#Cook Bison Ranch

[uniqueartisanconnoisseur]

More To Do in Shipshewana!

Davis Mercantile is a fun stop I have enjoyed several times in town! I have been to Shipshewana, and the Elkhart County area of Indiana several times. You may think I couldn’t find any more to do. But, you would be wrong!  Shipshewana is a small Midwestern town. It is filled with history, culture, and fun. In the last few years, the population of Shipshewana has almost doubled. Today there are…

[delopsia]

Flowers In November (3/4) Rhett x Reader

Word Count: 11,570 ♡‧₊˚ AO3 Cross-Post ♡⊹˚₊ Flowers In November Masterlist₊˚⊹♡ Warnings: Fem!Reader. Briefly mentioned abusive relationships (not involving reader), improper disposal of a horse's corpse, l-bombs, oral sex, physical and verbal altercations, blood, unprotected sex, inappropriate use of a firearm, lying to a police officer, multiple mentions of food and cooking.

Part 2 ♡⊹˚₊ Part 4

Sometimes, you feel like Rhett's family raised him to be like this, not so he would be a good man, but because it would be easy to take advantage of his kind heart.

It certainly feels like it from your perspective. Perry works twice a week and has trainers that work with the kelpies for him. Royal and Cecelia don't do a whole lot of anything; Cecelia busies herself with fostering young puppies and kittens, but nobody knows what Royal does all day.

You don't know much about ranching, but it can't take an entire day to look after one singular bison and two horses.

The birthday party is the third time you've seen him; he's standing in his driveway, talking to the girl who chased you down with a knife. Autumn. Is that what he does all day?

Amy is both easy and hard to find. A crowd follows her everywhere she goes, fussing over her every movement. She doesn't find much enjoyment in it. A big scar ripples across her hairline, reminding you of the one Autumn bears. Even from here, you can tell she's miserable.

"Y'alright over here?" Rhett's low drawl is a welcome sound.

Glancing away from the window, you nod, "just got a little overwhelmed, is all."

Nobody told you that practically half the state would be attending this party. All gathered up in the backyard, so many voices that become a big jumble of noise. Impossible to decipher. Suffocating to listen to.

"Yeah...I had no idea it would be that many people, either," he settles across from you, leaning against the kitchen island; it's strange to see him in a plain black tee after all these months of seeing him almost exclusively wear plaid flannels.

Have his eyes always been that blue?

"They didn't invite this many people to your parties when you were a kid?" Eyebrows raising as you speak, surprised.

When you don't get an answer, you glance back outside. The sun should be setting, but it's completely blocked out by heavy clouds. Large, nearly jet black in color, towering high into the sky. It looks like an oversized blanket, ready to cover you any moment. The weather forecast said it wouldn't rain today. You don't buy it.

Rhett sucks his lower lip, shaking his head, "never had one, actually."

A part of you wishes it could be shocked. For your jaw to hit the floor over this revelation...but you can't say you're the slightest bit surprised. "Not even one?"

"Think there may have been a party after I turned one," he recalls with a hum, "but that's it."

"What about Perry?" It's challenging to make yourself sound genuinely curious when you've got the answer already.

"I think...he quit having them after he turned eighteen," his hand rubs the underside of his scruffy chin, audibly disturbing the stubble there, "why?"

He really doesn't notice it, does he?

"Why in God's name are you two lingering in my kitchen?" Speak of the devil; there's Cecelia, walking into the kitchen with a purpose in her step. "We're about to cut the cake; go on, shoo."

"Sorry, ma," Rhett's eyes meet yours as he nods his head toward the door, doesn't need to say much else.

Walking toward the back door feels like you're about to meet your demise. The commotion of voices grows louder with every step until it's built into a muffled wave. Barely held back by this thick wooden door.

"You don't want to go out there either, do you?" His observation is spot on.

It's just a crowd. It's just...a crowd. "I'd rather if that hole opened up and swallowed the both of us."

Right now, it looks like he wishes for the same thing to happen. Chewing on his thin lower lip, hand hovering over the door knob. He looks behind himself, then, quietly, "come on."

But he doesn't open the door.

No, he takes your hand and pulls you around a corner, down a winding hallway that looks familiar yet foreign. All this money, and yet every hallway looks the same.

"Where are we going?" You whisper, tripping over your own two feet. "Rhett—"

You run straight into his broad back; he's stopped, backtracking before you can register what is going on. One strong arm loops around your waist. Effortlessly pulls you into a closet you've never seen before. Dark, tiny, cramming you up against his chest.

Outside the door, Cecelia walks by. Stops. "Do you need any help carrying the cake?"

Even your breathing feels too loud. "Why are we hiding?"

"Shh," the sound breathed against your temple.

It's hard to focus on what is going on when his hand presses on the small of your back, coaxing you closer. Until there isn't a centimeter of space between your bodies. His cheek is squished against the top of your head, arms wrapped around your waist, absolutely engulfing you.

Faint leathery notes kiss your nose, lingering from his cologne, vaguely musky in that warm sort of manner. You think you could bathe in it for the rest of your life.

Cecelia continues to fuss over the cake outside the door as they roll it down the hallway. Utterly oblivious to her son and his stowaway hiding mere inches away. But the rolling continues, deep, vibrating through the house.

A sharp, earsplitting crack rings out, a heavy, elephant-sized fist hitting the ground.

"It's okay, it's okay," you don't realize you've jumped until Rhett's pulling you down from it, bringing you impossibly closer, "I've got you, baby."

His chest is big enough that you nearly drown in it, so entirely encompassed by it. But, man, how could you mistake the sound of rolling thunder?

"It's just a storm," reassuring you, "if we sneak out now, we might be able to beat it."

Somewhere between the thunder and Rhett bringing you down from shock, Cecelia has disappeared, and so has the cake. In fact, as Rhett reopens the door, not a soul is inside.

"How is everyone still outside?" What kind of world is this, where people don't come running inside the moment thunder cracks?

"Half them probably ain't sober," you're unsure of when Rhett got ahold of your hand, but he's gently pulling you toward the front door, fingers carded together so perfectly that it's dizzying.

The door squeaks open.

"Perry?" Both you and Rhett in unison.

But Perry doesn't seem to hear you. His eyes are locked on the floor, holding the door open, not stepping through it. Frigid air rushes through the gaps, clawing at your skin with its icy fingers. Feet patter against the ground behind you.

"I confessed."

Rhett stiffens. His grip on your hand is like iron. "What are you talkin' about?"

"I left a voicemail for the sheriff," behind him, lightning flickers, "I took the blame for killing the horse."

Rhett drops your hand. At first, you think he's going to charge Perry right here and now. He doesn't. Instead, he stares at the wall beside you, clenching and unclenching his scarred fists.

Scars that he bears because of Perry's lie.

"Perry," you aren't sure where Cecelia came from, but she speaks with a glass voice, "after all we did to protect you?"

"It's okay," finally removing his eyes from the ground; Perry smiles, "all they'll do is give me a fine since I confessed."

Royal steps past you; he blocks you from the cold like a shield. "And you'll pay it with what money, Perry?"

Perry's gaze fixates on Rhett.

Rhett growls. "No."

"Rhett—"

"—I'm not killin' my fuckin' cattle so you can pay for your goddamn fine!" Cecelia's voice is shattered by the roar that ripples out of Rhett's throat. Such a sudden shift in tone that you find yourself backing away.

"You can always breed more," Royal's focus shifts to the youngest, "it's not like your golden touch is going to run out."

A weak breath puffs out of Rhett's mouth. Incredulous. "Nobody's fuckin' buying gold no more," reaching up, Rhett claws at his hair, yanking on it as hard as he can, "you wanna know why? Because you ruined the market when you took half my livestock to pay for the shit you can't fuckin' afford."

"Rhett," gentle as ever, Cecelia steps up to the batting plate, "honey, remember, he's your brother."

"Relation doesn't make you entitled to Rhett's cattle," it was only meant to be an inner thought, but it slips from your lips like a breath of air.

Perry slams the door behind him, "you need to keep your goddamn mouth—"

It takes you a moment to realize why Perry recoils the way he does, blocking his face with his arms as he stumbles to the side.

Fresh blood drips from Rhett's trembling knuckles. It looks like he's fixing to go after Perry again, but he stops midway, eyes fixating directly on you.

He walks away from the fight.

"You wouldn't tolerate me raising my voice at Amy or Rebecca," he remarks as he steps past his parents, "so don't tolerate it from him." Then, eerily calm, he approaches you, nods down the hallway, a silent request.

"You don't start a fight and walk away before it's finished." Royal barks, but he makes no move to go after him.

"And I'd knock his teeth so far down his throat that he'll spit 'em out single file," the corner of Rhett's lips tilts up, "but a man never starts a fight in front of a lady."

As quickly as the argument started, it ends. Perry doesn't go after Rhett; perhaps his pride is too hurt to risk another blow. Royal, albeit red-faced, imaginary steam billowing from his ears, remains frozen by his eldest.

People are coming in now, washing through in inconsiderate waves, pushing, shoving. A broad shoulder clocks your own and effortlessly shoves you from Rhett's side. Crossing the hallway feels like wading through a violent sea; the only thing keeping your head above water is the calloused hand that catches your wrist, guiding you through.

"Y'okay?" He checks in when you've found a space devoid of guests.

Your shoulder throbs, but you force a smile, "yeah."

Just past the kitchen, there's a side door that leads to the barn where Royal's stablehands are looking after your horses. Rhett only opens the door by a few inches, but the wind whistles through the gap, frigid from the rain that comes down in sheets. The barn is massive, painted a new shade of pearl white that seems to glow at night, but now, you can hardly see it.

"In hindsight," massaging his bloody knuckles, Rhett shuts the door with his hip, "maybe we should have run for this door instead."

"With our luck, we wouldn't have made it halfway before the rain started," your teeth chatter as you wrap your arms around yourself. Even with the door closed, it feels like the icy wind still has a hold on you.

Rhett hums, "or that hole would reopen and put us up on the moon."

You don't know if it's your visible shiver or if he's feeling particularly affectionate, but Rhett wraps his arm around your shoulders, drawing you into his warm side.

Wordless, his stubbled chin rests against your temple, some comfortable intertwinement of bodies that barely misses the qualifications for a hug. So close that you can hear his every breath, the soft 'hm?' when you open your mouth, only to close it again.

Lightning flashes, taking with it the electricity flowing throughout the house. It's barely eight o'clock, but it's grown so dark that one can easily mistake it for midnight.

The storm doesn't let up, surrounding the house with its fury, shaking the walls and battering the windows with half-frozen raindrops. It doesn't stop the guests from fleeing to their fleets of cars; Perry and his daughter vanish without a goodbye. The disappearing thing must run into the family because even Cecelia cannot decipher where Royal wandered off. Or maybe she does find him because soon, she disappears too.

"Think we might be spending the night in my old bedroom," Rhett yawns after some time, "this storm doesn't sound like it's fixin' to leave anytime soon."

His yawning triggers you to yawn, "can you even find it in a house this big?"

You can't see it, but you know he's rolled his eyes, "yes, ma'am, I can."

Taking you by the hand, he leads you around corner after corner, of which you can hardly see. It's a blessing that you don't knock over a figurine or a vase or that you don't trip while walking up the never-ending stairs.

His bedroom is so bare that you can see how empty it is, even in the dark.

"Damn," yawning again, "I was hoping you'd have something embarrassing in here." Above all, the room is remarkably tiny, barely enough to house the bed and dresser.

"This twin bed is embarrassing enough," an old rocking chair sits next to the bed, crammed into the corner. The wood squeaks under Rhett's weight when he settles into it.

"Please don't tell me you're planning to sleep in the rocking chair," you tease as you sit on the edge of the mattress; it's nothing special, the one he has at home is much nicer, but it works.

Audibly, the chair rocks, "bed's all yours."

"It's a bed, Rhett," leaning back against it, you realize that maybe it's a little worse than you initially thought. How can a mattress be so lumpy? "Your shoulder will be sore in the morning."

"'ts already gonna be sore," he quips, "I'll be fine. Don't worry, your pretty little mind about me."

You want to push it further, but arguing with Rhett is like arguing with a damn wall. Stubborn. Bull-headed. As immovable as a mountain. The bed is just as uncomfortable beneath the covers, the sheets so thin that you might as well have stayed on top of them.

The weather sounds much like it did the night you fell through the hole. Wind screams around the corners of the house, pounding against it with such rage that you fear it's coming to get you. You wish you were safe at home, cozied up on the couch while Rhett's old battery-powered radio sings a tune to distract you from the storm's roar.

Lightning cracks, ear-splittingly loud, tearing apart the silence so suddenly that your body jolts.

No, no, no, you don't like this at all. This is too similar. What if the hole swallows you up right here and now? You don't know what to think; deep down, your gut twists as memories of home cloud your head. But if it comes for you, what about Rhett? Nyx? Isabela?

What are you meant to do when your heart is torn between two places?

You can't have both, no matter how much you—

"You're okay," Rhett's voice comes to you as a light at the end of a tunnel, "'s just a storm."

For a man as large as him, he's moved silently, now sitting on the edge of the bed. The lightning lights up the room, gracing you with the briefest glimpse of his face, contorted with concern and something you can't quite name.

"Do you want me to lay with you until it calms down?" Coming from anyone else, it would sound odd. But, with Rhett, it's the only thing that feels right in this world.

Shallowly, you nod, and he lifts the edge of the comforter.

The bed is far too tiny for a man of his stature, barely capable of holding him, let alone you as well. But he fits, pressed so close to you that it's all you can comprehend.

"Do these storms always shake you up like this?" Running his big hand against your cheek.

"Not always," although you're sure that could be true if thunderstorms were more frequent during the winter, "this one ...reminds me a lot of the night I was brought here."

A puff of air escapes his mouth, a remnant of what's supposed to be a laugh, "scared another hole will pick you up and carry you to another good-for-nothing cowboy?"

Shy, your hand crawls up on its own accord, "no," wavering as it curls around his unshaven cheek, "I'm scared it'll take me away from this cowboy right here."

This time, he doesn't have the words to respond.

Thunder rattles the foundation of the house, shaking you like a snow globe. Rhett's silence rings even louder, and the longer his lips stay closed, the heavier your heart feels.

Shit. You shouldn't have said that.

"I wish we had the radio to distract us from the storm," you croak, drawing your gaze to the sheets below you, anywhere that doesn't involve Rhett and his eyes.

His hand against your cheek moves, curling around the back of your head, "maybe this will distract you."

