Captain O'Reilly's Woman - Ashes of Love 1 (4 page)

“Well you’ve got a perfect location for it here, Jacob,” David responded, looking around. Scouting locations and identifying opportunities were his bread and butter. “And a central, modern facility will ensure a quality product. A safe one too.”

All four of them nodded quietly. Too many children had died unnecessarily over the past twenty years because of unsanitary food handling.

“Anyway, we just wanted to say hello. We’ll get back to work now and leave you two alone,” Jacob said, smiled and started to turn away. His wife stepped toward Samantha.

Samantha looked up when the woman’s rough hand reached for her. Gently, she touched the side of Samantha’s face and looked down at her with that same unaccountable fondness her husband had. “Will you be staying? Here. With him for awhile?” Mrs. Rawlins asked quietly. Her eyes smiled as she stroked Samantha’s cheek then smoothed back a fire-bright lock of hair before letting her hand fall back to her side.

“Yes,” Samantha answered without thinking yet knew it was the truth. “For some time. I hope.”

Mrs. Rawlins exhaled slowly and smiled. “That’s good,” she said with a contentment that caught Samantha off-guard. The woman’s words warmed her despite that.

Mrs. Rawlins turned back to David. “You look more and more like your father, Captain O’Reilly.”

“Thank you,” David replied quietly. “But it’s just David. Here, it always is.”

*
   
*
   
*

After the Rawlins left them, David and Samantha played a round of mini-putt. As promised, she was really bad at it, which turned out to be a good thing.

They were back in the Jeep now and back on the road. Feeling brazen when she did it, Samantha slid her hand onto David’s knee. He folded her fingers in his, lifted them to his mouth and kissed her knuckles before laying her hand back down.

As they drove, her hand in his, she remembered the game they’d played. How he’d stood behind her. So close that the warmth and strength of him eclipsed her. His arms around her. His hands on hers. His face tucked in beside her cheek. Holding the putter with her, he’d showed her how to improve her stroke. She’d enjoyed the game but she’d enjoyed being with him more. The small physical intimacy was far more of a rush than any fumbled kisses she’d shared with her two, lone and best-forgotten boyfriends. They’d been children. David was a man. Although there were times when she still felt more like a kid than a woman, she never did around David.

There was a time, she knew, when people would have frowned on the differences in their ages. But the Great War had left humanity with the freedom, and often the necessity of such pairings.

“You didn’t actually bring the Corps here?” she asked suddenly. “Yourself, I mean?”

David grinned wryly and glanced down at her. He was dressed casually in broken-in jeans, boots and a neatly pressed, Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top two buttons undone. His clothes hinted at the sculpted mass of his body.

“Yes, actually,” he said dismissively. “The town was in a bad way but the population was large enough to warrant Army intervention. The geography was worth preserving and the place is central to a number of other smaller communities. I put together a proposal and the squadron commander forwarded it on.” He shrugged. “It was accepted.” Again, he lifted her hand and kissed it before laying it back on his knee. “These people took care of me after my family died. I was only ten. They deserved to get something back for that.” He sighed. “
They
weren’t supposed to know it was my proposal, though.”

“Ah,” Samantha breathed. “So you’re now the bright, shining, local-boy-makes-good fellow in these parts?”

David laughed and squeezed her fingers affectionately. “Yeah,” he admitted wryly. “I suppose you could say that.”

They drove on. As they got closer to town, they passed more and more inhabited buildings. The local township depot, with shiny municipal repair vehicles and road-maintenance trucks. A farm-supply store and some commercial manufacturing facilities. Samantha recognized the logo of the company that made the crayons she’d loved to play with as a child. More houses now, with neatly tended lawns and flowers by the front door. An auto-body shop and a take-out fish and chip place.

“Great fries,” David commented easily, pointing. “But the ones from the marina are better. I’ll take you there for lunch one day in the boat.”

The speed limit had dropped significantly almost a half kilometer back and the road was narrower. It was lined with businesses and shops—none of them boarded up—with tree lined, residential streets beyond. They stopped for a red light. There were shiny cars parked on an angle and people on the streets, going about their business. A bank with customers going in and out of it. A large pharmacy. Clothing boutiques. A paint store, gift shop, an insurance office and too many other businesses to identify before the light changed and David pulled ahead smoothly.

