A Lifetime with You: Timeswept Soulmates Read online

  As she looked around, Riley realized that she had no idea if something was a good price or even how much to spend. He said to go shopping, so she did but with no real goal in mind. “Excuse me,” she asked, spotting someone towards the back of the store. “Do you work here?”

  “Yes, Ma’am. How can I help you?”

  “What do you sell the most of?”

  “Feed”

  “No, no, no. What do you sell the most of to the women?”

  “Soap. French soaps.”

  Closing her eyes to prevent him seeing her frustration, Riley smiled widely. “I am new to town and need some essentials,” she said gently. “All essentials. Could you show me what you have in stock that a woman might need daily?” Pitch underhanded, she thought and saw the dawning comprehension in his face. Swing, batter!

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he said quickly to Riley, stuttering and looking away. Now he has the idea, she thought and followed him around back towards the shelves lined with material.

  “Cloths are right here,” he said, red-faced, looking horrified that she was asking where the ladies section was. He pointed to a small basket of what looked like rough wash rags. “I can order more if you need them,” the clerk continued, dropping to a whisper.

  “Cloths? For what?” she said, confused. “I don’t understand. Women buy these- oh!” Riley exclaimed, in dawning comprehension. He thought she meant that she was on the rag, literally.

  “No. No, no,” she said, laughing at his expression. “I don’t need these,” and caught herself. “Well, I will - but not yet. I’ll tell you what, I’ll look around at everything myself. Thank you for your help in finding these,” she said, amused. She picked up a single rag and waved it comically as if to say, “bye bye”. He stumbled away with a shocked and horrified look on his face at her candidness. Apparently, people didn’t talk about menstruation yet.

  Riley could not help the grin on her face. She looked around, picked up a few items here and there, milling about. Riley found a bonnet for herself and gloves. She eyed one of the aprons, feeling quite domesticated. But she figured it would protect the one gown she owned. None of the other gowns there looked to fit her and that would be a problem. She was apparently taller than a lot of women in this time. These dresses would be short on her. While she thought it would be okay showing some leg, in this time, it might be considered scandalous. She saw the length of dresses as she glanced out the window at other women walking by. Their skirts nearly brushed the ground as they walked. Riley couldn’t sew. That would be a major issue if she had a problem with the one gown she owned. “Is there a seamstress in town?” she asked aloud and noticed that the clerk had disappeared completely. “Hmph! Hiding now, huh?” she muttered aloud.

  Just then, she heard the bell above the door go off signaling that someone had entered the store. Figuring it was the clerk, Riley hesitated between the two bolts of fabric. “Do you think I can get a dress made from this or does it take more fabric?” she asked aloud to get the clerk’s attention, staring at the dark print. She might get more wear out of the darker color and even if it faded, it would still be presentable.

  “Do both,” she heard John say over her shoulder.

  “Oh hey. I’m glad you are back,” she said absently, feeling how coarse the cotton was. Man, what she wouldn’t give for a satin slip instead of the cotton camisole she had now. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another tall man nearby and jumped. He was way too close for comfort and in her personal space!

  “Can I help you?” Riley said rudely, whirling around quickly. She’d shove him over that big pile of feed if he touched her! “My husband wouldn’t like…” and bit her tongue as realization sunk in.

  In front of her was her husband. Clean shaven and with a haircut. He looked devastating. Gone was the massive, thick bristle of hair that covered the majority of his face and crept to his sideburns. The thick swirls of dark hair that fell forward on his forehead had been combed neatly at one point, but now lay tousled like something out of GQ magazine. Those hazel eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. A deep dimple appeared at the edge of his smile. Tan skin, gorgeous eyes and a grin that made her panties want to leap right off of her body. She was in big trouble as she felt herself being pulled almost magnetically towards him.

  “Shit,” she said aloud.

  Chapter 4

  “Hello,” Riley tried to utter but no sound escaped. Sure enough, Eve strikes! She couldn’t help the curse word slipping. She shut her eyes for a moment, ignoring the shocked look on her new husband’s face. John looked baffled and slightly amused at her response.

  Come on, Eve! Riley wailed mentally. Do the freaky, floating, evil Eve face! Let’s talk about this! Talk, being the operative word! She wasn’t above begging for a bit of leniency. After all, this was a huge change in her life. While she had asked for it, it was still a massive adjustment!

  You think maybe you can give me a bit of leeway, please? I mean, who knew the great bearded wonder looked like something out of a Calvin Klein ad? She was going to be in real trouble if the beard and arguments were suddenly gone… and in their place, was a brooding sex god with a chiseled chin. It was criminal to hide that face under that nasty beard.

  Riley felt like she was looking at him for the first time ever. Dark hair loosely fell on his forehead and hid a few faint creases of laughter on his brow and around his eyes. Deep, rich, hazel eyes reminded her of a mossy forest floor. His lips were perfect. The bottom lip was slightly full and the top was a perfect bow that she was willing to bet looked decadent when he smiled. Oh man, I wonder if he likes to play around in bed when the fun stuff is done? she thought absently. She felt her gut clench in response as she pictured him leaning over her to begin round two of rolling in the hay.

