Two Step Symphony - Second Movement

The neighbor saw her and headed her way.

"You should know that I've been staying at Brick's home for several days because my electricity and water were off," Rachel said, when she reached their fence.

"Yes, I know," Chris said. "And I appreciate your honesty." She held up her phone. "I've heard what you do here, taking care of horses. It's wonderful. I've also heard that times have been rough. I appreciate you taking care of Brick's ranch all these years and helping him while he's been here, so I arranged for your utilities to be turned back on."

"You shouldn't have done that," Rachel said somewhat annoyed. She'd overheard Chris's second phone call--which was very interesting--but not the first where she apparently dealt with Rachel's utilities.

"I know Brick wanted to help you, but you didn't want him to," Chris said. "But given the situation, it's for the best. You've made him think he wants to hold on to his home, but I know him better than you do. That's not what he really wants. He's had some luck here writing some songs, so he thinks that holding onto the place he'll come back every so often and do more. I've seen him do that before. When something works one time, he thinks he needs to stick with it. But it never does. This is not what he really wants. He'll come back here and hit another dry spell in writing, and realize it was just a moment in time. When he gets back to Tampa and his studio work, he'll completely forget all of this. You understand, don't you?"

"I didn't make him think or do anything," Rachel protested.

"Maybe not intentionally."

Rachel considered mentioning what she'd heard in Chris's second phone call but decided to wait. She didn't really believe the BS about Brick. However, on the one hand, one of her fears had been that Brick had simply been caught up in his time here, so Chris might not be entirely wrong. On the other hand, Chris was probably just manipulating Rachel away from Brick to make certain she kept him to herself. But if Chris was attempting to play a mind game on her, Rachel was not going to allow herself to be swept in.

Merely nodding, Rachel said, "Well, thanks for the insight. Good luck." She then walked toward her house where she could see she now had power.

* * *

Brick happened to glance out of his kitchen window to see the two women talking. It gave him some concern. However, it appeared to be a cordial exchange. Although, Rachel did seem to abruptly turn and head back to her house, where he noticed her electricity was back on. Had she finally been able to pay the bill and not told him?

Chris then headed back inside. She grimaced when she saw the sandwiches on the counter.

"What was that all about?" Brick asked, nodding at his kitchen window.

"Oh, I was just thanking her for all she's done for you. Taking care of your ranch, helping you while you've been here."

"Well, that was nice. She say anything?"

"I think she felt awkward staying here now that I'm here, so I arranged to have her utilities switched back on."

"You did what?"

"It was just a gesture of gratitude."

"I already offered to do that, and she didn't want the help," Brick argued.

"She didn't want the help because she wanted to stay here with you."

Even though she was probably right, Brick admonished, "You shouldn't have done that. People around here don't like charity. They have too much pride. When they need help, they ask for it." He shook his head. "Shit! I've got to go apologize." And with that, he stormed out.

"Brick, wait!" Chris called after him, but he didn't stop.

He walked around front and knocked on Rachel's door. She might have seen him coming because she answered right away. Her eyes appeared watery as though she'd been crying.

"You know what your fiancé did?"

"Yeah. I came to apologize. I didn't know she was going to do that."

"I told you I didn't want help."

"I know. And I told her that. I'm really sorry. And I've decided to keep my ranch."

"Why?"

"It's my home. You helped me see that."

"And you think Chris is going to live here?"

"No. But I told her we could come during the orchestra's off season and when things are slow at the studio."

"And she agreed to that?"

Brick shrugged helplessly. "She didn't not agree. It's still under discussion."

Rachel pursed her lips in a piteous gesture. "Well, don't hold your breath for her to come around. You don't know her as well as you think you do. Aside from the simple things like knowing her favorite color or flower or even if she wants kids--"

"We did talk about that."

"Oh, yeah? And what? Still under discussion?"

Brick hung his head in a defeated gesture.

"Uh-huh." Shaking her head, Rachel said, "You shouldn't marry her, Brick. You don't love her. Not like you should. And I don't think she really loves you. Not like she should."

"And you know this how?"

"You know she came outside to make a call?"