“The marine lock is just on the other side of that bridge,” he said, tipping his head up. They passed a little side street dominated by a bustling marina.

Samantha spotted the restaurant sign next to the entrance. “Home of the touted fries?” she asked.

“Yep.” David slowed down to let a car pull out of a spot in front of them then continued on. “Grocery store’s just up here,” he said, checking his blind spot before turning. “We’ll need some supplies. Me, I could manage to live on love. But that little body of yours probably needs three meals a day just to keep going.”

Rolling her eyes and exhaling audibly, Samantha resisted the urge to smack his shoulder. She unfastened her seatbelt when he pulled into a spot. Grabbing her oversized, straw bag from the back seat, she rooted around in it until she found her hairbrush. After giving her hair a quick once-over she put her hat back on. When she turned back to him, she found David watching her with an intensity that made her breath catch. She felt a warm, erotic flexing in her loins.

“I never told you how much I love your hair,” he said quietly. Reaching out, he combed his fingers through it, where it fell across her shoulder, the back of her neck. Lifting a thick tendril and holding it up to the light, he admired the flash and luster of it then lifted it to his nose and inhaled slowly. His eyes drifted shut before he let go and brushed it back over her shoulder.

“Oh...my,” Samantha breathed unsteadily. Her hand fluttered nervously over her heart before settling on her chest. His intense sensuality caught her off guard, as it had before. She had no vocabulary to tell him how exciting she found it. Him. Instinctively she knew her feelings were written on her face...for him, or anybody walking by for that matter, to see.

He seemed to understand what she was still only barely aware of because something in his eyes intensified. It made her insides squirm and pulse deliciously.

As he unclipped his seatbelt, he said, “That’s the nicest compliment anybody’s ever paid me.” He leaned into her, kissed her neck then stepped out of the Jeep.

Still blinking, Samantha looked up when she heard her door open. Smiling contentedly, she accepted the hand David held out to her and stepped down onto the running board then onto the asphalt. She smoothed her short skirt and looped her bag over her shoulder. Then, her hand in his, followed him into the grocery store.

Pneumatic doors whooshed open and a quick blast of artificially cooled air hardened Samantha’s nipples. Pulling a cart away from the neat row just inside, David turned back to her. Before he could discipline his reaction, he felt his eyes widen as he looked at her body.

Damn
, David thought to himself.
I’ll be lucky to get out of here without embarrassing myself
. He’d been dying to kiss her lush mouth ever since that day at the abandoned sheep farm. But he hadn’t. For some reason he didn’t fully comprehend, he wanted to save that until they were home.
His
home. On his land. He also realized he was just barely managing to keep his hands off her, despite the fact that they were in a public place. He wanted to kiss every inch of her and wanted to start with those perfect breasts of hers. Wanted to feel the hard, full points tight against his tongue as he—

“David!”

Damn. She was the last person he wanted to run into right now but there was no help for it. Quelling his horniness, David forced a smile and turned toward the tall brunette rushing toward him with outstretched hands.

“Hello, Cheryl. Good to see you,” he greeted her with appropriate warmth, hugged her quickly then stepped back.

“Sam, this is Cheryl Rogerson. Cheryl, this is Samantha Cooper.”

He introduced Samantha with unmistakable affection. The tall woman took in the proximity of their bodies and the way his hand casually came around Samantha’s waist and rested on the top of her hip.

“
No
,” Cheryl breathed delightedly. She reached out and hugged Samantha hard. “Pinch me quick. You’ve finally managed to land yourself a girl. And a real beauty too,” Cheryl added approvingly. Her hands on Samantha’s arms squeezed affectionately before releasing her. “And not one of those blow-up dolls that deflates every time you shove them in the dishwasher.”

“
Jeez,
Cheryl,” David hissed, looking around. “You’ve still got the smuttiest mouth I’ve ever met.”

“And
you’re
getting fat,” she shot back, slapping his taut abdomen with the back of her hand.

