The sheriff certainly kept her on her toes wondering and worrying. She hesitated to call him herself, a rather old-fashioned idea in this day and age, but after the way he’d spurned her, then kissed her and now ignored her, she needed reassurance. With school out, she was doing volunteer work at the county nursing home, helping the residents record their family histories. She was especially struck by their stories of courting and marriage—and heartened by the fact that some of these women had taken romantic matters into their own hands.
The message light on her answering machine was flashing when she returned. She set her grocery bags and mail on the kitchen counter and pushed the button. At the sound of Adam’s voice, she experienced a rush of excitement and relief.
“Hello, Jeannie, it’s Adam Jordan,” he said rather formally. “I’m calling about Sunday afternoon—tomorrow—and was wondering if you’d be interested in having dinner with me—say six-thirty. I’m on duty until six. If you’d give me a call here at the office, I’d appreciate it.”
For about two seconds, she considered making him wait for an answer—but she found herself incapable of suppressing her own eagerness to talk to him. Adam picked up his phone on the first ring.
“Sheriff’s office.” The dispatcher must have been on a break.
“It’s Jeannie. I got your message.”
“Does dinner work for you?” he asked in the same businesslike voice he’d used on the answering machine.
“Dinner would be wonderful.”
“The Chili Pepper?”
“That’d be great.”
The best restaurant in town, no less. She was suddenly feeling much better about everything. “Um, why’d you wait so long to call?” She probably shouldn’t ask. Her mother had always warned her not to ask a question if she wasn’t going to like the answer.
Adam hesitated. “Did it bother you that I didn’t phone?” he asked.
“Answer my question and I’ll answer yours.” She felt the tension building. She liked Adam and needed to know if this relationship had a future.
“I didn’t think it was a good idea to call you too soon,” he said at last.
“Why not?”
Again he hesitated. “Because I like you too damn much,” he snapped, as if he resented being forced to admit it.
“But, Adam, I like you, too. I thought you knew how I felt. After we kissed and all…”
Once Annie and Lucas had made love, Annie wondered why they’d waited so long. She soon discovered that Lucas had a vigorous appetite for lovemaking. He seemed almost apologetic for wanting her as often as he did, although she had no objection.
“I never thought it’d be this good,” Lucas told her late one night. Content, Annie lay in his arms. The room’s only light came from the moon, a cool and silvery glow that crept between a small crack in the curtains.
“I don’t know if that’s a compliment or an insult,” Annie said, smiling softly.
“I meant it as a compliment.”
“I know.” She lifted her head enough to kiss his throat.
He paused, then added in a low voice, “Julia was sick for months before she died and we couldn’t…” He let the rest fade.
Lucas so rarely mentioned his first wife that Annie wondered if his doing so now was significant. Since their marriage, she’d mentioned Billy only once. They were coming to trust each other, slowly exposing the most painful parts of their pasts, yet yearning to move forward.
“Until you and I got married, I’d assumed all of that was over for me,” he continued. “Making love, being with a woman like this…”
Annie pressed the side of her face against his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his middle. “I, for one, am most appreciative that it isn’t.” She felt his smile and knew her words had pleased him. He rubbed her back in long gentle strokes.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect, you know.”
“Me, neither.”
“It’d been years.”
“For me, too,” she reminded him. The car accident and subsequent surgeries had made lovemaking impossible for her. By the time she was physically capable, her husband had found someone else and wanted to end the marriage. It used to be that Annie couldn’t think of Billy without feeling pain. Recently all she’d experienced was sadness. Not for her, amazingly, but for him. He was looking for the perfect wife, the perfect job, the perfect everything—an attitude that meant he was destined to be disappointed.
For herself, Annie felt blessed beyond measure. This marriage had been a precious and unexpected gift, for which she would always be grateful. The pregnancy she so desperately wanted would happen in time, but she didn’t think it would be soon. Not with all the medical problems she’d had, all the different medications she’d taken. She drew comfort from knowing that one day she would bear Lucas’s child. Then something occurred to her, something she hadn’t considered.
“Lucas…after I’m pregnant, will you…will we continue to make love?”
His hand stilled as if this thought was new to him, too. “Would you mind if we did?”
“No, of course not. I’d like to.”
The tension left him, and Annie felt it ease from her own limbs. Their lovemaking was wonderful and she would have missed it dreadfully had he decided otherwise, but their time in bed was only a small part of their marriage. The physical intimacy paled next to the emotional intimacy she shared with him. This was all part of the gift she’d been given, part of life’s compensation for all she’d endured. Sometimes it almost felt as if this joy, this contentment, was more than one person could possibly deserve.
The room darkened, and with her head on her husband’s shoulder, Annie closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep. Sometime later, a loud crash of thunder startled her into wakefulness, and she heard rain pounding against the window.
“Daddy!” Hollie’s cry echoed down the hallway.
