by Ross, Mia
“Check the mirror,” he suggested. “She has darker hair and eyes than yours, but other than that, you look just like her.”
Lisa beamed with pride. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
Normally, Seth would only vaguely understand what she meant. To his astonishment, her revelation did more than that. The part of him that he’d thought had died out in that nightmarish desert rustled, as if it were waking up from a long sleep.
Baffled by the sensation, he moved away from the easel and began flipping through the other canvases. “These are really nice. You should try selling them in a gallery or something.”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head with finality. “I’m a total amateur.”
“I’m no expert but these look pretty professional to me. Did you go to art school or something?”
“Just practice,” she said with a shrug.
Clearly, she was uncomfortable talking about her impressive talent, so he thought it best to let the subject drop. From the bathroom came a thud, followed by the most pitiful sound he’d ever heard. Somewhere between a howl and a moan, it bounced off the tiles in a mournful echo. Lisa hurried over with obvious concern, pausing in the doorway with a relieved smile.
“There you are.” Going inside, her voice went all mushy as if she were talking to a child. “Were you scared, Cleo? I’m so sorry. Mama’s here now, and the storm’s over. You’re gonna be just fine.”
Still murmuring reassurance, she came back into the kitchen holding a miniature bobcat in her arms.
“Whoa. What is that?” he asked.
“This is Cleopatra, queen of the Nile.” With a mischievous grin, Lisa angled the cat toward him. “She’s a Maine coon.”
Seth wasn’t too fond of cats, and he eyed it suspiciously. “She looks like she could eat a coon.”
“Not my Cleo,” Lisa crooned, cradling the very fluffy ball of fur in her arms like a baby. Cooing some more, she rubbed noses and planted a kiss between its tufted ears. “She likes Ruthy’s shrimp salad.”
“Who doesn’t?” he joked, chuckling as he shook his head. Deciding to risk his hand, he reached it out for the cat to sniff. She didn’t bite it off, so he considered the experiment a success. When she rubbed her cheek against his fingers, he grinned. “I think she likes me.”
“Incredible.” Lisa stared up at him with a curious expression. “She hates everyone except for me.”
Seth gave the cat a mock bow. “I’m honored, your highness.”
Calmer now, Cleo dropped to the floor and sashayed over to the couch. Using it as a springboard, she jumped into the wide greenhouse window, settling on a carpeted perch among the potted herbs and flowers. She squirmed around a little, trying to find just the right position. Once she was satisfied, she surveyed the view below with what Seth could only describe as arrogance.
Perfect, he mused with another grin. The cat thought she owned the entire town. It didn’t escape him that in the three days he’d been in Harland, he’d smiled more than he had in the past two years.
“That’s quite a roommate you’ve got there,” he said as he joined Lisa at the kitchen counter.
She pulled a ceramic bowl from the fridge. Covered in multicolored paw prints, Cleo’s name was written across it in flowing script. Lisa set it on the floor, and Cleo came sauntering over for a snack.
“She’s the best,” Lisa commented as she ruffled the cat’s long fur. “Warm and cuddly, and she’s always happy to see me.”
In the confession, he heard that Lisa had been lonely before she took in the stray kitten. There was something seriously wrong with this bright, engaging woman ever feeling that way. Since it wasn’t his place to say anything like that, Seth followed his father’s often-repeated advice for dealing with women. He kept his mouth shut.
Noticing a stack of travel folders on the counter, he motioned toward the colorful brochures. “Going somewhere?”
“Europe. I’m using some of the money my dad left me to book a nice, long tour in the spring,” she explained with an excited-little-girl smile. “I can’t wait.”
“Have you decided where to go?”
“Not yet.”
Leaning over, he fanned through the splashy catalogs and pulled out one called Exploring the Emerald Isle. “You’d like Ireland. It’s wild and beautiful, and the people are real friendly.”
“You’ve been there?”
“I’ve been to all those places.”
Leaning on the counter, she looked up at him. “It sounds like you didn’t enjoy them much.”
Unwilling to dampen her enthusiasm, he didn’t say anything. Unfortunately, she read him like a big, open book. The kind with lots of pictures.
Staring at him, she looked totally appalled. “I can’t believe anyone blessed enough to visit all these fascinating countries would regret doing it.”
Since he couldn’t begin to explain it to her, he settled on something vague. “Traveling gets old after a while.”
“I’ve been to Charlotte, and I went to Chicago once to visit my big sister before she and her kids moved back here. I’ve always wanted to see some of the world, maybe even live in Europe for a while. Whenever I mention it to anybody, they just pat my head and say ‘that’s nice, honey.’ I really hate that,” she added, tilting up her nose in disdain.
“I can see why.”
She rewarded him with an approving smile. “Thank you.”
After that, they chatted some more about arts and crafts while Lisa tidied up. Seth kept waiting for her to ask about his wreck of a shoulder, but she didn’t. While she rummaged around in the single closet and found him a dark blue T-shirt to wear, he expected her to mention what she’d seen.
