“No, I don’t,” he replied, making a point of thinking no further than that. His heart knew the truth.
“You don’t forget near misses when you have children. All the ways you’ve ever wronged them, and even the times when they thought you wronged them but didn’t, stay with you forever. And my son is particularly smart and insightful. I guess because he has my undivided attention, he’s much more aware of what goes on around him than other kids his age. Unfortunately, that gives him more to worry about.”
“It’s probably a good thing I don’t have kids,” he said philosophically, slowing his speed as he reached the outskirts of town. “I’d be feeling guilty continually. And if your son is that smart, he’ll just be happy to have you back.”
She studied his reflection. “You seem like one of those men who’d be the kind of husband and father most women dream about. Brave, kind, heroic. You’re the type that should have children.”
“Not true.” He knew how wrong she was about that. “My wife almost left me.”
She sat up, surprised.
He’d been surprised, too, he remembered, when Angela had told him her intentions.
“Almost?” Kara asked. “She changed her mind?”
“Sort of. She died in an accident in the Rockies before she could follow through.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “Where was she going?”
“She was a singer in a rock band. They were doing a twenty-city tour. She called me from Denver to tell me that when she got home, she was packing her things and moving to Seattle. The group had gotten a steady gig there, and living in Courage Bay was holding her back.” He could talk casually about that part.
The rest of the story still hurt.
“I’M SORRY,” she said again. After a moment, she added, “My ex-husband’s in jail. He was sentenced to ten years in prison for real-estate fraud over a year ago. I told Taylor he divorced us and joined the military so he wouldn’t wonder why his father never comes to visit.”
“Tough thing for both of you.”
“Yeah.” She sighed and threw the top blanket off. “I was very young, and he sounded smart and laughed a lot, and I liked that. My parents always struggled to make ends meet. Some families pull together and find whatever fun they can in situations like that, but mine just took it out on one another and enjoyed their misery. Danny was like a breath of fresh air to me. He was full of big ideas and I was so tired of my bleak little life.”
Kara heard those words lingering in the air between them and wondered why on earth she was sharing all this with a complete stranger. Well. She knew why, but it was crazy. Insane, even.
In that instant when their bodies connected in the middle of the air, two hundred feet above the earth, she’d fallen in love. Or at least in really, really strong like. She knew it might all be based on circumstances, but she doubted it. This man was everything her life needed and had never had, and she felt as drawn to him as if that impact had permanently connected them.
He’d never understand that, of course, so she had to find a way of making a connection that would reach him the way he’d reached her. So she just kept talking.
Telling him about the stupid mistake she’d made with Danny probably wasn’t the best way to win him over, she thought absently, but the words just spilled out of her and she didn’t seem able to make them stop.
“As you can imagine, life soon taught him that big ideas are nothing without a lot of work to carry them through. Danny just wasn’t willing to do the work part. He tried a lot of things, always hoping to find the one that would get him where he wanted to go with a minimum of effort.”
Her throat ached a little with the memory of those days and her determination to support him, to help him move on to something else, because she’d loved him, and it was so hard to admit to herself that he wasn’t worth it.
“I helped him start again half a dozen times, praying that this time he’d settle in and we’d be happy. But it never happened. We just got deeper in debt, and when he became convinced he couldn’t work his way out of it, he went into partnership with a con man and finally got caught. I divorced him and moved here with Taylor a year ago. Taylor had been so upset about his father being gone, and us having to move, that I didn’t have the heart to tell him Danny was in jail.”
“That’s a sad story, Kara,” he said with a shake of his head. They reached the hospital and he turned into the parking lot. “Mine’s similar in many ways, except that it was my wife’s success, rather than her failure, that got in our way.”
He pulled into the parking area for the emergency department.
“We’re just going to be wasting the doctor’s time,” Kara said, making no move to climb out when he opened her door.
He offered her his hand. She took it, trying not to let herself make a big deal out of it. It was a nice, large hand, strong and warm, yet gentle as he helped her out of the back.
“Did you say the doctor was your brother?”
“Yeah. Brad. He’s a fourth-year resident. He’s married to a botanist, and they have a new baby.”
“Must be nice to have a sibling.”
He grinned as he led her toward the E.R. doors. “It is when they’re grown up, but when they’re young and pester you all the time…”
“So, he’s younger.”
“Three years. At least now he’s useful—he can fix me up whenever I’m sick.”
“Can you fix his parking tickets?”
“’Fraid not.”
“Then you’re getting the better of the deal.”
“Whenever possible.”
Brad Winslow resembled his brother, except that his eyes were more gray than green, and he didn’t have quite the outdoorsy look Cole had. He was kind, if a little formal, and very thorough. A tie patterned in snowmen was visible at the neck of his lab coat and suggested a sense of humor. Paper snowflakes hung from the ceiling above his head.
“You’re in very good health, Ms. Abbott,” he said finally, after an hour’s examination and another hour waiting for test results. “You don’t seem to have any ill effects from being blown off course.”
“I told your brother I was fine.”
Brad nodded commiseratingly. “He likes to see things for himself. Besides, I think a trip to the hospital is protocol in this kind of situation.”
