Trust Me II, page 28
“Some of it,” she said honestly. “I still have to decide what to do with the rest of the stuff. I would like to donate it to someone, but I don’t know anyone who may need it.”
“You can put an ad in the paper, or we can put a notice up on the bull’tin board at church,” Nellie said, walking to her and giving her a glass of ice tea. Sandra thanked her and began drinking the cool, amber liquid.
“I’m not sure how long we’re going to be here,” Sandra said a moment later, taking a cookie from the plate on the table. “I don’t really want to spend the rest of my vacation sorting through all that junk.”
“Then hire someone ta inventory it,” suggested Craig as he sat down at the table with his wife and Sandra. “I’m sure there are plenty a people ‘round who would be willin’ ta sort through it.”
“I know,” Sandra sighed. She was tired and hot and really didn’t want to think about any of this right now. She couldn’t get her mind off her husband; was he still at the motel or perhaps he went to her grandparents’. She had a horrible, sickening thought that she had made him so angry, he went back to the plane; but then it was still in New York, wasn’t it?
“Why don’t ya worry ‘bout all this later?” Nellie said, patting her hand. The couple had been friends of her grandparents’ for so many years, she felt like they were family. Craig had been best man at James and Mary’s wedding and Nellie babysat when she was young. They had gone through teething and diapers, walked with her to her parents’ graves and cheered her on when she graduated. She loved these two as much as she did her own grandparents, and the fact that she had allowed Creighton to become jealous, made her feel guilty for letting him think Craig was anything other than a very old friend.
“Honey, you okay?” Nellie was saying, bringing Sandra out of her silent thoughts.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a soft blush. “I guess I’m more tired than I thought I was.”
“Let me take ya home,” Craig said. “You can rest up b’fore the festivities t’night.” Sandra nodded and drained the last of her tea, taking another cookie as she stood up and hugged Nellie.
“I can’t wait ta meet this man of yer’s,” she told her. “He must be right special ta capture yer eye.” Sandra smiled, kissed her wrinkled cheek and walked out behind Craig who had put her box in the back of his truck.
“I’m staying at Aunt Kissy’s,” Sandra said as they pulled onto the main road.
“Why ain’t ya stayin’ with James and Mary?” he asked with a frown.
“I’m on my honeymoon,” she said blushing again when he laughed softly.
“So tell me ‘bout this man a yer’s,” he said with a wink. “I know he’s filthy rich, but is he a good man?”
“He’s wonderful,” Sandra said with a smile. “He’s kind and loving and gentle and I love him more than anything in this world.” Sandra suddenly burst into tears, covering her eyes with her hands.
“Hey now, what’s all this?” Craig asked in a fatherly tone of voice.
“I’ve just made such a fool of myself,” she sobbed. “I yelled at Creighton last night like some kind of lunatic and now he barely looks at me. I hurt him and no matter how many times I say I’m sorry, it just doesn’t make up for the mean things I said.”
“Well honey, sometimes we all say and do things we don’t mean,” he said, patting her leg. “What ya need ta do is tell him ya love him and just talk things through. If ya try ‘n hide or run away, it will just get worse.”
“I made him think I was coming to visit an old beau,” she said sadly. “He wanted to come with me and I told him no. I told him if he didn’t want me around I wasn’t staying. What if he left, Craig? What do I do without him?”
“He won’t leave ya, Sandy. He came all this way just fer you. I know he told Nelson it wasn’t ‘cause o’ you that he decided to build here, but I know that’s the real reason. Nobody in their right mind would come ta Kansas ta build a solar powered plant ‘less they were in love and I don’t mean with the wheat.”
“I just don’t know,” she said, accepting the handkerchief he handed her and dabbed at her made up eyes. “I don’t know that he’ll ever forgive me.”
