by Marin Thomas
He glanced sideways and his heart felt heavy when he considered never seeing what kind of man Seth would become. He cursed the farm that stood between Nelson and Ellen. He believed selling the place was in her best interest, but she seemed determined to go down with the ship. How could he save her when he wasn’t positive she even cared to be rescued?
Although she’d never admitted it, Ellen had dropped enough hints that she wasn’t truly happy living on the farm. But like many people in debt, she didn’t have the means to change her circumstances. He wished he could convince her to set aside her pride and allow him to bankroll her. Not just a loan, but enough money to change her life.
With the financial resources to pay off her debts, he could offer her a chance to start over somewhere new. Do something with her life other than milk cows. If she sought to enroll in college or a trade school, he’d pay her tuition. And he’d make sure Seth received a good education and attended a university if he desired.
What about her argument that the farm is Seth’s heritage? Not a problem. He’d buy the farm outright and hire a manager to run it, and even add improvements. Later, if Seth decided he’d like to return to his roots, he could. One way or another, he’d ensure Ellen ran out of excuses to stay in Four Corners. Then he’d give her a reason to start her life over—him.
He wanted to be the reason Ellen moved on with her life.
Maybe he was a fool to assume only the farm stood between him and Ellen. What about his career? If he could convince her to walk away from everything familiar, was he willing to rearrange his priorities? Willing to cut back on his work hours? Put her and Seth first in his life?
Part of him longed to. And part of him feared that once the excitement of their new life wore off, he’d revert to his old ways and get sucked back into the business again. And where would that leave Ellen? She was already a widow. She didn’t deserve to become a divorcée.
“I caught something!” Seth shouted as his fishing pole bent toward the water.
Nelson dropped his pole and rushed to the teen’s side. “Hold steady.” When the pole slipped, Nelson grabbed it. After Seth regained control, he coaxed, “Slow and easy.”
The boy’s face reddened as he struggled to hold the pole with one hand while reeling in the fish with the other.
“The trout’s at least a five-pounder,” Nelson praised as the fish flopped about on the grassy bank.
“Wait till Mom sees this.” Seth dropped to his knees and cut out the hook. “He sure is a fighter.”
As Nelson watched the trout wiggle, he decided the fish and Ellen had a lot in common—neither one wished to give up.
“THAT’S THE FIFTH TIME you’ve stared off into space. What’s wrong? You’ve been acting goofy all week,” Flo insisted as she shoved a wad of napkins into a table dispenser.
Ellen continued stacking the water glasses, still warm from the dishwasher, under the lunch counter. Although they were alone in the diner, she debated confiding in her employer. But whom else could she talk to? Flo was the closest friend she had, even though twenty years separated them. Like a pig in a mud hole, she’d attempted to wade through the muck in her mind and hadn’t gotten anywhere but stuck. What the heck. “I miss him.”
Moving to the next table, Flo loaded another dispenser. “Miss who?”
“Never mind,” Ellen mumbled, embarrassed she’d even considered spilling her guts about something so personal.
“Oh, no, you don’t. I’m guessing the him you’re missing is your hired hand?”
“Nelson.” Just saying his name did funny things to Ellen’s heart.
“When did he leave?” Flo asked.
“He hasn’t left.”
“I don’t get it. How can you miss him if he’s still hanging around your place?”
Ellen quirked an eyebrow, then a moment later watched her boss’s lips form a perfect O.
Grabbing the broom and dustpan by the door, Flo proceeded to sweep under the tables. “So how far did you get with him?”
“What do you mean, how far?”
“Bases. You know, first, second, third.”
Leave it to Flo to equate sex with baseball—her favorite sport. “We’ve, ah, crossed home plate…a few times,” Ellen admitted, trying to ignore the heat crawling up her neck.
“And…” Flo grinned.
“And what?”
“And was it incredible?”
Incredible. Making love with Nelson went way beyond incredible. “Yes,” she murmured, refusing to go into detail.
“I don’t get it. If sex with him was so great, then why the hang-dog expression?”
