by Brenda Novak
“What’s going on?” He ducked his head as he entered her craft room, because the ceiling was so much lower than anywhere else in the house.
She glanced up from her sewing machine where she was nearly buried in shiny purple fabric. “I’m making a bridesmaid dress for Beatrice’s daughter.”
“Who?”
“Melanie Jamison, the neighbor’s daughter.”
“Oh, right. That’s nice of you.”
“I love weddings,” she said pointedly.
He slouched into one of the fold-up chairs surrounding the table. “I know, and you don’t have any daughters. I’ve heard this before.”
She arched a meaningful eyebrow at him. “Obviously not enough. I could have two daughters-in-law if only my oldest son would take pity on his poor mother, settle down and start a family.”
“Josh is keeping up that end of things.”
“Rebecca has difficulty getting pregnant. You know that. It was a miracle they managed to have little Brian. They may not be able to have another child.”
“Isn’t one enough?”
“No. And you’re almost forty, Mike.”
“Don’t make me regret stopping by,” he grumbled.
“You won’t regret it because I’ll feed you before you leave.”
He crossed his legs at the ankles. “I like your tactics.”
She shrugged. “I go with what works.”
“Where’s Dad?” he asked. “Don’t tell me he had to teach today.”
“No, they canceled school. We’ve got a leak upstairs. He’s trying to figure out how the water’s getting in.”
“You think he needs a hand?”
The sewing machine whirred into action as she bent over her work. “You could ask him.”
“Ask me what?”
Mike twisted to see his father step into the room. “Did you find the leak?”
“I did. Soon as the storm passes, I’ll get up on the roof and patch it.”
His father was pretty spry for sixty-three, but Mike saw no reason to risk an accident. “Don’t climb onto the roof. I’ll take care of it this weekend.”
“What brings you by this time of day? And in a storm like this?” his father asked. “Did you lose power out at the ranch?”
The sewing machine fell silent and his mother peered at him over her reading glasses, waiting for his answer.
Mike cleared his throat. “No, I had to give Lucky a ride into town because she was stranded at Grandpa’s house without any heat or water.”
“Did you say Lucky?” His mother blinked as though he’d just spoken gibberish. The lines on his father’s forehead formed an instant V.
“Lucky Caldwell’s back,” Mike said.
His mother promptly pushed all the fabric out of her lap and onto the table. “You’re kidding.”
“No.”
“But why? Why is she back after so long?”
“Because she owns property here, I guess.” He remembered Lucky saying there was something she had to do and wondered about the book she’d gone after, despite the rough weather. But he didn’t see any point in mentioning it. He didn’t have any idea what she had planned.
“That house should belong to us,” his mother said.
His father walked over to massage Barbara’s shoulders. “Do you know if she’s staying for good?” he asked Mike.
Mike removed his hat and scratched his head. “I don’t think so.”
“That’s hopeful, anyway.” His father bent to give his mother an encouraging smile, but the unhappy expression on her face lingered.
“I wish she’d sell us that house and be done with it,” Barbara said. “But she won’t. She’s a mean-spirited, nasty person just like her mother.”
Mike had come here hoping to bolster his dislike of Lucky. But his mother’s harsh words didn’t sit well. “Mean-spirited?” he repeated.
“What else would you call her? She has no use for that house. She doesn’t even like Dundee. She thumbed her nose at us and ran off the second she inherited it, and no one’s heard from her since. Unless it’s to send a forwarding address for her monthly check.”
“She left as soon as she graduated,” he clarified, “not as soon as she inherited.”
“It happened about the same time. She took off, that’s the important part, and she abandoned the house to the elements.”
What Mike had once viewed as indifference now seemed to have a variety of interpretations. “Maybe she didn’t feel accepted here.”
His mother shook her head. “She was born here! She just couldn’t wait to start traveling across the country, living the high life on my father’s money.”
Mike was the one who’d told them about Lucky’s nomadic lifestyle, but now that he knew she’d never even slept with a man until him, he doubted she’d spent all her time partying. What he’d previously imagined as Lucky living the wild single’s life suddenly seemed like a pretty solitary existence. “Grandpa’s trust doesn’t give her that much every month,” he said.
“She gets enough to support herself,” his father pointed out.
“True, but I’ve offered her more than half a million for the house. If she really wanted to live the good life, don’t you think she would’ve liquidated as soon as possible?”
His mother’s cheeks grew mottled as she stood and moved closer to him. “Why are you defending her?”
“I’m not.” He shrugged as if he wasn’t particularly concerned one way or the other. “I’m wondering if there isn’t a little more to the story, that’s all.”
“You lived next door to her while she was growing up. You know what she’s like. Josh told me she stripped off her clothes in front of you once.”
“It was only her top and—”
“Only her top! She had no business doing that. What a little…tramp,” she finished as though the word had been difficult for her to say but was too fitting to avoid.
Mike’s irritation spiked in spite of his efforts to retain control. “She’s not a tramp.”
A pained expression claimed his father’s face. “Maybe you’re not used to hearing your mother say such things, but you know Lucky’s reputation, Mike.”
