Of Yesterday (3 page)

Taylor crossed her arms against her chest. "I'm
listening."

Jason took a deep breath. Still unsure if offering this
solution was the right choice. "Mandy and I are leaving in a few weeks.
We're moving out of state to a ranch I've been building, and I want you to come
with us. Move in with me."

Yes, it was official. He had lost his mind. Kissing a woman
he barely knew, wanting her more than anything, and now offering for her to
move in with him. Commit him now.

Taylor stared blankly at him, attempting to let the words he
said sink in. With astonishment almost taking away her voice, she asked, "What
in the hell are you talking about? Why would you think I'd move in with you?
Are you out of your mind?"

She had to be insane as well. After what happened in the
truck, and the lawsuit, she had allowed him to kiss her and she had actually
kissed him back. She barely knew this man. Why was she still standing in his
house?

"It wouldn't be forever. If you don't like it, you can
move back and I'll pay you for your time."

She shook her head in confusion. "If I don't like it?
Like what? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Jason walked away from her and began pacing back and forth
as he spoke. "You said yourself," he hurried on, "that you
aren't proud of your job. I want to give you the opportunity to change what you
do and who you are. I can give you the chance to change your entire life."

She stared at him skeptically. "So let me get this
straight. By moving in with
you
, my entire life will change...for the
better
?"

"Give me a minute to explain." He went to a wooden
desk in the corner of the room, pulled out a large file, and brought it over to
the table. "Please, sit down and listen."

Taylor could not believe she was actually walking to the
seat he pulled out for her. She was certifiable for sure. Her brain told her to
march out that door and never look back, but her curiosity was winning over.

Jason opened the file, showing her pictures of land,
buildings being constructed, blueprints and layouts. "For the last couple
of years, I've been working on a project, building a community from scratch. A
society like nothing we have seen in our lifetime."

Taylor sat in silence, overwhelmed by all the paperwork
before her.

"A group of people and I are turning a large stretch of
land into a utopia of sorts. We're trying to recreate a place similar to the
1800s." He paused. "Not exactly a historical replica, but in a lot of
ways the same. Basically, it's an old-fashioned community where we live off the
land with no modern-day distractions."

"Why?" Taylor flipped her way through the papers,
amazed by what she saw.

There were pictures of a general store, a small, half-built church,
a lumberyard, and even a little, white gazebo in the center of it all. Under-construction
structures were photographed and taped to blue prints detailing out the final
steps in the construction. There was a large map with plots of land boxed out
in red with names labeled on each. Everything in the file was organized and
detailed. A lot of energy had gone into the file alone.

Jason chuckled. "Trust me, after how many hours I've
put into this project, I almost ask myself the same thing." He sat down
across from her. "Because we want better. We want to live on our land,
work off our land, and be proud of a hard day's work. We want to remove the
televisions, media, corporations, technology, and all the things that muddle
with today. I'm an old-fashioned man, with old-fashioned values. I want to be
able to truly live by them."

Taylor looked up from all the pictures to glare into Jason's
eyes. "This doesn't explain why you would want me to go with you."

"This project has been extremely demanding and will
only get worse once we actually get there. I worry about Mandy. I don't want
her to be alone. Plus, I don't think she can truly take care of the home like a
woman will be expected to do out there."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, that once we make this move, it will be like
stepping back in time. A woman will be expected to cook, clean, sew, garden and
run the entire household. The man will be working the land, and in my case,
building the community."

Taylor's eyes widened and she sat up straighter. "So,
you want
me
, to move in with
you
, and cook your meals, sew your
socks, wash your back and whatever else an
old-fashioned
woman is
supposed to do? Am I actually hearing you correctly?" She leaned forward,
raising an eyebrow. "Am I also supposed to lie in our bed made out of hay,
in my flannel night dress, and let you have your way with me as well?"

She wanted to stand up and leave without looking back, but
something kept her sitting. As bizarre as this whole situation seemed, the idea
compelled her to continue listening.

Jason smirked. "I'm asking for you to come with us and
help with making my house a home. I'm not going to lie and say it will be easy,
because it won't. Days will be long and full of hard work. But I also believe
that it could change all our lives for the better."

Taylor huffed as she looked at all the pictures. "All
the buildings look old, like an old ghost town. I only see dirt roads. Are
there cars?"

"Not really. Some trucks will be used out of necessity,
but mostly we'll use horses and carriages."

"Will I have to wear bonnets and bloomers? I mean, how
historic is this place?"

"No, we aren't going to be in costume. Although, we
will uphold a level of morals and etiquette at all times. So, the women will
wear dresses and always present themselves as a ladies. We just want to bring
back the purity of time long gone."

"Why do you think I would agree to this?"

"Are you happy?" he asked.

"I don't know what you mean."

"I mean, are you truly happy? Do you wake up every
morning excited for the day to come? Do you feel fulfilled, valued,
appreciated? Are you living the life you want?"

Taylor shook her head and stared down at her hands. "No.
I guess I'm not. But is throwing away my life and doing this going to make me
happy?" She looked up and stared into Jason's eyes. "I'm not sure I
can trust you."

Jason looked at her and smiled sadly, none of the arrogance
or confidence in his eyes now. "I just want the best for Mandy. She needs
more than I can give her. Mandy likes you, and there's something about you
that's kept me from throwing you out of my house." He shrugged. "This
might sound crazy to you. Hell, it is crazy. But it's my dream." He stood
up and towered over her. "So I'm offering you a chance to step into a
world that could change everything you thought you were or thought you wanted.
I'm offering you a chance to build a home, build a life and be part of building
a community. But if you don't want to—"

"Wait." She put up both of her hands to stop him. "I
want to hear more."

Jason smiled and sat back down. "Ask away."

