Free Tart by Lauren Dane Page B

past. He never wanted to see hurt that he’d caused in her gaze.
    Whenever he’d been single she’d been with someone. And even when they were both single, he’d hesitated at moving their friendship into anything else. Because he counted on her. Jules would always be there when he needed her. She loved him and supported him and he didn’t think he could recover if he lost that.
    Even if he did want her so badly it took all his energy at times not to change the tenor of a hug and finally kiss her for real. He cherished Juliet Lamprey. This thing with Gideon probably wouldn’t last. The others hadn’t, after all. Some day she’d find someone to settle down with. But probably not for a while.
    She’d still be his friend even if she loved another man. And he’d have to deal with that. When it happened.
    •   •   •
    She showed up at eleven thirty, as he’d asked her to. She went to the main house, not knowing if he was there or elsewhere, but Patrick would most likely know.
    It was Patrick who answered, a big grin on his face. “Hey there, pretty girl. Come on in. Gideon’s back in the kitchen.”
    She entered the house, pausing to kiss Patrick’s cheek and squeeze his hands. “How are you today?”
    He closed the door behind her and then smiled, taking the pastry box. “Better now that you’ve brought me one of these boxes. I do like something sweet in the afternoon with my coffee.”
    She linked her arm through his and he led her through the house. “Clearly I’ve been remiss in bringing things by then. I’ll have to add it to my to-do list.” She didn’t tell him she’d made adjustments to the recipe of the turnovers she made him. Lowered the fat considerably and added some whole wheat to the pastry too. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
    He grinned and patted the hand on his arm. “Good. I like the idea of a beautiful woman coming over here to bring me goodies. Gives me something to look forward to.”
    Gideon turned at the sound of his granddad’s voice. He’d known Jules had arrived, but seeing here there, her arm linked with his granddad’s, made all his nervousness wash away.
    “Juliet.” He dried his hands off and moved to her, taking her from his granddad with a wink. “I hope you’re hungry. I may have gone a little overboard with the food.”
    “As it happens, I’m starving so it’s a good thing. Looking like rain out there though so I hope you didn’t have anything super picturesque in mind.”
    “I remember that much about living here. I have backups in place.” He grabbed the ice chest with one hand and took hers in the other.
    “Have a good afternoon, boy. Don’t rush back on my account. Mainly because I have a date with the game and some cherry turnovers and you’re not invited.”
    “I put a pot of tea in the front room for you. It’s still hot. Hiram should be over soon. There’s plenty of snacks for him, even if you don’t want to share the turnovers.”
    He led her out the back door and down the steps to the golf cart parked to the side. “I’m out at the creek house.”
    “I haven’t been out there since, gosh, since I was twelve or thirteen I guess.”
    He put the ice chest in the back and she got in.
    “I’d planned a picnic. Forgetting how silly an idea that was for May. So when it was clear it was too rainy to have one outside, I shifted and decided to have one inside.”
    The farm was large enough that the little golf cart was a necessary evil. But the cart had an electric motor so it was quiet enough and it was perfect for getting his granddad around.
    The creek house was a one-room A-frame five acres away on the other side of the land from the house. It had been built as a place for Gideon’s father to live in while attending college. But then his dad had gotten married and moved to California. Gideon loved it out there though. Quiet solitude was often what he needed at the end of a long day, though given his granddad’s age, he’d