No Breaking My Heart (5 page)

The specifics . . . he hadn't a clue. He'd thought he was doing well finding a winner. He pulled his iPhone from the side pocket of his jeans, texted Jillian, requesting travel and hotel information. He figured she would get back to him by the time he'd finished his first cup of coffee and second piece of coffee cake.

“I have a few minutes,” he said.

“I'll set out cups and plates.” Martha went to do so.

The cottage didn't have an entryway. One step, and Halo stood in the living room. He looked around. He'd never seen so much furniture in such a small space. More was not always better. Someone in the family was either a pack rat or a collector. No wonder the dog had tipped his cart. There was little room between the chairs, couches, coffee and side tables. There were at least two, if not three, of each type of furniture. The sofas were covered with plastic.

How much light did a room need? he wondered, counting ten sconces, eight table and six standing lamps. All with fancy, heirloom shades. Decorated in pink silk and matching roses, one shade reminded him of a birthday cake. He blinked against the brightness.

A dozen clocks counted the hour on a mantel above the brown brick fireplace. History surrounded him, Halo realized, as he moved toward the display. Identification tags described each vintage item, from the cherry wood tripod table and Chesterfield armchair, to the tufted Victorian blue velvet settee.

Once reaching the shelf, he examined the carriage clock and one that resembled a church steeple, with its triangle front and column-like sides. His great aunt had such a clock.

Danny joined him at the fireplace. “The banjo clock is my favorite,” he said. “Alyn likes the Orm—” He pulled a face.

“Ormolu.” Alyn pronounced the word for him.

“It's French,” the boy said of the ornate bronze cube clock.

Halo looked down at the boy. “You're a smart kid.”

Danny's chest puffed, but he remained modest. “I know a little; Alyn knows a lot. She wants to open an antique shop. Her business partner ripped her off. Left her dry and high—”

“High and dry,” mused Halo.

“She's waiting for the money fairy.”

“Danny,” Alyn softly cautioned. “We don't share personal information, remember?” The boy scrunched his nose. “I'm sure Har- Halo isn't interested in my plans.”

Oh, but he was. Money fairy, huh? “When were you planning to open your shop?”

“Not today, but someday.”

Danny huffed, revealing more than he should once again. “She could've moved in this afternoon had she won
Go Big or Go Home
. She found space in a brick building downtown. She took Mommy and me to see it. There was a coffee shop on the corner. We had hot chocolate and cookies.”

“What else?” asked Halo.

“The hot chocolate came in big mugs with marshmallows. Mom had an oatmeal raisin cookie. Alyn and I had peanut butter chocolate chip.”

Halo grinned. The kid talked food when he wanted to hear about the game show. “
Go Big or Go Home
?” he nudged.

The boy shrugged. “Not much to tell. Her boyfriend dumped her. She didn't have a partner for Couples Day. She scrambled to find someone.”

“Danny . . .” Alyn's voice was strained.

Her warning fell on deaf kid ears. He finished with, “She found a guy last minute, but it didn't go well. They lost. Had she played with you, Halo, she would've won.”

“We don't know that for sure,” said Alyn.

Danny disagreed. “Look at the man, sis. He's big and tall and would've played all-out. He'd have rung the bell on the Strength-O-Meter.”

Alyn bit down on her bottom lip. “You think?”

“I know,” Danny convinced her. “He's a ballplayer, all aim and power. Halo would've killed it.”

She gazed fondly on her brother. Relented. “I'm certain he would have.” She then crossed to the fireplace. The going was tight. Halo admired the twist of her body, the sway of her hips, as she maneuvered between two chairs. She bumped into the arm of a replica Queen Anne sofa, and rubbed her thigh. Pale skin peeked between the blue threads of torn denim. Nice.

Standing beside Danny, she ruffled his hair. He accepted her affection with rolled eyes and a groan. “Older sisters.”

Despite his pained expression, Halo saw the slight shift of his body as he leaned into Alyn. It was obvious they were close, despite their age difference.

“Table's all set,” Martha called from the kitchen.

