A Bridge to Dreams

by Sherryl Woods

  The honky-tonk atmosphere of the famed waterfront area, along with the Cannery and Ghirardelli Square, was exactly what Karyn needed. The sidewalk entertainment, the diverse shops and outdoor cafés set against the backdrop of the Bay gave them a chance for more leisurely, hand-in-hand strolling in an environment that defied depressing thoughts.

  She discovered that while Brad was knowledgeable about the offerings of the exclusive boutiques in Sausalito, he was just as enthusiastic about inexpensive tourist trinkets. He insisted that she have a San Francisco T-shirt and was endlessly patient while she chose one. When the purchase was made, he promptly tugged the shirt over her head, his hands lingering for just a moment beneath her breasts. The light, casual brush of his fingertips set off waves of shivering delight. It was a sensation Karyn knew she’d remember weeks from now when Brad was gone and she was alone in her bed, wearing the oversize shirt.

  “You’re trembling,” he noted, his gaze locked with hers.

  Her throat too dry to respond, Karyn nodded, terrified he could tell how his touch aroused her.

  “I think that calls for some Irish coffee,” he decided, apparently misreading the cause of the shudders sweeping through her. She was relieved at first, until she caught the knowing glint in his eyes and realized that he had deliberately taken her response lightly to set her at ease. Karyn realized then what she should have known all along: Brad knew all about seductive pacing, just as he did about negotiating the curves and hills of a Grand Prix course. It should have made her cautious. Instead, it filled her with anticipation.

  They walked to the Buena Vista Café on Hyde Street, where they were finally able to find a table for two squeezed into a corner of the crowded restaurant famous for its Irish coffee. When the steaming coffee was in front of them, Karyn clung to the cup and searched for something witty to say. Her range of repartee seemed all too limited. She doubted he would want to hear about her class in interrogatories or her struggle with taking depositions. For the first time in her life, she regretted not taking more time away from her classes and work to develop the social skills that were second nature to most women her age.

  “You’re retreating again,” Brad accused gently.

  “You’re right,” she admitted. “I don’t have a lot of practice making small talk.”

  “Small talk is between strangers. Surely we’re more than that by now.”

  “Not really.”

  He settled back, crossed his legs at the ankles and grinned. “Okay, fire away. What would you like to know?”

  She seized the opening with enthusiasm. Leaning forward, Karyn propped her chin in her hand and said, “Tell me about your family.”

  “You already know about my father. My mother is a bit of a socialite in her own right. Her parents had money. They thought she married beneath her when she married my dad. I think that’s probably why he became such a workaholic. I think he’s always been trying to prove himself. Ironically, he never needed to prove anything to my mother. She adores him and she stopped caring what her parents thought the day she walked down the aisle.”

  “Any brothers or sisters?”

  “A younger brother.”

  “Does he show any inclination to take over the family business? Couldn’t he relieve you of some of the responsibility, so you could race again?”

  “Unfortunately, Brian is only interested in making sure that he gets his share of our father’s estate. If he had his way, I’m sure it would be sooner, rather than later.”

  “That’s awful,” she said, genuinely appalled. “Don’t they get along?”

  “It’s not that. Brian is a gambler, a real high roller. It’s an addiction, but he doesn’t see it that way. Dad gave up on him a long time ago. He put money in a trust fund for him so that he’d never have grounds to challenge his will, but he won’t allow him access to the business. He’s afraid he’d lose it in a high-stakes poker game or use it for collateral to bankroll a bet on the races at Santa Anita. Brian gets a healthy amount from the interest on the trust, but it’s never enough. He’s always borrowing from Mom or me or our grandparents. He only dares to turn to Dad when he’s desperate.”

  Karyn listened carefully for some evidence of anger. She heard none. “You don’t sound bitter. Why? He’s keeping you from your dream.”

  “I feel sorry for him. Gambling is a sickness for him, but until he realizes it, he’ll never change. As for me, Brian’s not keeping me from anything. I made a choice about how I wanted to handle my life and my relationship with Dad. I owe him a lot. Without him, I’d never have been on the race circuit in the first place. I’m going through a rough period of adjustment now, but I know what I’m doing is right.”

  “I saw that picture of the two of you that’s hanging in your office. He looked very proud.”

  “He was. I think he feels tremendous guilt about what’s happened. I’ve tried not to let him see the frustration I feel, but sometimes I’m sure he does. Fortunately, for all of us, it’s getting better.”

  Brad took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb across the knuckles before raising it slowly to his lips. That sense of shivery anticipation raced through Karyn again as he lingered over the tender caress. “I’m finding more and more to like about this more stable lifestyle,” he said in a low voice that skimmed across her senses with the fire of whiskey.

  “Brad.” With the roaring of her blood in her ears, she was barely able to choke out his name.

  “Um?”

  “Maybe…I’d better go home. It’s been a long day and it’s getting late.”

  He smiled ruefully. “Why am I so certain that you mean to go alone?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You needn’t be. It’s part of what makes you special. Come on, then. I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “I’ll give you a lift,” she offered, suddenly reluctant to put an end to the day, fearful the joyous feelings she’d been discovering would vanish like a wisp of fog in sunlight.

