Delaney tossed him a saucy smile. “Dinner and a movie would be fine. I’ll meet you at five at the theater.” She scribbled an address on a paper napkin and handed it to him. Before she succumbed to the urge to lean across the table and kiss him, she stood and picked up her coat. Klayne hurried to hold it for her. The brush of his fingers across her neck, much as he had done the night of the New Year’s Eve party, made her fight back a delicious shiver. The mere thought of his touch made goose bumps break out on her skin.
Chiding herself for her silliness, she worried she would turn into one of the ninnies chasing after anything in pants if she didn’t get a better hold on her thoughts.
“Thank you for joining me, Miss Danvers,” Klayne said, watching as she picked up her handbag. He walked with her over to the bakery counter. “May I escort you to your car?”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary, Sergeant Campbell, but I do look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Go on and enjoy that book.” She smiled at him and tilted her head toward the table they’d occupied.
He gave her a brief nod then returned to the table and resumed his seat.
Amy appeared behind the counter, grinning so broadly, her teeth might have fallen out if they’d been false. “Dee, this is so exciting!” she squealed.
Delaney frantically shook her head and glared at her friend. “Shush! He’ll hear you.”
Amy slid the boxed coffee cake across the counter and whispered, “He’s so handsome.”
“He is nice looking, but that’s all I’m saying. What do I owe you?” Delaney asked, opening her handbag and taking out a coin purse.
“Oh, it’s my treat.” Amy craned her head to look at Klayne as he picked up his book and feigned reading it while casting glances at Delaney.
“You can’t run a business giving away your food,” Delaney said, holding the coin purse in her hand. “I want to pay.”
“Just bring us a little beef next time you’re in town. We’ll call it a good trade.”
Delaney rolled her eyes, but stuffed her coin purse back into her handbag. “That I can do.”
Amy grinned and nodded in Klayne’s direction. “So… what do you think?”
“I think you better get back to work and I need to go home, that’s what I think.” Delaney winked at her friend then reached out to squeeze her hand. “Thank you for calling me. I’m glad you insisted I come into town.”
“My pleasure. What good is a best friend if they don’t drag you into fun once in a while?”
“Indeed.” Delaney cast one more look at Klayne and caught him watching her. She waved her fingers at him, made a funny face at Amy, and then rushed outside. The chilly winter air did little to cool her heated cheeks or dispel her wandering thoughts of the good-looking man inside. What would her father say when he found out she was falling in love with a soldier?
Chapter Three
“You aren’t going anywhere until you fess up about what you did yesterday and who you’re meetin’ tonight,” Dill demanded, blocking the doorway as Delaney tried to rush through it for her date with Klayne.
“Dad, I already told you. I went to the bakery yesterday. I even brought home the coffee cake you requested. Remember?” Delaney glowered at her father, hoping he’d move without further interrogation.
“I didn’t forget. That cake tasted mighty fine with a cup of coffee this morning, but that isn’t why you went to town. You had sparks dancing in your eyes like I’ve never seen. I want to know who put them there.” Dill crossed his arms over his broad chest, letting her know he wasn’t backing down.
A sigh of resignation rolled out of her and she glanced at the clock. If she didn’t hurry she’d be late, and that would never do. “I met someone at the Millers’ New Year’s Eve party. And before you accuse me of having a secret beau, I haven’t seen him since then. He was at the bakery yesterday afternoon so Amy called and insisted I come in to talk to him. We spent an hour eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate, talking about books and music. He asked me to go to dinner with him tonight and a movie. If you don’t stop this nonsense, I’ll be late and that just won’t do at all, Dad. Not at all.”
Smug, Dill waggled a finger at her. “Now, was that so hard? Couldn’t you just tell me that in the first place? Why all the secrecy? Who is this young man? Is he someone I know? From a family in the area?”
Subtly, Delaney maneuvered to the door. “No, Dad. I don’t think he’s from around here. He’s um…” Her hand grasped the doorknob and gave it a turn. So close to making a getaway. “He’s actually working at Pendleton Field.”
