by Loree Lough
“That was…nice of him.”
“Not was,” she corrected. “He’s still doing it!” Kasey laughed softly. “Not the chores, of course. He’s a big important businessman now, far too busy for that kind of stuff. But he’s still leaving envelopes full of money every month.”
Adam cleared his throat. “Very…uh, very generous man.”
“I’ll say. If it hadn’t been for him, I would never have been able to afford to go to college. When Mom was able, she’d take in ironing, decorate cakes, things that didn’t tax her delicate system too terribly….”
There was no mistaking the sarcasm in her voice. Kasey didn’t believe for a minute that her mother had a physical condition that prevented her from working. And yet, she’d taken care of the woman all these years. He had to wonder why a girl who’d suspect her own mother’s intentions had such complete faith in the do-gooder from across the street.
“I always managed to find steady work, and pretty much kept the wolf from the door, as they say. But college?” She shook her head. “No way that would have been possible without him.”
It gave Adam a good feeling, knowing his monthly contributions to the Delaney household had served the intended purpose: to make life easier for Kasey and her mom. Suddenly, it didn’t matter who got the credit.
“I say a little prayer for him, every morning. Say another one every night, before I turn in.”
Did she have any idea what she was doing to him, sitting there, pretty as a picture, telling him things like she’d been praying for his miserable soul? Looking into her innocent, trusting eyes, it made him ashamed. So ashamed that he would’ve stood up and walked right out of the room…if there had been anywhere else to go.
“I just wish I knew for sure that it was the man across the street.”
He leaned forward, drawn closer by the sincerity of her tone. “Why?”
Her eyes misted with tears and yet she smiled. “Because I’d like to tell him that, much as we appreciated everything he did for us, we don’t need his help anymore, that we’re doing fine on our own, thanks to him.”
“And this man across the street…what makes you think it might not be him?”
She shrugged one shoulder, wiped the tears from her eyes. “Well, he must know that I’ve guessed what he’s been up to all this time, and yet he seems to think it’ll buy him certain—” she frowned “—favors.” Kasey shrugged. “That just doesn’t quite jibe with the kind of man who’d leave regular payments.”
“What kind of favors?”
“Oh, nothing, really. Drops in last-minute for meals. Stops by unannounced with laundry, mending. Things like that.” She frowned and a huge sigh whispered from her. “He has enough money to buy and sell Mom and me ten times over. And his lifestyle, well, that’s another story altogether!”
“His lifestyle?”
“It’s…well, let’s just say it doesn’t fit the profile of—”
“—a generous benefactor,” they said together.
After a moment of friendly laughter, Kasey said, “I’ll bet you’ve heard of him. Buddy Mauvais?”
A punch to the gut couldn’t have knocked the wind out of him more effectively. Yeah, he’d heard of Buddy Mauvais, all right. Anybody who hadn’t been living in a cave these past ten years knew Buddy…as a two-bit con man. But Adam had a whole different reason to know the name that had appeared in countless newspapers, and been mentioned on local TV news stations every time a crooked stock deal or a get-rich-quick scheme scammed some poor fool. Somehow, Buddy always managed to slither through one legal loophole after another. Not that it surprised Adam; Buddy had been lying and conniving his way out of trouble since he was a boy.
Why hadn’t Adam made the connection earlier? He’d known all along that Buddy lived across the street from the Delaneys. That’s one reason he’d been so careful when dropping envelopes in their mailbox; he wouldn’t have put it past good old Buddy to steal the money, if he’d seen Adam delivering it!
A slow rage began to burn inside him at the thought that Buddy had been taking the credit for his generosity. And to make matters worse, trying to take liberties with Kasey in repayment of it!
“So why don’t you tell me about it?”
He blinked, turned his attention back to her. “Tell you about what?” It came out gruffer, angrier than he’d intended, especially considering she wasn’t the one Adam was furious with. If he could get his hands on Buddy Mauvais right now—
“Obviously, you and Buddy have a history of some kind….”
He put a concerted effort into staying calm. “What makes you say that?”
