“Be sure that you know where you’re going when you quit,” Barbara told her. “Being without a job isn’t good for you.”
Jessica laughed. “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry—I won’t leap into anything until I’ve looked.”
After she hung up with her mother, Jessica looked at her table full of papers, and goose bumps ran down her arms. Had she really decided to leave her nice, safe job to venture out into the unknown and seek out new dragons to slay? Yes, she believed she had, and the thought was both terrifying and exhilarating. Best to sleep on it before she got too carried away—it was always a bad idea to make decisions tired.
***
Jake rolled over in his sleep, and his pillow fell to the floor. Kent stooped over, picked it up, and tucked it back under his son’s head, then left the room. Early morning light was streaming into the house—Jean’s house—and Kent went downstairs to start a pot of coffee. He poured himself a cup, then carried it to the other room, where he sat down with a newspaper.
***
Possibly the most boring dream Jessica had ever had in her life, but her heart wouldn’t stop racing. She got up, hopped in the shower, and spent a little extra time on her hair. First she put it in a banana clip, but she decided that was too casual. A rubber band would be even more casual, so no. Finally, she flipped her hair over and used a blow dryer on it, then teased up the front a little bit. Her hands shook the whole time—Kent was back. He was back early, and he was staying at Jean’s.
When the phone rang, it startled her, but only because it broke the silence in the house. She’d known he’d call ever since she dreamed about him.
“Hey there,” he said when she picked up. “How are you?”
“I’m good. How are you?” She tried to sound calm. It almost worked.
“Glad that I guessed right—it’s Saturday morning, so you’re home. I was worried for a few minutes that I might not catch you.”
“I have a terrible confession to make,” she said. “I’m always home on Saturday mornings because I like watching cartoons.”
“Me too.” He chuckled. “Hey, um, can we talk? I feel like we need to figure some things out.”
“Of course we can. Do you want to talk on the phone, or do you want to come over?”
“You . . . you know I’m in town?”
“Yeah. I had a dream about you last night.” She held her breath, wondering how he’d react.
“You dreamed that I was here?”
“Yes. I saw you pick up Jake’s pillow and give it back to him, and then you made coffee and drank it while reading your newspaper.”
“And you dreamed all that?” He sounded like he couldn’t move on beyond that fact.
“Yes. And you’re wearing a blue button-down shirt, Levi jeans, white sneakers, and you’ve recently gotten a haircut.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” He didn’t say anything else, but just hung up.
She paced her living room nervously while she waited. She knew that wouldn’t do a single thing to pass the time, but it gave her something to do. When he knocked, she threw open the door, and there he was, looking exactly like he had in the dream down to the white shoes.
“When you told me about the dreams, I thought you were just exhausted because of everything you’d been through, but then I got a little scared,” he said before he’d even greeted her. “I didn’t know what to think. But after we got to Nashville, I realized how much I missed you, and every time I called you, that feeling just grew and grew until it was like a hole in my chest. So I came back because I knew I had to tell you how I felt.”
“And here you are,” she said, almost unable to speak. He’d come back just because he missed her?
“You dreamed about me this morning. You dreamed about the pillow and the coffee—you dreamed about my clothes. Is this a gift or a curse? What’s going on?”
“All I know is that each of my sisters have been experiencing something similar,” she replied. “There are special gifts that run through the men in the family, but not the women, so when this started, we didn’t realize what was going on. Somehow or another, we’ve tapped into our family’s inherited gifts. We’re not crazy, and we’re not witches. We’re just . . . us.”
Kent reached out and took her face in his hands. “Can you forgive me for being so stupid about the whole thing? If I’d just listened better, if I hadn’t been so skeptical . . . we could have been together this whole time.”
“I don’t blame you,” she told him. “This isn’t easy. Of course I forgive you.”
He took a step closer and kissed her. She grabbed his collar and held on for dear life. She’d missed him so much—so very, very much.
“What about Nashville?” she asked when the kiss ended.
“I told them a family emergency had come up, and asked if I could work from home. They were fine with that. They’ve just asked me to come back from time to time to check in.”
“From time to time? That means they want more than just a few songs from you?”
He grinned. “Yeah, I’ve been asked to collaborate on a few albums coming out next year.”
She threw her arms around his neck, laughing. “Oh, I’m so happy for you! Does this mean you can quit your job?”
“I’m absolutely quitting my job.”
“Well, that’s quite a coincidence because so am I.”
He leaned back and looked at her. “Really?”
“Really. I need something more challenging. You have no idea how bored I’ve been this year.”
