Curtis (Coyote Ridge) (Volume 1)

by Nicole Edwards

  He understood that she was sad. He didn’t blame her for all the tears she had shed since Frank had died. But he knew, at some point, she had to pick herself up and move on. Life wasn’t going to wait for her.

  So no, Curtis wasn’t going to allow her to tell him what he could or couldn’t do.

  “When will you be back, at least?” she grumbled from the dark.

  “After the movie.” He was taking Lorrie to a drive-in movie for the first time—her first time—and the thought of being alone in the truck in the dark made his jeans tighten. “Don’t wait up.”

  Leaving his mother with her booze, Curtis grabbed the car keys off the wall and headed out the door, eager to see Lorrie even though he’d seen her when he’d walked her home after school. It was getting harder and harder to be away from her. Curtis wanted to spend every waking moment with her, and he feared that when he graduated next year, things would only get more difficult for them.

  Yet he didn’t know how to fix that, but luckily he still had some time to figure it out.

  From the moment Curtis had knocked on her front door and talked to her father, Lorrie had been trying to hide the way her hands were shaking. As soon as she had mentioned that Curtis was taking her to a drive-in movie, her sister Celeste, who was only eleven, had been asking her a million questions, every one of those still pummeling her brain.

  “Will you make out with him?”

  “Do you think the windows will steam up?”

  “Are you going to go all the way?”

  “Do you love him?”

  Lorrie wasn’t even sure how her little sister knew what going all the way meant. Nor did she want to know.

  Although Celeste seemed entirely too curious, Kathy was still a little peeved that Lorrie got to date and she didn’t, but apparently she was more inquisitive than angry, because she’d urged Lorrie to answer.

  Maybe.

  She didn’t know.

  No, of course not.

  Absolutely.

  Lorrie didn’t share the answers to any of those questions with her sisters. Except for the last one. She did love Curtis and she didn’t care who knew. She loved him more than she loved anything in the world, and she wasn’t even sure how she’d gotten to this point, but when she was around him, nothing else mattered. Nothing except him and the way it felt to be in his arms, to listen to his heartbeat against her ear, to hold his hand, to feel his mouth on hers. They talked about anything and everything, from what it was like growing up in Granite Creek to the fact that neither of them ever wanted to leave the small town. She had told him about how mean her father was, and in turn, Curtis had said his father wasn’t as mean as people thought, but he had been one to dole out punishments to keep the kids in line.

  With every word, every kiss, she was falling in love with him a little bit more.

  And now here they were, alone in his daddy’s fancy truck on their very first date.

  “Come here, darlin’,” Curtis urged, sliding his arm over the back of the seat after he affixed the speaker to the window.

  Lorrie moved closer, allowing her leg to press up against his as he placed a soft kiss to her temple. She loved when he did that. He was always so affectionate, and it made her feel good. It was new to her since her mother and father didn’t kiss each other like that. Her daddy didn’t even hug them or kiss them good night, and he never had. For the first time in her life, she felt … loved.

  She didn’t know what the movie—The Raven, Curtis had said—they were seeing was about, nor did she care. It didn’t matter that this was her first time at a drive-in theater, either. Her parents used to go from time to time, and she’d heard about it from when Mitch talked about his dates, but it was a new experience for her. Her family didn’t have money, so the luxuries that other people had weren’t available to her. They didn’t have a television, no record player or radio, and they never got to go anywhere. For the most part, Lorrie felt as though she knew very little about anything outside of Granite Creek.

  And still, the only thing she could think about was how close Curtis was, how good he smelled, how she enjoyed the warmth of his arm over her shoulder and the easy way his thumb grazed her skin from time to time.

  “You warm enough?” he asked, his mouth close to her ear, his words loud enough to hear over the tinny sound coming from the speaker box in the window.

  Not quite sure her voice would work, Lorrie nodded. Still, Curtis hugged her closer as she attempted to focus on the screen, her eyes inadvertently going to the windshield, wondering why the glass fogged up when people were in cars at the drive-in. That had her attention straying to other cars and trucks nearby. Were their windows fogged up? If so, what were they doing? Did she even want to know?

