Michaels, Tanya - [4 Seasons in Mistletoe 04] - Mistletoe Mommy p.02

“Do you miss Gina?”
“Well, yeah, I guess.” He seemed surprised by the question. “But, jeez, it’s only been two days. It’s just…most of the other guys are like that bozo back at the pool, working summer jobs to save up for a car. Not to mention cash for the movies and music downloads and stuff. Mom lets me cut lawns and stuff in the neighborhood, but she won’t let me apply for any real jobs during the school year.”
And Adam had thoughtlessly wiped out three weeks of prime earning potential. Hell. “I guess you’re at an age where I can’t say I’m sorry with ice cream?”
Geoff eyed the backgammon pieces. “Do you mind if I take a rain check on this? I think I’m gonna go back to the room and catch the Braves game on TV.”
“Sure. Don’t turn it up too loud, though. Your sister might be taking a nap.”
And then there was one.
Deflated, Adam joined Morgan and helped her polka-dot animals. She’d started with a dalmatian and decided to continue the theme with a green-speckled cow and purple-spotted sheep.
“Daddy!”
“Yeah, pumpkin?”
She lowered her voice to an excited whisper. “There it is! My kitty!”
Sure enough, peeking out from the edge of some bushes was a small, charcoal-colored cat. Adam couldn’t get a clear look at it among the leaves and branches, but he could tell there was no collar.
“Here, kitty.” Morgan made some soft noises, a combination of tongue-clucks and kissing sounds.
The feline cocked its head, then took a few tentative steps forward with its front legs low to the ground. Its mew was plaintive.
Morgan’s pale blue eyes lit up with joy. “Daddy, it answered me!” She shot to her feet, then headed down the stairs.
“Now wait just a second. You can’t just go up to strange animals.” Not that the tiny piece of fluff looked feral or rabid.
Even though his warning slowed Morgan—she stood immobile on the bottom step—it did nothing to deter the young cat. It crept forward, mewing again with more volume.
“That’s what I want for my birthday!” Morgan announced. “A real pet, not just another stuffed animal. Please, Daddy?”
Any other day, Adam probably could have found the willpower to say no, despite her beseeching expression. At this particular instant, after feeling like a failure with both Eliza and Geoff, the best he could come up with was a feeble, “It might already have an owner.”
“But if it doesn’t?” she pressed.
He hadn’t let them keep a dog at his place because he wasn’t there often enough to walk it, but weren’t cats more self-sufficient? “I don’t know, pumpkin. But…”
“But?”
“We’ll see.”
The cat, hardly more than a kitten, had reached the stairs. It propped its front feet on the step and bumped Morgan’s foot with its head. She immediately knelt down to pet it, earning a trilling purr that didn’t sound the least bit melancholy or unsure.
To Adam’s ear, it sounded triumphant.
Chapter Six
“More than Puppy Love, Brenna Pierce speaking.” Brenna sandwiched the cell phone between her ear and shoulder so that her hands were free to put the lettuce in Sheldon’s terrarium.
“Brenna? This is Adam Varner.”
She was stunned. With a dozen clients coming and going from town and calling with last-minute requests or schedule changes, the doctor’s voice had been the last one she’d expected to hear. “Hi. How are things at the Chattavista?”
“Complicated,” he said wryly. “I’m calling about the most recent complication, in fact. I…wondered if we could hire you.”
For what? He’d joked yesterday about being desperate, but the only “children” she babysat were furry, feathered or scaly. “I don’t understand. Unless you’ve suddenly acquired a pet between now and when I saw you last, I don’t think I’m your—”
“We seem to be the proud owners of a cat,” he informed her. “Lydia, the lady working the desk here, said it’s the third young cat to show up around here in the last couple of weeks. There was probably a litter nearby. Morgan’s pushing for us to take it home as a family pet—made that her explicit birthday wish—but even if we do, the lodge allows only service animals in the rooms. I don’t suppose you ever board animals for clients?”
“Sometimes,” she admitted. Josh teased her that she had the sole guest room in Mistletoe specifically decorated for four-legged guests. “But only under certain conditions.” Any animal she took into her home had to be smaller than her border collie, spayed or neutered, on preventative treatment for parasites, housebroken and good-natured. Even though she kept visiting pets in a room separate from where her own dog and cat lived when she wasn’t there to supervise, she refused to take chances with aggressive animals.
“I’m sure you’re busy,” he began, “so I hate to bother you with this. We’ll pay whatever you think is fair.”
She grinned. “Shouldn’t you ask what that is first?”
“No, I’m putting myself completely in your hands. Well, yours and a veterinarian’s. Do you know a good veterinarian?”
Her face warmed. “Yes, very well. I used to work for him.”
“Is there any chance he’s open late on Fridays?” Adam asked on a sigh, sounding as if he already knew the answer.
Brenna bit the inside of her lip. “Actually, they close the office at four-thirty on Fridays, but he works from nine to twelve on Saturdays.”
Of course, Saturdays tended to be quite busy and he’d only bump an animal with an appointment if there was an unavoidable emergency. The idea of asking her ex-boyfriend for a favor was about as pleasant as acid indigestion. Still, she did owe Adam for helping out her and Patch yesterday. She liked to keep her karmic balance sheet even. “Let me get off the phone, and I’ll call Dr. Higgs. I think I can get him to squeeze you in after hours. Lydia or Josh will give you directions. It’s Dr. Kevin Higgs.”
“Thank you.” Simple words, but there was a wealth of relief in his voice. He had obviously been worried about disappointing his children.
Considering that she didn’t know him well, it was disconcertingly easy to imagine his expression, the gratitude in those dark eyes, the smile on his face.
“I’ll see you there,” Brenna said, wishing she wasn’t so eagerly looking forward to it.
IN THE BACK SEAT—where all three children had opted to sit—debate raged about what to call the cat. Morgan’s top choices seemed to be Hannah and Strawberry. Geoff, who had the cat in his lap, had scoffed that, as cats were distant cousins of lions and tigers, the dark gray bundle of fur needed a “tougher” name.
“Why don’t we hold off on a name?” Adam suggested not for the first time. “Dr. Higgs needs to check her out, make sure she’s not sick. And even if she’s perfectly healthy, the vet might know who she belongs to. What if she has owners who are worried about her?”
The cat was so thin, Adam doubted she had recently enjoyed a home, but she was undeniably comfortable with people. Lydia had found them a cardboard box; they’d set the cat inside, loosely swaddled in a beach towel to hamper any escape attempts. But she only stretched up out of her snug confines when someone stopped petting her. Adam could hear the purring in the front seat.
“We haven’t named her,” Eliza said. “We’re just discussing possibilities.” She sounded hopeful rather than hostile. Any lingering anger she felt over the pool incident had dissipated when she’d seen the young cat in Adam’s hands.
“That must be the place!” Geoff said, pointing. “I see Ms. Pierce.”
To their left, three storefronts—a crafts shop, a ballet studio and Dr. Higgs’s office—shared a parking lot. Brenna sat on the front bumper of a white sedan; the only other vehicle outside the vet’s office was a blue truck. Adam parked next to Brenna.
“Nobody open any doors!” he cautioned. “Just because the cat’s been calm up until now doesn’t mean she won’t try to make a break for it. The last thing we want is for her to be running onto the street. Geoff, wait for me to come around and help you with the box.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sir? The kids must really, really want a pet.
Adam had to admit, the idea was growing on him. It would give the kids an extra reason to visit, give him a conversation starter when he didn’t know what to say to them, which happened more frequently than he cared to admit. While Morgan was the most vocal about wanting to keep the cat, her big sister clearly felt the same way. What would it be like if the next time Eliza came over she actually smiled?
Before opening the car door to the potential chaos of cat and kids, he took the quiet moment as an opportunity to thank Brenna. “I really appreciate your meeting us.”
“Don’t mention it. Always willing to go the extra mile for a new client.” She said it casually, but he found himself mentally replaying the statement, trying to put his finger on something—the way he might hum a song when he was trying to remember its title.
“So did Dr. Higgs agree to see us?” he asked.
Brenna straightened away from the bumper, standing. “I was lucky enough to catch his receptionist before she left. Winnie’s got the softest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. She not only harangued him into staying late, I think she actually got you a discount on his services. She probably deserves your thanks more than I do. I’ve barely done anything.”
It clicked then, that vibe he’d been trying to pinpoint. Something in Brenna’s manner reminded him of a cardiac resident he’d once worked with—a gifted surgeon who, while professional and superficially amiable, had maintained an intangible emotional barrier between herself and her patients. It was a necessary part of the profession. Something in the way Brenna had immediately classified him as a “client,” the way she’d tried to give Winnie the credit for helping him, as if to distance herself personally.
Or maybe he was too quick to make the analogy, too used to being surrounded by doctors and nurses who were virtually required to keep others at a friendly arm’s length.
“I’d better get the kids and the cat.” He opened the back door, wedging himself in the space as much as possible in case the cat startled them all by bolting. Cats were quick, and this one was small enough to disappear into tight spaces. Adam didn’t relish the thought of diving for her as she tore across the asphalt.
He needn’t have worried. Though she stopped purring and eyed him warily, she remained immobile inside the box. He backed away so that the children could file out of the car.
“Hey, guys.” Brenna smiled at the kids, then leaned closer to peer over Adam’s shoulder at the cat. “Hi, there.” Her voice was a low, soothing murmur. “Aren’t you a sweetie?”
The cat began purring again, blinking up at Brenna with admiration, and Adam found himself grinning. He knew how the cat felt.
As they all walked toward the building, Morgan asked questions about what the vet would do. When Brenna explained that their cat would probably receive vaccinations for rabies, distemper and feline leukemia, Morgan winced in sympathy.
“Shots hurt,” she complained. Her voice quavered. “After my birthday, when we get back to Tennessee, I have to have shots, too.”
“I’ll bet you’ll be really brave,” Brenna said, holding the door open for them.
“Prob’ly not,” Morgan said. “I cried last time, but my mom got me ice cream. Daddy, do you think you can take me to the doctor’s this time?”
Adam paused, glancing over his shoulder. “I don’t know, pumpkin.” He would need to check his schedule—her five-year checkup was undoubtedly right after their return, and he was already missing an unprecedented amount of work.
Her face fell.
“Maybe I can,” he said. “I want to. I just—”
“It’s okay, Daddy.”
Eliza put her arm around Morgan’s shoulders and pulled her little sister closer. It made his heart hurt, the idea that his kids had to comfort one another because he let them down. Getting them a cat only made up for so much.
Inside the empty reception area, Brenna called, “Hello?”
A door opened at the other end of a hallway covered in posters of dogs and cats. “Back here, just finishing some paperwork,” a male voice answered. Seconds later, a tall man wearing a lab coat over a polo shirt and jeans appeared. Well over six feet, he had short, black hair worn with sideburns and extremely light eyes. “Hello, Brenna. And these must be the Varners?”
“I’m Morgan!”
The man bent down closer to her level. “I’m Dr. Higgs. How ’bout we go back to one of the exam rooms and make sure this kitty cat of yours is healthy?”
“Okay! My daddy’s a doctor, too. But he only takes care of humans,” she said dismissively.
Adam felt rather than heard Brenna’s muffled laugh. He turned in her direction with a sternly raised eyebrow, but the truth was, he enjoyed the mischievous sparkle in her expression. Lord, she was pretty.
“The rooms are kind of small,” Brenna said. “Rather than all of us trying to squeeze in, I’ll just wait out here.”
