Authors: Marie Rochelle
“You’re right
Hayward
. I don’t have the right to tell you anything.”
Clinton
admitted sitting down on the bed beside him. “I was only trying to help.”
Hayward
hugged his brother and then slid back over. “I know you were Clint. But I still need to leave after the funeral or I’ll go crazy.”
“You’re really going to the funeral?”
“Yes, I am and if Samantha doesn’t want me there she will have to kick me out.”
He wasn’t about to let Samantha stop him from seeing his family one last time.
* * * *
The next morning,
Hayward
stood in front of the church and realized Brooke and Tyler were truly gone and weren’t coming back. He slowly walked up the wide steps and opened the door. Everyone in the church watched him as he made his way down the aisle. He spotted Samantha but she only looked at him then glanced away. He made his way toward the front of the church and took a seat behind her and Richard.
Several people got up and said a few words about Brooke and his son. The whole service lasted an hour.
Tyler
’s life was worth more than an hour out of the day, he thought. He got up right after the service was over and left because he couldn’t watch them put his little boy into his final resting place.
* * * *
A branch snapping behind him brought
Hayward
back to the present. He pushed his body away from the tree. When he turned away he saw True walking back toward her house.
“True, wait a minute.” He yelled. “I want to talk to you.” He sighed when she stopped by a group of wildflowers and waited for him. He quickly rushed over to her. “Could you please turn around so I can look at you?”
She spun around and her rich brown eyes glared up at him.
Damn it was going to harder than he first thought. She didn’t look in a good mood at all. Did he put the pissed look on her gorgeous face?
“What do you want?” She questioned. “I wasn’t out here looking for you if that is what you are wondering.”
Her eyes glanced over his shoulder then back at his face.
“I wanted some fresh air, so I came out here for a walk.”
Hayward
moved back from the draggers shooting from her eyes. He wasn’t going to have any luck if he didn’t apologize.
Here goes nothing.
“I really do want to apologize for how I acted. Can we start over?” His gaze traveled over her face, the fresh clean make-up free look she sported this morning appealed to him. “If I haven’t ruined it I would like for us to become better acquainted.”
He watched the wind blow
True’s
hair around her shoulders. He wondered what she would do if he kissed her right now. Did she taste as good as she looked? Probably like warm chocolate right out of the oven or something more soothing like a glass of brandy on a cold winter night? Whatever the taste was, he knew he wanted a sample soon. Folding his arms across his chest, he smiled down at the confused look in her eyes and saw the storm of emotions in them. She may not want to admit it, but her eyes said that she wanted the same thing as him.
“Okay, I guess it wouldn’t hurt for us to try again.” True finally whispered.
Hayward
hid his smile. “T
hank
s, I hope we can become friends.”
“Well, it was nice talking to you, but I better go,” she whispered turning away from him. “Umm…see you later.”
He racked his brain for another way to see her.
Think of something you idiot.
“Hey, since we’re trying to become friends, why don’t I cook dinner for you?” He wrapped his hand around her upper arm and spun her back around to face him.
Hayward
couldn’t believe the words slipped from his lips. But now that they were out he wanted her to say yes.
“Live a little and say yes,” he whispered squeezing her upper arm. Her body heat burned his fingers and the feeling was intoxicating. “I’m really an excellent cook.”
Chapter Four
“What did you say?” True gasped.
Hayward
had intrigued her from the moment she saw him standing in his yard. But she wasn’t ready to have dinner with him or any other man. “Umm… t
hank
s for the invitation, but I’ll have to pass,” she uttered shaking off his light grip.
Hayward
sighed deeply in front of her. Did he sense her apprehension? It didn’t matter if he did or not. He wouldn’t change her mind. She couldn’t go out on a date so soon after
Dalton
.
“Please reconsider my invitation,”
Hayward
’s deep voice asked. “I would invite more people. But we are the only two people living out here for miles. If you want to I’ll even let you bring the dessert. How does that sound?”
True raised her eyes.
Hayward
’s blue eyes impaled her with a searching look. She flinched under his steady glaze. The earthy scent of his cologne hung in the air between them. She sighed in the back of her throat.
Why did he always smell so good?
A lock of his raven hair had fallen across his forehead and her traitorous fingers tingled to learn the texture. Was it silky smooth or thick? Her curiosity to discover more about
Hayward
shocked her. Even standing here, True perceived something special about him. She wanted to find out what it was. “Okay, I think it will be fun.”
Please let this be the right decision.
“Wonderful. How about
Hayward
suggested.
