by Judi Lynn
On the drive back to Mill Pond, she stopped at Art’s Grocery to buy a pork loin, a bag of mini-carrots, two onions, and fingerling potatoes. Once home, she tossed everything in a cast-iron Dutch oven, sprinkled them with a package of French onion soup mix, a little soy sauce, and some chicken broth, then threw them in a hot oven. She added a box of sliced mushrooms for good measure. Nothing fancy, but good.
Football blared from Axel’s room. He didn’t look at her when she carried in a cup of tomato soup for lunch, so she changed into old clothes, opened windows in the parlor, and started painting—the white ceiling first, then the rose-colored walls. Thankfully, it was a small room, and she’d bought expensive paint so she didn’t have to prime, but she was still tired and covered with paint spatters by suppertime. The room looked beautiful. The paint set off the wood floors and wide trim. She took a quick shower before heading to the kitchen to dish up a late supper.
Axel frowned when she put his dish on the TV tray. “I don’t like mushrooms.”
“Then don’t eat them. I’ll get you a carton of applesauce.”
She reached for his plate and he said, “You could heat up some of those leftovers people brought.”
“So could you. Do you want this or not?”
His lips turned down, but he picked up his fork. “I’ll eat around the mushrooms.”
“Whatever.” She carried her dish to the dining room table and flipped on her laptop to scroll through her e-mails while she ate.
By the time she’d finished cleaning paint brushes and supper items, it was a little after eight. She was too tired to read, so went to her room and sat on the air mattress to admire its fresh look. She was watching a DVD she’d brought when her mom called.
“Is Dad cooperating any more lately?” she asked.
Karli paused her show and settled against her pillows. “It’s not going to happen. I’m giving him an ultimatum, then calling Home Services. They can deal with him.”
“He probably wouldn’t like live-in help, would he?”
Axel? “He’d probably pinch them.”
“Well, you tried,” Mom said. “Your sister called and she and Rob are thinking about flying home for Christmas.”
“Really? That’ll be fun. I’ll try to get a couple of nights off work to see them.” If she remembered right, she worked both Christmas Eve and Christmas night. She’d worked the night shift for so many years, it felt natural to her now.
“We can have our family dinner on whatever night works best for you,” Mom told her.
Her parents were wonderful about that, always willing to be flexible to fit her schedule. They talked a few more minutes, then Karli finished watching her movie before curling on her mattress and pulling her blankets close.
“Hey, girl! I want to brush my teeth.”
Karli shut her eyes and counted to ten. Helping her mom had seemed like a good idea at the time . . . before she met Axel. She laughed at herself. She could handle this a lot better than Mom could. That’s why she’d come. She didn’t want her mother to have to deal with crap like this. Pushing to her feet, she padded to the back of the house. Tomorrow, she was going to start painting the kitchen, and it was time to have a serious talk with the old man.
Chapter 13
On Monday afternoon, when Keagan stopped at Ian’s inn to deliver his mail, Tyne ran out of the kitchen to hand him a big, plastic tub of chicken and dumplings. “For Karli and Axel.”
Keagan raised his eyebrows in surprise. Tyne worked the morning shift on Sunday and Monday, and he rarely left his stainless-steel domain. “You’ve never sent food to Axel before.”
“That’s because I don’t care if the old bastard starves or not.” Tyne had a way of speaking his mind. Sometimes, it caught Keagan off guard. “I like Karli. Is she going to stay in Mill Pond a while?”
Keagan breathed in the aromas coming from the inn’s kitchen. Onions and garlic mingled with what must be a tomato sauce. His mouth watered. He’d grabbed a bagel and cream cheese before he started his route, but by now, it was a distant memory. He hadn’t stopped for lunch either, munching on cheese and crackers in his truck instead. He usually packed his mom’s leftovers for lunch on Sunday, but she’d asked him to give those to Karli, damn it.