The brush of his lips against yours is so feathery light that it feels like you've been kissed by a ghost. His lightness is not to be mistaken for hesitance; no, it's an unspoken promise to wait until you're ready for them.

You've never been so ready for something in your life.

You meet him the rest of the way, and the world around you is quiet. Not even the storm or your pounding heart is loud enough to distract you from the softness of his lips as they mold with your own.

It breaks, but he doesn't back away. Hot breath fans against each other's lips, Rhett's nose nudging against your cheek, and you can't tell if it's you or him who closes the gap again.

Kissing Rhett feels like kissing a daydream, lips dancing like old lovers do, slow, calculated, knowing, your noses bumping into cheeks with the same clumsiness of teenagers. Teeth clacking together because you've both begun to smile into it. So perfect and yet so clumsy.

"I'm sorry," his tone airy as he chuckles against you, "I'm trying not to smile, but the more I think about it, the worse it gets."

As quickly as the kiss began, it dissolves into a fit of giggles, the both of you sinking back into the mattress. Every time you think you've gotten over it, Rhett's eyes meet yours, and it starts all over again, your cheeks aching with it.

"You'd best be careful, darlin'," he warns as you peck his lips, "I might get addicted to these."

Stealing a second kiss now, "I don't see an issue here."

He pulls you back in so quickly that by the time you register it, your lips have crashed together like colliding galaxies. Explosions of color decorate the underside of your eyelids, tingling across your cheeks and down your back; if your eyes were open, you'd see them dancing around the room like novelty sparklers.

Rough stubble scratches your chin, something that should be uncomfortable, but it only serves to make you gasp into the kiss. Your hands wander up into his hair, curling into those messy locks. Otherwise, you'd float up into the ceiling and never come back down. His arm secures around your back, fingers between your shoulder blades, and you're confident he can feel your heart hammering against your chest.

"That distractin' enough?" He teases, panting against your lips.

As much as you already love kissing this man, your neck aches from the strain of this angle. This shared pillow beneath you is a blessing in disguise. "I like to think so."

Who would have thought that Rhett Abbott would make such a perfect kisser? And a cuddle bug to boot. Effortlessly curling himself around you, wrapping you in his strong arms in such a perfect, comfortable manner. As if these arms were built to hold and keep you safe.

And only you.

He's the first to fall asleep, the curve of his nose resting against your forehead, fitting like a puzzle piece. You've seen him asleep multiple times before, but this is the first you've ever seen him wear a smile to bed.

That isn't the position you wake in, though.

At some point, you roll onto your opposite side, barely clinging to the edge of the bed. There's something heavy looped around your waist, a light pressure between your shoulder blades.

"Rhett?"

"Hm?" Vibrating against your spine, sending shivers crawling up your neck.

In your sleep-clouded mind, it all feels like a dream, fuzzy around the edges, as palpable as a daydream. But the sensation of Rhett's fingertips drawing circles into your tummy feels too real to be your imagination.

This room is so cold that you can hardly feel your cheeks; maybe that's why Rhett runs as hot as a wildfire. His hands are blazing, heat radiating off his chest. So close, yet far enough away that you've found yourself squirming back into him, selfishly seeking out more of his warmth.

"Did you sleep—ah," the sound so airy and sudden that it takes you a moment to realize what triggered it, "...careful with those hips, doll."

That isn't his belt buckle pressing against your ass...is it.

Maybe it's the sleepiness preventing you from making good choices. Perhaps you're simply a menace. But something makes you squirm against him again, seeking out that beautiful, airy moan.

And hear it, you do.

"Fuck," muffling the rest of his words by hiding his face in your back, big hand seizing your wandering hips, halting them completely. That fleeting sound alone is enough to get you hooked; you want to hear it again and again and again.

"Don't get nothing out of it, my ass," giggling at the feeling of his breath tickling your sensitive skin.

The hand on your hip trembles slightly, "it's different when it's been a few years since..." On their own, he twitches forward, barely able to hold back his pleased gasp when his cock rubs against your ass once more. "Fuck, 'm sorry; I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright," your mouth feels dry, suddenly aware of what's about to come off your tongue, "I sort of...liked it."

Rhett rises, sitting up straight in bed. God, hell, fuck, shit, you shouldn't have said that—

He's moving again, but he's not getting out of bed and fleeing as you expected. No, he rolls you onto your back, meeting your gaze with half-lidded eyes, torn between sleepy and something darker.

Leaning down, he meets your lips with his own. Once, twice, until you chase him on the third, refusing to settle for another simple peck. It's anything but the kiss you shared last night; lazy, open-mouthed as your tongues meet for the briefest of periods, sliding against each other until your lips shimmer in the light.

"Part your legs for me, darlin'," his request is met with the near-instant spreading of your legs, allowing him to slide between them. His hips are much broader than yours, putting a foreign ache in your lower back as you adjust to him.

If his proportions are consistent, you're in for a world of trouble.

"What're you doing?" Although, you can't complain when he braces his forearms on either side of your head, veins bulging, rippling up into his thick biceps.

"I'm not fixin' to take and give nothin' in return," those hips roll down, his clothed cock brushing deliciously between your legs, so close to where you crave him most.

Some readjusting is needed, but it only takes three tries for him to get it right, the motion dragging the underside of his length against your pussy.

"Rhett," clinging to his forearms as he grinds past your clit, "there."

"That where you want me, hm?" He murmurs, repeating the motion, "fuck, you feel good."

The soft whimper, the dizzying roll of those deep blues. Nothing you expected from this big old cowboy. Just the sight of him has a wet heat pooling between your legs, desperate for more, more, more.

A light hand knocks at the door. "Rhett, you and your girl in there?"

Your little crystal world shatters into a million pieces.

Scrambling, Rhett's feet hit the ground, barely quick enough to get the blanket back overtop you before the door squeaks open.

"We're in here," there's a damp spot on Rhett's slacks, "was just fixin' to get up and get out of your hair."

Thankfully, Cecelia doesn't put two and two together. Not your equally swollen lips or the heavy tent that strains against the fabric of his pants. All she see's is her son and his half-awake friend.

...friend.

That thought bugs you for the rest of the day.

Neither of you has discussed this, and no moves have been made to sort it out. It's confusing. Rhett kisses you like an old lover, familiar and passionate, but aside from the heart-fluttering pet names, he acts no differently.

But it's hard to jump to conclusions when he immediately has to go to work once you get home, leaving you with a kiss at nine. A text on your phone reminds you he'll be late, but the voice in your head tells you he's avoiding you.

You go to bed before he gets home.

You wake minutes later to a chaste kiss on your temple and the sweetest whisper of a goodnight you've ever heard.

And then you can't go back to sleep.

Motherfucker.

"Oh, I thought you were asleep," Rhett sputters, caught red-handed in the kitchen, halfway into his bite of cold pizza.

Yawning, you reach across the island to steal a cold pepperoni, "I thought I was too."

Here you'd thought you could sleep the night away, and now you're wide awake, wired like you've chugged a cup of coffee. Worse, your mind isn't racing; you simply cannot sleep.

Rhett's keys jingle. Maybe you can't sleep, but you're tired enough to have missed him reaching for them.

"I have an idea." And that's all the elaboration you receive.

Bundled in his old rodeo jacket and with an armload of blankets, you walk out to the truck, awake enough for questions to fill your head, too tired to voice them. Rhett's truck has seen better days; the front bumper is crumpled, and the passenger-side headlight is held in by ducktape and high hopes. But the vehicle runs, so he hasn't bothered to fix it.

As he drives through the field, the headlight wiggles more than it should, bobbing back and forth with the vehicle's motions. You worry it will fall out, but it stays.

In the middle of his property, Rhett puts it in park.

"What are we doing?" You ask, getting out after him.

Wordless, Rhett points at the sky. Where the stars twinkle and dance amongst each other, perfectly intertwined with their dark, velvety backdrop. Brightest of all lies the moon. Who comes up, so the night doesn't feel lonely, lending an ear to the souls who stay up to talk to him.

It's full tonight.

The hinges of the tailgate squeal as Rhett lowers it, "won't hurt your neck if you lay back here."

There are enough blankets to cushion you from the metal truck bed. Not as comfortable as the bed at home, but it'll do.

"All this, just to watch the stars," you can't resist teasing him while you situate yourself next to him, lying flat on your back.

"Can't seem 'em as well from the house," Rhett muses, "barn lights tend to drown it out."

Around you, the world is hushed. Not a sound to be found, aside from the faint squelch of Rhett sucking on his own tongue. His eyes flick to you but dart away when you acknowledge his gaze.

Tilting your head to look at him, "spit it out."

His chest deflates like he's been waiting on you to say that. "Can I tell you somethin'?"

You nod.

He continues. "I helped Rebecca run away."

That—now you're awake. "What made you do it?"

"You know how Perry...flew off the hinges when he first met you?" Then, tilting his head, he holds his hand up, quietly asking for you to take it. "He was like that with her and Amy."

You shouldn't comply, but you do, slipping your small hand into his. It's not much, but how he squeezes it makes it seem that he really needed it.

"About a year ago, she showed up at my door with a gash so deep I could see her skull," eyes bolting shut, as if he's afraid the image will appear in front of him, "I knew it was bad, but I didn't..."

Unsure of what to do, you squeeze his hand in return, "how did you do it?"

"Threw firecrackers into the kelpie pond and started a panic." Barely steadying his shaky breath, he goes on, "I had her car runnin' in the driveway; all she needed to do was hop in and gun it, but..."

"But?"

"Perry caught on," fidgeting with your fingertips, "nearly scalped the poor girl dragging her away from the car."

Like a jigsaw puzzle, it all clicks. Nyx's avid dislike for Rhett. Perry's hostility toward you. Amy's scar. The mystery that clouds Rebecca.

"I know this is...sudden," his voice is as watery as the tears that seep from the corner of his eyes, "but I can't stand keeping it from you."

The guilt eats at him so strongly that it spills over and comes for you as well, nibbling at your psyche with its sharp teeth and bottomless stomach. Turning, you reach out to cradle his cheek, freshly shaved but still scruffy.

"You don't have to bare all your secrets to me if you're not ready," whispering softly, barely loud enough to break through his sniffles.

"That's the thing," you don't think you'll ever be able to handle the sight of those eyes so full of tears, can barely stomach the tremble in his hand as he covers the one on his cheek. "You mean a lot to me, and I want to ask if you feel the same, but I can't do that when I know I'm keeping things from you."

He freezes.

You freeze.

The world freezes.

In the blink of an eye, you've been filled with ice, frozen solid into this very spot. Yet, he is the same person to thaw them. His warm hands holding yours. Those rushed words that rattle about your brain until they shake something loose.

"I'm sorry," wide-eyed panic replaces those painful tears, "I didn't mean to say that all at once I-I know you don't—"

"—fool," and you kiss him.

It's an awkward clatter of teeth and lips; your necks strain with the angle, but it's all you could have ever asked for. Rhett Abbott is the man you've always dreamed of; all boiled down into this wonderfully sweet cowboy that has ruined you for anyone else.

You kiss him, and he kisses you back, over and over. Seizing him by the collar, you pull him closer until he complies and clambers on you, barely breaking your fragile liplock. His kisses are greedy, eating you up, frenzied for no reason other than just because. Doesn't part until your lungs burn so deeply that everything begins to spin.

"Fuck," heaving for his breath, Rhett presses his nose against yours, "you are something else."

It's impossible to stop yourself. "Some would say I'm out of this world."

His eyes roll so hard that all you see are the whites. "I knew I fucked up when I told you that joke."

Even that is not enough to stop the kisses from coming. Breathy, lips so loosely tangled that one can hardly describe it as a kiss. They travel up, one on your nose, between your eyes, against your forehead. Then your noses are pressing back together, and even up close, you can't get enough of how he closes his eyes and smiles.

"You're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me," and when he says your name at the end of the sentence, it sounds like a melody. "Y'know that?"

Through the conflict of your heart, split between worlds, you find yourself in silent agreement.

Cupping his cheeks, you squish them together, wrenching an amused chuckle from him, "sometimes, I don't believe you're real."

If someone told you that he was an angel, you fear you may believe them.

Because what earthly being scoops you up like a feather and carries you bridal style to his passenger seat? Tucking you in with all the blankets you can hold because he thought he saw you shiver. And then carries you right to bed, saying it's something he has always wanted to do.

"You always look so comfy in my bed," he grins once you're comfortably snuggled into the sheets. The bed dips as he sits next to you, reaching down to run his fingers against your scalp, "your little eyes are barely open."

How are you meant to keep your eyes open when he's rubbing your head like that? Stroking you like one would a cat, nails dragging against your skin. If you could, you would be purring right about now.

"You calling me small?" Your attempt to sound annoyed is lost as a wave of sleepiness overtakes you, pulling you into the murky depths of unconsciousness.

"Compared to me?" Warm breath against your forehead as he presses a kiss there, "absolutely."

A part of you almost wishes he hadn't done that because now your skin feels impossibly cold, frost settling where he once warmed you. Would it be weird to ask the question resting heavily on your tongue?

The mattress rises as he stands, boots pattering across the hardwood; if you're going to ask, you need to do it now.

"Will you stay with me?"

Silence.

Those boots start to move, but they're not walking away. They're coming closer. Shoes land on the floor and the dresser drawer squeaks open. Just in time to catch it, your eyes open, landing on Rhett's frame as he yanks his jeans off. They catch on his briefs, yanking them down enough for you to catch a glimpse of a scar on the side of his left ass cheek.

"Is that your family brand on your ass?" Wide awake now.

In the blink of an eye, Rhett's face goes beet red. "I...yes?" Fumbling a little faster now, he reaches for his plaid pajama pants, squirming into them. "Perry and I got drunk one night, and our old buddy did brandings as a side job."

Drunk Rhett sounds like a hell of a person to be around.

This may be the first time Rhett has laid in this bed since your arrival; by the looks of it, he's sure missed it. His eyes flutter as he momentarily lies on his back, tension leaking from his muscles like a bad memory. It's a hell of a sight to take in.

But then he starts to giggle, and you realize you've been caught staring.

"C'mon," opening up his arms, "snuggle in."

Your body fits so perfectly against him, comfortably cuddled up to him in this big, cozy bed. Wandering fingertips crawl under your shirt, stroking up and down the base of your spine. It doesn't tickle like you thought it would; instead of making you laugh, those calloused fingers seem to be massaging every thought from your sleep-clouded brain.

"This what you wanted?" His deep voice rumbles against your scalp, rattling around your skull.

All you can do is hum, unable to move your tongue to speak. Rhett shifts, and vaguely, you're aware of his arm sliding under your pillow. It only allows him to hold you better, long leg snaking between yours until you're so intertwined that you can't tell who begins and ends where.

