Julia grinned. “You don’t have to worry about that. He likes you a lot, and he’s going to be thrilled with steak.” She leaned back against the granite countertop and glanced at the wall clock in the great room. “He’s been sleeping since you read with him earlier, so he’ll probably be up for dinner.”
“Here or in his room?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ll have to tell you when he wakes up. I just hope he doesn’t oversleep or the night will be his.”
“That’s rough when it means you have to stay awake, too,” Quinn said. “I’m up late, so if you need me to take over for a bit, just ask, okay?”
“That’s awfully kind of you,” Julia said. “But I worry about confusing Sarge or something happening if I’m not close by.”
“I understand. I was afraid to leave Michael.” The words were there along with an ache deep inside her that lingered, but it didn’t seem so intense now. She wasn’t certain what was happening, but she suspected talking to Sarge about Michael might be lessening the edge for her. She helped him and he helped her.
“You didn’t have any help?” Julia asked.
She glanced over at the other woman. “Michael’s parents came out from New York and stayed as much as they possibly could, especially his mother when he had his treatments. They were great, but I still couldn’t leave. They offered to pay for live-in care for him, but I didn’t want to do that. He needed the people who loved him, not paid help.” She stopped stirring the potatoes. “I just couldn’t leave or have strangers with him. Maybe I was being selfish, doing that for myself, but I worried about even going to sleep.”
Quinn lifted the pan to slide the potatoes onto a serving platter, then put it in the warming drawer of the oven. She heard Julia say, “I’m glad Sarge talks to you about Maggie. I try, but he closes down, not the way he is with you. I know it’s good for him and his memory to talk about her.”
“It’s good for me, too,” Quinn said.
She went to the cupboard to take out the dinner plates and set them on the island. “I guess I’ll leave these here, and everyone can get their own plate and cutlery and take it to where they’re going to eat.”
“If Sarge keeps sleeping for a while, I think I’ll eat out here.”
“I can do the steaks anytime you’re ready for them, so it’s not a problem. How about Seth?”
“I don’t know. He went down to the stables while you were reading to Sarge to thank Murphy for putting in that graduated step for Sarge at the archway. I should have never called him about the episode when you two were in town the other day. I think it scared him.”
Quinn knew it had by the way he’d reacted. “He needed to know. Surprises aren’t good,” she said, then tried to lighten things up. “You know, I’m getting pretty good at poker.”
Julia smiled. “Good, I’m tired of being his victim.” Julia checked Quinn’s wound. “You should be able to get the stitches out soon. But with your hair down, you can hardly notice them.”
She’d left her hair loose when she’d changed earlier into a white cable-knit sweater and jeans. “I can’t wait to get them out.”
Right then, the front door opened. “Ah, he’s back,” Julia said, then headed for archway.
Quinn heard Seth’s voice. “How’s he doing?”
“Sleeping.”
“Let me get cleaned up, then I’ll go in and sit with him,” Seth said.
“Dinner’s almost ready, and since he’s sleeping, why don’t you eat out here with me and Quinn?” Julia asked.
Quinn didn’t hear any response before Seth appeared in the archway. His hair was mussed and he was wearing what she now knew were his usual clothes at the ranch—a long-sleeved thermal shirt, this time a deep blue, paired with jeans.
“Hey,” he said across the space between them.
“Hey.” She didn’t expect him to step down into the room and walk over to her. He hadn’t done that before.
She was surprised when he asked, “How much time do I have before dinner?”
“It can be ready whenever you are,” she said.
“Half an hour?”
“Perfect. Just tell me how you like your steak.”
“Rare,” he said, then turned and left.
Quinn released a breath she hadn’t been aware of holding, kicking herself for not speaking to him right then while they were alone. Now, he’d be at the table. She just hoped she could eat. Then Julia was back. “Okay, it looks as if Sarge is awake and raring to go. He wants to eat here at the table. So, he’ll get dressed, then we’ll come out.”
