Signed and Sealed

by Stretke, B. A.

  Will nodded and said, “I’m ready.” Dinner, he thought to himself. I can’t even begin to imagine what awaits me there.

  Eli approached him, and with a hand on Will’s lower back, ushered him out of the room. “Is your room satisfactory?” he asked as they descended the staircase.

  “Yes, it’s very nice.” Eli was being the perfect host, so attentive. This was something Will had not at all expected. Here’s something you don’t see every day: a rough, powerful Western rancher leading another man to dinner. What am I, a debutante? He kept his hand firmly placed on Will’s back as if he really cared about his comfort. His behavior was a little puzzling. “I would like to talk with you further about… my situation, when you have time?” Will asked.

  “Of course,” he answered very politely. “After dinner.”

  “Thank you.”

  Elijah was surprised by Will’s sudden complacent attitude, but he wasn’t completely buying it, either. Will was a very handsome and astute young man. Eli looked forward to figuring him out. Is he the cold, callous designer of Katrina’s plan? Or is he who he claims to be, just an innocent bystander? It will take time, but I will find out the truth. There was a lot more to Will than met the eye or the ear. He was tough and guarded, but there was warmth and depth to him, which intrigued him. Will claimed to have had no communication with his sister in the last two years, yet he still came to help her when she called.

  On a more carnal note, he also appreciated how good he smelled, how nicely Will’s upper body filled out the white, cotton shirt and navy blue sweater, and how his strong back muscles felt against Elijah’s hand. Katrina was a very tiny, delicate girl who gambled everything on looks and her figure. She was the type of girl that some men, including Martin, found attractive. Eli, on the other hand, never cared much for the female form; he preferred a well-proportioned, strong, healthy man who knew what he wanted out of life and was more than capable of getting it. He looked down at Will, walking so stiff and careful beside him, and wondered, Who are you?

  When they entered the dining room, there sat a young man at the long dining table. He was drinking from a stemmed glass and reading. He quickly set the papers aside when he saw them. This man was tall, but not as tall as Elijah. His body was muscular and lean. His hair was light brown, slightly wavy, and a little longer than Elijah’s. Apart from those differences, the family resemblance was obvious. Overall, he was a very good-looking young man. He smiled and stood up when he saw Will.

  “You must be William,” he said warmly. His voice lacked that deep, thunderous quality of his brother’s. He shook Will’s hand and asked about his trip. Will felt rather awkward standing there between them as if he were a welcome guest.

  “This is my brother, Martin,” Elijah stated. He then seated Will to his right, he took the head, and Martin sat to his left directly across from Will. It was a fairly long table, could probably seat at least ten. At the moment, Will wished there were ten. Sitting there with the two of them was certainly not going to give him a good appetite. Tension knotted in his stomach once again.

  “It’s just basic steak and potatoes,” Elijah commented. “I hope you’re not a vegetarian.” He smiled. He seemed so approachable and warm when he smiled. He’s keeping me prisoner here and threatening to take my home. All that’s left is to tie me to the railroad tracks, and yet I sit here admiring his smile. I must be deranged, Will chided himself.

  “I’m not a vegetarian,” he answered. “I would enjoy a cup of coffee, though,” he hinted in hopes that he might get one. He hadn’t had a cup since early morning and was desperately in need of one. He thought his present headache was due to the stress of the situation, but perhaps it was simply caffeine withdrawal.

  When the housekeeper entered with the first course, Elijah said, “Mrs. Coleman, would you please bring a carafe of coffee for our guest?” He then turned his attention to Will.

  “If you ever need or want anything, don’t hesitate to help yourself.” He reached over and took Will’s hand, holding it firmly in his. “We would like you to be as comfortable as possible.” Martin stopped with his fork midway between his plate and his mouth. Silently, he looked at Elijah and then at Will and then back to Elijah. He then broke into a huge smile.

  “Thank you, I will,” Will lied. No way would he be so presumptuous as to help himself to anything that belonged to Elijah Hunter, but this wasn’t the place to say that. Just say thank you and move on.

  The coffee was excellent and it did relieve his headache, which was good considering he had that “talk” with Elijah waiting for him after dinner. Will would try again to convince Eli to let him stay at the bed and breakfast. He had to know he didn’t have anything to do with Katrina’s scheme, but still he seemed to need to blame him. Five hundred thousand, that is a lot of money, he was thinking. There is no way Katrina will ever come up with that kind of money. Was Eli keeping him here just to prove a point? Prove that you don’t mess with the Hunters and then just walk away? What does he want from me? These thoughts chased each other across his mind as he studied his dinner plate. Suddenly, he realized that both men were staring at him and he looked up to meet their gaze.

  “I asked if this is your first visit to Montana?” Martin smiled as he repeated his question.

  “Yes,” he answered and was about to elaborate when Elijah interjected.

  “You’ll like Montana. The people who visit usually end up staying.” He gave Will a look that baffled him; it seemed almost inviting, or was he alluding to carrying out the forfeit of collateral that he mentioned earlier? He looked away, feeling oddly embarrassed, and the scarlet blush that overtook him was witnessed by all. Will fumbled for a response to defuse the moment and his discomfort.

