Her Minnesota Man (A Christian Romance Novel)

by Coulter, Brenda

  He was looking, and he had never loved her more.

  There were so many things he longed to tell her. Questions he couldn't wait to ask. Promises he looked forward to making. But the time wasn't right for any of that, not yet, so he just said, "Don't beat yourself up, princess. I think we're supposed to forget what's behind us and just keep moving toward our goal."

  She turned her beautiful blue eyes on him. "You've been reading Philippians."

  "Have I?" He shook his head, confused. "I thought it was something that guy Paul wrote."

  Laney smiled. "The Epistle to the Philippians is an actual letter from the apostle Paul to the church in Philippi, a city in Macedonia. You're thinking about a passage in Chapter Three."

  "Ah," Jeb said, but his thoughts had already slipped off the Bible and settled on the woman whose nearness was making his heart pump faster.

  He wanted to kiss her again, and he felt guilty about that. A good Christian man would have occupied his mind with Bible verses and other serious thoughts, but Jeb's mind kept getting stuck on things like Laney's guileless blue eyes and her soft cloud of curls and her perfectly imperfect smile and her sweet, womanly curves.

  Oh, yes. Those curves were a problem.

  Exasperation flared and Jeb gazed helplessly at the ceiling. Well, if you don't want me noticing things like the way she fills out a pair of jeans, why did you have to go and make her so beautiful?

  He thought for another minute and concluded that there couldn't be anything sinful about his physical desire for the woman he loved. Not as long as he stayed within the boundaries of chaste behavior—and he was determined to do that for her sake as much as his own. So even if his self-discipline proved inadequate to the task, his horror of tempting Laney to do anything that would ultimately leave her ashamed and filled with regret would keep them out of trouble.

  He shifted, curling his arm more tightly around the back of her head so he could stroke her wind-tousled curls and breathe in their delicate floral fragrance.

  He couldn't get enough of that smell. Every time he inhaled, he wished he could hold the breath and trap Laney's scent inside him and never let it go.

  "This is so nice," she murmured, eyes still closed. "Let's just sit here forever."

  "Forever?" Dangerously close to blurting things about his feelings that she wasn't ready to hear, Jeb made a desperate dive into levity. "I don't know. My arm's already half asleep, and my back's starting to cramp up from leaning at this awkward angle."

  "Complain, complain," she teased in a singsong voice. "Why can't you just enjoy the moment and—"

  She broke off with a screech of surprise as he swiftly and without premeditation grabbed her by the waist and hauled her onto his lap. She resisted, giggling, and asked what he thought he was doing, but when he stopped her mouth with a kiss, her response was immediate and deeply gratifying.

  She settled herself more comfortably, balancing sideways on his thigh with both legs dangling between his, and kissed him as sweetly and as ardently as she'd done in all of those dreams he'd tried so hard not to have about her.

  Laney.

  He wanted to lash his life to hers and never look back. He wanted the two of them to belong to each other and only to each other until death they did part, amen.

  But right now, he needed to end this kiss before it got out of hand.

  To his mingled amusement and frustration, Laney was no help at all. When he moved his head back, she simply leaned forward, eyes still tightly shut, her dewy, softly parted lips following and attempting to recapture his retreating mouth.

  Good thing he'd been honing his self-discipline for years. With a rueful grin, Jeb palmed the back of her head, raised his chin, and tucked her safely beneath it.

  "Jeb?" Her voice was muffled against his jacket.

  "Hmm?" He splayed his fingers and pushed them into a mass of fluffy curls until his hand was pleasantly trapped.

  "What changed your mind?" She turned her head slightly, allowing her words to become more distinct. "That night at the lake, you were sorry about kissing me. You said it was never going to happen again"

  There was an unmistakable remnant of hurt in her voice, but Jeb wasn't sure how much to explain at this point. He could confess that he'd been in love with her for years, but wouldn't that put undue pressure on her at a time when she was just beginning to explore her own feelings?

  The last thing he wanted to do was push her into a romance. If something was going to happen between them, he wanted it to unfold naturally, like a flower opening itself to the sun. So for now . . .

