Once he was settled beside her he said, “Okay. I give up. How does this go-kart start?”
“For your information, this is an environmentally friendly, high-tech vehicle. Press your foot on the brake.” She leaned forward and hit the ignition button. “There. It’s ready to go.”
Ben blinked at the dash in the silent car. “How do you know?”
She chuckled. It had taken her a day or so to get used to that too. “The light right there says so.”
“Huh. Let’s see how many hamsters are under the hood.”
He put the car in reverse and sped backward, nearly giving her whiplash and making her stomach do weird things again.
Then he put the car in drive. “It can actually move.”
“Uh-huh.” Talking was making her nauseated again so she closed her eyes and hoped he’d hurry.
As soon as they pulled up in front of her mother’s log cabin, Kline opened the car door and made for the rear to get her bags.
As she reached inside the trunk, Ben gently brushed her hand away. “I’ve got them.”
“Thank you.” She hadn’t relished the idea of dragging her heavy suitcases up the front steps in her weakened state. Instead, she slowly moved ahead of Ben and grabbed the knob on her mother’s front door. She wasn’t surprised to find it turned freely. No one locked doors in Anderson Butte. She called out, “Mom?”
Her mother appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. A huge grin lit her face. “Kline. You’re a day early! And just in time for dinner. I made your favorite. Spaghetti and meatballs.”
The aroma of garlic and her mom’s famous red sauce made Kline’s stomach threaten to act up again, but she pushed that aside and hugged her mom—hard. A year and a half ago, Kline had been unjustly locked away in a foreign prison cell and hadn’t been sure she’d ever see her mother again. It had made Kline realize how much she loved and missed her mom. And how short life was.
The horrific experience had made her appreciate the little things in life too, and it had proved to her that it was time to settle down and grow some roots.
Anywhere but Anderson Butte, that was.
Kline finally released her mom and then took a step back to examine her. Her mom looked like her usual tall, thin, spry self. “Why would you make my favorite dinner tonight when you thought I’d be here tomorrow?”
Her mom blinked rapidly. “I don’t know.”
Kline exchanged a “see what I mean” glance with Ben. He nodded slightly and closed the door behind him to keep out the cold. Then he hauled her luggage to her old bedroom for her.
Mom let out a little squee. “I’m so glad you’re finally back, Kline. We’re just going to have the best visit ever!”
“I’m so glad to see you too. But tell me what’s been going on with you. How are you feeling?”
Ben returned, texting someone on his phone.
Mom asked, “You’ll stay for dinner, won’t you, Ben?”
“I’d better not.” He exchanged another glance with Kline. “Kline’s sick and needs to rest. And I need to do some serious online shoe shopping tonight.”
Kline crossed her arms. “Very funny. But forward me the bill, please.” Thank God he’d refused to stay. She couldn’t bear another uncomfortable minute with him.
Mom’s forehead crumpled. “I’m sorry you’re sick, sweetheart. We’ll get you tucked into bed right away, then.” Her eyes took in Kline’s outfit. “That’s what you wore to come home after all this time?”
“Yeah?” Kline glanced down at her blue TOMS sneakers, jeans, and black V-neck sweater. Why would her mom care what she wore to ride in the car?
Her mom turned Ben’s way. “She cleans up much better than this usually.”
“I’m sure she does.” Ben grinned as he continued to tap away on his cell.
If her mom only knew. He’d seen a lot worse earlier. She wanted to die every time she thought of it.
He reached for the door handle and said, “Take care, Betty. Come see me tomorrow if you’re not better, Kline. I’ll be sure to bring my galoshes with me.” He paused to fix a crooked picture on the wall, and then when his phone rang, answered it as he made his hasty escape.
Kline laid both hands over her face and shook her head. Was this indicative of how her visit would be? How would she ever last the three whole weeks she’d promised her mother she’d stay?
