Sugar Springs

by Kim Law

  Cody lowered his silverware and sat back in his chair as Sam Jenkins began listing off his many reasons for being a part of this celebration. A big holiday dinner was not Cody’s idea of a good time, but good time or not, he was glad he was here. The looks the girls kept passing him—even though Candy’s were few and far between, and mostly hostile—along with what little conversation they’d exchanged, had sealed his fate. He had to be in their lives.

  And then there was Lee Ann.

  He glanced her way, and a gush of heat swirled through him at the sight of her. He was glad he’d come. Something about the homey atmosphere she’d created, which should have scared the devil out of him, made him desire to be closer to her instead. To push and prod and see what was there. Her enthusiasm to give everyone a special day, along with her honest warmth toward her guests, would charm anyone. Add to that the calm way she’d heralded Buddy back to the table once he’d laid eyes on Cody, and she was one special lady. It reminded him why he’d once fallen so hard for her.

  Low giggles pulled his attention to the girls. The laugh had come from Kendra, but Candy was finally looking a little like she was actually enjoying herself. They sat with their heads together, sharing a secret as guests continued extolling the many things they were thankful for, and he couldn’t help being thankful for them. Lee Ann shot the girls a look and they went silent but peeked at their grandmother from under their lashes.

  Time with them would be limited once this job was over, but there was always the phone and e-mail. He wondered if staying in touch in either of those fashions would interest them. If asked only last week, he would’ve vehemently denied a desire for anyone to ever get to know him enough to care. Today he knew that to be a lie. Another soft giggle made him try to figure out what was so funny.

  He glanced at Reba and caught her wiggling her eyebrows at the girls before giving the slightest of nods toward Lee Ann. Both girls glanced in Lee Ann’s direction, and he followed their gaze. Lee Ann looked down at her plate the instant he made eye contact. She’d been staring at him.

  He grinned. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him any more than he could her.

  He studied the orange material peeking out between the open buttons over her chest. He had no real place in her family, though, and that’s what she needed. A husband for herself and a father for her kids.

  The roll he’d just taken a bite of stuck in his throat. Her kids? He was their father. He glanced at them, their smiles so much like his, and coughed into his hand to clear the bread. He didn’t want some other man being their father.

  “What about you...Dad?”

  “What?” He jerked his head up and saw that it was Kendra who’d spoken. His heart pounded. Had she called him “Dad”?

  “What are you thankful for this year?” This came from Candy.

  The entire table grew silent as they waited for his answer. Even though he didn’t know all of them, it was clear from the sparkle in every set of eyes facing him that he should be grateful he’d just learned he had two children.

  His gaze shifted back to Candy and Kendra, and he knew he was. Really grateful. He was also terrified out of his mind. “I’m grateful it wasn’t another thirteen years before I learned I fathered two girls.”

  Both girls grinned at the same time, and he got the oddest glimpse of a different life. A life that included coming home to them every night.

  Yet he loved his life exactly as it was.

  Sam Jenkins’s fingernails scraped over his sandpaper jaw, grabbing Cody’s attention. “Seems you’ve done some growing up since you left, then.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Humph. Roy and Pearl might like to have known that before they died.”

  Cody stared at the man, completely taken off guard. Granted, he hadn’t intended to visit his foster parents while here—they’d been decent people, but no love had been lost between them when he’d left—but he hadn’t realized they’d both passed away. Now he couldn’t go see them even if he wanted to. His throat burned as he sat there staring at Sam, unsure what he could possibly say in reply to the man.

  Lee Ann rose, saving Cody from having to answer. “Dessert will be served in a few minutes, everyone.”

  She nodded to Kendra and Candy, and they sighed simultaneously before pushing their chairs back. Needing the escape, Cody stood. “They can stay. I’ll help you.”

  Lee Ann eyed him before glancing back at the twins. They half-stood and half-sat, waiting for their mother’s decision. Cody didn’t hang around for the outcome.

