Right Here Waiting (3 page)

Twenty minutes later as she told Blade she would be, she
stood downstairs in the living room with her suitcase waiting for him. Before
she turned to look, she knew he entered the room. She could feel his powerful
presence all around her.

“I’ll take that for you,” he said, reaching for her
suitcase.

“You don’t have to. I can carry it myself.” She hated the
idea of him helping her with anything. She wanted to prove to him and everyone
else around here she was still capable of pulling her own weight. Living in the
big city all these years hadn’t turned her into some helpless woman who
couldn’t take care of herself.

“I insist.” He smiled and made another attempt to take it
from her.

Reluctantly she handed it over to him. When she did, he
asked, “is this all you brought with you?” He arched one eyebrow, seeming
genuinely surprised.

“I thought it was all I was going to need. I planned on
only staying long enough to sell this place and put the past behind me.”

“Oh yeah – you didn’t realize you would be stuck here on
the ranch for a whole year.” The way he said it made her feel guilty.

“No I didn’t,” she said, swallowing the lump that suddenly
formed in her throat. “I need to drive into Boise tomorrow to buy some new
clothes. Clothing that will be much more comfortable and suitable for life here
in Hidden Oaks.”

“Not in your car, you won’t be,” he stated matter of
factually.

What did he mean? Did he think her parents’ will gave him
the right to boss her around? She’d drive her car anywhere she felt like it and
whenever she pleased rather he liked it or not.  “Excuse me. Who do you think
you are to tell me I can’t drive my own car tomorrow? You aren’t my boss and
you sure as hell aren’t my father, so don’t be trying to take his place now
that he’s gone. I may be stuck here with you, as you so elegantly put it, but
you’re not and never will be my keeper.”

“I took a look at it before dinner,” he said calmly. “Your
transmission is going out in it and it needs to be replaced before you can
drive it anywhere. I think we can spare one of the men for a couple of hours in
the morning while he drives your car into Boise to the shop to be fixed. I can
take you there in my truck so you can do some shopping and he can ride back
home with us.”

Anger boiled up inside her. She took a couple of deep
breaths before she spoke, but it didn’t do much good.  She still felt her
temper flaring up. Blade affected her this way whenever she was around him
since that day in the barn. “Did I ask you to take a look at my car?” How was
she ever going to be able to survive her time here on the ranch? To make
matters worse, as mad as she was at Blade, she still felt the strongest desire
stirring inside to kiss him. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her
jacket.

“No you didn’t. Martha did. She must have thought she was
doing you a favor you would appreciate. She still cares about you as much as
she always has.  She devoted her entire life to caring for you. She always
thought the world of you, even after you ran off to get away from all of us and
your life here on the ranch.”

“Oh – “She didn’t know what else to say. She knew he was
right and it didn’t make things any better. In fact, she felt worse than she
already did. How could she make it up to Martha? Martha not once complained
about her leaving and she never thought about how much her departure affected
the older woman, but apparently it caused the woman strife.

“Follow me,” he said curtly when she remained silent. He
began walking towards the door.  She normally didn’t take orders from anyone,
especially from a man as arrogant as Blade, but she followed him anyway.

As they stepped outside, she inhaled deeply, filling her
lungs with the cool evening air. She was assaulted with a strong scent of hay
and straw. It smelled better than all the exhaust fumes she breathed on a daily
basis back home.

They walked along the stone path which wasn’t there
before she left. A melancholy feeling washed over her. Her parents were gone,
and nothing of her childhood home looked the same.

“The old saying, you can never go home again, it must be
true,” she said in a soft voice, breaking the silence between them.

Blade stopped walking and turned to face her. He set her
suitcase down beside him. “What do you mean? You’re here now, and if I had my
way, you’d stay here forever.”

“You’re right, but nothing looks familiar to me. It
doesn’t feel the same.” What had she been expecting?  She should have known
things would be different, but in her mind’s eye, she saw the ranch as it
always was when she was younger. The reality of the situation with all the changes
overwhelmed her.

“Why did you leave?” he asked, startling her out of her
thoughts.

She was at a loss for words. It was one question she
hoped she would never have to answer, especially to him. Should she tell him
how much he hurt her in the past?  Deep in thought, she bit her lip, nearly
drawing blood.  What should she say?

“Well – “ he prompted her for an answer. He wasn’t
letting her off the hook. He never did.

She cleared her throat. “I think we both know why I left.
There’s no need for me to elaborate.” Why was it so hard for her to tell him
the truth?

“No, you’re wrong. I don’t know why you felt the need to
leave the only home you ever knew. Please tell me? Help me to understand why
you left.”

He was going to make her tell him. She felt trapped. She
breathed in deeply before she spoke.  “Do you remember the day in the barn when
you yelled at me?”

“Yes.” He winced and she knew he remembered the day as
clearly as she did. The day played over and over in her head since the moment
it happened. “Why did you have to bring it up?” He sounded as if he regretted
his actions in the past, but did he really?

“Because your rejection and your words cut deeper than
you will ever know.” She turned and looked away from him so he wouldn’t see the
tears now running down her cheeks.

“Look at me,” he demanded as he took her by the shoulders
and forced her to turn around and face him. “Do you think I purposely set out
to hurt you?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. If so, you did one hell of a
damn job of it.”  She studied the expression on his face; searching for clues
that would tell her if he was being honest with her or not at the moment, but
found none.