“Oh? What’s he do there?” Dill set his foot in front of the door, preventing her from pulling it open.
“He said he’s on a flight crew, although I’m not sure what he does exactly. He’s been in the army for a dozen years, he’s twenty-nine, and really sweet. He’s tall, polite, and he likes to read.” Delaney blurted the details in a rush and yanked on the door, intent on escaping before her father could offer any comments. Only he braced a hand against the door, holding it part-way closed.
“A soldier? You’re dating a soldier? Sis, you know I’ve warned you about them, about what those boys are after. What will happen when he leaves town and breaks your heart. Why, I thought you had better sense than to…”
She held up a hand to stop his tirade. “Dad, please listen to me. I’m not going to get my heart broken. We’re just friends. That’s it. We enjoy talking and…” Delaney thought about the New Year’s Eve kiss, but quickly tamped down that memory lest she accidentally divulge confidential information to her father.
Swiftly changing tactics, she looped her arm around Dill’s and led him away from the door. “Dad, you raised me to be a smart girl, a careful girl, when it comes to matters of the heart and stupid boys. I promise I’ll be careful around him. Sergeant Campbell really is very nice. He’s been a perfect gentleman. Besides, you and Butch are always telling me I need to spend more time around young people. Isn’t that what I’m doing by going out with him tonight? Don’t you want me to have a little fun?”
Dill appeared conflicted as he ran a hand through his short, dark hair peppered with gray. “Fine, go have a wonderful evening, sweetheart, but you invite that young man to go to church with us Sunday. I want to meet him myself. And you better be home before the clock strikes twelve. There isn’t a single good thing that happens after midnight.”
She started to protest as she sidled to the door. “Dad, I don’t think…”
He moved toward her but she tugged the door wide open. “I’ll ask him. Bye, Dad. I won’t be late!”
She hurried outside and nearly tripped over their dog as he lounged across the top porch step. “Moose, this is not the best place for you to take a nap.”
The dog raised his big chestnut-colored head and cocked an ear at her. Her hand scratched over his head and down his back as she rushed past him. “Be good, Moose, and stay out of trouble.”
He offered her a soft woof then returned to his nap.
Delaney climbed behind the wheel of the heavy, dark blue sedan that had been her mother’s car. Her dad purchased it a few months before her mother passed away. For a long time, no one drove it. Eventually, Dill allowed Delaney to drive it. Now, she used it when she wanted to make a more ladylike appearance in town or if the roads were bad. The car was easier to handle than her truck. They’d had snow that morning and she didn’t want to chance sliding off the road and missing her date with Klayne.
Yank had offered to warm up the car for her when she mentioned heading into town. As she slid into the toasty warmth of the front seat, she was grateful for his kindness. The young cowboy waved to her from the doorway of the barn and she mouthed “thank you” before putting the car in gear and heading to Pendleton.
From the moment she left the bakery yesterday, she’d been hard-pressed to think of anything beyond seeing Klayne this evening. She wondered if she could get him to smile again. When he did, it transformed his face from a stern soldier t
o an incredibly attractive man.
And those eyes! Gracious, but they were destined to make women swoon. Not that Delaney had ever swooned in her life, but his eyes were undeniably dreamy.
Consumed with her thoughts of him, the trip into town passed quickly. She parked the car near the movie theater. Klayne leaned against the brick exterior of the building, waiting for her. She waggled her fingers at him and he hurried over, offering her his hand before she could step out of the car.
“Evenin’, Miss Danvers,” he said, giving her an observant look, taking in the soft knit hat on her head to the snow boots on her feet.
Delaney’s cheeks warmed beneath his perusal, but she hid her flustered state behind a bright smile.
“What movie are we going to see?” she asked, walking with him over to the ticket window.
“It looks like all that’s playing is a scary film.” Klayne pointed to a sign promoting a movie about a man who turned into a werewolf. “We can skip the movie and just go to dinner.”
