As they neared the house at the end of the street, Elisa gasped. “Oh my gosh, that’s incredible.”
“It is, isn’t it?” He slowed to a stop. “Tansy’s aunt lives here.”
“Did she paint the mural?”
“She did.”
“Mommy, look at all the pretty dresses.”
“I see them, honey. They’re all brides.”
“Magnolia brides,” Tucker said. “They’ve all been married at Magnolia House.”
She sighed.
“The story behind the mural is even more amazing.” He opened his door. “Why don’t we get out?”
“She won’t mind?”
He laughed. “She thrives on visitors.”
The front door opened and Coralee, dressed in one of her go-to Lucille Ball shirtwaist dresses, crinolines and all, stepped onto the porch. The clash between the pink dress splashed with purple polka dots and Coralee’s bright red hair was nearly blinding. The green cowboy boots? He wasn’t even going there.
“Well, if it isn’t Tucker Wylder. Who are these pretty ladies?”
“Coralee, I’d like you to meet Elisa and Daisy Elizabeth Danvers.”
She held out a hand to Elisa. “You must be the one Jimmy Don sent the ambulance out for last week.”
Elisa blushed. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Feelin’ better?”
“Much.”
Coralee threaded her arm through Tucker’s. “He’s a good boy, isn’t he?”
“He’s a man any mother would be proud to call son.”
Tucker swore his heart actually stopped for a beat or two. “Thank you, Lissie.”
Coralee’s head swiveled from one to the other, and a sly grin appeared. “Uh-huh. So, what brings you by this evening?”
“I wanted to show off your artistry, Coralee. I thought Elisa should hear the story behind it.” His gaze fell on Daisy, who’d trotted right up to the mural that covered the length of the house. Lug Nut sat beside her.
When he looked back at Coralee, he knew she’d understood his unspoken message.
“Why don’t we let Tuck keep an eye on that darling girl of yours while you and I have a little chat on the porch?”
“Okay.” The word, drawn out, carried a basketful of hesitancy.
Tucker walked across the lawn to Daisy.
* * *
“Daisy’s, what?” Coralee asked. “Two and a half? Three?”
“Three and a half.”
“I’ve got an idea Tuck brought you here for a reason.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“The grooms of these Magnolia beauties paid to have them included in my mural. Their donations help children with congenital heart defects.”
Goosebumps raced along Elisa’s arms. “Seriously?”
“If you don’t mind my asking, what have the doctors told you about Daisy?”
Elisa started to cry, and oh God, she hated that.
Coralee dug into a pocket and handed her a tissue. “You go ahead, honey. Get it out. Tucker and that dog have all of your daughter’s attention. Tell me what’s wrong with that sweet child.”
Around her tears, Elisa found herself pouring out her heart, sharing the anguish of facing Daisy’s condition alone. The stark fear during the exploratory surgery when she’d been so tiny. The anxiety every time she had to leave Daisy for work because she still worried something would go wrong.
From another pocket, Coralee pulled out a business card and a pen. “I’m jotting down a website for you to check out. It’s manned by parents of children like your Daisy. On it you can find everything from information on your daughter’s condition to support groups to tips to help make doctor and hospital visits less traumatic—for both of you.”
“I don’t know how to thank you, Coralee.”
“No need. I’m happy to be able to help. If you ever need anything, you call me. My number’s on the other side of the card.”
“Mommy,” Daisy called, “come look at the pretty pictures.”
Elisa sniffled and swiped at her eyes. “Be right there, honey.”
The four of them meandered the length of the mural, pointing out detail after detail.
When they reached the end of it, Daisy tugged on Tucker’s pant leg. “I’m hungry, Tut. You said we could have ice cream.” Her bottom lip stuck out.
“After dinner.”
She held out her hands, palms up. “But we don’t gots no dinner.”
“We’d better take care of that, then.” He scooped her up and set her on his hip. “Coralee, thanks for putting up with us.”
“Any time a good-looker like you wants to stop by, who am I to say no?” She fluffed her fiery hair.
Elisa smiled and gave her a hug. “Thank you so much,” she whispered.
Coralee patted her arm. “You’re more than welcome.” She turned to Tuck. “Take care of these two, you hear?”
“I’m tryin’.” He slapped his leg. “Come on, dog, or I’ll leave you behind.”
“No, you won’t,” the feisty redhead said. “Tempus Fugit wouldn’t stand for that.”
“Who’s Tems Git?” Daisy asked, trying to wrap her tongue around the unfamiliar words.
