Coming Home (The Morgans) (4 page)

 
Just as quickly as he had started, Drue stopped just as suddenly.

 
He stared down at Victoria incredulously, his eyes dark with desire.

 
Off-balance and wanting his lips back where they had been, she tried to pull him back.

 
He pulled away and took a step back.

 
“Drue?” she questioned as she gently brushed his cheek.

 
He started at her touch as if she had burned him and released her from his hold.

He might as well have slapped her. The pain would not have been nearly as bad as being rejected like this.

  She turned her back to him facing the kitchen sink and stared out the window as tears welled in her eyes.

 
I will NOT cry. I won’t, she lectured herself.

 
“Victoria, I am so sorry.” Drue started very solemnly.

 
She couldn’t take it. Why had he stopped? Why had he even started something?

 
She knew he had felt what she was feeling. She had felt his reaction to her. They hadn’t done anything wrong. It had been amazing as far as she was concerned. She couldn’t be reading him wrong, could she?   What was he so afraid of? What was holding him back?

 
Anger grew and welled up inside her chest.

 
“What are you sorry for, Drue?” she asked quite seriously.

 
“That you did kiss me or that you stopped?”

 
“That I kissed you of course.” He replied in disgust.

 
Drue scrubbed his face with his hands as if to clear his head. He drew a deep settling breath.

 
“We both know I never should have done that.” He stated matter-of-factly, which irritated Tori even further.

 
“And it will not happen again,” he said, emphasizing the word not.

 
“You have my word on that for whatever it’s worth at this point.”

 
“Chalk it up to provocation? Is that it Drue?” she asked.

 
“I just pushed one too many buttons, and you just reacted. Does that about cover it in your mind, Drue, or did I leave anything out?” she couldn’t keep the sarcasm nor the hurtful edge from ebbing out.

 
She threw the dishtowel on the counter and turned to go. She stopped at the back door. She didn’t want to leave things like this.

 
“Look, Drue. I admit I was trying to draw you out and have a little fun.” Tori started.

 
“And maybe I went too far, but ask yourself this question.”

 
“Why is it that not once but twice today you have reacted in this manner? Just an off day or is it something more?”

 
With that Victoria Winslow held her head high and walked out of the Morgan home.

 
She didn’t take a breath until she was back on Winslow property. When she finally slowed her step, the chill of the night broke through her endless berating thoughts.

 
Jeez, Victoria! When will you ever learn, her conscience scolded her.

 
“Not once but twice you give in to Drue Morgan, making a complete and utter fool of yourself. You might as well have asked him to take you to bed!”

 
“Oh Em Gee!” she growled.

 
She trudged up the front porch steps and made her way upstairs to prepare for bed.

 
Like she was going to be getting any sleep tonight. Even if she could, she didn’t think she wanted to. She had an uneasy feeling that her dreams would haunt her by replaying the scene in the Morgan’s kitchen.

 
One thing she was certain of. Drue was not indifferent to her. Far from it if his reaction to her tonight was any indication. The question is what kept pulling him back?

 
Secondly, did she really want to explore if there really could be anything between them?

She had her life in Chicago and the hope that her first book was about to be published. Drue’s life was here on the farm.

  No good would become of pursuing Drue yet again.

   Okay. I know that box has to be up here somewhere.” Tori said to herself. “ Grandma never threw anything away.”

 
She circled the house-length attic, looking at stacks of boxes, furniture and even toys she recognized from her childhood.

 
Porcelain dolls sat neatly in a row on a shelf. Shelby, Cassie, Polly and Anna smiled down at her in their faded checkered red and blue dresses.

 
Below that sat a wooden rocking horse whose faux mane was matted, the seat was worn from the many hours it had been ridden, and his painted black nose was partially missing.

 
“This place is like a time capsule.” Tori smiled. Every part of her life up until college was in this house, including the attic. There wasn’t a place she didn’t feel her grandparents presence.

 
She went to a corner of boxes that were labeled “School Years”.

 
She scooped the top box down to the floor and sat Indian-style. When she opened the box she found every school annual for each year of school she had been in.

 
Good Lord! We need to make sure these never leave the attic she thought to herself.

 
Dusting her hands off on her jeans, she started flipping through the first book.

It wa
s her sophomore high school year. There was Kevin with his cheesy smile. There she was with her poofed-out hair, a perm that had gone sadly wrong. Hard to believe we intentionally styled our hair that way. Laughing she turned to the senior portraits.

