Love So Unexpected (The Lawson Brothers Book 6) (8 page)

“Seriously, Caleb, did you go in my diary? This kitchen is
perfecto
!”

She
was perfect.

With a playful smile, she marched to him, holding something in her hand. “Open,” she ordered softly, and his mouth parted. “You will love this, I promise.”

He closed his lips around her offering, connecting with her fingertips. As the salty concoction hit his tongue, he sucked on her skin, and then pulled back a little. “Delicious.”

She cocked her head to one side. “Are you sure?”

“I always mean what I say.”

With a satisfied smile, she whirled away from him, her dress flaring out at the bottom. “Dinner will be ready at five-thirty.”

As he watched her sashay into the kitchen, he realized he was falling for a woman he knew wouldn’t stay. Hell, he hadn’t even properly kissed her.

Maybe he should fix that tonight.

A
fter the best dinner he’d ever eaten, Caleb insisted on clearing the table and washing dishes. Sofia protested, but he got her to see things his way when he poured her a glass of wine.

He grinned. It was nice taking care of her like that.

Since Sofia was the type to clean as she went, there wasn’t much for him to do, and he finished rather quickly.

“I think I like your system,” she said as he joined her in the living room. “I cook, you clean.”

“Way it should be.”

She eyed him, her dark brown gaze roaming over him. “You’d be surprised how often it is not.”

“Not really. I have brothers.”

“From what I hear, they’re not your average guys.”

Caleb sat beside her on the love seat, so close their thighs almost touched. “If what you’re hearing is coming from my mother, then I have to inform you that she’s biased. Extremely so.”

“As a mother should be.” With a thick sigh, she laid her head on his shoulder. Man, she felt good—so good that he refused to move a muscle. “I think your parents are lonely.”

He glanced down at her. “What makes you think that?”

“Dinah said she enjoyed having a young person in the house again.”

“She has grandchildren. They come over all the time.” Well, they came over as much as their parents brought them. Everyone had full lives, including his parents, and he knew from all of their complaints that scheduling conflicts happened a lot.

“That’s not the same as someone being there, day in and day out. Your parents are busy people; they’re active in the community, but in my family, the grandparents are special. A son or daughter either moves in with them, or moves them in to their household.”

“No way would my parents give up their house or freedom.”

“I understand, and I’m not criticizing, nor am I saying you should give up your house. I’m only sharing what I see and hear.”

The way she cared about his parents made his head spin a little. His family was truly his greatest weakness and one of his greatest strengths. “That means a lot to me. The thing is, one day, I’ll eventually move back home. I’m the Lawson who farms, and every Lawson who runs the farm has lived in that house. The only reason why I bought this one was so that I could have something of my own for a little while.”

She placed a hand on his arm, still leaning against his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said softly. “I’m just tired of being the Lawson they all pity.”

This time, she tipped up her chin, a question in her eyes. He braced for it. “Why would they pity you?”

He wanted to tell her about Iris, about the baby ... everything ... but then she would look at him the same as everyone else. Call him selfish, but he wanted time with Sofia to be free of his past ... and he wanted her to view him as a man.

“Because I haven’t settled down.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you telling me you’re the wild Lawson?”

He laughed. “That would be my brother, Elijah. He’s a pilot. Travels the world. No telling where he is right now. Could be South Korea, could be Alaska.”

“Have they considered that maybe you haven’t found the right woman yet?” she asked. He liked how she tagged on that
yet
, because it meant she saw him.

“I’m not sure exactly. I don’t share my business with them,” he admitted. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty quiet.”

Her pretty eyes widened. “I haven’t noticed at all. Since the day I met you, you’ve talked my ear off.”

“Smart tail,” he chided.

“Doesn’t bother me if you’re quiet.”

He dipped his head. “Why is that?”

“’Cause I don’t need you to talk in order to know what you want. It’s pretty obvious.”

“Oh really?” he asked, and she nodded. “What about right now? What do I want?”

She licked her bottom lip slowly. “To kiss me.”

“Is that a fact?” His voice got all low and rumbly.

Her chin tipped up higher. So close.
So damn close.
“It’s that obvious.”

