Temptation Road (7 page)

“Where did you come from?” Dody asked, giving
Wade the evil eye. “You better leave my child outta this, and her
crazy daddy don’t even know she exists. As for Reagan Hart she
don’t have no use for a mountain man like Fletcher or his ‘too good
for the rest of us’ little brother, and Quinton ain’t a boy. Hell,
if he ever gets out of college or finishes his doctoral thingamajig
the whole town will throw a party or keel over dead from shock!
Besides, some nice man called here lookin’ for her earlier, said he
was an officer of the law from California. His name is Sean and I
could tell he’s good lookin’ just from the sound of his voice.” She
turned to Rae, “He said you’ve got his number and he wants you to
call him so he can come out and talk to you. He’s in love with you,
I just know it and he asked if you were here in North Carolina by
yourself. I gave him this address, I hope you don’t mind, he just
sounded like he needed to see you real bad.”

Wade smiled at Rae as if he didn’t care to
hear a thing Dody had to say, then he said, “If you want a man who
knows how to treat a lady, forget about the cop and these local
boys. I’m from Knoxville and I have a way with fancy women.”

“Yes, I can certainly see that,” Rae said,
slipping by him and up the stairs. She was going to her room to
call her mother and then Alana from the new cell phone, then she
was packing her bags and moving to the Mary’s house as soon as
humanly possible.

*

In the following week Rae wandered around the
Temptation Road property. She worked to pull some weeds and
untangle a clutch of vines in the cutting garden only to find new
sprouts spring up immediately in their place. One day a big white
rooster joined her, strutting his stuff around the garden and
pulling fat worms from the soft earth. He was just there from
seemingly nowhere and he pecked at the ground around her feet,
following her and making strange little noises if Rae was out of
his sight.

Rae and Fletcher drove all over the mountain
and Rae asked if anyone was missing a rooster, but no one was. She
decided she liked him, when she sat on the porch swing he hopped up
and sat with her. She stroked the red comb on top of his head after
she got over being afraid of him and he would settle against her
and fall asleep. Teddy named him Colonel Sanders and Rae became
ridiculously fond of him. He followed her everywhere and cocked his
head this way and that like a little mechanical bird, ogling Rae
with his beady little chicken eyes.

Fletcher’s own eyes sparkled as he stopped
before going into the house one day, he was assembling an antique
four-poster bed in the master bedroom so Rae could move in that
afternoon. She was sitting in a rocker on the porch, reading a book
and petting the rooster that perched on her lap. When she looked up
and into Fletcher’s delighted eyes she jumped, dropping the book
and spilling Colonel Sanders onto the floor boards. Fletcher shook
his head and laughed, the first sound she had ever heard him make,
a deeply erotic lyrical sound, and she heard it still as he went on
into the house and vanished up the stairs.

A few days later it was a red fox that
climbed stealthily through an open window, and Teddy and Fletcher
found Rae backed into a corner of the sunroom watching the animal
sniff around. Fletcher tapped his fingers against the leg of his
jeans and the fox ran to him and rubbed against him like a cat.
Teddy told Rae to get used to it, the animals and the plants and
the house yearned for company and most especially they’d been
waiting patiently for the new Mary.

The next morning when Rae rolled around in
her big antique bed not wanting to leave the divine comfort of its
whisper soft sheets, mounds of feather pillows, and fluffy duvet,
Teddy called from downstairs to let her know he was there, but he
said Fletcher wasn’t with him. Her heart and stomach lurched and
she wondered where he was, as she slipped into yoga pants, flannel
shirt, a big cashmere sweater and socks. Then she showed off her
new bed to Teddy as he handed her a cup of coffee.

“I went to that auction in Ashville last
weekend, you know the night and day I was gone? I bought the bed
and a few other things that I’m having shipped, but they were able
to take the bed apart and put it in the Yukon. Isn’t it glorious?
It’s been forever since I had things just for myself, I had a
cottage in L.A. before I married Carlo but I was never there.
Mostly I was in Milan with Alana DeLuca or traveling for work.
Anyway that’s all over now if my damned divorce will come through,
and this is the life I want. I ordered all the linens from a great
store called ‘
Feather Your Nest
’ and now if you and Fletcher
just get that fireplace working I’ll be in heaven, it does get cold
up here in the middle of the night!” Rae said. She was happy in her
scantily furnished room in her unfinished house and she was
adapting to her pet rooster, but she wondered where the man of her
dreams could possibly be. What had kept Fletcher away that
morning?

