“Where were you staying before?”
“My mother’s farm in Rhea County. I wasn’t exactly welcome there.”
Morgan frowned. She didn’t know the circumstances behind why Rhea went to prison and wasn’t sure how much she should pry. “Do you miss home?”
“No,” Rhea answered abruptly, “I hated being there. That isn’t my home anymore. I don’t think it ever really was. This place feels more like home to me than any place ever has.”
Morgan smiled. “I’m glad you like it here. I like to think that this is your home too.” Morgan was surprised by how true those words were. She was surprised by how much Rhea had become a part of her farm, her life.
“Thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance.”
Morgan covered Rhea’s hand with her own. Rhea’s hand was cold. She wrapped both of her hands around Rhea’s. “Are you cold? Your hand is like ice.”
Rhea shook her head but didn’t speak. She looked at Morgan with a curious expression.
“What?” Morgan asked.
Rhea’s mouth went dry. She stared at her hand clasped in Morgan’s tender grip. The sensation was unusual. It went beyond her usual discomfort to something sweet, something that went deeper than her skin. The tension in her muscles eased and Rhea allowed the warmth of Morgan’s touch to warm the cold, hardened places in her heart.
“Let me go put another log on the fire,” Morgan said, letting go of Rhea’s hand.
“I’m really okay. My hands are almost always cold.”
“Well, I’ll stoke the fire anyway. Then I think you have some dishes to do.”
Rhea grinned. “I thought you were going to help with that.”
“Hmm, I might.”
Rhea gathered the dishes while Morgan worked the fire. She washed the glasses first and handed them to Morgan to rinse and dry. Morgan stood so close Rhea could feel the brush of Morgan’s arm against hers as they worked. Each dish she handed Morgan was like a stepping stone leading her closer to Morgan. She was beginning to care about Morgan, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. All she knew in that moment was that the connection felt good.
Morgan put away the last of the dishes and folded the dish towel across the sink. “Want to go for a walk?”
Rhea shrugged. “Sure.”
The temperature had dropped with the setting of the sun, and Rhea shivered when the cool night air hit the exposed skin of her face and neck. She pulled the collar of her coat up and pulled her knit cap over her head.
“Are you warm enough?” Morgan asked.
“I’m okay,” Rhea answered, stuffing her hands into her pockets.
Morgan stopped at the edge of the stone wall that trailed around the property. She hopped up on the wall and looked up at the wide open sky littered with stars.
“Have you ever noticed that the sky is darkest and the stars the brightest on the coldest nights of winter?”
Rhea shook her head. “No. But I can see it now.”
Morgan smiled. “What do you see when you look up there?”
Rhea shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you see?”
“Sometimes I think of the stars as memories or what remains of people who have already moved on. Mostly they make me think of possibilities. There are so many things out there we know nothing about, things we can only dream of. If the stars can exist, heaven can exist, and there is no end to what we can do and become.”
Rhea considered this. “I guess I’ve never really thought about it before. But I like that idea.” Rhea studied the stars and tried to see things through Morgan’s eyes. She liked the way Morgan put hope and goodness into everything. She had a way of making Rhea dare to dream. A northern wind blew across the field and Rhea shivered.
Morgan slid her arm around Rhea’s shoulder and rubbed her hand up and down Rhea’s arm. “Come here,” she said as she pulled Rhea against her. “You’re cold. Do you want to go inside?”
Rhea held still against Morgan, relishing the feel of Morgan’s arm around her and the magic in the stars above her. “Maybe in a minute. It’s hard to go inside when it’s so beautiful.”
“I know what you mean.”
