by Barbara Gee
They hugged Senior, Maggie and Amy before leaving the house. As they walked out with Chad, Kelly saw that Will had just pulled up and parked beside Chad’s truck. He let Dodger out, and James wrapped the big dog in his arms and buried his face in his fur.
After giving him time to say goodbye to his four legged pal, Kelly gently told him they needed to get going so they wouldn’t miss their flight. James reluctantly let go of Dodger, and then Will lifted the little boy up and hugged him tight and long.
“I’ll miss you, little man,” Will said. “I’ll take good care of Midnight until you come back to visit again, okay?”
James’ arms were wound around his hero’s neck. “I hope he doesn’t forget me,” he said miserably.
“Don’t worry about that. Midnight is one smart horse. He’ll never forget who he belongs to.”
“Feed him carrots and apples, like I do, okay?”
“You betcha, buddy. And you take care of your mom for us, okay?”
“Yeah, I will. She might get me a dog like Dodger.”
Will grinned. “I hope that works out for you.”
He let James slide back to the ground, then helped him up into Chad’s truck, where he once again rode shotgun.
Had it really been only a week since Chad had picked them up at the airport, Kelly wondered. It felt like so much longer. Their lives had changed in countless ways over the past seven days.
She buckled James in, asked Chad to give her just one more moment, then turned to Will, stepping toward the back of the truck so that they were out of James’ sight.
“Goodbye, cowboy. I’m going to miss you.”
“How long until I can call you?”
Kelly shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ll call you, okay? When I feel like I have things a little more figured out, I’ll call you.”
Will kissed her, softly at first and then harder. Kelly closed her eyes, hoping desperately this wasn’t their last kiss ever.
“I’ll call no matter what, Will, I promise,” she said, blinking back tears.
“I’ll be waiting. Safe travels, baby.”
Kelly nodded. “I’ll text you to let you know when we’re home.”
She climbed into the back seat, giving Will a shaky smile as he closed the door. James waved vigorously as they pulled away, and Will tipped his hat in true cowboy fashion. Kelly’s throat ached from unshed tears, but she couldn’t break down in front of James. She gave a shaky sigh, knowing it was going to be a long, sad, tiring trip home.
Chapter 19
A week later, Kelly had made a decision. After talking for hours with her parents and friends, she had decided to apply for the position at Tallock County High School. She set up a Skype interview with Principal Harris, and two days later he called to report that he’d been given permission by the school board to offer her the position, contingent on receiving good references from her current principal.
That meant it was time to talk to her principal about pulling out of summer school. After hearing about Kelly’s desire to assist with starting another STEM program while allowing her son to spend more time with the grandparents he had just discovered, Principal Truman understandingly accepted Kelly’s withdrawal and gave her blessing to the change of plans. She also gave an outstanding reference to Principal Harris.
Next, Kelly shared the news with James. She told him while they were having dinner with her parents, and James’ euphoria was one of the most heartwarming things Kelly and her parents had ever experienced. And when Pops and Gran told James that they would be visiting the Wild Rose themselves for a couple of weeks, the little boy’s joy was complete.
They celebrated by going out for ice cream, and when her happy boy was finally tucked into bed and sleeping soundly, Kelly grabbed her phone and curled up in the corner of her couch.
It was time to call Will. Any doubts she’d had about her feelings for him were gone. Even two thousand miles away from Will’s awe inspiring physical presence, she missed the man with a visceral ache that hadn’t diminished at all in the past two weeks. She was beyond questioning how she’d fallen so hard and so fast. All she knew, all that mattered, was that she needed to be with him. She needed to see whether they had a future as a family, and the only way to do that was to spend time with him. She could only hope he still wanted her to return to the ranch.
Kelly had come to believe with all her heart that God had given her this opportunity to go back to Texas for the summer and she couldn’t wait to get there. She had asked Yolanda and Principal Harris not to tell Amy that she had accepted the position, as she wanted to tell the Mathersons and Will personally.
Will came first. Heart pounding, she brought up Will C in her contact list, and tapped the screen to dial his number.
After a couple of rings, he picked up. For a moment he said nothing, and then came the smooth baritone voice she dreamed about every night.
“It’s about time, Kelly Matherson.”
She could hear the smile in his voice and she closed her eyes, the need to be with him again so strong it brought tears to her eyes.
“I told Chad just today that if I hadn’t heard from you by Monday, I was buying myself a plane ticket to Virginia. Now please, tell me you’re coming back here for the summer.”
Kelly laughed. “I’m coming back there for the summer,” she said obediently.
“You’re serious? You’re coming for sure?” The relief in his voice only served to increase her longing for him and suddenly three months seemed like a terribly long time to have to wait.
“Yes, for sure. I wanted to have everything in place before I called you. I got the job at the school there, and my principal let me out of my summer school contract. James and I will be heading out there the second week of June. If you still want us to, that is.”
“Oh, I want you to come, Kelly, there’s never been a question about that. I was getting a little worried that you’d changed your mind, though. It’s been a hell of a two weeks.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. It only took me a week to decide I wanted to try for the job, but then it took another few days to schedule the interview with Principal Harris, then I had to wait a few more days to find out if I got the job, and after that I had to meet with my principal here. I really wanted to have it all settled before I got anyone’s hopes up, and that included James.”
