by Judi Lynn
Her mouth full of cheese steak, Harmony nodded.
Brody asked, “What are we making tonight?”
“You?” Bridget stared. “You don’t cook.”
Brody’s tone turned defensive. “I’m not stupid enough to stay in the kitchen with you and Maeve. You’d criticize everything I did.”
Bridget pursed her lips, then nodded. “That’s fair. How have his meals turned out, Ian?”
“Since Harmony’s the cook, and Brody does exactly what she tells him, it’s been great.”
“And he listens to her?” Bridget ogled her oldest brother.
“I have to, or I don’t eat.”
Bridget threw back her head and laughed. “So what are you making for us tonight?”
Brody’s gaze turned to Harmony. She shrugged. “The thing is, we haven’t gone back to the store. That’s why I had to make frittatas last night. We’re running out of everything.”
Brody’s face lit with excitement. “Do you have time to go this afternoon? After you finish writing your scene?”
Harmony could feel a blush tinge her cheeks when Bridget turned to listen to her answer. The scene had been a white lie. “The writing can wait, but can you drive?”
“No, but you can. We’ll take your Jeep.”
“Maybe your sister would like to go with you and help you cook tonight.”
Bridget shook her head. “Nope, won’t mind missing that at all.”
Ian shook his head, too. “Luther and I are installing a kitchen in the second suite.”
Paula shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I’m on vacation.”
Harmony frowned at Brody. If she said she needed writing time, he’d give it to her, but why not pamper him a little more? If it made him happy to traipse around a grocery store, why not? “What are you hungry for?”
“Can you make salmon?” Ian’s tone was pleading. “I love it, and I haven’t had it for a while.”
“No problem. I make it once a month for James.” When everyone whirled to stare at her, Harmony put a hand to her throat in surprise. “He’s my next door neighbor. He usually gets Meals on Wheels, but I like to treat him once in a while.”
Brody’s shoulders relaxed. He gave her an odd look. “Not many people would do that. It’s nice.”
“I enjoy it. He’s an ornery old coot. Fun to listen to.”
Bridget finished her sandwich and leaned back in her chair, looking satisfied.
“Good, you’re done.” Ian started gathering plates to take to the kitchen. “Luther and I can use your help. We’re finishing suite two today. You get to be our go-fer.”
She didn’t look thrilled. “That means I hand you things, right?”
“You got it, the fetch-and-carry girl.”
“I’ll help Brody get bundled up, then I’ll be there.”
While Bridget helped Brody, Harmony ran to her room to get her purse. Glancing in a mirror, she reached for a ponytail holder. Her hair looked like she’d stuck her finger in an electric socket, so she scraped it into an elastic band.
Good enough. She ran down the stairs and went to get the Jeep. Pulling it as close to the front door as possible, she hurried to open the passenger door for Brody.
Bridget helped him settle, then stared at her brother as though he’d sprouted orange spots. “You really enjoy shopping for groceries?”
He fidgeted. “I have the time now. I don’t when I run the business.”
She patted his thigh. “Well, go have fun then. Honk when you get back, and Ian and I will help carry in groceries.”
Harmony drove slower than usual on her way to town. Her Jeep was dependable, but it didn’t have the smooth ride of Brody’s SUV. She didn’t want to jostle his ribs any more than she had to. When she tried to hold his elbow when they crossed the parking lot, he pulled away from her.
“I’m getting stronger all the time. I can walk.”
“If you fall on your ass on a slick spot, I’m going to step over you.”
He grinned. “You would, too, and I’d deserve it.” He held out his elbow for her.
They bickered most of their way through the store. Brody wanted to buy enough to stock a hunting cabin until the spring thaw. Harmony wanted enough for two weeks. They compromised on more than Harmony knew they needed, but enough to make Brody happy. If they didn’t use everything, someone would.
The owner’s son, Mark, insisted on helping them load the groceries into Harmony’s Jeep. “Grams told us about your accident. You got off easy with a broken arm and messed-up ribs. That box truck driver is a menace.”
