by Delia Latham
“I’m not a guy!” Dalynn spoke up, a touch of indignation in her tone.
“No, of course you’re not, sweetie. I’ll try and remember not to say that again.” Autumn pulled an “oops” face at Russ.
“We’re just enjoying a stroll on the Boardwalk.” Russ grinned. “Dalynn spotted you out here—even underneath that huge hat—and she was off and gone before I could stop her. I hope you weren’t seeking solitude.”
“No, of course not.” Autumn plunked the hat back on her head and stuck her tongue out. He’d never seen anything more adorable. “Ceci abandoned me in favor of Cayucos with Shay Light today, so I decided to try my luck at tide pooling.”
“That’s a good thing to do while you’re here. Seen anything interesting?”
“Actually, I have. Look at this, Dalynn.” She picked up a long stick and eased it into the small pool. Without touching anything, she made clear the object of her interest. “I think that little guy is an anemone.”
Dalynn’s big eyes grew even bigger. “An enemy?”
“No, sweetie, an uh-nim-uh-nee.” She winked. “Betcha saw that movie about the little clown fish who got lost, and his dad was looking for him?”
“Uh huh.” Dalynn grinned, remembering. “They lived in an enemy, huh?”
Russ chuckled, and Autumn shook her head. She hugged Dalynn and tugged on a strand of hair. “They sure did. Hey, I like your hair. Did you fix it yourself?”
“Daddy did it.”
“Well, Daddy did good.” She grinned at Russ, showing off a pair of dimples every bit as cute as Dalynn’s, but with a little something extra that lit a fire in his belly.
“Thank ya.” He brought out his best Elvis impression—which didn’t quite cut the muster. “Thank ya verra much.”
Autumn burst out laughing and Russ joined her.
Dalynn rolled her eyes. She clearly thought both of the adults needed a lesson in humor.
“So, did you plan to stay here all day?” Russ quirked an eyebrow. “Or could Dalynn and I coerce you into having lunch with us? Be warned, though…it’ll be Boardwalk Burgers again. I’m afraid this kid of mine can’t be talked out of it.”
Autumn hesitated, and for a moment he thought she’d refuse. To his intense dismay, his heart sank at the possibility. Then she grinned, a clear sign of capitulation, and he breathed again.
“I suppose I could drag myself away from this fascinating tide pool. And I love Boardwalk Burgers too, so that’s not a problem.” She stood. “Just let me gather my—ouch!” Autumn’s face scrunched and she sucked air in. Picking up one foot, she pressed it against the opposite calf.
Russ slipped an arm around her waist and eased her back onto the quilt she’d been about to pick up. He glanced down, and quick concern roughened his voice. “Tide pooling can sometimes cause minor injuries, so proper footgear is usually recommended.”
Autumn flashed a look that might have burned right through him if it hadn’t been toned down by pained discomfort. “I did read up on it, but I didn’t see any need for wearing combat boots to the beach.”
“A pair of high-topped walking shoes would’ve been sufficient. Let me look at it.” Much to his surprise, she didn’t argue. He picked up her foot and turned it gently. “Looks like you rubbed against something sharp. Maybe a barnacle.” He pointed. “See…there are several of them attached, right there. You must have grazed the side with your ankle when you got up.”
“So will I live, doctor?” She seemed determined to make light of the situation, despite her obvious pain.
“You’ll live, but we’re not going to lunch just yet.” He turned to Dalynn. His daughter’s lips trembled. “Autumn will be fine, sweetheart. I just need to take care of that little scratch on her ankle. I’m going to the truck for my first aid kit. Want to come along?”
She shook her head. “No, I pro’ly better stay and take care of Autumn. She needs me.”
“That’s very thoughtful, princess. I’m sure she’ll be glad you’re here.” He strode off toward the Boardwalk, tossing words over his shoulder. “I’ll be back in a heartbeat.”
He made the quarter-mile trek to the parking lot at a half run, grabbed the kit from under his seat and hurried back. Autumn and Dalynn sat chatting as if nothing had happened.
“OK, ladies. Dr. Amundsen is here, you’ve nothing to fear.”
