Good Husband Material

He moved his hand up from her hips to her sides, then around to her back, moving higher and higher until he cupped her head. He slid his fingers into her short hair and softly whispered her name.

She continued to hold on to him because the alternative was to fall on her rear end right there on the porch. When he broke the kiss and began to nibble along the line of her jaw, she didn’t care where she fell as long as he caught her. And when he sucked on her earlobe, every cell in her body screamed out that sex with Gage Reynolds would be a perfect homecoming.

Fortunately, the choice wasn’t hers. Just when she was starting to think they were wearing too many layers, he stepped back. His eyes were bright, his mouth damp with their kisses. She was pleased to see that his breathing was a tad too fast and that parts of him were not as…modest as they had been a few moments before.

They stared at each other. Kari didn’t know what to say. Finding out that Gage kissed better than she remembered meant one of three things: her memory was faulty, he’d been practicing while she’d been gone, or the chemistry between them was more powerful than it had been eight years ago. She wasn’t sure which she wanted it to be.

He didn’t speak, either. Instead, he leaned close, gave her one last hot, hard kiss, and walked down the porch steps, into the night.

Kari was left staring after him. Restlessness seized her, making her want to follow him and…and…

She sucked in a breath before slowly turning and heading back into the house. Obviously, coming back to Possum Landing was going to be a whole lot more complicated than she’d first realized.

Chapter Three

Gage ambled toward the offices of the Possum Landing Gazette the following morning. Under normal circumstances, he would have put off this meeting for as long as possible. But ever since the previous evening, he hadn’t been able to concentrate on his work, so he figured this was a better use of his time than staring out the window and remembering.

He’d always known that Kari would come back to Possum Landing one day. He’d felt it in his bones. From time to time he’d considered what his reaction to that event would be, assuming he would be little more than mildly interested in how she’d changed and only slightly curious as to her future plans. He hadn’t thought there would still be any chemistry between them. He wasn’t sure if that made him a fool, or an optimist.

The chemistry was there in spades. As were a lot of old feelings he didn’t want to acknowledge. Being around her made him remember what it was like to want her…and not just in bed. There had been a time when he’d longed to spend his whole life with her, making babies and creating a past they could both be proud of. Instead, she’d gone away and he’d found contentment in his present life. While the kiss the previous evening had shown him that parts of him were still very interested in the woman she’d become, the rest of him couldn’t afford to be.

Kari was a beautiful woman. Wanting her in bed made sense. Expecting anything else would take him down a road he refused to travel. He’d been there once and he hadn’t liked the destination.

So, for however long she stayed in Possum Landing, he would be a good neighbor and enjoy her company. If that led to something between the sheets, that was just fine with him. He hadn’t had much interest in the fairer sex these past few months. Instead, a restlessness had seized him, making him want something he couldn’t define. If nothing else, Kari could prove to be a welcome distraction.

Gage entered the newspaper office and nodded at the receptionist. “I know my way,” he called as he headed down a long corridor. “I’d be obliged if you’d tell Daisy I’m here.”

The woman picked up the phone to call back to the reporter. Gage pulled off his cowboy hat and slapped it against his thigh.

He didn’t much want to be here, but experience had taught him that it was safer to show up for interviews than to allow Daisy to come to him. This way, he was in charge and could head out when he felt the need to escape. He’d figured out that by leaning against the conference room chairs just so, he could activate the test button on his pager. It went off, and he could glance down at the screen and pretend something had come up, forcing him to leave. He was also sure to seem real regretful about having to head out unexpectedly. He was just as sure to ignore Daisy’s not-so-subtle hints that they should get together sometime soon.

Daisy was a fine figure of a woman. A petite redhead with big green eyes and a mouth that promised three kinds of heaven if a man were only to ask. They’d been in the same class in high school but had never dated. Newly divorced, Daisy was more than willing to reacquaint herself with Gage. He appreciated the compliment and couldn’t for the life of him figure out why he wasn’t interested. But he wasn’t. As he’d yet to decide on an easy way to let her down, he did the next best thing and avoided anything personal.

