by Katie Dowe
*****
Kadine was impressed! The place was huge with rows upon rows of organic fruits and vegetables with men and women tending to them as if they were newborn babies. They barely looked up as Kadine and Scott came inside. She had had a delicious breakfast of freshly squeezed orange juice, pancakes with maple syrup and bacon and eggs with fresh coffee, so delicious that she had asked for more. “How many different types of fruits and vegetables are in here,” she asked in a stage whisper as they made their way down the rows. “Too many for me to tell you,” he told her with a laugh. “Our eggplants are the most delicious there are and we have quite a high demand for them.” He stopped and broke off a twig off one plant and looked it over critically before continuing. “I am going to ask Patsy to make her delicious eggplant salad for you to taste.”
“If I am not careful I am going to leave here as fast as one of the pigs I see in one of your sheds.” She said with a sigh.
“You will never get fat and even if you do, you will still look amazing.” She was going to make light of his remark until she saw the look in his dark blue eyes. It was there again and in the middle of the huge greenhouse surrounded by his employees and the heady scent of budding fruits and vegetables, she felt the pull of attraction for him.
“Thanks,” her mouth was dry as she looked up at him. He was very tall and towered over her somewhat. She had worn boots with a small heel and still only came up to his chest. He was not bulky with muscles but was lean and trim with his muscles well defined showing how much he was involved in his farming.
“You are welcome,” he said huskily, hardly able to tear his eyes away from her lips. Someone called out to him and broke the spell. “Please, excuse me,” he murmured before turning away giving Kadine the chance to recover. She was a grown ass woman in her forties, there was no way a man should be having such an effect on her, she thought irritably. No doubt it was due to the fact that she had been without a man for so many years. It was not natural! She turned and wandered down the aisle looking at the ripened tomatoes and the leafy green vegetables. He came back over shortly and took her on the guided tour picking a juicy peach for her to eat.
“You do a lot of exporting?” She asked as she munched on the delicious peach.
“Quite a bit.” He nodded to an elderly man with a cap covering his head and bent over a tree as if he was pruning the leaves. “We also sell to local farmers and supermarkets.” He took her hand and guided her towards the exit. “I am going into the barn, but I am hoping to be in by dinner. Will you have dinner with us?”
Chapter 4
Before she knew it, she had been there for a week! It was late Sunday night while she was in her room that she called her friend Marcia. “You certainly sound rested and those photos you sent to my phone have me getting very jealous. I showed them to Larry and we are thinking about making it our next holiday getaway.”
“You are going to have to wait until I persuade Scott to open it to the public first.” Kadine told her with a laugh stretching out on the sofa in her living room. She had had dinner with him and Patsy after which they had taken a walk out to the barn to look at the horses. She had managed to pet a few and fed them carrots he had given her.
“Wait, you are on a first name basis with the man himself?” Marcia asked her sharply.
“He is friendly and it would look strange for me to be sharing his home and still call him Mr. Taylor,” she said in her defense.
“It seems to me that you are spending a lot of time together.”
“Stop looking for something that is not there.”
“You need a man, honey, and from what I have seen of that particular man, he would make a great catch. You are in the same age group, so you would be a perfect match.”
“There is no perfect match, not even you and Larry,” Kadine muttered. “You are in the wrong field. You should have opened a matchmaking service.”
“I only do these things for my best friends.” Marcia said teasingly. “You need a family of your own and stop mooching off mine.”
“I will bear that in mind when your daughter asks me for another pair of happening earrings.” Kadine told her dryly.
Marcia laughed and told her about the children’s latest escapades before they hung up from each other.
Kadine wandered around the sitting room a little restlessly. Marcia was right! She was certainly feeling something where Scott was concerned but she had pushed it away every time she felt it! Even tonight after dinner while they were in the barn with the horses — his arm had brushed against her breasts and for a moment they had both stood there looking at each other. It had taken the gently ninny of one of the horses for the spell to be broken. They had pretended that nothing had happened but it had been there between them the entire time. Okay, so maybe they should have sex and then what? She fretted as she went into the bedroom. She was not one to have casual sex; if that was the case, she would have had countless meaningless affairs over the years. She was always thinking about after the act, what then?
With a sigh, she took off her robe and got ready for bed determined to take Scott from her mind!
*****
It was Wednesday before he invited her to drive with him up to the hill to investigate some broken limbs from the grapefruit trees and she jumped at it! She only had four days left and for some reason she was not looking forward to it.
She dressed warmly because it had been forecast that it might snow later on in the day. She had on her leggings, her faded denims and a thick red sweater with her cap cover her ears as she headed out to meet him. It was right after breakfast and she came in the living room to see him talking to his cousin.
“Is everything okay?” she asked looking at Patsy’s worried expression.
“My cousin tends to worry about me a lot. It seems like we are going to be getting some snow later on, but I told her we will be back before then. Ready?” he asked as he moved away to come towards her. He had on denims and a thick grey sweater and knee length boots.
“Yes,” she glanced at Patsy. “I am sure we will make it back before the snow hits Patsy. Thanks for the delicious breakfast.”
