The Cabin on Willow Creek

"Dammed its hot out here," she thought to herself as she stood on the porch of the small log cabin and looked up the valley toward the Old Baldy mountain.

It wasn't uncommon to hit the low 90s, this time of year, even up here in the Willow Creek valley, but that didn't make it any more enjoyable. She could see the snow that hung on the tops of the high mountains year round and for a moment she longed for winter, but the thought passed quickly when she remembered the hardships of the long snow season.

Her name was Angel Davis and she was 41 years old and wore her age on her face from the many years of living and working the Rocking D ranch here in the valley. Despite her age, she was still a beautiful woman with long flowing auburn hair, but it was a beauty in a rugged sort of way.

She wore a plain calico dress, but it couldn't hide the trim waist, large breasts, and shapely hips it hid beneath its brown fabric. Her features were strong and in her younger days she was quite the beauty, but that was many years ago and now she was older her beauty mostly came from the inside, but not all of it.

She stepped down off the porch and made her way up the dusty trail toward the barn that sat on a little hill not far from the cabin. She could see the horses in the corral watching her make her way up the hill and she knew they were waiting to be fed.

Making her way to the barn door she pulled it open and walked into to the stifling heat of the shut up barn as if it were a furnace. Moving to the back as she walked passed the racks holding various saddles and other tack on one side and the empty stalls on the other.

At the rear of the barn was a wooden ladder leading up to the hay loft and she climbed it and stepped out into the loose hay piled in the loft. Making her way across the loft she approached the door leading outside, lifting the latch, she gave the door a shove and as it swung open she looked down at the six horses looking up at her.

Grabbing a pitch fork that leaned against the wall, she began to fork hay down between them as they moved to start eating. When she was done, she replaced the pitch fork and then sat down in the door and let her feet hang out as she watched the horses feeding.

Glancing down the valley she noticed the slight color changes in the many Quaker trees that grew here and thought to herself it seemed a bit early, perhaps it was a sign of and early fall and a break from the heat.

Then she noticed the dust in the distance, someone was coming up the road. This was worth noting because the Rocking D wasn't an easy ranch to get to and lied ten miles from the nearest town so visitors weren't very common here, especially since her husband had been killed.

She quickly made her way out of the barn and down to the cabin. Pushing the door open she crossed the small space that made up the living room and kitchen and took the old Henry rifle off its pegs in the wall. Checking to make sure it was loaded she moved back to the door and she leaned it against the wall just out of sight from the outside.

She didn't fear strangers, but it was always better to play it safe than to take a chance and wish she had.

Stepping back out on the porch, she closed the door most of the way and made her way to her rocker that sat on the small porch. Setting down, she glanced down the road and could now make out that it was a wagon pulled by two horses that was slowly working its way toward her.

Fifteen minutes later she watched as it entered through the gate and made its way up toward the house. She could now make out two people setting in the seat, one a man and the other a woman. As it approached the house the man pulled back on the reins and brought the horses to a stop less than twenty feet from her.

The man was older and looked to be in his late fifties to early sixties and the woman seated next to him was small and young and looked to be eighteen or nineteen.

They didn't at all look dangerous and in fact had a down trodden appearance to them and they both had a weary look on their face. Feeling more comfortable now that she didn't sense trouble Angel stood up and with a smile said" Howdy, don't get many visitors out this way, is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes maam" said the man," My name is Stewart Blythe and this is my nineteen year old granddaughter Eve, I was told by the shopkeeper in town you might have some work and could be hiring."

The shopkeeper in town was Chancy and was one of the only friends she had left, if he sent them out to see her, she knew they had earned his trust; he wouldn't send just anyone out to where she lived alone.

"Yes Mr. Blythe I am indeed looking for a man to help me, it's a big ranch and at the moment I am all alone with haying to do and wood to cut for the winter."

Looking them both over she decided that he looked fit enough to work and the young woman could help her around the house and barn.

