You Can Go Home Again

by You Can Go Home Again [DaD] (mobi)

  No, sir. He knew he had to watch her like a hawk and take advantage of every opportunity he had in the meantime to get her to fall even more deeply in love with him. And if she did break her promise when the time came to go back to New York – if she did leave without telling him, without taking him with her – heaven help her sorry little behind then – but he was going to be ready to run right after her this time.

  For now, all he could do was wait and make the most of every chance he had to be alone with her. Having her stay with him instead of at her mother’s while she was here would help him find more time alone with her. And tonight was the perfect time to start on “Operation Come Back Home, Rebecca Marie Atlee.”

  * * * *

  When they got back to Tucker’s after spending part of the afternoon catching up at Joyce’s, Becky disappeared upstairs and came back down in a worn pair of jeans, a turtleneck, and a heavyweight, insulated flannel shirt. A practical winter hat crushed down her curls and hid the shells of her ears beneath two flaps designed for warmth, though she still looked damned cute in it, anyway. And there was a battered pair of cowboy boots on her feet that reminded Tucker of easier times between them.

  “Can I borrow a horse and go for a ride?” she asked him tentatively. It was clear that she didn’t expect him to agree to the request. “I’d kind of like the quiet, so I can clear my head.”

  He couldn’t help but think about how long it had been since she’d last been on horseback. Though she was admittedly an experienced horsewoman, and though she’d grown up around horses both in her own home and at his, he was reluctant to see her go on her own.

  “Why don’t you give me a second to change, and I’ll come with you?” he suggested.

  Her frown seemed to weigh down her entire face. “I’d really rather go on my own, if that’s okay.” It obviously galled her to have to ask him something that only a year ago she would have just gone ahead and done without batting an eye, let alone asking for permission ahead of time. She was all but stamping her feet in frustration, as she waited for him to give in to her request. “Come on, Tuck. I’ll be okay.”

  He sighed and studied her a moment more as she waited impatiently for him to give over. “All right,” he eventually allowed. When she smiled at her win, he jabbed a finger towards her warningly. “But I want your butt back here within an hour, so don’t go off too far. It’s been a while since you’ve ridden and I don’t want you getting lost or making yourself so stiff you can’t move in the morning.”

  She snorted at what she perceived to be an exaggerated amount of concern. “I haven’t forgotten how to ride a horse, you know. It’s just like riding a bike, or—”

  “Having sex?” he finished for her, noting with guilty pleasure the way her cheeks flushed a hot, becoming red at his unexpected words.

  “Actually, I was going to say swimming, but yeah, I guess that’s another example.” She shook her head at him and smiled unwillingly. “I see you still have a one track mind,” she accused with amusement in her eyes.

  “At least, when you’re around, yeah,” he admitted unabashedly. He made a shooing motion with one hand towards the door. “Go and ride yourself a horse, Red. Just keep your head about you while you’re riding, okay? I know you’re a good rider, but you have to admit, you’re a little out of practice. And be back here in an hour, so I can make us some supper.”

  With a mock salute, she turned and left the house, allowing the storm door to clap shut behind her.

  Though he couldn’t help but worry a little over letting her go off on her own for a winter ride, the time alone in the house while she was gone would work to his advantage. By the time she got back, he’d have everything set for tonight. He couldn’t help but grin and rub his hands together as he turned from the window where he’d stood watching her walk out to the barn.

  It was time to get down to business. There was a lot of work ahead of him…

  * * * *

  Fifty-five minutes later, Tucker glanced out the kitchen window, having just finished all his preparations for the evening. True to her word, Becky was already on her way in from the fields, right on time.

  Unfortunately, she was also barreling in at top speed, the horse going at full throttle with her leaning low over his back. Tucker felt his pulse pick up both in exhilaration from watching her and in terror that the horse might trip and throw her.

