Secrets of the Falls (Twelve Oaks Farm Book 3)

by Teresa Greene

  He pushed her hair away from her face. He cupped his hands around her face and forced her to meet his eyes. “You are a quick study for a beginner.” Lacy rose up and peered into his eyes as she wiggled against him. “You’re torturing me, Lacy.”

  She spread her legs wide and guided him into her moistness with her hand. At first she gasped from the sudden pain. The new position brought him deeper and it took moments for her to get accustomed to his size. Seeing the pain on her face, he stilled. Seconds passed as they lay in that pose neither moving. She felt his member twitch inside her. He placed his hands on her waist and waited. “Are you okay?”

  She rose and came down on him with slow deliberate movements. “I’m fine.”

  She threw her head back and Dylan felt her silky hair drape against his thighs. Long golden strands of hair tantalized as it moved over him. God, she was sweet and beautiful. He lifted her and brought her down with more force. He writhed and twisted under her. He moaned as if in terrible pain. He lifted his hips from the ground and pushed into her with more force and power. Time seemed to stop as they made love with the sun bathing them in warmth. She leaned over to meet his lips giving him a ravenous kiss. Need and tension built to a frenzy. The moment his tongue slipped into her mouth she was blinded by a red-hot orgasm that seemed to go on forever.

  Not yet satisfied, Dylan rolled her over to her back and his powerful thrusts filled her. He gripped her legs and held them farther apart. His athletic body stiffened as he climaxed, and even though she was exhausted she raised herself to him. They lay entangled neither one speaking.

  Dylan’s hand stroked her arm. Never had Lacy felt, so content, so satisfied with her life. “I love you.”

  The words she wanted to hear. She rose on her elbow and pushed his damp sweaty hair away from his forehead. Reluctant to ask the question she needed answered, she peered into his handsome face as seconds ticked by. They watched a gray whooping crane land on the opposite bank, stick its long beak in the water, and gobble up a frog before walking on long thin legs into the water to look for another meal. It completely ignored them as it hunted the shallow waters for a tasty morsel. Lacy thought it looked like an old, weathered man.

  “Did you hear me? I love you.”

  Almost too afraid to have hope, she whispered, “Enough to give up your undercover work?” Lacy watched his jaw firm.

  “I’m a FBI Agent. Undercover work is part of my job.”

  She pleaded, “Josh doesn’t do undercover work. Transfer to another division.”

  His lip curled, and he shrugged. “It’s not that easy.”

  Blinding pain tore through her. She had to make him see they could have a life together. “I want to have a life with you, but I can’t if you are sleeping with other women.”

  “Maybe we don’t belong together. You have no idea the things I have done.”

  Her heart cracked. “What does that mean?”

  She sensed the change in him. His hand stilled and his body stiffened. “When I was a child, my mother was a crack whore. She turned tricks to get her next fix. You have no idea what I saw, no idea what I did to survive.” The memories came rushing back. He never talked about his childhood with anyone. Not even Tate, the one person who had rescued him. Of course Tate suspected what his life had been like. In his profession as a detective on the streets of Raleigh he had seen so many children fall through the cracks. Those he could save he helped in any way he could. Lacy was the first person who he cared enough about to share the pain.

  He closed his eyes and was transported back to that poorly maintained room he had lived in with his mother; if she could be called a mother. She had red curly hair and a beautiful face that had turned hard and mean from the effects of the drugs. She was so skinny she didn’t cast a shadow. He smelled garbage, alcohol and sex. The stench made him sick to his stomach. He felt the misery, remembered being dirty and hungry most of the time. No one cared if he lived or died. He had no idea the identity of his father. Just another man his mother slept with that got her pregnant. He didn’t understand why she didn’t abort him like she did all the other times she slipped up and got pregnant. What reason did she have for keeping him?

  Dylan had been in and out of juvie so many times he couldn’t count. Foster homes were no better than his life with his mother. Most people just wanted the money they received for housing him. There was no love or compassion anywhere he had been placed until Tate Wilson came into his life. He never believed the system worked but Tate proved him wrong. After that everything changed.

