Hallie's Destiny (The Donovans of the Delta)

by Peggy Webb

  “Hallie rodeos?”

  “Lord, yes. Wins prizes too. Why one time down in San Antone . . .”

  “Telling my secrets, Raymond?” Hallie appeared beside them, her arms loaded with bags of chips.

  “I was just fixin’ to tell about that rodeo down in San Antone.”

  “Don’t stop now. This is fascinating.” Josh took Hallie’s load of chips from her.

  Raymond quirked his eyebrows at Hallie. “I broke my big toe,” she said. “Not in the line of duty, but climbing over the fence. For embarrassment it ranked right up there with losing my fairy godmother skirt in the second grade play.”

  Both Raymond and Josh chuckled, then Raymond left them to their own devices.

  “Chips make great picnic fare, Hallie, but I hunger for something more substantial.”

  She didn’t know why she suddenly thought of kissing. It probably was because the white shirt he wore was unbuttoned at the top enough for her to see a good portion of his chest. She’d had a wicked urge to taste that golden skin ever since he’d shown up at her campsite with the bluebonnets.

  “Bread,” she said. “We need bread. Which do you prefer, white or brown?”

  “Wholewheat.” He lifted a loaf off the shelf. “It has more taste and body.”

  “My sentiments exactly.”

  Together they selected coldcuts and cheese and wine, then they got into her car and whizzed back to the lake. Hallie parked the car and the four of them set off afoot to find the bluebonnets.

  It was almost one-thirty by time they got to the meadow Hallie’s dogs immediately went off on another wild rabbit chase, while she and Josh spread their picnic among the thick carpet of flowers.

  Josh poured the wine into plastic cups and handed her one. “To health.” He lifted his cup.

  “To happiness.” She touched her cup to his.

  His index finger reached out and hooked hers. “To beauty.” His gaze held hers. “You’re exquisite in the sunshine, Hallie. Your beauty rivals the flowers around you.”

  She was extraordinarily pleased. Men had told her she was beautiful, but never in such a husky voice and never with a shining look in their eyes.

  She lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. Josh never took his eyes off her. “I suppose the freedom of the road inspires poetry in the soul. Are you a poet, Josh?”

  “No. It must be spring fever.” He took a drink, still watching her over the rim of his cup. “Or perhaps it’s the company.”

  Hallie took a slab of cheese and began to nibble on it. “It’s the meadow. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.” She gazed around before turning back to him. “My dogs and I stumbled across it yesterday. How did you find it?”

  “Persistence. For a while I felt like the Tin Woodsman looking for Oz.”

  “Strange you should choose the Tin Woodsman. He’s the one who had no heart.”

  “Precisely.”

  “Why don’t you have a heart, Josh?”

  “The Wicked Witches of the West stole it away.”

  “More than one witch?”

  “Yes.”

  Impulsively Hallie leaned over and pressed her hand against his chest. “You do have a heart, Josh Butler. Any man who knows The Wizard of Oz so well has a heart.”

  She started to remove her hand, but Josh covered it with his own.

  “Stay, Hallie.”

  She felt the steady pumping rhythm of his heart, the warmth of his skin. Josh guided her hand so that it gently massaged his chest. His golden chest hair curved possessively around her fingers.

  “I love the touch of a woman’s hand on my skin.”

  “Any woman?”

  His hand, holding hers captive, continued the stroking movements. “Especially yours.”

  Sitting in the flowers with the sun warming her back and Josh’s skin warming her hand, she felt the jubilee rising in her again—and for a man she barely knew. She tried to squelch the feeling with common sense, but reason was no match for romance. She closed her eyes, letting the feelings of warmth and pleasure sweep over her. Tomorrow, she decided, she’d do differently, but today she’d enjoy this golden man.

  “Hallie, you are the most delectable woman I’ve ever known.”

  His voice was like a caress. With her eyes still closed, she could feel the velvety texture of that voice.

  “Josh.” His name on her lips was merely a sigh.

  “You’re so sweet, and I have a craving.”

  His kiss was the lightest touch, like hummingbird wings caressing a nectar-laden flower.

