“Does it have a park nearby? Does it have a big backyard? Can I play baseball in it? Ooo, can I have a puppy to play in the yard with?”
She laughed, stopping at the baggage claim and turned to him, “Whoa, bud. One question at a time. Let’s start at the beginning. Yes, there is a park right down the street from the house. It does have a good-sized yard…”
***
Jane was pulling onto her street when she saw half a dozen vehicles in her driveway and Alex’s, as well on the street. She was getting out of the car when Connor came up to her, an apologetic look on his face.
“I’m sorry Jane, as soon as they heard you girls were here, they had to come and meet you.”
Before she had a chance to ask who ‘they’ was, a group of men descended on them. She recognized one of them right off as a person that was in multiple pictures with her father as he was growing up.
“Colt?” The man in question came forward, a shocked look on his face, and to her surprise; tears gleaming in his eyes. Eyes that looked startlingly familiar. “You look so much like Shawn.” Several nodded their heads in agreement. One of the men came forward and enveloped Jane in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. “Arrgh! How are ya Janie?!”
She wiggled, “Umm, good. Could you put me down, please?” He set her down and stepped back, taking her in. Nodding, he said, “You look a lot like ol’ Hunt, but damn if you ain’t just like Joey! She never could stand my bear hugs either.”
A faint smile teased the corners of her mouth, “Joey?” Never had she heard someone call her mother that before, it was either Jo or Jolene.
He nodded, “Yep, I was the only one to get away with her that. Not even Rosie or Shawn could get away with calling her that.”
“That’s because she knew slugging ya wouldn’t do any good. Your head was too damn thick.” He spun around and saw a face he hadn’t seen since he was a teen, “Rose?”
Chapter Three
Several heads turned in the direction of that voice. Danny saw her standing at the passenger door, smirking at him, “Well, I do believe hell has frozen over. Cause I just made Danny Fletcher speechless!”
The laughter that followed shocked him out of his stupor and he enveloped her in a bear hug, swinging her around, “I’ll be damned! Rosie Brown is back in town!”
“Oh-oh, you said a bad word, that’s a dollar!” He turned to see a little boy was getting out of the car, his dark eyes staring in wonder at the people and construction going on. “Momma? Who’s all these people?” He frowned, “I don’t see Aunt Ali.”
The men stared at the little boy with awe and surprise. The boy was a near carbon copy of Shawn at that age.
Jane smiled at him, “Luke, come over here, buddy. I want you to meet some people.” The boy walked over to her, the resemblance between the two was striking. He moved to stand by her side, her hand on his shoulder, “Everyone, I’d like you to meet my son, this is Lukas Shawn Hunter.” He gave a shy wave and said, “But everyone calls me Luke.” He looked up at his mother, a frown on his little face, “I only get called Lukas if I’m in trouble.” The mischievous look in his dark eyes said that was a lot.
He looked through the crowd of men and when his eyes landed on Colt, they went wide, “Momma, is he the boy from the picture with Papaw when he was little?”
Colt smiled at the boy and knelt down before him, “Yeah, I’m that boy. My name is Colt. Your Papaw was one of my best friends growing up.” Luke looked up at Jane, “Like Aunt Simmi and Nana Red?” Jane explained at Colt’s confused expression, “Simone and Meredith are good family friends of ours, we grew up with Sim; and Aunt Red is like another mother to us.”
The afternoon marched on, and Jane found herself sitting her front porch surrounded by them as they introduced themselves and swapped stories with aunt Ro, as they talked about her parents’ childhood.
Some of them, she recognized from her mom and aunt’s childhood pictures easily, other than growing out of their teens, they looked the same. Especially Connor, he had to be approaching his fifties if not already there, had aged well, still looking the same, just with a little grey streaking his thick black hair, giving him a regal look.
Xander, best friend to Tony Wolfe-and according to Mom and Aunt Rose, he was the best-looking boy and flirt in their neighborhood. Xander was one of those men that got better-looking with age. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a instead of western, if the cowboy hat, boots, and worn jeans were any indication.
Connor came down the ladder sitting in front of the porch, taking his gloves off and stuck them in his tool belt. “I just finished a second inspection; the roof is solid, just leave the fans in Luke’s room going tonight. The spackle should be dry by the morning and I’ll come in and paint in the morning. How does seven sounds, it okay?”
She smiled and nodded eagerly, “That sounds perfect. I’ll check with Alex and see if that’s okay.”
He smiled back, “Ok, for now we’re gonna pack up and head to the next job. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He started back down the porch when he turned on his heel to face her, “I heard you say this morning that Alex is an architect?”
“She has her degree but has no field experience.” Rose looked at her in surprise, “So, Alex has decided not to go back to the force?”
She gave a look at Luke, sitting on the steps with Colt playing a card game, and looked back at her aunt, “After her last case and with the divorce and all, Alex is thinking about when her leave is up, to just giving notice. She always had a back-up plan ready if she decided to leave the force. Her architecture degree was it.”
Connor brought the conversation back on topic, “We’ve been thinking about adding an architect to the company for a while now, think she’d be interested in talking with Liz and me?”