“If he loves ya, he will. Ya may need to hogtie him and make him listen, but he’ll come ‘round. Never give up on love, honey. It’s the only thing worth fightin’ fer.” Craig pulled the old truck up in front of Kissy’s motel and kissed Sandra’s cheek as she opened the door.
“Do ya want some help with that stuff?” he asked.
“No thank you, I’ve got it. And thanks again for everything.”
“Ya know we’re always here,” he said with a wink. “We’ll be seein’ ya t’night. Yer going bring that hubby a yer’s and enjoy the night. You’ll see, everythin’ will work out. Just keep on talkin’.” Sandra smiled, closed the door and removed her box from the back of his truck, then waved as he drove off. She turned and walked to the room, noticing Creighton’s car sitting in a different stall than the one they had parked in earlier.
She said hello to Kissy, who was sweeping the front walk and chatted for a few brief moments about the events at city hall and the picnic for that night, before opening the door to the room she was sharing with her husband. Her heart was pounding as she reached for the key. She felt sweaty and it had nothing to do with the heat; she was afraid of what she might find in the room when she opened the door. Before she had a chance to slide the key into the lock, the wooden barrier flung open and a very angry, almost relived Creighton stood on the other side.
“Where the hell have you been?” he growled as she walked in, carrying her box.
“I told you, I was visiting with an old friend.”
“I’ve been looking all over this damned town for you. Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“Because I didn’t have it with me; I left it in the kitchen.”
“And where were you while your purse was in the kitchen?” Sandra drew a deep breath and sat the box on the end of the bed.
“I’m not going to talk to you while you’re acting like this,” she said, turning to go into the bathroom to wash up.
“Who is Craig and what is all this junk?” Sandra turned in the doorway, turning a shocked, hurt expression to him.
“I’m sorry if my stuff appears to be junk to you,” she snapped; the sting of insult echoed through her voice. “Not all of us were born with a silver spoon in our mouth. Some of us actually had to work for what we have.” The tears fell down her cheeks unchecked as she turned and opened the door to the room, slamming it hard behind her as she left. Creighton called after her, but she refused to stop; she was too angry to speak to him or to listen. And to think she was worried he wouldn’t be there when she got back!
Sandra ran to the side of the building and down the dirt alley, behind the building to the familiar road that led toward the opposite end of town. She was confused and mad, though she wasn’t sure which was stronger. Creighton’s mood made her think he was having second thoughts about their marriage. Perhaps it wasn’t just the way she had blown up at him last night; perhaps he was regretting getting her pregnant. He kept asking her how she felt about it, maybe he was trying to come to terms with his own feelings instead; perhaps he already had.
She continued to run, up a small embankment, around the back of the Time Saver gas station, across the railroad tracks and past the co-op grain elevator and was about to go down the incline toward the river that ran between the bakery and the hardware store, when she stumbled. Her eyes were so clouded with tears she could barely see where she was going. A split second’s thought to mentally brace for the fall as her ankle rolled, but before the impact hit she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist, steadying her on her feet. Sandra turned suddenly; fear controlling her actions as she slammed her fist into the chiseled jaw close behind her.
“Damn it!” Creighton cursed, placing a hand across his jaw. “When the hell are you going to stop hitting people?”
“What the hell are you doing here?” she shouted, her tears evaporating on her face as the warm, dry breeze blew around her; her eyes red and the color of her makeup smeared and faded.
“Where else would I go? You ran out before I had a chance to apologize and I wasn’t about to sit around for another two hours, worrying about you.”
“Why would you worry? The way you’ve been acting all day, I didn’t think you wanted me around?”
“Of course I want you, damn it, that’s not it…I mean…it’s just that…shit!” He pulled her suddenly into his strong arms and kissed her hard, taking her breath away and returning it in the same instant. He slipped his tongue into her mouth when she opened it, eagerly battling with hers until she surrendered and relaxed against him. She was dizzy, elated, energized and exhausted all in one swift movement.
