“Aren’t you even going to tell us what the card said?” Mrs. Kimble protested.
Bailey smiled, shook her head, and walked back to her office. She was reaching for her phone when Molly buzzed.
“Yes?”
“You have a Mr. Levi Van der Hayden on line one. Shall I put him through or tell him you’re busy?” She giggled.
Bailey lips twitched with a smile. “No, I believe I have time to speak with him. Thank you.” She pushed the line one button. “Bailey Brown.”
“Good morning.”
Levi’s thick, rich voice sent shivers racing down her spine. “Thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.”
“Oh, good. You got them. It can be risky ordering flowers up here, but I took a chance. Sometimes, you can’t be sure what you’ll get.”
“Well, they’re lovely, and I’m thrilled.”
“You read the note yet?”
“Thick steak? Darlin’, you’re singin’ my song.” She spoke with a thick Southern accent and drawled her words.
He laughed. “I thought since we did my thing last night, we’d do your thing tonight.”
“I like your plan. Where and when?”
“AJ’s Steakhouse. You know it?”
“I do. And I’d like to drive tonight.”
“Really? My driving that bad?”
She laughed. Her cheeks were beginning to ache from grinning so long. “Your driving was excellent, but I don’t expect you to come all the way to my grandmother’s house for me every time we do anything.”
“Oh. My. God. You’re a feminist.”
She snorted. “Oh. My. God. You’re a pig.”
“Oink.” Then he laughed. “I’m just kidding. I live in California, home of liberated women. I’d be happy for you to pick me up.”
She heard him snap his fingers. “Problem?” she asked.
“Just have to warn my mom. She’ll want to vacuum, dust, and repaint the house in case you come in.”
“I promise not to. Now, what time shall I arrive?”
Hours later as she pulled into his parents’ drive, she questioned her audacity for insisting she drive. After Curtis, well, to be honest, since the day her parents gave her her own car, she felt safer being able to leave a situation when she wanted, not when someone else decided it was time to go.
She felt safe with Levi, or she’d have never gotten into his car, much less taken a boat to an island for dinner. Her absolute trust in him wasn’t based on her own knowledge of the man, but on what her grandmother had told her. Cherry knew Levi and his entire family, and while she might have joked with him when he came to pick her up, privately she’d spoken highly of him.
Still, Bailey liked having her own wheels from time to time.
As she pulled to a stop in front of his parents’ place, she debated. Did she honk the horn? Did she get out and go to the door? Should she call him and let him know she was here?
She needn’t have worried. The door opened, and Levi walked out. Dressed in faded jeans that molded to his legs and hips, it took her a while to move her gaze up to his polo, a bright yellow shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders. The cuffs on the short sleeves wrapped tightly around bulging biceps. She swallowed against the lust-rock stuck in her throat.
“Hi,” he said as he sat in the passenger seat.
“Hey, back. Where’s your cane?” Then she realized he hadn’t had it last night either.
“Well, doc,” he said. “It’s like this. I have a date with the sexiest, most beautiful gal in town, and I wanted to impress her with a swagger, not a limp.”
“Oh gosh. I thought we had a date tonight. Sorry. What time is this fantastic gal coming?”
He grinned. “Babe.” He leaned over the seat and kissed her.
Feeling a little breathless after that kiss, she said, “You’re sweet, but don’t hurt your leg trying to impress me. I don’t need that.”
“I don’t need the cane anymore. What I do need is to talk to you about when those stitches can come out.”
“They can come out any time. Come by the office on Monday and I’ll take care of them for you. Now, where to? AJ’s did you say?”
“Sure. You’ve been there, right?”
“I have.” She pulled out of his drive. “After a couple of weeks without steak, I was dreaming about a thick, tender New York Strip. I headed there.”
“By yourself?”
She glanced over at him with an arched brow. “Are you asking if I was on a date?”
“Maybe.” The grin that curved his delectable lips made her lick hers.
