Bachelor Protector

by Julianna Morris

  He glanced at Rosemary’s anxious face. “Has Nathan experienced a setback?”

  “More like a long temper tantrum,” she said with exasperation. “Something must have happened on Sunday. The girl he was talking to seemed nice, and she even called last night to see if he wanted to do something this weekend, but he put her off.”

  Kurt instantly felt like a selfish bastard. In all honesty, he’d avoided talking to Rosemary on Monday, unable to decide how he should handle the information about Tyler’s legal problems in Illinois. And yesterday he’d been oblivious to everything but Sarah’s needs.

  “As I recall, he was flirting with my niece Vickie,” he said slowly. “Talented kid. Taking environmental studies at UC Davis and expects to have her degree next spring.”

  “I thought...” Rosemary’s voice trailed as Tyler came into the kitchen. “Good morning, dear.”

  “Morning.” He nodded at them both and stumbled to the coffee maker, only looking half-awake.

  “Didn’t you sleep?” Rosemary ventured.

  “For an hour or two. Uh, I won’t be here for dinner tonight. Nice seeing you, Kurt.” He poured a cup of coffee and headed out again.

  “I take it that neither of your sons are morning people,” Kurt commented wryly.

  “No, though before Nathan was hurt, he always got up at dawn when he visited. His military training, I think.”

  “It does that. Has anything else happened with Nathan?”

  “He wants to cancel an appointment with Dr. Romano,” she said softly. “They were supposed to start therapy sessions this afternoon.”

  “I’ll ask Nathan to help me this morning and encourage him to keep the appointment,” Kurt told her in an equally quiet tone.

  “Thanks.”

  It was another few minutes before Nathan arrived, clean-shaven and showered.

  Kurt didn’t mind that Tyler didn’t reappear for breakfast. He wasn’t impressed by the young architect. Rosemary clearly loved both her sons, but her eldest was too reserved for Kurt’s taste.

  “How about helping me today?” he asked Nathan, who was stirring the food around his plate, barely eating.

  Nathan scowled. “What could I do?”

  “Plenty. I’m behind with starting the autumn plantings, and if I don’t catch up, Poppy Gold will have to buy them. You can put seeds in potting soil, can’t you?”

  “I...sure.”

  “Good, because that’s exactly what I need. My job includes producing plants for the garden beds and flowers for cutting. Now eat up. We have work to do.”

  Almost meekly, Nathan forked in a mouthful while Rosemary brightened and finished her cup of tea. “I’d love to stay longer,” she said, “but I have to get going. Come over later and I’ll buy you both lunch.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Kurt winked to reassure her.

  As they were leaving, Tyler came downstairs carrying two of the pool towels Poppy Gold provided.

  He gave Nathan a quizzical look. “Where are you going? You’ve got a workout at the pool.”

  “I’m going to skip it and spend the day with Kurt.”

  “Nonsense,” Kurt interjected hastily. It had slipped his mind that Nathan exercised each morning. “I need to run over to the sweet shop, anyhow. Meet me at the second greenhouse when you’re done, Nathan.”

  Kurt thought he saw a hint of appreciation in Tyler’s eyes but couldn’t tell for certain. Most of Kurt’s commanding officers had been notoriously stoic, but even they’d shown more emotion than Tyler Prentiss.

  “I’ll put my swim trunks on,” Nathan muttered.

  After he’d limped into the back of the suite, Tyler nodded. “Thanks, Kurt.”

  “No problem. It gives me a chance to check on Sarah.”

  “How many times do you go over there every day?”

  Kurt shrugged. “Once or twice usually, though I’ll go more often until this harassment is resolved. My work schedule is flexible. I get things done, that’s all my niece and brother-in-law care about. They’re the owners.”

  “I’ve met them. Tell me something. Obviously this is a popular vacation spot—I’ve been wondering how my mom and brother got a suite on such short notice.”