  “Mmmm,” he murmured. “Delicious.” He eased her arms around his neck and gently lowered her to the quilt of lavender flowers. Leaning over her, he ran his hands through her dark hair, lifting it to the sun, letting it drift through his fingers, watching it fan out around her face. “I love your hair.” He pressed his face to the dark strands and inhaled. “Honeysuckle. I knew the fragrance would be in your glorious hair.” He raised himself on his elbows once more so he could look into her eyes. “If I had a heart, Hallie Donovan, I could fall in love with you.”

  She touched his face tenderly. “And I with you . . . if I weren’t a maverick.”

  He bent down and nibbled her lips with soft, moist, tasting kisses. He spoke between tastes. “I’m not . . . the falling . . . in love . . . kind.”

  “Nor . . . am . . . I.”

  His mouth settled on hers for a full-bodied kiss. He pressed her against the flowers, his chest half- covering hers, one leg thrown across her thighs.

  It was a leisurely kiss, without hunger, without hurry, but it was the most thoroughly masculine kiss Hallie had ever received. Josh was completely in charge. She submitted to him as naturally as if she were the earth, and he, the rain and the sun. She welcomed him, opened to him, ripened for him. Only their mouths and parts of their bodies touched, but the joining was as complete as if they had loved.

  Instinctively Hallie and Josh knew.

  He lifted his head and smiled down at her. “You’re sweeter than the wine, Hallie.”

  She returned his smile. “And you’re better than the cheese.”

  “Then one more bite. . . .”

  “Just one more. . . .”

  His mouth was on hers again, and the same magic was there, the same glorious sense of being taken, of being known. Hallie reveled in the feeling, gave herself up to it.

  Josh raised up and tenderly brushed her hair back from her face. Then, with his index finger, he traced a line down her cheek, across her throat, and into the open neck of her blouse. “Dressed in white you look like a gypsy masquerading as an angel.”

  “How do you know I’m not an angel?”

  He laughed. “I’ve seen a side of you that’s less than angelic. It could be called devilish.”

  “What I am is human. And very hungry.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “For more kisses, Hallie? I have to oblige.” The kiss was swift and hard and, again, thorough.

  When it was over, she merely smiled at him. “A girl could starve to death on a picnic with you, my poetic trucking man.”

  “Insatiable gypsy angel.” He lay beside her and pulled her into his arms. Pressed full-length against her, he captured her lips. There was more urgency in the kiss this time, more hunger, more passion.

  Hallie felt suspended under the endless blue sky, a willing captive on a carpet of sweet blue flowers, bound to a golden man by feelings as old as time.

  When Josh sat up, he pulled her up with him. Leaning across her, he broke off a hunk of cheese and a piece of bread. He handed them to her, then took another portion for himself.

  She took a bite of her bread. “This is good.”

  Josh refilled their cups with wine, then stretched in the sunshine to eat. “Tell me about rodeoing, Hallie.”

  “It’s just something I do. I enjoy the danger, the excitement.”

  “How long have you been doing it?”

  “Since the divorce.”

  His g
aze swept over her. “It has to be rough, but I don’t see any signs of damage.”

  “I’ve been lucky. Only that broken toe I told you about, and once I broke my wrist.”

  “What is it women do in rodeos? Barrel racing?”

  She smiled. “Among other things.” She looked up from her wine as one of her dogs barked. Wolfgang was engaged in a life and death struggle with a bumblebee. “Look at him. He thinks he’s indomitable.”

  “Like his mistress.”

  “Perhaps.” She bit into her bread and watched until Wolfgang gave up on the bee, then she turned back to Josh. “You always ask questions, but you never talk about yourself. Do you own your truck?”

  “Yes.”

  She laughed. “I can get more information from the backs of cereal boxes.”

  “They’re much more interesting.” He plucked a bluebonnet and tucked it behind her ear. Then he leaned back to admire her. “Flowers suit you, Hallie.”

  She reached up to touch the blossom. “Thank you.”

  “How long do you plan to stay here at the lake?”

  “A few days. A week. I don’t really know. One of the nicest things about my vagabond sort of life is that I don’t have schedules to keep.”

