Kitabı oku: «Mom In The Middle», sayfa 3

God was unpredictable. She never knew when He would strike.

“These are all things my daddy and I wanted to do together.” She pouted, knowing she probably sounded like a brat.

“Even better. If you have any free time to join us, just grab a hammer and help out.”

Now that things were going his way again, his engaging blue eyes sparkled with mischief, and Abby began to understand why the women in his family had spoiled this guy rotten.

Chapter Four

“So, I can have everything wrapped up and be in Austin next week. It’s almost time to start the handoff, you know.” Casey’s voice buzzed across the phone line reminding Guy of their time line.

Not that he needed reminding.

He looked at the calendar above his desk. As usual, the Warden, as the Hardy clan called Casey, was in control and ahead of schedule. She couldn’t let a deadline slip. Ooooh noooo. How was it possible that the baby sister he loved more than life could leave him warmhearted and clenched-fisted at the same time? She’d been breathing down his neck since they were kids, competing with him at every turn, determined to best him at his own game.

His parents had never had to challenge their only son. That was Casey’s personal mission.

He’d joined the swim team and she’d taken up high diving. He’d gotten voted most likely to succeed; she’d been elected class president. He’d gotten some assistance at the local community college; she’d earned a full scholarship to the University of Iowa. The board had offered him an executive position after seven years; she’d won her title after five.

But he had the plum, the job she’d wanted. When the board had voted on expansion, Guy’s business degrees and years of experience had made him their first choice. Casey had taken it remarkably well, then had promptly set a course to study world-class quality processes. He knew it was just a matter of time before she proposed a new security structure that would shake up the way they did business. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but it would be as much to nip at Guy’s heels and impress their father as it was to improve corporate work processes.

His youngest sister thrived on competition. Guy sympathized for any man who fell for her quick wit and easy smile. The combination masked the sharpshooter nature and workaholic tendency that would undoubtedly intimidate the poor guy who found himself in love with Rebecca Thelma Casey Hardy one day.

He picked up his cup of ice, rattled a cube into his mouth and chewed with gusto.

“Alexander Theodore Guy Hardy, stop crunching ice in my ear. Are you even listening to me?”

“You’ve given me this lecture so many times I can recite it in my sleep. Gimme a second here, I’m looking at my schedule.”

Scanning the calendar, he grabbed an orange marker off his desk and drew a dotted line through the next four weeks and circled Mother’s Day. At best Sarah Reagan would be out of rehab by that time. He and Shorty had crossed a small project off their list every few days. Now it was time to tackle the big stuff that would make the decades-old, drab little home more accessible for Shorty’s old wheelchair and the walker Sarah would undoubtedly need for a while.

“Thanks for being ready to move things up but I don’t need you that soon,” he muttered into the handset cradled between his ear and shoulder. “In fact, I’m thinking of pushing my departure date out a bit.”

Casey was silent. A bad sign. Guy hurried on.

“I’m enjoying the weather here. I might take a few days off and do some fishing.”

“Where?” She snorted, an unflattering sound that had always annoyed their mother. “Since when does any game fish besides a trout or a red appeal to a salt-water snob like you? Aren’t you all hot to get to Galveston to try out the new waders I gave you for your birthday?”

“Hey, there’s some decent-size largemouth in Lake Travis. Thought I’d spend a week checking out the local honey holes.”

“Then I should come on down early to keep an eye on things while you’re away.”

“Casey, give it a rest.” He knew she wouldn’t be placated easily. Well, he wasn’t prepared to give her all the details, just enough to make her back off. “I need to hang around until the woman who broke her hip in the store is out of the rehab hospital and back on her feet. It just wouldn’t be right for me to leave before this situation is settled.”

“It figures.” He could hear the disapproval in her voice. “You’ve found another cause. Dr. Guy has a new patient to save.” While his other sisters praised his willingness to give his time to help people in need, Casey saw it as a weakness. A veil over the voids in his own life. Sometimes he thought she might be onto something. But mostly he realized it was just one more of her tactics to goad him into a challenge.

