Halfway There

by Susan Mallery

  Fayrene pointed to the bowl of jelly beans on her desk.

  “Want one?”

  “No, thanks.”

  She picked out a couple. “Green apple. I haven’t been eating much fruit lately.”

  He stared at her. “That’s a jelly bean, not fruit.”

  “Uh, no. It’s a Jelly Belly.”

  “There’s a difference?”

  “Duh.” She uncovered the mouthpiece and listened for a minute. “Uh-huh. Okay, thanks. I’ll tell him. No, I haven’t heard from Jim. Alice, you have to let it go.” She paused, then smiled again. “That’s sweet. I’ll let you know if anything changes. Bye.”

  She hung up. “Alice says I’m her favorite of her Jim’s girlfriends, and she would like us to get back together.”

  “That going to happen?”

  “No. We had fun, but we outgrew each other a long time ago.” She tucked a loose strand of blond hair behind her ears and grabbed more Jelly Bellys. “You have no arrests, but you have two speeding tickets on your record. Police Chief Barns wants me to remind you that local law enforcement takes the speed limit very seriously here in Fool’s Gold.”

  “Good to know.”

  She studied him for a second. “If you’re serious about staying with me tonight, that is not going to happen. However, I would appreciate you stopping by for a few hours, just in case more kittens arrive. But I want to be clear I’m inviting you over as a friend. I’m not sleeping with you.”

  Ryan laughed. “Thanks for clarifying. I wasn’t planning on more than cat sitting, by the way.”

  She flushed. “I realize you hadn’t asked, but I’ve learned it’s best to get everything out in the open so there aren’t any misunderstandings.”

  “A wise philosophy.”

  “Now you’re making fun of me.”

  “Maybe a little.”

  She was an interesting combination of hysterical and capable, he thought. She might not be comfortable around Misty in labor, but she was willing to call the local police chief and check on him.

  He shrugged into his jacket. “How far’s your place? I left my car at the hotel.”

  “I drove because of Misty.” She picked up her purse. “I wasn’t planning on company for dinner. Is pizza okay?”

  “Pizza is my favorite.”

  * * *

  FAYRENE DROPPED HER skirt to the floor and slid into her jeans. She’d left Ryan in the living room with Misty and the kittens. He didn’t seem the type to snoop, but it had been so long since she’d brought a guy home, she felt strange leaving him alone. Who knew you could forget how to date?

  Not that this was a date—he was a friend, helping her out. But he was also a man and nice-looking and there was the whole zap thing.

  She pulled on her sweatshirt and shoved her feet into flats. Her curly hair was a mess, but then it usually was. She’d learned to ignore it. Less than two minutes after she’d left him to get changed, she was back in the living room. Where Ryan wasn’t.

  She stared at the empty space. His backpack was still on the floor by the door, and his coat was on the small rack. She paused and listened, then heard a distinct meow from the alcove that was her kitchen.

  She followed the noise and found Ryan opening a can of cat food. Misty was out of the box and tracing a figure eight around his ankles.

  He looked up and smiled. “I thought she might be hungry,” he said. “She’s had a tough day.”

  He scooped food into a bowl and set it on the floor. Misty hurried over and started eating. He poured out some dry food, then filled her water bowl.

  “You’re good,” Fayrene told him. “You’ve taken care of pets before.”

  “I grew up on a farm.”

  Fayrene stared at him. “Seriously?”

  He covered the rest of the canned cat food and put it in her refrigerator, then closed the door and leaned against the counter.

  “Why is that surprising? You live in a small town.”

  “But not on a farm.”

  She led the way into the living room. The coffee table had a small drawer where she kept her favorite takeout menus. When they were both seated on the sofa, she handed him the stack.

  “I owe you, so you get to pick. It doesn’t have to be pizza. Other places deliver.”

  He chuckled. “You sure know how to spoil a guy.”

  He flipped through the various offerings before choosing pizza. Fayrene phoned in the order, adding a six-pack of beer to the pizza. Because all she had in her refrigerator was a jar of mustard and Misty’s breakfast.

  “So where is the family farm?” she asked, angling toward him.

  “A place you’ve never heard of. Colville, Washington. It’s north of Spokane. My dad runs a few hundred heads of cattle and twenty acres of hay. We raised chickens, goats, rabbits. The usual.”

  She laughed. “The usual? Not for me. No wonder you were comfortable with Misty’s delicate condition. Nothing you haven’t seen before.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve had my share of birthing babies.”

  “How did you get from there to here?”

  His dark gaze settled on her face. “Why aren’t I still that farm boy?”

  She nodded.

  “It’s a hard way to making a living. There are a few manufacturing jobs in town, but I didn’t want that, either. I’d always been interested in how things worked. I would take things apart and try to put them back together.” His mouth curved up. “When I was younger, I wasn’t very good at the putting them back together part. My parents were really patient with me.”

  “So you always wanted to be an engineer?”

  “Pretty much. When I was fifteen, my dad bought a wind turbine to generate electricity.” The smile widened. “That’s a windmill for you city folks.”

