marching down the road to follow the winding river shortcut into Covey's Creek, her now nearly dry long blonde curls bouncing on the shoulders and back of the black leather jacket.
Jack and Wylie exchanged looks, then Jack shrugged but hurried to catch up with Kelly Jo. She pulled the bag away from his grasp when he tried to take it from her and he raised his hands in conciliation.
They walked in silence.
Wylie had no difficulty keeping pace with them.
If any of them remembered Wylie saying he didn't dare encounter his parents no one said a word. Two sets of male eyes tried not to watch Kelly Jo's unintentional hip sway as the threesome walked toward the water.
Jack drew in, then blew out a deep breath, losing the battle to not watch Kelly Jo's sensual, hypnotic movements ahead of him.
He had a feeling he'd need to constantly envision the cold water of Covey's Creek to keep down a steadily rising heat.
Chapter Nineteen
Despite Jack's best intention to maintain a rolling conversation with Wylie, no matter how inane a topic they came up with, their words dwindled and finally faded altogether in the early evening breeze that accompanied their walk along merrily flowing Covey's Creek.
Jack swallowed hard, his eyes straying to the target he followed. He didn't know how, but Kelly Jo managed to keep her stride as sensual as it was brisk, the more her hair dried the more it became a cascading mass of curls. Was it his imagination or had her sensuality quotient soared because she was barefoot? Despite being barefoot? He didn't know. He didn't care. He was poor on will power and long on... He was startled to collide with a suddenly stopped and turned Kelly Jo and his hands hurried to encircle her waist and keep her from falling at the impact. The feel of leather encased soft curves beneath his spread fingers was palpable.
"Oh," she cried as he steadied her.
Jack gazed into those summer sky blue eyes and his heart skipped a beat. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I guess I wasn't watching where I was going."
Wylie snickered and Jack threw him a scowl.
But when Jack again met Kelly Jo's eyes, hers held uncertainty.
"What's wrong?" he asked, reluctantly releasing her, letting go of something that felt so right that it scared him.
"I...I..." she trailed off.
"Kelly Jo?" Jack frowned in concern, then whispered, "Is it Robert? Is he hiding in the bushes?"
Kelly Jo gave Jack a blank look, then shook her head as though to clear it. "No...I just...wasn't sure this was the right way into town. But I can see the high school through the trees up ahead, so I guess we're almost there."
Jack stared at Kelly Jo. "What do you mean you weren't sure this was the way? Robert said..." He halted and Robert's words came back to him. Kelly Jo would gradually lose her memory, would forget everything little by little until she was reliving the event that she'd brought Jack here to help her change.
A short time ago Jack learned, through Wylie, that both he and Kelly Jo were again human and visible to everyone. Now Kelly Jo's memory loss had started.
What would happen to Jack if she forgot him?
Chapter Twenty
Wylie's voice sliced into Jack's somber thought. "Is everything all right?"
"Um...yeah," Jack answered, turning to smile at Wylie. Jack's heart was thumping and he couldn't bring himself to look back into Kelly Jo's eyes, to see in them that his own future wasn't too sure right now. If Kelly Jo forgot who Jack was he couldn't conceive how he'd be any help to her. Worse - her to him.
Wylie's impatience broke through with, "Let's go. It must be close to time for the talent show and you still need to sign up."
Wylie strode around Jack and Kelly Jo to head toward the parking lot that edged the woods, the eastern boundary of the brick high school. Jack smothered a grin when he saw Wylie's furtive look toward Kelly Jo's figure, saw Wylie's face redden and his eyes
Jack and Wylie exchanged looks, then Jack shrugged but hurried to catch up with Kelly Jo. She pulled the bag away from his grasp when he tried to take it from her and he raised his hands in conciliation.
They walked in silence.
Wylie had no difficulty keeping pace with them.
If any of them remembered Wylie saying he didn't dare encounter his parents no one said a word. Two sets of male eyes tried not to watch Kelly Jo's unintentional hip sway as the threesome walked toward the water.
Jack drew in, then blew out a deep breath, losing the battle to not watch Kelly Jo's sensual, hypnotic movements ahead of him.
He had a feeling he'd need to constantly envision the cold water of Covey's Creek to keep down a steadily rising heat.
Chapter Nineteen
Despite Jack's best intention to maintain a rolling conversation with Wylie, no matter how inane a topic they came up with, their words dwindled and finally faded altogether in the early evening breeze that accompanied their walk along merrily flowing Covey's Creek.
Jack swallowed hard, his eyes straying to the target he followed. He didn't know how, but Kelly Jo managed to keep her stride as sensual as it was brisk, the more her hair dried the more it became a cascading mass of curls. Was it his imagination or had her sensuality quotient soared because she was barefoot? Despite being barefoot? He didn't know. He didn't care. He was poor on will power and long on... He was startled to collide with a suddenly stopped and turned Kelly Jo and his hands hurried to encircle her waist and keep her from falling at the impact. The feel of leather encased soft curves beneath his spread fingers was palpable.
"Oh," she cried as he steadied her.
Jack gazed into those summer sky blue eyes and his heart skipped a beat. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I guess I wasn't watching where I was going."
Wylie snickered and Jack threw him a scowl.
But when Jack again met Kelly Jo's eyes, hers held uncertainty.
"What's wrong?" he asked, reluctantly releasing her, letting go of something that felt so right that it scared him.
"I...I..." she trailed off.
"Kelly Jo?" Jack frowned in concern, then whispered, "Is it Robert? Is he hiding in the bushes?"
Kelly Jo gave Jack a blank look, then shook her head as though to clear it. "No...I just...wasn't sure this was the right way into town. But I can see the high school through the trees up ahead, so I guess we're almost there."
Jack stared at Kelly Jo. "What do you mean you weren't sure this was the way? Robert said..." He halted and Robert's words came back to him. Kelly Jo would gradually lose her memory, would forget everything little by little until she was reliving the event that she'd brought Jack here to help her change.
A short time ago Jack learned, through Wylie, that both he and Kelly Jo were again human and visible to everyone. Now Kelly Jo's memory loss had started.
What would happen to Jack if she forgot him?
Chapter Twenty
Wylie's voice sliced into Jack's somber thought. "Is everything all right?"
"Um...yeah," Jack answered, turning to smile at Wylie. Jack's heart was thumping and he couldn't bring himself to look back into Kelly Jo's eyes, to see in them that his own future wasn't too sure right now. If Kelly Jo forgot who Jack was he couldn't conceive how he'd be any help to her. Worse - her to him.
Wylie's impatience broke through with, "Let's go. It must be close to time for the talent show and you still need to sign up."
Wylie strode around Jack and Kelly Jo to head toward the parking lot that edged the woods, the eastern boundary of the brick high school. Jack smothered a grin when he saw Wylie's furtive look toward Kelly Jo's figure, saw Wylie's face redden and his eyes
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