It Had to Be Them (An It Had to Be Novel Book 4)

by Tamra Baumann

  “I was kidding!”

  “I wasn’t.” He gave her hand a squeeze.

  The den felt more like the Ben she’d known. He had a bar set up in the corner with a popcorn machine filling the air with a buttery scent and spilling out warm kernels. Three boys and a little girl were gathered around waiting to fill the red-and-white-striped paper bags in their hands. Josh and the rock star, Zane Steele, were busy playing foosball. Ben’s sisters and Kline’s mom were in the kitchen—one equipped with stainless steel appliances and lots of granite countertops—talking and drinking wine. When they noticed her they waved. It was all very homey and . . . nice.

  Ben led her down a short hall with three bedrooms and a bath. One bedroom was a home office, then next a gym, and the other, a guest room that any woman would want to move into. It had a cheery queen-size bed with a white iron headboard, flowery bedspread, and walls painted a happy yellow. There was even a vanity with a chair to put makeup on beside the jet tub in the attached private bath. “You’ve managed to fill up four bedrooms all on your own?”

  “Only because I could. But wait until you see my room.”

  His excitement was cute and kind of contagious as he dragged her along behind him. They crossed the den again to the other side of the house where his room was.

  He stepped aside and held out his hand for her to enter first. “What do you think?”

  “I think this is incredible.” She meant it. Ben had a beautiful king-size sleigh bed and matching cherry wood dressers and nightstands. Pretty, yet not too frilly for a man. Maybe she’d get something like it for herself one day.

  Then he led her into his bathroom and her jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I figured this is something a person who lived in a tent and a jail cell would appreciate.”

  Ben was obviously digging for the scoop on her time in jail. She needed to tell him at some point, but now wasn’t the time. She didn’t want to spoil the good mood.

  The bathroom, complete with travertine tile and granite countertops, a steam shower, his and hers water closets, a large jet tub, and matching vanities, was big enough to hold a party in. She didn’t want to think about all the women who had probably been invited to share it with him.

  “This is fantastic. I’m very impressed.”

  He nodded. “Sam helped me renovate and decorate over the years. It’s sort of a hobby of hers.”

  Sam. Of course. That probably explained the pretty guest room. Hers when she came to stay, most likely. That pang of jealousy was back again, but quickly disappeared. Seems Sam had walked right into Kline’s shoes after she’d left and she was grateful Ben had such a great friend. “It’s just beautiful.”

  “I was really hoping you’d like it.” Ben pulled her into a hug. “Could I talk you into a steam shower with me after the party?”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled close. She’d loved seeing Ben’s house and how eager he was for her to like it too. It was cute. She laid a soft kiss on his lips. “Steam and getting naked sounds—”

  “Ben?” A knock sounded on the bedroom door. “Sorry to interrupt, but can I talk to you, please?”

  Kline turned to see her very pregnant cousin standing in the doorway. “Hi, Barb. I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you yet.” Kline crossed the room and gave her a hug.

  Barb leaned back and smiled. “I forgive you. I hear you’ve been busy crusading for birds and running for mayor.” Barb’s smile turned to a wince, and she turned to Ben. “I’m having contractions. That’s not normal this soon, right?”

  Ben quickly moved to Barb’s side and helped her onto his bed. “Probably just Braxton-Hicks, but let’s keep an eye on them.” Ben stacked pillows behind her head and laid his hand on her belly. “Kline, will you go find Tim and send him in, please?”

  “Sure.” Kline hurried down the hall to find her cousin’s husband. She’d only seen pictures of the tall, lanky redhead after the fact because she’d been in jail when they got married. She found him talking with Meg’s husband, Josh, at the bar. “Hi, guys. Sorry to interrupt, but Ben would like to see you in his bedroom, Tim. Barb’s having contractions.”

  Tim’s eyes grew wide. “Already?” Before Kline could even introduce herself, he was gone.

  Josh smiled. “Happy birthday. Can I get you a drink?” He circled around the bar and stood on the other side.

  “A glass of white wine would be great, thanks.”

  A soft pat on her leg made her look down. The little blonde girl raised her arms to be picked up. She held an empty bag in one hand. “More popcorn, please.”

