Dawn over Sun Valley Ch. 06

Leanne felt the blood boil in her veins. Was this guy for real?! She took a moment to compose herself, and then asked in a tightly controlled soft voice, which only underscored her crude words:

"So, just to be sure I got this straight, you still think I'm a lying bitch, and you're still glad that you dumped my sorry ass. You just realized you may have crossed the line between 'rough sex' and 'assault' with that revenge fuck, and since your sister brought it up, you're here to risk-manage this mess. That about right?"

She took perverse pleasure in the way his head had snapped back, as if she slapped him. He replied slowly, as if sorting the words in his head.

"I won't apologize for calling you out on your lie, or for ending our relationship over it."

His face seemed set in stone. It struck her, how the gentle, sweet, fun-loving man she thought she knew could be so utterly cold. Unyielding. And then his next words came, quiet and sincere, and her eyes were drawn reluctantly to his.

"But I am profoundly sorry for taking my anger out on you in a physical manner. That's just... wrong. Regardless of what you did, I shouldn't have done that. So yeah, that's what I am apologizing for." And then he added - "This isn't about my sister, although I'd admit the look on her face when I told her I was the one who -" he stopped, staring down at the hay-strewn concrete under his boots. When he looked up, and she was struck by the anguish she saw in his eyes.

"I never realized I was that rough with you, Leanne. But Tammy said you were bruised, that the abrasions on your back were so bad your dress was stained with blood. And she tells me you're not back to yourself and you're avoiding people and not eating and I -" he opened his palms, as if begging.

"I did cross a line that night. I should never have done what I did. Being so rough as to leave marks and break your skin - that's... that's despicable. Leaving you so traumatized that you've been hiding for months -" His mouth turned down.

"I'm sorry, Leanne. Truly sorry."

*

She wouldn't look at him for so long he didn't think she was going to acknowledge his words with an answer. Her head bent, she seemed engrossed in petting the docile, dirty-brown rabbit in her lap. But finally she looked up, and he was shocked to see a half-smile twisting the grim line of her mouth.

"It's ironic, you know. You apologizing for the one part of that night that I actually enjoyed."

A gasp escaped his open mouth, but no coherent response emerged. His mind replayed that night.

Pressing her into that wall, making her brace herself with her feet planted wide against the other side of the alley... using his thumb, lubricated with his spit, to make her body accommodate him; no finesse, no teasing foreplay... quick and dirty and crude. Holding her wrists captive in one of his hands above her head so she couldn't touch him as he drove into her, out of control, fucking forcing her to come all over his dick, thrusting into her convulsing body, not really caring if it hurt...

Finally, some movement caught Joe's unfocused stare, snapping him out of his reverie. Leanne tilted her head, and her eyes caught his so that he couldn't look away.

"I was excited, you know, by what I mistook for your 'overwhelming need' for me." Leanne's face colored in remembered humiliation. "I was all too eager to participate. It wasn't until after you were done with me that I realized what a fool I'd made of myself."

She shrugged stiffly, the movement clearly forced. "But you're not sorry for that part, are you?" A knowing, pitiful smile braved her otherwise sober face as she gave him the opportunity to deny it.

He couldn't. She was right. He wasn't sorry for humiliating her. She deserved that part. She was a liar. A fraud. A cheat. She deserved to be dumped in the dirt.

"Yeah. I figured."

The mother rabbit jumped and scattered away as Leanne stood up abruptly and then leaned sharply against the wire net wall of the cage. Joe's still-reeling mind anchored on the unexpected movement, and then he was on his feet too, reaching out to steady her.

The moment his fingers closed around her upper arm he knew it was a mistake. He could feel the muscles flex in her too-slim limb in rejection of his touch through the thick fabric; could imagine the heat and softness of her skin underneath. He released her as quickly as he'd grabbed her, and she took an unstable step back, visibly shaking.

Shit, was she going to pass out?

But then she regained her footing and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly.

"I'm okay, Joe. I'm fine. Please, just - just go."

