The urge to stop and simply take her into his arms and kiss her was overpowering. But they had time now and Shep didn’t want to rush her. He gave an imperceptible shake of his head, realizing that they had literally crashed into one another at the party. It had been instant attraction so powerful that neither could think coherently. He remembered that night. Tess was no longer that unsure young woman. She seemed to have matured overnight. But in the process she had lost the spontaneity, the naturalness he had once admired.
Shep squeezed her hand momentarily. I’ll help you regain that part of yourself, he said in his mind. I’ll give you the love and support to be all that you can be, Tess. One day…
At the bottom of the narrow valley they came upon a small stream that rushed over multicolored rocks of all shapes and sizes. Shep urged her to drink from it. Tess knelt down, cupping the water in her hands, sipping it cautiously. As she raised her head up, her face registered a mixture of surprise and delight. The water was icy cold and sweet. He smiled, pulling out a small woven tablecloth of bright red and spreading it beneath the large arms of a sequoia. The tree seemed to be king of the entire valley, proudly surveying all in its realm. She got to her feet and joined Shep. Even now her heart pounded with awareness of him. Tess found herself wanting to be close to him, to be touched by him.
“What’s for lunch? I’m starved,” she said, smiling.
“Would you believe chicken salad sandwiches, apples and M & NTs for dessert?”
Tess giggled. “M & M’s? Are you expecting to lure leprechauns from the depths of the forest by leaving them a few morsels under a tree?”
“No, they’re for us. Not leprechauns!”
She pouted momentarily, her blue eyes alive with mirth. “Spoilsport. Killing all my wild imaginings.”
Shep handed her a sandwich. “Sorry, lass. I guess the practical side of my nature wins out. The chocolate is a good source of energy.”
“It’s a good thing yours does because mine doesn’t. Not on a day like this.” She inhaled deeply, feeling giddy and childlike once again.
He smiled. “We’re a natural balance for one another,” he said softly. He winked at her. “You go on imagining that there are fairies or leprechauns.”
She sighed comfortably. “How did you know that as a child I was always dreaming?”
“I see the daydreamer in you. It’s in your lovely blue eyes.” He grinned wickedly. “Just how the hell did you get an MBA, lady? Why didn’t you end up an artist? Or a writer?”
Tess returned the grin, hungrily biting into one of the delicious-tasting sandwiches. “I was hot on math as a two-year-old. Does that explain it?”
“And when did you do all this dreaming?” he prodded.
“Oh, I’d be up in my room hurrying to get my homework done. Then I’d sit by the window, watching the sunset. I’d watch the colors change, imagining that there was an invisible artist up there in the sky with a brush rearranging colors right before my eyes. Sometimes there would be broad, bold strokes and other times, soft watercolor tints from his magic palette of paints.” She gave him a sheepish look. “Does that sound crazy?”
Shep shook his head. “No,” he answered seriously. “Because when I’m flying up there at the limits of the sky I always feel like I’m a part of something greater.”
She tilted her head. “Oh? In what way? Describe it to me.”
“Promise you won’t laugh?” he asked.
“Scout’s honor,” she returned solemnly.
He finished his sandwich and rested his head against the tree, looking up through the thick, powerful limbs that held scraggly fan-shaped leaves. “Sometimes, Tess, in a quiet moment when we aren’t running tests, I’ll go up in a T-38 just to escape the confines of the earth. I like to get away from the people, the noises, the crowded space. I can be tense and have a splitting headache when I strap into the cockpit. But climbing into that blue sky with nothing but vivid color surrounding me, the quiet vibration of the plane slips away, and I feel like I’m one with the sky.” He lifted his head, staring into her wide azure eyes. Eyes that he could drown himself in. “It’s an indescribable feeling. As if I’ve become a part of something larger, more spiritual, if you will, in that moment of time. When I fly back and land, I feel at peace within. My tension is gone, the headache has disappeared and I’m happy again.” He shook his head ruefully. “Maybe I’m just running away for an hour or so to recapture my sanity. I don’t know.”