“This cause is probably in her seventies and she found me, remember?” he reminded Casey, knowing she already had the details noted and memorized.

“Meanwhile I’m just supposed to cool my heels, I suppose?”

“Why don’t you call the gaggle and scare up a shopping trip?” He referred to the term their mother used for her five daughters. “I’m sure there must be yet another navy-blue Brooks Brothers suit out there reserved for you, Warden. But why don’t you try a departure from the Iowa Department of Corrections uniform for a change?”

“Very funny, but it so happens I’ve lost a few pounds and could use some new clothes. Maybe I will see what the girls are up to.”

“That’s the spirit. Part with some of that obscene salary the company is paying you.”

“Mind your own business.” It was the same answer she gave him every time he suggested that she enjoy life a bit and put some of the small fortune she was earning to good use. Heaven forbid she should do anything fun or philanthropic.

“It was just a suggestion, corkscrew,” he poked her sore spot.

“That’s it. This conversation has come to an end.”

He smiled, mission accomplished. “Talk to you tomorrow night. I love you, Thelma.”

“Love you too, Theodore.”

Guy dropped the phone in the cradle, folded his hands behind his head and propped his feet against the edge of an open desk drawer in the Heart and Home security office. He pushed the toes of his boots and rocked back in his leather chair to stare at the ceiling.

What he’d said was accurate. Mostly. He couldn’t leave town until Sarah and Shorty’s situation had improved. They were nice folks who needed a break and as a man learning to have a closer walk with the Lord, Guy had a responsibility to lend a helping hand.

But there was more. He wanted to do the same for their daughter, the real person in need from what he could tell. So far that had been next to impossible. He’d seen very little of Abby the past two weeks. Judging by what Shorty said, she put in a lot of hours between her teaching position and the volunteer work she did at their church. What little free time she had was devoted to her son and parents. Guy did what he could to help by staying out from under her feet and cleaning up after their repair efforts. This weekend that might be difficult since he and Shorty planned to get started on the new deck and wheelchair ramp.

Guy suspected Abby would likely be around the house. Surely she’d be taking a little downtime. He dropped his boots to the floor, rolled the chair back and pushed to his feet. Just in case, he’d make a few peace offerings to leave around the house.

There was no denying it. Abby wasn’t cutting the mustard in some area of life. She wasn’t just out of God’s favor. He was punishing her. What other reason could there be for all the troubles that had heaped upon her for the past two years?

Uncharacteristically grumpy on a sunny weekend morning, she stooped to pull a pair of jeans from the dryer. She smoothed and folded them atop the laundry-room counter, then placed them neatly on the stack.

“Oh, cut the pity party, Abigail,” Abby mimicked her mother’s stern voice as she reached into the warm appliance and drew out another item.

A nylon jersey had turned inside out during the wash. She flipped the maroon shirt so its right side was visible and hugged it to her body. She buried her face in the soft fading fabric, and swallowed down the sadness that threatened.

Phillip’s high-school football jersey. She wore it on nights when sleep was elusive. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and recognized a stirring of the anger she would forever feel at his decision to sign up for active duty. It still stung all these months later. How could he put himself in harm’s way in the name of duty to his country when she’d needed him so? When she’d been carrying their first child?

She pressed her face into the jersey and inhaled again. Her shoulders sagged with disappointment. Just like Phillip, his scent on the shirt was gone forever.

She should put it in a trunk and save it for Dillon along with the team photos of Phillip, the big number 30 on his chest. Some day Dillon would want to hear all about his daddy and Abby would be ready to tell her son everything about the shy young man who’d been her best friend for as long as she could remember.

She brushed the silky cloth against her cheek and exhaled a sigh. It was still too soon to lock her reminders of Phillip away in a box. She couldn’t do it. Not yet.

The thwack of wood striking wood resounded through the laundry-room window that led to the backyard. Abby laid the shirt gently on the counter and swept the curtain back, revealing the scene outside. A white pickup with an H&H sign on the door was backed into the yard, tailgate down. A load of lumber jutted from the bed.