“I hope you have a good appetite, because I plan on seducing your taste buds tonight.” He teased.
“Sure that sounds good to me,” True replied.
Hayward
grinned back with no trace of his former animosity. She was taken back by the difference in his personality. Doubts started to surface about their date, revising her decision.
Hayward
possessed all the elements she looked for in a man: tall, dark, handsome and dangerously sexy with a pair of blue eyes that could make her melt.
Well, she wouldn’t allow herself to fall for him. Friendship was the only possibility for the two of them. She would make sure nothing else ever happened. She had a very bad feeling Hayward Campbell could capture her heart, without even trying.
She flinched slightly when
Hayward
slid his hand back down her arm and tightened his fingers around her wrist.
She hoped he couldn’t feel how fast her pulse was beating.
“Are you sure about this?”
Hayward
asked. His thumb brushed across her rapid pulse. Her body stiffened in shock, at the unexpected warmth his light caress caused. He stroked the pulse again, and she took a quick sharp breath. Girl, you better get home before you do something stupid.
She jerked her hand away from his touch. “Don’t worry. I’ll be at your house at seven.” She spun around, without even saying goodbye and raced back to her house.
* * * *
Hayward
watched
True’s
toned legs, dash across the trail back towards her home. The warm light scent of vanilla, he linked with her, now hung in the air. In the past, he thought of it as plain and ordinary. However splashed on
True’s
body, it tempted the hell out of him.
“I never thought today would turn out like it has.” He took another quick glance at
True’s
house over his shoulder.
Am I doing the right thing?
Should I be thinking about another woman so soon? Picking up a pebble off the ground, he flung it into the water and watched it dance across the top. It came as no surprise that he wanted this date with True. She was a breath of fresh air. She didn’t back down from his stare. Instead she tossed him one of her own. “Yes, Ms. True Williams I’m really going to enjoy getting to know you better.”
Two hours later,
Hayward
walked across the off-white tile on his bathroom floor into the shower and slid the glass door shut behind him.
Hot water danced across his skin, its warm steam plastered his hair to his head. He felt the waters steady rhythm as it worked the knots from his shoulders and back. He braced his hand on the gray tile. The massaging touch of the water slid from his back into the drain between his legs.
Closing his eyes, he remembered the look on
True’s
face and grinned. He shocked her with his impromptu dinner invitation. The wide-eyed fear that shined in her eyes proved it. She seemed almost afraid him. Was there a reason for her to be afraid of men?
He froze under the hot water. A frown ceased his tanned forehead at his thoughts.
Hayward
shook her head. “No, I can’t jump to a conclusion from a look.”
Yet, his gut clenched at the thought of her being abused by another man. He didn’t understand his reaction. “It’s dinner nothing more,” he muttered to himself. “Hell, we might even not ever get along that well. I shouldn’t worry about something that’s none of my business.”
Turning the shower off, he stepped onto the rich brown rug outside the shower door. He reached for the thick towel and wrapped it around his waist. Moving out of the bathroom, he walked down the stairs and thought about tonight’s meal.
Inside the kitchen,
Hayward
searched through his cabinets for an unromantic, yet suitable meal to fix. “I know I have something I can prepare for tonight,” he mumbled sliding another box to the back of the shelf. Cooking was a secret talent of his. He loved the smell of freshly cooked foods, filling the house. His mouth still watered at the thought of fresh bread baking in the oven.
He didn’t want to admit it, but he was nervous about this date. In the past, he always knew where the date would end and planned accordingly. True was different, she didn’t deserve that kind of disrespect. He wanted to make her first visit to his home a pleasant experience. A barrier surrounded her almost like a man had destroyed her in the past.
“What am I going to do?”
Hayward
was about to give up when he spotted a red box. It was hidden behind a box of Cheerios in the very back of the shelf. Reaching in the very back of the black lacquer cabinets, he grabbed the medium size box of pre-package lasagna dinner.
“This is perfect.” He rushed around the kitchen and gathered the other items for the dinner. “I can fix it like this and add some of my special touches to make it better.”
Hayward
started the preparations for his famous three cheese Italian lasagna.
Opening the oven,
Hayward
slid the pasta inside and closed the door. “I hope she likes Italian.” He muttered tugging at the towel slipping down his waist. “I better get dressed or I won’t be ready in time.”
No matter how much he tried to deny his attraction to True.
Sparks
flew between them every time they were within twenty feet of each other. However,
True
presented him with a problem other women hadn’t. She challenged him with quick wit, an excellent sense of humor and her gorgeous essence that called to him.
