The Road to Reunion

by Gina Wilkins

  She was almost squirming with curiosity now. She wouldn’t have expected Kyle to make friends like this in his relatively short time living in this area. As introverted and grumpy as he tended to be, she certainly wouldn’t expect him to be all-but-adopted by a local couple.

  No, there was obviously more to this relationship than a recently instigated friendship. “Your wife sounds like my aunt Layla,” she said in what she hoped was a subtle attempt to learn more. “She’s the official worrier in our family—and it’s a very large family, so we keep her busy all the time.”

  She was guiltily aware that Layla would have hysterics if she knew about Molly’s long, solitary drive to eastern Tennessee. Of course, Layla would have to stand in line behind Molly’s parents, brother and a couple dozen other relatives to yell at her for her reckless trek. And if her aunt Lindsey found out she had driven right through Little Rock without stopping to say hello— well, that didn’t bear thinking about just now. Suffice it to say that Lindsey would not be pleased.

  “Yes, well, Jewel doesn’t have that many people to worry about anymore,” Mack said quietly, giving Kyle a look that spoke volumes, if only she knew how to read it. “Kyle, here, is one of them.”

  Molly glanced at Kyle, who was looking increasingly uncomfortable. “I’m sure he appreciates her concern.”

  Her comment made Mack’s somber expression lighten. “I’m sure he does. Maybe someday he’ll even admit it to himself.”

  “Either of you ever hear that it’s rude to talk about someone as if he weren’t in the room?”

  Both Mack and Molly smiled in response to Kyle’s grumbling—not to mention the faint flush of embarrassment on his cheeks.

  Mack took pity on him. “I didn’t see any damage on the drive up. Still some water on the roads, but no travel problems.”

  Obviously relieved by the change of topic, Kyle nodded. “Good to hear.”

  “Did your roof leak?”

  “No. The guy you recommended did a good job.” Mack grunted in satisfaction and sipped his tea. After a moment, he turned back to Molly. “I think I hear more than a hint of Texas in your voice?”

  She chuckled. “Guilty. I grew up on a ranch outside of Dallas.”

  Mack’s brows rose. “The ranch where you lived for a while, Kyle?”

  Kyle nodded, and once again Molly had to struggle to hide her surprise. So Mack knew at least a little about Kyle’s past. Interesting.

  “I came to invite Kyle to a party—a reunion, of sorts—at the ranch next week.”

  Kyle shot Molly a look of reproval even as Mack said hastily, “Well, that sounds like fun. I’m sure you’ll enjoy—”

  “I’m not going.”

  Mack shook his head in disapproval. “Why not? It would do you good to get away for a few days, see your old friends. You’re getting around real well now, so—”

  “I’ve already informed Molly that I am unable to attend,” Kyle cut in stiffly. His tone made it very clear that the subject was not open to further discussion.

  “Well, that’s a shame,” Mack replied frankly. “I bet you’d have had a good time—if you’d let yourself.”

  “How’s the renovation on the cottage coming along?” Kyle asked, very deliberately changing the subject again. “Made any headway since last week?”

  “All the rain we’ve had the past few days hasn’t helped.” Mack seemed resigned to allowing Kyle to lead the conversation. “I’m hoping the guys can get back to work by midweek.”

  He turned to Molly, making an effort to keep her involved in the conversation. “My wife and I own a motel in Gatlinburg and a few cabins in the mountains. We rent them to tourists in summer and during winter ski season.”

  “Have you lived in this area a long time?”

  “We both grew up in these parts. Bought the motel thirty years ago, and picked up a few rental properties along the way. Our son—well, he was going to take it all over eventually. He loved these mountains, especially in the winter.”

  His use of the past tense twisted Molly’s heart. “Do you have any other children?” she asked softly.

  “No. We just had the one son. We were both in our thirties when Tommy came along. To say he blessed our lives would be an understatement.”

  He had adored his son. It was written in the sudden softness of his face, and the deep sorrow in his eyes. Molly bit her lip, unsure what to say since she knew so few details.

