Branded in Oasis

by Clay, Verna

  The elevator opened and Skye stumbled and giggled stepping out. She clutched Kade's arm. The people riding the elevator with them circled around them. One man turned to eye Skye from head to toe. In her pretty blue dress, she looked scrumptious, and the man winked at Kade, as if he'd hit the jackpot. Kade didn't like the guy's lewd expression and scowled at him. Skye hiccupped and giggled and Kade kept one arm around her waist as he walked her to her room. She dug in her purse for her key card and then dropped the purse on the ground. Kade chuckled, knelt to retrieve it, and riffled through the bag until he found the card. He swiped and opened her door.

  Skye walked crookedly inside and turned to motion him in. He decided to get her settled before returning to his room. She stepped sideways and bumped into a low table. With a squeal she fell forward on her stomach across the table, and her entire back in the low cut dress was exposed. Rushing forward, he placed his hands on her waist. She stilled and he asked, "Are you hurt?"

  She shook her head no, but still didn't move.

  Because she was so alluring he moved his hands over her naked skin and then back to her waist to help her up. As soon as she was standing he scooped her into his arms. He said softly, "Princess, I think you'd be better off in bed."

  She hugged his neck. "I'm not Princess. She's the one who owns the trailer park and the diner." She placed a finger to her lips and slurred, "But I know a secret."

  Kade grinned. "Oh, yeah?"

  Skye moved her finger from her lips to his. "But you have to promise not to tell if I share it with you."

  "If it’s a secret, maybe you better keep it to yourself." Skye's finger pressing against his lips was pushing his libido in a direction he didn't want it to go.

  She ignored his remark. "Guess who owns Oasis?"

  That got his attention.

  She stretched up and whispered in his ear, "My brother does. My grandfather—Gramps," she giggled when she said that, "used to own it for like thirty years. Then he gave it to Max. And guess what?"

  "What?"

  "He's the one reviat…revet…re-vi-ta-li-zing downtown." She finally got the word out.

  "Yeah?"

  "Yeah. Oasis is going to have an awesome museum and guess who's going to take pictures of the town so it can be in a magazine?"

  "Let me guess. You?"

  "Yes!"

  While Kade was processing this tidbit of information, he entered the bedroom carrying Skye. Suddenly, she started sobbing. He paused. "What's wrong, baby?"

  "Max has Pilar. Max has Oasis. Bertie has Kitty. Bertie has the business. Gramps has Princess. Princess has the trailer park…and…and I don't have anyone and no home. I'm just a…a…misfit. I don't fit anywhere." She sobbed again. "And you have Shiloh and Oasis. I love your home. Did I ever tell you that? I'd give up everything just to have a home and family."

  Kade studied Skye's expression and saw something that had always been there, but only now did he recognize it. He saw loneliness. He saw longing. And he couldn't resist pressing his lips gently to hers in an attempt to erase that loneliness and longing.

  She sighed into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh, Kade. I love you."

  Her honesty twisted his heart and almost brought him to his knees. He walked to the bed so he could lay her across it.

  Lifting his lips slightly, he said, "And I love you, Skye." After that he kissed her passionately, but pulled away. "Honey, you're drunk and we need to talk about this when you're sober."

  He started to lift off her, but she tightened her arms. "No. I'm not so drunk that I don't know what I'm doing. You can't leave me now," she spoke vehemently.

  Kade locked his gaze with hers for long moments and then slowly, slowly, returned his lips to hers. He loved this diminutive woman with her sometimes brash words, but always with a heart of gold. She was the least spoiled woman he had ever met. He touched her curly hair and then moved his face to inhale its fragrance. She sighed and moved her hands to his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders. He sat up and jerked it off. She pulled at his shirt to remove it from his slacks. The shirt came off too. When her hands smoothed over his pectorals and abs, he groaned and said, "Baby, as much as I love your dress, we've got to get you out of it." He turned her onto her side and slowly released the zipper. She made impatient movements, trying to rid herself of the garment. He chuckled and slid the sleeves down her arms. In a soothing voice, he said, "We have all night."

