Real Love Read online

  “Are you going to let a cheap floozy push you around?”

  Alicia began to sputter as she floundered for a response. Before she could say anything Sheri burst into laughter, causing both women to turn and look at her. “A floozy, you called Leann a floozy.”

  Sophia began to smile as Alicia started to giggle. “What she is is a sneaky bitch.”

  “Yes, she is, and since Rhea isn’t at all interested in her, you’re wasting your time getting all worked up over her,” Sophia reminded her.

  Alicia’s smile disappeared and her head dropped. “I know.”

  “Honey, I have a suggestion. Why don’t you, Sheri, and I have a movie night? We’ll kick Aug out of the television room and curl up in our pajamas and eat junk food.”

  “That sounds wonderful. I miss Rhea so much.”

  Sheri threw her arm around Alicia’s shoulders and squeezed. “I miss Ted, too.”

  “Come on, ladies. I’ll just bet that Alicia is going to get another call on the radio sometime tonight.”

  Sophia was right. They had just entered the house when August called Alicia to his study and handed her the radio. “Rhea wants to speak to you.”

  Alicia hugged August and took the radio from him.

  “Rhea, it’s Alicia, over.”

  “Honey, I needed to tell you Leann is here with her father, over.”

  “I know, over.”

  “I love you, over.”

  “I love you, hurry home, over.”

  “I will, over.”

  “Tell Leann I will shoot her if she touches you, over.”

  Rhea was laughing over the radio. “I will, over and out.”

  Alicia turned and found August grinning al her from the doorway. “You sound just like Sophia.”

  “I consider that a very high compliment.” Alicia grinned as she moved toward August.

  “You should, but I think you should take credit for your own strengths. You are a talented artist, a brilliant, articulate woman, and a valuable part of my family.”

  “Oh August, I love you.” Alicia burst into tears as he hugged her.

  “I love you. Now, stop your crying and go watch your girly movies. Leave me to my cigars and brandy.”

  CHAPTER 15

  The last ten days were the longest that Rhea had ever spent. Leann used every excuse in the book to be around Rhea. She was forever pressing her body against Rhea’s, making sexual comments, and reminding Rhea of their past. Rhea was not in the least bit attracted to the woman. In fact, she was completely disgusted with her behavior and the fact that at one time she had loved her. Rhea’s eyes were no longer blinded by love and she saw Leann for what she really was—a lonely, tragic woman who used her body try to control others.

  When they returned to the ranch, Ted and Rhea unsaddled their horses in the barn, brushing them, and bedding them down for the night. Alicia was up in her studio, unaware that they had returned. Sheri was on her way to pick Ted up to take him home. Rhea poked her head in to give her mother and father a hug before she went upstairs to the top floor to surprise her girlfriend. She wanted to peel her dirty clothes off, take a hot shower, and snuggle into bed with Alicia. She stood in the doorway for several minutes watching Alicia work. Alicia was wearing a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, her feet hooked around the legs of her chair, and she hummed happily as she worked. Rhea fell in love all over again as she stared at Alicia. She waited until Alicia’s pen was off the page before she spoke so as not to startle her.

  “Alicia.”

  “Rhea, you’re back!” She leaped up off of her chair and flung herself into Rhea’s arms. The kiss they shared was exquisite—slow, full, and incredibly moving. It went on and on.

  “Honey, I’m filthy. I need to get out of these clothes and take a shower and then I’d like to crawl in bed with you.”

  “That sounds perfect. Why don’t you go get out of your clothes, and I’ll finish up in here.”

  Rhea looked fondly at Alicia for a moment and then turned toward the bathroom. Alicia watched Rhea until she disappeared into the bathroom and recognized the tiredness in her walk. Alicia closed up her inks and quickly stored her pens, then followed her girlfriend into the bathroom. She smiled indulgently as she noticed the trail of clothes leading to the shower. On a good day Rhea wasn’t all that heat. Alicia gathered up the discarded clothes, her nose wrinkling at the smell as she stuffed them into the clothes hamper. She grabbed a large towel and went toward the shower. It wasn’t long before Rhea stepped out of the shower, her hair and body dripping with water. Alicia wrapped the towel around Rhea and drew her near, rubbing the water off her body. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s dry your hair and get you into bed.”

