by Tanya Agler
In no time, Danny’s plate was empty. “Can I go play with Mattie and Ethan? I won’t tell Mattie anything about our strategy, Uncle Aidan.”
After they assented at the same time, Danny scampered off.
Aidan leaned back and patted his flat stomach. “If I eat much more today, my commanding officer will have a fit when I come back out of shape. Don’t suppose you run.”
“For my mom’s potato salad, I do.” She held up her spoon and licked off the last bit. “And I ran half marathons in college.”
“Didn’t expect that. Basketball, horseshoes, running. Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Painting. My art always looks like stick figures.” Rearranging her legs under her, no small feat in this sundress, she turned her attention to her hamburger. “I like surprises, same as I like cowboy boots, long soaks in the tub with a good book and meeting friends at The Busy Bean. What about you? Tell me three things you like.”
He raised his eyebrows and glanced at her over his burger. Putting it back on his plate, he shrugged. “Haven’t given it much thought.”
“What’s to think about? By the way, I won’t accept calendars, day planners or watches.” She eyed the dessert table and decided to wait until after the rest of the horseshoe competition.
“What if those are my three favorite things, though?”
She almost threw the rest of her hamburger at him before the sparkle in his eyes let her know he was joking. Instead, she waggled her burger at him. “My game, my rules.”
He bit off a chunk of his burger, a faraway look in that gray gaze.
Before he answered, her mother blew a whistle. “Time for the final round. Everyone gather around.”
Aidan leaned over and whispered, “Strawberry scones, strawberry chiffon pie and strawberry shampoo.”
She used that type of shampoo, and he’d noticed. If he wanted to throw her off her game, he’d have to rise up and try harder than that. Although, from the way her insides went all quivery, he’d done a good job.
And the day wasn’t over yet.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
AIDAN LEANED BACK against the Harrisons’ old gray shed, soaking in every detail. Carl and Diane sat in the distance with a photo album, showing off pictures of their wedding day. A few feet away, Natalie laughed with a group of people, her face animated with good humor as her hands moved along with the story she was telling.
A man in a black T-shirt, Natalie’s brother and the sheriff, approached him with two bowls. “Do you like banana pudding?”
Aidan hadn’t consumed pudding since his wisdom teeth removal. The sheer memory brought a shudder. “Gave it up a while back.”
“You haven’t tried my grandmother’s recipe.” Mike shoved one of the disposable bowls with a plastic spoon toward Aidan. “If you don’t like it, you won’t hurt my feelings, unlike my sister, who wears her heart on her sleeve.”
Aidan stiffened his spine and accepted the proffered bowl. “Thanks.” He swirled the whipped cream into the rest of the mixture and forced a smile.
“I wasn’t always the smart man you see before you today,” Mike said.
Self-deprecating humor. Relatable and approachable, Mike was the type of person Aidan could see as a friend if he stayed in one place long enough. Being a loner could get tiring after a while. Still, no real use in making friends here if he intended to leave.
If?
Where had that come from? Leaving was a given, with his itinerary planned for the next couple of years. Aidan blinked and rotated his spoon in the opposite direction. “Hollydale is thankful you’ve wised up, I’m sure.”
Mike ate a spoonful of pudding and pointed at Aidan’s bowl. “If you wear a hole in the bottom from all that circling and the pudding falls on the ground, don’t blame me. Where was I?” He licked his spoon before tapping it on his chin. “A long time ago, Natalie delivered a note to my now-wife that ended badly. Georgie didn’t talk to me for eleven years.”
Aidan nodded as if he understood a word Mike said. Six languages with a smattering of a few others, yet the Harrisons confounded him more than any dialect.
Mike finished off the last of his pudding, while Aidan swirled his spoon around his. “You’re diplomatic. I’ll give you that. You’re willing to play along.”
“To a certain extent.”
Seriousness replaced Mike’s good humor. “Natalie would kill me for saying this, but she’s a happy soul and loyal to a fault. When I was stupid and hurt Georgie, Natalie stopped talking to me for a long time.”
Mike was a straight shooter, so Aidan leveled with him. “Still not connecting the dots.”
“Try a bite, and I’ll fill you in.” Mike tilted his head toward the bowl. “It’s the sheriff and father in me.”
Aidan hesitated before curiosity won out. He brought the spoon to his lips. Creamy goodness slid down his throat. Nothing could be that good. He tried a second taste and discovered he was wrong. It was better than good.
He finished the bowl and glanced at the sheriff. “Thanks for the push. Now, what’s your point?”
Mike glanced at Natalie. “Natalie has a lot of friends who’ll defend her to the ends of the earth. You can have the same people on your side if you let them in. She’s a genuinely happy person, and I’d hate to see her hurt.”
Mike walked away, and Aidan threw the bowl in the nearest receptacle. Mike was protective of Natalie. Didn’t he know Natalie could protect herself?
Aidan searched for Danny, eager to spend some time with the pint-size horseshoe champion. There he was, hanging on Natalie’s every word, love reflecting in his nephew’s brown eyes.
