Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set

by Maddie James

  “Psychic?”

  “Not a chance.”

  He shrugged, not hiding a telltale grin. “I’m a good lawyer and Pat liked my relocation suggestion.”

  Kelly felt her cheeks flush warmly at the way he stared at her. If he didn’t quit looking at her like that, she’d... She would do what? Kiss him? The impulse played havoc with her mind, and she strode faster, as if she could avoid him.

  She couldn’t, of course. He caught up with her quickly enough, and they passed through the wide open doorway of the barn.

  Inside the dark aisles flanked by stalls full of curious horses poking their noses up against the bars, Kelly’s body relaxed. The familiar smells of horseflesh, leather, and cedar shavings filled her with a quiet calmness. Why had she stopped riding? It was such a mind-clearer, a way to release tension. A thirty-minute lesson aboard a spirited American Saddlebred horse did more for her well-being than anything else she had ever found.

  They followed the sounds of excited little girls to two stalls at the end of the aisle. Standing with Tara and Courtney in a stall with a small spotted pony was a trim, gray-haired woman dressed in Kentucky jodhpurs, paddock boots, and a green T-shirt.

  At their approach, she turned welcoming them with a smile. “Your girls are beside themselves as usual, Rob.”

  Rob laughed warmheartedly. “Pat, this is my friend Kelly. I asked her to tag along with us today.”

  Pat stepped to the door of the stall and stuck out her hand. “Glad to meet you.”

  Kelly grabbed the calloused hand. Pat’s grip was firm as if she had all the confidence in the world. “Good to meet you too.”

  “I see you ride,” Pat said marking the way Kelly was dressed.

  “Yes, I’ve taken a few lessons. Saddle seat.”

  “Terrific. I guess Rob told you we’re a saddle seat barn.”

  “Yes, he mentioned it.” Although saddle seat was an English style of riding, it was uniquely American having originated on the plantations of the Confederate South and developed to show off elegant, easy-riding pleasure horses.

  Further conversation was put on hold because of the anxious little girls, hopping from one foot to the other, eager to ride.

  And ride they did. Kelly and Rob watched them from the middle of a large indoor arena covered with a floor of dirt and sawdust. Little Courtney rode an easy-going black and white pony named Cookie while Tara was aboard a retired Saddlebred show horse nicknamed Spook.

  “Shorten your snaffle reins, Tara,” Pat instructed as both children and mounts circled and circled the arena hugging the inside walls. “Courtney, heels down! Raise your hands.”

  From what Kelly could tell, Pat was an excellent instructor, patient and competent, but what interested her most was Rob’s reaction to the lessons. The tenderness in his expression amazed her. His gaze never left the two girls as they completed their various gaits. When Tara was asked to canter, Kelly watched Rob’s body language also urging the big bay horse into the gait. After a few stops and starts, Tara accomplished her task, and as the horse and rider cantered around the arena, Rob mouthed a happy “yes” and pumped his fist in triumph.

  More uncertain than ever, Kelly stood quietly, her heart pounding, as Pat barked instructions and Rob followed the lessons with an intensity of any proud parent.

  He would be a good father.

  A wave of understanding washed over her as well as a heavy swell of guilt. Rob had a child, one he didn’t know existed. Somehow her decision as a scared, pregnant teen was coming back to haunt her in the worst way. Had she made a terrible mistake? Should she have told Rob the truth back then, no matter the threat from his mother and her father? At eighteen, would he have stepped up and done the right thing by her?

  All water over the dam, as the old adage went. Much too late to change the choices she made. If what she had done was a mistake, then she had to live with its consequences.

  The secret in her heart formed a hard knot in her chest, and she knew she must keep it no matter what.

  ****

  “It’s a good thing what Rob does for those girls,” Pat said to Kelly.

  They watched from the door of the barn as Rob walked the two children to their mother’s late model Chevy. A young woman in blue jeans came around the old car to greet them, and Kelly imagined the little girls were telling her all about their exciting lessons. Soon Rob knelt down and, one at a time, both girls hugged his neck, and then he stood and helped them climb into the car and buckle up.

