Right Here Waiting (4 page)

“What was such a big secret I couldn’t look?” He had a
grin on his face that made her feel uncomfortable.

“What do you think?” She wasn’t about to give him a
direct answer.

He took a peek inside her suitcase. “Your bras and
panties?” Damn it, why did he have to be so nosy?

“Yes, if you must know,” she said, flushing. She didn’t
like him or any other man knowing her personal business.

“You don’t think I’ve seen bras and panties in my
lifetime?” He had a devilish gleam in his eyes. She could tell he was enjoying
himself. Too bad it was at her expense.

“I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of them, but I know for a
fact you haven’t seen mine and that’s the way it’s going to stay.” She hoped he
didn’t go snooping in the drawer now.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” He acted so sure of himself. He
wore a smug expression on his face that irritated her.

“What do you mean? I think invasion of privacy is a
little beneath you, Blade.” She knew she shouldn’t be taunting him, but she was
enjoying herself too much to stop now.

“Alright, you asked for it.”  In one swift move, he had her
suitcase and clothes off the bed and scattered across the floor. Before she
knew what was happening, Blade was on top of her. What did she get herself
into?

He was kissing her with a fever she never experienced
before. It was as if he was branding her as his own with every flame he ignited
in her. Would she ever be able to let another man touch her in this way after
this? She doubted it.

She kissed him back, matching his hunger and desire. His
hands began to explore her body, slowly moving upwards until they were roaming
expertly over the slopes of her breasts. Panic began to set in. Did she really
want him to quit? Part of her wanted him to go on forever, but she knew she
needed to do something.

She needed him to stop before things went too far, before
she found herself to be just one of the many women on his list to him and the
rest of the world. She shoved him hard. “Stop it!  With behavior like this,
it’s no wonder the activities director quit.” That got his attention. She felt
a loss so powerful she wanted to cry as soon as he pulled away.

The passion in his eyes flickered before turning to
anger. He got up and began picking her clothes up off the floor. “You think
what I just did with you, I did with her too?” She began to tremble with a
mixture of emotions.

She could hear the anger in his voice. “Her and every
other woman you meet.” She knew she was taking things too far now, but she
wasn’t in the right state of mind to stop herself. His kisses did that to her.

He whirled around to face her. “Why do you always think
the worst of me? What you and I experienced on your bed just now doesn’t happen
every day and not with just anyone, either. Stop trying to cheapen what just
happened between us.” There was no denying the anger in his eyes.

“You really expect me to believe you? I bet you say the
same thing to all your women. I saw how the other woman was hanging all over
you tonight.” Was this what jealousy felt like?

“Did you also see me lose all control with her the way
you and I just did?” She hated knowing she wanted a repeat performance of what
had just happened between them. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone though.

“No, but it could only be because I was there and you
didn’t want an audience.” Would he have really gone further with the woman if
she hadn’t been there to witness the whole scene?

“You really don’t know me,” he spat at her. The words
stung. He tossed the clothes he just picked up off the floor onto the bed
before he stormed out of the cabin for the second time that night, slamming the
door closed behind him.

She sat up and straightened her skirt and blouse before
she began picking up the rest of her clothes and adding them to the pile Blade
started before storming out.

When a knock came to the door again for the second time
that night, she rolled her eyes in frustration.  He’d never learn. She walked
to the door and flung it open. “Don’t you ever give up?” she shouted. She
realized her blunder too late.

It wasn’t Blade at the door. It was Rex. “I’m sorry,” she
apologized quickly. She felt her cheeks flame up in embarrassment. “I thought
you were someone else.”

“Apparently so,” he said, looking past her into the
cabin. “Where’s Blade?”  She couldn’t get over how much he looked like Blade
did the day she left for New York.

“He needed to leave.” She hoped he wouldn’t question her
further, but he did.

“Is he coming back?” Not if she could help it.

She smiled as she fought to get her emotions under
control. “I doubt it,” she said, running her fingers through her hair. “Not if
he knows what’s best for him, he won’t.” She managed a small laugh.

“What could have been more important than helping a sweet
girl like you?”

His libido,
she thought to herself.

“I’m not sure,” she said, then remembered her manners. “Why
don’t you come in while I finish unpacking and putting my clothes away?” She
could have kicked herself for not inviting him in sooner and leaving him
standing outside. That’s what she got for getting herself so wrapped up in her
own problems.

“Sure, but I can only stay for a few minutes. I really do
need to find my hotheaded cousin.” What if Rex found Blade and he told him
everything? She hoped he wouldn’t mention to anyone what happened between them
earlier.

Rex removed his cowboy hat before entering the cabin and followed
her into the bedroom. This was a first, she thought. Two men in her room in one
night.
It was a first for getting kissed by Blade, too
. She pushed the
thought to the back of her mind. It was the last thing she should be thinking
about. He eyed the empty suitcase in the middle of the floor and the few
clothes that were still scattered around the room. He walked over and placed
his cowboy hat on the bed before he asked, “What happened here?” She blushed,
which she seemed to be doing a lot since she arrived on the ranch. 

“Just clumsy me.” There was no way she could tell Rex or
anyone else what really happened. She would also never admit to anyone that
Blade’s kiss was everything she imagined as a teenager and more.

Rex picked up the last few articles of clothing off the
floor and added them to the pile on the bed. “Are you sure that’s all it was?” Didn’t
he believe her?  She would just have to do her best to convince him.

