Chapter Twenty-One

Andrew paced the porch, waiting to hear the sound of that little red cars wheels on the gravel road leading to Nicole's house. Nicole and his brothers were already gone to the bar and Andrew couldn't hold still and couldn't contain his nervous energy or excitement as he waited for Bethany to show up.

Suddenly he heard the sound he'd been waiting so impatiently to hear and he looked at the setting sun and said a silent thank you. He tried to remember what Ian had told him about not acting too excited but couldn't seem to stop himself from bouncing up and down when the car came into view.

Bethany parked the car and stepped out and Andrew felt his mouth grow dry and his palms grow moist. She had changed into a pair of light colored jeans that hugged her long slender legs tightly and a black tank top that clung to her small chest and narrow waist. Her long brown hair was hanging loose and those curls form this morning were still in it, causing it to fall in waves down her back and across her shoulders.

Andrew stepped off the porch and walked quickly to her. He wanted to kiss her senseless but he could tell that she wasn't ready for that as he practically ran headfirst into the wall she seemed to be keeping around herself.

"I thought you couldn't get any prettier than you were this morning but I was wrong," Andrew whispered

. Bethany blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear and Andrew noticed the diamond earrings she was wearing as they glinted in the reddish orange light from the setting sun, "You look nice too," she replied quietly. Andrew shrugged. He had thrown on a new pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and his boots and hat. He hadn't had anything fancier or nicer to wear.

"Thanks," he said. "So what are we doing?" Andrew didn't really care what they did. They could just stand here and continue to look at one another all night and that would be fine with him.

"Are you hungry? I packed us some food. I thought maybe we could go up to the park before it gets dark and have a picnic."

"Sounds good," Andrew replied. He was glad to spend the time outside with Bethany. Too much time cooped up in the house just made his restlessness that much worse. And she looked real pretty with that sunset light shining on her hair.

Andrew thought back to the shows he had seen on the television since being here and he quickly went to the car and opened the driver door for Bethany. She seemed surprised as she smiled and climbed in. Andrew shut the door gently and then he ran around the front of the car and jumped in the air, sliding across the hood before throwing open the passenger door and jumping in.

"What in the world was that?" Bethany asked with a shocked smile.

"I saw it on a show on that television that Nicole has. I thought it looked like fun and wanted to try it."

"Dukes of Hazzard?" Bethany asked with a smile and Andrew found himself nodding, though he hadn't really heard what she'd said. Her smile was so damn pretty that he couldn't focus on anything other than the way it lit her face.

He saw her cheeks redden as she pushed her hair behind her ear and turned away from him shyly. She started the car and backed out of the driveway and Andrew tapped his fingers on his thighs.

"Is something on your mind?" Bethany asked, noticing his movement. Andrew shook his head and fidgeted with the dolphin air freshener hanging from her rear view mirror, "No, why?" he asked.

She pointed at his hands, "You were tapping your fingers. Most people do that when there is something on their minds."

Bethany frowned when she saw Andrew flush and stick his hands under his legs. "I've always done it," he said, sounding defensive. "My mama always just said I got more energy than one person is suppose to be born with and it makes me move a lot."

"I didn't mean to upset you," Bethany assured him and he smiled over at her.

"I ain't upset," he assured her. "I don't have much of a temper unless you mess with someone I care about."

Bethany felt a little thrill inside of her. He had certainly had a temper, at least a little bit of one, yesterday when her cousin and Helen had been saying those things about her. Did that mean he really cared?

"I don't have a temper at all," Bethany replied, keeping her eyes focused on the road instead of on how handsome he was with that smile on his face.

"How was cake sampling?" Andrew asked. "I wasn't sure what that meant so I asked Nicole after you left. I wish you would have let me come. I love cake."

Bethany couldn't stop the laughter that his statement brought out of her and it surprised her. She had never been lighthearted or carefree but there was something about Andrew that tempted her to be. She wasn't sure what it was but he had an innocence about him that made her feel more open to being all those things she had never allowed herself to be.

"Then you'll be happy to know I brought some cake along for our picnic," she replied.

"Seems you've found the way to my heart," Andrew stated with a wink, "Straight through my stomach."

Bethany laughed again as she relaxed in her seat, "Oh please, I'm nowhere near your heart," she countered with a wave of her hand. "But I do cook fairly well so you'll never go hungry."

