Sounds and Spirits

by Josie Kerr

  “You bitch!”

  Liddie had just gotten back on her feet when Candy shoved her again, hard.

  “Why did you have to come back?” Candy screamed in Liddie’s face. “Why couldn’t you just stay in California?”

  Afraid she was going punch Liddie, or worse, Tobias grabbed Candy’s upper arm, realizing he’d made a mistake. The second his hand touched her skin, he let go, as if her skin was capable of burning him.

  “Now you’re going to lay hands on me, Toby? Even though you would barely touch me when we were married? Huh?” Candy tried to shove Tobias, but because he was a mountain of a man, she simply couldn’t make him budge.

  “Whoa, dial it back, woman.” Tobias had his hands up, fingers spread.

  “Excuse me, Candace,” Liddie spit. “You do not get to lay your hands on anyone, especially Tobias.”

  “Oh, give me a fucking break, Liddie. Always so put upon. Liddie, who has a dead mother. Liddie, whose father is an overbearing hypocrite. Liddie, with the faggot uncles. Jesus. No one needs you to protect them, certainly not Tobias Harper.”

  Liddie blew out an irritated breath. “You exhaust me, Candy. Why don’t you go with your little friends, Tiffany and Amber, or whoever they are, and cry into your twenty-dollar Lemon Drops about how you can’t find any decent men? I’ll give you some advice, though—because I bet you find decent guys all the time, guys like Toby—maybe it’s you that’s not decent; maybe it’s you that’s the piece of shit. But I think you already know that. I think you know that you screwed up and lost the best thing that ever happened to you because you were a selfish, greedy bitch.”

  Tobias took Liddie’s hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “Come on, baby. Let’s get out of here.” Liddie was still staring a hole through Candy, her eyes blazing, and for just a moment, he thought Liddie was going snap and beat the ever-loving crap out of Candy, but she didn’t.

  She ended up blinking a few times and then giving him a brilliant smile and saying, “Yes. Let’s get out of here.”

  The three-and-a-half-hour drive from Nashville back to Hemlock Creek took closer to five hours because of a leisurely lunch and two rest-stop make-out sessions. Now they were barreling down a stretch of Highway 76 toward home. Liddie had her feet on the dashboard with her seat reclined, and Tobias had his hand tucked between her thighs. He swore she was almost purring while he stroked her soft skin.

  “What are thinking about, lady?”

  “Oh, some not very ladylike things,” she said with a throaty chuckle.

  “Like?”

  “Like the fact that our little wrestling match in the back seat was fun.”

  “Oh, did you like that?”

  “Oh yeah. I liked that.”

  “What else?”

  “That if I moved my legs just a little bit, you could . . .” She sucked in a breath when Tobias dragged a thick finger down the seam of her damp folds and back up, barely grazing that sensitive nub. “That’s perfect—just like that.”

  Tobias chuckled and didn’t stop stroking her, sneaking little peeks at the expanse of thigh her hiked-up skirt exposed. The road was deserted. They hadn’t seen another car in half an hour, so Tobias began stroking her a little harder, a little faster.

  Liddie must have noticed his eyes flicker, because she grinned and undid another button of her dress top. Then she popped open the clasp of her bra, freeing both of her breasts.

  “I normally hate bras that close in the front, but I bought one. It’s a sign, don’t you think?”

  She was definitely purring now, rolling her taut nipples between her thumb and forefinger and rocking her hips just a little. Tobias thought he was going to lose his mind. He continued to stroke a little harder, a little faster, and Liddie did the same until she was thrashing in the front seat and finally crying out, her head thrown back, as Tobias’s slick, thick fingers plunged into her.

  “Dammit, Liddie. We’re never gonna get home.”

  Tobias turned off the highway and went down a small side road until he saw a small copse of hemlock trees. He parked in the shade and pushed his seat all the way back. Liddie got a naughty gleam in her eye and stripped the rest of her dress off so she was completely naked in his front seat. Tobias had barely slipped his jeans over his hips before Liddie was on him, guiding his cock to her entrance. She sank down and ground against him, rubbing her bare breasts against his chest while he kneaded her ass.

