Russell's Return (16 page)

“Does that mean you want me to go home?
We can do this another night.”

“No, please stay. We can just sleep.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’d really like that,” she
smiled, opening her car door.

Russell got out and waited for her at the
gate. Once they were inside, she did a walk through, turning off lights as she
went and flicking the furnace to the on position as she passed by. They entered
the master bedroom, and while she went into the bathroom across the hall,
Russell stripped down to his boxers and slipped under the covers.

“It’s freezing in here,” she said as she
came back into the room. “I should have known it would be cold enough for the
furnace. I guess I’m not used to living in cold country anymore.”

Russell nodded, pulling the covers back
so she could crawl under with him. “When I left Vegas a few weeks ago, it was
117 degrees. This feels like hats, scarves and gloves weather to me.”

“I’ll warm you up,” she grinned,
cuddling up to his side. Her head rested on his shoulder and she ran her
fingers through the hair that covered his chest and trailed downward.

“Your body is warm, but your hand is
freezing,” he murmured with a shiver.

“Well then, warm it up,” she chuckled
moving her hand inside his boxers.

“Whoa,” he gasped. “What are you trying
to do, shrink me up to nothing? Believe me sweetheart, you’ll like it better if
it’s full sized.”

Emily laughed and pulled her hand back.
“But you’re so warm.”

Russell yawned. “I thought you were
tired. Or did you change your mind?” It was Emily’s turn to yawn and snuggle
into him. “Goodnight Russell. Thank you for staying with me.”

“I think I like holding you. Goodnight,
Em.”

“
Mmm
,” she
murmured as she started to doze.

Russell laid awake in the dark for a
long time. He’d come home to Harper’s Rock with a trouble daughter and a bad
attitude. But now…now he had a daughter that he understood better every day and
a girlfriend who was slowly but surely weaving her way into the fabric of his
heart. He loved to hear her laugh before they got off the phone every night. He
loved the way her face lit up when she saw him. Hell, he even loved the strange
little snort she gave when she laughed too hard. It was impossible to remember
anything he ever loved about Vivienne – except maybe her social standing.

Russell knew he could easily love
everything about Emily Zane. His last thought before he fell asleep had him
wondering if he was in the process of falling in love for the first time in his
life. Or had he secretly loved Emily all along?

Russell woke up, his body on high alert.
The room was pitch black. He was at Emily’s cottage and he was holding her in
his arms.

That’s what was wrong. She was shaking
and whimpering He pulled her close and started to stroke her hair when a scream
tore from her lips and she struggled to pull out of his embrace. He let her go
and she sat up, breathing hard.

“What’s going on?” Russell asked moving
next to her. “Are you okay?”

Emily nodded as her breathing slowed.
“Nightmare…about Seattle,” she mumbled.

“I’m sorry,” he said, moving her damp
hair off of her face. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Hold me,” she whispered, falling into
his arms. “I haven’t had a nightmare in months. Why now?” Tears started to fall
and Russell pulled her down onto the bed with him.

“I’m here if you want to talk about it,”
he whispered.

“It’s just like I’m reliving the moment
I showed up at the restaurant and saw what had happened. It just seems so
real.”

“I wish I could help.”

Emily yawned. “It’s okay Russell. Thank
you for being here.”

They drifted off to sleep again and the
next time Russell woke up, there was a dim early morning light peeking above
the curtains. Emily had rolled away from him at some point, but even seeing her
beautiful red hair spread across the pillow made him smile. He was one lucky
bastard to be able to spend even one moment with her.

She must have felt him staring at her or
something because she rolled over and smiled at him. “Good Morning.”

“If you kiss me, it might be,” he said,
pulling her close. Their lips met softly at first but then the kiss grew urgent
and Russell’s hands started to roam her body, lifting her nightgown over her
head as he went. “I really hope you’re not tired anymore.”

“I’m wide awake,” she said, discarding
of her panties and kissing him again.

She took control long enough to roll him
onto his back. Her body quickly straddled his. She lifted herself up long
enough to pull him free of his boxer briefs then settled down onto him with a
sigh. “Russell,” she whimpered, looking into his eyes.

Their hands entwined as she began to
move. The feeling of impending loss when she pulled up was always quickly
replaced with the ecstasy of him filling her up again when she moved down.

“Russell,” she whimpered again, this
time with her head thrown back and her lips parted.

“I know Em,” he whispered. “I’m feeling
the same things.” As soon as their bodies joined fully again, he flipped her
onto her back, and buried himself deep inside of her, ceasing to move. He felt
absorbed by her, full, complete. He loved that feeling. He wanted to keep it
with him…forever.

Emily shifted under him and his eyes
came open. A smile colored his face as his body began to thrust again, slowly,
teasingly.

