Christmas at Sun Valley

Joe frowned. "I don't care about 'fancy'. I love you, and you're perfect just the way you are. Besides, we're celebrating! A nice restaurant is quite appropriate, in my humble opinion."

Leanne grew warm with pleasure, and gave him a little smile. "Okay."

It was a direct-farm-to-table kind of place, serving delicious Mediterranean style cuisine, and Leanne indeed loved it. Joe revealed they carried some of Sun Valley's cheeses, and they made it a point to order dishes that included their own produce, and were proud when the food was every bit as good as advertised.

Leanne sighed with content over herbal tea. "That was awesome." She smiled. "And now I feel sleepy again." Joe laughed. "There's another hour of drive ahead of us, princess. You can take another nap."

Leanne blushed. "I feel bad about ignoring you, but I'm so tempted"

Joe smiled gently. "You're allowed. I promise."

When they finally left the restaurant and got back into the truck, Joe made it a point to pull Leanne down to lie on her side, and kissed her chastely.

"Enjoy your nap, princess. I'll wake you up when we get there."

*

"We're almost there."

Joe's murmur awoke her and she sat up and stretched just as they turned left off the main road and on the smaller, bumpier one leading up to the farm. The familiar sight of those black iron gates, proclaiming SUN VALLEY FARM in bold letters, gave her a thrill of both pleasure and angst.

It felt like coming home. But then again, she wasn't sure how Joe's father and his sister would receive her. Over the summer she and Tammy had grown close and became good friends, and Mr. McConnel was always kind to everyone, herself included, in a gruff fatherly kind of way. But after her split with Joe the relationship had, as expected, become strained. Joe's father had made fewer visits to check on her work, and Tammy went back from being her friend to simply her boss. They were both professional and had treated her fairly, but she still mourned the loss of their affection.

Joe said his father knew who she was now, which meant Tammy did, too. He said they knew he was going to bring her back to the farm, even that his father insisted that he did.

But did that mean they would accept her as one of their own? One of the family? Considering her blood, it was hard to imagine. Leanne gulped through her dry throat, and squared her shoulders.

She was Joe's fiancé. She was there with him, by right, at his invite. They wouldn't kick her away.

She just hoped they could love her, too.

*

They parked in front of the main house. As soon as Joe cut the engine the front door opened and his father stepped out and stood, hands on hips, face taut and unreadable as he watched them approach.

Before they even got to the first step, however, a loud, steady, shrill ringing sounded from somewhere around the corner of the house.

"What in the name of Lord is that?!" Leanne breathed. Joe's face lit up in surprise, and then recognition as his eyes locked with his father's.

"They're ringing the dining hall bell to let everyone know we've arrived." He said in bewilderment, clearly touched by the gesture. "God, I can't remember the last time we did that. Not since we were kids, for sure."

The ringing stopped, and a moment later Tammy appeared, her smile as brilliant as her flaming hair in the afternoon sun.

"You did it! Gosh. You really did it!" She laughed as she gave her brother a quick hug and then turned to look at Leanne.

"Welcome back." She stepped close, and wrapped Leanne in a fierce hug. Leanne tried to smile through her sudden tears, hugged her back, and held on as gratitude washed over her.

A moment later there was a tap on her shoulder. "Ahem, may I?"

Leanne and Tammy drew apart as Michael McConnel stood and opened his arms in invitation. Up close, she could see his face was tight as he was holding back his own emotions. Leanne's chin wobbled, and stepped into his bear hug. He squeezed her tight, and then released so he could take her arms in his hands.

"It is so good to have you back, Leanne. Welcome home."

His words touched her very soul. On an impulse, she went upto her toes, and kissed his cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked, startled, and Leanne grinned wide. "Because you've always been so nice to me." She quipped, disproportionately pleased with herself for remembering that line from the movie, and after a heartbeat everyone around her burst out laughing.

Michael beamed at her, still chuckling, and then, looking around him to make sure he had the stage, replied with - She kissed me! Ha!" - earning exasperated smiles from his two children.

They all turned to the house, only to be faced with the smiling Mrs. Rojas, Julio and Todd, who had all gathered at the sound of the bell to greet them. Another round of hugs ensued.

"So how did you get her to come back with you?" Julio sounded curiously amused, and Joe answered with a smile. "Well, I literally went down on my knees and begged. Thankfully she said yes."

