People Will Talk (17 page)

"Let me try something else." He grabbed up some
branches lying under the trees and pushed them down under the rear
tires. Then he came around and got into the driver's
seat.

For what seemed like hours, he coaxed the Jeep
forward incrementally, again and again. Each time, it slipped back.
Nora felt her nerves tightening and made herself promise not to
burst into tears. They were losing precious time. There was no way
she'd be able to get home, get dressed and make the
appointment.

"If I could just get it to stay forward," he
muttered, the Jeep idling between onslaughts. "What could we use as
a rope?"

Nora didn't respond, using all her energy to
keep from looking at her watch again and trying not to
cry.

Bret glanced around the Jeep, his eyes stopping
on a huddle of fabric in the rear. He laughed out loud, startling
her.

"What's so funny?" she asked with an
edge.

"Me," he chuckled. "How about we take off our
jeans and use them with this denim jacket to make a
rope?"

Swiveling around to gape at him, Nora wondered
if he'd lost his mind. "A rope out of jeans?"

"You know, like using bed sheets to escape from
a window," he laughed again.

''I'm glad you're finding this amusing," she
muttered.

Bret stared at the windshield for a moment.
"You know, it's not a bad idea."

"Are you nuts? You seriously think we could use
our clothes to get this stupid thing moving?" Her voice rose with
her frustration.

"Yeah, I do." He smiled at her, his eyes
alight. "Come on, sweetheart. Get naked with me."

******

Chapter Nine

"I don't appreciate your joking at a time like
this." Her voice trembled with the effort to remain
calm.

"I'm not joking. I think this could
work."

"How? How could it work?" she challenged
him.

"We tie the jeans and the jacket together and
knot them to that sapling," he nodded toward a nearby tree, "then
we attach the other end to the winch and I crank us forward a
little."

He looked at the distance between the tree and
the front of the Jeep. "I don't think the jeans are strong enough
to pull us out, but they might hold to pull us forward enough for
the tires to catch solid ground when I give it gas."

Nora found herself envisioning the solution he
mapped out. "Oh, this is ridiculous," she exclaimed. "We're out
here in public and you want us to strip to our
underwear?"

Bret glanced at the road. "There hasn't been
anyone along since we got here nearly an hour ago."

"Still, it's crazy," she protested weakly,
tantalized by the possibility of salvaging her chance with Mrs.
Turner. Showing up muddy and bedraggled would be better than not
showing up at all.

Bret leaned forward, a teasing grin on his
face. "Come on, Nora. It's not like we haven't gotten naked
outdoors before."

Nora blushed at the memory conjured up by his
words.

"You know you'll miss the appointment with Mrs.
Turner if we don't do something fast," he said. "And unless you've
got a better plan, we're stuck with mine."

She looked at him, indecision gripping
her.

"You'll only have yourself to blame if you
don't take this risk," he said, his voice soft. "Is the land worth
it to you?"

"Yes," she said slowly. "It's worth
it."

"Okay," Bret said, jumping out of the Jeep and
beginning to loosen his belt. "Gimme those jeans,
woman."

She climbed out of the Jeep, keeping the
vehicle between her and the road as she shucked out of her pants.
It felt strange to undress outdoors. The last time, she'd been
wrapped in a passionate haze. Now she felt awkward and silly,
wearing only a thin T-shirt, panties and hiking boots.

Her only consolation was that Bret looked just
as funny, only slightly less exposed with his shirt tails covering
his white briefs. Nora had to smile at the sight of his muscular
legs disappearing into his muddy cowboy boots.

"Bring those here," he directed, knotting his
jeans to the short chain attached to the winch. "We’ll tie yours to
mine and tie the jacket to the tree."

"You're sure this is going to work?"

"No." His strong hands tugged at the stiff
denim. “But it beats walking three miles to the nearest
phone."

She watched him patch together the makeshift
rope, pulling each knot taut and then looping one end around the
sapling.

"Okay, I'm going to crank it forward and lock
the winch. Then I'll start her up while you get behind and
push."

"I have to push?"

"Which one of us is more likely to be able to
drive this sucker out?" he challenged.

"I'll push."

"Good." Bret turned the crank on the winch
slowly, pulling the denim rope taut. As he tightened it, she heard
the popping of stitches but, amazingly, the makeshift rope held.
Another half turn and Nora felt the Jeep ease forward a
fraction.

"It's moving."

"Yeah," Bret acknowledged, his voice strained
as he wrestled with the crank. "We need it a little
further."

Two more turns pulled the vehicle incrementally
forward before the rope emitted an ominous ripping
noise.

"It's tearing!"

He stopped, getting into the Jeep. "Pray it's
far enough."

He started the engine. Nora braced her arms
against the back of the Jeep and planted her feet, preparing to
shove. She heard Bret put the Jeep in gear and press the
accelerator. The engine roared, and the wheels in front of Nora
sent up a fine, wet spray of mud that covered her legs and chest.
Ignoring the muck, she shoved against the Jeep, straining every
muscle.

The wheels spun faster with the powerful whine
of the engine, mud splattering her legs and oozing down into her
boots. Then she felt it, a movement forward, the smallest shudder,
then a hesitation. Bret must have felt it too, because the engine
suddenly revved faster until, in a lunge, the Jeep was
free.

"We did it!" Nora straightened as he pulled the
vehicle on to firmer ground, the roar of the engine ringing in her
ears.

Caught up in the triumph of the moment, she
stood looking at the Jeep, now on solid ground.

Bret turned around to grin at her. ''I'll be
expecting some pretty heavy gratitude."

