by Ginna Gray
"I guess everyone's avoided talking about Travis around you lately. The old place has been vacant for years and needs a lot of work. Travis spends his evenings and weekends renovating it." Dorothy paused to let that soak in, then added pointedly, "Doesn't sound much like a man who plans to move on, does it?"
A beaming smile lit up Rebecca's face. "No. It certainly doesn't."
The McCall house was only ten minutes away if you used the shortcut through the woods, and the old Martin place was only another five minutes farther, but Rebecca was in too much of a hurry to walk.
Twilight was settling in when she brought her car to a halt in the drive, like Dorothy and Joe's home, the Martin place was a rambling old "Victorian, set far back from the country lane among a veritable forest of trees and overgrown shrubs.
Whatever work Travis had done, Rebecca realized, must have been on the inside. The wraparound porch sagged, and the place obviously hadn't seen a coat of paint in years. The siding and gingerbread were a uniform weathered gray. Except for the light spilling from the uncurtained windows of the parlor, the place looked forlorn and deserted.
Rebecca climbed the steps and crossed the sagging porch, her heart pounding like a wild thing n her chest. The doors and windows were open to the cool April night, and when she peeked through the screen door, she saw Travis in the parlor bent over a pair of sawhorses, marking a board. She drew a deep breath and tapped on the door frame. "Hello."
Travis straightened and looked around, and his eyes widened. "Rebecca." He tossed down the pencil and straight edge and walked into the foyer. "This is a surprise."
His voice carried not the slightest inflection. Halting on the other side of the door, he studied her through the screen, his expression carefully neutral. Rebecca hadn't a clue as to how he felt about her being there, and panic began creeping in. Oh, Lord. What if he didn't want her there? What if he didn't love her anymore?
She cleared her throat and pasted a smile on her face. "May I come in?"
He shrugged and stepped aside, pushing the screen door open with one hand. "Sure. C'mon in."
As she stepped past him, her senses were assaulted by his familiar scent, and she felt her insides tremble. He was dressed in tattered jeans and a paint-splattered shirt that was unbuttoned to the waist. Sawdust covered his forearms below the rolled-up sleeves. More clung to the faded chambray shirt and to the hair on his chest. Rebecca had to fight to keep her gaze away from that enticing strip of bare flesh. She wanted nothing so much as to throw herself into his arms.
She forced herself to turn away and look around. Except for the power saw, the sawhorses and a pile of lumber in the corner, the room was empty. "I heard you had bought this place and were fixing it up. Are you doing all the work by yourself?"
"I had it rewired and the plumbing replaced before I moved in. The rest I'm doing." He stood with his feet braced wide, his arms crossed over his chest, watching her. In his demeanor there was no trace of the easygoing devil she had grown to know.
Rubbing her sweaty palms on the seat of her jeans, Rebecca stepped to the archway that led to the foyer and pretended an interest in the fretwork that ran along the top. "They don't build places like this anymore. I'm sure it will be beautiful when you've finished."
"Why are you here, Rebecca? I know you didn't drop by to talk about remodeling."
She turned to face him. His set expression was not encouraging, and his intimidating stance had not eased one iota. She had hoped that he would bring up the matter of their relationship, or at least give her an opening, but his silent stare put the onus squarely on her.
"I, uh... I came to ask you something."
"What?"
"Do you..." She stopped to clear her throat. "Do you still want to marry me?"
He looked at her steadily. "Why do you want to know?"
"Because, if you... Travis, I love you so much."
"I know," he said in that flat, emotionless voice, but his expression did not alter one whit. "But that doesn't answer my question. Why are you here, Rebecca?"
"Oh, Travis, why are you doing this? You know why," she cried.
He didn't give an inch. His unyielding stare demanded that she say the words, and in her heart she knew he deserved, to hear them.
She was trembling so, she could barely stand. Her heart clubbed her ribcage. She drew a shaky breath, swallowed hard and looked him in the eye. "I... I came to ask you to marry me."
Something flickered in his eyes, but still he didn't move. "You're not afraid I'll mistreat you?"
"No."
"Or that I'll get bored?"
"No."
"Or run out on you?''
She pressed her lips together and shook her head.
For an agonizing length of time he simply stared at her. Rebecca felt sick. Then, slowly, his mouth curved up in that sexy smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes, and he held out his arms. "Then what're you doing way over there? Come here, woman."'
