Shrill whistles break our moment, but I try to hold her to me with my hand up under her hat and in her hair. The blush on her skin makes me want to kiss every single inch of it away and I kiss her nose as she leans back, that smile still present. Seeing it warms my heart.
“I meant about the tree, Bobby,” she whispers, her attitude turning to the shy little country girl she is around others and I kiss her forehead before she turns in my arms, drawing my attention to the blue spruce in front of us. It’s tall, maybe seven feet, but it looks amazing. The high ceilings in my living room will be just enough to let this masterpiece of nature reveal its beauty when my girl decorates it. “What do you think?” she whispers again, looking up to me.
“Perfect,” I say as I look down at her, leaning down to capture her lips for only a second. “You are perfect and you picked the perfect tree, Sweetheart.” Her fingertips find my cheek to hold me to her for one more kiss before a loud throat clearing from only a few feet away brings us from our little bubble. Snapping my head up, I see our friends all standing there, three trees loaded onto the cart Chad is pulling behind him.
“You lovebirds ready?” he mocks, grabbing his wife and making obnoxious kissing sounds as he plants them all over her face and Rhea tries to struggle away while laughing. I flip him off and nod toward the tree. “Well go ahead, big boy. Cut ‘er down.” He tosses the saw my way and I let it fall into the snow at my feet, not being that stupid to try and catch it. Hey, I may be a jackass, but sometimes-and I mean sometimes- I’m not a dumb jackass.
Twenty minutes later, our trees have been wrapped up and tossed in the back of our trucks, along with a few wreaths and everyone piles in. Ellie is snuggled up to my side, again humming along with the country Christmas songs. “So we’re gonna set up the tree so it can fan out a little before I decorate, right?”
“Well, we’re gonna go to Rhea and Chad’s for a minute, then yeah.” Her brows knit together, but I know she’ll love the surprise I have planned. Oh man, she has no idea and as she keeps staring at the side of my face as I follow Chad’s truck, I can’t help but smile. I wish Chad would pick up the fucking pace so we can get to his house already so Ellie can see her surprise, Jesus!
“What are you up to, Bobby Timmons?” she says suspiciously, and all I do is laugh, shrugging my shoulders when she leans over out of my reach. My smile grows and grows as she doesn’t take her eyes off me and I try and keep mine on the road, not wanting to run off the road or anything. My heart really starts to race as we turn onto my street. I throw my truck in park in Chad’s driveway and hop out to help, stopping only when I catch Ellie’s gaze again. She hasn’t moved an inch and she’s still got her eyebrows knitted together.
“Well, if ya don’t get out of the truck, you’ll never know what I have up my sleeve.” I wave to her before I slam the door shut. I don’t hide the happy smile on my lips as I help Chad with the trees, my back still to the truck as the passenger door slams. I’m giddy like a toddler with candy right now. That’s what making Ellie happy does to me.
CHAPTER EIGHT:
Ellie
What the fuck does he have up his sleeve? I think as I slam the door shut and just watch him helping Chad and Reno with the trees. Rhea waves to me, snapping me out of my studying of Bobby, and I grab a few of her wreaths from the truck and follow her through the garage and into her warm house. The two babies immediately go crawling and staggering over to the toys, their jackets and mittens still on, as I hold a wreath for Rhea to hang on the back door.
Looking out to the barn, I see Harlan’s truck backed up beside it with the horse trailer hitched up to it, spiking my interest. “Is Harlan doin’ something with one of the horses?” I say to Rhea and she turns her face into the snow, shielding her eyes and looking out to the barn. She shrugs her shoulders, but the slight smile on her lips tells me she knows something and her avoiding my eyes confirms it.
“Okay!” I shout, almost dropping the wreath in my grasp to the snow covered cement slab and Rhea and Rosa both snap their attention to me. “What is goin’ on? What is Harlan doin’ out there?” I point out to the barn and all they do is look to one another, smiling. I’ve had enough. “What the hell?!” I say angrily and throw the other wreath into the plastic covered chair, turning and stomping through the snow toward the barn. “If no one is gonna tell me, I’ll find out for my fuckin’ self!” My breath fogs around my face as the big puffs of flakes melt on my cheeks.
