Chapter Fifteen

In the days to come, she would wonder that over and over again. Had she lived through a dream? Caleb became distant and seemed to intentionally avoid her, spending most of his time away from the house.

The work was pleasing to Laura. She was trying new recipes. It had been so long since she’d cooked anything other than Italian, she branched out to stews and casseroles, much to the delight of the men. The house was sparkling clean too.

Early Friday morning, Caleb and Josh had gone duck hunting at some cabin further in the middle of nowhere than where they lived. He’d kissed her goodbye, even in front of Josh, who took it upon himself to embarrass them with a whistle. And, when he came back late Saturday night, beaming, with eight dressed ducks ready for Laura to cook, he kissed her again, before leaving to spend time with Connor. Of course, she wasn’t jealous of his son, but she did miss his company. It was like living in gloomy darkness after having felt the sun on your face.

Sunday rolled around, and Laura was just walking downstairs as the front door slammed open. An older man, clad in overalls and a flannel shirt, burst inside shouting for Mary Grace.

“Where the hell is she?” The man stomped into the kitchen.

“She’s not here, Hank,” Caleb answered in a calm voice. He stood between Connor and his stepdad. Caleb’s calm demeanor settled Laura’s nerves enough for her to finish descending the staircase.

From her position just outside the kitchen, Laura could see the kitchen table. A young woman was sitting there, watching the interaction between the two men.

“Where the hell would she have gone, boy? She’s got nobody but you and Josh, and I’ve been there already.”

“Jenny, would you take Connor to go find Laura?”

So that was Jenny. Laura was filled with anger. What the hell was she doing at the ranch at eight o’clock on a Sunday morning? Maybe that was who he’d spent time with last night. Had he lied about being with Connor?

“When did you last see her?”

Caleb continued speaking to his stepdad as Laura met Jenny and Connor in the main room.

Jenny, a very pretty, very young woman with blonde hair and light eyes, pushed Connor toward Laura.

“Here she is, squirt,” Jenny told Connor. “You probably heard what’s going on in there.” Jenny turned to Laura. “Hank’s off the deep end again. Better stay out of his way. I’m Jenny, by the way.” Jenny looked Laura up and down.

“Nice to meet you.”

Jenny choked out a laugh. “I doubt that.” She laughed again and then wagged her fingers before she left the room and went out the front door.

Laura set aside her jealousy and instead smiled at the sweet little boy standing quietly next to her. She took his small hand and guided him to the back of the house, toward his room. “Let’s play with that neat combine I found for you.”

She was worried about Caleb and Hank’s argument but tried to hide it from the little boy. Just in case, she locked the door to Connor’s room, before sitting on the floor and playing farm with him.

The little boy didn’t need to be witness to such things.

 

* * *

 

“I just got out, boy. Your mother refused to post bail, refused to even come see me at the jail. Who the hell does she think she is?” Hank threw Laura’s cookbook through the air and it hit the wall.

Caleb swallowed, making himself remain calm. His mother had made poor choices in men over the years. Hank was at least the fifth loser she had been involved with. “Hank, she’s not here. You need to leave my house.”

“Like you could make me,” Hank scoffed. “You’re just a wimpy mama’s boy.”

“Enough! Leave or I will throw you out.” Caleb’s temper was rising to the bait, despite the energy he put toward trying to remain calm.

“Well tell that bitch mama of yours her days are numbered. When I find her, I’m gonna—”

“You’re going to what?” Josh stood in the doorway, fisted hands on his hips.

“You just tell her she needs to watch her step.”

Hank pushed by Josh and out the door, climbed in an old jalopy, and peeled out of the driveway.

“Was that Jenny I saw leaving?” Josh asked quietly, coming in and pouring himself a cup of coffee, his demeanor now cool as a cucumber.

“She drove Mom out here last night. Mom got word he was going to be let out this morning. That he finally found someone to bail his sorry ass out.” Caleb shook his head.

“Where is she?”

