Heath's Hope (The Brothers of Beauford Bend Book 5) (9 page)

“Love me? That’s funny. I would think that would make me harder to love.”

Might as well admit it. Not that it mattered.

“I often choose the hard thing,” she said. “But I do love you. Just like you are. I always have.”

He looked deeper into her eyes all on his own and nodded.

“Then can’t we just pack up all this other stuff and forget about it? Because, Hope, I’m tired of being sad. I want to make you another jack-o’-lantern who looks like he’s in love.”

That was her undoing. She began to cry.

He was shaking when he put his hand on her cheek and met her eyes. “You know how I am. If you’re upset about something, you’ll have to come right out and tell me. Even then, I probably won’t know how to make you feel better. If I say anything, it’ll be wrong. But, Hope, I swear, I’ll try my best. And I don’t even have to try to love you. That would be like trying to sweat when I’m hot. It just is.”

And her crying turned to laughter, because suddenly she was happy and hopeful—and also because he had unwittingly demonstrated just how badly he could mangle a romantic thought by likening his love to sweat.

And she wouldn’t have taken the moon for that.

He continued to look at her with stormy, questioning eyes. She’d have to give him a straight answer. He wasn’t sure she was laughing with joy.

“Yes, Heath.” She put her hands on his cheeks. “We’ll pack up all the bad. I’ll buy you barbecue tomorrow. The first sweater I knit will be for you. We’ll be together.”

He nodded and flashed that staccato smile. “You’ll marry me, of course.”

“Of course.”

“And the other thing. I’ll go if I have to but—”

“You don’t like change. You like Beauford. You like your shop. You want to stay here.”

“I do. But there’s no Bank of America.”

“No. But there’s Beauford Savings and Loan, and I’m a fourth generation MacKenzie banker. It might be a hard fight to get my daddy to turn over any real work to me, but that’s a fight I’m willing to fight every day, as long as I have you to go home to.”

And he said nothing at all. He clutched her to him and kissed her. In that kiss, she felt all the things he found so hard to put into words—longing, sweetness, love, promises, passion, and forever.

And, if she were going to be honest about what was stirring inside her, there was also plain old, ordinary lust.

She pulled away, breathless. “Heath. Could we take this to another room? And get rid of a few things?” She reached for a button on his shirt.

“Oh, hell yes.” He was breathless, too. “But first. Could you do this?”

He guided her mouth to that soft, sweet spot on his neck right above his collarbone.

And she was home.

“I’m surprised you didn’t bring your knitting.” Heath handed Hope a plate with a piece of cake.

They were on the terrace at Beauford Bend Plantation. It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and a glorious Indian summer day. They had just watched Rafe Beauford marry Abby Whitman in the Rose Parlor.

“I thought about it,” Hope said. “But I knew there’d be cake, and I didn’t want to get your sweater dirty.”

“I would hope not for what that muskrat yarn cost.”

“Arctic musk ox. Qiviut.”

“Whatever.” He took a drink of his Champagne and then held it to her lips so she could take a sip.

“Heath, the next time we see you feed her Champagne, there’ll be a wedding band on her finger.” Neyland slipped an arm around her cousin.

“Can’t be soon enough for me,” he said.

“I would like Daddy to be able to walk me down the aisle,” Hope said. “And meanwhile, I’m enjoying the ring I’ve got. Neyland, I may never stop telling you what a beautiful job you did.”

No one would have guessed it was an engagement ring. The flat gold band was surrounded with pavé set diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds in a flower garland pattern that looked like stained glass.

“It was interesting and an unexpected pleasure to make a ring designed by someone else,” Neyland said. “But Heath can design for me any time.”

“It’s perfect,” Hope said.

“I’m glad.” Neyland gave them both a kiss and went off to find Gabe.

Hope was way too realistic to think that life, like her ring, was perfect, but it was awfully, awfully good. To her surprise, as soon as she told her father that she was staying in town, he had turned over a large portion of his investment clients to her.

“You’re better at that than I am anyway,” he’d said. “Though you’re not the manager I am. But you will be by the time I die.” And by the time that happened, maybe she would have given him a grandchild who had a way with numbers and loved a spreadsheet—if he or she didn’t want to make stained glass. Or knit.

But Hope only planned to work four days a week at the bank. She intended to spend Fridays at String. The classes were going well, and she had a strategy to increase Internet sales. Miss Julia and Miss Sticky were thrilled with her generosity, but on some level, she thought they understood that she needed to spend time in the shop, to feel the life in the yarn. And to just sit and knit.

“Look, Hope,” Heath said. “Jackson’s going to sing.”

Jackson had written a song especially for his brother’s wedding, and it was just what you would expect from Jackson Beauford for such an occasion—filled with love and riding on a cloud.

