Alex laughed. “That sounds good. There’s a choice of toast or buttermilk biscuits. Which do you prefer?”
“If we’re going to be bad, let’s go all the way and have the biscuits.”
“Why not?” He chuckled and closed the menu.
They fell into easy conversation. Alex told her about losing Anna to cancer. She told him how Fred had walked into the house twelve years earlier and told her he wanted a divorce so he could marry his secretary, who was twenty years his junior.
“All I can say is, I think your husband was a fool,” Alex told her.
She smiled. It was great to have someone accept the fact that she’d been dumped and not ask further questions.
When they pushed their plates back it was ten-thirty.
“This has been lovely, Alex. Thank you for suggesting it.”
“I’ve enjoyed it, too.” He smiled at her. “Do you have time for a walk around the grounds? We need to see if we can get rid of some of these calories.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea, if you’ll excuse me for a minute.” She stood and went to the ladies’ room.
•♥ •
Alex paid the bill and waited at the table for her. He still couldn’t believe he’d had the nerve to suggest this breakfast, but he was glad he did. He couldn’t remember when he’d enjoyed a morning meal more. Not only was Heather Masterson a lovely woman, she was delightful company. He would like to spend more time with her, but he knew she was leaving town today.
He glanced up as she appeared. His heart flipped. He tried to ignore it. There was no way this could be happening to him. It wasn’t possible in the short time he’d known her. Yet, there was something about her. He saw something in those eyes of hers. Whatever it was, there was no escaping it.
When he’d said his name to her last night and she’d looked at him with such wonder, he’d seen it then. Again, he’d seen it when he’d put his arm around her waist for the picture. And now, as she walked toward him with that little smile, he not only saw it again, but he felt it, too.
“Are you ready to go walking now?” She paused by the table as he stood.
“I’m ready.”
They walked around the gorgeous well-manicured grounds in silence for a several minutes. Alex wondered if he dared take her hand, then in the second breath he folded her left hand in his right one. She didn’t pull away, and he glanced down at her with a smile.
She smiled back.
They continued to walk in silence until she made a sudden stop. “Alex, look. Aren’t they beautiful?”
He glanced at the small collection of wild flowers. They did look better than the ones he’d seen around his farm. “They’re nice.”
“Nice! Alex they’re exquisite. There’s even a lady slipper. Those are my favorite wildflowers of all time.” She knelt to look at it.
“I’ve seen those growing on the farm in and around the woods.”
“Really?”
He nodded, amazed at her excitement over a wildflower.
“You’re lucky. You’d never see flowers like these in Wynburg.” She straightened and fell in step beside him and they started down the path.
He didn’t take her hand this time. Instead, he put his arm around her shoulder. “Then one day you’ll have to come to my farm and I’ll show you lots of them.”
She looped her arm around his back. “I might do that.”
After a few more minutes, she glanced at her watch. “I think I’d better head out.”
“I wish you didn’t have to go, Heather. It’s been fun getting to know you.”
“I’ve enjoyed it, too. I don’t know when a book event has turned out so well.”
“Maybe we could plan to get together again next week.”
“I don’t think so. I have a couple of full weeks, then I’m planning a vacation with my son and his wife. Then, the signings start up again.”
Alex saw something in her eyes. It wasn’t the excitement he’d been seeing. It was more of a resignation. He didn’t like what he saw. “Are you telling me, this is probably it for us?” He wanted to change her mind. He wanted to stop her busy schedule. He wanted to make sure he saw her again—and soon.
“Probably.” She smiled. “I’ll get in touch about the pictures and we’ll see what happens.”
He stopped abruptly and turned her toward him. How he came up with the courage to ask, he’d never know, but the words were out before he could stop them. “Then, will you let me kiss you good-bye?”
“I don’t think so,” she whispered and wiggled out of his arms and started up the path alone.
He called after her. “What if we never see each other again? I’ll always wonder…”
She paused and looked back at him a long minute, then walked toward him. “I’d always wonder, too,” she whispered.
Alex folded his arms around her and she clung to him. In seconds, they were kissing. At first it was sweet and gentle. Then it became passionate and longing.
Finally, she pulled away. “Though it has to end now, I’ll always remember this breakfast and the time we had together. Good-bye, Alex Hargrove.” She turned and ran toward the parking lot of the main building.
Alex wanted to run after her, but he didn’t. She’d made it clear. This was all they were going to have. She’d seemed determined to have it this way. He wondered why, but he didn’t question it.
On the drive back to Coverton Mills, he tried to push the morning’s event out of his mind. How could he have let this happen? He shouldn’t have called her. He knew he’d been attracted to her and he was sure she’d rebuff him—and she had. He would have to forget her. How hard could it be? After all, he’d only known her for a day. Now, it was over.
On the other hand, how was he going to get the feel of her out of his arms? The smell of her from his nostrils? The taste of her kisses off his lips? And he knew there was no way he’d be able to ride Zeke around the farm and not think of her every time he saw a wildflower. Especially those lady slippers.