Slowly, your eyes become heavier.

And heavier.

And the next time you pry them open, it's daylight.

Like yesterday morning, you've rolled over in your sleep...and Rhett's arm is draped around you, anchoring you to his warm body. There's no way that's really him; he's never stayed home this late. But there he is, eyes opening as soon as he's registered you moving, with that dopey look on his face.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" It's difficult to conceal the surprise that laces your tone.

His bicep flexes, pulling you a few inches closer, "didn't wanna move."

If you could have it your way, the two of you would never leave this spot. Warm, tranquil, flawless. Even when you start to sweat, weighed down by both a furnace of a man and the bed sheets, you can't find it in yourself to budge.

Until you spot a smudge of black along Rhett's cheek, bugging you so much that you crack. Licking the pad of your thumb, you wipe it away.

"Why are you licking me?" He whines, eyes scrunching shut.

Dramatic.

But as much as you'd like to lay in bed with him all day long, work calls. The cattle and their appetite wait for no man, and Nyx is already fussy enough when her breakfast is five minutes late. You think you can already hear her impatient whistles.

Like he did yesterday, Rhett leaves you with a kiss on the lips. Deep down, it feels like the sparks of a routine; you've already found yourself looking forward to it every morning. No matter where you are or the time, Rhett has to steal a kiss, or he may drop dead on the spot. Placing them on your cheeks when you're asleep, waiting on you to finish brushing your teeth, catching you in the middle of the living room.

And it's all so painfully, Rhett.

Your first date comes by surprise.

The first calf drops three weeks earlier than she should have, surprising Rhett so much that you had to come and verify that the little fella was real. This herd has a reputation for snowballing; once one comes, they all do. According to Rhett, there is always at least one calf who, for various reasons, cannot nurse and needs to be bottle-fed.

"This year, I'm gettin' it early," he tells you on your walk back to the house, "I ain't doin' the whole 'emergency rush to every feed store in the state' this year."

And it's off to a feed store thirty minutes outside of Wabang, situated next to a family diner. It just happens to be dinner time. The warm aromas waft through the sliding doors, following you around the store like a stubborn memory. You didn't come here to get dinner, but as you stand and look at these chicks, you can't quit thinking about it.

"I knew I'd find you over here." You take it all back; you can definitely quit thinking about food if you have those biceps to stare at. Bulging under the weight of the bag he's carrying over his shoulder, prominent veins decorating the muscle.

"Your chickens are very different from the ones I'm familiar with," observing aloud; there certainly aren't any two-headed chicken breeds or six-footed ones where you come from. The only relatively normal chicks are tiny white ones called Kettles, whose peeps sound like tiny whistling kettles.

"Yeah?" Reaching down, Rhett disturbs one of the two-headed babies, grinning as it pecks his finger, "d'ya want some?"

"Do you even have a chicken coop?" Last you checked, the barn was the only structure nearby the house.

Shaking his head, "I can build one if you give me a week or so."

While you love the idea, you're not too sure. These Kettles are cute; their sign says they're beginner friendly, looking more like balls of fluff than anything else.

You'll think about it.

Outside the store, the scent from the diner slams you like a freight train; man, you want to go in there. In fact, you can hardly take your eyes off the building. Miss Molly's is nothing more than a hole in the wall, so tiny that it's a wonder if they get much business, but whatever they're cooking has you about to drool.

If Rhett didn't have work to do around the ranch, you'd ask to go in, but you know he's busy as it is. This was only meant to be a quick run to get milk replacer, nothing more.

Rhett's not pulling out of the parking lot.

Instead, he's looking at you, hand resting on the gear shift, the other propped on his steering wheel. "Do you want to go in there, doll?"

"I do," gulping, "but you're busy with work on the ranch—"

"—nonsense," quick to cut you off as he opens the door, "chores can wait a few hours."

Either your standards are low, or Rhett Abbott is a man sent from the heavens.

The inside of the restaurant is exactly how you pictured it, red cushioned booths, black and white checkered tile stretching across the room, reeking of the 50s. Accurate right down to the questionably sober waitress who treats you like an old friend rather than a customer.

Does this count as a date?

"I'm the last person you should be asking that question," Rhett shrugs, and only now do you realize you've said your thought out loud, "I ain't never done stuff like this before."

Your world screeches to a halt so suddenly that you can hear the breaks squeal. "You haven't?" There's no way a man like him hasn't been on a date before, but sure as day, he mouths a no.

The food takes a while, but Rhett's so good at making time fly that you can hardly believe he's never done something like this. Playing with your feet under the table. A little game of how far you can run your foot up each other's leg until someone giggles.

Rhett almost wins until you find a particularly sensitive area on his inner thigh, his stoic expression shattering instantly.

Rain begins to fall minutes after you get your food. Given away by the loud pitter-patter of droplets hitting the tin roof, so loud that you can hardly hear what's playing on the radio. Not quite a storm, but the clouds are heavy enough to make the outside look darker than usual.

After you've eaten and the bill is paid, you idle outside the door. Hidden underneath the overhang, where only the mist can get to you. The idea was to wait until the rain let up, but it's showing no sign of slowing. This was a bad day to park in the middle of the lot.

"There's only one way to deal with this," Rhett concludes after a while.

But before you can comprehend what he's on about, he grins at you and runs out into the rain.

"Rhett!" Squeaking, you run after him without much thought. Frigid water droplets pelt against your skin like tiny bullets, soaking you.

In front of you, Rhett turns around, laughing as you scamper after him, unbothered by it all. The tattered cowboy hat he wears is doing its best to protect him from the rain, but it can only do so much. His cheeks shiny, eyes sparkling with something fond.

"Are you mad?" Barely within earshot, the weather covering most of your words, "it's pouring!"

There's something he's trying to say, but he can't seem to speak through his upturned lips. So wholly, utterly pleased with himself that he's become incapable of doing anything else.

You stop before him, shielding your eyes from the onslaught of water, "Rhett?"

Wordless, he reaches out to curl his hand around your cheek, holding you there as he leans down.

There were many things you expected to happen today. Rhett intentionally kissing you in the pouring rain after your first date was not one of them.

But oh, his lips are soft. Melting away every ounce of care from your body as they move. Slow, encouraging you to take this impromptu dance with him. And for as unplanned as it is, it's so mindbogglingly delicate, as if your lips are made of glass.

He's curling his arm around your waist, cinching you into his chest; your knees nearly go out from under you when he sucks your lower lip, tugging it between his teeth. Beneath the shield of his hat, you feel as if you've caught on fire.

Distant thunder rumbles, the only thing that can shake you two apart.

By the time you clamber into the truck, you're anything but dry. Clothes drenched, the ends of Rhett's hair dripping like he's just had a shower. Your teeth are chattering; the only thing Rhett can do is laugh.

In the back of your head, you wonder how long he's wanted to do that.

There's a blanket in the seat, left over from your star-gazing venture, but it's not much help when your clothes are the issue. Clinging to your body like glue, refusing to allow you any escape from the rainwater they carry.

Rhett reaches for the temperature gauge. "Cold?"

"A little bit," squeezing the blanket to your chest as if it will help your case any more than it already is.

Lifting the middle console, Rhett pats the now-open space, allowing you to slide into the newly emptied space. The truck may have great heat, but Rhett will always be the best at warming you. Always so remarkably warm, even now, when he has every reason to be cold. Even the dampness of his t-shirt cannot stop you from curling into his side as he drives.

"If we get sick," yawning, "it's your fault."

The truck bounces as the tires kiss the uneven gravel driveway, perpetually washed out every rainfall. Your seatbelt is the only thing preventing you from bouncing around like a ping-pong ball.

"Who says anything about me getting sick?" Cocky as ever, Rhett slings his arm around your shoulders, "I haven't so much as caught a cold since I was thirteen."

Selfishly, you hope a cold humbles him soon.

The house is not too far down the driveway, the gutters spewing enough water to make a lake out of. Isabela hides under her shelter, visibly peeved about the weather, but Nyx is in her element. Running along the fence line, following until she's had enough. You wonder if she misses swimming in the south pasture.

Rhett parks next to the house for once, only a few paces away from the front door. Convenient, considering you're too wet to complain about a little more rain. Before he opens the door, Rhett leans down, pressing a warm kiss into your cheek. Only meant to be one, but that's not enough for you. No, not when you're cold and eager to feel him against you again.

"Not so fast, mister," catching him by the collar, you yank him back down. The moment your lips meet, Rhett moans, loud and whiny, as he lets you have your way.

His rough stubble scratches against your skin in the most wonderous of ways, following your lead. What's only meant to be a few short kisses unravels into something so heated that you no longer feel cold. Your hands tangle in his soaked hair, knocking his hat off completely when you clamber into his lap. Rhett's everywhere. His nails rake down your clothed back, climbing down to grip your squirming hips as you situate yourself on top of him.

Tongue darting out, you try your luck by running it along his pale bottom lip. He welcomes you in with a gasp, meeting you halfway. Wet bodies stick together like velcro, but you can hardly pay it any mind when he licks into your mouth the way he does, chasing your fleeting tongue down. Eager to feel you against him, tangling in loose, sloppy circles. Effortlessly wrenching the air from your lungs, panting hot into each other's mouths.

"Like a fuckin' daydream on top of me," he says against your lips, "y'know that?" The way he looks up at you tells you that he means every word. Smitten.

Blindly reaching over, you find his soggy hat, placing it on your head, "you've got your head too far up in the clouds, cowboy."

And then it's out the door you go. Leaving Rhett to catch up while you dart into the house, giggling all the way. The hat is a touch big on you, threatening to blow off with the slightest breeze, forcing you to hold on to it as you round the corner.

The only indication that Rhett's following are the boots that follow close behind, echoing through the house as he runs you down.

Something flies over your head with a soft whooshing sound, cinching around your waist. You can't move any further, arms mysteriously bound to your sides.

Rhett's lassoed you.

"You ain't gettin' away from me that easy, darlin'," it's not the clothes that send a shiver down your spine as he approaches, looking you up and down like a wolf hungry for his meal.

"Is that so?" The back of your knees bump against the bed, "here to take your hat back, cowboy?"

As if that's his plan, he reaches up. Instead of taking it, he slides his hand under the brim and pushes it off your head. Paying no mind to where it lands.

"No," effortlessly, lifting your chin with a hooked index finger, making you look him directly in the eye, "just wanted to kiss my sweet girl again."

The rope prevents you from touching him as he closes the gap between your bodies, planting his lips on your forehead, then down to your nose. Yet he ghosts over your lips, hesitantly brushing against one another. Teasing, waiting for you to break.

You know you've found your moment when the rope slackens around your waist. Grabbing Rhett by the collar, you fall back against the bed, dragging him down with you.

"Whaddya do that for?" Sputtering, incapable of escaping as your legs lock around his hips. Once you've got your ankles crossed above his ass, he's trapped, has no choice but to let you take what you want.

"Because my sweet cowboy is too slow," you murmur between kisses. Each one growing longer than the last, warmer. "And we need to get these clothes off."

Rhett nips at your lip with his teeth. "I can think of a few ways to get them off."

"Then why don't you?"

Did you just say that?

Shit, you just said that.

He straightens, bracing himself on his forearms to hover over you, "yeah?"

"Yeah," you feel dizzy, just thinking about what that could entail.

The next time his lips land on yours, its

different.

Something new, nameless, lies in his movements. Deliberate in such a way that makes you feel known. His mouth explores yours like they're old friends, something familiar in how his tongue curls with yours. Tasting like the strawberry syrup from his pancakes, sweet enough to give you cavities. Addicting, growing harder and harder to resist.

You're reaching up, tangling your fingers in the hair that rests along his nape, pleased when he gasps into your mouth. With a groan, he pushes you further up the bed, allowing himself the room to fully climb into the bed. The grind of his clothed bulge over your cunt is unintentional. However, it's such a dizzying feeling that you struggle to believe it wasn't planned.

This is what you've wanted; Rhett Abbott between your legs, rosy-cheeked with those dreamy, half-lidded eyes fixated on you like you're the most valuable thing in the world. As if all he needs in this world is you. Not wealth, not status, not even this roof over your heads.

"Fuck," pulling away reluctantly, Rhett glances toward the bedside table, "I don't have condoms."

Just by the coaster lies your birth control, the plastic glinting in the lamp's light. Rhett's aware of it; he picked your prescription up when he visited town last week. The ball is in your court.

"I trust you," those three little words are as easy to breathe as air. And they make his eyes light up, lips quivering, but they fail to respond.

He makes up for what he lacks in speech with action; sitting up, he takes hold of the edge of his shirt and lifts it. Exposing miles upon miles of chiseled, milky white skin, the muscles in his abdomen flexing with his movements.

Oh, that chest.

Nothing on this planet can stop you from reaching up to run your hands along it, feeling the gentle curve of his pectorals. Whether or not your thumb intentionally rubs over his nipple is between you and God. The quiet gasp you receive is unlike anything you've ever dreamed of, flitting over your ears like your favorite song.

"Goin' right for my nipple, hm?" But when you retreat, he catches your wrist, guiding your palm back to his warm skin. His heart beats directly under your hand, growing heavier the longer your hand stays there, "you can touch me, doll."

Then he's back on you, groaning into your mouth as you run your hands up his back, seeking purchase there as he licks into your mouth, hungry. You find yourself clinging to him, clutching those beautiful shoulders as he pulls you closer, erasing what space may have been left between you.

It's you who rolls your hips first, feeling how deliciously his clothed cock feels against you. If you're thinking clearly, you're pretty sure you've felt him twitch against you; the only proof is a harsh noise from his throat.

"That what you're wantin', hm?" Taunting, he offers you a taste of what could be, grinding one slow, tantalizing circle into you. Later, you'll say it's unfair. But, right now, you're too caught up to complain.

Your involuntary inhale only makes him do it again, leaving your swollen lips in favor of kissing toward your jaw, dragging his tongue against your sensitive skin. Abruptly, they tear away, leaving you to feel nothing but his warm breath as he searches for a—

oh.

His lips have no right to feel that good. Sucking lightly on your neck, just inches beneath your ear. Briefly, his tongue soothes over it, licking wetly down to your collarbone. All the while, those blue eyes remain fixated on your expression, watching half-lidded as he laps at that sensitive bone.

On their own accord, his hands slide beneath your shirt, settling on your waist. Fingers press against your back, urging you upward. You comply, and he takes hold of your shirt, pulling the damp garment over your shoulders.

