The Rancher and the Event Planner - By Cheryl Gorman Page 0,37
the porch while cicadas sang from the trees.
JC pressed the doorbell and waited. She wanted to find out how Rafe and Molly were doing after what happened at the barbecue and to make sure they were okay. Molly’s stricken expression, tears streaking her cheeks and the misery in her eyes had ripped at JC’s heart, not to mention the gut-wrenching pain on Rafe’s face.
The door opened and with it the sound of laughter. Rafe filled the doorway in sublime glory, his long legs swathed in faded jeans and his feet bare. Visibly straightening his shoulders, his lips thinned in a grim expression. “Jennifer, what are you doing here?”
She shrugged off his cold reception. Bad days affected everyone. “Hi Rafe, I came to check on you and Molly.”
Molly appeared at her father’s side and exclaimed, “JC!” After jumping over the threshold, she hugged JC’s legs. Then Molly grabbed JC’s hand. “Come inside.” She led her through the open door past her father, who gave JC the stink eye before firmly shutting the door behind her.
What was his problem? She’d done nothing wrong. She came to make sure the two of them had moved past the debacle at the barbecue.
Molly led her down the wide entry-way with a cathedral ceiling into the family room with a massive stone fireplace. The delicious smell of cookies baking filled the air.
“Come and see my doll house.” Molly dropped JC’s hand and ran to the doll house sitting on the family room floor.
Rafe sat in a chair close to Molly’s doll house, leaning forward with his arms on his thighs and his hands clasped together. He glanced at JC with the same grim set to his mouth then focused on Molly.
“JC,” Linc said from the doorway. He walked toward her dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. His chestnut hair was neatly combed, his blue eyes filled with welcome. At least two people in the family were glad she was here.
“I’m glad you dropped by because I just made Molly’s favorite treat, chocolate chip cookies. As soon as they cool, the three of you come into the kitchen and have some. Now I need to hose down the kitchen after the mess I made.”
After he left, JC sat on the sofa in front of the cold hearth, which boasted a fan-shaped fire screen. Molly chatted happily to her dolls, sitting Barbie in a porch chair while Ken lounged on the steps. Rafe remained silent, barely casting a glance her way. Molly seemed fine, but she wasn’t so sure about Rafe. She didn’t want to bring it up again in front of Molly and Linc gave her an easy out. “Molly, I bet Uncle Linc would love for you to help him clean up the kitchen and I bet he’ll even let you have a cookie.”
Molly jumped up from her spot on the floor. “Sure,” she said and skipped from the room. As soon as she left, JC turned toward Rafe who had risen from his chair, and stood perusing titles on one of the book shelves.
“Rafe, I dropped by to see how you and Molly were doing and to say how sorry I am about what happened. I’ve been very worried about both of you.”
He pulled a book halfway off the shelf then shoved it back into its slot. His hard blue eyes pierced her. “I trusted you,” he said in a soft, steely voice. A quake of anxiety trembled up her spine. “Thanks to you, Molly was hurt.”
She straightened on the sofa. “What happened was nobody’s fault. Neither of us knew she was nearby.”
He walked slowly toward her with his eyes focused directly on her. Sitting on the edge of the coffee table, the size of a lake, he cupped his knees with his hands, his knuckles strained and white. A vein throbbed in the side of his neck. His scent of soap, aftershave and fresh laundry set up tingling in the pit of her stomach.
“If you hadn’t convinced me to spill my guts, my little girl would never have known how I felt about her in the beginning before she was born.”
Her anger rose to meet his. “Why are you blaming me? I didn’t hurt Molly on purpose and neither did you. You were sharing a heart-wrenching moment with me and—”
“Do you know how long it took before she stopped crying? My baby cried her heart out. She cried so much she made herself sick. Do you have