Harvest Moon - By Robyn Carr Page 0,95
suit” today. She seemed very irritable. Maybe chasing a couple of kids around the beach wasn’t really working for her. And Dick was harassing the gate agent about upgrading, though she repeatedly told him there was nothing available in first-class.
Lief had taken the only seats available—they were first-class. He exchanged glances with Courtney and they both tried very hard not to laugh.
Moments later, they started boarding—first were special-needs passengers, then first-class. Ann glowered at them as she and her family passed through the first-class cabin to find their coach seats.
When the gear was up on that flight, Courtney leaned over to Lief and said, for the hundredth time, “I’m never going back to Stu’s house. Never.”
“Okay,” Lief said.
“Seriously. I don’t care if the Supreme Court says I have to.”
“You won’t have to.”
“What if they do? What if some judge says—”
“No,” Lief said. “First of all, I don’t think there’s going to be a problem. Second, if by some weird twist of fate there is, I’ll find a way to deal with Stu. Maybe I’ll get him a meeting with Muriel St. Claire or something.” Then he grinned at her. “Anything else worrying you?”
“No,” she said, settling back in her seat. “But I wish, you know…”
“Wish what, Court?”
“You know. That it could be just us.”
“Huh? What are you saying?” When she just shrugged and looked down into her lap, he nudged her. “What? Be specific.”
“I wish you wouldn’t get married again…”
He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “I haven’t made plans to get married. I haven’t even mentioned marriage to anyone. But I’m very fond of Kelly and she’s been real good to us—I wish you’d give her a chance. She doesn’t have to be your friend unless you want her to be. She’s my friend. But I don’t have plans to get married. Not at this point.”
“I’ll help around the house more,” she said. “I’ll keep straight As and I’ll be so polite all the time you’ll wonder if I’m possessed or something.”
He chuckled. “That would be nice. What a novel idea.”
“And it can be just us?”
“Courtney, I’m not getting married…”
“But you love her. I heard you on the phone. You love her.”
There was that superhuman hearing thing again, he thought.
“Yes,” he admitted simply. “What did I tell you, Court? If I’m lucky enough to have a girlfriend, it won’t make me less of a father. I need friends, too. I need to feel love as much as anyone. But I’m not going to marry anyone until you like the idea as much as I do.”
“Promise?”
He sighed. “Promise. But I want you to keep an open mind. Kelly is good for me, she makes me happy. I think under the right circumstances, she could be good for you and make you happy, too.”
“But you promise?” she said.
He was quiet for a long moment. “Promise.”
Sixteen
Lief didn’t tell Kelly about the promise Courtney had extracted from him. He did tell Courtney that he was planning to continue his friendship with Kelly. He had to repeat that he wasn’t planning to let it interfere with his relationship with Courtney and he wouldn’t be marrying anyone without her approval. At least while she was a young teen, living under his roof.
Guilt about that promise flared in him when he and Courtney got home late Christmas Eve. He found Kelly asleep on the couch, Spike cradled in her arms, snacks in the kitchen waiting for them, a fire still smoldering in the hearth and lights twinkling on the tree.
Lief left the suitcases sitting in the hall and asked Courtney to take Spike outside for a bathroom break. He knelt beside Kelly, smoothing her blond hair away from her brow. “Why aren’t you in bed?” he asked her.
“Hm,” she said, sleepy. “Oh, I’m fine here. Since I knew you were coming, I put fresh linens on the bed and left out some snacks. I bet you guys are tired.”
“You want to guess how much I wish I could just take you to bed with me?”
She smiled dreamily. “As much as I’d like to go?” She sat up. “I’ll go and let you guys get to bed.”
“You don’t have to go. It’s late, it’s cold. Stay here.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, lying back down.
He laughed at her.
“If you feel like company tomorrow, I thought I’d make glazed ham, cheesy potatoes, some green vegetables, pie….”
“It’s so much trouble,” he said.
“I’d be glad to, but I don’t have to. If you’d rather be alone…” she said.
“I would