by Helen Brenna
“I’m hungry,” Blake said.
“Me, too,” his brother, Chase, agreed.
“You guys just ate,” Sam said, disgusted.
“Where’s Natalie?” Jamis asked.
“Sick,” Galen answered from where he was filling up the dishwasher.
“With what?” Jamis walked into the kitchen.
“Some kind of food allergy or the flu.”
“Since when?”
“Last night.”
“Where is she?”
“Sleeping in her bedroom.”
“Which is?”
Sam pointed. “Down the hall.”
Getting oddly angrier by the minute by their obvious lack of concern, Jamis walked toward Natalie’s room. He passed a bathroom and another room that appeared to be a laundry room and knocked on the only closed door at the end of the hall. “Nat, are you in there?”
A low groan was the only response. On opening the door, he found the shades drawn and the room dark and cool and a figure balled up under the covers. He sat on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair from Natalie’s face. Her skin pale, she lay on her side. “Jamis, is that you?” she whispered, reaching up to touch his cleanly shaven cheek. “You shaved and cut your hair.”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
Because he was sick of himself, only cleaning himself up hadn’t changed much of anything. “Needed a change.”
“I’m sick.”
“I can see that.” He felt her forehead. She didn’t have a fever. But, dammit, why wasn’t anyone taking care of her? He searched the room, found a heavy blanket in the closet and folded it over her prone form. “Have you eaten anything today?”
“No, my stomach is too queasy. There must’ve been some type of shellfish in something I ate,” she whispered. “Maybe it’s the flu.”
“Do you need me to get Doc Welinsky?”
“No, it’s all out of me by now.” Her smile was weak. “And I used an emergency shot of antihistamine to be on the safe side. I’ll be better tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. And in the meantime?
“Are the kids okay?”
“They’re fine.” But they needed supervision and he wasn’t going to be able to walk away from this one with a clear conscience. “I’ll keep an eye on them until you’re better.”
“You don’t have to do that. Sam and Galen will take care of things.” She closed her eyes and fell back asleep.
He pulled the blanket up to her chin and brushed a lock of hair from her face. The indomitably positive force of Natalie Steeger felled by a little shellfish. “Amazing.” He quietly closed the door on his way out of her room.
On reaching the living room, he grabbed the remote and flicked off the TV.
“Hey!”
“Turn it back on.”
“Who did that?”
“I did,” Jamis said. “And if you ever want to see this remote again, you’re going to have to get your butts in gear.” He glanced at Sam and Galen as they came in from the kitchen. “Natalie put you two in charge, correct?”
They nodded.
“Then what are these guys supposed to be doing?”
“Helping us clean the kitchen,” Sam said, glaring at all of the younger kids.
“But they kept ignoring us,” Galen added.
“Well, the party’s over, little ones,” Jamis announced. “Get up and get moving.”
His order was met with sighs and groans, but Sam and Galen did indeed take charge. Jamis supervised as dishes were washed, counters were wiped down, beds were made and laundry was done. He marveled at the bulletin board Natalie had prepared for the week, outlining not only a daily menu, but everyone’s duties and responsibilities.
“Does this thing actually work?” Jamis asked Sam as she came into the room for cleaning supplies.
“Surprisingly, yes.”
Today they were supposed to be having macaroni and cheese for lunch. He found the supplies in the cabinets, and an hour later the kids had been fed, the kitchen cleaned and the whole gang, per the chart, was outside for their daily dose of fresh air before craft time.
Jamis retrieved some chicken noodle soup from his freezer, heated it up and carried it in to Natalie along with a stack of soda crackers.
She cracked open her eyes. “What is that?”
“Chicken soup. Can you eat?”
“Probably not. Even the smell is making me nauseous.”
He set the bowl on the bedside table, reached under her arms and lifted her up. His palms brushed the edges of her breasts, and the only thing stopping him from letting his hands linger for a while was the fact that she was as limp as one of the noodles in the soup.
“Try one of these first.” He handed her a cracker.
She nibbled on an edge and then ate the rest. “That’s sitting okay.”
“Try some soup.” He put a spoonful of broth to her lips.
She swallowed.
“Still okay?”
“So far so good.”
He gave her another few sips and waited.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“This is a one-time deal,” he grumbled. “Don’t get used to it.”
“THERE. THAT SHOULD DO it,” Jamis said to Galen as the teenager tightened the washer on the new heavy-duty garbage disposal they’d installed under Natalie’s kitchen sink. “What do you think?”
“Thanks for showing me how to do that.” Galen slid out from under the sink.
“No problem.”
Refusing to get involved in all that crafty business happening out on the porch, Jamis had figured he’d work on a few things around Natalie’s house. Galen had chosen to help him. While Sam kept an eye on the younger kids, Galen and Jamis had spent the day fixing the doorknob on the main-floor bathroom, replacing a warped shelf in the pantry, unclogging both bathtub drains, fixing the basement stairs railing and installing a metal hose on the washing machine. The old rubber one had been cracked, the sure sign of a flooded floor waiting to happen. While there was a host of other projects to be done, one day wasn’t enough for him to take care of anything more than the most pressing.