When they got back to the lodge, Harmony beeped her horn and helped Brody to the front door. He grumbled about not being able to carry things, so she knew he was starting to feel better.
“We could hang plastic bags on your cast,” she said, teasing him.
“I’ve seen a yoke for oxen at the antique shop in town,” Ian said. “We could strap that on his shoulders and load him up.”
“Very funny.” Brody glowered at both of them. “I’ll be in the kitchen. At least, I can put things away.”
Bridget came to help them, and pretty soon, all of the groceries were in the house. Harmony parked her Jeep, then went to join the others.
Bridget was happily giving Brody grief. “Are you stocking up for the apocalypse? We could survive for months if we had to.”
“We bought this much last time,” Brody argued, “and the cupboards are bare. Maybe you underfeed your family, but we like decent meals.”
Harmony listened to Ian and Brody banter with their sister, enjoying how comfortable they were with each other. She’d spent her childhood staying out of her brother’s way. Her family didn’t banter. Their jibes were lethal. There were only a few items to finish when Brody glanced at the clock.
“I have to go get Aiden and Bailey. It’s almost story time.”
Harmony put out a hand to stop him. “Paula’s going to start reading to them. She said we’d be busy enough.”
Brody glanced out the door, across the lobby, to the east wing and Paula’s apartment. “Were the kids all right with that?”
Bridget stared at her brother as though he were a stranger. “Story time? What the hell is that?”
“Harmony reads Harry Potter to Paula’s kids every day at five.”
“Did you take your nap towel and stay for story time, too?” Bridget asked.
“You know I like being around kids.”
Bridget turned to Harmony. “You must be a kid person, too.”
“No, not really.” She did her best to avoid her friends’ babies and toddlers.
“But you like to cook and spend time with kids?” Bridget looked confused.
Hell, Harmony was confused, too. Who was she anymore? She didn’t even know herself lately. She was turning into a freak, someone she didn’t know. At home, she cooked a few times a month, not every day. She saw her friends once a week and only paid the guy who delivered take-out the rest of the time. She felt like she was spinning out of control. “I have to go. I have a couple of things I need to get done before I start supper.”
She felt Bridget’s surprised stare follow her flight from the room. She dashed up the stairs and slammed the door behind her. She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Panic clogged her throat, and she fought it down. What was wrong with her? Did country air turn a person into a fifties icon—the common-sense wife in Father Knows Best? How did she get so attached to Aiden and Bailey? How did she fall for Brody? Because, all of a sudden, she realized that’s what had happened. She loved Brody. How dumb was that?
She walked to the desk and glanced out the window. The sun still shone, bright and cold. She needed fresh air. When something bothered her in the city, she went for a walk. She left her room and crept down the hallway. Voices drifted from the last suite, out of sight. She grabbed her coat and boots, bundled up, and left the lodge.
Exercise helped. Her whirring thoughts slowly settled to match the rhythm of her footsteps.
Things came into perspective. She loved Brody. She knew that now, but regardless of what the songs claimed, love wasn’t a cure-all. Love often wasn’t enough. Brody had loved Cecily when he married her, but that didn’t make the marriage work. Still, how bad could it be to be married to Brody? She liked everything about him. But what they had here was an idyll—far different from everyday life. She couldn’t base a decision on that.
The cold seeped through her many layers of fabric and she shivered. Time to turn around and head back to the lodge. When she stomped the snow off her boots and looked up, Brody was standing in his doorway, watching her.
“Time to start cooking?” he asked.
She nodded, hanging up the rest of her things.
“I thought you might jump in your Jeep and run away.”
“And let you ruin Ian’s salmon? I like your brother more than that.”
He didn’t smile. “Don’t be scared, Harmy. Trust yourself.”
She turned to avoid his gaze. He understood her too well. Squaring her shoulders, she started to the kitchen. “Are you going to help, or are you going to use your broken arm as an excuse to play hooky?”
He grimaced. “You’re a cruel taskmaster. You know that, don’t you?”
