Mountain Laurel (8 page)

Michael rested his elbow on the steering wheel and opened his hand, palm up. "What does one have to do with the other?"

"You were playing around. Flirting with me!" Her words were stronger, her anger returning.

"You're doing it again!" he railed. "Talking of kissing and playing around and pregnancy! You can't get pregnant from a kiss!"

"I know that!" She glared at him indignantly.

"Then, what the hell's the problem?" he asked, frustrated by the senseless conversation.

"You are such a jerk! I don't even want you to take me home. I'd rather walk!" She opened the door, but he reached over and took hold of her wrist.

"Shut the door."

The dimly lit parking lot threw shadows across her glaring expression. She turned to him, eyes narrowed in anger.

"Shut the door, Laurel."

She obeyed his low, ominous demand.

"Thank you," he told her.

They sat in silence for a moment while Michael took a deep, calming breath.

"For the life of me I can't understand why you're so angry that I kissed you when I know that you enjoyed it as much as I did," he began. "But, if an apology will make you feel better, then I'm sorry if I was too forward. I shouldn't have kissed you."

"I'm not angry about that!" She spat the words out. "Well, I am, but—"

"Then what is the problem?" His voice rose an octave. Self-control, he reminded himself, self- control.

"Your pregnant girlfriend," she curtly replied.

"My what?" he exclaimed.

"Darlene!" she enunciated, loud and precise.

The light dawned, hitting him like a ton of bricks. She thought Darlene was his girlfriend, his pregnant bride-to-be! No wonder she was upset about his kissing her.

"Laurel, Darlene is not my girlfriend."

"Yeah, right! And I'm Little Red Riding Hood!"

"Well, let me tell you something, Red. Your problem is that you jump to conclusions too quickly. The first time we met, you'd have knocked me silly if I'd looked at you cross-eyed. And when I came to the cabin looking for my cousin, you took me for some kind of perverted rapist! And this morning you thought I was out shooting raccoons just for the sport of it."

He dragged a hand through his hair. "Now, listen to me! Jim and Darlene have lived together for a while now. They'd planned to get married as soon as Jim could find a good job. But then Darlene got pregnant. Jim still hadn't been able to land a job, so he went to the shore looking for work." He watched the outline of her pale, unblinking face.

"He called Darlene, really excited about his job with your father. He told her he'd fixed up an apartment and everything and was coming home this weekend or next to get married and then they'd go back to Ocean City to live. I don't know why Jim didn't tell you about Darlene. Or the wedding. Or the baby."

He glanced out the window. His next words were reflective, said almost to himself. "Maybe he was afraid of losing the first really good job he'd found."

Michael turned back to face her. "Look, I'm sorry you had to find out about this from me. Jim should have told you himself. But I hope it doesn't change your feelings for him. He really likes his job. And he has nothing but good things to say about your family. He needs that job! Those two kids love each other. And they'll take good care of that baby."

Silence settled over them for the longest time. She stared straight ahead, and Michael saw her swallow.

"Laurel." He spoke to her gently, but she didn't answer. "Hey," he said, and touched her shoulder. "Do you hear me? Do you believe me?"

Slowly she turned to look him. "Yes," she whispered, and immediately turned back to look straight ahead. "Would you please take me home now?" The words were murmured so quietly Michael barely heard them.

Chapter Four

T
roubled thoughts tumbled through Laurel's mind. She'd done it again. Had she lost her mind? She'd jumped all over him without knowing what was going on. What an idiot. She wasn't the kind of person who jumped to conclusions. She was level-headed. She was responsible. Laurel sighed. Knowing it was all a mistake didn't make her feel any better.

The dashboard lights threw an eerie glow over the cab of the moving truck. Michael's pensive eyes never left the winding road. Glancing at him, she wondered if his thoughts were as jumbled as her own.

She scowled and silently reproved herself. Why not apologize to the man and get it over with! But what if he was too angry to forgive her? Her eyes narrowed. It was too late to worry about that now.

Looking out at the black forest, she wondered, yet again, what it was about this man that made her lose her good judgment.

"Michael?"

"Hmm?"

Without looking at him, she knew his eyes were on her. "I'm really sorry."

Silence. Seconds ticked by. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her heel twitching up and down in a nervous dance as she tried to gauge just how angry he was. Jumping to the wrong conclusion was one thing, but to put on a show by screaming at him in front of those people was definitely another. He had every right to be furious.

The truck bumped along the lane that led to Jim's cabin. Michael pulled to a stop and turned off the ignition. Laurel couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"Look, I won't be here long. And while I'm here, I'll try to stay out of your way." She opened the door and started to get out, but his hand on her arm made her stop.

"Hold on. It's all right."

She turned to him as he spoke. The dim porch light threw dusky shadows across his features, making it difficult for her to read his expression.

"You're not angry?"

"No." He shook his head. "I'm not angry."

"But I yelled at you," she said. Looking down at her lap, she added, "Again."

"It wasn't really your fault. You had no way of knowing." His hand tightened on her arm, urging her to stay.

She closed the door and slid back into the seat, and then twisted her body toward him. Taking his warm hand in hers, she whispered, "You're such a nice man, Michael."

