by Ava Walsh
This is what they wanted from the moment they both laid eyes on each other. This was the moment they had both been waiting for, and it was happening now. They were orgasming together, their bodies merged as one. He was watching her with intensity as she finished. She could feel him drain himself inside her.
And then he suddenly let her go and she tumbled to the ground. Isabel wasn’t prepared for this. She hadn’t expected him to suddenly let go of her. She had fallen gently to the ground and she lay on her back on the dirt, looking up at him.
Liam was pulling up his jeans and clicking the buckle into place. “Are you happy now Isabel? Did you get your complete Western experience?” he asked before turning around and walking away from her.
Chapter Fourteen
Isabel followed Liam back towards the house. She straightened her skirt and tried to smooth her curls as she walked behind him. “What is that supposed to mean?” she called out to him, which finally made him stop a few feet away from the back porch.
“You know what I mean,” he said, turning to look at her. It was Liam’s turn to look at her with rage. His blue eyes were narrowed and sharp and he was looking at her like it had all been one big mistake.
“No, I don’t. What did that mean? The complete Western experience?” she asked him and crossed her arms over her breasts again.
Liam breathed in deeply. “Isn’t that why you were here in the first place? A big city girl like you. You’ve lived in New York all your life. Why would you just give up everything and come here?” he asked, not making a move towards her.
Isabel couldn’t understand it. Just a few moments ago, he was inside her and they were laughing together. What had changed so suddenly? “Why do you think I gave up everything and moved here?” she asked him, her voice quivering. He was aiming too close to the truth and it made her nervous.
“Because you had some sort of romantic notion of what life would be like here. You’ve probably watched it in movies. You thought you could marry a cowboy and live here. You’re escaping something,” Liam said, glaring at her. Despite the words he was spitting out at her, he was surprisingly calm. Unlike Isabel, Liam appeared to be unaffected by his temper.
“Why does it matter? I answered an ad. An ad that wasn’t even a real ad. This was what was wanted of me. To be a mail-order bride,” Isabel replied, gritting her teeth.
Liam clenched his jaw. “You’re right, it doesn’t matter,” he said after several seconds of silence. “Which is why I was only hoping that you’ve enjoyed your full experience.” He turned from her again.
Isabel bit down on her lip and shut her eyes. She could hear him walking away from her again. “Alright. Yes, you’re right. I wanted the experience,” she said, opening her eyes. He stopped in his tracks again.
“You’re right about all of it. I watched Westerns with my dad and I had a romantic notion of the West. But you’re wrong about a few other things,” Isabel explained as Liam turned to look at her.
“I’m not a big city girl. I moved to New York a year ago. Before that, I lived in a small town in Wisconsin,” Isabel stated. Liam remained quiet. He was looking at her like he wanted her to go on, to spill the truth. Isabel cleared her throat from the nervousness.
“And thank you, Liam. I did enjoy my complete Western experience. How thoughtful of you to be so hospitable,” she added and dropped her arms. She started walking past him, towards the house.
He grabbed her hand. Isabel gasped when she felt him pull her towards him. “Don’t be bitter with me,” he said, glaring down at her face. He looked furious. He hadn’t been defied by anyone before. He wasn’t used to someone talking back to him – no one except Sophie.
Isabel glared back at him and then surprised him with a smile. “I’m not bitter, Liam. You asked me a question and I answered it. I did have a good time. All my romantic notions of the West have been fulfilled,” she said, twisting her hand out of his grip.
Liam’s face softened. “Are you going to tell me what you’re trying to escape?” he asked and Isabel continued to smile. She had figured out the best possible way to deal with this man. He was riling her up; he was expecting her to get angry, to throw a girly fit. She wasn’t going to.
“I don’t have to tell you anything. You want me to leave soon, which I will. We can all forget about this like a bad dream. Move on,” Isabel said, placing her hands on her hips.
“Was it really such a bad dream?” he asked, and Isabel smiled again. It was working.
