by Jill Sanders
“Um, you can just leave those there.” She nodded to the front deck. “I’ll drag them in myself.”
To his credit, he nodded and set everything down. “You know if you need any help…”
She smiled. “Thanks.” She nudged the door slightly, just as Connor came bolting towards her.
“Mommy!” he screamed. His excited voice echoed down the street. “Come see…” Connor stopped when he saw Rowan. Instantly, her son was by her side, half of his body hiding behind hers as his little hand went into hers. “Who?”
Kayla knelt next to her son. “Connor, this is Rowan Holley.” She squeezed his hand lightly. “He’s a friend of Mommy’s.” When the fear left her son’s eyes, she stood and smiled over at Rowan. “Rowan, my son, Connor.”
“James.” Connor tugged on her hand. “Connor James,” he added.
“Right.” She smiled down at him. “My son, Connor James.”
Rowan knelt slowly, then held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Connor James.”
Her son frowned at Rowan’s hand.
“It’s customary for men to shake hands,” Rowan said softly.
Connor glanced up at her and when she gave him a nod of encouragement, he touched Rowan’s thumb and shook it. Rowan laughed, then took Connor’s hand in his and showed him how to shake.
“CJ, this is how men shake hands.”
Her son frowned, his eyebrows going together at the nickname.
“Does that mean I’m a man?” Connor asked, looking up at Rowan.
She chuckled. “I think we have a few more years before that happens.” She sighed. “At least, I’m hoping for a few more years.”
“That’s a nice cast, CJ.” Rowan nodded. “When you’re ready to get that thing off, let me know.” He glanced up at her and winked. “I’m a doctor.”
She watched her son’s eyes widen. “Will it hurt?”
“No,” Rowan said softly. “It’s fun. I cut it off with a saw.” He made a funny noise and moved his fingers over her son’s cast. “Just like that.” He snapped his fingers. “And you can have your normal arm back.”
“Cool.” Connor repeated his noise and continued to make the sound as he stood by her.
Rowan stood back up. “Has JT stopped by yet?” His eyes moved to the front door.
She shook her head quickly. “I wasn’t expecting him until later tonight. He has a load of guests he has to take out to the resort.”
Rowan’s eyebrows shot up quickly. “He does enjoy his hobby of shuttling people out to the resort on the ferry. Although, now he has a partner in crime who takes some of his shifts.”
“Oh?” She shifted and picked up Connor when he tugged on her arm.
“Yeah, Todd has filled in for your brother a few times, like when your brother went to LA for the filming of his book.” He chuckled and shook his head. “You would think that he’d walked on Mars, the way everyone in town treats him now.”
She sighed with a smile. “We’re really proud of him.”
“Well, if you’re sure I can’t help you with anything further…”
She shook her head. “Thank you, no. I think we can manage the rest.”
“Make sure to let me know when the cast should come off.” He nodded, then turned away. “Oh, I forgot.” He turned back and held up his finger quickly, showing her that he wanted her to wait, then he rushed down the walkway and opened the door of a very nice, very new, very shiny car. She scanned the vehicle with appreciation.
When he came back, her eyes were still glued to the car. “Is that…” She broke in before he could speak. “Is that a new Jag?”
Rowan glanced back and smiled. “Yeah, just got her last month.” He shook his head. “Still haven’t figured out all the buttons on the dash yet.”
“Nice.” She turned back to him and noticed the rather large basket he was holding.
“This is the reason I stopped when I saw you pull into town.” He held up the basket. “From my aunt, Crystal.” He handed it to her and looked at Connor. “I just checked it for things that wouldn’t be kid friendly. My aunt tends to…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”
Kayla smiled. “I understand. I’ll have to swing by the store and tell her thank you.”