“Please,” she whimpered.

“Patience, my sweet Emily.” His body rocked
against hers with slow even strokes. Their eyes met and held as the desperation
grew and their bodies became reckless. They couldn’t get enough of the pleasure
reflected in each other’s eyes. Melding into each other seemed the only way to
achieve the release they wanted. Together.

When Emily’s eyes began to flutter,
Russell felt his body tighten and tense in preparation for his climax. He knew
that when her body trembled under his and her eyes fluttered closed, her lips
would part and his name would be released on her sweet breath. He knew that
witnessing that beauty would bring him to exactly where he needed to be –
coming apart inside of her, filling her with his pleasure.

He lay there, between her long, luscious
legs with most of his weight on his forearms resting on either side of her
head. The thought of leaving her, of not being surrounded by her sweetness,
made it hard for him to breathe. He felt safe and happy. He felt one hundred
percent at home.

When Emily’s arms fell from his back, he
finally moved away from her. He felt so alone until she rolled onto her side
and curled up next to his body. “Russell?”

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“Never mind,” she murmured. Fear of the
unknown suddenly gripped her.

“I think I might be falling in love with
you,” he whispered in her ear.

Rubbing her hand in circles over his
abdomen, she smiled. “I know I’m falling in love with you. No pressure though,
okay?” she asked, lifting herself up onto her elbow to look at him. “When and
if you’re ready to say it. Okay?”

“Thank you,” he murmured, pulling her
down for a kiss.

Russell’s phone buzzed form the pile of
his clothes near the bed. He let go of her and dug it out of his pocket.

“Hello Mother, is everything okay?”

“Hi son. Everything is fine, but your
brother has to have more tests and he wants me there. Do you think you could
pick your uncle up at the airport today?”

“Yes, of course I can. Maybe Emily,
Miranda and I can make a day of it.”

“That sounds like fun. Thank you so
much, son.”

Russell hung up the phone and turned to
Emily. “Would you like to come to Casper with the squirt and me? We have to
pick Uncle Cowboy up.”

“Sure, I’d love to,” she grinned. “Your
uncle was always so cool when we were kids. I swear half the town would turn
out for his visits.”

“Okay then, let’s get showered and
dressed then head to my house. It looks like we’re going to have a busy day.”

CHAPTER
13

A few hours later, after an uneventful
drive, they pulled into the parking lot of the airport. Getting out of the SUV,
they all relished the unseasonably warm air. Miranda grabbed Emily’s hand then
reached over to get Russell’s, and the group headed inside to baggage claim.

As they entered the small airport, Emily
stopped short, an almost inaudible gasp escaping her lips. Flashes of Seattle
entered her thoughts.

Standing next to the baggage claim was a
nearly six-foot-tall man with a scar running down his forehead, across his left
eye and down his cheek. He was dressed in a pair of combat boots, tiger striped
camouflage pants and a green tank top. His arms and chest were covered in
tattoos. Emily’s eyes were first drawn to his upper right arm where several
skulls were entwined with wire. She barely took notice of the other arm which
was covered with yellow flowers. “Rusty,” she said, shakily as fear threatened
to overtake her whole body. “I think we should keep our distance from that man.
I don’t like the look of him.”

“Miss Emily, you shouldn’t judge someone
by how they look,” Miranda chastised as she walked toward the baggage area.

“Wow, that lesson took a little too
well, I think,” Russell said with a smile. “Sometimes I think she is scared of
shadows, and then she turns around and defends someone she doesn’t know.” He
didn’t like the look on Emily’s face. He could see the panic of past memories
taking over her features.

With a shake of her head and a deep
breath, she felt the panic easing. “She’s right. I shouldn’t assume,” Emily
replied. “Maybe
she
should be the counselor.”

“There’s my uncle,” Russell exclaimed
with excitement, pointing to the tall thin man headed to get his luggage. “I’m
not used to seeing him in boots, jeans, and a cowboy hat though.”

**********

The scarred man quickly moved away from
the wall and walked straight at Russell’s uncle Ethan, hands balled into fists.
“I can’t believe you dressed like a cowboy,” he growled.

“I wore it just for you, Jack,” Ethan
replied with a grin. “I thought you would like it.  You just love cowboys,
right?”

“God damned comedian,” he mumbled
quietly.

“Even worse, I’m a cowboy comedian in
Wyoming!” Ethan exclaimed. “Three of your favorite things!”

“I can’t believe I promised to come hunt
with you here. I think I was still suffering from brain trauma when I did it,”
he replied, shaking his head.

“There’s my nephew and his daughter,”
Ethan said, pointing out the pair. “I wonder who the woman is.”