“She’s upstairs, hiding. Jasper said he’d come take her out to his ranch if she wanted. I think we need to get a restraining order, don’t you? Hank didn’t seem to be joking.”

“Dealing meth outside the senior high. What a damn fool. I can’t believe they let him out.”

“They confiscated all the drug crap out of his big building. Just damn lucky Mom didn’t get herself arrested, too.”

“I messed up again, did I?” Mom, her face tear-streaked, joined them in the kitchen. She looked out the window over the sink and then pulled out a mug and filled it up with coffee.

“We’re worried about you, Mom,” Josh said. “He’s threatening you.”

“I guess you can see why I refused to bail him out. I want to wash my hands of the fool. He’s facing prison time, and the last thing I want is to be involved with him.” She sat at the table and looked around. “Where is Laura?”

“Don’t change the subject,” Caleb ground out. “We have to contact the sheriff. You need a restraining order. It’s the only way to keep you safe.”

“You really think a piece of paper will matter to Hank?” Mom laughed without humor.

“Maybe not.” Caleb sipped on his coffee. “But anything illegal he does will get tacked onto his prison sentence. He’s facing pretty stiff felony charges.”

“Fine. Call Brian.” Mom’s voice was heavy with defeat.

“Mom, would you tell Laura the coast is clear? She’s with Connor. I think she’s probably in his room.” Caleb reached for the phone and dialed Brian.

Maybe Hank was responsible for all the oddities at the ranch over the past few months?

Mom glanced out the window again as she walked to the back of the house.

“I think you were right,” Josh said once Mom had left. “Laura is doing a better job than Stella did.”

“She is.” Caleb listened to the ring of the phone in his ear. He stared at his brother. “Course, I am a bit biased. I’m pretty sure I’m in love.”

 

* * *

 

Laura stopped short at the comment, as Connor and Mary Grace continued into the room. Who was Caleb talking to? And who was he talking about? She caught up to Connor and smiled a greeting to Josh.

“Okay, Brian, we’ll see you in a bit. No communication he might hear over his scanner, okay? The man sits beside it like it’s a television.”

Caleb was on the phone, talking with who Laura could only assume was the sheriff who patrolled through the county.

Caleb ended the call and gave Laura smile. “Good morning. Lots of commotion today.”

“Several visitors.” Laura reached into the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice she had put in the pitcher the night before. Pouring some in a glass, she leaned against the counter, studying the Kirkpatrick family.

“I’m just so damn happy to be out here. Last night I was scared out of my wits.” Mary Grace shuddered.

“You’re welcome as long as need be.” Caleb poured milk over Connor’s cereal.

“Who wants breakfast?” Laura pulled out her pans. She’d planned an egg casserole for brunch and decided to start a bit early. “Anyone see my cookbook?”

Caleb picked it up from the floor, where it had landed after Hank threw it at him. “Can I help?” he offered quietly, handing her the binder.

“Nope. Thanks.”

The image of him and Jenny engaged in the activity that Laura and Caleb had shared at the hotel ran through her mind, and she looked away from him. What could she say?

“I’m headed back home, just wanted to be sure there wouldn’t be a problem.” Josh kissed his mom’s cheek before he left the kitchen.

Caleb stayed where he was, leaning against the stove. Laura stared at him, not able to cook with him there. He crossed his arms and smirked. What did he want?

Mary Grace must have sensed something because she took Connor out of the room.

“I’ve missed you.” He leaned forward into her face as he said it and then leaned back.

“I haven’t been the one disappearing,” she sniped.

“True, you’ve been right here all along.” He drew her into his arms and gave her a kiss that made her question her anger and jealousy.

“Did you spend the night with Jenny?” she asked as he pulled away.

“No.”

“Why was she here? Did you get back from hunting and call her up?” She held her temper but knew she sounded like a jealous hag. “You knew I couldn’t satisfy you, so you—”

He cut off her diatribe with his lips. Hands on her rear end, he pulled her against him. She could feel his quick and insistent arousal against her. He parted her lips and tickled her tongue with his, caressing her bottom and the sensitive area of her lower back.