Tess reached over, placing her hand on his arm, feeling the tautness of his skin, the wiry texture of the dark hair on it. “No,” she whispered, “it’s a healing place for you.” Her lips parted, full and inviting. “My grandmother, Caitlin O’Gentry, gave me my link with nature. She taught me that everything is alive. This tree, that plant. Even the rocks hold a living spirit. And yes, she taught me to believe in fairies, gnomes, elves and leprechauns. She used to steal me away to her home on weekends.” Tess laughed softly in remembrance. “Gram used to tell my Mom and Dad that they should let me grow up like a normal child.” Her eyes grew misty. “She used to tell me she was rescuing me from all the schoolwork. Gram felt I devoted too much time to study and not enough time to play. She made up for what I was missing. I’d go walking with her on early mornings just as the sun was peeking over the horizon and the dew was still on the plants. Gram would stop at certain places and ask me to close my eyes and tell her what I felt. Or heard.”
Shep gently entwined his fingers through her own. “And what did you feel or hear?”
She closed her eyes, caught up in the fond memories of days that had meant so much to her. “I thought I heard laughter sometimes. At first I told Gram it was the wind in the trees. And she’d laugh in her kindly fashion and tell me to open my eyes. There would be not a breeze moving through the trees. And then she would ask me to close my eyes and feel.” Tess turned, taking in his understanding face. “At different spots where we walked, I could feel a warmth or love surrounding us. In some areas, there would be an incredible sense of peace or protection. In others, disharmony.” She blushed, averting her gaze. “I’m sure this sounds crazy!”
Shep shook his head. “No, honey. Because I get that same feeling of peace and contentment when I’m up in the sky.” He stared at her intently. She was so close … so incredibly alive, pulsing with the heartbeat of the world around them. He reached out, sliding his fingers across her shoulder, pulling her toward him. Bringing her chin up, he captured her face, lowering his head to meet her parting lips.
His mouth brushed across her lips. Tess shivered outwardly, wildly aware of his roughened fingers against the curve of her jaw, holding her captive to his searching, hungry mouth. The second time he kissed her, it took her breath away. His mouth pressed firmly against her lips, questing, branding. The natural scent of his body was a heady aphrodisiac, sending her senses spinning, out-of-control. A soft moan rose in her throat as his tongue stroked the inner recesses of her mouth, tasting, tantalizing her to join him. She turned, pressing herself against his chest, her arm curving naturally around his neck in response. The warmth of his breath fanned across her face. His mouth grew gentle with her lips once again, inviting her participation. Wanting, needing her to return his ardor.
Shep groaned as he felt the tentative pressure of her lips against his mouth. He sensed her building desire, her hesitancy, her lips soft and tremulous beneath his own. Gently he eased the pressure, allowing her to explore him at her own pace. He fought for control of his raging hunger. It would be so easy to lower her to the scented carpet of pine needles and make love to her. So easy…. The tentative touch of her lips against his own was devastating to his crumbling defenses. She was a butterfly barely touching his mouth. She smelled of pine, fresh air, and the musky scent of her own body.
Tess felt bereft as he gently pulled away from her. Her eyes were dazed looking as she searched his face. She trembled beneath the hands he placed on her shoulders. Heart pounding, she felt molten fire throbbing and pulsing wi
thin her. Just a kiss? she thought. No, it had been much more than that. She stared at Shep in childlike wonder.
He took a deep breath, gripping her shoulders and giving her a small shake. “God, you’re so much a woman,” he breathed solidly. “And if I kiss you one more time, I won’t be responsible,” he continued thickly. “You need time. I’ve got to give it to you, honey. You can’t be rushed.” He expelled a long breath, allowing his hands to drop away. Leaning back against the tree he muttered, “God, I want you so much.”
Tess closed her eyes, getting to her knees, hands clasped in her lap. What was happening? Her body seemed to have a life of its own. She had never experienced such huge draughts of pleasure through the simple act of kissing. Cy had never provoked such violent desire in her. She gravely met Shep’s dark eyes. The fierce intensity of passion in them sent a shiver of expectancy through her. The realization that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her shook her completely.
“Shep, I—”
He reached out, sliding his fingers down her arm. “Ssshh, words aren’t necessary. Just feel, Tess. Just feel….”
