by Darcy Daniel
Did she even know who she was? It seemed that Anne Sugar was a far nicer, more caring and selfless person than Anthea Cane. Was she just playing another role, or was this her true self?
Her grip tightened on the wheel as she pulled into Cole’s driveway. Well, one thing was for sure, this wasn’t the time to bring it up. Let him cool off, relax and settle into the environment he knew. Then, she might have the guts to tell him the truth.
Pulling the car up in front of the veranda steps, she said, “We’re here.”
He released his grip on the armrest, opened the door. “Where exactly?”
“Right in front of the veranda steps.”
She wanted to help him, but could tell he wouldn’t accept it. Instead, she waited as he trailed a hand along the car, moved around the back, and crunched over the gravel. When his feet left the driveway, he slowed, found the steps and the railing.
Knowing he was safe, Anthea parked the car behind the house, not wanting to leave it anywhere near the shed where the snake had bitten Meg.
By the time she went inside, Cole was nowhere to be found. When she returned to the veranda, she saw movement in the young ten-foot tall paulownia plantation on the other side of the driveway.
Good, she thought. Working would hopefully ease the tension and help him feel like himself again.
After showering, she made lunch, but when he didn’t come in, she wrapped it in cling film and put it in the fridge.
On the porch swing, she settled in with The Farmer’s Wife novel. There were a few highly emotional moments in the script that she wanted to cross reference with the book. Soon the heat had become so oppressive she had to stop every few pages to fan herself.
When footsteps on the gravel drive caught her attention, she sat up and watched Cole walk toward the house. He climbed halfway up the veranda steps before taking a seat.
Anthea closed the book, left it on the porch swing and joined him. She sat on the step beside him, careful to keep a few feet between them.
“Cole, what happened today—”
“Forget it.”
“I just want you to know that I’m sorry. It was all my fault.”
She watched him shake his head. “I embarrassed myself…and you.”
“No. No you didn’t. I don’t give a damn what anyone else thought and neither should you. I’m the idiot. You told me you never left the farm, but I didn’t think. Which is so typical of me.”
Cole shook his head again. “You were right. I’m the one person responsible for Meg and I couldn’t do a damn thing to help her.”
“That’s not your fault.”
His jaw tensed as he swallowed. “Yeah,” he said in a strained voice. “It is.”
“What’re you talking about? How could it possibly be your fault?”
“The reason I can’t see isn’t physical. It’s psychological. If I really wanted to do something about it, I could. My grandparents tried, and Karin’s been at me for years, but I had no reason to change anything, so I never bothered. But I think it might be about time I did.”
As she covered the hand resting on his knee with her own, she wondered if the reason he wanted to change had anything to do with her.
“Sounds like you’d have to be pretty brave to do something like that. It’d change your whole life.”
He moved his hand beneath hers and twined their fingers. “Maybe I just needed a good reason to change it.” He squeezed her hand.
She squeezed in return, her heart soaring. He was telling her she was a good reason. Leaning her shoulder against his, he returned the gesture by leaning into her too, turning his head toward her and smiling.
“It’d probably be a good idea if I could go into town without knocking little kids off their bikes too.”
She laughed, happy he could make fun of himself.
“Come on,” he said. “We need to get to the river and fix that hose.”
“River? What river?”
As they walked through the huge plantation behind the house, Cole ate the sandwich she’d made him earlier with one hand, while trailing his other hand along a thin nylon rope strung between the trees. A tool belt rested low on his hips, and dark patches of sweat were already forming on his pink T-shirt.
Even though the Paulownias provided protection from the sun, Anthea had to constantly wipe her brow to keep the beads of sweat from falling in her eyes. The work clothes and gumboots seemed to want to stick to every inch of her.
Finally, they emerged from the forest into a narrow clearing. Wrapped around the last Paulownia, the rope took a dogleg turn to the left. Cole kept his hand on it while she followed him toward a lone willow tree.
As they drew closer, the river came into view. About sixty feet wide, the crystal-clear water sparkled in the sunlight. The cool depths beckoned her and she had to resist the overwhelming urge to throw herself in. The land, and this river… Cole really did have his own little piece of paradise.
They both brushed through the willow’s drooping branches and into the shade once more.
“Why didn’t you tell me this was here? I could’ve gone swimming every day.”
“Exactly,” he said as he used the rope to guide himself to the trunk of the willow, where it was tied off. “Swimming instead of working.”
She knew better than to argue with that.
He let go of the rope, walked past the willow searched with his boot until his toes connected with a thick hose. “Okay. I need you over here.”
Now that they were alone and in no danger of being seen, Anthea took off her hat and flannel shirt. The air on her exposed skin felt wonderful as she carefully picked her way over the tree’s roots and joined him.
Cole bent down and tugged at the hose. It wouldn’t budge.
“Stuck,” he said. “Follow it into the water a little. We’ll both give it a try.”
