House of Four Seasons
Surprises
by Layne
As she pushed herself upright, intending to jump off the bed and head for the shower, Sarah heard a deep voice come from the direction of her bedroom door.
"Mornin', Sleepin' Beauty." Ben Wade's tone was filled with amusement. "I was startin' to think I'd have to wake you with a kiss. Matter of fact, I was lookin' forward to it."
Moving from his leaning position against the closed bedroom door, Wade removed his black hat and hung it on one of the four posts of Sarah's bed. "Take mornin' naps a lot, do you?"
Sarah was so startled by his sudden appearance that she almost leapt back. Instead, moving to the middle of the bed, she drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them defensively. Despite his amused tone, the intensity in his eyes was searing.
"Uh, no... I don't take morning naps. I fell asleep reading last night." She was aware that she both looked and sounded defensive, but she couldn't seem to help it.
Wade smiled a friendly smile, although the piercing nature of his gaze never wavered. "Do that m'self sometimes." He was casually unbuckling his gun-belt--his empty gun-belt, she noticed.
"I'm sorry the House wouldn't let you bring the Hand of God. Part of it's safety measures, I guess." Her voice had strengthened a little.
Sarah saw his eyes narrow at mention of his pistol, but she went on. "So, this is your first time here too?"
"Yeah." His voice had become curt. "Guess the place never figgered I was right for anybody." Then his grin returned as he looked her up and down. "Gotta say, though, I'm a little surprised by it's choice."
Taking a deep breath, Sarah told him, "The House didn't choose you, Ben. I did." She waited for his reaction to that.
The grin on Wade's face broadened. "Did you, now?"
Standing right beside her bed, he reached out a hand and brushed a lock of brown hair away from her face, allowing his fingers to linger against her temple. The blue of his eyes deepened as he looked into hers. "Glad you did., Sarah..." Her name was almost whispered, as much of a caress as his hand on her skin.
Sarah couldn't help herself. She shivered and drew back. She'd known this would be difficult, but she hadn't expected to be drawn in by him so quickly, had thought that her past and the things that had happened to her would have given her a little more immunity to his charm.
Instead, the opposite seemed to be true. Though she'd drawn away from him, she'd had to force herself to do so. What she'd really wanted to do was move to the side of the bed and have him kiss her.
Mentally shaking herself, Sarah said, "You'd probably like to see the house and the grounds. Have a chance to get used to things."
Puzzled by her withdrawal when he'd sensed something entirely different, Wade turned and began removing his black coat. "Well, I saw the stables when I put Ribbon away, and part of the rest on the walk up here. Saw the downstairs too."
Sarah lowered her head slightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to meet you."
"Oh, I'm not, darlin'." He smiled at her. "Got a better view in this room than anywhere else."
Unbuttoning his vest, he went on, "What I'd really like now is a good, hot bath." His eye had been caught by the large tub through the door to Sarah's bathroom and now he walked toward it. "So, if you wouldn't mind showin' me how to work this contraption in here..." Wade's voice trailed off, as he looked at her expectantly.
Feeling thoroughly out of her depth, Sarah scrambled quickly off the bed. "Oh! You do have your own room and bathroom. It's just across the hall." She'd heard the house working on it the last couple of days. Had intended to look at it this morning before he arrived, but...
"Oh, this is fine, darlin'." He'd stepped into her bathroom and, having finished with his vest, was now working on the buttons of his blue shirt. "Kinda like this one." His eyes were challenging her now, waiting for her to tell him that she'd rather he not be in here.
Taking another deep breath, Sarah managed to move around him without trembling too much. She showed him how the hot and cold water taps and the stopper in the tub worked. Then, she went back to the door. "There's plenty of towels in there. I'll just leave you to take your bath now..."
In one long stride Ben Wade had moved to her side. His nearness unnerved her, but Sarah stood her ground. Leaning in even closer, he whispered directly into her ear, "You're welcome to stay if you want." His lips just brushed her earlobe as he spoke.
Sarah didn't know which she wanted to do most--move into his arms or bolt out the door as fast as she could. Torn between the two, she settled for answering him in the steadiest voice she could manage. "That's okay. I- I'll just go downstairs and put together some breakfast for you."
Grinning, Wade took a step back. "That'll work too. We'll have plenty of time for this after breakfast." Those intense blue eyes had captured hers again. "I like my eggs over-easy."
Sarah backed toward her bedroom door and closed it behind her as she went out. In the hallway, she leaned against the door, breathing hard. What had made her think she could handle this?! He didn't even have to touch her. Every word, every look was a caress in itself!
Starting downstairs on trembling legs, she thought to herself. "He's here now. For three months. There's no going back."