Kline pried her eyes open and then rolled over to check the time. She’d been up sick most of the night, but had finally fallen asleep about four a.m. She picked up her phone and blinked in surprise. How could it be almost three thirty p.m.? She hadn’t slept that long ever.
She threw her covers back and slowly stood, waiting for the wave of dizziness to hit, but it didn’t. She actually felt a little hungry. Maybe after a shower she’d try some toast. And then get some answers about her mother’s health.
She scooped up her robe and headed to the bathroom. A quick glance in the mirror made her cringe. Her eyes had dark circles under them and she looked like crap, but she felt a whole lot better.
After her shower, she wrapped her hair on top of her head with a towel and slipped into her silk robe. As she made her way to the kitchen, memories of the horrors of the day before hit. On the bright side, maybe Ben was so disgusted by her that he’d avoid her just as she planned to avoid him. And since Ben wasn’t willing to help her figure out what was wrong with her mom, maybe Joyce would. Everyone in town knew that Ben’s nurse had a weakness for chocolate mousse pie from the diner. Who didn’t? It was Kline’s favorite thing too. Maybe a little good old-fashioned bribery was in order. After all, she was just trying to help her mom.
A loud knock sounded on the front door, so she changed direction to answer it. She swung the door open and a broad smile tugged at her lips. It was Ben’s grandmother. Ruth Anderson was full of piss and vinegar and one of Kline’s favorite people growing up. She’d never known her own grandmothers so Ben’s held a special place in her heart. “Hi, Mrs. Anderson. How are you?”
She thumped past Kline and into the house, leaning heavily on her cane. “The same as usual—old and cranky.” She stuck out a tall plastic container. “Heard you weren’t feeling well, so I brought you some of my famous chicken soup.”
“Thank you. It was just something I ate. I’m much better now.” Kline accepted the still-warm plastic cylinder and then gave Ruth a hug. “Come in and let’s catch up. I’ve missed you.”
“We’ve all missed you too. Heard you saw Ben yesterday. Ruined a pair of his fancy shoes. That’s no way to win back my grandson’s heart.”
Kline shook her head. “I’m not trying to win any man’s heart. I’m giving them up for good.”
“Hi, Ruth,” her mom called out as she stirred something on the stove. “And Kline, you can’t give up men quite yet. I promised Wayne Jacobs you’d go out with him.”
“What? Now you’re making dates for me?”
Ruth plopped herself down in the kitchen nook. “Someone has to. You’re way too pretty to be alone. And it’s harder to have children when you get past a certain age, you know.”
Kline wanted to roll her eyes. Instead, she popped the soup into the microwave. “The last man I’d date would be one who lives here.” She turned toward her mother. “I only came home because I’m worried about you, Mom.”
Ruth asked, “Is that dizziness any better, Betty?”
“No. As a matter of fact now that you mention it, I’m starting to feel a little faint too.”
Kline zipped to her mother’s side and slipped her arms around her shoulders. “Then sit down, please. You’ll get hurt if you fall.”
Ruth dug out a cell phone from her apron. “I’m going to text Ben.”
It seemed seeing Ben might be inevitable during her stay. For her mom’s sake, she’d try to forget how she’d humiliated herself in front of him and try to have a cordial relationship with him.
After her mom was settled in a chair, Kline grabbed a cloth and wet it.
She laid it on the back of her mother’s neck. “How’s that?”
“A little better. Thank you, sweetheart.” Mom forced a smile. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Ruth slipped her phone back into her apron pocket. “Ben’s on the way.”
Mom’s forehead scrunched. “If Ben’s coming, maybe you should go put some makeup on, Kline. You wouldn’t want him to see you looking like that, would you?”
“I’m not worried about Ben seeing me without makeup.” Although he used to tell her he thought she looked great without it. “How long has this been going on, Mom?” Her mother had danced around every question Kline had asked about her health so far.
Her mother shrugged. “A while now. It’s no big deal. It’ll probably pass in a few minutes like it usually does.”