“No, I want to see it. Didn’t it just come out last month?” Delaney started to take money from her handbag, but Klayne hurriedly purchased two tickets then guided her inside the lobby, out of the cold.
“Do you want popcorn?” he asked, glancing around to survey his surroundings.
“I think I better pass if we’re going to eat dinner later.” She motioned toward the concessions. “Don’t let that stop you, though.”
“I’ll wait for dinner,” he said, placing his hand on her elbow and walking with her inside the theater. When she started to head for a row half way to the front, Klayne redirected her to an unoccupied row in the back.
Curious if he felt safer with his back to the wall and no one behind him, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she started to remove her coat. Klayne held it while she pulled her arms from the sleeves. She removed her hat and scarf, tucking them into the pockets with her gloves before she took a seat. Klayne seemed nervous as he sat beside her and surveyed the rows in front of him.
“I think we’ll be safe here,” she whispered, giving him a wry smile.
“Sorry. It’s a habit to scan the room.” Visibly he relaxed and settled into the seat. “Are you sure you don’t need anything? Some candy?”
“No, thank you, Sergeant Campbell, but I appreciate you asking.” Delaney brushed at imaginary lint on her skirt to have something to do with her hands. What she really wanted was to reach over and squeeze Klayne’s upper arm to see if it felt as strong and solid as it appeared. In addition to looking virile and masculine, he smelled divine. Accustomed to the odors of cattle, horses, and the men who worked around them, it was an altogether wondrous thing to sit close to a man whose fragrance mingled spice, musk, and something ruggedly delicious she couldn’t name.
She drew a deep breath then another before she noticed him watching her with an unreadable expression on his face.
“You know, Miss Danvers, I’d be quite pleased if you’d call me Klayne.” The smile he gave her made him appear boyish and young, not so serious.
“I will if you keep on smiling like that,” she teased, playfully bumping his arm with her shoulder.
For a moment, he looked surprised, but then he slowly nodded his head. “Being with you seems to put a smile on my face.”
“I’m glad,” Delaney said, primly folding her hands on her lap, like Carol had taught her. Despite the many protests she’d uttered over the years, she was grateful her sister-in-law had done her best to instill proper manners in Delaney. “If you want me to call you Klayne, though, you’ll have to agree to call me Dee or Delaney.”
He grinned. “Okay. It’s a deal, Delaney.”
The sound of him saying her name made a thrill shoot through her, but she forcibly ignored it and changed the subject. “So what does your family think of you being a soldier?”
A shrug rode his shoulders before he stiffened. “I have no idea. I’ve never met anyone in my family.”
Delaney turned to him, confused. “You don’t know your parents?”
“Or my grandparents,” Klayne admitted. “I was left at an orphanage right after I was born.”
Gently, she placed her hand over his as it rested on his thigh and offered a comforting squeeze. “I’m so sorry, Klayne. It must have been hard growing up without anyone.”
“It was, but that’s all in the past.” He shifted uncomfortably on the seat, although he placed his other hand on top of hers, keeping it sandwiched with his. “Tell me more about your family. You mentioned your brother and his family. Do you have grandparents, extended family?”
“No. My mother was an only child. My father had two older brothers but they were both killed in the Great War. My grandparents all passed away before I was ten.” Delaney questioned how they’d gotten on such a disheartening topic and decided to change it. “Do you like to go to the movies?”
“Sometimes. It depends on what’s playing. Generally, if I go, it’s by myself. Too many people chattering around me throughout the movie spoils it.”
Delaney laughed softly. “I refuse to go to the movies with my brother for that very reason. He keeps up a running commentary that makes me want to stuff my handkerchief in his mouth.”
Klayne chuckled. “I’d like to see that.”
Before Delaney could further comment, the lights dimmed and images rolled across the screen. First there was a sneak peek at a movie releasing soon with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, followed by promotion for a new film coming in February starring Ronald Reagan and Betty Field. Klayne sat forward and watched with interest when a newsreel showed bombs exploding in England and Nazi soldiers saluting Hitler.
