Authors: Lynn LaFleur
“Invitations should go out three weeks
before the event, Alaina.”
“I know! I need to order them, but I can’t
order them until I come up with a name for this place. Arrrggghhh!” She flopped
down in the padded chair by the desk. “Why is it so hard for me to think of a
name
?”
“You’re trying too hard. You need to relax
and clear your mind.”
Alaina released a snort of laughter.
“Relax. Right. I have to shove six weeks of work into four weeks and two days.”
“Everything is on schedule. Rye promised
the house will be finished by the thirteenth. The furniture will be delivered
the next week. We’ll have almost two weeks to put up the Christmas decorations
before your grand opening.”
Alaina’s eyes widened again. “Christmas
decorations! Ohmigod, they should’ve been here by now! We have to call that
company.”
Kelcey would’ve laughed if her friend
hadn’t been so frazzled. “Calm down. They’ll be delivered next week.” She
reached over and squeezed Alaina’s hand. “Everything will be fine. I promise.”
Alaina blew out a huge breath, then took
Kelcey’s hand between hers. “I love how organized you are. I’m so glad you’re
here. I couldn’t get through this without you and Emma.”
Kelcey thumbed the diamond ring on her
friend’s left ring finger. “Your hunky guy can help you get through anything.”
A soft smile touched Alaina’s lips. Holding
up her hand, she looked at her ring and sighed. “He is a hunk, isn’t he?”
“And absolutely crazy about you.”
“The feeling is mutual.” Her smile lit up
her entire face. “Oh Kelc, I never
dreamed
I could love a man as much as
I love Rye. Yes, I had a crush on him when I was young, but it blossomed into
so much more. He’s just so perfect.”
Jealousy churned in Kelcey’s stomach. She
ignored it. Just because she would never know the joy of a diamond ring on her
finger didn’t mean she couldn’t be thrilled for her friend. “I’m really happy
for you, Alaina.”
“I’m happy for me too.” Her smile abruptly
faded. “How are you doing today?”
Pulling back from Alaina, Kelcey reached
for a stack of file folders to give her hands something to do. “I’m fine.”
“Are you? After what you told Emma and me—”
“It happened a lot time ago, Alaina. I just
want to forget it.”
Sympathy filled her friend’s eyes. “But
that’s the problem, isn’t it? You
can’t
forget it.”
Kelcey would not cry. She refused to. She
had tons of things to be thankful for in her life. What happened in the past
stayed in the past. “No, I can’t forget it, but I can stop letting it run my
life. I have a brand new job and will soon have a brand new place to live. I
want to concentrate on the positives.”
Alaina smiled. “Good for you! That’s what I
want to hear.” She glanced at the clock on the wall above the desk. “Bob Lowe
should be here any minute. We’re doing a final walk-through outside to talk
about autumn flowers. I think bluebonnet seeds are supposed to be spread in
November.”
“Why not wait until spring and buy
bluebonnet plants?”
“I will, but I want to spread seeds too. I
want wildflowers all over the place, all the way to the creek.”
Kelcey didn’t remember Alaina mentioning
any kind of water on her property. “Creek?”
“Yeah. It divides my property from the
Pearsons’ to the north. It isn’t very big, but I think wildflowers along the
bank will be pretty. Very romantic for a picnic.” A calculating look suddenly
appeared in Alaina’s eyes. “Bob is single. I’ll introduce you to him when he
gets here.”
Kelcey expected matchmaking from Emma. She
didn’t expect it from Alaina. “Are you trying to set me up?”
Alaina gave a shrug that Kelcey assumed was
supposed to be innocent. “You need to start meeting people in Lanville. A single
man is a good place to start. Bob’s probably in his mid-thirties. He isn’t
drop-dead gorgeous, but he’s good-looking and very nice.”
“It doesn’t matter what he looks like,
Alaina. I’m not interested.”
Alaina scooted her chair closer to
Kelcey’s. “You can’t just give up, Kelc. You’re a warm, caring person. You have
so much love inside you that you could give a guy.”