  “Things happen. Cancellations and the like,” Kurt said evasively, preferring not to discuss Poppy Gold’s long-standing efforts to assist soldiers, veterans and military families in crisis. The John Muir Cottage was dedicated to that purpose.

  “But it doesn’t—”

  Tyler fell silent as Nathan reappeared.

  “See you later,” Kurt said, hurrying out. He didn’t know what was bothering Tyler Prentiss and would rather not find out; the information he’d already gathered was enough of a headache.

  * * *

  TYLER GOT IN the pool with Nathan to help with his workout. From their first session, it had been obvious why water therapy had been recommended. His brother instinctively relaxed, and there was little risk of further injury.

  It was a warm morning already, and the cool water was pleasant. A pool might be nice to have at home, Tyler mused idly. Perhaps an infinity pool on a deck outside the loft he’d told Sarah about, built of Plexiglas, giving the sensation of floating through open space. It would be particularly remarkable at night.

  Sarah would likely hate it.

  The unbidden thought made Tyler frown. Actually, she wouldn’t hate it, she just wouldn’t see it as home.

  Another mental picture grew of a secluded swimming pool with small islands and waterfalls and natural growth around the meandering edges...a place his ordered mind would dismiss as untidy and chaotic. That was the kind of swimming pool Sarah would undoubtedly appreciate.

  He pushed the images away.

  Sarah was getting into his head far too often.

  To Tyler’s surprise, Nathan exercised longer than usual before getting out and dressing. The mornings he’d spent in the sunshine already showed on his skin; instead of pallid white, his legs and chest had a hint of bronze.

  “I’m going straight to the greenhouses,” Nathan announced as he zipped his jeans.

  “What about your appointment with Dr. Romano this afternoon?”

  “We’ll see.”

  Aggravated, Tyler grabbed the towels and took them back to the suite. Housekeeping was there, so he didn’t shower, instead going upstairs to sit at his drafting table.

  He stared out the window at the natural landscape beyond the confines of Poppy Gold. How had such a popular destination been able to accommodate his family for an indefinite period? In the long run, it didn’t matter, but he still wondered how far ahead his mom and brother had planned this trip and if they’d intentionally left while he was in Italy.

  Tyler tapped a pen on the table, determined to think about something else. Sarah had urged him to file a slander suit against Corbin, just as his lawyer had. What had she said...that taking the high road was great, but guys like Corbin didn’t even know there was a high road?

  Sarah was so passionate—how did she have the energy to care that much about everything? But she was also right. Staying silent might lead people to think he doubted his architectural skills. His feelings of responsibility stemmed from failing to stop the construction, not a concern that his design was faulty.

  He took out his phone and called the law office in Chicago, leaving a message for his attorney.

  His cell rang twenty minutes later.

  “Thanks for calling me back, Leonard,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about the countersuit against Corbin and discussing it with a friend. I want to move forward with the suit.”

  Friend?

  Tyler was amazed to realize the description was true. Sarah was a friend—an exasperating, overly emotional, opinionated friend. And all of that might be fine if she wer
en’t uncomfortably desirable, as well.

  “Excellent.” Dalby sounded pleased. “I’m tired of watching Milo Corbin’s interviews on the local station without doing something about it. Nothing has gone national, so I don’t think anyone is taking him seriously, but he’s annoying.”

  “He’s trying to cover his rear end.”

  “If he’d listened to you in the first place, he wouldn’t be in this mess. It’s a good thing he didn’t try hiring me. Lawyers don’t always have the luxury of defending the innocent, but I’ll be damned if I’ll represent someone my gut says is dirty.”

  A choked laugh escaped Tyler. He’d hired Leonard Dalby because of his reputation as an honest pit bull, but in the beginning, the attorney’s bluntness had made him uneasy. Now he liked it. Maybe because it reminded him of Sarah. She wasn’t blunt, but she was honest and forthright.

  “I wish my gut had told me not to trust Corbin when he asked me to design his building,” Tyler admitted.

