A Worthy Heir

by Pat Ballard

  “Reese? What’s wrong?” She was almost afraid to ask.

  “Wrong?” For the first time in weeks she heard the old familiar hardness in his voice. Got a glimpse of the Reese that she’d almost forgotten about.

  “Wrong? Oh, nothing’s wrong. And I shouldn’t even be surprised to find out just one more little underhanded trait of Pam Spencer. Oh—I almost forgot. It’s Pam Bainbridge now, isn’t it?”

  “Reese! What are you talking about? Why are you angry with me?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you knew how to live this kind of life?” His voice was controlled fury.

  “You didn’t ask, Reese. You brought me here thinking you were going to really punish me for all of my sins by letting me rot in this camp, day in and day out, alone, so now you’re angry because your little scheme didn’t work? Is that it?”

  “And I guess you were laughing at me behind my back all the time, weren’t you?”

  “You know what? Actually, after a couple of days, I forgot about it. I just settled in and enjoyed being here, but I’m sure you won’t believe that.”

  “You actually enjoyed it?” He was almost shouting now, but for some reason the situation was suddenly funny to Pam. It was almost like the story of Brer Rabbit being thrown into the briar patch.

  But as Reese rose and stormed from the tent all humor evaporated from Pam. For some reason he was very angry about the situation. Pam slowly followed him from the tent. The rain still drizzled a little, but it went unnoticed as she made her way to him.

  “Reese? Why are you so angry about this?”

  “Look,” he said, not even glancing at her, “everything is ruined. If you knew so much about camping, why didn’t you store the food so that it couldn’t get wet, like this?” He dumped soggy crackers, bread, and other items onto the ground at her feet.

  “Damn you, Reese Bainbridge!” Pam’s voice was quiet, controlled fury. She’d had enough. Enough of his on again, off again attitude toward her. Enough of loving him so much her entire body ached, but hurting even more when he turned on her like this.

  Stunned at her words, Reese slowly turned to face her. He was even more stunned at the cold rage he saw blazing in her green eyes.

  “Don’t you dare try to put the blame for this on me. After all, you’re the one who’s been sitting in a house all day. You probably heard a weather forecast and knew we were in for storms. So just shut up about it!”

  Gradually Pam became aware of the sound of sheets of rain in the trees, approaching them. She made a dash for the tent and barely made it in before Reese crashed in behind her. One of his feet tangled with hers and they both plummeted onto the air mattress. A sudden POP-WHOOSH rent the air as the valve in the mattress popped open from their weight hitting it so hard.

  The hissing sound of escaping air was more than Pam could take. Hysterical laughter pealed from her throat, sapping her of the anger she’d been overcome with a few minutes earlier. She lay on her back with Reese’s body half covering hers, his face buried in the crook of her neck. She felt him start to chuckle, and she laughed even harder.

  Reese rolled onto his back and together they roared with laughter. Each time they thought they were over it, one would giggle or chuckle, and they’d start all over again. Each time one of them moved and more air hissed from the mattress, their laughter got harder. Finally they lay exhausted and relaxed on the flat, airless mattress.

  The rain still fell in torrents, but as Reese propped up on one elbow and looked down at Pam she was only aware of his closeness, and how wonderful he looked with the remnants of laughter still lingering in his eyes.

  Very slowly, his eyes locked with hers, he lowered his lips until they covered hers in a tender kiss. Pam was instant in her desire for him. She couldn’t imagine another man ever turning her on like Reese Bainbridge did. Her hand slid up around his neck to pull him closer, but he captured it in the hand that lay behind her head, holding her in a position in which she was helpless to do anything but lay imprisoned under his blue blaze.

  Slowly, deliberately, he started unbuttoning the shirt she had hastily thrown on, without a bra, when she’d followed him from the tent. Tantalizingly he undid each button, leaving the material where it lay, until he reached the last button, savoring what lay beneath until he could uncover it at his leisure.

