Chapter Forty-Four

Molly headed over to Jake's as soon as she'd showered the next day. She'd actually been awake since she heard Jennifer moving around, but she wasn't ready to face her sister yet by taking the risk of getting up at the same time. So she waited, impatiently, until she'd heard Jennifer close the door behind her. As it was still only 06.30, she figured that might be too early even for Jake. So she first made some breakfast, had her shower, ate and headed over, the time now a more friendly 8am. 

"Howdy, yer up early," Duncan's voice greeted her before she'd had a chance to knock. 

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep," she admitted. 

"Well Beth's just on her way out to school 'n Jake's outside," he told her where she could find both of his kids, even though he knew she was looking for his son. 

"Thanks Duncan," she nodded. "Have a good day," she smiled and headed out the back. He hadn't gotten far yet, as he was putting on his boots on the back porch. "Mornin' cowboy," she announced her presence as she made to sit down next to him. 

"Mornin'," Jake smiled, surprised to see her this early but happy she'd come over. He reached out to pull her in for a kiss, surprised when she sort of ducked out to hug him instead. "Ye okay?" he asked softly as he hugged her back. 

"We continued fightin' after ye left," Molly said softly, leaving it at that for now. 

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said in the same tone, leaning his head against hers. "What d'ye want to do?" he asked. He had to admit that he could quite happily stay here like this if that was what she wanted. 

"I want..." she started as she thought about it. "To undo whatever Blake did to my sister... and show her yer nothin' like that," she said eventually with a deep sigh. 

He kissed her hair as he considered that. "So it was definitely to do with Blake then?" Jake asked, a little curious, feeling her nod. 

"She got really angry and told me to never mention him again," Molly answered. "I still have no idea what he's actually done to her, but it's definitely why she's actin' like this," she added. They sat quietly as they both contemplated things. 

"So that still leaves the question, what d'ye want to do?" he asked after a few minutes. 

As if to answer, she hugged him tighter. "I'm definitely not gonna listen to her, that's for sure," she told him, feeling him hug her back. 

As much as he wanted to do the right thing, he didn't want to lose her or stop seeing her. Not now. "Me neither," he said for good measure. "Let's figure out a plan." 

They decided to try to limit the sneaking out or in that they'd have to do, to avoid lying as much as possible. So their lessons would take longer in order to spend as much time as possible together. And Jake would occasionally come pick her up from work and they could either do something in town or just go for a long drive home. While Molly wanted to still hang out with Hannah and Beth, she was also going to occasionally use them as an excuse to get out of the house so she could see him. They would have to come over now and again as well, so that Jennifer wouldn't get suspicious at her always being out now that she'd met him and told them no. But hopefully, as her friends, they wouldn't mind. 

After talking through their options for about half an hour, Jake decided it was time for some riding, to have a little bit of fun. The weather was so nice, he felt it would be a shame to waste it on just riding in circles. She had her hat with her now to provide her face some shade as they left his land in a comfortable trot. 

"D'ye wanna try to canter?" Jake asked after a little bit. Maximus was itching to go faster and he had complete faith in her ability now they'd been practicing for over a month. 

"I dunno," she said hesitantly. He might have faith in her but she was still a little unsure. 

"It'll probably be more comfortable ye know," he said as he watched her body positioning. She had it down but the canter involved bigger and fewer movements in the saddle than the trot. "Come on, ye'll enjoy it," he promised her now. 

She took a deep sigh as she tried to take comfort in his faith and his smile. "Okay, yeah. Let's," Molly agreed now, seeing him smile excitedly. 

"Great, just spur Bullet on with yer heel," Jake instructed her, waiting to see how she did before spurring on Maximus. She nervously gave the horse a nudge with her heel, taken by surprise a little with how quickly he got up to speed. Her boyfriend followed her quick enough to make sure she was okay. "Move with him, just like before. Yer doin' fine," he told her, getting a nervous smile in response. 

She watched how his body moved along with Maximus and tried to mimic it. After a few minutes it felt more natural and she was starting to enjoy herself. "I'm startin' to see why ye kept suggestin' this, it feels amazin'," Molly told him after they'd been riding for about twenty minutes. He gave a smile, thinking it was nice to hear her say he was right for once. She tended to disagree with him on most things after all. 

"I know," he smiled a little cocky, making her shake her head with a chuckle. "We probably should get back though. We beenn out here for a while now," he added as he slowed Maximus down. He didn't want to risk Jennifer coming home early and seeing them come back together, or to get into trouble with his father for neglecting his responsibilities. 

"Yeah, I suppose," she sighed deeply, slowing Bullet down as well, before they both came to a stop. "Wish we could stay out here longer though," she said, looking around her. It was so peaceful out here. 

"Maybe next time," Jake suggested. "Come on, let's race. I'll even let ya have a head start," he said now, giving her a wink. She gave him a glare; she hated it when people made allowances for her, purely because she was a girl or still learning. When she didn't take him up on his offer, he spurred Maximus on, forcing her to quickly do the same to Bullet or risk falling behind too much. 

As much as they both didn't want to get caught, Jake insisted on walking her back to her house, holding hands for as long as they could. "I can't wait to see ye again tomorrow," he said when they'd reached her back door and stepped in closer, going through her hair. He leaned in a little, but not enough to kiss her. 

"Me neither," Molly nodded, feeling a little nervous for some reason. She rested her hands on his hips, waiting for him to make the first move. He smiled as he leaned in, kissing her slowly, deliberate. She pulled him in closer by his belt loops as she kissed him back, feeling the side of the house pressed against her back as he moved in closer. 

This was the first time that their kisses were so intense and determined that Molly could feel things, and herself, get heated. His hand had left her hair and made its way down, brushing past her breast and resting on her hip. His thumb brushed her skin, sending tingles down her spine as he leaned in closer and she could feel him against her. As much as it left her wanting to invite him in and continue this in the bedroom, she knew they couldn't. Not now. "Jake..." she managed to say in between kisses. He could tell that she wasn't saying his name to encourage him, but to stop him, so somehow he managed to draw the kiss to a close, leaning his forehead against hers. All they could hear was the other trying to regain their breathing for a minute or two. "Sorry, I didn't mean..." 

"It's okay, yer right, now's not the time," Jake stopped her from explaining why she'd stopped this moment. He could scarcely believe that he'd almost let this go too far himself. "I'll see ye tomorrow," he said with a smile, giving her a single, sweet kiss before he let go of her and headed back home. 

Molly looked after him, still leaning against the house, trying to make sense of what had just happened. After she headed in, she got changed and started getting dinner ready. She hadn't really been planning on making enough food for her sister, but it was just easier than trying to cook for one.