by Mia Ford
“Don’t be in a hurry to leave, Celia. We all love Jack and we love having you here. You are very welcome.” He said with the same smiling face, but this time his face was unnervingly close to hers. She could smell the whisky on his breath that she hadn’t detected earlier. She tugged at her hand, trying to get it free. He held on tightly, smiling at her with a shining face. After a few moments, he finally let her go.
“Jack has gone to bed, so you’re free to do what you want now.” He said as she rubbed her wrist where he had been violently clutching her. “If you’re bored you should come to me, I don’t sleep till the early hours of the morning.” He added.
“I’m very tired. Good night Conrad.” Celia said, before whipping around and rushing to her room. She closed the door behind her and locked it from the inside, silently thankful that he hadn’t followed her. She detested Conrad now more than ever, especially because she knew that she was falling in love with his brother.
When Celia woke up next morning, she took another shower and changed into a fresh floral dress before leaving her room. It was nine in the morning, but she wasn’t sure what time anybody else in the household woke up. The house looked empty, she couldn’t hear another soul move anywhere.
Eventually, walking around the rooms she caught sight of her grandfather sitting on a rocking chair at the back porch. She joined him outside, placing a hand on his weary shoulder.
“Good morning, sweet child. How did you sleep?” He asked her. She gave him her hand and he held it tightly.
“Very well thank you.” Celia said, smiling at him.
“Sorry I didn’t wait up for you, Mr. Moore, the younger one, he put me to bed.” He explained.
“Good. Sorry I ran out like that. I couldn’t bear to be in the room with them, with both of them there.” She told him, shielding her face against the sun with her hand again.
“I understand, but Celia child, I hope you didn’t mean it when you said that you want to take me away from here.” He continued, staring up at her like a child would look up at a parent.
Celia pressed her grandfather’s hand, unwilling to commit to a response this quickly. She wanted to take him away from here for his own good, and he didn’t seem to understand it.
“I’ve lived here, in this town all my life. This is where I had my family, this ranch is where I worked and what I dedicated my life to. I don’t want to die anywhere else.” He said, looking at her with his watery eyes.
She breathed in deeply and nodded her head.
“I understand grandpa, I just can’t stand that they talk to you like this. That Conrad talks to you like this.” She said, patting his frail hand. “And don’t talk about dying, you’ll be fine.” She added a weak smile. They both knew the truth; he wasn’t recovering from this.
“Tempers were flying last night. Trust me my dear, I’ve been very happy here. Those two boys are like my own grandchildren.” He said, smiling at her the best he could.
The sound of horse hooves distracted them both at that moment and Celia turned to find Wilder on a beautiful chestnut horse, riding towards them like he didn’t mean to stop. He was in a brown shirt, tough jeans, boots and the same hat. He looked like a pro, strong and brave on his horse; and even from this distance Celia could see that he had an actual smile on his face! She was so surprised to see him smiling that she nearly clapped.
He came closer, slowing down now that he saw them on the porch.
“Morning.” He said, tipping his hat at Celia and turning a smiling face at her grandfather.
“Where is my brother?” He asked, stroking the neck of his horse as he steadied himself in front of them. Celia noticed how he was still avoiding her eyes, while she couldn’t think of anything else other than how he had slid into her the previous night. How she had seen him naked, knew how his chest felt under her fingertips.
“He must be sleeping.” Her grandfather said, and Celia could see in his eyes how much he admired the younger man. Wilder clenched his jaws and looked up at one of the windows.
“Celia, pass me that pebble.” He said suddenly, and she nearly stumbled in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to even acknowledge her, leave alone ask her to do something. She saw the pebble he was talking about and she stepped down from the porch and handed it over to him.
Their hands touched when they exchanged the piece of rock. It reminded her in a flash how rough and course his hands were, how large they felt on her body, how he had used that very same finger to make her feel beautiful the previous night.
But Wilder didn’t seem to notice their touch, instead he aimed the pebble at the window he was looking at and threw it. It fell to the ground and he tipped his head to it again, Celia picked it up and handed it to him, a smile forming on her face. He threw it at the window again. It clattered against the pane. They did it all over again a third time till the pane was being lifted up; Conrad’s head stuck out. His dark hair was a mess, his face looked thin and sleepy and he rubbed his eyes as he looked down at them.
“What?” He snapped at his brother.
“You better put on some clothes, little brother. The cattle aren’t going to herd themselves.” Wilder looked up at Conrad, with a bored look on his face. Celia was biting down on her lip, staring at Wilder. He looked handsome in the sun, unrealistically good looking. She couldn’t believe that he had made love to her the previous night, that he had left a little part of himself inside her.
“You are such a pain in the…” Conrad was saying and then he waved at Celia. “Morning Celia, you look beautiful in that dress.”
She forced herself to look up and smile at him.
“Good morning Conrad.” She said and looked away at her grandfather immediately.
“I’ll come down if Celia cooks me some scrambled eggs. That is the only way I’ll get out of bed.” Conrad said with that same wide smile on his face. Celia chuckled at the absurdity of it, and then she looked at her grandfather and at Wilder, with her widened brown eyes. She couldn’t believe that they actually expected her to do it.
