Black Hills Angel (Black Hills Series) (9 page)

"Matt. Yes, please..." Her need was all consuming and he quickened the already mind numbing pace. He could feel the fine dew on her skin as he picked up the rhythm that would send them both flying into space. His mouth absorbed her breathy scream and he emptied himself. Exhaustion fell on him and he leaned heavily on Andy's body. She held him, her breath warm against his ear. Their heartbeats slowed and gently he rolled off of her, fitting their bodies together so that he could hold her.

"That was beyond words, baby."
I love you.
It almost slipped out, but he bit back the words just in time. It was too soon for that. Hell he wasn't even sure if it was truly how he felt or if he was talking with another part of his body.
That
he knew loved her!

"That's only the second time." Her voice was so quiet, he wasn't sure if he had heard her right. She held his arms tightly around her body. He closed his eyes.
One secret down.
He pressed his lips to her neck and smiled against her skin.

"It won't be the last." Matt made it a promise. He kept quiet, wondering if she was going to share anything more, but she didn't. Sometime later Harper woke up crying in the living room and they got out of bed. The time for confidences had passed. Reality snuck back in.

Chapter Ten

Matt rubbed his eyes and slid his sunglasses back into place. The setting sun was just above the horizon and so blinding. He cranked the already chilly air conditioner higher and yawned. It had been a long couple of days. He had been volunteered by Garrett to drive to Sioux Falls, which might as well have been on the other side of the moon from Rapid City. He met with a group of businessmen interested in building a golf course and housing subdivision outside of Rapid City.

He had arrived late in the afternoon yesterday, dropped off the blueprints for review, and spent a good portion of today with the investors convincing them Johnson Brothers Building was both competent and cost friendly. Needless to say after some tough negotiating, the blueprints were approved and he was finally on his way home. He couldn't wait to see Andy and Harper.

He had called last night, but it had been a short conversation. Andy seemed a bit weird and who could blame her. They had slept together the night before last and she shared a rather large secret with him. Then he was on the road to Sioux Falls the very next day. Any woman would be a bit skittish, but he knew she was bound to be more so. He was trying to get her to trust him and to understand that he would take care of whatever demons existed in her life. He stretched his neck. Clearly it would take more time.

Ring, Ring! Ring, Ring!
Matt's cell phone sang from its hands-free holder on his dash. His heart jumped hoping it was Andy. It wasn't. He clicked on his Bluetooth.

"Yes? Hello, Garrett." He couldn't hide the annoyance in his voice. Garrett had been worrying over this deal with the golf course and housing development bid. Work was starting to slow down and neither one of them wanted to lay any of the guys off going into the fall and winter. It was time to dig more jobs up, even if they weren't large ones.

"Hey, I got your voicemail. I'm glad we got the job. Did they like the blueprints? Did you tell them we could change whatever they didn't like? We need to get those city permits as soon as you get back into the office tomorrow. I want the ball rolling like yesterday!" Garrett droned on. Matt rolled his eyes.

"They aren't going to start for another month, Garrett. It is all handled. They liked the scheme and the layout. I will get everything to Margaret tomorrow and then put together a plan." Matt signaled into the passing lane to get around three caravanning semi-trailers. He could hear Garrett talking to their foreman, Robert. He waited with little patience. Garrett huffed.

"Fine. We don't need to screw this up. This is a big job and it should last us most of the winter."
Singing to the choir, big brother!
Matt blew out a breath and nodded to the phone.

"I know. I will talk to you tonight. I should be back into Rapid City in a half hour or less. Quick shower and then I am going to Andy's for a while." He could almost see Garrett shaking his head. His older brother still wasn't convinced this new relationship had any merit, but it was Matt's life.

"All right. Talk to you later. Bye." Garrett hung up and Matt clicked off his phone. He drove another fifteen miles and his phone lit up again.
Dead spots!
It was a veritable wonderland of cell phone coverage across the state. One minute you had full signal and the next there was nothing.
Missed phone call. Voicemail.
Matt clicked the button, hoping it wasn't Garrett again. His brother was obsessed with this new project. He would just have to wait until tomorrow.

