Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set (50 page)

Heart hammering, Kelly glanced away.
“I suppose you can get used to it. What about you? Do you like living alone?”

Leaves rustled in a gentle summer breeze. A wide walkway of cool, gray stones led around a carefully pruned magnolia tree. A blue-gray wooden fence provided privacy, shutting them off from the windows in the back of the house. Green shrubs and colorful perennials were confined to well-manicured beds flanked by softball-sized white rocks.

Rob ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ve never gotten used to living alone. You probably have no problem with it.”

She met his gaze once more.
“No. I’ve always lived with my daughter or Aunt Bess.”

They walked a few more steps.
“Any boyfriends?” he challenged her. “Or do forty-year-old women call the men they date ‘boyfriends’?”

“
Oh, cute.” Kelly scoffed. “Did my mother tell you it’s my birthday?”

Rob watched her closely.
“She didn’t have to,” he said. “We went to school together, remember?” He made a soft sound of amusement. “You didn’t answer me about your boyfriends.”

“
I’ve had my share over the years,” she hedged. His stare was making her uneasy.

“
Nothing serious?”

“
No. What about you? Or are you gun-shy after your divorce?” she asked hoping to focus his attention in another direction.

“
Ah, so we change the subject.” Rob lifted an eyebrow and walked on without speaking until they came to a weathered, wooden bench. A water feature bubbled nearby, the water flowing over gray stones into a small, dark pond also surrounded by softball-sized rocks.

Rob sat down, and Kelly sat down beside him, inwardly shrinking from his oh-so-tempting nearness.

“Why do want to know?” he asked, continuing the train of conversation.

“
Just curious.”

“
Because you care about me?”

Her heart plummeted. How did she answer that question?
Did
she care about him? Or were the rising pulses and shallow breathing a throwback to what happened between them long ago?

“
If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand. It’s really none of my business.” She avoided his question quite deftly.

As if he read her thoughts, Rob shook his head.
“I don’t mind telling you about it.” He rested against the back of the bench and stretched out his legs. His jaw flexed. “I was the last one to know.”

Kelly didn
’t miss the bridled anger in his voice. “Know what?”

“
That my wife was having an affair.”

The silence between them was heavy.

“Isn’t that the way it always is?” Kelly said feeling his pain. Hadn’t she dodged entanglements trying to avoid the hurt Rob had experienced?

He nodded again.
“I suppose the wronged spouse wears rose-colored glasses until it’s too late.”

Uncomfortable, Kelly tried to back off.
“You really don’t have to tell me.”

Rob sat forward and clasped his hands.
“I want to,
if
you don’t mind listening.”

The weird reality of sitting there with Rob made her pulse rate soar. Kelly felt vulnerable. Out of control. She had trained herself well, but to no avail today.

“I don’t mind,” she heard a voice that sounded like hers say.

With a slight scowl on his face, Rob twisted around to face her.
“I met Jessica in law school and fell in love. We had fun. We laughed. We worked and played hard. Our wedding was a big, fancy occasion with two hundred guests. I started my own firm while she worked in a large one. After ten years, we tried to have a child. Jessica miscarried.”

Rob
’s clipped explanation stopped abruptly. It took him a minute to regain his composure. Kelly watched the play of sadness and anger on his face.

Then he went on more softly.
“Our relationship was different after that. We didn’t have sex for several months and then only sporadically. She worked long hours. I wanted to have children, but Jessica said she didn’t. ‘She was finished abusing her body,’ she said.” Rob paused. Unspoken pain intensified in his eyes. “I thought moving to Lanham would do us good. A year and a half ago, I found out she was sleeping with a lawyer from her old firm.” He scraped fingers through his hair. “Our marriage was over.”

“
Wow,” Kelly whispered unable to think of anything more appropriate to say. Her heart bled for him. What a hard break—to have it all and then lose everything.

Rob gave her a half-hearted smile as if trying to pull himself together.
“What happened to me is nothing unusual. Many wives cheat on their husbands.”

