The Rancher and the Event Planner - By Cheryl Gorman Page 0,32
which gave the mansion a lush appearance.
She was still a grand old girl even with a wrinkle or two, but with the construction company giving her a solid facelift, she’d be back to beautiful in no time.
Dusty and scuffed, the wide plank floors spread throughout the house but once refinished, they would gleam. His gaze took in the faded wallpaper, the gorgeous inlay design in the entryway floor and the stunning chandelier hanging overhead. Two medium sized rooms took up most of the front of the house, and Rafe thought tearing out the wall and creating one large room would solve the dining problem. He’d mention it to the foreman.
Linc’s deep voice drifted on the air followed by Jennifer’s laughter. Molly let go of his hand. “It’s JC,” she exclaimed running in the direction of the voices. Scooting into a room on the left, Molly’s energetic greeting spilled into the hallway.
When Rafe walked into the room, Jennifer and Linc were sitting elbow to elbow, at a long table in the center of the room, grinning at each other like loons.
Molly’s arms were clasped snugly about Jennifer’s neck, her eyes bright, a sweet smile curling her lips. He turned soft inside like snow melting on a cliff side.
“Come and take a look at Linc’s ideas,” Jennifer said. “They’re fabulous.”
Linc gave her a smile. “I’m glad you like them.”
Jennifer squeezed Linc’s upper arm and said, “What’s not to like?”
Seeing her in such a congenial mood with his brother, irked Rafe and he didn’t know why, but he refused to let his feelings show or give in to them.
Molly placed a hand on Jennifer’s shoulder and lightly stroked her hair. “You look real pretty today. I like your hair and I like your hair clip, too.” She had twisted it into a knot on the back of her head with a few tendrils teasing her neck. A hair do-dad sparkled near the bun.
“Thank you. I like your hair, too.” After his wife died, he’d learned how to fix his little girl’s hair. He’d wrangled the perfect pony tail and braid and the importance of finding just the right spot for a bow. Rafe’s heart sighed at Jennifer’s interaction with Molly. He loved seeing Molly smile because her happiness completed his world. Coming here today, turned out to be a great idea.
“Thank you. Are you going to Mr. Blakeley’s barbecue this weekend?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe.”
Molly frowned. “It will be so much fun. We go swimming and everything. Daddy got me a new suit.”
“In that case, I have to go. What color is your suit?”
He studied the blueprints spread over a table, while Jennifer and Molly chatted.
“You’ve expanded the kitchen and made space for a large pantry,” he said to Linc. “Glad to see you’ve already considered turning those two rooms up front into one large one.”
Rafe gestured to the room around them. Bird’s eye maple wainscoting circled the walls with original oak floors and a massive bay window completed the space. “This room will be the perfect gathering place for guests. All it needs is a couple of tables for games, maybe create a library and during the holidays a huge tree will look great.”
Jennifer gazed at him. “I totally agree.” She did? “With the right furniture, paint and accessories the room will be elegant, comfortable and inviting.”
Satisfaction flooded Rafe because she didn’t question him or insist on some other ideas. But that wasn’t the point. She was aware of Salvation’s down-home values, their love of family and friends, and their version of welcome to our town. Of course she wouldn’t question them. “I’m glad we agree.”
“Maybe you’re better at relationships than you think.”
Had she forgiven him for his thoughtless remark the other evening? He looked for a trace of hurt and didn’t see any. Did this mean she was going to keep trying to win the challenge they had each laid out for the other that day in the barn? Did he want her too? Or did he want her to stop trying? The thought of her stopping didn’t make him feel as good as he expected. He felt anxious and even a little scared at the prospect. But why would he feel scared? Was it the prospect of Jennifer leaving Salvation and going back to her life in Shreveport? He pushed his questions away. He wanted her to go back because he wasn’t good at relationships and he didn’t want her to end up being hurt. That had to be it. It