Loving Kate

by Lara Van Hulzen

  Good. Ness.

  “You gonna stand there ogling or are you gonna come in?”

  She jumped at his voice. For. The. Love. Could she please crawl in a hole and die? Right now?

  He was standing sideways, facing the sink. When he turned to look at her, she snapped out of her trance and saw blood running down his bicep.

  “You’re bleeding!”

  He leaned a hip against the counter and wiped at his arm with a wet paper towel. Nudging the faucet with his elbow, he turned off the water.

  “Oh, my gosh!” She made her way over to him. “Here. Let me help.” Without thinking, she took the towel from him and started dabbing his arm. The wound was a cut about two inches long. She leaned in close to see better. “It’s doesn’t look too deep so that’s good.”

  “We really have to stop meeting like this.”

  The teasing tone in his voice sent a shiver through her. The good kind. She tilted her head back and looked into his eyes. There was mischief there along with other emotions she was certain she wasn’t ready for. Heat rising in her cheeks, she looked again at his cut.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, the first time we were in here I was helping you bandage a boo-boo.”

  Kate forced herself to stare at the slice of red in his arm. His well-toned, manly arm. Not one that handled boo-boos, but the kind that had held her close. Made her feel safe. Strong, capable, masculine arms.

  Get a grip, MacIntire. You’re now swooning over his arms.

  “What happened?”

  He looked down at the cut. “I was too close to the wall. Rubbed against a piece of the brick that was messed up. No biggie. I just need a Band-Aid. Got any Barbie ones?” He started rummaging through the kitchen cupboard above the sink with his other hand.

  She giggled. “No.”

  Good Lord. The man had her giggling. She was not a giggler.

  “Fine. I’ll take a G.I. Joe one then.”

  The man was incorrigible. And at the moment, adorable, wrapped up in a sexy, muscle-clad package.

  Kate moved the paper towel. He’d turned his body some to reach the first aid kit giving her a better view of his back.

  “Jack. What is this?” she whispered. Her fingers ran over the scar of their own volition. It ran from the base of his neck to almost the tip of his shoulder blade.

  “What?” He tweaked his neck to look over his shoulder. “Oh. That? That’s nothing. Childhood injury.”

  “How dangerous was your childhood, exactly?”

  “Well, you’ve met Josh.”

  She looked him in the eye. “Don’t tease. That’s a big scar.”

  He turned back around, facing her, his body leaning against the kitchen counter. “My sister, Adriana, had a cat when we were kids. It climbed a big tree out front one day and she thought it would be a good idea to climb up and get it. However, she got herself up there and couldn’t figure out how to get them both down. I climbed up after them, guided her down, but when I followed, I fell. One of the branches snagged me. No biggie.”

  “Are you serious? That must have been so painful.”

  He shrugged, playing it off. “It wasn’t so bad.”

  She shook her head. “Spoken like a true man.”

  “A true man who is need of assistance with his G.I. Joe Band-Aid.” He pouted and held the bandage out to her. “Would you do the honors, princess?”

  She laughed. What was she going to do with him?

  He leaned down so they were eye to eye. “I have a few ideas if you’re asking.”

  For the love. She’d said that out loud.

  She took the Band-Aid from him, if only to fight off the urge to grab the man and kiss him senseless.

  “Turn.”

  “Your wish is my command.” He stood tall and turned so his arm was facing her.

  The sound of the wrapper tearing echoed through the tiny room. She’d only tried yoga a couple times in her life. It didn’t suit her. But she dug down deep anyway to remember how to breathe in and out slowly, if only to get her heart rate back to normal.

  “It really was no big deal. Just my knight in shining armor tendencies showing up at an early age.”

  “Rather full of ourselves, aren’t we?”

  He turned his head and looked at her. “I think you know me well enough at this point to answer that one yourself.”

  “Right. The confidence and arrogance speech you gave the other day.”

  “It was no speech.” He looked straight again. “It was truth.”

