Harvest Moon (Brook Haven Romance Book 1) (10 page)

“I love it in here,”
she told Drake.

“In the backhoe?”

She smiled. “That’s nice
too. But no, I meant underneath these apple trees. It smells so good.” He
reached out the open window on his side of the backhoe and plucked an apple,
which he handed to Sophie. She took it and dropped it in the basket that she’d
brought. She reached out to get one and realized it was starting to rain. Big
drops splashed through the trees and down onto the windshield of the backhoe. Drake
started it back up and drove slowly between the two rows as Sophie stuck her
hand out and picked the fruits she wanted.

The backhoe had turned
out to be a really good idea. It wasn’t the same as wandering around in there
with a picnic basket on her arm, but in the current situation, it would
definitely work.

After the basket was
full, Drake drove out of the trees and over to Mrs. Larson’s fruit stand. Even
in the rain, she was there. Sophie tried to pay her for the apples they’d picked,
but the older woman simply looked at it and said, “I hope you’re kidding.”

Sophie smiled and put
the money back in her pocket. She hoped that someday her inn would be “famous”
in the small town for something the way Mrs. Larson’s was for its apples and
her delicious lemonade.

When Drake walked into
the house early on Saturday morning Brenda was on her way out to pick up Mac.
“Good morning!”

“Good morning,” she
said. “I made breakfast, so please help yourself. And if there’s any way you
can get my daughter to eat …”

Drake smiled. “I’ll do
my best,” he said. “It smells great, thank you. Thank you too for taking Uncle Mac
today and everything you’ve done for him this week. He seems like his old self
again.”

Brenda had gone over a
few evenings after the day she took him the cake and had dinner with him. Drake
was actually understating things. Mac wasn’t just back to his old self, he
seemed truly happy, and Drake couldn’t remember the last time he actually
welcomed company. He’d worn all of his old friends down over the years by
refusing their invitations for lunch or dinner or just an afternoon visit.
Drake didn’t know if it was specifically Brenda or if Uncle Mac was just
finally tired of always being alone, but either way, he appreciated her
efforts.

“I haven’t done
anything special, but you’re welcome. I enjoy his company too.”

“Be careful driving up
there though. The rain stopped, but it came down pretty good all night. There
might be some slick spots on those windy roads.”

“I will be. I’m not in
any hurry.”

“Where is your
daughter?” he asked.

Brenda grinned. “She’s
still sleeping.”

“You’re kidding? Is she
sick?” It was almost seven a.m. In the almost four weeks that Drake had known
her, she’d always been up, dressed, and attacking the day by the time he
arrived.

“No, I’m sure she’s just
exhausted because it all finally caught up with her.”

“Well, I’m glad that
she’s getting some rest.”

“I should get going.
Tell her I’ll call her when we’re headed back.”

“Okay, have fun and
thank you again.”

“We will. You’re
welcome, and don’t forget to eat.”

“No ma’am. I’m going to
do that right now.” After Brenda left, Drake started to fix himself a plate,
but then he thought about Sophie and had another idea. He fixed her a plate
instead and a glass of juice and a cup of coffee. He put it all on one of the
new serving trays she’d bought for the guests and left it on the counter, then
went outside. He walked around behind the house where the green meadow began
and picked a handful of the purple and yellow wildflowers that grew there. He
went back inside and found a little vase to put them in and then sat that on
the tray, too. He carried it all up the stairs and when he got to the third
floor, he knocked on the door.

“Mom?” he heard her
call out.

“No, ma’am, it’s room
service.”

She laughed. “I don’t
believe this inn has room service … what would you be servicing?” That
statement left him open to so many possibilities, but he reminded himself he
was being patient and waiting for the weekend of their “date.”

“I have your breakfast,
Miss.”

She giggled again.
“Well, then, by all means, come in.” Drake held the tray in one hand and pushed
open the door. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her. She was sitting
up in the bed with her dark hair tousled and her nightshirt hanging off of one
shoulder.

“Good morning, Miss. I
trust you slept well?”

“Fabulous,” she said.
“Too well, actually. I woke up and couldn’t believe it was seven already.”

“Your body must have
needed it,” he said. He set the tray on the nightstand. He suddenly realized
this was probably not the best idea he’d ever had. Being “patient” was hard enough
when they were working together or sharing a meal or a ride in a backhoe, but
being here in her room where everything looked like her and smelled like her … it
was almost overwhelming. When you coupled that with the cloud covering outside
that just made you want to cuddle up with someone in a warm bed to begin with—it
was like a recipe for torture. “Do you want your breakfast in bed, ma’am?”

She suddenly got a
wicked smile on her face. “Is my mother gone?”

