What Love Sounds Like (17 page)

Callie squirmed in Tilly’s arms.

‘Watch out for your fingers,’ he said with a laugh as he moved to Tilly’s side. ‘Those baby teeth of hers are sharp. I almost lost a thumb on the drive home.’

The pup continued to wriggle and Kade crouched beside Tilly and gently took hold of the restless red-heeler. Tilly leaned in close against Kade and placed her hand on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist. Together they smiled down at the puppy as she tried again to latch onto his thumb.

Mia knew she should look away but all she could do was stand frozen in place and stare at the tableaux of man, child and dog. Longings escaped through the cracks in her self-control. She desperately wanted to walk forward, put her hand on Kade’s other strong shoulder and complete the family circle. But fear imprisoned her. Happy endings only existed in the realm of fiction.

Throat tight, she forced herself to turn, pick up her forgotten book and return to her chair.

He had a plan. More importantly, he had hope.

His steps light, Kade walked toward the drawing room. Earlier that day in the library Mia had smiled her special sweet smile at him and said that she’d missed him. And last night in the kitchen she hadn’t run from him. For a fleeting moment she’d even melted against him. While she may not have said the words he’d wanted to hear, she also hadn’t denied there was something between them. Somehow he had to find a way through the minefield separating them.

He’d been a dead man walking from the minute he’d stepped into Mia’s oven-hot office. From the second her auburn hair had fallen around her shoulders and her eyes had clouded with vulnerability, she’d taken hold of his world and shaken it. Her beautiful smile had vaporised his defences. Her laughter had warmed his soul. Now he had to find a way into her world and a way to ensure she stayed to be a part of his and Tilly’s.

He paused at the open door and rolled his shoulders. Before he’d left to pick up little Callie, he’d had a whisper in Tilly’s ear, a meeting at kitchen-headquarters with Mrs. Shepherd and all was in place for his plan. All he needed now was one crucial element. Mia.

He released a slow breath and stepped through the doorway. Tilly’s face beamed with excitement. Mia glanced up from the folder she’d been making notes in. Wariness eclipsed the light in her eyes. ‘Kade?’

He looked at her bright hair that had been restrained to within an inch of its life. His fingers itched to pull out the pins and set her curls free.

‘It’s break time,’ he said.

She frowned over the top of her glasses. ‘Did you just say
break time
?’

‘Yes.’

‘Impossible.’

He winked at Tilly who leapt from her chair and scampered out of the room heading for the kitchen.

Mia smoothed an invisible curl behind her ear. ‘What’s going on now?’

‘You’ll see.’

‘I don’t have time for this.’

‘Yes. You do.’ He plucked the pen from her grasp and gently pulled her to her feet. Alarm quickened the rise and fall of her chest beneath her sleeveless black dress. He released her hands and her chin tilted as her control slid back into place.

‘Now I just need these.’ He reached for her glasses and folded them before placing them on the table beside the pen. He struggled to keep his expression casual. He’d left the library full of optimism but what if she wouldn’t step onto the bridge he hoped existed between them? If she wouldn’t, then it was even more reason why his plan had to work.

‘Right. Much better,’ he said. ‘Please turn around.’

She stiffened but she did as she was asked. With quick fingers he released the clasp confining her hair and pulled out all the pins. Copper waves rippled around her shoulders. He smiled and breathed in the scent of apples. Much, much better.

‘What are you doing?’

She half turned. He touched her slender back to ensure she faced forward.

’This is ridiculous,’ she said over her shoulder, voice brisk. ‘What’s next? Another part of my wardrobe?’

He chuckled. ‘I’m sorry to say I’m under strict orders and unfortunately there isn’t anything else on my ‘to take off’ list.’

‘Just as well.’ A touch of amusement relaxed her tone. ‘Strict orders? Ah…so you’re just the hired help?’

‘Yes, you’d better believe it. My captain is knee-high to a parrot but can make grown men quake in their boots.’

‘I take it your captain is in on whatever dastardly deed you have in store?’

‘Absolutely.’

He pulled a black scarf from out of his jeans pocket. ‘Now if you don’t mind standing still, my pirate skills aren’t what they used to be. My very scary captain insists you wear a blindfold.’

She nodded and he passed the silk scarf around her head. She lifted a hand and secured the scarf in place over her eyes.

‘Much obliged,’ he said, tying a loose knot. ‘Now if you’d be so kind as to take my hand?’

