Shepherd Moon

by Rochelle Alers

  “I’ve missed you,” he murmured against her moist, parted lips.

  Rhianna anchored a hand against his chest, pushing him back. “You’re crazy. We just saw each other last night.” He’d finished laying the floor around eleven.

  Tightening his hold on her waist, Emery pulled her close again. “That was almost eighteen hours ago.”

  He kissed her again, the tip of his tongue tantalizing the recesses of her mouth and eliciting a strong thrumming between her thighs. The delicious sensations went on and on until she went weak in his embrace, collapsing against the wall of his chest like a soft breeze ruffling a delicate leaf.

  Emery knew he had to stop or he would either take Rhianna where they stood or embarrass himself by spilling his passions like an inexperienced adolescent during his first sexual encounter. Reluctantly, he released her.

  He picked up an overnight bag and matching garment bag off a straight-back chair and took them to where he’d parked his truck, leaving Rhianna to close and lock the door behind her. He waited by the passenger-side door, helped her in, then sat down beside her. An uneasy silence filled the vehicle as he drove away from Campy’s. There was so much he wanted to say, but he would wait—wait until later that night.

  CHAPTER 8

  Rhianna stood several feet away from Emery inside a tightly woven fence, watching as he checked the foot of the lone ram. Three border collies stood guard outside the fence. The area where the sheep were turned out to pasture covered almost half an acre.

  The first thing Rhianna noticed about the sheep was their fleece. It wasn’t tightly curled as she’d seen in other breeds; it was longer and crinkly like goat hair.

  “Do they stay out here overnight?”

  Emery straightened from his kneeling position. “No. All but two ewes have come into estrous and have mated with Bully Boy.”

  “When do you expect them to lamb?”

  “Late April or early May.”

  “Why so late?”

  “Once I decided to participate in the study I only had enough time to build the barn, but not enough to install a heating system. If I’d bred the ewes in August, then they would’ve lambed in January.”

  “Aren’t you afraid of stray dogs or a coyote attacking them?”

  Emery opened the gate and whistled sharply between his teeth. On cue three dogs raced in and herded the sheep out of the fenced-in area and over a rise to the small barn where they would spend the night.

  “Not at all. The two males would’ve attacked you if you hadn’t been with me, while Lady is a bit more gentle. She’ll probably be the one to protect the lambs.”

  “Lady and I have met.”

  Cupping her elbow, Emery led her back to the truck. “When?”

  “The first night I came to see you.”

  Raising his eyebrows, he stared at her delicate profile. “Oh, that was the night you came and cussed me out.”

  She stopped and faced him. “I didn’t curse you, Emery Sutherland.”

  “It sounded like cussing to me.”

  Rhianna rested her hands on her hips. “If I’d really cussed you out, then you never would’ve spoken to me again. Because when I cuss someone they stay cussed.”

  Bending slightly, Emery swung her up in his arms and spun her around and around. “If that’s the case, then I hope never to get on the wrong side of you.”

  Rhianna wrapped her arms around his neck to keep her balance. “Put me down, Emery.”

  He stopped spinning. “Why?’

  “Because I’m too big to carry.”

  “Too big or too heavy?”

  She punched him softly on the shoulder. “You got jokes about my weight.”

  “No. When you first came back here I thought you were a little skinny for my taste. I like my woman to have some meat on her bones.”

  Rhianna froze as she stared at him. She could barely make out his features in the stream of light coming from the pickup’s headlights.

  “Who said I was your woman?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Neither did I.”

  He kissed the end of her nose. “Would you like to be my woman, Rhia?”

  Her whole being seemed to be filled with waiting, a waiting that had eluded her for ten long, lonely years. Every time Emery looked at her she saw a longing in his gaze that echoed her own. Each time he kissed or touched her she wanted to surrender all of the love she’d locked away from every man to him. Could she, for the short time she would spend in Shepherd, open her heart to love again?

  “I don’t know, Emery.”

