Kitabı oku: «Family to the Rescue», sayfa 3

Chapter Three

Kim, Lily and Seth made their way up the crushed-shell path that led from the gravel driveway to the wooden stairs that ascended Aunt Rose’s back porch. A stiff breeze blew Kim’s hair into her face and the fresh scent of the sea filled her lungs. She could hear the roar of the waves breaking on the beach just one hundred yards or so from the ranch-style cottage.

Like a trooper Seth went up the stairs by himself, although Kim noticed he used the handrail, which she was pretty sure an in-shape guy like him wouldn’t normally do. When they reached the porch, he turned, his blue eyes shining bright against the backdrop of his pale face. “You’re sure Rose won’t mind?”

“I’m sure,” she said, sounding amazingly normal considering she almost melted every time he looked at her. Not good. At all.

And even if by some wild stretch of the imagination Aunt Rose did mind, Kim would convince her otherwise. She had caused Seth’s injuries with her careless foray into the ocean. Taking care of him was the least she could do.

Before they reached the door, it opened. Kim’s maiden aunt Rose stood there, her round face wreathed in a smile. Her gray hair was pulled back into its customary bun, her wire-rimmed glasses were shoved up on the top of her head. She had a spatula in her hand and what looked like flour on her cheek.

Rose’s eyes darted from Kim to Lily to Seth, obviously taking in their injured, drowned-rat appearances. Her face fell. “Oh, goodness me,” she said, her forehead creasing. Her concerned gaze held on Seth’s bandaged head. “What happened?”

“Kim almost drowned and Seth saved her,” Lily blurted.

Aunt Rose’s eyes widened and her mouth gaped open.

Kim glared at Lily, then held up a hand. “Don’t worry. Everyone is okay, but Seth needs to lie down and isn’t supposed to be alone for a while, so I brought him here. Let’s go in and I’ll tell you the whole story once he’s settled.”

Aunt Rose, bless her heart, didn’t argue. She was a deeply practical woman, and knew when to ask questions and when to just go with the flow. She stepped back, gesturing them inside. “Of course.” As soon as Seth was in the house Rose hurried over and had him sit on the sofa.

Kim followed her aunt into the house, drawing her eyebrows together. “Where’s Dylan?” she asked. He was usually first to answer the door when someone arrived.

“He’s at Benny’s,” Aunt Rose replied. “The puppies needed exercise.”

“Ah. Of course.” Kim looked at Seth. “Aunt Rose’s neighbor has a dog who gave birth to seven puppies a month or so ago.”

“Nothing like puppies to keep a kid interested,” he replied.

“Dylan could hardly wait to get over there after you left,” Rose added.

“Not surprising.” Dylan loved all animals, but dogs in particular. Kim had promised him that he could have a dog as soon as they had their own place. Another reason, among many, that Kim needed a job and her independence.

“I can’t keep him away,” Rose said. “Good thing Benny loves having Dylan around.”

Kim was pretty sure Benny, a retired widower, had a bit of a crush on Rose, too. He blushed and stammered like a schoolboy every time he talked to her. Truth be told, Kim was envious of the awkward attention Benny paid to Rose. It made her yearn for someone of her own…but that would be a mistake.

Kim turned and noticed Lily holding back on the porch.

“Um…now that everyone is here safe and sound, I think I’m just gonna head home,” Lily said, rubbing her eyes. “I’m pooped.”

Kim knew that feeling. “All right.” She went out onto the porch and hugged Lily. “Thank you so much for all your help today.” She stepped back and gave Lily a gentle smile. “I appreciate it. I haven’t really made friends since I got here and, well, I’ve been a bit lonely. Even though we only met today, it’s nice to know I have a new friend.” Kim was a social butterfly at heart, and had joined the church’s singles group for friendly fellowship; it was high time her social life arose from the dead. Well, most parts of it, anyway. The safe parts.

“I’m glad I could help out,” Lily replied, returning Kim’s smile. “Call me if you need anything. I’m in the phone book. And remember, the singles group is having a progressive dinner in three weeks. You should definitely come.”

“Sounds good,” Kim said. Spending time with people her own age was definitely on her To Do list.

Lily waved goodbye and headed back to her car.

