For Colin, it was pretty unnerving to be standing beside the woman who turned his guts inside out. Every sound and movement she made made him more aware of her, despite the seriousness of the action in the shed.
When Diamond Spirit dismounted the mare, the handler led her out.
Colin exited, too, leaving Noelle in George’s capable hands.
He couldn’t escape quickly enough, Noelle thought as she watched Colin leave the breeding shed.
“How’s the latest foal?” she asked George.
“Good. Let’s take a look.” They started walking toward the barn.
The air was pungent with the smell of horse, manure and hay. The stablemen were mucking out some of the stalls.
The foal was nursing while the mother ate lunch.
“Is he too young to pet?” Noelle asked. The foal, with legs still too long in comparison with his body, looked cute.
“No. They have to get accustomed to human touch right away. He’s one of Diamond Spirit’s offspring. Frisky little fellow, isn’t he?” George said.
“How many of Diamond Spirit’s foals do you own?”
“Nine. I’d like to take you to races soon. One of Diamond Spirit’s offspring is doing very well at the track.”
Noelle smiled as she stroked the horse. “I’d like that.”
Colin couldn’t look too closely at the reason he’d told George about William’s angry visit to Noelle’s house. It certainly wasn’t because he thought the nutcase would physically hurt Noelle. He was more talk than action. Besides, Colin believed William was too busy digging up information on Noelle and trying to disprove her connection to George to be a threat.
But Colin did know George would look for any excuse to spend more time with his granddaughter. So despite her stringent arguments, George had insisted she spend the night at the farm.
Colin should have known George would insist on going to town to confront William. Leila had quit muttering about the mutt long enough to go with him, probably afraid he’d keel over or something. She claimed she was saving her job. She had no intentions of working for William, she said, nor was she ready to retire just yet.
That left only him and Noelle at home—alone. When Colin came in, she was nowhere to be seen. He frowned as he searched the house. The dog was in the den on a rug near the fire.
He found Noelle in the whirlpool. She looked out of this world, wearing a skimpy two-piece, her breasts straining against the top. She sipped her drink, and, with her eyes closed, she leaned her head back. Her hair was wet. It was obvious she’d been swimming.
Desire hit him as hard as a kick from a horse. He stood there gazing at her for a full two minutes before he forced himself to look away and head up the stairs. In his room, he shucked his clothing and stood under the cool spray of the shower, trying to ease Noelle from his mind. But he couldn’t erase the memory of her in the firelight weeks ago. He couldn’t erase the one night they’d made love in her bed.
He couldn’t erase his love for her.
He turned off the water and quickly dried off, then he donned his clothes and left his room. He was as hungry for Noelle as he was for food.
She was heading up the stairs with a towel wrapped around her as he started down. They were within inches of each other when she saw him. Her hair was wet and little rivulets of water dripped from the long stands.
Her eyes ran warily over him before she squared her chin. “Leila left your supper on the stove,” she said.
“Got a minute?” Colin asked.
Puzzled, she answered him slowly, “Yes. What is it?”
“Let’s go by the fire,” he said. He wouldn’t touch her, couldn’t touch her if he were to hold on to his sanity, if he wanted to sound coherent.
Colin tried to figure out what to say. The one thing women loved to hear was a man admitting he was wrong. Maybe he should just say it and get it over with.
She sat on the hassock near the fire, rubbing the water from her hair. She looked so good he wanted to rip the towel and the two scraps of bathing suit off her and make love with her until she screamed in pleasure. And the blazing fire with its light flickering over her beautiful skin wasn’t helping matters. It only brought back erotic memories. As it was, he was barely holding on to his sanity with the tips of his fingernails.
Giving himself space to form his thoughts, he put two pieces of wood on the fire. Noelle quietly dried her hair with the heat from the flames.
“I really screwed up, didn’t I?” he said at last. That, he noticed, got her attention. She stopped fussing with her hair. “I was wrong,” he continued, “to accuse you of being deceitful. You only did what you felt was right.”
“Why did you come to that conclusion now instead of weeks ago?”
Colin stifled a groan. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
“Why should I?”
Colin got up, paced before the fire. “The truth is, listening to my father the other day has made me see how unfair I’ve been. And, like you said, maybe I was looking for an excuse, a way out. What we have is new for me. I’ve never been in love before. And I guess I didn’t quite know how to handle it. Or whether I could trust it.” This was the sorriest excuse for putting them both through hell, even to his own ears.
Noelle regarded him skeptically. “And you trust your emotions now?”
“Yeah.” He had to figure out a way to make her believe him. Then maybe she’d forgive him for being a fool without making him grovel.
“And you know what the best thing was about being with you?” he continued.
She shook her head. The towel had slid to the floor revealing smooth brown shoulders. He itched to reach out to caress them before holding her in his arms. Instead, he forced his gaze to her eyes.
