“We’ll see you later.” Bertie patted Kay’s shoulder. “You all have fun.”
When they walked away, Kay turned to Jude. “They’re special people. I’m glad I got to meet them.”
“Salt of the earth type.” Jude tackled his fish again. “There are some good people here in the mountains.”
“I see that. The outpouring to help Mavis and Neil was a testimony to it.”
“People always come when their neighbors need them.”
She smiled. “That’s wonderful.”
After a slight pause, he asked, “How long are you going to be here, Kay?”
“Originally, I’d planned to leave this weekend, but Red and Darlene insisted I stay a little longer.” She smiled. “I’d like to stay another week or two, but I have to leave by Thursday of next week. I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”
“I don’t think there’s any danger of that.”
She shook her head. “I know when there’s an extra person in the house it throws the whole family out of kilter. I want to come back, and I don’t want them to dread my visits.”
“If they get tired of you, I have plenty of beds in my house. You’re always welcome there.” After it was out of his mouth he could kick himself for blurting it out. From the way Kay was looking at him, he knew he shouldn’t have said it.
She quickly glanced at her plate and began picking at her fish.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by what I said,” he mumbled. Right, he thought to himself. I only meant I’d love for you come to my house and climb into my bed any time. At least he didn’t blurt this thought out loud.
“I know you didn’t, Jude,” she whispered. “You’re a decent man.”
Again, he thought, decent, my foot. I’ve been sitting here taking that sweater off you with my eyes ever since we sat down. No. Before that. I think I started undressing you in my thoughts when I held your coat for you as we were leaving Red’s house.
Aloud, he said, “Sometimes my mouth doesn’t say what I mean for it to. I’m bad to get my thoughts and my tongue tied up. I only wanted you to know that everyone will welcome you back with open arms anytime you want to visit, me included.” He hoped this wasn’t too forward.
It must not have been because she smiled at him. “I appreciate that. All of you have been so welcoming. I love being here, and I hope to come back and visit often.”
He didn’t know what to say without blurting out something else stupid, so he began to eat.
After a few minutes Kay broke the silence. “How long have you been alone, Jude?”
He looked at her and weighed his words carefully. “About ten years ago my wife decided she didn’t want to be married to me anymore. Seems running off with her lawyer was more exciting.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It worked out for the best.” He grinned. “What about you?”
“Several years ago, my husband died with a massive stroke.”
He nodded. “And you never had children.”
“We had a son.” Tears formed in her eyes. “Maybe I’ll tell you about him sometime.”
Jude smiled at her and changed the subject because he saw right away she didn’t want to talk about her son. He didn’t know the reason, but he figured she had a good one. “So do you spend most of your time in Washington or out west?”
“I seem to stay more and more in the DC area, but I don’t want to settle there when I retire. I’m not sure I want to settle out west, either. When my term is up, I thought of moving to Virginia, but for some reason I’m drawn back to North Carolina. I guess my roots are here and I’ve always loved my home state.”
He looked at her with a question in his eyes, but only said, “You can’t beat the good old north state.”
“I’m beginning to agree with you.”
The rest of the meal was pleasant and they chatted about different things. All the time, questions were whirling in Jude’s mind. What kind of term did she need to finish? Was she some sort of college teacher? Where was her son? Were they estranged? Why would she leave the west? If she decided to settle in North Carolina, would she be near here? Lord, he hoped so. He wanted to ask her all these things, but he knew he’d wait until a future time. If she was going to be here another week, he’d do his best to get around to asking before she left.
•♥ •
On Saturday, Jude picked Kay up at ten. The snow was melting and they’d made arrangements to go horseback riding. He was surprised to see how well she sat in the saddle and how she handled the horse. For some reason, he expected her to be timid and inexperienced with the animal. It then dawned on him she’d lived in the southwest for years. Of course, it only stood to reason she’d be good with horses and she seemed thrilled to be in the saddle. They laughed and talked and rode for over three hours. When he took her home, he asked if she’d go to lunch with him on Sunday. She agreed.
On Sunday, they went to lunch at Bed, Breakfast and More. That afternoon, they visited with Heather and Alex. The four of them went to the huge house the Hargroves were rebuilding because of the damage a few months ago. “We’ll be in by Christmas.” Heather’s eyes glowed. “We can’t wait to get back home.”
The Hargroves insisted they join them for ribs at one of Alex’s favorite places in Hendersonville. They agreed. Kay seemed to especially enjoy the western atmosphere, and she said the food was wonderful.
They didn’t see each other on Monday. She and Darlene had plans to go into Asheville and shop, then they were having a family meal with Mavis and Neil. Jude picked her up again to go horseback riding on Tuesday morning. When they began the ride, he had no intention of taking her to the cabin near the top of one of the mountains on his land. It was built by a creek with its picture-perfect waterfall, and had always been one of his favorite spots.
He came here a lot alone, and at other times, he and his friends used the place during deer season. Occasionally in the winter, they’d bring their wives up and they’d have a big barbecue or fish fry.
