“Kara…”“Yes?”“Thank you.” What was the hesitation for?“Sure…” She smiled faintly before they ate in silence. Was that hesitation because he had wanted to tell her something? No, she was imagining it. She had fallen for him, and now she was foolishly thinking that he felt the same. She was not a teenager anymore, why did she have these foolish ideas? She had learned long before that life was not a fairytale. Why was she hoping for a fairytale now?Once they had both finished lunch, he automatically helped her clean up. Kara was thinking how easily they fit back into their ways when she had lived with him and she missed it desperately.“So, show me your pig farm.” Matthew teased while she finished putting the last things away.She smiled. “Sure, let’s go.” She answered before she
Kara had made an appointment with Brad again for early Friday morning. She wanted to discuss some decisions with him, before she could go to the seminar with Matthew.He showed up in casual clothes at around seven, but she realized again that she had forgotten his later working hours. He looked like he had just got out of bed again and thrown on whatever he could find in his closet. He did not look disheveled, but he did look too casual for work.She tried to compensate by giving him fresh muffins and coffee for breakfast. “If this is going to be my breakfast every time I come here, I’ll be here at seven every morning.” He grinned after he had finished.Kara smiled. “Goodness, you’d think since you owned a company you could afford muffins every now and then.” She teased.“Well, bought muffins could never taste as good as fresh home baked muffins.”“Then
They were completely quiet until they had left the ranch; almost as if he had waited for them to be away from her ranch borders. “I didn’t know you and Brad were an item?” He said quietly.Kara glanced at him, before looking out the window to hide the hope of his returned feelings that she was sure showed in her eyes. Why could she not just get over these feelings she had for him. Obviously he did not feel the same. “We’re not.” She stated softly, hoping that her voice did not give anything away.Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him glance at her. “Didn’t know he kissed all his clients goodbye.” He stated coldly.“I’m sure he doesn’t.” She answered emotionlessly. “But I believe he does with his female friends.” What did that have to do with anything? Her heart thought that perhaps he was a little j
“I-”But Matthew interrupted her. “Yes, thank you. One grilled chicken salad and one burger, please.”The waitress nodded and left to put the order through. Matthew took the two menus and stacked them on the side of the table.“Would you say something…?” Kara said worriedly.Matthew looked her in the eyes. “I remember that you were running from me when you had your accident, so I believe it was at least partly my fault. Maybe I read the signals wrong.” He stated stiffly.Kara opened her mouth to answer, and then let out her held breath, trying to think on how to answer him. “Matthew…” What could she say without giving away her secret? She was running from herself? That was about as good as a confession of her feelings. She did not want to add another burden while she was trying to remove one.&
Mat opened the door for her and waited patiently for her to get in. For some reason he noticed at that moment that she still retained a slight limp from the accident, though it was hardly evident, unless one knew what to look for.He had no doubt that she was hiding something from him; she was definitely talking in circles at lunch and she had been quiet ever since she had gone to the bathroom. He just wondered what her secret was. He did not dare hope that she had feelings for him. Had she not kissed Brad this morning? He had barely managed to keep his temper when he had seen it. He had never thought that Brad would be competition for her, he must have read the whole situation with this woman wrong, he thought while he got in on the driver’s side and they started on their journey again.“How much time do you need to freshen up?” He asked casually, trying to keep the calm conversation going so they would
The man typed something and searched the screen again. “We have one double room left, sir. Can I book it for you?”Matthew glanced at her questioningly. “We can go look for somewhere else.” He stated softly, giving her the control.“No, I think that room is fine, Mat. You’re exhausted; you need to get some sleep.” She answered with concern.Matthew looked back at the attendant. “Its fine, we’ll take it.” He answered coldly. He hoped she was not going to be annoyed with this; he really had booked two separate rooms for them, because he wanted her to be comfortable, like they’d been when they went to the opening of his show in the gallery.The attendant typed again and then looked up at Matthew with a smile of clear relief at them handling the mistake with such grace. “How many nights, sir?”“Two.”He
