Connor (4 page)

Chapter Five

Jennifer
paced up and down, like one of the dogs she’d seen the last time she’d gone to
the local humane society.

It
was the first time she’d slapped anyone in her whole damn life. However, he had
it coming. The saddest thing was while he was shooting his mouth off about her
granny with those vile comments rolling over his tongue all she’d wanted to do
was kiss him. Not to stop the snarky remarks but because he was so damn
gorgeous.

The
vibrator that she’d won sat on the bed.

It
was calling her name and it was
all his
damn fault.

She
unzipped her pants, wiggled out of them and then slipped off her panties. She
would never resort to this sort of thing if he hadn’t riled her up, made her
mad,
made
her want him more than she ever had.

Jennifer
sat on the bed and spread her legs. She was wet just thinking about him, seeing
him standing there throwing those insults. His breath on her cheek when he’d
whispered in her ear about the vibrator being the only way she’d come.

She
slipped The Boss inside her and turned it on.

Dear
god, this thing was already putting her on the edge of a climax. She turned it
up one more notch, digging her toes into the carpet thinking about Connor and
imaging The Boss was really his cock. She tightened her pussy around it, almost
letting it slip out of her where her hands were growing weak from the
sensations traveling through her. Her nipples were hard and her pussy on high
alert.

Yes,
yes, yes,” she screamed out, flopping back on the bed and turning the vibrator
up to maximum speed. She brought her legs up and came big time.

 
She was giving the vibrator a new name and it
was Connor.

****

 
“What were you thinking?” Betty asked Connor as
they sat around the table at his parents’ house on Sunday for their usual
family get-together.

She
passed him the mashed potatoes.

“She
made me mad, okay,” said Connor.

“Jennifer’s
always seemed like such a nice girl. Whatever did you say to her to make her
slap you? I hope it wasn’t anything crude,” asked his mother.

“Did
you know about Sarah, the mail order bride?” asked Connor.

“I’ve
heard your father mention her a few times, why?”

And
just where was his father? He’d never missed a family meal.

“She
wasn’t married but had a relationship with both a Jon Delaney and Shaun Nolan,
hence our name, but who’s to say which one actually knocked her up with our
ancestor,” said Connor.

“Connor
David,” said his mother, slapping the table. “Your aunt Betty is present.” His
mother always used his middle name when she was pissed with him.

“That’s
fine with me,” said Betty, taking another slice of beef. “And how did you find
out?”

“Jennifer
Nealon read Sarah’s journal that she got at the historical society. Great
Grandma Katherine foolishly donated a bunch of stuff and the journal was with
it.”

“Oh
dear,” said his mother.

“I’m
a bastard…we’re all basically a bunch of bastards,” said Connor.

“Hey,
you watch your tongue in front of the ladies.”

Connor
looked up to see his father heading into the dining room.

“Did
you know your great, great grandmother wasn’t married, didn’t even know who’d
gotten her pregnant?” asked Connor.

He
sat down and took the platter with the meat on it put a big piece on his plate.

“I
did not,” said his dad. “I thought she’d married Jon Nolan-Delaney when she
arrived here as a mail order bride. That’s what we kids were always told.”

“And
where have you been?” his mother asked his father.

“I
went to pick up some feed and got talking to Jeb and lost track of time.”

“Are
you having an affair?”

Oh
boy, could things get any worse?

“What,
are you crazy woman? I’m late getting to the dinner table because I’m picking
up feed and talking to our neighbor and that translates to me having an
affair?”

His
mother stood. “You’ve been acting weird lately like your hiding something,”
said his mother. “Hearing what your ancestors were getting up to I wouldn’t put
anything past you in the sex department.”

His
father stood too.
“Now just a minute.
How dare you
bring up the topic of my ancestors like that? Didn’t your second cousin
have
to get married?”

Geez,
what had Jennifer Nealon started? What had he started at the dinner table? He
should have kept his big mouth shut.

“Come
on. Let’s leave them be,” said Betty.

He
followed his aunt outside where she immediately pulled out a packet of
cigarettes and lit one, taking a deep drag then blowing smoke from her nose.

“I
thought you’d given them up after Uncle Stephen died of emphysema?”

“I
gave up chain smoking. I only have one on occasions when…”

The
world is falling apart. He could still hear his parents’ voices from inside the
house.

“You
going to be okay with spending the day with Jennifer tomorrow?” asked Betty
before she took another drag on her cigarette.

He’d
forgotten all about that. There was tension between them but not the regular
kind, he knew it was sexual. He wanted her and he was guessing she wanted him
just as bad.