  “Their dad deserted the family and Becky has struggled. She could never afford sixty dollars a week for lessons,” Pat explained.

  Kelly licked her lips and watched the scene unfolding in the distance. She had to conquer her involuntary reactions to Rob’s kindness and generosity. Why agonize over it? She’d be gone Saturday morning after the wedding. She didn’t have to see him again or worry about the past.

  Drawing a quick breath at her naïveté, Kelly straightened her shoulders and stared ahead. Who was she kidding? Her mother was marrying his dad. She and Rob would be thrown together at family events from now on.

  “Any chance we can take that trail ride?” Rob asked walking toward them with long strides, his powerful well-muscled body moving with ease.

  “Sure thing,” Pat answered. “All we have to do is put another saddle on Spook and tack Rival.” She turned and headed into the barn.

  Kelly looked up and met Rob’s twinkling eyes. “Trail ride?”

  “I thought it would be fun.” He inclined his blond head. “If you’re up to it.”

  “Are you challenging me?”

  “Of course I am.”

  She couldn’t resist him. The fondness and amusement in his blue eyes compelled her to say yes.

  Kelly ducked her head as if avoiding her own self-destructive compulsion. She didn’t understand why she wasn’t running away this time. “Okay,” she said, “I accept the challenge.”

  His face triumphant, Rob headed to the tack room and returned with two riding helmets. Placing one on a tack trunk, he lifted the other one high above her head, lowered it, and fitted it snuggly in place.

  He was much too near, his towering presence overpowering her. She inhaled sharply at the contact of his fingers under her chin. Her gaze locked with his, and then she couldn’t breathe, her heart pounding as if it was trying to escape her chest. A smoldering flame lit in his eyes. He slowly hooked the chin strap.

  Who knew the mere act of putting on a riding helmet could be so sexy? It was freaking her out.

  But she wouldn’t let him help her mount. The thought of having his hands touching anywhere on her body accelerated her already racing heart. She pressed her lips firmly together.

  Pat led Rival out of the stall into the aisle and held his head while Kelly pulled up a sturdy plastic stepstool near to the bay horse’s left side.

  “Rob, hold Kelly’s stirrup, will you?”

  “I’d rather give her a leg-up.” His voice carried a teasing quality, but his eyes spoke his serious intent.

  “Not on your life!” Kelly stepped on the stool, gathered her reins, and with hands gripping the front and back of the saddle, stuck her boot into the left stirrup.

  On the other side of the horse, Rob held her right stirrup to keep the saddle in place as her weight shifted it to the left. “At least I’m good for something,” he quipped.

  Kelly glared at him and swung into the saddle longing to just accidently kick him in his handsome face. But she resisted the impulse and settled into the saddle instead. Getting the feel of the leather beneath her, she picked up the double reins adjusting them between her fingers.

  “You know what you’re doing,” Pat commented after observing her actions. “I won’t worry about you.”

  The praise raised Kelly’s spirits. Maybe she could survive the trail ride after all. Who knows, it might even be fun.

  Riding Spook out of the barn into the bright afternoon sunshine, Rob fought to control his high spirits. Did ag
reeing to the trail ride mean Kelly was slowly coming around? He had seen a spark of interest in her eyes and wanted to press his advantage.

  Turning in the saddle, he placed a hand on the horse’s rump and looked back at Kelly. She followed on Rival, another retired Saddlebred with a shiny chestnut coat. Her red hair was hidden by the helmet, but her coloring complemented that of the horse. She was relaxed in the saddle, as if born to ride. Her denim jodhpurs, extending longer than the heel of her boots in back and covering the arch of the foot, made her legs appear long and elegant.

  He loved the look of her in the saddle. He loved the look of her all the time. Rob’s heart warmed, and he knew he wanted more from Kelly than she was probably willing to give.

  “The trail runs along the outside of Pat’s pasture and goes down to the creek. Just follow me,” he told her, deciding he’d do something about her reluctance.

  “I wouldn’t think of doing anything else.” Her answer was glib.