Oh, shoot. She might as well spill her guts until her stomach was empty. “Nelson hasn’t touched me lately. Not even a kiss. And I’ve given him plenty of opportunities.”
Flo leaned on the broom handle. “Did you have a fight?”
“We don’t fight. We discuss.”
“Okay, so what did you two discuss?”
Ellen shoved a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “It wasn’t really a discussion—it was more of a look.”
“Well, that’s the first I’ve heard of a lookin’ war,” Flo grumped.
“I suspect he’s upset with me because I didn’t use the money he loaned me the way he’d hoped I would.”
“It’s about time you let someone help you.” Her boss set the broom aside and untied her apron.
Not wanting to chat about the loan Nelson gave her, she added, “Remember I told you he and Seth had gone fishing the day we baked pies for the church.”
“Culver Lake, you said.”
Ellen nodded. “When I returned home that afternoon, Nelson was…different.”
Flo wiggled on to a stool at the lunch counter and lit a cigarette. “Different how?”
“It’s as if he weighs each word before speaking. As if we’re acquaintances, not lovers.”
“Well, hell, Ellen. Just ask him what’s bothering him.”
“I can’t.” Because she was afraid he’d admit that she was nothing but a huge m-i-s-t-a-k-e.
“So you two haven’t…played baseball since we baked pies?”
Ellen shook her head. “I’ve hinted, made sure I caught him alone in the barn so if he tried to kiss me he could. But…nothing.”
“If I had a man like that at home, I’d be all over him like maple syrup on flapjacks.” Flo checked her watch. “Go on, now. At least let me live vicariously through you. Because I’m sure as heck not getting anything.”
“Elmer would be more than happy to oblige,” Ellen teased as she grabbed her purse and keys from under the counter.
“Elmer’s going to have to do a lot more wooing before I’ll slip out of my skivvies for him.”
“You’re such a romantic, Flo.”
“What’s wrong with expecting flowers or a nice dinner—preferably somewhere other than a tavern?”
“Give him time. Elmer will come around,” Ellen assured her, then left the diner, more determined than ever to confront Nelson.
SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
Nelson lay on his cot in the back room of the barn, holding his breath. He listened for a sound, a movement, anything to shatter the quiet darkness surrounding him.
There it was again—something stirred the air. The hair on his arms vibrated and his muscles tensed. Then…the faintest hint of lemon drifted beneath his nose.
Ellen.
He wasn’t sure whether to exhale in relief or bounce off the mattress and scare twenty years off her life as she had his. Or maybe he’d feign sleep until he figured out for certain what the little farmer was up to, prowling around his room after midnight.
Forcing his eyes open, he studied the blackness. A shape hovered in the doorway. He didn’t need to see or touch Ellen to recall her body. The silky patch of skin beneath her ear. The graceful lines of her neck. The gentle slope of her shoulders. The slight flair of her narrow hips. The sweet roundness of her bottom. The small fullness of her breasts. Two delicate pink n
ipples…
Her lemony scent grew stronger, her silent steps bringing her closer, increasing the ache in his loins.
All week, he’d struggled to keep his distance from her. He’d needed time to analyze his feelings. To be one-hundred-percent positive that what he felt for her was love. Ellen deserved nothing less from him. And he admitted he’d contracted a severe case of nerves each time he’d considered proposing.
Amazing… She hadn’t laid a hand on him. Hadn’t spoken a word. Yet she’d already won over his body and mind. Maybe the best way to show her his feelings was to make love to her. When she was sated and happy, he’d announce his intentions to spend the rest of his life with her.
In the darkness he held out his hand. Her breath hissed in surprise, then her shadow moved. A moment later her fingers glided across his palm. A gentle tug and she sat on the side of the cot. He cupped her face and brought her mouth to his.
Gentle, slow. The barest caress of lips. He ran his fingers along her arm, her skin as hot as his own. Her murmur registered in his brain, triggering a rush of testosterone to his groin.
He pulled her across his bare chest and assumed control of the kiss, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth. There would be no doubt in her mind how her midnight visit would end.
