Texas OilMan's Bride (Mail Order Bride Series) (6 page)

Seconds after the knock on the door,
it was opened by Laura.  With her blonde hair up, and her slender neck, she was a vision of loveliness.  The filmy blue dress accented her blue eyes, framed by long eyelashes.

Having only seen her in conservative, non-threatening work clothes, Johnny was stunned.  She was unbelievably beautiful.  Raised in a house of beautiful females, beginning with his mother and ending with his two sisters, he usually paid little attention to female appearance.  “You look terrific,” he stammered.  “I mean you look great out of work clothes.  Ahhh, I’m sorry, that didn’t come out the way I intended.  I’ll be the envy of every man we see.”

Laura smiled, her perfect, white teeth brightening the room.  Her eyes sparkled, showing her delight in his discomfort.  “Thank you, Jonathon.  That’s very nice of you to say.  I don’t have the occasion to wear this dress often.  I hope it’s suitable for what you have planned.”

“It is perfect.  Sousa’s Band is performing at the Kyle Opera House.  I thought we might go there and then have dinner,” he said.

“It sounds wonderful.  I went to one of his concerts when I was at Harvard.  I love his music,” she said.

“Good, I wasn’t sure whether you would like it or not.  I haven’t gone out much since college, and really didn’t know what might work,” he said.  “Our carriage is waiting, if you’re ready,” he said.

Picking up a small, lace covered purse, the same color as her dress, she said, “I’m ready.”  Johnny held the door for her and pulled it closed behind him.  He took her elbow as they went down the steps.  The touch of her skin caused shivers up and down his back, causing him to wonder about his reaction. 
This is getting to me
, he thought. 
I’ve never experienced this kind of feeling
.
I’m nervous being this close to her.  Why?

As they approached the carriage, Johnny took her hand to assist her.  She raised the hem of her dress so as not to step on it as she entered the carriage, revealing a flash of ankle.  A rush of desire coursed through Johnny at this revelation of usually hidden flesh.  Laura looked up and smiled.  “Thank you, Jonathon.”

When he was seated beside her, she asked, “Do you mind if I call you Jonathon?  I think it suits you much better than Johnny.”

“I don’t mind at all.  My sisters always called me Johnny, but I'm mostly Jonathon to my mother.”

“I like Rebecca a lot.  She’s easy to talk to.  I would love to meet Cassie, too.  Is she like Rebecca?”

“Cassie is nothing like Becky.  Becky is quiet where Cassie never met a stranger.”

The streets of Beaumont were quiet, except around the saloons, of which there were several, the only sound came from the clop of the horse’s hooves as they struck the ground.  “You mentioned a Sousa concert.  What was it like?”

“He was billed as the march king, but he really wanted to write waltzes.  His music gets your heart pumping.  I liked it.  The boy I was with was from West Point, and was into military music.”

Johnny felt pangs of jealousy at her mention of being in the company of another man.  “How did you happen to go to school up north,” he asked. 

“I was an only child, and my father wanted a boy.  I used to go with him when I was little, and I decided I wanted to be an engineer.  Texas A&M didn’t admit women, and Papa insisted I go to the best school, so Harvard it was.”

“Wasn’t it lonely being that far from home,” he asked.

“At times, but I came home for the holidays and they came to Boston about once each term, so it wasn’t too bad.  I had a nice apartment close to the school, and I spent a lot of time in the library studying.  I enjoyed it,” she said.

“I’ll bet you did well.  I can tell you have a good grounding in the technical area.”

“I suppose I did pretty well,” she said modestly.  “How was A&M?”

“It was busy.  The responsibilities of being in the Corps added to the course work, pretty much filled the day.  Then you spent part of each summer in the military, and the other part on the farm.  Papa wanted me to be a farmer, but he didn’t push me in that direction after I told him I wanted to be in the oil business.  It was the same with the girls.  After they decided what they wanted, he and Mama backed them all of the way.”

“It sounds like your parents were as thoughtful as mine were,” she said.

“I couldn’t have asked for better,” he said.

Their arrival at the Kyle found a short line at the box office.  Laura stood with Johnny as he waited in line.  She said, “It seems there is a nice crowd.  I’ve heard, the larger the crowd, the better the performance.  If that’s the case here, we’re in for a lively evening.”

