The large house on the hill came into view ahead of them now, its sand-colored limestone walls almost the color of gold.
"Tell me about the farmhouse,” she said, changing the subject, hiding her choking tears of empathy by looking away from him and toward the house in the distance.
"More than you wanted to hear yet, babe?” He watched her.
She swiped tears from her cheeks. “Yes, for right now. We can talk more about it later, I promise.” she admitted truthfully.
Watching his woman by his side, Reese melted. “You're a softy. The pain fades in time. But it never leaves me. Gabe was a handsome kid. A real good kid. God, I miss him.” How much should he tell her? “I feel him with me sometimes. When you were in danger, he warned me."
She jerked her gaze to his, her eyes solemn now. “He did? How so?"
He shrugged, embarrassed he'd told her. “I know, you're a scientist, you think I'm nuts."
"No! Of course, not. Never. I don't think you're nuts. ‘Stranger things in heaven and earth,’ they say. Science often just brings up more questions of the wonder of everything."
Relief flooded him that she accepted his word. “Right. Especially strange if you have my so-called Peacewatcher heritage. Hmmm. Reminds me of something the old guy who owned the house said."
"What?"
"He said, ‘It's time. You and your family are meant to be here, son.’”
"Us? He said we were meant to be here? Wonder what he meant by that?"
"I'm not sure. He surely kept good records of the house's history. It's built of coursed rubble limestone, quarried from the riverbank near here. Construction began in 1855. Took a few years to build. The owners back then named the place Limestone Hill. Family of the original owner has lived here since it was built.” His voice softened as he continued on, “I'll never forget the sadness in his eyes when he mentioned having no heirs for the place. He said Limestone Hill was in the hands of his family for over a hundred fifty years."
"Wow. The same family all that time?” Ashley asked.
"Yes. It's sad he had to let it go."
"The old guy watched Mandy as she played on the lawn. His fragile, aging eyes clouded with tears. I thought maybe Mandy was part of the reason the man didn't haggle with me over the price with the enthusiasm of his generation."
Reese remembered the look in his own father's eyes as he'd watched Mandy just after he recognized her as his grandchild. A look of relief and hope. He knew his father was thinking there would now be a Caldwell foothold in the future—another generation to care for the land and the animals.
"Hmmm."
On impulse, he stopped the SUV by a farm field fronting the road. Warm late summer air met them, contrasted to the AC in the truck. He took her soft hand and led her through the stubble left by the recent harvest.
"It's such a shame he had no one to leave this to,” Ashley said, her eyes following the horizon.
"He said it was time. He said, ‘I've been waiting for you and your lady to get here'."
"That's odd."
"He's ninety-three."
"Maybe his mind...?"
"Seemed sharp as could be, but...."
"But who knows?"
"He said we should check out the attic soon as it was warm enough to go up there."
"Intriguing.” Her eyes lit. “Let's go today."
He threw back his head and laughed. “Made me promise to wait until spring. Even wrote it in the contract. He'll send us the key in April, he said."
Ashley looked shocked. “That's pretty wacky. What if there's a body up there? His poor unfortunate murdered wife? And he needs time to get out of the country first...."
Reese shook his head, smiling at her indignant look. “We'll have to wait and see."
"Hrumph. Did he say why he sold the farm? He could have doubled what you paid by selling to a developer."
"He doesn't want a subdivision here. Said he doesn't need the money. Said the farm was too much for him to care for now. The day I stopped to ask him about the For Sale sign, he was mowing the pasture on an old tractor."
She smiled. “We should be that fortunate to be able to mow at ninety-three."
"Told me about the grass waterways he'd put into the field and the conservation tillage method he used. Seemed surprised I understood what he meant."
"You'd been reading about Ohio agriculture, haven't you?"
He inclined his heads in a sharp nod. “Yes, I have. The climate, soil type, the crops takes some getting used to but the land is the land."
With warm fingers, Ashley reached up to stroke the longish hair at his neck, the strands that stuck out from the adjustment strap in the back of his new cap. He enjoyed the touch a while, then when she stilled, he caught her fingers and kissed them.
"You look every bit as attractive in that ball cap as in your black cowboy hat"
He laughed, loving the look of desire in her eyes. “Glad to hear it."
Ashley sighed and hoped Reese could see the contrast to their own situation and the elderly man who'd owned Limestone Hill. She hoped he saw he had someone to link his past to the future now. Mandy. If so, maybe he could begin to forgive her for not making sure he knew he had a child.
She looked out over the fields. “This place is a treasure. I could almost forget you and Mandy bought it without consulting me."
He laughed. “I planned to buy the truck. The farm was an impulse decision."
Reaching for her hand, enclosing it in his larger one, he led her toward the big stone house.
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Chapter Twenty Five
On the second morning of their makeshift honeymoon, Reese jerked out of a deep sleep.
"What is it?” Ashley sat up, disoriented and startled by his sudden movement.
"The damn chopper's back,” he answered. “I hear it. Nearby. Flying over Limestone Hill.” He launched himself up from the bed and strode to the window, gloriously naked. “The same one. I recognize the make and color of it."
