Chapter 20
------Internet troubles, computer troubles, got this installment up. Hope you like it, hope it makes sense and thanks for the input!
After Matt dropped his gun and put his hands up, he watched the deputies approach them. The other men still lay on the ground and they stared at the deputies as well.
"What's going on here," one of the deputies asked.
"They tried to attack me," C.J. said, "It's too bad that men feel they can prey on women."
"She's lying," one of the men on the ground said.
"Ms Parsons…"
"You know who I am," she said.
One deputy nodded.
"Yes we do," he said, "You were arrested just yesterday. You're on the 'watch' list."
"There were no charges filed," she said, "I haven't done anything wrong to warrant being on any list."
"Maam , that's up for the sheriff to decide," he said.
"That's the problem," C.J. grumbled.
The deputy turned to Matt.
"Why were you in the park?"
C.J. put her hands on her hips.
"He was with me of course," she said, "When are you going to ask these two men what they were doing here?"
"We'll get to them," the deputy said, "Now were you in the park together?"
"Yeah…we were just taking a walk," C.J. said, "We're on a date."
Matt looked over from the deputy towards C.J as she spun her account.
"See, we spent the night at the movies which let out not too long ago and we were just having a post-movie walk in the moonlight before heading back but then we're accosted by these men."
"They attacked us," one man said.
"We just defended ourselves," C.J. said, "We got the better of them quickly enough as you can see."
"Ms Parsons," one deputy said, "You are treading on very thin ice in this town."
"I think that's been the case since I got here," she said.
"Don't be smart with us," he said.
Matt looked at the deputy.
"Look, we told you our story," he said, "Are you going to let us go or are you taking us to jail?"
The deputy raised his hand.
"Right now, we're still trying to sort through everyone's stories."
"Because we'd really like to resume our stroll through the park if you don't mind. You know how it is when you're with an attractive woman."
The deputies looked at each other and one of them pulled his collar uncomfortably. C.J. looked at Matt who winked at her.
"We'll let you go back to whatever it was you were doing after we question everyone to sort this out."
The deputy turned to the men on the ground.
"Come on, get up," he said, "We're going to have to take you in for questioning."
C.J. looked at Matt. The deputy looked at both of them.
"You two are free to go," he said, "But keep out of trouble while you're in town or we will be taking you in."
They looked at the deputy and nodded as he and his partner led the two men towards their squad cars.
"He's not handcuffing them," C.J. said.
"That's because he's out here doing damage control," Matt said, "Right now they're going back to what passes for a station and getting reprimanded by Daniels before he cuts them loose."
She grimaced.
"You're probably right."
"Nice cover story, Parsons."
She shrugged.
"I hope I didn't come on too strong with the date part but..."
"You didn't want to compromise your source."
She nodded.
"Yeah, I don't want anyone else to get hurt."
He looked at her.
"Actually that was my favorite part of your story."
"It's kind of true," she said.
"Definitely."
He moved some hair off of her face with his fingers.
"Are you okay," he asked.
She looked up at him.
"Fine, thanks," she said, then looked at his jaw. "Oh my, what happened?"
"I got slammed by something," Matt said, "It doesn't hurt very much."'
C.J. touched it gently.
"I think it's getting swollen," she said, "I got to get you some ice at the diner."
"I'm fine," he said, "Some night out isn't it?"
She laughed.
"Just the usual drama since I've gotten here," she said, "Much better company to share it with."
He smiled.
"Things can only improve from here," he said.
"I don't know," she said, "I've really enjoyed tonight so far."
"So have I."
She took his hand and interlinked her fingers in his.
"That jaw needs attention."
"It's okay," he said, "What did the mysterious stranger give you this time?"
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," she said, reaching into her jacket, "This envelope."
"What's inside?"
"We'll see at the diner…after you get some ice on that jaw."
They entered the diner and saw Carter and Butterfly sitting, eating banana splits. When Butterfly saw them, she jumped up to greet them.
"What happened to your face?"
"It looks worse than it feels," Matt said.
"Did you run into those creeps again," Butterfly asked.
Matt and C.J. looked at each other.