“It was for you, wasn’t it? Some strange woman appeared at your front porch out of nowhere. Your daughter conspired against you. Now you have to deal with the mess.” Isabel said it with a sing-song voice like she was telling a joke. She made certain not to raise her voice or display in any way to Liam that she was upset.
Liam stared at her like he was surprised. “I didn’t say any of that. I was just taken by surprise,” he said.
Isabel stared at the face of the man she wouldn’t be able to forget. She felt safe around him, even when they were arguing. “It’ll all be over soon, don’t worry.”
Liam blinked at her. “I didn’t ask for that either,” he said and Isabel suddenly reached for him and gave his right shoulder a squeeze. He looked at her hand like it was a ghost’s.
“You don’t have to ask. I can see that I’m a burden to you. I’ll be gone by tomorrow afternoon.” Isabel smiled at him like she was an old friend, then turned on her heel and hitched up her skirt. “Now come on in, Sophie must be starving. Do you have some flour somewhere? I’d like to make her a pie before I leave.”
She didn’t need to look at Liam to know that he was struggling with himself. She barely knew the man, but she somehow knew enough about him. She had figured him out. It was like she knew him all her life. She had just been waiting to meet him.
Chapter Fifteen
Liam didn’t follow her back into the house. Sophie had been up in her room doing her homework when Isabel came in. She started preparing for dinner.
“Where’s daddy?” Sophie asked when she came down a few minutes later. Isabel had started gathering the ingredients she would need. She’d decided on making a lasagna. It would be difficult with the few ingredients that were available to her, but she would make it happen.
“He’s outside. Must be tending to the horses,” Isabel said, staring at the bowl of minced meat in front of her.
“Is he mad? Did you argue with him?” Sophie asked, joining her at the kitchen counter.
“Don’t worry your little head over it, sweetie.” Isabel smiled at her.
“But is daddy mad?” Sophie insisted.
“He’s not mad at you. He just needs some time to calm down,” Isabel explained. She could see that Sophie was about to burst into tears again.
“I was only trying to help. I thought he would be happy to have a wife,” Sophie blubbered through her tears and Isabel walked around the counter to give her a hug.
“I know, honey. Your father understands too. He just needs some time.” Isabel was stroking Sophie’s head.
“Is he going to send you back home? Are you going to leave us?” Sophie looked up at Isabel with tears in her eyes. Isabel smiled and then used the backs of her hands to wipe the tears from Sophie’s cheeks.
“Don’t worry about that,” Isabel insisted, but Sophie continued to cry.
“I don’t want you to go anywhere, Isabel. I like having you here and I can see that you’re good for daddy too.” Sophie was still crying when she flung her arms around Isabel and held her tightly.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Isabel said after a few seconds of thought. She bent down in front of Sophie and grabbed her chin. Sophie looked into Isabel’s eyes, her excitement was palpable.
“Do you mean daddy won’t send you off?” Sophie asked, a smile was beginning to form on her face and Isabel smiled too.
“No, he’s not,” Isabel said, looking Sophie in the eye.
“Why? I thought he was angry with me. I thought
he didn’t want a new wife,” Sophie said, wiping her own tears now.
“He won’t because he’s in love with me,” Isabel revealed flatly and Sophie blinked at her. She wasn’t quite sure if she should have said it to the little girl. To Liam’s daughter of all people, but who else did she have to tell? She had seen it in Liam’s eyes. She had figured out the reason why he was so mad at her. It was because he was trying to deny it to himself that he was in love with her. It was because he didn’t believe in love at first sight, but it had happened to him just like it had happened to her too.
Chapter Sixteen
“I’ve left a plate of lasagna aside for you,” Isabel said when she opened the screen door. She found Liam sitting on the porch just as she’d expected, sitting where he had been the previous night. He was in his rocking chair, and smoking his pipe. He looked out into the darkness, following a trail of fireflies in the distance where his horses were.
