“Sure thing, munchkin.”
He ruffled Chloe’s hair.
The combination of the pet name and the affectionate gesture was nearly as bone-melty as the man’s big hands, Bailey thought, aware that being around Kenny was like playing with fire. Exciting and ultimately dangerous. But it was just one day, right? And a holiday. Didn’t everyone deserve a little something special on Thanksgiving?
CHAPTER FOUR
“WE HAVE A specific corner,” Bailey told Kenny as they walked along with everyone else heading toward the center of town and the parade. Chloe had already spotted Layla and her mom and run ahead. “On Sixth between Frank and Katie Lanes.”
“Okay,” he said easily. “Why?”
“We’re meeting the other Sprouts there. Chloe wants to watch the parade with her friends.”
He nodded. “She’s a bright, outgoing girl. I would guess she’s popular.”
Bailey stared at him.
“What?” he asked. “What did I say?”
“Nothing,” she said, turning away, fighting unexpected tears.
“Bailey.”
Kenny pulled her onto a driveway and stared at her. “Are you crying?”
She shook her head and sniffed. “No,” she said firmly as she looked at him. “You’re right. She’s popular. She has sleepovers nearly every weekend and friends coming by and parties...” She stared at him, hoping her crush would distract her from her emotions, but for once Kenny was simply a friend.
“When Will died, she was devastated. She’d been counting the days until he got home. She’d been so excited to learn to read and write because she wanted to keep a diary for her dad. It was a list of things to tell him. What had happened to her in her day. Every night I helped her write a sentence or two so she could share it with him. Only he never came back.”
She remembered the shock for both of them. The pain. And for her, the guilt.
“She started not doing as well in school. She was quiet and had nightmares. I was so scared for her. I took her to a child psychologist, who said she would come out of it, but I wasn’t sure.” She felt her eyes fill with tears again, and she tried to blink them away.
“Then I heard about the FWM. I signed up Chloe and she became an Acorn.” She brushed the moisture from her cheek. “She blossomed and now my best girl is back. I’m so grateful.”
Kenny cleared his throat. “I’m glad,” he said, and then pulled her close.
The embrace was unexpected and warm and comforting and just a little exciting. Bailey let herself lean against him for a second. He was a lot taller than her and he held her easily. He smelled good, too, she thought. Now if only he would confess his undying lust for her, the moment would be complete.
But he didn’t and soon they were walking toward the parade route again.
Chloe found her friends and Bailey greeted the other parents. She introduced Kenny and did her best to avoid the questioning looks. At the bin-decorating party, Kenny had explained he was filling in for Taryn. No one had thought they were together. And they weren’t, Bailey reminded herself. He was just a friend coming over for Thanksgiving.
Fortunately the parade started before anyone could pull her aside and ask about things she couldn’t answer. The first entry was a banner carried by two high school kids from the marching band. The annual Fool’s Gold Thanksgiving parade had begun.
Mayor Marsha rode by in an old convertible, followed by several smaller versions of the famous balloons from the Macy’s parade.
“Chloe’s going to watch the repeat of that later,” Bailey told Kenny. “Just so you’re prepared.”
“I look forward to it.”
All the right words, she thought with a sigh. No doubt he had plenty of practice.
The marching band came next, loudly playing their version of “Jingle Bells.” Farther up the street came murmurs. Bailey grinned at Kenny.
“It’s Priscilla,” she said happily, remembering the only part of the parade that had made Chloe smile last year. “She’s an elephant. She’ll be dressed as Santa.”
He looked over her head, then frowned. “How do they do that?”
“I heard the costume was in sections and held together with Velcro.”
He looked over the crowd and shook his head. “Well, I’ll be da—” He glanced at the Sprouts crowding around and pointing. “I’ll be, ah...”
“Let it go,” she told him. “There’s no good substitute.”
He smiled at her. “You got that right.” He turned back to Priscilla. “Not something you see every day.”
“No. I heard that she has several custom blankets to keep her warm. The local knitters made them for her.”
“Gotta love the town. Did you know about the camel?”
“There’s a camel?” Chloe asked eagerly and tried to see.
Kenny picked her up as if she weighed nothing. Her daughter pointed and laughed.
“Mom, look! There’s Reno the pony and a camel. They’re dressed as elves.”
Bailey waited until that part of the parade came into view. Sure enough Priscilla had her elf friends with her, along with wagons from Castle Ranch.
“I’ve never seen a camel dressed as an elf,” she said, shaking her head.
A couple of fire trucks—all decked out for the holidays—were next. There were small trees and lots of stars, including several Jewish stars.
An hour later, the parade had ended and the three of them made their way back to the apartment. The smell of turkey greeted them as they entered the living room. Chloe carefully hung up her coat before heading to the TV to find the replay of the Macy’s parade. Kenny helped Bailey out of hers.
Was it her imagination or did his hands linger on her shoulders? She knew the answer, of course, but a girl could dream. And when the man in question was as good as this one, she supposed dreaming was inevitable.
