Trust Me II (51 page)

“The hell they do!” 
She snapped causing him to burst into laughter. “You can watch these things as often as you would like, but I expect you to continue using your fingers and tongue. I like those much more than your camera.”

“And I love how they excite you. But don’t think I’m not going to be watching these tapes. I plan on watching them every chance I get. I love the memory of making love to you when we’re apart.”

“Just don’t get so wrapped up in the tapes that you forget about the real thing,” she frowned, smiling when he leaned in and kissed her hard and passionate, the tip of his erection pressing against her tummy.

“Never,” he promised,
rolling her over and slipping back inside the warmth her body as his tongue forced its way into her mouth. Sandra accepted him as she always did, with love and an eagerness only he could burn to life within her willing soul.

“I’m so eager to see it,” she said as they turned the final corner that lead to the old house. Her grandparents had called earlier that day and said that they had sold most of the stuff they weren’t planning on packing or moving to the house they found in Florida and would be arriving in England the following week. Debbie had moved into the old home and her kids were already enjoying the farm. Duke had passed away a few days earlier and James was taking it pretty hard; the dog had been his hunting and fishing companion for over twenty years, a very long time for a dog.

Creighton heard back from his solicitors and the old Meacham place was now the property of James and Mary Stevens. He set to work immediately on the repairs and they would be finished by the time the older couple arrived. Andrew said forensics had determined that Angela’s death was not caused at home and
she had in fact been buried alive. That thought haunted Sandra since Creighton told her about it. She was horrified that something like that could have happened and nobody was aware of it.

“It’s the last house up here,” Creighton said, nodding toward the old farmhouse on the right. It actually looked a lot like the one in Kansas, two
stories with a wraparound porch and a large front yard that had recently been put into sod. The driveway was new as well and there were three men on ladders painting the outside a dark orange, the color Mary had chosen.

“Creighton
, it’s lovely,” Sandra said as he stopped the car on the road outside the house so she could look at it from a distance.

“It’s only a three bedroom, but Nana said
it would be big enough for the grand-kids to visit.” He smiled at her as he stepped out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door and holding his hand out for her to take.

“Nana is going to love the roses,” she said looking at the many colorful bushes that lined the front porch.

“They were original with the house, just needed trimmed up a bit and a little TLC. The place had a large utility pantry on the main floor, so we were able to add an extra bathroom to the place and all the appliances are new. I think your grandparents will be quite happy with the place. Unfortunately, the nearest neighbor is Johnston; I just hope he doesn’t have anything derogatory to say about the colors or the repairs we’ve done.”

“I told you to be nice to him. I’m sure Papa will enjoy having someone around to B.S. with and he can handle his own.
You never know; maybe they will be fishing and hunting buddies.”

“
That’s a thought I would never consider. And I am trying to be nice. Johnston just irritates me to no end.”

“
You promised.” Creighton smiled a half grin and glanced up, taking her hand and walking a bit quicker toward the house.

“Just remember you said to be patient and nice…here he comes.”

“Yo, boy!” the old man hollered as he waved a walking stick to get Creighton’s attention. Sandra pulled back on his hand and stopped him from walking away.

“He’s already seen you,” she argued when he turned and frowned.

“So what are you doing, buying up all of Yorkshire?” Johnston asked, huffing slightly at his quick excursion to catch up with them.

“Hello Johnston,” he said, smiling after Sandra squeezed his hand tightly. “I’m sorry to disappoint you this time, but I didn’t buy this house. I merely aided in procuring it for Sandra’s grandparents. They are moving her
e to be closer to her.”

“Is that right? More Americans, eh?” Sandra nearly growled at the man’s snide comment and flinched when Creighton returned the tight squeeze on her hand.
“So we’re going to be invaded by yanks are we?”

“Don’t thin
k of them as Americans,” Sandra answered quickly. “Just think of them as polite, well-mannered individuals who like to keep their noses out of other people’s affairs.” Creighton cleared his throat to keep from laughing and Johnston took a step back as if he’d been struck.

“Oye there girly,” he said a moment later. “I meant no harm. Just Americans usually don’t come here to the countryside.”

“Perhaps more would if they were greeted with less discrimination and few kind words,” she snapped, pulling her hand out of Creighton’s grip before turning to walk toward the house again, leaving the two men to stare after her.

Sandra slammed her way into the house and leaned against the door. She couldn’t believe she had just said that
; she wasn’t used to being rude especially to the man she insisted her husband be nice to. She drew a deep breath to steady her nerves as the door pushed open and Creighton stepped through, nudging her away from the wooden barrier.

“Well, Miss
Be Nice
that was a bit unexpected.”

“I am so
sorry; I don’t know what came over me.”

“Whatever it is, could you give me a bit of it? You left me to explain to the old
bugger, that you were just exhausted from our trip. I don’t think anyone has ever put him in his place before. The look on his face…”

“Stop!” she shouted
, covering her ears with his hands. “It was rude and I had no right to say anything like that. I don’t know what’s coming over me lately. It’s like I’m developing a Jekyll and Hyde personality.” Creighton laughed as he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her cheek.

“I’m sure it’s only temporary, but I love it just the same. You are changing and I’m delighted with the new you; brave, intoxicating, daring and a bit bitchy. What else could a man ask for?”

Sandra couldn’t help but smile, and then returned his hug briefly before taking his hand again and following him through the house to inspect the work. When they finished an hour later, she felt calmer and much more like her old self. She just hoped they didn’t run into Johnston on their way out.

