When Love Returns

by Lorana Hoopes

  “She’s a natural,” Trudy said and Presley couldn’t help but agree.

  “Can we get a real tree this year, Daddy?” Joy’s voice was hopeful as she turned her big eyes up at Brandon.

  He laughed in response. “Yes, this year we can get a real tree.”

  “In fact,” Presley said, “why don’t we take her to the farm you took me our Junior year?”

  He cocked his head as if trying to remember; then his eyes lit up. “Oh yeah. Okay, tomorrow evening?”

  “I’d love to. The shop closes at six, so we can go any time after that.”

  Joy looked from Presley to her father, and a tiny smile alit on her lips.

  After ornaments, they strung some popcorn. Presley was thankful that Paula kept her leering eyes off Brandon. It probably helped that he was nearly half the woman’s age.

  They even stopped at Ned’s candle making table, though he had forgotten some important element and they were unable to make a candle. The faux pas was typical Ned, but a part of Presley still felt a little sorry for him.

  “Brandon Scott, is that you?” The shrill voice was unmistakable. It belonged to Krissy, the high school cheerleader who dated Brandon on and off throughout high school. Though not her lithe, slender self, the years had been good to her, and she was still as pretty as ever.

  “Hi, Krissy, how are you?” Brandon’s voice was stiff, almost hesitant as if he was afraid she would try to hit on him.

  “I’m good. I married Tony. He worked on the school newspaper, remember? We have one child so far and another on the way.” She patted her nearly flat stomach as she said this. It must have been very early or else she didn’t show much until later.

  “That’s wonderful, Krissy,” Presley said jumping in. “Congratulations.”

  “Daddy, is it pie time?” Joy asked tugging on Brandon’s sleeve.

  “Sorry, I guess we have to go, but it was good to see you, Krissy.”

  “Yes, we’ll have to get some of the old gang together sometime,” she said.

  Brandon nodded, but it was noncommittal, and Presley could tell he wouldn’t be setting up a meeting anytime soon.

  They continued toward the back, and Joy’s eyes danced in excitement as she neared the pie table. There were a myriad of pies decorating the table – apple, cherry, chocolate, pecan, and pumpkin. She licked her lips as she surveyed the offerings. “Can we try them all?”

  The laugh that burst from Brandon’s lips reminded Presley of old times. Joyful and full. “No, that would ruin your dinner, but we can each pick a pie and share. How’s that?”

  She nodded enthusiastically as she reached for a large cherry slice.

  “Did you enter a pie?” Brandon asked as he debated over which slice to pick.

  Presley shook her head. “I forgot about the festival until Trudy reminded me, but I don’t think it would be fair for me to enter anyway.”

  “Probably right.” Brandon smiled and selected an apple slice. Beverly grabbed a pumpkin, leaving the chocolate for Presley. Then Brandon filled everyone a cup of steaming hot chocolate, and they took their goodies to an empty table.

  The Porter family, who owned the General Store, was sitting at a table nearby. They had a large brood with five children, the youngest in diapers. Sid Porter was a few years older than Brandon and Presley and took over the store after his father retired. His sister, Misty, was a grade younger, and she married out of college and only returned for holidays.

  Max was at another table along with Barnard, the mayor, and Layla. Max had his usual grumpy stare on as he tasted the pies. Barnard was treating each one like a wine tasting, delicately chewing each bite and tilting his head back and forth before marking on his pad. Layla was simply cleaning up each dessert. Presley had never seen a woman eat so much and stay as thin as she did, but it might be from the fact that Layla never seemed to slow down.

  Presley took a few bites of the chocolate pie and then passed it to the right as Joy’s pie came to her. In this manner, they sampled a little of each pie without feeling too gluttonous, though Presley’s stomach still bulged against her jeans as they finished.

  “Let’s dance, Daddy.” Joy grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the makeshift dance floor. As it was really the part Paula used for her dance recitals, there was a mirror behind them that allowed Presley to see Brandon’s face as he twirled around with his daughter.

