Stolen Kisses (21 page)

“This is the last place I ever imagined taking you, but my sister managed to blow all my plans sky high,” he explained, giving her a spaniel look that tugged at her heart. “Logan caught me just as I was leaving the house. He and Tory are getting married tomorrow, and I’m going to be the best man. Instead of taking you to the intimate little Italian place I had in mind, we’re going to my sister’s rehearsal dinner.”

“Oh, boy.” That was all she could manage. She’d run around all afternoon like a hyperactive teenager worrying about her first real date with Trevor. What should she say? How should she act? Was she behaving rationally? Her bedroom looked like a tornado had struck. Nothing she owned suited her; nothing was going to be right for dinner with Trevor. After five changes, she’d settled on a plain but stylish burgundy sheath moments before he had arrived. If she had known the truth, she might have been twice as nervous.

“It really won’t be that bad, Jessie. I promise.” His hand dropped to her shoulder to give a reassuring squeeze before he put the car in gear again.

A few minutes later, when the imposing gates came into view, Jessie wondered if she shouldn’t have told him to take her home. The sight of the house a few minutes later, however, changed her mind. The view of the twin Queen Anne turrets against the last remnants of the sunset took her breath away. She had had no idea this gem of a house was hidden away in the modem suburbs of Little Rock. Apparently T.L. wanted his home to be a well-kept secret. She couldn’t remember ever seeing pictures of it in any of the local or regional magazines.

“Here we are. The old homestead.” Trevor let out a deep breath as he turned off the ignition.

“It’s beautiful,” Jessie exclaimed, not waiting for him to help her out of the car. She wanted an unobstructed view of the house, momentarily forgetting her anxiety.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you about Daddy’s taste in furniture,” he murmured as he took her arm and led her up the back steps and through the heart-shaped moon gate entrance to the porch.

When they entered the house, they could hear the rumble of voices coming from the front rooms. Just as they reached the kitchen door, Arnette stepped into the hall, a tray of hors d’oeuvres in her hands. “It’s about time you got here. I’ve had to set dinner back a half hour already.” Her face broke into a smile when she saw Jessie. “Now, didn’t I tell you she was a nice girl? It’s so nice to see you again, Miss DeLord. Maybe this boy has more sense than I gave him credit for all this time.”

“Trevor, dammit. How could you?” another voice broke in from the far end of the hall while Jessie was returning Arnette’s greeting.

“How could I what?” he asked cautiously, giving Jessie a sidelong glance before he turned back to Abby Bush, who was rapidly walking toward them. “I told you that Jessie was too nice for you, didn’t I? I can’t believe that you had the nerve to ask her out after what you did at my party,” she stated with great heat before turning to Jessie. “I’m so sorry about this menace. I meant to call and warn you not to trust him in a well-lit room with an empty gun.”

“I don’t think he’s that bad.” Jessie was beginning to relax at the two women’s affectionate teasing. She thought Trevor was a little too complacent after the dual attack. “You can’t be as bad as people say you are. Can you?”

“Maybe I should have taken you back home when I had the chance,” he grumbled good-naturedly, grasping Jessie’s arm and linking it through his. “Heel, Abby. She’s safe as long as she’s under your watchful eye. Although I’m beginning to suspect a setup.”

“A setup?” Jessie asked. At the suddenly guilty look on Abby’s face, Jessie decided that she must be missing a piece of information.

“Unless I miss my guess, I think my sister and this young lady were going to try their delicate little hands at some reverse-psychology matchmatching,” he explained, a satisfied smirk on his face as Abby began to sputter in outrage. “It seems that you and I were going to be victims of a horrible plot. Only I scotched their devious plans by having the excellent taste of staking my claim first.”

Jessie looked from Abby to Trevor, trying to make sense of the exchange. Suddenly the pieces fell into place. Abby Bush’s warnings to Trevor were supposed to pique his interest in Jessie. It was too ironic for words. Abby would never know that at that point of their acquaintance Trevor scared Jessie spitless. Now, though still wary of the man, she couldn’t help joining in the fun. “Abby, you didn’t purposely introduce me to Connor MacMurray simply to make Trevor look good in comparison?”