She wanted to ask if Cole was involved with anyone at the moment, but it didn’t seem fair to waste his brother’s time with a nosy personal question.
“He was very kind to me,” she said. “And you’d have to see how he and his friend got me down from the tree to believe it could be done.”
Brad laughed lightly as he swabbed alcohol on a small cut on her arm. “Cole has no fear when it comes to his personal safety. Emotionally, well, that’s another matter.”
That didn’t sound hopeful, though it might be the opening she’d been looking for. “He told me about his wife.”
Brad raised an eyebrow as he bandaged the cut. “He did? He doesn’t usually share such personal info with anybody, much less a stranger.” The bandage applied, Cole’s brother studied her speculatively. “But I suppose dangling from a tree together hundreds of feet up in the air makes friends of strangers.”
“He caught me,” she said, still amazed. “His friend tied us all together somehow, then he cut the wires of my sail and Cole caught me when I slid down the cable. We sort of…” She held her hands apart, then slapped them together, recalling how it had felt when their bodies connected.
She realized she’d been lost in the memory when she heard Brad chuckle. “He’s been widowed for three years,” he said, “and though there are a few women after him, he’s not serious about any one of them.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “Really.”
“Really. The field is yours Ms….”
“Kara. With a K.”
“Kara.”
“Well…” She laughed a little nervously; the situation was odd and made her look opportu
nistic. “I’ve only known him about an hour and a half, and I did endanger his life. It seems hardly fair to—”
“You know what?” he said, leaning closer and lowering his voice. “One day when I know you better, I’ll tell you what brought my wife and me together. Until then, don’t let a little thing like a short acquaintanceship get in your way. If you’re interested in my brother, I say fan the flames. That’d be the best thing in the world for him. And judging by your smile when you talk about him, it’d be good for you, too.”
“One day when I know you better,” she said quietly, repeating his words, “I’ll explain why that is. Until then, thanks for understanding.”
“It’s all in the chapter on bedside manner. Get dressed and I’ll find Cole so he can take you home.” He drew the curtain around the bed and disappeared.
Kara groaned as she reached for her clothes. She wore old things when hang-gliding because they suffered dirt and grass stains and the occasional pulls and snags from brushes with branches. She’d bought her pocket pants years ago when they’d been popular the first time, and she’d worn the old white sweater when she’d painted the floor of the front porch, so it was smeared with dark blue streaks. The red denim jacket had been a bargain-bin purchase she should have left in the car, but it had been a little cooler than she’d anticipated this morning, so she’d worn it. The right elbow was ripped, a button was lost, and it was spattered with mud acquired on the way down the Embrace. If she had hoped to make a favorable impression on Cole Winslow, it wasn’t going to happen in these clothes. Of course, when he had first glimpsed her, she’d been hanging in a tree, so what hope did she have of impressing him?
He was waiting just inside the E.R. door when she emerged from the examining room. He waved to get her attention, apparently unaware that some mysterious extra sense helped her zero right in on him.
Cole held the door open for her, then followed her outside. It was now almost one o’clock, and the afternoon was sunny and clear, though the wind was still brisk. Leaves danced, and flags and banners slapped the air.
As they approached Cole’s vehicle, Kara saw that Mel waited inside. “Oh no,” she said, going to the hatch window to peer in at him. Mel looked back at her brightly and gave one woof of recognition. Or maybe it was admonition. “Has he been stuck inside all this time?”
Cole opened her door. “Please don’t feel sorry for him. I walked him around the perimeter of the hospital a couple of times, and he had lunch with three nurses sitting in a van, eating burgers and fries. He got more food than they did.”
“That’s good.” She tapped the window to tell the dog she approved, then got into the vehicle. “He deserves a steak after his work this morning. But, then, so do you.”
“All part of the job,” he said, climbing in behind the wheel. “Where am I taking you?”
“The old part of town. Orchard Street.”
“No kidding.” He gave her a smile, then maneuvered carefully around an ambulance and drove out the exit and onto the street. “My aunt lives on Orchard, right across the street from the school.”
“Small world. I’m just a block south of the school. My son loves the playground there.”
“I’m two blocks up on Sutter. Probably just about even with your house. I’m 673.”
“I’m 659,” she replied. “You could probably stand on your front porch and see me.”
“No front porch,” he said. “Mine’s a rambling old ranch house built by the architect who created the whole development. So I have a few of the niceties the other homes don’t have—a pantry, an office, a metal trellis attached to the garage where you could hang plants or grow vines if you were a gardener. I’m not, unfortunately. But your street was the eastern edge of the avocado orchard that used to be there.”
She nodded. “The Realtor said my house is the old farmhouse. Not very fancy, but spacious and two-story, which I really like. I feel more protected being able to sleep upstairs. And there’s a big backyard for Taylor. He dreams we’re going to put a pool in it someday. He wants to join the swim team when he gets to high school.”
“I know the one.” He headed away from downtown Courage Bay toward her neighborhood. “I can see a small second-story window from my front yard. And a plum tree or something right by your chimney.”