He shot her a hard look but Cheryl simply laughed and turned, waving to two children hovering around a display of chocolate bars. “
Kids
. Come here and say hello to your mother’s old friend. You remember meeting Captain David O’Reilly?”

“Oh yeah,” one of them, a girl and the oldest of the two, looked up at David intently. “You’re the one named after my school.”

“Actually, dear,” her mother corrected her, brushing her short brown hair out of her eyes, “the school is named after David. Not the other way around.”

“Oh. Right,” the girl acknowledged, then accepted the hand David held out to her. She shook politely, said good-bye and rushed back to the chocolate.

“How old are they?” Samantha asked.

“Eight and six. And the baby’s almost a year now,” she added, nodding toward her shopping cart. A baby carrier was propped up on top of it. Her other children started to argue and she headed for them. “Listen, David, you and Samantha come by for supper while you’re here,” she called out over her shoulder. “No arguments. I’ll call and we’ll set a date.” She waved good-bye then closed in on her children. “
Hey
. What did I say?” she demanded firmly. “You know there’re people in Asia who’ll pay good money for child labor.”

Samantha chuckled but David simply rolled his eyes, grabbed their cart and headed for the meat department.

“How long have you known her?” Samantha asked casually as David looked over the hamburger. He picked out a couple of packages and threw them into the cart.

“Remind me to get buns,” he said absently then walked on. “Cheryl? Forever,” he answered as he picked through the steaks. “We grew up together. My one and only childhood sweetheart.”

“Oh really,” Samantha purred with rising interest. She glanced back at the tall brunette, watched her firmly plant her middle child into an empty corner of her shopping cart and head for the check-out. “Should I be jealous?” she teased.

“Would you
like
to be?” he shot back, dipping his head and finding that sweet spot he loved to taste just behind her ear. “Would you think I’m even hotter if I had hoards of adoring women clamoring after me?”

She laughed softly then gave his shoulder a little shove. “I’d think you were hotter if your colon wasn’t plastered with all that beef you’re buying. How about some poultry? Or fish?”

“Urgh,” he groaned. “A man does
not
want to be reminded about the state of his colon when he’s doing his very best to seduce a beautiful woman.”

“Captain O’Reilly!”

The laughter in David’s eyes froze and Samantha clearly heard him think—just like he’d said it out loud, “
Shit on a stick
.”

She held her laughter back when he disciplined his expression, smiled and turned toward the man who’d spoken.

“Well hello, Stephen. Good to see you.”

David shook the man’s hand firmly. Stephen was much shorter than David, several inches short of six feet, with a rounded belly covered with a lightly stained butcher’s apron. He was wearing a burgundy baseball cap with the store’s logo on it.

“Stephen, this is Samantha Cooper.” He smiled down at Samantha and, again, wove his arm around her waist and eased her body into his. “Stephen’s the best butcher in town.”

“My very great pleasure,” Stephen greeted her grandly. He took off his cap and held it over his heart. The movement revealed an almost completely bald head. After replacing his cap he smiled effusively. “Listen, a bunch of us are going fishing day after tomorrow. Pete—you remember Pete—he’s bringing the beer and I’ll rustle us up some steaks and...” His enthusiasm faded when he noticed David’s expression.

“Thanks, Stephen, I appreciate it but we’re up for just a few weeks. For some alone time, you know?”

With his head tipped a little to one side, Stephen looked down at Samantha. His look of open appreciation quickly morphed into quiet affection. “Of course. Next time though, for sure.”

“Promise,” David vowed solemnly. He watched Stephen fish around in their cart, pull out the steaks he’d selected, snort dismissively, set them back into the cooler then grab the end of the cart. “Come over to the counter. I’ll cut you something nice,” he said, leaving them to trail along in his wake.

By the time they left the store, Samantha felt like she’d been introduced to every person in town and, after awhile, realized that the Rawlins must have called ahead and spread the word that David had arrived. He was a local celebrity, judging from the number of people that flooded into the store. Most of them weren’t buying anything. They’d just dropped in to welcome David back.

Their cart was piled high with all sorts of freebies too. A complete chicken dinner, fresh from the deli rotisserie. Flowers for Samantha. A cheese and fruit platter. But no wine.