Harvest Moons Read Free Page A

fall festival, not this
month but next month on the first two moon night. Everyone is invited and
brings a dish to share. You should come, meet some neighbors,” Fallon said.
    “Sounds lovely. But I can’t leave the
Synths…they are too young to leave alone.” She would not lock them up somewhere
like animals.
    “Bring them.  There will be children
everywhere.”
    Polly smiled. “Then I will come and bring
persicherri pie.”
    Fallon’s white teeth gleamed in the dim
light. “I do love a good pie. Not much pie on our Steading since Maureen
passed. None of us have the knack.”
    Fallon took his leave and she wondered
briefly if the seedlings and the fruit would fit in his clothes satchel. She
was tempted for a moment to slip up to the loft and peak into the front yard,
to watch him disrobe and shimmer into horse shape. She restrained herself. Her interest
was mostly in seeing him nude again, and those kinds of thoughts lead to
nothing but trouble.
    ~**~
     
    It was late, but the two bright moons
flooded the farm with light and Polly could not sleep. The grain harvest was
done, thanks to the Shimmer boys, and the Grain Collective had landed on her
dirt port this morning, weighed her grain, studied its purity and paid her a
nice sum. All the hours she’d spent weeding her crops had paid off, her
variable seed was under five percent. She was so excited about the extra
thousand credits she could not calm down.
    Chortlers whistled their evening calls in
the brush land that bordered the garden and a sweet scent from her fruit vines,
was carried on the warm breeze. Contentment flooded her heart. She loved this
land, this home, fiercely, and it was hers now. Tonight she would pick fruit
until she felt able to sleep. The vines were heavy, she would be pitting and
canning for several days. She’d sent the boys home with two large bags of fruit
after the grain was loaded and she still had several hours of work ahead of her.
     Polly picked for some time until her
arms and shoulders ached, when she heard a thud of horse hooves. Fallon!  She
went to the front of the enclosure and looked for the Shimmer who was on her
land.
    The large black stallion on the edge of
her harvested grain field came to a halt, head raised high, the nostrils wide,
testing the breeze.
    “Fallon?” she called.
    The horse cantered into her yard and
stopped at the enclosure. He shimmered into human form, naked in the moonlight.
Polly’s tiredness vanished, replaced by a deep awareness of his body. She
couldn’t help but stare, he was perfection, every hard muscle calling to her to
touch.
    “Polly. I didn’t think you would be
awake. Or picking fruit this late.”
    She dialed down the light in the
enclosure and grabbed the tub of fruit.
    “I was just finishing. I need to get
these into the cooler. Tomorrow the girls will help me pit them. I’ll can most
of the but  was thinking of drying some of them, for baked goods.” Her words
were rushed and breathy as she tried to disguise the sudden rush of heat that engulfed
her.
    He came closer as she opened the door and
set the tub down, wiping her hands on her grubby apron.
     “It is probably not safe for you to be
out here alone so late.”
    Polly couldn’t help it. She couldn’t take
her eyes off his mouth, his eyes…
    “I…I couldn’t sleep.” Looking deep into
his eyes, his face shadowed, with the glow from the double moon lighting his blue
eyes, deep pools that mesmerized her. Neither spoke, staring at each other in
the moonlight. His presence was overwhelming, and all her plans and decisions
fled. She raised her hands and slid them up his firm, hot chest to his shoulders,
reveling in the smooth skin and hard muscles under her hands.
    His arms clamped around her and his mouth
found hers, tongue rushing to her, devouring her in a rush of electric passion.
    “I wanted to see you.” His mouth nuzzled
down her neck, making tingle, making her knees weak. The heat of his hard  flesh
pressed