It wasn’t fair. He beat his fist on the steering wheel. How could he lose her, now that he’d found her? She was special. She was the kind of woman he needed in his life. She made him feel again. She was someone he thought would be able to make him love once more.
Then as he wrapped his mind around the thought which slipped in without him knowing why, he said aloud, “This doesn’t seem possible, but I think I’ve already fallen in love with her.”
CHAPTER 8
Heather checked into a simple, but unique, bed and breakfast in Hendersonville. She was hanging her clothes in the closet when the phone rang. Her heart beat a little faster. She couldn’t help hoping it would be Alex, though she knew this was a silly. She hardly knew the man, and though she thought he’d been attracted to her, it was probably a passing interest. Besides, she’d made it clear to him they wouldn’t be seeing each other again. Now, she wished she hadn’t.
“Where in the world are you, Heather?” William’s voice was a little irritated. “I’ve called you a dozen times today and kept getting the message your cell wasn’t picking up.”
Heather knew William Jenkins tended to stretch things. He’d probably called a couple of times, but she decided not to confront him. “It’s often out of range in the mountains.”
“Well, are you coming home this weekend? I thought you said you’d be home by Sunday. It’s Saturday afternoon now.”
“I told you I had a signing in Greenville and I wasn’t coming back to Wynburg and driving from there to South Carolina.”
“I wanted to take you to the Robison’s clam bake tomorrow night. Everyone there will have a date. I don’t want to go by myself.”
“I’m sure there are lots of single women around who’d like to go with you.”
“Well, they’re not famous writers like you.”
Heather frowned. Was William only going out with her because she had a name in the writing world?
“Are you going to say anything?”
He prodded.
“There’s nothing to say. I won’t be home on Sunday so if you don’t want to go to the party alone, you’ll have to ask someone else.”
“And it wouldn’t bother you if I went out with another woman?”
“Not at all. You have a right to go out with whomever you please.”
“Heather, you’re going to have to slow down. We need to spend more time together. How do you expect our relationship to become serious enough to ever get engaged or married?”
Heather was getting mad. “I have no intention of changing my lifestyle. I like what I do and I like the way I do it. If you can accept that, fine. If you can’t, that’s fine too.”
“You don’t have to get on your high horse. I was only making an observation for your own good. If you’d listen to me, you’d be happier because we could be together more.”
Heather bit her lip to keep her voice from getting louder. “I’m not going to argue with you, William. I should have some free time next month.”
“What do you mean, next month? Aren’t you going to be here next weekend? It’s the big country club dance.”
“I told you I had commitments, then I’m going on vacation with Tim and his family.”
“Can’t they go on vacation without you tagging along? I wouldn’t think of going on vacation with my kids.”
“Maybe that’s your problem. Family is important to me.”
“Well, well, the writer has a temper.” He laughed.
“Maybe it would be better if we call this thing between us off right now,” she snapped. “I have more to do than to worry about some man who doesn’t have a life of his own.”
“Are you breaking up with me?”
“I think I am.”
He paused, then said, “You’d better think this over, Heather. You know there are more single women than men in your age bracket. It might not be so easy to find another guy like me.”
She wanted to tell him she met a man this weekend who he’d never measure up to. Instead, she said, “I got along without a man before I met you and I’ll get along fine when you’re gone. Now, good-bye, William.”
She flipped the phone shut and threw it on the bed.
•♥ •
Alex wished he hadn’t called Kate when he got home. She was going to get the wrong idea. But he’d been so hurt by Heather’s rejection. He needed to see somebody. Now he felt guilty because he was using Kate. Though he wasn’t interested in her, and knew he’d never be, she was a nice lady and she didn’t deserve being used.
After talking to her, he saddled Zeke and rode some of the grazing areas to be sure there were no fences down. He didn’t understand why so many of the fences had been torn down lately. It was as if somebody was deliberately doing it. He was also going for the ride because when he wanted to contemplate he always took Zeke out.
The fences were fine today and he was heading home when he decided to go by the meadow near the top of one of the pastures. He called it his thinking place and was about half way there when his cell phone rang.
“Yes, Luke,” he said when his son’s number popped on the screen.
“Where are you, Dad?”
“Riding the fences in the Tucker pasture.” Each of their pastures was named after the person who had sold the land to the Hargroves.
“Any problem?”
“No. Things look fine so far.”
“Good. Brenda wanted me to call and invite you to dinner. We’re cooking ribs on the grill. Jacob wanted his Poppa to come.”
Alex made a face. “I called Kate this afternoon. I invited her out.”
“I thought you weren’t interested in her.”
“I’m not. I was feeling a little lonely and called her on impulse. Now, I wish I hadn’t.”
Luke laughed. “Making comparisons to the lady you met last night, Dad?”
“No, son. There is no comparison.”
“Oh?”
“Don’t read anything into it.”
“I’m not,” he said. “Tell you what, Dad. Bring Kate with you. Let us decide if she’s right for you.”
Alex started to protest, but changed his mind. It’d be easier to spend the evening with Kate if he had someone else around. “Okay, I’ll call her and get back to you.”