Before he finished speaking, Rebecca closed the distance between them and flung herself against his chest. "Oh, Travis, I love you so. I've missed you so much, my darling," she cried. "I've been miserable without you."
"I know, sweetheart. So have I. So have I," he groaned against her neck.
He held her so tight she could barely breathe, but Rebecca didn't care. She burrowed against his chest, greedily drawing in his wonderful smell, along with the sharp scent of sawdust. She clung to him fiercely, her restless, caressing hands running over him, slipping beneath the open shirt, learning anew the texture of his skin, the firmness of his hard flesh, the silky smoothness of his hair. She had not expected to be in his arms ever again. It was heaven.
"Oh, Travis, I'm sorry. So sorry," Rebecca murmured. "I've been such a fool."
"Shh. It's okay. You had things you had to work through on your own." Travis lifted his head, and their eyes met in a look that spoke of past regret and pain. "But all that's over now."
The look of love on his face as he gazed down at her pierced Rebecca's heart with a sweet, sweet pain. A smile of wonder curved her mouth, and she reached up and touched his face with her fingertips. "I do love you, Travis. So much. I always have." Their eyes delved, blue into gray, soft with emotion, seeking solace for the long months apart, promising love beyond forever, saying without words all that was in their hearts.
Then, subtly, the look changed. The air around them seemed to crackle. Fire leaped in Travis's eyes, and Rebecca sucked in her breath as her body went weak and warm.
Travis's gaze dropped to her mouth. Rebecca's lips parted. Her eyes drifted shut.
She moaned at the first touch of his lips against hers and looped her arms around his shoulders. The kiss began tenderly, but quickly became hot and hungry, open and wet, as each sought to make up for the lonely weeks apart.
Tongues dueled in a rough caress, twisting and twining, speaking of need that had grown to near desperation since last they loved. Their lips rocked together in greedy passion, their hearts thudded and their blood rushed hotly through their veins as the kiss went on and on.
Travis nipped at Rebecca's lower lip, then drew it into his mouth and sucked gently. She made a low, throaty sound in the back of her throat and burrowed her fingers through the hair at his nape, telling him without words of the depth of her feelings.
To her shock, Travis suddenly broke off the embrace. "C'mon," he growled, and before she could react, he grabbed her hand and headed for the door, towing her along with him.
"Travis! What are you doing?"
"I want to show you what I've done to the house."
"Now?"
"Uh-huh. I'm doing one room at a time, according to priority." At the bottom of the stairs he swooped her up in his arms. Pausing with one foot on the bottom step, he flashed her a wicked grin. "I started with the master bedroom."
Rebecca laughed, her heart swelling with happiness. His face was alive with devilish amusement and passion. With a sigh, she looped her arms around hi
s neck and laid her head on his shoulder. Her old carefree, charming, outrageously roguish Travis was back.
He gave her little chance to admire the work he'd done in the bedroom. He carried her straight to the bed, and as they tumbled onto the mattress, their lips meshed in a long, sizzling kiss.
"Oh, Travis. Travis," Rebecca gasped, almost sobbing with frustration.
"I know, sweetheart. I know." He trailed his open mouth down her neck, and she felt the nip of his teeth on her skin.
Desperation and a wild hunger drove them. With shaking hands, buttons, hooks and zippers were swiftly dealt with. They rolled together across the king-size bed in a frenzy of passion, discarding clothes helter-skelter. When at last there were no more barriers between them, they came together at once in a blaze of desire and love so intense Rebecca thought its heat would surely consume them both.
The inferno burned brightly, quickly. Together, they caught fire, and when the shattering explosion of joy came, rocking them to the depths of their souls, each called out the other's name.
A long while later, when thundering hearts had calmed and breathing had returned to normal Travis raised up on his forearms and they smiled at each other with lazy contentment. He touched the sides of her neck and ran his fingers over the velvety rims of her ears, all the while looking deep into her eyes.
"When will you marry me?"
"Any time you say." The sense of freedom the words brought amazed Rebecca. She felt as though an icy shackle had been removed from her heart.
"Tomorrow?" Travis asked hopefully.
"Yes. Yes!" She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Tears of joy filed her eyes as she basked in the warmth of his love. Heat cascaded through her body, filling every cell, every pore, and she shivered.
"Are you cold, sweetheart?''
Rebecca smiled over his shoulder, her gaze blurred With happy tears. "No, my love," she said in a voice that wobbled with emotion. "I don't think I'll ever be cold again."