Heart in the Field

by Dagg, Jillian

“Hi,” she said.

  Their eyes met and stayed locked together. “Hi. Did you have to wear that outfit?” She was undoing him.

  She glanced down at herself and ran her palms innocently, but with a lure to entice, down her thighs. “This?”

  She didn’t flirt very often. Her tongue popped from her between her lips for a second and then she twisted around and wriggled. “Do you like them? They’re new.”

  He couldn’t help but reach for her. He pulled her into the nest of his thighs. “Yes. I like them.”

  “They do things to you, don’t they?” Her voice quivered.

  “They do a great deal to me.” His own voice sounded as if he’d been running hard. He tucked his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck, then buried his face in her mass of golden hair. “We feel so good together.”

  She cleared her throat. “We do.”

  He moved his hands over her stomach, his fingers tracing her feminine shape through the supple leather. She didn’t stop him, and he felt the pressure inside him increase.

  But she gave a little moan and then tugged out of his embrace. “Nick, why didn’t you acknowledge what happened in the elevator?”

  He shook his head. “Because it wasn’t what I wanted to happen.” His voice broke.

  “Me neither. But what if I say yes to an affair, then?” She let her arms rise and then fall to her sides. “Damn the consequences.”

  “I’m not sure now. I thought it would be easy. At first it might have been. But now,” He rubbed his jaw. “It’s different now. We’re involved. We know one another better.”

  “Which is probably why I feel ready for you.”

  She’s ready for you, fool. Take what she offers.

  “Please, Nick. I’m going crazy, Nick. Really crazy. I have to go for it. I really do. If I go another weekend, I’ll go around the bend. I really will.”

  He took her into his arms and he held her. After a while he felt her arms entwine around his neck and her fingers slide into his hair. He knew he couldn’t walk away from her offer without hurting her or hurting himself.

  His lips remained against her hair. “When?”

  “After we’ve seen Angela. We can go to a hotel.”

  “All right. We’ll do that.”

  She disentangled herself from him. “I’ll go get Pascal in.”

  Serena passed him, walked out of the sunroom on to the deck and began calling Pascal. After a few moments the cat came to her and she scooped him into her arms. She brought him indoors and closed the door and locked it. Nick thought she seemed to have that fragile, nervy way about her she’d had the night of the soirée. It reminded him that he’d need to be so careful with her. There wasn’t going to be any turning back when this was started.

  Serena picked up a soft briefcase that Nick suspected held a laptop computer. When she saw the van she said, “Why did you bring a van?”

  “My car needed some engine adjustments.” She irritated him when she broke the moods between them. “It’s not a social visit anyway. It’s business. You’re a journalist. Be truthful. Go in your right colors. It’s better we go as legitimate news people. Why put another face on the visit?”

  “Because Angela doesn’t know.”

  “You didn’t tell her why you were visiting her?”

  “No. I let her think it was social.”

  Nick sighed. “Then we’ll park and walk. Get in.” He reached for her briefcase to hold it for her so she could climb into the van.

  “You’re angry at me?”

  “Yes. I am. I believe in professional honesty. I don’t believe in pretending I’m something I’m not just for the sake of a story.”

  “That wasn’t my plan. I’m just not very sure how to go about this entire story.”

  “That’s why I’m with you. To help you. All you need is a push in the right direction. You’ve got what it takes. The way you hounded that politician about municipally funded food banks was admirable. The best part of City Streets.”

  She smiled. “One minute you seem to be brow-beating me, the next complimenting me.”

  “I’m just wanting you to be the best. Now tuck yourself in.”

  Nick closed the door and went to sit beside her. He fastened his seatbelt, started the van and drove out of her driveway. He turned on the radio and they moved away from her house amid the haunting strains of a love song that might as well have been written for them. It was all about taking chances.

  Serena turned to Nick. “You know, you’re right about me. I’m having a hard time making myself realize I have to go after my own stories that they aren’t going to be presented to me over the wire to read.”

  He let out a breath. “I don’t want to undermine you, sweetie, but I could see that you weren’t quite sure what course to take. You’ve got a lot of potential you don’t always use.”

  “I know.” She laughed and told him about her happy endings.

  “We’d all like happy endings, wouldn’t we? But happy endings don’t work unless there is a great deal of drama leading up to them. Take this story, for instance. If you reported Lawson Thomson going to prison, then that’s fine. But now you want to go further. You need Angela’s story. You have to scrape the superficial. That’s what it’s all about, Serena.”

  Serena heard emotion in Nick’s voice and remembered Barbara’s words about how his love for his work showed through. That’s how Serena wanted to know Nick. She wanted to know all of him.

  She wanted to know his thoughts and hear about the parents he barely mentioned. She wanted to know why he’d been away for ten years without returning until last April, and why he would have been here again, with or without Don’s offer. Why he was so attached to his work but not to any woman? Why did he need short affairs that didn’t touch his heart? If she knew all that she could be the woman to break him down, change him, make him stay. But she knew she might never get that far. She’d go for today, or tonight, or whatever it took.

