“Yes! I can do that. I’ll be right back.” He left the house and whistled for Blaze. The horse appeared from the side of the house. “Come here, boy.”
Todd removed the canteen from the saddle, glad to feel the weight of the cold water which filled the container. He took a quick pull from it before going back inside.
The woman was stretched back out on the bed with an arm across her eyes.
“Here’s some water. It’s from the stream and still cold.”
Her smile as she sat up, combined with her loose hair about her shoulders, melted his heart and caused him to falter in his step. So much like the picture.
She held out an arm. “Well? Can I have it?”
“Oh, yes, sorry.” He held out the canteen and the tips of their fingers touched as she took it.
“This is the craziest dream I’ve ever had.” She took a few gulps of the cold water and as some ran down her chin and under her shirt, Todd felt his gut clench. He coughed to cover the moan that catapulted to his throat.
“I can’t remember the last time I saw a cowboy movie, and I didn’t think canteens existed anymore,” she said. “But I guess my imagination feels like stretching the boundaries this time.” As she took another drink of water, Todd noticed her gaze moving up and down his body. “And you are a lot sexier in that get up than a business suit. Maybe I’m on to something new. Although you’ve never been so hard to get along with before, Andy.”
Todd didn’t know what to say. He understood her words, but she wasn’t making sense. Business suit? Movie? Andy?
“My name is Todd. Todd Blake.”
Her eyebrows squished together as she looked up at him. “Really? Now you’re a rebel, huh? You’ve never been upset about me calling you Andy before. Do you prefer Andrew this time?”
Todd shook his head. “My full name is actually Andrew Todd Blake, but no one has ever called me ‘Andy.’”
“Well, okay. I guess I can call you Todd this time.” She reached for the pouch around her stomach. Unzipping it, she pulled out a slim, shiny device. “I can’t seem to get any reception here. Could I use your cell phone, please?”
“Uh.” What was she talking about?
“Cell phone. Do you have one? Or a landline?”
“Lady, most of your words sound English, but some…what is that thing?”
She held it out to him. “It’s my cell phone. I guess we’re in a dead zone, there’s no reception. Dreaming about you is usually a lot easier than this.”
He took the small object, the cell phone, and looked at it more closely. He could make out numbers and letters and symbols, but it didn’t make sense to him. He held it back out to her.
“Well, then, do you think you can call me a taxi so I can get back home? I think I’d be better off at my own place.”
“Taxi?”
Chapter Three
Her head pounded and she was doing her best to ignore the pain. The guy was gorgeous and looked so much like the man in her dreams, Andy. But this dream man insisted his name was Todd. She willed herself to wake up, to emerge from the dream since it was obviously not going in the direction she wanted it to. But no matter what she did, she just couldn’t wake up. Maybe an orgasm will snap me out of this weird state.
Her stomach tightened as she took in her surroundings. The primitiveness of the cabin, the vastness of the landscape, his straight-from-a-Western clothes, all merged together to create a realistic fantasy which caused her to question her sanity and the viability of her experience possibly being real.
She decided to take control of the dream. “Where are we?”
“My cabin.” His sincere reply made her laugh.
“I figured as much, but, what city are we in?”
He shook his head. “We’re not in any city. This is Loving.”
“Loving?” She felt her pulse quicken. Love.
“Loving, Texas, ma’am.”
Her head began to hurt more, which she didn’t imagine was possible.
Still feeling a little off, she put her face in her hands and rested her elbows on her knees. “Wake up. Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up.” She started the mantra and after a while, she even tapped her heels together. “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”
His hands on her wrists sent her blood to immediate boil. She glanced up into his eyes and read deep concern. “You’re real, aren’t you?” The words burst from her mouth.
He nodded.
Sweat broke out all over her body as reality came into focus. “We’re in a town called Loving, Texas?”
He nodded again. “I started building this house a couple of months ago. It’s almost finished.”
She glanced around at the cabin, again. She rubbed her hand over the texture of the quilt beside her, inhaled the smell of the fresh wood, and examined the bare walls in a reality-check type of way. She glanced out the window and her memory of the stream, the horse, his naked body flashed behind her eyes. She remembered running, then slipping, and the loud crack.
She looked back at him and felt her body react to his maleness. “This may sound stupid, but what year is this?”
He raised an eyebrow before answering. “1878.”
“Oh my God.” The room started to spin as her mind tried to make sense of the information. “I seem to have traveled back in time. I’m from 2008.”
“I think you need to lay back down, lady.”
“I’m Katie.” She held out her hand.
He paused at her name, then accepted her outstretched hand, turned it, and placed a kiss in the palm of her hand.
His future wife sat in front of him. The name wasn’t quite the same, but she matched everything his mother predicted. And her image matched the picture. The only part not making sense was her speech. What did she mean she had traveled through time?
He chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” She pulled her hand out of his grasp and he felt suddenly bereft.
He stood and moved away from her. “I really don’t know, but it seems laughter is better than anything else right now.”