  “Hindsight is twenty-twenty. I’ll get the paperwork filed. The damages I’m going to ask will definitely get his attention.”

  Tyler winced. “I don’t want to look as if I’m trying to profit from this.”

  “Profit has nothing to do with it. You have the right to be compensated for lost income and damage to your reputation,” Dalby retorted. “Anyhow, he’s going to have a stroke when he learns you documented your concerns about the changes he wanted. I love that you predicted exactly what happened. If we discover that he cut corners on the construction, he’ll be in even deeper trouble.”

  Tyler rubbed his forehead. “What I don’t understand is why the county didn’t tell him they’d gotten a notarized copy of my concerns before breaking ground. It should have been resolved before they signed off on the permits.”

  “That’s another interesting question. This case is full of them. If it weren’t for those men getting hurt, it would almost be fun. Got to go now—I’m due in court. I’ll be in touch.”

  Tyler said goodbye and dropped his phone on the table.

  His lawyer might relish the upcoming legal tussle, but he’d be glad when everything was over.

  * * *

  IN THE GREENHOUSE being used for the fall plantings, Kurt worked next to Nathan as they filled the flats with soil and planted the seeds in a grid pattern. It was tedious, but that made it better for talking.

  “I understand you put Vickie off when she wanted to do something next weekend,” Kurt said.

  “Mom shouldn’t have told you that.”

  “She’s a concerned mother who wonders why her son is backing away from a beautiful girl. You seemed interested enough on Sunday.”

  Nathan looked angry. “She’s an athlete and does projects like Rails-to-Trails and Habitat for Humanity. I don’t want to be one of her causes.”

  “Vickie doesn’t encourage a man that way if she isn’t interested. You’d better call her back before she makes other plans. She’s popular. But keep in mind, if you break my niece’s heart, I’ll break every bone in your body,” Kurt returned with a pleasant smile.

  A choked laugh came from Nathan. “I suspect Vickie would take care of any punishment for you. She seems direct.”

  “That she is.”

  They continued working, and Kurt was pleased to see Nathan looked less angry than before.

  “Don’t you get bored?” Nathan asked after a while. “I don’t just mean planting seeds, but with all of it.”

  Kurt wasn’t offended. It had taken him a while to appreciate how much he enjoyed working with his hands and the soil. While it might not be right for everyone, it had been right for him.

  “No one is making me do this,” he said mildly. “I enjoy being around growing things. I spent too much of my career in places where no life was valued.”

  “I suppose it’s different for regular retirement,” Nathan said at length. “You must need a rest then.”

  “I was forty-three when I retired,” Kurt pointed out wryly. “Hardly in my dotage, either then or now. But you might be partly right. I had more than my fill of war.”

  Nathan looked appalled. “That isn’t what I meant.”

  Kurt sighed. “Son, it’s tough becoming a civilian again, no matter how long you’ve served. None of my fellow soldiers liked fighting, but it put us on the edge. There’s a surge in your blood that you can miss when it’s gone. Then you feel guilty and wonder what kind of person that makes you. Hell, my daughter says that if she had her way, we wouldn’t have war, we’d talk everything out over loaves of fresh-baked bread and fresh-churned butter.”

  “Hear, hear. I like Sarah’s way best.”

  “She’s a good kid. Makes me proud.”

  Nathan turned more serious again. “You’re really okay, aren’t you, Kurt? You got through it all and you’re happy.”

  “Sure, but I didn’t do it alone. Accepting help doesn’t mean you’re weak.”

  Nathan scooped potting soil into another flat before looking up. “Yeah, well, I guess Mom also mentioned I might cancel with Dr. Romano today. Do you honestly think IRT can do anything? It sounded good, but when I was talking to Vickie, I realized how I must look through her eyes. A banged-up guy who may always limp and whose career could be over.”

