Chapter One of Kerry's Raine

Chapter One

Three years later

  That friend of hers was over there again, coming all the way from New York City to have her sign a few papers and then leave again. He often wondered about him, was he her lover, or was he just a friend? He certainly stayed with her often enough and they seemed closer than most people of the opposite sex who were just friends.

  Shaking his head he turned back to the equipment he was running. Twice a summer he baled the hay in her field, watching her and wondering about the mystery lady that hired him to take care of the hay and to do odd jobs for her every year. She was finally putting back on a little of the weight she had lost the first two years she had been living here and he was glad to see it, lord knows she had looked like a pencil for far too long. She had let that midnight hair of hers grow out and now it hung past her waist, and as often as he tried to not think about that hair he just couldn’t stop form wondering what it would feel like.

  She had him fascinated and she had no clue that he was so captured by her; he knew it but couldn’t seem to find a way to make her see it. Ever since the first time he had met her she had been a thorn in his side one way or another and the worst part of it was she really had no idea that she had tied him in knots, to the great amusement of all of the other people in the area. Some day he was going to get the courage to ask her out, he figured she’d say no and then he would be done thinking about her, then he could have one of the people he hired come over here and maintain her hay fields for her and he would stop torturing himself.

  He had met her down at the local Co-Op, buying some feed for her new horse and asking where she could find someone to get some hay from. She had looked so tired, so fragile that he had found himself watching her closely to see if she would shatter in front of his eyes. Millie was telling her she could always buy hay from the Co-Op itself and was asking her a million gossipy questions. The poor thing had looked as though she was going to run right out of the building as she explained that she didn’t have a truck to come and pick up enough at a time, she didn’t come into town that often, when he had spoken up and said he could deliver it for her, for a small price though.

“Raine, you can deliver that hay for her for free the first time, you hear?” Millie smiled as she tossed a pen at him. “She’s new here and a friend of Summer, you can do the neighborly thing and then talk about money if she needs you to bring hay out again.”

“Sure thing Millie, I can deliver it this evening if you like?” He wanted her to look at him again; he wondered if her eyes were really that blue or if they were colored contacts. She was so short that she barely came up to his chest and from that second he had the urge to protect her, wanting to just pick her up and make the world as perfect as he could for her.

 He knew that Summer had mentioned her best friend from high school moving here from New York, but he wondered why she had kept her hidden from him, she certainly hadn’t introduced them and he was determined to give his little sister-in- law the third degree about that. He knew that Summer had said the woman had been through a rough time and needed her space but the person standing there in the Co-Op looked like she needed something more than space, it seemed to him that she needed to be around good people that wouldn’t take advantage of her and would give her a hand when she needed it and her next words proved his point.

“Well, I don’t know, I don’t like people knowing where I live really.” Her voice grew quieter and her face flushed, as though she were embarrassed to admit that she wanted to be left alone.

  “Well, I’m related to your Summer by marriage so I don’t think I count as ‘people’ exactly Miss.” Smiling reached out his right hand to her, scarred and calloused from his work, unintentionally holding his left hand behind him, not wanting to see if she had an adverse reaction to the missing fingers on that hand. “It's nice to meet you, I’m Raine.”

  “It's nice to meet you too.” She shook his hand fast, dropping it after barely pressing her palm to his. “Let me call Summer and then she’ll let you know ok? Seeing as you two are kind of related and all.”

“Well now I am sure that’s just fine, isn’t it Raine?” Millie was smiling, that big grin of hers that said she knew she was getting her way and was very happy about it. “Then when Raine here delivers it you can just send a check with him for the amount sweetie.”

“That would be fine Millie thank you.” She was rushing out the door, her shoulders hunched as though she were trying to hide.

“Wait,” At the sound of his voice she turned, and the look on her face made him want to beat the Hell out of whoever had made her look so scared of everything. “I’d like to know your name if that’s all right.”

“Kerry, my name is Kerry.” She spoke in a near whisper, then she was gone and he had stood there staring after her like a fool while Millie and Old John that worked at the Co-Op laughed at him. He had known her name, hearing it from Summer often enough but he had wanted to hear it from her, had wanted to say anything that would keep here there in front of him and talking for as long as he could manage it. Damn, he was falling for a big city girl and that was the craziest thing he could do, much less falling for one at first sight? It was no wonder that Millie and Old John had the best time of their day laughing at him as he stood there like some fool staring after her as she took off in that red Mustang of hers, screeching her tires like pulling out onto  113 was entering a raceway.