  “What don’t you know, darling? Is it because Errol was my brother?” he asked, not waiting for her reply. Rhianna closed her eyes and nodded. Lowering his head, Emery kissed her cold lips. “Will you promise me one thing?”

  She opened her eyes. “What?”

  “Let me prove to you that I’m not my brother.”

  There was another time when Emery told her that he wasn’t his brother, and his kisses had proven that. Aside from their physical resemblance there was nothing about Emery that reminded her of Errol. The two were as different as night was from day.

  Resting her head on his shoulder, she whispered a silent prayer for strength. “Okay.”

  * * *

  Rhianna followed Emery into a bedroom that once belonged to his parents. When he had taken her on a tour of the large farmhouse she’d been taken aback with the four-poster king-size bed in a room with all-white furnishings: duvet, curtains, carpet, love seat with a chenille throw, and padded bench at the foot of the bed. Cream-colored wallpaper dotted with tiny yellow and pale green flowers provided a cheerful backdrop to the otherwise pristine space.

  Emery placed her garment bag on a hook inside a closet door and left the overnight case on the floor next to the bench. “I’ll be downstairs whenever you’re ready.” The cocktail hour was scheduled for seven, a sit-down dinner at eight, and dancing at ten.

  Rhianna winked at him. “I’ll see you later.”

  She removed her makeup and toiletries from the bag, walked into the adjoining bathroom, and was transported back to another era. The claw foot bathtub and pedestal sink were exquisite, made of pale blue with darker blue veins running through the porcelain. The soft blue and white furnishings in the bathroom were the perfect complement for the pristine near-white bedroom.

  She turned on the silver plated faucets in the tub and added a cupful of perfumed body wash under the running water. The sensual bouquet of Bulgarian rose, calla lily and Mandarin combined with white musk and woods wafted in the air.

  Stripping off her clothes, Rhianna settled down in the warm water, sighing softly as she closed her eyes. Earlier that morning she’d gone to a day spa where she’d had her hair washed, conditioned, and trimmed; an esthetician had given her a facial; a nail technician, a manicure and pedicure; and a masseuse, a full body massage. She left the spa feeling better than she had in weeks. Not wanting to keep Emery waiting, she picked up the bath sponge.

  * * *

  Emery stood at the foot of the staircase, temporarily paralyzed, his heart beating in double-time as he watched Rhianna descend. When he did move it was to anchor an arm over the banister to maintain his balance.

  His gaze, fixed on her slender feet in a pair of black peau de soie high heel pumps, moved slowly up to her shapely legs in sheer black hose and up further to the outline of her slender body. The pencil skirt ended at her knees, the fitted peplum jacket flared at her tiny waist. But it was what she wore under the jacket that garnered his rapt attention. A soft swell of dark brown flesh rose and fell over the décolletage of a black bustier covered with sequins and bugle beads. A matching fringed shawl was tossed casually over one shoulder. A certain part of Emery’s body refused to listen to the dictates of his brain, and he knew he had to get her out of the house before he wouldn’t be able to leave.

  He walked up the staircase to meet her, extending his hand while forcing a smile. He couldn’t stop the gasp that es
caped his parted lips when he saw her face. Makeup had dramatically brought out the glossy sheen in her slanting dark brown eyes, and a hint of raspberry on her high cheekbones matched the shimmering shade on her lush mouth. Magnificent Tahitian pearls were suspended from a cascade of bezel-set diamond drop earrings in her pierced lobes. She applied a gel to her hair and spiked the curls at the crown. Rhianna Campbell radiated a dark sensual beauty that literally took his breath away.

  “You look beautiful.” He was unable to conceal his awe in the compliment.

  Slowly, a secret smile softened Rhianna’s mouth. She hadn’t been able to decide whether to buy the black tuxedo suit or another slinky black dress, so she’d decided to purchase both. She thought of the stir the backless dress would probably cause among the townsfolk and had chosen to wear the suit.

  She stared up at Emery through her lashes, unaware of the seductiveness of the gesture. “Thank you.”

