“Thank you, Adam.”
“Abby, can I hold Daniel?”
She looked at Daniel lying in the basket by the table playing with his feet. She demanded Nick and Meredith put him down while they ate. “The McDonalds spoiled him terribly, Meredith. He is so accustomed to someone carrying him around, now he expects me to do the same.”
“It won’t hurt him, Abby.” Meredith dropped to the floor beside Daniel. Fat arms and legs began to flail. Then he began to coo loudly. “Look at him. He is begging me to pick him up.”
“Oh, go ahead.” Meredith’s face lit up as she lifted Daniel into her arms and planted a kiss on his fat cheek. As usual Daniel grabbed two handfuls of hair and pulled.
Cord laughed as he tried to open Daniel’s hand to rescue Meredith. “You need to pin your hair back when you visit, Meredith. He grabs everything in reach.”
“I have a surprise for you in the stable, Abby. Would you like to go see what it is?” Cord held his arm out for Abby. Obviously everyone thought he meant for them to go also, because Nick, Adam, and Meredith trudged along. Abby felt he intended for them all to stay behind.
Abby screamed with delight when Cord opened the door to the stables and she saw Sugar in one of the stalls. She threw her arms around Sugar’s neck and was rewarded with a warm nuzzle. Daniel began to jump and bounce in Nick’s arms when he saw Sugar. He tapped Sugar’s head with his chunky hand and giggled.
“She has been at Adam’s. Your saddle is in the tack room. How about we go for a ride in the morning and I’ll show you around?”
Abby’s eyes sparkled merrily as she stroked Sugar’s nose. “Thank you, Cord.” It would be wonderful to have a pleasant ride with her husband on their land. Her circumstances had certainly taken a turn for the better.
“I don’t know if the rest of you have room for a piece of apple pie, but I do. Abby bakes the best apple pie in the world.” Cord opened the stable door. “Let’s go have dessert.”
Meredith wrapped her hand around Nick’s arm. “Ya’ll go on without us. I want to show Nick Thunder.”
Nick yelled as they disappeared through the door, “Save me a piece! That is what I miss most is Abby’s apple pie!”
****
Half way to the house, Adam asked, “Do you think we should leave those two alone? They have been spending a lot of time together. They leave the house every morning for a ride and do not return for hours.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Adam. Can you imagine our Meredith living on a farm, cooking, canning, and cleaning?” Both burst out laughing. “I can just see Meredith sitting on a stool milking Lou.” Cord laughed so hard he wiped at a tear. “She wouldn’t even know where the teats on a cow were.”
Abby slapped at Cord’s arm and scolded, “You two should be ashamed. Nick would never do anything to harm Meredith’s reputation. Her virtue is safe with him.”
Adam sobered and said, “It is Nick’s virtue we are worried about, not Meredith’s.”
Shocked Abby said, “She acts like a proper lady in my presence.”
Adam stated, “I can’t believe the McDonalds didn’t convey all the gossip surrounding Meredith. Do you mean to tell me not one of them mentioned our little sister’s exploits?”
Keeping her eyes adverted she answered, “I heard a little something about a stable boy, but I do not put much faith in gossip.” She didn’t want them to know Jeremy had said such awful things about Meredith.
“Abby, you are too sweet and naive. Meredith has been engaged to three different men with fine qualities. Every time she has done something outrageous to cause them to break the engagement each time. The last engagement, her fiancé, Timothy Logan, caught her kissing his stable boy. Not for one minute do I think Meredith was dallying with Logan’s stable boy. I think she was willing to do anything to stop the marriage. The scandal has done irreparable damage and I fear we will not find another good match for her. The odd thing is she seems not to care. I was beginning to believe she had an aversion to men. The first few days Nick was at our home they fought like cats and dogs. Meredith has a sharp tongue, but it seems Nick is able to tame her. Now they get along famously.”
Abby thought how wonderful it would be if Nick were in love. It was probably wishful thinking on her part. Nick would never leave his farm in Tarboro, and she could not imagine Meredith giving up the comfort of her plantation.
