Lean On Me

by Tori Scott

  She hoped he was through playing twenty questions, but her luck wasn't holding out. He settled back in his chair and asked, "What about your brother? Why hasn't he been to see Melanie? She told Jason he was the one who gave her the tricycle," he explained when she looked at him in surprise. "That's how I found out you had a brother."

  "Oh. Leave it to Melanie to tell everything she knows about any subject. My brother's name is Ryan, and he's a photographer. Right now he's on assignment overseas. He's not due back for a couple of months. I have a sister, too. She's married and lives in Houston."

  Tired of talking about herself, she came back with a question of her own. "What about you? Do you have brothers or sisters?"

  Hunter let her change the subject, amazed that she’d answered as many of his questions as she had. He figured he'd find out the rest of what he wanted to know sooner or later.

  "I have three brothers and four sisters. That's one of the reasons I joined the Air Force right out of high school. With that many kids, there wasn't much extra money. I knew if I wanted to go to college, I'd have to work my way through or get scholarships and grants. The Air Force offered me a career and a chance to get a college education free of charge. I took it."

  The room was emptying around them, but neither seemed inclined to move. Hunter enjoyed getting to know Sandy. He could tell she was uncomfortable with all the questions, but he wanted—no, needed—to know more about her. "As for my siblings, there's David, Jim, and Austin, then Sarah, Julie, Angela, and Jessica. I'm the oldest. David and Jim live in Houston and are partners in a construction firm. Austin lives in Lubbock, where he's general manager of a car dealership." As he spoke, he counted his siblings on his fingers to be sure he didn't leave anyone out. "Sarah, Julie, and Angela are married and live around San Antonio, near our parents. Jessica's the baby, just out of college and working as a paramedic in Denton."

  When he paused, Sandy asked, "What about nieces and nephews? With all those brothers and sisters, you must have a lot."

  Hunter smiled and nodded. "Yep. There were twelve at last count, with three more on the way. It's a circus when they all get together. Fortunately, my parents have a big house and about fifty acres so there's plenty of room for the kids to run and play."

  Sandy looked wistful, and a little sad. "It must be nice to have a big, close-knit family. My brother and sister and I aren't that close. We see each other two or three times a year, but only for a few hours each time. Mostly so we don't lose touch completely."

  "I didn't think it was all that wonderful when I was growing up," Hunter said wryly. "Being the oldest, a lot of the responsibility for the younger kids fell on me. It was hard, sometimes, to have to baby-sit when I wanted to play football with my friends, or take a girl out on a date. But I managed. Now I wouldn't trade them for the world. They were a great support system for Jason when Liz died."

  Hunter looked at his watch, amazed to find that they'd sat there talking for over two hours. He stood and went around the table to pull out Sandy's chair. "We'd better get back or Jason will think we're doing a lot more than having dinner. Not that he would mind, but I don't want to give him any more ideas. He seems to have plenty of his own."

  "You're right. But I enjoyed every minute, Hunter. Well, except for having to spill my whole sordid history," she said with a smile. "Thank you for dinner, and the chance to get out for a while and enjoy some adult conversation."

  Hunter held the door for her, then took her hand in his as they crossed the hospital lobby. They stopped at the elevator to wait for the next car. "I know what you mean. Our kids are great, but there are things you just can't talk to your children about."

  "Maybe when they're older," Sandy agreed. "That's one reason I love working at the day care center. Even though we're surrounded by kids all day, my friend Brenda and I usually have plenty of time to talk about grown-up things. We trade advice and share what's going on in our lives. She helps keep me sane."

  Hunter turned Sandy toward him and reached a hand up to caress her cheek. "You're the most sane woman I know. I'll have to remember to thank Brenda for that the next time I see her."

  Sandy felt the heat in her cheeks in response to his touch. There was so much more to this man than she'd thought at first. He was funny and sensitive, gentle yet strong. And from the look in his eyes, he was going to kiss her, right there in the lobby. As she closed her eyes, she knew she was going to let him, and savor the moment.