"It' s your fault we got stuck in the first
place," she declared, wading through the mud puddle dug by the
Jeep's tires.

"You know," he said with a smirk, "these muddy
pastures are tricky. We could get stuck again while we're trying to
get out of here. I'll drive more carefully if I have an
incentive."

"I'll give you incentive!" She scooped up a
handful of mud.

Bret started laughing. "You
wouldn't."

Without hesitation, she let it fly, the loose,
wet mud splattering just the side of his shirt as he moved to dodge
her missile.

"That does it." He advanced toward her, as
menacing as possible for a man wearing underwear and cowboy
boots.

Nora turned and slogged away from him. "I don't
have time for this," she shrieked. "Bret!"

"You started it." He grabbed Nora and caught
her off balance.

She teetered for a moment before falling splat!
on her rear. In a flash, Bret was beside her, his body shaking with
laughter as he knelt and scooped her into his arms. "You make such
a beautiful piggie in a mud puddle," he teased softly as his mouth
came down on hers.

Passion exploded inside of her, mingled with
relief.

She clung to him, lost in the moment, knowing
she should be getting up and hurrying back to town, but not caring.
It had been so long since they'd kissed. He kissed her, his mouth
magic on hers. Desire pounded through Nora, leaving her head
buzzing. She found herself gasping as Bret lifted his head, looking
at her with hunger in his eyes.

It was only then that the sound of an
approaching engine broke through to her consciousness.

Nora whipped her head around, knowing in the
flash of an instant that her worst fear was being realized. Here
she was wallowing in the mud with Bret, half naked beside a public
road. Her T-shirt and panties were plastered against her body,
making her look like a refugee from a mud-wrestling
match.

Stunned, she just stared at the car. The big
old convertible sat only yards away.

In it was Cissy Burton with her parents. Three
pairs of eyes fastened on them as the car rolled to a
stop.

Her brain too numb to react, Nora had only her
instinct to save her. Without hesitation, she rolled away from Bret
and struggled to her feet before diving for the nearest bush. She
hit the ground with a thud. Huddled behind the bush, she peered
through the leaves trying to find Bret. Please, God. Don't let them
recognize us.

Sometimes prayers weren't answered. From behind
the bush, Nora saw Cissy's smile widen. Bret stood in the muck, his
mud-splattered shirt tails flapping.

"I must say, Bret," Mrs. Burton's outraged
voice carried clearly. "It's bad enough that young woman caused so
much trouble for Richard. But here you are cavorting out in the
open with her. You should be ashamed."

"We got stuck," Bret said, a smile hovering at
the corner of his mouth. "We just got the Jeep out."

"Yes, and how unfortunate you were unclothed at
the time," Mrs. Burton retorted to the accompaniment of Cissy's
giggle.

Cissy's father cleared his throat, his
amusement visible through the leaves of Nora's shelter. "I must
say, that Nora Hampton does seem to enjoy getting a man's blood
pressure up."

Nora felt her own blood begin to
boil.

"So, uh. You need any help?" Sam Burton asked,
grinning.

"No," Bret said, less amused. "No need to keep
you folks."

Cissy trilled another giggle. "Oh, Bret. We're
just going to see Aunt Sallie. You remember, you told me to say hi
to her when I told you we were coming out this way
today."

Nora gasped. Bret knew the Burtons were coming
this way today? He'd known it and still suggested they
strip?

"Hey, Bret," Sam called out. "I hear you
finally made an offer on the Turner property."

Nora saw Bret's back stiffen, his body seeming
to freeze.

Bret had offered to buy the Turner
property?

"Uh...yeah. Well, thanks for stopping. We're
fine."

"If that Nora thinks Sara Turner would sell her
land to a hussy, she doesn't know anything." Mrs. Burton's voice
rang triumphant. "Stoneburg isn't the place for that girl, after
the scandal she caused."

A buzzing filled Nora's ears as she watched
Bret step closer to the Burton's car, his words an indistinct
blur.

He was trying to buy her property.

She huddled in the bush, barely aware of the
Burtons driving away, her mind a furious jumble of
realizations.

He'd never mentioned his interest in the land.
Why not?

All this time while he'd been encouraging her
to take off her clothes and cavort with him—all along he'd wanted
her land.

Bret had set her up. A dozen little things fell
into place. Rage thundered through her. She'd given her heart to
him and all he'd done was betray her.

"They're gone, Nora. You can come
out."

Without his encouragement she'd have never gone
to the Roadhouse, never shown up at the Association barbecue and
had that public argument with Richard. Without Bret's pushing to
come see this land today, she'd be sitting at Mrs. Turner's
now.

Nora erupted from the bush. "You lying,
cheating jerk!"

"Now, Nora." Bret held out a calming hand. "You
don't have the whole picture."

"I thought I'd been set up before, but Richard
can't touch you when it comes to deception." She stomped toward
him, her feet sloshing in her mud-soaked boots.

"If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain," he
said, his voice frustrated.

"You must want that land pretty bad," she said
scathingly.

"I have had my eye on it for a while," he
admitted. "It's the perfect place for my landing strip.
But--”

"So you just set me up and watched me scheme
and struggle to have my academy on that land while you made sure I
never got it!"

"What are you talking about?" His face darkened
with anger.

"All this time," she said, her voice shaking
with betrayal and hurt, "you've been trying to get into my pants
while plotting to keep me from getting the land!"

"What?" he said, his face conveniently
thunderstruck.

"I've lost my one chance at the Turner property
because you deliberately brought me out here today, deliberately
got us stuck. Got me to strip off my clothes and stand naked by the
road when you knew Cissy Burton would be coming by!" she
shouted.