FARRON & KARA
Early Saturday Morning
The mattress on the sleeper sofa was lumpy and the most uncomfortable bed Farron had ever slept on in his life, and he had slept on many beds. The lumpy sleeper wasn't the only thing that kept him up last night. The women upstairs chitchatted, giggled, and cackled half the night. Every now and then, Rachel's cries broke through the noise, but other than that, it was a long [and particularly lonely] night. Farron had begun to wonder if he would have been better off staying in the city with Heidi. He felt isolated down in the den with everyone else upstairs. He felt awkward around Alex and irritated around Jake. Of course, he also felt a little jealous around Loralei and Frank. His younger twin had a good life, a settled one. He longed for the same, but he liked spreading himself around, and didn't know if he wanted to be tied down. He would become bored before too long, he was sure. Giving up on sleep for the time being, he stood and stretched his long frame, listening to his joints popping and crackling. Since he wasn't staying at home, he had been forced to wear pajama bottoms last night. He preferred sleeping au natural, but since he was in his brother's home, surrounded by others, he was forced to give up his much beloved habit. Farron decided to forego the shower this morning, and he grabbed yesterday's clothes. He didn't want to awaken the whole house. When he showered in the morning, he liked to sing, and sing loudly. His voice was awful, but he was a creature of habit. Besides, there wasn't anything going on until later tonight. His shower could wait for a few hours.
Farron exited the backdoor and saw that this house had a huge backyard with a thicket of trees just beyond it. He wasn't a country person, and didn't appreciate little traipses in the woods. He would much rather stalk down a busy sidewalk and listen to the traffic. If he had to live out here forever, he thought he might go insane. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he strolled casually through the backyard and headed toward the trees. He drew his face into a pucker of disgust when he noticed poison oak plants. Nope. Don't want to get into that, he thought. He shuddered as a vivid memory came back to haunt him. What was it? Five years? He had been dating [let's be honest, sleeping with, not dating] a young woman that enjoyed taking nature hikes. Of course, he was a city boy and had no desire to do it. However, the girl was beautiful, and he ached to make love to her, so he decided to go along to please her [to get into her pants]. She startled him when she stopped in the middle of the woods and stripped off every piece of clothing. He hesitated maybe three seconds before he began stripping out of his own clothing. They went down to the grass and made love four or five times that afternoon. What he didn't realize at the time was that they had lain out on a bed of poison oak. Both of them had broken out with horrid rashes, and he didn't even want to remember where his rash was the worst. It had taken many weeks to heal, and he had no desire to experience that joy ever again. He didn't realize that his brother had his own close call with the poison oak, and if he did, he would have smiled at the irony. He passed carefully through the trees, avoiding the plants, and made his way onward. Ahead of him, he saw a house in the distance.
Kara Everett stood in her front yard fussing with her little rock garden. She wasn't sure why she spent so much time out here, but it gave her something to care for. Her mother had been fond of griping at her when she had taken an interest in gardening. Mother saw it as a waste of time, but Kara loved getting her hands dirty. "Young ladies of your stature shouldn't dirty her hands," Mother was fond of saying, "A lady's hands proclaim her habits." She waved a dismissive hand [that was kind of grubby by now] toward the ghost of her mother before plunging them back into the earth. Spring was a wonderful time for planting flowers and other plants. She loved them so. Kara stood up when she started to feel the familiar numb sensation crawling up her legs. She wasn't as flexible as she was a few years ago, and squatting didn't help her a bit. As she listened to the popping of her knee joints, she noticed a lone figure approaching from the direction of her new neighbor's house. The fellow appeared to be the same height, build, and had the same coloring as Mr. Donovan, yet she was certain it wasn't Mr. Donovan. Or was it? No. It couldn't be. Mr. Donovan didn't have such long hair.
Standing a few feet away, peering at him curiously, was a young woman no older than twenty-five. Her hair was pulled back into an impatient sloppy ponytail, and if it were pulled loose from the scrunchie, it would have likely cascaded down to her buttocks. Nice, very nice indeed. As he drew nearer, he saw that she was thin and petite, no taller than five feet five or six. Her oval face held delicate, pixyish features with widely set dark blue eyes. She was young, fresh, and gorgeous. Of course, he was immediately inclined to get to know her better.
She watched as the tall stranger approached her. From her vantage point, she could see that his long black hair was damp from the morning mist. He definitely looked exactly like Mr. Donovan, but he seemed a bit more…lecherous. Lecherous. Was that the word? Everything else about him was exactly like her neighbor. He was handsome, but in a roguish way, and he was headed directly toward her. She glanced down at her hands and noticed that they were grimed with dirt and fertilizer. What a wonderful time to meet a new person, she thought distastefully. There was no time to run inside her house and wash her hands, but she could compromise. Quickly, she put on her gardening gloves and turned toward the handsome stranger who was quickly approaching.
