The Manning Grooms (9 page)

And couldn’t.

He tried to ignore the fragrance of wildflowers that whispered through her hair whenever she moved her head.

And didn’t.

He tried, but failed.

Everything went fairly well for the first few minutes. At least he wasn’t stepping on her feet. Then Jason realized their feet weren’t moving and they were staring at each other more than they were dancing. Gazing at each other with starry-eyed wonder.

He shifted his hand upward, wanting to lessen the feeling of intimacy, but his fingers inadvertently grazed the skin of her upper back.

Either he kissed her now or he’d regret it the rest of the night. Either he continued the pretense or confessed openly to how vulnerable she made him feel.

He brought her closer to him. He could feel her heart
racing, echoing his own. Once he kissed her, he knew there’d be no stopping. Not this time.

He lowered his head ever so slightly and waited.

Charlotte sighed, closed her eyes and lifted her mouth enticingly to his. He suspected she was unconscious of what she was doing, what she was seeking.

Frankly, Jason didn’t care. He was so hungry for the taste of her, nothing mattered. His mouth found hers and he groaned. Charlotte did, too.

He hadn’t touched her in days, wanting to give her time, give himself time to define the boundaries of their relationship. It had been too long. He felt so needy he trembled.

The kiss was long, slow, deliberate.

Slowly, reluctantly dragging his mouth from hers, he created a small distance between them. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and met his.

“Jason?”

“I want you, Charlotte.” He couldn’t be any plainer than that. “I need you.”

Emotion flickered in her gaze. Was it fear? Pain? Jason found it impossible to tell.

“Do you want to stop?” His hands were in her hair. By the time she lifted her mouth from his, Jason was melting with a need so powerful it throbbed within him.

Charlotte sighed into the hollow of his throat. “Jason, will you be angry with me?”

He saw the emotions assailing her, but noted the
dignified way in which she tilted her chin and the proud squaring of her shoulders.

“No, I won’t be angry.”

She relaxed. Visibly. “Didn’t you tell me you made dinner reservations for seven-thirty?”

“Yes.” He recognized her fear and tried to ignore his own disappointment.

Self-conscious now, Charlotte broke away, quietly adjusting her clothes, then retrieved her evening bag. It wasn’t until she looked up at him that he saw the anguish in her eyes.

He didn’t know what her ex-husband—he assumed it was her ex-husband—had done. Her gaze linked with his, regret and misery so evident it was all he could do not to reach for her again. To comfort, not to kiss. To offer her solace, not passion.

Now, more than ever, Jason was determined to discover how her ex-husband had hurt her so badly. Determined to help her recover and teach her how beautiful love could be.

Charlotte was shaken to her very core. The intensity of their kisses had grown fervent and passionate, near the point of no return. If she’d given him the least bit of encouragement, he would have carried her into the bedroom.

For one wild moment, she’d been tempted to let him. Then the haze of desire had faded enough for sanity to return.

She felt grateful that Jason had allowed her to regain
her senses, had given her the option to stop or proceed. Not like Tom…

Charlotte was jarred by this latest exchange even more than the other times Jason had held her and kissed her.

He’d almost made her forget.

Since her divorce, Charlotte had been content in her own small, secure world. The world she’d so carefully constructed for herself and Carrie. It had been the two of them, prevailing against all odds, forging a life together. The borders of her world had been narrow and confining, but Charlotte had made peace with that, had accepted its limitations.

Then a series of events had thrown her into confusion. It had all started at the baby shower for her friend Kathy Crenshaw. Charlotte had held the newborn in her arms and the longing she’d managed to ignore all these years had struck her full-force.

Shortly afterward she’d met Jason, and her life hadn’t been the same since.

Because of Jason, she’d recognized how restricted her world had become. How limited. If that wasn’t enough, he’d shown her glimpses of a life she’d never dared hope existed. He’d taught her to dream, to believe in the impossible.

Almost.

After a protracted farewell to Higgins, they went out to the parking lot. Jason opened the car door and helped her inside, then stood in the fresh air for several minutes, hands in his coat pockets. He closed his eyes and turned his face toward the night sky.

Charlotte knew it was difficult for a man to cut the lovemaking off as abruptly as they’d done. He needed a few minutes to compose himself.

