Heartland (7 page)

“I'm not. I'm afraid of us,” she admitted. “Of what you do to me.”

Her candor surprised him, but he understood at once exactly what she meant. He, too, was awed by the power of the emotions that had captured them and held them both for so many years. “We can wait.”

A faint smile tugged at her lips. “Maybe you can, but I've already been waiting for eleven years. Love me, Steven. Please.”

A groan tore through him. His blood surged, hot and swift. He was on his feet at once, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her back up the stairs.

“I feel like the trembling maiden in some Gothic novel,” she said, the words whispered against his bare chest, her arms slipping past his shirt to caress the taut muscles of his back. “As if I'm being carried off to meet my fate.”

“I am your fate,” he whispered. “I'll prove that to you tonight.”

* * *

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered as the pale light of moonbeams whispered across her body. “You're exactly the way I remembered you.”

“You told me I'd gotten skinny.”

“I must have been crazy. All the curves are still here, and I want to explore every one of them.”

“Do you plan on one of the long Lewis and Clark expeditions?” she inquired in a tone that was equal parts of amusement and impatience.

“I just want this to be good for you,” he said, intensifying his touch. “I don't want to hurry you.”

“Then I'm afraid you'll have to keep your hands to yourself.”

He shook his head. “You're asking the impossible.”

“In that case,” she began, and before he realized her intention, she had lifted herself on top of him until she was astride his thighs, “I'd better take charge.”

Laughing, he said, “There's never been a time since I've known you that you weren't in charge.”

Chapter Seven

F
ingers of sunlight crept into the room until they brushed across Lara's bare shoulders. She felt the gentle strokes of golden warmth and awoke with a sleepy, satisfied smile. Even without the bright promise of dawn, today would have been a day to celebrate. Not only was Kelly safe and well, but love, the most precious of all gifts, had been given back to her.

Still not quite able to believe it, she rolled to her side and touched Steven's cheek. Caressing the light stubble of his beard and the warmth of his skin reassured her that last night had not been a dream. He was very real, and as a lover he was everything she'd remembered—gentle and considerate, demanding, yet giving far more than he took. Though the emotional and physical cost of the rescue must have been high, Steven had not let her see it. He had shown her only the strength and tenderness and passion that had been missing from her life for so long. Through the night he had reawakened her senses, until her body sang once more with the joy of being desired and fulfilled.

“Only with you, dear one,” she whispered, her touch lingering on his cheek. “Only with you.”

Suddenly she heard a scampering in the hallway. The door to the room burst open.

“Aunt Lara! Aunt Lara!” Jennifer shouted excitedly, before skidding to a stop at the sight of Steven. She regarded him with a puzzled frown.

Thoroughly disconcerted by the intrusion, Lara dragged the sheet up to her neck. She glanced down to discover that Steven had opened one eye to see what all the fuss was about. Her obvious discomfort brought a grin to his lips, but he quickly banished it as he waited in infuriating silence to see how she planned to handle the awkward situation. She glared at him, wondering if there was any way the floor could open up and swallow the two of them. Or, perhaps, only Steven.

Before she could think of some explanation to offer her silent, wide-eyed niece, Mrs. Marston hurried into the room, her apron flapping, her lips pursed.

“So, there you are,” she said to Jennifer. “I thought I told you that your aunt was still asleep and that you weren't to go bothering her.”

“But I knew she wouldn't mind if I woke her up,” Jennifer protested indignantly. “I had to look really hard to find her.”

She peered at Steven again. “Why are you here, Mr. Drake?” she asked in a voice that was both confused and unconsciously prim.

Lara shot a fierce scowl of warning in his direction, and Steven promptly choked back a laugh.

“Well,” he said, clearing his throat and carefully avoiding her eyes. Lara awaited his explanation with almost as much interest as Jennifer. “Umm. Actually your Aunt Lara had a bad dream during the night. I came in to make sure she was okay, and I guess I fell asleep.”

It was a noble attempt and Lara loved him for it, but Jennifer still appeared skeptical. “But you don't have any clothes on,” she pointed out.

This time it was Lara who had to swallow hard to keep from chuckling. There was no denying Steven's state of undress, not with nothing more than a discreetly placed sheet between him and total embarrassment. Fortunately Mrs. Marston, her own lips twitching with mirth, saved the day by taking Jennifer firmly by the hand.

“Come along, young lady, and let your aunt get dressed if you want to get home to see your sister.”

Jennifer's eyes brightened. “Oh, yes, please hurry, Aunt Lara. I want to see Kelly and Mommy and Daddy.”

