Karen D. Badger - Yesterday Once More (42 page)

Jan accepted the cup from Jordan. “Thanks,” she said tersely.

An awkward silence fell between the women as they each sipped their coffee. Finally, Jan cleared her throat. “I, ah, I have some correspondence to take care of. Thanks again for the coffee.”

Jordan nodded and watched as Jan retreated to her bedroom and firmly closed the door behind her.

* * *

Maggie was waiting for Jordan in the barn when she arrived a short time later.

“Hey you.” Maggie greeted her with a smile. “Sleep well last night?”

Jordan grabbed her saddle and threw it across the back of a regal Mustang mare she had affectionately named Sally in honor of her own childhood horse. “I slept okay.”

“Where are you going?” Maggie asked as she watched Jordan secure the saddle in place.

“Out to the new barn raising. I was thinking last night that it won’t be long before snow falls. We don’t have much time to finish the shell before that happens. I thought I’d get a head start before Dave and the rest of the crew shows up.”

“Well then, I’m going with you,” Maggie replied as she saddled her own horse. “Surely there’s something I can do to help.”

Jordan traced her gloved finger along the side of Maggie’s face. “Sweetheart, I will have no problem finding something for you to do.”

Maggie smiled and raised her eyebrows seductively. “I think you’ll find me to be an efficient helper.”

Jordan placed her foot in the stirrup and gracefully swung herself into the saddle. “Come on, then.”

A moment later, the two women were making their way to the site of the new barn where they released their horses to graze in the corral then entered the old barn to retrieve Jordan’s tools.

Maggie looked on as Jordan draped her tool belt over her waist and adjusted it into place. “You look very butch in that tool belt,” she said suggestively.

Jordan grinned devilishly and retrieved a screwdriver from her belt. “Let me know if you need something screwed. I’d be happy to oblige.”

Maggie reached forward and grabbed the front of Jordan’s shirt, pulling her close. “I definitely have something you can screw,” she said as their mouths met.

Maggie explored Jordan’s mouth for several moments before she pulled back and smiled. “Well, lover, as much as I’d like to sample your handyman wares right now, we’re bound to get caught if we take this much further. I will, however, hire your services later tonight.”

Jordan chuckled and kissed Maggie passionately once more. “Tonight? A midnight rendezvous?”

“Once I have you in my bed, there’s no way I’m letting you leave. Call it a sleepover, imprisonment, confinement, a hostage situation—call it anything you want, but you’re not leaving.”

“Sounds like fun, but aren’t you worried about Jan missing me when I don’t come home tonight?” Jordan asked.

“I broke things off with Jan nearly a month ago. She has to get used to it some time.”

Jordan took Maggie’s hand and placed a delicate kiss in the palm. “I like the way you think,” she whispered hoarsely.

In the distance Jordan and Maggie could hear sounds of vehicles approaching. The hum of the motors grew louder as they neared. Finally, the sound of male voices competing with each other signaled that the work crew had arrived.

Jordan leaned in to kiss Maggie deeply once more before stepping back to allow Maggie to exit the barn before her.

* * *

Over the next several weeks, Jordan worked side by side with the carpenters to complete the outer structure of the barn while Maggie split her time between supervising the finishing touches inside the new barn and, with Jan’s help, maintaining the day-to-day workings of the farm. Jan was uncharacteristically stoic during those weeks.

The relationship between Maggie and Jan became distant. Their communication focused on the workings of the farm. The relationship between Jan and Jordan was strained but polite, a fact that both surprised and unnerved Jordan, considering the veiled threats Jan had delivered to her the day she moved into the bunkhouse.

Just before Christmas, the barn was finished. To celebrate the occasion, Jordan erected a small Christmas tree inside the main foyer of the barn. The entire construction crew and their families were invited to a holiday celebration, which began with a wine and cheese social in the grand room of the new barn followed by a home-cooked dinner at the farmhouse.

