Something Old, Something New

by Linda Louise Rigsbee

  Something Old, Something New

  by Linda Louise Rigsbee

  Copyright 2013 Linda Louise Rigsbee

  Smashwords Edition

  Something Old, Something New is the second book in the Carmen and Alex Series of sweet romance novels. This book is available in print as a handcrafted book by the author at http://www.lindarigsbee.com

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  Prologue

  Alex released Carmen’s hand as she stepped into the house. For a moment his gaze lingered on her slender figure as she walked into the kitchen. She had soft curves in all the right places.

  He forced his attention back to Mr. Reynolds and the others waiting in the relative cool of the screened-in porch.

  “Alex,” Mr. Reynolds said, indicating a tall thin blond man. “This is Sean, Joan’s husband. She’s my oldest daughter.”

  “Sean,” Alex repeated, offering a hand.

  Sean gripped his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “Well Sean,” Alex replied in a dry tone, “I hope some of it was good.”

  Even Josh couldn’t contain a chuckle.

  A short stocky man in a white T-shirt and matching sneakers jabbed a hand at Alex. “I’m Larry…of Mary and Larry,” he said in a southern drawl.

  Alex gripped his hand and chuckled. “I’ll remember that, Larry.”

  “And I’m Carl,” a thin man with a graying mustache said, pumping Alex’s hand. “I belong to Alice…at least, that’s what she says.” The deep set blue eyes held a smile that belied his solemn expression.

  The last two men Alex knew well, Josh and Paul. Paul was the husband of the clinic receptionist, Saundra. Paul shook his hand, but Josh suddenly found interest in the dust on his boots.

  “Looks like we could use some rain,” he said in a casual tone.

  Mr. Reynolds furrowed silver brows in a futile reprimand of his son. When the gray gaze came back to Alex, the brows lifted in resignation.

  Alex shrugged. Whether or not Josh was civil to him wouldn’t make or break his day. Josh still had his nose out of joint about Carmen. If he wanted to keep his marriage together, he’d best let go of his past with Carmen and start focusing on Lori.

  Mrs. Reynolds joined them, holding up a large plastic container. “Here are some sandwiches to keep your strength up,” she said, and winked.

  Josh took the sandwiches. “Thanks, Ma.”

  Mr. Reynolds opened the screen door.

  “We’d better start working on that Buffalo shed before it gets too hot.”

  The others followed him and Alex called after them.

  “I’ll meet you at the house. I need to talk to Carmen for a minute.”

  A symphony of chuckles was the only response. As he turned toward the house, Mrs. Reynolds was preparing to go up the steps. She paused and smiled up at him, one eye almost covered by a wave of gray hair.

  “I guess the best man couldn’t make it,” she said.

  Alex smiled. “Bill had to work today. As for being the best man…” He left the sentence hanging and winked at her.

  She smiled, blue eyes twinkling above round flushed cheeks.

  “Carmen has her own idea about who is the best man, and it isn’t Bill.”

  Alex laughed softly, assisting her up the steps with one hand on her plump elbow.

  “I hope it’s me,” he said.

  She grunted as she mounted the last step into the kitchen. “You know it is.”

  Alex paused, staring wistfully out the window.

  “I wonder sometimes if she’ll go through with it.” He shook his head and grimaced. “I guess I would though, considering my experience.” His gaze shifted to Mrs. Reynolds. “Still, we’re so different, and she’s giving up so much; the dairy, her home…”

  “The dairy wasn’t that important to Carmen. That’s obvious by the fact that she gave it up so easily. Carmen throws herself whole heart into everything she does. I can’t imagine marriage being any different.”

  She arranged the cake on the table.

  Alex lifted his brows. “She was sure stubborn about the goats with Josh.”

  Mrs. Reynolds shrugged. “That’s because Josh gave her an ultimatum…him or the goats.” Her gaze lifted to Alex. “You let it be her choice.”

  Her shoulders dropped as she sighed. “That goat dairy was what kept her going financially and emotionally. She was about as close to her parents as any child I’ve ever seen. When they both died, she was lost. The dairy gave her purpose; hope. She was a change of life baby and they were so conservative and religious. When kids teased her about her outdated moral convictions, she got defensive and withdrew. I think that was the only reason she and Josh became an item. He understood and accepted her.”

  She shrugged and turned to the cabinet, removing some paper plates.

  “I love her almost as much as I do my own children. I knew she didn’t really love Josh, but I didn’t know how to tell them, or even if I should.”

  She placed the plates on the table and looked up at him, her smile sad.

  “Then you came along. Josh was so jealous. He knew he had been bested from the first day. He wanted to hate you…wanted you to fall on your face. I don’t think he has accepted yet that he admires you.”

  Alex stared at her. If Josh admired him, he certainly hid it well. Maybe she wanted to see it that way. It wouldn’t be the first time his wealth or position had attracted people. Yet the Reynolds family seemed to be above that. They were confident in their self-worth and appeared to accept people at face value. Like Carmen, their concept of friendship was two-way, with more focus on giving than receiving. They saw people not for who they were or what they had, but for what kind of person they were. That made their friendship with him all the more valuable.