  She laughed in spite of herself. “We’re gonna need another bandage.”

  He took one from the first-aid kit and handed it to her, then assumed his stance once more.

  “And other than your...confidence, I really don’t know all that much about you.”

  “Okay, then. Ask me something.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Ask me something.”

  She stuck the other Band-Aid across his cut with tender care than patted his arm. He turned to face her.

  “Okay. What’s your favorite color?”

  He blinked. The simplicity of her question had the desired effect. Good. She’d knocked him off his game a bit. A small bit, but she’d take it.

  His eyes wandered down to her sweater and back up again. “There are way too many colors to choose from to have a favorite. But crimson is climbing the charts pretty fast.”

  Unsure if he was referring to the color of her sweater or her cheeks, she bit her bottom lip to fight back a smile. The man was beyond incorrigible. And she was beginning to like it. A lot. A lot. A lot.

  “Now me.”

  It was her turn to blink. “Now you, what?”

  “Now I get a question.”

  “Oh. Well. Okay.” She put her hands on her hips, if only to keep from shaking. The man was all heat and skin and was so, so, so close.

  “Why is your hair always up?”

  “What?”

  “Your hair.” His eyes wandered to the top of her head and back down again. “You never wear it down.”

  “Oh, well...” She touched her ponytail. Yep. Still perfect. In place. Just like she liked it. She could say it was because she liked having her hair out of her face for work because she’d be damned if she admitted it was because it made her feel like she had things together. Tight. Orderly.

  He took a step towards her. Not that there was much room between them to begin with, but now they stood toe-to-toe. Never taking his eyes off of hers, he reached around and pulled the band from her hair and as if in slow motion ran his hands through it as it cascaded down and rested on her shoulders.

  “It’s like silk.” His voice was a husky whisper. “I’ve dreamt of doing that for some time now.”

  “You have?” she squeaked.

  He made a slight nod. “I have.” Ducking his head, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek and then her neck. “I’ve dreamed of doing that as well.” His mouth curved into a smile against her, his breath hot on her skin.

  Kate feared her heart might pound out of her chest. If he didn’t kiss her soon, she might explode.

  “We wouldn’t want that to happen now, would we?”

  Oh, for the love. She really needed to stop saying things out loud. However, Jack’s soft kisses moved their way from her neck to her lips, so it worked in her favor this time.

  His mouth met hers, a soft whisper of a touch and yet her entire body flushed with heat and her mind kept chanting, “More. More.” Grateful he was ever so obliging, his lips met hers again but this time intensely, claiming them with his own. Certain she wanted to stay there all afternoon, her fingers wrapped around his belt loops at his waist pulling him in closer. His hands held her head, his fingers moving through her hair. Lost in each other, time stood still. Maybe it flew by. She had no clue, nor did she care. This. This was heaven.

  “Hello!!”

  Maggie’s voice floated through the store. Kate jumped back from Jack, the trance broken. “
I...I need to go...” She fled the room.

  Chapter Ten

  Kate fled the room as if her hair was on fire. Well, it could’ve been based on the heat that radiated between them. Jack shook his head to rattle his brain back to reality. He’d kissed women before, sure. But that? What had just happened between him and Kate? That was downright electric. He stood stone still, his entire body buzzing.

  He’d vowed to go slow with her, win her over with time, but damn. She pushed all his buttons, good and bad. With her up close, teasing him, her breath on his arm as she bandaged his cut, no sane man could resist that.

  The sound of Kate and Maggie talking shook him from his thoughts. He looked down. Crap. He still had his shirt off. Where the hell did he leave it? Right. On the chair by the door.

  He grabbed his shirt. Time to get back to work and definitely time to get his mind off Kate for a bit. If not, his going slow plan would speed up faster than his motorcycle on an open road. Not that he had a problem with that, but Kate would. Sure, she enjoyed their kiss as much as he did. There was no denying how she’d responded to him. But the look in her eyes when she pulled away said she still had reservations. Reservations that needed some kid gloves.

