by Sara Orwig
“Thank you,” Savannah said. “I’ll help myself and just get a bagel and maybe a little glass of milk.”
Millie smiled and said she was heading to the market and would be back in a couple of hours.
As Savannah toasted a bagel and selected a strawberry jam, Mike’s cell phone rang and he answered to talk a moment. She wasn’t paying attention until she heard her name. “Yes, Savannah found a gold ring in the creek. This is the year for the legends. It’s gold. I’m still at the house. I told Ray I’d be late this morning.”
He paused to listen before he continued, “We’ll stop in Poindexter’s and let them look at it, but I’m sure it’s gold and it’s been in the creek.” Mike listened a moment. “Sure. I’ll get back with you later. Okay.” He put away his phone and smiled. “That was my brother, Jake. Lindsay has sent a text to each one of them with the picture of the ring you found. They will want to talk to you and see the ring. It’s interesting to have part of a legend turn out to be real. When you do find your true love, you’ll have to get in touch with me so I’ll know that the old legend is based in fact.”
She laughed and turned the gold ring on her finger. “I don’t need to find true love, but I love the ring and the legend is fun to me.”
“Even though my brother Josh is out of town, he’ll still call about the ring. I’ll give him an hour or two.”
She sat down at the table with her bagel and a glass of milk. “As long as I’m here, they can all look at the ring.”
“They will in due time. You’ll get a lot of attention.”
“I hope the birthday boy gets the attention and I imagine he will since he’s the only one in that generation in your family. That makes him special to everyone.”
“Does it ever—just wait until you see them with him. He’s a good kid or he would be spoiled rotten by the attention he gets from them.”
“Scotty isn’t spoiled. He’s a sweetie.”
“I think so.” Mike glanced around and then leaned closer to her. “So is someone else,” he said, looking intently at her mouth and making her think of his kisses.
“Maybe you better sit up straight again and let me eat my breakfast.” As he moved away, she took a dainty bite of bagel, relieved that it didn’t seem to upset her stomach.
Mike’s cell rang again and he walked away from the table as he took the call. In a short time he returned to sit again.
“That was Russ about your car. They’re backed up because of the storm and wrecks. It may be several more days before he can even look at it. I told him okay because that’s the best place to take it unless you have it towed to Dallas.”
“As long as you don’t mind a houseguest,” she said.
He smiled. “I’ll show you later how I feel about that,” he said softly.
“Is that a promise?” she asked, flirting with him, teasing and having fun, yet at the same time, too, aware that another night of lovemaking could make her unable to say goodbye. Making love, getting to know Mike intimately was a huge risk to her heart.
“Definitely. If we were alone, I’d show you now.”
“We’re not alone, so you sit back.” She ate about one-fourth of the bagel and had enough, but no morning sickness had hit yet and it was a relief. “I think I’m doing better with a bagel. I’m almost scared to say that.”
Mike smiled. “Good. We have a freezer that has a shelf filled with bagels. Now I know what to do with them.”
“More than a week of bagels? I don’t think so,” she replied.
“Maybe more than a week,” Mike said cheerfully. “Your car may take time. I’ll check with Ray about the highway. We still may be able to get into town and run errands.”
“Maybe there will be some snowmen in yards in town, Scotty,” she said.
“Can I see them?”
“Now you’ve started something,” Mike said with a smile. “Sure, Scotty. We’ll drive around to see the snowmen.”
“It’ll give him something to look forward to,” she said.
“And what are you giving me to look forward to?” Mike asked.
“Maybe I’ll think of something by nightfall,” she said, flirting with him.
“Now, that gets more interesting. And I’ll give you something to look forward to after we finish breakfast before we go.”
“Daddy, I’m through.”
“You’re excused, then. Tell Miss Savannah excuse me please,” he said.
Scotty looked at her and smiled. “’Cuse me, please.”
“You are excused, Scotty,” she said, smiling back at him. He climbed down quickly and ran to toys he had spread on the family room floor.
“He’s already learned from his daddy how to get his way—a big smile.”
“I wasn’t aware that’s all it took. I’ll have to try that soon.”
“I’ve finished my breakfast and I suppose you finished long ago.”
“Indeed, I did,” Mike said. She carried her dishes to the sink to rinse them and place them in the dishwasher while Mike brought Scotty’s.
As they started up the stairs, Mike took her arm. “I’ll step into your room and show you something else that I’m looking forward to.”
“I can well imagine,” she replied drily. “Scotty is up, running around, so don’t embarrass me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Mike said. In her room, he followed her inside, closed the door and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I couldn’t wait until we could be alone.”
As his mouth covered hers, his arms tightened around her and he pulled her close. For one moment she stood still and then she slipped her arms around his neck, leaning into him, kissing him in return.
He shifted and his hand slipped beneath her sweater, fondling her breast, sending streaks of fire from his touch. She wanted him, aching for him as if it had been weeks since they made love instead of hours.
