A/N: I own nothing Twilight, only the plot in which I place the characters in…
The Claiming of Jacob Black
Ch. 2
"Yes, put in a few beers and extra water for Jake. Oh, and Jake asked if we would bring his red ice chest out when we came down, said he had something in it he wanted for later." She smiled at me, and it wasn't a smile I hadn't seen before. I knew that look, she was up to something. And she knew I hated surprises.
"Look, Bella relax, don't get so defensive. You know I would never invite someone here that I thought would hurt you. I just want you to be happy, to find your forever love." I just looked at her through narrowed eyes. Why couldn't people understand that I was ok being alone?
"What?" she asked with faked innocence as she threw her hands up in mock defense. She knew she had me.
But if it was one thing I learned from her over the years, it was this: I wasn't about to play her game.
We gathered up the coolers setting them on the floor outside the door. I stopped to put on my boots and sunglasses, grabbed my grey light-weight long sleeved flannel shirt and the smaller of the coolers and headed out to my truck so we didn't have to walk to the lower barns. It was only 6:30 in the morning, but it was already 80 degrees. It was going to be a long hot morning. I put the cooler and a bag of ice Esme had brought out placing them in the back of my truck and started back for Jake's cooler when Esme handed me a set of keys.
"Put the stuff in the black Dodge, it's Jake's truck. He wanted us to bring it down to the barn. You drive it, I'm not comfortable driving it and I am going to take the 4-wheeler so we have something to drive back if we need to in a hurry." I stopped and stared at her for a minute.
I knew it! I knew something was up. Oh sure, Jake just happened to want his truck down there and Esme just had to be the one to drive the 4-wheeler so that it left me with no other option but to drive Jake's truck. Perfect! What the hell was she trying to do to me? I didn't look and act desperate, did I? Why was it any time I tried to be nice, someone always took it as my being needy or desperate? I wasn't desperate! I closed my eyes and hung my head for a second and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly… gooos frah bahhh. This was not something I was going to let get to me. I'm not going to let it get to me. Nope, not gonna happen. We finished loading the coolers and ice and I opened the door to the truck. It smelled like vanilla and spice, and... I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, clearing my mind.
I was used to being alone.
I climbed up into the truck and sat there for a second to get myself settled. I closed my eyes and took another cleansing deep breath. The truck still smelled like new, the leather seats were not even broke in, not even a trace of dust on the dashboard. He must not have had the truck for very long, or he just never drove it anywhere. I reached for the steering wheel and wondered why I was suddenly reaching for it and the pedals. Great, a clutch transmission, I noticed.
Jake must be well over six feet tall for as far back as the seat was adjusted. My feet couldn't even reach the parking brake. I pulled the seat all the way forward so my short legs could reach the pedals and adjusted the mirrors, hoping he wouldn't get upset that he would have to readjust everything the next time he drove it. I wasn't tall by anyone's standards, but I wasn't really short either. I pushed the clutch in and started the truck. It purred beneath my hands, and I closed my eyes and moaned silently; I really liked this truck. "Jake sure has good taste in trucks," I murmured out loud appreciatively. I put it in reverse and backed out of the driveway, turning around and headed to the barn. I pulled into the open area not occupied by the tractor, parked it in the shade and got out to unload the coolers. Esme had parked the 4-wheeler under the nearest tree so it would remain in the shade until we were done for the day; she would give me a ride back to the house later so we could start an early dinner for the men.
Carlisle, dressed in dusty jeans, tattered black cowboy hat, blue long sleeved shirt, boots and a pair of well-worn chaps was standing at the bottom of the hay elevator watching a bale make the maiden voyage up into the barn. The man was never still. He was always busy doing something; tinkering with new tools, mending worn out horse tack, working in the shop, repairing the tractor or the combine or other farm equipment, running errands and checking on his neighbors often staying late to ensure their wellbeing. Everything he did was for a reason. You could never call the man lazy, it just wasn't in his nature. He was checking the belts and tensioner for issues before putting on a full load. He turned off the elevator when he saw us and motioned us over.
I finished putting the coolers in the shade so the ice wouldn't be completely melted before we were ready to for our drinks, grabbed my hat and gloves and made my way over.
"Ok, I want you girls to start with this stack here and just start by putting one bale at a time on the elevator. Now don't put more than three bales at a time on it or the motor will get too hot and we'll have to stop and wait for it to cool down. I will let you know when it's time to move it, or if you need to slow down. Jake is already up in the barn so I'm going to help him stack the bales in there." Carlisle threw a bale onto the elevator and climbed onto it, asking Esme to turn on the elevator, riding it to the top and jumped off before it tumbled off into the barn.
"Ok honey." Esme wasted no time and grabbed the nearest bale and tossed it onto the elevator. Putting my hat on and adjusting the cuff of my gloves I grabbed a hay hook and started pulling bales down so we could load them onto the elevator. I could hear the guys laughing and talking, but couldn't make out the direction or specifics of the conversation. Jake's laugh sounded very deep and throaty and I found myself liking the sound of it. I still hadn't seen what he looked like and admitted only to myself that I was a bit nervous about the prospect. But I wasn't going to let myself go there ;I was here to work and help these people as much as I could. I wasn't ready to let the walls surrounding my tortured heart down to a total stranger.
