Blossom Street Brides (17 page)

“True.” Lauren half suspected something like that must have set him off.

“But if that’s the case, I don’t know any of the details.”

The door off the deck opened, and Max came inside carrying a plate piled high with ribs. “Are you ready for a feast?”

Dinner proved to be a fun exchange of good-natured teasing and delicious food. The ribs were cooked to
perfection. At one point, Rooster leaned over and wiped barbecue sauce from the side of Lauren’s mouth with his napkin. His eyes told her he’d rather have kissed it away, and her eyes told him she’d rather he had, too.

“What time do you want to head out in the morning?” Max asked Rooster after they’d finished the meal and lingered over coffee.

“Early. The Kendall-Jackson dinner is rescheduled for Wednesday.”

“Right.” Max glanced at his watch. “We both better get a good night’s sleep, then.”

“Agreed.”

Lauren insisted on helping Bethanne with cleanup, and she and Rooster left soon afterward. When they got to her building, he parked outside and escorted her to her condo.

“Come in for a few minutes,” she invited.

As soon as they were inside, he took her in his arms and she wrapped hers around him, clinging tightly to him. He’d be riding out in the morning, and the thought filled her with dismay.

“I hate that you have to go,” she whispered as she kissed the underside of his jaw. He tasted wonderful. He splayed his fingers deep into her dark hair and lifted her head to angle his mouth over hers once more. Their kisses were long, deep, and involved, and when they pulled apart they were both breathless.

“I hate having to leave, too,” he whispered, his eyes closed.

She heard the regret in his voice. “We barely know each
other, and yet I’ve never been this strongly attracted—”

His kiss cut off the last of her comment. There was desperation to the kiss, as though he, too, had felt this strong physical pull toward her. It was as though he was afraid once he left her everything between them would fade away and change. It wouldn’t. Not on her end.

“Ride carefully,” she whispered, and her eyes held his look, intent on making him aware he was important to her.

“I always do.”

For several minutes they continued to cling to each other, kissing and touching.

“When will you be back?” she asked, needing to know.

“Can’t say.”

Lauren pressed her head against his shoulder.

“Soon,” he whispered.

“Good.” She sighed with relief.

He rubbed his chin over the top of her head. “I have the distinct feeling I’m going to be spending a lot of time in the Seattle area.”

“That’s even better.”

“I’ll call.”

“Please,” she whispered. “Email, too, okay?”

“Should I text and Facebook and tweet you as well?”

She wasn’t sure if he was teasing her or not. It didn’t matter; she wanted to hear from him in every form of communication available. “Absolutely.”

Rooster chuckled and then kissed her again, and this time his kiss was filled with promise.

Lauren didn’t hear from Rooster until almost midnight Monday.

“Hi,” he said. He sounded exhausted.

“Hi. Where are you?” she asked. “Or, more important, how are you?”

“Tired, saddle sore, and I know it sounds silly—we were together less than twenty-four hours ago, but I miss you. It doesn’t feel right for us not to be together.”

“Oh, Rooster.” He wasn’t a man who spoke with flowery words, and yet he had the ability to make her heart sing in three-part harmony.

“Because we decided to stay Sunday, Max and I rode straight through. We have a number of meetings this week, and if we’d spent the night on the road the day would have been half gone by the time we got to Santa Rosa.”

“I’m just glad you’re home safe.” Additionally, she was grateful not to know their decision to ride nonstop beforehand. If she had, she would have worried.

“I have to tell you, bed sounds mighty good about now. I’m turning forty this fall, and I’m feeling my age. This many hours in the saddle is no longer my idea of fun.”

Lauren grinned. “Just what is your idea of fun?”

Her question seemed to amuse him, because he chuckled. “For starters, watching you enjoy a Mariners baseball game.”

Lauren decided she’d been wrong about him. Rooster Wayne was quickly turning into a silver-tongued devil with the ability to sweet-talk her right off her two feet.

“I looked at their schedule, and it just so happens the Mariners have a home game this coming weekend.” This was her less-than-subtle way of letting Rooster know that she would welcome his return to Seattle soon.

