“Okay,” she agreed, but she was talking to herself as Jackson was already striding across the yard. “I just might do that,” she said as her mind began to work.
Energized, she popped out of her chair, grabbed up her magazine, ignoring the farming periodical as it fell to the floor. Holding it close to her chest, she hurried out of the kitchen. Taking the stairs two at a time, she ran down the hall to her bedroom. Quickly, she lifted her mattress and stuffed the magazine under it, now more determined than ever to finish studying it.
For now, she had more important things to do. First, she needed a shower, most definitely a cool one. Second, she needed to wrap up one of her deep-dish apple pies. And thirdly, she needed to go and try and entice her next-door neighbor into a summer affair.
Chapter Two
It was shortly after ten in the morning when she drove the short distance to Abel’s house. It was only a couple of miles, but the closer she got, the more nervous she became. Butterflies crowded into her stomach and her palms were slippery on the steering wheel. Though anticipation and fear warred within her, her yearning was greater. Gripping the wheel tight, she made the turn and drove down the private road, pulling to a stop behind his house. Gratefully, she noted that no one could see her truck from the road.
Turning off the vehicle, she sat there for a moment and waited. The yard was empty and she could detect no movement inside. Opening her door, she climbed out and gently pushed it closed. The air was sultry and sweet as she walked towards the back door. The sun was climbing over the hills in the distance as she put her key in the lock, turned the knob and let herself inside.
Erin knew her way around the house, having visited here many times as a child. Mrs. Garrett had always been kind to her and any cooking and household skills that Erin now possessed had come from her patient instruction and tutelage. Erin had desperately wanted a mother, and Mrs. Garrett had wanted a girl to mother. It had worked out well for both of them and Erin had been heartbroken when she’d been killed. It had been like losing her own mother all over again.
She saw bags, several suitcases and boxes piled just inside the door, so she knew that Abel was around somewhere. Quietly she laid the pie on the kitchen counter and peeked inside all the rooms on the bottom floor, but each of them was empty.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she climbed the stair of the farmhouse. Assuming that Abel had taken up residence in his old room, Erin made her way to the bedroom at the front of the house. The door was partially closed, so she gently pushed it open, relieved when it didn’t squeak.
It was now or never. She could still walk away and nobody would ever know she’d been here. For a moment, as all her doubts and insecurities rose up to taunt her, she almost turned and ran. As she hesitated, her conscience piped up and whispered that there could be dire repercussions, for both her and Abel, if either of her brothers ever discovered what she was doing.
Poised at the threshold, with one foot edging forward into the bedroom, and the other still planted firmly out in the hallway, she chewed her lip in indecision. When she realized what she was doing, she made herself stop and rubbed her abused lips with her finger. It was a nervous habit that she’d never been able to break no matter how hard she tried.
Erin could feel a bead of sweat roll down her back. As much as she wanted this, she didn’t know if she had the nerve to do it. It was one thing to think about doing something she saw in a magazine, but it was quite another to actually do it.
A movement from inside the room caught her eye. The covers on the bed moved as Abel rolled over in bed to face the door. She held her breath as she waited for him to speak, but he said nothing. In fact, he made a soft snoring noise and settled back to sleep. Erin breathed a sigh of relief before her gaze was drawn to him.
God, he was gorgeous. He was so large, he filled the double bed completely and his feet stuck out over the end. His chest was bare, and the sheet was bunched around his waist. The muscles of his arms and torso stood out even when he was at rest. He had a perfect six-pack stomach and a light sprinkling of dark hair that angled down from between his flat brown nipples, traced a line straight down his belly, and disappeared under the covers. It was impossible for a man this size to look vulnerable, but his face appeared relaxed as he slept.
She couldn’t abandon her plan now. Seeing him here like this, there was no way that she could stop herself from climbing into bed with him. He was everything she had ever wanted in a man. He was loyal, kind, hardworking, and smart. The fact that he was gorgeous was icing on the cake. Restless, Abel sighed and turned once again until he was lying flat on his back.
Chewing on her bottom lip for a moment, she came to a decision. It might be easier for her if he just found her naked in bed next to him. That way she wouldn’t have to say anything but let nature take its course. After all, no hot-blooded male would ignore a naked willing woman in his bed.
Creeping to the end of the bed, her eyes never left his sleeping form as she toed off her sneakers before shimmying out of her jean overalls and panties. Bending forward, she tugged her shirt over her head and dropped it on top of her jeans. Her fingers unhooked her bra and a second later it joined the pile of clothing on the floor. Acting on instinct, she took the rubber band from the end of her braid and shook out her hair. Fully naked, she stood there, trying to decide the best way to handle this. There was hardly any room on the bed at all.
She froze as he shifted in bed again and a moment later grinned at his new position. As if he’d guessed her predicament, he had rolled until he was lying on his side and there was a space in front of him that looked to be just big enough for her to crawl into. Erin tiptoed around the side of the bed, picked up the sheet and eased down on the bed. Her whole body was tense as she lowered herself next to him, and when she was finally in position with her head on the pillow next to his, her breathing was shallow and quick and her heart was racing.
Erin’s breathing eventually slowed and deepened to match Abel’s as she lay there next to him. She waited for him to move, to wake, to speak, or to do anything. Finally, she came to the conclusion that she’d been too stealthy while sneaking into his bed. Abel was sound asleep and showed no signs of waking up anytime soon. She rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath, slightly miffed that he didn’t sense her presence. This was like something out of a romantic comedy, she thought with amusement— aroused woman gets nerve enough to climb in bed with hero who sleeps through the whole thing!
Well, she was here now and she wasn’t leaving. He had to wake up eventually and when he did, she sure hoped he liked his surprise. Grinning to herself, she rolled onto her side, facing away from him and snuggled into his pillow. She caught a whiff of his soap as her breathing got slower and deeper. The hypnotic sound of his breath and the heat of the day relaxed her. While she waited, her mind drifted to her upcoming blueberry harvest, and all the work she had to get done before then. Without her even being aware, she drifted off to sleep.
Abel Benjamin Garrett drifted in a hazy state somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, enjoying the remnants of a pleasant dream, as his thoughts wandered. Nightmares had plagued him for months now and sleep had become a luxury. He’d gotten used to always being tired, but by the time he’d finally made it home this morning he had long passed being tired and was now completely exhausted.
He’d driven all night and rolled into the small town of Meadows just after eight this morning. The grocery store was already open, so he’d forced himself to stop and load up a cart full of food. He couldn’t even remember what he bought, but he recalled a brief conversation with the lady who checked him out, as well as piling the grocery bags into the back of his truck.