  CHAPTER SIX

  "Dad, hurry up. They're going to be here any minute. I want Melanie to see the sign, first thing." Jason held one end of the sign as he tried to tie it to the old oak tree in Sandy's front yard. "Tie your end to the maple over there," he said, pointing to a tree a few feet away.

  "Okay, okay. Keep your shirt on. We'll have it done in plenty of time. Sandy just called ten minutes ago. I doubt her friend Brenda has even gotten to the hospital to pick them up yet."

  He chuckled as Jason rolled his eyes. His son had gone all out for Melanie's homecoming, and Hunter had been caught up in the avalanche of plans. The house was decorated inside and out with balloons, signs, and crepe paper. A new baby doll decorated Melanie's white canopy bed, and a store-bought cake sat on the kitchen table. Hunter just hoped all the fuss wouldn't cause too much excitement for her.

  He was still amazed at the transformation in his son's attitude and demeanor. It seemed that Jason had found a purpose, someone to care about, and it had made a world of difference. Hunter could still remember a four-year-old Jason asking for a baby sister for Christmas. It had taken twelve years, and she wasn't really his sister, but it looked as though he'd decided she was the next best thing.

  He went to the backyard. Debbie Sweeney and her husband Mac were setting out paper plates, chips, and cookies. Jenny carefully dipped ice out of the cooler and poured it into plastic cups. Several packages of hot dogs and buns were on a side table near the grill.

  "Hey Mac. How's the insurance business?"

  "Great, and fixing to get better. Your premium increase alone is going to put braces on Jenny's teeth when she needs them."

  Debbie swatted her husband's backside. "Play nice or you won't get ice cream."

  Mac looked indignant, although he poked an elbow into Hunter's ribs. "Hey, can I help it if my commission check rises in direct proportion to the increase in Hunter's premiums? That's the name of the game."

  "Yeah, well, you don't have to look so happy about my misfortune," Hunter retorted with a grimace.

  The phone rang, and Hunter ran into the kitchen to answer it. He only beat Jason to it by a few seconds. After a very short conversation, he hung up.

  "That was Brenda. They're leaving now and should be here in a few minutes."

  Melanie was the first to notice the decorated yard. "Mommy, look! Are we having a party?" Her eyes danced with excitement as her body bounced--as much as her cast would let it.

  Sandy shook her head in puzzlement. "I don't think so, at least not that I know of. I guess Jason must have done this as a welcome-home surprise."

  "What do the signs say? There's my name. M-e-l-a-n-i-e."She carefully spelled each letter aloud.

  "The one by the driveway says 'Welcome Home Melanie' and the one on the porch rail says 'Glad you're home'."

  As soon as the car stopped in the driveway, Melanie tried to unbuckle her seat belt. Sandy turned around in the seat. "Wait a minute and let me help you. You can't get out by yourself anyway, remember?"

  "When can I get my cast off so I can ride my tricycle?"

  "Not for a while, so don't worry about it right now. I'll get the wheelchair out of the trunk and take you for a ride in that, instead."

  "But that's not nearly as much fun," Melanie whined, pushing her bottom lip forward." I wanna ride my trike."

  Sandy struggled to hang on to her temper. Melanie would never get on a tricycle again as far as she was concerned. And all the whining and pouting in the world wasn't going to change her mind.

  As S
andy unfolded the chair and snapped the locks into place, Brenda went around to the passenger side and lifted Melanie out of the car. Sandy strapped her in and turned toward the house, noticing for the first time the ramp that covered the porch steps. Oh, Hunter. What a sweet thing to do. Every time she convinced herself she could handle this alone, he did something else for her that she hadn't even realized needed to be done. The porch was two feet off the ground, and she hadn't thought about how she would get the wheelchair into the house. Lifting it by herself with Melanie in it would have been impossible.

  She looked toward Hunter's house, hoping to see him, surprised he wasn't there to greet them. Disappointed, she pushed Melanie up the ramp.

  Brenda hurried ahead of them to throw open the door. As soon as the wheelchair crossed the threshold, Sandy heard a chorus of "Surprise!" come from the direction of the living room.

