How to Love Her: McCullough Mountain (McCullough Mountain Prequel)

by Lydia Michaels

  “McGregor.”

  She gaped at him. “No, it’s not.”

  He laughed. “Nah. It’s Marcelli. Anthony Vincenzo Marcelli the third.”

  “Yup, that’s Italian. Are you Catholic?”

  Pressing his face into his shirt he tipped his head sent her a sidelong glance, hinting that he could be a sinner as much as a saint. “Yeah, but I haven’t been to church in a while. I might have some repenting to do.” His mouth hooked in an unabashed half grin. “I peeked.”

  She shoved him. “You swore!”

  Laughing, he snapped his fingers in the air with feigned remorse. “Damn. I guess I lied. That’s two sins.”

  “That’ll be two Hail Marys and one Our Father,” she teased.

  “Worth it.” He snickered. “How about you? Are you one of those good Catholic girls?”

  Not by a long shot, but he didn’t need to know all that. “I think my mother had us baptized in the womb. My family’s super Catholic, like, if you miss church on Sunday you better be prepared to miss dinner too.”

  “Damn. My family’s not all that bad.”

  She smiled. “It’s not so bad, just an hour each week. My brother…he gives a lot more. I think he’s going to be a priest.”

  His brows shot up. “Really? Which brother? Not Luke.”

  She snorted. “God, no! My brother Colin. He’s a year younger than us.”

  “I never met anyone our age actually considering priesthood. Priests just sort of appear and I always assumed they’re transplanted from Europe or Boston.”

  “Boston?”

  He shrugged, the roll of his broad shoulders stealing her attention. “There’s some heavy faith in Boston.”

  He had such a plain explanation for everything. “I guess.”

  Her amusement faded as she was reminded of how her family’s convictions would play into her situation now that she was pregnant. Shoving her worry away, she asked, “What time is it? It has to be almost lunch.”

  He had one of those waterproof sport watches on his wrist. “It’s almost noon. Are you hungry?”

  She was starving. “I don’t have any food with me.”

  “We could go to lunch somewhere.”

  “Our clothes are wet!”

  “So we’ll hit a drive through. Or…” He leaned forward, crossing his arms over his knees as he smiled. The dusting of hair along his forearms seemed bleached from the sun. “There’s this pub in town that makes great sliders. We could get something from there. They do takeout. You wouldn’t even have to get out of the car.”

  “You mean O’Malley’s?”

  “Yeah. You know it?”

  “We can’t go there. My aunt owns it.”

  “No way.”

  “Way. How about we drive to a diner on the other side of town?”

  The thick curl of his laughter seemed to stroke the softest sides of her belly. “Are you afraid the truant officer will catch us?”

  “No. I’m eighteen. I’m allowed to leave school.” It was her family she worried about. “But I have a lot of relatives and not a single one would hesitate to call my mother if they saw me out of school during the day.”

  “One of those families.” He continued to smile at her, his gaze shifting but never fully leaving her. The wind stilled, replaced by the heavy press of his gaze, as he looked right into her eyes.

  Breaking the stare, she glanced at her knees, but that didn’t slow the jittery nerves dancing in her stomach. “So…” her mind flailed as she searched for a distraction as his acute attention weighed heavily on her.

  “You’re blushing.”

  No doubt. His attention burned her, heating her blood deep within and sending tingles to the surface of her skin. “It’s the sun,” she lied.

  “Is it?” His voice was low, seemingly closer.

  From the corner of her eye she saw him ease closer and her heart galloped into a fast canter. “Ant—”

  “I think you’re really pretty, Katherine.”

  Her heart thundered erratically as she searched for something to say, but nothing came. The moment stretched and the energy surrounding them tightened, thick and tempting.

  His shadow passed over her as he brushed the hair away from her face, sending a sharp shiver dancing down her spine as heat bloomed thick in her belly. His breath fanned over her cheek as he eased closer.

