Frustrated, Leah got up and walked to the side table near the front door and pulled out the single drawer. She picked out a brown envelope with the Arizona address on it. The handwriting was scripted and neat, not too big, nor too small. She wondered what Matthew McCrery was like. Was he a cranky old man or a sweet old charmer? She opened the letter and reread its contents. There was one paragraph stating his name, office in the Navy, and his favorite food. Nothing more. Leah smiled, replaced the letter, folded the envelope, and wedged it in her jeans pocket.
Matthew, the army man, was expecting her in three days. She had to admit that she was nervous. It wasn’t something that she would have normally done, becoming a mail order bride, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She wasn’t about to return home to parents who thought that divorcing her cheating husband was a mistake.
She knew what her role as Matthew’s wife was and that did not include sleeping with the old army man. He was probably old and frail and needed the companionship along with running ranch, like he’d stated in his ad. These old retired Navy men were often lonely and had no one to talk to. She would do the wifely duties of cooking for him, making sure he took his medicines, if any, and take care of the home. She was sure that he would turn out to be more of a father to her than a husband anyway.
Leah looked around the living room which ran into the small dining area. The dining area was separated from the kitchen by a single counter space. To her left was a passageway leading to the two tiny bedrooms and a bathroom in the middle. That was about it.
The beaten up old green sofa stood like a monument in the middle of the living room. The only other furniture remaining was the side table and a single chair by the kitchen counter. All the other furniture had gone into storage. These belonged to Rob’s mother. The floors were stripped of the rugs she’d decorated with, leaving the bare wood. No photos or paintings were left on the wall either and the small fireplace with the dainty little mantle was empty. The apartment felt void of any human life.
“What am I waiting for? A day early won’t do any harm,” her voice echoed in the empty apartment. “Let Rob have his place. I hope I never see the bastard again.”
It would take about a half a day by train from LA to Douglas and another half hour to the countryside town. Her problem was that she had no way of getting from the train station to the remote location of the ranch. Leah paced for a few minutes, squeezing her eyes shut in concentration.
“I’ll hire a truck once I get there!” She blurted out. Her voice came back to her as it bounced off the walls. “I get a map. I’m sure I’ll find the place.”
She walked to the bedroom and picked up her cell phone from off the floor. The bedroom was also stripped of the carpeting, the bed was gone, and there was nothing in there but two suitcases with clothes and her handbag. She picked up the phone and moved her finger across the touch screen, then she pressed the Wi-Fi tab. Soon, she was connected and she began to search for rentals in the Douglas area. Then, it hit her. Why not just drive all the way there? She could easily hire a truck from Los Angeles and have it returned when she got to her destination.
With her plans set, Leah made a few calls, and then she called a cab to come get her. The last remnants of her belongings, her toiletries, she packed in a small bag. She took one last look around the apartment, a place she’d spent the last few years of her life in a loveless marriage. She wasn’t sad to go. She was just sad that she wasted her life.
For a long moment, she looked at the white walls, dark wooden floors, and wondered what her life would have been like if she hadn’t gotten married. With a shake of her head, she pushed the thought from her mind. There was no time for regrets. Hopefully, in this place she was going, she would get a chance to start a new life. She was still young, almost thirty two. There was time to start afresh.
Leah believed that hiring a vehicle and driving the few hundred miles across the state would give her the time to reflect and plan her life. She had no clue what she was getting herself into, but she believed that she may have a chance to do something worthwhile while there. The old man had said that he needed help with managing the ranch, which meant horses and maybe a farm. She’d always loved horses, they were her favorite animals, and being on a farm with fresh vegetables and animals was good for her.
Secretly, she was excited, but she was also scared. What if this old vet was some sort of evil bastard the Navy got rid of? She’d heard a lot about these men who were in the Navy. They used to go on secret missions for the government and some even became spies for the Russians.
“Jeez, is this a good idea?” She asked herself at the truck rental lot. “No, I will not let my imagination run away. What harm can he be? I’ll just have to find some other way out if he turns out to be a bastard or pervert.”
She got the truck and headed out, only stopping once down the road to fill up on gas and stock up on water. Leah Harris was on a new path, a new road which led to Southern Arizona. She wondered what was ahead for her as the Ford Raptor made its way to the Blythe Border Station. By her estimation, she’d get to the border by 3 o’clock that afternoon seeing that it was already near noon.
*****
The town seemed lazy. Near the gas pump, there was a wooden building and beside it was what looked like a garage. At the front of the building was what appeared to be a porch. A man sat on a stool with a bamboo fan, slowly twisting his wrist back and forth. There were a couple of young girls leaning on a building across the street. Leah wasn’t sure what the building was, but she was sure that temperatures in the high 90s were what was having such an effect on the townspeople.
Even the gas pump attendant was using his shirt sleeves to mop the sweat from off his face. Leah stopped at the pump and jumped out of the truck. She turned a face up to the sky and felt the scorching heat on her face. It was nothing short of what being close to a fire pit felt like. The skin on her face tightened, reminding her of melting plastic.