“I can have it ready in half an hour. So, how do you like your steak?”
“Dead.”
“Me, too,” Quinn said. “Sarge?”
“Bloody.” Julia headed back to the west wing.
Quinn was setting the table for four and ready to go out to start the grill when the front door unexpectedly swung open. She looked across the room to the entry, and caught a glimpse of a tall, lean, man holding the door open for a tiny woman with brilliant red hair. They were both laughing as the man bent down to kiss the woman. Quinn was pretty sure she was looking at Jake and Libby Bishop. Then she heard Seth say, “Jake, Libby. I thought you wouldn’t be back for another couple of days.”
Jake slipped off his leather jacket as he tipped his head to look up at Seth on the second-floor walkway. “We caught a break and finished early in Houston.” He tossed his jacket to his left, probably onto the bench. Then he helped Libby out of a forest green jacket. “We weren’t going to waste any time getting back home.”
Libby was grinning up at Seth. “Boy, it’s good to see you. Get on down here. I missed you.”
“Give me a few minutes. Where’s the beast?”
“We went to the cabin first, and Pax staked out his spot in front of the potbelly stove. He’s such a spoiled dog. He chose to stay there instead of going back out into the cold with us.”
Jake was taller than his wife by a foot, with disheveled ash-blond hair. He pushed up the sleeves of the chambray shirt he was wearing with jeans, then reached for Libby’s hand. She really was tiny, wearing slim-fit jeans and an oversize pink sweater. “Let’s go see the man,” she said to her husband and they headed to the west wing without looking into the great room.
Quinn heard words mixed with laughter coming from Sarge’s room and she put out two more plates in case Libby and Jake hadn’t eaten. Then Seth was there, coming down into the great room. In jeans and an untucked white shirt, with the two top buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to expose his forearms, he looked different. Maybe he looked younger with his damp hair combed back from his face. Then she realized he was clean-shaven.
She must have stared at him a bit too long, because as he came closer to her, he asked, “Is there something wrong?”
“Oh, no, not at all. I mean…just your face.”
His eyes widened. “What about my face?”
“Nothing.” She bit her lip, nerves starting to show up. “I didn’t mean there was anything wrong,” she said quickly. “But you shaved.”
“I do that occasionally for no reason at all.” He flashed a quick grin and she realized how much she’d missed seeing it. “Just call me impulsive.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
SETH WATCHED COLOR touch Quinn’s cheeks, and her smile seemed unsteady. “Well, you clean up very well,” she said.
She looked good, too. “Did you meet Jake and Libby when they came in?”
“No, they headed in to see Sarge.”
“Good, he’s been asking for the two of them.”
“Can I say something, not for discussion, just to say it?”
He went closer, a bit apprehensively, but he knew he’d been avoiding her. The longer the words weren’t said, the less real they’d become. “Okay.”
“I apologize for lettin
g you think that Farley told me about the job out here. I should never have done that. I should’ve just said I would like to have the job when you mentioned it. I’m really sorry, and…” She shrugged. “I’m sorry.”
He felt his heart ease at her apology that he could sense she meant. He knew what he wanted and it wasn’t for her to pack up and leave. “I’ve been thinking about it, too.” He didn’t add how he couldn’t stop thinking about it or her. “I’m of the opinion that we need a fresh start, a clean slate. Mistakes can be made, but let’s let this go. I’m Seth Reagan.” He went closer to her and held out his hand.
She hesitated, then slipped her hand into his. “I’m Quinn Lake. Nice to meet you, Seth.”
He found a smile, a real smile as he felt her slender fingers hold on to him. “Very nice to meet you.” He took an easy breath and made himself release her hand. “So, you mentioned steaks?”
“Oh, yes,” she said, smiling up at him. “Steaks. I have to start the grill, but I need to know how Libby and Jake prefer theirs.”
He saw the platter of meat on the island and headed over to it. “Rare for Jake, and well-done for Libby. How do you like your steak?” he asked as he picked up the plate and turned back to her.