Danny hopped away from Alyn. He motioned Halo to follow him. “Hey, do you like mirrors?”

Halo checked his reflection whenever he passed one. A natural reflex. “Sure, why not.”

“They're on the walls in the hallway.” Danny took off with Quigley on his heels. The dog stretched out his chest and pulled the cart like a pro. The small wheels clicked on the hardwood floor.

Halo was left alone with Alyn, who was sizing him up. She didn't come on to him. Didn't seem the least interested or impressed. She appeared troubled. Ill-at-ease.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo,” was his icebreaker.

She didn't find him funny. She lowered her voice, said, “I can't believe you're here. Or that you're a ballplayer. How did this come about? The truth, Harold. Did you follow me home? Did Danny really win the contest?”

He was honest. “Total coincidence. I was looking for you, and found Danny. Your brother met me at the door and jumped to the conclusion he'd won the contest.”

She clasped her hands together, chest high, as if in prayer. “You didn't tell him otherwise?”

“Who am I to disappoint a kid?”

“Did you even read his letter?”

“Does it matter?” He bent rules when it suited him.

She lowered her arms. Frowned. “More than you know. You are his hero. Danny worked on his letter for weeks. He wanted each word just right.”

Weeks, huh. The kid had taken his time; put real thought into it. “You could tell me what it said.”

“Or you could locate the letter and read it yourself.”

He released a sharp breath. “There's not enough hours in the day to dig through thousands of entries to find his.”

“Make time.” She busted his balls.

“No can do. I need to be in Barefoot William by the end of the week. I was late picking a winner. Danny saved my ass. He's my guy.”

“You'd never take away his win, would you?” She looked as vulnerable as her words sounded.

He shook his head, surprised she thought so little of him.

“You better never let him down,” she warned, putting him on notice. “Or you'll tangle with me.”

Hell, he'd never hurt the kid, but he might like tangling with her. “Got it.”

She hesitated before saying, “This is our secret then? Not a word to anyone.”

No one had ever asked him to keep a secret. In this case, keeping quiet was to his benefit. “Deal.”

They stared at each other for what could've been seconds or a minute. Maybe even two. Until she returned to her earlier question. “Why did you come after me?”

Admitting his mistake did not come easy. He jammed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Stood taller. Said, “I owe you. I fucked up the Strength-O-Meter. I hit off-center. We lost. I'd like to make it up to you. Do something nice. Call it compensation.”

Alyn shrugged a slender shoulder. “It wasn't my day to win. It was Danny's. He's very deserving. He plays baseball in his sleep. He's going to spring training in Barefoot William. Make that my reward.”

She wanted nothing for herself, only for her brother. “He's under eighteen and will need a chaperone.”

“My mother—”

“I was thinking of you.”

“My mom needs a vacation more than I do.”

Selfless was nice, but didn't work for him. Not in this case, anyway. He tried a different tactic. “Couples travel together.”

“We're not a couple,” she told him. “You were my pretend boyfriend—”

“Fiancé,” he corrected.

“For an hour. That's hardly a relationship.”

“You saw me raw.”

Yes, she had, Alyn thought. He'd looked good without his clothes. Unforgettable, in fact. She had met him as Harold, man on the street. She now knew him as Halo Todd, elite athlete. Huge difference.

Her cheeks warmed when she said, “I'm not the first woman to see you naked, and I won't be the last. Once was enough for me.”

“Once is never enough, babe.” There was challenge in his tone. Arrogance and assuredness.

Her throat went dry. She could barely swallow. “We're done here.”

“I don't consider us finished.”

What more did the man want from her? She was afraid to consider the possibilities.

Bare feet on hardwood indicated Danny had returned. She was relieved by her brother's arrival. Danny slapped his arms against his sides, all restless kid energy and big appetite. “What's taking you guys so long?”

Halo improvised. He was good at it. “I was getting a lesson on the cuckoo clock,” he said easily. “Your sister went on and on.”

“She does that with me, too,” said Danny. “She'll keep talking after I've stopped listening.”

Alyn raised an eyebrow. “You tune me out?”

