We Can Laugh Together Too (Walnut Grove Trilogy) (4 page)

“Don’t you think her name suits her?” she asked. “She’s so
good natured.”

Matt chuckled. “The whole farm’s full of congeniality. Every
time I see him, Isidoro tells me how well he and his family have settled in. I
don’t think he believes their luck, you’d think they’d won the lottery.”

“Does he really say that? I’m so pleased; he’s a nice guy,
and Rosa’s charming. He doesn’t know too much about thoroughbreds, but he’s had
a good grounding with quarter horses and he’s a good all-around horseman. In fact,
he’s fitted in here beautifully.”

“Delighted to hear it.” Matt took a handful of carrots from a
sack propped next to the gate and distributed them among the eager recipients.
“Come on, everyone’s fine; let’s leave them in peace for the night.”

His pickup truck was still parked alongside the barn and
when they reached it, Matt put his hands gently on Livi’s shoulders and drew
her towards him. “I’m going to leave,” he said unexpectedly. “I think you’ve
had enough of me for one night.”

She couldn’t disguise her surprise. “Are you sure? Come into
the house and have a drink.”

“No, it’s best if I go. But I’ll be back after work tomorrow
— if I’m still welcome.”

Livi’s smile was all the answer he required.

♠  
♠   ♠

As it happened, Matt didn’t, after all, return the next
evening; two emergencies at the veterinary clinic kept both himself and Doc
Blair busy until the small hours. He called Livi to make his apologies, and she
teased him gently. “I guess it’s something I’ll have to get used to, vets and
doctors are notoriously bad dating material.”

He was relieved to recognize the teasing good humor in her
voice. “I’m really sorry and I’ll try to make it up to you tomorrow. We’ll go
out to dinner, think of somewhere nice.”

So Livi and Chrissy ate quietly alone, and afterwards Livi
devoted a couple of hours to catching up on the farm’s paperwork, before doing
some online research for the article she was writing.

Later, when she took the two dogs outside before going to
bed, she stood by the pond and fountain Will had built and listened to the
sounds of the night. She felt she ought to be consumed with guilt and
self-recrimination over what had taken place the evening before, but by
definition, guilt implied wrong-doing, and despite what her head was telling
her, her heart insisted Matt was the best thing to have happened to her in a
long time.

That she was attracted to him was undeniable. She pictured
his startling blue eyes and curly brown hair, his air of dependability, and
smiled to herself. They were two lonely people, both damaged by life’s capricious
incidences. Was the uncomplicated pleasure they were deriving from each other’s
company improper or unseemly? Of course it wasn’t. She was greatly impressed by
Matt’s consideration for her conflicting emotions. Many men would have pushed
her further, but he had demonstrated commendable understanding and restraint.

And maybe most unnerving was his declaration of love for
her. He was right when he’d said we don’t choose who we fall in love with.
Emotions such as love are completely unanticipated — they tend to creep up on
you and catch you unawares.

For herself, Livi now accepted the unmistakable affinity she
felt toward Matt, but was it more than that? She honestly wasn’t sure; her
feelings were in complete turmoil. She had many profound regrets; her marriage
had been supremely happy, yet she felt a deep sadness for all the carelessly
discarded yesterdays; now gone forever.

A breeze fidgeted through a nearby eucalyptus and over her
bare arms, causing her to shiver slightly. Reluctantly she dragged her thoughts
back from the indefinable route they had been following, and calling the two
dogs, headed back to the house.

♠  
♠   ♠

Matt arrived the next evening looking exhausted. When Livi
voiced her concern, he smiled wearily. “I only got a couple of hours sleep last
night, or should I say this morning,” he admitted. “Then I had a full day
today.”

“In which case, you can forget about eating out,” she told
him briskly. “Sit down and I’ll throw something together for us to eat.”

He sat down at the kitchen table and she vanished into the
larder, appearing again a short time later armed with ingredients. “How does
linguine with bacon, baby spinach and sage sound?” she inquired.

“Like manna,” he admitted.

“Good.” She dumped everything on the table, and eyed him
speculatively. “How about a drink while I’m cooking? Beer, or would you prefer
something stronger?”

“Anything stronger than a beer will most likely knock me
unconscious,” he said, so she fetched two bottles from the fridge and placed
one in front of him, then put a big pan of water on the stove for the pasta and
began dicing onions and bacon and washing the spinach.