 
Drue was just as serious then as he was now. His clean-cut short brown spikey hair and warm smile seemed to highlight his maturity even then. His quote said it all for him. “Work hard. Play later.”

 
Just then she heard the front door open and close.

 
Probably Kevin.

 
“I’m up here in the attic.” she called.

 
She heard heavy boot steps come down the entry hall to the attic steps. One. Two. Three steps. Then a familiar brown-haired hot as hell boy- no man- popped into the attic.

 
Drue’s eyes searched the attic and stopped when they landed on Tori.

 
He stopped his ascent and stared at her as if he was unsure of his next move.

 
“Uh, Hi.”

 
“Uh, Hi, yourself.” “What brings you my way this morning?”

 
“Mom wanted me to come by and help you get the extra lights out for the festival dance.” “Looks like you beat me to it.”

 
“I haven’t found that box yet.” Tori replied. “I did find all of my old school annuals.” “Pretty good morning’s entertainment. I can’t believe my hair actually looked like that!” she finished with mock disgust.

 
Drue chuckled. “I don’t remember your hair being that bad.”

 
“That bad?” Tori asked. “Gee thanks. That’s in the park with ‘No that dress doesn’t really make you look fat.’. Guys always look better in these things than we do anyway.”  She closed the book and placed it back inside the box.

 
“I’m going to take this downstairs and drive down memory lane later.”

 
She closed the box up and placed it next to the attic opening.

 
“Okay. Let’s find those lights.”

 
She was so surprised that seeing Drue this morning hadn’t been awkward. After the scene in his kitchen and her parting words, she had not been looking forward to coming face to face with him again.

 
It was probably due to the fact that both of them seemed to be pretending that it had never happened.

 
“Grandma had every box labeled. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find.” “You start at that end and I’ll look here.” She directed. “We’ll meet in the middle.”

 
She chuckled. “Hey isn’t that a Diamond Rio song?” “I love them!”

 
Drue had his back turned to her reading labels on boxes. He smiled to himself. Victoria’s mind always ran full tilt. She was a fireball of energy. Who needed light bulbs with her around? She lit up any room she came into.

 
They worked in silence for a while, searching for a box that would indicate containing lights.

 
“I haven’t found anything remotely close to lighting. You?” Tori asked Drue.

 
“Not yet, but there seems to be just a little bit of everything under the sun.”
  “I know. That’s what I was thinking when I first came up here this morning.” Tori said thoughtfully.

 
“Oh! Wait. Maybe I’ve found something.” Tori reached up on tip toe to slide a box off a stack.

 
Drue turned around just as Tori was twisting around to bring the box down.

 
“Victoria, be caref-“

 
As she turned to set the box on the floor, her feet tangled with one another and she started to lose her balance. Drue tried to get to her in time, but just as he grabbed the box Tori reached out and caught her hand on a nail.

 
“Owww!”

  She felt pain
stab the palm of her left hand. Drue quickly set the box down and turned back to Tori. She had sat back down on the floor holding her hand to her chest.

 
“Victoria, let me see your hand.”

 
She looked at her hand and saw blood streaming from a small puncture wound in her left palm below her thumb.

 
Strong and able to handle most situations but the sight of blood, seeing blood escaping her own body even at a small rate made Tori feel faint.

 
“Ugh! I don’t feel so good.” Tori grumbled. “Stupid nail.”

 
Drue took her hand in his to examine the damage. It wasn’t too deep a cut, but it did need to be cleaned.   He looked at the nail that was the culprit. Just as he suspected. Rusty.

 
He didn’t know when was the last time she had a tetanus shot, but he bet she was due.

 
“Okay. Let’s get you downstairs so I can clean this up.”

 
Drue took charge then. He helped Tori to her feet, gently pulling her up.

 
She looked a little pale even though her cheeks were flushed.

 
“You okay?” Drue asked.

 
“Yes. I just don’t have a strong stomach for the sight of blood, especially my own.” She took a deep breath to suck in some oxygen.

 
Drue headed down the steps first. He wasn’t entirely sure she was going to be steady on her feet. It wasn’t the injury that was an issue. It appeared to be her squeamish stomach. He didn’t want her to pass out coming down the attic stairs and end up with bigger problems.

 
The thought of Tori being seriously injured created a strange feeling in his chest. It tightened. It was uncomfortable. He didn’t like it. He pushed those thoughts away and led her to the kitchen after she safely descended the steps.

 
“Here. Sit down while I find something to clean that wound.” He sat her in a kitchen chair.

 
“Where did Millie keep first aid supplies? Upstairs or downstairs bathroom?”