“Okay, sweetheart. I'll be as fast as I can,” Lara promised.

When the door had closed behind her niece, Lara hardly dared to meet Steven's gaze. When she did, his eyes glittered brightly and dangerously.

“I suppose you'll have to marry me now,” he said lightly. Lara's eyes widened. “Otherwise it'll be Jennifer prodding us all the way to the church with a shotgun. Do you suppose she gets that stern, disapproving attitude from her father?”

“What I think is that we took her by surprise. I doubt if she fully understood the implications.”

“Too bad,” Steven said. “I was sort of looking forward to the wedding.”

His bantering tone kept Lara from responding the way she wanted to, by throwing herself into his arms and agreeing to marry him at the first possible moment. Instead, she said in her sassiest manner, “Give me a proper proposal, and we'll see what we can work out.”

She didn't wait to see if that proposal was forthcoming. For all of his attentiveness in the past, he had never once suggested that they marry. He had talked of a future together. He had even gone so far as to discuss their house, to think of taking her away with him. But the subject of making a permanent commitment had been skirted with surprising agility. She saw no reason to expect that had changed, and for the moment it didn't matter. He was back in her life, and that was more than enough.

Lara leaped from the warm bed before she could be caught by Steven's outstretched hand and pulled back into an embrace from which there would be no escaping.

Unperturbed by her rejection, Steven boldly followed her into the shower where he made a very tempting, seductively murmured offer to scrub her back. That delayed their departure to the farm by an hour. When they finally got downstairs, Jennifer was practically dancing around the room in impatience.

“You took forever, Aunt Lara,” she chided.

“Sorry, sweet pea. We're ready now.”

Jennifer regarded Steven eagerly. “Are you coming, too?”

“You bet I am,” he said.

“He saved your sister,” Lara reminded her. “Of course, he wants to see how she's doing.”

“Oh boy, then let's hurry, Aunt Lara. I want Mr. Drake to meet my mommy and daddy, too.” She bounded down the lane ahead of them, turning repeatedly to urge them to hurry. Lara caught her excitement and found herself tugging on Steven's hand.

But once the farmhouse was in sight and Lara could hear the angry voices all the way across the yard, her anticipation turned to dread. A heated exchange between her brother and sister-in-law would have been distressing enough under any circumstances, but it was especially so because she obviously was the subject of this one. She clung more tightly to Steven's hand. She suddenly wanted to take Jennifer and turn back, but it was too late. It would be cowardly to run, and there was no point to it.

“Stay out of it, Megan!” Tommy snapped, his voice carrying clearly. “I don't trust Drake. You weren't here when it happened. You don't know what that man did to her. He very nearly destroyed her. He's obviously the kind of man who gets his kicks from going around seducing women and then walking out on them.”

Lara gazed at Steven in mute apology.

“He's only saying what he feels,” Steven said. “I can't condemn him for that. Besides, it's true. I did hurt you terribly.”

“Yes, but that's in the past. My God, you just saved his child. He should at least give you—” Before she could complete the thought, Megan's equally furious voice cut through the air.

“I think you're misjudging him. I see what he's doing for Lara now. Didn't you see how they looked at each other last night? He loves her and she loves him. If you'd really wanted to help her, you'd have spent the last years trying to get them back together, instead of encouraging her anger.”

“She had every right to be angry.”

“Of course, she did. But it didn't give her a moment's satisfaction, did it? Can't you be glad that she's finally happy? For the first time since you brought me here to live when we got married, your sister actually seems ready to live life again. If you can't be supportive, you're the one who ought to stay out of it.”

Jennifer turned a distraught face up to Lara. “Why are Mommy and Daddy fighting?”

“It's just a disagreement, baby,” she said, then set her chin at a defiant tilt. “And I think it's just about time it ended.”

Lara threw open the screen door and marched into the kitchen. Tommy and Megan glanced up guiltily, their faces flushed.

“Enough!” Lara declared. “I will not have the two of you fighting over the way I live my life.” She faced Tommy and said more gently, “It is my life, you know. I have the right to make this choice, whether you approve or not.”

Tommy's gaze went from her to Steven and back again. Finally his angry expression relaxed, and some of the tension went out of his shoulders. “I just don't want you to be hurt again, Sis.”

“It won't happen, Tommy,” Steven said, drawing the younger man's attention. He put an arm possessively around Lara's waist. “I've done my best to explain to Lara what happened back then, and she's accepted my word. I'm back in her life to stay this time, if she'll have me.”