  Once in the kitchen, he stopped at the sink and stared out into the darkened night. A slight sigh followed him into the room seconds later. The twins must have come after all. Then the flowery scent that he equated so strongly with Lee Ann surrounded him, and electricity zapped him in the back of the knees.

  Turning, he leaned against the counter to find her the only other person in the room. She knelt at the refrigerator to dig out pies, then handed them up to him. He placed them beside the waiting stack of plates. “Thanks for convincing Candy to let me come today.”

  She straightened, then began slicing and scooping portions onto the plates he held out for her, remaining silent for so long that he began to think she wasn’t going to reply.

  “She wanted you here as much as her sister did,” Lee Ann finally said. “Even if she couldn’t admit it yet.”

  Was that true? He hoped so. When he didn’t answer, she locked her clear gaze on his.

  After a long breath, she broke eye contact, and he immediately missed the connection. The muffled sounds of guests filtered through the swinging door.

  “Maybe you did it for us, too.” Where the heck had that come from? “Maybe you wanted me here.”

  A soft breath parted her lips, slowing the motions of her hands, before she picked up speed and renewed her efforts. “You’re here for the girls, Cody. Don’t let memories of the past fool you into thinking otherwise.”

  He shouldn’t have let the words out. She was right. He was simply remembering the past. Only there was something still there.

  Attraction. Electricity. He knew she felt it, too. He could tell by the nervous shift of her eyes every time he glanced her way. Cody placed an empty plate back on a tray and wrapped his fingers around Lee Ann’s wrist, halting her movements. The knife clattered to the countertop.

  “Look at me, Lee.”

  Tension spiked. “I’ve got to finish.”

  “There are twelve people here. You’ve already cut fifteen pieces.” He squeezed her wrist lightly and lowered his voice. “Look at me.”

  When she turned her head and tilted it up to his, it took everything he had not to lean in and press his lips to hers. He wanted just one taste, no matter how wrong.

  “Thank you.” His voice was low and sounded far more sensual than he’d intended. “I mean that. I know everything about me being here upsets you and messes up the order of your world, but there isn’t another place on this earth I would rather be today.”

  She stared at him, a mixture of doubt, hope, and fear fighting through the blue gaze. “Everything about it doesn’t upset me. I told you, the girls need a dad. I can only be so much to them. I grew up without a father, so I know what it’s like. I just hope you get that and don’t hurt them. They’re going to fall hard for you, you know?”

  He found himself wishing she’d fall just as hard. Though that made little sense. He didn’t need to get entangled with more here than he already was.

  As they watched each other almost suspiciously, the pulse in her wrist thumped against his thumb. He smoothed over her tender skin and felt her heart rate speeding up. “I may not be perfect, but I’ll do my best to make sure I never cause them any pain. I promise.”

  Lee Ann scanned over his face before she disentangled herself from his grip. “I hope you mean that. But also keep in mind that the only thing going on here is between you and them. There’s nothing between us.”

  He arched an eyebrow. She was wr
ong. But tonight wasn’t the time to prove it. They would have plenty of opportunities in the upcoming days to work through their issues. And one of the issues was that he needed to tell her what he’d learned the day he’d slept with Stephanie. He hadn’t wanted to bring it up before, but as he’d sat at the table earlier tonight, being blatantly reminded of what a good person Lee Ann was, he knew she deserved to hear all of it.

  It still wasn’t a good enough excuse for what he’d done, but she did have the right to understand the full reason that had driven his actions.

  “I need to tell you more about that day, Lee.”

  Her eyes rounded for a second, then slit into nervous lines. “We’ve already talked about it all we need to.”

  “But I didn’t tell you everything. You need—”

  “This is about the kids,” she said, shaking her head. She lifted one of the trays and held it high in one hand. “That’s all. If you want to talk, we talk about them.”

