"Cupcakes!" Stephie decided with a wide smile.
April laughed. "Cupcakes, it is."
Cedar Corners, once a farming community, had grown into a mid-sized town with new residential developments cropping up periodically, school districts expanding, and more businesses moving in. Yet it still retained its small town flavor with lots of community events like its summer strawberry festival, periodic spaghetti suppers served at the fire hall and its Fall Festival taking place this weekend. Tomorrow, crafters and artists would line the downtown streets which would be barricaded against traffic.
April drove through the town and turned into the parking lot of an office building. Gabe's complex of offices was located on the third floor. With three stores open now throughout Virginia, he'd needed a central headquarters from which he could oversee and coordinate. After she parked, she locked Vanessa's car, and took her niece's hand as they crossed to the glass door and rode in the elevator to the third floor.
Everything from the plush sand-colored carpeting to the cream and chocolate leather chairs in the small reception area shouted quality and success. April had never seen Gabe's offices before.
Going to the middle-aged woman seated behind a huge desk, April kept Stephie's small hand in hers. "We're here to see Gabe Chronister."
"Do you have an appointment?" the woman asked as she peered over her reading glasses.
With a pleasant smile, April returned, "Does his daughter need an appointment?"
The receptionist glanced down at Stephie. "Uh, no, I suppose not. Let me buzz him." Picking up the phone, she announced to Gabe that he had visitors. A few moments later, he came down the hall to the desk and saw them.
April's heart raced. He was even more handsome and powerful-looking in a suit than jeans. The cut of his navy jacket seemed to emphasize his broad shoulders.
Scooping Stephie up into his arms, he said, "I didn't expect to see you quite yet."
"She missed you," April explained, wondering if she'd done the right thing by bringing Stephie here.
But Gabe didn't seem disturbed about it. "Let's go to my office. Mrs. Canton, hold all my calls."
Gabe's office was a masculine domain. Book shelves filled with manuals and binders lined one wall. His L-shaped desk faced a sitting area with a leather couch and chair. A painting of a rustic farmhouse and a scene of horses grazing hung on the wall.
He took Stephie to the couch and sat her on his knee. "So you missed me?"
Stephie bobbed her head and clutched a waxy white bag in her hand.
"I suppose you miss Evelyn, too?"
Again Stephie nodded.
"Did you have fun with April this morning?"
His daughter looked at April and grinned. "We colored. An' we played outside."
"What did you bring?" Gabe tapped Stephie's bag but his gaze slid over April in her turquoise blouse and slacks.
"Cookies. I tol' April you like chocolate chip."
He laughed, a deep rumble that vibrated through April. "And maybe you want to split one?"
Stephie grinned. Then she asked, "Are you comin' home soon?"
"Pumpkin, I have to work until supper. But after supper you and I can play ball till dark. Okay?"
Stephie hopped off his lap and opened the bag of cookies. "Okay."
Rising to his feet, he took April's elbow and guided her across the room to the picture window. "Is everything all right?"
"I think so. She's used to you...and Evelyn. But I'll keep her busy. I wasn't sure if I should bring her here."
Gabe leaned closer to her. "Don't hesitate to call me or bring her by."
His hand was still on her arm, his head so close to hers that she could smell his cologne.
There was a quick rap on the door and then it opened. A man with close-cropped gray hair and tortoise-shell glasses barged in. "Gabe, the latest set of numbers is good. Damn good. We should—" Seeing April and Gabe's hand on her arm, he blushed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."
Gabe took a step away. "It's okay, Jim. You're not interrupting. April is Vanessa's sister. She's taking care of my daughter until I find a new sitter."
Finally catching a glimpse of Stephie quietly eating a cookie on the sofa, Gabe's associate looked relieved. "This can wait. Give me a buzz when you're free."
April watched the man leave the office, Gabe's words still ringing in her ears. April is Vanessa's sister.
Was that all she was to him? Could she be more? Could she compete with Vanessa's memory?
