Wilson's Hard Lesson (77 page)

Chapter Three

The wording of the email was cold; almost as if it were a
business correspondence. Leila frowned. Her eyes moved to his profile picture.
He was ruggedly handsome and she liked his sky blue eyes and the hint of a
smile on his lips. His chest was wide and he wore a white casual shirt with the
top button undone.

To Leila’s shame, she felt her body react at the sight of
Jack Farley. She smiled to herself and decided to answer his email. She would
be just as business-like as he was, though she would have liked some hint of
romance.

Dear Jack,

Thank you for your email. I must say that this is my
first time to look for a partner online and after seeing your profile, I think
it was the right thing to do.

I too seek a permanent relationship and someone committed
to marriage and family. I must tell you from the beginning that I too love
children and I hope to have some in the near future. If you’re not sure about
children, please let me know, as this is something that’s very important to me.

Other than that, I consider myself a pretty simple
person. I admire that you live on a ranch, I did too, before I had to sell it
to pay off my late husband’s debts. I was married for only two years.

Let me stop there and hope to hear from you.

Sincerely Leila

Her fingers trembled slightly as she sent the email. Leila
hoped that she hadn’t blubbered on too much but she needed to let him know from
the start that she intended to have children. People told each other when they
were dating that they liked children only to turn around once married and say
they did not want kids. Leila knew it personally from her experience with
Horace.

Leila logged off and contemplated the rest of her day. It
was seven in the morning; she had cleaned up the house, showered and dressed.
This was what she detested about living in a condo. There was not much to do
with oneself. She resisted the temptation to check if he had replied to her
email.

Feeling restless, Leila decided to go to the animal shelter
where she volunteered her services earlier than usual. Leila hated to be idle
and being near and working with horses was a hundred times better than staying
home. She wore fitting jeans and the center’s official blue and grey t-shirt,
and at the door, she slipped on a pair of sneakers.

Rather than use the elevator, Leila opted for the stairs,
taking two at a time. Once downstairs, she headed for the parking lot and slid
into her two-seater. The California sun was already out; warm at this time of
morning, but in a few hours’ time, Leila knew that it would be unbearably hot.
That was the one thing she would miss about California and her friends, though
most of them were had dispersed to different parts of the country.

As she drove, her mind strayed to Jack and her instant
attraction to him. She hoped that he would respond to her email. Something drew
her to him and while the obvious answer was lust, Leila couldn’t believe that
her sole attraction to a man could be his looks. He was very different from
Horace.

Jack’s face possessed a kind of animal magnetism and the way
he held his broad shoulders promised of a skillful lover. Inexperienced as she
was, Leila knew that Horace was not much between the sheets. He had been a
selfish lover, only interested in satisfying his own needs and as soon as he
was done, his style was to roll off her body and fall into a stupor accompanied
by unattractive snoring.

The number of nights she had lain next to him in frustration
was countless. Leila had taken to creeping to the bathroom to satisfy her body
craving for release. It was shameful for a married woman but Leila had no
choice. It was either that, or jump at the first attractive man she saw. She
was a passionate woman and had Horace been more of a lover, Leila would have enjoyed
their intimate moments more.

The shelter was located about ten miles from her condo, and
as she drove through the graveled road, she could smell the sweet scent of hay
mixed with manure. Leila parked her car and headed to the office adjacent to
the café.

“Morning Maggie,” Leila called out gaily to the middle aged
bespectacled lady who manned the reception.

“Hi Leila, you’re in early today but we’re not complaining.
Joe will be glad to see you, we’re a little short this morning,” Maggie said
briskly.

Leila smiled and signed into the volunteer book. She had
worked as a volunteer since she became a widow. It had kept her going on the
days when she felt like covering herself in a blanket and retreating from the
world of the living.

“Thanks Maggie, see you later,” Leila said with a wave.

She headed straight for the stalls where she knew the horses
waited to be brushed down and the stalls mucked out. The two years she had
spent at the center meant that she qualified for level four duties which
included training new riders, but Leila preferred to work at the basics.
Minutes later, she had joined two other volunteers, a young man and a girl,
mucking out the stalls.

