Holonovel, Chapter 4 (Part 3)

Posted on Fri Jul 12, 2019 @ 8:39am by Civilian Opal Oliver (Deceased) Dr & Commander Caleb Ryan
Edited on on Sat Jul 13, 2019 @ 11:53pm

1,441 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: Holodeck 3
Timeline: MD07 2030

"So do you still have pain or are you mending nicely?" Carrie couldn't stop herself from asking.

“I am recovered,” Shane assured her. “I’ve had worse.” She had probably seen the marks of that, small, round, puckered scars on his skin, old, healed bullet wounds, when she was nursing him.

"I could tell you had scars," she said. "I hope that isn't something I shouldn't have mentioned? It's just that...well, I know so little about you, yet the way you came here and have been so kind as to work for me, so brave as to protect and defend me, and so strong and uncomplaining as you have had to endure all the wounds and bruising that came of it, I just feel like I'd like to start up a conversation, now that you say you're not angry with me, about you. Who you are, how you came to save me, and… Perhaps I'm being nosey, and if I am, you must tell me that you don't want to answer. That would be completely acceptable, I promise. "

Shane smiled. “What’s in the past, Mrs. White, is in the past,” he said. “I prefer it stays there.” He pulled the kettle off the fire as it whistled and poured them two cups of tea.

If it hadn't been for that soul-melting smile of his, Carrie would have considered that a very clear put-down and never spoken of the past again. In fact, it made her feel so rejected that she couldn't find the necessary heart to smile back. She bit her lip and her eyes disobeyed her and seemed to become a bit prickly, as if she was about to make a complete fool of herself. This wouldn't do. She rose a little too hastily and muttered something about having left something in the wagon so she could return to it and pinch hard onto the skin of her wrist as she walked over there, trying to hurt herself back to a non-emotional state. She couldn't find anything in the wagon to pretend it was what she had gone for, so she slipped her handkerchief out of her sleeve with her back turned to him so he wouldn't see and then returned, the white material on full view as if she'd just retrieved it.

She took the opportunity to blow her own nose with it and returned it to the sleeve as if it hadn't been there before and came back to drink her tea, more composed but tugging her other sleeve down to cover an ugly weal on one wrist.

Picking up her tea, she drank some. Even though it was too hot and scalded her tongue a bit, she kept it in her mouth until she could swallow it, ignoring the pain and pretending all was well, with every effort she could muster to try to look as if nothing was wrong and never had been. She then put the tea down and picked up the bread plate to pass him some and a side plate for him to put it on, ready to add the butter and jam provided on the blanket beside the picnic hamper.

“Thank you,” Shane said, taking the bread and plate, conscious he had upset her or something. He fell into his usual stoic silence as he ate, staring out over the river.

Carrie sighed softly. She was too confused to know what she should do. It was plain that Shane Black was a man whose emotions had been submerged long ago, and if there were any clues to be found in him, she couldn't see them. She wanted to. She wanted to so much, but how did one get close to a man as hard as nails? It was never going to happen, she decided, watching him with a longing that she dared not show. If she did, how could she be sure that in itself wouldn't be the very reason that made him move on? She shivered involuntarily at the thought of being here without him, for more than one reason.

Initially there would be the danger that Jarred would just move on her, steal her farm. and probably hurt her badly in the process, physically and mentally. Then of course there was the more painful side of the consequences, which was that he wouldn't be around, and that filled her with a dark sadness that hurt deeply. She decided that sitting here ruining the picnic - oh yes, the picnic - he'd been so sweet to get that.... sweet? So he wasn't totally impenetrable after all. A hope rose in her, but then she looked up and took in the magnificent view. Shane Black was a very appealing view, but he was out of her league. All she could do was be friendly with him and be glad to have that much. His company, his smile, his eyes, his protection were all so important that she couldn't regret not being able to have the physical side of him, however much she wanted it. What she already had was more than lucky enough.

She gave him a very wide smile, even though he wasn't looking at her, stood up, shoved him gently, snatching off his permanent black wide brimmed hat and scampering off at her best speed across the meadow. "Come and get it back if you think you're fast enough," she laughed over her shoulder, challenging him, clutching up her skirts and running for all she was worth, holding tightly to the stolen treasure. If she was fun to be with, perhaps he might choose to stay a bit longer? It was worth a shot, surely.

“Hey!” Shane cried, getting up and running after the beautiful rancher’s widow. He let her lead him on a merry chase before catching her, both of them tumbling into the soft grass until he rolled atop her, pinning her beneath the weight of his body. Shane stared down at Carrie, suddenly very conscious of the swell of her bosom against his chest as she caught her breath, staring into the limpid pools of her eyes, the wind picking up a bit, rustling his dark hair as he stared down at her.

Carrie was breathing hard, partly from running, but also from the excitement inside her as she gazed up transfixed by the handsome face and hypnotic dark eyes of Mr. Shane Black, his hard muscular body on top of hers, his lips slightly parted as he breathed more heavily than normal himself. She reached up and stilled his rustled hair with one free hand and tilted her head as words failed her. If she hadn't been a church-going, God fearing Christian, she would have been in danger of believing that this perfect specimen could be a demigod in his own right. He was just too desirable and too damn hot. She felt him on top of her and as she gazed up at him, her fingers slid down from his hair and began to softly trace his cheek bone.

Without a word being spoken by either of them, she continued down to trace his lips and watch with rising feelings as she let her finger tip follow their shape gently, her touch a caress, her eyes on fire with the desire that burned in her. Would he reject her again? Her heart barely beat for what felt like forever as she waited for his response, fearing the worst but longing for more.

“Carrie…” Shane said her Christian name with a deep longing. He started lowering his head. Then thunder rolled across the sky and he looked up sharply, rolling off of Carrie and looking to the west. “Ah knew Ah didn’t like the look of them clouds,” he muttered. “We best pack up or we’ll be caught out,” he said as the dark clouds rolled across the sky.

"There's a hut... about a hundred yards back along the way. I saw it on the way in. We could take shelter there," Carrie said as she got up, dusted herself down and began to run back to pack up the picnic into the basket.

“Okay,” Shane said. “I’ll get the horses while you pack up.” He headed off through the trees, but the storm had rolled in to fill the sky in the meantime, and by the time they had everything loaded into the wagon, the downpour was already upon them, with lightning and loud thunder, soaking them to the bone.

TBC

Commander Caleb Ryan/Shane Black
Executive Officer/Ranch hand

Dr Opal Oliver/Carrie White
Civilian Doctor/Ranch owner

 

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