by Unknown
Nothing she could have said would have disturbed him more. She had been all that he could want in a woman, a lover. He pulled her flush against him. “I miss you already.” The words just slipped out, but he had no wish to call them back.
Troubled, she lifted her head and gazed into his eyes. “Then we shouldn’t waste our time being angry. Let’s just enjoy the time we have together.”
“Is that your professional or personal opinion?” he asked, smiling.
She breathed easier, then cocked a brow. “Both will cost you.”
“Sassy woman.”
Laughter spilled from her as he picked her up and swung her around, his lips fastening on hers. They were both breathing heavily when he sat her on her feet and lifted his head.
Hero stood barking at them.
“We’re going to take you home, Hero. Aren’t we, Luke?”
“Yes,” Luke said, but he knew in that instant that he would never view the cabin the same once Catherine left. Being alone didn’t sound so appealing anymore.
“EAVESDROPPING.”
Naomi whirled around from the door leading to the kennel. Dr. Youngblood stood in front of her. She had seen him leave, then became concerned on hearing the raised voices. She didn’t even try to lie. “He was yelling at her.”
“Yes, and she was yelling right back.”
She couldn’t stop trembling. “She shouldn’t have done that.”
“Luke has shown you that he’s a good man.”
“People pretend sometimes to get what they want.” The words were said with absolute surety and biting bitterness.
It was all he could do not to reach out and touch her. Knowing he couldn’t, he tried to reassure her another way. “I don’t, and neither does Luke.”
Naomi looked at the door. “He doesn’t smile a lot and he can look tough.”
Richard took a small amount of pleasure because she hadn’t included him in her on-target analysis of Luke, but he was then left with the uncomfortable speculation of what her thoughts were of him. “Luke would happily slice off his arm before he harmed a hair on her head.”
Her troubled gaze came back to him. “You’re just taking his side because you’re his friend.”
He didn’t have to think about her opinion of him any longer. “If Luke was the type of man you’re insinuating he is, he wouldn’t be my friend.”
Naomi seemed just as startled by Richard’s terse announcement as she was by the laughter coming from the kennel.
His voice gentled. “Catherine can hold her own.”
“I guess.” Naomi started back to her desk. Richard didn’t move. “Is there something you wanted?”
Coming from another woman Richard might have laughed at the question and then proceeded to leave little doubt as to exactly what he wanted. With Naomi, he stepped aside. “No.”
Naomi hated being a coward, but she edged by Richard and hurried back to check on Kayla, who was happily building a house with the block set Richard had given her that morning. Teddy sat beside her. She wouldn’t have let her daughter accept the blocks except she had been so happy. Money had been too tight for toys. Leaving the office, her gaze was drawn to the long hallway. Richard was still there, watching, waiting.
She didn’t know why the look frightened and confused her in equal parts. Swallowing, she hurried to her desk.
Behind her, the door to the kennel opened. Luke came out holding Catherine’s hand. “We’d appreciate if you’d sedate him.”
Richard’s gaze slid from Catherine to Luke. There were few times, if any, that he could remember Luke changing his mind on anything. And he’d never seen Luke keep a woman so close to him. “I’ll get it ready.”
“While you’re doing that, I’ll go visit with Naomi.” Catherine went to the front.
“I’ll stay here,” Luke told her.
For the first time in their long friendship, Richard dreaded talking to Luke. The reason why flickered a worried glance at Catherine, then beyond to him. Naomi.
LUKE FOLLOWED THE DOCTOR INTO ONE OF THE small exam rooms and watched him tear the paper from a disposable syringe. “You learn anything more about Naomi?”
Lifting the vial, Richard plunged the needle through the rubber stopper and drew out the sedative. “She’s a caring mother and a very good receptionist.”
“Don’t get funny with me, Richard. You know what I mean.”
Capping the syringe, Richard returned the medicine to the locked cabinet. “Exactly why do you want to know so much about Naomi?”
“It has something to do with a case I’m working on.”
“What kind of case?” Richard paused at the door.
“It’s confidential,” Luke said. “You learn anything about her I need to know?”
“Nothing I haven’t already told you.” Richard started back to the kennel. Naomi wasn’t a threat to anyone. Whatever the case Luke was working on, she wasn’t a part of it. Of that he was certain. He wasn’t going to do anything that would cause her to get that frightened, haunted look in her eyes again.
“SO, HOW WAS DINNER LAST NIGHT?” CATHERINE ASKED.
“Fine,” Naomi said. Her gaze wandered over Catherine’s stylish cranberry-colored fitted jacket and long, slim skirt. “You look very nice. What kind of conference and workshop are you attending?”
“I finished the parenting workshop yesterday and tomorrow I’m speaking at the American Psychological Association.” Catherine kept her gaze steady. “I’m a child psychologist and teach at UCLA.”
Fear and shock in equal parts raced across the younger woman’s face. Her hands braced against the edge of the desk as if preparing to bolt.
Catherine casually edged a hip on the corner of the desk. “My profession hasn’t changed since we met. Have I given you any indication that I’d do anything that might harm or upset you or Kayla?”
The answer wasn’t long in coming. “No.”
