“So you can help with the party planning?”
“No, so I can have you meet someone.”
There was a slight hesitation and then, “A woman?”
“Yes. I mentioned Violet to you a few weeks ago.”
His mother laughed. “Very briefly. You didn’t tell me she was your girlfriend.”
“She’s more than my girlfriend. She’s the woman I want to marry.”
Another moment of silence followed this declaration. “Marry? I can’t believe it. After what happened with...” She stopped suddenly as if remembering their agreement not to talk about Carmen. “I’ve been so worried that…well, anyway, this is wonderful news. Tell me about Violet.”
“She’s sweet, caring, smart, loves music, gets along with Abbott and Costello, and perhaps most important of all, she likes riding the Harley.”
“She sounds perfect for you.”
“She is. You and Dad are going to love her.”
“When are you coming?”
“How about weekend after next?”
“That would be great. You know how busy your father gets when the school term starts.”
“How could I forget that? I hate to cut this conversation short, but I’m supposed to be picking Violet up in about ten minutes.”
“Then I’ll let you go. Thanks for telling me. I love you, Jackson.”
“Love you, too, Mom.”
As he shut off the lights and locked the door, he realized he hadn’t heard his mother sound so relaxed and carefree in a long time. Maybe the actual face-to-face meeting with Violet would go as smoothly. It could hardly be worse than the last time he’d taken someone home.
* * * * *
“Jackson just walked out of his office, Violet. He’s coming this way,” Mrs. Wooley observed from her position at the front of the store.
Violet tried to ignore the quickening of her pulse and failed. She was more successful in making herself stay where she was. Mrs. Tyler didn’t even try; she joined the other woman at the window.
“If he was mine, I’d never let him out of my sight,” Mrs. Wooley said. “I feel faint just looking at him.”
Mrs. Tyler laughed. “My thoughts exactly. He’s almost here. Let’s go out through the back, Adele, and leave the young people alone.” She turned to Violet. “Have fun shopping, dear.”
“Thank you, I will.”
It was like a scene out of a romantic comedy. Violet didn’t know whether to laugh or what as she watched the two women disappear through the back door. A few seconds later, Jackson strolled through the entrance.
“Welcome to Second Time Around,” she called out. “Are you looking for anything special?”
Jackson grinned as he came over to stand at the counter opposite her. “I already found it.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Do you want to get something to eat before we commence our first shopping trip together?”
“I had a late lunch so I’m fine right now. What about you?”
“I can wait. This shouldn’t take too long.”
Violet laughed as she went into the office to get her things. When she rejoined him, she said, “I like your optimism.”
Twenty minutes later they were standing in the baby department of Target. They’d been approached by no less than three young salesladies offering to help. Violet knew this attention wasn’t on her account.
After the last one walked away, she said to him in a low voice, “Remind me to leave you home next time.”
“What did I do?”
“Don’t play innocent. You know why they keep coming over here. They want to see you up close.”
Jackson shrugged. “I can’t do anything about that. We’re looking for something for a one-year-old, right?”
“Yes. Rebecca is Holly and Devon’s little girl. She’s got a birthday coming up soon.”
“It seems like there are plenty of choices. Toys have come a long way. I didn’t have anything like this. Everything’s electronic now.”
“I know, but sometimes the classics are the best.” Violet pointed to a box containing the Fisher-Price Little People Farm. “I had one of those. I saw it recently when I was cleaning out the attic.”
“I’m not sure where all my toys went. I remember having a lot of Legos, but they magically disappeared when I went away to college.”
“That’s too bad. Some of the older sets are very valuable.”
He started to laugh. “What about that?”
She looked in the direction he was pointing. It was a child-sized piano painted in a vivid shade of pink. “It’s not the color I would have chosen, but otherwise it’s perfect,” she said, walking around him to look at it more closely. “I like that it doesn’t have a stool. Rebecca can sit on the floor and play it.”
“It says it has twenty-five keys. She’ll be able to play chopsticks.”
“It’s too big for me to mail. I’ll order it online and have it shipped to Holly.”
He shook his head. “That wouldn’t even have occurred to me.”
“You learn something new every day.”
Jackson bent his head to kiss her cheek. “I’m too busy learning about you. Every day I find another reason to love you.”
She smiled at him. “What was your reason today?”
“You’re an extremely savvy shopper.”
On the way to the exit, they passed by the women’s section. Jackson nodded toward a mannequin wearing a summer dress with hardly any top and a slit up the side.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing you in that.”
She laughed. “I couldn’t wear it out in public.”
“It wouldn’t be for out in public,” he whispered in her ear.
“If you’re trying to make me blush, you’re succeeding.”
He slipped his arm through hers. “I wasn’t trying, but I won’t complain about the result. You’re even prettier when you blush.”
He took her to a mom and pop barbeque place in Phenix City for dinner. The inside wasn’t anything fancy, but the pulled pork was the best she’d ever eaten.
