Leoti Page 16

  “Josie? Why don’t you wait in here?”

  Tim’s assistant led her to a small conference room to continue to wait. She took a seat at the table. Her hands clasped in front of her with her fingers laced and locked. She itched to be in the courtroom. Being heard before the judge, laying out the truth and getting in the fight. Maybe her mother was right, that she was born for this. Maybe her dreams of writing romance and making babies were just fantasy. If that were true why did her mind purposefully force out her life to give her the fantasy?

  “Josie?”

  Her head lifted. Madeline walked in. Shocked to see her she scooted back in her chair and rose. “What are you doing here? I thought you and Tiffani left for Billings and then home?”

  Tiffani entered the room next. “We came back, for you, to support you.”

  “Tiffani you can’t be here. Crescent has a team of lawyers here today. Your job could be in jeopardy if they find out you have any involvement.”

  Her sister smiled. “I’m here for you. Ma and I talked and we agreed that family is our priority. No matter what. No way we’d leave you behind. Sorry about what I said to you, how I’ve behaved. I’m so ashamed.”

  Josie walked over and embraced her sister. She felt a great sense of joy to have her sister’s love again. It made her stronger. Tim’s assistant walked out. Tiffani let her go and smiled at her with tears in her eyes. “I want to apologize for Carlton too. I was jealous, Josie, and that’s something I plan to stop immediately. He loves you. Somehow I felt entitled to what you two shared. Forgive me?”

  “Of course!” Josie smiled. “I can never stay mad at you for long.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And I love you too, baby.” Madeline said as the sisters let go of each other. “I was wrong to punish you girls for my problems. Being a mother was the best thing I ever did. And you two are the best gift your father ever gave me. I had so much resentment over his leaving us I blamed myself and I made you girls compensate for what I thought I lost. Forgive a stupid old woman.”

  Josie and Tiffani laughed. “Ma, you are not old.”

  “Oh so I’m stupid?” Madeline frowned.

  They both hugged her. Josie squeezed her tight. She had hoped to repair her relationship with them but not so soon, and so completely.

  Mission Creek

  The squad car drove up onto his land just as he and Po walked out of his front door. Sherriff Rogers got out of the car, his cowboy hat riding high on his forehead. He dropped his hands in the pockets of his dark brown, nylon, county issued Sheriff’s jacket.

  “Morning, Elu.”

  “Morning, Sheriff. What brings you here?”

  “Got news. Heard from the lawyers that friend of yours has bought you some time. We won’t be enforcing that order for you to vacate any time soon.”

  Elu looked past the Sheriff to his property. Josie had made good on her promise. But this wasn’t her battle, and if he wasn’t nursing his heart he’d have insisted she stay out of it all together. In truth, just the thought of her fighting for him and Po was enough for him to swallow his pride and let her intervene. The ideal situation would have been to open the door and find her standing there with her bags packed and ready to be his. As if reading his thoughts the Sheriff stopped his approach and shook his head with pity. “What’s the plan, Elu? You know the tribal council wants nothing to do with this land or Chicatee. You can’t win this fight. Why sit here and let her go into a losing battle for you? That’s not who you are.”

  “I never asked her to get involved. I know it’s my fight.” Elu’s gaze lifted from the Sherriff’s face and swept his land. “This land is a promise I plan to keep, just as I kept the promise for Chicatee. There are just as many forces of good as there are evil. I will be patient, until the time comes for me to do more.”

  “Mission Creek hasn’t seen real jobs return here since the logging mill cut half the workforce. They even cut back on your hours. People are thinking this deal with the government could bring more.”

  “They’re wrong. The government bringing a military installation here won’t bring jobs. It will be a cancer for Mission Creek. Doesn’t matter either way. My land isn’t for sale. I’m not stopping them from ripping into every mountain around here, just not the foothills of Blackfoot. That’s the end of it. It is my fight and if Rex thinks he has won he will soon learn differently.”

  “How long have we been friends?”

