Escaping the Past (Wester Farms) (24 page)

“Oh, much better than that,” he mumbled, capturing her mouth with his.

He grabbed her hips and lifted her slightly.
He slid out, hovering at her entrance.
She gasped. Then she sank down on him again. She quickly found a rhythm and kept it, his tongue in her mouth and one hand manipulating her nipple. Her legs began to shake and he whispered in her ear, “Sit up.” She did and she felt all of him. She threw her head back in abandon and moved up and down as he cupped one breast in each hand. He flicked his thumbs across her nipples. Her movements became jerky, her breathing labored. She continued to rise and fall against him. He reached between them and found her pleasure center. She gasped, sank down on him and a million stars exploded behind her eyes. Brody shuddered beneath her as she collapsed against his chest.

Lou lay on top of him for a few long moments, drawing in deep breaths that matched his own. Then she started to move away from him. He pulled her back down. “Don’t go yet.”

She sat up on her elbows, her dark hair hanging in her face. He tucked it behind her ear and kissed her gently. “I could look at you like this all night.”

“You could, but you’re not going to.” She moved away from him, feeling him withdraw from her body. She opened the door of the Jeep and stepped out, naked, her clothes in her hand, completely unashamed. She began to dress. “You can’t because you are going back home and I’m staying here.”

“You knew that’s what I was going to do, Lou.” He sighed.

“Yes. I did,” she stated calmly.

“Then why do you seem disappointed?” he asked calmly as he lifted his rear and pulled his boxers and pants up.

“I’m not disappointed.” She replied calmly.
Let him think it’s not about us
. “I’m worried.”

“About?”

“About what’s going to happen to the farm
.
To our jobs.” To you. To me. What have we started?

“To us?” Brody asked quietly.

“I’m not worried about what’s going to happen to us.”

“You’re not?”

“No.”
Liar!
h
er inner voice screamed.
You’re such a liar!
“There is no us.”

Brody gritted his teeth. “I already told you I have to talk with the attorneys to find out what my mother’s plans were for the farm. She could have deeded it to a charity
,
for all I know.”

“You never asked her?” Lou asked incredulously.

“Lou, I just came home for the first time in years. My mother was dying when I got here.” He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I certainly wasn’t going to say, ‘Hey, Mom! Long time, no see. What are your plans for all your assets?’”

Lou rolled her eyes.

“When you find out, will you let me know?”
Her voice was quiet. So choked with emotion that she was ashamed of herself.

“You’ll be one of the first people I tell.” He crossed his heart with his fingers. “I promise.”

Lou tucked her shirt into her pants and climbed back into the Jeep. She adjusted her pants and said, “I couldn’t find my panties. Help me find them, will you?” She looked under the seat. Brody reached into his pocket and withdrew a lacy slip of fabric.

He held them out, “Do you mean these?” He grinned wolfishly at her.

She reached for them and he pulled them out of her grasp, grinning wildly, stuffing them back in the pocket. “You’ll just have to do without. Because those are going home with me.” Lou shook her head reproachfully.

She looked around, picked up the condom wrapper from the floor and
tucked it into a discarded Coke can on the floor
. “I’ll certainly never look at this Jeep the same way again.”

Brody reached over and grabbed the back of her head. He pulled her in for a quick kiss. “Neither will I,” he replied, laughing quietly.

She kissed him back.

He started the Jeep and reached over to take her hand.

“You know what, Lou?”

“What?”

“We never did have that talk you promised?”

“What talk?” She tried to play dumb.

“The one where you explain why you were still a virgin yet you have a daughter.”

She flinched
. “I don’t want to discuss it now,” was her only reply.

“When would be a good time?”

“Never?”
She made a job of twirling a piece of hair around her finger.

“Not good enough,” he replied.

“Ok. How about this? I’ll tell you my secrets when you call me to tell me what your plans are for the farm.”

“Deal,” he answered.

“Deal,” she agreed.

Chapter Fifteen

Lou dropped Brody off at the airport and was surprised when he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in for a long, slow kiss that stole her breath. Her knees shook and tears hid behind her eyelids as she pulled away from him and climbed into the driver’s seat. She dared not speak and she couldn’t look back as she drove away.

She drove home with the wind caressing her cheeks and making her hair fly haphazardly around her face. She sang along with the radio until a sad country song had her feeling as forlorn as the love-stricken subject of the song
must have felt
. Tears rolled from beneath her lashes and drenched her face like a torrential storm. She finally pulled over onto the side of the road when the sobs took her breath and her vision blurred from the assaulting tears.