“Savannah, I don’t want to wait. There’s a lock on the door to my room—”
“No. We wait. Too much is going on and we’re going to town.” She kissed him again and the conversation ended. He caressed her breast, making her gasp with pleasure. His hand tugged up her skirt to slide beneath it and caress her thigh, touching her intimately.
“Mike,” she whispered. “Wait—”
“I can’t wait. Savannah, you can’t imagine how much I want you,” he said gruffly between kisses.
“Mike,” she whispered, holding him tightly and kissing him, knowing they had to stop, yet wanting his hands and mouth on her while she reminded herself that with Mike this was lust and nothing deeper. Nothing long-lasting. Even though they made love, she should keep her heart locked away. But she knew she was probably already falling in love with him. How deep would her regrets run over Mike?
Finally, she leaned away to look at him. “We should get ready and go to town.”
He stared at her, desire reflected in his dark eyes. “I want you,” he said in a husky voice. “I want my hands and my mouth all over you. Today will be torment because I want to make love to you and I’ll have to keep my hands to myself. I want to spend days with you. Lindsay wants to have Scotty stay over soon anyway. They get along great and he likes having a sleepover at Aunt Lindsay’s. Savannah, before you know it, you’ll go. Stay awhile. I mean longer than just until Scotty’s birthday. You don’t have to be in California right away.”
“I didn’t think there was a risk, but now we’ve been intimate and if I stay, Mike, that will compound what we feel. It’ll be a lot bigger deal. I have to think about your question. I’m not ready for commitment and you’re not, either.”
“No, I’m not. I don’t want commitment. Just more days together so we can make love and maybe heal a little from the wounds. I wish you’d move into my room.”
“I can’t move in with you. Co
ntinuing to make love will cause new wounds.”
“I don’t want that to happen,” he whispered, pulling her into his arms to kiss her hungrily, a demanding kiss that demolished her argument and made her want to say yes to anything he asked. He raised his head to look at her. She opened her eyes and gazed into his, feeling as if he could see every thought and fear she had.
“You’ve had too much heartbreak just recently to turn around and get your life ensnared in a way that might hurt you all over again. I don’t want to cause that to happen,” he said.
“Sometimes we don’t do the smart thing, Mike. You can’t guarantee the outcome.”
“All right,” he said, suddenly reaching for her again to draw her to him and kiss her one more time.
Her heart pounded. Even just kisses tied her more firmly to Mike. He was slowly dazzling her, becoming close friends with her, helping her. She wasn’t going to be able to walk away as indifferently as she could have before they made love. Not that she’d been indifferent to him then, anyway.
“Let’s get ready to go to Verity and run our errands,” she said.
He looked at her so long she would have thought he hadn’t heard her, but Mike could hear fine and he hadn’t moved.
“All right, Savannah. Get ready and we’ll drive to Verity. But tonight will come and you’ll be in my arms and we’ll talk about how long you can stay.”
“I’ll think about it, Mike,” she replied. Her voice came out a whisper and she could barely get her breath as she thought about making love again. She turned to open her door for him to leave.
After he walked past her, she closed the door. She felt weak in the knees, as if she had had a major battle, but the major battle was with herself. She wanted to say yes, to toss aside caution and stay longer with him. What kind of risk would that be to her heart?
* * *
Mike wanted Savannah now. It was as if all the pent-up emotions that he had bottled up and held in during the past years now were spilling out. He felt alive again, even experiencing joy, hope, things he hadn’t felt since losing Elise.
He wanted to be with Savannah. He wanted her in his arms. He wanted to dance with her, to play games with her, to eat with her and most of all—he wanted to make love with her all through the night, every night for at least another few weeks. What could that hurt? It could even help heal their hurts—hers and his.
He thought about her kisses just now and then about making love in the early hours of the morning. He groaned and went to his room, closing the door. Savannah might have to stay far longer than she expected because of her car. If her car was fixed soon, he wasn’t ready for her to leave for California.
He went to get his billfold and what he needed to take to town, trying to think about the day ahead and the errands he should run while in Verity. He made a mental note to let his family know about the time of the birthday party for Scotty.
He wanted Savannah in his bed every night for the rest of this week and the next, and longer if he could talk her into it. He couldn’t wait for evening to come. She was wrong if she thought either of them would fall in love and get hurt because that wasn’t going to happen. She wasn’t ready for love and neither was he.
Again, a twinge of guilt plagued him because he couldn’t love her the way she should be loved—she deserved a man’s whole heart. Was he going to cause her deep pain on top of what she had already been through? He didn’t want that to happen. The concerns about her welfare cooled his desire. He needed to think through his actions with her because he didn’t want to add to her problems. Swearing softly to himself, he picked up his phone to call Ray. As he had guessed, the roads were beginning to be passable.
* * *
Within the hour, Mike, Savannah and Scotty were on the road to Verity. Snow still covered the road, but was melted in spots where there were tracks from vehicles. His truck had new tires with thick treads and he had sandbags in the back for added weight.
“We’ll go by the oldest and best jewelry store in Verity and let the owner look at the ring you found. Now, if we do that, you run a chance that someone has notified the store of losing the ring.”
