Loving the Heartland

by Marjorie Jones

  “Can you remember how you fell off?”

  “Yes! As a matter of fact, I can.”

  Kendra bit her bottom lip as though she considered her words carefully. “Calling him, anyway. Head injury aside, you could have a broken bone in that shapely leg of yours. He only lives about three miles from here. He’ll be over before you know it.”

  Michelle rolled her eyes. “This wouldn’t be an attempt to get out of filming, would it?”

  “Nope.” The Jeep, regardless of how slowly Kendra drove, bounced over the field until they reached a dusty, dirt road. She swerved onto it and sped up.

  “I don’t believe you,” Michelle screamed over the roar of the engine and the wind.

  “Don’t care!”

  They hit a rut and the Jeep tilted drastically, shoving Michelle’s leg against the open door jamb. “Shit!” she cried, the pain apparent in her crisp voice.

  Michelle released a tense breath that had nothing to do with exasperation and everything to do with the injury to her leg. That muscle in Kendra’s jaw twitched again, and she kept her eyes trained on the road, even though Michelle knew she must have driven it a thousand times.

  As they drove the remainder of the way in silence, a throb started at the back of her skull and worked its way into her eye sockets. She’d hit her head harder than she’d thought, apparently, and the pain in her leg had changed from the kind that comes from kicking a table leg in bare feet to a dull, consistent ache. Except when they hit a bump in the road. Then it started all over again.

  Kendra’s aquiline features held a dark frown until they pulled in front of the house. She threw herself out of the jeep and raced around the hood to reach her. Taking her in her arms, she carried her to the porch.

  “Kendra, I can walk. Well, I can limp, anyway. You don’t have to carry me.”

  She shoved the door open and headed for the stairs. “Maybe I want to carry you.”

  Michelle’s cheeks burned, so she hid her face in Kendra’s chest. She smelled of leather and roses with a hint of lavender. She could live in that scent.

  Kendra passed her door and took her to Kendra’s room. Laying Michelle on top of her bedspread, she took off her hat and tossed it onto the bureau. “Don’t go to sleep.”

  Michelle’s brows narrowed when Kendra left the room. “Where are you going?”

  She didn’t answer.

  Michelle laid on the bed for a moment before testing her thigh with her fingertips. She winced. That’s going to leave a mark.

  She unbuttoned her jeans and eased them over her hips. Her breath caught as the stiff fabric brushed her leg. A bruise the size of a baseball glove had already formed on her upper thigh and had begun to wrap around the outside of her leg. She screwed her face into a sneer and leaned back on her elbows.

  Wonderful. She wouldn’t be wearing short skirts for a while. Not that she ever did, really.

  Kendra knocked on the open door and approached the bed. She held a bag of ice in one hand and a glass of iced tea in the other. “Here. I thought you might want something cold.”

  She felt that twinge again, right near her heart. The one that said, “She cares about you.” It warmed her soul and made her think of...

  Not the future. She didn’t know where any of this was going, but Kendra didn’t love her. She knew that much. She accepted it. Right now, she needed her, that’s all. And when she didn’t need her anymore, would Michelle be nothing more than a fond memory. They were enjoying each other’s company and having a good time. Michelle had a life and a business back in Vegas. She would have to go home eventually, anyway.

  “Thank you,” she whispered with a smile.

  “The ice is for your head. The doc’s on his way.”

  “You called him?”

  “I told you I was going to.”

  “This isn’t fair, Kendra.” Her voice lowered an octave and she didn’t know why. She cleared her throat when Kendra sat on the edge of the bed, unbuckled her chaps and tossed them aside.

  “What’s not fair?” Her fingers brushed away a loose strand of hair and tucked it behind Michelle’s ear.

  “You’re allowed to take care of me, but I’m not allowed to take care of you.”

  Her hand dropped to her thighs, covered in dusty, worn denim and she looked away. “I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”

  

  Kendra stood and crossed to the bureau where she’d tossed her hat. Placing both of her palms on the edge, she leaned into it, her head bent. Why did Michelle find it so necessary to get into her head like this? She’d been fine without her for thirty-five years, right?

