by Barbara Gee
Kelly looked up at Will, his face lit only by the dim dash lights.
“That’s probably way more detail than you were looking for,” she said apologetically.
“It’s exactly what I wanted to know. It sounds like you really stick to a routine.”
“It’s what works best. I can’t afford to waste time or I get behind and stressed out. Keeping a routine is the best way to make sure I get everything done and still have plenty of time with James.”
“You’re a great mom, and I have no doubt you’re a great teacher.”
“I hope so. I enjoy both things, so that helps. I also have a great support system, so I have no excuse to feel sorry for myself for being a single mom. So many women have it much worse.”
“You said you teach a STEM class. I should probably know this, but what does STEM mean?”
“It’s an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math. A lot of high schools are trying to start STEM Academies in order to pull more students into those areas, because there’s such a shortage of people in those career fields. We started our Academy three years ago and it’s amazing how many students want to get in. They spend at least half their day in Academy classes, which are advanced classes. Plus we have lots of extracurricular competitions and projects. It’s been way more successful than we dared to hope.”
“I would love to see you teach sometime, Kelly. I can tell you’re passionate about it.”
She chuckled. “Teachers who don’t enjoy what they do usually don’t last very long in the profession. You have to have a heart for the kids, or they’ll drive you crazy.”
All too soon they were back at the Wild Rose. Will parked his truck near the kitchen door and Kelly took him inside, where a dim light had been left on over the small table sitting by the big bay window overlooking the backyard. She busied herself with making a pot of coffee, as Will leaned back against the countertop and watched her.
After hitting the on switch, Kelly peeked under the foil covering a plate on the counter by the coffee maker.
“Looks like Sarah made you something,” she said, smiling as she removed the foil completely, revealing a golden, gooey plate of pluck-it bread.
“You think it’s for us?” Will asked hopefully.
“Yep. Sarah only pretends you’re a nuisance. Maggie told me that Sarah said she was going to leave a snack in the kitchen in case we didn’t find enough to eat at the fair. I think she was a little put out that we weren’t going to be here for supper.”
Will grinned. “So under all those scathing comments, the old girl actually likes me?”
“How could she not? You suck up to her something terrible,” Kelly told him, taking a plate from the cupboard. “So do you want some?”
“Heck yeah, considering you ate three quarters of the funnel cake. I barely got a taste.”
Kelly’s jaw dropped. “You lie, Will. It was the other way around and you know it.”
Shrugging, his eyes twinkling at her, Will took the fork she offered and stabbed one of the bite sized pieces of bread baked in cinnamon, sugar and butter. Popping it into his mouth, he groaned appreciatively.
“If Sarah were only six years older than me, instead of about thirty-five, I’d snap her up.”
Kelly smiled and shook her head in exasperation, not sure whether to be relieved or frustrated at Will’s refusal to take their age difference seriously.
“Six years might not seem like a big deal now, Will, but when I’m fifty and you’re still gorgeous and in your prime at forty-four, it could be a lot different story.”
Will put down his plate loaded with pluck-it bread and grabbed her hands, tugging her over to stand in front of him.
“Give me a chance to prove you wrong about that, Kelly,” he said softly. “How about you give me those nineteen years to show you that you’re worrying for nothing.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Is that all? Nineteen years? You don’t ask for much.”
“Actually I wouldn’t need nearly that long to make you feel completely confident about my feelings for you.” His smile faded a bit as he looked at her, the sparkle in his blue eyes replaced by worry. “I’m afraid I need more than a week, though. And I don’t have it.”
Kelly squeezed his hands. “If it were just me, Will, I could take more chances and be more flexible. But there are too many people other than myself to consider. I can’t just go with it and worry about the consequences later. I have to be really sure.”
“That’s what’s killing me,” Will admitted. “I know you want time and distance to think things through, but I’m afraid you’ll end up convincing yourself none of this was real. But it is real, Kelly.”
She nodded. “I know.”
Reluctantly letting go of his hands, she got out mugs and poured their coffee. They carried the mugs and his plate over to the table and sat across from each other as Will ate Sarah’s special pluck-it bread, occasionally feeding a bite to Kelly. They didn’t talk much, but it wasn’t an awkward silence, just one full of a lot of hard thinking.
Finished with his late night snack, Will walked over to put his dishes in the dishwasher. Turning to face her again, he leaned his hips against the edge of the counter and folded his arms across his chest.
“So?” he asked softly. “What’s going through that pretty little head of yours?”
Kelly walked over to stand beside him, leaning up against his shoulder.
“I’m going to be completely honest with you, Will, even though this takes me out of my comfort zone.” She sighed, enjoying the warmth of his big body near hers. “First of all, you don’t have to worry about me forgetting how I feel when we’re together. That would be impossible. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it, no matter what does or doesn’t happen between us in the future. Somehow, in a mere six days, you woke up a part of me that I wasn’t sure would ever come back to life. And I’m not talking about just the physical aspect, although I think it’s pretty obvious that you, um, well, do it for me.”
She felt her cheeks getting pink and Will moved to stand facing her, planting his palms on the cabinets just over her head. The corners of his mouth twitched up.
