“But you don’t want to know what I have to go through to get Mr. Black up, even with the Viagra. It’s not an instant pill, dear.”
Oh, God… She was going to be sick. Is this what marriage was like? Were none of these women happy?
“So, none of you enjoy sex?” The giggles ceased, and a roaring laughter followed the brief silence.
“Sex is for procreation, Carly. Women don’t enjoy sex, but it’s a part of their marital duty.” Laura spoke, and that she was close to Carly’s age, made her comment more disturbing.
“Oh, dear. Don’t look so stricken. You’re twenty-four, maybe it will be fun for you.” Carly heard her words, but her tone was more mocking than comforting. She placed her palm on her stomach. The room started to close in on her, and heat filled her face.
“Excuse me. I need to go refresh… the drinks and stuff.” She made a quick exit to the kitchen.
Wade sat at the tiny kitchen table, cut another half-moon shape from his peach, and slid the fruit onto the knife blade. He raised it to his mouth and slid it between his lips. These women were crazy. He had no doubt he had slipped into some backward-ass country version of The Twilight Zone. He was country, but he didn’t understand these people. His knife stilled as Carly entered the kitchen in a rush with her back to him. She clung to the sink as if she’d be sick and rocked back and forth.
“Breathe… just breathe,” she mumbled to herself. Taking a knife from the block of wood, she stared at her wrist.
Wade’s forehead crinkled. What the hell was she doing?
“I’m not like her. I can’t.” She started rocking again. “I want out of here,” she whispered.
“Don’t worry, darlin’. You’ll be out of here soon, married. You can hate sex like the rest of the hens in there and...”
Carly jumped and placed the knife on the counter. She turned toward him as he slid the last slice of peach into his mouth and rose. As he moved toward her, she backed up until the counter’s edge cut into her lower back. The air thinned when he stood in front of her.
“… You can procreate until the cows come home.”
“What’s wrong with procreation? Isn’t that what you do?”
Wade leaned down, brushing against her as he put the knife in the sink. With his cheek close to hers, he tilted his head until his lips were so close to her ear his breath moved her hair. “I don’t have sex to reproduce, I have sex to come.” He tipped the brim of his hat and smiled before he walked out the back door, leaving Carly with her jaw agape and her eyes wide.
Chapter 4
Little Runaway
Wade sat back on his porch watching the last lady hen leave the West house and vanish down the driveway. The people in this town may be off, but it sure was peaceful out here. He leaned back, relaxing now that things were settling in for the night. It had been a long day. “What the hell?”
He leaned forward to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him. “I’ll be a son-of-a-bitch. She is a flight risk.” He stood and concealed himself in the shadows as Carly exited a window from the second story. Wade watched her grab the ladder on the chimney, and swing off the first floor roof like an acrobat. She’d obviously done this before. Shit. She was going for the horses. He’d have to go bareback if he wanted to see what she was up to, or he could stop her now, but his curiosity was itching to find out where she was going.
After she blew out of the stable on her horse, Wade ran in and grabbed the quarter horse from stall one. He kept a safe distance behind her and prayed his horse didn’t make a sound. They were farther back in the field than he’d gone and he wasn’t sure if they were still on the Wests’ land. He stayed back as she dismounted, and only realized his error when he saw headlights. She was gone; tearing out of the backfield as if it was on fire. He turned the horse back toward the stable and road at top speed. He’d catch her. He’d never lost a bounty, and he didn’t intend to start with her.
* * * *
Wade rolled his eyes when he saw the beat up truck in the honky tonk parking lot not even a county over. She went through all the trouble of sneaking out and then parked in the front of the bar. At least she went a couple of towns away from home. He put his truck in park and headed inside. His alert gaze zeroed in on his little runaway. Some asshole had her against the wall, leaning into her. He watched her and tried to tamp down the bitter memories that threatened to overtake him, but something wasn’t right about the scene playing out in front of him. Carly looked tense and uneasy.
