Only Love

by Wisdom, Linda

  Kali walked back into the kitchen, took the coffee cup Travis extended to her, opened a cabinet, and added a healthy splash of Kailua to the dark brew.

  “Isn’t it a little early in the day for that?” he asked mildly.

  She spun around and faced him. “That depends on what you have to tell me.”

  He nodded. It was as good a time as any to get it over with. He slowly pulled the envelope out of his shirt pocket and handed it to her.

  Kali’s fingers felt stiff as she grasped the envelope. She stared down at the familiar writing and immediately feared the worst. She took a swallow of the coffee before inserting her fingernail under the flap and carefully opening it. A small photograph fell out. The paper fluttered as her trembling fingers unfolded the single sheet of paper. Travis reached down to pick up the photograph and looked at it. The girl in the color picture was probably six or seven years old, with long brown hair and Kali’s eyes. Her delicate features and smile was a perfect younger version of Kali’s. The sour feeling in his gut intensified. He wished he’d read the letter before giving it to her, no matter how much she might have screamed at him about invasion of privacy.

  Kali’s face revealed a stark pain Travis had never seen before.

  “How he must hate me,” she whispered, taking the picture from his hand. Tears glistened on her cheeks as her fingertips lovingly traced the features. “What have I done to deserve this terrible thing?”

  Travis took the sheet of paper out of her hands and read the six lines. There was no signature, but the identity of the author was all too obvious.

  Little Bo Peep has lost her lamb And doesn’t know where to find her Leave us alone and she’ll come home When little boy blue is ready.

  Sorry about the lack of rhyming, love. I never was very good with poetry.

  Travis quietly palmed the envelope and slipped it into his jeans pocket. He would take a better look at it later. It was a small clue and better than nothing.

  “How did he know I was still here?” Kali wondered out loud, still holding on to the photograph. “Wasn’t this sent in care of your attorney?” She shook her head. “No, it was sent to me in care of J. C.” A look of determination crossed her face. “And I intend to find out how he knew I was here.” She picked up her key ring. “I’ll be back later.”

  “Oh, no.” He grabbed her arm, stopping her flight. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”

  “Whatever, but I’m going back to town now, and hopefully J. C. will have some answers for me.”

  Travis only allowed Kali to drive because he sensed she needed an outlet for her frustration. They reached the general store in record time, and Kali walked into the store with fury written on her face.

  “First of all, I do not appreciate you giving the letter to Travis instead of me,” she said, berating J. C. “Second, it was sent to me here, and I want to know everything you know. And don’t try to pull any innocent act with me, you old faker, because this place, along with Millie’s, is a hotbed of gossip.”

  The older man sighed. “Word has it that Harold calls his parents every so often and usually asks for money, saying it’s for Cheryl and then promising to bring her for a visit as long as they don’t tell anyone he’s here.”

  Kali stiffened. Whatever she had expected to hear, this wasn’t it. “They know where he is?” Her quiet voice was deadly.

  “No one knows that for sure.” J. C. was quick to placate her. He was used to that glint in her eye and knew it meant trouble. He glanced at Travis, silently warning him to beware.

  Kali spun around and stalked out of the store.

  “She’s goin’ over to the Gresham place,” J. C. told Travis. “You better hurry, or she’ll leave you behind.”

  He nodded and rushed out after her. He barely hopped into the passenger seat when the Jeep was slammed into gear and took off like a rocket. Travis took one look at Kali’s grim features and decided it was better not to comment on her driving.

  She drove out of town in the opposite direction from her cabin and headed up a narrow dirt road for a short distance. The clapboard house was small and painted a pale gray, with darker gray trim.

  Kali jumped out and walked up to the house. She knocked on the door and stepped back to wait. When Sarah came to the door, her face stiffened with cold resentment.

  “What do you want here?”

  “You know where he is,” Kali stated icily.