Ellen must have sensed his heightened desire. She slipped off her silky top, wiggled out of her pajama bottoms, then straddled his waist, arching her back, asking without words for more. He complied.
Caress after caress…Hands, mouths, moans and sighs filled the room until the air thickened with desire. Her touch grew bold straining his control, testing his limits. He tore his mouth from hers and shifted to his side, pinning her beneath him.
His wallet rested on the bedside table. However, the simple task of grabbing it became complicated when her teeth latched on to his nipple. He bucked against the sting of her bite, swearing beneath his breath. Husky laughter gurgled in her throat. He was in bed with a she-cat. He fumbled once more with the wallet, removed the condom and set it on the mattress. Her hands moved lower, pushing his boxers down his thighs. He twisted until they were around his ankles, then kicked them over the side of the cot. Her strokes grew bolder. Then her mouth replaced her hands and the beauty of her loving touched his soul.
Before he lost control, he shifted away from her hot caresses and muttered, “Your turn.” He trailed kisses down her neck, over her breasts and across her belly, then between her thighs. He teased and tantalized until she begged him to free her.
He coaxed her up. One touch at a time. The darkness hid her face, but he imagined the blue of her eyes deepening to indigo as she gasped, then let loose a high-pitched moan as she climaxed.
When her breathing calmed, he cuddled her rump against his belly, then nestled his face in the crook of her neck. He breathed her in. Lost himself in her scent and her soft naked skin. A moment of panic seized him at the possibility this slip of a woman had the power to wrap a man his size around her little pinkie. And wrap him up, she did. Ellen had him tied in a knot only her deft fingers could unravel.
The minutes ticked by as they rested in silence. Not until Ellen’s eager fingers moved behind her and stroked him did he remember he’d yet to find his own release. For a minute he allowed her roaming hands free reign over his body. Then she hooked her foot behind his calf and he decided to end his torment.
He sheathed himself, then gently entered her hot wetness. Her moans assured him she wasn’t in any discomfort. When she rotated her head and offered her mouth, he feasted on it. His breath grew ragged. So did Ellen’s. A moment later he felt her first tremor. At last he let go, his release thundering through him.
They must have dozed off, because Nelson awoke to light filtering through the open door. Ellen lay sprawled on top of his chest, her breasts smashed flat against him, her hair a tangled mass, covering half his face and neck. And her arms were locked around his waist as if she’d fallen asleep giving him a hug.
He brushed the strands of hair from her eyes. In sleep, she appeared too young to have a thirteen-year-old child. Too young to be running a farm by herself. Too young to have already lost a husband. A deep need to protect her filled him and he tightened his hold around her.
Soft, light-brown lashes fluttered, tickling his skin. She lifted her head. Her mouth curved and the tips of her white teeth peeked at him.
“Good morning,” he mumbled.
Her smile widened. “Hungry?”
“For you, always.”
The smile dimmed, catching him off guard. “What’s wrong?”
A delicate shoulder shrugged. “You’ve been avoiding me all week.”
“I’m sorry. I had a lot on my mind.”
She plucked a hair on his chest and whispered, “Did you get it all figured out?”
“Yes.” I want to marry you.
Ellen hadn’t opened up about her relationship with her deceased husband, but Nelson sensed it hadn’t been good. Would she even want to try marriage again? Maybe she’d prefer living together, instead. The concept of shacking up with her left a sour taste in his mouth. She deserved better and he didn’t want to set a bad example for the boy.
But what if it didn’t work out? What if after a while Ellen was unhappy living in the city? Would they return to their separate lives? Who would Seth live with? When would they see each other? His head pounded from all the questions. Right now, the one thing he was certain of was none of this would matter if Ellen didn’t love him.
Never before had he stepped into a quagmire like this. Why did he have to go and fall in love with a woman like Ellen—attractive in a girl-next-door kind of way, stubborn, difficult, prideful, determined and so damn alive. So perfect.
