Unable to look at him any longer, she turned to leave. “Goodnight, Luke,” she said over her shoulder as she let herself out the door into the cool mountain air.
CHAPTER TEN
Penny stopped in front of her parent’s house and let out a sigh. Why had she gone to see Luke? Sure, she felt a little bit better about Marissa, knowing that he’d visit the child, but throwing herself in his arms? That had been a mistake. And now the sexual tension built up inside her was almost unbearable. What was it about Luke? She prided herself on being rational where members of the opposite sex were involved. After all, she was an adult now, not some romantic high school kid with Prince Charming fantasies. But when she saw Luke tonight—practically naked—all rational thoughts had left her brain like horses fleeing a barn. She wanted was to be in his arms, to heck with the consequences. On some level, she knew he was right in sending her home. It would have been a mistake. But oh, what a wonderful mistake. Her body tingled just at the thought.
A light shone from the living room. Her parents had waited up. Of course they had. No matter how old she got, she was still their little girl. How different her childhood had been from the one that Marissa faced. She couldn’t picture Mrs. Grant waiting up to give anyone a hug. She walked through the front door confronted with a familiar scene. Her dad leaning back in his favorite recliner, the one he had as long as she could remember. Its arms were worn—an ugly faded green color. She knew her mom had been trying to upgrade for years, but he wouldn’t hear of it. A book lay open on his chest, but his eyes were closed. Her mom looked up over the top of her glasses and lay her crocheting aside.
“There you are. I was starting to get worried. How was Marissa?”
Penny walked in and kissed her mom on the head. “I love you, Mom, but you really don’t have to wait up for me.”
“I know, but I wanted to make sure you were safe. There are some crazy drivers down in the city.”
Penny hesitated. Should she be honest and tell her about stopping at Luke’s? She decided against it. “Marissa is okay. We had a fun day. I took her to Cherry Creek Mall. Reminded me of all our back-to-school shopping trips. Her foster home isn’t great, but I doubt that many of them are. I don’t think she’s in any immediate danger.” Penny sat down on the foot stool by Mom’s feet.
“Well, it was nice of you to go and spend the day with her. I’m so proud of how compassionate you are. I know you’re going to make an excellent teacher.”
“Thanks, Mom.” She laid her head in her mother’s lap. “I owe it all to you and Dad. I hope that I’ve told you how much I appreciate the wonderful life you’ve given me.”
“We did our best.” Her mom glanced over at Dad with love in her eyes. “Gary! Wake up. Penny’s home. We need to get to bed.”
Mother and daughter both laughed as he startled and attempted to pretend that he’d been awake the whole time. “Goodnight baby girl.” He got up and headed to the bedroom.
“That’s my cue.” Her mother stood up and turned out the light. “See you in the morning.”
Penny made her way up to her room. She wasn’t surprised to find Bandit already sound asleep in her bed. Now that she was older, her hearing wasn’t what it once was, and often she failed to greet Penny at the front door. She quickly put on her pajamas and climbed in beside her fluffy companion, pulling her close. She stared up at the stars glowing on her ceiling. “Homecoming?” they spelled out. She remembered her junior year in high school, when her mom had let Luke into her room. He’d spelled out the question in the small florescent stickers so she’d see it just before she fell asleep. It had been a magical date with a magical boy. She could have taken those stickers down years ago, but they remained. She wanted to sleep, but she couldn’t get her time with Luke out of her head. Oh how she longed to make love to him. She willed her brain to slow down. Marissa popped into her head.
Finally she fell into a restless slumber only to jolt awake a short time later. In her dream, Marissa had been standing alone in the snow, no shoes, no coat, and calling out her name, but for some reason she couldn’t get to the child. She shook her head to make the dream disappear. She sat fully up in bed, took a drink of water, and talked to Bandit trying to vanquish the stark images. She didn’t want to fall back into the same dream. When she finally fell back asleep, she once again woke with a start, sweat running down her face. In the second dream, she had made the decision. She needed to be with Luke. She ran up to his cabin to tell him the good news, but when he opened the door, he held a small toddler in his arms, and there was a very pregnant wife standing beside him.
Shaken, she looked over at the bedroom clock—4:30 a.m. This time she got out of bed and grabbing a blanket, curled up on her window seat. She didn’t want to risk falling asleep again. Who knew what her subconscious mind would come up with next? Nope. She turned on her small lamp and got lost in her current romance novel. Better to deal with someone else’s fantasies.
When she finally heard someone stirring below, she made her way into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Mom looked over at her. “Did you not sleep well? You aren’t getting sick are you?” Her mom felt her forehead.
“No. Too many things on my mind, I guess.” She took a big swig of the hot liquid. “Nothing a little coffee won’t fix.”
She had decided to take this last camp session off, partly because she was leaving in the middle, and partly because she wanted to spend a little more quality time with her parents before returning to Chicago.
Her phone rang, and she looked down to see Darrell’s number pop up. Why was he calling so early? Oh yeah, it was two hours later in Chicago.
“Hi. What’s up?’
“Just checking in. You’ll be back here so soon. I can’t wait to show you all I’ve done to our classrooms.”