The vet studied her for a long moment.
“Can I stay with Ms. Pierce?” Geoff asked.
“It’s okay with me if it is with her,” Adam said.
At her nod, he followed his two daughters and the vet into a room where he set the box atop a metal table. Despite having been reasonably compliant until now, the cat flattened her ears and half growled her disapproval.
“Feisty little thing,” Dr. Higgs murmured as he lifted her. “Scrawny but looks healthy. Winnie said you found her out near the lodge?”
“Do you think she belongs to someone already?” Eliza asked worriedly.
“Doubt it. She’s lucky to have found nice people. Do you guys know anything about taking care of pets?” he asked them.
“We’ll learn!” Eliza promised. “I can check out books at the library and look stuff up on the Internet. And we’ll, uh, ask Ms. Pierce for advice. She’s smart about animals, right?”
“Very,” Dr. Higgs agreed. “She used to work for me. How did you guys meet her?”
“We gave her a ride when her car broke down,” Eliza said. She rolled her eyes. “My brother thinks she’s a babe.”
Dr. Higgs glanced up, startled. Something flashed in his expression, but he apparently thought better of responding. Adam suspected that Brenna’s charms hadn’t been lost on the man. Adam experienced a twinge of…jealousy.
That’s insane. Adam barely knew her.
“This is a case of good timing,” Dr. Higgs informed them, his focus back on the cat. “She’s not fully mature yet, but she’s past kittenhood. A teenager, more or less.”
Great. Because Adam needed more teenage drama in his life.
“It’s an ideal window of opportunity for getting her spayed,” the vet said. “Whenever possible, we like to do it before their first heat but not too far before.”
“She’s getting sprayed?” Morgan asked.
“Spayed,” Adam answered absently. “Do we have to leave her overnight for that?”
“Nope, just bring her in early Monday morning and she should be ready to go home at the end of the day.”
Or, more likely, to Brenna’s home. Adam found himself curious to see where she lived.
“I can get you some test results in a few minutes, but other than needing to eat more regularly, she looks like she’s in good health,” Dr. Higgs concluded. “Congratulations. You guys have a new member of the family.”
HE’D FIT RIGHT IN with Fred and Josh, Brenna thought with amusement. Her fifteen-year-old companion in the waiting room had asked what the verdict was on her car, then enumerated the qualities she should look for if she decided to buy a new one.
She shook her head. “Don’t think that’s in my budget anytime soon. The old one’s just gonna have to last a little longer.”
Geoff pursed his lips. “I know what you mean—no car in my budget, either. And I don’t even have a hunk of junk to fall back on in the meantime. No offense.”
“None taken.”
He leaned against the wall behind him, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. It seemed like just yesterday that Josh was this age, by turns cocky and endearingly awkward with his impending adulthood.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Geoff added suddenly. “Dad would probably buy me a car as long as it was reasonably priced and a solid investment. Eliza might act like he’s…He’s not a bad guy. He’s smart, makes good money as a doctor. Some of the music he likes is even kind of cool.”
Brenna noted the boy’s earnest intensity. Was he used to having to defend his dad, speaking up for him out of habit, or was he specifically trying to impress upon her that his dad was a great catch?
“I’m sure he has a lot of good qualities,” she said neutrally.
He nodded. “It’s just that, even if he helped me with the cost of the car, I need to save up money for gas, insurance, all that stuff.”
Tell me about it, kid. She was painfully aware of how quickly “that stuff” added up.
“Mistletoe seems okay, but since we’re here for almost a month, I’m not getting to work this summer,” he said miserably. “If I had a job, I could start setting aside money for my sixteenth birthday.”
“That’s a very responsible attitude,” she said in praise. A lot of the teens she’d known, her stepbrother included, had spent money as soon as it was handed to them.
Brenna, on the other hand, had hoarded money as a kid—coins she found, a dollar handed to her by one of her mom’s boyfriends, even change left under her pillow by the tooth fairy. As if having twelve dollars and sixty-two cents in a purple hippo coin bank would add any security to her life.
“I’m very responsible,” Geoff said slowly. “A real hard worker. I mean, my mom hasn’t let me get an actual job because she worries it could interfere with classes, but I get great grades. And Mrs. Miller says I do a thorough job cutting her lawn. I do the edging by hand when I’m finished with the grass.”
He paused, straightening in his chair. Brenna thought she saw where he was going with this. She wouldn’t be able to help him, but she was impressed with his resourcefulness.
“I don’t suppose you need any help walking dogs?” he asked, his expression boyishly hopeful.
“Sorry.” Technically she did need seasonal help—assuming she could generate enough income to pay a second person. But that person would have to be over twenty-one for her company to remain appropriately insured and bonded. “I have special liability insurance because I go in and out of people’s homes—like in case something gets broken while I’m there—so I have to follow the age requirements.”
They were interrupted by a squeal of delight and Morgan skipping down the hall. She was followed closely by her sister and father.
“Looks like it’s time to pick out a name, after all,” Adam announced. “And we’re gonna need some supplies.”
“There’s a pet store on Juniper, three blocks over, that allows animals in the store,” Brenna said. She had a harness-style cat leash they could borrow; she traveled with a “just in case” plastic storage box stocked with tennis balls, pet leads and assorted treats. “You can follow me there. I’ve been meaning to drop off more business cards and promotional materials, anyway.”
When Kevin joined them, she thanked him without quite meeting his gaze, told him to have a great weekend and excused herself to step outside and return some calls. She liked the good-looking veterinarian, but since their breakup, their conversations had been a touch awkward.
She climbed into her car and had confirmed one schedule change and left a message by the time the Varners piled into their own vehicle. When she met them in front of the pet store, they’d reached a consensus.
“Her name is Ellie,” Morgan informed her.
Brenna dutifully assessed the cat that Eliza had cradled against her shoulder. “Yep, she looks like an Ellie! And I have something for her to wear in the store. It’s the smallest one I could find, but make sure you keep a good hold on her.” She handed Adam the orange kitty harness. His fingers brushed hers, so briefly she shouldn’t have even noticed.
But she did.
Chapter Seven
Inside the store Brenna watched the three kids dart in seemingly a dozen different directions. Geoff grabbed a cart while his sisters made a dash for supplies.
“Just the essentials,” Adam cautioned them. “Food, a litter box…” Trailing off, he glanced at Brenna questioningly.
“You’ll need a cat carrier,” she said. “Ellie may have been pretty well behaved for a ride across Mistletoe, but you don’t want to drive back to Tennessee with an unsecured cat in the car.”
“Definitely not. Carrier, check.”
“Maybe a cat bed.”
He stopped in front of a multilevel, carpeted kitty condo. “Scratching post?”
“My recommendation would be a scratching pad—inclined corrugated cardboard with some catnip in it. It costs less, it’s portable and it’s effective for training, redirecting her if she scratches something you’d rather she didn’t.”
They stopped on an aisle that sold beds and toys. Adam stood back, letting the kids debate colors and laugh at jingly mice. He smiled, but his expression turned sheepish as he faced Brenna. “You probably think I’m a bad parent, bribing my kids to win their affection.”
It was odd—and unexpectedly touching—that he might care what she thought.
“No,” she said softly. “I still remember my first pet.” It had been right after her mother walked out on them. Brenna had been in emotional turmoil, but Josh—who’d gone through his parents’ divorce, a remarriage and now a sudden abandonment—had been equally overwrought. Fred had taken them to the animal shelter and picked out an exuberant golden retriever puppy they’d named Otis.
For Brenna, that dog had been a godsend. She’d spent far too much of her life, even the relatively quiet and happy times, dreading her mother’s next mood swing or capricious life change. And though Fred Pierce was a wonderful man who’d shown her nothing but affectionate welcome, Brenna’s ingrained trepidation had remained. If her own mother hadn’t wanted her, why would a man with no real obligation to her? Otis had shown her unconditional love until the day he’d gone to the great Dog Park in the Sky.
“You okay?” Adam asked.
She blinked, startled to find that her eyes stung. “Sorry, my mind wandered. I was thinking about a golden retriever Josh and I used to have. I realize that, as someone who works with animals, I’m biased, but pets can be a miraculous addition to your life. As long as you don’t mind the occasional messes, clawed drapes, getting up to let the dog out at three in the morning and their bringing you something dead to show their love.”
Adam’s laugh helped put her uncharacteristically sentimental moment behind them. “Wow, when you put it like that… No, I do know what you mean. There have been medical studies arguing tangible health benefits of owning pets, like lower blood pressure. A few people even maintain that chances of survival after a heart attack are higher for pet-owners.”
“This one?” Morgan asked suddenly, approaching with a small red-and-ivory cat bed.
After exchanging glances with Brenna, who shrugged, Adam nodded. His daughter put the bed into the cart, and the kids rounded the end of the lane into the next aisle. The adults followed at a more leisurely pace, Adam absently rubbing a purring Ellie as they walked.
“So what got you interested in cardiac medicine?” Brenna asked.
“My dad, indirectly. He was my hero when I was young—big, gruff, but with a truly gentle heart. He was an anesthesiologist, used to come home in awe of the surgeries performed at the hospital, the people who’d been healed and the lives that had been saved. I looked up to him, so I guess I decided early that I wanted to be like the doctors he looked up to.” Adam hesitated, his lips pursed. “Think I fell short of the mark, forgetting somewhere why my dad was such a hero to me in the first place. He was a great father.”
“And you don’t think you are?” Brenna hadn’t meant to ask—the answer, which was none of her business, anyway, was obvious. But the question escaped on a sigh of disbelief. “I realize I barely know you, but I think you’re being too hard on yourself.”
He flashed her a wan grin. “My ex-wife might disagree.”
“Even after this trip? Because I see a man who’s trying to sincerely connect with his children. You may have made some mistakes, but who hasn’t?”
He was quiet a beat, perhaps mulling over her words. When he spoke again, his tone was lighter, curious. “What about you? You have any mistakes you regret?”
“Me?” The question startled her.
“I’m sorry. That was probably rude to ask.”
He looked so chagrined that she blurted, “I make mistakes all the time. Just last week I forgot that a family had changed their alarm code and left my notebook in the car. Thirty seconds after I stepped into their house, the siren was blaring and two cops from the Mistletoe Police Department had to come out.
“The noise nearly gave the poor Chihuahua I was sitting a heart attack. Not to mention, I felt like an idiot in front of several clients, including the next-door neighbor and one of the policemen on call. He has a mynah bird and an African gray parrot.”
Her confession might not be emotionally on par with Adam’s parental concerns, but his smile was both grateful and sympathetic.
“So, lesson learned,” she concluded. “From now on I take my notebook inside even if I’ve done the assignment a hundred times and feel like I know everything. Especially if I feel like I know everything, because those are the times when you forget to notice what’s going on around you.”
He looked thoughtful. “The same could be said for marriage. I—”
“Dad, we found the food Dr. Higgs recommended,” Eliza called from her kneeling position in front of the shelf. “What size bag do we want?”
After that, the kids needed more input and there was less time for Brenna and Adam to talk. Helping the Varners plan for Ellie’s care, Brenna found herself back on familiar, neutral territory.
Until Adam pulled out his credit card for the cashier and turned to ask Brenna, “So, should we just follow you to your house now?”
“DAD, IS MS. PIERCE trying to lose us?” Geoff asked from the passenger seat.
“No, I’m sure that was an accident,” Adam said. Or a Freudian slip. Brenna had accelerated at a yellow light just as it became red, stranding Adam behind her. “Look, she’s already pulled over on the side of the road to wait for us.”
