Almost Home (28 page)
She looked disappointed. Hell, he was disappointed.
But he didn't think he could kiss her again and stop.
"I guess I better leave then." She paused. "If
you're sure?"
He hesitated. There was something he'd been thinking
about all day, something he'd been telling himself not to do all day. But
instead of suggesting she go home, he found himself taking her hand.
"You
can leave in a minute,"
he said.
"Where are we going?"
He didn't reply, and Katherine asked him where they
were going three more times as they walked through barns and across paddocks.
Zach knew he couldn't describe it with words, so he simply kept walking.
"I don't like this mysterious side of you,"
Katherine said with annoyance as Zach took her through one barn and out the
next.
"You're an impatient woman, aren't you? Don't you
like surprises?"
"I don't know. I'm not sure." Katherine had
to jog to keep up with him. Finally he stopped in front of a door to a smaller
building. He opened it, but she hesitated to step inside as it was completely dark.
"What's this?"
"It's a storage room. Go on." He gave her a
gentle push and she walked into the darkness. Almost immediately she turned
back toward Zach, reassuring herself that he was right behind her by placing
her hand on his arm.
"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?" he
asked.
"Sometimes. Night has never been my favorite time
of day. My mother died late at night. I guess I've always felt a little scared
after the sun goes down."
"I think I can change your mind," Zach said
quietly. "Because night is my absolute favorite time of day." He took
her by the hand and led her farther into the room.
"Isn't there a light?"
"A light would spoil it. Trust me, Kat. I'll
protect you."
He didn't mean it as a lifetime promise, but she knew
in that split second that she did trust him. He was a hard man, complicated,
but he could be depended on; she had not one doubt about that. So she followed
him, trying to ignore the dancing shadows, the odd creak, the heavy air that
sizzled with anticipation.
He stopped in front of a ladder propped up against a
wall of hay bales. "Climb up."
"You want me to climb up this ladder?" she
echoed.
"No, the beanstalk. Of course, the ladder."
She eyed it warily. "Where does it go?"
"You'll find out when you get there. Come on.
Live a little dangerously. You can't come all the way to
Katherine debated for one long moment, then put her
hands on either side of the ladder and began to climb. She wasn't big on
heights or on ladders, and was relieved to feel Zach's presence behind her.
When she finally reached the top of the ladder, she
was able to climb out on a wide ledge of hay. A stream of moonlight came
through a skylight in the roof, light that had been undetectable down below
because the high walls of hay on three out of four sides had isolated the
moonbeams into one dazzling circle of light.
"It's spectacular," she murmured, sitting
back on her heels as she looked up at the sky. Through the clear panes of
glass, she could see the moon and an endless parade of glittering stars.
Zach climbed up next to her, then pushed her gently
into the soft hay. "Lie back. It's the best way to see it."
Katherine did as she was told, pillowing her head with
one hand. In the dark barn, the stars seemed overly bright, a million tiny dots
of light. She felt transported into the universe. It was like having their own
private planetarium. Incredible. Magical.
Zach slid down beside her on the soft hay. His arm and
leg touched hers as he lay close to her, as close as if they were in bed
together. "I found this place on my first day here," he said quietly.
"In the daytime it's nothing special, but at night I feel like I could
walk on the moon, like anything is possible."
Katherine turned her head, watching the emotions play
across his face in the moonlight. "Anything is possible."
"Growing up on the street, I never thought much
about looking up. It was safer to look down, to be small, to become invisible
to any eyes but your own.
"I don't think I ever really saw a sky like this
until I came here," Zach continued. "I originally snuck up here to
hide a stash of food, figuring I might need it sometime. But when it got dark
and I saw the stars and the moon, I had the feeling that maybe there was
something else in the world for me besides my father's droppings."
Katherine picked up a piece of hay between her fingers
and twirled it around. "You really love this place, don't you? I don't
mean this haystack, I mean the farm, the land."
"It's home," he said simply. "I never
had one until we came to
Stanton saved me. Gave me a job, a place to live, a life. The first sixteen
years of my life were pretty bad, but the last eighteen have been damn good."
"Do you think you'll stay here forever?"
"I hope so. Harry has hinted that he's thinking
about leaving the farm to me, and though I'd rather have him alive and well for
another twenty years, I wouldn't mind taking over after he's gone. I'd finally
have something of my own."
Katherine knew exactly what he meant. She wanted
something of her own, too, a small patch of land, a legacy to pass on to her
children. "I'd like to have something, too," she murmured. "Putting
that garden to right felt empowering. Digging out weeds and freeing up the
roots to breathe, saving a tiny blossom from being buried under overgrowth,
made me feel so good. I don't think I can go back to my old job, to my rooftop
garden with the hot tar under my feet and the smog clouding the air. I want
some dirt of my own to till and seed and harvest. I know it probably sounds
crazy…"
Zach raised himself up on one elbow. "It doesn't
sound crazy at all. What's stopping you?"
"A week ago I would have said my stepfather,
because he was so happy having me work at the company with him. After my mother
died, I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was hard. One minute
she was there and the next she was gone."
"That must have been tough."