He wove his way through the half dozen or so desks in the main room of the newspaper office. Daisy was in the back, by a window. She looked up and smiled as Gage approached. Her long, red hair had been piled on her head in a mass of sexy curls. The sleeveless blouse she wore dipped low enough to prove that her cleavage was God-given and not the result of padding. Her smile more than welcomed…it offered. Gage smiled in return, all the while monitoring parts south. Over the years he’d found that part of him was a fairly good judge of his interest in a woman. As had occurred every other time he’d been in Daisy’s company, there wasn’t even a hint of a stirring. No matter how much Daisy might wish the contrary, as far as he was concerned, there wasn’t any future for them.

“Gage,” she murmured as he approached. “You’re looking fine this morning. Being a hero seems to agree with you.”

“Daisy,” he said with a smile. “If you’re going to write anything about me being a hero in your article, I’m not going to cooperate. I was doing my job—nothing more.”

She sighed and tilted her head. “Brave and modest. Two of my favorite qualities in a man.” She batted her long lashes at him. “I have a call to make. Why don’t you wait for me in the conference room, and I’ll join you there.”

“Sure thing.”

He spoke easily, even though the last place he wanted Daisy to send him was that back room with no windows and only one door. Yesterday, facing four armed bank robbers hadn’t done much but increase his heart rate. But the thought of being trapped in a small place with Daisy on the hunt made his insides shrivel up and play dead.

Still, there was no escaping the inevitable. And he always had his handy-dandy test button escape route.

He walked down the hallway that led to the conference room and stepped inside. But instead of finding it empty, he saw someone else waiting. A tall, slender someone with short blond hair and the prettiest blue eyes this side of the Mississippi.

“Morning, Kari,” he said as he stepped into the room.

She glanced up from the list she’d been making, frowned in confusion, then smiled. “Gage. What are you doing here?”

“Waiting on Daisy. She’s going to interview me about yesterday’s bank robbery.” He hesitated before taking a seat.

Some decisions were harder than others and this was one of them. Did he want to sit next to her so he could catch the occasional whiff of her soft perfume, or sit across from her so he could look at her lovely face? He decided to enjoy the view, and pulled out the chair directly opposite hers.

“What brings you to the newspaper this morning?” he asked as he set his hat on the table.

Kari’s mouth twisted slightly. “Daisy called and asked to interview me about the bank robbery. I wonder why she wanted us to come at the same time.”

Gage had a couple of ideas, but figured this wasn’t the time to go into them. Instead he studied Kari, who seemed to be trying not to look at him. Was that because of last night? Their kiss? The heat they’d ignited had kept him up half the night. He might not have much of a reaction to Daisy, but being around Kari proved that he could be intrigued in about a tenth of a second under the right circumstances.

This morning she wore a white summery dress that emphasized her slender shape. He eyed her short hair, which fluttered around her ears.

“What?” she said, watching him watch her. She touched her hair. “I know—it’s short.”

“I said I liked it.”

“I wasn’t sure if you were lying,” she admitted with a smile. “I always figured you were more of a long hair kind of a guy.”

He leaned back in his chair. “Actually, I try to be flexible. If it looks nice, I like it.”

He continued to take in her features, noting changes and similarities.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

He grinned. He was thinking that he would very much like to take her to bed. Once they’d shared several hours of one of life’s greatest pleasures, he would like to get to know the woman she’d become while she’d been gone. Not that he was going to say that to her. From time to time, circumstances forced a man to tell little white lies.

“I was wondering how much work you’re planning on doing at your grandmother’s house.”

Kari blinked at Gage. She’d expected him to say a lot of things, but not that. He’d been looking at her as if he were the big bad wolf and she were lunch. But in the kind of way that made her body heat up and her heart rate slip into overdrive.

So, she’d been thinking about last night’s kiss and he’d been mulling over paint chips and siding. Obviously her ability to read Gage and handle herself with grace and style hadn’t improved at all in the time she’d been gone.

