Finally, after brushing her long, tangled hair a little, she stepped out of her bedroom and entered the kitchen.

"Well, sleepy-head," her sister chirped. "I'm glad to see you finally got up. I hope you realize it's nearly eight o'clock."

"Eight o'clock?" Kitty asked in a hazy voice. "I only get up that early when I have to go to work. I thought I was on vacation here." She could not help smiling though. She was glad that her sister had not let her sleep too late. She wanted to roam around in the woods some more, and now would have more time to do it. If she hurried, she would be able to catch some of the animals who only came out at night before they slept for the day. Janet placed a plate of eggs and pancakes in front of her, and as she began to eat, she noticed that she was feeling better already.

* * *

Mike Mill tried to relax as he flew at a height of thirty thousand feet above the sun-drenched fields of the mid-west. It had been years since he had been on an airplane, and he had forgotten how peaceful and restful it was, but since it had been so long, he had also forgotten the problems that can arise at an airport. The lines, the pushing, the shoving... he was glad that he had left most of that behind for the harder yet simpler work of teaching migratory farmers. When he had gotten his sister's letter, telling him that her husband had died, he had been very sorry for her. The only time he had met Janet's husband had been at the wedding, and even though he hardly knew the man, he could see that he and his sister were very much in love. The real surprise of Janet's letter, though, had been when she invited him to visit her at her cabin in the Catskills of New York. After he had left New York City, he vowed that he would never return to that rat-race, the same rat-race that had destroyed Janet's husband. When his plane landed at Kennedy International he told himself, he would rent a car and drive out of the city as quickly as he could. He shuddered at the thought of trying to fight the always heavy New York traffic, especially after all these years of being away from it, but he would do that much for his sister... that much and more. And Kitty was going to be there too. That would make it all the more exciting. He hadn't heard from or about his younger sister in a long time. He wondered if she had gotten married, or had found a man at least. She had always been fairly popular with men, easy to get along with, easy to talk to.

As his plane glided high above the clouds, his thoughts drifted from his sisters to a girl he thought he might be in love with, another worker at his camp who had decided that living in the large city was getting her nowhere. He had fucked her several times, and each time was as exciting as the last, sometimes more so. As he closed his eyes, he found that her vision returned to him, her long full red hair streaming down her tapered white back, the full upthrust of her perfect, dark-nippled breasts... her slender waist and the sweeping flare of her hips and voluptuously rounded buttocks. He could almost feel her long legs, the fullness of her cream-white thighs... and the vee of her bright red cuntal curls up between them... He had been loath to leave her for this visit with his sisters... but in the long run, he reasoned, it would be the best thing to do. It would make it all the more exciting when he returned to her. She was the most exciting, most arousing girl he had ever met. He himself would suck... fuck... do anything with a woman that she wanted, but until he met Susan, he had never found a woman that would satisfy his endless sexual appetite who was also intelligent. In Susan he felt he had found the perfect, total woman, and now that he was away from her, he could feel an emptiness that he knew would not leave him until he was once again in her arms... and her bed. Her loving made the hard work of teaching children, many of whom could not speak English, all the more rewarding, and the two had come to be accepted as a mother and father image in the camp where they worked.

And then he decided that he would put her out of his mind for the while. After all, he was going to visit the other women in his life... the only other women he could truthfully say he loved. And judging from the tone of Janet's letter, it would be a visit he would not long forget.

He was finally able to get to sleep, able to relax from all pushing and shoving at the airport where he had boarded his plane. He knew he would have to face the same thing when he got off his plane, but right now, all he wanted to do was sleep.

* * *

Kitty felt so much better after her breakfast that she decided to pack a small lunch and take it with her while she went wandering around the woods. As things turned out, however, she did not leave as soon as she wanted. She and her sister began talking again of their childhood, and before Kitty knew it, it was time for lunch. Their conversation meandered from one topic to another, each sister not only catching up on details of the lives of their old friends, but exploring each other's feelings about each other. Janet told of her more intimate life with her husband, how much they had loved each other, how he wanted nothing but the best for her and had worked himself to death trying to give it to her.

"That shows a very great love," Kitty commented. "There are not many men who would do that for a woman."