Crystal Holley was the town eccentric. Besides owning the extremely large Holley Hill, one of the oldest homes in town, she ran the brightest and most outrageous store in Silver Cove. Serenity’s Attic was probably one of the last true hippie stores left along the East Coast. The outside of the store was covered with bright blue and yellow sun and moon designs and its aisles were filled with odd items, which flew off the shelves at an alarming rate.
Several years back, his aunt had started offering yoga classes and massages as well.
Rowan nodded. “She’d love to see you and to meet Connor. Serenity is expecting her first child in a few months.”
“Oh, how wonderful.” Kayla smiled. She really liked Rowan’s cousin, Sarah, aka Serenity to her family members.
The last time she’d been in town, she’d meet Sarah’s new husband, Ben. The couple owned and ran East Haven Resort, the massive and very expensive resort just off the coast on a secluded island. The very resort her brother shuttled guests to on his ferry, when he wasn’t writing best-selling science fiction books. Kayla had read every book more than a dozen times.
The resort was one of the first places in town that Kayla planned on applying for a job. She figured with two years of college behind her—well, one and three-quarters—she was bound to have some skills they could use.
“Well, I’ll let you two get to unpacking.” Rowan glanced at her son. “It was nice to meet you, CJ.”
She watched Rowan jog down the sidewalk and get into the beautiful Jaguar.
“Bye.” Connor waved and half hid behind her leg. “Mommy, is that a nice man?”
“Yes, sweetie.” She let out a soft sigh as Rowan climbed behind the powerful machine. “Yes, he is.”
Rowan was late for work, but the time he’d spent with Kayla had been well worth it. It was hard to explain, but he felt closer to her than almost anyone else in his life, even her brother, JT, who had been one of his best friend’s years ago.
He knew they both felt guilty about Lori’s death. He didn’t know what Kayla had to feel guilty about, but he could see it in her eyes every time her sister was brought up. Jerry’s eyes just held anger.
Being one of the only doctors in Silver Cove kept Rowan busy. Still, minus any emergencies, he could pretty much set his own hours. The fact that he’d left his job at a major hospital a few years back and reopened his grandfather’s practice didn’t faze him anymore. This was where he belonged. The more time passed, the surer he was he’d made the right choice.
When his parents had left him, their massive house, and the town of Silver Cove for much warmer waters in the Florida Keys, he had moved back into town and into the old house.
Of course, one of his reasons for returning home was the silent threat that they were going to sell the house if he didn’t want it. He’d jumped at the chance to come home, almost blindly. After all, the home and the larger version of it sitting across the street had been in the Holley family for generations.
So, he’d moved home and sunk his entire savings into reopening his grandfather’s practice in the hopes that the town would welcome him with open arms. And they had.
It had been almost four years since he’d returned. Four long years of building his practice and many sleepless nights answering emergency calls until he could afford to hire more staff.
Now he’d hired two full-time doctors to balance things out.
When he walked in the front doors, he smiled and waved at Jenny, one of the receptionists.
“Good morning, Dr. Holley.” She smiled at him.
“Hi, Jenny.” He stopped by the front desk and glanced around the waiting area. There were three people waiting there: a young mother and her daughter, and an older gentleman he’d known his entire life. “E
arl.” He walked over to the man. “What are you doing back here so soon?”
“Well, Rowan, those pills you gave me for my arthritis are making me shake.” He held up his hand and, sure enough, it shook uncontrollably.
“Come on back.” He helped Earl stand up and walk back to an empty room.
Ten minutes later, Earl left with a new prescription and he moved on to his next patient. His schedule was full for the rest of the day, keeping his mind focused.
His last appointment for the day was his favorite. Serenity and Ben walked in, both with huge smiles on their faces.
“How’s my favorite patient and cousin?” He kissed Sarah, then shook Ben’s hand.
“I’m your only cousin.” Sarah grinned at him. “But I’ll take the patient part.” She sat down. “My feet are swelling.” She nudged her shoes off her feet and held them up for his inspection.
He narrowed his eyes, knelt before her, and took his time examining each foot. He hid his smile when she giggled as he ran his finger over a ticklish spot he knew she had.
