by Aria Ford
“I have to admit that you are a nice man. Cecile would be a damn fool to turn you away. Remember, she will try to keep you from getting close, but it’s going to be up to you to make sure that you don’t allow her to run you off.” He had his fingers in between his suspenders and his grizzled good looks were hard to resist. He had this natural charm and I had a feeling that my aunt had no idea what was coming.
“Diana, you have been a wealth of information and for that I am eternally grateful. I will be staying in town for a couple of days. I want to make sure that it works out for you, before I make my journey back. If for any reason you don’t feel that it’s working out, then you can get back on the stagecoach and never look back.” It was nice that he was willing to give me that out. To me, that was a crutch that I would use, if absolutely necessary.
“I know that William said that he would meet me here.” Unfortunately, there were other stagecoaches arriving at the exact same time that we were. It was very crowded with young soldiers coming back from their tours of duty. I saw the mothers crying, holding their child and looking towards the heavens to tell god that they were grateful. I held my cross in my hands, making a silent prayer that I wasn’t jumping from the frying pan and into the fire.
I thought I heard angels, as the crowd parted and this man with a finely tailored blue suit stepped through. “I’m hoping that you are Diana. I can’t believe for a second that would be true. I don’t get that lucky.” He was a man of few words, but what he did say was very compelling
“You are very sweet to say that.” He took my only piece of luggage. I was not much for travel. What I wanted from the house was everything that was in the suitcase. Those love letters that had started my heart aflutter from Duncan were squirreled away for those nights that I felt a little too alone. I could always turn to his words to comfort me and to give me a metaphorical hug from beyond. “It’s very nice to meet you. Your description really didn’t do you justice.” He was tall and hovered over me. For some reason, I felt that I could be completely honest with him, but maybe that was the perception I got from his crooked smile.
He was impeccably dressed and his hair was perfectly done, like he was going to Sunday church services. He wore a black Stetson, which complemented the white shirt and the tie around his neck. We came to this white stallion and it was a magnificent animal. It was the kind of thoroughbred that made others pale in comparison.
“I need to tell that I wasn’t sure what to expect. These things are tricky at the best of times.” He couldn’t have said truer words.
“I have to tell you that I wasn’t expecting much. In fact, I thought that this was going to be a dismal disappointment.” He smiled, put his hand down cupping them together to help me onto the horse. Once I was situated, he handed me my luggage and I placed it in between me with both hands holding the handle. He easily leaped on the horse with his leather cowhide boots making the horse take off in a sprint. I could see the lone figure of Linus watching and shielding himself from the dust getting into his eyes.
“I can’t be sure, but is your driver something more than just a professional relationship?” William was a good judge of character and had a keen eye for detail. Not many people would have seen the lingering glances of recognition between myself and Linus. “I’m not judging and I’m just glad that you had somebody that you could trust to make the journey with.” His strong back made me want to reach out, but I thought that it was in bad taste. We didn’t even know if this arrangement was going to work. The only way to find out was to jump in feet first and see what happens.
“Linus is a good friend, but we really only met on this trip. He was a gift from my aunt. I have a feeling that Linus and my aunt are going to get closer. I told him what to do to break down the walls that she has erected.” I had a bit of embarrassment from saying those words. I’m not going to lie and say that I didn’t look below his waist. I’m sure that he was undressing me with his eyes, so I thought it was best that I did the same thing. It was only human nature to wonder.
“I know that this is a big step for you to come all the way out here to meet me. I’m glad that you had the courage. For some reason, I feel that we’ve known each other for longer than the last few minutes.” We managed to talk over the pounding of the hooves hitting the ground from the horse’s making their way to wherever we were going. It was definitely out of reach of the town and away from the prying eyes of those that would judge me. “We’ve been talking for the last little while and I don’t know about you, but I feel that we could have something here. Believe me; I know that this is not conventional. My father was very vocal in his displeasure of me trying something like this. I was a little surprised that he had shared any of this with his father. His mother was another story, but usually fathers are more opinionated.
“I know that family is important to you, but maybe you should think for yourself. Your father might have more experience, but you’re the one that ultimately makes your own decisions.” I felt like I was trying to convince him that what we were doing was right. Then again, maybe I was trying to convince myself. I was still feeling that the itch to crawl back into that hole that I had dug for myself after my husband’s demise.
“I told you that I was a widower. You know practically everything about me. It’s best that we have no mystery between us. If we intend to make a life with each other, then we need to be open and ready to lay it all out.” I was one to talk and there was still one secret that I hadn’t spoken to anyone. The truth was not something that I wanted to revisit, but sometimes you need to unburden your soul in order to move forward.
“I’m, so happy that I’m almost tempted to break out in song.” He glanced over my shoulder with a knowing smirk. I had a feeling that he was joking, but the very idea that he would belt out a tune had me wondering what he would sound like. “You really don’t want me to do that. My attempt at singing would only make your ears bleed.” I began to laugh, despite the fact that I was precariously sitting on a horse. I found myself grabbing onto his waist, gasping with the knowledge that he was a man they knew how to take care of himself.