"Uh, hey Matt, I am not sure if you are back yet."
Andy.
There was a pause. Something was wrong and instantly his heart slowed its beating. "Uh I, well, this is stupid. I don't want to bother you. I just didn't know who else to talk to. Sara let me go this morning. Um, I'm ok, I just...well, shoot, Harper's crying so I gotta go." Andy hung up the phone.

Shit.
His brow furrowed as he stared at the road.
Is she ever going to catch a break?!
He voice commanded his phone to call Andy, but after a couple of rings it went to voicemail.
Damn it!
So it looked like he was going to Andy's apartment before he got a shower. She needed him and that's where he was going to be. Signaling at the next exit, Matt got off Interstate 90 and headed to Andy's. The whole time he was wondering just what he was going to find, but whatever it was, he was going to meet it head on.

***

She took a deep breath and tried to calm her pounding heart. She had managed not to cry when Rachel had asked why she was picking Harper up so early. Andy told her that she would talk to her later. It wasn't that she was ashamed of losing her job at Happy Trails Inn, but it had blind-sided her. She was also solely responsible for Harper and without a job, it was going to be doubly tough to make ends meet. She had called Matt as soon as she got back to her apartment, but it had gone directly to voicemail. She didn't even know what to say to him, just that she needed to hear his voice.

Her bottom lip trembled as she rocked Harper in the chair. Her daughter sucked slowly on the bottle and was nearly asleep. Andy had tried to sing, which was soothing to them both, but every time she started, her voice would crack. Humming was the alternative. Her eyes watered as the melody of
Danny Boy
vibrated in her throat. It had been her grandmother's favorite tune, but now it only served to deepen the longing for someone who loved her.

What am I doing? What am I going to do? Why the hell when I needed someone, did everyone walk away?
Her heart ached. It wasn't completely true. Her grandmother had offered her a home and companionship when everything had gone south. Andy rested her head against the chair and closed her eyes. Harper snuffled in her sleep. The ache in Andy's throat only tightened and she blinked back the flood that threatened. A knock at the front door made her jump. She waited for a second and after hearing the second one, she got up to lay Harper in her bed.

She didn't really want to answer the door, but the persistent knocking made it impossible to just sit quietly. A louder knock came before she got there and she focused an annoyed glare at the wood door.

"What do you want?" The words spewed forth with some bite before she opened the door to find Matt standing there with his fist ready to knock again. His eyes widened at her question.

"Well if you really want to know I want you, but I'm here earlier because of a not so good voicemail." He stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him. Andy felt the frayed ends of her emotions come completely loose and she covered her eyes on a sob. Matt's hard chest connected with her body and she melted into him. She couldn't help it anymore. Something had changed in her heart for him and it couldn't keep him on the outside any longer.

"Shh, it's fine. We will figure it out, babe." He held her tightly, her ear pressed against his chest. She could hear his heart beat and she willed her own to settle into his rhythm. The tears refused to stop, but the sobs had eased. Matt's fingers caressed her scalp in small circles and it soothed the inner turmoil. She leaned heavily against him, suddenly too tired to stand.

"Come over here. Can you tell me what happened?" Matt guided her over to the couch and they sat together. He pulled Andy snugly against his side and waited patiently.
How does he do it?!
Andy wondered how Matt could just wait until she was ready to talk. She knew that if she didn't want to share, he wouldn't force her to.

"I got to work this morning and there didn't seem to be anything wrong. I was there a couple of hours and Sara said she needed to talk to me." Andy took a breath, sliding her fingers into his own and holding on. "Someone complained loudly, I guess. Coupled with the fact that I haven't been the most reliable since Harper came, Sara said they had to let me go." Her voice broke and her hand trembled. Matt squeezed it hard. She swallowed and tried to right the spinning top she was riding.

"Did she say who complained?" Andy shook her head. "I'd be surprised if she did, but it sounds fishy to me." Matt brushed a piece of her hair away from her still moist cheek.

"Me too. Matt, you don't think that
she
would do something like this?" Since she had found out about the complaint, Andy wondered about Monica. Her stomach knotted. Was it right to seek blame on someone she had only met once? But she knew where Andy worked or so they thought.