Kim noted it was raining now, the fine drizzle coating everything in gray mist. Funny how fast the weather could change in Moonlight Cove.

She shut the front door, noting that Seth and Aunt Rose had left the living room. Expecting to find them in the kitchen, she made her way through the cozy living room.

The smell of freshly baked cookies permeated the air—snickerdoodles was Kim’s guess. With fatigue rolling over her in a wave, she headed through the arched doorway that led from the living room into the kitchen to the left, determined to see to Seth’s care before she gave in to her exhaustion.

The homey blue, white and yellow kitchen was the heart of her aunt’s house. Remnants of her aunt’s cookie making session sat on the tiled counters…but Rose and Seth weren’t there.

Frowning, Kim headed back out into the living room, turned left and went down the short hallway that led to the house’s three small bedrooms.

Sure enough, Aunt Rose and Seth were in the first bedroom on the right, Dylan’s room. Seth was already stretched out on Dylan’s twin bed, and Aunt Rose was spreading a handmade patchwork quilt over him.

Rose turned when Kim walked in. “He wasn’t looking good at all, so I decided it would be best if Seth, here, got some rest right away.” She smiled serenely. “This seemed like the best place for him.”

Kim was so glad her aunt had seen what needed doing and had simply done it. She silently thanked God for making her aunt so intuitive, nurturing and levelheaded. A blessing, really, and a much-needed balancing force in a life turned upside down by Scott’s desertion.

“Thank you, Aunt Rose,” she said. “As usual, you’re right.” She turned her attention to Seth, who definitely looked worse for wear. He must feel really rotten if he’d let her aunt put him to bed without any fuss.

Kim moved closer, resisting the urge to sit on the bed the way she did when she said good-night to Dylan. This wasn’t her son, here. No, this was a full grown, very handsome, masculine man.

Warning bells clanged in her head.

She remained standing. “How are you doing?” she asked Seth.

He shrugged, then winced. “I’ve got a headache.”

Her heart tugged at his obvious discomfort. “After the hit your head took, I’m not surprised. So rest is just what you need.”

“I won’t argue,” he said, his eyelids drooping. Obviously the trauma of the day was catching up to him in a big way.

“Good.” She smiled down at him. “Get some rest.”

She turned away, but before she could leave, he reached out and grabbed her hand. His touch sent sparks shooting up her arm. Her breathing snagged.

“Thank you for letting me come here,” he said, squeezing her hand, looking right at her with those gorgeous eyes of his, pinning her in place.

Kim’s tummy flip-flopped. His eyes were so blue, like the sky in summer, clear and beautiful. Completely compelling.

Her heart fluttered and she forgot, very briefly, the past and the tough lessons it had taught her. Forgot that she needed to keep up her shields.

But then sanity returned and she forced herself to pull her hand from his warm grasp and look away from him. She needed to get a grip. Now. “It was the least I could do,” she said. “You saved my life.”

“I’m glad,” he said, then closed his eyes, well on his way to a meeting with the sandman.

I’m glad, too.

Her legs shaking, Kim turned and followed Aunt Rose out of the room.

When they reached the living room, Aunt Rose turned around, gave Kim a quick once-over, then pulled her into a hug. “Are you all right, dear?”

Kim nodded, breathing in the comforting scent of the lavender perfume Aunt Rose had worn for as long as Kim could remember. “I’m doing well, thanks to Seth.”

Aunt Rose stepped back. “Why don’t you go change into something dry and cozy, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen so you can tell me what happened.”

“Okay.” Kim pulled at her damp, itchy clothes. “I feel like a piece of freeze-dried seaweed.”

She headed to her room and changed into a pair of black fleece sweatpants and matching top, then padded down the hall to the kitchen, taking care to walk quietly so she wouldn’t disturb the blue-eyed hero sleeping in her son’s bed.

Rose smiled at her when she walked in. “You look like you need to eat. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll make you some tea and my special sandwiches. You can tell me what happened while I work. From the looks of things, it’s quite a story.”

“It is quite a story,” Kim said. She could hardly believe the whole thing was real herself. “And sandwiches sound wonderful.” Her aunt’s mini peanut butter, honey and cinnamon sandwiches were a comfort food if there ever was one.