Andrew could have argued with her about the heart bit but he figured she would just call him a liar again. Better to take the emotional aspect of what he was feeling for her moving slow so that she would believe it. Physically though he had never been more aware of another person in his life.

He had already learned her scent and he knew that her shoulders were tense and if he were to rub them he would guarantee that she carried a lot of stiffness between her shoulder blades. She seemed to try hard not to smile and laugh too easily. though Andrew was happy to see that she was doing both a bit more this evening. And they were real smiles and laughs, not those forced ones she had been attempting to pass off at the dressmakers shop the day before.

"So it went good then?" Andrew asked as he drummed a beat on the dashboard, "Nobody asked you to stick plastic things in your dress again?" This had Bethany laughing even harder and Andrew smiled proudly, "No..." she gasped, "Nobody asked me to stick plastic things in my dress!"

"So how far away is this park?" Andrew asked. He was eager to be somewhere other than inside a car with Bethany. He wanted to be out in the fresh, open air with her and maybe get her to come further out of that shell she seemed to keep herself locked inside.

"Not too much farther," Bethany replied as they continued down the tight, winding mountain roads.

Andrew nodded and then he pushed the button that made his window go down, (he loved doing that), and pulled off his hat. He stuck his head out the window, letting the wind blow through his hair.

Bethany just shook her head and smiled before reaching over and turning on her CD player and letting the sound of Bon Jovi once again fill her car. She laughed at the way Andrew's head instantly began to bob in time with the music. She needed to take Nicole's advice that the woman was always giving her and just enjoy herself. How often did one get the chance to hang out with an extremely hot, funny, entertaining, somewhat hyperactive cowboy?

They entered the park, starting up the tight, winding road that wound around the huge property. The park was really more of a wildlife preserve with hiking trails, ponds, rivers and plenty of secluded places for picnics.

Bethany rode to her favorite picnic spot. There were large pine trees surrounding a peaceful pool of water, fed by several streams. A rocky cliff line rose up sharply to one side and a small field full of long grasses and wildflowers held a single picnic table.

Bethany came here sometimes with her books and spent hours alone in the fresh air reading and thinking. She wasn't sure why she had brought Andrew here since normally she liked to keep her special place private but she found herself wanting to share it with him.

"Wow, this place is great!" Andrew exclaimed as he stepped out of the car and took a deep breath.

"It's my favorite place." Bethany admitted as she popped the trunk and pulled out a picnic basket and a lantern. The sun was quickly setting and she knew that darkness would be falling within an hour or so.

Andrew quickly went to her and took both the basket and the lantern. He smiled at her, causing her heart to skip, and then carried them over to the picnic table and sat them down.

Bethany spread out the food she had packed. Watermelon, grapes, potato salad, fried chicken and a small wedge of cake.

Andrew licked his lips and rubbed his growling stomach. "This looks good!" he exclaimed.

Bethany blushed and shrugged, "I wasn't sure what to make, I hope it's okay."

"This is great. Fried chicken is my favorite," Andrew admitted. He picked up a piece and took a big bite and Bethany felt pride fill her when his brown eyes rolled back in his head. "You cook good too..." he moaned. "Now I know I'm in love."

Bethany flushed bright red and stuttered several times before scolding herself and ordering herself silently to chill out. The man had been joking! He didn't love her! Hell they didn't even really know each other! She sat down across from him at the table and grabbed her own piece of chicken.

"I taught myself how to cook when I was younger," she admitted. "My grandpa Silas pretty much raised me and I did most of the cooking for him."

Andrew nodded and swatted at a fly that kept buzzing around his head, "What about your parents?" he asked before grabbing a triangle shaped chunk of watermelon and biting off a huge bite that had his cheeks bulging.

Bethany smiled with amusement at his antics and then shrugged, "I haven't spoken to my parents in years. I never really knew my father and my mother always had better things to do."

"I'm sorry," Andrew stated and Bethany could tell that he really was.

"I had my papaw," she replied, "And I have a few cousins and aunts and uncles around. It wasn't so bad."

Andrew scowled. He remembered her cousin and her cousin's friends. He would have told her they were pretty damn bad if she had asked his opinion.