"Before I give you my answer Mr. Blythe may I ask what brings you folks to this part of the country?"

"Well miss that's a long story but I don't mind telling you" he said then started "Eve and her parents and I were in a wagon train heading east to Oregon when we stopped just north of here on the little Smokey river for the night." Pausing, he then continued "not long after making camp Eve and I walked down to the river with some buckets to fetch some water when we heard gunshots back at camp."

"Not knowing what was going on I found a place in the willows for Eve and I to hide and we stayed there until the shooting stopped plus maybe a half an hour more."

"I left Eve hidden and I snuck back to camp only to find everyone dead, including my son and his wife." With a catch in his voice he said "it was the Sioux and they had scalped everyone, not one person was left unmarred."

"Not knowing if they would return I grabbed two horses and went back to Eve and we made our way through the dark night to Chancyvill." He had to stop for a moment and Angel noticed that Eve had tears running down her young face

"The next day Chancy and a couple other town folk went with me out to bury the dead and gather our wagon. That was a week ago yesterday and Eve and I decided we had lost our will to find another wagon train and continue east, that's when Chancy told me about you."

Angel's heart ached for them and she could see Eve was softly sobbing as her granddad patted her leg.

"Mr. Blythe...

He cut her off and said "Please miss call me Stew."

"Fair enough Stew then you can drop the miss and call me Angel, why don't you folks get down and come into the house and we will discuss the job."

As Eve climbed down from the wagon she made her way towards the door, but as she passed Angel reached out and pulled her to her and hugged her tightly. Eve laid her head on Angels shoulder and the tears poured out of her as she cried and cried.

Stew watched his granddaughter pour out her heart and a small tear ran down his cheek. As he walked by them toward the house he reached out and patted Angel softly on the back.

They were all seated in the house now and Angel was telling Stew all the things that needed done around the ranch that she was unable to do. She told him of the haying and the logs that needed skidded down to the house to be cut up for firewood. There were cattle that needed to be rounded up in the fall and pushed down into the valley were they can be fed when the snow gets deep. Fences that needed mending on the corral and a beaver dam on the creek that needed blasted out so the creek could flow.

He listened intently and then when she was finished, he readily agreed to take on the job and she agreed to have him.

This is when she took the time to tell her story of how she had come to be alone up here in the mountains.

It was last fall and her husband was breaking a young colt to ride when something spooked it and it went over backwards crushing her husband beneath and killing him instantly.

She buried him under their favorite tree up the valley and she had been alone ever since doing as much as she could on her own to keep the ranch running.

"Ok Stew, well since you're staying why don't you put the wagon up next to the barn and turn the horses in with the others so we can feed them." Then she added, "I think we will put you up in the bunkhouse but if its ok with you I would like to put Eve in the spare bedroom here in the house, the bunkhouse is no place for a proper young lady."

"I think them arrangements would be all right with me as long as Eve agrees" he said as he looked towards her and she nodded her head yes.

"Ok, that's settled why don't you bring her things in and I will put them away and the rest you can move into the bunkhouse with you."

After the wagon was emptied and parked and the horses fed again, they had dinner and then they said good night to Stew and he made his way to the bunkhouse.

Once he was gone Angel turned to Eve and said "I know just what you need before bed, a hot bath, would you like that?"

Eve said "Oh Yes please" which were the first words she had heard Eve speak since arriving.

"That's good, go into the bathroom and get ready and I'll put the water on to heat."

Eve got up from her chair and made her way to the small bathroom that contained only a tub and a counter with a wash basin in it, they still had to use the outhouse for their other business.

Shutting the door, she pulled the string on her dress that went around her waist, then pulled the dress up over her head. She had a perfect body that was taught in a way only a young woman can have. Her breasts were small, perky, and firm as was her perfect ass.

Her hair was black as coal, although it had been sometime since she had had a chance to bathe so it wasn't very soft, but that was about to change. It was her eyes that stood out, they were emerald and framed against her black bangs, they glowed like a green star.