It was fine to be alone.
Esme and I worked in comfortable silence for a while, only speaking when it was time to move the elevator or pull more bales down. My job was to climb the bale stack and knock bales down then climb down and take turns with Esme putting them on the elevator.
We had run out of bales that were handy so I climbed up a short stack to pull more hay down from a nearby higher stack when I lost my footing and found myself waist deep in hay bales. I cried out in fright as I found myself falling. When I realized how I had landed I started laughing. I was hanging by my arms between bales of hay that were leaning precariously against another lop-sided stack yet to be stored in the barn. Though it really wasn't funny and my being in a dangerous position, I giggled as I pictured my feet dangling and some devilish cartoon character standing below me tickling them with a feather. I just couldn't shake the image from my mind for the moment.
"Bella! Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Esme scrambled up slowly, watching where she was putting her feet only to find me stuck between the bales. She laughed when she saw my predicament. "I swear Bella, only you could leave yourself hanging around. How'd you manage to get stuck? Are you sure you're ok? Can you climb out? Do you need help getting up?" Her questions were rapidly fired at me.
"Yes I'm fine Esme, just took a wrong step between the bales. Now I'm stuck, I can't get my feet under me to get purchase." I looked up at her and laughed. I told her about the vision I'd had and she just stared at me. "Just get me out of here. I don't feel like hanging around anymore." Esme laughed loudly as she realized I was physically fine, though she wasn't sure about my mental stability at the moment and tried pulling on my arms, but the angle in which she tried to pull me from wasn't healthy for either of us. She had almost slipped herself and I wasn't budging. We were both still laughing, tears running down our cheeks.
"What's the hold-up down there?" Carlisle stood at the top of the elevator looking over at us.
"Bella fell between the bales and is stuck, she can't climb out by herself and I can't pull her out." Esme replied still laughing as she put her hand over her face, shading her eyes as she looked at her husband. "Can you send Jake down to help her please? We need more muscle."
"I'm on it," came a voice from inside the barn.
I couldn't believe it, I hadn't even been outside for two hours and I had almost fallen through the stack. And I had to have help. From a man. A man I didn't know, whose voice oddly sent chills through my body. Why did I have to fall and get stuck? Dear Lord, are you in cahoots with Esme and Carlisle? If so, you don't play fair. I don't need a man in my life.
I was skilled at being alone.
I could hear Jake climbing the stack behind me and saw his longer shadow loom above my own. I couldn't turn around or I would have lost my grip and fallen between the bales to the ground, and that would have been far worse. I waited with my arms out to my sides holding me up balanced on the surrounding bales.
He stepped in front of me and bent down, his face next to mine, and grabbed under my arms locking his hands behind my back. "Put your arms around my neck and hold on tight, don't let go," he instructed. He was so close I could smell him. He smelled of hay, dust, sweat, and… man. Oh god, he smelled good. I hadn't smelled anything like him in so long. I opened my mouth to answer and suddenly found I had no use of my voice so I nodded my understanding.
"You ready?" he asked, the inflection on the word ready was not lost on me as he breathed softly in my ear.
Just the sound of his voice made my body shiver. My mind suddenly went into overdrive involving thoughts about a man I didn't even know. Oh mymymymymy. Was I ready? Boy was I ready. I found myself ready to run my hands over his broad shoulders, ready to feel his muscles flex beneath his beautiful tan skin. I wondered what he would taste like if I kissed his full lips and nipped at the pulse in his neck, working my way down his thickly muscled chest to the V just below…whoa Bella girl, take a step back from the testosterone oozing hunk and just walk away slowly. You don't need to be going there. Remember what happened the last time? Really? Are you so ready to go there? Yea, no, you don't need to go there again.
I was cool being alone.
Again, I couldn't seem to find my voice. I had never had problems speaking with members of the opposite sex; I had taken several presentation and speech classes in school and college that I could give an impromptu discourse on anything at any time. But for some unknown reason I couldn't make my mouth work. Perhaps it was a good thing I didn't say anything right away, I'm sure it would have come out freakishly obscene and inappropriate. I am sure it would have resulted in complete verbal vomit and I was humiliated enough as it was I didn't need to ad my two cents worth. But for some unknown reason at that very moment, my vocal chords decided to take a temporary leave of absence. Thank you god. That could have been really embarrassing.
As I felt his strong arms around me, I closed my eyes fleetingly and my voice suddenly decided to make a cameo appearance.
"Yea, I'm ready," I said into his neck, breathing him in as he started lifting me out. I couldn't really see his face; he was hidden by the halo of sun behind him. He stood slowly and pulled me up gently until I was face to face with him, my body flush with his and my arms still clutched tightly around his neck, my cheek pressed to his. I could feel his hard chest slide across mine as I slid ever so slowly down his front as he lowered me down to the bale he was standing on and held me close to his body so I could get my balance back. He held me a bit longer than I think he meant to.
"You always fall for guys you just met?" he asked, a hint of something in his eyes …humor? Desire? Lust?
I needed to be alone…right?
~*TCoJB*~
A/N: R&R please…
