by Webb, Peggy
“How are things in Mississippi?” he said.
“The same as when you called yesterday, sir.”
Ordinarily Ben would have had a lively exchange with Hines about sarcasm, but even that small pleasure had lost its appeal.
“I was thinking, Hines.... There’s no need for you to stay down there all by yourself. Why don’t you hop on the next plane to D.C.?”
“Are you lonesome, sir?”
“I didn’t say that.” Ben cleared his throat. “How’s Holly?”
Hines had become a regular at Holy Trinity since he’d returned from Virginia. “It gives me a reason to keep my shoes shined down here in the wilderness,” was his explanation, but Ben suspected that Holly was the real reason for his transformation. She was like a magnet; everybody who knew her was drawn to her.
“Lively as ever, always smiling, always making people feel good.”
“Do you think she misses me?”
“I would say so, sir.”
“You would? Why?”
“Because every time I see her, she asks me the same question you do. ‘How’s Ben?’ “
Ben felt a familiar rush of hope, but he quickly squelched it. He was not the kind of man women fell in love with, and no amount of effort could change that. He had been a fool ever to try.
“Don’t tell her I asked about her, Hines.”
“Certainly not, sir.”
“Is she dating?”
“It’s hardly likely a lady of her fine sensibilities is going to get over a broken heart in two weeks’ time.”
“You think her heart is broken?”
Ben didn’t like to think of Holly suffering, but at the same time he was pleased that at least he had affected her to some degree.
“You might try calling her to ask.”
“No. If a woman can’t love me for what I am and accept what I have to offer, then I don’t want her.”
“It was just a suggestion, sir.”
The acrid smell of burned food came from the direction of the kitchen.
“While I was wasting my time discussing a woman who wouldn’t even go to Hawaii with me, my pot pie burned.”
“Did you tell her you love her?”
“I told her that whales mated there.”
“She’s no whale.”
“That’s exactly what she said.” A wisp of smoke curled around the corner of the kitchen door and drifted down the hallway. “I can’t discuss this now, Hines, my house is burning down.”
Ben stalked to the kitchen, grabbed a couple of pot holders, and jerked his pie from the oven. The fire alarm set up a raucous blaring. He opened the back door and fanned the smoke out with a dish towel.
“Love! Ha!” he said.
Love was nothing but a big pain in the rear. And to think he had tried to change his ways because of Holly Jones.
He was still fanning the smoke when his doorbell rang. Nobody ever came to call in D.C. It was probably one of the neighbors, arriving to say he had called the fire department.
“Coming,” Ben yelled. “Just a minute.”
He fanned vigorously until the smoke dispersed and the fire alarm ceased. Still clutching the dish towel, Ben stalked to the door.
And there stood Holly Jones, her hair glorious in the glow from the street lamps, her eyes as wide and innocent looking as he remembered, her mouth... Ben forced himself to stop devouring her with his eyes. He made himself remember that she didn’t trust him, let alone love him.
“I probably should have called first,” she said.
What would he have said if she had? Ben had no idea. All he knew was that Holly was on his doorstep and he still wanted her, still loved her—in spite of all that had happened.
The bad thing was, he still didn’t know what to do about it. If anybody ever came up with a way to give lessons on love, he would make a fortune.
“This probably wasn’t a good idea,” she said, her eyes begging him to disagree.
But what if he did? She would come inside and he would whisk her away to his bedroom and make mad passionate love to her. The way he felt they probably wouldn’t even make it to the bedroom.
And then what? She had turned him down once. He didn’t know if he could stand to fail with her again.
“I guess I should be going,” she whispered.
His front porch was small, and she was across it in no time. She would be down the steps soon, then on the street hailing a cab that would take her to the airport, where she would fly back home and out of his life. This time forever.
A memory pierced him, a memory of Holly standing on his front porch in Mississippi saying practically the same thing she was saying now: “I shouldn’t have come.” Then later, inside his front room. What was it she had said? Something that almost broke his heart.
If only he could remember. She was halfway down the front steps now, and it was vitally important that he remember.
I don’t want to be disposable.
Her words hit him with the force of a thunderbolt.
“Holly... wait.”
She stopped. Please turn around, he silently pleaded.
“Don’t go,” he said.
When she turned he saw the tears glistening on her cheeks. How many ways would she break his heart? Could his heart be salvaged? Could hers?
She wavered, glancing toward the street then back at him.
“Please,” he said. “I... need you, Holly.”
Still she stood there. And he knew that if she left him, he would lose something that he could never recover: He would lose hope.
“I need you, too, Ben... but need is not enough.”
She turned then, turned away and continued down the steps. Soon she would be on the sidewalk, and then at the curb. Down the street a cab came into view.
“Holly... I... let’s talk.”
“About what, Ben?”
“About you and me. About us.”