Autumn rolled her eyes, and Russ frowned. She hadn’t laughed or poked fun, which almost certainly meant she was in more pain than she wanted to communicate. He knelt in front of her and lifted her foot.
“Daddy, can I go play by the water while you fix Autumn?”
He chuckled, relieved to see his patient’s lips twitch as well. “Sure, baby. Just stay right at the edge, and keep an eye out for the waves. You know the drill.”
“K.”
Russ pulled out an antiseptic wipe and patted gently around the cut.
Autumn hissed.
“I’m sorry, but these things can become infected if they’re not cleaned and tended to properly. Are you up to date on your tetanus shots?”
“I can’t remember when I had the last one.” She grimaced. “I thought they were just for kids.”
“Well, then, we’re definitely making a trip to the clinic.”
“We most certainly are not. It’s a scratch…doctor.”
“A scratch from marine life, Autumn, and it could cause a serious infection if you don’t take care of it. I’ll clean it up and do everything I know to do, but you need a tetanus shot, and I can’t provide that.” He pulled a bottle of hydrogen peroxide from his kit and glanced around. “Did you bring any drinking water out here?”
She pointed at a small cooler he hadn’t noticed. “Several bottles. Thirsty, Dr. Amundsen?”
“No.” He opened the cooler and tossed one to her. “Start drinking. We can’t have you getting dehydrated on top of this.” He found an empty water bottle inside the cooler, poured a couple inches of water into it, and added an equal amount of hydrogen peroxide.
“What are you doing?” Autumn asked.
“This is the usual treatment for barnacle scratches.” He held her ankle in his left hand and began to trickle the mixture over her wound. Other than a twitch of her foot when the peroxide began to bubble, Autumn didn’t make a sound.
Russ let it work in the laceration for a few seconds, cleaned the area with an antiseptic wipe and then repeated the process until the water-and-peroxide solution was gone.
That done, he taped clean gauze over the wound, and then ran his fingers over the soft skin around the bandage. “Does this hurt?”
“No. The pain’s pretty much gone.” She smiled. Some of the color she’d lost upon seeing her injury had returned.
“That’s good. Come on, let’s get you up. We’ll eat quickly, and then I’ll take you to the clinic.”
“Oh, come on, I really don’t think that’s necessary.”
“It’s necessary.” He took her hand and hauled her to her feet. He must have used more force than he thought, because she flew upright and fell against him. Russ’s arms went around her for support, and stayed there because he couldn’t let go.
For a heartbeat or two, she nestled in his embrace. Then she uttered a soft gasp, as if suddenly realizing where she stood, and pushed back enough to look at him. Her lips parted with an almost inaudible intake of air.
Russ couldn’t look away and couldn’t resist. He lowered his head to claim those lovely lips with his own.
Autumn’s gaze widened. Both of her hands pressed against his chest, and she sent him flying.
In the next instant, he was sitting on the sand, staring with honest bewilderment at a wild-eyed redhead with a horrified expression on her sunburned face. “What—? Why—? Autumn, what in the world?”
From behind them, a tiny giggle pre-empted Autumn’s certain-to-be-scathing reply.
“Daddy, that was funny! You fell right on your t—t—tushy!” Dalynn bent double, howling with laughter.
&nb
sp; Autumn took one look at his face and burst out laughing.
He got up and brushed off his pants. “I’m glad you two found that so hilarious. I didn’t.” He shot Autumn a half-angry, half-confused glare, and then hefted her cooler and his first-aid kit into his arms. “Come on. I’ve had about all the fun I can handle.”
They followed him up the Boardwalk to his truck.
“I’m not really that hungry and I’d like to go back to the lodge.” Autumn informed him.
“You mean the clinic, right?”
“No, I mean the lodge. I’m not going to the clinic.”
“Autumn, you either promise to go to the clinic, or I haul you into my truck and take you there myself. Don’t push me.”
“I’m not going to the clinic, and you’re not going to make me, rock man.”
Rock man? Without removing his gaze from hers, he addressed Dalynn. “Princess, go ahead and get in. I’ll just be a minute.”
His daughter obediently tugged the passenger door open and climbed onto the seat.
