Alone at Last... 15 Blush Worthy Stories -- They Never Thought It Would Go So Far... Short Story Off Limits Romance Collection

by Gina Mint

  “I won’t bite, Miss Hamilton,” he chuckled. The sound rumbled in his chest before it escaped so that the sound traveled down her spine and made her ache to be closer to him. “It just seemed like Mist might be a bit tall for you to mount without a step or helping hand.”

  “I do alright,” Sadie lied. Truth be told she hadn’t been able to mount him without that step. Not until today. When she was finally sitting straight in the saddle she look down at him. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. Say, if you’re out this way this coming weekend, stop by. We’re having a harvest picking, usually the whole town comes out.”

  “I’ve heard about it,” Sadie smiled. “I’ll see if I can’t free up a couple hours to stop by.”

  “Terrific,” Sadie watched Reece run a hand down Mist’s neck and give him a pat before stepping back. “I look forward to seeing you.”

  “Have a good day Mr. Jackson.”

  “You as well, Miss, er, Doctor Hamilton.”

  “Please, call me Sadie.”

  “Sadie it is.” She liked the way her name rolled off his tongue, that slight Southern drawl that stuck to his language. It was beyond sexy and Sadie so needed a love life. One that consisted of more than dinners for one and alone time with her loveable Yorkie, Pinto.

  Turning Mist around Sadie trotted out to the Deuces entrance and onto the open field. Once she was cleared of any obstacles, she sent her horse to a gallop and headed back toward town. An hour later she finally sat down and put her feet up. Her night wasn’t over by a long shot, but all she wanted was five minutes where her feet weren’t running.

  Chapter Two: Scheduled Interactions

  Reece took the afternoon and worked on paperwork. It was his least favorite task, but considering just a couple hours earlier he’d been seriously concerned about dying, he figured paperwork was a good way to spend the afternoon portion of his day. He ignored the part of his brain that told him he’d picked inventory because it gave him time to think. Time to evaluate just what he thought about the town doctor. It was true he’d have preferred a man take over for old Doc Watson, but now that he’d met her, he couldn’t exactly complain about the woman who’d eventually become the main source of medical help for their growing, but tightknit community.

  She seemed more than capable and to say she was easy on the eyes was an obvious understatement to anyone who saw her. With those incredible gray eyes that seemed like a contained tornado, she held an intelligence that couldn’t be faked. Add in the dimples and the overall appearance of her face and she was a knockout. The fact that she hadn’t been wearing a wedding ring was somewhat of a surprise. Even with medical school being as demanding as it was, Reece figured a man would have snagged her by now.

  Finally able to set his pen down, Reece rubbed the tiredness from his eyes and decided that coffee was needed. With the weather turning chilly at night he knew it wouldn’t be long before the temperatures dipped low enough to have his shrugging into a coat for his morning chores. His favorite way to beat back the cold was to soothe himself with coffee. Never one for the fancy stuff, Reece preferred to brew his own in a regular coffeepot with plenty of grounds, a whole pot of water, and enough cream and sugar to wake a dead horse. Sighing with pleasure at the first strong sip, Reece took his cup out to his back porch and sat on the swing he’d put up. The weather was just starting to show the signs of fall and this weekend would be perfect for bring most of the harvest in. There would be a few stragglers as there always were, but for the most part the apples he grew would be brought into the silo. He had enough work after that to keep him busy for the majority of the pre-holiday season. Everything from applesauce to apple cider would be served and he’d turn out a considerable profit in the meantime. He was thankful every season that his grandmother had taught him how to make cake doughnuts from scratch. They were his biggest seller when the weather turned cold and people wanted to enjoy a fresh made doughnut with their warm apple cider. He even used the peels to make fresh apple and cinnamon -scented candles. No, Reece knew that starting this weekend he’d be running around like a crazy person until at least January and the thought brought a smile of peace and assurance with it.

  ***

  Sadie finished up the splint on RJ Meadows finger and sent him on his way. For a boy of six he’d been in her office more than most of the people in Shady Oaks. Flipping the sign on her door to read Closed to anyone who came by for a visit. She quickly grabbed her jacket and headed out the back exit of her office. Within minutes she was in her car and headed toward the Deuces ranch for their annual harvest festival. Apparently, from what she’d heard around town, almost everyone was planning on making an appearance throughout the day to help bring in the apples that Reece Jackson’s farm grew.

  “You made it!” Sandy Clemens smiled when Sadie stepped out of her car. “We’re just putting some doughnuts in the car before we head back up. Jack said I could pick out some scented candles.”

  “Oh, I might check those out myself. I love putting candles out during the holidays, especially.”

  “Me too.”

  “I’ll wait and walk up with you, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all.” Sadie linked her arm through Sandy’s and together the women walked back up to the massive barn that had been converted into an apple pressing station slash gift shop.

