Feels Like Home: A Southerland Family Contemporary Romance Book 1 (8 page)

She dropped the rabbit on top of the rest of
the load, dumped in a healthy dollop of detergent and went out to
buy some grape icicle pops.

She came home with bread dough, cheese, and
sauce to make pizza, two kinds of grape popsicles, Magnum bars for
her and Summer and a bottle of wine. She’d also stopped at the
town’s only Redbox and picked up a Disney princess movie for Abby
and a completely girlie romantic comedy for them to watch on the
old DVD player her siblings left behind in their scavenge.

When she came into the kitchen carrying her
loot, Summer was transferring the load from the washer to the dryer
and filling the washer with her own clothes. She looked miserable.
Autumn wanted desperately to ease some of her burden.

Growing up, Summer had been light and sunny
like her name. That memory was hard to reconcile with the sad,
tired woman standing in front of her. She must have heard her
because she turned from a t-shirt she was smelling to face her.

“
I hope you don’t mind.”
She motioned to the washer. “My clothes stink of it,
too.”

“
Course not. This is your
house.” She understood why Gran had left her the house instead of
leaving it to Summer, but it didn’t matter whose name was on the
deed. In her mind it belonged to both of them.

Summer smiled a sad, small smile. “It’s not,
but I appreciate it. I appreciate you letting us stay.”

Autumn wanted to grab her sister and hug her,
tell her to leave the ass and live here. Summer looked so fragile
she was afraid to spook her. “I’m glad you’re here. I get lonely.”
That was at least part of the truth, even if she didn’t say
everything she wanted to say.

She started unloading the grocery bags. Thank
God for her job at Jude’s. She wanted to feed her sister and Abby
and make sure they had everything they needed. She would have
happily blown through her savings to take care of them, but the job
meant she didn’t have to. She could hold onto, at least for now,
the tiny nest egg which was all she had left from her big career in
the city.

She paused in loading the frozen treats into
Gran’s ancient top door freezer. The loss of her job didn’t feel so
raw anymore. If she still had the job, she wouldn’t be here with
Summer and Abby. There’s no way she could have taken off this much
time to spend with her family. This was better, she thought,
smiling to herself. This was much better.

Abby came padding barefoot into the kitchen,
wearing Princess Sofia jammies. Her sandy blonde hair stuck up on
one side and she had a wrinkle from the pillow on her face, but her
breathing was even and quiet with no sign of the cough.

“
Hola Abracadabra. Did you
have a good nap?” Autumn swung the little girl up onto a stool at
the work table in the center of the kitchen.

“
I know that word. It’s
Spanish. It means hello.”

“
Right you are,
kiddo.”

“
That was a lot of talking
and no coughing.” Summer kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Think the
frog is gone?”

“
I think I still need
icicle pops to be sure.” She looked expectantly to her
aunt.

“
Coming up.” Autumn held up
one each of the grape popsicles she’d bought and watched in delight
as Abby’s eyes lit up. “Which one?”

“
Can I have two?” She
looked to her mother for permission and Summer kissed her again
smiling.

“
One at a time. You can
have one now and one after dinner.”

“
Score,” Autumn said with a
wink. “Which first?” Abby pointed and Autumn cut the top off the
chosen pop before handing it to her. “How about you? I got big girl
ones, too.” She waved the box of chocolate Magnum popsicles in
front of her sister.

Summer laughed. “Maybe after dinner.”

“
I think we need to do
both, too. Just to keep the frogs away. One before and one after.”
She took two of the decadent treats out of the box and handed one
to her sister before opening her own. She took a bite of the
popsicle and moaned in pleasure at the creamy ice cream wrapped in
caramel and good chocolate. “God, I love these.”

Summer took a bite and let her eyes drift
closed. “I forgot how good these were.”

The three of them munched in companionable
silence around the table. When nothing was left but sticky fingers
Autumn saw Abby looking at her sister, gauging her mother’s
response.

“
After dinner,” Summer said
before the little girl could ask.

