by Webb, Peggy
“That was beautiful, Tyler.”
“Thank you, my angel.”
“You don’t whistle off-key, you know.”
“I don’t?”
“No. You whistle with great clarity and perfect pitch.”
They rocked awhile longer, with Tyler occasionally whistling snatches of the song and Catherine leaning against his chest. Tyler felt as if he were holding the world in his arms. Suddenly he became aware of the significance of the song he had chosen—”If I Loved You,” from Carousel.
He ceased rocking and whistling at the same time.
“Tyler?” Catherine lifted her head from his chest. “Is anything wrong?”
“Wrong?” As he looked into her face he felt as if he were seeing her for the first time. He had seen her a million times before, but now he was seeing her with his heart. And what he saw was not merely a beautiful woman who loved elephants, a courageous woman who was in trouble, but a woman that he loved.
He set the rocker back into motion. Catherine had asked if anything was wrong.
“Nothing’s wrong, Cat. Nothing at all.” He smiled and his angel smiled with him. His angel. He had always thought of her in that way, almost from the first time they’d met. How could he have been so blind? How could he, a perceptive and sensitive writer, not have recognized the most powerful emotion on earth?
“Tyler?” Catherine reached up to touch his face, and he knew that he wanted to feel her touch now and forever.
“Did you recognize that song, Catherine?”
“Not at first.”
“Later?”
“Yes. Later.”
“I could have written that song, just for you, Catherine. It describes exactly how I feel about you.” She tried to pull away, but he held her fast. “I love you. I think I’ve loved you for a very long time.”
“I don’t think I can handle this right now.”
“All right, my sweet.” He kissed her forehead, then released her. “I won’t push.”
She got off his lap, still holding on to the letter. “I didn’t finish reading this.”
What Tyler wanted to do was hold her captive on the porch until he could make her believe in his love. What he ended up doing was playing hero again. It didn’t feel half bad.
“You don’t have to, Cat. You don’t have to let him be a part of your life at all.”
“He’s a part of my life because he is my past. I have to read the letter.” She stood beside Tyler’s chair, holding on to the precious feeling of security and finished reading Billy Joe’s letter.
“You will come back to me, Catherine. I have what you want, what you need. I could always make you do my bidding because you needed me, my darling, you needed anything I had to offer. You need me still. I know it. I will possess you again, Catherine. Soon, my darling.
She lowered the letter and looked at Tyler. He was such a big man, a big teddy bear of a man, sitting in a wicker rocking chair smiling tenderly at her. In the few days she had known him, she had learned at least one thing about Tyler: he always kept his word.
“Tyler, will you promise me one thing?”
“I can’t make blind promises, my sweet. Tell me what you want and then I’ll decide.”
“That’s fair enough.” She folded the letter and handed it to him. “Take this. I’ve never shared my secrets with anyone. I’m only doing it now because I need your protection, and I can’t very well ask for a haven without telling you what I want to be protected from.”
“You want my protection from Billy Joe?” Tyler took the letter, but didn’t open it. “Is that the promise you want from me?”
“You know about him already?”
“Yes, and you have my protection from him, Catherine. No strings attached.”
“As long as I was with the circus I had built-in protection, but here, with you, I’m vulnerable—unless you’re aware of the danger.”
“You don’t have to share this letter with me. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”
“I want to. I have to.” She leaned down and unfolded the letter. “I think you’re in danger, too.”
She watched as Tyler read the letter. She saw his jaw clench with rage that marched plainly across his face. When he finished reading, he folded the letter into a crisp square and stuck it in his pocket.
“If it weren’t for the elephants, I would leave, Tyler. I don’t want to put you in danger.”
“You will never leave, Catherine.”
His voice had the ring of tempered steel. Catherine stiffened.
“How can you say that? How can you be a gentle, caring man one minute and a tyrant the next?” Her own voice rose until she was practically shouting. “I earned my freedom the hard way. I’ll do what I please.”
She whirled away from him and started to leave, but he caught her from behind. His face had softened when he turned her back around.
“I’m sorry, Catherine. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“How did you mean it?”
“I’m not like Billy Joe. Don’t keep making that mistake.”
“I’m not...”
“Yes, you are. Every time I get close to you, every time I kiss you, Billy Joe intrudes.” His hands gentled her shoulders. “I’m not Billy Joe Wainwright. I’m Tyler West, and I want you as an equal, Catherine, not as a beautiful appendage.”
“Then stop trying to control me.”
“I don’t want to control you, Cat. I want to forge a bond with you, a bond of love. I want it to be so strong that you’ll never want to leave.” He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Trust me,” he whispered.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Yes. If you don’t trust me, I’ll hire someone to protect you, a private bodyguard. I’ll leave—go to New York for a while. You can stay here as long as you like with your elephants.”
“You would do that for me?”
“Yes... if you don’t feel you can trust me.”
She was astonished at his generous offer, astonished and grateful. She had choices: he was giving them to her.
“Please stay,” she said.
“Why?”