Wow, Farron thought. Her eyes are lovely. Absolutely lovely. Perhaps this trip wouldn't be a waste after all. A first for him, Farron was suddenly at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say to this lovely creature standing before him. How many women had he picked up in his life? How many women had he had? Dozens? Hundreds? "Good morning. I see I'm not the only one who could not sleep," he said.
How bizarre, she thought. The fellow even sounded like Mr. Donovan. She wondered if her new neighbors were playing some kind of weird trick on her. City people were like that sometimes. Ugh. I have inherited my mother's prejudice. "Insomnia has always been a problem for me." She found herself staring up at him, thinking that his damp hair and dark good looks were incredibly sexy. Stop it, she thought. You do not even know who this man is, and you're standing there sizing him up.
He shook his head and gave her a beautiful smile. "I'm sorry. I'm Farron Donovan, Frank's brother. Do you know him and his wife?"
She sighed a little in relief. Thank God. The city people aren't playing a trick on me. He appears to be legit. "Yes, I know the Donovans. I introduced myself when they first moved in. I'm Kara Everett." She presented her gloved hand to him, and he took it into his without the hint of surprise. She felt incredibly stupid shaking his hand with a glove on, but she didn't want him to see the gunk in the creases of her fingers and underneath her nails. Suddenly, she felt the need to preen. "I suppose you would be Mr. Donovan's brother?" The instant the words were out of her mouth, she felt ignorant. How absurd, Kara. Of course, he's his brother.
He nodded and kept his gorgeous smile. "Yes. We're twins." Now it was Farron's turn to feel ignorant. Isn't it obvious you're Frank's twin? You're a fucking idiot. "I'm staying here for the weekend for a housewarming thing. My brother and sister in-law are having a party tonight. Would you like to come?"
Kara almost laughed, but she held it back. Mrs. Donovan had invited her to the party already, and she had been half tempted to back out. Of course, she had politely accepted the invitation, but hadn't really intended to show up. Parties hadn't been her thing for a few years. No more debutante balls for Kara Everett. However, since she had met this intriguing fellow and knew that he would attend, the thought of standing up the Donovans had left her mind. "Of course I'll be there," she said. "Your sister in-law invited me a couple of days ago, and I'd love to help them celebrate their new home. I'm happy to have neighbors, especially neighbors with a child. It has been far too long since new people have come to this neck of the woods." Oh, wonderful. You're rambling like a teenager on her first real date. She cleared her throat and chased the awkwardness away. "Would you like to come in for coffee?"
Ah, she moves fast, he thought. "Yes, that sounds wonderful."
Quietly, Farron followed Kara toward the front entrance of her huge house. Frank and Loralei's house was quite large, but this one was along the lines of a mansion with marble floors, expensive furniture, and priceless art hanging on the walls. Either Kara was quite the collector or she was wealthy or both. Farron wasn't necessarily a moneygrubber. He knew he could be happy rich or poor, but he was more intrigued than ever. Kara asked him to sit while she excused herself. Instead of sitting down, he found himself wandering through the expansive living area. His eyes were fixed on the exquisite paintings. A bit more sensitive than his brother, he tended to appreciate the arts and the beautiful things in life. Frank was more practical, less romantic, especially on the outside, unless in the presence of his wife and daughter. He also noticed several portraits of who he assumed was Kara's family. She definitely came from wealth. The women in the portraits wore the finest clothing and large gems on their fingers and necks. He moved away and stepped back toward the expensive couch [it was more decorative than functional] as he heard movement coming from the direction where Kara had disappeared. She had taken her hair out of its messy ponytail, and Farron immediately noticed that her hair fell to the curve of her buttocks just as he had thought. She had taken off the ridiculous gardening gloves and he saw that her hands were delicate and fine-boned. It had been a few days since he had had female contact, and he was glad he had happened upon her. As much as his twin, he sometimes appreciated the hell out of fate.
Kara sat beside Farron and silently poured coffee from a silver pot into two delicate cups. He watched as she added cream and sugar to one cup before glancing at him. "How do you like it," she asked.
Such a loaded question, he thought wickedly. "Black is fine." She handed him his coffee, and he made it a point to touch her hand as she transferred the cup from her hand to his. He smiled inwardly as he noticed a pink hue forming on her cheeks. "Thank you."
She moved her hand back reluctantly and picked up her own cup. After sipping the coffee, she glanced over at Farron. He had fixed his lovely dark brown eyes on her face, and it was unsettling her. She had to distract him because she felt her body melting at his intense gaze. "Are you from the city?"