Guy slid the planks out two at a time and tossed them into a pile by the driveway. The orange T-shirt was tight across his broad shoulders as he worked. He turned, swiped the back of a leather-gloved hand across his forehead. He was attractive, she had to admit it. But not in the youthful way Phillip had been. This man was at least fifteen years older, a slim version of Garth Brooks with his almost-shaved haircut and close-clipped goatee.

He bent to grasp two more boards, tipping his head to expose his crown. Abby felt a smile twist the corners of her mouth. Listening to her father replay the work done around their house by Guy Hardy for almost two weeks was wearing thin. Just like his hair. The discovery coaxed a chuckle that got her over the emotional moment. She turned back to her laundry, tossed the folded load into a plastic hamper and carried it across the oak floor into her bedroom.

As she did every weekend, she tucked clean clothes into drawers and opened her closet to hang her few dresses. Today she indulged her nostalgic mood a bit longer, taking a moment to admire the trophies on her top shelf. She trailed fingertips over a shiny engraved surface.

Barrel Racing Champion, High School Women’s Division.

Those were better days, long gone. She pressed the door closed on her memories and turned back to the hallway and her list of chores.

As she passed Dillon’s room, a quick glance confirmed he was still enjoying his morning nap, snuggled with Cookie Monster for company. Envious of his carefree slumber, she crept past his crib decorated with Sesame Street characters, flipped on the radio monitor and hooked it to the waistband of her favorite cutoff jeans. She pulled the door closed and headed for the dishes that perpetually waited in the kitchen. Through the sheer curtains above the sink, the men outside were visible.

Her daddy actually smiled, tilted his head back, clearly enjoying a private joke with his newfound helper. Abby tried to make out the words they exchanged. Even as she identified the feeling in the pit of her stomach, she knew it was unfair. Resentment. She resented the common ground the two had found. If her daddy regaled her with one more tale of their shared accomplishments, she’d cut loose with a scream that would send the neighbor’s dog running for cover.

She squashed the thought, knowing she should be grateful. Each time her dad most needed a distraction, Guy seemed to show up. But somehow that didn’t set well with her.

She turned both taps on full force and slipped her hands into bright yellow latex gloves. A squirt of lemon-scented soap produced a mound of bubbles. Some sprung free, floated above the water and danced on the gentle breeze from the fan overhead. The one Guy had hung.

A loud sigh escaped as Abby dragged the back of her forearm across her face to move sweat-dampened curls out of her eyes. Several heavy thumps on the steps outside preceded the creak of the garage door as it opened into the kitchen. She didn’t look up from her sudsy work.

“Good morning, Abby.” His friendly greeting seemed hesitant, as if he worried about intruding.

Good, he needed to respect her space. It was Saturday, the only day she had to be home alone with her men. She was busy, and she acknowledged again, bummed. Not at all in the mood for an interruption.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he apologized. “I see you’re busy.”

Her head snapped up, eyes wide. Had she actually muttered that last thought out loud or was mind reading another one of his talents? Either way, it was creepy, which only seemed to agitate already sensitive nerves.

“Shorty would like a refill and I offered to get it for him.”

She turned to see Guy holding out her dad’s favorite mug.

“Mom would have cut his caffeine off hours ago, but I don’t see what it can hurt.” She angled her head toward the percolator where a red light blinked indicating the pot was still hot.

Guy leaned in the door, and set the mug on a nearby countertop. He tugged off his boots before stepping foot inside the kitchen, white crew socks peeking beneath his snug jeans.

“Backyard’s a little muddy after yesterday’s rain,” he explained.

She should appreciate his courtesy, but she clung to her martyrdom like a security blanket, turned her eyes back to the suds.

“Where’s Junior?”

“Napping. And it’s Dillon. He’s not named after his father,” she corrected, more sharply than necessary, sounding for all the world like her mother.

“Sorry,” Guy apologized. “It’s just the tag we use for the firstborn. Some days my oldest sister actually prefers Junior to her given name. It’s quite a mouthful.”

“And her name would be…?” She took the bait.

“Martha Elizabeth Meg Hardy-Waverly.”

“I agree. That is a mouthful.”

