“I think so.”
“I don’t remember that far back. I was a toddler.”
Shane merged into traffic as they got on a main interchange, and he could finally go faster than the winding roads allowed. “The only thing I can think of is that my mom didn’t realize she was the other woman, and when she did, she tried to break it off.”
“You lived in New York?”
He shook his head. “When my grandmother was alive, she used to travel for work. And I think one of the places was in New York. I just don’t know where.”
“I don’t know much about my father. Just that he was bicoastal for work. He traveled a lot. Evidently a perfect way to have more than one woman in his life.”
The bitter edge to her voice sliced at him. “I don’t know, Kendall. I do know that he wasn’t a part of my life until I was eight. All of a sudden my mother said we were moving into this house in California. And she wasn’t sad anymore. The only thing I remember about the time Larry came into our lives was that my mom went to the hospital a lot.”
Kendall looked up at him sharply. “Hospital? Was she sick?”
“They never talked about it. I was a kid. How was I supposed to know if she was sick? She went to the doctors a lot, but it wasn’t cancer. She always seemed so frail to me, but then again, she was even tinier than you are.”
Her voice quieted. “I was always afraid to ask my mother about Lawrence. She’d get so sad when I talked about him that I just stopped doing it. He never came back after he left that one day. He didn’t even say good-bye to me.”
Shane popped his knuckles. Her voice was toneless. None of that made sense to him. The day he’d moved in with Larry, there had been only a booming laugh and kindness. He’d never felt like a burden. Hell, he’d ended up calling Larry Dad within the first six months.
Had his mother’s sickness really drawn Larry away from his other family? Just how sick had she been? And why the hell didn’t he know about it?
Larry had loved his mother; of that he had no doubt. They’d always been laughing, the two of them in their own little world. Sometimes Shane felt separate from them, but the love had been there. And when his mother died, all Larry’s focus had gone to him.
It still didn’t explain why Larry had cut Kendall out of his life.
“Even after my father left, my mother never stopped loving him. I heard her cry every night, but she smiled every morning for me. Eventually she stopped crying and we went on with our lives. There must have been some money coming in, or he’d left her with some, because she didn’t work until I was about ten years old.”
Shane scraped his palm down his jeans. “We never wanted for money. Some years were better than others, but I couldn’t remember a time when Larry ever complained about finances.”
“He must have stopped giving my mother money in the lean times, because she went to work while I was at school and started taking on boarders at the house. When I was sixteen, I convinced her to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast to earn extra money.”
He tried to picture Kendall with strangers around her all the time. And he found that it wasn’t a stretch to imagine. She took people in and made them feel comfortable. She never lacked in kindness and never lost her temper with anyone other than him.
They lapsed into silence, her attention on the landscape and the endless rows of trees in varying colors between gold and red. They pulled into a rest stop just outside the New York state line.
While he refilled their cooler with sodas, ice, and a few sandwiches, she chased a puppy in the parking lot. Of course she’d made friends with a teenager, running the dog around between two lanky boys.
Kendall didn’t even think twice about asking. And the good-natured sixteen-year-old boys had been dumbfounded when she’d turned her lethal grin in their direction. They probably would have handed over the dog to her if she’d asked.
Shane was glad the sadness was out of her chestnut-brown eyes. She fell into a heap in the middle of a small patch of grass as the exuberant puppy licked her face and neck. Her laughter rang out in the waning sun.
He nursed a soda and watched her for a few more minutes before he waved to her. She waved back and jogged to him.
“Sorry I got so morose in the truck.”
“I’m sorry Larry dropped the ball so bad.” He tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “I wish you’d known him the way I did.”
“As I said, I had a good childhood. What we didn’t have in money, my mom made up in creativity and love.”
He cupped her face and dropped a soft kiss on her mouth. Instead of spiraling out into a hungry meeting of lips like they usually did, they kept it leisurely paced and sweet. A stiff wind blew across the flat landscape, and she burrowed into him.
Her warm breath puffed against his neck, and he watched the clouds roll forward, heavy with snow if he didn’t miss his guess. “I smell snow.”
“Oh, really? The California boy smells snow?”
“Hey now, I ski.”
She laughed, and the sparkle was back in her eyes. “Good to know. I can add that to the brochure.”
He laughed and shook his head. “I don’t have the patience to teach people how to ski. You know that.”
“You can learn patience.”
“Doubtful.”
She tucked her icy fingers under his shirt, and he hissed. “We’ll see.”
“Let’s get on the road. Bradley waits.”
He opened her door and sighed, handing her his soda. She grinned and climbed up, her mouth already on the lip of the bottle.
The rest of the drive was uneventful, but he still didn’t like the look of the sky. He hoped they could outrun the storm that was brewing.
The lake effect dumped a good six inches of powder on them before they made it into Buffalo.
Kendall worried the power cord to her phone. “Do you think we’ll make it home by Thanksgiving?”
“If we can get away from this snow, we should be fine.”
Kendall studied her phone with a frown. “I’m not sure we’re going to get that lucky.”
He looked up at the clear skies. “Why?”