Lara waited with bated breath as Tommy absorbed this declaration from a man he'd once admired, but come to distrust. He gave Lara an intense perusal. “You're really happy, Sis? When we left here a few weeks ago, you wouldn't even go within a hundred yards of his property line. Do you actually trust him now?”

“He saved Kelly,” she said simply. “He was there for me all through that. How could I not trust him? Besides, even though I fought admitting it, this is what I always wanted. Even Megan could see that.”

Tommy scanned her face in that slow, assessing way of his, then nodded. “Then I guess I'll have to accept it.”

He shot a warning glance at Steven, but the gaze was returned evenly. Message sent and received. Finally he held out his hand. “I hope things work out this time.”

“I'm going to do my best,” Steven promised.

“Now,” Megan said cheerfully, “I want to see my baby who's been hiding over there behind her Aunt Lara. Come give me a hug, Jennifer.”

Jennifer ran into her mother's arms, then went to sit on her father's lap while Megan and Lara fixed a huge, farm-style breakfast of eggs, bacon, home fries and fluffy biscuits. When the food was nearly ready, Megan went and got Kelly, and the whole family sat down to eat.

Lara looked around the table and felt an abiding gratitude for the blessing of their togetherness. Only Greg was missing, and he had promised to drive up from Columbus in time for lunch, so that he could see Megan and Tommy before they left again for Kansas City. Steven caught her eye and smiled, a slow, tender smile filled with understanding and promise. Her heart felt as though it might burst with happiness.

There was a tap on the back door.

“Logan,” Lara called. “Come on in and grab some coffee. Would you like breakfast?”

“No, thanks, Ms. Danvers. I just wanted to get a look at the little one and see how she's doing.”

“I fine,” Kelly announced, still basking in her role as the center of attention. “Only one boo-boo.” She pointed to the bright blue-and-white Band-Aid on her arm. “See.”

“My goodness,” Logan said with a shake of his head. “That's a very impressive injury.”

Kelly nodded seriously. “It get better. Mommy kissed it.”

“Yes, indeed. That's the very best medicine,” Logan concurred. Then he glanced sideways at Tommy and suggested, “Thought maybe you'd like to take a look around, long as you're here. The corn's doing mighty well this year.” The idea was presented with studied nonchalance, but Lara had the feeling it was anything but idle.

“I'd love to see it, Logan. Sis, you want to come along?”

Though Tommy's enthusiasm seemed sincere, Lara couldn't help but recall their arguments about the farm before he and Megan had left. Was he looking forward to this tour as a chance to reinforce his position that the time had come for her to sell the farm? Since she'd told Logan about Tommy's attitude, had he suggested the survey in the hopes of changing Tommy's mind? Whatever the case, she had every intention of going along to show Tommy just how smoothly things were running without him around to back up her decisions.

“Absolutely,” she said. “I love showing this place off. What about the rest of you? Anyone else want to come?”

Jennifer and Kelly immediately raced for the door. Steven leaned over and kissed Lara on the cheek. “Mind if I stick around here? I'll help Megan clean up.”

Steven saw that Lara was puzzled by his choice, but she accepted it readily. “See you soon, then.”

When everyone else had gone, Megan poured them both another cup of coffee.

“I heard you standing up for me earlier,” Steven said. “I appreciate it. I also want to thank you for asking me to look out for the girls. It forced me to do something I should have done long ago.”

“Don't make me regret it,” Megan replied with a fierceness that surprised him. Then she grinned. “Sorry. I guess Tommy's not the only protective member of the family. Will you marry her?”

He was startled by the blunt question but found himself grinning back at her. He had a feeling that for all of her quiet manner and amenable ways, Megan Danvers had a lot of fight in her. The straightforward query and her earlier argument with her husband were proof enough of that.

“I haven't asked her yet.”

She frowned. “That sounds suspiciously like an evasion.”

“I suppose it is. We're still a long way from having things resolved between us.”

“Don't wait too long,” she pleaded. “She's going to need you, now more than ever.”

He was puzzled by her intensity. “Why?”

She seemed to hesitate, then asked slowly, “How much do you know about the past eleven years?”

“Only what she's told me, which isn't much, and what I've been able to piece together from the town gossip. It can't have been easy for her.”

“Well, there are things I don't fully understand, especially about those years right after you left her, but I gather that Lara was devastated, though she fought hard not to show it. Maybe if she'd allowed herself to grieve, it would have helped. Instead, she threw herself into her studies to the exclusion of everything else. Nothing mattered to her except becoming a doctor. Then her father died. You probably know how close they were. She adored him. Still, I think she might have weathered even that, but then her mother died, too.”