Revelation of Hearts (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #3) (12 page)

“It’s amazing how you people take the fundamentals of life, rearrange them and adapt them as your own.” Richard said.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, my lovely lady, for starters, your Texas two-step was once known as, ‘the fox trot, and your waltz would hardly be recognized by Johann Strauss.’  Don’t take me wrong it’s delightful, your evolutional development is quite agreeable, as a matter of fact,” he said with a smile.

“In plain words, you’re saying, you like it?” Lora asked.

“Yes,” he said. “It is quite agreeable.”

“Well,” Lora said. “Let’s just do it and not talk it to death, okay?”

Chapter-19

Salado and Galveston

Lora and Richard left the Hanging tree around ten p.m. and headed south to Salado. Lora had called ahead and made reservations at the stagecoach inn.  They had breakfast at the inn. This time Richard was more venturesome in his choice of menu selections. After breakfast, they visited the boutiques, art galleries and gift shops. After having lunch at a sidewalk cafe, they took a carriage ride around old Salado.  Before the day was over, they found themselves walking hand in hand. When they visited the central Texas museum of Scottish heritage, Richard asked, “I wonder if Stacey told Shane about this museum.” 

“Maybe, but I doubt it,” Lora said. “They had precious little time before the wedding.”

“Of course, you’re right; I don’t know what I was thinking.”

At the end of the day, they had dinner at one of the many nice restaurants in Salado. They never seemed to run out of things to talk about. Lora asked, “Where would you like to go from here?” 

Richard took her hand and looked at her for some time, then kissed her hand and said, “You are my guide, you tell me.”

Lora had the feeling he wasn’t meaning geographical, but she smiled and asked, “Have you ever seen the gulf of Mexico, other than Houston of course?” 

“I’ve been to Miami,” Richard said. 

Lora wrinkled her nose and said, “It’s nice there, but not the same. I’ll take you to Galveston and Padre Island. Then you can say, you’ve seen the Gulf of Mexico.”

They both seemed reluctant to say, goodnight. They were the last customers to leave the restaurant.  The young waiter stood and kept clearing his throat, trying to give them a hint.  At Lora’s door, Richard took her hand once again and kissed it.  As she stood and looked at him, she put her arms around his neck and they kissed.  Lora knew his kiss would be nice, but was not prepared for it to be as nice as it was.  She wanted to stay in his arms always, but knew it was too early for thinking like that. Lora was no fool, she knew Richard desired her too, but she just couldn’t handle a one sided love affair right now.

After saying, goodnight to Lora, Richard could not get her off his mind.  He felt she wanted him as much as he wanted her, but something was holding her back.  He had never wanted to be with a woman as much as he did Lora.  Neither of them were children, so what was holding her back?  Perhaps he was wrong.  Maybe he had misinterpreted her feelings towards him.  He knew there was an age difference, however, no more than Shane and Stacey. Richard tossed and turned.  He thought, I’ll tell her I’m in love with her and ask her to marry me.  No, he thought, it’s too soon.  If she turned me down, I might not see her again.  I can’t chance that.  Finally, towards dawn, he fell asleep.

The next morning, Lora knocked on Richard’s door.  When he didn’t answer after the second knock, Lora thought maybe he was in the shower.  She went back to her room and waited a few minutes, and then she called his room.  She was about to hang up when he finally answered.  He was groggy with sleep. 

“Where you still asleep?” 

“Yes,” he said. “What time is it?” 

“It’s eight-twenty. I thought you might be hungry.” 

“Yes, right,” he said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Give me a minute to shower and I’ll be right with you.” 

“I need coffee,” Lora said. “I’ll meet you in the coffee shop downstairs.”

Lora was drinking a cup of coffee and scanning a road map.  She looked up as Richard came in. He looked as if he hadn’t slept well, he saw her and came to the table. 

He said, “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, I’m just an early bird,” Lora said. “I’ve been getting up early for so many years, it’s just a habit with me now.” Conversation was at a minimum as they ate. Finally Lora said, “You didn’t sleep well, I take it. Are you feeling alright?”

Richard sat his coffee cup down and said, “No young lady, I did not sleep well and do not ask me, if I fancy to carry on.” 