  Skye stopped struggling, twisted around to meet his gaze, and smiled. Then she rose up and kissed the tat on his left bicep. That simple action sent a wave of love from the top of his head to his toes, and he knew he was staring at his happily-ever-after.

  The rest of the night became a sensuous adventure of epic proportions and all Kade wanted to do was please Skye. And the more he pleased her, the more pleasure he received for himself. He loved her; he lusted after her; and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

  Finally, he could wait no longer and grabbed a condom from his wallet. Slowly, inch by inch, he entered her body. Her fingernails dug into his back and she said, "I love you. I love you so much." Then they began to move in rhythm until there was nothing slow about their joining. Kade lifted his head and groaned loudly at the same time Skye shrieked.

  He fell over the top of her, positioning his hands on either side of her so as not to crush her, and waited for his body to descend back into the land of mortality. Breathing heavily, he lifted one hand to brush her hair away from her eyes and they stared at each other for a long time. When their breathing returned to normal, he lay beside her and pulled her to him, spooning their bodies. Against her ear, he said, "That was the best sex I ever had."

  Still reeling from their encounter, he closed his eyes, intending to rest for only a moment before telling her again how much he loved her, but he felt so peaceful, he drifted to sleep.

  Chapter 35: Out The Door

  Skye tossed her backpack and carryon into the backseat of the cab while the driver loaded her suitcase in the trunk. She'd called for a taxi while in the bathroom of her hotel room. Jumping in beside her carryon she urged the driver to get her to the bus station pronto. A quick internet search while in the bathroom had revealed there were no airlines leaving anytime soon. However, there was a bus headed for Paris within the hour.

  Now, leaning against the backseat, she fought to keep from sobbing like a baby. Her night with Kade had been the most beautiful of her life, but she'd still made the gut wrenching decision to leave him. She'd written a note explaining that her grandfather had called and wanted to meet with her because he and Princess were in Paris for a few weeks. She hadn't lied about that. Gramps had called her shortly before dinner the night before. The other part of her note had been pure fabrication. She'd said that their night together had been incredible, but it wasn't something she wanted to repeat because they were from different worlds. She'd written that she really was that spoiled rich girl and although she cared for him, a relationship would never work. She'd wished him much success and said he was on his own now.

  Gazing out the cab window at the beautiful city of Avignon, and remembering the joy she'd shared with Kade as they'd wandered the city, she started to cry. Truth be told, she didn't want to leave Kade. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But after he'd gone to sleep, she'd gazed lovingly at him and realized the truth of their situation. He was about to become rich and famous and find himself surrounded by "beautiful" and "influential" people. He was going to have more work than he could imagine and she couldn't envision herself caught up in that lifestyle. In her mind, she saw him surrounded by gorgeous women day after day and then coming home to her, a plain woman who abhorred that way of life. Of course, she'd probably be gone much of the time on assignment, but that didn't present a favorable scenario, either. They would grow apart and the only thing keeping them together would be sex.

  That's not the life she wanted. She'd rather remain alone than go through the inevitable heartbreak
.

  She arrived at the bus terminal, bought her ticket, and awaited departure in misery.

  * * *

  Kade woke and relived visions of his night with Skye. He was head-over-heels in love and, after so many years of guarding his heart, it felt good. It felt right. He stretched and turned onto his side, reaching for her. She wasn't in the bed. She must be in the bathroom.

  He listened for sounds and when he didn't hear any, he got a bad feeling in his gut. Jumping up, he knocked on the door and then opened it when there was no answer.

  Empty.

  He glanced around the bedroom and didn't see Skye's backpack or purse. In fact, the clothing he'd removed from her and tossed on the floor was gone. He rushed into the sitting room and immediately saw the note on the coffee table. He picked it up, afraid of what she'd written.

  Maybe she's just gone out to bring us coffee?

  He knew in his heart though, that she was gone. He read the note and sank down onto the couch.

