Her gaze fell again, this time dragging her hope down with it. “And what about us?”
When he sighed, she regretted hearing the weariness the sound carried.
“There was never an ‘us,’ Sheri. I’ve never done anything to lead you to believe otherwise.”
“Haven’t you?” she accused.
“No,” he said with a firmness that made her flinch. “We have always been the best of friends and nothing more.”
When she said nothing, he went on, “Come on, Sheri. We haven’t gone on so much as a date. How could you think that I led you on?”
He hadn’t, and Sheri knew it, but she couldn’t make herself say it. “Well, I guess that’s that,” she said, turning away from him.
“Sheri,” he said, stopping her before she’d pulled open the door.
She faced him again.
“We’ve been friends a long time. I hope we can continue to be.”
She gave him a tight smile, but said nothing. She turned and walked out of his office with as much dignity as she could muster.
Julia and Robin had fallen in love with Moreland, and it appeared the town had fallen for them, as well.
Julia worked during the week at the Georgia Inn, and had enjoyed the people that filtered through the town. Lilly, in turn, appreciated having an extra pair of hands with the summer guests.
Word spread throughout Moreland of Julia’s patchwork with Carson’s dog, Champ, and soon people from all around were bringing their pets to see her and were calling her Dr. Julia—which was fine by her.
Robin, on the other hand, was beginning to act more like Carson’s daughter, Bobbi, while Bobbi kept asking Julia for tips on how to act more feminine.
From what Julia could ascertain, Robin had been correct about her new friend’s crush on Stanley Forrester. It was actually kind of cute.
Now the whole town was obsessed with preparations for the Fourth of July celebration. Even Julia had to admit that she was looking forward to attending the small parade and fireworks display.
Carson’s father, Charles, was in charge of the light show, and he’d spent the last few weeks boasting to anyone who would listen of the show that he had lined up.
Carson also found his father’s behavior hilarious, but, in the end, everyone delighted in Charles’s excitement.
Julia finished the morning dishes and decided to take another walk through the gardens before she took Robin and Bobbi to baseball practice.
This coming weekend Robin would debut in her first game with the Wildcats, and from the way she’d been bouncing off the walls, Julia concluded that her daughter couldn’t wait.
To her great surprise and relief, Robin had long stopped asking about David and eagerly accepted that Moreland might be their new home.
As for their car, Julia was beginning to doubt Carson’s ability to fix whatever was wrong with the transmission. However, everyone kept assuring her that Carson was the best when it came to fixing cars. So she waited.
However, Moreland had become an unexpected detour in her life, and she could honestly say that she wasn’t completely sorry for it.
The days had ticked by at a pace much slower than she was used to, but it was all part of the town’s charm.
“I’m starting to think that you love it out here as much as I do.”
Julia pivoted at the sound of Carson’s familiar voice, then smiled at the gentle giant as he approached her.
“I’m afraid I have to confess that this is my favorite spot.”
Casually, he plucked a daisy and twirled it by its stem as he looked at her. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me to hear you say that.”
She averted her eyes and took her usual seat on the bench.
Carson’s sudden appearance had long stopped being a surprise to her. By now he knew that she escaped out here every day about the same time, and he’d always managed to drop by.
Julia lied to herself, telling herself that she wasn’t touched by the gesture. On the two days that he hadn’t made it out here, she’d been awash with disappointment.
She smiled when he sat beside her.
“I think the simple life agrees with you,” he complimented out of the blue.
“Sometimes it feels like I’ve been here all of my life instead of just a month.” She looked up into his onyx gaze, feeling its pull like a lover’s embrace. She stifled the urge to drown in his trusting eyes.
“Have you thought about staying here?”
Their gazes found each other’s again for a brief, intimate moment, then fell.
“The thought has crossed my mind,” she confessed. “But I haven’t made a decision.” What she wanted to say was that she was stymied in her decision. The wrong choice could be fatal. So far it seemed she and her daughter were safe, or at least Moreland gave them a sense of security. Or maybe it was the man sitting beside her.
Julia sneaked another glance in his direction while he appeared to be lost in his own thoughts. It was hard to think of him as anything other than a gentle giant. Everyone in town loved Carson, and it wasn’t hard to understand why. The man cared for everyone and would do anything to lend a helping hand. Despite her previous proclamation, Carson, with all his positive attributes, had wheedled his way into her heart.
She jumped when she felt his fingers brush against her ears; then she slowly realized he was placing something in her hair.
“I think it suits you,” he said with a wry smile that made his eyes twinkle.
She reached up and felt the daisy’s soft petals. Another rush of heat burned her cheeks. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re nothing but a big flirt?”
His large hand covered his heart. “Who, me?”
“Yes, you.” She laughed. “Have you ever thought about what Sheri would say if she ever found you out here alone with me?”
“What do you mean?”
She shook her head at his incredulous look. “You can’t be that naive.”
He exhaled a long, dramatic sigh. “All right, so she may like me.”
“May?” Julia’s laughter deepened, and soon his rich baritone joined her husky vibrato to create their own form of music.