“Maybe.”
He laughed. “Seriously, have you been dating anyone while you’ve been here? Do I need to go have a man-to-man with some guy I’m cutting out of the picture?”
She shrugged, but inside, she was thrilled that he seemed a little jealous at the idea she might be seeing other guys. “Been on a few. No one more than a couple of times. And no, there’s no one you need to have a man-to-man chat with.”
“Good,” he said and settled into the passenger seat.
She smiled as she pulled away from his parents’ house.
AJ’s Steakhouse had been her go-to restaurant every time she got homesick for Texas. The steaks were good, but nobody could grill a steak like her dad.
The restaurant had a cozy, informal feel, and she’d felt right at home the minute she’d first entered. Tonight was no different. She and Levi were promptly greeted and shown to a table. Over drinks and an excellent meal, she continued feeding him questions about growing up in Alaska, hunting, fishing, even SEAL stuff that she knew he’d never tell her. She didn’t want to talk about herself or her upbringing. She’d learned the hard way that some people treated her differently when they discovered she came from money, as if she didn’t have feelings or opinions of her own.
She also didn’t want to talk about her dating life. Sadly, she had a history of making poor decisions when it came to boyfriends. She wished she could say that Curtis had been an aberration, but he’d been the last of a long line of guys who’d turned out to be different from what she’d initially believed them to be.
None of her boyfriends had been violent until Curtis, and their relationship hadn’t started that way. The insults and physical abuse had developed slowly over the span of their years together. At first, it’d been pinches or hard jerks. He’d be mortified and apologetic, and she’d forgive him, especially since he’d convinced her she’d driven him to strike out. She was smart and educated, and hadn’t believed that she could ever be an abuse victim, but she had.
One of her takeaway lessons from those years was mental abuse was insidious, like weight gain. A pound here, a pound there, and before you knew it, you’d gained forty pounds.
He’d always made sure the bruises were in places she could easily cover with sleeves or pants. She was too embarrassed to talk to her friends or family. Once she’d accidentally let slip about a trust fund, he’d latched on like a tick. He’d viewed her as his meal ticket to the easy life, even though he never knew exactly how much money was in the fund.
Her parents had the money. Lots and lots of money, but that was theirs, not hers. She worked. She paid her bills. She didn’t run to her dad for an allowance and hadn’t in over a decade.
But Curtis hadn’t seen life as she had. He’d wanted to play golf at only the best country clubs. Ride horses at her family’s ranch in Whispering Springs. Own a yacht. Have a condo in the most expensive and exclusive tower in Dallas.
Oh, and do all this without working a day in his life.
And when she said no to his “fantastic” life plan, that hadn’t been acceptable to him and he’d lost any control he’d ever had and brutally beat her. Concussion. Broken ribs. Broken nose. Chipped tooth. She could have been the poster child for physical abuse. She felt lucky to walk away with her life.
Here in Alaska, she was only Doc Bailey, Nurse Practitioner and caregiver, granddaughter of Cherry Ellis. She d
rove an old truck with more dents than remaining paint. She worked hard and long hours. In her mind, she was simply normal, and that’s what she wanted to be.
After dinner, as they were walking to her truck, she said, “I’m not ready to go home. To tell you the truth, my body is tired from getting up so early and working all day, but my mind is like, ‘What’s the deal? See the sun? Not time to sleep yet.’”
He chuckled. “I know. There’s no telling how many blackout curtains, blinds, and yards of blackout material are sold up here every year. It’s the only way to survive. On the flip side, the long, dark winter days are brutal. I’ll take extra sun over more night anytime. So, where to?”
“Take a walk on the beach?” She patted her stomach. “I’ve stuffed myself two nights in a row. You have to stop taking me to places like these. I have no self-restraint. I’ll weigh three hundred pounds when I go home.”
He opened the driver’s door, and she climbed in. When he continued standing in the open door, she looked at him. “What?”
