Page 40 of Snow in Texas

“Your brother wants me to go somewhere with him,” Colin had said, tugged on his t-shirt and cut, and left her again. Going back to bed hadn’t been an option.

Jenny had slipped into the sanctuary, showered, readied herself for the day, and was in the kitchen cracking eggs when Darla showed up to make breakfast.

“Well this is a sight,” Blue’s sister remarked, setting her purse down by the door. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Hmm. Something like that.” Jenny picked up the whisk and attacked the big measuring cup of eggs she’d opened.

Darla stood, one hand on the counter, watching her a moment. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with that big hickey on your neck, would it?”

Jenny gasped and slapped a hand to the side of her neck.

Darla laughed. “You finally went for it, huh?”

“Um…”

“Can’t say that I blame you.” Darla pulled the bread from the pantry. “He’s a mighty fine piece of man meat.”

“Darla!”

“I’m old, but I’ve got eyes.” She smiled and shivered pleasantly. “To be honest, I don’t know how you waited so long.”

Jenny yanked the elastic from her hair, the heavy blonde locks falling across her neck and covering Colin’s mark. “Let’s not make a big deal out of it.”

Darla snorted. Then asked, “So how was it?”

“Darla, just don’t.”

“What? I’m only curious.”

Jenny sighed and poured the eggs into the steaming skillet, the hiss loud enough to drown out any further comment.

She was starting to think she’d made a mistake. She refused to regret the sex – it had been too good and very much needed. But what had she invited by entangling herself with Colin? Candy was a different brother than he had been pre-Riley, pre-abuse, pre-clubhouse cleaning. She was worried, as she added crumbled bacon to the eggs, that she might soon find herself at the altar of a shotgun wedding. Or, at least, the recipient of more flattery and attention than she was emotionally equipped to handle right now.

Falling into a heavy silence and ignoring Darla’s suggestive looks, she helped make a rib-sticking breakfast of eggs, pancakes, sausage links, toast, fried ham, and potato cakes. All the boys and their finicky appetites and tastes. The clubhouse kitchen had to serve as McDonald’s drive through each morning. They were just laying everything out buffet style along the bar when Candy and Colin returned from their errand, weak dawn sunshine falling through the open door at their feet.

Jenny didn’t just see Colin enter, butfelthim, as real as fingers gliding down her back, sliding around and pressing briefly between her legs. A physical reaction, caused by nothing more than his presence…and that was before he caught her eye and smiled, quick and tight, as he followed Candy up to the bar.

She was struck by the insane urge to sidle up to him, duck beneath his arm and slide her own around his waist. Like she’d done with Riley, as a newlywed, oh so many years ago. Once upon a time she’d been doting and affectionate, and she didn’t realize how much she’d missed that until she saw her new lover now and felt the pull deep in her chest.

She resisted, though, biting her lip and walking around behind the bar to take the orange juice from the cooler.

“Where you boys been so early?” Darla asked.

Candy climbed onto a stool, nodding his thanks as Jenny set a plate and bottle of juice in front of him. “Introducing him to our esteemed president.”

“Really?” Darla sounded surprised.

Jenny was more than that; she was shocked. “What?”

Candy nodded again and spooned eggs onto his plate, deceptively casual. “I thought it was time.” Casual or not, there was deep meaning in his eyes when he looked at her.

Jenny flicked a glance to Colin – not trusting her stomach to keep from fluttering – and saw that he was watching her, waiting for her reaction. Her stomach did flutter, a little, and she said, “That’s a big step.”

“Really?” Candy waggled her brows at her. “You wanna talk about big steps?”

She felt her face warm.

“Hey,” Colin said in her defense, which was about all a prospect could say.

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