Kara quietly closed the door and started the water running for a shower while she started to undress. She needed this shower, her muscles ached more than a little from sitting still for so long, she just did not want him to feel guilty about it. She wondered why he seemed so tired today. Angrily she pushed thoughts of him aside. Was she always going to have this obsession over a man who obviously expected no more than friendship? For her own sanity it was better if she put some distance between them, but she could not bear losing the friendship, even if she suffered every moment he touched her or smiled at her.With a sigh she tied her hair up and stepped under the water. The warm water helped for her aching muscles and she lingered longer than necessary. As she allowed her thoughts to wander while she enjoyed the water running over her, she thought about the dress he had bought her for his brother’s wedding. With a slight
Kara awoke early morning and realized that Matthew was holding her in his sleep. She would have been content to lay there and pretend to be asleep once he woke, but she desperately needed to get to the bathroom.Quietly she tried to edge away from him and just when she was on the edge of the bed, her feet bracing on the floor, and gently lifting his arm to get up, he moved and spoke at the same time. “What’s wrong?”Startled by his sudden wakefulness, she lost her footing on the floor and, with a girlish squeal, ended up on her back on the floor. She groaned as she tried to get breath back in her lungs and opened her eyes to see a very amused Matthew grinning at her over the edge of the bed. “Are you ok?”“Yes.” She groaned and she started to sit up.“What’s wrong?”“Need to…” Kara blushed before she stood and rushed for the bathroom,
One year later The ranch was made up beautifully and it had a festive air dancing on the slight breeze. Kara stood facing Mat barefoot in a light white wedding dress while he spoke his vows to her in front of their closest friends and family. They had decided on an intimate wedding on the small beach near the waterfall. It seemed fitting to close the circle of their first meeting by getting married in the same place. “The moment I saw you here that first time, I knew you would be my water nymph. And though it took me some blackmail, a load of confusion and a fair bit of help…” His words were followed by chuckles of amusement since Brad had shared their story with everyone before the wedding, minus her swimming naked, of course. “I am glad we finally found our way back here in a full circle. The way my life would always circle back to you, my water nymph. You are the greatest discovery in my life and I will do anything and everything to make sure we stay on our full circle; a
Suddenly the door swung open and they both turned to find Brad sauntering into the house. “Oh finally!” He grinned. “Stay out of this!” They both growled at the same time. With a smile, Brad stepped back with his hands raised in a show of submission and leaned against the railing of the porch, neither of them even questioning how he had managed to get there without them hearing him coming up the road. Kara turned back to Matthew, who was still glaring at Brad. “What do you mean kissing men around every corner?” She demanded angrily. Matthew looked meaningfully at Brad and then looked back at her. “That’s Brad. You know we’re friends.” “Well, if I remember correctly, you were kissing him that night and you get angry at me for sitting innocently at a table with a woman.” “It was a kiss on the cheek!” “And the rest?” He demanded. They both glared at Brad when he started laughing with great amusement. “Oh come on, Matthew, it’s not like you caught us making out on your couc
“Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do? I’m moving out and that’s it. It’s clear you don’t want me here, probably feel bad bringing another woman here with me hanging around in your living room.” Kara knew instantly that she had said too much. If she kept this conversation going, she would end up crying and then he would know that she had foolishly fallen in love with him. He looked confused. “Why would I bring another woman home?” “For the same reason you thought Brad came here, I guess.” She growled before she jerked at her arm again and turned to go when she was free. “What other woman would I bring home?” He asked in confusion. He was sure she meant someone specific, but he could think of no one that would cause her to think so. Kara glared at him over her shoulder and went to her room, closing the door behind her. He had the nerve to pretend like he did not know! She had seen him with that woman before her accident, did he have so many women waiting for his
Brad showed up not long after her and he grinned with a mixture of pride and delight when he saw that the clothes fit perfectly. Taking her hand, he turned her around in a circle while he looked her up and down. “You look good in my choice.” He teased. Kara smiled at his compliment. “Thank you, but I have to ask. How did you know the right size?” She asked with interest. He blushed slightly as he smiled. “I guessed.” He chuckled uncomfortably. “When I had the clothes, the woman at the underwear shop sorted those sizes out. Apparently a lot of embarrassed men go through their doors.” He laughed and Kara joined him. She loved his honesty and his sense of humor. “Thank you, Brad, I honestly didn’t know what I would wear for tonight.” She confessed. He grinned with pleasure before James’s wife, Mary, asked him to help with the lights. Finally when everything was ready, the guests started showing up and Kara had her hands full, greeting and thanking them all for their hel