  “Josh was always so possessive about her,” Mrs. Reynolds continued, shaking her head. If another boy gave her so much as a second look, he had words with him.”

  Alex’s laugh was short and humorless. “Yeah, I know that. He was snarling at me from the day we met.” He lifted his brows and shrugged. “But then, he was dead on about my intent, too.”

  Mrs. Reynolds smiled at him, her eyes regaining the familiar sparkle.

  “You knew what you wanted and you went after it. She likes your confidence and tenacity.”

  Carmen knew what she was after too, and it wasn’t a man who couldn’t give her children the natural way. He wanted her and he went after her. For a while there, it was déjà vu. Once before he had been engaged. That time his fiancé had left him at the altar, running off and marrying a man who could give her what he couldn’t. That experience had been so painful that he avoided meaningful relationships…until he met Carmen. When Carmen discovered he couldn’t have children, she had called their engagement off. He had sworn not to let a woman hurt him again that way. And yet, he couldn’t walk away from Carmen. Was it his tenacity that had changed her mind? Now she said their relationship was more important than having children. She meant it now, but would she regret it later? Would she back out at the last minute the way Tessa did?

  Alex absently ran fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. He was taking on a lot of responsibility…maybe more than he could handle. The clinic and other investments were enough to keep him busy. He had no false illusions, though. Carmen was going to be a handful. Sh
e might get over the phobia about adoption, if that was actually the problem. It might be more an obsession about biological kin. And then there was the issue of one person making decisions. He wasn’t opposed to making decisions, but marriage should be a partnership. There were some decisions that should be made jointly, and being in control meant taking full responsibility. Still, Carmen had an independent nature. She was strong-willed; especially when it came to issues about morality. Even though she carried it to extreme, he admired her integrity.

  His attention turned to the purpose for coming inside the house.

  “I need to talk to Carmen before I leave,” he said, heading for the doorway to the living room.

  As he stepped through the doorway, all eyes turned to him. Normally he wouldn’t mind having the attention of a room full of females, but this was different. In two weeks, they’d be relatives…kind of.

  He ran a hand through his hair again. Taking a deep breath, he walked toward Carmen. She was sitting in a chair beside Katie, watching him with rapt attention.

  From the first time he saw a photo of her, she had held his interest. In the months since he had come to know her, she had grown from a beautiful face to a beautiful woman. There was a passion about her. That much he had discovered the first time they kissed. Yet she was always trying to conceal that passion. At times it seemed that she might be afraid of him. That was a disturbing thought. Surely she must know he would never do anything to harm her.

  He knelt in front of her, gazing into amethyst eyes that openly adored him. She had the most expressive face he had ever seen. Every emotion lay there waiting to be read. The full lips parted as she smiled and that tiny dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth. She was a little apprehensive right now. That wasn’t too surprising, considering the fact that she insisted she wasn’t a social person. Actually, a protected childhood probably left her ill prepared for socializing. Carmen was a straightforward person, and didn’t pretend she was something she wasn’t. It was one of the many things he admired about her.

  He asked a few questions to make sure she would be able to contact him when she was ready to leave and then stood. He would love to take her in his arms right now, but that would embarrass her. Instead, he squeezed her shoulder and left. There would be time enough for affection after the party, when they were alone.

  He left the room reluctantly. The guys were generous enough to offer assistance building the buffalo shed and he didn’t want to keep them waiting.

  Chapter One

  The Reynolds home was the perfect place for Carmen’s bridal shower. With the exception of Lori, a childhood playmate; Katie, the groom’s sister; and Saundra, the receptionist at the groom’s veterinary clinic…and of course, Carmen, the bride; everyone in attendance was a member of the Reynolds family. Still, in addition to family ties, the Reynolds farmhouse was centrally located and large enough to accommodate all the guests.

  Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds had three girls, Joan, Mary and Alice…in that order and each born two years after the other, more or less. Their only boy came along unexpectedly nine years later. All the girls were now married and had children. Josh had only been married to Lori a few months. Oh yes, that would make Lori a member of the Reynolds family too…technically. In actually, she was accepted because she was Josh’s wife. Lori’s past was a little too liberal for such a conservative family. Since they all expected Josh to marry Carmen, what they considered an infatuation with Lori came as a disappointment.

  Ma Reynolds, Mums, was the undisputed matriarch of the Reynolds family, and she had made it clear that Lori would be treated with respect. With the exception of an occasional remark or look, her daughters obeyed.

  Josh was a month younger than Carmen, so it was no surprise that they had become inseparable playmates. In fact, Carmen had spent so much time in the Reynolds kitchen growing up that neighbors began to think she belonged there. As they matured, so did their relationship. Carmen and Josh had never discussed marriage. Everyone simply assumed they would marry. Their unplanned, unannounced engagement had stretched on indistinctly until Carmen began to silently question her lack of enthusiasm. What Josh represented to her at that time was security and family. Maybe that was why having children had been such a non-negotiable part of her plan for the future. After meeting Alex, she discovered there could be much more to a relationship…something she didn’t want to live without.

