Dreaming of Tomorrow Page 6

  He hesitated before adding, “In fact, if you could use some extra money, Nicole told me she could get you some work modeling.”

  “Me?” Emily was surprised. “Are you joking?”

  “No, I’m serious. Apparently there are a lot of fashion shows and catalogues for larger women. It pays pretty well, too. And by the way, Nicole suggested it, not me.” David paused. “Think it over. You’ve got to admit, she’s got a lot of contacts.”

  The waiter came back and asked if they wanted anything else, adding “We have a terrific dessert menu.”

  “Let’s have something,” David said. “What would you like?”

  “I usually love dessert but I’m pretty full.” Emily smiled.

  “We can split something,” David suggested. “How about a hot fudge sundae?”

  “Well. . . I hardly ever resist hot fudge, but no nuts,” she told him.

  The waiter nodded and left, only to return shortly with a huge hot fudge sundae, a second bowl and two spoons. Emily and David split the sundae and dove into it.

  When the ice cream treat was just a memory, David said, “Now what would you like to do next? Is there anywhere else you’d like to go tonight?”

  “I don’t know what I’d like to do.” She held up her hand. “Honestly. I’m enjoying just being here, talking.” She hastily covered a yawn. “And, to tell the truth, I’m a little tired.”

  “Well, you had a long day standing in the blazing sun.” David put his money on the table. “Why don’t we call it a night, for tonight, and go out again on Saturday? Would you like to go riding with me?”

  “Me? Riding? On a horse?” Emily was skeptical.

  David laughed. “Or a motorcycle if you’d prefer.”

  He took her arm as they left the restaurant. “Or even both.”

  “I’d be too scared,” Emily grinned, “to ride either one.”

  “You’d be safe, I guarantee it. Come on,” he urged, “I’ll even see if I can get Nicole to stay with your folks. We can have a picnic if you’d like.”

  “That sounds so bizarre, the world famous Nikki Silver sitting home and caring for my folks,” Emily mused. “Are you sure she would?”

  “Why not? She’s not just a pretty face, you know, she’s also a real person and my sister.” He grinned. “Most of the time I even think she’s pretty nice, so how about that picnic?”

  “Only if you let me do the cooking, after all you’re taking care of everything else. Deal?” Emily grinned holding out her hand.

  “Deal.” David ignored her hand and pulled her gently to him, enfolding her in a warm hug.

  He drove her home and they sat in the car for a while, talking. At one point, David held Emily, comforting her when her emotions suddenly spilled over and she broke out in tears. It felt so good to Emily, being held and comforted, being able to let her emotions out, not having to be strong. Finally, her tears stopped. She and David talked for a while longer. At last, reluctantly, he walked her to the door.

  “Would you care to come in?” Emily asked, hopefully.

  “Yes, I’d like that.” David smiled. “Besides that, maybe I can help keep Laura from giving you the third degree.”

  “Oh God. She will ask me a thousand questions about our date, won’t she?” Emily bit her lip. “Do my eyes look okay? Will she be able to tell I’ve been crying?”

  “No, you look fine. Laura will try to interrogate you about me but I don’t think she’ll see any sign of your tears. All you have to do is smile vaguely and ignore her.” David leaned forward and kissed her gently, the merest fleeting touch of his warm lips against hers, but he felt a shock run through his body. “That’ll drive her crazy.”

  Emily also looked slightly dazed as she opened the door. They went in to find Laura and Jack more than ready to leave. In fact, they were getting a little desperate. Laura was in labor.

  She paused only long enough to ask Emily, “Did you have fun?” She looked long and hard at Emily and David before she whispered softly, “Aha . . .”

  Then she gasped as another pain hit. “Jack, we’re leaving, now.”

  The normally easygoing Jack turned pale and rushed Laura out the door.

  Emily’s mother came into the room and said, “I don’t like to tell tales out of school, Emie, but I think that girl may be pregnant. I’m almost sure of it. Do you think they’ll get married?”