She looked at him, then simply said, “Really well done, but no shoe leather.”
He liked that twinkle of humor in her blue eyes. “Got it, dead.”
That smile of hers came and he knew right then that, despite his trying to avoid Quinn for the past few days, nothing had changed in how drawn he was to her. He hadn’t trusted himself to be around her, but he’d been thinking about her more than he should’ve been. He remembered her tears after the accident. She’d been a total stranger then, but he’d wanted nothing more than to help her. Thank goodness she was smiling now, and things were settled. He put the plate on the table and went to get his boots and jacket back on.
When he returned for the steaks, Quinn was taking some salad dressing out of the fridge and smiling to herself.
“What’s so funny?” he asked her before he headed out to the deck and the barbeque.
“I was just thinking that Julia, Libby and I like our steaks well-done, and you, Jake and Sarge want yours rare, if not bloody. Kind of stereotypical male/female, don’t you think?”
It was so easy for him to smile. “Sort of sexist, aren’t you?”
She countered easily. “No, just smart about red meat.”
“Speaking of which, I’ll get it on the grill.” Seth was still smiling when he stepped through the sliding glass door by the fireplace and onto the deck. The smile fled as the cold—the type that fell somewhere between discomfort and misery—hit him. So he stayed close to the heat while the steaks sizzled. By the time he went back inside, Quinn had put rolls along with a dish of peas and carrots and a green salad on the table. There were six place settings. “Three dead,” he called after her. “Three done perfectly.”
That soft laugh was there again as she turned to him. “Thanks for your biased opinion. Please, put them on the table close to Sarge’s place.” He heard voices and looked over as Sarge appeared in the archway. He was doing well using the cane to take the graduated step down into the room with relative ease.
“Smells great,” Sarge said. He looked good in a deep green Western shirt, pressed jeans and with his hair neatly combed. Seth felt his heart lift even more when the older man smiled at him.
When Seth saw Jake and Libby follow Sarge into the room, he put the steaks down on the table and crossed to hug each one, happy they were back home. Then he turned as Julia passed him to help Sarge get seated at the head of the table. “Jake, Libby, I want you to meet Quinn Lake,” he said. “I told you we needed a housekeeper and she showed up. Perfect timing.”
Quinn nodded to the two of them from where she stood near the end of the table. “So nice to finally meet you both,” she said. “I heard you have a dog.”
“We sure do.” Libby smiled. “Pax. He’s snuggled up in the cabin being lazy.” She and Jake crossed to the other side of the table from her. “This food looks wonderful. All we’ve had today is peanuts and bottled water,” Libby said, then looked at Sarge. “Steak and potatoes, Sarge. Isn’t that music to your ears?”
“Beautiful music,” the man said with a smile.
Seth slipped off his jacket and tossed it over on a nearby pub chair, then moved to take the seat to Sarge’s left. “What do you think you’re doing dressing like that?” Sarge asked as he frowned at Seth.
“Sorry, I know I can never look as spiffy as you, but I try.”
The older man shook his head ruefully. “Not even close, son, especially wearing that yuppie shirt.” He turned and looked at Jake sitting down at his right. “I need to take you boys to Farley’s and get you some decent clothes.”
Jake agreed right away, obviously not offended. “We’ll do that soon, sir. That would be like old times, wouldn’t it?”
“Good times,” Sarge said, then looked around at the women. “Please, ladies, sit so we can eat.”
Libby took the chair by Jake, and Julia sat beside her. Quinn slipped into the chair next to Seth. He looked around the table and it seemed so natural to be there with Sarge at the head, Seth facing Jake and Libby right by her husband. He wished Ben were there and that dinner at the ranch could be like this forever. Seattle was very far away at that moment and not missed. He wanted to be here, with his family. He wanted to be home. For now, he had that, and he promised himself he’d enjoy every second of it for as long as it lasted.
“If you all don’t eat up, I’m taking it all,” Sarge announced, then waved at the dish of peas and carrots. “Except the vegetables. You all can fight over them.”