“Why don’t I just show you what I wanted to do to you
back then, but could not?”

“What do you mean?”

Her words were cut off as his lips came down hard and
claimed hers. Every nerve in her body came to life and all time and space seemed
to come to a standstill. It was just her and Blade.  Was she dreaming? No, this
was real and she was fully awake.
This should not be happening,
her mind
was shouting through the foggy state she was in, but it was. She knew she
should stop it, but she lingered in the sensations coursing through her veins.
She was like a drug addict. The longer the kiss lasted, the more of Blade she
craved. As her senses took over her actions once again, she pushed and fought
free from him.

“Why in the hell did you kiss me?” she demanded. She felt
anger rare up from within her, but it wasn’t entirely at him. She was upset
with herself. She wasn’t quite sure why. All she knew was she felt like lashing
out at someone. It might as well be Blade.

“Because I wanted to. Don’t bother telling me you didn’t
want me to kiss you because I won’t believe you. You wanted it just as much as
I did. I felt how your body responded as I held you in my arms and kissed you.”

“You’re so full of yourself and so arrogant,” she
shouted, stomping the ground in frustration.

“Why can’t you just admit you feel the same way I do?” he
challenged.

“It would be a lie. I hate you. Besides, all you feel for
me is lust.” As she said the words, she knew they weren’t true, but she
couldn’t help it. She allowed herself to look up at him and she instantly
regretted it.

Anger flashed in his eyes, just as it did a long time ago
on that day in the barn. She braced herself for the blow she could feel coming,
but to her surprise it never did. Instead he turned, picked up her suitcase and
started walking again.

A part of her wished he would have shouted something. She
hated the silence between them. It was worse than if he did explode in anger.

In the distance ahead she could see the cabins dotting
the east pasture. As soon as they reached the first row of cabins, a door flew
open.

A blond headed woman came running out and latched herself
onto Blade. “I missed you today,” she cooed as she traced a red painted
fingernail back and forth along his jawline. “When are you planning to take me
out again?”

“I’m sure it will be soon,” was Blade’s response.

So that’s was how it was. He kissed her while he had this
other woman under his spell. She wondered how many other women were on his list
of conquests. If he thought he could add her to the list of women he already
added, he was sadly mistaken.

She waited until the blond girl went back inside her
cabin before she spoke. “Will you please show me to my new home? I’m very
tired.”

Without answering her question he started walking again. When
he reached the cabin she would be calling home for the next year or so, he fished
in his pocket for the key. When he got the door open, he carried her suitcase
inside and set it down. With a tip of his cowboy hat in parting, he was gone.

She looked around the quaint little cabin. She could fit
the entire place inside her penthouse apartment back in New York and still have
plenty of living space leftover. The cabin was rustic with a homey feel to it.

She let out a long sigh and was getting ready to pick up
her suitcase when she heard a knock at the door. She hoped whoever was there
would go away soon. She was not in the mood for visitors.

By the time she reached what she thought was the bedroom
door, the knock grew louder and more persistent. Whoever was on the other side
was determined for her to open it for them.

Maybe it’s one of the guests
, she thought. Maybe someone witnessed
her arrival and come to welcome her to the ranch.
I can always fake a
headache,
she thought with a small smile as she made her way over to the
door and opened it.

CHAPTER THREE

T
he person on the other side of the
door turned out to be Blade. He was the last person she wanted to see. After an
awkward moment of silence, he finally spoke. “I’m not going to apologize for
the kiss we shared tonight, but I do promise to try not to lay a finger on you
if you let me help you get settled in.”

She backed away in a silent invitation for him to come
inside. He took it without saying a word. When he was inside the cabin and the
door was closed behind him, she began to wonder if she made the right decision
inviting him in like this.

The cabin seemed much smaller with him in it. Every nerve
in her body began to tingle with awareness of his presence. Her throat suddenly
felt very dry, as if she’d been walking through the Sahara Dessert with a
mouthful of cotton. She did her best to find her voice, but it didn’t seem to
want to come. Finely, after clearing her throat, she said, “You really don’t
have to help me if you don’t want to. I can manage the task on my own.”

“No, it’s alright. I want to help you.” His voice came out
sounding huskier than usual. She wondered if he knew it. She certainly picked
up on it.

She felt a strong desire to pull him into her arms, and
not just kiss him, but to have her way with him as well. She fought it. The
last thing she wanted was to end up one of those women on his list, and later
discarded when he got tired of her.

She walked over and picked up her suitcase. She went over
and laced her fingers around what she thought was the doorway to the bedroom.

“It’s just a closet, the bedroom’s this way,” he said as
he crossed the floor to another door on the other side of the room.

She followed him with her suitcase. When she entered
behind him, and spotted the large queen-sized bed, she knew she must be crazy. She
had to be to even go within five feet of a bed with him.

Just as well, she walked over to the bed and hoisted her
suitcase up on it before she opened it. “Turn around and look the other way,”
she ordered.

“What in heaven’s name for?” He sounded irritated and put
off by her request.

“Just do it.” She felt a little embarrassed.

When she was completely certain his back was to her, she
quickly unpacked her bras, panties and tampons. She stored them neatly away in the
top drawer of the dresser. “You can look now,” she said as soon as the task was
done.