurrus]

"I know what this might mean for us, and I can only guess what you'll have to go through, but you really don't know what it's like out there.

"If you don't believe me that even with a lantern, you won't be able to see more than a couple feet, then go outside and take ten paces straight out from the door. When you turn around, you'll only barely be able to see the light in the window. That's what you'll have to try to navigate if you try to make it yourself. And if the bridge is out, you'll be sunk, then you'll have made the mile walk to the creek for nothing."

Aaron hoped Abby would see that he only had her safety in mind. If it meant the permission to court her was taken away, then so be it. Better to lose that than to have her truly get lost in a storm and possibly lose her forever.

However, his concern for her was being taken over by the bull-headedness she exhibited.

"Go on, go outside. You'll see." He reached over and picked up the waterproof lantern and lit it with a stick from the fireplace, then held it out to her.

 

[Perplexia]

"There's no reason for the two of us to get sick in this weather" she advised ignoring the lantern he held out for her. "If you won't let me go on my own, then we'll simply wait till morning. You slept in the barn, i slept in the house. If the bridge is gone they will see there is no other way." She crossed her arms avoiding looking at his naked frame.
"dry off get dressed and i'll sleep on the floor" she advised

 

[susurrus]

To be honest, Aaron had hoped Abby would eventually decide to stay. There was really no good sense in going out in this, and if anyone else really thought about it, they'd see that. As well, if they took his reputation into account, they'd know he wouldn't force himself on Abby, either. There was little hope that they'd accept it, but it was insane to make such a long trip in a downpour, in the dark of night.

In the warmer weather, Aaron seldom slept wearing anything, but if Abby was there, he'd have to.

"Fine," he said finally. "I'm sure plenty of conclusions have been drawn already. If there's a reasonable head in that town, I hope it's attached to one of your parents." Aaron then pulled the door closed, muffling the roar of the falling rain outside and walking past Abby. He found his shorts - that Abby had draped over a chair in front of the fire - slipped into them and tied them tight.

"It's alright now. You can look," he finally said to the back of Abby's head. He had no idea whether she'd peeked or not. He knew - good boy or not - that he'd have at least wanted a glance at Abby if he'd had the chance.

"My bed's around against the chimney on the other side. Take it. There's a small bed in the loft above. I'll sleep there. Maybe this rain will be over by morning, though the way it's coming down, I'd be surprised."

Aaron wanted to go over and kiss Abby, but considering everything that had already happened, he figured that probably wasn't a good idea. He wasn't sure Abby would be open to that right now, either.

 

[Perplexia]

Abby glanced in his direction once he said it was ok. The sight of his broad shoulders and well muscled torso made her smile. He truly was a beautiful man. Rising from the chair she'd been seated in and walked towards him. "you are a stubborn man Aaron" she advised him softly wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest.

"I don't like arguing with you, though i think that was our first battle of wits that we've had. I don't care what they say, you know that. I have just waited so long for you, and the thought of loosing you drove me nuts. I hate the small mindedness of our town. I want to make you happy, i really do." she advised him almost whimpering.

 

[susurrus]

Aaron laughed when Abby mentioned his stubbornness. "I'm stubborn? I don't think I'm half as stubborn as you are.

"One thing's for sure, though. If you'd have tried to get by me, I'd have picked you up, set you in a chair, and tied you to it, so you couldn't get outside. I was just out there, and it's like standing under a pump spigot. If I'd have gotten much farther from the house, I probably would have had a bad time finding my way back."

Aaron put his arms around Abby when she finally hugged him close once more. "I couldn't stand the thought of losing you to something like the storm out there, especially when you're already safe here. Who knows what it'll be like in the morning? This might keep on all day, too. I can't say I don't like the idea of having you here that long, but we'll just have to wait and see. We'll sure have a lot of explaining to do when we do finally get you home, whenever that is, but I'm hoping folks will take the situation into account, and think about what they know about us both."

Aaron lifted Abby's face so he could see her eyes. "You want something to eat before we head for bed? There's some bread and cheese and a little milk, but I'll have to go around back for them. It isn't far, but it does mean going back out in the rain."

 

[Perplexia]

The look in his eyes at her surrender to his will made her smile. "I am a bit hungry, but i rather you not have to go out in the rain for food. If its still raining tomorrow then we'll have no choice. Your livestock will need to be fed, and i'll help you with that."

If she had it her way she'd never leave the confines of his place. Just being with him was all she had wanted for a long time. No matter what anyone said, this wasn't over.