  “You’re lucky.”

  She gave him a searching look. “You say the strangest things for a trucker.”

  “Lucky in more ways than lifestyle,” he quickly amended. “You mentioned your family and how happy all of you are.”

  “Yes. My brother Tanner and his wife Amanda are expecting a baby any day now. It will be a big family event.”

  “Their first?”

  “No. Their second. Little Anna is almost two. She’s a redhead like her mother, and a hellion like her daddy.”

  “And her aunt.”

  Hallie chuckled. “You keep pegging me as a devil and a hellion, when actually I’m a very conservative lady.”

  “The conservative ladies I know don’t go around rodeoing and skinny-dipping.”

  She sighed dramatically. “I see I have quite a reputation to live down.”

  “Don’t disappoint me. Don’t tell me you’re going to become stodgy and dull like the rest of us.”

  “Absolutely. I can’t ride the rodeo circuit forever, and I’ll soon be too old for even leg and hand modeling. This camping trip is my last fling.”

  “And then what?”

  “School. I almost had completed my master’s degree in special education when I married Robert. In fact, I had only the thesis and its defense left. This summer I’ll finish my degree, then I want to do something wonderful for some of America’s special children.”

  Josh studied her closely, the shine in her eyes, the sincerity in her face. He had the sense of being in the presence of an angel. He knew he was fantasizing again, but he forgave himself. Hallie was so different from the women in his life that he saw her in a completely different role— angel versus witch. It was a simplistic view of women, he admitted, but he didn’t care to explore all the gray areas in between. After this vacation, he’d put everything in its proper perspective. For now, he’d enjoy his angel.

  “And what are those wonderful things you want to do?”

  “I’ve always loved acting. Tanner accuses me of having acted all my life. He says I’m dramatic.” She paused to laugh at herself. “Anyway . . . I have a theory that role playing is a good way to discover one’s true feelings, one’s hidden fears, even one’s greatest potential. I envision a little theater somewhere, a small place just for special children, where they can be anybody they want to be, where they can stand on the stage in the footlights and hear applause, where they can have a brief moment of glory.”

  “Hallie—” Josh had to clear his throat. “I think your heart must be as big as Texas.”

  “It’s big enough for special children. I don’t know why I’ve waited so long to go back.”

  “Perhaps you had to have a healing time after your divorce.”

  “That’s a kind and generous thing to say.”

  Josh stood up and brushed the crumbs from his pants.

  “If I’m not careful, I might even earn a heart.” He glanced up at the sky. “Sun’s getting low, Hallie. We should start back so we won’t have to find our way in the dark.”

  “I could promise that the dogs would lead us home, but they must have gotten lost yesterday. They didn’t get back to camp until long after dark.” She whistled for Wolfgang and Ludwig as Josh finished cleaning up the picnic site.

  Then the four of them started across the meadow toward camp, Josh and Hallie holding hands, leading the way, and the dogs gamboling along behind.

  When they reached Hallie’s camp, she turned to Josh. “Thank you for a memorable day.”

  “Thank you.” He held up the unopened bags of chips. “We have enough left for another picnic. We didn’t even touch the corn chips.”

  She laughed. “Josh Butler, I’ve just paid you a compliment. The man who can make me forget corn chips is rare.”

  Josh was so pleased by her compliment that he couldn’t think of a flip reply. He stood grinning like a school boy. The thump of Ludwig’s big tail as he passed by brought Josh out of his reverie.

  “Look, Hallie.” He pointed toward the sky. “The sunset. I’ve always wanted to watch the sunset over the lake with a gypsy angel.”

  “Then let’s.” Hallie took his hand and together they walked to the edge of the water. The sun was just starting its awesome display, dripping reds and golds and purples carelessly across the sky as if it knew it would never run out of colors. The lake picked up the colors and reflected them back, doubling the beauty.

  They watched in silence, holding hands, letting the tranquility seep into their souls. Nothing marred the quiet except the soft slapping sound of a fish breaking the water.

  “There’s something else I’ve always wanted to do in the sunset.” Josh’s voice was as quiet and deep as the waters.