  “Sure. If it’s okay with your parents.” She lifted the girl up on a barstool. “I’m Kline. Who are you?”

  “Haley.” She pointed. “And you can ask my daddy, Josh. Joshua Charles Granger if Mommy is mad.”

  Josh handed over a glass of wine. “Which obviously never happens.” He took the bag and scooped more popcorn into it. “This is the last one, Haley, or your mom is going to start using your middle name too.”

  “’Kay.” Haley held out the full bag. “Want some?”

  “Thanks.” Kline took a handful. “How old are you, Haley?”

  “Three. How old are you?”

  “Lots older than that.” Meg’s precocious daughter was adorable.

  Josh cleared his throat. “That’s not a polite question to ask an adult, Haley. Why don’t you go see if the boys will let you play foosball?”

  Haley frowned. “But I want to talk to Uncle Ben’s girlfriend.”

  Meg appeared from behind them and slipped her hand over Haley’s mouth. “Sorry, Kline. This one came out of the womb talking and hasn’t stopped.” Meg whispered something in Haley’s ear before she lifted her to the floor. “Aunt Casey is waiting for you in the kitchen.”

  “’Kay. Bye, Kline.” Haley started to run away, but then stopped. “Kline is a funny name.”

  Meg and Josh both said, “Goodbye, Haley!”

  Haley shrugged and then trotted off toward the kitchen.

  Meg slipped onto Haley’s vacant stool and said to Josh, “And you want two more of those?”

  “Yes.” Josh leaned over the bar and kissed Meg so tenderly it sent a pang to Kline’s heart. Ben kissed her like that.

  A big hand landed on her shoulder. “You must be Kline. Happy birthday. I’m Zane.” The rock star needed no introduction. And he was even more handsome in person.

  She stuck out her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Zane. Congratulations on your engagement.”

  “Thanks.” Zane returned the shake and sat on the other barstool beside her. “So how’s the campaign going?”

  “My mom, Mrs. Anderson, and I have made signs and have been out stumping all day again. But I know it’ll be tough to beat the mayor. There just aren’t enough Grants to do it alone.”

  Zane nodded. “You’re running neck and neck, according to Gloria’s poll at the diner. It’s hard to get more scientific data than that around here.”

  Kline chuckled. “I suppose you’re right.” Casey had been right too. Zane seemed like a regular guy, not one of the most famous people in the world.

  He said, “Want to play some foosball? The boys need a fourth and I’m tired of getting my butt kicked.”

  “I’d love to. Thanks.” She hopped off the stool and joined the boys. The only entertainment in many of the smaller villages where she’d stayed were Ping-Pong and foosball tables set up for the American workers. She used to play for hours in the evenings to kill time.

  “Hi, guys. I’m Kline.”

  The tallest kid said, “I’m Eric. These are my cousins Caleb and Ty.”

  “Nice to meet you all.” Caleb and Ty looked just like Casey.

  Eric said, “Do you want to be on Ty’s team to make it even?”

  Ty, clearly the youngest, pouted a bit. He was at the age when girls still had cooties.

  “I’d love to be on Ty’s team. But I have to warn you guys, I’m pretty good
at this.”

  Ty’s face lit up and he held up a hand for a high five. “Let’s kick their butts!”

  The ball dropped and the battle began. Kline quickly scored, but then backed off a bit and let Ty have the ball until they’d start to fall behind. She let the other two boys score on her a few times, but it didn’t seem to fool them. It just made them work harder, which was a good thing.

  When she and Ty were ahead by a few, Kline put on the gas again and she and Ty won by a healthy margin.

  Caleb grinned and said, “Rematch!”

  “Bring it.” She liked his competitive spirit.

  She could see why Ben’s niece and nephews had changed his mind about having kids. They were pretty great.

  She turned to Ty, who was busting at the seams with pride, clearly not used to beating his bigger brother and cousin, and gave him a high five. “Let’s toast these two.”

  Just as she and Ty were about to win again, Ben appeared. “Sorry, guys, but I need to borrow Kline.” He whispered in her ear, “Barb would like to ask you a favor.”

