A Moonlight Ride

When I awoke for the third time that night, the moon was shining through the bay window so brightly, that it seemed almost like a beacon illuminating the bedroom. Despite our high altitude and the clear sky the atmosphere was humid tonight.

I sighed, it seemed as if sleep was going to evade me so I might as well give in to it. A glance at the clock revealed it was only 3:00 a.m. What to do at this hour? I wasn’t usually an insomniac, although I had noticed that my sleep had been disturbed more frequently in the past month.

My dreams continually depicted myself and a handsome man riding our horses together through the hills. At some point we would somehow be transported to a beautiful scene, with a waterfall running in the background and a strange bluish light surrounding us. Then I would feel his hands tracing the outline of my naked body and I would feel the lust flooding through me. The location of the scene varied sometimes, but it would usually end up with me waking feeling extremely wanting.

It seemed that ever since Adam had started working for me my dreams had been invaded by erotic fantasies. Adam had arrived one day at the farm inquiring about work. He told me he had a lot of experience as a ranch hand, and in the past had studied the art of horse whispering.

It so happened that I was much in need of a man around the farm in more ways than one. My previous worker had moved on only a few days earlier and the advertisement I had placed in the local newspaper was about to appear the next day.

I looked at the man standing quietly before me. He was certainly built for farm work, being tall in stature with a broad chest. He had shoulder length brown hair, a tanned complexion and unusual light green eyes. I asked if he had any references to show me from previous employers.

He replied, “You should know that I spent some time in jail.” I took an involuntary step backwards, and he continued, “I once hit a man who was abusing his horse. He was a rich and powerful man, and wanted revenge. So I was convicted of assault and had to go to jail.”

I stared at him in surprise. He appeared to be a quiet and gentle man, and was obviously honest too. This declaration, though, made me hesitate. I was a woman alone on the farm much of the time, what if he was prone to losing his temper? I considered some more, and asked some questions about his work background to give me extra time to think.

I decided to take a chance, and suggested that he work for a trial period of one month to see how things went along. I would call his previous employer to check on his references the next morning.

His face lit up with a wide smile and he readily agreed, saying, “Thank you Boss.”

I showed him to the rustic cabin at the lower end of the property, which would be his home. He declared it to be perfect for his simple needs, in fact he was carrying only a back pack. I asked him if he would like to start work right away and he seemed eager to do so.

He set about mucking out the horse stalls and completed the task with both expertise and alacrity. I gave him a list of assignments for the day. As I went about my work teaching riding lessons to my students, I saw him striding across the fields carrying out the various tasks I had set him.

At the end of the day I introduced him to all the horses living at the farm. Some were my own lesson horses, others belonged to owners who boarded their horses with me or had sent them to me for training. He spent time with each horse running his hands over their bodies in a way I found extremely sensual. They all responded to him by standing motionless, with only their ears twitching back and forth.

The last horse to meet was Sky. He had his own paddock with a high fence and his own run-in shelter. Sky was my much-prized stallion. He was a tall, dappled gray thoroughbred, with silver mane and tale. I had bought him as a yearling from a local rancher who had declared him to be unmanageable. It was true he was indeed very hard to handle at first. He was an extremely spirited horse, and I saw in him an energy I hoped to challenge in a constructive way. When he was three years old I started training him to be ridden. He learned extremely quickly, and seemed to enjoy his daily work out routine. He soon learned to perform dressage movements as well as jumping. He began to display signs of being very talented and loved to show off especially to an audience.

Although still young, he was consistently winning at the shows and was a real crowd pleaser, because of his extraordinary presence. He was not an easy horse to have around and handle, but his beauty and performance were incomparable.

When Adam first saw Sky he stood very still, watching him. He turned to me and said, “You have a truly magnificent animal here.”

I beamed at him because I too felt great joy in just watching Sky. When he frolicked in the pasture his huge athletic strides made it seem as if his feet were barely touching the ground. When I rode him, it was practically orgasmic feeling the enormous power between my thighs.

