The Payment (24 page)

Tray spun around and snorted in derision.
“If she’s smart she’ll never go back to him.”

“
Damn it Traye, he was drunk, full of
rage and most likely hurtin. I know it’s no excuse, but he’s
suffering and frightened, give him some compassion.” Reese tried to
get his twin to understand but seeing the coldness in his eyes knew
he only wasted his breath.

Nervous and worried Dane moved up the steps
and on to the porch of Mark and Lisa’s house, he dragged off his
hat and ran his fingers through his hair. He felt sick to his
stomach and his heart ached painfully in his chest. Drawing in a
deep breath, he lifted his hand, knocked on the door, and prayed
like hell that India would not refuse to see him.

Lisa opened the door not at all surprised to
see Dane on her doorstep, one look at his face; she could see how
terrible he felt. She wished she could ease some of his pain.
“Before you ask Dane I’m sorry, but she doesn’t want to see you.
She said if you called to tell you she needs time to decide on what
she wanted to do.”

When she saw the anguish fill his eyes, she
reached out and clasped his hand. “Just give her time Dane; I’m
sure that in the end everything will work out.”

Lisa’s words tore at his already aching
heart, even though he expected India would refuse to see him, he
held some hope. Now though it was torn away and with a sad defeated
smile, he pulled his hand free from Lisa’s and placed his hat on
his head. “Will you tell her that I love her and that I’m truly
sorry for what I did to her and I will regret it for the rest of my
life?”

Tears stinging her eyes Lisa nodded and
watched Dane walk away. She could see he truly regretted what
happened, and he did truly love India. Perhaps if she talked to
India it would help bring them back together.

Lying on the bed India heard the knock on
the door; she could hear her husband’s voice drift up to her
through the open window. Moving off the bed, she went to the
window, lifted the curtain, and listened. She could hear the pain
and sorrow in his voice, and it tore at her heart. Even though what
he did devastated and broke her heart, it still did not stop her
from loving him.

She wondered if she would ever have the
courage to leave him; it would nearly kill her to leave the boys,
Tuff and Chin Li. She loved them all so much, but it would be Dane,
who would be the hardest to leave.

She saw him step off the porch and walk
away, never before could she ever remember seeing him looking so
defeated, no longer did he carry himself proudly or confidently. He
looked like a broken man. Turning away when she could no longer see
him, she moved over to the bed and sat down. She needed to do a lot
of thinking and make some decisions and none of them were going to
be simple or easy to resolve.

FORTY-FOUR

The last four weeks were the longest and
most torturous of his life; Dane sat on the veranda and wondered if
the nightmare would ever be over. Each day he went to town hoping
it might be the day India would see him but each day she refused,
and he became more desolated and defeated every time.

He did feel some relief knowing she saw the
rest of the family; she visited Reese and Traye daily. Tye and
Mason along with Tuff and Chin Li saw her every day after school.
He knew the younger boys now knew some of the situation, he often
woke to them crying in the night, and his heart filled with guilt
and remorse over what his foolish action had done to his
family.

Those few drunken careless moments reaped
destruction on everyone’s lives, and he started to have doubts that
he would ever be able to fix things. His thoughts vanished when he
heard the sound of horses approaching. He forced his desolate
emotion aside knowing the boys were returning from school and their
visit with India. Standing up he moved to the steps. He stiffened
in surprise, not only seeing the twins but Jeff and by God Devon as
well.

His gaze moved to the buggy and his knees
nearly buckled when he spied his wife sitting next to Tuff. His
heart racing he rushed down the steps and stopped beside the buggy
and stared at his wife, his eyes full of hope and love.

Nervously, India watched her husband fly
across the yard and stop beside the buggy; her eyes misted with
tears, his golden eyes looked back at her full of
vulnerability.

Tye jumped down and grinned up at Dane. “See
Dane, I knew she would come back home.”

Dane cupped his brother’s head but unable
tear his eyes from his wife. “Yeah and I’m sure glad you were right
little brother, I’m sure glad you were right.” The words rasped out
of him softly.