“It sure isn’t your sister,” Jack
replied. “I thought the good looking twin was going to meet me here, not the
scrawny one.”

“She could be here too, and we just
haven’t seen her.”

“Cowboy, we can see the entire damn
airport from here” Jack said as he pulled Ethan’s luggage off the belt. “She
isn’t here. I hope everything is okay.”

The pair walked out of baggage claim,
laughing together as they caught up on the latest news. When they reached their
greeting party, Ethan grabbed Russell in a quick hug. “Good to see you Rusty.”

“Good to see you too, Uncle Cowboy.”

“It seems your father-in-law was right
about the nickname,” Jack laughed as he punched Ethan’s shoulder. “You never
did learn to watch what you say in front of Sunshine.”

“Well at least you won’t have to look
for a cat this time,” Ethan grinned.

“Why did you have to look for a cat?”
Russell asked, curiously.

“A slip of the tongue in front of your
aunt’s niece Sunshine, many years ago,” Ethan murmured looking to make sure
Miranda was otherwise occupied. “I called a body part by an animal name and the
rest is history.”

“Okay, I don’t think I want to know,”
Russell chuckled as he watched his daughter spin in circles.

“There
is
a kitty cat you need to
stay the hell away from this trip,” Ethan warned Jack. “My sister is a widow
now…”

“True, but don’t worry, reds scare me.”

“You don’t need to be afraid. Grandma is
nice,” Miranda stated matter-of-factly as she rejoined the group.

“Yes ma’am that she is. My name is Jack
and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, sir,” Miranda
replied with her eyes downcast. “How did you get that scar? It’s cool!”

“Miranda, that isn’t polite,” Emily
broke in.

“It’s okay, miss…”

“Oh I’m sorry. I’m Emily Zane,” she
replied. “Russell and I are old friends.”

Jack smiled warmly and nodded. “I
wondered why Cowboy here didn’t introduce you. He’s usually such a gentleman.”

“Sir…um sir, how did you get the scar?”
Miranda interrupted impatiently.

The older man smiled down at her.
“Remember, I’m Jack, not sir,” he replied, squatting to be closer to her level.
“To answer your question, I was injured in combat.”

“In Afghanistan?”

“No ma’am, in Vietnam.”

“I’m Miranda not ma’am,” she warned,
seriously.

Russell leaned into Emily. “And here you
thought we should avoid him. I’ve never seen my daughter open up so quickly.”

Ethan, having overheard the pair, leaned
in. “She senses a kindred spirit. Jack and kids are like peanut butter and
jelly. You should have seen him and Sunshine back in sixty-nine.”

“We’d love to hear the story sometime,”
Emily said politely, looking over to watch the interaction between the pair. It
was fascinating on a professional level to see the little girl so open.

“Well, I’m famished.” Jack said as he
stood back up. “Is there any place to eat in this town?”

“There are several nice family places,”
Russell and Ethan replied in unison and laughed.

“I want fast food,” Miranda stated with
a stomp of her feet.

“Now Miranda, don’t you think it would
be nice for us to go sit down and enjoy…”

“No!” Miranda insisted. “No, I don’t.”

“Dang Cowboy, you’re a grandpa, don’t be
a stick in the mud,” Jack replied out loud, then he mouthed. “Don’t fight this
battle.”

“I have an idea,” Russell cut in. “You
guys need to buy your ammo right?”

“Yeah we do,” Ethan answered.

“Well, we can head to the sporting goods
store for that. Emily and Miranda and I can head across the street to the big
box store to look at toys and then we can meet at the hamburger joint across
the parking lot. We can have a nice sit down meal when we get back to Harper’s
Rock tonight.”

**********

“Since the best cook in the family went to
Billings to be with Dylan, I figured we might want to go eat at Gino’s tonight
for dinner,” Russell suggested as they entered the city limits. “It’s still a
top notch place.”

“I remember eating there as a kid,”
Ethan recalled. “Authentic Mediterranean cuisine, Italian, Greek, French, and
Spanish.”

“What, no venison,” Jack nearly shouted.
“I’m shocked. I thought that’s all you Wyoming people ate.”

“We also eat steak and chicken, Mr.
Jack,” Miranda said with a giggle. “Sometimes fish also.”

“Well Cowboy, why didn’t you ever tell
me?” Jack asked with feigned innocence. “I’m hurt.”

Ethan grunted, then grinned. “I seem to
recall your favorite dish when we met was Italian.”

“Was it spaghetti?” Miranda asked.
“That’s my favorite.”

“It was more of a spicy meatball,” Jack
answered with a grin, thinking of his wife Francesca. “Let’s just get pizza and
beer. Well, root beer for my new friend Miranda.”

