Kisses Between the Lines: An Echo Ridge Anthology (Echo Ridge Romance Book 2)

by Lucy McConnell

  Suddenly, she remembered her girls were still sitting in the aisle. She hurried over to check on them. They each had a pile of books in their arms. “Ready to go girls?” She hated how breathless her voice was. She should not let Chayton Liechty affect her like that. Seeing him once or twice a week at lacrosse games was hard enough. Every time she had to contain the thrill that rose within her and somehow calm her racing heart.

  “That is one beautiful specimen,” Jessica said from behind her.

  Emma hadn’t noticed the gorgeous blonde following her. Jessica had always been kind to her, but just the sight of her designer outfit and long legs made Emma realize how frumpy she probably appeared. She’d been happy she was wearing this favorite sweater when she saw Chayton, until Jessica said something about it. Did everyone know she’d received way too much charity last Christmas? She’d never asked for or wanted assistance but when it was left on her doorstep at one of the darkest times of her life, she took it and sent continual prayers of gratitude up, vowing to give back however she could.

  “Who?” Emma feigned ignorance with Jessica though she knew the answer.

  “Chayton Liechty.” Jessica winked. “And lucky you, you get to read The Last of the Mohicans and think about Chayton while I get to find some gruesome Dracula.”

  “Marian is a little nuts,” Emma said, checking over her shoulder to make sure Marian wasn’t in listening distance. The coast was clear. “Maybe she’ll forget about her demands.”

  “Not likely. Maybe I’ll just read on my Kindle from now on and stop coming to the library. They don’t have any of the new Destination Billionaire Romances anyway and that’s all I’ve been reading lately.”

  “Might be the safer option to just avoid Marian for a while,” Emma agreed. Romance and billionaires seemed like a fantasy that Emma would never encounter in this life, but would be fun to read about anyway. She wished she could afford a Kindle. Life had been on a huge upswing since her ex-husband, Beau, was arrested last Christmas and she and Mason had been blessed by a very generous Christmas donor and the ability to provide for themselves without Beau depleting their funds. She still cleaned Kenworth’s at nights, but Mason had been able to cut back his hours at Jack’s Pizza last spring and summer. That opened time to secure a lacrosse scholarship with Syracuse University due to the recruiting camps their Christmas angel booked for him. She was thrilled for him and loved being able to support him in his dreams and spend time with her girls, but extra purchases like a Kindle and Destination Billionaire Romances probably wouldn’t happen for a few more years.

  “It was good to see you, Jessica,” Emma said, taking the pile of books from Maryn’s outstretched arms.

  “You too. If you ever need a personal shopper, I’d love to do that for you. You have such a beautiful shape. No one would believe you have three children.”

  “Thank you.” Emma appreciated the compliment and the offer, but where in the world did Jessica think she could come up with the money for shopping let alone a personal shopper? She sighed. Jessica was young, beautiful, and had no family responsibilities. Of course she couldn’t understand the pressure on Emma to provide for her little family and try to save for the future. Who knew when one of her children might need to go to the doctor or Mason needed something for lacrosse. She was also trying to store a lot of foods, processing everything from her garden and buying extra at the grocery store each week. She would make sure her family never went without again. The weight on her shoulders made it hard to stand up straight sometimes, like walking against a gale-force wind that never slowed down.

  Jessica disappeared down another aisle, obviously leery of another confrontation with Marian. Britta, the young, blonde librarian came down the aisle, hefting a large stack of posters. Her movements were quick and jerky like she was in a hurry or a bit overwhelmed. She stopped when she saw all of them. “Hello, Emma.”

  “Hi,” Emma greeted her.

  “How are these cute girls today?”

  Maryn tilted her head to the side. “We’re still cute.”

  Britta laughed.

  “Thank you, Miss Britta,” Addison said properly. “I love your hair.”

  “Well, thank you back, Miss Addison.” Britta smiled at Emma. “You’re so lucky to have these girls to brighten your day.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  They said their goodbyes and Emma escorted the girls down the aisle. She needed to remember she was lucky and not wish for something she couldn’t have, like Chayton Liechty. Ushering the girls to the front desk, she tried to push Chayton from her mind.

