She seemed to ignore his remark. She walked to the table and placed them in the center. She then turned and looked at him. “Do you really think I’m pretty, Jude?”
He sat his beer on the counter. “I think you’re beautiful.”
She closed her eyes. Her voice was a whisper. “I haven’t had what I’d call a serious man tell me that in a long time.”
He moved to her, but without touching her, he said, “I’ve never been more serious in my life. I know I’m a clumsy old farm boy, but I’m completely honest. I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in a long time, and Lord knows, everything in me aches to hold you close to me and kiss you. I’m…”
She opened her eyes and looked into his and he barely heard her say. “I wish you’d do it.”
He didn’t hesitate as he folded her to him. Her arms locked around his neck as her soft hands pulled his face closer hers. He found her lips soft and moist as his mouth covered hers. The kiss was gentle, at first, then he felt her mouth open slightly. He nibbled her lower lip gently then tickled it with his tongue. He tasted her sweetness as her tongue found his. The kiss grew passionate and he pulled her closer. He could feel her breast against his chest and their hearts pounded against each other. Though he tried to curb it, he knew she must feel his desire growing against her. They both were breathing hard and he felt as if he was slipping into a world he hadn’t visited in a long time.
She began to pull away. Everything in him cried no. Don’t stop now. It’s too wonderful. Please, don’t stop.
But she did, and he let her.
She smiled up at him. “You’re quite a man, Jude Winslow.”
“And you’re a special woman, Kay Littleton.” He reached for her again.
She backed away.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. It was wonderful, Jude. I hope it happens again sometime.”
“It can happen right now.”
She shook her head. “We have a dinner to cook. Remember?”
He nodded. “I wish we didn’t have company coming, but it’ll be a while. We have time.”
She shook her head. “We need to start the sauce.”
“I’d rather start something else.”
“Not now, Jude.”
He took a deep breath. “Okay, if you insist. I’ll try to curb my feelings.”
“Good. Will you help me cook?”
“After that kiss, I’m your slave for life.” He reached out and touched her cheek.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek then moved away quickly.
•♥ •
When the Parkers arrived, the house was filled with the delicious smells of a simmering Italian sauce. Mavis tossed her purse on the coffee table in the living room, sat a large plastic container on the cabinet. “What can I do to help?”
“You can take my place,” Jude said and eyed the container. “What you got there?”
“It’s some snacks for later tonight. I was afraid we’d get the nibbles so I brought some of my famous snack mix.”
“Good. I like that.”
“Man, I can’t believe Kay has you working in the kitchen.” Neil shook his head at Jude. “I thought I was the only henpecked man around.” He sat two suitcases at the foot of the stairs.
“Henpecked my foot.” Mavis eyed him.
“This party was mostly my idea so I thought the least I could do was give the lady a hand.” Jude laid the knife down on the cutting board. “Now that Mavis is here, I’m sure she’ll do a better job than I’m doing cutting up this salad.”
“Of course I will. You go on in the living room and talk to Neil. He’s been under my feet all day and he needs somebody else to bother for a while.”
“I’ll do that.” Jude leaned down and kissed Mavis’s cheek. As he left the kitchen he patted Kay’s shoulder and winked at her.
In a matter of seconds, there was the muted sound of male voices coming from the living room. Kay glanced at Mavis. “All of you are really good friends, aren’t you?”
“Have been most of our lives. My best friend, Anna, and I went to high school with the guys. Then the three of them went off to the same college. The other three went the next year. The summer after they graduated, I married Neil and Anna married Alex. Anna died almost three years ago with cancer. Poor Alex was a lost soul for a while, then he met Heather, and everything changed for him.”
“They do seem happy.”
“They’re very happy. They’re as much in love as any two people can be. Each of them have a son and those boys are as close as any two real brothers ever were. There has never been step-anything with them. Theirs is a close family.”
Kay stirred the sauce. “You said there were six boys who were friends.”
