Stranger in Town (Dundee, Idaho #5)(73)
Author: Brenda Novak

Gabe gave him a polite nod. “Thank you, Harvey. In any case, you’ll have my answer soon.”

HANNAH HEARD the telephone ring and rolled over, fumbling for the handset on her nightstand. “Hello?” she said, still half-asleep.

“Hannah?”

It was Gabe. Sitting up, she blinked quickly and felt her heart start to pound. “Are you home?” she asked hopefully.

“No. I’m still in New York. I just got back from dinner. Sorry to wake you. It’s late here, but with the time change, I didn’t think you’d be in bed.”

Hannah checked the clock. If she had even half a social life, she wouldn’t be in bed. It was only ten-thirty. “Kenny’s spending the night with Tuck, or I’d be waiting up for him.”

“Did we win the game tonight?”

“No, but it was close. Twenty-four to twenty-one.”

“Kenny still okay with the new coach?”

“He says he likes you better but, fortunately, he’s been pretty preoccupied with other things.”

“Like a certain cheerleader?”

“You got it.”

“They’re still calling each other?”

“All the time.”

“Do you like her?”

Hannah ran a hand through her disheveled hair. “She seems sweet. I’m just not ready for Kenny to start into this phase of puberty.”

“Did you tell him what I said?”

“That you didn’t have sex with anyone until college? No, I decided to keep that information to myself, thanks,” she said on a laugh.

He laughed with her. “That isn’t the part I thought might be helpful. What I wanted to convey is that I’m glad I waited, that there’s no rush.”

Hannah hugged herself, feeling the soft cotton of Gabe’s T-shirt against her body. Since he’d left, she’d given up stuffing it under her pillow and begun to sleep in it. “It’s a subject we’ll have to cover, but they just started talking this week. I’m going to give it some more time, see what happens.”

“Maybe Russ can have a father-to-son talk with him, explain about physical urges and why it’s important to be smart about when to give in to those urges, that kind of stuff.”

Hannah stifled a yawn. “Are you kidding? Russ would probably ask Kenny if he’s gotten down her pants yet.”

Another deep laugh made Hannah smile. “How’s New York?” she asked.

“It’s fine, but…”

“What?”

“I miss you,” he said.

Hannah caught her breath. This was the first time he’d ever said anything that indicated she was special to him. “You’re probably just homesick,” she said, keeping her tone light. She didn’t want him to think she misunderstood, believed he meant anything serious by it.

“I miss Lazarus, too.”

“At least you mentioned me before your dog.”

Another chuckle. “That’s not just any dog.”

“I know. Brent’s taking good care of him. They’re inseparable.”

“Actually, I miss the cabin, too,” he admitted.

“It’s a nice place.”

“But mostly I miss touching you, tasting you, feeling your naked body pressed against mine as I make love to you.”

Heat began to curl through Hannah’s blood like smoke. “If this is phone sex, I can see why people like it.”

“It gets a lot better,” he said.

“Maybe, but I have to admit, when it comes to you, I prefer it up close and personal.”

“Is Brent asleep?”

“Out like a light.”

“And I’m not there. Damn. Definitely my loss.”

“There’s a key under the mat. You could always come home,” she said, but immediately regretted the suggestion. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t cling to him, wouldn’t drag him down. “Just kidding,” she quickly corrected. “I know you’re right where you need to be. You did an awesome job last week, and you’ll do just as good this week.”

“They want an answer,” he said.

“What kind of answer?”

“Whether or not I’ll sign a two-year contract to do the show.”

Drawing an unsteady breath, Hannah squeezed her eyes closed. “A contract is probably a good thing, right? It’s job stability.” And it wouldn’t allow Gabe to backslide. He’d be so busy, he’d probably be a whole new person by the time those two years were up.

“Is that what you think?” he asked.

“Of course. You should do it. Definitely.”

“Definitely,” he repeated.

She didn’t add anything, mostly because she couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat.

“Will you be watching on Sunday?” he asked after a moment of silence.

“Of course. I’ve already memorized everything you said from last week. It’s time for a new tape.”

Another laugh. “There’s something about you, Hannah Price.”

“I know. I like your furniture, remember? And I’m in love with you. No surprises there.”

“You’re also good in bed,” he added.

“Really?”

“The best.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” she said, smiling.

“Just leave that key under your mat,” he said. “I’m coming home sometime.”

With that, he hung up, and Hannah went to sleep dreaming that it would be tonight.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

HANNAH DIDN’T WANT TO go to her ex-father-in-law’s birthday. Her relationship with Patti was strained by Patti’s disapproval of her involvement with Gabe, and Hannah’s resentment of that disapproval. And it would be awkward with the rest of the family. For one, Hannah had no idea how Russ might treat her. He’d taken Kenny out to lunch yesterday, ostensibly to apologize for neglecting him the night of the game. In reality, he’d proceeded to bash Hannah for breaking up their family and for just about everything else that had gone wrong in his life. Kenny had repeated a bunch of stuff Russ had said about her and Gabe, mostly things that should never have been said, especially to their sixteen-year-old son. Did you know your mother is sleeping with Coach Holbrook?

She hated Russ now more than ever. But she loved her boys, and she wanted them to be able to go to their grandpa’s birthday without having to worry about the adults in their lives. Which meant she needed to endure the party.