“And I won’t.” Feeling that the crisis had passed, Catherine opened her purse, took out a card, and handed it to Naomi. “You’re a good mother who happens to have hit upon some rough times. It’s not my place to judge you. I’m leaving Sunday. Call collect if you want to talk or if I can help you in any way.”
Naomi clutched the white card with simple black lettering. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”
Catherine laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment. But I’m also learning sometimes we all need a little help.”
Both women turned at the sound of the exam room door opening. Both women stared at the men who stared back before going into the kennel. Naomi spoke first. “Luke teach you that?”
“Yes,” Catherine admitted, unaware of her face and voice softening.
“Be careful, Catherine,” Naomi warned. “Men change sometimes, and not for the better.”
“Occasionally, but my parents have been married for thirty-nine years and my father is just as devoted to my mother as when they were first married.” She braced one hand on the desk top. “Sure, I have friends and relatives who are not so happy, but marriage, like life, is what you make of it. Both sides have to be willing to work at making it work. It won’t just happen.”
Biting her lip, Naomi gazed out the window as if she could view her past through it. “What if nothing makes it work?”
“You consider your options and decide upon a course of action, to stay or go. But no one can make that decision for you,” Catherine told her.
“What . . . what if you decide to go and the other person doesn’t want to let you?” Naomi asked, her voice unsteady.
Catherine had answered the same question many times in the past, and she always took it seriously. “There are certain steps a person can take to ensure that they do.”
Naomi brought her attention back to Catherine, her eyes without hope. “Maybe for some, but not for all.”
Catherine wanted to deny the words, but her own personal experience had taught her that justice was indeed blind at times. “Helena Allen’s na
me is on the back of the card. She is a business associate and close friend who will always know where to find me if you can’t reach me, if there is ever a reason you might want to leave Santa Fe. I hope not. It seems like a wonderful place to stay. Children need stability.”
Naomi’s gaze hardened. “They also need to be safe.”
Catherine took no comfort in knowing she had been right. “If something happens, trust Luke, trust Richard.”
“He doesn’t like me.”
There was no reason for clarification. Naomi had been wary of Luke from the first. “Luke is looking into a matter for me and is suspicious of anything that doesn’t seem right.”
Fear leaped into Naomi’s eyes, but this time it was for someone other than herself or her daughter. “Someone’s after you, too?” The words had barely left her mouth before she realized what she had said. “I . . . I meant . . .” her voice trailed off.
“It seems that way,” Catherine admitted, wanting to put Naomi back at ease and to get her to realize she wasn’t by herself. Briefly she gave her a very light scenario of why Luke was helping her, and ended by saying, “It was difficult to admit there was a situation in my life I couldn’t handle. I’m extremely close to my parents and brother, but I didn’t go to them. I’m not sure I would have told anyone if Luke hadn’t pushed the issue. I’ll always be grateful he did. I can sleep now.”
Naomi looked at her thoughtfully. “My parents are dead, and I don’t have any close relatives. It’s just me and Kayla.”
“Blood relatives are wonderful, but there are other people who could be just as close if you’ll let them,” Catherine told her. “It’s like every good thing you want out of life, you have to be willing to try, and keep trying.”
“I’ll try.”
“Good enough.”
CATHERINE WAS READY FOR HERO’S AWAKENING. THREE packages of dog food were waiting for him in one of the two stainless steel bowls she found in the kitchen. In the other was fresh water. She had promised to replace both.
Hero didn’t even sniff at the food after he came groggily to his feet. For a long time he stared at them. In a single gliding motion Luke stepped in front of Catherine. “You’re free.”
The wolf hybrid looked to the left, then to the right as if testing the truth of Luke’s words, then looked back at Luke. “Show some sense and stay deep in the woods.”
The animal turned and trotted off. He stopped at the edge of the forest, looked back, then faded into the shadows.
“He didn’t even eat.” Catherine stepped from around Luke.
“There is enough small game out there to keep him fat and happy.”
Making a face, Catherine leaned into him. “I write children’s books with some of those same small animals, and they have just as much right to survive.”
Luke didn’t even consider pointing out the food chain and reminding her of the beef and bacon she had eaten. Catherine was too soft-hearted. “You want to leave this out here?”
The sadness in her face vanished. “Could I?”
“Sure.” The squirrels and birds would have it carried away or eaten by morning, but Catherine didn’t need to know that. She worried enough as it was. His arm around her, they started up the front steps of the cabin. As they did, it occurred to him that in the past he had never felt so protective toward another woman. His arm tightened.
Inside the house, she turned in his arms and began unbuttoning his shirt. “I have to attend the reception tonight at seven. What do you think we should do to help pass the time?”
His hands went to the buttons on her jacket. “I’m sure we’ll think of something.”
HOLDING KAYLA’S HAND, NAOMI WAITED FOR RICHARD to lock the clinic door. Although it was past six and the clinic was scheduled to close at five, Richard had two emergencies. Both were the results of the same fight between a dog and a cat. Both pet owners had wanted Richard to treat their animal first, and not treat the other at all. Richard handled the situation calmly.
