by Sable Hunter
He didn’t finish his sentence, but she knew what he was thinking. “Sometimes I’m up here by myself for a week or more at a time – what’s the difference?”
Storm looked guilty. “No, you’re not. Either I or Mad come check on you every day.”
She made a furious little face. “What do you mean? Are you sneaking around and peeping in my window? What if I’m walking around naked?”
“We don’t peep in your window…usually. Most of the time we can hear you talking to your animals or singing. Sometimes you’re standing at the kitchen window or working in the garden. Besides, I used to change your diapers.”
She closed her eyes and tried to see this through his eyes. “All right. Geez. I guess I should be glad you haven’t installed cameras.” She said that, then glared at him. “There aren’t any cameras, right?”
“No cameras.” He looked a bit sheepish. “We just care about you, that’s all. And I also know you could have a…”
“Don’t say it,” she warned. “Saying it aloud just makes it more real.”
He sighed and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Regardless, Nathan will be coming to check on you. I figured you’d rather him than one of the other ranch hands – who have strict orders not to even come up the mountain.” He pointed out the window. “We do have cameras further down the path if they try it.”
“Oh, good grief. I’m a prisoner.”
“No, you aren’t. But you are our responsibility.” Before she could protest further, he laid it out plainly for her. “If you don’t want Nathan coming up here, you can move down to the house while we’re gone and visit with Ms. Robbins.”
“Nope. She’ll cook for me. I’ll gain ten pounds. Plus, I have work to do and I don’t want to have to cart all my supplies down the mountain.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Just tell Nathan he can holler at me from the garden gate. I’ll answer and he’ll know all’s well.”
Storm laughed and shook his head. “I’ll tell him, but the boy isn’t stupid. I’m sure he’ll come bearing gifts and hoping for a home-cooked meal.”
“Well, we don’t always get what we want.” She’d learned that lesson well.
…Nathan passed his tablet to Mad. “Check out this cattle sale. They’ve got a couple of bred cows on the list that would make a really nice addition to our herd.” He quoted a price he thought would be fair.
Mad studied the program, reading the pedigree of the registered cattle. “If you’re convinced, so am I.” He returned Nathan’s tablet. “I trust your judgment.”
Nathan grinned. “Thanks, Mad. I’ll contact the auction secretary and submit our bid.”
“Good deal.”
The prospect of bidding in the auction excited Nathan. “I’ve also started laying the line for a new fence in one of the highland pastures. If we graze them in that area, we’ll need a boundary.”
“Don’t work so hard, you’ll burn yourself out.”
“I won’t.”
Mad jammed his hands into his front pockets. “We have a favor to ask you.”
“Sure.”
“Storm and I have to go out of town for a few days and we wondered if you’d mind checking on Clare every day.”
“Mind?” His heart leapt at the idea. “Why, no. Certainly not.”
“We just like to make sure she’s okay. Storm or I slip up there every day, somedays she doesn’t even know we’re about.” He grinned. “Although, I’d recommend you announce yourself.”
“Oh, I plan to. Yes.” His mind was spinning at the idea. Talk about a golden opportunity. “I hope she doesn’t mind that it’ll be me who’s checking up on her.”
Mad threw his head back and laughed loudly. “Well, Storm is up there right now – breaking the news to her.”
Now it was Nathan’s turn to laugh. “I bet she has something to say about it. No wonder my ears have been burning.”
Clare lay and stared at the ceiling. Just knowing she’d be seeing Nathan soon made sleeping impossible. Turning over, she hit the empty pillow hard, leaving a head-size indention. What would she give to have Nathan lying next to her? “Everything I own.”
Pulling the covers over her head, she let out a muffled scream of frustration. “Don’t second guess yourself. Stick to the plan!”
But what kind of plan was it? Live until you die? Wasn’t that everybody’s plan?
But was she doing that?
Not really, her motto seemed more like ‘exist until you die.’
Oh, she’d formulated her own version of a rebellion against her condition. She’d ditched the city for country life. She rejected a job in a high rise on Wall Street for a loom and an easel in a very cozy cabin. Most days she felt damn lucky to be here on her very own mountain.
But those days were before Nathan McCoy barged into her world and reminded her in dazzling living color exactly what she was missing.
Oh sure, she had the scrapbook and the fantasy scenes she’d written about the life she could’ve lived if this was a perfect world with no damn diseases like heart failure to kill you dead when you least expected it. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a perfect world, and she wanted to live at least one day like it was her last – without it actually being so.
But at what price?
One taste of paradise would only make her want more.
And how about Nathan, what would he think? How would he feel?
Oh, blast. She was jumping from one conclusion to another. Nathan might come check on her, see she was fine, then leave because he had more important things to do. Sure, he’d asked her out a couple of times but what did that mean? He probably asked tons of girls out all the time and they were undoubtedly smart enough to say yes. Why should he waste his time on someone who kept pushing him away?
“Oh, heck.” She was just torturing herself. Feeling even more lonely and frustrated, she marched to her desk to find her notebook. Clutching it to her chest, she took it back to her bed. Lying on her stomach, she flipped through the pages until she came to one particular scene.