  So, why did the fact that she might have been seriously hurt make her so bat-shit crazy?

  She could have broken her neck. She damn near broke her head. And her leg. She probably separated a rib, at least. She closed her eyes and pushed herself off the dresser.

  “I’m sorry,” Michelle finally continued. “I didn’t mean anything by that.”

  She turned around to find Michelle leaning her back against the wall under her mother’s picture frame collection. Her head was down, and both hands rested in her lap. The bag of ice sat abandoned on the coverlet. She worried her fingers and bit her bottom lip so hard, it looked like she might actually remove it.

  Damn.

  “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so defensive. I’m just...” What? Just what? Could she tell Michelle that she’d scared her to near to death? “I’m not used to this, that’s all.”

  Michelle smiled. “I know. It’s okay. Really.”

  No, it really wasn’t. She could tell just by looking at Michelle that it wasn’t. This was exactly why she didn’t want a woman in her life. The high-maintenance of a relationship partnered with all the drama that went along with it. She didn’t have time for it. She never had, even before she’d inherited four kids.

  Sure, she’d dated a bit, here and there. Even had a bona-fide love affair with a barrel racer when she was a kid, following her folks from rodeo to rodeo. That relationship had lasted even while she’d been in the Navy. That had been the real reason she hadn’t gone with her parents that day... But she’d never felt like this before.

  Not once.

  She should say something, but she had no idea what. The air grew so thick, she could chew it.

  “Someone’s at the door.”

  “What?” She felt like she was standing on some other planet.

  “Didn’t you hear it? The doorbell just rang.”

  “Oh. Yeah. Wait here. I’ll get it.”

  She thought she heard Michelle Chuckle as she stomped down the stairs. She groaned. Of course she’d wait there. She couldn’t walk. For Christ’s sake, she was losing her goddamned mind.

  Doc waited on the opposite side of the door, wire glasses on his nose, gray hair combed to the side and a black bag clutched in his gnarled fingers. “Hey, Doc. Thanks for coming over.”

  The old sawbones smiled and stepped into the foyer. “My pleasure, Kennie. I don’t mind, you know. I miss the old house call days. So, what’s the emergency?” He practically chomped at the bit and a twinkle of excitement sparkled in his moist eyes.

  “Upstairs.” Kendra and the old doctor climbed the stairs to the second floor. “I have a houseguest. Michelle. She got thrown off Bethany about half-an-hour or so ago. She blacked out for a second. I just thought you should give her the once over.”

  “That’s good thinking, Kennie. But then, you’ve always been protective of the kids, haven’t you. You’ll make a great mother someday. Make some young man very happy.”

  Kendra couldn’t help but grin just a little. What the old doc didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. But he was right. She had worried over her brothers and sister for a long time. Doc should’ve really had his own room on the Heartland.

  A few minutes of examination and Doc declared Michelle none the worse for wear. His prescription, in addition to a round of powerful pain killers from the local pharmacy, included a
good, long soak in a full-to-the-top, hot bath. And rest. She’d be sore a few days, at least. If her ribs started to hurt worse in a few days, there was most likely a separated rib, which can hurt just as badly as a broken one, but would have to heal on its own.

  Kendra tried to ignore the relief that surged through her, like someone lifted a loadstone off her shoulders.

  She’d just found Michelle. Despite all her reasons why she shouldn’t want her, she did. She wanted her more than she wanted to breathe. She needed her more than water. If she’d been seriously hurt, Kendra didn’t know what she would have done.

  What the hell was the matter with her?

  

  “How’s the temp?” Lacey poked her head into the spa-like bathroom, not for the first time since Michelle had managed to climb into the huge tub.

  “It’s wonderful. Now stop hovering. I’m fine.”

  “I’m not hovering.”

  Michelle laughed. “You most certainly are.” She released a sigh and smiled. “You might as well come in and keep me company.”

  Lacey closed the door behind her and sat on the marble counter between the matching sinks. “I’m sorry I wasn’t out there today. But I made some progress with Channel Thirteen in Vegas, I think.”