Lucas moved his arm and was about to toss aside the blankets when Annie sat up. Storms had frightened her as a child, too. She’d always felt certain that other little girls didn’t need to be afraid because they had mothers. Her father had told her she was being childish—but she was a child. He’d forbidden her to disturb his sleep, so many a night she’d hugged her arms about her and let her pillow absorb her cries.
“Daddy? Annie?” Heather and Hollie stood framed in the doorway.
“Come here, both of you,” Annie said, throwing back the covers, inviting them to join her and Lucas.
Not waiting for their father to second the invitation, the two little girls raced across the carpet and bounced onto the bed, looking for the same comfort Annie had sought all those years ago.
“I was so scared,” Hollie whispered, rubbing her cold feet against Annie’s legs as she slid in beside her.
“I wasn’t,” Heather said, crawling from the bottom of the bed to the middle.
“You were, too,” Hollie countered.
Lucas yawned loudly. “If you’re sleeping in here, you’d better both be quiet.”
One warning was all they needed. The storm continued to rage.
“Daddy, tell the storm to be quiet,” Hollie said.
“Quiet out there.”
Both girls giggled as if he’d said something outrageously funny. Annie laughed, too.
“Hey, quit with the noise,” Lucas told them. “Annie and I have to go to work in the morning, and you girls have day camp.”
“Yes, Daddy,” Hollie said and it wasn’t long before both sisters had fallen asleep. Her heart full, Annie stretched her arm protectively over their small bodies. Soon Lucas’s fingers connected with hers.
“You awake?” he asked in a hushed whisper that was more breath than sound.
“Barely.”
His hand covered hers completely now. “Thank you,” he said in the same low tone.
“For what?”
“For this,” he answered. “For making my girls feel safe and happy.” He paused. “For everything.”
> Annie didn’t bother to tell him that she was the one who should be giving thanks.
CHAPTER 19
This time with Gordon had been heaven, Nessa mused as they sat in the taxi taking them to the Kansas City airport. They’d spent three days together. And for those three days she’d lived a life of enchantment and perfect happiness. Perfect romance. She and Gordon had been nearly inseparable. Every night he’d escorted her to her hotel room, kissed her good-night, then proceeded to his room, directly down the hall. It came to be a matter of much amusement that once he got to his room, he’d phone her. Habit, they decided, was hard to break.
In their time together, they’d laughed and talked and joked and kissed. If Nessa hadn’t already been in love with Gordon, these few days would have had her falling head over heels.
Unfortunately the days had flown past far too quickly, and now they had to return to their separate lives. Reluctantly, delaying as long as possible, they’d departed for the airport with only an hour to spare.
“You’re being unusually quiet,” Gordon said, her hand in his.
“You should treasure the silence,” Nessa joked. “It’s rare for me.”
“I treasure everything about you.”
Nessa forced a smile and swallowed around the lump in her throat. Glancing down, she said, “I never knew a man who said such beautiful things.”
Now it was his turn to look away. “Not since my wife died have I known anyone I wanted to say them to.”
They’d decided that first day not to make up their minds about what they felt for each other until they were both home again. If they were indeed in love, they needed clear heads to sort through their feelings. Any decision about their future had to take the realities of the present into account. Because they were older and had children and complete lives in different places, there was more to consider. A lot of people could be affected by their decision.
The entire time, Gordon hadn’t mentioned his son. Taking her cue from him, Nessa hadn’t talked about her children, either. More than once she wondered if they should have discussed their families; she knew very well that her children wouldn’t easily accept the idea of her marrying Gordon Pawling.
Sight unseen, and without even knowing his name, Sylvia had taken a dislike to Gordon. Nessa could only pray that Miles didn’t have any preconceived prejudices against her. Gordon had told her his son wanted him to remarry, and it was the same with her own children. But Nessa was beginning to suspect her children weren’t being entirely honest. They might have convinced themselves that remarriage was the best thing for their mother, but she doubted they’d thought it through. Bringing a man who wasn’t their father into the family was more upsetting than they’d expected, as their reactions to this situation seemed to prove.
The taxi pulled up to the departure area, and while Gordon paid the driver and dealt with the luggage, Nessa took care of the tickets. Since they were traveling on two different airlines and her flight left first, Gordon walked her to her gate.
They waited in the departure lounge, holding hands, neither of them inclined to speak.
“I’ll call you tonight,” he promised as the time neared for her flight.
“You can wait if you like,” Nessa said, knowing he’d be tired after the long trip. “Call me tomorrow, instead.”
“It wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t call you this evening.”
It wouldn’t for Nessa, either….
“Leave a message on my answering machine as soon as you’re home to let me know you arrived safely,” he said. “I’ll check it as soon as I get in.”
“Okay.” The lump in her throat seemed to grow thicker as boarding for her flight was announced.
Gordon stiffened, and Nessa knew this because she stiffened, too, not wanting to leave him and knowing she must. More difficult would be doing it with a smile.
“I won’t board the plane until the very last minute,” she whispered.
His hand tightened around hers almost painfully. Then, as if he seemed to realize what he was doing, he relaxed his grip.