"He's fine," C.J. said, "The police took the men into custody this time."
"It looks awful," Butterfly said, after taking a closer look.
"We need to get him some ice," C.J. said, walking to the counter and talked to a young man who returned with some ice cubes wrapped in a towel. Matt placed it gingerly over his jaw.
C.J. sat at a table after ordering a milk shake and opened up the envelope. She spread out the papers that had been inside of it.
"Look," she said, "A list of surveys that were ordered of some of the properties."
Matt joined her and looked at the documents.
"Geological?"
She nodded.
"I wonder what they found," she said, "It must have been something involving those properties back East for their values to go up enough to be worth the effort to flip them."
"Maybe mineral deposits?"
"That's a possibility," she said, replacing the documents back in the envelope.
"I wonder what kind," he said, "It has to be something that they believe is worth hurting people over."
They looked up and saw Sydney entering the diner. She walked over to their table.
"I heard there was some commotion at the park," she said.
C.J. shrugged.
"Not much happened."
Sydney crossed her arms.
"That's not what the deputies said," she said, "They said there was an altercation."
"How long did it take for them to release those two men," C.J. said.
"They were released on their own recognizance a few minutes ago."
"Of course."
"What happened to him," Sydney said.
"He got knocked off his feet," C.J. said, "When he came to my rescue. What a brave man but as usual, very modest."
"Really," Sydney said, "I think this will be worth hearing."
"Yeah, that's right," C.J. said, "You're doing that profile on him, aren't you?"
"Maybe, but he actually has to stick around long enough to be interviewed."
C.J. looked at Matt still nursing his jaw.
"Have you been playing hard to get with the reporter?"
"I've been very busy," Matt said, putting the ice down, "You've kept me very busy."
"I'm sorry," C.J. said, "I had no idea. If you want to talk to her, don't let me stand in your way."
"So you're okay with this," Sydney said, "You know, my reputation in this town as a man killer is way overblown."
C.J. finished up her shake, spooning out the last bit of ice cream.
"Sure, just as long as I get him back when you're done with your interviewing because I really need his services…on this case."
Matt looked at her and then nodded.
"We've got a lot of work to do."
Sydney looked from one to the other.
"I can see that," she said, "I'll get back in touch with you later. Do you mind if I bring a photographer to do some shots for the article?"
"No, I don't mind," he said, looking at C.J. who suppressed her laughter.
Sydney got up and walked out. Matt gave C.J. a look after the reporter had left.
"C.J., what's so funny?"
She chuckled.
"You," she said, "Here you have this opportunity to be featured in the newspaper and you're acting like you're getting a root canal."
"You know how I feel about the media."
"Yeah I do," she said, "But this sounds like it should be fun."
"To be viewed as a sex object," Matt said, "How would you feel…"
"Houston, you're a very attractive man," C.J. said, "And many women do consider you sexy or so I've heard..and… read."
Matt held back a smile.
"What about you?"
She looked back at him.
"Me? What do I have to do with it?"
"Because you're the one who matters," he said.
He watched the blush creep up into her cheeks.
"Well…yeah…That's a loaded question."
He leaned forward.
"How so?"
Matt watched her face as she thought about it. He loved watching her mind work.
"Because answering it makes me feel both exhilarated and scared at the same time."
"Okay," he said, "But what's your answer?"
She paused.
"I think you're very sexy…and very sure of yourself."
He nodded, digesting that. She looked back at him, furrowing her brow.
"What do you think about me?"
He gave her a long look, his eyes inscrutable. He knew his answer mattered but he also knew it was simple.
"I'd rather show you," he said.
She slowly smiled despite herself. He loved the color in her cheeks.
"I don't think the world's ready for that."
"You'd be surprised what the world can take," he said, "But they sure don't come more incredibly...."
Butterfly walked up to them.
"Is he going to be okay?"
They both looked at her.
"Sure," C.J. said, "But we're going to head on back."
The four of them left the diner and walked to the car. While driving, C.J. looked back several times to make sure no vehicles followed them. Matt looked also but the road appeared deserted. Butterfly's focus remained on the movie.