  Melanie squealed in delight as Jenny ran forward, yelling, "Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!" Sandy looked into the room and saw Hunter and Jason, with huge grins on their faces, and Debbie and Mac behind them.

  "What's all this?" she asked.

  "It's Melanie's welcome home party. It was my idea," Jason explained, looking embarrassed and proud at the same time.

  Sandy walked over to him and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Jason. That was so nice of you." To her amazement, he hugged her fiercely in return.

  Hunter said, "I helped. Do I get a hug, too?"

  Sandy laughed. "Of course," she said, intending to give him a quick hug and back away. But Hunter crushed her to his chest and held on. Behind them, Debbie elbowed Mac, who grinned at her in return. Sandy caught the exchange out of the corner of her eye and freed herself from Hunter's embrace. She could feel the blush rising from her throat. Just what she needed. The whole neighborhood would be watching their every move, thinking a romance was budding in their midst.

  ***

  Two hours later, Sandy put an exhausted and hyperactive Melanie to bed. The giant Pooh sat on the floor beside the bed, and her small Pooh and new doll were wrapped tightly in her arms. When she leaned down to give her daughter a kiss, Melanie asked in a sleepy voice, "Where's Jason? I wanna give him a good-night kiss, too."

  "He's in the living room. I'll go get him, and then I want you to go right to sleep, you hear?"

  "Okay, Mommy. G'night."

  "Good night, sweetheart. You call me if your leg starts to hurt, and I'll bring your medicine."

  "Okay."

  Sandy left the door ajar and went to get Jason. She wasn't sure if a teenager would like having to give a goodnight kiss to a four-year-old, but she hoped he wouldn't disappoint Melanie.

  To her delight, he jumped up from the couch and headed for Melanie's room as soon as she'd passed on the child's request.

  She looked at Hunter and grinned. "Well, what do you know about that?"

  "I still can't get over the change in him. It's amazing. I may cancel his appointment with the counselor if this keeps up."

  "I don't think I'd do that just yet. He may still have some issues that need to be dealt with." Sandy knew Jason needed to be able to talk to someone more knowledgeable than she about his mother's death, but she couldn't tell Hunter why without breaking her promise to Jason. And she wouldn't do that. But it was so difficult not to confide in him. He seemed to invite confidences by being such a good listener.

  Jason came back into the living room and headed straight for the front door. "I'm going home to finish my algebra homework. I'll see you later, Dad."

  "I'll be there in a few minutes. Lock the door when you go in."

  Jason gave him an exasperated look but all he said was, "Don't hurry. I'll be buried in my room for at least two hours."

  Hunter turned to Sandy. "Well, I guess that leaves us alone. Do you want me to go, too? You'd probably like to relax now that Melanie's asleep."

  "No, that's all right. You can stay for a while. If you want to, that is." Sandy felt as awkward as she had on her first date. Then she'd been a knock-kneed virgin with braces on her teeth. Now she was a grown woman, no longer a virgin, but still uncomfortable being alone with a man. But she wanted to be alone with this one.

  "Would you like another cup of coffee?" she asked in an effort to hide her agitation.

  "No. What I'd like is for you to come sit beside me and quit acting like I'm Jack the Ripper or something."

  She laughed lightly and started to settle herself a couple of feet away, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his lap.

  "There, that's better," he told her with a wicked grin. "Now I've got you just where I've wanted you for the last week."

  The teasing light in his eyes was slowly replaced by something bolder. Something hot and smoldering. She squirmed, not sure she was ready for what was likely to follow.

  "Keep squirming like that and you may get more than either of us bargained for," Hunter growled.

  Embarrassed, she tried to scoot off his lap. He held her in place with a hand on either side of her face. "For the first time, I can kiss you without worrying about being interrupted. Relax. We won't take this any farther than you want to go."

  That's the problem. I want this to go farther than I should. When his lips descended on hers, she couldn't stop herself from kissing him back. His tongue swept deeply into her mouth, found hers and caressed it with a tempting rhythm. She pressed herself harder into his chest, wanting more, needing more.