Mike knew of Lucky’s reputation, all right. He’d made assumptions based on that reputation and he’d found them to be totally false. But without telling his parents how he came to know her reputation had been largely exaggerated, he couldn’t convince them that they were wrong, so he decided it’d be smarter to back off.
“Look, she’s not my favorite person, either, okay?” he said. “I want Grandpa’s house, and I’m still hopeful she’ll sell it to me and move. But if she doesn’t, let’s…” He allowed his words to fade away, because he wasn’t sure how to frame his request.
“What?” his mother demanded.
“Let’s not make a big deal about her being here. Live and let live, you know?”
“When have we ever hurt her? I’ve hardly spoken two words to her.”
“I’m just saying that maybe we could cut her a little slack. This whole mess is really her mother’s fault.”
“Lucky was part of it, too,” Barbara argued. “I remember how she used to fawn over my dad. ‘Daddy, it’s cold out. Don’t forget your coat. Daddy, I shined your boots the way you like them.’ She hung on your grandpa’s every word and smiled up at him as though he was the moon and the stars, all the while hoping to get her hands on his money. It kills me that he fell for it.”
“We don’t know about her motivation, Mom. She was only a child.”
“She wasn’t a child when you took her to court.”
Mike couldn’t help scowling. How was it that he ended up on the opposite side of every argument lately? “Morris gave her the house. What did you want her to do, apologize and hand it back?”
“Yes!” his mother said. “Why not? What makes her think she’s entitled to it? She was part of my dad’s life for only ten years. Her mother tried to kill him, for heaven’s sake!”
“We’re not positive about that.”
“Of course we are. Maybe we couldn’t prove it, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”
“Even if it’s true, Lucky didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Who knows?”
Mike stood and stretched his neck. After last night he was sure Lucky hadn’t had anything to do with the insulin overdose. She wasn’t the kind of person to harm an old man. His mother, who was usually one of the most generous people he knew, simply couldn’t divorce her emotions from the situation long enough to see it from any perspective but her own, and trying to force the issue was only creating a bigger problem. “Look, Mom, I’m sorry Lucky’s back, okay? But there’s no need to get so upset. Everything will be okay.”
A tear trickled down his mother’s cheek. “The way I feel isn’t right,” she said, suddenly deflating. “I’ve never hated anyone in my life, but I hate Red, whether she’s dead or not, and I hate Lucky.” She turned her face into Larry’s chest, and he put his arms around her.
“You’re entitled, honey,” he soothed. “You’ve been through a lot because of them.”
Mike couldn’t believe he’d made his mother cry; she typically cried only at weddings and funerals. First he’d hurt Lucky, then Gabe, and now his mother. Evidently he was making a clean sweep of everyone he came into contact with today.
So much for being Mr. Nice Guy….
CHAPTER SEVEN
MIKE LEFT his parents’ house as soon as possible, even though his mother insisted on feeding him. The conversation over lunch was too stilted. Mike could tell his father wasn’t happy that he’d taken Lucky’s side of the argument. And the word tramp kept flashing through his mind like a cue card, making him feel guilty for allowing their misjudgment to continue when he knew for a fact that it wasn’t true. Problem was, defending Lucky any more valiantly than he already had could cause his poor mother to have a nervous breakdown. Just imagining a scene where he told his family that he knew Lucky wasn’t a tramp because he’d taken her virginity was enough to make his blood run cold.
He shook his head and eased his SUV over to the right because his tires kept slipping on the snow-packed road. Considering how much his association with Lucky would upset everyone who cared about him, he was going to choose the lesser of two evils and keep his mouth shut. He needed to go home and get some sleep. Maybe then he could gain some perspective on all of this.
But as he passed the Timberline Motel where Lucky was staying, he couldn’t help craning his head to get a glimpse of the door to her unit. Was that a light glimmering through the crack in the drapes? What was she doing? Reading that black book? Had she eaten since breakfast?
Probably not. She couldn’t have gone anywhere on foot in this storm. Which meant she had to be hungry.
Not your problem! he quickly reminded himself. But when he found the highway out of town closed because of the storm, it came as no surprise. And although Lucky wasn’t his problem, that didn’t stop him from buying her a burger and fries and heading straight to the Timberline.
WHEN SHE HEARD a knock at the door, Lucky shoved her mother’s journal, which she’d left on the bed, into a drawer and went to check the peephole. “Who in the world—”
Mike again. She couldn’t believe her eyes. What was he doing here? He’d already destroyed what little peace of mind she’d possessed when she returned to Dundee. Why couldn’t they make things easy on each other and avoid contact now that they had the chance? She was certainly trying to do her part.
She wouldn’t answer the door, she told herself. She wasn’t dressed for company. After her shower, she’d pulled on a T-shirt and sweats without a bra.
But it looked as if he was carrying something that could be food. And he’d already seen a lot more of her than she was showing now.
Opening the door, she braced herself against the wind and snow that rushed in and stared out at him. “Don’t tell me you’re stuck in town.”
“Actually I am.”
“Why didn’t you go back earlier?”
“I guess I had to cause some problems first.”
