Forever Fall (13 page)

Granny smiled and settled back in the rocker, picked up her crocheting and then gave the floor a slight shove with her foot to set the chair in motion. “Well, that seems simple enough. And I’ll see to it that she goes through with this.” Then she stopped the rocker’s motion, laid the partially finished afghan in her lap and leaned forward. She placed a warm hand on Luc’s forearm. “I can’t tell you how much this means that you’re taking an interest in her. Poor thing has felt deserted by the ones who should be caring most about her and sweet little Lili. The last months have been a hard road for her to walk, but she’s getting by. She’s a tough little lady, and she’s going to be okay in the end.” She shook her head, and her voice took on a sad tone. “It just breaks my heart that she’s missing out on a good chunk of her life. She should be worrying about grades and dates and not formulas and diapers and making ends meet. But she planted the seeds, now she has to tend the garden. Even so, she deserves a better life than this, and if getting that sheepskin is the way to go, then I’m all for it.”

Luc had known why he was doing this, but aside from it being a well-known fact in Carson that Granny Jo was a woman with a big heart, he had no idea why she had taken an inordinate interest in Alyce and Lili’s welfare. However, since it really wasn’t any of his business, he kept silent.

Then those wise, old gray eyes narrowed on him. “I expect you’re wondering why I’m so concerned with what happens to Alyce and Lili.” She leaned back, picked up her needlework and propelled the rocker back into motion. “Plain truth is, she’s my great niece. My horse’s behind of a nephew, her daddy, and his wife threw the poor child out when she told them she was in the family way, and Lili’s daddy claimed he wasn’t responsible.” She took a deep breath. “The Walkers have always been an uppity family. Disowned me when I married my Earl and come here to live.” For a moment, she got a hurtful look in her eyes, as though the pain still resided deep inside her.

Then she shook her head and went on. “No one would take Alyce in, so I did. But even though I begged her to come live on the mountain with me, she refused. Said she could make it on her own.” Her chest puffed out. “And she has. But it’s been hard on her. Poor thing has worked her fingers to the bone, but she manages to keep a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs and food in their bellies. And that little baby is surely loved by her momma. Can’t ask for more than that.”

Luc nodded his agreement. “I’d say she has a lot to be proud of. Being a single mom and the only bread winner at her young age had to be a gigantic task for her. It’s good she had you to help out.”

Granny Jo dismissed his praise with a wave of her hand. “No more than any Christian woman would do for her own blood.” She pointed at the papers. “She needs to get her GED and then go on to something more so she can get a decent job and doesn’t have to struggle so hard to make ends meet.” Then she frowned and centered her inquiring, gray eyes on him. “Now suppose you tell me why you’re going to such lengths to make sure Alyce gets her GED.”

Why indeed. Luc hadn’t really been absolutely sure until this moment. “Because I vowed, when I got my degree, that I would help any kid I could to get the best education and start in life that they could. Just because Alyce didn’t attend Carson High doesn’t negate that promise.”

On his way to the lake house,
Luc thought about what he’d told Granny Jo and how it made the deal he’d made with Asa to keep the baby simulators out of the school look like the worst blatant betrayal of his vow. A good education meant a solid future for these kids, and just because Asa didn’t want to take the money from his precious athletic budget didn’t mean the kids should suffer by having their lives ruined. Mandy was right. They needed to know what they’d be sacrificing by having a child while they themselves were still children—the hardships, the long nights, the living hand to mouth, paycheck to paycheck.

It was at that moment that Luc cut all ties with Asa. If he had to move to a new town and start over, then so be it. He’d started a life from nothing once before. He could do it again. For the first time in days, Luc felt clean. The one thing that dimmed his pleasure in his decision was that leaving Carson meant leaving Mandy.

That night Luc and Mandy walked a wide path around each other, speaking to each other only when necessary, neither of them able to find a way to break the icy barrier between them. Upon arriving back at the lake, Luc had gone directly into the den and switched on the TV. When he’d gone to the kitchen for a beer, he’d noticed Mandy out on the deck staring blindly at the lake. He’d assumed she’d stayed there until she’d been forced to come inside and start dinner.