And for the first time, Rhett's eyes land on your unclothed body. So completely, utterly fixated on what lies beneath him that you squirm with discomfort, unable to read his expression.

"Fuck," leaning down, he presses a kiss to your upper chest, just above your cleavage, "fuck, you're beautiful."

Your bra prevents him from showering your breasts with attention, but it doesn't stop him for long. In fact, he takes it off of you so easily that it makes your head spin. Reaching behind you, pinching the material, and then it's loosening, coming off like nothing.

In its wake lies a thin indent where the elastic squeezed a bit too tightly at your body; that's the first thing Rhett notices. Presses a string of kisses against it, following from rib to rib. Then up, up, up, to your left breast, dragging his hot tongue along your nipple.

"Rhett," gasping his name, tangling your fingers in his dark hair as he sucks on the rapidly hardening bud. His mouth is so hot, tongue like molten lava on your body. Burning these motions into you, ruining you for anyone else.

Incapable of showering one with too much attention, he switches sides, flicking that pink tongue against your neglected nipple. "Has anyone told you how perfect you are?" Massaging the one that he's just left.

When such words come from Rhett Abbott, you can hardly ravage your memory enough to come up with an answer. Because the way he says it makes it feel like the first time those little words have met your ears.

Sinking further down the bed, kissing, licking down your belly, gaze fixated upon you all the while. He's hardly done anything yet, and you're already breathless. Those thick fingers hitch under your panty line, pause, waiting for your frantic nod for him to continue.

In one smooth motion, he pulls them down. Taking with them your pants and knocking your shoes clean off your feet. One sock remains; you can hardly pay it mind because his clinking belt buckle is too distracting. The belt snaps around his wrist as he tugs it off, wrangling it like a damn snake.

Subconsciously, your thighs clench together.

Rhett's caught it too, eyes glinting with something dark as he parts them, sinking between your legs. Words don't need to be shared.

Why are the cowboy's always hung like a horse?

"So pretty," he muses, pressing a kiss to your knee, then another, and another. Leading down to your sensitive inner thigh, suckling at the skin there until it leaves a faint mark. Wet spots glisten in the light, remarkably cold.

His nose brushes against your cunt, but he devilishly grins up at you, retreating to assault your neglected thigh. They'll be sore when he's done with you, the scattering of darkening marks already rearing their heads. Each and every suck of his mouth has you clenching around nothing, helplessly impatient for him.

"Fuck you're wet," and now that he's noticed, he's leaving your abused thighs alone, "this all for me, darlin'?"

Not if he takes any long—

"Rhett!"

All of a sudden, a broad, flat tongue licks up your cunt, so unexpected that you jump away from it. The hands on your hips tell you that you're not getting away from him as he swirls around your swollen clit. Hungry, a starved man between your legs that can't get enough of your taste.

"Could fuckin' die happy between these pretty legs of yours," speaking directly into your wetness, vibrating deliciously up your core, "y'know how long I've thought 'bout this?"

If he could have had his way, you wonder how many more times he would have sunk to his knees for you in the past.

Rhett sucks on your clit like it's candy, flicking his talented tongue over it, and you just can't seem to keep your hips still. Squirming, unsure of what to do with all this, the beautiful man between your legs, the slick noises, all of it.

He takes pity on you, letting go of it in favor of lapping downward until he's found your entrance, fluttering impatiently. Twice, he traces your rim with his tongue, then sinks in; the tip of his nose presses into your clit, opening you up on that hot, thick muscle, shallowly fucking you on it.

And the bastard maintains eye contact with you the entire time. Gauging your reaction, savoring how your eyes roll into the back of your head, struggling to contain your whimper.

Drawing back again, something thicker nudges between your legs, a single, calloused finger easing into you. You can't remember the last time someone rubbed that little bundle of nerves inside your pussy so well. It doesn't make sense how easily he finds it. Targeting it in such a way that your entire body shudders.

"You like my finger, darlin'?" Adding another finger to join the first, working you, "God, you're takin' them so well for me."

Hips writhing as they quicken inside you, thrusting in and out of your clenching cunt, and you've no escape from it. Not until he decides you're stretched enough to take him, working you up to three fingers. Abusing that spot over and over, thumb idly swirling your throbbing clit. It's too much; you can't, you can't—

"Wait!" You don't mean to cry out so loud; Rhett comes to a screeching halt, "'m gonna," you can't breathe, "was gonna..."

Those broad shoulders drop, relieved, "don't feel like cummin' on my fingers?"

Shaking your head, "I'd rather cum on your cock."

Dare you say it? His cheeks dust with red.

In the bedside drawer hides a small container of lubricant. Half-full, the label somewhat distorted from moisture; a part of you feels it's unnecessary. But then you feel his wet head drag between your folds, and you're reminded of how much of a stretch lies ahead.

One day, you'll have to test and see if you can cum just from his plush head rutting against your clit, can only imagine how it would look. But, it can wait on your shelf of dirty thoughts.

If you don't get him in you within the next minute, you're going to combust.

"You still sure?" Heavy cock nudging at your entrance, only slightly spreading you; his hesitation is both endearing and frustrating.

Wordless, you tighten your legs around his waist and push down. The initial stretch of it burns; even those fingers weren't enough. The pop of his head past your rim is so delicious that you feel no remorse.

Rhett's sharp inhale is so loud that it bounces off the walls, eyes screwed shut. High in his throat emanates a meek whimper. "Fuck." Leaning down, he braces himself on his forearms, pushing your noses together as he finally starts to sink into you, "you'll tell me if it hurts, yeah?"

"Uhuh," breathless, unable to hold a kiss for a second. Your hands slide to his back, finding purchase in his shoulder blades.

You need. You need something to hold onto. Because between your legs, his length splits you wide open, stretching you further and further. With every inch, your composure slips more and more; he's only halfway inside, and you already feel so fucking full.

Sweet kisses pepper to your jaw, soothing as he eases even further. Involuntarily, you clench around him, a muscle reflex that makes Rhett moan so prettily. The sound only serves to make you wetter. It's the last push you need before he finally slides home inside you, hips flush together, balls heavy against your ass.

"Fuck," whimpering above you, "fuck, fuck, baby."

Rhett's arms tremble on either side of your head, and it's not from bracing his weight. No, he's much too strong to be bothered by that.

...and just to boost your ego, "feel good?"

Even his bottom lip quivers with it, "mhm."

Experimentally, you move, grinding on his length. Stars sparkle beneath your eyelids, thick length pressing directly into your sweet spot with every spiral of your hips. Beneath your fingertips lies the raised scar occupying his right shoulder blade. He says he can't feel it, but he sure does react when you press on it, attention snapping to you. All ears for your next words.

"You can move."

Obedient as ever, Rhett draws back, only about halfway, then slides back, bottoming out in your dripping, stretched cunt once more. The drag of his cock in you is something out of your wildest dreams. So hopelessly split open that you can feel every fucking inch.

"Your pussy's so tight, baby," picking up a bit of speed now, each thrust punctuated by the wet meeting of skin on skin, "takin' every single inch of me so fucking well."

Every motion only makes your lips looser, whimpering high in your throat every time his cock massages the gooey spot inside your stretched walls. So effortless, knowing; you've never known that such a thing could feel so mind-blowingly right.

Like a mantra, your name falls from Rhett's lips; it's never sounded so pretty. Each word is punctuated by a thrust, your entire body jolting with it, cock filling you up until you can't possibly take any more. Biting into his lip is the only way he can stifle the sounds building upon his tongue.

"Stretchin' for me so well, darlin'," the squelch of your wetness is filthy, "god damn, your hot little cunt is so wet."

Those words only make you louder, wetter, your cries growing with his pace. That fat cock bullying its way into your quivering pussy. Giving you no choice but to whimper and take every fucking inch he chooses to give you. Ripping the air from your lungs with every motion, dragging so wondrously against the nerves in your walls that it makes you drool.

Rhett's lips find your neck, sucking something fierce into your sensitive neck; you don't want to know what kind of mark that'll leave.

"Rhett," your nails digging into his shoulders with a particularly hard thrust, "feels good, it feels—ah!"

You clench so hard around him that it forces both of you to come to a screeching halt, panting under the feeling of it. Clamping so tightly that you can feel him twitching inside. Only serves to light the match that you've been craving; heat blossoming between your legs, inside your ruined pussy.

So close.

So, so close.

But you don't want to cum like this.

All it takes is one hand on Rhett's sweaty chest for him to catch on. Doesn't quite know what you want, but he complies with your silent lead.

"Wanna ride you," whispering; his breath hitches.

With anyone else, you'd have to slide him out of you to change positions, but this cowboy is strong enough to roll you around with such ease. Jostling his length inside you, but far too big for him to accidentally slide out.

And here you thought Rhett above you was a sight. Him beneath you is a different beast entirely. Arching into your touch as you run your fingers up his neck, seizing him by the jaw. So pliant when he was just fucking you better than anyone else could.

"Ain't you a sight for sore eyes," he groans, lips parting to accept the thumb you hook into his mouth. That tongue of his swirls around it, wetting it until you're satisfied.

Tentatively, you lift your hips, rising until just his head is left, then, equally slow, slide back down. Rhett twitches upward, unable to keep still. That toned chest of his rising off the ground as your wet thumb toys with his nipple, back arching so perfectly that it belongs in a magazine. There's a delay in his sounds like his mind hasn't caught up to what you're doing to him.

"Sweetie, please," pleading around a shaky breath, "want—wanna cum."

The mere suggestion of that sounds like heaven.

Planting your palms on his broad chest, you rise once more; the pace you find is something bordering slow. Enough to savor the drag of his dick inside you, but never slow enough for your body to quit moving. Weak, Rhett reaches between your legs, massaging his wet thumb around your clit.

"Baby, baby," those eyes barely open, breath hitching, "feels good. Fuck, it feels good."

And you've hardly done anything.

"You're so sensitive," cooing as you feel his thighs tremble beneath you, "you gonna cum in me, sweet boy?"

He's barely able to formulate a nod, slack-jawed, panting hard, keening with every movement. Sounds so, so pretty that it makes you clench your legs around him, surprised to find that the tiny change makes his head strike against your sweet spot. Your head is beginning to spin, and that coil between your legs is growing hotter.

You're close.

"Cum in me, Cowboy," coaxing him on, body stuttering, "I know you've got it in you."

He twitches upward, meeting you halfway every time, your ruined pussy squelching with every thrust. The thumb on your clit grows frantic, working it over and over in tight little circles. You're gonna cum; you're gonna cum, you're—

With a weakened cry, you cum on his cock. Suddenly going still. Muscles spasm around Rhett's length so tightly that it's a wonder you don't hurt him. You can't breathe, your head floating off your shoulders and into the clouds. Involuntary, your eyes open just as Rhett's orgasm hits.

Those gorgeous eyes fucking cross.

Hot cum spurts into you in thick ropes. Painting you white and filling you so well that your body runs out of room for it, the excess leaking out around his cock. His barely audible whimpers are music to your exhausted ears, dancing around them like sugar plum fairies. Muscles twitching, trembling right in front of you.

It fades, and his back sinks into the mattress.

For a moment, you can only pant for your breath like a team of overworked dogs on a hot summer day.

"Still a fuckin' daydream on top of me, y'know?" Rhett barely even sounds like himself. Voice hoarse, wrecked by your ventures.

You really should slide off of him, but you don't have it in you, "I could say the same about you," kissing the tip of his nose, "I've never seen a man feel so good that he went cross-eyed before."

Weakly, he laughs, so breathy that he can hardly make a noise. Wandering hands slide up your sides, coaxing you to lay down against his big chest; even the sweat on his skin cannot ruin how wonderful it feels to rest your head here. Heart racing beneath your ear, still coming down from his high.

Oversensitivity is quick to take hold; Rhett squirms with every rhythmic pulse of your cunt around him, unsure what to do with such a painfully lovely sensation. You can hardly muster the strength to slide him out of you, cum already beginning to leak out of your used, spent cunt. A sensation that feels downright obscene; worse, he's stretched you so well that you can feel yourself gaping.

"Would you object to a bath?" He murmurs into your scalp, and you reckon he can feel you leaking too.

Your hum is enough for him to get moving, and you almost regret it; this house feels too cold without him there. It doesn't take him long to return, but those few minutes last for years.

Strong arms slide around you, one hitching under your knees, the other around your back, lifting you from the bed like nothing. You've yet to learn where the bubbles came from or how long the bottle has been hiding under the cabinet, but they smell like bubble gum. The kind whose flavor never lasts for more than a few seconds.

This bathtub isn't big enough for you to sit side by side, but you fit just fine lying against him, your ear coming to rest on that faded bull rider tattoo.

It's unclear how long you lie there, the warm water washing away the tension left in your bodies until you're left sleepy-eyed, unwilling to move. Rhett's playing with the bubbles, stacking them on top of your exposed skin to make vague 'bubblemen' as he's deemed them.

"They're like snowmen," he says, eyes unfocused, "but they're made of bubbles instead of snow."

Sleepiness ebbs at the corners of your psyche, pulling heavy on your eyelids, weighing your body down. Every brush of Rhett's fingers against your body, every puff of hot breath against your forehead, the soothing sound of the water, it's all making it harder to stay awake.

"You fallin' asleep on me?" Whispering, Rhett presses a kiss to your forehead. "Y'sure you don't wanna take a nap in bed?"

You do, but, "don't wanna move."

The nice thing about Rhett is that he has no issue carrying you around. He bundles you up in his soft, oversized clothes and carries you off to bed without complaint. In fact, he seems to enjoy doing it because he carries you every chance he gets. To the living room to watch a movie, to the kitchen island after the pizza delivery guy comes by; if you'll let him, he's got you.

"Up you go, little lady," he beams, scooping you off the couch, "we're off to our next adventure." Your next adventure is something completely uncharted, never done before by mankind.

Bedtime.

Part 2 ♡⊹˚₊ Part 4

[hannibalzero]

I know you have a lot of things your updating on right now, but if you could spare some time and maybe update Wild at Heart. It doesn't even have to be a long chapter. Just a simple update on were Charles and Arthur are in there sweetness and bundle of joy relationship. Please, and thank you. And love all of your work by the way, truly appreciated and love it all. Just everything.❤️❤️❤️❤️

Oh sweetheart, thank you so much. I would love to update “wild at heart.” But I can’t seem to pick what I want to do as of yet. I have a few ideas don’t get me wrong!

• bison drive, the bison migrate through the Van Der Linde ranch. With the help of the local tribe (the Wapiti) the bison are safely transported, micha still made at Arthur throws out a rubber snake spooking peaches making her buck. Both peaches and Arthur get hurt. Arthur’s leg is broken. Charles is able to help Arthur and peaches!

