Page 13 of Seducing Daddy

How could I forget it for even one second?

I got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, my mind a crazy mixture of hope and misgiving. I had no intention of getting involved with a man right now, let alone the high-profile preacher of this tiny town. We were a match that couldn’t happen even in the best of times. Since the spotlight was something I definitely needed to avoid, I’d simply get my car, thank Mrs. Pritchett for her kind hospitality, and go home, where my kitty was waiting for me. I scrubbed my teeth with my fingers, using the toothpaste in the medicine cabinet, and lamented the fact that I’d be greeting Rex with morning breath.

And what of it? It’s not like you’re going to be laying a lip-lock on him again. Do that and you might really fall for him. That’s something you’re not ready for.

Dressing quickly, I followed the scent of brewing coffee down the hall, smiling to myself at the sound of joyous laughter bubbling out from the kitchen door. “Now, Rex, maybe that’s true. You may not be her first date, her first kiss, or her first love. But you can certainly be her last everything.”

I allowed a long pause, hoping my footsteps weren’t too loud. For starters, this was a conversation I didn’t want to listen in on, especially if it was about me.

Normally, I was fairly unflappable. But there was nothing ordinary about being stranded in a house with the town preacher, who I’d often caught looking at me before smiling and looking away, and his mama. “Good morning,” I uttered, thinking it best to cut off the conversation before it went any further with me listening in. “Don’t suppose I could convince you to spare a cup of that bean juice?”

“Well, good morning. Don’t you wake up pretty as a picture?” Mrs. Pritchett beamed.

Could she be any nicer? Her compliments were growing on me.

“What kind of magic spells do you say when you make a bed? I slept better than I’ve done in years,” I expressed.

“That exercise you got before bed must have worn you out,” Rex said. The underlying sensuality of his words caused a flush to creep across my cheeks. Half in anticipation, half in dread, my eyebrows flickered a little in question.

What was he going on about? And did I really want to find out?

“As much as it pains me to ask, what exercise are you talking about?” I ventured.

Right in front of his mother, he spoke in a casual, jesting way, as if it hadn’t crossed his mind at all to obsess well into the night about his lips upon mine as I’d done his. “Kissing burns six point four calories a minute. You got quite a workout.”

Mrs. Pritchett’s vexation with her son was clear, and she smacked his arm. “Rex Francis Pritchett! A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”

“Well, Mama, if I must brag, I’ll boast of the things that show my weakness. 2 Corinthians 11:30.” He passed me a cup full of coffee, and his face was so handsome, I felt faint. The rich smell of roasted beans was as enticing as him. The man was sure of himself and his rightful place in the universe, and it comforted me. He justified to his mama, “I’m not too proud to admit that Jolene makes me weak.”

Changing the topic, I was determined not to reveal how his words made me hold my breath, and a swarm of butterflies descended from my belly, landing smack dab between my legs. His gaze traveled over my face and searched my eyes, laying bare the secrets I tried so hard to keep. I wasn’t a member of his flock, but his superpowers in reading people and using what he discovered to charm and gain trust were working on me.

“Delicious coffee. Thank you so much.” I spoke in as reasonable a voice as I could manage.

“You’re welcome,” said Rex, surprising me. I’d wrongly assumed his mother had made it.

Reading my mind, she responded, “My boy always gets up first in the morning and makes coffee so he can bring me a cup in bed. Isn’t that the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard?” she doted.

“It’s pretty sweet,” I admitted out loud, my eyes darting to his face. Struggling to arrange my thoughts when he gave me an air kiss, I found his nearness disturbing and exciting. “Any word on the status of the road repair?”

“County hasn’t made it out to Grizzly Peak Road yet. Word is, we’re due for a snowstorm.” He locked his eyes on mine, and I noted a sheen of purpose in their expression. “You know what that means.”

Under his steady scrutiny, I couldn’t think. “Nope, I don’t,” I muttered hastily.

“Shoot, county employees use any old excuse to avoid working. ‘Specially during the holidays,” he said, his mood suddenly buoyant, although a snowstorm would mean a prolonged closure of our route home while we remained stranded here in town.

“But… Margot. She can’t be left alone for this long.” The thought tore at my insides, and he gently set me at ease.

“I trust Paul, my caretaker, with my animals, and that’s saying a lot. I can have him pet-sit for you until the storm blows over. He’ll respect your privacy. I know that’s important to you.” His soothing voice probed further. “Isn’t that right?”

His mother responded with a vague hint of disapproval. “Now, Rex, leave the lady alone. She’s under no obligation to answer your questions just because she was forced to stay the night.”

I sipped my coffee, desperately hoping it would infuse my brain with the faculties required to handle this unexpected situation. Nothing came to mind. “Well, anyway,” Rex continued, “Paul already checked in with your kitty and fed her breakfast this morning. Sorry, I didn’t tell you earlier. She’s no worse for wear and was pleased her human slave showed up in time to deliver her repast.”

Much to my dismay, my voice broke slightly. “Thank you.” I paused, searching for the right thing to say. Before I came up with anything, there were heavy footsteps in the hallway. “Hello?” a warm voice called out, crisp and clear. “Anybody home?”

“You know very well we’re here in the kitchen, having our coffee, which is why you showed up at this hour, beggin’ for breakfast,” said Mrs. Pritchett, and I enjoyed the gentle sparring between family members.

“Oh, Mama, you know me so well.” The tall, rawboned, beardless man with an unguarded, appealing face grinned. “Of all the people I expected to find in your kitchen, it wasn’t the lovely Miss Paris,” he fawned.

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