He had told both owners that after he examined both patients he’d determine who should be treated first, and if neither one of them liked it they could leave now. It was his clinic. Both grumbled. Both stayed.
“Sorry again,” he told her, turning from the locked door. “The good thing is you get overtime.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him he didn’t have to, then she remembered she needed every penny. “Thank you.”
Opening the back door of his Jeep, he lifted Kayla into the seat. As usual, she sat Teddy beside her. Richard strapped both in. “You two comfortable?”
“Uh-huh,” Kayla said, glancing over at the bear seated beside her.
Richard had to smile at the pretty child and at the careful way she took care of her new friend. Closing the door, he went around to the driver’s side and slid in. Naomi had watched his every move. Neither mother nor daughter took chances with things that were important to them.
Starting the motor, he checked his rear view mirror to back out. “Kayla must have learned her mothering skills from you.”
Naomi’s swift intake of breath had his head turning abruptly toward her. She stared back at him with tormented eyes, her lower lip trembling, the sack containing Kayla’s books crushed to her chest.
He touched her on the arm before he thought not to. She jerked away, but not before he felt her shiver. “Naomi, what is it?”
“Nothing.”
Even if he hadn’t heard the anguish in the single strained word, he would have known she wasn’t telling the truth. But unsure of how to proceed or of how hard to push her, he straightened and put the car into gear. “Yes, there is, but I’ll let it pass for now.”
Pulling onto the street, he headed for her hotel.
“I’m a good mother.” The blurted words came out raspy, choked, full of anger and a tiny bit of fear.
Something moved in his chest. Something hard and dangerous. Flicking on the signal, he took the next available opening of the busy traffic to pull into the parking lot of a grocery store. The vehicle barely rolled to a stop before he shoved the gear into park and turned to her rigid profile. “I owe you another apology. When I said Kayla learned her mothering skills from you, I thought you’d know without it being said that it was a compliment. She watches over Teddy, talks to him. She had to learn from someone. I’ve seen children come into the clinic and all they know how to do is scold and spank their dolls or stuffed animals. That too was learned. You give Kayla what money can’t buy, unconditional love and affection.”
Naomi continued to hold the sack and refused to face him. “I don’t know who’s been telling you such nonsense, but if you ever doubt you’re a good mother, just look into the happy, contented face of your daughter.” Shifting the car into gear, he pulled off, then stopped. “But remember, just like she learned to be open and loving, she can learn to live in fear. I don’t think you want that for her.” This time he took off and didn’t stop until he was at her hotel.
They both got out. Naomi reached Kayla first and drew her into her arms, her body trembling. Quietly she walked to her hotel room door.
Some of his anger rolled out of him. “I’ll pick you up in the morning at nine.”
“I . . .” She moistened her lips.
“You’re not quitting,” he told her, trying to keep his voice soft for her sake and the watchful Kayla.
Naomi stared at him. “I wasn’t going to quit.”
Slightly embarrassed, Richard found himself again at a loss for words.
Reaching deep down inside herself, Naomi sought the courage to reach out. Catherine and Richard were both right. Kayla needed stability, and they both needed friends. “I’d like to find another place to live that isn’t so expensive. Maybe a room in a house where I could cook or clean to help pay for the room. Could you help me?”
With a concerted effort, Richard resisted grinning like a fool because she asked for his help. “Luke’s sister is a realtor, I’ll check with her.”
&nb
sp; “Thanks, and”—she took a deep breath—“I’m sorry I misjudged you. I should have known better.”
“Apology accepted, if you’ll do one thing for me.”
“All right,” she answered without hesitation or fear.
Her reward was a smile she found much too appealing. “Let’s all go out to dinner again.”
The lightness Naomi had been feeling seconds earlier vanished. Dinner meant dressing up in something besides the few unsuitable clothes she owned. Last night she had washed the one dress she possessed in the bathtub. Secondhand when purchased, the blue material had faded from countless washings. The little yellow and white flowers were no longer distinguishable. A picture of the well-dressed Sybil flashed into her mind. “No, thank you.”
“Teddy and I want to go with Dr. Richard,” Kayla cried.
“We’ll get something later,” she told her daughter, then faced Richard. “Good night, and thank you.”
“Good night, Naomi. Good night, Kayla.”
Richard started back to the truck, a plan forming. As his grandfather used to say, there was more than one way to skin a cat.
NAOMI JUMPED WHEN THE KNOCK SOUNDED ON THE door. Moistening her lips, she set the iron on its base and cautiously went to the door. “Yes?”
“It’s Richard.”
She glanced down at the faded T-shirt and frayed blue jeans that had nothing to do with fashion, and bit her lips.
Kayla came off the couch where she had been watching TV. “Open up, Mama, it’s Dr. Richard.”
Having little choice, Naomi unhooked the safety chain and opened the door. He was smiling again, and for some odd reason this time it made her want to cry. Her hand rubbed against the side of her leg and suddenly she knew the reason why. “Dr. Youngblood, I didn’t expect you.”
He handed her a large pizza box. “They had a two for one special.”
“Pizza,” Kayla shouted. “My favorite.”
Naomi noted the two large drinks and salad on top. “And I suppose those were on special, also.”