This time was for her.
Soaked from her efforts and needing to dry her clothes, she decided to make the best of it. Hopefully, the water would evaporate from her person sooner rather than later. She knew she was alone but refused to remove her blouse. Everything else she owned was wet and on the lawn. Grinning from ear to ear, enjoying her solitude, Elizabeth hiked her skirts up and pulled them through her legs, tucking it boldly into her belt and fashioning loose bloomers with the large amount of fabric. She stepped happily into the basin and kicked about splashing and enjoying the decadent feel of her bare legs in the water in the late afternoon sun.
Cole pulled up in front of the house, a bit dejected at the daunting task before him. He asked to go out into the world to make something of himself, he never expected it to be handed to him in his lap at his very own home. The amount of work that was needed by one person was overwhelming. He had not even a true chance to inspect what was to be his new home. He hoped the hay in the barn would not be rotted and prayed that the hammock and hooks his father had fashioned inside years ago would still be there and hold him. If not, it would not be the first time he had slept on the ground. Just the first time he had slept on the ground at his own home.
Cole glanced up at the fluttering cloth wrapped in his mother’s fig tree. She loved that tree and made jam every year when he was growing up. Silently, he circled the building, listening to the splashing and laughing that he recognized as coming from Elizabeth. As he grew closer, he realized the material in the tree was Beth’s undergarments. Rounding the corner of the house, he stood immobile. The sight that he was presented would be burned in his brain forever.
Beth stood in the old wash bin, her shirt almost sheer from a combination of the sun shining behind her at the horizon and water on the cotton material. Cole could clearly see the outline of her corset, along with the stays and fastenings. Her legs were almost completely revealed by the skirts tucked up around her waist and the long, white, shapely limbs looked better in real life than what he had pictured in his mind’s eye this morning. Several tendrils of hair had escaped her bun and swirled around her head like a dark halo. It was mesmerizing and he found himself drawn to her physically. Cole did not realize he was even stepping forward until he heard her exclaim “Cole!” loudly as she smiled at him.
Her innocence tempted him like no other ever had. She moved and his body craved to move. She smiled and his heart leapt. She had been attractive before, but this new side of her was intoxicating. This was dangerous territory he was in and watching her smile fade from her lips and part in desire was worth every hot thought crossing his mind right now.
Elizabeth saw Cole out of the corner of her eye and cried his name happily. A wave of emotions washed over her. She was so pleased to see him, proud of her efforts, satisfied that she had prepared dinner, embarrassed that she had been caught in dishabille… but more to the fact, she was taken unawares by the rush of desire in her body from the heated look on face as he grew closer to her. She gasped as she felt his arms snake around her waist, pulling her from the water against him. Her eyes shot up, met the hot coals of his dark eyes just as she watched his sensuous mouth descend onto hers.
Cole’s lips were soft but firm, her mouth meeting his of its own accord. Beth heard him groan as his tongue tasted hers. At her soft sigh, she felt his arms tighten further as if to meld their two bodies into one in the dusk. The cool fabric against her skin, combined with the heat burning through her torso made her breasts ache from the pressure of being pulled so close.
Just as suddenly as he grasped her, he quickly freed her and stepped away. Elizabeth felt almost bereft and caught herself reaching for him. She stared at her hand in the foreground against his back of his shirt ahead of her, confused and unfocused.
“Cole?” she heard herself whisper, feeling muddled at the emotions and thoughts his kiss evoked in her. Watching him walk around the house quickly away from her, she felt frustration well up and tears. Both of which she did not expect. She did not want a man or a husband, but she did not want the kiss to stop so suddenly…and why did it? Was it her?
Mortified by his abrupt dismissal, she stepped out of the basin, untucked her skirts and shook them out. She needed a moment alone before she faced him again. Elizabeth busied herself by emptying the water and checking on her clothing to see if it was dry yet. She grimaced at how sopping wet the skirt and shirts were still. Even her hosiery was still damp! Sighing at how her wonderful afternoon had turned so sour, she squared her shoulders and prepared herself for anything as she rounded the house to join him inside.
