Be My Guest (10 page)

Aurora clutched his hair with her hand and
pulled him to her as his lips reclaimed hers. Just as she lost all
sense of reason, he slowly pulled away. His eyes dark with passion,
he gazed hungrily at her body, then leaned to kiss her lips briefly
once more before pulling away.

"I think you'd better get this nightshirt on
and cover up before I forget how badly you're injured," he said
huskily.

Somehow the covers had slipped away and her
legs curled to his body. Aurora pulled the sheet over her legs and
struggled into the elongated imitation of a football jersey. She
knew herself unable to put a halt to any lovemaking he might have
begun. Lost in Will's spell and bewildered as she fought to get her
breathing under control and meet his mesmerizing gaze. What must he
be thinking of her?

Aurora put her hand on his arm. "Will, I...I
can't imagine what's come over me. I've always been so calm and
reserved. Really, I'm never like this, but I just seem to have lost
all sense of reason or caution with you. You must think me terribly
wanton after the way I acted the first time you saw me, and my
letting you help bathe me last night, and...and just now."

Aurora put her hands to her flushed cheeks
and repeated, "Oh, my goodness. I truly don't know what's come over
me."

"Mm, I think I do, and I like it a lot."
Will kissed the top of her forehead. "Now, I'll give you some
privacy and check back with you in a little while. I think I heard
Bob, Greg, and Raul returning from their ride. I'll let them tell
me how badly this flood has hit us. Raul can ask Lily to come over
to help out for a while when she can manage it."

***

The news from Will's foreman was not good.
Large areas where stock had been located were under water. Until
the water receded, no one could tell how many of the cattle had
been caught in the flood and how many had moved to higher ground.
Certainly there would be heavy losses, though. To make matters
worse, steady rain now fell again, though not so violently this
time.

Will had told the men about his house guest
and the lost car when they first came by early that morning.
Neither of the three saw the car on their ride, but they were
unable to get to many parts of the ranch because of the floodwater.
The ranch’s location complex at the top of a hill cut it off by the
water in three directions. With more rain falling, they would
remain isolated for a while longer. Will remembered to tell Raul to
ask Lily to come help him care for Aurora for a while today.

After the three left, Will sat on a kitchen
chair. Thoughts of being lost on an island with a beautiful woman
ran through his mind. But this was no dream sequence nor a movie or
television show. Real life here, he thought, with this woman really
in his home. Somehow, he had to keep Aurora nearby, no further away
than Post, and he knew he must work fast. If there was any woman
alive who could help him recover from Nancy’s loss, Aurora was that
woman. He picked up his cell phone he’d brought with him when he
left the bedroom. Rain or no rain, the time had come to make some
calls.

* * *

Although she ached, much of the throbbing
and dizziness left Aurora's head. Her shoulder moved more freely
now, so at least she’d suffered no permanent damage. In all, her
resilience slowly returned. After donning the socks and panties
Will had given her with her nightshirt, she lay back on the
pillows. Reaching and stretching to put on those few articles of
clothing renewed many aches. No pain, no gain...at least she
hoped.

The doctor, according to Will, said she
should rest until she came to his office for examination. Being
waited on by a man on crutches made her feel a malingerer.

Usually Aurora read in any spare time.
Today, her head hurt too much to read, so she lay rethinking her
reactions to Will. In spite of her resolve to remain uninvolved for
the near future, she had acted almost with abandon toward this
handsome cowboy. Her reactions puzzled her, but her unrestrained
response to Will certainly cleared up any lingering doubts of her
feelings for Russell.

Her life’s neat time schedule worked out in
her mind did not include getting involved with a man at this point
in time--even one as attractive as Will Harrison. It especially
excluded involvement with a man obviously not over the death of his
wife. She had no desire to be a passing fancy for any man--even a
rugged cowboy as fascinating as her host.

Aurora believed herself an organized,
efficient person. How unjust of Russell to call her a machine! Yet
she supposed to onlookers she appeared consumed by work, first in
school and then in her job with James, in her quest to become an
independent businesswoman. In retrospect, after her break up with
Russell, she saw how hollow her life had been. And how shallow
Russell was.

On that day in Houston so many months ago
she vowed to start her life anew, this time with more balance. When
her parents told her of their friend Jane Headen's desire to sell
her Durango book store, it seemed the perfect solution.
Methodically, she plotted her course of action--how much she could
spend where and how long she could travel before making her final
decision about the gift store in Durango.

In these four months Aurora learned a lot
about herself and about life in general. She saw herself in many of
the offices in which she worked--people consumed by the need to
excel, to get to the top in business life no matter how the climb
decimated personal life. Taking herself less seriously and enjoying
everyday experiences more stood as her primary lesson.

Opposed in theory to all her former
training, Aurora knew it unnecessary to win every contract or break
every record to achieve success. She found it possible to live out
of a suitcase and conduct business by phone, pay her bills online,
and email. Her parents forwarded real mail to her and stored the
extra clothes and the furniture from her apartment.

Here she sat, all she salvaged from her
well-packed little car was one suitcase and her briefcase. Thank
goodness, she saved her briefcase. In it were her laptop computer,
her financial records, charts and lists. Even with her newfound
freedom, she would be seriously hindered if the briefcase
disappeared.

Chapter Five

Aurora
grew restless in spite of her
headache. Her legs seemed to have regained their stability as she
tentatively tested them before she rose to inspect the room. She
padded in her sock feet first to the photograph of Will and his
wife--Nancy, he called her--with their daughter Kelly. How carefree
Will looked there. He said his wife had been dead only three years.
Judging from the appearance of his daughter Kelly, this must have
been taken just before Nancy's illness. Will appeared so much
younger in the photograph, though, more like ten years instead of
three. Poor Will, the loss of his wife had taken a very heavy toll
on him.