The memories started rising as he walked toward Carly. She tilted her head back, and the guy leaned in right as Wade snatched him back. His eyes locked with Carly’s, while he ignored the guy’s insults and yanked her off the wall.
“Who the hell are you?” The guy pushed a finger in Wade’s chest.
“Your worst fuckin’ nightmare if you don’t back out of my space.”
“Let me go.” Carly pulled her arm, but Wade held tight.
“You keep tuggin’, Carly, and I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here like a bag of feed.”
“Let her go.” The man grabbed her other arm and stepped closer to him. Chest-to-chest, Wade glared down at him.
“You got three seconds to leave us alone before I knock your teeth down your throat.” He smiled at the man, which completely disarmed him. The man released Carly’s arm and walked the other way.
Wade yanked Carly forward as she cursed at him, but his mind was filtering through the past too fast to react. His free hand rubbed his chest as the deep, emotional scar from the past oozed open.
His girl was supposed to come to him that night. He’d proposed to her earlier, but the ring hadn’t been ready. Then Jake, his best friend, had called and warned him not to marry her. Said she’d been unfaithful.
He yanked open the passenger side door. “Get in the damn truck, Carly.”
“Fuck you. You have no right.” She pushed back as he pushed her toward the seat.
“I swear to God, I will wash your mouth out with soap and spank your smart ass if you do not get in this truck.” She climbed in, and as he slammed the truck door, he heard Jake’s voice as if he was standing there.
I betrayed you, Wade. I slept with your girl. I took her innocence. If not with me, she’ll do it again with someone else.
Her diary had shown more than he wanted to know, but her family was so angry with him after the ME’s report showed she was with child, they made a point to read her entries at her funeral. She wrote she was coming to give herself to him not Jake, and he’d never touched her beyond a couple of kisses and foreplay. When they saw the ring, they automatically assumed the baby was his, and if it hadn’t been for him, she’d be alive. To the town, he was shit. They accused him of taking advantage of the girl and practically killing her. He hadn’t met a faithful woman after that.
He started the truck, glanced at Carly and was thankful he’d never let another woman get close to him because this was what he had to look forward to.
“What the hell do you think you were doin’ in there?” He pressed the gas hard and spun out of the parking lot. “Is this how you act when a man proposes to you? Offers to spend his life with you. You are about to be married!”
“Maybe I don’t want to be married! Not to him.”
“What?”He watched her face tighten, and her breaths became uneven.
“I just wanted to dance, maybe get a kiss before I have to go do this married thing. Please, don’t tell my daddy.”
“Why are you marryin’ him if you don’t want to?”
“It’s an arranged marriage.” She stared out the window. “I have to marry him, it’s our way, well it is now. My daddy set the whole thing up through the church.”
“Why don’t you just say no?”
“It would ruin my daddy. I couldn’t do that to him. He’s been through so much since my mama died. Besides, Daddy said it’s not like the boys are linin’ up at the fence for me.” Her blue eyes glistened, and the first t
ear fell.
Ah, hell. Change of subject needed. He breathed in a calming breath. “So, why did you want to dance?”
“I never have before”
“Ever?”
“No. Well, by myself when no one’s watchin’.”
Wade felt for her, but… he couldn’t mess this up, or what was left of his brother’s reputation would be gone. He’d never get decent work again. “Carly, I still have a job to do, and part of it is keepin’ you in line.”
She huffed. “Just like the rest of them. Are you going to tell my daddy, or are you gonna tell me to drop to my knees like the rest of them too?” She palmed her dress. “A trade to keep you quiet.”
“What? Have you done that?”
“Hell no! Why do you think Buddy needed ice for his balls?” She giggled.
“You don’t usually wear makeup, do you?” he asked as they turned up the long drive to her house. His eyes landed on her daddy sitting on the porch, shotgun in hand.
“No. Why?”
Wade leaned over her, popped open the glove box, and handed her napkins and a bottle of water he retrieved from the seat. “Better start wipin’ before your dad sees it.”
Carly followed Wade’s line of sight. “Oh, shit.”
