Godsend hell yeah herita.., p.8
Godsend (Hell Yeah! Heritage), page 8
Oh, no. What should she say? Partial truth, that’s all she had to work with. “We were traveling toward the northeast, to an area near the Neches Saline.”
Austin nodded. “I’ve heard of the great salt plain there, how settlers and Indians draw water from the shallow wells and allow it to evaporate, leaving the salt.” He hated to ask this, but he felt compelled. “Do you want me to take you there? Does your family own land there? Do you have friends in the area?”
Jolie’s throat tightened. Was he trying to find a way to get rid of her? She stopped sewing, resting her hands in her lap. “No, to all of those questions.” A tear escaped her eye to roll down her cheek. “I can work hard, Austin. You don’t even have to pay me.”
Austin’s eyes widened, listening. His mouth opened to form words, but he didn’t get a chance before she started speaking again.
“I don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t have anyone to run to.” She bowed her head. “Please let me stay with you. I’ll take care of everything for you.”
Stunned, Austin sat back on his heels. “You want to live with me?”
Jolie didn’t know how to take his question. “I’m not trying to be improper.” She covered her face with her hands. “You’ve been so kind to me. I’m desperate. I don’t know what else to do.”
Austin stood up and began to pace. Jolie didn’t know it, but she was offering him exactly what he craved on a silver platter.
Her.
She was exactly what he wanted.
But what did she want? He knew she needed his protection. But would she want his love? Honestly – Austin was afraid to ask. For now, he’d give her exactly what she asked for and hope she’d come to want more.
He waited so long to say anything that Jolie lost heart. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” She stood up. “I probably should just move on…”
“No.” Austin stopped her in her tracks, reaching out to grasp her hand. “I don’t want you to go. I want you to stay. I’ve been desperately lonely and you’re a breath of fresh air in my world. Please don’t go.”
Jolie exhaled. Weak with relief. She wanted to turn into his big warm body. She wanted to find sanctuary in his arms. But that wasn’t what he was offering. So, she tried to show him her gratitude in the only way she knew how. Falling to her knees, she bowed her head. “Thank you,” she sobbed, tears overflowing. Jolie hadn’t realized how tense she’d been, how worried she was about what tomorrow might bring. But hearing him offer her a lifeline, an opportunity to survive – she was absolutely weak with gratitude.
Seeing Jolie on her knees was Austin’s undoing. He lifted her up, wanting to crush her to him. “You’re so welcome. I’m the one who should be grateful, not you.” He refrained from embracing her, not wanting to give her the idea that he expected anything from her that she wasn’t ready to give.
“You won’t be sorry. I promise.” Jolie wiped her face, giving him a tremulous smile.
Austin didn’t doubt it for a second.
For the rest of the day, Jolie tried to show him in no uncertain terms that he’d made the right decision. Even when he tried to get her to slow down, Jolie insisted on working feverishly. After hanging his rugs over a tree limb, she beat them until they were dust free. She washed his clothes, dusted every inch of the small cabin and swept the floors. And when supper was ready, she served him, not sitting down until he absolutely insisted that she rest.
“Please, Jolie, sit with me. I crave your company far more than I crave a clean house.”
Jolie relented, sinking down into a chair and helping herself to the food.
Austin noticed that she could barely keep her eyes open. When they were finished, he escorted her to the bed. “Sit. Rest.”
“No, I have to clean up.”
“I’ll do it.” He wouldn’t take no for an answer. When he returned to the kitchen area, he glanced back and was gratified to see she was lying down. He worked fast, anxious just to be close to her again. His heart was brimming with emotions that he’d never felt before. What a difference a day could make in one’s life. He was already having a hard time imagining a time without her.
Once he was through, he tended to his dog and to the fire. He knew she needed to go outside before she could rest properly. Gathering her into his arms, he held her close with one hand, opened the door and grabbed his rifle. Juggling his precious cargo, he made his way out to the house. “Jolie.”
She nestled against him, rubbing her face into his chest. “Hmmm?”