“We are almost there, but I do need to tell you something. I may have not told you everything in our letters. Everything that I said was true, but that would have been several months ago.” I wasn’t sure what he was getting at, until we turned the corner on to his family estate. The land was not, as vast as he had alluded to. He told me that he had hundreds of acres, but from my vantage point it didn’t seem like more than five at the most. “My father had the misfortune of betting on the wrong horse.” I was waiting for him to elaborate, but it didn’t look like he was willing to go that far.
“You said that you had hundreds of acres and that you were a self professed oil tycoon.” I felt a little disappointment, but learning this was a far cry better than the alternative. He could’ve been married or destitute, but it appeared that he lived by his own means. Rolling my sleeves up and getting dirty, while cultivating vegetables and food from the land was my idea of getting back to nature.
“I was a little embarrassed, but now I see that I had nothing to worry about. You’re not some money hungry young woman. You don’t have a design on getting your hooks into me for my wealth.” The door to the white clapboard house opened and standing there with no shirt and a cigar in his mouth was his father Harry. He narrowed his eyes, as we came to a stop.
“This place might be yours, William, but you need to remember that I live here to.” William explained that his father had taken ill. He needed some place to stay to recover. At first, I thought that he would be a problem, but then I realized that his dedication to family superseded his need for companionship. “I don’t want her to think that she can tell me what to do. If she tries, then she is going to find herself in the fight of her life.” I think that he was purposely wearing no shirt for shock value.
I climbed down on my own, waving William’s hand away to let him know that I could take care of myself. I didn’t wa
nt him to think that I was weak or fragile. “I know that I don’t seem like it, but I’m used to doing things on my own. I like gardening and I see that you’ve been a little lax on keeping that up. Don’t worry, I will get it back to the healthy and lush vegetation that it was before.” He was really giving me a reason to stay. I thought that I was going to be a kept woman, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
I slipped on some manure and fell into William’s hands. His father began to laugh, dropping the cigar and now looking slightly disappointed that he had ruined one of his favorite pastimes. I knew that William was in good shape, but his arms felt like they were made of tree trunks. His chest was hard against my head and there was no give whatsoever.
“You’re really going to have to watch your step around here, Diana. The livestock tends to roam free and leave little gifts behind. I would suggest that you start to tip toe through the tulips a little more gingerly in the future. I thought that I was going to have to show you the ropes, but you appear to have done this before. I’m not an oil tycoon and that is something that I’m not proud of. I was very much into the oil trade, but it was all taken away from me by a despicable man.”
“I don’t like the idea that you lied to me outright. I appreciate that you didn’t feel that you would measure up, but you have nothing to be ashamed of. Five acres of land may seem small, but to me it’s more than enough.” He still had his hands around me and I don’t think that he was even aware that he was doing. It was more of a reflex.
Chapter four:
I slept in the guest room, still feeling that I was lonely, but happy knowing that William was down the hall. That really seemed to matter to me. I slept like a baby, until I felt somebody shaking me awake. I opened my eyes very slowly to see him already dressed and ready to go and do the daily chores. “I know that you’re not a stranger to hard work. Why don’t you join me and see if this brings back some memories.” I almost threw back the covers, but then realized I was completely naked. It was more freeing that way and I was able to get to sleep easier in the buff.
“I know that it seems like we’ve known each other a long time, but I would rather not show you my naked body. If it’s all the same to you, I will be down stairs in a few minutes. I won’t need several hours to get ready and I just need to throw on a dress.” I didn’t have much to begin with. He shrugged his shoulders like he wasn’t bothered by my hesitation to let him see me naked. “No offense, but we barely know each other. I do like what I have seen and heard, except for the fact that you felt that it was necessary to lie to me.” He backed away with his hands up in a form of self defeat.
I didn’t want to make him think that this was something that I couldn’t get over. The fact remained that he had lied to me about this and if he could like to me about this, then he could lie to me about other things. I was cautious, but I was cautiously optimistic.
I put on a pair of jeans, thinking that it was better suited for the chores at hand. It was a pair of my husband’s and made me feel like I was still a part of his life. It was a little loose, but the suspenders over top of them made them more secure. I put on one of his shirts, smelling his scent and closing my eyes to the memory of having him kiss me deeply and with a passion that was undeniable.
I came downstairs and I stopped short to see that he was staring at me with his mouth a gape. “I’ve never seen a woman in a pair of jeans before. I think that we’re going to have to make that part of your regular attire.” I felt flattered that he noticed. I did a turn to let him see everything from every angle. The appreciative whistle made me blush, but not in a bad way. I didn’t think that he was objectifying. He was just showing his pleasure at seeing my curves on display.
I followed him outside, looking at his posterior and trying with my mind to make those pants disappear. I was not the type of girl that would sleep with a man that I didn’t feel that there was a connection or some kind of commitment coming my way.