Aware of the tense lines riding his shoulders, Delaney clasped Klayne’s hand tightly with hers. She hated to watch the news about the war, terrified by the images she saw, scared about what might happen to her brother and others she cared about who would soon join the fighting.
Relieved when the movie began, Delaney sat back, ready to enjoy the film. Although horror movies didn’t upset her, she used the excuse of being frightened to bury her face against Klayne’s arm.
Klayne glanced down at her and grinned. The movie wasn’t even half over and Delaney had spent most of the time with her face pressed against his sleeve, both hands wrapped around his upper arm.
He wouldn’t complain one bit. In fact, it took a great deal of restraint on his part not to wrap his arms around her and hold her close.
After another fifteen minutes of listening to her gasp and hide her face, he swallowed a chuckle. It wasn’t his intention to scare her spitless with the movie. He’d been surprised when she said she wanted to see it. His experience made him think she wouldn’t enjoy it, but he certainly wasn’t going to argue against sitting in a dark theater with her pressed against his side.
The scents of lemon and vanilla, blended with exotic notes, floated around him. He inhaled a deep breath, enchanted by the fragrance. It put him in mind of something oriental and feminine. The fragrance required confidence to wear, but fit perfectly on Delaney.
The complex, mysterious layers of the woman thoroughly intrigued him. The more he saw of her, the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to get to know her. To work his way past each layer until he touched the heart of her.
However, it was foolhardy for him to even dream about a relationship with anyone. He had a feeling he’d be ordered into combat sooner rather than later and a female would only complicate matters.
Especially Delaney.
In spite of his head telling him to stay away from her, his heart wouldn’t let him ignore her. Since the kiss they shared New Year’s Eve, he couldn’t get her out of his thoughts. Honestly, he didn’t want to. The flavor of her mouth, so sweet and rich, stayed with him, as well as the feel of her in his arms. She fit against him as if they were poured from the same mold and had been split apart for all these years.
Such musings were ridiculous, but Klayne couldn’t stop them. He felt powerless when it ca
me to blocking Delaney from his mind. He’d replayed their conversations over and over, and dreamed of looking into her hazel eyes so full of life.
By chance, he’d run into her at the bakery. At least he’d thought it was by chance until he figured out her friend’s parents owned the business. Amy must have telephoned Delaney and let her know he was there.
Regardless of her friend’s scheming, Delaney had been as eager and happy to see him as he was her.
He glanced down as she watched the movie with wide eyes. Taking advantage of the reprieve of her clinging to his arm, he lifted it and placed it around her shoulders. Half expecting her to push him away or glower at him, she didn’t even seem to notice until another scary scene filled the screen. She turned to him and burrowed against his chest.
Klayne smiled as he settled his hand on her back, rubbing it comfortingly. He bent down and placed his mouth close to her ear. “If you’d like to leave, we can. I don’t want you to be traumatized.”
“No. I’m having fun,” she whispered. “Let’s stay until the end.”
Her hand rested on his chest, but she didn’t lift her head. She merely turned it so she could see the screen. Klayne contemplated if her hand might burn through his jacket and shirt and brand his skin. The next time she grimaced and hid her face, he kissed the top of her head, breathing in her heady fragrance.
Unhurried, she raised her head until she could look into his eyes. Even in the muted light, he could see yearning flicker in hers. Without thinking about what he was doing, about what might happen, he cupped her chin, tilted it up, and grazed a soft kiss across her lips. Immediately, her hands slid up his shoulders and around his neck. The kiss deepened and rapidly gained heat as she pressed against him.
Klayne fought the inclination to haul her onto his lap, bury his hands in her hair, and lose himself in the sweet haven of her arms. Mindful they were in a theater full of people, many who knew her, he skimmed his lips across hers one last time and pulled back.
Home of Her Heart (Hearts of the War Book 2) Page 4