Her hand reached up and stroked his face lightly her eyes dancing in his. "I need you to promise me something" she said softly "No matter what they say you won't stay away, that we'll find a way to be together."

 

[susurrus]

Aaron felt a hunger pang as Abby expressed her wish for him not to go back outside. They'd worked hard, and that usually made him hungry, but he wasn't starving, by any means, so he'd be okay for one night.

In response to her request for him to continue pursuing her, regardless what kind of backlash this evening might cause with Abby's parents and folks in town, he placed his hands on her hips and said, " Look, if you meant any less to me, I'd have let you take the chance of wandering out in this and finding your own way home. I have little doubt of your sense of direction, I know you're a smart, if headstrong girl, and might have made your way home without problem. There are too many questions on a night like this for me to want to take that chance. Your parents would never, ever forgive me if I let you go out on your own and you truly did get lost. I'd never forgive myself. Regardless what others may think, we know what happened here, and we have no reason to be embarrassed. Furthermore, someone else making decisions for us based on what they think may have happened would be fully in the wrong. People in that town - your parents included - should know us by now. I'm not going to let false assumptions keep me away, so you have no fear of that."

He leaned down and kissed Abby, then reached for her hand. "Come on. Let me show you your bed for the night."

Aaron led her around the side of the fireplace, to where his bed lay right up against the chimney. It was warm there, even on the coldest of nights, the stones absorbing heat from the fire on the other side.

He then turned to Abby and held her to him. After a minute or so, he stepped back and began to unbutton the men's shirt she'd worn to help in. At the look of terror in Abby's eyes, he hushed her and assured her to be calm.

Shortly, she was clad once more in just her camisole and trousers. She seemed frightened that Aaron was going to take this farther, going against the words he'd just spoken, but the camisole stayed on. They'd seen each other in their underwear already, there was no reason to be squeamish about it this time.

Abby seemed to be getting a little calmer about what he was doing, but she started when he reached down and began to unbutton her trousers. Aaron shushed her once more, and let them fall to the floor.

He then squatted and untied her boots, pulling them off and the pants with them. Soon, Abby stood in only her underwear once more, only this time, it was dry from her time at the fire.

Seeing Abby like this just made Aaron's body ache for more, but he knew he couldn't at this point in time. He then straightened, pulled back the covers on the bed and urged Abby in.

 

[Perplexia]

Her desire for him, was misinterpreted as fear. There wasn't much in the world Abby was afraid of. He continued to shush her as he undressed her. To think of it, the only thing that caused her fear was Aaron disappearing. He had quenched that with a few words.

He pulled back the covers urging her into bed. Her hands moved over his shoulders smiling softly. The feel of his skin beneath her fingers caused shivers to run down her spine. Her arms moved around his neck as she kissed him again. The feel of his lips only sparking her inner undiscovered desires.

"I will not kick you out of your bed" she whispered lightly before kissing him again. Her body in her thin undergarments pressed against his. "there has been only you Aaron" she whispered softly as she gasped for breath. "if you wish it, when the rain stops i'd like to get married. We can run off to the next town. It will create a scandal, but it will also save one as well."

 

[susurrus]

The thought of sharing the bed was one that'd crossed Aaron's mind, but one he hadn't really expected to fulfill, at least not at this point. That Abby was willing to have him in the bed with her had his cock hard once again. He only hoped he'd be able to sleep, having her in the bed with him. He didn't have a very big bed, so they'd be in physical contact all night.

Abby's idea of going in to Carldon when the storm broke wasn't a bad one. While he hadn't expected to get married quite so quickly, the situation they were in almost screamed that it had to happen. While nothing had happened, there'd be no convincing many people of that. His good reputation was likely ruined already, anyhow. He only hoped the town would do business with him after all this. Making it all legal would help a little, so it seemed the only logical course.

"If that's what you want," Aaron finally said. "We probably have no choice by now. Chances are, your parents have already thought the worst, and you know how such word travels in a town the size of Hazelton.

"I want to marry you, I just never expected it to be so soon." He hesitated saying what came to mind next, then decided to just let it out. "At least, it'd let me act on these feelings I've been having all night without having to worry about consequences."

He leaned over and kissed Abby again, then turned from her and went back out, secured the door against blowing open should the wind come up, banked the fire and lit a lantern with a stick lit from an ember. He then came back in to where his bed was, and his Abby.

"Climb in, Abby. You can have the spot closest to the fireplace. It's warmest." Aaron said, unable to hide the erection in his shorts, but trying not to draw attention to it.