Halfway There (Fool's Gold #9.75)(10)

“Thank you for trusting me with the Hopkins family parade spot,” he said, before lightly kissing her.

She leaned into him as she felt the warmth of his skin against herself. The touch was brief—just enough to get her tingling all over. Then he stepped back and they were walking again.

* * *

AS FAYRENE HAD promised, from the library steps they could see the whole street. There were bunting and flags. Religious symbols comfortably shared space with images of rabbits and eggs. Fool’s Gold welcomed all, Ryan thought, sitting next to her as more people filled in around them.

The scent of barbecue mingled with the sweetness of spring flowers. Everywhere he looked there were families or groups of friends, all anticipating the parade to come.

“Which is first?” he asked. “The rabbits or the hats?”

“The rabbits. There are more kids in that part of the parade, and they don’t wait well.” She turned to him, her hazel eyes bright with amusement. “One year my parents rented bunny costumes for all of us and we were in the parade.”

“I’d love to see the pictures.”

“I could show them to you.”

Her mouth tempted him, but he knew he couldn’t indulge again. Every time he kissed Fayrene, he wanted to take things a little further. This was a family event, he thought with a grin. Having sex on the steps of Fool’s Gold Public Library was out of the question.

“Where does a family of five rent rabbit costumes?” he asked.

“There’s a costume and party store in town. They have a big storage facility filled with rabbit costumes. One year there was a fire in the warehouse, and everyone panicked. For a while we thought the costumes had been ruined. But they were fine. All they needed was a little airing out.”

“I have this vision of the parade route being lined with clothes racks filled with rabbit costumes.”

“It was the parking lot.”

“I’m glad they were saved,” he told her.

He still had her hand in his. He looked down and took in the sensible short nails and the absence of any rings. Fayrene wore earrings most days but didn’t seem to feel the need to jingle and clink when she walked. There were no half-dozen bracelets or necklaces. For work she dressed professionally and for play...

He tried not to picture her heart-shaped butt in the tight jeans she wore today.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

A question he couldn’t answer, he told himself. Not honestly. “What happens in three or four years?” he asked instead. “When you have your business where you want it and you’re ready to settle down. Are you planning on getting married?”

“I hope to,” she told him. “I want the usual things. A husband, a couple of kids.”

“Interesting, because I have no interest in a husband.”

She laughed and leaned against him. “You know what I mean. I like the idea of being part of a family.”

“Renting rabbit suits for the parade?”

“That would be fun. What about you?”

“The same. Except maybe for the rabbit suits. If I’m not in Fool’s Gold, people will be confused.” He put his arm around her. “My mom bugs me regularly for grandchildren. We have a lot of extended family up where they are. I spent summers with my grandparents pretty much until high school. She’s already talking about when she has grandkids to spoil over the Fourth of July.”

“That’s a lot of pressure.”

“I can handle it. Plus I’m the youngest, so she’s really focusing on my older brothers. Jeff is married, but Neil isn’t and is he going to be in trouble if he hits thirty without a bride.”

He paused and kissed the top of her head. “Does it bother you to hear me talk about this?”

She looked up. “Because of my parents? No. It’s nice. I think I’d like your mom.”

“She’s the one who holds us all together. My dad isn’t much of a talker, so Mom was always the one who checked on us and made sure we were okay.” He smiled as memories vied for his attention.

“When I was fifteen, I borrowed the farm truck and promptly plowed into a tree. My mom was hysterical, alternating between making sure I was going to be okay and trying to come up with ways to punish me. My dad told her he would handle it and led me to the barn.”

Fayrene winced. “Did he hit you?”

“Not him. That would have been too easy. Instead he led me to where all the farm equipment was stored. It was dirty from the last hay harvest that had ended a few days before. He told me I had to clean all of it. By myself. And while I was doing it, there wasn’t to be any music. I was to work in silence and think about what I’d done.”

He remembered that discussion. “At the time I was furious. I thought my dad was being unfair. But by the time I was done, I’d learned my lesson. Both the punishment and the thinking had been good for me. I guess my dad thought so, too, because he came out the last couple of days and helped me.”

She smiled at him. “Okay, I think I’d like your dad, too.”

“He’d like you. He’s always had a thing for blondes. And he is a big believer in schedules and organization.”

She angled toward him so that their knees touched. “Why do you want to be away from them?”