“We’re heading through Syracuse if we stay on 90. They’re getting fourteen inches, and we’ve already been set back two hours with traffic.”
He sighed. “I’m doing everything I can to get you there.”
“I know. I just have a bad feeling.”
“How far is Bradley from Syracuse?”
“Two and a half hours.”
“We’ve got a ways to go.”
She nodded, her phone clenched in her hand as she curled her arms around her knees. “Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
The tension in the car slowly grew as the thruway clogged to a standstill. Instead of the stony gray, the air went orange.
“What is up with the sky?”
She laughed. “Welcome to New York, Shane Justice. The sky gets iridescent like this when we’re really going to get slammed with snow.”
Wednesday blurred away into gridlock traffic and the increasing potency of snow. He’d been in a few storms at ski lodges over the years, but nothing like the pummeling force of the Northeast. His windshield wipers couldn’t cut the ice-and-snow mix fast enough, and his headlights made the chaos of the flakes even harder to see through.
Cars pulled off to the side of the road, and he was past an exit before he could even make out that one had come up. His shoulders were locked as tight as his grip on the wheel. It was two a.m., and they were still in central New York.
“We need gas, Kendall.”
She sat forward in her seat. “I think the next rest stop is in fourteen miles. Is that okay, or do we need to get off at the next exit instead?”
He looked down at the needle. “Shorter would be better.”
“The next exit is Rome. About five miles ahead, I think.”
“Rome?”
She smiled faintly. “Not even close to impressive.”
�
�Well, if they have a gas station and a restroom, I’ll be happy.”
Chapter Sixteen
They did indeed have a gas station and restroom. A small diner sat across the street with three cars and lights blazing. Kendall had about all she could stand on the highway. What should have been ten hours had lengthened into sixteen, and they still weren’t close to home.
The early nor’easter wasn’t surprising. In fact, she’d been expecting them to hit weather far more than they had. But here in her backyard, Mother Nature was giving her a hard time. As if she weren’t already a mess about Shane seeing the Heron for the first time.
Maybe a blanket of snow would cover up the dingy landscape and turn it into a winter wonderland.
She barely stopped the snort as they left the truck at the gas station and trudged across the street. The snowdrifts came up to her knees, and the whiteout was complete. There was no way they could drive anymore tonight.
“Maybe we can make it in by the afternoon.”
She nodded. “It’s okay. I’ll just give my mom a call. Who says we can’t have Thanksgiving on Black Friday instead? Not like we’ve got the funds to go shopping, right?”
He frowned; she wrestled open the door against the wind and the quickly piling snow. “I’m kidding.” The blast of heat in the diner felt amazing. The rich scent of turkey and gravy and all the fixings cramped her belly. “Oh my God.”
Shane took a deep breath as well, his eyes lighting with interest. “Is the diner taking pity on us?”
A redhead came around the register. Her hair was just as wiry as she was. It stood out around her head like a singed dandelion with a reindeer antler headband pushing it all back. “Yes, we are. Come in out of that snow. We couldn’t get home, so we figured we’d bring the Thanksgiving dinner to anyone that managed to get in here.”
Kendall stomped her feet on the mat inside the door and shook the snow off her hoodie. “Hi.”
“Hello, hello. Welcome to Benny’s. I’m Benny. Sit where you like.”
There were a dozen people scattered around the room in various booths. The only thing they all had in common was the pile of food on their plates and the hungry clink of silverware. Oh, and they all looked whipped.
She collapsed in a booth by the window and put her head down on the table. “Everything hurts.”
Shane sprawled into the seat across from her, his long legs invading her space. His knee bumped hers. “We’ll get back on the road as soo—”
“No, we’ll just blow through another tank of gas idling on the highway. It’s stupid.”
He covered her hand with his. “I’ll get you home.”
She looked up. The man was a total pussycat under all the grump, and this just proved that. “I’ll talk to my mom and let her know we’ll get there when we get there.”
She didn’t want to spend Thanksgiving without her mother, but that didn’t seem to be an option. Again, one more option out of her control. This was not a habit she was looking to make.
Benny slid a plate of rolls and butter on the table and two large glasses of water. “You two want the special?”
“If it tastes as good as it smells, then yes.”
Benny cackled. “You got it, sugarplum.” She turned to Shane. “And you, hot stuff?”
Kendall snickered when he simply raised a brow. “Don’t mind him. The special for us both.”
“Coming up.”
Kendall sipped her water, then broke open a roll. Yeasty goodness made her mouth water. “I could eat our tires I’m so hungry.”
Shane grunted. “I could eat.”
Twelve hours in a snow-covered box was wearing on both of them. Conversation had been at an all-time low. Just directions and road conditions updates between them. Shane was driving remarkably well for never having dealt with a nor’easter. But then again, there wasn’t much that Shane didn’t do well.
A few minutes later Benny brought back steaming plates full of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and corn with a liberal dose of gravy over the entire thing. Kendall’s mouth watered before it landed.
“Eat up, my darlings. I expect empty plates and room for pie.”
