by Jane Toombs
She didn’t know what might have happened if a convertible full of teenagers hadn’t come by where they were parked along the curb, bass speakers throbbing, horn blaring. Catcalls from the teens brought them back to awareness. Amy pulled away, scooting over to her seat belt and fastening it again. David settled himself behind the wheel, put his on and turned the key in the ignition.
But he didn’t drive toward Gert’s or toward the apartment complex.
“Where are we going?” she asked finally.
“I can’t take you home unless you want to face the consequences of us being there without the responsibility of Sarah. And I don’t want to pick up the girls just yet. Not until we talk. The park by the river is fairly private, but not so much so I’ll forget where we are again.”
At the park, trails meandered along the river and to various picnic areas. They chose a river trail, but it soon became a single-file one, so when they came to a windfall with a substantial trunk alongside the trail, they sat on it, leaving a space between them. Though they’d seen others using the park, no one was in sight. The river gurgled past them—on its way to the Sink, Amy thought. To be swallowed up in the sand. The idea still disturbed her.
“No ducks here,” she said.
“They know the picnic areas offer the best bet for handouts.”
A magpie perched on a willow near them, flicking its tail while it eyed them.
“No food,” Amy told the bird, holding out empty hands. As if understanding the words or the gesture, it flew away. She turned to David. “Well?”
“They run deep, I always heard.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Coming here was your idea.”
“I’m having one hell of a time keeping my hands off you,” he muttered.
Trying to ignore the thrill sending sparks through her at his admission, she said, “I noticed.”
“You cooperated,” he accused.
She could hardly deny it. “You’re right, sorry to say.”
“Do you know what I’m thinking right now?”
“That what’s between us can lead nowhere?”
“Wrong. I’m trying to figure out if we’d be well enough hidden from the trail behind this windfall.”
Dangerous though it might be, she couldn’t resist teasing him. “Why would we want to hide?” she asked in her most innocent tone.
“Damn it, woman, be careful or I’ll wind up showing you why.”
Her breath came short as his gaze caught hers. What she saw in those blue eyes of his made her pulse pound. He was on a shorter leash than she’d thought.
“We can’t.” Even to herself she didn’t sound convincing.
“We won’t, maybe, but we sure as hell can. One touch and…”
He didn’t need to finish. Every one of her nerve endings quivered with the need for him to touch her, kiss her, hold her. But she knew she was right about their relationship leading nowhere. She couldn’t bear to think of making love with him knowing it might be for the last time.
Jumping to her feet, she cried, “We can’t even discuss this rationally. It’s time to go.”
“Is it?” He rose slowly and took a step toward her. She stood mesmerized. Another step. One more and she’d be in his arms. Lost.
“No!” she cried, whirling and fleeing down the trail toward the parking area.
Chapter Fourteen
David and Amy rode in silence most of the way to the apartment complex, their only conversation about the barbecue on Sunday. She wanted to drive alone, but he convinced her Sarah and Betty would make more than adequate chaperones. He dropped her off and, his mind in turmoil, drove to Gert’s to pick up the girls.
Both Sarah and Betty were thrilled to discover they’d be going to a barbecue together the next day and jabbered to each other all the way to Betty’s. On the way home, though, Sarah lapsed into silence, which was unlike her.
“Tired, punkin?” he asked.
“No, I’m thinking.”
He smiled. That was a new one. “About what?”
“About what Great-aunt Gert said.”
He waited, but she didn’t divulge any more. “What was that?” he asked finally.
She turned solemn eyes on him. “I’m not finished thinking yet.”
“So you’re not going to tell me until you are?”
She nodded.
What a joy his daughter was. Always something different going on in her head. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why he’d more or less deserted her for so long. It’d never happen again.
“You took Amy home first,” she said.
“She had things to do.”
Again she examined him, this time with what he’d come to recognize as her “are you sure?” look.
“She’s coming with us tomorrow?”
He nodded.
That evening all three of the new owners came to pick up their kittens, leaving only Sheba, who cuddled up to her mother as though afraid she’d be next.
“Is Hobo going to have more kittens?” Amy asked.
“Don’t you remember I told you Hobo has to go to the vet so he can fix it so she won’t have kittens? When Sheba gets a little older, we’ll take her, too.”
“Will Hobo care?”
“No. She won’t even realize anything is different. Cats are smart, but their brains work differently from ours. She’ll be healthier afterward and live longer, too.”
“Oh. I guess I won’t feel sorry for her, then.”
“No need to. And Sheba is so small it’s better for her if she never has kittens.”
“She’s got me to love,” Sarah said, picking up the kitten, who immediately started purring. “Love is important, Great-aunt Gert told me.”
“Is that what you’ve been thinking about?”
Sarah took a while to answer. “Sort of.”
On Sunday, the four of them left in midmorning, driving in David’s pickup.
“There’ll be other kids at the barbecue,” Amy told Sarah and Betty.
“Boys or girls?” Sarah asked.
“Both.”
Viewing his daughter in the rearview mirror, David could see the news disturbed her. “You like Elias, don’t you?” he said.
“He’s younger than me, so he’s okay.”
