Lone Oak Feud (Harlequin Heartwarming) (9 page)

Owen looked confused. “Lindsey?”

“She just went out the door.” Zach laughed. So his nephew was a sucker for a pretty face.

Actually, he knew it went beyond that. Lindsey was the only one among them who had a special touch with kids. He could hardly blame Owen for gravitating to her, though they’d have to talk about impromptu visits next door. From what Zach knew of old man Salinger, Owen needed to learn to stay away. Zach could take the negative opinions, the comments, the looks, but he didn’t want that for Owen.

Owen and Gram made their way down.

“Who’s here?” Owen said excitedly.

Gram looked hopeful but cautious. Zach motioned them into the living room, where Josh lounged on Gram’s favorite chair.

“Joshua.” Gram wasn’t an emotional woman, but her tone spoke a world of feeling. Relief. Affection.

“Hi, Granny.”

He rose and she wrapped her skinny arms around him, tiredly looking him over from head to toe. “I’m glad you’re back.”

Josh made no bones about being happy to be home, but he smiled as Gram took her seat back.

Zach waited for Owen to react to his dad. A big welcoming hug would go a long way right now. But none came. The kid stared at the TV, and he sat on the farthest end of the couch.

“Owen. Your daddy’s home.”

Owen looked at Josh, gave a distracted half smile. “Hi.” Then went back to the reality show.

Zach glanced at Josh and knew his son’s cool reception was getting to him. “Go sit next to him.”

Josh glared at Zach but sauntered across the living room. He sat on the couch close to Owen. Zach turned off the TV. After a long silence, Josh said, “How you been, Owen?”

“Fine.”

Zach paced into the kitchen. He needed this to go a lot better if it was going to work.

His grandma came in then. “Where’d you find him?”

“That bar I told you about. Took a lot of talking to get him home, and now Owen’s treating him like a stranger.”

“They
are
strangers. That boy knows you better than he knows his father.”

“They were together for two weeks, weren’t they?”

“Manner of speaking. Joshua wasn’t around much.”

No wonder Owen didn’t care more. But that was the past, and Josh needed to work on the future. For everyone’s sake.

Zach went back into the living room to find Josh still next to Owen, both of them staring at the TV, which had been turned on again.

“What’s that guy’s name?” Josh asked Owen, pointing at the screen.

“Your breath smells stinky!”

Nice. Probably bourbon. Josh
had
to ease up on the booze.

“Owen, that’s your favorite guy he’s talking about, isn’t it? What’s his name?” Zach found it incredibly awkward to force Owen to acknowledge his father.

“It’s Joe,” Owen said.

Silence fell over them. Zach wandered over to the couch and sat down away from them. He had a ton of work to do, but he didn’t want to leave these guys alone. He wasn’t sure he trusted Josh not to take off again or Owen not to antagonize Josh.

Zach’s head was reclined way back on the couch cushion, and he was just about to doze off when he felt Owen climb up next to him. What on earth? He’d never cuddled up to him before. Now that Josh was home and Zach needed them to bond, here he came curling up next to
him
. He couldn’t turn him away, though. He forced a smile and hoisted Owen up on his lap, hoping, for Josh’s sake, Owen would get uncomfortable quickly.

Gram shuffled to her chair, and they all watched the rest of the show without speaking. When it ended, Gram took charge, as usual, the slipper scene seemingly forgotten.

“Time for bed, Owen. Go brush your teeth.”

“Zach, will you read me a story tonight?”

Zach glanced at Josh, who was pretending not to listen.

“Why don’t you let your daddy read to you? He hasn’t seen you for a long time. I bet he’s missed you like crazy.”

Josh looked at Owen then, who was still on Zach’s lap, and nodded. “Yep. Sure have.” He attempted a smile.

Owen turned around to face Zach. “I want you to read, Zach. Please?”

Zach closed his eyes briefly. Any night but this one. Every night but tonight. “If you’re sure your daddy can’t do it.”

“I want
you
.”

“Get up there, then. I’ll be up in a minute.”

Owen climbed down from his lap and took off.

“This was a mistake,” Josh said.

“Give him a break, man. He hasn’t seen you for weeks. He just needs time to get used to you.”

Josh hopped up and went to the kitchen. Gram exchanged a worried look with Zach, and then they heard Josh open a beer can.

“He’s gotta stop drinking,” Gram said.

Zach nodded. “Let’s just get through day one first.”

His grandma nodded wearily. “You take care of Owen. I’m going to talk to Joshua then hit the hay. Thanks for bringing him home, Zachary.”

