by Gina Wilkins
“Without telling her the truth? That you and I are together now and that you aren’t interested in going out with other men? Or is that the truth?”
“Shane, don’t...”
“I hope it doesn’t disappoint you if I tell you I’m not really mad. And, no, I’m not repressing my anger or pretending to be cool when I’m not, or anything like that. I hate it that you’re spending the evening with another guy. I mean, I really hate it, but I sort of understand why you’re doing it. You’re scared. You’re confused. And maybe I haven’t done enough to reassure you that everything’s going to be okay.”
She blinked. “I don’t...”
“Like an idiot, I’ve expected you to know without me telling you that this isn’t a passing fling for me. Maybe I thought you could read my mind and understand that I didn’t think there would be a problem with my family because I didn’t believe there would ever be a serious problem between us. I had no intention of ever letting you go once I convinced you we belonged together.”
A sizable lump had formed in Kelly’s throat during Shane’s quiet speech. She tried to speak around it. “I didn’t know...”
“Of course you didn’t know. I didn’t tell you, did I? Maybe I thought you understood—or maybe I was a coward, too afraid of rejection to risk revealing my feelings. But, just so you have no lingering doubts, I love you, Kelly. I think I have for a very long time, maybe since the first time we met.”
Her heart convulsed. Of all the things she had thought Shane might say when she’d recognized his voice on the phone, this wasn’t one of them. He loved her? Why was he telling her this now? It wasn’t something he would say just because she was about to leave on a date with another man, was it? Surely he didn’t think her date with Steve was a ploy to make Shane jealous, or anything so shallow and stupid.
Yet...was it possible that he really meant it? “Shane, I...”
He didn’t seem to expect a reply from her at the moment. “If you want me to keep it a secret until I’ve convinced you of my feelings, I will. I’ll bite my tongue until it bleeds if I have to, but no one will know until you’re ready—except my father, who has already guessed. It won’t be easy, because what I really want to do is yell to the world that I am hat-over-boots in love with beautiful, sexy, smart Kelly Morrison—but you can trust me to keep it secret until you have faith in me, even if it takes the rest of my life to prove it to you.”
Tears were rolling down her face now, ruining the makeup she had applied so carefully for this date she didn’t want. “Shane...”
“Think about what I said while you’re out with that guy tonight, okay? And call me if you want to give it another try. I love you, Kelly.”
He hung up before she could whisper his name again.
Kelly had a completely miserable evening. She tried her best to hide it; to do otherwise would have been unforgivably rude to Dr. Steve Carter, who was making a real effort to entertain her. But his jokes weren’t as funny as Shane’s, and he didn’t quite understand her feeble attempts at humor. He didn’t like the music, books or movies she liked. He seemed to enjoy the staid, formal hospital reception, while Kelly found it terribly dull.
All in all, it wasn’t a very successful first date. And Kelly was well aware that the main reason she had such a lousy time was because she wasn’t with Shane. Shane, who had said he loved her. Shane, whom she loved so desperately in return.
It was still early when the reception ended. Steve and Kelly left the room arm in arm, probably looking like a very nice couple. Kelly felt like such a fraud. But it was immediately apparent that all her efforts to pretend to enjoy herself hadn’t fooled her companion.
“I was going to suggest we go out for drinks or something after the reception, but I think you’d rather I take you home now,” he said when they were in his car again.
She looked at him in guilt-stricken apology. “I’m sorry, Steve. I hope I haven’t hurt your feelings. It’s just...tonight is not a good time for me.”
“You’re in love with someone else, right?”
Kelly stared at him, stunned to hear those words from a near stranger.
He gave a rueful shrug. “Trust me, I know the look. It’s sort of the story of my life.”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I’m sure I would have had a very nice time tonight, if I hadn’t been so distracted with a personal problem. It would have been more fair to you if I’d made an excuse not to come.”
He smiled wryly and started the car. “I have a feeling your friend Brynn had a lot to do with that. She can be quite... persuasive.”
“Don’t tell me she pressured you into this, too,” Kelly said with a groan and a blush of embarrassment.
“I wasn’t exactly an unwilling participant. I enjoyed visiting with you at the charity dance. I thought we could have a nice evening.”
Her guilt immediately doubled. “I’m sorry to have disappointed you.”
The smile he gave her was quite charming, though it didn’t have at all the same effect on her that Shane’s sexy, dimpled grins always had. “You didn’t disappoint me at all,” he assured her.
He really was a very nice guy, even if there was no chance she would ever see him—or any other man besides Shane—as more than a friend. She studied him as they drove out of the parking lot, thinking of someone who could appreciate him much more. “Did Heather Pearson give you her telephone number, by any chance?”
“Heather...?” He nodded in remembrance. “Oh, yes. The brunette who asked me to dance with her at the charity thing. I think she did give me her number. I probably still have it somewhere. But, to be honest, I thought she was a little...well, flaky.”
Kelly laughed softly. “She is actually. But in the very nicest way. She’s one of my closest friends. I think you might like her, if you got to know her a little better.”
He seemed intrigued. “You think so?”
