Kissin' Cousins

I picked up the phone and punched in his number. "Sterling? Hey, it's Cal. Yeah, Karen's boyfriend. I need a favor."

After I hung up, I dialed Nancy's number forgetting she'd be at work. It went straight to voicemail and I was tempted to hang up but instead I left a short message. "Hey there. It's your favorite cousin. Listen, I have a great idea for our next get together. Give me a call when you can. Bye."

A little after six my phone rang. "Cal? Hi! I just got your voicemail. So what did you have in mind?"

"Do you enjoy picnics outdoors by any chance?" I asked cheerfully.

"Well. That depends," she answered evasively.

"On?" I inquired.

"On whom I'm spending the day with and what's for lunch," she said playfully.

"Well, the lucky guy would be me and I'm open to suggestions when it comes to food. I'm not exactly experienced in that area. Or many others," I added hoping she might take the bait as it were.

"Surprise me, okay? I'm easy." There was a slight pause before she said, "When it comes to food, that is." I could tell she was smiling which was very encouraging.

"All right. If that's how a guy gains experience with pretty girls then I can do that," I told her.

"Experience is overrated, Cal. Sometimes a girl just wants to be with a really nice guy who makes her feel..."

"Special?" I said finishing her sentence. "I may not have a lot of experience in um, certain areas, but I think I know how to treat a lady well. If that's how a guy makes a girl feel special, then I'm your man. Or would you prefer boy?"

Nancy laughed but didn't immediately reply leaving me to wonder if I was pushing too hard too soon. She shifted gears and asked me, "Oh. One more question. Is it going to be cold there? I mean, colder than usual for this time of year?"

"That's a pretty safe bet although once we get where we're going there is some shelter," I told her honestly. Sterling's dad owned a cabin by the lake and thanks to my friend, I'd have the key to it before we left. "You know, it case it rains or something."

"You're not going to tell me anything else are you?" she said in a faux pouty kind of voice.

"Nope. Just dress warmly and bring your appetite. I'll pick you up at 10am on Saturday at your place, okay?" I teased.

"Um. Okay. I think. Just one more thing. I hope this doesn't involve a lot of walking or carrying a backpack. I'm not exactly into exercise like someone else I know whose initials are C.A.L." I was loving the pout in her voice and decided to risk just a tiny bit of innuendo and see where it went.

"No, there'll be very little walking. But as far as there not being any kind of exercise? Well, I guess that'll depend on you."

Another short pause and then, "I get cold very easily so any exercise that can warm me up is a possibility. But beyond that you can forget about it!"

"Okay. Sounds fair. I'll see you Saturday then. Bye, Nancy."

Sterling assured me he'd have two horses saddled up and ready to go at our agreed-upon rendezvous point from which we'd ride a three-mile trail to Deep Lake. All I had to do was get Nancy there and be back at dusk to help get the horses back in the trailer.

I arrived at Nancy's right at 10 o'clock and couldn't have been more pleased when she opened the door to let me in. Her soft, blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing a black, rib-knit sweater, jeans, boots, and a leather jacket. Her face was au-natural except for some light mascara and clear lip gloss.

"Wow! Right on time," she said as I stepped.

"Wow back!" I said to her. "You look amazing!"

"Thank you! Is someone into leather by any chance?" she said playfully while spinning around to model her new coat.

"No. Not leather so much," I began. I hesitated mentioning my "sweater fetish" because just being related to her was weird enough. But I really wanted her to know how much I loved a woman to dress that way so I volunteered a first hint by saying, "I love the sweater. It's very pretty and very flattering."

Nancy smiled and just raised her eyebrows as if to say, "Oh, I see."

I'd put the food, which was really fast food, purchased on the way to her house, in the trunk. It was Kentucky Fried Chicken and even being in the trunk, the smell filled the car. Nancy got in and immediately said, "Mmmm. What is that wonderful smell, Cal?"

I glanced over at her and said, "That, my dear, is the result of me getting up at 5am to make biscuits from scratch while preparing the chicken I plucked and prepared with my own special herbs and spices."

Nancy covered her mouth and burst out laughing. "You ass! You went to KFC, didn't you?" She was really chuckling and it made me laugh, too.

"Okay! Fine. Guilty as charged. I hope you're okay with fast food because I'm not much of a cook."

