A Long Way from Home (The Caldwells of Rebel Creek Book 1)

by Morris, T M

  “No, I’m awake.” Lucy muttered yawning.

  “Yeah? But for how much longer?” He chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You are.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah, you.” He turned his attention for a second on her to give her one of his devastating smiles. “You haven’t said a word in over an hour. What am I supposed to think? In my experience when you’ve been quiet this long during a drive, it’s because you’d fallen asleep.”

  “You make me sound like a chatterbox.” She complained, a frown creasing her brow.

  “A chatterbox? You?” He laughed. “How could I accuse you of being a chatterbox when you don’t talk a quarter as much as my sister or my step-mother? Those two can talk your ears off. No, sweetheart, you are no chatterbox, but you do answer my questions.”

  “I didn’t hear you, sorry. I was thinking, I guess.” She stammered not wanting him to even entertain the thought of asking her what she was thinking. She was a horrible liar and he was always able to detect her feeble attempts to tell anything less than the truth. How could she tell him she was thinking about their one night of love making on their last out of town trip?

  She was grateful he didn’t bother asking her what she was thinking. Instead he repeated his original question with a chuckle. “I asked if you were hungry. We are almost to the site and we have some extra time. We could stop for breakfast.”

  “I’m a little hungry.” She admitted. Her nausea had subsided for the time being and was replaced by a gnawing hunger. Her stomach emitted a low growl.

  “Good. I didn’t want you to have to watch me eat.” He turned into the parking lot of a local restaurant. As he parked the truck he said, “I hear this place has the best coffee in town. I’m sure you will be able to give me your expert opinion too, won’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t call myself an expert, maybe an aficionado but not an expert.” She retorted.

  “Yeah. Right.” Sarcasm dripped over his words like thick molasses.

  “I’ll show you. I won’t have any coffee. I will have a tall glass of iced tea or juice or milk or I don’t know—something.” Her cheeks flushed with emotion.

  Devon chuckled as he climbed out of the truck. When he helped Lucy slide out the same side of the cab he said, “Come on you rebellious curmudgeon.”

  Lucy did her best to glare at him. Devon had with very little effort managed to get her to smile again. He led her by the hand into the restaurant.

  After they had ordered, Devon smiled at her as he said, “I am so glad to see you drinking something other than coffee, honey. You know it is not supposed to be your main source of fluid.”

  She glowered at him. “I know and like every other bad habit I have, I am trying to cut back.”

  “You have other bad habits?” Devon asked in mock amazement. "And here I was thinking you’re almost perfect."

  “I do and before you go and get all high and mighty on me, you have a few bad habits yourself.” Lucy admitted and accused all in the same breath.

  “I do, do I?” Devon chuckled. “I suppose you will do me the favor of listing them for me? Or am I going to be left in the dark to figure them out all alone.”

  Lucy studied his handsome face for a moment before answering. “For one, you leave your dirty laundry wherever you happen to decide to take it off. Something I shouldn’t even know about my boss, by the way. I should be in my own home.” She needled. “Second, you have a horrible diet. You eat out more than you eat at home. And—“

  “There’s more?” He interrupted her, his face showed his amusement.

  “Um, well, I was going to say you don’t exercise which quite frankly amazes me since...” Lucy’s voice trailed off.

  “Since...what?”

  “Since you are in such good shape.” She blushed and to her relief he laughed.

  “My sweet Lucy, I could accuse you of the last two as well. I’d like to work on them. All I need is someone to come into my house and cook for me and someone else to exercise with me—like those Hollywood types.”

  “Can’t do it alone?” Lucy chided him.

  “No one wants to cook for one and eat alone. And, working out alone is boring and it could be dangerous depending on what you’re doing. I’m sure you know having lived alone for some time now yourself.” He replied as the waitress arrived with their breakfast orders. After the flirtatious server left them alone he continued, “We could agree to work out together since you are staying with me. We could also cook together. What do you say?”