Matt watched with undisguised affection as she worked. “Vets
and doctors,” he said suddenly.

She stopped what she was doing and eyed him quizzically.
“Sorry . . ?”

“Just reminding you of what you told me — vets and doctors
make lousy dinner dates.”

“That’s not what I said,” she protested, laughing. “And besides
I was just teasing. I completely understood that an emergency takes precedence
over everything. What was it anyway?”

A bad foaling. We lost the mare unfortunately, and had to
find a foster mother for the foal. The guy was dreadfully upset because the
mare had been a family pet and he and his wife thought it would be fun to breed
just one foal from her.”

Livi was dismayed. “How dreadful -- for them and for you.
I’m so sorry Matt.”

He shrugged and sipped his beer. “An unfortunate part of the
job I’m afraid. Where’s Chrissy by the way?”

“She’s eating at Isidoro’s. When I mentioned to him that we
planned to go out, he invited her over. She and Katia have become good friends
and Isidoro’s so thoughtful, he’s going to check on the horses tonight and he
said he’ll walk her home when he does.”

“I’m pleased he’s working out so well.” He hesitated before
continuing, “I sounded Doc Blair out more directly yesterday about a
partnership, but as I suspected, he has no immediate plans to retire, and
neither does he have any expectations of expanding the practice. It seems to be
a dead end.”

Livi put down the skillet in which she’d been crisping the
bacon pieces. “Oh, hell. Well, we’ll just have to think of something else.
There are other equine veterinary practices.”

Matt was going to tell her that he’d already made a few ineffectual
inquiries along those lines, but decided against it. No need to be the bearer
of too much doom and gloom. Instead, he watched her putting the finishing
touches to their meal, savoring the enticing aroma of bacon and onions and
herbs.

Immediately Livi put his plate in front of him, Matt
realized he was starving and tucked into his food with relish; he’d had no
breakfast and only snatched a sandwich for lunch. Everything vanished rapidly
and with an empty plate before him, he leaned back in his chair contentedly.
“Thank you; I needed that.”

She smiled, “You don’t look so tired now anyway. It sounds
as if Doc Blair’s taking advantage of you.”

He shrugged, “Not really, we’ve just had a busy week. But,”
he eyed her tentatively, “I’ve got this coming weekend off, so how about we
plan something?”

“Such as . . ?”

“You tell me. Something you’d really like to do. Something completely
crazy maybe.”

She met his gaze, but saw nothing to alarm her. “Something
completely crazy? Okay . . . for years I’ve had a secret hankering to take the
Amtrack Coast Starlight north — not all the way to Canada of course — just for
two or three hours. I know it would be spectacular.”

“That easy?” Matt beamed with delight. “Your wish is my
command ma’am. I’ll make the arrangements tomorrow.”

Livi was completely taken aback. “Are you serious? Just like
that? Oh, it’ll be wonderful; the scenery the train passes through is fabulous!
A friend of mine is a travel writer and she’s taken the train between San Diego
and Oakland several times, but she’s always said the best parts are between San
Diego and LA and Oxnard and San Luis Obispo.”

Her mind began to race as she thought of the preparations
she needed to make: Chrissy would have to stay somewhere; she would ask Isidoro
to take care of the dogs and check the horses both evenings . . .

“Let’s go sit in the snug,” she said. “We’ll get the train
in Santa Barbara, but we’ll look at some maps and decide how far north we
should go.”

Her evident pleasure at the enticing prospect of their
weekend together delighted Matt. As they left the kitchen, he collected two more
beers from the fridge and followed her across the hall into the comfortable little
room she referred to as the ‘snug’. It was essentially an entertainment room,
with a wall-mounted, big-screen TV facing a cozy, welcoming sofa, a good stereo
system, and two more walls lined with bookshelves, packed to overflowing.

Livi quickly located the maps they needed and plumped down
on the sofa next to him, opening them up across their knees. “See — from Oxnard
all the way north to San Luis the route hugs the coast, then it cuts inland.”

“How does this sound?” Matt asked cautiously. “Saturday
morning, we take the train to San Luis Obispo, spend the night there, then, on
Sunday afternoon, catch the train back to Santa Barbara. And . . .” before she
could voice the obvious objection, “Don’t worry, I’ll book separate rooms for
us. I want this to be a fun weekend we’ll both remember for years to come, not
a complete disaster.”

