by Dana Wayne
“Warming up leftovers is hardly cooking.”
“Max is really good at puzzles, Mom.” Maddie slurped her milk. “He got all the end pieces on the new one Miss Gail gave me.”
Dinner was an amiable affair, filled with laughter and Maddie’s usual chatter. Afterwards, the three of them worked on the puzzle again, racing to see who could find the most pieces.
Maddie protested, of course, when Sky said it was bedtime but obeyed her mother’s directive.
Sky returned from tucking her daughter in and resumed her seat beside Max on the couch. “Would you like more coffee?”
“I’m good, thanks.” Suddenly nervous, he dug for something to talk about. “Um, I heard you were thinking about getting back into nursing.”
Her surprised expression suggested maybe that was not a good topic to start on.
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
She visibly relaxed and leaned back. “Doc wants me to go to work for her at the clinic while we work at getting my license reinstated.”
“You don’t seem too excited about the prospect.”
“It’s not that. I’d love to get back into nursing.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
She rested her head on the back of the couch, eyes focused upward. “I don’t know what all’s involved in the process. I’m sure I’ll probably have to take some CEUs, maybe even some kind of refresher classes. The closest place is Tyler or maybe Texarkana. Will have to check and see. Both are well over an hour away.”
“What about online classes?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Doc said she’d look into it and let me know what she finds.” Voice lowered, she turned her head toward him. “What if I can’t do it?”
“You can do anything you set your mind to,” Max said firmly. “Just look at what you’ve done up to now.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “I really want to do this, Max. But what if I can’t? What if I’ve waited too long?”
One finger under her chin, he tilted her face up. “I repeat. You can do whatever you put your mind to.”
“How can you be so sure? You hardly know me.”
He caressed her chin with his finger. “I know the stuff that matters. You’re smart. Beautiful. A wonderful mom. And a great human being.” He paused, his thumb caressing her lower lip. “And I’d like very much to kiss you right now.”
Her throat moved as she swallowed, followed by a light shiver. “I’d like that.”
His lips feather-touched hers with tantalizing persuasion, once, twice, then he gently covered her mouth.
Shock waves of desire coursed through his body. Urgent and exploratory, he deepened the kiss, smothering her lips with commanding mastery. She tasted of coffee and pumpkin pie, and he couldn’t get enough.
Her arms slid up his chest and around his neck, pulling him closer and returning his kiss with reckless abandon.
When her tongue slid into his mouth and touched his, he couldn’t stop the explosion of need it elicited. Raising his mouth from hers, he gazed into her eyes. “You’re very special to me, Sky. I don’t want to do something to mess that up.”
“You’re special to me, too.” Her hands slid down his chest, one resting over his pounding heart. “I…haven’t been with anyone since, well, a long time. Haven’t wanted to.”
He waited, sensing there was more she wanted to say.
“Until you.”
His heart stuttered as blood pounded through his veins, the implications of her statement reaching his soul. “I feel the same way,” he whispered. “I think we have something special going on here.”
“Me, too.”
Neither spoke as they gazed into each other’s eyes, the connection almost tangible.
Max finally broke the spell when he gently pulled away. “I better go. Maddie might…”
She tugged on his shirt, her gaze soft as a caress. Her eyes fluttered shut, then opened. “Could you…we …just sit a while?”
He eased back on the couch, the meaning in her words crystal clear.
She needed him. Wanted him.
He gathered her into his arms. Her head fit perfectly into the hollow between his shoulder and neck, and her warm breath floated out on a sigh of pleasure as slender fingers lightly stroked his chest.
His heart rate eased into a steady rhythm as it swelled with a sense of fulfilment and completeness that astonished him.
He’d found it. The thing missing from his meager existence. The thing he desperately wanted but never expected to find.
Love.
At last.
Did she…could she…love him in return?
He pulled her tighter against him and buried his face in her hair.
I love this woman.
Her arm slid across his chest, feet curled up beside her. “Max…”
Her soft entreaty branded him forever. He was hers. Heart and soul.
He lifted her chin with one finger, memorizing every nuance of the moment, composing an image he would take to his grave. “Sky…”
He kissed the tip of her nose, then her eyes, and, finally, satisfyingly, those tempting lips.
A shudder passed through her as she melted against him, a dreamy intimacy encasing them while the kiss went on forever.
At last, he pulled back, his gaze searching hers.
Something intense flared between them.
No words were needed as their hearts spoke to each other.
Regardless of what happened tomorrow or next week or next year, he had this one moment in time. A moment where hope and love and promise flourished, and he would cherish it as long as he lived.
They drifted off to sleep, her head on his shoulder—his heart in her hands.
The next week passed in a blur. Remnants of the icy weekend faded more each day as the sun rose in a cloudless sky, though the nights remained frosty. Shaded areas still harbored patches of white, but the roads were clear.
Though she missed being chauffeured around by Max, Sky was thankful for the better weather. Diner customers came and went in a steady flow, making the time fly by.
