Once they were back inside the warm haven of Russ’s home, they took off their coats and then simply didn’t stop undressing. Their discarded clothing left a trail from the front door to the bedroom as they kissed their way through the house.
A night-light softly illuminated their love nest, where the king-sized bed awaited. They hardly spoke a word; no words were necessary. They were so attuned to each other that Russ knew exactly where she wanted to be touched, how fast, how slow. In turn, her instincts guided her eager, hungry hands and mouth as she charted a body that was already becoming familiar to her. Thoughts of him would haunt her for a long time to come, she was sure.
When they came together it was like coming home, a place she’d been in her mind many times but hadn’t even known she’d missed until now.
Their lovemaking seemed to go on in a timeless alternate universe and for a while Sydney forgot about deadlines and airports and bankruptcies and depressed fathers and sprained ankles. She forgot everything except loving this man in this time and this place.
Much later, as they lay entwined in the big bed, twisted sheets and blankets and pillows around them, Sydney realized with sudden clarity that she’d fallen in love. As preposterous as it seemed, she’d fallen in love with this exasperating, stubborn Texan with whom she outwardly had nothing in common.
She glanced at the illuminated dial on Russ’s watch. She had to get up in three hours. Get up, throw on her clothes and drive away, probably never to see Russ again. How was she going to do it? Did she really have to?
If not for her father, she could choose to stay and explore this miraculous thing that had come into her life so unexpectedly. But Lowell-she couldn’t leave Lowell to fend for himself. It was unthinkable.
At the thought of her father, she remembered she hadn’t called to let him know she wasn’t coming home tonight. Russ was asleep, snoring softly. She slipped out of his grasp, which was tenacious even in sleep. The room was cold and she had no nightgown or robe. So she improvised by locating Russ’s discarded dress shirt and wrapping it around her. She hugged herself and inhaled deeply. The shirt smelled of him. Maybe she could steal it, take it home with her, put it in her bed so she could inhale of him at will.
She had it bad, all right.
She wondered where she’d left her purse. Nero was sprawled out in the entryway, snoring. After searching everywhere for her purse, she realized Nero was sleeping on it, using it for a pillow.
“Hey, you.” She nudged him with her toe. The dog opened one tired eye, identified her as friend and wagged his tail. “Yeah, well, that cute act isn’t going to get you very far if you’ve slobbered all over my suede purse.”
She tugged her small clutch out from under the dog’s head. Aside from a bit of dog hair, it didn’t seem much worse for wear. She dug out her cell phone.
There were no messages, so her father hadn’t called her. He must not be too worried. She decided, though it was the middle of the night, to call him. He would probably be asleep, although his sleep was iffy these days. But the message would be there for him when he woke up.
When her father picked up, she was so surprised that for a moment she didn’t say anything.
“Sydney? Honey?”
“Oh, hi, Dad. I didn’t expect you to answer. What are you doing up?”
“Just prowling the house. Couldn’t sleep. Something wrong?”
“No, I just forgot to call and let you know I wasn’t coming in until tomorrow. I was afraid you’d be worried.” She wandered into the living room and curled up on the sofa.
“I figured getting a flight out would be near impossible with the weather, so I wasn’t too worried. Are you at your aunt Carol’s?”
“No, I’m…Oh, Dad, the most wonderful, terrible thing has happened. I’m in love.”
“No kidding? So that’s what this mysterious trip was all about.”
“It didn’t start out that way, but that’s how it’s finishing up.”
“You don’t sound completely happy. Don’t tell me the fella doesn’t love you back.”
“I honestly don’t know. It’s just that, regardless of how he feels, he’s here and I’m there and that makes things difficult.”
“Well, now, it shouldn’t,” Lowell said. “Don’t forget your mom and I were from different parts of the country, too. But we worked it out.”
“Yeah, you moved to New York. But that’s never going to happen in this case. Russ would never leave his precious Hill Country. And I wouldn’t want him to. He wouldn’t be happy in the city.”
“Even with you?”
“Not even with me.”
“Well, there must be some way to work it out. Couldn’t you move down there?”
Sydney was surprised her father would suggest such a thing. For the past year he’d been completely dependent on her and they both knew it. “Oh, I don’t think so, Dad. New York is my home.”
“Now, if you’re just sticking around because you’re worried about your old man, don’t. I’ll get by.”
But he wouldn’t. He needed her, at least for a while longer.
“We’ll talk about it when I get back,” she said. “I don’t have to make any decisions right now.”
“Sydney, honey, if you love this man, don’t let him get away. Maybe it’s an old-fashioned notion to believe in fate, but I do. I know there was one woman fated for me and I found her. Once I found her, I didn’t let her go. Not till I had to, anyway.” He paused and she knew he was struggling once again with his grief.
To her surprise, however, he continued speaking, his voice clear and strong. “Don’t let your life be filled with thoughts of what might have been. Don’t settle for almost good enough.”
Sydney swallowed hard at the reminder of the love between her parents. They’d been so different from each other and yet they’d had the happiest of marriages. Was it at all possible that she and Russ…Her heart beat a little faster just thinking of the possibilities.
Maybe she didn’t have to say goodbye forever. Oh, but she didn’t even know if Russ felt the same way. He might freak out if she told him how she felt. Lots of guys wanted nothing to do with love and commitment. Maybe there was a reason he’d reached his thirties without marrying-such as an aversion to commitment.
“Sydney, you still there?”
“Yeah, Dad. Just thinking about things. Are you taking the sleeping pills Dr. Stevens prescribed?”
“Nah. I’m not taking any of those pills anymore. I want to feel like myself again.”
Sydney wasn’t sure that was such a hot idea, but she had to admit, her dad sounded a little stronger than he had for a while. Maybe he was coming around.
Or maybe she was simply trying to justify her completely irrational desire to chuck everything and move to Texas to be with a man who might not even want her.
After concluding her call with her father, Sydney realized with a start that Nero was lying on the sofa next to her and she was patting him absently. “I bet you’re not supposed to be on the furniture,” she said. He yawned and rolled over, apparently wanting her to scratch his belly. “I like you, but I don’t like you that much. Try not to take advantage.”
Chapter Fourteen
Russ awoke feeling pleasantly warm and drowsy, but something was missing. He reached beside him to find nothing but empty bed.
Damn it! If she’d slipped out of bed and sneaked away in the night, he was going to kill her. Maybe she wanted to skip the painful goodbye, but he’d been counting on a last coffee together. He’d wanted to give her a memorable send-off. No sense making it easy for her to walk out of his life.
He threw back the covers and leaped from the bed. The bathroom was dark.
As he exited the dimly lit bedroom he almost tripped over her shoes, then saw that her stockings and bra were still on the floor, right where they’d left them last night in their hurry to reach the bed.
Russ relaxed slightly. She wouldn’t leave so fast she’d forget her clothes. But where was she? His experience