  “You still care for him, don’t you?” Beverly’s voice broke Presley’s daydream of dancing in Brandon’s arms, and a blush crawled across her face.

  She opened her mouth to answer, but Joy and Brandon returned at that moment. “Presley, may I have this dance?” Brandon held out his hand and finished the gesture with a bowing flourish.

  How different he seemed from the man who walked in an hour ago. Small town magic. She placed her hand in his and happened to catch the wink Beverly threw her direction.

  The music changed to a slow song as they hit the floor, but Brandon didn’t skip a beat. His left hand closed over her right as his arm circled her waist. When he pulled her closer, her body aligned with his, and she could feel every curve of him. His scent – dark and woodsy filled her nose. She wanted to lean her head on his shoulder, but she didn’t know if it would be appropriate. So, she closed her eyes and focused on the feel of his hand on hers and the heat radiating between their bodies.

  Though they had danced in high school, this time felt different. Was it the difference in their age? Was it the unspoken-of past between them?

  When her eyes opened, Brandon’s deep brown eyes were there, staring down at her. An intensity shone in them she had never seen before. Her breath caught, and her lips parted, following a will of their own. Brandon’s grip tightened on her back, and his head lowered down.

  “Daddy.” The spell was broken as Joy hurried up to them. Brandon pulled back, dropping Presley’s hand and running his hand over his bearded chin.

  “They’re about to award a winner.” Joy grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the table where Beverly sat. Presley followed, trying to erase the almost kiss from her mind.

  Barnard stood on the makeshift stage that had been brought in and tapped the microphone. “Can you hear me?” His voice echoed around the room, and he took a step back to lessen the volume. Dressed in slacks and a button-down shirt with one side untucked, Barnard was that man who saw one thing in the mirror while the rest of humanity saw something different. Presley had always admired his confidence even if she hadn’t admired his wardrobe choice.

  “Thank you all for coming out today. I hope you enjoyed the festival so far. Everything seems to have been a hit except for Ned’s candles.”

  “I did my best,” Ned shouted from the crowd. “I was working with my dead Aunt Frannie’s recipe, and I think she forgot to write something down.”

  A titter of laughter scattered through the room.

  “Anyway,” Barnard drew the words out to grab the room’s attention again. “Feel free to go back and do more crafts. I think we’ll have to get more popcorn, but the booths will be open another few hours. Then tonight, you can come back for the Star Lake dance. We’re going to clear this floor and kick up our heels.” A cheer erupted from the small crowd, and Barnard raised his hands to quiet them.

  “Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. I, and my humble associates, have finished tasting all the pies, and we have decided on the winner.” He pulled three index cards out of the pocket of his shirt. “In third place, we have Paula’s pumpkin pie.”

  “Ooh, thank you,” Paula said as she pushed her way to the front. Even as she accepted the ribbon, her eyes scanned the crowd, probably looking for her next victim.

  “In second place, we have Ned’s cherry pie.”

  “Aha, at least Aunt Frannie got that recipe right.” Ned stood and pointed his finger at the ceiling.

  Barnard rolled his eyes and shook his head. Presley sneaked a glance at Brandon, who smiled back. Some things never changed. Their glance hel
d a moment longer, and she wondered if he was thinking about that almost kiss as much as she was.

  “And first place goes to … Oh my, it goes to my apple pie. I’m honored.”

  “You can’t award your own pie, Barnard,” Trudy called from the crowd.

  “Well Max and Layla voted as well,” he said, puffing up like a turkey. “It’s not like I was the sole judge.” This was another common occurrence. Barnard had a habit of entering contests and always making sure he won.

  “It’s not right,” Trudy said, but most of the crowd had already lost interest.

  “What did I miss?” Anna asked, popping in between Presley and Brandon.

  “Everything,” Brandon said. “The festival is basically over.”