“Thank you, but I’m not hungry right now,” he said without looking at her. Isabel wiped her hands on the apron she still had tied to her waist. She stared at the back of Liam’s head silently for a few moments, then she breathed in deeply and walked over to his side.
“You should know the truth. Just like I’ve found out the truth about you,” Isabel said. Without looking at him, she sat down on the wooden floorboards of the top step. She could feel his eyes on her back, but she didn’t dare to look at him. She wouldn’t be able to and also tell him what she was about to say.
Liam remained silent and she continued.
“I left New York because I wasn’t as successful as I thought I would be,” Isabel said, and then she turned her head to look at him.
“At your work?” he asked and she nodded silently.
“I worked for a fashion magazine. You might not be aware of it, but it is a highly competitive industry,” Isabel explained and bit down on her lip. She hadn’t spoken about this at all to anybody. She had simply packed her bags and left.
“You’re still young Isabel, I’m certain you have time to achieve what you want to achieve.” She heard his voice in the dark. She could see the glitter of his blue eyes staring at her, and she shied away from looking at him directly.
“No matter how hard I work… I won’t make it big. Because of…because of my…weight.” She said it bluntly, it was like ripping off a band-aid from her skin. She closed her eyes because she was embarrassed till she heard his voice again.
“I don’t understand,” he said.
“I’m overweight,” she said exasperatedly.
“What? You can’t be serious. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on,” Liam said, and Isabel opened her eyes, trying to suppress the smile that was forming on her face.
“Not for the fashion industry. Not for my magazine,” she said and she heard him get up from his chair.
“That is bullshit,” Liam said walking up to her. He was standing above her now, looking down at her face. Isabel shrugged her shoulders.
“My father died. He was the only family I had. And then I lost my job and I knew why I was fired.” Isabel turned away from him to look at the fireflies.
“Because they think you’re too big?” he asked and she nodded her head.
“They are foolish,” she heard him say. She smiled blankly, a million images of her past life running through her head.
“I wanted to run away. I wanted to go away to a place where someone needed me for who I am,” Isabel continued, but he interrupted her.
“You were running away, hiding out here,” he said and she didn’t need to nod her head for him to know that was the truth.
“But Isabel…” he began and she looked at him again. “This isn’t the life, you know. You can’t hide out here forever.”
She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. She could see that he was struggling with the words. He was trying to say the right thing, even though it hurt him. Even though it would mean that he would lose her forever.
“When I met Sophie…when I met you… I knew that I wouldn’t be hiding here. I could be myself here,” Isabel said and she watched as he crouched down in front of her.
“The moment I saw you, I knew that you would want to change your mind about your decision. You’re too beautiful, you have too much to give, and you’re too smart for us,” Liam said.
Isabel shook her head. “I’m happy here. Even though it’s only been two days, and I got sick, and I…we argued…and Sophie was late for school,” she began and Liam smiled. “It all made me happy. I felt useful and needed.”
“And desired,” Liam added and Isabel felt her cheeks flush. Liam reached for her face. In the dark, she shut her eyes. “I didn’t want a bride. I didn’t think about it and I was so angry with Sophie for what she had done behind my back. But now I’m glad that she did,” Liam said while stroking her cheek with his large thumb.
Isabel felt shivers run down her spine. She wanted him again, she wanted his mouth on her skin, she wanted his arms around her.
“She’s a smart kid,” Isabel said and they both laughed.
“So you won’t leave tomorrow afternoon?” he asked and Isabel bit down on her lip.
“Not unless you want me to.”
“No, I want you to stay. At least for a while longer. See if you want to change your mind after that.” Liam’s voice was low and gruff. She could see that he was thinking of her body again, just like she was thinking of his. Isabel nodded. It was a good deal. The best deal that she could have asked for.
“But you have to promise to teach me a few things around here. I want to learn how to ride a horse and brush its mane, just like you,” Isabel said with a smile. Liam nodded his head.