He squirmed. “Once, only once.”

“One time isn't so bad.” Halo took Danny's side.

Her brother grinned. Relieved.

Male bonding. Alyn didn't stand a chance.

Danny motioned to Halo. “Mom squeezed fresh orange juice for us guys. I think she snuck in a tangelo.”

They headed for the kitchen then. Halo followed her. Way too close. He breathed down her neck. His arm brushed her own, and his thigh bumped her bottom. Twice.

The hallway of mirrors. She caught his profile in gilt-framed glass. He side-eyed her, too. With a look she didn't understand. Creased forehead. Slightly flared nostrils. Set jaw. Muscle tic. What was he thinking?

His slow smile spoke for him. His dimples, deep. There was a heated intensity and startling sexuality in his grin. He was pure testosterone. A man born for seduction, Alyn thought. He'd be good at it. That unsettled her most.

Her steps faltered, and Halo walked into her. The solid imprint of his chest and groin pressed her back. His knee slipped between her thighs.

She reached behind her, slapped at his hip. “Stop that,” she rasped.

“Stop what?”

“Your knee's between my legs.”

“Quit clenching me with your thighs.”

“I'm not—” But she was. Her muscles squeezed him. Her cheeks heated. Her body had betrayed her. She died a slow death in the hallway.

He chuckled, deep and knowing. Irritating her even more. She released him. Stepped away. Her shoulders squared.

“You okay?” Danny stood at the end of the hall, his expression concerned. “I saw you trip.”

“I'm fine,” Alyn assured him.

“Did you see the Eagle Bull's-eye?” Danny asked Halo, referring to the convex Federal-style wall mirror. “Way cool.”

Alyn turned slightly, pointed out, “Upper left.”

Halo took a closer look. “I like.”

So did Alyn. She'd found it at a garage sale. The couple was going through a divorce, and, while the husband was at work, the wife sold off his office fixtures for next to nothing. The man had been a collector.

Alyn had lucked out and also purchased a Remington Five typewriter, pirate's spyglass, and Bakelite telephone. She'd hooked up the black dial phone in her bedroom. She allowed Danny to play with the spyglass, as long as he was careful.

The scent of Columbia dark roast and warm coffee cake drew them into the kitchen. A small china cabinet held three complete sets of Wedgwood. Blue with white décor. A fourth set was minus the salad plate, which Danny had accidentally dropped. The cottage didn't have a formal dining room. The family ate in the kitchen.

Although short on space, her mother had believed in spoiling her husband after a hard day's work. She'd fix a nice meal and serve it on their best dishes. That had changed when Paul passed away. Paper plates replaced the Wedgwood. Plastic silverware was used instead of the English flatware.

Today a white Amazon lily decorated a vintage glass milk bottle placed in the middle of the floral-patterned table cover. Alyn's heart squeezed. Her mother had gone to the greenhouse, located behind the cottage. The glass structure had been her father's domain.

A landscaper by trade, Paul Jayne had specialized in exotic plants. Even in winter, he'd managed to coax orchids, birds of paradise, and angel-wing begonias to bloom. Bamboo was plentiful. He'd gifted his wife with fresh flowers. Daily. Alyn had thought it romantic. The cottage always smelled like a florist shop.

An unexpected heart attack had taken his life six months earlier. Holding on to his memory, Martha had kept the electricity on in the hothouse. She couldn't bear to turn it off. It was filled with equipment: screening installations, heating, cooling, and lighting, and an automatic watering system controlled by a computer to maximize potential growth.

Martha's trips to gather flowers were few and far between. The plants that survived grew wild. The greenhouse was a jungle. Another few months, and they'd need a machete to cut a path. Alyn made a mental note to do some pruning. Perhaps she'd be able to coax her mother to help her. Memories were therapeutic.

“Sit here.” Danny drew Halo to the chair beside him.

Alyn wasn't certain the narrow ladder-back chair would hold the man's weight. It was meant for a smaller person. The chair creaked and the spindle legs bowed when he dropped down. She crossed her fingers they wouldn't break.