Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set

by Maddie James

“That’s nice.” Kelly kept her tone noncommittal.

  C.B. took a breath. “Turns out her father is a recovering drug addict, not the man she imagined.”

  Kelly said nothing, unable to speak.

  “It’s really sad for my friend,” C.B. went on quickly, her voice sounding troubled.

  “I bet it is,” Kelly finally replied, swallowing her fear. “Why do you bring this up?”

  “I was wondering about my own father.”

  Kelly clenched the iPhone. “We talked about him when you were a teenager and agreed it was better for you not to know anything about him.”

  “Yes, Mom, but that was before I married Daniel.” C.B.’s voice grew bolder. “He says that we need to know my family history for when we have children. Suppose I’m a carrier of some sort of genetic disease. It would make a difference whether we decide to have children or not.”

  Kelly’s heart contracted with pain, forming a hard knot in her chest. The day she dreaded had arrived. “You can trust me when I say that you’ll be okay to have children.”

  “That’s not the point, Mom.” C.B. raised her voice. “Daniel says unless you don’t know who my father is, you should tell me. He says I have the right to know.”

  When had Daniel taken over? If Kelly wouldn’t name C.B.’s father, was Daniel implying she’d been a slut? Kelly gritted her teeth, biting back sudden anger. C.B. was her child. She knew what was best and keeping the secret of her father had never interfered with their relationship until now. Until Daniel.

  “Daniel doesn’t have anything to say about this.”

  “He’s my husband,” C.B. said simply.

  Tears burned behind Kelly’s eyes. She controlled her voice and spoke softly, “He may be, but I’m still your mother. I know what’s best.”

  “Do you, Mom?” C.B. cried. “Do you?”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “You can’t protect me forever. I have the right to know my family history.”

  Kelly heard the determination in her daughter’s voice. “We’ll talk about this later,”

  “Sure, Mom. Later, always later. When are you going to stop running?”

  The conversation came to an abrupt end when the phone went dead. Kelly slowly lowered her iPhone and clutched it in her right hand. She stared straight ahead at the faded, bare wall.

  What am I going to do?

  Nothing at the moment. She would coast along as always, avoiding the hard stuff and doing her best.

  ****

  That evening Kelly and her mother dined at Howie’s house, a spectacular custom-built home in the Locust Grove subdivision, the expensive part of town. The three-story Victorian, finished seven years earlier, had gray siding and a wrap-around porch.

  At their knock Howie opened the door wide, stepping back to let them enter his home. “Welcome!”

  Mother is going to live here? Kelly’s first impression of the interior was one of awe and delight. A wide cherry staircase swept from the second floor to the dark hardwood of the open foyer.

  “Isn’t it lovely?” her mother asked when she noticed Kelly eyeing the grand staircase.

  “Perfect for a lovely bride,” Howie interrupted proudly before Kelly answered.

  “Oh, Howie, you’re so sweet.” Her mother grasped his outstretched hand, and Howie pulled her into a loving embrace.

  To escape, Kelly turned quickly and entered the living room with its warming buttery yellow walls. The floor-to-ceiling windows were dressed with plantation shutters and accented with drawn-back, burnt-orange drapes.

  “Are they at it again?”

  She stopped at the sound of the very familiar male voice. Rob rose from a wingback chair, glass in hand, and grinned at her with a flash of appreciation in his eyes.

  “Public display of affection,” Kelly told him. “You said I’d get used to it, but I seriously doubt it.”

  He laughed, dismissing her concern. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No thank you.”

  “Come on. A little wine? Another margarita?”

  “No!”

  He laughed again as if they shared a secret.

  Kelly stood awkwardly in the wide doorway staring at C.B.’s father. Guilt washed over her. Guilt and fear. “Okay, maybe a little wine. Something red.”

  “My pleasure.” Rob went to the sidebar as their parents came into the room, arms linked like a couple of school chums.

  “Have a seat, Kelly.” Howie escorted her mother to an ivory sofa. “Do you want something to drink, dear?”

  “Nothing, darling.”

