by Barbara Gee
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Kelly,” he said softly, sensing her inner turmoil. “I know I’m rushing things, but it’s not like we have a lot of time to figure this out.”
Kelly ran a finger through the condensation on her glass, still not looking at him. “I don’t know, Will. It doesn’t seem like such a good idea.”
“Why? If I’m not mistaken, you don’t exactly hate spending time with me.”
She nodded slowly. “You’re right, I don’t hate it at all. I like it.” She finally raised her eyes to meet his. “And that’s kind of the problem. I already like being around you so much, and I barely know you. If we spend even more time together over the next few days, it’ll just be that much harder to leave on Saturday.”
“I know you have to leave, Kelly, but I’m not convinced that means we can’t see where things might go with us. I’ve been praying about it, a lot, and crazy as it sounds, I feel like there’s a reason we met, and a reason I feel the way I do.”
“I don’t know, Will,” Kelly said softly. “I don’t know where we go from here.”
“Me either. This is brand new for me. But here’s what I keep asking myself.” He pushed his empty plate away and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “If there’s no chance of anything ever happening between us, why did God see fit to make our paths cross? Why do we click so well? Why do I feel so much for you in only four days?”
Kelly returned his honesty with her own candid thoughts. “To tell you the truth, Will, I’ve been trying to convince myself that once I’m away from your, umm, physical presence, whatever it is I’m feeling will fade.”
The light in his blue eyes dimmed a bit. “That’s not how it is for me. I mean that’s part of I, the physical attraction is definitely there, but what I’m feeling goes deeper than that.” He sat back in his chair. “I’m not gonna lie—I was hoping it was deeper for you, too.”
Sighing, Kelly hunched forward, resting her elbow on the table and her cheek in her palm. “I said I’m trying to convince myself of that. I didn’t say I’ve succeeded.”
He studied her face for a long moment. “Maybe it’s time to stop fighting it and figure out how we can move on from here. I feel like if we give up on what we feel simply because of logistics, we’d be limiting God and not trusting Him to work it out as He sees fit.”
Kelly shook her head slowly, not convinced. The last thing she’d expected to be doing this evening was talking about her feelings for Will, with Will. But since he’d put it out there, and they didn’t have much time left, it somehow seemed appropriate.
“There are so many obstacles, Will. Not only the distance, but the fact that I’m so much older than you, and I have a child, and all the baggage that being a widowed mother brings.” Pushing away from the table, Kelly carried his empty plate to the sink and rinsed it before putting it in the dishwasher.
Will joined her there, leaning back against the countertop as she busied herself with heating up a generous serving of apple crisp and topping it with ice cream.
“As far as I’m concerned, the age difference isn’t even worth mentioning, and the fact that you have James is a plus, not a negative.”
“Well I think the age difference is an issue. I’m too old for you. Six years is a lot when you’re only twenty-five,” Kelly insisted. “I just can’t see it working.”
Will put his jacket over his arm and took the dish of dessert she offered him. He held out his other hand to her. “Let’s go outside.”
After only a moment of hesitation, Kelly put her hand in his, her heart fluttering when his strong fingers closed around hers. Why did it feel so right with this man, so very, very right, when her head told her repeatedly all the reasons why it couldn’t work?
Instead of their normal spots in the hammock and lounger, they sat side by side on a cushioned wicker loveseat nearby. The moon came out from behind the clouds that had obscured it earlier, and Kelly’s eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light it offered. It was almost impossible to take her eyes off the man beside her. Everything about him was beautiful to her, and she didn’t think she would ever get tired of looking at him.
“Thanks for feeding me,” he said with a smile, scraping the dish clean.
“I’m sure Sarah would be glad to know her leftovers were appreciated so much,” Kelly replied. She was sitting sideways, her knees drawn up to her chest. Will placed his empty dish on the ground and laid an arm across the back of the seat, twisting a strand of her hair between his fingers.
“I could get used to this, to spending my evenings with you. I hate the thought of you and James leaving, Kelly. You just got here.”
She sighed, shaking her head slowly. “I don’t get it, Will. Why me? You could have anyone.”
“I don’t want anyone.” He took one of her hands and laced his fingers through hers. “When I walked out of the stable the other day and saw you standing there, I felt like Red had kicked me in the gut. I know it’ll make you uncomfortable to hear me say this, because you’re sweet and humble, but Kelly, you’re so beautiful it almost hurts to look at you.”
Kelly opened her mouth but he raised a brow and held up a hand to stave off her protest.
“It’s not just the way you look, Kel. It’s the way you love your little boy enough to come all the way out here to Texas, having no idea what to expect, simply because you wanted to give him a chance to know his grandparents. And the way you’ve graciously forgiven James and Maggie, giving them a chance to be whole again. And the way you make everyone around you a little bit happier just because you’re you. I’ve never met anyone like you, Kelly.”
Incredulous, she stared at him for a long moment. “It’s good I’m not staying longer, Will, because I’m sure I will soon tumble off that pedestal you have me on, and knowing me, it won’t be a graceful fall. It’ll be a full out splat.”
