Captive Hearts

by Gina Leuci

  “Sylvie,” Caleb’s voice was quiet and calm while I wanted to get in her face. “How can I help you?”

  “First, you can get back to your job and release your brother, Austin, from that jail cell.” The woman’s voice was shrill and demanding, and I was in no mood for the scene.

  “First,” I repeated, stepping into the woman’s personal space, “Caleb worked all night; he’s on his dinner break. Second, he is technically supposed to be on leave but went back to work because of your son and his penchant for breaking the law.”

  The hand on my shoulder tightened a second before I was turned around. With a gentle, but nonetheless forceful tug, he pulled me a few steps away in a little dance maneuver that put himself between me and the shrew. “While I appreciate your loyalty, I’ll handle this.”

  “But she—” I tried to look around him, but he continued to block my view.

  “I’m used to dealing with my stepmother.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek, and I spotted the twitch at his lips, the little spark of amusement he couldn’t hide. “I have to go back to work anyway. Why don’t you go home, and I’ll meet you there later?”

  Caleb let me go, but as I moved away, I used my fingers to indicate to Sylvie I was watching her. The woman glared at me but was too busy tapping her foot during our exchange. “Are you quite finished playing house?” she demanded. “My Austin has been rotting away all night.”

  “He’s hardly been rotting, Sylvie. Sitting in his own stench from his excessive alcohol binge, perhaps, but that was his own doing.” Caleb took the woman by the arm to escort her out the door while I watched from another aisle.

  I didn’t want to go home. I was too wired, both from my exchange with Caleb and with his ex-stepmother. Dear God, his father had cheated on Rita for that…creature? Poor woman.

  I decided to load up on groceries while I was here, brought them back to the apartment, and couldn’t sit still. Caleb would be a while, so I headed back out and soon was on a shuttle out to Jackson and Amelia’s farm. I needed my best friend.

  Caroline was working inside, packaging and labeling herbal mixtures to be shipped out for on-line orders. Another reminder of how up on the times this antiquated town is; another reminder how us newbies are unable to access it.

  “Gracie.” Caroline greeted me with her usual excitement. How we are friends sometimes amazes me as I am nowhere near as positive as she, but then again, I need that from her. Especially today.

  While Caroline is usually the one to give hugs, today, I walked over and wrapped my arms around her, and she knew in an instant I was on the brink. “Oh, honey, what’s wrong?” After a moment, she pulled back slightly. “Give me one sec, okay?”

  She walked to a door on the far side of the room and opened it. “Amelia, I’m going to take lunch a little early.” Then she came back and led me outside to a picnic table away from the building and in the shade of trees.

  The herb farm abutted Jackson’s horse farm, close to the woods and trails. The shade was welcome from the mid-day heat, and I sank onto the bench, twisting my fingers.

  “Talk to me,” she ordered.

  It took me a moment, but finally the words gushed out. I filled her in on almost everything. Except the plan to escape at the end of the summer.

  “…and then we had sex on Friday, well, kinda, ah, it’s complicated. But on Saturday, he said something that, well, it hurt, and then I sort of accused him of being part of the whole conspiracy and using sex to keep us here against our will, and…”

  “Ouch.” The male intervention had me spinning around to see Aaron approaching.

  Caroline made shooing motions with her hands. “Private conversation, husband.”

  “Public location, wife,” he retorted. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” He came closer and gave his wife a kiss before turning to me. “May I offer a bit of advice?”

  I nodded, knowing he would anyway.

  He took off his Stetson and swiped a bit of dust from his jeans with the brim of the hat. “Caleb is as good as they come. Fair to a fault. But things can be black and white with him, especially when it comes to a moral compass. If you accused him to his face of using sex against you, you may as well have accused him of, to put it bluntly, raping you.”

  My jaw dropped. “What? No. It wasn’t like that.” With my past history for relationships, had my brain automatically gone in that direction? Had I jumped to the wrong conclusion with him?