  “Did you get the internship?” Michelle asked as she ran her hands around the bubbles in the tub to make sure they covered her pink parts.

  Lacey pressed her lips together in a sheepish grin. “I don’t know yet, but I’m hopeful. Lord knows, I’m going to need a job when I get home.”

  Michelle’s heart plummeted at the sound of the word. Home. She never wanted to go home. A month ago, the thought of feeling so comfortable on a cattle ranch would have made her laugh. But everything about this placed called to her. Nothing moreso than the owner.

  Kendra had insisted she use the big tub to soak. She’d drawn the water, added the bubble bath and made sure everything was perfect. She’d even lighted several candles. Then she’d helped Michelle undress. Her stomach tightened as the memories of Kendra’s hands on her suddenly felt more real than remembered. She tamped away the erotic longings, hoping she didn’t look like a fool with some love-sick expression on her face.

  And then, silently and without any aplomb whatsoever, Kendra had left.

  “What are you thinking about?” Lacey’s voice held a note of knowledge, like she already knew the answer to her own question.

  Michelle’s cheeks burned. “Your sister,” she giggled.

  “Yeah,” Lacey responded with a knowing grin. “What’s that about?”

  Michelle stretched her leg where the bruised muscles still cramped, despite the moist heat of the bath. “I don’t know. I mean, she’s a really great girl and well, she makes me feel all... I don’t know.”

  “Are you falling for her?”

  Michelle couldn’t answer. Was she? Was the feeling that she never wanted to leave this place indicative of lust? Infatuation? Or was it more real? Surreal? She’d never been in love. That would explain how Kendra could make her feel all hot and bothered, swoony even if she wasn’t in the room. Would it explain why her body tensed and tingled whenever she even thought of her?

  Of course, those reactions could easily be the result of having made love to her... aftershocks. Right?

  “No. I don’t think so,” she finally answered. “I mean, I’ve only known her a couple of weeks. And I’m not looking for anything serious, right? And neither is she, for that matter.”

  “If you say so. You’re both grownups, so it’s fine by me. But, just for the record, she is my sister. She raised me, which makes her kinda like my mom, too. So, just, well, if you’re not serious and it looks like maybe she is? Don’t hurt her.”

  Michelle winced, and then held out her hand. Lacey leaned forward and took it in a gentle grip.

  “I’m not going to hurt her,” Michelle whispered. “I promise.”

  But what about Kendra? Would she... Could she make the same promise?

  A rap on the door broke the tenderness of the moment.

  Kendra’s voice sounded muffled through the door. “What’s going on in there?”

  “Nothing,” Michelle and Lacey answered in stereo.

  “I’m going to finish making dinner.” Lacey winked and let herself out of the bathroom.

  Kendra stepped in and leaned her backside on the counter that Lacey had just vacated. She wore the same leathery, floral scent that she always did. Michelle couldn’t tell if it was cologne, or just her. Her hair looked damp. “You feeling alright?” she asked.

  Michelle could only nod.

  “How’s the leg?”

  “Ugly as sin, but I’ll live.” Michelle’s voice cracked and she swallowed.

  “I’m really sorry about this. I guess Bethany isn’t as mellow as I thought.”

  “Where did you go? Before?”

  “I had to close up the barn. Left to Casey, and every horse we own will be free-ranging come sun up.”

  Kendra’s smooth, rounded breasts rose and fell beneath a clean, crisp white shirt. A half-smile made small wrinkles appear in the corner of one green eye. Weathered and strong, everything about her seemed to scream, “I can handle anything,” and whisper, “take care of me,” at the same time.

  She must be losing her mind. A few minutes ago, she’d thought Kendra had left because she didn’t want to be with her, or she was scared of getting too close, and now, she seemed as if she wanted to be nowhere else in the world.

  “You ready to get out, yet?” Kendra asked.

  “No. I don’t ever want to get out. It’s amazing in here,” Michelle sighed, “but I probably should. I’m going to wrinkle up and float away.”