  No matter. He was willing. Loving Kate would be worth the wait.

  Kate came out of the stock room to find her sister looking at the plans that now sat on a high table behind the cashier counter. “Hey, sis.”

  “Hey. These are so awesome. I know I’m biased and all, but Josh is brilliant. He worked on these for hours the other ni—” Maggie looked up at Kate and stopped. “What did you do to your hair?”

  Kate patted her head with her hand. Oh, dear Lord, she’d forgotten Jack had taken her hair down. And run his hands through it while he kissed her senseless.

  “And you’re blushing.”

  “No I’m no—” Kate’s protest was cut short by Jack emerging from the kitchen behind her.

  He smiled and said hi to Maggie as he shrugged his black t-shirt back on over his head and sauntered into the stockroom and out of sight.

  “Oh. My. Gosh.” Maggie’s chin hung to the floor. “You are so blushing. And, holy cow, girl, I can see why.” She smiled at Kate. “Looks like there’s another fire going on in that kitchen today.”

  “Oh, shut it.” Kate waved a hand at her sister and moved to dig in her purse for a hair tie. And to avoid eye contact with Maggie. There was no way she’d avoid a conversation now about her and Jack. They’d all but been caught red-handed.

  Baylee walked through the door at that moment, thank goodness. A change of topic was most definitely in order.

  “Oh, my gosh, your hair looks fantastic! I love it. How did you get that much volume? I could never get that look with my natural curl.”

  “You could get it if...”

  “Stop right there.” Kate held a finger up to her sister, who was now laughing.

  “Okay. What’d I miss?” Baylee looked between the two women as they eyed one another as only siblings could do.

  “Nothing,” Kate said.

  “Ha. If nothing is about six-foot-two and just came out shirtless from the kitchen.” Maggie tried to mumble but Baylee heard her anyway, as intended.

  Baylee’s eyes twinkled as she grinned at Kate. “Oh, really? So said hairdo has something to do with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome?”

  Kate pulled her hair up in a hair tie. “Ugh. You two. It was nothing.”

  “It looked like a whole lot of hot something going on, if you ask me.” Maggie stuck out her hand to Baylee. “And I’m Maggie, by the way. We haven’t officially met. My sister here lost her manners, but I’ll forgive her since her brain is lost in a super-hot kiss cloud.”

  Baylee shook her hand. “I’m Baylee. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Kate shook her head. “I said absolutely nothing about kissing.”

  “Oh, words were not necessary, my dear.” Maggie continued to tease.

  “You’re unbelievable.”

  Maggie shrugged and stuck her tongue out at her sister.

  “Mature. Real mature.”

  “I love your cookies, by the way.” Maggie turned her attention to Baylee. “I have to ration myself to one a week or else I’ll eat like ten a day and that would not be good.”

  “Thank you. And I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to meet. I’m usually in the back baking when customers come in.”

  Kate tucked her purse under the counter again and listened to Maggie and Baylee talk. Her mind, however, was fully on the man now banging something with a hammer in her stockroom. Visions of that tool belt danced in her head again.

  “You’re blushing.”

  Kate blinked and looked at her sister. “No, I’m not.”

  Baylee giggled. “I hate to say it but you are so blushing.”

  “Okay, you two, why are you here? If it’s to hound me then you can leave.”

  “I came by to see how the renovations were going. Apparently quite well.” Maggie said.

  Kate rolled her eyes.

  “Oh. Right. I wanted to borrow some masking tape if you have it. I’m out and need some for a painting project,” Baylee said.

  “Sure.” Kate reached beneath the counter and pulled out a roll of tape and handed it to Baylee.

  The bell above the door tinkled and Gwen came through. Kate noticed in the past few months her friend’s steps were better. She still used a cane, but mainly for support just in case.

