Love is Lovelier

by Donna Simonetta

  One side of his mouth quirked up, “I’ve got good hands. Didn’t you read my press releases when I played for the Pintos?”

  “I don’t need to read your old publicity to know you’ve got good hands. I’ve got personal knowledge of their many talents. It’s why I wanted the towel to drop!”

  “Later, baby, I promise you’ll get a demonstration, but I’m gonna want to take my time peeling you out of those sexy, tight jeans. And time is something we don’t have right now.”

  She sighed, and stepped out of his way at the door. “True. Although, your little speech made me care a lot less about getting there late, and people guessing what we’ve been doing.”

  He brushed past her and walked to his closet. He peeled the towel off and tossed it past her into the bathroom.

  “Rawrr…”

  He smiled at the noise she made, which sounded like a cross between a sex kitten and a lion, much like his Heather. “Are you checking out my nekkid ass?”

  “You better believe it, Evans. But, you’re right, I went to a lot of trouble to get in and out of my apartment all stealthy like a ninja, so no one would see me coming home in yesterday’s clothes, or see your car at my place. I don’t want to have done all that for nothing.”

  He pulled on a pair of black boxer briefs as she spoke, and took a pair of dark gray slacks off the hanger. “Speaking of my car, I’m hoping Lola survived the trip in one piece?”

  He buttoned up a crisp white shirt as he asked her.

  “Of course she did! I don’t know why you’re always talking smack about my driving. I’m good! Jeff and Cisco even sent me to one of those NASCAR camps for my birthday last year, and all the instructors said I was a natural.”

  He tucked the shirt into his slacks, and maneuvered the zipper up over a certain body part still hopeful it would be getting some more of Heather’s attention before brunch. “That’s why I asked. Being a natural stock car racer does not involve skills that translate well into a short drive across town.”

  “Your precious baby is fine, Mick. I parked her in the alley behind my place, so no one would see it out front on Sunday morning, and get the rumor mill going. No one else was parked there, so no one even breathed on her.”

  He chuckled as he took his wallet off the dresser and slid it into his back pocket.

  “Are you finally ready, prima donna?”

  “I am not a prima donna. I just care about my appearance and personal hygiene. Is that a crime, Ms. Braden?”

  They continued to bicker playfully all the way to the car, where Mick opened the passenger door for Heather with a flourish.

  She rolled her eyes as she brushed past him and settled in the car. “Message received. You’ll be driving, since you’re not comfortable with my so-called aggressive driving.”

  “So-called?” He laughed as he shut the door and skirted around the hood to get in the driver’s seat.

  Heather launched back into a comical defense of her driving, as Mick buckled up and started the car.

  Mick just smiled and drove. He never had as much fun with anyone as he did with Heather, both in bed and out of it.

  ****

  Bethanne and Magda cornered Heather at the first possible opportunity. She was in the kitchen when they pounced. Her back to the door as she poured a cup of coffee, she never heard them coming.

  “Word on the street is Mick’s car was parked outside your place this morning. Early enough to give the impression it was parked there all night. Scandalous!” Magda said.

  Startled, Heather sloshed the coffee a little, before she replaced the coffee pot, and turned to face the inevitable inquisition. Well, inevitable in Rivers Bend. She should’ve known she couldn’t keep a secret of this magnitude in a town where gossip was a lettered sport.

  Bethanne peered into the bowl of fruit salad on the counter next to her, and snitched a huge red grape, which she popped into her mouth. Heather smacked her hand, and made a desperate grab for a subject change. “Don’t grope the food before we put it out for brunch.”

  “I’m not groping the food, but thanks for the segue. Groping. Mick’s car at your apartment at the ass-crack of dawn. Tell all.”

  Heather leaned back against the counter and held her mug with both hands as she took her much-needed first sip of coffee of the day. She’d been running around town like a nut all morning, with no caffeine, and this had the makings of a conversation requiring coffee, and lots of it.

  “Who told you they saw Mick’s car at my place, a Marine Recon sniper? Because it was parked in the alley, and I turned the outside lights off, so no one could’ve seen it without night vision goggles, and a long-range site, you big snoop sister!”

