Be My Guest (22 page)

Thick ham sandwiches appeared. Will held up
a plastic sandwich bag of crushed tortilla chips. "The chips
suffered in the saddlebags, so we have little pieces. Sorry."

"They'll taste the same, and I’ll bet those
sandwiches taste wonderful. I don't know how sitting on a horse
could make me so hungry. After all, the horse did all the work."
Aurora could hear her stomach rumbling with hunger pangs. She
removed her gloves and stuffed them into her jeans pocket.

"We brought cookies and apples for dessert.
I helped Lily make the cookies Friday." Kelly held up three
sandwich bags of chocolate chip cookies. The unbroken cookies fared
better than the chips.

"And ate more of the dough than you cooked,
I'll bet." Will winked at Aurora and her heart melted. "I think
Lily has to double the recipe to have enough dough for cookies when
you and Catrina are around."

Honored they included her in their family
circle, Aurora enjoyed the banter between father and daughter.
Could she become a permanent part of this family? Would there
always be that unreachable distance between her and these two? She
would probably never know now. She had turned down Will's proposal
and he was not likely to ask her again.

She spoke sincerely when she said, "This is
a lovely picnic. I don't know when I've enjoyed one more. It's such
a perfect day."

The picnic over, the trio led the horses to
the chapel and tied them to the hitching rail in front of the door.
Will unlocked the padlock on the door and stood back for Kelly and
Aurora to enter. As he followed Aurora in, he placed a hand to the
small of her back. She decided she liked the feel of his hand
there.

Small and slightly musty, a table and a
wooden cross stood at the opposite end of the small church. Red
seats for about forty people faced the table and cross. Aurora ran
her finger over the velvety plush back of one of the seats. What
odd seats for a country chapel, she thought.

As if he read her mind, Will said, "The
seats are from an old theater in Lubbock." He stepped away from her
to sit in one of the seats. His hand’s imprint seared her back.
Silly, foolish woman! She watched as he laid his cane on the seat
beside him and rubbed an unseen wrinkle from the inside thigh of
his jeans. She quickly turned away.

"When is the chapel used now?" She thought
it a terrible shame such a picturesque building had to stand locked
away from the world.

"Cowboy poetry readings," Will watched
Aurora carefully for her response as he added, "weddings, things
like that."

Heat of a blush spread on her cheeks at his
emphasis the word weddings. Maybe it was not too late. Maybe he
planned to ask her again. Trying to conceal her feelings of
insecurity, Aurora peered around. "Hmm, does it have a
bathroom?"

He laughed. Then, with a conspiratorial
smile asked his daughter to show Aurora the bathroom.

Kelly's laugh echoed her father's as she
took Aurora by the hand. "Come on, I'll show you."

Kelly led the way outside and around to the
side of the building near the back. "This is it." Kelly unfastened
her jeans, scooted jeans and panties down, then squatted near the
ground.

Out of her element, Aurora sighed with
resignation. "Okay, I get it."

She peered warily in each direction. "Are
you sure no one can see us here?"

"I'm sure. You have to be careful, though,
or your jeans get sprinkled." Kelly seemed quite comfortable with
the situation.

Aurora sighed and followed Kelly's example.
"I can't believe I'm doing this in the wide open spaces." If this
didn’t impress on her she was eons away from the skyscrapers of
downtown Houston, nothing could.

Aurora and Kelly finished their business and
returned to the chapel. Will sat quietly, grinning when they
returned. "Well, did you find the ladies' room?"

Aurora glared at him. "Some things about the
Wild West are just a little too wild for me."

Chuckling, he grabbed his cane and left to
take his turn outside. When he returned, the trio left the chapel
and Will locked up behind them.

The ride home led them by a slightly
different but just as scenic route. Pinks, reds, and golds of a
desert sundown shot across the western sky as the three returned to
the barn. What a wonderful afternoon this had been. Never had she
considered herself the outdoor type, but this stood in her mind as
one of the most perfect days of her life.

Her reverie stopped short when she realized
they were at the patio of Will's house instead of the barn.