“Oh, Lord, he’s corrupted you already,” she wailed dramatically, playing her part to the hilt, but having a tough time keeping a straight face. “No, I didn’t, but for that comment I’m glad I put you two at the kiddie table for dinner.”

“Hey, are y’all going to stand out there all night?” T.L.’s voice boomed out from a distant room. “The minister hasn’t got all night, boy. So get your sorry behind in here.”

“Just one man’s family,” Trevor murmured dryly, leading Jessie toward the front of the house. “Why did I think this was a good idea? I’m going to make Logan pay for this one. That cowardly Yankee doesn’t want a best man; he just wants reinforcements to help deal with these lunatics.”

“Trevor, are you all right? I think you’re babbling.” Jessie tried to contain her laughter, but with little success. She understood now why the man beside her didn’t hesitate to act outrageously whenever the spirit moved him. He was surrounded by people who weren’t afraid to speak their minds, no matter where they were. It was a talent he had acquired for self-defense.

He stopped just before they reached the entrance to the living room, placing his hands on her shoulders. Looking very earnest and keeping his voice low, he said, “I apologize ahead of time for anything that happens here tonight, Jessie. Things are already out of control, and we’ve only been in the house for five minutes.”

“Trevor, I’m enjoying myself,” she returned just as solemnly, touched by his obvious distress. With a daring she didn’t quite understand, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Why don’t you relax? If I didn’t know better, I’d think this was your wedding rehearsal.”

That seemed to subdue him for the next half hour as he introduced her to the members of his family and Logan Herrington’s. Abby, as Tory’s matron of honor, and her husband were the only others present who weren’t related to the bride and groom.

The rest of the evening continued with a great deal of boisterous laughter and affectionate teasing. The only ones who didn’t join in the general mayhem were Sanders and his family. Jessie almost went into a fit of giggles when she met little Basil, wishing Gina could have been with her at that moment. The poor child was the spitting image of his stodgy father. She almost hugged Trevor for coming into her life before she had selected one of her candidates and ended up with someone like Sanders.

It was soon apparent that Tory’s sense of humor was almost as bizarre as her brother’s. She also bore the brunt of most of the ribbing, especially from Trevor and Curtiss, the soft-spoken veterinarian. Logan joined in at one point, recounting how Tory had decided to teach him to be a laid-back Southerner. His aunt and uncle had been in tears from laughing over the matter, and his mother, the epitome of a Bostonian grande dame, smiled occasionally.

Jessie was almost sorry when Trevor declared that it was time to leave. They were delayed as Ty Daniel and Amanda Sue demanded that their uncle tell them one more story before he left. At six and three, the two urchins had held court at the kiddie table all through dinner, their uncle their willing slave. He gave in with very little resistance, recounting a story about a beautiful raven-haired princess who refused to be courted by her father’s jester.

Trying to look disinterested as Trevor told the tale with his dancing eyes trained directly on her, Jessie was ready to leave as soon as the children gave their uncle his good-night kisses.

The two tow-headed children also graciously included Jessie in the ceremony, much to the delight of all the adults. They had listened carefully to Trevor’s story as well.

As she settled into the passenger seat, Jessie felt her earlier nervousness beginning to return. The evening had been wonderful, a sharp contrast to spending time with her own family. Though she had a large family, they were quiet, reserved people who didn’t show their emotions readily. For a moment, she wondered what would happen if she mixed the two families together. She wasn’t quite sure.

“Are you ever going to speak to me again?” Trevor asked a few minutes later, breaking the companionable silence in the car.

“Because of your family or that absurd story you told the children?” she asked quickly, trying to read his thoughts as she gazed at his profile. A sudden thought occurred to her. “Did Tory really break your nose? I thought it must be a football injury.”