She dropped her face into her hands and let the tears fall. For years, she had devoutly sworn she did not possess the girly emotions that make one fall prey to the pains of the heart. But now she realized the truth. She had sworn off tears and heartache because she had never been in love. And what an emotion to have missed for so long!

Lou sat on the side of the road with her head in her hands until the shaking subsided. Then she took a deep breath, wiped her face with her shirttail
,
and put both hands on the wheel. She started the Jeep and turned to look for traffic before pulling out into the street. Seeing headlights approaching, she waited for them to pass but noticed they slowed as they approached her. A dark four-door sedan slowed and pulled off the road in front of the Jeep. She froze as she saw a tall gentleman get out of the car. The baseball cap immediately made Lou jump and put the Jeep in gear.

His crisp, clear voice rang out. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Mary Lou.”

Lou froze where she was when
he reached
for the holster under his jacket. She took a deep breath and lifted her chin
.
“What do you want?”

He placed one hand on the roll bar behind her seat and the other on the frame of the windshield, effectively boxing her in. He smiled a smile that did not reach his eyes. “You seem like such a smart girl, Mary Lou.” He raised a cigar to his mouth and bit the end off of it. He took his sweet time lighting it and then blew a stream of cherry smoke into Lou’s face. “I want you to give me what I asked for.”

“Right now, you’re asking for a black eye
,
but I doubt that’s what you really want,” Lou tossed back at him with more bravado than she actually felt. Her knees shook as her eyes met his.

“Oh, you are so funny!” he said mockingly. He absently picked up a lock of hair from her shoulder and ran it between his fingers. “You remind me of your mother. She was all piss and vinegar, too. She was smart, a lot like you.”

“I am nothing like my mother,” Lou spat back at him.

“You’re more like her than you want to admit,” he responded quietly. Then his voice was suddenly loud and abrasive. “I don’t think you understand the kind of pressure I’m under. My boss wants that little item your mom gave to you.”

Lou’s voice was just as loud, despite the tremor that escaped with it. She punctuated each word. “I. Don’t. Know. What. You’re. Talking. About!”

“Black bag, Lou. I want what was in the black bag. Then I’ll walk away and never darken your door again.” He smirked at her.

“What if I can’t give it to you? What then? What will you do?” Lou sat forward and steeled herself. “How much do you want for it? The contents of the bag? What would make you happy?”

“Well, well. Little Miss
H
igh
-
and
-M
ighty has some money to throw around, huh?” He took another draw from his cigar.

“I have some savings. Tell me what you want.” She sounded surer than she felt. “I can get it.”

Lou relaxed visibly when he stepped back from the car.

“I’ll check with my boss and find out if there’s an amount that would be suitable. Then I’ll be in touch.”

“How long?”

He appeared to mull it over
. “I’ll come and see you soon.”

He didn’t wait for her response but turned to go back to his own car. He tapped
the back fender
of the Jeep as he walked away.

Lou started the Jeep with a trembling hand and pulled out into the street. She
drove
home as fast as she could safely go and slammed on brakes in the driveway, throwing up a shower of gravel as she did so.

She jumped out of the Jeep
,
ran to the kitchen door
,
and walked in. Sadie, Jeb
,
and John were sitting at the kitchen table and were surprised by her entrance. She walked over to the table and sat down, looking each of them in the eye in turn. Calmly, she stated, “We need to talk.”

Lou recounted her experience to the only three people in the world who knew her history and where she came from. As they talked, Jeb admitted he was already aware something was going on as he pulled the last correspondence from
Wes
out of his pocket.

“Where did you get this?” she asked pointedly.

“You dropped it in the limo. The driver gave it to Brody and he gave it to me. I told him I would take care of it.”

Sadie rose to her feet and squared her shoulders. “That does it. I have been wanting to go and visit my sister. This seems like just as good a time as any.” She met eyes with Jeb across the table. “We’ll all go
,
take a little break
,
and get away for a while.”

Lou reached out and grabbed Sadie’s hand. She said softly, “That sounds like a grand plan
,
but I can’t run from this anymore. I have to stay here and see this through.”

John spoke up. “Well, if Lou stays, I’m not going. I’ll stay right here and take care of her.” They all looked down at his broken ankle that was even now propped on a pillow. “Well, I can at least offer moral support.” He blushed. “Besides, I have three mares all ready to foal and there is no way I can leave them,” he added with conviction.