• pioneer women, (get it? Teehee) punishment for breaking Michas nose. Arthur is stabled. Aka he’s under house duty. Pearson is asked not to cook for the main house. Arthur gets up at 4 am wakes everyone up, tends to Tilly and makes a big breakfast also packing the lunch coolers while juggling the ranch schedule. Both men being very sleepy, Arthur hands Charles his cooler and thermos of coffee with Tilly on his hip. They kiss without a through catching everyone’s attention….Dutch ain’t pleased

That’s all I have so far, both ideas have potential I just can’t seem to type anything. I would hate to give you all a half assed chapter. Atm I shoot for 5000-6000 words per chapter. (6-7 pages) I’ve been trying to work through it though! Thank you for understanding!

All my love! 🐰❤️🐰❤️

Hannibella

[beckandbulow]

Bison Back Ribs: What Carnivore Dreams Are Made Of

As a “recovered vegan” as I like to call it, I distinctly remember the first time I ate bison back ribs. It was at night around the fire on our ranch, and they were literally so delicious that I wanted to eat the bone. The slow cooked meat was so tender and full of flavor that I was totally enamored by the experience. I had cooked lots of different meats since I had introduced it back into my diet, but had yet to prepare back ribs. It’s definitely a cut you don’t see quite as often as short ribs when it comes to beef and bison. We were almost sold out of back ribs at the shop from orders for premium meat delivery, but I was able to snag a beautiful rack of bison back ribs right in the nick of time.

[kevinandbernice]

Friday 23rd Sept. Cont’d

On the way we stopped at a small town called Deer Park to visit ‘The Grant-Kohrs Ranch’ National Monument. Here’s a bit of background.

Up until the late 1850’s people travelling to the west of America did so mainly for the fur industry, however when this ended, and the native Indians started being moved onto Reservations, the white man then looked for other opportunities. Bison numbers went from 60 million in 1800 to under 1000 by 1884, and cattle ranching was born. Soldiers returning to Texas after the Civil War found millions of cattle roaming wild, and the increase in the number of cities, due mainly to the industrialised economy, led to a demand for beef. A cow selling for $2 in Texas could sell for $40 in New York.

In 1862 Johnny Grant builds his ranch in Deer Lodge and starts building up his cattle herd. The land was owned by the Government and grazing was free. 4 years later he sold the ranch for $19,200 to Conrad Kohrs. He continued to build up the herd to about 750,000 grazing on over 10 million acres of public land in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and parts of Canada, all free of charge. Up to 10,000 cattle a year were shipped to Chicago, partly by land and then by train. In 1880-1890 barbed wire enclosing farms and more agricultural farming signals the end of the open range and cattle ranching goes into decline. The farm passed down several generations reducing in size and was eventually passed the National Parks Service and opened to the public in 1977. It now covers around 1000 acres and has 150 cattle.

We had a guided tour around the house and about the importance of the chuck wagon and the cook on cattle drives, then a general wander around the exhibits and buildings

[ms-rampage]

Nice to Meet You

Charles Smith x [OC] Kate Winchester (or female reader)

This is my first RDR2 writing. I've had this swimming around in my head for awhile now, and this is one my favorite ships 😁😁💕💕. This is pretty much one of the ways I would have Kate and Charles meet. My writing requests are closed for now, but I'll save your request in my queue.

Warnings: None, maybe some slight language but thats normal for my writings. Awkward Kate/Y/n? 😅😂

A/N: Feel free to insert yourself as my OC as you read on. 😁😊

Photo of Charles isn't mine

Camping out near the Hanging Dog Ranch in Big Valley, West Elizabeth. The lavender field is such a beautiful place to set up camp, its even more beautiful with the snowy mountains from the West Grizzlies of Ambarino.

Kate always had this connection with nature. This spot is great for star gazing, and sometimes hunting. She normally didn't like hunting unless it was really necessary, such as for food, or to make a few dollars to sell some pelts for food. Being a naturalist can be difficult sometimes. You study animals, but sometimes cravings kick in, and you sometimes gotta hunt animals for food. Saloon food doesn't do it sometimes, so you gotta cook your own food.

Camping can be dangerous, even by yourself and especially if you're a woman, but for Kate she's a natural and somewhat of a veteran at camping alone, especially for her size. Being 5'4 and very easy to miss, especially when sitting or laying down, but that's why she has her guard dog Haley watching over the campsite while she's away. She's a good dog, German Shepard.

She's just relaxing, drinking some coffee as the cold West Elizabeth breeze blows past her, and that's when something startles her Missouri Fox Trotter, Lily. She somehow manages to unhitch herself, and takes off running into the wooded area nearby.

"Lily!" she exclaims dropping her cup of hot coffee to chase her horse. "Lily come back!". She sprints after her.

[Charles POV]. Normally he doesn't go this far from the gangs camp, but sometimes a good ride is good to clear your head. The areas around Strawberry is good for hunting. Getting away from the gang even for couple hours or a couple days can be a good thing.

Charles sets up his camp near the Black Bone Forest, not far from where Kate is set up, but of course he doesn't know this. Fixing up the fire as the evening sun is less than an hour away from setting. Warming up his hands as the cold weather starts to pick up, and night time will be arriving soon.

As he warms up his hands, he hears the voice of a woman calling out for someone, sounding distant but very close. He continues to warm up by the fire then a black, white tovero horse with saddle, and everything on, trots by looking a bit agitated. Putting two and two together, he figures it belongs to the woman calling out for it.

He gets up from his spot near the fire, and slowly approaches it, not wanting to startle or scare it away.

[Kate's POV]. "Lily!" she shouts, the tracks her horse had left now fading. Feeling like hours since she's been tracking her down. Normally she's really good at tracking animals, but it's close to night time and she left her lantern at her campsite. As well as her dog, hoping she doesn't get attacked by wolves, bears or cougars.

"Fuck" she sighs, "Lily!". She whistles for her, waiting for the whinny and heavy hooves of her horse, but to no avail. No sign of her. Not realizing she had chased her down a little too far. Kate is now nowhere near her campsite and is now in an area where there are dangerous predators lurking in the dark somewhat terrifying forests.

[Charles POV].

"Hey there girl" he says softly to the horse. She whinnys softly at him, digging her hoove into the dirty, not sure who he is. He continues to slowly approach her, when he gets to arms reach of her, he calms her down. "You're okay girl".

[No POV]. Patting her, Lily then calms down. He guides her towards his campsite, hitching her near Taima. 10 minutes had passed, "Lily!" the voice of the horse's owner echoes through the trees, followed by footsteps not far from Charles campsite. After another few minutes, a woman comes into view.

Charles sees her walk into view of his camp, "Ma'am is this your horse?" he asks. Relieved to see her horse is alive and well. Kate lets out a sigh of relief, "Oh fuck. Oh my God. Yes, thank you so much sir. I don't know what she saw, she just took off from her hitching spot". She unhitches her horse from the spot.

"I can escort you back to your camp" he tells her, knowing that this is O'Driscolls and Skinner brothers country. "Oh no its fine but thank you for the offer. I don't want to be a burden" she tells him.

"I insist" he tells her, "Its dark, and I don't want you to get attacked. This is a O'Driscolls and Skinner brothers area".

"Are you sure? My campsite isn't set up far" she asks, "I hope it isn't trouble?". This little lady can easily get attacked by any bandits and robbers. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't escort her, and made sure she was safe.

"I'm sure. I don't want you to get hurt" he tells her.

"Well if you insist then thank you sir". she tells him. She mounts Lily, and Charles mounts Taima. "I'm set up at the lavender field. Near the Hanging Dog Ranch" she informs him.

"Near the O'Driscolls hideout?" he asks, looking at her with a look of concern.

"There's no one at the hideout. I checked it out earlier, its empty". she replies. He escorts her to her campsite which is less than a 10 minute ride.

As they're riding, Charles gets a better glimpse at Kate's face. He knows he's seen her before but he's not sure when and where though, she's very beautiful, and also very small, short but height and size isn't really important to him. He knows she can probably hold herself in fight, but he wants to be a gentleman, and guide her to her camp.

When they reach her campsite, her dog greets with a bark of excitement and tail wagging. Kate hitches Lily. Charles gets off his horse. "Have I seen you before?" he asks her, "I feel like I've seen you before".

Kate did recognize him, but like him, she wasn't 100% sure. Getting a better look at his face and other features from the fire and a bit of light from the moonlight. He's most likely half African American and Native, he's also very handsome. "Outside the Smithfield Saloon in Valentine" she tells him, "I believe one of your friends got into a fight with Big Tommy".

He lets out a soft chuckle, and a slight smirk "I thought so. That was Arthur".

"And also in the Heartlands" she tells him, "Well you didn't see me, but I saw you with that same man... Arthur, who fought Tommy. I was studying bison, and you two were riding by. I recognized you".

"Studying bison?" he asks, intrigued by her response.

"I'm a naturalist. I study animals, and wildlife. I'm also a herbalist". she tells him, "I usual camp by myself to clear my head... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name".

"I'm Charles" he introduces himself.

"I'm Kate. It's finally nice to meet you" she was always terrible at introducing herself because she's very awkward, "But yeah, I study animals. Bison, Buffalo, cattle in general, I find very interesting... Sorry I'm just rambling on about my interests". She chuckles nervously.

"No worries. It's fine" he tells her, giving her a soft smile. Finding this woman very interesting and very attractive, also getting this strange feeling in his stomach that he has never ever gotten before, "I should be getting back to my camp now. Have I nice night, Kate".

"You too Charles, and thank you for the escort" thanking him with a smile. He hitches his horse and rides back to his camp. The whole time Kate was on his mind, even when he would try to sleep. Just something about her, her interests, and her demeanor. How sweet and down to Earth she is.

[fat-slobby-jojo-girls]

Au’s

Farm Au: Muses are all Farm animals

Cow girl Yasuho - 2000 Ibs, nerdy cow girl

Cow girl Tomoko - 2500 Ibs, horny cow milf

Bull Jolyne - 3200 lbs, Muscular futa bull Slob

Cow girl Hermes - 3000 lbs, bottom heavy cow girl

Cow Queen Aya Tsuji -  Immobile extreme cow slob, giantess

Cow girl Foo - 2900 lbs, gut heavy cow girl

Piggy Trish - 3200 lbs, Pig girl

Farmer Shinobu - 2800 lbs - Futa Farmer Milf

Farm girl Haruko - 800 lbs, Shinobu’s daughter. helps around the farm.

Mother Hen Holly - 3600, The farms local motherly hen.

Sheep Queen Lisa Lisa - Immobile Fluffy sheep woman, giantess. loves to tease her handler Suzi Q.

Farm Hand Suzi Q - 2900 lbs, A slightly clumsy farm hand charged with taking care of Lisa Lisa’s needs.

Sheep dog Mary - Shinobu’s old retired sheep dog, she’s still kicking and is very affectionate

Farmer Irene- 6200 lbs, runs a rival farm to Shinobu.

Prized hog Anakiss- 10,000 lbs, Irene’s prized show winning hog!

Farmer Kaato - Owner of her own farm not too far from Shinobu’s she focuses more on conrests than producing crops and milk.

Farm Hand Kei - Kaato’s loyal farm hand who 

Cow Ribelli - the number one milk producing cow on Kaato’s farm

Cow Dolli - kaato’s prized show cow

Pig Natasha - kaato’s prized show pig

Free range Bison Barbara - a free range futa bison that lives on Kaato’s ranch

farm hand karere - a city clicker roped in to working for shinobu after tipping her cows

Farmer Sugar mountain - anyone who trespasses on her land is given a test.. fail and they are turned into animal fruit hybrids and added to her orchard

Cow Mariah - a fat spoiled cow who only produces rather foul smelling milk and cream thanks to her rotten personality

Monster Au: Ghouls and Ghosts of the fat variety

Skunk Jolyne - An extremely gassy skunk girl who’s gas has some interesting effects on people.

Wolf Hermes - An obese Wolf woman who’s way too into vore.

Siren Foo - lures people in close with her song. don’t ask why no one ever comes out of her lake.

Gorgon Aya - her stare doesn’t turn people to stone but it does make them fatter and slobbier.

Succubus Tomoko - summon her at your own risk. if your cute she may just decide to keep you ~ <3.

Drider Shinobu - Overweight Drider Mommy. she just wants to keep you safe and well fed inside her web. You wouldn’t try running away would you? If so a few doses of venom will make you feel better.

Witch Yasuho - Fat nerdy witch who’s happy to cook up some spells for you. just be warned they may have some side effects.

Slime Trish - Cute cuddly Sime girl. just wants to cuddle and fill you up!

Drider Haruko - Slightly Yandere human drider hybrid. Loves capturing and stuffing humans till they’re nice and plump.

Alien Queen Lisa Lisa - Queen of an advanced alien race, likes to snatch humans up and fatten them. lots of tentacles >:3

Dragon Holly - Giant motherly dragon, sleeps in a massive treasure horde.

Cat Girl Suzi Q - A lazy cat girl maid who spends sleeping and eating rather than cleaning.

Vampire Irene- Irene as an immortal blood sucking vampire.

Boar Anakiss- a colossal monster boar woman.

Overlord Erina - ruler of the realm of monsters

Overlord Mary - former ruler of the realm of monster 

Dryad Sugar mountain - a dryad with the tendancy to curse humans

skunk Dolli - Jolyne’s smelly bottom heavy mother..

Oni Kaato - a massive muscular oni lady

witch hunter karera - slayer of witches!

shaman barbara - a reclusive shaman of untold power

golem smith natasha - crafter of golems!

Cowtaur Ribelli - she’s got milk!

oni kei - kaato’s reluctant underling

Little/ Grandbaby Au: Adorable Dumb diapered blobs. (general Cgl and regression themes.)

Muses: Any! Just specify if they’re a caregiver or little.

Planetary Au: a mysterious force has caused a group of women to grow to galactic proportions. They have their own gravity and became their own solar system. They’re all planet sized and have their own colonies living on them! They have power plants stationed on them to collect their gas to produce energy for their colonies.

Muses:

Planet Jolyne: A simple planet that’s uninhabited due to Jolyne’s massive rear constantly spewing gas like a volcano. Her stand orbits her like a moon.

Planet Aya: The center of the fatty solar system and biggest source of gas power for the universe. Her stench makes her uninhabitable along with the waste she produces. she’s the largest planet out of them all.

Planet Hermes: A normal colony houses lots of people and several cities.

