What's Cooking? (22 page)

Now everything was ready for her arrival. An ambulance would be bringing her and Matthew home in an hour. Maggie was in the kitchen preparing a welcome-home lunch. After making one last check of the downstairs rooms, Rick went to join her. He slipped his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled her neck. She smelled like night-blooming jasmine. The scent had turned into an aphrodisiac for him.

"Guess I better get my fill of you before the chaper-ones arrive," he said.

Maggie chuckled and took an exaggerated look at her watch. "How much do you think you can get away with in twenty minutes or so?"

"Not nearly enough," he said, his voice husky.

Maggie turned in his arms. "You're doing a wonderful thing, Rick. You know that, don't you?"

He still felt uncomfortable with the praise. "Anyone would have done the same thing."

"Their kids never even offered," Maggie reminded him.

"Because I'd already agreed to stay here," he said, giving them the benefit of the doubt. "They did come right up to visit Sally in the hospital. And their daughter seems like she really wants them to move to Atlanta to be close to her family once Sally's back on her feet."

"I suppose that's something," Maggie conceded. "Do you think they'll do it?"

Rick shrugged, not at all sure how he felt about Sally

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and Matthew leaving the home they'd always known. It wasn't his call anyway. "I think Matthew is considering it," he admitted. "Sally's refused to discuss it."

Maggie gave him a knowing look. "And you? What do you think?"

"It's not up to me."

"But you have an opinion. I can tell."

Rick sighed. "Actually I don't. On the one hand, it saddens me to think that they'd leave this place behind. On the other, I can see why it would mean a lot to them to be close to one of their kids, especially at this time in their lives. This may be the first major health crisis they've faced, but it probably won't be the last. They'd be closer to excellent doctors and hospitals in Atlanta or over in Charlottesville or Richmond, if they moved closer to one of their sons."

"That's definitely a consideration, since you won't always be here to pitch in," Maggie said, looking oddly sad herself.

Rick studied her curiously. "Probably not," he admitted.

"To say nothing of the fact that it's not your job to look out for mem in the first place," she added. "Which makes it all the more remarkable that you've made it your responsibility this time."

"Don't go back to that," Rick said. "I'm glad I'm able to do it. It's not going to be forever."

"No, I don't suppose it is," Maggie said, that surprising hint of sorrow still in her eyes.

Before Rick could figure out what that was about, he heard the ambulance pulling up in front of the house. "They're home," he said.

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Maggie gave him a fierce, lingering hug.

He studied her curiously. "What was that for?"

"To make up for the fact that we never got to fool around," she teased.

Rick laughed. "You can't make up for that unless you're willing to sneak over here and into my room in the middle of the night."

"Fat chance. There's nothing wrong with Matthew's hearing."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we'd have his blessing," Rick said.

Maggie shook her head. "Men!" She shooed him toward the door. "Go meet them. They might need some help getting Sally settled. I'll check the chicken and be right out."

Rick released her reluctantly and went off to greet Sally and Matthew. The paramedics had already settled her into the downstairs bedroom she and Matthew had shared for their entire marriage. She beamed when she saw Rick.

"Come right over here and let me give you a kiss," she said, holding out her arms. "I wouldn't be here in my own bed if it weren't for you."

"Don't make too much of it," Rick said. "I'm here for the apple pie. Matthew said there are half a dozen in the freezer. When they're gone, I'm out of here."

"Stop it right this minute," Sally said. "Don't make light of what you're doing for us. We won't ever forget it."

Rick clasped her hand in his and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. "I'm just glad you're well enough to be back home."

She gave him a sharp look. "It is wonderful to be surrounded by my own things. Just one question?what did

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you and Matthew do with my rug? That ornery old coot won't say."

Relieved that he'd had the foresight to keep the rug from getting tossed out, Rick chuckled, but Matthew obviously saw nothing amusing about the question.

"Should have burned the dang thing," he grumbled.

Sally's gaze stayed on Rick. "But you didn't, did you? You wouldn't let him."