"April?"
Gabe must have asked her a question. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"
"Is something wrong?"
How could she tell him she still had feelings for him? Vanessa had only been gone for eight months... "No. Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking I should get back so I can start supper."
His gaze was probing until Stephie came running to him with his half of a very large cookie. He took it from her with a wry smile that almost broke April's heart. As he wiped a few crumbs from Stephie's mouth so gently, she prayed she'd make the right decision for all of them.
****
Gabe threw the big red ball to Stephie and she scrambled after it. He wondered what April was doing. She'd been very quiet during dinner, talking to Stephie more than him.
When the kitchen door opened, he did a double take. April was wearing a jogging suit. Bright blue. It fit her like...a second skin. Every curve was defined. And they were all very tempting.
Forget it, Chronister.
Why wouldn't his body listen to his good sense?
As she approached him, he noted the sweatband holding her hair.
She smiled at Stephie, then said to him, "I'm going for a jog. It usually takes me about an hour."
He couldn't keep his gaze away from the fit of her top over her breasts, her leggings hugging her hips. "It will be dark soon. Be careful you don't slip on the leaves." The whole yard was covered with them, and he'd have to rake soon.
"I'll be fine. I'm used to leaves. We have them in Boston," she teased, then took off under the trellis, along the flagstone path that led to the front yard.
He watched until she was out of sight.
After he put Stephie to bed, Gabe took a shower. Back in his bedroom, he reached for his sweat suit, looked out his bedroom window and forgot about getting dressed. Having finished her run, April was stretching on the front lawn. Fascinated, he marveled at the flexibility of her body, the beautiful long contours of her arms and legs. When a sleek black sports car purred down the street and pulled into his driveway, he saw her slowly come to her feet and pull the headband from her hair.
Nicholas Chandler was one of Gabe's best friends. He and Nicholas had hung around together in high school, and they still did. April had met and spoken with Nicholas over the years. Now as Nicholas strode up the walk, the post light threw beams on his black hair. He'd tugged his tie down and turned back his white shirt cuffs. The smile that spread across his friend's face made Gabe wish April was wearing something other than that jogging suit! Nicholas had a reputation with women and was dubbed in Cedar Corners' scuttlebutt as its most eligible wealthy "hunk."
Gabe dressed quickly and went downstairs. Sitting together on the sofa, April and Nicholas were talking as if they were old friends.
As if they want to be new friends?
April's hair was loose and waved around her face as it sometimes did when the weather was damp. Her cheeks were rosy. From the night chill, her run, or from talking to Nicholas? She was turned toward his friend, one leg curled up on the sofa and Nicholas' arm rested along the back, his hand very near her shoulder.
When Gabe moved into the room and crossed to them, their conversation stopped and he felt as if he'd interrupted.
"April's been telling me how much she enjoyed Singapore," Nicholas said with a smile.
Gabe wondered if his friend had been charming April or simply listening to her. "You were there last year, weren't you?" Gabe asked casually.
/> "That's what I was telling her. We were comparing notes."
They'd have a lot of notes to compare if Nicholas was interested in April. In a flash Gabe realized he didn't want Nicholas to be interested in April. Or April interested in him.
"April is taking a vacation and filling in for Evelyn," Gabe explained.
His friend glanced at April again. "I've advised her to do her exercises in the backyard for the rest of her stay. The intriguing sight of her stretching could stop an ambulance...or every man who drives by."
April blushed and Gabe's gut clenched. Maybe Nicholas was teasing, but maybe he was trying to score points. From the look on April's face, he'd succeeded.
"Thank you," she murmured and avoided Gabe's gaze.
"You're welcome," Nicholas replied with a twinkle in his blue eyes.
April straightened on the sofa. "Nicholas just got back from Chicago."
"Another buyout," Nicholas explained.
"Hostile?" Gabe asked, all too aware of successful business strategies.
"Nope. This one was friendly," Nicholas said with a sly smile.