“Well the wait has been torture, but since you gave me good new I’ll forgive you. I can’t wait for you two to get back here.”
“I can’t wait to see you, Will. I mean, I really can’t wait. Three months is way too long.”
“So what do you suggest?” he asked, his soft Texas drawl making her smile.
She settled more comfortably into the couch. “I’m thinking maybe you should go ahead and get that plane ticket you mentioned. I want you to come for a visit.”
His low chuckle gave Kelly goose bumps.
“That’s music to my ears, baby. When should I come?”
“How about at Easter? James and I will have a couple of days off school that weekend, plus it’s about halfway through the three months.”
“I’ll see if I can make that work. Are you sure you’re ready to introduce me to your parents and friends?” Will asked.
“I am. They’re sick of hearing me talk about you. They want to meet the real thing and see if you’re as incredible as I’ve claimed you are.”
“Are your parents okay with you coming out here for the summer?”
“They were kinda worried about it at first, but they’re on board now. In fact, they plan to visit for a couple weeks in July. You can imagine how thrilled James is about that. He can’t wait to show them everything.”
Will asked how James had reacted when Kelly had given him the news, and Kelly assured him that James had been ecstatic. “He can’t wait to see everyone again. But to be honest, I think Midnight and Dodger are at the top of his list. You have some stiff competition.”
Before she knew it they had talk
ed for an hour. It was too late to call Maggie and James by then, as they would have retired for the evening already, so Kelly called Amy instead and asked her to pass on the news to her parents. Amy and Chad were thrilled, and after she hung up, Kelly breathed a sincere prayer of thanksgiving for the way things had turned out.
Kelly and Will soon got into the habit of talking on the phone every evening, as well as texting occasionally throughout the day. Kelly and James counted down the days until Easter weekend. It was a busy time on the ranches and Will would only be able to stay for a few days, but it was much better than nothing.
On the morning of his arrival Kelly woke up beyond excited. It was Thursday, and she would pick him up from the airport that evening. School was closed Friday and Monday for Easter break, and as he was staying until Monday morning, they would have three full days together.
Thursday positively dragged by. Kelly’s students were extra hyper, excited about having a four day break and every bit as eager for this last day to end as Kelly was. She did her best to keep them focused, but she wasn’t quite as strict as usual since she well understood their excitement. It had been a long time since she’d looked forward to anything as much as this weekend with Will.
To top things off, the weather forecasts predicted a beautiful Easter weekend. Warm spring days, sunshine, celebrating the risen Savior, and Will. As far as Kelly was concerned, things couldn’t get any better.
She and James were on the road to the airport by 4:00, and pulled into the parking lot at 5:00, as scheduled. Thirty minutes later, Will’s plane was on the ground and they were anxiously awaiting him in the baggage claim area.
“There he is!” James announced, running toward the escalator as Will descended. Kelly couldn’t move for a moment. She watched as Will stepped off the escalator and picked James up for a long hug. Her little boy beamed as he wrapped his arms around Will’s neck, talking a mile a minute.
Will looked larger than life, and if possible, even more handsome than Kelly remembered. He had foregone his customary Stetson, and his slightly tousled dark blonde hair gleamed under the fluorescent lights. No hat, but he was wearing the cowboy boots that suited him so well, Kelly noticed happily, and his legs looked impossibly long in soft blue denim.
He said something to James and the little boy turned in his arms and pointed toward Kelly. Their eyes met and her breath caught as he strode toward her with single-minded purpose.
The sight of her made Will’s heart pound. How could she be even more beautiful than he remembered? She was dressed in jeans and a pale green top and looked incredible. Her wide smile made the long flight more than worth it. He kept hold of James with one arm, and wrapped the other tightly around her, needing to hold her as much as he needed to breathe.
“Welcome to Virginia,” she said, hugging him back. “James and I could hardly wait for you to get here. Right, James?”
“Yup! I’m glad you came to see us, Will. I don’t have a dog yet though, cuz we’re going back to the Wild Rose for the summer. Did you already know that, Will?”
“I sure did. And I’m real happy about it. Dodger and Midnight are going to be awful glad to see you. Dodger moped around for a week after you left.”
“I can’t wait. And Pops and Gran are gonna visit, too. They want to meet Grammy and Paw Paw and Uncle Chad and Aunt Amy. We’re going to Pops and Gran’s for lunch tomorrow, so you can see them. Right, Mom?”
“That’s right, James. Now let’s let go of Will so he can get his suitcase, okay?”
Will thoroughly enjoyed listening to James chatter all the way home from the airport. He’d missed the boy almost as much as he’d missed his mother. Kelly tried several times to quiet James down, but Will assured her he didn’t mind.
They pulled up to a small brick house in a neighborhood with tree lined streets. The lots were small, but the houses were neatly kept and Will could tell it was a nice, comfortable, safe neighborhood. He was glad Kelly and James lived in such a place.
