Trails of Love

by Melissa Foster

  “I’d never walk a tightrope, period. I’ve never even been on a plane or traveled very far. What if I don’t like traveling, or if I miss my family or my home too much?”

  “Then you travel only to the places you love. But…what if you love it? What if you find inspiration in the forests of the Amazon or on the sandy shores of Bali? What if you get inspired by Georgia peaches or New England lobsters?”

  “Now who sounds floaty?” she teased. “You’re supposed to be the grounded one.”

  He pushed his hands up her thighs and held on tight. “I am grounded, but you have big beautiful wings that should never be clipped. If what you want is to live your life on a whim, experiencing all of what life has to offer while maintaining your business, then I think we should find a way to make that happen. Or you’ll always wonder what if…”

  “We…?” She wound her arms around his neck and said, “Every time you find out more about me, I expect you to run the other way, but you don’t.”

  “I’d have to be crazy to run away from you. You’re everything I never knew I wanted.”

  “Impulsive and floaty?”

  “I need floaty in my life, and I think maybe you need this overthinker in yours.”

  She soaked in the emotions in his voice. He was the yin to her yang, the cushion to her fall, the only person who made her want to think beyond tomorrow. But she couldn’t help teasing him. “Even though I’m not a good investment?”

  He brushed his lips over hers and said, “You might not be a solid business investment, but, sunshine, you’re the only woman I’d invest my heart in.”

  Chapter Ten

  MORGYN AWOKE TUESDAY morning draped over Graham’s big body, wondering when she’d become such a bed hog. She was lying sideways across the bed, her torso spread over his stomach, one arm stretched across him, her other hand splayed over his package. She stifled a giggle, in no hurry to move. She closed her eyes and thought about last night. They’d gone over Graham’s projections and talked all afternoon about the idea of selling her products in other people’s shops. He was so smart about business and finances. He’d projected best- and worst-case scenarios and said if she was interested they’d work together on getting their arms around the other expenses she hadn’t noted. He wanted to completely understand all aspects of her business, and although that wasn’t her thing, through Graham’s eyes, she was beginning to see the value in keeping better records. She’d spent most of the evening combing through the Internet looking at different types of businesses where she could sell her merchandise. Graham had suggested thinking outside the box, not just looking at thrift and consignment shops, but specialty stores that sold high-end, one-of-a-kind products. The longer she’d looked, the more excited she’d become. But was her stuff good enough? Would anyone else want to sell her merchandise?

  He shifted beneath her, running his rough hand along her back. “Why’s my girl wide-awake at the crack of dawn?”

  “I can’t stop thinking about your suggestion.”

  “Which suggestion might that be? The one where you agree to let me show you the world?”

  Her pulse skyrocketed as he swept her beneath him. He grinned wolfishly, his panty-melting dimples in full force. She had no doubt they’d work if she had panties on.

  “What? When did you suggest that?”

  “Just now.” He kissed her softly. “What do you say, sunshine?” His chest hair tickled her skin as he began kissing his way south.

  Yes! was on the tip of her tongue, but he teased her nipple, making her burn with anticipation and shattering her concentration. She arched beneath him, trying to find her voice, but he made her feel too good to give in just yet. “You’ll have to convince me better than that.”

  His dark eyes flicked up to hers, blazing with desire as he lowered his mouth over the taut peak and sucked hard.

  “Oh God, yes…”

  He grazed his teeth over her nipple, sending sharp pangs of pleasure rippling beneath her skin. “Is that a yes, you’ll come with me?”

  She moaned, bowing up beneath him. “If you keep doing that,” she panted out, “I’m definitely going to come.”

  She spread her legs as he angled his hips, teasing her entrance with the broad head of his cock. He continued teasing and sucking, taking her right up to the brink of madness.

  “Graham…”

  “What do you want, sunshine?”

  “You. Just you,” she said breathlessly.

  He moved lower, caressing and kissing, slowing to love her most sensitive areas—her ribs, just above her hip bone, and around her sex. His mouth was magnificent, and his big, strong hands…Lord, she loved the way he groped and claimed every inch of her. He pushed her legs open wider, kissing her inner thighs until she was trembling with desire.

  “Want my mouth on you, sunshine?”

  “Yes, so much, yes!” She fisted her hands in the sheets as he reached up with one hand, fondling her breast as he lowered his mouth to her sex, teasing so lightly, every slick of his tongue sent a thousand sensations skittering through her.

  “Cracker…You’re going to make me lose my mind!”

  “That’s the plan.”

  He dipped his fingers inside her, expertly finding the magical spot that sent her world spinning. “Graham!”

  His mouth took over, sending her impossibly higher, until every iota of her being throbbed with need. He intensified his efforts, sending her soaring again in an explosion of sensations. Just when she started to catch her breath, he moved over her, entering her in one hard thrust. He filled her so completely, her entire body stilled with the beauty of their joining. But that was short-lived, because in the next second he was moving, stroking that secret spot again, making her insides sizzle and burn until she shattered in his arms. Her hips shot off the mattress and she clawed at his back, trying to still her dizzying world. She saw a flash of pleasure in his eyes seconds before he captured her mouth in a ravenous kiss. His body stilled for just a second as a throaty groan escaped, and he gave in to his own powerful release. His hips pistoned in one hard thrust after another as he cradled her against him.