Austin chuckled. “Do you need to use the bathroom?”
She raised her head and realized where they were. “Oh, yes.” She wiggled and he set her down. “I can’t believe you carried me.”
“My pleasure.” Austin just smiled, holding the door for her. “You were sleeping so soundly. I hated to bother you.” He waited for her to finish. Once she rejoined him, he placed a hand at the small of her back while they walked. “We’ve had a big day.”
“Yes, we have.” She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to even out her breathing. The man was so magnetic, she was afraid she might hyperventilate. Lifting her head, she looked up at the night sky. The whole wide expanse was awash in stars. “This is really a beautiful place, Austin. Thank you for allowing me to stay with you for a while.”
“You were an answer to prayer, Jolie.”
Jolie felt her heart contract with emotion. How easy it would be to fall in love with this man. Could he love her? Maybe. A sick feeling hit her in the middle of her stomach. If he ever found out the truth, what would he do? She closed her eyes at the thought.
“Here we are.” He opened the door for her, allowing her to enter.
“Tonight, I’m sleeping on the floor,” she announced. “I refuse to take your bed away from you again.”
Austin was taken aback. “Absolutely not. I refuse to sleep in a bed while you’re on the hard floor.”
“Well, I guess we’ll both be on the floor then.” She was determined to be hardheaded about this issued. Jolie wanted to give him no reason to resent her and a backache wouldn’t be a good way to start.
Austin racked his brain. He could tell she was going to be stubborn about this. He looked at the bed, thinking how he’d fantasized about sharing it with her. Maybe… “I used to have this Amish friend back in Tennessee. He told me about a custom they have. It’s a courting custom, but I think we could utilize it for our situation.”
“What do you mean?” Jolie was confused. “Courting custom?” She didn’t know much about the Amish.
Austin walked toward the bed, trying to figure out what they could use for a divide. “It’s a strange custom, but they allow a courting couple to share a bed. It’s a way for them to get better acquainted, yet maintain a sense of decorum. A board is normally placed between them, to separate his side from hers.”
“Do they always stay in their designated spots?”
Austin had to grin. “Well, I’m not sure about that.” Afraid she’d take his statement as a threat, he was quick to add. “But I promise I’ll stay on mine.” Unless she invited him to do otherwise.
Jolie was a bit disappointed. “So, we’re to sleep in the same bed?”
“Yes.” Austin moved around the room, gathering cushions and pillows that he’d purchased from Frost Thorn. “We’ll put these between us. This way, we can both enjoy the soft mattress and preserve your…” He was at a loss of words.
“I understand and thank you.” She admired his gentlemanly instinct, but couldn’t deny that she wanted more. Jolie frowned. Was that wrong? Did she feel those things because she wasn’t a lady? “This is going to be strange,” she admitted.
“I agree.” Austin arranged the barrier that would rest between them. “But we’ll have to make do until I can get to town and purchase another mattress.”
While he prepared their bed, Jolie retreated to a darkened corner to clean herself. There wasn’t much privacy in the small cabin. When she felt in order, she rejoined him.
“If you’re ready, I’ll douse the light. Which side do you prefer, Jolie?”
“Ah, against the wall, if you don’t mind.” She ran her hands down her sides. Wanting to preserve her dress, she’d changed back into the shirt he’d let her wear the previous evening. “Unless that’s your preference.”
“I don’t have one,” he admitted. “I usually sleep all over the bed.”
Yes, he was a big man. “You’ll probably be cramped.”
“I’ll be fine.” Allowing her time and room to crawl into the bed, he went to put out the lamp.
When Austin turned around, it was to find her lying in the bed as straight and stiff as the board he’d described previously. “Don’t be afraid, Jolie. I would never hurt you.”
“Oh, I know.” She allowed her eyes to meet his. He wasn’t clearly visible to her, but she could make out his features. “I’m not afraid of you. This is just…strange.”