  Elu rocked the swing; the Sherriff removed his hat and rested his foot on the third step, leaning forward with his left arm on his knee. Po’s head lifted then lowered. “How long?” The Sheriff repeated the question.

  “A long time.”

  “This woman, Josie, she means a lot to you?”

  “She means everything to me. Not since Ella has there been anyone as special. She’s my Leoti.”

  “Then you have more to fight for than this land, correct? All of which may be outside of Mission Creek. I know you think you owe it to your grandfather and the people of Chicatee to stay here. The secret you protect the town protects as well. No strangers will ever know our shame. This lawyer lady could be your chance to move on, out of these mountains to have a good life. A family of your own.”

  Elu smiled. The Sheriff didn’t know it but he’d fantasized, debated, and wept for answers. Leaving Blackfoot was never an option and now he accepted it. Leoti could return to him, there was hope, and he’s lived off much less in the past. “Have a beer with me, you can tell me what you know of this Crescent company and what Rex thinks he can gain. Then I’ll pack a bag and go to Libby to find her.”

  Rogers checked his watch. “Sure, why not.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Three Weeks Later

  He convinced himself not to go after Josie. It proved to be another one of his mistakes. The Sheriff visited twice more to talk sense into him. Rogers eventually gave up. And Nate even came to sit and talk with him. Elu was too prideful to listen. He decided to take some time off from the mill. Elu hadn’t retreated since the death of Ella. And that’s how he felt, as if he were in mourning. As the days dragged on he found himself alone with Po again. Twice he received a summons to Libby to meet with the lawyers Josie hired. He declined. Josie called him pleading that he cooperate. She said they won the appeal but there were questions they had about the Chicatee and the Blackfoot people. Elu refused to answer any. After a day or so she called and told him the news that she had to return home, to her life, but the truth was it was over. He didn’t want her pity. It had been six solid days since he last spoke to her. He stopped answering her calls and the phone stopped ringing. Elu understood. She needed time and space. Reluctant as he was, he found the strength to give her both. Whether she chose him or not he had to go on.

  In the evenings his routine was simple. Elu sat before his empty fireplace staring at the charred hearth. There wasn’t much need for a fire these days. The nights were warmer and Spring in the valley made the days long and comfortable. Still his home felt drafty and barren without her there.

  The sound of a car door closing out front brought Po’s head up from his paws. He looked at Elu then to the door, and before Elu could speak the dog ran for it. Po began to scratch at the wood, barking, sniffing, scratching and barking again. He was so agitated that Elu stood and reached for his shotgun. Rex had been foolish enough to ride up on his land with the Henry boys once, but Elu made it clear that if they dared show their faces again they’d catch a bullet for their trouble.

  “What is it friend?” Elu asked Po.

  Po circled the floor and then sat back on his hind legs barking repeatedly. Elu walked over, opened it, and was nearly shoved aside as his best friend raced out into the night. “Po!” he stepped out to see his dog jump Josie who had just made it to the front step. She laughed trying to fight him off. Even in the dark starless night he’d know her.

  The sight of her standing there smiling was a little too much at once. He was stunned for several minutes, u
nable to speak. Finally Josie managed to calm Po enough to acknowledge him.

  Her smile softened and her eyes were vibrant with life. She looked changed. Not just physically, though he couldn’t miss how polished she was. She wore a grey pantsuit with a pink silk blouse underneath. Her hair was curly, picked out beautifully from her face and besides the tiny scar above her brow her natural beauty required no makeup, just a cinnamon gloss to her lips and a little dark shadowing of her eyes, which brought out the sweet honey color of her irises.

  Curiosity got the best of him a week ago. He needed to know who Josie Eastman was. He had done some research on her on the computer in the back office of Nate’s store. An internet search revealed news articles, interviews and even photos. She was more than his Leoti to the world. She was a brilliant attorney and author. Dignitaries all over the world praised her humanitarian efforts. And her rock star boyfriend had been seen with her before her accident, vacationing on beaches Elu couldn’t pronounce. Though the press couldn’t confirm or deny that they were a couple. Elu found that strange. He had no illusions of her returning to him and this simple life.