Rick winked at her. "Nope. It's in the closet in the hall."

"Thank you. I know it's silly to be so attached to a thing like that, but I brought that rug from my mama's house. I'd hate to think of losing it."

'That rug is why you're in this bed," Matthew retorted.

Sally frowned at him. "No, it's not. I'm here because I was rushing around and not paying attention to what I was doing," she insisted. "Now where's Maggie? I can smell lunch cooking, and I know Rick wasn't the one fussing around in my kitchen."

"She'll be in here in a minute," Rick promised, "and we'll have lunch soon. Since Maggie cooked, it will be delicious, though I'm no slouch in the kitchen. You'll see when I whip up breakfast tomorrow." He saw the weariness in Sally's eyes. "Why don't you take a little nap? There's time before lunch."

She gave him a grateful look. "I believe I will," she said, her gaze seeking out her husband. "Matthew, will you stay with me?"

Matthew immediately pulled a chair closer to the bed and took her hand. "Now, where else would I be?"

Rick saw the emotion in their eyes and knew they'd already forgotten all about him. He slipped from the room, quietly closed the door and leaned against it.

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Something that felt a lot like yearning filled his heart. He wanted what they had, wanted it with all his heart.

He could have it, too. There was a woman in the kitchen who could give him all that and more. He simply had to take the risk and ask.

He sighed and moved away from the wall, knowing that he wasn't quite brave enough yet. For too many years he'd been conditioned to run. A few weeks around a couple as much in love as Matthew and Sally couldn't completely banish the memory of a woman whose volatile relationships had never lasted, or in some ways had lasted too long. It would take more than one little streak of yearning to overcome that history.

But one of these days he would. With every day that passed, he was growing more confident of that. He'd just have to pray that Maggie was patient enough to wait him out.

"Come sit by me," Sally encouraged Rick one morning a few days after her return home. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

Rick eyed her warily. "You're not meddling again, are you?"

She laughed. "Somebody certainly needs to, but no. Not this time, anyway. I want to ask you what you think about Matthew and me moving to Atlanta."

Rick's heart immediately felt heavy. He'd known this was coming?their daughter was calling almost daily to pressure them to make a decision?but he hadn't wanted to think about it. Staying here had given him a sense of family, something he'd apparently craved far more than he'd ever realized.

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"I think it's up to you and Matthew," he said honestly. "Is it what you want to do?"

"Matthew does," she admitted. "He adores Ellen, and he says it's time for a new adventure."

Rick studied her expression. Reluctance was written all over her face. "You disagree, don't you?"

"Not entirely," she said carefully. "It's just such a huge step. Neither of us have ever lived in a big city. Haven't even been to Atlanta to visit, if the truth be told. Even if we had been, a visit doesn't tell you what you need to know about living in a place. I'm afraid we'll get there and hate it, that we'll feel overwhelmed. Then it will be too late."

He saw what she was driving at. Once the farm was sold, they would have no choice but to make the best of it, even if they hated Atlanta. "Would you have to sell the farm before you make the move? Maybe you could stay with Ellen for a few months to see how you like it."

"That's not an option. Her house is too small. We'd be an imposition, even for a short time." She gave him a sly look. "There is another possibility, though, one that could solve everything."

Rick wasn't sure he liked the sneaky glint in her eyes. "Oh?"

"Why don't you buy the farm?"

He stared at her in shock. "Me? What would I do with a farm? I'm a photographer. I travel. The place would fall to ruin while I'm gone."

"Then hire someone to run it when you're away," she suggested, then added, "or marry someone who'll stay right here while you're on assignment."

He stood up and backed away from the bed as if he

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were retreating from danger. "I knew you were meddling," he accused.

"Oh, sit back down," Sally ordered impatiently. "You know you love the woman. Stop dillydallying."

He studied her with a narrowed gaze. "I don't see how this solves your problem."