The guy at the gas pump looked at her strangely as she walked over. “Hi,” her voice had become a bit gravelly due to long hours with the air conditioning on.
“Howdy ma’am,” his dark eyes appraised her.
“Fill my tank, will you?” She instructed, walking by him and into the little building that functioned as the self-serve.
Inside was as hot as outside, and the little cooler holding the drinks looked as forlorn as the girl behind the cash machine. A fan twirled behind her, offering the only respite in the inferno. Leah smiled at the girl as she picked up bottled water and chips. She hadn’t eaten a good meal since the day before, and she was starving. Chips and water would have to keep her until she found the ranch.
“Hi,” Leah placed her items on the counter.
“Hi,” the girl was surprisingly pleasant. She started ringing up the items, quite slowly but the smile remained in place. Leah gave her the money and received her change.
“Do you know of an old retired Navy man with a ranch around here?”
The girl frowned, her green eyes looking quite confused, “Old Navy man?”
“Yes, he’s supposed to be an old geezer who recently retired from the Navy. He owns a ranch. His name is McCrery,” Leah supplied.
“Oh, Matthew!” The blonde’s face brightened. “You haven’t met Matthew, have you?”
“Not yet. I’m heading there now. Would you mind directing me from here? His ranch isn’t on the map.”
“You see that road… the dirt one?” She pointed to the opposite direction of the main road, behind the gas pump. “Follow that until you get to the windmill on the little hill. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you,” Leah picked up her items, but curiosity got the better of her. “What’s he like… the old man I mean?”
The girl laughed softly and pursed her lips. This made Leah feel strange. Was there something weird about Matthew? The girl must have seen the worry line on her brows because she sought to reassure her.
“He’s sw
eet. There’s nothing to worry about,” her face got serious. “He’s really a charmer. You’re gonna be pleasantly surprised.”
Leah wasn’t sure if she should trust this girl. There was definitely something the girl wasn’t saying. She imagined all sorts of things about this man. Sweet old man? The girl said he was sweet and that he was a charmer. What did that mean?
She placed the items on the front passenger seat and perused the coating of dust and mud on the fairly new Ford Raptor. No one would have guessed the color was actually blue. The darn thing looked like a mud sculpture. She was tempted to use her finger and write on the back screen, ‘wash me’, but controlled herself with a giggle. Hopefully, there would be water at the ranch to at least clean up the thing before the company retrieved it.
After paying the attendant for filling the tank, she got behind the wheel and headed onto the dirt road behind the pump. The further she drove, the more nervous she got. She found that her hands had a slight tremor when she moved to shift gears and her stomach fluttered like butterfly wings.
Chapter Three
There was a dusty truck coming up the dirt drive. He screwed the cork on the gun oil bottle and stood, picking up the hunting rifle he’d been cleaning. There was another in the glass cabinet where they have been kept since he was a boy.
That Connor fellow didn’t give up, did he? Matthew wouldn’t hurt him, but he would surely make him wet his pants this time. He waited patiently until the truck came to a halt at the front of the yard.
He checked the time on his watch and saw that it was nearing 1400 hours. Noting the time was borne of habit. There was no mission that he’d done without a timestamp. He made a step away from the kitchen table, looking through the mesh at the front door. He knew the fellow wouldn’t be able to see him, but he could see quite clearly from the inside.
The door of the truck opened and a sneakered foot stepped out. Matthew halted. Another sneaker stepped out and someone shuffled, then the door was closing. With a frown, he stared at a woman as a slight breeze rustled her dark hair. She was clutching a black handbag and wearing a pale green V-neck T-shirt that clung to her curves. Her large breasts jiggled slightly as she made one step away from the truck. The pair of jeans she was wearing hugged her hips provocatively and Matthew could hardly tear his gaze away.
“They’re playing dirty, sending a woman,” he muttered.
“Hello!” Her voice reached him. It was a smooth, sweet, mellow sound.
“No matter how pretty she is, I’m not selling my ranch!” He grunted and strode determinedly through the living room, yanking the mesh door open and stepping onto the porch.
She turned and her face registered shock at seeing him. The rifle must have scared her, he thought. That was good. He only wanted to scare the bastards, but scaring women wasn’t in his portfolio. It gave him a bad taste, yet he was sure she would get the message and tell her boss.
“I’m looking for Matthew McCrery,” she said, hesitating to come closer.
“Tell that Connor fellow, I ain’t selling my ranch! Now, you too can get back in your truck and start drivin’ lady.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me, get going. I don’t want to hurt you, but I’ll defend my home with my life if I have to.”
“You must be mistaken, I’m Leah… I’m looking for Matthew, he’s expecting me,” her voice had gone hoarse.
“Leah?” He knitted his brows and his cobalt eyes widened. “You’re early. I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”
“You?” Leah stepped back nervously. “You’re Matthew?”
“Yes, please come,” Matthew’s eye narrowed at her reaction. She looked surprised. Did he scare her too much? “I didn’t mean to frighten you, ma’am. I’ve been having trouble with people wanting my land.”
