Hell Transporter (Between) (5 page)

If only you knew how I had to drop everything!

“I made up your bed for you,” I said, lugging his stuff into the cabin.

“Well, that was sweet. Here I show up practically unannounced and you give me a king’s welcome. I guess we raised you right, huh?” He pinched my cheek like I was still a little girl. I winced.

While Dad headed upstairs to unpack, I paced around the living room, thinking about Aiden out in the woods by himself and worrying about him meeting my dad. The centerpiece of the living room was a large rock fireplace built by hand with rocks drug from the lake. A couple of armchairs bracketed the fireplace, and two mismatched couches faced the center of the room. Behind them sat a heavy pine dining table where I’d spent many hours playing games as a child. On the wall, a painted wooden toilet seat cover held a small table lamp made to look like a woman’s leg in a fishnet stocking. Normally, the room’s corny, rustic style made me feel peaceful and homey, but today, it was all I could do to keep from chewing my fingernails down to stubs.

Breathe, Lindsey,
I thought and forced myself to calm down. The bookshelf along the wall behind the table called to me as a possible source of distraction, so I grabbed the nearest book I could find and sat on the couch.

Dad came downstairs and plopped onto the oversized chair with a blissful sigh.

“Man, I love this place. You remember making these when you were little?” he asked, referring to the tacky, naugahyde-capped footstools shaped like mushrooms.

“Made from genuine nauga cows,” we said in unison. Some of my tension dissolved as I laughed with him, remembering how easy things used to be.

“Yeah, your mom and I always…” he started, but his face clouded over at the mention of life before the divorce. He shook his head. “Well, never mind that. It’s just nice to be back.” His smile was overly bright and I returned it, glad we weren’t going to talk about Mom and her boyfriend, Nick.

His eyes drifted over to the new woodpile and the drapes next to the fireplace. “What happened to the old curtains? Did you make a new frame for the woodpile?”

I squirmed in my seat, afraid he would be upset. “Oh, uh, yeah, I… accidentally caught the woodpile on fire and it ruined the curtain so I had to make some new ones. Aiden built another frame and filled it with fresh logs.”

He sat forward in his chair and directed a worried gaze at me, a deep furrow creasing his brow. “A fire? What happened? Were you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. I threw some papers into the fire and went to bed, not realizing the sparks had caught the woodpile on fire. The smoke woke me up and I was able to put it out with the extinguisher. Aiden pulled me out of the smoke.” The words were out before I’d had a chance to think about it and I swallowed hard, hoping he wouldn’t ask any questions about how Aiden had known I was in trouble.

Dad ran a hand through his thick brown hair, and shook his head at me, clearly exasperated. “What am I going to do with you? I can’t leave you alone for a minute, can I?” I shrugged with an uneasy smile. “So Aiden, huh? That’s the guy you mentioned on the phone when you said you’d met someone?” He raised one eyebrow and tilted his head toward me. I felt a furious blush creeping up my cheeks. He chuckled and rubbed his chin, contemplating. “Ah, you must really like him. I haven’t seen you blush like that in a long time. Not since Jimmy what’s-his-name asked you to the junior prom.” He was teasing me and I knew it, but I couldn’t help the redness of my cheeks.

“It sounds like I owe him a thank-you for watching over you, since you obviously shouldn’t be left alone.” I gave him my fiercest glare, but he just laughed. “Relax, kitten. I’m just teasing you. So what’s he like, this boy? How’d you meet him?”

I blinked at him blankly for a second, as it occurred to me that in my haste to get Aiden out before Dad’s arrival, I had completely forgotten to coordinate a story with him about how we’d met. If I told Dad something now, chances were good that Aiden’s story wouldn’t match and then he’d know something was up.

“Um…” I began, starting to feel panicked, but was saved by a knock at the door. I sighed inwardly with relief and smiled innocently at my dad. “That’s probably him now. Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“Too bad I don’t have a shotgun.”

I smacked him on the arm, rolling my eyes.

