In a Moon Smile (52 page)

“So… what? What are you doing here?”

“Well, what does it look like I’m doing here?” Dalton grinned. “I came over here to save you.”

Chesney’s cheeks immediately went hot. “Do I look like someone who needs to be saved?” she asked in a brittle voice.

“I’m not your enemy, Chez,” Dalton said. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything. This is your first winter here. So if I have offended you, I apologize.”

“No,” Chesney exhaled loudly, feeling like she could cry once again since crying seemed to be her hobby. “No you don’t owe me an apology. I owe you one. I am acting like a flannel-covered ass. And you don’t deserve that at all.” She leaned back in the chair and looked at him for a long moment. “Can we start over?”

Dalton nodded.

“Let’s sit in the parlor, okay? I still feel chilled from my races to the barn and back to get firewood.” She sat on one end of the couch and Dalton sat down on the other end. He was close enough to reach over and touch. If she had any self-esteem she might have been very interested in touching him. But since she had no confidence at all, Chesney pulled her legs under her body and grabbed the afghan from the basket on the floor.

“Where’s the baby?” Dalton asked. “Is she sleeping?”

Chesney explained that Charlotte and Cooper had committed to save their marriage and that they took Piper back to Chicago. She explained how the house was extra empty now without the chatty, busy little niece wandering around, climbing, crawling, getting into everything and flushing an assortment of weird stuff down the toilet.

“I miss her,” Chesney said as her lips quivered. “I really do miss her.”

Then to keep the tears at arm’s length, she dove into the short discussion with Becca, who had moved in with Deke. “I still can’t believe she’s selling her business and making this move,” Chesney laughed. “I’m so excited for both of them. I’ve never seen Becca so happy. She’s just absolutely radiant. She has become great friends already with Luke and one of the other employees at the hardware store.” She leaned back against the couch and took in a happy breath. “Can you imagine how much fun we will have in the spring? Becca has never tended a yard. She’s lived in apartments all of her life. She will just go crazy for the flowers and shrubs.”

“I’m really happy to hear about that, Chez. I’m sure it’s great news to you that your best friend will now be living down the road. You can ride your bike there.”

“Yes,” Chesney nodded happily. “It really is great news, right? How could I ever know that moving to Bean Blossom would bless my life with so many wonderful new experiences?” She sank into the cushions, studied the fire for a moment then looked over at Dalton. “You’re awfully quiet. What are you thinking about?”
     
“I was thinking about your grandmother and my grandfather,” Dalton said. “I was thinking about how you must have felt when you found out that I knew but you didn’t know. I was thinking that maybe you felt like you weren’t trusted enough with the secret.” He paused and once again and that sweetness about him made Chesney want to curl up against him. She looked down at the afghan, poked her fingers through some of the bigger loops of yarn. “I want you to know Chez, that I didn’t know anything about their relationship until my sophomore year of college. And I know, because Grace told me herself, that she intended to share the secret with you. I don’t believe she wanted anyone else in the family to know. But I do know that Grace not only trusted you, she was excited to share it with you.”

Chesney looked up at Dalton and smiled. “Thank you for that,” she said softly.

“And there’s something else,” Dalton said. “I never told this to anyone else, Chez. I didn’t think it would make anyone feel any better about anything. But I’m trusting you today. I trust that I can tell you this and you will never repeat it.”

She studied him for a long moment. What was on his mind? And did she really want to keep some kind of secret from everyone else? “Who is involved in this secret?” she finally asked.

“Your family,” Dalton said.

Hmm. What in the world is going on here?

“Again, I want to stress to you Chesney that I chose never to tell this to anyone because it would only bring about more pain. So if you aren’t comfortable with my wish to keep it confidential, then I will continue to keep this information to myself.”

“Okay,” Chesney cleared her throat, swallowed hard, felt unbelievably anxious. “Okay, Dalton. I trust your judgment. If you want this to be in confidence, I respect your decision.” She sat back, halfway fearing what might leave those beautiful lips.