  Darling? Kelly thought she’d be sick as her gaze traveled between her mother and Howie, who sat down beside her and picked up his martini glass from the coffee table. A jar of faux lemons and a silk floral arrangement brightened the cherry coffee table.

  “This is an Australian Shiraz.” Rob returned and handed Kelly a wine glass. “It’s a fruity variety. I hope you like it sweet.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine.” As she took the glass, Kelly gazed up into the blue depths of Rob’s eyes, fighting the painful lump in her throat.

  “Take my chair,” Rob offered. He brought a dining room chair into the room and sat down, watching Kelly over the rim of his glass.

  Kelly watched him back, afraid to speak, her heart thudding in her throat. A rope of memories connected them as they sat there staring at each other across the room.

  C.B. wanted to know about her father. How could she tell her daughter the truth after keeping the secret for so many years? If C.B. found out her father was a perfectly respectable lawyer, would she ever understand Kelly’s reasoning—the pure panic of finding out she was pregnant, the fear of her father and for the safety of her unborn child, Mrs. Scott’s interference, and the lack of support from anyone but Aunt Bess, who urged her to move away from Lanham?

  No. C.B. would never understand. Kelly hardly understood herself any more.

  Full of black despair Kelly scowled, looking away, unable to meet Rob’s eyes any longer.

  This was not going to be a good evening.

  ****

  At the urging of their parents, Rob left the dinner table to show Kelly the garden. Kelly’s last image as she left the house was of Howie and her mother sitting in the living room where her mother was pouring coffee from a silver coffee pot into dainty Wedgewood cups. Her mother looked happy, at ease in her new environment. She handled the three-piece silver coffee service as if she had been born to do it.

  Kelly battled against a sick feeling that rose in her throat. When had her world turned upside down? Everything was skewed, especially her feelings.

  “We were set up again,” Rob said strolling beside her, his faded jeans hugging his long legs and lean hips.

  “I’m sorry about that.” Kelly felt her face warm as Rob surveyed her quietly.

  “I don’t mind. Your mother is persistent.”

  “Is that how she snagged your father?”

  Rob shook his head. “No, I think it was more like shared circumstances and loneliness. My father had two good marriages. After his second wife died, he didn’t like living alone.”

  Heart hammering, Kelly glanced away. “I suppose you can get used to it. What about you? Do you like living alone?”

  Leaves rustled in a gentle summer breeze. A wide walkway of cool, gray stones led around a carefully pruned magnolia tree. A blue-gray wooden fence provided privacy, shutting them off from the windows in the back of the house. Green shrubs and colorful perennials were confined to well-manicured beds flanked by softball-sized white rocks.

  Rob ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ve never gotten used to living alone. You probably have no problem with it.”

  She met his gaze once more. “No. I’ve always lived with my daughter or Aunt Bess.”

  They walked a few more steps. “Any boyfriends?” he challenged her. “Or do forty-year-old women call the men they date ‘boyfriends’?”

  “Oh, cute.”
Kelly scoffed. “Did my mother tell you it’s my birthday?”

  Rob watched her closely. “She didn’t have to,” he said. “We went to school together, remember?” He made a soft sound of amusement. “You didn’t answer me about your boyfriends.”

  “I’ve had my share over the years,” she hedged. His stare was making her uneasy.

  “Nothing serious?”

  “No. What about you? Or are you gun-shy after your divorce?” she asked hoping to focus his attention in another direction.

  “Ah, so we change the subject.” Rob lifted an eyebrow and walked on without speaking until they came to a weathered, wooden bench. A water feature bubbled nearby, the water flowing over gray stones into a small, dark pond also surrounded by softball-sized rocks.

  Rob sat down, and Kelly sat down beside him, inwardly shrinking from his oh-so-tempting nearness.

  “Why do want to know?” he asked, continuing the train of conversation.

  “Just curious.”

  “Because you care about me?”

  Her heart plummeted. How did she answer that question? Did she care about him? Or were the rising pulses and shallow breathing a throwback to what happened between them long ago?

