When Hell Freezes Over (13 page)

Keaton stepped out onto the back porch and sipped his coffee. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. The smell of the South was like none other. While leaning again the railing, two large, hybrid dogs ran up on the porch and growled.

Devon stepped out onto the porch and yelled, “Cut out all that noise! Keaton, don't make any quick movements. Reach out and let them smell your hand.”

Keaton looked at him, surprisingly, and asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. They're okay, once they get used to your smell.”

Keaton was worried about trusting this eighteen-year-old, but he knew the dogs better than he did, so he did as he was told. The dogs immediately took in Keaton's scent and ran out to the barn playfully.

Devon laughed. “Told you.”

Keaton chuckled. “Yes, you did.”

Devon continued to chew on his sandwich.

Keaton turned and said, “If you don't mind, put this cup in the kitchen for me. I'm going over to talk to William.”

“No problem.”

In the barn, Keaton watched William go about his daily routine. He looked up and saw Keaton enter.

“Well, you're finally up. Did you meet Devon?”

It was only nine o'clock but he was sure Mr. St. John had been up for hours. He picked up a pitchfork, ready to help him. “Yes, and I slept very well. Devon said Meridan was out checking the fences.”

“I thought you might want to join her. I have your horse saddled up and ready to go.”

Keaton looked over his shoulder, eyeing the horse. He walked over and patted him. William led the horse outside and pointed over the hill behind the house. Then he handed him a two-way radio.

“Take this radio and when you get to the top of the hill, radio her so she can tell you where she is. We always use these when we go out on the property. You never know when you might get lost or hurt.”

“I understand, Mr. St. John.”

Keaton mounted the horse and tucked the radio in the saddle.

“Keaton, this is the last time I'm going to tell you to stop calling me Mr. St. John. It's William…okay?”

Keaton put on his sunglasses. “Okay, William. Well, I'm off. I'll radio back to let you know I found her.”

William patted the horse. “I'll be waiting.”

Keaton rode off to find Meridan.

Meridan had found another section of the fence that needed mending so she tied a red ribbon around the post to mark the spot. She looked up at the hot sun and sighed. She decided to take a little break under her favorite shade tree, a long way from everything. Dismounting her horse, she pulled out a blanket and a bottle of cold water. Settling down on the blanket, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree. Moments later, a familiar voice radiated over the airwaves.

“Ms. Meridan St. John, where are you?”

Meridan grabbed her radio and answered, “Keaton?”

“The one and only, and I'm trying to find you. Where are you?”

She stood and asked, “What are you near?”

“I see what looks like a lake ahead of me. To my right is a cornfield.”

She laughed. “Keep riding toward the lake. You should see a row of trees. Ride through the row of trees and you'll find me on the other side of the lake.”

Laughing, he said, “I'm on my way.”

It didn't take Keaton long to find Meridan resting against the tree. He got off his horse and walked over to where she was.

He smiled and asked, “May I join you?”

Meridan patted the space on the blanket next to her and took another sip of cold water.

“What brings you out here, Keaton?”

“I was looking for you. I didn't expect you to leave without me.”

Setting her water down, she said, “I was just helping Daddy by checking the fences.”

She walked over to her horse and pulled out another bottle of water. She returned to the blanket and sat down, handing him the water.

“Thank you.”

Meridan finished drinking her water. “You're welcome. Now if you'd like, I can make this your official tour. I really just got started.”

“That works for me. Your farm is beautiful. William has his hands full, keeping it up to these standards.”

Meridan played with a blade of grass and said, “My uncles and cousins help him. There's no way he could do this by himself. I used to help when I was here.”

“Somehow I knew that. You never cease to amaze me, Meridan.”

“Thank you, Keaton, but I've never been afraid to get my hands dirty. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed working on the farm with my family.”

She could see Keaton's eyes gleaming at her in a strange way.

He gulped his water down. “I'm going to be leaving Philly in about two weeks. This time off was exactly what I needed, but I need to get back to my restaurant. I'm so glad I got the chance to get to know you better.”

Meridan closed her eyes briefly. Her heart skipped a beat, hearing the word “leaving.”

She solemnly responded, “Thank you and I'm glad I met you, too. I'm going to miss you, Keaton, but I understand you have to get back to your business, and life, in Texas.”

He smiled at her. “I'm going to miss you also, but I'll be back. Hopefully, I can get you to come down to visit me.”

“We'll see.”

Silence surrounded them for a moment. He noticed her reaction to his news. He wasn't sure if what he saw was relief, or disappointment. He hoped it was the latter of the two.

“Thanks for the drink,” he said as he played with one of her braids.

“It was my pleasure,” she whispered.

Meridan was about to stand to dispose of their bottles when Keaton reached over and grabbed her arm.

She looked at him and asked, “What is it, Keaton?”

He shook his head. “I don't know. I can't explain it, but I do know that you're a unique woman.”

“I don't know about unique, but I am a woman,” she said with a smile.

He reached up and cupped her face, pulling her toward him.

“Oh, that's without a doubt,” he said, staring at her.

