“Of course,” said Kinsley brightly, standing up. “I’m gonna go on into the barn to get a good idea of what all we still need to do.” She carried her coffee cup and walked outside using the side door. After shutting the door behind her, she breathed in the fresh air and began analyzing her feelings and her uncharacteristic avoidance of meeting them head on. She continued to the barn, allowing the psychologist in her to study her reaction to what she had heard the evening before that had taken such hold.
By the time she walked into the barn, her internal therapist had convinced her that she had overreacted and that she should talk to Jared about it. After appraising the room and imagining how it would look that evening, she walked over to the horse stalls where Marshall was watching her, his ears twitching. Holding the mug in one hand, she used her other to rub the horse’s nose. “Such a handsome boy.” The horse snorted in return.
“He thinks you’re not bad to look at yourself,” came the voice behind her.
She nearly jumped and managed to only lose a drop of coffee onto her shirt. She wiped at it absently as she watched Jared walk slowly toward her. She swallowed hard when he stood just beside her. He held his hand out for her and she put her free one in it.
“Kinsley, what’s going on? Everything has been so good with us and now suddenly …”
When he didn’t finish, she said, “We’ve both acknowledged this has all gone so fast, and keep saying it’s not an issue, but maybe it should be.”
“Why does it have to be an issue? Has something happened to change your mind?”
“No, not me, but …” She sighed. “I heard you and Bailey talking last night, saying I was no Julia, which I’m not, but—”
“Wait a minute,” he interrupted. “You think we were comparing you to my dead wife?”
She shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears now. “No—I don’t know. It just seemed you were … having second thoughts and I was afraid maybe I’d pushed you and you were realizing now that … that …”
He brushed a tear from under her cheek. “It sounds like you only heard a very small part of that conversation. Because if you’d heard what I was telling him right before that, there’s no way you’d be thinking this now.” He put his finger under her chin and pulled it up, raising her eyes to meet his. “I told Bailey that I think I’m falling in love with you.”
“You … think … love? But—”
“And we were talking about how no one could replace Julia, but you weren’t replacing her. You’d found your own spot in my heart … in my family.”
The tears spilled over and he took the mug from her hand and set it on the table a few feet away. Then he put his hands along both sides of her face and used his thumbs to wipe away the shining tears. When he leaned in to kiss her, she met him eagerly, throwing her arms around his neck and rising on her tiptoes.
The sound of a throat clearing pulled them apart. “Look, the last thing I want is to interrupt this, I swear,” said Nikki, standing in the open barn door. “But there’s stuff we need to do before everyone gets here to finish decorating.”
Kinsley laughed and fell back to her flat feet, dropping her arms to her side. Jared kissed her on the nose before turning back toward his daughter. “You’re gonna work me like a mule, huh?” He patted the top of Nikki’s head and headed out into one of the open fields to check the cattle, leaving Kinsley feeling relieved and looking forward to the evening.
By seven o’clock, everything seemed in place and all were dressed for the party. The caterers were still setting up, not wanting to get the food out too early. The horses had been taken to another fenced field and the windows to their stalls closed. The lights they had set up the afternoon before lit up the barn with soft yellow as the sky began to darken.
Every table had a centerpiece of summer flowers and a photo of Nikki. Her friends had all collected them, careful to choose nothing earlier than high school because Jared wanted to share her full life in photos with his surprise slideshow.
Brad and Cliff were tuning their guitars from two seats on the stage and practicing a few bars of Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. Kinsley was dressed in a bright sundress with spaghetti straps that she had packed for an outdoor reception she was expecting at the next book signing. It fit her waist snuggly then spread out into a wide skirt, making it reminiscent of the fifties. Jared thought it could not have been more perfect, nor she more beautiful. Quietly, he watched her helping the caterers before he made his presence known.
He walked straight for her and took her hand, pulling her to his chest. “Probably a good thing I didn’t see you in this before there so many people arrived. I think we might have gotten it dirty on the ground out here.”
She blushed. “Why, Mr. Adamson, are you saying you want to take advantage of me?”
He leaned in to speak in a low voice in her ear, breathing in her scent. “I’ll take anything you have to offer. Let’s just hope I’m able to contain myself until after everyone leaves or we might just have to disappear for a while during the party.”
She pushed back and looked in his eyes. “You wouldn’t dare disappoint Nikki tonight.”
“She’ll have plenty of people here. She won’t miss us for an hour or so.” He kissed her cheek and then headed out to help the guys get the bonfire started.
Guests arrived until there were easily two hundred people inside the barn and just outside sitting on benches and standing near the bonfire, including family members, friends, and neighbors. Bailey was leaning on the bar with a cold bottle of beer in his hand. The napkin he had wrapped around it was sticking to the bottle where it had sweat as the cold beverage connected to the warm summer air. He kissed his mother’s cheek as she headed toward her granddaughter.
“Dottie,” Jared said, removing his hat, as she walked by him. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “You’re looking gorgeous. I’m surprised you’d try to show up our darling girl on this special night.” The older woman chuckled and slapped his arm playfully.