Morgan put her other arm around Rhea, encircling her with her warmth. It had been a good day. She realized she could enjoy someone again. Maybe some of her wounds were healing after all. She watched Rhea gaze up at the stars. She looked young and innocent in the faint glow of the moon and stars. Her cheeks were red and her pale skin took on an ethereal glow against the night. Morgan felt something stir inside and she was drawn to Rhea. Morgan brushed the feeling aside and pulled away. “I think I better call it a night. Morning will come early.” She took Rhea’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”
Chapter Six
Rhea jerked awake at the sudden pounding on her door. She couldn’t move. She choked in a breath and struggled for another as if a large, rough hand held her by the throat and choked her until the life threatened to leave her. She blinked her eyes and tried to focus on the clock beside the bed, anything not to see the hungry lust in his eyes as the weight of him bore down on her. There was no use fighting anymore. He was too big, too strong, and no one would help her if she screamed.
The pounding came again, and Rhea’s vision cleared. She was alone in the room, but fear still gripped her muscles, and she struggled to shake off the helplessness. Someone was at her door, and she had to get up. She had to move. At last the bondage of sleep released her and she sprang from the bed like an animal from a cage. She moved so fast her back slammed against the wall behind her. She grabbed her jeans and her boots. She didn’t have to look for her money because she never took it out of her pockets, and the new knife was clipped to her boot. It made it easier to have everything ready just in case she needed to get away fast. She pulled on a flannel shirt over her T-shirt as she raced down the hallway to the door.
“Who’s there?” Her heart was pounding, and she was breathing as if she had been running for miles. She braced herself next to the door and tried to regain control of the fear coursing through her blood like a wildfire.
“It’s Morgan, I need your help.”
Rhea twisted the deadbolt and jerked the door open. Morgan was soaked from her waist down and caked in mud. A thin line of blood oozed from her nose and had been smeared across her right cheek. Rhea’s fear intensified, and her gut twisted when she thought of Morgan hurt. Before she could think about what she was doing, she stepped close to Morgan and gripped her arms. “What’s happened? What’s wrong?”
“One of the Galloway calves is stuck in the mud down at the pond. I can’t get him out, and if we don’t do something soon, he’ll drown.”
Relief flooded Rhea as she realized Morgan wasn’t in danger. “Okay, what do you need me to do?”
Morgan grabbed Rhea’s hand and pulled her toward the ATV that sat idling in the yard. “Come on, I need you to help me rig a sling around him and pull him out with the Gator. I’ll hold on to him and make sure he’s not too bound up. We don’t want to break his legs or worse. I tried to dig him out myself, but he just kept sinking.”
Morgan’s voice was frantic. Rhea had never seen anything shake her usual calm reserve, but Morgan was different with the animals. Morgan treated each one as tenderly as if they were her children, and Rhea was stunned by the desperation she heard in Morgan’s voice. Rhea didn’t want to think of what it would do to Morgan to lose the calf like this, but she was afraid of just how far Morgan would go to save him.
As soon as they reached the pond, Morgan grabbed a rope out of the ATV and handed it to Rhea. “Come on, we’ll tie him first, then you can secure it to the Gator.”
Rhea followed Morgan into the soupy cold water. The mud was thick and the suction threatened to pull her boots off with each step she took. Morgan went to the calf and held his head up. He was clearly exhausted and his wide brown eyes were wild with fear. Morgan pushed up on his chin and rested his head on her shoulder as she tried
to pull the mud away from his knees and free his legs.
Rhea could barely force her arms under the calf to pull the rope around his body to make a sling without her head going into the water. Morgan was submerged to her chest now, and Rhea was afraid if the calf broke free he could drown her with his thrashing. This was no small calf—this was a half-grown steer.
“Let him go, Morgan, I’m going to pull him out.”
“No, I have to manage his legs. I’ll watch him. I’ll be okay.”
Rhea started the ATV and slowly moved forward until there was tension on the rope. “Okay, here we go.” Rhea inched forward, her head turned so she could see the effect on the calf and Morgan.
“Hold it,” Morgan yelled.
Rhea let off the throttle and waited. Morgan disappeared. Rhea was about to run back to the water when Morgan’s voice rang out.
“Try again.”
The battle to free the calf only took a few minutes but felt like an eternity. They worked as fast as they could and slowly separated mud from calf. The constant flood of adrenaline was all that kept Rhea going, and the fatigue was beginning to show as Morgan’s hands shook, and her voice trembled from the cold. Rhea wasn’t sure how much longer Morgan could keep up this fight.