Shannon had come home from shopping angry with Catherine and sporting an attitude because, after buying diapers and formula for Joey, she hadn’t had enough money left to purchase a blouse she’d just “had to have.” And, as instructed by Mandy, Catherine had not offered to supplement Shannon’s money to make the purchase. Added to that was the embarrassment she’d suffered when Joey had launched into a screaming fit in the middle of the store, and, unable to quiet him, she and Catherine had been asked to leave. By the time the young girl had gotten home, she’d been tired, cranky and sullen.

Dinner that evening was, to say the least, an excruciating exercise in silence. Thick and uncomfortable tension had lain over the entire room like a suffocating blanket, leaving little inclination for conversation. Despite that, Luc had tried several times to initiate an exchange, but when all he’d gotten for his efforts were frowns and indecipherable grunts from Mandy and continual complaints about how unfairly she was being treated from Shannon, he’d fallen silent, too.

Following breakfast
the next morning, Mandy reminded Shannon that Joey’s clothes needed washing, and she should clean his corner of their room where she’d set up the nursery, including sanitizing his crib and washing all the bedding. Obviously unhappy with the task, Shannon nevertheless reluctantly shuffled off to do her chores.

By the time Luc put his dishes on the counter, Mandy had come to the conclusion that it was time to bury the hatchet. They each had their agenda as far as the simulators were concerned, and neither approved of the other’s. So be it. Besides, she’d known they were on opposite sides of the fence going in to this, so why get all in a snit about Luc’s attitude now? In a few days they’d have an answer. In the meantime, she’d talk to Luc and let the chips fall where they may. Perhaps they could at the very least get on speaking terms again.

Luc turned to go.

“Please don’t leave. I’d like to talk to you, if you don’t mind.” She poured a cup of coffee for herself and set an empty cup out for him. “Let’s go out on the deck. Shannon doesn’t need to hear this conversation.”

Without a word, Luc nodded, but didn’t immediately follow her outside. “I’ll be there in a minute. Just let me get a cup of coffee.”

She just nodded and went outside, leaving the door open for him to follow. Taking a seat at the large, glass table, she set her cup in front of her and wrapped both hands around the hot mug. While she waited for Luc to join her, she looked out over the blue waters of Lake Hope.

For as far as she could see, the scene appeared like a serene picture straight off one of the postcards on the 2 for $1.00 rack in Keeler’s Market. The autumn day had dawned beautiful and clear. The lake was a smooth reflection of the blindingly blue sky and sparkled where the morning sun’s rays danced off the few ripples in the surface. Bright oranges, yellows and reds painted the trees that filled the landscape on the lake’s edge, where a beautiful male deer with an enormous rack of antlers drank from its waters. The rich aroma of pine and unique scents of autumn wafted to her on a crisp morning breeze. In the distance, the top of Hawks Mountain peeked above the treetops.

Mandy wished she felt as calm as the vista before her. She wrapped her arms around her chilled body, wishing she’d thought to grab her sweater. Her stomach churned with nervous tension. She combed her brain trying to find the right words to start this dreaded conversation. At last, Luc emerged from the house with his coffee in one hand and her sweater in the other.

“I saw this draped over the kitchen chair and thought you might need it.” He placed the sweater around her shoulders and sat next to her. “You looked cold,” he said in reply to her questioning glance.

Thoughtful as well as so handsome he took her breath away every time she saw him. She’d gotten used to her heart speeding up when he entered a room, but the bottomless feeling in her stomach that always accompanied it still put her off balance. Alarm bells went off in her head. Luc Michaels was becoming way too dangerous to her peace of mind and her vulnerable heart. Trying her best to ignore the emotions bombarding her, she smiled at Luc.

“I am chilly. Thanks.” She drew the sweater around her body to cover her bare arms.

“So what’s this talk we need to have?”