  Alicia hadn’t finished toweling Rhea’s hair before she fell into an exhausted sleep. She placed a kiss on Rhea’s cheek, covered her up, and left her sleeping while she went downstairs to get a cup of tea. Mommo was sitting at the kitchen table, her eyes closed. “Mommo, is everything okay?”

  “Yes, I was just resting.”

  “Why don’t you go home?”

  “I was just getting ready to. Can I get you anything?”

  “Nothing. Can I drive you home?”

  “No, Abo is outside waiting.”

  “Mommo, are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.”

  Alicia felt dissatisfied with that answer, and she approached Mommo and touched her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Mommo, you have a fever.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You wait here. I’m going to get a thermometer.” Alicia touched Mommo’s cheek. Alicia was one of the few people who could tell Mommo what to do because of the deep love in her heart for the wonderful woman.

  Within minutes Alicia was taking Mommo’s temperature. “You have a temperature of one hundred. You need to be in bed. I’m going to get Abo and make sure you go home and stay in bed.”

  There was no arguing with Alicia, and Abo was given strict instructions to put his mother to bed. Alicia would be over in the morning to check on her and she was not to come to work until Alicia said she could. Mommo’s smile was one of deep affection and love for Alicia as she and Abo pulled away from the house.

  Alicia gave up on the cup of ten and decided to crawl into bed with Rhea. She would get up early lo make sure Momnio was okay. She changed into her nightgown and slipped into bed next to her slumbering girlfriend. Rhea murmured in her sleep and rolled over until she was spooned against Alicia’s body, her arms around her waist.

  Rhea didn’t wake up until well after ten in the morning, and Alicia was nowhere to be found. She threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt before heading to the kitchen and was surprised to find her mother putting dishes away.

  “Hey, Mom, where’s Mommo?”

  “She’s home with what looks like a case of the flu. Alicia is over there taking care of her. I’m going to go stay with her after lunch until dinner time.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “I just spoke to Alicia, and she said Mommo is sleeping soundly. How are you, honey? You look like you could use another night’s sleep.”

  “I’m fine. You know what it’s like being out in the bush.”

  “I do. And how was Leann?” Sophia watched her daughter carefully.

  “Does everyone know she was there?” Rhea groaned as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

  “Of course, especially when, after talking to you on the CB, Alicia went out to the barn and tried to kick a hay bale apart.” Sophia grinned at her daughter.

  “She did?” Rhea chuckled. “She told me to tell Leann if she touched me she’d shoot her.”

  Sophia’s eyebrows rose and she smiled. “Good for her, even though we all know Alicia probably wouldn’t know what end of the gun to point at her.”

  “That isn’t the point, Mom.”

  “Give me some credit, honey.”

  “Alicia doesn’t need to worry about Leann. I realized on this trip that I don’t
even like Leann. She’s a very lonely, unhappy woman.”

  “Yes, she is, and she’s bound and determined to try and mess up your relationship.”

  “I know.”

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  “What can I do about it?”

  “End it.”

  “And how do I do that?”

  “I suggest that you and Alicia need to end it together.”

  “That helps.” Rhea rolled her eyes.

  Sophia patted her daughter on the hand. “You’ll figure it out.”

  CHAPTER 16

  “Honey, I missed you so much.”

  Rhea’s fingertips traversed Alicia’s naked body, traced her hipbone where the tattoo stood out, continued up along her ribs, and then touched her nipple. She had just spent the last hour making love to Alicia one inch at a time. They lay in the middle of their bed, their breathing returning to normal. Rhea couldn’t seem to stop touching Alicia and had been doing so ever since they had gotten into bed. Alicia had spent dinner time over at Mommo’s making sure she was comfortable and recuperating before Rhea picked her up to bring her home. Rhea had promised to come back in the morning to check on her.