  When the last shudder of his release rumbled through him, he rolled them onto their sides, keeping her close. “I’m falling so hard for you, sunshine. How am I going to leave Friday when I can’t imagine not waking up with you by my side?”

  Emotions bubbled up inside her. She was falling hard for him, too, and she was also already mourning the end of their time together. “You’ll just have to figure out ways to squeeze in trips to Oak Falls.”

  “Or get you on a plane…”

  Her pulse sped up with the thought of getting on a plane. “Flying scares me a little.”

  “More than the idea of not being together?” He kissed the tip of her nose.

  “No,” she whispered.

  “More than the excitement of exploring together?”

  She shook her head. He moved over her again, and as he lowered his lips to hers he said, “More than the idea of long stretches of time between this…?”

  LATER THAT MORNING, as the sun crept into the sky, Morgyn and Graham filled the corn feeders in the deer garden and went for a walk along the railroad tracks.

  “I can’t stop thinking about the idea of selling my stuff on consignment,” Morgyn said excitedly. “Do you think it’s good enough that people who don’t know me would want to sell it?”

  “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have suggested it. It’s a great option and would give you flexibility to jump on a plane and explore the rest of the world, or take a day trip, visit with your friends.”

  “There you go again with the whole plane idea.”

  He pulled her closer and said, “You have to admit, it’d be hard to drive to Bali.”

  “What if I puke on a plane? I’m sure it’s way different from the swings at the county fair.” Morgyn gasped and pointed into a meadow. “Your morning gift.”

  He glanced into the yard and saw deer grazing in th
e field. Then he brought his attention back to her. “You’re my morning gift, sunshine, and if you puked, I’d hold your hair back.” He gazed into her beautiful eyes and said, “What you see and what you’ve experienced here is only a fraction of what the world has to offer. You deserve to see it all.”

  “What happened to Mr. Risk Assessor?”

  “You can be damn sure I’ll weigh the risks of our travels, and I’ll never take you anywhere unsafe. But I do think we need to get you out and about in lots of different ways. Do you mountain bike?” He took her hand, and they continued walking down the tracks.

  “I know how to ride a bike, so I guess I could mountain bike.”

  “How about rafting?”

  “I can hang on real tight to the inner tube when we go down the river, if that’s what you mean.”

  He laughed and gathered her close for a kiss. “I want to teach you to go white-water rafting, mountain biking, and mountain climbing. You take such pleasure in the small things in life, it’d be a shame for you to miss out on the bigger things.”

  “But isn’t all that stuff hard?”

  He laughed. “Not as hard as brain surgery, but harder than walking like we are now. It’s all relative, sunshine. How much do you want to experience?”

  “A better question might be, is there anything I don’t want to experience. And the answer would be yes. I don’t want to wake up at seventy-five years old and feel like my life has passed me by. I want to look back on my life and think, Boy, that was fun.”

  He slung his arm around her and said, “That makes two of us.”

  A few minutes later the tracks spilt around an old, dilapidated building, surrounded by graffiti-riddled trains and various rusted train parts lying forgotten on tufts of dead grass. Weeds and ivy climbed up the sides of the building and snarled around the big metal wheels of the trains.

  “Looks like the perfect place for a horror movie.”

  “This is the train graveyard. Come on.” Morgyn took his hand and headed for a line of trains. “I’ve found lots of cool things here.”

  “You come here alone?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’ve climbed mountains and this scares you?”

  “Not for myself, but the idea of you here alone? Yeah, I’m not a fan of that.”

  “Why do people see things like this and instantly think of trouble? I get a warm, fuzzy feeling here because of my grandfather. Don’t you have anything like that? Someplace that other people might think is scary but that you love?”

  “Sure, but I wouldn’t want you going there alone,” he said as they walked between the trains. “Aren’t you worried about snakes? Vagrants?”

  “Snakes are more afraid of us than we are of them, at least that’s what my father always says. And we’re in Oak Falls. There are no vagrants here.”

  “There are bad people everywhere,” he said as she pulled herself up on the front of a red caboose.

  “Well, not here. This is my favorite train. Did you know that cabooses used to be required at the end of every freight train? They provided shelter for the crew, and this is the car they’d use to keep a lookout for trouble with the trains. They were on all trains until the eighties, when they relaxed that requirement because of the developments in monitoring and safety technology. Technology is good, obviously, but when I come here, it really sheds light on how technology can phase people out of jobs.”

  “Is that what happened to your grandfather?”

  She shook her head. “No. They closed the railroad down after he retired. I was just making an observation. Everything changes so fast. I think that’s why I love breathing new life into old things. I don’t think just because an item is old or used it should be discarded or forgotten. Look at these beautiful trains. They’re so big and powerful. They feel regal to me.” She ran her hand along the iron railing surrounding the small deck. “Can you imagine standing here on a trip and taking in the sights and smells of the countryside?”