  Beverly glanced down at her watch. “Well, I have to go check on your father.” After hugging Joy, she waved goodbye to the rest of the group and hurried out of the door.

  “Can we go to Star Lake?” Joy asked once again bouncing on her feet. The sugar in the pies must have given her a new burst of energy.

  Brandon opened his mouth and looked from Presley back to Joy.

  “How about I take her?” Anna asked as if sensing something in the air though she missed the near kiss. “I want some time to get to know my niece anyway.”

  Relief flooded Brandon’s face, and he mouthed “thank you” to Anna, who smiled, looked at Presley with raised eyebrows, and then grabbed Joy’s hand.

  “Why aren’t you coming Daddy?”

  Her innocent question flustered him, and a smile formed on Presley’s lips as she watched him struggle to come up with an excuse. “Well, um, Presley is going to give me a tour of the town to show me how much has changed.”

  Presley covered her mouth to hide the laugh bubbling in her throat. It was a good thing Joy was only five, or she would realize there wasn’t much to this town and definitely not much that had changed in four short years.

  “But I’ll be back soon, okay?”

  She nodded, accepting his lame excuse as gospel and headed out the door with Anna leaving Brandon and Presley staring at each other.

  “So, a tour, huh?” Presley didn’t even try to hide the humor in her voice.

  “I wanted to have a chance to talk with you and with a five-year-old, that is often hard.”

  The gaze in his eyes was different, more serious. It sent her heart fluttering and the words running from her mind, so that all she could do was nod and smile.

  She waved goodbye to Trudy who caught her eye as they walked toward the door. Her eyebrows raised, and she nodded knowingly. Warmth flooded Presley’s cheeks once again.

  Chapter 8

  Glancing at Presley as he opened the door, Brandon wondered what he was doing. He didn’t plan to stay in this town longer than he had to, but there was no denying the attraction building between Presley and himself. Maybe, if she felt the same way, she would come with him back to Dallas and wherever his job might lead.

  The temperature had dropped while they were inside, and Presley burrowed into her coat. Her hat was pulled low over her ears, hiding her hair. Brandon adjusted his own hat, thankful for the beard that covered his face and provided an extra layer of warmth.

  Presley’s face turned up to the sky, revealing her perfectly smooth white neck, and Brandon had to force himself to refrain from pulling her into his arms right then. Her nose twitched. “The snow is coming,” she said.

  He used to tease her about this gift, but she was right more often than not, and he learned to take her word. “I don’t mind a little snow, do you?”

  She shook her head, a soft smile on her lips. How had he forgotten those perfectly pink lips?

  “What happened with Morgan?” she asked, breaking the silence. Her eyes widened as the words tumbled out, as if she hadn’t meant for them to pass her lips.

  With a sigh, Brandon shoved his hands deeper in his pockets, sending his shoulders up near his ears as they continued down Main Street. “I don’t really know. I thought we were happy, but she said she wanted more. She wasn’t cut out for life in the small town.”

  Presley’s eyes clouded with sympathy. “Is that why you moved?”

  “Yeah, after Morgan left, I just couldn’t stay, and I think I wanted more too. I wanted to see the world, to make a statement, get back to reality. Dallas seemed like a good first step.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, though her mouth opened again as if she wanted to say more, but nothing came out.

  Brandon shrugged, no longer wanting to dwell on his past, but curious as to hers. “It is what it is. What about you? What really happened with the guy in France?”

  Her shoulders rose as she took a deep breath, and her tongue darted out across her bottom lip. Brandon turned his head away as the desire to taste her lips ignited within him.

  “He wasn’t capable of seeing just me, and I just couldn’t make myself stay, so I came home, to the last place I felt really comfortable.”

  His hand reached out, as if with a mind of its own, and grasped her arm, halting their forward movement. “Presley, I . . .”

  The blue in her eyes brightened, like the clear ocean on a sunny day. “Yes?” Her voice was a whisper, choked back by emotion.

  “Will you go to the dance with me tonight?”