“I tell you what.” He took both her hands in his. “Why don’t we look for something together? Something that will challenge you and allow you to use those magnificent skills of yours, and while we’re at it, we could look for a house, one that will fit not only the three of us, but maybe a few more of us.”
She looked at him skeptically. “This is starting to sound like a marriage proposal.”
“Oh, it’s very much a marriage proposal. Don’t mistake it for anything else.”
“It’s just . . . wow. Everything happening all at once. I only decided to quit last night, and then you just showed up, and now you’re proposing . . . this is moving really fast.”
“Well, if you like, I can leave now, and I can propose again tomorrow. Does that give you enough mental room to accept everything?’
“But I don’t want you to leave now.”
“Then I’m proposing. See, I don’t have any way not to. It’s coming out of me of its own accord—I’m not even controlling my own mouth anymore. Marry me. Marry me. Marry me.”
She laughed. “Heather said that when it was right, it would happen fast.”
“What do you mean, fast? Didn’t we meet last March?”
“That’s what I was thinking. We’re the least fast people I know.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s not right.” Kent rubbed the backs of her hands with his thumbs. “I love you, Jessica. I have for a very long time. I’m ready to move forward and create something new with my life, and I want you there by my side. Will you marry me?”
“What does Jake say about it?”
“Jake asked for you for Christmas.”
Jessica blinked. “He did?”
“He did. He told me that he wanted a new mom, and that it should be you. When he got some games for his Atari instead, he was kind of disappointed.”
“My dad might have helped develop those games,” Jessica said. “He works for Atari.”
“Cool. I bet Jake would love to talk to him about that. But you’re procrastinating—I’ve proposed about a hundred times now, and you have yet to give me your answer.”
“I don’t think it’s been a hundred times. I think it’s been significantly less. In fact—”
He pulled her close and kissed her again. She usually didn’t appreciate being shushed or interrupted, but she found that this time, it was rather a pleasant experience.
“Yes,” she said when he ended the kiss. “Yes,
I’ll marry you, and yes, I’ll be Jake’s new mom. Not a replacement mom, but an additional mom.”
“He told me you’d say that.”
“He did?”
“Yeah. He’s a pretty smart kid.”
“Well, he’d definitely a smart kid if he told you to marry me. I’m likely one of the best decisions you’ll ever make in your life.”
“I have no doubt about it,” Kent said, bringing her near for yet another kiss.
Epilogue
“Two of my daughters down, and five to go,” Bob McClain said, raising a glass of ice water in a toast. “May you all find people who can put up with you just as well as the first two girls did. But not too fast.” He turned his gaze to Candice and Marti. “You’ve both got a few things to do before that happens.”
Jessica reached under the table and squeezed Kent’s hand. She’d been worried that her family would mob him when she brought him over for Sunday lunch, but they’d shown more restraint than she’d given them credit for. Barbara had swooped right in on Jake and carried him off to the kitchen to try a new cookie recipe, so there were definitely no issues there.
“So, what are your plans now?” Tracy asked.
“We’ll get married in about three months, which doesn’t give us time to plan anything elaborate, but that’s okay because we don’t want anything elaborate,” Jessica answered. “We’ll both be putting our houses on the market and looking for something that works for all three of us, and I quit my job.”
Gaylynn looked at Jessica in shock. “You what?”
“I need something I can really sink my teeth into, so I’m keeping my eyes open for just the right thing,” Jessica replied. “In the meantime, I talked to Uncle Jonathan, and I’ll be going out to the ranch to tutor some of the boys who need a little extra academic help. He’s in the process of getting full custody of Andy right now, and Andy will be one of my students.”
“That’s awesome,” Rebekah said. “I’ve been worried about that kid.”
Everyone at the table nodded.
“And what about you, Kent?” Bob looked down the table at his future son-in-law. “What’s on the horizon for your career?”
Barbara tugged on his sleeve.
“What?” Bob asked. “This is a legitimate question. I should know how he intends to take care of our daughter.”
Kent chuckled. “I’d be asking the same questions if I were in your shoes, Mr. McClain. I’ll be working from home mostly, but flying out to Nashville every so often to collaborate with other writers or to pitch my songs. It’s not a guaranteed career by any means, but in this industry, nothing’s guaranteed.”
“Do you think you’ll ever move out to Nashville?” Gaylynn asked.
Kent shrugged. “I have no way to tell at this point.”
Jessica glanced over at Marti. Knowing that her sister was a precog made her want to ask all sorts of questions about the future, but it was also fun to see how things unfolded on their own.
“I really hope you don’t,” Barbara said. “Having one daughter in Idaho and one in Tennessee would be so difficult. Going back and forth to see the grandbabies would take up all my time.”