She was moved by his regard for her feelings. “It will be
just perfect! Thank you Matt, I can hardly wait.” Spontaneously, almost before
she fully realized what she was doing, she turned and kissed him. The maps
slipped unnoticed to the floor as he embraced her and drew her to him, but
again he displayed restraint and reluctantly relaxed his embrace after just a
few seconds.

“Neither can I,” he admitted. “I’m really pleased I shall be
making one of your wishes come true.”

As he spoke, they heard the sound of the kitchen door
opening and footsteps clattering across the tiled floor. Chrissy, closely
followed by Katia and Isidoro appeared in the doorway.

“What happened?” Chrissy asked breathlessly. “I thought you
were eating out.”

“Change of plans,” Matt replied, smiling “Your Mom decided I
looked too haggard and worn-out to be seen with in public, so she cooked for us
instead.”

Livi gave his arm a playful punch. “Take no notice of him.
There was no way I was going to drag him out, the poor guy’s exhausted. But -- while
you’re here Isidoro . . .”

She explained about their upcoming plans, and somewhat
embarrassed, Isidoro confessed that he and Rosa hadn’t yet been able to furnish
their spare room, but they quickly reached a compromise: his wife and daughter
would stay here in the house with Chrissy and the two dogs. Livi was pleased
with this arrangement; it looked like it was shaping up to be a perfect
weekend.

♠  
♠   ♠

True to his word, the following day, Matt made all the
necessary reservations, including two rooms at the Spyglass Inn overlooking
Shell Beach. He also rented a car. “We can’t walk from the station to the
hotel,” he observed dryly. Their train north would depart from Santa Barbara at
12:40 pm the next day.

Livi spent Friday in a whirlwind of activity, preparing bedrooms
for Rosa and her daughter, shopping, cooking, putting the finishing touches to
the commissioned article she’d been working on, and finally, packing an
overnight bag.

On Saturday, Matt arrived to pick her up in his SUV a little
before eleven o’clock. Livi climbed into the passenger seat feeling
ridiculously excited. He took one look at her face and beamed with pleasure. “You
look exactly how I feel,” he admitted with a boyish grin.

“I woke up this morning with a horrible feeling you were
going to call to say you had an emergency,” she confessed. “You don’t know how
relieved I was when I saw you coming up the drive.”

Matt squeezed her arm. “Doc Blair wouldn’t be that mean. He
was in the office when I made the reservations and said he hoped we have a good
weekend. He likes you a lot, you know.”

“He’s a nice guy, so is Doc Massey. I’m just surprised,
considering how busy you’ve been of late, he’s not considering taking on
another partner. When is Doc Massey due back?”

“Two weeks on Wednesday,” Matt replied. “And my contract
finishes that weekend. But come on, this is going to be a fun weekend for us both,
and I don’t want to talk work, please.”

They drove down the 101 to Santa Barbara, then down State
Street to the exquisitely beautiful, Spanish style train station. Plenty of
parking was available and in no time Matt had picked up their tickets and they
were standing on the platform with ten minutes to spare.

The wailing horn long preceded the big Superliner’s arrival
and it drew into the station with headlights flashing and bell ringing. Its
sheer power and majesty brought a lump to Livi’s throat.

On board and greeted by the conductor, she discovered Matt
had reserved two roomy seats in the upper level with magnificent views through panoramic
picture windows out across the Pacific Ocean. The track had been laid right
next to the shoreline and as her travel writer friend told her, many of the arrestingly
beautiful Central Coast sights are inaccessible by car, or even on foot, and consequently
can only be seen from a train.

Livi was enchanted; she felt like royalty, sitting in a
wide, reclining seat, gazing out from her lofty perspective. Not intending to
miss anything, she kept sneaking glances inland as well, catching views of
familiar, sun-bleached, rolling hills, grazing cows, horses, and a multitude of
RVs parked in state parks and in authorized spaces along the coastal road.

Half an hour into their journey, Matt (who had been scanning
a leaflet he picked up in the ticket office), suggested a trip to the Parlour
Car with comfy, swivel seats, where he ordered a bottle of champagne, poured for
them by a friendly steward. Lunch was being served in the dining car, but they
opted instead for a sandwich from the bar; neither of them intended to waste a
moment of their journey distracted by eating while missing the idyllic scenery.
The steward placed a bowl of fruit, moist towelettes and napkins on their table,
adding to Livi’s innate sense she had been transplanted to a life amongst
royalty.

