Chapter Fourteen
AMARIE HAD SAID she believed in him. Why had her quiet confession pleased him so? Considering how they bickered with and jabbed at each other during the day, when Eli had briefly held her hand tonight in comfortable companionship, he’d found the innocent gesture rather pleasurable. And now she was in his home. Helping him with kittens.
He’d only invited a few women over to his cabin. His wife had been the last woman, other than his momma, to visit in the past four years. Cara had been unimpressed with the small, two-bedroom log cabin that sat at the base of the Landing Falls waterfall. He had worked with his father and brothers to build all three of the cabins. He and his brothers had taken pride in their work. Each place had its own little touch, speaking to the owner. Maybe not the owner, but the occupant, at least. Having Amarie, the city girl, visit for the first time, Eli found himself retracing his steps. He gave the air a sniff test, making sure the living room didn’t smell of rank gym socks, day-old nachos, and puppy. Nope, but he cranked the Glade PlugIn to high output. Toilet seat down, check. Dishes in the cabinets, check.
Yeah.
Even though she was his employee, the man that he walled off wanted to impress her. Well, he wanted his pretend partner to appreciate the rare quality in his home on the mountain. She should value what they fought to save. He told himself that was why he wanted her to enjoy the space as much as he did.
“I appreciate you helping me with the kittens.”
“No problem. I like being useful.” Amarie smiled, placing the orange-and-white striped kitten, Raspberry, in a towel-lined cardboard box. Eli had used the hose out front to fill a plastic washbasin with treatment solution. Having inspected each of the kittens, he found them dirty, fleas hopping undeterred in their fur, but otherwise in good health. Without his asking, Amarie had shed her backpack and shoes. On her knees beside him, she dried as he washed between tiny toes and gently scrubbed away grime.
“How else am I going to get a look at your place?” Amarie produced her smartphone, the bane of his existence. “#SexyKittyVet.”
“Can I tell you I hate that name?”
“Sure you can, gorgeous. But it’s not going to change anything.”
“Sounds cliché. Sexy kitty.”
“For a woman, yes. A vet with real kittens to care for is sexy.”
“I guess.” Guessed she was wrong. Of the three brothers, women liked Eli because of his follow-through, not his sex appeal.
He toweled off another meowing fur ball. Amarie plucked from his hands a spike-haired kitty she’d named Formerly, the feline he’d previously known as the cream-colored one. ’Cause let’s face it, Eli didn’t have a creative cell in his genetic petri dish. Color him grateful that Amarie had a constant stream of ideas. Even better, she had checklists and action steps to actually get things accomplished. In military terms, the woman was a stellar performer. Dr. Russell Feldman’s loss, Eli’s gain.
“Well, you could always be a sexy beast. Either way, sex really does sell. Some would consider you handsome. Take advantage before your beauty fades, grumpy pants.”
“I still don’t like it.” Beauty had sold him on Cara. His tongue had started wagging the first time he’d laid eyes on the government contractor assigned to Fort Meade in Maryland’s Anne Arundel County. He’d pursued her—hard. Mowed her lawn. He’d volunteered to paint her spare bedroom, the one she used as her private yoga studio, just to stay close to her. If Cara wanted, he stood ready to provide. Too blinded by what he wanted to give in a relationship, he failed to notice how little his wife reciprocated his affection. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He’d kept working at their marriage, hopeful that his wife would grow to love and appreciate his commitment to marriage. In the end, it had provided her with more time to rob, pillage, and sour him on happily ever after for good.
“I get it. It sucks starting over, even more than when the ends barely meet. But, hey,” she shrugged, “fake it till you make it. I mean, it’s worth the sacrifice to live in a place like this. Under the stars. I can’t believe you live here.”
She’d said as much since he’d pulled alongside the cabin, the view of the water visible through the windshield. One Wonder Woman twirl in the yard and she’d pulled up the MLS listing on his house on her phone, determined to rid him of the albatross because she thought his log cabin was heaven. Perfection. That’s the word she’d used.
During her tour of the inside, she’d run her fingers along the walls with framed pictures of his family and him in uniform. Afterward, Eli had excused himself to change out of his stiff jeans. He’d kept the door to his bedroom cracked so he could see where she wandered. If she looked at his mail or peeked into his medicine cabinet. But she hadn’t. She’d headed straight for the ceiling-to-floor windows. There were six of them. They gave the place a spacious feel, even though it was only about 1500 square feet. The kitchen and the family room were just a big open square in the middle of the cabin with a river rock fireplace against one wall. The two bedrooms down the hallway on the left were the same size with a shared bathroom in between.
