Strong Heat

by Niobia Bryant

  As they came up behind the men holding the all-white casket, Kelli leaned on her husband for support, but Kael stood alone.

  Lisha closed her eyes, unable to take the sadness she saw on his face.

  I needed you and you were not there for me.

  Inside the church the organist began to play “At the Cross.”

  The family and those who followed the family car in the processional moved forward. Lisha opened her eyes and they fell directly on Kael.

  I needed you and you were not there for me.

  His eyes stayed locked on her.

  “I love you,” she mouthed to him. “I’m sorry.”

  Kael looked away from her.

  Lisha closed her eyes and pressed her face into her father’s shoulder. He brought his hand up to pat the back of her head comfortingly. “He’s grieving. Give him time,” her father whispered to her.

  I needed you and you were not there for me.

  Lisha felt a hand wrap around her wrist and pull her. She opened her eyes and was surprised to see Kael reaching across his sister for her. Her father pressed a hand to the small of her back and nudged her forward.

  Lisha fought back more tears and she tightly clasped Kael’s hand and let him pull her past his sister and brother-in-law to walk inside the church at his side.

  That night, long after the funeral-goers had enjoyed the repast and said their good-byes to Kael, Kelli, Will, and Lisha, she lay beside him on his bed, looking down into his face. His eyes were closed and she assumed he was asleep.

  “I knew you were coming to visit him.”

  Lisha was surprised by his sudden words and by his knowledge. She pressed a hand against his heart as he turned his head to look at her. The intensity of the brown depths held her captive. “How’d you know?” she asked.

  “The nurses told me.”

  She nodded and said nothing, waiting for whatever else he had to say.

  “I sat at that hospital damn near all day except the hour I would come home to change clothes and check on the ranch,” he said, emotion filling his eyes. “That hurt even more that you were going out of your way not to see me.”

  “I was hurting too, Kael, and I should have put that aside, but I honestly did not think he was going to pass away,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion.

  “The second heart attack was too much,” he said, looking away from her.

  Thinking he was pulling away again, she raised her hand.

  Kael covered her hand with his own and pressed it back down onto his chest. “I miss my father.”

  Lisha inched her body closer to his and pressed her head to his shoulder with her hand still under his over his heart. “I know you do,” she said softly.

  “Why did you flip like that in the hospital?” he asked.

  Lisha closed her eyes and released a breath. “Kael, not now. Not today,” she pleaded wearily.

  “Yes. Today. Now,” he stressed.

  She looked down at him. “I was hurt because you refused to see the things your sister was doing to come between us, and I decided that I didn’t want to constantly have her invading in our lives. I just was fed up, Kael.”

  “I think you are wrong about Kelli,” Kael said.

  “No, I think you’re wrong about Kelli,” she countered. “How can you ever fix it and make it right if you stay—”

  Lisha sat up and removed her hand from over his heart. “No. No,” she said again, shaking her head as she rose to her feet. “Logan was your father but I loved him too. So no, I’m not doing this. Not today. Not now.”

  She moved to the door.

  “So you’re leaving me again?”

  Lisha paused at the door, resting her forehead against the cool wood. She turned her head to look at him, the side of her face now pressed against the wood. “Why can’t you see the truth? Why don’t you believe me?” she said in a harsh whisper filled with emotion.

  Kael sat up on the edge of the bed. “Why do you want to come between me and my sister?” he asked.

  Lisha went absolutely weak with disappointment and regret. “Is that the kind of person you think I am? Is that what you believe about me? Then you never knew me and you can’t love someone you don’t know.”

  Kael snatched off his blazer and balled it to throw to the floor. “Don’t tell me I don’t love you,” he roared, jumping to his feet to stalk over to her.

  Lisha pressed her back to the door and looked up at him with trepidation in her eyes.

  He saw her uneasiness. Bringing his hands up, he lightly grasped her face as he bent his knees to align his face with hers. “I love you,” he whispered fiercely before pressing heated kisses to her face and then her mouth.

  Lisha gasped at the passion and emotion she felt, bringing her hands up to clutch at his shirt as she tilted her head up to expose the smooth length of her neck.

  He lifted her by her waist as he stood up straight. He did kiss her neck and lick the hollows of her clavicle. “God, I missed you,” he moaned against her caramel skin.

  Lisha nodded as she shivered, unable to believe the sweet heat of being in his arms again. Kissed by him again. Touched by him again.

  Loved by him again.

  The issue with Kelli was far from over, but in the heated moments of their reunion it didn’t matter.

  Kael picked her up into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her into his adjoining bathroom. “What are you about to do?”

  “Wash you,” he said, setting her on her feet again.

  “Kael—”

  “The rules have not changed,” he assured her.

  Lisha licked her lips as she stood there as Kael slowly undressed her until she stood before him nude. She reached up and loosened her hair from the chignon she wore, not embarrassed for his eyes to take her all in.

  And he did eye her hotly as he moved away just long enough to turn on the shower, snap back the plastic curtain and rush out of his own clothing.

