Wine and Roses

by Ursula Sinclair

  When Eboni saw the crate, she made a beeline in its direction. “What’s this?”

  He placed her bag in one of the storage bins over a seat. “That little mongrel is Gunner.”

  She bent down to get a better look at the sleeping dog. “Oh, how cute. What breed?”

  He laughed. “Boston Terrier and Chihuahua as near as we can tell. A little pest if you ask me.”

  “He’s adorable!” she said, sticking a finger through the wiring in the front to caress the dog’s ear. “How long have you had him?”

  “About a month. But I’m looking for a home for him. As you know, with all the traveling I have to do for work, pets just aren’t my thing. You want him?”

  “I wish, but no, not with the long hours I put in at the salon. But he’s awfully cute.” She took the window seat across the aisle from the crate.

  The pilot asked them to take their seats, and he planted himself beside her, satisfied to simply thread his fingers with hers. Who would have thought holding hands would be so satisfying. Knowing Eboni sat safely next to him, he closed his eyes and slept. And the past pulled him back.

  ***

  “Goddamn it! How many times woman do I have to tell ya not to touch my shit!”

  “I’m sorry, Sam. I promise it won’t happen again.”

  “She didn’t do it, Pa. Jas did.”

  Simon could hear the raised voices as he neared the shed. The gruff slurred tones of his father rising in volume with each word he spoke. The louder his voice got, the more his anger rose. Simon needed no one to tell him his father was drunk again and dangerous. His mother knew it, so did he, which was why he ran toward the yelling. The scared wobbly voice of his mother followed the crying wail of one of his brothers. Simon couldn’t move fast enough. The scene unfolding before him happened in slow motion. His father turned and backhanded Jas, him landing so his head hit the side of the ride-on lawnmower. His twin, Josh, rushed toward their father with his fist raised, and his mother lunged to grab him back. Only to run right into his father’s balled beefy fist. He heard the crack from the blow to her temple as he raced across the small space to stand between his parents. Shoving his father away from his mother—hard. If he weren’t so drunk, it wouldn’t have budged his father’s six feet and 300 pound body. Simon’s lanky seventeen-year-old frame would not normally have had much impact. But drunk as his dad was he stumbled, falling backward right onto the pitchfork impaling him through the neck.

  After the first initial shock of his father’s blood spreading over more of the ground, he swung toward the twins, seated on either side of their mother. Her beautiful brown eyes wide open in terror but she didn’t see any of them. She’d never see anything again. The doctor later said she’d been struck so hard at a soft spot on the brain she hemorrhaged and probably died instantly. God, he hoped so. She’d suffered enough. Her nightmare of a life with his father finally over. His had just begun.

  ***

  Simon came back to the land of the present when he heard the pilot’s voice saying they’d land in about half an hour. Blinking, he raised his hands to adjust the shades on his face, letting the memories recede back into the far corners of his mind. He’d bury them for good, if he could, but they’d come out to play again sometime. Shifting his head, he glanced down at Eboni. She lay with her head on a pillow tucked against his shoulder. Her peaceful rest drew a smile from him shoving the lingering remnants of his bleak past out of his mind and making him concentrate on her. He kissed her head before touching her shoulder and gently shaking it.

  “Wake up, sleepy head, we’re almost there.”

  “Hmm….” She yawned and opened her eyes before smiling at him. If that wasn’t an invitation, he didn’t know what one looked like. Twisting, he wrapped his arm under her back bringing her closer to him while she twined her arms around his neck and fused her mouth to his. God, his wanting this woman had never stopped. He’d been fooling himself, one night was not enough not even two. On some level he knew the mistake of thinking about a long-term relationship. He was not the pick out china and go through paint color samples sorta guy. The kind Eboni needed. He pulled back, breaking the kiss before either of them really wanted to and straightened up in his seat.

  “We’ll be landing shortly,” he said.

  “Okay.” She straightened up, too, and turned her face to stare out the window.