  “Sure. Can you take my place?”

  “Absolutely. But just for this one game. Then I need to get back to Barb.” Ben moved into position. “You guys are going down.”

  Kline walked into Ben’s room, wondering if they got back together would she be having parties by herself while he was with patients? And if they had kids would she have to be in charge of all of their activities for the same reason?

  Kline sat on the edge of Ben’s bed next to her cousin. Tim was on his cell pacing back and forth. Something was clearly wrong. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

  Barb laid a hand on her big belly. “I’m okay for now, but I have some other health issues besides the baby so Ben wants me to see a specialist in Denver on Monday morning.” Barb took Kline’s hand. “You’re still certified to teach in Colorado, right? Could you take my classes for me on Monday? Depending on my test results, maybe Tuesday as well?”

  Concerned for her cousin, Kline nodded. “Of course. Do you have lesson plans?”

  “Yes. Thank you.” Barb squeezed Kline’s hand. “Prep on Monday for the test on Tuesday. It’s an important one for their grades, so having an actual science teacher rather than a PE coach to sub helps. I really appreciate it, Kline.”

  “Absolutely. Don’t worry about a thing. I got this.”

  Barb sighed and closed her eyes. “Pregnancy isn’t for wimps.”

  No, it clearly wasn’t. Would Barb have to spend the rest of hers in bed?

  Maybe substituting for a few days was a good thing. It’d be the perfect opportunity to see what she’d get herself into if she took the job.

  Ben walked through his front door after getting Barb settled at her house. He’d wanted to stay until the contractions completely ceased, just in case. It was almost midnight and the birthday party had wound down. He searched for Kline, and found her laughing in the kitchen with their last guests, Tara and Ryan.

  “Hey.” He poured himself a glass of water when he’d rather have had a beer, just in case he got called back to Barb’s house later. “Where’s your mom, Kline?”

  “She talked Wayne into walking her home so I could stay and enjoy the party.” She drained what was left in her wineglass and placed it on the counter. “Tara and Ryan were keeping me company until you got back. And now that everyone has gone, Tara showed me her new ring.”

  Ben took Tara’s outstretched hand. “That looks suspiciously like an engagement ring.”

  Ryan grinned. “It is, but we didn’t want to take away from Kline’s party. We’ll tell everyone tomorrow.”

  “Congratulations!” Ben kissed Tara’s cheek as happiness and pride swelled in his chest. He gave his brother a fist bump. “I’m impressed, Ry. Didn’t think you’d ever get around to it.”

  Tara laughed. “He wouldn’t have without some well-placed clues. Lucky for the sheriff, he was able to solve the crime—before I had to resort to committing one to get his attention.”

  Ben said, “Smart move, Tara. So how was the party, Kline?”

  “Awesome.” Kline’s lips tilted into a slow smile. “The best birthday I’ve had since I was a kid. I caught up with everyone and had a wonderful time. Thank you.” She stepped up on her tiptoes, pressed her body against his, and kissed him. Her doing that in front of his brother and Tara gave him hope for that steam shower.

  When they finally broke the kiss, they were alone in the kitchen.

  Ryan and Tara called out, “Good night.” Then the front door closed behind them.

  Kline smiled. “Whoops. Guess we scared them off.”

  Her goofy smile made him ask, “So the wine was to your liking, huh?”

  “Yes! It was fabulous.” She took his hand and towed him toward his bedroom. “I might have had just a splash too much, but not so much that I forgot about that steam shower. Can’t wait to get you naked. But I think I’d rather sleep with you first and then steam. Sex in the shower is overrated.”

  Fine by him.

  He kicked the door closed behind them as Kline made a beeline for the bed and started taking off her clothes. When she slowly unzipped her sexy boots, his mouth went dry.

  Unfortunately, he’d just been with a patient and needed to clean up before he could do all the things he’d fantasized about doing to Kline all day. “Be right back.”

  “Make it quick.” She slipped under the covers.

  He debated taking a shower—it’d be the best way to be all the way clean—but he was in a hurry, so he scrubbed his hands and arms. Then he spotted all of his toiletries lined up out of order because his cleaning lady had been there earlier. He resisted the urge to straighten them. Kline was waiting.