“Hmm,” he said, trying to sound very serious.
“What?” Ben asked. Rowan could hear the worry in the man’s voice.
Rowan stood up and crossed his arms. “This could be serious.”
“What?” both Sarah and Ben asked at the same time.
“I’m inclined to think that… by the way both your feet and your ankles are retaining water, that…”
“What?” Sarah blurted out.
“You might be pregnant,” he added with a smile.
“I could just kill you… you know, right now… If I wasn’t so tired.” Sarah leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.
He took her hand. “Honey, you’re creating a new human. Your body is going to do some pretty crazy things in the next few months. Sit back, enjoy yourself. Let me do the worrying.” He placed a kiss on her cheek.
Sarah looked up at him and let out a large sigh. “I know, it’s just… It helps to hear you tell me there’s nothing wrong.”
“Have you talked to your mother about this? She could tell you what to expect.”
Sarah laughed. “She tried to slather some smelly stuff on my legs and feet. Then she talked to me about a water birth.” Sarah visibly cringed.
“Water births are…” He dropped off when his cousin gave him the glare of death. Holding up his hands, he chuckled. “It’s totally up to you.”
“You will be delivering this baby. In the hospital.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Period.”
Rowan glanced over at Ben, who just laughed. “Don’t look at me. You know your cousin. Once she’s made up her mind…”
“Okay, whatever you want.” He helped Sarah back into her shoes and then pulled her out of the chair. “You have three months to go. Think you can handle coming in once every two weeks from here on out?”
He didn’t want to worry her, but he was a little concerned about the water retention. He wrote something down in her chart as Sarah and Ben argued about their schedules and then came back with a unanimous yes.
“Sarah, I agree with Ben. You shouldn’t be working so many hours still.” He walked them out towards the front.
Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t gang up on me. I’ll work as long as I feel able to.”
“Or until your doctor tells you to stop.” He gave her a stern look.
“Right,” she said, without glancing up at him.
Just as he was helping them out to the front door, it flew open and a haggard looking Kayla rushed in holding a very bloody, very unconscious Connor James.
“Help!” she cried out, looking at him frantically.
Chapter 2
Kayla dragged the first bag up the stairs and into Connor’s room. It was just as she’d left it years ago, down to the old white comforter on her twin bed. Some of her old clothes were even still hanging in the closet.
It was apparent that her mother had kept her mess and her animals out of this room. For that, she was very thankful.
“See.” Connor bounced up and down on the bed. “Mine.”
“It’s nice, honey.” She stopped her son from bouncing by taking him in her arms and kissing him until he giggled uncontrollably.
“Stop!” he cried and tried to get away.
“You okay with this?” she asked when he settled down.
Connor nodded, then crossed his arms over his chest. “Downstairs smells.”
“I know, sweetie. But maybe we can convince Mema to let us clean up a little.”
Connor smiled. “Where is your room?”
“Let’s go see.” She held out her hand, but he climbed into her lap, so she carried him across the hallway.
When she opened her mother’s guest room, she held in a groan. Here, she wasn’t as lucky as Connor had been.
Three cats rushed out of the room when the door opened. From the smell that hit her, she wondered how long they had been locked in there.
“Ewww.” Connor pinched his nose with his fingers.
“Yeah.” She sighed. “Ewww.”
“Mommy.” Connor tugged the collar of her shirt. “I can help clean.” He took the sleeve of his shirt and rolled it up, then tried to do the same to his other sleeve, but his red cast was in the way. She smiled as he mimicked a move she knew he’d seen her do before.
“Thank you, sweetie.” She set him down. “Well, I’ll go downstairs and see if Mema has some Lysol.”
“What’s dat?” Connor frowned.
“The lemon stuff,” she answered. “The stuff that makes everything smell good.”
“I like dat stuff.” Connor smiled.