“Yep. They were as thick as glue all through high school. Neil, Brock, Alex, Anna and I were all in the same class. I think you met Brock Pendleton at the house.”
She nodded and Mavis went on. “And you may remember Seth Armstrong. He was there, too. The last one is Ethan Foley. Seth, Jude and Ethan were a class behind us.” Mavis chuckled. “But the six of them were friends and they became known as the Redwood Boys because they were all over six feet tall in high school. They played sports, and the years they led the basketball and football teams, old Coverton Mills High was the state champion. Needless to say, they had their pick of the girls, but for some reason, Neil and Alex chose Anna and me.”
“I don’t know about the others, but I know Neil couldn’t have made a better choice.”
“Thanks, Kay.” She chuckled again. “Oh, I’m not dumb enough to think Neil didn’t have his flings in college, like they all did, I’m sure, but he always came home and treated me like a queen. Since our marriage, I’ve never once suspected him of stepping out on me.”
“That must be a wonderful feeling.” Kay couldn’t help thinking of the aids and pages in DC who had caught James’s eye at one time or another.
“It does make a woman feel secure.”
“May I ask you something, Mavis?”
“Of course.”
“I couldn’t help noticing Seth walked with a cane. Was he hurt in a wreck or something?”
Mavis shook her head. “He doesn’t talk about it much, but he was shot.”
“Shot?” Kay was surprised.
“Yes, his wife went berserk about a year ago and tried to kill their son, Hunter. He’s the one you asked about.” Kay nodded and Mavis went on, “Seth jumped in front of the boy and took the bullets. He almost died, but it shattered his right hip. It took him a long time to learn to walk again, and he’ll always have the limp. It’s been hard for him, but his friends are there just like always. As you can tell, they treat him as they always have.”
“I’m sure he appreciates that.”
“I know he does.”
“And Brock. What’s his story?”
“Brock has kind of a sad situation. His wife is in private hospital in Asheville. They don’t call it Alzheimer’s, but she doesn’t know who she is or who he is, or anything. Though he divorced her a few years ago, he’s still her legal guardian and looks after her care. He doesn’t talk about it, but he once loved her very much and it almost killed him when she slipped away from him.”
“It’s commendable that he still cares enough to see that she’s properly cared for.”
“I think he’ll do it as long as they both live.”
“And the other man? Did I meet him?” Kay hoped his story wasn’t as sad.
“Ethan? No, you didn’t meet him. He’s the only one who doesn’t live in the area. He kept some land and leased it out, but his wife didn’t like Coverton Mills, and after their daughter’s accident, she convinced him to move away. Carolyn works at Bed, Breakfast and More. You’ll probably meet her if you go there very often. She works the front desk. Alex gave her the job, and even with her problems, he says she’s the best worker he has. Ethan was a pro football player for a while. I’m not sure which team.”
“I think I might have heard of him.” She didn’t add that Jimmy had been an avid football fan and she’d learned about a lot of the players from him.
Kay would’ve asked further questions, but there was a noise on the front porch. Jude opened the door, and in a minute, Alex and Heather came in. Alex put four bottles of wine on the counter and joined the men. Heather came into the kitchen with a cake plate. “Fresh coconut,” she announced.
“That’s great, I think.” Mavis eyed her. “Did you…”
Heather laughed. “No, I didn’t make it. Irma did.”
Mavis grinned. “Kay, I think we told you it’s a well-known fact around here that Heather isn’t the best baker in the world.”
“I’m not, and I know it.”
“I think I remember something being said about her baking on Thanksgiving.”
“That’s right. I don’t try to pretend I can make a good cake or pie, but Alex says I have other attributes that make up for it.” Heather wrinkled her nose and made a funny face. “Thank goodness our housekeeper is an excellent cook.”
“I’m glad she is. Coconut is one of my favorite cakes.” Kay took the dessert. “Should it be in the refrigerator?”
“Probably. It’s iced with fresh cream and coconut.” Kay made room for it in the refrigerator.
“What can I do to help?”
