Country Pride (Belle Ridge Book 1)

by Charlene Bright

  After she ordered a glass of wine and he selected a beer, her phone rang and she pulled it out and immediately stopped the ringing, turning the phone to silent before putting it back in her purse. He pulled out his phone and did the same. He had noticed how many people were looking at their phones when they sat down, and it thrilled him to know that she intended to give him her full attention.

  When their drinks were set before them, he raised his glass bottle and touched it to her wine glass.

  “To the best shopping partner a guy could ask for,” he said before taking a drink.

  She smiled brightly and took a sip of her wine. “Thank you for inviting me. I’ve enjoyed this, and I’m so glad I could help, for Nikki … and for you.”

  Throwing caution to the wind, he reached his hand across the table to take hers and quieted his thoughts to force out something more direct. “I’m glad you decided to stay. We keep dancing around this, but it’s obvious we both have strong feelings for each other.”

  Her face became more serious. “Well, now, Jared. That’s awfully forward of you.”

  He started to panic and pull back when her mouth spread in a wide grin and she laughed delightfully. He smiled in return and relaxed, sliding his hand back to where it had rested before.

  “Why do people have such difficulty talking about things, even when they’ve shared something very intimate? Why should it be harder to talk about a kiss than to kiss?” she wondered out loud.

  He sighed and shook his head. “Just one of the many mysteries of life, I guess. Takes away deniability if you actually talk about what you feel. Keeps you from getting hurt, I reckon.”

  She nodded, her eyes glazing a bit in thought. “That’s an acute observation. Maybe you should be the psychologist.”

  He shook his head, his eyes never leaving hers. “So … I like you and I think you like me?” He said it with the intonation of a question.

  “I do,” she admitted eagerly. “I think I proved that in the barn.”

  He grinned, remembering his hands on her skin. “And now you’re going to be staying a few more days. Maybe we should not try to avoid this. And not overthink it.”

  “I’d like that. We’re both adults. We find each other very attractive, and there was definite chemistry in that kiss.”

  “That, there was,” he said, taking a long drink of his beer.

  They paused the conversation when dinner arrived, but quickly resumed it, intent on his suggestion of not avoiding it. While they finished a dessert of the most delicious crème brûlée he had ever tasted, they agreed that they would just see where their journey took them, accepting whatever outcome there was to be while not making any bets on a particular future.

  When they left the restaurant, he took her hand purposefully and easily this time, as they enjoyed walking in the pleasant summer night back to his truck.

  It was the glinting from the cab that first alerted him that something was amiss. It appeared there were lights twinkling within. Jared noted the streetlight directly in front of them. Then as he turned back to the cab, his eyes caught twinkling lights on the hood as well and he could now clearly see the broken glass covering the seat. Stepping toward the front of the truck, he studied the broken windshield. Kinsley stood on the other side, staring in disbelief at the glass shards still hanging from the now windowless frame.

  Looking around he noticed tree limbs on the ground nearby. “Some wind must have come through here and sent these limbs flying.”

  “You don’t think someone was trying to break in?”

  “Nah. They wouldn’t break the windshield. They’d just break one of the door windows, and from the looks of it, there doesn’t appear to be anything messed with inside. Could just be some rowdy kids.” He glanced at Kinsley with slight alarm. “Be careful over there. I don’t want you cutting yourself. I don’t think there’s anything we can do to fix this here. Let’s step into that coffee shop on the corner and see if we can get some help locating an auto glass company. And I’ll call my insurance agent.”

  As they walked the few feet to the coffee shop, she pondered, “Do you think any of these people will be available tonight?”

  He held open the door, thinking he was fairly certain they’d have to figure a new plan for getting home. “There are some twenty-four-hour auto glass repair companies around, but I think it would be better if we talked with insurance first to see if this is covered. They may have a list of companies that are approved.” He looked at his watch. “But you’re right. It’s probably too late to catch him in the office. I’ll give it a try anyway.”

  Kinsley pointed to an open booth while he stepped back outside to make the call. After leaving a message for Cole Roberts, his insurance agent, he put his phone away and looked toward the truck, trying to conjure some options and override that nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. He had to come up with a plan for now. It wouldn’t do to dwell on that concern that had been eating at him ever since the smoke detector. As he thought, he noticed a Days Inn sign in the distance. It took him a minute of debating the option before he finally turned back and joined her at the booth.

  The server was dropping off two mugs of coffee, two spoons, and a handful of cream containers as he slid into the seat. He thanked the young lady who, he thought, was about the age of Nikki. Then he pushed the entire cache of cream across the table, took a sip, and watched his date thoughtfully. She was quiet, stirring the cream in her mug, her eyes downcast.

  He set his mug down and pushed his hand across the table to hers. He read apprehension in her eyes as she looked up. “It’ll be okay,” he reassured her. “Just some broken glass. Easy to fix. It’s just one of those things.”

  She watched him for a beat before she spoke. “It’s just one more thing, Jared. I can’t help but wonder if somehow I’ve brought bad luck to you.”

