She grabbed a shelf to hold herself steady before turning to face him. “Well, I did get lucky last night.”
He moved in, drawing her closer with the crisp scent of his cologne. “Maybe you are on a winning streak.”
“God, I hope so.” She smiled up at him.
He leaned toward her as if to kiss her. The tinkling of jewelry being sorted alerted him that they weren’t alone. He stiffened and took a step back. “Maggie, Brady and Amber went next door to grab something for their trip. They should be here in a minute. I’m driving them to the airport and they insisted on saying goodbye. Afterward I’m heading to the hospital to sit with Sam for a while.”
“Cool.” What power did Luke have that he always made her feel awkward when he was near? She didn’t know what to do with her hands or how to stand. Which was ridiculous because this was Luke. He’d seen and touched every inch of her body.
“Is that Luke Ward?” Bitsy came hurrying down the aisle as if Luke might take off at the sight of her. Her blue floral skirt billowed out behind her like a cape.
Luke gave Penny a help-me look.
Penny just smiled and returned to dusting.
“My goodness, you’ve grown into quite the man. I remember when you were knee high to a grasshopper.” Bitsy eyed Luke as if he was the prize pig at the county fair. If he weren’t careful, she might start poking and testing his muscles. Penny covered a laugh with a cough. “And a doctor, too.”
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Clemons.”
“Oh, stop.” Bitsy blushed to the roots of her silver hair and waved her hand. “We’re all adults here. You can call me Bitsy.”
Luke smiled. “What are you looking for today, Bitsy?”
“I just come to browse and help Penny in her quest for true love.” Bitsy placed her hand on Luke’s arm. “I know you two were involved once upon a time, but really she needs to settle down with someone before she’s too old to have children.”
Penny stopped her dusting. “True love? Kids? And here I thought you were just setting me up with men for the fun of it.”
“What’s wrong with kids?” Luke had a mischievous look in his eyes, as if he was enjoying her torture.
“Nothing’s wrong with kids as long as they are someone else’s.” Penny raised her eyebrow, daring him to contradict her.
“Now, now, Penny. Take it from an old lady who never had kids of her own. One day you’ll want kids and it will be too late.” Bitsy nodded her head sagely. She’d married late in life and never had any children. She’d been friends with Penny’s grandma and had always slipped Penny sweets when she came by to talk with Grandma Tilly.
“Don’t worry, Bitsy. I have a few good years left if I want to push out a brat or two.”
“Ticktock,” Bitsy scolded. She glanced to the clock on the wall. “Oh, time to go see Mr. Martin. It was good seeing you, Luke, and if you have any single doctor friends, make sure to send them Penny’s way.”
They watched her scurry out of the store. Alone once again with Luke, Penny’s heart fluttered. Talking about kids and men in front of Luke had been extremely awkward. But now that they were alone, they didn’t have to talk at all.
He closed in on her, forcing her to look up to meet his eyes or stare at his chest. Hmm, decisions, decisions. It was such a fine chest. She sighed and met his eyes.
“Ticktock.” He grinned down at her.
“Not you, too.” She took a deep breath and her breasts grazed his chest. “I’ve got years before I even need to worry about that damned clock.”
His fingers stroked a strand of hair that had escaped her messy bun. “Do you want children?”
“You offering?” She intended to throw him off. With him standing so near, her insides were pooling into liquid warmth that flowed through her whole body.
“Stop trying to distract me, Penny.” He dipped his head slightly and she swore he was going to kiss her. Talk about distracting. “What are your future plans? What happens after right now?”
“I get lucky?” She flashed him a grin. She certainly hoped she would.
“What do you want?” he whispered close to her ear, stealing any breath she had left. His voice was rich and soothing. She swore she could listen to him read a dictionary and be turned on.
He pulled back. His blue eyes were dark pools, begging her to strip naked and dive in. He was close enough that his heat made her want to sway forward and rub against his warmth. She wanted him. 24/7.
“Do you want kids?” he asked.
Kids? A baby? With Luke’s blue eyes and her red hair? Someone she could love and who would love her in return. Who would rely on her for everything. Who she would disappoint.
A shard of cold went through her.
“I—” She swallowed and stepped back against the shelf. Straightening, she slid away from him down the aisle. She didn’t want these thoughts. She knew what she could and couldn’t have, and a child was a couldn’t. “I need to get back to work.”
“I want children,” Luke said as if she hadn’t walked away from the conversation. “I want a wife and home and children. Someday.”
Her chest ached. She didn’t look back at him. Thinking of Luke with his future wife and their perfect house and perfect children was enough to make her want to lose her breakfast.
“That’s great,” Penny choked out and blinked back the burning tears in her eyes. “You’ll make a great dad.”
His hands rested on her shoulders. His touch brought on another surge of tears. “Penny—”
The bell on the door jingled and Brady’s, Maggie’s and Amber’s voices broke their solitude. She heard his sigh before his hands slipped away. She rushed to the back into the storeroom and shut the door behind her. She took a great shuddering breath in and scolded herself.
