Right Here Waiting Read online

“Not until you answer my question.”

  “I shouldn’t have done it.”

  “Why shouldn’t you have? It was nice. I would love to be woken up this way every morning for the rest of my life.”

  “That’s why I shouldn’t have been touching you.”

  He looked confused. “Are you saying you shouldn’t have been touching me because I liked it?”

  “Well, yes,” she said around the lump forming in her throat.

  “What if I want you to?” he asked, taking both her hands, and placing them on his chest, holding them there when she tried to pull them back.

  “I can’t. It was a mistake.” She wished he would drop it.

  “How could it be? Didn’t you like what you were doing?”

  “Yes,” she admitted reluctantly. “I admit I liked it. Are you satisfied?”

  “No, not yet I’m not. If you liked what you were doing and I liked what you were doing, how could it be a mistake?”

  “It would lead to other things.”

  “What other things?” he asked, pressing for more details.

  “Sex,” she said, turning an even deeper shade of red.

  “Would that be so bad?”

  “Shouldn’t you be working or something?”

  He looked disappointed when she changed the subject. “No. Rex has everything under control now, just like he will when we are in New York City.” She forgot all about that.

  “You don’t need to go with me. I’m perfectly fine on my own.”

  “Don’t argue with me, darling. I’m going with you.”

  “I would prefer you didn’t.”

  “You say it now, but I know you don’t mean it. My place is with you.”

  “If you are planning to come with me so you can protect me, don’t bother. I can take care of myself. I’m a big girl.”

  “That isn’t the only reason I’m going with you.”

  “Give me one good reason you feel you should go with me.”

  “I want to be with you.” His answer wasn't enough. She wanted to hear him say he loved her.

  There was still no mention of love. No mention of commitment. If she allowed him to go with her, how long would it be until he grew tired of her and went running back to the blond?

  “What about your girlfriend?”

  “What are you talking about? I’ll be with you.”

  “The blond woman I’ve seen you with. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about her already.”

  “I don’t know what makes you think she’s my girlfriend. She’s not and she never was.”

  “You could have fooled me. I know you dated her at some point. Is she your type?”

  “I don’t have a type and I’ve never dated her. Who told you we did?” By the expression on his face, Megan could tell he was confused.

  “My first night here, she asked you when you were going to take her out again.”

  Blade started laughing. “All this time you thought I was dating Shanice?”

  So her name was Shanice. “What’s so funny?”

  “I never dated her.”

  Why was he lying to her? “How can you say that when I heard her ask you when you were planning to take her out again?”

  “True, she did ask me that, but I never dated her and don’t plan to in the future.”

  “Why did she ask you about it if you never did?”

  “Shanice rented the cabin she is staying in for the entire summer and she’s paying extra for me to give her horseback riding lessons.”

  His explanation still didn’t change the fact he thought she was a slut. She couldn’t allow him to go with her when she went back to New York. She wasn’t in the mood to argue with him about it, so she changed the subject again. “I need to get back to the cabin to help Josh.”

  “Not so fast,” he said, tightening his embrace. “Josh knows you’re here. He said for you to get some rest.”

  “How did he find out I’m here?” she asked, feeling alarmed.

  “He showed up looking for you this morning. Martha came up to see if I knew where you were.”

  “Martha knows I’m up here in your bed?” she hissed.

  “Yes she does, but don’t worry. I explained everything to her. She wanted to know if you wanted some chamomile tea. It’ll calm your stomach.”

  “Actually, I would like some. I still feel a little sick to my stomach.” Maybe it would get her strength back.

  “I’ll go tell Martha and come right back.” He crawled out of bed and left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

  * * *

  When Blade returned with her tea, she managed to convince him she didn’t need him to stay in bed with her all day. She quickly turned her head when he dropped his pajama bottoms so he could get dressed. When he finished, he reluctantly left the room.

  Later in the afternoon, after another cup of chamomile tea and a couple slices of toast, she was finally able to convince him and Martha she felt well enough to get out of bed. Before Blade would give into her request, he made her promise she wouldn’t do any work for the rest of the day.

  She entered the cabin and sank down on the sofa. She let out a long sigh. She was never happier to see the cabin than she was at this moment.

  Josh was seated at the computer waiting for a download which no doubt was taking forever with the dial up connection.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked casually. His arms were folded across his chest as he leaned back casually in his chair.

  “A lot better after the chamomile tea Martha gave me to drink.”

  “I’ve never known you to drink yourself to the point of a hangover before. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “It was a onetime mistake I will never let happen again.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure. I sure as heck didn’t enjoy waking up feeling the way I did.” She knew he was concerned about her, but she wasn’t in the mood for it right now. “What are you downloading?”

  Josh chuckled. “There you go changing the subject. Now this is the woman I have come to know. I’m downloading a file containing images of the clothing line we are developing ads for. Mr. Harper thought it might help if we could see the clothes in question.”

