by Paige Powers
Their eyes met once again, and Boyd undeniably knew that there was something brewing between them.
Chapter 8
The storm slacked up enough that everyone agreed that it was best that they leave. There were only three horses, so Boyd suggested that Bianca ride with him. Scout was against it, but Boyd reminded him that as a U.S. Marshal, he was officially on duty. Boyd did not want Scout to feel like he was overstepping his position as Bianca's brother, but he wanted him to know that he took his job seriously. Scout and Beau began riding at a pace that spoke to how quickly they wanted to get back home.
Boyd wanted to get Bianca home safely so that they could wrap up the case and move on to other work. Being so close to Bianca was making him nervous, and making his anxiety grow by the minute.
Steam vapors rose from the ground. Their clothes were sticking to their skin, hair damp. The humidity was making the ride almost unbearable and the mosquitoes taking a jab at them were making the ride impossible.
Out of nowhere, the sky opened up and sheets of rain poured from the heavens. Visibility even within an inch ahead was not possible. Boyd tried to look for Beau and Scout, but could not see.
He made the quick decision to turn back and go the house, and he just knew that Beau and Scout would return as well. The horse's hooves were getting stuck in the mud, and there was no way that they could go forward.
Boyd pushed the horse as far as he would go. He knew that they would have to dismount and walk the rest of the way. He leaned in and explained his decision to turn back. Bianca did not object.
Once they were close to the house, Boyd instructed Bianca to run to the house and go inside while he put the horse in the barn.
She did so, waiting at the door for him as he ran from the barn to the front door. They were both completely soaked, and chilled to the bone.
"I have never seen it rain like that," Bianca exclaimed. She tried to shake the wetness off, but to no avail.
Boyd started looking around for firewood. They needed to dry their clothes and shoes and warm themselves.
"There is a bedroom back down the hallway and there are clothes in there. Plus we can probably find some blankets or something to warm us up."
"Well, you go ahead first and change. I'll stoke the fire." Boyd tried not to stare at Bianca. Her long hair was wet, and the fact that her clothes were dark colored was the only reason that he was not seeing more than he was seeing of her body. She was not dressed in what women wore normally; full skirts, women's shoes with a small heel, and long sleeves with a high collar. Instead, she had on a pair of men's pants that looked to be made of burlap or some heavy material, and a long sleeved, dark colored, button down shirt.
Despite having on what were obviously men's clothing, Bianca was still beautiful and feminine. She still had that delicate look that made Boyd want to take care of her.
Bianca agreed and walked off down the hallway. By the time she returned, he had started the fire, which quickly heated up the tiny room. The rain continued to come down in sheets, and Boyd worried about his brother and Scout. Had they reached shelter? He hoped that they would be able to come back to the house as he and Bianca had.
Bianca appeared from the hallway, wearing an oversized white button down shirt and a long pair of men's pants that she tried to roll up at the bottom. She looked uncomfortable in the clothing as she fussed with the shirt, trying to make it fit when it obviously would never do so.
She threw a pile of blankets on the rocking chair that sat before the hearth.
"I thought that we could use these to warm up."
"Good idea." Boyd stood, waiting for her to give him access to the room.
When Bianca caught on to the reason for his hesitance, she showed him to the room.
"There is plenty of men's clothing in there. Something for you to wear."
He nodded and brushed past her. The hallway was not large enough for both of them to stand there.
Bianca slid to the side as he walked into the room, which was even tinier that he thought it would be. There were a few garments on the bed, and he chose whatever would fit. As he peeled his wet clothing off of his body, he turned to pick up the dry ones. Standing there in the hallway, Bianca surely caught a glimpse of his naked, wet body. He smiled, but did not make any moves that would embarrass her. Instead, he continued to dress. When she realized that he had seen her watching, she gasped, startled, and ran off to the kitchen. He could hear her lighting the pilot to put on what he assumed was some coffee.
Boyd waited a moment before coming back to the common room. He thought that it would put enough distance between them after that small exchange. It was just nice to know that she was paying as much attention to him as he was to her.
"I hope that you don't mind, but I brought your wet garments out here to sit them in front of the fireplace and dry."
"Do you usually put your hands on a woman's unmentionables?"
His hands started shaking. He had not even thought of that. "Oh, no. I'm very sorry, Ms. Simmons."
"No, no, no. I am just kidding. Oh my. My attempts at being funny sometimes go right past people. I really must work on that." She appeared to be talking more to herself than to him.
"Really. I did not want to alarm you. I apologize. And please, call me Bianca. I think a man that is my hero deserves to call me Bianca."
Her smile calmed him, and when she walked over and lightly touched his shoulder, he knew that neither one of them could deny the electricity that pulsed between them.
She did not quite take her hand off of his shoulder, and he did not want her to.
"I am making some coffee and it looks like there is some bacon in the ice box. I turned on the stove, and I can make some cakes so we can eat."