Nancy put her hand on my arm which was resting on the gear shift. "I'm sorry I laughed, Cal. This is really sweet. I'll be happy with whatever you brought."

I decided to take another chance and lifted my arm up over hers and took her hand. She didn't pull away which a good sign. I said, "Thank you, Nancy." Then in an overly serious tone I said, "You know, "There's a lot of pressure on a guy to impress a pretty girl. This stuff ain't as easy as I make it look."

Nancy laughed again and squeezed my hand. "So then. This is a date?"

I squeezed back. "I'd like it to be but as far as I know, it takes two people to agree on that to make it so."

"Well, then. I guess we're on our first date. I mean, unless that seems too weird to you or anything."

"Not at all," I assured her. "In fact, it sounds rather nice."

We drove for nearly an hour listening to the radio and talking about our crazy family. Just then we made the final turn through the long stretch of evergreen trees and there was the trailer, a Chevy Silverado pickup truck, and two beautiful horses saddled up and ready to go.

As I stopped the car, Nancy said, "Oh, my God. You did all this? Oh, Cal, this is perfect!" She leaned over and kissed my cheek and I resisted the urge to turn and kiss her on the lips. Instead, I just pulled up next to the truck and asked Nancy to wait. I went around to her door and opened it for her and helped her step out. I took her hand as we headed toward the horses when Sterling popped out from behind the trailer. "Hey, you two!"

I shook Sterling's hand and said, "Nancy. This is my friend from school, Sterling. Sterling this is me cou...my girlfriend, Nancy." I looked out of the corner of my eye for any sign of a negative reaction from my cousin, but instead all I saw was her extend her hand which Sterling politely shook.

"Hi, Sterling. It's a pleasure to meet you! You set all this up for us?"

"Same here, Nancy. I did and it was my pleasure. You kids have a nice time today, okay?"

Sterling tapped me on the arm and said, "Hey, Cal, let me show you a couple of things about the horses, okay? Nancy, will you excuse us for a minute?"

"Oh, sure! No problem," she said.

As we got around to the front of the horses Sterling got very animated. "Damn, dude! You didn't tell me your date was old enough to be your aunt. Or that she's hot as hell! How the hell did you pull this off? Does she have a sister by any chance? Jesus! You lucky bastard!" Sterling slapped me again with one of those "way to go, bro" kinds of slaps and finally took a breath.

I told him, "It's a long story for another time, okay? For now, all I can say is thanks for doing this. We'll take good care of the horses and be back by dusk. But if we're not, don't come looking until around noon tomorrow. I'll call you if things uh, go well. Is that okay?"

"Fuck me to tears! You son of a bitch! You're gonna hit that, aren't you?"

I didn't answer, but my smile was a dead giveaway as to my intentions. We walked back to the car where Nancy was waiting and Sterling said, "Okay, you two. Everything's all set. I'll see you at d... I'll see you when I see you! Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do—if I could."

We both thanked him again then grabbed our food, blankets, and other supplies and put them in the saddle bags. I didn't let Nancy see the bottle of cheap champagne I'd had another friend who was 21 score for me. Fingers crossed, I slipped it into my saddle bag without her seeing it.

Once everything was packed up, I went around to the ride side of her horse. "Let me help you up, my lady," I said as I bowed and offered her my hand.

"Why thank you, kind sir!" she said as I watched her get one boot into the stirrup, swing her leg over the saddle and mount the horse.

"Yours is named Ellie and mine is Sadie. Have you been on a horse before?" I asked realizing this probably wasn't the best time for that question.

"Not since I was a little girl but I have ridden a couple of times."

I'd only ridden once before with Sterling and his dad but didn't bother to share how inexperienced I was in that arena, too. I pointed toward the path ahead and said, "Okay, we just follow that trail for about three miles and we'll be there."

"Oh! We're going to Deep Lake! I haven't been there in 15 years, but it's really beautiful. I can't wait. Let's go!" Nancy picked up the reigns and let Ellie know it was time to move out. The horses were very well trained and responded to the slightest movement of the reigns. I was happy to take up the rear because the view from there afforded me the opportunity to check out my beautiful cousin's great figure and tight ass. I'd move up alongside her after getting a good long look at her backside. My hope was to see it again along with the front only without the jeans and leather jacket. Removal of the sweater was optional.

