A Change of Heart (10 page)

“We could—”

“Stop, Ted. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I want to concentrate on winning the bet and sharing a meal with your very large extended family without freaking out.”

“Hey, my family freaks me out all the time, so don’t worry about that.” One side of his mouth quirked up. “And you’re going to lose this bet. Just wait.”

She studied the surrounding fields of corn, soybeans and alfalfa. Pastoral and serene, she saw no evidence to support his claim. “Huh. I’m thinking I already won.”

“We’re upwind.”

“Upwind?”

“Exactly.” The white two-story farmhouse had a circular driveway in front, and several trucks and SUVs were already parked in a haphazard way. Ted pulled his truck behind an SUV and shut off the engine. “Ready?”

She nodded and started to get out of the truck. That’s when it hit her—a stench so strong and pungent, her eyes watered. Covering her nose with her hand, she turned to him. “What is that awful smell?”

“Hogs.” He flashed her a triumphant grin.

“I had no idea they smelled this bad.”

He snorted. “What did you think pigs smelled like?”

“I don’t know.” She laughed. “Like smoked ham or maple-cured bacon?”

“Not hardly.” He shook his head. “Speaking of ham, we’d better go inside. They’re probably waiting on us to start eating.” He walked toward the house. “I win, right? Imagine my adolescence. There weren’t any girls in my high school interested in going out with a pig farmer’s son. I suffered more than my share of taunts and rejection. Believe me.”

“I’m not conceding anything.” Cory stopped to survey their surroundings. A tributary to the Ohio River ran along a split-rail fence behind the house, where a profusion of trees, berry bushes and brush added to the lush green backdrop. “This isn’t so bad. It’s pretty here, and peaceful. Looks like a great place to grow up if you ask me.”

“Yeah? I’m glad you think so.” He opened the front door for her. “Prepare yourself for mayhem.”

The house smelled wonderful, like Thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one. The savory smell of a roasting
turkey, some kind of fruit pie and other mouthwatering scents erased the awful stench of the hogs. Off to the side of the entryway, a parlor held a large TV with video game equipment. Kids of varying ages lay sprawled on the floor or slouched on the sectional couch. Some of them played cards or board games while others concentrated on the video game. She counted eight.

“Some of my nieces and nephews,” Ted whispered in her ear, just as a chorus of greetings arose.

He guided her through the house, introducing her to his sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts and a few of his cousins. She greeted them all, but none of the names stuck. They finally ended up in the kitchen, where Jenny, her husband and two other women were setting platters and dishes of food on a long counter.

“There you are,” a woman with salt-and-pepper hair cut in a stylish bob greeted them. She held a platter piled high with sliced turkey and set it on the counter beside a ceramic bowl of mashed potatoes and a matching pitcher filled with gravy.

“Cory, this is my mom. Mom, this is Cory Marcel.”

Ted placed his hand at the small of her back, sending a shiver through her—a pleasant sensation, not one of disgust. Disconcerted, she moved forward a step. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Lovejoy. Thank you for including me today. Is there something I can do to help?”

“We’re happy to have you. For starters you can call me Mary.” The corners of her soft brown eyes creased. “Then you can help gather the throng. We’re ready to eat.”

As if on cue, Ted’s family drifted into the kitchen, jostled into some semblance of a line and loaded their plates. Gradually, they all found spots at the long dining room table. A couple of card tables had been set at either end for the overflow, and Cory found a spot at one of them. Surrounded by Ted’s family, by the
good smells, constant banter and laughter, she couldn’t prevent the surge of envy that overtook her.

What would it be like to be surrounded by a large loving family like his, with uncles and aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews? For as long as she could remember, it had always been just her, her mom, and their one constant companion: hard times. She’d never been to a family dinner like this. Ever. She faced Ted, who sat beside her, and whispered, “You lose.”