  She was gone and she wasn't coming back. In fact, she was terminating their relationship. He thought back to what might have triggered this reaction and cringed when he remembered the last thing he'd said to her: "That was the best sex I ever had." God, he was such a jerk. He should have told her instead how much he loved her. How much he wanted to spend his life with her. Tell her about the decision he'd made regarding his career.

  He remembered he was supposed to meet with Mr. Viceroy that morning to discuss a long term contract. Jerking his slacks and shirt on, he reached for his jacket and pulled his cell phone from the pocket. He made a call to Max Rutherford, and then another to the phone number he'd gotten from Max. After his plan was set in motion, he rushed to his room, quickly showered, packed, and hurried to the dining room. Mr. Viceroy and Mr. Livingston had their heads together and were in deep conversation. Mandy said, "Good morning, Kade. Looks like today will decide the next few years of your life. I look forward to working with you again."

  The VIPs glanced up when Mandy greeted him. Both men smiled, but before they could say anything, Kade said, "Mr. Viceroy, could I have a word with you privately."

  That got everyone's attention around the table and even Galena and Marcus removed their eyes from each other to see what was happening.

  Mr. Viceroy said, "Of course. Please excuse us Harvey."

  The designer looked confused by Kade's request, but for once, didn't go off on a speaking tangent. Mr. Viceroy followed Kade to a private corner and Kade spoke his mind.

  Chapter 36: Paris

  Skye knocked on the door of her grandfather's suite at the Raphael Hotel in Paris. The bus trip had been a long one and she was exhausted. The door opened and Max, Sr. grinned. "There's my granddaughter. I certainly didn't expect you to drop everything to visit us. We're here for a few weeks because Princess has planned an itinerary a twenty year old would have trouble keeping up with."

  Princess walked up behind him. "Don't you believe him, Skye. Max has the constitution of a young man. It was his idea to travel the world, and now he's complaining about a few day trips. What he's really saying is that he doesn't want to visit every museum in Paris."

  Max, Sr. reached an arm around Princess. "For you, love, I'd do anything."

  Princess gently jabbed him. "Max, quit standing there; help Skye with her things."

  Skye's grandfather grinned and reached for her suitcase and carryon. "Honey, you just follow Princess to the sitting room. I'm right behind you."

  Princess linked her arm with Skye's and the loving gesture put a lump in Skye's throat. Maybe she could stay in Paris with her Gramps and Princess for a week or two before returning to the states. Princess paused before a closed double door and said, "Sweetie, why don't you go on in while I bring us some refreshments?"

  "Okay. But is there something I can help with?"

  Gramps said from behind them, "No, darlin', we got it covered."

  Skye set her backpack on the floor and opened one of the doors. She stepped inside the room, gasped, and jerked her hand over her mouth.

  Kade stood in the center of the room.

  For long seconds, they stared at each other and then she exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

  Before Kade could respond, Gramps said, "Ah, I'm going to close the door." He touched Skye's shoulder. "Honey, I think you need to listen to Kade with your heart and not your brain."

  Skye heard the door close behind her and inhaled deeply. I will not cry. I will not cry.

  Kade started toward her but she jerked her hand up to stop him. "How did you get here before me, and for that matter, how did you know Gramps and Princess were staying at this hotel?"

  "After I read your note about your grandfather being in Paris, I called your brother." He gave a little smile. "I had to do some heavy explaining for him to give me Max, Sr.'s cell phone number. I called your grandfather and laid everything on the line and then paid a driver a lot of money to get me here fast."

  "Laid what on the line?" Skye whispered.

  "I told him that I'm crazy in love with you."

  Skye's voice rose in volume. "Didn't you read my note? I told you we'd never work. You're about to hit the big time with a career that will take you all over the globe, and you'll be meeting movers and shakers and…and…"

  "What?"

  "You'll be hobnobbing with movie stars. I-I never told you that Tyron got a call from a well-known agent who wants you to date some famous movie stars to generate publicity. And-and…"

  "What, honey?"