Several long moments passed by before they felt the sting of need begin to burn and remembered where they were. Sandra knew it wouldn’t take much for him to pull her into the dirt and make love to her, in the middle of daylight, in the center of the business district. She heard him sigh with great reluctance as he broke contact with her mouth, keeping her close to his strong chest.
“I’m sorry,” he said, kissing her temple and cheek. “I never wanted to hurt you. I just thought you didn’t want me…I mean, after last night…I thought it would be best if I gave you some space.”
“I don’t want space, I want you.” She began to cry again, burying her face in his shoulder.
“Please Sandra, tell me the truth. Are you sorry I took you away from all of this? Are you sorry you’re pregnant? Do you regret marrying me?”
“No, never,” she said looking up into his eyes, seeing the tears brimming the dark blue depths. “I love you; what I said last night was just stupid and I’m sorry. I will never regret my decision to marry you or to have this baby. It’s ours, a part of our love and the start of our future together. Please, Creighton, I just want things to be the way they were before last night. I don’t want to fight with you anymore.”
“I’m so sorry darling,” he said, lifting her chin and kissing her lips again. “I will never treat you like that again. I’m sorry I made you feel like I didn’t want you around.”
“I love you so much,” she said, her tears slowly drying as she stood in the afternoon sun, wrapped in his arms.
“Let’s go back to the motel,” he whispered, kissing her again. “I think we need to make up for lost time. Can you walk?” Sandra smiled and nodded as they turned and headed back toward Aunt Kissy’s place. She hated fighting, especially with him and confrontations were never her forte, but she really rather enjoyed the prospect of making up.
Embraced three hours later, they lay exhausted and sweaty. They returned to the motel through the back alley and practically fell into the bed the minute they unlocked the door; making love was desperate, urgent and demanding of them both. Creighton cherished her body as she found her climax not once but twice before he joined her. After a shower and a quick romp in the bathroom, they returned to the bed where he found her more than eager to go again. Playing was their favorite pastime and relishing each other’s bodies was their sport of choice, but somehow, making up for lost time seemed more erotic than normal as they basked in the afterglow of the euphoria.
“We’re going to be late if we don’t get up,” she sighed, snuggling closer to his chest.
“Do we really have to go?” he complained making her laugh at his childish tone. “I can give you many wonderful excuses to bypass the festivities.”
“There are a lot of people who want to meet you and even more who want to hear about your encounter with Mayor Nelson,” she said, tilting her head so she could look into his handsome face. “Besides I’m starving. You don’t want the mother of your child to go hungry, do you?”
“No I don’t,” he said with a heavy sigh. “But I can get some food at the gas station and we can and stay right here. I wouldn’t mind meeting the town at another time. Hell, I’ll even spend all day tomorrow walking around ringing doorbells just to say hello.”
“Come on,” she laughed soft, leaned up on her elbow. “If you go with me now, I promise to let you have your wicked ways when we get back.”
“Promise?” he asked with a raised eyebrow and a very seductive grin.
“Toys, cuffs, gel, the works; but we have to go first.”
“Damn,” he mumbled as she walked to the foot of the bed where he had left her clothes after undressing her.
Sandra put the sweaty clothes aside and took a pair of clean shorts, a short sleeved blue top and a pair of sandals; ignoring the panties again, and went into the bathroom to get dressed. Creighton joined her a few minutes later, dressed in his blue jeans and grey tee-shirt from earlier and looked in the mirror at the very slight discoloration of a bruise on his chin beneath the soft layer of hair.
“You really have to quit hitting people,” he complained, glancing to her through the mirror as she sat on the toilet, slipping her legs into her pants.
“You should know better than to sneak up behind a woman. You deserve what you got; you scared the hell out of me.”
“I was trying to keep you from falling.”
“I thank you, but that doesn’t excuse you scaring me.” Sandra stood up, pulled her shorts across her bare hips and flushed the toilet. Privacy was a foreign word to her husband, and one he had no intention of learning the meaning to.
