In the Grass under Trees (Chimerical, Copse.)
Chimerical
In the Grass under Trees
Copse - a thicket of small trees or bushes; a small wood
Rating: G
There was a gathering of trees in the main broodmare paddock. It was a motley crew, left to the elements and the horses. She first noticed it only because she would always find Wonder grazing between the tree trunks, her honey chestnut coat dappled with shadows.
When she could find the time, she started to sit with the mare in the trees. Wonder would graze, and Ashleigh would doze in the grass with the spring breeze whispering through the leaves. When the mare had a foal, it wasn’t uncommon for the baby to stumble over Ashleigh’s legs and accidentally sample the dark strands of her hair that would tangle in the bright green of the grass. It was her own little place, hers and the mare’s, and when she was there time stopped.
Eventually, where she went in the downtime stopped being such a secret, but no one bothered her. Not even him. He left it to her, let her bring him to it, and so it made a certain amount of sense that this was where he would propose. This was where they got married, with the spring light shining in patches down to the grass.
This was where she was now, stretched in the grass with a smile on her face. The mare stood nearby, her tail swishing over the back of her new filly foal. The baby was smaller than her others, an initial disappointment in Brad’s eyes, but Ashleigh was optimistic. All she needed was the reminder of the mare, her constant, but now with one hand resting on her stomach and the other digging into the thick carpet of grass her mind was worlds away.
She was waiting for the sound of him. She would wait all day.
His shadow fell over her face, a cool slip of air in an already fresh spring day. She fought the grin that threatened to spill across her lips, was resolved to keep her eyes closed even when she heard the shuffle of boots in the thick bluegrass.
“I got your note, Mrs. Townsend,” he said, and she broke, laughing at his fingers on her ribcage. She opened her eyes and there he was, hovering over her with his weight on one arm. “What are we, in high school?”
“You never get tired of calling me that,” she mused, putting her hands on his sides. “Was it really so surprising?”
“Yes.” He leaned down, kissing her, lingering. “It always surprises me.”
She rolled them to their sides and pressed against him. Their legs tangled, grass stains added to already dirty jeans while she kissed him and nearly, but not quite, forgot the purpose of sticking that little Post-It note to the office door to begin with. She was breathless when she pulled away; evaded him when he moved in for another kiss, oblivious for the moment that it is the middle of the day and work at Townsend Acres never slowed down. They were, without fail, needed somewhere.
She hesitated. Pressed so close and hesitating seemed weird to her, but it happened anyway as she tried to remember the words she’d chosen earlier. They were lost to her, stubbornly refusing to present themselves while he looked at her curiously, bordering a little on concern.
It was time to just blurt it out.
“You and me,” she said, her fingers traveling down to his jaw. “We’re going to have a baby.”
He looked at her for longer than she would have liked without saying a thing. Finally he narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, then shut it. Opened it again and asked, “And you’re sure it’s mine?”
It must have been the hormones, because she smacked his shoulder a little harder than she should have and sat bolt upright. “I am pregnant, Brad Townsend. You are going to be a father. I hope-”
He tugged her back down to him, holding her to his chest, and smiled as he kissed her.
“What do you hope?” he asked against her mouth. She pulled back to look at him, and then kissed him quickly.
“That it’s a boy.”
“And here I’m hoping for a girl.”
“I guess we’re at an impasse.”
“Seems so,” he said, pushing her hair from her face and propping himself up on his elbows. “But what else is new?”
“This isn’t big enough news?” she asked, sitting up in his lap. He laughed quietly and followed her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressed his mouth to her neck.
“Ash,” he said against her skin, kissing her. “This is big enough for a lifetime.”
She stroked his fingers over his hair, and sank into him, oblivious to all but this.
In the Grass under Trees
Copse - a thicket of small trees or bushes; a small wood
Rating: G
There was a gathering of trees in the main broodmare paddock. It was a motley crew, left to the elements and the horses. She first noticed it only because she would always find Wonder grazing between the tree trunks, her honey chestnut coat dappled with shadows.
When she could find the time, she started to sit with the mare in the trees. Wonder would graze, and Ashleigh would doze in the grass with the spring breeze whispering through the leaves. When the mare had a foal, it wasn’t uncommon for the baby to stumble over Ashleigh’s legs and accidentally sample the dark strands of her hair that would tangle in the bright green of the grass. It was her own little place, hers and the mare’s, and when she was there time stopped.
Eventually, where she went in the downtime stopped being such a secret, but no one bothered her. Not even him. He left it to her, let her bring him to it, and so it made a certain amount of sense that this was where he would propose. This was where they got married, with the spring light shining in patches down to the grass.
This was where she was now, stretched in the grass with a smile on her face. The mare stood nearby, her tail swishing over the back of her new filly foal. The baby was smaller than her others, an initial disappointment in Brad’s eyes, but Ashleigh was optimistic. All she needed was the reminder of the mare, her constant, but now with one hand resting on her stomach and the other digging into the thick carpet of grass her mind was worlds away.
She was waiting for the sound of him. She would wait all day.
His shadow fell over her face, a cool slip of air in an already fresh spring day. She fought the grin that threatened to spill across her lips, was resolved to keep her eyes closed even when she heard the shuffle of boots in the thick bluegrass.
“I got your note, Mrs. Townsend,” he said, and she broke, laughing at his fingers on her ribcage. She opened her eyes and there he was, hovering over her with his weight on one arm. “What are we, in high school?”
“You never get tired of calling me that,” she mused, putting her hands on his sides. “Was it really so surprising?”
“Yes.” He leaned down, kissing her, lingering. “It always surprises me.”
She rolled them to their sides and pressed against him. Their legs tangled, grass stains added to already dirty jeans while she kissed him and nearly, but not quite, forgot the purpose of sticking that little Post-It note to the office door to begin with. She was breathless when she pulled away; evaded him when he moved in for another kiss, oblivious for the moment that it is the middle of the day and work at Townsend Acres never slowed down. They were, without fail, needed somewhere.
She hesitated. Pressed so close and hesitating seemed weird to her, but it happened anyway as she tried to remember the words she’d chosen earlier. They were lost to her, stubbornly refusing to present themselves while he looked at her curiously, bordering a little on concern.
It was time to just blurt it out.
“You and me,” she said, her fingers traveling down to his jaw. “We’re going to have a baby.”
He looked at her for longer than she would have liked without saying a thing. Finally he narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, then shut it. Opened it again and asked, “And you’re sure it’s mine?”
It must have been the hormones, because she smacked his shoulder a little harder than she should have and sat bolt upright. “I am pregnant, Brad Townsend. You are going to be a father. I hope-”
He tugged her back down to him, holding her to his chest, and smiled as he kissed her.
“What do you hope?” he asked against her mouth. She pulled back to look at him, and then kissed him quickly.
“That it’s a boy.”
“And here I’m hoping for a girl.”
“I guess we’re at an impasse.”
“Seems so,” he said, pushing her hair from her face and propping himself up on his elbows. “But what else is new?”
“This isn’t big enough news?” she asked, sitting up in his lap. He laughed quietly and followed her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressed his mouth to her neck.
“Ash,” he said against her skin, kissing her. “This is big enough for a lifetime.”
She stroked his fingers over his hair, and sank into him, oblivious to all but this.