by Pat Warren
“You can’t see it. It’s more than that, and I want you looked at.” He turned to Fitz, who’d managed to calm Jamie. “Will you look after Jamie and call Dr. Benson? Have him meet us at the hospital.” He’d been told he was paranoid, but he couldn’t help himself. Ever since Stephanie’s illness, no illness or injury seemed trivial. The Emergency staff was very efficient, he was certain, but he trusted Ron Benson more.
“Of course.” Fitz patted Kate’s arm. “Aaron’ll see to your care, dear.”
“Aaron,” Kate said, “I don’t think I need to go to the hospital.”
But Aaron was in his take-charge mode. “The dog wasn’t wearing a collar, Fitz. We’ve got to trace him somehow to see if he’s had rabies shots lately.”
Rabies. That she hadn’t thought of. She’d heard those shots were very painful. That thought upset her far more than having a few stitches.
“What was the dog like, Aaron?” Fitz asked, wearing a worried frown.
He described the chow. “Have you seen him around before?”
“I believe so. I think he belongs to the owner of the auto garage on Fenton. I can’t be certain, of course.”
“I’ll look into it from the hospital.” He touched the back of Jamie’s silken head, very aware of what a dog bite to his daughter’s small body might have done. “We’ll be back soon.” Bracing Kate, he led the way to the car.
“All right, Hector,” Aaron said into the phone in the hospital waiting room. “I’m glad Conan’s had all his shots. But damn it, man, you’d better see to it that you keep him in your yard. As I told you, his bite is requiring four stitches.”
“I sure am sorry, Mr. Carver,” Hector told him. “I had him in my yard, but he jumped the fence.”
Aaron wasn’t buying the man’s excuse. “Then chain him, Hector. I don’t have to tell you how serious this could have been if your dog had turned on my daughter.”
“I understand. I just don’t know why Conan went for the lady. He’s usually not like that.” Hector gave a nervous cough. “Listen, I’ll pay her bill there at the hospital. I don’t want no hard feelings.”
“Never mind. It’s taken care of. Just see to your animal.” Aaron hung up. The good news was that the dog was current with his shots. The bad news was that Kate’s wound was still going to take a while to heal. He walked back through Emergency, where Ron Benson was finishing up.
“The wounds are deeper than I’d thought,” the doctor told Aaron as he applied a bandage to Kate’s thigh. “She can’t feel it now because I numbed the whole area, but it’s going to hurt plenty later. I’ll give you a prescription for some pain pills. I also gave her a tetanus shot because she couldn’t remember when she’d had her last one. Better safe than sorry.” He adjusted the half sheet over Kate’s leg and helped her sit up. “How do you feel?”
“Fine. Sorry to trouble you on a Saturday.” Although she knew Aaron and Dr. Benson were friends from years ago, she hadn’t thought her injury serious enough to call him in. But Aaron had insisted. “Hope we didn’t mess up your plans.”
“I was just watching football on TV, Michigan State losing. No big deal.” He glanced at Aaron. “What’d you find out about the dog?”
Aaron updated both of them and noticed how relieved Kate was. “Hell of a thing to have happen. Do you think she’ll have a scar?”
“Maybe a little one. We’ll see.”
A muscle in Aaron’s cheek clenched. “She got hurt protecting Jamie,” he told Ron, feeling responsible. If only he hadn’t left just then, hadn’t gone down to the basement for those damn trash bags.
“Which is exactly what anyone else would have done,” Kate said, sliding off the table. “Can I get dressed?”
“Sure thing.” Ron Benson led his friend out of the cubicle, giving her some privacy, and walked him toward the admitting desk. “Quite a lady, your nanny.”
“She’s nuts about Jamie,” Aaron explained as he turned to the clerk. “I’ll handle Kate Spencer’s expenses.” Since she no longer worked at her father’s bookstore, nor would she be covered under any policy George Spencer might have carried before his death, chances were that she didn’t have any insurance.
“Fine, Mr. Carver,” the clerk said. “We have the form you signed. Billing will mail you the charges.”