Cole could not think, his body was racing and aching. He needed to step back and get away before he did something completely inappropriate and irreparable. What was she thinking? Just because they are secluded out here on eighty acres of land doesn’t mean that they were actually completely alone! You never knew when someone would ride by or there might be a visit as to investigate what was going on. The fireplace was lit and smoke could be seen easily from a mile away. Her stockings were fluttering in the breeze advertising that there was a woman here… a woman who was enticingly dressed in wet clothing with bare legs that made a man want to crawl across hot coals.
Cole shook his head to clear the mental picture and grasped his saddlebags, anxious to be busy and to think of anything else. He had already crossed a line with her by kissing her, but the feeling of her body against his would be something he dreamt about for quite some time. My God she was tiny and fit against him perfectly, he thought heatedly, imagining where things could have gone if he hadn’t stepped back so fast. When he heard her moan, he realized what his traitorous body had done and practically dropped her.
Stepping onto the front porch, his steps echoing loudly in the dying light, he was greeted by the smell of the beans cooking and was desperate for anything to take his mind off of Beth. He dropped the bags quickly, returned back to his horse and grabbed more to carry inside.
Cole saw Beth round the corner of the house and he couldn’t quite look at her yet. Her lips were still reddened from his and her eyes asked so many questions he was not ready to answer. He wanted to! Oh, he wanted to touch her and hold her, but it was not the right time and neither of them was ready to make that move.
His body was betraying his mind.
His brain told him he didn’t need a woman in his life. He hadn’t wanted one before. What had changed? Elizabeth’s candid openness and refreshing honestly, combined with her enticing looks had put a tailspin on the road he wanted to originally travel down. Making it on his own had been his top priority for quite some time. Now? That was still there, but it also included a diminutive, dark-haired woman he had just met not long ago and felt very protective of.
He finished unloading the horse and Elizabeth stood silently watching him from a distance. He grasped the reins and took the horse to the barn, calling out that he would be in shortly once he was finished- disappearing into the darkness.
Elizabeth watched him unload the horse into the house and then guide it to the shadows of the barn ahead. As she watched him disappear, she walked into the house feeling so very alone and insecure right now. Did she do something wrong? Was he regretting her staying? Would she be asked to leave?
Maybe she did belong in the whore house after acting so boldly today, exposing herself and look what happened! She felt sinful and full of desire- and liked it. She relished her afternoon and felt so free. She enjoyed his kiss so much and felt so wanton. It was exhilarating and scary at the same time.
Stepping inside the house, she lit lanterns in the dim light. The house smelled divinely of smoky bacon and felt so welcoming. Elizabeth carried one lantern outside to the porch and hung it on the post, seeing that Cole had lit a lantern as well inside of the barn where he was at.
She silently set the table, preparing their meal and steeling herself for the discussion that was sure to come. Beth just hoped that it did not involve her leaving. She liked how she felt here and
this was her first true day of freedom, surely she didn’t blow it already?
Sitting patiently at the table on the wooden bench, she waited for him to enter. After quite some time, her bottom growing sore from the hard seat, she moved to the seat near the fireplace and gave a stir to the beans. Elizabeth leapt out of the chair at the sound of his footsteps and jumped to her feet preparing to do battle to stay.
Cole walked up the porch and hesitated at the door, he did not want to barge into his own home. How ironic, he thought and gave a tentative knock. Cole would have normally grinned at this turn of events, but the sad thing was that he crossed a line that had huge repercussions. He kissed her. Cole had proclaimed that neither of them wanted to be tied down, neither wanted a marriage…but then he tasted her lips. The kiss was extraordinary and he had no idea what he wanted now. Cole kissed her and wanted to do it again.
Her.
Beth.
Elizabeth.