  The best part of loving her like this, in the full light of day, was that he could see all of her beautiful body, could see the way she looked at him, never taking her eyes from his while they pushed and pulled against each other, drawing out all their pleasure from one another. When she was so close that she was quaking with want and her legs were shaking from need, he grasped her hand in his and together they rolled the top of her mound. She shuddered and jolted, her core gripping him as he jerked inside her. Liddie exhaled a sigh, and it was Tobias’s turn to holler. He bit at her breast, not too hard but enough to leave a mark. She squeaked when his teeth grazed her nipple, but when he kissed the spot he’d bitten, she let out a small, content sigh and collapsed against him.

  Tobias hugged her tightly and kissed her neck, little tiny kisses that made her shiver and smile. He loved seeing that smile, loved feeling her soft, pliant body curled into him, loved that he could make her fall apart and that he could make her whole. He loved her, period, and decided it was high time he told her, not wanting her to have heard it only in his acceptance speech.

  “I love you, Liddie. I always have. I always will.” He kissed her bare shoulder. “I . . . just love you.”

  Liddie threw herself at him, hugging him tightly with her arms, her legs, and her core, for he was still buried deep inside her.

  “Holy!” he said with a breathy chuckle, and she laughed against his neck.

  “I love you, too, Toby. Always have, always will.” Liddie swallowed hard, and a single tear ran down her cheek. Tobias kissed it away, and then he squeezed her waist in his big hands.

  “Stay the night with me?” he asked.

  She nodded. Tobias palmed her ass and then gave it a sharp slap. Liddie’s eyes grew wide and she bleated a little, surprised laugh, and Tobias winked at her.

  “Okay, woman. You need to pull your clothes back on, or we’ll never get home. And I need to recover some, because I’m not planning on letting you sleep a wink tonight.”

  “Tobias!”

  “Just lettin’ you know, babe. Just lettin’ you know.”

  Tobias made good on his threat, and by the time the sun rose, Liddie was deliciously sore, wonderfully exhausted, and deliriously happy. They did finally get some sleep, but she kept waking up. She was going to chalk it up to no longer being used to sharing a bed with someone, but she’d slept fine at the hotel. She sat up in bed and stretched.

  “That is gorgeous, you know. Seeing you in the altogether in my bed in the morning.” Tobias grinned at her. “Mornin’, darlin’. I feel like having some breakfast.”

  “I bet. You need to refuel, honey.” She snagged a shirt off the floor, then she felt Tobias’s big hands encircle her waist and pull her against him, his face directly between her knees.

  “Oh yeah, this will get me energized,” she heard him say before he tasted her.

  He’d wrapped his lips around her nub, teasing it with his tongue, when his phone rang. He pulled his head back, listening hard. The phone rang again, and he shook his head.

  “I need to answer that. No one calls the house unless it’s an emergency.”

  Liddie rolled off of him, and he grabbed the receiver. “Hello? Yeah, uh, yeah. Here she is.” Tobias handed the phone over to Liddie. “It’s Ace.”

  Liddie’s breath caught in her throat as she reached for the phone with a shaky hand. “Ace, what’s wrong? What’s happened?”

  “Liddie, breathe, first of all. Take a deep breath for me.”

  She did. Then she took another deep breath before saying, “Okay, what’s going o
n, Ace?”

  “You need to get dressed and get to the house, honey. Bunny picked Tally and Chloe up at the Chattanooga Airport, but they’ll be back in about half an hour. I don’t know what’s happened, but he told me to call you and have you come to the house. Bring Tobias, too.”

  “Okay, we’ll be there as soon as we can. Love you, Uncle Ace.”

  Liddie recapped her short conversation as she pulled her clothes on. Tobias started dressing the moment she mentioned Tally. Within five minutes, they were in the car and Tobias was calling his pet sitter to watch the girls for another day. Liddie grasped Tobias’s hand in both of hers as if her grip on his hand was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.