The farmhouse was gaily decorated with lights and garland and a large Christmas tree stood proudly in the corner of the living room beside the fireplace. The tree was festively adorned with lights and ornaments, new and old, including several that Maggie had made as a child.

Dinner was a huge success, followed by a gift hunt for the crew’s children in the main barn. Partway through the evening, Jan claimed she had a headache and returned to the bunkhouse.

It was well into the evening before the last guests departed. Jordan and Maggie walked them to their cars then returned eagerly to the house to take advantage of the blazing fireplace. They threw blankets and pillows on the floor near the romantic flames.

“Make yourself comfortable while I pour us some wine,” Jordan suggested.

“Okay, love. I’ll tend the fire,” Maggie replied.

When Jordan entered the living room carrying two glasses of wine, she found Maggie sitting in front of the flames, surrounded by pillows. She approached Maggie and handed her one of the glasses.

Maggie smiled up into Jordan’s face. “Thank you. Come sit with me,” Maggie added as she patted the floor next to her.

Jordan sat on the floor next to Maggie and sipped her wine. She couldn’t help but stare at the woman beside her.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that I’m the luckiest woman in the world. I’m thinking that you are so beautiful you take my breath away. I’m thinking that I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you.”

Maggie smiled and looked down into her wine glass, apparently deep in thought.

“My turn to ask you. What’s on your mind?” Jordan said.

“I guess I’m waiting to wake up and discover this is all a dream. I’ve never known anyone like you. There’s something so mysterious about you, yet I feel like I’ve known you forever. I feel safe with you, yet I hardly know anything about you. Who are you, Jordan Lewis?”

Jordan leaned in and kissed Maggie tenderly. “I am the woman who loves you with all her heart. I’m asking you to trust me. I promise I’ll tell you everything you want to know in time. Just know that I will never hurt you.”

Maggie yawned loudly.

“You’re tired, love. It’s been a very long and hectic day. Here, let me take your wine,” Jordan said as she took Maggie’s glass and placed it on the hearth. “Come here, lie with me. Close your eyes and enjoy the warmth of the fire.”

Maggie rested her head on Jordan’s shoulder and draped her arm across Jordan’s mid-section as they lay together on the pillows. Jordan kissed Maggie’s forehead. “Close your eyes. Relax. I’ll keep you safe.” Moments later they were fast asleep, caressed by each other and by the slow, flickering glow of the fire.

* * *

The next morning, Jordan woke up alone among the pillows strewn in front of the fireplace. She sat up and looked around groggily. When she realized where she was and how she came to be there, she smiled broadly.

“Are you going to sleep all day?” Maggie teased as she walked into the living room, fully dressed. She scooted away as Jordan playfully reached out for her legs. “Oh, no you don’t,” Maggie said.

“No fair,” Jordan said as she lay back down among the pillows. A glance at the clock told her it was only 7:00 a.m. She watched Maggie button the cuffs of her shirt. “Where are you going so early this morning?” she asked.

“I’m going to take a ride out to the north pasture. Want to come?”

Jordan placed her hands behind her head. “Actually, I thought I’d fix the broken spindles on the porch then start breakfast while you’re gone.”

Maggie smiled. “You won’t get an argument from me, but make it brunch if you would. I’ll probably be gone for a few hours.” She squatted down beside Jordan and kissed her. “I’ll be back in a while, lover.”

Jordan watched Maggie leave, then climbed to her feet and tried to iron out the wrinkles in her clothing with her hands before heading into the kitchen to set up the coffee pot. While the coffee brewed, she showered and dressed in clean clothes then went out to the porch to assess which spindles needed to be replaced.

“Jordan, do you know where my saddle is?”

Jordan turned to see Maggie strolling toward her from across the barnyard. As always, Jordan felt a rush of desire pass through her whenever Maggie was around. “You’re still here? I thought you headed to the north pasture.”

“I can’t find my saddle. I’ve been looking for it for the past half hour.”

“It isn’t in the barn?”