Since they’d agreed earlier that Ellie would stay with Brenna during the remainder of their vacation, he’d assumed he was bringing the cat over. But judging by Brenna’s startled expression when he’d asked about going to her house, she had not made the same assumption.
“Actually,” she’d explained back at the store, “I don’t normally allow customers to drop pets off at my house. It’s tougher on the animal. It’s more fun for them, more exciting, to ‘go for a ride,’ which a lot of pets love as much as going for a walk. On the other hand, when their owner leaves them somewhere and they’re stuck behind, feeling abandoned…”
She’d trailed off, just for a second, but long enough for Adam to register a fleeting change in her expression.
“Never mind all that,” she’d contradicted herself. “Your situation is unusual. Since you guys haven’t had time to establish a strong bond yet with Ellie, it makes just as much sense for you to come with me. Help her get settled, visit her a few times while you’re in Mistletoe. We don’t want her thinking she’s my cat at the end of three weeks.”
After the intersection, Adam caught up to Brenna and followed her onto a quaint street lined with a hodgepodge of houses—a brick ranch home sat between a two-story log cabin replica and a Cape Cod. It wasn’t like modern subdivisions with a grand name, private neighborhood pool and only about three different floor plans alternated between twenty houses. Brenna’s neighborhood—if a single strand of homes could be called that—was eclectic but well kept. Lawns were neatly trimmed, hydrangeas were in bloom and oaks and pear trees provided shady respite from the sweltering heat.
At the curve of the cul-de-sac Brenna pulled her car into the driveway of a stone-faced, cottage-style house. It wasn’t big, but it had a generous front yard and what looked to be a huge, fenced-in backyard.
She was out of her car and beside his before he even got his door open. “Sorry about leaving you back there. I don’t know what I was thinking.” She paused, her lips twisting in a self-deprecating smirk. “I lied. I do know what I was thinking. I had a sudden brain lapse where I thought if I hurried I might have a minute or two to straighten up before you arrived. Which is when it occurred to me that you didn’t know how to get here.”
He found the explanation endearing. “Don’t stress over the house. We’re the ones imposing.” Besides, how messy could her place be? She seemed too brisk and efficient, hardly the type to leave dishes in the sink or toss a towel on the floor.
She went up the front sidewalk, followed by his kids, and Adam felt as if he and the cat were bringing up the rear of a strange little parade. As Brenna unlocked the front door, frenetic barking came from inside.
“Don’t worry,” she said over her shoulder. “That’s my dog, Zoe. She’s occasionally noisy, but incredibly friendly.”
“Even with cats?” Morgan asked, casting an alarmed glance toward Ellie’s new carrier. The feline had flattened herself inside the towel, her ears twitching and her fur puffing with apprehension.
“Absolutely,” Brenna assured her. “Zoe and my cat, River, are the best of friends.”
Morgan laughed. “River? Cats don’t like water.”
“Try telling mine that. Now, I’m going in first. You guys give me a sec to put Zoe outside, okay? This will be less chaotic without her in the middle of everything.” She disappeared inside, then quickly returned. She ushered them into a living room where two overstuffed, dark green couches faced each other across a hardwood floor. “Come down the hall, and I’ll show you where we can get Ellie’s stuff set up.”
“It smells awesome in here,” Geoff said, inhaling deeply.
Adam had to agree. A blend of spices perfumed the little home, nearly making his stomach rumble.
“Slow-cook pot,” Brenna explained. Behind her, he could see into a kitchen. “Since I’m not home much during the day, I throw food in before I leave in the morning.”
“What did you fix today?” Eliza asked. Her question made Adam reflect guiltily that it had been a long time since lunch. He was accustomed to skipping a meal here and there if he had a long day of surgery, but the kids needed to eat more regularly.
“Chicken with a citrus marinade,” Brenna told his children, her expression resigned. The three kids had gone so wide-eyed in unspoken longing that Adam was reminded of the famous waif paintings by Margaret Keane, a Tennessee-born artist. “I don’t suppose you’d like to stay for dinner?”
“Heck, yeah!” Geoff wasn’t shy about accepting the invitation.
Adam was secretly glad for his son’s brashness. The polite response was probably to thank her for the offer but insist they couldn’t intrude more than they already were. The truth was, Adam had been enjoying her company. He was struck with the realization that it had been ages since he’d spoken to a woman who wasn’t a patient, fellow doctor, surgical nurse or his ex-wife. And her stepbrother claimed Brenna had no life? She wasn’t the only one.
“If that’s okay with you,” Eliza qualified, nudging her brother and jerking her head in Adam’s direction.
“Thank you,” he told Brenna. “We really appreciate that, really appreciate everything you’ve done for us today.”
“You’re welcome.” Her gaze met his as she smiled, and he felt a funny little twinge of loss when she broke the eye contact. She padded down the hallway, more hardwood covered with a slate-blue runner. Past a set of stairs were two doors on the left—an office and a bathroom—and one on the right. “Here we are, the guest room.”
That had no doubt been its original purpose. In here, the flooring was a tile that looked inexpensive and easy to clean. Instead of a bed and armoire, there was a love seat draped in a fuzzy mauve blanket, two carpeted towers like the kitty condo he’d seen back at the store, a large water bowl, a dog kennel against the far wall and a plastic container filled with chew toys. Up in the windowsill was a small television, and he suspected that Brenna kept on the Animal Planet channel or similar programming for visitors in this room. A cloth mouse dangled from a string looped over the doorknob.
Morgan looked delighted. “It’s a playroom for animals!”
Once they were all inside the room, which was barely big enough for five people, Brenna closed the door. “Go ahead, put Ellie down. We’ll let her explore for a minute. Can one of you go get her litter-box supplies?”
Adam shot his children a pointed glance. “I seem to recall lots of promises in the car about taking responsibility for your new pet?”
He got a trio of quick nods, and all three children started toward the bedroom door.
“Be careful not to let Brenna’s cat outside,” he warned.
“Oh, she spends her day on the screened-in sunporch,” Brenna said. “We’ll let her in soon.”
The kids slid through a partially open door while Ellie tiptoed around her new surroundings.
Adam’s conscience prompted him to ask, “You’re sure it’s okay if we stay for dinner?”
“As long as no one looks too closely at any of the furniture. I vacuum a lot to keep up with the animal hair, but I don’t spend a lot of time dusting. Just one of those things I unintentionally let slide because no one ever comes over.”
“Not even Josh? Or…a boyfriend?” He’d wondered since first seeing her yesterday if she was single. Though her stepbrother had all but confirmed it, Adam found that he wanted to hear it straight from her lips.
“Not for a long time,” she admitted. “Not since Kevin.”
“Dr. Higgs?” So he hadn’t been imagining the veterinarian’s reaction to her.
“Yeah. We dated for a while, but we wanted different things. My fault, probably. When you’re starting your own company, it can be pretty all-consuming. I barely had time and energy left over for myself, much less enough for another person.”
“Being a surgeon is a bit like that,” he commiserated. “From what little I saw on our walk-through, your house looks clean to me. And you smiled and waved at about a dozen people in the Diner. You’ve been working all day, and yet still managed to have a dinner waiting for you when you got home. I envy your balance.”
“Balance?” She laughed. “You should come to Sunday dinner and tell my family that. They’d laugh you out of the house. You heard what Josh said about me last night.”
“Yes, but he’s wrong,” Adam said, questioning his own vested interest. In a few weeks he’d be gone from Mistletoe, so what did it matter whether Brenna was able to balance romance in her busy schedule?
She arched an eyebrow. “He’s known me most of my life. You’ve only known me two days.”
“Still.” He smiled. “It’s always best to get a second opinion.”
IF ANYONE HAD told Adam that during his family vacation, he’d be having dinner two nights in a row with the same beautiful woman, he would have assumed feverish delirium and checked the speaker’s temperature. Or possibly have ordered a CAT scan.
Yet here he was in Brenna’s kitchen, instructing his kids to scrub in for supper. Since there were only four chairs at the oval table in her kitchen, she’d gone to grab the desk chair from her office. He asked Morgan to sit on the side closest to the wall since it was easiest for her to squeeze in; while he filled glasses with ice cubes, Geoff and Eliza seated themselves at either end. When Brenna returned, rolling the padded office chair up to the oblong table, Adam realized he’d be sitting next to her. Closely.
As tantalizing as the food smelled, when he was in such close proximity to Brenna, he didn’t notice the aromas of garlic or orange. Instead, it seemed as if he could only breathe in the heady smell of her, some kind of vanilla-based mixture that was sweet without being flowery or cloying. Her lotion or shampoo, maybe? Whatever it was, he liked it a lot. Much like Brenna herself, it was sexy without being blatantly obvious.
As dinner progressed, she finally struck a casual balance between trying hard—apologizing for any imagined housekeeping deficiencies, chatting a mile a minute about the town’s amenities—and holding herself courteously aloof, as he’d sensed her doing when they first arrived at the vet’s office. She regaled them with anecdotes about River, a long-haired tortoiseshell Manx with no tail. Unlike any other cat Adam knew, River would play fetch and loved to annoy the dog by taking off with Zoe’s smaller toys and hiding them in hard-to-reach places. As a child, Adam hadn’t owned a cat, but there’d been two big dogs in his home.
Smiling over long-forgotten memories, Adam recounted how their family German shepherd had been afraid of the yappy little poodle next door, and told the story of a dinner party that had been ruined when the pork roast that had been cooling on a counter disappeared entirely.
“Until that evening, I didn’t realize Mom even knew any bad words,” Adam reminisced. His parents were retired near Crossville now and owned a medium-size mutt they’d brought with them in February when they visited for Geoff’s birthday.
Adam frowned when he realized he hadn’t seen them since then—and he’d barely spent any time with them during that visit because one of his repeat patients had suffered a massive pulmonary embolism that week. His parents were generally more understanding about the demands of his career than his children, but the fact remained that Adam was struggling to prioritize between saving other people’s lives and being there for the people in his own life.
After dinner the kids checked on Ellie, then decided to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather by playing Frisbee in the backyard with Zoe.
“I could call them back in,” Adam offered, carrying three plates and a half-empty glass, “and get them to help us with dishes.”
Brenna shook her head. “Nah, we’d just be tripping over one another in this tiny kitchen. As it is, you and I keep…”
Bumping? Brushing against each other? He’d noticed. And he liked it. While he didn’t deliberately collide with her—he had more maturity than Geoff, for pity’s sake—he didn’t go out of his way to step aside if she was passing him, either.
“Anyway.” She swallowed. “Border collies are active dogs. It’s good they’re giving Zoe the extra playtime and exercise since I’ve been gone a lot this week.”
“Are you all done for the day?” he asked, trying not to stare as she bent over to wipe the far side of the table. She had an amazing figure. It seemed as if, over the past few years, he’d fallen into the implausible habit of thinking about the human form in only clinical terms. Brenna’s body was more art than science.
“Nope.” When she answered him, he struggled momentarily to remember what his question had been. “I’ll do about an hour of office work, then head back out to put some dogs in for the night. Not everyone has doggie doors installed, and there are a lot of reasons not to leave dogs out all night—weather, increased barking and, for the smaller dogs, the threat of coyotes.”
“So how did you come to work with animals?” he asked. “It sounds great in theory—be your own boss, play with cute puppies—but the reality seems pretty difficult.