  “Wow,” Sadie said as she stepped back in time. Decorated for a combination of Thanksgiving and Halloween, the barn held all the reminiscent qualities of the eighteen hundreds, while sporting all the modern gadgets of the twenty-first century. Climbing the stairs she breathed deeply, taking in the scents of apples and people. As she reached the top landing, Sadie saw the massive apple press do its work as it crushed the apple juice from the fruit. An old, self-playing piano sat in the corner with a lively skeleton on the bench. “This place is phenomenal,” she breathed as she watched people standing in line and those who were already enjoying their treats.

  “What do you think?”

  Sadie turned and looked into sky blue eyes that warmed right in front of her. “It’s beautiful. How did you-“

  “Take a walk with me and I’ll tell you.”

  “Alright,” Sadie said, accepting the arm that was offered to her.

  “My great-grandparents owned this property three generations ago. They were the first to plant the apple orchard out here. Back then they made their life with cows and dairy milk, cream, cheese, and butter. My grandparents expanded that adding apple sauce and apples to the mix. My grandmother was the one who taught me to make doughnuts from scratch and I do, every season. By the time my parents took over we had expanded the business even further. They put in the apple press and we converted the barn into a gift shop as well. My mother turned the apple peelings into incredibly scented candles and by adding the apple cider and fresh made doughnuts our profits only increased. With everything the farm does now I had to hire more people when I took over. I’m one of six children and when we all grew up there wasn’t anyone to replace us in the family.”

  “That’s quite a story,” Sadie smiled. “You’ve certainly got some gorgeous land here, Mr. Jackson.”

  “Please, call me Reece,” he said. “And thank you. I work hard to make sure my family’s legacy lives up to what my great-grandparents started building way back when.”

  “They’d be proud of you, proud of all your family has made from their meager beginnings.”

  “So, is doctoring a family thing or are you just a rebel?”

  “A little bit of both actually,” Sadie found it entirely too easy to talk to this handsome man. Not only was he articulate and a conversationalist, he actually seemed to listen to her when she spoke. So, as the sun started its descent in the western sky, she told him a little about the Hamilton clan. “My grandfather was a surgeon. Unfortunately for him, he had a daughter who was less than stellar in the coordination area. My aunt Nora is quite the Clumsy Carla. She trips over air, literally. Her twin brother Nathan, my father, ho
wever, isn’t. He became a carpenter, much to my grandfather’s chagrin. But, he loves his work and does it with exceptional quality. I used to spend my summers at my grandparents’ house and that’s when I fell in love with the idea of medicine. One of my grandfather’s patients was expecting a baby. She was just about to her due date when a nasty storm swept through their town. When my grandfather went to check on them she was well into her labor, but hadn’t been able to reach anyone. I helped my grandfather deliver her baby and ever since I knew I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to help take care of people who, for one reason or another, couldn’t take care of themselves.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Me? I was twelve when little Annalise Richardson was born. She’s twelve now and beautiful to boot. She’s got a major crush on Jackson Spurlock, who’s as clueless as they come.”

  “Most boys are at that age. It takes us a little longer to get the idea about girls.”

  “Well, regardless, she’s painting her name in pretty neon colors and putting Spurlock behind it.”

  “I bet her parents are thrilled.”

  “Her mother thinks it’s cute and her dad is trying not to freak out about his only daughter liking boys.”

  “Do you have any siblings?”

  “I have twin brothers. Jason and Jack. They’re two years older than I am and along with being their sister I’m also the baby. I can’t seem to get past that stigma, no matter how old I get.”

  “That’s a tough one for us older brothers. We don’t usually do it well, letting our younger siblings grow up. Particularly when they’re as beautiful as you.”

  ***

  He’d expected her to blush at the compliment. What he hadn’t expected was for her to transform from a beautiful woman into a radiant one. He’d been able to talk to, feel comfortable with the beautiful doctor. Now she left him speechless and unsure, her stunning grey eyes shining in the waning sunlight. “I’ll take that as the compliment I’m sure you meant it to be.”

  “I’m sorry if that came out wrong. You are beautiful and I don’t want you to think I didn’t mean what I said, I just-“ He stopped talking when her fingers touched his lips.

  “Stop while you’re ahead, farm boy,” Sadie smiled. Then she did something Reece hadn’t been expecting. Rising on her toes, she pressed a soft, quick kiss to his lips. She smelled like the apples from his farm and the scent, along with her obviously cooperative attitude were irresistible.

  “Come here,” Reece said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into a small shed.

  “Where are we?”

  “This is my tack shed. It houses the saddles and such that I use for my horses, both the ones I work with and the ones I ride for pleasure.”

  “You use horses to work?”

  “They make it easier for me to harvest some of the crops I don’t sell to the public.”

  “Oh,” she said.

  “You’re trembling,” he said, stopping and tugging her so she’d come closer. “I can’t tell you how much that turns me on.”