It was almost comical, seeing everyone's smiles change first to shock, then to joy when each in turn realized what he said.

"You proposed?!" Tammy shrieked, even as she dove for Leanne's left hand and raised it for everyone to see her mother's ring decorating her engagement finger.

"That's smooth, kiddo." Julio said with obvious approval, and then more congratulations followed before the family finally came inside to gather at the large kitchen table.

Sitting next to Leanne, Michael took her hand and studied the ring closely, smoothing his thumb over its tiny surface carefully, as if re-learning its feel. "I told Joe he'd know when the right woman arrived." He said quietly, holding Leanne's eyes. "I hope you're every bit as happy together as I was with my Claire."

Leanne could see the sorrow of his loss and of missing his wife in his eyes, and yet he smiled when he patted her hand. "She would have loved you, too." he said quietly. "I wish -" He stopped, and then looked at her apologetically. "I wish the two of you all the happiness in the world, Leanne. Welcome to our family."

*

They excused themselves right after supper and went straight to Joe's cottage, ignoring everyone's knowing looks and good-natured jibes. Once there and upstairs, Joe turned Leanne to him, and took her face in his hands.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm - overwhelmed." she admitted softly, and stepped to sneak her arms around his waist to hug him close, needing his warmth. "In a very, very good way." she added. "Having everyone welcome me back like that, your father especially -" she heaved a breath. "This is more than I'd ever dreamed. I feel like I've come home".

Joe tilted his head. "It's been a long while since you had a home, hasn't it, princess?"

She shrugged self-consciously. "I can't remember the last time I felt I had one for real. Even when my mother was still healthy, when I was younger... the trailer never really felt like a home. She was so rarely there, working two and sometimes three jobs just to keep that roof over our heads. And without her presence it was just a rickety old trailer in a miserable, shitty park." Leanne swallowed hard. "And then at the Rogers - Elaine and Jim stepped up and took care of me when they didn't have to, and I love them and the kids with all my hearts. They had always treated me like family. And yet, I could never forget that I wasn't."

Her face crumbled. "I feel terribly ungrateful saying it. Both to my mom, and to Elaine."

Joe shook his head. "Not ungrateful. Honest." he insisted. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't theirs, either, I know. But you deserve better." He levelled a look at her. "You have a home now, Leanne. Here, with me, on Sun Valley Farm. Forever."

Leanne breathed in, felt his words soothe her aching heart. "Thank you."

Joe shook his head. "You got that backwards. I'm the one who's grateful." He smiled wickedly and she felt an answering grin spread on her face as tugged at her hoodie. She lifted her arms willingly, and he took it off and then discarded it behind his back, his eyes glinting with devilish intent. "I think a demonstration is in order," he murmured, his hands already at her jeans, "to make sure you are aware of the full extent of my appreciation, princess."

Leanne bit her lip, and nodded. "Mmm. That sounds lovely." She said demurely, peeking at him from under her lashes, and Joe laughed, even as he shoved both jeans and panties to her feet at the same time. "Get these off and get your beautiful ass in the shower, baby. I'm going to set the atmosphere right for my grand demonstration." He wiggled his eyebrows comically, making her giggle. "I'll join you in a moment, promise."

*

Making love in his bed, in the soft glow of candlelight, Joe finally noticed the changes that had started taking place in Leanne's body which had escaped his attention before, maybe because of poor lighting, or because he wasn't looking for them.

Now, he was looking.

Her breasts had changed the most. Her areolas and nipples had grown larger and darker, now dark mauve instead of pink. And, he soon discovered, much more sensitive to the touch. Joe took his sweet time relearning their feel, tracing their shape, cupping and kneading the fuller, rounder globes, strumming and suckling on their peaks until she shuddered with every touch and pleaded with him for more.

He came to his knees then between her spread legs, and lifted her hips to rest on the front of his thighs so that the swollen head of his cock rested on top of her spread pussy. Taking hold of his shaft at its base Joe glided the pre-cum covered, thick head along her folds, much like he did that morning, before tapping it lightly right on her clit, enjoying her surprised squeal and whimpers. They turned into low moans as he continued to pleasure her sensitive flesh with his own.

Leanne's hands came to his thighs, and she pushed her hips a little higher, offering herself obscenely to him.