“It’s rewarding, mostly. I’ve loved animals ever since I was a little girl, and as I mentioned last night, the nine-to-five thing just wasn’t for me.”
“Not enough working hours in the day?” he teased.
She grinned over her shoulder. “It was more the corporate culture, office politics. As it turns out, I apparently don’t play well with others.”
In her flippant response, she was selling herself short. He didn’t know much about pet-sitting, but he knew what it was like to work with various personality types. His patients had all kinds of quirks and preferences, but they needed him. Brenna had made it sound as if she was actively striving to grow her business, which must require good word of mouth, which meant she had to be careful to cater to her clients. Even if one was being a pain in the butt.
“Do you like the majority of the people you work for?” he wanted to know.
She tossed her dishcloth into the sink. “Yeah. I appreciate every one of them—even the ones who change their pet’s diet or medication and forget to tell me, or the ones who have nanny-cams installed every ten inches and make me feel like I’m stuck in my own reality television show. Obviously I couldn’t do this for a living without my customers, but it’s more than that.
“I’m grateful to them for…making me part of their lives.” She winced. “Well, that sounded corny as hell.”
Adam smiled, charmed equally by the personal revelation and her subsequent cranky reaction.
Abruptly she changed the subject. “Other than getting her a cat, which should qualify you as the most beloved parent in all of Mistletoe, have you figured out what you’re going to do for Morgan’s birthday?”
“No.” Finished with the dishes, he leaned against the counter. “I’m open to suggestions.”
“Earlier today I remembered something my stepmother did once. She treated me to a girlie day at the local spa. Mani, pedi, sparkly lipstick. At Morgan’s age, she might get a kick out of being treated like a princess. Eliza could do it with her, but I guess that leaves you and Geoff out in the cold.”
“It might work,” Adam said slowly. With three kids, it was difficult to get one-on-one time with each. Maybe he and Geoff could have some time to chat while the girls enjoyed an hour or two of glamour. And it was the type of thing that would be a surprise—people expected moms to come up with beauty-day ideas, not fathers.
“So, your dad married Josh’s mom?” he asked. If Brenna and her father were close, perhaps she could give him some insight into improving his relationship with Eliza.
“No.”
“But…” Hadn’t she said Josh was her stepbrother? And she mentioned a stepmother.
Brenna turned to the window overlooking that backyard. “I hate to break up the kids’ fun, but I really do have some computer work I should get to.”
“Of course, sorry.” The last thing he’d wanted was to overstay his welcome. “I should have herded them inside sooner, instead of sticking around to shoot the bull.”
“I’ve never liked that saying,” Brenna admonished with mock affront. “But at least it’s not as bad as ‘more than one way to skin a cat.’ What kind of monster came up with that?” She gave an exaggerated shudder.
Was the silly banter her way of softening the impression that she was kicking them out?
“From here on out, only metaphors in which no animals are harmed,” he promised solemnly. “Where do you stand on ‘raining cats and dogs’?”
Her lips twitched as she tried to keep her expression deadpan. “It depends. Are they wearing protective gear?” At the last moment, her suppressed smile broke free, making her truly beautiful, and it was as if something inside Adam had been liberated, too.
Without conscious, rational thought, he leaned forward and kissed her.
At first it was only the feather-light contact of his mouth against her smile, but even that sent a jolt straight through him and down to his toes. He nipped at her bottom lip, grazing his tongue over her, nearly overcome with the urge to haul her closer, frame her face in his hands and kiss her deeply. I want her. Wanted her smiles, her playful conversation, her more serious observations about life and her delectable body.
Stunned at the intensity of his reaction, he righted himself. “I…” Should apologize, yet he couldn’t bring himself to say he was sorry. How could he pretend to regret the kiss when what he really wanted was to do it again? Soon. Thoroughly.
“Should go,” she supplied tremulously, as if unsure of her own words. Her clear green eyes were startled. But did they also reflect back something more? “You should get going.”
“Right.” His feet wouldn’t move.
They stood there for a heartbeat that felt like a lifetime, staring at each other.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll round up my kids.”
She nodded, bemused.
Neither of them said anything else, but when he got to the back door, he couldn’t resist looking over his shoulder at her. She remained in the same spot, motionless. Except that she’d pressed her fingers to her lips.
As he stepped through the doorway, a whisper of sound followed him. He thought it might have been Wow.
Chapter Eight
“Hey, sis.” Josh opened the front door wider to let Brenna past, but rather than flash one of his customary smiles, he scowled with concern. “Are you getting enough sleep?”
“Not even close,” she admitted with a wan smile. “So stop badgering me to go out with Nick Zeth or J. C. Delgorio or whoever you’re trying to fix me up with next and just let me stay home so I can go to bed early.”
Little does my brother know. She didn’t need his help finding a man to stir her interest—she’d been kissing just such a man in her kitchen two nights ago!
Josh narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“No, but you were thinking something. I could smell the smoke.”
“Ha ha.” She poked him in the shoulder. “You’re hilarious. You ever think about taking that act on the road…far, far from Mistletoe?”
Natalie appeared behind him in the doorway that led from the foyer into the dining room where they’d all be eating. “Josh, are you giving your sister a hard time?”
“Nah, we were just chatting. Apparently she’s too tired to date.”
Maggie poked her head around the corner, wiping flour-dusted hands on her apron. No doubt she’d just put one of her wonderful pies in the oven. “Date? Brenna, honey, did you go on a date this weekend?”
“What can I help with?” Brenna asked, effectively sidestepping the issue of romance.
For a whole twenty-three minutes.
As Fred passed the barbecued chicken to Brenna, he asked, “Know who I saw at Waide Supply?”
Brenna hazarded a guess. “One of the Waides?” Zachariah and his wife had owned the hardware and feed store for years, but it was mostly run these days by David Waide and his sister, Arianne.
“No, Gabriel Sloan, buying some equipment. He’s still single, isn’t he?”
At the mention of the man with the semi-infamous past, Maggie choked on her dilled cucumber and tomato salad. “Gabe Sloan? But he—”
“Don’t you think there comes a time when we all have to let go of the past and move forward?” Fred wasn’t looking at his wife as he asked the question, but his stepdaughter.
I am moving forward! She was building her own company, establishing real roots in the community, creating the stability she’d always craved.
Fred heaved a sigh. “I just want to see you happy, Bren. I’ve gone it alone and I’ve been in love. It makes a world of difference.”
“Well, when I can find a man as loyal as my dog, I’ll think about it,” she joked. “Let’s face it, Zoe would drag my unconscious body out of a burning building, while half the men in the world can’t even manage to call when they say they will.”
Natalie laughed, but tried to disguise it as a cough when Josh sent her a hurt look.
“Oh, honey.” Maggie’s expression was so maternal and concerned that it twisted something in Brenna sideways. “That’s not why you broke up with Kevin, is it, because you questioned his loyalty?”
“No, I wasn’t speaking literally,” Brenna said with a sigh. For starters, he broke up with me. “I just…So, Nat, how’s the flower business?”
Giving her a sympathetic glance, Natalie began telling them all about a wedding she was doing next weekend and the bride’s various meltdowns so far. Then there was a wedding scheduled for the Fourth of July in which the bride had gone wholeheartedly with the red-white-and-blue theme. Not only in the flowers, but in gowns—her two bridesmaids would be wearing red-and-blue dresses.
Brenna listened with half an ear. Maggie’s question about Kevin had reminded her of one of the last things he’d said before correctly deciding they were not meant to be. He’d been in Intense Discussion mode.
“It must have killed you when your mother left,” he’d said.
“Not so much.” She’d tried to joke away old pains. “Here I am, still alive.”
“Poor Brenna.” He’d brushed his hand over her hair soothingly. “Is that why you’re so aloof? Metaphorically leaving people before they can leave you.”
And about a week later, Kevin had left her.
Which was for the best, but he’d had a point. If she ever hoped to find the happiness Fred and Maggie shared, the kind that Josh and Natalie aspired to, she would have to get better at opening up to people.
Her mind flitted back to Adam. What would it be like if she let herself get involved, just on a short-term basis, with someone she already knew was leaving? It wasn’t as if she would have to wonder in the back of her mind when it would all end. The idea was morbidly appealing. It replaced chance and romantic whim with a modicum of control and certainty.
Lost in thought, she almost missed it when Josh suddenly said, “I saw the Varner family at the lodge this morning.”
Brenna’s gaze flew to his face, searching for any sign of knowing smugness. Had Josh guessed that she was thinking about Adam? Had he somehow sensed any of the attraction she felt for the doctor?
“I talked to them as they were headed out tubing.” He smiled. “That Morgan is one cute kid. Says she’s turning five this week.”
“Friday,” Brenna provided reflexively.
Maggie raised her eyebrows. “Who are the Varners? I can’t place the name.”
“I’m pet-sitting for them while they’re on vacation at the lodge,” Brenna said. They would meet her at the vet clinic in the morning when she dropped off Ellie for her procedure. Kevin would give Adam a call after the operation to let him know how the little cat was recuperating.
“The Varners are those tourists from Tennessee,” Josh clarified. “Remember? The surgeon who picked up Brenna? Adam really wants to take his two oldest rafting, but Morgan’s too young. Nat, I told him I’d see if you might be willing to babysit.”
Natalie bit her lip. “I don’t know. I mean, I’d love to, that’s not a question, but the shortest trip you do is almost four hours. I’ve got multiple weddings and receptions coming up, not to mention the float for the Independence Day parade.”
Brenna found herself hoping that Josh hadn’t made his babysitting offer within earshot of the kids. It sounded as if there had been past occasions when they’d had their hopes dashed when it came to time with their father, and she didn’t want her stepbrother indirectly contributing to that.
After dinner Fred said he wanted to check scores before dessert and, predictably, fell asleep in his recliner three and a half minutes later. Maggie shooed Josh and Natalie out the door the second they’d finished their pie so they wouldn’t miss the late movie they’d been planning to see.
“I’m more than willing to clear the table by myself,” Maggie assured them. “It’s worth it, getting to spend the evening with you all.”
Brenna hesitated. She could spare a tiny bit of time before starting her “good night” visits; the Turners lived over in this neck of the woods, anyway.
“I’ll help with the dishes,” she told Maggie. When the offer reminded her of Adam—and the steamy moment they’d shared in her kitchen—she nearly groaned. It was a bad sign when menial housework got you worked up over a guy.
Maggie looked taken aback. “Well, thank you, honey. I figured after the conversation earlier, you’d beat feet to get out of here.”
“Which conversation?” Brenna asked as she collected all the linen napkins for the laundry. “Oh, you mean the one where Fred has stooped to randomly pawning me off on any single man who crosses his path? I’ve forgotten all about it.”
“Sorry if we put you on the spot,” Maggie said sheepishly. “We’re just…”
“Trying to be my family.” And family members looked out for one another, even if it came in the form of unsolicited dating advice. “Maggie Pierce, you’re a hell of a good mother.”
For a second Maggie didn’t react. She went from frozen to blinking rapidly, tears welling up in her eyes. “I…I need to put these away in the fridge.” She blindly grabbed two containers off the dining-room table, one of which was empty.
Brenna gave her a second of privacy, then followed her into the kitchen with a stack of plates. Maggie had one arm braced against the kitchen counter and was wiping her eyes with her free hand.
“You okay?” Brenna asked softly. Jeez, no wonder she avoided the touchy-feely stuff as a rule. She hadn’t meant to make Maggie feel bad.
“I apologize for…” Maggie fluttered her hand in a vague gesture. “You just caught me off guard.”