Mike’s point hit home. Aidan could be a part of all of this, and yet, he couldn’t. But how could he tear Danny away from Natalie and the home she’d created for him over the past three months, even if he had the best of intentions? If he took Danny with him, ripples of his actions would impact more than his nephew.
Aidan took another look at Natalie, her beauty a true breath of summer. Taking Danny away would hurt her. And it would also hurt the Harrison family, who all seemed to genuinely care for Danny.
Shaking his head, he wandered inside and drank a glass of water. In the kitchen corner, he spotted Danny’s bright blue backpack with sharks. Where did that come from? Danny hadn’t brought anything with him. Aidan grabbed it and headed outside to the front porch. The cool mountain air was fresh and it was relatively quiet. Being alone felt good, and he pulled Danny’s backpack onto his lap.
Less than a minute later, Natalie, as lovely as a sunflower, came around the corner of the Harrison house.
Suddenly, being with Natalie, while not being alone, didn’t feel so bad. Nearly perfect, in fact. “I wanted to find you and make sure you’re okay. I saw Mike talking to you, and you turned ashen. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Mike’s really a teddy bear when you get to know him. That’s our secret, since it wouldn’t do for the town to know that about our sheriff.”
Aidan gripped the straps of Danny’s backpack. “More of a grizzly bear, really.”
“Danny’s playing with the twins, and Lucie won’t let them out of her sight. All of this must be pretty overwhelming, huh? Wait until the dancing starts in a little while.” She joined him on the swing.
“There are worse things.” His future stretched out before him, and he liked it. More family barbecues like this. Time with Danny. Maybe even a date with the attractive redhead. Dancing sounded really good.
Plans could change. It might be time to write some of his plans in pencil instead of indelible ink. Take himself for example. He thought he’d serve his full twenty years and retire, yet he was considering the position in DC.
Then he reached for the metal chain attached to the porch swing and spotted his scar. For years, he’d followed his orders, knew what was expected of him. He also knew his responsibilit
ies and that meant looking after Danny day in and day out. He preferred that more regimented approach while Natalie loved going with the flow. In fact, she deserved someone who was spontaneous like she was and fit in with her family. While opposites, especially his father and Cathy, did attract, wouldn’t Natalie be happier with someone who looked at things the same way she did?
“Is this barbecue on your list of worse things ever? Or is it something positive?”
“Danny’s having fun.”
“I didn’t ask about Danny. I asked about you.”
He fingered each link, the metal warm to the touch. “I’ve had some interesting conversations. The day’s been rather unusual.”
“It’s okay to like something. In Hollydale, it’s encouraged.”
“I’m fond of Danny.” And you.
She started swinging, and they fell into a comfortable rhythm. She turned toward him, and her leg brushed his. “He’s blossoming so much. After Shelby’s death, he closed up, and today when he won...”
“Why’d you lose the horseshoes match on purpose?” The question had been bothering him since she didn’t sink two of her throws, one not even coming close to the target. It was the only time since he’d known her that she hadn’t given something her all.
She laughed and massaged her arm. “If you’d been on target and hooked sinkers every time before the finals, your arm would be sore and you wouldn’t see the need to ask that question.”
He scooted away from the strawberry scent of her hair and repeated himself. This time, he sent her another glare his drill sergeant would be proud to replicate.
Same as last time, however, a peek of a smile lifted the corners of her lips. “You have to try harder than that to intimidate me.”
“You threw the game.”
“Nice pun. I’ll have to remember that one.” She glanced around as if making sure no one overheard her. “If I did, and I’m not admitting anything, Danny needed it more than me. He’ll remember winning with his uncle. That’s an important memory for him to have.”
Speechless, he leaned back and let the rhythmic motion lull him into relaxing a bit. She picked up Danny’s bag and bumped her free hand against her head. “My mom came over to borrow my corkscrew and other things for the party. I’d packed a snack for Danny thinking he’d be over there yesterday afternoon. I’d best throw it away. Excuse me.”
She reached in and gasped.
“Food can’t go bad that quickly.”
He leaned over for a closer look, while she placed the backpack next to the glider and pulled out the lunchbox. Tangled in the zipper was Natalie’s necklace. Her fingers shook, and she extended the lunchbox to him. “I’d love some help.”
Without another word, he carefully freed the gold chain and pendant from its zippered snare. She turned around and upswept her red locks. “My hands are still shaking. Will you clasp it for me?”
Now he had to work hard to keep his hands from shaking as he hooked the necklace in place.
She faced him, her eyes shining in appreciation. “Thanks.”
For what? He hadn’t done anything someone else wouldn’t have done. He grunted his reply and scooted back to his place. From where he sat, envy spread over him like sticky tar. Her town held her in the palm of its hand. Natalie’s brother had gone out of his way to show his protective nature toward her. His nephew loved the woman he called his aunt.
No wonder, with her vivacity and her love of life blooming like a cactus rose.
“You have the funniest expression.” She reached over and patted his hand, her imprint searing hot. “You didn’t eat Mrs. Norman’s fruit salad, did you?”
At last, Natalie had hit upon something wrong with the town.
Then again, the real reason behind his discomfort had nothing to do with Hollydale and everything to do with that necklace around her neck. Her feelings for Francisco still ran deep. What would it be like to know she cared that deeply for him?