“What makes theirs so much better than everyone else’s?” she asked as they walked to the car. “Is there some secret ingredient or cooking method?”
“All I’ve been able to get out of the owner is that he brines the meat for twelve hours and then applies a dry rub. He also smokes the meat over apple wood chips.”
“It’s a long process just for a sandwich.”
Jackson grinned as he opened her door. “Anything worth having is worth the time and effort it takes to get it. I had to wait years to find you.”
She kissed him as she slid in front of him to get into the car. “I’m so glad you did.”
Once they were on the way home, he said, “I talked to my mom today about our upcoming visit. She was fine with weekend after next.”
Violet couldn’t help wondering if the memories of his previous experience with Carmen would spill over into this one. “That’s great. I’m looking forward to meeting them.”
“What are you doing on Sunday?”
“Nothing. I’m completely and utterly free.”
“Then I think it’s time for another trip on the Harley.”
“Oh, good. I’ve been waiting impatiently for my second invitation.”
“I meant to do it sooner, but we’ve both been so busy.”
“I know. It’s been crazy since my parents got back. Where are we going this time?”
He smiled mysteriously as he pulled into the townhouse parking lot. “That’s a surprise.”
“I like surprises.”
“I hope you like this one. I want to make an early start. Can you be ready around seven?”
“I think I can manage it.”
A few minutes later they were facing each other outside her front door.
“Thanks for going with me tonight,” she said.
He moved closer, his fingers running through her hair. “It was the first of many shopping trips together.”
; “Is that a promise?” she asked teasingly.
Instead of answering, he lowered his lips to hers. There was both heat and gentleness in the wild kisses that followed. Those seemingly opposite qualities could produce breathtakingly effective results when done right, and he definitely knew how to do it right. Jackson took her to a place where conscious thought had no meaning. Nothing existed except the two of them.
Chapter Fifteen
Sunday morning dawned at last. Jackson had been up long before the sun. Now as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, he tried to put a lid on the anxiety pulsing through his veins. He’d done everything possible to make this day as perfect as he could. Now he just had to execute the plan.
When Violet came to answer the door, the conventional words he would normally have said on such an occasion flew right out of his head. He could feel his mouth dropping open as his eyes went from the dark aviators resting in her hair to the white tank top visible underneath her jacket to the leather jeans hugging every inch of her long legs. He realized he was staring and swallowed quickly.
“Tu es d'une grande beauté.”
She smiled shyly. “Thank you, but most of the credit goes to the clothes. Summer helped me pick them out.”
Still slightly dazed, he reached for her hand and lightly kissed the palm. “It’s the girl in the clothes that makes the clothes special.”
“If that’s the case, then you make your clothes special, too.”
He laughed. “No one will be looking at me today. All eyes will be on you.”
“I don’t care about all eyes. Just yours.”
Jackson pulled her closer. “You’ve had my complete attention for a while now.” The touch of her soft lips had him groaning inside. She tasted like strawberries and cream and something else that was uniquely her. As he drew away, he realized that in Violet he found someone who did so much more than stir his body. He found someone who stirred his soul.
“Are you ready to go?”
“Just let me get my purse.”
When she came back through the door, he couldn’t help thinking that the bird with the broken wing was no more. Violet was learning to fly.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” she asked, leaning down to put her purse in the compartment by the rear wheel.
“You’ll see soon enough,” he told her, opening the seat to get out the first of the day’s surprises.
She took the helmet from him, her eyes widening when she caught sight of the roses etched along the left side. “This isn’t the same helmet.”
“No, it isn’t. Every Harley girl needs her own helmet. I know your name is Violet, but whenever I think of you, I think of those wild roses that grow along the roadside.”
Her fingers traced the outline of the flowers, and then she looked at him. “It’s beautiful, Jackson. Thank you.” She rose up on her toes and kissed him.
Of course, he couldn’t let it end with one kiss. Her cheeks were as pink as the roses on her helmet by the time he finished.
“I guess we should get moving.”
“Only if you want to get there before dark.”
Jackson straddled the bike and put up the kickstand. “If that’s a trap to get me to tell you our destination, it failed.” He waited a few seconds and then felt her arms close around him. Her head hovered just over his shoulder, and her body pressed tightly against his. This was as close to heaven as he could get on a Harley.
Once they left the city limits of Columbus, the four-lane road known as highway 85 narrowed to two lanes. From there it wound its way through pine forests, gently rolling hills, picturesque pastures dotted with cows, and quaint little towns.
A little over an hour later, he slowed down to turn on the dirt road barely visible unless you knew what to look for. When they reached the metal gate, he punched in the code. As he waited for it to open, he glanced at his companion.
“We’re almost there.”
“Where is ‘there’?”
“About halfway between Manchester and Woodbury.”
“That doesn’t really tell me anything.”
“This property belongs to Angel and Tom Welkins. She’s the one who makes the chocolates. They were nice enough to give me the code for the gate so I can come here whenever I want.”