“Hurry, hurry. Come get warm.” She pulled Nathan through the door, then shut it behind him to keep the snow from blowing inside. “I was getting worried about you.”
“I came as fast as I could.” He held his arms out as she unbuttoned his jacket. As soon as she was finished, she slipped her hands around his waist and laid her head over his heart. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around Romy to cradle her close. “How’s my girl?”
“Perfect now that you’re here. I love you so much.” She framed his face and went on tiptoe to kiss his mouth.
Nathan drank from her lips, picking her up so her feet didn’t even touch the floor. “I love you too, Romy. More love than the ocean can hold.”
Carrying her in front of the fireplace, he knelt to lay her on the rug. “Will you make love to me, Nathan?”
“Try to stop me.”
He stood to shed his clothes and Romy couldn’t stop staring at him. His body was so beautiful. She held up her hands and made little come hither gestures. “I want to touch you.”
Giving her a teasing grin, he stayed just out of her reach. “Oh, really. How much?”
“A lot.” She giggled, his mischievous mood delighted her.
“What will you give me?” he asked, a teasing light dancing in his eyes.
“Uh…a dollar.”
“A dollar?” He dropped to his knees at her feet. “I’m easy, honey – but I ain’t cheap.”
“How about some cookies?” As he appeared to contemplate the question, she upped the ante. “Chocolate chip cookies and a kiss.”
“You’re getting warmer.” He tickled the bottom of her feet, just to see her wiggle. “Take off your clothes and I might be more willing to negotiate.”
“You want me to strip?”
“Down to your birthday suit, please.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Mr. McCoy.”
He gave her a wink. “Hard is the key
word, yes.”
Romy blushed. “You’re so bad.”
“No, I’m good. Want me to show you?”
“Yea. Maybe.” As she removed her own clothing, her eyes roved down his wide muscled chest. “I’m a mite curious.”
“Just a mite?” He reached for his shirt. “Well, in that case…”
“Don’t you even think about leaving me. Get your cute butt over here.”
He looked over his shoulder. “Is my butt cute?”
“It’ll do.” She kept up the banter. “In a pinch.”
“Aww, I’ll show you a pinch.” He turned to come after her and just stopped, looking at her with his mouth slightly open.
“What’s wrong?”
“Not a damn thing.” He swallowed. “You’re just so beautiful. Sometimes you take my breath away.”
Romy felt tears come to her eyes. “You make me so happy, Nathan McCoy.” She moved to him, coming to lie in his arms with her head on his shoulder. “I don’t like to think about my life without you in it.”
“You don’t have to. I’m right here.”
Clare stopped reading and closed her eyes. “Yea, you’re right here. My dream came true. Now what am I going to do about it?”
Chapter 9
As a steady stream of classic rock filled the air, Clare fluttered around the house – dusting and sweeping. Arranging and rearranging. She changed clothes three times while the cookies were baking. Storm and Mad were already gone, but she didn’t know for sure if Nathan would check on her today or wait until tomorrow. “I’m losing it,” she whispered as she spun in a circle. “What’s happening to me?” She’d gone from trying to avoid him to praying he would arrive sometimes soon.
Glancing out of her front window, she saw the weather was still holding. She hadn’t checked the forecast, so she didn’t know when the storm was expected or how much snow was in the forecast. She knew they could use whatever moisture they could get. When the last song came to an end, she flipped off the music. When she did, Clare was startled to hear a noise from outside.
Chop. Chop.
“What was that?”
Running to the window, she gasped at the sight in front of her eyes. Nathan was swinging an axe over his head, then bringing it down to forcefully split a large log.
Shirtless. He’d already chopped enough wood to cause perspiration to bead on his golden skin.
Clare licked her lips and placed a hand to her chest. “Be still my heart.”
Reaching behind her waist to untie her apron, she steadied herself before going to the door. Suddenly she felt very nervous. Seeing him in her garden made her think all of her fantasies were coming to life. “Hey, Nathan.”
He immediately stopped what he was doing. “Hey, yourself.” His smile was warm and welcoming. “My, you look beautiful today.”
She soothed down the front of the peasant blouse she wore over a pair of worn jeans. “Thank you.” Dropping her eyes to the ground, she returned his compliment. “You look pretty good yourself. Aren’t you cold?”
This made Nathan laugh. “Not a bit. You, on the other hand, don’t have a coat on. You’d best head back in the house. Let me fill the wood bin out here, then I’ll bring a load inside.”
“All right.” She turned to go in, but left the front door cracked open for him. Once inside, she stood by the fire to warm her hands. As she waited, a thousand thoughts ran through her head as to what might happen in the next little while.
“Here I am.” He eased inside, then used his shoulder to shut the door. “Where do you want this?”
She showed him a built-in compartment in the fireplace. “I store wood on the hearth for both the fireplace and the stove.”
He knelt to place each piece neatly. When he was through, he raised up to gaze around her small home. Amazement rippled through him as he realized the place looked exactly the way he’d dreamed it to be – down to the smallest details. How could that be? Not wanting to waste a moment of his time with her, Nathan pushed the confusion from his mind. All he wanted to do now was appreciate being in her presence. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m good. The wood is much appreciated. There was still some in the box, but I was running low.”