  “If I did, I wouldn’t tell you. This was all your fault, Calliope Howard. You with your high-and-mighty ways. You seduced my Harold into taking you to California,” she said accusingly. “And because of you, he can’t even come back to his own home and family. You’re an evil woman, Calliope, and someday you will pay for your sins,” she intoned. “I only hope I’m here to see it.”

  Her smile was cold and deadly. “He didn’t take me anywhere. I paid for everything, and I certainly didn’t seduce your precious son, who probably had just about every girl in the high school.” She deliberately kept her tone even, a calmness just as deadly as a cobra ready to strike. “You can stand here from now until doomsday declaring you don’t know where your son is, but I won’t believe you. I want you to know that you are covering up for a criminal, the man who stole my daughter.”

  “We’re not covering up for anyone. We’re only helping our son because you were cruel enough not to let him see Cheryl after the divorce!” Sarah voice was shrill, her eyes wild. “Why shouldn’t he be allowed to see his little girl?”

  Kali’s eyes narrowed. She thought of the many indignities she had put up with, thanks to Blayne, and how many of them had been hidden from the public. No more. She was past caring.

  “Your precious son was an unfaithful husband from day one, because he needed variety,” she stated calmly.

  “If you had been a better wife to him, he wouldn’t have strayed.”

  “He never wanted a wife, and he never wanted Cheryl. He demanded I get an abortion the day he learned I was pregnant, and he fought with me for the next seven months. If he spent more than five minutes in Cheryl’s company, it was for the press, not for himself. He didn’t give a damn about her, and I doubt he does now. All he wants to do is punish me for smartening up and getting rid of him. He was lucky I didn’t drag all the dirt into court, and believe me, if it hadn’t been for Cheryl, I would have.” She stared long and hard into the older woman’s face. “I have a message I want you to give to your son. You tell him that I haven’t forgotten what he did to me, and for that he will be hurt—badly.” Without waiting for any reply, she turned around and walked back to the jeep.

  She drove blindly down the path, braking to a stop when she reached the main road.

  “I would greatly appreciate it if you would drive the rest of the way,” she whispered hoarsely, looking straight ahead.

  When they returned to the cabin, Kali headed straight for her bedroom. She didn’t say a word, but Travis knew she needed to be alone. Deciding some kind of physical outlet was needed, he went over to the woodpile and picked up the ax.

  Kali sat in the middle of the bed, hugging her knees against her chest. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so cold. Why was this happening to her? She hadn’t been a bad girl; she’d certainly done everything her father had ordered her to do. She hadn’t turned to drugs, alcohol, or indiscriminate sex while in L.A. So why was she being punished? Tears welled up, and raw pain clawed at her chest. She gave in to the tears in hopes it would diminish the pain. A half hour later the pain wasn’t gone, and she ended up with a headache and red eyes. She went into the bathroom, grimaced at her reflection in the mirror, and splashed cold water over her ravaged face.

  The house was so quiet. Kali was grateful Travis had left her alone, but now she needed him to warm the icy cold invading her body. She wandered through the rooms but found no sign of him anywhere. When she reached the kitchen, she could hear the sounds of an ax splitting wood. Looking out the window over the sink, she could see Travis, an
ax swung over his bare shoulder. In deference to the arduous work he had discarded his shirt, and sweat poured down his shoulder and back. She stood for several moments watching the graceful movements of the ax swinging upward over his shoulder then down to slice the logs in half. Kali’s mouth grew dry as she studied the bunched muscles rippling. Her fingers twitched in memory of tracing those same muscles when he lay over her, his body possessing hers. She noticed his face grimacing with the effort and remembered his face when he climaxed. Suddenly Kali wanted him. She wanted him not only to warm the ice in her veins but also to make her feel like a woman again. She needed him so badly, she knew she couldn’t wait. Moving slowly like a sleepwalker, she left the kitchen and walked outside to the woodpile.

  Travis had just lifted the ax when he noticed Kali moving toward him. He lowered the ax and watched her, thinking he couldn’t imagine anyone moving so gracefully. Then he noticed the look in her eye.