  “As long as the exercise we do isn’t too strenuous.” She agreed. Even she knew the beginning stages of pregnancy, wasn’t the time to begin a brand new strenuous exercise regime.

  “So it’s a deal then?” He asked as he offered her his hand.

  They shook in agreement. While he still held her hand Lucy reiterated, “Now, remember nothing too strenuous.”

  “Healthy home cooked meals and long walks around the neighborhood sound too strenuous?”

  “No.”

  “Good. We can start this evening.” He smiled as he dug into his scrambled eggs with enthusiasm.

  Lucy, on the other hand, picked at her eggs and hash browns. Her appetite was nowhere to be found. She took a long sip of her orange juice before she said, “I don’t know where my appetite went. It was here a few minutes ago.”

  Devon studied her face with renewed concern. “Are you sure you don’t have some kind of ulcer or something? You eat almost nothing anymore and when you do eat it makes you sick.”

  Lucy shrugged. Her emotions were flying everywhere like a flock of startled pigeons. What else was she supposed to do? Blurt out ‘I’m pregnant!’? She couldn’t tell him about the baby yet—but what was she going to tell him? To stall for a few moments to gather her wits she shoveled a forkful of hash browns into her mouth. It seemed the more she chewed the larger the bite grew in her mouth. She kept chewing until she managed to swallow. Devon was staring at her. She sighed, “It's nothing more than the strain of our current situation, I suppose." She noticed Devon's scowl. "Would it make you feel better if I made an appointment for a physical?”

  He didn’t even bother to consider the proposal. “The sooner you make it the better. I can’t stand to see you wasting away.”

  Lucy grimaced, “I am not wasting away. You’re over reacting.”

  He scoffed, “Lucy, you were a little too thin when we met but now you have hollows in your cheeks which weren’t there before and dark shadows under your eyes. You’ve lost more than a few pounds since then and you couldn’t afford to lose any in the first place. I’m very worried about you. In case you haven’t noticed, I do care about you.”

  She lowered her eyes. She could not look into his eyes without longing to proclaim how much she loved him and to tell him the news of his baby. She pushed her plate away as she mumbled, “I appreciate your concern Devon, but it isn’t necessary. I’m sure it is unfounded. I am probably just fighting off a virus or something.”

  Devon motioned for the waitress to bring the check. He released a heavy sigh. “Make an appointment for a physical. I know I’ll feel better when you do.”

  Lucy gulped down the remainder of her glass of juice as he laid several small bills on the table with the ticket. Together they rose from the table and without another word made their way to the door. Devon led her through the door with a hand on the small of her back. As they walked toward the truck, he slid his hand up around her narrow waist pulling her closer to him.

  Without thinking Lucy mimicked his action and slipped her thumb through the belt loop of his jeans. As they reached the passenger side of the truck she felt Devon’s lips brush against the top of her head. She froze when she realized how intimate they were being with each other.

  Lucy tried to free herself from his embrace but his arm steeled against her movements. She groaned, “We can’t Devon, you’re—"

  “I know what I am Lucy.” Devon growled as he pinne
d her body between his and the cold metal of the truck. “You don’t need to keep reminding me. What I can’t understand is why you can’t get past it. I’m not ordering you to have an affair with me. I’m not threatening your job. I am okay with you working for me. I’m okay with us being a couple. As a matter of fact, I want us to be a couple.”

  She stared up at him in surprise. Her lips parted to speak but Devon stifled any response she may have had by covering her mouth with his own. He moved his lips over hers urging her to respond. Respond she did, but before his kiss would take her to the very edge of longing he pulled away from her leaving her feeling bereft.

  Dazed, Lucy looked at him in confusion as he opened the passenger door for her and helped her climb in. “What I don’t understand Lucy, is why it is such a problem for you. I’m not Jordan Lancaster. I’m not in my late fifties with a wife, children and grandchildren. I’m young and I’m not married. For crying out loud, I’m not even dating anyone.” He started to close the door as he said, “I’m going to get us some coffee to take with us.”