  “I want to see them when they are finished downloading.” She knew it could take all day. She didn’t have the patience Josh seemed to possess.

  “You will. I’m going to print them out on some photo paper I brought with me and hang the pictures up over there,” he said pointing to a blank wall on the other side of the room.

  There was a knock at the door. She hoped it wasn’t Blade. "Were you expecting someone?" Megan asked.

  "No," Josh responded as he got up to answer it. It wasn’t Blade. It was Edith. She seemed genuinely surprised to see Josh.

  “Who are you?” she heard Edith ask.

  * * *

  “My name is Josh Burton.”

  “Oh! I was under the impression this was the cabin Megan Nelson was living in. Do you know where I can find her?”

  “She does live here.”

  “Are you visiting from another cabin?”

  “No I’m not. I’m from New York. I’m staying here with her until she returns to home.”

  She could tell Josh was getting ticked off by Edith’s twenty one questions routine. She decided it was time to get him off the hook. She got up off the sofa and walked over to the door.

  “Do you really think it’s necessary for you to stay here with her for an entire year?” Edith was asking when Megan got to the door.

  “Our boss seems to think it is. Maybe you can take it up with him.”

  “What does he have to do with you staying here?”

  She knew it was time to intervene. It was apparent Edith wasn’t happy about her and Josh’s living situation.

  “Edith, would you like to come in? I could fix the three of us some iced tea and we can sit down and talk about this.”

  At first Edith looked unsure, b
ut gave in after some thought. “I don’t see why not,” she said as she entered the cabin.

  She offered the older woman a seat on the sofa before she excused herself to go into the kitchen.

  When she returned, Josh was back at the computer and Edith was seated on the sofa, obviously ignoring each other’s presence.

  “Get over here,” she hissed in Josh’s ear as she handed him his glass. She turned to Edith with a smile on her face. She walked up to her and handed her iced tea to her before sitting down next to her on the sofa.

  Megan waited until Josh pulled a chair up a few feet from where they sat before she spoke. “I think now would be a good time to introduce you two.”

  Edith cleared her throat. “Megan dear, before you do, I have a very important question I have ask you.” The older woman cleared her throat.

  “What?”

  “What about Blade?”

  “What about him?”

  “You and Blade are perfect for each other. He is the man you should be with.”

  What was wrong with everyone? Why was everyone around her pushing so hard for her to give in to Blade’s sexual advances?

  Josh spoke up. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”

  Oh great! Now Josh was joining their team. Whatever happened to what she wanted and what made her happy? It seemed most people forgot about it, or they just didn’t care.

  “Excuse me? If you agree with me young man, what are you doing here shacking up with her? How is your being here going to help her and Blade be together the way they should be?”

  “I’m not here to seduce her as you seem to be implying.”

  “Why are you here?” Edith eyed him as she waited for an answer.

  Josh adjusted his eyeglasses, which kept sliding, down his nose. “I’m here on a business trip. Megan and I are working on an ad campaign for the advertising agency we both work for in New York.”

  “You mean to tell me the two of you are not lovers?”

  “That’s exactly what I have been trying to tell you,” She interjected. She took a sip of her iced tea before setting the glass down on the coffee table. “If you will recall, I was trying to introduce the two of you, but was interrupted.”

  “You were,” Edith said as she relaxed somewhat.

  “Edith, this is Josh Burton. Josh is my co-worker and good friend. We are not lovers. He sleeps on the couch while I sleep in the bed in the bedroom. It’s all very innocent.”

  “Now I’m embarrassed,” Edith said as she tried to recompose herself. “Will the two of you please accept my apology?”

  “Apology accepted,” Josh said.

  “Josh, this is Edith. She and my mother were best friends.”

  Josh got up and walked over to Edith and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too, Josh,” Edith said with a warm smile.

  After, they were able to have a nice visit. Edith asked questions about the advertising industry and she and Josh did their best to answer all her questions.

  * * *

  With Megan’s hangover and everything happening at the ranch, Blade almost forgot about his appointment with the attorney.

  He didn't have time to change into his suit before he left the ranch and he just barely made it in time for his meeting to sign the document.

  Maybe he purposely forgot the meeting. He wasn’t looking forward to signing the document to turn all ownership of ‘Happy Meadow Ranch’ over to him; a place that rightfully belonged to Megan.

  He didn’t want to take advantage of her, and he didn’t want her to feel as if he were. If everything went according to plan, he’d be turning ownership of the ranch back over to her soon.

  Mr. Halifax entered the office and Blade apologized to the man for his shabby appearance before shaking hands with the attorney in the dark blue pinstriped suit and eyeglasses.

  They both sat down and the attorney placed a file folder on the desk in front of him. He opened it and took out the document Blade needed to sign.

  The attorney placed the document in front of him and held out an ink pen for him to use.

  Blade took it from him. There needed to be another way. “Is there any other way around this so she retains ownership of the ranch?”