Kate was agreeable and he was to pick her up at six. After informing Luke, he glanced at his watch. He still had time to go to his thinking spot.
Reaching the area, he dismounted and let the reins dangle in his hand. He dropped to the tree stump he’d set up and looked out across the mountains. He wondered if Heather was looking at the same mountains with the awe she seemed to show when she gazed at God’s world.
He shook his head. “Get her off your mind, man,” he demanded of himself. “She was a nice episode, but she made it clear she never wanted to see you again.” He stood and threw the reins around the stump. “Why did I ever let myself get so carried away by her, anyway? Kate’s the kind of woman a man like me needs. She sensible, she’s settled and she needs a man. Heather is none of those things.”
As he started to get back on his horse he glanced toward the woods. A sliver of pink caught his eye. Frowning he walked over to the area and his breath caught in his throat. Growing near the roots of a tall pine was a lady slipper. A little farther in the woods, he saw a second one. He stared at them. It crossed his mind they were delicate, as was the lady who called them exquisite.
His phone rang and broke the spell. He glanced at it, but didn’t recognize the number. He thought about not answering it, but decided he’d better. If they had his cell number, it’d be someone he knew. “Alex Hargrove.”
“Hi Alex. It’s Heather Masterson.”
“Heather, hello. I’m surprised to hear from you.” His heart raced as he added quickly, “A nice surprise, I must say.”
“I hesitated about calling, but one reason I did was to apologize.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Yes, I do. I was rude to you this morning and I really didn’t mean to be.”
“You weren’t rude, Heather. You simply made it clear you didn’t want to see me again, but you were nice about it.” Alex walked back to the stump. He felt if he didn’t sit down, he might fall. He couldn’t explain why this woman took his breath away.
“Alex, I’d like to see you again if you’re agreeable, but—”
“Of course I want to see you. I thought I made that clear.”
“I know you did. But…can I be honest with you?”
“I wish you would.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever met a man like you. You intrigue me and you excite me, but there is something about you that scares me.”
He chuckled. “I don’t understand. Is it my size? I know I’m big and that intimidates some people. Especially a little person like you. But you have no reason to be frightened. Down deep, I’m a pussy cat.”
“It’s not your size, Alex. I find tall men attractive. I don’t know what it is, but I’d like to get together and talk again. Would you be willing?”
“Of course. How’s tonight? Tomorrow?”
She laughed. “I’m not in Asheville this evening, but we’ll do it soon. I think I told you I have a busy schedule for the next few weeks, but after that, I’m pretty flexible.”
“Okay. Then it’s a date. We’ll get together as soon as you’re free.”
“I’ll let you know when it’s possible.”
“I can live with that, if I can do one thing.”
“What?”
“Call you at night so we can talk, if only for minutes.”
“To copy your phrase, I can live with that.”
“Good. By the way, guess what I was doing when you called.”
“I have no idea. Maybe you were making mad, passionate love to some woman and I interrupted.”
He laughed a deep, hearty laugh. “That certainly would be more interesting than what I was doing, but you’re wrong. I’m out riding my horse, Zeke, and
decided to dismount. I walked to the edge of the woods and saw two lady slippers.”
“Oh, how exciting! Were they beautiful? I bet they were. You didn’t pick them, did you?”
“Yes, they were pretty; and no, I didn’t pick them. I didn’t have a pretty lady here to give them to. They did make me think about you, though.”
“I’m glad. Maybe I can see them on your farm sometime.”
“I hope you will.” There was nothing Alex would like more than showing Heather around his farm. He took a breath. “In the meantime, may I call you tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’ll be free in the afternoon. I’ll look forward to it.”
“So will I.”
Alex put the phone in his pocket and grabbed Zeke’s reins. “She called me, old boy. Can you believe it? She actually called me.”
He mounted his horse and headed home. He knew he was probably going to be late picking up Kate. Maybe it would discourage her from wanting to see him. He hoped so. The only woman in the world he was interested in seeing had called him and he couldn’t wait to call her back tomorrow afternoon.
• ♥ •
Heather flipped the phone shut and closed her eyes. Was he actually glad to hear from her? His voice sounded as if he were.
Was he really looking at lady slippers, or was that something he thought of to say because he knew she liked them? But why would he lie about something so simple?
She shook her head. Why had she called him in the first place? Was it because she’d been upset by William’s call? And what about William Jenkins? Did she really want to break up with him? After all, they’d had some good times together. A few anyway. Wasn’t that enough? Shouldn’t she be satisfied?
At fifty-three and a grandmother, what did she expect? A gallant prince to ride up on a big white horse and carry her off to his castle and profess his undying love for her? Did she expect to find a perfect man and live happily ever after? If so, she decided. I’d better get those crazy notions out of my head. It’ll never happen.
With that thought lingering in her brain, she stood and left the room. She was going to walk around the grounds and then come back and do some serious writing. As she went out the door she mumbled, “I wonder what color Alex’s horse is.”
Stalking her Dreams (A Coverton Mills Romance Book 1) Page 4