  “I’m sure it wasn’t,” Aaron reassured. “You said this all happened on Saturday? Caleb’s not usually one to let things simmer this long. He likes to settle things immediately.”

  I’d seen that side of him. “It happened yesterday, and while we were in the middle of the argument, he got called into work, and other than an hour this morning, he’s been there.”

  “Don’t let it wait any longer. Go talk to him. I’ll leave you two to talk.” He gave Caroline’s shoulder a squeeze then took his brown bag lunch and left us alone. There was genuine love between the newlyweds. They were lucky. As quick as the marriage had occurred, and as much as I had protested, my former college roommate had found a good man.

  When my friend’s lunch break was over, I nodded to the gardens. “Mind if I walk around?”

  She waved a hand toward the rows of leafy plants. “Of course not. This place was meant to enjoy. You might find it therapeutic.”

  I roamed the gardens for a while and ended up on a path in the woods. Before I realized it, time had passed, and I was no longer near the herb farm, but high up on the hill behind overlooking the steep drop to the other side and, in the distance, the fence line to the outside world.

  Oops. With my current restrictions, I wondered how long before I would spot a cruiser. I should head back, but truthfully, I wasn’t quite sure which way would be faster, going back or continuing forward. If I got a little bit higher, I might be able to see where the paths went.

  I found a tree I could scale and climbed as high as I dared. From my perch, I couldn’t make out which direction I should go back down, but the view beyond the town gates was beautiful. The land beyond the road below was flat giving me access to see for miles. I could see a farmhouse far off in the distance, fences along farmlands, as well as a few scattered cows. I saw the back end of a vehicle in the distance and wondered if it was a cruiser, making its path on the outside, ensuring I didn’t wander past the fence.

  The quiet calmed me, and I stayed for a while longer than I should have. I was still sitting on my elevated perch when I heard hoof beats coming closer. Yikes. Had my rambling ensued a search party? The last search and rescue hadn’t ended so well.

  The horse and rider appeared below and came to a halt as Caleb swung to the ground, looking around. I took pity on him and called down. “I’m up here.”

  He looked up. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Solving all the world’s problems and not telling anyone.” I swung off the branch and began my descent. When I was in reach, Caleb grabbed my waist and swung me down to the ground.

  “Do you know how many times that thing has pinged? Roger's been on my ass for hours to fetch you.”

  I felt a sting of tears behind my eyes. After my lunch conversation and meandering walk, I’d been ready to apologize to Caleb. Instead, I’d gone and frustrated him again. The hair on my arms rose as did my hackles. “All I did was have lunch with Caroline.”

  “I know.” His hands slid up and down my arms. It wasn’t the gentle caress that confused me, but his low, easy tone. He didn’t sound mad, but there was a hint of some other emotion I was too wound up to decipher. “I saw that earlier, so I wasn’t worried then, but when you wandered off alone, and well…”

  My lip trembled as I looked up into his concerned stare. No, it wasn’t mad or frustrated. It was… “You were worried about me?”

  He closed his eyes for a moment, as though to gather strength. “Grace.” From the way he said my name, I knew there was still some frustration, but he w
as far from angry. His hands continued to move up and down my arms; part of me wanted to press forward against his chest; wanted his strong arms to wrap around me. There was too much still unsaid between us.

  “We need to talk,” I admitted, pulling away.

  Aaron’s words echoed in my head, and I knew I needed to clear the air. But I’m not usually one to formulate my thoughts and talk like a reasonable adult. I usually spit out my feelings in the heat of the moment, much like a firecracker that explodes in the sky before fizzling out with a curse word or two. Maybe it was time to act my age and start to do the whole adult conversation thing.

  I walked away, not able to face him. It was too hard, too personal. I looked out to the distant fields, far beyond the fence line, trying to avoid the inevitable. Or gain a bit of courage.

  “Friday night was…”

  Gawd, talking about what we did was going to kill me, but if what Aaron said was true, I couldn’t let Caleb believe I thought that he was the type of man who’d take advantage me like my former boyfriend.