Chapter 7
TESS GROANED AS SHE TOOK OFF HER SHOES, TENDERLY rubbing her sore feet. She sat at a table on the small porch of the cabin. The two-room structure was made from rough-cut whole logs which had been painted a rust brown color. Shep glanced up after depositing an armload of cut wood beside the iron cooking stove.
“Blisters?”
“No. They’re just a little achy. I’m not used to traveling on foot more than one floor at a time, you know.”
He grinned, rising to his full height. As the day had unfolded, Tess had seen a miraculous change in Shep. She marveled at his knowledge of the forest and its inhabitants. They must have hiked at least ten miles that afternoon before returning in the early evening to the cabin. She had had such a delightful time that the miles and hours had slipped away without notice. And that one unforgettable kiss…. Tess raised her head, staring at Shep’s mouth, which was now fixed in a wicked smile. She returned it, enjoying the sparkle of silver deep in his eyes as he came around and sat down with her at the small wood table.
“Here,” he murmured, “the least I can do is rub the lady’s feet for her. Sit back and enjoy it.”
She laughed, allowing him to place her leg across his thigh. Very gently, he began to stroke away the miles. Tess closed her eyes. “This is ecstasy!” she moaned, delighting in his skillful manipulation of her aching feet.
“You’re not getting off scot-free, you know,” he growled.
Tess opened one eye, giving him a wary look. “Oh?”
“Up here in the mountains we all pitch in and help. I’ll let you off easy tonight. If you’ll peel the potatoes, I’ll get the fire started.”
“Who’s cooking?” she asked.
“Me. Why? Don’t you think pilots can do the menial, earthbound things performed by the rest of the populace?”
She grinned. “Who knows? I’ve heard that you test pilots with the golden arms are so highly trained that you aren’t like the rest of us common folk!”
Shep gave her an intent look. “It’s a good thing I’ve rescued you from that narrow line of thinking, lady.” He released one leg and brought up the other, beginning to massage the foot. “Golden arm or no golden arm, we’re human. Very human,” he added huskily.
Tess avoided his eyes, knowing instinctively what he meant. Ever since the kiss, there had been a pulsing, subtle excitement between them. New ties had been established in those fragile, beautiful moments. Her body responded to his searching gray gaze, and she warmed beneath his stare. “So human that you can burn a meal?” she retorted genially. “Really, I’ll do the cooking if you want,” she offered.
Shep glanced at the black stove. “You ever cooked on one of these things?”
“Well…no…”
“It’s a wood fire and it heats unevenly depending upon the type of wood being used. If the wood is too dry, it burns hot and fast—which means your meal can get done too quickly or get burned. And if it’s green wood, it’s a low-heat fire, and then nothing gets done very fast.”
“Doesn’t sound too promising,” she decided. “You act as if you know what you’re doing. I’ll be the helper tonight.”
He smiled wryly, giving the bottom of her foot a pat. “I always knew you were practical when it counted,” he said, rising. “Tonight we’ll have steak, fried potatoes and a salad. How does that sound?”
Tess laughed. “Wonderful! Who would think you would know so much about so many things?”
He moved around the small porch, beginning to build a fire in the old iron stove. “Stick around, lady,” he murmured, “there’s more that I want to share and show you,” he promised, glancing over at her in the twilight.
*
The meal had been succulent. They sat at the table, their elbows propped up on the surface, slowly sipping rosé wine from plastic cups. The last vestige of dusk had long since been swallowed up by the encroaching night. Tess heard the laughter and voices of other campers at cabins to the right of them. “Up here,” she mused softly, “it seems like everyone laughs a lot.”
Shep stirred, gazing across the table at her. “Up here, there’s an air of relaxation. Of peace. You can feel it.” He set his cup down. “Feel like a walk?” he offered.
She pursed her lips. “You’d better define walk, Shep Ramsey. The last time it ended up being ten miles.”
He got up, ambled around the table and held out his hand to her. “Just to Beetle Rock,” he promised.
She tilted her head. “Where’s that?”
“You don’t trust me?”
Grinning, she got up. “No.”