Limbs shaking, she sank down into a kitchen chair next to the table. Kim gazed at Rose while she worked, her chest constricting with affection and gratitude. With Kim’s mom living in Hong Kong with her third—no, fourth—husband, and Kim’s dad out of the picture since he’d taken off with his secretary when Kim was twelve, moving in with one of them hadn’t been possible.

And since Kim’s only other relative, her cousin, Grant, lived in a tiny studio apartment in Seattle, going there hadn’t been an option, either. The sad fact of the matter was, she’d had nowhere else to go when her ex had decided he didn’t want the responsibility of a family any more and had walked out and obtained a quickie divorce six months ago.

Kim had used her small bit of savings to live on while she’d looked for a job in Los Angeles, but it had become clear after a few months that without a college degree, she wasn’t going to make enough to pay both rent and child care any time soon.

Realistically, she needed a job, money and a degree. In teaching, if she had her wish.

So Aunt Rose had taken her and Dylan in, offering to take care of Dylan free of charge once Kim found a job in Moonlight Cove. College classes would follow when Kim could afford it.

Rose’s help was great, but Kim needed to be able to depend on herself, and no one else. Otherwise, she’d be vulnerable again, and that…well that just wasn’t an alternative.

“So, tell me what happened,” Aunt Rose said as she set the teakettle to boil.

Listening intently as Kim told her the whole story, her face somber, Rose fired the tea and set the steaming cup on the table, along with a plate of sandwiches.

“Gracious,” she said when Kim was done talking. “Sounds like Seth was quite the hero.”

“He was. His bravery…astounds me.” She swallowed and twisted her hands together, profoundly touched and deeply awed by what he’d done. “I never would have made it to shore without him. I’m sure of it.”

“We can thank God for sending Seth out to get you,” Rose said, sitting down next to Kim at the table. “This was His work, you know.” Aunt Rose had always been a believer and was on the Moonlight Cove Community Church’s council. It was no surprise she attributed Kim’s survival to divine intervention.

“Oh, trust me, I’ve already given my thanks to Him.” Her prayers had been answered several times today. Luckily, God was pretty dependable. Kim didn’t know how she would have survived the unexpected disintegration of her marriage without her faith.

God would never let her down. Unlike men.

Aunt Rose regarded her for a long moment, then took a sip of tea. Very deliberately, it seemed, she set the mug down. “I need to say something,” she said, her voice tinged with seriousness.

Kim froze, her tea halfway to her mouth. Ominous words. “Okay.” She put her mug on the table, wondering what was on her aunt’s mind.

Aunt Rose drew in a deep breath. “The thing is, I saw the way you looked at Seth.”

Kim’s cheeks heated. Ah.

She paused, thinking that she would have preferred to keep to herself how Seth’s charm discombobulated her. Absolutely nothing was going to come of her notion that he was the best-looking, bravest guy she’d come across in ages. Mooning over him was pointless. And foolish.

“Do you like him?” Rose asked pointedly.

“Um…I don’t know him well enough to like him,” Kim said, scrambling to downplay the situation to Rose. Anything was better than admitting Seth got to her.

“But you do think he’s handsome, right?” Rose picked up a sandwich and took a bite. “A woman would have to be dead not to.”

No kidding. “I suppose,” Kim said, hedging, although her aunt hadn’t said anything Kim hadn’t already thought. Seth was gorgeous. And unfortunately, Kim’s judgment had always been disgustingly poor around handsome guys. Scott had been too good-looking for her own well-being. And look where that relationship had gotten her. “You suppose?” her aunt said, her eyebrows high. She waved a hand in the air. “Oh, pshaw.”

“You don’t believe me?” Kim asked, trying to sound a bit offended to head off her aunt’s suspicions.

“Honey, I was in the room with the two of you. I saw the look you exchanged, and the way you almost fell over.”

Kim gazed down at the table. Guilty. There was no use denying she thought Seth was handsome. And she certainly wasn’t going to lie. “Okay, so he’s good-looking. That doesn’t mean I want to date him. I’m not interested in any kind of romantic relationship. With anyone.” Being left brokenhearted once was bad enough. Twice would be unbearable.

“Are you sure? Seth is very appealing…” Rose said, looking worried.