  “I’m sure I will be going home. Montana is very nice, but I have a life in Michigan, and I need to get back to it.” He went back to cutting his steak and attempted to eat while avoiding all eye contact.

  “How long are you staying?” Martin asked. Will was thankful for the benign question.

  “From what I understand, I am required to remain here until the thirty-first, at which time Katrina is supposed to return.” He spoke clearly and formally.

  Martin shook his head. “I wouldn’t count on Katrina returning. I think she left you here without any thought of coming back.”

  Will took a long sip of his coffee, enjoying its relaxing aroma. “Whether she returns or not, I can’t stay any longer than the thirty-first,” Will clarified. “I have to get back to work.”

  “Katrina said that you work as a piano teacher,” Martin commented.

  “I teach piano for extra money, but I’m actually an accountant for a local farmers’ cooperative.” He continued to drink his coffee and push his food around on the plate. Elijah immediately refilled his cup when he emptied it.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Elijah said. “You haven’t eaten very much,” he commented. “Is there anything special that I can get for you?”

  “No, thank you. I’m just not very hungry.” Will was surprised by his attentiveness.

  “You work hard,” Elijah stated offhandedly, yet very impressed by his ambition and self-reliance.

  “I have to. I have student loans and exorbitant property taxes. But I like what I do,” Will added.

  “Where did you go to school?” Martin asked.

  “University of Michigan.”

  “Your parents must have been very proud of you,” Elijah commented.

  “I wouldn’t know.” Will’s response had a sadness to it that he didn’t hear, but Elijah did.

  After dinner, Martin excused himself, saying that he had business to attend to. He had read the look in Elijah’s eyes and knew he wanted to be alone with Will. Like Elijah, he, too, did not know what to make of him. He appeared to be so completely different from Katrina that it was hard to believe they were siblings. It was also hard for him to believe that Will could have had any part in what Katrina had tried to carry
out.

  He was shy and extremely careful with his words. He seemed fearful, yet also too proud to admit it. Will was nothing like Katrina. Katrina blew into this house like she owned it. The first time she talked down to Mrs. Coleman, treating her like a personal maid, was the last time she was allowed to speak to Mrs. Coleman. Elijah tore into her and made it clear she would show respect or she would be sleeping in the stable. Elijah never made idle threats, and she knew it. Katrina harbored very intense hatred for both Elijah and Mrs. Coleman after that episode.

  Elijah and Will moved to the large living room to have their discussion. Elijah poured him a glass of brandy and, handing it to him, stated, “Just in case.” He was laughing when he seated himself next to Will on the sofa. He rested his arm on the back, directly behind Will’s head. He was much too close for Will’s comfort, but he wasn’t going to pull away. Elijah was baiting him and trying to put him off balance. Will was beginning to recognize some of his game.

  “Tell me about yourself, Will,” he prompted. “I know you’re an accountant, you went to school at U of M, and you live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Tell me more about you, personally.”

  “There isn’t much to tell,” Will answered, a bit too grim.

  “Can’t be that bad,” he chided him good-naturedly.

  His statement was a trigger, and Will took immediate offense to what he saw as his condescending attitude. Throughout his life, people always responded to his troubles with, “Can’t be that bad,” or “I’m sure you must be overreacting.” His parents, Katrina, George, no one ever took him seriously. Why did everyone treat him like he was not important? No one in his entire life had ever heeded his call for help. “Will is just overreacting,” “Will can take care of it himself,” “Will doesn’t matter.”

  Eli isn’t interested in my life. He has already said in the most unflattering way possible that he finds me undesirable and considers me to be a party to blackmail. There was no danger that he would ever damage my virtue. All of these feelings came to a startling head as he responded coldly to his statement. “No, of course not. How could anything in my life be that bad?” The indignation he felt began to flow and became unstoppable. He was done playing games.

  “I don’t like you, Mr. Hunter. I think you are the worst kind of man. The kind that gains a little money and with it, a little power. Suddenly you believe that the rest of the world is beneath you and there strictly for your entertainment. Sure, you can jerk Katrina and me around for a while with your promises, but in the end, you will do as you please. What we say and do will have no bearing on your need for satisfaction and a good laugh.” Will stood up. “I’m not going to stay here and try to jump through your stupid hoops. Do whatever you need to do. Go ahead and take my land. I’ll sign it over and save you the trouble of fighting it out in court. I can’t afford a lawyer, anyway.” He was walking away in a most impressive huff when Eli grabbed him by both shoulders and swung Will around to face him. His face was a mystery. His expression kept changing. Will couldn’t tell if he saw anger, confusion, or compassion.

  “Where in the hell did all of that come from?” Eli nearly shouted.

  Will tried to shake loose of his grip, but Eli just pulled him closer in order to keep him still. When Will looked up, Eli’s face was just a few inches from his. Elijah stopped squeezing Will and moved his hand to Will’s back, pressing him close even though he tried to resist. He soothed him and relaxed his outraged muscles by running one hand up and down Will’s spine while his other hand pressed Will’s head to his chest and massaged his scalp. He rested his chin against the top of Will’s head. He kept up the pressure and the rhythm, and it wasn’t long before Will’s resistance gave way and he found himself molded against Eli’s body. Every curve, every muscle, every movement was apparent. He felt warm, comfortable, secure; he felt very good. Will began to calm, and his breathing slowed. It almost felt as if Eli were hypnotizing him with the movement of his hands and the rhythmic beat of his heart.