“I never said I was nice.” She took out a baking pan, and he loaded the stainless steel counter with ingredients to make a salad. While she seasoned the fish, she watched him try to slice carrots with his right hand.
“Hold up.” She came to take the knife from him. “You’re going to lose a finger. You can’t hold the vegetables in place with your sling. It’s not working.”
“Then give me something else to do.” He wasn’t leaving the kitchen, she could tell.
“You’re in charge of rice.” She told him how to cook it, and he measured out cups of water.
There was a small noise, and they looked up to find Bridget watching them. Harmony felt the familiar blush heat her cheeks.
Bridget smiled. “I came to offer some help, but you guys have got this. I’ll see you at Tessa’s.” She turned and walked away.
Harmony bit her bottom lip. She grabbed some more carrots to slice and cut her finger instead. Brody brought her a Band-Aid and fussed over her. Rolling her eyes, she snapped, “I’ll live.”
When it was time to load everything up, Harmony kept a small piece of salmon for herself and piled salad next to it. “I’ve lost a lot of sleep lately. I’m tired. I’ll catch up with Tessa tomorrow night.”
Brody scowled, but Ian and Bridget hustled him into the pickup and drove off with him. He gave her one backward glance as he went out the front door. He was upset, and she felt bad about that, but she needed some time alone.
She took her tray into the library and turned on the TV. The evening news was on, and she watched it while she ate. She hadn’t kept up with world events since she got here, and she wondered how life on this planet was doing without her. Someone peeked into the room, and Aiden asked, “Can I come in?”
“Sure.” She moved her TV tray so that he could sit next to her.
“Do you still like us?” he asked.
Harmony blinked. “Brody and I think you and Bailey are the best kids ever.”
“Yeah, but we’re kids.”
“That’s better than being green slime or flesh-eating bacteria.”
He grinned. “You didn’t read to us tonight. Mom did.”
“Brody’s ribs are really sore. He can’t hold Bailey right now, and he misses that, but I think your mom likes spending story time with you.”
He nodded. “It was nice, but we liked coming up to your room.”
“We liked seeing you.” She wasn’t sure what else to say, but Aiden’s attention was caught by the TV. He looked at it and hunched his shoulders. Harmony looked, too. Soldiers in uniform were carrying a coffin, draped with a U.S. flag, off a plane.
“That’s how Dad came home.” Aiden’s voice was small.
“Oh, God.” Harmony turned off the news. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“You would have liked my dad,” Aiden said. “He took me fishing.”
Harmony smiled, hoping it looked reassuring. “He liked spending time with you.”
“Yup. Brody told me he knows how to fish. He said the next time he comes to visit Ian, he’ll take me fishing.”
Harmony’s heart twisted in a knot. Brody would make sure he followed through on that promise. “He likes spending time with you, too.”
“Do you want to come?”
Harmony would rather shoot herself. “I can’t sit still that long. You guys would toss me overboard.”
Aiden laughed. “Are you a good swimmer?”
“It depends how far out you are on the lake.”
Aiden reached for the remote. “Wanna watch Spiderwick?”
“What the hell is that?”
“A kids’ movie. You’ll like it.”
Sure she would, but Aiden wanted to hang out with her, and they sure as hell weren’t going to watch the news. She shrugged. “Why not?”
He went to a shelf and loaded a DVD into the player. Monsters and evil filled the screen. Why wasn’t she surprised? Kids’ movies were always scarier than she expected. After all, Snow White’s stepmother paid a guy to carve out her heart. But she and Aiden were both tired. Before long, they were blinking, trying to stay awake.
She woke to Brody tapping her shoulder. She opened her eyes groggily, and Ian smiled down at her. “Time to put the kids to bed, bro. I’ll carry Aiden if you help Harmony up the stairs.”
She yawned and reached for her dirty dishes. “I’m okay. I’ll clean these up and head to bed.”
“I’ve got these.” Bridget walked into view and cleared the TV tray.
Brody tugged her to her feet and put his right arm around her. “Come on, Sleepyhead. I’ll tuck you in.”