“Yeah, she just left—”

She rose up on her
knees and cut off his words with her mouth. This was definitely not helping him
with his patience. Every nerve ending in his body was suddenly on fire. She
kissed him hard and used her arms around his neck to pull him down toward her
so they both fell back on the bed. For a second, he completely forgot himself
and let his hands roam over her warm curves as their tongues got caught up in
an erotic dance of their own. He was immersed in how warm and inviting her lips
were and the way her body was arching up from the bed into his. He’d dreamt of
this moment from the second he had laid eyes on her. His hands slid under her
and pushed up the bottom of her nightshirt until he was touching the bare curve
of her lower back. He kept them still there as they kissed, somehow controlling
the urge to completely ransack her body.

When he finally forced
himself to break the kiss and come up for air, he looked at her face. Her eyes
were still closed, her soft full lips were dark red from his kiss, and her
cheeks were filled with color. That gorgeous, soft hair was even more tousled
around her head, and he knew he’d never seen anything so beautiful in his life.
If he’d woken up this morning with the notion that he’d been kissing her in her
bed in a few hours, he would have laughed at himself at the sheer absurdity of
it. “Sophie?”

She opened those blue
eyes, and he could see the desire for him inside of them; it was like throwing
kerosene on an already raging fire. “Drake,” she whispered, a smile tugging at
the corners of her lips.

“You’re so beautiful.”

She really smiled then.
“So are you.”

He pulled her into him
more tightly and pressed his face into her hair, breathing in the sweet scent
of her. He had only a modicum of restraint left, and he was using it to let her
set the pace. When he pulled back and looked at her again, her blue eyes were
locked into his and her plump lips were slightly parted. He touched her cheek
with his fingers and traced her jawline, and then as he ran his thumb across
her lips, he said, “If you don’t tell me to leave soon …”

She didn’t tell him to
leave. Instead, she shifted her body over so that he could lie down beside her.
The already crumbling barrier they’d set up between them was cracking even
more. He lay down on his side and put his arm across her, pulling her against
him again. He let his hand rub across her back and shoulders as he trailed
kisses down the side of her jaw and neck. He felt her body shiver against him,
and it was almost enough to put him over the edge. He let his tongue run along
underneath the top of her nightshirt, groaning as he tasted her.

His body was pulsing
with electricity, and his need for her was such that it was almost painful. She
brought her hands up and took his face in them, pulling it up from her chest to
kiss his lips wildly once more. She was daring him to cross that invisible line
that she herself had drawn … but he had to be sure she was ready for this.
There was no way he’d risk losing her for a one-night—or one-day—stand. He
forced himself to pull out of the kiss and said, “We don’t have to do this …”

She smiled.
God, she was incredible.

“I know,” she said. “I
don’t want to wait any longer.”

“You’re sure? I can
wait a few more weeks, a month … whatever you need.”

She smiled again and
then wiggled out of his grasp to sit up. He watched in complete awe as she
reached down and pulled the nightshirt over her head and tossed it aside, and
he groaned again. She was as perfect as he had imagined she would be.

“I’m sure,” she
whispered. “Make love to me, Drake.”

He sat up and pulled
off his shirt, too. Her hands immediately went to his chest and as she traced
the hard lines with her fingers, he hesitantly touched her breasts. She moaned
slightly and arched into his hands. His touch became more intense as he leaned
forward and captured her lips once more. She’d given him the green light he’d
been dying for, but now he didn’t want to rush it. He didn’t want to scare her
away by ravaging her.

He pulled her into his
lap and continued the kiss while his hands explored. She shifted against his
aching erection, and he moaned into her mouth. The hands that played across his
chest slid down to his belly, and he felt her pulling at the button of his
jeans. He reluctantly slid her off his lap and gently pushed her back on the
bed.

He didn’t take his eyes
off her as he stood up and slid his jeans down. Being here with her felt
surreal—he was afraid if he looked away even for a second that she’d be gone
when he looked back. He watched her slide off her panties, making his chest
hurt. He slid his boxers off and climbed back into the bed with her. She
immediately began fluttering kisses across his face and down his jaw line. Sophie
kissed his forehead and nose and eyelids and once again found his lips. He held
her tightly as their bodies melted together with no barriers between them. He’d
never wanted anything as much as he wanted to be inside her right now.

He pulled back and
looked into her blue eyes. “I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for you,
Sophie.”

“We don’t have to wait
any longer,” she whispered in a husky voice. He reached down and gripped her
backside, pulling her against his tautness as he used his free hand to explore
the rest of her body. He ran it up the insides of her smooth thighs, and she
responded with a sultry sigh. He let his mouth finally taste her full, gorgeous
breasts and then trailed hot kisses down her flat stomach to her belly button
and back up again. She put her hands in his hair and held him to her chest as
his lips and tongue played across it. He relished the feel of her, the smell
and the taste, before knowing he couldn’t last a minute longer.

