by Sara Orwig
He sat down, cradling Julia. She seemed content and lay in the crook of his arm, gazing up at him. He talked to her a few minutes and then Vivian asked him a question and soon they were talking, avoiding further conversation about Rocky Thornton.
They talked for a while longer and then when Julia stirred, Vivian picked her up to take her to bed.
As she leaned over Matt he stood and handed Julia carefully to her, then he leaned down and brushed Vivian’s mouth with a light kiss. “Good night, Vivian,” he said in a husky voice.
“’Night, Matt.”
She went inside, her mouth tingling from the faint brush of his lips. Was she making an incredible mistake by staying for four more weeks? They were thrown together morning and night and the sparks flew any time they were together. She thought about the private detective. She didn’t like the thought of being followed, even though that was all the man was doing.
Three nights later as Vivian sat on the porch with Matt, they could see lightning on the horizon and she kept remembering that first night with him and wondered if the lightning made him think about it, too. They had developed a routine in the evenings, and after Mary Catherine went to bed, they sat on the porch and talked. Vivian kept Julia with her and Matt gave her the privacy to nurse the baby, so Vivian should have been satisfied with the arrangement. With Julia in her arms or his arms, Matt had to keep his distance. But instead of finding such an arrangement less disturbing, she was more disturbed by it. Being together day after day was tying her in knots.
Now as she sat beside him in the dark and watched lightning flashes on the horizon, she was prickly with awareness of him.
When Julia cried and she rose to go, Matt brushed her lips lightly with a kiss. He did this when he left for work in the morning, too, and each of those little light kisses that might be so casual to him were far less than casual to her. They were building a fire within her that threatened to blaze out of control.
After she had gone, Matt sat in the darkness, his body hot, tied in knots over Vivian while he planned Saturday night. He had asked Lita to stay with the girls so he could take Vivian to dinner and to a honky-tonk for a little two-step.
Today he had talked to Sheriff Gonzales who said he hadn’t seen anything of the P.I. and maybe he had left town. Matt didn’t think so. From what Vivian had told him about her ex, he didn’t sound like the kind of man to give up easily. That was why Matt had driven Vivian to Enid two days ago to appear in court to get a restraining order against Baker.
Matt watched the lightning and the mass of clouds boiling on the horizon. Before long he realized it was all moving closer and he suspected they would get rain tonight.
He sat quietly, knowing he wouldn’t sleep if he went to bed. Vivian had wrecked his peaceful nights as no other woman ever had.
Why had she picked Houston? Was there a particular reason? Could she work as well in Oklahoma City, which was a lot closer to the farm?
Let her go. How many times had he told himself that, yet instead, he touched her every chance he got.
In the distance thunder rumbled, and Matt thought about stock, the barn and the pickup, mentally checking off livestock and equipment to make certain things were ready if they caught another big storm. The stars were gone now and clouds covered the sky. Gusts of hot wind whipped across the porch. Matt got up and walked down to the barn, checking doors and gates before returning to the house and locking up. He showered and threw himself across the bed, trying to think about rain instead of the woman in his bed at the end of the hall.
In the night a loud cry wakened Matt. He came to his feet instantly, yanking on jeans. “What the hell?” he said as he tried to fasten buttons.
Mary Catherine’s screams mingled with Julia’s crying. As he yanked open the door and hit the light switch, his heart pounded. No lights came on, and his fear escalated.
“Vivian!” he called.
Chapter 11
“Matt,” Vivian cried from not too far away. “The lights are out.”
“What’s the matter with Mary Catherine?” he asked as he groped his way toward Vivian. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and when lightning dashed he could see Vivian standing in front of one of the open doors to a bedroom. She was holding Julia, who was crying.
“I was taking Julia to the kitchen when Mary Catherine woke up. She’s terrified of storms and I was just on my way to her.”
He reached Vivian. “Come on. I’ll help you to the bedroom and then I can take Julia while you quiet Mary Cat. Is Julia hungry?”
“No. I don’t know what’s wrong. She’s been fed and she’s just unhappy.”
He slid his arm around Vivian’s waist. She was wearing her gown and robe, but both were thin and he could feel her slender, warm body and he had an instant reaction. Without hesitation he led her along the hall and into the bedroom,. He crossed the room to Mary Catherine, and when lightning flashed he saw her sobbing in the middle of his big bed.
He picked her up and she clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m scared!”
“You’re safe, Mary Cat. We’re in the house and not one raindrop can touch you.” She buried her face against his neck and he turned to Vivian, who was patting Julia and trying to calm her.
“Want a little glass of milk?” he asked Mary Catherine. “I can put chocolate in it.”
“Yes,” she said without raising her face. “Turn on the lights.”
“We can’t turn them on right now because of the storm, but the house is just the same in the dark as it is in the light.”
“I’m scared.”
“I’m holding you and nothing can harm you. When we get your milk, I’ll let you hold a flashlight. Do you know what a flashlight is?”
“No.”
“I’ll show you, and you’ll like it.”
