Rainshadow Road(29)

Except that Lucy was a woman who knew better. She was tired of wanting and hoping and losing. Later, months from now, more likely years, the need for companionship would reawaken, and she would risk getting involved with someone again. Not now, however. And never with this man, who would keep the relationship strictly superficial.

“Thank you,” Lucy said, watching as Sam slid the phone into his back pocket. She extended her hand in an awkward, businesslike gesture. “I’ll look forward to hearing from you if the condo’s available.”

Sam shook her hand gravely, his eyes dancing.

The warmth of his hand, the secure way his fingers folded around hers, felt unspeakably good. It had been so long since she had been touched or held in any way. Lucy prolonged the moment a little longer than necessary, even as a flush of mortified color went from her toes to her scalp.

Sam studied her, his expression turning inscrutable. He used his grip on her hand to ease her closer, his head bending over hers. “About that test-drive…” he murmured.

Lucy couldn’t catch up with her own thoughts. Her heart had begun to thump. She stared blindly at the sunset melting into cool blue darkness. Sam surprised her by easing her against his shoulder, his hand gliding over her spine in a soothing motion. Their bodies touched at intervals, the pressure of him warm and hard and knee-weakening.

Disoriented, Lucy didn’t make a sound as one of his hands came to the side of her face, holding her steady as his mouth descended. He was gentle, easing her into the kiss. She opened for him instinctively, the wrong instincts winning out over the right ones.

The kiss beguiled her, just for a moment, into thinking she had nothing left to lose. This is crazy, she thought, but his tongue touched hers, and her hand slid up and groped for the back of his neck. Sensation flowed into the spaces between her heartbeats.

Sam was the one to end the kiss. He kept his arms around Lucy until she could find her balance. Bewildered and disarmed, Lucy finally managed to pull away from him. She headed up the front steps.

“I’ll call you soon,” she heard him say.

Pausing, Lucy glanced at him over her shoulder. “It wouldn’t be a good idea,” she said in a low voice.

They both knew she wasn’t referring to the condo.

“No one’s going to rush you into anything,” he said. “You call the shots, Lucy.”

A little huff of laughter escaped her. “If you have to tell someone they call the shots, they’re not really calling the shots.” And she went up the rest of the stairs without looking back.





Eight



“It’s too soon,” Kevin had protested, when Alice brought up the idea of marriage. “You just moved in.”

She had given him a long, hard look. “What kind of time line are we looking at?”

“Time line,” he repeated dazedly.

“Six months? A year? I’m not going to wait forever, Kevin. A lot of guys are married at your age. What’s the problem? You said you’re in love with me.”

“I am, but—”

“What else is there to know about me? What’s the holdup? I have no problem with leaving, if you feel like this relationship isn’t the right fit.”

“I never said that.”

But Alice had decided that something big needed to happen for her, especially in light of having just lost her scriptwriting job. A call had come from her agent, who had just talked to the head writer of What the Heart Knows. The show had been canceled. The ratings had been so poor that they weren’t even going to finish out the story lines. It had already been replaced with a couple of game shows. The distributor was trying to shop the show to a cable network, but in the meantime Alice would have to sit tight and live off her limited savings.

Marrying Kevin would solve three problems. It would entitle her to his financial support, and it would prove to Lucy that Kevin loved Alice the most. It would also force her parents to accept the union    . Alice and her mother would plan the wedding together, and everyone would get swept up in the excitement. It would make the family whole again. And Lucy would have to swallow her hurt pride and get over it.

As soon as she had gotten the engagement diamond on her finger, Alice called her parents triumphantly. She was stunned to discover that instead of offering congratulations, they were harshly critical.

“Have you set a date?” her mother had asked.

“Not yet. I thought you and I would go over some ideas together and—”

“There’s no need to involve me in your plans,” her mother said. “Dad and I will attend the wedding, if you want us to. But planning and paying for it is your responsibility.”