Filthy Doctor(312)

I blinked at him. “You have?”

“I have. I also know she’s been head over heels for you since she was a teenager,” he said, cutting his eyes at me. “And I expect you’ve always had feelings for her. At least I hope you have. I’d hate to think that you were just using her.” He gave me a moment to respond. I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded and hoped it would suffice.

“I was young once, I know the things that teenagers do,” he said with a heavy sigh. “And I also know the things that grownups do.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” I said. My eyes went around the room, looking for a shotgun that might be leaning in a corner.

“I mean y’all are not teenagers anymore,” he said, the humor draining from his face to make room for a scowl that made me lean back in my chair. “Y’all can’t just run off to the barn to fool around and then get back to business anymore. Teenagers have hormones. Adults have feelings.” He narrowed his eyes at me again. “You get my meaning now?”

“Yes, sir,” I said, swallowing hard. “I believe so.”

“So, I’ll ask you again. What’s your plan regarding Shelby?”

I blew out a long sigh and spread my hands. “I’m not sure I have a plan.” A sharp pain bit at my guts. I put a hand to my side and tried not to wince. “I mean, to be honest with you, I didn’t expect to need a plan until I saw her walk into that hospital room a few days ago.”

Alvin Lee’s head bobbed, like he understood. He was an old cowboy. He’d ridden the circuit back in the day. He understood the lure of the road and the ride. But he also understood the love of a good woman, even though it was something he’d never really had.

He finished off the bottle of water and set it aside, then brushed the knuckle across his lips and gave me a firm look. “I’m just gonna say one thing on the subject and then I’ll shut up,” he said. “If you love her, hang on to her for dear life because there ain’t too many women like Shelby. But if you’re just messing with her to pass the time, well, son, it would be best if you heal up and move on quick as you can.”

“Yes, sir, I understand.”

He got up from the table, plucked his hat off the rack and worked it between his hands for a moment. He set his hand on the screen door, but paused before pushing it open.

“I reckon you know that if you break her heart you’ll have to answer to me,” he said without looking back at me.

“Yes, sir,” I said. “I understand.”

“All right then.” He set the hat on his head, pushed open the screen, and went out the door.

I blew out a long breath and rubbed my eyes.

What was my plan regarding Shelby?

I had no fucking clue.



Shelby

It was Wednesday already and I hadn’t mentioned the Monsanto job to Luke, even though I had to leave on Sunday. I had told Cody about the job and made him swear that he wouldn’t say a word, not even to Daddy, who would want to make a big deal over it.

“You ain’t told Luke yet?” Cody asked as we stood at the sink washing the dinner dishes. I glanced out the window over the sink. Luke was moving around pretty good now, getting out of bed and walking around the house, sitting on the porch. I could see him standing at the corral with Daddy, their long arms draped over the top rail, shoulder to shoulder, chatting like old pals. They were watching one of the cowboys trot a new pony around the corral.

“I’ll tell him when the time is right,” I said.

“When’s that gonna be?” Cody asked, holding out a dripping plate for me to dry.

“Soon,” I said. “Stop pestering me.”

“No time like the present,” Cody said, nodding out the window. “Here he comes. Dry off your hands, put on a smile, and tell him what’s going on. You owe him the truth, Shelby. You need to tell him tonight.”

“You’re right,” I said, drying my hands on a dish towel. “You got this?”

“Who do you think did the dishes while you were at school?” Cody said with a grin. He glanced out the window. Luke and Daddy were almost to the porch. “Go on. Tell him now.”



“Sure is a nice night,” Luke said as we walked hand in hand past the barn where we’d first made love. I resisted the urge to drag him inside and rip his clothes off. We hadn’t made love since he’d been home and even though he put on a brave face, I knew his side still hurt him something fierce. The scar was healing up, but one good romp in the barn could send him back to the hospital. I wanted to fuck his brains out, but not at the cost of popping his stitches again.

