He watched her stiffen her spine and square her shoulders. It was a sign he was coming to recognize when Maura was preparing to do battle.
"Why would I ask you if I can talk to you about something and then not talk to you about it? That doesn't make any sense, Aidan. I am just not certain how to bring up this subject. Your father and mine have devised a plan to combine our two lands into one joint venture. I was just wondering if there was room for one more. Venture, I mean."
That was not at all what he was expecting her to say. "Venture? What kind of venture?"
"Dried herbs."
She was looking at him in earnest. So, she was serious? Dried herbs? Caught completely off guard by this declaration, he sat on the porch and faced her. "Okay, so tell me what you mean about dried herbs."
For the next half hour, Maura outlined how hard her mother worked growing herbs of all types and varieties. And how each one has a special ability to heal or relieve illnesses or pain. Some just taste good. When she was done, Aidan sat in quiet contemplation.
"So, what do you think?"
He realized she was talking to him.
"I have to admit this idea of yours could have some merit, on a small scale of course. This idea of yours…has potential."
Maura smiled. “I can’t take the credit. This is my momma’s passion. As far back as I can remember, she has always grown and used herbs for a wide variety of things. I would like to see her have something of her own to be proud of.”
Aidan’s emotions softened toward this young woman who was now his wife. But, could he allow his guard down where she was concerned until he knew if she and her father had perpetrated a con on the Langley family?
His conscious twinged just a bit to remind him he had his own con going. He brushed it aside. He was simply making sure his family was protected from the underhanded dealings of a Jackson who already had a reputation for being dishonest.
"I'll talk to my dad about your idea. Even if he doesn’t think this sort of thing will work on a large scale, I don't see the harm in letting your momma try it."
"Thank you, Aidan." She reached over and kissed him on his cheek. A spark of something ignited in her eyes. Her closeness kicked him in the gut and all parts south. God, she smells good.
He needed to get to work. He stood abruptly. "I gotta go."
Chapter Fourteen
One month later, Maura awoke to the sound of her husband's snoring. She turned toward him so she could watch him sleep. He was so handsome. And when he slept, his face was free of the worried scowl he wore on his brow. She would sometimes turn to him unexpectedly and catch him watching her. She asked him several times what was bothering him. He always replied, “Nothing.” She finally just quit asking.
She wanted him. She could admit that to herself in the quiet of her bedroom. She wanted his hands touching her body, making her feel things. Theirs was not the teenage fumbling of two kids in high school trying to find their way to forbidden love. And their lovemaking could have paved the way for a deeper connection. She was sure of it. If only Aidan would stop avoiding her.
Maura smiled to herself. Everyone had worked so hard over the last four weeks getting ready for the wheat crop. She had learned a lot about farming and ranching since the joint venture between their families. Before the depression robbed her papa of all his money, he used to hire hands to help him. He told her she needed to stay in school for book learnin’. She had always studied hard hoping one day he would need her knowledge, but she felt as if her papa just didn’t want her around. When she was older, she stayed at school during the summer or went home with the other girls during holidays.
The wheat they would grow and sell under the government contract would feed families. Lots and lots of families and it made her feel proud.
"What are you smiling about?" Aidan's voice startled her from her musings.
"Ah, you are awake. Did you sleep well? By the sound of your snores, you were dead tired."
Aidan propped his head up on the pillow and folded his arms behind his head. Maura felt the kick in her core at the sight of her handsome husband's naked chest so close.
He grunted. "I don't snore."
Maura rolled her eyes. She wanted to move closer to him, lay next to his body. Run her fingers over the hard ripples on his stomach. Would he be open to that? she wondered. He had been standoffish since their wedding night. Or had he just been exhausted as he said repeatedly? Too exhausted to—
"I asked what you were thinking about that has you smiling so big?" He turned to her, resting his head in his palm.
The pull of his sexual attraction was hard to resist.
"Um, well, I was thinking how much I have learned about farming and ranching in the last month and how much preparation of the land it takes to make it ready to plant over a thousand acres in wheat."
"I see. Anything else?" He prompted her to continue.
Did he want to know how much she knew or how much she didn't know? She couldn't read his mood. She would do her best to dazzle him with her knowledge.
"I know Sully decided to keep a few acres planted with alfalfa hay because he wasn't ready to completely abandon your horse-breeding activities."
"Go on."
Was that genuine interest she saw on his face?
"Well, this fall we will plant about forty acres of oats to sustain the cattle through the winter."
She rose and sat cross-legged on the bed. Aidan's eyes dropped to her breasts, partially exposed by the open neck of her nightshirt. He raised his eyes back to her. Was that need she saw in his eyes? If it was, why wasn't he reaching for her? Should she take the initiative?
"Why oats?" He prompted her on.
Disappointed she had missed her chance, she continued to offer him what she knew. "Because oats will grow fast and thrive under our cool fall conditions. It has a better-than-average feed value and produces over two tons of hay for fall grazing. Since the crop dies out over winter, it will protect the soil without causing planting problems next spring."
Aidan propped his pillows against the iron headboard. He reclined against them, the sheet barely covered his manhood. Her fingers itched to reach underneath the covers and grasp—
"I'm quite impressed. You've been paying attention."