  She pressed her thighs together to ease the throbbing of her clit as she enjoyed the hard brown contours of his muscled frame and the curving length of his dick. “We can’t keep playing with fire,” she said even as she let him lead her into the shower to step under the spray.

  “I can’t help myself,” he told her, holding her around the waist before he stepped back directly under the spray, causing the water to come down on them as he kissed her.

  Chapter 18

  One month later

  Kael looked on as the last of the boxes were placed on the back of the truck of the charity to whom they donated a lot of their father’s belongings. They picked the items they wanted to cherish, gave away most of the furniture to close family and friends and donated the rest. His sister had come down from Greer for the weekend just to get the task completed. They both thought it silly for so many of his things to go to waste when they both already owned their own homes.

  Plus they discovered their father had taken a second mortgage out on the home, and instead of losing the house or taking on the payments they decided to rent it out and let it pay for itself. Kael didn’t mind; he preferred for it not to sit empty because it would surely rot away in time.

  A house not in use is a house that dies.

  Kael was still standing at the door when he spotted his sister’s car turn onto the drive. He knew Bea was still with her and he was ready to be away from the woman. He still didn’t appreciate how she’d invaded and violated his home and his relationship with Lisha, but she was his sister’s friend and he tolerated her because he assumed his sister needed her support.

  Walking out of the house, he headed to his truck.

  “You leaving, Kael?” Bea called over to him. “We got Kentucky Fried Chicken.”

  “No, thanks,” he said. “Kelli, stop by the house before you head home.”

  With that said, he closed the door, cranked his truck and reversed down the drive as they walked into the house. He braked at the end of the drive, rememberin
g that he’d left behind the box of items of his father’s that he wanted to keep.

  Shifting gears, he drove forward and parked, leaving the truck running as he jogged up the drive and opened the door.

  “I can’t believe he’s still with her.”

  Kael paused at the sound of his sister’s voice.

  “You would be so much better for him than her phony behind.”

  He frowned.

  “Yeah, like when you heard her on the phone lying about being a virgin,” Bea said. “Like who believes that shit?”

  Kael’s eyes widened in surprise as he stood there listening.

  “If that was true, he should be good and ready for some and he would’ve went for it if she wasn’t at his house that day.”

  “I know that’s right,” Bea said. “But don’t worry, I am not done with that fine-ass brother of yours.”

  “You better not be,” Kelli said.

  Kael strolled into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. “You two hens done clucking over my personal life?” he asked.

  They both jumped around in their seats at the table to look up at him with their mouths wide open.

  Kael ignored Bea and leveled his eyes on his sister. “Good-bye Bea,” he said in a hard voice as his eyes glittered with anger.

  Bea stood up and stepped close to him. “Kael, I—”

  “You are irrelevant,” he told her, his eyes still on a guilty-looking Kelli. “You are unwelcome. You are on your way out the door on your own before I put you out.”

  Bea turned and picked up her purse and her keys. “I’ll call you later, Kelli,” she said before easing past Kael and exiting the house.

  He said nothing and continued to stare at his sister.

  Kelli set her plastic fork down on her paper plate of chicken, potato salad and coleslaw. “Kael, I was looking out for you,” she began.

  “Wrong words,” he stressed. “Try again.”

  “I’m not apologizing for looking out for you.”

  “One more shot,” he said.

  “And then what?” she asked. “Are you going to stop speaking to your own sister?”

  Kael said nothing more and just turned to walk away from her. He was so disgusted he didn’t even bother retrieving the box he came back into the house to retrieve. I’ll get it after she’s gone.

  “Kael,” she called out.

  He stopped at the door and turned.

  Kelli stood up and flailed her hands. “What’s so special about her?”

  “I love her and that should be enough for you,” he said fiercely. “The same way your pompous, arrogant, blow-hard, tight-assed, braggart of a husband is good enough for me because you love him.”

  Kelli slumped down into her chair and swept her arm across the table, sending her plate of food flying against the door of the fridge. “You’re wrong about her,” she said.

  Kale stormed back into the kitchen. “No, you are, and if you want any kind of relationship, then you better get off your position and tell me why you did this childish bullshit.”

  Kelli closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “I’m walking out this door.”

  “I have been there for you and Daddy since Mama died,” she began, her eyes filling with tears. “And now she appears and all of a sudden neither one of you needs me. Just to hell with me. It’s all about Lisha, Lisha, Lisha.”

  Kael sat down in the chair Bea had vacated. “You try to ruin my happiness because you’re jealous of her?” he roared, slamming his hand down on the table.

  Kelli swiped away her tears. “It was like Daddy wished she was his daughter and it hurt, okay?” she admitted, shifting her gaze away from him.

  Kael sat back in the chair and strummed his fingers against the tabletop as he shook his head in disbelief.

  I called and you never called back.

  He frowned as remembered Lisha’s words the night they argued at the setting up.

  I left a letter in your mailbox and you never answered. His frown deepened as he leveled his eyes on his sister. In truth, Kael had assumed all these weeks that Lisha was done with him. Had his sister orchestrated that division between them as well?