He chuckled softly. “See, all the girls I know would be complaining that the pedestal wasn’t high enough. But not you. You’re already gearing up for a swan dive off of it.”
Will stood and held out a hand to her, pulling her up to stand facing him. “You can add ‘not being a diva’ to my list of positive character traits,” he said, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight. He gently took her face between his hands and tilted it up, slowly lowering his head to press his lips softly against hers. It was a very light kiss, but it stole Kelly’s breath and instantly made her knees weak.
He lifted his head and looked into her eyes, seeing her trepidation and willing her to put it aside.
“Let’s give it the three days we have left, Kelly, and see where we’re at come Saturday. I don’t want to take too much of your time away from the Mathersons, but we can be creative. I should be back from the auction tomorrow by early afternoon, so while Senior and Maggie are resting I’d love to take you and James to see the Triple Creek. James and Dodger can swim in the creek while you tell me everything about yourself from age one to whatever you are now. Then I’ll return the favor.”
“It’ll take me a lot longer than you,” Kelly said, a wry smile curving her lips. “I have six more years to tell about.”
“And I’ll enjoy every one of them,” he promised, maddeningly nonplussed.
His hands were still warm on her face, and Kelly unconsciously leaned into him, closing her eyes as he lowered his head once again. Their lips met and Kelly sighed softly against his mouth, amazed at how perfect and wonderful it felt to kiss this man.
“Three days,” she breathed, reluctantly pulling away before she gave in to the strong desire to deepen the kiss. “Three days and then—we’ll see, Will.”
He smiled, his teeth gleaming white in the moonlight. “Then we’ll see. Good night, Kelly. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Chapter 13
James woke up early the next morning, eager to go to the horse auction with the three men he had grown to love so much in his short time at the ranch. Will joined them for breakfast, and the hungry group tucked i
nto a massive stack of blueberry pancakes, sausage, and a mixture of fresh fruit.
“Delicious as usual,” James Senior complimented his cook, and everyone at the table agreed wholeheartedly, eliciting a brief smile from the normally expressionless Sarah.
As soon as breakfast was finished, the men and James got ready to leave for the auction, already talking animatedly about the horses that were scheduled to be sold. Maggie was smiling, glad that Senior felt well enough to join the others. His poor health had forced him to miss way too much over the past couple of years.
Little James grabbed his hat along with the others and then ran over to give his mom and grandmother hugs before rushing outside. Kelly flushed when her gaze met Will’s and he smiled and tipped his hat to her before following the others outside. She’d avoided looking at him during breakfast because she knew he would be able to tell that she was remembering their time together last night, and how it felt when he’d kissed her, so soft and sweet.
Although she hadn’t looked at him, she’d been very aware of him at the other end of the table. She wondered whether he was still planning to take her and James to see his ranch later. They obviously hadn’t had a chance to talk about it this morning, but Kelly found herself hoping badly that it would happen.
Realizing that Maggie was speaking, Kelly quickly tucked away her thoughts of Will and gave the other woman her attention.
“I’m going to walk over to Amy’s to check out the nursery, Kelly, would you like to come along? Amy said Chad got a few pieces of the molding put up last evening.”
“I’d love to. So she got the striping done?”
“Yes, and she’s thrilled with how it turned out.”
It was a beautiful morning for a walk. Maggie spoke of how amazed she was that Senior’s energy level had increased so dramatically the last couple of days. She had noticed that his appetite had increased considerably, and that was no doubt helping his stamina. He would have never considered going to this auction even last week, but he had woken up feeling so good this morning that Maggie hadn’t even tried to discourage him from attending.
“I did suggest they take two vehicles just in case he gets tired and needs to come home before the horses they want have sold,” Maggie said.
“How far away is the auction site?”
“Only about twenty miles. I expect they’ll be home by midafternoon.”
“Yet another great experience for James. I’m afraid my parents and friends are going to be regaled with his stories about the Wild Rose for many weeks after we get back. They’ll soon know far more about horses and fixing fences and raising cattle than they ever wanted.”
“It’s been so wonderful to see him absorbing everything,” Maggie said happily. “He just soaks it all in and has such a wonderful way of expressing himself. I confess that I find some of my friends’ grandchildren a bit on the annoying side at times, but not little James. I suppose I’m biased, but he truly is an amazing little boy.”
“He’s always been good at living every moment to the fullest,” Kelly replied. “He can be a little too hyper sometimes, but I’m glad he enjoys being physically active. Too many boys spend most of their days in front of computers and televisions.”
“We’re going to miss both of you very much. It already seems so natural to have you around.”
“We’ll miss everyone here, too,” Kelly replied, and then she promised to give them a quick lesson on using Skype before she left, so they could at least keep in touch that way.
Amy’s nursery was beautiful, and Kelly enjoyed seeing her sister-in-law’s excitement as she showed them the results of yet another shopping trip the day before. Bedding for the crib, a little bathtub, and a video monitoring system with enough displays for almost every room in the house.
Maggie admonished her daughter to slow down her purchases, or there would be nothing else she needed when it came time for her baby shower. After packing the things away, the three women decided to go into town to run some errands and have lunch. It was rare for Maggie to have a large block of time away from Senior and the ranch, and Kelly could tell she enjoyed the girl time immensely.