“Ah, Lauren,” he said, sighing with what sounded like regret. “I’m afraid I’m going to need to take a rain check on that.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t able to disguise her disappointment.

“I’ve got a business trip.”

He’d mentioned that he often traveled for business but hadn’t said anything about an upcoming trip. “Will you be away long?” she asked.

“Long enough. I’ll be in New Zealand.”

“New Zealand?” she repeated, and her spirits sank even lower. New Zealand was half a world away; this trip would easily involve a week or two, if not longer. She couldn’t help wondering just how much time it’d be before she could see Rooster again.

“Their Marlborough region does an excellent sauvignon blanc,” he told her, as if selling her on the reason.

“Isn’t that the wine you brought with you to Max and Bethanne’s for dinner?”

“I’m impressed you remember.”

“I enjoyed the citrus flavor.”

“I did, too. The taste reminds me of grapefruit.”

“Me, too.” The small talk wasn’t distracting her from the fact that she might not see him again for several weeks.

“A number of vineyard owners have invited large distributors from around the world to visit their facilities.”

“And you’re one of them?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a wonderful opportunity.” She forced enthusiasm into her voice, although she wasn’t able to hide her disappointment.

“It is,” he agreed.

“Then how come I feel like crying?” she whispered, and tried to pass off the comment with a choppy laugh as if she were joking.

“I’d been looking forward to this trip for months, and all at once I’m thinking I’d rather get back on my bike and head straight north instead of this all-expenses-paid trip down under.”

“You aren’t thinking clearly, remember? You’re tired and saddle sore.”

“That’s the problem. My mind might be too tired to think straight, but my heart is wide awake. I’d rather be wherever you are.”

He sounded so sincere, so earnest, that Lauren felt like she could break into sobs. “You say the most beautiful things.”

“Don’t let Max know; he’ll razz me.”

“What’s happening with us?” she asked, thinking out loud. This was a new experience for her. She wasn’t like other women who had a lot of relationships, intense or casual. She didn’t fall in and out of love easily. She held on to her heart, and yet within a few days she felt like her head was in the clouds over Rooster. The attraction between them was so intense it felt as if she could barely recognize herself.

“I don’t know what’s happening, but whatever it is, I don’t want it to change. Do you?”

“No,” she agreed quickly. “Not for anything. In a matter of days my entire perspective has turned around. I’ve been attracted to men before, but nothing like this.”

“And you claim I say beautiful things?” he asked, chuckling.

“Is it the same with you?” she asked, needing to know.

“In spades.”

Lauren was almost giddy to hear it. “Has anything like this happened to you before?”

Rooster hesitated. “Only once, but that was when I was really young. Too long ago to remember. Besides, this is different, way different.”

“But not so long to forget.”

“Something like that.”

“Will you be able to keep in touch while you’re in New Zealand?”

“It isn’t the end of the earth, Lauren, but I suspect I’ll be able to see it from there. I’ll be in touch, don’t worry.”

They spoke for several minutes longer, until they were both ready to fall asleep on the phone.

“Time for bed,” she whispered. “Night, Rooster. Dream of me.” She was fairly certain he would occupy her dreams.

“Good night, my beautiful, sweet Lauren.”

She reluctantly ended their conversation. Although it’d been late, she’d been relieved when Rooster’s call came through. He’d told her he’d phone and she’d waited all day, though not anxiously, because instinctively she knew Rooster Wayne was a man of his word. All was well; he was home and safe now.

Tuesday morning, when Lauren arrived at work, Elisa was there. Lauren’s employer had spent the weekend with her daughter and Katie’s boyfriend in Pullman, Washington.

“You’re back,” Lauren greeted as she removed her raincoat and hung it in the back room. “How did everything go with Katie and Dietrich?”

“Not good,” Elisa responded. “In fact, it went about as bad as it could, and I’m afraid it’s all my fault.”

“Oh, Elisa, I’m so sorry,” Lauren sympathized as she helped her friend set out the window displays.

“Garry didn’t want me to go, and he was right. It would’ve been better if I’d stayed home. It’s just the thought of my daughter, so young and pregnant, makes me a little crazy.”

“How is Katie?”

