He pointed. “I think this is a salt dome. There’s a small vent in the earth. Do you smell the sulphur? I think there’s oil down there. We’ve got several places like this around the farm. Rebecca’s drawn up lease contracts for them. I want to get an exploration team in here and see what they say. What do you think?”
“The smell is certainly familiar. We had that all over our place. I think you’re right. What does your father say?”
“He led me here some time ago. He will follow my lead. I’ve been holding off, When I came back, I had decided this would be the right time to follow up.”
“Are you thinking of not going back to Texas Fuels?” A tinge of fear had hit her.
“No, of course not. I want to finish the blowout preventer. I want to work with you. I want you to partner with me on this. I intend to ask Bill to send a team up here.”
A hand on each of her shoulders, he turned her to face him. He lowered his head until his lips came into contact with her’s. Her arms went around him; she pressed herself against him, and returned his kiss with reckless abandon. She felt his passion grow as it pressed against her thigh.
She moved his hand to her breast and held it there, feeling the heat through the fabric. She broke the kiss. “I love you so much, the thought of losing you made me sick and I cried for two days.”
“I’m so sorry I hurt you. I will never do that again. “Right now, I feel as if I’m the luckiest man in the world,” he said.
* * *
The Ingram Ranch…
Following Laura’s directions, Jonathon drove the wagon to Laura’s home. When they came to a stop by the hitching post, a young cowboy came out, and said, “I’ll see to your horse. Welcome home, Miss Laura.”
“Thank you, Jim. Are they inside?” she asked, inquiring on the whereabouts of her parents.
“They are.” He led the horse away.
“Laura, I didn’t expect anything like this. It’s an enormous place.” he said, as they went through the front door.
“Welcome to our home,” Elizabeth Ingram said.
“Thank you. It is good to see you again.”
He looked around. “You have a beautiful home,” he said.
“Mother, where’s Papa?” Laura asked.
“He’s in his office,” her mother answered.
“I’ll show you,” Laura said to Jonathon, and led the way to a room off the front hall. She started to enter, but he stopped her.
“Let me,” he said. He rapped on the door frame and heard a “Come in.”
He entered a paneled room, lined with bookcases and dominated by a massive walnut desk. Her father stood and came around the desk. He shook Jonathon’s hand. “Elizabeth said you two might come out,” he said. “What brings you out into the boondocks?”
“Sir, I’ve come to ask you for your daughter’s hand. I love her with all my heart. I’ve asked her to be my wife and she said yes. I would like to have your blessing,” Jonathon finished in a rush.
“We’ve been expecting something like this. Her mother and I talked about it last night. If Laura chose you, then you must be a special man, and I give you our blessing.”
Jonathon breathed a big sigh of relief. “That was about the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he told Hank Ingram. “I don’t know what I’d have done if you’d said no.”
“We’d have eloped,” Laura said as she entered the room. She ran into her father’s arms. “Thank you Papa. I’ve waited for him my entire life.”
“Jonathon, let’s tell Mama now. Together, they went back down the hall, followed by her father.
As she watched her daughter approach, she said, “Jonathon proposed, didn’t he? And you said yes, didn’t you?”
“Yes and yes,” Laura said. “Mama, I’m so happy. He asked me yesterday but he said Papa had to give us his blessing. I’m getting married Mama. I’m really getting married.”
Her mother put her arms around Jonathon and said, “I’ve hoped for this day since she went away to Harvard. I’m glad she fell in love with someone close by.”
“Thank you. We told my parents yesterday. She came to the farm with my sister.”
“Have you thought about a date yet?” she asked Laura.
“We haven’t had time. If it were my decision, it would be tomorrow, but I know how much it means to you, so Jonathon insists we let you do your thing.”
“We have so much to do. We have to get a dress. You do want a church wedding? Have you decided on a maid-of-honor?”
“We do want a church wedding and I’ve asked Jonathon’s sister, Rebecca to be my maid-of-honor.”
Jonathon wandered off as mother and daughter chattered away. “The women have already taken over, huh,” Hank Ingram said from behind him.
“Would you join me in a bourbon and water? He asked, and walked back toward his office.
“Yes sir, that would be good. Maybe it will calm my nerves.”
“Is cattle your major business, Mr. Ingram?”
“Call me Hank. Please. Laura hasn’t told you anything about us, has she?”
“No sir, she just told me you were into oil and cattle. I was showing her some spots on our farm, where there’s a strong odor of sulphur, and she remembered it from your wells here.”
“Our spread is about 12,000 acres and we run some cattle on it. After some dry holes, we got lucky with a few wells.