  ***

  “Hey, it’s me. What the hell happened?”

  “He made us. What the fuck do you think?”

  “Well, he’s moved her and now because of this screw up there’s going to be an investigation.”

  “Can you stall it?”

  “Fraid not, my ass is on the line. The feds are here now, too. I stalled the paper work as long as I could, but as soon as your picture popped up, they were all over it. And besides they know who the dead guy is.”

  “Damn. Where was the woman moved to?”

  “Forget about her. My instructions are to tell you to make like smoke and fade away.”

  “I can’t leave her alive,” Bennis growled. “And the dude she was with, he and I have personal business.”

  “Simon? You know Simon Blackcat?”

  “Yeah and I owe him. Where the fuck has she been moved to?”

  “Blackcat wouldn’t tell us. But I managed to follow them to an airfield and found out where the plane was headed.”

  “And that would be?” Bennis asked.

  “Montana, Missoula.”

  “What the fuck is there?”

  “Hell if I know, maybe just trying to put distance between you.”

  “Not for long. Okay find out where exactly.”

  “Listen, I can’t ask any more questions or get any further involved in this. That was not the arrangement we had.”

  “I’ll be wiring another ten thousand to your account. You have twenty-four hours to get me that information.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Chapter Nine

  Eboni didn’t know what to expect. She’d never been to Montana before, and the only thing she knew about Big Sky was from watching the Brad Pitt movie, A River Runs Through It. She certainly understood why they called this part of the country Big Sky. It seemed as though the world was relegated down to one color, blue. For miles that’s all she could see, an endless skyway and if she stood on tiptoe and stretched her hands high enough she’d be able to touch it.

  Simon didn’t say much after leaving the airport. They got a rented Jeep, and stopped the first chance they got. Gunner woke up and needed a bathroom break, which alone took twenty minutes. He was an adorable dog, black and white markings, about fifteen pounds so not too big but not too small either. A nice manageable size. Contrary to what Simon said, judging by the way he and Gunner played together, he loved the dog and the dog loved him. Not a hard thing to do at all.

  They’d been driving along for a little over an hour with Gunner sleeping on Eboni’s lap. Earlier Simon tried putting him back in his crate but he refused to get back in. After fifteen minutes of a battle of wills, they’d let him out in the back seat, and he’d promptly climbed into the front and planted himself on her lap. Not budging since.

  After turning off the main road, ten minutes later, they took a right turn unto a gravel covered road. Only Gunner’s soft snores disturbed the silence in the car, but neither bothered her. The breathtaking scenery made her wish she could paint or had a camera. She used her Smartphone to take a couple of shots to send to her sister.

  When Simon veered off the road, they ended up on a dirt one. She found her voice. “Is this even a road?” She rattled off, while hanging on to the handle above the passenger door so she wouldn’t bounce so high she’d hit her head against the car ceiling. Through it all still managed to keep a sleeping Gunner on her lap. “I think those drugs are still in his system,” she said, looking at the dog.

  “Yeah, probably a good thing. And sorry about this. Must have been some rain recently. I don’t remember this roa
d being quite this bumpy.”

  “Good to know that these potholes the size of manhole covers aren’t around when it’s not raining.”

  He turned to her. God, she loved it when he smiled at her with a slight curl of his lips. That was the look he’d given her the first time she’d met him at the salon. She quickly turned her head to stare forward, not wanting to risk becoming any more ensnared by him, yet fearing her ship sailed already, and with her at the helm. For crying out loud, she’d slept with the man once. Okay four times, but only for one night. The only reason she’d left early the next morning was because she didn’t want to risk getting hurt. Men like Simon…well they didn’t stay, and something inside her feared she wanted him to. And his leaving might not be something to get over anytime soon. So she’d cut things short. For all the good it did her. She couldn’t get him out of her mind since.