The microwave beeped, so Kline grabbed the soup and bowls. “Maybe you need some of Ruth’s magic healing soup too.”
“No, thanks. I don’t have much of an appetite either.”
That couldn’t be good.
Kline spooned up a bowl for herself and dug in. Nothing better than Ruth’s homemade chicken soup. The added hit of New Mexico green chile was enough to clear out her sinuses too.
As Kline scraped the last of her soup from the bowl, a knock sounded. “Must be Ben.” She laid her spoon down and stood to answer the door.
When she swung it open, Ben’s eyes widened. And then his gaze slowly ran up and back down her entire body. She’d forgotten she was dressed in a skimpy robe. And what it used to do to her insides when he looked at her like that.
She grabbed her lapels with one hand and closed the gap at the top. “Hi. Come in. Mom’s in the kitchen.”
His gaze finally moved to her eyes instead of her cleavage. “You look like you feel better today.”
A cool breeze floated past Ben and fluttered the hem of her robe, so she quickly closed the door behind him. “Much better, thanks. But I wish you’d talk to me about my mom, Ben.”
“HIPAA rules don’t allow for that.” He fixed the same picture by the door that had gone crooked again and then turned and started for the kitchen. “Why don’t you go get dressed while I examine your mom? Then after, ask me questions in front of her.”
“Okay. Be back in a few.”
Yeah, that just might work.
Ben headed toward the kitchen, thankful Kline had left to get dressed. It was bad enough he was still attracted to her on every level, but seeing her in that sexy robe, without makeup, and her hair up in a towel brought back memories of when they’d lived together and he saw her like that every morning. If he had the spare time during his residency, he’d often scoop her up and take her back to bed. Kline wearing that robe tempted him to do it again.
But he’d burned that bridge and she wasn’t going to stick around, so why torture his heart? Better to keep his distance.
Pushing the memories from his mind, he greeted his grandmother and pulled out a chair next to Betty. “Hi. Do you want my grandmother to leave or stay?”
Betty waved a hand. “Of course she can stay.”
He wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her arm. “Kline’s worried about you. Why aren’t you talking to her about your health?”
He leaned down to get his stethoscope and could have sworn he saw a wink pass between Betty and his grandmother. He listened to Betty’s heart beat true and strong. She took a deep breath and everything was clear. And no fever. When he shone a light into her brown eyes, they twinkled back at him, as if in bemusement.
He said, “Everything checks out just fine. How long has the dizziness been bothering you?”
She shrugged and her gaze slid toward his grandmother again.
Grandma said, “She’s been complaining about it to me for a couple of weeks now, right, Betty?”
Betty nodded.
Then why hadn’t she mentioned that along with all the other symptoms she’d detailed one by one in his office the day before? What had gotten into her in the last six weeks? Why the change from someone who never went to the doctor to weekly visits?
Suddenly a thought occurred to him. “How long have you known Kline was coming?”
Betty examined her nails. “A little over a month. Why?”
Uh-huh. Now things were making sense. He turned to his grandmother. “Are you in on this scheme too?”
Grandma pretended to look shocked. She was the world’s worst actress. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Benjamin.”
Yep. That’s why he’d been shown so many pictures of Kline recently and her name had been continually brought up during the appointments with her mother. They were trying to get them back together, dammit.
He packed up his things. “It’s not going to work, ladies. Kline and I want different things out of life. It’s why we broke up all those years ago. And Betty, this is a dangerous game you’re playing. Making up false symptoms.” He crossed his arms and glanced back and forth between the two matchmakers. “What do you two have to say for yourselves?”
Grandma said, “Kline looked pretty darn cute in that robe, don’t you think?”
Betty finally let her smile bloom. “And you have to keep our secret, right? Doctor-patient whatever that is?”
“I do.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “So I’m not sticking around for the Q-and-A session with Kline. You need to come clean with her. She’s worried about you.”
He turned to his grandmother. “And you, of all people, should know better than to pull a stunt like this.”