  “It wasn’t meant to as I’m not doing it on purpose.”

  “Do women ever tremble on purpose?” he chuckled.

  “I wouldn’t know,” she grinned. “I do know that it’s not summer outside anymore.”

  “No, that it’s not. Why did you kiss me?”

  ***

  “Because I like you. I like that you care enough about your family to want their legacy to continue. I like the look of you and the work ethic I know it must require to take something that’s given to you and make it even better. I like that you took time out of what must be a crazy busy day to spend time with me, to tell me about that family you love.”

  “So does that mean we can-“

  “No, at least not right now. You’ve got customers that want to see you and I need more time.”

  “Bummer,” he smiled. “Well in that case at least kiss me again before I see you out.”

  She smiled, because it was such a male request. Anything to get a pretty girl to kiss them. She willingly obliged him though. He was ready for her this time. His mouth answered questions she hadn’t even known she was asking until their lips touched. He ran his tongue seductively over her lips, all but begging her to open to him. When she did, they both sank deeper perhaps, than either had planned on going. His tongue slid warmly over hers, drawing a moan of anticipation and need from her. She hadn’t wanted to show him that much, hadn’t wanted him to see that need in her. Men got the wrong idea when a woman was needy.

  Still, she couldn’t fault his technique. The man knew how to kiss a woman straight out of her best jeans. Reece would have kissed her out of a chastity belt, lock and all, had she been wearing one. He certainly knew how to kiss, she’d give him that. Pulling back, Sadie drew in a deep breath and let it out shakily. “I should have expected you to kiss like that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I like the look of you,” she laughed. “Is there anything you don’t do well?”

  “I don’t visit the doctor well, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now.”

  “Yeah,” she said, shaking her head and smiling. “Maybe now you’ll have a reason to come see me once a year at least.”

  “Maybe,” he smiled. “But right now I need to walk you back to the front before I try something neither of us will approve of.”

  “Okay.” Sadie slid her arm into his again and together they headed back toward the barn as dusk settled over the farm. “When do you close shop?”

  “Most of the time we close at seven. Tonight though we’ll stay open until ten. On Halloween and Thanksgiving weekend we stay open until two in the morning.”

  “Wow, I’m never up that late.”

  “Makes me feel young again. Then I sleep away most of the next day and really screw up my schedule.”

  She laughed, finding Reece just funny enough to enjoy. “It reminds me of how old I am.”

  “Please, you can’t be more than twenty-three.”

  “Twenty-eight next week in fact.”

  “Okay well we’ll put my handicap at plus or minus three.”

  “Years,” she laughed. “I’ll give you a pass this time, considering you gave me a compliment or two.”

  “Awesome, I can use all the bonus points I can get.”

  “You’re not doing too bad, farm boy.”

  “Well then, doc, let me see if I can’t do something about bumping that up to great. Have you had a doughnut yet? I make them myself you know.”

  “I’ve heard stories about your doughnuts and I’d love to try one.”

  ***

  “Do you like plain, glazed, sprinkles, nuts…I can keep going.”

  “My favorite are plain, but if you put a dozen together I can take them back to my office for my crew tomorrow morning.”

  “Excellent,” Reece smiled. “I’ll give you some of my specialties and you can tell me whether you think plain still passes as your favorite.”

  “You’re on.”

  Ten minutes later, Reece met her at the staircase with two dozen doughnuts, handpicked especially for Sadie and her staff. “I brought enough for everyone. I also threw in some doughnut holes and two gallons of our freshest apple cider.”

  “Thank you,” Sadie said, truly astonished. “How much do I owe you?”

  “You can take it off my doctor bill. Apparently I’ve been ordered by a beautiful woman to see her for a thorough checkup.”

  “That you have,” she chuckled. “The girls are going to love you Reece.”

  “It’s all part of my diabolical plan to rule the town you know. Appease everyone with doughnuts.”

  She laughed again and was more than ready to accept when Reece offered to walk her to her car. “Thank you again for coming by. I know we didn’t do much of the actual harvesting, but I really enjoyed getting to know you,” he sighed. “I have to admit that I had a negative perception of you, before.”

  “Well, we’ll chalk it up to experience. While I t
ry not to prejudge people, I’m pretty sure I’ve done it a time or two in my lifetime. I forgive you.”

  Her smile was so beautiful, it lit her entire face and made her eyes shine like emerald color diamonds. Dark and stunning, Reece found himself nearly entranced by her. “Can I kiss you goodbye?”

  “Please,” she smiled. Reece tried hard to keep the kiss, short and sweet. The flavor of her though poured through him like warm honey, sliding over his senses until all he knew, all he cared about at that moment, was the woman in his arms. She was soft and womanly in all the right places, places he wanted desperately to touch. He’d heard her earlier and he couldn’t argue the logic, but for the life of him all he could think was…what part did logic play in emotions and the way two people felt about each other?