Luann McLane - Moonlight Kiss

“I’m so sorry.”

“I was lucky. It was caught early.” She shrugged and then smiled. “We all have our journeys, our crosses to bear. Tristan was a blessing and I love him dearly. I couldn’t ask for a better son. And after surviving cancer—no relapses—I feel like I’ve learned to focus on the big picture and to try to be happy as best I can.”

“You put your dreams on hold for him.” He felt his heart lurch.

“Totally worth it.” Her eyes welled up with tears. “Even if I could go back and rewrite history, I wouldn’t change a thing. And now here I am in my fifties, getting to start a new adventure!”

“I admire your attitude, Maggie. I admire so much about you.” He looked at her with a sense of wonder.

She chuckled. “My attitude was all that kept me going for a long time. But Tristan was such a joy and still is.” He was sure that her radiant smile hid a lot of heartache. Rick was beyond impressed and even more drawn to her.

“Oh, don’t look at me like I’m an angel. I had my days of despair and crankiness. I still do, for that matter. And I guess living through tough times makes me appreciate the good times even more.”

“So, you’ve never been married?”

“No, I never really had the time for romance,” she scoffed, but her smile faltered for the first time.

“And you were a little bit scared?”

She stopped rocking and stared down at her glass again. Finally, she lifted her gaze to meet his. “Yes,” she admitted so softly that her admission blended with the evening breeze.

Not knowing what to say, Rick remained silent, wishing in some ways he’d never led her down this path.

“Of course, Tristan had questions, but as the years passed it became less important. The love we have for each other is really all that matters.” She lifted one shoulder. “I just sometimes have a tough time with trust.”

“Understandable.”

Her gaze flicked away and she started rocking gently. Rick studied her profile in the waning light. She was such a pretty woman, so full of life. What a shame that she held back from experiencing romance . . . love. Judging by the way she loved her son, she would be an amazing wife. Caring, funny, sexy, smart. He couldn’t ask, but he surmised that she hadn’t slept with a man in quite some time. Rick thought about all of the meaningless sex he’d had and it turned his stomach.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Richard. I didn’t mean to put a damper on the lovely evening.”

“You haven’t.” Rick reached over and took her hand. “Not in the least.”

Her eyes widened in a bit of surprise and then she smiled slowly, shyly. And while Rick knew he should withdraw his hand he simply couldn’t.

Maggie McMillan was both fragile and incredibly strong. He was drawn to her in more ways than one. She had just revealed so much of herself to him, and he had secrets. Perhaps he should simply tell her. . . .

“Hey, don’t look so serious,” she said with a low chuckle. “Let’s check on the potatoes and grab another glass of wine.”

Rick squeezed her hand and nodded. “While you do that I’ll get the grill heated up. Looks like we’re in for a beautiful sunset.”

“And you forgot to turn the music on. Put on something I can snap my fingers to,” she requested with a laugh. “Music will get us back in a festive mood.”

“So, you’re a music lover? What kind?”

“Absolutely. A wide variety, depending on my mood. But I have it playing most of the day and sing along in the car. You? I noticed a guitar leaning against the wall. Are you good?” She raised her eyebrows and waited while he tried to decide how to answer. “Oh, don’t be shy. I’ll even sing along.”

“I’m passable,” Rick finally answered, and hoped she would forget about her request, even though playing some of the new songs he’d been writing appealed to him.

As the night wore on there wasn’t anything about her that didn’t appeal to him. From her easy laugh to her knowledge of baseball and her intelligence, Rick found himself wishing the night would go on forever. She didn’t pick at her food and actually ate her steak with appreciation, unlike the women he was used to dining with, who for one reason or another eliminated just about every food group. Rick even enjoyed doing the dishes with her. When was the last time he’d done dishes?

“What are you grinning about?” Maggie asked with a tilt of her head.

“How you’re making me enjoy simple things.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “I have a whole stack of self-help books in the den and you’ve inspired me more than all of them put together.”

“Really? Well, then, you need to tell me all about your life so I can be inspired over dessert and coffee.”

“I’m not all that inspirational,” he said and felt a flash of alarm. How would she react to his past?