“Trust is hard to come by for you, isn’t it?”

“Consider what I’ve lived through, Caleb. Living with a father involved with the mob, having to go into hiding myself? Yeah, I would say there’s a little cynicism in my life right now. A little uncertainty.”

“Sorry if I’m adding to the uncertainty.” He caressed her cheek. “Not my intent at all. I thought you knew where we stood, Laura. You’re my woman.” He changed his voice to a silly sing-song at the very end, trying, she imagined, to get a laugh out of her.

“Well, you’ve got an odd way of being a boyfriend.”

“How’s that?”

“We haven’t spent any time together since we got back from Casper.” She hated herself at the moment. She sounded just like a hen pecking at her rooster. “My God, I sound just like my mother.” She laughed. Nervous, she went to the fridge and started removing what she needed for her brunch. “I’m sorry. I just, well, I don’t know what I expected. It’s been so long since I’ve been with anyone, and we’ve got an odd circumstance here that we live together, and I work for you, and….”

He came up behind her, and when she turned, he put a finger across her lips to stop her talking.

“How about a date tonight? We’ll put Connor to bed early and snuggle on the couch? Watch Netflix or order in a movie? Microwave popcorn?”

“Sounds like heaven,” she whispered with a sigh. She stood on her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on his lips before he walked to the back door.

“Oh, Laura?” he called.

She returned from the eggs she was cracking in the bowl.

“Jenny drove Mom out here last night. She slept up in the room Angel was in. I imagine she didn’t bother to make the bed, so you can go see for yourself.”

“Thanks, Caleb.”

He walked through the door and poked his head back through.

“I slept in my own bed, just for the record. You’re the only woman I’ll be touching, Laura, and I expect the same consideration from you.”

 

* * *

 

He’d selected a comedy. She had hoped for a romance to put him in the mood. She popped two bags of popcorn, not willing to share her bag of extra buttered. Connor had cooperated better than they’d expected, going to bed almost as soon as the sun went down.

Caleb had spent the day riding horses with Connor, and when the little boy came inside, Laura had a new coloring book and colored pencils ready for him. She’d watched him while she baked apple pies for dessert and prepared the fresh duck for dinner. She hadn’t made duck since culinary school and thought rather than mess it up, she had better refer to the Cooking Channel on the Internet for a recipe.

Now, hours later, Caleb tickled her ear with his warm breath. Chills raced down her spine as he softly kissed the hollow behind her earlobe. She turned her head slightly and caught his lips with hers. Her body tingled on every inch he touched.

The hem of her pullover shirt slid up as his fingers teased the sensitive skin of her stomach, slowly creeping up to cup her breasts.

“Planning this, were you?” he whispered on a chuckle.

“Call it wishful thinking.” She’d left off her bra when she’d changed.

“I call it wonderful.”

Teasing and touching every inch of her skin, he kissed her as if she was his salvation. Her hands were making a tour of his taut, muscular body. He stoked desire in her veins unlike she’d ever experienced before. This was fun, and she was going to take advantage of every enjoyable moment.

With the buttons of his shirt open, she sat forward to touch her tongue to his nipple. A shudder rippled through his body as he pulled her face back up to meet his mouth.

“Let’s take this into my bed.”

She nodded, dazed, and held his hand as he led her to his room. He shut the door with a quiet click. He pulled his shirt off and grabbed the hem of hers, ripping it over her head. Her hands found the button of his jeans and slid the zipper down, moving the denim over his narrow hips, down his thighs, to pool at his ankles.

She gripped his bottom and pulled him against her, aching to feel his chest hair tickle her nipples. He backed her onto the bed, and soon she lay before him, naked and willing to share herself. There were no doubts, no second-guessing this time. She wanted him inside her.

He left her, and she could hear a drawer open and close in the bathroom.

He came back to her naked, except for the sheath covering his shaft. “Are you ready, baby?”

“Oh, yes, Caleb, please.” She wriggled, feeling as if she would burst if she didn’t get satisfied.