Dad answered the door, doing his best to look stern and imposing. Aiden smiled at him from the doorway, and bowed his head in respect. He was wearing the new clothes I’d bought him instead of his kilt, and he had his hair tied back which emphasized the handsome angles of his cheek and jaw. His broad shoulders filled the doorway and he stood several inches taller than my father, but he kept his head slightly lowered as he addressed my dad.

“You must be Lindsey’s Da. I’ve heard much about you. Very pleased to be meeting ye, sir. I’m Aiden MacRae.”

Dad’s eyebrows went up in surprise at Aiden’s accent, but he took the proffered hand in greeting. “You’re Scottish,” Dad blurted and I giggled, remembering that I’d said the exact same thing when I’d first met Aiden.

“Aye, that I am, indeed.” Aiden tipped his head in acknowledgment and waited patiently on the front step to be invited in.

“Nice to meet you, Aiden. I’m Gary, Lindsey’s father. Come on in.” Aiden thanked him and smiled at me as we sat down on the couch in the living room. Dad resumed his place in the chair and regarded Aiden with a guarded but friendly tone. “I was just asking Lindsey about how you two met.” He waited and I held my breath, but Aiden seemed completely at ease.

“We met at the store down the road, when she arrived about two months ago.”

“So you live around here, then?”

Aiden nodded, and I was just as curious to hear the answer as my dad. “I’m staying at the old Baker cabin down the road for a spell whilst they’re trying to sell it. You know the one?”

“Oh yeah, they’ve been trying to sell that place for years. Better to have you staying in it, I suppose, than the bears.” The look on Dad’s face told me he wasn’t finished and I shifted uneasily, excited to see them together but nervous that something would go wrong. “So do you work in town?” he asked.

Aiden shook his head and settled into the couch, looking relaxed. “No, I’ve taken some time off to travel. See, my parents died years ago and I lived with my Uncle Alex for a time. When he died, he provided me a modest inheritance. As I didn’t have any family left, I thought it would be a grand adventure to get as far away from home as possible.

“So I pulled out a map and picked Seattle, the far west coast of the states. Only when I got there, I found that I didn’t care overmuch for the big city. ‘Twas very crowded and I’m more accustomed to the country, having been raised in the Scottish Highlands. So I started making my way east and found this place.” He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “If ‘tis good enough for a priest at this lake, I suppose it’s good enough for me, aye?”

Nicely done! How did you know about the Baker place?
I sent him the message and he shot me a quick smile.

Ranger Jim mentioned it.

“Dad, Aiden likes to play cards. Maybe you could teach him a game,” I prompted and they agreed. Dad dug out some cards from the bookshelf and they sat down at the dining table across from one another, moving easily into talk of the countryside, fishing and hiking. I made myself useful by putting together a light snack tray and bringing them beverages. I watched them play, gazing from one to the other, completely tickled at seeing them together. Aiden was right; they actually got along very well.

“The fishing is best in the early morning before the lake gets too busy. Would you like to come fishing with me tomorrow morning?” Dad offered and Aiden readily accepted. Dad glanced at me, eyebrows raised in question. “You don’t mind, do you?”

I tamped down a surge of worry and gave him a stiff smile. “No, of course not. You two have fun. I’ll just putz around here and read or something.” Dad squeezed me on the shoulder, then went back to the card game. I excused myself and went outside to quietly freak out.

“A whole day of fishing, and Aiden alone with my dad! What the hell is he thinking?” I hissed at the air. Pacing back and forth, I imagined all the ways things could go south. I kicked a pinecone and it skidded off the entrance to the outdoor bathroom, upsetting a cricket resting on the path.

Aiden’s calm voice interrupted my thoughts.

Dinna fash yourself, lass. I know that you’re worried, but it will be fine.
Trust me.

After some deep breaths, I went back inside, determined to ignore the stress eating a hole in my stomach. After they’d played a few hands of cards, Aiden got up from the table.

“Well, I’ll be taking my leave now. Thank you, sir, for the game. I enjoyed it very much. I’ll leave you two, since I’m sure you’d like to spend some time alone with your daughter.” Aiden tipped his head in farewell.

