Surrender to Fate (Fate's Path Part One: A New Adult Romance Series) (9 page)

“Absolutely not!” Catherine threw her dish towel down. “No! He will not go to work for Vernon Thornton! He will stay right here and work on our farm!”

“Now, Catherine, you’re not thinking this through. Just take a minute to calm down. This might just be the break we needed. With William earning some money, we can get the tractor way ahead of when we thought we could. Don’t you see that?” Henry knew how emotional his wife could be, but he also knew how sensible she was. He hoped that by directing her attention to facts that couldn’t be disputed, she would consent to William’s employment at the lumberyard.

“But what about helping you? You need his help here on the farm. You can’t do it all on your own.”

“No, but Thomas is getting old enough now to help me in the fields. I can teach him everything he needs to know. I just don’t see how we can pass up an opportunity like this. I never even imagined William getting a job, but I can see that it just might be what this family needs to get ahead. We need the money, Catherine. This is not the day and age of turning down a paying job, surely you can agree with that?”

Catherine put her hands on her hips and stared out the window. William watched her expression change as she knew that her reasoning was going to be no match for her husband’s. She knew all too well the dire straits they would be in if they could not make their farm successful. William felt as if they were hanging by a thread, as it was. He would do anything he could to help the family. Her apprehension of him working at Thornton’s Lumberyard was streaked across her face, and he wished that he could convince her that if anyone could handle Vernon Thornton, it was him.

If William had been expecting a break from hard work when he took the job at Thornton’s, he was in for a rude awakening. From the minute he got there until the last customer of the day, Vernon had William earn every penny of his daily salary of forty-five cents. Vernon was getting one heck of a deal with William. Not only was he one of his hardest working employees for a solid eight hours, but it was obvious to William that his presence at the lumberyard kept Margaret out of Vernon’s hair. Margaret couldn’t hide that she was more thrilled about the new hire. Prior to William working there, Margaret avoided the lumberyard. She was always complaining that it was dusty and dirty, and her father would usually try to put her to work helping customers find what they needed. If anything was unnatural to Margaret, it was providing customer service with a smile. William knew that as far as Margaret was concerned, the notion that ‘the customer is always right’ was ludicrous.

With William on the payroll, he noticed that she found every excuse to be at the lumberyard. She narrowed in on him one day when he was the only one in the back lot stacking boards on a pallet.

He stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow when he heard her voice and she emerged from the doorway. “Well, it is certainly hot back here, William,” she said as she casually sauntered to his side. “Here. I thought maybe you could use this.” She let her gaze fall on his chest and his undershirt that was drenched in sweat as she handed him a tall glass of cool lemonade.

William had been entirely absorbed in his assignment and lost in one of his many contemplations of Sarah. Margaret’s arrival caught him entirely off guard. “Margaret,” he said catching his breath. “I didn’t realize anyone else was out here.”

“Well…no one else but me.” Her coy smile couldn’t be contained.

“How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to see how hard you are working. Although with these, it must not be very hard for you.” She reached up and clasped her hand around his bicep. “Yes, these must make everything easy,” she said as she slid her hand down his arm.

Margaret’s touch was so unexpected that he instinctively pulled his arm away from her and fumbled to put his handkerchief in his back pocket. She seemed to like that William was nervous around her. He knew she was used to having everything she wanted and that his resistance to her probably broke the monotony of her life. He had to wonder what was going through her mind. Something told him by the way her eyes floated over him, that he just might be the next on her list if she had a say. Margaret had never tried to hide her flirtations with him, and now that Sarah wasn’t around to thwart her efforts, he braced himself in anticipation of her next moves. If he knew anything about Margaret, it was that she wasn’t one to back down. Her efforts would all be for naught, but he had to admit that her fortitude was admirable.

Sarah was lacing up her boots when Matty and Riley came bounding through the door. “Sar, Sar! What ’til you see what I found!” Matty was holding something behind his back and Riley seemed almost as excited about it as Matty was.

Sarah stopped lacing and looked up. “What is it?”

He brought his hand around proudly gripped an old, weathered baseball.

“Oh, Matty, that’s great. Where’d you find it?”

“In the weeds behind the barn. C’mon, let’s go throw it around for a while.”

“Uh, well, maybe later, Matty. I was just heading out the door.”

“Yea, so? Heading out the door to go where?”

She could see the glint in his eye fading at her dismissal. “I’m, um…I told Adley I would go with him to go check the irrigation lines to the garden.”

Matthew paused and contemplated his words carefully. “What’s going on with you and Adley, Sarah?”

Sarah didn’t like the accusatory tone and immediately became defensive. “What do you mean, ‘what’s going on?’ Nothing’s going on. I told you. We are checking the irrigation.”