If kind words from Brenna were startling enough to elicit an emotional meltdown, then she was the worst stepdaughter ever.
Abashed, she asked, “You do know that I…love you, right?” The words didn’t come easily, hadn’t for decades, but that didn’t mean the feeling behind them was absent.
“Oh, honey.” Maggie reached out to squeeze Brenna’s hand. “I do know. You’ve never wanted to talk about your mom—”
“I still don’t,” Brenna said quickly.
“But I hope you know I love you like my own daughter.”
Even though Brenna had been quietly prickly in the beginning about accepting that love. Oh, she’d never been as outwardly bratty as Eliza—she hadn’t been that brave—but scared and scarred, she couldn’t have made it easier for the older woman, either.
“Josh mentioned the Varner family?” Brenna began. She enthusiastically scrubbed dishes, glad to have something physical to do—and an excuse not to meet Maggie’s eye. “A divorced man and his three kids. I think watching him interact with them is part of what made me realize how much I appreciate you. He’s worried he’s not doing a good-enough job—”
“All parents feel that way,” Maggie empathized.
“—but he’s so patient with them, trying so hard to reach out to them. He may not see it as objectively as I do, but he’s a great kisser.”
It wasn’t until Maggie’s jaw dropped that Brenna realized what she’d said.
“F-father. I meant he’s a great father.”
Maggie raised her eyebrows expectantly.
“He really is great. With them. A very committed dad.”
Still silent, Maggie shifted her weight.
Brenna tossed her hands up in defeat. “Oh, all right, and he’s a great kisser. Judging from the single, solitary peck I have to go by.”
Maggie beamed at her. “And will you be kissing him again?”
“No!” Maybe. I sure hope so.
Chapter Nine
Adam was so out of practice with women that for one insane instant he actually considered seeking the advice of his fifteen-year-old son. So, Geoff, tell me about the first time you kissed your girlfriend. Was it awkward the next time you saw her? Did you mention it or just play it cool?
Resisting the urge to bang his head on the steering wheel, Adam cranked up the music in the SUV to drown out his own asinine thoughts. All too soon, they’d reached the shopping center where Dr. Higgs practiced. It was very early in the day—technically the office didn’t even open for another half hour, but Dr. Higgs had explained that when the visit was surgical, he preferred to get an animal checked in before the lobby got hectic. It reminded Adam of the times he’d told a patient they needed to report to the hospital by 6 a.m. for pre-op. Most people agreed that was preferable to waiting half a day when they weren’t allowed to put anything in their stomachs after midnight.
Brenna could have gone in the clinic, but as she had last time, she was waiting out at her car. With the two of them meeting here in a deserted lot, this felt almost like a clandestine encounter. Until he parked and his kids all began chattering at once, unbuckling their seat belts and practically tripping over themselves in their haste to see Ellie and Brenna.
Adam lagged behind, studying her. She wore a black leather headband today, securing her coppery hair out of her face. She had on black-and-red athletic shorts and a white T-shirt emblazoned with her company logo. There was nothing sexy or glamorous about her appearance, but damn, he wanted to kiss her again.
She shaded her eyes against the sun. “Morning.”
“Hi. Thanks for meeting us here. Are you sure you want to pick Ellie up this afternoon? If you’re busy with other animals, I can come get her. We could meet back at your place,” he suggested impulsively. “The kids and I could bring dinner. We owe you.”
He was almost certain she would say no—after all, she’d made it clear how crowded her work schedule was. And he still wasn’t one hundred percent sure how she’d felt about his kissing her.
She nibbled indecisively at her lower lip, and it took real effort for him to tear his gaze away from her mouth. “Why not?” she finally said. “It might take some minor rearranging, but…I guess I have to eat sometime, right?”
The words might not have been the most enthusiastic encouragement a man ever received, but her casual statement was belied by the smile she gave him. Bright, appreciative and a touch mischievous. A smile like that could make a man weak in the knees.
“Brenna!” Morgan tugged at the hem of the woman’s shorts. “I made a card for Ellie. Wanna see?”
“Of course.” Holding Adam’s gaze for just a moment longer, the pet-sitter knelt and turned to give his daughter her undivided attention. They talked for a few seconds about how Ellie would be a bit groggy afterward, but wouldn’t feel any pain during the procedure.
“You guys can come visit her tonight,” Brenna said, brushing Morgan’s hair away from her face. “But she probably won’t feel like playing. Zoe, on the other hand, will be thrilled to see you. Think you could do me a favor and play some more Frisbee with her?”
Morgan brightened. “That would be so fun!”
“Great. Then I’ll see you later.” Having delivered the cat and agreeing that Adam would be the one picking her up, Brenna turned to go. She looked astonished when Morgan threw her arms around her legs in an impromptu hug.
Adam was surprised, too. Morgan was sweet-natured, but he’d never seen her warm up to someone this quickly. Heck, even with him she’d been timid on occasion, shy to tell him about her day. He’d picked her up at preschool once and when another child asked who he was, Morgan had said, “That’s Dr. Daddy.” Yet there was no sense of that formality or hesitation with Brenna.
A fact that did not escape his other children’s notice. Eliza and Geoff exchanged meaningful glances, then turned to him as if to ask half-a-dozen simultaneous, silent questions. He sighed. For an extremely educated man with fifteen years of parenting experience, Dr. Daddy had surprisingly few answers.
“MORE THAN PUPPY Love, this is Brenna.”
“Hey. It’s Adam.”
Inexplicably, Brenna was reminded of a day she’d gone with Fred and Josh to Kerrigan Farms and they’d helped make real old-fashioned ice cream—the kind you had to hand-crank. She recalled drizzling rich, golden caramel—her favorite topping—over a bowl of vanilla. Adam’s voice sounded the way that sweet liquid caramel had looked. Warm, addictive, delicious. If she hadn’t been driving her car, she would have closed her eyes to better savor listening to him.
“Brenna? You going through an area with bad cell reception?”
“N-no, I can hear you perfectly.” I’m apparently suffering delayed heatstroke because my brain has turned to mush, but nothing wrong with my hearing. “Are you calling with a status report on Ellie?”
“Dr. Higgs said she’s doing great, and we can pick her up in about an hour. He even spoke to Morgan when he called.”
Brenna smiled at that. “Sounds like Kevin. So where are you now?”
“We’ve been lazing by the pool.” Adam lowered his voice. “Which was incredibly peaceful until about ten minutes ago.”
“Why? What happened then?”
“Changing of the guards,” he snarled. So much for the smooth, dreamy caramel voice.
She laughed. “Have you guys jetted off to Buckingham Palace without letting me know?”
“Lifeguards,” he said succinctly. Beneath his breath, he added, “Punk.”
“Problem?”
“Yes. Boys are my problem. They’re inconsiderate, inconsistent and only out for One Thing,” he complained in a bitter undertone. “The other day, one of these horrid creatures caught my daughter’s eye.”
“I see.” Brenna tried not to laugh at his expense. “So is she over there flirting with him?”
She recalled that, in her teens, Fred had been so mortified at the thought of her dating, she’d more or less avoided the situation until college. And now he’s practically going through the phone book trying to find me a guy. She didn’t have the heart to tell Adam that parenting a daughter would probably never get any easier.
“The other day, he was flirting with Eliza. Who is way too young for him, I might add. But now he has the colossal nerve to stand there in plain sight flirting with some fourteen-or fifteen-year-old girl whose parents obviously lack the funds to buy her the whole bathing suit.”
“You’re cute when you rant.”
That stopped him cold. “Cute? I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“If it helps, I meant it in a good way.”
“Yeah?” He sounded positively cheerful now, the evil lifeguard forgotten. “Well, I think you’re cute, too. And by ‘cute,’ I mean incredibly sexy.”
Sexy? Her mouth fell open. She couldn’t recall the last time a man had called her that. “Thank you.”
The way he’d looked at her the other night, the way he’d confidently kissed her with no warning—that had all been sexy. At the time she just hadn’t been sure she wanted to act on the latent desires he provoked. Now that she’d had a couple of days to think about it…
“Adam?”
“I’m listening,” he said.
“About that k—”
“Oh, hell,” he interrupted. “I gotta go. My little girl’s crying.”
She knew he meant Eliza and not Morgan. “Go. I’ll see you tonight.”
Though she applauded his efforts to comfort his daughter, the aborted conversation was a reminder that an uncomplicated summer fling with a single dad was probably an oxymoron. How could anything remain uncomplicated when kids were involved? Common sense settled over her like an itchy wool blanket. She didn’t want to interfere in the Varners’ family time, and she didn’t want to set a controversial example for those kids. It was better that she and Adam remain platonic and that she didn’t think of him as anything more than a customer she liked and respected. In fact, it would probably be for the best that she stopped thinking about him entirely.
Yes, that was definitely what she would do. Put him out of her mind.
How hard could that be?
IT WAS WEIRD to come home to someone besides a dog and cat who wanted to be fed.
When Brenna pulled into her driveway, the Varners had already parked under the carport and gone inside. Adam had called her back earlier to find out if she had any food allergies or vehement preferences on what she wanted to eat. It had occurred to her that since her schedule was made up more of rough estimates than exact times, she should tell him where the spare key was hidden in the backyard. She warned him that Zoe would definitely come through the doggie door to investigate his presence. Since the border collie had already given the Varners her canine stamp of approval, however, the worst threat she posed was trying to lick one of them in the face.
Brenna had hesitated over telling him how to get into the house—it felt bizarrely personal to think of Adam and his three kids under her roof, amid her stuff, when she wasn’t there—but then she’d realized what a hypocrite she was being. After all, people let her into the privacy of their homes every day!
She opened the front door and did a double take. The enticing food smell wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, but the sounds of Adam calling out hello, Morgan scurrying to come greet her and Geoff laughing at some antic of Zoe’s…It was as if Brenna had turned the knob and accidentally walked into someone else’s life, instead of her own. She blinked, her stepfather’s words coming back to her: I’ve gone it alone, and I’ve been in love. It makes a world of difference.
“Brenna! I drew you a picture,” Morgan said. “It’s on your fridge. Wanna see?”
They passed through the living room, where Geoff and Zoe were playing tug-of-war with a stuffed toy.
“Ellie’s sleeping in the kitty den,” Morgan explained. “If she feels better tomorrow, will you play with her for us?”
“Absolutely,” Brenna promised.
They’d reached the kitchen, where Adam was popping open takeout containers and pouring food into bowls. The scene was so domestic that she felt she should kiss him on the cheek and ask him about his day. Platonic, she reminded herself. No kissing on the cheek or anywhere else.
“We had a craving for Chinese,” he said. “Please tell me Mistletoe has decent mu shu pork.”
“There is no bad food in Mistletoe,” she promised. “Well, except for a couple of ill-advised recipes I tried. But most of my dinner guests survived those and, with therapy and time, even went on to live normal lives.”
Morgan wrinkled her nose. “You’re funny.”
Choosing to take that as a compliment, Brenna glanced around. “Where’s Eliza?”
Adam jerked his head toward the sunporch adjacent to the kitchen. Brenna moved closer for a better look through the window, sidestepping Morgan as the little girl rejoined Zoe and Geoff in the living room. Seated on a white-wicker padded bench, Eliza had River in her lap and was singing along mournfully to a tune from her iPod.
“Ah. The continuing saga of boy troubles?” Brenna asked.
