John explained, “It’s our tradition to watch a western, but I can take you home before, if you’d like.”
“I bet Lori would like The Quiet Man,” Clint said.
“Nah.” Roy shook his head. “A New York socialite won’t like a movie where John Wayne spanks Maureen O’Hara in the end. Literally.”
“Where else can you spank someone?” asked Clint with a grin.
“He does?” asked Lori, appalled.
“What a chauvinist,” said John with mock indignation.
The others laughed.
“She deserved it, though,” Roy said. “She’d led him on a merry chase.”
“Oh, Lori, if you could see your face right now,” said Becky. “Don’t let them get to you. They’re just teasing you. They’re all talk. They’re really just kitty cats.”
“Please. We prefer you use the correct term.” Now Roy acted indignant. “Lions.”
“Or tigers,” said Clint.
“Or bears, oh my,” said Becky. “You guys are so full of it.”
Quinn alternated between tickling his son, Evan, who’d finished eating and now sat on his father’s lap, and leaning over to warble at his infant daughter, Emma, cradled in Tricia’s arms. Again, Lori was struck by how Quinn seemed to adore his two children. And she just knew that was the kind of doting father John would be.
In a smooth movement, John swung Gabi up into his arms as he stood. “We’ll be right back, folks.” He returned a moment later carrying a newspaper. “Hey, everybody, I want to show you Lori’s first Garden Guru column.” He passed the paper to his father and it began to make its way around the table.
The family was generous in their praise, and Lori’s heart warmed at the family fire.
On her left, Becky whispered, “I’m glad you came today.”
Lori looked at her and smiled. “Thanks. Me, too.”
Becky leaned in so close that her words went no further than Lori’s ears. “I just thought you’d like to know that John is a totally different man around you. You bring out the best in him.”
Lori whispered back, “We’re just friends.”
Becky smiled. “If you ever want to take it up a notch, you could. John really likes you.”
Lori glanced at John to see if he’d heard, but he was still busy playing with Gabi.
“Trust me on this,” whispered Becky.
Lori couldn’t suppress a smile.
Wild Bill’s voice carried loudly. “Lori, did you know John’s grandfather was a firefighter, too?”
“I didn’t. That’s great.”
Becky whispered, “His parents like you, too.”
“Everyone except Kirk is a fireman. He’s the black sheep of the family.” Clint shook his head sadly. “Went and became a cop.”
“Oh, that is a shame,” Lori said with a laugh.
Kirk held up his hand. “Change of subject, please.”
“Or what?” John laughed. “You’ll arrest us?”
“I’ve been wanting to haul your behind in for quite some time, John,” Kirk said, obviously teasing. “But, fortunately for you, ugly isn’t against the law.”
“You know what they say . . . if a citizen needs help, they call the police, and if the police need help—”
In unison, all the men—even Kirk, though in a sarcastic voice—said, “They call a fireman.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kirk said. “You firemen are all talk.”
Roy said, “Lori, do you know the difference between firemen and policemen?”
She shook her head while Kirk rolled his eyes and said, “Don’t you have any new ones, at least?”
Roy laughed. “Firemen never wanted to become policemen.”
While the men tossed that conversational ball around, Lori asked the women, “I need some good material for my column. Can you ladies tell me what you do with zucchini?”
“Yuck.” Becky pulled a face. “I hate zucchini.”
The other women noted Lori’s e-mail address and promised to send recipes.
“Oh,” gasped Becky, moving her hand on her large belly.
Concerned, Lori asked, “Are you all right?”
“Sure. It’s just the baby moving. Catches me by surprise.”
“That must be an incredible feeling.”
Becky grinned, grabbed Lori’s hand, and placed it on her distended belly. “Feel for yourself.”
Shocked at the contact, Lori wanted to jerk her hand away, but didn’t want to offend Becky. Then Becky’s stomach rolled beneath her hand and a bulge poked out on the side.
“That’s a foot or elbow or something,” said Becky with a half smile, half grimace. “Ouch. And a fist in the ribs.”
Awe filled Lori as she felt the tiny life inside Becky move, followed by a wave of sadness. Still with her hand on Becky’s belly, unable to move because of the wonder of it all, she whispered, “It must be fantastic to be pregnant.”
“It is,” Becky whispered back. “You’ll love it.”
Lori looked up to see John watching her. And suddenly it didn’t matter if his parents liked her or not, because when he smiled softly, feelings she didn’t expect or want skittered through her. She pulled her hand back.
John wanted children to dote on and she could never give him any. The two of them were totally incompatible.
And that knowledge had never hurt her so much as it did while she looked into his blue eyes that seemed to caress her very soul, reminding her of what she could never have.
~
John glanced at Lori again. She sat next to him in his Dodge Ram pickup, looking out the side window, away from him, very quiet. The only sound was the air conditioner cooling the hot night air.
She’d stayed to watch Silverado with his family, and she seemed to enjoy the time with them, laughing and joking. It was only after she’d gotten into the pickup with him and they were alone that she’d seemed to withdraw into herself.