Thinking back, he remembered her talking about a boy back in New Mexico who’d made fun of her. Evidently Amy recalled it, too, because she spoke before he’d figured out what to say.
“All boys aren’t bullies like Kenny,” Amy said.
She even knew the kid’s name, which was more than he did.
“Kenny needs help to understand why he picks on others,” she continued, “but the boys coming to my brother’s aren’t like that. Some are about your age, some younger. You have to be careful not to judge all boys by one bad one. Think about it, your dad was once a boy and I’m sure he never bullied anyone.”
He could see Sarah struggling to assimilate this and wondered if her thoughts ran like this: Daddy a boy? Never! He hadn’t been able to imagine his lawyer father as a boy. Grandpa, yes, his dad, no.
“He might have been a bully,” Sarah said.
For a moment David thought she meant him, but then he realized the emphasis on “he” meant Murdock. He didn’t intend to defend the bastard.
“I know you don’t like your stepfather,” Amy said. “Now that you’re living with your father, though, you don’t have to hate Mr. Murdock anymore.”
“I don’t?”
“Certainly not. Why should you? You’re happy here, you don’t have to live with him anymore, so you can give up hating him.”
“Okay, I’ll try.” Sarah sounded dubious.
“I like some boys at school,” Betty said.
This seemed to reassure Sarah a little, but by now David was trying to remember if he’d ever bullied anyone. He may have tried with his sister, but she was a fighter from the beginning. How could Amy be so sure he hadn’t been a bully?
They arrived early at
Russ and Mari’s ranch, but a few others were already there. David immediately recognized Zed Adams, his wife, Karen, son, Danny, and daughter, Erin. As it turned out Amy had met the Adamses, too, so only Sarah and Betty needed to be introduced.
“We’ve been waiting for you to come,” Danny said, “so we could go ride the ponies. Elias is already down there. Come on.”
Erin and Betty started right off with him, but Sarah hung back until Amy whispered something in her ear, then away she went.
“What did you tell her?” David asked.
“That Danny might be as tall as she was, but he was younger.”
Smiling at each other, they shared the moment, making David realize how much it meant to him that Amy cared about Sarah, too.
Russ said, “David, barbecue rules in the Valley are the men do the outside cooking, the women the inside. Right now, what say we go down and help Hank with the pony rides.”
David nodded and the three men followed the children, leaving the women behind.
“I cheated,” Mari confessed. “My housekeeper and Willa—you both remember her—did most of the ‘inside’ work already. Let’s go up to the house and relax while we can. It gets hectic later on with everyone here and kids all over the place.”
“Is Willa still raising rattlesnakes and milking their venom?” Karen asked.
Rattlesnakes? Amy only vaguely recalled Willa—an older woman—since they’d met just once, at Russ and Mari’s wedding.
“No, Grandpa Joe really took to Willa, you know. He claims she’s the only person he’s ever met who tells the truth, bad or good, one hundred percent of the time and can still make him smile when it’s bad. He finally persuaded her to let the snakes go. After he took over her investments, she did so well, she really didn’t need the money she got for the venom.”
They passed the gazebo on the way to the house and Amy paused to look at it. “David’s aunt is having him build her a gazebo in her backyard,” she said. “They’re so romantic. I’m looking forward to eating lunch inside it when he’s finished.”
Karen and Mari both laughed.
“Sorry,” Mari said, “but romantic and lunch don’t exactly go together. Unless you mean you and David having a midnight snack in the gazebo.”
Amy forced a smile.
In the house, Willa, who was holding baby Isabel, greeted Karen, then surveyed Amy. “Met you at the wedding. Still steering clear of men?”
Taken aback, Amy took a moment to recover. How on earth had Willa figured that out?
“Actually, she and David Severin are friends,” Mari said.
Willa nodded. “Glad to hear it. At my age you can take men or leave ’em alone, but a young gal like you, it’s different, worth the hurt that goes along with the joy.”
Joe was right, Willa didn’t mince words. But worth the hurt? No way. To take the focus off her, Amy said, “Do you mind if I hold my niece?”
“Best she gets to know her aunt early,” Willa said, depositing Isabel in Amy’s arms.
“Isn’t she darling?” Karen said after they’d all sat down. “You Simons have the most beautiful green eyes.”
Amy remembered how David had compared the color of her eyes to the green of Emerald Bay and had to hold back a sigh. Why must everything remind her of that night with David?
“I’ve met Gert Severin,” Karen said. “She’s a remarkable woman and I’m sure you enjoy being her associate.”
“She’s great to work with.”
“You mentioned David building a gazebo for her. Has he decided to resume his law practice?”
Amy chose her words carefully. “I don’t think so.”
Karen looked from Amy to Mari. “I guess neither of you knew him then, but a year or so ago, morose was the word best fitting David. How he’s changed for the better!” She smiled at Amy.
Amy couldn’t believe her ears. Karen thought she was responsible for his change?
Isabel cooed, attracting Amy’s attention. Looking down at the baby, she wondered if a child of hers would have green eyes, too. If she ever had one. How good it felt to cuddle her niece next to her. It might be only an instinctive reaction, but feeling it made her better understand why women yearned to have babies.