“Well, one day it’s checking the sheep, one day it’s feeding the goats, and now you’re checking the irrigation. Seems a little odd that you two are doing all your chores together now.”

“That is not true, Matthew. We might do some of the chores together, but what do you care?”

Matty paused and looked hard at his sister. “I don’t know, Sar. It’s just strange, that’s all. You and I used to spend our free time together. Now it’s like I hardly see you.”

Sarah stood up and walked over to her brother. She could see how hurt he was, but really, he had no reason to be. Matty was always unnecessarily overreacting. “Matty, I see you every morning, and every night, and usually every five minutes throughout the day.”

“But why do you have to spend so much time with
him
?”

Sarah looked up, wondering really, what was the answer to that question? She would be lying if she didn’t admit that she had been wondering the same thing for some time now. The draw to Adley was a force that she couldn’t seem to deny. Each day, there would be some excuse for them to interact, and end up spending a good portion of the day together. It was all innocent. At least it seemed like it started out that way. Simply checking the livestock, or collecting the eggs, became something more that she couldn’t quite explain to herself, let alone to Matty. She already felt enough guilt without Matty adding to it. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just nice to have someone to talk to out here.”

His jaw tightened as he looked at her. “You have
me
to talk to out here, Sarah! Remember, me? Your brother?” Now not only was he yelling, the tears were welling up and threatening to fall.

“Oh, Matthew, please. You don’t have to be so dramatic. Honestly. You can’t be serious. Look, I’ll be back a little later, okay?”

“Don’t bother!” Matty flung open the door and called, “Come on, Riley, let’s go!” Riley, who was plenty happy to have the invitation, bounded out the door, which Matthew promptly slammed as hard as he could.

Sarah was quiet as she walked along the narrow path, brushing her palms along the tall grass. She and Matty hardly ever fought, and she was sick that this argument seemed different from their typical bickering, which was usually over nothing important. She was usually the one to make her brother feel better, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that this time, she was the one who hurt him.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Adley interrupted.

Sarah looked over at him. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m not very good company today. I’m just a little preoccupied, I guess.”

“That’s okay. I like to come out here just to be quiet sometimes, too. That’s the good thing about the fields. They’re great places to just get away and think, you know?” Adley winked and smiled at her.

She smiled back. She took a deep breath and decided to put her and Matty’s tiff out of her mind for the time being. It was a beautiful day, and just like she told Matty, it was nice to have someone around her own age to talk to. And the more time she spent with Adley, the easier it was to open up to him.

Looking off into the distance, Adley hesitantly asked, “Do you still miss... Colorado?”

The word
Colorado
seemed to knock the wind out of her. Colorado was home, Colorado was Will. The mere thought of Colorado made it hard to breathe through the thickness that was now forming in her throat. Between the fight with Matty and the ever present feeling of homesickness, Sarah finally allowed herself to feel the emotions that she had tried to squelch for months. All she could do was nod her head and whisper, “Yes, I do.”

“Well, I guess I can understand that. But it can’t be all bad here, can it?”

Sarah stopped and slowly turned toward him and shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand, “No,” she admitted. “Trust me, I had made up my mind that it would be horrible here. But if I’m being honest, it’s not
horrible.
There are definitely things about California that I like, and that has without a doubt surprised me. It’s just not…home.” She looked for some sort of acknowledgment that he understood what she was trying to say.

But needing further clarification, Adley asked, “What
do
you like about California?”

Sarah sensed there was more to his question that what his words actually asked. But she wasn’t entirely sure and decided to stay in neutral territory. “Well, the weather, for one.” She held open her arms to the sky. “It has been pretty easy to get spoiled by this, especially during the winter. And, I like the ranch. The garden makes me happy, and I know Matty enjoys all of the animals.”

Adley looked straight into her eyes and slightly lowered his head, his green eyes boring a hole in hers. “Anything else besides the weather, or the garden?”

Sarah’s intuition was never far off, and she knew what he wanted to hear. “Well, there is…you, too. I have enjoyed getting to know you, Adley.”

His eyes never left hers as he took two slow steps toward her. “I’ve enjoyed…” he took a dramatic pause and looked even more deeply at her, “…the weather, too.” His smile broke through the intense force that was beginning to squeeze Sarah. She let out her breath and gave a relieved smile.

After a momentary lapse, Adley’s eyes refocused on her and he took another step toward her. He stood right in front of her. He was a good foot taller than Sarah, and she had to tilt her head almost all the way back to look up at him. He brought his hand up to her face and brushed down her cheek with the back of his knuckles and brought his hand to where his finger grazed her bottom lip. The touch sent shivers that tiptoed up her arms, but she wasn’t sure what was actually happening, or about to happen, or how to break this spell that he cast over her.

