Coming Home (20 page)

She cleared her throat. “Uh, yes. I was. On my way to Sloan and Shelly's.” Her eyes locked on the snap at the top of his jacket, she asked, “Is that where you're headed?”

“Yep.” He glanced around. “Cold night and all … good thing I came along, huh?”

She smiled faintly. “Yeah. A good thing.”

“Well, before I freeze my balls off,” he said with a grin, “let's get you off the road and your stuff trains ferred to my truck—we have a party to attend. We can worry about your Jeep tomorrow.”

Roxanne couldn't think of one objection. With Jeb's truck pushing her, they managed to get the Jeep to a wider spot and she was able to park it off the road. A minute later, her suitcase and the ice chest with the frittata in it were tossed on the backseat of the truck and she was sitting in the warm cab of Jeb's truck.

As they pulled away from the Jeep, Jeb said, “I don't want to start another argument, but come on, Roxy, you know better.” He shook his head. “Running out of gas. Jesus.”

She sent him a look and he shut his mouth, his eyes on the road, but she noticed he was smiling. They made conversation for the first mile, both of them being very polite, talking about the weather, the Christmas holiday, and the coming New Year.

The warmth of the truck soon became too much for Roxanne and she began shedding her clothes. Jeb tried not to gawk, but it was hard when one of the most beautiful women in the world was sitting right beside you taking off her clothes.

He didn't say anything when the sweaters were discarded and she had struggled with her boots and socks and put them in the suitcase, but when she began shimming out of her jeans, he cleared his throat and croaked, “Uh, what are doing?”

She grinned. “Getting rid of all the extra clothing I put on in anticipation of spending the night in the Jeep.”

She pulled on a pair of leopard-patterned boots with gold heels that sent the most lascivious visions through his brain. One in which she wore nothing but the damn boots had his breathing coming in faint gasps. Staring fixedly out of the windshield, he finally managed to say, “The extra clothes—smart thinking.”

“Why thank you, Mr. Delaney. That's probably the first compliment you've ever given me.”

“That's not true,” he protested. “I've said nice things about you before.”

Jeans, sweaters, and blouse safely packed along with the rest of the extra clothing, she looked over at him. “Name one.”

“Uh, well, um. …”

Roxanne chuckled, a warm, husky sound that did something to his diaphragm … and lower. He felt his sex swell—or rather swell even more and he moved uncomfortably. He'd been in a state of half arousal from the moment he'd caught sight of her face inside the Jeep and having her this close to him, the scent of her perfume tangling in his nose and the intimacy of the cab and night did nothing for his unruly hormones.

Roxanne had seldom seen Jeb at a loss and she shook her head, laughing softly to herself. He wasn't such a bad guy, she thought as she finished repairing the damages of the past several minutes. As the truck bumped and lurched down the road, she combed her hair and, using the lighted mirror on the sun visor, touched up her makeup. She flicked the dangling gold hoops. There. She looked just as she had when she left the house.

She glanced at Jeb, startled to see him looking at her, a funny expression on his face. The truck slowed, until it was barely crawling down the narrow gravel road. There wasn't much light in the cab, only what came from the dash lights, but it was enough to illuminate all the contours and angles of Roxanne's face framed by a cloud of black hair.

“God, you're beautiful,” he said almost on a note of reverence, the truck almost coming to a full stop.

Roxanne was not vain. She took no credit for her looks—she'd had nothing to do with the mix of genes that had given her the face and form she possessed and she never quite knew what to say when people complimented her on her beauty. And because her beauty was none of her making, she usually dismissed such comments, but Jeb's remark was important to her, although why totally escaped her. She knew that her looks shouldn't matter, that it was her brains and intelligence that she wanted to be noticed, but right now, she was glad she had been blessed to be born beautiful.

She smiled uncertainly, her heart fluttering oddly in her chest. “Why, thank you.” She swallowed, the flutter in her chest growing stronger, as his eyes remained fixed on her face. “That's twice,” she said nervously. At his incomprehensible expression, she muttered, “Twice that you've paid me a compliment. Keep it up and it might become a habit.”

How he wrenched his gaze away from those mesmerizing features, he never knew. He just did it and felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest. Eyes on the road, he pressed down more firmly on the gas pedal. “Yeah,” he muttered. “Wouldn't want that to happen now, would we?”