“Yeah.” Adam leaned in to peer over her shoulder and check on his daughter. Brenna’s body heated at his nearness. He smelled like outdoors and sunshine. And he was close enough that she heard his breathing quicken.
Maybe she should fill him in on the platonic plan.
She ducked away from him, gesturing at the window. “You want me to go talk to her?”
He gnawed at the inside of his cheek. “Can you talk to her about it without letting her know I told you anything?”
She thought it over. “Can do.” Whether it would actually help was a different story, but it seemed like a fitting homage to Maggie and all the times she’d tried to bridge the natural gap between her and Brenna. Plus, it put space between Brenna and Adam.
Even without those reasons, though, she admitted to herself that she probably would have felt compelled to reach out to the girl. Unexpectedly Adam Varner and his entire family were getting under Brenna’s skin in a remarkably short period. They were tugging at heartstrings normally reserved for litters of puppies and stray kittens in the rain.
It was ironic that Dr. Varner helped people improve their heart function. Because the more time she spent in his company, the more erratically her heart seemed to behave.
“HEY.” BECAUSE OF the iPod, Brenna spoke louder than she normally would. “Mind if I join you for a few minutes?”
Sniffling, the girl averted her face. “It’s your house.”
“That doesn’t really answer the question.” Brenna stood in front of the girl, scratching River under her chin. “Looks like you’ve made a new friend here.”
It had been the wrong thing to say.
“I don’t need new friends. I need my real ones, back home! They’re the people I want to talk to. Or even my mom. Do you know how gross it is to talk to a dad about boys?”
“Can’t say that I do. I never got up the courage to try.” She wasn’t sure who it would have psychologically scarred more, her or Fred. The man loved her, no question of that, but when it came to “female matters,” he’d invariably punted her in Maggie’s direction. “It just seemed too awkward.”
Eliza nodded repeatedly. “It is. Trust me. And what does he know, anyway?”
“Cut him some slack, Eliza. Your dad’s an intelligent guy, and he cares about you.”
“That doesn’t make him an expert on dating. He hasn’t had a girlfriend since my mom.”
Really? Women in Knoxville don’t know what they’re missing. Of course, Brenna doubted he kept his children posted on the particulars of his love life, so it was possible he was more experienced than they realized. For instance, she was certain they didn’t know about that kiss the other night—and she planned to keep it that way.
“What about you?” Eliza demanded suddenly. “You’re probably smarter about romance than him. Do you date often?”
Brenna guffawed. “Even less than your dad, actually.”
“But you’re pretty. And you have…” Eliza didn’t finish her sentence, but she glanced meaningfully in the vicinity of Brenna’s chest. “My friend Dee says that’s all a girl needs to attract a guy.”
There were so many things wrong with that statement—not that it was completely without truth—Brenna didn’t know where to start. “Those guys aren’t really worth attracting.”
“What kind are?”
“Scoot over.” It would be a snug fit, but the bench could accommodate both of them. Since it looked as if Brenna might need a few minutes to come up with answers, she preferred to get off her feet. “Okay. Boys are a pain in the you-know-what.”
Eliza giggled. Progress.
“But some of them are at least worth the trouble. Hold out for one of those, one who respects you, who’s courteous. He should be honest with you and listen when you talk. He needs to recognize your boundaries and not push you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”
“I know this part,” Eliza said, rolling her eyes.
“All right. Well, since you should also listen when he talks, it helps if you have some common interests. And if he’s funny.”
The girl frowned. “Bobby likes to talk mostly about Camaros and himself. Hearing about him was interesting at first, but…”
“Did he ever ask about you?”
“Not really.”
“Find a guy who does. But there’s no hurry,” she stipulated.
That earned her another eye roll, but Eliza’s expression was much brighter than it had been. She set River aside and got to her feet. “Is dinner almost ready? I think I’m hungry.”
Brenna figured that doing a victory dance would be inappropriate—or make her look like an idiot, at any rate—but the impulse was there. While she wasn’t naive enough to think that Eliza would go forth and never suffer boy troubles again, helping the adolescent past this hiccup was far more rewarding than she could have predicted.
At the door leading back into the main house, Eliza paused. “What about you, Ms. Pierce? Is the reason you don’t date much because you’re still holding out? You haven’t found a guy who’s funny and respectful and a good listener?”
Brenna blinked, surprised to find herself the topic of conversation again. “Oh. I’ve been lucky enough to find a couple of guys who fit that description, but none of them were quite…I don’t have that much time to date. I work a lot.”
Eliza’s mouth thinned. “Like my father.” She clearly didn’t mean it as a compliment.
“He does an important job.” She experienced an uncharacteristically self-conscious moment when she compared their occupations. Scooping kitty litter and sprinkling fish flakes into an aquarium sounded a bit less impressive.
“People are important, too.” Eliza crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “Maybe you aren’t as smart about relationships as I thought.”
Chapter Ten
Wanting to ensure that he didn’t undo everything his kids had learned about good manners in three weeks, Adam made it clear that they were responsible for the dishes this time. Of course, that only consisted of throwing empty containers in the garbage and scrubbing five plates.
“Before we go, can we play with River and Zoe for just a few minutes?” Morgan begged. The three of them were endlessly entertained by the way the cat chased after toys just like the dog.
He deferred to Brenna, glancing her way with raised eyebrows.
“Ten minutes,” she said.
Not wanting to waste any of that, the kids disappeared into the backyard with a stampede of footsteps and the back door banging shut.
He’d been dying to know how her conversation with Eliza went—was the girl difficult with all adults, or was it just him?—but hadn’t been able to get specifics until now. “So—”
“Do you want coffee?” Brenna asked brightly. “I could make us some coffee.”
“Didn’t we just give the kids a ten-minute warning?” He was pretty sure they couldn’t brew and subsequently chug a hot beverage in that amount of time. Was this Brenna’s way of demonstrating that she was reluctant for their evening to end?
“Right.” She cast rather desperate looks about her small kitchen. “It’s really too hot for coffee, anyway. What we need is something cold. Ice-cream floats?”
“Brenna, are you trying to find something to do because you’re…nervous? About being alone with me?” If that was the case, should he be flattered or appalled? He didn’t want to scare her.
She took a deep breath, shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts. “You caught me. I am a little apprehensive that…”
“That I might kiss you again?” Nice going, Varner. You’ve driven the woman to an anxiety attack.
Brenna’s gaze collided with his. “No, that I might kiss you.”
Her words, delivered with such artless sensuality, seared him. “I would be okay with that. Just so you know.”
She laughed, but it had a hoarse, husky edge to it. “But would your kids be okay with it?”
He wanted to say that they were irrelevant to the discussion at hand, but he was a father—his children were never irrelevant. And he guiltily recalled the questions he’d fielded on their very first day in Mistletoe, when he’d all but promised them he wouldn’t seek out any romantic connections while they were here. Fresh on the heels of Sara’s marriage, it was natural for the kids to be curious about his dating. Morgan already adored Brenna; it would be dangerous to encourage that. Eliza, on the other hand, was thawing toward him bit by bit and would no doubt freeze up in betrayed disapproval if he got too close to Brenna in their limited time together.
And it would be limited. He hadn’t been able to retain a strong relationship with his own family who lived under the same roof as him. He didn’t delude himself that he was cut out for the rigors of a long-distance relationship. Not with his job and three children who deserved as much time as he could give them.
Frustrated, he plowed a hand through his hair. “I wish things were different.”
“Oh, you have no idea how many times I’ve had reason to think that.” She gave him a bittersweet smile. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you kissed me the other day. I just don’t think it’s a good idea…”
“I agree.” In practice, if not in spirit.
Silence descended on them.
Brenna rocked back on her heels. “If we’re gonna spend the next five minutes in painful awkwardness, we might as well get comfortable. Want to join me in the living room?”
They both sat on the same sofa, but curled up at opposite ends with an entire upholstered cushion separating them. Even the strictest chaperone would approve. Adam tried not to be depressed.
“Did I tell you that I looked into that idea you had for Morgan’s party, at a salon? I even tested it by asking if she likes to have her nails done.”
“And?”
“She was practically giddy about the idea. There aren’t many places here in town, but I called all of them. The only stumbling block is that I can’t drop the girls off. One woman said she might accept a twelve-year-old being there alone, but no way would she be comfortable taking responsibility for two kids, especially when one is so young.”
“You should go with them,” Brenna said.
He couldn’t tell if she was kidding or not.
“Ask for Linda at Beautiful Day,” Brenna added, wiggling her fingers. “She gives a great hand massage. I’m not suggesting you get sparkly decals—”
He shot her a look that let her know what he thought of that possibility.
“—but you could get your nails, I don’t know, buffed or something.”
Eliza and Morgan would probably find that hysterically funny. It didn’t mesh with his original idea of making use of one-on-one time with Geoff, but why not? “I guess Geoff’s mature enough to read in the waiting area. Because there’s no way he’ll agree to participate.” Adam grinned, imagining how his teenager would react to such a suggestion.
Tilting her head back, Brenna addressed the ceiling. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this…What if I hired Geoff for the afternoon?”
“What?”
She shrugged. “He might have mentioned something about wanting to earn cash this summer. Take Morgan and Eliza out to a daddy-daughter lunch. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about Geoff, it’s that he isn’t picky about food. He can eat a couple of hot dogs here. I’ll pay him for a few hours of filing and light office work while the girls get their mani-pedis.
“And if you have to come back here to pick him up, anyway, we could have…” She covered her face with her hands, making the rest of her sentence difficult to decipher.
“Sorry, I didn’t get that.”
She lowered her hands. “If you think it would add to the festive atmosphere for Morgan, we could have cake and balloons waiting here for her. I could also invite over Josh and Natalie.”
He was dumbstruck by her generosity. “Not that I’m ungrateful for the offer, but why? I got the impression we were already a bit too…underfoot.”
“I guess I just really like your kids.”
She said it so grudgingly that he knew it was nothing less than the truth. This wasn’t an instance of some woman telling him he had cute kids because she wanted to score brownie points with the affluent surgeon. Brenna had seen his children cranky, belligerent, hungry, needy and tired; yet she liked them, anyway.
It really stank that they were being so adult and reasonable about keeping their hands to themselves, because he’d never wanted to kiss her more.
ADAM WAS PROUD of himself for not having to use the “in case of emergency” number Sara had given him. As per her request, the kids had left her a message when they’d reached Mistletoe and checked into the Chattavista, but other than that, they hadn’t really spoken to their mother until today. He’d known that she wouldn’t miss calling on Morgan’s birthday.
The phone rang first thing in the morning as they were all getting ready to go down for breakfast. He would have let Morgan pick it up if she hadn’t just started brushing her teeth. Instead, he answered.
“Hello?”
“Adam! It’s Sara.” She hesitated, as if wanting to ask how things were going but not wanting him to feel interrogated.
“I know three people who are going to be very glad to talk to you,” he said, hoping she was enjoying her honeymoon and not worrying about them too much. He passed the phone to Geoff first.
“Hey, Mom! We miss you. But we’re having a good time. Like, yesterday, when Morgan had to be rushed to the emergency room and—Oof! Dad has no sense of humor,” Geoff complained. “He’s throwing things at me…A pillow, but still. Of course I was kidding. Not about the good time, though. We got a cat.”
“Hey!” Morgan bounced out of the bathroom, her features scrunched into an expression of indignation. “I want to tell her about that. It’s my birthday.”
“All right, squirt.” Geoff ruffled her hair and told his mother goodbye.
