“If you don’t mind me asking, where should I put my things? It looks like there’s a full house, but I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said with a knowing smile. “We may be farmers, but we’re not entirely backwoods. I’m pretty sure you don’t bunk on Mina’s sofa so I see no reason to keep you separated here.” She walked back in the house with Scott close on her heels. “Denny built this house intending to fill it with children.” She stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “The walls are pretty thick. Sound doesn’t carry well from one room to the other.”
To his surprise, Scott felt himself blushing. In spite of his embarrassment, he was glad she’d told him because after having been apart from Mina for a week, he didn’t think he could keep from making love to her if he tried.
“Thank you for everything, Mrs. Harmon.”
“You might as well start calling me Lynn. Now get up there before she gets here and figure out what you’re going to say. I expect to see a big, happy smile on my girl’s face in the morning.”
Scott made his way back to Mina’s room. He took his bag off the bed and set it out of sight so it wouldn’t be the first thing she saw when she came into her room. Then he sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling more scared than he could ever remember being in his life. She had to forgive him, that’s all there was to it, because without Mina, he might was well just stretch out in one of those corn fields outside and let the elements consume him.
Chapter 12
Mina was overwhelmed to find all the men in her family had come to retrieve her. They piled out of the car, each of them hugging her fiercely, but none held her tighter or longer than her Dad.
“Don’t you ever do something like this again,” he said gruffly, then folded her back in his arms.
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she said contritely. “I had no idea you even knew I’d left California. I just needed a little time to myself before I came home.”
Denny Harmon ushered her into the car. “There’s no such thing as time to yourself in this family. You have a problem, you come home and we work it out together.”
Mina spent the ride home listening to each of her brothers in turn chastise her for what she’d done, interspersed with complaints that Buster was taking up all the room. Of course, every one of them wound it around so it seemed as if they were only upset because she’d worried her mother so bad, but she knew better and loved them all the more for it. When she finally worked up the nerve to ask if anyone had told Scott they’d located her, there was a moment of silence in the car.
“He knows,” her Dad said. “And that’s another thing you don’t do,” he admonished. “You don’t run out on your man just because you have an argument. Why, if your mother had ever done that, I’d have hunted her down and tanned her hide.”
Mina looked at him in surprise, suddenly aware that none of her brothers had taken up for her either. “He wouldn’t return my calls,” she mumbled in weak defense.
“And you couldn’t have hauled yourself over to his house and hashed it out? Honey, you were raised with four brothers with egos the size of Texas. I can’t believe you couldn’t figure out how to work around it. I guess maybe you don’t love him as much as you said you did.”
“That’s not true!” Mina denied vehemently. “Daddy, I love Scott with all my heart and I’d give anything to have the chance to work things out with him, but the truth is we’re from two different worlds. I can’t even imagine Scott coming to the farm and feeling comfortable with all of us.”
“You’re wrong, honey, I think he’d fit in just fine.”
Mina looked at him incredulously. “You’re all as bad as Buster! He took to Scott like he’d known him all his life and now you’re acting the same way.”
Chris, who’d taken the seat beside her, spoke up. “He’s a good guy, Mina, and he was really worried about you. We all were.”
“Did he…did he say he wanted me to call him?”
Chris looked over at his Dad and saw the almost imperceptible shake of his head. “No, but he wanted us to let him know you were okay.”
Her shoulders slumped dejectedly. “I guess he’s still mad then. It doesn’t matter anyway. Even if I wanted to go back, I don’t have the money for another plane ticket.”
“We’re almost home,” her Dad announced. “You go inside and say hello to your mother then get on up to your room and rest for awhile. We’ll all talk more about it later.”
Mina nodded, grateful there would be no more lectures that night. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and cry. Scott hadn’t asked her to call, which could only mean he didn’t care to work anything out with her. She didn’t know what she was going to do without him, but she couldn’t see ever finding happiness again. All she saw was the endless, aching hours that stretched out infinitely in front of her. She rested her head against her Dad’s shoulder, finding some semblance of comfort in his strength. At least she had her family around her now.
They pulled up to the farmhouse just after nine o’clock. She might be foregoing any more lectures for the night, but she was sure her Dad would get one for the record time he’d made the drive in. Buster barreled from the car, leaving her brothers behind grumbling and swiping hair from their clothes. Mina smiled to herself. In spite of everything, it felt good to be home.
She practically ran up the stairs to hug her mother when Lynn Harmon stepped out onto the porch. Somehow, she’d kept her emotions under control with her father and brothers, but now that she had her Mom to lean on, Mina lost it.
“Come on, baby,” her mother soothed. “Let’s go inside.”