  “What?” Hallie half-turned to him.

  “This.” Taking her shoulders he finished turning her until they were facing. Gently he bracketed her face with his hands. For a golden moment, his eyes memorized her, then he lowered his mouth to hers. Slowly she circled her arms around his shoulders and moved into his embrace.

  It was a storybook kiss, a fade-out at the end of a wonderful movie, a wine and roses and violins kiss. And it was real. Hallie clung to the solid strength that was Josh.

  They kissed until the sunset faded to a deep purple. Then Josh stepped away.

  “It’s a pity vacations aren’t real life,” he said.

  “A pity they can’t last forever.”

  “Nothing lasts forever.”

  “I know.”

  He lifted a handful of her dark hair and let it filter through his fingers. She stood very still, watching him, letting herself be touched by him. In the fading rays of the sun he was beautiful, unreal, like a golden, mythological god come to life. But Hallie knew. Her body knew. He was real—and far too threatening. It had to end.

  “Josh—” Before she could say more, he put his fingers on her lips.

  “Shhh. Don’t say it. We have tomorrow.”

  “Yes.”

  Josh let his hand drop to his side.

  “Good night, gypsy angel.”

  “Good night, Josh.”

  She couldn’t bear to watch him go. Instead she gazed out over the lake, hugging her arms around herself, trying to hold the touch of him as long as she could.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Josh bore the burden of his deceit all the way back to his camp. Hallie was the most honest, most forthright woman he’d ever met. That he couldn’t tell her the truth about himself, her of all people, weighed heavily on his mind. It didn’t matter that the deception had at first been unintentional, that it was a natural result of protecting his privacy, his freedom. The plain and simple fact was, Hallie believed him to be a truck driver— and he continued to let her believe it.

  Although there was a
basic decency about her that invited confidence, he couldn’t bring himself to bare his soul, to say trucking was only a hobby, a means of escape he used when real life became too painful. The truth would make him vulnerable, would set him up for the same kind of heartbreak his father and his brother had suffered. He’d seen enough of that particular hell to last him a lifetime.

  As he walked and rationalized, he was glad for the darkness. It was appropriate for his frame of mind. Dark secrets and dark nights seemed to go together.

  He stopped at his camp only long enough to strip off his shirt and change into sweat shorts. Then he broke into a trot. He knew the paths along the river even in the dark. He pushed himself, alternately jogging and running until a fine sheen of perspiration wet his chest. His thoughts dogged him all the way.

  When he finally made his weary way back to camp, he was no closer to a solution to his problem than when he’d started.

  He clenched his hand into a fist. “Why didn’t I just let her go tonight? Why am I even considering a tomorrow with her?” The sound of his voice startled an owl into flight. It rose from the tree, spreading its majestic wings and chanting its night song, “Who, whoo, whooo.”

  “Hallie. That’s who.” Josh stripped off his damp sweat shorts and flung them to the ground. “I’m a damned fool, standing here naked talking to myself.”

  He stood still for a moment, remembering Hallie with her hair spread over the flowers, Hallie with the sun on her skin, Hallie . . . Hallie. Her name was like a song he couldn’t forget. With a strangled cry, he lifted his fist and shook it at the heavens. Then he raced to the lake and plunged in, but even the chilly waters couldn’t wipe Hallie from his mind.

  o0o

  Hallie hugged herself until Ludwig came along and nudged her leg. Leaning down, she circled his neck with her arms and put her cheek on his big head.

  “You think I’m foolish, don’t you, boy? I think I am, too.”

  Standing up, she gazed at the path Josh had taken, then she shook her head and went back to her camp. Lighting her lantern, she took one of her favorite books from her pack and sat down to read. The Great Gatsby usually held her attention, but tonight her mind kept drifting away. She closed the book and plucked one of the bluebonnets out of the jar at her side. Even though it had been in water, it was bedraggled from sitting all day in the sun. Hallie tenderly touched the tiny blue petals and thought it was the most beautiful flower she’d ever seen. She decided it was the greatest gift in the world—a gift of the heart.