She tried to focus on what he was saying. What was wrong with her brain recently? Finally giving up she said, “Can I call you back in a couple of hours? I just woke up.”
“Sorry. I forgot the time difference. Talk to you in a while.”
“Is everything okay with Darrell? You didn’t have a fight, did you?” Her mom joined her at the table sounding almost hopeful.
Penny gave her a weak smile. “It’s nothing like that. I just need to wake up a little bit.”
“Relax, you’re going to make a wonderful teacher.”
Why didn’t she tell Mom about her mixed feeling regarding Darrell and Luke? She had always been able to discuss everything with her. She valued her mom’s opinion more that anyone’s, but in this case, Mom was definitely not neutral. She didn’t need her trying to sway her in one direction. Maybe she’d go into town and talk to Melanie. Melanie didn’t know her well enough to be prejudiced either way.
***
Luke and Jeff sat down at Violet’s counter for their usual morning cup of coffee. “Do I smell fresh baked biscuits?” Luke asked.
“I took them out of the oven right before you walked in. Would you like a couple?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Jeff?”
“No thanks. We ate breakfast before we left home. I swear this one is a bottomless pit.”
Violet smiled. “He’s still a growing boy. She set a steaming plate down in front of Luke and topped off his coffee.
“What’s new out at your place?”
“Nothing.” Luke said probably too quickly. His father glanced over at him. Like hadn’t slept much last night after Penny left. Besides the physical issue her visit had caused, his mind wouldn’t shut off.
“Is Penny still home?”
And there it was. Would people in this town ever stop thinking of them as a couple? “She leaves in a few more days.”
“Tell her to stop by before she goes. We’ll miss her around here.”
“If I see her, I’ll let her know.” Luke didn’t want to be rude to Violet, but he didn’t know if he’d see Penny again before she left. After last night, there wasn’t much else for them to say to each other. B
etter that she went on her way. He didn’t need a tearful goodbye. She didn’t love him the way he loved her. He had to accept that. He’d find someone else. After all, look at Violet. If she could find a second chance at love at her age, there might still be hope for him. He vowed to start fresh, think positive, and go on with his life. That’s what his mom would want for him. His dad went on after her death. Penny wasn’t dying. He could survive her leaving.
***
Penny spent the morning working in the garden with her mom. Most of the vegetables were ripe, and neighbors stopped by regularly to pick fresh produce. She’d help her parents set up a small roadside stand on the highway this weekend. She loved the end of summer and beginning of fall in Peakview County. Sadness hit her that she was heading back before the Aspens turned this year.
“Hey neighbors.”
Penny looked up to see June Walker round the corner of the house, a large basket over her arm.
Ann wiped her hands on her jeans. “June. Good to see you. Need some vegetables?”
“You bet. I’m trying to introduce some healthy eating over at our place. I’m afraid Jeff and Luke are more of the meat and potato kind of guys, but I’m working on it.” She smiled. “Next year I may even try my own little garden.”
“Good for you. Pick what you want.”
June filled her basket to the brim.
“Penny and I were about to take a break. Will you join us for a glass of iced tea?”
“I’d love that.” The three women made their way onto the large wraparound porch, and Mom excused herself to get the beverages. “So Penny when do you head east?”
“Middle of next week.”
“I bet you’re excited to begin your teaching career.”
Penny tried to sound more enthusiastic than she currently felt. “I love helping disadvantaged kids. Watching how they grow and thrive given a little encouragement. It’ll be a good year.”
“Luke told me about little Marissa. We’re hoping maybe he can bring her up to our ranch for a weekend sometime this fall. I’d love to meet her and spoil her a little bit, like my own granddaughters.”
Luke wanted to bring Marissa up to the mountains? That shouldn’t surprise her—he’d always been a caring person. She was happy for the child. A small twinge of jealousy stabbed at her heart. Life here would go on without her.
“I’m sure she’d love that.”
Mom joined them, and Penny continued to talk about her teaching plans for this fall.
“You must be so proud of your daughter. It’s hard having them long distance though, isn’t it? Now that Mary is back in Ohio and Alexis is in Louisiana, I miss quality mother-daughter time. I’m already counting the weeks until we are all together for Thanksgiving.” June sighed.
“I guess we have to let them grow their wings, but it’s been wonderful having Penny here all summer. I’m going to miss her terribly.”
“Luke is going to miss her terribly, too.” June looked over at her.
“Enough, I’m right here,” Penny said to change the direction of the conversation. How much had Luke shared with his stepmom? “You two are going to make me sad. I’ll be home to visit again before you know it.”
As June drove away, Dad came up from the barns. “I’m heading into town to pick up some things from the hardware store. “Can I treat my two favorite ladies to lunch at Violet’s?”
Penny climbed into the cab of the pickup next to her parents. Her mom laid her hand on his father’s leg as he drove. The affection they shared after almost thirty years of marriage astonished her. That’s what she wanted—a love to last a lifetime.
The lunchtime rush had subsided when they entered the café. They chose one of the booths, and barely sat down when Violet came bustling out of the kitchen bringing them some water. “If it isn’t one of my favorite families. Want some lunch? The special is a chicken salad.”