Planet Trish: a getaway for the rich and famous looking to get fat and pampered. despite her size and gas she still performs concerts streamed to a giant jumbotrons across her body. Rose runs most of her business now that she’s huge.

Planet Foo: Her immense girth has caused an ocean to form around her titanic belly making this fatty the perfect tropical getaway. mostly ocean but has islands that house resorts and hotels

Planet Yasuho: Her doughy body is home to several scientific research facilities and observatories. It’s a technological wonderland where the world’s smartest scientist work to try and reverse the planetification process with little sucess.

Planet Tomoko: Her fat body is home to many lewd and more adult facilities. acts as a get away for more kinky people.

Planet Shinobu: Her body is home to the food production facilities needed to feed all the fat planet sized blobs.

Moon Haruko: Orbits her mom and her body houses an observatory.

Planet Aki: A gassy milf turned giant planet. Her body is home to a massive stadium where sumo events are held.

Moon Makoto: Orbits her mother along with her sister.

Moon Kuro: Orbits her mother along with her sister.

Overseer Holly: pilots a giant planet sized mecha in order to feed and take care of the fat planet sized women. Tends to spoil Jolyne and friends the most.

Overseer Lisa Lisa: pilots a giant planet sized mecha in order to feed and take care of the fat planet sized women

Overseer Suzi Q: Co-Pilot of Lisa Lisa’s mech, helps her keep things in order.

President Rose: Leader of Trish’s company now that she’s a planet, Is the leader of Trish’s colony

Monster Hunter Au: Based on the monster hunter franchise by Capcom. All the muses are fat muscular monster hunter’s who are more than happy to deal with your monster problems for a price (usually food). General themes include muscle guts, Vore along with the usual weight gain and slob themes of my blog. all normal muses plus Haruko are eligible here. Just specify by adding Hunter before the muses name when sending asks.

Notable Muses:

Hunter Jolyne: A hunter from Moga Village, she wields dual blades and carries her villages hopes on her shoulders as she fights to stave off dangerous wildlife of her to earn money for the quaint fishing village.

Hunter Tomoko: A Human, Troverian Hybrid hailing from the underground city of Harth. She works as a blacksmith mostly but she’s been known to venture out and take part in hunts for some extra cash as well as to gather materials to make weapons for herself. Due to her father being Troverian (basically dwarves) she’s rather stocky and a bit of a shortstack. She has a temper and strong work ethic making her the perfect partner to take on a hunt! Her weapon of choice is the hammer.

Height: 4ft

Hunter Hermes: Owner of the Wyvern’s Belly bar in Port Tanzia, She’s a part time hunter along with being Jolyne’s go to place to grab a drink when she stops by the port. Her go to weapon is the lance and she wields it masterfully for both offence and defense.

Hunter Foo: A bar  maid at the Wyvern’s belly and Hermes’ hunting partner. She’s a bit of a klutz thanks to her massive belly but she tries her best! She uses a heavy Bowgun as her weapon and is a very good shot with it.

Hunter Trish: an Ace hunter quickly rising through the ranks! She wields a bow and is a bit of a brat when it comes to people stealing her kills.

Hunter Rose: Trish’s agent and mentor, wields a sword and shield.

Hunter Yasuho: a nerdy newbie hunter who isn’t all there confident in her skills. Wields a charge blade but isn’t that skilled at using it.

Hunter Elizabeth: a relative of Jolyne and half wyverian. She’s unnaturally youthful for her age and still hasn’t retired. She wields a insect glave despite her gargantuan size.

Hunter Suzi Q: Elizabeth’s Palico assistant. She’s a bit of a spoiled housecat rather than a true hunter but she gets the job done. Her species is much larger than their smaller counterparts.

[theworldoffostering]

Epic Road Trip

Day #5

We woke up from our glamping adventure, and chef DH cooked pancakes on the camp stove for breakfast. We then made our way to Mount Rushmore which I love! After that, we headed out for Wyoming!

We had dinner in Casper, WY. DS was brave enough to try a bison burger for dinner. We also checked our Lou Taubert’s Ranch Outfitters. DD bought authentic cowboy boots, DH bought some jeans, and E bought a book. 👢👖📕

We had planned to spend one night in a hotel before hitting the national parks so everyone could shower and get some good rest, but there was no hotel availability from Casper to Jackson. We secured a campsite at the Jim Moss Arena in the middle of nowhere, WY. 📍We set up camp in the dark, and woke up next to cows. They had a donkey, two horses, and some friendly campers. We learned that the property we were staying on was a former roping school. They had some pretty cool history that the owners were happy to share with us.

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: 7 Anime-Inspired Burgers Of The Day Bob Belcher Could Add To The Menu

  Bob Belcher and his family have finally made it to the big screen, and what could go better with a family-friendly movie than family-friendly food fare? If you’re not ordering a juicy burger to nosh on while watching The Bob’s Burgers Movie, you’re doing it wrong.

  Bob, of course, is known for his burger of the day — a special burger with unique ingredients and a pun-based name. And so many are total hits, like the “Pepper Don’t Preach” and “Last of the Mo-Jicama.”

  Naturally, this leads to the question: What if Bob based his burger of the day on different anime? Keep reading to find out, but just a warning: you may get hungry.

  The Bourbon & Buu Burger - Dragon Ball Super

    If there’s one thing the Belcher kids love, it’s Halloween. If there are two things, they're Halloween and fantastical stories in which heroes come in the clutch to save the world. The Bourbon & Buu Burger combines both of these things with one of anime’s biggest villains, and, well, ghosts.

  It’s made of a mix of bison and ox meat stuffed with Buu cheese (bleu cheese), topped with bourbon-glazed bacon, and crunchy Piccolos (pickles). The buns are buttered and lightly toasted in a pan to add additional flavor. The finishing touch? A napkin with two eyeholes cut out, carefully draped over the top.

  The Double Deku Burger - My Hero Academia

    With great power (and glasses) comes great responsibility. Heroes give their whole selves to those in need. Flying through the clouds, doing helpful things or, you know, finding kitchen stuff. Why not celebrate their hard work with a super special burger? This one features not one, but two beef patties with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and Bob’s house-made Kacchan Ketchup!

  Served with an icy cold beverage and hot fries, what a refreshing clash! This burger is so good y’all might have to go back for more. Maybe Bob can even get his own personal hero, Torpedo Jones, to say he likes it!

  RELATED: Cooking With Anime - Giant Burger And Fries From "ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept."

  The Turkey Club Sandwich - Ouran High School Host Club

    Listen, if Bob Belcher were ever going to make a burger that didn’t include some kind of red meat, it would be turkey. The man loves his Thanksgiving dinners, so pass the cranberry sauce, we’re havin’ mashed potatoes!

  This one features a fried turkey breast with lettuce, a delicate tomato bacon jam, ranch dressing, and toasted bread cut into four with no crusts. And don’t worry, the turkey can easily be swapped out for chicken every other day of the year. The perfect burger for a smart, and strong woman who’s definitely old enough to sit at the adults’ table.

  The Spicy Dattemayo Burger - Naruto/BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS

  Leftover from Bob’s foray into the food truck industry, this delightfully weird concoction starts with a 6oz wagyu (Hokwagyu? Is that anything?) patty stuffed with habanero pimento cheese and chopped up naruto. This is topped with spicy mustard aioli, crispy kale, and two Ichiraku ramen buns. Is it a little strange? Sure. Too spicy? Maybe. But is it good? You better BELIEVE IT!

RELATED: Does Boruto Eat More Burgers Than Naruto Eats Ramen?

  The Meatball Head - Sailor Moon  

Image via Toei Animation

  Don’t ever say Bob is a one-note chef. He can take a simple bowl of ground meat and transform it into anything, whether it be a patty or a … ball. This burger comes with a large meatball made with a blend of beef and pork, glazed in a teriyaki sauce, topped with wilted bok choy, and crystallized ginger on a sesame seed bun.

  Not only is Bob versatile, but this sandwich is also. It can be served anywhere from a school cafeteria to a formal event. Tuxedo mask optional.

The Blue-Finned Elephant Tunami Burger - One Piece

    No way would Bob even allow tuna to be served in his restaurant! This burger features a sea salt and pink peppercorn crusted tuna patty topped with a chutney of grilled devil fruits, one piece of cheese, and sprinkles of gold leaf. But you’ll have to be quick — this limited-edition burger is only available until Bob finds his way out of the wall.

  It’d be great to pack along for a ride in Teddy’s boat. Just a regular boat ride, not a murderous one.  Results may vary from consuming devil fruits.

  RELATED: This Surprising Technique Can Help You Achieve The Perfect WdDonald's Burger

  Don’t Burn The ‘Wich - BURN THE WITCH

    Can vegan food be good? Witch, Please! This vegan burger is so good, that you’ll think it was magic enough to take on a powerful witch like Mr. Ambrose. It’s a black bean patty blended with mushrooms and carrots. It is then topped with caramelized onions, sunflower seeds for crunch, and dragonfruit ketchup.

  What would possess Bob to serve vegan burgers? Especially after the debacle that was sweet potato fries? Maybe he’s just looking out for his not-friend Teddy’s heart. Aww.

  Does this menu of anime-pun-based burgers have you starving? Which one will you be ordering up? Let us know in the comments below!

    By: Yali Perez

[pizza-soup]

My grandparents - my dad’s parents - concerned about my health sent me a package that finally arrived this morning. According to them, the native youth of today are so far removed from traditional foods it’s no wonder we’re so unhealthy, even when we have it available at home we just want our shakes and fries. Lol. So to combat that, they sent me foods my dad was raised on, game meats, dried cholla buds, mesquite meal and honey, ground pinon porridge powder, frozen wild greens, and recipes to prepare out of things I already have or could buy like fish, quail eggs, tepary beans, blue corn flour, pumpkins, wild rice, ect.

She insisted that I start eating these, not just for my health but to stay close to my roots, and especially eat those with the tea she made me, it’s a recipe passed down through the mothers and daughters of her family, it takes care of menstrual issues, and while I don’t have that, it does help with anemia, which I do have. She wished she could come over and cook for me, but with the dangerous winter weather and their sheep showing signs they’ll be giving birth they have their work cut out for them. She wished me well and gave me lots of hope that I'll recover. I come from very long line of strong people, she told me. And I believe it, she’s turning 96 this month, my grandpa will be 97 in August, and they still tend to a ranch just as their families did at roughly the same age. Wow. I hope I'm still just as active and healthy when get old too. XD

So today I made a blue corn pudding, according to her recipe, and bison chili beans, with fresh beans that had been cooking in the crockpot for most of the day. It came out really good, but very filling! Even my bro’s normally ravenous appetite was quickly satisfied, which surprised him. I made a pumpkin pie too, but we’re too full, we’ll have to save it for later tonight.

[claire-fication]

How cooking shows are changing in the new media age.

“Flaws are part of the appeal. In contrast to the polish of traditional television, hosts’ fallibility is often on full display in new videos. Leone regularly brain-farts on camera, and an upcoming episode of his travel series, It’s Alive: Goin’ Places, opens with him in the middle of a Texas bison ranch, struggling to enunciate “regenerative land management.” Saffitz’s videos, too, are sometimes as much about what she gets wrong as they are about what she gets right. “I had to adjust my attitude toward it,” she tells Grub. “At first I wondered, Why do people want to look at my mess-ups? I was concerned about looking like an expert, and didn’t understand how much people relate to that trial and error.”John Mitzewich, better known as “Chef John” of Food Wishes, agrees. In his latest video, “My Big Fat Greek Baked Beans,” he accidentally didn’t soak the legumes overnight in enough water. The next morning, he had a bowl of what looked like small wrinkly brains half-submerged in water. So he showed viewers for themselves, and said don’t make this mistake. “I’ll probably get 100 comments about that,” he predicts.“TV shows and food bloggers’ overly curated posts both tell the audience, ‘Look how effortless my cooking is,’” Saffitz says. “People don’t see the sink full of dishes. What I try to tell them is, ‘Cooking is really hard.’”

March 6, 2019

[streetfoodauburn]

The Hound is one of the crown jewels of the Auburn food scene. The Poirier  family has cultivated an environment that gives off a rustic hunting lodge feel. What I love about The Hound is their commitment to using fresh and humanly grown and produced ingredients. What I also love is that they have one of the largest bourbon selections in the South East. Always ask your server about what bourbon specials they have for the day. Pair your bourbon with the  “bacon flight” made with house cured organic bacon for a match made in heaven. 

No matter what time of day you decide to eat at The Hound you will always have plenty of amazing options to go with. Here’s what I would recommend at certain points of the day: 

Brunch: Shrimp and Grits 

You may not have a better bowl of shrimp and grits this side of Charleston. The shrimp are cooked to perfection and are nice and plump. The grits are a thicker cornmeal which are very creamy. The sauce is made with the rendered fat from the andouille sausage, and it’s the perfect way to bring the whole dish together. Brunch at The Hound doesn’t take reservations, and is only on Saturday and Sunday. So plan accordingly (especially when students are back in town). 

Lunch: Bison Burger 

Hearty and satisfying, the bison burger is a great meal at any time (its offered at brunch, lunch, and dinner). The ground bison patty is juicy and moist, and is topped with Swiss cheese, mushrooms, tobacco onions, and topped with toasted kaiser roll. The dish comes with the house fries, and I like to order them with “comeback sauce”. 

Dinner: Dry Aged Pork Chop 

I know what you’re thinking “Phil, why isn’t one of the steaks the recommendation for dinner?” you’ll have to try this pork chop to find out. The Hound uses heritage breed pork which adds an extra element of flavor to the meat in addition to the aging process. It’s served with carrot and pecan muhammara and a strawberry jalapeño salsa. Sweet meets savory meets spicy in this dish with the nuttiness in the muhammara and the sweetness and spice from the salsa. 

Honorable Mention: Big Nasty

Pictured above is this insanely wonderful dish that I recently had for brunch. The menu has this beauty under the “handheld” section of the menu, but this sauce covered creation might be better attacked with a knife and fork. A generous piece of Nashville hot chicken topped with an egg, pepper jack cheese, house bacon, house pepper jelly, and chipotle aioli. All of this is placed on a buttermilk biscuit which you can brave to make a breakfast sandwich, or opt to use cutlery. The side is breakfast potatoes or fries, and I went with the fries and a house made ranch. Pair this with a bloody mary or a mimosa for a complete brunch. 

Anyone who knows Auburn knows that this town is all about traditions, no matter what time of day you decide to go to The Hound, I hope you add it as one of your Auburn traditions. 