  Her hands crept past his shoulders, up his neck and into his hair. She clutched the fine strands in her fingers, tugging his head down so she could return his kiss, her tongue darting into his mouth and back out in a sensuous game of hide and seek. Hunter groaned and laid her down on the couch, covering her body with his. He nudged her leg aside and brought his knee up tight against the top of her thighs. Warning bells rang in her head but she shoved caution aside in favor of getting closer to him.

  He drew her earlobe between his teeth and nibbled, sending shivers down her spine. He licked his way down her neck to the swell of her breasts. Then he used those talented lips to open the top buttons of her shirt. With a breathless moan, she returned the caress with her tongue, swirling it around his ear and down the hard line of his jaw.

  Hunter pulled his hands from her hair and unfastened the remaining buttons, spreading her shirt apart. His eyes widened at her see-through lace bra. "I've heard stories about sexy widows, but I've never run across one. Until now." With a deft flick of his wrist, he opened the front hook and pushed the cups aside.

  "Hunter, I don't think...."

  "Good. Don't think. Just feel." Hunter lifted his head and looked into her eyes "Let's go to your room."

  He climbed off the couch and swept her into his arms. Before he had taken a step, the doorbell rang and startled them both. He sighed deeply and set her on the floor. Her legs wobbled before they finally steadied.

  "Oh, my God. Who could that be?" Sandy hurriedly fastened her bra and buttoned her shirt. When she looked at Hunter, he gave her a lop-sided grin.

  "Looks like you've been saved by the bell, so to speak."

  Running her fingers through her hair in an effort to restore it to some sort of order, Sandy rushed to the door, relieved to have the choice taken from her. She glanced at Hunter, who had returned to the couch, sitting casually as if they hadn't been moments away from making a huge mistake.

  Taking a deep, calming breath, Sandy opened the door."Mom!" She was shocked to find her mother on her doorstep. She'd left a message on her parents’ answering machine about Melanie because they were out of town and she hadn’t been able to reach them. But she couldn't imagine her mother making the drive from Tyler at night. "What on earth are you doing here?"

  "I've come to stay with you. Can I come in?"

  Sandy opened the door wider. "I'm sorry. Come on in. You took me by surprise." She cast an anxious look at Hunter.

  Her mother's gaze followed Sandy's. "Oh, I'm interrupting," she said stiffly. "I didn't realize you had company. I'll just go t
o a hotel and call you in the morning."

  "Don't be silly, Mother. This is my new next-door neighbor, Hunter Thurman. Hunter, this is Lillian Castleman."

  Once the introductions were out of the way, she led her mother to the couch and made her sit down. "Now, what's this all about? What do you mean, you've come to stay with me? Where's Dad?"

  "I've left your father. I've put up with everything he's done for thirty years, but now he's gone too far." She sniffed again and twisted her hands together.

  "What's he done now?" Sandy asked.

  "He's having an affair. How could he do that to me?" She looked at Sandy with misery in her eyes. "I keep his house spotless, his clothes clean and pressed, his supper on the table promptly at six every night. I bore his children and helped him in his ministry. I sacrificed my entire life for him."

  "He's having an affair?" Sandy repeated, stunned. "How could he? He's always preached that marriage was sacred." She cast a helpless glance at Hunter. "Are you sure, Mother? Is there any way you could be mistaken?"

  "No. I saw him with my own eyes. In his office, with a young woman draped all over him." Her mother took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. "I went straight home and packed. My suitcases are on the porch."

  Sandy turned to Hunter and tried to apologize with her eyes, hoping he would understand. "Would you bring them in, please?"

  "Sure," he said. "Where do you want me to put them?"

  "You can take them to the last room at the end of the hall, on the right. Thanks."

  He gave her an encouraging smile and went outside, returning a moment later with two bags. He put them in the guest room, then came back into the living room. "I guess I'll go on home now. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Sandy. It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Castleman." Lillian nodded, but didn't return the sentiment. Hunter shrugged, waved at Sandy, and left.