“I don't know,” she said, “I might find it enjoyable, but …”

He glanced at her. “What?” he asked warily.

Laughter bubbled up out of her. “But you'd probably choke to death before twenty-four hours went by.” He joined in the laugh.

An easy silence fell between them and before hostilities could break out again, they had turned off the Tilda Road and were on the final leg of the journey. Five minutes later they could see lights gleaming through the forest and a moment after that the truck was pulling into the wide graveled area at the side of Sloan and Shelly's place.

Hearing the vehicle, Sloan had appeared at the door, the light from within outlining his big frame. Tumbling from the truck, Jeb hoisting a duffel bag over his shoulder and Roxanne clutching her suitcase, they hurried through the increasingly heavy snow up the wooden steps and into the cabin.

The warmth felt heavenly and after kissing her brother on the cheek and giving Shelly a hug, Roxanne asked, “Don't tell me we're the first ones here?”

Shelly laughed. She was a tall, striking woman with tawny hair and emerald eyes, just a few years younger than Roxanne was. Like Roxanne, Shelly had been born and raised in the valley, but an abortive love affair with Sloan when she was eighteen had sent Shelly fleeing to New York and New Orleans and she had not returned to Oak Valley for seventeen years. Because of that and the family feud that had existed between the Grangers and the Ballingers since the days just following the Civil War, Shelly and Roxanne hadn't gotten to know one another until Sloan and Shelly had settled their differences and to everyone's surprise had married. They had been a little wary of each other at first, mainly Shelly, but during the past six months, they'd discovered that they genuinely liked each other. While the remainder of the Ballingers remained just a trifle aloof, Roxanne, right from the beginning, had happily welcomed Shelly into the family. They had become not only sisters-in-law, but friends, too.

“Yes, as a matter of fact you are,” Shelly said. “I expect the others will start arriving any minute now—although I know that M.J. and Tracy will be late. M.J. has to close the store and Tracy has a sick calf she's going to check on before leaving town—they'll ride out together—provided Tracy doesn't get called out on another emergency. But the others—Ilka, Ross, and Sam ought to make it with no trouble.”

“And God knows,” said Sloan with a grin, “nothing stops the Courtland twins from reaching a party.”

“Good thing you suggested we all stay overnight,” Jeb commented as he handed Sloan his jacket. “The way the snow is falling, I wouldn't relish trying to make it out of here at one, two o'clock in the morning.”

“I just hope everyone gets here,” Shelly said worriedly. “Nick, Acey, and Maria were supposed to be here early.” She glanced at the clock. “They're running a little late—I expect the weather is slowing them down.” She sighed. “When we planned the party we weren't expecting it to snow.” Glancing at Roxanne's suitcase she said, “Oh, enough of that. Come on, let's get you settled.”

Leaving Jeb and Sloan talking in the main part of the cabin, Shelly and Roxanne walked to Shelly's studio to stow Roxanne's suitcase. As they entered the room, Shelly made a face. “Sorry that you'll be sleeping on the floor. And once M.J., Ilka, and the others pile in here, you're probably going to think you've moved into a sorority.”

The cabin wasn't large; Sloan had built it for a bachelor—himself—but his marriage to Shelly in June had changed all that. Since Shelly was an artist of some repute, a studio had been mandatory. The studio had been completed a few months ago and was a large, pleasant, open room with lots of windows and a rock fireplace in one end. There was little furniture in it; a red plaid couch and a couple of smalloccasional tables with fat china lamps made up the majority of the furnishings. All of Shelly's supplies were put away in the oak cabinets that lined one wall and her easels and canvases were stacked in a corner out of the way. The cabinets were broken by a long countertop with faucets and a sink; a compact refrigerator sat at one end of the counter. A can of coffee, mugs, a coffeemaker, and other coffee odds and ends were set neatly in the middle of the counter. Mattresses had been flopped on the floor with sheets, quilts, and pillows piled on them for later use. Looking around, Roxanne thought that the studio would serve admirably as an extra bedroom for tonight. There was even a small bathroom. Perfect.

Dumping her suitcase on the floor near one of the single bed mattresses, Roxanne laughed. “Don't worry about it, Shelly. We'll have a ball. A slumber party for grown up women—who could ask for anything more.” A sparkle lit her golden eyes. “And to make it even better … who knows, the guys might stage a panty raid. Poor you. You'll miss all the fun snuggled up in bed with Sloan.”