"That may be," retorted Janet, "but if he had really loved me, he would be here with me today. In a sense, I guess you could say he left me. Not for another woman, of course, like what happened to you, but that does not make the pain any less hard to take."

From time to time, as the sisters talked, Johnny would come in and listen for a while. When he had had enough, he would go outside and play, returning again and listening for a while longer. Kitty found, during the course of the morning, that she was becoming very fond of the young boy. He had all of his father's traits that Kitty could remember from having met Janet's husband, and the younger woman could tell by the way Janet acted toward her son that he had been a child of love. Kitty had never thought it was possible to be closer to her sister than she had gotten the night before, but she was wrong. As the women talked and shared their deepest, innermost secrets, Kitty felt a fresh, vibrant wave come over her. Although neither of them mentioned the night before, Kitty had the feeling that something like that might happen again. She was determined that she would not force it, though. Love between people, Kitty knew, is not forced. It just happens.

In time, Kitty decided that she would end the conversation and spend the rest of the day in the woods. She did not feel as though she had wasted time talking to her sister, but the forest was just too lovely for her to stay inside any longer. She had enough of that when she lived in the city.

"What time will Mike be here?" Kitty asked her sister.

"Well... his plane lands around noon... figure about three hours or so to drive up here from Kennedy... although if I know Mike, he'll probably get lost..." Both sisters laughed... "I guess he'll be here around five or so."

Kitty nodded, pleased that she would have a great deal of time left in the day to walk around. She wanted to be there when her older brother arrived.

"Are you sure you don't mind that I'm leaving you all alone with all the work of making dinner?" Kitty asked, suddenly feeling a little guilty.

"Oh, for Christ's sake," her sister scolded lightly, "you're my guest... and my sister. I haven't done anything like cook for a man since... I became a widow. I used to wander around the woods when I first got here, so I know what it's like. Besides, I wouldn't want to let my cooking talents slip. You know what they say about too many cooks."

Kitty could tell that her sister was sincere in her desire to do all the cooking alone. Again she felt a fresh wave of happiness come over her. She couldn't believe that it was so easy to feel good. Yes, she thought to herself, it will be a real shame, almost a tragedy to leave this place and go back to St. Louis.

* * *

Even though Kitty had lost all track of time while she wandered around in the wooded hills, she managed to make it back to her sister's cabin before Mike had arrived. She was happy that she had not missed the arrival of her brother, and she was glad that he had called Janet and told her that he would be arriving at about six in the evening. That gave Kitty time to take a bath and get dressed in a way that she knew would please her older brother.

During her sister's absence, Janet had prepared a meal that would please a king, going all out to make the things she remembered her brother liked a deep pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy and a beautiful green salad. She had even gone so far as to travel into the nearest town and buy a bottle of French wine, something she knew would impress Mike.

Janet too, decided that she wanted to dress up for him. After all, she, like her sister, had not seen him in years, and she wanted to look her best. Living in the woods, the nicest thing she had was a pretty cotton skirt with matching blouse, something she only wore on special occasions. Until her brother had told her he was coming, she had never had a reason to wear it.

Kitty made her appearance from her bedroom wearing a short print dress of Indian silk, light blue and yellow in color. Her small halter did not permit her to wear a bra, which was fine with her, since she rarely wore them any more. She had wondered if perhaps the outfit was a little garish and revealing for her brother, but her fears were laid aside when she saw Janet's reaction.

"Sayyyyyy, Sis," the older woman said, "you look like you're dressed to kill."

Kitty blushed, surprisingly for her. Then Janet made the comment that her younger sister was not wearing any pantyhose either, causing Kitty's blush to deepen in color. As she lowered her head, her chin rested lightly on the loosely hanging thin metal chain she was wearing around her neck. She hadn't thought about it until Janet called it to her attention, but she had indeed dressed as though she was meeting a boy who was about to take her out on her first date.

However, even Janet could not hide her excitement as she waited for Mike to arrive, and both women sat by the window, making small talk and almost staring out, looking for his car. They were both acting like school children waiting for their father to come home from a long trip, and this thought made them giddy.

And then, after what seemed like an eternity, they saw a car pull up next to the house. Janet jumped from her seat, but she was a little slower than her younger sister, who not only jumped from her chair, but ran outside, throwing herself in her brother's arms as he stepped from the car.