  “Hi, Miss Marian.” Addison smiled at the older woman.

  “Hello, sweetheart.” Miss Marian’s face softened as it always did when she looked at Emma’s girls. “Such little darlings you have. Not noisy like most of the children around here.”

  “Thank you.” Emma felt instant guilt for getting bogged down with money worries. She had two beautiful girls and a strong and caring son. She should be grateful. Otherwise, she was going to end up as puckered and ornery as Marian.

  MASON FELL TO THE BENCH and put his head between his legs. Taking long, slow breaths his head cleared until he wasn’t seeing black and his stomach finally calmed. He was eighty percent sure he wouldn’t spew. It was so embarrassing when that happened after sprints.

  “Great practice today.” Coach Liechty approached the group of players and several of them groaned.

  “If it was such a great practice, why’d we have to sprint?” Josh asked.

  Mason lifted his head and pinned Josh with a stare. As Senior Captain this year, Mason felt the responsibility pretty deeply. “We’re the most in-shape team in the state. We always pull away in the fourth quarter. You willing to give that up so you can miss sprints?”

  “No,” Josh muttered.

  “Well spoken,” Coach said. “See you all tomorrow.”

  There were more groans as the players stood and moseyed to the locker room. Mason stayed behind to grab the water bottles. The other players liked to tease him that he was the water boy, but he’d taken responsibility for the water bottles his freshman year when they’d endured several practices without water because the player responsible to bring them hadn’t shown up to practice or had forgotten them. Mason wouldn’t miss practice unless he lost a limb and he didn’t care if they called him water boy. At least no one was dying of thirst.

  “I saw your mom and sisters this morning.” Coach lifted a water bottle into the carrier.

  “They’re fun.” Mason smiled. He loved his mom and sisters fiercely.

  “They’re beautiful,” Coach said.

  Mason’s head popped up. The way Coach had said that was so odd. Coach caught his eye and then looked away. “Yeah, I guess they are.” He was always very protective of men who checked his mom out. His teammates used to tease him and call her the Hot Mama, but she got wind of it and started baking cookies every time they won a game and suggested they call her Cookie Mama. Mason was grateful he hadn’t had to fight any of the other players to shut them up. Coach wouldn’t be looking at his mom that way, would he? They were always friendly with each other, but Coach didn’t strike him as the type that would check his mom out like she was some piece of meat or something.

  “How’s your mom doing?”

  “Good.” He eyed Coach, but sensed he was genuine in his question and not fishing for a date or something. He thought about his mom and smiled. She was the kind of person who never got overly excited about anything, except watching him play lacrosse. Then she was so funny, screaming at the refs and yelling encouragement to all of his teammates. She called them all honey and sweetheart. All of his buddies thought it was hilarious. He hoped she was doing as well as she pretended to be around him and was finally over that loser Beau. Sometimes Mason worried that Beau had scarred his mom for life. He knew she’d been asked out on dates the past nine months, but she always turned them down. Mason wasn’t in a hurry to find another stepdad, but he would like his mom to fi
nd a nice guy to be happy with before he left for college next summer.

  “Thanks, Coach,” he said, picking up the water bottles and walking away.

  “Yep. See you tomorrow.”

  Mason rounded the corner of the school and Kaitlyn Johanson was waiting with her back pressed up against the wall. He ran a hand self-consciously through his sweaty hair. “Hey, Kaitlyn.”

  She gave him a warm smile. “Thought I’d catch you before you rushed off to work.”

  It used to embarrass him that he worked several nights a week and some weekends when most of his teammates and friends had never worked a day in their lives. Now he was confident enough to know that he was helping provide for his family and save for his future.

  “I’m a mess.” He swallowed and glanced over her trendy clothes that fit her shape really well and blonde hair hanging in long, perfect curls. He loved to trail his fingers through those curls.

  Her blue eyes lit up with amusement. “I’m not going to attack you, I just got done with orchestra and wanted to say hi in person. Sometimes a girl actually wants to see her boyfriend.”