*

Around noon he drove up and walked in the
house holding a puppy. It was a chocolate lab and he handed it
gently to Rae. Teddy said that Fletcher thought maybe she needed
something more to love than a rooster and that it would grow to be
a decent watch dog. Rae took the puppy and buried her face in the
velvety softness of its fur, then she caught the front of
Fletcher’s shirt and pulled him to her. His eyes turned dark and
she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his and kissed him
just a little too long. They both blushed and Teddy cleared his
throat and asked what she would name the puppy.

“I don’t know, he feels like velvet but
that’s not a very good name for a boy dog,” Rae said, then she held
him up and looked at his tummy to make sure he was a boy.

Teddy and Fletcher laughed at her then as
Teddy put coffee beans in the grinder to make a fresh pot.

“He’s the color of a coffee bean,” she said,
looking into Fletcher’s eyes and he smiled and nodded. “Coffee?”
she asked and he shook his head. “Bean?” she asked laughing, and
Fletcher nodded and took the fat puppy from her and nuzzled its fur
with his eyes closed and a look of pure joy on his face.

“Bean,” she said, moving close to Fletcher
and petting the puppy. She looked into his eyes when he opened
them, he still held the puppy close as he smiled down at her, and
she said, “He’s the best gift anyone’s ever given me, and I love
him already.”

The three of them worked inside the house all
day while a storm was brewing on the mountain and in the forest,
the north wind blew in suddenly and left monstrous black clouds
hanging over Temptation Road. The wind howled like a banshee all
around the eaves and chimneys of the house trying to claw its way
in. Snow began to fall and soon it was blowing and swirling so that
it was impossible to tell if it was falling up, down or
sideways.

Teddy bundled up as best he could and said,
“This storm came on fast, I’d better go check on Pop.”

“Maybe Fletcher should go with you, it looks
dangerous out there, the roads must be icy,” Rae said, holding the
sleeping puppy and hoping Teddy wouldn’t agree with her.

“No, he’s nearly done with that bedroom
fireplace; if you lose power way up here on the mountain you’re
going to need it for heat. I’ll just be sure the old man eats a hot
meal and doesn’t burn the place down, then I’ll come back if the
roads aren’t too bad.”

She found that she could talk endlessly as
Fletcher listened. Sometimes she would be chattering away and she’d
catch him studying her face intently. One time she looked up and he
was staring longingly at her mouth, his eyes were nearly black at
that moment and she felt her face and body burning with lust for
him. More and more she knew that she had never wanted anything more
than she wanted to be loved by Fletcher Green. It hadn’t been her
choice to go to Los Angeles, then she had stumbled into becoming
the DeLuca girl and her life had simply unfolded from there of its
own accord. But she wanted him; she desired a complete and entire
life with him. He was her choice, his beauty and goodness and even
his silence. She wanted to feel him inside her and then grow a baby
from that act. From an act of love, something she’d never truly
felt for a man, and the most certain thing she’d ever known in her
life was that she was undeniably in love with him.

Downstairs her cell phone rang again and
again, she finally went to down and looked at the screen. Alana had
tried to call and Sean and even her mother, but she had talked with
her mother just days before so she knew it wouldn’t be anything
important. In the kitchen she made two mugs of hot chocolate, then
on a whim poured in a few splashes of bourbon and carried them
upstairs.

She sat cross legged a few feet from where he
worked, he lay on his back struggling with the rusty fireplace
damper and she sat a mug next to him when he noticed her.

“Cheers!” she said lifting her mug, she took
a sip and coughed, it was stronger than she expected.

He sat up and laughed, which was always a
welcome sound, he wore a thin t-shirt and jeans even though it was
cold, but fighting with the rusted metal of the old fireplace made
him sweat. He reached for his zippered hoodie and wiped the chimney
soot from his face, then took a large swallow from the mug while
his eyes held hers.