  Mack seemed to mentally shake himself out of his bittersweet memories. He smiled toward Kyle. “It’s been real good for Jewel to have Kyle here to fuss over since we lost Tommy. Kyle was Tommy’s best friend in the Marines, almost like brothers. We came to think of Kyle as a member of the family when he’d come home to visit with our boy. We were sure glad he let us talk him into buying this little cabin and staying close by where we could keep an eye on him while he recuperates.”

  Kyle cleared his throat—hard—and pushed himself to his feet again. “I just remembered that I have a couple of Jewel’s empty casserole dishes in the kitchen. Let me get them for you, and you can be on your way, Mack. I know you’ll have things to do now that the storm’s over.”

  He limped into the kitchen without giving Mack a chance to respond.

  Chapter Four

  After Kyle’s abrupt escape, Mack gave Molly a quizzical look that made her giggle. “Guess Kyle’s ready for me to go. He’s not exactly subtle with his hints.”

  Nodding her head in agreement, she thought ruefully that Kyle would be pushing her out the door as soon as he’d gotten rid of Mack.

  Mack studied her with frank appraisal. “It’s a shame you couldn’t talk him into going to the party. He spends too much time up here by himself. Not that I want you to take him back to Texas permanently, of course,” he added. “I’m too selfish to want to give him up—for my sake, as well as for Jewel’s.”

  “When did you lose your son?” she asked tentatively, wondering if she already knew.

  He confirmed what she had guessed. “Almost nine months now. He was in the same explosion as Kyle. It was tough for all of us,” he said, lowering his voice, “but Kyle’s having a difficult time dealing with the guilt of surviving when Tommy didn’t make it. Jewel and I are doing our best to convince him that we don’t blame him, and that he shouldn’t blame himself, but…well, it’s been hard.”

  Molly reached out impulsively across the distance between the sofa and the recliner to lay a hand on Mack’s arm. “I’m so very sorry.”

  He blinked a couple of times, then cleared his throat, set his tea mug on the coffee table and reached into his shirt pocket. “Want to see a picture of my boy? I always carry it.”

  “I’d love to see it.”

  Even though it had been encased in plastic, the snap shot was battered from much handling. Molly’s throat tightened as she studied it.

  Kyle looked so much younger in the photo, though it probably hadn’t been much more than a year since it had been taken. He was smiling self-consciously for the camera, but he looked happy. Healthy. He stood beside a grinning young man with windblown sandy hair and Mack’s kind gray eyes. The scenery spreading behind them was local, so they must have been on one of those visits home Mack had mentioned.

  Her voice was husky when she returned the photograph. “He was a very handsome man. Like his father.”

  “I like this young lady, Kyle,” Mack said, sliding the much-treasured photo back into his pocket. “A smart man wouldn’t let her get away too easily.”

  Kyle scowled as he entered the room, holding two clean casserole dishes. “Tell Jewel I said thanks for the food, and that I’ll be down to see her in a few days. And thanks for coming by, Mack. It’s always good to see you.”

  Mack stood and held out his hand to Molly, who had risen when he did. “It was real nice to meet you, Miss Molly. Maybe we’ll have a chance to visit again someday.”

  She smiled at him, liking him immensely. “Maybe we will,” she said, though they both knew it was unlike
ly. She doubted that she would have any reason to visit Kyle again after she left today.

  It made her sad to think she would never see him again—so she decided to be optimistic, instead. After all, there was still a chance—however slim—that he would change his mind about attending the party.

  Kyle escorted his friend to the front door, stepping out to chat for a few more minutes on the front porch. Molly couldn’t hear what they were saying, nor did she try to listen in.

  Meeting Mack had made her feel a little better about Kyle, in some ways. Kyle had seemed so alone before; she was glad to know he had someone nearby who cared about him. And whom he obviously cared about in return. Despite his gruffness, he hadn’t been able to completely hide his fondness for Mack McDooley.