  “No. If I get into that car with you, I may not want to get out. It’s better if I walk back to my hotel.”

  She felt oddly hesitant. What if sending him home alone proved to him just how silly and unsophisticated she was? “I will see you in the morning, won’t I?” Though her tone was light, she knew there was no mistaking her doubts. She regretted it, but she couldn’t stop it.

  “Maybe not at dawn again, but I will be there,” Brad promised. “Count on it.”

  His arms slid around her then and his lips found the sensitive spot on her neck before claiming her lips one last time. “It’s been a special day, Karyn. One I’ll never forget.”

  “Do you really mean that?” she asked, anxiously searching his eyes.

  “Every word, sweetheart.”

  With his words warming her heart, Karyn got in the car, turned on the ignition and started to back up. A bus pulled part of the way past and stopped, blocking her way. She hit the brakes and waited. The bus didn’t move. Finally growing increasingly irritated, she turned and glared toward the driver.

  It was Timmy—and the expression on his face as he scowled down at her and Brad, who was still waiting nearby, was not filled with brotherly love. She had no doubts at all that the only thing keeping him from climbing out of the bus and pummeling Brad right then and there was the fact that the bus was filled with passengers. Even so, he appeared torn between expressing his indignation and his professional responsibility.

  “Brad, I think you’d better go on,” she whispered urgently.

  Brad heard the odd nervousness in her voice, but more than that he saw a quick flicker of panic in her eyes. It shook him. He reached out to touch her cheek reassuringly, but she moved away. Puzzled, he asked, “Karyn, what’s wrong?”

  She again glanced anxiously toward the bus that was blocking her car. “The man driving that bus,” she whispered, “the one with murder in his eyes…”

  “Yes?”

  “He’s my brother Timmy.”

  Brad turne
d around slowly and looked toward the bus. He studied the driver and caught the hint of brotherly outrage on his face. For the first time he fully understood just how protective her family was. A part of him appreciated such deep loyalty and concern and liked the fact that someone had been looking after Karyn as he himself would have done. What worried him was the effect it seemed to have on her. One minute she had been all woman in his arms. The next she had been as skittish as a kitten.

  In an attempt to disarm Timmy and relieve Karyn’s nervousness, Brad waved. As Brad had intended, the friendly gesture obviously disconcerted her brother. Timmy gave him a halfhearted wave then, with obvious reluctance, responded to the noisy, irritated rebukes from his passengers. He pulled into traffic and drove on.

  With his departure, Brad could see Karyn’s tension visibly abate, though she continued to shiver. He realized then that he couldn’t possibly let her go home alone, when it was obvious she was going to spend the night worrying herself sick over the prospect of a confrontation with her brother. Before she could put the convertible back into gear, he leaped over the door and settled into the passenger seat.

  Clearly startled, she stared over at him. “Brad, what do you think you’re doing?”

  “Going home with you.”

  “You can’t,” she protested.

  “Why not?”

  “Because—”

  “Because your brother is going to show up with a thousand and one questions, right?”

  “If I’m lucky,” she said with a sigh of resignation.

  “And if you’re not?”

  “He’ll also have the rest of the family in tow.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m coming along. We’ve done nothing wrong. The fact that he saw me kiss you goodnight is hardly grounds for hysteria.”

  “You’ve obviously never encountered anyone like my brothers. They plopped me on a pedestal at birth and I can’t seem to get down. They definitely don’t want anyone up there with me.”

  “Very Victorian,” he said, and laughed at her grimace. “I’m looking forward to meeting them.”

  She turned and stared at him in apparent astonishment.

  “I am,” he repeated emphatically.

  She looked glum. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

  “I know.”

  “Then why are you?”

  “Because you and I are going to continue seeing each other and your brothers and I might as well get that straight right now.”

  A bright spark of hope lit her eyes. It was almost as bright as the desire he’d seen there earlier. The combination was too much for a mere mortal like him. Brad felt himself falling wildly, crazily in love. Karyn had presented him with one more dragon to slay and judging from the expression on her face, he’d done just fine.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Karyn awoke with a crick in her neck and a pain in her back. It was just after 7:00 a.m. and once more someone was pounding on her door. Obviously any opportunity to sleep late during her vacation was doomed. Still groggy, she stumbled halfway across the room before she remembered that Brad was sprawled on her sofa, where he’d fallen asleep sometime shortly before dawn. Since the pounding didn’t seem to be fazing him at all, she doubted that there was anything she could do to get him up and out a window before the person on the other side of that door barged in.

  She swung open the door. “Keep it down, please. My head hurts,” she grumbled.

  “More than your head is going to hurt by the time we finish talking,” Tim growled right back as he stalked into the living room.

  He was halfway to the kitchen when he caught sight of Brad, who was just beginning to stir. Tim’s expression went from shocked to outraged to thoughtful in a matter of seconds as he watched Brad kick the quilt to the floor. Fortunately, he was fully clothed beneath it.

  Tim locked his hand around her elbow and propelled her into the kitchen. “Okay, sis, who the hell is he and what is he doing here at this hour?”