"That was the coolest movie," Butterfly said.
"Who won," Matt asked, "The vampires or the undead?"
Butterfly looked surprised.
"You didn't know," she said, "It was pretty obvious that they formed an alliance against the werewolf pack."
Matt nodded.
"They were the ones with all that hair, right?"
"Well, yes," Butterfly said, "And they have incredible strength and speed."
"Lon Chaney, eat your heart out," C.J. said, "What did you think about it Carter?"
"Very good film, Maam," he said, "But my favorite movies are westerns."
C.J. looked at Matt.
"I guess someone shares your good taste in cinema. There's hope for the world yet."
Matt sat at the breakfast table eating his omelet slowly.
"Does it still hurt," C.J. asked as she sat down next to him.
"Not much," he said.
"It looks better than last night," she said.
"Speaking of which, I had a great time."
"Yeah, me too," she said.
"So do you want to try it again sometime?"
She nodded.
"Maybe," she said,"I'll let you pick the movie next time."
"The movie's not important," he said, "It's all in who you sit and enjoy it with."
"I'll keep that in mind," she said.
"What's up today?"
"To start with, I'm making the final additions to the documents so I'll be ready to send them off to Denver and then I'm going out riding."
"Want company?"
She smiled.
"Are you sure you can handle it." She said, "I might be going up in the mountains."
"You implying I can't keep up with you?"
"No, you ride…well, but this is rugged country."
He cocked his head.
"I'll bet you that I'll not only keep up, I'll set the pace."
She laughed.
"You're on."
They headed out across the meadows and up the windy mountain trail. Matt looked around at the forest which bordered each side of the rocky path.
"It looks so much different than the last time we rode together."
She nodded soberly. Back then, it had been winter and she and Matt were returning to the ranch with a badly injured Jed who had been shot by a hit man who had been after C.J.
"I think I like summer here a whole lot better than winter," C.J. said, "The trees are lovely and the flowers…"
"Smells really good," Matt said.
They rode up to the top of one of the smaller mountains and looked up over the valley below them that stretched all the way to the horizon.
"It's so beautiful," C.J. said. She dismounted and led Sienna to a tree to tie her up. She went to her saddlebag and pulled out some water. Matt followed her to where they sat on some rocks overseeing the view.
"I used to come up here all the time after Frisco when he escaped," she said, "Once, we just barely beat a snow storm back. The weather can turn on you quickly here."
"Would you ever like to live in a place like this one?"
C.J. grew thoughtful.
"Yeah, maybe," she said, "I do love it here. The people are so nice, Thea, Jed and Bonnie."
She looked up at him.
"They saved my life."
He took her hand in his and removed her glove. He began stroking her hand which she loved. She closed her eyes and enjoyed it.
"I'm really glad they did."
"Thea's been like a mother to me, I never really had one and never knew how much I needed one," she said, "And Jed, helped me a great deal on the ranch when everything was so confusing. And Bonnie…"
She grew silent.
"What," he asked.
She took a deep breath.
"I first met her when I went into her store the first time," she said, "I'd been up and around after being so sick for a couple of weeks. I drove to town to get some groceries and something else that I needed…"
"What was that," he said.
"A pregnancy test."
His eyes widened a bit. She watched his face and what she saw there allowed her to continue.
"I didn't want to tell anyone because I didn't want to answer any questions about why I needed one so I went to town and Bonnie, she helped me…I think she thought for a long time I had run away from an abusive husband or boyfriend and it was easier and safer to just let her believe that."
He nodded.
"Were you…"
She shook her head.
"Oh no," she said, "It was negative. I remember feeling so relieved about that. I guess I just needed to know."
He watched the expression on her face change.
"I don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been but I never had to find out."
"Did you ever tell anyone about this," Matt asked.
She looked pensive, then shook her head.
"No, I never did," she said, "I'm not sure why I just told you except I really want you to understand why I took this case, as crazy as it's turning out. It's just because the people involved mean an awful lot to me."
He slipped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.
"I'm glad you told me," he said, "You shouldn't have to keep all that inside of you."