“My folks come from big families where it’s customary to pay tribute by recycling names. So all of us got saddled with a heavy load. The good news is we only tend to hear them back home.”

“And back home is…?” Abby waited, wondering why in the world she was encouraging a conversation she didn’t want.

“Keokuk, Iowa. The geode capital of the world.”

“Excuse me?” She rested her wrists against the edge of the sink and turned to him, an eyebrow cocked in question.

“You know, those lumpy round rocks with quartz crystals inside.” He expanded his chest with exaggerated pride. “It’s our state rock.”

She had to give in to a small smile. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, way.” He shook his head. “We even have a special celebration called…and I’m serious about this…Rocktober Fest. To join the hunt, you have to register and get a permit.”

“To find rocks?”

“Hey, these are cool, thousands of years old. I’ll get some for Dillon.” Guy poured coffee into the mug marked #1 Grandpa and padded in his socks across the kitchen floor to the refrigerator.

Then he poured just the right amount of milk and added a half teaspoon of sugar from the bowl on the table. He’d obviously done it before when she wasn’t around, knew exactly how her daddy took his coffee. She looked away, the brief smile fading as she attacked a well-worn cast-iron skillet with a scouring pad. Something about the simple but familiar act of fixing that cup of coffee was a little stab to her heart. She should be doing that. But the truth was she couldn’t be everywhere at once no matter how hard she tried and she really could use some time off.

“Abby, how would you feel about me taking Shorty to visit your mom this evening? Just to give you a little break.”

Was he reading her mind, again? Doubtful.

“My daddy’s been talking, hasn’t he?”

“Nonstop.” She heard the chuckle in Guy’s voice. “But I enjoy his company so I don’t mind. He misses your mother something fierce and I think it helps him to talk about her, about you.”

She scrubbed harder.

“You’re going to wear the bottom off that thing,” he observed.

“Yeah, well, it won’t get clean just sitting in the sink.”

“So, what do you say about tonight?”

“No, thanks. Mama’s expecting me and I don’t dare disappoint her.”

Dillon’s wakeup wail echoed from the monitor on her waistband. He’d never been one to rouse quietly or be content to lie in his crib and amuse himself. Not her son. The instant he was fully awake, he demanded attention.

“Let me get him,” Guy offered, sitting the mug on the table, turning toward the door.

“No,” Abby insisted. Even though the man meant well, he was making himself entirely too handy. The kind of handy her folks could get attached to. The kind of attachment that would lead to heartbreak once he was gone. And Abby knew that kind of heartbreak all too well.

“Take my daddy his coffee. I’ll get Dillon.” She peeled off the rubber gloves, tossed them in the dish rack and brushed past Guy.

Dillon stopped his blubbering the instant she appeared. A wobbly smile creased the small face that was perpetually absent of tears.

“You little stinker,” she muttered against his soft head as she stepped into his waiting arms and lifted him from the crib. “You’re so sure I’ll come running that you haven’t bothered with real tears since you were a newborn.”

She’d read somewhere that a person teaches others how to treat them. It was true. She’d taught everyone in her life to depend upon her to the point of taking her for granted. They’d also learned she’d toe the line no matter the circumstances out of fear of disapproval. How perplexing that when somebody like Guy stepped in to help, she resented it. It was crazy. A self-inflicted, double-edged sword.

Something had to give.

“Guy?”

Above the whir of the circular saw, he heard her call his name. He cut the power and slid the protective goggles up to his forehead. Tipping his head back, he took in the vision of Abby Cramer in a quick sweep that he hoped didn’t make him seem like a frat boy. Worn sneakers, bare legs, frayed and faded jean shorts, and a loose Texas Longhorns T-shirt. A riot of wild blond curls surrounded a face enchantingly pink from her work in the warm kitchen.

Wow, she’s adorable.

“Is that offer to give Dad a lift to the hospital this evening still good?”

“Sure is.” Guy had made other plans when she’d turned him down hours earlier, but he could shift some things around to free up the time. He was glad for the chance to check for himself on Sarah Reagan’s progress. Still, he was amazed Abby had changed her mind. Shorty had said she wouldn’t go for the offer and he wasn’t surprised when his daughter shot down the request.