Ashley rose to her elbow. “The same one that came so low the day I rode Kernel?"
"Yes,” his voice was cold and suspicious. “Bet on it."
"Reese, you think the people after my IRT have found us here? That they're watching us?” She wrapped herself protectively with the heavy blankets she and Reese had purchased the day before.
"Yes, I do, Ash."
"What can we do about it?"
"Get to a phone. Let's go.” She was reassured by his protective anger.
So much for continuing their morning in bed, she thought with deep regret.
He watched the helicopter disappear with the fierce look of a frustrated warrior.
Somehow the helicopter looming in the skies over their head was not as frightening as her first suspicions that someone was tampering with her work had been. Reese had been in Texas then and she and Mandy had been alone. She trusted he'd see to their safety if it were humanly possible. She was confident of it.
Reese grabbed a pair of jeans and stepped into them. “What are we going to do?” As he clearly made ready to leave, she jumped into her clothes, too. “You plan to go call Braxton?"
"Yes. And go pick up your cell phone after that."
"I'm coming with you."
He turned to look at her. “I wouldn't leave you alone here."
"I know.” She smiled.
A short while later they stood inside Gabby's store again. Ashley listened to Reese's side of the conversation as he spoke with the director of Braxton. The man on the other end of the line was evidently trying to be reassuring but offering little in the way of real solutions.
"If you want my wife to finish this project, and I'm damn sure you do, you'll track down this mystery helicopter."
Ashley smiled. Reese wasn't above blackmail. She should complain that he was doing the talking today. It was her place to do that. But he was worried and doing the macho thing. Even her inner independent woman didn't have the heart to compla
in.
* * * *
"Tell me why you brought me here, Reese,” Ashley demanded. “To Limestone Hill for a honeymoon?"
Reese was building box stalls in the lower level of the old barn so Kernel could be moved from her parent's farm to Wolf Run. His shirt was off and his skin gleamed and his muscles were pumped up from work.
Ashley joined him with some concern for her welcome. She folded her arms at her breasts and stood watching him. For three days now, since the damn chopper had found them and their call to Braxton, he'd worked them both to a frazzle on various projects.
And darn it all, he hadn't made love to her since.
She still had the nagging feeling she could lose Reese yet. That this might be all the time they had. That they would not grow old together as she hoped.
Puzzled by the change in Reese the last few days, Ashley waited for him to come to her bed at night, but fell into an exhausted sleep before he joined her there. She was always relieved to find the warmth of him there in the bed sometime in the night, but still, each day he drove them to get the tasks he had laid out for them done.
The first time it happened, she thought it had to do with his worry about her safety. As the days continued, she wasn't so certain anymore. He was troubled for sure.
The collection of hardware and supplies had diminished steadily in the past days. Each day he watched the skies for the helicopter. And each day it returned at staggered times.
He avoided her deliberately. Why, she didn't know. He'd made no move today that indicated any change.
By now, Ashley had had it with the man.
And she intended to have answers.
As she watched and waited for his answer, he seemed to lose concentration. He hit a forefinger with the hammer, swore, and looked at her as if it were her fault. Then paused, running a hand through his hair, his action weary. She could see he was thinking through his answer, deciding how much he would reveal to her.
The emptiness and distance between them hurt worse than any battle of wills. She'd held her own with that. But his withdrawal from her was different. She felt helpless to deal with a cold wall of indifference so solid and real that she could feel it as surely as if she could reach out and touch it.
"What's wrong? Tell me,” she prompted.
After a long time, he answered her question with surprising frankness, “I really don't know why I brought you here, Ashley. Some bull-headed power struggle thing."
"You're still angry with me?"
"Do you remember what you said to me about my not consulting you on the interior decorator for the house in Texas? Back in the early days of our love affair, when I took it for granted you would eventually marry me and move into my home? And it peeved you that I bought Limestone Hill without your seeing it first?"
His smile was self-deprecating.
"Yes,” she answered. Ashley got the message. Not telling him about his daughter had been a way bigger decision than anything related to a house. She understood he was telling her he felt the same confusing emotions she felt when he excluded her from the decision about the house.
"I wish I'd made you listen about the baby.” Ashley lifted her chin. “I can't say I'm sorry though.” She felt a weight of guilt and wished she could travel back in time and change things.
"You thought I ought to apologize about that damned decorating fiasco...."
"No. You've had to live with it four years,” she interrupted. “That's revenge enough for me.” She smiled, inviting him to laugh with her.
"I brought you here for revenge.” He wasn't laughing. He was dead serious.
"Yes,” she replied. Her tone seemed prickly and defiant to her own ears.
"Not sure myself it wasn't some sort of vengeance I wanted. I had vague, primitive thoughts of using the forced isolation to bind you to me thoroughly."
Misguided male. Didn't he know she already was or she would not have gone through with the marriage? “I understand your feelings."
"It was more than simple revenge."
"It's not like we were free to fly to Hawaii for a week anyway,” she admitted, smiling.
He nodded. “You didn't want to be far from your work."
"Right,” she said. What could she say?