His gaze heated her core, and she wished he would reach for her.
"Is there anything else about our operation you've learned during the last few weeks?"
She nodded, happy to demonstrate she had been paying attention to the business side of this merger too.
"Oh yes, a lot more. The tractor crew is preparing the pastures, along with the three teams of draft horses. The two-horse teams pulled the plow blades through the damp soil, ripping at the grass roots and making way for the twelve-run seed drill. And our two sections of land total over twelve hundred acres—"
"Our two sections?"
There was that scowl again. What had she said to cause him to frown? She thought about it, and nothing came to mind.
"Um, yes. The Langley section and the Jackson section. Our two sections of land will produce a lot of wheat product to help feed the millions left homeless and hungry by this economic depression. And the government money will help sustain us for the next five years until the end of the contract. By then, I'm praying this horrible period in our country will be over and life can get back to normal."
"And what would that life look like to you, Maura? Normal, I mean." Aidan reached out and twirled a curl of her hair around his finger.
She held her breath, hoping he would want more from her than information. But it seemed he was content to wait on her answer.
Truth be told, she had no idea what life would look like in one year, much less five. The vision of children playing in front of the Langley house, blonde and auburn hair glistening in the sunshine came to her mind's eye. Is that what she was hoping for? Children with Aidan?
Damn it. Just go for it, Maura. Don't be a coward. But she wasn't ready to give him her
heart. At least not all of it. She needed him to open up to her before she took a leap of faith. After all, he's still a Langley, she reminded herself. He had yet to prove to her he could be trusted.
"I can't predict the future, Aidan. But if I were wishing, I'd wish for happiness for sure. Children perhaps. Certainly, someone beside me to share my dreams ."
He withdrew his hand from her hair. "So, children. Perhaps. And someone to share your dreams." His gaze met hers. "I see."
Did he see? she wondered. Could he see she was falling in love with him? Maybe if she took the initiative, he would meet her halfway.
She leaned closer, knowing her nightshirt hung open just a bit more, giving him an ample view of her breasts. She watched his nostrils flare with desire. The heat in his eyes was undeniable. Her heart kicked at the possibilities.
"I better get up and get to work. Daylight's burnin'."
She watched him roll out of bed, giving her only a quick peek at his naked but magnificent backside before he was fully dressed and headed out the door.
"Aidan? Should I come to the pasture and help you with the planting?" She hated the sound of her voice when she begged.
"Sure. Why not."
And then he was gone. She had the feeling something was bothering him. "So why doesn't the dimwit just say something?" She shook her head and got out of bed to prepare for her long day. "Men."
Chapter Fifteen
It took Aidan two hours walking behind a team of plow horses to get the image of Maura's bed-tousled appearance out of his head.
He snapped the reins against the broad muscular backs of the pair of draft horses pulling the plow through the fields, dragging the tines through the soil to break up the big clods the tractors made in preparation for planting.
He had come close this morning to pushing Maura back against the sheets and stripping her of every stitch of clothing. The thought of being intimate with her again made him want her even more. It wasn't the first time either. In fact, every night he shared her bed made it harder and harder to resist. He swore if it wasn't for Tommy reminding him almost daily of their plan, he wasn't certain he could have abstained.
"Aidan, why don't you take over drivin’ tractor a spell. I'll drive the ponies." His dad called down to him from the high seat of one of the tractors.
"Nah, I'm good. I've got my rhythm going. Don't wanna mess it up."
His dad nodded and drove toward the east horizon. His dad and Harvey had been driving the pair of tractors for the last two weeks. They ripped at the vegetation roots, then he and Levi, one of the newest hands, drove a team of drafts pulling a harrow to bust up the bigger clods.
If today's schedule went according to plan, they could bring in the seeders tomorrow. By the end of this week, they would have their crop of wheat in the ground. That would be a huge relief since the fall growing season would be starting in another month.
Aidan snapped the reins again, urging the large horses forward. He walked behind them step for step, Willow following his every move. The monotonous nature of the work allowed his thoughts to wander back to this morning and the image of the woman he left in his bed.
It was as if his thoughts conjured her into existence. She appeared in the row ahead of him and waved.
He smiled, caught himself, then nodded. He didn't need to get friendly with the enemy. But was she? The enemy? He had no idea anymore.
She moved on over the rows and headed in the direction where their two dads worked driving the tractors.
Someone called out to him. He pulled the big draft horse to a stop.
“Hey, Tommy. You’re gonna get those fancy shoes of yours dirty out here. Why don’t you put on some work books when you head out across a plowed field?” Aidan teased his friend.
“Yeah, well why don’t you stop looking at her like that? You are fallin’ for her, aren’t you?
Aidan tied the reins to the brake handle and dug into the tool box for a fruit jar full of water.
Aidan looked across the field. Maura was handing his dad a jar of water. He had to admit Maura was a damned hard worker and nothing at all like he thought she would be being kin to that no good Harvey Jackson.
His dad climbed down off the tractor and gave her a fatherly hug. It was obvious his dad cared for his new daughter-in-law. Aidan wondered what would happen when he told his parents he and Maura might not stay married.