“A drinking contest, is that what you want?”
she asked. “Okay then, you got it buddy!” She took another large
swallow and her eyes watered.

He laughed loud and long and it was such a
magical sound, always unexpected and wonderfully comforting.

They drank and she talked as he listened,
then he finished his drink all at once and smiled at her like the
cat who ate the canary and went back to work.

She ran downstairs, grabbed the bottle of
bourbon, then returned to the bedroom and placed it on the floor
between them. His eyes twinkled as she poured the amber liquid into
their empty mugs. She lifted hers and drank and it was so strong
she fought not to spit it out. He tilted his head to the side and
his eyes were full of merriment that let her know he thought she
was a light weight.

“Let me see you do better!” she said and he
turned his mug up and drained it, then wiped his mouth with the
back of his hand. “Hmm, so you’re a smart ass, huh?” she said and
tried to do the same, but she coughed and sputtered while most of
it ran down her chin.

He leaned back on his elbows and laughed
loudly once again.

The liquor coursed through her veins making
her bold, she moved toward him and placed a hand on his chest, “is
talking the only thing you don’t do?”

His eyes darkened and she was shocked at the
implication of her own words. He lay on his back and pulled her on
top of him, her hair fell across his chest and he sighed deeply as
his mouth covered hers. The kiss was electric and ignited something
within her that was new and scandalous. His hands were on her face
and in her hair, his lips brushed her neck and then they were hot
on her mouth again. They turned as one and she stared up at his
face with wonder, her hands moved over his body, touching the firm
muscles she had only dreamed of.

Their hands were unsteady as he unbuttoned
her shirt and she tugged at his t-shirt, working her hands under
the soft cloth onto his burning skin. She fumbled with the buckle
of his belt as his free hand slipped into her pants to caress her
smooth thigh and pull it higher and firmly against him, then his
fingers moved farther up sliding between her legs as she
moaned.

Outside the wind screamed and the house
shuddered and shifted and rattled. Wicked huge snowflakes and hail
knocked against the window panes as if begging to be let in. Wild
creatures in the forest howled and screeched and braved the storm
to draw near to the house. Ancient logs in the fireplace sparked to
life and sent black smoke curling into the white and stormy night,
and those who could see it all the way from town wondered if a
miracle or a calamity had occurred. Rae and Fletcher were oblivious
to it all, they were already lost in each other.

He moved away from her and stood up, then
leaned forward quickly and scooped her into his arms. He carried
her to the tall four-poster bed and laid her down amidst the layers
of plump linens as she laughed happily. He pulled off his t-shirt
and tossed it aside and she sat up and ran her hands over the
sculpted muscles of his chest and arms. His hands peeled her shirt
and pants away and she watched wide eyed as he stepped out of his
faded jeans and stood naked before her. He blushed scarlet at the
look on her face and he wanted to tell her that he hadn’t gotten
around to washing clothes that week, so all his underwear were in
the laundry basket.

Her hands were on his broad shoulders pulling
him down on the bed, and they lay facing each other, letting their
hands move as they pleased while they kissed. His hands caressed
her narrow shoulders and back then released her intricate lace bra
so that his lips brushed her upturned breasts before returning to
her mouth. They kissed deeply, their tongues exploring and tasting
unquenched desire. Her legs entwined with his as his long body
moved above her and his fingers trailed down to the hot little
triangle between her legs. She gasped at his touch and she heard
him moan as she arched her hips and quaked beneath him.

“Oh sorry, God, I’m sorry!” Teddy said as
stood in the doorway, and the couple sprang apart.

Rae gathered the duvet to cover them and
Fletcher held her firmly against his chest.

Teddy didn’t make a move to leave the room
but it was plain to see that he was embarrassed and looked terribly
uncomfortable, then he spoke. “I brought someone with me from town,
I wouldn’t have interrupted but he’s desperate to see you, Rae.
He’s a police detective and it’s urgent, he said it’s been all over
the news, your husband’s been arrested and you’re wanted in Los
Angeles for questioning.”