Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set (48 page)

Chapter Seven

Monday morning

Practicality set in on Monday, that and a rising sense of panic skating through her midsection. Kelly left Lanham and drove to
Louisville, wishing she could keep on going. She excused her escape on the fact that she needed suitable clothing for her mother’s wedding and for her date tonight.

Had she actually agreed to have dinner with Rob?

“Sure, Mom, you can stop by,” C.B. said when Kelly called to tell her she was coming. “I’ll be at work, but you have a key.”

“
There’s good news about Aunt Bess’s house,” Kelly reported to her daughter. “The agent told me a young couple is coming back today for a second look.”

“
Great news! Fingers crossed.”

“
Yes, fingers crossed.” Maybe she’d soon be free of one more obligation.

Fighting a sense of disconnect, Kelly drove across the I-65 bridge over the Ohio River into
Kentucky. Her fingers gripped the steering wheel as she made the sharp turn off the bridge and headed toward I-64 through Spaghetti Junction. Driving into Louisville was not like coming home. How could it be? She had no home to come home to.

Before leaving for Lanham, Kelly had put her furniture and household items into storage and turned over the keys to her apartment. She had left extra clothing at her daughter
’s house—the daughter who was now married and no longer needed her.

Get a grip.
She clutched the steering wheel. This whole creating a new life thing was being forced upon her whether she wanted it or not. She’d been through tough times before and survived. Surely she could manage this major redirection of her life.

I
’m not going to wimp out.

C.B. and Daniel
’s home was a cute, red brick ranch in an established subdivision. C.B. had planted orange zinnias in large clay pots and placed them on her front stoop, providing a cheerful splash of color to welcome Kelly.

Tackling her bittersweet emotions, Kelly let herself into the house. The front door opened directly into the living room. Touches of C.B.
’s personality were on display in the décor: a stuffed, chocolate-color sofa with plump beige throw pillows and a cozy easy chair, the oak drop-leaf table from Aunt Bess’s house draped in a red and beige paisley runner and topped with framed photographs of horse shows, and a woven area rug that had the look of an Aubusson antique covering the hardwood floor.

The house was as neat as a pin. What happened to that messy child who refused to clean up her bedroom? Kelly stood in the middle of the living room floor, her heart aching for that little girl. Bright sunshine sparkled through a picture window highlighting the swirls of red, green and beige in the area rug. A faint scent of cinnamon clung to the air, probably from the candles on the coffee table.

Kelly walked toward the fireplace and stared at a framed photograph on the mantle of C.B. and Daniel on their wedding day.

My little girl has grown up.

Inhaling a deep breath, Kelly surveyed the second framed photo, also from the wedding, of the couple and their immediate families. Flanking Daniel were his two parents and three sisters with their spouses and a varied assortment of nieces and nephews. Only her mother and Kelly stood beside C.B.

The contrast was stark.

Kelly swallowed the lump in her throat along with another double dose of regret.

Pull yourself together!

Kelly tamped down the pang of guilt swirling in her head and went into the guest room. Opening the closet, she sorted through her clothes, scraping the hangers along the wooden rod. Nothing really worked. She would stop by Macy’s before going back to Lanham and find something that didn’t make her look like a dowdy schoolmarm.

Stop it! Stop feeling sorry for yourself!

Children married and left home. Parents got on with their lives, even if they didn’t have a life to get on with. What about Rob? He’d missed out on so many things in C.B.’s life, and he didn’t even know it. Decisions long ago affected so many lives today. Ironic, wasn’t it? Especially now that Rob had appeared again as if out of the blue and wanted to get to know her again.

There was danger in tonight. Getting to know Rob again was not a smart idea. She could never tell him the truth. There would always be this secret between them—a secret he didn
’t know existed.

Right or wrong, she
’d made her choices long ago. Rob would probably never forgive her if he found out about C.B.

Deep down a niggling fear caused her heart to ache as if a heavy hand had closed around it. Kelly paused in the living room to take another look around. Her daughter had created a comfortable home for herself and her husband. There was a sense of family here, of hope for the future. Of love. Despite her own feeling of inadequacy, she was truly happy for C.B. She and Aunt Bess had raised her right. That was something to congratulate herself about. Wasn
’t it? So why did the fear remain?

Her throat closed. What if, after learning the truth, C.B. never forgave her?

****

Awesome!
Kelly was absolutely awesome. Rob looked her up and down when she came to the door, his stomach muscles tightening as if he’d been punched.

“
What?”

She was self-conscious. It amused him. And that touch of shyness coupled with her quick temper sparked his interest. Jessica would never have responded that way. He mentally shrugged. Maybe that was the trouble with their relationship, his ex-wife
’s lack of humility and disinterest. He would take Kelly’s hostility any day compared to his wife’s indifference.

“
That blouse is really nice,” he said, complimenting the relaxed, black and white tunic she wore over tight-fitting jeans. It fell below her slim hips and had a tantalizing scooped neckline. Jess had taught him about fashion, that and unfaithfulness.

“
It’s new.” She shrugged off the flattery with a toss of her red hair and came out of the house, pulling the door shut.

How could she not know how beautiful she was?

They walked to the street, and he saw her eyeing his Beemer parked at the curb. “I thought we’d walk to the square,” he said. “It’s not far, and it’s a nice evening.”