As the summer days wore on, Adam proved to be a hard worker with no job seeming to be beyond his capabilities. One day, as the sun was turning the big mountain to gold and purple, I invited him to share a simple supper with me. He seemed shy about accepting, but came up to the house later with his long hair freshly washed, and his face obviously recently shaved.

He was reluctant to reveal much about himself, but I did learn how he had grown up on a ranch in Texas and had always wanted to return to the home of his ancestors in Hawaii. He told how he felt a strong spiritual connection with the land here on this island. He had a soft lyrical voice and was certainly very pleasing to look at across the table on the lanai.

After that I invited him to dine several more times, and on one occasion he discovered the guitar my son had left behind when he went away to college. He asked if he might play it, and proceeded to tune the instrument. Then he brought it to life with skillful fingers playing a medley of Hawaiian music. He surprised me by singing as well. His voice was deep and soothing, and I leant back with my feet up on an adjoining chair, enjoying the music and the warmth of the evening.

He always left early because we both needed to rise with the dawn to feed the horses their breakfast. Before taking his leave he would courteously thank me for allowing him to share my meal with him. I thanked him for letting me listen to him play and told him I enjoyed his company too.

Summer became Autumn when the sun set earlier each night, and sometimes the jobs at the end of the day were completed by the light of the barn lanterns. The seasons of the flowers changed too, the night blooming jasmine began to sleep. The rich fragrance of kahili ginger, a large plant whose spiral clusters of yellow flowers stood like the Hawaiian torches they were named after, permeated the air.

Life fell into a comfortable routine, except that I noticed, as I watched Adam fixing a fence line or pounding in a post, that I was beginning to feel a strong attraction towards him. When I saw the sweat starting to glisten on his shoulders I felt a tingling sensation emanating from between my thighs. Some days I found I was training young horses with wet panties, not caused by perspiration alone. Sometimes I found it hard to concentrate on my work when I saw him bare-chested, pulling out weeds or repairing water lines.

He had a way of looking straight at me when I gave him instructions each morning, and it was so distracting that I would often lose my train of thought.

Adam had never asked if he could ride any of the horses. After his trial month was over, I did ask him if he would like to cool down a horse for me, after I had been working her. He was clearly happy to do this and mounted quickly, settling down lightly in the English saddle. Although his experience had been only with western riding, he knew how to get the horse to respond to his body movements, and sat astride with perfect balance. As I watched him ride, I knew he had a natural talent, and my desire for him increased to a higher level.

Later I invited him to exercise Sky for me. I was amazed to see how he had already developed a definite rapport with the big stallion. I showed him the lessons Sky had already learned, and was fascinated when instinctively he moved with the horse, dancing to a graceful rhythm. It was a delight to watch this handsome man working the powerful stallion. I could scarcely tear my eyes away from them both.

Now, here I was in the middle of the night unable to regain the sleep I needed. I got up and padded across to the bathroom to pee and splash cold water on my face. There didn’t seem much point in going back to bed, so I sat on the window seat by the bay window and looked out towards the barn buildings and corral. The moon seemed larger than usual somehow, with rainbow circles spreading around it. The light it cast across the pastures was so brilliant there were shadows.

Just then I heard a horse neighing. No question who it was, my special mare, Jasmine. The connection between us was so strong, she was the closest thing I had to a best friend. She was named after the shrub which bloomed around the farm, its fragrance only perceptible at night time. Her personality was just as sweet as the flower itself. As I glanced towards the stables I heard her neigh again, and instinctively I closed my eyes. As clearly as if she was standing by my side I heard her call my name, saying, “Come here, come over here now.”

The bond between this horse and myself was so powerful that I often sent her loving telepathic messages when I was away from her. She returned the favor frequently. When we worked together it was as if we were dancing partners. She responded to the slightest movement of my seat in the saddle, or a squeeze of my inner thigh.

Now, without question, I laced up my paddock boots and walked briskly towards the stables. I turned on the lights in the stalls and looking into the first stall saw Domino lying down dozing in the deep bed of wood shavings. Next was Angel, standing, blinking at me, surprised by the light. Jet seemed fine and Princess too. Then Jasmine neighed again, something must be wrong with her. I hurried to the end of the row where her stall had a view over the pastures towards the lofty mountain in the distance. Her rear window faced the riding arena so she could keep an eye on everything happening, lest there be an accident.