She laughed, inexplicably happy about being within sight of him. She loved her old house, but with no one in it but her and Taylor, it was sometimes very lonely.
“That’s my bedroom window!” she exclaimed. When silence ensued, that simple statement suddenly seemed rife with an innuendo she hadn’t intended.
“I gave Taylor the bigger front bedroom,” she said quickly, needing to fill the quiet, “because his furniture is bigger than mine and he has all these toys that he never remembers to put away. I don’t do much in my room.” Well. That didn’t sound good. “I mean, I don’t need a desk or a television or anything, because when I finally go to bed, all I want to do is sleep. And I like being able to look up the hill and see all the other houses.” She was on a roll here, and didn’t know how to stop. “It’s hard being new. I mean, a year’s still pretty new. I’m making friends, but it’s been hard for Taylor.”
He cast her a questioning glance, probably wondering what on earth she was chattering on about. But all he said was, “My neighbors have a really nice boy who’s also eight. That’s Taylor’s age, right? Third grade?”
“Yes.”
“Blaine goes to St. Patrick’s School. We’ll have to get them together. Blaine’s a bit of a loner because he’s smart and has a scientific mind. Sometimes the other kids just don’t get him. He likes to visit me and play with Mel.”
“I would love that,” she said, trying not to sound overeager. She wanted desperately for Taylor to meet other boys his age, but this could be good for her, too.
“We’ll set it up.”
CHAPTER THREE
A TEENAGE GIRL and a young boy ran out of the house as Cole pulled into the driveway of the little white farmhouse. Red geraniums hung in baskets on the porch, and white and pink camellia bushes bloomed in the border that ran along the front of the house.
The boy was dark-haired and husky in long, baggy shorts and a striped shirt. He had hair the same shade of brown as Kara’s, though it was cut a lot like Cole’s. Taylor probably also had to deal with a cowlick that appeared without warning.
“Mom!” he exclaimed in a voice that reminded the world that he was younger than his size. He ran into her arms. “Are you okay? The dispatcher said you were okay, but then she said they took you to the hospital. Then Mrs. McGinley came over and said she heard on her scanner that you were stuck two hundred feet up in a tree!”
“I’m fine,” Kara said, hugging him fiercely. “I guess they always take someone to the hospital after an emergency like that. Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he said. “But I was kinda scared.”
“Me, too,” she admitted.
She seemed pitifully thrilled that he’d been worried about her.
The baby-sitter, a tall, gawky girl with glasses and a bright red crew-cut, went to wrap her arms around both of them. “Thank goodness you’re okay, Mrs. Abbott. We were so worried. I called to ask you if it was all right to take Taylor to a movie, and your boss said you’d been blown away. I called my mom at work, and she called the police and they kept in touch with us.”
Kara hugged her back. “Tell you what, Livvie,” she said. “I’ll pay you double, and we’ll call for pizza for lunch before you go home.”
“All right!” the boy cheered, then noticed Cole standing to one side.
Cole watched the boy’s eyes travel over his uniform, then the SUV with its impressive size, polish and gadgets. His expression betrayed awe and envy, then he looked from Cole to his mother and all that disappeared. A belligerent suspicion took over. Classic reaction, Cole guessed, for a kid who loved his father, even though the man was no longer in the picture.
Kara brought the boy to him
. “Cole, I’d like you to meet my son, Taylor. Taylor, this is Sergeant Cole Winslow. He and his dog and his friend rescued me from the tree.”
Cole held out his hand. The boy looked at it with that same suspicion, but apparently good manners made him take it. There was something touching about that for Cole. Taylor reminded him of himself at that age, even though he’d been skinny and short. Cole’s father had left home, too, and he’d been confused about that for a long time, convinced, like most kids in that situation, that he’d done something to cause his father’s departure. He’d been mad at everyone, primarily himself, and he’d resisted anyone or anything intended to cheer him up.
At least he’d had Brad to suffer with. They’d fought all the time, but they’d understood each other’s anger, and when the other kids made remarks, they could count on each other’s support.
Taylor was alone, except for his mother.
“I understand you’re a good swimmer,” Cole said, wanting to clear away the look of suspicion on the boy’s face. He got that from teens all the time, and accepted it as part of the job. Sometimes he managed to change their attitude and sometimes he didn’t.
But he didn’t want this kid disliking him. He wasn’t sure why it was important, but it was.
“No,” the boy said flatly.
“He isn’t yet,” Kara corrected with a speaking look at Taylor. “But he wants to be.”
“Have you been to the city pool?” Cole asked, undaunted.
“No,” the boy said again.
“I’ve looked into memberships,” Kara explained, “but none of the times that kids can swim work in with my schedule.”
Then, apparently aware that Cole needed help, Mel barked once loudly from the cage. The boy turned his attention to Cole’s SUV and walked around it to look through the window. A smile transformed his belligerent expression.
“Sergeant Winslow is a K-9 officer,” Kara said, joining her son as he peered through the window. “Mel helped him find me.”
Cole unlocked the back hatch and let Mel out. “At ease, Mel,” he said quietly to let the dog know he was off duty.
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