“Here he comes,” Morgan yelled.
Rhea kept pulling the calf and watched with wonder as his front legs suddenly sprang from the water and slapped down again as he used what little strength he had left to free himself. Rhea was still pulling and half dragging the calf through the mud. An instant later he was free and stumbled onto the grassy bank. Rhea killed the engine and sprinted to the calf. She needed to get the ropes off before he found another way to hurt himself. Luckily he was too tired to fight her, and with Morgan’s constant care, he trusted her to help.
Morgan dragged herself out of the mud and collapsed onto the bank. As soon as Rhea was sure the calf wasn’t in danger anymore, she moved to Morgan. She fell to her knees beside Morgan and leaned over her.
“Are you okay?”
Morgan was gasping for breath, and her chest heaved with each intake of air. Mud and grime coated her face, and her hair stuck to her cheeks and neck. She was a total mess, and Rhea had never seen anyone more beautiful in her life. She reached out a hand and brushed a muddy strand of hair off Morgan’s cheek. The sun was up now, and the morning glow bathed Morgan in golden light.
Morgan nodded. “I just need to catch my breath.” Her teeth chattered as she spoke. She opened her eyes, and Rhea caught her breath. It was the first time she had noticed the burst of gold and green in Morgan’s milky brown eyes.
Rhea’s gaze slid to the perfect curve of Morgan’s lips and a new panic swept over her. “God, Morgan, your lips are turning blue.” Rhea laid her palm against Morgan’s cheek. Her skin was deathly cold. “Shit. We’ve got to get you out of these wet clothes before you freeze to death.”
Rhea grasped Morgan’s shoulders and sat her up. She gripped Morgan’s coat and pulled it off her shoulders and slid her arms free. “Christ, you’re cold.” Rhea tugged at the waistband of Morgan’s jeans. “Get these off.”
Morgan’s hands clasped Rhea’s before she could undo the button of her jeans. “I’ve got it. Take care of the calf.”
“Not until we get you inside and warm.”
“That sounds good.”
Rhea took Morgan’s hands and pulled her up.
“The calf,” Morgan urged with single-minded intensity, “we need to get him to the barn. We can’t just leave him here.”
“Never mind the calf. Go on and get inside. I’ll take care of things out here.” Morgan gripped Rhea’s arm and swayed on her feet. “Christ, Morgan, go already.” Rhea questioned whether she should leave Morgan alone, but there was no way Morgan would leave the calf in his vulnerable state. It was the only way she could think to get Morgan to go inside and get warm, but her guts churned with uncertainty, and she had the overwhelming need to take care of Morgan.
“Okay, just get him inside the cowshed with some food and water and put some straw on the ground. He’ll be all right as long as he gets his strength back and warms up a bit.”
“Right. I’ve got this, now go.” Rhea looked down at the hand holding hers and had the sudden urge to tighten her grip and not let Morgan go. She squeezed Morgan’s fingers slightly before sliding her hand from Morgan’s. “I’ll come to the house when I’m done and let you know how he’s doing.”
Morgan smiled at her and the praise in her eyes made Rhea’s skin ripple with warmth that spread through her body into her core until she was trembling. She didn’t know what was happening to her, but at that moment she would have done anything to hold that gaze one moment longer. It was as if everything in her life had been leading up to that moment of gratitude and tenderness, and for the first time in her life, Rhea belonged, her life had meaning, and she mattered.
How could she feel more joy from one moment, one look, one smile, than she had ever felt? Why did Morgan’s approval mean so much? Perhaps it was just the unusual kindness Morgan had shown her when no one else had. Maybe she was just overreacting to stress. But she wanted more than anything to see Morgan. She needed to know she had done the right thing by letting her go alone. She needed to see for herself that Morgan was okay.
Rhea shook her head and coaxed the calf into the barn. She flashed back to the look in Morgan’s eyes when she’d first opened the cabin door. Morgan had looked so wild and vulnerable, so unlike herself that it had frightened Rhea. But beyond everything, Morgan was beautiful.