"Please, Joe." She whimpered, trying to gain more traction, and he half-smiled through his tight-faced passion, and slowly sank the very tip of his cock into her tight opening, while his thumb moved to her clitoris.

God, she felt so good without the condom between them.

Joe was close to losing his control feeling her hot, wet, soft flesh suck his bare cock inside, welcoming it home. He struggled to breathe, and only after a few tries managed to contain himself enough to move without risking a premature end to their pleasure.

He circled her clitoris lightly, slowly with his thumb in time to his controlled, shallow thrusts. They both trembled at the exquisite torture of promised nirvana, without getting quite enough stimulation to reach it.

"God!" she cried out. "Harder. Please, please Joe. I need more."

Unable to resist Joe picked up his pace and went deeper on every thrust, and yet remained careful not to slam into her, not to jerk too sharply inside her body. He could see her frustration, had shared it, in fact, but as much as he wanted to speed up, to take her quick and rough, to claim her, he found it surprisingly easy to control himself.

This was bigger than him, or even her.

Leanne let her knees open as far as they would go, clearly hoping to entice him further. Seeing the desperation on her face, Joe moved his hand so the tips of his fingers now pressed flat on her clit and stroked rapidly, flaming her passion even as he continued pumping slowly into her. Her muscles grew taut, her moans unintelligible, until suddenly Leanne arched high, her arms thrown up above her head as she came, shaking and convulsing around his dick.

Her orgasm pushed him over the edge. His balls tingled and he felt his cum rush up through his pulsating dick until it erupted, coating her inner walls with spurts of thick, hot cream. Her pussy kept squeezing around him as if determined to suck him dry.

Joe panted, his hands moving to caress her sweet, still-flat belly lovingly, then up her warm midriff to the sweaty undersides of her breasts which he cupped and then squeezed, surprising possessiveness swelling in his chest.

"God you're beautiful, princess." He breathed. "And you're all mine, forever."

She nodded, her hooded, satiated eyes locked with his. "Yes I am."

*

The days grew chilly. Frost would greet them every morning when they got out before dawn, and the five AM hot tea and biscuits at the dining hall became one of Leanne's favorite times of the day.

She got back to working the petting zoo and helping out at the dairy farm, mainly at feeding time. There was relatively little to do on the fields and Julio managed perfectly on his own, for which Leanne was grateful: she and Joe had agreed to wait with announcing her pregnancy to the family until she was three months along, and she was relieved not to have to answer any questions.

The rains finally came, and the land rejoiced in them, bursting into life in a lush, happy green. It was a revelation for Leanne. Living in Sacramento, rain was a nuisance; 'the big drought' a theoretical concern that was discussed on the news, but never seemed to relate to her personally. Here on the farm, she experienced the joy of rain for the first time.

She looked on in amazement as the first fat drops started to fall one early morning, soon making a deafening noise, and had every person on the farm - but her - rush out of the dining hall to stand outside with their arms spread out and their heads thrown back to receive its blessing, sharing woots of excitement and high-fives between them.

Leanne herself was blooming, too. Mrs. Rojas' food, Joe's lovemaking, and the fresh air of the farm - not necessarily in that order - were working their magic on her. She felt more vibrant with every passing day. She went with Joe to get her second prenatal checkup in Santa Rosa - citing 'Date Night' to everyone who asked back on the farm - and the smiling, surprisingly familiar-looking doctor - as it turned out, she was Dr. Shanti's cousin - reassured them everything was progressing exactly as it should.

"You have officially started your second trimester." Dr. Jain smiled at her. "And both you and your baby look strong and healthy."

On their way back to the farm Joe looked at her questioningly. "You want to tell everyone yet?"

Leanne bit her lips. "I was thinking Thanksgiving, maybe. I want to tell them well before the wedding, that's for sure. I'm going to be emotional enough as it is!" She fake-shuddered. "Who's idea was it to have a Christmas Day wedding, anyway?!"

Joe smiled and squeezed her hand. "Thanksgiving it is, then. I promise I'll zip it until then, although let me tell you, it's not easy."

Leanne smiled. "Thanksgiving. One more week. I know you can do it, cowboy."

*

Thanksgiving morning was eerily quiet. Mrs. Rojas, Julio and Todd had all taken their week-long vacation to celebrate the holiday with their own families, and the farm felt strangely empty without their presence.

