Cherishing Mrs. Right Read online

  woman’s prerogative, you know?” She let out a

  laugh and then with her foot she shut the door.

  Cody lay across the bed studying the ceiling. He

  could hear the shower running, and he knew just

  steps away she was naked and wet. He moistened his

  mouth. He’d never had a connection with any woman

  as strong as this except one other time. He could

  hardly mention her name, the hurt was so deep. He

  closed his eyes and was about to drift off to sleep

  when the bathroom door flew open.

  “There’s a cockroach the size of a small pet on

  the wall in there!”

  Cody jumped off the bed. He entered the

  bathroom. He slid his boot off and hit the large, ugly

  insect. Darla could hear the crunching sound against

  the tile.

  “If that truck isn’t repaired by tomorrow, I’m

  getting a ride to the nearest bus station,” Darla said.

  Cody frowned. Then he pursed his lips. “That’s

  not a bad idea, really.”

  * * *

  After a breakfast of water and M&M’S, the

  couple headed across the street to get an update

  regarding the repairs to the truck. They found the

  driver–mechanic–store clerk, under the hood,

  pounding away. Cody and Darla exchanged worried

  looks then Cody approached the mechanic.

  “Good morning.”

  A grunt came from the man.

  “How are we progressing with the repairs?”

  The man threw a tool in the toolbox making a

  loud thud of metal hitting metal.

  “We’re anxious to get on the road,” Cody said.

  The man stood up and with piercing eyes and

  squared jaw looked at Darla first then Cody. “I told

  you that I would let you know when I was finished.

  I’m not done yet.”

  Cody shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

  He clenched his teeth and swallowed hard, trying to

  figure out what he could say without making this big

  guy angry.

  “Where’s the nearest Greyhound bus stop?”

  Darla’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe her

  ears. He really listened to her last night.

  The big guy furrowed his brows. “About a

  twenty-minute drive from here.”

  “Can you give us a lift to it? I’ll pick up my truck

  later. We have somewhere to be.”

  The guy slowly made his way around the truck

  looking it over as if he’d just saw it for the first time.

  Cody and Darla exchanged a puzzled look. They

  didn’t know what to think or expect for that matter.

  “It’ll cost you to keep the truck parked here after

  it’s repaired.”

  Cody angled his head. “Really? How much

  exactly?”

  “Fifty dollars a day.”

  “Fifty dollars a day! That’s highway robbery.”

  Darla walked up to Cody and placed her arm in

  his. “But we’ll do it.”

  Cody pulled his arm out from hers. He glared at

  her studying her face, looking for some answer as to

  why she accepted this outlandish offer.

  “Under one condition—there has to be a cap on

  it. I need for you to tell me right now how long it’s

  going to take you to fix this, and then I’ll let you

  know when we’ll be picking it up,” she said, glaring

  at the man.

  The man balled up his fists. Cody watched his

  every move. “I’ll have it fixed by the end of the

  week. It needs parts.”

  “Excuse us just for a moment,” Darla said,

  leading Cody by the arm away from the big guy so

  she could have a word with him in private.

  “What are you doing?” he whispered through

  clenched teeth.

  “I can’t stay here at Bates Motel another night.

  Let’s find a place up the road. A bigger town, a nicer

  hotel—anything but here. We’ll give him the time he

  needs, take the bus back here and pick up the truck.

  And … we’ll get a highway patrolman to come with

  us.”

  Cody nodded as he listened to her plan. “Okay.

  Now where are we going to go?”

  “Get your phone out and let’s find a destination.”

  Cody dug into his pocket and retrieved his phone.

  The best he could tell from Google maps was that

  they were about two hours from Charleston.

  “The best I can tell is that we are off of the main

  interstate, and we need to get back on track. I say we

  head to Charleston. I’ll pay for transport to pick up

  the truck when it’s repaired. I’m not coming back to

  this place unless I have to.”

  Darla grimaced. “I agree. Let’s head to

  Charleston. I hear it’s a beautiful city.”

  “First things first—let’s get on the bus.”

  Cody headed over to where the scary guy stood.

  “Okay. We have a plan. You take us to the bus stop.

  I’ll send someone to pick up the truck. How much do

  you want to drive us there?”

  The guy scratched his head. Then he ran his hand

  over his face. He took one finger and wiggled it

  around his ear. Cody and Darla watched on in

  disgust. He looked Cody squarely in the eyes. “Fifty

  dollars.”

  “We’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” Cody said,

  grabbing Darla by the arm and escorting her back

  across the street.

  “You get the luggage ready and I’ll go check us

  out at the front desk. Meet you back here in ten

  minutes,” Cody said, releasing her arm and rushing

  toward the office door.