“Sounds perfect.” Mother and daughter said in unison.
Her father frowned. “I’ll have a burger well-done and fries. That special sounds way too healthy to me. And a cup of coffee, please.”
Violet returned with their drinks. “So, Penny. When are you leaving us?”
“Next week. The summer’s gone by fast.”
“We’re going to miss you around here. Some of us more than others.” Violet winked as she walked away.
There it was yet again. Although unsaid, she was positive that Violet was referring to Luke. This town would never be able to separate the two of them.
Her father smiled and waved at Jim Peyton and Hank seated at the counter. She wondered if Melanie had made any progress in the Hank department. She’d been so busy at camp, she hadn’t talked to her new friend in a few weeks. When they finished the delicious meal, and her parents headed to the hardware store, she excused herself to walk across the street and find out. Melanie was just finishing up a purchase with a couple of tourists.
“Penny. Good to see you. Can I help you find something?”
“Just came to visit, if you have a few minutes. My parents are shopping at Sam’s. That always takes a while. But now that you mention it, a romance novel might be good to read on the plane back to Chicago next week.”
“I’ve got just the one for you. Did you know that Jill Shalvis has started a new series in the Colorado Mountains?”
“Sounds great. Now tell me what’s new. I saw Hank over at Violet’s. Have you made any progress there?”
Melanie joined her at the small reading table. “No. Peaktop has been full to capacity all summer, so he hasn’t been in town much. Even Sophie hasn’t been able to ride these past couple of weeks, not enough horses to go around. Maybe I only imagined that he showed an interest in me. It’s probably for the best. My relationships with men have never ended well.”
“Don’t give up. School’s starting and tourist season is winding down. He’ll need someone to keep him warm this winter.” Penny winked at her friend.
“Not counting on it. But thanks for putting that image in my brain. It only makes me want what I can’t have.” Melanie sighed.
“I know how that feels. Penny fought the tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m leaving—Luke’s staying. Enough said.” A lone tear escaped down her cheek.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad. What are the tears all about?”
“I don’t know. I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am. I’ve got an awesome job waiting for me in Chicago. Darrell’s there waiting for me, too. I should be so excited for my future. But when I’m around Luke, I start to question everything. Is the job what I really want? Or do I want to stay in Peakview and make babies with him?”
“You can’t have both? It is the twenty-first century, you know. We woman folk don’t have to choose between a man and a career.”
Penny smiled in spite of herself. “I know. It’s just that there aren’t any inner city schools within 200 miles of Peakview. I don’t see myself teaching at Peak Elementary. All of those kids have supportive families who love them. I want to do more.”
“What about Darrell?”
“I don’t know. I thought we had something. But the more I’m around Luke, the more I want passion, excitement, wild crazy sex. I just don’t have that with Darrell. He’s a nice guy, but is nice enough?”
“Don’t ask me. I’ve never dated a nice guy. I’d like to try it sometime. Maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for in Chicago. I’m sure there are a few sexy men in a city that size, if Darrell’s not the one.” Melanie handed her friend a tissue.
“I know. Luke just scrambles my brain. He’s nice, and supportive, and so very hot. He’s the whole package. Am I crazy to walk away from him again?”
Melanie looked over at her. “All joking aside, follow your heart. I followed mine here to find my dad and I’ll never regret it. Whatever you decide, I’m behind you one hundred percent.”
“Thanks, I’ll be fine once I’m back in Illinois.” Penny sighed again. “And then there’s M
arissa.”
“Marrisa?”
“Yeah, a girl I met at the camp. You may have met her on the Fourth.”
“The one with the gorgeous long brown hair and the t-shirt that matched yours?”
“That’s the one.”
“What about her?”
“I just can’t get her out of my mind. I went to visit her in Denver. She’s in a foster home. Not much love there. I wish there was something I could do to help her.”
“That’s rough. Sophie was friends with a foster girl one year in Columbus. I always felt so bad for her when she was at our home. We didn’t have much, but at least we had love, and each other. Just when she and Soph were becoming close, she was moved to a different home in another part of town, and we never saw her again. Everyone needs to know someone cares. Can you email her? Skype?”
“No, she doesn’t have access to a computer. I’ll write her letters. I hope it brightens her day.”
“I know you’ll do what you can. Think of all those children in Chicago who need your help, too. Go and change the world. When will I get to see you again?”
“Hopefully at Christmas. I have a two-week break and plan to head home for the holiday. And by then, I want to hear all about your romance with Hank.”
Melanie laughed. “I doubt that, but I’ll love to sit down with some nice hot chocolate and catch up with you.”
“You deserve some romance in your life, too. I wish you luck my friend.”
The bell on the door dinged as a group of women walked into the tiny shop. Penny stood to leave. “I’ll let you get back to work. See you in December.”
Melanie walked over and gave her a big hug. “Good luck to you. Here’s hoping that you find your true path.”
When Penny walked out to the street, her parents were already loading supplies into the back of the pickup. She climbed in the front seat between them and enjoyed the comfort of being surrounded by those she loved.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Colorado Cabin in the Pines (Peakview series Book 3) Page 10