Since her shift didn’t start until eleven, Max joined her for coffee each morning before he left for work and even offered to take Maddie to school a couple of times, which the child loved. Most evenings, she got off by six-thirty, and the three of them enjoyed a late supper.
The ease with which they fell into this new routine made her long for something more. Each time she saw him, her heart mushroomed with emotions she thought long dead, the sense of rightness staggering in its intensity. The night they fell asleep cuddled on the couch, the ecstasy of being held against his strong body remained a cherished memory. When he kissed her goodbye the next morning, an immense void followed his absence.
There was something special about him, something she sensed from the beginning. The thought barely crossed her mind before another followed that rocked her to the core.
She loved him.
The acknowledgement both thrilled and terrified her and made for a sleepless night last night as she worried about what happens next. Did he feel the same way? Instinct said yes, but he’d never spoken the words. Maybe she should go first, let him know how she felt.
Lost in a world of possibility, she licked parched lips, unable to stifle a timid smile of hope. Does he love me, too?
“Hey, Sky?” The call came from a customer at the other end of the counter. “Can I get a refill on my coffee, please?”
Embarrassed to be caught in her daydream, she hurriedly filled Billy Ray’s cup. “I’m so sorry, Bill. Don’t know where my mind is today.”
“Judging by that smile on your face, I bet I know.”
His suggestive wink brought a rush of heat to her face.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to embarrass you.” His smile said otherwise. A jailer at the sheriff’s office, he was known about town as a notorious flirt and loved to tease.
“Of course not, Bill.”
He grinned and sipped his coffee. “You and Max going to the parade tonight?”
In the way of small towns, everyone quickly accepted them as a couple, so she wasn’t surprised by his question. “Can’t miss the Christmas Parade.” She returned the pot to the burner. “He and Maddie will be here about five-thirty.”
“Well.” That good-ole-boy smile had charmed many a lady. “I tried. Guess I’ll just be all alone tonight.”
“Yeah. Right.” She removed his empty plate and placed it in the bus tub. “We both know that’s a crock.”
A full-hearted, throaty laugh echoed around the room. “You wound me, Sky.” He finished his coffee and placed some bills on the counter. “Gotta get back to work. Keep the change. Merry Christmas.”
Before she could argue about the amount of change, he was gone.
The bell above the door announced another customer, and Sky turned to see Cooper Delaney, the local sheriff, headed toward her. “Afternoon, Sky,” he drawled as he passed her a large, brown envelope. “Doc asked me to drop this by for you.” He touched the brim of his dark Stetson hat. “Said to ask that you give her a call once you’ve had a chance to look it over.”
She took the package and smiled. “Thanks, Sheriff.”
He glanced around the half-empty room. “I hope you decide to take Doc up on the offer, Sky. She could really use someone like you.”
Unsure how to respond, she simply nodded and stuck to business. “Can I get you anything?”
“Large coffee to go, please. Time for rounds.”
Coffee in hand, he headed out as Cade Jackson walked in.
She suppressed a groan as she took the envelope to the back and placed it with her stuff. She’d look at it later when she got home.
Cade occupied his usual spot at the counter when she returned. “Need a menu, Cade?”
“You mean you don’t know what I want by now?”
His lewd wink had her clenching one fist for control. “Do you need a menu?” she repeated.
His lips thinned, and he sighed. “Give me the chicken fried steak dinner and coffee. Please.”
She turned the order in and placed his drink in front of him, all in silence.
“Aw come on, Skylar,” he grumbled, “how much longer are you gonna give me the cold shoulder?”
Until you get the message and leave me alone.
“I said I was sorry.”
She was saved from answering when Ruby came out from the kitchen with a pie in each hand. “Sky? Can you put these in the pie case, please?”
“Hey, Ruby?” called a man from the back booth, “Is one of those a pecan pie?”
“It is for a fact, Jerry.”
He got up and came to the counter. “Can I buy the whole thing? My Julie loves it.”
“Of course. I’ll box it up for you.”
Cade, thank goodness, busied himself chatting with other customers.
The bell above the door signaled another customer, and Sky turned to see who entered. A young man, maybe late teens, wearing a leather jacket and dark toboggan, glanced around as though looking for someone. It was the third time he’d been in today. The two previous times, he had simply looked around and left.
“Afternoon,” she called, “Just sit wherever you like.”
He scanned the room, then slumped into a booth near the back facing the door.
Sky didn’t recognize him as a local, though something about him looked familiar. She carried the requisite water and menu and smiled. “What can I get for you to drink?”
He didn’t take his eyes off the front door. “Just coffee.”
“Anything to go with it?”
“I said just coffee,” he snapped.
His eyes darted to her then back to the door as the tops of his ears turned bright red. “Please,” he added, his tone apologetic.
“You need cream with it?”
He took a deep breath as though calming himself. “Yes, please.”
He didn’t look up when she placed his drink on the table. Again, something about him looked familiar, and she hesitated. “Can I get you anything else?”
“No. Um, thanks.”
“You expecting someone?” she asked.
He stiffened, and hooded, insolent eyes glanced her way then back to the door.