She finished undressing and finding a towel wrapped herself in it to cover her naked body.

About this time Angel entered with a big pot of hot water and pouring it into the tub, she took a little bottle she held in her hand and poured a few drops of lavender bath oil into the water.

"There you go, my dear, you jump in and I'll go heat another pan of water for you."

With that, she left the room and Eve dropped her towel and stepped into the tub. Setting down, she felt the warm surround her legs and she leaned back and rested her head against the back of the tub and let it suck the weariness out of her body.

She was lost in the feeling and the lavender smell when Angel returned with more water, she quickly put her arm over her breast and covered her small pussy with her other hand.

Bashful are we Angel teased as she poured the water into the tub and over Eve's body. Setting the pan down, she turned to Eve and said "set up and I will wash your back and your hair."

Eve sat up, but continued to cover her body as Angel took a bar of soap and began to softly wash the young girls back. This was the first human other than herself, she had touched since her husband had died and the first time she had ever washed a girl's back besides her own.

She was surprised at how soft the young girls' skin was even for all the trail dust she had on her and she found herself becoming mesmerized with the feeling. She had never once considered being with another woman, but it had been a year since his passing and she had spent many a lonely night missing her husband with only her thoughts and fingers to keep her company.

She suddenly realized where her thoughts were taking her and she forced her mind to clear as the feeling she was starting to have was scaring her. She rinsed the soap off of Eves back and then washed her beautiful black hair for her.

Leaving Eve to finish up she made her way out into the living room to collect her thoughts and put the feelings behind her.

Having Stew and Eve around was a blessing, she had not realized how lonely she had really been until she had company to talk to and interact with. The time seemed to be flying by and soon it was late fall and they were all very busy, Stew had brought plenty of logs down for the winter and they had all been busy cutting and splitting and staking both for the cabin and the bunkhouse.

Recently Angel had taught Eve how to saddle a horse and ride and once all the wood and hay were put up it was time to gather the cattle and bring them down into the valley for the winter. The days were getting shorter and the nights were getting longer and colder when they split up and headed out to get the cattle.

Stew took the west side of the valley and Angel and Eve took the east. They would be gone two nights and would meet back in the valley floor with all the cattle in three days. They took only what would fit in their saddle bags so they were traveling light.

The first night came and the two women bedded down with around a hundred head of cattle already gathered. Eve took to the saddle fast and was doing a wonderful job. She was very adept at controlling her horse and had little problem with rounding up the cattle.

They had been riding all day in very rough terrain so they were both very tired by the time night fell.

After a simple supper of beef jerky and creek water from their canteens they settled in for the night next to the fire.

Angel was sleeping hard when she felt a hand on her shoulder softly shaking her awake. As the cobwebs cleared, she heard Eve say "Angel, I am freezing, I can't quit shivering, what should I do."

Angel said "grab your blanket and come over here and we will sleep together, our body's will keep each other warm."

Eve went and grabbed her blanket and as she crawled back to her Angel flipped hers open and the young woman crawled into the bedroll with her back against Angel. Flipping the blanket over both of them Angel then took Eves and spread it over them as well and then settled into the shivering girl's body.

Throwing an arm over her, she pulled her close and rubbed her shoulder with her hand to get some warmth into her. After a while Eve warmed up and drifted off to sleep, but not Angel, she was awake now and couldn't go back to sleep.

Angel lay there in the dark, her warm body pressed next to the young woman sleeping beside her. She had not shared her bed with anyone since her husband had died and it felt good to hold someone in her arms again.

She missed these feelings of holding someone close, but the fact that she enjoyed holding this young woman once again scared her as unfamiliar feelings started to creep up in her mind.

Eve was very soft and she smelt so good it was becoming harder for Angel to concentrate on anything else. Although these feelings that Angel was having were new they were not uncomfortable, not at all, they were actually very exciting and she was having a hard time not letting them wash over her.