  He tried to hold his smile and resisted laughing. He didn’t want her to feel that he thought her fears were childish. “Kinsley, I just don’t believe in ‘bad luck.’ Things happen or they don’t. And sometimes they seem to happen all at once. Most of the time, though, I think if a couple of bad things happen, our nature is to be on the lookout for more bad things, things we wouldn’t normally notice, and not seeing the good things. And there are a lot of good things going on too, you know.”

  “You really would make a good psychologist, you know,” she repeated from earlier. Then her face softened. “Ok, I’ll accept that challenge then, of watching for good things adding up too. Honestly, I think I’m just nervous about where this—we—are going and on the alert for signs of what direction we’re headed in, or signs of how you feel about me.”

  “Then let me take the mystery out for you. It’s been less than a week since you’ve been around, and I am dreading you leaving more than my next dental appointment.”

  She laughed and her smile widened. At least she seemed to be happy with the confession. “I’m not looking forward to leaving either.”

  In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought before he continued. “Kinsley, I don’t take these things lightly. I’m no angel and this ain’t my first date, but I haven’t been as excited about the possibility of just enjoying everyday activities with a woman since Julia. I’m paying attention to this. Something’s here and I think I want to see where it’s going.”

  “I don’t know how to respond to that except to say that you’ve occupied almost every thought I’ve had since you rode up to whisk me away like a knight. I know that if I don’t explore this, I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life.”

  He relaxed his shoulders and took in a deep breath. “So how about we stay at a hotel tonight?”

  He laughed when her eyebrows shot up.

  “We can get two rooms. I don’t want to rush anything. But it makes more sense than calling someone to drive here to pick us up. And since you’ve decided to stick around for the rest of the week, I assume you’re available to extend our outing?”

  Her body r
elaxed and she sat back, considering him for a moment. “I’d like nothing better, Mr. Adamson.” Her eyes lit up, “Oh and that will be perfect so we can get that gift for Nikki in the morning before heading back.”

  “Then let’s finish our coffee and get out of here, Miss Griffin.”

  Together, they lifted their mugs and Jared raised his hand to the server, calling for the check.

  ***

  Kinsley had insisted on paying for the rooms, but Jared had given his credit card to the attendant before she could even open her purse. She looked at him, her face expressing a mixture of amusement and chastisement. It had crossed her mind that she’d probably never find a way to repay this man and his daughter for their hospitality.

  As they walked to their rooms, Kinsley found herself holding her tongue as her mind kept racing, wanting to chat about the silliest things. She willed herself to calm down her nervous energy.

  As she inserted her card key and turned the knob to her room, she turned to look at him; he was just slipping his room key into the slot on the door to his room.

  “In the interest of being open and honest,” she said delicately. “I think it’s too early to turn in and hope once you get settled, you’ll come over to my room for some … talking … and maybe some making out.”

  He laughed out loud as she walked through her door and gently closed it. She had barely gotten her purse on the table when the soft rap of knuckles resounded throughout her room.

  “What do you think I have on me to get ‘settled’ into my room?” he asked as soon as she opened the door.

  “Well, I figured you might check the temperature of the room and make sure it’s comfortable, look around and see if you need anything else—”

  “There’s only one thing I need in that room, and that’s a bed for sleeping. It’s not like we’ve gone out of town for a weekend trip.” She smirked and stepped back to allow him to enter.

  “I like a cold room when I’m sleeping,” she said, turning the knob to the outdated air conditioner before walking back over to him, unsure of where to sit. She finally chose to pull out the two chairs under the small table near the door.

  “That’s how Nikki likes it too,” Jared was saying as he accepted the chair and sat down. “Every time she’s home, I have to drop it from normal to icebox.”

  Kinsley straightened up from the chair quickly and looked at Jared. “Oh, I hope you haven’t been feeling like you have to keep your house comfortable for me. I can go turn this air down.”

  He grabbed her arm as she tried to walk by him and stood up next to her. “It’s fine. I was just trying to tell you I don’t mind. I’m used to it.”

  She stilled at his touch, suddenly very aware of his nearness. Raising her face to his, she gazed into his eyes and noted how serious his expression suddenly seemed.

  “In the interest of being open and honest,” he said, a huskiness that wasn’t there before entering his voice, “I’d really like to kiss you, Miss Griffin.”

  Her breath caught in her throat and her insides melted. He leaned down to her and she welcomed his kiss, immediately throwing her arms around his neck and pulling herself into his body. Everywhere he touched, it scalded. His kiss was deep, urgent, passionate–his desire for her strong and obvious in his touch and how closely he held her.

  He broke the kiss and leaned back as if to see her eyes better. “Look, I’m not trying to give you mixed signals or anything, but I am concerned about how fast this has all been happening, and I want to make sure you don’t feel taken advantage of. I hope you don’t think I planned this little hotel excursion.”

  She didn’t remove her arms from around him, but instead relaxed them onto his shoulders. “If you’re having doubts—”

  “I’m not,” he quickly interrupted. “I just want to make sure we’re both absolutely okay with this.”

