Love's Embers (Canon City Series) (8 page)

Chapter Thirteen

On Sunday morning, Lark drove Charlie into Canon City to search for a couch and bed. He’d left Breaker with Gran, who seemed to have become very attached to the wolf.

They didn’t discuss what occurred the night before or how little sleep they’d both gotten. Charlie didn’t know if he was coming or going when he looked at Lark. She was everything he remembered and everything he wanted in his life. Yet, he understood he put her in a difficult situation and cared for her too much to pull at her emotions.

After he’d found mattresses and a couch, and arranged to have them delivered, they stopped at a thrift shop where he found some mis-matched pieces of silverware for a nickel a piece and a couple of drinking glasses for fifty cents. He also found a desk and chair for a reasonable price. When Lark questioned the purchase, he said he’d need somewhere to do his school work in the fall and it was in good enough condition. After unscrewing the legs off the desk, they were able to get it loaded into the back of her Bronco.

Charlie realized he didn’t have bedding and when they looked at the remnants of sheets and comforters at the thrift store they were all musty and stained. Lark wouldn’t let him buy any of them and they ended up in Sears where he found what he needed. He also got some towels and a flannel shirt at half price. While he looked at sheets, Lark wandered over to table cloths and he saw her look through the shelves. She came back over and showed him the one she’d picked. The cloth was a lacy royal blue and he thought Gran would like. Lark smiled and said she felt good about getting her first gift for Christmas bought.

They dropped Charlie’s purchases off at his house and headed out to the Gorge. Lark drove the Bronco carefully to the Bicken’s Ranch. The road was not on a main thoroughfare and hadn’t been plowed.

They were quiet. Charlie didn’t want to bother her and get them stuck in the snow, even though she handled the road beautifully. As they neared the gate to the ranch, the road smoothed out and Lark seemed to relax.

“Lou, I want to apologize for my behavior last night. You said it about me and I feel the same about you being too tempting, but I need to keep my hands off you.” He saw her brow crease and she glanced at him with a frown. “Not that I want to keep them off, but I understand your heart is elsewhere. I have to respect that.”

“Thank you, but you don’t need to apologize. We’re both adults and I think all three of our kisses have been started by me. I could have walked around the sleeper and put the fitted sheet on standing up, but, no, I was lazy and, since you seem to be a butt man, I guess I tempted you.” She pulled the Bronco into the driveway, passed a huge two story house and followed the road down to the stables. She drove the SUV to an area with a couple of other cars parked and turned off the engine. She reached between the seats and grabbed a paper sack from the back seat.

“On good days, Mr. Bickens releases the horses out into the pasture so they can run and prance.” She looked up at him. “They need the exercise.”  They got out of the Bronco and she steered him toward a fence that circled around a huge field. She set the paper sack down and pulled out a plastic bag that held apple slices.

He watched as she stepped up on the bottom rail of the fence. She pinched her lips together and let out an ear piercing whistle. He looked out at the field and could hear a horse reply.

“That’s a good whistle, Lou. Where’d you learn how to do that?” he asked.

“My dad taught me when I was seven or eight. I used to do it all the time when we were kids. You don’t remember?” She looked down at him.

“Vaguely. I don’t remember it being so loud.”

“Thanks for the compliment. Fox should appear any second.” She took her gloves off and pulled out a couple of slices.

Charlie felt a grin curl his lips when he saw the beautiful black horse step down the hillside. He’d named the horse after one of his favorite TV characters. When Fox reached the field he galloped toward them. “Damn, he’s incredible.”

The horse shook its head and slowed down as it approached the fence and headed straight for Lark. He put his head over the top rail and whinnied, nudging Lark’s arm.

“Hi there, beautiful boy,” she said and held out her hand with the apple slices. The horse gobbled them down in no time and let Lark rub his neck and ears. “I’ve got a surprise for you Foxy boy.”

Charlie saw her smile. “He won’t remember me.”

“Yes, he will. Come here, Ducky.” The horse watched Charlie approach and blew steam out his nose. “Hold your hand up to him.”

Charlie did as he was told. Fox whinnied again and moved to sniff his hand. The animal nodded his large head and let Charlie move closer.

“Hey there, buddy. God, I’ve missed you,” Charlie said and rubbed his muzzle. The horse moved as close as he could get to the fence and put his head on Charlie’s shoulder, who put his hands on either side of the horse’s neck and gave Fox a hug. “I should have known you’d remember. I learned something and I haven’t started veterinarian school, yet.”

When Charlie pulled back he realized tears pooled in his eyes. He cleared his throat and saw a sympathetic look on Lark’s face. “He looks so good, Lark. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for seeing that he was well cared for and happy.” He cleared his throat again. “I will repay you for the boarding fees.”

“Yeah, we can argue about that later. Let’s see if Mr. B. is around. We’ll get his saddle and you can go for a ride,” she said and handed him the bag of apple slices. “Hold your hand flat when you feed him those. He loves apples. I’ll be right back.”