  They left the country roads to take the freeway west that would lead them to the Niagara Peninsula. Serena tried to relax next to Nick, but all she felt beneath the black leather was a burning desire to be with him in bed.

  The landscape was flat close to the shores of Lake Erie and against the brilliant blue sky Serena spotted the small single story house with white siding that Angela had described. On one side was a fruit farm, on the other a vineyard.

  “That’s it,” she told Nick. “Don’t go any further. Go back to that last bend and park there.”

  He reversed the van, drove around the bend, and parked off the road on some flat grass. “It’s going to be a hike from here,” he said. “And the wind is cold.”

  Serena drew a small leather purse from her briefcase. “I don’t care. Whatever your opinion of journalistic honesty, I’m not taking anything with me. No notebooks. No voice recorder. No nothing. If she decides she’ll go for it, we come back to the van for everything.”

  “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

  At least he was being cooperative, Serena thought as she slipped from the van and Nick came to her side. There might be a definite sexual tension between them, but Nick was no longer distant. They had something secret between them to share later.

  Angela was on the front porch waiting for them. Her friend was thinner than Serena remembered. Her jeans and sweater hung on her tall, slim body. However, her black hair was thick and shiny, and her features just as classical as always. Serena thought her friend’s smile was guarded. But she stepped forward to hug Serena.

  “It’s good to see you again.” Angela grinned. “Dig the black leather gear. You look great.”

  “It’s good to see you again as well, Angela. This is Nick.”

  Nick held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure, Angela. Serena has told me you were in university together.”

  “Yes. We were. I’m pleased to meet you. Come on in.”

  There was no foyer. They walked straight into the living room. The beige sofa an
d armchairs were brightened with cushions with blue and cream flowers. A TV screen was on the wall opposite the sofa and there was a circular coffee table in the middle scattered with some magazines, as if they’d been placed there for show.

  Coffee was also set out on a table.

  Serena sat down on the sofa. Angela sat down to one side. Nick on the other armchair. All the chairs were positioned to be tugged around to watch the television set.

  “Help yourself to the coffee. I’m not really sure what to say, or why you wanted to see me.”

  “As a friend, Angela.”

  “Stop it, Serena. I saw you guys park the van up the road behind the trees. I’ve seen Nick on the news. You forget I took journalism. It was one of my dreams as well.”

  “What happened?” Nick asked.

  “Financial problems made me drop out and I went to work in an office. Serena is the success story. Although, you mentioned on the phone Rita was doing well.”

  “She says the real estate market is busy.” Hoping to dilute a tense atmosphere, Serena described the way Rita had been last Friday, and they talked about some of the things they used to do when they had roomed together.

  Serena noticed that Nick remained silent. Whether his silence was in respect for her past alliance with her friend that he had nothing to do with, or because he was observing Angela, she wasn’t sure.

  “How long have you been married?” Serena asked.

  Angela twisted her thin wedding band. “A year.”

  “Then you’re a newlywed.” Nick’s voice sounded very husky and male after the patter of higher pitched female chatter.

  Angela glanced at him. “Yes. I suppose you could say that, but we knew one another a long time.”

  “Was it anyone I knew?” Serena asked.

  “I married Lawson Thomson when he got out.”

  Serena put down her coffee cup rather hard. Angela’s words were a shock. Yet excitement stirred in her veins. This was more than she’d expected. Or hoped for. Aware of her friend observing her, she cleared her throat. “I didn’t know. But Lawson is the reason I’m here. Not because you married him. Nick and I are co-hosts for a new show called Neon Nights and I wanted to do a program on you.”

  Angela shook her head. “I can’t, Serena. You see, you don’t understand.”

  “I know I don’t. That’s why I want to interview you. I want your feelings about your man. I want other people to understand what I don’t. Especially now I know you’ve married him. That makes a happy ending, doesn’t it?”

  Angela stood up. “I’d like you to go. Please.”

  Serena didn’t move from her seat. “Tell me as a friend?”

  She shook her dark head. “No. I don’t trust you.”

  When Nick rose, Serena also stood up. She opened her purse and took out one of her business cards. She was ready to call it quits, but not under Nick’s sharp gaze. She could always call Angela later and let her know the request was off. “Call me when you think you can trust me, Angela. Because it hurts me that you think you can’t.”

  Serena felt Nick’s hand reach for her waist as they walked away from the house.

  “It’s a new twist, her being married to the guy,” he said.

  “That was a shocker. Now I’m not sure if her happy ending will make a good story.”

  “There’s no happy ending. She’s hiding a lot. She’s cautious as hell. I think we should crack this story.”

  “Not if Angela doesn’t want it, Nick.”

  “She’ll want it. She’ll think about it. She’s in a trap. She needs to get out. We might be her ticket to freedom.”

  “You don’t know that for certain.”

  “I sense it in my gut.”

  Serena sensed it as well. But she wasn’t going to agree with him. She wanted to forget about Angela. She didn’t want to hurt her friend in any way. Yet, she knew she couldn’t turn Angela down if she came to her. She was now committed to this story.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nick inserted the key in the van ignition but he didn’t start the engine right away. He wasn’t sure how being turned down by Angela would affect their plans for today. Serena seemed a trifle pensive.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Her hair danced in the bright sunlight as she glanced at him. “Maybe a little disappointed, but I’m willing to wait. I’ve planted the seed of the idea in Angela’s mind.”