Zach wasn’t altogether convinced now that it was a good thing.

* * *

W
HEN
Z
ACH
CAME
BACK
downstairs after reading to Owen, he heard someone in the kitchen, putting dishes away.

“Where’s Josh?” he asked Gram.

She didn’t look at him. “He left. Said he’ll be back later.”

“He
is
coming back?”

“Said he was. Who knows, with that boy.”

“This isn’t going well.”

“No. Maybe we should talk to Owen, get him to open up a bit more.”

“Can’t force that. Kids are honest, Gram. He doesn’t like Josh. Doesn’t trust him.” Zach leaned against the counter and pounded his fist against the drawer behind him. “Josh better not disappear again.”

CHAPTER TEN

L
INDSEY
BENT
OVER
FOR
the zillionth time and scooped the load of snow that she swore would be the one to break her back. Three inches had fallen overnight, and while that wasn’t a huge amount, it was the heavy, wet, muscle-taxing kind of snow. Her dad owned a snowblower, but she’d had some noble idea about getting some exercise.

She’d made it to his house at a decent hour tonight. It’d been a particularly depressing day, one filled with the frustrating bureaucracy that made her feel helpless. She hadn’t hesitated to walk out the door at five o’clock for once. Since soup was in the slow-cooker, there was time to clear the driveway before all the light disappeared.

The blessedly narrow driveway was almost halfway cleared when a horrible crash echoed through the air. Her dad’s house stood between her and the Rundles’, but she was positive the noise came from their direction. Without thought, she took off in a combination slide-run across the shoveled part of the driveway and through the adjoining backyards.

Once she cleared Zach’s shop, she stopped abruptly at the sight before her. Mrs. Rundle’s car, the yacht-sized gas guzzler that’d seen better days, stuck out of the back of the garage at an odd angle.

Fear paralyzed her for what seemed like minutes but was probably just a few seconds. Accidents did that to her, now.

Lindsey snapped from her stupor and propelled herself through the snow. From the garage door, she saw Owen’s head just barely visible above the top of the backseat. And then she heard his cries.

She rushed to the back door on the driver’s side and whipped it open. Owen’s mouth gaped in terror, but he appeared to be physically unharmed. Lindsey reached across him to release the seat belt and picked him up.

“I’m scared,” he said and his lower lip trembled.

Only then did she turn her attention to the woman collapsed over the steering wheel.

She hurriedly set Owen down. “Stay right there, sweetie.” Realizing her own panic was scaring him more, she placed a kiss on his forehead. “It’s okay, Owen. You’re okay. I’m going to help your great-grandma now.”

She shut the back door with her hip, but before she could get to the front one, Zach shoved past her from out of nowhere.

“Gram!”

The woman sat up and looked at him, thank goodness. With tears in her eyes, she shook her head. “I messed up.” Her voice was high-pitched and shaky. “I put it in Drive.”

“Did you hit your head, Grandma?” Zach asked.

She paused, confused. “No. Don’t think I did. My body’s okay.”

“I’m calling an ambulance.”

“Don’t you dare, Zachary. Help me get out of here.”

“What’s wrong with Grandma?” Owen asked.

Leaning down and picking him up again, Lindsey answered. “She’s sad. But she’ll be okay.”

Zach had a panicked look in his eyes and he clenched his hands in and out of fists. “Should I move her?”

“I think it’s fine. She said she’s okay, Zach.”

He groaned as he glanced at the car where it jutted through the garage. “Come on, Gram. Let’s get you inside.”

“Is your brother home?” Lindsey asked quietly.

Zach shook his head, clearly annoyed.

She took Owen out of the way, toward the house.

“Why is Grandma sad?” Owen asked.

Lindsey ignored the odd feeling of walking through the back door again and tried to make herself at home. “She’s sad because her car is messed up. And the garage.”
And she might be forced to face the possibility that something is very wrong with her.
She searched for a means of distracting Owen. “How about if we color her a picture to make her feel better?”

Owen had a different idea, though. He dragged one of the kitchen chairs to the window, climbed up on it, and gazed out toward the garage.

“How come Grandma broke her car?”

“It was an accident, sweetie. She didn’t mean to. Instead of making the car go backward, she made it go forward.”

Owen turned to look at her, trying to understand. She guided him to sit on the chair and slid it back to the table with him on it.

“We’ll need a tow truck,” he declared.

Lindsey smiled in spite of the circumstances. Sneaking a peek outside, she nodded. “We might. The important thing is that you and your grandma weren’t hurt.” At least not badly. Would Mrs. Rundle be okay?

