Choices of the Heart

by Daniels, Julia

  “Why would I put something else on?” She laughed, feeling more at ease with him than she had in recent days.

  “Humor me, would you?” He chuckled. He took her hands. “It’s been so long, and it will be our first time as man and wife. I’d like it to be extra special, honey.”

  “How about I just finish undressing you instead?” she suggested.

  He stood stock still as she slipped off her chemise, baring her body to him fully. He stared at her, his eyes sparkling, his lips turned up in an unabashed grin.

  “You are perfect, Chloe.”

  “We can save the fancies for home. Maybe I’ll serve you dinner wearing those things?” She wiggled her eyebrows and smiled.

  “Well, I suppose,” he said, chuckling. “We do have the rest of our lives. We’ll make sure we pack those…garments…ourselves.”

  She giggled, and his hands quickly found her hips and pulled her against him.

  “Go slowly, my darling,” she whispered.

  “How can I possibly do that?” His frustration showed in the lines of his face.

  “Try,” she teased. “Just try.”

  She chuckled and let her lips touch where her fingers had already teased. He grabbed her shoulders but didn’t move beyond that. She slipped the shirt fully off his shoulders, caressing his muscles as she pulled it off.

  It was her turn to be in awe. His chest was far more muscular than two years earlier, his upper arms more defined. “Beautiful,” she breathed. “You look good enough to eat.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his mouth, happy when he returned her kiss.

  They moved apart briefly, both of them removing their shoes, and then Chloe pulled him back in her arms. Her hands slid down his toned back and into his BVD waistband before trailing to the front of his waist. The light dusting of hair by his bellybutton tickled her fingers as she teased and caressed. Her hands moved back to cup his bottom, drawing him up against her. Incredible, dizzying sensations assaulted her, and she gripped Reese tighter just to maintain her balance.

  She laughed when he bent down to lift her off the ground. She wasn’t in any mood to argue with him taking the lead now. He carried her to the bed and laid her down, soon covering her body with his.

  She rolled his BVDs off, shedding him of all his clothing. “Oh, Reese,” she breathed.

  Tears formed in her eyes, and she wiped them away. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. She’d taken him for granted for years. Now, as his wife, she’d be able to look at him, hold him and love him… forever.

  “Don’t cry, honey.” He kissed the tears on her face and then caressed her with the back of his hand. “Do you need more time before we do this?”

  “Oh, no! I was just thinking”—she sniffled—“that I had wasted too much already.”

  She pulled him with her as she rolled onto her back. He slid in between her legs and kissed every inch of her face and neck while his hands caressed her breasts. They tingled where he touched, and when his mouth found her nipple, she arched slightly, a moan escaping her lips.

  “You like that, do you?” He rained kisses across the rise of her breasts. “I guess I haven’t lost my touch.”

  “Heavens no, you haven’t.” She pulled his face back up to her. “Come to me. I can’t wait any longer.”

  “My pleasure, Mrs. Lloyd.” He knelt before her, placed his hands under her buttocks to raise her hips slightly and slid gently into her, claiming her again as his.

  The pleasure warmed her veins. She gripped his buttocks, pulling him deeper. Her hips met each of his thrusts with a powerful response of her own. This was heaven. This was their marriage.

  “Reese…”

  A final thrust brought her to climax, but she couldn’t stop her hips from moving. Scant seconds later, he called out her name and then collapsed on top of her, still joined with her.

  When his breathing had stilled to normal, or at least closer to normal, he rolled to lie next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder and curled up beside him, feeling satisfied, safe and secure. He took her hand and kissed it before resting it on his chest.

  “That was a first,” he said. He kissed her temple.

  “Married, yes.” She nodded.

  “Yes, of course,” he said, “But I didn’t use a sheath. We could have made a baby, honey.” He kissed her mouth softly.

  “Oh, I hope so,” she sighed, more content than she could ever remember feeling. “At one time, I dreamed of giving you a whole houseful. Just think, we’ll never have to use one again.”

