by Sharon Sala
His heartbeat thundered against his ears, but he didn’t know how to quiet his heart. When he slid into bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her, the softness of her skin and the fragility of her body next to his made him weak with longing. He nuzzled the spot beneath the lobe of her ear and then whispered against her cheek.
“Close your eyes, darlin’ and just let yourself feel the love.”
And so she did.
From the first tender touch of his lips against her skin, she was lost. The romance in the books that she read was nothing compared to the weight of his body pressing her against the soap-fresh scent of the sheets, or the firm and knowing stroke of his fingers as they sought out her most private secrets. Other than the occasional catch of a breath or the soft exhale of a sigh, the room was absent of sound. Outside, the storm was passing, but the storm within these walls had only begun.
Tyler waited to take her until he was half out of his mind and when he finally allowed himself the luxury of sinking into her warmth, he had to stifle a deep groan. Then he started to move, rocking back and forth against the sweet woman’s body as she took him straight to heaven.
Sometime just before dawn, Amelia felt Tyler slipping out of her bed and then heard the soft rustle of clothing as he began to dress. When she felt his mouth against her forehead, she smiled. The door opened, then closed. Satisfied that for now, all was right with her world, she hugged the sheet to her chin and before she knew it, it was nearly ten o’clock in the morning and Rosemary was bustling into her room to drag her from bed.
Ten
“What do you mean…men are at the door?” Amelia asked, as she pulled her nightgown over her head and staggered from her bed and into the bathroom with Aunt Rosie at her heels. Thankfully, Aunt Rosie failed to notice Amelia had been naked in bed.
“Oh, it’s okay. Tyler’s in the kitchen. He’ll take care of everything. I tried to fix him some breakfast but he said he’d already eaten.” Pleased with her news, she smiled as Amelia turned to stare at her.
Water dripped down Amelia’s face onto her gown. “You cooked?”
Rosemary nodded, then frowned. “It wasn’t the same as Willy’s, though. I never did have the knack. I either forget to salt or sugar something, or add too much of each.” She shrugged. “I lose count, you know.”
Amelia grabbed for a towel and began drying her face, thankful that Aunt Rosie hadn’t set the house on fire. The last time she’d tried to cook, a potholder had gone up in smoke. Her first instinct was to panic, but she hugged her little aunt instead.
“Now, Aunt Rosie, you have other qualities that are special. I don’t know anyone with your knack for growing flowers.”
Rosemary beamed. “You’re right! I do them well, don’t I!” She fluffed her hair, straightened the Peter Pan collar on her green silk chiffon, and headed for the door.
Besides the fact that Rosemary was wearing one of her better dresses, there was a distinct priss to her walk. “You’re certainly dressed up this morning.”
Rosemary paused at the door. “Yes, dear, we have callers, you know.”
It reminded Amelia of the fact that there were strange men meddling about their premises and decided that haste would not be amiss. There was no time for her fussing. Bothering with a dress and fixing her hair took back seat to the fact that Tyler was in her kitchen. She grabbed for her glasses as she dug through her closet in search of a pair of slacks and a blouse. Minutes later, Amelia came flying into the kitchen, wild-eyed and breathless, then came to an abrupt halt as the man standing at the kitchen sink turned and smiled.
“Tyler, there’s a man at the door with a chainsaw,”
With a smile, he reached for her, wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a swift, but promising kiss.
“Good morning to you, too, darlin’, and the man with the saw is a neighbor of mine. I told him he could have the wood if he’d move the tree from your driveway. This way it won’t cost you anything, and David will have some firewood. Was that okay?”
Amelia accepted his kiss as well as his explanation, but began to panic. All of this upheaval was in progress and she’d been asleep in bed, letting him bear the brunt of the burden. She shrugged out of his grasp and waved her arms around the room. “It was more than okay, and I appreciate all you’re doing…but I don’t want you to feel obligated or pressured in any way to deal with all of this mess.”