“Why don’t you go back to your room until I find what I need.” She walked him to the door. “Stay here, okay?”
He nodded as a reply and she noticed a yawn escape him. With any luck, he’d nap all the way through her cleaning spree.
When she returned upstairs almost half an hour later laden down with all the cleaning supplies her mother had, he was curled up on her childhood bed, fast asleep. Her mother was laying down on the sofa watching TV, her usual spot since her father had left shortly after Lori’s death.
She knew she would be able to work faster without help from either of them.
The first half an hour, she took several loads of empty boxes, extra bags of clothes, and junk out to the dumpster in the back alley. She didn’t even ask her mother what she could toss out. She just scooped everything up, threw it in trash bags, and hauled it away.
She was shocked at how many new items were laying around, things that still had the price tags on them. Everything from clothes to office supplies, and even a few lawn care items. That was kind of funny considering it appeared that her mother hadn’t touched the outside of the house in years. The grass hadn’t been mowed for so long that it had actually stopped growing in spots. Weeds had taken control of more than half the yard. She put all of the new items in the garage instead of hauling them to the dumpster.
When the room was clear of clutter, she pulled the blankets and sheets off the bed and tossed them into the washing machine, making sure to add extra soap and softener into the mix.
Then she pulled out the mop and cleaning supplies. Under a thick layer of muck, she knew there was a very nice Cherrywood floor. She scraped, mopped, and even got down on her hands and knees and scrubbed until the floors gleamed back at her. Checking on Connor several times, she kept the bedroom doors open so she could listen for him.
Then she tackled the layers of dust. Once every surface in the room shined, she opened the door to the guest bathroom and closed her eyes on a groan.
A cat had obviously had a litter of kittens at one point in the shower. There was a nest of old towels that she picked up carefully with a trash bag. She held her breath at the stink. She slipped on what she could only assume was cat poop as she walked out of the room, holding the bag in front of her at arm’s length. She seriously questioned her mother’s sanity once more.
Was this t
he kind of home she wanted to raise her son in? Why had she let her mother go this far? Did JT know it had gotten this bad? More important, what would it take to convince her mother to clean up the rest of the house?
When she came back up the stairs after dropping the towels in the dumpster, she heard Connor moving around and peeked her head into his room with a smile that froze instantly.
“Look, mama.” He smiled as a large black dog jumped up on his bed. “Doggie.”
She hadn’t known her mother’s dogs were so big. From the sound of the barking earlier, she’d assumed they were small. “Sweetie.” She started to move closer to him, just as Connor reached out to pet the dog.
Two things happened quickly. One, she reached her son in record time just as the black dog growled loudly. Second, she watched as the dog’s sharp teeth sank into Connor’s skin.
Connor let out a loud shrill, and the dog snapped again. This second bite hit his cast, and she wondered just how bad it could have been if that hadn’t been the case.
The dog had Connor’s cast in his mouth and Kayla grabbed a handful of its dark mane, trying desperately to yank it away from her son.
When it wouldn’t let go of Connor, she wrapped her arms around its neck as it shook her son’s broken arm, taking his little body along. Connor’s entire body shook violently several times as he screamed at the top of his lungs.
“What’s going on?” Her mother rushed in.
“Mom! Help!” she cried out as she tried to open the dog’s mouth. The massive teeth sank into her fingers as she pried its jaws from the cast.
“Bruno, down!” her mother cried out several times.
The dog didn’t even blink at the command. He continued to shake her son as its teeth sank deeper into the cast. Its massive body shook with a deep growl.
Fisting her hands, she punched the dog straight in the eye socket, a move she’d seen once in a movie. She felt her knuckle split open on contact, but struck out several more times, hitting it in the throat.
The dog’s jaw loosened and finally, released. Connor’s body bounced off the corner of the bed and hit the floor with a thud.
Her mother grabbed the massive dog by the collar and pulled him out of the room. She gave them no more of her attention as she held her breath and raced over to gather Connor up.