“That’s the trouble with families, they don’t allow you any secrets.” His grumbling had the same mock ferociousness he had used when weaving the fairy tale for his niece and nephew.

“It certainly gave me a new perspective,” she returned quietly. He didn’t answer immediately, deliberating over her comment.

“Is that good or bad?”

She waited for a few moments, seriously considering the matter. Though she hadn’t the time to assess everything she’d heard and seen, she had learned a great deal about Trevor Planchet. “I’d say it was good.”

He didn’t answer as he turned the car into her driveway. Though he switched off the engine, he made no move to get out of the car.

Jessie wondered what was going on in his fertile brain. The one thing she knew by now was that she couldn’t anticipate what he would do next. He proved her right when he finally spoke.

“I’m not going to walk you to the door, Jessie.” He said the words very slowly and clearly, as if he were making a proclamation.

“I see.” She didn’t, but with one look at his still form beside her, she didn’t think she wanted to question his reasons. He was staring straight ahead through the windshield, his entire body poker stiff with his arms straining against the steering wheel.

“I don’t think you do.” He turned to face her, his hands still gripping the steering wheel tightly. “All I want to do right now is carry you into the house and make love to you all night long until we’re both exhausted. In my present state of mind, I don’t think we’d make it much farther than the front door.”

She didn’t know what to say. He’d taken her breath away. Tiny sparks seemed to be traveling through her bloodstream. All too clearly she could remember the morning in the camping shelter. She closed her eyes for a moment, almost considering telling him that she understood exactly what he was feeling. He didn’t give her a chance.

“The only thing that’s holding me back is the fact that I don’t think you’re ready to take that step yet,” he continued, his voice suddenly rough as he watched her expression in the dim light from the dashboard. “Tonight’s only a beginning, sweetheart. Now go inside before I forget that I have some principles.”

For a moment she hesitated, wanting to throw her arms around his neck and tell him what an incredibly considerate man he was. He had always told her he wasn’t as dangerous as she thought. Now she believed him.

“Jessie.”

At his harsh growl, she grabbed the door handle and scrambled out of the car. She ran up the walk to the front door to keep from turning around and getting back into the car. As she inserted the key into the lock, her mind told her that he was right. Unfortunately, the traitorous little voice was telling her what her body wanted. She ached to feel his arms around her again, to taste the magic of his kiss and explore all the secrets of his lean body.

Opening the door, she turned to watch Trevor’s car slowly back out of the drive. She knew she had a sleepless night ahead, even if she was spending it alone. The evening had taught her quite a few things about the complex man who had just sent her off to bed alone. Myriad questions continued to circle in her bewildered mind. Some of them now had answers, but a thousand more seemed to take their place.

One thing she knew for certain, it would take her a lifetime to understand Trevor Planchet.

“You’ve been awfully quiet,” Trevor commented as he guided Jessie between the other dancers on the special flooring of the pavilion erected on the Planchet’s lawn. “Or is my family finally getting to you? Maybe the two hundred intimate friends that Daddy invited in for drinks and a snack?”

Victoria Planchet’s wedding to Logan Herrington had become an event, in spite of the couple’s protests. The wedding had been small and elegant, performed in her father’s living room with only thirty witnesses present. The bride was lovely in a white silk suit complemented by a large white hat, and the groom had looked solemn in a pearl-gray suit as they had exchanged their vows. T.L., however, had taken it upon himself to orchestrate the reception in his own style.

Most of Little Rock’s prominent citizens were now drinking pink champagne from a fountain set up in the gazebo or dancing to the full orchestra that played beneath the canopy of the trees. The Langford-Hugheses were among the first to arrive. The bride and groom were oblivious to most of the guests, dancing together in their own world. T.L. was in his element, playing the convivial host for all he was worth.

“Your father is certainly a law unto himself,” Jessie returned quietly, unable to tell Trevor what was on her mind. She was still unsettled by the revelation she had experienced only a half hour ago. Right now she wanted to hug her new knowledge to herself.