Vivian listened to Matt’s voice fade as he walked down the hall. She patted Julia as she walked and then rocked the baby. Gradually Julia grew quiet and then fell asleep. Vivian put her down in her crib and turned to go find Matt and Mary Catherine, but he came through the door with Mary Catherine in his arms.
“I told her stories until she fell asleep.” He placed Mary Catherine gently in bed and pulled a sheet over her, placing her teddy bear beside her.
“Thanks for your help. She’s terrified of storms.”
“Want something to drink? I won’t sleep now.”
“Yes.”
Thunder rattled the panes and rain drummed on the windows as he reached out. “I left the flashlight in the kitchen. Give me your hand. I know where we are and where the furniture is.”
She held out her hand and he took it, his warm fingers closing over hers. As she moved beside him, he shifted his arm around her waist. “This is better.”
She could see a faint glow from the kitchen where he had left the flashlight. He walked down the dark hall with the sureness of a cat. As soon as they stepped into the kitchen, he turned to her. When thunder boomed and a flash of lightning streaked outside with the bang of a rifle shot, Vivian jumped.
“Hey, not you, too,” Matt said quietly, rubbing her nape. “Scared of storms?”
“No. Well, I don’t like them, but I know that’s ridiculous. It just was scary to have Mary Catherine screaming and Julia crying and the lights out in a house I’m not that familiar with, although I should be by now ”
He was rubbing her nape, looking down at her, and as she talked, she forgot about the storm raging around them. He was bare-chested, his jeans lower than ever and partially unbuttoned. He stood only inches away in front of her and she became acutely aware of him, forgetting conversation. Her gaze ran across his broad chest and strong muscles and then she looked up to find him watching her. He tipped her chin up and her pulse drummed. She wanted him to kiss her and her pulse was racing madly.
Heat flashed in Matt and he slid his arm beneath her robe, his hand trailing over the thin cotton gown she wore. He pulled her against him, feeling her hands brush across his ches
t, slide over his shoulders and then her arms wrap around him. She was soft in his arms, pliant, warm and eager.
She had all but reached for him first, and Matt’s heart pounded. Every day he thought about her constantly and he had erotic dreams and wild fantasies about her.
Now she was standing in his embrace, clad in only her gown and robe. He wanted to tear them both away, but he knew it was still too soon for her, yet how passionate she was! Her tongue stroked his, going into his mouth as he kissed her. He felt her tremble, heard her moan softly, and he slid his hand down her back.
Each caress of his hands was fuel to the blaze kindling in her. He pushed away her robe and then he slid the strap of her gown off her shoulder. With a lingering caress, he pushed the other strap. He leaned back, releasing her slightly to look down at her. She was bare to the waist for him and she drew a deep breath, her breasts tingling before he touched her.
“You’re beautiful, Vivian,” he whispered, stroking her breasts, and then he cupped them in his large hands, his skin dark against her pale skin.
She closed her eyes, winding her fingers in his hair as he bent to kiss her, his tongue flicking over her nipple. She ached with desire, wanting him, knowing she couldn’t—she shouldn’t think about anything more. Physically, it was too soon; emotionally—she wasn’t ready at all. Yet caress by caress, moment by moment, she was losing her heart to him. Being so good with both girls won her over. Being so kind to her won her over. His kisses and caresses were golden shackles that made her a prisoner of her heart and readied her body for seduction.
He pushed up the hem of the gown, his hand trailing along her thigh.
She caught his wrist to stop him. “Matt, it’s too soon. We shouldn’t. There are a thousand reasons,” she whispered.
“I’m just barely touching you,” he said against her lips, and then kissed her, bending over her and trailing his hand around to run his fingers lightly across her bottom.
She moaned, her hips thrusting against him while she clung to him, and kissed him passionately. In minutes he knew he had to stop or he would be doing things he shouldn’t.
“Matt,” she whispered.
He moved his hands up, to cup her breasts again, to kiss and fondle her and keep her from telling him no. And finally he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close against his heart as he bent over her and kissed her hard and long, feeling her heartbeat drum wildly with his. He said more with his kisses than he ever could with words. With hungry, passionate kisses, he hoped she realized how much he wanted her and what she could do to him so easily.
Vivian clung to him, her hips thrust against him while she kissed him. She slid one hand over him, touching his shoulder, his arm, his back, down over his hip, and he groaned as she stroked his thigh, a faint touch through his thick jeans, yet it was a fiery brand.
He wanted to feel her hands all over him, to touch her all over, to drive her to the height of passion.
Instead, he held her and kissed her until she finally pushed against him. “Matt, we have to stop.”
He looked down into her wide blue eyes, which in the dimly lit room still showed desire burning in their depths. His heart pounded and he wanted her with all his being and had to struggle against impulses that made him want to keep right on kissing her. She wriggled out of his grasp and stepped back.
“We can’t. I can’t I have to stop.”
“I know it, Vivian. It’s kisses. Nothing more.”
Only it was a whole lot more to her. Her gaze raked over him and she saw his arousal, knew how he wanted her. Oh, it was so much more than just kisses! His touch was wakening desire again, turning her back into a woman who felt alluring and strengthening a bond that already ran deep. She knew he felt inadequate sometimes because of his limited reading ability and his country ways. Yet his country ways were direct, honest and strong. She liked them, too. He said what he meant and meant what he said which was important. She could trust him completely—had trusted him totally with not only herself, but with Mary Catherine and Julia. He hadn’t let her down.