With a happy laugh, Tye let go of Dane and
turned to Reese and Traye. “Come on you two, you need a bath real
bad, cause yah sure do smell somethin fierce.”

The laughter from Tye and his words broke
the tension and everyone but Dane and India went inside.

Nervous as hell Dane swallowed the lump
stuck in his throat. God, she looked so beautiful and delicate, he
wanted to reach out and touch her but fear, and apprehension held
him back.

“
Are you going to help me down or am I
to sit here until someone else decides to help me from the buggy?”
India’s voice held a light teasing note.

The heat crept up the back of his neck; Dane
lifted his arms and placed them around her waist. Lifting her down
when her feet touched the ground, he forced himself to let go of
her and take a step back. His eyes ran over her, and he staggered
when he noticed how much her waistline seemed to have increased.
Worriedly his gaze swung back to hers.

India stood watching the emotions change on
her husband’s face, she laughed softly over his reaction to the
size of her stomach. “I seem to have put on a little weight.”

He gave a soft chuckle and took her hand. He
helped her across the yard and up the steps, they moved inside
together and in to the parlor. He helped her down on to the sofa.
Taking a seat beside her, he could not tear his eyes away from her;
it seemed to have been forever since he gazed upon her lovely
face.

When he felt the slap on his shoulder, he
reluctantly turned from his wife, seeing Devon standing beside him,
he grinned. “It’s good to have you home again Dev.”

Devon removed his hand from Dane’s shoulder
a wide smile on his face as he winked at India. “I would have come
sooner if I’d known what a pretty sister-in-law I had.”

Dane swung his gaze back to his wife,
noticed the light blush covering her cheeks. He reached out and
clasped her hand lightly in his. Though he wanted desperately to
take her in his arms, wanted to say how truly sorry he was, to tell
her how much he loved her however he managed to hold himself
back.

India met Devon only yesterday and liked him
at once. As well as being big and handsome, he also is a very
determined and a strong willed man. He practically bullied her in
to returning home. She turned her gaze from Dane’s and slowly
looked at each member of the family.

Not one of them gave her a moments peace
since she left them, each of them demanded she return home, telling
her this is where she belonged. From women hating men they
certainly changed. When she found out Reese and Traye were being
let out of jail she knew in her heart, she would return home with
them.

She belonged with her husband and his
family, her family. She turned back to Dane and smiled with her
hand clasped in his; she lifted the other one and cupped his cheek.
He looked so tired, so sad and guilty, and she knew he must have
suffered probably just as much as she suffered.

His heart soaring when India touched his
face, Dane was powerless. He couldn’t stand it a moment longer, he
let go of her hand and encased her in a loving embrace. His lips
placed soft adoring kisses along the top of her brow, down the side
of her face as he continued to hold her in his arms.

Her already rampaging hormones making her
highly emotional, India couldn’t stop herself from crying, it felt
wonderful to be held in her husband’s arms again.

Tuff coughed into his hand and quickly rose
to his feet, shooing everyone out of the parlor leaving Dane and
his wife alone. They needed to talk out their problems without an
audience.

For a long time he was content just to hold
his wife, relieved and overjoyed to have her home again. The sudden
nudge to his gut made Dane shift slightly away. He eyed her
incredulously.

India laughed and placed his hand on her
stomach and watched his face as he felt their child move within in
her.

Dane lifted a hand, his knuckles slid
caressingly down her cheek. “How can I ever find the words to tell
you how sorry I am sweetheart? It doesn’t even sound adequate for
what I did to you and for how much I hurt you. I love you India, I
love you so much.” Even though ecstatic at feeling his child
moving, he needed more than anything to get the words out that were
lodged in his heart for so long.