Then Morgan was off and running, telling their mother about how they’d adopted a stray cat who would live with Adam in Tennessee, but for now was staying with “Ms. Pierce, the pretty pet-sitter.”
That part made Adam flinch a bit.
“Mommy, you won’t guess what me and Daddy and Liza are doing today! We’re having our toes and fingers painted. They said I could pick any color I want and even pick what music they play in the beauty salon while I’m there.”
After that, Eliza took her turn, although she didn’t have nearly as much to say as the other two. Her mother must have noticed, because there was a long silence on the Mistletoe end while Sara spoke. Was she giving her daughter a pep talk?
“She wants to speak to you,” Eliza said a few minutes later.
Adam put Geoff temporarily in charge and gave the kids permission to go downstairs and start enjoying the breakfast buffet without him. “Keep an eye on Morgan, and I’ll be there soon,” he told them.
“They’re gone?” Sara confirmed. “So. How’s it really going?”
He sat on the edge of his bed. “I swear no one’s been to the ER. When exactly did Geoff develop such a warped sense of humor, anyway? Sara, I have to tell you, I’m amazed by the job you do. You deal with lost socks and painful crushes and battles of wills every single day, and you’re obviously doing something right because they’re turning out pretty damn well.”
His words of praise were met with shocked silence. “Th-thank you. Guess we all have our skills. I mean, I can sew a Halloween costume with the best of ’em, but you should see my pitiful attempts at coronary-artery-bypass grafting.”
He laughed aloud, impressed that she could rattle off the terminology. That probably meant she’d done a better job of listening during their marriage than he had.
“Dan’s a lucky man,” he told her without rancor.
“Wow. You’re just full of pleasant surprises today. Mistletoe must agree with you.”
“It’s a nice place.” Brenna’s smile flashed in his mind. “Nice people, too.”
“Such as the ‘pretty pet-sitter’?” she prodded.
“Brenna Pierce, the woman boarding the cat for us. You’d like her.”
“Ah, but the question is, how much do you like her?”
“I don’t know what you’re imagining, but I haven’t even been here a full week.”
“That is so not an answer,” she said, sounding just like Eliza.
He flopped back on the bed. “We probably discussed it at the time, but remind me. How did the kids take it when you and Dan started dating?”
“Pretty well, but I think they were excited to have…” She paused.
“Yes?”
“A father figure in their lives,” she concluded apologetically. “I’m thrilled you’re taking this vacation with them, I am, and it sounds as if it’s going really, really well. But there were birthdays you missed, sporting events you couldn’t attend. And they liked having a guy up in the bleachers rooting for them.
“Even then, there was some backsliding,” Sara added. “You may have noticed how Eliza can be a tad moody?”
And the Titanic’s maiden voyage was a tad choppy. “You don’t say.”
“The point is, we muddled through. I sat them down and had frank discussions with them about Dan, kept them apprised of where the relationship was going. You and the kids will just have to find your own way. I believe in you.” She sounded sincere.
“But just to clarify, you don’t have a problem with my getting romantically involved with someone?” He had that same involuntary mental image of Brenna again. This time his chest tightened in a not-exactly-painful way.
“Of course not!” Sara said. “As long as you keep the kids’ best interests first and foremost, I’d be thrilled for you.”
When he got off the phone, he immediately left the room to join the kids. But today, he barely heard the way they ribbed each other or the observations they made about other diners. He was too preoccupied with seeing Brenna later in the day and wrestling with his growing attraction to her. He supposed that, as far as come-on lines went, “Good news! My ex-wife says we can hook up” wasn’t very debonair.
“IT MUST HAVE BEEN so cool growing up in your family,” Geoff commented from behind the desk.
Surprised by the non sequitur, Brenna studied her office, trying to spot any telltale signs of coolness. “What makes you say that?”
“Well, there’s Josh, who’s taking us rafting next week.” Geoff had explained that Lydia at the lodge would look after Morgan for the afternoon; Brenna had felt inexplicably bereft at this news. Even though she did not have the time to sit with Morgan and lose potentially hours of work, it had occurred to her that the Varners would be gone before she knew it. Would she wish later that she’d had an extra afternoon with the adorably high-spirited girl? “And of course, there’s you.”
“Of course,” Brenna said, grinning.
“So I figured with the way you guys turned out, your family must have been pretty great.”
“It was. Is,” she admitted. “But it’s easier to appreciate those things in retrospect, now that I’m out of the house.”
Geoff fidgeted, worrying at his thumbnail. “I probably didn’t appreciate my family enough when I had them. You know, before the divorce. I like Dan, my stepdad, but just sometimes I miss…”
She found herself wanting to hug him. “You still have your family, you know. Your mom and dad may not live together, but that doesn’t mean they love you any less.”
“Yeah, I know. And it doesn’t all suck. Some days I feel like I see more of Dad now than when he was at home with us. I couldn’t believe it when he said he was staying away from the hospital so long just to spend time with us! I think he’s having fun. He likes you,” Geoff blurted.
“I like him, too.” Oh, for crying out loud—was she blushing? “So, are you clear on what I need you to do with those?”
Geoff looked in the direction she’d waved, at the motley collection of different-size receipts she’d unearthed from her car, her desk drawers, her purse and half-a-dozen other miscellaneous places. “Yeah, I need to organize all of these by date, and if I finish that, I can cross-reference them into these groups you gave me, like Transportation and Promotion.”
“Perfect. Then I’ll just—”
“Seriously, I’ve never seen him like this,” Geoff continued smoothly, his train of thought apparently able to run on multiple tracks at a time.
Well, what else should she expect from a generation that grew up with picture-in-picture television and was capable of texting one friend while physically talking with another? Sheesh. Nothing like a teenager to make you feel old.
“Do you like him, too?” Geoff asked.
Should she tell him politely but firmly that it was none of his business, or remind him that she’d already said she did?
“Get to work, kid.”
He grinned at her. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
He turned to the task at hand, but she found it difficult to follow suit. What did he mean, he’d never seen his father like this? Maybe Adam was just more relaxed and seemed happier because he was on vacation. Don’t read too much into it. But she couldn’t help feeling secretly pleased.
ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES before they expected Adam to show up with the girls, Natalie knocked on Brenna’s front door. She had shopping bags hanging on both arms.
“Josh is coming behind me with the cake. It turned out so cute! Let me squeeze in and put this ice cream in your freezer before it starts to melt all over everything.”
Brenna’s stepbrother approached with a sheet cake balanced across his hands. A large metallic helium balloon with a Puppydale character was tied to his fingers. As Brenna helped them unload the party goodies, she saw that the same adorable, big-eyed puppy was on the napkins and plates.
“She’ll love this,” Geoff enthused. Then he pulled a face. “Wait, do I have to wear one of these hats?”
The adults assured him that he did, then Natalie showed Brenna the small birthday corsage she’d made at her flower shop for the guest of honor. “Plus, we grabbed these from the Fourth of July display.” She held out a couple of boxes of sparklers.
“Cool!” Geoff was definitely more interested in the pyrotechnics than the Puppydale party favors. Cocking his head to the side, he said, “They’re here. I just heard Dad’s engine cut off.”
Brenna tossed him a hat and secured another on her own head. Muttering under his breath, Geoff put it on. Then they all went into the living room and waited quietly.
Adam opened the door for his daughters, and everyone yelled, “Surprise!” when Morgan walked inside. The little girl clapped her hands in delight. Eliza, in contrast, looked leery, as if party hats were immediate cause for suspicion.
While Morgan showed off her pink-and-purple glitter nails to Natalie, the twelve-year-old sidled up to Brenna. “What’s the catch?” she demanded.
Brenna sighed. “No catch. There is, however, cake. You like chocolate?”
“Well, duh. Who doesn’t?” Eliza frowned. “Are you doing all this because you’re crushing on my dad? Because you said you never date.” Her tone rang with accusation.
“I’m doing this because I like Morgan,” Brenna said firmly. However much in favor Geoff might be of Brenna and Adam seeing each other romantically, clearly Eliza didn’t feel the same way.
“Okay. Good.” Eliza turned, but before she walked away, she muttered, “Thank you.”
“What she said,” Adam echoed, his expression tender. “It was really great of you to go to this trouble.”
Her face warmed. “Trouble? You handed me a twenty, Josh and Natalie picked up the cake. It was no big deal.”
He pointed to the radiant five-year-old who was adjusting the elastic of a party hat under her chin. “It is to her. Listen, can I talk to you?”
She raised her eyebrows. “As opposed to what we’re doing now?”
“Alone.”
The single word shivered through her. “Yeah. Hey, guys? Go ahead and put the plates on the table, get candles on that cake. We’ll be right back.”
She led Adam down the hall, hoping people would assume they were checking on Ellie, and that cake and ice cream would be enough to distract the kids from following.
At the far end of the hallway, she leaned against the wall. “Everything okay?”
He didn’t stop coming toward her until his toes bumped hers. She sucked in a breath as he braced one arm next to her.
“Everything’s great. I just wanted to let you know…” He lowered his head, his mouth moving over hers with avid thoroughness.
Her mind went blank. But her body didn’t need coherent thought to respond, merely instinct. She rose on her toes, lacing her fingers behind his neck and pulling him even closer. Her lips opened beneath his, and he stroked his tongue inside. His kiss was hungry with need yet unhurried, as if there weren’t a roomful of people in the opposite end of the house who might catch them. As if Brenna were the only other person in the world and he’d be content to kiss her for an eternity.
She nearly moaned at the thought, his kiss sending pulses of pleasure throughout her entire body. It had been too long since she’d felt a wanting like this—she wasn’t sure it had ever been quite like this. So raw and undisciplined. She’d tried to sustain the same control in her love life that she sought in all areas of her life. But now she felt reckless and bold and off balance. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.
Trying to catch her breath, she broke off the kiss, leaning her forehead against the hard plane of his chest. “Well, I hope you’re happy. The annual Mistletoe fireworks are going to pale in comparison to that.”
His low laugh rumbled through her.
She lifted her face. “Don’t take this as a complaint, but I thought we weren’t going to—?”
“I’d thought not acting on the way I feel about you would be best for the kids.”
The way he felt? Did he mean the palpable attraction between them—or more? Her heart thudded wildly, but she found she didn’t quite have the confidence to ask for clarification. Did it really matter? Either way, he’d be gone within the next two weeks. She was curious to hear the rest of his explanation, though.
“This morning, I talked to someone who changed my mind,” he said simply.
“Geoff?” That might explain the boy’s earlier conversational gambits.
“No, why would you think that? It’s not like I get my romantic advice from a fifteen-year-old.” He was a smidge defensive, amusingly so.
“It seemed likely since Geoff was trying to give me romantic advice. He didn’t come right out and say that you and I should get together, but he hinted at it. Strongly.”
Adam grinned. “Smart boy, my son.”
“Hey! Aren’t you guys coming back?” Morgan called. Her voice escalated as she asked, signaling that she was headed for them.
Adam sprang away, putting a respectable distance between himself and Brenna. “Be right there, sweetie.” Then he dropped his voice. “Can we talk about this more?”
“‘Talk’?” She waggled her eyebrows.
“Well.” He shot her one last sizzling glance that his daughter couldn’t see from behind him. “Among other things.”
Chapter Eleven
Even though the local bakery was known for its delectable creations, Brenna could barely taste the chocolate cake. Her senses were too focused on Adam. She tried not to stare or show any physical awareness inappropriate to a five-year-old’s birthday party, but she questioned whether she was doing a sufficient job of hiding her interest, because Josh was openly smirking at her behind Adam’s back.