“I’m still figuring that out,” she said. “The biweekly cleaning service kept the house livable, but it’s still old and out of date. I could redo the whole place, but that doesn’t make sense. I have a limit to both my time and money, so I’m going to have to prioritize.”

He nodded thoughtfully.

My, oh my, but he still looked good, she thought, as she had yesterday. And the pleasure she took in seeing him hadn’t worn off yet. She wondered if it would. By the end of summer, would he be little more than just some good-looking guy who happened to live next door? Could she possibly get that lucky?

Before she could answer her own question, Daisy breezed into the conference room. From her low-cut blouse to the red lipstick emphasizing her full lips, she was a walking, breathing pinup girl. Kari felt bony and string-bean–like in comparison.

“Thanks so much for coming,” she said as she closed the door, then took the seat next to Gage. “I’m writing a follow-up article for the paper and I thought it would be fun to interview you both together. I hope you don’t mind.”

Kari shook her head and tried not to notice how close Daisy sat to Gage. The other woman brushed her arm against his and smiled at him in a way that had Kari thinking they were way more than friends.

But that didn’t make sense. Gage wasn’t the kind of man to be involved with one woman and kiss another. Which meant Gage and Daisy had once been a couple or that they were still in the flirting stage. Either concept gave her the willies.

Daisy set her notebook on the table in front of her but didn’t open it. She leaned toward Kari. “Wasn’t that something? I mean, a bank robbery right here in PL.”

Kari blinked. “PL?”

“Possum Landing. Nothing exciting ever happens here.” She smiled at Gage. “At least, nothing in public. I thought it was so amazing. And, Gage, throwing yourself in front of the bullets. That was amazing, too. And brave.”

He grunted.

With a speed that left Kari scrambling, Daisy turned to her and changed the subject. “So, you’re back. After all those years in New York. What was it like there?”

“Interesting,” Kari said cautiously, not sure what this had to do with the holdup the previous day. “Different from here.”

“Isn’t everywhere,” Daisy said with a laugh. “I’ve spent time in the city, but I have to tell you, I’m a small-town girl at heart. PL is an amazing place and has everything I could ever want.”

She spoke earnestly, focusing all her attention on Gage for several seconds before swinging it back on Kari.

“What’s it like seeing Gage again after all these years?”

Kari blinked. “I’m, uh, not sure what that has to do with the bank robbery.”

“I would have thought it was obvious. Your former fiancé risks his life for you. He protects you from the hail of gunfire. You can’t tell me you didn’t think it was romantic. Don’t you think it was the perfect homecoming? I mean, now that you’re back.”

Kari risked a glance at Gage, but he looked as confused as she felt. What on earth was Daisy’s point with all this? As Kari didn’t want anything she said taken out of context and printed for the whole town to see, she tried to think before she spoke.

“First of all,” she said slowly, “Gage and I were never engaged. We dated. Second, I’m not back. Not permanently.”

“Uh-huh.” Daisy opened her notebook and scribbled a few lines. “Gage, what were you thinking when you walked into the bank?”

“That I should have followed my mama’s advice and studied to be an engineer.”

Kari smiled slightly and felt herself relax. Trust Gage to ease the tension in the room. But before she could savor her newfound peace, Daisy broke into peals of laughter, tossing her pen on the table and clutching Gage’s arm.

“Aren’t you a hoot?” she said, beaming at him. “I’ve always enjoyed your humor.”

The expression on her face said she had enjoyed other things, as well, but Kari didn’t want to dwell on that. She tried to ignore the couple across the table. Daisy wasn’t having any of that. She turned her attention back to Kari and gave her a look of friendly concern.

“I’m so pleased to hear you say that you’re not staying for the long haul. You and Gage had something special once, but I’ve found that old flames never light up as brightly the second time around. They seem to fizzle and just fade away.”

Kari smiled through clenched teeth. “Well, bless your heart for being so concerned.”

Daisy beamed back.