  “It was great. Amazing, actually, even though we didn’t…couldn’t…” While my back was to him and he couldn’t see my face, I wondered if the heat enveloping me could be seen on my neck, too. I pressed my nails into my palms, letting the slight sting of pain bring me back into focus. “What I’m trying to say is, I read more into it than I should have.”

  I felt him move behind me, I felt his heat at my back, but he didn’t try to make me face him, which I was thankful for. “What are you saying?”

  “Let me finish, please.” I wrapped my arms around my waist as I talked, thankful for the overhang of branches blocking the afternoon sun. “I think we both got caught up in the moment. I’m not… I don’t… What I’m trying to say is I don’t take relationships lightly and I don’t sleep around.”

  “I never thought you did.” I heard the question in his voice, wondering where this was going, and I knew I was butchering this. I still couldn’t face him, and Caleb, while close, continued to wait.

  “I think you know I’m attracted to you. I like you, Caleb, and I enjoyed Friday night. A lot.” I gulped. “But what you said on Saturday really caught me off guard. I was hurt, and I lashed out.”

  “What I said? What did I say?” He put his hands on my shoulders and finally turned me to face him. I closed my eyes and tried to get the courage I needed. I opened my eyes to look up into his, full of questions, full of concern.

  I looked away again, full of self-doubt. “You’ll probably think it’s stupid, or that I’m over-reacting.” I tried to move away, but he held firm, cupping his hand on my cheek, making me look at him again.

  “What did I say?” he demanded.

  He really didn’t know. I blinked back the tears stinging my eyes as I whispered the words that had stung my heart. “You said we’d put on enough of a show.”

  It took a second. I saw the wheels spinning as he replayed in his head where and when those words had been uttered and then his eyes got wide. “Hell, Grace. That’s not what I meant. Jeez. No wonder you were pissed.”

  He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me, and I slowly lifted mine to clasp his back, my face pressed against his chest. Thankful I didn’t have to look at him as all the anger I’d had brimming at the surface seeped away.

  “It was a poor choice of words, that’s all.” He lifted my chin to stare down at me. “I never meant to cheapen what we did.”

  “I know that now,” I muttered as his lips caressed my forehead while he continued to hold me close. “There’s more,” I mumbled into his chest. In this position, being held tight against him and not having to look into his beautiful, intense, all-knowing eyes, I could speak a bit more freely, so I let the words pour out. “Last week, the entire week, was fun, and I really like spending time with you, when we’re not arguing, and it scares me because I want more of what we had on Friday. But I also want, no need, to go home. Is it crazy of me to say I wish I could have both, when I know I can’t?” Now I know Caleb couldn’t ignore the flush that tingled my scalp down to my toes.

  “I don’t take relationships lightly, either,” he admitted. Once again, he lifted my chin, forcing me to look in his eyes, to see how much he meant what he said. “How can I? I grew up in a town steeped in tradition of marriage and family. I’ve only ever been with one other woman; my first wife.”

  First wife. Technically, I’m his second, a fact which began to sink in. His tone, as he continued, demanded I believe what he said.

  “Maybe we moved too quickly under the circumstances. I never planned on what happened between us Friday. It was unexpected, but I hope you know I am attracted to you, and I enjoyed giving you pleasure.”

  I closed my eyes again as another wave of heat flushed my face. Dear God, I am out of my depths. I had to change the subject. Fast.

  “About Saturday night. I don’t want you to think anything happened between me and Jake.” That made him chuckle, and I gave him an inquisitive stare. “Why is that funny?”

  “Sweetheart, I know nothing happened, other than maybe you opening the door wearing nothing but a towel?” He gave a satisfied nod at my obvious look of guilt. “Besides the fact the bed was still made, and you aren’t one to make it, I know what you look like after being made love to.” His voice became low and husky. “I’ve seen how full your lips get after being thoroughly kissed. I’ve seen the way your body glows when you’ve had an orgasm.”