  Using the side mirror Lucy watched Devon march back into the restaurant and up to the counter. She was too stunned by his outburst to think clearly. All she could hear in her head was Devon saying over and over that he was okay with them being a couple. He wanted them to be a couple. Wow. What will happen when I tell him I’m pregnant?

  Less than five minutes had past when Devon climbed back into the truck. He thrust a tall thermo-foam cup in Lucy’s direction. “Here. Drink this. I’m sure it will improve your mood.” He muttered.

  Lucy accepted the cup as she groused, “My mood? What about the mood you’re in? Besides, I thought you said I needed to cut back on my coffee drinking.”

  “It’s decaffeinated, all right?” He snapped.

  “Then why bother?” She pouted as she placed the cup into a cup holder in the front dash. “Decaf is for wimps.”

  Devon slammed his fists against the steering wheel causing her to flinch. “I got you the decaffeinated,” he grated, “because I thought the caffeine might be part of your stomach problem. I was trying to compromise. I thought if you drank the decaffeinated coffee it might have a placebo effect on you and put you in a better mood, okay? Why do I even bother?”

  Lucy blinked several times then favored him with a wry smile. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness Devon. Thank you.” She took a sip careful not to burn her mouth.

  His frustration dissipated. He sighed. Lucy's acquiescence surprised him. “Drink your coffee, Luce.”

  He stared out the wind shield for a moment before he started the engine and pulled out of their parking place and into traffic. They were almost to the site before he spoke. “I brought along the laptop for you to use. I don’t want you to get behind on the Phase One reports because I insist you stay where I can protect you from the shadows.”

  “Thank you. I was wondering what I was going to do all day. I was beginning to think you were planning on training me to do a Phase Two, and I’m not afraid of shadows.” She chirped after draining the last dregs of the coffee from her cup.

  Devon laughed. “Just leave the shadows to me, okay? And, I believe you could do a Phase Two. Maybe in the future I'll teach you. Right now, however, I need you to stick to the Phase One’s.”

  “Yes, sir.” She saluted with a smile. “Shadows and Phase Two’s are yours, and Phase One’s are mine.”

  He shook his head and grinned as he pulled into the site’s dirt driveway. “Lucy, my darlin’, will you ever cease to amaze me?” He asked as he pulled to a stop. Without waiting for an answer he jumped out of the cab and jogged to the gate. He swung the gate open and returned to the truck. He drove through the narrow gap in the fence and stopped again.

  As he went to close the gate, Lucy began to plait her hair into a single braid. When he returned Devon gave her an odd look but said nothing. Again, he put the huge truck into gear and made his way down the dirt track to a clearing. “Well, here we are.” he said as he slid the gear shift into first, engaged the emergency brake and killed the engine.

  Lucy stretched as she asked, “I guess it’s time to work, huh?”

  Devon watched with hooded eyes her unconscious movements. He felt the familiar wrenching in his chest and the uncomfortable warming below his belt. As he pulled the keys from the ignition switch he muttered, “Yeah, well, that’s why they pay us.”

  Noticing the change in his tone and manner, Lucy looked at him with concern. She asked, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” He growled. “Let’s get to work. We don’t have all day.”

  “Okay.” She drawled after a few seconds. She got up on her knees in the seat and reached over the back of it for the card board box containing the laptop computer and the active files on which she was working.

  Devon sucked in a jagged breath. He had to get out of the truck before he kissed her or did something else even more stupid. The sight of her well-formed behind within reach was going to be his undoing. He fumbled with the door handle and almost fell out of the cab. The cool autumn air helped to clear his head. He told her he could wait. Now all he had to do was prove it to himself.

  When he opened the rear passenger door Lucy was eyeing him with scrunched eyebrows. She asked, “Is something wrong?”

  Devon cleared his throat and ran his hand through his short dark hair as he met her vibrant green gaze. Could she honestly be so utterly oblivious to the effect she had on him? He shook his head. “Nothing is wrong that spending the morning out in the cold air won’t fix.”