“I
suppose so,” said Connor.

“Well,
you better play nice. Be a man and be the first to apologize.”

“Me?
I’m not the one who snooped around in someone else’s journal.”

Betty
raised her finger to him. “As your campaign manager I insist that you say sorry
for your behavior. We don’t want things getting out of hand and idle gossip
going around town.”

Idle gossip.
The Nolan-
Delaneys
were bastards how more idle than that could you
get?

“You
coming back in for dessert?” asked Betty, throwing the cigarette to the ground
and stomping it out with her foot.

“No,
I thought I’d take a drive out to try and find Sarah’s grave.”

“And
how is that going to help you?”

He
shrugged his shoulders. “Now I’ve read her story I guess I feel like I know
her.”

****

Connor
scanned the area. If he had his bearings right the old Grantsville cemetery was
a mile on the left. No one had been buried there for at least sixty years. Few
living residents had family members out there now so it didn’t get a lot of
road or foot traffic. In fact, the only place around for miles was the
Macbride
ranch.

Connor
turned the truck onto the dirt road and parked by a tree so it shaded his
vehicle. It had turned out to be another scorching hot day. He got out and made
his way to the cemetery entrance. He opened up the gates and they creaked as he
pushed them back some more.

A
slice of history was what this place really was about. It was the final resting
spot for early settlers, people looking for a better life or a new start.
 
He had no idea where Sarah was buried so he milled
around looking at the headstones and reading a few of the names and what year
they’d passed away. He finally found Sarah’s name. She also used the name
Nolan-Delaney and not her maiden name Smith. On either side of her grave were headstones
bearing the names Shaun Nolan and Jon Delaney. He sat on the grass in front of
Sarah’s grave. Her journal had said that she’d asked to be buried between her
two loves and her children had seen to it that her wish was granted.

Two
loves. Was it possible to love two people equally at the same time? Hell, he
couldn’t even find one. Neither could Katy so it wasn’t something that was in
their DNA.

He
looked at Shaun’s grave and then Jon’s. Which one had fathered his bloodline?
Did this mean all his cousins, second cousins, hell the whole family were only
related through her bloodline and not Jon Delaney’s like they’d believed.
Hadn’t anyone ever wondered where the Nolan part had come into play?

Maybe
he’d bring some flowers for her next time he visited. Her behavior with these
two men had put him in an awkward position. But he was guessing she’d be proud
of her offspring running for sheriff of the county that she’d traveled halfway
across the country to make her new home.

Would
she get a laugh out of the comments he’d made about Beatrice Nealon?

He
laughed too. He was mean to Jenifer because he’d used it as defense mechanism.
 
A way for him to keep his
distance.
“What would you think about a Nolan-Delaney getting together
with a Nealon?” he asked Sarah.

It would make you
turn in your grave which is why it won’t ever happen.

Chapter Six

It
was raining. It hadn’t done that for almost three weeks. Last night they’d had
a thunderstorm with heavy rain. It hadn’t moved through like it often did this
time of the year and now she’d have to rethink her choice of clothing for
following Connor around for the day.

He
was going to visit ranches which meant mud. Jeans, t-shirt, and rain jacket
were a wise choice. Jennifer headed out of her townhouse, quickly getting into
her car and turning on the ignition. She glanced in the rearview mirror,
checking to see if her mascara had run. Lucky for her it hadn’t.

Five
minutes later she was on the main road and heading over to the elementary
school where Connor would kick off his day of travel around Big Sky County. She
pulled into the parking lot, seeing parents dropping off their kids and mud
splattered yellow school buses pulling out on their way back to the depot. She
opened the car door, stuck her umbrella out, and pressed the button, allowing
it to pop open. If she did it quickly and with some finesse, she’d be able to
get out and under it without getting drenched. It didn’t go quite as planned
and a cold dribble of water ran down her back as she made her way toward the
school entrance.

She
spotted Betty, and then Connor standing under the canopy with a bunch of kids
either side of him with their parents snapping away with their cell phones.

He
looked even more gorgeous today in a white shirt with the top two buttons open
showing off a tan he’d probably gotten this past summer. He wore jeans that
emphasized his well-toned thighs and some very sexy looking brown cowboy boots
rounded out his outfit. He looked like ideal sheriff material. He smiled for a
few more photos. Jennifer got under the awning by the door and put her umbrella
down. She’d gone looking for some photos of Sarah, Jon, and Shaun. She’d found
them and taken copies. This would be her peace offering to him. She opened her
folder and looked at them. Sarah was beautiful. Why she’d chosen to be a mail
order bride was anyone’s guess. She was surprised some man back in Kansas hadn’t
nabbed her and made her his own.
 