She watched him as he climbed into the car. He hesitated after inserting the key into the ignition and smiled over at her. “Ready?”

Charlotte nodded. “Are you…all right?”

“Never finer,” he assured her, then clasped her hand to kiss her knuckles.

J
ason Manning was a romantic. Beneath that I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude was a tenderness and warmth that left Charlotte feeling like a starry-eyed adolescent. The candlelight dinner at an elegant cliffside restaurant had been wonderful. There he’d given her a fragrant rosebud corsage that was so lovely, it had brought tears to her eyes.

The dance had been the best part of their evening. They’d had a delightful time, despite being surrounded by ninth-graders and forced to endure an earsplitting mixture of songs.

Jason and Charlotte had discovered early on that they weren’t going to be able to dance to rap music. After a number of hilarious attempts, they’d given up. Several of their efforts had left Charlotte laughing so hard, her ribs ached.

Jason had been equally amused, and after their unsuccessful attempts to blend in with the kids, he’d reached
for Charlotte, guiding her into his arms. She’d draped her wrists loosely around his neck and he placed his hands on her hips. Then they’d invented their own dance….

Although Charlotte knew Carrie had risked her “cool” status, her daughter had come to her, eyes bright with excitement, to confess it wasn’t so bad having her mother chaperone a dance, after all.

After the dance, while Carrie and Brad attended the nearby party, Charlotte and Jason sat outside in the schoolyard, gazing at the stars, laughing and kissing. Not the passionate, soul-deep kisses of earlier, but tender, sweet ones. By the end of the evening the barriers surrounding her heart had started to crumble.

Charlotte and Carrie came home at a respectable hour, their heads filled with romance. With barely a word, they wandered off to bed, passing each other like sleepwalkers in the hall.

Several hours later, Charlotte, unable to sleep, wrapped her memories around her like a cloak. Not since her own schooldays had she been more at ease with a man. In the space of one evening, she’d come to realize—without doubt, fear or regret—that she was deeply in love with Jason Manning.

After an hour of savoring every moment, she found she could finally sleep, knowing she’d be with him the next morning when he picked her up for the game.

“You ready, Mom?” Carrie called happily from the kitchen. It was shortly after ten. “Jason’ll be here any minute.”

Charlotte sucked in her stomach and zipped up her skinny jeans. Then she reached for a clean sweatshirt and tossed it over her head. Jason was already in the kitchen, checking the contents of the picnic basket, when she sauntered in from her bedroom. Her heart did a little dance when she saw him.

“Good morning.” She felt shy, and couldn’t explain it.

He turned around and their eyes met before he sent her a wide smile. “’Morning.”

Charlotte opened the refrigerator and withdrew a six-pack of diet soda to add to the cooler.

“Is that all I get—just a friendly ‘good morning’?” he asked, keeping his voice low so Carrie wouldn’t hear.

“What else do you want?”

“You should know the answer to that. I swear, Charlotte, leaving you last night was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” He slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his face in the slope of her neck.

Charlotte twisted around and stared up at him. “It was?”

“The only thing that got me through it was knowing I’d be with you again this morning.” He lowered his mouth to hers, and she parted her lips. The kiss was slow and deep and hot.

“Honestly, you two are getting ridiculous,” Carrie said from behind Charlotte. “Even Higgins thinks so.” At the last minute, Carrie had convinced her they should bring the dog. Charlotte wasn’t sure he was healed enough to run around the park, but Carrie had phoned Jason and he’d felt it would be all right.

“You ready?” Jason asked, picking up the wicker basket, his hand around Charlotte’s waist as though, even now, it was difficult to let her go.

“
I’ve
been ready for the last ten minutes,” Carrie said pointedly, holding Higgins’s leash and leading him to Jason’s car.

On the ride across town, Jason put on a CD and the three of them sang along with Bon Jovi. But as they pulled into the massive parking lot, Jason’s voice stopped abruptly.

“What’s wrong?” Charlotte asked.

“Nothing for you to worry about.” He tried to reassure her with a smile, but she wasn’t so easily fooled. She glanced around, wondering what could possibly be amiss. She couldn’t imagine, unless it was a vehicle he happened to recognize.