"Oh, Mike, Mike, Mike, you're here! You're finally here!" she said as she pressed her head to his shoulder.

Mike was a little taken aback by his younger sister's enthusiasm, and the force of her running into his muscular body nearly threw him against the car. Soon, though, he regained his bearings, and he placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away from his slightly, his face split with an ear to ear grin.

"Yeah, Sis, I'm here. Now let me take a good look at you. My God, you've grown up. You look beautiful, Kitty. You really do. I had no idea how much I missed you until right now," said her brother.

Kitty could not suppress her child-like laughter as she and her brother walked with their arms around each other back into Janet's cabin. Mike hadn't changed a bit, as far as Kitty was concerned. He was a little taller, a little more muscular, more evenly tanned, but aside from that, he was the same person she had remembered. His faded jeans and patched workshirt added to his rugged appearance, and everything about him exhibited the fact that he was a very striking man, a man who knew what he wanted for himself, and would be satisfied with nothing else.

As brother and sister entered the cabin, Mike stopped while he looked over Janet. Her happy tension was obvious as she stood in the middle of the living room, unaware of what to do as she allowed her eyes to focus on the tall, athletic frame. Sitting next to her was Duke, watching with interest as the strange man entered his mistress's home. Even though he had never seen this man before, he could sense that he was welcome by both of the women in his life, and that was good enough for him. He waited for Janet to say something that would let him know what he should do, though, as he sniffed intently, hoping that he might be able to pick up some clue as to who this stranger was.

"Hello, Mike," said Janet. Her voice was low, and she was a little surprised to feel that she was shaking all over. She too, felt as though she was meeting a blind date, and she wished she could have released her tension as her sister had. It was one of the few times in her life when she did not know what to do. She hadn't seen her brother in so long... and she wanted everything to be the way it had been when they were children. Would her older brother feel the same way.

Mike stopped dead in his tracks and Kitty moved away from him. She had never known her sister to be so tense before, but she could see that it was a happy tension. "Hello, Janet," her brother said, and he walked over to her and gave her a big hug. Instantly, all of Janet's tension washed away, and she allowed herself to break down into tears of joy.

"Oh, Mike, you've come home. I've missed you so much... I was afraid that you had changed somehow, that you might have forgotten what we all meant to each other when we were children," she cried.

Mike could not help but smile. "I have changed, Jan," he informed her. "I've become more loving, more concerned for the feelings of people. And I've missed you, too... you and Kitty."

The three of them sat down on the couch, and there was a moment of silence.

"So tell me what you've been doing," both Janet and Mike began at exactly the same time. They laughed at the happy coincidence. Kitty had to fight back another rush of sentiment when that happened. There was so much to talk about, so much to catch up on that none of them knew where to begin.

"Oh, I have to run into the kitchen for a minute, Mike, and make sure everything is ready," Janet said, getting up off the couch. "You know, your coming had put me in a wild spin all day. I hope dinner will turn out all right. It's been quite a while since I've cooked for... well, for a man."

The older woman left the living room, and Kitty and Mike sat and looked at each other. "Janet bought some wine," the younger sister said. "Would you like some before dinner?"

"Yes, please," her brother answered. "The drive was really something. I could use a drink to calm down."

Kitty entered the kitchen, and she and her sister exchanged knowing smiles while the younger woman poured three glasses of wine. In a few moments, the two sisters returned to Mike for some conversation before dinner. Mike couldn't help noticing how beautiful his sisters had become, especially Kitty. The older brother and younger sister had always had a special relationship with each other, and Mike was glad to know that it had not changed.

"You know," he said, looking down at his drink while his sisters watched him, "it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful the two of you are. Especially you, Sis," he added, raising his head and looking at Kitty, who was sitting next to Janet on the older woman's couch opposite him. The younger girl flushed with embarrassment at his compliment. "Oh, Mike," she replied softly, "you were always able to say just the right thing. You could always make me feel good."

"I hope it does make you feel good, Sis, because you know that I mean every word of it," her brother replied.