“
But it happened to
you
, not someone else. Of course you’re hurt.” Kelly experienced a gut-deep anger, reacting the way she knew she’d feel herself.

“
I don’t know why I told you this,” he said in a controlled voice. “We haven’t seen each other in years.”

Kelly shrugged unsure of what to say. Suddenly she didn
’t want to share his confidences or his sorrow. She didn’t want to care about him.

“
Maybe it’s because of your daughter.”

“
What do you mean?” Her stomach tightened as her preservation instinct kicked in.

“
Because you have your own child,” he murmured “I thought you would understand how important it is for me to have a child of my own. I always wanted to be a father.”

Swallowing hard, Kelly was unable to meet his gaze. The secret she held in her heart sizzled, making her suddenly even more vulnerable to the miserable look in his eyes.

“You never married,” he continued. “I guess that’s why I wanted to tell you. I thought you’d understand because some S.O.B. must have hurt you once.”

Torn by conflicting emotions, Kelly shifted to face him.
“Yes,” she said. “Some son of a bitch hurt me like hell.”

Chapter Nine

Wednesday afternoon

He wanted to be a father. Admitting that to Kelly focused the root of his sadness as nothing else in the past three years had done. The next day Rob left the court house, walking briskly down the steps to the square and around the sidewalk to his office in an old building on the right corner of the square.

His secretary Gail greeted him cheerily when he arrived. “You have a guest waiting in your office.”

Kelly.
A powerful rush of desire filled his veins. “Thanks,” he said, knowing now why Gail had given him that saucy wink. He grinned back at her without embarrassment.

Kelly stood with her back to the door surveying his rows of law books in a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf behind his desk. She wore denim full-length riding pants with long suede patches inside the calves. The jodhpurs fit her close from the waist to the ankle ending with flared bell bottoms. She had tucked a pale blue chambray shirt into the waist band and rolled up her long sleeves.

Kelly was sexy. One hundred percent. Every fiber of his being revved with excitement.

She turned and caught him staring.
“What?”

“
I like the way you look since you’ve grown up.”

Blushing delicately, she stepped around his desk to confront him eye-to-eye, as if challenging him to say more.
“Have you read all those books?” she asked instead.

“
Not even half,” he said with a short laugh. Circling the desk, he placed his brief case on the top but didn’t open it. “You must remember this was my father’s office. Many of them are his.”

“
Oh, that’s right.”

She stood ill-at-ease, shifting her stance and staring at him. Curls of red hair framed her oval face. Kelly
’s milk-white complexion was tanned from summer sun. What did she like to do? Did she play golf or tennis? Or did she read books or knit? He didn’t know much about her, but was anxious to learn.

“
I see you came ready to ride.”

She followed his gaze as he gave her an approving up and down once over. Her body stiffened in defense.
“I thought you told me to.”

“
I did.” He grinned, enjoying her discomfiture. “Let me change my clothes, and we’ll get going.”

****

Rob didn’t have fancy jodhpurs, only regular blue jeans. He did wear a pair of waterproof, lace paddock boots, which were perfect for trips to the barn and his infrequent horseback rides.

“
We have to pick up the kids first,” Rob told Kelly as he handed her into his maroon Honda Ridgeline. No BMW for him today.

“
I never figured you as a truck sort of guy.”

Good, he had surprised her.
“Maybe you don’t know me very well,” he teased.

She settled into the front of the cab and buckled up.
“Apparently.”

Rob drove a couple of blocks from the square and stopped in front of the Lanham Children
’s Club, a refurbished hardware store that now housed the local charity organization. Thanks to the Rotary Club, part of the parking lot had been fenced off to create a well-used playground that was currently crawling with shouting children.

“
Wait here. I won’t take long.”

“
Sure.”

Tara and her little sister Courtney were waiting for him at the door. He signed them out, as always on Wednesdays, and walked hand-and-hand with them to the truck. They scrambled into the back seat, and Rob made sure they buckled up.