“With you I never had to be perfect. I didn’t have to live up to what someone else wanted me to be. You accepted me for who I was. With you I can be me.” At least she was listening. Just by gazing into her expressive eyes, he could tell she finally believed him. Only, when their eyes met, he was hit by a blast of heat so severe it nearly knocked him over. His entire being vibrated with wanting her.
Noelle shook her head. “After all this time you expect me to walk back into your arms as if nothing has occurred between us?”
His brain was so cloudy, he didn’t think he was capable of coming up with another plausible excuse for acting like an idiot. “I expect you to follow your heart. What feels right for you.”
For a while the only noise was the crackling of embers in the fire. Trixie gazed at them contentedly from her perch nearby.
“This certainly isn’t the most romantic apology I’ve ever heard,” she finally said.
He’d won. A boulder lifted from his chest. He felt as giddy as if one of his thoroughbreds had won the Kentucky Derby. Except this was so much more important.
Chapter 12
“Why didn’t you just tell me you wanted romance? Can’t let it be said I didn’t give you exactly what you asked for.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready to forgive you yet.” At that moment Noelle seemed ambiguous about what she wanted.
“Then let me convince you.” He knelt in front of her and gathered her into his arms. “We’ve been apart too long, baby. This is right.”
Noelle felt a rush of happiness and hope so intense that she held on to Colin tightly to keep from falling flat on the floor. And then she saw him approaching her. She knew he was going to kiss her, expected it, but the splendor of his lips on hers took her breath away.
Her reserve shattered as he gently pulled her closer to him and took his time exploring her. He brushed his tongue over the seam of her lips and she opened her mouth to him, deepening the kiss.
She felt him repositioning himself between her legs. Her breasts pressed against his powerful chest, and his erection was against her soft stomach.
Giving in so quickly might be a mistake, but she wasn’t going to contemplate it any longer. She was going to sav
or every delicious, passionate moment.
“Welcome home, sweetheart.”
She laughed and he kissed her again, hotter and harder this time.
His hands moved languidly over her body. Her hands were all over him, as well, unbuttoning his shirt.
Colin felt as if the breath had been punched out of his lungs. But maybe he was rushing things. As much as he wanted to carry her upstairs and make love to her until they were both exhausted from it, he had to give in to her needs.
“Honey, if you’d rather wait…”
“Stop talking,” she said on a breathless sigh.
His chuckle turned into a deep-throated groan when her tongue swiped over his nipple. He wanted to take his time pleasuring her. Wanted to wring every depth of passion out of her, but her hands were frantically peeling the clothes off him, caressing him in places designed to drive him crazy.
“Hold on, baby. I want to take it slow.”
“Next time,” she said with a breathy sigh.
Colin yanked down the straps of her top and her rounded breasts fell into his hands. A gourmet feast, he thought, as he lowered his head and ran his tongue over the globes before he suckled on the dark chocolate peaks.
He glanced up to her eyes and stroked her lips with his thumb before capturing them with his mouth once again. Then he was kissing her everywhere, her cheek, her neck her shoulder. He was a starving man before a feast and he wanted to devour all of her.
He ran his hand along the insides of her thighs.
“How long have I wanted to do this?”
“Probably as long as I’ve waited for you to come to your senses.”
“Don’t remind me, sweetheart.” He lifted his head, looked into her eyes. “Maybe love makes you do stupid things.”
“Love?”
“Yeah. What else could it be?” Slowly he undid the back of her top and it fell to the floor. He pulled her up and slid the bikini bottom down her smooth legs.
When Noelle gathered his erection in her hands and stroked him, he lost all control.
In seconds, they were on the carpet in front of the fire and he was inside her. Straining, he didn’t move but gazed into her eyes.
“I love you, Noelle. Your name is like a song on my lips.” Then he kissed her and they moved at a frantic pace as old as time. And when they climaxed, Colin thought he’d lost a part of himself, yet gained more.
Noelle was surprised when Carp stopped by Friday afternoon. He was dressed in black slacks and a new navy sweater.
“You look very nice, Carp.”
He nodded. “Hope you don’t mind. I used the shower in one of the counselor’s cottages.”
“I don’t mind at all,” Noelle said.
“I’m going to pick my kids up pretty soon. My ex is driving halfway to meet me. Give them a chance to spend the entire weekend with me for a change.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty happy, too. I’ve been beating that road to Baltimore in bad weather and good. They’re looking forward to the trip, too,” he said. “I’ve got things planned. Colin said I could bring them by the farm tomorrow. Maybe let them ride an old nag.”
Noelle remembered her lessons with Mackenzie. It had been one of the highlights of her summer. “They’ll enjoy that.”
“He’s a nice guy. Never looks down on me the way some people do. Well, I have to go. Wanted to let you know I wasn’t going to be here the whole day.”
“Enjoy your weekend with your children.”
“I was wondering if maybe I could sign them up for that summer camp.”
“I have room. We’ll talk about it next week.”
“All right. You have fun at your party.”
Noelle’s stomach was jumpy about meeting George’s relatives. Would all of them feel as William felt, as if she were inheriting something that belonged to them?