He stepped closer. “Want to tell me what’s going on, Autumn? I’m too confused to even try and figure it out.”
She shot him a look that nearly curdled his stomach, unlocked her car door and climbed in. How had he failed to notice that fancy vehicle in the slot right next to his? Apparently Ceci and Shay had gone to Cayucos in Shay’s car.
He stepped close and placed a hand near the door jamb so she couldn’t close the door.
“Think about it, Russ. And get out of my way.” She reached for the door handle, and he stepped back. The layer of ice in her eyes made it clear she’d not hesitate to slam the thing on his fingers if he didn’t move. “Thanks for patching me up. I appreciate it.” She started the car and spoke through the window as she set it in motion. “Now stay away from me. I don’t want to see you again.”
9
Autumn held the wheel in such a tight grip her fingers hurt by the time she reached the lodge. She jumped out and slammed the door, furious at the pain in her hands and the tears on her cheeks.
How could he? Russ Amundsen was a married man, with the sweetest child in the whole world. And yet he’d had every intention of kissing her, right there on the beach, in front of God and everybody else—including his daughter. Not that she would have let it happen even if they’d been somewhere more private.
But she’d wanted that kiss, she couldn’t deny it. Every instinct had yearned toward his touch.
Honesty compelled her to admit the whole disastrous situation had been her fault. Russ clearly didn’t know his own strength. When she landed against him, she’d discovered an appalling lack of willpower and wanted to stay right where she was, nestled close to his chest. His arms went around her in an instant. He’d only done that to keep her upright, and yet the gesture evoked undeniable emotions. Russ’s rapid heartbeat pounded loud against her ear, and she couldn’t deny that she’d been glad her nearness made his heart beat faster. So she’d stayed there.
Apparently just an instant too long, because when she looked up, Russ’s gray eyes had darkened to charcoal, and the longing in them nearly destroyed her ability to resist when he lowered his head to claim the kiss she probably seemed ready and willing to give. OK, honesty at all costs. She had been ready to kiss him. She’d almost initiated it. But in her defense, she wasn’t married.
Russ should’ve never put them in that position.
And she should never have spent so much time with him and Dalynn, knowing he had a wife. She went into the apartment and dropped onto the sofa, refusing to get a tissue and dry her wet cheeks.
This man was the first in a long time who’d made her think maybe she was wrong…maybe men like her father still existed. Russ was good with Dalynn, so gentle and kind. His patience when he helped the little girl shop for her mother had been touching. He’d followed Autumn and Dalynn through stores most men would have refused to go inside. She’d begun to think maybe real love—pure familial love, did exist.
Then he’d tried to kiss her.
Autumn slammed a fist onto the sofa. “I wish I’d never met him.”
She’d been fine before this whole Cambria trip, happy in her anti-romance state of mind. Spending her whole life single had been a given—one she’d accepted, because she’d been so sure love was bogus, and she wouldn’t marry for anything less than the real thing.
Russ had ruined that for her. Love didn’t exist any more than it had a month ago, but now she wanted it to be real. She’d discovered a yearning within herself that she’d not been aware of and certainly wouldn’t have acknowledged.
Autumn shed more tears and then slept. Awakening, she remembered why she was slumped on the sofa. She bounced up and nearly ran out to the deck, desperate for air. Breathing hurt, and her lungs ached as if starved for fuel. The ever-present sea breeze kissed her face, and she hauled in as much of it as she could take in one breath. When she felt capable of walking without crumpling to the ground, she made her way down the stairs and strolled the property, desperately seeking peace.
Miss Angie’s pretty flower bed on the back lawn made her smile. Her hostess enjoyed flowers almost as much as she enjoyed quoting Bible verses. How did the woman always stay so calm and sweet? She radiated a joy that Autumn envied.
Love does not envy.
“OK, Mr. Blue.” As if the blue jay had chirped the words into her ear, she addressed him, even though he was nowhere to be seen. “And how does one go about achieving that—ahem—enviable state of existence?”
“Autumn, dear? Were you speaking to me?”
She jumped when Miss Angie’s unmistakable voice sounded from somewhere within the bed itself.