  Mason grinned at her. He loved it when she called him that. “Oh? I thought you were happy with a texting relationship.”

  “Nope. I kind of like your body.”

  Mason arched his eyebrows.

  Kaitlyn blushed and hurried to cover her embarrassment at her comment. It wasn’t like her to be so bold. “Can you get Saturday night off? I wanted to take you out.”

  “Sure, but I think I should be the one taking you out.” Sadly, he was so busy they rarely went on dates and when they did the best he could afford was shakes at Fay’s or a hike in the nearby mountains. She deserved a better boyfriend, but she seemed to want him. His chest puffed out a little just thinking about how lucky he was to have her.

  “Nope. I’ve got this all planned. I’ll pick you up at six.” She walked up to him, and even though he knew he stunk, she gave him a quick kiss on the mouth then quickly spun and walked away.

  “Thanks,” Mason called after her.

  “For the kiss or the date?” She spun around and placed a hand on her hip, bit at her lip, and ducked her head slightly. It killed him when she did that and he wanted to kiss her again. She was hot-looking but still had a sweet humility about her that he’d rarely seen in other girls.

  “Both,” he said, grinning, “But I’ll be giving you a better kiss Saturday night when I’ve had a shower.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” She winked. “And maybe you shouldn’t wait until Saturday night to shower.”

  Mason chuckled and didn’t move as he watched her saunter away. He had a beautiful girlfriend, a lacrosse scholarship to his dream school, and his family was doing great. Working nights at Jack’s Pizza was definitely nothing to complain about.

  PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE was something Emma had always enjoyed. No matter what they’d gone through in their lives, when she went to parent-teacher conference, Mason always had reports of being smart, respectful, and hardworking. It wasn’t uncommon to have a teacher gush about some instance where Mason had shown charity to another student. Emma’s children were the only things in her life worth being prideful about and though she tried not to brag, it felt wonderful to hear good things about them.

  Mason stayed home with the girls so Emma could meet with each of his teachers and then go straight to work. Normally she’d wear her work clothes and think nothing of it. For some reason tonight she’d put on a nicer pair of jeans and a fitted t-shirt. It was almost eight o’clock and she was finished making the rounds to each of Mason’s current teachers, but Emma found herself walking toward the history classroom. Mason didn’t have history this trimester, yet it couldn’t be a bad idea to get a report from his lacrosse coach, right?

  As she approached the door, she listened intently, but all was silent. She smiled to herself. Even better. No one would be around to witness how drawn she was to her son’s coach and she could have Chayton all to herself for a few minutes.

  She slowly walked through the doorway. Chayton’s head was bent over his desk. “Just one minute and I’ll be right with you.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  His head whipped up and Chayton’s handsome face split into a smile. “Emma. I didn’t expect to see you tonight.” He stood and crossed the distance until he was standing so close Emma could smell an intriguing mixture of musk and citrus.

  She arched her head back to meet his gaze. “I thought I’d better get a report from the lacrosse coach.” She smiled, but trembled inside. Would he realize she had only wanted to see him? Lacrosse was a driving obsession in Mason’s life and she was right there with him, watching his film, analyzing stats, and discussing how to improve, but Chayton was capable of being an even bigger obsession for her.

  Chayton sat on the desk right beside her, bringing him closer to her level. “That’s one report I like to give. I know I shouldn’t have favorites, but it’s impossible with a kid as hardworking, respectful, and talented as Mason.”

  Emma grinned, flushing from the compliment and the warmth in his eyes. “Thanks, Coach. That means a lot coming from you.”

  “It does?” He arched his eyebrows and licked his lips.

  She found herself leaning toward him, like her body was gravitating toward his without her mind asking it to. “I think very highly of your… opinion.”

  Chayton pushed away from the desk and was suddenly so close to her she could hardly breathe let alone think straight. He simply studied her for a few seconds. Emma couldn’t think of a thing to say nor did she care that she was tongue-tied. Just being close to him was heaven. Was it possible he was ready to cross that border from friendship to something else? Could she really be that blessed?