Leanne and the McConnels spread out to do the morning chores before meeting at the house for breakfast of French toast, which was Leanne's specialty. Then the men went back to work, while Leanne and Tammy tackled the daunting task of cooking the holiday dinner.

They both admitted to lacking true cooking talent, but determination - and youtube - made up for what they lacked in skill. Wearing matching holiday-themed aprons bought at the store along with the groceries, the two women put themselves to work with enthusiasm.

While Tammy seemed keen to keep the high spirit, Leanne noticed glimpses of melancholy. When she caught her staring out the kitchen window gloomily for the third time, Leanne couldn't ignore it any longer.

"What's wrong?" she asked, and Tammy jumped and looked at her guiltily.

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong." she said quickly, but Leanne wasn't buying it. Putting her knife aside she wiped her hands on her apron, and then leaned against the counter, and signalled a T with her hands.

"Okay, time out. She crossed her hands over her chest. "Spill."

Tammy sighed deeply and put down her own utensils, went to wash her hands in the sink and then dried them on a small towel before finally settling next to Leanne.

"It's Todd."

Leanne snorted. "That much I figured already." She nudged Tammy. "Come on. Tell me."

Tammy looked down at her hands. "I don't know, Leanne. Everything was good, and then suddenly he seemed to - I don't know. Freak out or something." She shrugged and looked at her. "I finally told Joe and my dad about us, and they took it in their stride, but Todd -" She shook her head. "He said he was okay with me telling them. I thought he wanted me to; he used to joke about how sneaking around at our age was getting a little pathetic. And for a while it seemed like everyone were adjusting well. Until suddenly they didn't. He doesn't."

Leanne grimaced. "I'm sorry. Anything I can do to help?"

Tammy shook her head miserably, and sighed again. "Not that I can think of. We're grown up. It's our own mess to figure out."

"Joe and I are adults, and still we needed all the help we could get straightening out our own mess." Leanne pointed out. "Thank you, by the way. I never got to tell you that."

Tammy nodded, and put her arm on Leanne's shoulders for a quick squeeze. "You're welcome. That's what friends are for, right?"

Leanne nodded. "Just remember I'm your friend, too. And I'd love to help if I can."

Tammy grinned, and then turned back to her task, chopping string peas to large chunks. After a moment Leanne sighed, and returned to her own work, too.

*

The men had kept mostly away from the premise, only peeking around lunchtime to get BLT sandwiches shoved into their hands along with cheerful "Go away! We're busy!" But as they insisted on sticking around, they were promptly put to dishes duty. Father and son both grumbled about it, but donned the second set of aprons the women had insisted on, and set out to work.

By late afternoon the table was set, the food was ready and keeping warm in the oven, and the kitchen had returned more-or-less to order.

"Be back here in a half hour!" Tammy ordered the group at large, and they all dispersed to go clean up and get ready for the evening.

*

Seating at the Thanksgiving dinner with its impressive-looking roasted turkey centerpiece and the rest of the holiday staples heaped around it on the table, Leanne's heart felt so full it could burst.

She loved each and every one of them. Joe first and foremost, of course. But Tammy, too, with her quick smile and even quicker wits, her steadfast support and her level head, and Michael McConnel, who was, she now realized, the unequivocal king of his domain, set on his goal to provide and protect them all, even when most of the day-to-day management had long been handed over to his grown children.

She studied him covertly. While the older man talked and smiled, laughed and joked with them all, he still seemed somehow detached. With a start, she recognized it: that transparent veil of grief that was once surrounded her, too.

It was gone for her now, she realized. She stilled missed her mom every day, but she no longer felt that strange disconnect from the world, and from everyone who didn't share her sorrow.

She wished that someday, that invisible barrier would dissolve from around Joe's father, too.

Just then Michael looked up and into her eyes, and recognition zinged between them, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. But instead of frowning, the older man's face relaxed into a small, knowing smile, and he cleared his throat and raised his wine glass.

"I would like to start." He declared, and looked from one set of expectant eyes to the next. "As always, I am thankful this year to my family." He gestured at them. "To my good health, which, let me tell you, is not to be taken lightly when you are sixty-one years old." They all smiled. The man was as strong as an ox, and as energetic as ever, if somewhat slower than he used to be.