She closed her eyes, and then looked over at him.
"Now, don't tell me what you wished for, or it won't come true." He chuckled.
She nodded.
She lay down and looked up at the stars. "You know, as many times as I've been out here, I've never taken the time to enjoy them, like this. Funny what we take for granted, isn't it?"
"I guess it's kind of a cheap date, but I always enjoy it," Sam murmured.
"The universe is so big…It makes you feel small."
"I used to be able to name a lot of the constellations, but that was back in my school days."
"Did you go to college, Sam?"
"No…there wasn't much money then. I was lucky to graduate from high school. What money I earned went into buying clothes, paying bills. The house was the only thing we had. Our folks paid it off before they died."
"At least you had that. Do you still own it?"
"Yeah…we do."
He looked at her and smiled.
"I was going to college until Dad died, but his stipulation in the will said we had to stay on the ranch, and so I put it off."
"Education is important. But you have to figure out what you want to do with your life first. I mean, just going for the sake of going isn't that good. You gotta have some goals in life."
"How come you know so much about everything?" Wendy asked.
"I don't. I just watch folks, see their mistakes, and don't want to make the same. You learn from life and living, Wendy. You want to be a plumber, you go to plumbing school; you want to be a cop, you go to an academy to learn. You want to be a cowboy, you get a job on a good ranch and you stick with it for about twenty years, and then you can call yourself a cowboy." Sam chuckled.
"How old are you, Sam?"
"Twenty-four." He glanced over at her. "And you?"
"I'll be twenty my next birthday."
"Twenty is a good age."
"You sound like you’re thirty." Wendy glanced at him.
She shivered a bit, and he stared at her. "You cold?"
"A little, it's getting a little nippy."
"No problem," he rasped, and pulled the other side of the blanket over her and she moved toward him, nearly on top of him. Their eyes met, and Wendy's heart beat quickened. She could feel the kiss before it came, she wanted it so much. His lips were like a live wire, electric, and melting hers to putty. She swooned at the gentle way he moved his mouth over hers, encouraging her to open her lips to his. He was coaxing her, not demanding, not insisting, but persuading.
Wendy thought for sure her first kiss would be awkward and immature, but there was nothing awkward about Sam's kiss, exploring her lips and mouth, with such a tenderness she felt her heart almost explode.
It was like finding the other half to a puzzle; they fit together as though meant to be together.
Her heart swelled that this gentle man could take her innocent kiss and make her feel so alive.
He finally let the kiss ebb, as he drew breath and buried his head against her cheek. "I've been wanting to do that since the day I walked into your kitchen. But I had no idea you were such a great kisser."
"You think I'm a good kisser?" She barely breathed.
He turned her over, so she was on the bottom now, and he was staring into her eyes.
"I do…but you're like a juicy watermelon on a hot day. You don't just dive in without thinking about it. You savor the wanting for a while. You think about the fact you may never get another, and when you do take it…you don't devour, but you enjoy every minute of it, so you can recall it at any given moment."
"Wow, you are a romantic, aren't you Sam?"
"I sure hope so…" He grinned, and kissed her nose.
But their eyes met again and when she thought he would kiss her once more, he moved the blanket and got to his feet.
His body seemed to speak volumes.
"Something wrong?" she asked, scrambling to join him.
"No…" He stared at her. "Nothing at all. But if I'd stayed down there in the blanket with you, I might have done the wrong thing, and I so don't want to make any mistakes with you…Wendy. I value what we have, whatever it is…whatever it may come to be."
Wendy wasn't sure what he meant. But her cheeks flamed.
"I've had very little experience with this…" she began.
He pulled her chin up so he could stare into her eyes. "God lady, if you were any better, we'd be making a baby right now…"
Wendy blushed again, this time she could feel the color coming into her cheeks.
"Oh!" Wendy's eyes widened.
"Yeah, oh!" He grinned. "Come on, I better get you back to the ranch, it's too cold for this tonight."
Before thinking, she blurted, "But I wasn't cold, Sam…"
"I know…neither was I." His glance fastened onto her possessively.
He seemed to let that sink in as they rode back to the ranch.
When they returned the horses to the barn, the barn was quiet. They unhitched and combed their horses, then he walked her to her front door.
"Goodnight Sam, I had a wonderful time," she said as she barely turned to him.
"Me too. I may not see you tomorrow; I got to check in with my probation officer, he's all the way downtown. It will take most of the day."
"Oh…Did you tell Cade?"
"Yeah, he knows. He even offered to drive me down there, but I knew he had a lot to do today."
He started to walk off the porch, and then as though he thought better of it, he turned to look at her, and walked back. Slowly, he lifted her chin. "Kissing you could become a big habit with me."
And then his head bent and he took the softness of her against him. The kiss went on and on, until he finally thrust her away from him. His breathing was erratic, hers too. She stood there with her eyes closed for a long moment. When she opened them, she saw the way he looked at her and smiled.
"Goodnight Wendy, I had a good time too…" he said throatily.
It seemed as though their thoughts connected and he could almost finish her sentences before she spoke them.
