“Doctor Lewis said you hit your head.”
“Yes, I remember hitting it on the corner of the open cabinet door. You always said that was going to happen if I didn’t learn to close them,” she said. “Take it from me, my lesson has been learned.”
Bob lowered his head and quietly laughed to himself. I smile and looking at Josh I could see that he knew just what we were talking about. He rolled his eyes. He looked at us and said, “I would follow her around the kitchen and shut the cabinet doors.”
“We all have done it,” said Bob.
“Yes, we have,” I said.
“I promise from here on out I will be closing the doors. That hurt so bad,” said Alison with a grin.
“We will see if that actually takes place,” said Bob.
“You be quiet. I need to speak privately to my best friend if you don’t mind.”
“Oh Lord, Josh, it is going to be girl talk. Let’s go in the hallway.”
“Yeah, let’s do that,” he said as they walked out into the hallway.
“Honey, you know I love you, right?” said Alison.
“Of course, I do.”
“Okay, I am going to tell you this, but you need to be facing the wall not the windows into the hallway when I do.”
“Okay,” I said as I came to the other side of the bed. “What’s up?”
“You need to fix your shirt.”
“Shit,” I said. “Why didn’t anyone say anything?”
“Do you honestly think my husband even noticed? I am sure Josh did, but hadn’t had the opportunity to say something. So, why is your shirt all messed up?”
“I was, um, getting out of the shower when Bob sped into the driveway. I had to get dressed in hurry.”
“Liar! I know it was dinner time. Damn it! I ruined it.”
“You far from ruined it.”
“Uh-oh, did you panic?”
“Yeah, a little bit.”
“Oh, no!”
“It’s okay. He is willing to slow it down some.”
“A man who is willing to wait, I knew I liked him. You should see these nurses checking him out.”
“I know I saw it as we walked in.”
“I don’t think so. They need to keep their grubby paws off of him,” she said, laughing.
I laughed. “I don’t think they will be a problem.”
“Me either, judging by the way he is staring at you through the window. I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything, you know that.”
“Take my husband to the cafeteria and get me a sandwich with some juice and send in that hunky Josh to sit with me.”
“Oh Lord, am I going to regret this?”
“Maybe, but you won’t know until you come back,” she said.
“Okay,” I said. “I will do it, but with reservations.”
We both laughed. I kissed her on the cheek and walked into the hallway.
“Bob, she would like us to go to the cafeteria and get her a sandwich with some juice. Josh, she wants to speak to you alone.”
“Good luck,” said Bob.
“Am I going to need it?”
“Most likely,” Bob and I said in unison. I placed my arm in Bob’s as we walked toward the elevators. Josh went to Alison’s bedside.
“Hey Josh,” Alison said reaching for his hand.
“Hi Alison,” he said taking her hand in his.
“Oh be still my heart he said my first name without a stutter.”
“Yes, I did,” he said laughing. “Claire said you wanted to talk to me.”
“Yes. I wanted to ask you something important.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“How do you feel about, Claire?”
“I like her.”
“I can tell that by the way you look at her, but what I want to know is do you plan on running away once you have done the deed.”
“I was not brought up that way. I never sleep with a person and take off. That is the definition of a coward in my book. I am not one of those.”
“Good to know,” she said. “She is a very special person. She is still dealing with the loss of her husband.”
“I know, she speaks of him a lot. I guess I do certain things that remind her of him. I don’t want to hurt her or bring up painful memories by being there. I offered to leave, but she said she wanted me to stay. She would work through her issues. I want to help her.”
“You are a good person, Josh. I will help her work through those issues she has. You just get ready for the fun Claire,” she said with a smile.
“I will,” he said with a smile. “From what I hear, you are just as fun.”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard tequila makes your clothes come off.”
“I can’t believe she told you that,” she said, laughing. “I am so going to get her for that.”
“I was going to walk up to you on Saturday and say it.”
“How did this come up in conversation?”
“The song was on the radio while she was getting things prepared for dinner. She was singing and dancing along to the song. I asked her if it made her clothes come off. She said no, but it made yours.”
“That is too funny,” she said. “I can’t wait until Saturday. We are all going to have so much fun.”
“Are you going to be up for it?”
“Yes, I am going to need Claire to pick me up tomorrow though. Bob will just want me to go home. I need to finish shopping and get things done.”
“I am sure she will if you ask her to.”
“I know she will, but it is convincing my husband to let her.”
“That will be a chore.”
“Yes it will. Here they come.”
“Since none of us ate dinner, we picked up enough for all of us,” said Bob.
“Oh good, we can have dinner together twice this week,” said Alison.
“Now, I am not sure if Saturday is going to be a good idea in your condition.”
“It is just a bump on my head, Robert. It is still taking place. Claire will you come and get me in the morning?”
“I will if it is okay with Bob,” I said. Alison looked at Bob.
“You need to tend to the farm. I would really appreciate it if Claire came to get me.”