Maggie suddenly put her hands to her cheeks. “Oh, I forgot to put the pie in the oven!” she exclaimed, and he was glad for the change of subject. Saved by the pie . . .

“That’s okay. We can have it next time,” Rick answered and just about held his breath while he waited for her response. “If, you know, you’d like to have dinner with me again,” he added. Rick couldn’t remember the last time he felt so unsure or so hopeful while waiting for an answer from a woman. The anticipation, the excitement, made him feel so alive! Going to a club or a four-star restaurant with some twentysomething never felt this good.

“I would be delighted,” Maggie answered.

Rick let out the breath he’d been holding and smiled. He wanted to pull her into his arms but didn’t want to go too fast. While he knew that sooner or later his secret would come out and that he would most likely move back to LA, for now he wanted to simply savor the time spent with her. “Would you like another glass of wine or an after-dinner drink? It’s still relatively warm outside and there’s a full moon, so we could head back outside.”

“I would but then I wouldn’t be able to drive.”

She nibbled on her bottom lip, and he realized that some of what she’d told him about her past must be running through her head. He despised the fact that she could even think about something so terrible while with him.

“Hey, I promised to be a gentleman and I won’t break that promise, Maggie.”

She swallowed hard. “Those trust issues are rearing their ugly head.”

“I understand.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Maggie.” It killed him to hear her apologize for her feelings. Rick shook his head and then put his hands on her shoulders. “I had a great time with you tonight. Let me walk you to your car, even though I don’t really like you driving these back roads by yourself.”

“I’ll be fine. I grew up on these country roads,” she said. “But thank you for being concerned.”

“I’m not just being polite, you know.”

When she nodded ever so slightly Rick dropped his hands from her shoulders so he wouldn’t give in to temptation and pull her in for the kiss he’d been longing to steal all night long. He helped her into her denim jacket and strolled toward the door. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the unsigned paperwork and barely suppressed a grin. He’d just have to head up to her office right about lunchtime with the extended lease agreement.

Rick moved across the yard as slowly as he could without actually stopping, trying to milk every last minute with her. After the sunset the night had turned clear and cooler—perfect weather for snuggling beneath a blanket or building a fire.

Maggie gazed upward and sighed. “Wow, look at those stars and that amazing moon. The night sky is so pretty away from the city lights. Makes you feel small and insignificant.”

“There’s nothing insignificant about you, Maggie.”

She looked at him with an element of surprise and smiled.

“Yeah, it sure is quiet and peaceful out here,” he said when they stopped in front of her SUV. After hearing the beep of keyless entry, Rick reached over and opened the door for her. “I could get used to this.”

“Living here?”

“Spending time with you,” he said. “Tell me you’ll do this again.”

“I’ll do this again.” There was no hesitation in her voice this time.

“Ah . . . Maggie . . .” The need to touch her, to kiss her overcame his reasons for holding back. He dipped his head and captured her lips in a soft, sweet kiss, lingering just long enough to let her know that he wanted much more. He wanted her to feel beautiful and desired because she was both, but also that he was capable of holding back until she was ready. After she drove away, Rick poured the last of the wine into his glass and then came back out onto the porch with his guitar. He played by rote, humming softly while his mind wandered from the past to the present. Sitting on the front porch of a cabin in Cricket Creek, Kentucky was starting to feel a little bit less surreal and more like . . . home?

“SARA, COME ON . . . SERIOUSLY? WHY IN THE WORLD would I want to spend my Saturday night at the grand opening of a bridal boutique?” Reid hefted the bag of chicken feed from the bed of the truck and then turned to face his sister.

“I don’t know.” She gave him an innocent look. “There will be free food. Cake! Who doesn’t like cake? Plus, you can keep Cody company.”

“Cody would rather be going over to Sully’s to shoot some pool or throw darts. Now, if he wants to do that, I’m down with it. You can join us later.”

“I want Cody to look at some of the bridal stuff with me and do some cake tasting.”

Reid tilted his head to his shoulder to catch some sweat on his sleeve. “See, that’s the difference. Cody is going to be a groom. I’m not, thank God.”