As they were putting tools away, steps sounded on the porch. “Hello in there,” Garrett Taylor said through the screen door.
“Hey.” Jamis opened the door for the police chief. “What can I do for you?”
Taylor eyed Galen as he stepped into the house. “Natalie here?”
“She’s sick. A food allergy. Can’t get out of bed.”
“So you’re helping with the kids?” He looked surprised.
For some unknown reason that irked Jamis more than it should have. He shrugged. “Neighbors helping neighbors, you know?”
“In that case, can I talk to Galen?”
“What do you need him for?” Jamis asked, feeling oddly protective of the kid after what Sally had told him.
“It’s personal, Jamis. Galen, can you come outside?”
“No,” Jamis said, stepping in front of Galen. “Either you tell me what you want, or you can come back another day when Natalie can be present.”
Taylor glanced at the teenager. “You okay with me telling him what happened?”
The boy shrugged. “Whatever.”
Jamis wanted to hear Taylor’s side of the story, so he kept silent as the man relayed the details of a robbery of cash and hundreds of dollars worth of CDs and DVDs at Hendersons’ and the allegations thrown at Galen.
Jamis glanced at the boy. “Did you have anything to do with the robbery?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Dustin and Chad said you threatened them the other night,” Taylor said. “They claim you promised to kill them if they didn’t lie for you.”
“I never said that!” Galen’s face turned red. “I told them to tell you the truth or I would.”
“Galen,” Taylor said. “What is the truth? You don’t tell me, and all I’ve got to go on is their word.”
Jamis put his han
d on the boy’s shoulder and held his gaze. “These guys aren’t your friends, man. Your friends are here in this house. Tell Taylor the truth.”
Galen hesitated. “I don’t know for sure who robbed the Hendersons’ store, but while we were around the campfire, Dustin and Chad started talking about raising some hell. The girls got up to leave, not wanting anything to do with their bullshit, and I left with them. And came home. That’s all I know.”
Taylor shook his head. “That’s more than I had before.”
“It’s enough,” Jamis said.
“Anything else you can remember?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“There’s one more thing to think about,” Jamis said to Taylor. “Why would Galen steal a bunch of movies when they don’t have a DVD player here?”
NATALIE CRACKED OPEN HER eyes to find her room pitch-black. She’d slept all afternoon and night had fallen. Before getting up, she munched on a couple of crackers Jamis had left on her bedside table. Feeling rather disoriented, but physically much better, she swung her feet down to the floor and stood. Most of the nausea had passed. Feeling a bit wobbly, she walked into the hallway. Except for soft light coming from the living room, the house was dark.
Only a few steps down the hall, she heard the steady sound of a deep, resonant voice. She paused and listened. Jamis was reading aloud from a popular young adult novel. The inflection in his voice was perfect for the dialogue, and his narrative intriguing and entertaining. Sneaking quietly toward the living room, she peeked around the corner.
Galen was lying on the floor with his eyes closed, but awake and quite likely listening. Snickers was snuggled up alongside Galen, sound asleep. Sam was sitting with her chair pulled up to an end table and using the bright lamplight to illuminate the necklace she was making. Chase and Blake were lying on the floor on their stomachs, their chins in their hands, staring at Jamis. Arianna and Ella were curled up next to each other in one of the oversize chairs. What surprised Natalie more than anything were Ryan and Toni. They sat on either side of Jamis on the couch, snuggled into him as if he were a cuddly teddy bear.
They’d never even done that with her. Of course, she may very well have discouraged it, not wanting them to get too attached. But look at him. Big, gruff Jamis, connecting effortlessly with all eight of her camp kids. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she may never have believed it. And he seemed to be enjoying himself.
She watched his face, his smile, his eyes twinkling as he read to her kids. She wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but he was even more handsome without the beard. Despite her weakened condition, arousal stirred low and deep. She wanted him again, fixer-upper or not.
Jamis glanced up, caught her gaze and suddenly looked a bit self-conscious. “Hey. You’re alive.”
All the heads in the living room turned toward her.
“How are you feeling?” Sam asked.
“Good.” She stepped into the room. “I’m actually hungry.”
“I can get you something.” Galen stood, his hands stuffed in his pockets. “Jamis made tacos for dinner and there were some leftovers.”
“Too spicy.” She glanced at Jamis. “Is there any of that chicken noodle soup you gave me at lunchtime?”
“It’s in the fridge, Galen. That blue container I brought over from my house earlier today.”
“I’ll heat some up for you.” Galen disappeared into the kitchen. He was probably sucking up in the hopes he wouldn’t get into too much trouble for sneaking out, but it still felt nice to be waited upon.
“I should probably go.” Jamis shut the book.
“No!”
“Just one more chapter!”
“Please, Jamis?” Toni held his arm.
“Don’t leave on my account.” She plopped into one of the chairs so she could watch Jamis as she listened to him. “You have a very soothing voice.”
“All right. One more chapter. And then from the looks of Natalie’s chart, it’ll be time for bed, but let’s wait for Galen.”
Galen brought in her bowl of soup and Natalie quietly sipped away as Jamis read another chapter. Like the kids, she felt as if she could’ve listened all night to him. By the time he’d finished, all of the kids looked sleepy.