She shrugged.
"There's so much sometimes, and I just want to get on with my life. It's like being two different people."
"I think you're doing really well."
She stood up and brushed off her pants.
"That's all I can do and I love my new career, and living near my friends, pursue my dreams" she said, "I just miss seeing you."
"I'm here now."
She smiled as she walked back to Sienna and got back in the saddle.
"Let's go down to the lake," she said.
He nodded.
"Will we be going out in a boat?"
She looked at him, raising her brow.
"Yeah right."
They rode down the mountain trail towards the lake and when they hit the open mountain, C.J. galloped off with Matt in pursuit. Both doing what they loved best, riding fast horses across an endless meadow with the wind on their back and the sun overhead.
"So there's lot of fish in there," Matt asked as they walked alongside its banks.
"Trout galore," C.J. said, "Butterfly and Carter caught that dinner we ate and I did some fishing when I first got here. I just haven't had the time since."
"I can't think of anything more relaxing, which we both need to do because we've been so busy."
"Busy getting into trouble," she said, "And getting a little banged up in the process."
"In other words, life as usual."
She smiled, walking back to her horse.
"I've got some lunch supplies in the saddle bag," she said.
His eyebrows raised.
"So do I."
They each began pulling items out of their saddlebags and grinned as they saw that at least they had picked well. She brought sandwiches and potato salad. He brought wine. She was about to set the blanket out but then they both noticed the sky had darkened around them. A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.
"Maybe we better move this picnic elsewhere," Matt said.
C.J. brightened.
"I know a place," she said, as they packed up their bags, got on their horses and rode off just as the sky began to open up and the rain came down.
They stood in the barn, where they had retreated to from the sudden downpour that was so common during late summer afternoons in Colorado. She smiled as he moved their picnic indoors up in the hayloft. He spread the blanket out and piled the food and the wine on top of it, setting a place for each of them while she watched.
"Are you ready to enjoy the spread," he asked when he had finished.
At first she wouldn't look at him, then she did and he was surprised and dismayed to see tears threaten in her eyes. He reached over to brush them off of her face, still mindful of the bruises which were still fading back into memory, leaving behind the face he knew so well. The one he wanted to touch, to remove any pain that he might have caused. And that was just for starters.
She caught his hand in her own and held it between her two palms.
"I have something I want to do first and if I don't do it now," she said, stubbing the loose straw with her shoe, "I might lose my nerve."
He looked at her, caught by the emotion in her admission and she reached out for him, placing her hands on his broad shoulders and moving over to kiss his lips. Once she started, she couldn't stop and she wrapped her arms around him and brought him in even closer. Then almost as suddenly, she released him and then quietly looked up at him, awaiting his response. He looked at her, different emotions stirring on his face, lighting up his brown eyes. She listened to the staccato beat of the rain on the roof above them and then made a decision.
"Okay, I'm ready to start eat…" she started to say lightly to ease her embarrassment over the moment and slip back into the comfortable nature of their friendship.
But before she could finish, he placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her lips, tentatively at first and then more purposely. She responded in kind, marveling at both the hardness and softness of their kiss. He stroked her back with his hands, reaching up under her shirt for her bare skin. His lips moved from her own to caressing her neck down to her collarbone and she raised her head until she could see the rafters in the ceiling. Finally they separated, both breathing heavily and looking at each other, caught in each other's gaze.
She began unbuttoning her shirt while still looking into his eyes and he soon placed his hands on hers.
"Let me do that," he said gently.
He worked his way down her shirt, button by button exposing more of her bare skin and the hint of her lacy bra like a present he had waited years to open. He drew in his breath at the sight before him before he had finished unwrapping her. She bit her lip, wondering what he was thinking while trying to read his eyes. He then kissed her again before continuing with her shirt and placed his hands on her hips, drawing her in closer to him.
"I want to feel your skin," she said, reaching for his shirt.