Sarah looked up at him with questioning eyes, but before she could put her bewilderment into words, he leaned down to her and without hesitation his mouth was on hers. His lips were soft, but very sure of what they wanted. Sarah’s heart raced as her lips parted and allowed his tongue to explore her in long, deliberate movements.

She bent her head down and broke their fervent connection. She put her fingertips to her lips and took a step back, “Adley…I…I...”

Adley’s trance ended abruptly and he dropped the hand that had been cradling her face and looked at her.

Not knowing what to say or do, Sarah could only stare at Adley and try to read his expression. The truth was, she didn’t know him well enough to know the meaning behind his blank expression. All she knew was that she couldn’t be there any longer, “I… I’m going back.”

“Sarah, wait,” Adley said quickly.

She didn’t know what to do, but she knew she couldn’t stay there any longer. She turned and, as swiftly as she could wade through the long grass, she made her way out of the field and back to the ranch. As tears streamed down her cheeks, only one thought filled her mind.
It’s time to use that postage stamp.

William had never worked so hard in his life. Between his grueling shifts at the lumberyard and then coming back home to keep up on his chores, he felt as if his eyelids never closed for more than the time it took to blink. His fingers were calloused, he had a myriad of cuts and bruises, but he had never felt better. He knew that he was doing his part in his family’s survival on the farm. Now that he had turned twenty, he knew that he was a man, and it was time to take on a man’s responsibilities. Every week when he handed his father his pay, Henry’s obvious pride in his oldest son was payment enough for William.

The next morning he awoke to his mother shaking him gently. “William… William…wake up.”

He sat straight up, “Am I late?” He threw the covers off and bolted out of bed.

Catherine laughed. “Oh, you poor thing. No, sweetheart, it’s Saturday, your day off. I’ve already told your father that all you are doing today is going to the creek and getting me some Brookies for dinner. So, get dressed, breakfast is ready. Today I want you to enjoy some peace and quiet.”

William looked at his mother. He loved the way she smiled at him. She always looked after his well-being, and it was just her style to make sure he got a day to do absolutely nothing but sit on the bank of the creek and rest. For a moment he thought about arguing because he knew there was a whole list of chores his father needed help with. But the thought of napping in the sun was just too appealing to pass up. He kissed his mother on the cheek. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

William ate, gathered his fishing tackle and the lunch his mother had packed him, and set off for the creek without any delay. He was very much looking forward to having this day and would be sure to appreciate every minute of it. As he hiked to the creek, his mind filled with thoughts of Sarah. The smile on his face faded with the memory of saying goodbye at the cove. He decided that he just couldn’t bring himself to go there today. There were plenty of other spots on the creek to fish, and he knew that being back at Coon’s Cove would bring back too much of the heartache that he was trying desperately to subdue.

Why hadn’t he heard from her by now? He knew that she wouldn’t write immediately because she had only the one stamp. But he was surprised that the winter months had passed, and now spring was in full swing, and still no letter. He tried to brush away the fear that she had written and that the letter had gotten lost in delivery. In his mind, he had written a hundred letters to her, but he was waiting to get hers so that he could finally respond.

As an alternative to reliving the painful goodbye, he went upstream from the cove where the bank of the creek was a good fifteen feet above the water. It was a fairly steep embankment of stone that went straight down, but at the base, the creek was deep and calm and another favorite feeding spot for the trout. It was easy fishing, too. He just had to drop his line straight down and wait.

William had sent his line down into the pool of water and propped his pole up using a few rocks. He stretched out and looked up at the sky with his hands behind his head. The clouds were white and feathery, and he felt like a kid again trying to make out pictures from the shapes of the clouds. He closed his eyes, wishing that Sarah was there to enjoy this day with him. They had spent many days, just like this one, talking and laughing. He wondered if at that very moment Sarah was thinking of him.

A rustling in the brush behind him shot his eyes wide open. He first thought he was about to come face to face with that bear and that he didn’t have one single thing to defend himself. His fishing pole and his mother’s biscuits would do him no good. But before he could come up with a plan, he heard something that put his mind at ease about facing a bear but made his heart pound just the same.

“You’re a hard man to track down, William Harston.”

William sat up and turned to see Margaret pushing the willows out of her way with convincing force. She was dressed more for a party than traipsing through the forest. She wore a light blue dress with a white corseted top with criss-crossed lacing up the front that tied in a loose bow. William couldn’t help noticing the placement of the bow, nestled squarely where her breasts came together, drawing even more attention to the taut shirt that seemed to barely contain her blossoming womanhood.

He forced his eyes up to meet hers, but she had already noticed that he had observed her clothing, and more important, what was under it. Margaret had grown nicely into her womanly curves and flaunted them like they were a weapon. Her breasts were nicely pushed up by the corset, and the low-cut neckline emphasized her creamy skin. William would have to be blind not to notice. He was a gentleman, but he was still a man, after all.