He nodded.

"You know who she called?"

"Her office."

"Some guy with a French name. John--"

"Jean-Claude?"

"Yeah."

"He's the conductor of her orchestra."

"Well, why would she be complaining to him about having to eat a sandwich for lunch? And then, she wants him to call her in the morning so she'll have an excuse not to 'go riding on some miserable horse.'"

Brick was stunned. "You sure you heard right?"

"Yeah. I was just inside the barn. The sound carries."

Brick didn't say anything.

Rachel hated to unload on him, but she felt he really needed to hear this. "She also tried to make me believe that you just wanted to keep the ranch because you'd been successful at writing a few songs. You were just caught up in the moment. But she said that once you were back in Tampa doing your studio work, you'd completely forget all of this."

He shook his head in stupefaction. There was no reason not to believe Rachel. There was every reason to be concerned about Chris. He knew she could be manipulative. He'd seen her do it with members of the orchestra.

"She doesn't love you, and you don't love her. If you really did love her, you wouldn't have made love to me--twice. Or were you just caught up in the moment?"

"I--I--"

"Look, if you're going to sell your ranch, sell it. But if you're going to keep it, you can take care of it yourself. We're done." She closed her front door on him.

Stepping down off her porch, Brick saw the horse he'd ridden was still tied to his handrail. Impulsively, he walked to it, mounted, and rode off.

Chris saw him heading back, but she only got to the front of the house in time to see him ride away.

He rode to the creek and sat on the pier wishing he had his guitar. If now wasn't the time for a sad country song, no time was. He didn't spend more than a half-hour there before he had a thought to ride away and search for a cell signal. He was actually surprised to find one on the ridge where they'd spent the night.

"Well, I was wondering if I was ever going to hear from you again," Billy Roy, his partner at the studio said by way of greeting.

"How's it going?"

"Okay. A little business. Enough to keep busy. How about you?"

"I've written several songs. The atmosphere is great here for that."

"Great! Enough to finish the album?"

"I still need a couple more. But they'll come."

"Well, stay as long as you need to to get them. Or as long as Chris will let you." He chuckled.

"Ha-ha. Speaking of that, I'm thinking of keeping the ranch."

"Are you now? You want to move back?"

"Part of me does. But I like the studio."

"So, build your own. Or better still, let's you and I build it. We can own two studios."

"You'd do that?"

"Sure. If your album does as well as your singles, it'll bring in the finances and give us credibility as a serious studio. There's a lot of artists out there that like the idea of a secluded studio away from a big city. Hell, maybe if it does well enough I might move back to Texas myself."

"We'd have to build something state of the art."

"Well, if we're going to do it, let's do it right."

"Sounds like a plan," Brick said eagerly.

"Let's both think on it, and we can discuss it more when you come back to record those songs."

"Okay."

"There's one other thing I was going to mention, but I guess you probably already know."

"What's that?"

"Your fiancé and that hoity-toity conductor asked me to come see them after you left. They want to record the orchestra at the concert hall and wanted to know if I could handle it."

"Really? I don't know anything about that."

"I asked her if she'd talked to you about it and she said it only came up after you left. She said she was going to talk to you, so that's why I didn't mention it. We don't really have the equipment to do an off-site recording, and the studio isn't big enough to handle a full orchestra."

"I agree. I wonder why she didn't tell me."

"Well, Brick, old buddy. I don't want to speak out of turn here, and I've kinda been debating whether to even mention this--"

"You've gone too far not to now."

"Yeah, well, the thing is, they, uh, they, uh--"

"Just tell me."

"They seemed awfully chummy. And this is just my observation so I could be way off, but they seemed like more than just whatever their business association is."

"What do you mean?"

"They just seemed like they were a little more... familiar... with each other."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but again, I might just be seeing something that isn't there."

"No, I appreciate you telling me that. Something else happened earlier that makes that not sound so far-fetched." Brick considered that for a second. "Well, good talking to you. I'll let you know when I finish these last two songs."

Things were starting to add up. Brick had never dismounted, so he rode back to the house.