“Tara and Courtney, this is Miss Baron. She’s going riding with us today.”

Kelly turned and looked over the seat, smiling.
“Hi,” she said. “But please call me Kelly.”

“
Hi, Kelly,” Tara said. “Do you like horses too?”

“
I love them.” Kelly’s face was bright. “Which one are you?”

“
I’m Tara. Courtney’s shy.”

Kelly nodded.
“I’m shy too, Courtney. It’s okay. Do you like horses?”

The smaller child nodded her head.
“Yes, ma’am.”

Rob climbed in the front and started the engine.
“I help the girls’ mother pay for riding lessons,” he explained as he pulled onto the street. “It’s our Wednesday thing together, isn’t it girls?”

“
Yes, Rob,” the two chimed in together.

Rob glanced sideways at Kelly and then back to the road.
Good.
He could almost see Kelly’s mind whirling. He had surprised her once more and he liked that. Surprising her was part of his plan.

Knowing the high price of falling in love didn
’t stop him. Maybe he liked wearing rose-colored glasses. The world looked better to him like this.

This is folly.
Kelly chided herself silently watching Rob help Tara and Courtney out of the truck. Then they raced ahead of them toward the barn, a long metal structure located two miles outside of town. The sign on the road by the entrance had read
Pat’s Riding Academy and Stables
. The facility looked well-maintained with its surrounding pastures fenced by dark creosote posts and rails.

“
Bet you didn’t know we have a saddle seat instructor in town now.”

Kelly glanced up at Rob to see the twinkle in his eyes. Did he enjoy surprising her?
“No, I didn’t.”

“
Pat received a nice settlement in her divorce and decided to move from the northern Chicago area and set up her barn,” he explained.

The gravel crunched beneath her feet. Kelly cocked her head to get a better look at the man who raised an eyebrow in amusement.
“Why do I get the feeling you had something to do with this?” She swept her arm out toward the barn and pastureland.

“
Psychic?”

“
Not a chance.”

He shrugged, not hiding a telltale grin.
“I’m a good lawyer and Pat liked my relocation suggestion.”

Kelly felt her cheeks flush warmly at the way he stared at her. If he didn
’t quit looking at her like that, she’d... She would do what? Kiss him? The impulse played havoc with her mind, and she strode faster, as if she could avoid him.

She couldn
’t, of course. He caught up with her quickly enough, and they passed through the wide open doorway of the barn.

Inside the dark aisles flanked by stalls full of curious horses poking their noses up against the bars, Kelly
’s body relaxed. The familiar smells of horseflesh, leather, and cedar shavings filled her with a quiet calmness. Why had she stopped riding? It was such a mind-clearer, a way to release tension. A thirty-minute lesson aboard a spirited American Saddlebred horse did more for her well-being than anything else she had ever found.

They followed the sounds of excited little girls to two stalls at the end of the aisle. Standing with Tara and Courtney in a stall with a small spotted pony was a trim, gray-haired woman dressed in
Kentucky jodhpurs, paddock boots, and a green T-shirt.

At their approach, she turned welcoming them with a smile.
“Your girls are beside themselves as usual, Rob.”

Rob laughed warmheartedly.
“Pat, this is my friend Kelly. I asked her to tag along with us today.”

Pat stepped to the door of the stall and stuck out her hand.
“Glad to meet you.”

Kelly grabbed the calloused hand. Pat
’s grip was firm as if she had all the confidence in the world. “Good to meet you too.”

“
I see you ride,” Pat said marking the way Kelly was dressed.

“
Yes, I’ve taken a few lessons. Saddle seat.”

“
Terrific. I guess Rob told you we’re a saddle seat barn.”

“
Yes, he mentioned it.” Although saddle seat was an English style of riding, it was uniquely American having originated on the plantations of the Confederate South and developed to show off elegant, easy-riding pleasure horses.

Further conversation was put on hold because of the anxious little girls, hopping from one foot to the other, eager to ride.

