Welcome Home, Bobby Winslow

by Christyne Butler

  Right now this is nothing but a crazy idea. And two, you’re going to be part of it, from start to finish.”

  A delighted shock radiated through Leeann’s body. He’d done it? He’d really talked to one of the Murphys about her idea?

  They hadn’t seen or spoken to each other since the photo shoot five days ago. After the way she’d walked out of his office, she figured she’d be hearing the sound of bulldozers the next time she stopped by her pond.

  Just as quickly her shock turned to panic and she shook off his touch. “I don’t know the first thing about architectural drawings or building a summer—” Leeann cut off her words. She continued in a hushed tone, “I don’t have the skills or experience for something like this.”

  “Perfect, we’ll fumble through it together.” Bobby grabbed a marker off a nearby table and scribbled a number on the outside of the tube. “Call me if you’re up for the challenge. Otherwise the whole deal is off.”

  Chapter Nine

  After almost a week of meetings where what needed to be done to turn twenty acres of natural forest into a summer camp for kids was discussed at length, Leeann had learned a few things.

  Like there were summer camps that actually specialized in forensics, circus life or robotics. That Bobby was a pretty good cook and an even better patient, Leeann having witnessed firsthand a few of his sessions with Dean. And lastly, no matter how hard she tried, Daisy was never going to like her.

  Leeann had done everything she could think of to get in the pup’s good graces. Chew toys in all shapes and sizes, gourmet doggie treats and even sneaking the rascal some of Bobby’s amazing lasagna after dinner one night.

  Nothing.

  “You should be happy she tolerates your presence,” Leeann muttered to herself as she sat on her bed to tug on her sneakers. “And she finally stopped growling every time Bobby touches you.”

  Something he did a lot.

  Something she was surprised to find she wasn’t minding.

  It had started when she’d shown up at his house the same afternoon he’d given her the plans for the camp and agreed to his terms. An agreement he’d sealed with a prolonged handshake she couldn’t figure a polite way to refuse.

  His hand, big and warm, felt familiar as it engulfed hers, causing those same tingles she’d experienced when he’d pulled her into his arms that night at the bar.

  Only this time there hadn’t been any fear or automatic pullback on her part.

  A fact she’d only realized after he’d kept ahold of her, drawing her into his dining room, insisting the room was the perfect spot for them to work on their project.

  She’d been at his place every day since, sometimes for hours, using the hand-peeled, aspen log dining table as the command center. It came complete with two laptops, the plans and—thanks to Dean who’d invaded a bookstore during a trip to Cheyenne—books that covered a variety of topics from child psychology to rustic interior design.

  Their hands often collided as they stayed and rearranged tiny blocks from the three-dimensional model Bobby had borrowed to allow them to visually see how the camp might look once completed.

  Or his arms would brush against hers when he’d lean over her shoulder and type into the computer a website for an already established camp. Then he’d stay close, pointing out whatever caught his eye, their faces inches from each other as they talked, debated and usually argued, often with Dean acting as tiebreaker or referee.

  Bobby hadn’t actually said for sure he planned to go ahead with the camp or talk about who would handle the day-to-day operations. Leeann found herself not wanting to push those issues yet.

  She figured she’d done enough pushing when it came to the man’s life the first couple of days. Besides, she was enjoying the time spent in Bobby’s company.

  “Admit it, girl, you are loving every minute of being with him,” Leeann said to her reflection in the mirror over her dresser, finally admitting the truth aloud.

  She loved being with Bobby again.

  And repeating it made it more real?

  Not willing to answer that question, she wandered into her living room and did the needed stretches before heading out for her daily run.

  Leaving her small front yard, she noted the time, almost ten o’clock. Bobby and Dean should be in Cheyenne by now for an appointment with a specialist to gauge Bobby’s recovery.

  He hadn’t used the cane in the past week, at least not when she was around, and he only tired or was uncomfortable if they sat too long at the table. When that happened they’d moved their discussions to the family room, especially since meals were usually eaten at the counter in the kitchen.

  His home still needed a personal touch—some plants, a crazy quilt or two like the ones her aunt pulled together from scraps of old fabric and maybe a few photographs that didn’t include someone famous. But Leeann was finding she felt more and more at ease there.

  Or was it because she was becoming more comfortable with Bobby?

  When he traded jokes and wisecracks with Dean or she caught him staring at her, his eyes revealing a banked desire, she saw glimpses of the boy she’d known all those years ago.

  She found herself torn over her growing feelings for the man he’d become away from the stardom.

  Was that a good thing?

  She hadn’t been involved with anyone since New York, hadn’t even wanted to. And of all people to be attracted to, was it wise to latch on to someone from the past? Especially when she had no idea what Bobby’s future plans were.

  For the camp or for himself.

  Concentrating on the steady, rhythmic thuds of her feet hitting the pavement, Leeann worked to clear her head and reach the Zen-like state running always provided.

  Enjoy the moment, enjoy today. Stick with your daily plan and everything else will fall into line.

  Ten miles completed in less than ninety minutes and she was done, sweaty and tired, but it was a good tired. Slowing her pace as she entered her neighborhood, she noticed a shiny red sports car as she approached her house.