  Warm breath feathered over her skin. “Why won’t you look at me?”

  “Oh God.” He made her so nervous she could hardly breath. Purposefully, she pulled away, shaking the drops of lake water from her hair, needing to put some distance between them before she did something incredibly stupid again.

  He laughed nervously, his expression unsure. “Problem?”

  She couldn’t do this. Scrambling to her feet she stood and pulled her shirt over her head. “We should probably get going before someone catches us here.”

  Ant’s brow creased with what she assumed was confusion, but he didn’t object. Standing, he gathered his belongings and pulled on his shirt. Needing to feel in control, Kate returned to the driver’s side of the car and adjusted the seat. Once they were on the main road she turned on some music, taking a moment to think, because she really wished she could go back in time and let him kiss her, no matter how dumb that made her.

  What was she doing? She had Nick’s baby inside of her. She couldn’t kiss Ant! And if he knew she was pregnant he’d probably run away screaming. She didn’t expect to like him the way she did, but when he looked at her everything inside of her wanted to give in and see what might happen.

  Oh, God…what if she never got kissed again once the baby was born? She should have just let him do it—one for the road and all that. Damn it. Why had she pulled away? It was a stupid kiss! Not a marriage proposal.

  “Uh, Katherine…the speed limit’s twenty-five. You’re going about fifty.”

  Glancing at the gauge she cursed and eased her foot off the gas.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Hmm? Yes, I’m fine.” Her eyes remained glued to the road.

  “Is it because of your boyfriend?”

  She rolled her eyes. “What boyfriend?”

  “The one you said you had.”

  Grimacing seemed less crazy, so she pinched her lips tight and held back a screech of frustration. There was no point lying. “We broke up.”

  “Then…is it me?”

  “No, it’s definitely not you.” She eased her foot off the pedal a bit more. “It’s me. I can’t…” How should she put it? “My life’s really confusing right now. If you knew what was going on you wouldn’t try to kiss me.”

  “Why? What’s going on?”

  “I’m—” She wasn’t actually considering telling him, was she? She couldn’t do that. She didn’t know him well enough. And she didn’t need rumors spreading. Her family didn’t even know. Ant seemed like a great guy, but he wasn’t the person she should be talking to about this. “I can’t tell you.”

  “Russian spy?”

  Her face scrunched as she glanced at him. “What?”

  “Witness protection program?”

  She chuckled. “Nothing that organized.”

  “Gay?”

  She laughed. “No.”

  “Still in love with the ex?”

  “Definitely not.”

  “Betrothed?”

  “What is this, the seventeen hundreds?”

  “You only have a few days to live?” He paused then twisted in his seat to face her. “If that’s the case I think you should toss away any restraint and go hog wild. I’d be happy to help.”

  She laughed again. “I hope I have more than a few days to live.” She’d see once she told her parents the truth.

  “Pregnant?”

  The car nearly swerved off the road and she gaped at him, but he laughed.

  “Come on, just tell me. I’ll keep your secret.”

  Hiding her shock, she gripped the wheel. “Why do you care?”

  “
Because I like you.” His eyes were so charismatic and his smile so charming, she found it really difficult to deny him.

  And for some reason that simple confession made her incredibly sad. She wished she’d never slept with Nick. What if Ant was the guy she was supposed to be with and now she couldn’t because she was pregnant with someone else’s child? Guilt ransacked her insides, as she tried to deny her regret. It wasn’t that she had anything against the baby. But it did complicate the natural progression of life and that filled her with a good deal of remorse.

  Casually resting a hand on her belly, she mentally apologized to the baby and tried not to think like that anymore. Regrets would only make the road ahead that much rougher. And it was a road Ant didn’t deserve to be stranded on.

  Accepting she couldn’t lead him on, she shoved away her feelings for him and whispered, “Don’t like me, Ant. You’re a great guy, but I think you’d be much happier liking someone else.”