He clasped her hand, pulling her beside him, slipping his arm around her waist. An unnamed happiness coursed through him as she slid her arm around his waist. “Beetle Rock is that granite escarpment we first walked across this morning.” He led her down the three wooden steps and guided her from the pine-needled carpet to the rock. “There. We’re on Beetle Rock now. Think you can walk a few feet further?”
Tess laughed fully, pressing her head momentarily against his shoulder. “Okay, I owe you an apology!”
“Are all Irishwomen so distrustful, I wonder?” he mused.
Tess barely heard his teasing retort. Her lips parted as her gaze swept upward. “Oh, Shep …” she breathed.
He stopped, holding her close, enjoying her response to the newly fallen night. Above them a ceiling of stars appeared so close that all one had to do was reach out and touch them. The Milky Way lay slightly to the north, like a sandy shore with thousands of stars posing as grains of sand. To the south was an area of darkness that appeared to be a cosmic ocean in the heavens crashing toward that star-laden shore. He leaned over, inhaling her natural sweet scent, placing a kiss on her hair. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” he murmured.
Tess trembled within his embrace as she stared skyward in awe. “They’re so bright!” she exclaimed.
“No smog up here, thank God,” he growled. “Also, we’re at seven thousand feet, and that makes us closer to the heavens.”
She turned, facing him. “Do you realize how long it’s been since I saw stars shining like this? Why, it must be at least ten years!”
He smiled down at her. “You mean the lady with the MBA living in her ivory tower at Rockwell misses all this?”
“What are you trying to say?”
Slipping his other arm around her waist, he drew her gently against him. Her thighs fitted snugly against his legs, sending an aching awareness through every fiber of his body. He tilted his head, gazing down at her questioning features. A curious smile played on his mouth as he studied her in the intervening silence. “Do you really want to know, Irish princess?” he murmured.
Tess barely nodded, resting her hands against the wall of his chest. “Yes,” she answered, her voice barely audible, “I want to know what you think.”
He lifted his head, staring out into the
darkness of the valley they had walked in earlier. “When I first saw you, I thought you looked conspicuously out of place. I was struck by the fact that you looked so fresh and vibrantly alive compared to everyone else at that party. While they were wearing the latest designer outfits, you came dressed in a very old-fashioned, beautiful gown of ivory and lace.” A tender smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “In your own way, Tess, I think you were making a statement about yourself. Maybe you didn’t even realize it consciously yourself. You are different from the people who inhabit the business world you live in.”
“Survive in would be more like it,” she said, frowning. Shep was too close and too alluring. Gently she stepped away, silently asking to be released. Reluctantly, he allowed his arms to drop. She turned away, chewing on her lower lip. “I’m coming to realize that I really don’t know myself,” she admitted. Wrapping her arms against her breast she walked a few more feet and stopped. “Every day I go to work, Shep, it’s an uphill battle. It seems as though all the men in management below me are jealous of my position. I know they’d like to get rid of me, but so far I’ve managed to stay one step ahead of them.”
She turned, her face filled with pain. “I don’t know what a test pilot’s world is like, but I can tell you it’s hell in my world. There are so few women in management in Rockwell.” She gave a shrug. “Of course, it’s part of the defense industry, so it’s no wonder chauvinism exists. It’s a male bastion, so to speak.” She walked back to where he was standing. “When Cy brought me in as his assistant, I took the heat from the women below me. The men figured that I was little more than a bed warmer to keep Cy company.” Her eyes darkened. “That hurt, Shep. It hurt me deeply. You tease me about my MBA. Some of the men say I slept with my professors to get that too.”
He reached out, gently stroking her cheek. “If it helps any, Tess, I know you earned every bit of that degree. And further more, princess, you’re holding your own now even without Cy being there. Aren’t you?”
She hung her head, compressing her lips. “Yes. And that’s causing another ripple in the company. Now that they know I can do my job, some of them are plotting to get rid of me in other ways.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up at him. “Damn it, Shep, why are they doing this? I used to be so idealistic. I came to Rockwell with a burning team spirit. All for one and one for all.” She wiped a lone tear away in a cutting motion. “I’m too trusting, I’ve found out. Do I have to take on masculine characteristics in order to survive? To keep my job?”
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