  Elu stepped out of the doorway. The screen door closed with a smack behind him. Josie climbed the first step then the next. Elu set the shotgun aside and extended his hand to her, she came to him wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face against his chest.

  “You stopped taking my calls.”

  “Forgive me,” Elu said dropping his head in shame. He held her tighter.

  “It was so hard, Elu. Not talking to you, seeing you. I only asked you for a little time. I needed it to heal with my family, not abandon you. I am here now. I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

  He felt as if his heart would hammer through his chest it beat so fast. He lifted his head and raised her chin. She blinked and tears slipped down her cheeks. “I love you.”

  She smiled and nodded. “I love you.”

  He brought her up in his embrace as gingerly as ever. Her arms around his neck, she stared up at him expectantly. Very slowly he lowered his mouth closer to hers to allow his lips to drift across. Those lips of hers, that were as soft as clouds, parted a fraction and her sweet breath washed over his with a long awaited sigh. Nothing in the past few torturous weeks since she regained her memory could prepare him for the deep elation he felt now. Absorbing the tenderness of her kiss, a shiver passed through them both sparking the connection between them that could never be severed. He drew her tongue out into his mouth and lazily let his roll over it. It was a lingering, unhurried whisper of a kiss that had her weakening in his arms, making him carry the burden of their love for them both.

  “Welcome home,” he said lifting her fully into the cradle of his arms. Po walked around them, nose at the crack in the screen door, the dog plied it open and pushed it aside for him to carry her in, then followed. He let Josie down and she sat on the sofa. Elu joined her. “You came back to me.”

  “You knew I would.”

  Over the past few weeks of not talking to him she had suffered. Josie needed to touch him, see him, just to recharge her battery. This is what she told herself when she drove from the airport in Libby and headed to Mission Creek. Now that she saw him she knew she had made the right choice. It was over between her and Carlton. In fact in three weeks she had set her life straight and repaired the relationship with her mother and sister. The only reason why she stopped calling him was because she had to pay a visit to Carlton for closure. She needed to be sure of who she was and what she wanted. And now she was. “I’m going to help you. We will save this land, for us,” she smiled. “I’m sorry we haven’t spoken. I’ve missed you so much.”

  Elu drew her close but Josie resisted. She stood and shed her suit jacket and tossed it aside. She kicked off her three-inch heels, and then sank down onto his firm lap. “I couldn’t wait to come back here,” she began. “It’s been hard being away from you. Really hard.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “You needed time. I was patient.”

  “Were you?” her brow arched.

  Elu let go a deep laugh. “Well not entirely, but I understood. I only wanted what was best for you.”

  “My mother thinks we are moving too fast. I don’t think we’re moving fast enough.” She rose and took him by the hand. Elu stood. He towered over her and Josie led him in bare feet to the bedroom. The drive had exhausted her. She only wanted to be his, alone. They would talk about everything she’d learned later.

  Inside the darkness of his bedroom she let his strong powerful hands undress her. She unbuttoned his jeans and lowered his zipper. Her gaze slowly rose when he eased off his shirt and the perfection of his upper body was revealed. “You are so beautiful,” she said. He looked down at her as if he didn’t understand her reaction. His dark black hair framed his face. She put her hands in it, his skin so golden brown it seemed an unnatural shade. He had thick silky brows framing the dreamiest pair of eyes. Eyes with such wisdom, she could barely stand to look away from them. He unfastened her bra, and when she lowered her arms removed it so she stood in nothing but her panties.

  “So beautiful,” she exhaled.

  He brought his face lower, so close their noses touched. She breathed her desire into his mouth before closing her lips over his. “I love you,” she whispered through the joining of their tongues. Hers slowly beckoned his forth, and then probed and explored the warm cavern of his mouth. He ran his hands up and down her back with extreme care. Josie was so hot for him she was actually panting and devouring him between deep kisses. Elu let her have her way, which only fueled the intensity shared between them. He walked her back to the bed and held to her back as they both lowered to the mattress. She felt his powerful presence bulging out of his open zipper. She kept her legs parted and lifted her butt to rub her center against the hard swell and quelled the desperate need to have him in her.