Luke wasn’t hers. In no universe would he be hers. She’d made sure of that years ago. So why did the thought of him with someone else burn through her stomach like a branding iron? She set down the duster and grabbed a tissue. After a few deep breaths, she pulled herself together.
Just because they were having some fun didn’t give her any hold over Luke. Just because she’d loved him once didn’t mean she was in danger of being in love with him again. Just because the thought of a child, his child, made her clench up inside with longing didn’t mean she wanted one.
She picked up the present she’d wrapped for Amber and opened the storeroom door, prepared to do battle.
Chapter Ten
Luke stepped out from behind the shelving and into the open part of the store, where the front desk and cash register were.
“Where’s Penny?” Amber asked.
“She went into the back for something.” Most likely to get away from him. She was upset and she had every reason to be. He didn’t know why he’d pushed so hard. Maybe it was because Bitsy hadn’t thought he’d be the right guy for Penny. If he had any single friends... Not in this lifetime. “I’m sure she’ll be right out.”
“Everything okay?” Maggie asked.
“Yeah.” No, it wasn’t. “Did you guys get what you needed?”
“We’re all set,” Brady said as he picked up a little blue bottle, which looked as if it might have once had medicine in it, off a shelf.
“I hear someone is going to Disney World.” Penny appeared. It was as if nothing strange had passed between them. She smiled at Amber and held out a little box, gift-wrapped and tied with a bow.
“For me?” Amber took the box and opened it very carefully.
Penny glanced up at him before returning her gaze to Amber. He saw how much she loved being around Amber. Why wouldn’t she want that for herself? His heart beat a little harder with the thought of Penny with a baby in her arms. Would they already have a few kids if she’d come with him to university
? He could imagine lying in bed with her on a Sunday morning with kids climbing onto the bed with them. One happy family.
He startled. He could have been happy with her, but not if he couldn’t even be sure if the kids were his. What was so fundamentally broken with her that she couldn’t be with just him? Hadn’t he been enough? Lord knew he couldn’t get enough of her. Even now.
“O.M.G. It’s a Mickey necklace. Mom, it’s a Mickey necklace.” Amber brought him back to the here and now.
“I see that,” Maggie said.
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ve always wanted one.” Amber threw her arms around Penny and Penny squeezed her tight.
As soon as Amber released her to go show Brady, Penny looked at Luke. It was there in her eyes, that longing for something she couldn’t have. Whether she told him she wanted children or not, that look told him everything. She wanted a child, but she was content holding her best friend’s daughter as her own.
He kept his gaze on Penny as they all said their goodbyes. Brady’s family would be gone for ten days and then they’d be back to help out again. After that, Luke could leave at that time if he wanted to. As they exited the shop, Penny met his gaze. He knew the only thing he wanted right now was her. And although she seemed to want him now, who’s to say that tomorrow, she wouldn’t want someone else?
* * *
“’Bout time you showed up.” Sam lay in his hospital bed in a robe and hospital gown, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “When do I get out of this place?”
“You only had surgery two days ago,” Luke sat in the chair next to the bed. “They want you to stay one more night.”
“How am I supposed to get better with all these tubes in me?” Sam held up his IV with disdain. “This sucks.”
“I’m sure it does.” Luke looked out the window. Springfield wasn’t nearly as big as St. Louis, but it was a decent size for the middle-of-nowhere Illinois. The surrounding buildings seemed dreary and worn-out.
“How’s the farm?” Sam picked up the remote and flipped the channel on the TV. A news channel played in the background with the sound on mute.
“The animals are tended. The Baxter boys have been by to help with the fields.”
John Baxter was a neighboring farmer who helped Sam out in the spring and fall during seeding and harvesting. His two sons went to the local community college and helped out year-round. Sam returned the favor by giving them bales of hay at baling time.
“That’s good.” Sam rubbed at the stubble on his chin. After a few minutes, he said, “I made an appointment with the cardiologist. His office is around the corner from the hospital.”
“There isn’t anyone closer?” An hour’s drive both ways every day to the hospital to check up on Sam was annoying, especially because Luke kept going to Penny’s before going home. Last night they’d barely spoken when he’d shown up at her door. He hadn’t said a word, just took her in his arms. She’d pulled him into her dining room, where they’d made good use of the table and chairs. He had yet to see the inside of her bedroom. He barely managed any sleep before waking for the morning chores. “What about Dr. Patterson?”
“He retired. Tawnee Valley hasn’t had a doctor in years, and Owen only has a handful of specialists. No cardiologists.” Sam fluffed a pillow and shoved it behind his head.
Luke leaned forward, thinking of the ramifications of sick people having to go an hour just to get to their doctor. Most people would either just not go to the doctor at all or go to the emergency room rather than make the trip. Filling up the emergency room with people best seen in an office made it hard for the true emergencies to get in. The hospital in Owen must be a nightmare of never-ending patients.
“You get the tractor running?” Sam asked, interrupting Luke’s thoughts.
“What? Yeah, it only needed a new fuse.”
Sam nodded and continued to watch the TV.