She followed her mother in, laughing through the tears when her mother hollered for one of the boys to get Buster inside before he scared her chickens to death.
“They won’t lay eggs for a week now,” she complained. She stopped and smiled warmly at her daughter. “You go on up and get some rest. Things will look better in the morning, I promise.”
Mina hugged her mother. “I love you, Mom,” she said, then turned and trudged wearily up the stairs.
She stopped at the top and glanced backwards, a little disconcerted to hear the laughter wafting up from the living room. Maybe they were just happy to have her home, she thought, and wondered if she’d ever be able to laugh again.
Mina didn’t bother turning on her light. She closed the door behind her and made her way confidently to her bed, having done it a million times in the past. She kicked off her shoes then shoved the little heart shaped pillow to the floor and stretched out on the bed. She closed her eyes against the tears. God, she could almost smell the musky, masculine scent of his skin. She heard the soft rustle of movement just a fraction of a second before his body covered hers. Mina let out a startled squeak, then a soft, throaty moan as Scott’s mouth closed over hers.
His kiss was gentle, his touch tender and loving. Mina felt the pain of the past week ebbing away as her heart took wings and fluttered madly in her chest. She made a feeble attempt to protest when his hands slid beneath her shirt and pulled it over her head, but made no further objections when he reached for the zipper on her jeans. Neither of them spoke a word until he’d settle himself between her thighs and entered her with an agonizingly slow stroke.
“I love you, Mina,” he whispered hoarsely, his thrusts becoming harder and more urgent.
“I love you too,” she whispered back, her voice just as raspy as his.
Then she closed her eyes, pulled his mouth to hers, and let him make love to her. There were too many emotions running between them, too much time spent apart for it to last long, but Mina thought she’d never been quite so satisfied as she was when Scott released his seed deep inside of her then buried his face in her neck. His whole body trembled against hers and it took her a moment to realize it wasn’t just the effect of having made love. When he finally lifted his head, his voice was just as shaky as his body was.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life when I
couldn’t find you. I’m so sorry, baby. I shouldn’t have…”
Mina put her fingers softly over his lips. “We both did some pretty stupid things. Just tell me it’s over, Scott, that’s all I need to know.”
“Not yet,” he said as he stretched his arm out and felt around for the lamp then switched it on.
He looked down at her smiling face and the cheeks that were flushed from their ardent love making. Her glorious mane of hair was splayed out around her in a tangle of soft curls and his heart swelled when he thought of waking each morning to this beautiful woman. His gaze wandered over every detail of her face, his breath catching in his throat when he saw the way she was looking at him.
“God, I’ve missed you.” He leaned down and kissed her, then gently caressed the side of her face. “There’s just one thing we need to settle before this is over.”
Mina giggled when he leaned over the side of the bed and ruffled through his jeans pocket because their bodies were still joined and he was doing everything he could to keep it that way.
“We’re both going to end up on the floor,” she warned.
When he finally stopped rummaging around and moved back over her, his eyes locked with hers with such a look of love she felt consumed by it. He captured her lips once more, giving her a long, lingering kiss before propping himself on his elbows and fidgeting with something above her head. She laughed again when he tossed something over his shoulder.
“What are you up to?”
Scott just grinned as he gently pulled her arms from around his neck. Still leaning on one elbow, he took her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm then slipped a glittering diamond ring over her finger.
“Marry me,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I love you, Mina. I can’t go through another week like the one I’ve just had. I want you, I need you, and I’m not leaving here without you. I nearly went insane when I found that letter. I was going to ask you that night, but you’d gone and I didn’t know what to do. I’m lost without you, sweetheart.” He looked down at her dazed expression. “Mina?”
Her eyes lifted to his. “Ask me.”
“I just did,” he laughed softly.
“No, you said marry me, that’s not the same.”
“Do you want me to get down on one knee?” He teased.
Mina could still feel him inside of her, growing firmer by the minute. “No,” she smiled, “I like you just where you are.”
Scott kissed her softly. “I love you, Mina Harmon. Will you marry me?”
Her smile brightened. “Do I get my job back?”
“I don’t know,” he drawled, “you did leave without giving a notice. You’ll have quite a mess to clean up with both of us being gone for a week. Are you sure you want your job back?”
“Yes,” she entwined her arms around his neck.
“Yes, you want your job back or yes, you’ll marry me?”
“Yes, I want my job back,” she drew him down for a kiss. “And yes, I’ll marry you.”
Mina giggled when his arm snapped out and turned off the light, then drew in a sharp breath when his hips thrust against hers. Six times in one night was Scott’s record so far. She had a feeling he was going to leave that one in the dust.