****
Even though Nick tried to act like nothing was out of the ordinary, Abby could tell the moment he walked into the parlor he was upset. Thirty minutes later Meredith returned to the house and announced to Adam she wanted to go home. Her eyes still swollen, she had been crying.
Abby pointed out, “Maybe you should stay here tonight, Adam. It is late and we have to get up early to get Nick to the train station in time to catch the train to Tarboro in the morning.”
Adam glanced at Cord only to see him shake his head no. “We would not dream of intruding, Abby. We should go home.”
“I insist. It will give me more time to spend with Nick.” Abby wrapped her arm lovingly around Nick’s. “Please, Adam.”
In a stern voice Meredith replied, “You and I can go home, Adam, and leave Nick here.”
“It is late and I want all three of you to stay.” Because she wanted to spend more time with Nick, she poured on the charm smiling sweetly at her brother-in-law.
Adam gave a pointed stare at Cord. “Only if you’re sure it will not be an inconvenience.” Cord angrily rolled his eyes.
Meredith opened her mouth to say she wanted to go home, but Abby cut her off before she could argue further. “Come Meredith, I’ll show you to your room while the men have a nightcap.”
The moment Abby shut the door, she sat on the edge of the bed and asked, “What happened between you and Nick?”
Arms folded across her chest, Meredith glared at Abby. “Because he is your brother, I would rather not discuss it with you.”
Abby persisted. “Are you in love with Nick?”
Irritated, Meredith snapped, “I don’t feel comfortable discussing my feelings for your brother.”
Determined to find out what happened between Meredith and Nick, Abby would not relent. “Maybe I can help.”
Meredith plopped down on the bed and faced her. “Why would you want to help? You probably feel just like Nick does. I asked him to take me with him when he leaves but he doesn’t think I can handle the work or the solitude of his farm. He called me a spoiled rich girl. He is right, I am. I can’t believe I had the audacity to ask him to marry me. Three times I have been engaged to wealthy plantation owners and not one of them made me happy. Now I fall for a man that does not want me.”
Taking Meredith’s hand, Abby smiled and replied, “Do you love him?”
Meredith took a moment to ponder the question. “Yes, I love him.”
“If you love him, none of that will matter. You must make him see that.”
Meredith let out a deep sigh. “I have tried. I don’t know what else to do.”
“I’m sorry, Meredith. You don’t seem the type to give up that easy. You are beautiful, and have a passion for life. You have to make him see that his life will be miserable without you.”
Too embarrassed to look at Abby, Meredith lowered her head and stared at her hands. “If you are suggesting I seduce him, I have already tried that. He refuses to comply. He is adamant I would not be happy on his small farm because I am so spoiled.”
Abby remembered how she seduced Cord. If she had not been the one to take the first step, she wondered if they would now be together. He did try to fight the lust he felt for her.
“You will be giving up your family, and your way of life, Meredith. He is right about the work and solitude. If you truly love him, all that will not matter, but you must be sure. Nick will give himself completely to you. It will cause him a lot of pain if you are not in the relationship for the long haul.” The last thing Abby wanted was to see her brother get hurt. Optimism won out over her worry. Jus
t the thought of Nick having love in his life gave her hope. “Think about it tonight and discuss it with him in the morning before he leaves.”
Chapter Eighteen
Abby laid Daniel in his crib and kissed his forehead. “Are you ever coming to bed, Abby? It is now my turn to have your undivided attention. Let’s consummate our marriage.”
Abby giggled. “Looking at our son, I would say we got a head start on consummating.”
Cord patted the bed and tried to give Abby his most seductive look. His husky whisper caused her to shiver as memories of the last time they made love came bursting to the surface. With someone always underfoot at the McDonalds, they had not slept together since their wedding.
“Come to bed, Abby.”
Stopping mere inches from Cord, just out of his reach, Abby removed her robe revealing a dark, green silk nightgown edged in lace. He whistled loudly. His eyes blazed with intensity as he raked them over her voluptuous body.
“You are beautiful.” Cord offered his hand to Abby and she shyly put her hand in his. “Where did you ever find such a scandalous outfit?”