With only short breaks for tea and lunch, the afternoon
found Leila taking out the horses to different pastures where they spend the
rest of the day. She laughed gaily when a filly ran straight past her,
determined to find his way out to the fields only to find the gate from the
barn padlocked.

By the time she got home at seven in the evening, Leila was
bone tired. She liked it that way because she had less time to worry about her
advancing age and lack of a suitable marriage partner. There was hope now and
she quickly jumped into the shower. As the hot drops pounded her body, she
visualized Jack and his wide shoulders and she felt her body shudder.

It was strangely erotic to think of a stranger this way, his
arms roaming over her body and Leila found herself groaning in the shower. She
laughed at herself and got off the shower. Her laptop was on the dining table
and after dressing; she turned it on, her heart pounding in anticipation. There
was a message from Jack and she read it greedily, taking in the contents with
surprise.

Dear Leila,

What a pleasure to hear from you. I’m not a man to waste
time once I find what I’m looking for and in this case it is you. You’re very
beautiful and you sound like the perfect woman for me. I would like to invite
you to Texas to spend a few weeks with me. We can get to know each other better
that way and know whether we have a future together.

Please don’t feel worried or frightened, I assure you
that I’m a gentleman and have no intention of causing you harm in any way. Let
me know and I’ll make arrangements.

Sincerely,

Jack

Leila didn’t know what to make of the haste with which the
invitation had come. She thought that the process involved getting to know each
other better via email but it seemed that Jack thought otherwise. She had to
admit that his confidence excited her and aroused her curiosity as to the kind
of man he was.

Before she changed her mind, she wrote off an email right
away and told him she would be happy to go to Texas. He wrote back twenty
minutes later with details of a flight in three days’ time. She got a little
irritated at that. The polite thing would have been to ask her when she
preferred to leave but it seemed that Jack did not adhere to common social
graces.

Chapter Four

Leila was disappointed to say the least that Jack did not
take the time to meet her at the airport. In his place was a man with graying
hair who introduced himself as Tom, the driver. He carried her bag to a nice
looking car and opened the door for her. She sank into the car, grateful to be
shaded from the Texan summer heat.

The pink sundress she had chosen for the trip already clung
to her body and she craved for a cold shower. She gazed outside as they left
the airport and liked what she saw of Texas. Plains stretched for miles and she
noticed that most properties were ranches. Animals dotted the plains from long
horned cows to specks of white sheep.

Thirty minutes later, they came off the highway and she saw
the sign Ranch J, curved into a tree at the junction. What she saw took her
breath away. Jack had mentioned a ranch but at the end of the road was a hotel
with all the trimmings of a large hotel. People milled at the entrance and she
could make out tables set along the balcony of an expansive building.

Before they got there, the car branched off to the left and
she saw the ranch then. The barns were modern structures of steel, with most
been outdoors and she could see the horses happily munching on their feeds. The
car followed a paved road that seemed to go uphill. When the main residence
came into view, Leila inhaled deeply.

She had been into some of the most beautiful houses in
California but this one topped them all. Nestled atop a hill, it glistened in
the afternoon sunlight almost as though it were part of nature. It made her
even curious to meet the man who owned all these yet had to go to a bridal
agency to get a wife. Leila would have thought he would have hundreds of women
lined up to marry him.

The car came to a halt and Tom hurried to her side to open
the door. She stepped out and closed her eyes for a moment to savor the breeze
blowing across the hill.

“Ranch J has that effect on visitors,” a deep voice drawled
near her.

Leila’s eyes popped open and fell on the most gorgeous man
she had ever laid eyes on. His eyes were not quite sky blue as she had thought
from the picture, instead they had hints of green in them. She scanned him
unashamedly, her eyes running over his chiseled arms and heavily muscled chest.

“Do you like what you see?” he asked, his voice laced with
amusement.

Leila blushed and struck out her hand. When his large one
enclosed hers, her legs turned to jelly at the electricity that she felt with
the contact. From the way his eyes flamed, she imagined that he felt it too.