“It’s okay with me,” he said, not wanting to upset the patient. We all looked at him with shock. “What? She is right, the farm needs tending to and I know her well enough to know we will not be heading straight home like she should.”
“Man do you two know each other,” Josh said.
“They have been together so long they can practically read each other’s mind,” I said.
“I can only hope for a love that lasts that long,” Josh said looking at me.
“You’ll find it one day,” Bob said. “There is someone out there waiting on you.”
Alison looked at me and rolled her eyes. I smiled and lowered my head.
“I know she is,” Josh said, smiling and not trying to laugh. We finished our sandwiches.
“We are going to leave. I will see you in the morning,” I said as I kissed Alison’s forehead. “Bob, you try and relax the rest of the night.”
“I will, Claire. Thank you for coming with me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Good bye, Alison,” said Josh, as he hugged her. “Thanks for the talk. I will see you Saturday.”
“You’re welcome. I will see you then. I will see you in the morning, Claire. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Josh shook Bob’s hand and we left. As we walked toward the elevator, he took my hand. The look in the nurses’ faces said that they were not expecting that to happen. ‘Yes, he is slowly winning his way into my heart and my bed, one day at a time, ladies.’ I thought to myself. We waited for the elevator in silence. The doors opened up. We waited for it to empty and got in.
“I’m afraid to ask what Alison wanted to speak to you about,” I said as the doors closed
.
“She just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to hurt you, emotionally,” he said.
“Will you?”
“Not if I can help it. Now, physically I can’t say for sure,” he said as he came closer, pinning me up against the elevator wall. He leaned in. He brushed his lips against mine. Licking my bottom lip, I opened my mouth to his. His tongue playfully danced with mine. My knees buckled. The elevator stopped. He pulled away as the doors opened.
We walked to my truck. He parked next to Bob’s truck. He opened the passenger door. I climbed in. I was more than happy to let him drive home. We drove in silence all the way home. He parked the truck and we both climbed out. Climbing the stairs to the porch, I stared at his backside. I wanted to reach out a touch it, but restrained myself. He unlocked the door and let me walk through first. He had less restraint than I did. I felt his hand cup my left cheek. I smiled. As he closed the door, he locked it. I turned around to meet him. He wrapped his arms around my waist. I could feel every muscle in them as he pulled me into him. I threw my arms around his neck, wanting to feel his sweet, full lips on mine.
He backed me up to the door jam of the living room at the bottom of the stairs, feverishly kissing me. Running his hands down my back, he gently squeezed my ass before reaching the back of my thighs to pick me up. I wrapped my legs around him. He carried me, blindly, to his bedroom. We never stopped kissing. We were still entwined when he laid us down across his bed. This time, I unbuttoned his shirt. He took it off. I ran my hands down his chest, feeling every muscle along the way. I wanted him. I needed him. There was no stopping what was about to take place this time.
He unbuttoned my shirt. I sat up and slipped out of it. He kissed my neck, down to my chest. Running his rough calloused hands down my stomach, he unbuttoned my jeans. Kissing down my torso, he grabbed the waist band of my jeans, pulling them down. I arched my back and wiggled out of them. He left the white lacey panties that matched my bra on. He kissed back up my torso. I reached for his jeans. Unbuttoning them, I slid them past is supple ass to reveal his black boxer briefs. It was my turn to give a gentle squeeze. He pulled away, a bit shocked. He smiled. I smiled. I could feel the heat in my cheeks. He slid his arm behind me. I sat up. He reached behind me, undoing my bra. I slid out of it. He kissed down my neck until he reached my chest.
He kissed my right breast first then worked his way to the left. I let out a slight moan. He kissed down the center of my torso. Grabbing the waist of my panties, he pulled them off as he continued to work his way down. I reach down, running my hands through his hair. I motioned for him to come back up. I was not ready for that. He did. We kissed. His tongue played around with mine as I reached to pull his boxer briefs off. He slipped out of them. Centering himself at my opening, he entered me. I immediately moaned. He followed with one of his own. He took his time. We did it, slowly. It felt so good to have him inside of me. I ran my hands down his muscular back. He was in a push up position. I pulled him onto me. I wanted to feel his entire body down the length of mine.
Passionately kissing him, I ran my hands through his hair. He breathed in deeply. He moaned. I felt my own coming on as I let him take me to a place only my husband had ever taken me. My back arched as he gently bit my neck. We laid there with him on top of me kissing for another few minutes. I always thought my husband was the only man I would ever make love to. Having another man in my life was not an option for me when my husband’s life was taken. I had taken those solemn vows at our wedding and meant every word of it. Tonight, I gave into temptation. It felt good, but still felt wrong. I felt like I was disappointing my husband. I got up to leave.
“Where are you going?” Josh asked in a soft, sweet voice.
“Um, I am going to my room,” I said, voice shaking.
“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” he asked kissing my shoulder.
“Nothing, I just rather sleep in my own bed,” I said, attempting a smile over my shoulder. He could see the tears forming in my eyes.