  He laughed as he turned around. Rob also loved her testiness. He loved her spunk. She might believe herself to be shy, but there was a steel quality underneath everything. How else had she survived the heartache life had thrown at her? God, he admired her for that.

  They walked their horses along the back fence row. Rob found the rhythm of the slow gait and the crunch of dry grass under the horses’ hooves soothing. He relaxed in the saddle, always mindful of Kelly behind him keeping pace.

  The trail led down to a lower pasture, always following the outer fence. Inside the pasture, horses grazed. Overhead a black crow cawed from the top of a maple tree as if standing watch over them. Fifteen minutes into the ride the trail dipped toward the creek. Rob gave Spook his head going down the rocky embankment. Low from lack of rain, the creek made a lazy path winding its way along the back of Pat’s property.

  Stopping at the edge of the creek, Rob let Kelly and Rival catch up. They halted beside him. Kelly rested her hands on the pommel of the saddle.

  “This is pretty,” she said looking out across the shallow water.

  “Not as pretty as you.”

  “Rob!”

  “What? You don’t like a compliment?”

  “I don’t like you pressing me,” she replied as she set her jaw in anger.

  “Pressing? I’m just stating the obvious.” He turned Spook to the left and circled around, coming in alongside Rival so close that his knee brushed up against Kelly’s thigh. “I’ve always thought you beautiful, Kelly.”

  She studied him a moment and then looked away.

  With his left hand, Rob reached across his body and touched Kelly’s chin. Gently he urged her to turn her head. When she did, he saw a mixture of anguish and longing in her eyes.

  “I’ve missed you, Kelly.”

  She wet her lips. “What am I to say to that?”

  “Don’t say anything.”

  He cupped her chin and pulled her face toward him. Leaning nearer, he angled his head to the side and then covered her mouth with his. Her lips were warm and wet. He devoured their softness, hungry for more, asking for more, not expecting anything.

  Parting her lips, Kelly raised herself in the saddle, tilting toward him, and kissed him back.

  Chapter Ten

  Thursday morning

  “I don’t understand why you’re so upset,” Rachel said, her voice sounding as if it was next door even though it was coming through Kelly’s iPhone.

  “I kissed a man!”

  Rachel laughed. “You should be doing more of that. What’s wrong with this man?”

  “He’s not just any man,” Kelly said. No, he’s C.B.’s father. Her heart caved in her chest crushing her with fear and pain. “I, ‘er, dated him in high school,” she went on to explain to her best friend.

  “So?”

  “So I shouldn’t be kissing him!”

  “Is he married?”

  “Divorced.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” Rachel’s question hung between them like a heavy obstacle. “Oh, I get it. You enjoyed it!”

  Kelly licked her lips. God help her. She had enjoyed it.

  “Kelly?”

  “Yes.” Her response was a bit too sharp.

  “Are you falling for this guy?”

  “No!” She couldn’t. Wouldn’t. What was happening to her?

  “Take a deep breath, sweetie. You don’t have to marry this man just because you enjoyed kissing him.”

  Kelly sunk onto her mattress, putting the death grip on her iPhone. Her stripped bedroom felt cold and impersonal, as if ghosts of childhood past were haunting the room. “You’re right,” she said, inhaling deeply. “It’s just one kiss.”

  “Then why are you upset?”

  Because he may find out the truth and hate me.

  When she didn’t speak up, Rachel pressured her again. “You dated milquetoast Thomas so long you’ve forgotten how a real, hot-blooded man behaves. From what I gather, he likes you. Why not let this play out a little? See where it goes.”

  “Because I don’t intend to stay in Lanham,” Kelly shot back. “I’m supposed to be finding myself, remember? I plan to head to Beaufort on Saturday to visit you.”

  “But suppose you find yourself in Lanham? Suppose this guy is the one you’re supposed to build your new life around?

  “Because he isn’t.” Kelly was tired of the discussion. It was going nowhere. “If you don’t want me to come, I’ll change my plans.”

  “Of course I want you to come.”

  “I’ll be there Sunday.”