“Just give him what he wants. Consider it your chore for the day.” Wilder said and before she could reply to him, he was riding away on his horse again.
“Two toasts, scrambled eggs and a glass of orange juice. You’ll find a tray in the kitchen for them. Bring them up to my room.” Conrad called out to her, before he disappeared back into his room again.
Celia huffed, her mouth hanging open a little as she turned to her grandfather in complete surprise.
“Thank you dear. He’s the baby of the family, quite spoilt. But a good boy you’ll see.” He said, his voice strained, but at least he sounded happy; Celia thought. She sighed deeply, patted his hand and walked back into the house. She couldn’t remember the last time she had made breakfast for anybody but herself.
The eggs and toast were ready in fifteen minutes. She arranged them on a heavy tray, placed a glass of orange juice next to them and started carrying it to the stairs. At the foot of the steps she breathed in deeply and licked her lips. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea, she thought. She didn’t want to be alone with Conrad, she didn’t want to be anywhere near him. But it was too late now, she should have said something to Wilder before.
She took the stairs slowly, stretching out time as much as she could till she finally reached the first floor, and to the door of Conrad’s bedroom. How spoilt was he? While his brother worked away at the ranch, without a single air of being wealthy; Conrad on the other hand behaved like he was some sort of prince.
Celia knocked on the door twice, before she heard his voice asking her to come in. The tray shook a little in her hand when she entered.
Conrad’s room was good enough to belong to a prince. With Wilder, it was easy for her to forget just how much money the two brothers had inherited, but Conrad clearly didn’t have any qualms about showing it off.
His bed cover was in a deep red velvet, to match the curtains as well as the upholstery on the chairs that dotted the room
. His carpet was thick and Arabian. There were gold fixtures on everything, and an elaborately embroidered dressing gown hung from the back of the door which Celia shut as she entered his room.
Conrad smiled at her, his face still a mess, as he straightened to sit himself up on his bed.
“Smells great, you’re a doll.” Conrad said as she brought the tray closer to him.
“Leave it on my lap.” He said and she placed it gently on his outspread legs. Then he patted the bed next to him, the smile still on his face. Celia remained standing in front of him and tucked a few strands of her curls behind her ears.
“Have a seat Celia.” He insisted, but she didn’t budge.
“I’ll go attend to my grandfather now. Enjoy your meal.” She said curtly and just when she was about to turn around, he stopped her.
“Be careful of my brother.” He had said.
Celia’s brows crossed and she looked at him, remaining still where she stood.
“What are you talking about?” She asked him, watching his every movement closely now. Conrad had begun to scoop spoonsful of scrambled eggs into his mouth, and held a buttered toast in his other hand.
“I mean exactly what I just said, that you should be careful of Wilder. I’ve seen the way you look at him.” He said, munching on his toast. Celia straightened her neck and raised her chin.
“You really shouldn’t accuse me of things you don’t know about. I hardly know your brother, or you. I’m here for my grandfather, to look after him.” She said, making sure that she sounded calm and confident. The last thing she wanted Conrad to smell, was fear.
“Sure, that’s why you came here. But wouldn’t you want to be looked after yourself?” He asked, smirking at her again. Celia kept her mouth pressed close. She couldn’t be sure what he was talking about and she wanted him to explain.
“You quit your job, a promising career. You can’t be sure how long old Jack will live, what will you do when you go back to New York after a year? Two years? You’ll be too old for the fashion industry, some new twenty-three-year-old would have taken your job.” Conrad continued, enjoying himself on her account.
“I’m not sure where you’re going with this.” Celia interrupted him before he could say anything else.
Conrad gave a small laugh.
“Just that you’ve had a chance to get a look around the house, and I know you like what you see. It could be yours.” He said. Celia’s head jerked up sharply to him, what did he mean? What was he talking about? She didn’t get a good feeling from all this.
“Don’t look so surprised honey. I’m only offering you a position by my side.” Conrad laughed again.
“What does that mean?” She cried, losing her temper at him.
“Be with me, give me company in this lonely deserted place. Maybe someday we could marry, have children…who knows? For now, you could have this whole house at your disposal and my protection from my brother, just by sleeping with me.” Conrad had pushed his tray away from himself and was looking at Celia with glittering blue eyes.
She could feel her cheeks flush; her nostrils were flaring.
“Why would I need protection from Wilder?” She asked him, ready to throw a lamp at his head because of the things that he was saying.
“Because ever since Wilder’s wife left him, he has hated women. You won’t be safe around him alone.” Conrad said, his face was serious and he wasn’t smiling any more.
But Celia was running out of the room. The door shut with a bang behind her as she ran down the stairs. She wished she had never gotten on that train from Austin.
Celia knew she needed to talk with Wilder. She hadn’t, she didn’t want to believe a word that Conrad had said to her. The fact that Wilder could be dangerous, that he had a wife who had left him…none of that made sense. The way she had felt the previous night in Wilder’s arms, she couldn’t have felt if she was afraid of him, if he was the kind of person who might hurt her.