  "Could we just agree that I was stupid, and leave it at that?"

  "Yes," she said happily, nestling closer. "You were stupid, Jeb." She sighed, and for a few profoundly beautiful moments they breathed in tandem. Then she suddenly went rigid.

  "Oh!" she cried, and shoved herself out of his arms.

  Worry zinged through Jeb. "What's wrong?"

  "Jenna's baby shower!" Laney scrambled to her feet. "I'm late!" She tore out of the kitchen like a small tornado and thumped up the stairs.

  Jeb started to leave, but then he decided to stick around for a goodbye kiss.

  She returned after just a couple of minutes, her arms filled with a black blazer, a wrapped shower gift, a multicolored scarf, and a pair of high-heeled shoes, all of which she dumped on the table. She hadn't changed out of the crisp indigo jeans she'd worn to the park, but she had exchanged her flannel shirt and down vest for a wine-colored blouse that shimmered and clung sweetly to her curves.

  She hopped on one foot and then the other, charmingly clumsy as she tugged off her sneakers and socks, chattering all the while about the who and where and when of the baby shower, and how late she was going to be. Jeb barely heard her; he was too busy admiring the way she pushed her slender bare feet into the feminine high-heeled shoes.

  She wound the scarf around her neck twice, deftly knotted the ends, and then shimmied into the blazer. After finger-fluffing her glorious curls, she rummaged in the bag she'd left on the chair nearest the door and produced a tube of lipstick and something that jingled like a handful of tiny silver bells before she dropped it into the left pocket of her blazer.

  She rolled up the lipstick and turned away from Jeb to hunch over the counter next to the refrigerator. Peering into the mirror-like side of her toaster, she applied a luscious pink tint to her amazing mouth.

  Jeb had never been more fascinated in his life.

  Oblivious to his admiration, Laney mashed her lips together a couple of times and then straightened and turned back toward him, her hand plunging into her pocket. There was more of the delicate jingling, and then she pushed the stem of one of the earrings Jeb had given her through the tiny hole in her left ear.

  "How's that for a quick change?" she asked as she attached the second earring.

  Jeb was too enchanted to breathe, let alone answer questions. Good thing she didn't seem to be awaiting a response.

  "That's yesterday's paper," she said, pointing to the one she'd so carefully folded minutes earlier. If you want today's, it's in the living room." She shouldered her bag and scooped up the shower gift and hustled to the door. "Bye!"

  "Wait!" Jeb yelped, coming out of his chair.

  She halted, breathless and beautiful, her hand on the doorknob as she watched him approach. "What's wrong?"

  He came to a stop before her. "Since you're already late, you might as well take a minute to kiss me goodbye."

  She blushed and tried unsuccessfully to kill her smile. "I really don't have a minute, but I suppose I could give you ten seconds." Eyes alight with mischief, she set the gift on the counter and then reached up and grasped Jeb's ears and pulled his face down to hers. "So make it count, mister."

  He wasted at least a third of his allotted time chuckling, but then he "made it count" until she giggled into his kiss and beat his chest with her fists and made him let her go.

  After she left the house, Jeb helped himself to a can of
pop from her refrigerator. He knocked back half its contents in a single breath, and then he stood staring out a window, his fingertips tapping the can in a rhythmic pattern as he pondered his next move.

  Laney was falling in love with him. If he didn't screw this up, he just might end up married to her.

  Unfortunately, he seemed to have a real flair for screwing things up. And he didn't have a clue how to romance a woman.

  He racked his brain to recall what Laney had said about being engaged. Something about Nathan giving her a beautiful ring and about it all being "so romantic." Knowing Laney, it wasn't the ring that had impressed her, but whatever Nathan had said and done when he'd presented the thing.

  Jeb felt a twinge of jealousy, but quickly tamped it down. She wouldn't have been happy with Nathan—or with Tom, or even with the veterinarian—and she saw that now. But she was big on romance, and Jeb was determined to make every one of her dreams come true.