Before they’d completely emptied the champagne bottle, they
carried it back to their coach seats. Matt filled their glasses and studied Livi’s
face. “Enjoying yourself?” he asked.

She stretched languorously like a supremely contented cat.
“You bet I am. This is shaping up to be my best weekend since . . .” she
stopped abruptly and modified her thoughts, “. . . for many months.”

“Great. I really want it to be special for us both. Goodness
knows, I think we’re both overdue a couple of days of fun. I’ve got this really
strange feeling that since we first met, fate intended we should be sitting
here together now, on this train.”

Livi regarded him affectionately, “Wow, that’s profound, but
I know what you mean, sometimes fate really seems to take control and turn
simple situations into life changing events. Who would have thought when you
came that first morning to check on Ultimate Event’s foal, a few weeks later
we’d be off together on a trip like this?”

“I did, not a train ride specifically of course, but for
weeks, I’ve spent big chunks of my time daydreaming about you. I never really
believed something like this would actually happen though, this is why I think
it must be fate.”

All too soon they arrived, horn wailing, in San Luis Obispo.
While they were still several minutes out, Matt called the rental company and they
only needed to wait briefly at the station entrance before their car arrived. They
dropped the driver back at the rental office, and following his directions, set
off through rolling hills on the quick, ten mile drive to Shell Beach.

The location of the Spyglass Inn could not be surpassed — framed
by the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, white sandy beaches stretching into the
distance, and the oat-colored, rolling hills so typical of California. It was
perfect.

They checked in and were directed to their adjacent rooms,
both with balconies and outstanding ocean vistas. At the door to her room, Matt
was suddenly almost shy. “Go and freshen up, then give me a knock when you’re
ready; we’ll go for a walk.”

Livy dropped her overnight bag on the queen-size bed and
made a beeline for the french window which she opened wide and stepped out onto
the balcony to drink in the panoramic ocean view. She experienced the overwhelming
feeling that she was in the middle of a dream, from which she would surely soon
awaken, only to find herself back in her own, familiar, but now lonely bed.
After the indescribable nightmare of Will’s death, was this nothing more than
an unattainable dream that would flutter tantalizingly out of reach like one of
the exquisite monarch butterflies she could see in the bushes below?

She shook her
head to clear her thoughts. No — it wasn’t a fantasy, it was real, and Matt had
made it real. The sudden surge of affection she felt for this innately kind and
thoughtful man caught her completely unawares.

She went back inside to the bathroom where she changed into
a simple tee-shirt, capri pants and sandals, splashed water on her face, and
ran a brush through her hair.

It was almost as if Matt was waiting at the door of his room
because he opened it the instant she knocked. “Ready?” he asked. “Right, let’s
go and work up an appetite for dinner.”

The beach was just steps away through the inn’s oceanfront
gardens. As they reached the sand, Livi spontaneously took Matt’s hand and he
responded with a warm smile. They turned north and began following the sweep of
the coast toward the bluffs of Sunset Palisades. At their backs, Pismo Beach
Pier stretched its long, narrow arm ocean-wards. Gulls wheeled overhead, and
way in front, a sand-yacht was racing along at the water’s edge. Without a
doubt, it was an area of arresting beauty.

Feeling free and unfettered, they wandered hand in hand
without concern for either time or distance. When they reached an outcrop of
rock, polished smooth by the action of the waves, they sat together and watched
the slow progress of a ship on the horizon. The sights and sounds filled the
warm late-afternoon; it was perfect.

Eventually they returned to the inn and went to their rooms
to shower before dinner. Livy drew her honey-blond hair into a knot, applied a
little lipstick and donned a silk blouse and lightweight pants. When they met
up again, Matt was wearing slacks and a salmon colored shirt.

“Extensive research informs me . . .” he told her with a
grin, “that the Ventana Grill is a restaurant of repute in this neck of the
woods. Want to give it a shot?” Livi was more than happy to agree.

The restaurant was too far to walk so they took the car. It
was clearly a very popular eatery and hummed with activity. They had to wait
several minutes for a table, but staff sat them in the appropriately name
Sunset Room, from where, high on a bluff, they sipped Margarita de Ventanas and
watched a rich, red sunset whilst being serenaded by the crash of waves on the
beach below. For the umpteenth time that day, Livi had to pinch herself, just
to be certain it all was real.

