by Janice Sims
Harry started to say something and Cherisse cut him off with, “I don’t want to hear anything else on the subject. My accident was my fault, not yours. I’m sure if I’d remembered what I’d been taught about controlling a spooked horse this never would have happened, but I panicked, Slowpoke panicked and here I am.” She laughed. “I think they ought to rename him. Call him Speedy Gonzales or something more appropriate.”
Shaking his head at her resilience, Harry laughed. He thought she ought to be renamed, something like Mrs. Harry Payne. He could get used to that. Of course, it was much too early to declare his love for her. Although love her, he did. He knew it with a clarity and a certainly that blew his mind. He was a man who did not believe in love at first sight, or second sight, or third, but he had known this woman would bring something special into his life the night he’d met her. At first he’d chalked it up to the moonlight and the fact that upon meeting Cheri he had been disappointed in Marcia.
A man would always grasp at the kindness of the next woman who came along when the present woman in his life mistreated him or proved herself inconsistent with his image of her. He thought that was why he considered Cheri his moonlight angel.
However when he had seen her again a week later, he had had to throw that theory out. She was in reality more wonderful than the imaginary moonlight angel because, really, he had had to attribute imagined personality traits to his angel. The real woman came with her own set of personality traits. Traits he had found extremely enticing.
Now, after learning more about her he knew he could spend the rest of his life getting to know her and would never learn enough. Isn’t that what a marriage was, continually discovering your mate, day by day, year by year?
How long did it take to choose a mate? Harry was a pragmatist. He made business decisions based on possibilities. It was always a gamble. He might have crashed when he’d invested in Karibu nearly six years ago. But he’d taken the risk and the resort was a resounding success. So much so that he was able to consider buying another property.
Not that loving Cherisse had anything to do with business. The woman, most of all, made him itch in a profoundly sexual way. Okay, so he had known many women who turned him on, just not to this extent. It was as if the two of them were meant to be, that’s how strong the attraction was. He could no more ignore it than he could ignore the fact that his hands were attached to his wrists. It just was.
Was he excited by this revelation? Yes! Would he let Cherisse in on it? Not anytime soon. She was a woman who took things by degrees. She was swept off her feet by Charlie Washington when she was eighteen. Would she ever let herself be swept off her feet again by any man, no matter how charming? Not hardly.
Harry had to bide his time.
He laughed when Cherisse suddenly shook him and cried, “Harry, why are you staring at me like that?”
“I just think you’re the cutest invalid I’ve ever seen,” Harry told her, and kissed her forehead.
A nurse, a petite brunette in her late forties, interrupted whatever response Cherisse had on her tongue. She bustled into the exam room pushing a wheelchair and talking rapidly. “Your chariot awaits, my dear. Dr. Mehta told me to take good care of you.”
“Allow me,” Harry said and effortlessly lifted Cherisse and put her into the wheelchair.
“My, he’s handy to have around, isn’t he?” said the nurse with a flirtatious wink at Harry. Cherisse smiled up at her. “He’s good to look at, too.”
Harry walked behind them, Cherisse’s boot grasped in his hand, a smile on his lips and a bounce in his step. Now he knew what his happily married buddies knew. You can love one woman forever. Love her, and revel in it.
“What’s your opinion of the property so far?” Cherisse asked Harry on the drive back to Ponderosa Pines Ranch. She was wondering if he were thinking the same thing she was—that no matter how wonderful the resort was it wouldn’t matter if blacks felt unwelcome in the area.
Harry briefly smiled at her before returning his attention to the road. “I like it. But I don’t know if I want a resort that’s this remote. The guests I’ve come to know like to explore the surrounding area. I don’t know if I want to integrate this area. I’m a businessman, not a civil rights leader. I know that may sound selfish but that’s how I feel.”
“It doesn’t sound selfish, Harry. It sounds reasonable. This is 2008 for goodness’ sake. I’m also tired of fighting battles with ignorant people. There are other properties around the world where the racial climate is friendlier. On the other hand, you can’t base your opinion on one man’s comments.”
