“Davies will have the plane here by ten,” he told her later that day as they laid embraced on the sofa, a book of wallpaper and window treatment open on her lap. The afternoon had been spent discussing their designs for the house. Creighton told her about Andrew’s email and that they could move in when they returned to Yorkshire. They had emailed Maxine, the designer who was working on the house and assured her they would decide on what colors, schemes and furniture they wanted for the rooms and let her know by the time they reached Kansas.Sandra had spent nearly forty-five minutes on the phone with her grandparents, informing them they would be coming back to discuss business and go through her belongings. They would spend several days, even a week or two, depending on how quickly Creighton could arrange the beginning of what he jokingly called, project Kansas Kandy. The details of the plans had been submitted to the town’s planning committee and the mayor was already preparing a
Sandra’s ears popped as the elevation increased and the jetliner ripped through the morning skies. Creighton was once again busy on his computer, finishing a number of projects and reviewing the details of the final designs of their farm.The garage was underway, the barn had been built during the time it took for the forensic team to finish up their investigation, and the house was finished, save the décor and furnishings. The wedding presents had been delivered to the house, and the news of Bachmeier’s arrest had filled the front pages of the local newspapers. Things were finally looking up for the young couple.Sandra was feeling much better and had not had another experience of nausea or dizziness since yesterday morning. It was a relief, though she was concerned. Creighton said the nausea was a good sign. What did it mean when it stopped?“You look about five thousand miles away,” he said sitting down next to her on the large sofa. Sandra closed the pregnancy book she had been r
Sandra woke to see the man she loved and married still sitting at his computer. She had no idea how long she had been out, but she felt well rested and refreshed and in desperate need of a toilet. She smiled at Creighton who glanced up from his computer as she walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She found the relief almost exhilarating as she sat on the cool seat, stretching her legs out in front of her. Her muscles were sore, and her neck ached from the position in which she slept, but she was anxious to go home and excited to see her old friends again.A few minutes later, she washed her hands and ran a comb through her tangled hair, smoothing the long strands around her face and down her back. The woman who stared back at her through the reflection, was almost unrecognizable from the one who had arrived in France such a short time before. She was happier than she had ever been, and her eyes sparkled. Her face, neck and shoulders above her lacy pink top were a dee
The plane touched down at a private hanger on the outskirts of the Great Bend Municipal Airport. They unloaded their luggage into a small rental car and bid Davies and Cooper goodbye, assuring them they would call when they were ready to return home. The plane was scheduled to undergo routine maintenance back in New York, the following day, and Creighton arranged to have his pilot and co-pilot stay at his flat in Manhattan while the repairs and updates were being completed. Sandra was nervous and excited as she directed Creighton through the town and onto the road that took them home. Great Bend was only about seventeen miles from Hoisington, which allowed just enough time for her anxieties to begin to grow. She honestly didn’t think she would be coming back so soon, and definitely not as the wife of a millionaire. “Are you alright?” he asked, glancing across the seat to where she sat, perched upright, watching everything that passed by.“I’m just nervous,” she said honestly. “I ca
Sandra turned to Creighton and smiled. The lost look of what was happening around him echoed on his handsome face. She tightened her hand in his. Aunt Kissy had a way of making a person feel like they had just walked into the Twilight Zone.“Here ya go honey,” Kissy said a minute later, handing her two metal keys that read 210. “Ya go on up ta yer room and put yer stuff ‘way before ya go see yer Nana, that way she can’t convince ya ta stay at the farm.”“Thank you Aunt Kissy,” Sandra said. “Do you still accept cash only?”“No ma’am. Brandon done got us hooked up with that crazy inner-net and we can do plastic cards now, but don’t ya worry none. This is on the house. There ain’t nothing I wouldn’t do fer our lil’ Sandy.”“Thank you so much,” she said with another smile. “But my husband is very old fashioned and insists on paying our way.” Sandra leaned in and lowered her voice again, causing Creighton to actually turn pink. “He’s loaded, more than old Bessie Harper when she died. He ha
“I love how eager you are to satisfy,” she added with a wicked grin. “Now stop yer horsin’ ‘round and ride me.”“Ride you?” he laughed, stretching out across her fully.“Yer in Kansas darlin’,” she smiled. “Time fer ya ta accept a simpler way of life.”“If you want me to ride you, you’d better be ready and accept the consequences.”“Which are?”“As horny as I am, you’re going to be left frustrated and eager the rest of the day.”“We’ll see,” she said with a wide smile as he slipped into her.Creighton did exactly as he was ordered and began thrusting into her at a steady pace, but he seemed to forget that she too was on that plane the last twelve hours and was as desperate as he claimed to be. She closed her eyes, raised her legs around his hips and took him in deeper. Within a few ticks of the side table alarm clock, she found herself smiling when the dizzy sensation began to wrap her in its arms. Several seconds later and she clung to him, growling his name on the climatic wings of
“I thought you liked pasta?” Creighton frowned.“I do,” she said with a shocked expression. She hadn’t realized she was complaining until she saw the hurt look on his face. “I love it, I just like my grandmother’s cooking better.” Creighton didn’t say anything else as he turned back to his dinner in front of him. She knew she had hurt his feelings. He had been doing what he thought she wanted, and to be honest, she did want everything he had done, but she couldn’t explain or excuse away her words, now that they were spoken.“Tell us about your plans,” Papa suggested, diverting the tension from the room.The conversation took the safer path of the ideas and plans Creighton’s engineers and designers had come up with, and the timeframe in which they hoped to get the plant up and running. Sandra was thankful for her grandfather’s tact, but she knew she would have to address the subject back at the motel. At least for now, things were calm.“Please don’t be angry,” Sandra said as they dro
Sandra looked up at him and frowned as she took a drink of the juice, swallowing the pills. She brushed the tears from her cheeks as he drew a deep breath and pulled the curtain aside, sitting on the tub’s edge.“You’ve had a very long few weeks, and everything is finally starting to catch up to you. Plus, the new surge of hormones is making your body an incredibly beautiful battlefield.”“Well, you didn’t run back to England, so I guess that says something in my favor.” “I would never leave you over an argument,” he told her. “I’m in this for the long run.”“But you hate running,” she teased, using the washcloth to wipe the stray tears from her cheeks again.“I’ll run after you anywhere you want me to. I’m not going to be frightened away with a few words spoken in the heat of the moment.”“I really am sorry,” she said again, this time leaning back in the tub. “I don’t like getting angry and I don’t like yelling at people, especially those who are only trying to make me feel good.”“