  Darla watched as he dashed off then she put the

  key in the door and let herself into the room. She

  tossed a couple of loose items into her suitcase and

  struggled with the baggage as she headed out front to

  wait for Cody. Her heart was racing a mile a minute.

  She was anxious to get the heck out of this place.

  Cody and Darla headed back over to the gas

  station for what they’d hoped would be the last time

  ever. Cody reached for his wallet and took out the

  cash. He handed it over to the big guy and then he

  and Darla went to the tow truck and waited for the

  guy to follow. Cody looked back once and saw that

  he hadn’t moved a muscle.

  “We’ll be sitting in the truck ready when you

  are,” Cody yelled back.

  The ride to the bus stop was eerie. Darla couldn’t

  wait to be out of the clutches of this crazy situation.

  Just as the man had estimated it to be, they arrived at

  the bus stop in twenty minutes. Darla about fell out

  of the truck trying to escape the inside of the foul

  smelling cab.

  Cody looked at his watch. “According to the

  schedule here, the bus should be arriving in about

  thirty minutes. You might as well get comfortable.”

  Darla sat on her suitcase and looked at her

  fingernails. Then she stood up and walked around a

  bit. She reached down and picked up a rock. She

  rolled it around in her hand for a few seconds and

  then tossed it into the field nearby. She sat back


  down on the suitcase.

  “Boy, you sure now how to make life fun,” she

  said.

  Cody shot her a look. “Fun? You call this fun?”

  He sat down on the top of his suitcase next to her.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It is kind of scary out

  here,” Cody said.

  Darla reached over and lightly touched his leg.

  She could feel the muscles under his jeans and the

  chemistry she felt was terrifying. She looked up, and

  he was still as ever, watching her intently, wondering

  what her next move would be. He liked this girl. This

  little hippy girl from all over. He took his hand and

  laid it on top of hers. He laced his fingers with hers,

  and she gripped his hand and gently pulled it toward

  her. He leaned forward focusing on her sensual

  mouth as he did. He gently kissed her, feeling the

  smoothness of her lips. He reached up and brushed

  his hand through her golden locks, causing her to let

  out a small moan. He slid his hand down her back,

  landing just at the bottom of her waist where her hips

  began. In the distance, they both could hear a large

  vehicle making its way toward them. He opened one

  eye to see what it was. He quickly released the kiss

  and stiffened his back. “The bus. It’s the bus,” he

  said standing up, pulling Darla up with him.

  “Charleston, here we come,” she said as she put

  her arms around his lean, tight body.

  Chapter Eleven

  

  The bus pulled into the stop in downtown

  Charleston. Cody rubbed his eyes and tried hard to

  see the hands on his watch in the darkness. He

  rubbed them again. He gently shook Darla. “It’s two

  o’clock and we’re in Charleston,” he whispered.

  Darla stretched while seated and then peered

  around the seat in front of her to see if folks were

  getting off. She could hear people yawning, belching,

  and making all kinds of interesting noises after

  several hours asleep on a bus. Soon the rustling

  sounds of passengers getting up and retrieving their

  luggage filled the bus, and Cody and Darla were

  soon standing on yet another strange sidewalk.

  Cody pulled Darla close. “Why is it that all the

  Greyhound stations are in the seedy part of town?

  Stay close,” he said.

  Darla shook her head. “You think this is seedy?

  What do you think about creepsville we just left?”

  Cody smiled. “Yeah, that was creepy all right.”

  Cody took out his cell phone and used his Uber

  app to contact a ride. While the two waited for the

  car and driver, Cody and Darla took a seat inside the

  station. Besides the clerk behind the counter, there

  were three young women with children, one big

  stocky guy, and an elderly couple. Darla and Cody

  settled into their seats. Darla began flipping through

  a magazine that someone had left behind, while Cody

  kept watch all around them. Darla could see his

  former Marine training in full motion. He was

  scanning all directions like the speed of light. She

  felt safe when she was with him. The safest she’d

  been in a long time. She knew she had to come clean

  with Cody. He had a right to know about her past

  even if they didn’t have a future.

  “Here’s our car,” Cody said, standing up and

  grabbing both suitcases he headed for the door.

  Cody shook hands with the driver and then

  helped Darla into the backseat. “Where are we

  going?” the driver asked as he pulled away from the

  curb.

  Cody leaned over and said something to the

  driver, but Darla couldn’t really make it out. She

  didn’t care as long as it was clean and in a safe area.

