CHAPTER THREE
VALERIE LOOKED BEYOND him as he stepped onto her porch. “Where’s Ginny?”
Before he could answer, though, she gasped. “What a gorgeous car! Is it yours?” Leaving the front door wide open, she rushed out to the driveway. “A ’55 Thunderbird, right? I love the turquoise and white. Oh, and it’s a manual transmission. How cool is that? Aren’t those whitewalls just to die for?”
“Uh…yes.” Rob grinned and leaned a shoulder against the porch post while she circled around his car, making little noises of pleasure. He’d hadn’t seen a woman as cute as Valerie Manion in a long, long time. “Glad you like her.”
She glanced up from her intense study of the taillights. “I know, I’m crazy. My granddad had one of these, and my dad dated my mom with that car. By the time I could drive, though, they’d retired the Thunderbird to a place of honor in the garage. Never took it out, just kept it polished for nostalgia’s sake.” Shaking her head, she backed away. “I used to sit behind the wheel and pretend to drive. But I never got the chance.”
A pretty woman in a sexy sundress, driving his precious ’Bird on a sunny summer day…not an offer a guy could be expected to pass up. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and twirled them around his finger. “Well, then, let’s go. It’s a nice afternoon.”
For a second, her face brightened. “Could we?”
Then a kid’s voice called out something from the backyard, and Valerie shook her head. “No, with only two seats there’s not enough room for Grace and Connor, and I can’t leave them home by themselves. Another time, maybe?” Her hopeful expression convinced him she really meant it.
“Sure. We can park your kids with Ginny at my parents’ house, and take off for a couple of hours. Just say the word.”
She came back to the porch and opened the door again. “I’ll do that. Meanwhile, come in.”
The moving boxes stacked in the living room yesterday had disappeared overnight. Books and pottery and candles filled the shelves on either side of the fireplace, a nice rug covered the floor, and the blank walls displayed photographs of Connor and Grace, along with a couple of signed and numbered prints.
“This looks great,” Rob commented, studying the framed landscape hanging above the couch, as an alternative to staring at Valerie. “Is this one by Stephen Lyman? That’s Half Dome mountain in Yosemite Park, right?”
She came to stand beside him, which defeated the whole exercise. “You know his work?”
How long had it been since he noticed a woman’s scent? Valerie, he’d just discovered, smelled like fresh summer grass. He shifted his weight to put more distance between them. “I was really into the outdoor life when I was in high school. A friend and I had this goal to head out to California on motorcycles and spend a summer camping. I guess I came across one of Lyman’s pictures somewhere and incorporated him into the plan. Those images of firelight in the dark wilderness always appealed to me.”
“And did you get to California?”
“Nope. The friend took off before graduation, I got married and settled down. Have you been out there?”
“We spent our honeymoon in San Francisco.” To his relief, she went to sit in the armchair beside the couch. “My ex-husband wasn’t a camper, but he did agree to spend a couple of days in Yosemite on a driving tour. So I’ve seen it, at least.”
Rob dropped onto the end of the couch nearest her chair—too close for comfort, but he didn’t want to be rude. “Maybe we’ll have to get this troop experienced enough so that we can all go out to Yosemite together.”
“Definitely. Older GO! girls are encouraged to set their sights on a big project like that, develop a plan for earning the money and then follow through on the arrangements. It’s a great learning tool.”
Her smile brought the dimple into play. “In the third grade, though, we’re not quite so ambitious. Have you had a chance to look at the books I gave you? There’s some information about the general organization of a meeting.” She pulled out a clipboard and balanced it on her knee…after crossing her legs with a smooth motion that raised his blood pressure ten points.
“I…uh…paged through last night. Sad to say, I fell asleep over the chapter on Safety At The Meeting Place.”
To his relief, she laughed. “I’m not surprised. It’s all pretty basic, commonsense stuff. Let me tell you about some of the ideas I’ve been working on for this first meeting.”
In the next hour, they created a detailed meeting agenda and a rough outline of the first three months’ activities. As they talked, Valerie realized that Rob consistently understated his talents and his preparation for the role he’d assumed as assistant leader. She didn’t have to explain why she made certain choices of activities—he understood what she wanted to do, and his suggestions improved her plans.
“This looks great,” she said, surveying her notes. “A couple of hikes, two cookouts and then the overnight camp before the weather gets too chilly. When the weather changes, we can switch to more indoor activities.”
A glance at the empty coffee table in front of them reminded her that she hadn’t even offered him a cup of coffee. “You must think I’ve got the manners of a carpetbagger. I didn’t ask you if you were thirsty or hungry. I’ve still got some cookies…”
Rob shook his head as he stretched to his feet. “No problem. My mom makes a big Sunday lunch, so I’ve had plenty to eat and drink.”
“I’m well aware of the Southern tradition of hospitality, not to mention great food. I hope it’s contagious.”
Rob chuckled. “I think we figure if somebody’s stuffing their face, they can’t be disputing what we’re trying to say.” He accentuated the drawl, and then gave her a wink. “Pretty wily, us Southerners.”
“Outrageous might be a better word.” She followed him onto the porch. Her new neighborhood wasn’t quite the peaceful setting she’d hoped for—there seemed to be a lot of engine noise in the air, and more traffic than she liked in front of her house. “I guess it’s a good thing the backyard is fenced,” she said, as a car drove by at a speed considerably over the limit. “Connor would be out in the street with his ball before I could sneeze.”
“Yeah, this isn’t the neighborhood I would’ve steered a single mother and her kids to, if they had other options.” He winced as a pair of Harleys roared past. “Or maybe I’m just used to my part of town, where it’s quiet and a lot less hectic. My sister, Jenny, and I bought a big lot that stretches from one street to the next, and put a house for me and Ginny on one end and a house for Jen on the other, with a nice stand of trees between the backyards. Works really well.”
“Your wife didn’t live there with you?” The question was out before she realized what she’d said. “I’m sorry, Rob. It’s none of my business.”
He held up a hand. “It’s okay. I don’t mind telling you. Leah and I had an apartment across town. I didn’t want to live there after…” He swallowed hard. “Her labor didn’t go well, and Ginny had the cord wrapped around her neck. Just real bad luck altogether.”
She put a hand on his wrist. “You must have been devastated.”
“I didn’t get to think about that aspect of things too much. Babies take a lot of time and attention. I was pretty busy.”
“My husband left on a business trip two weeks after Connor was born. I know exactly what you mean.”
“We’re a pair then, aren’t we?” His gaze held hers, and his arm turned under her fingers until their hands closed upon each other, palm to palm. Not a simple handshake, but a deeper, warmer connection. She