“Mother gave it to me.”
Eyes twinkling devilishly, he smiled at Abby. “I think I like your mother. Too bad I don’t feel the same way about your father.”
“How can you talk about daddy at a time like this?” Abby lay on top of Cord and she caught a whiff of his scent, fresh and male. He wrapped his arms around her neck and licked the vanilla flavoring where she had dabbed it along the pulse of her neck. Abby pushed him into the pillow, her lips devouring his. Her tongue plundered his mouth, as she took control. Her hands moved to his nipple and squeezed it roughly between her fingers before she covered it with her mouth and sucked.
“What are you doing to me, Abby?”
Abby sat up and squirmed against his hard member. “The same thing you do to me, Cord. Do you like it?”
“Oh, yes, Abby. Very much.” Cord moaned when she playfully bit his nipple. Her hand slowly inched down his belly until she held his throbbing shaft in her hand. She knew he enjoyed her touch as she heard his loud intake of breath the moment her hand stroked him. Her hand massaged him intimately and boldly. He shivered uncontrollably against her hand and arched his back. Suddenly Abby found herself flipped onto her back and Cord took control. He left a trail of wet kisses starting at her neck and didn’t stop until he held each breast in his hand and kissed them tenderly. He rolled off of her, leaning over her as his hand slowly, sensuously explored her body stopping at the junction between her legs. Abby automatically spread her legs wider so he could gain entrance. He watched the fire in her eyes as he thrust a finger inside causing her to squirm with pleasure. Pressed against his hand, she urged him to plunge his finger deeper. Her loud moans filled the quiet room.
Quickly, Cord lowered himself onto her, pressed his body against hers, and kissed her deeply to muffle her moans of ecstasy. For a moment she lost her breath as he drove deep into her. Raising her hips in the air, Abby took all of him. They moved together as one until all their strength was drained, both exhausted, and breathing heavily. Several minutes passed before he moved away from her. He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Abby thought he was already asleep until he spoke.
“You have no idea how many times I kick myself for not returning to your farm when you didn’t come to town as you said you would. I think of the months we wasted because of my stubborn pride.”
Abby rested her head on his chest and gazed lovingly into his eyes. “I was stubborn also. I am just as much to blame for our being apart as you. We have the rest of our lives to be together, Cord. We will make up for lost time.”
Cord bent and kissed Abby on the tip of her nose. “I have never been happier.” She curled against his warmth and in no time was sound asleep.
****
Cord trembled against Abby waking her. His breathing erratic, he jerked and moaned as if in pain. “Cord, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.” Placing her hand on his chest, Abby shook Cord. “Please, Cord, wake up.” After several seconds, Cord sat up and blinked to get the sleep from his head. To relieve the tension, she began to massage his back. “Are you okay?”
Cord dropped his head into his hands and tried to calm his breathing. Abby gave him time to come back to reality. She crawled behind him and began to rub his neck. “You are so tense, Cord. Can you tell me about the dream?”
The terrible nightmare would not leave him. Bart Langley kidnapped Daniel. He was riding away on a hideous beast with red eyes blowing steam from its nostrils. Over and over he could hear Daniel’s cries. But worst than anything he could hear Langley laughing. A horrible sound that kept vibrating in his head. There was no way he could tell Abby about the nightmare. He didn’t want to scare her, but wanted her to be aware she may be in danger. Taking her hands into his, he pulled her into his lap.
“Bart Langley was seen in Raleigh last night. That is why Adam paid us a visit tonight. Before he murders someone else, we have to find him.”
Abby pressed her face against his chest. “Your nightmare was about Bart Langley?”
“Yes, Abby.”
”What did Bart do?”
Even though he tried to keep his voice calm, it still trembled. “Ten years ago Bart Langley and four of his men were running from a posse after they robbed a bank in Durham. Tired and exhausted, they stopped at my parents’ plantation to rest their horses. Adam and I were away at school, so were not home.