That had been the beginning of this crazy obsession he had with the dark haired woman from New York City. He had discovered her hay field right out in back of her house, which was off the beaten path off of Baxter Bridge road, out in the woods where no one could tell there was a house there but for all of the ‘No Trespassing’ signs that were up. He had offered to bale the hay in the field for her twice a year, for the cost of half of what he baled, which left her with plenty of hay for her horse and he was sure that she fed some of it to the deer near there.

  Every year he got closer to knowing her and still it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. He wanted more then he should from her, and he wondered if his patience would ever be rewarded with something more than a smile from her, or one of those bossy and belligerent tirades she gave him when she had to have something done and Summer sent him over to take care if it for her. She was something special; she just needed to see it in herself before she could realize that he saw it as well.

  Frowning he looked back again at her house and watched her laughing with her friend while her horse came up to the deck to be petted. Her friend jumped at the first touch of the horse’s nose to his hand and Kerry laughed, her hair falling back from around her face as she threw back her head in her happiness. Shaking his head he watched them walk into the house again and he turned his attention to the long rows of hay that were churning out of the hay-bine, the smell of it reminding him of her for some reason; fresh, sweet and clean.

  “Save a horse ride a cowboy!” Nathan laughed as he watched her trying to avoid staring at the man out in the field on the tractor. “So, speaking of riding, have you given that cowboy a ride yet?”

“Stop it you!”She laughed, knowing that he was teasing her; he always teased her about Raine every time he was here. “I think I just might call Chris and tell him that you’re lusting after my Farm boy.”

Nathan snorted and shook his head, his smile wide across his face. “Oh honey, both he and I are in lust with that man out there!” He laughed at the shocked look on her face before he continued. “Sweetie, all anyone has to do is read the last three books you’ve written and they would want him too! Or at least want him the way you have him written anyhow.”

“What?” She felt the blush stealing across her cheeks as she tried to laugh it off. “I don’t know what you’re talking about you jerk, I’m not talking about that guy in my hay field who is sweating to death out there when I write!”

  He was sweating, she could see the lines of it on his shirt and she wondered why he used an older tractor, one without a cab on it over here at her place while on the other land he farmed she always saw him in a much bigger tractor that had a cab and, she assumed, air conditioning. Oh but he looked good all sweaty with his tan arms steering the tractor around the field, the hay-bine roaring behind him as it filled the air with the scent of fresh mown hay. Unconsciously she bit her lower lip as she stared at him again, scene after scene of what she thought he would be like roaming through her head and she had to admit it to herself that she actually had formed the last few male leads in her stories after what she saw in him.

  Snapping his fingers in front of her eyes to get her attention again Nathan was smiling at her as she stared out into the field and at the man who was busy working in it. “So, you think his tractors sexy huh?” Nathan was giggling, looking at her and making the face that she knew meant she was busted.

“It really turns me on!” Giggling she shoved at him and then laughed out loud as her horse Misha came up to the deck and tried to get Nathan to pet her, her lips nibbling at his hand as it lay on the railing of the deck and making him jump and almost scream. Her head went back as she laughed, her long hair falling behind her as she gave herself over to the happiness she was feeling and her amusement at Nathan’s reaction to her horse.

“Let’s go inside, I’m melting and that damn pet of yours is trying to eat me again!” Backing away from the edge of the railing he grabbed her and wrapped an arm around her, leading her back into the air conditioning of her secluded home. “Besides, the way that farm boy is staring at us there is about to be a fight and I for one have no intention of letting him beat me up just for touching you!”

  Looking up at her best friend she shook her head and laughed again. “Oh I don’t think you have to worry about that at all, he is so not interested in me.”

They were in the house now, the air conditioning keeping the worst of the summer heat at bay and they both sighed a bit as the coolness of it washed over them. They headed for the kitchen with her leading the way as she thought about how she knew he had no interest in her.

  “What? You tried to get the cowboy into bed and he said no? I can’t believe it!” Nathans perfectly manicured hands waved in the air as he followed her; he was always one to talk with his hands when he was excited. “Does he already have a woman? What happened? What did you do?”

“Well, I didn’t do anything, not intentionally anyhow.” Feeling the heat rise in her face she knew she was blushing and couldn’t seem to stop it. “He sort of walked in on me last year and…well let’s just say that if he was interested then he would have shown it then ok?”

“Wait! First we need to break out the bubbly I brought for you, toast the newest bestseller and then you are going to tell me the entire story!” Walking over to the refrigerator he opened the door to pull out the bottle of Cristal Champagne he had brought along with him this time. He had come to bring her the new contracts with her publisher and had brought along the news that her last book had in only two weeks hit the New York Times bestselling list.