"What about your family?" Bethany asked. "I know you have three brothers here with you but do you have any more family back in 1875?" Andrew shook his head as he swallowed down his watermelon and tossed a grape into the air. He caught in his mouth and then flashed her a proud grin and a wink, "Naw. Just my brothers. Our pa died a long time ago when I was young and our mama passed on just a few days before we came here," Andrew looked down at the table sadly as he traced his finger over a knot in the wood.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Bethany said quickly as she wiped a bit of watermelon juice from her chin.

Andrew shrugged, "At least it got all of us brothers together. We hadn't all been together in close to eleven years," he admitted. "I'd missed Cav most of all. I think if he wouldn't have left home when he did I would have turned out better. He was always quick to help me know right from wrong. Ian just kinda let me do what I wanted and encouraged me when I did wrong because he thought it was funny."

"What kind of wrong?" Bethany asked as she raised her brow. She hoped she wasn't out alone in the middle of the woods with some kind of hardened criminal.

Andrew shrugged as he tossed another grape in the air and caught it in his mouth, "I've always had a problem staying still and being calm," he admitted.

Bethany feigned shock, "I hadn't noticed." she stated dryly and Andrew laughed. He held up a grape and motioned for her to open her mouth, "No." she said flatly.

"Why not?" he asked with a grin.

"You'll hit me in the face!" she exclaimed and he grunted.

"I will not," he assured her and then he raised his brow, "You gotta learn how to just trust me, loosen up and have some fun." he added. Bethany glared at him. What right did he have to tell her to have fun? She knew how to have fun.

Andrew sighed and tossed the grape at her, letting it bounce off her nose and go rolling across the bumpy wooden table and off into the grass. Bethany put her hand on her nose in shock and stared at him wide-eyed, "You said you wouldn't hit me in the face!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

He winked, "I lied. Open your mouth this time."

Bethany knew she better do as he asked or she'd get whacked by another grape so she opened her mouth and Andrew took his time lining up the shot. Bethany rolled her eyes at his dramatic theatrics and then he tossed the grape and she nearly cried out in surprise when it flew into her mouth.

"Wow," she stated, before biting down on it and letting the juices explode in her mouth. "Nice shot."

Andrew reached across the table and wiped a bit of juice from her lip with his thumb and Bethany nearly fell of the bench as she jerked and jumped with a mixture of shock, surprise, arousal and awareness.

Andrew wanted nothing more than to jump across the table and clean the rest of the juice from her lips with his own. His body was practically bouncing with anticipation and excitement. The whirring in his mind had stilled with her presence but still he had more energy in his body than he knew what to do with. He hated these feelings! How he wished he could just be a normal person. To be a person that could sit at a picnic table and talk for hours without feeling as if he were going insane!

He focused his attention on gathering up grapes and arranging them into shapes on the table. Bethany frowned as she watched him, "So what kinds of things did you do to pass time back in 1875?" she asked as she filled two plastic cups with lemonade from the thermos she had packed. Her lips were tingling from his touch and there was heat pooling low in her belly but she was determined to ignore both sensations.

"Poker, drinking, horse racing, chariot races, shooting matches and....." he stopped quickly and gave her a sheepish grin. "Well the rest doesn't matter anymore."

"So you've had a lot of women then?" Bethany asked with a raise of her brow.

Andrew took a big gulp of the lemonade she had poured for him and shrugged, "Depends on what your definition of a lot is....." he replied. Bethany just sighed and looked out over the pool of water.

Andrew changed the subject quickly to what she liked to do for fun and the two fell into easy conversation. Bethany found herself laughing and smiling more than she had ever smiled in her life. There was just something about Andrew that made a person feel.... Better.

They finished eating and packed everything back up and then lit the lantern that Bethany had brought along, "Should we go?" Bethany asked nervously as she looked around at the encroaching darkness.

Andrew frowned, "Why?" he asked. He didn't want to go. He wanted to keep enjoying the way the lantern light and moonlight danced off her skin and dark hair.

"There are bears and coyotes around here at night," she replied. Andrew patted the gun on his hip, "I got ya took care of," he promised. "Let's go for a walk." He had to do something physical or he was going to go crazy.