Harry smiled. “Did you see any other black folks in the hospital?”
“No.”
“Did you notice any on the streets of Hamilton before we got out of town?”
“No.”
“I’ll speak plainly with Brian and Mitzi when we get back,” Harry said. “If they confirm what Dr. Mehta said then I’ll have to pass. But that conversation can wait until the morning. The rest of the evening will be devoted to taking care of you.”
Remembering Dr. Mehta’s suggestion that she soak in a tub to ward off future soreness, Cherisse glanced over at Harry. “You’re not giving me a bath!”
“Doctor’s orders,” Harry said with a lascivious grin in her direction.
Cherisse laughed. “I don’t care if they were God’s orders.”
About an hour later, however, she had to eat those words. She had gotten into the tub with very little trouble, hobbling about the bathroom, trying to keep her weight off her right foot.
When she tried to get out of the deep tub, she wasn’t so successful. Every time she reached for the handle and pulled herself forward, she wasn’t able to get traction because she was right-handed, and the handle was on the left side. After several awkward attempts she wound up calling Harry.
Harry came to the bathroom door. “Yes, darling girl?”
Did he sound smug, or was that her imagination?
“I can’t get out of the tub. You’re going to have to help me,” she said too softly.
“What was that, sweetheart?”
“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Cherisse yelled.
Harry was through the door in an instant.
Cherisse covered her breasts with her hands as best she could. The suds provided cover for her lower half. “Okay, I didn’t really fall. But I do need your help getting out of this death trap.”
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the expression in Harry’s eyes. She knew she was in good shape but she also knew she was no ravishing beauty. Maybe ten years ago she could have competed with some of the women Harry Payne was used to seeing naked, but not now.
So, why was he standing there like an idiot when she needed help getting out of this tub! “Harry, please, the water’s getting cold.”
Harry grabbed the smallest towel on the shelf. “Will this do?”
Now she knew he was not as clueless as she had assumed. He was messing with her!
Cherisse pursed her lips. There wasn’t a Patterson woman on earth who couldn’t outsmart the male animal.
“Forget the towel for now,” she said. “Just pick me up and put me on my feet, I’ll do the rest.”
Harry contemplated her request. In order to fulfill it, he would have to touch her naked body. She would have to put her arms around his neck and he would have the full-length of her in his arms. It was all to his advantage. Pretty much like winning the lottery, intimacy-wise. Short of making love to her, that is.
“All right,” he said, sounding unsure of himself.
“And keep your eyes closed the whole time,” Cherisse added.
Harry didn’t like that clause but didn’t protest. He was going to hold her in his arms naked. A man couldn’t afford to be greedy with a woman like Cheri.
Harry complied. Eyes shut, he bent down and had to rely on Cherisse to position him so that she could put her arms around his neck. He then slipped his left arm about
her waist and his right underneath her thighs and lifted her from the tub.
She smelled wonderful and her wet body was warm and firm, but soft, in his grasp.
Cherisse’s face was pressed against his, and he inhaled her sweet breath. He stood quite still with her in his arms. Then he gently set her feet on the warm tiles of the bathroom floor. Cherisse sensually slid down his body. His hands were now supporting her bottom as she got her footing.
Harry grew hard instantly and Cherisse could feel him through his jeans. He was not the only one who’d become aroused. Her nipples were distended and she was quite moist between her legs and it wasn’t from the bathwater.
Harry kept his word and kept his eyes closed. Cherisse, however, could look at him as much as she pleased, and the sight was hugely satisfying. She loved the way his lips curved, the way his lashes curled, that dimple in his chin. She wanted to kiss his face all over. She wanted to taste him, and spend the night discovering every inch of him.
“May I kiss you, Harry?” she asked softly.
“If you do, I’ll embarrass myself by coming,” Harry groaned.
She knew by the solid feel of him on her thigh, he wasn’t lying. “Okay, I won’t,” she breathed against his mouth. “Just release me and leave.”