He descended the porch and strutted towards her. With much discipline, he tried to keep his eyes from lowering to her heaving breasts. They were rising and falling with each breath she took as if she was struggling to breathe. At the realization that she might still be frightened, he stopped about three feet away from her.
She was searching his face, perhaps for answers...to what questions, he had no clue. Then, she was looking him over as if trying to absorb him. His eyes followed her soft brown ones as they rested on his chest, then ran down the length of him and back to his face. Finally, their eyes met and he saw the confusion in her gaze.
“I’m sorry,” she shook her head from side to side. “This isn’t what I expected… I… I….”
“Can we go inside and talk? It’s scorching out here. I promise I won’t hurt you… this,” he held up the rifle. “Was just to scare those people.”
A wisp of her dark hair clung to her forehead where sweat moistened. Matthew had the urge to brush it away. He tried as best to soften his face to make her comfortable and he managed a smile, hoping she wouldn’t see how nervous he was as well. He stepped aside, making the way clear for her to pass. He could see her hesitation, but she passed him and walked towards the porch.
When she got to the front door, which was open except for the mesh door, she halted. He passed her and swung it open to allow her through. He’d barely managed to get rid of some of the dust just that morning.
She stood in the center of the room and looked around. “Please, have a seat,” Matthew indicated the sofa. Leah perched her bottom on the edge and folded her hands in her lap. “I’m really sorry about the gun earlier,” he apologized, replacing it in its glass cage beside another just like it.
“Look, Mr. McCrery, when you said you were a retired Naval Officer, I was expecting someone… different.
“You mean older… safer?”
She took a deep breath, and involuntarily, his eyes fell to her bosom again. “Yes.” Luckily, she had lowered her eyes and didn’t see him.
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to mislead you,” he now found himself shuffling his feet. “If it makes you uncomfortable to stay, then I’ll understand if you wish to return home.”
Again, her chest heaved and he quickly looked through the window to distract himself. It was better focusing on the broken window than the cleavage of a woman. It’s been a long time seeing such well-endowed features. She was all woman, and she was right there in his broken down ranch. There was no way he could ask her to stay.
He chanced a glance at her face, which was oval, with slightly upwardly curved lips. Her long lashes brushed delicately against her rosy cheeks as her eyes were still cast down. Matthew’s insides felt like jelly looking at her. This was a first. He’d never been smitten by a woman the first time he’d met them. She was right. This was not going to work out. He couldn’t have a woman like that around him. He didn’t need the distraction.
“You’re right,” he heard himself say. “It’s probably best if you go back.”
She’d found the place with little trouble. Surprisingly, it was a few degrees cooler than in the town. This was a welcome relief, maybe because of the slight rise in altitude. The ranch was located on a small hill beside the larger mountain. There was a breeze that cooled her slightly. The air was even fresher, and though the road was dusty, she was not inhaling dust like before.
She parked the truck and stepped out to come face to face with the most striking eyes she’d ever seen on a person. He had a rifle in his hand and stepped menacingly towards her, mumbling something about his land. She had been so shocked that all she could focus on was the rifle and her subsequent funeral.
Now here she was, sitting across from the man. His giant of a frame hovering intimidatingly in the tiny living room. She kept her eyes down to hide her fear, but she could not help but feel his eyes boring into her. His rumbling voice had softened, which surprised her.
“You’re right,” he was saying. “It’s probably best if you go back.”
Her head shot up at the sound of his words. “What do you mean?” She never expected him to say that. She didn’t know what she expected, except she thoug
ht he’d be old. The shock of seeing a virile forty year old man with chiseled jawline, strong nose, and firm lips on a face that had an air of command was too much to take.
He had been looking through a broken window, and now he turned. She stood, wanting to even the playing field since he was still standing. He towered her by a number of inches, but at least she didn’t have to strain her neck to look up at him.
“Look, Mr…,” she started.
“Matthew… just Matthew,” he interrupted.
“Matthew. I was shocked… and you had a gun. What was I to think?” Her voice sounded much steadier than before.
Looking at him closely, he didn’t look so scary. His eyes were not as hard as she thought they were, and she saw he was trying to smile. Was he embarrassed?
“I’m sorry about that. As I mentioned, there are people trying to take my land,” his deep voice seemed to rumble from inside his chest. “And I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”
She bit her bottom lip. “There were circumstances. I’m sorry to have surprised you like that.”
“I can compensate you for your trouble, if going back is what you want to do.”
She took the chance to lock eyes with him, “Is that what you want? Do you want me to go back?”
Was he rejecting her because she was not thin and pretty? Was he was the kind of guy who liked those women? Tall, athletic, very attractive… no… handsome. Perhaps he’d been expecting more than what she’d brought. That’s why he was so quick to suggest she go back.
They stared at each other for a moment, then he lifted his large hands and ran his fingers through his brown crop. She did the same thing when thinking or upset.
Reminding The SEAL (Navy SEAL Military Romance) Page 8