“Wait, wait….wait!” Bobby’s hurried voice comes to me and I stop, swinging back around to see him jogging toward me from the house. His hazels still have that mischievous glint in them as he gets closer and it spikes my anger a little more, so I turn and keep up my pace toward the familiar truck and figures of Harlan and Kendall milling around it.
Bobby is beside me when he grabs my hand and stops me, pulling me to him and trapping me, cupping my cheek with his cold hand and the anger immediately melts away. The look in his eyes has changed from trouble maker to serious and loving, and his fingertips trace my jaw as he holds me tight. “Don’t run away from me, Ellie Mae,” he whispers, brushing a loose piece of hair from my eyes and tucking it behind my ear.
“I wasn’t runnin’; I was walking briskly,” I reply with attitude and he laughs, leaning down to kiss me lightly and setting me on fire. The simplest touch from this man and I’m putty in his hand. I lean into his palm and ask, “Now, what’s goin’ on?”
The smile returns, but this time it’s happy and I swear I can spy some tears building on his lashes but that can’t be; Bobby isn’t a crier. “Go on, Sweetheart.” He nods toward the barn and his arms fall to his sides. “It’s a surprise from me to you.”
I just stand there, unsure and uncertain on whether I want to go any further without him. He nods to the barn again, smiling at me wider this time and whispering for me to go on. I hesitate for only a second, taking the sight of him as the snow falls lightly around him and burning it into my memory to hold onto forever. What kind of surprise is this? I think as I turn and make my way toward the whining horses, slower this time.
I’m only about one hundred feet from Harlan’s truck when he comes around the corner and notices me. I hear him shout to Kendall that ‘She’s here!’ and then the back gate and ramp to the horse trailer hitched to his truck is let down; the snow flying around it. I hear the distinct sound of hooves on the metal surface and a few seconds later I’m watching two horses shoot out and run into the pasture, stirring the other horses to life from their calm eating from their metal tubs.
Coming to the fence line, I watch the two new horses as they join the others, all inspecting each other before one of the two breaks off into a playful run around, followed by two of Rhea’s regulars. He’s a spirited black mustang, his coat standing out starkly against the white of the falling snow and he turns to chase the two who followed him, turning it into a group game as all of them go scattering. Then the other new horse catches my eye and my breath sticks in my throat.
“Oh,” is all that comes out as I start to recognize the champagne coat along with the dark mane and tail. A flood of memories comes back as she runs with the black mustang, neighing happily as the others join. I step up onto the wooden rails of the fence, not yet believing my eyes as my chest tightens recalling my loss of her friendly appearance on my runs.
“Go on, Sweetheart,” Bobby’s deep, velvet like voice comes from my left and turning my teary eyes to him, I see him leaning his forearms and elbows on the top rail. He nods for me to go into the pasture. “Go on and say hello. I bet she’s missed ya.” The grin that he gives me makes me laugh and my heart skips a beat as I jump down and wrap my arms around his neck, planting my lips against his and not wanting to let go. His arms wrap around me and he pins me up against the wooden planks as his lips move with mine and I melt into his kiss. He pushes me away slightly, still smiling, and says again, “Go on, Sweetheart. Go say hello to Lady.”
I get up on my tiptoes and kiss him one more tim
e, the tears flowing freely down my cheeks. He wipes them away before I turn and face the playing horses once more and I climb over the fence, hoping down onto the snow covered dirt. As soon as my boots kick up the flakes it seems like she finally notices me, her ears perking up and her stare on me as I smile. She remembers me.
“Lady!” I call out and as if she knows her name, her hooves stomp in the snow bringing her a few feet closer to me. She’s not sure yet, so I slowly make my way to her, my hands up in a calming gesture in case she rears in fear. “Lady…it’s me,” I whisper when she’s twenty feet away, stopping in my tracks to give her the space. I sigh heavily, my breath still fogging in the cold, and Lady whinnies lightly; closing the distance between us and bumping my shoulder with her head. “Ah, you do remember me, girl.” I laugh as she stomps her foot in the snow and rests her forehead against mine, her dark brown eyes seeming to memorize my face.