Tonight was her barn dance and Kara came home early to take a shower and get dressed so she could sort out the final touches before everyone showed up. She still had not seen Matthew and she felt lonely. She had started considering moving into a stall more and more this past week. Perhaps she was in his way and it would be better for both of them if she moved out as soon as possible. She had just come out of her room to go to the bathroom when she heard a car in the driveway. With a slight frown she walked to the front door and found Brad trotting to the front door with a large colored gift box in his hands. Kara opened the door before he could knock. “Hey, I thought you were getting ready for the barn dance?” She smiled at him. “Soon.” He answered cryptically before he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the couch. “What’s going on?” She asked with curiosity when he sat her down on a chair across from the couch and sat down himself on the couch. “Well, I bought you a gif
Kara was exhausted when she got home, it was late. She had not seen Matthew that day either, he had been gone when she woke up, so she started to move her horses back to her ranch. Maybe she had overstayed her welcome. She would see about getting a stable ready for herself if it finally came to that, but for now she wanted to stay as close to him as she could, even if it meant just knowing that he slept in the same house. The clouds had packed together and Kara was hoping it was the spring rains, so she could finally start moving the cattle and pigs over as well. The barn was nearly finished and so was the mill. The pigsties still had some work before she could move the pigs in. She went to the kitchen and ate her dried out dinner alone. Matthew’s was still in the oven and she wondered if he was still working. Surely there was no more work to do at ten at night, not even on her ranch, and his had come off much less damaged than hers. She heard a car coming down the road and
Matthew rode away from the river; he had no will to face his fond memories of Kara when he had just caught her in Brad’s arms. Did she really feel nothing for him? Or did he read her that wrong? Was she really the type of woman that would allow anyone to hold her like that? He had thought they had shared something special, but perhaps he had been wrong. Perhaps that had been the reason she had run from him that night at the river. He had wanted to show her the pictures this morning. He had received them in the mail and he was sure she would like them and maybe it would open a door for him. But now he did not think it was the right thing to show her. She seemed happy with Brad and her greeting yesterday evening had been less than caring. Had Brad spent the whole night here? Had he slept there? The thought took his breath away as if he had just been hit in the stomach. His stomach burned with the fire of his jealousy. He had been wrong; he could not handle friendship with
Kara was ready by seven Saturday night. She was grateful for all the help she had received thus far on the ranch and the number of helpers had gradually started to dwindle as the shell of the pigsty and barn had been put up. She had got the idea to have a barn dance, once it was finished to thank everyone, she had already selected a steer and a boar to be slaughtered for the occasion and James had been happy to pass the word around. The party had been planned for next week Saturday and everyone had offered to bring something when they phoned her up. Matthew had also seemed impressed and had offered to bring the music and a vegetable dish. Kara was amazed at how easily she fell deeper in love with him. The Sunday they had spent at the river had her more in love with him. And his talent had impressed her. He had shown her the sketch when he was finished and she was sure it would be as good a painting as the first one he had made of her, thankfully with less bare skin being shown
He turned off the stove and took the serving plate with his coffee and headed to the dining room. Like every morning, when he found that she had set her place in the spot he had started setting her place from the beginning, he felt his heart skip a beat, hoping it was a sign that she at least cared a little. They ate in companionable silence after they had held hands while he said Grace, each busy with their own thoughts and then cleaned up together. Matthew was still trying to find a way to find out if Kara felt anything more than friendship for him. But he was afraid of the answer at the same time, was he prepared to only be friends with her for the rest of his life? What if she married; would he be able to handle the thought of another man having what he wanted? If he judged by how he felt when Brad was there, he had to probably consider breaking off the friendship if they ever became more than just friends as he knew he would not be able to handle her falling in love with a