  “For that thought alone, I’m going to give you a pass and a bit of privacy, little girl. The way you are ogling him feels almost pornographic from over here,” she heard Eve cackle in her mind. Blushing, Riley looked away from his upturned, warm smile.

  “Hey, you shaved,” she announced blankly, her voice carrying in the small storefront. At the single grunt of acknowledgement, she grinned. Yep, the lumberjack was still inside of him. He may look like she’d eat scrambled eggs off his six pack, but the irritating personality lingered.

  “Guess the beard being cut off didn’t work for you like it did for Samson,” she quipped and headed to the front counter. Riley heard him walking closely behind her. She put her purchases on the large, massive slab of wood that held the heavy iron register. Looking down at her hands, she realized she clenched the feminine cloths of the time period and muffled an embarrassed giggle.

  “I am not such a weak man to have something so minute bring me down,” she heard him say quietly as he tucked a curl behind her ear. She nearly swallowed her tongue when he leaned in and whispered for her alone, “I can remedy the need for those.” He pointed at the rags she clutched against her chest nervously.

  Riley’s eyes flew open and she stared at his face beside hers. He had such a heated look in his gaze that she was certain that her legs were like jelly. Humor was completely gone regarding the intimate purchase of the sanitary napkins. Instead, it was replaced by the blatant statement that he could impregnate her to keep her from having to use them.

  Clearing her throat and yanking at her collar that was suddenly too tight, she said primly, “I am not your play toy and you are being crude in public.” She wasn’t sure how well he would take to being corrected in front of the clerk. But by golly, if he didn’t stop throwing her for a loop, she was going to disgrace herself by flinging herself into his arms just to see how decadent those lips really were!

  “No, you are my wife,” was his only response and it spoke volumes. He wanted her. Not just to cook and clean, but in the physical way. Riley knew she looked fairly good when she dressed up for work and had several men hit on her in the past. This? This was basic. Animalistic. It was essential. Like he was asking for water or a meal. She
was his wife and he would be expecting to fill his role as her husband.

  “Yes, and you are to cherish and take care of me,” she countered, trying to buy herself some time to come up with a ploy to throw him off. Riley just met the man yesterday. While she wasn’t some naïve girl, she also wasn’t the type to bang the first guy she was attracted to.

  She was relieved to see him simply cross his arms on his chest. She knew that she hadn’t bested him and that the discussion wasn’t over in the slightest. It was simply time to pay and move on. Riley watched him sign the ledger book and pull out several bills from his pocket. It seemed impossible to her that eight dollars got her several necessities. She could spend eight bucks at Taco Bell easily!

  Feeling on edge, she anticipated him bringing up the subject again at some point, but John did not. He let her be and stood silently by as he escorted her to another shop. Riley picked out two ready-made chemises and a gown. She left the fabric with the seamstress and stood patiently while she was measured. Her new husband was being extremely generous towards her. Though she had no idea if it was a ton of money he was spending, she was positive that it hadn’t come easy. But she worried that she was flying through it faster than he made it.

  “Thank you,” she said politely once they were back in the wagon on their way back to his home. Her home. It frustrated her to see him barely nod in acknowledgement. But he had not been a talker up to this point yet. Perhaps, when they got to know each other a bit better or they were away from town, he would open up.

  John was amused by his bride’s reaction to his change in appearance. He had been a bit surprised by her comment about his beard and unkempt face initially. When Lily died, he simply stopped caring. What did it matter how he looked when he was treated like he could have done something so heinous as murder? He was guilty in people’s minds - or possibly so, which was just as tough to overcome. Four years had passed and when he stepped into the barbershop for a shave, it was as if her death had been yesterday. The cold stares, the hesitant greeting. Oh yes, he was familiar with this reception.

  It felt so good to have a decent shave and he had forgotten how much he enjoyed the sensation of the hot towels and sharp razor on his skin. They were extremely diligent in being careful with him, probably because they were afraid of him. After his shave, he indulged in a haircut as well, trying to impress Riley.

  He had seen her reaction to his kiss and how she wiped her mouth quickly. John had been insulted at first but, after her remarking on his beard, he realized that she might not like facial hair at all. She smelled so sweet that he wanted her to like the idea of kissing him. Grinning, he paid the barber quite well. He realized that he wanted her to like the idea of doing a bit more with him!

  Stepping out of the barbershop, he whistled quietly as he made his way down the boardwalk. He intended to get along with his wife and didn’t want to harbor the same relationship he had with Lily. She had been afraid of him, claimed he hurt her and he would not make the same mistake again with Riley. He would try wooing her and being nice to her. Her smile was breathtaking and made his hands itch to pull her against him. Oh yes, he was highly attracted to his new wife and the bedroom wouldn’t be a problem unless she made it one.

  John stopped at a stand nearby and picked up a few apples as well as a large slice of honeycomb. He would grab a few other essentials at the mercantile when he caught up with her. He knew that she had nothing but the dress on her back when she arrived and this did not sit well with him. They would be alone quite a bit of the time and he wondered idly if she knew how to shoot. There would be plenty of time to get to know her. He just hoped he had the chance and someone didn’t influence her with tales of Lily’s passing.