How did she do that? Work her way into his life so quickly? He felt a shiver of excitement thinking about her. His heart hammered in his ears and blood raced through his veins. “Get a hold of yourself,” he hissed shoving open his bedroom door.
“I wouldn’t let those liquid brown eyes, with those amazingly long eyelashes, tempt me.”
Hayward
promised himself, as he searched through his closet for something to wear.
* * * *
Next door, True stood in the front of the stove and took a deep breath. The sweet aroma of cake baking filled her nose as she peeked inside the oven. Opening the door wider, she reached inside with an oven
mitted
hand. She removed the yellow cake and placed it on a sunflower plated cooking rack. Second thoughts about tonight’s dinner with
Hayward
still bugged her.
Why did he want a date with me so badly?
In the last three years, she hasn’t dated anyone. Should she really jump back into the dating pool with a guy like
Hayward
? The way he stood tall with his shoulders back told her he had already made his mark in the world. Why would she be crazy enough to be closed in an intimate setting with him?
She looked around the room for the cordless phone, to cancel the date. “I’d rather stay at home and eat in my cozy kitchen here anyway.”
Patted brown wicker chairs in the corner, invited guests to sit down, and relax with a warm drink. Her dream kitchen was packed with stripes, and an oversized pillow on the window seat.
Planted pots were placed lovingly in the windowsills. Sunflowers inside a clear crystal vase sat in the middle of the table. She knew her kitchen created a focal point of warmth, the way she wanted it to.
“I really don’t want to have dinner with him.”
She thought she had imagined how handsome he was, but she hadn’t.
Hayward
was an extremely good-looking man. Today in the woods she lost her breath, when the sun shined down on him and outlined his broad shoulders in the green t-shirt. Ruggedly handsome men never did anything for her in the past, but somehow
Hayward
revised her attitude. “How did I let him talk me into this date?” True wondered, as she left the kitchen and went upstairs to get ready.
Forty-five minutes later,
True
walked down the long spiral staircase. Her high heels were silent on the thick peach carpet as she went into the kitchen. Her fingers touched the top of the cake to make sure it was cool enough for decoration. She grabbed the sugar from the cabinet above her head. She coated the fluffy moist yellow
bundt
cake with a thick layer of creamy chocolate icing. Licking the utensil, she tossed it in the hot soapy water inside the sink and slid her dessert into a red plastic cake container. “Where are my keys?” She looked around the room hoping to spot then.
Lifting the container, True carried it into the living room. She spotted her keys on the front room table by the cordless phone. As she hurried toward them, the phone rang.
“Who is calling me now?” She groaned, snatching the keys off the table. Sitting the cake on the table, True answered the phone.
“Hello.”
Silence.
“Hello?
Is anyone there? Listen, I don’t have time for this. Either
say
something or I’m going to hang up,” she snapped.
Silence.
“What an idiot.” She slammed down the phone and left.
On the short walk over to
Hayward
’s house,
True
worked on unclenching the tightness in her stomach, her nerves were tense and ready to explode.
Stars filled the
Hayward
’s porch and pushed the doorbell.
* * * *
“I should have known she would be on time.”
Hayward
tossed the potholder on the tabletop. His footsteps ate the short distance between the kitchen and the front door. He couldn’t believe how excited he was about this date. He ran his sweaty palms down the front of his pants. True didn’t have a clue what a big step this was for him. Blowing out a quick breath, he opened the door. “Hi, I’m glad you could make it.”
“T
hank
you,” True replied.
His hand tightened around the doorknob True looked a vision, with the moonlight shining behind her. He prayed he would be able to keep his hands to himself all night. Her pink sweater hugged her every curve and didn’t leave anything to his imagination.
“Wow, something smells delicious,” True uttered.
He also smelled the spicy scent of the lasagna in the oven, drifting toward them from the kitchen. Yet that wasn’t the scent that held his attention at the moment. “Yes, you do.”
Hayward
groaned taking a light whiff of
True’s
perfume.
“
Hayward
, is there a reason I can’t come in?”
True asked staring up at him.
He quickly took a step back. “No there isn’t. Please come in.”
He opened the oak door wider. Flashing him a smile, True brushed past his body and walked into the house. “What did you bring for dessert?” He closed the door behind them and followed her into the living room.
“I made a yellow cake with chocolate icing.”
“How did you know cake was my favorite dessert?” He asked, taking the cake from her hands. “Why don’t you follow me to the kitchen?” He turned; then headed in its direction.