 
“Both.” Tori mumbled. Drue figured he’d start with the downstairs first.

 
Her hand was throbbing . Why was it that the smallest injuries could hurt the worst?

Just like a paper
cut. They were the worst.

 
Drue came back in a few minutes later with peroxide, a gauze bandage and first aid tape.

 
“Alright now. I need to clean this. It might hurt a little.” He said a little uncertainly.

 
Tori frowned. She wasn’t a fan of pain either.

 
“Come on. Be a big girl.” Drue teased trying to lighten her mood.

 
He directed her over to the kitchen sink. He stood behind her.

 
“Hold your hand over the sink while I pour this on.” He opened the bottle of peroxide and held her wrist with one hand and poured the peroxide over the wound with the other.

 
“Eww. It’s cold, but at least it doesn’t burn.” Tori let out the breath she had been holding.

 
The peroxide fizzed and bubbled over her hand as it penetrated the puncture and cleaned it.

 
Drue gently dried around her hand with a paper towel and sat her back down at the kitchen table.

 
He moved a chair next to hers and picked up her hand to examine it.

 
Heat shot up Tori’s arm that had nothing to do with her injury. Her gaze went directly to Drue’s. His eyes were already on her. He had apparently felt it to.

 
“I’m going to put some antibacterial cream on this and a bandage.”Drue stated. His eyes never left hers.

 
God he was so intense. If he didn’t stop looking at her like that –

 
“Then we have to go in to town and have a doctor give you a tetanus shot.” Drue interrupted her thoughts.

 
Shot?  “What are you talking about?” Tori sputtered?

 
“I don’t need a shot!”

 
“Now, Victoria.” Drue continued as he bandaged her hand.

 
“You don’t want to take a chance of getting an infection, do you? Although doesn’t that lead to lockjaw? That could be a plus for you in many ways.” Drue’s lips smirked. He figured that would get a rise out of her.

 
She straightened in her chair her chin coming up.

 
“Hey! That wasn’t very nice, and I’m not twelve anymore.” she scolded. “You don’t need to treat me as if I am.”

  His
hands stilled on her arms as he finished taping the bandage. She looked up at him feeling the tension shift in the air.

 
His hand caressed her cheek and placed a wisp of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear.

Holding her chin he looked
straight into her shining brown eyes.

  “I’m more than well aware of the fact you are no longer a kid.”

  The
green of his eyes has turned a deep emerald. Her breath caught in her chest as if in slow motion Drue leaned into her and gently brushed her lips with his. It was a tender sweet kiss that knocked her socks off.    Not like last night with enough passion to ignite the house, but a soul-sweeping whisper of a touch that sent her reeling and wanting more.

 
Her eyes had closed of their own accord. As Drue pulled away they fluttered open. She stared back at him unsure of what to say.

  “We need to talk
, but first I need to get you to the doctor.” he stated matter-of-factly.

 
“Get your coat and your purse while I call Mom and let her know what’s happened.”

  Grumpy and her hand aching, she didn’t like how he was ordering her around.
She was so used to bantering back and forth with Drue. Spending more time with the adult Drue was proving very challenging. He was still the same ole Drue. The man with a plan. Organized, responsible, hard-working, but underneath that was a gentle, loving and certainly a passionate man. She had experienced that first hand.

 
Yes, she knew they needed to talk. She just wasn’t certain she was prepared to hear what he had to say.

 
Well she guessed she needed to put her big girl panties on and suck it up for this shot and their talk.

 
She grabbed her purse from the hall table and her coat from the hall closet. As she walked back into the kitchen where Drue was on the phone, she heard him say “Yes, Mom. I promise she’s okay. It’s just a precautionary measure to insure she doesn’t get tetanus from the nail.” He looked up and shook his head.     “Tell Kevin she is fine. He can look her over when we get back. We’ll see you for dinner.”

 
He hung up the phone and turned back to her.

 
“Come on let’s get this over with before they send out the Calvary.”

 
She wasn’t certain if he meant the shot or their talk. She guessed she would find out soon enough.

  It was just a short fifteen minute ride into Mumford where the doctor’s office was located. They made the ride in relative silence. It wasn’t awkward really. Just quiet. The radio was playing George Strait.   Who needed to talk when the King of Country was singing anyway, right?

 
Her hand still ached a little, but it certainly wasn’t anything a few ibuprofen couldn’t handle.

 
“Dr. Ross’s office is just up the road.” informed Drue. “He’s been here for about five years now ever since Dr. Hobbs retired.”