Way to Go

Climbing into her bed she wondered how well she might sleep, but when the alarm woke her at her usual six thirty she was quietly surprised. There had been no dreams, but the day ahead, the Arrowhead Falls and Dan Carney were quickly to the fore, as she occupied her time with the daily routine of the farm, with the able assistance of Anna and Barry.

After advising them she would be missing after nine o'clock, she had a quick shower, before deliberating on what to wear. It looked like being another scorching day, but a dress would probably not be suitable for the kind of terrain they would be on.

Accordingly, she chose jeans and a thin white blouse. Bra or no bra, only took a moments consideration, no bra. She brushed out her hair, and again, after a little thought, she applied a delicate touch of pink lipstick. A good twenty minutes before nine she completed and packed the refreshments she had promised for the day ahead. As she walked slowly up the drive she wondered what else the day might promise, before advising herself that basically seeing an artist at work was all that had been promised.

Dan Carney did have a dream about Cassie. In it she had frowned in his direction, before placing her hands over the dress covering her breasts, and shaking her head vigorously, and mouthing, 'No, no, no.'

However, he awoke feeling good in anticipation of seeing her again. He checked the rear of the van to make sure that all the materials he would need for the day's work were, for once, neatly placed.

At five minutes to nine Dan drove his van down the road towards the farm of Cassie Masters. He was contemplating what he would do if she wasn't at the gate waiting for him. Would that mean she had changed her mind? Should he just stop the van and wait to see if she arrived?

Given the camber of the road, the house came into view first, and then, very quickly, he saw that his fears were unfounded. A pure white blouse appeared to glow in the sunlight, and the heat Dan experienced had nothing to do with the sun. Getting closer, and he saw her step out to the roadside, her hips slim in light blue jeans, her smile wide as she held up a basket, obviously keeping her promise of refreshments.

Cassie knew she was at least five minutes early, but she couldn't help worrying that he wouldn't turn up. She refused to face the question of whether that could be so utterly disappointing, because she knew the answer, knew she was desperate to see Dan again. Had her observations of yesterday been so misleading?

The first sight of the blue van appearing over the brow of the hill, had her insides quivering. Calm it, Carrie, she warned herself, as she stepped out holding up the basket.

The van stopped and there he was, his black hair wind blown, his tanned face so manly, his smile so genuine as he opened the passenger door for her to scramble in. He took the basket, and placed it behind the seats. Carrie could see the mixed range of items in the back of the van, and, as she settled herself she realised that the undefined aroma about him on the previous day had been something to do with his artwork. It was a smell that dominated in the van.

"You look very cool," he said, as he set the van in motion, paused, before adding, "and very neat."

Neat? Was that a compliment? But since it raised her pulse rate she reckoned it had to be, and she was compelled to respond, "And so do you." Now how vague a reply was that?

"Well, I'm cool anyway." he said.

Seeing her up close as she climbed into the van, Dan had immediately noticed the light coating of lipstick, the slickness of her tawny hair, and the subtle perfume which might have been lavender. He just could not resist making his comment.

Once again he had to remind himself that, in spite of her company, he was here to paint. When Carrie asked whether he'd found the falls easily, he told her how he had been a little disappointed at the way the flow was split into four.

"A dry spell with little rain always has that effect," she told him. "If you saw it after a few days rain you'd see a real tumble of solid water."

Dan went on to tell her about other aspects of the river he'd viewed, and how he had selected a point from which to start his painting. Then, he moved his hand from the wheel to indicate his A4 pad between the seats. "See my first impressions in there."

Having driven into the narrow lane he regretted not being able to take his eyes of the winding road to see her reaction to his sketches. But her keen comment gave him some satisfaction. "Oh, they're so good. So accurate. Even in black on white you've really caught the sense of flow."

Even as he was revelling in her admiration she added, "You're really good."

"Did you doubt it?" he asked, having his words carried on a laugh.

"Never," she replied, joining in with his laugh.