Morgan had apparently made her peace with Ellie being her birthday present, plus she’d already opened gifts from her mother and stepfather, so she wasn’t expecting anything else. She squealed with joy when Brenna produced a gift bag.
“Don’t get too excited,” Brenna preempted her. “It’s just a couple of little things I picked up for you and threw in. I don’t want you thinking there’s a pony in there.”
Morgan eyeballed the small bag and laughed. “Josh, your sister is funny.”
“Tell me about it.”
The birthday girl fished out a pink collar Brenna had picked up for Ellie and an easy-to-read guide on cat care that was also a coloring book. “Thank you, Brenna!” She hopped down from her chair to snag a hug.
Brenna squatted down to return the embrace, surprised by the sense of sweetness that overcame her. I could get used to this. When she glanced up, Adam was watching her so intently her skin burned.
“Since it’s not as much fun to do the sparklers until it gets darker,” Josh said, “I thought we could play a birthday game first.”
As he pulled a thin felt mat out of a bag, it occurred to Brenna for the first time what a good father he was going to make. The thought cheered her. She’d never quite been able to imagine herself as a mom—for years, her self-defense mechanism had been to think immediately of something else any time her mind veered toward mothers—but she found that she loved the idea of being an aunt.
Until this month she’d always known she was “an animal person” but had never suspected she might be “a kid person.” Children were too reliant on others, too fragile. She’d worry about letting one down; she’d fear looking into their small, trusting faces and seeing the vulnerable girl she’d once been.
Josh’s game turned out to be a modernized take on the classic pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Only in this version, where Velcro was used instead of sharp implements, the blindfolded player was trying to successfully place a soft white bone in the puppy’s waiting mouth.
Behind her, Adam said sotto voce, “No animals were harmed in the making of this game,” and Brenna giggled.
Later, as they all stood in Brenna’s front yard with sparklers, her stepbrother confronted her in a whisper. “Admit it, Natalie and I were right. See how much fun a double date can be?”
She glanced to where Adam stood with Morgan, and her heart contracted. Fun was too frivolous a word for the pull of poignant, unpredictable emotions inside her.
Trying to keep her voice lighter than she felt, she protested, “I’m admittedly out of practice, but I’m not sure you can call this a date. Too much scrutiny. I couldn’t even hold his hand without worrying about how it would affect three minors.”
“I see what you mean.” He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “You know, Natalie and I were just talking about that new animated movie coming out and how we’d feel silly going to see it without taking any kids with us. Think Adam would let us borrow his one night this week?”
All the longing she’d been trying to suppress since Adam kissed her bubbled to the surface at the thought of stealing some private time with him. They’d never been truly alone. “You are the best brother in the world.”
He slung an arm over her shoulders. “I’ve been telling you that for years.”
ADAM PARKED the car in the visitors’ lot at Kerrigan Farms, glancing appreciatively at the endless stretch of vast blue sky. “Can’t ask for a prettier Sunday afternoon than this, can you?”
“Nope,” Morgan agreed cheerfully.
“I don’t think he actually needed an answer,” Eliza said, oozing condescension. “It’s called a rhetorical question.”
Adam spun around to fix his middle child with a paternal glare. “She can answer if she wants. What’s got you in such a bad mood?”
Her only response was to glare back at him.
He was truly baffled. Everyone had seemed to have fun at Brenna’s Friday evening, and yesterday they had an innocuous combination of hiking to a nearby waterfall, shooting pool at the lodge and going to the actual pool. Where, Adam had been relieved to notice, Bobby the Punk Lifeguard had been replaced for the day by a patrician-featured woman in her mid-twenties. It had been a relaxed, enjoyable day, despite all the times he’d found himself thinking of Brenna and their upcoming date Tuesday night. He’d practically hugged Josh in gratitude when the guy had asked if he and Natalie could take the kids out for pizza and a movie.
It was irrational how much Adam looked forward to seeing her again. Could he possibly be missing a woman he’d seen only a day and a half ago? There was a slim possibility their paths would cross this evening. She’d agreed that he and the kids could stop by on their way back from the farm to visit Ellie for a few minutes, but Brenna wasn’t sure she’d be home from her appointments.
“You know where the key is,” she’d said. “Feel free to let yourself in.”
He’d thanked her, hoping he sounded gracious and completely unlike a man needy for her company. If she was home, the most he could hope for was casual conversation benign enough for young ears and, if he was lucky, a quick, hard kiss goodbye such as the one he’d stolen Friday on the pretext of having left his wallet in her house.
Seeing his own grin in the rearview mirror, Adam reflected that it was ridiculous how much the prospect of small talk and a pilfered kiss cheered him.
The four of them got out of the SUV and strolled down a shaded path to the welcome booth, where he paid the nominal entrance fee.
The woman there introduced herself as Kasey Kerrigan and handed them a map of the farm. “See these X’s? Those indicate where Ben’s set up coolers. They’re stocked with ice and bottles of water. Please, help yourself. The last thing we want is someone passing out because of sunstroke or dehydration. We do have a doctor visiting this afternoon, but I’m sure he’d rather enjoy his day off than administer emergency first aid,” she said with a smile.
“My daddy’s a doctor, too!” Morgan informed her.
“Oh? Varner…” Kasey repeated his last name as if trying to recall whether she’d heard it before. “Are you one of the new docs they’ve hired at the medical complex?”
“No, ma’am. Just here for a few weeks to enjoy Mistletoe with my kids.”
“Well, have fun!”
Adam handed the map to Geoff so the three kids could consult it together. “What do we want to do first?”
Morgan didn’t even have to think about it. “Petting zoo!”
Eliza snorted. “Petting zoos are for babies.”
“Are not! Dad—”
“Eliza, apologize to your sister.”
She did so. Resentfully.
“Maybe I can’t mandate a good mood the way I can a curfew, but I can tell you to stop inflicting your annoyance on everyone else. Understood?” When she nodded, Adam gentled his tone. “Do you want to talk about what’s wrong?”
“I just don’t feel good,” she mumbled. “Let’s go check out those animals now. Might as well get this over with.”
Adam sighed. “That’s the spirit.”
ADAM STOOD IN LINE behind an older man at a makeshift concession stand. The Varners had downed several bottles of water so far, but now Morgan was saying she could use food. And I could use a stiff drink. Today had not been an overwhelming hit. Though Morgan was having fun, Geoff didn’t seem to think that picking his own blueberries ranked up there with white-water rafting or even playing video games on his DS back at the Chattavista. Then there was Eliza.
The animals had been “smelly,” she claimed to be “dying of the heat,” and when he’d handed her a cold water to help cool off, she’d complained that it tasted funny.
Now the three children sat on a nearby bench while Adam waited to buy snacks and soft drinks. Since Morgan and Eliza had been at each other’s throats for the past couple of hours, he was relieved when a little boy about Morgan’s age wandered over to her and engaged her in a conversation about a cartoon she and Geoff sometimes watched together. She’d tried to explain some of the creatures and their origins to Adam, but he mostly remained clueless.
Now Morgan chatted happily as Adam paid the vendor. Eliza could either sulk in silence or pick a fight with her brother, but he figured Geoff could handle himself. When Adam turned, he saw that the man who’d been in front of him in line was now standing with the little boy.
The man, round but not overweight with a head of thick gray hair, nodded a greeting to Adam. “Seems like my grandson and your little girl have some common interests.”
Adam distributed drinks and soft jumbo pretzels while the two five-year-olds talked some more. Upon learning that Morgan was the same age as him, the boy got excited about the possibility of Morgan being in his kindergarten class.
“Nah, we live too far away,” Morgan said. “We’re visiting from Tennessee.”
“First time in Mistletoe?” the boy’s grandfather asked Morgan, “or do you have family in the area?”
“First time,” she said.
“Welcome to our town. I hope you’re enjoying your stay. I’m Gerald Kimborough and this is my grandson, Todd.”
Adam whipped his head around. “Dr. Gerald Kimborough, the nephrologist?”
The other man laughed. “You must either be in the medical profession yourself or you know a patient of mine.”
“Dr. Adam Varner.” He held out a hand. “Cardio. I like to stay current on other disciplines. I read that case study you had published on renal-transplantation patients. But I thought it mentioned that you were a nephrology fellow up in New England.”
“I was. My wife’s family is from Georgia, though, and our daughter settled here. I moved down to help run the new dialysis facility. Mistletoe has an active retirement community, along with a great seniors center and newly expanding medical complex. We’re building such a great reputation that some patients north of Atlanta are choosing to make the drive up here to see us, instead of going into the metro area for treatment. Drawing more doctors, too, for kidney treatment and the cardio unit.
“It’s a chance to keep doing what I do best, but in a different environment from where I was before. Plus,” he added with a fond smile at the towheaded child, “now I get to spend more time with the big guy.”
“Dad!” Eliza’s tone was so impatient that she’d obviously been waiting for a break in the conversation. “We’ve fed goats, we’ve picked berries. Can we go now?”
Anger surged through Adam that she could continue to be so ungrateful after he’d tried for days on end to spend time with them and help them have fun. He turned to her. “I know it’s hot outside, but you’re sitting in the shade and you have a cold drink. Cutting short other people’s fun because you’re bored is just selfish,” he admonished. “You had a manicure the day before yesterday, got to explore a waterfall, are going rafting tomorrow and are planning to see a movie on Tuesday, to say nothing of the big Fourth of July celebration. Not every second can be go, go, go, Eliza. You’re twelve, which is mature enough to stop acting like a spoiled brat!”
She recoiled as if he’d slapped her, her expression stricken. When tears welled up in her eyes, she mumbled an “Excuse me” and bolted for the nearby restroom. Watching her hasty exit, Adam felt like an ogre.
Dr. Kimborough cleared his throat, looking embarrassed. “Yes, well, lovely to have met you. Todd, let’s run along so the Varners can finish up their tour of the farm.”
“I’m sorry,” Adam said. “I—”
The doctor waved his hand. “Not at all. I had a teenage daughter once myself. Gets easier after their twenty-first birthday,” he whispered conspiratorially.
How lovely, Adam thought. Now he had something to look forward to—nine more years of hell. Of course, in nine years, Morgan would be a teenager. He groaned.
Once the Kimboroughs had departed, Geoff stood. “Way to go, Dad.”
Adam squeezed his eyes shut. “Son, I could do without the sarcasm right now.”
“No, I was being sincere. Way to go, congratulations. You normally tiptoe around Eliza, letting her act however she wants. Mom would never have put up with that.”
“Oh.” He processed this. “Good to know. I guess.”
He’d never meant to give the impression that Eliza could do whatever she wanted without consequences. Although to be fair, most of her transgressions were of the mere eye-rolling kind; it wasn’t as if she’d been sneaking cigarettes outside the lodge or boosting cars on Main Street.
It was strangely bolstering that Geoff thought he was acting like a real parent now. On par with Sara. Did that mean Adam was making progress, even though one of his children was currently not speaking to him? Some parts of this parenting gig were less fun than others.
When five minutes had passed, Geoff glanced at Eliza’s untouched pretzel. “Can I have it?”
Adam answered with a quelling look. Another few minutes ticked by. “Morgan, pumpkin, would you mind going into the restroom and asking your sister if she could please join the rest of us?”
“She’s gonna yell at me,” Morgan predicted.
“If she does, I promise I will deal with that.”
Morgan disappeared into the women’s room, and a moment later returned with a subdued and tearstained older sister.