He reached off the bed
and into his pants pocket. Pulling out his wallet, he fished for what seemed
like forever until he found the condom he carried there. He said a little
prayer that it wasn’t expired as he ripped it open with his teeth and rolled it
on, knowing the whole time that Sophie’s sparkling blue eyes watched him with a
searing heat he could feel all the way to his core.

He didn’t waste any
more time. He positioned himself above her and as he slid inside her, he knew
that he had never experienced a more perfect moment. It felt like she had been
made for him, and she responded so fluidly to his movements that their bodies seemed
synchronized. He leaned down and kissed her again, and she gripped his
shoulders and held on tightly as they lost themselves in this moment.

Sophie reached her
climax first, and as Drake was about to reach his, he pressed his lips into her
ear and said, “I love you. I want you to be my happily ever after.”

Sophie didn’t say it
back but he felt her body respond, and for now he was okay with that. He didn’t
have to have the words until she was ready to say them. He knew that letting
him make love to her was a big step. She showed him how much she wanted him,
and she trusted him—those were the things that mattered.

Cuddling up to Drake’s
hard body felt like heaven to Sophie. She was in that place between sleep and awareness
where it felt like she was floating on air. His arms were so warm and strong,
and they made her feel so safe that she felt like she could stay in them
forever. She felt guilty for not saying she loved him back, but she was going
to need a little more time. For now, she was relishing the quiet and the peace
that settled down over them after the perfect storm of their lovemaking, and
this was everything she needed.

She closed her eyes and
ignored the daylight that had broken through the clouds and was now trying to
sneak in through the curtains. She’d worry about burning that daylight later.
She let sleep take hold of her instead and pull her back down into its embrace,
and for the next two hours she slept like she hadn’t slept in years.

When she woke again,
she was still tangled in Drake’s long limbs and she could feel the gentle rise
and fall of his chest. The clock at her bedside said nine a.m. She’d allowed
herself as much of an escape as she could for now. Reluctantly she began to
disentangle herself and slide out of the bed.

“Where are you going?”
Drake asked in a warm, sleepy voice that made her want to crawl back up against
him.

“I didn’t mean to wake
you. I need to get to work.”

She felt his body shake
as he laughed. “I’m the one who works for you, remember? You’re going to let me
sleep while you get up and work? Damn,
 
I
scored with this job.”

She giggled. “Don’t
think you’re so smart, Mister. You went off the clock the minute your pants
came off.”

He laughed again. “You
know what … I win either way.” He opened his gorgeous eyes and looked at her,
and suddenly his face was serious. “Thank you.”

She leaned forward and
pressed her lips softly to his. “You are so welcome. Thank
you
.”

“Anytime … and I do
mean that more than I’ve ever meant anything—absolutely, positively, anytime … anywhere
…” He began to shower kisses around her face.

She laughed again.
“Okay, I get it. I do have to get up now and shower so I can get something done
today.”

“Are you going to eat
your breakfast?”

“It’s cold now, I
think.”

“It’s a good thing I
got my tip first then, huh?”

“You could warm it up
for me while I shower.”

“You make love to a
woman one time and suddenly you’re her slave for life … how warm would you like
it?”

She kissed him again.
“Thank you. I’ll be down in a few.”

He closed his eyes
again and nodded.

“Are you going back to
sleep?”

“Nope, I’m just
picturing you in the shower.” A slow grin spread across his face. “I have a
clear image to work with now.”

She stood up and threw
the pillow at him before running for the bathroom. He opened his eyes and said,
“Mm … and one more for the memory books.” She was giggling as she slammed the
door.

****

By the time she made it
downstairs, Drake had her plate warmed and covered, his washed and put away,
and a little vase with wildflowers and a note that said,
Eat hearty. I’m off to work, but I won’t be far if you need anything … and
I mean ANYTHING from me.”
He signed it
–D
with a smiley face. She smiled and rolled her eyes. She’d created a monster.

After she ate and
cleaned up the rest of the kitchen, she headed into the office to check her
messages. She heard her cell phone vibrating and hadn’t realized she’d left it
in there. Still smiling and thinking about Drake, she picked it up and looked
at the screen. She’d missed three calls from the same number. It was a Vermont
area code, but she didn’t recognize the number. She slid the button for
voicemail and as she listened to the message, the smile fell from her face. With
her heart pounding, she ended the call and pressed the number for the missed
calls as she ran out the kitchen door, calling for Drake at the same time. He
came around the corner of the house just as the phone was answered on the other
end.

The phone answered, “Memorial
Hospital, how can I help you?”

“My name is Sophie Michelson;
my mother was brought into the ER …” Drake’s eyes went big. He dropped the can
of paint he was holding as he heard her say, “Yes, she was with a man. His name
is Mac Tanner. Yes, I can hold.” Her eyes met Drake’s and she said, “Mom and Mac
were in an accident …”

“Are they okay?”