The couple looked just as happy as they had the night outside The Café Down On The Corner, but, somehow, Hope didn’t find it annoying anymore. Abby wore a pale blue dream of a dress that swirled around her as she moved in her husband’s arms.

It could have been a scene out of a fairy tale—until one of Rafe’s twins ran onto the dance floor.

“Mama!” She clutched the skirt of Abby’s dress. “Bite?” And she held up a messy, wet handful of chocolate cake.

“Bella!” Emory Beauford ran behind the child. “Sorry. She found the groom’s cake.”

Jackson stopped singing. “Don’t mind me,” he said into the microphone.

Then everyone noticed the chocolate stains on Abby’s dress and went silent until Abby began to laugh. She lifted the child into her arms and took a bite of mashed chocolate cake.

And everyone broke out into joyful laughter.

“Where are Phillip and Alice?” Rafe called. “Beau, can you bring us the rest of our kids?”

Rafe and Abby joined hands and made a circle with their children. “Jackson, can you start over?” Rafe called.

And the newly merged family laughed and danced together, the picture of happily ever after.

Hope turned to Heath and looked into his brandy-colored eyes. “We are them, aren’t we?”

Solemnly, he shook his head and pulled her into his arms. “They wish. They just wish.”

Alicia Hunter Pace is the pseudonym for the writing team Jean Hovey and Stephanie Jones. They are
USA Today
best-selling authors who live in North Alabama and share a love of old houses, football, and writing stories with a happily ever after.

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To make your own pair of Must-Have Cable Mitts, turn the page for a free pattern excerpted from Interweave’s Family-Friendly Knits by Courtney Spainhower.

Fingerless gloves are my go-to transitional accessories. My youngest has an extensive collection in a range of colors so she can grab the pair that best suits her mood. My own vanish each spring with the melting snow, so I am usually back to the needles, making a new pair each year. Though worked in fine yarn and incorporate cabling, these mitts knit up surprisingly fast for gifts. They’re perfect for men, women, and children alike, and instructions are included for all.

About 4
³
⁄
₄
(5
¹
⁄
₄
, 6, 6
¹
⁄
₂
)" (12 [13.5, 15, 16.5] cm) hand circumference and 4
¹
⁄
₄
(5, 6, 6
¹
⁄
₂
" (11 [12.5, 15, 16.5] cm) length.

TO FIT:
Child S (Child L, Adult S, Adult L).

Samples shown measure 4
³
⁄
₄
", 6", and 6
¹
⁄
₂
" (12, 15, and 16.5 cm).

Super Fine (#2 Light).

SHOWN HERE:
Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (100% superwash merino wool; 420 yd [384 m]/1
¹
⁄
₂
oz [100 g]): Adult L sample: charcoal, 1 skein; Adult S sample: Isadora, 1 skein; Child S sample: candlewick, 1 skein.

Size U.S. 2 (3 mm): set of 3 or 4 double-pointed (dpn).

Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Markers (m); cable needle (cn); stitch holders or waste yarn; tapestry needle.

33 sts and 46 rnds = 4" (10 cm) in St st, worked in rnds.

18 sts = 1
¹
⁄
₂
" (3.8 cm) in Cable Rib chart.

Sl 1 st to cn and hold in back, k1, k1 from cn.

Sl 2 sts to cn and hold in front, k1, k2 from cn.

Sl 1 st to cn and hold in back, k2, k1 from cn.

Sl 2 sts to cn and hold in front, k2, k2 from cn.

Sl 2 sts to cn and hold in back, k2, k2 from cn.

RND 1:
*K1, p1 rep from *.

Rep Rnd 1 for patt.

CO 40 (46, 52, 56) sts. Divide sts evenly over 3 or 4 dpn. Place marker (pm) for beg of rnd and join to work in the rnd, being careful not to twist sts.

Work in 1x1 rib until piece meas 1
¹
⁄
₄
(1
¹
⁄
₂
, 1
³
⁄
₄
, 1
³
⁄
₄
)" (3.2 [3.8, 4.5, 4.5] cm) from CO edge.

SET-UP RND:
K16 (20, 22, 26), pm for gusset, k3 (4, 6, 6), pm for chart, k18, pm for chart, k3 (4, 6, 6) to end.

INC RND:
Knit to gusset m, sl m, M1L , knit to chart m, sl m, work Cable Rib chart to next chart m, sl m, knit to end, M1R —2 sts inc’d.

NEXT RND:
Knit to first chart m, sl m, work Cabled Rib chart to next chart m, sl m, knit to end.

Rep the last 2 rnds 7 (9, 10, 12) more times—56 (66, 74, 82) sts.