A Matter of Honesty (11 page)

from Gail while Steve leaned down to adjust the strap on her stirrups. He handed

Hannah up to her. “Hold Hannah for me while I mount my own horse.”

Princess stood there patiently as if she had been through this same routine

thousands of times. Lauryn looked down at the horse, wondering how smooth this

ride was going to be. Steve distracted her as he swung up onto the back of his horse.

Lauryn could tell that he was a pro. He reached over for Hannah. Hannah clapped her

hands in delight as Steve placed her in front of him. Steve looked over at Lauryn. “She

loves to lead.”

Lauryn laughed. “What woman doesn‘t like to be in control when she‘s with a

man?”

A wicked gleam appeared in Steve‘s eyes before he replied. “I‘ll have to

remember that.”

Driving cars was what she had been referring to, but she had a feeling they were

no longer talking about driving cars, or steering horses. Turning her gaze away from

Steve‘s she looked over just in time to catch Dean lifting Gail onto her horse. A look of

pure disgust was on Gail‘s face. Still, she was gracious enough to lean down and gave

her husband a kiss as a reward.

Not wanting to intrude on their private moment, Lauryn turned her attention

back to Steve, who gave her a crash course in how to steer the horse. A few moments

later everyone was heading down the trail, she and Steve near the front. A mistake

because she could feel everyone‘s eyes on them, but the trail was so beautiful that it

was an afterthought.

“This trail is breathtaking.”

Steve nodded as he looked around, taking in the scenery. “Yes, it is. I used to

take this trail all the time while I was growing up.”

She could tell he enjoyed being here. She couldn‘t begin to imagine how much

he missed it when he was back in Norman. “Was it hard for you to leave Stillwater?”

He shook his head. “No. I was only supposed to go to Norman for college. It

ended up lasting a lot longer. I can always come back home when I need to, or when I

want to. Once I arrived in Norman, I fell in love with my surroundings and decided to

live there permanently.”

Lauryn pondered his statement. Personally, she couldn‘t see how he could leave

Stillwater. As she took in the exquisite scenery around her, she was tempted to stay

here as long as she could.

An hour later, they returned to the house. Kathleen called out to them.

“Everyone wash up and be in the dining room in fifteen minutes.”

Lauryn headed up the stairs followed by Steve and Hannah. She smiled when

his gaze met hers. “I enjoyed horseback riding.”

“I‘m glad. Just make sure you take a warm soak tonight, otherwise you might

have sore muscles in the morning.”

“I will. Do you think we can we go horseback riding again before we leave?” she

asked, hoping he would say yes. She had found a new hobby.

He grinned. “Yes. We should have time to go again before we leave.”

She stopped in front of her room. “We are sharing a bathroom, so let me know

when you want to use it. I normally don‘t take long but sometimes I can get carried

away.”

He chuckled. “I‘ll remember that. “You go ahead. Let Hannah wash her hands

with you and once you‘re finished, let me know.”

A short time later they were heading back downstairs. Lauryn took her time on

the stairs, stopping to look at the childhood pictures of Steve. He had been just as

adorable then as he was now. She smiled at the pictures of him and Sabrina together.

In all of them they were smiling. She could tell they shared a bond.

Moving on, the pictures depicted them getting older. She came upon the most

recent pictures of them as adults. There were several pictures of Steve holding

Hannah when she was a baby, more when she was a toddler. She always seemed to be

on his shoulders or in front of him on horseback. What she couldn‘t get over was how

happy they looked together. Lauryn tried to recall if she had ever been that happy

when it had just been her and her father. If she had been, she couldn‘t remember.

“There are a lot of them, huh?”

She turned and looked at Steve. Nodding, she replied. “Yes, there are.”

“After lunch, I‘ll let mom show you the embarrassing pictures.”

She looked at him in surprise. “You‘d let me see those?”

He nodded before giving her a wink. “Of course, because I‘m sure before the

weekend‘s over you‘ll have a few of your own.”