“What kind of problems?”
“Never mind. Are you hungry?”
“Not really,” she said above the wind, but she knew her eyes had betrayed her when they flicked to the sack.
He grinned knowingly. “A double cheeseburger. With bacon.”
The smell alone made her salivate. A double cheeseburger with bacon was better than sex—and now she knew what she was talking about when she used that expression. “Well…I wouldn’t want it to go to waste,” she said, trying to sound indifferent so she wouldn’t have to thank him too profusely. “Let me get my purse so I can pay you.”
The wind would have slammed the door against the inside wall had she left it standing open. She asked him to hold it and turned to retrieve the promised money, expecting him to wait right where he was. But without her to bar the way, he stepped inside.
Lucky whirled around when she heard the door click shut to see Mike, shaking off the snow and cold. His mere presence seemed to gobble up half the space in the room.
“Here you go.” Grabbing the first bill she could find in her wallet, which turned out to be a twenty, she held it out to him. She knew a double cheeseburger couldn’t have cost that much, but she wasn’t going to squabble over ten or fifteen bucks if it meant getting rid of him. “I appreciate the food.”
Ignoring the money in her outstretched hand, he gave her the sack, removed his coat and slipped around her to sit on the end of her bed. “You’re watching ESPN?” he said.
“I like sports.” She frowned at the coat he’d just discarded on her vinyl chair.
“Did you catch Monday Night Football?”
“Half of it. I couldn’t take watching Green Bay lose.”
“You’re a Packers fan?”
She was a Brett Favre fan, but she didn’t think she needed to get specific. Most men didn’t pick their favorite team based on the build of the quarterback. “I like the Raiders, too.”
“What about basketball?”
“My favorite is definitely the Kings. No team’s more exciting to watch, although the Denver Nuggets have a lot of talented young players. They might become a championship team, if they can only keep the crew together.”
“You think the Kings will ever win a championship?”
“It’s certainly their turn.”
“What about baseball?”
“What about it?”
“Do you like that, too?”
“Not as much as basketball and football, but if there’s nothing else on…”
“Who do you follow?”
“The Mariners, mostly.”
He studied her. “How do you know so much about sports?”
“From watching games, I guess.” No matter where she went, there was usually a local sports bar that served a good dinner and provided a casual, friendly atmosphere in which to spend a few hours. Whenever she moved to a strange city, she felt most comfortable sitting in one of these bars, eating buffalo wings and watching basketball on the big screen. It also gave her something to do when the other volunteers where she was temporarily working invited her out and she didn’t want to go with them that night.
“You’re nothing like I imagined,” he said simply.
“Yeah, well, it’s hard work being a villain full-time. We need a little rest and relaxation occasionally.”
Ignoring her sarcasm, he picked up the remote and turned up the volume.
“Hey, don’t you have somewhere to go?” she asked.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “In this weather?”
“Why not? You have a four-wheel-drive. I’m sure your parents would love to see you.”
“Sorry, just came from there.”
Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of the family conferring on how they might oust her from Morris’s coveted mansion. Selling was one thing. Being forced out was another. “Great. Did you tell t
hem I’m in town?”
“Of course.”
“What’d they say?”
“My mother started crying.”
She tossed the sack onto the bureau despite her hunger. “Gee, thanks for sparing my feelings.”
He leaned back, resting his weight on his palms. “I didn’t think you’d care.”
Lifting her chin, she gave him her best glare. “I don’t.”
The brim of his hat shaded his eyes, making it difficult to read his expression. He didn’t comment further, so she shoved the money he’d ignored a few seconds earlier into her pocket and glanced at the food. She wanted to eat, but there was still the small problem of persuading Mike Hill to leave her room.
“Aren’t you on your way out?” she asked.
He doffed his hat and stretched out on the bed she’d been using. “Actually, after what you did to me last night, I’m pretty tired, and—”
“What I did to you?”
“—there really isn’t anywhere I’m burning to go, at least not until the storm lifts.”
“I’m sure they have other vacancies.”
She caught a flash of white teeth as he grinned. “What’s the matter, Lucky? Do I make you nervous?”
They were sharing a twelve-by-twelve-foot room with two double beds. Of course he made her nervous. But she wasn’t about to admit it. “What makes you think you could make me nervous?”
“The fact that you keep fidgeting with the hem of that T-shirt, for one.”
“It’s a habit. I do it all the time whether I’m nervous or not.”
“Right.” He jerked his head toward the food. “Eat and watch the game. When the storm’s over, I’ll take you home.”
MIKE FELL ASLEEP within minutes, leaving Lucky to sulk about the way he’d taken over her room. He had lots of money. Why was he foisting his presence on her?
Her only escape was the bathroom, but she’d already taken a shower.
After trying unsuccessfully to become absorbed in the game, she decided she needed some sleep, too. With the television on to help drown out the storm, she climbed into the other bed, faced the wall and curled up. But a few seconds later, she couldn’t help rolling over to stare at Mike’s profile. Making love with him hadn’t been everything she’d hoped, but deep down she knew she was probably to blame for that more than he was.