  Pam’s breath came in short puffs as she watched, anticipated, longed for him to claim the treasure he was so carefully unwrapping. Her entire body throbbed with the desires he was evoking. She wanted to scream for him to hurry, yet wanted him to continue his torture of her. Oh! The sweet torture!

  She sucked in air as he raised his hand and carefully pulled her shirt away from one breast, exposing it just enough for him to look at it before lowering his mouth to claim it. She thought she would die with the pleasure he was bringing to her. Just when she thought she could take no more, she felt his hand slide slowly down her body. Closer and closer it came to the top of her pants. Teasing, circling, working its way inside her jeans, downward to the center of her universe.

  “Reese—”

  “Shhhh. I want to watch you. I want to see the pleasure on your face. Do this for me, Pam.”

  Gazing into his eyes, Pam responded to him with all the love she would ever know for another human being. As spasm after glorious spasm racked her body, she kept her eyes open, allowing Reese to see into her very soul. She might not be able to say the words to him, but if he could see inside her soul, surely he could see the love she felt for him.

  Later, as they lay exhausted from making love, they realized the rain had stopped and the sun was shining.

  “Well, as much as I hate to end this, I think we’d better make a trip to the waterfalls and freshen up, then start packing this stuff up,” Reese said, rising from the flat mattress.

  “Pack up?”

  “Yes. We’re staying at the house for the rest of this trip.”

  Chapter 14

  Pam stopped abruptly. What lay in front of her took her breath away. After what seemed like a very short walk farther up the mountainside, they stood about three hundred yards from one of the most spectacular log homes she had ever seen. It looked more like a hunting lodge than an individual dwelling. Snuggled in a clump of huge oak trees, it was almost camouflaged as trees and sky reflected off of myriad windows that seemed more evident than the logs.

  “It’s beautiful, Reese! But being the nature lover that you seem to be, I’m surprised you destroyed trees to build your house.”

  “Good point, Pam,” Reese chuckled. “But I used what are called ‘standing dead logs.’” Noticing Pam’s uncomprehending look, he continued, “Standing dead logs are trees that are no longer living or growing but have remained standing for long periods of time, for whatever reason. There are many forests of standing dead trees. Sometimes fire will kill the trees, but not damage them enough to keep them from being used for logs to build with. There are a lot of other things that can kill them, too. A lot of these logs came from out west.”

  Before Pam could comment, Reese’s Jeep came roaring around the house and screeched to a stop not far from them. Sharon Anderson, wearing short-shorts and a halter-top, jumped from the truck and headed toward the house. She hadn’t noticed Reese and Pam.

  Pam couldn’t believe her eyes as Sharon used a key to open the front door and let herself into Reese’s home.

  “Now, Pam,” Reese started, seeing the look of horror on Pam’s face. “This isn’t what it looks like. She’s here working. She’s typing my manuscript as I write it. I hate sitting in front of a computer and writing, so I do my writing on notepads and Sharon puts it into the computer.”

  “How long has she been here?” Pam felt anger and dismay warring inside her. Had this bimbo been at his house with him every day, while she sat at that miserable campsite with nothing to occupy her time?

  “She got here the day after we did,” he answered reluctantly. “But, Pam, before you make a big deal out of this, you have to
remember that I had already made plans to come here and work before I found out about our marriage, much less our mandatory honeymoon. If I don’t get this manuscript finished on time, I stand a chance of losing the contract with the publisher.”

  Pushing her hurt to the back of her mind in the face of his reasoning, Pam nodded her understanding.

  “Now come on, we might as well get this over with,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her toward the house.

  Get this over with was right, Pam thought miserably as she allowed Reese to hold her hand and lead her up the tall steps to the huge, solid wood door. She didn’t look forward to an encounter with Sharon.

  But as Pam stepped through the door, she forgot about Sharon. She was overwhelmed with the emotions that engulfed her. Peace. A quiet and restful serenity, like nothing she had ever known, washed through her as she gazed at the warm, honey-colored logs that formed the walls. The windows opened up from every direction to expose the outside view to the point that it was hard to tell if one were inside or outside.