The three of them took a few more sips of their drinks, and finally broke into an easy, friendly conversation. Mike told them of his life with the farmers, of the girl he had found and his feelings for her. All the while, he looked again and again at his younger sister. He had never seen her look so lovely before, and he was getting thoughts that bothered him. She was beautiful. Her young girlish body, the one he remembered, had matured into the round, soft fullness of a full fledged woman, and the closeness he felt for her was becoming something different than anything he had ever felt before. He had always loved her when they were growing up... loved her perhaps more than a brother usually loves a sister.

Kitty, too, was feeling a little different than she had expected. She noticed that her brother was staring at her, and even though she felt a little uneasy with his glances, she also found that she enjoyed his stares, and she shifted her body in such a way that her short dress rose slightly along her thighs, exposing a great deal of her shapely legs to her brother's obviously interested glance. Yet she was not teasing her brother. After what had happened between her and her sister the night before, she wanted to let her brother know that she could express love for him in a way she had never been able to before. She was not certain, however, how he felt about it. He might read everything wrong.

"And so," Mike concluded his story, "here I am. Now, suppose you tell me what's been happening with the two of you."

Both Janet and Kitty spoke freely, the tension of seeing their brother for the first time in so long lifted as they renewed their friendship. Janet told of her life with her husband and how she had felt after his death. Kitty told of her lover, nearly breaking into tears when she told her brother how she had been hurt by the experience. All the while, Mike remained silent, his mind focusing on her words, but his eyes resting again and again on the shapely smoothness of her legs and the full, heaving mounds of her breasts. Against his will, he could feel his cock lurch in his pants. Was she coming on to him? He couldn't be sure. She was not acting in a teasing manner, but she seemed to be offering him her body, something he could not quite understand. While he listened to her, he noticed that she had grown up in more ways than mere physical maturity. She was no longer his kid sister. She acted as though she had become a woman in the years he had been gone from her. As she described her sex life with the man who had hurt her so, Mike was amazed that she could talk about it so casually and freely. That was something she would not have been able to do in her earlier years. She was also speaking freely of her sexual depravation. Mike wasn't sure if it was the liquor affecting her conversation, but he did know that all this talk was making him very aroused... and the object of his arousement was his younger sister!

Janet mentioned that it was about time for dinner, and she left Kitty and Mike alone for a few moments while she went to prepare the table. As she left, Mike moved to her seat next to Kitty. She had been talking about how lonely she felt after her lover had left her and had worked herself to a case of tears. In a brotherly manner, Mike took her hand and held it gently in his own, offering her all the comfort he could. She responded to his comfort by letting her body go limp against his while she cried on his shoulder, allowing all her sadness over the experience come out. He stroked her long blonde hair softly, gently, and he felt her body relax even more against his. Surprised slightly, Kitty nevertheless felt her breath shorten a bit, while impulsive thrills of warm delight raced through her belly. Then he drew her to him in a brotherly hug, his lips kissing her on the cheek as her arms slipped around his neck in response. His open hand smoothed lightly over the exposed flesh of her back to hug her tightly again. Then he planted fervent kisses on her forehead, pressuring down firmly... and even though he wanted to, he went no further.

"I think dinner should be about ready," she whispered, her breath oddly heavy when they broke their embrace, neither one brave enough to admit what they were feeling for each other at that moment. "And after dinner, Janet has some really fine pot. Something to really liven things up a bit."

Mike smiled at her as they stood up and joined Janet in the dining room. "Now, that's something I could really enjoy," he told her as he placed his arm around her waist and walked through the house. As they were about to enter the dining room, he could not suppress a warm feeling of love rushing over him at seeing her again after al! these years. She had certainly changed. She was so sweet and sensitive... he could see that she had been more deeply hurt by what had happened to her with her lover. It seemed to him that she was afraid that she would not be able to fall in love with another man again. He wanted to show her that she could. He wanted to teach her that it would again be possible. Too bad she was his sister. She was such a lovely, luscious person. It was all he could do to fight back the urges he felt to take her in his arms, to press his lips against hers, to let himself fall freely into an embrace that was something other than brotherly love.

It was as though Kitty had read his mind, for just before they entered the dining room, while they were still out of sight from her older sister, she turned her head toward his and placed her lips firmly on his surprised mouth. They pulled each other's bodies tightly, and it was only at Mike's insistence that they finally pulled their bodies away from each other. Kitty was afraid that she might have pushed him too far, done something he did not understand, and they entered the dining room in a slightly tense silence.