They were on their way to the gallery and Mathew was watching her with interest. He could see she was nervous, but he had been pleasantly surprised when she had accepted the dress he had bought her without a fight.
It proved that she was feeling out of her depth and he was worried that he had pushed things too far. “Kara?”
She hummed and turned questioning eyes to him. She looked beyond gorgeous tonight in the deep red velvet, off the shoulder dress made his mouth water. He wished he could strip it off her after the party, but he would have to find some control. “You look amazing.” He answered, realizing that she was still waiting for him to say something.
“You already told me that, but thank you.” She smiled faintly.
He wanted to tell her they could leave if she felt too uncomfortable, but he didn’t want her to take the easy out. He’d seen the insecurity in he
It had been about a week after the gallery’s opening event and they were back on his ranch, once more. One afternoon when they had just returned from swimming, they heard a car coming up the drive. Kara glanced questioningly at him, but he seemed just as surprised before he glanced out the window and then frowned with confusion.Kara was not sure if it was business and she was just about to turn and go to her room to allow him some privacy when there was a perfunctory knock on the door and Matthew opened it with much the same expression.“Good Afternoon, we were told that we could find Kara Daniels here?”She froze when she recognized the woman’s voice and she turned back to the door and stared. It was at that moment that her mother’s eyes turned to her. “Oh, my dear, you’ve become disabled!” She cried in horror before she rushed to her and pulled her against her chest with loud sobs.&
Matthew was enjoying a particularly good dream of swimming with Kara when he was startled into wakefulness by a sudden jolt of the bed as something plunged onto the mattress next to him.He found himself sitting up in bed and staring at the laughing eyes and splendidly beautiful grin of Kara who was sitting on her legs next to him on the bed.“What’s wrong?” He asked in confusion while he tried to rid himself of the tendrils of the dream that seemed to hold him in its grasp.“Nothing.” She stated with a giggle bubbling in her voice while she held his gaze. “Do you notice anything different about me?”Her smile was infectious as he found himself returning hers and he looked her up and down, trying to get his mind to return from the dream that still played in his memory. He could see nothing different about her, except the laughter that was threatening to bubble over all the time.
He grinned at her. “Come on, let’s go make breakfast.” He stood and held his hand out to her.Kara took the offered hand, but used very little of its strength to pull herself to her feet. She concentrated on her feet when she started walking towards the kitchen, forgetting that she still held his hand.He stopped her with a crooked smile. “Don’t look at your feet.” He said as he lifted her chin with the tip of his forefinger, never releasing her hand.She threw hi
Kara woke him again the next morning when she sat down on the bed and tickled his face with a feather she had found on the windowsill of her room. He had stayed out so late the previous night that she had been asleep when he finally came in and his cold dinner was gone this morning. She just wished she could remember what she had done, since she had found her clothes strewn along the hallway all the way into the bathroom.This was the second time she had drunk champagne and the second time she had found her clothes thrown on the floor and all but naked in bed with no memory of what had happened. Perhaps she ought to make a point of avoiding champagne after this. There had to be a reason why Matthew had stayed out so late. Did she say or do somethin
Kara was back at her ranch and she missed the conversations she had had with Matthew. He had only managed to make her love him more. Her days seemed endlessly long without the excitement of knowing she would see him soon. And the silence in her house seemed oppressive, so she avoided it until she could no longer stay outside without raising questions. She would have to automate some things or at the very least get more hands, but she had still not managed to figure out her grandfather’s filing and bookkeeping system. That was probably the next thing she had to set to work on; she could not keep going if she did not know what she had to work with.
James was standing in front of her when she opened the door. He seemed much happier since he had taken control of the men. He was in his element and she wondered why she had not allowed him to be foreman earlier; he had all the character traits. She smiled her welcome, before they went through to her office. He still refused to just walk in like she had suggested so she would wait in the kitchen or living room for him to knock so she could open the door for him.James was watching her intently. He could see she was missing Matthew. They all knew about the situation, it was clear enough. Why these two young people did not sort things out and get together was a question of its own. Her eyes were far-off every time she thought no one was watching. He
Kara tethered her horse at the border and climbed through the fence. She walked a few steps and then went down on her haunches to check the quality of the earth. The soil had good potential, but it had been drained. The land had been severely over-used and it would take a lot of work to get it back to the quality it had once been. But that did not mean that the soil was not good quality. Thankfully it seemed that erosion had not yet set in and could be prevented when the earth was allowed to recover from the abuse. But it did seem like a good buy. She could till the earth and let the land rest through the remaining weeks of the winter with a layer of manure. They just had to kill off weeds for a while afterwards….allow the grass to sprout again and keep the topsoil from eroding with the rains and snow melting and this land could be prime fields for cattle. Hearing footsteps close by, she glanced up and was surprised to find Matthew standing there. She caught her breath for an
As they came close to the buildings, he suddenly looked at the mill and the pigsty. “Kara, what is the mill for?”“The mill? Oh, we use it to grind the manure from the stables and the pigsty for the fields. It’s much cheaper than buying fertilizer. And the vegetable garden seems to thrive on it; more than it did on the bought fertilizer.” She smiled at him.He frowned in thought for a moment and then smiled. “I would not have thought of that.” He stated with amazement.Kara laughed with amusement. “But then your ranch is already thriving. I had to get creative, since I could not use as much money after the men had walked out. You know, less work, less income.”“That’s true, I suppose.” He smiled at her. “Would you mind explaining the process to me after lunch?”“Sure, if you’re interested it’s really very easy.” She smiled and tugged on the reins to slow her horse to a stop and dismounted. “I have a free stable for your horse. He can stay in there until you’re ready to
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