He drove on, resisting the urge to reach out and take her hand. She was far too skittish. He wondered who had hurt her in the past. Or was he imagining things? Overwhelmed with protectiveness, he wanted to shield her from harm, keep her safe, take care of her.
Pursuing her was a challenge because she obviously resisted his every attempt at involvement. But he had to admit he was enjoying being the one chasing for a change.
He glanced at her again, her face beautiful in silhouette and her hand within reach of his on the seat.
He parked his Ram in Charles’s driveway and went around to open the passenger door and give Lori a hand down. She was incredibly graceful, especially for a woman in heels.
They walked to the house in silence, not companionable, but awkward. At the door, she fumbled with the keys, and he hoped her nerves were a good sign. If he made her nervous, then maybe she liked him, too. He would prefer it, though, if she were relaxed and comfortable around him, as she’d seemed to be on other occasions.
When she finally opened the door, she looked up at him and said, “I had a very nice time with your family, John. Thanks.”
Before he could blink, she stepped inside. If he didn’t speak up quickly, she was going to close the door on him, and he didn’t want to go. Not yet. “Invite me in for a minute?”
She paused with her hand on the edge of the door. “I don’t think that’s a good idea tonight, John.”
“Then can I take you out Friday? There’s a theater down in Perry, not too far from here. We can go to Maddox Ranch House first and then to the Heritage Theater. I think you’d love it.”
“Thanks, but no, really.” She shook her head. “I don’t want anything to do with the theater right now.”
A pang of some strong emotion he couldn’t identify—hurt? jealousy? determination?—struck hi
m hard. Did she not want anything to do with theater? Or with him?
He was amazed at how much he wanted this woman. Not just physically, though there was certainly that element. He wanted to spend time with her—every waking moment, it seemed—to laugh with her and talk with her and . . . kiss her.
Mixed emotions didn’t begin to cover what he was feeling. He was hurt at the thought of walking away without knowing if he’d see her again. Jealous of her time away from him. Overwhelmed by the strength of his longing for her.
And he realized he already cared enough for her that he couldn’t just walk away. He was going to keep asking, even if she kept saying no. And maybe he’d luck out and she’d say yes. He was no longer afraid of commitment.
~
Lori looked at John, wishing she could invite him in, but afraid of the feelings he and his family had roused in her tonight. “Good night.”
“You can’t turn me down forever. I’ll keep asking until you say yes. I’ll wear you down with my sheer persistence.” He quirked an eyebrow. “I’ll ask you out every single day, sometimes twice, and occasionally on bended knee.”
Lori couldn’t help but laugh at the image, his words breaking her resolve to keep her distance. “You would, too.”
“Of course I would. I always go after what I want.”
A tingle worked its languorous way up her spine. “And what exactly do you want?”
“To get to know you better.”
The tingle spread.
“On dates, not just pulling weeds in Charles’s ridiculously huge zucchini patch. I enjoy your company, Lori Scott. And I think you enjoy mine. And that’s a rare thing.”
“Rare?” She snorted in a most unladylike fashion. “You’ve dated half the singles ward.”
“Only the female half.” His mouth curled up in a smile. “But you’ll notice I want to spend my time with you.”
“You just like a challenge,” she said, afraid it was true. “I don’t fawn over you, and so you think you need to fix that.”
“There could be some truth to that. I’d like to find out.”
Disarmed by his honesty, Lori was tempted. Why not enjoy a few dates while she was here? She’d be in Brigham City ten more weeks. It wasn’t like she was going to marry him or anything. And she did enjoy his company.
“What do you say? Will you date me, Lori? Be my girlfriend?”
At the word, the tingle swirled to her fingertips and toes. “Are you just expanding your playing field?”
“Exclusive dating while you’re here. Just you and me.” His blue eyes grew intense. “What do you say? Will you go out with me?”
Flattered, she wondered why she shouldn’t take their friendship up a notch to short-term romance. It would just be a holiday romance—something more than friendship, but less than commitment—ending naturally when she returned to New York. Why not allow herself the boost to her wounded ego?
She wouldn’t be leading him on, after all. She’d already told him she wasn’t active LDS and didn’t want to be involved with the Church, so he wouldn’t be expecting that from her.
No, she concluded, he really did just like the challenge she presented. Even if he got bored after a few dates, she’d be no worse off than she was now. And it’d be nice to have a few months of romance before hitting the brick wall of reality. “I’ll be leaving for New York in ten weeks,” she reminded him.
“I know.” He grinned. “Want to have fun while you’re here?”
Why not? Yes, she would date him and have fun.
The fact she couldn’t have kids wouldn’t matter, as she’d be gone long before the relationship turned serious. She’d dated Nicholas for more than a year; three months was nothing.
They could have fun, no one would get hurt, and he was a handsome fireman. How perfect could a holiday romance be?
She drooped her shoulders and made her voice tired. “Just the mere thought of your legendary persistence wears me out.”
His grin widened. “So you’ll go out with me?”
“Okay, okay. You win. But no theater events.”
He took a step closer, until he was only inches from her. “Great. I’d like to seal our new arrangement.” He leaned down and she widened her eyes.
Yikes. He was going to kiss her. Again.
Quickly, she put her hand to his mouth. “Not so fast, mission man.”