  “That’s all you can do.” He didn’t want to rush into anything, but he was eager to be alone with her. “Let’s just forget about work for the rest of the day and go find a little restaurant somewhere. How’s Niagara-on-the-Lake these days?”

  “It great. However, it’s a popular place, with the theaters and the nice shops, restaurants and hotels. It does get crowded on weekends.”

  “We’ll take a chance. If it’s okay with you?”

  She laid her hand on his arm. “I haven’t forgotten what we planned. I’d really like some space from Steel TV for a while.”

  He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers. Their eyes met and the heat was still there between them. He felt relieved. “How do I get there?”

  “It’s easiest from the freeway.”

  Even though it was a chilly day Niagara-on-the-Lake bustled with tourists. Car parks were full, roadside parking was jammed, and tour buses challenged the horse and carriage rides. Even after they’d found a place to park the van, the sidewalks were crowded with people enjoying the Victorian charm of the town.

  Nick held Serena’s hand and they walked along as if they were also tourists. It was great to have some time off. For once they weren’t vying for air position or program space. For once they were just Nick and Serena, man and woman. And Nick hoped Serena had the same idea for how she wanted to spend her afternoon as he did. If he didn’t make love with her today he wasn’t going to survive the months he had left to work with her.

  But even though he was eager Nick still felt the need not to hurry. He thought it was because he wanted to stretch out something that ultimately would prove to be beautiful.

  He squeezed her fingers. “How are you doing?”

  She smiled and rubbed her shoulder against his. “I’m having fun. Aren’t you?”

  “Yes. I am.” He didn’t want to be anywhere else at this very moment.

  They found a pub in one of the hotels and sat down in tapestry armchairs by the window, where they could watch the street. They both ordered a glass of red wine and a salmon dish that was being offered as the lunch special.

  Nick raised his glass. “Cheers to a few hours off.”

  Serena reached over and touched her glass against his. He thought she looked wild and beautiful. Her golden hair ruffled by the breeze, her luminous eyes gazing at him. She had taken off her leather jacket and she wore a feminine white silk blouse.

  He sipped his wine and placed the glass on the polished table top. “Don’t slap me, but while we’re waiting for our order I’m going to book a room.”

  “You don’t waste time.”

  “I won’t if you don’t want me to. We’ll go shopping after lunch.”

  She touched her neck in that way she had. “I’ve made up my mind about this. Go do it.”

  He rose from his chair with a similar feeling he had that morning at Heathrow. This was commitment.

  •

  Serena picked up her wine glass and forced herself to relax in her chair. This is what she’d planned. This is what she needed. She glanced at the crowded tables. Did everyone know what they were going to do this afternoon?

  She saw Nick make his way back to her around the tables and felt her heart leap at the way he looked. Tall, good-looking, with a rather soft expression on his face for her as he sat down in his seat.

  “Did you get a room?” Her voice was husky.

  He patted his inside pocket. “Yep. But you can still back out.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’ve given my word. It’s just that I might be over thirty but I’m not used
to this.”

  He let out a breath and rested back in his chair. “I’m not used to what is happening between us either. We’re both novices.”

  “It thought you were the experienced one.”

  He picked up his wine glass and took a drink. “Not that experienced. I think my reputation rises far above my consumption.”

  She laughed. “You expect me to believe that?”

  “I do. Because it’s true. Anyway, I’ve never felt for a woman what I feel for you.”

  She felt elated by his words. Maybe he could even fall in love with her and never leave her. Then this action today would be much more than a brief liaison. She could let herself go with him and she wouldn’t feel quite as if she were floundering in a rough sea. But she didn’t want to get her hopes up. She’d live for today first and see what happened.

  The waiter came by, with a smile and a flourish of their plates. Serena ate all the food. The salmon was light and fluffy, with a hint of lemon, and the rolls were warm and fresh. She noticed that Nick also drank a second glass of wine. Did they both need courage? Like her, was he venturing into deeper waters than he usually ventured? Did he feel as if he were putting his emotions on the line the way she did?

  Nick paid with his credit card and they rose from the table. He helped Serena on with her jacket and squeezed her shoulders. She looked at him and smiled. Now they were actually down to the moment she seemed much more relaxed and certain about her actions than he did about his own.

  He placed his hand at her waist on the way out of the pub and he guided her into the hotel section, through a maze of corridors until he located the right room. He inserted the card and pushed open the door. All his movements felt ethereal. Serena moved inside the room in front of him. He walked inside and closed the door. He locked it. The room was dark, because the blinds were pulled against the bright afternoon sunshine, but shafts of light striped the king-size bed and pine furniture in the room. Serena stood with her back against the wall, her hair also catching a bright ray of light. Her eyes were midnight blue, dark.

  Nick didn’t move into the room or take off his jacket. Instead he returned the swipe card to his inside jacket pocket and he moved forward until his body was in line with hers. Their eyes met, and stayed fastened and she touched him.