“Thanks.” He turned to shake hands with his friend. “I appreciate you coming over so quickly. It turned out okay, but I was worried the dog was a stray and she might have had to endure that series of rabies shots.”
Looking faintly amused, Ron Benson smiled. “No problem. What are friends for? Maybe one day, you’ll design me a new house.”
“Anytime.” Kate hadn’t come out of the cubicle. “I think I’ll go see if I can help her put on her shoes. She might already be in pain.”
“You go ahead, but that shot’s not going to wear off for another three or four hours.” Benson clapped him on the shoulder and left.
Aaron headed for the curtained cubicle just as Kate stepped out, walking a bit gingerly. This was all his fault, he thought as he took her arm. “Are you hurting?”
Kate was grateful for him at her side. “No, I can hardly feel my leg, which is why I’m afraid to walk without holding on. Even my ankle’s numb.”
“Just hang on to me and you’ll be fine.”
For some reason, that thought comforted her greatly.
“Okay, two cheeseburgers, coming up, plus a small hamburger with just catsup.” Aaron walked into the family room carrying a plate of fragrant sandwiches, bringing with him the chill of the outdoors, where he’d been grilling. “It’s getting downright cold out there.”
“Well, it is November,” Kate reminded him. She was seated at the far end of the leather couch, pillows propped behind her back and an afghan spread over her legs. In her bouncy chair alongside Kate, Jamie sucked on a pretzel, watching her father place dinner in the center of the large coffee table. “Mmm, they sure smell good.”
“I just hope they are.” He sat down on the floor to fix Jamie’s plate first, cutting up her hamburger and adding a small pile of french fries. He set the plate onto the tray of her chair, pulling it closer so he could keep a close eye on her. “Here you go, honey.” He put her sippy cup within reach and turned to Kate. “And just what will madam have on her cheeseburger?”
She couldn’t help smiling. He’d insisted that she rest when they’d returned from the hospital, but Kate hadn’t wanted to go to bed. So he’d settled her in the cozy family room and even built a fire for her to watch. In no time, she’d fallen asleep from the medication and had awakened to find him just entering the room, telling her they were going to have a picnic.
“Mmm, everything except onions.”
“You mean lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, special saucethe works?”
“You bet.” Kate was surprised that she was hungry.
Aaron fixed her a generous plate, then one for himself, and poured everyone a glass of milk. “Aren’t we the wild ones, spending Saturday night at home, drinking milk?”
Guilt rose in Kate, stopping her. “You shouldn’t have given Fitz the night off to go to her daughter’s tonight. She could have watched Jamie for one evening, and I could rest in my room so you could go out.”
Aaron swallowed a juicy bite and frowned. “Who said I wanted to go out? I’m enjoying this a great deal.” He found he meant every word. He loved listening to his daughter jabbering away as she ate her dinner. And he savored the sight of Kate with the firelight dancing over her features and turning her hair golden. He truly couldn’t think of another place he’d rather be tonight.
There was that family thing again, Aaron thought as he chewed on a french fry. He’d been eight, and Johnny six, when their mother had left. They’d been well taken care of by a younger, more energetic Fitz. And yet his mother’s desertion and his father rarely being home during those important years had affected Aaron to such an extent that it still bothered him and he still felt that sense of abandonment occasionall
y.
Which was why moments like this, when he could pretend that Jamie, Kate and he were sharing a quiet Saturday night at home like any other family might, meant so much to him. Oddly enough, Johnny had gone the other route, turning from most family pursuits, always relocating, unable to settle down, pursuing one venture after another. Two boys raised the same yet turning out truly different.
The problem was that his way was merely a pretense.
Kate set her empty plate on the table, amazed that she’d eaten so much while Aaron had merely nibbled. “You’re a million miles away,” she said softly. “Penny for your thoughts.”
Looking subdued, he glanced up. “Not worth that much. I was just thinking about when my brother and I were young, seven and nine or so, and left alone with Fitz for months at a time. She used to drag our heavy coffee table off the Persian rug in the family room, spread out a blanket and make us a picnic. One summer day, she even brought in half a dozen ants to make it more real since it was raining out and we had to stay in.”