So they walked. They made their way down the winding path that led up a mountainside and around the large pond before coming back down to the clearing. They talked while they strolled together. Andrew had never taken the time to really talk to or get to know a woman. He had never cared enough to really want to know what a woman was thinking or feeling but he wanted to know those things about Bethany.

They made their way back to the clearing and Bethany sat down on a large boulder beside the water. Andrew sat the lantern on the ground and then began picking up small, smooth stones and skipping them across the surface of the tranquil water. The moonlight was shining brightly down on them and the late September night was balmy and hot.

Andrew pulled out the flask that he had filled up the night before and took a drink. He looked over at Bethany and saw her frowning, "You shouldn't drink." she scolded.

Andrew shook his head, "Why the devil not? I gotta have something to help me deal with this brain I got stuck with."

"And whiskey is all that works?" Bethany asked skeptically.

Andrew sighed, "Being around you helps but I like the whiskey," he replied honestly.

Bethany blushed, bit her lip and looked out at the water. Being with her helped him? Was he just saying sweet things for the heck of it or did he really mean that?

"Here take you a drink," Andrew offered as he held the flask out to her.

An owl hooted in the distance and Bethany shook her head, "No, I'm only eighteen. It's illegal for me to drink."

"What?!" Andrew exclaimed. "I've been drinking since I left home at fourteen!"

Bethany's eyes widened, "You left home at fourteen?!" she demanded.

Andrew nodded and skipped another stone, "Yep. I got kicked out of school and decided to go get busy living my life," Andrew held the flask out again. "I'll make a deal with you."

"What?" Bethany asked cautiously.

"Help me finish this flask and I will do my best to give up the whiskey... Just so long as I can be around you."

"Wait..." Bethany said with a nervous laugh as she held up her hand. "Are you saying you want to see me more?"

Andrew pulled off his hat with his free hand and tossed it over on the grass before scratching at his hair, "Yeah, I am," he replied. "I already told you that you help me feel better. My mama wanted me to find you, I'm sure of it. That's why I was sent here."

Bethany's head was reeling. This was getting very deep and moving very quick but she'd be damned if she didn't find herself believing him. He seemed earnest as his brown eyes danced in the firelight and looked deep into hers.

"I've never drank before," she stated, deciding that until she was convinced he was being honest it would be best to steer clear of all mention of being 'meant to be'.

Andrew grinned, "Come on," he urged, "Your first time and my last time all at once." Andrew just wanted to help her to loosen up a little. He could still see a wall around her. A hesitation to trust him and he hoped that the whiskey would help her to let down her defenses just a bit.

"If my papaw finds out....."

"It'll be our little secret," he assured her.

Bethany couldn't help the smile that curved her lips. What could it hurt? She had never, not once in her life, done anything remotely questionable. Wasn't it about time she had a little fun?

She reached out and their fingers brushed as she took the flask from his hand and pressed it to her lips. Andrew grinned as she threw her head back and took a swallow and then she came back up sputtering and gasped.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, her voice hoarse.

"Burns a little bit, doesn't it?" Andrew asked with amusement as he took the flask and downed a swallow of his own. Bethany glared at him, knowing that he was showing off and jerked the flask from his hand before taking another big swallow.

"Alright, that's enough for you," he warned as he took the flask away. This was damn strong stuff and he knew she had never drank before. He didn't want her getting sloppy drunk and blaming him for her headache come morning.

"I'm hot now," she complained as she waved her hand in front of her burning mouth. Her mouth, her throat, her chest and her stomach were all on fire and it was causing her entire body to feel overheated.

"Let's go for a swim," Andrew replied with a shrug.

"I don't have a swimsuit," Bethany countered.

Andrew frowned, "What's a swimsuit?"

"A special outfit to wear when you're swimming," she replied.

Andrew laughed, "I reckon I got skin for that,"

"Naked! You want to swim naked!?" Bethany exclaimed.

Andrew nodded and chuckled quietly, "How else would I do it?" he asked. He pulled off his t-shirt and Bethany nearly fell of the rock before catching herself. She couldn't stop staring at his chest and abs. She hadn't known they made men that looked like that other than on television and in Hollywood.

Every inch of him was chiseled and tan. The boyishness of his smile contrasted sharply with the very manliness of his body. He didn't seem to notice the fact that her lungs had stopped working as he unhooked his gun belt and tossed it aside and then reached for the button on his pants.