“Of course I’m sure. You know how devastated I was when Scott left.” While their marriage had been rocky from the start—at nineteen neither one of them had been mature enough to get married—and they’d grown apart since Dylan had been born two years to the day after their wedding, Kim really hadn’t seen Scott’s abandonment coming. Or hadn’t wanted to see it…

Another costly mistake, putting her head in the sand, hoping love would conquer all. Of course, it hadn’t. Instead love had backhanded her.

Kim went on. “I can’t put myself in a position to ever go through that again, and I certainly can’t put Dylan through the loss of a father figure a second time.” She frowned. “He cried every night for weeks after Scott left.” Talk about gut-wrenching.

Rose’s eyes softened, lit with sympathy. “I know Scott hurt you badly.” She looked off into space as if she was in the grip of a bad memory. Something that had wounded her. “A broken heart is terribly painful. It’s not something anyone wants to go through more than once.”

Kim peered at her aunt, suddenly curious. “It sounds like you speak from experience.”

Rose’s eyes got misty. “I had my heart broken a very long time ago,” she said, her voice coated in sorrow.

Kim’s chest tightened, and she could hardly breathe. Obviously there was a lot of sadness behind Rose’s revelation. “What happened?”

“Oh, back when I was young—a girl, really—there was a boy I loved. His name was Arthur.” Rose smiled sadly. “Arthur Bennett. We met at a dance in town.”

“Go on,” Kim said. She needed to hear the story. Making a connection with her aunt via the pain of shared heartbreak seemed important somehow.

“His family was very wealthy, and mine wasn’t. His parents didn’t think I was good enough for him. They had a family friend’s daughter in mind.” She drew in a deep, shaky breath. “He told me that he loved me, but then he married her instead.”

A knot of empathy filled Kim’s chest. She’d had no idea about any of Rose’s past romantic turmoil. “Oh, I’m so, so sorry.”

“Thank you, dear.” She patted Kim’s hand. “So, you see, I understand your wounds and I understand why you don’t want to put your heart on the line. After Arthur left me, I never want to take that risk again, either.”

So that explained why her aunt had never married. “Being alone is better than hurt and broken in two,” Kim said, her chin raising. Rose’s revelation had confirmed that belief quite well. Staying uninvolved romantically was the right path.

“So true, so true,” Rose agreed, her eyes reflecting a lifetime of sadness. “And I don’t want to see you get hurt again.” She stood and started cleaning up the kitchen.

Kim sat back, gripping her mug of tea. Who would have guessed they had so much in common? Her aunt was more like her than she’d realized.

“Oh, I forgot,” Rose said, picking up a large manila envelope from the counter. “This came in the mail for you today.”

Kim took the envelope, scoping out the return address, her heart skipping a beat. “It’s from the community college in Seattle.”

“Are you still planning on taking early education classes there?” Rose asked, gathering up the empty tea mugs.

“Yes, in time.” Kim had put her dreams of becoming a teacher on hold when Dylan had been born, choosing instead to stay at home with him. She didn’t regret that decision at all, but it was time to follow her dream.

“But not right away, correct?” Rose asked. “I’m not ready to lose you and Dylan just yet.”

Kim smiled. “No, not right away.” But eventually, she was moving to Seattle to be near Grant and to take advantage of the early education program at Seattle City College, which wasn’t available anywhere near Moonlight Cove. For sure.

Rose picked up her glasses and put them on. “Oh, good. I’ve been lonely. It’s wonderful to have you two around.”

“It’s nice to be here, Aunt Rose,” Kim said, meaning it. She stood and started helping Rose clean the kitchen.

Rose shooed her away. “No, let me do this. You go ahead and relax. You need to rest.”

With exhaustion pulling at her as if she had a rock around her neck, Kim agreed and headed to her room. She walked by Dylan’s door, shivering when she thought of the courageous, handsome man who lay in there, asleep.

Unbidden, a vision of Seth’s eyes gazing at her danced through her head, and her heart stuttered. She’d wanted to lose herself in those eyes, let down her guard.

But she couldn’t.

She needed to be smart. She needed to take her aunt’s poignant story of her broken heart, blend it together with her own botched romantic history, and never forget the picture they painted.

If she did, pain was sure to follow.