Was she already falling in love with this tall cowboy who had come into her life like the storm they had both been caught in?
The realization shook her and she pushed it out of her thoughts, yet he was watching her closely and his eyes narrowed as if he could follow the train of her thoughts.
“Maybe I should just go back to bed—”
She started to turn away, but he touched her arm. “C’mon, Vivian. We’ll get something to drink. You’re not going to sleep right now, are you?”
“No,” she answered, aware of his fingers so lightly brushing her arm.
“C’mon,” he coaxed, and moved away from her to get cold drinks. They sat and talked for more than an hour. The lights flickered several times and then came back on. Finally Julia’s cries interrupted them and when Vivian stood, Matt did, too.
“Call me if you need me,” he said.
“Sure.”
Because of the storm Matt was busier than ever the next few days. Creeks had flooded and ponds were overflowing. Vivian saw him at breakfast and late at night, but not in between. He still called to talk to her most days at least once, sometimes more often.
By the fourth week her body was mending swiftly and her strength was returning. With Lita around six days a week to help, Vivian had more freedom and she was beginning to walk early in the morning, following the hard-packed dirt road from the house to the road. When Matt found out what she was doing, he took all of them out one evening to show her another road that led away from the barn across his farm.
“I’ll feel better if you walk here,” he told her as he carried Julia and Mary Catherine skipped along beside Vivian. “You’ll be in the middle of the farm, not up by the highway.”
“Since we haven’t seen any more of the P.I., maybe he went back to Denver.”
“Maybe, but there’s no need to take chances.”
“Even if I walk up by the highway, I don’t think I’m in danger.”
“I’ll say it again—there’s no need to take chances. I’ll worry less.”
She smiled at him. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Right.”
They strolled in silence and she looked at leaves twisting in the evening breeze on a tall cottonwood ahead of them. Shadows were lengthening and a mockingbird’s melodic cry could be heard. “It’s so peaceful out here, you forget the turmoil elsewhere.”
“That’s right,” he said, turning to study her. She became aware that he was watching her and wondered what was running through his mind.
“You fit in here better than I thought you would,” he said, and she laughed.
“You sound as if I’m in a prison.”
“That’s how some city folk would view it.”
“It’s a nice change at this time in my life. This is a good place to bring a baby into the world.”
“Yeah, sure,” he said, smiling at her. “Next time, Vivian, pick a big city hospital that has facilities. Thank heaven Julia didn’t have complications.”
“There won’t be a next time, thank you,” she said. “I have my family.”
“You might marry again.”
“No. That hurt too badly, too much.”
“Life’s full of risk.”
“I don’t notice you taking any where marriage is concerned.”
He shrugged. “I have better reasons than you do.”
“Not from my viewpoint. From what I see, you’re selling yourself short. And when we go into town, my goodness, there are some ladies who would love to go out with you.”
“No one told you that!” he said with disgust.
“They don’t have to. They hang on every word I say about you.”
“Baloney, Vivian. Up ahead where the fence is, you need to stop and turn around and head back to the house unless you want to come face-to-face with my bull, and I’ll tell you now, you don’t want to.”
They strolled leisurely back
to the corral, where Matt gave Mary Catherine a ride on Molasses. After her bath, Mary Catherine found Matt on the porch and asked him to read to her before she had to go to bed. She climbed into his lap and Vivian sat nearby, rocking Julia while she listened to Matt read one of Mary Catherine’s books.
He had become familiar with the book and his reading skills were increasing, so he read at a faster pace, no longer moving slowly over the words and having to point at each one. Vivian knew he was sensitive about his reading and that he didn’t care to even receive compliments. She also knew he was quietly pleased with his progress, and a couple of times when she had to leave him to take care of Julia, she had come back to find him reading.
Now she looked at the cowboy and her daughter. Matt was in his jeans and T-shirt, one booted foot propped on his knee, holding Mary Catherine in her frilly pink pajamas. She had her arm around his neck, her skin so pale next to his dark brown skin. She looked fragile in his arms, yet she looked as if she belonged there, something she had never had with her own father.
With a pang Vivian realized how sentimental she was getting and looked away.
When Matt closed the book, she stood, shifting Julia in her arms. “All right, Mary Catherine, it’s bedtime.”
Mary Catherine tightened her arms around Matt’s neck. “Please, please, one story in bed.”
“Mary Catherine, he’s read two stories to you.”
He glanced at Vivian and she knew he was going to do exactly what Mary Catherine wanted. He stood, holding her and her books easily. “One story in bed and then night-night.”
Mary Catherine grinned as he shifted her to his shoulders and she clung to him, wrapping her fingers in his hair.
“What a pushover,” Vivian mumbled as she walked beside him.
“How could I say no to two pleases?”
Vivian smiled and then wanted to throw up her hands in exasperation when they reached the bedroom and Matt turned to dump Mary Catherine on the bed, making her shriek with laughter and bounce right up.