“I’m going to take Higgins for a walk,” Carrie announced as soon as she’d climbed out of the backseat. Charlotte knew her daughter was eager to show off the dog to Ryan, Ronnie and the other children.

When Jason was opening the trunk of his car and removing his softball equipment, Charlotte spoke.

“Is there someone here you’d rather I not meet? An old girlfriend, a former lover?”

He turned and his gaze met hers. He smiled, a smile that started with his eyes and worked its way down to his mouth. “Nothing quite so dramatic. My parents are here.”

“I see,” she said. “You’d rather I wasn’t with you.”

“No,” he said vehemently, and she realized he wanted her with him as much as she wanted to be. A
rugged sigh followed his response. “I don’t like the idea of you having to endure another inquisition.”

“I’m a big girl.”

“You don’t know my mother.”

“I’d like to, though,” Charlotte assured him. She couldn’t help thinking Jason’s parents must be exceptional people, to have raised such a wonderful family. Before meeting the Manning clan, she’d known so little of what it meant to be part of a family, one in which everyone supported and encouraged one another. Where joys were shared and grief divided. All her life, Charlotte had been on the outside looking in, yearning for that special bond.

“They’re going to drive you crazy with questions,” he said grimly.

“Don’t worry about it. I know how to be evasive. You forget, I’m the mother of a teenage daughter.”

Jason’s laugh was automatic. He grinned over at her, tossed a baseball bat over one shoulder and reached for her hand, linking their fingers. Linking them in a way that would dissolve any doubts.

Charlotte’s heart sang with a joy that radiated from her heart.

They strolled casually, hand in hand, across the freshly mowed lawn. Jason’s steps slowed as they approached the playing field.

Charlotte glanced up to find his eyes on her. “I just pray I can keep from hitting a home run,” he whispered.

Charlotte laughed as they walked toward the older
couple talking with Paul and Rich. Jason made the introductions and Charlotte smiled warmly and held her hand out to his parents.

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you,” she said confidently. “After getting to know Jason and his brothers, I can’t help thinking you two must be very special people.”

Jason waited a restless twenty-four hours for the summons. It arrived Sunday morning, disguised as an invitation to dinner at his parents’ house that same evening. Jason, however, wasn’t fooled. His mother intended to feed him, but he knew he’d be obliged to sing for his supper.

He showed up promptly at six and was pleased to see that his mother had gone to the trouble of preparing all his favorites. Homemade rolls hot from the oven. Crispy fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh-picked peas. A molded gelatin salad rested in the center of the dining-room table.

Jason had always been a meat-and-potatoes man, unless he had to cook for himself, which unfortunately he did most evenings. His eating habits were atrocious and he knew it. A homemade dinner like this was a rare treat.

“We don’t see nearly enough of you,” his mother said, as the three of them sat down at the table.

Jason noted that she’d set out her best china and silverware, as well as linen napkins and a matching tablecloth. This was going to be a heavy-duty interrogation.
And it didn’t look as if he had much chance of escaping before his mother ferreted out the information she wanted.

His father handed him the platter of chicken and Jason thought he might have read sympathy in his eyes.

“Generally, when your brothers are here for dinner, I get so involved with the grandchildren,” his mother said conversationally. “You and I don’t have much of a chance to talk.”

“We talk,” Jason said, reaching for the rolls and adding three to his plate, along with a thick slab of butter and a spoonful of strawberry preserves. His mother would have to wait for her information while he enjoyed his dinner.

“Gravy, son?”

“Thanks, Dad.” A look of understanding passed between them.

“I hardly know what’s going on in your life these days,” his mother continued, undaunted. “I haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays.”

“That’s not true, Elizabeth. Jason was over two weeks ago. Now, let the boy eat. You can drill him about Charlotte later.”

His father was nothing if not direct. His mother didn’t even pretend to be affronted; she simply sighed and nodded. “If you insist.”

“I do,” his father muttered, ladling gravy over a modest pile of mashed potatoes. He set the gravy boat aside and shook his head. “I don’t understand you, Elizabeth. You’ve been half starving me for months, claiming we’ve got to start eating healthier. I’ve been
eating salads and fish and broiled chicken. Now
this.
I’m beginning to feel like it’s my last dinner before facing the executioner.”