Jon and
Shaun were both handsome. Jennifer could see why she’d fallen hard for them.
Choosing one over the other; yeah, next to impossible.

Jennifer
glanced over at Connor while trying to figure out if there was any similarity
or any clue as to which one was his ancestor.

Betty
waved to her as everyone, including Connor, began heading into the school.
They’d both attended this school. Of course lots of things had changed since
then and the place had been given more of a modern feel. She followed them into
the reception where Connor had gone ahead with a crowd of people.

“Morning,
Jennifer,” said Betty. “The principal’s just taken Connor into the hall. He’ll
be taking questions from both the children and their parents so let’s go sit at
the back.”

Jennifer
liked Betty. She was friendly and easy to be around. She took Jennifer’s arm
and walked with her.

“Did
that storm wake you last night?” she asked.

“Yeah,
the lightening was something else,” said Jennifer.

“At
least we got some much needed rain.”

Betty
pulled out a chair for Jennifer and the two of them sat as Connor stood at the
front with the principal.

“Good morning, everyone.
Today we’re
pleased to welcome Connor Nolan-Delaney. He’s a fifth generation Big Sky County
resident and this year he’s decided to run as county sheriff. Connor’s kindly
agreed to take questions, and he’s brought along some cookies for everyone to
enjoy after. So let’s give a nice big Grantsville Elementary welcome to
Connor.”

Everyone
clapped including Betty so Jennifer thought she should join in too.

Connor
waved to the kids and then stood in front of the gathering.

“Thanks
for inviting me here. Some of you might already know that I attended this
school as did my sister Katy. I love this community. I think it would be hard
to find anywhere else that’s filled with such friendly and welcoming residents.
I never intend to leave this place and it’s one of the reasons I want to be the
county’s next sheriff.”

“How
come you don’t have any kids of your own?” asked a little boy sitting on the
floor at the front.

“Probably
because I don’t have a wife,” said Connor.

“And
why don’t you have a wife?” asked a little girl.

Betty
gave a slight laugh. “Can’t wait to hear his response to that one,” she
whispered.

“I
guess I haven’t found a woman I want to marry.”

“Why?”
asked the girl.

“Marriage
is a big step and
it’s
forever, so you have to be sure
to marry the right one and that takes time.”

Jennifer
liked his answer. She thought marriage should be forever too. Both her brothers
had married young, one right out of high school and the other out of college.
They’d had kids, but now their marriages were over and they were just weekend
fathers.

“Do
you have a girlfriend?” asked another girl, raising her hand.

“No, not right now.”

“Why?”
asked another boy.

Connor
scratched his head. He probably hadn’t counted on them asking so much about his
love life. Jennifer bit her lip, trying not to laugh out loud. Who would have
thought kids would have thrown the tough questions at him.

“I’m
too busy trying to be the sheriff, that’s why,” said Connor.

****

Connor
downed his milk, wishing he’d brought along whiskey instead. He hoped no one
had seen him sweating bullets earlier. Why were kids so nosey about a person’s
private life? How did they get that way? Why were people always interested to
know why a guy wasn’t married or didn’t have a girlfriend? A thirty-five year
old bachelor wasn’t unheard of these days. No one said anything to Katy who at
thirty was still unwed, and she wasn’t seeing anyone, well not seriously.

He
turned around to see Jennifer standing there eating one of the oatmeal cookies.
He’d spotted her the moment he’d walked to the podium. In fact, he hadn’t been
able to take his eyes off her all the time he was answering questions about
finding the right woman.

“Have
you apologized to Jennifer yet?” It was his aunt pulling on his arm.

“No,
I haven’t had a chance to even say hello,” he said.

“Go
and do it now and get it out of the way.”

His
aunt was right. The longer a person waited after an embarrassing situation the
worse things got and then they were too scared to do anything and the thing
just festered like an open sore.

He
walked over to her. She’d just taken a drink of the milk and she had the faintest
milk moustache.
So cute.
He couldn’t help but smile.

“What?”

He
pointed but then guessed she might think he was making fun of her and things
would get worse so instead he gently wiped it away with the napkin he’d been
holding.

“Geez,
milk
tash
?” she asked.

He
nodded.

“Thanks
for doing that.” She dabbed her mouth with a tissue.

“You’re
welcome and I’d like to say I’m sorry for the other day. I was rude.”

“You
were, but apology accepted. And I’d like to apologize for slapping you.”

He
shrugged. “Think nothing of it.” He was going to say it happened all the time,
but it didn’t and he didn’t want to lie to her.