Owen turned back to the window, as if drawn by some magnetic force.

“Are you hungry?”

He shook his head and didn’t budge. Over his shoulder, Lindsey saw Zach and Mrs. Rundle emerge from the garage. Zach’s arm was hooked with his grandma’s and they moved at a turtle’s pace. Mrs. Rundle looked terrible, and Zach looked strung out himself.

Lindsey still had half her dad’s driveway to shovel, but it would have to wait. He wasn’t allowed to drive yet, anyway, and Mrs. Hale was still out of town. “I have an idea,” she said to Owen. “Let’s go sledding.” She had no clue what she’d tell her dad.

Her suggestion got Owen’s interest.

“Yeah!” He climbed down from the chair and zipped across the kitchen, the accident forgotten for the time being. “I got snow pants and boots!”

“Let’s ask your Uncle Zach first to make sure it’s okay.”

When Zach and Mrs. Rundle came in, Owen nearly pounced on them. “Uncle Zach, can I go sledding with Lindsey?”

Zach shot a confused look toward her.

“There’s a hill behind the house Brooke and I live in. I thought maybe it’d be good for us to get out of your way...?”

He nodded distractedly. “Sure. Yeah, go for it.”

“Can I do anything to help before we go?” Lindsey asked.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure what to do. She doesn’t want a doctor.”

Lindsey touched his hand and gently took his place supporting the older woman.

“Mrs. Rundle, why don’t we get you to a comfortable chair in the living room?”

Mrs. Rundle made eye contact with her, and Lindsey read a mix of emotions there. Fear seemed the most obvious.

The years of bad blood slipped away, and Lindsey had the urge to comfort the woman. She could only imagine what it must feel like to be in her shoes, unable to trust herself to even drive the car.

“Let’s go,” Lindsey said when the woman didn’t move. She patted Mrs. Rundle’s elbow and urged her forward. She didn’t fuss when Lindsey kept a hold on her as she lowered herself into the chair.

“Thank you.” Mrs. Rundle sounded like she’d just run a marathon.

“Can I get you something warm to drink? Coffee or cocoa?”

“I’d take a cup of coffee. Black and strong.”

“Zach?”

He stood in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. “Sure. Same.”

She’d meant for him to make the coffee, but he didn’t seem to be functioning well. His vulnerability surprised her, would’ve made her smile in a different, happier situation. “Take a load off,” she told him. When she walked past him, she couldn’t resist touching his arm. Their eyes met. Afraid of the warmth that seemed to pass between them, Lindsey tried to drop her hand, but Zach grasped her fingers. Long enough to squeeze them gently.

She didn’t want to acknowledge the way the gesture warmed her, so she switched back to business mode and went about prepping the coffeemaker.

Owen came waddling into the kitchen just as the soothing drip of the coffee started a few minutes later. He had snow pants around his ankles but apparently couldn’t get them up over his jeans by himself. He’d also thrown on a Spider-Man stocking cap and dragged his coat and boots behind him. Lindsey knelt to help him bundle up the rest of the way, and by the time they finished, the coffee was almost brewed.

“I have to pee,” Owen said, as Lindsey got two mugs out of the cabinet.

She laughed and knelt to undo everything they’d just done up. At this rate, she’d be exhausted before they ever got to the hill. Kids took a lot of energy. She’d always been aware of that, but the past half hour with Owen was hammering it home. How could an eighty-year-old woman—or an alcoholic man, for that matter—expect to be both mother and father to Owen?

After today, Zach would have to seriously consider an alternative. She couldn’t help but sympathize with him. It was a major decision, even though the obvious answer stared him in the face. Adopting Owen would change Zach’s life forever, but there was no doubt in Lindsey’s mind that’s what had to happen.

* * *

Z
ACH
HAD
FINALLY
convinced his grandma to lie down for a while, and she’d ended up falling asleep in minutes. She needed rest badly—the wreck had taken a lot out of her.

It figured Josh wasn’t home when it happened. Not that he could’ve or would’ve done much, but Zach was out of his league. He’d lost it when he’d seen Gram slumped over the wheel. All kinds of crazy thoughts had screamed through his head. She was dead. She was paralyzed. She was bleeding all over the place. Thankfully she was relatively fine. He had no idea why he’d been unable to react calmly. Normally he was cool and collected in a crisis, but today he’d been useless.