  “They’ve been married for quite a while, Mom,” Emily told her gently. “I think you may have forgotten.”

  “Oh, yeah, I think I remember.” Mae smiled softly. “When’s the baby due?”

  “It seems to be due right about now, Mom,” Emily replied.

  David helped her make sure her parents were settled for the night, then he said goodbye and left. As he walked out the door he turned and said to Emily, “I had a great time tonight. I hope you did, too?”

  When Emily nodded wordlessly, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It was a soft gentle kiss, warm and friendly, not passionate but sweet. It also lasted a lot longer than the quick peck outside. Emily wished it would go on forever.

  Chapter Seven

  David and Nicole arrived on Emily’s doorstep early Saturday morning. Her pulse raced as she let them in. She took them into the living room and introduced Nikki to her parents.

  Nicole was a big hit with Emily’s father, who recognized her from pictures in Emily’s magazines. He was impressed and a little bit in awe that a famous model would ‘babysit’ for him and his wife, so that Emily could go out with David. Mae was a bit less welcoming, seeing Nicole as a rival for Pete’s affections. Soon enough though, Mae settled down. Nicole offered to play cards with her folks, and soon Emily was forgotten as a game of Texas Hold ‘Em got started.

  Emily was wearing the same jeans she’d worn to the horse show, but they’d been run through the laundry several times and had lost that brand new stiffness. Along with the jeans, she wore a hot pink knit top, sleeveless, with a scooped neck.

  “By the way, go upstairs and get your bathing suit. We’ll soak in the hot tub after our ride.” He looked into her soft brown eyes and teased, “Unless you’d like to go in without a suit?”

  “I’ll, ah, I’ll get my suit.” Emily turned for the stairs.

  “Get a change of clothes too, so you can shower before coming home,” David suggested. “That should prevent your dad’s allergies from bothering him.”

  Emily wondered what David would say if he realized that she was more aroused than flustered at the thought of being in a hot tub with a naked David. She went and got her backpack out of the closet and quickly packed the bathing suit and a change of clothes.

  She brought her backpack down to the living room and handed it to David. Then she took Nikki into the kitchen and explained her parents’ conditions and medications to her. She showed her where the phone number for the family doctor was, and Pete’s oncologist. Of course, Nicole already had David’s cell and home numbers.

  They said goodbye to Nicole and her folks and went outside. As they stood by the motorcycle, David held out a helmet for her. Wordlessly she took it, and put it on. David put the backpack and the lunch Emily had packed into a compartment on the back of the cycle then he got on, holding out his hand to Emily.

  Emily got on gingerly, sliding her leg over and fitting herself onto the seat behind David. Because of the trunk on the back of the seat, she really didn’t need to hold onto David, but she did. She was grateful for the chance to slide her arms around his waist in a gesture that both of them knew was more of an embrace than any attempt to maintain her place on the Harley. Her hands roamed gently along his ribs, exploring his body through his T-shirt.

  As she relaxed her hands lowered, coming to a rest on the zipper of his jeans. Suddenly she stiffened, quickly moving her hands up to a more respectable position alongside his waist.

  “Sorry,” she whispered, mortified.

  “Sorry?” David was incredulous, turning his head slightly as Emily leaned forward to
hear him say, “I was having the time of my life. You have my permission to put your hands on my, um, zipper any time you want to, on or off the bike.”

  He laughed as the cars whizzed past them then said, “But it’s probably safer if you do it when we’re not on the freeway.”

  “You . . . you man.” Emily cuffed him playfully on the shoulder. “Just drive the bike.”

  They pulled off the road onto David’s place. It was far enough outside town that he had room to keep several horses on his property. He stopped the bike at his house and they got off. Two dogs came out to greet then. A chubby Boston Terrier puppy and an Australian Shepard. David started to ask Emily if she was afraid of dogs, but held his tongue when he saw her reaction to them. She was laughing and petting them with such joy in her face that David was amazed. He had never seen Emily so happy.