He waited for the gate to close before continuing their journey. The road narrowed slightly, curving away from the highway. Jackson stopped the bike near a trio of stately oak trees. Their gnarled branches, several feet in diameter, nearly touched the ground in some places.
Violet lifted off her helmet, her expression almost reverent as she took in the scene. “It’s so lovely and peaceful. I feel as if we’ve entered another world.”
He leaned against the bike, content for the moment to watch her. “I agree. This is my escape; the place I come when I want to get away from everything.”
“I can see why. The only sounds are natural ones.”
“Which makes it the ideal place to think.”
* * * * *
Violet looked up into the leafy canopy over her head and then to the Spanish moss hanging like tinsel from the branches. What things had Jackson come here to think about? The woman he lost? She knew she could never replace Carmen in his heart, but the fact that he brought her here made her think she was helping ease the burden he carried.
“Let’s take a walk. I want to show you something.”
She took his outstretched hand, allowing him to draw her close to his side.
Jackson led her along a footpath through a wooded area. In the distance, there appeared to be a clearing anchored on both sides by towering pine trees. As they got closer, her ears picked up the sound of running water. Emerging from the woods, she saw a waterfall created by the different elevations of the property. Early morning sunlight dappled through the canopy of dense foliage overhead and bounced off the falling water, sending a mosaic of patterns across the ground.
“It’s like something out of a dream,” she said. “I can’t believe all this is only a few thousand feet from the main road.”
“The most precious things in life are often hidden. A reward for those willing to look for them.”
The water was crystal clear, allowing them to see all the way to the bottom. Violet bent down and glided her fingers across the surface. “It’s nice and cool.”
“It’s always like that. The shade keeps the water temperature right around seventy-five degrees even in the summer.”
“I’d like to come back in the fall when the leaves on these sweet gum and hickory trees are turning orange and red.”
“We can come here anytime you want.” He drew her over to sit on a bench made of river stone.
“I wonder who built…” she stopped suddenly, her eyes widening as she realized Jackson was kneeling down in front of her. Why would he do that unless he was going to… She couldn’t even finish the thought. Her breath caught in her chest as her heart took flight.
Her glance went to his face. In the early morning light, his eyes were the color of pewter. Those same eyes held her captive as he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a tiny black box. He opened the lid to reveal a round diamond offset by two smaller ones set in a twisted platinum band. Tears welled in her eyes as her hand rose to cover her trembling lips.
“I love you, Violet, and yours is the only love I need or want. Will you marry me and give me the privilege of loving you for the rest of my life?”
She nodded, her breath hitching again. “Yes, Jackson, I’ll marry you.”
“I’ll try to never give you a reason to regret it,” he said, taking the ring out of the box. As he slid it over her finger, he laughed slightly. “I don’t know which one of us is shaking more.”
“Probably me,” she admitted, looking down at the sparkling object decorating her hand. “I think it’s the relief of knowing, once and for all, that what we hoped for so long is truly happening.”
He moved to sit next to her. “You�
�re right. To love and to be loved. Isn’t that what everyone wants?” His fingers caressed the soft skin of her neck and shoulders as his lips did the same to her mouth. In between kissing her breathless, he held her tightly in his arms, as if he couldn’t bear to let her go. To the accompaniment of the water, he spoke softly to her in French, his eyes and lips making the words easy to translate.
Violet didn’t want to think about anything else. The rest of the world, and all her life, could wait while she savored the perfection of this moment. At long last, she had the joy of knowing that out of all the women in the world, the man she loved had chosen her.
Chapter Sixteen
When Jackson pulled into the parking space in front of Rachel’s townhouse, Violet was sitting on the porch, a small piece of luggage and a garment bag stacked neatly beside her. She stood up as he made his way over to join her.
“Am I late?” he asked with a faint smile, bending down to kiss her.
“No. I’m just nervous. When I get nervous, I over-prepare.”
“You have nothing to be nervous about. My parents are going to love you. Is that all you’re bringing?”
“I’m only going to be gone a few days; I don’t need much.”
“You never know what might happen. We might suddenly decide we want to drive to the Grand Canyon.”
“If we do, I’ll have to buy some clothes along the way.”
“Have you said your goodbyes?”
“Yes. Rachel left about a half hour ago. She’s got an event at the trade center.”
He opened the passenger side door and then went to load her things in the back. Once they were on the interstate, she shifted slightly in her seat and looked at him.
“If you need to take a nap or just want a break, I can drive for a while.”
“I’m fine right now. I rarely take naps. That drove my mother crazy when I was young.”
“My mother had four other kids to keep track of. Making sure I got a nap wasn’t a top priority.”
“I wouldn’t mind taking a nap with you. The egg chair would be the perfect place. If it’s cold, we could snuggle under a blanket.”
“And you can whisper to me in French.”
He grinned. “So you like that, huh?”
Mine for a Day (Finding Love Book 8) Page 17