I run my hand over her neck and through her mane, seeing that she has been taken care off since being sold and as I run my hand over her back she whinnies happily again, making me laugh. I laugh because not only am I happy, but I thought I’d never see her again. It’s like Bobby has given me two huge pieces of my heart back in the matter of a day and a half and I look over to him. He’s watching me with that smile on his lips and I wave to him, blowing him a kiss. Patting her nose, I say, “Alright, Lady, go make friends. I’ve got to go show that man how much he means to me.” Like she understands me, her whiny sounds like a laugh as she trots off, rejoining her mustang and the others.
Walking slowly back to the fence, I see Harlan and Kendall standing next to Bobby. “She looks good, huh Ellie?” Kendall says with a smile as Harlan’s arm wraps around her shoulders and all I do is nod, biting on my thumb nail trying to figure out how I’m going to tell Bobby how I’m feeling right now. She looks from me to Bobby, pulling Harlan away. “We’ll see you guys in the house.” She winks at me as they make their way toward Rhea’s back yard.
Watching them for a second, I wipe the tears away again, looking to my man. This man who soothed me through a bad divorce and beatings. This man who was damaged himself but vowed, and still vows, to love me no matter what. “Bobby…” I start, but have to stop because of a fresh wave of tears and tightness taking over my throat. He helps me over the fence and pulls me into his arms, holding my face to his chest as I try to cry silently. It’s a happy cry, finally after too long, and I hug him tight.
“I know, Sweetheart,” he says against my hat, kissing my head and tilting my face up with his fingers beneath my chin. “There’s no need to say thank you because it makes me just as happy as you are right now to see you happy. I’ll do anythin’ for this,” his finger taps my lips, tracing the smile. “I’ll do anythin’ to see you smile, Ellie; anythin’.” He leans in and kisses me lightly, but that’s not what I want, so I wrap my arms around his neck and hold him there, letting him deepen the kiss to explore me as the snow falls around us.
I release him only when we’re both gasping and before his roaming hands rip my clothes off right here, right now, and his forehead leans on mine; our hands intertwining. “I love you, Bobby,” I say against his lips, kissing him again. He smiles, his hand snaking around and gripping the base of my neck, but I have to push him away before he convinces me to go into the barn; it wouldn’t take that much but it’s a little too cold out here for that. With my hands on his chest he chuckles into the last of our kiss, taking one of my hands and weaving our fingers, pulling me into his side.
“I love you, Ellie Mae.” He kisses the side of my head as we make our way slowly to my cousin’s house; the smells of her roasted chicken wafting through the air. “I can’t wait to decorate our house for our first Christmas.”
“Me either.” I smile and lean into his shoulder, feeling the heat rolling out through my cousin’s already rowdy house as we hit the cement patio. Our house, there it is again, he said our house. Now I know how Rhea feels when she recalls her whirlwind relationship with Chad when they finally got together, and I wouldn’t change anything right now.
****
“Come and see if this looks good,” I yell through the warm and now brightly lit house, Bobby’s head peaking around the corner from the kitchen. His eyes seem to light up when he sees the tree decorated with the ornaments and lights given to me by Rhea and Dana. He steps out from around the wall and throws a dish towel over his shoulder, just standing there for a second staring at it and the fireplace that I adorned with the branches he had to cut off.
“It looks amazing, Sweetheart.” He smiles, winking again before disappearing back into the kitchen. He said he was going to make us a surprise snack and he’s been in there for a while. I’ve heard the teapot whistle, but other than that I wonder what he’s up to.
Looking back to my decorating job, a heavy, happiness filled wave runs into me and tears fill my eyes. The candles on the mantle with the red ribbons tied around their bases make it match the tree with its red garland and simple ornaments. Bobby’s humming breaks my little moment and I quickly wipe the tears from my eyes, turning to see him coming around the corner with a tray in his hands.