  “I’ll be happy with whatever the Lord will give us.” He closed his eyes on a sigh.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “For what?” His voice was thick, and he sounded slightly sleepy.

  “Choosing me to be your wife.”

  ~*~

  They were dressed and waiting downstairs when Richard Jones returned to take them to their hotel. The house was enormous, but Reese and Chloe had found Bobby’s room, decided that it all—including the furniture and toys—should be boxed up and sent home to Broken Bow. The items were too special and important to leave behind. He would have very few memories of his mother and father as he grew up, but they hoped this would serve as a small connection to his past.

  “Did you go outside and see the cars, Mr. Lloyd?” The attorney had a pad of paper in his hands and was taking an inventory for them. “How about the boat moored at the dock?”

  Reese was flabbergasted by the objects Ronnie and Daisy had collected. Some expensive, some not. Some he liked, but some were so odd, he couldn’t fathom why Ronnie had them. So many decisions to make, so little time. After Chloe and Reese had seen all of the property, Jones locked up the house and buildings.

  With one last look at the place where Ronnie and Daisy had lived, Reese and Chloe climbed into the car and headed back downtown. Chloe sat in the backseat with Reese, holding his hand. Had making love together made that big a difference to her? Would it erase the hurt and the years that seemed to be an invisible wall between them?

  Reese looked back out the window at an area Mr. Jones called Lincoln Park. It was the largest park he’d ever seen. To him, it looked more like an enormous, open, mowed pasture than a recreational park. He turned his head slightly, taking in Chloe’s stiffly held profile.

  Something had been nagging at the back of his mind since they’d made love. Something he was having a real hard time trying not to think about. Reese had been her first, but how many had followed? Maybe, like she said, she hadn’t had sex with any others, but she knew what she was doing with her hands and her body, didn’t seem to have any difficulty or hesitation as she seduced him. Had she fooled around with others?

  Why couldn’t he just stop thinking about such craziness? It was like a punch to the gut, envisioning her in another man’s arms. Women today were fast. He’d read all sorts of articles in the newspaper about the lack of morals in the cities, the way young women embraced their new freedoms and did things their mothers never would have considered doing.

  He glanced at her, warmed but at the same time disconcerted by her smile. He winked at her and looked back out the window. Had she fallen prey to the perverse city society? Maybe it wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d read. The pictures, just cartoon drawings really, could have been exaggerated, couldn’t they? He had to get past this feeling. Had to accept her, no matter what. She was his wife now.

  Jones steered the motorcar through the heavy evening traffic of downtown Chicago. The noise and commotion were incredible, and Reese couldn’t even begin to imagine driving through such a throng of cars and people.

  “Would you like me to drop you off at the hotel?” Jones offered.

  “We’ll walk,” Reese answered. “It’s a beautiful evening.”

  Jones pulled into a parking spot behind his office building and cut the engine. “I’ll see to all of the items you were interested in getting shipped out to you as soon as possible. I’ll get the rest sold.” He climbed
out and Reese and Chloe followed him back to the building. “Would you like me to go with you to the bank tomorrow?”

  “Think we’ll need you?” Reese pulled Chloe to his side.

  “Shouldn’t.” Mr. Jones shook his head. “The bank manager will have more papers for you to sign, so he can then wire the funds to your bank in Broken Bow.”

  “Fine then.” He shook the attorney’s hand. “We’ll be in touch.”

  “Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.” Mr. Jones smiled broadly. “I would be happy to show you the other properties. I’ll even drive you over the border into Wisconsin if you would like.”

  “I think we saw enough.” Reese couldn’t stomach any more excess. It might make it even more tempting to stay there, and that wasn’t an option. “We will want everything sold, except for Ronnie and Daisy’s clothing in their bedroom.” He shot her a glance, hoping she would realize which clothing he referred to. He still couldn’t remove the sexy, skimpy clothes from his mind. “And all of the boy’s items, the furniture and clothing and toys. Have those shipped, as well.”