The look on her face made him want to shake her. Even after last night, she was putting that wall back up between them that he’d spent weeks trying to break down. He frowned.
“Damn it, Amelia Ann, the only thing that’s bothering me is the fact that you keep pushing away my offers of assistance. I’m not going to ask for my payment in flesh.” And then he smiled and added. “Again.”
It took a moment for his inference to sink in and then when it did, a soft pink flush crept up her face.
Tyler sighed. He’d be damned glad when she got past whatever nemesis she had that kept her from telling him the truth about her double life. Then he took her by the hand and began coaxing her into an easier frame of mind.
“Never mind, honey. Why don’t you come outside with me, okay? I want you to see what the men are doing. David is removing the fallen tree, Elmer from the hardware store is replacing your broken window and the insurance adjuster is on the roof assessing the damage to your shingles.”
Amelia followed. There was nothing left to do. It seemed as if Tyler had thought of everything. And then she remembered.
“Oh, wait! I want to call the hospital and check on Aunt Witty.”
“I’ll be outside. Come out when you’re ready.”
Amelia dialed and then waited nervously to be connected. She couldn’t believe that after she and Tyler had made love, that she’d simply fallen asleep as if she had no duties at all to attend. And then her toes curled against the ends of her shoes as she thought of making love to Tyler. He’d said he loved her but she hadn’t said it back. Couldn’t until she told him the truth. Oh Lord, how did I make such a mess? She chewed her lower lip as she counted the rings and leaned against the wall, listening to the activity outside the house. She didn’t want to face the turmoil and kept struggling with tears, wondering why she was so tired and depressed. All she wanted to do was crawl back in her bed, with Tyler, and never come up for air.
The fact that she’d run halfway across town at night in the middle of a storm and then had to deal with both aging women should have been enough reason for her. But Amelia’d had too many years of self-sacrifice built into her system to accept the fact that she was only human.
Finally someone answered the phone, and the firm, no-nonsense voice that pricked her ear made her weak with relief.
And from the sound of it, Wilhemina was in no mood for conversation.
“Aunt Witty? Is that you?”
“Of course!” she snapped. “Who else would be answering the phone in my room, and why aren’t you here?”
Amelia sighed and then smiled. Her Aunt Witty was back! “Because I just woke up,” she said, and then grinned even wider as her aunt began to fuss. “Aunt Witty…Aunt Witty, please listen to me for a minute. I’ll be there as soon as possible, okay? I can’t come get you until I can move my car, can I? There’s a tree down across the driveway, the insurance adjuster is here and someone is fixing a window. As soon as they all leave, I’ll be along.”
Wilhemina slumped back against her pillows. She recognized the wisdom of her niece’s words. She just hated being in an unfamiliar place having people she’d never seen in her life poke about her body. It wasn’t seemly.
“Well, all right then,” she muttered and moved on to other concerns. “How is Rosemary? You know she never can make a decision without my help.”
Amelia hated to confess, but she’d learned long ago never to conceal things from Wilhemina Beauchamp. Invariably she always found out.
“She cooked.”
Wilhemina gasped. “Lord have mercy! Don’t leave her
there by herself when you come to get me. Bring her along or we won’t have a house to come home to.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Outside, she heard a man’s loud laughter and knew she’d left Aunt Rosie alone with the opposite sex too long. “I’d better go, Aunt Witty. Aunt Rosie’s already outside with the repairmen. I’ll see you soon.”
“Not soon enough,” Wilhemina mumbled.
“I know, Aunt Witty,” Amelia said. “I love you. Take care.”
The phone disconnected in Wilhemina’s ear. But it didn’t stop her from answering her niece’s last words. “I love you, too, dear,” she said. “I just didn’t know how much until now.”
Wilhemina hung up the phone and lay back on her pillow, remembering only bits and pieces of last night’s episode, but remembering enough to know that were it not for Amelia, there would have been no ambulance, and no one to take care of Rosemary or see to the house while she was gone. She didn’t know what they’d do without her. As she settled in the bed, she thought of Tyler Savage and frowned. She didn’t want him in their lives. If he came and took Amelia away, what would happen to them?