She went inside, closed the door and leaned against it. Her knees were shaking, her heart pounding, and there were stars in her eyes. She smiled, letting that new womanly feeling swamp her as she went upstairs and lay on her bed, dreaming about stars and kisses.
Chapter Five
The next morning, Wade was waiting for her in the kitchen. She hadn't gotten around to changing the locks on the door yet and it startled her to see him in the kitchen having a cup of coffee before he went to work. How long had he been in the house? She'd taken a shower, and hadn't heard anyone come in. But she felt an uneasiness growing.
"Good morning." His voice was chilly.
"Morning, Wade…" She tried to sound nonchalant about it, but knew she didn't come off that good. Why was he in the kitchen this early? They had a coffee pot in the bunkhouse. Since all her sisters had married and moved out, she felt exposed now when Wade took the liberty of just walking in and making himself at home. Nothing had really changed, he had done this for years, but now, it seemed different. She had no one else to rely on but herself. The less she made of it, the better, a little voice in her head told her.
"Have a good time last night?" he asked, his eyes going over her as he sipped the hot coffee carefully.
It seemed he was looking her over a lot lately and even that startled her.
In her gown and bathrobe, she felt his look and tightened the sash to her robe. It didn't make a lot of sense why she didn't trust Wade any longer. He'd been a part of this ranch almost all her life. Yet as she grew up, she felt a need for more privacy. And she'd been afraid to mention it to anyone, until now. "Yes, I did, thanks."
She poured herself some coffee and was about to escape up to her room when he followed her to the stairway.
She heard him behind her and tensed. Wendy felt a chill run up her spine when she realized Wade was right behind her. She stopped and turned to look at him.
<
br /> "You know, I warned you about Sam Jamison. I thought you had better sense than to hang out with someone like that. I'm really only looking after your interests. You'll be a rich woman soon, and a lot of people know it. You've got to watch out for people like him."
"I suppose I should thank you for being concerned, but it isn't necessary. I like Sam."
"You've got to be kidding me. You know what he wants."
"No, I'm afraid I don't." She stared him down.
"He's prison bait. How can you continue to see someone who is trying to milk you dry?"
"Milk me dry?" She turned up her nose. "He's taking me out; I’m not taking him out. He hasn't cost me a cent. He dresses nicely when we go out. He treats me like a lady. I have no complaints. Actually, we have a lot of fun together."
"That may be, but you know what he's after, don't you?"
"Are you inferring that he's after my money, of which I don't have?" Wendy's brows met.
"I certainly am…"
"And what about your little red-head? You don't think she's found the fatted calf?" Wendy chuckled.
"You leave her out of this. It just so happens she comes from money, so maybe I'm bleeding her dry," he countered.
"Maybe you are!" She turned to go up the stairs.
He grabbed her by the elbow. "He's no good Wendy, and I won't have you dating him."
"Oh you won't, huh? Well, for your information, your job is to this ranch, not to its owners. And I am one of the owners," she snapped. "Now let go of me."
He applied more pressure until it hurt. Her eyes widened.
"Let go of me, Wade," she snapped.
"You are just trying to make me jealous, and it isn't going to happen," he seethed. "I thought once I introduced you to Valarie you'd see. I am not in love with you, Wendy."
"Make you jealous? Don't flatter yourself. I have no interest in you whatsoever. And if I ever did, I’m sorry for it."
He brought her up close. "If you ever did? That's rich! You think I’m blind? You tempted and teased me every way you knew how. You liked to have driven me crazy flaunting yourself at me. I had to get a real woman to get you to leave me alone…"
His words cut to the core, but she wouldn't let him see it. She held her head high.
"I was a child. Thankfully, I've outgrown you, Wade."
It was true she had. She had followed him like a love-sick puppy for years, but to have it thrown in her face hurt. Nothing he could say or do could be worse than facing that. Now that she thought about it, she was pathetic, but that was over. She had grown up.
She learned her lesson the hard way, but she had learned it.
"I'm telling you again, I like Sam, Wade. He's a nice man. He's treated me with nothing but respect. Unlike you, he doesn't push. I like that too. I'm going to keep on dating him, whether you like it or not. You have a lady. You should be on top of the world. Who I date or don't date is none of your business."
"I flaunted her in front of you on purpose to teach you a lesson. To be rid of you once and for all. You've dogged me for years. Acting like you were old enough to know, and yet you weren't. I put up with you for years because you were the boss' daughter. Well the boss is dead. I have leave to run this place as I see fit."
"I apologize for doggin you as you call it, Wade. I really do. But I can assure you I've learned my lesson." She was spitting fire now. She was an inch from letting her tears spill, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "Well, you are well rid of me now!"
"Good!" And with that, he shoved her down and left.
Wendy was shaking as she scrambled to her feet. She'd fallen down several steps. Pain registered on her face as she pulled herself up by the stair railing.
A new panic set in. Wade was right to be angry over the way she used to act. She'd give him that, but he had no right touching her, or manhandling her.
She moved and realized her leg hurt more than she thought. Realizing she was hurt, she did let the tears fall now, as she went to lock the door.
She looked outside and didn't see any sign of Wade.
She wished she could talk to someone about him, but who would listen? She'd brought a lot of this on herself. It was partly her fault. How could she go crying to anyone?