Ted looked deep into Cory’s doe eyes. His insides melted—right there in the folding chair in his parents’ dining room for everyone to see. Longing slammed into him like a sucker punch to the gut, and all he could manage was to stare stupidly back. Man, he wanted to kiss her—wanted to put his arms around her and hold her close until everything was right in her world. “Why is that?”

“Look around you, Ted. You grew up with all of
this
.” She tilted her head toward the crowded table. “I don’t care how the place smells, you have no idea how good you have it.”

He followed the path of her gaze as she looked around the table. Yeah, he had a large, noisy, nosy family, but it did little to assuage the gaping hole in his center. He yearned for something more, something intimate shared with one woman. His woman.

Being around Cory sharpened that yearning to an unbearable point. Was it simply having someone beside him that set it off, or was it
Cory specific
? He hardly knew her. More than likely loneliness triggered his reaction, and he’d feel this way no matter who sat beside him. He’d been alone for too long. That’s all.

She leaned closer to grab a saltshaker, and he felt her warmth and caught a whiff of her clean, sweet scent. His eyes trailed along
the graceful line of her neck to the delicate curve where it met her shoulder. Had he thought her merely pretty? Because right now, with her hair framing her face in feathery wisps, and her expression open and friendly, he realized his mistake. Corinna Marcel was beautiful. His groin tightened and his pulse raced.

Nope. She wasn’t an
idea
. Something about her called to him, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away. She glanced at him sideways, frowning when she caught him staring.

“Are you my uncle’s girlfriend?” his ten-year-old nephew, Ben, asked from across the table. The room grew quiet as all ears strained to hear Cory’s response.

“Um…” Her face turned a lovely shade of pink.

Ben stared at her. “He’s never brought a girl home for Sunday dinner before.”

Every eye in the room fixed on them. Ted leaned close and whispered, “You lose.”

She shot him a disgruntled look and turned to Ben. “I just moved to Perfect. I work for your uncle at Langford & Lovejoy, and he’s been kind enough to help me get to know the area.” She met the curious looks around the table. “We just met.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed with that dog-with-a-bone look Ted had seen a few too many times. His nephew wasn’t going to let it go.

“Yeah, but he’s never brought a—”

“Benjy,” Jenny called down the table. “Pass the peas, and put your mouth to better use. Let our guest eat in peace.”

The tension in the room dissolved, and Ted shot his aunt a grateful look. He settled back, played with his food and watched Cory devour hers. Good. She needed the calories. The rest of the meal and the ensuing cleanup would take way too long as far as he was concerned. He wanted alone time with Cory, and it couldn’t come fast enough.

After dinner, she pitched in with the rest of his family to help with the cleanup. His eyes kept straying back to her as he folded up the card tables and lowered the extensions on the dining room table. She, Jenny, his mom and his sisters were chatting up a storm as they put leftovers away and loaded the dishwasher. He’d never seen her so relaxed, and relaxed looked good on her. Hearing her laughter and seeing the happy expression lighting her eyes—it did his heart good to see her enjoying herself.

“She seems like a nice girl.” His dad came up beside him. “Are you two dating?”

“Not really.” Ted grabbed the two card tables to take them to the storage space under the front stairs.

His dad followed. “But you’d like to. Am I right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think she’s interested in dating.” He placed the card tables in their customary place and shut the door. “It’s complicated.”

“So I heard. Jenny shared a little of Cory’s story with your mom and me. It’s plain to anyone bothering to notice that she likes you, son.”

“Dad.” Ted straightened. “I’m pretty damned tired of being
liked
.” Whoa. Where had that come from? He and his father were close, but Ted never shared how lonely and unhappy he sometimes felt.

“I know.” His father’s mouth turned up. “Still, for a woman who’s gone through what she’s been through, like is a good place to start, right?”

“Sure.” He sighed. “I’d better get her home. I’ll be back to help with chores later this afternoon.”

“Take your time.”