Wade parked the truck. Walking to Carly’s side, he opened the door.
Mr. West met them halfway up the yard, and pointed the shotgun at Wade: “What the hell is goin’ on here?”
They stood in silence for a minute.
“Daddy, it’s my fault.”
“Am I gonna have to lock you in your room again?”
“What she means, is it’s her fault she didn’t gas the truck up before she headed out of town to check on a lower wheat price. I’ll pick up the truck tomorrow, Sir, and your little girl is home safe.”
“Oh. Well… thank you, Wade.” He lowered the shotgun. “Young lady, get up to your room.”
“Yes, Daddy.” She glanced at Wade as she moved by him. His eyes seemed to caress her as she passed. It was almost as good as a hug.
He was the reason she’d went out tonight. She’d struggled with the plans she’d made, but after the comment he’d made in the kitchen, she knew she had to follow through with her night out. I have sex to come. His words still stuck in her head, and she wondered what it would be like to have sex with him just too… do that. She tossed and turned for hours. Why had she revealed those things to Wade about dancing and family matters? She’d never shared her true feelings before, but he’s the first person since her mama died who had shown her any real attention, and, he didn’t tell her daddy where she’d been. She rubbed her arm where he’d held it. His grip was tighter than anything she’d felt. She could still feel the warmth of his hand and see the anger in his eyes. Why had he been so angry? It wasn’t like she was his and marrying him. Oh… what would that be like?
She wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight with thoughts of Wade Dawson dancing in her head. First thing in the morning she’d have to thank him for everything he’d done for her.
Chapter 5
Busted
Wade rose at 5 a.m. Sitting on the bed, he reached for his boots with accelerated movements. He didn’t want to be around when the rest of the farm woke and hoped to sneak out before anyone spotted him. Carly had plagued his mind all night. The things playing through his head were thoughts he shouldn’t be having. She was cute and a ball of fire when mad, which had a strange affect on him. She seemed innocent, but he wasn’t sure if it was an act or not. He was still trying to wrap his brain around her admission she’d never danced. Not your problem and why should you care? Right. Thank God, his subconscious was working at 5 a.m. because nothing else seemed to be. Well, maybe one thing was working. He looked down, cursed the throbbing erection between his legs, and then cursed the little, blue-eyed, freckled hellion who woke it up. He slid a white cotton shirt over his head and grabbed his hat. It was going to be a long day in the hot sun. Hopefully, he’d burn her from his brain.
Although his mind was troubled, it was hard to be anything but grateful when a morning looked like this one. He drove the truck down the back path and peered beneath the visor. The sun had barely cracked open the sky. He spotted rabbits on the left side and a deer on the right as he made his way to the disheveled fence. He dropped the posthole digger next to the broken piece of timber and inhaled deeply. The cool air wouldn’t last, and the humidity that wrapped around him as he dug the first hole proved it. He worked at a steady pace and before he realized it, he had wrapped the final piece of wire around the last post. After collecting the tools he’d brought, he threw them into the bed of the truck. His skin felt the sun’s kiss. He’d stayed out all day, much longer than he usually did, but he’d managed to get half of the fence repaired on the backside of the property line. Even more, he’d managed to avoid everyone, like he wanted to. He parked the truck by the stable and grabbed the tools from the bed.
“Have you seen Carly?”
Wade looked around, stepped inside the stable, and his eyes fell upon a man walking toward him from the front of the stable. “Nope.” He eyed the sandy, blonde-haired man. He carried himself as if he was lit up on a showroom floor for everyone’s pleasure. “You are?”
“Chet. Carly’s fiancé.”
Wade didn’t like him at first glance, and now he found himself grinding his teeth together. He didn’t know the man, but something inside him twitched with caution, and usually his instincts were right. At least, that’s what he told himself because his reaction couldn’t have anything to do with Carly. Nope. Not a thing.
“Chet? What are you doing here?” Carly stood outside the stable entryway.
The sunset circled around her as if she was a vision in a dream. Wade mentally shook himself. She was wearing another homely dress, which flowed all the way down to her ankles. He was starting to appreciate those dresses.