He drew her own shirt back over her slender shoulders slowly and it fell onto the straw. Now she stood before her best friend, clad in her bra and jeans not really sure what to do next. He took off his own shirt and reached out for her, cupping her breasts in his hands and then reaching to unclasp the front of her bra…
"Hey, this is such a cool barn," a familiar voice drifted up from downstairs and both of them froze in response. Her face, flushed from desire now held a tinge of embarrassment as she placed her hands over her bra. They both turned and looked down at the floor below them, taking care to remain hidden themselves.
"It sure beats being in the rain outside," another familiar voice said.
Butterfly and Carter.
C.J reached down to pick up her shirt which she put on. She picked up Matt's shirt and tossed it to him. Her fingers moved quickly as she tried to button her shirt but she mismatched the buttons. Damn, she thought, looking down at her shirt. Matt slipped his own shirt over his head.
"It sure rains a lot here," Butterfly said.
"We have a lot of thunderstorms in the summer," Carter said, "They never last long."
"It's kind of nice being in here out of the rain with you," Butterfly said.
C.J. and Matt watched as Butterfly moved closer to Carter who seemed unaware of it.
"You're not bad company yourself," Carter said.
Butterfly hesitated.
"Carter, do you think I'm pretty?"
He looked at her.
"Yeah…You're very pretty."
"Pretty enough to be your girlfriend," she asked.
"Butterfly…we don't know each other that well."
C.J. looked like she was about to jump off the loft and confront the pair. Matt put his hand on her shoulder.
"Hmmm…" Butterfly said, sidling up to Carter.
C.J. looked at Matt.
"I can't believe this," she said.
He smiled.
"They're teenagers," he said, "It goes with the territory."
"Chris is going to kill me," C.J. said, "She shipped her to the ranch to get her away from Spike and now she's about to lip lock with another older guy."
"How do you know?"
C.J. looked sheepish.
"I've used the lines myself."
"Look, Carter's not Spike," Matt said, "For one thing, it sounds like he has better taste in clothes and no piercings."
C.J. cocked her head.
"I don't think I could ever be a mother and have to deal with puberty again."
Matt smiled and stroked her back.
"Why do you say that," he said, "Worrying about your kids' welfare also goes with the territory."
"You're right," she said, then turned around just as Butterfly planted a nice one on Carter's lips.
To Carter's credit, he looked like he had been caught by surprise, but not for long. He put his hands on Butterfly's shoulders and kissed back.
"Oh," C.J. said, sinking down on the straw.
"They're leaving," Matt said, "Maybe it stopped raining."
"How are we going to handle this," she said, still sitting.
He joined her and they rested their backs against the rail.
"Well, we could tell her that we saw them kiss," Matt said, "But then it might be tricky to explain why we didn't confront them on the account that we were making out up in the loft and not fully dressed."
"So we can't say anything," C.J. said.
"Maybe we should wait to see if she approaches one of us," Matt said.
C.J. nodded.
"You're right."
He put his arm around her shoulders. She looked at him, sideways.
"I don't know what got into me," she said, "I guess I just got caught in the moment."
"Whatever it was, I'm not complaining."
"I know what I said about not wanting to to replace some bad memories with some good ones," she said, "This wasn't what this was about."
He stroked the hair off of her face and tilted it towards him.
"I know that," he said, "That's why I kissed you back."
She sighed, but smiled at him. He like the way her eyes lit up when she did.
"I guess I'm not as nervous as I thought as long as I take it slowly."
"We will," he said, "I'll never push you to do more than you want to or are ready for."
She nodded. He took her hand and rubbed it between the both of his.
"Thank you for this afternoon," he said, kissing it, "You're very beautiful."
She looked at him.
"Thank you," she said, "You fit a pair of jeans nicely yourself."
"I'm going to miss you when you go to Denver in several days," he said.
"It's only for the day, unless the hearing gets postponed."
"Still…
She looked at him, feeling suddenly shy.
"I'll miss you too."
Then they kissed again for a while.
Butterfly walked up to C.J. while she worked on her computer, trying to finish the final details of the writ.
"What's up," C.J. said, looking up at her.
"You were kind of looking at me funny during dinner," she said, "Is anything wrong?"
C.J. smiled.
"No, nothing," she said, patting the couch, "Sit down."
