Pt. 11 "Strong friendships have to survive..."

Jake woke up Saturday morning with mixed feelings what the day would bring. As he got dressed, he thought about his blow-up with Tom. He hadn't seen him, or spoken to him, in the full week since, yet when he came home last night he found Toms 2 horse trailer parked in his drive. It would be lesson day for Julie, and he guessed Tom still wanted him to truck the gelding over. Was it an olive leaf, or just an expectation to hold to his word? Jake headed to the shelter wondering.

Stormy too was confused that day. She'd been nervous for her Jake all week, as he'd been obviously in a strange mood. A Horse can sense such things, you know. He'd seen to her needs, and groomed her perfectly and kept her stall immaculate. "Yet there are other needs a girl has," she thought, "and though I've tried to show him, he doesn't seem to care!" She wanted him to touch her again, as she felt her heat growing now, but even shoving her ass against him, tail to the side, brought no responce. "And he cried in my stall one night!" she remembered, "Sat right down and cried!" She'd nudged him with her nose then, wanting to comfort him, but he'd gently pushed her away, shaking in his sorrow.

Ann too was upset over Jake and Tom. She'd heard the raised voices last week, though she couldn't make out the words, and watched Jake all week when she and Julie visited. Jake was a good guy, she thought, and though she could take that he didn't want her, she couldn't stand seeing him suffer. She too had noticed the trailer in his drive, hell she's seen Tom bring it earlier that afternoon, and she like any good woman had a plan! It was, after all, Julie's 10th birthday, and knowing how both men felt about the little girl she knew they'd not dare refuse her! A little white lie, she thought, would be a great start! She coached her daughter carefully then both headed toward Jakes to put her plan in motion.

Tom, after a week alone, was suprisingly not worried. He'd never gotten as close to some-one as he had to Jake, excepting his wife he thought, but he knew Jake would come around. He fed and cleaned stalls that morning as always, milked the few Jerseys and turned out the sheep and boarded horses before his own, then sat on his porch to wait. "Strong friendships have to survive," he told himself, "and Jake and mine is as strong as they come." Suddenly the thought it wouldn't hit him, and he worried...

Pt. 12 Anns plan begins, and Stormy has one too...

"Hello Jake!" Ann called as they walked up the drive. Stormy whinnied from the pasture at their arrival, and Jake appeared from the shelters side door. "Hello Ann," he replied, "Hi Julie." "Hi Uncle Jake. It's my birthday today!" The little girl was nervous, Jake thought. "Happy birthday!" He tried to hide his depression from her. Children get excited about such things. "I'm having a fun dinner tonight," Julie tried to remember what her mother had said, "Will you come... when you bring Benny home?" she added, unsure. "It's just a small dinner," Ann added quickly, "only a few people!" She didn't mention who those few people would be, as she didn't know. Sunday her other "uncles" were coming, the soldiers that Jake seemed not to care for, but tonight depended on his answer, and a phone call... The little girl looked at Jake nervously. She really wanted him to come, though she didn't understand what her mother had in mind. "I love Uncle Jake." She thought to herself.

Jake saw the look in the childs eyes, and warmed a bit. How could he say no, he thought. "Sure kiddo, I'll be there!" He hoped no-one he didn't know was there. He always got too quiet around strangers, he acknowleged, and never really had fun. "Thank you Uncle Jake!" The little one looked up at her mother to see if she'd done good. Ann smiled, at Jake then down at her child. "The plan is working!" she thought, then, "Around 6 O'clock." aloud to Jake. They left back down the drive, and Jake returned to cleaning Stormys stall. "Now for a quick phone call." Ann whispered to herself. "What do I say Mama?" Julie replied, whispering too.

Tom sat on his old porch swing smoking. He had to quit the habit, he thought quietly, but he'd just quit drinking last week. "One thing at a time." he muttered, "One thing at a time." He thought about dumping the whiskey, every drop in the house and barns, last Saturday. He couldn't well preach against the booze while imbibing it himself, he'd told himself, and headed to Jakes to confront his sudden drunkeness. He'd never got to, he remembered now, not the right way. "But maybe soon," he hoped, "We'll see." The phones ringing broke his thoughts, and he ambled in the house to answer. "Hello?" "It's my birthday and I'm having a party dinner and I want you to come Uncle Tom," The child, nervous, spoke too quick with-out a hello, "will you?" "Julie?" Tom asked though he knew the answer. "Yes, Uncle Tom." "When?" was all he asked. Julie gave no responce, then Anns voice came over the line. "Six tonight if you said yes, Tom." Ann answered his question laughingly, "Are you?" "Yeah, I guess I will." After a brief pause. "Great!" Ann exclaimed, and hung up with no goodbye. "No common politeness these days." Tom chuckled and moved back for the swing. If not this morning, then tonight he thought. He knew, just knew, Jake would be there too. He lit another and settled back to waiting.