  “But I can’t. You see, I have this copper bowtie and my heart’s set on wearing it to prom. Problem is, no girl wants to wear a copper dress. But that bowtie would match your hair perfectly.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You do not have a copper bowtie.”

  “I guess you’ll never know.”

  Seeing the diner up ahead, she debated if lunch was a good idea. She needed to eat and she couldn’t go home with wet shorts, but she really didn’t want to give him the wrong impression.

  “I like you too, but only as a friend.” What a total lie. “Can friendship be enough?” She really needed a friend at the moment, being that her ex-best friend had permanently lost her trust and she wasn’t ready to talk to her family.

  “We can be friends.” His grin was forced, not reaching his eyes the way it normally did and making her want to take back everything she just said.

  She forced a grin as well and offered an olive branch. “My friends call me Kate.”

  He tipped his head to the side. “Kate. Katie. I like that.”

  And she loved hearing him say her name, but her disappointment was inescapable. It would be so easy to give in and not think about the consequences, but there were always consequences. Always. He was gorgeous and funny and amusing to be around, but she had to start thinking ahead. Not thinking ahead was what got her where she was and now her life was moving in a very unexpected direction.

  The diner was slightly crowded with the lunch rush, but the customers were mostly truckers passing through. As they sat in a booth by the back window and perused the menus, she tried not to imagine what being with a guy like Ant might entail. He was so different from Nick. With Nick, she had to compete for his attention and do things she wouldn’t normally do just to retain it. Ant seemed totally focused on her. He complimented things like her hair and called her a cool chick. She wasn’t sure anyone ever used such words to describe her before and she liked that being a cool chick had nothing to do with her appearance and everything to do with her personality. It made the compliment more genuine.

  Stop thinking about it!

  She turned her attention to the menu. Diner menus always overwhelmed her. She could order anything from a holiday feast to breakfast to dessert, all for fewer than ten dollars. Maybe food could be her new thing.

  “Coffee?” the waitress greeted, holding an insulated pot at her hip.

  Coffee sounded great, but pregnant women weren’t supposed to overdo it on caffeine. “I’ll just have water—and a glass of apple juice, please.” She hadn’t had apple juice in years, but as she caught sight of an old man sipping some her taste buds seemed to do the hustle.

  “And for you?”

  Ant ordered a cola and they went back to looking at the menus. “What’re you gettin’?”

  “I’m not sure. Everything sounds good and I’m suddenly ravenous. I could order this whole menu.” Pregnancy had definitely made her appreciate food in a new way.

  “Get whatever you want. It’s my treat.”

  “I have money.” Besides, this wasn’t a date. They were just friends.

  The waitress returned and she settled on a three-cheese omelet and a side of scrapple. Ant also ordered scrapple, but paired his with a turkey club.

  “You know, they don’t make scrapple in other places,” he said.

  “They don’t?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. It’s a Pennsylvania thing. Most people are disgusted by it.”

  “Well, I’m not. I love it.”

  “Do you know what it is?”

  His dark eyes teased so she glanced at the placemat. “Yes. I don’t care. People eat hot dogs. They’re just as gross.”

  Laughing, he flipped through the beer menu tucked by the ketchup and sugar packets. “Do you drink?”

  They’d never get served here. “Not lately.” Or for the next eight months.

  “I’m not a big drinker, but I do like a beer now and then. Can you get served at O’Malley’s?”

  “It depends which aunt’s working.”

  The conversation sort of teetered out, but Ant kept it going. “So, Katie, what do you have planned for the fall?”

  She could only imagine. “I’ve been trying to get a job working at my dad’s lumberyard.”

  His gaze dropped to her shoulders and he smirked. “You’d look cute in flannel and a wool cap. How are you with an ax?”

  “I can hold my own, but I’d be working in the office. He has a secretary, so it would mostly be light filing and stuff like that.”

  “No college?”