“
Go wash your hands. You
can help fix dinner. I got stuff to make pizza.”

“
Yeah!” she yelled and then
had to stop to cough. Still it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had
been.

“
Easy there, Abracadabra.
Go wash up.” Autumn turned to see her sister watching her with
tears in her eyes. “What is it? The cough isn’t too
bad.”

“
It’s not that.” She swiped
her hands at her eyes. “I don’t know what it is. I’m just glad
you’re home. I missed you.”

Autumn took her hand and gave it a squeeze as
her own eyes filled. “Me too. I missed you , too.”

Abby came back into the room and looked from
her mother to her aunt, her brow wrinkling. “What’s wrong?”

“
Nothing, honey.” Summer
helped her climb back into the stool while Autumn went to fetch the
ingredients for the pizza. “Everything is fine.”

They watched the credits roll as the hero and
heroine drove off into their happily ever after. The pizza was
nothing but crumbs and empty popsicle sticks, juice boxes, and an
almost empty wine bottle littered the coffee table. Abby slept
wedged in between them on the couch, her head on Summer’s lap and
her little feet pressing into Autumn’s thigh.

Summer sighed. “Did you ever think it could
be like that?”

“
Like what? Crazy family,
big wedding?”

“
Like one guy willing to do
anything to help you, to love you.”

Autumn thought for a minute before she
answered. She wanted to believe in true love and happily ever
afters, but the truth was she wasn’t sure any more. Nothing had
worked out the way she thought it would. What if believing in one
true love was like putting her faith in Chase and Maxwell?
Regardless, she knew there were lots of choices better than Dwayne
Foster.

“
Yes. I guess I still do.”
Saying it out loud felt almost like making a wish.

“
Maybe it’s Dr.
McHottie.”

Autumn was shocked by how much she wanted
that to be true.

“
No, even if I was
interested, which I’m not,” she lied. “There’s no way he’d get
serious about me. I’m not doctor’s wife material – at least not in
this town.”

She didn’t have to explain why to Summer. She
understood exactly how far apart her world was from Jude
Southerland’s. They shared a crazy family.

“
I’m not sure that’s true
anymore. Momma’s been dead for years and people in this town really
loved Gran. She belonged to the Garden Club and the Ladies
Auxiliary until she got too sick to go to meetings. You might be
surprised.”

“
She knew who her family
was back generations. I don’t even know my grandparents except for
Gran.”

“
That doesn’t matter.” But
Autumn heard the doubt in her sister’s voice.

“
It does. The Southerland’s
are a founding family. I can’t think of anything more respectable
than them. They can trace their family back to Europe before
Columbus. I don’t even know who my father is.” It had been a long
time since she’d felt the stigma of that, but she felt it now. “Why
are we talking about this? Jude Southerland isn’t interested in me
and I am not interested in him.”

“
If you say so,” said
Summer, clearly skeptical.

“
I’m not.” Maybe if she
said it often enough she could convince herself.

“
I am so glad you could see
me today Doctor Southerland.” Old Mrs. Morris settled herself in
the exam room chair, clutching her handbag in a death grip on her
lap in case a purse snatcher jumped up from behind the table. “I
need to get my flu shot before it’s too late.”

“
Of course, Mrs. Morris.
I’ll be happy to help you with that but you didn’t need to make an
appointment for a flu shot. You could just walk-in or even get it
at the Wal-Mart out on 460.”

She looked at him with the same expression
she’d used when he and Adam ran through her flower beds as boys,
knocking down her prize daylilies.

“
I don’t think a body
should get medical treatment from the same place people buy tires
and groceries.”

“
Of course, ma’am. I’ll be
happy to take care of it.” At least it gave him something to do
besides obsess about Autumn.

He didn’t generally schedule appointments on
Saturday. With the exception of some of his older patients like
Mrs. Morris, Kristen kept Saturdays open for walk-ins. They only
worked a half day and most of that was spent dealing with sick
kids.