  Everything on the first floor was open. The kitchen, dining area, living space, all blended into one huge, warm area with an enormous fireplace at one end. A plush, rust-brown leather couch, matching loveseat and recliner formed a nook around the fireplace. A round, solid oak dining room table, chairs and cabinet were placed beside windows overlooking a valley where deer grazed, unafraid.

  A spiral staircase led up to the second floor bedrooms. Pam knew without seeing them that they would be as warm and inviting as the area where she now stood.

  This house was as opposite of the house at Bainbridge Hall as Reese was opposite of Fiona. No wonder he loved being here so much. And I’m going to love being here, Pam thought.

  Whoa! Where had that come from? Because she knew that even as much as this felt like home to her, she would never be allowed to stay here. Would never have the chance to snuggle up on one of those large couches in front of a big, warm fire on a cold winter’s night with Reese and make plans for their future. Sadness formed a knot in the pit of her stomach as she glanced around the lovely house again, realizing that, yes, this was home—just not hers.

  “Reese, is that you?” Sharon’s voice preceded her down the staircase. “I thought I heard the door close. Are you home? Oh! There you are. I missed you this morning. You didn’t come home at your usual time. I had your breakfast fixed and everything. I waited as long as I could before going into Cherokee to pick up some items. I—OH!” She’d finally spotted Pam, who’d been partially hidden behind a large potted palm tree.

  “What is she doing here, Reese?” Sharon yelped. “You promised me you were going to keep her secluded in the camp while we were here. You said you didn’t want her to ever see this house because she’d just want it, too! You said―”

  “Sharon!” Reese bellowed. “Shut the hell up!” Pam had never seen him this angry. And she had never felt this hurt.

  Sharon turned and stormed back up the stairs and slammed the door to some room.

  “Come on, Pam, I want to show you where I work, and tell you a little about the book I’m writing.”

  Pam followed Reese up the beautiful, curving staircase onto a landing that also had a sitting area that looked down over the living room. One could sit up here and watch the fire in the fireplace below.

  Reese led her to a room, and she suddenly felt as if she were standing in space. The room was round, with windows from floor to ceiling. A table and office chair sat close to a window. Papers, pens, books, and other items were spread around on the table.

  “Come over here and see where I work,” Reese said, again taking her hand and drawing her near the table.

  Pam was overcome with the view. This room was apparently in the back of the house. It looked out over a spectacular valley. Pam could see no ground below the window, as if the room actually hung out over the valley.

  “This is where I write most of the time. This is my inspiration. I sit here and look out at this view, and I can understand the sorrow of the people who were led from this area. And I can understand how some of them risked their lives to hide here, rather than be herded to a land they knew nothing of. I can understand how some of them would rather die here than live a life they hated.”

  “Like the life Fiona wanted you to live?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you saying that you would rather be dead here than alive and working at Bainbridge Corporation?”

  “Look at my dad. He died an early death because he gave in to her. So what’s the difference? So, yes, I’d rather be dead here than dead there!”

  Pam was amazed at the conviction in his voice. She wondered if Fiona could ever have imagined how sincere he was about not being part of the family company.

  She noticed an easel close to his worktable. It had a display of articles pinned to it that covered subjects in his book. Articles about how the Cherokee had a written language created by Sequoyah, who wanted his people to be educated. An article that said that by the early 1840s a Cherokee newspaper, The Phoenix, was being circulated throughout the territory. Clippings about how when Hernando de Soto came through the interior southeast of this country in 1540, he described large villages and towns based on farming. And how the Indians lived in log houses with fireplaces, and were very civilized.

  Pam learned more about the Cherokee Indians by glancing through the articles than she’d ever known in her life. This book that Reese was writing was going to be very important. Suddenly she felt ashamed of the part she’d played in distracting him from the important work he was doing. Ashamed to have been part of Fiona’s plan to trick him into becoming something he didn’t want any part of.