Seth woke up a couple times during the night, kind of wishing he’d taken the doctor’s offer of pain meds. His head hurt, period. But he was determined not to go down that road. He’d gut it out as best he could.

He’d dreamed that Kim was in his room at one point during the night, with the moonlight shining through the window on her face as she gazed down on him. He even dreamed that she touched his forehead, her soft fingers a gentle, soothing caress…

Finally he awoke and it was light out. His head had calmed down quite a bit. He had no idea what time Kim and her aunt got up, but he needed to be out of bed. Laying around just wasn’t his thing. Besides, it was Monday, and he needed to get to the store and open up.

He’d gone to sleep in his board shorts and the T-shirt Drew had loaned him, so he threw the covers back, got up and blinked the spots away. When he was steady, he folded the quilt he’d slept under and straightened the bed as best he could. Then he padded over to the wooden door and opened it.

A boy with sleep-messed blond hair, dressed in bright red pajamas, stood in the hall, looking up at Seth. The kid appeared to be around the age of six or so, but Seth didn’t have much up-close experience with children, so he could be wrong.

“I’ve been waiting for you to wake up. My mom told me not to bother you, so I’ve been very quiet,” the boy whispered.

Okay, this was Kim’s son. “Well, you did a very good job.” Seth held out his hand. “I’m Seth.”

The boy put his small hand in Seth’s and pumped it. “Oh, I know who you are.” His eyes went wide. “You’re the hero who rescued my mommy.”

“Uh…well, yeah, I helped her out of the water.” Seth had a feeling that, unfortunately, the dubious title of “hero” wasn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon. Great.

“I’m Dylan,” the boy said. “Dylan Hampton.”

“Nice to meet you, Dylan,” Seth replied.

Just then, Kim came down the hall. She was wrapped in a long, fuzzy pink robe over pajamas and had on fluffy white slippers. Her hair flowed in a dark river of waves over her shoulders, and her amber-colored eyes dominated her heart-shaped face.

His breathing snagged. He’d realized yesterday she was pretty, but here, like this, looking bright and relaxed, and not like a drowned cat, she was downright stunning. Pink was definitely her color, although he guessed she’d look good in ugly mud brown, too.

“Hey, now, Dyl,” she said, her voice warm with a mother’s love. “I told you not to bother Mr. Graham.”

She moved closer and Seth could smell her scent, which reminded him of a clean ocean breeze, light and fresh. He finally managed to find his voice. “He didn’t wake me up. He was as quiet as a little mouse.”

Kim rubbed Dylan’s narrow shoulders. “Good. He’s been dying to meet you, so I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t just barge in and wake you up.”

“How did you like my bed?” Dylan asked. “Comfortable, huh?”

In the haze of his pounding head and exhaustion last night, Seth hadn’t realized he’d been put in Dylan’s bed. It made sense now, but his mind hadn’t been firing on all cylinders.

“Very comfy,” he agreed. “Thank you for letting me borrow it.” A thought occurred to him. “Where did you sleep?”

“With my mom.”

“Don’t worry,” Kim said. “He loves sleeping in my bed, which I suspect has something to do with the fact that he can watch TV in there.”

Seth chuckled. “Not surprising at all. I always wanted a TV in my room, too.”

“Auntie Rose made waffles—with chocolate chips,” Dylan said, his voice full of excitement. “Because we have a guest.”

Seth sniffed the air. He widened his grin. “I can smell them, buddy. Why don’t you lead the way?” Actually, he was really hungry. Food would do him good right now. He needed fuel to get moving.

Dylan scampered off. Seth moved to follow, but Kim stopped him with a gentle touch to his arm that felt much warmer than he expected.

“How’s the head?” she asked, gesturing to his bandage. “I checked on you a couple times in the night, and you seemed to be sleeping well.”

Oh. So she’d actually been there, bathed in moonlight, touching his head. It hadn’t been a dream.

He made himself focus on her thoughtfulness. “Thank you for that,” he said softly. “But it wasn’t necessary.”

“Yes, it was. I had to make sure you were okay.” She gazed at him quizzically. “Are you okay?”

“I feel more human this morning than I did last night.”

“Great. Are you hungry?”