“Is that your very charming and proper way of saying I turn you on?” he drawled teasingly.
Kelly hit his flat stomach lightly with the side of her fist, but she couldn’t hide her smile. She waited a moment before continuing to bare her soul, staring at the reflection of the light on the shiny wood floor.
“Being around you has made me realize how enjoyable it is to spend time with a man who isn’t my dad, or one of my friends’ men. I realize now how much I’ve missed that. I’d forgotten how nice it is to sometimes feel small and feminine, and to have a guy tell me I look nice.” She put her hands on his waist, feeling the hard ridges of his abs. “I love your optimism and your humor and your faith. And I also kinda like how I forget to breathe when I see you,” she added.
Will dropped one hand from the cabinet and lifted her chin, blue eyes glittering in the dim light, his hand warm as he settled his palm on her cheek and traced her bottom lip with his thumb.
“Once again you’ve described exactly how I feel, except for a couple of the adjectives. I prefer big and male to small and feminine, obviously.”
Kelly laughed. “Obviously.”
“But you do take my breath away, Kelly. Every single time I see you. I can’t stand the thought of you walking away and never seeing you again. I don’t want to lose you and James, and then have to settle for less down the road, always wondering what it would have been like if we could have made it work.”
Kelly looked into his eyes and voiced her fears. “It’s only been six days, Will. I’m not denying the way you make me feel, but I just don’t understand how it happened this fast. I think you’re amazing in every way, but to go from having little to no interest in finding a relationship to wanting to cry at the thought of leaving you—I don’t know what this is.”
“I think I might
know what it is.”
“What? Insane physical attraction? The result of a really emotional week? Too good to be true?”
Will’s eyes bored into hers, dark blue and intense.
“Love at first sight?” he suggested as he slid his fingers into her hair and lifted her face to his kiss.
Kelly closed her eyes and melted against him, not even attempting to fight the beautiful magnetic force that was Will Connor. Knowing that tomorrow her priority would be family and this could be her last opportunity to be alone with Will for more than a few moments, she gave in to the craving and need she felt for this man. She lifted her arms up around his neck, her fingers delving into his soft hair, her lips parting as the kiss deepened and Will pulled her tighter against him.
Kissing Will was unlike anything Kelly had ever experienced. He incited emotions and desires that were totally new and incredibly strong. Kelly didn’t know how to handle the overwhelming rush and it wasn’t until Will finally ended the kiss and lifted his head that she realized tears were running down her cheeks.
“God, Kelly, don’t cry. Please, don’t cry.”
“I don’t mean to,” she whispered, pressing her face into his chest and wrapping her arms around his lean waist. “I don’t know how to deal with this, Will. You make me feel so much, and now I have to leave.”
He held her close, his cheek pressed against the top of her head. For a long time they stood like that, memorizing how it felt to be together.
“Kelly.” Will’s voice was soft. “Look at me.” He slid his hands up to her shoulders.
When she complied, his gaze held her captive. “Take the time you need, baby, but please don’t try to convince yourself that this week was nothing more than a fairytale. It’s real, Kelly. I know you’re not convinced it’s what’s best for you and James, but never doubt that it’s real. And please don’t ever doubt that in my heart and mind, James is a wonderful bonus in this whole situation. He makes you and me even better.”
Kelly nodded. “I believe you, Will. I’ve seen you with him all week and you’ve been incredible. He adores you.”
“I’m going to miss him. I hope and pray you’ll both be back here soon.”
“We’ll see,” Kelly murmured, giving him a teary smile.
He chuckled. “Yeah. We’ll see. And I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, at your going away dinner if not before.”
“Mmm hmm.” Kelly reached up and pulled his head down for one last, brief kiss. “Good night, Will. In case we don’t get a chance to be alone tomorrow, I want to thank you now for an amazing week. I don’t, and I won’t regret a single minute we spent together, regardless of what the future holds. It’s been one of the best weeks of my life.”
“It has,” Will agreed. “Good night, Kelly. Sweet dreams. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Kelly walked with him to the door and stood there watching until the lights from his truck disappeared. She felt full and empty all at once, and four words that Will had said kept bouncing around in her head.
Love at first sight. Could it really be that simple? Should she simply accept the way she felt about Will without trying to analyze it to death?
Kelly sighed and closed her eyes, wishing it were indeed that easy. If it affected only her, Kelly knew she would be ready to pursue a relationship with Will. But she had James to consider, and a life in Virginia that included her parents, dear friends, and a job she loved. Was a possible relationship with Will Connor worth the upheaval it would cause in their lives?
Chapter 17
Surprisingly, Kelly slept well. Instead of tossing and turning in accordance with her whirling thoughts, her body simply crashed and gave her seven solid hours of much needed oblivion. She woke up feeling rested and hungry. She took a quick shower and had just finished dressing when James came barreling through the door.
“Breakfast is ready, Mom,” he announced, returning her hug.
“Good, I’m starved. How was your night at Uncle Chad’s?”
“Real fun. I learned a new card game called War. I’ll teach it to you.”
“Oh, wow, I used to play that when I was a kid. I kinda forget how, though.”