“Well, just look at you,” she said. “Ever since I mentioned his name, you’re tight as a drum.” Grinning, Kasey added, “And if you don’t stop gritting your teeth, you’re sure to crack your molars.”
He hated to admit it, but she was right. He opened his fists, unclenched his jaw, relaxed his shoulders. Adam shook his head. He needed to get off someplace, be by himself, think this thing through in a rational, logical way. Until then, he knew, he’d better zip his lip. And do a whole lot better job of keeping a lid on your temper while you’re at it.
“Nah,” he said, forcing a grin. “I’m just frustrated with the power company, is all. I mean, you pay through the nose for service, and half the time you’re sitting in the dark, waiting—”
“Adam, do you mind my being completely blunt?”
Well, he thought, that all depended on what she intended to be blunt about. “No. I guess not,” he said carefully.
Adam clamped his lips together and waited, searching for the inner strength that would be required to react appropriately to whatever idea was percolating in that pretty head of hers.
“What I read on your face just now wasn’t frustration at the power company. It was anger, plain and simple.” She scooted to the edge of the seat, leaned toward him and said, “Now, I don’t know why you feel the way you do about Buddy, but don’t you think it’d be a good idea to tell me about it?”
He looked into her eyes, so big and bright, so filled with sincerity. “Buddy and I go way back,” he began. “We were…” He couldn’t bring himself to say “friends.” “We hung around together some when we were in high school.”
“Then, you probably know him better than I do.”
She clasped her hands together in what he read as a gesture of quiet supplication.
“I need to know everything I can about him, and if you can shed some light…” She extended her hands, palms up, beseechingly.
Her voice was trembling, and that made no sense at all. Especially when Adam reminded himself that Kasey thought Buddy was her own personal God-sent “miracle.”
“I’d really appreciate it, Adam.”
“But why?”
She lifted her chin a notch, squared her shoulders and straightened her back. “Because,” she said in that matter-of-fact way of hers, “Buddy has asked me to marry him.”
Chapter Three
Kasey pretended to be so engrossed in pulling up her too-big socks that she hadn’t seen Adam, bobbing his head right to left, working out the tension in his neck. She’d struck a nerve of some sort, mentioning Buddy’s name, struck another by admitting he’d proposed to her. She began searching her mind for an appropriate question, one that would explain why.
“I’m whipped,” he said, getting to his feet. He stretched, gave an exaggerated yawn, then headed for his room. “Back in a flash,” he added over his shoulder.
Adam was carrying a pillow and a blanket when he reappeared a moment later. “I’ll bet you’re even more anxious to start countin’ sheep than I am. Good thing I put fresh sheets on the bed this morning, eh?”
Her head was still swimming from the abrupt change of subject. “Adam, I’m not taking your bed.”
“You’re not taking it, I’m giving it to you.”
“But you’ve done so much already. I can’t let you—”
“Trust me, schweetheart,” he s
aid in a barely recognizable Bogie imitation, “nobody lets me do anything.” He dropped the bedding on the coffee table, as if to underscore his statement.
Kasey put her hands on her hips, to underscore her determination.
Eyes locked to hers, he said, “Okay, but I think it’s gonna be pretty uncomfortable out here, both of us trying to share this lumpy ole couch.”
She glanced at the huge, overstuffed sectional. If need be, two adults and maybe a couple of toddlers could spend a comfortable night here…provided, Kasey thought, looking at Adam, one of them wasn’t built like a Baltimore Ravens linebacker.
“I’ve sawed logs out here plenty of times,” he said. “Believe me, I’ll be fine.”
But why would he put himself through a long, torturous night, when he had every right to the big brass bed, visible from the living room?
She already knew why.
Smiling, Kasey recalled that several times since her arrival—as he rushed around to find her something to wear, as he grilled her a cheese sandwich—she’d thought what a nice man Adam was. It had taken only a few minutes of his hospitality to blot out her fears that he might be a murdering maniac. She’d prayed for a warm, dry place filled with warmhearted inhabitants. True to form, God had provided…not “people,” but certainly someone big enough—and big-hearted enough—to be two people! Silently, she thanked Him.