Instead, she said, “That’s the biggest shirt I’ve got, but I think it’ll work. You can change in the bathroom, and then we should get you back to the diner. Ruthy will be worried sick when she hears you were the one who rescued Pastor Charles.”
Seth’s stomach plunged to the floor. “Nobody knows it was me.”
“Trust me,” Lisa told him with a grin. “Everybody knows it was you. That means Ruthy does, or she will soon. You need to show her you’re okay.”
It hadn’t even occurred to him that his aunt would be worried about him. Feeling awkward and stupid, he stared down at the T-shirt in his hands.
“Seth?”
Out of pure, stubborn pride, he lifted his head and met those beautiful blue eyes.
“I don’t know what’s in your past,” she continued, “and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. But you’re here now, and you’re safe. Nobody in Harland means you any harm, least of all me. Now, go change your shirt and we’ll walk back to the diner together. Okay?”
Her compassion drove that stupid feeling back a few steps, and he nodded. “Thanks.”
He went into the bathroom and shut the door. He’d just pulled the borrowed shirt on when he felt his phone buzzing in the pocket of his jeans.
Pulling it out, he read the caller ID before clicking it on. “Hey, Aunt Ruth.”
“Where are you?” she demanded in an echoing whisper.
“Lisa’s. You sound like you’re in the storeroom,” he teased.
“That’s because I am.”
“Why?”
“Don’t come back here,” she warned. “Folks are piling up in the diner, waiting to get a look at the town hero.”
Suddenly, the situation wasn’t so funny. The blind panic he’d felt earlier returned almost full force, and his pulse shot into hummingbird range. There was no reason for that, Seth chided himself.
You’re here now, and you’re safe.
Lisa’s reassurance echoed in his mind, soothing his nerves.
“Lisa’s on her way back there. I don’t think I should h
ang out at her place without her.”
“Come in the back gate,” his aunt suggested. “Then stay up in your room. Once the hoopla settles, I’ll take you home with me and make you a proper meal.”
The thought of being trapped upstairs made Seth’s skin crawl, but going to her house might actually be worse. Nice as it was, the chances of running into more Bentons were almost a hundred percent. After the emotional beating he’d taken today, Seth wasn’t up to trading small talk with one of his happy, successful cousins.
So he chose the better of his two very unappealing options. “I’m kinda tired, so I think I’ll just stay in my room.”
“Sethy, are you okay?” she pressed. “The truth, now.”
He bit back a groan. The childish nickname emphasized just how worried she was about him.
“I’m fine.” Nudging the door open a crack, he peered out to find Lisa waiting by the front door. “Lisa’s ready to go, so I’m on my way.”
“All right,” she relented. “And Seth?”
“Yeah?”
“What you did today was incredibly brave. I’m very proud of you.”
With her praise ringing in his ears, he smiled and told her again he was on his way.
* * *
After making sure Seth got upstairs unseen, Lisa tied on a clean apron and pushed through one of the swinging kitchen doors into the diner. Way over capacity, the place was crammed wall to wall with busybodies who weren’t even pretending they were there for any reason other than to gawk at Seth. Plastering a smile on her face, she grabbed an armload of menus and waded into the crush. If she played this right, she’d make enough in tips this week to cover her rent.
Or a few moonlit boat rides up the Thames, she thought with a grin.
“Lisa!”
She turned to find Priscilla Fairman waving to her from a corner table, where she sat with friends. Going on eighty-five, the petite, frail-looking woman had been the head of the Harland Ladies’ League for the past forty years. Not to mention the town’s gossip mill began and ended with her. If it was worth knowing, Priscilla knew about it. And made sure it was spread around at light speed.
“How are you today, ladies?” Lisa asked, handing each woman a menu. “Would you like to start off with some of our candy-cane tea?”
“Actually, dear,” Priscilla replied, leaning in with an eager expression. “We’re looking for information.”
“Really?” Resting a hand on the back of a chair, Lisa faked complete brainlessness. “About what?”
“Seth Hansen, of course,” one of the others said. “We heard you were the one who called 911, so you must know what happened.”
Priscilla nodded. “When people ask, we want to make sure we have our facts straight.”
Facts had absolutely nothing to do with it, Lisa knew. They just wanted to make sure they scooped their biddy friends who were trying to eavesdrop from another table.
She’d always had a soft spot for the Fairmans, so Lisa asked, “What would you like to know?”
“Did Seth really pull the roof off Pastor Charles?”
“A good chunk of it.”
Dressed head to toe in classic Chanel, Helen Witteridge fanned herself with her hand. “Oh, my.”
Lisa couldn’t keep back a grin. Widowed four times, Helen prided herself on being a connoisseur of men. If Seth gave her the vapors, Lisa could only imagine the effect he’d have on the rest of the women in town. Of course, he’d have to come out of hiding first.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “He’s pretty strong.”
She knew that for herself, having felt that strength when he shielded her from the storm. That sense of being completely safe crept into the front of her mind, and she did her best to ignore it. There was no sense in getting all gooey over Seth. There was a lot of baggage with that one, and Lisa liked her relationships simple. It made it easier to wiggle free when things had run their course and she wanted to move on. Besides, she was going to Europe in a few months. She had every intention of enjoying her foreign adventure to the fullest.