  Once they were home, Rhea led Alicia upstairs where she had stashed a bottle of wine, some fruit and cheese and had lit candles all over the bedroom. She was going to make love to her partner all night long.

  “You know what I figured out on my trip last week?”

  “What, honey?” Alicia ran her hand down Rhea’s arm.

  “I realized that I feel very sorry for Leann. She uses her body to get attention because she’s lonely and doesn’t know how to love anyone. We are the lucky ones. We need to do one thing, though; we need to confront her together and let her know there’s no chance of ever getting between us. Then I’m going to marry you in front of God and everyone.”

  “I still want to shoot her,” Alicia commented as she ran her lips along Rhea’s shoulder.

  “That’s okay. I’ll give you more lessons with the gun so you can hit her.” Rhea leaned over and kissed Alicia lingeringly.

  Thoughts of Leann faded into the background because the next week was chaotic. Summer lightning storms wreaked havoc on the ranch. Flash flooding

  endangered the sheep and made travel difficult. Between the heat and the thunder, Alicia’s nerves were on edge. She found it impossible to work in her studio. She went over to the barn and went into the stall with her colt. She ran her hands over his back and neck to reassure him while she spoke quietly to keep him calm. He had been anxious because of all the storms. The whinny of a horse in pain caught her attention and she rushed over to another stall where a pregnant mare was stabled. Alicia could tell by the rolling eyes and nervous movements that the mare was very agitated. She ran back into the house calling for Sophia.

  “Sophia, I think Midnight Jewel is foaling.” Midnight Jewel was Sophia’s pride and joy. She was a beautiful dark sable, pure Arabian, with perfect conformation. Sophia had bred her with a full-blooded Arabian stallion of impeccable bloodlines and was expecting a very good foal.

  “I’m on my way.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Go back with Midnight and talk to her. Rub her neck and help her to relax. Foaling takes a long time.”

  “Okay.” Alicia ran out of the house as Sophia grinned at her back. Alicia had no clue that she’d become a rancher. This was Midnight’s first foaling, and Sophia was inordinately pleased that Alicia would be there. When it was time, she would turn over the management of her Arabians to Alicia. She would be excellent at it.

  Alicia would have fainted dead away if she had known what Sophia had planned. She’d never seen any animal give birth and she certainly didn’t know what to do with a prize Arabian mare. She entered the stall slowly and began whispering to Midnight as she stroked her neck.

  “There, there, baby, I’m here. You’re going to be just fine. You know what to do.” The horse whinnied softly as she nuzzled her head into Alicia’s shoulder. Alicia clasped the horse to her and stroked her hands down both sides of the mare’s neck over and over. She began to hum softly. Her actions seemed to soothe the mare, and Midnight ceased her restless movements and stood quietly against Alicia. Sophia watched in silence from outside the stall as Alicia worked her magic. And that’s what it was, a touch of horse magic. Mommo had told Sophia that Alicia had it and much more. Sophia believed in Mommo’s intuition.

  For four hours the two women took turns soothing the horse as she started to go through contractions and began to move around the stall again, impatient to deliver her foal. Rhea and August traded off bringing coffee and keeping the two women company as they waited for nature to take its course. At one-thirty in the morning, Midnight delivered a perfectly formed stallion, the deepest darkest brown Alicia had ever seen. Both she and Sophia shed tears of relief as the foal slid from his mother. Midnight cleaned her baby up and for the next hour they watched as the young foal struggled to his feet, his spindly legs weak and unsure. When he was successfully enjoying his first meal, they called it a night and headed back to the house. August was waiting in the kitchen with Rhea and listened attentively as Alicia excitedly told them about the birth.

  “He stood right up on his legs and wobbled for a bit then went right to his mom. He’s gorgeous.”

  “Yes, he is, but I’m not. I’m filthy. I’m going to go take a shower and go to bed. We can check on the foal in the morning. He and mom will be fine,” Sophia sighed as she leaned against her husband.