“It’s about that argument we had—”

“No.” He held up his hand to stop her from saying more. “Me first. I had no right to fly off the handle at you and make unfounded accusations just because I overheard one side of a phone conversation. You were absolutely right to get angry with me.”

First the sweater and now this unsolicited apology?

Too stunned to say anything for a moment, Mandy could only gape at him. Finally, she cleared her throat. “I was right?”

“Yes, and I apologize. First, I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, and second, I shouldn’t have accused you of anything without proof.” Previously, his gaze had been directed at his coffee cup. Now, he raised it to meet hers. A hint of a smile teased at the corner of his mouth. “Am I forgiven?”

Even just the hint of his smile did something crazy to her insides. His expression reminded her of Davy Collins the day his wolf, Sadie, had charged into the Social Services office and scared two female clients half to death. Apologetic, but in some strange way a bit amused with himself. “Please say yes. I feel like a complete jerk.”

Mandy swallowed. Her first impulse was to reach out to him, but she stopped herself with the reminder that she needed to keep distance between this man, whose mere presence had the ability to set her heart to racing out of control, and herself. At least until she could get control of her unpredictable emotions.

Instead, she balled her hands into fists, stood, moved to the porch rail, and then turned to face him. “Yes, you’re forgiven, but I should apologize, too. I had no right to accuse you of the things I did, Luc.” Then she smiled.

Her smile threw his thoughts into chaos. Luc looked away
. Now. Tell her she was absolutely right about his deal with Asa. Do it now
, a little voice whispered. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to spoil their first moment of peace in days.

He rose and joined her at the railing, then covered her hand with his own. “So we’re friends again?”

She glanced down at their hands and then smiled up at him and nodded. “Yup. Friends.”

When she tried to pull her hand from his, he tightened his grip. For a moment, she resisted, then he felt a slight tightening of her fingers, as if she, too, didn’t want to let go of him or the moment.

His gaze fastened on her lips as she’d said the words. Then it shifted to her eyes. “Good.”

Had that been his husky voice? He didn’t know for sure. What he did know was that he wanted to taste her mouth more than he wanted to take his next breath.

“Yes
 . . .
good.” Her whisper drifted away on the breeze. A dreamy expression filled her eyes.

The wind lifted a strand of her hair and laid it across her cheek. Unable to resist, Luc brushed it back behind her ear. Once he’d touched her, he couldn’t seem to summon the will to break the contact. His hand rested against the cool skin of her neck.

Their gazes held. The sounds of nature welcoming the new day faded. Before he could stop himself, he leaned forward and touched her lips lightly with his. They were cool and inviting and tasted like the honey she’d had on her toast. But best of all, she didn’t pull away.

She leaned toward him. A moan escaped from one of them. Luc wasn’t sure who, nor did he care. Her arms circled his neck, and he pulled her against his chest. He’d never held a woman and felt like this before, like she belonged in his arms
 . . .
in his life, in—

“Mandy!”

That sound of Shannon’s strident voice from inside the house brought them back to earth. Mandy tore her mouth from his and sprang from his embrace. She moved quickly to the side of the porch closest to the open kitchen door, her eyes large and wary.

A yawning emptiness filled Luc’s soul, and a knot of apprehension filled his throat. Wary? He struggled to understand. “Mandy, I—”

For a moment, she could do nothing but stare at Luc. Mandy didn’t have a great deal of experience with the opposite sex, having devoted much of her life to her career, but what little she had left her totally unprepared to contend with what had just happened. Never had she felt with any other man what Luc had just brought to life in her. She’d always been careful not to get involved physically. But she knew for a certainty that if Shannon had not interrupted, she would have gone wherever Luc led her. No protests. No hesitation. Just blindly followed. And it scared her beyond explanation.

“Mandy, where are you?” Shannon called again. “I can’t make the stupid washer work.”

Mandy blinked, then turned toward the sound of Shannon’s agitated voice.