“She really loves your family. Now you’ve got me curious. Why were you alone with Fitz so much?”
Enough years had passed that the telling shouldn’t bother him, Aaron thought. She’d confided her past, so he felt he owed her a minimal explanation. He gave her the bare facts, leaving out the unhappiness his mother’s abandonment had caused her two sons and the husband who still loved her. He let Kate fill in the blanks.
She didn’t say anything for several minutes after he finished. He hadn’t given a reason for his mother’s desertion, and she didn’t feel she had the right to ask. “It seems we’ve both had our share of difficult adjustments. I suppose you could say we’re survivors.”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” How had he gotten on this track? He glanced at her empty plate, wanting to change the subject. “Well, I guess you don’t like my cooking, eh?”
Kate laughed. “I think those are appetite-inducing pills I’ve been taking, not pain pills.”
“You could stand to put on a few pounds,” he told her as he helped Jamie take another bite.
She raised a brow. “Are you saying I’m too thin?”
“Far be it from me to ever discuss a woman’s age or weight.” He finished the last of his burger and held out a fry to Jamie. “Or are you fishing?”
“Fishing?” She was growing tired and sleepy again.
“For compliments. You needn’t. You’re beautiful and you must know it.” He knelt to wipe his daughter’s face and hands, since she was obviously full and just playing now.
How could she answer that? No one had ever told her she was beautiful. Dad had looked at her with admiration, but knowing how vain his wife was, George Spencer had been very careful with his compliments, unwilling to upset his wife by seeming to favor his adopted daughter. Certainly Evan never had said any such thing, but then, they’d grown up together so their relationship had lacked the fire some of her friends spoke of. The kind of excitement a person feels when they just look at someone who arouses their interest.
Like she felt in looking at Aaron.
Aaron noticed Jamie yawning. “I think someone’s tired. Maybe two someones.” He picked up his daughter just as Kate stifled a yawn. “I’m going to put her to bed. Then I’ll come back and help you up the stairs.”
Kate threw back the afghan as she shook her head. “I’m fine. She needs a bath and…”
“Not tonight. She won’t perish if she misses one bath.” He tucked the afghan back around Kate’s legs. “Don’t argue with me. Wait right there, and I’ll be back.”
She watched him go and decided she’d let him pamper her for one evening. She flexed her leg and felt a twinge of pain but nothing unbearable. Still, stretching out under the warm covers, it was nice being spoiled a little. Turning, she shifted her gaze to the fire.
Twenty minutes later, when Aaron came for her, she was sound asleep.
She was restless and couldn’t pinpoint why. It was after nine in the evening a week after her injury, and Kate felt fine physically. But her nerves were unsettled. It had been a somewhat trying day with Jamie being uncharacteristically whiny, probably because she had another tooth coming in. She had hardly eaten a thing and refused her night bottle. Unable to sleep, Kate slipped on her robe and went to check on the baby.
Jamie was sleeping soundly. Her forehead when Kate touched it seemed a little warm, but some children had mild fevers when they teethed. She’d keep a close eye on her tomorrow, Kate told herself as she wandered downstairs.
She made a pot of tea, having gotten used to the stuff from Fitz, and carried it to the library, where she turned the stereo on low. Needing to hear a familiar voice, she phoned Pam.
“Sounds like you love your work,” Pam said after Kate had gone on and on about her adorable young charge. “And Fitz sounds a lot like I remember Glynis being.”
Kate curled her feet under her on the couch. “She is. She’s a housekeeper now, but she was nanny to Aaron and his brother when they were quite young. He’s very fond of her.”
Pam thought she detected an odd note in her cousin’s voice. “And what about you? Is this Aaron fond of you, too?”
Kate frowned at the phone. “No, of course not. He’s my employer, for heaven’s sake, and nothing else.” And that’s the way he wanted it to be, more’s the pity. “How are things with you?” A change of subject was definitely called for.
“Terrific. Wonderful, in fact.” Pam’s voice was almost musical.
“Uh-oh. Does this mean what I think it means? A man in your life at long last?”