"I wouldn't put it past her. Unless Sara is willing to tell us who made the complaint, I'm not sure we can pin it on Monica though." His voice was quiet, but the strength was what she needed. Matt was thoughtful and compassionate, but didn't fly off the handle. Somehow he was who she needed him to be and it filled her with a sense of rightness. Hope filled her heart. It inflated that piece which she thought was lost for all time.

"I think the complaint was just the last nail in the coffin. The last three months with Harper have been rough and I've been either late or nonexistent. She had every right to let me go. I just don't know what I am going to do now." Andy tried to sit up. Matt shifted to the edge of the couch with her and turned slightly. She wiped her eyes with her palms and took a shaky breath.

"Well we will figure it out. You aren't in this alone anymore, Andy. You could always come live with me." Seeing her about to protest, he hurried on. "Or I could help you for a while. You don't have to run into the next job you find. You could take some time and just focus on Harper." Matt reached out to cup her cheek in his palm. Andy couldn't take her eyes from his.

"I don't think we are ready to move in together. I've only known you for a week and a half." Andy shook her head at herself. How had things moved so quickly? Then again, something about them made her wonder if she was just dragging her feet.

"You can't blame me for trying to keep you close to me. If Monica is behind this, it bothers me that you are here alone with Harper. So until we come up with something better, I will help you around here. Just let me know what you need. Whatever it is, I can do it." His go-get-em attitude brought a smile out from inside her. She wasn't sure how she got so lucky, but for once, it had smiled on her.

"If you are sure. My grandmother left me some money, but it won't last but a couple of months. After the doctor's bills for Harper and myself, there wasn't a whole lot left." Andy got up and walked into the kitchen. She itched for some space if she was going to share more of herself with him. Having him so near at hand made her want to curl up in his arms. It wasn't conducive to her self-reliance.

"She lived here in Rapid City?" Matt's question had her nodding. He hadn't moved. He did turn to watch her, but he didn't get up to follow. Andy picked up a glass and filled it with water. After a drink, she set it on the counter.
You can do this. He deserves some of the truth.

"She was my mom's mother. They didn't speak so I didn't know her very well. I reached out to her when my parents wouldn't support the baby and me. She welcomed me with no questions and no ultimatums." Andy blinked back the tears that burned. "Ellen said she couldn't understand my parents' decision to turn me out. I thought at first she took me in to get back at them, but I found out after Ellen died that my mother had asked her to take me in."

Matt stayed where he was, but his eyes never left her. He didn't interrupt. He just listened.

"I couldn't stay in the house, because my uncle was going to sell it. I had no idea what to do. The day after her funeral her lawyer brought the will to the house and explained that Ellen had left me thirty thousand dollars. So I took it and found this apartment. After the doctors' bills, it left us with about ten thousand. I've been using it to supplement my income since the hours were so sporadic." Andy quickly wiped a tear away that had been running down her cheek. Her eyes felt like sand had been poured into them and she blinked rapidly. Her throat was raw and painful. When she wasn't certain what else to share, Andy stayed quiet. Her heart was fluttering like a wild bird in an unfamiliar cage.

Matt got up from the couch and came to her. His face was thoughtful, but not a crease of judgment could be seen. His blue eyes were soft and calming. He slid his hands up her arms and around her shoulders, pulling her into him.
How did I get so lucky? How will I ever deserve him?
She let out a long sigh and clung to him. He petted her hair. He pressed kisses to her forehead.

"You are not alone in this, Andy. I'm not going anywhere." His voice was warm and welcoming. She wanted to take shelter with him and let him handle the storm. She was so tired of being on her own. He leaned his lips closer to her ear. "Trust me."
Ah, yes, that is a tricky one.
He took her lips softly with his own and absorbed the thoughts currently fighting for voice. She gave herself up to it. She didn't want to think anymore tonight. She didn't want to hold herself up to the light anymore today. She knew if they stayed together that she would have to share it all and hope Matt didn't wonder why he had ever taken a chance on her. Tonight, though, she just wanted to be with him.

She felt the warmth of his body spread to her own and her shaking lessened. She twined her arms around his neck and leaned her body against his from chest to thigh. A wild flickering of desire leapt to life and send shockwaves through her veins. The vivid memory of their night together sprung to mind and she burned still hotter.
Just love me!
Her heart cried out even as her body joined the chorus.