“You’re an Aggie, aren't you, Jonathon? Were you in the Corps?”
“Yes sir, I was. I did a little time in Cuba after I graduated, but I’m Maroon and White all the way.”
“It’s a good school. We’ve hired some good men from there. Let’s see if the women have slowed for a deep breath yet.”
“You are going to stay here tonight, aren’t you?” Laura’s mother asked.
Jonathon looked at Laura, and received a slight nod of the head.
“Yes ma’am. I’d like that. We plan to go into the office tomorrow. I’ve been away for a few days and want to catch up on our project.” He looked at Laura, “Notice, I said our project, honey?”
“You heard him Mama. That’s the first time he called me honey. I like it.” She linked her arm in his, possessively.
“You’re done for, son. What are you working on, if you don’t mind my asking.”
“We’re working on a blowout preventer design, sir.”
“If you can make it work, it would be huge for the producers. There’s no telling how much oil we’ve lost through gushers,” Hank said.
“Yes sir. I think we’re getting close. I understand Cameron Iron is working on one too. I’d like to be able to meet with their engineers to discuss the designs. Laura’s a quick study. Maybe she could spot something that would help us.” Laura beamed, and patted his hand.
“Hmmmm…” said Hank.
Chapter 16: Back To Work
It had been a long day. Emotionally wrung out, Jonathon fell asleep quickly, in the guest room’s huge bed. A hand tugged at his shoulder. Another soft hand covered his mouth. “Shhh,” came from the voice behind the hand. Instantly awake, he turned over in the bed facing Laura, who had slid beneath the covers.
“What are you doing?” he whispered.
“I’m getting in bed with my fiance. Do you want me to leave?”
“No, but if your father finds you in here, he’s likely to shoot me, and I don’t want to be shot.”
“He won’t know. Their bedroom’s in the other wing and he’s a sound sleeper. Mama would be telling me to go for it.”
He reached out and touched her. “You don’t have any clothes on!”
“I don’t. What are you going to do about it?” she asked.
“I’m going to join you,” he said. He slid his undershirt and shorts off and pulled her into a tight nose to nose and toes to toes embrace. Her firm nipples were searing the skin on his chest where they touched. He could feel the heat radiating from her inner core to his groin.
Cupping a breast, he rolled a nipple between his finge
rs, felt it become even more firm. Lowering his head, he took the nipple in his mouth and rolled his tongue around it, sucking it gently and bringing a moan from Laura as her passion grew. His hand found the folds guarding her entrance, then slipped a finger inside. She climaxed almost immediately.
“Make love to me, Jonathon. I’ve wanted you all day. Make love to me, and then do it again. He rolled over on top of her, taking his weight on his elbows. He entered her vault and began moving. Matching his rhythm, she moved with him until they both climaxed.
After they were both spent, he pulled her over, half on, half off him They lay there molded together as one. He kissed her gently, probing the contours of her mouth with his tongue. With her hand beneath his head and his lips gently massaging her engorged lips, she began moving slowly, up and down on him. Then the pace increased, and increased again. She arched her back and cried out, overcome with her passion, she surrendered to the power of her completion. Continuing to move, she kissed him deeply as her tongue met his in a fiery collision. It was enough to take them both over the edge, as he let loose a series of muffled groans.
“Wow,” she said. “Oh, wowwwww! I’ve never had feelings that intense before.” She squirmed, and crushed her body against his. Neither of them knew how long they remained in the embrace. Jonathon did not know when she left his room. He knew it had not been a dream, her scent was here, and the scent of their sex permeated the air. He went back to sleep. A contented smile on his face.
The breakfast table…
“Love certainly agrees with you,” Mrs. Ingram said to her daughter. “You are glowing.”
Laura stretched, and then sat in the chair. “I feel wonderful. What do you think of Jonathon, Mama.”
“I think he’s a very nice man, and I’m happy for you.”
Later, at the train station…
“Your father is big in the oil business, isn’t he?” Jonathon asked Laura.
“I guess so,” Laura answered.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Would it have made a difference?”
“I might have been more afraid of meeting him,” Jonathon said.
“That’s one reason. Papa intimidates people, No one at work knows I’m his daughter. Well, that’s not exactly true. Becky knows, but I didn’t tell her; she guessed. I’ve asked him not to come to our offices.”
“Your ranch is huge, too. He told me how big it was when I asked if cattle was his main business interest.”
“I’ll bet he got a kick out of that. At least he knows you’re not marrying me because of his business,” she said.
“Can I ask how big,” Jonathon said.