Before she could ask what he meant, he led her into the dining room. Both sets

of his grandparents were already sitting at the table. Everyone else began to trickle

into the dining room, making sure to be back before Kathleen‘s deadline. Steve was

gazing at the food on the table. Lauryn turned her own attention to it, trying not to

drool at the selection.

Kathleen had prepared a feast. If this was just a light lunch, she couldn‘t wait to

see what dinner consisted of tonight or what was on the menu for the reunion

tomorrow. There was regular green salad, pasta salad, chicken salad, and tuna salad.

There was an assortment of bread, crackers and chips to accompany it. The feast was

finished off with a large bowl of fruit salad for dessert. Everything looked delectable.

“I see everyone is here, so let‘s say grace then we can start.”

Lauryn bowed her head and listened to Kathleen‘s heartfelt blessing of the food.

It reminded her of the dinnertimes she had shared with both of her parents when her

mother was alive. Once her mother passed it had been rare for Lauryn and her father

to have dinner at the table together, let alone say grace when they did.

When grace was over, the assortment of bowls were passed around the table.

By the time Lauryn was done she had a little of everything on her plate. She took a

bite of her sandwich and moaned in pleasure. Besides her own cooking and her

mother‘s, she couldn‘t remember having food this good. She looked over at Kathleen

with a smile. “This tastes wonderful.”

Steve nodded in agreement with her. “Yes it does, Mom. I also should tell you if

you need any assistance in the kitchen, Lauryn is the person you want to go to. She‘s a

wonderful cook herself.”

All eyes turned to Lauryn. She had to concentrate on swallowing the bite of

sandwich she had just eaten so she wouldn‘t choke.

Kathleen paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. “I‘ll keep that in mind.”

Thankfully not much more was said, and everyone went back to eating. She

looked up as Matthew, Steve‘s uncle, spoke to her. “Do you like the layout of the

land?”

Lauryn smiled. “I think it‘s beautiful. I was asking Steve earlier how he ever left

this place.”

Kathleen laughed. “Truth be told, he never left. He‘s always down here doting

on us, spoiling us rotten.”

Lauryn could attest to that. He was always spoiling her rotten too. She

watched as Alan leaned over, pulling Kathleen closer to him. “Yep, I have to say my

son gets it from me.”

Everyone laughed. She wondered if Steve knew how lucky he was to have such

a close-knit family. She glanced over at Sabrina. She was reserved, yet very funny.

Everyone brought something to the table, whether it was charm, wit, or humor. She

liked that about them and wished for a family that was similar. But she never thought

she would have one.

Not wanting to ruin the day with sad thoughts, she tried to focus on the

conversation Sabrina struck up. Steve nudged her, making her glance over at him. He

winked at her. She smiled at the jovial action before returning her attention to her

food.

Once everyone was finished with lunch they helped clear the table. Hannah

began to rub her eyes, causing Steve to excuse himself to take her upstairs. Lauryn

had been enjoying herself so much she‘d completely forgotten about Hannah‘s

naptime. Sabrina approached her.

“Hello. Do you mind if I join you?”

Lauryn shook her head, moving over to make room for her. “No. Please do.”

“What do you think about my family so far?”

Gail walked over to join them. “Well, I don‘t know about Lauryn, but I know I

was overwhelmed when I first met you guys.”

Sabrina and Lauryn looked up at Gail. Valerie and Bethany, Steve and Sabrina‘s

cousins, were standing next to her. The three women took a seat where one was

available.

“Well, I think you have a lovely family. Like Gail, I felt a little overwhelmed in

the beginning.” Lauryn laughed. “I still am.”

Gail smiled. “Well, believe me when I say their bark is worse than their bite.

Especially Valerie here; pregnant and grumpy.”

Valerie huffed indignantly. “I am not.”

Lauryn turned her attention to Valerie. She was glowing in her pregnancy. A

twinge of jealousy traveled through her. Not only was Valerie part of a wonderful

family, she was creating her own.

“How far along are you?”

Valerie rubbed her stomach. “Six months and counting.”