  Only now he’d taken up residence in her life and already proved she held no immunity against him, and God help her, he still wanted her. Suddenly they cleared a hill, and she could see the river several yards in front of her. The dirt road they drove on led straight up to a small house nestled in a clearing with the mountains at its back. Simon pulled up in front of the house. There didn’t appear to be a garage, just the graveled area where he stopped.

  “Oh my. This is stunning.” The river was wide enough she could make out if someone stood across from her and waved. But no one did. Only a forest of trees stood on the other side. A small dock floated near the side of the house, and a dark tarp covered something large, pulled right up on the banks of the river. “Is that a boat?” she asked Simon.

  “Yes. I keep it stored like that to protect it. But it also makes it easier for anyone wanting to use it to get it out onto the water.”

  Eboni turned to look at him. Simon held her full attention. “You own this place?”

  “Yes.”

  Gunner took that moment to get up and yawn. Sitting up, the dog looked around as Simon opened the car door and stepped out. Gunner jumped over the center console and jumped out the door right after his master. She got out, too, opening the back door to grab her purse and the dog crate while he got their bags. There’d been a duffle bag all set for him in the car they’d switched with Frank. Gunner had already run down toward the river. Simon paused to watch the dog as she walked around the car to the front door of the log cabin and paused.

  “Gunner. Come. Now.” Simon called to the dog that came tearing across the yard toward them.

  “This place truly is beautiful,” she said. “How long have you owned it?”

  “I was born here.”

  “What?” Talk about a shocker. She turned to look around even more. “This is your home; you brought me to your home?” She couldn’t wrap her mind around actually being in the place where he grew up. He never answered her only headed for the steps leading to the wrap around porch and the front door, his dog at his side. He shifted the bags he held to get the key ring dangling from his front pocket. After pulling it out, he unlocked the door, and she quickly followed behind him. Gunner ran in first and immediately sniffed everything in sight.

  The house smelled like the pine wood it had been made from and seemed well-cared for. A log cabin, the dark brown stain on the outside logs looked recently done. Nothing showed wear about the exterior. Except for the roof, the tiles were faded in some places showing signs of a little scuffing. She couldn’t tell the age of the house, could be a year or twenty-years-old, but if he had been born there it was way older than it appeared.

  She followed him into the interior of the home. He moved off to the side and opened blinds letting light into the darken rooms, and the more light he let in the more she could see of the place. “You grew up here?”

  “Yes. Come on, I’ll show you where to put your stuff. Leave the crate right there, I’ll get it later.”

  He moved past her to head for a hallway to her right, but she stayed put for a moment glancing around. They’d entered into a small foyer. From the outside, the house looked like an L shape. With the view of the river on the inner part and the front of the L. The small living room area appeared more lived in than cluttered. In the far corner of the room, wood piled as high as her waist lay in a cart next to an iron stove. A pipe came out from the top of the stove all the way through the top of the ceiling. The room would be cozy when it got colder out. Two sofas both short and wide, one brown with green stitching around the edges and green cushions, the other burnt gold, sat facing each other. Colorful-knitted Afghans in earth tones were thrown over the backs of both sofas. A recliner sat on the other side of the wood stove, and a few scenic pictures covered the wooden walls. Straight ahead, an archway separated the area leading into another room where she could see the side of a refrigerator. Stepping to her left, the direction Simon had gone in, she spotted an entryway into yet another part of the house. A hallway ran the length of the L, with several doors, two on one side and three on the other. The first room she came to was empty but she could make out the edge of a bed. Simon walked out of the second door down the hall.

  “This room will be yours. You’ll have your own bathroom here and a great view of the river.”

  Simon stepped aside so she could walk in. “What a nice room,” she said, looking around. Again, like the rest of the house, homey. Another colorful Afghan, in autumn colors, rested across this bed, along with a matching rug on the floor. The wood walls were stained a dark brown, with a few photographs of the area adorning them. A large dresser stood in the corner and matching nightstands on either size of the king-sized bed. Who lived here? Eboni knew Simon lived in LA when he wasn’t travelling on assignment. Where were his parents, anyway? God, she didn’t know a thing about him. She frowned. Why not? How come he’d put her here by herself. She turned around to face him. “And where’s your room?” She could not believe the question came out of her mouth.