“There is no us. You are in Washington and I’m in Sunday Cove. For a short while we came together and it was wonderful. At least for me it was. In the process I discovered something about myself: I discovered that I am worthy of more than being somebody’s passing fancy. I am worthy of more than being somebody’s fun-time party girl who will provide a few laughs in Birmingham and Hawaii.”
“Is that what you thought, that I wanted to take you to Hawaii for a few laughs?”
“Didn’t you?”
“No, that wasn’t the reason.”
“Then what was it, Ben? Tell me the reason.”
There it was: the supreme test. Holly wanted to hear the words he couldn’t say. Once he said them, he knew he could never take them back. He would be committed, for better or worse. He had seen the worst and it scared him.
Her boots tapped on the bricks as she ran down the steps. “Taxi,” she cried, lifting her hand.
The yellow cab pulled away from the corner and headed toward Ben’s house. Fear of losing her lent him wings. He caught up with her on the sidewalk. With both hands on her shoulders, he turned her around.
“Don’t go, Holly.”
“Why?”
“Because... I love you.”
Ben felt a wave of relief. Saying the words hadn’t been as hard as he imagined.
“I love you, Holly,” he said once more, and then he laughed for sheer joy. “Hines should be here to see this. I feel like dancing in the streets.... Maybe I will.”
It was twenty degrees, and he wasn’t even wearing a coat, but Ben never felt the chill. He spun her around on the sidewalk, and when the cab pulled up beside the curb, Ben handed the drive a twenty-dollar bill.
“For your trouble,” he said. “The lady won’t be needing you.”
“Thanks, mister. And whatever it is you and the pretty lady are dancing about, congratulations.”
“The pretty lady and I are getting married.”
“Hey, congratulations again. When’s the big day?”
Holly laughed. “He has no idea. Besides, I
haven’t even said yes yet.”
“Looks to me like that’s not going to be a problem,” the cabbie said. “So long, y’all. Many happy returns.”
He waved at them as he drove off.
“Would you say that accent is from Georgia or Mississippi?” Ben said.
“South Carolina,” Holly said.
“How could you tell?”
“By the way he pronounced his r’s.... Are you going to invite me in? I’d like to hear more about this wedding you’re planning.”
Inside, they stopped briefly in the hallway to hang up her coat. There was much he needed to say, much he needed to hear her say, but at the moment he had a more pressing need.
His bed was brass with a thick comforter that was exactly right for the passionate reunion they had. And when it was over, he held her close.
“I can’t believe I almost lost you,” he said.
“I was so afraid of loving you.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t think you could love me. It was not until after you left that I began to realize that any time we love, we take a risk. And then I knew that I had to come to you, no matter what happened. I love you and have almost from the first time I laid eyes on you. I had to let you know that, because you are worth the risk, Ben.”
Smiling, she rested her forehead against his. “And so I loaded Lily up in the car and drove to Memphis and said, ‘I’ll be back in a few weeks, James.’ “
“Bravo, Holly.”
“Loving you has made a bold woman of me.”
“You didn’t need me for that. You were always a bold woman.”
His blood began to stir again, and he knew it would always be that way with this woman. When he entered her, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.
“There’s something I have to know, Benjamin G. Sullivan the Third.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now. What does the G stand for?”
“Gabriel.”
“The angel!”
“Hardly,” he said.
And although it was dead of winter in a city where citrus trees would never survive, the scent of orange blossoms swirled around them as Ben proved Holly wrong.
EPILOGUE
The Fellowship Hall at Holy Trinity was decorated with hanging greens, wreaths of holly, and bright red bows. A pile of fresh straw in the west corner served as a makeshift stable.
This year, though, the animals were docile and extremely well behaved. They were enormous cardboard cutouts fashioned painstakingly by Hines, who stood watch over them dressed in the garb of a shepherd. He had made the headpiece from a towel, but the robe was compliments of Loweva.
“I’ve never seen you look better, Hines,” Ben said, grinning. “You should wear pink terry cloth more often.”
“Pay him no attention, Hines,” Holly said. “He’s just jealous. At least yours covers your knees.”
“Those are nice knees you have there, sir.”
Ben, who was playing the part of Joseph, stood on the stage beside his wife, who looked angelic in her role of Mary. Holly’s blue bathrobe didn’t even cover his knees.
“Of course, Joseph wasn’t six-four,” she had told him that morning before they left the farmhouse.
Over the intercom came the joyful sounds of “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” The church was packed to the rafters, and soon the crowd would spill over into the Fellowship Hall for doughnuts and coffee. But mostly for a good look at this year’s Christmas Nativity. After the previous year’s show, no one dared miss it.
“Early church is almost over,” Holly said.
“Time for the show.” With a grin as big as Texas, Ben looked down at the baby in his arms. “Are you ready for the show, big boy?”
For a moment the baby regarded him solemnly with wide blue eyes, then he cooed and blew a spit bubble.
“Did you hear that? I think he said Daddy.”
Holly patted Ben’s arm. “Three-month-old babies can’t talk, darling. You’re just prejudiced.”