“We’ll get used to it.” He was willing to put up with most anything to keep her here. Stripping off the majority of his clothing, he lifted the covers and slid beneath them.
Jolie lay there, feeling the dip of the mattress, hearing his breathing – smelling his clean male scent. Her heart hammered in her chest. This was her first time in bed with a man. Yes, it was unorthodox and there would be no contact. Still, it was momentous. “You’ve saved my life, Austin McCoy. I don’t know how I’ll ever begin to thank you.”
Austin closed his eyes and willed his body to calm down. His heart was thundering and his manhood was rigid with want. He wasn’t touching her, but he was more aware of her as a woman than he’d ever been of any of the light-skirt’s he’d bedded in Tennessee. “You don’t have to thank me.” God, he could think of ways… “We’ll take care of one another.”
“Yes.” Jolie sighed and closed her eyes. Her future didn’t seem like a hopeless place tonight. “We’ll take care of one another.”
CHAPTER SIX
During the next week, Austin and Jolie established a rhythm to their days. Both stayed busy. Austin was caught in a quandary, he valued the time he spent with his houseguest, but the moments he shared with her only made him more uncomfortable. Living with her without partaking of the delights her body offered was more agonizing than being staked over an anthill. To keep his overcharged libido under a tight restraint, Austin worked from daylight until dark, doing chores he’d long put off, anything to exhaust the energy built up that he longed to expend between her thighs. He chopped wood, tended the fire in the smokehouse, broke up new ground, and cleared underbrush. All those things were done in hope that when he fell into the bed, he’d be so weary that he could fight off the urge to take her in his arms and make her his in every sense of the word.
Jolie didn’t fare much better. She kept busy, doing everything possible to show Austin he’d made no mistake allowing her to remain under his care. She gathered pecans, dug a late crop of sweet potatoes and onions to store for the winter, washed his clothes and scrubbed the cabin from top to bottom. There were times when she could feel his eyes upon her, but she dared not presume what he was thinking. She prayed that he wasn’t regretting his decision, her worst fear was that he would wake up one morning and send her on her way.
In her weakest moments, Jolie couldn’t help but harbor the hope that Austin was beginning to feel affection for her, for there was no denying that love for him was growing in her heart. Every hour she spent with him only convinced her more that he was a man among men. There were times when she considered telling him the truth, revealing her past, unburdening the secret that haunted her every waking moment. She didn’t know if she should be ashamed or not, everything she’d always believed had been challenged by people who called her a piece of property, an animal, unequal to people such as Austin.
As she performed the daily tasks she’d assigned herself, Jolie debated these things in her mind. Like any woman would, she could not prevent herself from dreaming about the future. And at night…at night she would lay there so close to him, imagining what it would be like to be with him.
As she hung clothes on a line Austin had strung between two trees, Jolie let her mind wonder how his lips would taste, what it would feel like to lay under him as he claimed her as his own. The ways between a man and a woman were not unfamiliar to her, she’d not only seen animals mate, she’d once walked upon a couple making love. The hungry, urgent movements the man had made and the willing way the woman had embraced her lover, wrapping her legs around his hips – the image had never completely left her memory.
Yes, she yearned for Austin to introduce her to love. She wanted him more than anything.
As the sun moved across the sky, Jolie retreated to the kitchen and Austin stopped to enjoy the meal she prepared. He swore he’d never eaten so well. Jolie’s cooking far surpassed the talents of the cook his father employed. And the view across the dinner table was perfection. Sometimes he almost missed his mouth feasting his eyes on her delectable face.
A wanting, aching, urgent craving clawed at his breast. “Hell!”
Jolie jumped. “What’s wrong? Did you come across a bone?” She had fried some fish Austin had caught on a trot line in the Palo Gaucho.
“No.” He shook his head, at a loss as to what explanation to offer. “I was just thinking.”
His obvious discontent alarmed Jolie. “Did I do something wrong?”
Austin stood and carried his plate to the wash tub where they washed their dishes. “Yea.”