  “I’m afraid not. You could contest the terms of the will in court, which could take years and months, and in most cases, the terms of the will are carried out as they are written in the end.”

  With a shaky hand, he signed the document and handed it back to Mr. Halifax. He finally did it.

  “If this is all you need, I’ll be on my way,” Blade said as he began to get to his feet.

  The attorney stopped him. “Not so fast Mr. Thorne. There’s still one more business matter we need to discuss before you leave.”

  “What?” Was there something wrong?

  The attorney reached into the file folder and held up an envelope. “What am I supposed to do with this?” he asked.

  “What is it?”

  “Megan’s parents gave this to me at the time they filed their will. It’s a letter her parents gave me with strict orders to give it to her when the year was up. They never left any instructions on what to do with it if she didn’t complete the year.”

  “I can take it and give it to her when the time is right,” Blade said as he reached for the letter. Mr. Halifax pulled it back out of his reach.

  “How are you going to give it to her when she won’t be here? She’s going back to New York, remember?”

  “I’m going with her when she goes and wherever else she decides to go in life.

  “Take this and make sure she gets it,” Mr. Halifax said as he handed the letter to Blade.

  Blade thanked the attorney and said his farewells before leaving the office to head back to the ranch, which was now legally his, but he would always view it as Megan’s ranch.

  He still needed to run several other errands to put together the surprise evening he was planning for Megan. He’d have to hurry if he wanted to get it all done in time.

  * * *

  She was in her bedroom reading the mystery book she started reading several days ago when there was a knock at the door.

  “Come in.”

  It opened and Josh walked in. “I have a brilliant idea,” he announced.

  “Really? What’s so important you tore yourself away from the computer?”

  “Why don’t we play dress up,” he said as he walked over to the closet. He opened the door and peered inside.

  Did the man go crazy or what? “Have you completely lost your mind? I think you have spent way too many hours in front of the computer. It must have fried your brain.”

  He ignored her comments. “This is perfect,” he said, pulling a powder blue sundress from its hanger. She was beginning to wonder where he got his sense of fashion from.

  She sat up and stared at him in disbelief. “What is it perfect for?”

  “It’s perfect for playing dress up in, of course. You have five minutes to get out of your clothes and into this dress before I come back in. Starting right now,” he said, pointing to the watch on his wrist. He placed the dress on her bed and turned to go out.

  “Wait.” Josh stopped and turned to look at her. “Why do you care about what I’m wearing all of a sudden?”

  “Come on, Megan. Loosen up a little and have some fun. Remember time is ticking away and I’ll be back. He turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  She knew Josh was up to something, but nevertheless, she picked up the sundress and held it up to herself, playing along with it. Maybe it would be fun.

  She sat the dress back down and climbed out of bed. She stripped down to her bra and underwear. She picked up the sundress and slipped it on over her head. She walked over to the mirror and examined herself in it. She only wore this dress a couple of times.

  There was a knock on the door and Josh walked in before she could respond. “Now for the next step,” he announ
ced.

  “What next step?”

  “Hair and makeup, of course.” Was he joking? How far did he plan to take this thing?

  “C’mon, Josh. You can’t be serious. I put this dress on for you. Doesn’t that make you happy?”

  “Where is your sense of fun and adventure?”

  “Fine, I’ll do it,” she said, picking up her hairbrush off the dresser. She ran it through her hair a few times. She decided if they were playing dress up, she would wear her hair up the way she always did in New York. She would go for glamour and sophistication.

  Back in the city, men would go out of their way to ask her out. She wondered if it would have the same effect on the men in Hidden Oaks.

  She would never know since she didn’t plan to go outside. This was just a harmless little game of dress up to satisfy her bored friend and keep him entertained.

  She pulled her hair up and pinned it in place with hair pins. Next she applied her makeup. It was the first time she put any makeup on since the morning she left New York.

  She admitted to herself this was fun. She glanced over at Josh. She couldn’t believe it. This whole thing was his idea, and now he looked bored out of his mind, wearing the same clothes as before!

  She knew what the problem was. She was the one having all the fun. He needed to play dress up himself to experience the fun she was having.

  She imagined Josh in a dress and makeup. She laughed out loud at the mental image. If only she could get him to play this game too.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked, looking up at her.

  “It’s nothing. I’m having so much fun I think it’s your turn to experience the fun.”

  “I don’t know, maybe. I’ll think about it while I pick out a pair of shoes for you and some accessories.”

  He dug in her closet, and a few minutes later, he emerged holding up her light pink flats and handed them to her.

  She sat down on the edge of her bed and slipped them on her feet while Josh went through her jewelry. When she finished, he handed her a simple pair of diamond solitaire earrings and a strand of pearls. She put them on and looked up at Josh and smiled.

  “What?” He suddenly looked nervous.

  She got up and walked over to him. “It’s your turn,” she said with a devilish grin as she tugged on his hand. I know the perfect dress. It will look great on you.”