“The biggest.” Shane laced his hands on his stomach and gazed at his boot tips. “Of course, she can nag you half insane when she sets her mind on something-this party, for example. She came to me last April and told me about her idea, and she’s been working and planning on it ever since.”
“That long, huh?” It had been late July when Kyle had first been contacted; he supposed it had taken them that long to track him down.
“Oh, yeah. It’s been all she’s thought about for most of the year. It’s a wonder Dad and Cassie haven’t figured out that something was going on, but I think it’s still going to be a surprise for them.”
Kyle was starting to feel guilty. He wondered if that was Shane’s intention, telling him how long and hard Molly had worked to make this party so special for her parents.
He told himself that he didn’t owe this family anything—but even before he had completed the thought, he knew that wasn’t true. He owed the Walkers a great deal. More than he could repay. Put in that perspective, staying a couple extra days for a party didn’t really seem like too much to ask.
“I guess I could stay for the party—since it means so much to Molly,” he heard himself offering almost before he knew he’d come to the decision. “I’ll make arrangements for a flight out late Saturday night.”
“Airfare will be cheaper if you wait until Sunday morning,” Shane pointed out.
“Yeah. Okay. Sunday morning, then.”
“I’ll drive you into Dallas, myself. Just let me know when you need to be at the airport.”
It seemed to be all settled. Looked as though Kyle would be staying for that party he’d been trying to avoid for several months.
He gave Shane a quick, suspicious look, but Shane’s expression was still serene. He didn’t look particularly smug at having just skillfully manipulated Kyle into the answer he had wanted to hear. Yet, somehow, Kyle still had the sneaking suspicion he’d just been conned by a master.
Having sent Lucy into the den with a spill-proof cup of milk, a cinnamon roll on a plate and permission to watch television for a short while, Kelly glanced out the kitchen window toward the patio. “They’re still sitting out there talking.”
Molly tried not to reveal how nervous that made her. “I wonder what they’re talking about.”
“Probably just catching up. Maybe I should make a fresh pot of coffee for when they decide to come in.”
“Not for Kyle’s sake. He doesn’t drink caffeine.”
“Oh. Should I make a pot of decaf?”
“I don’t think he cares for coffee at all. He likes herbal teas, though. I know Mom keeps several varieties on hand.”
“Then I’ll put on a kettle of water.”
Molly nodded and glanced toward the back door again, hoping the guys wouldn’t stay out there much longer. Her curiosity was driving her crazy.
“You’ve spent a lot of time with Kyle during the past few days.”
“Yes. More than I had intended, of course.”
Kelly shot her a quick smile from the sink where she was running water into a copper-bottomed aluminum teakettle. “It doesn’t seem as though you’ve found it too much of a trial.”
“No. We’ve gotten along fine.”
“Funny. I’d gotten the impression that he was sort of surly and antisocial.”
Since he had sent two representatives back with metaphorical tails tucked between their legs, Molly knew where Kelly had come by that impression. “He can be a little grumpy,” she admitted. “But I learned pretty quickly how to handle him when he gets that way.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you have a little crush on him. Just something about the way you look when you talk about him.”
Molly felt her cheeks warm. “Don’t be silly,” she said, but she didn’t meet her sister-in-law’s eyes.
“Deny it all you want, but there’s something there.”
“Even if there were, it wouldn’t really make any difference. Kyle’s a confirmed loner. He’s going back to his little mountain hideaway as soon as he can book a flight. What ties he has to anyone are back in Tennessee, not here in Texas.”
“That is quite a way from here,” Kelly conceded.