A lump formed in Kelcey’s throat at her
friend’s sweet words. “There’s a physical side to that love, Lainy. A guy would
expect sex from me. I can’t give it.”
“With the right guy—”
“I
can’t
. I’ve tried so many times
and it always failed. I simply can’t try again.”
Alaina took Kelcey’s hand in hers and
squeezed it. “I hate for you to give up. Sex with the right man is beyond
incredible. I can’t even describe how wonderful it is between Rye and me. It’s
so much more than just two naked bodies touching. It’s almost…spiritual.” She
rolled her eyes. “I guess that sounds stupid, huh?”
“No,” Kelcey said softly. “It doesn’t sound
stupid at all.” And it made her hate her uncles even more for what they stole
from her.
“Alaina!” Rye called from somewhere in the
house.
“I recognize that bellow.” She squeezed
Kelcey’s hand one more time. “Dating doesn’t automatically mean sex. You can
still enjoy a man’s company without anything physical happening.”
“Right. And how long would that last if we
start caring about each other?” She splayed her hand over her chest. “Don’t you
think I
want
that closeness with a man? I’m human, Lainy. I think about
sex a lot.”
Tired of the sympathy in Alaina’s eyes,
Kelcey waved her hand as if to erase their conversation. “You’d better go see
what Rye needs.”
“Okay. Call my cell if you see Bob before I
do.”
Once Alaina left, Kelcey straightened the
desk again until it was organized the way she wanted it. Finished with her
duties for now, she decided it was time for a short break. Even though as
Alaina’s assistant she should greet everyone who came in the B-and-B, she had
no desire to meet Bob. Or any other man.
Slipping on her long cardigan, Kelcey
walked out the back door of Stevens House. The cool morning would turn into a
pleasant afternoon, at least until showers moved in later tonight. They would
be welcome after a month of above-average temperatures and less than an inch of
rain.
Thoughts of rain brought back her
conversation with Alaina about the creek on her property. Kelcey turned north
in search of the small waterway.
The sound drew her before she saw it. No
more than five feet wide, the creek bubbled over rocks on its journey. Shaded
by oak and cedar trees, it would be the perfect place to picnic.
Kelcey tapped one finger against her lips.
Maybe Alaina should think about putting some picnic tables here. Not everyone
wanted to sit on the ground, even on a blanket. Alaina planned to leave a lot
of the twenty-two acres she owned natural, but also planned landscaping for
part of it, including walking trails for her guests. How lovely to stroll here
on a path edged with wildflowers to have a picnic with your lover.
Kelcey sighed. It would be so romantic.
The click of a camera had her quickly
glancing over her shoulder. She’d been so lost in thought, she hadn’t heard Dax
approach. He stood six feet away, a camera raised to his eye. She heard a click
again before he lowered the camera and grinned.
“Gotcha.”
She’d managed to avoid him all morning,
worried that he’d want to talk about what happened between them Saturday night.
Out here in the open, with just the two of them together, she couldn’t avoid
him any longer. “What are you doing?”
“Taking pictures.”
Self-conscious, she hooked her hair behind
her ears. “Surely you can find something better to take pictures of than me.”
“I don’t think so.”
The intense look he gave her out of those
dark brown eyes curled her toes. Literally. She had to order them to relax
before she could turn and face him. “You’re just out taking pictures?”
“For my mom. She’s making a scrapbook for
Alaina to give her for her grand opening.”
Kelcey relaxed at the word “scrapbook”. It
was one of her favorite pastimes. “Your mom is a scrapbooker?”
Dax nodded. “She’s been doing it for years.
Even has her own craft room in her and Dad’s house. She started making the book
for Alaina right after the remodeling started. I’ve been taking pictures every
week and downloading them to her computer. It’s up to her which ones she has
printed.”
“I’d love to see some of her scrapbooks.”
“Are you into that too?”
“Yes. I have wonderful scrapbooks from high
school on.”