He pulled the sheets back and moved her underneath with tender care. Poised above her, he spread her legs, rubbing his finger along the inside of her thighs. His thumb found its way inside her, and she arched. His shaft followed, shooting sparks of delight and satisfaction through her body.

They moved together, rocking in an ancient ritual of pleasure. She reached exquisite fulfillment first, moaning his name so loudly he covered her mouth with his. His breath increased in intensity just as his muscles tensed, and he buried the cry of her name in the pillow next to her head.

He collapsed on top of her, catching his weight with his arms, still kissing her, holding her.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Oh, no. That was all my pleasure.”

 

* * *

 

“At least you know he works.”

“He?” she asked him with a smile.

He chuckled. “My body functions as it should.” He kissed the side of her head, loving her scent, her feel. “I never lost it like I did with you at the hotel. I think it’d just been so long and I wanted you so badly, have fantasized about it since I met you, that when given the chance…”

She pinched his shoulder. “You don’t have to explain.”

What a relief. He pulled her closer in the circle of his arms.

“Besides,” she continued, “you more than made up for it tonight.”

“I didn’t get to see the end of the movie,” he joked, pulling her on top of him, kissing her pretty lips.

She straddled him, and he was amazed to feel his body responding to her again.

“Hold on, tigress woman.” He held her hips still. “I don’t have any more protection, and while I’m not worried about any weird diseases, I don’t think you’re ready to give me a baby.”

“Can’t we just play?” Her mouth trailed the length of him until her lips rested just above his waist.

“Oh, yeah.” He sighed. “You go ahead and play all you want.”

There wasn’t any talking for a very long time.

Sleep came quickly to her, after the full body massage Caleb had given her. Her gentle snores made him smile; it was comfortable holding her in his arms.

As he brushed his fingers through her silky hair, Caleb recalled the question Josh had asked while they were hunting. It was a simple, straightforward question, one only a brother could get away with asking.

“Why didn’t you ever marry Christie?”

Josh had just shot his third duck of the day, and they were watching his chocolate Labrador puppy trot off to retrieve it.

It hadn’t taken Caleb very long to answer. But he chose to answer with a question. “Why did you marry Holly?”

“Hell, just look at her, Caleb. She might be your sister-in-law, but you can see she’s the prettiest thing that would ever be attracted to a mug like mine.”

“You married her for her looks?” Caleb knew there was more to it.

“No.” Josh bent to pet his dog for a good retrieve. He’d rested the shotgun against his shoulder. “I found her because of her looks, and that’s why I dated her off the bat. But I married her because she made me feel like a millionaire every time she looked at me, smiled at me.” He’d put the duck in the back of his hunting vest and gave the dog a treat. “The first time we had sex, I thought the earth exploded. You know how I was with women. Anything with legs was okay, but with Holly…well…I knew I could never feel anything more with anyone else than what I felt with her. She was it, and I am just damn lucky she felt the same about me.”

“I didn’t marry Christie because I didn’t love her,” Caleb had told him. “I cared about her because she gave birth to my son.”

“How did that happen, by the way?” Josh asked, pushing his luck.

“What the hell do you mean, how did it happen? You just knocked up your wife, so you obviously understand the birds and the bees,” Caleb had said. He chuckled now as he had then. He knew what Josh had meant, and he didn’t have an answer.

“Yeah, but we’ve been trying for two years to get pregnant. We haven’t used anything to prevent it. Didn’t you and Christie use anything?”

She’d been on the pill. Or so she’d told him. He later found out she’d lied. Connor was proof, but Caleb didn’t regret for a single minute the little boy that he’d been blessed with. She left when she recovered from having the baby and never looked back. Caleb didn’t miss her, and although Connor probably was lacking in some areas without a mother’s love, Caleb had been a pretty damn good dad.

Caleb look down at the woman sleeping so peacefully and thought about his mother. How she slipped into his mind at a time like this, he didn’t know, except that maybe he needed to consider her life mistakes as an example. Caleb knew Laura wasn’t a mistake, even with a past she was running from and people who wanted her dead.