  Cursing her blatant disregard of his warning to ride sensibly, and his own turncoat arousal at the picture she made atop that horse, he wasn’t even aware of what he had done until he looked down and saw his shirt sleeves already turned up to his elbows. A moment later, without even realizing he had crossed the floor of the kitchen, he was at the side door and wrenching it open. His palm literally itched and in his mind’s eye, all he could see was Becky’s bare bottom, soon to be reddening beneath his relentless hand.

  Needless to say, all his romantic preparations for the night had been forgotten in one gut-wrenching moment of anger and fear for her safety.

  The smile that was wide across her face fled quickly when she came up to the barn and saw Tucker storming across the driveway towards her. She reined back hard, and the horse nearly sat beneath her from the strength it took to come to such a quick stop. For a few moments, she looked like she might actually turn the animal around and hightail it back out and away from the infuriated man who was rapidly advancing on her.

  “Get your butt off that horse this minute, Red!” Tucker demanded. The closer he got to her, the more he could see how winded the animal was, how wild her hair was; all more proof that she’d been riding harder than he’d even originally thought. The more evidence he saw of her defiance, the sicker his stomach felt at the idea of something happening to her while she’d been out there alone. He wanted to thrash her silly right then and there, but the animal obviously needed tending to, and he also acknowledged that he needed to calm down before he could trust himself to spank her without really hurting her.

  Wincing, either at the tone of his words or the picture of displeasure he surely was, Becky slid ever so slowly to the ground, looking every second like she might run for the hills. To her credit, she stood her ground, though now she wasn’t meeting his gaze.

  Feeling like he was breathing as hard as the horse, Tucker stormed up to her and forced her gaze up to his by physically tipping her chin up with one hand.

  “I want you to walk that animal in the corral until he cools off. Then you water and feed him, and brush him down. When you’re finished, you get inside that house, go up to our room and take off your clothes. You can put on a nightshirt if you want to, but nothing on from the waist down. You put yourself in the corner by the window, and you think about how many years of my life you just took off by tearing in here on that horse like that. And you wait there in that corner for me ‘till I come up. Do I make myself clear?”

  She gulped after he finished speaking, and the motion of her throat as she swallowed felt incredibly fragile as it brushed against Tucker’s hand. Her eyes were welled with tears. “Yes,” she whispered, as the first tear spilled over and fled rapidly down her cheek and away from his gaze.

  He nodded once, released her chin and stepped back to watch her slink away. With a heavy sigh of frustration and disappointment that he would have to deal with this now instead of getting right to romancing her when she came inside, he went back inside the house and set about putting his romantic touches on hold.

  Chapter Six

  When he had calmed down and gathered his emotions together, Tucker glanced out towards the barn and discovered that the light was still on inside the stable area, meaning that Becky was still working on Comet, the horse she’d taken out. She must be really giving that horse special care, out of guilt from the way she’d ridden him – that, or she was simply dallying out there, trying to delay coming in here and facing the music.

  Tucker sighed. He didn’t want to get into this tonight. He’d had a romantic evening planned for the two of them, an
d beyond holding her in his arms all night long and talking about their future, he’d wanted nothing else. Now he’d be lucky if she said one word to him the rest of the night after he spanked her, let alone let him touch her.

  Resolutely, he turned from the window and shrugged into his leather coat. There was nothing to be done for it, he supposed. He couldn’t just pretend that what she’d done hadn’t happened.

  The air outside was bitter cold and stung his exposed face and hands. Tucker hunched his shoulders, as he walked the short distance to the barn, looking forward to the warmth that it would surely offer, especially if Becky had turned on the space heater that he always kept handy.

  Sure enough, the warm air inside the stall area enveloped him, as he walked inside. But as surely as the heat pulled him into its embrace, the sight that greeted him when he walked in made him pause and nearly take a step back as if he’d intruded.

  Neither still working on grooming Comet, nor really dallying as he’d thought she might be, Becky stood instead beside the huge horse, her face buried in his sleek, muscular neck, her hands bunched in his smooth, black mane, crying her eyes out. Her shoulders shook with her sorrow, and loud sobs wrenched from her throat.