Tyne raised an eyebrow. What had he asked him? Oh, yeah, about Karli. “She only plans on spending a month here, trying to get health care set up for Axel. Small towns aren’t her thing. She’s a city girl.”
“A close city.” Tyne tilted his head, studying him. “Indy’s only an hour and a half away.”
Uh-oh. Keagan could feel a lecture coming on and thought he might be able to avoid it. He glanced down the inn’s hallway to the kitchen. “Don’t you have to cook or something? On Mondays, you do the breakfast and lunch crowd, right?”
Tyne’s dimple showed. He was amused. “Both over. I’m fixing my dish for Paula to heat up for supper tonight. Lasagna.”
“God, it smells good.” His stomach rumbled. “Shouldn’t you get back to that? Bet you want to finish up to get home to Daphne.”
Tyne laughed. “I’m just saying when I came to Mill Pond, I didn’t plan on staying either, thought I’d move on once I got some experience, but look what happened.”
Keagan gave him a look. “I know what you’re up to, but it won’t work. I’m not Karli’s type. Brad is.”
“And you know that . . . how?”
“By the way she looks and talks to me. Not one bit interested.”
“I’ve seen the way she looks at you, too. If she bent you over and kissed you senseless, you’d still think she’d rather have Brad. You’re practicing avoidance, my friend.”
Keagan glanced around the lobby, hoping for Ian to wander to the desk and save him, but no one was in sight. “Okay, let’s be honest. She’s too much woman for me.” He’d gone that route before. It hadn’t ended well.
Tyne’s gaze turned serious. “Harley told me about Cecily. That was three years ago.”
“Not long enough.” He never talked about her. Didn’t want to, but Tyne was persistent. He’d bring it up again if Keagan didn’t satisfy him now. “After living together for two years, she ran off with a guy who worked on the line next to her at the factory. They both liked to party. That’s what each of them did—worked and went out. We did that when we were dating. I thought she’d settle down once we moved in together, but I was wrong.”
“Did you try to keep up with her?”
“She wore me out. I tried to put in time at my studio every morning before I delivered mail, then go out with her every night. And the sex—she wanted it all the time.”
“Most men’s fantasy.”
“Until they get it. I couldn’t keep it up.” He realized what he’d said and grimaced. “The pace was too much for me. It felt exciting at first, but I got tired of it really fast. Ryan had no problem with it.”
“He worked eight hours and did nothing else?”
“He worked, showered, changed clothes, then went out to eat and have fun.”
“Sorry, man. That’s why you’re afraid of Karli?”
“Damn right. She’d use me up like Cecily did and then leave town.”
“Why did Cecily leave?”
“The factory shut down. She and Ryan took that as a sign to find some place with more to offer—more bars, more fun.”
Tyne let out a long breath. “Okay, this sounds sleazy, but why not enjoy Karli while she’s here?”
Keagan scowled. “I’m not good at playing love ’em and leave ’em. I suck at casual affairs, get too attached. And it hurt too much when I found out Cecily was seeing Ryan on the sly. The next time around, I want someone for keeps, someone nice and quiet who’ll want to stay.”
Tyne narrowed his eyes. “Sweet, young things are around here. I’ve seen them. So why aren’t you going after one of them?”
&n
bsp; Keagan huffed out a sigh. “Don’t judge me, but they don’t interest me much.”
“Yeah, not your type, you’re just trying to play it safe. All I’m saying is that Karli’s into you. I can tell. Give her a chance. You might click.”
Keagan backed toward the door. “I appreciate the advice. I really do, but a woman would mess up my plans right now. If I find the right place, I can buy it.”
Tyne added one last parting shot before letting him escape. “You act like you have to choose, but maybe you don’t. Maybe you can have it all. Maybe Karli would move in with you.”
“Maybe, but it would be like living through Cecily all over again.” He turned and bolted for the door. Karli wasn’t looking for a relationship. How could she do long term as a traveling nurse? Nope, she and Brad both liked short and fast, not Keagan’s style.
