Softly and Tenderly (28 page)

The guys jogged toward them. As Hartline approached, Susie called, “Didn’t I, baby?”

“Didn’t you what?” He scooped her in his arms, kissing her cheek.

“Have to have you?”

“How could any woman resist?” Hartline winked at Jade. “Except you, Jade. The only girl in school who wouldn’t give me a second look. Jade only had eyes for Dustin.”

“Only girl in school, Hart?” Jade laughed. “Aren’t you a legend in your own mind.”

“Woo, she’s got your number, baby.” Susie slapped Jade a high five.

“Okay, the girls can’t be on the same team.” Hart tugged Susie away from Jade, whispering in her ear, making her laugh.

“Hey, Hart, knock it off. We came to play football.” Dustin tucked in next to Jade and the last of her strength left her knees. Too much testosterone and estrogen in the air. “Brill”—Dustin pointed the football at him, his oversize Northern Iowa Wrestling sweatshirt swishing around his waist—“you and I will captain.”

Brill stepped across the fifty-yard line and stood opposite Dustin. He was Prairie City’s newest football coach, massive and muscular. The strength of his arms and chest challenged the limits of his sweatshirt.

“The game”—Dustin glared at Susie—“for those of you who like chemistry more than sports . . .” Susie swatted at him. He ducked, laughing. “Is midnight football. Three on three. If a team scores in four downs or less, you keep the ball and go again. If your team fails to score in four downs, you punt.”

He paused, perusing all their faces. Hearing the rules made Jade’s legs ache with anticipation. She was ready to run.

“The QB hikes to himself”—Dustin demonstrated—“and passes to one of his receivers. Receivers, you cannot back up any more than five yards to make a catch. You have to run forward. You can pass to another team member in order to keep the ball alive. You drop it or throw an interception, the other team takes over. We start play at the fifty-yard line. No tackling, I don’t care how gorgeous the girls are. And in your case, Spence, how gorgeous Brill is to you. Any questions?”

“Brill? Please, give me some credit.” Spence recoiled from his friend. “I’d rather go for you, Colter. You’re unattached, aren’t you?”

“Over my dead body, rotted beyond recognition.” Dustin conked Spence on the head with the ball.

Spence and Brill jigged to the Boss, who now sang “Dancing in the Dark.”

“Let’s choose up. I got Jade.” Dustin grabbed her hand and pulled her over the fifty-yard line and into him. His arm hooked around her waist. It was intimate. The gesture whispered,
Wanted
. Jade heard the crackle, felt the heat of the fire in the barrel.

“I got Susie.” Brill wiggled his fingers at her.

“Well”—Spence turned to Hartline—“here we are again, the nerds picked after the girls.”

Jade laughed. She was done with being reserved and holding it in. Done with ridiculous muses about past and faded lovers.

These were her friends. And she was playing midnight football.

“Speak for yourself, Spence. I’ll team with Brill,” Hartline said. “Can’t run against my girl.”

“Spence, you’re with us.” Dustin backed up a few yards, dragging Jade with him, his arm around her, not letting go. His fragrance of soap on warm skin awakened her scent memories—the night he asked her to homecoming, the night he proposed.

He lowered his lips to her ear. “Watch Susie; she looks ready to knock some heads.”

“Dustin, if pent-up emotion is rocket fuel to the human heart, I have enough to fly to the moon.”

He laughed and kissed her cheek. “I knew you were the girl for my team.”

She stared after him. Why did so many of his words carry a layered meaning to her heart?

“Let’s play some fooootballl.” Dustin smacked the ball on the scrimmage line and then backed up, motioning for his team to gather round. His body motion was smooth and exact, controlled.

Jade bent in the circle of Dustin and Spence, the churn of excitement meeting with the heat of temptation. But her desire cooled as she realized Dustin was just being Dustin. He’d always been physical and affectionate. Look at how he tussled with the guys.

You’re seeing what you want to see, Jade. Escaping into another time and place
. “Spence, I’m going to pass to you.”