  “If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand. It’s really none of my business.” She avoided his question quite deftly.

  As if he read her thoughts, Rob shook his head. “I don’t mind telling you about it.” He rested against the back of the bench and stretched out his legs. His jaw flexed. “I was the last one to know.”

  Kelly didn’t miss the bridled anger in his voice. “Know what?”

  “That my wife was having an affair.”

  The silence between them was heavy.

  “Isn’t that the way it always is?” Kelly said feeling his pain. Hadn’t she dodged entanglements trying to avoid the hurt Rob had experienced?

  He nodded again. “I suppose the wronged spouse wears rose-colored glasses until it’s too late.”

  Uncomfortable, Kelly tried to back off. “You really don’t have to tell me.”

  Rob sat forward and clasped his hands. “I want to, if you don’t mind listening.”

  The weird reality of sitting there with Rob made her pulse rate soar. Kelly felt vulnerable. Out of control. She had trained herself well, but to no avail today.

  “I don’t mind,” she heard a voice that sounded like hers say.

  With a slight scowl on his face, Rob twisted around to face her. “I met Jessica in law school and fell in love. We had fun. We laughed. We worked and played hard. Our wedding was a big, fancy occasion with two hundred guests. I started my own firm while she worked in a large one. After ten years, we tried to have a child. Jessica miscarried.”

  Rob’s clipped explanation stopped abruptly. It took him a minute to regain his composure. Kelly watched the play of sadness and anger on his face.

  Then he went on more softly. “Our relationship was different after that. We didn’t have sex for several months and then only sporadically. She worked long hours. I wanted to have children, but Jessica said she didn’t. ‘She was finished abusing her body,’ she said.” Rob paused. Unspoken pain intensified in his eyes. “I thought moving to Lanham would do us good. A year and a half ago, I found out she was sleeping with a lawyer from her old firm.” He scraped fingers through his hair. “Our marriage was over.”

  “Wow,” Kelly whispered unable to think of anything more appropriate to say. Her heart bled for him. What a hard break—to have it all and then lose everything.

  Rob gave her a half-hearted smile as if trying to pull himself together. “What happened to me is nothing unusual. Many wives cheat on their husbands.”

  “But it happened to you, not someone else. Of course you’re hurt.” Kelly experienced a gut-deep anger, reacting the way she knew she’d feel herself.

  “I don’t know why I told you this,” he said in a controlled voice. “We haven’t seen each other in years.”

  Kelly shrugged unsure of what to say. Suddenly she didn’t want to share his confidences or his sorrow. She didn’t want to care about him.

  “Maybe it’s because of your daughter.”

  “What do you mean?” Her stomach tightened as her preservation instinct kicked in.

  “Because you have your own child,” he murmured “I thought you would understand how important it is for me to have a child of my own. I always wanted to be a father.”

  Swallowing hard, Kelly was unable to meet his gaze. The secret she held in her heart sizzled, making her suddenly even more vulnerable to the miserable look in his eyes.

  “You never married,” he continued. “I guess that’s why I wanted to tell you. I thought you’d understand because some S.O.B. must have hurt you once.”

  Torn by conflicting emotions, Kelly shifted to face him. “Yes,” she said. “Some son of a bitch hurt me like hell.”

  Chapter Nine

  Wednesday afternoon

  He wanted to be a father. Admitting that to Kelly focused the root of his sadness as nothing else in the past three years had done. The next day Rob left the court house, walking briskly down the steps to the square and around the sidewalk to his office in an old building on the right corner of the square.

  His secretary Gail greeted him cheerily when he arrived. “You have a guest waiting in your office.”

  Kelly. A powerful rush of desire filled his veins. “Thanks,” he said, knowing now why Gail had given him that saucy wink. He grinned back at her without embarrassment.

  Kelly stood with her back to the door surveying his rows of law books in a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf behind his desk. She wore denim full-length riding pants with long suede patches inside the calves. The jodhpurs fit her close from the waist to the ankle ending with flared bell bottoms. She had tucked a pale blue chambray shirt into the waist band and rolled up her long sleeves.