  She laughed. “Thanks for explaining. So that’s what you studied?”

  “My degree is more general. Alternative energy sources, but I’ve specialized in wind turbines. I’ve been working on some designs of my own, and I’ve modified existing designs. Efficiency is significant. Getting an extra kilowatt may not seem like much, but over time, it adds up.”

  He spoke with enthusiasm and got technical pretty quickly. In a matter of a minute, she had no idea what he was talking about. But she liked the sound of his voice and how he was excited about what he did. A lot of guys her age were just coasting. They wanted to be the next Steve Jobs without doing the work.

  Not Ryan, she thought, respecting his desire to get ahead.

  She also liked how his dark hair fell across his forehead and the way his glasses made him seem more approachable.

  She found herself wanting to move closer. To lean into him and—

  She slammed on mental brakes. That was so not happening, she reminded herself. She was the girl with a plan. She had dreams to fulfill. Getting involved would only distract her. Dreams first, romance second.

  Oh, but he was tempting.

  “...which was where I met Ethan,” he was saying.

  She’d been listening enough to know he’d been talking about a conference. “He convinced you to come here?”

  Ryan hesitated. “Not exactly. My contract with him is for six weeks. He wanted some design modifications, which is what I’m doing now. I have a job offer in Texas.”

  That was news. “Are you going to take it?”

  “I don’t know. It’s a good offer. There’s a lot of cutting-edge work being done there. North Texas gets a lot of wind.”

  While she wasn’t happy with the idea of him leaving, it did simplify the problem. If Ryan wasn’t staying, then he couldn’t interfere with her plan. And sitting just a little closer on the sofa was perfectly safe...

  And maybe a little bit dangerous.

  CHAPTER
THREE

  SEVERAL SLICES OF PIZZA, a couple of beers, two handfuls of Jelly Bellys and some interesting conversation later, Ryan found himself wishing Fayrene hadn’t been quite so clear on the “I’m not sleeping with you” front. She was bright, funny and sexy. Under other circumstances, he would be making his move. Only this wasn’t that kind of situation. She’d asked him over to help her babysit a cat—not because she was interested in him. But a guy could dream.

  They lingered at the small table by the kitchen. Misty had gone to sleep after her dinner and showed no signs of stirring or giving birth. If he had to guess, he would say she was done delivering. But admitting that meant telling Fayrene there was no reason for him to stay, and he didn’t want the evening to end just yet.

  “My mom came here to go to school,” she was saying. “My dad had just been promoted to assistant manager of Ronan’s Lodge. It was a big deal. He was thinking of taking some business classes to help him get ahead. They met on campus.” She sighed. “It was love at first sight.”

  He rested his elbows on the table and leaned toward her. “You’re remembering being told that story when you were a kid.”

  She nodded. “They told it every year on their anniversary. How Mom was in a hurry and Dad wasn’t looking where he was going. They ran into each other, and her books went flying. By the time they’d picked them up, they knew.”

  “So you believe in love at first sight?”

  “No. I mean it happened to them, but I think love grows over time. You need shared interests and a similar belief system. You have to want the same things.”

  He agreed with her, but he suspected she might read too much into him saying that. “So you don’t think opposites attract?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I’m sure it’s exciting and dramatic, but I don’t want drama in my life. I like things organized.”

  “Like your plan.”

  She nodded. Her hazel eyes darkened slightly, then she looked at him. “They died. My parents. They took their first trip alone when Ana Raquel and I were fourteen. Dellina, our older sister, was nearly seventeen.”

  Ryan hadn’t expected her to say that. He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks. It was so hard. We didn’t have any family in town, so we had to go live with our aunt in Arizona. She and my uncle were really nice, but everything was different. We lost our parents and our home and our friends in a single week. When Dellina turned eighteen, she took custody of us and moved us back here.”

  “You and your sister are twins?”

  Fayrene nodded. “Ana Raquel and I tried to be good for her. You know, not make any trouble. But we were teenaged girls. It didn’t always go well. Dellina hung in there. She got a job and was really careful with the life insurance money. We still had the house where we grew up.”

  “Why don’t you live there now?”

  “It’s a huge four-bedroom place with a big yard. We lease it out. Some of the rent money is put in a fund to cover maintenance, and we split the rest of it.” She gave him a faint smile. “During the lean months, it makes a difference.”

  He released her hand because it seemed the polite thing to do, but what he really wanted was to walk around the table and draw her into his arms.

  “Your sisters are still here in town?”

  “Dellina is. Ana Raquel is a chef in San Francisco, but she comes home a lot. It’s nice when we’re together.” She shifted in her seat. “I admire Dellina for what she did. What she gave up. Ana Raquel went to culinary school in San Francisco, and I went to college in Santa Cruz. But she stayed here. She was our anchor. She worked jobs she didn’t like because the hours were good and she couldn’t risk not having a steady income. It’s only in the past couple of years that she’s felt comfortable enough to start her own business.”