Her arm was around Eve's waist and she was so lost in thought she didn't realize she was rubbing the young woman's stomach with her hand until it caused Eve to stir in her sleep.

Once Angel realized what she had been doing, she held her hand still and Eve settled down and drifted back into a peaceful sleep.

What was Angel going to do, she had to admit to herself that there was something in the young woman that was attracting and pulling her in but was Angel ready to accept these feelings, and what of Eve, how would she ever approach her with this?

It was obvious Angel was going to have to make a choice soon, to accept these new feelings or put them away forever, but how would she ever decide?

All she knew was she was tired of being alone and that this young woman made her feel good inside, maybe that was all she needed to make her choice. But could it be that simple!

That was the last thing she remembered thinking as she drifted off to sleep with the young woman in her arms, and up above the moon shone down on them and a million stars blinked in the heavens above.

The next two days went by extremely fast, Angel and Eve gathered the cattle as they worked their way down the valley and by the third day they figured they had the bulk of the herd and what they missed would find its way down as the snow started to fall.

They made their way up the box canyons and draw that lie at the foot of the granite peaks reaching for the sky. The cattle were spread out, but Angel knew they would be and they had to check every nook and cranny to make sure they found as many as they could.

The snow would be close to 20 feet deep up this high and there was no way the cattle could survive a winter in those conditions.

As they pushed the cattle around the last bend before the ranch they could see other cattle grazing all ready and new Stew had beaten them back.

Seeing the other cattle their herd started to spread out and Angel allowed them to roam, knowing they were home. They could see Stew riding toward them across the pasture and they meet each other half way to the house.

"Hello Girls," he said as he rode up to them and turning his horse he fell in beside them.

"Hello Stew" Said Angel, how did things go for you she asked?

"All went smooth as could be," he answered, "figure I got about 90% of them, the others will follow I figure."

"Yeah, same for us, and yes, as soon as the snow flies the stragglers will find their way down the valley" answered Angel.

"Hi Grandpa" said Eve, "missed you while we were gone!"

"I missed you too, young lady, glad to see you guys made it back safe" Stew said smiling over at Eve.

They made their way to the barn where they striped the tack from their horses and turned them into the corral with the others. Stew made his way to feed them and the girls headed to the house to fix dinner as it would soon be dark.

Setting around the table eating they all talked of their recant journey and Stew told them of a bear he had come on but it ran off and he didn't have to shoot it.

Eve told her Grandfather that she had nearly froze both nights and had Slept with Angel to stay warm, and the thought of holding the young woman caused Angels heart to flutter.

Later that night Angel was lying in her bed and thoughts of Eve sleeping in the next room were running through her mind. She could almost feel the young woman next to her again and the soft smell of her coal black hair kept creeping into Angel's thoughts.

Eve was finding a home in Angels mind and Angel knew it, she had to make her choice soon or it would be made for her. Was she going to embrace these feelings and find a way to approach Eve or was she going to put it behind her, she just couldn't seem to decide.

On one hand the thought of holding the young girl was exciting and the thought of making love to her was becoming mesmerizing, but at the same time the thought of rejection and driving Eve away was terrifying.

As she lay there wrestling with all these feelings she decided she needed to pee so she took the lamp off her nightstand and lighting it, she made her way through the house and out to the outhouse behind the cabin where she did her business.

Making her way back into the house, she was crossing the living room when she thought she heard something. Stopping and listing she heard it again and it was coming from behind Eves closed door.

Moving over to the door, she leaned an ear against it and could hear soft moans coming from the other side. Wondering if the young girl was sick, she thought it best to look in so she blew out the lamp and quietly cracked the door.

Looking around the door, she was shocked to see Eve lying naked on her blankets with one hand between her legs on her small pussy and the other hand squeezing her left breast.

Angel knew she should leave the young woman in privacy, but she just couldn't bring herself to pull away from the door, instead she stood and watched as Eves fingers worked around her pussy bringing herself pleasure.