  She blinked, and he could tell that wasn’t what she expected to hear. It wasn’t what he expected to say either. He wanted to tell her that he’d missed her, that she was beautiful, and that just being near her was sending his heart into an overzealous beating.

  A snowflake landed on her cheek, and her eyes widened. Another hit her nose, creating a tiny wet dot on the end. As Brandon looked up, one landed in his eye, causing him to blink and rub it out.

  “I told you it would snow.” Her laughter was pure happiness as she threw open her arms and spun in a slow circle. The snow picked up and surrounded her, creating the image of a figurine in a snow globe. She was exotic and hauntingly beautiful against the backdrop of white flakes, and before he knew it, his hand had reached out and grabbed hers.

  Brandon couldn’t feel her skin through their gloves, but the material didn’t stop the heat generating between them. Her eyes, still dancing with delight, met his, and he knew there would be no stopping the kiss this time. He pulled her the few feet between them, closing the distance. His hand wound around her back, and though no words were said, everything was communicated in their locked gaze.

  A tentative smile parted her lips, and that was all the permission Brandon needed. Pushing ever so slightly with his body, he leaned her back against his arm and placed his lips on hers. They were as soft as he expected, and he wondered how his beard felt against her cheek. He hoped it wasn’t too scratchy.

  Her arms reached up around his neck as her lips parted farther and the kiss deepened. His arm tightened, drawing her closer, and for a moment Brandon cursed the snow. No, not the snow, just the cold temperature that had them bundled in heavy coats. The snow he loved as it fell softly around them. A stillness filled the air and imprinted the moment on his mind.

  Her eyes were foggy as she opened them again, and Brandon hoped he hadn’t overstepped.

  “Well, that was better than I always dreamed it would be,” she said.

  He stood her back upright, but kept his arm close around her. “What do you mean always?”

  Her eyes crinkled with kindness. “Brandon, I’ve wanted to kiss you since that Christmas we got the tree.”

  Now it was his turn to blink. He had no idea she’d had feelings for him back then. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

  Her gloved hand cradled his cheek, and her eyes caressed his face. “Because there was always someone else, Brandon.”

  He opened his mouth to protest but realized she was right. What she didn’t know was that all those other women were his way of trying to mask his feelings for her. He knew within a few months of them becoming friends that he had feelings for her, but he was too afraid of ruining the friendship. Presley had always had a way
of getting him to open up and relax that no one else had been able to do.

  When Brandon had realized that, an unnatural fear of losing her friendship had covered him, and he had decided not to pursue his feelings for her, but now there was nothing stopping him. They hadn’t spoken over the last five years, so there was nothing to lose, and his feelings were just as strong now as they had been then, so there was everything to gain.

  “I never told you, but I had feelings for you back then too but was too afraid of losing you. The irony is I ended up losing you anyway. I’m sorry, Presley.”

  Her finger moved to his lips, stilling them. “It’s too late for regrets, but it’s not too late for us.”

  As the snow continued to fall, Brandon pulled her in for another kiss, this one slow and lingering. He wanted to taste everything about her. The heat built between them, creating a shield between them and the snow, until his phone rang in his pocket.

  Frustrated, he broke the connection and reached for the device. Presley didn’t seem upset. In fact, she smiled at his annoyance. “Hello?” Brandon punched the answer button without looking at the caller ID. He was expecting his assistant’s voice, but the voice of his mother answered him.

  “Brandon? They’re releasing your father. Can you come help me bring him home? He’s still very weak.”

  Instantly his demeanor changed, and Presley’s eyes widened with questions. “Of course, Mom, I’ll be right there.”

  “Is your dad okay?” Presley asked as he ended the call.

  “Yeah.” The word came out like a sigh though he hadn’t realized he was holding his breath. “They’re releasing him, but my mother needs help getting him home.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “You don’t have to. It won’t be very interesting, and I may not make it back in time for the dance.”

  Her hand squeezed his arm. “Brandon, I want to come with you.”