“Here’s our Christmas Eve snack.” He smiles wide, putting the tray down on the coffee table Dana pulled from her garage for us. Looking at the contents, I spot hot chocolate with whipped cream, candy canes, and sugar cookies in the shape of trees, bells, and stars. I look back up at him and I see the grin breakout again and I can’t help but laugh at him. “What’s so funny?” he growls at me, taking me in his arms and kissing my cheek.
“I didn’t know you could bake,” I reply, grabbing his cheeks and bringing his lips to mine for a long, slow kiss. I lean into him, up on my tiptoes, when he sweeps his tongue in; his arms tightening around me as his hands roam over my back and butt.
He breaks our kiss as I’m gasping for more of him and whispers, “I can make a mean apple pie, too.” That damn grin, the one that lifts up only one side of his mouth, it gets to me every time and I giggle into our kiss as he leans down again. After only a few moments he pulls away again, his hand on my cheek. “Do we wanna watch a movie or what, Sweetheart?”
“Well, first you gotta put the star on top.” I poke him in the chest lightly, grabbing the hand-me-down star from the box and hold it out to him. It’s a simple one, no lights, just white and silver plastic and it will do just fine. His hand wraps around mine as he takes it, kissing my forehead as he heads for the little step ladder I had to use to decorate the top branches. He climbs up only two of the steps, placing the star on the top and turning it a little to make it straight, leaning back and nodding at his work.
“Perfect,” I whisper, looking at our tree and these damn tears start to well again. His arm wraps around my shoulders and he pulls me into his side, kissing the top of my head. “Just perfect.”
“Exactly what I was thinkin’, Sweetheart,” he says on a sigh and we stand there for a few moments, both of our stares locked on the tree. “This tree is jus’ the first. I can’t wait to see what the years to come will bring.”
I laugh, wiping the tears away again and looking up to him, his smile warming my heart even more. “Me either, Bobby. I can’t wait.” I think of how my mother would have loved Bobby; how his smartass attitude would make her laugh all the time like it does me. I also think of how Rhea’s mom and brother would also like him and thinking of Rhea gives me a small smile. It’s almost like this little town of Wakefield has molded both of our happy endings in the weirdest, most trying of ways. But if this is what God has in his plan for me, then by all means, let it continue.
“Well then, let’s get this one started right. What movie shall we watch, my sweetheart?” he says right before sweeping me up into his arms, my laugh echoing off the quiet house as he spins around, then situating me next to him with my legs draped over his lap on the couch. His television set is sitting on the carpet, but hey, I’m in his arms and that’s just fine.
“How about It’s a Wonderful Life?
” I say against his cheek, kissing my way up and back down, lining his jaw with kisses as his arm holds me tight to his side.
“Ah, that’s my favorite one.” He laughs, kissing my lips and switching the channels finding the movie we want. He leans forward, handing me a mug of hot chocolate and a cookie, settling back next to me and tucking a blanket around our legs.
“No frosting?” I ask, holding the bare sugar cookie up while pouting my lips at him. He gives me a raised eyebrow, his hand traveling down my side to tickle me quickly.
“No, no frosting. I didn’t have anythin’ to make it and I forgot to pick some up. Next time.” He tickles me one more time before his hand shoots up into my hair and pulls my face to his, my heart stuttering in my chest as his lips hover over mine, teasing me. “Will you forgive me?”
“Of course,” I whisper, my heart now thundering through my chest as I’m mentally begging him to finally claim my lips; his teasing becoming tortuous as he barely touches my skin with his. He finally leans in enough for me to make up the space and I melt into his kiss immediately, a slight moan slipping out as his hand still grips my hair. Oh what this man does to me; it makes me crazy.
“I love you, Sweetheart,” he whispers as he releases my lips, his eyes reflecting the light from the mantle. The small logs in the fireplace crackle lightly, the sparse light mixing with the bright lights on the tree and casting shadows around us. This is our home, our first Christmas together and a step in the right direction.
Take Me Home: Book 4 The Wakefield Romance Series Page 14