  Bunny’s car was in the driveway when Tobias pulled in, and Liddie was out of the car and running toward the house almost before Tobias put the car in park. She burst through the door, instinctively heading toward the kitchen and frantically calling out her loved ones’ names. Tally turned her head, and Liddie crumpled against Tobias, who had appeared, as if by magic, behind her.

  “Mama, I’m so sorry. I didn’t listen. I didn’t listen to you . . .”

  Liddie went to her only child and wrapped her in her arms. “It’s okay, Tallulah. You’re safe. You’re both safe.” She gently cupped Tally’s face in her hands. “Oh, baby, I am so sorry.” She took in all the damage to her beautiful baby girl’s face. “Does it hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

  Tally shook her head. “They said I didn’t have a concussion but to keep an eye on things. I . . . kind of left the hospital without telling anyone and went and got Chloe. Then we headed here.”

  “Where is that fucker?” All eyes swiveled to Tobias, who still stood in the doorway, his face dark with fury.

  “He’s in jail. Or that’s where he was when we got to the airport.” Chloe was sitting next to Bunny, her back ramrod straight and her chin jutting out defiantly. “I hope he rots in there.”

  “Chloe was so brave and smart,” Tally sniffled. “Tell them what you did.”

  Chloe’s neck reddened, but she told the group how she used the money in her savings account to pay for the plane tickets so her father wouldn’t see a charge on the joint credit cards or bank account. She’d also made the decision to fly into Chattanooga, and not Atlanta.

  “Chattanooga is closer, really. And Dad probably won’t think about that.”

  “Chloe, would you look at me?” Tobias spoke gently to Liddie’s granddaughter. When she looked at him, still standing strong but wavering, Tobias nodded at her and said, “You did right by your mother. You did everything exactly right. You are a brave, brave girl.”

  “Thank you,” Chloe whispered and then burst into tears. She got up from her chair and went to Liddie and Tally. The three women held each other in the kitchen, giving and receiving strength from one another, until finally, Tally pulled away from the embrace.

  “Mama, I’m about to drop. All I want to do is sleep for about a million years.”

  Liddie pushed her daughter’s hair back from her face. “You can take a nap, but we’ll come and rouse you every hour for a while, just to make sure.”

  “I’ll do it,” Chloe said, but Tally cut her off.

  “No, you need to rest, too. Mimi will do it. No arguing.”

  “Hmph.”

  Liddie managed a little smile. “That’s my girl.” She sighed and shook her head. “Oh my Lord. We’ll deal with all of this when you get up from your naps. Let’s go. Upstairs with you.”

  ´*•.¸(*•.¸ *¸.•*´)¸.•*´

  Liddie sat bolt upright, unsure where she was. The events of the morning came rushing back to her, and she began to go upstairs to see Tally, when she noticed her sitting at the kitchen table with a large mug of soup in front of her.

  “Hey, baby.” Liddie slid into the chair next to her daughter. “You feeling better?”

  Tally nodded. “Much.” She picked at a knot in the oilcloth table covering. “Tobias is a good man.”

  “Yes, he is. But I don’t want to talk about Tobias right now—”

  “I do. Daddy . . . was not a very good man. I’ve come to realize that. He treated you horribly.”

  “And I took it. I didn’t have to. That was my choice.”

  Tally huffed a laugh. “Maybe. Maybe not. But Tobias would never do you like that. Ever.”

  “No, he wouldn’t.”

  “Good.” She played with her spoon. “He wants to marry you.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.” Liddie laughed, a little bit hysterically.

  “I do. He told me. You should do it, Mom. You spent your whole adult life being told you weren’t quite good enough, and now you’re with this man who thinks you hung the moon. You gotta grab that. You deserve to be with someone who is as in love with you as you are with him.”

  “When did you get so smart, Tallulah Douglas?”

  “I don’t know. I think I got it from my mom.” Tally smiled, wincing slightly when her lip split again. “I think I might need to lie down again.”

  “I think that’s a good idea. I’ll put these dishes away. You go on upstairs.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Tally patted her mother’s hand, then got up stiffly and left the kitchen.

  Liddie was cleaning up the counter when she heard Tobias’s heavy footsteps tread into the kitchen. She turned and found him hovering in the doorway, looking unsure.