  “Here if you want me.”

  Chapter Ten

  He’d planned on sleeping with her, but thought it best not to outright tell her. This used to be his room. The twins slept down the hall, and his parent’s room had been the first one in the hallway. In truth, he didn’t really know why he’d bought her here. There were questions she’d have he wasn’t prepared to answer. He waited.

  “Simon, I don’t think it’s such a good idea for us to…to….”

  Smiling, he stepped right up to her until they stood toe-to-toe, using his greater size to intimidate, but she didn’t back down, instead she glared up at him. He smiled even more. God he’d missed being near her, around her, inside of her. Raising his hand, he traced his finger from her ear to her cheek then with his thumb he brushed her mouth.

  “Who said we were going to think?” He lowered his head intent on kissing her unfortunately, damn Gunner had other ideas. He jumped up on his legs, pawing at him trying to get his attention. He shifted his focus down to the little dog that looked up at him with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his dark eyes shining with joy.

  “One sec,” he said to Eboni, picking up the little dog. Alex put some things together for Gunner, too, and left it with the crate. Simon headed for the living room, found the crate, and grabbed the bag, taking both dog and stuff into the kitchen. Eboni came out of the bedroom and followed him. He turned back to grin at her. “Sorry.”

  She smiled back. “Oh, don’t mind me.”

  He put the things down on the table and found two bowls.

  “Can I help?” she inquired. “Do you have food for him?”

  “Check the bag.” He placed one bowl on the table the other he filled with water. When he turned around, Eboni held a bag of dog food already open. He put the dog down on the floor along with the bowl of water, which Gunner lapped up. Eboni placed his food next to it. The dog moved over to the other bowl.

  “There, he should be fine for now.” He turned back to Eboni and took her hand. “Now where were we? Oh yes, I remember.” Without another word, he led her back to the bedroom and close
d the door. Moving them both closer to the bed. After all these months of wanting her, he’d have her again.

  Putting his hand in her hair to hold her, he captured her mouth with his. The first touch had her parting her lips, and he slid his tongue inside, tasting the mint she’d eaten earlier in the car, and inhaling the fragrance of cinnamon and vanilla lotion she liked to use. He’d seen a small bottle of it peeking out of her bag and immediately recognized the scent as hers. But most of all, she smelled like home to him. A dangerous thing for someone like him.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her closer until their bodies were flush against each other. The only barriers between them the clothes they wore. Which shouldn’t last for long. Simon moved away from her mouth and licked his way to her chin. She responded by tilting her head back and placed her hands on his shoulders. Grabbing the end of her T-shirt, he pulled it over her head dropping the shirt on the floor. Then he unhooked her bra and paused to admire the bounty before him. Her breasts weren’t large, but they were full enough for him. “Beautiful.” She raised her hand and touched the ever present shades over his eyes, and he jerked back. “Sorry,” he said startling her. “There’s too much light in here. Hang on. Hold on to your thoughts. I’m going to make them a reality in a sec.”

  She took a step back and sat on the edge of the bed while he moved around the room pulling the drapes closed. The sun would be setting soon but at least the room held a comfortable darkness to it. He returned to the bedside and removed his shades placing it on the nightstand. Straightening, he pulled his own T-shirt off watching her the entire time before returning to kneel in front of her. “Now, where were we?”

  “You were just about to get into my…thoughts.”

  “Mmm, your thoughts were not what I’m about to get into.” He leaned forward and kissed her again, letting their tongues play a little, while his thumbs found her nipples and rubbed a circle around them before moving down to her jeans. He unbuttoned them. “Lift for me, honey.” When she did, he pulled the jeans off her.