  Gwen used to be the town eccentric, a woman who shuffled through town with no one saying much to her. Until Maggie stepped in and befriended her. And there was nothing eccentric about Gwen. She was a precious woman who loved Jesus, had a tender heart for others, and had simply been misunderstood. She now was a member of the local church, was good friends with Kate’s mom, and even volunteered at the library twice a week.

  “Hello, Gwen. You’ve cut your hair! It looks fantastic,” Kate said. “You look just like Dame Judy Dench.”

  Gwen glowed at the compliment as she patted the back of her head. “Well, thank you, dear. It takes some getting used to but I believe I like it as well.”

  “Gwen, this is my friend, Baylee, who owns the bakery next door.”

  Baylee stepped towards her and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Gwen.”

  “And you, my dear. I do so love your cookies. We serve them every Sunday in our Sunday school class and if you don’t get there early, you have to fight for the last one.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.” She looked at Kate. “And speaking of my shop, I better get back. Lots to do.” She waved the roll of masking tape, said thank you, and was out the door.

  The women waved back and turned to one another. “What brings you in today, Lady Guinevere?” Maggie used the name kids had given Gwen years ago when they questioned who she was. They hadn’t meant it to be unkind, and since Gwen said she liked it, it was used now as a term of endearment.

  “I was given a gift card to the store for my birthday from a lovely lady at the library and I thought I would use it for an Easter decoration for my house.”

  “That’s a great idea. Let me show you what I have. Thankfully, most of my Easter items were saved from the fire because I had them out here on display.” She came from behind the counter and guided her friend to the front of the store.

  “I’m gonna go say hi to Jack,” Maggie said and turned to the back of the shop.

  Kate nodded. Good riddance. She loved her sister more than life itself, but did not want to have a conversation of any kind about Jack at that moment. Not in front of Gwen, anyway. And, in truth, not anytime soon. Her feelings about Jack were a jumble of confusion she hadn’t worked out. The kiss only messed things up further. Her head was catching up with her heart in a hurry on letting him into her life. But she’d vowed no men. And no rash decisions. She tried to remind herself of those things as she showed Gwen her favorite piece for Easter, a pewter cross lined with lilies, but, deep down, she knew it was only a matter of time b
efore he’d win her over. The thought wasn’t as scary as it had been not long ago, and that only made her panic more. Why wasn’t she afraid? Was she ready for another man in her life?

  A question that would have to wait for an answer. Gwen was asking her questions and another customer entered the store. Time to focus. As always, work was just the distraction she needed.

  “Hey, Jack.”

  Maggie’s voice pulled Jack from his thoughts. He turned towards the doorway where she stood. He tucked his hammer into his belt. “Hey, sis-in-law.”

  He adored Maggie. They’d known each other forever. He being the nosy and annoying little brother to Josh when Maggie would come over in high school to hang out. She’d always been kind though, never shooing him out of the room the way his brother had.

  Jack’s first instinct was to hope it was Kate coming to interrupt him. But seeing Maggie in the doorway made him realize he still needed a bit more time to calm down his heart rate. And libido. If Kate had been in the doorway, he gave no guarantee he wouldn’t pull her to him and start up again where they had left off in the kitchen.

  “Judging by the look on your face, you’re thinking about whatever went on in the kitchen that got Kate to take her hair down, literally, and make it look so great.”

  Jack shook his head and walked over to his makeshift work table he’d set up that morning from two sawhorses and a rectangular slab of wood. “I’m not so sure what you’re talking about, Mags.”

  “Ah, he doth protest as much as Kate did.” Maggie moved into the room and leaned against the wall.

  He looked at Maggie. “What did she say?”

  “She said it was nothing. But from how she looked when she left that kitchen, not to mention you exiting shirtless not long after... Well, two and two is four, you know?”

  “Not always.” He teased. “I wouldn’t say it was nothing, but I did cut my arm on the brick in here and she was helping me bandage it.”