out, forming a type of smooth-surfaced cliff. In the middle of the space, an adorable, elaborately carved gazebo gave view of the horizon.
Penn grinned at me and held out his hand again. “C'mon. The sun sets soon.”
I took his hand willingly, and he led me straight to the gazebo, where a bench had been placed, I guessed, exactly for this purpose. Sunset watching.
“This was Mom’s favorite. The busier the ranch got, the more guests that came, it got harder for her to find many evenings where the bench wasn’t already claimed. I think that made her sad.” Penn paused, his expression turning wistful. “When she died, Dad closed this trail to visitors and made it for family only.”
“He did?” My eyes went wide at the romantic gesture.
“Yeah. He used to come out here nearly every evening. He wouldn’t say a word to us, just would take off through the front door and we knew. He was going to sit at Mom’s spot and watch the sunset.” Penn pulled me down gently beside him.
“That’s so... beautiful and... sad. It’s tragic.” I stared out at the expanse of land before and below us. River had obviously been Paul’s heart and soul.
I assumed his sons alone had given him reason to go on living once she was gone.
“It’s a lot of things. I dunno. They had some crazy, obsessive love between them. I remember listening to my mom talk when I was super little, and then glancing over to see my dad just staring at her in complete awe. Like he’d never met her before in his entire life. He was just... He adored her.” Penn’s voice faded out tenderly.
I wondered how often he actually had the opportunity to talk about his mother. It seemed to make him happy and sad all at the same time.
“I guess I’ve never really thought love like that exists, ya know? It’s amazing that they had it. Like storybook love...” I wondered just how often that type of love really hit two people.
Only when the stars align...
“Yeah. Except most fairytales don’t end with breast cancer.” Penn shrugged. “We’re human. We do the best with what we have until we no longer have it. And then... I guess we just have to be satisfied that we ever had anything to begin with.”
I put a sympathetic hand to his shoulder. “I’m really sorry she passed so early, Penn. I would have liked to have met her, I think.”
Penn grinned. “She would have loved you.”
He turned to me, smiling, his eyes full of tears, and my heart seemed to stop beating entirely. Just when I thought he would kiss me, he turned back to the horizon.
“Look.”
Out across the distance, maybe miles away, mountain tops peaked and sloped. The growing darkness turned them into one solid silhouette against the brilliantly colored sky. Streaks of yellow and flaming orange kissed the tips of the peaks and then transformed into mixtures of pink, purple, and blue... all growing darker the higher you looked.
“Oh my God.” I wasn’t quite aware that I was talking.
“I know.”
We sat in silence, mesmerized by the beauty. I understood why his mother – and every single other person who ever came to this ranch – would want to sit on this bench every night.
“Anne?” Penn’s voice was calm. Tender.
“Yes?” I turned to meet his gaze, which had intensified by several degrees.
“I know love like that exists. Cuz I saw it. And I want it. Whatever nutty voodoo magic those two had over each other... I want it.” His blue eyes reflected the last hints of light from the horizon.
“Me too,” I said, barely whispering. I wanted it very badly.
Penn wrapped his arms around me and kissed me – first gently, then with growing passion and need. I found myself pressing into him with just as much desire, and something inside of me began to grow flaming hot.
He pulled off my shirt, slipping it over my head and immediately removing my bra. I pulled his shirt off next, and undid his pants. For whatever reason, I stood then, and finished undressing with the very last of the sunset behind me.
Penn was hypnotized. He’d simply frozen. I pulled my ponytail down and let my hair fall across my bare shoulders, and walked to him.
He was still and beautiful – like a painting – and I gently pushed him down onto the bench, then pulled his pants and briefs completely off.
I mounted him, gently guiding his cock into my body and we