  “Emma.” His voice was low and oh so appealing. His mouth twitched into a smile then grew more serious. He took a hold of her hand and warm tremors worked their way up her arm. “I’ve been wonder— ”

  “We survived another parent-teacher conference.” The voice carried from behind them. “Oh, um, wow. Excuse me.”

  Chayton released her hand. Emma whirled to face whoever was in the doorway, brushing against Chayton’s much-too firm chest with her upper arm. She blushed and tingled at the same time.

  “Hey, Chelsea. I’m just finishing up.” Chayton’s voice sounded a little unsteady.

  “Hi, Emma.” Chelsea was a tall brunette. A natural beauty who Emma had never seen out of a t-shirt and yoga pants, but it looked fabulous on her. She was the physical education teacher and Emma knew Mason enjoyed her classes. “Does Mason have history this tri?”

  “Um, no.” Emma tried to create some distance from Chayton, but she bumped into a desk.

  “We were just… talking lacrosse stuff,” Chayton was quick to say.

  “Oh.” Chelsea’s gaze swiveled between the two of them. “Drew thought we should go for shakes at Fay’s to celebrate surviving another parent-teacher conference. Do you want to come with us, Emma?”

  “No, I can’t. I’ve got to work.” Her blush deepened. Nothing spelled loser like revealing she was a low-level blue collar worker in front of two people who had spent more years in college than she had in all of her education. She’d dropped out of high school at fifteen and gotten her G.E.D. when her husband was deployed to Afghanistan and Mason was just a toddler. She nodded to Chayton quickly and hurried to the door.

  Chelsea backed out of her way. “It’s good to see you, Emma. I miss having Mason in my classes. He’s a great kid.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Will you be at the game Thursday?” Chayton asked from behind her.

  Emma turned and bravely met his gaze. Those dark eyes seemed to penetrate into her. She wished they could’ve had a few more minutes alone and he could’ve at least finished his sentence before Chelsea interrupted. Had he really held her hand or was it all a dream? “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  He grinned. “Great. I’ll talk to you then.”

  She n
odded, whispered goodbye to Chelsea, and fled. She had no right to have these feelings about her son’s coach, but they were growing stronger every time she saw him.

  Chelsea stood in the doorway, studying Chayton with a smirk on her face. “Mind telling me what that was all about?”

  Chayton shook his head. “You’re a married woman, not even my friend anymore. I’m not telling you anything.”

  “Ha!” Chelsea grinned at him. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll have Drew beat it out of you on the basketball court.”

  He laughed. After he and Drew lifted weights in the morning, they would play basketball or racquetball for a bit of cardio. Drew had played in college and slaughtered him on the basketball court but Chayton could hold his own with racquetball.

  “You like her,” Chelsea’s voice held a note of accusation.

  “So what if I do?”

  She held up her hands. “Don’t get all defensive on me. I think Emma’s a cool lady. I just didn’t see this coming.”

  “You stay up nights plotting how my dating life is going to go?” Chayton’s neck was hot. This was awkward. Him admitting he liked a student’s parent to a teacher he used to date. What was up with him telling Chelsea he liked Emma anyway? It couldn’t go anywhere. At least, it probably shouldn’t.

  “You haven’t dated anybody in a while. I’m just curious. Hoping for good things for my friend.”

  “Thanks.” Chayton ducked his head.

  “Ready for shakes? Drew’s buying.”

  “Sure. I’ll meet you there.”

  Chelsea strode out the door and Emma’s image easily popped back into his head. He needed to learn to control himself around her or maybe he should just plunge into these feelings and hope he didn’t make a mess of things. What if he pursued her and it didn’t work out? That would be awkward for both Mason and Emma. He grabbed some papers off the stack and shoved them into his bag. Stopping flirting with Emma was probably the smartest course, at least until Mason graduated, but the idea left him feeling empty. Maybe he could somehow spend more time with her and the girls. See if getting to know her better in a setting other than lacrosse or school just increased her appeal or maybe he’d tire of her like he had other women he’d dated. He smiled to himself as he thought of dating Emma, plotting ways to see her more.