He walked with her to her room, stopping in the hallway. He leaned down to gently kiss her goodnight. Before he could straighten, she deepened the kiss. When she pulled away, she said, “You’re such a good person. Aiden needs you. He’s ready to go fishing.”
Brody’s gaze burned hot, but he shook his head. “I’ll come back this summer. I promised him.” His hand went to his ribs, and she immediately started to apologize.
“I shouldn’t have . . .”
“I liked it. I want more, but not now. For now, you need some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gave her a small push into her room and closed the door.
She leaned on it a minute, then jerked it open. Sticking her head out, she called, “Is someone staying with you tonight?”
“Bridget’s sleeping on the couch. I’ll be fine.”
That settled, Harmony walked straight to her bed, shrugged out of her clothes, and climbed under the covers.
Chapter 30
Someone knocked on her door at nine in the morning. Oh, god, why? She tugged on the clothes she’d let drop on the floor and went to see who was there.
Tessa stood in the hallway with a basket of scones. “Your favorites, with dried cherries and pecans.” She had an insulated coffee pot in her other hand.
“Come on in.” Harmony went to plop on the side of the bed. She felt groggy, she’d gotten so much sleep, but she’d needed it.
Tessa fussed at the little table, pouring them tea. When Harmony frowned, she said, “I can’t have caffeine. This is good. You’ll like it.”
If it was hot and sweet, she’d be satisfied. Harmony reached for a scone. She and Tessa had been friends too long to stand on ceremony. She bit into it and groaned. “This is heaven.”
Tessa pulled a chair across from her. She glanced at Harmony’s laptop. “How’s the book coming?”
“I finished the first draft yesterday. You?”
“I feel like all I do is sleep, but I’m getting there, thanks to you and Brody cooking supper every night. Only fifty more pages. I missed you last night.”
Harmony grinned. “Aiden kept me company.” She told Tessa about the news and the
soldier’s coffin coming home.
“Paula’s done a great job, helping them through their grief. I hope I’m as good a mom as she is.”
“You will be. Great people make great moms.”
Tessa finished her tea and set her cup on the table. Uh-oh, here it came. Harmony braced herself. “Great people make great wives, too.”
Harmony squirmed. She’d wondered what was coming. Now she knew.
Tessa looked like she wanted to shake her. Brody’s sister had red hair, but Tessa’s wild copper locks warned of temper, too. “You realize Brody loves you.”
Harmony nodded. She wouldn’t play stupid. She knew.
“How do you feel about him?” Tessa asked.
“I love him back.”
Tessa let out a whoosh of frustration. “Then what the hell’s the matter with you?”
“I’m scared.” Harmony’s voice sounded brittle to her own ears. “I’m so not like anything else in his world. We don’t fit. It doesn’t matter here, but it will when he goes back to his country clubs and rich friends.”
“Brody knows what he wants. He’s not like that.”
Harmony let out a ragged breath. “What if I’m not good enough? What if I suck at being a wife?”
Tessa leaned forward and pressed her hand on Harmony’s knee. “But you are good enough. You always have been. It’s just that no one’s ever told you.” She stood up to leave. “Don’t be as stupid as I was. I almost lost Ian because I didn’t want to step up to the plate and claim his love. Don’t drop the ball, because Brody won’t try again. You’ll break his heart, and he’ll give up. He deserves better. So do you.”
Damn. Would Brody really give up? Because of her? Even as Tessa said it, Harmony knew it could be true. She needed another walk. She bundled up, left the lodge, and started down the driveway. When she reached the end, her Jeep pulled up beside her. She panicked when she saw Brody behind the wheel.
“What are you doing? You shouldn’t be driving!” His left coat sleeve draped over his broken arm. The cast was too thick to fit.
“I’m not leaving the lot. Get in. I’ll drive you back. A storm’s coming.” He motioned to the dark clouds overhead. Once she was settled, he turned around, just in time. Sharp shards of snow pelted the windshield. He parked, but didn’t turn off the engine.