“Claire, please tell me what is wrong. I can tell that something is bothering you.”
“I don’t know.”
“Tell me what you are feeling. I can tell that you are upset. Please, I just want to be able to help you through it.”
“I feel like this was wrong,” I said lying back down.
“Why?” he inquired.
“I took my marriage vows and meant every word of it. I know John is gone, but this is the house we built together. He is still very present here. I feel like I am disappointing him.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” I said.
“Do you believe your husband would want you to be alone the rest of your life?”
“No, I think he would want me to be happy.”
“Then why are you putting yourself through this?” he asked pulling me close to him.
“I still very much love him,” I said as the tears began to fall.
“You will always love him. There is no denying it, but you have to begin living your life again. I want to be a part of it. Will you allow me to do that? I just need you to take it one day at a time with me. We can begin this new adventure together.”
“You sound like Alison when you talk like that,” I said through tears, laying my head on his chest.
“Gee, thanks,” he said laughing.
“I don’t mean for that to sound bad, but she says the same things,” I said, laughing. “I can do one day at a time with you.”
“Good,” he said, kissing the top of my head as he wrapped his arms around me. I wrapped my arm around him and hugged him tightly. He reciprocated. I fell asleep in his arms. I dreamt of John that night. It had been a long time since I had seen him in my dreams. We were at the kitchen table talking.
“Hey, honey,” said John. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too,” I said. “It is not the same without you. I need you to come back to me.”
“I can’t, baby,” he said, reaching for my hand.
“But, I can’t live without you.”
“Yes, you can,” he said. “You have Bob and Alison here and that young man in the back bedroom.”
“I am so sorry that he is here in our house. I never meant to hurt or disappoint you.”
“You haven’t. Why would you think that you did?”
“Because I have broken our marriage vows by making love to him, I should have never given into it.”
“Listen to me; you cannot live the rest of your life alone. I want you to move on. I will always be with you in life and love, but I cannot be with you on Earth anymore. You need to find love again. Open your heart to him, he is here for you.”
“But, I still love you so much. I don’t know if I can.”
“I love you, too. I always have and always will. You can love again. You will love again, with him.”
“Oh, John, I don’t know.”
“I know that he is younger and there are certain things he does that remind you of me. When that takes place, just know that is me giving my approval,” he said with a smile and a wink.
“Okay, I will try to do this, one day at a time,” I said smiling at him.
“Good,” he said. “Now, give me one last hug before I have to go.”
“Okay,” I said, standing up. I wrapped my arms around John. It felt as if he was really there in the kitchen with me. The hug felt so real. I turned my head up to kiss him, but he was gone. I awoke to an empty bed. The sun was shinning in the bedroom window. I looked at the clock. It read 7:30am.
4 Friday
I got up. Going upstairs to shower, I noticed that the front door was open. I looked out of the screen door. I saw Josh feeding the chickens. That was generally my job. I went up stairs, showered and got dressed. I had to go get Alison, but I would make breakfast first. I went down stairs. Josh was eating a bowl of cereal.
“Hey,” I said. “I was just coming down to make breakfast.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “I know yo
u have to go pick up Alison.”
“Yeah,” I said, concerned. There was something about the tone of his voice. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said. “You called out for John in your sleep last night.”
“I’m sorry. I dreamt of him,” I said.
“I am sorry what took place between us made that happen. I will understand if you do not want to continue on. “
“No, I do,” I said. “I know that this going to sound weird, but he told me to open my heart to you.”
“He did?”
“Yes, Josh, I think I am finally ready to live again.”
“That’s great to hear,” he said with a smile. “We can slow down. I promise not to come on so strong.”
“You were not coming on too strong. I like the pace we are at.”
“Okay,” he said, standing up. He came over to me. Pinning me the counter, he kissed me. As his tongue danced with mine, the phone rang, putting a stop to our passion. We looked at each other and laughed.
“It’s always something,” he said with a smirk.
“I am going to say this is Alison,” I said as I reached for the receiver. “Hello.”
“Hello, I am ready to blow this popsicle stand. The doctor said I can leave. He is doing the paper work now.”
“Okay, I am on my way,” I said as Josh ran his tongue across my neck. My knees buckled.
“I will be ready when you get here,” she said. I could hear the smile in her voice. It was as if she knew what just took place.
“Okay, see you in a little while,” I said. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
“I just wanted to give you something to think about while you were gone,” Josh said as I hung up the phone.
“If I think about it, I won’t be able to drive.”
“Mmm, that sounds promising,” he said.
“Does it now,” I said as I kissed him. Pulling away, I said, “I may not be home most of the day, knowing Alison. I am going to pick us up some dinner from the diner in town. What would you like from there?”
“You, just you,” he said. He kissed me again. I did not want to leave his embrace. He pulled away. “I’ll see you when you get back.” He turned and walked away, going back to working outside. I just stood there for a few minutes. The things he has awoken inside of me. I grabbed my keys from the key holder.
The Stable Boy Page 6