"We'll leave you here to warm up the swing
while we put the horses away." Will reached over to take the reins
of her horse. He flashed her a wicked smile as he added, "Or maybe
you'd prefer the ladies' room here to the one at the cowboy
cathedral. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Grateful to escape brushing down horses and
cleaning hooves, Aurora dismounted. She thought her legs would fold
under her, and once again clung to the pommel for support. When she
finally moved she walked stiffly with a new gait.

Kelly guided Misty near. "You're walking
kind of funny. Are you okay?"

"Yes, but muscles I never knew existed are
complaining to me. I'll probably be walking like an old, old woman
all day tomorrow--if I can walk at all, that is." She sank onto the
swing, her legs quivering at their unaccustomed exercise. With a
relaxed sigh she removed her hat and gloves. Remembering Kelly's
warning about "hat hair," she trudged inside to the bathroom to
comb her hair with her fingers and wash her hands and face. Perfect
as the day seemed, she admitted she much preferred modern plumbing
to squatting in the open.

Back on the patio and rocking to and fro in
the swing, Aurora mused on the day and the progress of her
relationship with Will and Kelly. Kelly treated her as if she were
already a part of the family. With a smile she recalled the sneaky
smile Will gave her as he mentioned weddings at the little cowboy
cathedral. Not very subtle, was he?

Will opened the door from the kitchen and
stepped out onto the patio. Two glasses filled his left hand.
"Could I interest you in a soft drink?"

She took one of the drinks and sipped the
cool liquid. "Where's Kelly?"

"Kelly rushed off to tell Catrina about our
ride and got invited to go into Post with Catrina and her family
for a pizza and video games.”

Aurora flexed her shoulders to stretch tired
muscles, and Will apologized, "I'm sorry, I guess that was an
awfully long ride for your first time in the saddle after so many
years."

"I'll be fine, Will. It was a lovely ride
and I really enjoyed it. Even the lack of plumbing didn't spoil
it."

Will laughed. He set his glass on the table
beside the swing and lay his arm around her shoulders. He told her
about other rides they could take and rides he had taken.

As night enfolded them, he pulled her into
his arms. His tender kisses became more ardent and he gently guided
her to her feet and led her into the house. As if in a trance, she
followed this gentle cowboy to the bedroom they had shared on her
first weekend here. Was it a few days or years ago? Life had
changed so much since then, and it seemed as if her life really
began here.

The cautious thoughts which raced through
her mind were abruptly quieted when Will once again kissed her. She
forgot everything except how his kiss tasted. How wonderful to be
in his arms.

This time the kiss became deep, exploring,
inciting. She fell into a vortex of ecstasy where only she and this
man existed. His tongue probed her mouth and she responded. He
pulled her closer, pressing her against him. The heated bulge of
his desire pressed against her. Unconsciously she swayed to rub her
pelvis against him. He moaned. Or was that her voice?

Her hands moved slowly from his back to his
chest and the snaps of his shirt as his trembling fingers fumbled
at the buttons of her blouse. Between fervent kisses discarded
clothing dropped in a pile at their feet.

Will jerked back the covers of the bed and
lifted her to place her gently on the cool sheets. He stood beside
the bed, his eyes aflame with passion as he stared down at her.
"Oh, Aurora, let me look at you. You're even more beautiful than I
remembered."

Her eyes feasted on his lean, muscular body
and his manhood rigid with his need for her. He reached into the
drawer of the nightstand and withdrew a foil package. Without
speaking she took it from him. His eyes closed and he gasped with
pleasure as she spread the condom over him.

With one motion he joined her on the bed.
Their limbs intertwined as hands explored and his long body slid
next to hers. His mouth found its way to her rosy nipple and she
gasped with pleasure as she kneaded his shoulders with her hands.
This time she knew the moan to be hers, a low primitive sound that
surprised her. When his mouth moved to the other breast, she
seensed herself on the edge of sanity. How could she withstand such
bliss?