Then she thought about Caleb, and decided she would talk to him later, when she was dressed.
She tried to calm her heart beat. She tried to not be so hurt by his actions and words. But it hurt when she hit the stairs. And he hadn't even turned to see if she was alright. He never looked back.
She hated being such a baby, but Wade was really starting to scare her, though. She didn't understand why he had turned on her so. She never meant him any harm. She had once thought he was the best man in the world, next to her father.
That opinion had changed recently. And she couldn't really lay it at Valarie's feet, as she was guilty as sin of having a huge crush on Wade herself. He was right about that.
But couldn't he see it had only been a teenage crush?
She went slowly up the stairs, limping as she went as walking was painful now. Going to her room, she took her clothes to the shower and locked the door. She felt suddenly very unclean. She turned the water on and scrubbed her body nearly raw.
She never locked the door before, but she just didn't trust Wade anymore. Maybe she was exaggerating everything out of proportion, but she didn't think so. He was manhandling her and that was one thing she could not ignore. Somehow she had to change things. She had to stand on her own two feet, because she had deserved some of it. A lot of what he said was true, and she knew it. Convincing him that she was changing was not going to be easy. Wade lived his life one way, never changing. Never yielding.
Wendy had flaunted herself; that was true. She had flirted with him. But she had never harmed him. She had never hurt him intentionally. She had never touched him.
The memory of the way he pushed her down disturbed her. He seemed so angry. And none of it made any sense to her. She scrubbed hard until her skin turned red, and then when she got out of the shower, she dried off and looked into the mirror behind the door. She was afraid to admit to herself that he had really hurt her this time, not only physically, but emotionally. Her leg was already bruising. She gasped. She knew he shoved her hard and she had barely almost hit her head. A few more times like that and…
After careful consideration, she realized that going to Caleb might not be the wisest thing either. After all, this was her problem and she needed to learn how to solve it, without crying on everyone's shoulder. She had to grow up. She had begged her sisters to treat her as an equal and now she was being tested. Could she handle it herself? But Wade was a force and solving it on her own might put her in bigger danger.
She had to get new locks for the doors.
That would stop him from coming in on her when she wasn't prepared for him.
Her leg ached, but she was determined not to let anyone know. Trying not to give in to the pain, she held herself up and walked straight even though it hurt.
She didn't really want to get Wade into trouble. She knew she could. This was enough to get him fired if she wanted to. She didn't want that. She couldn't imagine the ranch not being run by him.
How could she make him see that dating Sam had made her understand that there was more to life than ranching? How could she convince Wade that Sam was a good guy?
Her thoughts made her sick. She was afraid of Wade Weston. She never thought she'd see the day when she was afraid of him. He had run this ranch so smoothly; all of her sisters had admired him. She had been no exception.
"I've got to talk to somebody. Just talk…" She bit her lip. But would her sisters see that he was fired if she opened her mouth? This ranch was Wade's life. Even she couldn't do that to him.
What a mess she was in. There had to be a sensible way to end this.
She'd go to town and buy some locks, then tell Caleb so he could tell everyone else. Anyone who needed to come in would have to knock. That was se
nsible, at least to her. After all, she and her sisters were grown women now, and would soon inherit a fortune. Anyone could walk in, the way things were. And she'd use that as an excuse if Wade reproached her on it.
That was a good argument.
She stopped off at the local hardware store and bought several new door locks after asking the clerk if they would fit and work right. Then she called Julie.
"Hi, listen, I just bought some new locks for the doors; could Cade install them for me?" Wendy asked, trying not to sound different than always.
"New door locks. Well…sure, honey. He can put them on."
"Oh good, could he do that tonight?" She tried to control the shakiness in her voice. She didn't want to alert her sister, but she did want those locks on.
"If you want him to, yes…I'm sure." Julie sounded suspicious. "We'll be over after supper."
"Okay hon, thanks." Wendy hung up before she questioned her about it. Good, she had handled that well.
When Julie and Cade arrived though, Wendy had the locks set out on the table. "Here they are. With everyone gone now, but me, I'd feel a little better knowing we have new locks."
Cade looked at her and smiled. "This is a good idea. You are not a kid anymore and anyone could walk in on you, without any of us around. I agree."
"You do?" She was shocked.
"Of course, hon. You are a young pretty girl, about to inherit a fortune. This will keep you safer and Julie won't have to worry about you so much," Cade explained.
"She worries about me?" Wendy glanced at Julie.
"We all do."
"Well…thanks…" Wendy said, thinking there would be no inquisition. But Julie followed her upstairs while Cade installed the new locks.
"Okay honey, give…" Julie hadn't even set her purse down yet.
"Give what?" Wendy sat at her small vanity and combed her hair.
"I took one look at you when I walked in that door tonight and knew something has you so rattled you are shaking. I don't think I have ever seen you like this before. I want to know what is causing it."
Wendy gulped. She really didn't want to say another word. She wished Julie wouldn't worry over her, but she knew she would. Julie was the oldest and she kept everyone together. And she knew her so well.
Stand By Me (Book 4 of the McKay's) Page 5