“You old flirt,” she said. “This is such a beautiful party, Jared. And I’m purposefully not watching that slideshow up there to keep from ruining my makeup. You’re such a good father.” He leaned down so she could kiss his cheek, her wrinkled hand patting his face.
He looked up at the slideshow he and Kinsley had produced. It had been looping since the party officially began with Brad and Cliff performing Hank Williams’s “Honky Tonkin.” It had been the highlight of the party so far to watch his daughter’s surprised face and tears as she watched the slideshow trace her life in pictures. They had hung a sheet up on the wall and put a projector on the stage. The slideshow took them through visions of her as a crying baby, a five-year-old with a knee scrape, a thirteen-year-old rolling her eyes …
He started to pull up from his mother-in-law’s embrace, but she held him to whisper in his ear. “She’s definitely a keeper.”
Surprised, he looked into Dottie’s amused eyes as she continued to where Nikki was standing. He walked up to his brother-in-law and raised his bottle of beer to clink with Bailey’s, who said, “That’s one special gal we got there. The best of you and Julia.”
Jared chuckled. “Thank goodness. I think if she got any of the worst of me, I’d have taken her back to the hospital.”
“Eh, the part in her from Julia would have made the worst of you worth it.”
“You can say that again.”
He looked back at his daughter and then up at the makeshift screen. He could not believe his little girl was standing before him as a full-grown adult and one of the kindest and most loving individuals he had ever known. Watching her, he very nearly forgot about wanting to take Kinsley to a quiet, dark spot away from everyone for a while. But one look in her direction, and it was all he could do to keep from running to her and taking her hand right then to lead her outside.
“So, brother, that new girlfriend of yours has really turned out to be a perfect host.”
Jared’s eyes found h
er and he murmured, “Girlfriend.” He looked back at Bailey, his smile growing and his cheeks flushing. “Well, I guess that’s what she is, I think.”
“You think?”
“We haven’t exactly talked about it.”
“Well, I hear she’s leaving in a couple of days. You might want to have that conversation before she goes.”
Jared winced at the reminder that Kinsley would be leaving soon. “Yep, I think we just might.”
“Not hard on the eyes.”
Jared chuckled and took another sip, appraising Kinsley again. “That, she is not.”
Bailey set his empty bottle on the bar and picked up the leather case at his feet. It was worn along the edges. “Time for my present.” He clasped Jared’s shoulder and then carried his fiddle to the stage as Brad and Cliff ended an upbeat square-dancing tune. They took turns shaking hands with Bailey and spoke for a second before Bailey unzipped his case and pulled out a fiddle. Brad put down the guitar to lift a banjo he had standing upright behind him.
He leaned in to the microphone. “Well, now, I must say Brad and Cliff sure can carry a tune, but you can’t have a barn dance in these parts without a fiddle and banjo.” Applause greeted them as they started “Cumberland Gap.”
Jared raised his bottle to the men on the stage and listened for a minute, before looking around the room to spy Kinsley. She was talking with Carl, the man who had driven the truck to the stockyard, and his wife, Peggy. As if she knew he was watching her, she looked up at him and smiled. He smiled in return and watched her meet other neighbors. She greeted Dottie as the older woman came up to her and pulled her into an embrace. He could see Kinsley’s surprised face over Dottie’s shoulder before he stepped out into the cool air. The music was a little quieter here, and he looked up in the night sky, making out the Big Dipper among the thousands of stars he could see out here. “We done good, Julia,” he whispered.
The party had been going for more than an hour, and he’d had a chance to dance with Kinsley once. He checked his watch and then got Tammi’s attention. She walked onto the stage as the “band” finished the song, whispered to one of the musicians, and then took the microphone. “Is everyone having a good time?” Cheers rose in answer. “Well, I think it’s time for a toast and a special gift from the guest of honor’s father.”
Jared stepped onto the stage beside her and took the microphone from her outstretched hand. He cleared his throat and tapped the head of the instrument. “First of all, this is way outside my comfort zone. I usually do everything possible to avoid having to speak to a bunch of folks. So, don’t expect me to do this again.” A murmur of light laughter filled the air and he pulled out a piece of paper. “I had to get some help from my writer friend over there”—he pointed to Kinsley—“so don’t start thinking I’ve learned to use big words and write poems.” More laughter. Kinsley smiled up at him from her position by the bar.
He cleared his throat again and moved his eyes from her reassuring grin to the perplexed face of his daughter. “Yesterday, I brought home this tiny crying baby, terrified I was gonna break her. Some of you remember how beautiful she was.” He paused. “Today, my heart is breaking. I swear, if it was possible, I’d turn the clock back to yesterday and find a way to hold it still for just a little longer. It just seems there’s never enough time.”
He paused again noting the quiet that had settled over the room. Nikki’s eyes were shining with tears, and he swallowed. When he resumed his speech, his voice sounded thick. “From the moment I looked at those tiny fingers, I swore I would never let go of that hand and that I’d protect her ‘til the day I died. Someone recently reminded me that now I have to let go of that little hand and let her take care of herself.”
He looked at Kinsley again, who was wiping away tears.