  Bobby sat behind the wheel.

  She slowed to a walk and found herself returning his familiar grin as he caught her staring. Hands on her hips, she crossed the last few feet to where the antique two-seater convertible sat parked against the curb.

  “Well, look at you.” Her words came out between heavy breaths that she quickly blamed on the running, not the gorgeous man smiling up at her. To emphasize that fact, she swiped the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead. “That’s quite a car.”

  “A 1956 Ford Thunderbird.” Pride laced his voice. “With a 312-cubic-inch V-8 engine, fully restored to the original factory specifications. The hardtop is back at the house.”

  “A Thunderbird—bird…” Leeann quickly put the connection together. “This is what Dean meant that night at the bar when he said he wanted to bring the bird.”

  “Yeah, like I’d ever let him get behind the wheel of this baby.”

  Leeann smiled. “Are you sure you should be behind the wheel?”

  “Fully cleared to drive by the doc at this morning’s appointment, as long as I take things slow and don’t spend too much time driving at first.” Bobby lovingly ran a hand over the steering wheel. “Of course, I grabbed the keys as soon as we got home.”

  She could see how much he loved the car, but even more importantly the freedom of being allowed to drive again. Did that mean being back in his race car wasn’t far behind?

  “It was just an idea. If you’re busy or have other plans, I understand.”

  Leeann realized she’d missed what Bobby had said. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

  “I asked if you wanted to come for a ride with me.”

  Oh, my, how long had it been since she and Bobby had been in a car together? “Really?”

  “Yes, really. I want to talk to you about something, and I figured I’d use the open road as an incentive.”

  Hmm, now she was curious. “Well, I need to shower
and change first. It won’t take me long, thirty minutes tops.”

  “Go ahead.” He waved at her house. “I’ll wait.”

  The instinct to invite him inside her house had Leeann biting hard on her bottom lip. Should she? It was the polite thing to do, but he’d be the first man to cross the threshold since the day she’d moved in.

  “Would you like to come inside?” The words tumbled from her mouth. She waited for the panic, but it never rose. “You can pull into the driveway behind my car if you want.”

  Bobby’s grin widened. “Sure.”

  Walking across the yard, Leeann headed for her front door as Bobby parked. She got her key from the hidden pocket in her shorts, almost dropping it when she felt him move in behind her.

  It took two tries to get the door unlocked. She prayed he didn’t notice. They stepped inside, directly into her living room. At just over a thousand square feet, her entire two-bedroom cottage could easily fit in Bobby’s mansion many times over. “This is my humble abode.” Her mouth went dry as Bobby closed the door behind them. She needed water. Now. “I need—w-would you like something to drink?”

  Bobby shook his head. He stayed in one spot, but his gaze moved around the room. “No, thanks.”

  “Why don’t you have a seat?” She escaped into her kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator. Gulping the cold liquid even though she knew she shouldn’t, she braced one hand against the sink and took a moment to steady herself.

  It’s just Bobby.

  She repeated the words to herself as she returned to her living room to find that instead of sitting down, he’d moved farther into the space, looking up at the shelf that ran the length of all three walls.

  “Wow, that’s a lot of teapots.” He turned to her. “How many do you have?”

  “Over fifty, I think. I haven’t counted them in a while.”

  “You been collecting them long?”

  “I started back when I was modeling.” She paused, but when Bobby just looked at her, she realized he was waiting for her to continue. “Some of the other girls were caffeine junkies, surviving on diet soda and coffee. I didn’t like either, but thanks to my mother, I was always a big tea drinker.”

  He nodded. “I remember that about you.”

  Pushing another mouthful of water past the sudden lump in her throat, Leeann moved toward the short hallway, pointing to where the shelving began. “I found my first, the porcelain one with the fall leaves, in a little shop in Greenwich Village. I was feeling pretty homesick by then and the colors reminded me of Destiny in autumn…so I bought it. After that I picked them up whenever I was on location somewhere.”

  Thank goodness her aunt had the foresight to arrange for all of Leeann’s belongings to be packed and shipped home after she’d rescued her. The boxes had sat in Ursula’s garage until Leeann found the strength to go through everything, keeping what was important—like her teapots—but getting rid of most everything else. It had been therapeutic in a way, allowing her to pick and choose what memories of that time in her life she wanted to hold on to.

  Leeann tried to see her place through his eyes, wondering what he thought. Did he see the warmth and coziness she’d tried to create with the simple furniture, her collection, even a quilt she’d made herself under Ursula’s guidance?

  “Is this from high school?” Bobby picked up a framed picture from a grouping on the end table near her couch.

  “Yes, senior year.” She couldn’t see the image, but she knew which one it was by the frame. Her favorite. It showed three best friends—her, Maggie and Racy—with their arms around each other’s shoulders, grinning for the camera. She’d had that picture with her the entire time she’d lived in New York. “That was taken outside Sherry’s Diner a few weeks before graduation.”

  “I know. I’m in the background.”

  “What?”

  He turned the frame around and pointed to a corner of the photograph. “That’s me. Watching you.”