  Her admiring gaze swept over him quickly. His close-cropped hair, smooth jaw, and a tailored navy suit, stark white shirt, platinum-gray silk tie, and imported slip-ons competed with his face for attention. Reaching up, she pressed her thumb to the slight indentation in his chin, and then leaned forward, her lips replacing her fingers.

  “You look good enough to eat.” It wasn’t until the words were out that she realized how ribald they sounded.

  Emery’s thick, black eyebrows lifted slightly. “Not if I don’t eat you first.”

  Rhianna was growing more uncomfortable the longer they lingered in his house. “Let’s go before we miss the cocktail hour.”

  Wrapping an arm around her waist, Emery led her off the stairs, across the living room and out of the house. Lady rose from where she lay on a mat in the corner of the porch. “I’ll see you later, girl.”

  Rhianna glanced at the large border collie. “Why doesn’t she hang out with the other dogs?”

  “She’s more of a house dog. Buster and Olaf were bred to herd sheep.”

  Shifting her tiny purse, she slipped the shawl off her shoulder and wrapped the silk-lined cashmere throw around her body. The night air was dry, the temperature hovering at freezing. Emery led her to a dark, low-slung, two-seater sports car. He’d left the engine running.

  He opened the door for her, waiting until she was seated and belted-in, then closed it. He sat down behind the wheel, shifted into gear, and, with a powerful burst of speed, the car shot forward.

  Rhianna’s fingers curled into tight fists when she remembered sitting beside Errol whenever he exceeded the speed limit. She stole a glance at the speedometer. Emery was just under the speed limit, so why did it feel as if he was driving too fast?

  Resting her back against the leather seat, she closed her eyes and tried to think of everything else but the man sitting less than a foot away from her. Why, she thought, couldn’t she have fallen in love with any man but the brother of her first lover? Her eyes flew open as her pulse raced uncontrollably and she wondered where that thought had come from.

  Was she in love with Emery? Had she always been in love with him? Had she accepted Errol because he’d become a substitute for someone who’d always acted as if she did not exist, the man who’d always treated her like a younger sister?

  She sat staring through the windshield replaying all of the encounters she’d shared with Emery as realization washed over her like the numbing effect of an ice-cold shower. Whenever she came to the Sutherland house for dinner Emery usually found an excuse not to join them. It had taken him more than six months to congratulate her on her engagement to his brother, and two weeks later he announced that he planned to marry a fellow student.

  He’d loved her and she’d loved him, but the difference was she hadn’t known it at the time. But now she was given a second chance with Emery. What she didn’t know was where it would lead. She planned to remain in Shepherd only until she exhausted her family leave. If Emery promised more, then she would stay. If not, then she would go back to Los Angeles and the life she’d made for herself.

  Emery maneuvered into a long driveway leading to the Vandervoot Mansion. The manor house, erected on a hill that overlooked the Hudson River, once belonged to a family who traced their roots back to a Dutch sea merchant who’d settled in the valley before it was ceded to English rule. The present-day Vandervoots, who did not want to maintain the eighteen-room mansion, sold the property to a group of businessmen, who turned it into a country club with a nearby nineteen-hole golf course. Various businesses, social organizations, and couples rented the grand ballrooms for weddings and fundraisers.

  A red-jacketed valet opened the door for her as Emery came around the car to take her arm. Pulling her close to his side, he pressed his mouth to her ear. “You know there’s going to be talk?”

  She nodded. There was no doubt her attending the event would generate a lot of gossip about her dating her late fiancé’s brother. “I don’t care, Emery.”

  The fingers at her waist tightened. “Good.”

  Lights from half a dozen chandeliers lit up the first floor ballroom as if it were the middle of the day. Rhianna recognized people with whom she’d gone to school, their parents, and their grandparents. A quiet hush fell over those milling around the entrance as she walked in with Emery’s arm around her waist.

  Tilting her chin, she glanced up at him smiling down at her. There was no way those standing close to them could miss the silent, passionate exchange. When she removed her shawl and handed it to Emery to leave in the coatroom several audible gasps were heard above the babble coming from the ballroom. The bustier had worked it magic, enhancing her B-cup to a full C.