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just—”

  “Lost your damn mind,” he inserted.

  She looked up at him with pained eyes.

  “You put your own happiness ahead of mine and that hurts,” he said, rising to his feet. “Our mother and father are gone. And I would never turn my back on you because we’re all that we have,” Kael said. “I love you and I’m going to forgive you for this, but I will marry Lisha one day. She will be the lady of our home, and if she is not ready to forgive you then I will not force her.”

  Kelli looked up at him.

  “It is her choice if you are ever welcomed in our home. You made the bed, now lie in it,” he said, turning to walk to the front door.

  “Kael, you can’t be serious,” Kelli said, following him.

  He looked out the door and never turned. “I am serious. I’ll call you tonight to make sure you got home safe,” he said, before walking out the door and closing it securely behind him.

  Lisha pulled her car to a stop at the lone gas station in Holtsville. She smiled and waved at Cyrus as she hopped out of the car and made her way into the small store to purchase a bottle of Crush orange soda, a Snickers bar and a bag of plain potato chips. She had worked all day and barely took a break for lunch and she was starving.

  She made it a habit of stopping at the store on her way home from work in Charleston. Cyrus knew everything about everybody and didn’t mind sharing it. Plus, the tiny angel he whittled for her when Logan passed away had endeared the man to her. She now considered him a good friend.

  “What are you working on now?” she asked, walking over to where he sat on a stool waiting for the next client who needed gas pumped.

  He held up a plain band made of wood.

  Lisha looked at it curiously. “What is that?”

  Cyrus smiled. “A wedding band. I’m planning on asking my girl to marry me,” he said.

  “Your girl,” she said. “I didn’t know you had a girl.”

  Cyrus shrugged. “You never asked.”

  “You know what, Cyrus? You’re right, I never did ask,” she agreed.

  “Think she’ll like it?”

  “I think she’ll love it,” she told him. “Good luck.”

  “Don’t need it,” he called back to her with a toothy grin.

  Lisha climbed back into her car and headed toward the road leading to Kael’s ranch. Because his sister was in town she hadn’t planned on spending much time in Holtsville. He claimed to understand why she refused his suggestion that she help them pack up his father’s home, but he still asked her to meet him at his house when she got off work. Even promising that his sister would not be there.

  She just hoped he wasn’t trying any type of sneaky moves to get them together. The issue of his sister still lingered between them and probably always would, but she wasn’t willing even for him to forgive her. Not yet . . . and not without the truth of her actions and an apology.

  She thought of the ring Cyrus carved for the woman he loved and wanted to marry. She wondered if the day would come when Kael would propose. She wanted nothing more than to be his wife. To love him and make love with him. To build up Strong Ranch. To have children. To create a legacy.

  Maybe one day soon.

  Turning down the long road leading to his house, her eyes searched the dirt-packed front yard to make sure his sister’s car was not in sight, before she accelerated forward and parked. Climbing from her car she jogged up the stairs but slowed her speed at the note thumbtacked to the door.

  “‘Come to the cabin,’” she read aloud.

  Lisha turned on the step and looked off in the distance to the path leading that way. She looked down at her uniform and sneakers, wishing she had put on jeans and boots for a trek in the woods. She came down the stair
s and reached in her car for her winter coat and gloves before heading off on her journey.

  It took all of fifteen minutes for her to finally see the break in the trees. Lisha was just thankful her work as a physical therapist kept her fit. Stepping off the path she walked onto the dirt-packed yard. “Kael,” she called out, coming to a stop when she spotted a trail of roses leading to the front door. The wind whipped some of the roses up into the air to fall gently around.

  Her heart pounded as she pushed the door open and gasped at the sight of Kael standing in the center of the flower-covered room with a ring perched between his index finger and thumb.

  She barely noticed that once again he’d filled the interior of the cabin with flowers and lit candles and had a fire roaring away. Her eyes were only on him as she came to stand before him. “Kael,” she said softly.

  “I know you’re wondering why I did this whole setup again,” he began.

  Lisha felt her heart melt as he looked nervous.

  “I wanted to do this that night, but Bea and Kelli pulled that stupid-ass stunt and ruined everything.”

  Lisha kept the surprise from showing on her face at Kael finally acknowledging his sister’s role in what Bea did.

  “And then everything was weird between us after that,” he explained. “And—”

  “Ssssh,” Lisha said, quieting him with a finger pressed to his mouth. “None of that matters now.”

  “It does matter because I played a role in this by not believing you about Kelli,” he said, raising his free hand to lightly grasp her chin. “And I’m sorry.”

  “Apology accepted,” she said, lifting up on her toes to hold the back of his head as she kissed him. “And do you accept mine for the way I acted at the hospital?”

  “I forgave you the moment I reached for your hand at the funeral,” he told her. “Thank you for being there with me even after everything I said the night before.”

  “I will always be there for you. You have my word,” she promised him fiercely.

  “I know that and I know we haven’t known each other long, but I love you. I trust you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”