He grabbed a beer from the fridge for himself and a bottle of water for her. “Break time, partner. I relax on the porch. You can join or not.”
“Thanks. I think.” She took the water bottle and followed him.
Once outside, Amarie spun around on his porch. That Wonder Woman thing again. The overhead light washed her partially in warm light.
“This is the most amazing view—the trees, the water, the mountain, the stars.”
He chuckled. “I see this every day when I open my eyes.”
Though not visible to one another, the three cabins formed an arc with a central area at the base of the waterfall. They’d agreed to use the common area as a picnic spot where they had laid out pavers, a fire pit, and a built-in stone bench. And they each had their own Adirondack chair that they relaxed in sometimes while they divided up a six-pack at the end of the week.
“I can’t imagine living like this in the city. This is like a one-million-dollar view, you know? No, it’s a three- or four-million-dollar oasis, because of the water. That’s a part of its beauty. But there’s so much more. There’s no way you can lose this.”
Looking at her, Eli had to agree. She’d made tonight so much more for him. By being here. Something as mundane as bathing kittens seemed magical with Amarie sharing the labor.
“The only water that I can afford is coming down from the sky. Eli, I don’t think I could imagine a more beautiful place to come home to after work. I can’t wait to get my own place. It’s something I didn’t realize how badly I wanted until now. I thought that I would live with someone else forever. But I think I do want my own home, you know? So I can decorate it the way I want. I have all these pictures on my Pinterest board. It’s like a vision board, but it’s online. Anyway, it’s just fab. So, I had these visions of what I want my home to look like. All the way down to, like, my shower curtain. And the rugs on the floor and the pictures on the wall. Even my loungewear. Like I just want to be in my own space.”
“I can understand that. You’ll have it one day, Amarie.”
“You think I will?”
“Don’t sound surprised. You make things happen. Of course you will, sweetheart.”
She gave him a sideways glance. “Eli, how many of those beers have you had? You’re the first person to actually say those words to me. And then tack on an endearment?”
“I said what I meant. Don’t start a nervous ramble over it. Just accept it.” He certainly had.
“I am… I did. But not even my best friend says I make things happen, and that’s kind of a requirement of the job. Things, bad usually, happen to me…” she trailed off.
Eli wanted her to have her heart’s desire. He could see her creating the life she envisioned. After all, the woman was fearless, innovative, and adventurous. She would leave him and build a life outside of Service.
“Your luck’s changing, Amarie.” Eli’s had since he’d taken a gamble on her. He cleared his throat against the clog in his chest. “Ah, I’m going to set the kittens up in the second bedroom.”
“Oh, they’ll be lonely in there.”
“What are you suggesting, Mama Bear?”
“They arrived in a sack. At least let them roam.”
The woman proceeded to take the freshly washed kittens out of the basket, depositing them on the wood decking. Of course, they found Hiccup’s hind legs and started exploring.
“I mean, your family home is beautiful, but I never imagined a waterfall on the property.”
“Home has always been the most beautiful place on earth.”
“Woof. Woof. You lucky dog.”
“Another zingy one-liner.”
“I know, right? And you get all this mental and manual labor for free.”
He laughed, but Amarie deserved more than he could pay her in one lifetime. In a small town like Service, catching up on the day’s events was a favorite pastime. The Black Bear, the Coffee Bean Barn, and when Ophelia allowed it, the Dog-Eared Page bookstore were the social gathering sites. It was common practice if folks saw each other in the parking lot of the general store or the Coffee Bean Barn that three hours later they’d still be in the same spot catching up on old times. Since Amarie’s arrival, the Calvary Clinic had become the impromptu watering hole. Eli knew Amarie had been the difference maker.
“When I was a boy, we lived downtown. My father would walk this very land with me on his shoulders. There was nothing more than an old, dilapidated barn long abandoned by his family. He told me that one day, our forever home would be here. Tobias doesn’t remember it, but I do. Noah was still in Mom’s belly. I thought my dad was invincible back then. Every promise he’d ever made to me, he followed through. I wanna do the same for him.”
“Eli, please don’t sound so grim. Together we can do this.”
“Why are you so optimistic about life when it was obvious to me that you were on the verge of a panic attack the day I hired you?”
“I haven’t always been the eleven-dollars-an-hour high-wage earner you see before you.”
“Used to better?”
“No,” she trailed off, taking a seat in the rocker next to his. “Worse. Much worse.”
