Texas Haven (6 page)

*
*
*
*

Annie reached up and stroked Burke’s face, loving the way it felt, whiskers and all. The back of her neck was probably rubbed red from all his kisses, but she didn’t care. She tried so hard to get her breathing under control, but her heart still raced as she snuggled against Burke’s chest. That had been definitely worth the wait. She never dreamed of feeling so good. It was pleasure beyond anything she’d ever felt and she didn’t want to talk or move. She wanted this feeling of joy to last as long as possible. You could never predict tomorrow, so she was set on embracing this day.

She spotted her torn panties on the hard dirt, and suddenly felt dirty and sexy simultaneously. Slowly, she released herself from Burke’s hold retied her halter-top and reached for her panties. She wadded them up in her hand and gave Burke a sideways look before she scampered to the house. She could hear Burke’s laughter all the way to the porch.

The leach, he hadn’t even taken off any off his clothes. It seemed improper, but hell, it felt wonderful. Annie smiled realizing just how wild she made Burke. It was definitely good for her self-esteem. She grew giddy just thinking about it.

She skipped halfway up the stairs and stopped.

Imagine Annie Douglas—make that Annie Dawson— skipping.

She ran the rest of the way up and flopped down on her bed. She never wanted to feel any other feelings but joy and satisfaction, and naughtiness she had to admit, for the rest of her life.

Suddenly, Burke jumped on the bed beside her and she squealed in delight. He gave her a quick kiss. Lifting himself up on one elbow, he gazed at her face. He gently brushed the hair from her face and kissed her again. “Let’s go out and celebrate,” he suggested.

Annie kissed him back, long and lovingly. “Can we afford to go out?”

“Your concern makes me proud.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her eyelids. He pulled away and smiled. “I think we can afford the diner,” he teased, “as long as you don’t order extra fries.”

*
*
*
*

They held hands as they entered the diner. Noreen looked delighted to see them and readily came out from behind the counter, her graying hair falling from her bun a bit at a time. She quickly took Annie’s hand. “She’s got that special glow about her,” she teased, her eyes full of mischief. “What do you think Old Rowdy?” She motioned to the counter. “Doesn’t she look just like a newlywed should?”

Annie blushed at all the attention. The whole diner looked at them. She heard Old Rowdy mumble something she couldn’t make out, but it didn’t seem to matter as Noreen continued to chatter and lead them to their table.

Noreen seated them and announced to the whole diner that she had set them up together and was wholly responsible for their happy marriage. She preened as the other customers applauded, and turned back to the couple smiling. “Now tell me the truth,” she started, “he’s treating you okay isn’t he? I’d hate to have to lay him out on the ground for meanness.” She laughed, her eyes sparkling.

Burke looked put out, but Annie laughed good-naturedly. “He’s a nice man Noreen. I have no cause for complaint.”

“Well, of course he’s nice, I wouldn’t have fixed you up with just any yahoo.”

Old Rowdy, Hank, and Bo were starting to make noises at the counter. They needed refills on their coffee. “Hold on you, old farts,” she yelled to them. “Can’t you see that I’m busy?” She left muttering under her breath.

Annie was glad she wasn’t one of the old farts. Noreen didn’t look happy with them. She couldn’t hear what she said, but it was obviously a scolding. She looked at Burke and they both laughed. “I just love her.”

Burke held her hand on the table caressing it. “She is a character,” he agreed.

Annie almost fell on the floor laughing when Noreen came back without asking them what they wanted and placed burgers and fries before them. Noreen’s smile was so bright that Annie didn’t have the heart to say anything.

Burke seemed to take it in stride. He did laugh though as he heard the next table grumble that those must be their burgers they’d been waiting forever for.

They both ate with gusto, having worked up an appetite earlier in the barn. They were just finishing when Burke excused himself.

Annie sat there happily, waiting for Burke to return. Unfortunately, she could hear the conversation at the next table. She didn’t turn to see who sat there.

“She’s certainly not as pretty as Alice,” The first woman said.