  “Okay.” Rachel paused. “But if you change your plans, all you have to do is call.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Of course not.”

  She heard the grin in her friend’s voice. “Good-bye, Rachel,” Kelly said through gritted teeth.

  “See you Sunday,” Rachel answered. “Maybe.”

  Maybe? There was no maybe about it. She wasn’t sticking around. It was too dangerous. Kelly had no intention of falling under Rob Scott’s spell.

  Irritated at herself, she forced down the knot of fear in her stomach. Then her gaze fell on the footlocker setting in the middle of the floor where Rob had dropped it. One last obligation to complete.

  If I can find the key.

  Kelly thought a minute, trying to recall the last time she had shut the footlocker. Lying back on the bed, her hands behind her head, she stared at the ceiling for a long time, unwinding, breathing deeply, and trying to solve the mystery of the key.

  Suddenly she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Following a sixth sense, she stood up and walked to the dresser pulling open the bottom drawer. Reaching underneath it, her fingers touched the key taped to the bottom.

  As she opened the footlocker, Kelly inhaled and then exhaled long and hard. She sat down cross-legged on the floor and peeked inside ready to toss the contents—a ragged stuffed bear, a stack of yellowed English composition papers with red “A’s” emblazoned across them, and aged photographs showing the disaster she’d been in high school with her long-sleeve blouses, long skirts and long hair pinned up in an old-fashioned bun.

  Yearbooks from all four years were there. Reluctant to relive unwanted memories, Kelly didn’t open them. She shoved them aside and beneath them found a blue spiral-bound notebook.

  My diary.

  A cold chill ran through her chest. Slowly Kelly removed the notebook and placed it on her lap. Staring at it, touching it, she fought the recurring anxiety this trip to Lanham had ignited. In the end, curiosity overcame common sense. She opened the notebook.

  Most of it was filled with anger at her father and the horrid restrictions he forced upon her. “Two boys made fun of me today in history class,” she’d written twenty-two years ago. “They called me Amish girl and said I was ugly. I wouldn’t let them see how their words hurt me. Rob was in the class. He didn’t say anything to them, because we had an agreement we wouldn’t talk in school, but I saw in his eyes how angry he was at them. I knew
he wanted to defend me.”

  Kelly licked her lips, fighting back tears as the humiliation came back full force. She had hated high school. Lanham. Her father. She had wanted to escape from this rotten, miserable little town. She didn’t regret leaving.

  Kelly set her jaw, knowing she had done the right thing.

  On the last two pages of the notebook she discovered more. “Rob doesn’t know,” she had written in her scrawling handwriting. “I can’t tell him. His mother may already suspect something. She warned me to lay off. I had to tell him we couldn’t go together any more. I didn’t tell him why. He told me I was breaking his heart.”

  Her head bowed, Kelly slumped in despair. Rob had cared about her so many years ago. Had she really broken his heart? She couldn’t believe it. Didn’t want to believe it. She’d done what she had to do to save their child. That was all. The bottom line. The end.

  Kelly rose from the floor and ripped the pages from the notebook. She tore them in two again and again until she shredded them into strips of paper, destroying the evidence of that horrible, hurtful life.

  Chapter Eleven

  Howie’s house

  Thursday evening

  Her mother was sobbing. Kelly stood helplessly in the living room of Howie’s house watching her soon-to-be-stepfather envelop her mother into his arms, comforting her like a child.

  “What’s wrong?” Rob came into the room carrying two glasses of wine. He handed one to Kelly, looking about as awkward as she felt.

  “She got a phone call and just started crying,” Kelly said with a shrug. The fact that her stoic, always steady mother was having a major meltdown startled her. She had never before seen such a show of emotion from her mother.

  Rob took a sip of wine, observing the scene with a lawyer’s eye. “My guess is pre-wedding jitters.”

  “I suppose so.”

  Howie led Grace to the sofa. She sat down, and he gave her his clean handkerchief. Kelly hadn’t seen a man with a white handkerchief in years, not since her father. She frowned at the comparison. From what she could tell, Howard Scott was one hundred percent more caring than her father had ever been.