It was a selfish thought, and Wilhemina would have been appalled to admit she had a selfish bone in her body. She tithed regularly at the church and always volunteered for community affairs. She’d given up her life to care for Rosemary. And then later, Amelia. She wouldn’t admit that she’d had no life except for them. She’d shut off everything and everyone who could have possibly made a difference. And she’d done it because she was afraid.
Effie stood at the edge of the yard clutching Maurice to her chest as she watched the goings-on at the house across the street. She’d give her eyeteeth, if they were still in her head, to be over in the middle of the action. But she’d pretty much worn out her welcome by flapping her mouth and she knew it.
She watched as a man pulled a chainsaw from the back of his pickup truck and walked over to the fallen tree blocking the drive. She saw him staring the length of the tree as if assessing the damage, but she wasn’t prepared when he pulled the cord. As the saw started, the insistent whine sent Maurice scratching and scrambling out of Effie’s arms and running for cover beneath the porch.
She frowned and muttered as her beloved pet made his getaway. When she looked up her disgust turned to fear. Rosemary was coming across the street!
Effie’s greeting was less than friendly. It was hard to be kind to someone who knew where all the skeletons in your closets hid out. “Rosemary.”
Rosemary nodded.
“Willy will be home today. She has suffered a mild concussion as well as a sprained ankle. We will be needing some daily help while Amelia is at work and I wondered if you’d be interested? I remembered you used to stay with Mrs. Abercrombie after the Mister passed.”
Effie gawked. “You want me to stay in the house with you?”
“Only during the day,” Rosemary said. “We couldn’t pay much, but we’d…”
“I’d be pleased,” Effie said. “And I don’t need pay. After all, what are neighbors for? And it’s not like Wilhemina’s going to be bedridden or anything.”
Rosemary beamed. “Fine then. Amelia will be going back to work tomorrow. We’ll see you around eight?”
Effie tried to contain her pleasure. After all, it wouldn’t be seemly to be receiving joy from someone else’s misfortune. But the fact remained, she was excited to be spending a few days in someone else’s company other than Maurice’s. She’d always wanted Wilhemina’s recipe for coffee cake. Maybe she’d share. Then she remembered the look of disdain Wilhemina had given her last Sunday after church services and decided not to push her luck.
Across the street, Tyler saw Amelia coming out of the house and waved at her to get her attention.
“Amelia! Over here, darlin’.”
She blushed, embarrassed that he’d called her darling in front of at least three other men, yet pleased that he’d done it.
He slid an arm across her shoulder and aimed her attention to the adjuster who was just coming down a ladder from his excursion across the rooftop.
“How’s it look?” Amelia asked.
The adjuster brushed off his hands and squinted back up at the roof. “Not bad. Most of the damage is on this side of the house. The worst is here at the corner where the tree caught it as it fell.” He glanced at the shiny red car only a few feet away from outstretched branches. “Good thing your car wasn’t parked any closer to the house. It would have nailed it for sure.”
Tyler smiled at Amelia and hugged her gently. “She’s more than earned this car. It would have been a shame to have it ruined after all she’s been through.”
Amelia jerked; a slight and surprised reaction to what Tyler had just said about what she’d “gone through” to get it. He smiled at her, absently ruffling her hair before helping the adjuster slide the ladder back in his pickup truck, but she was still in a quandary. What had Tyler meant by that? If he knew something…surely he’d have mentioned it before now?
Nervously she turned to look at him, and then forgot what she’d been thinking. As he lifted the ladder out of the adjuster’s way, her breathing caught. Watching his muscles flexing and his thighs harden as he braced his legs to balance the load reminded her she’d been held in those arms. She also knew what his mouth felt like when it moved upon her lips and neck with gentle abandon. She shivered, remembering what it felt like when he was on top of her—and inside of her—and then nearly fell into Aunt Rosie’s flower bed at her own impertinence.