More than willing to help, Anthea waded into the swirling river and waited for Cole. He joined her, brushed against her side, crouched and gripped the hose. She followed his lead.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“Go.”
As she strained on the hose, Cole gave her a firm bump with his hip. Caught off guard, she squealed, flopped into the shallow river and landed on her butt. Cool water flooded into her gumboots as her mouth gaped in surprise.
Cole took a few steps backward as he laughed. “Oops.”
She grinned. Well, he was certainly in a better mood. And if he wanted to have some fun, who was she to say no? Wrenching off a waterlogged gumboot, she hauled it over her shoulder, aimed, and flung it at him. It landed in the river right at his feet, splashing water over his boots.
“Hey!”
“Oops,” she teased as she struggled to lever off the other gumboot. The suction it had created with her foot finally broke. This time she pitched it just to his side.
“Watch it.” It sounded like a warning, but his tone didn’t match the big grin on his face.
With the boots off, she became aware of just how wonderful the cool water felt on her bare feet. Rising, she peeled off her T-shirt, dipped it in the water and balled it up.
“Maybe you’d better watch it,” she said.
“Real funny.”
She pitched the balled-up T-shirt and hit him square in the chest. He managed to catch it before it fell, and by the look of surprise on his face, he knew exactly what it was. Which meant he knew she was standing in front of him in her bra. Well, almost. She whipped off the Spanx and threw them onto the bank.
“Right. That’s it,” he warned, and tossed her T-shirt aside.
She grinned as he dropped his tool belt, stepped out of his boots and peeled off his socks. While he was occupied, she took the opportunity to take off the heavy work pants cli
nging to her legs. Feeling decidedly cheeky, she hurled them at him too.
When they hit his thigh, his expression told her exactly what he was thinking. A thrill rippled through her stomach. Standing there in her underwear, she took great pleasure watching him shrug off his shirt and pants, leaving only a pair of skintight boxer briefs. She almost groaned when he straightened.
Yes, she’d seen him naked, but her body hadn’t responded then the way it did now. Standing in the river, she looked at him through the eyes of someone in love, and that seemed to change everything.
As he stooped and grabbed another rope attached to the willow, she watched his muscles work beneath his taut skin. When he straightened and walked toward the river, she couldn’t help but follow the sprinkle of dark hair that disappeared into his boxers, where the thin material hugged his semiarousal. Had the thought of her almost naked done that to him? She hoped so.
With one hand holding the rope, he quickened his pace and splashed into the water. She laughed, turned away and dove.
Cool freshness embraced her, washing away the heat and sweat, invigorating her. When her lungs began to burn, she surfaced.
Cole stood in waist-deep water, his head tilted, listening for her.
“So come on,” she called. “What’s my punishment?”
He shrugged. “Guess you’ve got me there.”
Oh, I’ve got you all right, she thought, and slipped beneath the water.
* * *
Cole stood motionless when he heard her take a deep breath. He listened to the slight ripple of the water and air bubbles popping to the surface. After a moment, water swirled more forcefully around his legs. She was swimming past.
Spearing his free hand into the water, he touched her, but couldn’t get a solid hold before she twisted away. He didn’t know which direction she’d gone, but knew she’d have to surface soon.
And she did, right behind him. She burst from the water and launched herself onto his back, wrapped an arm behind his neck and leaned hard to the right. He’d been ready for an attack, could have held his ground. Instead, he kept a tight hold on the rope and let her pull him under.
Beneath the water, she released him and they both shot to the surface.
“That’s fair,” he said with a grin. “Sneaking up behind a blind man.”
“Maybe you should teach me a lesson.”
He chuckled. “Are you giving me cheek?”
“You’ll have to catch me to find out.”
He hesitated for a moment, weighed the security of the rope in his hand. But he wasn’t alone like he usually was when he came to the river. He didn’t need the rope. Uncurling his fist, he let it drift away.
“Sorry,” he said, “What did you say?”
“I said, you’ll have to—”
He dove toward her voice. His fingers brushed what he thought was her waist, but she veered away. They surfaced and he splashed a deluge of water toward where he hoped she was. Apparently his aim was a little too perfect, because she gasped and spluttered, choking on the water he’d shot at her.
Guilt crashed through him. He’d done it again.
“An—” He almost used her name as he pushed through the water toward her. Only just realizing his mistake in time, he called, “Anne? Anne, you okay?”
More spluttering and coughing answered him.
When his hand touched her arm, he immediately pulled her close and moved toward the riverbank as she pressed against him, her body jerking with coughs.
Holding her tight, he got them into waist-deep water. And the world suddenly lit up. Pain stabbed at his eyes. He gasped, stopped. Releasing her with one hand, he pressed his fingers to his eyes and rubbed.
She pulled away a little and he knew she was looking at him.
“You okay?” she asked, genuine concern in her voice.