"Stop!" Bethany exclaimed and his hands froze.

"What?" he asked.

"Can we please leave some clothes on?" she begged. "It's just that I've um..." Andrew realized it then. She was innocent. Damn this was new territory. He had figured she probably wasn't very experienced but he hadn't really believed she was completely innocent.

He nodded and pulled off his boots and socks, "Okay."

Bethany took a deep breath to steady her nerves, though she was already starting to feel a little lighter. A little freer. She pulled off her sandals and then knew her shirt and pants had to come next. It wouldn't be any different than wearing a bikini, at least that's what she kept telling herself. Of course she had never worn a bikini in front of anyone other than her cousins and certainly never around a man like Andrew.

She found herself staring at him again and realized he had a brown mole on his stomach and another just below his left collarbone. She shook her head to focus and before she could talk herself out of it she pulled off her shirt and slid out of her pants and then without sparing another glance at Andrew, she ran for the water and dove in.

Andrew's mind seemed to have momentarily shut down which was a big deal for him. He couldn't think. Couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. He had never seen anything more beautiful, more gorgeous, more tempting than her pale body, long and lean in the moonlight. He wasn't sure what that contraption was she had around her breasts but he'd be damned if it hadn't made that part of a woman's anatomy that much more tempting.

And her legs? He had never seen a woman with a longer set. Her head came back up near the center of the pond and Andrew figured this is what a sailor felt at sea when a mermaid came around, singing her songs and tempting him with her allure. Andrew knew that if Bethany would allow him to, he was going to have her tonight and every other night for the rest of his life. Just the sight of her in the moonlight, her dark hair dripping and her face shy as she looked at him was enough to let him know he'd never need another woman other than her. He had found his one.

Without wasting another second, he dove into the pond and they splashed and wrestled in the cool water for a long while. More than once Andrew tried to move in for a kiss but Bethany would laugh and dunk him under the water before swimming away quickly.

He could tell the whiskey had taken away most of her inhibitions. While she wasn't drunk, she was certainly feeling freer and more open just as he had hoped she would. She worried too much about being perfect and about what others would think about her. She was smart, funny and beautiful and he wanted her to realize that she was good enough just the way she was. She didn't need to worry about what anyone else thought.

"I'm getting cold," she whimpered as she swam to the bank and pulled herself out of the water.

Andrew watched her run across the grass in nothing but her underclothes and instantly he got hard. The coolness of the water didn't stop the heat that was spreading through him. Her. Her. Her. He wanted her. Andrew had always had the type of mind that once it became truly focused on a task it would not rest until he had accomplished it. Right now he wanted to kiss, touch and taste Bethany.

She came back toward the water with a blanket that she had gotten out of her car, wrapped tight around her. Andrew pulled himself out of the water as well and went straight to her. He moved in close enough that the front of his body was touching the front of hers through the blanket. He saw her lips part as she stared up at him and color rose in her cheeks.

Andrew reached out and smoothed her wet hair from her face before tilting her head and claiming her lips with his own. Bethany moaned and the blanket fell away as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. Andrew wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him and he nipped at her bottom lip until she parted her mouth and his tongue darted inside, plundering her mouth and warring with her own sweet tongue.

Andrew became lost in this. She smelled of lavender and she tasted like the sweetest honey. He was shocked when he felt her hands on the button of his jeans but he allowed her to undo them and push them down his legs.

Bethany rose back up and Andrew felt her lips leaving trails of flames in their wake as she kissed her way up his stomach and chest before pressing her lips to his ear, "I've never had a man, Andrew. I want you." Andrew's legs nearly buckled but he managed to keep them steady and pulled her body flush against his, "You've got me, Bethany. You've got forever," he assured her and then he lowered her body onto the blanket in the grass.

Slowly he removed her wet panties from her body, his lips followed them across her skin and he felt Bethany trembling. He knew he had to go slow. He should probably tell her no to making love tonight but he just couldn't. There was no way he could say no. He just didn't have it in him.

He kissed his way up her body, her fingers locked in his hair and once again his lips found her mouth, "Are you sure you want this?" he managed to ask through clenched teeth.

Bethany nodded as she pushed her hips up against him, "Yes. Yes I'm sure," she replied and Andrew nodded before once again devouring her mouth with his own.