For the duration of what was a very pleasant ride through the woods, we chatted about our crazy family, long-lost relatives, and then made our way to the subject of old boyfriends and girlfriends.

"So are you saying you really don't have a girlfriend, Cal? I find that kind of hard to believe."

"Yes and no. My 'girlfriend' is away at college and we both agreed to see other people. I've only seen one other person since she left...other than you, that is."

Nancy continued with the questions. "And we did say this is a date, right?"

"We did," I replied.

"This other girl. Is it serious with her?"

There was no way on God's green earth I was going to tell Nancy that I was banging one of my teachers whenever her husband was out of town. Instead I told her, "Nah. It's just about the sex."

I loved when Nancy laughed. It was so genuine and so spontaneously. "You crack me up! But at least you're honest. Most guys won't admit that." Nancy fell silent for a moment then said, "But you're not like most guys, are you, Cal?"

"I can only say 'I don't know' because I well...honestly don't know how most guys are. Is that fair?"

"It is. And that too, is refreshingly honest. And honesty is something I don't see much of in my relationships."

Now it was my turn to ask. "So you're not married. That much I know. But is there anyone in your life right now?" I was hoping against hope she'd say 'no' but considering how cute she was and the way men acted around her that seemed very unlikely. Her answer surprised me.

"Nope. No one. And that's okay with me."

"Mind if I ask why?" I continued.

"I'm just sick of being used and lied to, Cal. I think I'm a pretty good judge of character yet I keep picking guys that turn out to be real losers."

"How so? If you don't mind my asking."

"I don't mind. I like talking with you. Honestly, you're more mature than any of the guys I've gone out with in the last ten years so no, I don't mind at all." That word was becoming our little thing as we exaggerated saying it each time it came up. "It's just that the guys I tend to fall for turn out to either be married or control freaks. I haven't dated anyone in over six months and the couple of times I had my eye on someone I found out he was just like all the others. I hate to sound so cynical but that's how I feel, and it's based on a lot of years of kissing a lot of toads. It seems like there ought to be at least one Prince out there for a girl like me. Don't you think?"

"I not only think but I know. You not only deserve a prince but I have no doubt you'll find one." I decided to get a little more personal when I said, "Dad told me you were married once. Is that true?"

"Yeah, it's true. I got married right out of high school to a guy named Ralph. Cute, charming, good at sports. He swept me right off my feet. But in less than a year, I left him."

"Again, mind if I ask why?"

"He liked to hit me. And not just once. Every time it happened he'd come back crying and swear it'd never happen again. And I was so young and so naïve that I kept believing him. Oh, sorry! That must sound condescending. I don't mean to imply that you're like that because you're as younger than I was at the..."

"No offense taken. I understand. Go ahead. Finish what you were saying."

"I just kept believing him, you know? And my mom and my aunts weren't any help as crazy as they—we—all are. They all told me that's just how men are so I took it until I couldn't take it anymore. The last time was just a few days before our first anniversary. He got drunk and accused me of fucking a guy he'd worked with. I use past tense because he'd been fired twice that year so he didn't have a job and that made things even worse. I denied it over and over but he was SO drunk. He pinned me up against the wall and started choking me. He was screaming me and calling me 'slut' and 'whore' and then he hit me so hard I literally saw stars. I waited until he passed out then I threw my things in a suitcase, took the car, and left."

"Did he ever come after you?"

"Oh, yeah. I moved back in with my mom and he came by a dozen different times begging me to forgive him. He'd bring flowers, send cards, and he tried singing a song once. Sounds funny now but I was scared to death of him."

"What did you do?"

"I finally bought a gun and the next time he came to Mom's house I met on the porch with it. I told him, 'If you ever come over here again I'll kill you.' He signed the divorce papers the next day and I never saw him again except for one last time in front of the judge."

I reached out for her hand as we rode along. She gave it to me and I said, "I am so sorry. You don't deserve to be treated like that. By anyone. Ever. I would never treat you like that, Nancy."

She looked over at me and for the first time I could remember, she looked sad. "I believe you. I meant it when I said you don't seem like the other guys. I feel very comfortable when I'm with you and that's not something I'm used to."

Nancy didn't say anything for a few seconds then said to me, "Not be a Debbie Downer or anything but I am twice your age and we are cousins. We can't change that. It's obvious we're attracted to each other so..." Nancy stopped again then added, "Am I wrong? I mean, I'm definitely attracted to you but maybe I'm crazy to think someone as young and handsome as you would feel the same way about an old woman like me."