  Funny, she’d always wanted to take a year to work before committing to a career path or a degree, but now it sort of felt like she was being robbed of the second half of her plan. “Not right away. Maybe in a few years, but I’ll probably go local and commute.”

  He nodded. “I’m going to Penn State.”

  “Wow, really?”

  He grinned, obviously proud. “I have a scholarship for housing, but I don’t know if I’ll take it. As much as I’d like to leave the nest, my mom does my laundry and cooks like she’s feeding an army at every meal.”

  “You should take it. Will you be playing football then?”

  “Believe it or not, it’s an academic scholarship.”

  Oh boy…cute and smart. “What major did you choose?”

  “Biobehavioral Health.”

  Her eyes widened and she laughed nervously. “I don’t even know what that is.”

  “It basically focuses on solving the problems of human health and illness.”

  “You’re going to be a doctor?” He was definitely out of her league.

  “No, it has more to do with epidemiology. Research for disease control and environmental issues.”

  Her body sank a bit deeper into the booth. Here she thought he was just a carefree jock, but then he went and pulled out his big, fancy future and turned out to have a crap load of potential. He’d be off studying to save the world from the next plague or possibly working to cure cancer and she’d be trapped in this little redneck town, living in her childhood bedroom, raising a fatherless child, likely working at her father’s lumberyard during the day and renting out shoes at the local bowling alley at night.

  “What’s the matter?”

  She picked up her juice and drank from the straw. “Nothing. You’re a little intimidating, that’s all.”

  “I wasn’t telling you that to make you feel bad. I think it’s cool you’re taking some time to figure out what you want to do. My dad went to Penn State, so it’s sort of been drilled into me since childhood. Believe me, I’d much rather blow off the next year and figure out who I really am.”

  But she wasn’t blowing it off. She’d be working and saving every penny she made and even now she knew that would never be enough to actually get ahead, not with another mouth to feed.

  The waitress delivered their food, but Kate’s appetite had dwindled. Ant didn’t talk much as he devoured his sandwich, but when he was finished he said, “Do you think I could talk to your dad about giving
me a job this summer?”

  She lowered her fork. “You want to work at the lumberyard?” Didn’t he ever take time off to just kick back?

  He shrugged. “It would be better than being trapped in some office all summer. No offense.”

  If she actually did get the filing job and he worked at the yard, they might still run into each other after graduation. That made her happy, being that once he started college their paths would go in polar opposite directions and they’d probably never see each other again. “I can ask him.”

  “I can give you a copy of my resume. I don’t want it to seem like I’m asking for a hand out. I’m a good worker. In Philly I worked at a sausage factory.”

  She grinned. “You made sausage?”

  “Yeah. If you want, one day I’ll make you some—from scratch. The trick is stuffing it with broccoli rabe and asiago cheese. Once you taste it you’ll never be able to eat the over processed stuff again. Maybe we can make it together. I’ll give you my secret recipe.”

  She couldn’t imagine meat stuffed with vegetables and cheese, but she wanted to try it. “Okay. I’d love that.”

  “How about this weekend? Do you have plans?”

  Plans? Ha! “No, I’m free.”

  “Perfect. I’ll pick you up Saturday morning.”

  “Morning? Are we making breakfast sausage?”

  He laughed. “No, but it’s an all-day process. We have to go to the market to get everything fresh, grind down the meat, tenderize it, stuff it. It’s a long day, but it’s fun.”

  Another chance to escape. “I can’t wait.”

  That afternoon, she drove him back to school just as the last bell rang. As students trickled out of the building Ant hesitated. “I had a great time today, Katie.”

  She liked when he called her Katie. Most people didn’t. Just her parents and her siblings on occasion. “Me too. Thanks for showing me your secret spot.”

  His full lips curved in a half grin. “Any time.”

  “Well…” She patted her fingers on the steering wheel. “I guess I’ll see you Saturday.”

  “Or maybe I’ll see you in school tomorrow.”