  Finally, Lorrie managed to relax, leaning into Curtis and resting her head on his shoulder and her hand on his thigh as she tried to focus on the movie. She felt the muscle beneath her palm flex and relax, flex and relax. She wondered if he was as nervous as she was. This was the first time they’d been away from Granite Creek together.

  Halfway through the movie, she was again having a difficult time paying attention. While her hand still rested on his leg, his arm around her shoulder, his other hand had moved to her thigh, gently grazing her skin right beneath the hem of her skirt. She liked the way it felt to have him touching her like that. Chill bumps broke out along her arms, her heart was beating as fast as a wild Mustang, and her breath was rushing in and out of her chest.

  Although she knew it was wrong—according to her mother, girls were not to be touched like this before they were married—Lorrie didn’t want Curtis to stop. So, when his lips caressed her neck, Lorrie turned her head, giving him better access. His hand inched a little higher on her thigh, and her legs moved apart without her meaning to.

  His touch was … perfect. His rough fingers brushed over the sensitive skin of her inner thigh while his lips sucked on the skin of her neck.

  Oh, God. She wanted more. She wanted him to touch her everywhere.

  The thought came out of nowhere, shocking her that she could even think like that.

  An involuntary moan escaped her, and embarrassment caused her entire body to flush. She tried to pull away, but Curtis stilled, holding her right where she was.

  She was panting, her skin hot, a strange but not unpleasant ache between her legs that made her want more, although her brain was telling her she shouldn’t.

  “Shh,” he mumbled. “It’s okay, darlin’. Nothin’s gonna happen. I promise. I just want to hold you.”

  God, she wanted that, too. And more. But she had no idea what was happening to her. How she could feel this way. So good and so … dirty. Like she wasn’t supposed to enjoy what he was doing to her. But she did. So much. Her body was hot from the inside out. Her skin craved his touch.

  “I love you, Lorrie,” Curtis whispered. “It’s too soon, baby, I know.”

  Was it too soon? Yes. It was. It had to be, because that’s what her momma had told her. Her brain knew it was too soon, but her body didn’t seem to understand that. “Curtis, we … can’t.”

  “I know, darlin’. I’ll never rush you, I promise.”

  And she knew he was telling the truth. His hand had stopped moving, his lips, as well. The only thing she felt was his warm breath against her neck.

  “You want me to take you home?” he asked, clearly sensing her distress.

  Lorrie nodded, still embarrassed by her reaction to him. She needed to go home, to be alone. She didn’t understand why she felt like this or what it even meant. Whenever she was with Curtis, she felt as though a lightning storm had developed inside her body, currents of sensation moving through her, and she didn’t know how to handle it. She wasn’t supposed to feel like this, was she? These warring emotions were confusing her.

  “All right, darlin’. Lemme get you home.”

  An anvil of disappointment landed on her chest, but at the same time, a sigh of relief escaped her.

  chapte
r SIX

  FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1963

  From the moment I opened my eyes this morning, I knew today was going to be different.’ Not necessarily in a good way, either. It was just an eerie feeling I had.

  I was right.

  Daddy went over to talk to Curtis today. I don’t know what they talked about because I haven’t seen Curtis yet. I’m not sure I’ll ever be allowed to see him again. Daddy said I couldn’t, but he won’t tell me why.

  I don’t understand why he can’t see that Curtis and I love each other. We haven’t done anything wrong, so Daddy’s out-of-the-blue anger scares me. I want to ask Momma why he’s doing this, but I know she won’t tell me. She always does what Daddy says, and she doesn’t argue with him.

  I didn’t know it was possible for my heart to hurt this much.