“I
thought your question and answer session went really well,” she said.

“Yeah,
who would have thought kids were so interested in a guy’s love life.”

“They
grow up fast these days. Well, at least my nieces and nephews are.”

“Must
be nice, being an aunt.”

“Yeah,
it’s fun.
Katy not dating anyone?
I mean
unclehood
not on the horizon?”

“She’s
too busy with her store.”

“She
does seem to love it.”

Betty
approached them.
“Time to head to your next stop.
The
Mclintock
Ranch.”

“You
want to ride along with us and we can drop you back here for your car when
we’re done for the day? I mean it’s close to where you live,” said Connor.

“And
how do you know where I’m living these days?” asked Jennifer.

“A
little bird told me,” said Connor.

He
didn’t want to give her the slightest hint he’d been doing some checking on
her.

****

Jennifer
had forgotten how crappy the mud on a ranch could be after a heavy rain. Now
she was happy about her decision to wear boots instead of shoes. At least her
legs were getting a great workout when she had to lift her feet up to free them
from the cement-like goo.

 
The Big Sky County Magazine photographer had
arrived and was snapping photos of Connor standing beside one of the horses. He
looked so at home. Readers and potential voters were going to love it, and
maybe even the undecided would finally be won over by his charm.

“Hey,
Connor, you want to give our pick-up truck a test drive? Look great for the photos,”
said Mike
Mclintock
.

“You
sure?” asked Connor. He looked like a kid that had been told he could drive for
the first time.

“Sure,”
said Mike, handing him the keys.

Connor
got in and started the pick-up and began driving toward the photographer who was
clicking away. He suddenly drove by Jennifer, sending up a spray of mud that
covered her from head to foot. She began
coughing,
sensing she’d swallowed some of the mud. Bits of it dripped off her hair and
her jacket was now caked in it.

“Oh,
honey, are you okay?” asked Betty. She flagged Connor down. “Will you just look
what you’ve
done.
”

If
Jennifer didn’t know better she’d thought maybe he’d done it on purpose.
However, he’d apologized for his past bad behavior and it had seemed genuine.

“I’m
sorry,” said Connor after he’d gotten out of the truck. “Let me pay for the
cleaning of your pants and jacket.”

“And
how about a trip to the beauty salon too,” said Betty.

“That’s
okay,” said Jennifer, dabbing her coat with a tissue.

“We
have to get to our next stop — the lunch with the Chamber of Commerce,” said
Betty.

“I
am so sorry about that,” said Connor, putting his hand on the small of her back
as they walked to the car.

“Nothing
like a mud treatment,” said Jennifer, pulling some of the now dried balls of
dirt from her hair.

“You’ve
always had lots of hair,” said Connor, helping to untangle some of the mess.

His
action made her scalp tingle. He put his arm around her, maneuvering her away
from another pot hole of mud. She liked that gesture too, as well as his hand
on her body. This time it was more than her scalp that tingled.

“You’ll
send me the bill for the cleaning of your clothes,” said Connor when they got
to the car.

“He’s
going to do one better than that,” said Betty. “He’s taking you out for dinner
tonight.”

Betty
pulled out a gift certificate for a restaurant in Missoula. She looked at
Connor and he looked as shocked as she was at Betty’s boldness. “I’ve had this
thing lingering in my kitchen drawer since my birthday and I doubt I’m going to
use it. It’s such a fancy restaurant that I think it shouts couples need to use
me.”

“Maybe
Jennifer doesn’t want to go eat with me,” said Connor.

He
looked at her. Those gorgeous blue eyes made her heartbeat pick up tempo.

“I
am hungry and I’ve heard that restaurant is amazing,” said Jennifer.

“Perfect
and the two of you can chat over a nice steak. Connor, you can give Jennifer
more incentive to write something nice about you,” said Betty.

“Okay,
how about I swing by your place around six and I’ll make reservations for seven?”
asked Connor.

“Sounds
like a plan, oh and you do know where I live right?”

He
winked at her before he and Betty got back in the car.

Was
this going to be a date or an extension of the day shadowing Connor?

****

If
Connor didn’t know better he’d assume that his aunt was trying to pair him with
Jennifer. She’d blatantly denied it on the ride home and referred to it as
cunning campaign strategy. Jennifer had probably thought he’d doused her with
the mud on purpose, but he hadn’t. Yet after he did it he didn’t regret it one
little bit. She looked so sexy with the less than perfect hair and smears of
mud on her cheeks. Best of all he was able to touch her and all under the guise
of tidying her up.