“A few years ago, I decided to search for your grandfather,” Dalton said in a low voice. “I made that decision because I knew that my grandfather loved your grandmother. I knew that he wanted to marry her. But of course, the issue of her marriage to Richard Blake was a constant road block. No one seemed to know anything about the guy. He just disappeared one day. As you know, he left Grace and your dad. He left his parents and extended family. He just kinda vanished.”

Chesney held her breath. Did she want to know what happened to her grandfather? What if he was still around? Living a totally different life? Maybe married to someone else even though, in the eyes of the court, it wouldn’t be a legal union? Hadn’t she spent years and years of her life being angry with a man she never knew? A face she never saw? Was it actually possible to finally put that old family tragedy to bed?

“There were problems from that start with Grace and Richard Blake. From what I gather, he was quite a boozer,” Dalton said. “He was never one to work very hard or very long. He was a drifter, especially after he left your grandmother. From what I dug up, he apparently loved Grace. In fact, he loved her very much. But her family never approved of him. They didn’t shy away from letting Richard know that he wasn’t good enough for Grace. So when Richard left, he intended to start over somewhere new. Right away, he not only left Grace with a baby to raise on her own, he left the state of Indiana.” Dalton paused, took a sip of his coffee and studied Chesney’s face.

He saw anticipation and anxiety in her eyes. “Richard Blake ended up in Texas. I don’t have exact dates about how long he had lived there. He was working as a hired hand on a huge cattle ranch. According to the documentation I was able to see, your grandfather was involved in a bar fight. He stabbed a guy, killed him, actually. And then he died in prison. If the dates were close to being correct, I would guess that your father would have been maybe thirteen years old when Richard went to prison. He died a year or so later. They didn’t list a cause of death. They just found him dead one day in his cell and that was that. A long time ago, long before you were in the world, of course. And long before my grandfather loved your grandmother.”

Chesney dropped her head and rubbed her temples with her fingers. She closed her eyes.

Richard Blake, her long lost grandfather, a murderer who died in a Texas prison. Gratitude filled her mind as she looked across the couch at Dalton. “Thank you for never telling that truth,” Chesney said in a shaky voice. “That kind of news would have shamed Grace and destroyed my father.” She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her flannel pajamas. “Thank you so much for sparing them that kind of pain.”

Dalton nodded, still staring at her.

“What?” she asked. “Do you want me to tell you out loud? Yes Dalton, I promise to never, ever tell another soul that my grandfather committed a homicide and died in a Texas prison. I absolutely promise to never ever share that truth.”

“So how does it change your life now to know about Grace and my grandfather?” he asked. “Do you still think you’re cursed in some way?”

“Umm, I guess not,” she shrugged. “I don’t think about it that much.”

Liar. Big fat liar.

“How’s your work going?” Dalton asked. “And by the way, if I am intruding or preventing you from working, please just tell me. And I’ll get going.”

Chesney peeked out the parlor window. “I see more snow and stronger winds. I am not exactly sure, but I would say it is highly doubtful that you can go anywhere tonight, Mr. Moore.”

Oh, thank you God for sending a big blizzard. You are helping my love life immensely.

“So you’re saying that I need to stay for the night? With you?” Dalton asked.

“Well yes. You would stay with me. But not actually with me. I mean, yes, you can stay here. Overnight. Of course you can.”

“Overnight. With you?” He was staring at her with absolutely no expression on his face. “So you are inviting me? Is that it? You’re inviting me to stay with you? Overnight?”

“Umm, yes,” Chesney nodded. “Yes you are welcome to stay. You will stay in the guest bedroom.”

“Ah, yes,” he nodded and smiled. “Okay, now I have a much better understanding.”  Then he started to laugh. “Had you goin’ there for a minute, though, right?”

“Okay, well, that’s um, it’s important for that to be all cleared up,” Chesney stood and nervously folded the afghan. “I haven’t had a bite to eat all day. So why don’t we scrounge around in the kitchen? The soup I’m making won’t be ready until later. Are you, by any chance, a fan of peanut butter and jelly on wheat bread?”