She gently took all of the clothing from his hands and set about laying it out to dry before going to the kitchen area to finish tending to the food. The scent of the cakes and the bacon sent his stomach into a fit. It had been a while since he ate anything substantial, since he had been on the road searching for Bianca.
Visibility was zero, looking out of the windows.
"Scout and your brother will be just fine. Scout knows the land, well and I am very sure that they are somewhere safe."
"It's like you were reading my mind."
"Well, the fact that you keep staring out of the window says a lot. I know that you are worried about them. I am too, but I know my brother. He will keep both of them safe. Trust me."
"I guess so. It's just that we all went out together, so."
"Are you saying that you don't want to be here alone with me?"
Boyd's throat tightened at the thought of being alone with Bianca. She did not even turn around to look him in the eye when she spoke. She stayed concentrated on the stove. He was glad, because if their eyes had met, he may have been inclined to grab her and pull her into his arms and who knew what would happen next?
*
Bianca could not help but to flirt shamelessly. The fact that they were alone and there was no longer an audience made it even easier. She knew that Scout and Boyd's brother Beau would be all right. It was nothing but a bit of rain, and she knew for sure that Scout helped them to seek cover and that they would move on when the rain was over.
She had no choice but to head back to the house with Boyd. He seemed to have made his decision, and that was it. Bianca did have to admit that being in the dry house with food and a warm fire was helpful. Being caught out in a storm was not her idea of fun. Luckily, Red had left many supplies in the house. It made her wonder if he ever planned on coming back, or if he had just stock piled items here for the long haul that ended up not being such a long haul.
The thunder rumbled, shaking the house. The bowls rattled on the table, and Bianca tried to balance them.
She watched as Boyd kept a vigil at the window, and she tried to reassure him that their brothers would be just fine. Scout knew the land well, and he would make sure that they were fine. The reassurance was
nothing but words. She could still see the worry etched in Boyd's face.
"Hopefully putting a little food in your belly will make you feel better."
Boyd busied himself hanging the wet clothing to dry. As Bianca fixed their plates, her mind flashed to seeing his naked body standing there. He was deliciously muscular, and with his smooth skin, and warm smile, she was smitten from the moment she laid eyes on him. What girl would not fall for the man that rescued her? She wondered what kind of man he was. Of course he had come to find her. He was paid to do so. Maybe she was reading too much into his behavior, but she liked to think that she was aware of when men were interested in her.
Just as she served the food and coffee, the thunder rumbled, and she was bringing the hot food from the stove. She did not want to appear the least bit afraid. She had been the damsel in distress all week long.
The rain continued to come down in sheets, and it did not go unnoticed that Boyd was keeping watch at the window.
"Scout and your brother will be just fine. Scout knows the land well, and I am very sure that they are somewhere safe."
"It's like you were reading my mind."
"Well, the fact that you keep staring out of the window says a lot. I know you are worried about them. I am too, but I know my brother. He will keep both of them safe. Trust me."
"I guess so. It's just that we all went out together, so."
She turned back to the stove to grab the hot cakes.
"Are you saying that you don't want to be here alone with me?"
She did not know where the comment came from. It was extremely forward and she was not sure what possessed her to say it. Once it was said, she could not turn to face him, to see the expression on his face.
"I'm not saying anything."
She glanced over her shoulder to find that he was still standing by the window, but his eyes were glued to her.
"The food is ready. Would you like to eat?"
"I am starving. But maybe we could eat over here by the fire?"
"Interestingly enough, it is hot and humid outside, but this fire in here has the temperature perfect. I think eating by the fire would be nice."
Boyd helped her bring the place settings over to the hearth, and they sat on a rug right in front of the fire place. It was nice to feel the warmth emanating against her skin. Her hair was damp and she left it out, hanging down her back. She never left her hair out, and preferred to wear it twisted up in a bun on top of her head.
Boyd was a quiet strength and in his presence, she felt protected. They blessed the food and began eating.
"Thank you for cooking. I appreciate it. My stomach appreciates it."
"You are welcome. It was the least that I could do. You traveled over the range to rescue a woman that you did not even know. I don't know how I will repay you."
He sipped his coffee. "No repayment necessary. It was part of my job, and I was happy to do it. I would do it again."
A smile spread across her face. "Thank you. If I haven't already said it. Thank you."
Sitting in close proximity to Boyd was making her senses go wild. It was hard to think or to do anything else but smile and think about him.
"So, tell me a little about yourself. I would like to know more about the man that saved my life."
Boyd shrugged. "There's not much to tell." She watched as he ran his hands through his cropped blonde hair.
"I'm from South Carolina. One of ten boys. My parents worked hard to keep us out of trouble and walking a straight path. That's really it. I've led a relatively boring life."
"Boring? One of ten children. And aren't you a twin? I would not call that boring."