  She sighed and then pulled her arms down to her sides. “I must admit that as much as I’m wanting to take the next step with you, I want to stretch out our time together and be absolutely sure. Because you’re right. If we go further, things will definitely change. I hope for the good, but …”

  “But it could also not be for the good.”

  She bit her lip and nodded, and he pulled back from her. Suddenly she felt very cold. “Maybe we should …”

  “Call it a night.”

  “Yeah,” she said, a heavy weight of reluctance in the simple word.

  “More to anticipate another time,” Jared said, hesitantly stepping back to the table. “And I have no doubt, Kinsley, that there will be another time.”

  She smiled and looked down while he turned and picked up his hat from the table and walked to the door. He paused before he opened the door and turned back to her.

  “This is the right decision … right?”

  She hesitated, but nodded. “I think so.”

  He sighed visibly and nodded in return, then walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him and leaving her feeling cold and confused. She sat on the edge of the bed, thinking over what they had said. Were they being too cautious? Would they regret it if they made love? Was this all too fast to be healthy?

  She thought about calling Carley, but decided against it. She needed to stop thinking about this for a minute. It was a habit of hers to obsess about a thought or decision, and the best way she’d developed for dealing with it was to obsess for a couple of minutes, and then turn it off. Completely. Just shut her brain down for a few more minutes. She often found then that the answer would become clearer. So she mentally flipped a switch and grabbed the remote control, turning on the television.

  After flipping through all the channels three times, giving her brain a chance to shut down, she stood and turned it off. The ridiculousness of it washed over her. We’re acting so afraid and like we’ve never been romantically involved before. Making love was one of the best things one could do to discover if two people were compatible and if the feelings were strong or just a passing thought. She smiled. Apparently, counselor Kinsley had showed up to bring some common sense to the evening.

  She steeled herself and nearly skipped to the door. As she pulled it open, a wide grin on her face spread across her face and her mind strayed only slightly to wonder about Jared’s reaction. She stopped abruptly, just in time to keep from running into him, his fist outstretched to knock on her door. She started to speak but he crushed her to him and walked her backwards into the room, kissing her deeply and shutting the door with his boot.

  13

  Jared opened his eyes and took a moment to realize where he was and who was beside him. He smiled, remembering the evening before, and listened to Kinsley’s slow breathing on his chest. He could feel his desire returning quickly but was enjoying her lying peacefully in his arms and didn’t want to disturb her.

  He looked around the hotel room, noting the wet towels on the floor. A very contented smile spread across his face and he took in a deep breath. At some point—his memory of anything beyond the feeling of their skin a little foggy—they had made their way to his room, where they had showered together and continued discovering each other.

  He thought about how compatible they were in bed, how each move seemed effortless and she met him with a fervor that added to his, taking him to heights he had not been to in a very long time.

  Nothing about his attempts at dating over the last few years had come anywhere close to this. The sex was incredible, but the calmness between them, the ease that existed when they were together, was unmatched since … he stopped his thoughts. This moment was for Kinsley and thoughts of other women, living or not, had no place here.

  She moved against him and moaned, stretching her arm across his chest. There was no pushing away that desire now, but still he just held her.

  “Good morning sunshine,” he whispered, his breath warm against her ear.

  “Mmmmm, morning,” she mumbled as her sleepy eyes sprang to life and she stretched her arms. “I feel so energized. I can�
�t wait to jump out of bed and greet the day.” She looked up into his eyes, a grin playing at one corner of her mouth and a glint in her eye. “I think this feeling might have a little something to do with you.”

  “Well. I’m glad I could bring a smile to your face.” He kissed her nose and let his hand trace her back. “Now, gorgeous, what’s on the agenda today? Stay here with me all day?”

  “That sounds like a plan, and I’d love more than anything to stay here and love on you all day. But, we really need to check out and get that windshield fixed if we’re gonna make it home in time to have that dinner with Chance and Nikki,” she said with a marked lack of enthusiasm. Jared thought she was trying to convince herself as much as anything. “I’ll run over to the other room and get the rest of our things.” She sat up and pulled his t-shirt from the floor over herself and then slipped into her jeans and grabbed the room key.

  “Good idea,” he said. “I’ll call the insurance agent again and a windshield repair shop while you’re doing that.”

  He picked up his phone from the nightstand as she left the room, noting he’d missed a call from Cole, his insurance agent. He was surprised he was able to get the agent on the first ring. Cole expressed concern but immediately flew into action, telling Jared that he had a couple of windshield repair folks he liked quite a bit who did good work and quickly. He told his client that he would handle getting them out there and would give his number to them so they could report when they were headed to his truck.

  By the time he hung up, Kinsley had already made it back in the room and was dressing in the clothes she had been wearing the night before. He watched her as he dressed as well, thinking that it had been a long time since he had felt so happy and content.

  ***

  After checking out of the hotel, they walked back to the diner where they’d had coffee the previous evening after finding the smashed windshield. The energy between them this time was completely different. An ease had settled into their movements, as if they’d been lovers for decades. Any fears that had been nibbling away at her conscious the past few days seemed to be gone, as Kinsley fell into step with Jared.