by T. L. Haddix
“I didn’t know he was your brother,” Lou told Eli with a smile as she accepted his patient file from Haley. “This young man is the one who did such a lovely job on my kitchen after the fire.”
Haley smiled and nodded at Noah. “Hi.”
“Noah Campbell, Haley Buchanan,” Eli said, trying to nonchalantly watch her face as she shook his brother’s hand. When all he saw was polite interest, he relaxed.
“How’s he doing?” Noah asked, inclining his head toward Eli. “Is he staying out of trouble?”
Eli’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me? Me, stay out of trouble? Never.”
They all laughed when Noah winked at Lou. “This is true, but I’m trying to reform him.”
Lou shook her pen at him. “Unless something’s changed, he needs to reform you, young man. Get you out of the house more. You boys need to find good women to spoil you rotten and warm your beds. And some babies for your folks to dote on wouldn’t be amiss.”
“Now, Lou,” Haley chided.
“Oh, don’t ‘now, Lou,’ me. I’ll start on you next.”
Eli laughed at her flustered exclamation. “I’m so glad I’m the black sheep in the family. I get left alone.”
Noah surprised him with a brief hug. “You keep telling yourself that. Your unmarried self is on the chopping block, too, buddy. Sydney and Sawyer getting hitched won’t keep you safe for long. Grandma’s already trying to knit baby blankets, God help us.”
“You have something against knitting and baby blankets?” Haley asked, her hand on her hip as she leaned against the back of Lou’s chair. She winked at Eli.
“Not as long as the baby blankets are for someone other than myself,” Noah answered promptly.
“From what I’ve seen, it’s generous to call what Grandma can do to yarn ‘knitting,’” Eli added. “Noah’s cat Fig can do a better job. Our grandmother’s a very accomplished, talented woman. Knitting? Not one of her skills.”
Noah was slowly shaking his head. “Not by a long shot. It’s like Aunt Emma and cooking. She does decent spaghetti. Good thing Archer can cook or the kids would have starved growing up.”
“Oh, high praise—he’s a maestro with pasta,” Eli told the women in a confiding tone. “He cooked for me the other night. I threatened to move in with him and become his housekeeper, it was so good.”
The look Noah sent him was hard to read. “And I told you I might take you up on that offer.”
“On that note, as entertaining as you two are, I’m off to lunch. Alone,” Haley said when both Eli and Noah shot her grins. “Be safe on the road Monday, and good luck. Call if you have any questions.”
“Thanks, Haley.” Eli watched her go, then turned back to see Lou and Noah exchanging a look. “What?”
“Nothing, sweetie. So what’s going on Monday?” Lou asked. “Do I need to reschedule you?”
“Yeah. I’m off to get Fido. The prosthesis,” he explained when she frowned. “I’m naming it after the dog that caused the wreck.”
“Ha! I knew I liked you. That’s a good one. Let’s get you on the schedule.”
As he and Noah walked to the truck after they were finished, Noah spoke quietly. “I’m serious, you know. I wouldn’t object to you moving in for a while. It might be a good bridge between being with the folks and being on your own.”
Eli stopped to stare at his brother. “What about your privacy?”
Noah shrugged. “I always have the shop if I need to be alone. I could easily put a bed in the loft, set up a screen to close it off from downstairs. There’s a bath with a shower up there. You could take my room, and you’d have the downstairs bath, so we’d both have our space. Just think about it. You don’t have to decide today.”
Eli slowly started walking again. “Do you think that’s a good idea, us living under the same roof?”
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea.” Noah opened the door and stood back to let him get in position. “And I won’t feel slighted if you say no, so don’t be worried about offending me. But the offer is sincere, and it stands.”
“I told Haley something similar a few minutes ago. I was trying to get her to let me look at her SUV. It belches smoke.” Eli sighed with relief as he settled into the seat, then turned his crutches over to Noah. “The idea has merit, us being roommates. I also have concerns, though.”
A quirky little smile turned the corner of Noah’s mouth up. “You have changed.” He closed the door carefully, then went around the truck.
Eli watched him slide behind the wheel. “What makes you say that?”
Noah moved his shoulders in a casual shrug. “A couple of things. Mostly that you’re not jumping all over the decision one way or another, but instead, you’re weighing it carefully. And I don’t mean that as an insult,” he said when Eli raised an eyebrow. “But you have to admit, patience was never your strong suit. Just like socializing never was mine.”
“I don’t know. You did pretty good in there with Lou and Haley.”
“Eh. Only because I know Lou. She’s a good lady. Your Haley seems nice,” he said as he adjusted the vents on the AC.
“Not my Haley,” Eli said with some regret. He glanced down at himself, shaking his head when he saw that he was as big a mess today as he’d been Wednesday. “I was hoping we could swing by the library. Maybe tomorrow. Let’s get some food. Are you heading back to work?”
“I have to. Missy called—she’s having what she termed a ‘soiree’ next Tuesday. A ‘spur of the moment intimate little get-together for her closest thirty friends,’” he said in a high-pitched voice. “So I’ll head over there after we’ve eaten and finish up. It won’t take me a couple of hours unless she decides to play grabby hands.”
