Yours for Christmas (Fool's Gold #15.5)(15)

She opened her door, her coat in her hand.

“You’re right on time,” she said with a smile. “It must be all that sports training. Having to be at practice or games when they said.”

He nodded because the punch to his gut made it impossible to speak.

There should have been nothing amazing about her. She wore jeans and a green sweater that matched her eyes. She had on some makeup and her hair tumbled past her shoulders in loose curls. Nice but not mind-shattering.

Except she was. The curves alone would drive a stronger man to his knees and Kenny was willing to admit that when it came to Bailey he was as weak as a kitten. Then there was the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. A mouth he wanted to cover with his own, explore, tease, nibble and lick. He wanted to taste her, hold her, strip her naked and—

He sucked in a breath and steered his wayward mind back to reality. Naked wasn’t going to happen. Bailey was his friend. He should think of her as someone like a grandmother. A lovely woman and nothing more.

“The bins were full,” he said as they went down the stairs. “At this rate, it’s not going to take long to fill up the trailer.”

“I’m glad. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to activate the phone tree and make an appeal.”

He held open the passenger side door for her. “There’s a phone tree?”

She grinned. “Really? You have to ask?”

She was standing close enough that he could breathe in a sweet scent. A little floral with a hint of vanilla. He would bet her skin was soft and warm and for a second he allowed himself to wonder if she was quiet when she made love or if she moaned. Because he liked it best when a woman moaned.

“By the way, Chloe doesn’t know,” she told him.

He blinked, trying to find his way back to the conversation.

“About the furniture?” he asked, the pieces falling into place.

She nodded and slid onto the seat. “I told her we were shopping for furniture, but she thinks we’re getting a new coffee table. I want it to be a surprise.”

He closed her door and walked around to his side. “I won’t say anything,” he promised as he settled next to her.

They headed out of town and got onto the freeway toward Sacramento. There was a sign on the side of the road announcing the opening of the Lucky Lady Casino seasonal ice-skating rink.

“We should do that,” Bailey said. “I mean Chloe and me. Go ice skating. I haven’t in years. Not since I was a teenager. Do you think I’ll remember how?”

“Sure. I skate. I’ll take the two of you, if you’d like. I can catch you if you fall.”

Bailey glanced at him, then away. “I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself,” she murmured.

“Not possible. I’m athletic.”

She laughed. “I’ve heard that somewhere. You used to play sports of some kind?”

“Very funny.”

She grinned. “I can be.” The smile faded. “Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m nervous about buying furniture. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I’ve never bought this kind of stuff before. Not new, I mean. I’ve always had hand-me-downs or something from the thrift store. When Will and I were first married, we didn’t have any money. And later, we moved around a lot. When Chloe came along, plenty of friends had cribs and changing tables.”

“How did you and Will meet?” he asked.

She glanced at him. “In high school. He was a little nerdy and funny and crazy about me. We were friends more than boyfriend-girlfriend. I was focused on saving enough money to go to college.”

“Was that your dream?”

She nodded. “I grew up in small town in Ohio. My mom took off when I was a baby and my grandmother raised me. She was a good woman, but she’d been through some tough times. I knew from an early age that I was expected to be on my own when I turned eighteen.”

He couldn’t imagine that. He knew that if he told his parents he wanted to move back now, they would welcome him with open arms. Not that it was ever going to happen.

“I had a couple of jobs all through high school. I figured I’d work for two years, save enough to get through community college. Will always told me I could do it. He had a different path. He wanted to join the army.”

“A different way out.”

“Exactly.” She shifted in her seat. “The night we graduated, Will proposed. I was stunned. I said no and he left for boot camp. A couple of weeks later, I realized I had stronger feelings for him than I thought. I drove down to where he was and we talked for a long time. By the end of the weekend, we were engaged. After we got married, I went to community college and worked and he was deployed.”

“Then Chloe came along.”

She smiled. “Yeah. She was a surprise, but a good one.”

“Did you get your degree?”

“Not completely. I have my AA, but not my bachelor’s. My plan is to start taking night classes next fall. Chloe will be a little older and we’ll be settled in our house.”

“You’ll get there,” he said. “You have a plan.”

She laughed. “Yes, it’s all about having the right plan. I’ve learned that over the years. Partly I want to do for myself, but also for Chloe. I want her to see me working hard and succeeding. I think it’s a good lesson for her.”