Carson watched Julia’s angelic face expand with a magnificent smile, and he felt that strange flutter return in his chest.
“I’d like to invite you and Robin to have dinner with Bobbi and me at our place tonight,” he said suddenly, then masked his own surprise at the offer that seemed to pour from his lips.
Julia tried to say something, but her mouth only opened and closed without emitting a sound.
“I promise you, I can cook,” he quickly added.
“I don’t have any problems believing that,” she finally managed to say. “However, I don’t think that it’s appropriate.”
“Why not?”
Because you’re still in love with your deceased wife and I’ve vowed never to fall in love again, she wanted to say, but she somehow managed to curb her tongue.
“Mainly because your girlfriend would have a capital F-I-T,” she said instead, then laughed.
“You’re as bad as my sister. How many times have I told you that Sheri is not my girlfriend?”
“How many times have I told you to tell Sheri that? Last Sunday she shot daggers at me through the entire church service.”
“I guess you can say that we’ve already had that discussion,” he said almost painfully. “Sheri’s like a little sister to me. I’ve know her forever.”
“About as long as you knew Karen?” Julia’s hand flew across her mouth at the realization of what she’d said.
Carson’s spirits plummeted.
“I’m so sorry,” Julia said through the gaps of her fingers. “I didn’t mean to bring up Karen again.”
“Don’t be.” He smiled. “I like talking to you about Karen. It’s sort of therapeutic. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll let me be your shoulder to cry on.”
Julia highly doubted it, but said instead, “Yeah, who k
nows?”
Chapter 17
Tony hated it when a case’s trail turned cold, which was what had happened to the Mercer case. Dr. Julia Kelley and her daughter’s pictures had been posted everywhere, including on the FBI’s Web site. Still, they’d yet to receive a single call as to their possible whereabouts. At this point, he feared them to be dead.
Special Agent Todd Hendrix dropped a box packed with his belongings down onto the empty desk opposite Tony. “Looks like I’ve been transferred to your team,” he announced with a wide smile.
Tony mimicked the smile without much feeling. “I guess so.”
Since Paul’s explosion at his and Michelle’s apartment, they had pretty much danced around each other. But he would have thought Paul would have informed him of transferring another agent to his team.
Michelle, however, was the most hurt by their behavior, though that was the last thing that either of the men had wanted to do.
Tony glanced up at Todd and knew that it was going to take some time to get used to the man.
“I’m going to run and get another cup of coffee,” Todd said, interrupting Paul’s thoughts. “Can I get you anything?”
“Nah. I reached my limit about an hour ago.”
“All right, then.” Todd grabbed his cup and disappeared out of their office just as the telephone rang.
“Special Agent Iaanelli,” he answered, and heard the weariness in his own voice.
“Tony.” Travis’s voice boomed over the line. “You actually answer your phone.”
“From time to time.” He chuckled at his own joke. “It’s been a while since I’ve talked to you, Travis. What can I do you for?”
“Actually, I was in the gift-giving mood this morning and noticed that my old friend Tony was at the top of my Christmas list.”
“Is that right?”
“Now, if you don’t want it, just say so. I’m sure that you and your future father-in-law are progressing quite nicely on the Mercer-Kelley case. I’ll holler at ya later.”
“Wait,” Tony shouted into the phone while simultaneously reaching for his notepad. “Tell me what you got.”
“A 1962 Chevy Impala. Tag number 843 DST.”
Tony waited. “Is that it?”
Travis laughed. “Should be enough, don’t you think?”
“Maybe you should start at the beginning, because I’m having a hard time following you.”
“I take it that you haven’t talked to Regis?”
“Paul? Had he called you about this car or something?”
“Well, I don’t know all the details, but he said something at the crime scene led him to believe that the Kelleys owned another car—some manuals and oil stains, or something like that. He asked me to run a check on whether another car was registered to either Julia Kelley or David Lawson.”
“And you came up with a sixty-two Chevy Impala?”
“That’s the short of it. The tags were just renewed in May, so this leads me to believe that the car is still in commission.”
Tony nodded and stifled his irritation at Paul for not letting him in on what he’d discovered. “Thanks, Travis. I’ll let him know what you came up with.”
“All right. But you guys owe me one.”
“Sure thing.”
Tony jumped to his feet and headed for the door when it swung open, with Todd trying to prevent the hot liquid from sloshing over the sides. But when Tony breezed past him, his efforts went up in smoke.
“Ouch, ouch. Where are you going?” Todd asked, stepping back from his dripping cup.
To murder my boss, was what he wanted to say, but instead he said, “To get some coffee.”
“But…”
Todd’s voice faded as Tony marched down the hallway fully intending to get some answers.
Julia joined Carson and his entire family at the baseball field to watch the Wildcats play against the Devils. The Wildcats had a winning record of 10–0. It was the team’s best playing record for more than a decade, according to Carson.
The third day in July was by far the hottest day of the summer thus far, but it had no impact on the growing attendance. Many of the women wore large hats that infuriated whoever sat behind them on the bleachers.