“As you all know, we had to say goodbye to her mother a few years ago, and if it hadn’t been for Nikki, I think I might have just joined Julia. But I knew my job wasn’t over, and that I couldn’t stop holding that not-so-little hand anymore. It was the only thing that kept me going. Somehow, with an incredible mother and with all of you here, we made an amazingly wonderful person.”
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box. Kinsley had walked over to Nikki and was whispering, gesturing to the stage. His daughter looked up at him, confused, until he used his hand to beckon her to join him.
“I’m so proud of you, baby.” He sniffed and wiped a tear from his cheek. “Your mother was so proud of you too and I’m sure she’s watching you right now thinking the same thing I am.” He handed her the box. “And we will always be holding your hand … whether you like it or not.”
Nikki opened the box and pulled out a golden locket. Her father reached out and opened the locket for her. She stared at the photo of her mother and herself as a baby inside and then took the locket into her own hands, turning it over to read the inscription: Always in our hearts. Then she threw her arms around him, and he held her for a long moment, forgetting that anyone else was around until everyone started clapping.
Nikki stepped back and kissed his cheek. “I love you so much, Daddy.”
“You too, kid.”
He handed the microphone to Chance, who had come up behind him. The younger man took the instrument and waited for Jared to step off the stage. “Sorry, babe. One more speech. This is it, I promise.” He reached up to her and wiped tears from her cheek. “I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know you,” he began. “And I can’t imagine a time without you. I guess we’ve always sort of assumed we would be together forever, but I would like to make it official.” He squatted to one knee, holding another small box up to her. “Nicole Elizabeth Adamson, will you marry me?”
Nikki stared at the diamond, which sparkled under all the lights above her. She held her hand to her chest in surprise. She was quiet for so long, Jared thought she just might not answer. Someone shouted from the back of the room, “Say yes!” It occurred to him for a second that she might say “no.”
But then the young woman looked out at everyone, pulling out of her trance, and then back at her boyfriend, reaching out her hand. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” He put the ring on her finger and stood, crushing her into an embrace, while applause, whistles, and a chorus of “aww” rose into the air.
They pulled apart for a moment, and, breathless, Nikki spoke into the microphone. “Okay, everybody. Show’s over. Time to get back to the party. And thank you to everyone for making this the best night of my life.”
Chance reached for her hand and helped her off the stage, as Brad and Cliff began playing Brad Paisley’s “The Perfect Storm.” He led her to the middle of the open dance floor and put his arms around her as they swayed to the music. When the chorus started, others began to join them. Jared was standing beside Kinsley and he turned to her and held out his hand.
“May I have this dance, young lady?”
She smiled and put her hand in his. “You certainly may, cowboy.”
They found a place on the edge of the crowd and held each other, falling easily into a perfect rhythm together. She laid her head on his chest, his arms encircling her waist, and he put his head on top of hers. She shifted her face then so that their foreheads were touching and they were looking into each other’s eyes until Jared could have sworn they were the only two in the barn.
He imagined for a moment another dance, maybe not too far in the future, when he might be putting a ring on her finger. Then he pulled back to the present, reminding himself to take it one step at a time and try to enjoy each moment. Lord knows, he thought as he looked over her head at his daughter in the center of the room, these moments will be gone in a flash.
It was well after midnight before the last of the guests were getting into their vehicles. Nikki kissed her father and Kinsley good night, saying she was going to spend the night at Chance’s house. Jared had frowned a bit, but Kinsley had distracted him by asking for help with the cleaning.
The caterers cl
eared away the food and serving equipment and did a little cleanup around the tables until Kinsley told them that there was a crew of friends coming in the morning to help finish. She started picking up a few stray plates and cups by the bonfire and putting them into a trash bag, while Jared worked on getting the bonfire to die down safely. When it was just glowing embers, Kinsley returned to the barn and was putting garbage into one pile when she felt his strong hands on her hips and his warm chest against her back.
“How about another dance?” he said huskily into her ear.
She turned to face him and put her arms around his neck, leaning into him. “The music’s gone now.”
“You sure about that? You can’t hear it?”
She chuckled and allowed him to lead her into a slow dance, pulling her as closely as possible without tripping over her. Just as she was about to boost up onto her toes to kiss him, he took her arm and swung her out to twirl her back to his side. She laughed at the surprise and they picked up their pace with some faster moves until he pulled her back to his chest and held her still, slowing into something much more intimate.
When she was pulling hay out of her hair some time later, she watched herself in the mirror and thought about Jared’s whisper in her ear while they lay entwined before heading back to the house. It seemed impossible that just a week ago she’d been arguing with her best friend that she didn’t have time to date. And now, she replayed Jared’s seemingly rushed confession after they’d been sated and their heartbeats were slowing down, their breathing deepening. He’d said it so quietly, she hadn’t been sure she’d heard correctly. Remembering it now, she was surer than anything that he had said, “I love you.” And it was with no surprise, she realized she was truly in love herself.
19
Something is wrong.
Jared felt as though he were swimming to the surface from deep underwater, so heavy was his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes as he felt himself break the surface. Something had woken him. He became aware of the warm body lying next to him. Kinsley was breathing deeply, but then she too started to stir.
Country Pride (Belle Ridge Book 1) Page 13