“I really do. She’s a lot of fun.”
Steve looked suddenly cautious. “Is there any chance she’s in love with someone else?”
“None,” Kelly assured him confidently. Heather had made no secret to her friends about how much she wished to find someone special. Maybe Steve Carter would be that special someone.
“Maybe I’ll call her sometime.”
“Maybe you should.”
He chuckled. “This has turned out to be a most unexpected evening.”
“I know. And now I’m going to make another request. Instead of taking me home, would you mind dropping me off at a friend’s house? There’s a family birthday party I’d like to drop in on—and it’s actually closer to here than my apartment anyway.”
“How will you get home afterward?”
“I’ll find a ride.” She knew exactly who she wanted to take her home.
He agreed very graciously, merely asking for directions. And Kelly felt a thrill of anticipation mingle with the guilt she still felt about the unsuccessful date with the man who wasn’t Shane Walker.
Tony answered the door when Kelly rang his doorbell. He looked startled, but pleased to see her. “Kelly. This is a nice surprise. I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it tonight.”
“I got away early. Is, er, everyone still here?”
“Of course. The kids are all upstairs, playing with Katie’s new toys. The adults are in the den. They’ll be delighted to see you.”
He escorted her to the door of the den, where she paused to make a quick survey of the room. At a glance, she identified five Walker siblings and their spouses—all present except for Lindsay and Nick, who wouldn’t be back in the state until Christmas. A few of the cousins were also in the room—the three Samples siblings, Brynn and Joe—and Shane, who was sitting on one of several couches in the big room, engaged in a spirited conversation with his uncle Ryan while Molly hung over the back of the couch, listening to every word. Everyone seemed to be talking and laughing and having a wonderful time—quite a contrast to the quiet reception she had attended earlie
r.
She would so much rather be here.
Shane didn’t notice her at first, since his back was partially turned to her. Jared, standing across the room with his wife, was the first to spot Kelly standing there in the doorway. His eyes narrowed on her face, and then he smiled. Her cheeks warming a little, Kelly smiled shyly back at him, hoping what she read in his handsomely weathered face was approval.
“Hey, everyone. Look who’s been able to join us, after all,” Tony called out from behind her.
Everyone automatically looked their way. Kelly heard her name called out from several directions, and heard Brynn ask in exasperation what she was doing there. But, ignoring the others for the moment, Kelly’s eyes were locked with Shane’s as he turned on the couch to look at her.
Something thumped at her feet.
“Uh—Kelly, you dropped your purse,” Tony murmured, bending from behind her to retrieve it.
She couldn’t seem to move to reach for it.
Very slowly, Shane rose to his feet, his gaze still holding hers. Without glancing away from her, or responding to anything being said to either of them, he crossed the room, his steps deliberate, his cowboy-lean body moving with the rolling gait and innate grace that had always made her throat tighten in appreciation, even when she wouldn’t admit it. It tightened again now.
He stopped only an inch or so away from her. She stared up at him, letting her surrender show in her face.
Either the room fell quiet around them, or Kelly simply tuned out everyone except Shane.
“How was your date?” he asked, his voice low and gravelly.
“Miserable,” she answered simply. “And, Shane—I don’t care who knows why.”
His adorable, “evil-child grin” flashed across his face. “Good. Because I think I’m about to blow our secret.”
And then he reached out and pulled her into his arms, completely oblivious to anyone around them.
She thought she heard someone gasp when his mouth covered hers. Several exclamations of surprise. And someone—Molly, she thought—saying, “All right, Shane!”
Kelly discovered that she simply didn’t care. She was tired of pretending she wasn’t deeply, totally, irrevocably in love with Shane Walker.
Her arms were around his neck, and his were locked behind her back when he lifted his head. “I love you,” he murmured.
“I love you, too,” she replied with a misty smile.
“You won’t ever have to feel like an outsider in this family again,” he assured her. “Once we’re married, there’ll be no further question about who really belongs and who doesn’t.”
Her legs went weak. She clung to him more tightly. “Uh—married?”
“Married,” he repeated firmly. “That’s what we do in this family when we find the one we want to spend the rest of our life with.”
The rest of their lives. Shane wasn’t the type to make such a commitment lightly, Kelly realized in wonder.
And neither was she.
“What on earth is going on here?” Brynn demanded, standing close by with her fists planted on her hips. “Shane, did I just hear you ask Kelly to marry you?”
Still holding Kelly in his arms, Shane grinned at his cousin. “Yep.”
Obviously stunned, Brynn looked at Kelly. “And did you accept?”
Kelly smiled at her best friend—the sister of her heart—and then turned her eyes back up to Shane. “Yes.”
He kissed her again as the room burst into pandemonium around them. Kelly and Shane were suddenly surrounded by family, everyone congratulating them, showering them with questions, expressing surprise, delight, and complete acceptance of this wonderful new development.
And Kelly knew then that she would never feel like an outsider again.
ISBN : 978-1-4592-6030-6
THAT FIRST SPECIAL KISS
Copyright © 1999 by Gina Wilkins
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