**
By time the rooster crowed at five-thirty the next morning, they were both laying drunkenly in each others’ arms. He’d made love to her so many times throughout the night, she’d lost track. Even now, he couldn’t seem to stop touching her, stroking her gently with his hands and plying her with soft kisses, but she didn’t mind. She could barely keep her hands off of him either.
“I guess it’s useless to try and get any sleep now,” he said lazily.
“Mom will be up in a few minutes to start breakfast. Dad and the boys will be up by six.”
“Then what?”
“They’ll wolf down breakfast then head out to do chores for an hour. Then the boys will come in and clean up before leaving for school but Dad will keep working until lunchtime. Mom will spend the morning tending to the animals and stop around eleven thirty to fix Dad’s lunch, then probably throw in some laundry before picking up the mess the boys made the night before. By four o’clock all the boys will be back from school. They’ll change into their work clothes and go finish up what Mom couldn’t get to plus do their own chores. At ten to six they’ll all pile in to clean up and be at the table by six fifteen when Mom serves dinner.”
“Sounds like the whole family has it down to a science. Do your brothers ever complain about the work they have to do?”
“Other than fighting with each other over whose turn it is to clean out the horse stalls, no. I know it sounds like a hard life, but when you’re raised on a farm, you just learn to accept the work has to be done so there’s not much use in grumbling about it. Besides, the boys use the time to talk about their day and probably which girls they kissed or want to kiss.”
“What’s going to happen when all your brothers graduate from college and move away?”
“That worries me more than anything. Dad can barely handle the fields by himself as it is and Mom can’t to all the chores by herself. Waylon’s into agriculture though. He’s always coming to Dad with ways to improve the crops and make the farm more profitable. I think he may just stick around and take over the farm.”
Scott lifted his head to check the time. “It’s five forty-five.” He rolled over, pinning Mina beneath him. “That gives me ten minutes to make love to you and five minutes to dress and get down stairs for breakfast.”
Mina’s breath was already coming up short when he kneed her thighs apart and eased himself inside of her. Scott took his job very seriously and by two minutes to six, they were scrambling from the room and racing each other down the stairs like children.
He took the same place at the table he’d had the night before and watched Mina dance over to her mother to show off the ring he’d given her. Then she planted a kiss on her father’s cheek and annoyed each of her brother’s by ruffling their hair as she made her way back to the chair beside him.
Mina devoured her breakfast, her eyes bouncing around the table happily. They all talked to Scott as if he was already part of the family and nothing could have elated her more. Her father had been right. Scott fit right in. She just hoped she would get along with his family as well as he was with hers.
“I guess you’ll have to be leaving right away,” her mother said a little sadly.
“We have to,” Mina said. “I’m sure we’ll have tons of work to catch up on and it’ll just get worse the longer we delay getting back.”
“You’ll be seeing her soon,” Scott promised, glancing at Mina. “But first, we have a wedding to plan.”
EPILOGUE
“Mom! Buster won’t let me get in the water.”
Mina watched her five-year-old son try to get past the body block Buster was maintaining between the shore and the water. She glanced imploringly at Scott.
“Don’t give me that look,” he admonished, “he’s your dog.”
Mina laughed. “Buster hasn’t been my dog since the day you walked into my house.”
Scott shook his head when she rubbed her belly. “And don’t use pregnancy as an excuse either, you’re barely showing.”
“Spoil sport,” she pouted. “All right, I’ll take Sam, but you have to bring Peyton. You know she’ll cry if Sam gets to go in and she doesn’t.”
Scott hoisted his two-year-old baby girl onto his shoulders and got up, then extended his hand for Mina. “I hope her diaper’s on good and tight,” he said as they walked down to the shore.
“You know it’s going to soak up half the ocean as soon as you put her in the water.”
Peyton squealed with delight, her pudgy little hands slapping at Scott’s forehead when she realized where they were going. Buster didn’t budge until Mina had a firm hold of Sam’s hands.
“I have my life jacket, Mom,” he complained, “and he still wouldn’t let me go in.”
“You know he doesn’t like you going in without one of us,” she explained for the hundredth time. Mina let go of Sam’s hand when the water got to his knees then waded out until it was just past her waist and turned around to face her son. “Are you ready?” When Sam nodded, she called Buster. “Bring him to me, boy.”
Buster came alongside Sam and waited for the little boy to get a good grip on his collar then moved through the water towards Mina with Sam in tow.
“Kick son,” Scott encouraged him. “You can’t let Buster do all the work.”
He pulled his squirming daughter off his shoulders and dipped her toes in the water, laughing when she clapped her little hands together, Peyton’s cue to take it to the knees.
“Look at me, Dad! I made it.”
INNOCENCE AND ARROGANCE Page 19