“Miss Angie?”
A white hat appeared above the tallest stems when the lady sat up, and then stood and stepped out of the soil-and-flower-laden bed frame.
“I’m right here. I didn’t realize my beautiful babies had grown so tall they rendered me invisible.”
Autumn chuckled. “You have quite the green thumb. This flower bed is gorgeous—and quite creative. Your idea?”
“Oh, no. I saw one at another nursery here in Cambria, and thought the lodge really had to have one as well. Russ was good enough to find a bed for me to work with. He even painted it purple.”
The last thing Autumn needed was Russ in the conversation, but it seemed inevitable now. “I take it Russ didn’t stencil on all the pretties?”
Miss Angie’s sweet, trilling laughter had a harmonic tone unlike any Autumn had ever heard. For a second, she’d imagined heavenly music drifting around her.
“No, dear. I did that myself.”
“Well, it’s lovely.”
The older woman removed her gardening gloves. “Are you all right, Autumn? You look a little…I don’t know. Not sick exactly, but as if you’re feeling a bit poorly.”
“No, I’m OK. Really.” She burst into tears.
“Oh, no. There, there. Don’t cry, dear!” Miss Angie pulled her into a warm hug.
For once, Autumn didn’t even think about personal space, she simply snuggled into the embrace. How could a simple hug from a woman she barely knew feel like a promise from Heaven…if there really were such a place?
“Come with me, child. We’ll have a nice cup of tea and you can tell me all about it.”
Without a second’s hesitation, Autumn followed Miss Angie into the downstairs unit. She had never displayed such a docile demeanor. But in this moment, she wanted nothing more than to do whatever the unusual lady suggested.
“Make yourself at home.” Miss Angie nodded toward the living room as she hung her big hat on a hook in the hallway. “I’ll be right with you.”
Miss Angie’s taste leaned toward the simple-but-exquisite. A collection of small oil paintings formed a collage on one wall. Autumn’s gaze wandered from one ocean scene to the next. They were wonderful. She wasn’t surprised to note the Logan Bullard signature, small and unprepossessing, in the lower right corner. This was the same ar
tist whose work she’d admired in the village galleries.
Beneath the paintings, a gorgeous table sported a finish so glossy it mirrored her face. A set of wood carvings ranging from sea life to birds to forest creatures dotted the shiny tabletop. Autumn picked up a blue jay similar to the one she’d admired earlier in town, and turned it over. Sure enough. Declan Keller/Keller Art.
The rattle of dishes alerted her to Miss Angie’s return.
“These artists, Miss Angie. They’re local, aren’t they? I noticed work in town by both Bullard and Keller.”
“Yes, dear. Logan and Dec are dear friends of mine. We all attend the same church. Dec and his wife, Raine, are my neighbors. They live on the property just through the woods there by the walking trail. Logan, bless his sweet heart, recently met the love of his life and married her right here on the Lodge grounds.”
“Well, both men are quite talented. I’m impressed.”
“I agree. God has given them amazing gifts of creativity.” She waved Autumn onto the sofa and settled onto the other end before filling two dainty cups with tea from a delicate china teapot. “Now, let’s talk about you. Why the tears, my dear?”
Autumn searched for a way to change the subject. She sipped at her tea, which tasted fabulous. Chamomile, perhaps. Maybe rose hips. But what was that underlying flavor? Opening her mouth to ask, she heard herself say, “I’m afraid I’m falling for Russ Amundsen.” Good gracious! Where had that come from? She fumbled her cup back onto the saucer and stared at Miss Angie, hoping her eyes weren’t as round as they felt.
The older woman smiled. “Since when has falling in love brought on tears and a wan, troubled face?”
“I didn’t say I’m in love,” Autumn hurried to clarify. “I’m just...well, I’m having feelings I’m not comfortable with. Besides, isn’t it obvious?” Surely the woman knew her gardener was married. “He’s your gardener, Miss Angie, you know he’s—”
“He’s…what?” Miss Angie’s brow furrowed, and she shook her head. “Oh, no, dear. Russ isn’t my gardener.”
“He’s…not your gardener? But he was working on the property.”
