Stories By Mi'Chelle

Papa Hudson did not like the fact that Ruby and Gavin were going to turn their new home into a business. To him it meant that they didn’t really see it as a real home, but rather as some type of hotel – a temporary dwelling to lay their heads when they were in town. Yet he knew that there wasn’t anything he could do about it now. They had fulfilled all of his requirements. He couldn’t create another without raising suspicion.  No one, not even his wife, could know the real reason Papa Hudson wanted Ruby to stay close. No one could know his secret fear. That fear was incited by a visiting preacher many years ago after a church revival. You will lose two children in your lifetime , the preacher had prophesied to him as he drove him back to the airport. One has already been lost through miscarriage. The other will be lost to violence, so stay prayed up. I will not lose you, Ruby, Papa Hudson thought determinedly even as he prepared to give her away in marriage on that Wedn...

When Gavin returned to the bedroom, he lounged on top of the covers to keep the level of temptation down. Then he initiated a conversation about their new business partner. His search for information was used to distract them both from other things. Sexual things.  “Tell me, how did an exotic French woman like Mrs. Thompson end up in a small town like Blue-eyed Hollow?” Gavin wanted to know.  “I thought you’d never ask. I love telling her story.” Ruby chuckled. Then she dived right into the heart of that topic. “Mrs. Thompson used to perform in a French vaudeville act that entertained military troops from all over. Mr. Thompson caught one of her shows while he was stationed overseas and fell in love with her at first sight. He bribed his way backstage, introduced himself to her with a red rose, and proposed to her right on the spot.”  “Wow! Mr. Thompson moved faster than me.” Gavin propped up on one elbow, eager to hear more about this fascinating couple....

Later at the hotel, Gavin escorted Ruby out of the tub where she’d been soaking for the last thirty minutes. He wrapped her body in a large towel, lifted her in his arms, and carried her to the bedroom. There he stood her upon her feet by the bed and dried her body off from top to bottom…slowly. Ruby moaned from his ardent attention. Desire stirred in Gavin’s loins at that moan. Yet he suppressed it for her greater good.  “Oh, you’re so good to me,” Ruby said as he laid her gently on the bed a few minutes later.    Gavin withdrew and smiled down at her. He could see love shining in her eyes yet again. Would she finally declare it? Was she even that in touch with her feelings? “It’s easy to be good to you when you’re so good to everyone else. Look at all the things you do to protect your father alone. I admire that.” He went to return the towel to the bathroom as he spoke.  “Loving someone requires a certain amount of sacrifice,” Ruby said to his depa...

This is a really good investment, Gavin thought, entering Mrs. Thompson’s house again after touring the property on horseback. He loved everything he’d seen during the tour. He was already calculating and planning how he could get the greatest return on this investment. “Are you all right, honey?” Mrs. Thompson asked Ruby after noticing how gingerly she sat down on the brown sofa beside him.  Ruby blushed. “I’m fine. I think I overdid it by riding one too many horses bareback today. Now my body is protesting.”  Gavin snapped his gaze to hers. He knew exactly who’d given her that first bareback ride – him. If he’d known that they would tour the property on horseback, he would have told Ruby to wear jeans and keep on her underwear today. He definitely wouldn’t have been so frisky with her in the car. Now he was seriously thinking about postponing all future intimacies until after the wedding.  “I’m so sorry for your discomfort, baby. I’ll see what I can do to ...

Ruby watched Gavin like a hawk as he drove to Mrs. Thompson’s place. He was so gorgeous to her and the way he conducted himself in front of her family had her hotter than the 4 th of July. She couldn’t wait to make love to him again. Maybe I should take more off, Ruby thought, having taken off her underwear before she left the house. Feeling the heat in her body multiply by the second, she lifted the bottom of her long dress to ventilate her core. “Sweet, sweet, Vinny.” Ruby moaned, licking her lips as she scanned his handsome frame yet again. Gavin looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “What’s on your mind, Red?”  “You. I can’t stop thinking about how you handled my father today,” Ruby replied breathlessly. “About how I want you to handle me right now.” She undid the bun in her hair, freeing her long locks.  Gavin moaned. “How do you want me to handle you, baby?” He turned and gave her his full attention after coming to a four-way stop. ...