They both started with a cup of clam chowder soup, made with
local clams, then Livi chose Jumbo Shrimp Al Ajillo and Matt opted for Local
White Sea Bass. Afterwards, he even found room for dessert, but Livi could not
be tempted, settling instead for a Kioke Coffee.

Before returning to the inn, they drove south down Highway
One to take a look at the pier at night, tastefully picked out with lights. It
was all quite delightful.

As they made the return journey, sitting in a companionable
silence, it occurred to Livi that apart from a quick kiss on the cheek when he’d
picked her up that morning, Matt had done absolutely nothing she could have
found reason to object to. He surely was a remarkable man.

Outside her door, he repeated that morning’s kiss. “Good
night, it’s been a day I’ll remember always.”

Her eyes wouldn’t meet his. “Me too. Do you want to come
in?”

He cupped her chin in his hand. “More to the point—do
you
want me to come in?”

“I’m not sure,” she said honestly. “All I can tell you is, I
don’t want this wonderful day to end, which it will do if I go into this room
alone and shut the door. Just come and keep me company for a bit longer, please
. . .”

He took the key-card out of her hand, opened the door and
led her inside. “Let’s go and sit on the balcony and listen to the ocean. Would
you like a beer? I expect there will be some in the fridge.”

“No, I don’t think so, but please, get one for yourself.”
She rummaged in her overnight bag for a cardigan which she draped around her
shoulders, and then they stepped back outside into the cool ocean air to sit
together on the balcony. A group of teenagers, possibly from the nearby Cal
Poly University were calling to each other down on the beach and the lights of
another ship glinted and twinkled way out on the horizon.

“One night isn’t enough is it?” Matt asked unexpectedly.
“We’ve got to do this again, but for longer next time.”

Livi didn’t answer immediately. ”Matt,” she said finally, “I
suddenly came to understand today, just how much you’ve become a part of my
life. I want to spend time — much more time — with you, but I don’t expect you
to constantly spend large amounts of money to make it happen. I’m not that sort
of person.”

“Sweetheart, I know exactly what sort of person you are. I
also know that left to your own devices you’d probably never do anything like
this again. The same goes for me, but together . . . who knows?”

Livi took his hands in hers. “Together sounds good. I never
imagined I’d say that again, but I have, and I really mean it.”

His eyes seemed to drink her in. “Then this weekend has been
worth it; every minute of it.” He drew her to him and kissed her, gently at
first then with more passion. She wrapped her arms around him and clung to him
tightly.

“Do you want me to go?” he whispered when, at last, they
drew apart. She shook her head.

“No, I want you to stay.”

They went back inside the room, from which the full length
windows looked out across the moonlit ocean. It seemed a pity to shut it off,
but Matt slid the french window closed and pulled the drapes. He then sat on
the bed with his back against the headboard and Livi sat next to him, her legs
stretched out alongside his. They started to kiss again; this time longer,
hungrier kisses.

He didn’t pressure her, in fact, she was the one dictating
the pace. She had discarded her cardigan before sitting down, but eventually
she pulled away from him and slowly, piece by piece, removed her clothes. Her
nipples were hard and her honey-blond hair fell in tresses around her face. Matt
gazed at her; even with his clothes intact, it was evident how aroused he had
become.

Gently, unhurriedly, she began undressing him, her fingers
gently stroking his bare skin. Her hazel eyes burning with a passion he’d never
seen before in a woman, and with Livi, it was not what he expected; her eyes were
like windows to her soul. He was unable to suppress his desire for her any
longer. With an intense hunger, he rolled over until he was on top of her and
she felt him, hard and urgent between her legs.

He reached down into the silky curls guarding her most
secret area until his fingers found the special, tender spot, and she cried out
with pleasure as he entered her. They both had a powerful thirst to quench, but
the gratification they imparted to each other was consummate and tender.

When it was over, she lay back on the pillows and smiled a
smile of supreme contentment. “Doc,” she murmured, “you sure have a bedside
manner.”

He chuckled and kissed her slender breast. “Vets don’t have
a bedside manner, although I’m prepared to make an exception for you.”

They lay for hours, talking and kissing and exploring each
other’s bodies. When they made love for a second time, it was slower, less
urgent, but equally as pleasurable. Afterwards, they clung together, limbs
entwined, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

The sun was already shining when they awoke next morning and
Matt opened the french window to a fresh, salty breeze. He sat down on the bed
next to Livi and kissed her. “I shall have to go next door to shower and get
dressed,” he said. “All my things are there.”