When did she start thinking of Morgan that way? Was that what people felt when they felt safe with someone? When they felt trusted or accepted? Rhea struggled to get her head back on task. She had to stop daydreaming and get the job done or the next look Morgan gave her wouldn’t be a happy one. It had become important to her to please Morgan, and that scared her. She didn’t want anyone to hold that kind of power over her again. But this was different, and Morgan was her boss, not her father. Could she care about someone without losing herself? Could she take that risk?
*
Morgan stripped off her clothes and left them in a muddy heap on the porch before going inside. She was chilled to the bone and the sun-kissed air was warmer than her wet muddy jeans, and there was no point creating another mess to clean up. A wall of warmth hit her the instant she stepped inside. She covered her chest with her arms and tried to hold the warmth against her body as she headed straight for the shower. The hot water stung her sensitive skin, and she slowly increased the temperature until the heat of the water and the steam in the room became a blanket of warmth. The water streamed down her face, washing away all traces of the filth that had caked her body only moments before. The water healed her aching muscles and soothed the fear until her trembling subsided. She couldn’t wait for a steaming cup of coffee. Maybe that would be the elixir she needed to feel human again.
Morgan smiled. She didn’t know what she would have done without Rhea’s help. She wasn’t used to relying on anyone, but this had been one time when she was grateful Rhea had been there. Rhea had been patient and caring when most people would have thought she had lost her mind by going into the water in those frigid temperatures. Not only had Rhea helped her, she had gone into the water with her.
She dried herself off and toweled her hair as she opened the bathroom door. Rhea stood in front of her with her hand poised to knock. Morgan gasped and took a step back, holding the towel loosely in her hand. “Oh God, you scared me.”
Rhea’s sharp appraising gaze traveled over her body. Morgan’s nipples tightened and she shivered but this time it wasn’t from the cold.
“Are you okay?” Rhea asked. Her voice was strained and a muscle at her jaw pulsed as she clenched her teeth.
Morgan tried to speak, but the intensity in Rhea’s appraisal had ignited an inner fire that made her insides burn, and she was temporarily stunned. She hadn’t had a woman look at her that way in a long time, and the sudden rush of
desire left her speechless.
“Morgan?”
Morgan stepped back and tried to register what was happening with rational thought. She jerked. To her horror Rhea still wore her wet clothes. She had been out in the chill air tending to the calf while Morgan had been inside getting warm. “Come here, you’ve got to be freezing.”
Rhea looked down at her muddy clothes and then to Morgan. “No. I just wanted to check on you. I’ll go back to the cabin and get cleaned up. I didn’t mean to barge in, but you didn’t answer the door when I knocked. I called out, but you must not have heard me.”
Morgan took Rhea’s arm and pulled her inside. “I’m sorry, now get in here, you’re letting all the heat out.”
Morgan quickly shut the door when Rhea shuffled inside. She frantically tugged at Rhea’s coat and glided her hands across her shoulders and down her arms as she pulled the coat off. Rhea flinched and stepped back. Her eyes were wide with fear.
“I can do it.”
Morgan realized her misstep. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…I’m sorry.” Morgan moved away. She suddenly realized she was still naked and hastily wrapped the towel around herself. “Take off your clothes and your boots. I’ll get you something warm and clean while you shower. I want to know all about the calf, and I desperately need a cup of coffee.”
Rhea stammered. “Morgan…”
“Get in the shower,” Morgan ordered.
Rhea sighed and pulled off her boots.
Morgan shut the door and let out her breath. What just happened? She had been completely naked in front of Rhea and tried to undress her. Had she lost her mind? Morgan pushed away from the door. She had to get dressed. What was she going to say to Rhea now?
Morgan retrieved a pair of sweats and a T-shirt she thought Rhea could wear and cracked the bathroom door. Steam filled the air and she tried not to imagine Rhea naked under the spray of the jets.
Love’s Redemption Page 7