  Kurt opened another container of seeds, taking his time before answering. “There are never guarantees, but doing something is better than doing nothing. And if we can’t change our endings, maybe changing how we feel about them is the best bet. Why not try to do it for a bad dream?”

  “I guess that makes sense.”

  Kurt chuckled. “You know, I just remembered that one of the Egyptian pharaohs rewrote history after a defeat in battle. He simply came home and told a different story about what had happened. Everybody was happy.”

  “Whatever works, I suppose.”

  Kurt decided he’d said enough as Nathan nodded and bent over the flat he was planting. Time would tell, but IRT and other treatment could only be successful if Nathan put his mind to it and really tried. His physical recovery was only part of the healing he needed.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  THE NEXT DAY Sarah packed cookies and sandwiches from the shop to take home as a meal. She already had a green salad in her refrigerator but figured Tyler probably would prefer something more substantial.

  She’d barely had a chance to say hello to Theo when she heard a car pull up outside. He went racing up the stairs to hide. “Nobody is going to hurt you,” she called after him.

  She opened the front door and found a gift bag hanging off the knob.

  “What’s that?” Tyler asked as he came up the walk.

  “I don’t know.” She looked inside and found a box of baby shower invitations, along with a pacifier. A creepy sensation crept across her shoulders.

  “That’s an odd present,” he said. “Are you throwing a baby shower?”

  “Hardly. I don’t know anyone who’s pregnant.”

  “Do you think it’s connected to the other harassment?”

  “Got me.” Sarah looked in the bag again and on the tag. “There’s no note and my name isn’t on it. Maybe they got the wrong house.”

  “Is that what you really think?”

  Sarah wasn’t sure. With all the hours she worked, she didn’t hear most of the news in town.

  “Uh, sorry, come in,” she said belatedly, stepping aside for Tyler. “I’ll call my grandmother and see if she knows about any upcoming baby showers.”

  She dialed Grandma Margaret, who hemmed and hawed around before finally admitting that she knew of six women expecting a baby and that four of the pregnancies weren’t public knowledge yet. “It’ll be a few months before baby showers are planned. Why?” asked her grandmother.

  “Just wondering,” Sarah said vaguely. “I keep ho
ping to hear Carlie is expecting.”

  “Oh, I...well...that is...” her grandmother stuttered and Sarah grinned, despite her nervous tension.

  “Carlie is one of the six, isn’t she?”

  “I can neither confirm nor deny that.”

  “You don’t need to. I’ve got to go—someone is here. But thanks for the good news.”

  It was good news, but it also sent a pang through Sarah. While she didn’t begrudge her cousin’s happiness, a part of her longed for love and babies of her own.

  “What did she say?” Tyler asked as she stood still holding the receiver.

  Sarah jumped. “Um, at least six women in Glimmer Creek are pregnant, but it’ll be months before we have any baby showers.”

  “That’s interesting.”

  Though Sarah was stressed, she laughed. “I find it hard to believe that babies and baby showers hold the slightest interest for you.”

  A sheepish look crossed his face. “True. Changing the subject, I called my lawyer today and told him to file the slander suit against Milo Corbin.”

  Sarah watched his face. “How do you feel about that?”

  “Feel?” Tyler looked at her blankly.

  “Yes, feel. Angry, relieved...what?”

  “It was just something that had to be done.”

  Jeez. Sarah wanted to shake him. She still thought the “ice man” moniker was cruel, but in some ways it fit. On the outside, at least.

  “Fine. Since we appear to be exchanging confidences, I talked to Zach this morning about the harassment. But only as my cousin, not to make an official police report.”

  “What did he say?”

  “About what you’d expect.” Sarah carried the gift bag into the kitchen and set it next to the pile of odd mailings she’d been getting. “The motorcycle incident concerns him since it goes beyond harassment. He agrees that someone unplugging the catering vehicles might be considered vandalism. And he isn’t happy about the rest of this. But there isn’t enough evidence to get a handle on, so we’ll need to wait and see if anything else happens.”