Cole shook his head and gave a second gentle knock. He had to change that line of thought, didn’t he? Did he want to go down that road that would lead to others? Yes.
The door swung open quickly with a surprised, sheepish face that greeted him. Cole looked at her lovely face and blurted, “I’m sorry, Beth. That was wrong of me. It won’t happen again,” he said apologetically and instantly regretted the words. He did want it to happen again!
“Don’t be silly, Cole, and get inside. This is your house and you have nothing to apologize for,” Elizabeth shushed him, relieved he had not asked her to leave. She wasn’t sure if he would do that or not, and that doubt ate at her while she waited ages for him to come in from putting up the horse.
“You don’t have to knock, nor apologize,” she repeated. “We are both adults and if I hadn’t been acting like a slatternly woman, you would not have been tempted to kiss me. I should be apologizing to you for how I behaved this afternoon,” she uttered quietly as she poured them both a glass of water.
“Please let’s forget it and move on. Please?” she beseeched softly looking at him finally.
“Don’t call yourself that. You are far from a loose woman. Let’s agree that this happened and move forward, however it turns out. I don’t want to forget about it, Beth,” Cole said firmly. “I will not forget about it for a long time. That kiss was fantastic and there is nothing about you that you should have to apologize for. I wanted to kiss you, I needed to kiss you…but the last thing I want to do is make you feel uncomfortable around me. If you don’t want me to kiss you again- I won’t,” he hesitated and stepped forward, the table between them.
“But if you do, Beth,” he said as he cleared his throat, her eyes suddenly hot and not turning from his. He liked the way she wasn’t afraid of him and how she practically challenged him with her eyes as if she taunted him to do it again. Did Elizabeth know how tempting she was?
“If you want me to kiss you again in the future, let me do this the proper way like I should. Let me woo you, let me earn your heart and, if you decide that someday you want to kiss me, I will be here. And it will be more than kissing, I promise you this,” Cole vowed. His eyes did not break from Elizabeth’s for quite some time. He wasn’t sure if he had gone too far, but there was no returning from the electric kiss they shared.
Cole would not let it go, nor would he let that fire in her escape. He wanted that heat from her and nothing would stop him. He watched as her delicate throat moved as she swallowed, as she still boldly met his eyes. He liked that about her, she never backed down. Curious, he wondered what she would respond and where they would go. For a moment, he was afraid she would ask to leave but everything in his gut told him that she was made of sterner stuff and was a helluva woman.
Wow, Elizabeth’s mind screamed. Cole wanted to pursue her? That was a heady and terrifying thought. Had she run from one man she didn’t know straight into the arms of another? Tempting as it was, were those hot lips worth her precious freedom she had just gained or was she trading one prison for another?
“Do I have to decide now,” she asked hesitantly, unsure how she would choose. Her body was thrumming from the kiss and felt so alive. She was scared and unsure if she wanted more or if she needed it to stop immediately.
A grin split Cole’s face at her softly spoke question. Her hesitation was telling and by her lack of denial, it told him that she was not opposed to him as a potential suitor. His father would laugh at the thought of his son running from home and family, had just come back to his home with sudden thoughts of a family. A woman. My how things change and come full circle, he thought. He would take his time with Beth and make certain that this was what both of them needed.
The tension was broken by Beth offering to serve up dinner for them both. She needed something, anything, to break the silence and change the direction the conversation was going. She didn’t want to answer nor be forced into anything. Cole seemed to not want to push, either, which was relieving to her. They ate a bit in silence and then Beth asked for details of his trip into town. They made small talk as he shared what the banker had told him on the sale of livestock, his purchases of seed and invited her on the next trip into town. Cole explained to Beth that he would need her help, since the next trip would involve them taking the wagon in for major purchases.