Then he was applying the hand-brake exactly where he had parked on the previous day. Dan risked a quick look at the lovely face beside him, telling himself that she didn't really need the lipstick. This lady had a natural beauty which, in his opinion, was very rare. The urge to kiss her was massive, as she looked at him questioningly.

"Now we unpack and prepare," he said, breaking the spell, and taking his sketch pad with him, he climbed out of the van.

At the rear door, he took out the easel, a canvas, pulled a small box containing his oil paints to the edge. Perfume hit his nostrils, before he realised she was standing beside him. Once again the sun was not responsible for the warmth that suffused his body at that moment.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

Cassie was happy to have been of some use in getting Dan's equipment to the site he had chosen. She had carried the large parasol that was to provide some protection from the sun, and had watched fascinated as he set up his easel. His movements were so co-ordinated , so positive. She found time to clamber down to the river's edge and deposit the few bottles she had brought in the water to keep them cool.

It had been a long time since Carrie had been at the falls, and she had to agree with Dan when he commented about what a beautiful area it was. He had brought two folding chairs which he placed in the shade of the parasol, and gestured for Carrie to sit in one, while he remained standing as he set out his palette and chose his starting colours, explaining to her as he went exactly what he was doing.

He fell silent as he commenced painting, and Cassie took the hint that he was in deep concentration. She was perfectly content just watching his movement, the creasing of his brow as he worked, the movement of his fine hands. They were indeed fine, long fingered, and she wondered what it might be like to be touched by those fingers.

She found it fascinating to see how definition appeared on his canvas as he worked. There were four separate spouts of water and she could see the first, the farthest away taking shape, in greys splashed with white.

After almost two hours Dan put down his brush, and turned to give her a smile, "Bored yet?" he asked.

"Not at all," she replied, adding rather boldly, "I enjoy watching you."

"A drink of water would be appreciated," he said, and had his eyes wandered down over her blouse as he spoke?

"Just water?"

"There's a choice?"

"There are a couple of bottles of beer or a flask of coffee."

His eyes on her face were appreciative as he said, "Water would be fine."

Cassie stood and moved towards the descent, "I hope it's cool enough."

Dan watched her nimble figure, move easily down the rough descent. He would never admit it but having her near did impinge on his concentration. Time and again he found himself wanting to look at her, to see that face, the hair, the eyes. Just a moment earlier, when he'd been asking for a drink, he couldn't help noticing that the way she was sitting had tightened her blouse over her breasts and the nipples were prominent once more.

The bottle of water she brought back was indeed cool enough and he gulped at it gratefully. As he lowered the bottle he saw that she had been watching him, and she immediately looked away and began drinking from her bottle. The bending back of her head, revealed the throbbing motion of her throat as she swallowed. It also tightened her blouse, so that he had to look away, and bend to his brush once more.

Shortly after he started and almost as though she sensed she was distracting him, she said, "It's so long since I've been here. I think I'll take a little stroll downstream. Find you some other interesting subject locations maybe."

She put on her wide brimmed hat, and Dan laughed as he said, "Mind you don't fall in."

"I'll be careful," she replied, and quickly disappeared behind some shrubbery. Dan immediately began working furiously at his painting. In spite of Carrie's presence, he was quietly pleased with how it looked. Now he had to make as much progress as possible as some instinct told him that he wasn't going to get in a full day's work.

Cassie took wary steps as she moved down towards the river edge. She knew that even though there was a rough path along the water's edge, it was still very uneven underfoot.

She had wondered whether her presence might be effecting Dan's concentration, and noted that he hadn't protested when she told him she was going for this stroll. Yet at the same time she was hoping that her presence had some effect on him. She tried to advise herself that she shouldn't be thinking like that, but surely she hadn't misread the way he looked at her,

After walking a while, she found a place where she could settle on a rock in the shade of a lone sycamore. The busy activity of a kingfisher, and the comings and goings of a pair of water voles fascinated her so that she sat for a long time. When she got back to where Dan was stooped over the canvas, his smile of greeting was so warm she had an eager compulsion to reach out to touch him. When she saw his canvas she had to gasp in admiration at how much he'd done.