“You would be special and beautiful at any weight, but I doubt you’re at much risk of weighing three hundred pounds.” Reaching in, he cupped her face between his hand and brought her mouth to his.
The kiss was long, and deep and curled her toes. She’d been breathless by the time he pulled his mouth from hers.
“Let’s go walk off some calories,” he said, his sexy smile whipping up a lust tornado inside her.
The drive to Bishop Beach wasn’t far, but then, nothing was that far around this small town of six thousand. Once parked, they got out, and he took her hand. She noticed he did that a lot, touched her in some way. Held her hand. Arm around her shoulders. Hand pressed in the small of her back. All those gestures felt like natural extensions of him rather than moves designed to control her. And after Curtis, she watched for anything that even slightly resembled controlling actions.
Bailey wasn’t a petite woman. She was tall, close to five-foot-ten. She wasn’t a skinny model either. She jogged daily to keep her size between an eight and ten. In short, she was a normal female, but Levi made her feel special and, yes, pretty.
As they walked along the rocky beach, he said, “I realized over dinner that you don’t talk about yourself. You’ve told me how much you love Texas, but you haven’t told me why. I know nothing about your family, not really. Do you have brothers and sisters?”
“Two brothers, Rafe and Kevin, and one sister, Jasmine.”
“How old?”
“Rafe’s seventeen, Kevin’s fifteen and Jazz’s fourteen.”
They walked a couple of minutes in silence.
“Wow. I’ve interrogated war criminals who were more forthcoming. I’m not planning an attack.”
She laughed. “Sorry. I just don’t like to talk about me much. What else do you want to know?”
“Where did you go to school? Why nurse practitioner? What’s your favorite color? Favorite movie? The normal stuff.”
Smiling, she said, “Let’s see. University of Texas. Wanted to help people, but I didn’t want to work in a hospital. Orange for ball games, purple for clothes and Guardians of the Galaxy.”
He pulled her to a stop. “Are you kidding me?”
“Which part?”
“Guardians of the Galaxy.”
“I love it. I am Groot,” she said in a deep voice.
“You may be my dream woman. What about The Avengers?”
She groaned. “I haven’t seen Endgame. Don’t tell me about it.”
“Captain America?”
“Underrated classic.”
“Ironman.”
“Robert Downey, Jr. is brilliant.”
“Marry me.”
She laughed. “I can’t. I live in Texas. You live, well, I’m not sure where you live. And besides, your job is way too dangerous.” She sighed and gave him sad eyes. “Sorry. I have to turn you down.”
“Damn,” he said and kicked a rock. “Wait,” he said with a smile. “Can we still date while I’m here?”
She tapped her chin. “I think we can, but you have to stop feeding me so much good food. I already had to jog an extra mile this morning to make up for last night.” She groaned. “Now I’m going to have to add more to tomorrow’s run.”
He clutched his chest. “Be still my heart. Watches all the great movies and a jogger? Where have you been all my life?”
She laughed and put her arms around his waist. Their mouths lined up without her having to adjust her height up or down. Perfect. Leaning forward, she kissed him. She might have initiated the kiss, but he quickly took over, jerking her firmly against him and taking the kiss deeper, more erotic, something she loved. However, historically, public displays of affection always ended badly for her.
She broke the kiss by stepping back. “What time is it?”
Levi pulled out his phone. “Almost eleven-thirty. Do you need to get home?”
“No.” She turned toward the water. “I don’t usually get to see the sunset. Look at those colors.”
He slung an arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled in close, selfishly stealing his body heat. His scent whipped around her in the breeze off the water, and it felt as though they were the only two people on the beach. They stood watching as the sky’s yellow-pink-orange tones faded darker as the sun slowly sank into the horizon.
She released a long sigh. “That was beautiful.”
“Sometimes in all our running around, it’s kind of nice to stop and enjoy the moment.”
“Right? I know that’s true for me.”