Love. He rolled the word across his tongue again and again as he played with her silky hair. He was certain he loved her. But was his love strong enough to survive the ups and downs of marriage? Nelson thought of his brother, Ryan. His wife had run at the first sign of trouble and abandoned her husband when he’d needed her most.
Nelson searched his heart and knew he’d never leave Ellen—for any reason. He tilted her chin and gazed at her beautiful face. “I love you, Ellen.”
Silence.
His lungs locked up. Had he mistaken her feelings for him? “You’re making me nervous, Ellen. Say something.”
Her big, blue eyes welled. With the pad of his thumb, he attempted to stem the tears leaking from the corners. Heart heavy, he choked, “I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He searched for the right words to ease her distress. “It’s okay, angel. You don’t have to say anything. I just needed you to realize how special you are to me.” He kissed her, licking the salty tears pooling at the corners of her mouth.
She pulled away and sniffed, the tears continuing to flow. Only this time she smiled. “I love you, too, Nelson.”
Her confession knocked the wind from his lungs. Relief, sharp and sweet, rushed through him. He hugged her, his heart lighter than it had been in days…months…maybe years. As long as Ellen loved him and he loved her, things would work out.
He wished they could snuggle in bed all morning and make plans for the future, but the mooing outside the barn grew louder. “We’ll talk later. Right now Betty is having a cow.”
She laughed at his corny joke and kissed him. Her lips, her mouth, her sighs telling him better than words how much she cared. The future looked bright, sunny and cheery.
Together they dressed, then strolled hand in hand from the barn.
Into the dark, blowing gusts of an oncoming storm.
Chapter Thirteen
Tornado.
“Lord help us.” Ellen studied the mass of dark clouds swirling along the horizon. Mother Nature’s ominous display was at the very least mesmerizing. The rotation at the bottom of the clouds guaranteed a twister was in the making. “We don’t have much time.”
“Tell me what to do,” Nelson implored.
At the urgent note in his voice, she tore her attention from the sky. “G
et Seth out of bed and turn off the gas and water in the house. Then head for the storm shelter. I’ll let the cows loose into the pasture.”
Instead of doing as instructed, Nelson grinned. Grinned? She demanded, “We’re about to get our butts kicked by Mother Nature. Care to share what’s so funny?”
He motioned to her body. “Are you planning to parade around in the storm wearing pajamas?”
She glanced at herself and cringed. “I’ll grab a pair of coveralls in the barn.”
Nelson snagged her arm, hauling her up against him.
Stimulated by the rumble of thunder, the crackling lightning and their having made love only a short while ago, desire as powerful as the approaching tempest racked her body the moment his mouth covered hers. Hot, wet, possessive and edged with desperation, the kiss ended as abruptly as it had begun, leaving her gasping for air.
“Go,” he urged.
Squinting against the dust particles stinging her face, she raced into the barn. After slipping on a pair of coveralls, she exited the side door into the holding area, where the small herd of cows huddled together. They know. She suspected the animals had sensed the storm hours before the clouds had appeared. The animals shifted nervously as she pushed her way between their hulking bodies. Once she opened the gate, the bovines scrambled for freedom.
Like a concerned mother, Betty hung back until the other cows had left, then sidled up and nudged her wet nose against Ellen’s shoulder.
Ellen’s throat closed as she drowned in Betty’s big brown eyes. She and the cow had been through several bad storms over the past few years and had faired fine. No reason this storm would be any different. She threw her arms around Betty’s massive neck and pressed her face to the warm, pungent hide. “Stay safe, my friend,” she whispered, then patted her rump. The cow trotted after the others and Ellen secured the latch.
As if her feet had been nailed to the ground, she waited until the small herd disappeared over the swell in the terrain. If hearts could cry, then hers was bawling at the thought of her beloved cows unprotected in the open pasture. Tilting her face to the sky, she shook her fist at the turbulent heavens. “Damn you!” she ranted. A vicious gust of wind whipped the words back in her face. A sick feeling in her gut warned that this storm might be a killer. Time would tell how many victims it claimed after carving a wicked path of destruction through the area.