  "It'll only be a matter of time before you realize how plain and ordinary and boring I am. And-and…"

  Kade took a step closer and lifted an eyebrow. "And?"

  "And I'll be horribly jealous of all the women around you and I'll say things I shouldn't and then I'll get my heart broken again."

  Kade took another step forward. "Do you know what one of your most endearing qualities is?"

  A tear slid down Skye's cheek. "What?"

  "Your imagination." Kade now stood directly in front of her and reached to brush away the tear. "None of what you said is ever going to happen because I'm not signing any modeling contracts, ever. The fact of the matter is I hate modeling. I talked to Mr. Viceroy this morning and told him it was a no-go."

  Skye's eyes widened. "You-you gave it all up? Why?"

  "Because there's only one thing I want, and I'm looking at her. In case you don't remember what I said last night, I love you, Skye. I love you so much I want to marry you. I want to have a family with you. I want us to have a happily-ever-after in Oasis."

  Skye covered her mouth with her hand. Dare she believe him?

  He asked, "Do you think that's possible?"

  Lifting tear-drenched eyes to his, she studied the blue depths staring back at her and suddenly saw the most amazing thing—her future reflected back. He was hers—all hers. She threw her arms around his neck and exclaimed, "Only if you promise to take me for a ride on your motorcycle again."

  Kade reached his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground. "I might even take you back to Benny's Biker Bar."

  Chapter 37: Two Grannies

  Skye reached to pick another juicy tomato and drop it in her basket. She and Kade had planted the garden in the spring, and now the squash, bell peppers, watermelons, and tomatoes were ripe for the picking. She rubbed a hand over her baby bump and grinned. She was going to be as ripe as these vegetables come fall.

  Shiloh stepped outside the back door carrying two tall glasses of iced tea. She called, "Honey, you come sit a spell with me. It's getting too hot to work in the garden." The elderly woman set the tea glasses on a table shaded by a colorful red and yellow umbrella.

  Placing her basket of tomatoes on the table, Skye gladly took a seat next to her grandmother-in-law. She reached for the tea and gulped it.

  Shiloh took a long drink of her own and asked, "So, looks like you and Kade have a one year anniversary coming up. Any plans for a second honeymoon?"

 
; Skye grinned. "Not that I know of."

  Shiloh reached to pat Skye's hand. "Now I don't want you two staying around here if you've a mind to go somewhere. My new hip isn't giving me any problems."

  Skye turned her hand over to hold Shiloh's. "Granny, to tell you the truth, I've globe-trotted for years and I'm kind of traveled out. Besides, I love living here so much that I don't have a desire to go anywhere else, except for that trip to Provence with you when the baby is old enough to travel."

  Sudden tears flooded Skye's eyes. Since becoming pregnant she was often overcome by her emotions. She said, "I've never been so happy. Marrying Kade and coming to live in your lovely home is a dream come true. I have so many friends now, and my brother and sister-in-law are only minutes away. It's…it's just so wonderful."

  Shiloh squeezed Skye's hand and Skye continued, "And Bertram and Kitty are coming to visit after the baby's born. And my Gramps and Princess are also here…well, when they're not traipsing the world."

  Thinking back to her visit in Paris with her Gramps and Princess, when Kade had surprised her, she grinned through fresh tears. "And finding out that Princess is my birth grandmother has been the frosting on my perfect cake."

  In an obvious attempt to steer Skye away from emotions that were making her cry, Shiloh said, "Hey, why don't we walk the new boardwalk and visit the remodeled shops downtown. I can't wait to check out the latest batch of old stuff donated to the museum. I donated a lesson plan book my papa used when he was teaching school in Oasis, and also a quilt my mama and granny sewed by hand. I heard that even Josiah Wilson's crabby wife Nettie has sort of taken a liking to the museum." She took another sip of tea. "Why, I think it's wonderful the way the owner of Oasis is making all these improvements. I've often wondered who it is. I even tried to weasel it out of the first mayor, but even he didn't know."