"I've been working rather faster than I usually do," he admitted, "just to see how it turns out."

"Could you eat now?"

Once again his smile bathed her, "I thought you'd never ask," he said.

Eagerly she watched him eat, and listened to his complimentary words as he tucked into the sandwiches of thick ham and pickle, the hard boiled eggs, the potato chips, all washed down with the coffee, she had brought in a flask. While eating, and in answer to his question about children, she proudly told him about Vince and Angela.

Suddenly, Dan picked up his sketch pad moved to sit on the ground across from where Carrie sat, and said, "Just sit still and look towards the falls."

"What are you going to do?" She knew very well what he was going to do. "Oh, you're not --I'm not a good subject." But she patted nervously at her hair.

"Please, just sit still."

In a surprisingly short time, he stood and showed her what he had drawn. Her first comment when she saw his representation of her face was a defensive, "You've flattered me. You've made me look— too attractive."

"It's in the eye of the beholder," he said quietly.

It took her only a moment to grasp the significance of what Dan had said. She looked up at him standing over her, trying so hard to ignore the sparks that seemed to be there between them.

Dan knew he had been taking a chance in doing the sketch. For a start he had not asked Cassie's permission, fearing that she would refuse. But, after the excellent refreshments she had provided especially for him, the compulsion to do something to show his gratitude had been strong. The sketch itself, although done quickly, had been easy, and he felt it portrayed exactly the way she looked.

When he had made his comment about 'the eye of the beholder,' he had felt the glow of that moment immediately afterwards as their eyes met. Now they were silent, and Carrie was looking away down towards the base of the falls.

"See something down there?" Dan asked.

She shook her head, "No, I was just remembering Vince, my son, talking about his father taking him behind the waterfall."

"You can get behind the falls?"

She looked up at him, "Oh, yes. Want to see?"

The prospect really appealed to Dan. There could even be an angle he could put on canvas sometime. "It will certainly be a place to stay cool."

As she stood up, he advised her, "It looks pretty rugged down that way. Just stay close and step where I step."

He took very deliberate steps all the way down the rocky slope, very aware that she was close behind him. Just before the flat pebbles of the river's edge, there was a drop of almost a metre. Having made the jump himself, Dan, without even thinking about it, held up his hand to guide Cassie down. For a brief moment, she looked at his hand, then at him, thus reminding him of what he was doing.

Cassie took his hand, and easily jumped down to the pebbled base. It was the first time there had been any physical contact between them, and there appeared to be no hurry for either of them to let go. But eventually they did.

Taking Dan's hand could have been a bold move for Cassie, but she hoped she had just planted an idea into Dan's head which was going to lead to the most provocative move she had ever made with any man. The plan having just materialised in her own mind as she'd looked at the falls, she asked herself if she could really go through with it. Had she really become so eager? She knew exactly what they would encounter if they went under the falls.

Dan had already moved to the cliff base where the first spout of water began. He was trying to peer beyond it.

"There's spray right across the gap," he told her, looking back dubiously.

"I remember Vince saying they had to dash past that."

Dan nodded, "You game?"

Was she? She had gone through with it this far, now she was ready for some revelation."If you really want to have the experience."

Cassie wondered if Dan had caught her double entendre as he nodded, smiled and turned away. Ducking his head, he darted through the spray. Standing out in the sunshine, Carrie could see his shape through the water spout.

"It's fine, once you get past that spot," Dan called above the splashing of water. "Just dash."

Bending well forward, Carrie made her move, feeling the chill of water on her back. Then she was standing beside Dan. As he asked, "Okay?"

"Nicely cooled," she said lightly. "Can we go on?"

Dan was looking along the route ahead of them, and he glanced back at Carrie. "Looks like there could be much more spray ahead. Want to turn back?"

"How bad can it be?" she asked, knowing well that this was why she had brought him here. Revelation time, she called it in her own mind.

"Might get your hair wet."

"My hair will dry in the sun."

Dan nodded, turned away and moved forward, "It's the way each spout strikes the rocks on the way down."