“As long as you eat well and drink lots of water,” he said like he was talking to a child. Isabel laughed and fell into his arms; she couldn’t keep herself away from him any longer. His arms were strong and masculine around her and she breathed in his musky scent.
“And you have to promise to keep cooking up these meals. I’m starving. I was drooling from the smell of the lasagna,” he said and they both laughed again.
Chapter Seventeen
Liam had warned her that the Christmas that Isabel was used to in Wisconsin or in New York was worlds away from what Christmas at Mitchell Town was going to be.
For starters, there was no snow and it rained more than it was cold. Strangely enough, Isabel couldn’t have been happier.
Liam bought a Christmas tree from two towns away and Isabel helped Sophie decorate it. The three of them spent a week putting up lights around the house, stringing them from all the trees in the ranch and building a fake snowman near the gate with cotton wool and red felt clothes.
So, on Christmas night, when the sun had set all around them and it was dark, the ranch shone. Isabel had never seen anything as beautiful before.
She had been at the ranch for nearly a month now and she could hardly remember what her life was like before she moved here. She was falling in love with Mitchell Town: the simple good people she met every day, the teacher at Sophie’s school who was overwhelmed and underpaid and had requested Isabel to help him whenever she could. She loved the horses, especially Henry, Sophie’s four best friends who came over to the house ever so often now that Isabel had started baking them cupcakes and cookies after school.
Most importantly, she loved Liam Mayer. She had arrived at this town with the hope that she would be able to settle down with a strong man and his daughter, escape the life she didn’t feel worthy of, and, hopefully, get over the loss of her own father. She had achieved all of that and then some. She had also found a man who cared for her, who was upright and strong, who she felt safe with and who loved his family passionately. But Isabel wasn’t quite sure if she was a part of his family yet.
They lived together like one. She slept in his bed and every night, Liam made her orgasm violently, hugged her limp, spent body and put her to sleep. They ate all their meals together, they laughed and joked tog
ether… but was this permanent? Liam never spoke to her about it. They didn’t sit down and have an actual serious discussion. Isabel was beginning to grow restless. The arrangement felt too temporary; too much like a dream that could end at any time.
“When can we open our gifts?” Sophie squealed. She was sprawled on the floor beside the Christmas tree, watching Isabel clear up the plates from their dinner.
They had just finished a lavish six-course meal that Isabel had spent the whole day preparing. Liam was smoking his pipe outside.
“Soon honey,” Isabel said, smiling at Sophie. She couldn’t get enough of this child, she was growing to love her more passionately every day, like she was her own.
“I say we open it now. It’s midnight somewhere in the world isn’t it?” Liam had come in through the door and Isabel hadn’t heard. Sophie squealed and fell on the gifts that lay scattered under the tree. Isabel smiled and shook her head at Liam and took off her apron.
“Come over here, Isabel.” Liam extended his hand towards her and she accepted. He pulled her close and kissed her softly on her forehead.
“This one’s from daddy.” Sophie was screaming excitedly as she ripped the wrapping paper open. It was a dollhouse that Liam must have bought in the town he had visited for the Christmas tree. Sophie was excited beyond words. She came running to Liam’s arms, hugged and kissed him, and then went back to her gifts again.
“This one’s from Isabel,” she said and stretched her lips. She shook the box in her hands and held it to her ear before ripping through the wrapping paper.
“A baking set!” She squealed and ran into Isabel’s arms. “Thank you so much. Does this mean I can bake with you?” she asked and Isabel nodded. “Come open your gift from daddy, Isabel,” Sophie added, running back to the tree.
Isabel looked at Liam and bit down on her lip. He was smiling and there was a twinkle in his eye that excited her. The box was square and big, and Isabel took her time to open it. Only to find that the box opened to another box, which she had to open again. Like a Russian nesting doll, this one gave way to another so that she had to open six other boxes until she got to the final one.