  “Tell me. Explain it to me.”

  “I was on the street by the time I was ten years old. I got tired of the beatings when I did something that threw my mother into a rage. She was angry when she was high and she was angry when she didn’t have money for drugs. In other words, she was always angry about something and she turned that rage on me.”

  She touched his chest. “So that is how you received the scars on your back and chest. Your mother abused you.”

  “Yes, and sometimes one of her many boyfriends. Men didn’t hang around long. They’d stay a couple of weeks before leaving. Some of them were as mean as my mother. I got knocked around a lot.”

  The look of pity on her face embarrassed him. He didn’t want her pity. He wanted her to understand why he preferred working on the streets instead of behind some desk wearing a tie. Wanted her to understand why he had a need for the danger and excitement. It was his outlet for the bad memories.

  “I finally got tired of the abuse and took my chances on the streets. I sold drugs for a nearby drug dealer.” He rolled to his side and wrapped a lock of blond silky hair around his finger. “Found me a gang for protection. It’s not safe to live on the streets without joining a gang. Tate Wilson was a detective in Raleigh. He arrested me for dealing. I was thirteen at the time. Tate saved me from myself. I was headed for self-destruction.”

  “He is a good man.”

  “He is a great man. I owe him more than I can ever repay. No one had ever given a damn about me. I still hold him in high regard.” He hesitated not sure if he should continue. Wasn’t sure he wanted her to know the young man that was afraid and lonely. In the end he couldn’t keep that part of his life from her. “The home Tate took me to was better than anything I could imagine. Yes, I gave the woman that ran the place, Mary Flanigan, hell. She had bright red hair and a fiery temper to match. She was tough and hard, but she was also compassionate. After a month I fell in love with her. She was my first crush and she changed my life.”

  Her hand glided intimately across his cheek. “I’m thankful she was there for you.”

  Dylan shivered at the thought of what would have happened to him if not for Tate and Mary. Not many young men survived the streets. Either death or prison would have been his future. “She was the mother I never had. She forced me to go to school and it wasn’t long before I was on the straight and narrow.”

  “Do you ever see her?”

  “Yes, I go back every Christmas with a feast of food and presents for her boys, as she calls them.” He laughed. “I don’t know how she does it. It has to be hard to take mean and angry young men then transform them into law abiding citizens.” He didn’t have the heart to tell her some of the men were so out of control that no one could help them, not even Mary. Many of them ran away from the home and returned to the streets. Abuse affected people differently. Some had seen and witnessed so much pain they couldn’t be helped.

  “Now you know my background. It is at odds with yours. You are well educated, sophisticated, and have the love of a huge family. We have so little in common.”

  “Yet I love you. Is that not enough, Dylan? Please, change jobs. I can’t have a relationship with you if you continue to investigate gang activity.”

  He took her hand and rubbed the inside with his thumb. “I love my work, Lacy. I don’t know if I can deal with all the paperwork and politics that would come with a new position.”

  “What do yo
u love more, me or your work. You have to make that choice.” She let her body brush against his, tantalizing him to choose her. “You don’t have to give me an answer now. Think about your options. I will not pressure you.”

  His hands roamed over her back, the swell of her hips. “Has anyone ever told you that you are a sensible young woman to be so young?” The women he slept with were petty and volatile. There was nothing sensible about them. If they didn’t get their way, they ranted and raved like immature teenagers.

  “Now I need to tell you something. Let’s get dressed.” Arms folded behind his head, he lay on his back and watched her slip into her bra and shirt. Nimble fingers buttoned her shirt.

  “I’m too tired to get dressed. Let’s just stay here the rest of the day.”

  She poked him with her bare foot. “Come on and get dressed. I want to show you something.”

  “My body can’t take any more surprises. I’m sore and stiff, not to mention sexually exhausted. You may not have much experience, but that was the best sex I have ever had in my life.” No one had ever stirred his desires like Lacy. No one had ever kissed him like she could.