He scrambled up to his feet and quickly brushed off his pants. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?” Fishing was not Margaret’s typical way to spend a Saturday. He knew how much she detested being dirty by how she acted at the lumberyard. So, seeing her here was the last thing he expected.

Margaret ran her hands over her chest, brushing the leaves and debris that had clung to her, and smoothed out her skirt. Despite how out of place she was, her confidence was undeniable. “I’m here for you, William…of course. I stopped by your house to bring you your lunch pail that you forgot at Daddy’s lumberyard. Your mom said she didn’t know where you were, but Tommy told me that you were fishing, and where the good spots were…and, well, here you are.”

William just stood listening, still astounded to see Margaret. “Well, anyhow, I didn’t have anything else to do today, so I thought I would come here and have a little visit with you.”

Margaret Thornton was a force not to be underestimated, and for the first time, William wasn’t confident in the outcome of his present situation. He hadn’t thought that the time that had lapsed since Sarah leaving had weakened his resolve, but resisting Margaret would require the strength of an oak. A letter from Sarah would’ve made it a damn sight easier to be that oak.

Margaret stood looking at him like she expected him to pull out a chair for her. Between the complete surprise of her arrival and being quite intimidated by Margaret, William was trying to put a coherent thought together. Wiping his hands on his pants again, he reached out his hand to help her traverse the last few rocks that were in her way. She smiled at his gesture and demurely laid her hand in his.

Once he had guided her through the obstructions, she positioned herself in front of him and, placing her hand on his chest, looked up into his eyes. William couldn’t help but notice the feel of her breasts against his chest. The slightest brush of her against his muscles made his whole body harden and flex. “William, I must say, your hands are very…capable.” She ran her hand down the length of his torso, her gaze following her hand as it dropped down to his belt. William caught his breath as the path of her fingers left a sensation unlike anything he had ever felt.

She looked at him again, but this time with a glint in her eye as one side of her pink lips curled into a slight smile. She turned and walked toward the edge of the bank, taking notice of his propped up fishing pole. Peering over the edge, she asked, “Have you had any luck?”

William, still searing from her touch, furrowed his brow and tried to concentrate on the question. “Uh…no…nothing yet.”

Margaret lifted her arms up to her head and loosened the twisted knot of hair that had been pinned neatly. In one motion, she freed the tendrils and a cascade of red lava fell over her shoulders. She gently leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and swayed back and forth until her hair was free. William followed the lines of her neck back to her breasts. He had never seen Margaret so exposed, and more than that, he had never been given such free rein to look at her as he could now. Margaret had always had a look that most boys found pleasing. But all throughout their childhood, William never thought of her as beautiful. The beauty in his mind was Sarah. Sarah’s chestnut waves of hair, her encompassing eyes, and her full beautiful lips consumed his every daydream. As much as he wished he was staring at Sarah, he found himself now in the position of observing Margaret’s porcelain skin and curves accentuated by her tight bodice.

“Hmmm…I see. Well, I don’t know much about fishing, so unfortunately, I can’t help you with that. But maybe you could teach me?” She leaned over and picked up the fishing pole. “I’m a fast learner.” She cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrows hopefully, “Please?”

William’s pulse quickened with the battle of internal conflict. He stood staring at a beautiful woman, who clearly wanted his attention, who looked at him with fire in her eyes…but a woman who, no matter how alluring, was not Sarah. The guilt he felt for even letting his eyes wander over Margaret’s body filled him with angst for being so unfaithful to Sarah. Yet he couldn’t deny an instinctual craving that surged through his body from Margaret’s touch. Sarah had lit the fire of desire in William, but he was beginning to imagine that Margaret might be the one to stoke it.

William knew that he was faced with more than just a decision about teaching Margaret to fish or not. He knew that depending on the next choice he made, it would lead him down two very different paths. He was wise enough to know that with Margaret, there was always more than met the eye. But he also knew that his feelings for Sarah ran deep, far deeper than the physical swell of yearning that he felt when he was near Margaret. William set his mind. Sarah was in his heart, and nothing could change that. He wouldn’t let it. With these convincing words etched in his mind, he decided which path to take. He took a deep breath to say something, but stopped.

He looked down at his feet, and then back to Margaret’s expectant expression. She held his gaze as he put one foot in front of the other until he found himself standing in front of her. “First, you have to have the right bait. If you have what they are hungry for, you’ll have no problem reeling ’em in.”

Margaret looked up into William’s blue eyes, her eyes gleaming as she smiled. She brushed up against him again, forcing his gaze back to her breasts. It was then that William realized that Margaret might know a thing or two about fishing after all. She seemed to have the concept of ‘right bait’ mastered. The only question now was would he be hungry enough to fall for it?