She realized she called his name only after
he raised his head. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, oh yes," she cried as she pulled his
mouth to hers. With his hand he found the moistness of her nub and
caressed her. Stars exploded around her and she thought she too
would explode if he didn't enter her soon. She wanted to beg him to
enter her for she could withstand this burning desire no
longer.

Before she could cry out again he was in her
and their bodies melded, each attuned to the other. Their passion
reaching crescendo in perfect union.

Will lay back on the bed with his arms
around her. He placed a kiss gently on her cheek and nuzzled his
face on her shoulder. "I knew it would be this wonderful between
us," he whispered. "I've wanted you since I saw you that first day
in Snyder." His hands caressed her and he softly kissed her
hair.

She brought one of his hands to her mouth
and kissed his palm before she lay her cheek in it. "Oh, Will, I
never knew it could be like this." She nestled into his arms
further, then suddenly raised her head.

"Will, how long does it take the Chapas to
get pizza and play video games? I wouldn't want Kelly to find us
like this."

The two reluctantly donned their clothes and
remade the bed.

"I'll take you home now. If the house is
dark, Raul and Lily will keep Kelly with them until I get
back."

Back at Rose's, Will came around and helped
Aurora out of the truck. His support was appreciated, but no longer
was she concerned with aching muscles. Reluctant to have the
evening end, he guided her to the swing. She sat down slowly. Will
joined her, cradling her to his chest.

"You'll be calling me a city dude if I don't
get better at riding than this."

Will laughed again, and leaned his cane
against the house. The evening breeze once again stirred through
the honeysuckle and Lebanon cedar and swirled the scents to Will
and Aurora. The aromas reminded her of Will's proposal on a similar
night. Would he repeat his offer? She now thought herself ready to
answer him. Had he changed his mind?

Will pulled her gently to him and kissed
her. When at last he spoke, she could hear the catch in his
voice.

"Aurora, I know I made a mess of things last
time. I should never have talked so much about Nancy, but I wanted
you to understand my feelings. I can't go on like this, though. I
want you too much. Can't you see what you're doing to me?"

"Please, tell me, Will."

"Aw, Aurora. I love you. Can't you see that
you're more important to me than any woman in the world? I can't
promise not to love Nancy. I promise you that what I shared with
Nancy has nothing to do with my love for you."

"I can't help feeling you're comparing us in
your mind, that you wish I were her."

Will turned her to him, one hand on each of
her arms. "You can't be serious? Listen to me. I love you more than
life itself. Nothing, no one living or dead is more important to me
than you are. Can't you see that?"

"Oh, Will. That's what I needed to hear. I
love you so much." Aurora melted into Will's arms.

"Remember that first weekend when I told you
I didn't plan to let you get away again? I loved you even then.
Marry me soon. We can announce our plans at my birthday party next
week."

"That sounds wonderful. Oh, Will, I'm so
happy. This makes everything just perfect. Peggy wants to sell me
her shop, but I couldn't give her a definite answer. I couldn't
bear to live here and see you and not be able to be with you."

Will pulled away. "What do you mean? You
can't mean you still want to own your own business? Honey, there's
no need for that now that we're going to be married. Everything's
changed."

She shook her head and met his gaze as she
spoke firmly. "Not that. I intend to have my own business. Being
married won't change that."

His brow knit and his mouth became a firm
line. "You won't need your own business now. I make enough money
for us both to live quite comfortably. Surely you want children?"
He ran his fingers through his hair in distress.

"Of course I want children. I want lots and
lots of children--your children. But that doesn't mean I can't be a
business woman too." What happened? Where did this get out of
hand?

"Do you think I can't take care of you?
Don't you trust me? Surely you don't think I'll keep you barefoot
and pregnant and refuse you an allowance? I tell you, there's no
need for you to work now. You can spend your time running the house
and raising children." His voice showed frustration--and anger.

She placed a hand on his arm, placating him,
forcing him to understand. "Will, I have to have my own business.
It has nothing to do with trusting you. I know you're a generous
man, and that you're very successful. We’re in the twenty-first
century. A married woman doesn’t have to be a stay-at-home wife to
prove her love. Loving you doesn't change the fact that I want my
own business."