  Kendra held open a fluffy desert-rose-colored towel. Balancing on her good leg and using the wall to steady herself, she climbed out of the tub. Kendra wrapped the towel around her and rubbed her shoulders to ward off the slight chill of evening. Warm breath settled on her neck. A shiver that had nothing to with her damp skin rippled through her flesh.

  “Come on. Let’s get you tucked in.”

  “But, it’s still early.”

  “Doctor’s orders. You’re to stay off that leg for at least a couple of days. Brad downloaded a couple of movies and everything is set up, so it’s dinner in bed and a movie-marathon for you.”

  Dinner in bed sounded nice, actually. But she doubted Kendra was on the menu. Glancing over her shoulder, she offered Kendra a smile that must have relayed her thoughts. Her eyes smoldered behind hooded lids. Strong hands still held her arms, but now they pulled back ever so slightly, until her back settled into Kendra’s chest. Encircling her with the towel and a powerful yet gentle embrace, her lips made contact with Michelle’s still-wet skin. Nibbling for a moment before she turned her in her arms, Kendra then captured her lips in a kiss meant only to pleasure and tease. Her tongue played along the ridge of her teeth and swept her into a rhythm older than time itself. The towel fell away. Heat flushed Michelle’s limbs.

  Kendra picked her up as if she weighed nothing and carried her to her bed, settling her in the fresh sheets. The cool cotton did nothing to assuage the fire consuming her.

  She knew what to expect and thought it would make a difference. It didn’t. She felt as desirable as she had yesterday. The only difference came from the knowledge that Kendra wanted her as much as Michelle wanted Kendra. Her heart swelled.

  The setting sun played through the windows, casting shadows around the room as Kendra slowly removed her shirt. Her breasts, bared in the failing light, were smooth and round. And beautiful. Michelle caught her bottom lip between her teeth. What would she taste like?

  A clock ticked from the surface of the bureau, but that sound alone filled the quiet. Wearing only her jeans, Kendra laid down beside her. She coaxed Michelle’s legs apart with gentle pressure as she rained kisses on her neck. Nipping her throat, teasing and playing her fingers through her wet hair, she pressed her thigh against her... there.

  Denim
scraped against her flesh. The heady contrast between Kendra’s soft touch, her slow movements and the rough texture of her jeans seemed to weave a spell around Michelle. Every sensation brought her closer to knowing her.

  One hand moved to cup Michelle’s breast before Kendra’s lips followed. She laved sweet attention there, and then moved her hand to the juncture of Michelle’s thighs. Her body no longer belonged to her. She pushed against Kendra’s hand, wanting more and immediately missing the heavy pressure of the denim. Her hips moved faster of their own accord, terrified that the fire being stoked so furiously might somehow fade away.

  She moaned. Kendra caught the sound with her lips and continued the slow, deliberate torture, controlling her without saying a word.

  Michelle fumbled between them for the button on Kendra’s jeans. She wanted to feel the soft folds of her body, the moist heat of her passion and her slick, tender secret places.

  Kendra caught Michelle’s roaming hands and moved them away. Michelle groaned from frustration, wanting and primal need.

  With a whisper of breath, Kendra pulled away from her kiss, trailing her lips and tongue over Michelle’s throat and then visiting each breast with a nip and suckle before continuing over her tummy. Then, Kendra’s mouth replaced her hand among the slick folds of flesh and dark curls, and she probed the depths of Michelle’s writhing body.

  The room spun, forcing Michelle’s eyes to close. Her body arched, sending her head back into the pillow. A remnant of pain from her fall threatened to surface, but she ignored it. Her body swelled and heaved under Kendra’s attention and nothing could pull her from the power of her lovemaking.

  Kendra’s fingers found the one place inside of her that sent her over the edge, while her lips and tongue soothed and tormented at once. The shocks of her climax began low in her belly before spreading like a river though her chest, her arms, her legs.

  She bit her lip to keep from screaming, until finally, her muscles fell limp. Numb, but not numb as the aftershocks stole her breath.