The Hudsons stood on the front porch watching Gavin and Ruby drive off. Everyone else had already gone back to their respective homes.  “He seems to have a lot of love for her,” Mama Hudson said, sitting down in one of the sturdy white porch chairs. “Yeah. $200,000 worth according to Mrs. Thompson,” Papa Hudson replied, turning to face her.  Mama Hudson’s eyes widened. “Wow! Never thought we’d end up with a rich son-in-law.”  Tom worked in landscaping and Jerry was a long-distance truck driver. They both earned decent incomes. Yet neither of them had ever garnered six figures in one year. However, their newest son-in-law seemed to have that and more sitting around in his bank account. “I didn’t think we’d end up with a rich son-in-law either,” Papa Hudson replied. “But I guess I should have known he had some substance by that fancy SUV he drives.” He turned and looked at Gavin’s silver Land Rover fading in the distance. “I hope having a husband with that ki...

Ruby squealed with delight when her father finally gave his blessing. She got up and ran around the table to hug him. She hadn’t done that since she was nine years old and discovered that she’d gotten everything on her wish-list when she opened her presents on Christmas morning. She missed hugging her father. Did he miss her hugs? “Thank you, Papa.” Ruby hugged him tightly and planted a warm kiss on his right cheek for good measure. Papa Hudson smiled for a few brief moments, relishing her genuine affection, before returning to his somber ways. “You just remember to be a good wife to your husband. Wait on him hand and foot and don’t give him any reason to ever doubt your love,” he said in a stern tone that lacked its usual punch.   “Don’t worry, Papa. I’ll treat Vinny like a king,” Ruby replied, returning to her seat on lighter legs and with a lighter heart.  “And I will treat her like the queen that she is,” Gavin inserted. “No disrespect, sir, but I’m not l...

Everyone looked horrified by Papa Hudson’s latest obstacle. Everyone except for Gavin. He remained calm, cool, and collected – the way his father taught him to be in the face of adversity. In light of all that Ruby shared about her family, particularly about her father, he would have been highly surprised if the pathway down the aisle had been smooth. “No worries, Red, okay?” Gavin said soothingly, running an equally soothing hand down the left side of her face. Ruby closed her eyes at his touch and immediately calmed down. “Okay,” she whispered, revealing unspoken trust when she reopened her unique pools. Gavin smiled and nodded. Then he pulled out his cell phone and scrolled down his contacts list to select the number Mrs. Munsen had given him. He wisely entered all new numbers into his phone so that he’d have them with him at all times. “Hello, Mrs. Thompson? My name is Dr. Gavin Sweetwater,” he said when she answered on the second ring. He paid no mind to the frown on ...

On Sunday, Gavin showed up right on time for supper at the main Hudson house. He wore the dark brown suit Ruby picked out from his closet last night. His long hair was pulled back in a conservative ponytail just the way she suggested. If only she had prepared him for her appearance. Ruby’s gorgeous red hair was pulled tightly away from her face in a modest bun. Her voluptuous body was sheathed in an oversized pink floral dress that came all the way down to her ankles. On her feet was a pair of flat pink slides. There wasn’t an inch of makeup on her face.   Only Ruby’s eyes showed a hint of her wild side, but just for a few seconds. After briefly winking and smiling at Gavin, she pasted a chaste smile on her face and turned to politely introduce him to her family.   “Everybody, this is Dr. Gavin Sweetwater, my fiancé whom I like to call Vinny,” Ruby began. Then she proceeded to personally introduce him to each family member one by one, starting with her red-bearded ...