A Jackson Hole Homecoming

by Cindy Kirk

  The outside door opened and a man stepped into the marble foyer resplendent in black leather.

  An appreciative look filled Hailey’s gaze. “Who’s that?”

  Tripp exchanged a look with Anna. “I’d say, underneath all that leather and swagger is Winn Ferris.”

  Anna narrowed her gaze, then chuckled as the man whipped off his black hat. “You’re right. It’s Winn.”

  Hailey took another sip of her drink and stared surreptitiously at Winn through lowered lashes. “He’s cute.”

  “His father is Jim Ferris, who owns the land next to your family’s property,” Anna explained. “Winn is big into golf-course development.”

  “Is he dating anyone?”

  Anna shook her head.

  “Introduce me,” Hailey urged, her blue eyes dancing with interest.

  Tripp frowned. Winn had to be at least eight years older than his sister.

  He thought about attempting to divert Hailey’s attention, but Winn had spotted Anna and was headed toward them.

  “Adrianna.” Winn took her hands and stepped back, his gaze filled with admiration. “You look incredible.”

  Anna flushed. “You look pretty spiffy, yourself. Almost as if you just stepped off the set of Rebel Without a Cause.”

  “How kind of you to notice.” Winn shifted his gaze and acknowledged Tripp with a nod before settling his gaze on Hailey. “And who is this pretty young woman? I don’t believe we’ve met.”

  The lascivious look in Winn’s dark eyes brought Tripp’s protective side out in full force.

  “This is my little sister, Hailey,” Tripp said, emphasizing the word before continuing with the introductions.

  “Do you live in Jackson Hole, Hailey?” Winn asked. “Or are you just here visiting family?”

  Hailey batted her heavily mascaraed lashes at him. “I recently moved back.”

  “What a coincidence. I just moved here myself.” Winn glanced at the drink in her hand. “What’s that in your hand?”

  Hailey lifted the glass with the orange slice on the rim. “Harvey Wallbanger.”

  “How about you show me where I can get one of those?”

  Hailey flashed him a flirtatious smile. “I’d be delighted.”

  Tripp stepped forward, but Anna grabbed his arm. “I’d like to take a stroll around the house.”

  “I’d like to tell Winn Ferris to find someone his own age,” Tripp growled. “But not you,” he hurriedly added.

  “She’ll be fine.” Anna stroked his arm in a soothing gesture. “They’re surrounded by people. Nothing is going to happen.”

  Tripp exhaled a breath and forced himself to relax. Anna was right. This was a party, not a love-in.

  But a half hour later, when he and Anna were embroiled in a hot game of Twister, he considered retracting that statement. One of his legs was over Anna’s waist while his head was precariously close to her chest. It was next to impossible to maintain his balance while breathing in the sultry scent of her perfume.

  “Sorry,” he murmured to her when his face bumped against her breast as David Wahl stretched out his hand in an attempt to reach a yellow circle.

  Anna giggled and he swore she twisted so that same breast now brushed against his lips.

  His mouth went dry. He was face-to-face with her perky nipple, the erect tip clearly visible through her white shirt and lacy bra.

  “Ohh.” A loud cry went up from the contestants when David’s attempt failed and triggered a collapse.

  “Let’s do it again.” July Wahl scrambled out from under the pile of bodies. “I like this game.”

  Once on his feet, Tripp extended a hand to Anna and helped her up. “Do you want to have another go at this or try another game?”

  “We need two more participants in the living room,” Mary Karen announced from the doorway. “The game is about to begin.”

  When no one immediately volunteered, the pretty blonde dressed in a short black skirt and white go-go boots with tassels pointed at him and Anna. “You two, head to the living room. Stat.”

  “What game are we playing?” Anna asked Mary Karen as they obediently trudged along beside her.

  “A fun one,” Mary Karen said with a sly smile, glancing at Tripp. “Your good friend Winn Ferris is playing.”

  “What’s the game?” Tripp repeated Anna’s question as they approached the group sitting on the floor in a circle.