“Bedtime.” He closed the book.
This time without any grumbling, they all stood and started toward the stairs, even Galen and Sam.
Ryan straggled behind the rest. He turned on the first step. “Jamis, will you read again tomorrow night?”
Natalie felt her eyes grow wide. Ryan had actually spoken when he hadn’t been spoken to.
“I’m not sure, Ryan. We’ll see.”
After the kids had gone upstairs, Jamis headed for the door. “I need to get home.”
“Thanks for holding down the fort,” she said. “You must have made quite an impression on Ryan. I’ve never heard him say more than one or two words at a time.”
He opened the door and hesitated.
She didn’t know what to say, how to be, at least not after everything that had happened between them this crazy summer.
His gaze skittered self-consciously away from hers as if he knew what she was thinking. “Snick, come on.”
The dog had roused from his sleep, but sat in the living room staring at Jamis as if to say, “Do I have to?”
“Come, Snickers.” He whistled.
The sight of the dog walking toward the back door was nothing short of comical. Head hanging low, he walked as slowly as he thought Jamis would tolerate.
“He liked being with the kids today,” Jamis explained.
“Looked like you did, too.”
“Me?” He shook his head. “I can’t wait until September when you’ll all be gone.”
SEPTEMBER. IT WAS ABOUT a month away. Not long ago, Jamis had thought the end of summer couldn’t come soon enough, but now he knew it would come too soon. Natalie—and the kids—would be leaving before the end of August.
Yellow light glowed from the windows of that big, old Victorian, beckoning him. In the shadows of the woods, he stopped and glanced back to see the lights on in the kids’ bedrooms. He imagined them smiling, joking, talking, interacting with one another. Jamis had no more wanted to leave that house or the comfort of Natalie’s presence than had Snickers. He wanted to be in that big, old house, with all those noisy kids, with her. Somehow, someway, the thought of leaving Mirabelle once Chuck found him a private island for sale didn’t bother him nearly as much as the thought of being without Natalie.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SUNLIGHT HIT HER FULL in the face. That was strange. Natalie rolled over and glanced at her clock. Nine? In the morning? How in the world had she slept so late and why hadn’t anyone woken her?
She sat up and nausea swept through her. Again. She’d been battling this flu for a couple of days. Running to the bathroom, she slammed the door behind her and vomited. For a moment, she felt better and then another wave of whatever the heck it was went through her. Brushing her teeth and rinsing out her mouth, she looked for the emergence of any kind of rash. Still nothing. She was positive she’d eaten nothing that normally caused her an allergic reaction. And as for the flu, it was odd that none of the kids had gotten sick—
“Oh, my God,” she whispered to her suddenly pale reflection in the mirror. “I…can’t be.” How could she not have been paying attention? Because she’d thought she’d been safe. Her last period was—she counted back on the calendar. If she ovulated earlier than most women by several days, she could be. “Pregnant.”
You don’t know that. She put her hands on either side of the sink and waited out another wobble in her stomach. Get through this morning. Get to the drugstore in town as soon as possible. And then everything will be fine. She put on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt and found the kids in the kitchen cleaning up after breakfast.
“Ryan and Toni, it’s your turn to wash and dry dishes,” Galen said as he wiped off the countertops.
“
I get to dry,” Toni said.
“All right,” Ryan murmured.
“I’ll sweep,” Sam said.
“And I’m taking out the garbage,” Galen offered.
“Well, look at this,” Natalie said. “Running like a smoothly oiled machine.”
They all turned to look at her leaning against the door frame.
“Are you okay?” Galen asked.
“I couldn’t get you to wake up,” Sam said.
“You look sick,” Toni said.
“Yeah, I’m not feeling very well this morning.”
“More food allergies?”
“No. It’s the flu. I’m going to run into town quick and get some medicine.”
“I can go,” Galen offered.
“Thanks.” She smiled weakly. “But the fresh air might do me some good.” She headed for the door and turned. “And thanks, Sam and Galen, for taking care of things. All of you, thanks.”
As she glanced into each and every kid’s eyes, a sense of overwhelming pride filled her. The summer was winding down, and they’d done okay. Every single one of them had grown these past couple of months. She felt herself getting emotional and quickly grabbed a baseball cap and headed out the door. “I’ll be back in half an hour.”
She glanced at Jamis’s house as she pulled the cap low on her brow and kept her fingers crossed that she wouldn’t run into him until she could reconcile herself one way or another to what would be. Not up to biking, she grabbed a golf cart and headed into town.
Breathing a sigh of relief that a college kid she didn’t know and, more important, didn’t know her, was manning the front cash register, she bought a pregnancy test and snuck out of town. The kids were busy on the porch with their respective projects when she made it home. She ran to the bathroom, followed the directions on the packaging and waited for the results.
She paced in the little room. When the designated amount of time had passed, she glanced at the finished test stick and a dizzy spell hit her. Sitting on the toilet seat, she put her head between her knees. Pregnant. She had a baby growing inside her. She touched her belly. Could she—should she—be a mother? The very limited options ran through her mind and she quickly eliminated all but one.