  Curtis was out in the barn tending to the horses when he heard the sound of tires on gravel. He peeked out to see a familiar old Ford pulling up to the house. Grabbing his hat, he placed it on top of his head and then went to greet the visitor. His mother was passed out somewhere in the house, and Carol had taken Daphne, Frank Jr., Lisa, and Maryanne over to the park. He had no idea where David or Joseph were, but he figured David was probably planted in front of the television and Joseph was over at Helen Jenkins’s house now that he was chasing after her instead of Lorrie.

  Just like when he’d asked Joseph how Lorrie got to school, his brother hadn’t been happy when Curtis had finally told him that Lorrie was officially his girl. There had been a moment when he’d thought they might throw down in the yard, which would’ve been a way to settle things for good, but it’d never come to that. Still, Curtis knew Joseph wasn’t happy with the decision, but Curtis couldn’t change the outcome. He didn’t want to.

  “Mr. Jameson,” Curtis greeted Lorrie’s father hesitantly as he approached the porch. “Can I help you, sir?”

  Philip Jameson was an average-looking man whose time out in the brutal Texas heat showed on his weathered face. His usually light brown hair was gold from the sun and currently peeking out from under the straw hat he wore. Curtis didn’t know how old Mr. Jameson was, but he couldn’t have been but a few years younger than Curtis’s old man before he’d died. If he had to guess, he’d say somewhere around thirty-seven, give or take a year. Still, he looked significantly older than that.

  “I need to have a word with you, boy,” Mr. Jameson growled.

  Curtis frowned, moving closer. He’d been taught to respect his elders, and that was the only reason he didn’t get defensive. Yet. “Yes, sir?”

  He found it odd that, for the past year, Curtis had been seeing Lorrie nearly every single day, and never once had Mr. Jameson felt the need to have a talk. Not until Curtis had taken Lorrie to the drive-in movie back in February had he shown any interest at all. But even when Curtis had attempted to ask Mr. Jameson’s permission to take her out that night, the man hadn’t cared to talk to him, telling him to do what he needed to do. Whatever that meant.

  And since then, they had probably said all of ten words to one another.

  Curtis was definitely confused when it came to Mr. Jameson. The irritable old man acted as though he didn’t like him, but he seemed adamant that Lorrie date him. Curtis figured there had to be a reason, but he didn’t care enough to ask.

  Not even now, when Mr. Jameson was standing less than two feet away, looking fired up.

  Lorrie’s father glanced around, then his hard gaze narrowed on Curtis once more. “I know you and Lorrie have been seein’ each other for a while now.”

  “Yes, sir.” Everyone knew that.

  Mr. Jameson looked a little hesitant as he once again studied their surroundings before looking up at Curtis again.

  “What are your intentions with my daughter?”

  “Sir?” Curtis suddenly wondered if Lorrie was okay. He hadn’t talked to her yet today, but he had intended to go to her house after he finished his chores. It would’ve been a hell of a lot easier to talk to her if she had a phone, but her father was apparently too cheap for that, so Curtis had to go see her anytime he wanted to talk.

  “I don’t want rumors to start about you and my daughter. I know you’ve been seein’ her for almost a year, but I’m unclear as to what your intentions are.”

  Funny how Mr. Jameson hadn’t thought to come to Curtis about that before now. However, it wouldn’t have mattered, because Curtis didn’t know what he was supposed to say. At the moment, his intention was to see her again. That was about as far as it went. “I’m not sure I understand, sir.”

  Mr. Jameson thrust his hands into the pockets of his overalls, cocked his head to the side, and frowned. “Let me put it this way. If you don’t have any intention of marryin’ my daughter…”

  The brief pause, not to mention the reference to marriage, made Curtis uneasy, but he managed to keep his mouth shut.

  “Then I don’t want you seein’ her no more.”

  Curtis managed to tamp down the rage that started a slow boil in his veins. He opted to keep his cool and to keep Mr. Jameson talking. “Marry her, sir? But she’s only fifteen.” In fact, she’d just celebrated her birthday a couple of weeks ago.

  “I don’t need you tellin’ me how old she is.”

  Curtis shifted, unable to keep the defensiveness from his tone when he said, “Have I disrespected her in some way?”