  Kali walked up to Travis and took the ax out of his hands, dropping it on the nearby wood stump before looping her arms around his neck and pulling his head down for her kiss. Her tongue darted into his mouth, sweeping through to savor his dark flavor.

  Travis moaned. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, rubbing his arousal against her. Their hips writhed in imitation of the act they both craved.

  “I want you,” she whispered in his ear, tracing the whirled outline with the tip of her tongue. She smiled when she heard his groans of desire, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted him tied up in knots, and proceeded to do just that. She swept her hand down the front of his jeans, finding the swollen bulge of his arousal and caressing it lightly.

  “You’re playing with fire, Kali.” Travis groaned, grabbing her hand and pressing it harder against him.

  “I believe that can be said of you also,” she replied throatily, rubbing her breasts against his chest. She wished she wasn’t wearing anything so she could feel his heated skin against hers. In fact, she didn’t want either one of them to have any clothes on at that moment. “I want you.”

  He grinned. “That can be arranged.”

  Kali’s eyes darkened. “I want you now.”

  There was no mistaking her meaning. While Travis was not one to turn down the opportunity to make love to the woman he adored, he did hesitate at the idea of making love outdoors in forty-degree weather. At the same time he hated the idea of parting with her, even momentarily, to make their way back to the bedroom. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he picked her up.

  “Put your legs around my waist,” he ordered thickly.

  She smiled and complied. “Do you know what it feels like to have you inside me?” She nibbled on his throat.

  Travis thought more about making love outdoors in cold weather as he walked them back to the cabin. With each step Kali told him what she liked him to do to her. He knew he’d better hurry. When he passed the living room, Kali murmured for him to stop.

  “Here, in front of the fireplace,” she suggested with a sultry wink.

  Travis lowered her to the braided rug in front of the crackling fire. They knelt, facing each other.

  “Do you realize how sexy you looked out there chopping wood?” Kali whispered, nuzzling the hollow between his shoulder and collarbone. The warm, musky scent of his skin filled her nostrils, making her feel as heady as if she had drunk champagne. She ran her hands over his shoulders and his back. “As I watched you, all I could think of was our making love. I couldn’t wait until you finished. I had to go out and tell you that I wanted you right away.”

  Travis dispensed with her shirt and sweater and carefully unhooked her bra, allowing her breasts to spill freely into his hands. Staring into her eyes, already dazed with passion, he rubbed the nipples with his thumbs until they were hard, silently demanding all his attention. His lips followed the same path, enveloping one nipple and tugging on it. Kali closed her eyes, preferring to experience the fiery sensations coursing through her blood with lightning speed by feel instead of by sight. In her mind’s eye she could picture Travis’s mouth covering her nipple, tonguing and teething it to moist perfection, the brush of his mustache against her sensitized skin. She wanted to savor it all slowly.

  “You are so beautiful in the firelight,” Travis murmured, moving his attention to her other nipple.

  Kali laughed, a sensual sound that sent shivers down his spine. “It hasn’t even grown dark yet.”

  “It doesn’t have to, because I know what you look like in all kinds of light.” One hand ventured down to the waistband of her jeans and unzipped them. “And I want to see all of you now.” With Kali’s help, her jeans were pushed to one side before they went to work on discarding Travis’s jeans and briefs. He had deliberately left her tiny bikini panties alone, enjoying the mystery of her half-clothed body. “You drive me crazy,” he muttered against her mouth, toying with the ribbons on her hips. “I want you so much but I don’t want it over too quickly.”

  Kali touched his face with butterfly-light kisses. “It will never be over.” She gasped when his hand slid under the panties, finding the moist warmth that signified her desire for him.

  Travis smiled. She may have said it in the heat of passion, but he knew she meant it whether she realized it or not. Feeling the time for games was over, he ripped away her panties and pressed her down to the rug. They stretched out on their sides, running their hands over each other lovingly.