  “You could drive a vehicle back to Broken Bow rather than take the train,” Jones suggested.

  “I think we’ll let you send one of them on the train.” He glanced at Chloe, pleased when she nodded in agreement. “We’ll sell the others.”

  “That’s fine, then. I’ll get the estate sold off and be in touch.” Mr. Jones lit a cigarette and tipped his hat before heading into the building.

  “Goodbye,” Chloe called after him.

  When Mr. Jones disappeared around the corner, Reese turned to her. “Shall we go back to the hotel, get changed for dinner? We can eat in the restaurant at the hotel if you would like.”

  “I would love it.” She threaded her hand through his arm.

  The two of them walked around the corner of the building and were almost blown over by the wind. They each rushed to place their hands on their heads, to avoid losing their hats. Laughing, Chloe clung to him as they walked up the avenue.

  “Where did that wind come from? I thought it was windy at home.” As soon as she was done yelling over the whistle of the wind, its power pushed her up against the building.

  “Let’s get to the hotel.”

  He pulled her off the building, and she landed against him.

  “You in the mood to fool around for awhile?” She nuzzled his neck.

  “Chloe.” He looked around. “People are watching.”

  “No one knows us here.” She nibbled lightly at his ear. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

  “I’m not like that, and you well know it,” he stated, grabbing her elbow to move them along. “Your men in Lincoln may have been that way, but I sure as Hades won’t be.”

  “What men in Lincoln?” She stopped walking, dragging him back slightly. “What are you talking about?”

  “Come on, Chloe.” He pulled her forward.

  “No!” She dug in her heels, stopping short. “You tell me what you mean by that.”

  He moved them out of the way of foot traffic and then bent his head so only she could hear. “What you did in bed to me today…well, you seemed mighty skilled. You learned all that from someone, and it damn sure wasn’t me.”

  He pulled her back along. She was so angry, he thought her feet had turned into cement. He’d thought stubbornness was a trait she’d lost with time, but apparently he’d been wrong.

  She stopped him again just a block from the hotel. “Reese, I’m not sure what you—”

  “Reese Lloyd?” A motorcar pulled up right next to where they were arguing. A large man, wearing a bowler and smoking a cigar, leaned out the car window.

  “Yeah.” Reese nodded and walked closer to the vehicle.

  “Get in,” the man commanded.

  “Pardon me?” Who the hell did this man think he was?

  The man discreetly pointed a handgun at Chloe and repeated, “Get in.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Reese pushed Chloe behind him, making sure his body safely covered her.

  “I said, get in.”

  Another man in the backseat of the car slid over and opened the door. Reese recognized him. It was one of the men who’d served in the war with Ronnie, one of the men who’d come to the farm years earlier to offer his brother a job. What the hell was his name, and why was he forcing them into the car?

  “It’ll be fine, Chloe.” Reese felt somewhat reassured, but even if he didn’t, he wouldn’t let her see it. The man was one of Ronnie’s friends. But it could have been one of Ronnie’s so-called friends who murdered him, too.

  Reese climbed in to the car first, slid to the center of the backseat and pushed Chloe up against the door. He turned slightly, so she was still behind his back, his body serving as a shield. The man in the backseat wasn’t waving a gun in their face, but Reese couldn’t be sure he didn’t have one hidden away under his suit coat or even in his pants leg.

  The car sped away back toward the direction the attorney had driven, toward Ronnie and Daisy’s house.

  “You’re Vito, aren’t you?” Reese finally asked the man sitting next to him. The name popped into his head suddenly, and he hoped that was the right one. It had been a good five years since he’d last seen him.

  “Yeah,” Vito answered, shooting a half-smoked cigarette out the car window. “Remember me, do you?”

  Reese gritted his teeth, wondering if that was a good or a bad thing. Would it get him in trouble or save their ass? “I do.” He nodded curtly “What do you want with us?”

  “Johnny and I were sent to have a…conversation…with youse.”