  Alicia looked down at herself and was surprised to find her clothes covered with blood and grime. She’d helped to deliver a horse! Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at Rhea, Sophia, and August. “I can’t believe I helped deliver a foal.”

  Rhea felt love deep in her heart as she looked down at her exhausted, filthy, yet excited lover. “Yes, you did. Now, let’s go get you cleaned up and into bed.”

  Alicia allowed Rhea to lead her out of the kitchen as she chattered away. “Rhea, it was amazing when he slid from his mother, and he is so beautiful.”

  Sophia and her husband shared a meaningful look as Alicia’s voice drifted away. “She could have delivered the horse without me.”

  “She still doesn’t see herself as belonging here.” August commented as he pulled his wife into his arms.

  “I know. I’m not sure what we can do to make that happen.”

  “She’ll figure it out when the time is right.”

  “I know you’ve never been able to understand Rhea being a lesbian, but if I had to choose someone exactly right for her it would be Alicia.”

  “I love her too, Sophia.”

  “I know you do. What do you say about giving me a backrub after I take a shower? I’m getting too old to deliver horses.”

  “Old my eye, I’ll give you a backrub.” The gleam in August’s eyes let Sophia know he had much more in mind than a backrub. They may have been getting on in years, but he never tired of making love with his wife. And she would always desire her husband’s touch.

  CHAPTER 17

  Alicia was lying on the chaise lounge after taking a swim with Sophia. Sheri was sitting next to her reading a book and relaxing. The three of them were spending a lot of time together due to the fact that the weather had unleashed heavy storms that were devastating the ranch lands. Ted and Rhea had been gone for four days moving sheep and repairing washed out roads and fences. August was involved with his freight company that was flying emergency goods into remote regions to help small towns and villages deal with the flooding.

  Alicia and Sophia were handling the emergency communications among August, Ted, and Rhea, as well as managing the day-to-day ranch activities. They were tending to the horses and all the rest of the animals. Most of the ranch hands were out assisting flood victims. The radio crackled at Alicia’s side.

  “Cameron Ranch, over.”

  “Alicia, Ted here. Rhea and I are heading over to the Riley ranch. Gus
has been injured, over.”

  “How badly, over?”

  “Don’t know. He’s trapped by an overturned jeep, over.”

  “What do you need, over?”

  “Nothing. Will contact you later, over.”

  “Okay, here’s Sheri, over.”

  After a brief love you, Sheri disconnected from her husband. To conserve battery life, Ted used the radio sparingly. They carried spares, but they couldn’t predict how long their trip would be so all conversations were kept brief.

  “I hope Gus is okay. He’s not a young man,” Sophia commented.

  “I hope so, too. He doesn’t have much help running his place.” Sheri knew Gus very well.

  “Isn’t that Leann’s father?”

  “Yes, and she’s his only child. Gus always hoped that she would marry someone who could take over handling the ranch.” Sophia’s face showed her dislike of Leann.

  Alicia snorted and sat up. “If Leann had been smart she would have married Rhea.”

  Sophia’s stunned look and Sheri’s surprised expression brought a quick grin to Alicia’s lips. Sheri laughed as she responded, “We all know that isn’t going to happen.”

  Alicia sighed and relaxed in her chair. “I really don’t like that woman.”

  Rhea wasn’t too pleased with Leann either. “Ted, she got us all the way over here to find out Gus just wrenched his ankle. We should be out helping other victims instead of hand-holding Leann.”

  Ted was equally disgusted, but there wasn’t much they could do about it. It was after one in the morning and he wouldn’t mind sleeping in a bed for the night. “Rhea, we’ll get out of here tomorrow morning. I need to get home and see my wife.”

  “I understand that feeling. I’ll meet you downstairs at five.”

  “Get some rest, sis.”

  “Same to you, Ted. You look like hell.”

  “Have you looked in a mirror?” Ted grinned at his sister. They hadn’t seen a shower in three days.