* * *
THE FINAL PREPARATIONS for dinner went as smoothly as Bailey could have hoped. Kenny wasn’t just a guy who knew how to make a pie, he was also an expert turkey carver. His skill made her wonder about the other women in his life—both who they were and the actual number of them.
The cheese biscuits and sweet potato casserole went into the oven at the same time. She stirred the gravy while Kenny poured wine for the two of them and sparkling apple cider for Chloe.
The table was big enough to seat six. Bailey put Kenny at the end. She sat on his right while Chloe was across from her on his left. Their place settings were surrounded by bowls and platters and steaming stacks of delicious food.
When they’d taken their places, Kenny surprised her by reaching for her hand and Chloe’s, then saying grace.
When they’d filled their plates, she turned to him. “You really learned how to bake pies in Sweden?”
“I did.” He passed Chloe the stuffing. “My mom worked for the State Department. We lived all around the world until I was twelve.”
“Did you miss your friends?” Chloe asked.
“I made new friends.”
Her eyes widened. “Was it hard?”
“Sometimes. Especially if I had to learn a new language. But I was used to it.” He looked at Bailey. “We moved back to the States when I was twelve. My parents wanted to settle in one place so my sisters and I could have continuity.”
“How many sisters?” she asked.
“Three. I’m in the middle.”
That must have been nice, she thought. She would have liked siblings. And for Chloe to have had at least one brother or sister. Although the odds of that were getting more unlikely by the year.
“I’d like a sister,” Chloe said. “I guess a brother would be okay, too. Daddy always told me...” Her voice trailed off as she stared at her plate.
“What, honey?” Bailey asked gently.
Chloe raised her gaze. “He said that no matter how many other kids you had, that I would always be his best girl. Because I was first.” She worried her lower lip. “I feel sad because I d
on’t remember him so much.”
Bailey reached across the table and touched her daughter’s hand. Before she could figure out what to say, Kenny spoke.
“It sounds like he really loved you.”
Chloe nodded.
“And you loved him.”
Another nod.
“Isn’t that the most important part? Knowing you loved each other?” He reached for the sweet potatoes.
Chloe looked to her for confirmation. Bailey nodded.
“He lives on in your heart. All the people we love do.”
“For always?” Chloe asked.
“For always,” Bailey promised.
* * *
AFTER THEY FINISHED DINNER, Bailey kept waiting for Kenny to leave. But he stuck with them through the second half of the football game and Chloe’s movie pick of the evening, The Muppet Christmas Carol. About eight-thirty, her daughter finally wound down from the excitement and zonked out on the sofa. Bailey tried not to let her heart get all twisty when Kenny carried Chloe to bed.
But there was something magical about a big, strong guy carrying a little girl. So it wasn’t completely her fault that she was both breathless and hopeful when they returned to the living room.
He was going to leave, she told herself. It was time for him to go. They were only friends, so she would be very, very foolish to expect anything other than a handshake. And while she didn’t expect more, she was willing to admit she wanted more.
But instead of leaving, Kenny returned to the sofa. Bailey settled on the opposite end and faced him.
“Your pie was delicious,” she said into the silence.
“Thanks. The whole meal was great. Thanks for inviting me.”
“We had fun. You’re good with Chloe.”
Instead of smiling, he stared past her, as if seeing something she couldn’t. “I like kids.”
“Do you have any?” she asked, realizing how little she knew about his past. She really had to spend some quality time on the internet, using Google to do some research on him.
“No,” he said firmly. “I did.”
She stared at him. “Oh, no. What happened? I’m sorry.”
He looked at her. “No one died. It wasn’t like that.”
She didn’t understand. If no one had died... She waited, not sure what to ask, or if she should. His expression was tight—both pained and angry, she thought.
“High school was easy,” he said with a shrug, his gaze once again looking past her. “I liked girls and they liked me. I was in and out of what I called love every couple of weeks.”
“Sounds like fun.”
He glanced at her and smiled. “Yeah. Fun is a good word for it.” The smile faded. “In college, I got a little more serious. The girlfriends lasted months instead of weeks. But no one stuck. Natalie was one of them. We dated for a few weeks. It was great and then it ended. When I ran into her the following spring, it was obvious that she was pregnant.”
Bailey stiffened. She hadn’t seen that coming.
“She’d never tried to get in touch with me, which pissed me off,” he continued. “I could count as well as the next guy. She was about five months along. The kid was mine. I proposed and she refused. She said she didn’t want to get married that way. So we moved in together.”
He shifted a little, then looked at Bailey. “I’d been drafted at that point. I was excited about graduating and starting my NFL career. I didn’t take as much time with Natalie as I should have. I wasn’t home much. I didn’t run around with other women, but there were a lot of things to do.”
She nodded, not sure what he wanted to hear. Or where the story was going.
“The baby—a boy—was born while I was playing. Natalie didn’t call to tell me she was in labor. I rushed home as soon as I found out, but Natalie wasn’t all that eager to keep me at home, so I went back to work. Time passed. We still weren’t married, but we had James and that was enough for me.”