She knew Alex would like to gain some field experience and nodded, “Yeah. I’ll tell her about it when she gets back from the store.”
He pulled the ladder down and folded it up, “Good, have her call the office and we’ll set up a meeting then.”
***
A week after her flashback, Alex kept herself as busy as she could. She sketched and painted nightly to where her makeshift studio was nearly full; she worked out until exhaustion every night and poured herself into getting the house unpacked and arranged. Now she stood in the local grocery store, getting groceries for Jane to make dinner. She was bending down to get a container of cooking oil when she felt eyes on her.
She looked around and saw a few people looking at her, but in a small town, newcomers were always on display for the first few weeks. But it wasn’t just that, she felt like she was being singled out. She turned around and saw a man passing her as he made his way down the aisle. From the back she could make out he was tall, well-built with hair so black it looked blue under the fluorescent lights.
She saw that she wasn’t the only one being stared at. The man walked down the aisle; people were staring at him openly as he passed them and gave him wide berth. As her gaze travelled down his frame she saw why. He pushed his cart with one hand and the other leaning heavily on a metal cane. Once he was out of the aisle and out of sight, it was like a switch was flipped and people were buzzing up and down the aisle.
“Did you see Drew?”
“Oh my god, he’s still so friggin good-looking it’s not fair all that in one man!”
“It’s a shame about his leg though, I heard he had to lose it and that’s why he has the cane.”
Alex decided it was time to finish her shopping and go. If there was one thing she couldn’t stand it was small-town biddies that had nothing better to do than to spread malicious gossip.
***
Later that night, Rose set her napkin down on her plate and let out a happy sigh, “Jane as always, delicious.”
She smiled down at her aunt as Alex and she cleared the dessert plates, “Thanks, Aunt Rose. I really appreciate you coming out with Luke.”
Rose stood, waving her hand, “Don’t w
orry about it, honey. I’ve been planning a trip down to Biloxi for a while now. There’s a lot of flea markets, estate sales and auctions happening in the area, so I was happy to come out for a visit before heading out.”
Alex glanced over at the calendar on the fridge and turned back to her mother, “and I suppose the big music festival that comes in for the week and keeps the Inn crazy-busy had nothing to do with it?”
A serene expression came across her face, “Don’t know what you talking about, sweetie.”
A full blown grin came out, “but if one more ol’ hillbilly had pinched my behind, I was ready to show them to Cole. You know-the big strapping former Marine.” This led to female laughter echoing around the kitchen. Men were imitated by the tall, muscle-bound Cole Williams Jr.
***
The weekend flew by fast and before Rose knew it, her visit was up and it was time for her to head on up to Biloxi for her business trip. She was gassing up before she headed out, she stood in line to pay for her gas and coffee when she heard someone behind her say, “Rose?!”
She turned to see Tony Wolfe standing behind her. “Tony?”
He smiled and nodded, finding himself enveloped in a fast hug, “Rosie Brown. I heard you were in town for the weekend, how are you?” She smiled back at him; he had certainly changed since their teens. Tony, a once, gangly and funny-looking teen with an 80’s pompadour. He was now a good-looking man, his shaggy blue-black hair was free of grey, and fell into blue eyes surrounded by laugh lines.
She shrugged, “Doing good, I’m actually fixing to leave for a business trip. I own an antique restoration store, so I’m fixing to go out for a lead.”
She gestured to his t-shirt, “I see you finally got that shop up and running, you talked about as a kid,” He looked down at his ‘Wolfe Automotive and Restoration’ t-shirt and laughed, “Yeah, I did. My son and Xander’s oldest girl runs it with me.” He saw the wedding band on her hand as she gestured to his shirt and a surprised look entered his eyes, his hand grasped hers. “Jane and Alex didn’t tell us you were married.” She gave his hand a brief squeeze before pulling hers back, “widowed, actually.”
A sad look came across his face, “I’m sorry to hear that. Has it been long?”
She paid for her ticket before answering standing to the side of the counter, “Yeah, about twenty-nine years ago.”
He turned his head so fast she was surprised he didn’t have whip-lash. “What?”
She twisted her wedding band, “Yeah. Cole and I were married before he died. Shawn, Jo, and Gina were the only one that knew about it.”
A light bulb went on in his hand, “Is that why you and Jo ran, you didn’t think they would recognize you two being married and would be put in foster care?” She nodded, “Partly.” She glanced at her watch, “Tony, I don’t have to be on the road just yet. Do you want to talk for a bit?” She was an hour-in-a half late getting on the road, but didn’t care as she caught up with an old friend.
***
Jane sank back on her large bed, tired from the long day of work and playing with Luke at the park. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep, but she really needed to get up and get in the shower. With a sigh, she got up and went to the shower, taking the fastest shower in a long time. Her bed beckoned her.
Peter sank back on his big comfortable bed with a grateful sigh. After being on-call all day and researching the last couple of hours he was exhausted. But he was safely able to say he was not crazy. The Jane Hunter that had moved into town, was the same Jane he wrote to as a kid for a pen-pal assignment. Then later, after the assignment was finished and continued to until he was eighteen. She was here in his hometown. Across the street from him. So little distance, but it might as well be clear across the country.