“When is Talal due back from Kholi?” Mari asked Karen.
“Not till next month.” Evidently realizing Amy didn’t know who Talal was, she added, “Talal is Zed’s twin brother and Danny’s birth father.” She laughed. “Danny always brags he’s got two fathers, because Zed and I are raising him. Now that she’s old enough to understand, it annoys Erin no end when he teases her about only having one.”
More guests arrived, including Zed’s sister Jade and her family. The men and older children all went outside, while the women gathered in the huge living room with the toddlers and babies.
“Is everyone here related to everyone else?” Amy asked Mari.
“Not exactly, though a lot of them have ties to Zed and Karen in one way or another.”
By the time the men finished the barbecuing outside, the women had set the rest of the food out on tables in the vast screened porch to the side of the house. Despite children underfoot and running in and out, everyone managed to eat. After the cleanup, Jade brought out her guitar and they sat around singing folk songs.
The camaraderie made Amy nostalgic for summers on Mackinac Island when she was small. She’d loved her father then. He had, she remembered, called her Kitten. She hadn’t thought about that in years.
Russ was sitting close to her so she leaned over and said, “Do you remember when Mother used to play the piano and we’d all sing?”
He nodded. “On the island. Seems ages ago. Dad always said you were the only one who could carry a tune.”
“He did?” She had no memory of that.
“You could never do wrong in Dad’s eyes. Made it hard on me. If you teased me I didn’t dare clobber you like you deserved or Dad got after me.”
“He changed his mind about me later on, when I wouldn’t do what he wanted. Dad’s always been into control. You know that.”
“He’s mellowed.”
She shot him a disbelieving glance.
Ignoring that, he said, “I doubt you need my approval, but here it is, anyway—David’s okay.”
“I knew you ex-lawyers would stick together.”
“He’s not ex, he passed the Nevada bar exams.”
“His aunt Gert nagged him into it.”
“From what I’ve seen of him I doubt David is easily nagged into anything.” He gave her an assessing look. “You haven’t been trying any of your covert maneuvering with him, have you?”
“Of course not.”
“Why don’t I believe that? Cease and desist, sister of mine. He’s not the type to stand for anyone trying to control him by whatever means.”
Control David? Before she could tell Russ he was out of his mind, Mari claimed his attention and the chance was gone. Control? Why, she’d never tried to control anyone in her life. “Never,” she repeated aloud.
“Never what?” David asked from behind her.
He hadn’t been there before, so he must have just come up to her. Thank heaven he hadn’t overheard her exchange with her brother. “Never mind,” she said.
“Ready to leave?” he asked.
“We’ll have to collect Betty and Sarah.”
“They’re in the games room trying to learn Ping-Pong from one of the teenagers Russ and Mari hired to keep track of the kids. They’re having fun, so we can give them a few more minutes while we take a walk.”
“A walk where?”
“Outside, like a lot of others are doing.”
In other words, they wouldn’t be alone. “All right.”
With the waning moon hovering between half and quarter full, the night was quite dark once they moved away from the lighted areas. Other couples strolled along meandering paths where the night breeze, laden with a heavy, sweet scent, dissipated the day’s heat.
�
��I think I smell night-blooming jasmine,” she said.
“Gert wanted me to plant some against her back fence, but after Cal told me it usually doesn’t survive northern Nevada winters, she decided against it. The odor’s a tad strong for me. I prefer something lighter, like—” He broke off.
“Like what?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Then why not tell me?”
He stopped, took hold of her shoulders and turned her toward him. “Damn it, the floral scent I prefer is the one you wear.” Without giving her a chance to free herself, he brought his mouth down on hers, hard and demanding. Hungry.
A part of her had known all along if she agreed to walk with him she’d wind up in his arms. The same part of her that longed to be there. The irresponsible, “take joy where you find it and never mind tomorrow” part. That part of herself she’d kept on a tight leash ever since her experience with Vince. Somehow David had not only untied the leash, but thrown it away.
Unable to control herself, she fed his hunger with her own. To the devil with moon love. Her love for David was no moonlight illusion, but deep and real. They might have no future, but he was kissing her in the here and now and so she’d answer his passion with hers.
Finally, without letting her go, he lifted his head slightly and said against her lips, “The more I kiss you, the more I want. But…” Leaving it unfinished, he set her free from his embrace.
Going home in the truck, they had little to say to each other. She listened to the two girls in back re-hashing the evening.
“Who did you like the best?” Betty said. “Of the boys, I mean.”
“I guess Danny. He’s fun.”
“I liked Tim better. Danny’s bossy.”
“Yeah, but if you don’t do what he says he doesn’t get mad. He’s not mean.”
Amy shook her head. Seven years old and already discussing boys. Oh well, at least Sarah had come to realize not every boy is a bully.
As they chattered on, Amy’s eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.
When David stopped the pickup to see Betty to the door of her place, he tried to be quiet so he wouldn’t wake Amy. Back in the truck, he saw she still slept. She didn’t rouse when he reached the apartment complex, either.