  She understood a little better now why Kyle was so grim. Not only had he been seriously injured and forced to leave his chosen career, but he’d lost his best friend at the same time. It was no wonder he was angry with life in general just now.

  Yet he had chosen to settle near his friend’s parents, so he hadn’t been able to cut himself off entirely from other people. Obviously, it had been a beneficial arrangement for all of them.

  “I like him,” she said when Kyle came back inside and the sound of Mack’s car engine faded into the distance.

  “He’s a good man,” Kyle said simply. “And his wife really is a jewel.”

  “You were close to their son.” It wasn’t a question, but her tone invited him to tell her about his friend if he wanted to.

  Kyle picked up the mug Mack had left on the coffee table. “He was the closest I ever came to having a brother.”

  She swallowed, a little surprised he’d opened up even that much to her. “I’m sorry you lost him.”

  He was silent for a long moment, perhaps to make sure his voice was uninflected when he said, “So am I.”

  Without looking at her again, he carried the mug into the kitchen.

  Remembering the two smiling friends in the photograph, Molly didn’t try to follow him immediately. The sizable lump in her throat made it doubtful that she’d have been able to speak steadily just then, herself.

  Kyle wasn’t in any hurry to return to the living room where Molly waited. Though he was usually able to hold his emotions tightly reined around other people, seeing her looking at that photograph of him and Tommy with such sadness on her face had triggered his own grief again. He’d been able to push it back down, but it had taken a massive effort. He needed a few minutes to make sure the emotional barriers were firmly back in place before he rejoined her.

  Before he could decide whether enough time had passed, she came to him.

  “Is there anything I can do?” she asked, standing in the doorway watching him too intently for comfort.

  Though he was well aware she wasn’t talking about housework, he shook his head. “I’ve got everything cleared away in here. But thanks, anyway.”

  She bit her lower lip, and he found himself aching to smooth the faint marks her teeth left. With his own lips. Which only went to show, he thought in disgust, that he wasn’t nearly as much in control of himself as he had hoped. Standing here wanting to kiss Molly Walker? Apparently he had temporarily lost his mind.

  He had the odd sensation that the air was slowly escaping the room, leaving it hard for him to breathe. He tugged at the neckline of his gray sweatshirt. Glancing toward the windows, he cleared his throat. “Morning’s slipping away.”

  She looked at her watch, then nodded slowly. “I suppose I should get on the road. It’s a long drive back to the ranch.”

  “Too far for you to be making the trip by yourself,” he grumbled, genuinely concerned at the thought of her making that long drive alone. But what the hell was he supposed to do about it?

  “I’ll be all right. I’ve got a car charger for my cell phone in case the battery goes dead, and a credit card for gas and expenses. My car’s in good shape, and the tires are brand-new. The only thing that doesn’t work is the radio, and I’ve got plenty of CDs.”

  CDs and a credit card, and she thought she was prepared for anything. Hell.

  “Call your brother as soon as you get a cell phone signal,” he ordered her. “Let him keep track of your progress this time.”

  She nodded. “I will. Kyle—”

  He braced for the question he knew was coming.

  “Won’t you please reconsider coming to the party? It would only be for a few hours, and it would mean a lot to my parents. It would mean a lot to me, too,” she added softly, her eyes so dark with emotion they were almost emerald.

  It was more difficult to say it each time, but he managed to get the words out. “No, Molly. I can’t.”

  “You can’t stay up here brooding forever. Even Mack thinks it would be good for you to get away for a few days.”

  Not for the first time, it occurred to him that she was either the most courageous or most foolhardy woman he’d ever met. Didn’t she know that wounded strays were likely to lash out at anyone who reached out to them? If she had cornered him like this only a couple of months earlier, she’d have been lucky to escape unscathed.

  Fortunately, he’d recovered somewhat since then— both physically and emotionally—so he simply gave her a cool look and said, “I know best what’s good for me.”

  Her lips twisted into a little smile that looked very sad. “I’m sure you believe that.”

