Terms of a Texas Marriage(19)

“Shea?” Alec lowered his face to the top of her head. She had fallen asleep in his arms, her head on his shoulder, her arm resting across his stomach. He loved the softness of her hair, how it always smelled like the sweet blooms of the Ligustrum trees that grew in abundance here. He lay back on the pillow, his fingers playing idly in the silky strands of her hair, closed his eyes and drew her intoxicating aroma deep into his lungs. The softness of her breasts pressed against him, her breathing gentle on his skin. It felt so right. While this moment in time was nothing life changing, he knew it was a time he wouldn’t soon forget.

For almost a month, he’d lain in this bed night after night, taunted by the temptation of her sleeping next to him. What had happened to his brilliant notion that he would have her gone in a few days? Things had changed. He had changed. He wanted her to like him. She stirred him as no woman ever had and they hadn’t even been intimate. Although they’d damn sure come close. Too close.

What he wanted from Shea was more than sex—and that was a first for him. And he knew because of the land situation and that damned contract he had little-to-no hope of anything more between them ever coming to pass.





Eight

Shea had just finished drying the breakfast dishes when Scotty ran into the kitchen, eyes wide, excitement pouring out of every pore of his small frame.

“Shea!” He stood next to the table, looking as though he was going to explode. The fingers of his small hands knotted together and then unknotted over and over.

“What is it, sweetie?”

“Hank had to go into town and Daddy doesn’t have to work with Jason on account of Jason taking his wife to a doctor and Daddy said he didn’t have to work at his other job and we can go fishing and I’ve never been fishing but he doesn’t know where the fishes are.” He took a breath. “So...Daddy said to come and ask where you keep ’em.”

She couldn’t stop the grin from covering her face. Only one place came immediately to mind. Grady’s Gulch. About a mile to the north, just past the lake, a ravine wound its way toward the Red River. In one spot near a huge granite bolder, the banks drastically curved, creating a deep cavity that contained some of the best fishing anybody could ever hope to find. Shea knew a moment of hesitation. Few people knew of the spot. Did she really want to share this special spot with Alec? But a second glimpse into Scotty’s hopeful eyes made the decision.

“I know just the place,” she said, smiling, as his eyes grew even larger. She bent over and grabbed a large empty coffee can from the cabinet under the sink. “Take this to your dad and tell him to dig for some worms in that shady area near the well house. I’ll get the fishing poles and meet you guys at the truck.”

Scott bolted out of the kitchen and tore down the path to the barn yelling “Daddy!” the whole way.



Within an hour, the three of them were bouncing their way across the meadow. As Shea pulled into a tranquil spot under one of the giant oak trees and killed the engine, Alec immediately heard the sound of rushing water. A small trail led in that direction. Grabbing the poles and can of worms, he nodded for Shea to lead the way.

While she spread the old blanket in a shady spot next to the river, Alec baited the hook. With a cork firmly attached to the line, he swung it out over the water and handed the pole to Scotty.

“Just watch the cork, son. If you see it dip under the water, raise the pole really fast with a quick yank.” Scotty nodded his understanding, his eyes not straying from the bobbing red-and-white ball floating toward the opposite bank.

When Alec turned to the blanket, Shea was staring up at him as though he’d grown an extra set of ears. “What?” he asked and looked down at his shirt.

“Nothing.”

“Not fair.”

She shrugged. “I just find it amazing you know how to bait a hook and can give instructions on how to fish with a cork.”

Joining her on the well-used coverlet, he leaned back against the large tree trunk. “You think because I live in a city I’ve never been fishing?”

“Something like that. At least not without some fancy rigging.”

“Well let me set the record straight. When I was just about Scotty’s age, my grandparents lived in a rural area a lot like this. I spent my summers with them. Gramps was big on fishing. He would cut his own cane pole, tie a string to the end, dig some worms and off we would go.” Alec couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought.

“You talk like those memories are...like they’re special to you.”

“They are.” Alec frowned, not immediately understanding why she would say that.

“Yet you’ve never taken Scott fishing?”

Alec dropped his head and nodded. “You’re right. Kept telling myself I would take him someplace special next week or next month but something always came up and it just never happened.” And it was a regret Alec had carried with him for a long time.

“Well, you’re doing it now.”

He nodded and gave her a smile. “Yeah, I am. Thanks to you.”

Shea shrugged as though none of this was her doing. Alec knew different. “How did you know about this place?”

“Because right over there—” she pointed to a granite boulder on the other side of the river “—is where I caught my first fish. Not many know about this place. Dad and his father and uncle guarded it as though the bottom was paved in gold. People tried for years to find out where Dad always managed to catch all the fish he would bring to a fish fry. I don’t think they ever did.”

Alec tilted his head. “But you were willing to share it with us.”

Shea held his gaze, neither speaking nor nodding, and for a few brief seconds in time, the rest of the world ceased to exist. She had placed her trust in him, shared one of the special places in her life and some happy memories she treasured. She’d given Scotty a day of fun and Alec a small measure of relief from the guilt of not spending enough time with his son. He felt a kinship with the rich earth, with the cool water as it splashed against the huge boulders on its way downstream, the towering trees providing shade, their tallest branches catching and swaying in the gentle breeze. In spite of the animosity between them and her fierce determination to keep this ranch, Shea had shared something special with a virtual stranger who would take it all away.

Alec swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He wasn’t used to her world and accepting acts of kindness wasn’t in the game plan. Her small benevolences knocked him completely off balance. Other than Scotty, his mother and brother, he wasn’t used to trusting people. But in that moment, he knew he could trust Shea with anything, including his son. And a shadow of guilt for what he was attempting to do with regard to the ranch seemed to put a dark cloud over the day.

“Daddy! It’s gone! The fishies got it!”

Quickly getting to his feet, Alec hurried over to assist his son with the pole. In a matter of seconds, Scotty had landed his first fish. When he held it up, the fish still thrashed about on the end of the line and the boy wasn’t certain exactly what to do with it. They should have brought a camera...

“Alec, do you have your cell phone?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Does it take pictures?”

Alec grinned. Of course. Why hadn’t he thought of it? “It most certainly does.”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the small black phone, changed the settings and handed it to Shea.

She snapped away as father and son posed for a “first fish” picture, then continued to take shots as Alec patiently removed the hook and held the prize catch for Scott to touch.

“How about we let it go today?” Alec suggested. “Then you can come back and catch it again sometime when we want to have fish for supper.”

Without a word, Scotty vigorously nodded his head, clearly still amazed at the entire process.

They lingered next to the small river until the sun dropped low in the sky. It was as though they’d formed a truce and had silently declared this a place of neutrality where legal contracts and land development had no admittance. While Scotty waited for his next fish to grab the hook, Shea and Alec exchanged stories of their youth. The more she told him about special places and times on the ranch, the tighter the knot in his belly grew.

His planned development wouldn’t reach this far out from the Red River. Maybe there was something he could do to let her keep at least part of her home. For months, the investors had been maneuvering about where they wanted this or that and adding more and more to the overall size of the project. It was his project and he maintained control, but his professional integrity insisted he consult with them on any major changes. For the first time he seriously considered reducing the overall scope of the project. It was certainly worth looking into.



The telephone rang as Shea entered the kitchen the next morning. She grabbed it on the second ring.

“Morning!” Leona’s familiar voice hailed her from the other end of the line.

“I guess,” she replied.

“Everything all right?”

“I suppose. So far. I haven’t seen Alec or Scotty this morning.”

“Well, I called to tell you they’re both over here. Rode over with Hank. Alec is getting a tour of the spread, and the boy is with my grandson, Cody. They’re playing with the new puppies.”