Lora smiled at him and said, “Richard, I think we need to get something straight between us. You keep referring to me as ‘young woman or young lady.’ It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but I feel I must tell you, I’m only two years younger than you.”

Richard had the strangest look on his face. Lora asked, “How old did you think I was, anyway?” 

“I thought you to be around Jessie’s age.” 

“You’re joking,” she said. 

“No, truly,” Richard said. “I thought perhaps the age difference was why you weren’t interested in me.” 

“Not interested in you! What did I do to give you that idea? On second thought, don’t tell me.  Are you ready to see more of Texas?” 

“Yes,” he said. “I most assuredly am.”

They talked and laughed all the way to Galveston.  Lora told him about how her mom and dad had met and fell in love on the ship from England to Galveston.  How they lived there a year, until a hurricane hit the city, and then they moved as far north as their money would take them. In Galveston, they took the scenic drive along the seawall, then a tour from the seawall to the strand and downtown.  They visited the Moody gardens, a twelve story aquarium pyramid that displays thousands of specimens of marine life from the oceans of the south Atlantic, north and south Pacific as well as the Caribbean.  Inside the pyramid are waterfalls and streams with thousands of exotic plants, fish and birds from the rainforest’s of Africa, Asia and South America. Also bugs, butterflies and frogs.

Lora and Richard had a snack on the white Palm Beach near a fresh water lagoon. That night they went for a cruise on a triple deck paddlewheel boat.  They had dinner and danced in each other’s arms.  Neither of them had, had romance in their lives for sometime.  Back at the hotel, Richard made his move at Lora’s door after kissing her goodnight, he whispered, “I don’t want this night to end.” 

Lora felt the same way. She unlocked her door, took his hand and led him in. Richard took her in his arms and kissed her.  Making love was a revelation to both of them. Their bodies felt so in tuned to one another. Lora knew she was in love with this man. She knew Richard liked being with her and found her desirable, but that didn’t mean he was in love. She told herself; I’m not getting any younger, and if this is all there is, then I’ll enjoy it now and have no regrets later.”

After making love, they lay quietly in each other’s arms. They both were wondering what the other was thinking. Sex had been absent from both of their lives for some time.  The silence between them was becoming stoic. Richard wanted to tell Lora he was in love with her, but if she didn’t reciprocate his feelings, it could be terribly embarrassing for both of them. 

Finally, he asked, “Would you prefer if I went to my own room?”

Lora propped herself on her elbow and asked, “Is that what you wanna do? Have I disappointed you in your expectations?”

“Good lord no, woman, it’s I, who’s afraid of disappointing you.  It has been some time for me...and well...I wasn’t sure how well...you know.”

Lora started laughing, and then she asked, “Did you go deaf Richard?  Did you not hear my moans of ecstasy?  I would think they were self-explanatory, or did you think they were for your benefit?  If that’s the case, I’m not that good an actress, nor would I bother just to boost your ego.”

Richard, laid Lora back down, kissed her and said, “You are the most desirable woman I’ve ever met.  You have set a fire in me I don’t know how to extinguish.”

Lora rubbed her hand from his chest around to his back and said, “We don’t want to extinguish it, just bank it down to smoldering embers.  That way we can reignite it at our leisure.” 

To Richards surprise and joy, they made love again.  If possible, it was more stimulating than the first time. Perhaps because he wasn’t as nervous as before and a bit unsure of himself. This time he let, the waves of passion carry him as high as he could go and he took Lora along with him.

The next morning with the sun streaming in through the window, Richard awoke with Lora kissing him. He opened his eyes and found Lora sitting on the bed beside him. She smiled and said, “You are a sound sleeper. Do you plan to stay in bed all day or touring more of Texas?”

Richard took her hand, kissed it and said, “I’ll stay in bed, if you’ll stay with me.”

“That’s a tempting offer, but as you see I’m already dressed and hungry, however, I’ll take you up on the offer later.”

Chapter-20

Hearts in a Quandary

Richard took a quick shower and they went to breakfast. In the elevator on their way upstairs to collect their luggage, they were alone in the elevator. Richard took Lora in his arms and kissed her. When they reached her room, she knew they would not be leaving anytime soon.  The flames of desire consumed them both. When they could breathe normal again, Lora said, “I guess I should’ve taken you up on your earlier offer” 

Richard laughed and said, “Perhaps this way was better at our age, we need nourishment to sustain us.”