They completed the interview fairly quickly, now that Daisy had gotten her message across. Obviously she’d called Kari and Gage in together to see them in the same room, and to warn Kari off. Like Kari was interested in starting up something with an ex-boyfriend.

Small-town life, Kari thought grimly. How could she have forgotten the downside of everyone knowing everyone else?

Daisy continued to coo over Gage and he continued to ignore her advances. Despite being incredibly uncomfortable, Kari couldn’t help wondering about the state of their real relationship and vowed to ask Gage the next time she felt brave. In the meantime, she would do her best to avoid Daisy.

People in big cities thought nothing happened in small towns, she thought as she finally made her escape. People in big cities were wrong.

“You spoil me, Mama,” Gage said a few nights later as he cleared the table at his mother’s house.

Edie Reynolds, an attractive, dark-haired woman in her late fifties, smiled. “I’m not sure cooking dinner for you once a week constitutes spoiling, Gage. Besides, I need to be sure you’re getting a balanced meal at least once in a while.”

He began scraping plates and loading the dishwasher. “I’m a little too old to be eating pizza every night,” he teased. “Just last week I had a vegetable with my steak.”

“Good for you.”

He winked at her as he worked. His mother shook her head, then picked up her glass of wine. “I’m still very angry with you. What were you thinking when you burst in on those bank robbers?” She held up her free hand. “Don’t bother telling me you weren’t thinking. I’ve already figured that out.”

“I was doing my job. Several citizens were in danger and I had to protect them.”

She set her glass down, her mouth twisting. “I guess this means your father and I did too good a job teaching you about responsibility.”

“You wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Probably not,” she admitted.

The phone rang. His mother sighed. “Betty Sue from the hospital auxiliary has been calling me every twenty minutes about our fund-raiser. I’m amazed we got through dinner without her interrupting. This will just take a second.” She picked up the receiver on the counter and spoke in a cheerful tone.

“Hello? Why, Betty Sue, what a surprise. No, no, we’d just finished eating. Uh-huh. Sure.”

Edie headed for the living room. “If you want to rearrange the placement of the booths, you’re going to have to clear it with the committee. I know they told you to run things, but…”

Gage grinned as he tuned out the conversation. His mother’s charity work was as much a part of her as her White Diamonds perfume.

He finished with the dishes and rinsed the dishcloth before wiping down the counters. Every now and then his mother protested that he didn’t need to help after dinner, but he never listened. He figured she’d done more than her share of work while he and his brother Quinn were growing up. Loading the dishwasher hardly began to pay her back.

He finished with his chores and leaned against the counter, waiting for her to finish her conversation with Betty Sue. The kitchen had been remodeled about seven years ago, but the basic structure was still the same. The old house was crammed full of memories. Gage had lived here from the time he was born until he’d left to join the army.

Of course, every part of Possum Landing had memories. It was one of the things he liked about the town—he belonged here. He could trace his family back five generations on his father’s side. There were dozens of old pictures in the main hallway—photos of Reynolds at the turn of the previous century, when Possum Landing had been just a brash, new cow town.

His mother returned to the kitchen and set the phone back on its base. “That woman is doing her best to make me insane. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I actually voted for her to run the fund-raiser. I must have been experiencing a black out or something.”

He laughed. “You’ll survive. How’s the bathroom sink?”

“The leak is fixed. Don’t fret, Gage. There aren’t any chores for you this week.”

She led the way back into the living room, where they sat on opposite ends of the recovered sofa. Edie had replaced the ugly floral pattern with narrow-striped fabric.

“I don’t invite you over just to get free labor,” she said.

“I know, Mama, but I’m happy to help.”

She nodded. “Will you be all right when John takes over that sort of chore?”

His mother had never been one to walk around a problem—if she saw trouble, she headed right for it. He leaned forward and lightly touched the back of her hand.

“I’ve told you before, I’m pleased about John. Daddy’s been gone five years. You’re getting a second chance to be happy.”

She didn’t look convinced.

“I’m telling the truth.”