“Since you’ve decided to hang around,” he sighed, “things may get way worse before there’s something other than a runaway train speeding toward us at the end of the tracks.”
“Can you please pick another locomotive metaphor?”
“Why? What does it matter?”
“Everything matters, Eli. I’m not a fan of bullet trains to big cities.”
“I upset you.”
“Not true. The train upset me. They lead to fast trouble and slow apologies.”
“There’s a story there.”
“Yes, and it’s an unpleasant one that I care not to remember.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Of course I do. You will bear the load of my paternal trauma for your role in deteriorating my mood.”
“Unload away, friend.”
“That’s just earned you an extra heaping at a time of my choosing.”
“Noted. Now the story.”
“When I was eleven years old, my mother and I left my dad. I think he had been unfaithful for a while by then.”
“Whoa, that had to have been hard on you both.”
“You don’t want to know how bad it got for us.” Amarie rubbed her palms, now sweaty, over her capris. “Anyway, we ended up back with my father after a year on our own.”
“So, your parents patched things up.”
“I thought they had. My first year as a Howard University Bison, my parents drove up from home, America’s old city, eleven hours in a rented SUV because my father descends into hysteria if my mother accumulates more than five thousand miles per year on any vehicle bearing his name on the title. Four hours into their visit, my father announced he had a business trip in New York and had booked a trip on the Acela train because he wanted to arrive early.”
Something in her tone changed. Eli understood this story wouldn’t have the happy ending she seemed to crave but had never quite experienced. His life had a similar melancholy note.
“With the details provided, I Googled the conference… I wish I hadn’t.”
This story would sour his mood. A burn, small and irritating, spread in his gut. The mode and members in this play were different, but he recognized the storyline—lies, deception, and betrayal.
“What happened?”
“I told my mother the truth. Dad’s medical conference had happened two months prior, but closer to home. One hundred miles south in Orlando. There was an online post of him pictured with a female colleague enjoying more cocktails than conference sessions. I showed her all of it.”
Eli didn’t have to ask what happened next because he remembered from a conversation during yesterday’s breakfast that her parents had been married for close to thirty years.
“Amarie?”
“Oh.” She startled. “Sorry. So, my daddy returned late the next day, and my mother said nothing about the information I’d given to her. They left together, a perfect fake marriage. Guess I learned to fake it from my parents. Neither of them returned to the campus. Not even for my graduation.” There was a time when Amarie had hoped for a return of natural ease with her parents, yet the fairy tale had given way to a reality so jarring and gut-wrenching she still wept for the girl who’d learned her father wasn’t a hero and she and her mother weren’t his treasure.
“Huh, huh… that’s heavy for a child to process. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, I did the right thing. But in the end, I got punished. Not him,” she said, a little too cheery for the damage his father’s selfish actions had caused to his wife and daughter’s relationship. “So now you know why trains can suck it.”
Though she didn’t look at him, Eli could feel the tension radiating from what he knew were pliable curves that had molded against him to perfection.
“No more train talk from this cowboy.”
“Much obliged.” She did turn and smile at him then.
An alarm went off.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“It’s nine o’clock, I need to go, but I can come back in the evenings to help with the kids.”
“Not kids. Kindle. And I accept. I like the idea of you visiting every day.” He pressed his hand to her shoulder, allowed it to linger. “You could stay longer.”
Her breath hitched. “Whoa, partner. That’s not the kind of help I volunteered for tonight.”
“You seriously think I would lure you up to my cabin to take advantage of your kindness?”
“No—I don’t know. Maybe.” She winced. “I mean we danced, held hands, then you called me sweetheart. So yeah, I thought…” She made this weird kissy face that totally blew his high.
“I wouldn’t blindside you, okay.” This was just plain weird now. “Today was… nice. I thought we could prolong the moment. That was all I was asking. So, can you stay?”
This game they’d started was far from over for him, but he wouldn’t rush things. The way she’d sunk into his growing erection last night on the dance floor, he knew she’d felt the claw of desire pulling them deeper into the furnace, burning hot between them.
“No. It’s time for me to study for my nursing exam.”
“Can it wait?”
Amarie stiffened. “No. This is important to me.”
“Okay. I’ll drive you back to the house.
“You don’t have to. I enjoy walking.”
“That’s not an option. What kind of man do you take me for?”
“Would you carry my books, too?” She laughed.
“Every day.” Eli’s expression sobered; the humidity seemed to evaporate right out of the atmosphere, leaving him thirsty for a drink of something sweet and juicy. “Let me grab my keys.”