  With that thought, he made a beeline for the mercantile in order to pick up his wife and head back home. It would be dark once they arrived back at the cabin and he had given up a precious day of work in order to make sure Riley was taken care of. He would need to spend quite a bit of time in the pasture checking on the small herd of Longhorns he was going to sell in the fall. It made for long, tedious days in the saddle. Selling them off was paying tremendously well right now and it filled his days easily.

  Now, he had a new bride to share his time with and John would make sure that she felt no regrets in becoming his wife. Riley would be first and foremost in his life now because they needed to form a bond together. Regret was a helluva thing, or so he found out himself over the last several years. Looking back, John realized he could have done things differently with Lily but he had been hardheaded and stubborn. He felt he would at least try to compromise with his wife, hence the shave.

  Riley’s reaction had been priceless. Such a foul word from a delicate creature proved looks could be deceiving. Her blond, angelic hair that was tucked in a braid only accentuated the idea of her being a prim, little woman. But that mouth? Not only did it make him think of her doing decadent things with it, the fact that she could curse like a whorehouse madam was quite surprising! When Riley blushed, it only made him want to cause her to turn a bit redder. He was highly attracted to his new wife and it was evident to him that she was intrigued as well. He certainly hoped so! As long as he didn’t ruin the fragile relationship they were beginning, there were signs that all would go well.

  Sitting beside John on the wagon bench, Riley wondered what was going through his mind. He was not much of a talker and she was half-tempted to call him a piggy by the way he gave a grunt here and there. It was like talking to a caveman! Or Tarzan! If he said, “you Riley, me John” it would have been more words exchanged on the ride back home than the first day she arrived. Or perhaps that was an exaggeration, she thought. Remember, he is a stranger to you as much as you are to him.

  “Thank you for taking me into town. I appreciate the kindness,” she offered gently, trying to break the ice only to receive a grunt in acknowledgement. “It was extremely nice of you, John.”

  Frustrated, she stared at him out of the corner of her eye. “Excuse me? I didn’t hear that,” she said politely. Give him an out. Surely, he can’t grunt all the time!

  When there was no response, she turned openly to him and gave a loud grunt herself in mockery. Seeing no reaction from him, she grunted several times.

  Snort! Snort! Snort! When he didn’t so much as blink an eye, she hopped up and down on the seat, snorting angrily and loudly. Riley knew that her temper had gotten the better of her and that she was being obnoxious – but wasn’t he? It was just then that she noticed the crinkle at the corners of his eyes and the twitching of his lips.

  “You brute! Are you laughing at me?” she asked, surprised. “It takes me acting like a clown for you to acknowledge that I am here and for you to talk to me instead of grunting like a caveman?”

  “Perhaps,” she heard him say softly. He was sporting a wide grin.

  “You could want to talk with me,” she said, trying to keep the whine out of her voice. “I am quite used to being around a lot of people and talking all day. The silence is tough. And frankly, the grunting is tougher.”

  “I will teach you to speak caveman,” he announced in a deep voice and snapped the harness lightly.

  Riley’s chin dropped. “Are you joking?”

  “Maybe,” he replied elusively, still smiling.

  “Jokes are progress,” Riley said gently, feeling suddenly a bit self-conscious. She had looked like a moron grunting at him angrily and would love to take back the last few minutes of her hopping up and down. But if it took that to break the ice, it might have been worth it.

  “We have a little ways to go, tell me about yourself,” he said suddenly, looking straight ahead. Riley could have sworn that color crept up his neck. Embarrassed? Perhaps it was the setting sun casting a shadow. It was obvious that the house was quite a ways from Dallas because it had been an all-day excursion to simply get the items they needed. There would be no frequent shopping trips for her. No malls. No Amazon.com shopping online.

  “My past is a b
it much,” Riley said honestly. “Let’s hear about yours.”

  She listened attentively as he told her about his childhood and his first marriage. Riley had seen the name in the bible and assumed it was his first wife. She had not wanted to press the issue and was glad to hear him speak freely about it.

  “I’m sorry she passed away,” she said simply, interrupting him.

  “Me, too, at first,” John said honestly. “But things happen for a reason. Sometimes you don’t know why, but they do. All you can do is know that He has it all under control and you have to let go and follow.”

  “You are religious?” she asked with an arched eyebrow. Back where she came from, people weren’t that open about their private feelings. However, she had seen zealots and fanatics on the news before and his comment struck her as awfully devout for a moment. Riley was not. She had not been to church in several years, much to her chagrin and hadn’t made time for it. Perhaps if she had gone more, she would have landed a gig in a more modern time period?

  “I believe,” he said with a shrug. “That’s all.”

  “Same here,” she admitted quickly.

  “I believe there is a time and place for everything. It had to be the right time and place for us to meet in order to get along,” he said suddenly in a very low voice. Riley could tell it meant a lot to him that they became friends and that was quite endearing.