“Nothing before that?”
“No.” Her life had been a huge mess before
the age of ten when she went to boarding school. There hadn’t been anything
she’d wanted to remember enough to put in a scrapbook.
“Well, if you ever want anyone to work
with, my mom would love the company.”
She hadn’t met Beverly Coleman yet, but
Alaina and Emma adored her. “I’m sure I’d enjoy that.” A sudden breeze blew a
tendril of hair on her cheek. She pushed it behind her ear. “She and your
father must be so excited about Alaina’s and Rye’s engagement.”
“They don’t know yet. They’ve been out of
town.”
Kelcey remembered Alaina and Emma talking
about Beverly and Kenneth going to the coast over the weekend. “They picked up
your grandfather from his cruise, right?”
“Yeah.” Dax chuckled. “Pops is amazing.
He’ll be seventy-four next month, but I think he has more energy than I do.”
“I’m eager to meet him.”
“You will, Sunday at dinner.”
Kelcey cringed at the mention of dinner at
the Colemans. She didn’t feel she had any right to be a part of family
traditions. “I won’t be going to your parents’ house Sunday.”
A frown furrowed Dax’s brows. “Why not?”
“Because it’s a
family
dinner, Dax.
I’m not part of your family.”
“You’re Alaina’s and Emma’s best friend.
That makes you family.”
“Dax—”
“I promise you, if you don’t show up
Sunday, my mom will hunt you down and drag you there.”
She wouldn’t argue with him. She simply
wouldn’t go on Sunday. That would solve everything.
Another breeze ruffled her hair and she
could smell a hint of rain on the air. She looked up to see puffy clouds
quickly building up in the sky. “The rain must be coming earlier than the
weatherman predicted.”
“Yeah.”
She heard his camera snap. Kelcey returned
her gaze to Dax just as he snapped again. “Why are you taking pictures of me?”
“Because you’re lovely.”
Warmth traveled up her neck and into her cheeks.
She wasn’t used to receiving compliments, especially from men. “Maybe it’s time
for you to have your eyes checked.”
“Did that last month. I have perfect
vision.” The camera snapped again. “C’mon, give me a smile.”
Kelcey couldn’t help it. She laughed. “Dax,
stop it.”
The rapid
click-click-click
of his
camera proved he held down the shutter button, taking many pictures only
seconds apart. “Pose for me.”
“I don’t know what to do. Besides, you’re
supposed to be taking pictures for your mother.”
“I can do both.” He turned the camera at a
ninety-degree angle and snapped again. “I’m sure Alaina would love some
pictures of you and Emma.”
Click-click-click
. “I should get the three of
you down here. The creek makes a great background for pictures.”
A sudden gust of wind molded Dax’s T-shirt
to his chest and stomach. He always wore his long hair back in a ponytail.
Kelcey had a vision of his unbound hair blowing in the breeze. She knew it was
soft from touching it Saturday night.
Other parts of him hadn’t been soft
Saturday. She’d felt his hard cock pressed against her tummy. It hadn’t been
the first time an aroused man had pressed up against her, yet she’d never
regretted pushing him away. She regretted that with Dax.
He let his camera drop to the end of its
leather strap and rest on his chest. “There’s a great spot about fifty yards up
the creek where it widens and the water creates a deep pool. It’s shaded and
very peaceful. Want to see it?”
Kelcey hesitated. Although she enjoyed his
company, she knew spending time with him would only cause her more frustration.
“I’d better get back to work.”
She thought she saw disappointment in his
eyes before he glanced away. That emotion was gone when he looked back at her.
“Alaina’s a slave driver, huh?” he asked with a grin.
“She hides her whip in the desk drawer.”
“Hmmm.” He rubbed his finger across his
mustache. “Wonder if she takes it home to play with Rye?”
Kelcey’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
She couldn’t believe he said that. “Dax!”
“What?” he asked, his tone completely
innocent although his eyes twinkled with laughter.