  Leeann took the picture from his outstretched hand. She looked at it closely and saw he was right. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, a much younger Bobby leaned against the diner, his gaze on the three of them. How could she have missed that all these years?

  “I—I never realized that.” Her fingers slowly moved over the glass, tracing his image. “You were with me all that time.”

  Silence filled the air until Leeann looked up at Bobby. A powerful array of emotions filled his eyes, emotions she didn’t want to—or couldn’t—handle at the moment.

  “I’m going to grab that shower now.” She flattened the picture to her chest and started walking backward. “Have a seat. Relax. I’ll be back soon.”

  Escaping to her bedroom, she closed the door behind her and paused to look at the photograph again.

  Did it mean something that he’d never been far from her? Even through all those years spent apart?

  With a groan, she tossed the photo onto the bed, grabbed her robe and headed for the shower. Once under the hot spray, she took the time to shave her legs, telling herself she would’ve done that anyway. Same with lathering on body lotion from head to toe after she dried off. And trying on five different sweaters before going with her first choice of a soft green V-neck cashmere pullover.

  As normal as finding herself swiping on a light coat of mascara and lip gloss after blowing dry her hair.

  Yeah. Normal.

  Nothing about today felt normal, nothing about the past week felt normal, but Leeann liked that. Grabbing her jacket and purse, she walked back into the living room.

  Bobby stood. “Ready to hit the road?”

  “Sure, let’s go.”

  Minutes later, they were cruising the back roads outside of Destiny, enjoying the beautiful October afternoon with the sun shining down on them and the vibrant autumn trees whizzing by.

  “Seems like old times, huh?” Bobby asked.

  “As long as you’ve curbed your need for speed,” Leeann replied, remembering the heart-stopping races from their teen years.

  “Naw, never.” Bobby shot her a grin. “But not in this sweet ride and not against doctor’s orders.”

  He soon found a radio station that played the oldies and it wasn’t long before he had Leeann laughing as he sang along with Elvis.

  “Maybe I shouldn’t give up my day job, huh?” he asked.

  “Probably not,” she agreed, not sure what exactly his day job was anymore. “But the good thing is, no one heard you but me.”

  “Ouch!”

  “Sorry, did your fragile ego take a direct hit?”

  “I think it’ll survive.”

  She leaned over and turned down the music. “How about telling me why you got me out here on the open road, as you put it.”

  He glanced over at her for a quick moment. “Maybe I just wanted to spend some time with you.”

  “We’ve been together every day for the last week,” she said, pointing out the obvious, but liking how his words warmed her.

  “Is that a problem?”

  “No, of course not. Now, stop stalling. You said you had something you wanted to tell me.”

  He slowed the car, making it easier for them to talk. “I was wondering if you’ve given any thought to merging your land with the area set aside for the camp.”

  Stunned, Leeann only stared at him.

  “I know you’ve always called it a pond, but actually it’s a natural spring-fed lake. We both know from experience it’s great for swimming and there’s plenty of room for docks for smaller sailboats or kayaks. I mean, what’s a summer camp without access to water, right?”

  His suggestion made perfect sense. By combining the two parcels of land the camp would gain another eight acres. Bobby was right. What kid wanted to spend a week or two at a camp that didn’t have swimming?

  But did that mean he wanted her to sell him the land? Or was he looking at making her contribution to the camp a more permanent situation, meaning she would work for him?


  Had Bobby decided to make the camp a reality?

  “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea.” He shrugged, breaking into her thoughts.

  “No, I didn’t say that.” Leeann cut him off. “You just surprised me.”

  “So, you’ll think about it? I don’t want you to feel pressured into deciding anything right now.”

  Leeann nodded, and they continued their drive in silence until she noticed they were back on the road that led to town.

  Was he taking her home? She didn’t want this day to be over yet. “Is this the end of the ride?”

  Bobby eased to a stop at the intersection. “Not if you don’t want it to be. I thought we’d grab a pizza and take it back to my house.”

  Like a date?

  Leeann pushed the thought from her head. “That sounds like a good idea. If I remember correctly we ended yesterday’s meeting debating if the boys and girls cabins needed to be located at either end of the camp.”

  “Yeah, that’s what we were talking about.” His hands tightened for a moment on the steering wheel. “I still don’t think it matters.”

  “Do you have any memories of being a teenager?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  Leeann ignored the fluttering of her heart and reached into her purse for her cell phone. “Then, yes, the cabins need to be as far apart as possible.”

  “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Bobby looked at her. “Unless you don’t have any memories of being a teenager yourself?”

  No, she remembered. All too well.

  “I’ll call in an order to Tony’s. Does it matter what kind of pizza for Dean?”

  The light changed to green and he hit the gas. “He’s got a date with Katie Ledbetter this afternoon. I doubt he’ll be at the house when we get there.”

  Bobby had no idea what his next move should be.

  They arrived at his place just as fat raindrops started to fall. Thankfully they got themselves and his T-bird into the garage before they got wet. Leeann had said little on the way home after picking up the pizza, but he’d seen her staring at the empty spot in the garage that normally held the pickup truck.