Seated front row center, they could hear the band tuning up behind the drawn curtain.  The house lights dimmed, and the curtain opened.  From the wings of the stage strode John Phillip Sousa, a short, bearded man in a magnificent red uniform, similar to the one he wore when he was director of the US Marine Band.  He marched to his position, rapped smartly on his music stand, and raised his baton.  The large audience quietened as he gave the downbeat.  The band thundered into the rousing march,
“El Capitan.”
  Throughout the large hall, fingers strummed the arm rest, keeping time with the music.

Johnny’s fingers did not strum.  Laura had intertwined her fingers with his.  She squeezed his hand.  “Isn’t this wonderful?” she asked.  “He had just composed this piece when I saw him in concert.  If this doesn’t get your heart pumping, you’re not alive.”

Johnny nodded, his thoughts more on the warmth in hand he held in his, than on the music.  At intermission, they wandered around the lobby, examining the posters of the band and of upcoming performances.  Clutching his hand, she raised her arm to point to a poster advertising an appearance of Lily Langtry.  Johnny’s arm brushed her breast as she pointed.  His cheeks flamed as desire surged.  Embarrassed, he turned but saw no one paying particular attention to them.  “It’s a bit warm in here, don’t you think?” he asked.  “Would you like to get some fresh air?”

“If you like,” she replied in a soft voice.  Hand in hand, they walked outside into the cool evening, and joined other members of the audience as they waited for the bell to sound summoning them back to their seats. From one composition to the next, until a thunderous roll of the drums announced the introduction of the finale,
Stars and Stripes Forever
, they were enthralled by the stirring music. 

When it ended, Johnny said, “I am wrung out.  I don’t think I have ever enjoyed anything as much as this.”

“It is powerful, isn’t it?” Laura said and took his arm as they moved to the exit.  The crowd in the aisle served to push them closer together, causing her breast to again press against his arm.  This in turn caused an arousal that reached to the center of Johnny’s being. 
I hope no one notices,
he thought as they moved along.

After a dinner at the Palace Hotel, the carriage delivered Johnny and Laura to her home.  Holding her hand, he walked her to the door.  She turned to face him.  “Jonathon, that was one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had in a long time.  Thank you for asking me.”

Looking into her eyes that sparkled in the light of the full moon, he raised his arms, still holding her hand.  She came readily into the outstretched arms.  With her head slightly tilted back, he lowered his and found her lips.  They touched.  The contact electrified him as he pressed closer.  Her lips parted and his tongue traced the soft fullness of her lips.  It was a kiss as tender and light as a soft summer breeze.

She drew his face to hers in a renewed embrace,  The touch of his lips on hers had sent a shock through her entire body.  She drank in the sweetness of his kiss.  Her body hummed.  Her emotions whirling, she stepped back, “I think I had better go in now.  It has been a wonderful evening.  Please ask me again.”

With reluctance, Johnny backed away.  “I am just realizing my boorish behavior has cost me.  You’ve taught me a big lesson.”  Leaning down, he kissed her lightly on the cheek.  “Good night, Laura.  Thank you for one of the best evenings of my life.”

She smiled.  “Good night, Jonathon”, then went inside.  Johnny watched until a light came on and walked on air to his carriage and went home.

When Johnny walked in, he found Rebecca sitting on the couch, her legs tucked under her.  “You’re out a bit late, aren’t you, little brother?”

“I don’t
know, am I?” he answered.

“It’s after midnight,” she said.  “How was your evening?”

“Fabulous,” he said.  “It was the nicest evening I’ve ever had.  We went to the Sousa concert and then had dinner at the Palace.  It was perfect.”

“Are you going to ask her out again?” she asked.

“I am, as often as she will go,” he said.

“Advice from a big sister?  Don’t push.  Take it easy, and, Johnny, if you hurt that girl, I will never forgive you.  I mean that.  She’s a special one.  Her kind doesn’t come along often.”

“Beck, hurting her is the last thing I would ever do.  When I think back to the way I’ve been with her, I’m ashamed.  I apologize several times, and I think she accepted.

”I think she could be the one.  I don’t want to mess this up.

“What did you and Bill do?”

“We had dinner and then went dancing.  He’s good company.  I just wish we weren’t so far apart.  I really like him.”

“When are you going back to Houston?” he asked.