Slowly, he touched the side of her face with the tips of his fingers. “I’d hate to prove a lady wrong, but...”

He kissed her then. Brushed his lips across hers softly so that if she wasn’t of the same mind, she could tell him so.

“Do that again,” she ordered.

He smiled against her mouth. “Yes, ma’am.”

She melted against him, even as he slid his hand halfway around the back of her neck, caressing the side of her face with his thumb. Deepening the kiss, he teased her mouth open and groaned when her tongue touched his. She tasted like sweet wine. His imagination didn’t begin to do the reality of their first kiss justice.

Damn, it had been too long since he’d kissed a woman like this.

Her hand gently grabbed his wrist, but not to push him away. Instead, she glided her hand up his arm, and then back down again.

Desire hit him hard and sudden.

He broke their kiss, dragging in air. “I’ve been wanting to do that since our first date.”

She searched his face. “I’m glad you didn’t wait any longer.”

“Just glad?”

“I don’t want to hurt you, or get myself hurt either, Caleb.” He could hear the sincerity in her voice, but it still stung.

“Look, I get that you’re set on leaving, but until you do, I’d like to be the man in your life. The only one. I don’t do temporary, but I think you’re worth whatever time you’ll give me.”

Her mouth went slack. “You can’t be real.”

“Afraid so, sweetheart. What do you say?” he asked.

***

S
he’d said yes. God help her, she’d said yes to Caleb so fast that
her
head had spun around like a top. However, she wouldn’t regret it. She couldn’t regret something so sweet and sensual. That kiss had gotten to her.
He’d
gotten to her.

Caleb had said exactly what she needed to hear, but she couldn’t dwell on that.

Sofia focused on the bulletin board in the Piggly Wiggly where local jobs were posted. So far, no dice.

Maybe Wednesday was a bad day to come. Later in the week, she come by here and try again.

“Fancy seeing you again.”

Sofia sliced her gaze to the woman she’d met the first time she’d driven into town. “Apricot, right?”

The woman’s lips thinned. “Apple McCoy.”

Snapping her fingers, Sofia shook her head. “That’s right. Sorry. I’m terrible with names.” Actually, she wasn’t terrible with names at all, but something about Apple rubbed her the wrong way. A small part of her felt guilty because she knew she was judging her on appearance, but the rest of her bristled at the way Apple spoke to her.

“Is there something specific you’re looking for—plane, train, or automobile. I’m sure there are Ubers somewhere around that could take you the rest of the way.” Apple gave her a sunny smile, but Sofia wasn’t fooled. She also didn’t think Apple was trying to fool her either.

“Not yet. My stay here has been extended.” Sofia waved a hand in the air, just like she’d seen Dinah do. “You know how those unexpected things happen.”

“I do indeed.” Apple adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “How are you liking Jessamine?”

“What I’ve seen of it is beautiful, but I haven’t had a chance to get into town much. Too much to do on the Lawson farm.”

Apple sucked in a breath. “You work there?”

“Actually, I live there. My mother and Dinah Lawson were old college roommates. It’s like fate brought me here.”

“Sounds like something my readers would love to know more about.”

Sofia bet they would. “Then they can ask me.” She spun around, intending to walk away, but Apple grabbed her shoulder.

“What exactly are your intentions with Caleb Lawson?”

Slowly, Sofia turned around. “Why exactly are my intentions with anyone your business?”

“Because I don’t want to see him hurt by a woman who plans on leaving.”

“I think he’s man enough to handle me.”

Apple’s mouth twisted. “That’s not in question, but his heart ... his mind, there’s not enough pieces of him left to share.”

Anger rose, making her cheeks burn. “Just because you couldn’t hold on to him doesn’t mean I can’t.”

A peal of laughter left Apple’s mouth. “I’m not the one you’ll have to compete with.” She shook her head. “You don’t know, do you?”

Sofia considered lying, but her curiosity got the better of her. “Know what?”

“That Iris will always own every bit of him, no matter how much he says otherwise.”

The grocery store seemed to tilt. Music playing in the background faded away. Signs became blurry. “Who’s Iris?” she croaked.