Adam’s quiet baritone broke into her thoughts.
“Would you be more comfortable if I tried to scare up something more, uh, more jammie-like for you to sleep in?”
His fumbling, awkward suggestion added yet another item to her quickly growing Reasons to Like Adam list. Kasey patted her thigh. “You’re sweet to offer, but the sweatsuit is terrific.”
She stood and faced him. “I’d like to sleep right here.” Being able to read people’s faces could sometimes make or break a sale. It appeared she hadn’t yet managed to convince Adam she was serious. “Look at it this way—how many chances does a city girl get to fall asleep in front of a roaring fire?”
He lifted his chin, telling her he still planned to spend the night on the couch. Well, she had “stubborn” down pat herself. “I hate to be a pushy guest, but I insist.”
Adam regarded her for a moment before saying, “Okay, but I think it’s only fair to warn you, I set a trap a couple of hours before you showed up.”
A trap? Kasey rolled her eyes and sighed. “Do I seem like the kind of girl who’d leap onto a chair at the sight of a teensie-weensie mouse?”
Her stomach did a little flip in reaction to the quick once-over from his brown, brown eyes, flipped again when she saw a flirty grin lift one corner of his mouth. Then one dark brow rose on his forehead.
“I’ll admit, you don’t look like the ‘eek’ type.”
Kasey recalled the way she’d behaved when Adam first opened the cabin door. “Do I detect a ‘but’ in that statement?”
His grin grew. “Never said the trap was for a mouse.”
Why was her mouth suddenly dry? “Chipmunk, then?” He stood, feet shoulder-width apart and arms crossed over his chest. If he shaved his head and got a big gold earring, he’d look even more like that cartoon sailor in the cleaning commercial.
“Nope.”
She licked her lips. “Squirrel.”
He shook his head.
Her heart began beating a tad faster. “What, then?” She prayed he’d say “fox” or “bobcat,” anything but “snake.”
He looked at her out of the corner of one eye. “Maybe I need to revise my statement.”
“Excuse me?”
“Maybe you are the type who’s scared of things that go bump in the night.”
To her knowledge, snakes didn’t “bump.” But then, her encounters with reptiles had been few and far between…deliberately. Still, it was far too early in their relationship to show him what a scaredy-cat she could be. Kasey grabbed the poker from the hearth and struck a fencer’s pose. “Anything that goes bump in my night will leave here wearin’ a bump!”
Wait—had she thought the R word? She’d only met the man a few hours ago! Just because he’d been nice—and she’d appreciated it—didn’t mean they’d started a…a relationship.
Did it?
Adam laughed, and she realized he was just teasing her.
“All right,” he said, “you win. But if you’re going to sleep out here, at least let me get you some clean sheets, another pillow, a comforter, maybe.”
Kasey was still reacting to the delicious sound of his laughter when she said, “You must be kidding. There’s so much wood on that grate, I’ll probably roast during the night.”
“Then, maybe I oughta come back in a couple of hours,” he mumbled around a yawn, “to turn you over and baste you.”
She headed back to the fireplace, to put the poker back into its stand. Looking over her shoulder, she began, “And maybe you oughta—”
Kasey’s right foot came down on the toe of the too-big left sock Adam had loaned her, throwing her off balance. The poker clattered onto the brick hearth as she held out both hands to soften the landing.
Adam, lightning-quick, grabbed her wrist. One well-timed tug kept her from falling face-first into the blazing fire—and put her directly into the protective circle of his arms.
Pressed tightly against his barrel chest was just about the last place Kasey should be, she knew. And yet, it was precisely where she wanted to be, where she’d pictured herself—a time or two, anyway—during the past few hours.
She looked up slowly, past the wide shoulders and the broad chin. She hadn’t noticed before—perhaps because they’d stayed a careful distance apart, perhaps because of the semidarkness—but a shadowy stubble peppered his face. It made him look even more rugged, even more handsome, if that was possible. When had he last shaved, Kasey wondered. Yesterday? The day before? And what might it feel like if that slightly fuzzy upper lip should graze her mouth with a soft, searching kiss…?