“You’re right. Why she has no sex appeal at all. What was Burke thinking to marry such a dowdy little thing?” The second woman said.

“Obviously he married her to get back the land that her brother bought. He probably did her a big favor by marrying her. No comparison to his first wife, that’s for sure,” the first woman said.

Annie shrunk in her chair, humiliated and angry. How dare these women talk about her in such a derisive manner? They didn’t know her, but she had to admit they certainly knew Alice. They were probably qualified to make the comparison, but it hurt nonetheless. She landed from the high she was on with a splat. Doubts began to creep their way back into her self-esteem.

Plastering a smile on her face, she stood when she spotted Burke coming back to the table. She faked another smile to Noreen on their way out. Thankfully, she was too busy to really notice.

Annie saw the concern in Burke’s eyes, but she just couldn’t bring herself to tell him what she’d heard. As soon as they were settled in the truck, she just pretended to sleep.

*
*
*
*

Burke had felt her withdrawal at the restaurant and wondered about it. For once, he knew that it hadn’t been anything he’d done. Shrugging his shoulders he drove. Women were complicated creatures, and he certainly didn’t have the key to understanding them. His concern turned to happiness though, as he remembered their time in the barn. God, she was an exciting, sexy woman. He was going to have a hard time not wanting her every moment of every day. Thank God, he had a lot of ranch work to keep him busy night and day.

His smile grew as he pictured her introducing herself to his roan. He’d make time for her no matter what. She needed to know how to ride a horse at least. Hell, there were many things she needed to learn about the ranch. She seemed more than willing to learn and that made Burke proud. For the first time in a long time, he felt very optimistic about his future and of the future his ranch.

He would form a friendship with Annie. They’d be partners in all things except for love. Lots of people did it. He just needed to figure out the right balance between sex and partnership. He knew she expected affection, but he couldn’t risk it. He knew he would end up feeling more for her than he wanted. She should be pregnant soon and then all her time would be taken up raising the child. Sounded perfectly logical, but he wondered why he didn’t feel happy about it.

Arriving at the ranch house, Burke opened Annie’s door and lifted her out. She had blue circles under her eyes, which made her look so tired.

He carried into the house and up the stairs. She didn’t weigh very much. Gently, he laid her on the bed and began undressing her, kissing each section of skin he uncovered. Before long, he uncovered everything, and she cried out in need. Burke obliged her, slowly and tenderly. He held her close, sensing her desire for that closeness.

Holding her after sex was different than a loving hug. He was already separating the two, sex and partnership. Things would be fine.

*
*
*
*

Annie felt relaxed and protected in Burke’s arms. She lazily dragged her fingers through his chest hair. She knew that he must have been wondering about the scars on her back since he had just kissed every one of them. She felt that she needed to be honest with him, and he made her feel as if she could tell him anything.

“I guess you’ve noticed the scars on my back,” she said quietly. She could feel Burke stiffen beside her. “My stepfather thought that little girls should be seen and not heard. Unfortunately I was more of a tomboy than a ballerina and he punished me for it.” Burke’s big strong hands ran up and down her back reassuring her. “He used to beat me… a lot. My mother left all discipline matters to him. She constantly told me that I deserved it for being such an evil brat. I was constantly nervous because I didn’t seem to know the rules no matter what they were. He changed them daily. If I answered him, I was talking back. If I didn’t answer him, I was showing disrespect.”

“I’ve come to believe that he just wanted me naked cowering in front of him. He seemed to relish the power he held over me. He enjoyed hitting me with his belt. In fact he made me remove the belt each and every time.” She looked up at Burke and the sympathy she saw reflected in his eyes was her undoing. Tears ran down her face.

“I wasn’t bad, Burke, I wasn’t.”

Burke pulled her tightly against him. “Of course you weren’t, honey. You are goodness, light, and certainly not evil. My God, you were just a tiny girl. You did nothing wrong, darlin’. He was the evil one, he, your mother, even your stepbrother. You are safe with me Annie, always.”