Julia spotted Robin out in center field and waved enthusiastically. Though Julia had never been much of a sports fan, it wasn’t long before the crowd’s excitement infected her.
Bobbi took her place on the pitcher’s mound to resonating applause from one side of the diamond and jeers from the other side. However, the fans on the Wildcats’ bleachers were the loudest.
After the home-plate umpire announced, “Play ball,” Bobbi sailed a perfect fastball down the center of the plate for the first strike of the game.
Through the first few innings, Julia tried to ignore the sun’s sweltering heat and to just enjoy the game, which wasn’t easy to do. Yet Carson and Lilly were just as entertaining as the game.
“Are you blind or something?” Lilly hollered more than once at the umpires whenever she didn’t agree with their calls.
And Carson’s hoots and declarations of “That’s my baby,” drew many smiles from the crowd, especially the women.
At the bottom of the fifth inning, Julia sprang to her feet with her own joyful wail when Robin connected with a slider and sent the ball careening past the right fielder’s outstretched glove. After the dust had cleared, two runners had raced safely across home plate and Robin stood on second base.
When Robin drove in another runner in the eighth inning, Julia received many pats and high fives from the Carson family. As the game continued to unfold, Julia was amazed that she’d never picked up on what she perceived as her daughter’s natural athletic ability.
In the top of the ninth, the Devils threatened a comeback when they managed to score two runs.
Julia wasn’t aware that she was actually squeezing Carson’s hand until he leaned over and informed her that he was losing the feeling in it.
“Sorry,” she said, embarrassed.
He laughed. “No need to be sorry. It’s a close game.”
She nodded and chewed on her bottom lip as she returned her attention to the game.
Bobbi took her pitcher’s stance and shook off the suggested pitches from her catcher before spearing another fastball down the center.
“Strike three,” the umpire declared.
Julia and Carson leaped into each other’s arms while Lilly and her husband broke into a chorus of “We’re number one.”
Robin and Bobbi ran over to them, with Bobbi hugging Julia and Robin being swung up into the air by Carson.
“Did you see me? I hit two doubles.” Robin beamed proudly.
“You sure did. I’m so proud of you,” he said, planting a kiss on her forehead.
Bobbi, meanwhile, whispered into Julia’s ear. “Have you seen Stanley around?”
Julia blanched. She’d forgotten that Bobbi had asked her to watch for him in the bleachers. “Honey, I’m sorry. I got so caught up in the game, I forgot to look for him.” She turned and searched through the crowd, but didn’t see him.
“That’s all right. He probably didn’t come.”
Carson suddenly grabbed his daughter and swept her into a fierce hug. “You were magnificent.”
Bobbi’s frown of disappointment crumbled and a bright smile blinded her father. “I was, wasn’t I?”
Julia laughed as Robin slid into her arms. “You were just as great, honey,” she said.
“Thanks, Mom.”
After the girls were passed back and forth between the adults, Charles clapped his hands together to draw the small group’s attention.
“I hope everyone knows what this means,” he said with twinkling eyes and a wide smile.
“Banana splits!” the girls exclaimed, jumping into each other’s arms.
The mere thought of ice cream lowered Julia’s body temperature several degrees.
Lilly shook her head. “I’d love to join you guys, but I
have quite a few pies to finish in time for tomorrow’s celebration. I’ll just catch up to you later.”
“Do you need some help?” Julia asked, concerned.
“Nah. Don’t you worry about it none. You and your daughter have plenty to celebrate.” She tugged Robin’s fat pigtail. “You were something else out there, sport.”
Robin’s smile continued to grow brighter. “Thanks, Aunt Lilly.”
Julia blinked. When had her daughter started calling Lilly her aunt?
“How about you, Pops?” Carson asked. “Are you and Mom joining us over at Bertie’s?”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Grace nodded and looped an arm through Julia’s. “And afterward everyone can come back to our place. I know I could use a little help on some last-minute dishes for tomorrow’s festivities.”
“I’d be more than happy to help.” Julia patted her hand.
Aunt Bertie’s Ice Cream Shop was overflowing with people by the time they arrived. But no one in the crowd seemed to mind standing in the long lines or waiting for people to vacate tables.
Harvey, the owner of the shop and one of two people working behind the counter, complimented Julia with a kiss on the hand when she offered it during introductions.
“If you’re not interested in my friend Carson, here, already, I’d sure like to look you up sometime,” he said, then leaned forward to whisper, “That’s if you like older men.”
“You never know,” Julia said, laughing. “I might take you up on that sometime.”
The man’s color deepened before he glanced over to Carson. “You sure were right about her. She’s as pretty as they come.”
Julia cast a sidelong glance at Carson, who flushed instantly.
“Is that what he said?” Julia asked.
Harvey laughed as he began fixing their order. “Sure did.”
Julia turned toward Carson and smiled, enjoying his obvious discomfort. “So you think I’m pretty?”
Carson shrugged. “I guess.”
“You guess?” She playfully jabbed her hands onto her hips.
He shrugged again. “Yeah. Pretty in a beautiful sort of way.”
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