They returned to the ranch at two o’clock, and Kelly took some more schoolwork out to the porch. Maggie joined her there, working on a baby blanket she was crocheting for her new grandchild. Maggie was happy that Senior hadn’t needed to come home early, but as two-thirty came and went, Kelly could tell she was anxious to have him return to get some rest.
A half hour later the two trucks rumbled up and parked in front of the house. Maggie hurried out to greet them, while Kelly took her time gathering up her papers. She had convinced herself that by now Will would have decided he couldn’t take the time to show her his ranch after all, and she wasn’t in any hurry to hear him tell her as much.
By the time she entered the kitchen, Maggie and James Senior were already on their way to the elevator. Senior was worn out but elated at how the auction had turned out, having purchased two beautiful mares at what he considered bargain prices. Chad headed out to the stables, leaving just Will, Kelly and James.
Will looked at Kelly, his blue eyes warm and hopeful. “You still up for a visit to Triple Creek?”
Kelly smiled widely, relieved and happy to know he still wanted to spend time with them. “If you’re sure you have the time.”
“I’ll make time,” he assured her. He squatted down and ruffled James’ dark hair. “Whatcha think, James? Wanna go over and see the ranch where I live? Dodger is probably going crazy wondering why I up and left him this morning. I thought you and him could take a swim in the creek.”
“Can we, Mom? Please?” James asked hopefully.
“Sure. Let me go get your swim trunks and a towel.”
James gave Kelly a play by play of the auction as they made the ten minute drive to Triple Creek. Neither Will nor Kelly could get a word in, but they exchanged several smiles when James got particularly animated in his descriptions of the horses, and the men called auctioneers who “talked so fast that only grown-ups who are used to going to auctions can understand them.”
They turned into the Triple Creek ranch, and James’ face lit up. “Is this your ranch, Will? It’s coooool!”
“This is it, bud,” Will affirmed proudly. “These are the main stables, and a smaller one is over there,” he said, pointing. “We’ll head up to the main house and I’ll introduce you guys to my mom, then we’ll go to my cabin to grab a Mule and go on out to the creek.”
“There’s Dodger!” James announced as they pulled up to the house.
Kelly waited patiently for the boy and dog to get reacquainted, because it gave her more time to prepare herself for meeting Will’s mother, which was totally unexpected. She tried to tell herself it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t like she was his girlfriend. It’s just that she was starting to think that maybe there was a teeny tiny chance, if Will kept pushing it, that she might agree to keep in touch after she went home, to see where things went. And if that actually happened, it would be nice if his mother had a good first impression of herself and James.
“Come on, James. Let’s run inside for a bit. Dodger will wait for you right here,” Will said.
The house was beautiful. Whereas the Matherson ranch house was traditional and furnished with mostly antiques and typical western style furniture, the Connor home was much more sleek and modern, and could have been featured in an upscale magazine. Will took them into the spacious, gourmet kitchen and then went in search of his mother.
“This house is cool, but I like Grammy’s better,” James decided. “Everything is too shiny in here.”
Kelly was certain the interior had been redone after the Connor boys left home, because there was no way the house could look like this after having four boys grow up in it.
“It really is shiny and clean, so it’s good you’ve learned to take your boots off when you go inside,” Kelly praised him, wishing her heart wasn’t pounding quite so hard as they waited for
Will to return with Mrs. Connor.
“Do they have a cook like Sarah?” James wondered.
“I don’t know. Maybe Will’s mother likes to do her own cooking. She sure has a beautiful kitchen to do it in.”
Kelly and James turned around as Will entered the kitchen, followed by a tall, stately woman dressed very fashionably in cream slacks and a pale pink blouse. She was a lovely woman and although Kelly knew she had to be over sixty, she looked far younger.
“Mom loves to cook,” Will said, having overheard the end of their conversation. “And she always has a full cookie jar if you need a snack, James.”
“I’m okay,” James said, moving a little closer to Kelly while looking curiously at Mrs. Connor.
“Kelly, James, this is my mom, Diana Connor. Mom, this is Kelly Matherson and her son James, who is also Dodger’s new best friend.”
The older woman moved forward gracefully. “So nice to meet you both,” she said. “I’d heard you were visiting of course, but didn’t think I’d get a chance to meet you.”
“Will was kind enough to offer to bring James over to go swimming in the creek,” Kelly explained. “You have a lovely home, Mrs. Connor.”
“Why thank you. We did a complete renovation a few years ago, and I am quite pleased with the results. How has your visit to Texas been so far?”
“We’ve had a wonderful time, with your son playing a starring role for James. He got to watch Will break in a horse, and he gets to play with Dodger every day. It doesn’t get any better than that for a six year old.”
“And he taught me how to ride my own horse,” James added. “His name is Midnight and he’s all black.”
Diana smiled indulgently at James. “I’m glad you’re having fun. Are you sure you don’t want a cookie or two? I know how hungry growing boys can get this time of day.”
“What kind are they?” James wanted to know.