“No, me.” Jade touched her chest with her hand and the diamond she remembered to slip on today caught a corner of the stadium lights. In a single breath, she stuffed her silly-girl fantasies into place. She was
married
.

“No, they’ll be looking for a girl first play,” he said. “To Spence . . . on three.”

“Dustin, please, to me. I need this.”

He regarded her, then Spence.

“Fake it to me, Colter. Then hit Jade. She can do it.”

“Hey, are you guys quilting over there or what? I want to play some ball.”

Dustin rose up and faced the opposition. “Hold on to your knitting, Hart. You’re going to need it to occupy your hands, since your team is never going to get the ball.”

Jade snorted. Dustin ran his hand over her hair. She sobered. There, was she imagining the intimacy of his touch? “Spence, run short, down and in. Jade, go long—and I mean really long.”

“No, I’m not doing the ‘you go long’ route.”

“That’s just it, babe.”
Babe?
“They’ll think I’m sending you out of the play. Cut toward the center at the twenty and I’ll throw it to you. But do not stop running. I’ll get it to you. On three?”

“One, two, three, break.”

Dustin, Spence, and Jade lined up along the fifty, facing Hartline, Brill, and Susie. This was going to be fun.

The staccato drumbeat of “Born in the U.S.A.” echoed across the field. The players dropped down to their knuckles, game faces on.

Jade’s heartbeat drummed with the music.

On three, Dustin hiked to himself and rolled left. Jade ran down the right side of the field, going long, hand in the air.
Dustin, I’m open
. Susie ran five yards behind her while Hart and Brill had Spence completely covered.

Dustin pumped, faking it toward Spence. Since they double-teamed him, Dustin had all day to pass.

Spence was agile and quick, running a sideways crazy eight, laughing, scrambling to keep away from Hartline and Brill.

“Get open, man.” Dustin stayed fixed.

Breathing . . . running . . . feet pounding .
. . Her pulse filled her ears. At the twenty, Jade cut toward the center, never breaking stride. Susie abandoned her assignment on Jade to triple-team Spence.

Her opponents counted her out of the game. She raised her hand.
Dustin .
. .

He cocked his arm back to throw toward Spence, but in one smooth step, twisted right and sent the ball toward her in a perfect spiral. Stretching her stride, Jade ran under the ball, laying out her hands. It hit her palms and she tucked it away. She hit the ground beyond the goal line, the ball in her arms.

“Touchdown! Jade Fitzgerald.”

Benson, Dustin, it’s Benson
.

Dustin scooped her in his arms, whirling her around, celebrating.

For one glorious minute, her feet never touched the ground.

The crickets sang as Dustin pulled into his driveway and parked by the garage. Cutting the truck’s engine, he turned toward Jade.

“Six touchdowns. I think that’s a new midnight football record.”

Jade pinched an inch of her muddy sweats. “I think everyone took pity on me.”

“Hart, have pity? Never. He’d take down his own granny to win. No, girl, you had game tonight.”

She lifted her eyes to his. “Because of you. I needed this. Thank you.”

He gazed at her for a long time. “I can brew some tea or coffee if you want to come in.”

“Better not. It’s after one. I should get home. Get out of these muddy clothes.” She wanted to go in, very much. Too much.

“I’m glad you came by tonight.” He reached to tug a stray strand of hair from her lips and brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “You’re beautiful, Jade.”

“Dustin.” She lowered his hand from her face. “I’m married.”

“I’m painfully aware.”

“Don’t . . . we had this conversation when you showed up in Whisper Hollow before my wedding. We can’t keep rehashing the past.”

“The past? Feels very present to me, Jade. We had a conversation in Whisper Hollow about you marrying Max, but it doesn’t mean my heart jumped into line because the circumstances weren’t in my favor. Believe me, I’d love to move on.”

“Then do it.” Now Dustin’s heart was her responsibility? Did she have to bear everyone’s burden
and
load? “Move on. Doesn’t Susie have friends? What about Shannon Bell or Kendall Hartline? Seems to me you were pretty sweet on her at one time.”