  When Travis at last entered her, Kali sighed in ecstasy. Their lovemaking was slow and leisurely, both of them holding back, wanting to savor each other.

  “If I died right now, I’d be a very happy man,” Travis whispered, grasping her hips.

  Kali smiled. The cold was rapidly receding from her body, thanks to Travis’s loving. She felt complete, for the first time in ages.

  “Just let me keep making you happy, and I promise you’ll have a lot to stick around for,” she murmured, leaning down to kiss him. Even as she bent over him, she could sense his warm eyes upon her, revealing the depth of his feelings. Holding on to him tightly, she gave in to the passion he evoked. Soon they were both lost in the heat of their lovemaking.

  Chapter 11

  The logs in the fireplace were nothing but warm ashes when the couple finally roused themselves and returned to the real world.

  “Lady, I sure like the way you seduce a guy,” Travis told her as he pulled on his jeans before going over to build up the fire.

  She smiled ruefully, shaking her head and looking surprised at herself. “Actually I never thought I had it in me.”

  Travis wrapped a hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her toward him for a quick kiss. “You weren’t around the right man, that’s all.”

  She tipped her head back. “And you think you’re the right man?” she asked coyly.

  Dark fires flared up in his eyes. “Damn straight I’m the right man for you. The sooner you realize it, the better off we’ll be.”

  Unnerved, Kali frowned and began to step back, but Travis’s tight grip on her arms prevented any escape.

  “As far as I’m concerned, we were destined to be together three years ago, Kali, but fate kept us apart for reasons of its own,” he said quietly, holding her chin steady so her gaze couldn’t evade his. “The time has finally come for us to face it.”

  “I promised myself never to return to L.A. or to get involved with anyone from there, and I intend to keep that vow. I thought that was the only way I could keep my sanity,” she murmured, watching the hurt dim his eyes. She wished she wasn’t the one to put it there, but it had to be said. She had to let him know how she felt. She loved him—God, how much she loved him!—but she still wasn’t strong enough to fight what had happened to her.

  “Then you’re in for a shock, because we’re definitely past the point of involvement, Kali. This isn’t some casual affair that we can shrug off and go our separate ways,” he said harshly, his fingers digging painfully into her shoulders. “I don’t ever want to hear you be
little what we have.”

  Why did she feel as if she had just been threatened? Kali was afraid to admit what they had because that would make it real. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him and that she was his forever, but dammit, he was going back to California soon. Did he think she would stay behind and pine for him so badly that she’d rush right out there? Is that what he wanted? She jerked away.

  There was no mistaking the pain in Travis’s eyes because of her rejection, but she chose to ignore it.

  “I think I’ll take a shower,” he said quietly, turning away.

  Kali crossed her arms in front of her waist, rubbing her elbows with her hands. She wondered if Travis was hungry but decided not to ask him. She doubted she could eat a thing, but she needed to do something, anything, to get her mind off their confrontation. Wandering over to the refrigerator, she took out the makings for a salad and some stew. As she prepared the meal, she wondered at the sad turn of events. Why did she have to hurt Travis? From the beginning, he had been more understanding than Blayne ever was, and he certainly had been patient with her no matter what she put him through. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to take that final step and admit how much she really needed him. Not after all this time of telling herself she was on her own and that she couldn’t afford to trust anyone, especially another man.

  Travis stood under the hot spray, his neck bowed so that the shooting water could ease the tension. He knew why he was upset over what had just happened. His time here was growing short. Within the next three days he would have to leave for L.A., and he still hadn’t gotten Kali to agree to come back. Right now he could care less if she posed for his book. He still felt it was a good idea because there wouldn’t be the pressure that fashion modeling caused, and she could ease back into the business or ease right back out when his book was finished if she so chose, but he wasn’t going to push it with her because he knew that would only increase her hostility, and it had taken him long enough to push back that particular barrier. What a shame the others weren’t as easy.