Nolan (14 page)

“She’s offering you her blood?” Barron nodded,
and Shane was worried for him. He was looking really bad. “Take it. What if…I
don’t know, what if I need you again and you can’t come help me? That would
really suck, because I like you and this new life. If I’m killed then…sheesh,
Mr. Barron, if it will make you better, then please take it.”

“You drive a hard bargain, my young friend.” Shane
watched him take his aunt’s arm. His hands, fingers, too, were peeling away,
and he looked like he might lose one of them. When he took her wrist to his
mouth, Shane watched. It wasn’t sickening, nor did it seem to be painful to
Chris, so he moved closer to her to lend her support. This was a fantastic
family, he thought. And was glad every day that they’d come into their lives.

Chapter 12

Alta wasn’t sure what to think now. She’d
never cared for David, but he was her grandson. Kason said her name, so she looked
in his direction and nodded that she was all right. She wasn’t, she was sure,
but for now…she was at peace.

“They found his body about an hour ago. He’d
been hit by a car, they believe. What do you suppose he was doing walking along
that part of the road at night?” Alta had no idea, but she did have a feeling
that the Bentleys had had something to do with it. She wasn’t sure what it
could have been with him being hit by a car, but she’d bet anything they had.
And that didn’t bother her either.

“I would say that he was on his way to see
his son. Perhaps to…or maybe not…cause him some harm. I think he might have
been on the edge when I talked to him earlier. He would have…he would have
killed him, I think.” The more she thought about it, she knew that was what had
happened. Alta looked at Kason. “Do you suppose he meant to kill that young
boy? Just for the money? To perhaps be the only one I had left, so I’d leave it
all to him?”

“As much as I hate to say it, it was my first
thought as well. Money meant a great deal more to him than family, sadly.” She
nodded, hurt now that the words had actually been said aloud, and sipped her
tea. “I think we need something stronger, don’t you? I can get us both a sherry.
Should you like one?”

“I would love one, but young Shane is coming
soon. We’re sitting him tonight, remember?” He told her he’d forgotten that. “I’m
hoping this will be the first of many such visits. And he has also expressed a
desire to get to know his half-sisters. I’m not sure how that will go over, but
we’re going to try to arrange it.”

“He’s a good boy. When he called here just
this morning, he was very polite and asked after me. I don’t think I’ve had
anyone but you ask about my day in many a year.” He smiled. “I think we should
have a treat tonight. What do you think of ordering a pizza? I’m to understand
from his aunt that it is one of his favorite foods.”

“I like that idea. And something special for
dessert as well. How about…where did I see that? Making your own sundaes. We
have time to get things, don’t we?” She was warming to the idea. There were
funeral plans to make, of course. Rebecca and her family had washed their hands
of David the day they’d walked in on him. So it was left to her to make the
arrangements. But for now, she was going to enjoy Shane and his youthfulness.

On the computer, she and Kason made a list of
things that were needed to make the treat. They even decided to have a make
your own pizza too. There really wasn’t much to it, and it was going to be far
more expensive than simply having one brought to them, but she was going to
enjoy it and was sure that Shane would as well. Who knew there were so many
things that could be put on a layer of dough and then baked? She thought she
might enjoy the one with ham slices and pineapple the best.

“I’ve talked to my lawyer.” Kason said
nothing as they sat at her desk. He was on the same side as her as they wrote
out their lists. “He has made the necessary changes to my will for things to
work out. I’m not…I guess we’ll have to change things again now that David is
gone, but nothing will change for the young man. He is…he is my heir in all
things. I’ll leave a bit to the other two, but for the majority of the money
and properties, Shane will be a very wealthy young man someday.”

“You have plenty of time to make the
necessary changes concerning David.” She smiled at him. They both knew that she
didn’t. Not that she was ill, but she wasn’t young either. “Would you like for
me to call him for an appointment tomorrow after your visit with Nolan and
Rylee?”