  “Help me,” she breathed a desperate plea to remove her underwear and him from his pants with his crushing weight upon her. When the kiss stopped, enough for her to capture a breath, she realized that there was no need to rush through this reunion. She could savor every moment. He trailed kisses down her chin, neck and flicked his tongue at her left nipple before dipping it into her navel. He tugged at the trim of her panty, then pulled on the sides to roll the gossamer fabric off her hips while his nose swiped down the center of her mound and then buried in her core.

  “Po leave,” she said and heard the animal shuffle out. Elu’s nose pushed in her slit as he lifted a leg and forced it over his shoulder. Elu grabbed her by the buttocks, which forced her sex into his face. Josie whimpered but somehow managed to remain standing with his help. It didn’t take long before he had her shaking through the orgasm of her life. And once spent she scooted away so he could rise with one knee and then side step from the bed to lower his pants and underwear. Josie moistened her lips at the sight of him. She rose on her knees and reached for his cock. Her eyes lifted to his before her tongue swirled around the head and her mouth closed over him. She lowered her eyes, flattening her tongue as his stalk slid over, and she swallowed an inch then two, and then three. Elu gripped her hair and pumped his hips as she stroked his length and sucked him hard and strong. Josie continued enjoying the chance to please him. Working her fist up and down and listening to him groan her name, her real name. She withdrew sensing his limit.

  “You want me, baby? Don’t you?” she smiled up at him.

  “Yes,” he exhaled.

  She eased back from him and laid into the pillows. Her knees parted and she closed her eyes, moaning, running her tongue over her top lip. She heard him draw closer, felt the bed shift when he joined her. He touched her hand and stopped her from pleasuring herself and her eyes opened.

  “I’ve dreamt of nothing but this,” he said. She could feel the thick head of his desire pressing at her core. He gave her a wicked smile and gyrated his hips to rub up between the lips of her sex to brush her tingling clitoris. She groaned, tilting her
pelvis so he could take the plunge.

  “Patience, Leoti,” he said with a deep rumble of restraint groaning in his chest. He kissed her again and her heart expanded. She didn’t know she could love someone with her entire being. Especially a man she’s known for just over a month. Even if it weren’t possible she felt such deep gratitude that she could have him, all of him, to question herself. His kisses were gentle. Each peppered her lips, face and neck. Elu then buried his face in her neck, his tongue rolling over the skin causing goose pimples to form over her nipples. She rubbed the achy nubs of her distended nipples over his chest to soothe her own needs. He captured her mouth, grabbing her head as she lifted her hips, and guided his cock into her wet depths. Josie shuddered. Delicious thickness forced her inner walls to stretch and constrict with every invading inch of him.

  Her hips began to undulate; her hands gripped his powerful shoulders. She enjoyed the way he groaned as he rolled his clenched buttocks and thrust in and out of her with such sweet harmony. His face lifted from her neck and their eyes connected. She held his stare, moving her bottom half under his instruction, and gyrating upward when his withdrawal drained her lungs of the air she desperately needed, before he thrust back into her hard and strong. She pumped her hips back and forth to and fro and his cock pulsated and jerked in response. She took his hands from her hips to lessen the pressure he applied and put them to her breasts. Josie guided one hand down his back that was slippery with a sheen of sweat. Together they rocked harder, longer, stronger, until she was near madness. And he kissed her. She gripped his hair and banged her forehead to his her tongue clashing with his. The sheer force of their pleasure hurled them both over the edge, trying hard with all their might to delay a climax only for the joy of climaxing together. But it was too late. The release had them crying out in union and clinging to each other as he jerked out his seed and filled her womb. It never dawned on her how many times she’d given herself to him with no protection. It never dawned on her what this kind of passion could bring. From the first time to the last she just couldn’t help but sink into the blissful spasms of this release.