“I’m Jack Foley and welcome to Ranch J. I’m sorry I wasn’t
at the airport to meet you.”

He left it at that and the lack of an excuse irritated
Leila. Still, with a body like that, she was willing to forgive him anything.
He took her bag from Tom and carried it effortlessly towards the house. She
followed closely behind, admiring the view his posterior gave. His wide
shoulders narrowed into slim hips and she could see from his stride that he was
a man used to working outdoors.

The few steps led to a columned entry and through Italian
double doors which were flung wide open.

“Come on in,” Jack called over his shoulder.

“Thanks,” Leila mumbled, overwhelmed by the size and
magnificence of the house.

She found herself in a formal dining room and beyond it a
seating area furnished with cream leather seats. Side tables were decorated
with period pieces and pictures of sweeping landscapes on the walls.

“This is the dining room and the living room. Come I must
show you the deck, it’s the loveliest part of the house.” Jack said.

Indeed it was. It seemed to tower over everything else and
to her amazement she could see the guest house at a distance but most of all
was the view of the sky and the valley below.

“It’s beautiful,” Leila said.

She looked at Jack and was startled by the raw desire she
saw in his eyes. Her own body responded to his obvious attraction and she
longed to be held in his arms. He moved away then, breaking the sexual tension
that simmered between them. Leila stifled a nervous laugh. She had never been
this attracted to a man and she could have given anything to kiss him.

Leila barely saw the kitchen, only noting its granite
countertops and shiny wooden floors.

“This is Camille, she lords over the kitchen,” Jack said,
his tone gentle.

“Hello,” Leila said to the dark skinned lady’s cheerful
greeting.

Before following Jack out of the kitchen, she noticed a cozy
breakfast nook for two, under large bay windows and couldn’t quite picture Jack
seated there. Up the stairs was a huge hallway and beyond the door at the end
was a smaller hallway with two doors facing each other.

“This will be your bedroom and I’m right here if you need
anything,” Jack said, his eyes on her mouth.

Leila had noticed that her mouth had an effect on most men
and she was happy to see that Jack was no different. He pushed open the guest
room and entered. Leila followed him into the large room flooded with light.
The bed was huge and centrally placed and the floor covered by a pretty wall to
wall carpet.

Everything in the home spelt luxury and Leila admitted to
herself that she liked it.

“The bathroom is through there,” Jack said, pointing to a
door.

“OK, thanks. I could do with a wash,” Leila said, blushing
at the images her words conjured up.

In her mind she saw Jack leathering her up paying particular
attention to certain areas of her anatomy. Thank God that he could not read her
mind otherwise he would be horrified by the thoughts in her mind.
Unconsciously, she shook her hair loose from the pony tail and threw her head
back to push it behind.

When she looked up, it was to see the strain in Jack’s face.
Veins crisscrossed his forehead and the muscles on his arms seemed to twitch.
Her eyes went down to the lower part of his body and she saw the unmistakable
bulge. She grew hot at the sight and she licked her dry lips.

Before she knew how it happened, Jack had pulled her into
his arms and his lips were devouring hers. He swept his tongue inside her mouth
and she parted her lips to grant him easier access. She wrapped her hands
around his shoulders and loved the hardness of his skin. He smelt of pure
manliness and the scent intoxicated her senses.

She felt his bulge pressing harder against her and his hands
running over her back and backside. He lifted up her sundress and she shivered
when his hands touched her panty line. It had been so long since a man had
kissed her in such a way and she found herself pressing her body against his.
Theirs was like a wild dance with hands exploring each other desperately. His
hand found its way into her lacy panty and at that moment some sense came into
Leila. She gently removed his hand and stepped away.

They looked at each other and both broke into nervous
laughs.

“I don’t do that the first time I meet a beautiful woman,”
Jack said apologetically.

“I should hope not,” Leila quipped, her comment breaking the
tension between them.

“I’ll leave you to your shower now,” he said, though his
look told her he would have loved to be in there with her.