“It’s real easy, but fun. I’m gonna play with Paw Paw after breakfast. He said we could.”
“That’s good. It’s our last day, so you need to spend a lot of time with Grammy and Paw Paw.”
“But can I still go for a ride on Midnight? And play with Dodger?”
“Sure, maybe when Paw Paw takes his nap after lunch.”
“Okay. C’mon. Sarah made pancakes, some have chocolate chips and some have blueberries. I’m gonna have both.”
They joined James Sr., Maggie, Chad and Amy at the dining table, where Sarah was bustling in and out with loaded platters. In addition to the pancakes, she had crisp bacon, scrambled eggs, and fruit. Kelly wanted to hug her and thank her profusely for all the incredibly delicious meals she’d served them during the past week, not to mention the late night snacks Will had enjoyed, but she knew such a display would embarrass the taciturn woman. She did stop by the kitchen after breakfast to give a brief but sincere thank you, and even got a hint of a smile as Sarah busily loaded dishes into the dishwasher.
Kelly left the kitchen before she got shooed out, and contented herself with watching James and Senior play a spirited game of War in the living room. Amy popped in to say that she was going in to town to meet a friend for coffee, but would be back by lunchtime.
By the third hand of War, Maggie suggested that she and Kelly leave the guys to their game and take a walk outside. Kelly readily agreed and they set off down the drive, where the large trees lining both sides gave them some shade from the already warm sun.
They chatted easily about Senior’s improved health and the beauty of the Wild Rose in the springtime.
“We really do hate to see you and James go,” Maggie said as they turned to head back toward the ranch house. “I know I’ve already thanked you for coming, but I feel I have to tell you one more time how much it’s meant to James and me to have both you and little James here. It’s given us a whole new lease on life. Between little James and a new grandchild on the way, the future looks brighter than it has in a long, long time.”
“I’m so glad. It’s amazing how God works when we open our hearts to Him.”
“Speaking of hearts,” Maggie began, giving Kelly a sideways look. “It would appear there have been some machinations of the heart between you and our Will this week. I’m quite eager to see how that turns out.”
Kelly cleared her throat, not sure how to respond. “Um, yeah, I’m pretty conflicted about that, actually.”
“I would imagine so, considering you’re heading back to Virginia tomorrow. But if I may, I’ll say that Will Connor is one of the finest young men I’ve ever come across, and in case you’re wondering, neither James nor myself would have any qualms about you pursuing a relationship with him, should you decide that’s what you want. I know it’s a big decision and you have many things to consider, I just wouldn’t want you to worry about us disapproving of it.”
“I appreciate that, Maggie, so much. I have a lot of thinking to do, and I’ve told Will I think it’s best if we don’t have any contact for a while, so I can try to gain some perspective. When I’m with him, he’s just so overwhelming it’s hard to think logically. I need to see if I feel differently when we’re apart.”
“He’s an exceedingly attractive young man,” Maggie acknowledged, amusing Kelly with her very proper way of speaking. “I can see how it might be hard to apply logic, but don’t forget, your heart should have a say in this, too. And Kelly, my dear, I’ve learned to know you well enough to see that you don’t often put yourself first. Little James is your priority, as he should be, but children are happiest when their parents are happy. Whether that’s here with Will, or in Virginia, I don’t know. But let your heart have a vote, dear. You do deserve great happiness.”
Kelly could only nod due to the lump in her throat.
Eventually she was able to speak again.
“Maggie, don’t you think it’s way too soon for me to be feeling so much for Will? I think that’s why I keep trying to talk myself out of it. I fell for him so fast and so hard---I feel like a teenager with a crush. He’s irresistible.”
Reaching over, Maggie put her arm around Kelly’s shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze.
“It certainly has happened quickly, dear. But then again, Senior proposed to me two months after we met, and that was none too soon as far as I was concerned. And the morning after Amy’s first date with Chad, she called me to tell me she’d met the man she was going to marry.”
Kelly looked at the older woman, her astonishment evident. Maggie chuckled.
“Just thought I’d throw that out there.”
“Okay, well, thanks I guess,” Kelly said uncertainly. “Can I ask you one more thing?”
“Anything, Kelly.”
“Do you think the fact that I’m so much older than Will should be an issue? I mean there’s a six year age difference and that seems like an awful lot.”
Maggie actually threw back her head and laughed. “Kelly, my dear, when you get to be my age, six years is but a tiny sliver of time. And my best friend is four years older than her husband and it’s never been an issue for them at all.”
Kelly sighed. “I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.”
“Thinking is good, but let yourself feel too, dear. As I said before, let your heart have a say in this. And for what it’s worth, I believe you and Will could be a beautiful thing. And I also believe God has a plan for our lives. If Will is His plan for you, let it happen. He knows what is best.”
The two women finished their walk in an easy silence. Kelly’s heart skipped when she saw Will’s truck parked in its customary spot out by the stables, but she didn’t go out there. She had decided that today was about family, and if she was making little James wait until after lunch to head out to the stables, she would wait, too. She couldn’t help hoping, however, that Chad would bring his good buddy Will to the house for lunch.