“They’re not going to be happy with me
either, I’m afraid. And in truth, I’m looking forward to a good fight with her.
She does not pull back in respect to my age or money, and I find that
refreshing.” He laughed with her. Alta thought of something she’d been thinking
about for days now. “Do you suppose when I meet my Maker, He’ll wonder why I
didn’t do something sooner? Try harder to find out if Shane really was his or
not?”

“I believe He will think you a good woman who
did the best she could with what she had to work with. Why should you have not
believed David? He was a good liar and had had a great deal of practice at it. I’m
not blaming Shelby in this, but she might have called to ask for help too. Not
that I think she would have—I’m sure stubbornness runs deeply in their family—but
it might have helped them.” Alta had thought of that too. But she still was
riddled with guilt. “You will help the boy and in the end, I’m sure that was
what his mother would have wanted all along anyway. For her son to have it
better than she did.”

And she was going to make sure that he had
more. Much more. After talking with Micah and his lovely wife, and then Joseph
again, she knew the boy was going to have all that he’d ever need in life with
them as his family. Micah had even told her that should she want to do
something for him, that the mother was still without a marker to her burial
place, and there was a little matter of the house. The one that he’d lived in
until David had taken it from them.

“You think he’d want the house for his own?” Micah
told her that Shelby had not been ill there, and it would hold his best
memories of her. “I think you might be right. I’ll make the arrangements as
soon as possible. You are a sly one, aren’t you, Micah Bentley?”

“I am. Though my wife tends to forget that.”
Reggie smacked her husband on the arm and reached for one of the tiny bundles
that had come with them. Alta had been surprised by that, the children coming
to a meeting, but Reggie had told her that she missed them when she left them
with their grandmother and needed to have them around. When Reggie stood up and
handed her the little girl, Alta fell instantly in love.

“It has been so long since I’ve held a baby.”
Reggie told her it was something to get used to, but she was sure it was a
thing you never forgot. “Oh, I would imagine. I’m to understand that you’re
going to adopt more too. That’s wonderful of you to take them in.”

“They give me hope. I need it more and more,
I find. The children will not be of our body, of course, but they’ll all own
our hearts. I don’t think I thought of that when we thought to adopt them.” Reggie
picked up the other little girl from the seat when she fussed. “When Rylee and
Nolan have children, Shane said he was going to love them as his mom would
have. With all his heart.”

He would too. As the hour came for him to
come to visit her, she found herself getting nervous. He’d been there before,
of course, but not by himself, and not with the intentions of spending the
night. When the doorbell sounded, she moved to the hall to greet him, and had
to smile when he came in talking to Kason about his ride over.

“I think that driver is the best. He let me
play with the window in the car and hang my head out the top. Not for long
though. He said I’d eat a bug or two if I did it coming through the country
air. Have you ever done that sort of thing?” Kason took Shane’s jacket and told
him he had not. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. Too undignified for you, I’m
betting.”

“A man like me does not hang his head out of
the top of the car like a puppy on his first outing. But I can see the appeal
it would have for a young man like yourself.” As Kason leaned over to whisper
in Shane’s ear, she could hear too. “However, if you’d like to have a race down
the banister, I’m sure I can show you how undignified I can be.”

“You’re on.” Shane was still grinning when he
spotted her. “Howdy, Grandma. Grandda said to tell you that next time we’re
going fishing he wants you to come along too. I have my own pole now. Did you
know that it’s important to learn how to bait a hook properly? I didn’t. I hope
you’re okay with that.”