  She narrowed her eyes at him as she wiggled into her jeans, zipped and buttoned them. “And I’m sure you have had lots of experience. Maybe you should shut-up before you make things worse. There is no reason to ruin a perfect day.” Her voice rose in anger. “Get up!”

  “Okay, okay.” He sat up and groaned loudly. Lacy sat on the rocks by the pool of water and shoved her feet into her socks and boots.

  It was obvious she was impatient because it was taking him a long time to dress. Every muscle in his body was sore. She took his hand and led him to the edge of the water. She pointed toward the top of the falls. “Hold my hand and keep your eyes on the location where the water cascades over the rocks.”

  He thought her behavior odd, but he did as she asked. She closed her eyes and her brow furrowed as she concentrated. He felt strange pulses coming from her hand. He tried to pull away but she gripped his hand even tighter. “Don’t break contact.”

  The air became so hot it stole his breathe. Cold sweat pearled on his brow. His eyes shifted from the falls to Lacy. Her eyes were open and glazed staring at the spot where she had told him to look. Slowly he turned his gaze toward the top of the falls almost afraid to look. He could sense something tragic had happened in the very spot where they were standing. He saw someone hovering just above the falls. It was a young woman in a green dress covered with blood. Her coal black hair was wet and she held her hands out to him.

  Terror and dread engulfed him. Dylan jerked his hand away from Lacy and took several steps away from her. “What the hell was that?”

  She reached her hand out but he refused to touch her. “It’s okay, Dylan. It’s a ghost. That’s Hilda Reynolds and she died at the falls over a hundred years ago.”

  He waved nervously at the waterfall. “How do you know that is Hilda?”

  “I went to the library and looked through their archives. Her picture is in one of the newspapers.”

  Dylan turned a circle peering into the trees. Somewhere there had to be a camera or something of that nature projecting the image of the young woman. There was no such thing as ghosts so Lacy was playing a sick joke. He yelled, “Josh, Grant, come on out! I know you’re hiding somewhere! You’ve had your fun.”

  “She is real, Dylan.” She made the symbol of the cross on her chest. “I swear she is real.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Or as real as a ghost can be.”

  Dylan sucked in air as his attention returned to the place where he had seen the apparition or whatever it was. He didn’t quite understand what happened. The young woman was gone. Now he understood her unusual interest in Hilda. He whispered to Lacy. “Where did she go?”

  “She’s still there.” She offered her hand. “Take my hand and you’ll be able to see her.”

  “No way. I never want to see her again.”

  She gave him a reassuring smile. “She won’t hurt you.” A little reluctant, Dylan took a step toward Lacy. “Trust me.”

  When he hesitated, she reached and grabbed his hand before he could pull away. The moment their hands connected he could see the young woman again. She couldn’t be more than sixteen years old. Her skin was pale as death. Again she said, “She died over a hundred years ago,” as if she couldn’t believe it herself.

  Still not convinced, he snapped, “Get out of here. What happened to her?”

  “Her father shot her and her lover, Darrell Talbert. He caught them together. I think she wants me to find her body.” Lacy spoke so calm and collected as if she saw ghosts every day. The sight of the young woman standing at the top of the falls didn’t seem to affect her. She related the story of how she first saw her at the falls on a camping trip. How she had visited her many times when she was a child on into adulthood.

  “Can we go now? This is like some Twilight Zone level shit. I find it all a little creepy.”

  “Sure, Dylan. We need to get home before my family gets home. After church they planned to have a picnic and spend the day at the park in Taylorsville.”

  “Why didn’t you go to church?”

  “I wanted to spend the day with you. Do you go to church?”

  “No, I never have. Never felt the need.” Another reason to doubt their relationship had a chance. On several occasions he had heard her speak about God. She prayed before she ate a meal. He believed in God but that was about as far as his religion went. He wondered if that was enough to get into heaven.

  “Maybe you’d like to go with me sometime.”