He managed to pull up Luke’s birth announcement seven years ago and her cousin’s wedding announcement from three years ago, with Luke as the ring bearer and Jane as the Maid of Honor.
Now all he had to do was figure out how to meet her. A long jaw-stretching yawn escaped him, “I’ll figure it out in the morning,” he muttered, falling into an exhausted sleep.
She laid on her side, her head propped up on her arm, watching him sleep. He looked delicious tangled up in the white sheets; he was sprawled on his side of the bed in an exhausted sleep. She really should let him sleep; he hadn’t got much sleep over the past few days.
A wicked smile curved her full lips; then again, she hadn’t gotten much sleep herself.
She debated continuing to let him sleep, or she could give him a wakeup call he wouldn’t forget anytime soon. When she decided she really wanted to play, she pushed the sheets further down, until they barely covered him. She gave his body a hot, once over. She loved to look at him, long and lean, he was still growing into his frame, but already she could see the lean muscles under his skin that would show in wonderful definition as he matured. He was already muscled from running and practicing martial arts.
She laid her hand down his bare chest, stroking it in slow, long strokes, down to the hand resting on his stomach. She marveled at the differences in their hands - hers small and tanned, his large and pale. She looked up and wasn’t surprised to see him watching her. She smiled at him, leaning down near his face, brushing a gentle kiss over his full mouth.
“I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
He smiled up at her, “Liar.”
She chuckled, “Technically I’m not. I had a plan to wake up you up a whole different way.” She ran her hands up and down his stomach, stopping at the now tented sheets pooled low around his hips.
He pulled her on top of him, running his hands threw her long hair, “Why don’t you show me how you were going to wake me up before I woke up. Which by the way, I did as soon as you were ogling me.” His eyes looked tenderly into hers, “I always know when you’re near and it’s you touching me.” She looked back into his and silently agreed. Never did she react to a man’s touch the way she did Peter’s. No one knew her body as well as him. He had seen it all, and still didn’t run. Even when he saw the ugly, thick surgical scars on her legs from a hit-and-run as a kid that broke both her legs and the numerous surgeries that followed afterward.
He pulled back the sheets and pushed them to the foot of the bed leaving him bare and her straddling his legs. She ran her hands down his stomach to his hips and thighs, deliberately passing where he wanted the most to be touched, to his legs where she sat. She looked up at him with a coy look, then began running her hands back up the path she just left; this time, bringing her body with her, stopping when she was she was mouth level at his hips. She secretly smiled when he let out a moan as her hair created a curtain around his hips and her face, blocking her from his view. She felt him wrap his hand in her hair, pulling the long length up, locking eyes with him as she ran her tongue up and down his hard length. He gasped as her wet mouth pulled away, feeling the sudden change of her warm mouth and the cool air around him. She smirked up at his face as he let out a low moan; as she ran her tongue around the head before enclosing him in her mouth again. He let out a growl of frustration as she left her mouth off him again, only for him to pull her head up, bring her up the length of him, taking her mouth in a hungry kiss, not caring he could taste himself on her tongue.
He ran his hands down the smooth line of her back, a smile teased his lips as he held her rump in a fierce grip, ground against her wet sex. He pulled back, her face flush as she gasped for breath, moaning as his lips trailed a hot path down her jaw, nipping and sucking at the flesh on her neck as he trailed down further, capturing a pearled nipple. She arched further into him, aching for more. One hand cupped her rump while the other began a wandering path along her thighs. Her moan told him he was on the right path as he ran a teasing finger along her wet sex, before slipping inside.
“Peter, please,” she gasped as he slipped another finger inside her, stretching her as he worked them in and out. A low moan of frustration rumbled in her throat before she reared up, cap
turing his mouth with hers. Their tongues tangling together as her hands danced along his skin as she ran them down his chest and stomach.
She broke away, a gleam in her dark eyes, “It’s not nice to tease a lady,” before he could utter a word, she reached behind her, grasping him in her hand before sinking onto him. Both hissed a breath as she sank onto him, his eyes closed tightly as his hands went to her hips, holding her still. Her head thrown back in pleasure as she felt him fill her to the hilt. She ran her hands up and down his hands as she began a slow rhythm; a breathy laugh escaped her as he moaned in frustrated pleasure.
“Now who’s teasing,” he growled. Jane gasped as his grip tightened on her as he moved her up and down on him, his hips rolling up each time to meet her thrusts, bringing her closer to the edge each time.
She knew neither would last much longer, “Peter! I’m gonna-”
he ran a hand down the length of her front, reaching between them where they joined, rubbing at the nub resting there, making her pitch forward with a cry, bracing her hands on his chest as her orgasm shuddered through her. She let out a loud cry as she felt her release build again. This time, taking Peter with her as he tightened his arms around her, bringing her down to him chest to chest. Peter moaned her name in her neck as his release tore threw him. They laid there panting, neither moved, uncaring about moving to more comfortable positions. She lifted her head up from his chest, her chin resting on her arms, looking up at him. She smiled up at him, rising up to brush a tender kiss over his mouth, “I love you, Peter.”
Letters to Jane (Mississippi Book 1) Page 2