  Once the shock of seeing her like that – his Becky, the girl he’d only seen cry once in his whole life (really hard spankings not included) – had passed, Tucker stepped forward again, coming up behind her quietly. He smiled at the sweet, stoic horse, who just stood there, still and gentle, as she sobbed into his throat. In his opinion, animals were the best of all comforters for human beings – nonjudgmental, unconditional in their love, all forgiving, and best of all, cuddly. He remembered many a night over the last year when he had taken quiet comfort in the constant, unwavering companionship of his animals.

  Being careful not to scare her, Tucker reached out and gently touched her elbow, as he said her name.

  She didn’t jump around at his sudden appearance; she just looked up at him as if she’d been expecting him. She looked embarrassed despite the fact that she’d obviously realized he would come down to the barn eventually to check on her.

  “I’m not trying to get your pity,” she insisted before he had a chance to say anything. She sniffed noisily and used the heels of her hands to roughly rub the tears from her face. She looked horrible, her fair skin all red and blotchy, and from that, Tucker knew she was telling the truth – she’d obviously been crying for a while, not just putting on a quick show because she’d known he would be coming to check on her soon.

  “I know that,” he assured her. Sensing that touching her right then would be a mistake, he reached out and stroked Comet’s nose, right on the jagged white streak that fractured his long face.

  “I… I’m just upset… about everything.” She heaved a large sigh and looked away from him, her lower lip trembling. “I don’t know why. It’s stupid.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s just so stupid,” she repeated. “I’m sorry about the way I was riding and for scaring you the way I did. I just… I started thinking about everything that’s going on – with my mom, and the funeral, and with you and my job – and I just got so upset, and I wasn’t even aware that I was riding faster and harder… until I saw your face… I just don’t even know what got into me…”

  Tucker offered her a small half-smile. “It’s true that it isn’t like you to ride like that. That’s partly why I was so disappointed with you. But I was also upset because I had visions of all the ways you could’ve been hurt…”

  Becky closed her eyes, wincing. “Yeah, I know…”

  He felt the softening in his resolve just standing there, looking at her. He knew how bad she felt about what she’d done; it was clear as day across her face. Added to the mixture of emotions she was already coping with and he couldn’t help but want to give in.

  “Look,” he said, reaching out with one hand to pull her into a one-armed embrace. “You’re not hurt. Comet’s okay, too, aren’t you buddy?” Using the reins that hung from the horse’s bridle, Tucker made Comet move his head up and down as if the horse was nodding, eliciting a wet giggle from Becky. “Why don’t we wipe the slate clean here? You’re obviously sorry about what happened, so that’s enough for me.”

  She eyed him skeptically. “What about the spanking?”

  He shrugged. “No spanking. This time, anyway.” He shook his finger at her once. “Just don’t let me catch you doing it again, okay?”

  She frowned at him. “Oookkaaay,” she agreed slowly. “But I want to know who you are and what you did with Tucker Rhodes?”

  He grinned. “Yeah. I guess I better start being careful, huh? First I let my sister off the hook this morning and now here I am letting you get out of a spanking. The world’s going to think I’m becoming a push-over.”

  Becky’s gaze was soft as she studied him. She leaned against him, a little self-consciously, and put her head against his upper arm – she never had been able to rest her head on his shoulder because he was so much taller than she was. “Thanks, Tuck.”

  A lump appeared in his throat over those two words and he had to clear his throat a few times before he trusted himself to speak again. “Just don’t go getting used to it,” he warned in a playfully gruff tone.

  When she glanced up at him, he winked at her and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “Come on, let me help you finish up out here. I’ve got big plans for us inside tonight.”