Jake walked the gelding up from Anns, Julie following quietly. The trailer, hooked now to Jakes truck, sat on the road before his pasture and Stormy ran to the fence as they approached. "She's acting strange lately," he thought, "I wonder why?" She whinnied incessantly while he loaded the gelding, and continued as he moved with Julie to the truck. "Wait in the truck a minute," he told the child, "I want to see what's got her so worked up." He moved to the gate and entered, first checking her over carefully, then checking the pasture and shelter. He could find nothing, and Stormy, following him, seemed to have calmed down. He rubbed her neck. "I'll be right back girl," he assured, "Just going up the road a minute." He closed the gate and got in the truck. Strangely indeed, he thought.

Tom had dozed off, and woke with a start at the truck pulling in! He stood and yawned, then limped toward the circular drive. "'lo Jake," he called as the boy unloaded the gelding. "Hullo Tom," the younger man hesitated, then, "I'll pick her up this afternoon. Stormy's kinda nerved up today. I wanna get back to her." "Ann's comin' to get the kid?" Tom queried. "Yeah," Jake closed the trailer ramp, sliding pins in the d-rings on its sides, "She's having a party today. It's her birthday." "OK, see ya later," No mention of last week, Tom thought, "Hope Stormy's alright." he added as Jake climbed back in the truck. "Yeah, me too." The kid said as way of good-bye, then drove off. Tom shook his head as the truck sped down the road, then turned to the child leading her horse to the wooden ring and trying to lug her saddle and tack with her too. "I'll take the saddle Julie, just drop it there." He said, "An' Happy Birthday by the way!"

Jake backed quickly into his drive, a little crooked which was unusual for him. Stormy, in the rear of the pasture, galloped to the shelter to greet him, neighing and prancing in front of her stall. Jake let himself in the side door, then opened the stall front to bring her in on the straw. He tried to grab her halter under her chin, but she shied and turned around, squatting and peeing in front of him. She stayed squatted after, winking rapidly, then straightened and whinnied as she turned toward him. Urine had splashed on Jakes boots and pantcuffs, but he'd been mesmerized by her winking and hardly noticed. As Stormy turned, he moved along her side, speaking softly as he ran his hand over her. "I know what's botherin' you now lil' girl. You're in heat, aren't ya?" Not waiting for the question, Stormy squatted and pee'd again. She kept her tail up and to one side when she stood. Jake, reaching her rump, noticed she was now winking rythmicly and lightly brushed her vulva with the back of his hand. Stormy whinnied again, and squatted. The urine came in little spurts this time, winks the whole time, and Jake turned his hand and lay it open palmed against her twitching pussy. He could feel her winking, then how they stopped as she stood. Her tail remained to the side though, and Jake pressed his hand against her, rubbing hard. She pushed back, but slapped him with her tail, and he moved his hand. Still, she didn't drop her tail, and it returned to the side. She knickered over her shoulder at him, and winked some more. "You need a Stud girl," he laughed, "and I'm no stud." he added, saddened.

"Still," he thought, and put his hand up again. This time he unbuttoned his cuff, rolling the sleeve back and up his bicep. He looked at his hand, seeing dirt under his nails, and left the stall to Stormys whinnies. He quickly took her wash bucket and soap with a good stiff brush and soaped his hand and arm as far as he could. He worked it into a lather and scrubbed with the brush. The nails got special attention, and he worked them till they hurt. Stormy had come out to peak around the shelters side, but entered the stall when he returned. Her tail lifted and cocked, she turned her backside to him again. He wasn't sure if this would work, but just the thought had the front of his jeans tight.

He put his four fingers together, sliding them carefully into her and moving them in and out slowly. She backed, squatting just a bit, and forced his hand in more. He slid it deeper, just behind his wrist, noticing that even though she was much bigger than a woman, she held him tightly as he moved his hand. She knickered, and he slid his arm in more. "Even my arm doesn't match a stallion," he thought as he pulled it back a bit, "though it is a bit thicker in spots." He opened his fly with his free hand and lightly stroked himself as he slid in and out in the mare, loosingf track of time and the world around him. Stormy had grown quiet too, lowering her head some and turning her ears backward to Jake. He didn't know how long they stood there together, but his breath grew fast and his arms both matched. Suddenly, with great gasps, he came. It wasn't till his own self spend and his hand sliding out of Stormy that Jake realized anyone could have come along and seen them. He had to think of a way that the mare would accept to gain privacy, he had to. His arm, and Stormys vulva, were covered with a streaky stain. He went out to fill the wash bucket again, stepping back in the stall to clean them both up.

to be continued...