Lakeside Sweetheart by Lenora Worth Page B

I’m not good with children. I don’t know if I’ll ever have any of my own.”
    Rory muzzled his surprise with a laugh. “I don’t think anyone feels they’re good with children until they actually have children.”
    â€œAnd sometimes, they’re not good then either,” she said on a quiet whisper.
    Before he could respond, she pushed to stand. “I should get inside.”
    Rory stood, too, and placed his hand on her elbow to steady her. “And I should get back to the church. I have to check everything and lock up.”
    Their eyes met, the moonlight playing over them like a diffused spotlight. Rory saw so much in her gaze, but he also saw the hidden things. “I’m glad you came,” he said, his throat going raw with a huskiness that seemed too intimate.
    â€œMe, too.” She didn’t move to go inside. She kept her eyes on him. “I hope Kandi will let me get to know her.”
    â€œWe’ll try it,” he said, stepping back. “I’ll help you with her. She’s a special girl, and she could use a friend.”
    Vanessa nodded and looked out at the lake. “I guess we could all use a friend at times.” Then she smiled at him. “I hope one day, you’ll tell me the rest of your story, Rory.”
    Rory wanted to hug her close. This was crazy. Feelings he’d long buried swirled and resurfaced in a different current, in a new pattern. But this time, with a different woman. A woman who didn’t want children. A woman who might not want anyone.
    But she needed someone. And she needed to believe in herself, too.
    Suddenly, Rory couldn’t breathe, couldn’t decide whether to run away or move closer. He’d vowed never to fall in love again. It hurt too much.
    He’d only planned to minister to this woman.
    Now he also wanted to kiss this woman.
    â€œVanessa,” he said, about to explain why he couldn’t do this, why he wasn’t ready for this.
    â€œI have to go,” she said, moving up the steps.
    â€œMe, too.” He stepped down to the walkway. “I’ll see you...later.”
    She turned at the door. “Yes, later.”
    And then she was inside. Out of his reach.
    Rory took his time getting back to the church. He had some serious praying to do. But he wasn’t sure how to pray. Did he ask God to bring him closer to Vanessa? Did he ask in a spiritual way? Or did he plain out ask God to help him in a romantic way?
    Was he finally ready to love again?
    * * *
    The next day, Vanessa stared at her mother’s cluttered bedroom. In the early-morning light, it looked even worse. Gaudy and tarnished, dusty and dirty. Sad. When had Cora gone from being an artist to becoming a hoarder?
    Maybe after you left?
    But her mother had been happy with Richard. That marriage had worked out for the better. Richard Tucker was a decent, loving man. He’d spent his time divided between this home and the big house in Birmingham, and her mother had traveled with him. But he’d also been a busy man who owned several vast properties and businesses. Had Cora felt lonely and neglected? She must have been lonely after Richard died.
    Vanessa remembered arguing with her mother, trying to make her see that Gregory Pardue had been a bad man. Cora wouldn’t hear any of it.
    â€œI don’t believe you. You’re angry that we moved here. You ran him off, you know. Your lies forced Gregory to leave me.”
    â€œI’m getting away from here,” Vanessa had screamed. “As soon as I can.”
    A few weeks later, her mother was back out there, trolling for another husband. And she’d found Richard Tucker. Richard had calmed both of them.
    Vanessa had attended his funeral in Birmingham, but she hadn’t stayed around to help her mother with anything. Selfish? Or part of Vanessa’s need for self-preservation?
    She should have stayed a few days longer, but Cora had a way of