She was getting the champagne flutes down while she heard the pop of the bottle behind her, muffled just the way it should be so that the precious drink didn’t burst from the bottle in a foamy stream where most of it would end up on the floor. “You just want to take home some lurid tale for Chris and you to giggle over while you live the high life in the city.”

“No, no not at all brat!” Laughing again he took one of the flutes form her hand and tipped it slightly, pouring the expensive celebratory beverage carefully into the shining glass. “I just want to hear how the man can actually be so stupid; it makes me happy in the strangest way to know that the ‘Raine Man’ out there isn’t perfect after all.”

“’Raine Man’, oh please tell me you two don’t call him that!” Giggling more and wondering what she would ever do without him to make her laugh like this she took the now full glass he held out to her and handed him the empty one.

  “How can we not?” Shrugging as he poured he let her see the small frown on his face, the corners of his full lips turning down as he thought of how to say what he wanted to her. “How any man can be around you for this long and not make any sort of a move is beyond me dearest.”

“Well, you and Chris haven’t.” She laughed again at the horrified expression on his face.

“We are your family. That would be so wrong, and incredibly disgusting!” He shook his head and laughed at the smile on her face, loving the mischievous twinkle in her eye that for the longest time he had been afraid he would never see again.  “Besides, Chris and I are in love if you hadn’t noticed.”

“Oh…if I noticed!” Shaking her finger at him she laughed some more, stopping to inhale the sweet scent of the champagne in her glass. “If it weren’t for me the two of you would never have gotten together if you’ll remember correctly!”

“Oh I know it you Romance Queen you!” Laughing he raised his glass to her and she lifted hers in reply. “To all of the future bestsellers, and to all of the money we are making off of them!”

  “To the future!” she responded as they lifted their glasses to drink. She sipped slowly, knowing that she had forgotten to eat earlier in the day and not wanting to get tipsy from one small glass of champagne. It tasted like pure gold on her tongue and she closed her eyes and murmured in approval, running her tongue over her top lip to capture the taste that lingered there.

After the first glass she was even more relaxed than she usually was and it showed. She took out some cheese and some crackers washed some strawberries and they nibbled at the food while they talked about small things. Catching up on the things that they weren’t able to say over the phone felt so much better and the pressure in her chest that she hadn’t realized was there soon faded in the face of the friendship she shared with her agent. After the second glass of Cristal she was giggling like a school girl and then laughing over the stories he had to tell her of his neighbors and of the other publishers and publicists that were growing more and more frustrated that the only way they had to get in touch with her was through him, her agent.

  “They just don’t know how close we are, they must think you are taking advantage of me or something.” She was chortling her way through another bite of food when there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it for you hon, you just stay there and have another bite to eat.” His face determined as he walked through the house Nathan knew without a doubt who was at the door and he was going to get to the bottom of whatever it was that was keeping this cow boy away from the precious woman that was giggling and just a bit tipsy in the kitchen.

He opened the door wide and smiled what was known to be his most persuasive smile at the hulking figure in the doorway. “Well, what can I do for you Mr. Raine?”

“Is Kerry available?” The frown was going to be permanent soon if he always scowled like that Nathan thought as he kept the smile on his face. It was obvious that what the cowboy needed was a good moisturizer for that skin of his being out in the sun all day the way he was and to get laid, preferably after romancing Kerry and falling in love with her first.

“Actually she is, and she’s been single for a long time you know.” The look of surprise was comical but Nathan held his laugh in. “No, I know what you mean, come on back she’s in the kitchen.”

  “I’m all sweaty, and dirty she doesn’t need me messing up her house.”

  “Nonsense! I Chris and I mess up her house whenever we’re here and she hasn’t kicked us out yet!” Grabbing the muscular arm of Kerry’s cowboy he practically had to drag him into the kitchen gabbing all of the way to keep him from refusing to some in. “Didn’t she ever tell you about the time we all had this terrible food fight and it took hours to clean it up? She was so mad at us but still, even though she had to repaint the kitchen she never kicked us out. Kerry love, look who’s here and needs to talk to you!”

She had both hands in her hair, lifting it up off from her neck even though the house was cool. It had fallen over her eyes and when she let it go it fell in a midnight cloud over her shoulders and down her back and Nathan smiled wider as he saw that Raines’ fingers twitched as though he wanted to reach out to run them through it. So, he thought, the man is attracted after all.

“I need to hit the little boys’ room before I leave sweet pea, I’ll be back in a minute.” And, he thought, it was so much easier to eavesdrop if people thought you weren’t anywhere near them.

“Hot out today isn’t it?” was all she said as Nathan left the room and he would have smacked himself in the forehead as he shut the door to the hallway bathroom and crept back out to the door to the kitchen.