  Again, she was wrong, but he’d bide his time on that one, too. “Fine,” he said. “We’ll start tomorrow.”

  A frown marred her gorgeous face. “Start what? I have plans—”

  “Are you working in the morning?”

  “No, the girls and I—”

  “Then I’ll be here bright and early.” He balanced the other tray on his open palm and gave her a steady look. He wouldn’t be put off when it came to getting to know his kids, nor would he let time with Lee Ann slip away without at least trying to figure out what this thing was still between them. “We can all do something together.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. What do they like? I don’t have the first idea.”

  When she didn’t look as if she wanted to help him out, he stroked a finger along the inside of the forearm supporting her tray and the plates rattled above her head. “I need your help on this, Lee. Tell me what they like to do.”

  Her blue gaze narrowed on him, and then with a soft sigh her shoulders drooped. “Fine. We were planning to go into Knoxville tomorrow, to the mall. I suppose you can go with us.”

  “Shopping?” A quick vision of him shopping with three females was almost too much.

  Lee Ann shot him a look, both eyebrows aiming for her hairline. “I thought you wanted to get to know them? They like going to the mall.”

  He gulped. “Then to the mall we shall go.”

  She pressed her shoulder into the door, turning her back to him, but he stopped her with a low voice, suddenly unable to let her walk away with the upper hand. “One other thing.”

  She peered over her shoulder, wariness in her eyes, and he very purposefully roamed his gaze down her curvy backside and back up before leaning into her space. He smelled a hint of corn bread dressing on her breath.

  “You look amazing tonight,” he whispered.

  Lee Ann exhaled and dropped into the bright yellow chair, settling her oversized bag on the top of the food court table and her packages of newly purchased items on the floor beside her. They’d been at the mall for hours in the middle of the biggest shopping day of the year, and because she had a perverse streak, she’d encouraged the girls to keep going just to force Cody to endure the day even longer.

  The poor man had looked far more than overwhelmed when they’d shown up at the mall and had to elbow their way into the first store, and after five hours of the same, she was starting to feel sorry for him.

  Almost.

  “How about I grab some milkshakes?” Cody said. “You girls want anything?”

  Neither paid him any attention, exactly as they’d done most of the day, and Lee Ann really felt bad for not warning Cody they would try their best to pretend neither he nor Lee Ann existed. They were, after all, almost teenagers. And they were in public!

  He focused on Lee Ann. “Chocolate?”

  God, yes, chocolate.

  She nodded and dug her camera out of the bag. It both thrilled her and annoyed her that he remembered her preferences. “Get them both one, too, please. But make one strawberry.”

  Before heading off in the other direction, Cody set the bags he carried on the floor beside hers and propped his hands on the table. He leaned in. He was so close to her that she saw the dark specks in his brown eyes. “I’m going to get you back for this, you know.”

  She blinked. He knew she was dragging this trip out just to get to him.

  His eyes crinkled. “Be right back.”

  Lee Ann watched his backside make quick work of the distance to the burger counter, admiring the fact there wasn’t an extra ounce anywhere to be found. Geez, she had to get herself under control. Since he’d shown up early that morning bearing breakfast from the diner, she’d barely been able to keep from drooling. And not over the smells wafting from the bags.

  He was hot when he wandered around town with his cap pulled low over his head and day-old whiskers shadowing his jaw, but when the man cleaned up?

  Oh, God. When the man cleaned up she had a hard time sitting like a lady.

  His jeans showcased the body of a god, his pullover was just the right amount of tight, and then there was his face. Sweet mama, the man had both shaved and combed his hair back off his forehead. With all that hot masculinity facing her every time she glanced his way, she’d been short-circuiting for hours.

  Snickering caught her attention, and she glanced toward Kendra and Candy. They rolled their eyes as they looked from her to Cody. Fantastic. Now her kids thought there was something going on between her and Cody. Just what she needed.