Annie felt the beginning of healing in her little girl’s heart. No one had ever told her it wasn’t her fault. She had a lot of thinking to do, but she felt exhausted at the moment. Her last thought before she drifted off to sleep was how Burke had called her goodness and light.

Chapter Six

Annie busily made the morning coffee. It had taken some doing, but she had finally gotten up before Burke and she liked it. There was a certain intimacy waking up in bed with your husband. He’d given her a big kiss, against protests from Cat, and she was amazed that he was hard as a rock in the morning. Annie had wanted to stay in bed, but Burke made promises for the night to come and got dressed. Her face felt warm as she thought of how Adonis-like he looked, getting out of bed naked. Feeling her face grow increasingly hotter, she realized that she lusted after her husband. She smiled wickedly.

The phone rang, jolting her out of her naughty thoughts.

“Annie? It’s Sherry I was just about to go berry picking and I wondered if you wanted to come along?”

Annie was thrilled. “I’d like that a lot. I have to confess that I’ve never picked berries before.”

Sherry laughed. “Somehow I didn’t think so. After we pick the berries we can make jam.”

“Seriously?”

“What you don’t like jam?” Sherry asked.

“No. I mean yes I like jam. It’s just that I’ve always wanted to make jam. What time should I be there?”

“Anytime, but the earlier the better since it’s too hot in the afternoon to be out in the Texas sun picking berries.”

“I’ll be there soon. Sherry? Thanks for inviting me.”

“It’ll be fun. See you in a bit.”

She’d wanted to get to know Sherry better, and the jam making was definitely the cherry on top. She couldn’t wait to tell Burke her plans.

She poured his coffee when he walked into the kitchen, and he gave her a quick kiss. She’d been waiting all her life for affection. She’d hoped for more. Reaching out she hugged him.

Burke disentangled himself from her. “The day’s a-wastin’, darlin’.” He sat down and ate the eggs she made. “You’re spoiling me, you know. You’re a good cook.”

Annie sat down to join him. “Sherry called. She asked me to go berry picking with her and then she’s going to show me how to make jam.”

“If I had known just how happy jam makes you, I’d have bought a truckload,” he joked. “I’ll drive you over.”

“That’s okay; I’ll just drive myself over.”

“I said I’ll drive you.” Burke stared her down.

Annie eyes narrowed as she looked at Burke. “Which is it?” she demanded. “Do you need the truck or am I not allowed to go out on my own?”

Burke wiped his mouth with his napkin and threw it down on his plate. He ran his fingers through his brown hair. “I need the truck today.”

Annie simply nodded and turned away, cleaning the kitchen. Somehow, she didn’t believe him completely. She still had a sinking suspicion that he just didn’t trust her and it made her wonder if it had anything to do with Alice. She was tired of paying for Alice’s mistakes. Maybe Sherry would tell her more about the whole situation.

*
*
*
*

Annie was delighted with Sherry’s house. The decor was an updated country style. Everything looked so cheerful, colorful with splashes of blue, and yellow. She planned to make a few changes in her house. She could even make new curtains and maybe a sofa cover or two. Sherry greeted her like an old friend and it filled Annie with warmth.

“I love your decor,” Annie commented as she walked through the house.

“I like to go antiquing on the weekends. I hit a few flea markets too,” she explained. “You’re welcome to come anytime you want. I know that Ted just humors me by going and it would be fun to go with a girl friend.”

Annie smiled at Sherry. “Thanks I’d like that.”

They spent the morning picking berries. Annie had never seen so many berries in one place and she certainly had never picked them before. She and Sherry both laughed at her enthusiasm. Sherry assured her that in a few years Annie
would look upon it as a chore,
but Annie didn’t agree.

Making jam had always been a dream of hers. Unfortunately, her family discouraged such things. Their cook had, however, taught her to cook thankfully.

She stirred the bubbling mixture of berries, sugar, and pectin. “This is fun, Sherry. Thank you so much for inviting me!”