“Then it looks like Sadie, Sarah
,
and I will be taking a short vacation,” Jeb said,
smacking the table top lightly with the flat of his hand
. Lou nodded solemnly, her only concern that Sarah should be as far from the farm as possible.

Sadie nodded, worry lines etched across her forehead. “We’ll leave on Sunday morning, if that plan is okay with the rest of you.”

“He won’t be back before then.”

“Then it’s settled,” Jeb stated.

“It’s settled,” Lou agreed, as she walked from the room.

****

As soon as Lou was safely out of earshot, Jeb removed his wallet from his back pocket and took a card from the sleeve. He picked up the phone and dialed. He said, “Brody, I know you probably aren’t even on the plane but give us a call when you come in. I need to discuss something with you.” He hung up and gazed solemnly at Sadie and John
.
“We might just need that boy’s help.”

“He was away for a long time and left just as fast. What makes you think he’ll want to come back so soon?” Sadie questioned.

“I think he has more that’s tying him to this ranch than just his mother. “

“And if it’s not?” Sadie wrung her hands.

“Give the boy some credit. He was brought up to know what’s important, even if he forgot for a while. He can’t run from everyone who loves him.”

****

Lou walked around in a fearful trance. The most taxing thing
she did over the next few days
was help some of the ranch hands herd the wild mare into a foaling pen. Her delivery date was quickly approaching and Lou was afraid for her to foal in the wild because of animals that would pose a threat to the new foal. They were able to move her with enough riders on horseback that they didn’t even need to rope her. They just herded her into a fenced area close to the barns.

During the day, Lou jumped at non-existent shadows; at night, she fought demons that clutched at her throat and stole her breath. Between the bad dreams, she also fought the memories of Brody that crept across her skin like a gentle breeze.

On Saturday afternoon, Sarah woke and wanted to go play outside. Lou wouldn
’
t let her out of her sight
,
so she grabbed a book and went to sit on the front porch so she could watch Sarah play in the yard. The child could entertain herself for hours on the swing set or in a pile of dirt. John came out and joined Lou on the porch.

He sat down in the rocker beside her and asked quietly, “You doing al
l
right?”

Lou responded absently, “
Fine
.”

“Why don’t I believe you?” he asked, his hand covering hers.

Lou felt the tears threaten to spill over her lashes and dashed them away with the back of her hand.

“You know she’s going to be just fine, Lou. She’s going away from here with Jeb and Sadie. No safer place she could be.”

“I know. I’ve just never been away from her before,
”
Lou pouted.

“You need to stop,” he cajoled gently.

“Can you watch her while I go and wash my face?” Lou asked as she got up from her chair and reached for the screen door.

“Sure thing. Won’t take my eyes off her.” He made the Boy Scout sign with his fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

Lou went into the house to the bathroom and splashed some cold water onto her face. She took a long look in the mirror and was surprised by the dark circles under her eyes and the frown lines. She rubbed her cheeks to add some color and fluffed her bangs. She tightened her ponytail and went back outside. As she stepped through the screen door, she raised a hand to shield her eyes so she could block the sun’s glare and get a better look at the car throwing up dust as it came down the long driveway.

The red convertible stopped in front of the house and the driver turned off the vehicle. Beautiful feet in strappy
,
high-heeled sandals hit the ground first, followed by legs that were a mile long.
John
whistle
d
low under his breath as the driver bent over to retrieve something from the passenger seat, her black miniskirt rising to an almost indecent height.

The beauty stepped up onto the porch and extended a hand to Lou as she swung her head, causing her long, blond, perfectly sculpted hair to fall back over her shoulder
s
.

“You must be Lou,” she said boldly as Lou reached to shake the offered and.

“Yes, I am. I think we met at Mrs. Wester’s funeral, although your name escapes me.” Lou tried to sound just as haughty and well put together
,
but failed miserably.

“Elizabeth Patton. Brody and I grew up together.” She snickered delicately behind her hand and whispered as though it was confidential, “We actually did a little more than just grow up together.”

“Boy, did they,” John said under his breath. Lou shushed him by slapping his arm.

Lou tried to keep her composure. “Well, what can we do for you, Miss Patton?”

“Actually, I’m here to see Brody. We have a date to prepare for.”

“A what?” Lou asked.

“A date?” Elizabeth sounded almost like she was asking the question herself when she looked into Lou’s eyes.

She tried to sound polite. “I guess no one told you Brody went back home. He’s not even here at the farm anymore.” Lou thought she could one-up Elizabeth. She failed at that, too.