  It was bad enough that they’d caught her staring at him last night across the table. If she weren’t careful, they’d get the wrong impression and get their hopes up that they were going to have something more than merely a part-time father.

  She’d had a long talk with them yesterday before everyone had arrived to see how they were handling this new thing of having a father. Though Candy was still hesitant to let him in all the way, both girls were in heaven over the thought that they not only had a dad, but he was also the town heartthrob. Apparently it was cool that all the girls went gooey-eyed over him. Who would have guessed?

  The men around town still thought he was the wild boy he’d been years ago, and the women only hoped he was. Bad boys fueled fantasies.

  As for her, she was beginning to wonder if he might have actually grown up some. Though she knew he’d been uncomfortable the night before, he had handled the evening like a pro. He’d replied to the many questions with all the right answers and couldn’t have come across as more upstanding, even when it became clear that everyone at the table was aware he was the girls’ father.

  That had been the key in her figuring out the girls were really okay with everything. They’d called their friends the night before to share the news.

  All day Thursday Lee Ann had fielded calls to confirm what the townspeople had heard. Cody himself had also been the main topic of the evening’s predinner conversations. This was before Cody had arrived. She had wondered if they would bombard him with questions when he showed up, but amazingly, once she’d gotten Buddy to calm down when he’d first seen the man, everyone had been civilized, and dinner had been enjoyable.

  She caught sight of Cody again as he cocked a hip against the counter and waited for the server to come back with the shakes. The best darn pair of jeans she’d ever seen on a man. She rolled her eyes. If she weren’t careful, she’d begin to wonder if he couldn’t be more than a part-time father.

  Closing her eyes, she concentrated on breathing techniques to calm herself. They were at the mall for him to get to know the girls. That was all. It didn’t matter that it had been years since she’d seen the naked side of the male anatomy.

  Not that she’d ever seen many with twin girls underfoot, but with them being involved in so many activities the last few years, Lee Ann could barely remember her last date.

  “Mom!”

  She quit imagining what Cody’s behind might look like naked and opened her eyes. “What?�
�

  Kendra bounced in place. “Can we buy something from Victoria’s Secret today?”

  “What?” They were only twelve! Did normal twelve-year-olds actually want sexy underwear? And why?

  “You promised last year we could get something for our birthday, Mom,” Kendra pleaded. “Please.”

  “But your birthday—”

  “Is only three weeks away,” Candy interrupted. “You know we won’t be back here before then. Say yes.”

  “But...” Lee Ann looked toward Cody, envisioning what would happen if she said yes. Though the girls had done their best to ignore the fact they had parents tagging along today, he’d held fast, insisting he was more than thrilled to go into each and every store they’d visited. Victoria’s Secret was within sight on the other side of the food court. If she said yes, either she let Cody follow them in, which was out of the question, or she sat out here with him while the girls shopped alone. And that meant she and Cody would be alone.

  She turned to the girls, almost pleading with her eyes for them to understand the dilemma they were putting her in.

  “Tell me something first,” she began.

  “What?” Candy asked while Kendra sighed and rolled her eyes.

  “It’s been a couple days now since you learned about Cody. Are you still okay with it?”

  Candy shrugged nonchalantly, trying for unaffected. “Yeah, it’s cool. Just...weird, you know?”

  Lee Ann looked at Kendra for her opinion on the matter.

  “I’m not weirded out at all,” her other daughter stated. “I love it.”

  “And you’ll be okay when he leaves in a few weeks?”

  The question took a bit of the air out of Kendra, and both girls glanced in Cody’s direction, as did Lee Ann.

  “He’ll come back and see us sometime though, right?” Candy asked, her tone sounding both scared and confused, very much how Lee Ann often felt about the whole situation.

  She nodded, praying she was giving the right answer and silently swearing that if he didn’t, she would hunt him up and personally beat some sense into him. “He cares about you. I can tell. So I can’t see why he wouldn’t come back to see you on occasion.”