And ride they did. Kelly and Rob watched them from the middle of a large indoor arena covered with a floor of dirt and sawdust. Little Courtney rode an easy-going black and white pony named Cookie while Tara was aboard a retired Saddlebred show horse nicknamed Spook.

“
Shorten your snaffle reins, Tara,” Pat instructed as both children and mounts circled and circled the arena hugging the inside walls. “Courtney, heels down! Raise your hands.”

From what Kelly could tell, Pat was an excellent instructor, patient and competent, but what interested her most was Rob
’s reaction to the lessons. The tenderness in his expression amazed her. His gaze never left the two girls as they completed their various gaits. When Tara was asked to canter, Kelly watched Rob’s body language also urging the big bay horse into the gait. After a few stops and starts, Tara accomplished her task, and as the horse and rider cantered around the arena, Rob mouthed a happy “yes” and pumped his fist in triumph.

More uncertain than ever, Kelly stood quietly, her heart pounding, as Pat barked instructions and Rob followed the lessons with an intensity of any proud parent.

He would be a good father.

A wave of understanding washed over her as well as a heavy swell of guilt. Rob had a child, one he didn
’t know existed. Somehow her decision as a scared, pregnant teen was coming back to haunt her in the worst way. Had she made a terrible mistake? Should she have told Rob the truth back then, no matter the threat from his mother and her father? At eighteen, would he have stepped up and done the right thing by her?

All water over the dam, as the old adage went. Much too late to change the choices she made. If what she had done was a mistake, then she had to live with its consequences.

The secret in her heart formed a hard knot in her chest, and she knew she must keep it no matter what.

****

“It’s a good thing what Rob does for those girls,” Pat said to Kelly.

They watched from the door of the barn as Rob walked the two children to their mother
’s late model Chevy. A young woman in blue jeans came around the old car to greet them, and Kelly imagined the little girls were telling her all about their exciting lessons. Soon Rob knelt down and, one at a time, both girls hugged his neck, and then he stood and helped them climb into the car and buckle up.

“
Their dad deserted the family and Becky has struggled. She could never afford sixty dollars a week for lessons,” Pat explained.

Kelly licked her lips and watched the scene unfolding in the distance. She had to conquer her involuntary reactions to Rob
’s kindness and generosity. Why agonize over it? She’d be gone Saturday morning after the wedding. She didn’t have to see him again or worry about the past.

Drawing a quick breath at her naïveté, Kelly straightened her shoulders and stared ahead. Who was she kidding? Her mother was marrying his dad. She and Rob would be thrown together at family events from now on.

“Any chance we can take that trail ride?” Rob asked walking toward them with long strides, his powerful well-muscled body moving with ease.

“
Sure thing,” Pat answered. “All we have to do is put another saddle on Spook and tack Rival.” She turned and headed into the barn.

Kelly looked up and met Rob
’s twinkling eyes. “Trail ride?”

“
I thought it would be fun.” He inclined his blond head. “If you’re up to it.”

“
Are you challenging me?”

“
Of course I am.”

She couldn
’t resist him. The fondness and amusement in his blue eyes compelled her to say yes.

Kelly ducked her head as if avoiding her own self-destructive compulsion. She didn
’t understand why she wasn’t running away this time. “Okay,” she said, “I accept the challenge.”

His face triumphant, Rob headed to the tack room and returned with two riding helmets. Placing one on a tack trunk, he lifted the other one high above her head, lowered it, and fitted it snuggly in place.

He was much too near, his towering presence overpowering her. She inhaled sharply at the contact of his fingers under her chin. Her gaze locked with his, and then she couldn’t breathe, her heart pounding as if it was trying to escape her chest. A smoldering flame lit in his eyes. He slowly hooked the chin strap.

Who knew the mere act of putting on a riding helmet could be so sexy? It was freaking her out.

But she wouldn’t let him help her mount. The thought of having his hands touching anywhere on her body accelerated her already racing heart. She pressed her lips firmly together.