Oh, what the hell, Harry thought, I’m already wet anyway. And he turned his mouth a fraction of an inch. Cherisse sighed helplessly against his mouth and gave herself to him.
Lips were tasted and parted, and tongues eagerly danced against one another and delved into the sweet nectar that was their mouths. No matter how many times Harry kissed her he always found something new to enjoy about her sweet mouth. This time it was the fact that she could suck his tongue in such a sensual manner that it made him feel as though she were actually tonguing him elsewhere. He grew so hard his erection was becoming painful.
He really was about to climax, standing there kissing her on the bathroom floor.
Somehow, he found the strength to break off the kiss, and set her away from him.
However, in the confusion, he forgot to keep his eyes closed and he saw her in all her glorious nakedness. Full, gorgeous breasts, tips pointing north and as hard as he was at that moment, a slim, tapered waist and flat stomach with a lovely belly button, shapely hips, arms, muscular legs and thighs, dark curly hair between her legs and an ass that he wanted to bite.
He could not stop devouring her with his eyes.
Suddenly, though, it finally dawned on his sex-crazed brain that they had agreed on separate rooms and even if she did change her mind, it was a woman’s prerogative, he had not brought any condoms with him on the trip so that he would not be tempted.
“I’m sorry, I got carried away,” he said, looking into her eyes. “I’ll leave now.”
Cherisse smiled and said, “We’re both adults. We’re not going to let a little thing like nudity spoil our chaste weekend, are we?”
Harry didn’t know whether she was serious or not, but he knew he had to get out of there or he was going to literally explode in his pants.
“I’ll be taking a cold shower if you need me,” he said hoarsely and stumbled out of the bathroom.
Cherisse reached for a towel and began drying herself off with it.
A few minutes later both she and Harry were dressed in their pajamas and robes and sitting down to the meal they had ordered from room service. Harry had insisted on their staying in tonight even though Cherisse had declared that she felt up to going to the lodge’s four-star restaurant for dinner.
They had ordered simple meals of baked chicken for her and fried trout, a local favorite, for Harry. They enjoyed garden salads and freshly baked dinner rolls with it. Cherisse passed on the wine because she had taken several Tylenols since her return from the hospital. Harry had a glass of white wine, thinking it would help him sleep with Cherisse only a few feet away from him.
After dinner, they curled up on the white leather couch in the living room and watched an old movie. Cherisse fell asleep in Harry’s arms and he carried her to her bed, where she woke up long enough to put her arms around his neck and murmur, “Lie down with me, Harry.”
He did, and they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
At around 2:00 a.m. Harry awoke and found Cherisse pressed firmly against his body as if she had been sleeping with him for years.
He found the sensation it gave him an entirely pleasant one and he bent to place a chaste kiss on her lips. Cherisse moaned softly and opened her mouth to let him in and soon they were kissing just as urgently as they had earlier.
“Cheri, darling, we can’t do this.”
“Why not, we’re both single and way over the age of consent?”
“Unless you want to get pregnant with my child in the next few minutes, you’ll let me get the hell out of here. I don’t have any condoms. I didn’t bring any because we agreed on separate rooms, remember?”
“Yeah, but I was open to being seduced.”
Harry laughed softly. “Then you might have shared that bit of information with me.”
Cherisse sighed and opened her eyes all the way, sleep now gone from their depths.
“Am I a loose woman because I want to make love to you? It’s harder for a woman to make that decision, especially a woman with a child. I have to set an example.”
“I think you’ve set a fine example,” Harry told her. “Six years of celibacy.”
“Yes, but I wasn’t tempted by anyone during those six years. I’m tempted now and I’m failing miserably. I want you so much, Harry. You can’t imagine how much.”
Harry put her hand on him. “Can’t I?”
Cherisse pushed out of his arms. “All right, go to your room, Harry. And tomorrow we’ll go back home, both of us unsatisfied. And I’ll keep my status as Mother Teresa. Did I tell you some of the other nurses call me that?”