Guy stood, stretching the kinks out of his long legs while effectively removing the potential for another glance at hers. “Is anything wrong?”

“No, I just realized I was looking a gift horse in the mouth.”

“Well, I guess a gift horse is certainly an improvement over a horse’s behind,” he couldn’t resist teasing.

Her gaze dropped. “So you did hear that the other day. Sorry.” She nudged a little pile of sawdust between the boards to the grass below. “And I apologize about my grumpy mood earlier.”

“Hey, everybody’s allowed to have a bad day now and again.” Boy, had living in a house full of women ever taught him that. As well as never to make that observation out loud unless he wanted a punch to his gut.

“Thanks for letting me off the hook.” Her gaze met his. “But I don’t deserve it. If Mama heard me being ungracious in her kitchen, she’d send me to my room without dinner.”

He smiled at the thought, realizing there was probably more than a kernel of truth in the statement. By all observation, the mistress of this house ran a tight ship and that included the crew as well as the vessel.

“I personally think you should go shopping instead of to your room.”

Her brows pulled together as she seemed to consider his suggestion. From the appealing way she puckered her lips as she thought, he guessed shopping was not the stress reliever of choice for Abby that it was for members of the gaggle.

“As tempting as that sounds, I have a dozen phone calls to make before my playground committee meeting after church tomorrow so I think I’ll catch up on that.”

“I’ve worked at the store every day since I’ve been here but I think I might take the whole weekend off and attend church in person instead of watching it on television for a change. Do you mind telling me where you worship?”

“New Harvest. It’s the brown brick sanctuary on West Chavez, just past the high school. We were planted by Abundant Harvest, a really fast-growing congregation in Houston. Our building is old and we’re trying to do some things to modernize it for our small community. I’m working with the Mother’s-Day-out group to build a playground in one corner of the lot. Our funds are limited so we’re doing the landscaping ourselves with used railroad timbers and buying secondhand equipment a piece at a time when we run across it on sale. It’s slow going but everybody pitches in when they can.”

“Sounds like a great bunch of folks.”

She opened her mouth as if to speak, then paused. She stared at her toes, seemed reluctant to say what was on her mind. When she finally spoke, her voice was hesitant.

“You could join us for the early service in the morning, if you wanted to.”

His heart dipped. The look on her face and the way she offered up the suggestion made it sound more like duty than a voluntary invitation. Still, it was an opportunity that appealed to him.

“Under one condition.” Something made him take a bold chance.

“And what would that be?”

She folded her arms, closing herself off before she even heard what he had to say.

“Just hear me out,” he cajoled. “Finish your committee stuff and make a run out to Lake Travis with me. Your dad says he had a favorite largemouth spot up there at one time and you know how to find it.”

“You’re a bass rat?” She squinted, looked at him differently, like he’d finally said something that might be of interest to her.

“I was raised on the Mississippi, fished every chance I got just to get away from my sisters.”

“They didn’t fish?”

“Casey did.” Of course. “But I haven’t fished in freshwater for years. I mostly compete in tournaments offshore when I work a job on the coast. Which is why I can’t wait to get down to Galveston on the next site.”

Abby smiled. A real smile that plumped her cheeks and lit her cocoa-brown eyes. “That sounds like so much fun. I used to go with Daddy all the time but we haven’t been in several years.”

Guy already knew that. Knew lots of stuff he probably shouldn’t, but there was no stopping Shorty when he was in the mood to talk about his baby girl.

“Then it’s a deal?” Guy offered his hand.

“Deal.” She gave him a quick, no-nonsense shake, jammed her hands into the hip pockets of her cutoffs and turned back to the house.

The screen door banged behind her. With a shudder Guy realized he’d almost said date instead of deal. Shorty had dropped a warning, the mention of dating around Abby was a waste of breath. Something to be avoided at all cost.

As if Guy hadn’t recognized the challenge by the cagey old daddy that his daughter wouldn’t agree to a date with the owner of Heart and Home in a hundred years, anyway.