“I was worried.” He shifted on his feet. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.”
Clare realized he was about to go. “I made cookies. Would you like some?”
Relief swamped Nathan. “Oh, hell yeah. Please.” He followed her across the room to the kitchen table. Almost reverently he ran his head over the smooth wood remembering the many meals they’d shared together in his strangely prophetical dream. “They smell wonderful.”
“They’re like snickerdoodles, but…”
“You add ginger and call them ginger-doodles.”
She laughed with delight. “I do. How did you know?”
He shrugged. “You make them a lot, don’t you?”
“Yea.” She was so happy she decided not to worry about it further. “Sit down and I’ll get you some. Would you like milk?”
“If you’ve got it to spare.” He pulled out a chair to eagerly sit near her. When she opened the refrigerator door, he thought to ask, “How are you for groceries? Do you need anything from anywhere?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks. I buy in bulk, and I can a lot of my produce.”
Nathan couldn’t take his eyes off of her. The way her hair swung about her shoulders, the graceful movement of her delectable body, the serene look on her gorgeous face – every detail of her appearance enchanted him. “Have you seen your animals today?”
Clare realized someone had been doing a lot of talking – most likely Ms. Robbins. “No, not today. The raccoon and the deer were here day before yesterday. They always know to seek shelter when a storm’s approaching. I probably won’t see them until it’s over.” She placed a plate of cookies and a glass of milk in front of him. “What’s the latest on the weather?”
“The last I heard, it’s supposed to blow in tonight.” Nathan pulled out his phone. “Let’s look.” He frowned. “You don’t have any service up here.”
“No. Storm and Mad threaten to install a phone tower but I won’t let them. That’s why they’re always lurking about.”
“They care about you.”
“Yes, I know.” She folded her hands and watched him eat. “Anyway, I’ll be fine. If it gets too bad tomorrow, I’ll send up a smoke signal or something.”
“No. I’ll be here. I promised your brothers.”
“Well, don’t put yourself at risk,” she cautioned him.
He waved away her concern. “You let me worry about it.”
She couldn’t stop checking out his hands. They were so sexy. Broad. Strong. She recalled how she’d imagined kissing them, rubbing her lips over his work roughened palm. Clare shivered with excitement.
“Let’s go to the fire. You’re cold.”
“No, I’m not.” She felt a blush rise in her cheeks. “You’ll have to excuse me, I’m not very good at this.”
“Very good at what?” Nathan appeared to be confused.
“Entertaining a man.”
“Oh.” He chuckled. “You don’t need to entertain me. I’m just content to be in your company.”
His comment brought the sheen of tears to her eyes. “That’s a nice thing to say.” Recalling her consternation of the night before, Clare wondered what she should say or do next. “Are you through with your work for the day?”
“Yep. I’ve got all of the cattle secure and ready to ride out the storm. I just have to make sure they get fresh hay and water on time.”
“Just be careful. Those animals have a tendency to get rowdy when they think they’re about to be fed.”
“Oh, I’m used to the antics of cattle. How about you? Don’t you have a pet bear? I bet he gets a little excitable at times.”
“Oh, you’ve heard about Koda. No, he’s a true teddy bear. I trust him implicitly.”
He wished she cou
ld say the same thing about him. “Well, I hope so. Bears can be unpredictable creatures.” Nathan couldn’t keep the concern from coloring his tone. “I guess Koda’s hibernating now?”
“No, he usually stays active in the winter. Mainly because I supplement his diet with fruits and nuts.”
“Oh, really? Interesting. I guess I have a lot to learn about bears.”
Clare almost offered to teach him, but she didn’t speak up. “Would you like more cookies?” she asked seeing his plate was empty.
“No, I’d better stop while I can walk.” He finished the last few sips of his milk, then lifted his eyes to crash with hers. “I hope you don’t mind me being the one your brothers asked to look in on you.”
“No, I don’t mind. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”
“Are you kidding? Not even a little bit.” He cleared his throat. “Rom…Clare…sorry.”
“No.” Impulsively, she touched his hand that lay on the table near her own. “I don’t mind if you call me Romy. In fact, I’d like it very much.”
Nathan’s spirits soared. “I’d love that.”
“There’s a condition though.”
“What’s that?”
She cocked her head sideways, looking at him closely. “I don’t think you learned that name from Joseph. Or my brothers. They’ve never referred to me by Romy, the name was only special to me and my dad.” She could see Nathan looked a tad uncomfortable. “If you’d ever heard my family or yours refer to me, I’m almost certain they would’ve called me Clare.” She paused a second, still watching him intently. “Would you tell me how you knew I was Romy?”
He let out a long breath and made a face. “You’re gonna think and I’m crazy and I doubt you’ll believe what I have to say.”
“Try me. I really want to know.”
Nathan could tell this might be a make-or-break point between them. He decided to go for it. “I dreamed about you before I met you.”
Clare’s eyes widened perceptibly. “A dream?”
He sighed. “I knew you’d think I had a screw loose.”
“No. Not at all.” She was surprised, but not skeptical. “Can you tell me about it?”