Usually he and Kristen could handle Saturday
hours alone, but Kristen had taken off for her sister’s wedding.
Autumn came in to fill in for her. It was okay; they hadn’t had
many patients. The rush of back-to-school colds seemed to be over
and flu season hadn’t started. But it meant there’d been precious
little to distract him from Autumn.

She’d worn one of those sexy 1950’s housewife
dresses with the rounded neckline that showcased the tops of her
even rounder breasts and a wide belt cinching her waist. He wanted
to wrap his hands around the belt, boost her up onto the counter,
and find his way under the layers of her skirt.

“
Doctor
Southerland?”

“
Hmm?”

Mrs. Morris was looking at him like he was
touched in the head. Good Lord. He had to do something or he was
going to go nuts.

“
Yes, ma’am. Just a
minute.” He opened the exam room door and called for Autumn. She
walked towards him, hips swinging, on impossibly high heels. Her
dark hair haloed her face with tousled curls and her bright blue
eyes were fringed with inky black lashes. The only noticeable
make-up she wore was red lipstick. She was walking sex, all lush
curves and generous lips begging to be kissed, but still perfectly
appropriate. Even Mrs. Morris wouldn’t be able to find fault in her
appearance, but it was driving Jude crazy.

The worst part was he didn’t think she had
any idea how beautiful she was. He certainly didn’t think she meant
to tease him. He couldn’t help wanting her. It didn’t matter how
many times he reminded himself that she worked for him. She found
her way into his thoughts and into his dreams.

“
Did you need something,
Doctor?” When she said doctor, she smiled, playing with him, but
part of her attention seemed to be somewhere else. She’d been
distracted all day. Maybe he affected her, too. It was too much to
hope for.

“
Could you grab one of
those flu shot trays Kristen fixed, please?”

“
Sure.” She turned, leaving
the spicy floral scent she wore behind.

God, he had it bad. He pulled out his
stethoscope and started checking Mrs. Morris’ vitals, partly to
make her feel like she’d gotten her money’s worth but more to
distract himself from thoughts of Autumn Maddox. He’d just
unfastened the blood pressure cuff when he heard a soft knock and
the sound of the door opening behind him. Mrs. Morris peered around
him and scowled.

“
You’re not Kristen. Who
are you, child?”

“
My name’s Autumn, ma’am.
I’m filling in for Nancy while she’s on maternity
leave.”

“
That’s right. I heard she
had a baby girl. But who are your people, dear?”

Jude saw her flinch and wondered why the
question bothered her. He didn’t have to wait long to find out.

“
My grandmother was Marion
Maddox.”

“
She just died, didn’t she?
Poor dear.”

Jude couldn’t imagine anyone calling Marion
Maddox a poor dear. She’d been strong as steel up until the end.
But it didn’t sound like Mrs. Morris meant Autumn either.

“
Yes, ma’am.” Jude watched
as Autumn shrank inside herself.

“
I’m sorry for your loss.
You’re not a Smith, though, are you?”

“
No, ma’am. I’m a Maddox.”
Her voice sounded so small. She may as well have said she was a
bastard.

Mrs. Morris pulled herself up to her full
height and Jude could tell something nasty was coming. He couldn’t
stand the idea of the old biddy making Autumn feel like less than
what she was.

“
Autumn saved my life,” he
said before Mrs. Morris could open her mouth. “With Nancy gone, I
couldn’t run the office without her. I need her.” The words rang
with truth about more than just the office. He hadn’t realized how
much until he heard himself say them.

Autumn smiled at him, some of her confidence
returning, and his heart clutched.

I need her. Imagine that.

“
Of course, of course. I
didn’t mean anything by it. A body can’t help who their people
are.” But the way she said it made it sound like they
should.

Jude hurried Mrs. Morris out the door, eager
to be alone with Autumn even if he wasn’t sure what he intended to
do. Now that he’d come to the realization what he felt was more
than attraction – that he needed her – he was determined to
convince her that she needed him, too.