Tears fell from her eyes. India could see
how much Dane meant those words, earlier she knew from his haggard
face and dull lifeless eyes just how much he must have been
tortured with guilt over what he did. Now though she saw life, hope
and love in those golden orbs. Leaning forward, she lightly placed
her lips on his then pulled back. “I’m sorry too Dane, I should
have trusted in you more. Can you forgive me?”

With a soft moan, Dane gathered her tightly
against him and when she nestled into him, he lowered his mouth to
hers. His tongue swept the inside of her mouth rediscovering the
sweet honey taste of her. With his kiss, he told her in ways words
wouldn’t how much she meant to him and would always mean to
him.

Dane gave her one kiss after another and
India gloried in every one of them. This one though seemed to be
stealing the air right out of her lungs, and she pulled her mouth
free, so she could catch her breath. Drawing in a much-needed air,
she laid her cheek against his chest and tried to calm the rapid
beat of her heart.

Not the least disappointed when India ended
the kiss, Dane let his hand glide over her back. Nothing else
mattered now other than the joy consuming him and at last having
his wife back.

India lifted her head. “Take me upstairs.”
She whispered and smiled when his eyes turned molten with
desire.

At his wife’s request, Dane’s heart expanded
and fire rushed through his veins. Removing one of his arms from
around her, he slipped it beneath her knees and stood up with her
in his arms. The only time he took his gaze off her is so he would
not walk into anything or trip over something.

When he reached their room, stepping inside
he placed her on the floor by the bed. Now he grew unsure if they
should attempt to make love because of her pregnancy and her
size.

Through her lashes, India watched the
emotions come and go on her husband’s face. She could read how he
now started to reconsider making love to her and smiled. Without a
word, she stared undoing the buttons on her blouse. “Close the door
Dane and take your clothes off. It’s been so long and I’ve missed
you so much.”

His eyes widening Dane could not prevent the
sexual smile of anticipation that spread across his face. For a few
moments, he stood watching her undoing her blouse and hot searing
desire rushed through his blood.

FORTY-FIVE

His breathing grew heavy and turning away,
he hurried over to the door closed it softly and turned the key. He
definitely did not want his little brothers coming in here
interrupting.

Dane rejoined her by the bed and bent over
to remove his boots, straightening up; he gently brushed his wife’s
hands away and took over the task of removing her clothes. While he
went about undressing her, their eyes met and held. Once her blouse
and camisole were removed, he lowered his gaze to look upon her now
larger breasts, he swallowed hard. His hands busied at the side of
her skirt unhooked it and watched it fall at her feet. His gaze
became riveted to her stomach, so large beneath her petticoats.

India unashamed of the changes in her body
stood proudly before her husband, she noticed though that Dane once
again looked concerned. She reached for the tie on her petticoat,
pulled it free, and let drop to her feet. Next, she pulled the tie
on her bloomers, and they joined her other clothing on the
floor.

Dane swallowed hard, the change in his
wife’s body was phenomenal, and he grew alarmed over making love to
her in her condition. He tried desperately to rein in his hunger
for her, but being without her for so long it became nearly
impossible, he grew a little afraid he might hurt her or their
unborn child.

India witnessed the struggle going on inside
him for a few seconds and never loved him more than she did at this
moment. She stepped forward lifted her hands and started undoing
the buttons on his shirt. “Don’t be afraid Dane you won’t hurt me
or the child.” She looked up from the buttons on his shirt and
smiled when his eyes lit up with desire and hunger.

His hands coming up, Dane placed his large
ones over her small ones. “God India sweetheart I want you so damn
much.” His mouth came down and captured hers in a long drugging
kiss, when they were both breathless he lifted his mouth from hers
swept her up in his arms and placed her gently down on the
mattress.

Without taking his eyes off her, he quickly
disposed of his clothes and joined her on the bed. He gently
gathered her into his arms, and a hand came up and stroked the side
of her face. “You’re so damn beautiful sweetheart you take my
breath away and I love you so much.”

Her arms wrapping around him, India lifted
her mouth and placed it over his; she did not want to talk anymore.
She wanted Dane to love her, wanted to feel him inside her.