  He put the pieces together. “You think she was trapped.”

  “Some.”

  Because of circumstances, Dellina had been forced to grow up fast and take on more responsibility than was comfortable. Fayrene had learned from that. She didn’t want to risk her dreams to the unexpected.

  “You think if you have a solid enough plan, you won’t be surprised.”

  Her mouth twisted. “Is it that obvious?”

  “It’s not a big leap. Don’t get me wrong. I understand what you’re doing, and I respect it. You’re strong and determined.”

  * * *

  FAYRENE WISHED THERE was a way to unwind the past few minutes of conversation. She hadn’t meant to share so much with Ryan. She’d barely known the guy twelve hours and already he knew more than most.

  “It’s not that I don’t want a family,” she murmured. “I do, of course. Just not now.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” he told her. “I’m the guy who swore he’d never marry before he turned forty.”

  “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

  He shook his head. “Scout’s honor.”

  “Ha. Like I know if you were a boy scout.”

  “Don’t I look the part?”

  He looked mostly sexy and earnest. A very appealing combination.

  He stood. “Come on. Let’s check on our new mother.”

  Fayrene followed him into the living room. Misty was still sleeping, her three tiny kittens curled up next to her.

  “She looks good,” he said.

  “Thanks to you.”

  He flashed her a smile. “Misty did most of the hard work.”

  They settled on the sofa to watch a movie. Fayrene was careful not to sit too close, even though she wanted to. She was confused by how comfortable she felt around Ryan. It was as if she’d known him for years. At the same time, she was on alert—her body poised to tingle at a moment’s notice. The juxtaposition confused her.

  They argued playfully about which movie to watch. Her selection was mostly chick flicks. Finally they found a not-too-grisly action movie on pay-per-view and settled in.

  She picked through the Jelly Bellys left in the bowl. They were her “thing,” as much for the childhood memories as for the sweetness without too many calories. She loved the taste and she could still fit into her clothes in the morning. Unfortunately, they weren’t quite enough to distract her from the hunky guy sitting next to her on the sofa.

  Was it her or had it gotten hot in here?

  When the movie was over, Ryan stood and stretched. She allowed herself an eye-candy moment of admiring his broad chest and narrow waist before reminding herself it was impolite to stare.

  “Whoa, look at that,” he said when he’d lowered his arms to his sides. He moved to an old boom box she kept on the bottom shelf of her bookcase. Most people didn’t even notice it was there. He moved the dial back and forth until he managed to tune in one of the local stations.

  “Great antique,” he said when he saw her.

  “It was my dad’s. I know it’s huge and hideous, but it makes me think of him.”

  He stood. “I like it.”

  On the radio, a low, masculine voice spoke. “This is Gideon, and we’re going to play oldies tonight. Like we do every night. I thought I’d start with a song that reminds me of a beautiful woman from my past. To the smartest woman I ever met. And here it is, by the Drifters.”

  Fayrene was trying to figure out which song he was going to play. While she’d never been a fan of the oldies, her dad had liked them. He complained he’d been born in the wrong decade. That he would have been happier in the fifties, with great music and muscle cars. Then her mom would tease him about how he would have been too old for her.

  She felt her throat tighten as blurry memories tried to focus. But it had been too long, she thought sadly, and she couldn’t see much more than shadows. Before she had to
start fighting tears, Ryan pulled her close and started to dance with her.

  “Who’s Gideon?” he asked, moving in time with the beat. He held her just tight enough to make her want to snuggle closer and loose enough that she didn’t feel pressured.

  “He’s new in town,” she said, aware the memories were fading and content to let them retreat for the night. “There are a lot of rumors about him. Everyone says he was in the military and did some really dangerous things.”

  “I like his taste in music.”

  Ryan’s shirt was soft under her fingers, his body warm. Being next to him made her forget everything else—her past, her plan. There was only the gentle sway of the dance, the rhythm of the song and an unexpected yearning.

  His dark gaze settled on her face; then he lowered his head a few inches and lightly kissed her.

  The brush of his mouth against hers was light as breath. He didn’t push, didn’t claim. He teased, then drew back and put his hand on the back of her head, so she rested her cheek on his shoulder.

  Fayrene closed her eyes. Wanting spun through her, igniting nerves and making her long for more than the chaste kiss. But instead of reacting to that, she stayed where she was, enjoying the sense of being taken care of. Of being safe. Even if it was just for the night.

  But when the song ended, Ryan drew back. He gave her a quick smile, murmured “good night” and was gone before she could figure out if she wanted him to stay or not. And wasn’t that just like a man?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  FAYRENE WAS PLEASANT, friendly and distant for the next three days. When she went out for sandwiches, she brought one back to Ryan. She warned him about the warring hair stylists in town when he asked where to get his hair cut, and she explained he would have to alternate his business between House of Bella and Chez Julia unless he wanted to start a boatload of trouble. Even so, she was careful not to spend more than a minute or two in conversation at any given time because it was both smarter and safer.