“I don’t know … she’s
getting the nurse.”

“Miss Michelson?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

Drake was watching her
face, looking for confirmation that Mac and Brenda were okay. She pressed the
speaker button so he could hear too just as the nurse said, “Your mother was
brought in about an hour ago. I honestly don’t have a lot of information to
give you yet. The doctor is still in there with her. What I do know is that she
was conscious when they brought her in. She was talking, and she’s the one that
asked us to call you.”

“That sounds good,”
Sophie said, feeling her eyes fill with tears. Drake’s were still staring at
her face. “What about the man she was with … Mac Tanner?”

“He was taken straight
to surgery.”

“Why?” Drake asked,
panic rising in his voice.

The nurse hesitated and
Sophie said, “That’s Drake Tanner. He’s Mac’s nephew.”

“He had some pretty
extensive internal injuries and he lost a lot of blood. I’m sorry, that’s all I
know. The officer with the Vermont State Police who was on the scene is still
in the ER, I believe. Would you like to speak with him?”

“Yes!” Sophie and Drake
spoke at the same time. She could see the pain and worry in his eyes, and she
could hardly stand it. They waited in silence until a man’s voice came on the
line.

“Miss Michelson, this
is Officer Williams. I was first on the scene of the accident.”

“What happened?”

“Your mother’s car was
hit head-on by a pickup of teens that lost control after skidding across the
slick road. The driver of the other car was ejected from the vehicle and
sustained minor injuries. Your mother and her passenger were pinned in their
car.” Sophie sucked in a breath as he paused. He continued, “I’m sorry. I don’t
know exactly what their injuries are yet. She was able to talk to me while we
waited for the ambulance. She told me her passenger, Mr. Tanner, was a
paraplegic, and she gave me your number and his nephew’s number …”

“I’m here,” Drake said.

“Mr. Tanner?”

“Yes.”

“Your uncle is in
surgery—”

“Yeah, the nurse told
us that. You were there, you saw him. Was he awake at all?”

“No sir, he was
unconscious. I’m sorry.”

Drake turned away from
Sophie and kicked the paint can out of his way. He started walking to his
truck. She thanked the officer before ending the call and followed him. “Drake …”

“I need to get to the
hospital.” He looked and sounded like he was in a trance.

“Okay, me too. Can I
ride with you?” He nodded. “I’m going to get my purse.” He nodded again. Sophie
left him there and ran inside. She grabbed her purse and locked the door and
when she got back outside, Drake was still staring off into the distance. “Drake
… are you okay?”

He snapped back to the
present and started the truck. “I’m good,” was all he said. The drive to the
hospital was long and quiet. As they passed the turnoff for the wildlife rehab,
Drake slowed the truck down and sat there for a few minutes, idling. He looked
like he had checked out again. Sophie waited. Finally, he said, “This is my
fault.”

“No, Drake. It was an
accident that no one could have predicted.”

He put the truck back
in drive, and she was surprised when he started heading up the hill instead of
down into the town. “Those damned kits. I started all of this by not being able
to keep my nose out of something that I had no business in. They probably would
have survived if I hadn’t picked them up. And if they didn’t, that’s nature,
right?”

“Drake, you have a good
heart—”

“Do I? Do I have the
kind of heart of a man who was left entrusted with the care of another one and
failed to give him what he needed? I was so busy working and doing anything I
could do in order to see you that I completely neglected him. If he dies today,
he’ll die thinking that he’s all alone.”

“No, that’s not true.
Mac knows you love him.”

Drake didn’t say
anything, he just kept driving. Just as Sophie was going to ask him what they
were doing, she saw it. Black skid marks lined the road like an ugly scar, and
pieces of glass and metal still littered the shoulder. Drake pulled the truck
over and got out. Sophie followed him. The cars were gone, but there was a
black mark up against the white cement guardrail where the paint from Sophie’s SUV
had come off as it was likely shoved up against it. Drake bent down and picked
something up. He held it in his fingers and looked at it before his eyes
suddenly filled with tears and he crushed it in his hand.

“Drake?”

He smiled as one of the
tears escaped from his eyes and rolled down his cheek. “I saw him out in the
grove behind my house yesterday rolling around. I asked him what he was doing
and he got really defensive. He had a bucket in his lap, and it was filled with
figs that had fallen off of one of the trees. He used to feed them to the kits.
He took that bucket with him today.”

Sophie could tell that
it was taking every bit of strength he had to hold it together. She went to him
and put her arms around him. She just held him, and when she felt his body stop
shaking, she pulled back and said, “We should go. Maybe they’ll have good news
for us when we get there. We have to stay positive.”

He nodded and kissed
the side of her face. She looked down as they walked back to the pickup and saw
there were figs scattered all over the ground.