“I saw you earlier, and it seemed like you were looking for someone.”
His shoulders slumped slightly, and he shook his head.
For reasons she could not discern, the young man pulled at her. “Well, I know pretty much everyone in town, so if I can help, just ask.”
Coffee splashed from his cup when he set it down a little too hard. “Um, well, I’m…looking for someone. A man. His name is Max Logan.” His low-pitched voice cracked, then edged higher, and a bright flush covered his face when he glanced up. “Do you know him?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” She smiled, hoping to put him at ease since he was obviously very nervous. She glanced at the big clock on the back wall. “He should be here shortly.”
He sat up straighter, pulled the cap from his head and placed it on the seat beside him. He ran one hand over his disheveled hair, the other gripped the handle of his mug. “Thanks.”
Sky started to say something else, but his attention was totally focused on the front as Max and Maddie strode in.
“It’s almost time for the parade,” squealed Maddie as she ran up to Sky. “Aren’t you excited?”
Sky laughed and guided her toward the counter. “I think you’re excited enough for all of us.” She helped her to a stool on the end and removed her coat. “Would you like some hot chocolate?”
“Yes, please.”
She turned to Max. “The young man in the back booth is waiting for you.”
He looked toward the boy. “What does he want with me?”
“He didn’t say. He’s been in a couple of times today.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to him.” He looked at his watch. “Parade starts at eighteen thirty. We need to find our spot pretty soon.”
“That means six-thirty,” chirped Maddie, “in soldier talk.”
“I’ll bring your coffee over there.”
He nodded and started toward the stranger.
Sky got Max’s coffee and headed back toward the booth where they sat. She could only see Max’s expression from this angle, and it was dark. Oh dear. Something’s wrong. She was about to place Max’s cup on the table when the young man’s voice stopped her.
“Answer me. Are you my dad?”
Max heard Sky’s gasp but didn’t take his eyes off the boy. He had no idea who the kid was but didn’t for a moment believe he was his father.
“Answer me, dammit,” snapped the young man.
Sky placed the mug on the table, splashing hot liquid on her hand as she hurriedly took a step back.
Max looked up and met her shocked expression. Eyes wide, she swallowed hard, one hand pressing against her throat.
“No,” he snapped, not looking at the boy, “I am not.”
Sky turned and rushed back to the kitchen.
Dammit!
He took a deep breath and refocused on the boy. “Who are you, and what makes you think I’m your father?”
The kid’s hands shook as he pushed his cup toward the center of the table. “Logan Watkins. My mother is Anna Watkins. I found your name in some of her stuff.”
In a matter of seconds, things crystallized in his mind. “How old are you?”
“I’ll be eighteen next week.”
Shit. He’d be the right age.
The boy looked toward the counter where Maddie sat talking with Sky. “I guess she’s your wife, and the kid is your daughter.”
The coldness in his voice didn’t disguise the hurt. Max kept a neutral tone. “I’ll ask again…what makes you think I’m your father?”
Logan shifted in his seat, eyes not quite meeting Max’s steady gaze. “We were moving crap from the attic, and I found a box of stuff I’d never seen.” He paus
ed, then pulled a wrinkled photo from his shirt pocket and placed it on the table. “This was in there.”
Max clenched his jaw when he saw the young couple all dressed up for the prom. On the back, in neat block letters she had written, “Max Logan and me at the prom. I’ll always love my knight in shining armor.”
Suddenly, Max was transported back to that night so many years ago. Anna Sue, devastated by Cade’s sudden indifference, didn’t know at the time she carried his child. Max had no plans for the prom but because she was so unhappy, insisted they go together.
In true Cade fashion, he went out of his way to hurt and embarrass them both. It was all Max could do to remain calm.
“You’re my knight in shining armor, Max,” she’d told him at one point. “And I’ll always love you for that. But let it go. Cade’s not worth it.”
Things went to hell shortly thereafter when she discovered she was pregnant, and Cade blew her off.
“Well?”
Logan’s sharp question brought Max back to the present. “Well what?”
He nodded toward the photo Max held. “Explain that.”
“It’s pretty obvious. We went to prom together.”
“And?”
“And nothing.”
Logan’s quick intake of breath and narrowed eyes warned of a rising temper.
“What did she tell you?”
Body tense, his words were clipped and hard. “That you were dead.”
He couldn’t imagine why she would say such a thing. “She told you I was dead? That makes no sense.”
The tips of his ears turned bright red. “Well, she told me my father was dead. But then I found those letters and that picture, so I got on the internet and…”
Max tried to be gentle, but his patience wore thin. It was obvious the boy had little concrete information on which to base his absurd assumption. He was alternately angry with Anna for putting him in this position and sorry for the boy caught in the middle. Max hated to be the bearer of bad news, but he had no intention of feeding the kid’s wild story. He sat back in the booth and tried to think of what to do next. “What exactly did she tell you about me? Me, specifically.”
The downcast expression told Max all he needed to know. “You haven’t talked with her about this, have you?”