“Oh, Kate, he’s really special. His name is Eli Knowles, and he’s a reporter for the Detroit News. A staff writer right now, but he’ll move up soon, I’m sure, and get his own byline. He’s so intelligent.”
“I see.”
“He’s thirty. You don’t think that’s too old for me, do you? He’s got this thick brown hair and these gorgeous eyes and…” Pam drew in a deep breath. “I want you to meet him. When can you come?”
Kate was smiling, happy for her friend but a little hesitant. Pam was her age, but she hadn’t dated much and she was extremely vulnerable. That, plus the fact her father had a great deal of money that would one day be Pam’s. Kate feared that someone would take advantage of her naive cousin, yet she didn’t want to burst Pam’s bubble. “Maybe next week on my day off.” She wanted a look at this paragon of virtue.
“Great. I just know you’re going to love him.” Pam suddenly sobered. “Oh, Kate, Dad told me to ask you to sign some papers when you come visit.” She hated being her father’s messenger, but she had little choice. Tom Spencer had her financially under his thumb.
Kate felt herself tense at the mention of her uncle. “What kind of papers?”
“I don’t know, just papers. You can read them when you get here.” Getting off that subject, she returned to Eli. “I’ll make sure he can come when you visit. When’s your next day off?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll call you the first of the week.” They said their goodbyes, and Kate hung up thoughtfully. What papers could Tom Spencer need her signatures on? Couldn’t be too important, or he’d have sent them to her or had his attorney call. Could there be a problem in settling her folks’ estate? Could he possibly need her help? Perversely, she hoped so, for she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. Tom deserved a rough time for what he’d put her through.
Hearing a sound behind her, Kate glanced over her shoulder. Aaron stood in the doorway barefoot, wearing only jeans. The breath backed up in Kate’s throat.
“I see you couldn’t sleep, either.” Aaron carried the book he’d finished to the bookcase along the far wall, found the spot where it belonged and shoved it in place. He hadn’t thought she’d be downstairs or he’d have grabbed a shirt. Oh, well, he was hardly dressed indecently and he was in his own house. Noticing the tea tray, he sat down at the far end of the couch. “Is there enough for two?”
“Sure, plenty.” Leaning forw
ard, she poured him a cup. “Did you check Jamie before coming down? Her new tooth is really giving her fits.” Kate refilled her own cup before curling back up in the corner.
“I went in her room, and she seemed fine.” Relaxing, he stretched out his long legs.
Kate swung her eyes to the dying embers of the fire Aaron had built earlier, unwilling to stare at him in his half-undressed state. She’d seen men at the beach wearing far less, yet they hadn’t made her feel so uneasy. She’d also lived with Evan for six months, so it wasn’t that the male body was unfamiliar to her.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, this particular male body had her hands shaking enough to make her set down her cup.
“Are you a reader?” Aaron asked, trying to think of a noncontroversial subject. She seemed nervous somehow, and he wanted to put her at ease.
“Yes, I love to read. Mysteries, mostly.”
“Like Stephen King? You like to be frightened?”
“No, more like Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky.”
He sipped his tea. “Your taste runs to feminist P.L’s.”
“Not always. I like Parker’s Spencer, John D. McDonald’s Travis McGee. What do you prefer?”
“Oh, Ludlum, Clancy, Grisham. I like courtroom dramas, too.” Bored with small talk, he saw that her robe had opened, revealing a section of leg. “Fitz told me you had your stitches out today. How’s it feel?”
Suddenly aware of his interested gaze, Kate pulled the folds of her robe more closely around her. “Much better. Dr. Benson says he doubts there’ll be a scar.”
He reached to touch her hand as it lay on the couch seat between them. “If there is, you let me know. I’ll take you to a dermatologist I know who’ll remove the scar. I don’t want you to be marked because of something that happened here.”
Kate kept her eyes on their clasped hands, his so tan and large, hers pale and slender. Why had he touched her? She wished he hadn’t, because it made her feel awkward, made her want more.
“Kate, have I thanked you properly for what you did that morning for Jamie? If you hadn’t put yourself between her and that dog, Lord only knows what might have happened. That damn chow outweighed Jamie by probably fifty pounds.”