“I’m good.” He tried to rise but found himself rooted to the glider, wanting to soak up a few more minutes of her rays before he moved on.
“Hold on. You have something on your cheek.”
Sitting here, he soaked in the apple pie moment. He wanted to remember everything, from the crickets chirping to the breeze cooling off the night air. She tapped her left cheek near her mouth and scooted closer. “Looks like banana pudding landed in that dimple of yours. My brother beat me to the last of it.”
He wiped his cheek and turned so his lower back touched the frame of the glider. “Wouldn’t do for a soldier to walk around with banana pudding on his face.”
She laughed and pointed again. “Still have a little left.”
Her gaze met his, and the laughter faded away from her crystal-blue eyes. Time stood still, and everything happy seemed inches away, his for the asking. In the golden glow of the early evening, she radiated warmth and beauty and kindness. The bronze streaks in her hair were unforgettable, her pink lips too kissable. They moved nearer, and his heart raced until he glimpsed the gold chain and symbol hanging around her neck. As much as Natalie lived in the moment, her heart was stuck in the past.
He shifted away and rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand. “There. I’m sure it’s all gone.”
He jumped up, and the magic of the evening faded.
She rose, and hurt flashed in her eyes. “I’m happy you were able to enjoy it while it lasted.”
She walked away, the slight swish of her hips most beguiling. As much as he longed to run to her and throw caution to the wind and kiss her, he stayed where he was. She stopped at the bottom of the steps and glanced back as if she was about to say something.
Hesitation warred on her face, and Aidan moved to the top of the stairs. “Yes?”
“I forgot to tell you I rescheduled Danny’s therapy for Wednesday morning since we’re meeting with the attorney Penelope Romano on Tuesday.”
Another reason to keep things cool between them. Danny’s world was shaky enough without him getting involved with Natalie. Good thing his meeting with Mike and the city manager, Woodley, was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. “I’ll be at both.”
Laughter came closer, and Mike and his wife and daughter emerged from around the corner.
Mike waved. “We’ll be at the park next Saturday, and we’re making brisket in the smoker on Friday.”
Rachel bounced up and down. “Daddy said I’m not to let our dog, Beau, near the meat. Beau’s marching in the parade! I can’t wait.”
“If he doesn’t stop and sniff and steal every hot dog along the way.” Georgie laughed and reached for Mike’s hand. The simple display of affection hit Aidan hard.
When was the last time he was involved with anyone to the extent mere hand-holding lit up the other person’s face, like Mike reacted to Georgie?
When was the last time he was involved period?
The family walked away, and Natalie returned her attention to Aidan. “If Rachel still has that much energy, I’d better rescue Lucie and take Danny home.”
“How about we meet tomorrow at The Busy Bean?” Aidan remained at the top of the stairs. He didn’t trust himself if he were near her. “I’d like some strong coffee before I tackle Shelby’s. Ginny’s brew is great, but Deb’s is more potent. Then I could take Danny to that grocery store I saw downtown. Pick out some snacks and food for him to have at Shelby’s for his visits.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.” Natalie ran her hand down the white bannister. “Wait a second. That won’t work. Caleb is taking Danny and the twins to the Timber River Park Center tomorrow for a morning of camp activities.”
“Then Danny and I will go to the store in the afternoon. Do you want to meet me at The Busy Bean in the morning, then?”
“Without Danny?”
“Yes. How does nine sound?”
“
Ten would work better since I drop Danny off at nine.”
“Ten it is.”
Country music started playing over speakers in the backyard.
She tapped her foot. “Want to dance?”
She was a bright ray of summer sunshine, while he’d seen the darker side of life.
He didn’t want to cast a shadow over that ray. “I haven’t danced in years.”
“If you can play basketball that well after not playing for a while, you’ll remember how to dance.”
She held out one arm, and the porch light activated, shining a spotlight on her necklace. Her reaction to finding that necklace gave him pause. He wasn’t sure there was room for someone else in her heart.
“Danny’s probably ready for bed. I don’t want him to think we deserted him.” Those excuses sounded weak even to his ears.
The way she arched her eyebrows showed she wasn’t buying them either. “One dance isn’t a lifetime commitment, Aidan. Good night.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
NATALIE PARKED THE car in the farthest spot from The Busy Bean, preferring to leave the closer spaces for those who needed them. She’d just dropped Danny off at Lucie and Caleb’s house, and now she was exactly on time, which was nearly a miracle for her during the summer. Her phone pealed the ringtone for Becks, and she debated answering.
Then again, this might be important.
“What’s up, Becks?” She used her best upbeat voice.
“Everything, and nothing.” Becks hesitated, not sounding like her usual confident self. “Forget I called. Rough night with Pippa, that’s all.”
“Make sure Jack gets involved.” Natalie frowned, as she had never trusted her brother-in-law more than she could throw him. One of the few people she could say that about. After one conversation when Becks and Jack were engaged and Natalie had said something critical about him, Becks raised a haughty brow in her direction. From then on, Natalie focused on maintaining their relationship rather than signaling any disdain for Becks’s choice.