Ride the Rainbow Home by Susan Aylworth

Sally's house. Mostly Meg shared her impressions of Jim's family and Jim agreed they could be overwhelming sometimes.
    There was a long moment at the door when they stood simply looking at each other. Then Jim leaned forward. "Good night, Meg," he said, and tenderly kissed her cheek. Meg wanted to grab the man and make him kiss her the way they'd kissed before.
    "Meggie? I told Chris we had plans for Wednesday."
    "I heard."
    "I have to fly to San Francisco tomorrow. I'll be gone till Wednesday afternoon. Will you go out with me when I get back?"
    She flashed him a coy look. "Well, I don't know..."
    He stroked her cheek; she could still feel the kiss. "I know. It wasn't fair. Go out with me anyway?"
    "Yes, I'd like that."
    "Saturday too?"
    She smiled. "Saturday too. Shall we go to the canyon again?"
    "I have a buying trip on the reservation. I'll be gone for the weekend. Come with me?"
    Meg paused. Was he really asking her to share his all-important, mildly secretive work? "Yes," she said slowly, "I'd like that too."
    "Good." He had that look in his eyes again, like he'd love to devour her.
    Meg leaned toward him, her lips slightly parted, and waited.
    Jim touched her cheek, and then swallowed hard, as if making a difficult decision. "Good night, Meggie," he said, and strode down the walk.

Chapter Five
    Meg awoke Monday with sweet old love songs dancing through her head. She bounded out of bed, had her shower, started the laundry, made a coffee cake and cooked breakfast before Frank and Sally stumbled out, bleary-eyed. She fed them both, and then made herself scarce while they said good-bye. It was mid-morning before she had a chance to speak to Sally.
    "I know I'm invaluable," Meg began, "but do you think you could get along without me Wednesday evening?"
    "You think you're joking," Sally began, "but you are invaluable. Still, if you have a hot date, by all means, go!"
    "Do you feel the same about Friday? Jim's making a buying trip this weekend. He asked me along."
    Sally's eyes grew wide. "He's inviting you to go away with him for the weekend?"
    Meg felt her face warming. "It isn't like that exactly "
    But Sally was bubbling. "This is even better than I'd hoped! When I talked you into coming back to town, I was hoping to get you and Jim together."
    "You were hoping? Sally, you arranged this?"
    “Of course not. I just got you here. Nature took care of the rest. Go, girl! Have a great time."
    "Thanks. I'll tell Jim when he calls." Meg hesitated, thinking of what she'd seen the day before. "Sally, have you ever been out to the pig farm?"
    Sally's answer was casual. "Dozens of times, especially back in high school."
    Meg winced. "Did you realize I'd never been to the farm until yesterday?"
    Sally looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, I knew it. I just wasn't sure you knew it."
    "And all that time I thought we were so close." Meg sighed. "I guess I wasn't much of a friend, was I?"
    Sally patted Meg's shoulder. "Sure you were. But Jim did do most of the giving—for both of us."
    "It was just . . . well, you know. People were calling me Piggy and he was getting teased about raising pigs, and I just—“ She felt the tears coming. “All those years, and he accepted me completely, even when I was looking down my nose at the pig farm, just like everybody else."
    "He loved you, Meg. I suspect he still does."
    “Loved?”
    “That’s what I said.” Sally went to care for a crying infant.
    Meg worked through the morning pondering that thought. She knew what Sally meant when she said "love." Was it possible Jim meant more? Was he looking at their past, or toward some uncertain future? And what future could they have if she was in Walnut Creek and he was here? She tried imagining herself as the next Kate McAllister, keeping life organized as she brought up the next generation of McAllisters and pigs. No, that kind of cozy domesticity could never be hers. She was a workshop presenter, a management training guru. She threw her frustration into