  She nodded as if she understood, even though she didn't. She sank back into her seat as she said, “I think it’s a little too cold for my liking. I think I will work here in the truck.”

  “Fine. I need to concentrate while I’m working anyway, so...” he paused as he pulled some equipment from the backseat, “I would appreciate no distractions.” He finished after he set the equipment on the ground by his feet.

  “Do I distract you?” Lucy sounded surprised.

  After Devon gave her a sidelong glance he muttered, “Let’s get to work shall we? Day light’s a-wasting.”

  He stood thirty feet from the truck watching his Lucy. If she would look up from whatever it was she was doing she could see him if he moved. He knew having a ghillie suit would come in handy one day.

  She was so beautiful, as beautiful as she was in school maybe even more so. He was a lucky man to have Lucy as his girl. He heard Devon slamming shut the cooler lid he’d watched him carry off earlier. It was time to go. He was careful to withdraw slowly, inch by inch, further into the cedar glade.

  Lucy yawned and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. She pressed her hands hard against her lids and after she released the pressure she saw stars. When her vision cleared she looked at her watch it was almost one o’clock. No wonder the computer shut down due to a low battery.

  She looked around the small clearing. There was no sign of Devon. She wondered where he could be. She rifled through the files spread over the front seat. This particular project was the last folder she put her fingers on. She flipped through the sheaf of papers looking for a survey plat of the property. If she could find it, she could determine where Devon could be found.

  She didn’t need to continue looking for the survey plat, however, because Devon opened the rear passenger door, startling her. “Where have you been? I was beginning to worry.” She wailed.

  Devon smiled, “Does that mean you care about me?”

  “Well, um, yeah I do care about you. How else am I going to get back to civilization? I can't drive this—this thing you so blithely call a truck. I don’t know how to drive a standard shift.” She choked staring at her fingernails. They were uneven and in desperate need of a trim.

  Devon smiled as he heaved the largest cooler Lucy had ever seen into the back seat and chuckled, “Well, I guess that’s progress.”

  “What’s in there?” Lucy asked trying to act as if nothing had yet been said between t
hem.

  “This cooler is full of soil samples. This place is not as clean as I had hoped. If the lab tests prove what I think is in this soil, we will need a pretty expansive cleanup plan.” Devon explained before closing the rear door.

  Lucy waited for him to open the driver’s side door before asking, “What do you think is in the dirt?”

  “I know there is gasoline and used oil, maybe a little diesel too. There used to be a small garage here in the fifties and sixties when how you disposed of the stuff wasn’t an issue, not like it is today.” Devon told her as he climbed behind the wheel.

  “So, now what are we going to do?” Lucy asked as she gathered up the files spread across the seat and put them into the cardboard container.

  He checked his watch before turning the key as he answered, “I’m thinking lunch is the first order of business. Then we need to get these samples to the lab before it closes for the night.”

  “Lunch sounds like a good a plan to me.” She smiled. “I’m hungry.”

  “Buckle up.” Devon put the truck in gear. He turned the truck around and let the truck creep to the gate where he stopped so he could open it. “Huh, that’s odd.”

  “Didn’t you close the gate on the way in this morning?” Lucy sounded alarmed.

  He covered her hand with his and squeezed it. He put the truck into neutral as he engaged the brake. He ordered Lucy to stay put and lock the doors.

  She locked the doors and returned to her seat. She watched him as he checked the gate for damage and the ground for tracks. She wrapped her arms tightly around her body in hopes of holding herself together. She was shivering even though she wasn’t cold. Devon had left the engine running and the heat was blowing straight into her face.

  Devon returned to the truck and she hurried to unlock the door for him. “What did you find?”

  “Nothing. I must not have latched it as well as I thought. All I saw were tire tracks that match this truck and my footprints.” Devon informed her as he climbed back into the truck. He took one look at her and pulled her into his strong arms. He held her close and stroked her hair as he whispered, “Sweetheart, it’s okay. No one followed us. We are the only people out here.”