Mom heard the confrontation between our father and Bart Langley downstairs so she was able to hide Samuel, Jesse, and Meredith before they were seen by Bart and his men.” As the terrible memories surfaced, he hesitated. Their lives had been so perfect until evil as wicked as Satan himself entered their home. He felt Abby shiver from the harrowing story of what happened to his mom and father. Rubbing his temples because he was having trouble concentrating, Cord continued, “I think mom feared if she also hid they would find my brothers and sister. She gave her life so they would not be found.”
Not wanting her to know how badly his mother suffered, he didn’t tell her how she was repeatedly raped by the men. At least his father was killed quickly and did not have to be subjected to her humiliation and pain. Deep in his heart, Cord knew his father was probably killed because he tried to save his beloved wife. That was the kind of man his father was, honorable.
“Samuel and Jesse have always felt guilty for not trying to save our parents, but they were just children. There was nothing they could have done. If they had moved from their hiding place, I’m sure we would also have lost them too, not to mention what would have happened to Meredith.”
Abby squeezed Cord’s hand and snuggled deeper into his embrace. “I’m so sorry, Cord. I hate you have had so much pain in your life. It is not fair your parents were so tragically taken from you.”
“It was harder on Samuel, Jesse, and Meredith.” The tragedy had affected everyone a different way. With only a year left of school Adam had to leave his studies to run the plantation. All of their lives changed drastically after his parents’ murders.
“Bart and his men were sent to prison for murdering my parents. They should have been hanged, but Bart’s father had connections and was able to save him and his men from the gallows. Over a year ago, there was a terrible riot at the prison and several prisoners escaped including Bart and his men. Everyone was captured and sent back to prison but Bart and his men.” The pain in Cord’s head was excruciating, almost too excruciating to continue. He closed his eyes and tried to fight the pain. “I tracked down Bart’s men and killed all of them after I left you in Tarboro. Bart escaped into Mexico. For nine long months I trailed him. Every single time I caught up to him, he slipped through my fingers.” Cord decided not to divulge how close he came to death at the hands of Bart Langley.
He knew she was terribly upset from the story of his parents’ murders. He didn’t want to further her distress. “I was tired. I wanted to come home and spend Christma
s with you. That is why I came to your farm. I was going to ask you to marry me. I wanted to stop hating and have a normal life.” He touched his fingers to her beautiful cheek. “You gave me something to hope for.”
“Even though I was tired of chasing Bart all over creation, I could not let him live after what he did to our family. Adam and I hired a bounty hunter to track Bart and kill him. We haven’t heard from him in several weeks. More than likely Bart Langley killed him.”
Unable to hold back the tears any longer, Abby began to cry. Her voice no more than a whisper, Abby asked, “Why would Bart return to Raleigh when he is a wanted man?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out. Tomorrow night Adam and I will go into town and see if we can find him. Someone saw him in a saloon drinking and playing poker as if he hadn’t a care in the world. He has changed his appearance, but Matthew Dunbar swears it is him.” Cord ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Langley has something he can’t hide. He has one brown eye and a green eye.”
Abby sat up and peered into Cord’s face. “Please let the authorities handle it Cord. What will happen to Daniel and me if you are killed?”
Pulling Abby to his bare chest, Cord rested his chin on her head. “You have to understand, Abby. Adam or I will avenge our parents’ murders. I should have finished him off when I was so close. I should never have come home until the deed was done.” Now he feared more people would die at the hands of Bart Langley, maybe even someone close to him. He didn’t need to tell her that he feared Langley would harm her or Daniel. She knew his fears. “It’s probable he is here to kill Adam or me because he knows we will not rest until he is dead. I will never be content until he is six feet under.”
****
Only half listening, Abby moved her food around on her plate. Worried about Langley, she couldn’t focus on Adam and Cord’s conversation. Little had been said about their plans to go into Raleigh tonight to search for him. Most of their conversation centered on farming. Without a doubt, both men didn’t want to cause her even more worry. Thoughts of one of them not surviving left her feeling weak and nauseous. Even Cord admitted Langley was very skilled with a gun.
Love Me Again Page 23