Cassie knew that the two centre spouts were bigger than those at the sides, so she was ready for the more pronounced splash on her back as she followed Dan.

When she came alongside him, her own hair was dripping, and she saw Dan's had been flattened. He reached out to flick at a strand of her hair from across her face. The very gesture excited her, as they stood and looked at each other. Cassie realised that she was breathing heavily as though she had run a race. She knew a very big moment was not far away.

"So I guess we're dead centre in the falls. It must be impossible in the rainy season." Dan was looking out to where the river ran away from them. "Any point in going further?"

Carrie shook her head, "We'll get just as wet going back." Saying it almost brought a smile to her face, as Dan darted away in the direction they had come. She followed close behind him, but as the spray fell over her, she remained straight backed, and felt the chill of the water all over her. What was Dan's reaction going to be when they emerged from their exploration?

Dan went straight on through the spray of the first spout, and stood in the sunlight , pushing back his hair, squeezing water from the shoulders of his shirt, contemplating taking it off to dry on a bush. But he turned to look at how Carrie's hair had coped with the return journey.

When she appeared, his throat seized up, his heart hammered in his chest, his legs trembled. It wasn't her hair, it wasn't her delightful face. His eyes could only stare in some time stopping wonder, at the front of her blouse. Only it was no longer the blouse he could see there, it was as though it no longer existed.

Cassie's breasts were completely exposed by the clinging wetness of the garment. So thin was the material that the whiteness had been absorbed by the colour of her flesh underneath. Dark brown nipples were stabbing through the material. As his lower belly responded he wondered how only the back had been wet as they entered.

Looking up at her face as she stood so close to him, what he saw in the lowered lids of her eyes, in the pouting curl of her lips could only be pure desire, matching exactly what he was feeling.

"You should be out of that wet shirt," she said, her voice strangely hoarse, as she reached out as though to unbutton him.

Manly respect went out of the window as he pushed her groping hands to one side, pulled her towards him, briefly noticing pleasure in her face, before their mouths came together, and they clung to each other, wet and wild. Dan's tongue probed for hers, and he found it just a little slow in responding although her lips were hot and eager.

Wasn't this what she had planned for? Locked in his arms, lost in his kiss, Carrie knew for certain, that from the moment she first saw Dan Carney striding up the drive, a moment like this had been her priority. Initially she wouldn't have dared admit it, knew her uncertain life would have had difficulty with this recent sensuous act, this desperation to reach out to an unknown man.

How had she come upon the notion of what effect her wet blouse would have? His sketch of her and that suggestion from him, that she was beautiful. She hadn't misread that, had she? No, this kiss his tongue searching for hers gave her that answer. Kissing with tongues was something she recalled vaguely from her late teens.

In directing Dan's interest in going behind the falls, she had long known, Vince had told her, that it was rather like taking a cold shower back there. Oh, she had known so well what affect this thin white blouse would have when wet.

Dan's hands were moving over her back, her own were on his shoulders, wanting to move down over his chest. What now? The moistness between her thighs was almost a new experience it had been so long since it had happened. They were surely heading that way. The thought of that, the time since she'd had this kind of feeling, made her long for it, but also concerned about how it would be.

That was the moment that Dan broke the kiss, "I've wanted to do that ever since--"

"Yesterday—same for me," Cassie was happy with his response.

His hand moved over her breast, and as she gasped, he moved it away. "I'm no perfect lover, if that's what you want."

This was an admission she hadn't expected, but she was ready with her answer, "All I want is whatever the fates have in store for us. I'm not used to this kind of consideration."

He leaned back to look into her face with a puzzled expression.

"I'll explain sometime," she said."What do we do now? I seem to have interrupted your work."

As they kissed Dan had the distinct impression that the wet blouse had not been accidental. That thought didn't bother him, rather it delighted him. Cassie was sending out clear signals that overcame his initial inhibitions about coming on to a lonely lady.

There were other aspects of this wonderful, hoped for, yet unexpected, turn of events. As Carrie said, it was stopping his work, and that was something he could not allow to happen. Against that, they were here, wrapped in each others arms already committed to something.