Sherry smiled. “I’m glad you’re having fun. This is just one batch of many,” she explained. “We also have a lot of fruit trees on our land. I can make jams with that fruit too.” When Annie’s look turned hopeful, she just laughed. “Don’t worry; you’ll be invited to help with that too.”

“Good, I’ll look forward to it.” Annie began to ladle the jam into the jars. “Did Alice help you make jam?” she asked.

Sherry became noticeably silent. “No, she wasn’t interested.”

“You didn’t like her,” Annie observed.

Sherry hesitated again. “We were never friends, since she wasn’t into country people.” She sighed and paused a moment. “To tell you the truth, she was a snob of the first order and I always felt as though she looked down on me and Ted. I tried, for Burke’s sake, to be friendly, but she made it hard. After a while we just didn’t spend much time with her or Burke for that matter.” Sherry took Annie’s hand, “That’s why we were thrilled to meet you. You’re exactly the kind of wife Burke needs.”

Annie enjoyed the compliment. She hoped that she was what Burke needed, but she just wasn’t sure. There were times that she felt positive that she was good for Burke, but then her doubts crept in. “Do you happen to know if Alice ever cheated on Burke?”

Sherry locked her gaze on Annie. “I don’t have proof and I don’t like to carry tales, but something happened. I do know that she stayed out at all times of night and Burke went crazy at first looking for her. What she did or where she went, I never asked. I didn’t want to know,”

Annie got up and stared out the kitchen window. “That explains a lot.” She sighed and turned towards Sherry. The concern that Annie saw in her eyes touched her heart.

Suddenly they both turned to the stove at once. The smell of burning jam had caught their attention. Sherry rushed over and took the pot off the stove.

Annie groaned. “I can’t seem to do anything right. Maybe I’m not the type of wife Burke needs after all.”

Sherry hugged her. “You are the best thing that has happened to that hard headed man. Don’t you forget it.” She stepped back and laughed. “Speaking of hard headed men, yours is coming up the walk.”

He stepped into the kitchen and Annie walked right up to him and gave him a long kiss. She could tell that he was surprised, but she wasn’t going to let that witch of an ex-wife come between them.

“I picked berries and made jam.” She felt proud of her accomplishments.

Burke kept her in his arms and looked around the kitchen. “Sure looks like you’ve been busy.” His nose twitched at the smell of burnt jam.

“It was the best time, Burke. Just as I imagined it would be. I can’t wait until the fruit trees are ready,” she said excitedly.

Sherry smiled, watching them both. “I’ll bring by your share when it sets up,” she said.

Annie was pleasantly surprised. “I didn’t realize…”

Sherry chuckled. “We do fruit here and vegetables at your place.”

Annie withdrew from Burke’s arms and felt her face pale. “I don’t know how to tell you this, Sherry, but we might not have many vegetables this year.”

Sherry gave her a puzzled look.

Annie’s face grew red now. “I weeded the garden and I mistakenly, not on purpose, mind you…” she rambled.

Burke chuckled. “What she’s trying to say is that instead of picking weeds, she picked most of the vegetable plants.”

Sherry took Annie’s hand in hers, and gave it a quick squeeze. “I’ll be over next week and we can fix your garden. It’s still early enough in the season to start over,” she reassured her.

“Thank you Sherry, I’d appreciate it.” Annie gave Burke a sidelong glance. “Someone acted so upset by my mistake that I didn’t know that it could be fixed.”

Sherry waved a colorful towel at the couple. “You two shoo now. I have housework to do. Day’s ’a-wastin’.”

Annie gave her a quick hug and followed Burke she out the door. “Does everyone say day’s ’a-wastin’ around here?” she asked.

“Just about,” Burke replied with an amused grin as he opened up her car door for her.

*
*
*
*

The next few days went by peacefully for both Burke and Annie. Annie tried to be patient with Burke’s possessiveness. She didn’t ask to use the car, but she often took long walks around the ranch and was purposely not immediately accessible to Burke at all times. He didn’t like it, but he seemed to accept her need to be alone at times. He never said a word to her about not being able to find her at home.