“You’ll ride with us, right?” he said to her back as she walked away.

“Not today. You need to get reacquainted.”

Charlie watched her walk toward the barn and saw an older man come out. He was tall with gray hair and a mustache. Charlie remembered him from his days as a newspaper delivery boy.

****

“Hey there, Mr. B. How’s it going?” Lark asked and smiled.

“I can’t complain, Miss Metcalfe.” He took his glove off and shook her hand. “Are you going for a ride today?”

They both turned and walked toward Charlie. “No, not me. Mr. B. I don’t know if you remember Charlie Stone? He is the real owner of Fox. I’ve just been keeping an eye on things while he’s been away.”

She saw Mr. Bicken’s squint his eyes at Charlie and thought he probably knew the story. In a town the size of Canon City it was hard to keep secrets.

“Well, I’ll be a bear’s bud.” The old man smiled and shook hands with Charlie. “Didn’t you used to be our paperboy?”

“Yes, sir. I was.”

“We haven’t had a decent one since. It’s never on time and I don’t think the kid we have now has ever heard of rubber bands.” Mr. Bickens reached up and rubbed Fox’s nose. “So you want to take this boy out?”

“Yes, I would,” Charlie said.

“No problem. Are you sure you don’t want to ride today, Miss Metcalfe? It’s a good day for it.”

“Not today. It’s too cold and I want to see what Mrs. Bickens is mixing up in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, she’s barricaded herself in the kitchen baking up a storm. She won’t let me near, because she knows I’ll eat the batter before she can get it in the oven.” He chuckled. “I’ll go get a saddle. There’s a gate down there if you’ll bring him out.”

Lark helped Charlie get the big horse out of the pasture and Mr. Bickens brought a saddle. He got it set right and Charlie pulled himself up on the horse’s back. The stirrups needed to be adjusted for his long legs.

Lark worked the buckle on one side and noticed Charlie looked down at her with something in his eyes. There was a warmth and intensity that almost caused her to hold her breath.

“Lou, are you sure you don’t want to ride? You could sit behind me,” he said and smiled.

“No. As I said, you need to get reacquainted.” She backed away and put her hands in her pockets to keep him from seeing them shake. “Take your time. We’re in no hurry.” She waved at him and headed toward the house.

****

“There’s a trail head on the other side of the field over there.” Mr. Bickens pointed. “It’s up hill for about half a mile and levels off some. Fox knows the trails pretty well. You shouldn’t have any problems.”

Charlie turned the horse and said, “Let’s go, boy.” He nudged the animal’s ribs and headed to the path. He took it slow and easy with Fox. He hadn’t been on a horse for a long time and felt it was like riding a bike - he just needed to get his bearings.

As they slowly made their way up the hill, Charlie thought about Lark. He wished she’d come with him, but understood she wanted to give him time alone with Fox. They needed to solidify their relationship and he wasn’t sure if he was thinking of her or the horse.

Lark was still one of the nicest people he remembered from his childhood. There were times when she treated him like a little brother and other times they were equals. He reminded her more than a thousand times that he was older than she by three months. It didn’t matter. She and Gran would always open the door for him and treat him well.

He felt like he was out of her league when it came to dating and having a closer relationship. She was a respected business woman in Canon City. Today, when they’d shopped for his furniture there were a number of people, young and old, who’d come up to her just to say hello and he was astounded.

She was also engaged to another man and he knew it was wrong to touch her, but it was all he could do to keep his hands to himself. Only two nights ago, she’d been so pissed off at him and he was scared stiff she’d hate him forever, but he still wanted her. He wanted to wake up with her every morning and lay with her every night. He wanted to put his hand under her shirt and feel her warm, soft skin. Her lips were so tempting and he fantasized about covering her mouth with his and feeling her tongue twist and lunge with his. He wanted to taste every single inch of her and hear her moan his name. He loved watching her walk. Her bottom and long legs were built perfectly and he didn’t think he’d ever get enough of that view.

Charlie realized he hadn’t been watching the trail. He adjusted his pelvis in the saddle and sucked in his breath when he discovered his penis was hard as a steel rod and he’d wedged it against the saddle horn. He slid back in the seat and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Oh crap!” he grimaced.

Fox’s head twisted around and looked at Charlie. He then shook his head and whinnied. Charlie opened his eyes and saw the horse’s big brown eyes look at him.

“Sorry, boy. That’s what I get for thinking about a really gorgeous woman.” He leaned forward and scuffed the horse’s neck.

They came around a corner and Charlie heard something clink below him. “Whoa boy.” He pulled back on the reins and looked down at the ground. Standing up in the snow was an iron shoe. Charlie could see patches of rock underneath the horse.

He got down from Fox and picked up the shoe. “Does this belong to you?” he asked. The horse nodded and butted his head gently against Charlie’s shoulder. He bent over and ran his hand down Fox’s leg and picked up the hoof.