  She’d always had a tender heart. He remembered how easily she had cried as a child—rarely for herself, that he remembered, but usually when someone else had been hurt or upset. Now she’d apparently decided that he deserved her sympathy. He could almost feel his male ego shriveling in response to the pity he was afraid he saw in her eyes.

  But, because she was Molly, he couldn’t be angry with her. Anyone else, maybe—but not her. “I’ll help you carry your bags, out,” he offered, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.

  She seemed to give herself a little shake. “I only have one. I can handle it.”

  He remained where he was when she turned to go collect her things. She would be on her way very shortly. And then his life could get back to normal. And he was not sitting up here “brooding,” he assured himself with a touch of defiance. He stayed busy. He worked out, he did repairs on the house, he read and researched possible paths for his future.

  He had offers—Mack was urging him rather persistently to join him in the rental business, for example. Or he could go back to school on the military’s tab, studying anything that interested him.

  Maybe he had gotten a raw deal, but he wasn’t brooding and he didn’t need her to rescue him. It was bad enough that Mack and Jewel fretted over him so much, a situation he tolerated only because he knew they needed to do so.

  No, he had enough people in his life for now. Molly had plenty of others to cater to her—her parents, her brother and his family, all those aunts, uncles and cousins he remembered, the other foster boys who had probably all stayed close to the Walker family.

  She probably had a boyfriend. A lover, he corrected himself, belatedly remembering her age. At least one, considering the way she looked. Hell, guys were probably lined up at her door.

  It must have been a new experience for her to have to drive across two and a half states to practically beg a man to visit her.

  Her green overnight bag was slung over her shoulder, and her car keys were in her hand. She was going. And the fact that his first instinct was to throw himself in front of the door to bar her way was proof that she wasn’t leaving too soon.

  “You’ll be careful?” He tried to speak brusquely, but he wasn’t sure he was entirely successful.

  “I’ll be careful.” She moistened her lips, then held out a hand to him. “I wrote down all the numbers at the ranch and my own cell number. Our e-mail address is on here, too. Maybe you could call or drop us a line sometime—just to let us know how you’re doing.”

  “You sent me all that information when you invited me to the party the fi
rst time.” But he took the folded sheet of paper, anyway, since she had gone to the trouble of writing it all out for him.

  “Just hang on to the list.” She smiled faintly. “Maybe you’ll decide you want to use it someday.”

  “Maybe I will.” He supposed anything was possible. Maybe someday when he was in peak shape again, more certain of his future, better able to face his past—both recent and distant—maybe he’d get a yen to visit the ranch.

  Or maybe not.

  “It was good to see you again, Molly,” he said awkwardly, feeling the need to send her off on a positive note. “Say hello to Shane for me—and tell your parents I wish them a happy anniversary.”

  “I will.” She hesitated a moment, and then she moved toward him. He was startled when she gave him a quick, firm hug, her head nestling naturally into his shoulder, the overnight bag bumping his hip. “Take care of yourself, Kyle.”

  His arms rose reflexively to encircle her. He knew she came from a family of huggers, and that despite his arguments to the contrary, she still considered him a member of her family. Yet as hard as he struggled to think of her that way, his long-deprived body still reacted very strongly to having a soft, curvy, sweet-smelling woman pressed closely against it.

  He released her and stepped back a bit too quickly before he embarrassed himself. The jolt of pain through his leg in response to the jerky movement helped rouse him out of the mental paralysis her unexpected hug had sent him into. “You’d better get going,” he said, his voice husky, his arms itching to reach for her again. “You’ve got a long drive ahead.”

  Back to her real life, he added silently. Back to the men who were whole in body and spirit and who were probably waiting to offer her anything she wanted. Everything she deserved.

  Her eyes seemed unnaturally bright when she turned away. Kyle’s chest felt as though someone were still squeezing him—this time in a grip tight enough to hurt.

  Molly paused for a moment at the door, her hand on the knob, and then she squared her shoulders and stepped outside without another word. The door closed firmly behind her.