Free Sentimental Journey by Janet Dailey Page B

partially filled it with water. Standing the rose stem in the vase, she carried it into the living room and set it next to the mantel clock where the polished grains of the wood would show off the rich red of the flower.
    Brodie watched it all from inside the doorway, commenting when Jessica joined him, "If I'd known you were going to go to all that trouble, I would have brought you a bouquet."
    "It was no trouble."
    In the hallway, Brodie waited while she locked the door. "Have you had breakfast?"
    "Toast and coffee." Generally she ate a hearty breakfast, but she didn't want to dwell on why she hadn't been hungry this morning.
    "Good. I didn't have time to eat, either. Instead of lunch, let's have a late breakfast," he suggested.
    "Very well," she agreed.
    Considering her lack of appetite earlier, Jessica was surprised to discover she was almost ravenous when the waitress set a plate of bacon, eggs, grits and biscuits in front of her. Brodie's meal was similarly huge. Neither had difficulty cleaning the plates.
    "Have you had enough or would you like something more?" he asked.
    "More than enough," she declared with a decisive nod. "I'm going to need to exercise to work it off."
    "That can be arranged." There was a smile in his voice as he lifted the coffee cup to his mouth. Draining all but the dregs, he set the cup down. "Shall we go?"
    At her nod of agreement, he paid for the breakfast and they left. Outside in the car, he started the engine but didn't put it in gear, turning an inquiring look at her.
    "Where would you like to start our tour?"
    Jessica had no preference. "You're the driver—you choose."
    A lazy look of wickedness stole over his face. "Aren't you concerned that I'll choose the sleeping car at the Train Station in order to provide you with that exercise you said you needed?"
    This time his suggestive comment did not completely shatter her poise. "That isn't the kind of exercise I had in mind," she answered with a commendable show of calm.
    "What did you have in mind? Something more tame and less stimulating, like walking?" Brodie mocked.
    He directed his gaze at her lips to watch them form the words of her answer. The action tested the strength of her composure. It held.
    "Yes, like walking."
    "In that case, we'll start our tour at the top by beginning at Lookout Mountain." Brodie shifted the car into gear and finally looked away from her.
    The mountain towered at the edge of the city like a sentinel. Access to the top was by a road that twisted and curved its way up the slope. As they neared the entrance to Rock City, one of the more popular tourist attractions on top of Lookout Mountain, Brodie glanced at Jessica.
    "I never thought about it, but it probably would have been quicker to take the Incline," he said.
    "I prefer driving to the top. That railway is too steep for me." The one and only time Jessica had ridden it, it had seemed to go straight up the mountain, so steep was the incline.
    "Do heights bother you?" Brodie eyed her curiously.
    "Yes." She didn't lie about the phobia she had for high places.
    Although he didn't comment, she had the sensation that Brodie stored the information away. He parked the car in the lot opposite Rock City Gardens and they walked across the street to the entrance, a building that didn't attempt to compete with the natural splendor that lay beyond it.
    A trail wound its way through ageless rock formations, majestic and massive. Trees grew where it seemed impossible that they could root. There was a springtime explosion of flowers that filled the air with their delicate scents. The myriad sights, sounds and smells demanded a leisurely pace.
    Jessica lingered at the balancing rock to study its seeming defiance of gravity. "It's been so long since I was here that I'd forgotten how unique this place is." She glanced at Brodie, remembering his previous comments about the deprivation of his childhood. "Have you ever been here before?"
    "My father brought me here a couple of