Wilder was nowhere in sight. Celia prepared a bowl of soup for her grandfather and then set off towards the back of the house to look for him. She crossed the porch, then walked along the stables, she thought she could hear his voice in the back, talking to the animals. She needed to see him. This was happening too fast, she had only just met him, but she had given him her virginity, she was falling in love with a man she barely knew. But even if she didn’t know him, she knew that Conrad couldn’t be truthful. Wilder wasn’t the man his brother thought he was.
Celia stopped when she saw him. Wilder was several feet deep in a pit of wet mud with a rope in his hand. He had rubber boots on, but his jeans were nonetheless stained and muddy. His shirt sleeves were rolled up and his hat was tipped back on his head. He was oblivious to the scorching sun.
She called out to him, but he didn’t seem to hear her.
“Wilder!” She yelled again, and this time he turned slowly where he was standing. Even from the distance Celia noticed how his eyes changed when he saw her. He remained standing where he was, not making a move in her direction. He wanted her to come to him.
“Can I talk to you?” She asked, panting. Her nerves were wrecked, she didn’t want Conrad to see them talking…and mostly, she was excited to see him. That was the effect that Wilder had on her, every time she laid her eyes on him.
Wilder had still not moved, waved or said a word. Almost like he couldn’t understand her.
“Wilder! Can we talk?” She said again.
“Sure.” She heard him say, but he still wasn’t willing to come to her.
Celia lifted up her dress with both her hands and confidently stepped into the pit, her feet sinking several inches. She was wearing a pair of leather sandals which were sure to be ruined by what she was doing now, but she didn’t care. She needed to get this over with.
She strode towards him, dragging her feet through the mud, aware that it was staining her long pale calves. Aware also that Wilder was looking at her, with a strange smile on his face. Why did he like to watch her embarrass herself?
“This is ridiculous. Why wouldn’t you just come over there?” She said, as she walked towards him. The wet mud splashed on her dress too and Celia had to try very hard not to wince. When she looked up she noticed that Wilder was studying her dress, her mud stained legs, her body.
“You wanted to talk to me, I didn’t see the point of going to you.” He said, tugging at his rope, at the other end of which a muddy sheep was tied.
Celia sighed and met his gaze. His deep blue eyes were boring into her, she licked her lips and noticed the way he watched her every movement.
“I just wanted to ask you, well I wanted to talk to you.” Celia said, fumbling with her words. She was convinced that she needed to talk to him, but when it came to it she didn’t know exactly what she was going to say. She hadn’t come prepared for this conversation.
“You’ve mentioned that already. What did you want to say?” Wilder asked. His brows had crossed and he looked irritated, like she was wasting his time.
“Just…well, about…” She tried to form the words again, looking about her, trying to find the right way to broach the subject. But Wilder interrupted her.
“Is this about what happened last night? Because I thought you were fine with us not talking about it.” He said sternly, like he was losing his patience with a naughty child. Celia felt offended. She had expected him to treat her with a little more respect after what had happened, after he had made it so clear to her that he wanted her.
“It is in a way.” She said sharply, still clutching her dress up above her knees. Wilder shook his head, like he was disappointed and then looked away from her.
“I thought you weren’t going to be one of those girls.” He said, with a sarcastic smirk on his face.
“What girls?” Celia asked, her pride had been wounded by now.
“Who would care about something like that.” He continued and their gazes met again.
“How dare you? You thought I was the kind of g
irl who just spreads her legs for anybody?” She said, her voice tearing as she spoke. Didn’t he know that he had taken her virginity? That there had been nobody before him? How could he say something like this?
She heard him laugh. A small laugh, but one that hurt her soul. He thought all of this was a joke!
“So it meant nothing to you? It was done, gone, a thing of the past for you?” Celia was yelling now, trying to hold back her temper but she couldn’t.
“What else was it supposed to be? We had just met. I don’t even know you.” Wilder said, clicking his tongue at his sheep. He still had that smirk on his face that was driving Celia crazy. She couldn’t believe it. Could Conrad actually have been right?
“If I did know you I would have known that you have a wife.” She said, a little more calmly now. Wilder’s face changed instantly. The smirk disappeared and he lunged at her. The rope had dropped from his hand and he was holding her, his hands on both her arms. Squeezing tightly. She could feel the strength in his arms, how easy it would be for him to hurt her.
But Celia looked back at him boldly, meeting his eyes directly.
“What did you just say to me?” He asked, growled.
“That I know about your wife, now. I know you’re a married man. You drove your wife away. She left you.” Celia continued. Her voice was choking in her throat as she felt the pressure of his hands on her arms. It wasn’t painful yet but it would be if he kept holding her like that any longer.
Wilder’s teeth were gritted as he looked at her. Their faces were mere inches apart. She could see the small dark pupils in the center of his blue eyes, how his thin red lips curved on the sides, how his jaw was peppered with a soft dark beard that he hadn’t shaved today.
“Who told you this? Conrad?” Wilder growled again, his grip tightening on her arms. Celia was breathing heavily again. A few more seconds and she decided she would scream, scream at the top of her lungs and hope that someone might hear her.