He walked over to the window and looked at the landscape spread out before him. He loved this piece of land, knew it was what he had been searching for the moment he saw it one day chasing after stray cattle. He used most of his savings to buy it, knowing his life was pulling together the way it was meant to. The only thing lacking was a woman to love.
His mother had a way of seeing into the future. She told him he’d meet the right woman at the right time. Her name would be Kathryn. His mother even drew him an image of the woman, and he kept the picture tucked between pages of his Bible, holding on to the knowledge that he’d meet her when the time was right.
He turned around to see Katie watching him. She winced and rubbed her head again. His whole body was reacting to her. He wanted to cradle her on his lap until her pain went away. Then again, that would give him serious pain in his lap. He turned and went into the kitchen area before she could notice his hard on.
“Let me make you some willow bark tea. It’ll help the pain.” Distraction is good. This woman needs help, not a horny man who wants to rip the strange material off her body and can’t focus.
“Your horse is well-trained.” Her comment pulled him from his thoughts.
“I’ve had Blaze since he was a colt. If he was human, I’d say we were brothers.”
“I’ve never had a pet.”
He glanced at her. “Blaze isn’t a pet.” The look she gave him affected him physically. She was so beautiful. Just as he imagined. “He’s a necessity for a lot of things. Namely for getting around and being able to take care of the land. He’s come to my rescue a time or two.”
Their gazes remained locked for a few moments. He was thinking of how he ran to her when he heard her scream, never once realizing he was naked.
She finally shook her head. “This will sound crazy. But you really look so much like a guy I’ve fantasized, er, dreamed
about for months now.”
He smiled. “Well, you look exactly like an image my mother drew for me of the woman I’m going to marry. Seems we have that in common. Your name is different, though.”
“Oh? What’s the name of the woman you’re supposed to marry?”
“Kathryn.”
Her mouth dropped open. His cock reacted instantly as he imagined her mouth around him, causing Todd to turn away again. He tugged the shirt out of his pants and let it hang down his thighs.
“That’s my proper name. I prefer to be called Katie.” She shook her head again. “What’s going on here? How can this all be happening?”
He shrugged and took a deep breath. “I have no idea.” He turned back toward her. “But even though it seems improbable, it feels comfortable…meant to be.”
She pushed herself off the bed and held her arms out. He instinctively moved forward and grabbed her arm. “Steady. Maybe you should stay seated for a while longer.”
The feel of her skin under his hands sent his pulse racing. He caught a whiff of her scent and knew she was aroused. He smiled. Her smile pulled at him and he leaned in toward her lips.
The kettle started to whistle and pulled his focus away from her. “Let me get you that tea.”
“Yeah, okay.” She smiled, but seemed a little wobbly on her feet.
“Can I let you go?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m still feeling off. I guess that’s an effect of traveling through time. Can you help me to the chair, please?”
He nodded and they slowly stepped toward the table. He held the chair for her as she sat down.
“Thanks,” she said.
He moved off to get the tea.
He set the steaming cup in front of her and dragged the other chair so he could sit across from her. “You’re from the year 2008, you said?”
She nodded as she blew on the hot liquid.
“Surreal, isn’t it?”
“Strange,” he said. “But I guess that explains why you’re dressed so oddly.”
She laughed and looked down at herself. “I guess spandex, sneaks, tank top and sports bra are a little out of place in this time. May I see the picture?”
She noticed him biting his lower lip as his gaze went to her chest, then quickly back to her face. He nodded and reached for his Bible. Flipping through the pages, he found the image. He held it up and compared it to the woman before him. “If you put all your hair over your left shoulder, you’ll have the same pose.”
He held the picture out to her. She gasped when she saw herself in the drawing. It was signed and dated 1853. It was like looking in the mirror.
“My mother drew that twenty-five years ago. I was only eight.”
Katie couldn’t pull her gaze away from the image. Except for the dress, it was her. She looked back to Todd. And he was exactly like the man in her dreams.
Something fell into place in her mind and she suddenly felt totally at ease. “It seems fate has intervened in our lives.”
He nodded. “For you to travel back in time over one hundred years and arrive on my property at the moment I was stretched out by the stream thinking about you, is just beyond comprehension.”
“Oh?” She gave a small laugh. “Is that why you were naked?”
His face reddened and his eyes twinkled as he smiled.
“I certainly didn’t expect an audience.”
“Are you as horny as I am right now?”
His eyes widened and he cleared his throat. “That’s quite a bold inquiry.”
“An honest one, though. My pulse hasn’t slowed down since I first saw you. And since it seems the universe is working in our favor, well…” She let her voice trail off.
“I’m certain I don’t need to answer that for you, seeing as how you saw me in my naked glory.”
“Oh, and it was definitely glorious.” She enjoyed the ease with which he blushed.
“Ma’am, you’re quite brazen in your speech.”
She sobered. “I hope I’m not offending you.”
He shook his head.
“Good, because I just want to rip your clothes off and have my way with you right now. There’s no telling when I’ll be zapped back to my time.”