“Why don’t you join us for dinner? I’m sure we’ll have enough,” Dad offered, looking to me for confirmation and I nodded. Aiden’s eyes met mine for a moment, dazzling blue and dancing with victory. My heart skipped a beat.

You did it!
I sent him the message in my mind and he winked at me.

Nae, we did it. We’re a team.

I caught Dad looking at us out of the corner of my eye and I realized we’d been standing there staring at each other too long.

“Uh, yeah, lots of food. Come by. That’d be great. You and…” I stammered and Dad’s lips twitched with amusement. “Okay, I’m gonna shut up now.” I dropped my gaze to the floor, a vicious blush heating my cheeks.

Aiden squeezed my hand. “I’d be delighted. Thank you, sir, for the kind invitation.”

Dad stood up and clapped him on the shoulder as they walked to the door. “You don’t have to call me ‘sir.’ I’m not your drill sergeant. Call me Gary, all right? We’ll see you back here around six o’clock for dinner.” Aiden thanked him again and slipped out the door.

My heart was singing at how well the exchange had gone, aside from tripping on my own tongue. I sat on the sofa with my feet tucked under me, unable to suppress a grin.

Dad plopped down next to me and patted my knee. “He’s a nice young man. His hair is too long, but he’s very polite. At least he doesn’t wear his pants hanging off his butt like kids do these days.”

“Daaaad!” I protested.

“What? They do!” He grinned and I crossed my arms in a huff, but my face was frozen in a gleeful smile that I couldn’t get rid of, no matter how hard I tried to look offended. “Relax, I liked him. And I can tell you like him, too.”

“Yeah, I do,” I replied, in the understatement of the century.

All of a sudden, his face took on a pained expression. He stood up and started pacing in front of me, running his hand through his hair. “Listen, Lindsey…” he began, but then trailed off, struggling to find the right words. “I’m not sure how to say this and maybe I’m far too late for this kind of thing anyway.” He frowned at me like he was disappointed but not angry, like that one time I broke the living room lamp playing ball in the house. Guilt soured my stomach in conditioned response and I racked my brain to think of what I’d done wrong.

“Look, he’s a good looking fella and I saw the way you were looking at him. You, being here alone at the cabin all this time, and he doesn’t have a job. I mean, what else is there to stop you, really?”

“What are you talking about, Dad?” I shook my head in confusion.

He rubbed his neck until one side flared red under his hand. “I’m not good at this. Your mother was always better at this sort of thing.”

“What ‘sort of thing’? You’re not making any sense.”

He sat on the couch and took my hand, his eyes resting on mine in resignation. “I was young once. You’re nineteen years old. And he’s—what?”

I had to think about it for a second and realized that his birthday would have been in May. “He’s twenty-one,” I answered and he straightened up in surprise.

“Really? He seems older than that. Maybe it’s just being from Scotland. I don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders and craned his neck from side to side as if his shirt were too tight. “It doesn’t really matter. What I’m trying to say is that I know what it’s like to be young and have your hormones racing.”

My eyes flew open and I jerked my hand away from him.

“Dad, you can’t possibly…” I started, horrified at the idea that he was trying to give me The Talk. To my surprise, he seemed offended rather than relieved.

“Oh, can’t I? Listen here, young lady, I may be an old man, but I’m no fool. You’ve been staying here alone all summer with no chaperone, dating a guy who looks like that. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to put two and two together and see that you could easily get yourself into trouble. Are you at least using protection?”

I leapt off the couch with my mouth hanging open.

“Dad!”

He rolled his eyes at me and patted the cushion next to him. “Sit down, Lindsey.” I glared at him and folded my arms, holding my ground. He shook his head and sighed. “I’m not going to tell you about the birds and the bees. You’re too old for that. I’m sure you already know it all anyway. I just don’t want you to make the same mistake your mother and I did. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Sadness sunk into his shoulders and my resolve started to weaken. Finally, I dropped my arms to my side and sat down next to him.