His Hometown Cowgirl by Anne Marie Novark

her apron pocket and dabbed at
the tears in her eyes. "I've never been opposed to another
marriage. Well, at first I was of course. It's just that I've never
fallen in love again. And I promised myself I'd only marry for
love." Her eyes twinkled through the tears. "I know I'm not a
spring chicken, but if I ever do meet a man and fall in love, y'all
better watch out. I'm giving you fair warning." She gave a watery
gurgle of laughter.
    Kelsey had to smile. "Good for you, Grams. I
hope you do meet someone some day." She continued to trace the rose
pattern on the tablecloth. "It's hard for me to imagine ever loving
anyone like I loved Chris."
    Ruth delicately blew her nose. "That's only
natural, dear. It hasn't been that long since he passed. Your heart
is still hurting. It will always hurt a little. But promise me you
won't make the same mistake your father made. Keep your heart open
to possibilities."
    Kelsey nodded. "I'll try, Grams. I definitely
don't want to live like Dad did. He closed his heart and was so
lonely all those years after my mother died. As a child, I worried
about him. I knew one day I'd grow up and go away to college, get
married. And he'd be all alone. I didn't want that to happen. Well,
you know the rest."
    Ruth smiled. "You were always a managing
little thing. I never before saw such a matchmaking campaign like
the one you waged on Austin and Theresa."
    Kelsey grinned back, remembering. "It was
worth it. Dad got a loving wife, and I finally got a mother and a little sister. All's well that ends well."
    Ruth's smile faded, and her eyes grew somber.
"For them it did, but what about you? Do you want to talk about
Pete? Something happened today, didn't it? Want to tell me about
it?"
    "Oh God, Grams. I must've been insane. " Kelsey laid her forehead on the table, and bonked
it a couple of times, trying to make sense of it all. And then the
dam burst and it all came pouring out. Ruth sat still and silent,
listening intently.
    "What the hell was I thinking?" Kelsey
lifted her head and sat up straight. "I mean there I was, crying again, and Pete was holding me, comforting me as a
friend . It felt so good to be in his arms. I just wanted to
stay right there and feel safe forever. After a few minutes, I
stopped crying and peeked up at him, and he was looking at me with
such tenderness in those big brown eyes. I don't know what happened
or how it happened, but I got this overwhelming urge to kiss
him . . . and I did . I kissed Pete Lafferty. What must he be
thinking of me? I practically threw myself at him. I mean . . . I
managed to control myself all those years I had a crush on him. Why
in the world did I give into impulse now ? Today? Aww,
crap. I am insane."
    "No you're not," Ruth said. "It doesn't sound
to me like you threw yourself at him. It sounds like a natural
consequence of a man and woman, who like and respect each other,
getting caught up in the moment. A man doesn't kiss a girl unless
he wants to. So you just quit worrying and wondering what he's
thinking of you for kissing him, because I'm sure that's the last
thing on his mind this evening."
    Kelsey lifted her eyes to the ceiling and
gave a big sigh. "Oh God, Grams, You're right, because I haven't
told you the worst of it. Dad came into the office and caught us
kissing. And he hit Pete. Twice. "
    Ruth bit her lip to keep from smiling. "Oh my
stars. That wasn't very well done of him, was it? Fathers often get
over-protective of their daughters. That's because they know what
the boy is thinking and feeling. And it scares them to death. Of
course, it was all right when they were young and sowing
their wild oats, but Lord help the man who looks at their baby girl
with longing in his eyes." She chuckled softly into her lace
handkerchief.
    "It's not funny, Grams. I had to take Pete to
see Uncle Cameron, then I drove him home and helped him get
settled. He took some heavy-duty pain pills that made him act all
goofy. And then what do you think