Eli snorted. “Tell you what. Let’s eat, and then I’ll get cleaned up. I’ve been thinking about your problem. I may have a solution.”
Noah grinned at him. “Yeah? Does it involve anything illegal?”
“Only if you want it to.”
When Noah laughed outright, Eli smiled and chuckled along with him. He was disappointed that Haley hadn’t wanted his help, but he’d made her aware of the problem, and he wasn’t going to forget about it. And if he could help his brother get the pushy circle of women off his back… That would be enough for now.
Chapter Nineteen
Haley had never seen so many flowers in her life. The meadow was absolutely full of them—purple coneflowers, sunny black-eyed Susans, red and pink and orange poppies, and bright-white daisies bobbing their heads on long stems. The late-afternoon sunshine set them off to perfection against the tall grass in the wide field that seemed to go on for miles and miles.
There was a warm breeze that lifted the hair from her cheeks, blowing it softly across her face to tease at her skin, and she brushed it back, tucking it behind her ear. As she gazed around, she thought the meadow looked like something from The Sound of Music, and with that in mind, she closed her eyes and twirled around and around. She even had a skirt on, something she realized when she felt the fabric swirling around her legs.
When she stopped, she felt a man’s arm slide around her waist, gently pulling her back into his body. “What do you think?” he whispered in her ear. “Is this the wedding you wanted?”
Her breath caught and time slowed. Glancing down, she saw the shape of his hand against her stomach, felt the warmth of his skin through the fabric of her dress. But she couldn’t make out the fine details of his hand, not enough to identify him.
“Who are you?” she asked, breathless, as she tried to turn.
Before she could get a glimpse of him, he’d faded. The words and the warmth of him lingered in her mind, though, as she drifted into wakefulness. When she opened her eyes to see the paneled ceiling of her bedroom in the dim early morning light, a sense of profound loss washed over h
er.
“That’s a cruel dream,” she muttered into her pillow as she rolled over. A brief glance at the clock showed her that it was only six thirty. She still had thirty minutes before she needed to be up. For a few seconds, she thought about closing her eyes to try to recapture the magic of the dream, but she groaned and moved the covers back, instead.
“I’d rather not torture myself with something that’s not going to happen anytime soon,” she said around a yawn as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. “There’s enough to deal with in the real world. I wouldn’t have time for a relationship anyhow.”
She gathered her clothes up and went into the bathroom as quietly as she could so as not to wake her grandfather. His door was still closed when she came out several minutes later, and she stopped, carefully putting her ear against the door. When she heard a gentle snore from the other side, she gave a sigh of relief.
One of these days, the snore wouldn’t be there, but today it was. Today he was still here. She headed on into the kitchen and got the coffee going, then picked up two empty five-gallon buckets from the mudroom.
With her hair pulled into a bun and covered by a handkerchief, clad in a sleeveless T-shirt and worn denim shorts, she slipped into her gardening shoes and out the front door.
This early, the sun was still burning through the haze of fog that hung in the treetops. Dew was heavy on the grass as she made her way to the back of the house, where she’d carefully cultivated a decent patch of ground into a bountiful garden. She let herself in the gate she’d built that attached to the tall fence, which served as both a support for some of the vining plants and as a barrier for deer and rabbits, and inhaled deeply.
“Good morning,” she said softly to her plants. “How are you this morning, my pretties?”
The cucumbers had come in heavily this year, and as she started picking, she realized she’d probably be able to can over thirty quarts of pickles this morning and still have fresh cukes to spare for eating. The tomatoes were the same though they were only starting to really come in. And the beans…
“We’ll eat well this winter, that’s for sure.”
She wasn’t sure about her carrots or potatoes, but the plants looked healthy enough. And she’d only planted a couple hills of squash, which was a good thing.
“You’re as prolific as bunny rabbits,” she told one of the hills as she picked the ripe squash. “The garden fairies sure blessed us this year.” She’d implemented a new, more natural fertilizer this season, and it had paid off in spades.
When she went back inside with the first two buckets, Fred was up.
“You’ve got your granny’s green thumb,” he said by way of greeting. “Want some help with those?”
“No, I have it. But the beans? Those are all yours.”
He laughed. “You never have liked breaking beans. Let me know if you need any help.”
“Thanks, Gramps.” She headed back to the garden with a third bucket to get the rest of the morning’s bounty.
An hour later, Fred was sitting at the table reading the paper, watching her work. She didn’t mind; they’d passed a good number of days like this.
“You know, part of me wishes you’d find a man who would pamper you and let you stay at home and be a homemaker. I’m awful proud of you for what you did with getting your education and that job, but I think there’s a part of you that wants to just be a wife.”
Haley paused, setting aside the jar she was washing, and turned. “There are a lot of women out there who’d take offense at that, either at the idea that I couldn’t have a job and a family, or at the idea that being a wife and mother is ‘just’ a thing women do.”