  Slipping the coat check ticket into the breast pocket of his jacket, Emery took Rhianna’s hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed her smooth knuckles.

  She smiled, saying, “Let’s mingle, darling.”

  * * *

  Rhianna spent most of the cocktail hour sipping champagne, nibbling hors d’oeuvres, and talking to people she hadn’t seen in a decade.

  Emery found himself a part of a group of men debating the merits of modernizing downtown Shepherd. Some wanted to keep the look of an early twentieth-century main street, whereas others wanted to update the storefronts to compete with a few of the nearby malls.

  “What do you think, Sutherland?” asked one of the officers.

  Emery saw several pairs of eyes staring at him. They wanted to discuss revitalizing downtown Shepherd when he wanted to be with Rhianna. As it was they didn’t spend as much time together as he’d wanted.

  “I like Main Street the way it is. It harkens back to a time of innocence that’s missing nowadays. But if you want to compete with the malls, then I suggest you enclose it. Replace the streetlights with gaslight-types. The walls of the mall can be stained glass and the ceiling made with solar heating panels that will offset exorbitant heating and cooling costs. If any new businesses decide they want in, then their storefronts must conform to the existing architecture.”

  A tall man with a florid face and snow-white hair reached over and pumped Emery’s right hand. “Hot damn, Sutherland! I think you’re on to something. How would you like to join the planning board?”

  “I’ll let you know,” he said, not wanting to commit to another project. He had enough with his breeding experiment. “Gentlemen, I don’t want to appear rude, but I need to get back to Miss Campbell.”

  He made his way over to Rhianna. “Meet me at the bar,” he whispered softly, as he headed in the direction of the nearest portable bar.

  Emery ordered a Rusty Nail. By the time Rhianna joined him he’d downed half the drink and eaten several puffed pastries. A knowing smile crinkled the skin around his eyes. Not only was she sexy, but she also had a sexy walk. He wasn’t disappointed when she wrapped her arm around his waist inside his suit jacket.

  Leaning forward, she affected a sensual smile. “What do you say we blow this place and go where it’s not so crowded?”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure?” />
  Rhianna kissed his smooth jaw. The scent of his aftershave was hypnotic. “Very sure.”

  “Where?”

  Her eyes widened, prisms of light reflecting in their dark velvet depths. “Your place.”

  Emery placed the tumbler on the bar before reaching for her hand. “Let’s go.”

  They stopped long enough to retrieve her shawl and wait for his car to be brought around. Within an hour of leaving to drive to the Vandervoot Mansion, Emery and Rhianna retraced their steps as they climbed the staircase leading to the top floor of his house.

  * * *

  Rhianna stood in the middle of Emery’s bedroom and stared up at the skylights. Light from a half moon was the only illumination, bathing the space with an eerie glow.

  Emery removed his jacket, draping it over the back of a club chair before he walked over and turned on the stereo. The hauntingly beautiful voice of Sarah Brightman flowed from concealed speakers. He came back to Rhianna, offering his hand.

  “May I have this dance?”

  Smiling, she raised her arms and arced them under his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her waist. They moved together, breathed together, as they’d done the night they skated under the shadowy moon, losing track of time; however, tonight there were no shadows across their hearts.

  Without warning, Emery caught Rhianna under her knees and lifted her effortlessly, carrying her across the room to the bed. Pulling back a pale gray comforter, he placed her gently on the crisp, cool sheets, then joined her, his gaze meeting and fusing with hers. Slowly, methodically, he undressed her: shoes, jacket, bustier, garter belt, stockings, and finally the black lace triangle that teased more than concealed. Her breasts were silvered in the flattering light, rising and falling above her narrow ribcage.

  He undressed himself, then sat back staring at the woman whom he loved and waited more than half his life for, and now that he had her in his bed there was no need to rush—not when he had all night to drown in the pleasure of her fragrant silky body.