‘You’re a very polite pirate.’ She offered him her hand. Longing constricted his chest. Would she ever reach out to him without the aid of a blindfold?

He took her hand in his. Her fingers remained still, unresponsive, and then curled around his. Colour painted her cheeks below the black silk of the blindfold. He stared at the beauty of her delicate features, at the curve of her full lips as though it were the last time he’d ever see her face. The quiver in her slim fingers reminded him he’d a plan to implement. He cleared his throat. ‘Ready to go?’

She nodded, allowing him to guide her forward. ‘I’m trusting you. I’m not going to have to walk the plank, am I?’

‘Not this time.’

‘That’s a relief…’ she said and crashed straight into a chair.

‘Sorry. I told you my pirate skills are a little rusty. Hang on.’

He dropped her hand and swept her into his arms. So far his plan wasn’t bringing Mia a sense of belonging, only covering her in bruises.

’You’re not throwing me overboard, are you?’ Her soft hair brushed his chin but her body remained as rigid and unbending as a steel cutlass.

‘Only if you don’t co-operate,’ he said in his best pirate growl and loosened his grip as if preparing to throw her.

She stifled a gasp, wound her hands around his neck and settled into his arms.

Mia eased her clasp around Kade’s neck but didn’t completely relinquish her hold. Being cradled in Kade’s arms led to far more disorientation and vulnerability than being blindfolded. With her eyes covered it was as though her other senses compensated for her lack of sight. Every sensation, every scent, every sound appeared magnified until the only thing she could feel and hear was Kade. The pulse of his heart beneath her arm. The wash of his breath past his lips. The rhythmic sound of his footsteps.

Where was he taking her? She dared not ask. She couldn’t be confident her voice wouldn’t emerge breathless and incoherent. What were they doing? Surely if Tilly was involved she could relax? A breeze washed over her, carrying the scent of jasmine. They had to be out in the garden walking alongside the tennis court where the white-flowered vine bloomed on the wire fence.

To her left, a child’s giggle sounded. Relief warred with a strange sense of loss. She needed to stand on solid ground, as far away as possible from Kade. But without his warm strength surrounding her the world wouldn’t seem such a secure place.

‘Okay, m’lady, we’re here.’

Her hands slid from around his neck as Kade lowered her to the ground.

‘Where exactly is here?’ she asked, battling to ignore the way his palm lingered in the small of her back.

He tugged at the knot of her blindfold and it dropped away from her eyes.

In the shade of an old red river gum, Tilly waited standing on a picnic rug, a pirate patch over one eye and a plastic hook brandished in her right hand. At her feet lay a roly-poly Callie chewing on what had once been a plastic sword.

‘Surprise!’ Tilly shouted, her grey eyes alight with glee.

She crossed to the rug and hugged Tilly. ‘Thank you,’ she said past the lump lodged in her throat. ‘A pirate picnic for afternoon tea. How wonderful.’

‘Thanks to Uncle Kade too,’ Tilly said as Mia released her.

She turned to him and smiled. ‘Thank you, Pirate Kade.’

Kade tipped his dark head. ‘You’re welcome.’

Tilly grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the plates of pirate-faced cupcakes, small sausage ships complete with flags and iced skull-and-crossbones biscuits.

‘Delicious,’ Mia said. ‘A feast fit for a pirate crew.’

Kade came to stand beside her. ‘Yes, Tilly has a new favourite thing beside fairytales, food and all things pink.’

Tilly passed her a bandana and Mia tied the red and white cloth over her hair. ‘Let me guess, searching the internet?’

Kade nodded and accepted the eye-patch Tilly handed to him. ‘My lap-top won’t ever be the same again.’

‘Just wait until she discovers all the fairytale and now puppy games she can play on there as well.’

He groaned. ‘In my crystal ball I predict us becoming a two lap-top family.’

‘Have fun shopping for a pink computer.’

His gaze touched hers. ‘You know, I might just need some help with that.’

Before Mia could respond, Tilly tugged at her hand to gain her attention and held up a plate. ‘Uncle Kade and I cooked these pirate cupcakes just for you.’

The lump in Mia’s throat returned. All of Tilly’s ‘k’ sounds had been clear and with some more work, her ‘g’ sounds soon would be too. Tilly could look forward to a childhood no longer blighted by her speech delay.

Mia selected a cupcake. ‘So this is what you were doing when I couldn’t find you after lunch. And here I was thinking you were outside playing with Callie.’