Joe fisted his hands in frustration. "You're not fine, Leanne. You nearly collapsed just now. You look ill. Tammy's worried about you... you're not fine. And I can't just ignore that. I'm COO of this farm. I'm responsible for the wellbeing of my employees - all of them, regardless of how I feel about their morals or character."

She laughed. She actually laughed, though the sound was hollow. "God, you're full of yourself, aren't you?" She stood up straight, her cheeks, so pale a moment ago, now flushed with anger. "You think I'm hiding from you?"

Joe started nodding, only to realize she asked it rhetorically. "Well, think again, mister. Hangover and humiliation may have kept me in my room for a couple of days, but let me tell you, I've survived worse. Much worse. You throw accusations at me without listening to my side of it? You decide that you don't want me anymore?" She raised her chin up, managing to look down her nose at him despite their height difference. "Well guess what, big guy. It's your fucking loss."

She threw him one last furious look. "Just for the record, boss, as apologies go, this one is the crappiest ever." Then she added, with sarcasm dripping from every word - "Lucky for you, unlike some people, I'm not one to dwell on the past. Shit happens. I move on. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

With that she turned, and set out to the cage door. But he couldn't let her leave like that; not when despite her bravado, he could still see her hands tremble - and he didn't think it was just her anger.

"No, you're not excused yet."

It was probably his cool tone - which he had struggled to achieve - that stopped her. She turned to look at him, no longer bothering to hide her emotions from her expressive face; anger, hurt, indignation, and apprehension all mixed together. His gut clenched in response.

He kept his voice low. "I still need an answer, Leanne. Something had kept you hiding in your room for weeks on end; something makes you to look like a light breeze would knock you over. If it's not me, then - what is it?"

He hated the concern that pushed itself to the fore, coloring his words in softer hues. She's a natural-born liar, he reminded himself sternly. Don't get sucked into her little game again. Get your answers and get out while you still can.

Leanne sighed and rubbed her face wearily before meeting his unflinching stare head on. "There's no big drama, Joe. Sorry to disappoint you. If you must know, it's a stomach bug."

Joe blinked. "A stomach bug?" he parrotted after her, feeling decidedly stupid.

Leanne shrugged, looking tired now that the fight had left her. "Yeah. A stupid virus. I did feel lousy for a while, and had very little appetite, so I lost some weight. But as I said, I'm fine. I think the worse of it is over." Her weary eyes met his. "May I go now, boss?"

He searched her face, trying to figure out whether or not he believed her. Either she was the world's best liar - a possibility he couldn't ignore - or she just happened to be telling the truth. In the end of the day, he figured, it didn't really matter. He wasn't going to get a different answer from her by challenging this one; if she were lying, she'd just keep piling up the lies. And if she were telling the truth...

His gut twisted again. Don't get sucked in. Partial truths make the best lies.

Pressing his lips in frustration, he answered. "Yes."

Without comment, she turned and left, letting the screen door crash loudly behind her. Joe followed her with his eyes until she disappeared into the tiny office across the lawn.

Releasing the breath he was holding, Joe set out to find Tammy. He'd tell her the short version, he decided. I apologized. She said I did a crappy job at it, but that, regardless, she'd already moved on. Turns out she wasn't traumatized or avoiding anybody, just keeping to her room due to stomach flu; says she's feeling much better now. It's all good.

*

The next morning, Leanne made it a point to show up for tea and biscuits at five AM before heading out to the fields, though she skipped the biscuits, just to be on the safe side. Joe came into the dining hall a little after, and joined her and Julio at their table; Todd and Tammy still hadn't showed up, she figured he had little choice.

She nodded at him. He returned the gestured. Barely.

"Morning, Joe." Julio gave him a friendly salute.

"Morning, Julio. We covering the hillside plots today?"

"Yeap. These are the last ones we have left to pick. I asked Tammy for all hands on deck."

"Yes, you got it. You and Leanne start, Todd, Tammy and I will join after morning milking and our sync-up. Should be with you by seven thirty at the latest."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks. With everyone's help I think we should be done by tonight."