They laughed at that, and Seth felt a sense of relief. Sarge was Sarge today, and it seemed crazy that a few days ago he’d been so lost.
“Love a family dinner,” Sarge said as he looked around the table while Jake cut up his steak for him. He glanced at Quinn. “So glad you could join us, missy.”
“Thank you for making me feel so welcome,” Quinn said.
It was like years ago when a new kid came to the table and was never made to feel like an outsider by Sarge or Maggie. They were family for as long as they were with them and, for a few very fortunate ones, even after they’d left.
The dinner lasted longer than Seth anticipated, with a lot of talk and laughter. He was surprised at the way Quinn fit in, joking and talking, and the evening was one of the best he’d had in a very long while. When Sarge finished his meal, he asked to sit out on the couch for a while and visit. So they all sat with him, and Seth loved seeing him so involved and enjoying himself. Then he realized Quinn was over clearing the table by herself.
When he caught her eye, he motioned her to join them. She hesitated, then crossed to where Seth sat by Jake on the ottoman. He patted the stretched leather for her to sit down by him.
Libby was by Sarge on the couch with Julia on the other side. “You are a terrific cook, Quinn,” Libby said. “Thank you so much for dinner.”
“My pleasure,” she said.
“Good old-fashioned food,” Sarge said and looked at Julia. “Take a lesson from Quinn.”
“I definitely will,” Julia said good-naturedly.
Jake leaned forward to tap Sarge on his knee. “We sure missed you, sir. As soon as I’ve finished with my client in Houston, Liberty and I won’t be leaving here very often.”
Sarge nodded. “Good. This place seems awful empty when you two are gone. Then Seth takes off sometimes, you know.” His smile faded and shifted into a quizzical frown. Seth barely saw it coming before Sarge was slipping away into another place and time. “I don’t know where…” He was obviously confused when he spoke directly to Seth. “Where’s Maggie, son?”
Libby reached for Sarge’s hand to hold it as Seth answered. “Maggie’s not here, sir.”
The man’s faded blue eyes narrowed as he looked from Seth to Jake, then back to Seth. “You…you two could have asked her to come.” Then he looked down and seemed to be speaking to himself. “She loves her boys. She really loves them.”
There was a painfully awkward silence and Seth could barely breathe. Then he felt Quinn’s hand touch his forearm, and he turned to her, but she was looking at Sarge. “Sarge. How did Maggie like her steak?”
Everyone was quiet, and they all seemed to be holding their breaths, the way Seth was at that moment. Then Sarge looked up and his blue eyes met Quinn’s. When he spoke, his words sounded more wistful than sad. “She…liked it really rare.” He frowned slightly as if remembering. “Yes, rare. She’d say to just pass it over the flames and she’d be happy. She would’ve loved to be here tonight. She really would have.”
Seth found his own voice. “I remember that time you burned her steak. She had fried eggs instead.”
Silence, then a laugh from Sarge that broke the quiet tension. “She liked fried eggs,” he said, still laughing slightly. “Over easy. She liked them more than steak, so it was all good.”
Seth watched him, his face transformed by the humor, and he remembered the way Maggie had eaten the fried egg. Her eyes had been on Sarge all the time as if he were the only thing in her world, and she loved that world, fried eggs and all.
“Maybe we can have fried eggs next time,” Quinn said and everyone laughed.
All the tension was gone and Sarge was left smiling slightly with his own thoughts.
“We might try that, Quinn,” Sarge said.
“Anytime, just let me know. Or if you want steak again or a good roast or ribs, put in your order. Okay?”
“Ribs?” That obviously pricked the man’s interest.
“One of my specialties,” she said.
Libby patted Sarge’s hand, which she was still holding in hers. “I love ribs. Totally addicted to them.”
Sarge chuckled roughly. “That’s my girl, Liberty. We’ll have ribs real soon.”
Harlequin Heartwarming March 21 Box Set Page 78