  “We were waiting for you,” Karyn said, plugging in the automatic coffeepot and dumping in an extra scoop of coffee. She had a feeling they were going to need the strongest brew she could make. “When I saw you last night, I figured you were upset about seeing Brad and me, well, you know.” She gazed at him beseechingly.

  “Kissing? Right in the middle of the street? Were you out of your mind?”

  She figured the question was rhetorical. “Anyway,” she went on, “Brad came back here with me so I wouldn’t have to face the music alone. Not that there should have been any music to face, mind you.” She gazed at him pointedly. He scowled. “By the time it dawned on me that you were working the night shift, we were both too exhausted to move. Before you ask, he slept on the sofa. When he offered to sleep there, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that was actually my bed. I guess he figured there had to be a bedroom somewhere. Most people do have them, you know.” She couldn’t seem to stop rattling on.

  Tim nodded. “Okay, so far. What I’m more concerned about is where you slept.”

  Something inside Karyn snapped at the inquisition. In the past she’d simply shrugged them off. She’d certainly had nothing to hide. Now, however, it was definitely time to put a firm stop to these ridiculous intrusions into her personal life once and for all.

  “Not that it’s any of your business,” she began well enough. Her resolution wavered under Tim’s penetrating gaze. “Okay, I slept on the floor, which is why every bone and muscle in my body is protesting this morning. If you’re going to act brotherly, do it in a hurry and get out, so I can stand in a hot shower for an hour or two.”

  “Alone?” Timmy inquired.

  “Yes, dammit, alone. I hardly know Brad Willis, but I might add, if I were not going into that shower alone, that, too, would be none of your business.” She faced him with hands on hips. “What is wrong with you? I thought you were the one brother I could count on not to behave like an overly protective jerk.”

  “Call me anything you like, sis. I can take it. Just tell me this, why haven’t we met this guy?” Tim was still scowling in the direction of the living room, where Brad was finally sitting upright and looking as though he might be able to get his cramped body on its feet any minute now.

  “Because I just met him a week ago,” she admitted reluctantly.

  “A week ago? Are you out of your mind letting a total stranger into your apartment in the middle of the night?” Tim scrutinized Brad from head to toe. No suspect in a criminal investigation had ever been studied more closely. Karyn didn’t have a doubt in the world that Tim now felt competent to identify him should he walk off with the family silver or, to be more precise in her case, the stainless steel.

  “He looks familiar,” he said finally.

  “He used to be a race car driver.”

  “A race car driver!” His tone made the profession seem comparable to ax murdering. “Where the hell would you meet a race car driver?”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence in my appeal.”

  “That wasn’t what I meant and you know it. Stop evading and answer me.”

  “We met when I bought my car.”

  “You bought a convertible, not some souped-up hot rod.”

  “I don’t think Brad drove souped-up hot rods in Grand Prix events.”

  “Brad Willis?” Tim said with dawning understanding. “Of course. I’ve seen his picture in the paper. Sis, he’s not your type.”

  “What is her type?” Brad inquired curiously, pulling a stool up to the bar that separated the kitchen and living room and reaching for a cup of coffee. He looked perfectly at home.

  Tim wasn’t the least bit taken aback by being overheard. “Someone less…I don’t know, less…”

  “Experienced?”

  “Yeah. That’s exactly it.”

  “Your sister is twenty-six years old. Most of the men she’s likely to meet are going to be experienced.”

  “I wasn’t referring just to sex,” Timmy said bluntly.

>   Karyn put her head down on her arms and groaned.

  “Neither was I,” Brad countered.

  A very tense silence ensued. When Karyn could stand it no longer she got up, put bread into the toaster, then coated it with butter and slammed it down in front of the two men. They continued to study each other as if they were prospective sparring partners.

  Brad dumped sugar and cream into his coffee, then stirred it slowly. He ignored the toast and looked directly into Tim’s suspicious eyes.

  “I’m glad you’ve always taken such good care of your sister,” he told him, then added gently, “But it’s time to let her go.”

  This time Tim did look thrown by the blunt pronouncement. His gaze narrowed. “Exactly what are your intentions toward her?”

  “Timmy!” Karyn protested, moaning inwardly. Embarrassing moments were piling up so rapidly this morning, she’d never live them down.

  “Keep quiet, sis. I want to know how this man feels about you.”

  “This man doesn’t even know me!”

  “He knows you well enough to sleep on your sofa.”

  “On my sofa,” she reiterated. “Not in my bed.”

  “Your sofa is your bed,” Timmy reminded her.

  “It is?” Brad said, staring at her. “Where did you sleep?”

  “On the floor and that’s not the point. There is a difference, Timothy Michael Chambers, between having a man fall asleep on the sofa and inviting him into my bed!”

  After another moment of tense silence, her brother nodded sheepishly. “You’re right. I apologize.”

  “Maybe you should go home and get some sleep,” Karyn suggested. She wanted him out of there before he began cross-examining Brad about his career prospects and bank balance.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Tim directed another measuring glance at Brad. He seemed to visibly relax finally, though that didn’t keep him from warning, “If you hurt her, Willis, the world won’t be big enough for you to hide in.”

  Brad gave him a faint smile. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”