  “Sure.” He took her into his arms and kissed her forehead. It felt so right to hold her. But a woman like Lacy would want more than he could give.

  Chapter Seventeen

  It was after five when Lacy and Dylan rode into the yard on the horses. She groaned out loud. She didn’t have to tell Dylan what had her upset. He saw Grant and Josh’s vehicles in the drive the same moment she did. She didn’t think they would be back until much later.

  “I guess you’re in trouble.” He tsked, “Shouldn’t be dating the bad boy.”

  Lacy gave a nervous laugh. “Are you scared?”

  “A little. Josh I can handle. It’s Grant that I’m worried about.”

  Shadow’s excited barks alerted her family that they were back. Everyone trickled from the house. Of course Grant nor Josh would be too thrilled that she was having a relationship with Dylan because of what he did for a living. She reminded herself that she was old enough to make her own decisions and it didn’t matter what they said, she planned to continue her relationship with Dylan. That is unless he decided to continue his undercover work. He would have to make the choice of what he wanted most out of life.

  Dylan swung down from Pepper’s back with rigid determination. She knew he was in pain but he gritted his teeth and undid the cinch from the saddle. He placed the saddle on the main gate then threw the blanket on top before he opened the side gate and led him through.

  Juan strode across the yard and took Midnight’s reins. “I’ll rub ‘em down, Lacy.”

  “Thank you.”

  Dylan happily handed over the reins to Juan. Lacy cringed when Grant and Josh walked up behind her. Josh asked, “How long has this been going on?”

  She turned and faced him. “A couple of weeks.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “I knew you wouldn’t approve.” She raked her sweaty palms on her jeans. “I thought you planned to stay at the park all day.”

  Grant interrupted, “Nina is not feeling well. She has something to tell you. Go talk to her while we have a word with Dylan.”

  Lacy placed her hands on her hips and gave Grant a direct look. “No.”

  “We’re not going to beat him up, Lacy. We just want to have a heart to heart about his intentions.”

  “God, Grant. It’s not like we’re getting married or anything. I still have a year of school left. Don’t put the horse bef
ore the cart.” She winced. She was beginning to sound like Michelle.

  Dylan stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay, Lacy. I need to talk to Josh about work anyway.”

  Not quite sure Dylan was safe with Grant and Josh, she stood her ground. All eyes were on her as she glared at the three men. Grant took her hand. “It’s okay, Lacy. Go talk to Nina. She has some good news.”

  A little anxious, she walked across the yard and sat down on the porch. Three men she loved and admired moved to the porch of the barn and took seats. She wished she could hear their conversation. After pleasantries, Maria and Grace went in the house. Nina and Beth took a chair on both sides of her. “Grant said you’re not feeling well.”

  A beautiful smile on her face, Nina replied, “I’m going to have a baby.”

  Lacy bolted out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Nina. The same height, they were nose to nose when Lacy moved back a couple of inches to peer into her face. “Oh my gosh!” Lacy placed her hand on Nina’s flat stomach. “How many months?”

  “Three months. The doctor says the middle of November.”

  Lacy, Nina, and Beth joined hands and jumped around like children. Their joys of jubilation caused Shadow to start barking. Nina shouted, “Hush, Shadow.”

  “I’m so happy for you. I don’t guess I have to even ask how Grant feels about you being pregnant.”

  “He is so excited. He has already bought a bat and glove. I hope he won’t be disappointed if we have a girl.”

  “Are you kidding? It won’t make a difference to him if it’s a boy or girl, he’ll still teach her or him to play ball.”

  The conversation suddenly changed along with Nina’s mood. “Are you in love with Dylan?”

  “I am.”

  Beth draped her arm over her shoulder. “He lives a life of danger, Lacy. You should never have gotten involved with him.”

  Too late now thought Lacy. Head over heels, she had tumbled, and there was no stopping it now. The more time she spent with Dylan, the stronger the attraction. She should have listened to her instincts in the beginning. Now she was in danger of a broken heart. “I know what I’m doing.”