The Way Home (9 page)

Since Ty’s culinary repertoire was limited, lunch was thick slices of bread piled high with meat and accompanied by crisp pickles and wedges of the cherry pie that Mrs. Vanderbilt had baked for him, taking pity on his bachelor condition. They ate in companionable silence, enjoying the warmth of the day and the clear sunlight that filtered through the apple’s branches.

Ty had never known a woman who was so comfortable with silence. Most of the women he’d met — and a goodly number of the men — became uneasy if more than a few seconds went by without someone talking. But Meg didn’t seem to feel any of that uneasiness. On the other hand, he didn’t think he’d ever known anyone who was quite so easy to talk to.

“When I was a boy, I thought that being a farmer was the most exciting thing in the world,” he said.

“You didn’t always want to fly?”

“I wanted to farm. I’d come out here every chance I got and follow Gramps around, ‘helping’ him.” He laughed softly. “I probably set his workday back a couple of hours every time I set foot on the place.”

“I doubt if he minded.”

“Probably not. It meant a lot to him to think that there’d be someone coming after him, someone who loved the soil as much as he did. But when I told him I wanted to fly, he helped me come up with the money to buy my first plane.”

“He sounds like a wonderful man,” Meg said quietly. “He was. It would break his heart to see the way I’ve let this place fall apart.” Ty’s eyes drifted past the shabby house to the neglected fields beyond it, bare of any crop but weeds.

“I think you meant more to him than this farm. And I’d guess if you’re happy, he’s content.”

If he was happy.
If someone had asked him whether he was happy, Ty wasn’t at all sure how he’d answer. At this moment, he was content in a way he’d rarely known.

Meg began packing the remains of their lunch back into the basket and Ty found himself watching her hands, noticing their slender grace. From there, his eyes wandered to her face. She was intent on fitting everything neatly inside the wicker hamper, and a small frown of concentration drew her brows together. He had the urge to reach out and smooth that frown away.

“I ought to get back,” she said reluctantly once the hamper was packed. “I promised Mama I’d help her finish up a quilt for a lady in Cedar Rapids.”

“Does your mother do a lot of quilting for people?” Ty asked the question as much to extend the peaceful afternoon as anything else.

“As much as she can. The money comes in handy.”

“I thought your stepfather’s hotel was doing pretty well,” he said idly. “Since it’s the only one in town, it seems to do a pretty fair business.”

“It does all right.”

Something in her tone made Ty take a closer look at her expression. There was a subtle tightness around her mouth and a chill in her eyes that made him think that there wasn’t much love lost between her and her stepfather.

As far as he was concerned, he’d have been content to drowse away the warm summer afternoon under the shade of the apple tree. But Meg had other things to do. He more than half envied her. The novelty of being idle had long since worn off.

“Well, I suppose we ought to get going, then.” His movements slow, Ty stood up. He glanced around the neglected property regretfully. There were a lot of old dreams here, his grandfather’s and his own childish plans to be a farmer. He tilted his head to look at the blue arc of the sky, knowing that flying might hold most of his heart but there was a small part of him that would always love the soil.

“Nobody gets to do everything they’d like.” Meg’s voice was soft and Ty turned to look down at her, wondering how she could read his thoughts so easily.

“I guess not.” He smiled, shaking off the vague melancholy and extended his hand to her. Her hand felt almost fragile in his. As he drew her to her feet, he found himself noticing how small she was, the top of her head barely reaching his chin.

“Is something wrong?” Meg’s question made him realize he’d been staring.

“Sorry. I was thinking of something else.” He could hardly tell her that he’d been thinking how soft her mouth looked.

“I thought I had dirt on my nose or something.” Her fingers brushed away an imaginary smudge, her smile a little self-conscious.

“No. Your nose is perfectly clean. Which reminds me.” He snapped his fingers and then grinned down at her. “I almost forgot. I have something for you.”

“For me?” He enjoyed the way her eyes widened in surprise as he pulled a small package from his pocket. “A present for me?”

“I don’t see any other recent graduates around here,” he said teasingly.

“A graduation present? You bought me a graduation present?” The idea seemed to amaze her.

“Well, 1 couldn’t just let it go by without getting you
something
to mark the occasion.” He wondered if it was possible that no one else had given her some little token. Surely her mother and stepfather had given her a gift. But the stunned look on her face and the way her fingers trembled as he gave her the package made Ty wonder if he was the only person who’d thought to mark the occasion.

Meg pulled the ribbon from the box and tucked it into her pocket before lifting the lid.

“It’s not much,” he said, suddenly afraid that she’d be disappointed by the inexpensive compact he’d bought on impulse.

“It’s beautiful.” There was something approaching awe in Meg’s voice as she stared down at the slender black case. She lifted it out, letting the box fall to the blanket at their feet as she snapped open the lid to reveal a compartment that held both rouge and a tiny brass lid that sealed in the loose powder. There was a mirror and two puffs to complete the set.

“I just wanted to get you some little thing,” he said, wishing that he’d put more thought into the gift, given her something more personal.

“Oh, Ty. It’s so beautiful.” She closed her fingers tight around the compact and looked up at him, her eyes bright with tears. “No one’s ever given me anything half so pretty.”

With another woman, he would have assumed that she was exaggerating to make him feel good. But somehow, he knew that Meg was telling nothing more than the truth; that the little compact that had cost him less than a dollar was the nicest gift she’d ever been given. The knowledge brought an odd spurt of anger. She should have all the pretty things she wanted.

“I’ll keep it always,” she said. “Thank you so much.”