  My breath hitched as the memories flooded. Changing the subject hadn’t worked. Not one iota.

  “There was none of that. Plus, your friend was in too foul of a mood when I arrived to have just left your bed.”

  I honestly didn’t know what to say. I tilted my head away, looking out to the vast fields in the distance. I think Caleb took pity on me as he continued to hold me to his chest. “Grace, I don’t regret what we did. Do you? I need to know the truth.”

  “No,” I whispered.

  “Good. Can we start over? Maybe take things a little slower?”

  I nodded.

  “We need to head back to town.” He motioned with his head down the hill, and I saw the cruiser on the road, an officer standing beside the car. “Greg hates going outside the gates.”

  He stepped back and went to lead me toward the horse, and I stopped short. “That’s Goliath.”

  “Yeah, why?’

  I put my hands on my hips as I looked back and forth between man and beast. “You can’t expect me to get on him. Look at him. Look at me. He’s enormous. And mean.”

  Caleb laughed. “Goliath is not mean. He’s spirited.” I raised my eyebrows asking what the difference was, but he continued to smile. “You have nothing to worry about. I’ve got you.”

  “Why couldn’t you have ridden Jazzy? I am so going to regret this,” I mumbled as I was hoisted up so I could swing my leg around. Then Caleb mounted behind me while the horse did a few steps back and forth as we adjusted on his massive back.

  “Yikes, this is high off the ground.” I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see the distance I could fall.

  Caleb was pressed against me from his chest to his thighs, and his arms came around my waist to grab the reins. “Lean back and enjoy the ride.”

  I couldn’t relax, though. I was stiff and awkward as the horse began his walk. Eventually, though, I got used to the slow pace, and I relaxed my shoulders a little, leaning back against Caleb’s chest.

  “Better,” he murmured in my ear and I tried harder to relax which had the opposite effect, so he decided to change my focus by pointing out and naming trees and local flora until I was no longer concentrating on the horse, but on his knowledge of the nature in his hometown. I pretended to pay attention, but inside, I knew the only thing I would remember about the ride was how Caleb’s large, strong, warm body felt around mine as the horse meandered down the path.

  Aaron was waiting for us when we got back to the farm and offered to care for the horse. From the questioning look he g
ave, I knew he was looking to see if everything was better between us. I gave a slight smile and nod before he walked the horse into the barn and I got into the front seat of the cruiser to head back into town. I still had difficulty thinking of the apartment as home, but at least tonight Caleb and I weren’t arguing any more.

  When we pulled onto our street, I groaned. Waiting outside the apartment building was none other than Head Honcho Roger, his side-kick Scott, Harry the gargantuan, and the old geezer, Bill. The only one missing from the elected officials was the silent lapdog, Jay.

  Chapter Twelve

  The hairs on my body rose, and I slowly sat up in my seat. Caleb put the car in park and reached over to pat my leg. “Let me do all the talking, please.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it again, pressing my lips together. I didn’t promise, but I unsnapped the seat belt and followed his lead as we exited the car and met the men on the sidewalk.

  “Gentlemen,” Caleb gave a nod of greeting. “How can I help you, today?”

  “You know damn well why we’re here.” Bill tapped his cane on the ground. His loud, wobbly voice echoed down the empty street. “Your wife has been gallivanting.”

  Caleb took my hand and lifted it to kiss my knuckles. “Since when has exploring been cause for the entire council to convene?”

  Roger stepped forward, his finger pointed at me. “I don’t believe that’s what she was doing. I think she was looking to escape.”

  There was a reason I hadn’t promised Caleb I would stay quiet. It’s not in my nature. “Well, if you didn’t hold your residents hostage…”

  Caleb gripped my hand and side stepped to be in front of me; he might as well have told me to shut up, as he quickly spoke over me. “If you check your tracking device, you will see Grace had lunch with her best friend, which led to her roaming the herb gardens, and in turn she followed the path up. She was exploring, nothing more.”

  “Right,” Roger sneered, “which is why you had to go rescue her.”