Elisa shrugged. “Physically, she seems to be doing fine.
Emotionally, she’s better off than me. Well, I guess she is, but then it’s hard to tell because she’s no longer speaking to me.”

Mother and daughter generally spoke every day, so this must be devastating to Elisa. Lauren glanced toward her employer, unsure of what to say or how to comfort her friend. A tear rolled down Elisa’s cheek, and she quickly brushed it aside as though to hide the fact that she was crying.

“I wish I knew what to say.” Lauren felt Elisa’s regret and disappointment over the disastrous weekend.

“I insisted on taking Katie to see a doctor,” Elisa explained. “Dietrich wanted to come along, but I refused to let him. That set Katie off, but you know how stubborn I can get, and I insisted it was just me and Katie. Now I wish Dietrich had been with us; everything would have gone much better if I hadn’t been so stubborn.”

“You saw an obstetrician … not a clinic, right?” She left the question about forcing Katie into considering an abortion unasked.

Elisa nodded. “I promised Garry I wouldn’t pressure her to end the pregnancy. It wasn’t easy, but I kept my word.” She pulled a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose.

“What did the doctor say?” Lauren asked.

“Nothing new. The home test was accurate. Katie is indeed pregnant.”

Lauren pressed her hand over Elisa’s and gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

Gathering up her resolve, Elisa squared her shoulders
and continued, “My little girl is pregnant, and she’s blissfully happy about it. Can you imagine? From all outward appearances she’s overjoyed about this baby who’s about to ruin her life.

“I don’t know, Lauren, I honestly don’t know what’s happened to my intelligent, beautiful daughter. I swear to you that young man has brainwashed her. She isn’t thinking clearly. Katie is no more suited to being a farmer’s wife than Donald Trump is to cleaning toilets. I give this relationship another month before Katie wakes up and realizes what a terrible mistake she’s making. And by then it will be too late.”

Too late to do away with the pregnancy is what Elisa meant.

“You were her age when you found out you were pregnant with her,” Lauren reminded her friend.

“This is different.”

“Oh?”

“The world has changed since I was her age. Katie has opportunities that weren’t available to me, and she’s throwing them away. These days it’s so much harder to support a family. When Garry and I discovered I was pregnant there were expectations for us to marry. It isn’t like that any longer; women no longer feel the need to find a husband when they’re still in college. Look at you.”

“Me?” Lauren repeated.

“Many women wait to marry until they are thirty or older. If Katie decides to marry Dietrich now, she’ll live to regret it. If she wants to have this baby, then fine, come
home and we’ll raise this child together or put it up for adoption. It would be a kindness to give this baby to a loving home. But Katie marrying Dietrich could well be the biggest mistake of her life.”

“Were you able to meet Dietrich’s parents?” This was one excuse Elisa had used to convince Garry she should make this trip across the state. Elisa was convinced the Friedmans shared her concern for their son. She had counted on them being reasonable people who would be against Katie and Dietrich marrying as much as she was.

“Just my luck, they were out of town at some onion-growing convention or some rally having to do with growing Walla Walla sweet onions.” She looked up at the ceiling, as if calling upon God’s assistance in this dreadful situation.

“How did it go with Dietrich?” Lauren asked. Part of Elisa’s plan was to “talk sense” into Katie’s young man.

“Badly. Even worse than you can imagine.”

This entire trip sounded like it had been disastrous.

“Katie refused to let me speak to Dietrich without her being there. He’s a decent enough kid. I don’t have anything against him,” Elisa said, “well, other than the fact he doesn’t seem to understand the concept of birth control. His parents, either, apparently. I learned Dietrich is the oldest boy in a family of eight children. Don’t these people realize there’s a population problem?”

Now was probably not the best time to remind Elisa that birth control was a shared responsibility. Katie played an equal role in this pregnancy.

“I was polite and kept my cool with Dietrich,” Elisa continued evenly. “I simply asked him a few questions, which Katie insisted on answering until Dietrich stopped her. He claims to love Katie, and he loves their baby. He feels the responsible action is for them to marry. That was when I lost it.”

Lauren had seen Elisa lose her cool more than once, and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

“And now Katie’s no longer speaking to you.”