“You heard him, didn’t you, Hines?”
“Indeed, I did, sir. He’s a regular genius.”
“Remind me to give you a nice increase in your Christmas bonus.”
“I already took care of that, sir.”
The door burst open as the first of the early churchgoers poured in.
Holly adjusted the tiny halo on her son’s flaming red hair, and Ben carefully placed him on a soft cushion in the manger.
“He looks like an angel,” Holly said softly.
“Why should that surprise you?” Ben squeezed his wife’s hand. “I seem to have a knack for finding angels.”
The End
If You Enjoyed This Book…
If you enjoyed Naughty and Nice (Sunday Cove), try Birds of a Feather (Sunday Cove), and Disturbing the Peace (Sunday Cove). More Sunday Cove romances to come!
Don't miss Peggy's new women fiction novel, Stars to Lead Me Home.
Details on the Sunday Cove series and all Peggy’s books are at www.peggywebb.com. Join Peggy on Facebook and Twitter.
About Peggy Webb
Peggy Webb is a USA Today best-selling author from Mississippi with 70 books to her credit. She writes romance, women’s fiction and the hilarious Southern Cousins cozy mystery series starring Elvis, the basset hound who thinks he’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll reincarnated. Her peers call her a “comic genius.” She also writes literary fiction and is a member of PEN under the name Elaine Hussey. Pat Conroy calls her literary work “astonishing.” This critically acclaimed author has won many awards, including a Romantic Times Pioneer Award for creating the sub-genre of romantic comedy. Several of her romances have been optioned for film.
Peggy is a member of Novelists, Inc.; Authors Guild, International Thriller Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She is excited about bringing her romance classics back to readers as E-books. The award-winning Touched by Angels and A Prince for Jenny, as well as the Donovans of the Delta series, have all been Top 10 bestsellers.
Follow the author on her websites: www.peggywebb.com and www.elainehussey.com and on Facebook and Twitter.
o0o
Books by Peggy Webb
Classic Romance
Dark Fire
Touched by Angels (RT Reviewer’s Choice)
A Prince for Jenny, sequel to Touched by Angels
The Edge of Paradise
Duplicity (Rave review, RT Reviewer’s Choice)
Where Dolphins Go (RT Reviewer’s Choice, women’s fiction, optioned for film)
Night of the Dragon (time travel romance)
Christmas in Time (time travel, prequel to Only Yesterday)
Only Yesterday, (time travel, sequel to Christmas in Time)
Summer Jazz
Taming Maggie (#1 on romance bestseller list)
That Jones Girl (sequel to the Mississippi McGills series)
Indiscreet
The Donovans of the Delta Series:
Donovan’s Angel (Paul Donovan’s story)
Sleepless Nights (Tanner Donovan’s story)
Hallie’s Destiny (award winning book, Hallie Donovan’s story)
Any Thursday (Hannah Donovan’s story)
Higher Than Eagles (Jacob Donovan’s story)
The Mississippi McGills Series (spin-off from Donovans of the Delta)
Valley of Fire (Rick McGill’s story)
Until Morning Comes (Jo Beth McGill and Colter Gray Wolf’s story)
Saturday Mornings (Andrew McGill’s story)
Forever Friends series
Can’t Stop Loving You (Book 1, Helen’s story)
Only His Touch (Kat’s story, Book 2)
Bringing Up Baxter (B. J.’s story, Book 3)
Angels on Zebras (Maxie’s story, Book 4)
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Belinda
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Janet
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Molly
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Bea
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Clementine
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Joanna
The Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Catherine
Sunday Cove Series
Naughty and Nice
Birds of a Feather
Disturbing the Peace
….5 more to come
Romantic Suspense
Witch Dance
From A Distance
Boxed Sets
Donovans of the Delta
Forever Friends, Finally Brides
Finding Mr. Perfect
Finding Paradise
Time’s Embrace
Warrior’s Embrace
When I Found You
Southern Cousins Mysteries
Elvis and the Dearly Departed, 2008
Elvis and the Grateful Dead, 2009
Elvis and the Memphis Mambo Murders, 2010
Elvis and the Tropical Double Trouble, 2011
Elvis and the Blue Christmas Corpse, 2012
Jack Loves Callie Tender (series prequel and companion guide), 2013
Elvis and the Bridegroom Stiffs, 2014
Elvis and the Deadly Love Letters, a short story, 2014
Elvis and the Buried Brides, 2014, 2015
Women’s Fiction/Literary Fiction
Stars to Lead Me Home: Love and Marriage, June, 2015
Her Secret Hero, March, 2014
The Language of Silence (Gallery, Simon & Schuster), July 30, 2014
The Tender Mercy of Roses (Gallery, Simon & Schuster), written as Anna Michaels
The Sweetest Hallelujah (MIRA), written as Elaine Hussey, July 30, 2013
The Oleander Sisters (MIRA), written as Elaine Hussey, July 30, 2014