He was pretty sure his dad wasn’t going to like his idea one bit. He took another quick glance to Maura. And neither would his mom. Or Nola. He didn’t even want to think about what his sharp-tongued Nessa would say.
Maura must have sensed his eyes on her. She turned and smiled. Shy. Sweet. If he were totally honest with himself, he wasn’t one hundred percent he was gonna like it either. Maybe he needed to rethink this plan of his.
"You’ve let that Jackson girl get under your skin, haven’t you? Because if you have, Aidan, our plan is not gonna work."
Aidan glanced back in Maura’s direction. He watched her carry the jars of water in a basket looped over her arm to her father. The man took the jar, drank from it and gave it back to his daughter without a word. The man was a selfish bastard.
He was suddenly aware of Tommy talking to him. “I asked you a question? Is that daughter of Harvey Jackson getting under your skin?" Tommy stepped in front of him blocking his view of Maura.
Aidan and Tommy had been friends since they were in kindergarten. He loved Tommy like the brother he never knew, but at this moment, he was thinking about giving him a brotherly punch to the nose.
"She’s got a name, Tommy. It’s Maura. And, I don't answer to you, so don't push me." Aidan stood to his full six foot two and looked down on Tommy's shorter stature. He saw the anger on Tommy's face giving way to resignation.
"Look, Aidan. I thought we had a plan. You know, to keep you from being tied to that Jackson clan for the rest of your life. You said you didn't want to be married to Maura Jackson, and I am trying to help you out. But if you've changed your mind, tell me now."
"I don't know what I want at the moment, Tommy. Just sit tight and let's see where this takes us, okay?"
"Sure, Aidan. I'm here for you. That's all. By the way, any news on the baby front? I mean, do you know whether or not Maura is pregnant?"
Aidan didn't want to think about that. The only time he had sex with Maura was on their wedding night and the morning after. But he had to admit, it was getting harder and harder to resist his saucy wife. The only thing that was keeping him at arm’s length was the possibility Maura was pregnant with someone else's child.
"I haven't heard anything. I'm assuming there's no baby. But I guess that's one thing time will tell us."
"Yeah, time will tell. Here she comes. I think I'll head out." Tommy slapped him on the shoulder. "Think about the consequences of giving up on our plan, Aidan. You will be miserable for the rest of your life if you settle for Maura as your wife. She's not Beth. She's Harvey Jackson’s daughter, and everyone knows Jackson can't be trusted. It's a matter of time before she betrays you, and if you have a child with her, you are stuck in a life of misery. Think about it."
"I will." Aidan was less than convinced this was still a good idea, but he wasn’t ready to give up on Beth either. The truth was he was torn between his growing feelings for Maura and his simmering feelings for Beth. If only Beth would show a little interest in him.
Tommy turned and stepped gingerly across the turned-up rows of soil in his worn-out expensive shoes. Tommy was used to nice things, and the downturn in his family's economic situation was hard on him.
Aidan's family had been well off too. The difference between him and Tommy was Aidan liked the simple life. Tommy had lived on top of the world with the best of everything. It was a long fall to the bottom of the barrel, and Tommy didn't like rubbing elbows with people he thought inferior to his social status. It could be that was why Tommy had it in for Maura and her family.
"Hi, was that Tommy who just left?" Maura reac
hed into her basket and handed him a jar of water. He shook his head and showed her his. She nodded and stood in awkward silence.
"Yeah, he just stopped by for a quick visit."
"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say hello to him. He always seems to be avoiding me.” Maura turned her face to him in question.
"Nah, that's Tommy. Always mad at the world. Don't worry about it." He tried to dismiss her concerns, but he knew he wasn’t being honest.
Maura nodded her understanding, but he could tell she wasn't convinced. He changed the subject.
"What are your plans for today?"
"Momma, Nola, and I are working in the herb garden today. We’ll take inventory and weed. Then next week, we’ll cultivate whatever is ready and head into town to sell whatever we can to the grocery store. Maybe even sell a few on the street corner. Who knows?"
"You won't go by yourself, will you? I mean there are so many panhandlers going from door to door, begging for food. If they see ladies with money, their needs might overcome their senses. Someone might get hurt."
Maura nodded in agreement. "That's why we are going together. Your mom may even go. I doubt any one man would accost four ladies armed with heavy baskets, booted feet, and bony fists."
Aidan laughed at the vision Maura's words created. She laughed with him, and the sound of it made him want to reach for her.
She sobered, and the same sexual heat he felt in his southern region now showed in Maura's eyes.
He thought about what Tommy had just said to him about the plan, and he realized he needed to make a conscious decision to go one way or the other. If he didn't, it was obvious to a blind fool that the decision was going to be made for him when he lost his ability to resist his beautiful wife's charms and bedded her. Again.
"Well, I guess I’d better get back to work." Aidan knew it sounded lame, but it was the best he could come up with at the moment, considering his head was filled with lustful thoughts.
He saw the disappointment on Maura's face, but it couldn't be helped. At least not until he decided which crossroad he was going to take.
Aidan's Arrangement: (The Langley Legacy Book 4) Page 8