Butterfly shrugged.
"Okay."
"So how was your day," C.J. asked.
"Except for the rain, pretty good."
"Yeah, that was quite a storm, wasn't it," Matt said, looking up from the magazine he was reading.
Butterfly looked at both of them, strangely.
"Are you feeling okay," she said.
"I'm feeling great," Matt said.
"I'm fine…just been busy working," C.J. said.
"Oh…I kissed Carter."
C.J. looked up not sure whether to be happy that Butterfly told her or concerned about how casual her voice sounded. She chose instead to be relieved.
"Really," she said, "When did this happen?"
"When we hid out in that barn on the far corner of the meadow during the rain storm," she said, "It's not like there was anything else to do."
Matt suppressed a smile. C.J. glared at him then tried to address the issue racking her mind for the right words.
"Butterfly…kissing is something you do when you care about another person, because you want to…express yourself in that way, to show them how much you care."
"Hmm…I thought that was sex," Butterfly said.
C.J. swallowed noisily. Matt tried harder to suppress laughter behind his magazine.
"That's a different conversation more advanced than kissing," C.J. said, "So how did you feel about kissing Carter. He's a nice boy but you hardly know him."
"It felt…interesting," Butterfly said, "Much different than Spike."
"Well…"
"And Jesse," Butterfly continued.
Jesse?
C.J. slowed her breathing down.
"So you like Carter?"
"Of course I do," Butterfly said, rolling her eyes, "I mean, you liked Brick didn't you?"
Matt raised a brow at C.J.
"I don't know if 'like' is quite the word I'd use," she said.
"Brick, wasn't he your boyfriend when you were Butterfly's age," Matt said, "And didn't he have a motorcycle?"
That got Butterfly's attention.
"You had a bike," C.J. said to Matt.
"You had a biker boyfriend," Butterfly asked, her mouth agape.
"For a while," C.J. said, "We weren't really that serious."
Matt narrowed his eyes.
"Didn't you go to the spring dance with him in eighth grade?"
"I tried to," she said, "My uncle grounded me. Told me I couldn't see him anymore."
"A-ha, I knew it," Butterfly said, her eyes lighting up.
"No, my uncle was right," C.J. said, "I snuck out one night when I was grounded to meet Brick and let's just say, we ended breaking up anyway."
"Why?"
C.J. paused.
"Because being with an older guy doesn't make you any older," she said, "You're still the same person and it became clear that I wasn't ready for a guy like him."
"That sucks," she said.
"No, actually I think that's when I learned that I wanted to be with a boy who liked me for myself, not just because of my body."
"That sounds corny," Butterfly said.
"Maybe, but it's worked for me since then," she said, "Except for a bad choice here and there."
"What about you," Butterfly asked Matt.
Now C.J. raised her brow.
"It took me a little longer than her to figure that out," Matt said, "But then they say that girls mature faster than boys."
"Yes we do," C.J. agreed.
"Really," Butterfly asked, "If that's true, then doesn't it make sense that since women mature faster, they should go out with older guys who are closer to their maturity level rather than their age?"
C.J. didn't know how to answer that question.
Later, Matt and C.J. stopped in front of her bedroom. He pulled her closer to him and started kissing her. She put her hands around his neck and rubbed the back of it, enjoying the moment. After a while, he looked at her and she felt so secure in his embrace. She never wanted to leave it.
"She really got you with that question," he said.
"I know," she said, "Hopefully I'll be able to have a better answer when I get back from Denver."
He looked at her quietly. She tried to read him.
"What's wrong," she asked.
He stroked a lock of her hair back.
"How would you feel if I flew you up to Denver, stayed for the day to talk to some contacts and then flew you home? It would save you money on plane fare, you get better seating and definitely better food."
She paused to think about it then nodded.
"I'd like that."
"I'd feel better after everything that happened to have you in my sight," he said.
She wasn't sure what he meant by 'everything' whether it encompassed the attempts on her life or what happened in the barn.
"I feel better having you around too."
"How about now," he asked.
"Especially now," she said, resting her head against his chest listening to his heart beat.