  “Regarding Ronnie?”

  “Yeah.” Vito lit another cigarette. “You like one?”

  “Yeah, I would.” Reese ignored Chloe’s jab at his ribs and took the cigarette the shady gangster handed him.

  Johnny, the driver, pulled off the main road, turning onto a rutted, gravel road. Reese wiped shaking hands against his pants. His brain went into overdrive as he tried to sort through what little information he had, while trying to figure out how to anticipate the thugs’ next moves. Above all, he had to protect Chloe.

  “What about Ronnie?” Chloe chirped up behind him.

  He grabbed her knee, the closest body part to him, as a signal to still her mouth.

  “Shut your trap,” Vito snapped. “I hate bitches. Only good for one thing, and all they wanna do is yap yap yap.” He looked away and blew smoke out the window.

  Reese decided it was best to keep his mouth shut, too. He felt Chloe trembling behind him, knew she was probably scared, and he couldn’t blame her. Were their abductors planning to kill them? Why else would they drive so far from civilization? They continued to bump along in silence, Vito chain-smoking, Johnny whistling some tune Reese couldn’t identify. He considered jumping out of the car, pushing Chloe, out but feared she’d be injured, and then what would they do? They’d just have to wait for a safer opportunity to make their escape. Vito and his buddy had to stop sooner or later.

  He squeezed Chloe’s knee and was happy when she joined her fingers with his. Her response gave him courage. He’d be damned if he’d go down without putting up a fight.

  The driver pulled over and parked on a rounded out area of road that overlooked a deep valley.

  “Out,” Vito ordered.

  Chloe was quick to pull the handle up and step out the door. Reese followed but stood in front of her again. Johnny and Vito crawled out too, the size of their stomachs preventing a fast exit. Reese couldn’t see any guns. What game were they playing?

  The driver hiked up his oversized pants and adjusted his suspenders. He walked to the edge of the road and looked down over the cliff. Reese considered pushing him, but Vito still stood close to the car—and Chloe—and Reese still didn’t know if the man was armed.

  “So here’s the situation folks,” Johnny spoke from where he stood. “There are places like this one”—he hiked his thumb over his shoulder at
the valley below—“where a body can be dumped, and no one will ever know what happened to it.”

  Reese nodded but didn’t respond. His leg muscles tightened as he readied himself to react, should either man attempt to harm Chloe.

  “Could be your bodies if you ain’t real careful.” It was Vito who piped in with that information, circling them like a hungry vulture. He pulled Chloe away from behind Reese and studied her, focusing mostly on her breasts, which were well defined in the filmy dress she wore.

  “Let go of me.” She pulled her arm away.

  Vito grabbed her again, and Reese took a step closer. Vito might weigh more than Reese did, but he doubted Vito was as strong as Reese was, knew he’d lifted far more bales of hay, and protecting of his wife meant more than anything to him.

  “What do you want from us?” He knew they were on shaky ground, literally, but hell if he would just roll over and play dead, even if they were as good as dead…

  As if she were a rag doll, Vito shoved Chloe back to Reese, who caught her and put an arm around her waist, pulling her against him.

  “We want you to keep your mouths closed.”

  “About what?” Chloe spat. She shook with anger or fear. Reese couldn’t decide which one.

  “Oh, you’re good, bitch.” Vito sneered at Chloe. “A real wisecracker. Just like that whore sister of yours.”

  “My sister wasn’t a whore.” Chloe pulled away from Reese and took a step toward Vito. “And neither am I.”

  What the hell is she doing?

  “What is it that you think we know?” she continued.

  “You know enough to be killed,” Johnny answered.

  He walked toward them, and Vito came up behind them. Reese and Chloe were boxed in by the two huge gangsters. Vito’s hot alcohol breath hung on the heavy air, making Reese nauseated. Dusk was falling already. They’d made several turns down back country roads to get here. In full dark, they’d have a hard time finding their way back to civilization. If this didn’t end soon, Reese knew he’d have to make a move.