“Honey, we’re going to have to get used to it.” Bob patted her hand. “We could have one daughter in each of the seven corners of the world.”
“I’ll give you each ten thousand dollars to stay in Texas,” Barbara said, her gaze flitting to her daughters.
“Mom, do you have seventy thousand dollars to spend on bribes?” Candice asked. “Because of course you’d have to bribe Heather to move back, too.”
“I’d make it work. It would be well worth it.”
“We’re going to fly up to see Heather next weekend,” Kent said. “Jessica told me things wouldn’t really be official until I’d met every sister.”
“I wish I could come along with you. She hasn’t been gone too terribly long, but it feels like decades.” Barbara picked up her napkin and wiped her eyes.
The meal was over, and everyone got busy clearing the table and starting the hot water in the sink. Marti caught Jessica’s hand and pulled her into the corner of the kitchen. “I like him,” she whispered. “I like him a lot. I don’t see anything specific, but I know you’re going to be very happy together.”
Warmth exploded in Jessica’s chest. “Thank you. I wanted to ask, but I kept talking myself out of it.”
“Silly sister. Ask whatever you want, and if I can see it, I’ll tell you.” Marti threw her arms around Jessica. “I’m so happy for you.”
With the kitchen duties under control, those who weren’t needed trickled out of the room and into the living room, and Jessica looked over to see Kent leaning up against the door jamb, smiling at her.
“What was that all about?” he asked, nodding toward the corner where Jessica and Marti had been talking.
“She’s very happy for us.” Jessica wrapped her arms around Kent’s waist and looked up into his eyes. “And I’m pretty happy for us too.”
Kent bent down and gave her a kiss. “Then that makes three of us,” he said as he pulled her in tight.
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About Amelia C. Adams
Amelia C. Adams is a wife, a mother, an eater of tacos, and a taker of naps. She spends her days thinking up stories and her nights writing them down. Her biggest hero is her husband, and you just might see bits and pieces of him as you read her novels.
You can reach her at [email protected].
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The Kansas Crossroads Series:
A New Beginning (free!)
A Free Heart
The Dark and the Dawn
A Clean Slate
A Clear Hope
The Whisper of Morning
A Careless Wind
A Narrow Road
The Bitter and the Sweet
The Calm of Night
A Begrudging Bride
A Broken Wing (A Kansas Crossroads novella)
A Twisted Fate
An Unspoken Dream
A Joyful Noise
The Echo of Music (A Kansas Crossroads novella)
The Risk and the Reward (A Kansas Crossroads novella)
A Passing Glance
The Nurses of New York series:
Sea of Strangers (free!)
Cause of Conflict
Touch of Tenderness
Heart of Hearts
Test of Time
The American Mail-Order Brides series:
Hope: Bride of New Jersey
Tabitha: Bride of Missouri
The Hearts of Nashville series:
Whiskey and Women
Records and Rebels
As part of the Brides of Beckham series by Kirsten Osbourne:
Mail Order Molly
As part of the River’s End Ranch series:
Accidental Agent
Rugged Rockclimber
Welcome Wagon
Santa’s Shopkeeper
Delivering Destiny
Lucky Lifeguard
Poinsettia Promises
Christmas Catch-Up III
Candy Crush
Paislee’s Path
Pet Peeves
Karaoke Kisses
As part of the Quinn Valley Ranch series:
Scented Sensibility
As part of the Grandma’s Wedding Quilts series:
Meredith’s Mistake
As part of the Magnolias and Moonshine series:
Sweet Georgia Peach
As part of the Burnt River series:
Ashley’s Hope
Phoebe’s Fate
&
nbsp; As part of the Rocky Mountain Romances series:
Utah Sunrise
As part of the Mail Order Mounties series:
Bride for Joel
Bride for Jonathan
Bride for Samuel
Bride for Calvin
Bride for Peter
Bride for Michael
Bride for Richard
As part of the Seven Sons series:
Benjamin
Daniel
Frank
As part of the Cowboys and Angels series:
Bribing the Blacksmith
Tea for Two
Loving the Landlord
Defying the Darkness
Rhyme or Reason
As part of the Main Street Merchants series:
And Something Blue
For Love or Money
Five Golden Rings
Just Desserts
In the Stars
Sugar and Spice
As part of the Brody Hotel series:
Generations
Heartstrings
Connections
As part of the Pinkerton Matchmaker series:
An Agent for Lucy
Short Fiction:
The Ghost of Dunlow Manor
The Best of Me
Jessica (Seven Sisters Book 2) Page 9