While Chesney made the sandwiches, Dalton allowed Blossom to venture a few steps out on the snow-covered porch to relieve herself. She appeared to enjoy the horrible winds about as much as her owner and hurried back in the door as soon as she did her business. While Chesney stood by the backdoor, eating her sandwich and watching the snow fall steadily, Dalton leaned against the kitchen counter, slowly stirring a fresh cup of coffee.

“He saw forever when he looked into her eyes,” he said.

His voice startled Chesney. He paused a moment, careful not to look at her before he finished reciting the paragraph. He braced himself. Maybe she would burst out laughing. Maybe she would run hysterically from the kitchen. No matter what, Dalton knew he had to follow through. “He never dreamed her love would fit so nicely inside his heart. But somehow it rested there so peacefully...as if it was always meant to be.”

Chesney felt paralyzed. She blinked, unsure of how to react. Should she turn around? Could she turn around? Why was Dalton doing this? She had to remind herself to breathe.

“He knew he would never meet another magic like the one she wound around his heart...” Dalton continued.

Silence filled the space between them. For a long moment, Chesney could not move or speak. Dalton stayed there at the counter, calmly stirring his coffee.

“That's umm…that’s a paragraph from my last book...” Chesney said softly. Then she forced herself to turn around and face him. Her eyes questioned his. What was he doing?

“Yes,” Dalton finally said. “I’ve been reading your books.”

She had never dated a man who even asked about her career. Not one man had ever wanted to hear about her work, much less read one of her books. Jack Ass, for example, never knew and never cared when Chesney’s books hit the best seller lists. Jack viewed her work as a cute little hobby, something Chesney did to keep herself busy when he wasn’t around. But here was a man who cared enough to actually sit down and read her books. He didn’t only read them; he memorized a few lines from one of them. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t have any idea what Dalton was trying to do.

“You write beautifully,” he said. “I loved all of your books. All of them are wonderful, tender love stories.”

“Thank you,” she managed. She wanted to tell Dalton how much it meant to her that he took the time to read her books. She wanted to splutter on and on about how much she loved to write and how happy she was when she could lock herself in her office alone, for days on end. She wanted to share with him that characters often created themselves in the middle of the night and became a part of her. But she said nothing. She couldn't say anything but thank you.

Dalton slowly walked across the kitchen toward her. She wished she was wearing a lovely ball gown or maybe a sassy little sundress. She wished she was wearing a sexy pair of jeans. Damn it. She wished she was wearing anything but these horrible, unattractive flannel pajamas. He was definitely walking across the kitchen toward her. To do what? To hug her? To kiss her? To suddenly decide to undress her? Immediately, Chesney’s body filled with heat. His eyes never left hers as Dalton walked closer and closer. When he was standing near enough to put his arms around her, he stopped.

“He wanted her to know how she affected his heart,” Dalton said softly as he reached out. His hand rested on her hair and his fingers slowly raked through her long tresses. He had loved those beautiful copper-colored curls since the day he laid eyes on her. Dalton leaned closer, to breathe in the scent of her beautiful hair. “He wasn't sure there were words to tell her what he felt when she smiled in his direction.” Dalton said softly, still perfectly quoting the book, word for word. His fingertips slipped out of her hair and down the sides of Chesney’s neck. When he gently unbuttoned two buttons on the flannel shirt, Chesney thought she might faint. Dalton slowly pulled the fabric to the side, which easily revealed her bare shoulder. His lips pressed to her bare skin made Chesney tremble. “He wanted to explain how time stopped when he looked into her eyes,” Dalton whispered.

Barely touching her neck with his tongue, Dalton nipped softly at her shoulder. He had seen this moment a hundred times in his head. Each time, he feared that Chesney would reject him. That she wouldn’t only turn away, she would run away. But she wasn’t moving. Her eyes were closed and her face and neck were flushed. She groaned, ever so softly. When Dalton felt her body shiver under his touch, his heart nearly beat right out of his chest. God, he wanted her. He had loved her for so long. He had waited and hoped and prayed for this moment. Prayed for this chance, just one chance, to make Chesney feel safe enough to stay in his arms. Safe enough to give her heart to him.