"Damn it, Ash, whatever I planned, I thought this farmhouse would be a safe haven for you. It's clearly not."
"Oh, I see.” And she did. This was about male pride and the primitive urge to guard and protect her. The frustrated feeling he had failed her shone in his eyes. Poor, big baby.
"Thought I could keep you safe here on this hill where a man could see for miles in any direction. The helicopter put that theory on shaky ground."
"Nowhere is perfectly safe, Reese.” She touched his arm. His eyes looked down to where her hand held his bulging bicep. “I turned in the basic data on the project right before the wedding. That should've stopped the sabotage in its tracks. Now, I just need to stay close, in case Development has questions."
"I know."
"Have you spoken to your family?” She changed the subject, hoping to draw him out of his doubts.
"Yeah, I called Clay after we talked to Braxton."
"How is he managing the ranch on his own?"
"He didn't say much one way or the other. But Santos said he's strutting around like an overgrown rooster. The new responsibility suits him I guess."
"I'm not surprised. Clay is as strong minded as his older brother.” She ignored his challenging look. “He's a leader, not a follower."
"Yeah. Dad told me before you came down the aisle that it was just what Clay needs at this time in his life."
"To get out from under the thumb of his domineering older brother?” she asked, finishing for him, her eyes daring him to deny it.
Searching her eyes, Reese felt a stab from his conscience. Ashley spoke as though she knew that particular thumb well. He took a deep breath. Maybe, he wasn't playing fair with her. Even now. He wasn't one to try to browbeat a woman into submission. Not that it would work with Ashley any damn way. But in a manner of thinking, that was exactly what he was trying to do. Confuse her. Control her.
Maybe he hoped to convince her of the rightness of their marriage. Before she had a chance to think the situation through, before she had a chance to think of the way he had railroaded her into this marriage.
Reese went back to work. He didn't know what else to do.
From then on, Ashley sat down on a rough bench and watched, handing him the occasional tool.
She spoke again only when he began to put things away, showing signs the workday was over.
"I want to know why you've been avoiding me, Reese. I miss having your arms around me. I miss loving you."
Reese's attention riveted on her. He felt as though someone had kicked him in the stomach. The shock of her frank words and the hot look in her stormy eyes rocked him. He found himself aroused in an instant, swift and painful.
He'd been killing himself to keep his resolve to stay away from her, make her wait, to make her come to him. In a split-second, with a few soft words, she'd shot that all to hell. He should have damn well known she wouldn't come begging and pleading. He should have known she'd come to him with a demand in her voice.
"I know you do, honey,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut. With some embarrassment, he heard his own breath coming hard and fast. The woman only needed to crook one of her sexy little fingers and he was standing on weak, watery knees. “Damn it."
"I know you've been here with me the last few days, but I've missed you,” she said, smiling sadly.
Reese's eyes blazed with a rekindled fire. Ashley relished the fact. He couldn't have become as indifferent to her as her illogical mind had convinced her. She managed to stop a joyful laugh that bubbled up.
He held out a hand and she walked into his arms.
"What did you hope to achieve by staying away from me on our honeymoon?"
"Does it feel like a honeymoon, wife?"
"Yes.”
She didn't hesitate. She sought his eyes. “Oddly, it does. Maybe it shouldn't, but it does."
His lips closed over hers in an all-consuming kiss that had Ashley lifting herself on tip toes and pressing to him. At last she felt alive again, whole. She felt a surge of triumph. He was hers again.
"Those damn jeans have been driving me crazy,” he said as he pulled her closer to him and slipped his hands into the large back pockets of her loose work jeans. He massaged her behind through the soft cotton. The sexless jeans had produced the opposite effect to what he'd hoped when he'd insisted upon buying them for her. He'd watched as she moved about in them, bending over, stretching upward. Lying down. It didn't matter. The loose pants had somehow heightened the appeal of her feminine shape.
"Reese...” she began.
In the cold emptiness of the days without expressing their love in intimacy, Reese had almost forgotten how good it felt, this loss of control brought by the passion. Ashley answered his kiss with a wildness and wonderful enthusiasm that had him throbbing. He didn't think he could stop now if he wanted to.
"Reese...” she said again and there was a pleading in the softly spoken word. Her small hands sought the feel of him beneath his clothing. The note of pleading drove away his feeling of weakness and replaced it with a heady sense of masculine power and strength.
She gasped. She felt it, too, he realized. She was a victim of the same loss of control as he.
For the first time he was sure of it. Perhaps it didn't throw her because she hadn't known any other way.
Maybe sex had never been lukewarm and controlled matter for her. He'd been her first lover after all.
He kissed her again and Ashley clung to him sweetly, her legs caressing his, driving him mad with yearning.
"It's been so long ... so long, my love,” she whispered and entwined her fingertips in the hair at the base of his neck, pulling gently, as though to draw him closer to her.
"I know. I know. I've been a fool.” At this point Reese was hard pressed to dredge up the thinking that had kept him from loving his new wife for the last three long days.
"Yes, you never learn not to fight me,” she said with ironic humor.
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