“This is Jason’s favorite dinner!” Elizabeth declared righteously.

“Don’t be fooled, son,” Eric Manning said, his elbows on the table. “Your mother’s after something big this time.”

“Eric!”

“Sorry, dear,” Jason’s father said contritely, then winked at him.

If his mouth hadn’t been full of homemade bread, Jason would have laughed. His mother was in quite a mood. His father, too, but he was well aware of the love they shared. They had the kind of relationship he’d always hoped to have with a woman himself. For the first time in his life, he felt that might be possible.

They ate in relative silence with short discourses from Jason as he answered their questions about the veterinary hospital and his practice. He noticed how carefully his mother steered away from the subject of Charlotte and his social life.

No sooner had Jason and his father cleared the table than his mother brought out a deep-dish apple pie. Even the dessert was Jason’s favorite.

While she dished up heaping bowlfuls and added ice cream, his father poured coffee.

“Now, Eric?” she asked, looking expectantly toward her husband.

“If you insist.”

Jason glanced from his mother to his father, realizing his reprieve was about to end.

“I most certainly do. Jason,” she said, shifting her attention to him, “as you probably know, your father and I are curious about you and Charlotte.
Very
curious.”

“Yeah, I had that impression.”

“We both liked her very much.”

“She’s a likable person,” Jason said.

“How’d you meet her?”

He finished his pie, tipping the bowl on its side and spooning up the last of the melted ice cream. When he was convinced he’d gotten every drop, he wiped his mouth with the napkin, set it aside and reached for his coffee.

“She lives in the apartment complex.”

“Widowed?”

“Divorced.” He wasn’t going to volunteer any more information than necessary.

“Are you in love with her?”

His mother was going for the jugular. Jason supposed she was entitled to the truth, since she’d gone to so much trouble with this dinner.

“Yes.” The reaction he received was definitely satisfying. His mother’s eyes grew huge, and she glanced excitedly at his father.

“I thought as much,” she murmured.

“It’s obvious the boy’s in love, Elizabeth. I told you so, didn’t I?”

“But it makes all the difference in the world that he’s willing to admit it himself.”

“Charlotte means a lot to me,” Jason added without hesitation.

“Are you going to marry her?” His mother’s voice had a breathless, hopeful quality.

Jason sipped his coffee. He was in love with Charlotte, no question. He woke in the morning and his first thoughts were of her. When he went to bed at night, she was there in his mind, following him into sleep. His whole day was focused on when he’d see her again. Kiss her again.

“Jason?” his mother urged.

“Yes, I’m sure I’ll eventually marry Charlotte.”

“Hot damn.” His father slapped the table.

“Oh, Jason, I couldn’t be happier.” His mother dabbed the corners of her eyes with a napkin. “I’m so pleased,” she said with a sniffle, reaching for her husband’s hand.

“I’m happy you two are so happy.” Jason hadn’t talked about marriage with Charlotte yet, but he’d do that in due course. They were still beginning to know each other, feel comfortable together. By next summer at just about this time, they’d be ready to take such a monumental step.

“Now this is important, son,” his father said, his eyes serious. “Your mother and I want your word that you’re not going to do what your sisters and Rich and Paul did. In other words, don’t marry Charlotte without the family being there.”

Elizabeth backed her husband up. “I’ve waited all
these years for a family wedding and I refuse to be cheated out of my last chance. Do you understand me, Jason?”

“Don’t worry,” Jason said calmly. “When Charlotte and I get married, we’ll do it up big, just for you. The whole nine yards.”

“A reception, with a dinner and dance?” His mother’s eyes implored him.

“As long as Charlotte agrees, and I’m sure she will. She enjoys that sort of thing.”

“But will she mind…my helping with the arrangements?”

Jason shrugged. “My guess is she’d welcome it. She doesn’t have any family of her own, you know.”

“Personally, I don’t care if your mother has her hand in the arrangements or not,” his father muttered. “I just want to be sure you aren’t going to marry Charlotte behind our backs.”

“I already promised I wouldn’t.” Still, given their family’s history, Jason could understand his parents’ skepticism.

“So I have your word on this?” his mother asked anxiously.