Lauryn‘s eyes widened. “You have got to be kidding me. You‘re hardly showing.

Steve‘s friend Johanna just reached her sixth month and she looks like she is way

farther along than you are, but then again she‘s shorter than you.”

Valerie shook her head. “Well, the baby is healthy. Not to mention I eat like a

horse. I don‘t know where it goes.”

Bethany laughed. “Well, I can vouch for her eating like a barnyard animal. She

wolfed down two and a half sandwiches at lunch that were just an appetizer.”

Valerie turned and gave Bethany an evil look. “Just wait until it‘s your turn,

little sister.”

Sabrina laughed. “You guys stop before you scare Lauryn.”

“Too late,” Lauryn replied jokingly.

All eyes went to her as the women began to laugh. Bethany shifted to look at

her. “I really like you. I can see why my cousin is attracted to you.”

Valerie studied her closely before speaking. “So what attracted you to Steve?”

Lauryn paused to think about what she should say when answering the

question. She knew they wouldn‘t want to hear about Steve‘s butt and chest, but she

could tell them the other reasons. She would definitely stick with the G-rated answer.

“Well, he‘s intelligent, nice, and very good looking.”

Sabrina leaned closer to her. “What about his financial status?”

Lauryn shrugged. “Well, he probably has a little more money than most

because of the business he has, but it doesn‘t matter to me. No matter how poor or

rich Steve is, his personality is the reason I‘m attracted to him.”

The women shared a look that Lauryn couldn‘t decipher. Had she said

something wrong? If so, what? The last thing she wanted to do was leave Steve‘s sister

and cousins with a bad impression. There was no way it wouldn‘t get back to Steve if

she did.

After a few seconds of awkward silence Valerie yawned and stood up. “I think

I‘m going to follow in Hannah‘s footsteps and take a nap myself. I‘m tired.”

They watched as Valerie made her way up the stairs. Gail stood up next. “If I

thought I could sleep, I‘d take a nap as well, but I can‘t, so I‘ll just go see if I can find

my husband. Maybe I can talk him into joining me for some afternoon fun.”

Lauryn struggled to keep her expression from revealing every ounce of the

shock she felt. Steve‘s family dynamic could only be described as interesting. Bethany

laughed. “I‘m sure it won‘t be too hard for you to do. Just make sure you two keep it

down.”

Gail didn‘t seem to be at all bothered by the statement for she gave them a

saucy wink. “We‘ll try.”

Bethany turned to Sabrina. “What‘s the scoop on Will? I thought the two of

you were broken up?”

“We were, but I took him back.” Sabrina rolled her eyes. “Or rather he took me

back.”

Bethany giggled. “Well, pretty soon we‘re going to be hearing wedding bells.”

Sabrina made a gagging sound before agreeing with Bethany. “I know, but

they‘ll be yours.”

Bethany groaned before looking over at Lauryn. “If a man asks you to marry him

say no. Planning a wedding isn‘t fun.”

Lauryn laughed. “Well then, elope.”

Sabrina and Bethany looked at Lauryn as if she had lost her mind. Bethany

shook her head. “I would get disowned from the family.”

Sabrina nodded in agreement. “Yeah, our parents and grandparents make such a

big deal about it. It‘s the reason why I make sure I only get involved with people that

are non-marriage material.”

Bethany laughed. “Hence she‘s trying to get rid of Will. He‘s a good guy, most

definitely the marrying kind, therefore he makes her nervous.”

Sabrina frowned and elbowed her. “Shut it, Bethany.”

Lauryn looked over at Bethany “Then concentrate on how happy you‘ll be once

you are married. I‘m sure it will make the wedding planning go quicker.”

Bethany exhaled heavily. “I can always hope.”

When the conversation stayed on the wedding Lauryn excused herself and

made her way toward the front door. Her head was reeling from the conversation she

had just been a part of. Walking outside, she took a deep breath of much-needed fresh

air. It was a very beautiful day. The weather was holding up nicely, considering what

they‘d had to deal with lately.

She saw the older generation of men standing around chatting and headed in