  He brushed his teeth, put in some eyedrops, and rubbed lotion onto his hands, which were chapped from washing them so much. Then he splashed water on his face and ran his fingers through his hair. He needed a shave, but he’d already taken more time than he’d planned, so he skipped that, along with the urge to go out and be sure the stove was off and the lights all out. He could do that afterward.

  But those dammed crooked bottles were still bugging him. He had to make them right, so he quickly reorganized the jars and bottles to be sure they were all in their proper place. Only then could he draw a full breath.

  He turned out the bathroom light and padded across the carpet to his side of the bed. When he slipped under the covers, Kline’s quiet snoring put the kibosh on his plans for her.

  He rolled to his back and sighed. He’d meant to take a minute, but it had turned into fifteen. Might have been twenty. Maybe he did have anxiety issues. It was probably time he admitted it.

  Turning to face Kline, he smiled as he watched her sleep. What he wouldn’t give to be able to share his bed with her every night again. He slid closer and wrapped her up in his arms. “I love you, Kline.”

  She slid closer and he could have sworn she’d mumbled something that sounded like, “Love you too.”

  Maybe he’d won her back. She just hadn’t figured that out yet.

  Kline blinked her eyes open. She was naked and alone in Ben’s big bed. And how was it morning already? The last she remembered, she’d been waiting for Ben while listening to rustling noises coming from the bathroom.

  She slid her hand over to Ben’s side. It was slightly warm, so maybe he was still around and hadn’t been called away by some emergency.

  When memories from the evening before filled her mind, Kline rolled onto her back and grinned at the ceiling. She hadn’t had that much fun since she could remember. Everyone seemed genuinely happy she’d come home. She’d actually felt . . . happy to be home.

  Then she remembered she’d also agreed to another debate with the mayor. Her mother and Mrs. Anderson had arranged to have an informal question-and-answer session later in the high school gym. She needed to do some major cramming beforehand.

  Mom was making her famous snickerdoodle cookies, so there was that, at least. Speaking of cookies, she
was starving.

  Just as she was about to throw the covers back, Ben appeared with a tray. “Morning. How’s the head?” he asked with a smirk.

  “Fine. Sorry I couldn’t stay awake long enough for you to alphabetize or whatever you were doing in there.”

  “Because you’d had a lot to drink?” Ben laid the tray on the nightstand.

  “Because it was late. What’s your excuse, Mr. Neat?” She chuckled as she propped herself against the headboard and pulled the sheet up to cover herself.

  “I had a lot to organize.” Ben joined her in bed and then handed her a plate with a bagel and schmear. “Your favorite.”

  “Thank you.” She leaned over and kissed him. “The whipped cream cheese is a nice touch.”

  “It’s healthier. You use less when it’s whipped.”

  “Don’t ruin my fun.” She bit into her warm, onion-crusted, cheesy delight and moaned. “Perfect. But I really think we should talk about your straightening obsessions.”

  “Maybe you should go first and tell me about the jail time thing.” Ben shoved a humongous bite of bagel into his mouth and mumbled, “It’s not polite to talk with my mouth full.”

  “Clever.” She leaned across him to grab one of the coffee cups he’d brought on the tray. “But I can wait.” Draped over his lap, she slowly sipped her coffee.

  Ben’s gaze ran up and down her exposed skin as he chewed. After he swallowed he said, “Maybe we could talk after . . .”

  “Nope. You first.” She sat up and covered herself again.

  Ben huffed out a breath, then set his plate on the nightstand. “Stress triggers it. Between you coming back and trying to start my new clinic, I have been having a harder time controlling it. Normally, it’s just double-checking things and organizing. Nothing bad enough to be medicated.”

  She finished off her bagel and laid her plate aside too. “I hate that I’m adding stress to your life, Ben.”

  “I didn’t mean now. Weirdly, when I touch you, I don’t have any symptoms at all.” He rolled on top of her. “Why don’t I show you? You could write one of your scientific papers on the phenomenon.” He kissed her as his hands got busy removing the sheet between them.