Healing Gabriel (2 page)

“Morgan isn’t like that!  She’s not going to stare at you
every time you walk by.  Besides, you’ll undoubtedly keep your distance from
her just like you do everyone else.”

“I don’t keep my distance from you or Peter or Nat.”  He
protested.

“Don’t you?  When was the last time you came to the house
Gabe?  Any time we want to see you, we have to come here.”

“Lacey, you don’t get it.  You don’t have to – “

She put her hand up.  “I’m not having this discussion with
you.  I get that you think you’re a freak and I get that you hate when people
stare at you and honey, I’m sorry.  I really am.  But I’m not going to baby you
anymore.  I’ve tried it for too long and it hasn’t done anything but help you
wallow in your own self-pity.  You need to start living your life.  I know it’s
hard but I’m not going to indulge you anymore.  You need to rejoin the living
Gabriel.”

She stopped, breathing hard as Gabe stared in surprise at
her.  “Lacey, I can’t – “

“You can and you will.”  She said firmly and then surprised
him again by hugging him hard.  “I love you Gabe and I won’t sit back and watch
you wither away like this.  Enough is enough.  Morgan is moving in to the
carriage house this weekend.  She needs a place to stay and she’s a sweet
girl.  You won’t even know she’s here.”

Gabe grunted and Lacey squeezed his hand.  “Also, we’re
having a barbeque this weekend and you’re coming.  I mean it Gabe.”

Morgan armed the sweat off her forehead and collapsed in the
armchair.  She was hot and sweaty and her back hurt, but she was pleased with
what she had accomplished.  It was Saturday afternoon.  She had moved her
meagre belongings into the carriage house this morning, and had spent the rest
of the day cleaning the kitchen and removing the dust protectors from all of
the furniture.  It had been hot and dirty work, despite the breeze that was
blowing through the open windows, and she gave her armpits a quick sniff.  She
would definitely need to have a shower before she went to the barbeque tonight.

She stood up and eyed the large couch.  It would look much
better if she moved it to the other side of the room she decided.  She would
move it and then have a quick shower.

She grabbed the arm of the couch and, with a loud grunt,
began to pull it across the room.  It was even heavier than it looked, and she
paused for a moment to catch her breath.  There was a soft woof behind her.

The dog was back and this time it had brought a friend.  The
second dog was another Australian shepherd that was smaller in size, and grey
and white instead of brown.  The larger dog woofed again at her. 

“Hi puppy.  Who’s your friend?  And how did you get in
here?”

It woofed again and approached her slowly.  It sniffed her
jean-covered thigh and she petted the side of its neck gently.  The second dog
approached, already wagging its tail, and she gave it a quick pat as well.  “Since
you’re here, why don’t you two help a girl out and push on the other end of the
couch.”

The dog chuffed and she patted its head and grabbed the arm
of the couch again.  “Move back puppy.”

With another loud grunt she pulled on the couch; it moved
but she was beginning to doubt her ability to move it completely across the
room. 

“Jeez Louise.”  She muttered.  “What the heck are the
cushions stuffed with?  Rocks?”

“What are you doing?”

She shrieked in surprise at Gabe’s deep voice.  She
staggered back, tripped over her own feet and fell.  The back of her head hit
the old, wooden floor with a hard thud and she cried out.

“Shit!  Are you okay?”  The right side of Gabe’s face
appeared above her and she groaned and rubbed the back of her head.

“Just fine.”  She held her hand out.  “Can you help me up?”

He hesitated and then took her hand.  He yanked hard and
Morgan, not expecting it, tripped over her feet again as she staggered upwards
and slammed into his hard body.  He yelped in surprise and stumbled back, still
holding her hand.  The arm of the couch hit the back of his knees and he fell
backwards, dragging Morgan with him.  They landed on the couch in a tangle of
limbs, curses and dust.  There was a deafening crack and Morgan gave a short
shriek as the bottom of the couch dropped out from under them.

The dogs were barking loudly and Gabe shouted angrily, “Vincent! 
Delilah!  Enough!”

They quieted immediately and Morgan, coughing from the dust,
took stock of the situation.  The seat supports of the couch had snapped under
their combined weight and they were wedged in the bottom of the couch.  Her
lower body was caught between the couch and Gabe’s hard hip and her upper half
was sprawled across his upper chest.  She tried to push away from him and felt
a sliver of panic when she couldn’t budge.

There was a snuffling in her hair and she craned her neck. 
The larger dog stared down at her before licking her cheek.

“Vincent, leave.”  Gabe growled.

The dog woofed softly and retreated. 