  Mary Karen reached down and pulled a bottle from a bag on the floor and held it up. “Spin the bottle, of course.”

  * * *

  Anna took a seat next to Winn, smiled at Hailey and tried not to let her dismay show.

  Spin the bottle.

  They were adults. Most of those at this party were married. Yet, there was only one man she wanted to kiss this evening and he still stood, arms crossed, as if he had no intention of playing.

  “Seriously, Mary Karen. Spin the bottle?” she heard him say.

  The lips of the mother of five curved up in an impish smile. “I happen to like kissing.”

  “She speaks the truth.” Her husband, Travis, appeared and snaked an arm around her middle, pulling her close. “And five children are testament to that fact. Give me a kiss, sweetheart.”

  Mary Karen giggled and planted a kiss on her husband’s cheek. “That’s all for now.”

  “Beware of the mistletoe, Mrs. Fisher,” Travis teased. “This is your one warning.”

  Anna turned to Lexi, who sat near her. “Mistletoe?”

  “Haven’t you seen it?” Lexi chuckled. “It’s all over the house.”

  “It’s only October,” Tripp said mildly, finally sitting down.

  “Doesn’t matter.” Lexi lifted a perfectly manicured hand in an airy wave. “Travis and Mary Karen love mistletoe.”

  Anna shifted her gaze to Tripp. “We’ll have to watch out for it.”

  His eyes darkened. Anna smiled. It looked as though she wasn’t the only one with kissing on her mind.

  “I’ve never played spin the bottle,” Anna whispered to him.

  “It’s the most fun,” Tripp said in a low tone, his gaze focused on her bright red mouth, “when the game is rigged.”

  “Why is that?” she whispered back.

  “That way you get to kiss who you want.” Tripp leaned close and she knew he’d have planted one on her right then if Travis hadn’t pulled him back.

  “Whoa—down, boy,” the party’s host admonished. “Not that I don’t applaud such effort, but you have to wait your turn.”

  “We should have stayed with Twister,” Tripp muttered.

  Anna smiled, but when Mary Karen indicated she should spin the bottle first, she froze, her gaze returning to Tripp.

  He lifted his shoulder in a slight shrug and Anna reluctantly gave the bottle a hard spin.

  She heard Tripp’s sharp intake of breath when it landed on Winn “Rebel Without a Cause” Ferris.

  A broad smile spread across Winn’s lips. “It looks as if my luck is on the upswing.”

  Beside her Tripp muttered a curse and started to rise. She placed a steadying hand on his arm and smiled. With obvious reluctance, he sat back.

  Anna leaned across the circle and placed a hand on each of Winn’s cheeks. Before he could react, she bestowed a big kiss—right in the middle of his forehead.

  Laughter filled the circle and Anna sat back, triumphant. Tripp grabbed her hand and contentment flowed through her like warm honey.

  The way she looked at it, she wouldn’t want Tripp kissing another woman, so why would she kiss another man?

  When it was Tripp’s turn, the bottle landed on his sister, Hailey. The look of mutual revulsion on each of their faces made everyone laugh. He brushed a kiss against her cheek and sh
e made a great show of wiping it off.

  Benedict Campbell stepped into the doorway. “What’s the game in this room?”

  “Sit.” Mary Karen leaped up and grabbed his arm, then pointed to an empty spot in the circle. “We’re short one man.”

  Ben looked puzzled but did as she asked. There was something about the petite mother of five’s demeanor that made even a pompous orthopedic surgeon obey without question.

  Anna was trying to figure out what era Ben was supposed to represent in his white suit with bell-bottom pants and wide lapels when she saw the gaudy gold chain around his neck. Late-seventies disco era, she concluded as Hailey leaned forward and gave the bottle a spin.

  Around and around it went before coming to a stop on Benedict.

  He glanced at Mary Karen.

  She smiled. “In case you hadn’t figured it out, we’re playing spin the bottle. Hailey has to kiss you.”