“Shannon’s married. Kendall is Kendall. Not for me. This is a small town, Jade. It’s hard to date a single woman over thirty and keep it casual. One date, and I’m suddenly Mr. Right.”

“Come on, there has to be someone since me. It’s been fifteen years.”

“Again, I’m painfully aware.” He faced forward, gripping the steering wheel. “I was engaged once, but . . .”

“But what?”

“She wasn’t you.”

Jade shoved open her door. “I can’t do this, Dustin.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not being fair.” He stepped out of the truck and followed her to where she’d parked Paps’s truck. “I’m just being honest, Jade.”

She whirled around. “Be honest with your friends, your pastor, your mama, but not me, Dustin.”

“If you leave him, I’m here.” He gently gripped her arm, his hip pressed against hers.

She turned into him, and as his arms slipped around her waist, she drew his face to hers. At first, her kiss was tender and sweet, then he pressed her against the truck with a passionate hunger.

Kissing him was familiar and alluring. His touch quenched a deep thirst, and nothing else mattered but the staccato beating of their hearts.

His kiss deepened. His touch began to unlock the desperate yearnings of her heart.

“Dustin, no.” Jade pushed away, stumbling from the truck, gasping. “I can’t do this.” Fumbling with her keys, she jerked open the driver’s side door and hopped into the cab.

“Jade, listen—”

She fired the truck backward, skidding over the gravel and fishtailing toward the road. At the end of the driveway, she paused and glanced at the barn.

Dustin stood as a dark silhouette in the white beam of the utility lamp.

Jade gunned the gas as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Shifting into second gear, her thoughts raced, seeing, feeling the kiss over and over.

Did she kiss him? Did he kiss her? It seemed to just happen.

Jade hated that June was right. A blip of anxiety settled over her soul. Kissing Dustin Colter was wrong, but Jade knew one thing, despite all the warnings. She wanted to kiss him again.

Twenty-three

Tripp’s three kids played in the backyard with Asa. The two boys were organizing a wiffle ball game. The older one, Scott, a junior high track star, was down on his knees beside Asa, swinging at Geoff ’s pitch.

Swing and a miss. Max bent back, wincing.
Ooo, try again, son
. Asa looked up at Scott, his eyes wide, a slow grin sprouting under his round cheeks.
Welcome
to sports, son, yes, welcome
.

Meanwhile Tripp’s wife, Ginger, spun across the yard with hands-in-the-air, feet-in-the-air, teaching little Mimi how to cartwheel.

For the first time in his life, Max was jealous of his friend.

Behind him, Tripp was getting off the phone. “All right, the program starts a week from Monday, Max. If you’re committed, he’ll make a space. Be glad to have you, he said. He needs a man with your background to bring perspective to the others.”

“You mean to show how a man born with everything can be as big a loser as the man who has nothing.”

“Pretty much.” Tripp tapped his pen against his home-office desk, pushing his thin wire-rim glasses up his narrow nose.

“Is there another option?” Max dropped down to the sagging sofa. “With Dad being appointed to the court, Jade in Iowa, my mother-in-law not doing well, I’d like to—”

“You start making excuses now, Max, you’ll never kick this thing. No shortcuts.” Tripp stood to check the activity going on beyond the window. “The boys are digging Asa.”

“Yeah, he’s having a good time.” Max rubbed his hands together, working through his thoughts. “Jade claims I make everything about me, even loving her is about all me. If I go to this rehab while everyone is in transition, am I still making it about me?”

“Are you? Why do you want to go?”

Max hated how Tripp answered him with questions. “Because I nearly damaged my son’s leg for life.”

“The Outpost is hard core, Max.” Tripp passed over an e-mail printout. “A ranch in the middle of Texas no-man’s-land. No television or computers, limited cell access. You go into town once a week to check e-mail, make calls. There’s a licensed nurse on staff who will get you through detox; then you’ll work the ranch during the day, have group and one-on-one sessions in the afternoon. Axel Sanderson is a good man, but he believes strongly in hard work, building open, honest relationships, letting the guys work it out with each other. And he’s a good friend of Jesus. He’ll make you want to be one too. So does it sound like a selfish move?”