Shelly chuckled. “You make it sound tempting. Maybe I'll join you.” Mischief dancing in her eyes, she murmured, “I wonder if Sloan would like to bunk with the guys tonight in the barn?”

They exchanged looks and burst out laughing. “Not?” they said in unison.

Putting her arm through Shelly's, Roxanne said, “Come on, let's see what the men have been up to in our absence. Didn't you mention something about hot buttered rum tonight?”

They walked back into the main part of the cabin to find Sloan and Jeb sitting in front of the fire. A little black and silver ball of fur was curled up near by. At Shelly's entrance, it jumped up and trotted over to Shelly. Sitting on the floor at Shelly's feet, the tiny miniature schnauzer gave Shelly a pitiful look, her luxurious mustaches quivering. Shelly laughed and bending down picked up the dog and gave her a cuddle. “That look doesn't fool me, Pandora,” she said with mock sternness to the dog. “I know what you're up to. The only reason you're even noticing me is because Sloan wouldn't let you in his lap.”

Melting black eyes stared back at her from beneath long, shaggy silver eyebrows. A quick flip of a pink tongue on her cheek made Shelly laugh again. “I'm still not fooled. But since you've pulled out all the stops, I'll let you sit in my lap.”

Roxanne grinned. “Looks like she's finally accepted the fact that you're not going to go away.”

Sloan looked over at them. “For a while there I thought I might actually have to choose between my wife or my dog.” His warm gaze rested on Shelly. “Would have been a hard choice.”

Shelly sniffed, though her eyes were smiling. “Keep talking like that and you will end up sleeping in the barn with the rest of the guys.”

“Hey, hey, I never said I wouldn't have chosen you in the end,” Sloan drawled, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I only said it would have been a hard choice.”

Before Shelly could reply they all heard the sound of another vehicle. Shelly put down Pandora and said, “Looks like we have more arrivals.”

Chapter
10

L
aughter and conversation could be heard above the shutting of vehicle doors and Sloan strolled over to the front door. Opening it, he glanced outside, then said over his shoulder to Shelly, “You can stop worrying—it's Nick and his mother and Acey.” He looked outside again. “And it looks like they've brought a couple of stragglers with them.”

Acey and Maria, Nick's mother, laden down with grocery sacks and a heavy cardboard box from which emanated the most delicious smells, entered the house first. Both Acey Babbitt and Maria Rios had worked for Shelly's family almost as long as she could remember. She'd grown up around both of them and since the death of her brother, Josh, in early March and her return to the valley a few weeks after that, she looked upon them as her only remaining family. And then there was Nick, Maria's son … Nick who looked at times very much like Josh. …

Nick, carrying a small ice chest, followed hismother and Acey and as his eyes met Shelly's, they softened, affection deepening their emerald color—the exact shade of green as Shelly's own. Brushing a kiss on her cheek, he asked softly, “You still want to do this? Tonight?”

Shelly clutched his jacket, nodding. “Yes. You?” He took a deep breath. “Yeah. Been a secret too long.”

There was a loud clearing of the throat behind Nick. He grinned. “Oh, I forgot—the reason we're late.”

He stepped aside to reveal the couple standing on the deck behind him. Shelly took one look and rushing outside with arms spread, squealed, “Roman. And Pagan! What a lovely surprise.”

Jeb looked at Sloan. “Pagan?” he murmured out of the side of his mouth.

Sloan grinned. “Shelly says it's a southern thing—she's got an Uncle Fritzie and an Aunt Lulu—Pagan and Roman's parents. Tom, the eldest, is the only one with what you could say is a 'normal' name. There's another brother named Noble and another sister named Angelique—I met the whole lot when Shelly and I were in New Orleans for our honeymoon. There's a ton of other cousins, too … let's see, uh, Storm, Hero, and, oh, yeah, Wolfe. There's more but their names escape me at the moment.”

“Jesus. And Mingo thought he had a weird name,” Jeb said with a shake of his head. He got his first look at Pagan just then as she entered the room and shrugged out of her coat. His eyes widened and he whistled under his breath. “Uh-oh, she looks like trouble for all the males in the valley—and, unless I miss my guess, a hundred miles beyond.”