“You are welcome. Make sure you keep warm.” She waved and then disappeared.
“Are you worried?” she asked him as soon as they went outside. One of the farmhands had brought his SUV around and he helped her inside.
“Not at all.” He told her with a grin as they drove off.
They got to the incline in a few minutes and she followed him as he made his investigation. Their feet made deep indentations in the powdery snow as they walked the distance. Kadine felt the iciness of the wind as it swept through the leaves on the trees and she pulled her coat closer to her. She could catch a glimpse of the sky through the leaves and saw that it had gotten darker by the minute.
He finished what he was doing and came towards her. “How about us taking a break and going into the cabin for a little bit to warm up?” he suggested.
She was about to tell him that they needed to go back but she wanted to spend some more time with him. “Sounds good.”
He led the way up the incline and they walked along a particularly treacherous path where he had to hold her hand as they walked slowly towards the surprisingly large log cabin.
“From below it looked small.” She said as he pushed the door open.
“My dad built it with his own two hands,” he told her as he went about putting some wood that were stocked against the large fireplace into the hearth and lit it. Immediately, there was a warm glow and the place heated up in minutes making her remove her jacket. The space was small and plainly furnished with colorful rugs near the hearth. A single sofa stood in front of the fire, giving the appearance of comfort.
“I sort of had it repaired and made it winter proof and also changed out the furniture.” He went towards the kitchen. “Patsy packed some sandwiches and a jug of coffee. Would you like to eat?”
“I don’t know what it is about this ai
r but I am starving,” she said with a laugh.
“It’s the wide open space,” he told her with a grin as he took the basket into the old fashioned kitchen.
“This would make a fantastic vacation space,” she murmured as she looked around. “A little redecorating, nothing to take away the rustic look and a couple on their honeymoon could get all the privacy they needed.”
“Do you always carry your work with you?” Scott asked her in amusement as he passed her a thick beef sandwich and a cup of coffee.
“I am afraid so,” she said ruefully. “My best friend Marcia said I sound rested,” she did not bother to tell him the rest of the conversation that included him.
“Good to know.” He murmured.
They enjoyed the rest of the meal in silence and he showed her the rest of the place. There were three bedrooms, an antiquated bathroom and a small room that could be an office. “Do you ever stay here?”
“When I want to get away,” he leaned against the desk and watched as she looked around. “There is no reception up here so it is quite isolated. Whenever I am brainstorming about a new idea, I come up for a day or two. Patsy would pack me up with enough food to feed an army and would not stop worrying until I get back.”
“She cares about you.”
“She does.” Suddenly and without warning, he reached for her and pulled her into his arms.
“What are you doing?’ she whispered as she braced her hands against his solid chest.
“Satisfying my curiosity,” he murmured throatily. “I dreamt that your lips tasted like honey so I am finding out.” Before she could say anything more he swooped down and captured her lips with his. After a slight hesitation, Kadine opened her mouth beneath his. It had been heading there ever since they had met and she had been looking for it. His tongue entered her mouth and it was as if a bolt of lightning had shot up inside her. His tongue caressed her, causing the moan to leave her throat. His arms came around her and pulled her closer to him as he delved and took what she had to offer. Kadine curled her fingers into the thickness of his sweater, her body quivering with the need for more. Scott felt the fire in his loins and knew he had to make love to her. He had been dreaming about it and it had gotten stronger the more he saw her. He could feel the heaviness of his erection against her and the heat on his skin that had nothing to do with the sweater he was wearing. He was wrong! Her lips tasted like a combination of honey and maple syrup and something fruity, more than enough to drive him to the brink of madness!
It was the fierceness of the wind rattling the windows that had them springing apart! They stood there staring at each other, their breathing ragged before they became aware that something was going on outside.
“Stay here,” he said brusquely as he walked swiftly from the room.
He did not have to tell her twice because her knees were not able to support her feet as she leaned against the desk, her body trembling. What on earth just happened? She had been kissed several times before and she had been in a brief relationship and had never felt this way before!
She had composed herself by the time he got back and from the look on his face she could see that something was wrong!
“We are not going to be able to leave now,” he told her grimly. “Remember the snow that had been predicted? It came earlier. It had been coming down for a bit without us being aware of it.”
“Do we have enough wood?” she asked him not in the least bit perturbed. It would mean them spending some time together.
“Yes and food.” He said vastly relieved that she was not bothered by the circumstance. “I will just go and add some more to heat the entire place.”
She followed him out and went to look through the windows as he added the wood to the flames. Her eyes widened as she looked out. The snow had apparently been coming down as soon as they had entered the cabin and had covered most of the roots of the trees outside. Nothing could be seen for miles but just startling whiteness as the flakes came down rapidly. She jumped a little as he came up behind her.
“It is beautiful,” she murmured trying to fight the awareness of his body close to hers.
“And can be deadly,” he commented. “Snow storms are fierce up these sides.”
“How about some food?” he suggested much to her relief.
“That sounds good.”
They ate by the fire. He had opened a can of beans and sausages and heated them up along with some vegetables that had been stored in a cooler. They had some coffee left over and drank that with their meal in a comfortable silence.