"Cool. I'll see you later, then."

Joe stood and left without acknowledging Leanne, and Julio frowned at his back. He looked like he was going to say something, and Leanne stood up.

"I'm done, are you coming?"

Julio shrugged, and stood, too. "Yeah. Let's get this show on the road."

They stopped by the sheds to pick up their tools - large pruners and a pair of gloves each - and then Julio motioned over to the muddy all-terrain ranger standing outside. "We'll take the ranger; the other guys will come by with the truck. Grab a helmet and let's go."

Leanne smiled despite her nerves at the prospect of spending the day in Joe's proximity. She loved the ranger, and for the next couple of hours she could still enjoy herself. With her helmet on, she hopped in and buckled up, giving Julio a thumbs-up over the loud revv of the engine. In another moment, they were speeding away, big, matching grins on their faces.

*

Joe parked his truck next to the Ranger at the edge of the field and hopped out, taking his shears and gloves with him. Tammy and Todd filed out the other side.

Looking out he could barely make Julio and Leanne's forms, way out, almost to the other end of the field, bending and straightening every few moments. Picking pumpkins was a back-breaking job, but like many others on the farm, it simply needed to be done. Bracing himself for it, he motioned for Tammy and Todd to spread out, and they all started working.

The day grew long and unseasonably hot. Lunch break came and went, and they were back at the seemingly endless rows, bending, picking, rolling the pumpkins away from their canopy to cure in the sun, then walking over to the next one. It was monotonous and boring, and it left him with all too much time to think.

Problem was, his thought process seemed to be as monotonous and sisyphic as picking pumpkins, and hours into it, he had no new conclusions to report.

The facts were still the same. Leanne came to their farm knowing exactly who they were and what their past connection was. She had deliberately kept her identity secret from them for months, even after they had become lovers. She had insisted their relationship would be temporary, but never told him why.

When he went to check her HR file he found any 'father name' boxes left empty, her mother's name listed as Holly Sommers, and the next of kin showed Mrs. Rogers, 'a friend', with a Sacramento address. It was only when he searched for her birth certificate using her Social Security Number that he found the damning proof of her connection to William Richardson.

And then, there was the whole Todd business. He didn't even know what to make of that, but every time he remembered her sneaking out of the man's room at the crack of dawn, drowning in his fucking underwear, he felt like his head might blow off. He wanted to believe it was innocent, but given nothing else about her was, it was a hard sell. Instead, he tried to forget it. Fat chance.

With an exasperated huff, Joe stood, stretched and wiped his brow with his sleeve, looking around. They were almost done. He and Julio were at the close end of the field, with Tammy and Todd - who had kept pace with each other throughout the day, joking and laughing, though he didn't know what about - just a couple dozen of yards away.

Leanne was a tiny figure at the very far edge of the field. She had kept to herself all day today, too, with those damned earbuds plugged into her ears and her demeanor focused and efficient, as if those fucking pumpkins were the most important thing in the world. It grated on his nerves.

"I think we're done, right?" Tammy reached them, and was smiling up to Julio. "I promised Mrs. Rojas I'll go over her purchasing requests tonight. Was hoping to do it before supper." She still wasn't happy with him, though she grimly accepted his recount of his apology to Leanne. Instead, her words were aimed at the older man.

"Yeap. All done. Jesus! My back is killing me. I can't wait to get into the hot shower. This has been one long day."

"Yeah. I still need to go check on the cows, make sure no problems with the afternoon milking." Todd looked at Tammy. "You coming?"

Joe looked from one to the other with trepidation. They were all clearly hoping to hop on the truck and return to the farm as soon as possible, which left him to bring the Ranger - and Leanne - back. He was going to protest when his sister arched an eyebrow at him

"You have the keys to the truck, Joe?"

Reluctantly, he fished them from his pocket and handed them over, accepting the ranger's set in return. He watched the truck speed away before he sighed, donned his helmet, and headed out toward Leanne.

*****

Author's note: So, what did you think about this chapter? VOTE, FAVORITE and COMMENT. Thanks!