  “I should have warned you I had two pathologically friendly dogs at home, but I take it you like dogs,” he commented.

  “I love dogs,” she grinned at him, “but you know my dad’s allergic to them. I never get to be near them in case he gets a reaction when I get home.”

  “We’ve got that covered this time,” David said, “so don’t worry.”

  He led her into the house, dogs following. They put the picnic lunch Emily had packed in the refrigerator. Then they walked hand in hand down to the barn.

  “David? Do I really have to ride?” Emily was getting nervous now as they approached the barn.

  “Relax, Emily. I guarantee you’ll have fun, and I won’t force you into anything you don’t want to do.” He paused then said, “Ever.”

  “Oh, I trust you, David, sort of.” She winked at him. “It’s the horses I don’t trust.”

  “How about if you climb up with me on Target for a few minutes and get a feel for the motion?” he suggested with a trace of a dare in his tone.

  “Will that be okay?” Emily asked wide-eyed. “After all, you must admit neither one of us is exactly a lightweight.”

  “Target’s a big, strong horse, and we won’t ride him double for very long, just long enough for you to relax.”

  “Okay, it sounds good to me,” Emily quipped bravely, “as long as it’s okay with Target.”

  She followed him into the small barn and watched as he put a halter on Target. He led the massive horse out of the stall, looped the rope over a fence, and began to groom him with a rubber curry comb in one hand and a soft brush in the other.

  “Can I help?” Emily asked.

  “Sure, you follow me with the soft brush and smooth his coat down.” He handed her the brush, explaining, “This is not just a beauty treatment, you know, when we groom a horse we also watch out for injuries like small cuts, swelling in his legs, insect bites, or just any tenderness.”

  “So it’s a health treatment, too.” She realized.

  “It sure is.” He showed her how to comb out the horse’s mane. “Although, this part is more cosmetic.”

  He showed her how he picked out the horse’s hooves, again pointing out how he watched for any small stones or anything else that could cause the horse to go lame. Finally he saddled the horse and led him out of the barn and into the arena. He threw the end of the lead rope over the horse’s neck and told her where to stand so that he could give her a leg up.

  “This time you ride in front and I’ll get up behind you. I’ll reach around you to hold the rope, unless you decide to do it,” he told her.

  Emily stood there nervously, but she was game. After telling her to bend her left leg back so that he could put his hands under her knee, he gave her a leg up. Then he grabbed the end of the rope and a handful of mane and easily swung up behind her onto Target’s massive hindquarters.

  “You okay?” he asked her.

  “Fine,” Emily said with a shaky voice, enjoying the feel of David’s strong legs on each side of her, and of his warm, hard body up against her buttocks. “So far so good.”

  David put Target into a slow steady walk around the arena. He turned the horse several times with just the rope to guide the animal.

  “How does it feel?” David asked with amusement in his voice as his hands rose quite a bit higher than her waist, almost up to her full breasts. “Do you like it better in front or in back?”

  “It feels great!” Emily was surprised. “This isn’t so scary after all!”

  She paused, savoring the feel of David’s hard body so close behind her, and the slow steady rock of Target’s walk. “I think I’ll have to try both positions several times before I can say which is better.” She giggled, just a little. “On the horse, I mean. I’m not sure I’ll ever want to drive the motorcycle.”

  Was she imagining it or was David getting awfully friendly with his hands? It was probably her imagination but she enjoyed the feeling of his hands so near her breasts.

  “I’m going to speed him up just a little to what we call a jog. It’s a very slow trot.” He stopped teasing her with his hands and put the horse into a jog.

  It was a very smooth gait for a well trained horse like Target. “A fast trot is rougher.”

  He showed her for just a few steps.

  “The next speed is a lope, which is basically a slow running gait.” He put the big horse into a lope and Emily was surprised to learn that it was a very smooth and pleasant gait to ride.

  He slowed the big horse back to a walk.