  Kelly was sexy. One hundred percent. Every fiber of his being revved with excitement.

  She turned and caught him staring. “What?”

  “I like the way you look since you’ve grown up.”

  Blushing delicately, she stepped around his desk to confront him eye-to-eye, as if challenging him to say more. “Have you read all those books?” she asked instead.

  “Not even half,” he said with a short laugh. Circling the desk, he placed his brief case on the top but didn’t open it. “You must remember this was my father’s office. Many of them are his.”

  “Oh, that’s right.”

  She stood ill-at-ease, shifting her stance and staring at him. Curls of red hair framed her oval face. Kelly’s milk-white complexion was tanned from summer sun. What did she like to do? Did she play golf or tennis? Or did she read books or knit? He didn’t know much about her, but was anxious to learn.

  “I see you came ready to ride.”

  She followed his gaze as he gave her an approving up and down once over. Her body stiffened in defense. “I thought you told me to.”

  “I did.” He grinned, enjoying her discomfiture. “Let me change my clothes, and we’ll get going.”

  ****

  Rob didn’t have fancy jodhpurs, only regular blue jeans. He did wear a pair of waterproof, lace paddock boots, which were perfect for trips to the barn and his infrequent horseback rides.

  “We have to pick up the kids first,” Rob told Kelly as he handed her into his maroon Honda Ridgeline. No BMW for him today.

  “I never figured you as a truck sort of guy.”

  Good, he had surprised her. “Maybe you don’t know me very well,” he teased.

  She settled into the front of the cab and buckled up. “Apparently.”

  Rob drove a couple of blocks from the square and stopped in front of the Lanham Children’s Club, a refurbished hardware store that now housed the local charity organization. Thanks to the Rotary Club, part of the parking lot had been fenced off to create a well-used playground that was currently crawling with shouting children.

  “Wait here. I wo
n’t take long.”

  “Sure.”

  Tara and her little sister Courtney were waiting for him at the door. He signed them out, as always on Wednesdays, and walked hand-and-hand with them to the truck. They scrambled into the back seat, and Rob made sure they buckled up.

  “Tara and Courtney, this is Miss Baron. She’s going riding with us today.”

  Kelly turned and looked over the seat, smiling. “Hi,” she said. “But please call me Kelly.”

  “Hi, Kelly,” Tara said. “Do you like horses too?”

  “I love them.” Kelly’s face was bright. “Which one are you?”

  “I’m Tara. Courtney’s shy.”

  Kelly nodded. “I’m shy too, Courtney. It’s okay. Do you like horses?”

  The smaller child nodded her head. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Rob climbed in the front and started the engine. “I help the girls’ mother pay for riding lessons,” he explained as he pulled onto the street. “It’s our Wednesday thing together, isn’t it girls?”

  “Yes, Rob,” the two chimed in together.

  Rob glanced sideways at Kelly and then back to the road. Good. He could almost see Kelly’s mind whirling. He had surprised her once more and he liked that. Surprising her was part of his plan.

  Knowing the high price of falling in love didn’t stop him. Maybe he liked wearing rose-colored glasses. The world looked better to him like this.

  This is folly. Kelly chided herself silently watching Rob help Tara and Courtney out of the truck. Then they raced ahead of them toward the barn, a long metal structure located two miles outside of town. The sign on the road by the entrance had read Pat’s Riding Academy and Stables. The facility looked well-maintained with its surrounding pastures fenced by dark creosote posts and rails.

  “Bet you didn’t know we have a saddle seat instructor in town now.”

  Kelly glanced up at Rob to see the twinkle in his eyes. Did he enjoy surprising her? “No, I didn’t.”

  “Pat received a nice settlement in her divorce and decided to move from the northern Chicago area and set up her barn,” he explained.

  The gravel crunched beneath her feet. Kelly cocked her head to get a better look at the man who raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Why do I get the feeling you had something to do with this?” She swept her arm out toward the barn and pastureland.