Lora smiled and said, “Well, if nourishment is what brought that on, then I’m gonna feed you often as we tour Texas.”

Richard raised up, looked into Lora’s eyes and said, “I’m looking at the only part of Texas that truly holds my interest.” Then he kissed her again. Lora could feel her insides melting. She knew love had found her again. 

Lora and Richard lay in each other’s arms as if they were afraid to let go. Finally, Richard whispered to her, “Come back to England with me.”

Lora lay there, she wasn’t sure, if he had said it, or if her mind was playing tricks on her.  She asked, “What did you say?”

“Come back to England with me,” he repeated.

“Why?” she asked. 

“I want to show you London, Paris and Rome.  Everything I’ve ever done before, I want to do again with you.”

Every fiber of her body was screaming, Yes, Yes, but she said nothing. Finally she asked, “May I think about it?” 

“Of course,” he said. “I’m in no hurry take all the time you need.” 

Lora wrapped her arms around him and said, “Right now, all I need is you.” 

Richard could not believe how his body responded to this woman.  He felt young and vigorous again. He warned himself; don’t push her. If she doesn’t want to disrupt her life here, then I’ll stay here, until she tells me to go.

Lora looked at her watch.  It was one-fifteen p.m.  She looked at Richard to see if he was asleep. When he smiled at her, she rubbed his arm and said, “I have to be back at work on Monday.  We won’t have enough time to go to Padre Island.”

“That’s perfectly alright,” Richard said. “We’ll see it some other time. Shall we return to Houston?” 

“Yes,” Lora said. “I think that might be best.”

When they entered Houston city limits, Lora asked, “Do you wanna go to your hotel or home with me?” 

Richard smiled at her and said, “Which do you think?” 

“Okay,” she said. “My place it is.” 

They spent the weekend together. Nothing more was mentioned about England. Richard was still asleep when Lora left for work on Monday morning. Around noon she called her number, there was no answer. She called Richard’s room at the hotel, but there no answer there either. She asked the desk clerk, if Mr. Heath had checked out.  She was told, No ma’am, he hasn’t.  He was in earlier, however, was not there at present. Would she care to leave a message?

“No thank you,” she said, and hung up the phone.

Lora had not heard from Richard all day. When he wasn’t at her condo, she started thinking maybe he had changed his mind and decided to go back to England after all.  She told herself; if that’s the way it is, you’re not gonna fall apart. You survived before; you’ll damn well survive this time too.

Lora was preparing herself for the worst when the phone rang.  It was Richard. “Where’ve you been all day?” 

“Putting a few things in order,” he said. “Will you meet me at the Tower room?  I want to have a night of champagne and dancing.  Will you meet me there, say around eight o’clock?”

“What’s this about, Richard?”

The phone went quiet for a few seconds, and then Richard said, “Just meet me Lora, please, I need to talk with you. I want tonight to be special.”

Lora held the phone for sometime after Richard’s call.  She had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Well, she told herself, if this is it, I’ll face it and he’ll never know how I really feel. Lora went to her closet and found her light green chiffon gown.  The right arm and shoulder were bare.  The gown had tiny dark green silk flowers embroidered from the left shoulder to the bottom.  She put her hair up and wore tiny diamond earrings and silver high-heeled slippers. She looked very elegant. Lora knew the Tower room was a first class establishment. When she walked in many heads turned.  Richard was at her side before she knew it. The Maitre’d showed them to their table. The champagne, Dom Perignon, was already chilling. 

Richard sat staring at her. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “You’re a vision of loveliness. I can’t take my eyes off of you.” 

Lora thought of a few cutting remarks, she thought might be in order, but decided to hold her tongue. After all, this was Richard’s little party. Let’s see where it take us.

Richard reached across the table, took her hand and said, “Lora, I want you to know I have spent the most fabulous week of my life with you.” 

Lora took a deep breath, so here it was coming even before they ate. Richard reached into his pocket and took out a box that held a flawless diamond and said, “Lora, will you marry me?”