  “I never said that your problems weren’t important or that they didn’t matter,” he said very softly against Will’s ear. It sounded as if he actually cared that he had upset him. “Whatever I said and however you interpreted it, I never meant to offend you.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said flatly. “It’s just me overreacting.” His voice was muffled against Eli’s shirt.

  “You don’t strike me as someone who’s in the habit of overreacting.” He spoke very softly, but still with definite authority. “I think I struck a nerve.” He was all too correct on that point. “If you’d like to talk about it, I’m more than willing to listen.” His fingers continued their slow circular motion. Will hadn’t realized it, but at some point his arms had come up to encircle Eli’s waist. He was using him as a support and holding Eli almost as tightly as Eli was holding him.

  Eli slipped his hand down along Will’s jawline and tilted his face up to his. Eli’s eyes traveled his face before settling on his mouth. Will dropped his arms and began to move away from him as Eli’s head descended toward him, but Eli’s arm brought Will up tight against him; there was no way of escape. Will froze in disbelief as Eli’s lips, warm, moist, and sensuous covered his completely. He moaned softly as the thrill of it surged through his body, killing all reservations as blood rushed away from his brain toward a very different piece of his anatomy. Eli pressed deeper and deeper until Will’s lips were forced apart and he was free to plunder the softness within.

  Will had been kissed before, but never like this. George’s amateurish attempts at passion didn’t even come close to the power of this simple, heart-stopping kiss. Eli’s touch, his taste, his smell, all ganged up on his ability to think and to reason. All Will wanted was for this feeling to never end. He responded, returning Eli’s kiss as ardently as he was giving it. Eli’s tongue was in his mouth, doing things to him that set his senses aflame. He heard and felt a low sensual groan start in Eli’s abdomen and echo all the way to his fingertips. He could feel the muscles in Eli’s arms and chest flexing and crushing them together.

  Suddenly, there was a noise from behind them. Someone was coming into the room. It was just enough diversion to force Will back to reality. Elijah felt his resistance, but instead of releasing Will, he only deepened his kiss and pulled him even closer. Will became embarrassed and frantic in his need to pull away. Finally, Eli moved his lips from Will’s mouth across his cheek to rest against his ear, but still he held Will solidly to him. Eli drank in the scent of his hair and his skin. He’d never known a man to smell so damn good. Why do I have to feel like this… about this guy… this gold digger?

  Will seemed to struggle to compose himself, yet Eli didn’t care that someone was going to see them in this intimate embrace. He wasn’t ready to release Will… not just yet. He’d had the urge to kiss him ever since they met on the road. He looked amazingly sexy all disheveled and sweating. At the time he thought it was pure hormones, but the urge never left.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Hunter,” Mrs. Coleman stammered and quickly exited the room. She was bringing a fresh carafe of coffee for Mr. Drake, but then realized that coffee was probably the last thing on Mr. Drake’s mind at the moment.

  Elijah slowly loosened his hold, but kept Will within the circle of his arms. His eyes went immediately to Will’s, silently searching. Embarrassment flooded Will’s face. Will wanted to speak, to say something, anything.

  “To think I wondered why you weren’t afraid of your neighbors calling you gay,” Will said with more sarcasm than he meant to.

  “If you tell me you didn’t enjoy that, you are a liar.” Elijah flinched at the harshness of his words.

  Will pulled away from him and stepped back, his eyes dark and angry. “I will not stay here.” He turned away from him toward the door.

  “Not so fast, Mr. Drake.” He spoke formally and with an undertone of immense authority. “You would do well to rethink your desire to leave. You agreed to stay until the thirty-first. If you reneg
e on that agreement, I will, with all the power and influence I have, take your home, and I will make your life and the life of that miserable sister of yours a living hell.” He stood over Will, looking down at him as he drove home the seriousness of his statement. “Do not make the mistake of underestimating me.”

  “What guarantees do I have that my home is safe even if I stay? Tell me why, exactly, I should trust you.” Will tried to match the hardness of his tone but fell short.

  “There are no guarantees, but there is hope.” He reached out and pushed a stray lock of hair back from Will’s face. Will flinched, but didn’t move. “Stand by your word to me, and I will consider tearing up the contract. Break your word, and I will destroy you and Katrina.”

  Will didn’t remember agreeing to stay. He remembered listening to Eli telling him he was staying, but he never agreed. Eli must have assumed that by saying nothing, he was agreeing. There was something about the man that just got his back up. He brought out every unpleasant aspect of Will’s personality. George used to complain that he was too aggressive when they argued, which was rare since George wasn’t good with confrontations. If George had witnessed the last few minutes, he would have been floored, but Elijah wasn’t the least bit fazed by it. Apparently it would take a lot more than a few harsh words to get the best of him.