time?"
"In between the piano lessons and daily practice, I had to fit in dance lessons, singing lessons, and acting classes. Not to mention the endless rounds of auditions for commercials that I never got because I was so damned exhausted that I looked downright scrawny. If you had been through as many juvenile casting calls as I had, you wouldn't care if you offended the queen of England."
"And you enjoyed that?"
"I hated it," she said bitterly. Was her childhood as bad as she painted it, or had her problems with her mother clouded her judgment? Some good came of it. ''Except the music. I loved the music. I had my first crush on Mozart."
"At least I know the competition is dead."
"I thought so, too, when I discovered the Rolling Stones."
Jake threw his hand across his chest. "Rock and roll? You wound this country boy."
"Why?" she asked, feeling slightly wounded herself. "What's wrong with rock?"
"Nothing, I guess. If you like mindless, ear-breaking trash with no redeeming qualities."
He sounded so much like her grandfather that she tried not to laugh. "And I suppose that listening to a song about a horse, a pickup truck, or a train is a higher art form to you?"
"Whoa, Kate. Calm down. You're taking it as a personal insult."
"Will you two stop fighting?" Chloe called into the kitchen.
"We're not fighting," they yelled back simultaneously.
Jake smiled. "You see? We can agree on something." He slipped his arm along the back of her neck and tilted her head to rest on it.
She found him irresistible. His strong, callused fingers tenderly brushed away the strands of hair from her face. His touch could make her forget her own name, let alone the fact that he‘d behaved like a bear that morning.
But the best feelings came when he held her close enough to hear his heartbeat. It felt like home, or what she imagined home to be. She’d received some friendly warnings and some not so friendly, at church. Jake's wild reputation didn't come close to his actual life-style. His only faults were an overabundance of pride and no taste in music.
"If you kiss my dad, too, Uncle Trevor owes me another five dollars."
Kate exhaled slowly and pulled away. "I'm gonna get her for that."
"Be my guest," Jake invited, giving her a push start. "My money's on you."
* * * *
Kate couldn't remember the last time she’d laughed so much. They were the craziest family she'd ever known, and the most loving. Trevor taunted Jake by telling every dirty, rotten thing they did as youngsters. Chloe, who’d heard the stories a hundred times, added any funny detail that they left out.
Kate had never experienced that kind of unconditional love with her own family. Her childhood had been devoid of any humor. Her mother's unwavering obsession to thrust Kate into the spotlight had made them all miserable.
Nikki, who lost her own mother as a baby, resented the attention showered on Kate. They seldom saw their father when they were growing up, because he worked two jobs to pay for the special schools that Kate attended. Kate had tried to counter that by involving Nikki in her activities, but Nikki was more scholarly, preferring to put her energies into studying. When Kate entered her twenties, they finally became close as sisters, and then only because Kate began to rebel against the stranglehold her mother had on her life.
"Are you okay, Kate?" Chloe asked.
She raised her head and noticed that she had center stage. "I'm fine."
"I guess you must be homesick?" Chloe said, a sadness spreading across her face.
"No," Kate answered truthfully. "I miss Nikki, though."
Jake dropped his fork. "Who's Nick?"
She exchanged a conspiratorial giggle with Chloe. "Nikki is my sister."
"Oh," Jake mumbled, choking on the foot in his mouth.
Kate had never mentioned her sister by name before, so naturally he would assume ... No, she thought smugly, he felt jealous, and he had displayed it for the entire family to see.
"More potatoes, anyone?" Jake tried
"In between the piano lessons and daily practice, I had to fit in dance lessons, singing lessons, and acting classes. Not to mention the endless rounds of auditions for commercials that I never got because I was so damned exhausted that I looked downright scrawny. If you had been through as many juvenile casting calls as I had, you wouldn't care if you offended the queen of England."
"And you enjoyed that?"
"I hated it," she said bitterly. Was her childhood as bad as she painted it, or had her problems with her mother clouded her judgment? Some good came of it. ''Except the music. I loved the music. I had my first crush on Mozart."
"At least I know the competition is dead."
"I thought so, too, when I discovered the Rolling Stones."
Jake threw his hand across his chest. "Rock and roll? You wound this country boy."
"Why?" she asked, feeling slightly wounded herself. "What's wrong with rock?"
"Nothing, I guess. If you like mindless, ear-breaking trash with no redeeming qualities."
He sounded so much like her grandfather that she tried not to laugh. "And I suppose that listening to a song about a horse, a pickup truck, or a train is a higher art form to you?"
"Whoa, Kate. Calm down. You're taking it as a personal insult."
"Will you two stop fighting?" Chloe called into the kitchen.
"We're not fighting," they yelled back simultaneously.
Jake smiled. "You see? We can agree on something." He slipped his arm along the back of her neck and tilted her head to rest on it.
She found him irresistible. His strong, callused fingers tenderly brushed away the strands of hair from her face. His touch could make her forget her own name, let alone the fact that he‘d behaved like a bear that morning.
But the best feelings came when he held her close enough to hear his heartbeat. It felt like home, or what she imagined home to be. She’d received some friendly warnings and some not so friendly, at church. Jake's wild reputation didn't come close to his actual life-style. His only faults were an overabundance of pride and no taste in music.
"If you kiss my dad, too, Uncle Trevor owes me another five dollars."
Kate exhaled slowly and pulled away. "I'm gonna get her for that."
"Be my guest," Jake invited, giving her a push start. "My money's on you."
* * * *
Kate couldn't remember the last time she’d laughed so much. They were the craziest family she'd ever known, and the most loving. Trevor taunted Jake by telling every dirty, rotten thing they did as youngsters. Chloe, who’d heard the stories a hundred times, added any funny detail that they left out.
Kate had never experienced that kind of unconditional love with her own family. Her childhood had been devoid of any humor. Her mother's unwavering obsession to thrust Kate into the spotlight had made them all miserable.
Nikki, who lost her own mother as a baby, resented the attention showered on Kate. They seldom saw their father when they were growing up, because he worked two jobs to pay for the special schools that Kate attended. Kate had tried to counter that by involving Nikki in her activities, but Nikki was more scholarly, preferring to put her energies into studying. When Kate entered her twenties, they finally became close as sisters, and then only because Kate began to rebel against the stranglehold her mother had on her life.
"Are you okay, Kate?" Chloe asked.
She raised her head and noticed that she had center stage. "I'm fine."
"I guess you must be homesick?" Chloe said, a sadness spreading across her face.
"No," Kate answered truthfully. "I miss Nikki, though."
Jake dropped his fork. "Who's Nick?"
She exchanged a conspiratorial giggle with Chloe. "Nikki is my sister."
"Oh," Jake mumbled, choking on the foot in his mouth.
Kate had never mentioned her sister by name before, so naturally he would assume ... No, she thought smugly, he felt jealous, and he had displayed it for the entire family to see.
"More potatoes, anyone?" Jake tried
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