"Yes," he answered sedately. He took a sip from the delicate cup and set it down on the table. "I know we've just met," he began, "but I must say that you have the loveliest blue eyes I've ever seen." Yes, Farron, turn on the charm while you're on her turf. Tonight, she might invite you to her bed, he thought smugly.
Of course, his soft-spoken words made her blush even more furiously. His voice was nice, very mellow. She could listen to him talk all day. She wasn't sure what to say as a comeback, so she chose to say nothing. She watched from the corner of her eye as he leaned toward her. Before she knew which end was up, his hand was on the side of her cheek, guiding her face toward his. His lips were upon hers before she had the opportunity to back away. She was shocked at his overtly forward behavior and felt two ways at once. The first, of course, was disgust. How dare he! The second came from way deep below, in the dark recesses of her mind. Strip me naked and take me. She pushed him away before his demanding tongue could enter her mouth. Startled, Farron gaped at her. She pushed him away when he was certain she wanted him to kiss her. Had he read her signals incorrectly? Was he losing his touch?
"I don't allow men I don't know to kiss me," she stated stiffly.
Her body was as stiff as her voice had been, but her eyes told a different story. They seemed to tell him what he thought he knew. She wanted him, or at least he thought she wanted him. "I thought you wanted me to kiss you."
She stood up and moved away. "You thought wrong, Mr. Donovan. Please, get out."
Farron wanted to apologize, but the words evaded him. If she chose to deny him, it was definitely her loss. "Okay," he said, standing. Without another word, he left her.
The moment he disappeared, Kara rushed to door to watch him walk toward the Donovans' house. Absently, she ran her tongue over her lips and found that the taste of him had not left her. She gave serious consideration to not attending the party. However, the thought of Farron being there was a temptation too hard to resist. She felt a great need to know him, to see him, to allow him to see her as no other man ever had before.
* * *
Later Saturday MorningDonovan chose not to bunk with the guys last night. He had lain in bed for two hours or more and listened to the women giggling and catcalling. Paranoia entered him and had him convinced that Loralei was dishing to his agents. He was partially annoyed, but did find some humor in the situation. If he lived last night down, he intended to become 'one of the guys.' Hell, he might even get drunk with them or something. He dragged himself out of bed, lamenting at how empty and lonely the bed was without his wife. He shrugged into his robe and opened the bedroom door. Peeking out into the hallway, he noticed that both doors of the guest bedrooms were closed. Great. I evaded embarrassment again, he thought. He made his way toward Rachel's room and took a quick peek inside. She was awake, of course, and grinned at him adoringly. Soon enough, she would make her presence known. He turned in the direction of his bedroom again, and stood facing Cody and Jake. Cody was grinning devilishly, and Jake was trying to evade his boss altogether. Donovan stood with his arms crossed and his eyebrow lifted.
Cody was up to the challenge. "Nice performance last night, Boss. I give it a hearty thumbs up." Smiling, he clapped and copied a Wayne's World 'I'm not worthy' bow.
He's gonna take his gun and blow us away, Jake thought.
Donovan shook his head. He didn't know whether to laugh or bury his head. "Agents Shaw and Forrester, whatever happens in this house doesn't leave this house. Do you understand? If one word leaks out, someone will have to help me hide the bodies."
Cody laughed with the exuberance of a child. "I would never talk about that outside of this house, Boss. Besides, I would never be able to copy that growling thing you do." He smacked his hands together. "So, what's for breakfast?"
Donovan was about to reply and mention something about arsenic pancakes and strychnine scrambled eggs when he heard his brother stomping into the den. He glanced over the railing and watched as Farron huffed and puffed angrily. "Farron, are you okay," he called down.
Farron came out of the den long enough to look up toward his twin. "Your neighbor lady is a fucking prude."
He turned toward Cody and Jake. "We'll discuss your breakfast when I return." He went downstairs to seek out his brother. Once he stepped into the den, he mused that he had never seen his brother so tense or upset. "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing," he spat as he continued to huff, puff, and pace. "A little kiss, a harmful little kiss, and she acted as if I manhandled her."
"Maybe she's not interested, Farron."
Farron stopped and glanced at his brother. "She was interested. The signals were there, but she's a prude. Fuck her. She's a prude," he repeated for emphasis.
Donovan wanted to laugh, but if he did, his brother might beat him senseless [or at least try]. "Farron, perhaps you were a bit…pushy?"
A sound of utter disgust left him. "Fuck her," he spat again.
Donovan turned away from his twin and smiled a little. He had finally met a woman he couldn't have. It was a first for him.