Morgan gave Gabe a worried look.  “I’ve broken your couch. 
I’m so sorry - I’ll replace it.”

The sound of her voice drew Vincent once more and as Morgan
turned to look at the dog, Gabe studied her closely.  She was covered in dust
and there was a large smear of dirt across her forehead.  Her light brown hair
was pulled into a ponytail and she giggled as Vincent licked her forehead.

“Good boy Vincent.  Go get help.  Tell them Timmy fell down
the well.”  She laughed again and the corners of Gabe’s mouth twitched. 

She was pretty, he decided.  Her eyes were blue like his, but
light instead of dark, and she had tanned skin and a nice curvy body.  He
swallowed.  That curvy body was currently lying snugly on his and his groin was
embarrassingly aware of it.  He dropped his gaze to where her breasts were
pushed against his chest.  She was wearing a t-shirt with a scoop neckline and
he could see just a hint of her cleavage.  It was enough to make the blood rush
to his dick, and he thanked God that her lower half was wedged beside him and
not on top of him.

“Mr. Dern?”  He realized he was still staring at her chest
and lifted his eyes in a hurry.  She was studying him carefully, and he
automatically turned his face so the left side was pressed against the cushion
under his head.

A small frown line appeared in the smooth patch of flesh
between her eyes and he was struck with the ridiculous urge to touch it with
his fingers, to try and smooth it away.  He cleared his throat roughly.  Her
eyes were still on his face but they weren’t looking at the ruined landscape of
the left side, nor did he see any pity in them.

“Mr. Dern?”  She said again, a tinge of worry in her voice. 
“Are you hurt?”

“No.  And call me Gabe.”  He replied.

“I’m so sorry about your couch.  I’m a real clutz and I – “

“It’s fine.”  He interrupted.  “It was an old couch.”

“Are you sure?”  She bit nervously at her bottom lip and he
almost groaned out loud.  He had a full-blown erection now and he was ashamed
of his lack of self-control.  He had to get away from her before she looked
down and saw the tell-tale bulge in his jeans.  His dick had a mind of its own.

Can you blame it?  You haven’t had a woman touch you in
years.  Hell, you’ve never even –

He silenced his inner voice bitterly as she shifted
slightly, her breasts rubbing against his chest.  “Um, I think we’re really
trapped in here.” 

“I just need to move to my side.  Hold on.”  He grunted.  He
twisted under her, worming his way on to his side, and she gave a small squeak
as her head banged against the side of the couch.

They were face-to-face now, both of them lying on their
sides.  Without thinking about it he leaned forward, pressing against her and
touching the back of her head.  “I’m sorry.  Are you okay?”

“Yup.  Stuff like this happens to me all the time.  I’m a
walking accident.” 

She laughed softly and moved her body experimentally.  It
made her pelvis rub against his, and he could see the exact moment she realized
he had an erection.  Colour flooded her cheeks and her pink lips pursed in
surprise. 

He groaned in embarrassment and pushed his way out of the couch. 
She hit her head again as he scrambled free and he winced and took her arm,
helping her out of the ruined remains of the couch.

She dusted her shirt off, staring at the floor with pink
cheeks, and he turned away and looked at the two dogs.  “I’m sorry.”  He said
hoarsely.

“It’s fine.”  She cleared her throat.

His damn dick had finally decided to cooperate and he turned
back around, making sure to keep just the right side of his face in profile. 
He made himself look at her.

She was staring at the couch and she sighed heavily.  “Gosh,
I really am sorry about your couch.  I shouldn’t have tried to move it.”

“It’s not your fault.  If I hadn’t scared you when I came
in, none of this would have happened.”

She cocked her head at him.  “Why are you here anyway?”

“I came to see if the power was back on.  I called and asked
them to turn it on yesterday.”

“Oh.  You know, I haven’t even checked.  Hit the light
switch.”

He flicked the switch by the door and she smiled when the
light came on.  “Thanks for calling them.”

“Yeah.”  He hesitated and then said gruffly, “The front door
was wide open.  I know we’re out in the country but you should keep the door
shut.  There are coyotes and bears.”

She frowned.  “I’m sure I shut the door.  Maybe it didn’t
latch properly.”

Gabe eyed Vincent suspiciously.  “I’m sure you did shut it.” 
He gave the dog a hard look.  “Vincent...”

The dog ducked behind the couch.  Morgan gave Gabe a
confused look.  “I don’t understand.”

“Vincent knows how to open doors.  If the door is unlocked he
can open the handle with his mouth.”

“That’s amazing!”  Morgan actually clapped with delight as Vincent
crowded up behind her.  “You’re the smartest puppy ever.  Yes you are, oh yes
you are.”

