Colton saw shock in his uncle’s eyes but didn’t have time to explain about Lorenzo Perkins’ whorish ways. He needed to get Kelly out of his home. “I’ll see you later, Uncle Howey. Give Aunt Abigail my love.” Taking the steps two at a time, he quickly went inside his house.
He stopped the moment he walked across the threshold. Already, his home was filled with her scent. Damn. Leaving his foyer, he glanced around, scanning the living room and dining room. He was about to see if she was in the kitchen when he heard a noise upstairs. Quickly taking the stairs, he noticed one of the guest rooms’ doors was closed. He always kept them open. Without knocking, he opened the door, and there she was, sitting in the wingback chair in the room, reading a book. And looking like she had every right to be there.
“What the hell are you doing here, Kelly?”
She glanced up from her book and smiled. “I was wondering when you would be back. I missed breakfast and I am hungry.”
**
Kelly could tell from the look in Colton’s eyes that he was madder than hell, but that was okay. Hopefully once they talked, he would understand and forgive her. She had to believe that he would. But the one thing she would not let him do was intimidate her, like Monica had warned her about. And she would not leave until they talked. Then it would be his decision as to how things went from there. And she would respect it.
“I want you gone, Kelly.”
She noticed he was still standing by the door. He hadn’t come into the room, as if he was reluctant to do so. Why? Did he think she would bite or something? Then she realized that though he was angry, he was also unsure of what would happen if they got too close. She could work with that.
Standing, she crossed the room to stand a few feet away from him. “You invited me here, and I’m not going anywhere until we talk.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, as if protecting himself. “That invitation was issued when we were on good terms.”
She crossed her arms over her own chest. “So you’re reneging on the invitation, like you reneged on what was supposed to be our one night together.”
The glare in his eyes turned almost lethal but she didn’t care. “Do not bring that up, Kelly.”
“I only brought it up because you’re messing with me again. All I want is for you to give us a chance to talk and--”
“I tried doing that in Boston that Thursday night. You didn’t want to hear anything I had to say.”
“I’m sorry about that. But at that time, hearing so much negativity had overpowered me. For the second time in my life, I was faced with something I almost couldn’t handle.”
“Well, that’s not my problem.”
“It is your problem, Colton.”
“No, it’s not!”
Kelly watched him rub his hand down his face in agitation. “I’m leaving,” he said turning.
“And just where are you going?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“I’m your houseguest, and I told you I was hungry.”
“You’re not my houseguest. However, there’s plenty of food in the refrigerator. Help yourself. But I suggest you leave before I get back.”
She watched him quickly walk down the stairs and rush out the front door, as if he was escaping from a fire. Evidently, things had gotten too hot for him. And if he thought she would be gone when he returned, well then, he’d be wrong.
Pulling in a deep breath, she went downstairs to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He was right, it was stocked. She then looked into his oversized pantry and saw it was stocked as well. Since she hoped to be here a while, and wanting to think positive, she decided to make a pot of spaghetti. She’d heard it was his favorite meal.
CHAPTER 21
The smell of spaghetti filled Colton’s nostrils the moment he entered his home. At least it didn’t smell like Kelly anymore. He thought she would prepare a sandwich or something and leave. He hadn’t invited her to cook a meal. So why wasn’t she gone?
It was after midnight, and he had deliberately stayed away. He had visited Carney Lawson, a high school pal of his. Both he and his wife Trish, whom he’d met in medical school, were pediatricians in town. He, Carney, and two other friends from high school had gone out and had a few beers, played cards, and talked about the good old days.
Now he was back, and he knew Kelly was still here. That car he’d missed seeing earlier, since it had been parked behind his uncle’s truck, was here. He had tried calling his brothers to read them both the riot act, since one of them had to have given her his address, but neither would pick up his call. That pissed him off even more.
He heard the sound of the television and figured she was in his family room, which was off from the kitchen. He headed that way and when he entered, he stopped in his tracks. She wasn’t watching television. The television was watching her. She was curled up on his sofa, asleep and wearing her pajamas. A cute pair at that. She had deliberately ignored his order to leave. Saying he was reneging on his invitation for her to come here for a week was no different than him reneging on their one-night-stand was BS, and she knew it.