He stared into her eyes, losing himself for a moment in their topaz depths. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

Kim blushed. “I asked if you were hungry. There are waffles in the kitchen,” she gestured for him to follow her. “Aunt Rose loves to have people to cook for.”

Fantastic. As a bachelor, no one had been cooking or caring for him lately.

He took her lead and walked down the hall, trying not to breathe in her appealing scent. He’d had enough of being light-headed. “Sounds good,” he said. “Then I can get moving and get to work.”

Kim stopped cold and Seth bumped into her, accidentally pressing his nose against her soft, fragrant, obviously freshly washed hair. He jumped back. Oops. Way too close for comfort.

She turned quickly around to face him. “What did you say?”

He paused. “That breakfast sounded good?”

“No the other part.”

“About going to work?”

“Yeah, that,” she replied, peering intently at him, two cute little creases forming between her delicate eyebrows.

He shrugged. “What about it?”

She crossed her arms. “No way are you going to work today.”

Okay. So she was the bossy type. He didn’t usually like that, but on her, bossy looked good. Go figure. “Why not?”

“You suffered a concussion and had stitches put in your head yesterday. You shouldn’t be working.” She pressed her features into a stern expression. “You need to rest. The doctor said so.”

Him kicking back and resting were as likely as making it to the big league with a wife and two kids. “Well, I have a business to run, and I’m the only one who can run it.”

“Isn’t there anyone else you can call?”

“Nope. My mom, who usually helps at the store, is out of town. And my dad…can’t help out right now.” More like wouldn’t help out, but there was no need to get into the dirty details. “It’s me, or no one.”

She chewed on her lip. After a few seconds of thinking, she said, “Why don’t you let me go in for you?”

“No. Absolutely not. I can’t ask you to do that.”

“Why not? I need a job, and you need someone to help out.” She smiled, her dimples peeking out. “It’s the perfect solution.”

He forced himself not to stare at her fascinating dimples. No, it wasn’t the perfect solution. It was a terrible idea. She’d already done enough; they were even. Period.

Before he got words out, she added, “Besides, the doctor said you weren’t supposed to be alone for twenty-four hours.”

“It’s a busy place,” he replied levelly. “I’ll be surrounded by people all day long. I’m guessing I won’t be alone at all.”

She shook her head. “You never know. Why don’t you let me come with you? I could help out, and keep an eye on you at the same time.”

“No,” he said. “You’ve done enough.” More than he’d wanted, actually. It was time to disengage.

She paused, gazing at him from underneath her long eyelashes. “Actually…you’d be doing me a favor, too.”

He narrowed his eyes. Uh-oh. She needed a favor. “How so?” he asked cautiously.

“Well, I’ve been saving to take classes, and only need a bit more for one term of college, so I really need a job. You need someone to help out while your mom’s gone. If you let me work for you, we’ll both benefit, right?”

He let out a breath and looked at the floor, stalling. Oh, man. She needed a job. And he needed someone to help out if he was realistic about his limitations at the moment. The Sports Shack was a two-person operation, no doubt about it. He needed an employee.

Kim was right. Her offer made sense. And, really, how could he say no without seeming like an ungrateful, heartless idiot?

He rubbed his jaw, wishing he had more time to think all this through. He didn’t usually make important decisions on the fly. Unfortunately, the store had to open on schedule—if he remembered correctly, he had a delivery coming this morning. He didn’t have a lot of time to be cautious.

“All right,” he said, hoping he didn’t regret his decision. “You can come help out…for now.” He’d leave it at that.

“Great,” she said, beaming. “Perfect.”

He mumbled his agreement. Her working for him was mutually beneficial; he’d be providing Kim with something she desperately needed, and vice versa. The solution sounded ideal….

So why in the world was he so conflicted about working with her?

He looked at her, trailing his gaze over her face. She was smiling broadly at him, her gorgeous golden eyes sparkling, her clear, fresh-scrubbed skin glowing. She looked happy. And full of life. And so beautiful he could barely breathe.

The truth belatedly smashed into him. The reason he hadn’t wanted to agree to Kim’s deal was as difficult to ignore as a grand slam when the score was tied.

He wanted to casually date the appealing Kim, not be her boss. He gave a mental groan. Yeah. It was going to be a long couple of days.