Apple tsked. “I have said too much.”

“Tell me.”
Please don’t let him be married.

“Fine,” Apple said, drawing out the word. “Iris is his wife. He goes to see her every Wednesday.”

C
aleb stood at Iris’s grave, a fresh bouquet in his hand. He took out the old ones and placed the new ones in the vase.

“I met someone,” he confessed. “You would like her, I think. She’s ah ... I like her. Maybe more than like her.”

The wind blew, ruffling his hair. For a moment, he slipped back into his grief and pretended it was Iris touching him.

“Can’t keep doing that,” he mumbled, then cleared his throat. “Sofia—that’s her name—is exactly what I need. She doesn’t mind when I’m quiet, and she likes to cook. Back home, she used to be a chef in fancy restaurants that the two of us couldn’t afford.”

He laughed a little, then got quiet and sat down on the bench beside her grave. He felt like he owed Iris by coming here every Wednesday. Her parents had long since moved away, their grief for their daughter too overwhelming to stay in Jessamine.

They still visited her grave, just not as often as he did, but she’d been his wife.

“We tease each other a lot, and I got Old Blue working for her. Remember when we drove that truck down to the beach and got it stuck? Should’ve known the sand was too soft for two-wheel drive.”

There was a light touch on his shoulder, and he jerked his head around. Sofia stood there, tears in her beautiful brown eyes.

“Hey, uh...” he began, unable to find the words to finish his explanation.

“I didn’t mean to disturb you. Thought I could sit with you and pay my respects.” Without waiting for him to say otherwise, she sat and grabbed his hand, squeezing once before letting go.

“How did you know I was here?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“While I was driving around, I saw your truck from the road.” She sighed thickly. “Apple said you visited your wife every Wednesday. This wasn’t what I imagined.”

“It wasn’t what I imagined either,” he said honestly.

Sofia’s gaze flicked to the headstone. “She was so young.”

“We both were.” He clenched his jaw, unwilling to let those awful memories into the forefront of his mind. “She suffered from seizures. Had one while she was driving to the ... driving to town ... and hit a tree. Her heart couldn’t take it. I got to say goodbye though.”

“How?”

“Happened upon the accident.”

Sofia’s lips trembled. “I found my mother. She’d died of a brain aneurysm. One minute we were on the phone, and then the next, the line went dead. Or so I thought. I ran the entire way home from school because I felt something was wrong.” She touched her chest. “Turns out I was right. There was nothing anyone could have done. It was a freak thing.”

“That’s what I was told about Iris, but I’m not so sure about that.”

“Quit beating yourself up. It’s not only useless, it’s not fair to you or her memory.”

He looked at Sofia in wonder. Her eyes were empathetic. “You’re the first person to put it like that.”

“That’s because I know what it’s like to lose the most important person in your life.”

His chest got tight, and a lump grew in his throat. Somehow, they both reached for each other’s hands at the same time, their fingers lacing together.

They sat there for a long time, not saying a word, while the wind blew and birds sang. The sun rose higher in the sky, until the only shade was directly under the trees in the cemetery.

But Sofia didn’t move, so neither did he.

“I’m glad you know. Just wish I’d been the one to tell you.” But he couldn’t tell Sofia about the baby. He wasn’t ready for that, and since no one knew but his dad, he didn’t have to worry about her finding out before he was ready to share. Honestly, he didn’t know if he’d ever be ready to share.

Except after today, he knew he was one day closer.

The next morning, Caleb was drinking coffee at Walter’s Feed and Seed while the more seasoned farmers discussed crops, weather, and politics. He didn’t participate all that much, choosing to listen instead.

“Had to destroy the entire field,” one said, and the other men commiserated. It was a well-known fact that if one crop cross-pollinated with another crop that was grown from seed via AgriCorp, the crop had to be destroyed, under penalty of law. Since not a single farmer he knew relished paying hefty fines, they chose to burn their fields instead.

Farming was expensive. They couldn’t even replant extra seed from the year before due to the deals that were made with Big Agriculture. So, quite a few families in the area pooled their resources to help defray the cost. They all agreed that no one, least of all in Washington, were looking out for the family farms.