Sure enough the horse had thrown a shoe and from what Charlie could see he might have stepped on a rock. The pad, sometimes called the frog, was a little red. He slowly let the hoof down and looked at his watch. He wished he’d noted the time when they’d left the ranch.

“Okay, boy, it looks like I’m on foot. We’d better head back.” He turned and held the reins. They followed their footprints back toward the Bickens. He wasn’t sure how far they’d come, but it couldn’t have been more than an hour. Charlie felt glad he’d worn his snow boots.

****

Lark sat in the Bickens kitchen talking to Bernice and sampling baked goods as they came out of the oven. She thought she’d better stop. Charlie was taking her and Gran out for dinner tonight and she didn’t want to ruin her appetite.

She looked at her watch and realized she’d been sitting with Mrs. Bickens for almost three hours. Her brows came together.

“Bernice, I’m sorry. I’ve bent your ear for too long. I’d better go see what happened to Charlie.” She stood and grabbed her coat from the back of the chair.

“I’ve enjoyed having the company, sweetie. Tell your Gran she’ll have lots of competition at the dance this year. Mrs. Hager is making her rum-apple cakes. Those always sell out fast.” Mrs. Bickens came toward Lark and gave her a hug. She then put a small paper bag in her hand. “These are for Charlie. He’ll probably be hungry when he gets in.”

“Thank you. We’ll see you on Saturday.” Lark left the kitchen and walked toward the barn. She looked across the field and saw Charlie exit the tree line. He was on foot with Fox walking next to him at the same pace. She stopped and watched him walk with the horse. It looked like he was talking to the animal.

Lark felt her lips curl at the ends and a tingling in her pelvis. As he came around the end of the fence, she felt her heart flutter in her chest. He was very handsome in his faded jeans and jacket. He needed a haircut, but his blue eyes looked so clear. She watched him put his arm under Fox’s neck and hug the horse, rubbing his face against the hair. Her breasts started to hurt and she noticed warmth spread into the lower half of her body. She wished for a moment that was her and he was rubbing against her chest. She blinked and realized she was holding her breath. She let it out and could hear crunching behind her.

Mr. Bickens came out of the barn. They both walked toward Charlie.

“What happened? Did Fox toss you on your butt?” Lark asked.

Charlie and Fox stopped and he dug in his pocket and pulled out a shoe. “He threw a shoe. The frog looked a little red and I didn’t want to risk making it worse by riding him.” Charlie handed the piece of iron to Mr. Bickens.

The old man leaned over and pulled up Fox’s leg. He looked at the hoof. “I see what you mean. He probably stepped on a rock.” He set the hoof down, straightened up and patted Fox on the chest. “We’ll get him a new shoe and he’ll be right as rain.”

Charlie rubbed the horse’s neck and leaned into him. “I’ll see you soon Foxy boy.” The horse’s head nodded and moved against Charlie’s shoulder.

“See, I knew he’d remember you,” Lark said and smiled.

Mr. Bickens took the reins and led Fox to the barn. Charlie watched them go. “Thank you, Mr. B. I should have a phone next week. I’ll call and see how he’s doing.”

“That will be fine. It’s good to see you again Charlie.”

“You can always use Gran’s phone.” Lark nudged his arm. She took her keys out of her pocket.

Charlie watched the horse disappear into the barn. “I didn’t even think about that.” He looked down at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to be so long.”

“No problem.” She handed the bag of cookies to him. “Those are from Mrs. B.”

“What’s this?”

They got into her Bronco and she started the engine. She watched him open the bag.

“Oh man, I am in heaven. I can use about ten of these right now. Do you want one?” He asked and pointed the open bag at her.

“No, I’ve already eaten four.” She steered the car down the drive. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, but it wasn’t because of the snowy road. It was all she could do not to stop and throw off all her clothes. She heard Charlie say something and tried to pay attention, but her body was definitely on fire.

“That was great. Fox does seem to remember me. I can’t thank you enough, Lou. Why did you move him from the Hirsh’s ranch?”

Lark looked in the review mirror and couldn’t see the Bickens house anymore. She braked and pulled the Bronco to the side of the road. She turned off the engine and reached under her seat to grab a lever and move it back. She unzipped her coat and threw it to the seat behind her.

When she looked at Charlie, the burning became worse. She wanted his hands on her. He’d stopped chewing and looked at her like she’d lost her mind.

“What?” he said with a mouthful of cookie.

“Finish your double chocolate chip.” She slid her snow boots off and saw him swallow. She took the bag out of his hand and put it on the back seat next to her coat. She started to move to him and when he seemed to realize what she was doing, he helped her onto his lap. She put her knees on both sides of his legs and straddled his pelvis.

“Oh,” Charlie said.

She reached down to the side of the seat and pulled another lever. Charlie’s seat back flattened fast. She looked down at him and felt his hands on her hips. “I’m sorry. I’m being aggressive again.” She leaned over and lightly touched his lips with hers. She licked at them and when his mouth opened she teased with her tongue and nibbled his lips. “You taste like cookie. I’m probably being a slut, but it’s been a while since I felt this way.”