“I’m a complete klutz at times. The suitcase was on the
bed one minute, on the floor the next.” The last part was true. She only left
out the part where blade knocked everything flying.

“You’ll probably think this silly of me, but I thought my
cousin threw your suitcase on the floor.” If only he knew just how right on
target he was.

She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. “Why would
you think such a thing?” Did everyone on the ranch know about the tension
between her and Blade? Was it really that obvious?

“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but he seemed to be in a
really foul mood this afternoon. When I asked him if anything was bothering
him, he snapped at me and told me to mind my own business.”

She did notice the way he was acting. She knew her return
to the ranch was the main reason he was in such a bad mood, but how could she
tell Rex? She couldn’t. This was between her and Blade. “I didn’t notice,” she
told him instead. This situation was too complicated.

She took several articles of clothing and walked over to
the closet with them. To her relief there were plenty of hangers to hang them
on. She began hanging them up and Rex followed suit. It wasn’t long until they
completed the task.

By the time they finished, she was thirsty. She noticed a
small kitchen area when she first entered the cabin. Maybe the least she could
do was offer Rex a cold drink of water.

When they entered, she opened the refrigerator out of
habit. To her surprise she found a carton of orange juice, milk, a loaf of
bread, some lunch meats and a coconut cake sitting inside. Her mouth watered
for a slice, but did she dare consume the calories and the carbs.

She turned to Rex. “Do you think this stuff was left here
by the last tenants?” How else would this food have gotten here?

“No Ma’am. I personally cleaned this cabin out myself. The
units are cleaned and prepared as soon as the tenants leave to get them ready
for the next occupants.”

“Do all the cabins get supplied with food like this?” she
asked, peering inside the refrigerator.

“No. I’d say someone brought you this food as a welcome
gift. I was with Blade today when he stopped off at the grocery store on the
way home from seeing the attorney in Boise. He bought a cake just like this
one.  It sure does look good.”

Could this food really be from Blade? Why would he go to
such trouble? She was almost certain he was the one who put it here. She made a
mental note to thank him when she saw him again. She took another look at the
cake. How could she resist? Coconut cake had always been her favorite. “Would
you like a piece?”

“If it’s no trouble, I would be much obliged.”

She cut a big slice for Rex and a sliver of a slice for
herself. As an afterthought, she poured them each a glass of milk. She knew she
would pay for this later when the delicious treat decided to make itself at
home on her hips or some other spot, which would be just as unpleasant.

When they finished eating, Rex excused himself and left to
go in search of his cousin. She was extremely tired from her long trip. She
decided to turn in early. Besides, there was nothing else to do and she could
feel a headache coming on.

When she entered the bedroom she found Rex’s cowboy hat on
her bed where he forgot it. She picked it up and placed it on her dresser. She
resisted the urge to pick it up again and place it on her head.

She knew Rex would be back for it, she just hoped it
wouldn’t be tonight because she was so tired and needed to get some sleep. The
last thing she needed was another interruption tonight.

She stripped down to her bra and panties. She was too
tired to be bothered with putting on a nightgown or a pair of pajamas. It
wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep and began to dream about Blade. In
her dream he was exploring every inch of her body with his hands, entering her
and connecting them mind, body and soul. A little while later she woke up from
the dream drenched in sweat. Oh how she wished it was real.

She got up long enough to get a drink of water before she
went back to bed and with her body aching to be touched by Blade; she struggled
to get back to sleep.

* * *

B
lade looked up and saw Rex walking
toward him. There was something odd he couldn’t put his finger on. As he drew
nearer, Blade suddenly realized what it was. Rex wasn’t wearing his cowboy hat.
In all the time Rex worked on the ranch, he never saw him without it. He rarely
took it off.  What was going on?

When Rex was standing just inches from him, Blade asked,
“Where’s your cowboy hat?”
Had he lost it?
“It isn’t like you not to
wear it.”

Rex reached up and ran his fingers through his hair, the
nervous expression he wore wrinkling his brow. “I must have walked out and left
it on Megan’s bed. It’s where I remember having it last.” He said it with such
casualty. Was he even thinking straight? Or maybe he just didn’t care about
anyone else’s feelings.

Anger and jealousy boiled up inside of him. It settled in
his stomach like a burning ball of fire. She wouldn’t allow him to make love to
her and show her how he really felt about her, but she allowed his younger
cousin to take her to bed and seduce her? A man she didn’t even know up until
she met him a little less than six hours ago? It appeared little Megan changed
in more ways than just physical appearance. He knew it would be a mistake for
him to just let her run off the way she did. A city as large as New York City
was no place for her.

“I’ve been looking all over for you so I could tell you –
“ Blade cut him off before he could continue.

“I don’t want to hear it. Just get out of my face. I
can’t stand to look at you right now.” He knew he was being harsh, but he
couldn’t help it.

“But – “ his cousin began to protest, but Blade stopped
him again.

“You heard me, now go.” He needed to be alone with his
thoughts.

He went into the barn and began stacking large bales of
hay into a corner. There was nothing like hard physical labor to take the edge
off the anger he was feeling. When he finished he thought maybe a brisk horseback
ride before it got too dark would do him some good. He went off to saddle up
one of the horses.

* * *

T
he next day she slept later than she
planned on. She just finished showering and getting dressed when she heard a
knock at the door. She opened it to find Blade standing there. She wasn’t sure
after the way things ended the night before if he was going to show up or not
this morning to take her into Boise, but she was glad he did.