Summer on Kendall Farm(32)

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JACE CLIMBED THE stairs to the attic. He’d had second helpings of breakfast and poured another cup of coffee. He was going to take it to Kelly as a kind of peace offering. Jace put everything on a tray and added a bud vase with a flower in it that he pinched from the arrangement on the foyer table.

The attic covered the entire house. It was made up of several rooms, some finished, some not. As a young boy, Jace took refuge up there, before he’d found solace riding. When he first arrived at the Kendall, he’d hide and cry, missing his mother and not understanding why his father and older brother treated him like he’d done something wrong. That little boy came back to him as he reached the top step and opened the door to the first room. Inside there was faded wallpaper and old furniture haphazardly arranged or placed on top of other pieces. Closing the door, he went in search of Kelly. He found her in the next room. This one was clean of any dust and cobwebs. There were several pieces of furniture. Near Kelly was a round oak table half uncovered. Three chairs were around it, one with a broken leg, the other two without the spindles that used to be the back.

Kelly wore a short T-shirt and pants. This was what she wore most days. Her hair was in a long ponytail. It was set high on the back of her head and the way it swung when she moved reminded him of the combed and polished tail of a show horse. “Kelly. I brought you something to eat. Mira made this and it’s delicious.”

“Jace?” He could hear the surprise in that single word.

“I met your cousins in the kitchen. They said you were up here.” He didn’t tell her about the other stories they’d shared. He set the tray on top of a filing cabinet.

She took the cup of coffee and sipped it. “Thank you,” she said. “What brings this on?”

“You did something for me. I thought I’d return the favor.”

“What did I do?”

“Drew and Mira’s truck.”

“Oh, that.” She brushed it aside as it meant nothing.

“Few people have ever done anything for me,” he said. “I like to say thank-you when they do.”

Kelly took the tray and set it on the table. Pulling a chair over, she took a seat and Jace did the same.

“Join me,” she said.

He’d already eaten, but he took a piece of toast, tore off part of the crust and popped it in his mouth.

“Living here wasn’t fun for you, was it?” she asked.

He shook his head, glancing toward the room where his sobs probably still echoed around the walls.

“That can change,” Kelly said.

Jace looked at her. “It’s in the past.”

“For you,” Kelly said. “For Ari, things can change for him. You can lavish all the love you want on him and things here at the Kendall will be different.”

Jace realized she was speaking as if he was permanently stationed at the farm. When only a few days ago, she was telling him he was a runner and not likely to put down roots. But in everything that had happened, Jace knew Ari was at the top of his priority list. So he would do what was necessary to care for Ari and to keep him happy.

“I guess I should get to work,” Jace said. “It must be time for my partner in crime to wake up, if he isn’t already combing the rooms searching for me.”

He got up and, taking Kelly’s hands, helped her to her feet.

“Thank you for the food,” she said.

He should have let go of her hands right then, but he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t want to let her go at all. It was a totally foreign feeling for him, especially when she looked up and her eyes met his. They were big and questioning.

Jace had pulled her forward and brushed his mouth over hers before realizing he’d done it. When he saw what he’d done, he wanted to do it again. Wrapping her arms around his waist, he stepped even closer and kissed her full on the mouth. There was something between them. That undefinable something that only two people with a special connection understood. Her eyes opened slowly. There was a dreamlike quality to them.

“Jason...” she started, using his given name, which so few people used.

“I knew you weren’t as indifferent to me as you’d led me to believe,” he said, smiling. His voice was low and breathless.

“Please, Jason. I have a lot to do. A lot to contend with. I need to have my mind clear. I can’t afford any complications right now. Please,” she went on. “Don’t confuse me.”





CHAPTER TEN

KELLY PRACTICALLY RAN from the attic. She didn’t stop until she’d reached the back porch. She was so confused. How could Jace have kissed her and how could she kiss him back? Why? she asked herself. Was she that transparent? He knew she was attracted to him. She could tell by the way he looked at her.