"Well, after hearing the way you grew up, it
doesn't even compare." She paused. "I know you think I'm a romantic
optimist, but that's more on the outside than the inside. I want to believe in
everything good and wonderful, but deep down I'm a little scared."
"We all are. So tell me what you would do with
your life, if you could do anything you wanted."
"Open my flower shop, have a greenhouse, a
nursery off to the side where I can grow my own plants. Maybe a little plot of
land, a big house in the country, a water fountain and a bird feeder." She
smiled at him, knowing she was getting carried away. "I don't want much,
do I?"
"Actually, you don't," he said, sounding
surprised. "But sometimes the grass looks greener…"
"In
she said dryly.
"They have some open land in
"Yes, there are at least ten reasons why I should
do this in
not here," she said with irritation.
"And you've written them all down in your
notebook."
"You bet."
"So which state won out,
"I don't know. They both have something to offer."
"Look! Did you see that?" he asked, pointing
to the sky.
"A shooting star," she said, watching the
light streak across the sky. "Did you make a wish?"
"Was I supposed to?"
She laughed and punched him lightly on the arm.
"Yes,
you were supposed
to. Just like you're supposed to wish on the first star you see at night."
"Why?"
"Because it's magic."
"And here you were just trying to tell me you're
really a cynic."
"I don't know what I am anymore," she
replied with a sigh. "Do you know any of the constellations?"
"Are you kidding? I'm not sure half the time if I'm
looking at a star or a plane."
She laughed. "I don't know either. But it's a lot
harder to see the stars where I live. Here everything seems so much brighter."
He rolled over on his side, not looking at the sky
anymore but at her. "I thought about bringing you up here all day."
"You did?" she asked, hearing a breathless
catch in her voice. It was impossible not to feel unsettled by his dark gaze,
by their intimate surroundings.
"I told myself not to. Figured it would be a big
mistake."
"Why?"
"Because I'd want to kiss you again."
She swallowed nervously, watching the desire flare in
his eyes. "Do you want to kiss me?"
He answered her question by leaning over and pressing
his lips against hers. His mouth was warm. His breath tasted like cinnamon. Hot
and cool sensations washed over her as he parted her lips and slipped his
tongue inside her mouth, taking her intimately, without question, without
restraint.
There was no gentle unfolding of passion, just a burst
of pleasure and need and desire. Katherine put her hand around the back of his
neck and brought him closer.
He pressed his body into hers as she lay back in the
soft hay. His head blocked out the moon and the stars, until there was nothing
but darkness, nothing but him—his mouth, his fingers, his hair brushing her
cheek, his breath mingling with hers, his leg separating her thighs.
He raised his head for a moment, and she felt cold and
lost and shivery. He looked into her eyes, a dark passionate question burning
through the silence. "I want to do more than kiss you. I want to know you
inside and out."
His bold statement gave her a thrill of secret
pleasure. She'd never seen so much need in a man's eyes, need for her, only
her.
"I want to know you, too, Zach."
"Are you sure? You have to be sure. I'm not
taking this. You're giving it to me."
"I'm sure."
She lifted her head to meet him halfway. There was no
shyness, no holding back, only desire running rampant between them.
Katherine unbuttoned his shirt with shaky, impatient
fingers, slipping the material off of his chest and his shoulders until it fell
aside. Then she delighted herself in running the palms of her hands across his
broad chest, his dark hair, twirling the strands between her fingers as she
stroked and caressed and brought a moan to his lips.
He returned the favor, pulling her top over her head,
cupping her breasts with his hands, his fingers on fire against the black lace
of her bra. Then he looked at her, his gaze drifting from her eyes to her mouth
to her breasts. The action was so deliberate she felt like he'd branded her
with each glance.
He straddled her body, then reached out a rough thumb
to trace the edge of her bra, teasing the valley between her breasts, until
they began to ache with want. Finally he slid a finger beneath the material and
touched the sensitive area around her nipple.
She gasped, the pleasure so pure, so deep, so unbelievably
good.
He smiled at her. "You like this?" he asked,
his voice low and husky.
"It's not bad," she said breathlessly.
"I could make it better—if we get rid of this."
He opened the clasp between her breasts and pushed her bra aside. "Very
nice."
She felt her nipples harden just at the look in his
eyes. But when he put his hands on her bare breasts, she felt like she was
about to come undone.
"Oh, Zach," she murmured.
He leaned over and kissed her all the while his hands
teased and tormented her breasts. She began to shift restlessly, feeling his
body pressing against hers, but there were too many barriers between them.
Her restless movements drew his mouth away from her
lips. But he didn't go far, sliding over to her earlobe, her neck, her
collarbone. He seemed to know instinctively what she wanted and how to please
her. His mouth dropped to her breasts and he tongued one nipple into a tight
hard point. She shamelessly pressed his head against her breast, wanting more
and more and more.
"Beautiful Kat," he murmured, lifting his
head. She pulled at the snap on his jeans.
"Impatient Kat," he added.
"You're wearing too many clothes."
"So are you."
"I will if you will," she said recklessly.
"You first." He moved aside.
She licked her lips somewhat nervously, then
unbuttoned her jeans and pushed them down her legs, wiggling to get them off of
her ankles.