  The respected doctor’s gaze shifted to Tripp’s sister and a look Anna couldn’t decipher passed between them.

  Hailey slanted a sideways glance to see if Winn was watching. The land developer’s gaze was firmly fixed on her.

  “Well, rules are rules,” Hailey said with an exaggerated sigh.

  Anna expected Ben to protest, but instead, an enigmatic smile crossed his lips.

  “You don’t have to kiss him,” Tripp said, sounding very much like an overprotective older brother.

  Hailey responded with a toss of her heavily sprayed hair. “Like I said, I follow the rules.”

  “Since when?” Tripp scoffed, but Hailey was already wrapping her arms around Ben’s neck and gazing into his eyes.

  “By the way, I’m Hailey Randall,” she murmured. “Nice to meet you.”

  Instead of kissing him on the cheek as Anna expected, Hailey pressed her lips against Ben’s slightly parted ones and let her mouth linger an extra heartbeat.

  By the time Tripp’s sister pulled back, there was a gleam in Ben’s eyes and Hailey’s cheeks flushed.

  “I’m Benedict Campbell.” He spoke in a low tone, his gaze never leaving hers. “Because we’ve already kissed, you can call me Ben.”

  A titter of laughter erupted from everyone in the circle. Everyone except Tripp and Winn.

  Ben’s fingers were poised on the bottle when Mary Karen peered into the room and announced the dance party was starting. She instructed everyone to make their way to the back patio for the twist contest.

  Instead of immediately heading outside—as Hailey and Ben did—Tripp and Anna lingered, chatting with several other couples. Throughout the conversation, Tripp’s hand rested lightly against the small of her back.

  Happiness bubbled up inside her and Anna couldn’t keep a smile from her face. Finally, an exasperated Mary Karen returned and marshaled the stragglers toward the back of the house. A bottleneck ensued under a large curved archway when couples kept stopping to kiss.

  Anna was puzzled until she lifted her gaze. Only then did she spot the small sprig of berries and leaves.

  Mistletoe.

  Anna glanced ahead, looking for Hailey and breathing a sigh of relief when she didn’t spot her. She didn’t think Tripp could take seeing his “little” sister kiss another man this evening.

  Of course, judging by the slender, dark-haired beauty now standing beside Winn Ferris, it appeared he wasn’t waiting around for Hailey. Tripp saw the couple the same instant she did. Instead of looking pleased that Winn’s focus had shifted from his sister, he scowled.

  “I don’t recognize his latest companion.” Anna kept her tone low. “Do you?”

  The belt of the woman’s mint-colored sixties dress flattered her slender waist while the strand of pearls emphasized the elegant curve of her neck. Her jet-black hair had been teased into a magnificent beehive while thick eyeliner swooped dramatically up at the corners of her eyes.

  “She looks familiar,” Anna mused. “I just can’t place her.”

  “Poppy Westover. She was on the cheer squad.”

  With Gayle.

  Anna’s mind filled in the words he’d left off. Even though she hadn’t thought of Poppy in years, now that Tripp said her name, she recognized her. The woman had been one of Gayle’s closest friends in high school. She and Gayle had renewed their friendship when they’d both settled on the East Coast after college.

  She’d been at Gayle’s funeral. Her hair had been shorter then. And she’d been wearing glasses.

  “Are you going to say hello?” she asked when Tripp remained rooted where he stood.

  “No.”

  Anna widened her eyes at his sharp tone.

  As if realizing how he sounded, he offered a conciliatory smile. “She’s occupied with Winn. It might not even be her.”

  “It’s her.” Anna sighed.

  “I think she’s glaring at me,” she heard Tripp mutter, but knew she had to have heard wrong.

  Anyway, Poppy didn’t matter. It was her and Tripp’s turn under the mistletoe. Excitement skittered up Anna’s spine. Tripp would kiss her and everyone would see how much he cared.

  Almost of their own accord, her arms rose, ready to wrap around his neck. But he reached out and held them down, pressing a rather perfunctory kiss against her surprised lips.

