Honeysuckle Summer (The Sweet Magnolias #7)(74)

“And the rest?”

Now that the door had been opened, she might as well be completely honest. “The rest of me is scared of wanting you too much.”

His mouth curved. “Is there such a thing?”

“Typical male,” she accused, then explained, “Wanting something—someone—this much is new to me.”

“You were obviously in love with your husband at one time.”

“I was a teenager with stars in my eyes. Believe me, that feeling died in a hurry. This is different. It feels real and full of possibilities.”

“You’re being very careful to avoid putting a label on it,” he noted.

She grinned. “Yes, I am.” Because if she called it what she thought it was—love—the stakes of getting it wrong would increase a thousandfold.

He studied her intently. “Is this really about the emotions, or is it about the intimacy?” he asked.

“Both,” she conceded. “Don’t you remember what happened a few weeks ago when you put your arm around me?”

He waved off the incident. “I took you by surprise, that’s all. I’ve kissed you since then and you were fine with it. In fact, I’d say it went very well.”

“Very well,” she agreed.

“And just the other day, you reached out to me. It’s obvious, to me anyway, that you’re starting to trust me not to do anything you don’t want me to do.”

“I do trust you,” she said. “But I can’t predict when all those ingrained fears are likely to kick in. What if it happens at the wrong moment? Talk about a mood killer.”

He studied her intently, then asked, “Do you feel as if I’m pressuring you for sex?”

“No, absolutely not. You’ve been wonderful. You’ve been incredibly patient, but come on, Carter. Every man expects to have sex sooner or later with the woman he’s seeing.”

“Hopes for,” he corrected. “And I do want you, but there’s no rush, Raylene. When it comes to that, you’re in charge of the timetable.”

Raylene regarded him with a sense of wonder. “Do you have any idea how amazing you are?”

His lips twitched. “Maybe I’m one of those fully evolved men you women are always hoping to find.”

“You are,” she concurred. “I’m so lucky you came into my life.”

He shook his head. “I’m the lucky one.” He hesitated, then asked, “Can I tell you something?”

She nodded. “Of course. Anything.”

“I used to basically roar through life, dating any woman who appealed to me, never thinking for a minute about the next day or the next week, much less the future. I didn’t have the patience to stay with any woman for long. I got bored pretty easily.”

“In other words, you were a typical bachelor,” she said.

“Pretty much,” he agreed. “And then my folks died. Not only was that devastating and a huge wake-up call that life doesn’t last forever, but I suddenly had this huge responsibility. It was overwhelming.”

“But you’ve coped with it,” she said. “You’ve adapted and changed your life to do what’s best for your sisters.”

He shook his head. “You’re wrong. I didn’t adapt all that well, to be honest. At least not at first. I was resentful. I was furious with God for taking my parents and leaving me to figure out how to relate in a totally new way to Carrie and Mandy. I was impatient with them, even though I knew they were grieving. I was barely getting from one day to the next. I was scared all the time that I’d mess things up. Still am. But now I’m here. That helped, just settling in this town.”

He looked into her eyes. “And then I met you.”

“A blessing or a curse?” she asked, her heart in her throat.

“How can you even ask that? You’re the biggest blessing in my life. You’ve grounded me. You’ve provided backup when I need it.”

He hesitated, then traced the curve of her cheek with a touch so gentle, so filled with yearning, that it nearly brought her to tears.

His gaze locked with hers. “You’ve taught me patience, which is pretty darn close to a miracle in my book.”

“I’ve done all that?” she asked, incredulous.

“And more,” he said. “Because of you, I have a lot more faith that I’m going to get through what’s going on with Carrie, that she will get healthy again.”

His hand still rested against her cheek, his gaze held steady. “So, if you need time, you’ve got it, because I know with every fiber of my being that you’re worth it.”



Walter had been communicating with Rory Sue by e-mail and through voice messages. He was very proud of the way he’d managed to avoid any tempting face-to-face contact with her for a couple of weeks now.

Unfortunately, if the goal had been to get her out of his head, it had failed abysmally. She was there 24–7, taunting him like one of those mythical Sirens who supposedly lured ships to crash against rocky cliffs. She was certainly playing havoc with his resolve.

He was sitting alone in Rosalina’s, alone with yet another pizza and a beer, when Sarah slid into the booth opposite him. “This is just downright pitiful,” she said, regarding him with a knowing expression.