[beckandbulow]

Save 15% on Premium Bison Cuts with Code May15 On This Mother’s Day

As Mother’s Day approaches, it’s time to think about how to make this day extra special for the wonderful mothers in our lives. This year, why not treat her to a gourmet meal at home, featuring the rich, savory taste of bison? At Beck & Bulow, we take pride in offering only the finest cuts of bison meat, sourced from ethical ranches and prepared with the utmost care. Now, with our special Mother’s Day offer, you can prepare a memorable meal while enjoying a 15% discount using the code May15.

Why Bison?

Bison meat is not just delicious; it’s also healthier and leaner than traditional beef. It’s rich in essential fatty acids and has a deeper, more complex flavor profile that is sure to impress any palate. Our flagship products, the bison filets and tenderloins, are particularly popular for holidays due to their tenderness and flavor.

Beck & Bulow’s Promise

At Beck & Bulow, every cut of meat we sell comes from animals raised in natural, humane conditions without the use of antibiotics or hormones. Our bison is flash frozen at the peak of freshness, ensuring that all the natural flavors and nutrients are perfectly preserved until it reaches your kitchen.

How to Prepare Bison for Mother’s Day?

Cooking bison is similar to beef but requires a gentler touch due to its lower fat content. For the perfect Mother’s Day dinner, season the bison tenderloin with salt, pepper, and a touch of garlic powder. Sear it on high heat quickly on each side, then let it roast in the oven at a moderate temperature until it reaches your desired level of doneness. Let it rest before slicing to keep the juices locked in, creating a mouthwatering main dish that will be the star of your holiday meal.

Ordering and Delivery Made Simple

To ensure your Mother’s Day plans go off without a hitch, Beck & Bulow offers both online and in-store shopping options. Place your order online and take advantage of our flash frozen shipping method that promises speed and quality, or visit one of our stores for personal service and advice from our knowledgeable staff. With our exceptional customer support, we’re here to help you select the best products and ensure your order arrives in time for the celebration.

Exclusive Mother’s Day Offer

Don’t forget to use the code May15 at checkout to take 15% off your purchase. Whether you’re buying bison filets, tenderloins, or any other product from our extensive range, now is the perfect time to experience the quality that Beck & Bulow is known for.

This Mother’s Day, give the gift of a luxurious meal that your mom will remember for years to come. With Beck & Bulow’s premium bison meats, you’re not just cooking; you’re creating experiences. Shop now and see why so many choose us for their holiday meals.

[steamboatsir-blog]

TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

Inspired by hunting season, Steamboat cuisine in late fall is all about wild game.After the fall harvest has long since passed and the first snow has already blanketed the soil, farm to table cooking turns from local produce to wild game. 

This is especially true for private chefs like Dave Demos, owner of Ski Town Gourmet, who can take liberties with hunted fish and game that isn’t possible in a restaurant’s commercial kitchen. “Wild game has creatively shaped my culinary style,” says Demos, who moved to Steamboat from Maine in 1997. “Cooking for my family and friends with Rocky Mountain ingredients was something I quickly began to enjoy.

”Wild game is to Colorado what fresh seafood is to a coastal town, evoking a literal translation of the flavor of the land. “The flavor profile of the meat mimics the area where the animal is from,” Demos says. “Like the terra firma of a grape varietal, you can taste whatever the animal was eating, whether it’s the sarvis berries of a quail or the sage that can come through in elk, it really brings that natural flavor profile you don’t find in grocery meats.” To prepare a meal for in-home fine dining, Demos treats wild game using fat and acid to balance out the gamey flavor that might be off-putting to someone who isn’t used to it. Think: bacon wrapped pheasant with balsamic mushroom glaze or elk summer sausage served with pickled peppers and gorgonzola cheese.

When handled and prepared properly, wild game is a big part of the Steamboat experience. Not to be confused with a delicacy that might require a more adventurous palate, wild game is an integral part of Steamboat’s ranching history and vast wilderness—easy on the eyes and the stomach but even better, filling for the soul.

Elk

The crown jewel for Colorado hunters, these large and beautiful animals provide ample quantities of meat. Its flavor profile is similar to beef but leaner and with subtle earthy notes of grass or berry, depending on where the elk was grazing, that lends a subtle complexity that isn’t found in grocery store meats. “Because it’s leaner, it’s much harder to cook,” Demos says. “I like to serve it rare to medium-rare.” Also similar to beef, the preparation of the elk is going to depend entirely on the cut. “The tenderloin is going to be the best, like the filet minion of elk,” Demos says. He likes to sear it rare with a demi glaze and wine sauce with mushrooms. Sausage is another great preparation for elk, and Demos says one of his biggest sellers in the elk and cherry sausage appetizer he serves with sweet cherry peppers and gorgonzola cheese.

Bison

Another lean meat, bison requires careful preparation. Its mild flavor lends itself to a blank canvas for seasoning similar to chicken. “In summer I grill a lot of bison steaks and I’ll play with different South American or Southwestern flavor profiles, like chimichurri or a roasted tomato ancho chili.” Demos doesn’t believe in using marinades for bison or other wild game because he says it masks the natural flavors too much, opting instead for dry rubs and simple preparation on the grill or a quick pan sear to get a little char but without overcooking.

Trout

Colorado is known for its gold medal waters, a designation based on the number of trout that occupy the rivers. Steamboat fishermen can find these jewel-toned fish in the Yampa River as well as in Steamboat Lake and Stagecoach Reservoir. A light buttery fish with a nutty finish, it also mimics the environment it’s from. “The most important thing to consider when preparing fresh trout is that it has to be eaten the day it’s caught,” Demos says. “The trout in Steamboat Lake are pinker and more delicate because they feed on crayfish, and of course any fast moving fish that comes from cold water like our rivers is going to be good.” He likes to keep it simple, cooking filets on the grill with just a little lemon and dill (use foil if you don’t have a flat top) garnished with capers and fresh tomatoes. The hard part? Fileting the fish and getting all those tiny bones out, but well worth the effort in the end.

[travelingtheusa]

NORTH DAKOTA

28 Aug 2018 (Tue) – We made sandwiches, packed a cooler, and took off for Theodore Roosevelt National Park today.  Unfortunately, the weather was drizzly and overcast all day. That limited visibility of the surrounding area.  Since this is our last day in the area, we just had to deal with it.

     We drove along the loop road, stopping at pullouts to see what we could see.  We hiked two trails then sat at an overlook and enjoyed lunch while the rain picked up a bit.  During our drive we spotted pronghorn, three different herds of bison, several prairie dog towns, Nokotas (wild horses), and an elk.  When we emerged from the park, we fueled the truck and returned to the campground.

 27 Aug 2018 (Mon) – It was cool, rainy, and overcast all day. We decided to keep our activities indoors.  First stop was at Theodore’s Dining Room in the local hotel.  It was a breakfast buffet with very good food.  There were four kinds of eggs (one had crab), bacon, sausage, hash browns, waffles, and granola with fruit.  It was a little expensive but very enjoyable.

     After breakfast, we walked around town a little then toured the Cowboy Hall of Fame.  There were all kinds of stories of horses, cowboys, ranches, and competitions. Videos recounted stories of experiences by early settlers and their descendants.  After the museum, we walked along the main street.  Harold Schafer came to this town in the early-1960s and restored much of the town of Medora.  He renovated/rebuilt many of the buildings in town and bought the existing amphitheater.  He updated the seating and property, and brought a new, flashier show to the outdoor stage.  Medora sits at the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Harold envisioned a popular tourist town that people would want to visit and stay at.

     Medora’s claim to fame is that Theodore Roosevelt came here back in the late-1800s.  He fell in love with the place and bought two cattle ranches.  They say he claimed that the time he spent in the Badlands of North Dakota prepared him for his role as president.  His nickname was Old Four Eyes.  He was disturbed about overhunting of wildlife on the range and the rapidly disappearing buffalo.  Roosevelt wanted future generations to be able to enjoy the Wild West that he knew and loved. As President of the U.S., he was first to set aside national parkland.  During his presidency, he preserved millions of acres of land, thereby ensuring that future generations would be able to enjoy the wonders of nature and the wildlife that inhabits it.

      We drove to the Marquis de Homes, the home of the founder of Medora.  He and his wife traveled from France.  The Marquis was enamored by the stories of the Wild West and he wanted to be a cattle rancher.  He came here, established a cattle ranch and meat packing plant, and named the town after his wife.  His idea was to raise and slaughter cattle at one place, then ship the meat back east. It turned out to be more profitable than driving cattle hundreds of miles.

     We drove into Theodore Roosevelt National Park to the visitor’s center.  We wanted to get some information about hiking trails and the scenic drive. Hopefully, the weather will be more pleasant tomorrow and we can explore the park.

     Last stop was at a local convenience store (the nearest grocery store is 35 miles away) to pick up some groceries.  They didn’t have much so we only picked up water and lunch meat.

26 Aug 2018 (Sun) – We packed up and left Bismarck at 10:30 a.m. It was a short hour and a half to our next campground.  About three fourths of the way here, we stopped at a visitor’s center called Painted Canyon.  What an amazing change of scenery!  Behind the center was a landscape of ravines and hills with remarkable colors.  We were driving along looking at flat farm land with wheat fields and sunflower crops.  This was quite a change in geography.  Usually these things change slowly but this was a rapid change. After we left the center, the landscape quickly morphed into colorful hills and canyons.

     We pulled into Medora Campground around noon.  It is a large campground with red dirt roads and campsites. There are some trees to provide shade. The sites are close and the neighbor’s sewer hookup is right outside our door.  They could have laid the campground out better.

     As soon as we were set up, we did the laundry.  The laundry room was a pretty good size with six washers and four dryers.  No one else was in there so we were able to use three washers.

     At 5:00 p.m. we drove to the Pitchfork Steak Fondue across the road.  We had called and made reservations the day before yesterday. When we walked into the dining area, we saw dozens of picnic tables.  They could probably seat 2,000 people.  There were pitchforks with steaks already impaled and waiting to be cooked.  There was also a large buffet area for the sides that were being served with the steaks. We got wine at a small stand, claimed our table, and waited for the meal to start.  There was a small 4-person band playing country music in the center of the pavilion.  When the word went out that it was time to eat, everyone lined up.  We got a stamp on our hand but never had to use it so I’m not sure why we got it.  The buffet included a baked potato, baked beans, Texas toast, cole slaw, broccoli & cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, and ranch dressing.  After loading up on sides, we walked over to the cook area and got our steak.  There were probably a quarter of the people they would usually have on a holiday weekend. Lots of tables were empty or had only one or two couples at them.

     At 6:30 p.m. everyone moved over to the outdoor amphitheater.  It was a huge seating area cut right into the side of the mountain.  The stage had tracks that allowed the scenery to slide sideways and the band stand to slide forward.  The show was every bit as good as Opryland.  It was very professional and the singers and dancers were very talented. There were two co-hosts – Cowboy Chet Wollan and Bill Sorensen.  Wollan sang and danced right along with the accompanying performers.  The comic, Kermit Apio (from Hawaii), was hysterical. I never laughed so hard at a comedian before.  The weather was a little cool.  As the sun set, the temperature dropped and many people had blankets they had brought. We wore jackets but would have appreciated a blanket ourselves.  The show ran from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m.

25 Aug 2018 (Sat) – We went to Fort Abraham Lincoln today. The Custer House was a recreation of the house General Custer and his wife lived in but all the furnishings and clothing belonged either to them or from that time period (1870s).  The CCC built several buildings on the former compound grounds.  There was a large granary, a barracks with mess hall, a stable, and a commissary that had a snack bar, library, gift shop, and restrooms.  We had a hot dog for lunch.  I’m not really sure what it was we ate.  The dogs they gave us were red.  They put some kind of dye in them.  I was afraid they were soy dogs.  We just ate them.  We then drove to the visitors center where they had a replica of the Slant Indian Village. There were six earth lodges.  They were full size mounds made from logs, branches, and dirt.  They were circular in design and had a fire pit in the center of the lodge with an opening in the roof.  

     It rained again last night but there was (thankfully) no thunder and lightning.  I don’t know why it seems to only rain at night here.

 24 Aug 2018 (Fri) – The most ferocious thunderstorm rolled through during the night.  The first boom literally lifted me out of the bed.  I have never experienced a storm like that one.  There was no wind and very little rain but there was lots of lightning.  So much that it was like daylight.  The thunder was explosive and had a concussive effect.  The thunder rumbled for close to a minute.  The storm was both exhilarating and frightening.

     We went to breakfast at Ramkota Hotel in their Seasons Café.  The food was very good and the ambiance was very attractive.  They definitely like dark wood.  We then went to the Dakota Heritage Center right next to the capitol building.  It had a lot of interesting displays, artifacts, and exhibits but it was laid out in a very confusing way.  We left the center and drove to Longhorn Steakhouse for lunch.  Then we stopped in at Captain Jack’s to pick up some wine and at Target to get groceries. We ran out of rice for Bonnie and were giving her dry dog food with her boiled chicken.  Unfortunately, she got diarrhea so we need to put her back on the rice.  She has developed a really sensitive stomach.

     After dinner, we worked on the mapping the route for our Utah caravan next year.

 23 Aug 2018 (Thu) – We left Garrison around 10:30 a.m.  There were a few sprinkles on the way but the weather was basically clear.  In an hour and a half, we arrived at General Sibley Park & Campground in Bismarck. This is a great campground!  The campsites are very roomy but only have electric hookup.  We had to stop on the way in to fill our tank with fresh water.  There are many trees in the campground but all the underbrush has been cut away and the grass mowed so everything looks open.  

     After set up, we drove into the city and took a tour of the capitol building.  It has a two story building with an 18-story tower added on.  We met the tour guide in the lobby and joined two other couples for a tour of the building.  She took us first to the original part.  It was like walking into the land of Oz.  The hallway ceiling was 40’ and set in an art deco style.  We looked into the Senate and the House chambers.  They only meet every other year so they vote in a two-year budget.  How do they legislate an entire state if they only meet bi-annually?  

     Next was a ride up to the 17th floor to the overview.  We walked out on the deck and admired the view of the surrounding area.  It seemed like you could see forever.

    After the tour of the capitol, we took a tour of the former Governor’s Mansion.  Then we went to lunch at the Blarney Stone Pub.  I had Shepherd’s Pie and Paul had a pasta dish.  Everything was very good.  We then found a post office to mail off some post cards then returned to the campground.

22 Aug 2018 (Wed) – We drove around the area today.  First stop was at the Custer Coal Mine.  It was not owned by General George Custer.  The placards at the area didn’t really explain why it got the name it did.  It was a strip mining operation that mined coal.  There was a small pond to look at.