Chapter Four
Fear coursed through his body. Her time. She may seem to be the woman destined to be his wife, but she wasn’t part of his world. The fear of losing her suddenly scared him more than being confronted by a grizzly bear without his rifle.
“If fate brought us together, I can’t imagine we are supposed to be ripped apart.” The words tumbled from his lips before he could stop them.
Her mouth dropped open as she continued to watch him. “Maybe you’re right.” She smiled. “But I still vote for going with the moment. I’m still not quite believing this is real.”
He reached across the table and clasped one of her hands between his. Desire rippled through his body and his cock swelled.
He smiled. “Yes, I am as horny as you are.”
“Oh. That’s great.” He watched the blush spread from her face down her neck and across her chest. Her fingers tickled his palms. “Shall we do something about that?”
“I’d love to, but it wouldn’t be proper.”
“Proper? You’re old-fashioned, huh?”
“A woman should be courted appropriately before being bedded.”
Her laugh trickled from his heart to his toes. “The way you talk is turning me on more. Come here.” She tugged his hand as she stood. Without letting go, she moved toward him until they were standing inches apart.
His hands instinctively went toward her face. The face he had been hoping to touch for years was now in his hands. She was real. He pushed her hair back, relishing the feeling of it weaving through his fingers. He touched her eyebrows, then her cheeks, and moved his fingers toward her mouth. Her hands on his waist caused his cock to press painfully against his pants. He cupped his hand under her chin and pulled her mouth to his.
Her soft lips opened easily under his kiss. Time seemed to stop as he explored her mouth with his tongue. Her hands caressed his chest through his mostly open shirt. He moaned and pulled her into his body, holding her tight.
Her soft moans and the touch of her hand on his chest sent all sensibility racing out of his brain. This is my wife. This is her. The realization that he held his future in his arms made him crave her even more.
Her hands left his body and he heard something land on the table. The little pouch around her stomach was no longer a barrier between them. She pressed herself to him and pulled out of their kiss. “You need a shave,” she said. Her soft voice caressed his face.
He looked down at her. “God, you’re so beautiful.” He leaned back further and noticed her face had become red from his whiskers, and then he realized what she had said.
“I’m sorry.” He let her go and tried to move away, but she held him firmly around the waist.
“I’m not complaining, just commenting. We can take care of it later. Come here.” She reached a hand behind his neck and pulled his mouth back to hers.
Desire flooded through his body and he couldn’t restrain himself any more. Without breaking their kiss, he bent to pick her up. To his surprise, she jumped and wrapped her legs around him.
They laughed. “Glad you’re good on your feet, Andy, um, Todd. Sorry.”
“You can call me anything you want.” He turned and walked over to the bed. They fell onto it with her legs remaining tightly wrapped around his waist.
“You feel so good,” she said.
A growl came from deep inside and he didn’t try to stifle it. Her hands started working the buttons on his shirt. Not moving fast enough, he pulled back and removed it himself.
Her breath caught as he tossed his shirt aside. Her hands moved across the smooth skin of his torso. The craving to touch him everywhere, and have him touch her all over, pressed down on her.
She pulled him down and started licking any skin she came in con
tact with. He whispered in her ear. His rough hands made her skin tingle and she didn’t want him to stop.
“We have too many clothes on,” she gasped. He stopped and looked down at her. Cradling her face between his hands, he seemed to sober as he looked at her.
“I can’t take you like this. It isn’t proper.”
“Screw proper, we’re both horny as hell and totally into the moment. I say we go with it.”
He shook his head.
Holding his gaze she used the only logic she had. “You dreamed of me, right?” He nodded. “And I’ve dreamed of you. Here we are, wrapped in each other’s arms. Let’s make our dreams come true.” She reached up to pull him back into her. He resisted.
“I can’t.” He pulled out of her embrace and reached for his shirt.
The sadness that overtook her at that moment was nothing like she’d ever felt before.
“This is my dream, and I want to be happy, so get back here.”
“Kathryn. Katie. I’m real, I’m not a dream. And I can’t be with you like this.” His hand rubbed over his head. She didn’t want to see the frown. It only made her feel emptier. A moment ago they were so happy and now it seemed like her heart was breaking. She moved off the bed toward him.
Wrapping her arms around him again, she looked up and waited for him to meet her gaze. “Don’t you want me?”
“Oh, God.” His body trembled with his groan. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any woman in my entire life. But, I can’t. If you appeared a couple of weeks sooner—”
The sound of a horse rushing toward the house caused Todd to pull out of her grasp.
“Shit.”
Katie felt panicked, but didn’t know why. She didn’t expect to be interrupted. The fear of her circumstance being real nudged itself closer to the surface.
“Todd! You home?” A man’s voice carried over the distance.
“You need to hide,” Todd said.
“Excuse me?” Katie looked around at the sparsely outfitted cabin. “Do you even have a back door to this place? Or a closet?”
Todd shook his head.
“Well,” Katie said. “I guess you’ll just have to keep him from coming in here then.” She liked her own logic.
Legends of Loving, Texas Series: Spur of the Moment Page 2