  “Hey, Liddie.”

  Liddie looked at him and then dropped the dish towel she was holding and ran to Tobias. She jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Toby.”

  “Yes?”

  She loosened her hold on him, just a little. “Yes, I will run away with you.”

  Tobias rested his forehead against hers. “I’ve wanted to hear those words for thirty years, Liddie.”

  “I’ve wanted to say them for at least that long.” She took a deep breath. “Now kiss me, Toby.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” And he did.

  Three Months Later

  Tobias pulled Liddie into the men’s room and locked the door behind him.

  “Come here to me, Mrs. Harper,” he growled.

  She went to him, and Tobias sealed his mouth over hers in a hot, slow, passionate kiss.

  “Mr. Harper, you make me dizzy,” she gasped, breathless.

  “Good. Because you make me want to make you dizzy.” He wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her in for another kiss. “I can’t stop kissing you.” Another kiss. “I don’t want to stop kissing you. Ever.”

  “I never want you to stop kissing me.”

  “Good.” Tobias grinned. “So, do you think we have—”

  “Tobias Harper, I swear to God, if you are fucking in my bathroom . . . well, I don’t know what I’m gonna do. But son of a ham sandwich, just wait until you get home.”

  Liddie and Tobias looked at each other and collapsed into hysterical snickering.

  “I’m thinking that’s a no, Toby,” Liddie wheezed.

  “No, schmo. Cal can deal with it.” He shrugged. “Or we can thank everyone for coming and then take off. How’s that sound?”

  “I think that sounds good—thanking everyone and taking off, that is.”

  “Your wish is my command.”

  Tobias unlocked the door, and Cal almost fell inside. “Oh, hey, Toby.” Cal grinned sheepishly. “Uh, I was told I was being rude. Sorry.”

  “He’s just mad because I haven’t let him christen the men’s room yet,” Kat said as she passed by the three of them. “That might just be a hint, Calhoun.”

  “Whoo, get it, Kat!” Liddie hooted as Tobias ushered her down the hall.

  “Hey, y’all! Thanks for coming! We’re outta here!” Cheers and whoops followed Tobias and Liddie out the door and into the parking lot. Tobias opened the door to his truck and helped her inside. After pausing for a brief kiss, he closed the door and ran around to the driver’s side.

  “Oh, I forgot to
throw the bouquet!”

  Liddie hung out the window and threw the bouquet as hard as she could as Tobias roared off, laughing like a loon.

  “Who caught the bouquet?” Tobias didn’t really care; he only hoped whoever caught it had a chance to be as happy as he was.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe Kat and Bridget will wrestle for it. Though, they’re both engaged, so it doesn’t really matter.” Liddie slid over on the bench seat of the truck. “You wanna go to the dock?”

  “Yes, ma’am. That sounds like a mighty fine idea.” Tobias pressed his lips against Liddie’s hair and listened to the new tune his muse planted in his head. It sounded an awful lot like cans clattering on a gravel road.

  The End

  You Look Good — Lady Antebellum

  Marry Me — Thomas Rhett

  Sex and Candy — Marcy Playground

  She’s Got A Way With Words — Blake Shelton

  Honky Tonk Moon — Randy Travis

  Nowhere Road — The Troggs

  Drunk on You — Luke Bryan

  Runnin’ Outta Moonlight — Randy Houser

  Broken Halos — Chris Stapleton

  Beer Can in a Truck Bed — Old Dominion

  You can find this and other playlists on Josie’s Spotify station.

  Acknowledgements

  To Yvette, alpha/beta reader extraordinaire and master playlist creator.

  To Bethany, once again, you’ve made sure that I keep my ducks (or dachshunds) in a row.

  To Reggie Deanching and Michael Joseph, thank you for capturing Tobias

  To the Hot Books and Cold Coffee Café denizens, thank you for putting up with my inconsistent posting and for your enthusiasm.

  To Isabella Peterson and Lisa Salvary, thank you for putting together a group for readers who enjoy reading about heroines who are in their Prime, and the RIHP members who read these books.