  She touched her necklace, and he realized it was the same one she’d worn the day they’d met. She lifted one of the charms and said, “I made this leaf from the copper bonding on the tracks, and I found these glass beads in a metal box that was hidden in one of the cars. They would have been forgotten forever. Look how pretty they are.” She held up two rust- and amber-colored beads. “Do you think that makes me a thief?”

  “No,” he said with a soft laugh. “I think it makes you even more interesting. For a girl who claims to be floaty, you’re very deep.”

  “You were very deep this morning.” She went up on her toes, meeting his lips for another kiss.

  “And I’ll get deep again right here if you keep talking like that.” He lifted her onto the railing and wedged himself between her legs, holding her so she didn’t fall. “You know, this is another option for your store.”

  “Having sex on the railing? I’m not sure how it correlates.” She wound her arms around his neck, grinning with her joke.

  “Buying an old train car and making it into a shop. With the right permits you could probably put it up by the road on your property, or you could finagle a deal with Reed and put it on the theater lot up by the main street.”

  “That’s a cool idea, but I bet it would cost a fortune. I can’t really barter my way into a train.”

  Graham wasn’t so sure about that.

  “We should probably get back. I want to get an hour of work in on that necklace I’m designing before heading to the shop.”

  Two hours later, after Morgyn finished in the barn and left for work, Graham caught up on emails that had been piling up over the last few days, confirmed his plans to meet Knox Friday afternoon at the property outside of Seattle, and then he researched purchasing an old train car. More specifically, purchasing Morgyn’s favorite caboose. He left messages for every lead he came across, but by the time they arrived at her parents’ house for dinner that evening, he still hadn’t heard back.

  Her parents lived in a massive old Victorian with a wraparound porch and a gorgeous yard. From the pictures on the walls spanning years of childhoods, to the teasing barbs cast over biscuits and gravy, the love between the Montgomerys was palpable. Graham sat back and took it all in as they ate dinner.

  “Have any of you heard from Grace?” their mother asked. Dolly and Reba, two fluffy golden retrievers she was training, sat beside her chair, their tails twitching like it took everything they had not to beg for food.

  Brindle grabbed a biscuit from the basket in the middle of the table and said, “Mom, they’re on their honeymoon. I hope they’re not thinking about anything other than the next position they want to try.”

  “Brindle!” Amber snapped. “I swear you’re as bad as Sable.”

  “No she’s not,” Sable said with a laugh.

  “Brin’s got her own flavor of naughtiness.” Their father, Cade, pointed at Brindle and said, “Listen here, little missy. Grace might be an adult, but she’s still my daughter, and I’d like to believe she and Reed are enjoying stargazing and theater hopping.”

  “They’re doing something like bunnies, but I’m sure it’s not hopping,” Sable said quietly, making them all laugh, except Cade, who scowled.

  “Oh, come on, honey,” Marilynn said. “Honeymoons are made for lovin’.”

  Cade shook his head and looked at Graham. “You should hope you never have daughters.” He pointed to his hair and said, “These girls are responsible for every last gray hair on my head.”

  “Oh, come on,” Amber said. “I was always well behaved, and Axsel wasn’t exactly the good one.”

  Cade winked at her.

  “In my family we have five boys and one girl,” Graham said. “I think my mother might say the same thing about me and my brothers.”

  “How about you bring your sexy single brothers here and we can see how bad they really are,” Brindle suggested with a spark of mischief in her eyes.

  “As if Trace would allow you near any of them,” Morgyn said. “Speakin
g of your cowboy, what happened with Slutty Suzie?”

  “She’s back?” Sable glared at Brindle. “Do I need to go kick some skanky butt?”

  “Why do you always want to kick someone’s butt?” Amber asked as she picked at her salad.

  “I don’t care what Slutty Suzie or Trace do,” Brindle insisted, but something in her eyes told Graham that wasn’t exactly true. “I’m done with him.”

  “Again,” Amber said.

  “Some addictions are hard to quit,” Morgyn said.

  Brindle glared at her. “I’m serious. We’re done.”

  “Oh, honey,” Marilynn said. “Maybe Paris is just what you need to figure out what you want once and for all.”

  “And to hook up with a hot French guy,” Sable added.

  “That’s the plan,” Brindle said under her breath.

  “Hey,” Cade snapped. “Could we please keep those parts of your plans to yourself? Didn’t I just say that I’d like to live under the misguided fantasy that you’re all still the virtuous little girls who used to play in the sprinkler?”

  “Your father wants to believe you’re all innocent little angels.”

  They all laughed, but Amber’s cheeks pinked up.

  “Something we should know, Amb?” Brindle said.

  “No,” Amber said.

  “How about you take Amber with you to Paris?” Marilynn suggested.

  Amber and Brindle both glowered at her.

  “What?” Marilynn said innocently. “Amber’s a calming influence on Brindle, and Brindle might help bring Amber out of her shell.”

  “If they don’t kill each other first,” Sable said.

  “My shell is safe, Mom,” Amber said. “I’m not like Brindle, and I never will be.”

  Her father put his hand over hers and said, “Thank goodness for little favors, honey. You know we adore you just the way you are.”

  “You remind me of my family,” Graham said. “We’re always giving each other a hard time about something.”