  “Marine Recon has nothing on Deidre. She ran into the Nosh Pit to grab some juice for your mom, and she saw it there. Come on, Heath, give us some deets.”

  Magda swatted Bethanne’s arm, as she spoke to Heather. “We don’t need details. We just want to know how things are going with you guys. Does this mean you’re a couple now?”

  Heather could feel her face heat up, and took another desperate sip. Nope. Just as she feared, there was not enough coffee in the world for this conversation.

  ****

  Jason lifted his niece, Sam, and sat her on the white fence. Mick was so used to the climate in the Pacific Northwest; he’d forgotten how glorious this area of the country was on a spring day. He leaned on the fence, and looked out at the green grass, the brilliant blue sky, dotted with fluffy white clouds, and the beautiful horses grazing in the field.

  Jason pointed to an exceptional looking chestnut horse and said, “One of his offspring is running in the Irish Derby next month.”

  Mick didn’t know much about horse racing, but he knew enough to know that was huge in terms of the Braden’s operation, and whistled low. “That’s impressive. Congratulations.”

  “It’s a big boost for the Braden Breeding Program Dad started. We’re all really stoked.”

  Billy looked out at the big, powerful animals. “I’ve never been on a horse, but I sure would like to try it sometime.”

  “We could teach you,” Sam piped up. “Uncle Jason has classes, or will do private lessons, and he’s an amazing teacher.”

  “I’m guessing a private lesson would spare me public humiliation, but I suspect a class would be more in my price range,” Billy said with a smile.

  Jason waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about money. If you’re serious about learning, I’d be happy to teach you how to care for the horses, and how to ride. If you like it, maybe you can help us out some time, we can always use an extra hand around here.”

  Billy’s grin was almost as bright as the big yellow sun in the sky. “Thanks, man, I’d love to! Mick, do you want to learn too? Maybe Heather could teach you.”

  “Aunt Heather doesn’t ride,” Sam said as matter-of-factly as if she were saying the ‘sky is blue today.’

  Mick turned his head to look at the child. “She doesn’t? How did she grow up on a horse farm, and not learn to ride?”

  “She knows how to ride, she just doesn’t do it,” Sam said.

  “Since our dad died,” Jason explained. “Heather was a real Daddy’s girl, and the two of them would ride, and groom the horses together. She’d chatter away at him the whole time. It was their thing to do together, and after he passed, Heather just stopped riding.”

  Mick felt like he’d just taken a hit to the breadbasket. Having never lost a parent, he didn’t have any idea how much the loss of her dad had impacted Heather until just this moment. He knew she had some abandonment issues, but he realized he’d underestimated just how much they controlled her actions in the present.

  Eleven years ago, when he stupidly dropped her without any explanation, he unintentionally fed her fears of being abandoned by a man she loved.

  He exhaled deep from his abdomen, and leaned his forearms on the fence. He watched the Irish Derby runner’s daddy pose in the field like he was having his portra
it painted. He heard the conversation go on without him, but it was just a buzzing sound, like a hive of bees, while his mind was completely occupied with Heather, her old hurts, and how he could help heal them. Because he realized something else this morning, he loved Heather like nothing else on Earth, and he was determined to prove to her he wasn’t going anywhere this time…at least not without her by his side.

  Chapter 27

  Mick managed to snag a seat next to Heather at the Braden’s dining room table, and since their combined families made a large group, even with the younger members sitting at card tables, he was pleased to have to sit pressed tight against her. They were so close together he could feel the warmth of her body from shoulder to legs. He gave her thigh a nudge with his, and she turned to look at him he gave her a slow, sexy wink. She blushed, but favored him with a saucy grin in return.

  His mom sat next to Heather’s mom at the head of the table, but over the buzz of conversations, and the clatter of silverware on dishes, Mick couldn’t hear what they were discussing. Whatever the topic was, the two ladies were smiling and really animated. It had been a long time since he’d seen his mom so happy and vibrant, and she looked ten years younger.