In the summer, they’d often get their families together here to eat and play musical instruments and let the children run, wade in the creek and make all the noise they wanted to. Though it belonged to him, he’d made a pact with his friends that only family and friends were to come. No lending the place out to someone wanting a rendezvous spot.
After some of the men lost their wives, he made it clear there would be no bringing a casual date to the place. No one took advantage of his generous nature and he decided he’d abide by the rules himself.
And now, here he was bringing beautiful Kay Littleton to the cabin. He reined his mount up at the corner of the log house. Kay did the same thing. He got off his horse and turned to take her arm as she dismounted. “This is a lovely place, Jude.”
“I like coming up here. There’s room for a man to think.”
“I can see that.” She climbed the four steps to the porch which extended the length of the house. Turning to look across the mountain, she whispered, “The view is breathtaking.”
“Sometimes when I’m out riding I come here and sit on the porch to ponder everything.” He chuckled. “Of course, it’s a little cold for porch sitting today. Would you like to go inside?”
She nodded and he took a key from his pocket. He unlocked the door and stood aside for her to come in. Kay wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she entered, but it certainly wasn’t this well-appointed living room. Though the rustic furniture was mostly covered in leather and tweed fabrics, the accessories and southwestern wall hangings and decorations made it an inviting and welcoming place.
The room was large, and in one end was a kitchen. When she looked up, she saw the massive hewed log beams with ceiling fans and western chandeliers hanging from them. There was a second-floor balcony across the back of the room and six closed doors lead from the landing into what she figured were bedrooms and baths.
“It’s lovely, Jude. It makes me think of my ranch.”
“That’d be nice.”
“While I lay it, you can open the curtains and let some sunshine in if you want.”
She pulled back the curtain covering the large palladium window and gasped. “It’s breathtaking! Looks like a beautiful painting, and you can see forever from here.”
It wasn’t long until they removed their coats. Not only was there a roaring fire in the massive rock fireplace, but Jude had turned up the furnace. “I should’ve thought and brought something for lunch.” He looked at her. “I bet there’s nothing except what’s in the freezer and I’m beginning to get hungry.”
“I’m pretty good at improvising. Why don’t I see if there’s anything I can throw together for lunch?”
“If you’re willing to try, help yourself.” He watched as she headed for the kitchen. “Can I help?”
“No. You made the fire. Sit still and let me make lunch.”
“If that’s what you want me to do.”
“It is.”
He couldn’t help thinking how lovely and natural she looked opening the refrigerator and searching through cabinets. He wished he could look at her doing this type of thing every day. He then shook the thought away. What was he thinking? No matter how much he wanted more, all he could ever have with this woman was maybe a friendship.
Kay found a block of cheddar cheese in the refrigerator drawer and she only had to cut off a little mold. There was a frozen loaf of bread in the freezer and canned soup in the pantry. It wasn’t long until they were sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace eating grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. They had removed their boots and set them by the fire. He had his feet propped on the edge of the wagon wheel coffee table and Kay had her feet tucked up under her. Jude wondered if it wasn’t one of the most relaxed and best meals he’d ever had in the cabin.
Feeling full and lulled by the fire, Kay let him carry the dirty plates to the kitchen and bring back coffee for them. She didn’t know how he knew, but he’d put the right amount of cream in hers. He was drinking his black.
After sipping her coffee, she leaned back and broke the comfortable silence. “My Jimmy died almost a year ago.”
Though he knew intuitively Jimmy was her son, he didn’t say a word. He sat his coffee cup on the table then took hers and sat it down, too. Still without speaking, he put his arm around her and pulled her next to him.
She rested her head on his chest and it wasn’t long until her body was shaking with silent sobs. Neither spoke. He just held her. Though he was conscious of her body in his arms, he knew this wasn’t a time for anything except being a friend to someone who needed one.
After she began to relax, she looked up at him and whispered, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not saying you know how I feel, or that I need to get it off my mind and get on with my life then push me to rehash Jimmy’s death.”
He held her tighter. “First of all, Kay, I have no earthly idea how you feel. I pray to God I never know. If I had to guess, I’d say you were devastated over your loss and you go through hell every time you think about it. As for getting on with your life, I’m sure in ways you’ve done that, but I’m also sure there are other times when the reality of the situation hits you and you have to grieve by yourself and in your own way. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, either.” He smiled at her. “You can tell me about your son’s death when you’re ready. Until then, I promise not to push you to answer any questions.”
“Oh, Jude. You’re the first person to ever say those things to me. Why can’t everyone be so wise?” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “You’re also the first person who ever held me and let me cry. I don’t break down often.”
“You can cry in my arms anytime you want to, Kay.”
She snuggled against him. “I want to tell you about Jimmy sometime, but I don’t think I can do it today.”
He rested his head on the top of hers. “In your own good time, honey. I’ll listen when you’re ready.”
