Mail Ordered Deception

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

A month had passed since the day of the stingers and it was a wonderful month for Monica. There were no more interactions with Terrance as she was careful to avoid him, Bethany was learning well in her studies, her and Jackson were getting along wonderfully, and she had successfully smuggled away several hundred dollars for her father’s care. This last bit made her feel utterly guilty, but this was the duty that she had promised her family. She rose for the morning, and went out onto the balcony, not caring to grab her cup of coffee. Jackson was already waiting for her, and smiled as she came into view.

“Good morning, Jackson,” she cheerily said, soaking in the morning sun,

“Good morning Monica,” he replied, gesturing his cup in her direction. “What are your plans for today?”

“Oh, I thought I would take Prince for a ride if that is alright with you. Bethany could come with me on her own horse.”

“So you really think he is ready for a trail ride?” Jackson asked. Monica had been working with him almost every day and was finally able to ride around the paddock with him a week prior. The horse seemed to trust her and she thought it was time to branch out a little bit.

“I do. He is more than ready.”

“I still worry. That horse has been known to be dangerous on occasion.”

“Well, if you are truly that concerned, you can come with us.” Jackson agreed and they planned to leave that morning. He seemed more at ease as of late and it was no wonder with how the ranch was holding up. Terrance had backed off of his schemes for a while, since it seemed Jackson was getting too close to figuring out the truth. He even made a few good sales off of weanable foals and things were looking good.

As they prepared to leave, Monica dressed Bethany for a long ride and they went out to the barns. Jackson followed Bethany to her horse’s stall and he saddled the horse for her. Meanwhile, Monica saddled Prince up and mounted herself into the saddle. He snorted a little but settled quickly. Soon after, Jackson and Bethany came out on their own horses and they began towards the mountains.

Bethany liked to ride ahead and be the leader of the pack. Even at her young age she was experienced at riding so Jackson and Monica saw no harm in that. As she rode on, Jackson and Monica held back watching her every move. They were so engrossed in the child’s enjoyment that they did not notice the snake slithering in front of their horses. Jackson’s horse stayed relatively calm, but Prince, who was not used to snakes,shook violently with fear and then turned back, taking off towards the paddock. Monica held on, attempting to stop or even slow the panicked horse, but to no avail. Monica could hear Jackson calling out to her, telling her to jump, but she was too afraid to loosen her grip. Not realizing the gate was closed, Prince had to come to a stop all too suddenly, and Monica came flying off of the horse and landing inside of the paddock. The wind was knocked out of her lungs and she was temporarily unable to speak.

Jackson and Bethany were not far behind as they ran towards the paddock themselves. Jackson threw the gate open and rushed inside, immediately scooping Monica up into his arms. She noticed how easily she fit in them and how effortlessly he held her up.

“Wesley!” Jackson hollered loudly. “WESLEY!” Wesley came out of the house running to meet them. Monica was not seriously hurt, she knew that, but not being able to breathe for a moment, she was unable to tell them so yet. “Go fetch the doctor now! And get Bethany off of the horse!” Wesley went to Bethany who was patiently waiting to be taken down off of her horse and Jackson continued on inside the manor.

Jackson’s Point of View

Heart pounding wildly, Jackson carried Monica up the stairs to her room, not stopping or slowing down until they reached her room. Jackson laid her down on her bed and began checking her over.

“Are any bones broken? Can you move your legs? Wiggle your toes? How many fingers do you see?” Jackson held up three fingers in front of her eyes. Monica, finally able to catch her breath, began to speak.

“Jackson, I’m fine. Really I am. See?” Monica proceeded to move her arms and legs. “And you were holding up three fingers.” She pulled herself up into a sitting position and Jackson could not stop himself from pulling her into a tight embrace.

“I am so relieved you are not hurt.” Monica stroked his hair to comfort him and Jackson relaxed his body, fear giving way to calm. As she stroked his hair, Jackson suddenly became aware that he was in Monica’s bedroom, practically sitting on her bed. He leaned back to give her some space and began to stand. However when he tried, Monica grabbed his hand and pulled him back down to sit.