Luke returned to his thoughts. It was bad enough that a lot of patients came from miles away to see specialists in the hospital he worked at in St. Louis, but those patients usually had a doctor close by who they could follow up with.
The population of Tawnee Valley and even Owen was skewed to an older than average age. Those people shouldn’t have to sit in a car for an hour just to get some medical advice. Especially just for checkups to make sure nothing has changed or whether a new medicine was working or not.
“Anything new?” Sam said.
“What?” Luke turned to look at Sam.
Sam rarely spoke outside of direct questions and answers. He looked highly uncomfortable. “I’m stuck in a hospital bed watching bad TV. I’m bored.”
Luke smiled. “You want me to bring you my laptop next time? It has solitaire on it.”
“I better be going home tomorrow. If you won’t take me, I’ll hitch a ride.” Sam shoved the remote away. “Or maybe Penny would come get me.”
If Luke were a rooster, his feathers would be rustled. “Why would Penny do that?”
“She and I are a lot alike. Both alone.” Sam closed his eyes and put his arm behind his head.
The idea of Sam and Penny together burned Luke deeper than thinking of her with any other man. Sam was his brother, his guardian. He was supposed to watch out for Luke, not steal his girl. Even if his girl had been a willing participant. “You won’t have to call Penny because I’ll be here.”
“Good.”
Luke sat for an hour more with Sam, answering his random questions and silently fuming. He couldn’t get the image of Sam kissing Penny out of his head. The night of his graduation, he’d been outside with his friends when he went back into the house to get a drink. Through the kitchen door, he could see Penny with her hands around Sam’s neck, her body tight against his. Her lips pressed against Sam’s. Sam’s hands had been on her hips.
He hadn’t needed to see more. All that locker room talk. All the times Penny had talked him down from kicking some guy’s ass for saying he was nailing her. It had all been true. What he had thought was love had been a lie.
All those hours they’d spent, dreaming and planning, had been for nothing. He was just another one of her guys. He just hadn’t realized it.
The drive home didn’t help his dark mood. If Sam and Penny did end up together, she’d be his sister-in-law. He’d have to see her with him at every family get-together. Participate in her and Sam’s wedding as if he were happy to be there.
By the time he drove into Tawnee Valley, it was late. He could have gone straight to the farm and just skipped seeing Penny tonight, but that wasn’t going to happen.
He parked his car in front of her house and stared at the dark street ahead of him. It was all in the past. He’d moved on. She’d moved on. What they were doing now...that was just for fun. Something to keep the boredom away.
It had taken him a year to get over the betrayal. But he’d never truly let it go. Maybe that was because he’d been so sure that they had been in love. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel. This was stupid.
The past shouldn’t matter. Penny wasn’t the same girl. She had solid roots in the community. A sensitive side that she rarely showed. So she enjoyed sex. Since when had that been a crime?
If she and Sam were involved, they didn’t act like it. Even if they were just having sex, it would be a while before Sam was up to anything. This was ridiculous. Luke was here for only another week or so. He didn’t have any hold over Penny or control over who she spent her time with.
But he’d make damned sure who she would spend her time with tonight.
* * *
Penny was just about to give up on Luke coming over when she heard a knock on the door. The fluttering in her stomach made her want to not answer. He was getting to her, and that could be very bad.
Sex didn’t equal love in her world. But Luke...L
uke was an intensity she couldn’t deny.
She crossed the room to the door and pulled it open. Their eyes met. No matter if it was the first time or the thousandth time, when Luke came near her she melted.
She moved out of the doorway to let him in, as if she had a choice. In her heart she knew that anytime Luke wanted her, she would let him in. Into her home. Into her body. Into her heart.
He moved past her into the living room.
“Who are you sleeping with?” Luke asked as he sat on her couch. His long legs spread out before him.
His question took her aback, but she wasn’t intimidated by it. It didn’t prevent the pain that gouged her heart at his question. She remembered how easy it was for him to believe the worst in her. Did he worry that she was sleeping with someone else now? Was he afraid she couldn’t juggle the workload? She curled up in the corner of the couch next to, but not touching, him. She let him stew a few minutes before meeting his gaze.
“Honey, I’m not sleeping with anyone.” It was the God’s honest truth. They hadn’t slept together. They had mind-blowing sex and then he left to go out to the farm so he could rise with the roosters.
“You know what I mean.”
“Someone’s a little testy this evening.” She stretched back and put her legs across his lap.
He met her eyes and held them. Every bit as serious as he sounded. “Are you having sex?”
“With you? Not yet.” She gave him a wink. What was he after? If she played this game long enough, he’d get to his point sooner or later or give up entirely and get to the good part of the evening.
“I’m serious.”
“I know you are.” Penny sighed and put her arms behind her head. “What do you want from me, Luke? An oath of fidelity? My declaration of love?”
His eyes narrowed, but then he took in a deep breath and pulled her by her legs toward him. She went willingly. When he had her straddling his lap, he took both her hands and placed them on his shoulders. “This isn’t normal for me.”
ONE NIGHT WITH THE BEST MAN Page 8