  Before she could even process what had just happened, it was over. He propelled her outside, her elbow cupped in his hand while another couple took their place under the mistletoe.

  Confused and seized by a sudden urge to cry, Anna blinked rapidly. As her mind raced to make sense of what had just happened, she told herself not to overreact.

  Based on how loving Tripp had recently been, his acting as if she didn’t mean anything to him made no sense.

  Unless...

  Anna’s heart plummeted.

  Unless she’d been only kidding herself.

  Unless she’d been simply a short-term diversion.

  Unless this was Tripp’s way of making it clear to everyone that he wasn’t interested in anything long-term.

  At least not with her.

  * * *

  Tripp felt Poppy’s eyes boring into the back of his shirt. Until he’d seen her, he’d been having a stellar evening. Excluding, of course, the moment his baby sister locked lips with Benedict. That had been disturbing.

  But when he’d seen Poppy’s stare directed at him, it was as if Gayle herself was standing there, pointing a finger at him, saying, “I knew it. I knew Anna was the one you wanted all along. You lied to me, Tripp.”

  It was, of course, absolutely not true. He’d been totally faithful. He’d loved his wife. Still, just the reminder of Gayle’s crazy accusations brought a frigid coldness to his body.

  By her silence and surreptitious glances, he could tell Anna was puzzled by his change in mood, but he didn’t know how to reassure her, how to explain what he was feeling. Not when he didn’t fully understand it himself.

  When his phone buzzed, Tripp felt as if he’d been granted a reprieve. He pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the readout. “Hi, Mom. What’s up?”

  “Tripp.” His name barely made it past his mother’s lips when she began to cry.

  Every hair on his body lifted. “What’s wrong?”

  Beside him, Anna went very still.

  “Your father, he collapsed.” His mom choked out the words. “I called 9-1-1. The rescue squad came. He’s on his way to the hospital.”

  His heart thudded heavily, making him light-headed and nauseous.

  “I’m leaving now.” Even though Tripp fought to project an aura of calm, he couldn’t keep the slight tremor from his voice. “I’ll pick you up.”

  “No, I can drive myself.” She took a shuddering breath and then blew her nose. “Just meet me at the hospital.”

  “I’m
leaving now,” he assured her, but he spoke into the ether. His mother had already hung up.

  Tripp turned to Anna, fighting for control. “It’s my father.”

  Worry filled her green eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “My dad collapsed. He’s on his way to the hospital.” Tripp gripped her hand. “I think he’s dying.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Even though Tripp received his fair share of curious glances when he, Anna and Hailey had shown up in the emergency room in their retro-party garb, the thought of taking time to change never occurred to him.

  All that mattered was getting to his father. Quickly.

  Shortly after he walked through the doors of the hospital, it became apparent this was far less serious than he’d feared. Thank goodness.

  “You take Anna and Hailey home.” His mother glanced at her now-sleeping husband, his face pale against the pillow. By the time Tripp arrived, his father had already been transferred from the emergency room to a medical-surgical floor for observation. “I’m staying.”

  “I’ll stay with you.” Tripp felt as if he’d been given a great gift when the doctor had determined his dad’s symptoms were simply a bad reaction to a recent change in medicine. His physician had decided to play it safe and keep him overnight but planned to release him in the morning.

  “You go home.” His mother’s lips lifted in a weary smile. “If you stay, I’ll want to visit with you. This way, I can rest between the nurses checking on him.”

  “You’re spending the night?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll come in the morning, then, and relieve you.” Tripp thought quickly, already planning the day. “I can be with him while the doctor makes his rounds. That way you can get some sleep and be rested when he comes home.”

  “We’ll talk about that in the morning,” his mother said, making no promises.

  Tripp thought about arguing but decided to let it go...for now. Even though his mother did need to rest, getting her to leave her husband of thirty-nine years—even for a few hours—wouldn’t be easy.

  He took her hand, squeezing it tightly. “Promise you’ll call if you need anything.”