“Pizza sounds great and I know just the
place,” Ethan suggested. “Plus, I have an in with the owners.”

“Yeah, come on Dad, we want Pizza,” Jack
directed toward Russell. “Please?”

“Yeah please,” Miranda giggled to her
father while smiling big at Mr. Jack.

“Oh okay, we can get pizza,” Russell
sighed. “If you behave we can even catch a movie.”

“Yay!” chorused Jack and Miranda.

“I do believe Dr. Mannon is correct,
they are kindred spirits,” Emily said smiling. “Like two peas in a pod.”

“Don’t like peas,” Jack protested with a
pout.

“Me either,” Miranda quickly agreed.
“They’re yucky!”

“I just meant that you two are a lot alike,”
Emily explained to the young girl.

“Yeah Jack, she doesn’t think you’re a
vegetable,” Ethan laughed. “Though you are thickheaded enough.”

“
Haha
Mr.
Know-it-all, I mean Doctor Know-it-all, a pea is a legume not a vegetable,”
Jack replied.

“Well here we are,
Pizza and a Movie Place
,” Russell interjected into the sparring
between old friends. “Thank God!”

As they stepped out of the vehicle, Jack
looked to Miranda. “Race you inside.” Causing her to squeal and take off
running. Jack followed close behind.

Ethan let out a long sigh. “He always
has liked kids more than adults.”

“He seems to be such a kind soul, I
wonder why on earth he has those skull tattoos.” Emily said quietly. “That work
on both of his arms is so intricate.”

“He had those when we met in 1969. They
both grew when he went back to Vietnam for his second tour,” Ethan told her as
they followed Miranda and Jack.

“Do
you
know what they mean?”
Emily asked Russell.

“I never asked him. He’s such a private person
and although he was fun to hang around the couple of times I saw him as a kid,
I never felt comfortable talking with him about it. If you really want to know,
you’ll have to ask him.”

“I feel silly now for thinking so bad
about him when I first saw him,” Emily said as she took Russell’s arm to head
inside. “He’s such a sweet man.”

Being Saturday night, the place was
packed. The noise coming from the arcade was a loud roar. Kids were running to
and from the arcade to get and spend money. With all of the commotion, it took
Russell a moment to spot his uncle.

“I feel sorry for the cooks tonight,
they have their hands full for sure,” Russell grimaced as they made their way
through. “I forgot how crazy Saturdays could be.” As they reached the table, he
noticed that his uncle was sitting alone, looking over the menu.

“Well, sit down and don’t look so
worried. The kids are in the arcade,” Ethan said with a grin.

“Oh good, good,” Russell sighed, relief
obvious on his face. “I’m not used to Miranda wandering off. Plus, this crowd
would normally put her in a near panic.”

“She was a little put out at first, but
Jack has a way of making people feel safe,” Ethan replied. “He’s one man I
would entrust any member of my family’s safety to.”

“I just worry so much about her.”

“That, my boy, never goes away,” Ethan
said with a smile. “You never stop worrying about your children.”

“I’m telling you, that game stole my
coins,” came Jack’s voice from nearby.

“You just aren’t a good shot, Mr. Jack.”

Ethan choked on his water as he heard
the exchange between the two. Having witnessed Jack’s expert shooting skills
forty-five years before, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“That shooting game is rigged. A total
rip off,” Jack said as he sat down. “What a scam.”

“I’ll make sure to have an out of order
sign put on it and refund your money,” Russell replied. “The game will be
checked out, but I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Lost your touch eh, Jack?” Ethan asked.

The older man snorted at the statement.
“No, the game is malfunctioning,” Jack insisted.

“Uncle Cowboy, Uncle Cowboy,” Miranda
interrupted. “Mr. Jack told me to never get drunk around Marines. It can cause
tattoos.”

“Good advice,” Ethan said with a nod. “I
know from experience.”

“What is that about?’ Emily asked in
confusion as Miranda was whisked away by Mrs.
Platski
and Isabella for a moment.

“Well, Cowboy here has a tattoo of a
woman’s name, that isn’t his wife’s,” Jack snickered. “On an area of his body
that I won’t mention.”

“I recall being told the name was just
drawn on,” Ethan said frowning. “I told my bride it was. Plus, I wasn’t given
much choice about drinking that night. I had a choice of strippers or beer, if
I remember right.”

“Hey, I told them to just have it drawn
on,” Jack said raising his hands in mock surrender. “Because it is
my
wife’s name.”

Russell and Emily burst into laughter.
“So let me get this straight, Uncle Cowboy. You have the name Francesca
tattooed on your backside because of a bunch of drunken Marines?  Oh you
guys really need to tell us more stories from when you two met!”