I entered her stall and stroked the silky chestnut neck. She wasn’t sweating, but she seemed disturbed. I ran my hands all over her body and down her legs, and found no cuts or abrasions. So I stood in the corner of the stall and closed my eyes once more, breathing in and out slowly, quieting my mind. Almost immediately a picture of a dappled gray horse flashed into view. Sky! I opened my eyes and Jasmine was staring intently at me. Wherever I went around the farm she was always following me with her eyes. She was jealous when I rode other horses, and would register her disapproval by kicking the door of her stall with a fore foot. I looked at her one more time then spun around and headed out to Sky’s paddock.

The moon was still so bright there was no need for a flashlight. I called Sky’s name. Usually he came to greet me, curious to know what activity I might be planning for him. This time my voice rang out across the pasture and there came no reply. I called again, my voice tinged with hysteria and only silence bounced back at me. Quickly I slipped through the split rail fence and walked across the paddock. Was he injured or sick? Lying hurt somewhere? Then I noticed the gate at the bottom of the field was partially open. Oh my God! He had been stolen. There was no way he could undo the chain on that gate, although he had given it a try in the past.

I ran now, back to barn, seized by panic. Quickly I pulled my suede chaps from their hook buckling them over the cotton shorts I had been sleeping in. I really wasn’t thinking too clearly at this point, and grabbed Jasmine’s bridle and she could feel my agitation as I fastened the straps with fumbling fingers. I led her outside and vaulted lightly onto her back. First we toured the grounds to make sure he hadn’t strayed into another pasture. No Sky anywhere. I reined Jasmine in and closed my eyes again. I saw in my mind the gray horse way up on the hillside. I turned Jasmine towards the hill, and she responded immediately, galloping with sure feet up the steep hill.

At the top I stopped and looked back at the farm nestled in the valley below. It looked so tranquil with no hint of any trouble. I wasn’t sure which direction to take, so I dropped the reins and let Jasmine decide for me. She turned up the steep trail, which led through the trees, and across the grassy hill towards the dense Ohia forest.

Our way was lit by the bright glow of the moon, but if we entered the forest the canopy of trees would screen its welcome light. I felt pangs of fear; I knew the hunters came up here at night to hunt the wild, black boar. Entering the forest could be very dangerous, but there seemed to be no turning back now. Jasmine was blowing through her nostrils and her flanks were heaving from the exertion of the climb.

I stroked her neck. “What should we do, girl?” Could Sky really have come up this far and entered the forest? Had the hunters taken him, or was he just exploring by himself? Should I go back and get help?

Jasmine shifted her weight and started to walk forward following the narrow path that ran alongside the steep gulch. I could hear the water far below as it cascaded over the lava rocks. I was filled with trepidation as the light began to flicker through the trees above. I knew the forest by day, but had never ridden here at night. I put all my trust into my horse as she marched forward, with determination.

We followed the trail down a hill and crossed the stream where the moon shone again on the rippling water. She jogged up the other side and back beneath the trees. I knew there to be a clearing up ahead, and as we passed along the tunnel of trees the moonlight started to filter down again. Suddenly I was at the edge of the glade with the brilliant light from the moon streaming down and illuminating the grassy area. Jasmine whinnied and this time her call was answered. Sky flung up his head and answered her call.

“Oh, Sky, thank heavens you’re O.K!”

I leapt from my horse’s back and went to examine the coat gleaming like a pearl in the moonlight. He was wearing a halter and lead rope and looked perfectly at ease and relaxed. It seemed he had been grazing, yet he wasn’t tied up.

I decided to leave as quickly as possible and swung up onto Jasmine’s back with Sky’s rope in my hand. But Jasmine didn’t want to walk forward, and before I knew what was happening, there was a whole family of pigs running along the same path we had taken, and blocking our exit. The piglets were cute, but with them was a massive boar with great curved tusks. He stood staring at us with his small eyes, and I could see his long teeth as he snarled. He had his family with him, he saw us as a threat to them and he was going to protect them. I was frozen, but Sky spun around taking an aggressive stance. This incited the big boar even more, and he began to rush towards us across the clearing. Suddenly two loud shots rang out in quick succession and he stumbled, then staggered and fell. More shots were fired and his family turned and retreated back the way they had come.