“I’ll start you off small by collecting the eggs from the chickens in the coop.” He motioned with his finger and I looked over and was barely able to discern that the coop was even there. It was still almost pitch black, but the first sign of a new day arriving was streaming through the trees. It made me stop and fully appreciate the sunrise. The dancing lights in between the trees made for a colorful display that was hard to take my eyes away from.
I suddenly felt that I was not alone and then his hands were around my waist holding me close to his own body. There was no need for words. We just stood there and watched this spectacular show that Mother Nature was putting on. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that Mother Nature was doing it just for us. I held his arms with my hands, leaning back against him and hearing his heart beating a little faster than normal. It made my heart sing with the knowledge that I had given him that effect.
“The one thing that I never get used to is seeing that every morning. I’ve always got too caught up in myself to realize the beauty all around. Losing my fortune had certainly put things into perspective. I’m not destitute and I do have funds that I can dip into for emergencies. I don’t want you to think that I can’t take care of you, because I can. I just find living off the land more conducive to where I want my life to be going.”
I began to cry, sniveling like a little girl. He didn’t say anything and allowed me to let it out gracefully. “I think that I could find happiness here with you. I can’t do that without telling you the real reason that I had to get away. You know that I’m a widower. I told you that my husband died cleaning his gun.” I thought that he was going to jump in and say something, but he did not try to force any kind of explanation.
“I can see that this is hard on you. You take all the time that you need.” Like I said, he was a man of few words, but the words that he spoke more poignant.
“My husband did not tell me that we were in trouble and decided to ride out the storm on his own. It weighed heavily on him and the final straw was when he found out that he was losing everything. He was not cleaning his gun.” The realization of what I was trying to say finally dawned on him. He squeezed me a little bit tighter and told me how sorry he was for my loss.
“You had to know that he was doing that for you. He didn’t want you to worry and maybe that was not his decision to make, but he thought that it was. He sounds like a man that has a strong moral fiber. You shouldn’t fault him for leaving you out of it. I don’t think it was necessary for him to take that sort of step, but he must have felt like he was in a losing battle.” He was being kind and I could swear that he knew my husband better than I did. “I’ve been knocked down plenty of times, but it’s not how hard you fall. It’s how hard you fight to stand back up.” He kissed my neck and I felt an instant attraction that went beyond that of the grief that I was feeling for the man that I thought that I was going to find happiness with.
“I just thought that I should tell you everything. You had your secret about your loss of fortune and I had mine. Maybe now we can start fresh.” He was nuzzling my neck, but not in a creepy way. It was more of a comforting gesture, but it was certainly making me sweat.
We went about doing the daily chores, but this time we did them together. It felt nice to have somebody that I could laugh and talk with. By letting go of that secret, I was opening myself up to a new romance.
We were going back to the house, when he stepped on the ground and plucked a daisy. He placed it behind my ear and lightly moved my hair out of the way. I looked into his blue eyes and I felt this overwhelming need to try and kiss him. He didn’t move away and I had to push myself up on my toes to reach him.
It was 2 hours of hard work, but I couldn’t have been happier. I was actually smiling and feeling that my heart was slowly coming alive. “I do want you, but I can wait for however long it takes you to come around. I’ve been holding onto a ring. I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to present it to you yet.” I moved my finger across his lips and I bit my tongue with the anticipa
tion for a new experience.
“You have this way about you that makes it impossible for me to hang onto the grief that has been holding me back.” I ran my nails along the back of his neck, making him squint and bend down in front of me. I planted my lips on his. It was soft and demanding. I enjoyed the pleasure that his hand was now inflicting by stroking my spine down to the small of my back. I bent at an angle with him dipping me and making me feel like I was weightless.
“Ahem.” I opened my eyes and upside down I could see that Harry was now standing with his arms crossed. He looked a little peeved. “If you two are through playing kissy face, I would really like to have some breakfast with those eggs that you are carrying.” He didn’t give me a chance to say anything, before snatching the basket from my hand and storming back into the house.
Chapter five:
The next few days were more of the same, except for when he surprised me with a picnic for two down by the lake. On his five acres was this pristine clear and calm lake that was easily the best spot on his land to go to contemplate things. He had made me close my eyes and I had to be careful not to stumble over my own feet. He guided me with a gentle hand and then he pushed on my shoulders to indicate that he wanted me to sit down.
“You can open your eyes now.” We had been getting to know each other. Kissing was part of that ritual. It was good that first time, but it had gotten better with trial by error. We learned to predict what the other one wanted without having to say anything.
I saw the red and black checker blanket and the basket that was closed. I stared at it, but he was not taking the bait. He didn’t allow me to see what kind of goodies he had supplied for this picnic. He did pull a bottle of wine from around his back with two glasses in the other hand. He tried to pop the cork, but it didn’t look like it was going to budge. He shrugged his shoulders and then bit into it with his teeth, squeezing it out, until it was far enough that he was able to pop it clean.