Extricating Cory from the covey of Lovejoy women took some doing. His mother made it clear she expected Cory to come
again, and Jenny reminded her to visit the diner anytime. They packed leftovers for her, insisting she accept them. His sisters, mom and aunts said their good-byes and he finally managed to get her out the front door.

“You have a wonderful family, Ted. They’re all so down-to-earth and friendly.”

“They are. Sometimes too friendly. This was only part of the Lovejoy clan. Noah and his bunch join us every couple months, and I have relatives who live a distance away. They make it home every six months or so. We’re a tight-knit group.” He turned to survey their surroundings. It had been awhile since he’d given it much thought. This was home, that’s all. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. “Are you interested in seeing the piglets while we’re here?”

Her face lit up. “Sure. Let me leave my stuff in your truck first.”

He opened the door and took her things, placing them in the backseat. “The building off to the left is where the sows with new litters stay, and the next one over is for the weanlings.” Fighting the overwhelming need to take her hand, he continued to tell her about the farm. “We grow corn, soybeans and a mix of alfalfa and clover. The corn and soybeans provide a lot of the feed for the hogs, and we sell the hay.”

“When you say
we
, do you mean you help with the farming?”

“I do. My folks are getting older, and they need the help. All my siblings have families and jobs, and they don’t live close enough to help on a regular basis. They help out when they can, but it’s mostly just me and my dad, and occasionally a hired hand or two.”

“Let me get this straight.” Her brow creased. “You work more than full-time at L&L, you just finished your master’s degree,
and
you help your dad keep this farm going?”

“That’s right.”

Her eyes widened. “How do you do it all?”

“I don’t know. I just do.” This was his life, and he’d never known anything different. It just was. He opened the sliding door. “This is called the farrowing barn. It’s not so bad in here smellwise.” They walked through the rows of aisles where piglets had free access to the sows lounging around in their stalls.

Cory approached one of the pens, knelt down and reached out a hand with a look of wonder on her face. The piglets hurried over, nosing her outstretched hand, looking for some tidbit she might offer. “Oh, my God, they are so cute.” She turned her face up to beam up at him. “It’s hard to believe something this tiny and adorable grows into something so big and stinky.” She scratched a particularly bold piglet behind the ear. “Can I pick one up?”

“Go ahead and give that a try.” He chuckled. “Good luck.”

She reached for a piglet, only to have it squeal and run back to the protection of its sow. Trying to catch a different one and then another yielded much the same result, until the sow stood up to put an end to the disturbance. Cory laughed, rose from the floor and dusted off her jeans. “I guess not.
Charlotte’s Web
made it look so easy.”

“That’s why they call it fiction. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I guess.” She sighed. “I had a great time this afternoon, and I’m more sure than ever I’m going to enjoy lunch at the truck stop on your dime.”

“We’ll see.”

“That’s right, we will, and it’s a done deal in my favor.” She slid the door open and stepped out into the yard. “Do you commute to the farm from town?”

“Nope.” He pointed to another small building. “Noah and I built an apartment over the machine garage over there. Do you want to see my place? It’s pretty nice, considering it started out as a storage space.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Ted realized he’d blown it.

Cory’s face went into wary mode, and her mouth tightened into a straight line. “Uh…”

Damn.
He’d forgotten. She’d been so happy, so relaxed, and he’d ruined it for her. Angry at himself, and even angrier at the man who’d hurt her, he swore under his breath. “It’s just
me
, Cory.”

“What do you mean when you say that?” she snapped. “You say it like you think you don’t count or something.”

“I don’t. You heard Paige. I’m harmless.” He raked his fingers through his hair and turned away. “I’m no threat to you or to anybody else. You see how it is at work. I’m the
kid
, the one person nobody has to take seriously—or respect.”
Damn, get a grip.
First his outburst with his dad, and now this. He’d just blurted his worst insecurities to the one woman he wanted more than anything to impress.
Great job, kid.