  These things were on Carmen’s mind as she settled into one of the chairs set up in the family room. Katie came in behind her and sat in a nearby chair.

  “You look so serious,” Katie said, her large blue eyes searching Carmen’s face. “What are you thinking about…second thoughts?”

  Carmen focused her gaze on Katie. “No, I was just thinking about how all this came to be. I’m still a little stunned.”

  Katie chuckled softly. “I know. So much has happened in the last three months.” She ran a hand across her expanding stomach. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a mommy in December. That’s less than five months away.”

  Katie and Bill were going to have a baby. Before Alex came along, Carmen had never given much thought to a father…only that she wanted children. Now, more than anything else, she wanted a baby with Alex. It was strange how a person got to thinking that way after they learned to love someone.

  Katie’s musings interrupted her thoughts.

  “Just think, it was the goat dairy that brought Alex to you, and I was the one who came up with the idea.”

  Carmen frowned. “The goat dairy or bringing him to me?”

  Katie laughed. “The goat dairy. I didn’t think your dad willed you that 80-acre farm so it could become your private Arkansas jungle.” She shrugged one shoulder, her eyes sparkling with humor. “Of course, that’s what it will be when Alex is done with it.”

  Carmen eyed her silently. Alex planned to make it a safari of North American wildlife. Combined with his 120 adjoining acreage, it was a good start. It would take a lot of money to complete, but Alex had money. How much was a mystery even to her, but that didn’t matter. She would have married him if he had been penniless. Still, his pay-as-you-go philosophy implied he didn’t take money for granted. His new log home was nice, but not extravagant. Even so, Alex was a blend of excitement and security for her. For the first time she was looking forward to winter. It would be her first winter in a house that wasn’t cold and drafty. The first winter she would be able to do chores without freezing her buns off. And, of course the first winter she would have a warm body to sleep with.

  A warm deep voice drifted in from the kitchen and Carmen’s gaze riveted on the kitchen doorway. Alex was talking to someone. When he entered the living room where the women were gathering, his gaze immediately found Carmen. He ran a hand through short curly black hair that didn’t need straightening. His chocolate gaze scanned the room full of women uncomfortably as he walked toward her, his square-toed harness boots clicking briskly on the hardwood floor. The large western belt buckle at his lean waist moved with the graceful rhythm of his stride. Indigo jeans outlined the long lean muscles in his thighs, and the sleeves of his western shirt were rolled up to reveal tanned muscular forearms.

  Carmen suppressed a smile. All the women in the room had laughed when she confided that he was the handsomest man she had ever seen, but every eye in the room was on him right now.

  Reaching her side, he squatted close to her, his head almost level with hers. Had anyone else been that close, she would have felt her space was being invaded, but in this case the smell of his cologne and his close proximity increased her pulse. He spoke quietly, but his voice carried well.

  “We’re all going over to work on the buffalo shed now. Do you have your cell phone?”

  She gazed at those smooth bronzed features and nodded.

  “Is it turned on?” Humor put a twinkle in his eyes.

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  He stood in one fluid movement. “Well, call me when you’re ready to go home and I�
��ll come get you.” His hand rested on her shoulder for a moment, warm and reassuring. He wouldn’t kiss her goodbye in front of all of the women. Then he turned and strode from the room.

  Katie rolled her eyes. “I swear. That would drive me insane.”

  “Yeah,” Alice said with a long dreamy sigh. “Me too.” Then, molding her expression into mock comprehension, she added: “Oh, you meant the way he was telling her what to do?”

  They all laughed and Joan shook her head. “He’s a cutie all right, but I have to agree with Katie. It would drive me nuts to have someone instructing me through every move.”

  Carmen shrugged. “He’s a little over protective at times, but he means well.”

  “Have you ever left your telephone behind, or off, when he needed to reach you?” The voice belonged to Mums. She must have entered the room when Alex came in. With crochet needles in her lap, Mums eyed Carmen over the rim of her reading glasses.

  Carmen squirmed in her chair. “A few times. I’m not used to having a phone in the house, much less carrying a cell phone. That was his idea, not mine.”

  Mums nodded. “Alex is a good boy.”

  “Boy?” Alice said. “He’ll turn thirty in a couple months. He’s a mature male.”

  Mums rocked in her chair and finished counting stitches before she responded. “He’s book smart and business savvy, but he’s still a boy in some ways.” Her gentle gaze came back to Carmen. “Besides, Carmen likes being looked after, don’t you honey?”

  Carmen nodded. “I haven’t felt so safe since before Dad died. I guess I do like being protected. He did save me from the wild dogs, you know.”

  “So did Josh,” Mary said without looking up from the magazine she was flipping through.

  It was true. Josh had saved her life on more than one occasion. So why did she feel safer with Alex? Of course, with Alex it went deeper than safety. Alex was chivalrous. Was that it…pretty words and gentlemanly deeds?

  Lori picked up a magazine, obviously trying to forget the history between Carmen and her husband.