She crouched down and petted the dog roughly.  Not to be
ignored, Delilah nosed her way in.  “Oh, you’re a clever girl too honey; yes
you are.”  Morgan kissed the top of Delilah’s head as Vincent chuffed and head
butted her.  She fell over with another loud thump, her elbow banging off the
wooden floor.  Gabe winced as she popped back up to her feet, dusting her ass
off with her hands.

“Woops!”  She said cheerfully and rubbed vigorously at her elbow.

“Are you okay?”

“Yep.”  She glanced at her watch.  “I should start getting
ready for the barbeque though.  Did you want to drive in together?”

“I’m not going to the barbeque.”

Morgan blinked at him.  “Oh, I thought you were.  Lacey said
that you were going.”

“She was wrong.”  He made a clicking noise with his tongue
and the two dogs followed him out of the living room.  She heard the front door
shut firmly behind him.

Morgan blew out her breath.  The back of her head was aching
and her elbow was stinging but she barely noticed.  The butterflies in her
stomach – now those she noticed.  She was no delicate flower.  She knew exactly
what that hardness had been against her hip when Gabe had pressed against her.

She started towards the bathroom, yanking her t-shirt over
her head and tossing it through the open door of her bedroom.  She knew she
wasn’t a raving beauty.  She was of average height and weight and her hair was
a bland brown colour.  She guessed that her eyes were her prettiest feature but
she was also blind as a bat.  Without her contacts or glasses she couldn’t see
five feet in front of herself.  She really was just average.

She had dated steadily through college but afterwards, there
hadn’t seemed to be enough time.  She was starting a new career, her mother was
sick and dating had fallen to the side.  Hell, she hadn’t been laid in nearly
three years.

That, she decided, was the reason she had felt an answering
call of desire in her stomach when Gabe’s erection had pressed against her. 
Not that he wasn’t handsome she mused as she kicked off her jeans and left them
in the hallway.  His eyes were gorgeous and he had thick dark hair and what
felt like an amazingly hard body.  He’d be muscular – working on a farm was
hard work.  He would have muscles from lifting hay bales and stuff.  Did sheep
eat hay?  She had no idea.

She closed her eyes and pictured Gabe’s face.  The right
side was perfect – high cheekbone, full lips and a strong jaw.  The left side –
she winced a little.  She hadn’t seen very much of it, Gabe did a remarkably
good job of keeping it hidden, but she had seen enough. 

She wasn’t horrified by it like he probably thought she
was.  At her old school, there was a father of one of her students who had been
burned in a house fire.  His burns had covered nearly all of his face, most of
his hair was gone and his right ear was completely burned off. 

His son was one of her “problem” students and consequently
she had spent a great deal of time with both his mom and dad.  At first, she
had found it difficult not to stare, but after awhile she hadn’t really noticed
the scarring.  The dad was friendly and funny with a good sense of humour about
his scars.  Morgan had been a little envious of the obvious love between him
and his wife. 

She wondered how far Gabe’s scarring went down.  She had
only met him twice but both times he had been wearing a long-sleeve shirt buttoned
to his neck.  She shook her head.  It didn’t matter.  Gabe was obviously a
borderline recluse with serious emotional issues.  It was best to leave him be.

She glanced at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and
sighed.  Her face was streaked with dirt, she had dark circles under her eyes
and her hair was plastered to her skull with sweat.  Why the hell Gabe had even
gotten a stiffy after looking at her, she’d never know.  Maybe he was attracted
to the smell of sweat.

She quickly stripped off her bra and panties and started the
shower.  Despite being tired and dirty and smacking her head a record three
times today, she was happy to be in such a perfect little house.

* * *

“So tell me Morgan, are you enjoying living in our small
town?  It must be a big difference from the city.”  Andy smiled at her.

Morgan took a sip of beer.  “I love it actually.  Martinvale
is a great little town.  Have you lived here all your life?”

“I have.”  Andy confirmed.  “I thought about moving away
when I was in my early twenties, but my girlfriend at the time convinced me not
to.”

He took his own sip of beer.  “Ironically, two months after
we broke up she left Martinvale.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged.  “It was a long time ago.  Speaking of
girlfriends - would you like to have dinner with me this week?”

Morgan choked on her sip of beer.  “Oh, I um – “

Andy grinned at her.  “Too forward?”

She laughed.  “No.  I was just surprised.”

“I like to keep people on their toes.  What do you say
Morgan?  I promise I’ll be charming and attentive and pay for dinner.”

“Then I say yes.”  Morgan smiled.

“Great.  Give me your cell phone number and I’ll text you on
Monday okay?”