  * * * *

  While Becky ran upstairs to clean herself up and change clothes, Tucker put their dinner on to reheat and built a fire in the living room fireplace. A few minutes later, she re-emerged in battered, loose blue jeans and a white cableknit sweater that he’d given her several Christmases ago. She smiled at the sight of the flickering flames as she glimpsed them through the doorway. She always had loved a fire, often sitting so close to the flames that Tucker had to pull her further away for fear a spark might fly out and catch in her clothes or hair.

  “Something smells fabulous,” she commented, sniffing curiously as she nosed around the kitchen. “What did you make for dinner while I was gone?”

  He grinned. “Nothing.”

  “Well, something smells good. What is it – I kind of recognize it.”

  He showed her the contents of the bowl in his hand, and his grin widened at her excited squeal. “Oh! You got Honk Kong Jack’s!”

  “Yep. And I have those cannolis from Ella’s Bakery that you like so much, too.”

  “Oooh… yum! Which kind?” She rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

  “All six.”

  “All six kinds?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “Oh, boy. I’m going to get so fat!”

  “You could use a little extra weight,” he told her. “You don’t look like you’ve been eating very well up there in New York, kiddo.”

  Becky chose to ignore his comment as she plucked a snow pea from the bowl he was holding. Her gaze narrowed on him as she chewed. “When did you have the chance to do all this, anyway? You were with me all day except for the last hour or so.”

  “Yeah, well, my sister owes me. Big time. So I sent her on a couple errands for the stuff I wanted to get. She delivered it all while we were over at your mom’s. And while you were out riding, I got everything put together.”

  She shook her head, her eyes closed. “And I pretty much ruined all your plans by—”

  “Shh, shh, shh,” Tucker interrupted, catching her chin in his hand and gently pulling her face up to his gaze, until she finally relented and opened her eyes. “That’s over; don’t worry about it anymore.” He smacked a light kiss on her cheek and gestured for her to move ahead of him into the living room. “Come on, now, dinner’s getting cold.”

  They made their meal like a picnic, spread out on the floor in front of the fireplace, sitting Indian-style in either socks or bare feet. Their backs were propped up on huge floor pillows, sipping red wine from glasses they rested beside the fire. They shared between them savory bowls of chicken and
snow peas, spicy General Tso’s, and beef with peppers and onions. Becky’s favorite was the spring rolls, stuffed with cabbage and other veggies in a crispy, fried wrapper, and she moaned with satisfaction over them.

  “I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I’ve had Hong Kong Jack’s. I can’t find a Chinese restaurant in New York that compares. This is heaven. Thanks, Tuck.”

  He winked at her. “Do I know my girl or do I know my girl?”

  She blushed under his warm gaze. “Yeah, you know me, all right.” She glanced shyly up at him. “You trying to romance me or something, here, cowboy?”

  He grinned sheepishly, caught in the act. “Maybe,” he drawled out slowly. “Why, you think you might be game to bein’ romanced on, Red?”

  She shrugged. “I guess that would depend on how good the romancin’ was,” she flirted.

  He nodded, seeming to mull those words over. “Wine and roses and all that fluffy stuff?”

  “Hmm. That’s a start, I guess.”

  “Well, then I guess I’m already ahead of the game. I’ve got wine right here, and more in the fridge, should you desire it. And upstairs in the bedroom, there’s a whole slew of rose petals strewn across my bed…”

  Becky’s mouth fell open at this information. “Oh, my. You’re not just trying to romance me. I think you’re trying to seduce me,” she accused him playfully.

  “Well, say I was, you know, trying to seduce you… would you be open to that, or is it, you know, too soon?”

  Eyes sparkling, Becky gave him what was supposed to be an indifferent shrug. “All depends on how good a job you do seducin’ me, cowboy.”

  “Hmmm.” Tucker pretended to think on that for a while, cracking open a fortune cookie as he strung her along. “You will provide sexiest woman in the world with night of great passion, like something from her wildest dreams.” he pretended to read, his mouth quirking at the corners as he fought to hold back a grin. When he looked back up at her, she was giggling. “You know, fortune cookies never lie.”