Annie walked along a wooded path behind the house. She loved the smell of the outdoors, the pungent smell of the pine trees, the soft fragrance of the flowers, and the fresh scent of grass. She breathed deeply, enjoying her walk. She held a bouquet of wildflowers, blue bonnets and Indian paintbrushes, that she’d found on her journey.

As she got closer to the house, she spied Burke in the barn. He looked glorious without his shirt. Her pulse quickened. Their nights together had been spectacular. She smiled, realizing that if she hurried she might be able to seduce her husband before he got too involved in some project.

Annie tipped toed into the barn, eyeing Burke’s strong shoulders and back. He was so male, so very virile. Her nipples tightened and her breasts felt heavy in response to his blatant masculinity. She wanted him and it felt wickedly wanton as she snuck up behind him and grabbed his rear end.

He turned in surprise and grabbed her up into his arms. Playfully he peppered her face with kisses as she squealed to be put down.

Burke yelped as he lost his balance and they both landed on the hard ground. Fortunately, Burke was on the bottom. He steeled his arms around Annie and drew her into a long passionate kiss. Suddenly, he rolled them both so that he lay on top. Neither of them seemed to mind the dirt floor as they continued to explore each other’s mouths. They were slow to release each other as they heard a truck horn honking in the yard. “Damn,” Burke muttered. He let Annie go and stood up.

“What is it?” she asked, pushing her riot of auburn hair away from her face.

Before she could even get up from the floor, one of Burke’s cowboys, Nash Crosby, rushed into the barn. He looked apologetically at Burke. It was obvious that he realized what he just broken up.

“We’ve got four cows bogged down in the east pasture, Boss, and Dan, Surly and Yates are all checking fences to the west,” he explained.

“I could sure use your help getting them out,” he said hurriedly. He breathed hard as though he had run all the way to the barn instead of driving to it.

Annie realized that it must be important ranch business from Nash’s look of alarm. She tried to look understanding as Burke sent her a look of regret. They’d have tonight and the next night and the next. Annie mentally berated herself, watching Burke drive away. She was turning into such a hussy. She smiled nonetheless. As long as they were both happy…

When she walked out of the barn, she noticed a car coming up the long drive. It looked like whoever was driving was in a hurry and she hoped that it wasn’t more ranch business.

Annie waited at the barn door as the sleek black convertible came to a screeching halt before her. A woman got out of the car and her beauty stunned Annie. She watched, mesmerized, as the woman pulled off her red silk scarf revealing perfectly styled blonde hair. She removed her designer sunglasses with enviable manicured hands, and her eyes underneath were a deep steel gray. Annie couldn’t remember ever seeing nails so long or so red. Before Annie could introduce herself, she was cut off.

“Bring my things in and put them in the master bedroom,” she commanded. She gave Annie a derisive look, “You’re young and dirty, but I must say you’re probably an improvement on Mrs. Harvy.”

Annie stared after her, still stunned, watching the woman’s hips sway back and forth in her expensive suit. Even if she practiced forever, her hips could never move like that. Annie frowned in dismay. She wasn’t completely sure, but she could bet that the glamorous, snobby woman was none other than Alice. Annie ground her teeth. Patting her hair, she found straw embedded in it. She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry at the first impression she had made on the other woman. Annie looked down at her clothes and to her horror, she saw that they were painted up and down in dirt.

Well, that’s what you get for rolling around on the ground
. Leaving the bags right where they were, Annie made her way into the house.

She walked in to find Alice making herself a cup of tea. “Help yourself,” Annie said sarcastically. The sight of the other woman in her kitchen put her on edge.

Alice’s eyebrows raised, she obviously wasn’t used to such a tone. “I beg your pardon?” she asked, pinning Annie in place with her intense stare. “I am home, honey. I live here. I’m sure my husband will let you know who the boss around here is, and it isn’t him.” She looked past Annie and indignantly put her hands on her hips. “Where are my bags?” she demanded. She took a step closer to Annie attempting to intimidate her.