He eyed her shrewdly. “Not you.”
She smiled and shook her head. “No, not me. I love my job, love helping people. But I will admit that the idea of making a home and a family… It holds a good deal of appeal. Maybe someday.”
He shook the paper and turned the page. “That someday isn’t ever going to happen if you don’t start dating, girl.”
With a laugh, she went back to her work. “Just like winning that lottery we don’t play?”
“Exactly like that,” he agreed with a sigh. “Ornery girl.”
“I come by it honest,” she teased. “What are you into today?”
He wheeled himself over to the counter and topped off his coffee. “I was thinking about going up to visit Floyd. Dudley offered to take me. He’s going up there.”
Floyd was his best friend from school, a man he’d served in the Army with, and a man whose sister he’d almost married. But she’d met someone else while they were overseas, and then when Fred and Floyd had come back, Fred had literally stumbled across Alice, and his path had been set. Both men were widows now, and even though neither of them was in good health, they still tried to see each other as often as possible.
“You up to that?” Haley asked as she filled the canner with water.
“I think so. I’ll fake it if I’m not. Floyd’s not doing so well. Neither of us is getting any younger, girl.”
She nodded. “Okay. Promise you won’t overdo?”
He waved a hand. “You worry too much. I’ll be fine.”
“Gramps…”
“I promise, I promise. Now, what are you going to do other than make us some fine pickles?”
Haley put the canner on the stove and turned the burner on, then stretched her back. “I’ll finish up here in a couple of hours or so, and then I’ll head to town to get some groceries. I might swing by the library, too. I was talking to one of my patients yesterday, and he got me thinking about a few books I want to read.”
She grinned and snickered as she thought about Eli and Noah and their interactions with one another. They’d been enjoying teasing each other yesterday, and based on what Eli had said, that was something new. She hoped they were able to fix whatever was wrong between them. They both seemed like genuinely nice guys.
Fred saw her smile and whistled. “Must have been some conversation.”
To her mortification, she felt her cheeks flush. “It was.”
“Too bad he’s a patient. Do I need to make a visit to town?”
Haley narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “Now, Gramps…”
He chuckled, knowing he’d gotten her, and rocked the chair back and forth a little. “How long will he be on your roster?”
“A few months. He’s just back from Afghanistan. Lost his foot in a wreck over there.”
“Is he single? A Christian boy? Good family?”
“It hardly matters what he is other than the fact that he’s my patient,” she said with exasperation as she started adding slices of cucumbers to hot jars.
“Uh-huh. Sure. Does he have all his teeth?”
Haley gave an flustered laugh. “Gramps!”
“I’d hate to see you fall for a feller with bad teeth. That’s all I’m saying,” he called over his shoulder. “I’d better get cleaned up. Dudley will be here before long.”
She stood at the sink, holding on to the side for support as she laughed quietly. If she wasn’t careful, he’d be in there next week quizzing Eli about his potential as a husband. She could imagine that disaster, and she sighed.
“It would almost be worth it,” she told the cucumbers. “Almost.”
By the time she was finished, she had over thirty quarts of dill pickles cooling under towels on the counter. As she cleaned up the mess she’d made, the soft clink and pop of the lids as they sealed made her smile. Fred had left with Dudley a while ago, and she locked up before she hit the shower.
Her grandfather’s words from earlier about her being a housewife seeped in as she shampooed her hair. What she’d told him was true—she really did love helping people. There was a challenge to the job, a balance between
teaching and coaching that she enjoyed meeting. But if she fell in love tomorrow and the option was hers to stay home or go out into the world and work?
“I don’t know which way I’d go.” She closed her eyes as she rinsed her hair, loving the sensual feel of the water washing away the suds. The man in the dream came back to tease at her senses, and she laid a hand on her stomach where his had been in the dream, then let it drift lower.
Haley didn’t have the same religious convictions as her grandfather. But he’d raised her to be very conscious about the consequences of certain kinds of behavior, sex included. He’d wanted her to be able to make a good decision whatever that choice might be. Added into that, seeing the fallout from her mother’s having been seduced at a young age and left pregnant had always been in the back of Haley’s mind.
As a result, while she’d dated in high school and college, she’d never let things go too far. She’d also never met a man who interested her enough emotionally or intellectually to make her want to take a chance. She was still a virgin, and though that got frustrating at times, she was at peace with the decision. Sex for the sake of having sex held no appeal.
Jenna teased her, not always kindly, about that decision, but Haley stuck firm. She didn’t judge other women for their choices, and she expected the same from them. Anyone who disagreed with how she led her life could take a flying leap.
“I guess I’m waiting for a man who makes me want to throw logic and common sense out the window,” she said as she turned the water off and got out of the shower. “Maybe I’ve read too many romance novels.”
Against her best judgment, her mind flew to Eli Campbell. Some of the things he’d said yesterday made her think…. But no. She didn’t believe he was really interested in her, and even if he was, it wouldn’t mean a thing. Not as long as they had a therapist/patient relationship. And that would be the case for months.