Grabbing his suitcase from the back of Kelly’s small SUV, Will followed them inside, not surprised to find that their home was lovely, warm, and inviting. Plus, it smelled great, and he realized that his very organized lady had something cooking in the crockpot sitting on the kitchen counter.
“You made dinner? How did you fit that into your busy day?”
“I’m a crockpot queen,” Kelly laughed. “There’s nothing better than coming home from work and having supper already prepared. And I figured after a long day of traveling you’d prefer to eat dinner here instead of going out somewhere.”
“You figured exactly right.”
“Come see my room, Will,” James begged, tugging on his hand.
“Okay, buddy. I’ll meet you there in just a minute, okay?”
James ran down the hall and Will immediately turned to Kelly and pulled her into his arms, unable to wait another moment to have her close again. He was gratified when she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tight.
“It’s so good to see you, Kelly. It’s been a long two months.”
“Endless,” Kelly agreed. “I’m so excited to have you here. I can’t wait for you to meet my mom and dad. And my three crazy friends are beside themselves. I hope you survive them.”
“Just promise not to leave me alone with them,” he teased.
“I won’t. But you don’t need to worry, they’ll love you. And their guys are great, too. We’re planning to all get together at Nat’s house on Saturday evening, if that’s okay with you.”
“I’m up for anything.”
“Thanks for coming, cowboy,” Kelly said, smiling up at him.
Will bent his head and kissed her softly. “Glad to be here. Now show me where James’ room is. I don’t want to keep him waiting.”
After taking Will to James’ bedroom, Kelly started a batch of rice and added black beans and cheese to the salsa chicken in the crockpot. She could hear James’ animated voice coming from his room, and she left the rice to cook and joined the guys there, sitting on the bed and smiling as James showed Will every single thing in his room. He was especially proud of the large picture frame that held a dozen of his favorite photos from his time in Texas. Will was featured in many of the photos, and Kelly could tell it made him happy.
With the tour of James’ room complete, Kelly apologetically showed Will the futon in the combination office/guest room.
“I know your feet will hang over the edge. I’d stay in here and let you have my bedroom, but I know you wouldn’t let me,” she said.
“You’re right about that. This is just fine, Kelly. Really.”
“I hope so. James will share my bathroom while you’re here, so the hall bath is all yours.”
“Sounds good.” He rubbed his flat stomach and grinned. “Now how about we eat? My layover was short and I didn’t have time for lunch. You have no idea how happy I am that you cooked for me.”
Kelly was glad she’d taken the time to prepare the meal. “You got it, Mr. Connor. I made one of our favorites. It’s not exactly Sarah caliber, but I hope you like it anyway.”
He did. Three large helpings later, he sat back, sated.
“Sarah’s got nothing on you, Kelly. That was phenomenal. Right, James?”
“Right. Can me and Will go play a game now, Mom?”
“Will and I,” Kelly corrected automatically. “And yes, you may be excused.”
“We need to help your mom clean up, first,” Will said.
Kelly shook her head. “No, really. It’ll be time for James to go to bed soon, and I’d rather he have some time to play with you. I don’t mind cleaning up.”
Will didn’t want to let her do all the work, but Kelly shooed them into the living room where they chose a board game and settled down on the floor to play. It did her heart good to see James and Will together again and she couldn’t help but wonder whether this might be their future—being a family.
Chapter 20
James asked Will to tu
ck him into bed and read his book, and when Kelly peeked in on them a little later, she lost a little more of her heart to the cowboy. He had read James to sleep, and then fallen asleep himself, his head propped against James’ headboard, the partially read book lying across his stomach.
She went into the room and gently ran her fingers through his hair. He reached up and caught her hand, his eyes opening slowly, taking her breath away once again.
“Hey,” she whispered. “I know the futon isn’t much, but it’ll be more comfortable than this.”
He gave a sleepy smile. “Sorry,” he whispered back. “I had to get up really early this morning.”
He carefully stood up, not wanting to wake James. Kelly took his hand and led him to the hall bathroom.
“There are plenty of towels in this cabinet if you want to take a shower. And you can leave your shaving stuff and whatever else in here—don’t worry about any clutter. It’s all yours while you’re here.”
“A shower sounds great. I’ll unpack a few things first. I won’t be long.”
Kelly settled down on the couch in the living room to wait, idly flipping through channels on the TV, finally settling on a House Hunters rerun. Twenty minutes later Will joined her, dressed in soft gray sweatpants and a white tee shirt. He looked, and smelled, amazing.
He lowered himself to the couch beside her and Kelly’s heart started pounding like a teenager’s. The man had the most profound effect on her, and it was both thrilling and terrifying.
“Feel better?” she asked.
“Much. But I’m not sure I’ll make it all the way through this thrilling episode of House Hunters,” he teased.
Kelly giggled. “You don’t even have to try. You can go right to bed.”
He scooped her up into his lap and settled her against his chest. “In a minute. Just let me hold you for a little bit.”
It was a request Kelly didn’t have a problem with. He rested his cheek against the top of her head and sighed contentedly. “I’ve dreamed about this since you left Texas. I hope I’m not dreaming right now.”