“He’s had several gushers. He leased some of the ranch to Mr. Higgins. They just about ran out of money, but were saved by some investors at the last minute. He convinced them to drill deeper and they hit a gusher at just over 1200 feet. A lot of oil fell to the ground there. That’s why he was so interested when you told him we’re working on a blowout preventer. I hadn’t said anything about it up until you told him.
“He also has an interest in Cameron. I wouldn’t be surprised if Texas Fuels was contacted by them about our work.”
“Now, you’re scaring me. What was it like for you growing up?”
“He was in the fields a lot, when they were drilling, so a good bit of our time was spent in oil field camps. I suppose that’s where my interest began.
“Mama said times were rough when the first few holes he drilled were dry, but he kept going until they drilled into the salt dome and it blew out on them. After that, things were easier. He rarely goes into the field anymore, and spends most of his time at the Ingram Offices in Beaumont.”
“Why in the world did a girl like you get into such dirty work, and why did you pick me to work with?”
“To answer both of your questions, Papa wanted a boy, so I was elected. I wanted the best, so I wanted to work with you.”
“Well, I’m glad you did. Now that I have his blessing, we need to go ring shopping,” he said.
“Look at me, Jonathon, I hardly ever wear jewelry, I don’t need a ring. I just need you to tell me you love me.”
“I need for the world to know you’re taken and to stay away from my girl,”
“You have no worries there, my darling,” she said, and kissed him on the cheek.
* * *
Most of the staff came over when Laura came into the office with Jonathon. She received a warm welcome, particularly from her short-time working partner, Chuck.
“Welcome back, Laura,” he said. “Are you ready to get back to work?”
“I’m glad to be back, but I think I’m back working with Jonathon,” she said.
“Are you sure you want to put yourself through that? I heard…”
“Things are different now,” she said.
“How so?” Chuck asked.
“Jonathon’s changed,” she replied.
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” said a skeptical Chuck.
None of the office had seen Jonathon since the yelling match in Bill’s office, so they were surprised to see him walk into the office and close the door behind him. They waited for the fireworks to start.
They didn’t. Bill greeted Jonathon with a handshake and indicated he should take a seat. “Rebecca called me,” he began.
“I know. I was there,” Jonathon replied. “Thank you for giving me another chance. I won’t let you down.”
“Somehow, I don’t think you will. Rebecca tells me you and Laura are engaged. When is it going to happen?”
“We haven’t settled on a date yet.” He laughed. “Her mother is in charge now, so I guess she’ll tell us when and where to be.”
“I’m happy for you, but I’m more happy for Laura. She’s a real lady. She told me how she felt about you. Do you have any idea what she did? She called the corporate office and pleaded with them to be assigned back here. I don’t know how she did it, but she made her case. Then she called me and asked if I could put our differences aside. She said she had forgiven you and I should too.”
“I’m a lucky man, Bill. You are too, for that matter.”
“Me? Why? For agreeing to continue working with you? Corporate insisted on that.”
“No,” Jonathon said. “Becky cares for you. She threatened me with bodily harm if I messed things between you two.”
“Well, I care for her too. That’s one of the reasons I asked for the Katy job,” Bill said.
“She told me. I thought it was what I did.”
“That was part of it. I would like to be closer to her. Excuse me for a minute,” he said and opened the door. He motioned for Laura to come over.
When she came in, she searched their faces for a sign. Bill smiled. “Welcome back, Laura. Congratulations. I’m glad things worked out for you.”
Laura smiled, and hugged him. “Thank you and thanks for your help. I don’t know if it could have happened without your agreement. We both appreciate it.” She squeezed Jonathon’s hand.
Chapter 17: Wedding Plans
“Laura will have the best,” Elizabeth proclaimed to her husband. “We’re going to Paris and have her dress made.”
“Mother, that will take forever. I don’t want to wait that long. It will take months.”
“Darling, this is the only time you will be married and I want it to be done right.”
“We need to talk,” Laura said.
“That’s my cue to leave, “ her father said. “I’ll be in the office,” and left the two of them in the living room.
“Mother, I don’t mean to be hurtful, but are you doing this for me or for yourself?” Laura asked.
“I don’t want you to miss out on your wedding the way I did.”
“You’ve been happy, married to Papa, haven’t you?” Laura asked. “Would you have been happier with a big wedding?”
“Honey, we couldn’t afford a big wedding. It was not an option We can afford for you to hav
e the wedding you’ve dreamed of.”
Laura smiled, “The wedding I dream of, is the one where I’m marrying Jonathon. I want to move in with Jonathon now, I don’t want to wait.”
“Has he… ?”
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