“Yeah, it is.” Wow, neither one of these two was going to get anywhere at this rate, Nathan pressed his fingers to his mouth to stifle the laugh as pictures of a Junior high dance ran through his head, picturing the both of them on opposite sides of the room too afraid to ask the other to dance.

“Is there something you need? Water, some lunch?” Her chair scraped back and he heard her open the door to the refrigerator. “I know you didn’t bring anything to eat today and…”

“No, I ate before I brought the equipment over.” Then there came the sound of two heavy footsteps going farther into the room. “No, Kerry you don’t have to do anything for me ok?”

“Well, you are always so good to me I just want to…you never take any money for all of the stuff you do around here and I know how busy you are, you won’t let me ever say thank you.”

“No need for thanks, I do it because...”

“Neighbors do things for each other.” They finished the sentence together and then Nathan heard her laugh while the cowboy chuckled.

“I won’t be here long; I see you and your boyfriend are celebrating.” There was a roughness to the voice now, as though the laugh had gotten under his skin. “I just wanted to let you know that one of the boys will be over to rake the hay about noon tomorrow.”

“Not you?” her voice sounded calm, but Nathan knew the fear under the words and right them he could have gleefully hit the man over the head with one of Kerry’s prized cast iron skillets.

“No, I have to take some cattle to the market so Jimmy or Terrance will be here, you know them so I think you’ll be fine.” So he did know she hated strangers.

“Oh, I went to his graduation party this year!” As much as he wanted her to tell this cowboy they weren’t dating she didn’t, he knew the news of someone else coming to her house had distracted her from that sentence, but she would remember it later and beat herself up over it. “Jimmy is such a sweet kid and Terrance, Terrance is always something else isn’t he? I never know what to expect from that cousin of yours, oh by the way did you ever get to his open house that day? I know I left before you got there.”

“Yeah, I did get there after all, right after he opened the gift you got him for his graduation. He’s still talking about how nice you were to give him that present you did; his parents are still a bit shocked over it.”

“Well the boy needs to go to college, it wasn’t that much. His having a laptop will make it easier to do his work and he won’t have to spend the money to get one on his own now.” The poor girl must be standing in the open door of the fridge; he still hadn’t heard the door of it close yet.

“Well they really appreciate it, you have friends for life over there you know.”

“Are you sure I can’t get anything for you to eat or drink?” Was the conversation over already? No wonder this attraction was getting nowhere, they never really talked to each other, not about anything personal, they seemed to keep their talk to things that people who were only acquaintances talked about, he found it nearly impossible to believe that this had been going on for three years and now he knew why Summer was so exasperated with the two of them. Hurrying down the hall he opened and closed the door with a bang and then walked back into the kitchen.

“Making the man something to eat are you? Good, I don’t like it when you eat alone.” Smiling at Raine he moved to give Kerry a hug. “This girl would forget to eat if no one was here to remind her, Chris and I owe you and Summer a lot for taking care of our little sis here.”

“Little sis?” There that took care of it; the cowboy looked confused but was obviously taking the hint, one of his eyebrows rising in speculation just like Kerry’s did when she heard something new or whenever she was about to get very mad.

“Oh sure, my partner and I love her to pieces and she’s family to us.” Placing a kiss on her forehead he tried not to laugh as she pinched his side. “She’s the one that introduced us in fact, without this precious girl I would never have met the love of my life.”

  “I…didn’t know that.” His face was red, obviously taking the hint about Nathans ‘partner’ and all and not sure what to say about it.

“No, she never tells anyone about how nice she is did you know she thinks she’s a bitch?”

“Oh I do not you big jerk!” Shoving him away she laughed. “You’d better got moving because if you miss your plane then Chris is going to kick your pretty ass for not being home tonight!”

“Oh I know!” Grabbing her into a crushing hug he tickled her until she was begging for mercy, the look on the cowboys face was something he would have actually paid to see. Damn, the man really was in love with her and had never said a word, not to her anyhow. “I’ll leave you two to your dinner plans, make sure you give him some of that Cristal before you drink it all you lush!”

He laughed as she chased him out the door with a little shriek. As he drove away he noticed that the ‘Raine Man’ hadn’t left yet and he took it as a good sign, maybe there was hope for the two of them after all. A grin spread over his face as he picked up his cell phone to dial Chris, knowing that the love of his life would be full of questions about the cowboy and their little romance writer. Then he would have Chris call Summer and get her take on all of this, if the three of them had any say in this at all then before summer was over there should be the sound of future wedding bells on the way.


Copyright protected Copyright 2008 M.P.O.