* * *

Back at his house, Brick didn't even bother to tie up his horse--Rachel's horse--before storming into the kitchen. Chris was not there, but the sandwiches still were. He went on to the living room where he found her sitting on the sofa on the phone.

"I'll call you back," he heard her say when she saw him.

"Was that your boyfriend?"

"What?"

"Your boyfriend. Jean-Claude."

"What are you talking about?" Chris asked with a frown.

"I know about you and Jean-Claude. About complaining to him about having to eat a sandwich, about him calling you in the morning so you'd have an excuse not to go for a horseback ride, about talking to Billy Roy about recording the orchestra that you didn't talk to me about. He also said the two of you seemed--familiar--with each other."

"Of course, we're familiar with each other. We work closely together," Chris retorted. "And I didn't mention recording because Billy Roy said he couldn't do it."

"Then why didn't you just tell me?" Brick demanded. "If you couldn't be honest, what chance would our marriage have?"

"I do love you, Brick. There's nothing between me and Jean-Claude. He's just been a friend to whom I could vent. Do you want me to be honest? Okay. I don't like sandwiches, nor do I have any interest in horseback riding. And if that's not honest enough, I don't want children and I don't want to spend any time here."

Brick wasn't expecting any of that. "Wow! What have we been doing together all this time?"

She gave him a look as though he should know.

"Yeah, well, a marriage can't survive on sex alone."

"So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying I don't think we should get married," Brick spelled it out.

Chris didn't appear as surprised as she should have if it really mattered.

"You disagree?"

"I think you've already decided, and it doesn't matter what I think," Chris said. "Besides, I've seen the way you and Rachel look at each other. I don't recall you ever looking at me that way."

Brick didn't say anything.

"Well, fortunately, I never unpacked. I just need to get back to the San Antonio airport."

"You can take my rental car and turn it in," Brick offered.

"Thank you." Chris stepped up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "It was fun while it lasted. And at least, this time, you told me it was over instead of just leaving." She grinned. "So, where's the sad country song?"

Brick smiled back. "Wait for it."

* * *

The house was quiet when Brick entered. He hadn't been inside in a very long time, and he was reminded that the Hunter home and the Henry home were built around the same time and were nearly identical. Rachel was not around. He called out for her, but not too loud. Her truck was still here. Perhaps she was in the barn, so he headed to the rear door.

As he passed the staircase, he heard water running upstairs, and in a déj� vu moment, he changed his direction realizing she was finally taking the shower she'd wanted. As she'd done at his house, she hadn't bothered to close the bathroom door, obviously thinking she'd be alone.

Brick waited patiently, and when she finished, he was standing in the doorway as she slid open the shower curtain. She made no attempt to cover herself, but her expression was not welcoming.

Finally, she asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"You were right," Brick admitted. "I didn't know Chris as well as I thought I did."

"Gee, what a surprise," she commented sarcastically. "She know you're here?"

He shrugged. "She's gone. The wedding is off. She said she doesn't like sandwiches, she didn't want to go horseback riding, she didn't want to spend any time here, and she sure as hell didn't want kids. So, there was no reason to get married."

"Was that your decision or hers?"

"Mine. But she didn't disagree. Although, she said it seemed I'd already made up my mind."

Rachel started drying off. "So, what does this mean for you now?"

Brick stepped over to the tub, knelt and held up a ring. "It means I'd rather marry you. We promised each other a long time ago that we would get married."

Rachel started giggling.

With a frown, Brick asked, "What's funny?"

"Well, this has got to be a proposal that everyone will talk about: me standing naked in the tub and you down on one knee."

"Well?"

"I thought you'd never ask! Is that Chris's ring?"

"It's my mom's."

"Oh, wow." The, she added, "But I do need to know what your plans are."

"I'm not going to sell the ranch. I'm going to stay here."

With a big smile, she said, "Then of course, I'll marry you. That's all I've ever wanted. Are you sure it's what you want?"

"I think I probably wanted it the day after I got here."

She finished drying off and stepped out of the tub. "What about your studio?"