She saw a similar question simmering in his dark brown orbs. Her heart thudded, because she sensed that Adam was going to kiss her, and soon. Sensed, too, that she’d like it, that she’d want another, and maybe another after that.
Dear Lord, she prayed, if You’re trying to tell me Adam is ‘the one,’ I’m getting the message loud and clear!
Adam held her close, torn between pushing her away and pulling her nearer still. Relief—that he’d managed to keep her from falling into the fire—mingled with the exhilaration of having her so near.
Looking deep into her eyes, Adam understood for the first time what the poets meant, for he felt as though he were drowning in a sea of bright green.
Long ago, he’d taught himself to mask his emotions, had made it a regular part of every doctor–patient relationship. Obviously, something in his carefully practiced routine had short-circuited. How else could Kasey have known how very much he wanted to kiss her? And he could see that she did know; she had closed her eyes, tilted her head, lifted her chin.
The logical side of his brain ranted, Stop it! You’re getting in over your head! But the emotional side prodded, She’d be good for you! Why not make hay while the sun shines for a change?
He all but laughed at the irony: sunshine, when it was nearly midnight, and during a raging thunderstorm, yet!
Kasey opened her eyes—her magnificent, glittering green eyes—at the exact moment that a rib-racking clap of thunder shook the cabin. Startled, she instinctively squeezed closer; involuntarily, he tightened his protective embrace.
And that’s all it took to melt the last of his resolve.
Adam leaned down as Kasey stood on tiptoe. You’re gonna be sorry, pealed a warning in his head. But it came too late….
The instant their lips touched, a soft sigh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside her and swept over him like a tepid ocean wave. One moment, he’d been an empty, castaway bottle, bobbing in the sudsy surf. The next, her warmth spilled into him, soaking into his soul and filling his hollow h
eart. How long before he’d sink completely?
The question caused reality to rear its ugly head, reminding him of the promise he’d made to himself, not an hour ago. You have no business doing this, he ranted inwardly, no business at all!
He was about to disconnect himself from the exquisite sensations of peace and contentment the simple human contact had awakened, when her hands slid up his chest, came to rest on his shoulders. If her reaction to their kiss was any indicator, Kasey, too, had waited a lifetime for…for whatever this wonderful feeling was called.
He’d known her for a long, long time, in a distant, detached way. He realized now that by staying in the shadows of her life, he’d deprived himself of the pleasure of watching Kasey make that graceful change from bony, freckle-faced girl to curvaceous, charming woman. It was probably better that way, because if he had witnessed the transformation, even from the sidelines, living his life on the fringes of hers would have been impossible.
The documentary he’d been watching on TV when Kasey showed up popped into his head; suddenly, Adam felt great empathy for the scraggly gray wolf who, driven from the pack, died of grief and loneliness. Difficult as it would be, now that he’d crossed the invisible line he’d drawn between them, he intended to step back into the shadows, for his sake as well as hers.
Gently, Adam curled his fingers around Kasey’s upper arms, took a careful step back.
One hand still resting on his shoulder, she blinked, and the disappointment in her eyes made his heart ache. As she touched the fingertips of the free hand to her lips, she sighed. “Thanks, Adam.”
His lips were still tingling from their kisses, his mind a muddle from having had to force himself to come up for air long enough to do the right thing. He had no idea why she was thanking him.
Kasey tidied the collar of his shirt. “Earlier, you said you might come out here during the night, to turn me over and baste me.” She looked him full in the face. “Well, if it hadn’t been for your quick thinking just now, I would’ve been toast, not a roast!”
The smile not only curved her mouth up at the corners, but lit her eyes…and every dark place inside him, too. He’d seen TV movies where people fell head-over-heels in a heartbeat. Adam had always scoffed at the silly, romantic plots, because only buffoons and simpletons believed in love at first sight. Evidently, he was a buffoon. Or a simpleton. Or both. Because he believed in it now, with every beat of his Kasey-filled heart!