     We then drove to Fort Stevenson.  One building was on site with display items telling the history of the fort. The actual fort is two miles northwest of the site under water.  Nothing of the original fort remains.  This was the last place General George Custer stayed before he rode off to the Battle of Little Bighorn.

     After the fort, we drove around the state campground.  They have over 100 campsites and only three campers. Apparently this is now their slow season.  The campgrounds only fill up on the weekends.  We guessed that is because North Dakota is so far north that many families cannot camp here and make it back home in time for school.  As a matter of fact, the North Dakota state college classes started this week.  Guess it’s the same across the country.  K-12 usually starts the day after Labor Day.

     Next, we drove into the town of Garrison.  It was small but cute.  After lunch at Ye Olde Malt Shoppe, we strolled up and down the main street.  Lots of businesses called themselves Ye Olde ____.  There was also a bottle shop.  In this state, there are no liquor stores.  They are called bottle shops.  These shops are usually attached to a bar where liquor is served.

     Last stop was at Krause’s Market.  It was a small supermarket but we were able to pick up just about everything we needed.  We came home and grilled corn on the cob.  It was just like back home.  The corn was delicious.  Unfortunately, the flies are horrible.  At they aren’t mosquitoes.  After spending most of the meal swatting the flies away, we put a corn cob at the end of the table.  The flies happily swarmed on it and mostly left us alone for the rest of the meal.

     This has been such a lovely campground.  The weather has been perfect.  The haze from the fires out west were washed out by the last storm and we now have partly cloudy to clear skies.  It’s been in the high 40s in the morning and in the high 70s to low 80s during the day. We can sit on the lake shore and watch the birds swimming in the water and the little chipmunk-like animals scramble among the rocks lining the shoreline.

 21 Aug 2018 (Tue) – We packed up and left Minot AFB at 10:45 a.m. The weather was good and we arrived at our next stop in East Totten Trail Campground at 12:15 p.m.  It is an Army Corps of Engineers site on Lake Audubon. This is one of the nicest campsites we have been in for a long time.  We back up right on to the lake shore.  The sites are spacious with plenty of room for the picnic table and barbecue.

     On the other side of the causeway is Lake Sakakawea (we pronounce it Sacajawea everywhere else).  This is the third largest reservoir in the United States.  Garrison Dam is the fifth largest earthen dam in the world.  The lake is 178 miles long and 14 miles wide. The dam itself is two and half miles long and 210 feet high.  We drove around the area looking at the dam and spillway.  There is also the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge on the lake.

     Next stop was at the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery. Unfortunately, we stopped there 15 minutes before the tank buildings were closing.  We rushed through them to look at the fish.  There were burbot, trout, paddlefish, and two kinds of sturgeon. The pallid sturgeon is on the brink of extinction.  The only thing that has saved it is its longevity.  When the dams were built on the Missouri River, it disrupted the spawning habits of the fish.  It took 20 years to realize that the pallid sturgeon were dying off and another ten years to react and get a program in place.  The fish live 80 to 100 years.  They have to capture fish and take blood samples to find out their gender. The hatchery takes sperm from males and freezes it.  When they get females, they get them to lay their eggs (spawn) and then use the sperm to fertilize the eggs.  It sounds like such a complicated process.  Only about 35% of the little fish released into the river survive.

     After looking in the tanks, we went back into the visitor’s center and spoke with the docents in the building.  It turned out that they are volunteering to help out at the hatchery for the season as part of a workkamping program (many people do workkamping).  The husband and wife were both retired servicemembers.  We spoke about travelling around the U.S. and serving in the military.

     When we left the hatchery, we drove into the nearby town of Coleharbor. It was very small and had no grocery store, no post office, no restaurants, no nothing.  We then drove to the other side of the lake to the town of Riverside.  It was basically the same thing – a small town with nothing.  At the entrance to the campground, there is a service station and an eatery.  We had dinner at the Totten Trail Bar & Grill.  

    Later, after we got back to the campground and spent an hour on the phone trying to get the Dish satellite working, we visited with the couple next to us.  They started full timing a year ago.  We exchanged stories of places to see and things to do.

20 Aug 2018 (Mon) – We drove to the Scandinavian Heritage Park this morning.  It claims to be the only park in the world that represents all five Scandinavian/Nordic countries.  There is a visitor’s center at the front of the park and a plaza with the flags of all five nations.  All of them have the same design with different colors – a solid color background with a cross.  Denmark is a white cross on a red field.  Finland is a light blue cross on a white field.  Iceland has a red flag bordered in white on a dark blue field.  Norway’s flag is a blue cross bordered in white on a red background.  And Sweden is a golden yellow cross on a light blue field.  We wondered if all these countries were once a single nation before dividing into separate entities.  Why do they all have the same design?

    At any rate, there were several different items around the park depicting items from the Scandinavian countries: statues of Hans Christian Anderson, Sondre Norheim (the father of modern skiing), and Casper Oimoen (an Olympic skier); a 30-foot tall Dala horse (a Swedish symbol); replicas of the Gol Stave Church from Norway and a Stabbur (storehouse from Norway).  There was a Sigdal House that was dismantled in Norway and shipped to Minot where it was reassembled.  There were various artifacts in different buildings showcasing beautiful handiwork – knitting, woodwork, trolls, etc.  We strolled around the park enjoying the exhibits for two hours.

    We then went to lunch. Unfortunately, there were no restaurants serving Scandinavian food.  That seemed weird.  In fact, most restaurants in the area were national food chain stores – Olive Garden, Appleby’s, etc.  We went to a place called the Starving Rooster, a bar café.  I had a Caesar salad and Paul had some kind of pasta dish.  It was ok but not what we wanted.

    After lunch, we drove to the Dakota Territory Air Museum.  There were a few military aircraft and lots of civilian planes on display.  Other artifacts were on display as well.  One interesting fact we learned was that two days before D-Day, a directive came down from HQs instructing that all aircraft be painted with three white stripes and two black stripes on the wings (top and bottom) and on the fuselage.  They expected the skies to be crowded with aircraft and wanted the pilots to be able to easily identify the friendly planes.  Very ingenious.

    When we returned to the campground, Paul washed the truck and trailer.

 19 Aug 2018 (Sun) – A vicious thunderstorm rolled through last night. It lasted for more than an hour. At times, there was so much heat lightning that it seemed like daytime - split occasionally by bolts of lightning.

     We packed up and left Grand Forks at 9:45 a.m.  The rain cleared out some of the haze and the skies were partly cloudy during our ride to Minot.  We stopped in Rugby to get pictures at the geographical center of North America. The marker was next to a Mexican Restaurant so we bought lunch while there.  They must make out like bandits because of the monument.

     It was more than four hours to the Air Force Base.  When we arrived, the Outdoor Rec office was closed.  We pulled into an open campsite.  There are six back-in sites in a parking lot with electric and water hookups.  A dump station is down the road.  There is a large playground in back of the parking area.  Several prairie dogs holes dot that area.

18 Aug 2018 (Sat) – We’ve been getting alerts about poor air quality.  Fires in California, Idaho, Montana, and Canada are sending smoke and dirt particulates into the air.  The sky has been hazy even though the weather service has been predicting sunny days.

     We packed up and left Monticello at 9:50 a.m.  Traffic was easy and we arrived in about two hours at Grand Forks AFB FamCamp.  The campground reminds me of Fort Drum’s campground.  It’s kind of remote and at the end of the base.  There are only a few campers here.  They have 61 campsites – 21 are full hookup and the rest are for tents (or boondocking).  We have electric and water.  We didn’t bother connecting the sewer since we are only here for one night.  Paul chose a site right next to the bathhouse so we’re trying to use their toilet instead of ours.

     Once set up, we drove about 25 minutes into the city of Grand Forks. It is a pretty old town with lots of historical buildings.  We ate at the Rhombus Guys Brewing Company.  The service was horrendous.  There was a bridal shower going on but the place never called in extra help.  It was almost an hour and a half before we got our food.  People who came in after us got their food before us and we got our food before people who were seated before us.  There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to how the kitchen was preparing the food.  They were quick to jump in and serve another beer when Paul finished the first but other than that, the waitress barely came by the table.  It was like she was avoiding us.  Probably embarrassed about the long delay.

     After lunch, we walked along the main street and riverwalk.  A memorial tower had been erected in the park to commemorate five floods that have devastated the town.  There were various high water marks on the tower, the highest point occurring in 1997.  As a result, they built a dike system to hold back rising waters.

     On the way back, we stopped at a department store called Home of Economy (weird name, right?).  There were no coffee makers with thermal carafe so we drove to WalMart.  There, we found a Black & Decker coffee maker just as we wanted.  We bought it and returned to the campground then did our laundry on site.

17 Aug 2018 (Fri) – We drove a half hour into Fargo to go to the Fargo Air Museum.  It was small and contained within two hangars.  There were about a dozen planes.  A lot of the exhibits were devoted to aerobatic planes with a few military aircraft on display.  Many uniforms and military paraphernalia were also on display.  A B25 used by four governors was available for visitors to walk into and look around.  

     We left the museum and drove to the Border Town Bar & Grill for lunch.  We enjoyed a taco lavosh.  It was like a pizza but made with a cracker crust.  It was good.  The waitress had a chip on her shoulder and our service suffered for it.  She was one of two girls serving tables and we guessed someone didn’t show up for work or she might have been directed to do something she didn’t like.  Either way, she was certainly letting the patrons know she was not happy.

     After lunch, we stopped at an RV dealer to look at some ice fishing trailers.  We have seen many up north here and wanted to see what they looked like inside.  They’re kind of cool.  There are bunks and kitchens and bathrooms and sealed holes in the floor.  One just had a toilet seat with a space underneath where you would put a bucket. Another had a regular toilet system with a dump valve.  Some had heat, water, a microwave, and a refrigerator.  All the holes in the floor each had a light directed at the hole.  I guess so you could see into the hole when you fish.  People have been using these “ice houses” as regular campers.  We have spotted several in campgrounds.

     Next, we drove to Bonanzaville.  It is a collection of historical buildings and artifacts dating back to settler days.  It is called Bonanzaville because North Dakota used to be known for its Bonanza farms. There were small farms that were basically self-subsisting and then there were large farms that produced more than they needed.  Those were called Bonanza farms.  We strolled along the streets wandering in and out of the old buildings, admiring the exhibits on display.  It was pretty large and took us a couple of hours to go through everything.  A Telephone Museum showed the progression of telecommunications.  Some kids were having fun playing with the phones.  There were a couple of phones set up to call each other.  You could dial a phone across the room, listen to the clicks and whirs of a switching station, hear the telephone ring, then talk to the person who picked up the phone at the other end.  There was also an air museum, a car museum, and a kind of catchall museum with unusual items on display (a glove stretcher, a wooden fishhook from Alaska, pipes from Norwegian settlers, a square knife strop, a dress lifter for ladies crossing muddy streets, etc.).  It was an interesting afternoon.

16 Aug 2018 (Thu) – We pulled up stakes and left Monticello, MN, at 9:20 a.m.  It was 220 miles to Casselton, ND, about 20 miles west of Fargo.  The hotel is a Days Inn but the adjacent campground is called Governors Drive RV Park.  The sites are close and paved with gravel.  We have a pull through with full hookups.  There are about 40 campsites in the campground.

     We stopped at a rest area around noon to make lunch.  When we were finished with our sandwiches, we continued on to our destination.  The weather was perfect and the traffic was mostly not a problem (we had a brief hold up for some construction on I-94).  We checked in at the desk in the hotel and then got set up.  Then we drove to Fargo to pick up some groceries.  We also stopped in at the Information Center and got a map and other brochures about the state.  There was a wood chipper with a fake leg in it for visitors to take pictures with.  This is intended for those persons who watched the movie, Fargo.  In the movie, a crook puts his unfortunate partner in the wood chipper.  The sheriff comes along just as he’s pushing the last leg into the machine.  The funny thing about it all is that the movie was not filmed in Fargo at all.  It was filmed in a town up on the Canadian border and in Minnesota.  The clerk recommended Kroll’s Diner for lunch.  We went to the diner.  It was a 50’s style diner with a counter on one side and booths on the other side. We had a cheese button (similar to a pierogi but four times the size and deep fried) and something unpronounceable. It was like a thin slice of meatloaf inside a pastry that was deep fried.  After lunch, we picked up groceries at WalMart then returned to Casselton.

[thefaeriereview]

   Crash My Heart: An Endangered Mates Novel by Payne Craven

Paranormal Romance

Love Hard. Stay Strong. Save Them. Endangered Mates!

  Seraphina Moon is the last white rhino shifter. Orphaned when she was a child, she was sent to live with a crash of black rhinos for safety, but even they don’t know what she truly is. When she was old enough, she left the Crash behind and moved to Seattle to become an event planner.

But even the best events can get off course when a little romance drops in the picture, and Jaime Fierce, a matchmaking librarian, is set on matching the beautiful Seraphina with the mate of her dreams.

Tantanka “Tank” Oxendine, a hunky bison shifter, is looking for his mate, and his friend Jaime Fierce is only too happy to find the perfect woman for him. He just never expected the event planner in charge of his “Save the Endangered Animals Fundraiser” would be the woman his matchmaker picked out.

Not everything can be scheduled though, and when a known poacher crashes Tank and Seraphina’s party, all hell breaks loose.

Can Seraphina and Tank find a way to stop Richter before he places them in his collection, or are their species doomed when looking down the barrel of a poacher’s scope?

4 out of 5 fairies

Crash My Heart is unique in a wonderful way. First, I love that these are endangered species shifters. Seraphina is amazing and you fall in love with her at the start. Tank is sweet, strong, and determined. I hated Richter immediately. He kind of makes your skin crawl, but he adds an element of thrill and suspense to this beautiful romance. Highly recommend if you like shifter romances and are looking for something a little off the beaten path.

Where to buy: Amazon

  * * * * *

Add to your TBR list

About the Author: Payne Craven is a poet and a paranormal romance writer. Her books have Sexy and badass shifters that are not your average animal. They are all endangered or extinct animal species. She lives in the Pacific Northwest on a Horse Ranch, in a mini home that her husband built. Spending a lot of time at home, she is surrounded by love from her handsome husband Tom, sweet daughter Wynter, and their four rescue cats. Payne is also a licensed hairstylist, and esthetician. When she has free time, Payne enjoys cooking with her daughter, playing games, crafting, and reading. Payne is a nerdy, geeky goth at heart. Zombies and bright green are a few of her favorite things. In fact, she loves zombies so much, she had a zombie wedding. How awesome is that?

Check It Out: Crash My Heart https://ift.tt/3qQ0JW7