  After about twenty minutes or so, the car pulled

  up in front of a huge house painted a beautiful

  seashell pink with white trim. Darla could hear the

  waves hitting the seawall across the street. The moon

  lit up the sky, and she could see the reflection of the

  water along the Charleston Battery.

  “This is beautiful. It’s breathtaking,” she said,

  pulling her suitcase along the sidewalk. Cody was

  looking at his phone. “Yep, this is it,” he said.

  Cody and Darla walked up the several stairs that

  led them to the front door. Cody entered some code,

  and the door opened.

  Darla stopped dead in her tracks. “I said I

  wouldn’t question anything about this as long as I

  had a clean and safe environment. This is clearly

  more than I’d hoped for. Are you going to let me in

  on the secret?”

  Cody laughed. “Secret? What secret? I have

  friends, is all.”

  Darla scrunched her face up and creased her

  brows. “Friends? You have a friend that owns this

  mansion?”

  “Gabe. Gabe owns it. I called him when you were

  throwing one of your hissy fits.”

  Darla opened her mouth to speak then she

  quickly closed it. “Gabe Mandeni?”

  Cody nodded. “The one and only.”

  Darla rushed into the house making sure she

  slipped her shoes off before going too far.

  Darla quickly noticed the décor as being

  French—cream colored fabrics with colorful throw

  pillows, and soft color area rugs over dark wood

  floors. Drapes in bright golds and reds adorned the

  large windows. She let out a sigh. “This is so

  beautiful,” she said as she walked through the house

  to the kitchen.

  Cody followed her, dropping their bags at the

  foot of the curved staircase.

  Darla opened the fridge and peered inside. “It’s

  fully stocked,” she said.

  “Gabe thinks of everything,” Cody said, pulling

  out a chair and sitting down.

  “I have to check out the upstairs,” Darla said,

  flying past Cody and running down the hallway.

  Cody didn’t move a muscle. He was exhausted

  and wondered where she got all her energy.

  A few minutes later Darla joined Cody, who had

  moved to the sitting room. He had his feet propped

  up on the glass coffee table. He flashed her a wide

  smile and waited for her to tell him all about the rest

  of the house.

  “I’ll take the room with the lavender bedding.

  You should take the one with the blue French toile.

  They even have chandeliers in all the bedrooms,” she

  said, plopping down next to Cody.

  “I need to contact Gabe and let him know we’ve

  arrived, but it’s too early. I’ll wait until after

  breakfast. I say we get a few hours of shut-eye and

  then re-evaluate our strategy.”

  “I’m too keyed up to sleep. I need to meditate a

  bit, maybe watch a little TV or read. I bet they have a

  library just full of books,” she said getting back up

  from the couch.

  Cody furrowed his brows. “Well, I won’t have

  any trouble sleeping.” He got up and stretched a bit.

  “Where’s this blue French room you
want me to

  sleep in?”

  “It’s the second room on the right. Sleep tight.”

  Cody creased his brows. He started to say

  something to her but just like that she was gone.

  After a long hot shower, Cody fell into bed. He’d

  been asleep for what he thought was a long time

  when she startled him. “Cody. Wake up.”

  Cody opened his eyes and propped himself up

  against the headboard. “What is it?”

  Darla sat on the bed. “I’m scared. Can I sleep

  with you?”

  Cody’s eyes widened. “Sleep with me? Here?

  Together?”

  Darla walked around to the other side of the bed

  and peeled the covers back and slid in under the

  warm duvet cover. She pulled it up to her neck and

  casually looked over at Cody. Cody was speechless.

  He’d never had a woman be so direct with what she

  wanted. He didn’t quite know how to handle her. He

  turned toward her and propped his head on one

  elbow. He focused on her face, but he always ended

  up really focusing on her mouth. It was perfect.

  Darla arched her eyebrows. “What?” she asked.

  Cody swallowed hard. He moistened his lips with

  his tongue. He didn’t know why Darla confused him

  so much, but she did.

  “Why are you scared?”

  “I don’t know, but I am.”

  “I’m right next door. We’re in a mansion for

  Pete’s sake. I haven’t let anything happen to you thus

  far, have I?” He looked at her longingly, wanting to

  just grab her cheeks and plant a big wet kiss on her

  mouth. Her perfect mouth.

  “I feel safe with you. No matter where we are. I

  just wanted to be close to you,” she said, batting her

  long lashes.

  Cody felt the strong need to pull her close into

  his arms. He wondered if she would go along with it.

  After all, it was her idea to get into his bed.

  He took his free hand and reached out to her, but

  not quite able to touch her. She looked at his hand

  and scooted a few inches closer, then turned her body

  toward him. Now they were facing each other, and