She took the ladies’ orders while they peppered her with more questions. She answered them as truthfully as she could without making Seth sound like Superman. Because, having seen it with her own eyes, she couldn’t blame anyone for making that mistake. What he’d done was astounding.
Finally, at about six o’clock everyone decided there would be no show, and the crowd dwindled to their regulars.
Ruthy came up beside Lisa and put an arm around her shoulders. “I called in reinforcements for supper. You’ve had a big day, and I know you’re still worried about Cleo. Why don’t you head on home?”
The weight of her tip pocket made Lisa hesitate. She hated to give up the money she’d make finishing out her shift. “I can stay.”
“I want you to go, honey,” Ruthy insisted with a warm smile. “I’ll make up your tips between now and seven.”
Lisa almost protested, then had to laugh. “How did you know?”
“You keep patting your pocket like you can’t wait to go count all that money. Now, get outta here before I change my mind and make you clean the bathrooms.”
Laughing, Lisa gave her boss a quick hug before heading out the door. The walk to her apartment was much quicker as the crow flies, so she turned the corner to cut across lots.
The dark sky had mellowed to a washed-out gray after the storm, and she paused to admire the determined sunset pushing through to lighten the gloom. It was almost as if the sky had worn itself out pummeling Harland and was looking forward to some peace and quiet, just like she was. Through the drifting clouds, she caught a faint glimpse of the full moon.
While she was looking up, she glanced at the apartment windows over Ruthy’s Place. They were all dark, which struck her as odd. Seth was in one of them, alone, with the lights off? Maybe he didn’t want anyone to know he was there, she reasoned as she resumed walking.
The question was, why? What haunted him so much that he’d basically run away from it to hide out in a town where no one but his aunt knew him?
The fact that his shoulder had been so badly mangled was a frighteningly obvious clue. Lisa thought of several scenarios that could have wounded him so badly, each worse than the one before it. As bad as that injury was, she’d gotten the distinct impression that it was only half of his problem.
Sadly, the other half was the kind he might never be able to solve.
Chapter Four
Early Thursday morning, Seth showered and dressed before checking outside his window. They didn’t roll up the sidewalks at night, but they might as well have. With dawn still a half hour away, Main Street was completely deserted.
While he was there Monday, he’d noticed that Harland Hardware opened at 5:00 a.m. Right now it was quarter after. If he was quick, he’d get there and back without running into anyone.
He could hear Aunt Ruth in the kitchen preparing breakfast, singing along with some guy about Christmas being the most wonderful time of the year. Wanting to duck a bunch of questions he’d rather not answer, Seth went down the back stairs to avoid her. Unfortunately, the lock on the service entrance squealed, giving him away.
“Good morning, Seth.”
Feeling like a kid caught sneaking out of his room, he turned to find her eyeing him with a curious look. “Morning.”
“You can use the front door, you know.”
“Didn’t want anyone to see me.”
She didn’t ask why, since she knew. Instead, she asked, “Are you hungry?”
“I’ll grab something when I get back. I want to get to the hardware store while things are quiet out there.”
“I thought you had all your supplies for upstairs.”
“I do. It’s for Lisa.”
As soon as the words jumped out of
his mouth, he wished he could yank them back. His aunt’s eyes crinkled with humor, and she tucked her hands in the pockets of her snowman apron as she leaned against the wall. “Really? And what does Miss Lisa need from the hardware store?”
Seth explained, trying to sound as though he was simply lending a lady a hand. He suspected Aunt Ruth would read all kinds of things into the extra job he’d taken on, and he didn’t want her getting her hopes up. Nothing was going to happen between him and Lisa. With colder weather settling in, he was just trying to keep critters from invading her apartment looking for a warm place to spend the winter.
When he was finished, Aunt Ruth rewarded him with a proud smile. “That’s very nice of you. Have Gus put it on my tab.”
For some reason, Seth’s back went up. People had been babying him for the past two years. While he recognized that their hearts were in the right place, it was time he put a stop to it. “I’ve got money.”
She studied him for a few long seconds, then gave a single nod. That simple gesture of approval made him stand up a little straighter, proud of himself for the first time in recent memory.
“All right, then,” she agreed. “Eggs or pancakes?”
That she didn’t hassle him or go all gushy on him made Seth feel more like his old self, and he grinned back. “Both.”
* * *
That afternoon, the diner was packed once again, and Lisa had her hands full with customers and gossip. Of course, all they could talk about was the damage around the area and Seth’s stunning rescue of Pastor Charles. After school, she heard two boys waiting for milk shakes debating whether Seth was more like Spider-Man or Batman.
She imagined most folks had returned hoping for a glimpse of Ruthy’s mysterious nephew, but the construction-type banging and sawing overhead told her he was safely tucked away upstairs. Normally, Lisa enjoyed the bustle of the diner, visiting with people to get caught up on the latest news. Today, though, it bothered her. Despite being the town hero, Seth obviously wanted to maintain his privacy. Why couldn’t everyone respect that and give the poor guy a break?