Kendall grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
They both dug in, and conversation was a low murmur in the room. Benny kept a table full of kids happy with construction paper, crayons, and hand-shaped turkey headbands.
The giggles of the kids and the tired murmurs of families finally dissolved the last of her bunched muscles. When Benny came back with the check, they both left a huge tip and got directions to a hotel.
So they’d make it home a little later than expected. At this point all she cared about was a bed. “There’s no point in trying to make it through this snow. If we let them salt and plow, it will be a faster drive.”
“Won’t that take forever?”
“Not around here. We’re used to the snow. It’ll be gone by morning.”
He crowded in on her, dragging the backs of his knuckles along her midriff. “A bed sounds good to me.”
She slid her nails up his forearm, holding him against her middle. “Very good.”
They trudged across the street to the truck and had to push four inches of snow off the windshield. Fortunately the hotel was close. It still took ten minutes to skid their way there even with Shane’s powerful truck.
“Shower,” she mumbled as she hopped out of the truck.
“I’ll grab the bags. See what you can get us for a room. Big bed.”
She nodded, too tired to tease him about the use of that big bed. Right now she just wanted to wash the grit out of her eyes and collapse for five straight hours. When she walked into the lobby, a perky blonde smiled from the check-in desk.
“Hello. Can I help you?”
“Do you have any rooms with a king-size bed?”
She nodded, and her fingers flew over the keyboard. “Just yourself?”
“No, my…” Hell. What was he? Friend? Lover?
Shane came up behind her, rubbing her back absently. “For two.”
“I’ve got one for you.”
“That’d be great,” Shane said.
She sagged against him as the woman asked for the particulars. Shane slid his arm around her and placed a credit card on the desk when the front desk woman rattled off a price.
Kendall gave the woman a tired smile, and then they both staggered off to the elevator. Neither of them said anything when the elevator opened. In fact, the silence was so complete she swayed into Shane.
He hooked an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, sleepy. Let’s get you into a bed.”
“I shouldn’t be tired.”
“Oh yeah, why’s that?”
“You’re the one who did all the driving.”
“Dark truck and a long day? We’re both tired, babe. Let’s just get some sleep, and we can do the last leg tomorrow.”
She let him lead her to the correct door. Shane dropped their bags as soon as they got inside.
“Shower.”
“Go ahead.”
Kendall gave him a tired smile from doorway. “Thanks for everything you’re doing to get me home.” Before he could wave her thanks off like he usually did, she closed the door and turned on the shower.
She spent a full ten minutes under the spray, letting the heat pummel the tight muscles in her shoulders. By the time she was done, the room was a steam bath, and she felt human again. Taking a few extra minutes to blow-dry her hair seemed a little decadent, but she did it anyway. When it was smooth as water down her back, she finally shut off the blow-dryer. She couldn’t stand the thought of putting her dirty clothes back on, so she tucked the towel under her arm and opened the door.
The room was dark, save for a sliver of light from the streetlamps. Shane was on the bed, his feet still on the floor as he lay sprawled in the center of the bedspread, sound asleep. The poor thing had to be exhausted.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a T-shirt and slipped it on, drapin
g the towel over the chair. The idea of waking him pained her, but she knew he’d regret it if she let him stay like that. Instead she bent and took off his boots.
Not a flicker of movement. Just the gentle rise and fall of his chest. She tugged his socks off and moved up to his jeans. He had two layers of shirts on, and that would require way too much moving. Instead, she unbuckled his jeans and peeled them open.
The beam of light slid across his flat belly and highlighted his zipper.
Really? Did she need a beacon to show off exactly what she wanted? It was time for them to be in bed, and he was tired beyond measure. Resolutely she peeled his jeans down to his knees, and still he didn’t move.
Feeling better that she’d conquered the lust-brain half of her consciousness, she slowly maneuvered his plaid button-down shirt off. When he moaned lightly, she moved to his side and sat cross-legged until his breathing returned to its slow cadence.
She could barely make out his features in the limited light, but his jawline was finally relaxed in sleep. The feel of his soft beard under her knuckles made her heart turn over. She brushed her thumb along his full bottom lip. The light puff of breath against her skin felt like a caress.
Overtired and still achy, she shouldn’t want him. But she did—good God, she wanted him. This could be the last time. Everything could change tomorrow. She pushed his shirt up, smoothing her palm over the silky hairs on his belly that led to his chest. Widening her touch, she felt the firmness of his pectoral muscles and up to the tight bunch of muscles at his shoulder that flowed into his neck.
She straddled his chest and gently pulled his shirt over his chin and face. He gasped under her and automatically raised his arms to help her take off his shirt.
“Sunshine?”
She smiled into the night. “No one else better be undressing you.”
He snorted and sat up. She slid down his torso to his lap and felt him wake up all over. Her hands rested at his neck, letting her fingertips sift through his hair. The rumble of his moan burrowed into her chest and wrapped around her heart.
“You smell like…” He nudged his nose into her hair and behind her ear. “Christ, you smell good. Whatever it is, I want to eat you alive.”
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