“I’m out here on the deck. I’ll be right there,” she called, her tone husky and shaky. Then she swung back to face Luc, and in a low whisper said, “This can never happen again.”

Lunch was as quiet
as this morning’s breakfast and the previous night’s supper, but for totally different reasons. Luc was still puzzled about Mandy’s reaction to their kiss. He knew she’d enjoyed it as much as he had by the way she’d responded. Yet, he could still recall the way she’d looked at him with that guarded expression, almost as though she was afraid of him, of what he might do
 . . .
or had it been what
she
might do?

He studied her from across the table. She seemed more interested in rearranging her salad than anything going on around her, even though she’d barely touched a bite.

Shannon was in a snit again because Mandy had made her wash not only Joey’s clothes but her own as well. She’d also told Shannon that from now on, she’d be helping to prepare all their meals and doing some of the housework. That had not set well with the teenager, who was beginning to show distinct signs of displeasure with her role as mother and housekeeper.

Luc said nothing. If she’d been living on her own with Joey, as Alyce was with Lili, then she would be the one to shoulder all the household tasks as well as caring for an infant. Allowing her to think otherwise would not only defeat the purpose for all this, it would also give her a false sense of what to expect as a young, single mother.

“I never have any time for myself. It’s not fair,” she’d wailed when told to clear the table and do the dishes. “You guys do whatever you want and go wherever you want, and I’m stuck here.”

“We don’t have a baby to care for,” Luc reminded her. His statement had drawn a surprised look from Mandy, but she said nothing.

Shannon’s only reply was to stick out her bottom lip, push her unfinished lunch aside and stomp from the room. Before she’d reached the first landing, Joey wailed loud and clear, but the sound of Shannon’s bedroom door slamming muffled it. Mandy glanced at Luc, shrugged and left the room. Both she and Shannon had remained out of sight until late afternoon when they’d reappeared in the kitchen and began making dinner.

Now, all three were once more sharing a silent meal, for which no one appeared to have any appetite. Twenty minutes into the meal, Joey wailed out for attention. Shannon swore softly, threw down her fork and left the room in an angry huff.

Luc set aside his fork. He hesitated to speak to the uncommunicative Mandy, but his curiosity got the best of him. “Is it my imagination, or is he crying more often than before?”

“I reset the frequency of his crying yesterday. Babies get sick, and babies have bad days. She has to see that.” Mandy never raised her gaze from her plate.

Pushing his plate to the center of the table, Luc rested his forearms on the placemat. “What’s wrong? I thought we were friends again.” Silence. “Is it what happened on the deck this morning? If it is, I’m sorry it upset you, but I’m not sorry it happened.”

Mandy threw him an indecipherable look, picked up her plate and went to the sink. She scraped the untouched contents down the drain, turned on the faucet and then switched on the garbage disposal. The grinding of the disposal seemed to magnify the wall Mandy had erected between them.

Luc followed her and turned off the disposal. “I’m not going away, and inserting that noise into our conversation will not end it.” He took her shoulders and turned her toward him, then hooked his finger under her chin and raised it, forcing her to look at him. “What is it, Mandy?”

She glanced at him. Her gaze shifted to his lips. How very much she wanted to feel his kiss again, to—She sighed and removed herself from his grasp. Having him touching her did not help her vow to avoid a repeat of what had happened on the deck. It made it much too easy to remember their kiss and the way she felt in his arms, safe and secure for the first time in her entire life. But she’d also felt small and helpless, and that frightened her beyond words. How she wished she could react like any normal woman to a man’s touch. But nothing in her life had ever been normal. Nothing. She couldn’t allow one kiss to make her forget that.

In that fraction of an instant after Shannon had called to her and broken the spell of the kiss, Mandy had realized the danger she’d put herself in. Her heart had told her days ago that this man was becoming far too important to her, and she could only save herself by making sure nothing like that kiss ever happened again. Getting involved with any man had no place on her life’s agenda. If her mother had taught her anything, it was not to trust a man. They always lied to you, and, in the end, they always let you down.