Another shrug.
“Sure, why not?”

He politely touched the small of her back through the black and white blouse as they walked away from the house. His pulse surged. Was it corny to admit his fingers tingled from the touch and that he was acutely, physically aware of her? She smelled like a field of flowers, her essence warm and romantic. Her hair, the color of copper, glinted with sun, and her body rippled with athletic grace as she walked.

Pure, raw sexual attraction, the first he felt since his divorce, drew him toward her. God, this was good and getting better each time he was with her. How had he forgotten this feeling of excitement? Like he was seventeen again and hiding the fact that a shy, homely girl gave him a hard-on?

A block before the square, he turned to her.
“I wish I’d had the guts to openly ask you out years ago,” he said.

She glanced askance but kept walking.
“You know that wasn’t possible.”

“
Your old man would have gone ballistic,” he agreed.

“
To say the least.”

“
Yet I wonder what would have happened, if I had mustered up the guts.”

Kelly stopped, her gaze fastened on his face. She trained her features into a blank mask.
“That wasn’t possible. You and I were from different backgrounds. You had a college scholarship to look forward to.”

A muscle worked in his jaw as he considered her view of things.
“Strange, isn’t it, that our parents have overcome the so-called differences in their backgrounds,” he said quietly. “My guess is social class didn’t matter as much as you thought.”

Her eyes hardened.
“I got knocked up. You had no business with someone like me.”

A swift jab of jealousy hit him.
“What was he like, your daughter’s father?”

Kelly
’s shoulders stiffened, and she lifted her chin a determined notch. “Why bring this up?”

“
Curiosity.”

“
What’s done is done. It’s history. You and I can never go back.”

“
Maybe we can go forward.”

“
Look, I agreed to dinner, nothing more. Don’t we have reservations?” Kelly turned on her heel and stalked away.

Rob caught up and lightly caught her left elbow where the balloon sleeve gathered. It was a gentleman
’s touch, but it connected them together whether Kelly wanted it or not.

****

Dinner turned out to be fun. Odd how a couple of margaritas could loosen up even the most reluctant dinner partner, Rob thought, and more than once hid a wicked smile. They devoured corn chips and hot salsa and then took on fat beef and bean burritos drenched in red enchilada sauce.

The key to Kelly opening up, besides the margaritas, was asking her about her daughter. Rob discovered C.B. had been a communications major at the
University of Louisville and worked in an entry level job for a healthcare insurance company. Her husband Daniel was in med school at U of L. C.B. had ridden Saddlebred horses as a child, but they could never afford to own one. Daniel was scared of horses, although he wanted to get a dog some day.

“
Do you ride too?” Rob asked, liking the half-shy look in her eyes that gazed up at him under bronze eyelashes.

“
I didn’t want to live my life through my daughter.” There was a tremor of satisfaction in her voice. “I took lessons too. It was fun.”

Rob sat forward, intrigued.
“Come with me Wednesday afternoon. I want to show you a project I’ve been working on for the children’s club. It involves horses.”

Kelly cocked her head, her gaze never leaving his.
“Another date?”

“
No, although another date wouldn’t be a bad idea.” He shrugged. “Come dressed to ride. We might be able to.”

She placed an elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand.
“I suppose anything is better than being bored at my mother’s.”

He smiled with amusement.
“That bad, huh?”

Kelly nodded, and continued resting her chin on the back of her hand, regarding him skeptically.
“That bad.”

They were quiet a minute, both concentrating on each other across the table. Kelly sat back and reached for her drink.

“What does C.B. stand for?” Rob asked.

“
Colleen Baron,” she replied and took a sip gazing at him over the rim of the stemmed glass.

“
Colleen is a pretty name, but you shortened it to C.B.”

“
I’ve called her C.B. all her life.”

He didn
’t ask why. Instead he studied her.

She crinkled her nose at him and placed her drink on the table.
“You’re staring again.”

“
I like to stare at you. You’re good eye-candy,” he said teasing.

“
And you’ve become a pain in my side.”

“
No place else?”

“
I was being polite,” she came back.

“
At least I mean something to you.”

Kelly crossed her arms defensively.
“Don’t count on it.”

Mary Beth Jameson chose that moment to show up followed by her two teenage sons and ex-football player husband. They followed the hostess to a table, passing Kelly and Rob on the way to the back of the restaurant. Rob nodded.
“Bruce,” he said, acknowledging the non-verbal greeting from Mary Beth’s husband.

Of course the woman stopped to chat.
“Why, if it isn’t Kelly Baron and Rob Scott,” she exclaimed, her voice pitched high. “Fancy meeting you here.” She winked at Kelly.

“
Hello, Mary Beth,” Kelly said.

“
How are you?” Rob asked his high school classmate. He noted Kelly’s stiff posture. Was she embarrassed being here with him?

“
Are you two out on a date?” Mary Beth asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Kelly
’s eyes were smoldering. “We’re just having dinner.”

Mary Beth winked again.
“Catching up on old times?”

Kelly looked as if she was gritting her teeth or at least biting her tongue. Rob spoke up to break the tension,
“We’re discussing our parents’ upcoming wedding.”

“
I’m so sorry they’re not having a big wedding,” Mary Beth commented. “But given their age, I’m sure a private family ceremony will be just the right thing.”

“
Yes, we think so,” Rob remarked dryly.