"I am a twin. Beau is my best friend. We are kindred spirits. And yes, growing up in a house with so many siblings could be trying at times. I'm sure my mother lost her mind many times over. But her and my father did their best."
"Where are your parents now? Are they growing old together back in South Carolina?"
Boyd looked down at his cup of coffee, silence lingering between them. Bianca knew at that point that she had said something wrong.
"They are both deceased."
"I am so sorry, Boyd. Really I am. I did not know."
He smiled kindly. "Of course you did not know. And there is no reason to apologize. They led good lives and they loved their family. They were happy."
"That's all that matters. That they had a good life and that family was all around them."
"Yes. They were good people. And their efforts did not go in vain. A few of my older brothers are in law enforcement. Some of them still live back at home. Some have moved West. It was part of what encouraged me to move West as well."
"And are you happy with your decision?"
"I am. I look forward to all that life has to offer me."
She could swim in his green eyes forever. He was gorgeous, and she wanted to feel his lips on hers. His large hands on her body, his caress. She wanted to know what it felt like to be in his arms.
Lightening struck, and all of a sudden, there was the scent of something burning, and then the ground shook.
Boyd took her by the arm, and pulled her close to him. "Stay here. Don't move."
Her heart was racing. Boyd got up and walked over to the front door. He grabbed his gun and tried to open the front door.
Struggling with the knob, he was not able to open the door. He ran to the window in the back.
"It looks like a tree fell and we are stuck in here."
"But I smell something burning." Bianca tried not to sound panicked.
"It's fine. I can see the tree that fell was struck by lightening and it looks like it caught on fire."
"What? Oh goodness how do we get out of here?" Bianca scrambled to her feet, and ran over to where Boyd was standing.
"The rain has extinguished whatever flame was there." When he spoke, his voice tone was low and soothing.
"Relax. We will be fine. Once the rain stops, I'll be able to get out there and get us out of here."
Bianca tried to calm herself listening to Boyd's soothing voice. "Once again, you are my hero."
He held her tightly. "I don't mind. I'm glad that I could be here. Come on over here and have a seat."
Boyd led her to the rug, and helped her have a seat. When he wrapped the blanket around her, she felt more comfortable.
"Will you take a seat here with me?"
"Of course." Boyd sat closely next to her.
"So you were telling me about your childhood and moving out West here. Tell me more."
Bianca was trying to get her mind off of the scare.
"There's not much else to tell. What about you? Tell me about you."
Bianca reclined on the floor, spread the blanket out, and lay on top of it.
"You really want to know more about me?"
Boyd nodded. "I do."
Bianca took a sigh. "Where do I start?"
*
Boyd lay next to her, listening to Bianca recount her life's story. Listening to her, he found that they had a lot in common. Both of them were in love with the idea of love. They were both seeking a life that had more adventure.
"It sound like you have found out so much in such a short amount of time. How are you dealing with all of this?"
Bianca looked up to the ceiling. "I don’t know what to think. My father has been a good father to me. I never really get too involved in what he has going on in business. But it seems that at one point, business and his personal life mixed and it caused it to be a problem for me all these years later. I'm not sure what to think about that or how to feel about that. I know that we all make mistakes in life. I just want him to understand how much of a mistake this is."
"I saw him when we got the assignment. He was a man who was full of anxiety and distress. I could tell that he loved his daughter and wanted to do what it took to get you back."
"That's nice to hear. But I do know my father pretty well. I know that he also knew that he was dealing with
Red Davies, and with their history, he knew that all it would take was giving him the money owed. He knew that he did not have to put forth too much effort to get me back."
Boyd took her by the hand. "You are safe here with me. Trust me." He hoped that she did trust him, and that she could feel safe with him.
He tried to hold her hand close, and hoped that he could speak to her in such a way that she truly felt that he would protect her.
"Okay. You protected me once, I know you will again. I trust you."
"Good. It seems like we have a lot in common."
"Really, you think so?"
Boyd leaned up on one arm. "We do. We are both looking for adventure in our lives. Both in love with the idea of love. Both searching."
The way that Bianca bit her lip sent his mind in a tailspin. "You gathered all of that from our brief conversation?"
"I did. It's amazing what you hear when you actually listen."
Bianca nodded and laughed. "So very true."
They lay there, the rain pouring, thunderstorm overhead, fire crackling. And somehow, in that space, everything felt right.
Chapter 9
His body was fatigued, and longed for the feel of a comfortable bed. Boyd tried to remember the last time that he had slept in a bed. It had been at least two weeks since he moved away from home, so it had to have been at least that long since he slept in a bed.
The past week, sleeping on the ground and living off the land had been trying. It had been just the adventure that Boyd had been craving. He had no complaints.
And lying there next to Bianca, he complete forgot that he had not slept in comfort in weeks. That fact did not matter when such a beautiful woman was beside him.