“Yeah. Just some grit.” He took his hand away from his eyes, and when he saw no sign of light, cautiously opened them. Darkness. That’s when he realized she wasn’t coughing anymore. “Hey, I thought you were choking.”
She remained silent for a moment. Then she made a slow, lazy circle on the nape of his neck with her fingers. “That might have been an act.”
Interesting. “An act, huh?”
Her fingers slid from his neck, into his hair. “I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to do.”
“Depends on why you’d pull such a stunt,” he said, having a pretty good idea already. Those fingers of hers seemed to be telling him everything he needed to know.
“I thought you might rescue me, and…”
He grinned. “And what? Give you mouth to mouth?”
“If that’s what you want to call it.”
An invitation he couldn’t resist.
He slowly lowered his head and let her guide him to her lips. This time their kiss bloomed into instant passion. When he touched his tongue to hers, she groaned. Her reaction told him he was getting good at this.
As he deepened the kiss, he became acutely aware of how his wet skin slipped and slid against hers. That sensation, along with the feel of her lips and tongue, made him so hard so quickly, he ached. When she released a small gasp, he moved his hands to her hips and eased the lower part of her body away from his.
“Sorry,” he murmured against her lips.
She broke the kiss, and once again he couldn’t be sure what she was thinking, only that she was watching him.
“Sorry?” she asked, her voice low and seductive. “I’d be worried if that didn’t happen.”
Then she pressed herself against him and swayed her hips slightly. Dangerously close to the edge, he held her away again. “That’s not a good idea.”
This time she didn’t try to press against him. Instead, her fingers slipped from his hair and vanished. He could feel her hips move slightly beneath his hands, but had no idea what she was doing.
Then she whispered, “How about this?”
Her hand covered one of his and guided it up, over her waist, over her ribs and further still, until he cupped her bare breast in his hand.
“That’s a really bad idea,” he said, feeling the strain in his voice as he tried to control his spiraling arousal.
Her breast felt soft, yet firm, and her hard nipple grazed against his palm. When she removed her hand from his, he felt it land softly on his chest.
As her fingers explored, he couldn’t help but do the same. Ever so gently, he squeezed her breast, brushed his thumb over the raised nipple. She drew in a sharp breath, leaned in closer and pressed her lips to his throat.
A groan of pleasure rumbled in his chest. Encouraged, her fingers skimmed over torso. He held his breath when she reached the waistband of his briefs. His heart thundered hard and fast as she trailed soft kisses up the side of his neck, then over his jaw.
She was driving him insane. He was so close to losing it, and she hadn’t even touched him yet.
That’s when her hand flattened against his stomach, her fingers slipping beneath the top of his briefs. Her exploration paused as her mouth sought his.
Then her fingers encircled him, held him, squeezed slightly. Instinctively, he thrust his hips forward and her hand slid down his length, then up again. His tongue plunged into her mouth while his body trembled with the effort of trying to maintain control. But it was impossible with her hand so tight around him, her thumb brushing over his sensitive tip. He growled and let go, let all the tension explode from his body in wave after wave of release.
Wrapping her in his arms, he pulled her flush against him. With their mouths still joined, he felt her smile against his lips.
“You still think that was a bad idea?” she murmured.
He lifted his head, grinned. “Think you’re pretty smart right now, don’t you?”
Her hands
moved around his waist and she laid her head against his chest. “You might be right about that.”
Feeling spent and relaxed and cared for, he kissed the top of her head and simply held her. He wanted to burn this moment into his memory forever. The feel of their warm naked skin, her breasts pressed against him, her damp hair beneath his hand. He sighed. He didn’t want this to end.
As he held her, he realized he’d taken without giving.
But before he could say anything, she eased out of his arms and took his hand. “Come on, we’re supposed to be fixing that hose, aren’t we?”
* * *
When they returned to the riverbank, Anthea donned her bra and hung her wet clothes over the willow’s branches to dry.
The sun was dipping lower in the sky, but even after the refreshing swim, the heat seeped into her skin again. It was no match for the heat between her legs. But she didn’t want any relief.
Not yet.
Because she was certain that tonight, she would make love with Cole.
And she wanted it to be perfect. She smiled. Part of it being perfect meant remaining as aroused as possible. He was a virgin, after all. Though he’d just shown her that he had more restraint than she seemed capable of, when the mere touch of his thumb had sent her over the edge last night.
“You helping?” he asked.
She snapped out of her daydream. “Of course I am.”
Moving closer, she watched him use a screwdriver to unclamp the hose in the river from the hose that disappeared into the paulownia plantation. Once the two were separated, he picked up the river hose.
“Okay,” he said. “Grab this. We’ll need to drag it out of the river.”
“This isn’t some trick again is it?”
He smiled. “No. I promise.”
“Okay.” She stepped over the hose and took hold of it just below his hand. “Ready.”
“On three. One, two, three.”
They pulled on the hose and it slid toward them.
“Keep going,” Cole said, and she followed his lead, placing one hand over the other as they fed it through their hands.