I started to reply and she stopped me. "Let me finish, okay? What I'm wondering is...I mean...where do you see this going?"

I thought for a moment before answering. Then I told her, "Why does this have to go anywhere? I mean, anywhere in particular? Why can't it just 'be' and go wherever it goes?" I'd said almost the identical thing to my English teacher when she raised similar concerns over the age difference, her being married, and our student-teacher relationship. Nancy's reply sounded a lot like hers, too.

"Are you sure you're not the one who's 36 here and me the 18-year old?"

It was my turn to laugh which then made Nancy laugh. Just then, we saw the clearing which meant we were at the lake. She let go of my hand, dug her heels into Ellie's side and yelled out, "Hah!" Ellie took off like a shot and I got Sadie in gear right behind her. We both slowed up at about the same time just as the lake itself came into view.

"Oh, my God! I'd forgotten it's SO beautiful! Oh, Cal! This is so pretty up here. And it's so quiet. Looks like you and I are the only people on the entire lake. Isn't this amazing?"

Nancy was bubbling with excitement as she looked over at me. I said to her, "Yes. You really are...amazing. Thank you for coming with me."

I couldn't be sure but it seemed like Nancy may have blushed. She most certainly did look down and away and that look told me the compliment hit home. She didn't say anything else in response, but her look told me all I needed to know.

Chapter 4

A couple of hundred yards to our right was the cabin Sterling's dad had built there almost 30 years ago. Only three others had been allowed to be built there before environmental concerns stopped the county from issuing building permits. I was amazed it hadn't been vandalized but it looked to be in perfect condition.

"Home sweet home," I said cheerfully.

"Oh how quaint! It's so cute!" Nancy chirped. She turned toward me and said in a mock tone of seriousness, "You didn't tell me there was a cabin involved in this date, Cal."

"Well, I was afraid you might have said 'no' and I couldn't risk that now, could I?" I teased.

I could tell Nancy wasn't the least bit upset so I added, "I guess that would have been the honest thing to do." My comment brought laughter.

Just like in the movies we hitched our horses to the heavy wooden pole outside the cabin. Right next to the hitching post was a large trough filled with rainwater from which both horses eagerly drank.

"I'm starving!" Nancy announced as we started unpacking the saddle bags so we could take the saddles themselves off the horses for a few hours. "Inside or out?" she asked.

"Pardon me?" I asked as I grabbed as many things as I could.

"Do you want to spread out a blanket outside or go in and eat at the table? I'm assuming there's a table in there, right?"

"Uh, I don't know," I told her. "And that's the honest truth." Nancy smiled. "Let's go see."

I unlocked the wooden door and sure enough, there was indeed a small, sturdy wooden table in the middle of the room with four wooden chairs around it.

"So we do have a table," I said. "Your choice. I'm okay either way."

"Inside then," Nancy announced as we sat our things on the wooden counter near the country sink.

"Not an outdoor kind of girl?" I teased. "Too many bugs?"

"It's not that so much," she said as she set the first things down. She didn't look at me as she continued by saying, "It's just that if we stay outside I'll have to keep my leather jacket on to stay warm." I had no idea she'd read so deeply between the lines and I looked at her in a way that said 'I don't follow.' Nancy smiled and said, "Well, if we sit inside I can take my jacket off and you can see my sweater. Right?"

In spite of her pleasant, playful smile, I felt my cheeks begin to turn slightly red. I'd largely gotten the blushing thing under control in the months since I got my braces off, but years of being called 'buck tooth' and 'fatty' (or worse) meant that the tendency was still right there under the surface. Fortunately, I didn't "flame on" the way I'd done in the past.

Nancy moved toward me and said so sincerely, "Oh, Cal. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. Please forgive me?"

I looked up and met her gaze and saw how worried she looked. I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her so badly it was killing me. Instead, I said quietly, "No, no. It's okay. I mean, you didn't embarrass me. I embarrassed myself. I just didn't realize you knew my little..."

"Fetish?" she said sweetly.

"Um. Well, I guess that's what it is. I mean..."

"It's okay. I kind of assumed that was your thing when you ignored my expensive new leather jacket and expensive new boots and only seemed to notice one thing."