She was on her way to her office when Trixie barked again. She knew by now that another car was coming up her drive. And to think that because she lived in the country she’d thought her life would be rather sedate.
She peeped out her curtain. It was George this time with an armful of photo albums. Noelle grabbed a coat and went outside to help him. Trixie ran to the bushes for a moment before she came back yapping.
“I was hoping you were home,” George said. “I thought you’d like to look through these family albums. We can share some of the pictures.”
“I’d love to see them.” Once George was inside they got comfortable in front of the fireplace. She was grateful her dad had gotten her the cord of wood. At the rate she was going she’d use it all before March.
“Mackenzie kept an eye on you for the first few years. Even visited you and took pictures of you while he was at a convention in L.A. You didn’t see him, though. He even wrote a letter to you after you contacted him, and he made a scrapbook and diary for you, telling you things about our lives. I’ve got pictures of your grandmother, too.” His expression turned sad. “Wish you’d met her. She was a good woman. You remind me of her.”
Noelle flipped the page. The album had pictures of her during summer camp. Pictures of Mackenzie teaching her to ride. Pictures of her riding her bicycle when she was a little older.
“I found an insurance policy he left for you. I called the office. You should get the money before too long.”
Insurance money was the last thing Noelle expected from Mackenzie.
“Some more things are in there. I’ll let you look through them at your leisure.”
“Thanks, George.”
Standing, he stared at her for a moment. Then awkwardly he pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him.
“You’ve made me so happy,” he said before he let her go.
Noelle watched him go. Many times she thought she was selfish for coming here interfering in his life. For the first time, she realized it was the very best thing she could have done. And whatever problems came from her decision in time could be worked out.
Noelle started leafing through the books. George had tucked in several envelopes. In one was a letter Mackenzie had written her years ago and never mailed. The second letter was dated the day after she’d contacted him. She read them both and cried.
The next day, around noon, Colin came into the house to grab a sandwich for lunch. He was feeling on top of the world. He’d found his way into Noelle’s room around four-thirty that morning and had given her a grand wake-up call. On top of that, a couple of Diamond Spirit’s offspring had won key races. George was renegotiating what they were charging for Diamond’s stud fees.
Dreams do come true, Colin thought.
Leila was in the kitchen stirring something in a pot.
“A month ago I wouldn’t have imagined George would be so happy,” she said.
“The last few weeks have been good, haven’t they?” Colin said.
“You’ve been pretty chipper lately.”
Leila had a roundabout way of getting to her point.
“I only have a little time for lunch. Mind getting to the point, if it needs to be made at all?”
“Don’t get sassy with me, young man. I knew you when.”
“It’s a crying shame for a grown man to be put in such a situation.”
“You and Noelle look good together. Had me worried for a while,” she said. “George lit into William for bothering her. He’s real protective of that girl.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not the big bad wolf who’s going to knock her house down.”
“Maybe she needs it knocked down.” Leila chuckled. “Wolves aren’t necessarily a bad thing.”
“You’re getting sassy, Leila. Where’s my sandwich?”
“Just finding that out?” she asked. But she took her own good time getting to his lunch. “With these two properties joined, it’ll make a nice farm.”
“They make nice farms separately. We’re doing okay on our own. I don’t need Noelle for her land.”
“Well,
I wasn’t saying that,” she said in a huff. “But it wouldn’t hurt. Still don’t think it’s a good idea for a woman to live out there alone like that.”
Tired of the conversation, Colin said, “I’ll make my own sandwich.”
“Just hold your drawers,” she said and finally got to work on his food.
He didn’t need that advice from Leila. He’d already discovered what life was like without Noelle. With her was a thousand times better. But all this talk of properties was getting on his nerves. His father still hadn’t spoken to him about the contracts. But at least George had started holding down his share of the work around the place.
Noelle waited impatiently for Casey in Salamanders. They were going to Tysons Corner to shop for dresses for the party after lunch. Noelle glanced at her watch just as Casey slid into a chair across from her.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I actually had a cordial conversation with Colin for a change. Things must be looking up with the two of you. For a while there, I thought I might need to find another job. He was a bear to work with.”
“I’m sure his personality had nothing to do with me.”
“Think again. Of course he’s still out of sorts for losing that foal. They were really counting on that. The races this weekend might make a difference. Looking forward to the party next weekend?”
“A little nervous. It seems so much has happened lately my head’s spinning.”
“You’ll be okay, Noelle. Who wouldn’t like you?”
Noelle could name one person in particular.
“So, when will your brother be back?” Casey asked.
“He said next month for spring break but I’m not counting on it. He usually goes to the beach in Florida.” Why did Casey care? Noelle thought. Could Casey really like her brother? He was younger than she by at least a couple of years. But that wasn’t a big thing any longer. He was certainly taken by her. And he asked about Casey every time Noelle called him.
“I’m going back to school in September,” Casey told her. “I dropped out two years before I finished.”
His Tempest Page 16