Tilly’s smile shone brighter than any number of gold pirate doubloons.

Mia bit into the sweet cake. ‘They taste as good as they look.’

Kade reached for a cupcake but Tilly moved the plate out of his reach. ‘No, you’re not ready yet.’

He spoke through the side of his mouth to Mia. ‘See I told you my captain was very scary.’

’And adorable,’ Mia added as they watched Tilly rummage through the picnic basket, her little face a picture of concentration. She pulled out a box of what looked like face paint, prised open the lid, selected a black crayon and looked across at Kade.

‘Tilly,’ Kade groaned, ‘don’t even think about coming near me with that thing…’

Tilly’s only reply was a grin as she waved the black crayon and marched toward him, the red-heeler puppy following close behind.

‘I believe you’re just the hired help and have to do what you’re told,’ Mia managed through her laughter.

With a sigh, Kade sat crossed-legged on the picnic rug, Callie on his lap, and allowed Tilly to draw a lop-sided moustache on his upper lip. Tilly added a final line and then straightened.

‘How do I look?’ he asked, but his question went unanswered. Mia was too busy joining in with Tilly’s giggles to speak.

Another cupcake later Mia sat on the rug watching two skull-and-crossbones kites float in the blue summer sky. She stroked Callie’s soft, thick coat as the pup slept in her arms. Kade and Tilly held onto the kite strings, their smiling faces upturned. Just like in the library, a longing to share in their world flashed through her, quickly followed by deep-seated fear. There was no silver bullet for abandonment. No leave pass. No happy endings. No matter how much she wished that there were. She couldn’t meet Kade on the bridge like he’d asked her to. Could she?

Tilly waved at her and blew her a kiss. Mia lifted a heavy hand and returned her gesture. How was she going to cope without having precious Tilly in her life? Let alone Kade.

A lone voice sounded through her torment. A lone voice that had once told her she could overcome her stammer. A voice that had told her she could create a life away from her father and that she could survive Jack’s duplicity. That same voice now murmured over and over again until she listened.

She looked across at Kade. Could she take a risk and give their relationship a chance? He’d been able to shed the constraints of his childhood and allow himself to feel. Could she too leave her past behind?

When her shin had cannoned into the hard chair, Kade’s arms had been there to protect her. If she knew Kade would catch her, could she take a leap off her personal precipice? Could she trust him with more than the task of guiding her through a room of furniture?

Love for Tilly, love for Kade, squeezed at her heart. She knew what she had to do. She had to try. Just like Kade relinquishing control of his emotions, and of his life, she had to break the behaviour that once protected her but now harmed her. She had to trust.

Kade’s kite dipped and then plummeted from the sky. He jogged to where it fell, and rewinding the string, retraced his steps to Mia.

‘Would you like a turn?’ His grin dazzled her more than the pure outback light.

‘No thanks. I’m on puppy-sitting duty. Besides, you’re doing a great job.’

His grin widened. ‘I do make a better kite-flyer than pirate. How’s your leg?’

‘I’m sure I’ll end up with a pretty impressive bruise but it’s fine. The next time you kidnap me, please forewarn me so I can at least wear jeans.’

‘Deal.’ Deep emotion sparked in the depths of his eyes. ‘Does that mean there will be a next time?’

She breathed and took a small step toward the precipice. ‘That all depends on your small and scary pirate captain. She calls the shots doesn’t she?’

‘I can guarantee there will be a next time with or without her consent.’

Mia’s heart raced. She took another mental step forward. ‘Well, when it happens, I’ll be prepared.’

Kade’s eyes searched hers with a fixed intensity that caused her toes to curl. ‘You’ve done some thinking?’

She nodded slowly. ‘I can’t make any promises but I will try and do what you asked.’ Her nerves quivered as an unfamiliar shyness stole her words. ‘I’ll try and trust. A little.’

Kade smiled his heart-melting smile. ‘Even just a little is good.’ He bent and caressed her cheek with tender fingers. ‘Come,’ his voice deepened as he reached for her hand, ‘and start by flying a kite with me?’

She stared at his hand that possessed the strength to catch her should she fall. A strength that was so much more than sinews and bones. The word ‘yes’ formed in her head but at the last minute stalled on her tongue. The precipice yawned cavernous and wide before her. ‘I will. S–soon. I’ll let Callie sleep for a little longer.’