He gave her a short, sweet kiss. “I knew you would see things my way.”
One disheveled clown holding hands with a wet girl wearing a clown shirt finally made it to his garage. A perfect match—a hot, perfect match, and they were crazy for one another. They went to the stalls to check on Darrius’s horses one more time before going into the house. The beautiful show horses were sound asleep in the middle of large hay beds. Darrius tenderly brushed the mane of the silver horse with the back of his hand.
Watching Darrius tenderly stroke the animal made Justine think of how he touched her, how he made her feel special. He had been the first man to actually show her the kind of tenderness a man is supposed to show a woman. Love was the key word—loved. Yes, he’d admitted it. Love didn’t have to take years or months to develop; and Darrius had proved this in a matter of days.
Her arm rested around his hip. “You really love those horses, don’t you?”
“Sure do. All of them. From the moment I saw Gecko three years ago. I already had the other two. I feel the same about you.”
“I don’t know where I rank in that answer. You’ve just equated me with horses.”
“Well, think about it this way, you are wild, like them.”
“Only at heart.”
“I beg to differ. Girl, you ride me like you’ve lost your mind. And I love it.”
“So do I.”
“I love all things, Justine, from the smallest of animals to very smart, beautiful women. I have an affection for love, I guess.” He walked over to another horse, James, and patted his mane. “James, here, actually had a brother. I bought them both at the same time. Billy died in a riding accident. He broke a leg in several places, where I only bruised my side.”
Her arm wrapped tighter around him. “Glad you made it out alive.”
“It killed me having to shoot Billy. That’s why I take such good care of these. Now I want to take care of you. What I said tonight was true, Justine. I’m in love with you. I think I always have been. It’s like I conjured you here, worked some kind of magic, because before I knew it, there you were. I didn’t want to accept the fact that I was immediately attracted to you, but after seeing you…I couldn’t help myself.”
“Do you really think you used powers to get me here? Because all of a sudden I got the assignment, though I had lobbied for it.”
“I prayed. I went out alone to the mountain because my heart was heavy for some reason. There wasn’t anything wrong, but I just knew something was missing. Fasting on that mountaintop and talking to my ancestors helped me discover what was really wrong with me.” He moved Justine closer into his warm embrace. “Now, as far as the magic, I don’t know. I think I have some powers, and maybe the vibes I cast out were strong enough to send you here. Could have just been fate. I hope that answers your question.”
“Maybe. I’ve seen situations like that on television—people summonsing others by power of the mind, but wasn’t sure of the validity.”
“Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. I’m no authority on that subject. One thing I do know is that my feelings for you are real.” His fingers traced the neckline of the damp Koshari clown shirt. “Let’s go inside where we can talk.”
“We can talk in the morning. I’m anxious to get to bed.”
“Sleepy?” he asked.
“Nope. Just want to relax with you.”
“I would like that.” He sweetly kissed her on the forehead. “I have good relaxation methods inside just waiting for you.”
Justine dutifully followed him. Hand in hand, they walked from the stable and across the open land to his home. Ahead of her, she could see the shadow of his house, the ranch style of it aglow against the backdrop of distant mountains. A single light shone from the kitchen; a welcome light of sorts that gave off a homey feeling.
* * *
There was a constant mingling of aromas in his house, spices of the Southwest, teas, essential oils and man—all man. It reminded her of the night they made love in his store. She felt at home, though she had only been there twice. She felt natural there and never wanted to leave. As she looked around the living room, a startling remembrance crossed her mind that she would have to leave in a few days. Thinking of that was hard, so she chose to put the thought away—at least for the evening—and enjoy Darrius whether they talked all night or made love. It didn’t matter to Justine what they did, so long as they were together.
They sat by a small fire in his living room and had a small glass of wine to toast their relationship. As they sipped, Justine couldn’t help but wonder what she would be like after leaving him. She looked at his profile as shadows of flames flickered across his skin. “Darrius?”
“Yes?”
“I tried not bringing this up, but something is bothering me.”
He kissed her hand. “What could be wrong? The mood is right, the evening was perfect and we’re together.”
“That’s just the problem. Soon I won’t be here. What will we do then? A long-distance relationship is a hard one to keep.”
“Not if the people involved are insistent on making it last. I know I am. Are you?”
“Sure, but we’ll be apart for long periods of time. I won’t be able to fly out here as often as I would like.”
“I know, but haven’t you heard the expression absence makes the heart grow fonder?”
“Many times, but since knowing you, I won’t want the absence.”
“You won’t have to be without me for too long. I can come to you, too, you know.”
“You have your work. I have mine.”
He slid her into his lap, kissing the tip of her nose. “We can make this work, Justine. I’m not about to give up on seeing you, talking to you—even emailing you.” He finished the last of his wine. “Let’s not talk about this right now. We have tomorrow for that, but I don’t want you worrying. We will be together—all the time. In fact, we’ll be together so much that you may get tired of me.”
“Yeah, like that could happen.”
“It could.”
“Never, and you’re right. Let’s save this conversation for another day.” She touched his chest. “I need to get you out of that paint.”
“And how would you like to do it?”