When he reached Axel’s place, he hopped out of the truck to take him his mail and to deliver Tyne’s food. When he saw Karli, he’d be careful. But when she opened the door for him, he frowned. “I smell paint.”
“Really?” She pulled out a strand of her dark, curly hair to show him the blue speckles on it. “I put a scarf over my head, but my hair keeps getting loose.”
He loved her hair. She was one of the most attractive women he’d ever met. That only made her more dangerous.
She motioned him inside. “Come see what I’ve done.” She showed him into the rose-painted parlor. He’d have never thought of that color for the room, but it was perfect. It fit the old-time elegance the house had once had. Then she led him to the kitchen with three of its walls painted blue. It was a good-sized room with a long, butcher-block table in its center. The fresh paint showed up how dated the blonde-wood cupboards were, but it was still an improvement.
He handed her the chicken and dumplings. “This was the perfect time for Tyne to send you these.”
She looked relieved. “Good, this room is taking forever. I started early, and I’ll be lucky if I get it done. Thank Tyne for me. I won’t have to stop to make something for supper.”
Keagan smiled, happy to see the improvements she’d made. “I’ve always liked this house. It has a natural charm about it. Axel’s mother made sure it was pretty.”
Karli looked surprised. “It always looked rundown when my family came for visits.”
“That’s because Axel didn’t care about it, and neither did Eloise.” He held up a finger. “Give me a minute. I have something to show you.”
Karli watched him run up the stairs and looked surprised when he came back with a small stack of pictures to show her. They were black-and-whites of the house when the yard was landscaped and it was well taken care of. “Was this when it was first built?”
Keagan nodded. “Its bones are still good. It just needs some work.”
She gazed at the pictures and then looked around at the dingy rooms. “It was a really pretty house.” Its exterior was painted white with darker shutters.
“They were sage green,” Keagan said. “They’re faded now, out in the garage.” Its landscaping hugged its foundation with flowering bushes and perennial flowers. Inside, the parlor had an upright piano on the long wall. The dining room had fancy dishes displayed on the plate rail.
Karli pointed to the dishes. “Your plates would look pretty displayed like that. They’re art.”
Her compliment pleased him, and before he could stop himself, he blurted, “If you’d like to see my studio, I could drive you there some night this week.”
“I’d love that.” Her answer was too quick.
Oh crap, what had he done? But he’d invited her, hadn’t he? “Will Thursday work?”
She motioned to her surroundings. “It’s not like I have big plans.”
It must suck, staying here with Axel. “Maybe we could go out for supper, too. You could meet some of the people in Mill Pond.”
“Perfect. Should I dress up?”
He laughed. “Not for Joel’s microbrewery. I thought we’d keep it fun.”
“I like fun.”
He bet she did. Well, Mill Pond was a fun place to be. He’d show her a side of the town she’d never seen before. And then he’d stay the hell away from her.
Chapter 14
On Tuesday, Karli was finishing painting the kitchen when the Meals on Wheels truck pulled into Axel’s driveway. Karli had paid for one week of food as a trial for him. If he tried it, he might like it. The man brought the packets of food to the door, and she paid him. It was close to suppertime, so she removed the lid and sampled a small piece of the meat. Not bad. She probably used more salt when she cooked, but the food tasted good. She took it out for Axel.
He stared at the disposable container. “What’s this?”
“Boneless ribs, and mashed potatoes and gravy.”
He took a bite and spit it out in his napkin. “Disgusting.”
Karli fought down her temper. “I tasted it. There’s nothing wrong with it. It might taste better when I’m not here and you’re eating cottage cheese and applesauce again.”
“At least I can recognize those.” He pushed the tray away.
“Fine.” The word was clipped. “What do you want now? Applesauce or Ensure?”
“Some of the leftovers folks sent.”