“Tomorrow.  I would like to stay longer, but there are some things I have to get done.”

* * *

Johnny asked Laura out for dinner on Friday, and she readily agreed.  After working together, a new closeness had developed.  The accidental touches brought a smile and a squeeze of the hand.  He found himself thinking of her at all hours.  With Rebecca back in Houston, there was an emptiness in his home he had never noticed. 

His desire to rid himself of her in his work life had evaporated, and he enjoyed their working together.  His false evaluation forgotten, he looked forward to his time with her.  Friday after work, they went to the Gusher together, surprising their co-workers.  The men from the office made their surprise at his presence known.  He began enjoying the back and forth kidding.  A completely different Johnny was emerging, but he still felt the pangs of jealousy when one of the other men flirted with her.  It hurt when she flirted back. 

Over the next week, they had three dinners together.  The good night kisses were getting steamier.  She responded to them with an increasing passion.  They had begun sitting in the swing on the porch instead of standing and kissing good night in front of the door.  Laura was sitting in his lap for the first time, their lips locked together.  His hand moved to her breast and she tightened her arms around his neck, making no effort to move his hand.  As he began to gently massage the breast, she moaned, and placed her hand on his and squeezed it gently.  She felt her nipples harden.  She pulled back. 

“Jonathon, I think we need to slow down.  I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.  “I didn’t mean to push you.”

She kissed his lips.  “No, don’t apologize.  I liked it.  I liked it too much.  I don’t want to get hurt.”

“I’m not going to hurt you.  Besides, Rebecca would kill me if I did.  I think we have something special growing and I don’t want to mess it up.”

“I feel that way too.  Will you do something for me?” she asked.

“Mother and Papa are going to be in town next week.  I would like for us to have dinner with them.  Will you?  It would mean a lot for them to know the man that has come to mean so much to me.”

“I would love to.  Meeting the parents of such a lovely girl will be a treat.  Just let me know the time and the place.”

Two days later, she told him her mother and father would be in town the next day.  Since her apartment was so small, they would stay at the Palace and would join them for dinner there.

“Mama, Papa, this is Jonathon Thomas.  This is my mother, Elizabeth and my father, Hank.”

“So you’re the man my little girl has been so anxious for us to meet?” Hank Ingram said.  “I’m pleased we finally have the opportunity.  Laura has told us so much about you, it’s almost legendary.”  They shook hands firmly.

In a soft voice, reminiscent of Laura’s, Elizabeth said, “Jonathon, it is a pleasure to be able to put a face with the mental picture Laura has created of you.”

“Thank you both.  I assure it is my pleasure.  Your daughter is a special girl.  She has a real talent for what we’re doing in the office.  Her insight is helping us to look at things from several new directions.”

“Is your family in the oil business?” Hank asked.

“No sir, at least not yet.  I think there is a possibility it might happen though.  For now, they raise cotton.  They have a farm outside Marshall.”
 

“Are you an only child?
” Elizabeth asked.

“No ma’am.  I have two sisters, he said.  I grew up in a house full of females,” and then he laughed.

Laura said, “Mama, one of his sisters, Rebecca, is a lawyer in Houston, the other is a doctor in New Orleans.  I haven’t met Cassie, who is the doctor, but Rebecca is one of the smartest people I know.”

“She told you that, did she?” Johnny asked with a smile.  “Becky got all of the brains in the family.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude from UT while Cassie did the same at Tulane.  They were a rough act for me to follow in the Marshall schools.  I’m glad they couldn’t go to A&M.  At least I wasn’t under their shadow there.

“By the way, Laura, Cassie has accepted a chair at the Texas Medical Center in Houston.  You will probably meet her before long.”

“I’ll look forward to picking her brain about you,” she said.

“Son, you don’t have a chance.  We both live in a world dominated by the women,” her father said.

Laura’s front porch…

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled his head down and kissed him.  “You were a big hit.  They really liked you.  Papa clams up when he doesn’t like someone, and he doesn’t suffer fools.  I was proud of you.

After a long, slow, passionate kiss, Laura looked up and said, “Would you like to come in for a while?”

“Yes, I would like that,” Johnny said, his voice full of desire.

Laura stood, took his hand, opened the door and led the way to her apartment.  Closing the door, she turned into his arms.  She looked straight into his eyes and said, “I would like for you to…”