That First Special Kiss

Shane and Jared leaned against a wooden fence that surrounded the practice arena Jared had built for Molly’s use. While Molly put her horse through its paces within the arena, her father and brother watched closely, occasionally calling out advice, neither taking their eyes from the slender redhead on the well-trained mare. Shane looked away only occasionally to check the stopwatch he gripped in his right hand.

As intently as Jared watched his daughter, he proved that he was equally aware of his son when he asked, “How’s it going with the girlfriend?”

Shane snorted. “It isn’t.”

“She’s still dragging her heels?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you have a quarrel with her?”

“No, not really.”

“Oh. You sounded sort of mad. I thought you’d had a fight.”

“I’m not mad,” Shane snapped, wishing everyone would quit trying to make him admit an anger he didn’t want to feel. And then almost immediately he regretted his sharp tone. “Sorry. I’m just...stressed.”

“You don’t owe me an apology.”

“I shouldn’t have snarled at you. It isn’t your fault I’m having problems with a woman.”

Molly showed her horse to a walk, and Jared turned to Shane. “You know, it’s okay if you...”

“Shane!” Cassie called out from her house behind them. “The garbage disposal is broken again. Can you look at it?”

“I’ll be right there.” He handed the stopwatch to Jared. “Don’t worry about me, Dad. I’ll handle all this somehow. Now I’d better go fix that garbage disposal before Cassie gets impatient.”

He was aware that his father watched him as he walked toward the house, but he wasn’t sure what exactly was going on behind Jared’s inscrutable expression.

Chapter Fourteen

Kelly was so nervous when she entered the restaurant the next day that her stomach was in knots. She couldn’t imagine that she would be able to eat a bite. She wondered now why she had insisted on a lunch meeting. She’d thought the routines of mealtime would ease the awkwardness of this reunion, but now she worried that it would only make it worse.

She should have had him come to her apartment, she fretted. Or maybe they should have met at the offices of D’Alessandro Investigations.

Or maybe they shouldn’t have met at all.

“May I help you?” an attractive hostess inquired when Kelly paused in the restaurant lobby.

“I’m meeting someone here. The name is Morrison.”

The hostess checked a list, then nodded and signaled to one of her co-workers. “Your party is already seated. Marie will escort you to your table.”

r /> “Thank you.” Taking a deep, steadying breath, Kelly followed the plump, smiling Marie into the lunchcrowded dining room.

A dignified-looking man in a dark blue uniform stood as Kelly approached his table. His sandy hair, graying at the temples, was cut short, and sun lines were etched around the corners of his dark green eyes, but he was still a striking-looking man. He was only a year or two over fifty, Kelly realized with a start. Her mother would have been fifty-one this year, had she lived. She’d just turned forty when she died.

The thought of her mother’s lonely and untimely death made her expression cool when she greeted her father. “Hello.” She had called him “Daddy” when she’d seen him last. That affectionate term seemed inappropriate now.

“Kelly.” He looked as uncomfortable as she felt. His movements were a bit stiff when he took a step toward her. “It’s good to see you.”

She moved quickly toward her chair, in case he felt it necessary to hug her. “I have to admit I was surprised to hear from you,” she said as she took her seat.

“I’m sure you were.” Colonel Jack Morrison sat across the table from her, his eyes trained on her face. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman, Kelly. You look very much like your mother.”

Kelly’s memories of her mother were of a woman ravaged by pain and disease, her hair gone, her skin pale and dry. “I’ll have to take your word for that.”

Jack looked grim, but seemed determined to keep the conversation going. “I noticed you were limping a bit when you joined me. Have you injured yourself?”