“If you weren’t running away from me, I wouldn’t have found the need to chase after you.” He turned and watched as she zipped the front of her shorts closed before she walked closer to him
“Are we going to argue again?” she asked, hands on her hips her breasts bare of the bra that hung in her hand. Creighton laughed as he pulled her against him.
“Only if it means you’ll stay here and make up with me?”
“No, we promised to go and we’re going. Now quit being a butt-head and go get your shoes on.”
“Did you just call me a butt-head?” he asked with a smile, the tone of amusement echoing in his words.
“I did and if you don’t do as you’re told, we’re going to have some serious issues.”
“Bring it on Ashford,” he said, repeating her favorite phrase to him. Sandra smiled, slapping his chest gently and pushing him away. She smiled as his laughter filled the room; it felt much better joking and laughing than fighting and yelling.
A knock at the door echoed through the small room as she walked out of the bathroom behind him, completely dressed and ready for the evening. Creighton frowned as she glanced up at him. To her knowledge, they weren’t expecting visitors.
“Hello,” James’s voice sounded on the other side of the door as Creighton opened it. “We thought you might need a ride to the park, just in case you couldn’t find it.” The younger man laughed as he pulled the door wider, allowing Sandra’s grandparents to enter. The room was a mess, the bed was torn apart and there were damp towels from their shower lying across the back of the chairs and clothing strung everywhere. Sandra blushed when her grandmother winked, and Creighton cleared his throat.
“We’re running a bit later than we had anticipated,” he said with a sly smile.
“We can see that,” Mary smiled. “Now if you two are finished, let’s get going. There are about a thousand people who really want to meet you. And I’m starving.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sandra said, her stomach adding a soft growl in agreement as her face turned a bit redder.
They took James’s black 1998 Ford Bronco to the park and arrived to hear a band playing near the center gazebo. They pulled into a make-shift parking stall in the dirt field behind the large tree lined park and found a place among the many cars. Children shouted and laughed as they chased a soccer ball around the grass, climbed the monkey bars or played Red Rover, while the chatter of many people gathered together visiting and talking filled the air. The smell of barbequed pork, chicken and beef drifted into the open windows and Sandra felt herself becoming slightly dizzy with the aroma. She drew a deep breath to keep her stomach in place when she realized she had not eaten since before they met the mayor at city hall, and that was nearly seven hours ago.
“Are you alright?” Creighton asked softly with a frown. Sandra tried to nod as she stepped out of the back of the car and shut the door, but the feelings became suddenly overwhelming and she couldn’t hold it back any longer. She bent over next to the front tire and began vomiting in the dirt. Creighton pressed a warm hand gently against her shoulder as he held her ponytail out of the way.
“What’s the matter?” James asked from somewhere behind her.
“Just take it easy honey,” Mary said nearby. “James, get that bag out of the back, the one we brought with the bread and watermelon.” The sound of the back hatch opening and then closing sounded far away as the nausea took control of her actions, yet within a few moments her grandmother was by her side, easing her down to the running board of the old Bronco.
“Here,” she said, pushing a piece of homemade bread into Sandra’s hand. “Eat this, you’ll feel better.” Sandra obeyed and began nibbling on the chunk of bread as Creighton wiped the sweat off her brow with the handkerchief James handed him.
“It will pass in a few minutes,” he told her gently.
“What’s going on?” James asked. “What’s the matter with her?”
“Oh James, can’t you guess?” Mary scolded. “She and Creighton have been together for over two months. You add up the signs; the mood swings, the increased appetite, always tired, the nausea.”
“Sandra!” her grandfather said a moment later, his tone a mixture of excitement and shock.
“Take it easy honey,” Mary said as she tried to stand. “You just rest here for a bit, Papa and I will go ward off the curious lookey-loos and you stay with your husband until you’re strong enough to join us.” Sandra nodded and watched them walk away before turning to Creighton who sat down next to her on the step.