He leaned forward in silence and kissed her very, very slowly. Meridan felt like she was about to hyperventilate as Keaton's lips moved over hers. His seduction was extremely powerful. Meridan wrapped her arms around his neck and found herself straddling his lap. His kisses were hot and sweet. There was no doubt in her mind that Keaton wanted her right then and there. They'd come close once and his seduction had become even more intense each time their lips joined. Her body had also become very responsive; even when he came within a few feet of her. Keaton lay back onto the blanket, taking her down with him. Keaton grabbed her hips, pulling her body closer to him. Their hearts were beating wildly as they both tried to maneuver to get even closer to each other. He was fully aroused and feeling as if he was going to explode.

Breathlessly, she panted, “Oh, Keaton. I… I… My God!”

Rolling over to change positions, he unbuttoned her shirt, removed her bra, and buried his face in her chest. Meridan's body jerked as soon as his lips came in contact with her breasts. He took his time as he gave her body his undivided attention.

“Damn, Meridan.” He moaned as he ran his tongue over her nipples.

At that moment, Mr. St. John's voice boomed over the two-way radio, startling them.

“Keaton! Meridan! Did you two find each other?”

If he only knew.

Meridan picked up her radio with trembling fingers and stuttered, “Uh, yeah… I mean yes, Daddy, he found me. We're going to…uh…finish checking the fences and then head home.”

“Okay, you two be careful out there,” he warned her. “A storm is brewing.”

She stared at Keaton and answered, “We will.”

Keaton rolled off her body and gazed at her. He was a little shaken himself.

“Meridan, if I didn't think that we'd get caught, I'd pick up where I left off. But I'd hate for someone in your family, especially your dad, to ride up on us.”

Meridan buttoned her blouse in silence. She couldn't look at him right now because her emotions were too raw.

She stood. “We wouldn't get caught, but I do need to finish checking the fences. There's a lot of work to do before the party tonight. I hope the rain holds off.”

Keaton stood and folded the blanket for her. He pulled her into his arms and said, “I'm sure it will.” Silently they packed up the blankets. Keaton touched her arm and said, “Look at me.” She turned toward him shyly. “Are you really going to miss me when I leave?”

“Without a doubt, Keaton. I only hope you don't forget about me.”

He wrinkled his brow and firmly said, “I could never forget about you.”

She slowly looked up into his eyes. “Keaton, I don't know what it is you're doing to me. I feel so…so….”

He put his finger over her lips. “What I'm doing to you is showing you how I feel about you. You do realize this little encounter was strike two,
sweetheart?” He leaned down closer to her ear and whispered, “Third time's the charm.”

Blushing, and without responding, she took the blanket from him and put it in her saddle. As a matter of fact, she was anxiously awaiting the moment when she'd give herself to him.

Climbing up on her horse, she asked, “Are you ready to ride?”

“More than you can imagine,” he said as he mounted his horse.

Within moments, they rode off across the meadow.

 

I
t looked like more than two hundred people had graced the St. John farm for the birthday party. All the family and friends were there to help celebrate William's sixtieth birthday. Meridan was working frantically alongside other family members to make sure all the food was in place. She wanted to dress light tonight because of the humidity. She chose a long, halter dress with matching sandals. Keaton was busy making sure there were enough drinks for the guests as well as seats. Cousins Devon and Keyshaun served as the DJs. Meridan made sure they brought a variety of music so they wouldn't have to dance to rap music all night. Several times, Meridan caught Keaton staring at her as she worked. One time he even snuck over and kissed her lovingly on the cheek in front of some family members. Her aunts made it a point to react loudly to the loving exchange.

As usual, Meridan's sister Gwendolyn showed up after all the work had been completed. Her two daughters, Jaresa and Kennedy, saw Meridan and ran over, giving her a hug. They were six and eight years old and had always been close to her. Even though she'd had differences with their mom, it didn't stop her from spoiling them with love and gifts all the time.

Gwendolyn walked over to Meridan. “Well, Little Sis, I'm surprised you took off from your job to come home to see Daddy.”

“It's good to see you, too, Gwendolyn. I have one thing to say to you…
Don't start with me tonight. I won't let you and Aunt Glo ruin this night for Daddy. Can't you be civil with me for one night? Damn! I don't know what's up your ass!”

Gwendolyn's husband laughed. He was used to this sisterly bickering. Meridan turned to him. “Hello, Thomas, how are you?”

Her brother-in-law gave her a hug and kiss. “Fine, how are you? It's so nice to see you again, Meridan. You need to come for a visit soon. The girls would love to see you and so would Gwen. Wouldn't you, Honey?”

Gwendolyn gave Thomas a fake smile.

Thomas laughed. “I'm going over to say hello to William. You girls behave. Okay?”

Meridan liked Thomas. He could see right through Gwendolyn, but stayed neutral most of the time.

Gwendolyn waited for him to walk off, then sarcastically said, “You know Thomas is right, Meridan. You should come and visit us, but we'll talk about it later. So is Daddy still dating that woman? What's her name?”

“Gwendolyn, Daddy's in love with her, so stop tripping. Ms. Leona is a very nice woman and she makes him happy.”