Zach turned his truck onto Lindsey’s street and searched for numbers on the houses. He’d gotten the address from the phone book, and though he wasn’t sure which exact house she lived in, there wasn’t a part of town he wasn’t familiar with.

As soon as Gram had slipped into a deep sleep, he’d decided to go after Owen. When Lindsey had carted him off, Zach hadn’t thought twice about it. Now that things had calmed down, he felt like a clod for saddling her with a child she shouldn’t have to take care of. No matter how much it burned him up that Josh wasn’t taking responsibility, he wasn’t going to let outsiders suffer for it. Owen was his family’s responsibility and no one else’s, and Zach intended to keep it that way.

He didn’t relish talking to her, seeing that knowing I-told-you-so look. Hitting Drive instead of Reverse was a mistake anyone could make. It didn’t mean Gram was losing her mind.

He pulled up to the end of the block, struggling to see the house numbers in the darkness. Hers was the last one before the street came to a dead end. It was an old house, as most in Lone Oak were, with a porch that ran along the front. Clean white paint disguised the need for new clapboard siding, and an old-fashioned lantern brightened the path to the porch.

As he climbed the uneven steps, the porch seemed lived-in, comfortable, in spite of the snow and cold. A wooden rocker was angled next to the door, and a pine swing hung at one end. Several pots were scattered about, and Zach had no doubt they’d be full of bright flowers in the spring.

A cutesy wreath of white branches on the front door proclaimed a welcome, but before he could knock, he recognized Owen’s and Lindsey’s shrieks—happy ones—coming from the backyard. He descended the stairs and trudged through the snow to the back of the house.

The first thing he saw was hair. Lots of it. Brown waves, plenty of tangles. It flew out behind the duo, who were halfway down the short but steep hill. They’d both piled onto a saucer sled, with Lindsey cross-legged and Owen on her lap. Both of them held on for dear life, the woman to the sled and the boy to the woman. At the bottom of the slope, they collapsed in a tangle of arms, legs and giggles. Double spotlights attached to the house lit the yard, illuminating the scene, making the snow sparkle.

Lindsey’s sense of fun was foreign to him. Refreshing. She didn’t merely succumb to pressure to participate in the crazier aspects of life—like playing with a child. She jumped in with both feet and a contagious grin on her face. Watching her, you’d think sliding down a bank of snow in twenty-degree weather was her favorite thing in the world.

Zach stood near the house, hands in pockets, watching as the two tromped up the hill. Lindsey held Owen’s hand and he jabbered the whole way.

They didn’t notice Zach until they were a few feet from him. The smile faded from Lindsey’s face and she pulled Owen close.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, no. Gram’s sleeping.” He shifted his weight, feeling out of place for intruding on their fun. Clearly, he was the odd man out. “I thought I’d pick up Owen to save you the trip,” he said, unwilling to reveal that he felt like he’d slipped up by letting Owen go out with her.

She visibly relaxed, and as she smiled and brushed a stray hair off her face, his attention was drawn to that dimple. She noticed him staring. She fidgeted and looked away, her confidence faltering. That sudden insecurity took him by surprise.

She looked at Owen. “Your cheeks are getting red, kiddo. Probably a good time to call it quits and warm up.”

“Are we going in your house to have hot chocolate?” Owen asked.

Tired of playing spectator, Zach jumped in. “We need to get home and make sure Grandma’s still sleeping. We’ll see if there’s any cocoa there.”

Owen looked to Lindsey, and Zach tried not to let it bother him. If he were in Owen’s shoes, he’d like Lindsey a lot better, too. When she nodded, the boy sped ahead of them toward the front yard and Zach’s truck.

“I’m going back to my dad’s, you know. It wouldn’t have been a problem for me to bring Owen home.”

“I shouldn’t have let him come over here in the first place.”

Lindsey stopped. “I don’t mind helping out with him. I’m not keeping a list and holding things against you, Zach.”

“He’s not your responsibility.”

She began walking again, and he fell into step with her.

“You’ve got your hands full, between Owen and your grandmother. I’m not much help with her, but I can sled with the best of them.”

Ah, his grandma. Here it came. The lecture on how she’d been right. He waited, irritated.

But she didn’t say a word. He glanced at her.

“What?” she asked.

Zach shrugged. He wasn’t going to bring it up if she wasn’t.

“You want to talk about your grandma?”

It was eerie how she knew what was on his mind. “Not particularly. But I figured you’d be all over me about her.”

They faced each other as they reached the back of his truck. Owen had climbed in and closed his door. She could see him—barely—working on buckling his seat belt.