“I want you to stay. I...” She hesitated, poised on the brink of saying “I trust you.” But she couldn’t bring herself to go that far. She wasn’t sure she could ever trust another man, no matter how pure his motives seemed. “Please...” she whispered.
“Don’t worry, love.” He tipped her face up so he could look deeply into her eyes. “I won’t leave you.”
o0o
He was careful the rest of the day not to push her too hard. Watching her with her two elephants and then racing with his beagles, the wind and the sun in her hair, her laughter rising on the breeze, he was determined to set her free. One way or another, he intended to break Billy Joe’s hold on Catherine.
“I’m going into my study,” he called out. She glanced up from the flowers she was picking. “I have a bit of business to take care of.”
She waved him off. “This is wonderful. I could stay here the rest of the day.”
“Stay as long as you like. You’re safe here on my farm.”
He left her bent over a field of goldenrod. Inside his study the first person he contacted was his foreman.
“Keep Catherine under constant surveillance,” he said into the intercom that connected their offices, “but don’t let her know.” The next person he called was his friend Jay.
“Any new developments?” Tyler asked.
“There’s a lot of activity going on at the Wainwright compound—some construction, moving vans coming and going, heightened security.”
“What do you make of it?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been able to get that close. But I can tell you one thing, I don’t think it has anything to do with sugar cane.”
“Could it have something to do with a missing elephant?”
“What?”
“Catherine received a lette
r today, care of my farm. Wainwright knows where she is. Furthermore, he’s threatening her. And listen to this, ‘I have what you want.’ Do you know what Catherine wants more than anything right now?”
“Her elephant?”
“Right. Get in there any way you can, Jay. See if Wainwright has Angel.”
“And if he does?”
“We’ll just have to figure out the best way to get her back and at the same time keep Catherine safe.”
After Tyler had hung up, he paced the floor. The more he thought about Billy Joe’s letter, the more logical his conclusion became. It would take a twisted mind like Billy Joe’s to come up with a plan to steal an elephant. It would also take a lot of money. Not just anybody could walk into a circus compound and waltz off with a thousand-pound baby elephant.
Tyler quit his pacing when he saw Catherine outside the window. She was cavorting with his beagles. Their doggie smiles were so wide their tongues looked like dishcloths hanging from their mouths. He guessed his tongue would be hanging out, too, if Catherine were bent over him rubbing his belly.
He left his office and went outside to join her. It took all his willpower to keep his hands off her. Earn her trust first, he cautioned himself. The rest will come.
She smiled at him and he melted inside. The rest couldn’t come soon enough for him.
“Tyler?”
She reached for his hand. He could still feel the sunshine captured in her skin. He held on tightly, waiting for her to speak.
“It has been a glorious day.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, Cat. The farm is a wonderful place.”
“It’s not just the farm, Tyler.” She squeezed his hand, then gave him that unconsciously sexy smile that curled his toes. “It’s you. You’re kind and generous beyond the bounds of duty.”
“I won’t deny that I deserve every accolade you’re giving me. Keep it up, my sweet. I love hearing grand things about myself.”
She laughed. It was the reaction he was hoping for. He wanted her to know that she didn’t have to take life so seriously all the time.
With their hands still linked, they started back toward the house.
o0o
From: Catherine
To: Janet, Clemmie, Belinda, Joanna, Molly, Bea
Re: Tyler West’s place
The elephants and I are now holed up at Tyler West’s beautiful farm. I don’t know how long it will be before the press discovers we’re here. I’ve fallen in love with this place. It’s so big and quiet, it’s like being in another world. It’s very easy to forget about Billy Joe here. Still, I feel as if I’m in some kind of holding pattern, unable to go forward and unwilling to go back.
I’m safe, though, and very happy. Tyler is utterly charming. It would be so easy to fall under his spell.
Cat
From: Joanna
To: Catherine, Janet, Belinda, Clemmie, Molly, Bea
Re: Fall
Go ahead and FALL, Cat! I highly recommend it!
Kirk still won’t hear of me getting pregnant! I’ve quit talking about. Now I just seduce him at every turn, hoping to get him so excited he’ll forget his condom until it’s too late!
Joanna, ever the devious one
From: Molly
To: Catherine, Janet, Belinda, Clemmie, Bea, Joanna
Re: Plans
OMG, Joanna! What a fabulous plan! Oh, and Cat, I agree with her about falling in love! You’re the last true virgin standing! I want you to experience everything the married Dixie Virgins do! It’s mind-blowing!
Molly
From: Janet
To: Catherine, Belinda, Joanna, Bea, Molly, Clemmie
Re: The Dixie Virgin Plan
Cat, I’ve no doubt you’ll put Billy Joe right where he belongs – in the garbage can – and move on with your life, whether it’s with the remarkable Mr. Tyler West or not.
Meanwhile, on the elephant front, the Dixie Virgin contingent in northeast Mississippi has come up with a plan – if Belinda’s baby doesn’t beat us to the punch! She’s going to open her beautiful gardens to a Save the Baby Elephant meeting! Clemmie’s bringing enough food for a small Third World country, Joanna’s getting together the decorations, and I’m using my staff at the clinic to get the word out. Instead of a fund raiser, this is going to be a hell raiser. We’re going to get everybody we can to raise media hell because the authorities can’t find a thousand-pound elephant! Even I could find something that big!
