A Touch of Silk by Lori Wilde Page B

be wearing a woolen cap much of the day, but now she wished she had. Skimping on her grooming was not normal for her, and she felt exposed and at a disadvantage, even though she had already discovered most of the women in Bear Creek didn’t wear makeup or style their hair. Everything from their chunky Gore-Tex boots to their sensible parkas were geared for warmth and comfort. You’d never find a fashion show in Bear Creek.
    “Yep.” Jim slung his arm over the woman’s shoulder. “This is my wife, Linda.”
    “You did a fine job raising your son,” Kay told them as she shook their hands.
    “We’re pretty proud of him.” When Linda smiled, her gray eyes softened into welcoming crinkles, just like Quinn’s. “And our daughter, Meggie. She’s an emergency-room nurse at a children’s hospital in Seattle. She’s visiting for a couple of weeks to help me while I’m out of commission.” Linda gestured at her cast. “You and Meggie ought to get together. She’s a city girl just like you, and I do believe you two are the only single women in town under thirty and over eighteen.”
    “I’d love to meet her.”
    Kay felt a tug of sadness in her heart, and she couldn’t really say why. Maybe because this couple were so different from her own parents. They wore woolen pants, nylon and flannel, where Honoria and Charles Freemont were never seen in public without being impeccably dressed.
    Linda and Jim sent each other private signals with their eyes. Kay’s parents rarely even looked each other in the face. The Scofields touched frequently with simple, loving gestures. Her mother and father were rarely even in the same room together.
    Without any encouragement, Quinn’s parents extolled his virtues.
    “Did you know Quinn’s on the volunteer fire department?” Linda asked.
    “No, I didn’t.” Kay scribbled on her notepad, Bet he looks good in fire boots and suspenders and nothing else.
    “He’s captain of the local hockey team,” Jim bragged.
    “Quinn has a bachelor’s degree in sports physiology,” Linda said.
    “He’s owned his own business for ten years and each year he turns a bigger profit.” Jim nodded.
    “And he still finds time to help us out at the radio station. You couldn’t ask for a better son.” Linda took a sip of her coffee. “Or better husband material. Write that down.” She waved a hand at Kay’s notebook. “I’m hoping this advertisement thing pays off for Quinn. I’m ready for grandchildren, and Meggie doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to accommodate me.”
    Jim eyed Kay. “You wouldn’t be interested in our boy yourself, would you? You’re a beautiful young lady. You two would have the handsomest kids.”
    “Oh, no.” Kay struggled to tamp down the telltale blush she knew was spreading up her neck. “I mean, I like Quinn very much, but I’m a New Yorker. And I just got out of a relationship. I’m not ready for anything serious. Quinn and I are at two different places in our lives.”
    Immediately she realized she’d given too much information too quickly. Why had she said so much? That certainly wasn’t like her, spilling her guts to strangers. Probably she’d spouted off because she didn’t want them getting the wrong idea about Quinn and her.
    But oddly enough, her nervous revelation seemed to endear her to Quinn’s parents. The Scofields smiled at her sweetly and Jim patted her on the shoulder. “No explanation necessary.”
    “But you do like him,” Linda said.
    Oh, great. How had she gotten herself into this conversation?
    “Mom, Dad,” Quinn boomed from the door of the restaurant, “stop bending Kay’s ear.”
    Relieved, Kay looked up to see him stalk toward them. Her heart gave this strange little thump and she suddenly felt all loose and melty inside. He was even better-looking than she remembered in that hard-edged, masculine way of his.
    He stopped beside her stool. “Hey.”
    “Hey, yourself.” Inwardly she cringed. That sounded too