"If you had the farm, it would be as if it were still in the family," she explained, her expression wistful. "Maybe Matthew and I could come to visit from time to time. Moving doesn't seem so final. Maybe Matthew could even help you run it for a few months each year. It would be the best of both worlds, at least for as long as we're able to travel back and forth."

The whole idea was outrageous, but it slipped right past Rick's well-honed defenses and grabbed hold. "I don't know, Sally," he protested, even as he began imagining how it could work. It would tie him to these people?give him a family, in a way?forever. To his dismay, or maybe his delight, he could imagine growing old here with Maggie, raising kids, just as Matthew and Sally had done.

"What does Matthew say about this scheme of yours?"

"He says I'm not to pressure you." She met his gaze. "But I don't see this as me being a selfish old woman, Rick. I see it as giving you a chance to do what I know you want to do, whether you're ready to face it or not."

"Let me think about it," he said eventually.

Her expression brightened. "You'll really consider it?"

"I'll consider it," he stressed. "But please don't count on it, Sally. It would be a huge change for me. I'm not sure it's a change I'm ready to make."

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"Yes, you are," Sally told him gently. "I see it in your eyes when you're with Maggie. Just listen to your heart, Rick. It won't steer you wrong."

"When are you coming home?" Ashley asked Maggie, when she finally checked in during the middle of her big trial.

"When is this case of yours going to wind down?" Maggie responded, immediately turning the tables on her.

"We should be getting to closing arguments in another week or two," Ashley said wearily. "It's been a more complicated-case than I'd imagined. I really didn't call to talk about it, though. I want to hear about you."

"There's not much to tell," Maggie said evasively. She was still having difficulty realizing that she'd been at Rose Cottage for nearly two months and that Rick had been underfoot for nearly that long. She'd grown way too comfortable with the arrangement.

When she thought of work, though, there was no denying that time was slipping by. She was already working on the November issue of the magazine and had been making notes for the Christmas issue. It was hard to think about Thanksgiving and the holidays when the August temperatures were so steamy. The weather was getting to her. She longed for the rare early mornings when a thunderstorm had cleared the air the night before, pushing out the thick, humid air and leaving behind a dry, cool breeze that unfortunately wouldn't last past noon.

"Isn't the magazine getting antsy about you being away so long?" Ashley asked.

"If they are, no one's said anything. They won't as

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long as the pages are in on time. And to be honest, I haven't thought about coming home," Maggie admitted, surprised by the realization. There'd been too much going on lately, especially with the daily visits to the farm to help out and the time she managed to steal alone with Rick. The pace here was quieter, to be sure, but it was never boring. Even Rick seemed content for the moment.

"And Rick's still there?" Ashley asked.

"Yes."

"Still living at the B and B?"

"No, actually he's been out at the farm with Sally and Matthew," she said. "Most of the time, anyway."

"Ah."

"Ah?" Maggie echoed. "What does that mean?"

Ashley laughed. "It means that Melanie and Mike say that the two of you are inseparable. They say that love is most definitely in the air. I was hoping that was an exaggeration. They've mentioned nothing about Sally and Matthew. What's that all about?"

"Sally broke her hip?on the day you left, in fact. She didn't want to go to a nursing home, so Rick moved in to help out."

"Oh, boy. That would explain it all right," Ashley said, a gloating note in her voice.

"Explain what?"

"You falling head over heels for the guy. Sexy, intelligent and compassionate. That's a hard combination to ignore, no matter what common sense tells you to do."

As usual, Ashley had nailed it, but Maggie didn't want to admit to her feelings aloud. She wasn't sure she could bear the sympathy if Rick disappointed her

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in the end. And the jury was definitely still out on that. He seemed happy enough with the way things were, but she was starting to lose hope that he would ever change enough to take a risk on a future with her. Ashley's skepticism only seemed to confirm her own doubts.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said shortly, clinging to an old spin that might have worked on someone other than her sister. "We're still getting to know each other. That's all. Sooner or later, he'll go back to work. I'll come back to Boston and we'll drift apart. I accept that."