April looked from one man to the other, then stood. "I'll let you two visit."
But Nicholas stood, too. "I can't stay. I'm on my way to an appointment with my real estate agent. I've decided to put a contract on a house."
The fact that Nicholas had stopped by to deliver the news in person meant he was excited about it. If he was going to buy a house, maybe he was finally going to settle down. "Where is it?" Gabe asked.
"Out Country Mill Road."
"The old Falworth estate?"
"That's it. Never thought I'd give up the convenience of the condo, but...I don't know. I want more permanence than that."
"Are you ready for permanence?" Gabe wondered what had brought Nicholas to this decision.
His friend shrugged. "I guess I discovered I need roots...though I never thought I'd want them." He checked his watch. "I've got to get going. April, it was good to see you again. If you stick around, stop in at Constellation Enterprises. You've never seen my offices. I'll show you around the financial department and you can give me your opinion on the numbers of a few of my more speculative ventures." Clapping Gabe on the shoulder, he asked, "Are we still on for basketball next Saturday?"
Gabe glanced at April. "I think I'll pass this month."
"Don't change your plans because of me," April said.
"I told you, I won't take advantage of you. You should do what you want on weekends."
"I'm here, Gabe. I don't mind."
When Nicholas' brows arched at their interchange, Gabe told him, "I'll let you know."
Nicholas crossed to the foyer. "You know where to reach me." After a final wave, he closed the door behind him.
The silence lasted until Nicholas backed his car out of the driveway.
"I'm going to get a shower," April said.
She would have passed him but Gabe caught her arm. "Are you going to visit Nicholas at Constellation?" He didn't know why he was asking. Maybe because he'd rather she'd visit his offices again rather than Nicholas Chandler's.
"I might."
Gold lights danced in her brown eyes and he wondered if his friend had put them there. "Be careful, April. Nicholas can make the phone book sound like the best-seller you're dying to read."
Her brows arched. "I don't know what you mean."
"Nicholas has money and looks and knows how to use both."
"He's your friend!"
"It's because he's my friend that I know he's lethal with women."
"You think I can't tell practiced charm from sincerity?" Her voice was indignant.
"I don't know. What was Nicholas using on you?"
She blinked, and then asked, "Why do you care what he was using?"
The pulse of tension between them threatened Gabe's self control, as did the scent of April, the spirit in her eyes, and the sweet curve of her lips. Without thinking of consequences or the past or the future, he pulled her into his arms, and his lips came down on hers.
All hell broke loose...or was it all heaven?
A fire rose in Gabe so high, so hot, so huge, that it burned his reservations and resolve to red sparks that reignited and added to the inferno. Yet the height of his desire was dizzying, almost euphoric. The touch of April's lips was as inflaming as her taste was sweet. Lips on lips wasn't enough. His tongue laved her lower lip until she opened her mouth, until she wrapped her arms around his neck, until her soft breasts pressed against his chest. His hands explored her back and as she reached up to him, her top bared her midriff. Her skin was like hot satin and he could almost imagine burying himself inside her.
He wanted satisfaction. He wanted completion. He wanted release.
Trembling began deep within April like a ripple of excitement so powerful it didn't know where to vibrate first. The touch of Gabe's lips on hers started a chain reaction of sensation that joyously danced through her, teaching her, thrilling her, arousing her. He was giving her the gift of a desire so strong that she forgot about time and place and secrets. Her world was filled with Gabe and the pleasure he could give her...the pleasure he wanted from her.
But as Gabe's kiss led her deeper into passion, as his tongue swept her mouth with hungry demand and his hands caressed her with the intent to explore more, she knew she had to stop him. She knew she had to stop herself. Because she wasn't being true to him. Honesty was everything between a man and a woman. They didn't have that. She couldn't give him honesty without destroying his life.
Unlocking her hands from behind his neck, she dropped them to his shoulders and pushed away.