  His mother raised her voice, so she could speak to his father across the table, “Phil, Joyce is going to Ireland next month to see the Irish Derby! Isn’t that exciting?”

  “Seems like a long way to go to see a horse race,” his dad grumbled.

  Joyce beamed at him, as if he had not just been surly and rude. “It is a haul, but one of our stallions sired a horse running in it, so I’m just thrilled to bits to be able to go! I’ll know some horse folks when I get there, but I wish I had someone to travel with me.”

  His mother’s eyes grew soft and dreamy. “I wish I could go with you.”

  As his father choked on his beer, Joyce clasped her hands together and said, “Carol, what a marvelous idea! You could come with me; we’d have so much fun!”

  His mother grew pink and cast a sidelong glance at her husband’s scowling face. “I couldn’t possibly go. Could I?”

  “No!” His father barked, which might have been a miscalculation on his part, based on his mom’s reaction.

  She straightened her spine, lifted her chin, and spoke with conviction, “I don’t see why not. I don’t have any little ones at home, Susan’s wedding is over with, and Dave will be at WVU football training camp by then.”

  “What about Danny and me?” his father asked, and Mick almost felt sorry for the man. He looked so confused by the normally gentle woman’s defiance.

  His mom didn’t seem to be having any such problem. She waved her hands dismissively. “You and Danny are grown men. You’re both capable of taking care of yourself for a long weekend.”

  “I’ve always wanted to see Ireland,” Joyce enthused. “Maybe we could take a couple of weeks and travel around the country.”

  “What about a passport, Ma?” Danny interjected. “You need one to go to a foreign country, and you don’t have one.”

  His mother’s face fell, and Mick felt like decking his brother for selfishly dashing his mother’s hopes.

  He must have tensed up enough for Heather to notice, because she gave his knee a reassuring squeeze before saying, “Passports can be expedited. I can drive you down to the passport office in D.C., Carol. We’ll have to wait in line, probably for ages, but you’ll have your passport in time for the Irish Derby.”

  Hope brightened his mother’s eyes. “Really, Heather? It might be possible? And you’d help me?”

  “Of course it is, and of course I will.” Heather smiled at his mom. “It will be so much fun for you two to go to Ireland. I just wish I could join you, but it’s such a busy time at the Retreat.”

  “After we eat, I’ll look online to see what Mrs. Evans needs to do, Grandma,” Caitlin called over from the kids’ table.

  “Y’all are so kind and helpful.” Carol beamed.

  His father’s fearsome scowl encompassed them all. “Just a regular bunch of Helpful Hannahs.”

  “Dad and I have to work tomorrow, Ma; we’re going home right after we eat. When do you think you could go to Washington to do this passport business?” Danny set his jaw and asked, his support clearly with the old man, as usual.

  “Y’all go ahead home today, and leave Mom here. She can stay in my cabin, and do what she needs to do in D.C., and then I can drive her home next weekend,” Mick said, also fulfilling his family role and falling in squarely on his mom’s side, and in opposition to his dad and Danny.

  “But where will you stay?” his mom asked.

  Mick glanced at Heather. “I’ll find a place to crash, Mom; don’t worry about me.”

  There was a general snickering around the table at his pronouncement, which caused Heather to turn red as a beet and smack him under the table.

  “Carol…” His father’s voice held a warning tone, thick with the promise of unpleasantness to come, and Mick ground his teeth, and half-rose from his chair, ready to defend his mother.

  Carol glanced at him, and her smile, while small and tight, was determined, and he slowly lowered himself back on his seat.

  “Phil, would you please help me with something in the kitchen?” his mother asked, as sweet as the tea at the Nosh Pit.

  His father frowned at the transparent excuse to get him alone to talk, but rose from his chair and stomped to the kitchen.

  His mother stood and smiled at everyone. “Y’all go right ahead with your meal. We’ll be back in a jiffy.”

  Mick tensed as his mother followed the old man into Mrs. Braden’s kitchen.

  Heather rubbed his hand, where it was clenched into a fist on his lap. She whispered to him, “Don’t worry, Mick, your mom has it under control.”

  Mrs. Braden smiled warmly at them all. “Eat up, everyone, before it gets cold.”