“You do not have to leave, Jackson. It feels so good, knowing how much you care about my safety.”

“I just care about you.” Jackson said in a whisper, almost hoping not to be heard. His thumb rubbed circles around her hand and he tried to focus on that. Monica’s free hand came up to his chin and pulled his head up so he was looking at her.

“I care about you too.” When she said this, Jackson could not deny the feelings he had for this woman any longer.

“I am going to kiss you now, if that is alright.” Monica nodded and he lowered his lips towards hers. Before he could talk himself out of it, he felt her hand that was in his hair pull him closer bridging that final gap between them. Their lips molded together and he put his arms around her waist. With every passing moment, the kiss grew deeper, and Jackson soon found himself laying on the bed beside her. His hands explored her body, trailing underneath her clothes, begging to be closer to her. Monica suddenly tensed up causing Jackson to pull back.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, hoping the answer was no. Monica bit her lower lip and shook her head.

“It is just that, I have never done this before. I’m nervous.” Jackson’s eyes softened as he caressed her cheek.

“You don’t have to worry my dear.” Jackson spoke comfortingly. “If you want to stop, it is okay. We do not have to go any further.”

Monica’s Point of View

Monica continued to bite her lip as her finger traced his chest from the outside of his shirt. She seemed to have a mental debate in her head. Jackson was giving her an out. He was putting her feelings first. When she looked into his eyes she saw an emotion she never saw before in a man. She saw pure love. Having reached her decision, she began to unbutton his shirt. When that came off, she lay back down onto the bed.

“I want to do this. I want to be yours.” With that, they took turns removing each other’s clothes until there was no barrier between them.

“You are absolutely stunning,” Jackson murmured, his gaze taking her in appreciatively. Monica pulled him back down to her and he held her hand. “Because this is your first time, it may hurt at first, but then, it should feel great.”

“I’m ready Jackson.” She felt him enter her womanhood slowly, until a barrier was reached. With one final push, she felt a strange pain, causing her to gasp. Neither of them moved until the pain began to subside. Then the good feeling came on strong and it was not enough. Wrapped around each other, they moved together in perfect sync, the pressure and speed building until finally Monica peaked and felt an overwhelming pleasure that caused her to fall exhausted into the mattress. Jackson was not far behind and they lay together under the covers, holding each other.

Monica caught her breath while she replayed the event in her head, smiling to herself as she relished in the feel of being wrapped in his arms. Suddenly, there was a loud knock on her door.

“Mr. Porter! I have the doctor here!” Monica and Jackson shot up out of the bed, scrambling to put their clothes on.

“One moment!” Jackson yelled. Monica opted to just slip on a nightgown as that was faster and climbed back under the blankets. Jackson could only find his trousers but put those on in any case. Shaking his head, he looked at Monica apologetically. “I do not think we are going to be able to keep this contained.” Monica nodded and they shared a smile, not really caring if people knew. What could they say anyway? They were married after all. Jackson opened the door, revealing Wesley, the doctor, and Bethany.

“Daddy? Where is your shirt?” Unable to contain himself, Wesley doubled over laughing, having to put his hand on the wall to keep himself up. The doctor simply shook his head before speaking.

“I can assume by recent activities that you are not seriously harmed, Mrs. Porter?”

“No,” Monica said, blushing profusely.

“I see it daddy!” Bethany shouted, running into the room and pulling Jackson’s shirt out from under the bed. Wesley was left with a fresh set of laughs after that and he had to excuse himself.

“Thank you, Bethany,” Jackson said quickly putting his shirt back on. The doctor also excused himself, heading down the stairs out of sight. Jackson looked back at Monica who was still beet red. “Get some sleep, dear. You are going to need your rest.” Monica could not believe she could get any redder but the fresh heat in her cheeks proved her wrong. Jackson then took Bethany out of the room and left Monica to herself and her thoughts.