Surprise lit her face, Beth had no idea there was a wagon on the property and assumed it must be in the barn. The one place she hadn’t looked yet. She was pleased to be asked to accompany him and apprehensive at the thought of someone recognizing her. “I don’t want to be spotted if someone is searching for me, maybe going into town isn’t such a good idea for me for quite some time,” she replied sadly. The thought of seeing more of her new home, even if it seemed to resemble her old, was still exciting.
“That actually is pretty good thinking, Beth,” he said grinning. “And I have a solution for you. I actually need your help setting up the garden so we have vegetables to can for the winter, but I don’t want you to burn, either, if you are in the sun all day. That nose is too pretty to be red unless I make it that way,” he said with a flirtatious wink as he tested the waters with her. When he saw her turn away and blush, he laughed aloud. “Beth, I picked you up a little something,” he offered. “Now close your eyes,” he said mischievously and got up from the wooden bench at the table.
Beth was a bit embarrassed by the attention that was suddenly directed her way, but welcomed it as well. She had thought he was attractive since she had first seen him get off the horse at the beginning of her trip, but having that directed at her was a heady thing! Playing along, she shut her eyes, excitedly. She adored presents and this was so unexpected and uncalled for – making it that much more special. Beth grinned and jumped guiltily as she heard him bark “No peeking, Beth!”
It wasn’t peeking, I’m just checking to see what’s taking so long, she thought wryly and sat dutifully as he asked. Hearing him moving around the small room was toying with her nerves as she wondered what he had gotten her today. The suspense was killing her.
Cole knew he was taking his sweet time, but it was endearing to see her face in the lamplight smiling happily. He watched her for a few minutes until he saw her crack one eye open and caught her cheating. Minx! He almost laughed aloud thinking how she would be at Christmas or how she must have been as a child. Apparently, his Beth does not like to be kept waiting for anything.
Cole circled the room a few times to throw her off track, enjoying each smile she revealed. He stepped beside her once and leaned in with a soft “boo” that made her jump and laugh delightedly. Cole had intended to return to his seat, but after hearing that throaty little giggle, he, instead, seated himself next to her. She was still sitting perfectly straight at the table. He knew her posture was due to that corset she always wore, while he slouched back opposite of her lazily. His legs sprawled out towards the fireplace. How different they were and how similar, he thought as he noticed that her breath had quickened. His own pulse had sped up as he had sat close to her.
Beth caught her breath at his playfulness and jumped at his teasing. This was a side she hadn’t seen before from Cole. When she felt him sit next to her on the bench, her heart began to race. He was extremely close and she could feel his aura next to her. She heard him whisper gently, “Open your eyes,” and practically melted at how tender he sounded.
His breath warm against her ear, the moment touched at her heartstrings. Beth opened her eyes slowly and felt the overwhelming urge to touch his face. His eyes were so warm and so close to her. She looked at his lips, unconsciously licking hers and said quietly “I was not peeking, you know.”
Watching her little pink tongue peek out and wet her lips was a heady thing, Cole thought. “I know you weren’t, but I didn’t want to ruin the surprise, either. I hope you like it,” he said as he pulled the delicate bonnet out of the wrapper and handed it to her.
“I want to be the one to make you blush, not the Texas heat,” he reiterated again heatedly as he stared at the moist, pink lips not a foot from his own. He wanted to taste them again so much… but it had to be her idea.
The bonnet was a delicate gingham pattern with a large bill to protect her face. It wasn’t a particularly romantic gift, but it was certainly thoughtful. Presentation was on par though because it was a truly intimate moment with the two of them sitting closely together and him teasing her. Beth shook out the bonnet, careful to keep the long ties from going into her water or the remaining dinner on her tin plate. Smiling, she placed it on her head, tucking her dark hair inside the gathered back of the fabric.
“How do I look? Do I look like a proper ranch hand?” she said laughingly.
Smiling, Cole grabbed the ties and began to tie a large bow under her pert chin. “You look far from a ranch hand,” he in all seriousness. He wished she make a move and lean forward towards him. He said he wouldn’t kiss her again unless she invited it and he was regretting the words.
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