•♥ •
Kay smiled to herself and she knew it wasn’t because he didn’t question her or because he held her. She knew it was because he’d called her honey. When that word slipped out of his mouth, she went all warm inside. No one had called her honey since she was a little girl. James had been too proper, and when her grandmother and her mother died, she thought the word had died with them.
CHAPTER 10
At two o’clock that afternoon, Jude made a suggestion. “Let’s call the Hargroves and the Parkers and see if they’ll have dinner here with us tonight.”
“What do you mean?” Kay was watching him stack wood on the corner of the fireplace. She had a puzzled looked on her face.
“While I was out gathering the wood, I had the idea that it’d be nice to call them and have them come up for dinner. We could call it a party if you like.”
“I’d love to have them come up, and I hate to shoot down your plans. I also hate to tell you this, Jude, but there’s not enough food here to have guests for dinner, no matter how much we want them to come.”
He chuckled. “I thought that out, too. You said you’d like some time here alone to think about some things in your life, so I decided I could take the horses back, get my truck and bring up whatever we need to cook. You can make a list of what you want us to fix. If I don’t have it at the house, I’ll go to the store and get it. I won’t be gone more than an hour.”
Kay looked at the big man as he stood straight and looked back at her. He might be over six-feet-four-inches tall, but his eyes glowed with the anticipation of a child. She couldn’t resist his charm. “Okay. Let’s make it simple. How about we make something like lasagna or spaghetti?”
He grinned. “I like spaghetti.”
“Then spaghetti it’ll be. That, French bread and a salad will be all we’ll need. I’m not much of a baker, so maybe Mavis or Heather would bring dessert.”
“And I’ll get Alex to bring the wine.”
While she made the list of what he needed to bring up, Jude called the Parkers and the Hargroves. Both couples jumped at the chance to come to the cabin. Mavis said they might spend the night and said she’d call Darlene and pick up some extra clothes for Kay. She was sure she’d want to stay the night, too. The Hargroves promised they’d stay late, but they couldn’t spend the night. They had early morning plans for helping with the children on Wednesday.
With the plan set, Kay stood at the door and watched Jude leave, riding his horse and leading hers. She couldn’t help thinking he was handsome and appealing as he rode out of sight. She turned back into the house and took a seat on the lounge chair near the window. Jude had built up the fire so she felt warm and comfortable. Maybe it was the place. Maybe it was the people, but whatever it was, for the first time in a long time, Kay was beginning to feel content.
A little over an hour later, footsteps on the porch pulled her from thoughts of her son and her past. She glanced out. Jude was there with two big bags of groceries in his arms. She smiled and a fleeting thought filtered across her mind that she was looking at her future. Stunned at having such an idea, she pushed the thought away. She jumped up and ran to open the door before it filled her mind again or before Jude could knock.
“My goodness, you brought a lot.” Her voice was cheerful.
“I thought I’d better get bacon and stuff for breakfast since Mavis said they might spend the night.”
“That was a good idea.” She closed the door and followed him into the kitchen.
He sat the bags on the counter then took a bunch of flowers from one of them. Shyly he held them toward her. “I thought you might like these.”
“Oh, Jude. Thank you. They’re lovely.” She took the flowers and held them to her nose. Her heart was pounding. This man continued to surprise her, and whether or not sh
e wanted to admit it, the surprises warmed her soul.
He grinned. “When I saw them at the market they looked so fresh and beautiful I thought of you. I’m glad you like them.”
“I’ll find a vase and we’ll use them on the table as our centerpiece.” She laid the flowers in the sink and turned to the bags of groceries.
Together, they emptied the bags and kept running into each other as they moved to the refrigerator then the cabinet and back. Every time they accidentally touched they both mumbled apologies and looked away.
Finally, the groceries were in the right places and Kay looked in the cabinets for a vase. She spotted one on the top shelf. Though she strained, she couldn’t reach it. “Would you get that for me?”
“What?”
“The glass vase. It’s right there, see?” She pointed to the container.
He moved beside her and looked up. Before reaching for it, he looked down at her.
Her eyes moved from the vase to him. As if in slow motion, she lower the arm she’d used to indicate the vase and looked at him. He was so close she could see his chest move up and down as he breathed. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but something held her back. She didn’t want to start something she couldn’t finish. She stepped back.
Jude seemed to take the hint. He looked back into the cabinet, got the vase and handed it to her.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
•♥ •
As she arranged the flowers, he moved away from her, though what he wanted to do was take her in his arms and carry her up those stairs to his bedroom. He had sense enough to know this wasn’t going to happen, so he did the only thing he could think of. He went to the refrigerator and took out a beer.
In a few minutes, she picked up the vase of flowers. “I done, as Billy says. Don’t you think they’re lovely?”
“Almost as pretty as the woman who arranged them.”
It was out of his mouth before he could stop himself.
She seemed to ignore his remark. She walked to the table and placed them in the center. She then turned and looked at him. “Do you really think I’m pretty, Jude?”
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