He was. The loss of his father had been a blow to both of them. Edie had spent the first year in a daze. Finally she’d pulled herself together and had tried to get on with her life. A part-time job she’d taken for something to do rather than because she needed the money had helped. As had her friends. Nearly a year before, she’d met John, a retired contractor.

Gage was willing to admit that he’d been a bit put off by the thought of his mother dating, but he’d quickly come around. John was a solid man who treated Edie as if she were a princess. Gage couldn’t have picked better for his mother himself.

“You’ll still come to dinner, won’t you? Once we’re married?”

“I promise.”

He’d been coming to dinner once a week ever since he’d returned to Possum Landing after being in the army. Like many things in his life, it was a tradition.

His mother’s dark gaze sharpened a little and he braced himself. Sure enough, she went right for the most interesting topic.

“I heard Kari Asbury is back in town.”

“Subtle, Mama.” He grinned. “According to Kari, she’s not back, she’s here for a short period of time while she fixes up her grandmother’s house and sells it.”

Edie frowned. “And then what? Is she going back to New York? She’s a lovely girl, but isn’t she getting a little old to be a fashion model?”

“She’s going to be a teacher. She has her credentials and is applying for jobs in different parts of Texas.”

“Not Possum Landing?”

“Not as far as I can tell.”

“Are you all right with that?”

“Sure.”

“If you’re lying to me, I’m not averse to getting out the old switch.”

He grinned. “You’d have to catch me first. I’m still a fast runner, Mama.”

Her face softened with affection. “Just be careful, Gage. There was a time when she broke your heart. I would hate to see that happen again.”

“It won’t,” he said confidently. A man was allowed to be a fool for a woman once in a lifetime, but not twice. “We’ll always be friends. We have too much past between us to avoid that. We’re neighbors, so I’ll be seeing her, but it won’t amount to anything significant.”

It was only a white lie, he thought cheerfully. Because getting Kari into bed was definitely his goal. And if things were as hot between them as he guessed they would be, the event would certainly qualify as “significant.” But that wasn’t something he wanted to share with his mother.

“You heard from Quinn lately?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Not since that one letter a month ago.” She sighed. “I worry about that boy.”

Gage didn’t think there was any point in mentioning that Quinn was thirty and a trained military operative. “Boy” hadn’t described him in years.

“He should be getting leave in the next few months.”

“I’m hoping he’ll make time to come to the wedding. I don’t know if he will, though.”

Gage wasn’t sure, either. He and Quinn had once been close, but time and circumstances had changed things. They’d both headed into the military after high school, but unlike Gage, Quinn had stayed in. He’d gone into Special Forces, then joined a secret group that worked around the world wherever there was trouble.

Despite being from the same family as Gage, Quinn had never fit in. Mostly because their father had made his life a living hell.

As always, the thought made Gage uncomfortable. He’d never understood why he’d been the golden boy of the family and Quinn had been the unwelcome stranger. He also didn’t know why he was thinking so much about the past lately.

Maybe it was Kari returning and stirring it up. Maybe now was a good time to ask a question that should have been asked long ago.

“Why didn’t Daddy like Quinn?”

Edie stiffened slightly. “What are you saying, Gage? Your father loved you two boys equally. He was a good father.”

Gage stared at her, wondering why she was lying. Why avoid the obvious?

“The old farmer’s market opened last week. I’m going to head over there this weekend and see if I can get some berries. Maybe I’ll bake a pie for next time.”

The change of subject was both obvious and awkward. Gage hesitated a second before giving in and saying that he always enjoyed her pies.

But as they chatted about the summer heat and who was vacationing where, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there were secrets hiding just below the surface. Had they always been there and he had never noticed?

Twenty minutes later, he hugged his mother goodbye, then picked up the trash bag from the kitchen and carried it out as he did every time he left. He put it in the large container by the garage and waved before stepping into his truck.

His mother waved back, then returned to the house.

Gage watched the closed back door for a while before starting the truck and heading home. What had happened tonight? Was something different, or was he making something out of nothing?