Eli grabbed his fob, keys jiggling, and wallet from his dresser. He followed the meows through the house till he reached the front door.
His heart nearly stopped in his chest. Amarie had scooped up all five kittens in her arms. She talked to them, telling them about their new life and how beautiful they were. Eli thought to himself how beautiful she was inside and out. Standing on his porch underneath his stars with his dog at her side and, more than likely, five kittens that he’ll be raising for the next fifteen years because that was their lifespan, she was one of the most beautiful stars he had ever seen, and she had lit his night with wonder.
“I have something for your next trip to the farm.”
“What is it?”
He pulled a bag from behind his back, rubbing Hiccup’s head when he pawed at the plastic. “Down, boy.”
Nervous, Eli pulled a box free, handing it to her.
Amarie smiled, lifting the lid to sift through the noisy tissue paper. She paused and stared directly into his eyes. “A new pair of boots? You bought me boots.”
He scrubbed at his beard, thinking himself a fool. She hated them. Nothing sexy about boots, Eli. “They… er, they were at the Trading Post.”
Embarrassment curled around his brain as the back of his neck heated at his stupidity. If he had a cane, he’d yank his sorry excuse of a romantic gesture right off the stage. Women expected jewelry, not outdoor gear.
He opened his mouth to apologize, but Amarie lunged for him. Opening his arms, he caught her around the waist, hauling her close. When she pressed her lips to his, instinct took over. Eli knew she smelled terrific, but the taste of her was intoxicating. And he drank deep, plunging into the warmth of her mouth, hunger and starvation stretching his restraint to the limit. Inside his need crawled at him to take more, pushed them both to the breaking point. When she breathed out, moaning, he stroked her tongue with his. Eli took full advantage, continuing his exploration, cataloging every sensation she unlocked that he’d walled off months ago. He thought he missed the caress of a woman, but then his brain registered a new revelation. He’d never experienced a connection this tangible with anyone before Amarie.
How scared should he be that her passion carried the same take-charge, adventurous energy she brought to everyday living? On a deep inhale, he grabbed hold of the last threads of his control and pulled away. Amarie, undeterred, continued to sip from his mouth, taking little nips at his parted lips. Hers were swollen from his attention, and he gave in to one last succulent taste.
“Thank you. I love them,” she whispered, planting another kiss on his mouth, and then totally taking him by surprise when she bit his bottom lip.
“You bit me,” he said more than questioned, sucking the tender flesh between his teeth.
“I’ve wanted to do that.”
He raised a brow. “Draw blood?”
“Sounds so clinical when you say it that way.” Her voice dipped, low, husky, sensual. “I’ve wanted to taste you. Take a bite of temptation.”
“And your verdict?”
Her eyes sparkled like those pretty toes he spied on every morning. “You’re delicious. Thank you for the gift and… indulging my new fetish.”
Sliding one arm around her back and the other beneath her thighs, he lifted. Sitting in the chair she’d just vacated, he settled Amarie across his lap.
“You’re welcome,” he rasped, nuzzling her neck. “And from now on, you come here after work. I’ll cook. You study. Then I can review the material with you, preferably in my lap. A couple of pop quizzes in between anatomy lessons. I’ll even pack your snack packs for the next day. What do you think?”
“Hmm, I guess. Considering I have no clue when or where I’ll find a job once I pass my exam, I might charge you for lap-sitting.”
Darn it, she sounded so innocent when she talked dirty. “I’d gladly give you every nickel I have.”
He buried his nose in the soft fold right above her shoulder, inhaling her fruity scent. Sighing in contentment, Eli just held her. Relishing the feel of his woman’s body, listening as she breathed in and out.
Amarie’s head rested on his chest. “You’d do that for me?”
“And more. It’s important to you—so, it’s our priority. But a word of caution. I’ve been accused of being a stickler for rules.” Could she hear the gallop of his heart? Somehow, she’d wiggled her way under the ice-packed organ, and Eli wanted to kiss every inch of her in thanks.
“Well, I’ve been known to break a few.” She wiggled her brows. “I accept.”
And because he’d been putting off the question he should’ve asked days ago, he asked, “Do you want to attend Caleb and Gracie Lou’s wedding with me?”
“I do” was all she said, but his chest tightened when she started to hum. With her fingers, she drew curls over his heart. “Next time, don’t make me wait.”
“Won’t happen again.” And he would honor his word. Not because of duty but because Amarie deserved better from him. Darn it, he was acting like a boyfriend, not a business partner.