Mavis looked at her. “Want to get the dishes and set the table?”
“Let me get out of this coat and I’ll be happy to.” Heather went into the living room and put her coat across a chair.
“It’s a simple meal, Heather. I hope you don’t mind. Jude and I decided to serve spaghetti.” Kay took the silverware out and put it on the counter.
“Sounds good on a cold day like this. Alex and I both love spaghetti.”
“Say you can’t stay the night?” Mavis asked.
“Not tonight. There’s some kind of function for the mommies at the boys’ school classes tomorrow and I promised to keep the girls in the morning. Alex is going to help me because he says I need it. Actually, you know I can do it alone, but he likes to get his hands on those girls, too. He’s great with them, and looks for excuses to play grandfather.”
“You could get up early and get back before the boys go to school, couldn’t you?”
“We thought of that, Mavis, but we decided if we stayed we’d want to have a leisurely breakfast with our friends and it’d make us late babysitting.” She started putting plates on the table. “Are all of you staying the night?”
“We plan to. We went by Red’s and picked up a change of clothes for Kay. Jude keeps some things here in his closet, so I know he’ll stay.”
Heather grinned. “Of course, I assume Kay and Jude will be staying in separate rooms.”
Mavis looked at her innocently. “Well, tell me why in the world would they want to do that?”
“Wait a minute, Mavis.” Kay looked stricken. “You know why.”
“If she doesn’t, I do. I remember the time Alex and I were staying in the same house and were in separate rooms. He didn’t like it much, but he bowed to my wishes.” Heather giggled. “I admit, I tossed and turned wondering what he was thinking about during the night and wishing I wasn’t such a prude. Several times, I started to call him to come to my bed, but I managed to tough out the night.”
“That was different. I’ve only known Jude for about a week.”
Heather and Mavis both laughed and Kay looked at them. “What does that mean?”
“I hate to tell you this, but Alex and I knew each other less than a month before we were married.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Nope. Ask Mavis.”
“It’s true, Kay. They met, fell in love almost instantly and were married before anybody knew what was happening. Why, Neil and I even rushed to Myrtle Beach to see if we could talk some sense into Alex because we thought he’d lost his mind. We hadn’t met Heather at the time, and we were afraid Alex had gone bonkers over some little young diva he picked up on the beach. Then, we met her and knew their wedding was not to be stopped. Those two were meant to be together, and nothing we could say or do would change their minds.”
Heather finished the table setting. She turned to Mavis and said, “And aren’t you glad you couldn’t stop us? Look what a good friend you would’ve missed out on.”
“I’m very glad our plans to mess up your wedding didn’t work out. You two are not only happy with each other, but you’re right. You’ve become wonderful friends.”
“Thanks.”
“Their sons are friends of Darlene and Red, and with Jude’s son and his wife, as well as some other young people in the area,” Mavis said.
“Actually, our sons call themselves brothers. Of course, it thrills Alex and me. I just wish Tim would calm down about this bill that he wants passed so badly.”
“What bill is that, Heather?” Kay tried not to show too much interest, but she always had an ear turned to something the public said about what was going on in Washington.
“I’m not sure. It’s something about education for the kids in poorer regions.” She smiled at Kay. “I don’t know if you know it or not, but my son is a school principal. He has always believed in good educations for kids.”
“Yes, someone told me.” She quickly changed the subject. She didn’t want them to know she was helping write the education bill. “And what does Alex’s son do?”
“He works on the farm with his father. We raise cattle and horses.”
“Now, that’s not all you do, Heather,” Mavis said. “The Hargroves have a winery, of which we’ll sample the fruits of their labor at dinner. They also own Bed, Breakfast and More.”
“We don’t have the bed and breakfast any more. Jude bought that last week. Luke wants to expand the farm and add more cattle. He decided he’d rather do that than spread himself thin with the other businesses, and Alex didn’t want to take on the responsibility of Bed, Breakfast and More on his own.”
“Are you going to sell the winery?”