  He gulped the rest of his drink and crushed the can in his fist. Where could he find out what he needed to know about romance? It didn't seem like the kind of thing a guy could Google.

  He could ask Ollie Lincoln. After Ollie stopped laughing, he'd probably be willing to share some pointers. But what if the techniques that had won Ollie a wife weren't the right ones to use on Laney?

  Not Ollie, then. Someone with a broader understanding of romance and a deeper knowledge of Laney, herself. Someone who—

  "No," Jeb groaned as his thoughts coalesced on a single, ludicrously unacceptable solution. "Absolutely not." There was no way he was going to go crawling on his knees to—

  He sighed and gave in. He would do anything for Laney. Anything at all.

  "Even this," he muttered as he walked out her back door.

  Chapter Nineteen

  "Jenna wants another piece," Laney said to Crystal Lincoln, Ollie's brown-eyed sprite of a wife, who stood at her dining room table cutting slices from a sheet cake that resembled a baby carriage. Glancing over her shoulder into the crowded living room she'd just left, Laney chuckled and added, "Now that she's had a piece for herself, she wants to eat one for the baby."

  Smiling, Crystal eased a square of cake onto the plate Laney held out. "Jenna's going to be just fine now that she knows she has friends who care about her."

  "I think you're right. Thanks for hosting this shower, Crystal."

  "Thank you for giving that tea party and introducing Jenna to all of us."

  "She's a sweetheart," Laney said thoughtfully. "Why she didn't already have tons of friends is a mystery to me."

  "Her parents are rather controlling." Crystal's tone held a note of apology; she wasn't one to speak ill of anyone.

  Peals of laughter floated in from the other room. Laney and Crystal glanced toward the doorway and then exchanged smiles.

  "Everyone's having a good time," Laney said.

  "I hope so." Crystal put the cake knife down and straightened a skewed stack of paper napkins. "Too bad the Graces couldn't come."

  "Sunday afternoon is their quiet time," Laney explained. "They're on the go all week long, so they're very protective of their Sunday afternoons. But they adore Jenna, and I know they already gave her some nice gifts. They even got her to promise to go to church with them next Sunday."

  "That's wonderful," Crystal said. "And speaking of taking people to church, what's this I hear about Jackson Bell? Is it true he's become a believer?"

  "Yes." Joy shivered through Laney.

  "I'm so glad. I'd like to meet him sometime, if he wouldn't mind. Ollie says he's—" Crystal looked uncomfortable again. "Well, 'difficult to know' is what Ollie says."

  "He's a very private person." It was Laney's standard response. While she wished people could understand why Jeb avoided social interaction, she would never betray his trust by divulging that he'd been neglected and abused as a child.

  "But he's famous." Crystal's brow furrowed. "How can a shy person—"

  "He's not shy," Laney interrupted. "Not the way you mean. He's just not much of a talker."

  "Ollie likes him," Crystal said. "In fact, the night before Mrs. Lindstrom's house burned down, Ollie got mad when somebody we know said Jackson was a sociopath. Ollie said that just because a guy keeps to himself, that doesn't mean he despises people and lacks empathy."

  "Jeb doesn't despise people," Laney said with feeling. "He's just never been comfortable in social situations." Although since he'd become a Christian, he'd been making an amazing effort. He was even thinking about taking Ollie up on an invitation to try some curling.

  "Well, the next person who calls him that ugly name is going to get a piece of my mind," Crystal said staunchly. "Sociopaths don't run into burning houses to save old ladies."

  "He even saved her cat," Laney pointed out. "Jeb's a hero, just like the newspaper said."

  Crystal tilted her head forward, looking at Laney from under raised eyebrows as a knowing smile curved her mouth. "Am I picking up a romantic vibe here?"

  Recalling those soul-stirring kisses in her kitchen, Laney couldn't flatten her answering grin any more than she could banish the blush that suddenly warmed her cheeks. "Let's just say I'm hopeful. But this is a very recent development, Crystal, so please keep it to yourself."