Oh, and by the way, my weekend getaway with Dan on Joanna’s boat was fantastic! If I come up pregnant, I’m blaming you, Joanna!
Janet
From: Clemmie
To: Catherine, Joanna, Janet, Belinda, Bea, Molly
Re: Announcement
Still no period! I’m hoping to have a big announcement soon! Oh, keep your fingers crossed! I’m still not telling Michael. I don’t want to get his hopes up until I’m sure!
Cat, we’re doing everything we can to help you get that sweet elephant back. Once that’s behind you, I think you can settle down and forget about everything except this man you’ve been talking about. He sounds perfectly wonderful – and so good for you!
Clemmie
From: Bea
To: Clementine, Janet, Belinda, Molly, Joanna, Catherine
Re: Fun
Hey, I’m jealous! You guys are having too much fun up there in Tupelo! Makes me wish I could move up there and join you. Almost! The grove is the most wonderful place! Russ and I are in a constant state of bliss here. I’m wearing him out with the outrageous Dixie Virgin plan to keep him so busy with sex he forgets about starting a family. Dang, I’m even wearing myself out! Whose idea was that, anyway?
Cat, I’ve stirred up a whirlwind of publicity about Angel down here in Florida. It’s highly likely she’s out of Mississippi by now, and very likely the thief would bring her here. Florida is winter quarters for lots of Big Top shows, and elephant housing wouldn’t be a problem. Angel would just blend right in with the rest!
I hope you find her soon! I don’t like the idea of you holing up the rest of your life in that circus, and all because of that dip-shit, Billy Joe!
Put him behind you. You hear me now! Then grab that good-looking Tyler West – if he’s the one you want – and get on with your wonderful future!
Bea
Chapter Eleven
Tyler saw the news van as it turned up his long driveway. No way was he going to put Cat through another grilling for public consumption.
He powered down his computer, then raced upstairs to her room. She was sitting at her laptop, probably emailing those friends she called the Dixie Virgins.
“Cat, unless you want to be on TV again, close your curtain and don’t leave your room.”
“Why?”
“In ten minutes the media will be all over my lawn like blackbirds.”
“I don’t want them near Elvira and Elmer!”
“I won’t let them without shouting distance.”
“And I’ve said all I want to. If I have to face another camera crew, I won’t be responsible for what I’ll call the mayor and his henchmen for throwing me out of the pasture where the circus was camped. If it weren’t for them, Angel might have found her way back to her herd by now.”
“That’s what I thought. Sit tight, Cat. I’ll hold them off.”
“How will you do that?”
“I’ll talk about my books. That’ll bore the hell out of them.”
She closed her curtains, but left a crack so she could watch the show from the safety of her upstairs window. First, Tyler had the TV crew laughing. Then he changed tactics and began what appeared to be a long-winded lecture that the media folding up their tripods and their cameras and going back down the long, winding driveway.
Cat raced downstairs and launched herself at Tyler the minute he walked through the door.
“You’re a genius,” she said, laughing and hugging him.
“Wait a minute. Let’s do that again.”
“What?”
“The part where I come through the door and you fall all over me and heap on the compliments.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“I hope so. Sexy, too?”
“Don’t push it, Tyler.”
He didn’t. Instead he treated her to his famous specialty salad, which contained everything in his refrigerator that wasn’t turning green.
Then he led her into her den for what he hoped would be a peaceful and ordinary evening that would take Cat’s mind off everything. She immediately went to his bookshelves and ran her hand over the titles.
“It’s a good evening for reading,” she said.
“I agree.” He loved it that Cat enjoyed a quiet evening reading. Some of the women he’d escorted over the years didn’t know which end of a book to open. “I think I’ll cuddle up with the trilogy on the fall of Rome.”
“Do you mind if I read one of your books? I’ve never read A Clown’s Paradise.”
“I’m honored, Cat.” He couldn’t stop smiling as he sat in his favorite leather recliner.
From time to time Tyler glanced up to study Catherine. He wanted to see her reaction. He had never watched anyone read one of his books.
“Are you up to Chapter Six yet?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He found himself holding his breath to see if she would smile. Chapter Six was very amusing. At least, he had thought so at the time he’d written it. In fact he had laughed out loud the whole time, very taken in by his own cleverness. He guessed that was his writer’s ego.
She started smiling and then she burst into laughter. Tyler let out a sigh of relief. She liked his book. That was the next best thing to liking him. Shoot, it was almost the same thing as liking him. He was his books. Maybe there was hope for him. Maybe in the next few days she would fall in love with him and they would get married and ride off into the sunset together and live happily ever after. Writers were notorious dreamers. That was one of the things he enjoyed most about his profession.
“Have you come to the part—”
“Stop.” She held up her hand. “Don’t tell me. It will spoil all the fun.”