“Do you think they’ll like it?” Creighton asked as they drove the short distance to their own home.

“It’s so much like their old home in Kansas; I think they’ll love it. And it’s the perfect size; enough room for a garden, a few animals and grandkids. I know Nana will be thrilled with that kitchen, it’s a dream.”

“That was a complete remodel,” he smiled. “The old kitchen was really out of date and very much in need of an overhaul. With the new appliances, floor and the added square feet, she should be able to make as many cookies and breads as her heart desires.”

“And I’m sure she will.” Sandra watched as he pulled into the driveway that lead to their home and shut off the engine of the car near the front porch. The garage was up and complete with three bays for cars and a flat above. It was brick to match the house and the windows were the same as the ones in the main house. There was a balcony on the upper floor and Creighton waved as Harvey and Parker stepped out onto it, waving back. Sandra walked with her husband up the steps to the house and smiled as he lifted her in his arms, carrying her across the threshold. He sat her on her feet in the large foyer, kissing her lips briefly before turning her toward the newly remodeled interior.

The house was
immaculate, completely refurbished from top to bottom with the most exquisite details. The crown molding that decorated each room was very ornate in design and varnished to bring out the rich dark wood. The stairs were wide and new and the house smelled of fresh paint and varnish. It was better than any of the drawings she had seen when Maxine sent the final plans for their approval.

Just like his parents’ house, the sitting room was off the main entrance with a large fireplace and windows that looked out onto the world. They walked through the room and sat on the sofa that faced the fireplace, holding hands and smiling as they looked at the familiar decorations they had purchased in France. Above the fireplace was a large portrait of the two of them on their wedding day, standing on the steps of the church
; the same one that was on her new iPad.

“
I figured we may as well start our own family portraits,” he said with a smile.

“Chang does such wonderful work. So long as you don’t have any other pictures hanging where people can see
them, I’m okay with you displaying our portraits.”

“Those pictures are for our private observation only. I do have a few of the more…intriguing portraits up in our room, but the really intimate ones are in an album out of sight.”

“So,
now
can we move in?” she asked with a wry smile.

“Yes. Now we can move in. I would have allowed it earlier but I was enjoying our time at the flat so much, I wasn’t willing to let you go; besides I have another surprise for you.”

“No more surprises!” she snapped, with a little less conviction than she had intended.

“This is one you’ll like
without an argument. Come with me.” Creighton took her by the hand and walked her into the dining room across the hall and paused by the entrance so she could absorb the details.

There was a
long formal table of mahogany wood and twelve chairs; a gift from his uncle, the same one that once belonged to his maternal grandmother. The floor was the original hardwood, but had been sanded and varnished to a high reflective luster. On the wall to their right was the most elegant fireplace she had ever seen with a large mirror in the center above the hearth and the sides and top carved with small cherubs. Shelves accented the mantle and held an old antique teapot, several figurines and a music box. Across from the entry hung a large piece of yellow fabric that hid the entire wall from sight. Sandra frowned and watched as Creighton walk over to it, pulling the cloth down.

Sandra
’s breath caught in her throat, her heart skipped a beat and tears began to fill her green eyes. The wall held her great-grandmother’s china hutch; the same one she had played with when she was younger; the same one her grandfather stated he was not taking out of the house.

T
here were many different sized wooden shelves covered by etched glass doors. Behind the glass held their many formal china sets and wine goblets given to them for their wedding. There was a buffet beneath the shelves where several milk glass serving dishes that resembled her mother’s had been set out for display and the cupboards beneath were closed off by shadowbox style doors. She walked over to the shelves, brushing the tears away from her cheeks as she touched the nicks that marked the heights of the many generations of children. She turned to see the love twinkling in her husband’s eyes.

“You were really upset when your grandfather said they weren’t taking this with them to
Florida that I arranged to have it removed and flown here. The entire thing was labeled, piece by piece and Matthew had it installed as soon as it arrived.”

“I can’t believe you did this,” she said
in a soft tone, the emotion echoing in her voice. “I love this hutch. I used to play with my Barbie dolls on it when I was little. Nana would let me use the dishes to set up a whole house for them. I’d use the gravy boat as a bathtub and I’d turn saucers upside down and use them as the bed. It was so much fun.” Creighton stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“
So now you can teach our daughters to play on it.”

“
Thank you so much. What did my grandparents say about it?”

“Nana was quite delighted that it wasn’t going to be left behind and Papa still argues that it’s a waste of space.”

“What about you? How do you feel about it?” Creighton smiled as he nuzzled her neck.

“I think every old home should have a display case and
it’s perfect for this space. It’s roughly the same age and fits quite nicely here. It was the exact size for the wall, Matthew didn’t have to cut it down or add it at all.”

“Amazing,” she smiled. “It’s like it was meant
to be here.”

“Just like you, my American queen. Care to see the rest of the house?” Sandra smiled and turned
around seeing the twinkle in his dark eyes.

“Lead the way sir,” she said.

Next to the bedroom, the kitchen was probably her favorite room. It had
all new eco-friendly energy saving appliances in white enamel rather than the very popular stainless steel. The sink was an old country style single basin but had the modern amenities of disposal, hot water spicket for drinks and a touch sensitive faucet. There was a dishwasher that looked like the cabinet drawers and a refrigerator with the freezer and a cooling drawer below. A microwave sat above the stove top and there was a double oven in the wall next to the counters. The room was painted in her favorite yellow and orange colors and the floor was white tile.