"What about sex?" She went still, nervous as to
what would come next.

"What about it?"

"Is sex part of the deal? Are you going to expect that
from me?"

Jason laughed loudly. "No. You'll have your own room.
Whether you want to believe it or not, I'm a gentlemen and I'd never expect a lady
to just give herself to me." He paused and gave a devilish grin. "Unless
the lady
wanted
to give it." He winked, causing Taylor's face to
heat up.

Taylor continued, "Then what exactly will you expect?"

"Like I mentioned. The running of the house and taking
care of Mandy. Also, I do expect for you to obey my rules and respect me as the
man of the house."

"Obey?"

Jason nodded. "Yes. Obey. This is nonnegotiable. We're
going back in time with this project. A time where the men are chivalrous,
hard-working, of high moral standards, and the leader of their home. I'll be
the head of household, so you'll have to check your feminism at the door."

"And if I say no? You'll sue me?"

Jason shook his head. "No. I'll drop the lawsuit no
matter what. I was being overprotective and a jerk. I'm sorry about that."

Taylor's gut reaction to his proposal was to say no. Common
sense told her she was crazy to even be considering this. He was a stranger, and
he had threatened to sue her. And yet, they had kissed. An amazing,
tantalizing, seductive kiss. And then they had done it again. A wonderful
repeat offense. She wanted to punch him, and in the same breath she wanted to
rip his clothes off. Jason Winters could be too much for her to handle. Was
moving to this make-believe world even something to consider?

"How many people are a part of this community?"

"It started with ten of us. We've been busy building
homesteads and a town. Since we started, we've brought on ten more families and
have a waiting list of about thirty or so others. It's pretty amazing how many
people want to be part of this. The demand is high, and it's adding to the
pressure of getting this town built."

Taylor watched as passion and drive danced across Jason's
face. He lit up as he spoke and energy emanated from his body. It was obvious
that this was everything to him.

"Why do you feel Mandy needs to be taken care of?"
she questioned.

Sadness masked Jason's face and wariness dulled his eyes. "A
family tragedy years ago left her with some everlasting scars. She doesn't see
things the way you and I do. She lives in this world of her own permanent
happiness. She's like a child with her simplicity and goodness."

Taylor tilted her head. "And this is a bad thing?"

"It can be." Jason stood up, walked to the window,
and stared out.

"Okay," Taylor stated simply.

"Okay what?"

"I'll do it. I'll make the move with you." She
laughed. "I'm absolutely insane, but I'll do it."

Jason slapped his hand against his thigh. "We'll be
insane together. I promise you that this is a decision you won't regret."
He grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and began to make a list. "Well, we
better get started with the plans. We have a lot to do and only a short time to
do it."

Taylor stood in the middle of the room, staring at the lace
curtains and the flowered wallpaper. Everything about their agreement and the
move had been a whirlwind. Taylor still struggled to truly wrap her head around
it. Was she crazy? Had she really just agreed to this? She walked over to the
bedroom window. She pulled at the wooden frame until she was able to slide the
pane of glass up. Sticking her head out, she looked around at her surroundings.
Since they had arrived late last night, this was the first time she had really
gotten to see the land she would now be calling home.

The delicate scent of flowers drew her attention to a
lattice tangled with climbing yellow roses, blooming all around her window.
Livestock of cows, sheep, goats and horses were scattered along the land for as
far as she could see. Fruit trees peppered the yard, and she noticed a large
vegetable garden encircled with a half built fence. To the right of the garden
was a large wishing well, which she could only assume was their source of
water. Taylor truly had stepped back into the 1800s. She had never seen such a
pristine piece of land.

She stepped away from the window and glanced around the
room, wondering what her new life had in store. Would she really bake, clean, knit,
plant, and whatever else an old-fashioned woman would be expected to do? Did
she have it in her to sit down at an old oak table and enjoy a meal that would
take her most of the day to prepare?

Taylor shook her head to clear her thoughts. She had been
terrified to give up everything to make this move, but the idea of this new
life excited her. The thought of spending time with Mandy warmed her, and the
thought of Jason...well, the thought of Jason confused her. She wanted to
strangle the man. Yet, when she remembered his kiss, his embrace, she could not
help but crave more. She enjoyed sparring with the arrogant ass. Yet, she did
not want him to truly hate her. It was a fine line. Never had her body
responded to a man's touch like it did with Jason. His fingers seared past her
skin and reached her deepest core. Her pulse pounded at the very thought of
him. She could not understand how the memory of him pressing her against the wall
took her breath away. She could not understand how the thought of his commands
and orders only made her desire increase. Maybe she would be able to figure out
what made Jason have this power over her. Maybe, now that the dust had settled
a bit, she could figure out what she truly wanted from this modern-day cowboy.

After cleaning up by giving herself a sponge bath in the
water basin provided in her room, Taylor made her way to the closet to try to
find something to wear. Jason had assured her that all her needs would be met.
Did he mean clothing as well? Inside the beautiful, cherry wood armoire were
several summer dresses of all colors and designs. They were absolutely lovely,
delicate and feminine. Taylor could not help but smile as she selected a peach
dress that would flow just below her knee. The thin straps that tied on each
shoulder seemed innocent, yet sensual. She ran an ivory comb through her curly
locks and pulled her hair into a loose bun. She looked like she belonged in a
Better Homes and Gardens magazine ad. Taylor could not deny that she loved it.

She walked down the stairs and made her way to a room she
guessed to be the parlor. She walked around, her eyes taking in all the
splendid furniture. Everything was antique and elegant. Not a piece of
furniture nor trinket were modern-day in appearance. The wooden floor, the
fireplace, the rocking chair in the corner of the room, all screamed history.
It was obvious that every detail to make this house feel like a home of the
past was executed flawlessly.