Wilder was nowhere in sight. Celia prepared a bowl of soup for her grandfather and then set off towards the back of the house to look for him. She crossed the porch, then walked along the stables, she thought she could hear his voice in the back, talking to the animals. She needed to see him. This was happening too fast, she had only just met him, but she had given him her virginity, she was falling in love with a man she barely knew. But even if she didn’t know him, she knew that Conrad couldn’t be truthful. Wilder wasn’t the man his brother thought he was.
Celia stopped when she saw him. Wilder was several feet deep in a pit of wet mud with a rope in his hand. He had rubber boots on, but his jeans were nonetheless stained and muddy. His shirt sleeves were rolled up and his hat was tipped back on his head. He was oblivious to the scorching sun.
She called out to him, but he didn’t seem to hear her.
“Wilder!” She yelled again, and this time he turned slowly where he was standing. Even from the distance Celia noticed how his eyes changed when he saw her. He remained standing where he was, not making a move in her direction. He wanted her to come to him.
“Can I talk to you?” She asked, panting. Her nerves were wrecked, she didn’t want Conrad to see them talking…and mostly, she was excited to see him. That was the effect that Wilder had on her, every time she laid her eyes on him.
Wilder had still not moved, waved or said a word. Almost like he couldn’t understand her.
“Wilder! Can we talk?” She said again.
“Sure.” She heard him say, but he still wasn’t willing to come to her.
Celia lifted up
her dress with both her hands and confidently stepped into the pit, her feet sinking several inches. She was wearing a pair of leather sandals which were sure to be ruined by what she was doing now, but she didn’t care. She needed to get this over with.
She strode towards him, dragging her feet through the mud, aware that it was staining her long pale calves. Aware also that Wilder was looking at her, with a strange smile on his face. Why did he like to watch her embarrass herself?
“This is ridiculous. Why wouldn’t you just come over there?” She said, as she walked towards him. The wet mud splashed on her dress too and Celia had to try very hard not to wince. When she looked up she noticed that Wilder was studying her dress, her mud stained legs, her body.
“You wanted to talk to me, I didn’t see the point of going to you.” He said, tugging at his rope, at the other end of which a muddy sheep was tied.
Celia sighed and met his gaze. His deep blue eyes were boring into her, she licked her lips and noticed the way he watched her every movement.
“I just wanted to ask you, well I wanted to talk to you.” Celia said, fumbling with her words. She was convinced that she needed to talk to him, but when it came to it she didn’t know exactly what she was going to say. She hadn’t come prepared for this conversation.
“You’ve mentioned that already. What did you want to say?” Wilder asked. His brows had crossed and he looked irritated, like she was wasting his time.
“Just…well, about…” She tried to form the words again, looking about her, trying to find the right way to broach the subject. But Wilder interrupted her.
“Is this about what happened last night? Because I thought you were fine with us not talking about it.” He said sternly, like he was losing his patience with a naughty child. Celia felt offended. She had expected him to treat her with a little more respect after what had happened, after he had made it so clear to her that he wanted her.
“It is in a way.” She said sharply, still clutching her dress up above her knees. Wilder shook his head, like he was disappointed and then looked away from her.
“I thought you weren’t going to be one of those girls.” He said, with a sarcastic smirk on his face.
“What girls?” Celia asked, her pride had been wounded by now.
“Who would care about something like that.” He continued and their gazes met again.
“How dare you? You thought I was the kind of girl who just spreads her legs for anybody?” She said, her voice tearing as she spoke. Didn’t he know that he had taken her virginity? That there had been nobody before him? How could he say something like this?
She heard him laugh. A small laugh, but one that hurt her soul. He thought all of this was a joke!
“So it meant nothing to you? It was done, gone, a thing of the past for you?” Celia was yelling now, trying to hold back her temper but she couldn’t.
“What else was it supposed to be? We had just met. I don’t even know you.” Wilder said, clicking his tongue at his sheep. He still had that smirk on his face that was driving Celia crazy. She couldn’t believe it. Could Conrad actually have been right?
“If I did know you I would have known that you have a wife.” She said, a little more calmly now. Wilder’s face changed instantly. The smirk disappeared and he lunged at her. The rope had dropped from his hand and he was holding her, his hands on both her arms. Squeezing tightly. She could feel the strength in his arms, how easy it would be for him to hurt her.
But Celia looked back at him boldly, meeting his eyes directly.
“What did you just say to me?” He asked, growled.
“That I know about your wife, now. I know you’re a married man. You drove your wife away. She left you.” Celia continued. Her voice was choking in her throat as she felt the pressure of his hands on her arms. It wasn’t painful yet but it would be if he kept holding her like that any longer.