“I am indeed.” Alta looked at Kason and could
see that they felt the same way. They were in love with the young man. He’d
gotten into their hearts, and they were both going to enjoy him as much as he’d
let them.

~~~

Rylee turned right, then left in the big
mirror. She absolutely hated everything about this dress. The woman that had
designed it for her said that it was a perfect foil to her skin tone. But all Rylee
saw was a green dress that didn’t suit anything about her. And the shoes were
ugly. Nolan cleared his throat behind her, and she glared at him in the mirror.

“You look…unhappy.” He came more in the room,
and she turned to look at him. “Oh my. Do you…I’m not sure how to tell you
this, love, but that’s ugly. What is that thing on the front of it?”

“She said it would enhance my body. I think
she’s trying to make me look like I dug around in the dumpster of a clothing
store and stapled things together so they’d cover my body. This color looks…is
this even a color that is real?” He didn’t laugh, for which she was grateful.
“I can’t go. I want to, really I do, but I can’t go in this thing. I will shame
your entire family. Not to mention if I move too fast, I might knock a few of
them on their asses.”

“I hate to admit this, but you really can’t
go out into public in that thing. It’s a good thing that Myra came by and
brought you something else.” That didn’t sound any better than this dress did.
She’d seen the dresses that Myra wore and the colors of them. “She said you
have to trust her.”

“I don’t know, Nolan. This thing is important
to you and your family. I don’t think I can pull off the colors that she picks
out to wear.” He smiled at her and kissed her on the nose. Just as he stood
away from her, she noticed that there were others in the room with them now. “Nolan?”

“They’re going to help you get ready. I have
my tux in the other room so that when I have to leave, which is soon, I can
take it with me. So I won’t get to see you until you’re at the shelter. I have
to go in a little earlier with my brothers to help set up the auction items.”
She looked at the four women, then back at him. “You’ll be fine. Walter and
Shane also got you something to wear. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

After he left her, she stared at the women. The
oldest looking one stepped forward and walked around her. Rylee wanted to run
and hide somewhere…that was how hideous she felt in this dress. The woman then
stood in front of her.

“Did you pay for this?” Nodding, Rylee felt
tears fill her eyes. “Well, I’m going to make sure you get your money back.
That’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen. Did she even know what she was
designing? It was supposed to be a formal dress, right?”

“She said that she wanted me to shine.” The
woman said she wasn’t going to shine very much in that thing. “Do you think you
can make it work for me? I don’t want Nolan to be embarrassed with me.”

“Oh honey, there is no hope for that thing. I
have something for you that I think…good heavens, I cannot believe that she put
this together on purpose.” Rylee laughed with her. “My name is Mable, and these
are my assistants. We’ll have you done up in no time. Oh, and that young man of
yours, he has something for you to put with your dress when we’re done. So I
sort of designed your dress around it.”

They worked for an hour just measuring her.
When they had her dressed in just her robe, a chair was brought in and her toes
and nails were done. It was a luxury that she’d never had before, and found
that she really did enjoy it. Then when she was set to dry, another woman came
and did her hair.

Rylee had never really liked her hair. It was
there, so she dealt with it as best she could without putting any kind of
effort in it. Pulling it back into a pony tail when it got to be too long
worked best, or she’d hack it off if that too became a bother. As the woman
massaged her scalp, she felt her mind drifting away.

Nolan had made love to her early this morning
in such a way that she thought for sure she’d never recover. After he’d tied
her to the bed, not tightly but enough that she knew she shouldn’t work too
hard at pulling on the silk scarves, he’d stripped down and stood before her. Christ,
the man had a body that made her drool.

“I’m going to touch you now. Not everywhere,
but in enough places that you’re going to be soaking when I’m finished.” She’d
told him that she was there already. His “just wait” had her body tingling.

His fingers had moved over her body in a slow
measured way. First up her legs, then down them. Over her hips to her breasts.
By the time he was touching her neck and shoulders, she wasn’t sure if she
wanted to kill him or beg him to fuck her. But when he slid his fingers into
her pussy and told her to ride them, it was all she could do not to scream out
her release.

“You’re so wet and hot. If I fucked you right
now, your pussy would stretch and swell more for me.” Begging, she came to find
out, only made him move slower. “I want to drink from you. Taste you when you’re
aroused this much.”

He only lapped at her then. His tongue would
brush ever so gently over her clit and make it burn with the desire to be
suckled. She wanted him inside of her, his mouth over her in the most intimate of
ways. But all he did was tease her, bringing her up and over the edge of
pleasure that just never seemed like it was enough. Not until he moved over
her.