He smiled and shook his head

"No," she went on, "I mean it. You were right when you said earlier that I jump to conclusions. The first time I met you I had it in my mind to bang you on the shin with that tire iron—"

"And I was sure you'd aim for my head."

The grin in his voice gave her pause, but she continued, "And then, when you came into the house, I did think the absolute worst of you."

His chuckle provoked a clear picture in her mind of her tight situation and she couldn't help but smile. "And I'm not even going to mention that poor little raccoon." She solemnly shook her head. "But in every instance of my stupidity you've made allowances for my behavior and forgiven me."

He gave an exaggerated sigh. "I guess I am a pretty nice guy at that."

A tingle skittered up her arm when he gently squeezed her hand. His grasp was friendly and warm and it felt good.

"Michael," she said quietly, "I meant what I said. I'll try not to bother you again while we're here."

"Oh, come on now. That's nonsense. I could show you around. I live here, you know."

Laurel smiled and wondered why the thought of spending time with him pleased her so much. Stepping out of the truck, they walked to the cabin together.

"In fact," he said, "we can start tomorrow. Would you like to go on a picnic? I know a beautiful place."

"I'd love that! Thank you." The screen door creaked when he pulled it open and Laurel bent to unlock the door. "Oh," she said, straightening. "I forgot about Ginny."

"She's welcome to come along with us."

"That'd be great! I'll pack a lunch." Seeing him about to argue with her, she added, "I insist!" He grinned and acquiesced with a nod. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Until tomorrow, then," he said. "I'll pick you up around noon."

She watched him turn and start toward his truck. Closing the door, she leaned against it and sighed.

"He is a nice man," she whispered.

~ ~ ~

"But he invited us both! You've got to come."

"Laurel, he only invited me to be polite," Ginny insisted. "Anyway, I have a lunch date."

"Oh?"

"With Eric." The younger girl grinned. "Don't worry, Sharon and Nancy will be with us. We're meeting some other kids and then going to the football game at the high school." Ginny walked over to the picnic basket Laurel had found in a closet and peered at the sandwiches and fruit inside. "You wouldn't want me around, anyway. What if he decided he wanted to make out?" She pulled a grape off the bunch Laurel had packed and popped it into her mouth. "I'd only be in the way."

"Cut it out. I'm too old to make out."

"You're never too old to make out." Ginny giggled. "He kissed you last night, didn't he?"

"That was nothing." Laurel hoped she placed the right amount of flippancy on the words. However, if she were forced to admit the truth, she'd have to confess that she'd tossed and turned well into the night wondering about that kiss. Why had Michael kissed her out on the dance floor? It was the answer to that question that had kept her awake. He'd kissed her because she'd practically thrown herself at him, cuddling up to him out on that dance floor, and now she was more than a little embarrassed about her behavior.

Hearing the roar of an approaching engine, Ginny went to the front window. "It's Eric! Gotta run!"

"But that sounds like a motorcycle!" Laurel had followed her into the room, wiping her hands on a towel. Ginny stopped at the door and swung around to face her sister.

"Give me a break!" Ginny rolled her eyes heavenward. "Don't worry! I'll wear a helmet. It's perfectly safe." She ran over and kissed Laurel on the cheek. "And I'll be back for dinner, honest. Have a good time with Michael."

Laurel watched through the window as Ginny strapped on a shiny red helmet that matched the one Eric wore. After Ginny hitched her leg up over the back of the bike, they tore off down the lane, throwing dirt and gravel behind them.

A worried frown creased Laurel's brow. When she had awakened to see the sun streaming through her window and hear birds chirping in the trees, she had been sure, a good night's sleep or not, that it would be a terrific day for a picnic. But now she knew she'd be fretting all day over Ginny on that motorbike.

When Laurel heard Michael's pickup outside she was closing the wicker basket's lid. His knock sounded on the door a moment later.

"Come in!" she called.

"I hope I'm not late."

She was surprised to see him dressed in his uniform: light green shirt, olive twill trousers and shiny black boots. "Believe it or not, I was hunting all morning."

"Another raccoon?"

He laughed at her distressed expression. "No, no. Little boys this time. There are two young boys that live at the edge of the park. Their parents can't keep them out of the woods. Buck Brady even fenced his yard trying to keep his boys corralled. Buck and I hunted for them for over two hours before we found them buried in leaves. They said they ran out of ammo and were hiding from the enemy." He chuckled. "Those camouflage clothes the boys were wearing just about did us in." He shrugged, throwing his hands up. "But what can you do when a boy's hero is Rambo?"

The lines around Michael's eyes crinkled and his face lit with a dazzling smile that caused Laurel's heart to race. She forced herself to breathe slowly to control its pulsing flutter.

"I can't blame the boys, though," he admitted. "I was the same way." He glanced up toward the loft and then back at her before asking, "Is Ginny coming?"

As she explained to him about her sister's date, she couldn't keep the uneasiness out of her voice when she spoke of their mode of transportation.

"Don't worry. Eric's a responsible kid. I wouldn't have suggested Ginny go with him last night if I didn't think he was trustworthy."

His understanding look melted her apprehension, and her chest filled with a tender warmth. She watched him pick up the basket by its handles.