Jolie held her breath, waiting to find out how she’d displeased him. “I can fix it, Austin. What did I do?”
He rested his hands on the counter, every muscle in his body tight. “No, you can’t.” He turned to gaze at her, his face stoic. “You can’t help how beautiful you are. You can’t make me stop…” Austin quit speaking, gave her one last pained look and walked out of the cabin, returning to his work.
Jolie sat where he’d left her, staring at the spot he’d stood only a moment before. Crossing her arms over her breast, she contemplated their situation. One thing was obvious, Austin felt the same way she did. But he was a gentleman. A thought occurred to her that she hadn’t considered. What if he asked her to marry him? The very idea caused chills to run over her skin. She knew it was against every law known to man for them to marry.
But if he didn’t know who she was…
Aggravated at herself, she cleaned off the table and washed the dishes.
Did they have to marry in order to be together?
Who would know?
It wasn’t like they were surrounded by neighbors.
Didn’t they deserve to be happy? They wouldn’t be bothering anyone.
For the next few hours, Jolie argued with herself, going over every possibility. By the time night fell and Austin came in for supper, she was no closer to arriving at a solution than she’d been when he left.
“A front’s moving in, a storm will hit before morning.” Austin proclaimed as he came through the door, taking off his coat and hanging it up on a hook on the back of the door. “Something smells good.”
“Chicken and dumplings, Grandmere’s recipe.” She sat a steaming bowl of fragrant stew on the table. “I also made some cane syrup cookies.”
Austin sat down, his eyes wide at the banquet she’d provided for him. “Jolie, this looks incredible,” he praised her before digging in.
Jolie served herself, gratified that he liked her cooking. She took a few bites, then asked him a question that had been on her mind. “Do you get a lot of snow here?”
Austin took a sip of water. “Some. Not as much as we did in Tennessee. Last winter we had three snowstorms, got up to my knees, but it didn’t last long.”
Nodding, Jolie smiled. “I look forward to seeing it.”
Austin chuckled. “Doesn’t snow often in south Louisiana, I suppose.”
“No.” She moved her food around on her plate with her spoon. “I saw some bees today. Is there a honey tree around?”
“Yes.” He pointed to the jar. “We probably need to stock up. There’s a bee tree about a half mile away, over near the pond.”
Jolie looked up. “There’s a pond. Can we swim?”
An image of Jolie wet and cavorting in the water caused his male organ to wake up and pay attention. Of course, around her, it didn’t take much. To get his attention, all she had to do was breathe. “Yes, when it gets warm in the spring, I’ll take you.”
“What would I wear?” she asked innocently and Austin stuffed his mouth so she wouldn’t notice him drooling over the idea of her swimming unclothed.
“We’ll find something,” he answered once he chewed and swallowed. About that time, a rumble of thunder shook the cabin and the blaze of a lightning strike shone through the open shutter.
Jolie jumped up and closed the shutter before the rain could begin to blow in.
Austin rose and took care of the one on the opposite wall.
Sandy stood and howled.
At Jolie’s questioning glance, Austin explained. “He doesn’t like storms; the thunder hurts his ears.” They both smiled when the dog took shelter under the table. “I guess we’d better take care of our walk and bathroom time before the worst gets here.”
Once they finished, Austin leaned back in his chair and watched Jolie put away the leftovers and the dishes. His eyes roved over the curve of her backside revealed by the doeskin dress as she stood on tiptoe to reach a top shelf in the cupboard he’d built last fall. She moved with grace, flipping her hair over her shoulder when it got in her way.
“Hell!” he muttered, standing up and moving toward the fireplace. As grateful as he was for her company, Austin didn’t know how long he could stand the torment of being near her without the privilege of touching her. He placed his hand on the mantle and stared into the fire, ultra-aware of every move she made behind him. Turning his head to ease the muscles in his neck, Austin’s gaze landed on his chess board. The sight made him smile. He’d played himself, doing anything to fill the empty lonely hours. “Jolie, you wouldn’t know how to play chess, would you?”