He kissed her fingers and shot her a cocky grin. “Good night, Lori. I’ll pick you up Friday at six for a non-theater event. And I’ll call you from the fire station tomorrow.”
She watched him stride to his pickup, climb in, wave, and pull away like a knight on his dark metallic-blue charger.
Still smiling, she closed the door.
She, Lori Scott, was officially dating a Mormon.
And glad of it.
Chapter Fourteen
With a scowl, John clipped his phone back on his belt as Travis wheeled the engine into the station house, shut down the big vehicle, and pocketed the key.
“Still no answer at the Scott residence?” asked Larry, seated between John and Travis.
“No,” John grunted as he opened the large door. It was killing him that he couldn’t leave the station and see Lori. But he didn’t want to talk about it with Travis. Or Larry. Or anyone else, for that matter.
“Maybe she just turned off her phone,” said Travis, obviously bored.
“Maybe.”
“So leave a message.” Travis grabbed his gear.
“I already did.” Two of them. And he didn’t want to make himself more of a pest. He and Lori had been dating now for two weeks, but he still didn’t feel secure in their relationship, though he found himself thinking about her more and more.
“Let’s clean up and eat. I’m starving,” Travis called out from the gear room.
John wished he could take Lori to dinner again. They’d gone to restaurants several times in the past two weeks: halibut at the Idle Isle, steak at Maddox Ranch House, the Fiesta Sampler Platter at Café Sabor in Logan. They’d gone to see three movies—one of them even an action-adventure rather than the chick flicks Lori preferred.
On the previous Saturday, he’d driven her down to American Fork, nearly two hours away, for the long hike up the trail to Timpanogos Cave. She’d held his hand in the darkness of the cave and, when the lights were turned back on, oohed and ahhed over the beauty of both the climb and the cave.
He’d even helped her pull more of those horrible weeds that insisted on proliferating in Charles’s garden.
Silent, John dropped his boots in his large gear bin and stuffed his gloves on top.
It had been nearly two days since his shift began and he’d last seen Lori, and he seemed to be having withdrawals. He’d been at the station house for thirty-six hours. With the day work over, but twelve more hours on his shift, he had nothing but television or reading to entertain him for the evening—unless, heaven forbid, there was a fire. He knew, from last night, that all he’d think about would be Lori and her silky blonde hair framing her perfect face, her black clothes framing her perfect body, her smile lightening his heart.
“You’re mooning around like the Bees just lost their home game to Bear River.” Larry tossed him a hose. “Here. Go wash down the truck to take your mind off . . . who is she again?”
“The blonde with the spider in her venturi tubes.” Travis turned back to John. “You know, you never acted this way with Dawn . . . or with Jill or Trina or—”
“It’s none of your business. That’s who it is.” John’s voice was harsher than he’d intended.
As Larry came out of the gear room, he raised an eyebrow. “A mite touchy, aren’t you?”
John barely heard the banter. If only he didn’t have to sleep at the fire station tonight. If only he was off
shift. If only Lori would answer her flipping cell phone.
Larry said, “I bet five bucks on the blonde.”
John turned and the hose hit Larry square in the legs.
Larry jumped back. “Hey! Watch it!”
“Oh, sorry, man,” John said with a grin. “How clumsy of me.”
“Yeah. Whatever. Two can be as clumsy as one.” With a matching grin, Larry grabbed Travis’s hose, and soon all three of them were in the fray, dripping wet and laughing.
Afterward, Larry said, “Hope no one calls a fire code now.”
John chuckled as he coiled the hose. His earlier tension was gone. Buddies were great.
“Not to change the subject or anything, ’cause you guys know I love talking about women,” said Travis, “but I hear conditions are right for another big burn down in California.”
The California fire four years ago had been a bad one. They’d all volunteered, along with countless firefighters from other states, but it had still taken two weeks to get the flames under control and to save the houses in the fire’s path.
John’s phone burbled. Finally! Lori was returning his call. His heart lifted as he flipped open his cell. “Hi.”
“Hi, John.” A woman’s silky voice caressed his ear, but disoriented him—the caller was definitely a woman, but not Lori. Dawn. “I hope you don’t mind me calling.”
Not sure what to say—he hadn’t exactly broken up with her definitely, just discouraged her, and then he hadn’t called her for weeks after he started dating Lori exclusively—he mumbled something along the lines of, “That’s fine.”
At his strained tone of voice, Travis glanced his way, tilted his head, and mouthed, “Who is it?”
John waved him off and turned away as Dawn continued. “I need a favor. We have a problem with our faucet and I’m not sure what to do. It’s leaking a lot of water. I was really hoping you could help us out.” Dawn lived with her aunt and taught school in Logan.
He’d felt protective toward Dawn for months. Not to the extent or with the strength he felt toward Lori, but he found now that he couldn’t just turn off that emotion. But he also couldn’t give in to guilt or misplaced responsibility now, not when he was pursuing a romance with Lori. An exclusive relationship. He gave the first excuse that popped into his mind. “I can’t leave work, Dawn. Why don’t you call your home teacher?”
How to Stuff a Wild Zucchini Page 14