She approached them with fidgeting hands, laced together and pulled up to her chest. Wade stepped inside the horse’s stable and picked up the brush to occupy his mind and give them privacy.
“I came to remind you… you’re meetin’ my mama tomorrow.”
“I know.”
“You have a habit of forgettin’ things, and this is for your dress fittin’.”
“I know.” Carly stood in front of him. Her head slightly tilted toward Wade before she correct the movement. “How about a kiss?”
“When we’re married. How many times are you gonna ask me?”
“Until you kiss me.”
“Have I kissed you yet?”
“No.”
“Then stop askin’. You can wait. I’ll kiss you on our weddin’ day.” His eyes flicked to his watch, and with an annoyed glare, he met Carly’s gaze. “Go on’, get back in the house. Make sure you get plenty of sleep tonight, and be on time for my mama.”
Wade shook his head and moved to brush the other side of the horse. He peered through the wooden planks and watched Carly turn on cue and walk out of the stable. This guy was a piece of work. No wonder she didn’t want to marry him. The way he bossed her around, he was almost like her daddy. The horse stomped his foot, and its tail swung up, knocking into Wade’s cowboy hat. Yeah… I know. It’s none of my business. Stay out of it. He patted the horse’s neck, thanking him for putting his mind straight. His hand stilled as Chet’s lowered voice reached his ears.
“Yeah, I’m on my way.” He laughed, and Wade caught his smug expression as he threw his head back. “Yep. Got her eatin’ out of my hand. She asked for another kiss too. Just wait, she’ll pay for turnin’ me down all those years. Now she knows what it feels like to keep askin’ for somethin’ and never gettin’ it. She’ll be barefoot and pregnant for a long time.” He put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a set of keys, and walked toward his truck. “Sally there? Put her on… Hey, baby, I’m on my way to see you. Um, that sounds good. You keep that warm for me, and I’ll be right there to take care of you.”
“Shit.” Wade threw the brush
in the bucket and stared at the tailgate of the truck as it blew dust up in the drive. He rubbed his chin with his hand. “Stay out of it. It’s none of your business.”
Wade repeated those words all the way to his cabin; the mantra was becoming a habit. His hot shower may have washed off the dust from the day’s hard work, but he still felt dirty from hearing Chet’s conversation. He walked out onto the porch. Resting his hands on the rail, he hung his head. He couldn’t wait to get out of this town and back to his own business. He turned toward the sound of footsteps approaching him.
“Mr. Dawson. I tied the horse to the back of the cabin and left the truck where you asked me to,” Earl, the only ranch hand Wade hadn’t fired, said. “I’m headin’ home tonight, if that’s alright with you?”
“Of course. Thanks, Earl.”
Nightfall was consuming the light fast, and nothing compared to nightfall in the country. It was pitch black, not an ounce of light pollution for miles. He was looking forward to the stars tonight. Maybe he’d grab a blanket, head to the back field and climb in the bed of the truck. He needed the peacefulness that simple pleasure brought.
“Aw, hell.” He stepped back into the corner of the porch and watched the little hellion scale down the side of the house from the second story like Spider Man. He jumped over the rail and headed toward the horse tied at the back of the house.
Carly hit the ground without making a sound and walked the shadowed line to the stable. Soon she’d be free, if only for a couple of hours. Wade had avoided her today, even slinked back into the stable to brush the horse rather than look at her. That hurt, but she didn’t know why it should. She’d known Chet her whole life, and nothing he did bothered her. Chet used to push her down in school, and he’d ripped her shirt once when she refused to date or kiss him. She felt like a fool asking him for a kiss, but shouldn’t they know if they’re going to like each other that way? She grabbed Lightning’s mane and slung her leg over the blanket she’d placed on his back. None of this business with Chet seemed to matter to her; it was Wade buzzing around her head like gnats in the summer heat. Her thoughts would change in about an hour. She planned to get her shine on, and if anything could get him out of her head, it was a stiff drink.
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