“Those won’t happen when I’m not here.” She crossed her arms over her breasts, ready to argue. The front door opened and closed, and someone stomped toward them. Karli stopped bickering to glare at whoever had invited himself in.
A man with salt-and-pepper hair and a beard as messy as Axel’s stood in the doorway to the sun porch. He pointed a finger at Karli. “I heard you were here. Donna’s daughter, right? Don’t think you can swoop in here and butter up Dad to get my inheritance.”
She wasn’t in the mood. “You must be Kurt.”
“That’s me, and I’m onto you, girlie. You’re sniffing after the money, but it’s mine. I’m staying here to protect my rights.”
“Good, you can have him. Knock yourself out.” She waved a hand toward Axel. “Whatever you come up with is between you two. I don’t give a damn. Now you can take care of him.”
“Hold on now. I never said anything about taking care of him. I don’t owe this old guy anything. I survived him, and that’s enough.”
“Well, I’m tired of him. And I’m sure not going to wait on you.”
Kurt studied her, caught off balance. “You’re a feisty, little gal, aren’t you? Right now, I’m temporarily out of work, so thought I’d stop to check on Dad a while. Don’t want to get your dander up, as long as we understand each other. I’ll take my things upstairs and stay out of your way. How’s that?”
Temporarily out of work, her foot! He came for free room and board and a shot at his dad’s money. What did she care? She put her hands on her hips. “Unless you’re going to take care of the old coot, stay out of my way, or I’m gone, and he’s yours.”
Kurt looked at the food on Axel’s tray. “Is someone going to eat that?”
“No!” Axel pushed it toward him.
Kurt picked it up and dug in.
Great. A freeloader. He and Axel deserved each other. But Karli was supposed to go out with Keagan on Thursday night. If she stormed out of here now, she’d miss that, so she nodded at Kurt. “We’ll call a temporary truce.”
Axel looked Kurt up and down. “Thought you were married.”
“Was. Got a divorce.”
“Kids?” Axel asked.
Kurt shook his head.
Karli pinched her lips together so that “lucky them” didn’t escape.
“You still doing odd jobs?” Axel asked.
“Off and on.”
Karli gestured to the rundown barn. “This place could use a little work. You’d be the person to do it.”
“Not me. I don’t give a shit about Axel or the farm. All
I want is the money.”
“What money?” Karli motioned outside at the miles of weeds. “This place is a wreck.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. A hundred acres can probably fetch six hundred thousand dollars.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Don’t think you’re getting a share. Neither are my brothers and sisters.”
The man sounded like a broken parrot. “And why is that? How many times did you come to visit Axel?”
“I’m here now. That’s all that matters.”
Axel laughed. “The fun’s just starting. Your sister called yesterday. She’s going to drop in soon, too.”
Kurt’s eyes darted to the driveway. He looked nervous. “Which one?”
“Sylvie.”
“Christ almighty! Not her!”
Karli stared. “What’s wrong with Sylvie?”
Kurt jammed his hands deep in his pants pockets. “She’s a bitch on steroids; as hard as nails and greedy as sin.”
It sounded as if Kurt and Sylvie were a perfect match. She turned to go to the kitchen. “What difference does it make? There are twelve kids. Twelve into six hundred thousand . . .”
Kurt cut her off. “You don’t get it, kid. That money’s mine.”
“Yeah, right.” She carried Kurt’s empty container into the kitchen and dumped it in the trash, then she nuked the last of Ralph’s fried chicken to take to Axel.
“What about me?” Kurt asked.
“The leftovers are in plastic containers with red lids, and there’s a microwave. Don’t touch the chicken and dumplings. That’s for supper tomorrow.”
“And if I eat them?”
“I’ll throw every damn leftover away and you can buy your meals in town.” She fixed herself a plate of the leftover pork roast and vegetables and headed to the dining room. Kurt heated up the rest of the roast and went to watch TV with Axel.