“I’ll be happy to get it back to the rightful owner. It was just fun to find it and hear about the legend, but I don’t mind giving it back.”
“If you’re sure. We’ll split up and you get what you want for Scotty’s party. Then if you’ll take him with you, I’ll get what I want.”
“Sure,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at Scotty who played with toys in his car seat.
As they drove into town, streets had been scraped and sidewalks cleared. Piles of snow stood on corners, a cover of brown dirt over the mounds of snow. Dripping icicles hung from lampposts and rooftops. After they parked, Mike took Scotty’s hand and directed her across the street. She hurried into a bookstore and made purchases. Next she went to a general store and got more decorations, birthday cards and wrapping paper.
On her way to meet Mike, she saw him and Scotty coming down the street. Mike was taller than most people. With packages in one arm, he held Scotty’s hand. His broad-brimmed black hat was squarely on his head and Scotty’s was the same. Father and son had on fleece-lined suede and leather jackets and wore Western boots. Just looking at Mike, her heartbeat quickened while longing to be with him filled her.
She dreaded the goodbye, but as soon as she was out of Texas she expected to look forward to California and adjusting to life there, for a little while, at least. Memories faded with time and her memories of Mike would be like others.
Right now, though, she wished she could walk up and hug both Mike and Scotty. At this moment they meant more to her than she would have dreamed possible. Mike had given her a haven. He was sexy, exciting, fun, solid and secure. Scotty was adorable and would wrap around anyone’s heart.
“Give me your packages,” Mike said, taking them from her. “We’ll put them in the truck and go to the jewelry store. There’s no need to see about your car yet because Russ hasn’t had a chance to look at it.”
As soon as they had the packages in the truck, they went to Poindexter’s jewelry store. Everyone in the store greeted Mike and said hello to Scotty, talking about how much he had grown until she wondered whether Mike ever brought Scotty into town.
“Is Chuck here?” Mike asked someone who left to return a minute later with a tall, white-haired man who greeted Mike and then shook hands with Scotty. “Scotty, you are getting all grown up. How old are you?”
“Almost three,” Scotty said, holding up three fingers.
“Almost three. You’re a very big boy.”
“Chuck, this is Savannah Grayson. Savannah, meet Chuck Poindexter. We want you to look at a ring.”
Savannah slipped the ring off her finger to hand it to the jeweler.
“She found the ring along the Rocky Creek bed after the storm. Have you ever had anyone report losing a gold ring? And is it really gold?”
Chuck placed the ring on a black background beneath a light. “We haven’t ever had anyone come in and ask about a lost gold ring. We’ve had people ask about diamonds that have fallen out of settings on rings, but never a gold ring in all my years here. Pretty ring. It has a date inscribed.”
She leaned forward as Mike did. “The inscription is tiny.”
Chuck slipped on glasses and looked at it. “The correct date is 1861. This is an old ring.”
“That’s incredibly old for this area,” Mike said.
“No telling where that ring was lost originally. It could have been carried by birds or people—who knows. I’d say you found yourself a ring, Savannah.”
“One of us. The ring was in Mike’s creek.”
Mike and Chuck both smiled. “Thanks, Chuck. I just wanted to check because if someone had been in recently missing a ring, then we’d get this back to them.”
“Not at all. Congratulations on an interesting find. I’d guess,” he said, turning the ring in his hand and looking at it, “this ring could have been brought from the East by someone. Or it could have been fashioned by one of the Native Americans who roamed through Texas. Who knows? Actually, we never will know. Just enjoy your ring.”
They thanked him and left the shop, Scotty in Mike’s arms and the ring back on Savannah’s finger.
“Want to go get some ice cream?”
Scotty began to clap his hands and Savannah laughed. “Who could refuse now?” she asked, looking at Scotty.
They had ice cream and walked back to the pickup to drive home. As on the drive to Verity, she was aware Mike drove far more slowly than the first time she had ridden with him and he watched the snow-packed road carefully.
“From the way you’re driving, it must be slick.”
“It’s okay, but there’s ice under this snow and we’ve hit some slick spots.”
“Then you’re doing well because I didn’t realize that it was that slick.”
“Good. The bad news is—another snowstorm is on the way. You picked a dilly of a winter to drive west.”
“I didn’t even think about the weather because we’d had warm days before I left. I was worrying about other things.”
He glanced at her and nodded, understanding what she meant. “Which brings up another subject. A contractor is coming out tomorrow to look at the bridge that I am going to have rebuilt. I want a bridge strong enough to withstand even more rain than we had. With all the people working here, I don’t want a bridge collapsing with anyone.”
“No. I’ll have to admit that was scary and someone should be able to build a bridge to withstand whatever kind of weather we have unless it’s a tornado or earthquake.”
“I’ll be gone all morning about the bridge. I’ll take Scotty with me and bring him to my—”
“I would love to have Scotty stay at the ranch with me.” She glanced back and saw that the little boy had fallen asleep. “It’s going to be dreadful for me when I finally have to leave him.”