Aurora surveyed the room slowly. It must
have been completely redecorated since Nancy's death. As devoted as
he was to his wife, Aurora doubted Will would remove traces of her
from the room they had shared. Someone else must have initiated and
coordinated the decorating, maybe Will's sister or mother. The room
seemed very masculine, with a burgundy and green spread and
matching draperies and chairs and a lush gray carpet the color of
his eyes. The massive king-sized sleigh bed and matching chest and
dresser of dark cherry might precede the redecoration.

A large Dalhart Windberg print of hill
country bluebonnets hung on one wall, and nearby some Ronald
Thomason originals depicted various ranching scenes. The two chairs
cozied up to a lamp table near the window and provided a good view
of the large television across the room. Open draperies beckoned
her to the window.

The bedroom sat at the front of the house
and made the raised railroad bed visible from the window. As Aurora
stood with her face near the glass, she decided this must be where
Will stood when he saw her torch light on the railway bed. Prickles
raised along her neck when she realized how slim the chance that
her little torch would be seen from this window.

Water lay in a great, long lake. At the end
of the lake a group of trees stood with trunks submerged. She
believed she could pick out the large tree with which she collided
and in which she then sought refuge.

If outside, she thought, she could see the
ranch from the porch yet not get caught in the rain. Aurora,
reflecting on the events of the previous evening, suddenly
remembered the clothes left in the laundry room. As she wondered
whether her jeans had dried, Will came into the room.

"You're supposed to be resting, remember?"
Will gasped as she turned to face him, and the smile she gave him
brightened his heart. What he had thought a masculine room became
just a beautiful room in which her presence seemed natural. The
dark green background in the paisley print of the draperies against
which she stood made her eyes seem even more green. The soft, gray
light of the window behind her provided a mystical halo.

"I've only been up a few minutes." She
walked slowly toward him. "My legs seem to be working better
now."

His heart thudded louder in his chest with
her each sensuous step. Could she be unaware of her effect on him?
"And very nice legs they are. I think the bruises and scrapes on
the knees are unnecessary decoration, though." He cleared his
throat and swallowed hard. Best to remember why he was here. "Since
we had such an early breakfast, I thought you might be ready for an
early lunch. Do you want to eat in here or in the kitchen?"

She reached for the robe, but found it damp
from her bath. Oh well, she thought, at least I'm covered up more
than I was at breakfast. "The kitchen," she said as she walked
slowly toward the doorway. "Is there no end to your household
talents? You cook, you clean, you do laundry."

"Mm, and you haven't yet sampled the best of
my household skills." Will flashed a devilish grin as she brushed
by him.

Lunch consisted of roast beef sandwiches and
fruit at the breakfast bar. Will turned the volume on Kelly's
portable radio low as country music played in the background while
they ate. Will sang absentmindedly along with a Martina McBride
song. Although obviously untrained, his voice had a rough, earthy
quality that sounded very pleasant to Aurora's ears.

"Is she a favorite of yours?"

Will snapped out of his mood in surprise.
"Sorry, I didn't realize I subjected you to my voice. Yes, I guess
she is. I've always heard she's a nice person, and I enjoy music
much more if I think the artist is someone I'd respect in private
life." He slid the plates to the places at the breakfast bar. "If
you don't like country music out here, you're in big trouble.
That's about all that's available on the radio. When the
electricity's on we can listen to just about any kind of music you
choose via the satellite system or CD's and tapes."

"What kind of music do you listen to then?"
Aurora thought country music appropriate for a cowboy, even a
somewhat sophisticated cowboy like Will.

Will scrunched up his face in thought.
"Depends on my mood. Everything from the old cowboy songs to
classics. What about you, what kind of music do you like?"

"I guess I have eclectic tastes in music,
too, except for rap or heavy metal. I especially hate rap or what
they’re calling ‘urban’ music. Most of the time I listen to jazz or
pop."

"If I'm really trying to concentrate, I
listen to classical music--no lyrics to make me sing along." Other
than the persistent headache and pain of her back, her rest and
bath helped ease some of the soreness and fatigue she experienced
after yesterday's ordeal.

Will thought he had his emotions in control
now, in spite of the twinkle he saw in her eyes and her bedtime
attire. At least she's mostly covered now, and he tried to ignore
the imprint of the tips of her breasts against her nightshirt. Oh,
man, I wonder when Lily will get over here.

Rain dwindled to a drizzle. According to the
radio announcer, sunshine soon would replace storms as the clouds
moved out of the area. Will speculated that by tomorrow electricity
and phone service would be restored. Ah, even now bridges reached
toward his deserted isle.

After the radio announcer's comment about
the prospect of sun, Will called sheriff to see if the roads were
open. Aurora reassembled the contents of her wallet and discarded
those things that were ruined. Just as she tossed the last item
into the wastebasket, Will finished his call.

She shook her head sadly. "I can't imagine
those poor people who have to cope with the effects of a flood in
their home. It must be devastating emotionally, aside from the
financial blow."

He crossed the room and put his hand at her
waist. "I know it's tough to lose personal possessions, but they're
replaceable. At least you're safe."

Aurora turned to him and placed a hand
briefly on his chest. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful about my
situation, Will. My thoughts weren't on these few things from my
handbag, those in my car, or even the car. I thought, what if my
home and all the things inside were lost or ruined? I just can't
imagine what it would be like."

"Neither can I, but it must be rough." He
wondered again how many cattle he had lost. Best not to think of
that now. His hand went to his head and his fingers combed through
his hair in the absentminded manner so much a part of his nature.
"I talked with the county sheriff's dispatcher. The roads aren't
open yet, but may be by this evening. I called Kelly, and told Lori
Beth to wait until tomorrow to try to make it home." He saw a
sparkle in Aurora's eyes.