Harry kissed her on the forehead. “You’re breaking my heart.” He got out of bed.
Looking down at her, he warned, “Next time, it’s on!”
Cherisse covered her face with her pillow. “I can’t watch you leave.”
Chapter 13
“I was wondering when you were going to ask about that,” Brian said over breakfast the next morning. Harry had asked him if Ponderosa Pines Ranch’s clientele consisted mostly of whites or if other races figured in the numbers and had told him and Mitzi about his and Cherisse’s encounter with Dr. Mehta.
“I want to be certain that all of our guests will feel comfortable visiting this part of the country,” Harry said.
Brian, who was sitting beside Mitzi, nodded calmly. “Yes, and it’s an understandable concern. To be perfectly honest, Mitzi and I would never think of excluding anyone based on the color of their skin but the fact is we have never had guests of any other race here.” He laughed nervously. “Whether this area is predominately white because the folks around here are unfriendly toward people who don’t look like them, we don’t know. Mitzi and I never questioned it because, well, I guess because we’re white. I’m sure Dr. Mehta had a different perspective on the situation.”
“This poses a problem,” said Harry. “We all know that a resort can’t exist in a bubble. Guests like to explore the surrounding area when they come to a resort, to go shopping at local stores, or eat away from the resort in local restaurants or take in a movie. Would blacks be welcome? From what you’ve just said, I don’t think so. I like Ponderosa Pines Ranch. I think you two have done a wonderful job on it but I’m sorry, Brian, Mitzi, I’m going to have to pass on your offer.”
“We’re sorry, too, Harry,” Brian said honestly. “Mitzi and I like you and Cherisse. We were hoping the ranch would go to a couple like you, someone we felt would look after it the way we want it to be looked after. But I understand your point of view.”
He and Harry stood and shook hands. “You won’t want for buyers for long, Brian. This place is too great. In fact, Ernest Hallowell is looking for a small outfit in the west, something he can turn i
nto a couples-only resort. You might want to make your pitch to him.”
Brian brightened. “I had no idea he was in the market for something small,” he said. “He owns resorts all over the world.”
“Yes, but he’s never satisfied,” Harry said. “The Montana wilderness may be just what he’s looking for. Good luck.”
“Thank you, Harry.”
Cherisse and Mitzi also rose and hugged briefly. “Wonderful to have met you, Mitzi,” Cherisse said with warmth.
“Same here, Cherisse,” Mitzi said with a grin. “Now, remember, next time a horse goes nuts on you…”
“Put pressure on his halter,” Cherisse finished, to which everyone laughed good-naturedly.
Half an hour later, she and Harry were en route to the Missoula airport with Jake Hanks at the wheel of the SUV they were passengers in.
A few hours after that they touched down in Denver, Harry drove her home, carried her luggage inside and deposited it in the foyer where Jo, Danielle and Charlie were waiting to welcome her home.
Harry got a strange feeling watching Cherisse’s little family hugging her hello as if she had been gone a month instead of overnight. Being hundreds of miles from his family in Kentucky, he didn’t enjoy that kind of closeness.
This was the first time he’d met her mother, Joann, and he saw the resemblance to Cheri in a second—same cheekbones, overall beauty, undoubtedly the same strength of character if he could judge by the unwavering manner in which she was regarding him.
“So you’re Harry Payne,” she said. “You know in the fourth quarter of your last Super Bowl game, you should have passed to Kenji Burns. You missed that call.”
It wasn’t the first time Harry had heard that complaint from a fan. He was surprised he was hearing it from Cherisse’s mother though. He smiled. “I’ve regretted it ever since.”
Jo threw her head back in laughter and took him by the arm. “You’re staying for dinner!” And she started giving orders. “Danielle, take your mother’s luggage to her room. Cheri, I’ll need help in the kitchen. You men can make yourselves scarce for a few minutes while we get the meal on the table.”