  That Jeb had initiated those kisses was a strong indication that he, too, was falling in love. But he still had a lot of decisions to make about his new life. So while Laney had begun to cherish a secret hope about marrying him, she was still a practical woman who understood that dreams didn't always come true.

  "I won't say a word." Crystal came around the table and reached out for a hug. "And I'll be praying for you both."

  Holding Jenna's cake plate safely to one side, Laney leaned toward Crystal and gave her a one-armed squeeze.

  "Crystal." Sarah Jane Swenson entered the dining room, an empty glass cup in her hand, and gestured to the punch bowl at one end of the table. "Before I help myself to more of this wonderful stuff, please tell me there are no calories in it."

  "There aren't." Crystal shared an amused look with Laney. "At least, not compared to the cake."

  Already ladling punch into her cup, Sarah Jane loosed one of her silver-bell laughs.

  "I'll go see if anyone needs more coffee," Crystal said. Reaching for the plate in Laney's hands, she added, "And I'll deliver this cake to our mom-to-be."

  "Thank you," Laney said with quiet intensity and a significant look to convey her gratitude for the promised prayers.

  "I was hoping for a minute alone with you," Sarah Jane said when their hostess had gone. "What are you looking so delighted about? Have you sold the tearoom already?"

  Shaking her head, Laney wondered why Sarah Jane would imagine she'd be delighted about that. On second thought, now that she had accepted the inevitability of the sale, a good offer for the place probably would give her a thrill. After all, she'd finally be able to pay off her debts.

  "No, I haven't even had an offer yet. But the agent is showing it again tomorrow, and he thinks it'll sell quickly."

  "But you're positively glowing." Sarah Jane moved toward Laney and linked an arm through hers. "So I thought . . ." She shook her head, but a second later her puzzled expression morphed into a smile. "I know what it is!" she crowed, and then she lowered her voice to a confidential whisper. "You kissed Jackson, didn't you?"

  Laney fought a grin.

  "Good girl!" Sarah Jane squeezed her arm and then sipped some punch, her brown eyes twinkling as she watched Laney over the rim of the cup. "Tell me everything."

  Laney chuckled. "In your dreams, Sarah Jane."

  Her friend smiled back. "I gather he didn't hate it?"

  "He didn't hate it," Laney acknowledged. "But that's all you're getting out of me."

  It had been just two hours since those amazing kisses—she was determined to forget that disastrous one at the lake—and two of Laney's friends already knew something romantic was happening between herself and Jeb. That could prove awkward if things didn'
t work out the way she hoped, so from this moment, her lips were zipped.

  If Jeb came to love her the way she loved him, maybe they could build a life together. But if he couldn't love her that way, or if the Lord had a different plan for each of them . . .

  Well, then she would just do her best to trust God and be content with the life he gave her.

  That was what her mother had done. Even though her snake of a husband had ultimately divorced her, Hannah Ryland had never looked at another man. She had always maintained that as long as she kept her eyes on the Lord, she was perfectly content.

  "So you're not going to spill any juicy details?" Sarah Jane pretended to pout. "In that case, we might as well get back to the party."

  Laney concurred and followed her friend into the other room.

  "This is insane," Jeb muttered as he stood on the Graces' front porch, his right index finger hovering nervously above the tiny round doorbell button.

  He had never visited this house without Laney to watch his back. But while she was occupied at the baby shower, he meant to put one simple question to her great-aunts. Was it too much to hope that just this once, they might resist the temptation to toy with him and just give him an answer that made sense?

  Suppressing a shudder of apprehension, he rang the bell.

  The Graces were delighted to see him; they beckoned him inside like a trio of bored cats who'd just discovered a fat mouse bumbling into their domain. As they tugged off his leather jacket and hauled him back to their over-warm kitchen, Jeb braced himself to endure their relentless hospitality.

  He didn't resist when they pushed him onto a chair at a table covered with a red-and-white-checked cloth and strewn with piles of yarn and knitting needles. Neither did he object when they set a mug of black coffee and a massive triangle of cherry pie in front of him.