We walked past the barn where the pastures started. About thirty yards out, at the top of a hill, was a giant elm tree that we used to climb when we were kids. It loomed dark and large as the sky behind it turned purple.

“Can you make it to the tree?” I asked, squeezing his hand.

“I think I can,” he said, giving me a sideways smile.

I looked up at the stars that were starting to come out as we walked through the tall grass, trying to find the right words to tell Luke about the job. I had already played the conversation over and over in my mind, but I knew reality rarely mirrored imagination.

Did I really expect Luke to just forget about bull riding and move to Houston with me?

Did I really expect him to never climb onto the back of another bull at all?

Did I expect anything of him other than great sex?

Did I expect anything at all?

We reached the tree and Luke turned to sit on the ground.

“Need help?” I asked, holding Luke’s hand as he lowered himself slowly to the ground.

“No, ma’am,” he said, wincing. “I am quite capable of sitting down on my own. Though getting up might be another matter.” He sat down and leaned back against the tree with his long legs stretched out and ankles crossed.

I sat down beside him and leaned my head on his shoulder. This was the closest we’d been in days without someone watching us. Immediately, I could feel the heat growing between my legs. I could feel my nipples pushing against the thick padding of my bra. I wanted him so bad I could already feel him inside me, but I knew we had to be careful. His stitches were still mending. And Daddy could show up anytime.

“This is nice,” Luke said, brushing his lips against my forehead. “You wanna fool around?”

“Do you think we can without putting you back in the hospital,” I said, putting my hand to his cheek and brushing my lips to his. I glanced toward the house at the bottom of the hill. I could see the lights on in the kitchen and front rooms. Where we were, under the night shade of the old elm, I was pretty certain that we couldn’t be seen.

My hand slid over his thigh, just an inch or two away from his cock, which if past experience held true, was already growing hard and thick inside his jeans. I put my lips to his ear and swirled my tongue around the rim.

“So, what are you plans?” Luke asked of out of the blue. My hand froze on his thigh as I pulled back to look him in the eye.

“Plans? What do you mean?” I held my breath, wondering if he had somehow found out about my job. I pulled my hand back from his leg and laced my fingers together in my lap.

“I mean, you know, do you plan on staying here on the ranch or maybe getting a job somewhere else? I’m not sure where a body has to move to work on seeds.”

“Well, I haven’t given it much thought,” I said, lying through my teeth because I wasn’t prepared to tell him the truth. I glanced at him sideways. “What about you? What are your plans?”

Luke stared off toward the house. He brought up his knees and rested his elbows on them. I could just make out his profile in the darkness. He said, “Reckon I’ll get back on the circuit someday.”

I frowned at him. “Is that for sure what you’re gonna do?”

His shoulder went up and down against mine. “Don’t really know,” he said quietly. “Reckon I won’t make any firm plans until I know that I’m well enough to ride again.”

“That’s smart,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself as if I were chilly. I wasn’t. I just didn’t know what to do with my hands.

“I can’t imagine you’d stick around here,” he said. “You have your degree now. I’m sure there’s a bunch of companies that would love to scoop you up.”

“Well, I’m not sure about that,” I said. My stomach started to sour. I could taste the bitter hint of bile in my throat. I hated lying to him. It was twisting me into knots. I took a deep breath and decided to tell him the truth. It had to come out sooner or later. Now was as good a time as any.

Then I felt his hand on my leg.

“What are you doing?” I asked, smiling, suddenly breathing hard in response to his touch. He turned toward me with his hand sliding into my crotch. My pussy was scorching hot for him. I could feel the juices pooling in the crotch of my cotton panties. He squeezed my pussy and my juices soaked into my jeans. I spread my legs and sighed.

“We can talk plans later,” he said, his lips on mine. He swirled his tongue around my lips, then pushed his tongue into my mouth. “Right now, I gotta have you or I’m gonna bust right out of these jeans.