The passengers for the San Antonio flight formed a long straggling line. Not until the line had completely vanished did Nessa finally say, “I should go.”
Gordon nodded.
She picked up her carry-on and Gordon accompanied her to the attendant at the gate. Smiling was as impossible as she’d known it would be; she dared not look at him for fear he’d see the tears in her eyes.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I had such a wonderful time. I’ll always remember these days with you.”
They hugged and Gordon kissed her. Knowing how he felt about public displays of affection, she was surprised.
“I realize we agreed to wait before we made a decision,” he said, easing her out of his arms, “but it isn’t necessary. Not on my end. I love you.”
“Oh, Gordon, I love you, too.”
“I didn’t plan to do it now, but I can’t let you go, not like this. Marry me, Nessa.”
She pressed her fingers to her lips in an effort to forestall the rush of tears. “Oh, Gordon.”
“Excuse me,” the airline clerk said, glancing toward the empty jetway, “are you on this flight?”
Nessa nodded, barely breaking eye contact with Gordon to answer the young man.
“You should board right away, ma’am,” he said politely.
“I will.” She reached for Gordon’s hand and clasped it tightly. The thought of leaving him now was unbearable.
“Marry me, Nessa,” Gordon pleaded a second time.
“Hurry up and say yes,” the young man urged.
“Yes,” Nessa said.
Gordon and Nessa clung to each other. “I love you,” he whispered again.
“I love you, too.”
“Is everyone on board?” A second clerk came out of the jetway.
“Not yet,” the other man answered.
“They’re ready to close the door,” the second man warned.
“Tell them to hold on. We’re in the middle of a marriage proposal here.” Not waiting for the other man to do it, he spoke into the intercom. “Hold the plane,” he said urgently. “We’ve got an engagement about to happen.”
“I’ll tell Miles tonight.”
“Wait,” Nessa advised. “Sleep on it.”
“I know what I want, and that’s to be with you for the rest of my life.”
And that was exactly what she wanted, too.
Gordon kissed her one last time, and the young man who’d become her guardian angel gripped Nessa’s elbow and hurried her into the jetway. “Are you going to marry him?” he asked just as she boarded the plane.
“Yes.” Nessa had no hesitation in her voice.
“Great. Now make sure I get an invitation to the wedding.”
“I will,” she promised. But when she located her seat, she realized she hadn’t gotten his name.
The happiness that filled her lasted the entire flight. She didn’t know exactly when the lump in her throat had disappeared, but she guessed it was shortly after Gordon’s proposal. She felt giddy with love and so damn happy it was all she could do to sit still.
The flight landed in San Antonio, and Nessa was scheduled to take the shuttle bus to Promise, a ride that took nearly ninety minutes. It was dark by the time the Boeing 737 touched down. Nessa didn’t relish the long trip home, but nothing could destroy this wonderful feeling inside her.
Almost nothing, she revised as she reached the baggage-claim area in the San Antonio terminal—and saw her daughter, glaring at her.
“Welcome home, Mother,” Sylvia said in a cold uninflected voice. As if Nessa were some disobedient schoolgirl who’d been caught skipping classes.
“Sylvia! What are you doing here?”
Her daughter didn’t answer. “Just where were you?” she demanded, instead.
“Kansas City.” The flight information should have told her that. Or was she testing her mother, hoping to catch her in a lie?
“With whom,” Nessa corrected.
“And don’t try to tell me you were at a bridge tournament.”
Nessa giggled. She didn’t play bridge, and Sylvia knew it.
“This is no laughing matter,” Sylvia said once they’d retrieved Nessa’s bag and were on their way to the parking lot. “You were with a man, weren’t you?”
“Yes,” Nessa admitted.
That seemed to be more than Sylvia could bear. She stopped in midstep and cast Nessa a horrified look.
“You needn’t worry,” Nessa assured her daughter. “We had separate rooms.”
“Excuse me, are you Jeannie French?”
Jeannie, who was volunteering at the library, was through for the day. She glanced up from the picnic table in the park to find an attractive woman dressed in a green silk pantsuit and high heels. “I’m Val Langley, and Travis Grant suggested I talk to you.”
Jeannie closed the book she’d been reading and set her half-eaten apple aside. The day was warm but not humid, a pleasant late-July afternoon, and she’d wanted to spend her free time sitting in the sun, enjoying her novel. Later she’d be meeting Adam at the theater—and the anticipation added a touch of excitement to her day. Adam had phoned earlier in the week and asked her to the movies. After their dinner date, they’d been out twice—bowling and on a picnic—but they were still uneasy with each other. Adam often waited several days between dates to call her again, as if he feared she’d change her mind about him. They were taking this slow, and in truth Jeannie didn’t mind. As long as he didn’t wait too long between calls.
“How can I help you, Ms. Langley?” she asked.
“Please, call me Val. Apparently you’re familiar with the history of the area?” Val made the statement a question.
Jeannie was stunned that Travis would send someone to her, seeing that he knew more about local history than anyone around here. “I know a little bit,” she said warily.
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