  The silence gave way to the clatter of silverware as everyone followed her command, for, gracious as it was, there was no doubt it was an order to continue with their meal, and to give his folks some privacy. Even Danny shoveled eggs into his sullen face, while he listened to Deidre chatter away about the weather.

  He took a deep breath, and followed suit. It did seem like everything was under control, and there was no sense in letting this delicious food go to waste.

  ****

  “Thanks for letting me use your cabin this week, Mick. Jeff needed all the available rooms at the Retreat, so I appreciate it. Joyce said I could stay with her, but I didn’t want to impose, and I suspect you won’t mind the chance to stay with your girl.”

  His mom hinting about his sex life, now that’s not at all awkward. Mick’s face flushed as he reached for the spare sheets on the closet shelf. “Jeez, Mom, can we not talk about Heather and me.”

  His mother efficiently stripped the sheets off the bed, as she spoke in a matter-of-fact manner, “I don’t think we can, Mickey. I think there are things about Heather and you we need to discuss.”

  Mick set the clean sheets on the nightstand and gathered the old ones as his mother took them off the bed. Anything to avoid eye contact with his mother, as she seemed determined to discuss his sex life with Heather.

  “What do you want to discuss, Mom?”

  He heard the smile in his mother’s voice, as she said, “Not what you seem to think I want to discuss. Believe me, I don’t want to hear details of my kids’ sex lives any more than y’all want to tell them to me.”

  He tossed the sheets in the wicker laundry basket housekeeping left in his cabin for used towels and sheets. “Okay. I can’t even pretend that’s not a relief.”

  She laughed as she shook out the fitted sheet. Mick stood on the opposite side of the bed, and caught one side of the sheet to help her.

  “Thank you, honey; it’s much easier to make a bed with two people. I appreciate the help. With Susan married and out of the house, I’m on my own with these kinds of jobs. Dave helps some, but he’s been so busy with senior activities, and I don
’t want to be a burden to him during what should be one of the most fun times in a young person’s life.”

  “No reason Dad and Danny can’t help you.”

  His mom smiled gently. “Which brings me around to what I want to talk about. They can’t help, because they’re just not made that way. They wouldn’t even think to help me with my chores. They make the money and I tend to the household jobs, is their way of thinking. They believe there are things men do, and things women do, and never the twain shall meet. You’re different.”

  “Maybe not about gender roles, but about other things, I don’t think I am, not deep down.”

  His mom snapped the top sheet, and he caught his end and tucked it in on his side of the bed.

  “I was afraid you felt that way, and it might be what’s always held you back from getting serious with a girl. I see how special Heather is to you, and I don’t want this idea to come between you two.” She reached across the bed and grasped his hand, and forced him to hold her gaze. “Listen to me, Mickey, you are not your father, and Heather isn’t me.”

  Mick squeezed her hand, and then released it. He tossed the fluffy comforter on top of the bed. “I don’t know, Mom, I think I’m just like the old man, and Heather and you share a lot of qualities. You’re both loyal to your family, hard-working, kind-hearted…”

  His mother smiled as she spread out the comforter. “Thank you, sweetie-pie, I appreciate the comparison, but I meant Heather is nothing like I was when I met your father. I was so young and inexperienced, and Heather has it all together and she’s so self-confident.”

  She handed Mick a pillowcase and kept one for herself. As they both stuffed the down pillows into the white cases, she continued, “You do have some of your daddy’s traits, that’s true, but they’re the good ones—the traits that made me fall in love with him way back when. You love your family, and are so strong. You’re both good men…”

  Mick snorted.

  “You are. But your father is also a hard man. A judgmental man, with a very narrow view of the world, and that’s where you’re different.”

  Mick grabbed the pile of clean folded towels from the chair next to the dresser, and brought them into the bathroom. He thought about his mom’s words as pulled his used towels off the rack, and put the clean ones in their place. Hope flared in his chest. Could his mom be right? Did he have his father’s good points, but not the bad ones? Could he have a relationship with Heather and not end up browbeating her the same way his dad did with this mom?