As if mere words couldn’t possibly express her feelings, she stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Ty’s hands came up automatically, settling on her slender waist to steady her. She smelled of powder and sunshine. He felt the gentle swell of breasts brush his chest as she leaned into him, the soft warmth of her mouth on his cheek.

She drew back and looked up at him, her eyes deep blue and shining. Ty was hardly conscious of his hands shifting, his palm flattening against the small of her back, his other hand coming up to let his fingers slide into the sun-colored silk of her hair. Meg’s eyes widened as his head bent to hers, endless, deep blue pools that he wanted to lose himself in.

He ignored the voice that warned him he was stepping over the line he himself had drawn. One kiss, he told himself. A simple kiss. What possible harm could it do?

Her mouth was just as soft as he’d imagined it to be, soft and yielding and his. He threaded his fingers deeper into her hair, cupping the back of her head to tilt her face up to his, deepening the pressure of his mouth on hers.

Her hands came up to rest against his chest, the compact clutched in one small fist as she leaned into him, surrendering completely to the moment. To him.

For weeks he’d been trying to pretend that he didn’t want her, that he saw her as little more than a child; that he could enjoy her companionship and forget about her femininity. All it took was the feel of her slim body against his for him to know he’d been lying to himself. The hunger he’d been keeping in check slipped loose, making his body tighten with need.

His mouth hardened over hers, his tongue coming out to stroke across her lower lip. He heard her soft gasp of shock and she stiffened against him. It was only for a moment and then she seemed to almost melt against him. But it was enough to make Ty realize what he was doing.

This was not an experienced woman he was kissing. This was a girl who’d plainly never been kissed like this. Hell, she’d probably never been kissed at all.

Drawing on every bit of willpower at his command, Ty lifted his head, breaking off the kiss. Meg’s mouth clung to his with innocent hunger, weakening his determination. He stared down into her flushed face, watching as her lashes slowly came up, revealing the deep blue of her eyes. The look in those eyes was almost his undoing.

How was it possible for her to look at once the quintessential woman and as innocent as a child? That she felt the same hunger he did was obvious. She wanted him. But beneath the want lay an uncertainty that said she wasn’t even sure just what it was she was asking for.

Ty swallowed a groan and forced his hands away from her. He should be horsewhipped. This was exactly what he’d sworn wasn’t going to happen, what he’d promised himself he could avoid. Well, he’d proved just how good he was at resisting temptation.

And the worst of it was that he wanted nothing so much as to pull her back into his arms and kiss her again.

Meg hardly recognized the sound of her own voice. Her mouth felt as if it didn’t quite belong to her anymore. In fact, her whole body felt different — alive in a way she’d never known, as if she’d spent her whole life half asleep, coming completely awake only when Ty kissed her.

“We’d better get going,” he said, his eyes shifting away from her.

“Yes.” She moved off the blanket, bending down to pick up the box she’d dropped and slipping the compact back into it. She was hardly aware of her movements as she helped Ty fold the blanket, draping it over her arm while he picked up the hamper.

He retraced the path they’d taken back to the car, following the pattern of crushed grass. Meg followed him, thinking how everything could change in such a short time. She’d tried so hard not to let herself dream too much, knowing that her time with Ty was only this summer, only this short space of time. Wanting anything more would only lead to heartache.

But now he’d kissed her. And everything was changed.

Ty opened the door for Meg and put his hand on her elbow to steady her as she stepped onto the running board. He kept his touch strictly impersonal, releasing her the moment she was seated, avoiding her eyes as he shut the car door.

He was just going to have to put some distance between them, he thought as he slid behind the wheel. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt a sweet kid like Meg. She’d had enough hard knocks in her life. He didn’t want to add to them.

He’d just keep his distance, that was all. There was no real harm done so far. If he kept his distance, she’d soon forget him and turn those beautiful eyes in another man’s direction, someone closer to her age, someone who could fulfill all her dreams, someone who’d be good to her, put a ring on her finger that would sparkle as brightly as the stars in her eyes.

And whoever the lucky guy turned out to be, Ty already hated his guts.

CHAPTER 5

T
hat can’t happen again,” Ty said firmly, breaking into Meg’s dreamy silence.

“What can’t?” She knew, of course. Certainly she’d thought of nothing else but that kiss. But from the sound of Ty’s voice, his thoughts hadn’t been as pleasant hers.

“Me kissing you. It can’t happen again.” He kept his eyes on the road, but she could see the solid set of his jaw.

She’d been staring dreamily at the passing fields, spinning gentle fantasies of what her life would be like if Ty were to fall in love with her. Now those fantasy images started to shimmer like a mirage.

“Why not?” It took every ounce of courage for her to ask the question.

“Why not?” Ty glanced in the side mirror that was perched atop the spare tire and then pulled to the side of the dirt road. He shut off the engine and turned to look at her, resting one arm on the back of the seat.

“Why not?” he repeated.

“That’s what I said.” She couldn’t meet his eyes, keeping her attention focused on her hands, which lay in her lap.

“Because I shouldn’t have kissed you at all.”

“I didn’t mind,” she whispered. The words sounded like an invitation, and Meg felt the color come up in her cheeks.

“You’re just a kid, Meg.”

“I’ll be eighteen:in a few months.”

“And I’m twenty-eight.”

“That’s not so old,” she told him, forcing her eyes up to his.

“It’s too old for you,” Ty said firmly. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

It
was
too late,
she thought bleakly.
Couldn’t he hear the sound of her heart cracking?

“I don’t see how a kiss is going to lead to a broken heart,” she said, forcing a lightness she didn’t feel.

“Maybe not. But it can’t happen again,” he said flatly. “Even if you were older, I’m still only here for the summer.”