He looked stunned, and she suddenly wondered if he knew who he was kissing or if he'd returned to a place where he'd been with Vanessa. "I'm not Vanessa, Gabe."
His green eyes pierced her. "You don't think I know that?"
"Do you? Or are you just missing her and a wife's touch?"
"So you think I kissed you because you're convenient?"
"Am I?"
He stared at her, then raked his hand through his hair. "Maybe you are. Maybe I slipped back in time and forgot you have a career to return to. Or maybe I just wanted to prepare you for what Nicholas might dish out."
"I'm not that inexperienced!" she flared, suddenly angry at him, herself and, most of all, Vanessa. Knowing she didn't want Gabe questioning her about her love life because she'd have to admit he was the only man she'd ever kissed, she said again, "I've got to get a shower," and turned away from his searching regard.
But he clasped her arm once more. "Be careful, April."
His fingers scorched her, and she wasn't sure if he meant for her to be careful around Nicholas...or around him.
Pulling away, she climbed the stairs and felt Gabe's gaze on her back. She wanted to cry. She was torn between falling in love with Gabe all over again, or hurting him and Stephie...maybe irreparably.
She had to find the courage to make the choice.
****
Chapter Three
The overcast sky and sweeping gray clouds didn't dim Stephie's mood as she sat in her car seat in the back of Gabe's SUV, chattering to the puppet April had given her.
Glancing over her shoulder at her niece, April smiled. The three-year-old was a bundle of sunshine even on a cloud-filled day as they drove back to Cedar Corners from returning April's rental car in Richmond. The half-hour drive seemed much longer because of the silence between her and Gabe. They'd exchanged polite surface conversation throughout the morning.
Gabe cast a quick look at April. "Would you like to stop downtown at the craft fair and get some lunch? The rain's not supposed to start until early evening."
"Sounds good to me. One year they had a petting zoo. Stephie would like that."
"Almost as much as the cotton candy. We'll have to make sure she doesn't see that until after we get her something more wholesome to eat."
"Like hot dogs or pizza?" April teased.
Gabe smiled. "Don
't forget the hamburgers, candy apples and chicken corn soup."
"Not to mention apple fritters."
They both laughed this time, and the sound of it seemed to relieve some of the tension. But only some of it. Last night's kiss still hung between them, its effects lingering even under their laughter. April wondered if it had shaken Gabe as much as it had shaken her.
As Gabe drove into the downtown area of Cedar Corners, men women and children were strolling along the streets to and from their cars. A red hybrid pulled out of its parking place along the side street, and Gabe took the spot. After he unlatched Stephie from her car seat, he locked the SUV, and they each took one of Stephie's hands. She bounded along between them, hopping up and down, the hood of her red windbreaker flopping along behind her. As the cloudy day breeze picked up, April was glad she'd worn her jacket. Gabe had opted for a forest green cable-knit sweater instead of a jacket and looked as rugged and handsome as always.
The craft stands and vendors along the street, most of them under canopies, offered a variety of items, from hand-crocheted doilies to leather goods. Residents of Cedar Corners and visitors, could take the food they bought inside the community center to the long tables to sit and eat it. Gabe spoke to several people he knew as they went inside with their food, and April felt the strong sense of community Cedar Corners had always fostered. She'd missed it living in Boston. The community center was noisy and there wasn't much opportunity for conversation. April was just as glad, because every time her eyes met Gabe's, they both seemed to pause, aware of each other in a way they hadn't been the past few years.
After they all finished lunch, Stephie raised her arms to Gabe, and he lifted her and carried her as they walked along the stands stopping every now and then.
The petting zoo was set up in the park a block from the town square. Stephie giggled as she ran her hand through the wool of a lamb and petted a lop-eared bunny. When she stood beside a large sheep dog who was as tall as she was and whispered something in his ear, Gabe leaned close to April. "I might have to think about getting her a dog. Maybe next summer."
April's Promise (Forever Love Series) Page 3