Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)(59)
She and Sam weren’t even dating. Not really. She liked him—a lot. He was a great guy. Handsome and caring and surprisingly funny. He was competitive without being a jerk about it. And the things he could do in five minutes of hot, hungry sex stole her breath. She desperately wanted to see what he had to offer with a whole hour at his disposal. Because while their February encounter had been great, she hadn’t known him. And knowing Sam made being with him intimately all the better.
Maybe after the weekend, she thought wistfully. She would like that a lot. But as to the rest of it...
At the end of the hallway, she saw Ryan and Fayrene. He had his arm around her and whispered something that made her laugh. For all her sister’s craziness about the proposal, she was obviously wildly in love with Ryan. Ana Raquel had also found happiness. Being a part of something, being connected and in love, appealed. Sort of. Only she wasn’t sure she really wanted that. Not that she was looking forward to spending her life alone.
“A problem for another time,” she told herself as she glanced at her watch. She had a yoga class to get started.
* * *
BY SEVEN-THIRTY, the stretching-yoga class was going strong. Dellina walked back into the hotel and nearly bumped into Bailey.
“I was looking for you,” the other woman said. “Your phone is turned off.”
“Oh, no!” Dellina pulled it out of her pocket and saw the mute button was on. “I did that last night at the dinner,” she said. “I forgot.”
She checked her messages and saw that Bailey had been her only call. “Thanks so much for telling me. Is that why you drove up here?”
Bailey smiled. “Sort of. I also wanted to know if you needed help with anything. Chloe spent the night with her friend Allison and they’re spending the day together. Later they’ll be here for the therapy dog demonstration.” Bailey shrugged. “I have nothing planned for today. Seriously, if you need anything, just ask.”
Dellina appreciated the offer. She also had a feeling that her friend was feeling at loose ends without her daughter around. Since the death of Bailey’s husband and Chloe’s father, the two had only had each other. At least until the town had figured out what had happened and had reached out to them.
“We’re taking our guests into town this afternoon,” she said. “Want to offer a walking tour of downtown Fool’s Gold?”
“Sure. With my job as Mayor Marsha’s assistant, I’ve been studying local history. I know more facts than anyone could ever want to know. Plus, the festival is going to be fun.”
Dellina suggested a time and place for them to meet.
A woman in yoga pants and a fitted tank top hurried up to them. Dellina recognized her as one of the wives. She grabbed Dellina’s hand and pulled her toward the terrace.
“You have to come see this,” she said. “Hurry!”
Bailey walked with them.
“What on earth,” Dellina began, then stopped talking when she caught sight of what was happening on the large lawn just off the hotel.
About twenty guys were playing football. They were fit, handsome guys in shorts and T-shirts on a bright, sunny morning with a view of the valley behind them. Jack was quarterback on one team. He took the snap, then stepped back and threw the ball.
Dellina had never been to a professional football game before. She’d attended a college game once, but football wasn’t her thing. She didn’t understand the game and didn’t get the point. But when she saw Jack throw, she understood the power and grace inherent in every professional athlete.
One of the clients’ husbands caught the ball and ran toward the makeshift goal. Based on the cheering, Dellina would guess he’d scored. Male laughter filled the stillness of the morning.
Light glinted off muscles. Powerful legs bunched and released as the men moved.
“All they need is a sound track,” Bailey murmured as she stood next to Dellina. “Oh, look. Sam’s the quarterback for the other team.”
Dellina saw she was right. That when they lined up, Sam took the center position and caught the ball when it was snapped.
It turned out that while he might have been a star kicker, he had a hell of an arm, too. He dodged a tackle and threw the ball nearly the length of the lawn. Kenny flew past the other men and caught it. He was moving toward the goal line before he even touched the ground.
“Oh, my,” Bailey whispered. “That was impressive.”
“Tell me about it,” Dellina said, her gaze locking on Sam as he gave Kenny a high five.
This had been his world, she thought. On a grander scale, but the basics were here. Athletic prowess, winning and being part of a team. She noticed the other women lining up to watch the show and wondered how many of the wives were thinking their husbands looked pretty good out there.
Despite being on different sides, Sam, Kenny and Jack huddled together for a moment before stepping back into the game. When Sam used the hem of his T-shirt to wipe his face, she saw a flash of bare belly and the muscled contours below. Somewhere behind her, a woman sighed.
“If I weren’t married, I’d want me some of that,” she said.
Dellina agreed. And lucky for her, she wasn’t married.
* * *
SAM HAD DISCOVERED shortly after moving to town that Fool’s Gold was a place that loved its festivals. He and the guys had been bombarded with prepared meals during the Great Casserole Cook-Off and he’d taken his older sister to the Tulip Festival. She’d been impressed by the acres of flowers that stretched for what seemed like miles.