Grandma shrugged. “All I know is you’re serial dating and unhappy. And it needs to stop.”
“What needs to stop, Ruth?” Kline walked into the kitchen, her hair dried and cascading around her shoulders. She wore jeans and a tight pink sweater. He liked all her new curves. A lot.
He said, “Grams isn’t happy if she’s not complaining about something I’m doing wrong.” He looked away before she saw the desire in his eyes, and his gaze landed on Betty’s nonalphabetized spice rack. Things out of order bothered him, so he rearranged the small bottles while he pulled himself together. “There. That’s better.” His phone vibrated with a text so he pulled his cell out from his pocket. It was Joyce asking if he could squeeze in one more patient this afternoon. He texted her back with an affirmative and then said, “I have to get back to work. See you ladies later.”
He made for the front door, but before he reached it, a slender hand wrapped around his bicep and tugged.
“Wait. I thought we had a plan back there.” Kline’s brow crumpled in genuine concern. He hated that now he was going to have to be part of lying to her too.
“She specifically said she doesn’t want me to discuss her health with you.” Betty had talked about patient confidentiality, so that wasn’t a total lie. But she’d been talking about their crazy scheme, not her health.
Kline’s shoulders dropped. “My mom and I used to tell each other everything. I don’t understand why she’d do that.”
The crushed expression on her face poked him straight in the heart. “Why don’t you let me worry about your mom so you can just enjoy your visit?”
“No. I’m going to get to the bottom of this one way or the other.” She crossed her arms and hitched her chin. “Even if I have to resort to being sneaky.”
He remembered that look. It was the one where she strapped her stubborn determination on and didn’t take it off until she got her way. “Good luck. Nice sweater, by the way. See you.”
Kline didn’t know quite how to respond to the sweater comment, so she ignored it and called out, “Be back in a bit, Mom!” and then followed Ben.
Picking up the pace, she caught up with him, but wished she’d grabbed a coat. It was sunny out, but the wind blowing off the lake was chilly.
Ben glanced her way, but kept walking. “I hope part of you being sneaky doesn’t include badgering me to death. Because I won’t cave on this.”
“Nope.” She circled her arms around herself to stop her shivering.
Keeping up with Ben’s aggressive pace should warm her up soon enough. “Got many appointments still today?”
He frowned. “Is this polite small talk? Or do you really care?” He grabbed his phone from his pocket and answered texts while they walked.
“Just trying to have a pleasant conversation on my way to the diner.” And to figure out if he’d be too busy to catch her bribing his nurse for information about her mom.
A grin curved one side of his mouth as he typed. “I’m sure there’s an ulterior motive in there I haven’t figured out yet, but yes. I’m booked solid until five o’clock. Since old Doc Rhodes retired from down south, I’m the only doctor in a fifty-mile radius, so it keeps me busy.” Ben tucked his phone away.
“Busy is good.” They walked side by side, careful not to touch. Together but separate. “So, still loving being a doctor?”
He nodded. “I am. Do you still love teaching? And being a tree hugger?” He reached out and turned over her pendant that had flipped backward.
That he’d touch her when he was clearly trying so hard to keep his distance was odd. As was the quick tingle that danced up her spine when his fingers brushed her neck. “Your habit of straightening things is new. When did that start?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He stopped walking and faced her. “Or is this your way of avoiding my question?”
No, but it seemed he was avoiding hers.
Standing still made the cold seep through her sweater again. “Yes, I still love teaching and especially tree hugging.” She smiled. Ben always teased her about her environmental causes. “I’ve been involved in some meaningful projects in developing countries. Things that really made a difference in people’s lives.” She started walking again so she wouldn’t freeze to death.
He appeared by her side. “Just what you set out to do.”
“Yep.” But they were supposed to do those things together. An uncomfortable silence fell over them as they crossed the grassy town square.
It Had to Be Them (An It Had to Be Novel Book 4) Page 2