“Patsy must be worried,” she murmured as she stared into the mesmerizing flames.
“She knows that the cabin is here so we will take shelter.” He took her plate and carried it along with his into the kitchen.
“Tell me about your dad,” she said as soon a she came back.
Scott had taken off his boots and stretched his long legs with his thick white socks out in front of him. He forced himself not to think about her in his arms or his lips on hers.
“He was a hard man but a fair one. He was embittered by the loss of his kids and his wife but he did not let it get in the way of doing right by me. He made sure I was given the attention I was supposed to get and that I went to school and was fed. The love he was supposed to give me dried up with the loss of most of his family and somehow I could not blame him for it.” He leaned back against the sofa and folded his arms across his chest. She was only a few inches away from him but he forced himself not to reach out to her. There were evidences where he was an enthusiastic farmer before the tragedy by the notes he kept and the way he bought up farming lands near to us, but I guessed his heart was not into it again.”
“Poor thing,” Kadine murmured. The warmth of the fire and his presence had a soothing effect on her and she could feel her body relaxing. She had not looked at her phone once even though he had said there was no reception up this way. She did not care about the outside world just now.
Scott glanced at his watch and saw to his surprise that it was almost six in the evening. “What do you want to do now?” the question appeared innocent but she knew what he meant.
“How about cards?” she asked him innocently.
“I am afraid that is not here. A pity because we could play strip poker.” His expression had changed as he looked at her, his body tensed.
“We could still play,” she whispered huskily already reaching for her sweater and pulling it over her head. She had on a thin white camisole on beneath that did nothing to conceal the fullness of her breasts. She had taken off her cap when she came into the room and now her hair tumbled to her shoulders in thick black waves.
He sat there staring at her for a moment before he reached out to finger a strand of her hair, twisting around one finger. “We could,” he said hoarsely. There were thick white towels spread over the arm of the sofa and with a sudden movement he took them up and spread them onto the floor. “I have always wanted to make love by the fire,” he told her softly as he took her hand and helped her up.
“My thoughts exactly,” Kadine lifted his sweater and he helped her to take it off flinging it to the floor. His muscles were defined against the thin white t-shirt he was wearing. He lifted her chin and gazed down at her before his head bent and captured her lips. Kadine opened her mouth beneath his, her fingers creeping up his chest savoring the play of muscles there. He brought her closer as he deepened the kiss, his body reacting to hers in much the same way it had done before. The storm was raging outside, but an even bigger storm was raging inside as their bodies joined and molded together, fusing together as if they belonged. Scott’s hands wandered over her back and up to her neck before digging into the thick strands of her black hair, his fingers cupping the back of her head as his mouth ravished hers. He broke off the kiss but only so he could pull the camisole over her head, his eyes riveted as he stared at her unfettered breasts with their hardened nipples. He used a thumb to circle the bud, feeling the tightening of hi
s body as she moaned and arched towards him. “So beautiful,” he murmured thickly. He bent his wheat blond head and took the nipple inside his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. Kadine let out a startled moan and dug her fingers into his soft blonde hair, her body shivering from the fury of the passion going through her.
He lifted his head, his eyes darkened to a shade of blue that almost appeared black. “I am going to make love to you,” he said huskily.
“I kind of figured it out,” she said with a shaky laugh as she looked at him. He unbuckled her jeans and she pulled them down over her hips and took them off to reveal that she was wearing a tiny white lace triangle that revealed more than it hides. He quickly got undressed and stood before her gloriously naked, his erection pulsating with the blood flowing through it. Kadine reached out to touch him; she could not help herself and felt the shiver as she stroked the rigid thickness of him with her fingernail. He caught her hand and pulled her up against him. She tilted her head to look up at him as his head descended to hers and opened her mouth as he moved in for the kiss. Her hand was still trapped between their bodies and she gripped him loving the thick warmth of him against her palm. He pulled her down slowly to the towels there without breaking the kiss, moving over her and settling between her legs. His mouth moved over hers slowly at first and then as the passion increased he delved even further, his mouth restless and hungry. He left her mouth after a few minutes to wander down her neck and then to the hollow of her throat before capturing the skin above her nipple and taking it between his teeth to gently nip done onto it. Kadine cried out sharply, moving her body against his needing more. He reached between them and guided his penis inside her slowly as he took her nipple inside his mouth. His head lifted suddenly as he entered her, his expression unreadable as he stared down at her. Kadine wrapped her hands around his neck and her fingers crept up into the softness of his hair at the back of his head. It felt gloriously wonderful being inside her! She felt the haziness of the intense passion climbing into her and filling her up the way he was doing. Scott felt as if his heart was going to burst through his chest! He could not move for a moment; surely she was the one he had been looking for all his life! Surely, she was the one why he had waited so long to settle down and start his family! With hope and an indefinable feeling deep inside him, he bent his head and captured her lips as he started moving inside her, going in deep and pulling her hips even closer. He did not want to stop; it was too much, this feeling of such intense passion that swept them to the brink of something so wonderful that there were no words for it. His thrusts increased as she moved against him, her nipples sending electric shocks through him as they rubbed against his bare chest.