I realized sweat was pouring from me and yet I shivered with fear and relief. Still unable to move I watched in disbelief as Adam walked out from between the trees. He carried a shotgun slung over his shoulder. He stopped to make sure the boar was indeed dead, and leaning his gun against a log he came over to me.

“Oh, God, Adam, you just saved my life. Thank you, thank you.” And uncharacteristically for this usually tough lady, I started to cry.

He placed his arm around my waist and lifted me with ease from Jasmine’s back.

“It’s all right now, it’s all right,” he murmured into my hair, as I buried my head against his muscular chest.

His strong arms around me began to calm me and finally after a long while I stopped trembling.

The fear was replaced by another feeling, one I recognized from my many midnight fantasies. The first tingles of excitement were beginning to crawl down my thighs. Not only had my breathing slowed, it was now becoming much deeper. I stepped back and looked up into his light green eyes, and he looked straight back into my own gray ones. Then he inhaled deeply and blew his breath out into my face, I breathed it in and blew out again into his face. We exchanged breaths several times. We just stood a few feet apart not touching, but we were becoming more connected with each breath we shared.

I received the message, “You are safe now, I will protect you.”

And inside my head I heard my own thoughts saying, “Thank you for making me feel secure.”

Then he leant forward and pressed his forehead lightly against mine, so that as I looked into his eyes they formed one large Cyclops in the middle of his head. His inner eye held my undivided attention. Then he placed his left hand on my heart, and reaching for my own hand, placed it on top of his. I reached up without thinking and placed my right hand on his heart and he gently pressed his own on top of mine.

Standing there in the quiet of the night, with the glade still lit by the glowing moon and the horses grazing peacefully together, it was the most mystical experience of my life. I felt a closeness with nature that I had only ever imagined before. Adam took my two hands in his and stepped back. Now I felt shy and withdrew my hands dropping them to my sides. I felt weak and needed to sit down, so turned to look for a fallen log to lean against. The closest one was covered with a thick green moss and several different kinds of lichen. I sank down thankfully into the thick bed of kikuya grass and fallen leaves, and reflected on what had just happened.

Adam knelt down in front of me and asked, “How to you feel now?”

For once in my life I really wasn't sure. I was confused. It was almost as if I had been transported into another lifetime. Adam did not seem to be my farmhand right now; he was another person entirely. I was not my usual authoritative , confident self - I was feeling very vulnerable, and yet somehow not afraid. So all I could answer was, "I don't really know."

Smiling then and looking carefully at me, he said, "I believe you and I have a connection from a past lifetime."

I was amazed, "Yes, I was just thinking the same thing, but didn't know how to put it into words."

"Well," he continued, "we could go back in time and explore that place again, or we could just leave now and forget this ever happened."

He was leaving the decision to me, it was my choice. What to do, what to do? It was the most perfect fantasy; out here in the woods, a handsome prince, the solitude, the moonlight. Such an opportunity might never arise ever again. How could I not risk taking this adventure?

He gave me his hand and I stood up and still looking into his eyes, I slowly ran down the zippers on my chaps and undid the front buckle. Ever the tidy person, I folded them and put then in front of the mossy log.

Adam asked then, "Would you like a fragrant massage to relax you? Stay right there, you’ll be safe now. I'll be right back."

I sat back down on the log and looked over at Jasmine and Sky. For the first time I noticed she was showing signs of being in season, and was teasing Sky by raising her tail and winking at him. She was opening and closing her vulva revealing her pink lips within. Then she would arch her neck and stretch it down. Sky was reaching across her with his head extended and scratching her neck with his teeth. I went over to them and slipped Jasmine's bridle off, hanging it on a tree. She blew down her nostrils at me, and I breathed in her sweet, grass-smelling breath. She seemed to be saying,