  “Well, this is probably boring you, so I’ll show you the rest of the house.” Reese’s voice and hand on her arm interrupted her thoughts.

  “No, I’m not bored at all, Reese. I find this fascinating,” Pam said, feeling her heartbeat speed up at his close proximity.

  “Really? Well, there might be hope for you after all,” he teased, his breath warm on her cheek as he spoke.

  She ached for him to kiss her. She couldn’t be this close to him and keep her mind on anything except how his lips felt on hers. How his hands felt caressing her body. How she wanted to be a part of his life.

  “Did you say it, Reese?” she asked, surprising both of them.

  “Did I say what?” he asked, drawing back from her only slightly.

  “That you didn’t want me to see this house.”

  “Yes. I was very angry with you and Fiona for tricking me into this marriage and I did say it. But that was then. A lot of things have changed since then.”

  Before she could answer he captured her lips under his in a kiss that had the promise of things to come. His arms came around her and molded her body to his. She felt herself melting against him as her arms crept up around his neck. By the time the kiss ended, they were both panting for air. And wanting more to happen than just a kiss.

  “And this is another reason that I didn’t want you here,” Reese’s gruff voice whispered. “I won’t be able to concentrate on a thing, just knowing that you’re in this house.”

  “Well, then I’ll leave,” she whispered back, snuggling closer to him.

  “Don’t even think about it,” he commanded. “I can’t wait for night to get here, so I can get you into my bed.”

  “Why do we have to wait for night?” Pam teased, slowly running her hand down his body.

  “Woman! I’ve got work to do! Now get out of here. Go look around. Amuse yourself. I’ll see you later.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and pushed her through the door.

  Reluctantly, Pam made her way toward the stairs. Just as she reached the top step, about to make her way down, she stopped in mid-stride. From her view up here she could see out through the huge lower-level windows at what looked like miles and miles of trees, mountain ranges, and dipping valleys. This house apparently sat on a very tall mountain. She had never seen such a beaut
iful view in her entire life.

  Slowly she made her way down the stairs, enjoying the changing view with each step she took. The architect who designed the house must have had this in mind.

  “You might as well enjoy it while you can, because you won’t be here long,” Sharon’s vindictive voice greeted Pam as she stepped from the last stair. Sharon’s voice was deliberately low so Reese couldn’t hear what she was saying.

  “Oh? And why is that?” Pam asked.

  “Because we don’t want you here. You may have tricked Reese into marrying you, but he doesn’t plan on staying married to you. Do you really think he’s going to spend his life with a fat loser?” Bitterness cracked through her voice.

  “Sharon, I don’t think that what Reese and I do is any of your business. You’re just a hired hand,” Pam responded. She’d about had as much of this person as she could take.

  “You fat bitch! You’re going to regret the day you met the Bainbridges and got in my way! I’m the one he loves! I’m the one he’s always loved. We’d be married if you and your money-grubbing brother hadn’t come along.” She stormed away before Pam could answer.

  Oddly enough, Pam’s anger dissipated almost instantly, to be replaced by a tiny apprehension. She’d never seen anyone as eaten up with anger and bitterness as Sharon was. And that last thing she’d thrown at Pam sure sounded like a threat. Oh, well, she’d worry about it if it happened, she decided. Right now, she wasn’t going to think about it.

  She found herbal tea bags in the kitchen and put a cup of water in the microwave. While waiting for the water to heat, Pam looked around at the spacious kitchen. Suddenly she had visions of her and Reese preparing a meal together while their children played around them. Maybe on a Saturday night, getting ready to have guests over for a cookout. Warmth washed over her at the cozy thought, but the shrill sound of the microwave brought her back to reality.

  Taking her cup of tea, she sat at the dining room table and looked out over the valley below. Again a feeling of being home washed through Pam. She had lived in many places and had prided herself that she could be happy anywhere, but she had never been in a place that felt like home, like this place did. It wasn’t just the house. It was the surroundings, too. It was as if she’d spent her entire life looking for this place. That she could grow old and die here.