  Mr. Jameson didn’t answer his question. “I know what your intentions are.”

  Well, that was strange since he’d just asked Curtis what they were. Since Curtis hadn’t answered, he wasn’t sure how Mr. Jameson knew. But Curtis wasn’t an idiot. Mr. Jameson was talking out of both sides of his mouth. This didn’t have a damn thing to do with Curtis’s intentions; it had to do with what Mr. Jameson wanted.

  “Do you plan on marryin’ my daughter?”

  Yep. And there it was. The second reference to marriage.

  Before he could answer, Mr. Jameson continued, “Because if you don’t, then you need to consider yesterday as the last time you see her.”

  That rage in his veins started bubbling faster, hotter.

  Curtis hadn’t mapped out his future, didn’t quite know what he planned to do after high school other than to run his family’s ranch. And okay, maybe he’d thought about marrying Lorrie, but it had only been a brief fantasy. She was too young to get married. She was too young to even understand what these feelings were that she was having. Last night, in his truck, when he’d taken her down to the lake, he’d heard the way she was breathing, known he’d excited her with barely a touch, but as soon as he’d tried to take things a little further, she had panicked. The same way she had panicked the first time at the drive-in movie and every time since. Months had passed, and yet she still wasn’t ready for all the things Curtis had in mind for her, all the things a husband would want from a wife.

  He wasn’t in a big rush. He had every intention of making Lorrie his forever, and he didn’t feel the need to push her. Sex wasn’t the most important thing, but it was the defining line between married and not—in his mind, anyway.

  So why Mr. Jameson was standing in his front yard giving him an ultimatum, he didn’t really know.

  The only thing he did know was that no man—didn’t matter who they were—was going to keep him away from the girl he loved.

  Not now.

  Not ever.

  “Do you love my daughter?”

  “Yes, sir.” He felt no need to hide his feelings for her.

  “Do you plan on marryin’ my girl?”

  “Sir, I’m not sure that’s a topic we should be discussin’ right now.”

  “Why the hell not?” Mr. Jameson scowled. “You don’t think you gotta ask my permission, boy? I’m her goddamn father.”

  Of course he had to ask the man’s permission. That was how things were done where he was from. He just wasn’t sure now was the time for him and Lorrie to get married. He was a senior in high school, for chrissakes. They had all the time in the world.

/>   “You’ve got till the end of the day to figure it out, boy. If you ain’t gonna ask my daughter to marry you, I expect you’ll abide by my wishes and stay away from her.”

  Curtis wanted to tell the old bastard just what he thought of him, but he kept his mouth shut, fearful that he’d say the wrong thing and only make this situation worse. If that were possible.

  Not that it mattered. No one would keep him from Lorrie.

  Not Mr. Jameson, not the sheriff. Not even his own mother.

  No one.

  And he’d like to see them try.

  “Where’d Daddy go?” Lorrie tried to sound aloof as she stepped into the kitchen, where her brother and sister were. Mitch and Kathy stopped talking, then turned to look at her.

  She had overheard Momma and Daddy arguing a little while ago, and she’d been sure she had heard them mention Curtis’s name, which was truly the only reason she was asking now. She didn’t know why they would be talking about him. Rather than butt in where she didn’t belong and risk getting a spanking for it, she had gone back to her bedroom and pretended to write in her diary, but her curiosity had gotten the best of her.

  “Don’t know,” Mitch answered, his head lifting when they heard the baby crying.

  “I heard him say he was goin’ to talk to the Walkers.”

  “The Walkers?” she asked, hoping she sounded surprised. “You mean Curtis? What for?”

  “Ain’t none of my business,” Mitch offered unhelpfully.

  “Probably to find out when he’s gonna marry you,” Kathy teased.

  “Marry me?” Lorrie was horrified by the idea. “Why would he wanna marry me?”

  “’Cause he’s seein’ you all the time,” Kathy answered. “That’s what boys’re supposed to do when they love a girl.”