Rosemary gasped. “Amelia! Watch out for the impatiens. They’re so delicate. What could you possibly be thinking, dear? That flower bed’s been in the same place for years. Please be more careful.” She bent down and swiftly patted a chunk of soil back in place as Amelia staggered out of the planted plot.
You don’t want to know what I was thinking. It’s definitely X-rated, just like that man.
“Sorry, Aunt Rosie.”
She looked up just in time to see Tyler coming toward her from across the yard. For some reason, she panicked. Maybe it was a combination of too many men on the premises and not enough sleep, but her reaction to the grin on his face was unexpected.
“Now then,” Tyler began. “As soon as the…”
“We can handle it,” Amelia said. “There’s no need for you to bother yourself any longer with our business.”
The shock on his face was apparent. She groaned. At that moment, she would have liked to yank her tongue from her mouth and toss it to Maurice who was skulking just outside the fence across the street, but it was too late. Tyler had already taken offense and she didn’t blame him. She was pretty disgusted with herself, too.
“Bother?” The tone of his voice deepened as his eyes narrowed to slits of fury. “You think I’ve been bothered by helping someone I care about?”
“I didn’t exactly mean…”
“Never mind, Amelia,” he said shortly. “You may be right. Hell, I know you are!”
He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly to get her attention. But it was unnecessary. He already had it.
“You hit the nail right on the head, Amelia Ann. You’ve been bothering me from the first time I noticed there was a woman beneath that plain brown wrapper you’re hiding in. I’m bothered all day. And darlin’ let me tell you, the nights are hell! But…” He dropped his hold and glared “…you should get down on your knees and thank the Lord I finally got your message. If someone bothers you again—it damn well won’t be me.”
He stomped across the yard, slammed himself and his pickup into gear and drove away.
Amelia would have followed him. She would have called out that she was sorry and begged his forgiveness, but she couldn’t. There was a huge knot hanging at the back of her throat that made breathing difficult, never mind speaking. And the tears in her eyes blinded her to any and everything except the fact that the she’d just insulted and rebuffed a man she loved.
“Oh my!” Rosemary said as she not
iced him driving away. “I didn’t even get to tell him goodbye.”
Amelia looked back at the house, past the fallen tree and the men’s curious stares. “Neither did I, Aunt Rosie. Neither did I.”
And then she burst into tears.
The women settled into a routine that went surprisingly well. Wilhemina had been incensed by her sister’s presumption that they needed help, and even worse, that she’d asked that gossip Effie Dettenberg to do it. But from the first day, the odd association of females had clicked. Amelia went to work each morning just as Effie came across the street toward their house. They’d wave in passing. For Effie it sufficed. For Amelia it was all she could manage.
Wilhemina then proceeded to run the household from an easy chair while Effie and Rosemary kept the rest of the place in passable order. Effie cooked and cleaned and Rosemary stayed out of the way.
Nearly everything was back to normal. Everything, that is, except Amelia’s life. It had come to an abrupt halt when Tyler left, and she hadn’t seen him since. It had been eight of the longest days in her life. She’d spent the days in distress and the nights in torment. When she wasn’t thinking of him, she was dreaming of the man. Her body ached. Her heart hurt. She knew what she needed and it was Tyler.
Amelia shoved a book into its proper place on the library shelf and sighed with relief. Quitting time! She headed for the washroom to freshen up, but she wasn’t going home, at least, not at first. She wasn’t spending another sleepless night remembering the look of pain she’d left in Tyler’s eyes.
She leaned close to the mirror, blinking rapidly as she tried to adjust to the contacts she was wearing now instead of glasses. They had been a necessity, not a daring move on her part.
Last night she’d put her owl-eyed frames on the sideboard right after their evening meal. When she’d come back from doing the dishes they were nowhere to be found. When she’d asked, Rosemary had looked vaguely guilty, but Amelia figured they’d eventually turn up. Aunt Rosie was always losing something, whether it belonged to her or not.