"I'll--we'll, if you want--have to go back to Tampa to record the rest of the album, but after that, we're going to come back and build a state-of-the-art studio right here on the ranch. Billy Roy is on board."

"I feel sorry for Chris, but this is all I could have hoped for." As happy now as she had ever been, Rachel jumped onto Brick throwing her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his waist. She kissed him passionately.

A minute later, she let herself down. "Now, make love to me like you really mean it."

"I meant it last night."

"You were apprehensive. Now, you're not."

They kissed again. Her hand reached down and rubbed his hardening cock though his pants. He pawed her breasts. After another kiss, she dropped to her knees, undid his pants, pulling them and his underwear down. She instantly mouthed his dick.

"You don't have to do that," Brick said, not expecting it of her.

"I want to. I've been wanting to." And back to it she went.

And she wasn't bad. He'd been blown many times, but never really lovingly. He could feel the love and affection she was applying, not just sucking a cock.

As he removed his shirt, Rachel said, "I love doing this."

"I love you doing it."

Standing, she kissed him again, then turned to grab the doorframe. She stuck her ass out. "Fuck me."

Rachel seemed to be showing him another side of herself. A naughty side. He wondered if she was doing that just for him, or if she'd never had the opportunity--or wanted--to be like this with him. Either way, he wasn't disappointed. He guided his cock into her juicy hole and held her tits as he pumped.

"You like doing it standing up?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Didn't want to wait. Let's go to bed." She led him to the bedroom and sat on the edge of his bed.

Her shaved pussy looked so inviting, Brick knelt for a taste. Of course, it was the most delicious pussy he'd ever eaten. And since she'd just showered, she tasted so fresh and clean.

"Oh, yeah," Rachel cried. "That feels amazing!"

After a few more minutes, Brick lifted her onto the bed and crawled up between her legs. He leaned over to kiss her, and then guided his cock back into her pussy to fuck her missionary style. Basic though it was, in his old-fashioned mind, it was still the most romantic way to make love.

"This is so good," he said.

"Yes. You are so good."

"So are you. I've dreamed of you making love to me like this for so long."

"We've done it twice."

"But now you're doing it as my fiancé. That makes it special."

"Special is supposed to be on our wedding night."

"It'll be our wedding night so it will be special. Can I be on top?"

"Of course."

So, they rolled over, and she rode him like the cowgirl she was.

Rachel had never felt any man inside who felt as wonderful as Brick. She didn't think it was just because it was him. His cock just felt like it belonged insider her. It was a perfect fit. Like she always knew it was meant to be.

After a few minutes, she pivoted around without his cock ever leaving her pussy and continued to ride him reverse cowgirl. He couldn't exactly see what she was doing, from the position of her arm, but she was probably fingering her clit.

"Harder!" Rachel demanded.

So, he pounded her with greater force in his thrusts to her whiney moans. The intensity of her vocalizing became louder suggesting her orgasm was building.

She finally came falling back against him. He wrapped his arms around her to hold her in place and continued to pump. He could feel her body tensing and shivering as her orgasm swept over her entire body. When finished, she lifted herself high enough to for him to slip out.

"Oh, that was amazing! Just as I always knew it would be." She rolled off him onto her stomach, her legs spread slightly. "Your turn. And you better come inside me this time!"

Brick straddled her hips and slid his cock back in. Her already tight pussy felt even more snug in this position. As he started thrusting, he bent over all but laying on top of her, placing little kisses on her back. It caused her to giggle.

"Turn over when you're ready to come." Rachel asked.

"I'm ready."

They quickly maneuvered back into the missionary position they started off in, and it took only a minute of pumping for him to fill her with cum.

To his groans, Rachel purred her pleasure as she had another orgasm.

When they both finished, Brick was about to pull out, but Rachel stopped him. "Please just leave it in for a minute or so. I just love having you inside me."

"I love being in there." But his erection gradually deflated and his cock snaked out. He rolled off and laid beside her.

Rachel turned to face him, snuggling against him as he put his arm around her.

"This really does feel like where I belong," Brick admitted.

"Been trying to make you see that for a long time."

"Guess I just had to go through all that I did to find out for myself."