  “Normally, when you ride, you’d use a bridle to signal the horse when you wanted to turn or stop, but we’re in Target’s home arena with no distractions, and I know this old boy so well that I feel safe with just a halter on him,” David said out of the blue. “This old boy gets excited when you pull on the reins, he thinks it means something’s up. It’s like a call to action for him. With this halter he knows he can relax and be lazy. I decided to use it in case you decided to take over. Most new riders get nervous and pull on the horse’s mouth, which upsets almost any horse, but it really gets Target riled up.”

  He handed the lead rope to her. “Go on, you’re in charge.”

  She steered the horse around, following David’s directions on how to turn the horse.

  “This is great,” she gushed.

  “Okay, pull back and say ‘Whoa.’ Then ease up on the rope when he stops.” David waited while she did as he instructed. “You did real well. Even as a beginner, you don’t pull on him or fuss at him.”

  He slid off Target. “So take him around alone.”

  Emily was surprised but she did as he suggested. She rode the horse around for a few minutes practicing turns and stopping and starting under David’s expert tutelage. Then she followed his instructions and eased the horse into a jog. The gait she got out of the horse was not as smooth as the gait David had achieved, until following David’s instruction, she gently tugged the rope and sat back on the horse. Soon Target eased his way into the smooth as silk jog he’d been trained for.

  “I hate to say it but you’d better stop now or you’ll be so sore tomorrow you’ll hardly be able to walk.” David grinned. “People who don’t think horseback riding is exercise except, of course, for the horse, would be amazed after they rode the first time. If someone without experience stays on too long, they get saddle sore. If you get saddle sore it can be the most miserable feeling in the world.

  “Then thanks for not letting me stay on too long.” Emily smiled at him. “Who needs to feel miserable?”

  They brushed Target off quickly and put him in his stall. David showed her how to feed him a carrot without getting her fingers bitten off. They gave Nicole’s horse a few carrots, too. A third horse also got some. Then, hand in hand, they walked up to the house. David showed her where she could change into her bathing suit.

  “Bring me your clothes when you get your swimsuit on and I’ll wash them so you won’t have to worry abut your dad’s allergies acting up,” David told her.

  “But I brought clean clothes, remember?” she asked.

  “I know, but the clothes could still cause your
dad problems, so why don’t we keep them here and just use them for riding?” he suggested.

  “Good idea.” She smiled, but her pulse raced as she realized that he meant it.

  This was not just a ‘pity’ or a ‘one time only’ date; he planned to keep on seeing her! She hurried in to put the bathing suit on.

  When she emerged in her modest bathing suit, David was waiting for her. He put her clothes into the washing machine with enough of his to make a full load.

  They went out onto the deck and he handed her a tall glass of iced tea. “We still have to wait a few minutes before the water heats up.

  “Why don’t we swim?” she suggested.

  He had a pool, too.

  “If you’d like. I just thought the hot tub would be more therapeutic for muscles that just got some unaccustomed exercise.” David swallowed his tea. “Not that I mean you don’t exercise, but riding uses different muscles.”

  “You’d be right to think I don’t exercise,” she confessed ruefully. “It just seems like I’d have to exercise until hell freezes over to do myself any good.”

  “I’m not saying you have anything to change or that there’s anything wrong with you, but Nicole is studying to become a fitness instructor so that she can get out of modeling when she gets tired of it. She wants to open a special gym, just for people who are heavy enough to be embarrassed in a regular gym. The goals would be to get more active and fit, build strength and endurance, not necessarily to lose weight. Although, in many cases losing weight would be an added benefit, a bonus.” He paused. “She’d be glad to give you some pointers if you’d like. She also has partners, some of the make-up artists and fashion coordinators she works with, who want to work with the gym members and do makeovers to help them be more confident and at ease with themselves whether they lose weight or not. She thinks some of them wait until they lose weight to fix themselves up and that is just lost time to Nicole. She’d love to practice on you.”

  “Can I think it over?” Emily jumped into the deep end, savoring the lukewarm water. She swam a few laps the length of the pool then rested at the side.