“No. I put it on the stand yesterday when Shawny and I returned from our ride, but it’s not there today. I was wondering if maybe you moved it.”

“No, I didn’t. In fact, I haven’t been in the barn yet this morning. The saddler was here yesterday, wasn’t he? Maybe he thought it needed repair and took it back to his shop.”

Maggie stopped in front of Jordan. Her curly red hair splayed in several directions from beneath her cowboy hat. “Hmm. That’s possible, I suppose. I need to check on the horses in the north pasture and you know Shawny doesn’t do well with saddles he’s not used to.”

“Why don’t you take my horse? I’m sure Sally would love the exercise.”

Maggie smiled. “You’re so sweet. I just might do that.” Maggie stood on tiptoe and placed a kiss on Jordan’s lips.

Jordan’s arms immediately circled Maggie’s waist and her hands found their way into the waistband of Maggie’s jeans as the kiss deepened. Jordan’s hands delved deep, firmly grasping Maggie’s buttocks and pulling the woman close to her own heated core.

“Hmm,” Jordan moaned. “I want you again.”

Maggie drew her lips away from Jordan’s to catch her breath. ”God! If you keep that up, I’ll never get out to the north pasture.”

“You could always send Jan out to check on the horses while we make better use of our time,” Jordan suggested slyly.

“I would, but she doesn’t seem to be around right now. She’s been behaving pretty erratically. One moment she’s stuck to me like glue and the next, she’s nowhere to be found.”

Jordan picked up her hammer and dropped it into the sling attached to her tool-belt. “If you ask me, I think she’s trying to win you back.”

Maggie blushed then gently punched Jordan’s shoulder. “She is not.”

Jordan advanced one step in Maggie’s direction and took the Maggie’s face between her hands as their eyes locked. “Trust me love, she wants something. Why else would she stay?”

“Well, lover, you have nothing to worry about. She can try all she wants. It’s you I love and nothing she can do will change that.”

“The feeling’s mutual. Now go on, take Sally to the north pasture. I’ll call the saddler for you while you’re gone, okay?”

Maggie turned to head back to the barn. “Okay. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Jordan’s eyes were glued to Maggie’s swaying hips as she made her way back to the barn. After a few minutes, Maggie reemerged riding Jordan’s horse and waving her hat in Jordan’s direction as she galloped toward the north pasture.

When Maggie was finally out of sight, Jordan entered the house and called the saddler. “Are you sure you don’t have it? She left it on the rail by the horse stalls. It wasn’t there this morning so I thought maybe you picked it up by mistake yesterday. No? Well, okay. I’m sure it’s in the barn somewhere. Thanks anyway.”

Jordan hung up the phone then went into the kitchen for a glass of water before continuing the repairs on the front porch. As she was filling her glass, she caught a glimpse of a figure covertly exiting the barn on foot. Suspicious, she decided to investigate.

So as to not call any attention to herself, Jordan sauntered toward the barn as she had done countless times before. She searched the horse stalls, but found nothing unusual. She even spent a short amount of time petting Maggie’s horse, Shawny. Strangely, upon exiting Shawny’s stall, she immediately noticed that Maggie’s saddle was hanging on the rail, right where Maggie said she always put it.

Was this saddle really not here earlier today or are you losing your marbles, girlfriend?

The saddle was hanging over the rail with the right side facing the rider. Jordan inspected the saddle, then turned to walk away, but stopped when something caught her eye. She turned back and in one movement, she lifted the saddle, spun it around, and placed it back on the rail so that the left side of the saddle was facing outward.

Jordan lifted the stirrup and threw it over the top of the saddle, then reached down to grasp the belly strap. “What the hell? How did this get here?” Jordan reached under the saddle and released the buckle holding the belly strap. With the strap in hand, she crossed the barnyard toward the bunkhouse. She stopped before the bunkhouse door and banged loudly. “Open this goddamned door!”

The door flew open and Jordan came face to face with Jan. Jordan thrust the belly strap toward her. “Care to explain this?”