With fingers interlaced, they walked toward her truck.
How could she extend this date? She enjoyed being with him and wasn’t quite ready to call it a night. On the drive to his home, she racked her brain. She didn’t want to take him to her grandmother’s house. It was small and sounds carried, not that she was sure they’d be making sounds, but still, the idea was roundly rejected by her brain.
But to invite herself into his house seemed forward and pushy, neither of which she was in her personal life. Sure, she liked to “drive the boat” from time to time, but she preferred to be pursued more than being the pursuer. Plus, where he was staying wasn’t actually his house. It was his parents’ house.
She wanted to laugh…or maybe cry. It was high school all over again. Whose parents were the heaviest sleepers?
She parked the truck in front of his parents’ house but didn’t turn off the engine.
His arm had been stretched out so his hand rested on the back of her seat throughout the drive home. Now, his fingers brushed the hair off her neck until skin met skin. He leaned over and pulled her head toward his for a long kiss. She sighed into the kiss.
“Come in,” he said. “I don’t want you to go home yet.”
“It’s late,” she protested. “I don’t want to wake your parents tromping in at midnight.”
He chuckled. “First, you don’t tromp. Second, my mom is sitting in the living room, waiting for me to get home.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding? She waits up for you? Are you sure you’re over twenty-one?”
He grinned. “I know. My older brother is forty-one, and I promise, if he stayed the night, she’d wait up until he was home. It’s just her way. She finds some fake project to be doing, as if that is going to make us believe it’s a total coincidence that she’s still awake.” He chuckled. “In high school, I used to play a game with myself—what fake activity will Mom be doing when I get home? It was laundry last night. Hmm, what could she be doing tonight?”
Again, that lazy smile. It warmed her, and she didn’t want to let him leave just yet. “Okay, I’ll play. Can’t be laundry. That was last night.”
“Right.”
“Crossword puzzle?”
“She tried that once, but I knew she didn’t do them. There were maybe four words completed when I got home.”
“It’s late to be baking or cleaning. Does she read? Maybe she’s got a book that sucked her in
, and she can’t find a stopping place.”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
When she hesitated, he added, “I’ve got Guardians of the Galaxy on disk.”
She groaned. “Now you’re not playing fair.”
“Darlin’, I never intend to play fair when it comes to you.”
Chapter 8
Levi knew when he played the Guardians of the Galaxy card, she would fold. Oh, not at first. She groaned, accused him of unfair tactics, then gave in with the excuse she really wanted to see what activity had kept his mom up waiting.
They entered the house hand in hand, and as Levi had predicted, his mother sat on the living room sofa.
“Hey, Mom. Whatcha working on?”
“Oh gosh, Levi. You just caught me. I was just headed to bed.” She stood, a pad of paper in one hand and a pen in the other. “Bailey. How nice to see you.”
“You, too, Mrs. Van der Hayden.”
“I’ve told you to call me Grace. Did you two have a nice evening?”
“Lovely,” Bailey said.
“What are doing up so late, Mom?” Levi asked.
She held up the notepad. “Working on next week’s dinners and a grocery list.” She turned and walked toward the stairs. “Good night. Oh, by the way,” she said with a finger snap. “There are some chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen. Fresh from the oven. You know how your dad loves those. Night.”
Levi squeezed Bailey’s hand. As soon as his mother was out of sight, Bailey rested her face on his shoulder and quietly laughed. He put his hand on her head and chuckled along with her.
“Told you,” he whispered.
“The grocery list?” She snorted.
“She was probably baking those cookies, got done, and then had to find something else to do.”
“I bet she’s so happy to have you home.”
“They both are. Now, let’s find that movie.”
Levi loaded the disk into the player and turned on the television. “Cookies?”
“Maybe one.”
“Be right back.”
In a minute, he returned balancing a plate of cookies on top of two glasses of milk.
Hot SEAL, Alaskan Nights (SEALs in Paradise) Page 7