He drew in a breath. “I spent all my free time with him. He was a great kid. Smart and loving. I was so damned proud. Things with Natalie were up and down, but I figured that’s what happened when you were in a serious relationship. When James was three, everything changed.”
She looked at him, wanting desperately to hear and almost afraid of what he was going to tell her.
“How?” she asked softly.
“I got hurt. My first serious injury. I missed five games. While I was recovering, Natalie came to me. She said that the reason she’d never wanted to marry me was that she was in love with another man. A married man. He kept promising to leave his wife for her and he finally did. Natalie was leaving me to go be with him.”
His expression turned fierce. “It wasn’t good news, but I was okay with that. We definitely weren’t in love then. I told her I wanted custody of James. That’s when she said he wasn’t mine. The other guy was the father.”
Bailey sucked in a breath. “Was she telling the truth?”
“Yeah. That’s the hell of it. I got an attorney and we arranged for a DNA test. But when it came back...I had no legal claim on him. She took him and walked out and I never saw him again.”
Bailey wanted to go to him, to hold him and offer comfort. Only there wasn’t anything she could say.
She tried to imagine what it would be like if she lost Chloe. But even thinking it was possible was too painful to consider.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Me, too. The thing is, you’re great and I like you a lot.”
An unexpected statement that should have thrilled her. Except for the single word at the end.
But.
He didn’t have to say it. She heard it loud and clear. She was the woman with a kid who wasn’t his. Kenny had been burned that way once before. He wasn’t going to risk it again.
“I understand,” she told him, feeling disappointed and more than a little hurt. “It makes perfect sense.”
“I wanted you to know why,” he said.
She stood. “And now I do. Thank you. Chloe and I had a great time today.”
“I did, too.”
He rose and there was an awkward moment as they both stared at each other. He gave her a half smile and reached for his coat.
Bailey held open the front door, briskly wished him good-night, then shut it behind him. When she was alone, she leaned against the door and told herself it was for the better.
Only she didn’t feel better. She felt a little sick to her stomach. Because she thought maybe what he’d been saying was that under other circumstances, he might have been interested in her. That he might have thought she was his type. And knowing that made not having any chance at him just a little more difficult to take.
CHAPTER FIVE
ONE OF THE advantages of living in Fool’s Gold was that no matter what horrible thing might be happening in your personal life, there was also something in town to serve as a distraction.
Despite having not slept much the night before, Bailey greeted the morning with as much optimism as she could muster. For one thing, she had a great life. She had her daughter, friends and a job she loved, and in less than two weeks, she would be moving into her first ever, very own home. It was enough, she told herself firmly. She didn’t need a man—not even one as tempting as Kenny.
She and Chloe had breakfast, then she dropped her daughter off at a friend’s house, where she would spend the day. For her part, Bailey was going to head into town. All the stores would be decorating for the holidays and that was fun to watch. There was also a new store opening, and she was meeting Isabel there. Tomorrow, she and Chloe would go look at all the store windows and stay for the town’s tree lighting.
Back at her place, she made quick work of cleaning the kitchen, then dove into her closet. She wanted to clear out as many things as possible before the move. She and Chloe had already done her daughter’s room. Chloe had given up a couple of boxes of toys to be donated. Clothes that were too small would also go to charity.
When Bailey’s cell phone rang, she was trying to decide if she was ever going to lose the twenty pounds necessary for her to get back into several pairs of jeans she owned or if she should simply donate them.
“Hello?” she said without glancing at the display.
“Hey.”
All it took was a single word spoken by a specific man. Her slightly fake good mood shattered and the jeans dropped to the carpet. She sank onto the bed.
“Kenny.”
A thousand emotions struggled to find room inside. She thought of the child he’d lost and how she would never have guessed he suffered such a tragedy. She thought of the way his smile made her toes curl and how knowing he was a great guy made her crush just a little harder to get over.
“I’ve got all the bins in place,” he said.
It took her a second to mentally switch gears. Right, the toy drive. That was still their responsibility.
“Thank you. There’s a schedule for collection. You have that, right?”
“Yeah. I know my days.”
“The parents helping do, too. I appreciate your help with all this.”
“We’re in it together.”
The truth, but when said in his low, sexy voice... Well, she wanted it to mean a lot more than it did.
“We’re still on for Sunday?” he asked.
He’d offered to take her to Sacramento to look at bedroom furniture for Chloe. She needed to get her order placed and thought the Black Friday craziness would be over by then. Only after last night, she’d assumed she would be on her own.
“You don’t mind?”
“I’d like to go with you,” he told her. “We’re friends, Bailey. I don’t want that to change.”
Friends was better than nothing, she told herself. Friends was the mature response to their situation. Friends was enough. Although that last one might be stretching the truth a tiny bit.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’d love the input. Chloe’s going out to Castle Ranch for riding lessons with several of her friends, so the timing is perfect.”
“I’ll pick you up at noon.”
“I’ll be ready.”
“See you then. ’Bye.”
Yours for Christmas Page 4