“Oh, no. He and Alex are too tied to it.” She chuckled. “Even Tim is beginning to dabble in the wine business. Alex is pleased that he shows an interest, because he wants him to take part, though we both doubt he’ll ever give up working for the school system and do it full time.”
“Tell me more about your grandchildren, Heather. I think you said you had four,” Kay said.
“Yes. Two boys and two girls. The boys are five and five-and-a-half. Jacob is in kindergarten and Ben is in first grade, but is taking some special classes.”
“That Ben is something else, Kay,” Mavis said. “His IQ is out the roof. I swear, that kid will be the next Bill Gates or something like that.”
“He says he wants to be president, but we all try to keep his world as normal as possible.” Heather laughed. “The girls, Anna and Mary, were born on the same day and are four months now. Can you believe that, Mavis? They grow so fast.”
“They sure do. Sammy was born a month or so after the girls and he’s getting to be such a big fellow, now.”
“And he’s such a wonderful baby. So is his big brother.” Kay added with pride.
“Listen at her,” Mavis said. “I don’t have to brag about my grandchildren alone. I now have Kay to help me.”
“I can’t help it. They’re so precious.” Kay turned to the stove. “Well, folks, it seems the sauce is done. I’m going to put on the pasta, and we’ll eat shortly.”
“Sounds good to me,” Heather and Mavis said together.
•♥ •
In the living room, the men sat in a semicircle around the fireplace. After discussing the fire and how the builders were coming along repairing Alex’s house, Neil turned to Jude. “Not to change the subject or anything, but what brought this party about? Didn’t you want to be alone up here with Kay?”
“I was wondering the same thing.” Alex looked at his friend. “Man, I would’ve taken advantage of being with Heather if we’d been in the
same position when we were dating.”
“Well, guys you know how I am about this place. I don’t want it used for anything inappropriate, so I decided to invite you up.”
“So you brought Kay here for something inappropriate and invited us up to ward it off?” Neil looked at him.
“Of course not.” Jude shook his head at him. “She’s not that kind of woman. I just thought, well, I thought it’d be nice to get together.”
“He’s stammering, Neil. That means he would’ve liked to have been here for an inappropriate reason, but thought he’d never get away with it.”
“I agree. Tiny as she is, I think Miss Kay can handle our big friend, here.”
“I’m sure she can. Heather’s not much bigger, and the good Lord knows she can handle me. Every time I got an inappropriate thought while we were dating, she set me straight.” He laughed. “Then we got married and she started having some pretty wild thoughts of her own.”
“Yeah, Jude. You never know what’s going on in that pretty little head of Kay’s.” Neil chuckled.
“Guys…”
“Admit it, Jude.” Neil bent close to him. “You’re hot for the woman.”
“So? What if I am? You know she’s way out of my league.”
“That’s what I thought about Heather, her being a famous author and all, but it turns out she was just as hot for me as I was for her. That’s one reason we got married so fast. Neither of us wanted to wait. Women have those feelings, too, you know.”
“Well, I can tell you right now, Kay doesn’t have any of those feelings for me.”
“You might be surprised, buddy.” Neil smiled. “She hasn’t turned you down a time when you asked her to go somewhere, has she? And according to Red, you’re asking her out about every day.”
“No, but…”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but there’s something a little sad about Kay. Maybe she and her husband were awfully close and she misses him, or it could be something else. Anyway, I think you might be the man to put the roses back in her cheeks.” Neil punched Jude’s arm. “I’m sure you’re man enough to do it.”
“Heather sure did that for me. You both know how devastated I was when I lost Anna. I didn’t think I’d ever fall in love again. I planned to go to my grave being a sad and lonely old man. Look at me now. I took one look at Heather and I realized love wasn’t an impossibility a second time around. In fact, I fell in love with her the first night I laid eyes on her.” He grinned. “The miracle was, she said she felt the same way about me. Even with all the events around the house, life has been wonderful ever since.”
Second Chance Dreams (A Coverton Mills Romance Book 2) Page 9