“Tempus Fugit’s right there.” Coralee pointed at the front room window. “Her name means time flies.”
A stately Siamese sat on the windowsill, looking for all the world like royalty.
“A kitty! Can she fly?”
Coralee laughed and shook her head.
“Oh.” Daisy thought about that. “Can I pet her?”
“Not today,” Coralee said. “She’ll smell Lug Nut on you and have a regular hissy fit.”
Daisy blinked. “What’s a hissy fit?”
Coralee opened her mouth to explain, but Tucker shook his head.
“Another day. Right now, it’s time we fly.” Tucker sent Coralee a wave and, with Lug Nut and Elisa following, headed to his car.
Once they were settled, Elisa laid a hand on his leg. “Thank you. I can’t tell you what that meant to me.”
He curled his fingers over hers.
* * *
They ordered at the DQ window, then moved to a small outside table. Tucker tied Lug Nut’s leash to one of the legs, and the dog dropped down, nearly all his weight on Tucker’s foot.
He moved a little and so did the dog. Tucker gave him the look; Lug Nut doggy-grinned.
A quiet smile on her face, Elisa watched. “He loves you. You make him feel comfortable and safe. You’re a good uncle.”
“Lucky me.” He scowled at the dog, which smiled back at him, tongue hanging out.
Elisa could have disagreed, could have insisted she and Daisy—along with the dog—were the lucky ones but decided to keep it light. She pulled a hat out of her bag and slid it over her daughter’s blond curls, then buttoned the top button on her jacket.
“Too cold?” Tucker asked. “Should we move inside?”
Elisa looked down at the dog. “I don’t think—”
“I could put Lug Nut in the car.”
She heard the dread in his voice and almost laughed. She had a pretty good idea the kind of grief even the thought of an animal alone in his beloved Mustang caused him. And yet he hadn’t hesitated to include the dog in their evening when Daisy asked him to.
Yep, they were definitely the lucky ones. He might be brusque and a total neatnik, but inside lived a warm and caring man. A small smile played over her lips.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He grunted.
“We’re good out here,” Elisa said.
“Hey, Tuck.” A young girl, eighteen at the most, walked over to their table with a large tray of food.
“Hey right back at you, Gabbie. Archie came out the other
day to see about getting his car painted.”
The girl grinned ear to ear. “Isn’t he the cutest thing?”
Tucker made a face. “Not exactly my type.”
“Guess not, but he sure is mine.” She flashed him a smile, then turned her attention to the others at the table.
“Gabbie, this is Elisa and her daughter, Daisy. They’re, ah, they’re—”
“We’re on our way to Charleston,” Elisa supplied. “We stopped to visit for a few days.”
“Nice! We’ve got a good town here.”
“You certainly do.”
“Who gets what?” She nodded at the food on the tray.
Elisa smiled at her. “I have the grilled chicken salad.”
“Figured that. Guess that’s why you look like you do.” Gabbie shrugged her shoulders. “I like cheeseburgers and fries, but Archie says it just gives him more to—” Blushing, she broke off. “Anyway, I’ll bet the chicken-strip basket is yours, sweetie.” She set it down in front of Daisy.
“Uh-huh. I think Lug Nut wants one.” She picked one up, but Elisa stopped her before she fed it to the energetically tail-wagging dog.
“Toss him one of your fries. Just one,” Tucker said. “No chicken. You need to eat that so I can buy you an ice cream.”
“But he wants one.”
“That dog wants anything he can fit in his mouth.” He tipped his head at the tray Gabbie still held. “You gonna give me my burger?”
“Whoops.” She blushed again. “Sorry.” The teen slid it in front of him. “Anything else?”
“Nope, not right now.” Looking directly at Daisy, he added, “But if everybody finishes dinner, we’ll head back to the window for dessert.”
“I don’t want dessert,” Daisy whined. “I want ice cream.”
* * *
After everyone, including Lug Nut, finished their ice cream, they piled back into the Mustang and headed to Wylder Rides.
“This is the part of the trip I made in the back of the ambulance.” Elisa watched the passing scenery.
“Yeah, with me and Daisy following. I swear I aged ten years in those first few minutes you went down.”
“I didn’t plan it.”
“Yeah, Tut, she didn’t plan it.”
The adults laughed and Daisy, not understanding why, joined in.
When they reached the shop, Elisa gaped at the building. “Tuck, this is wonderful. I didn’t pay much attention the first time I was here.”
“Gosh, I wonder why,” Tucker said dryly.
She rolled her eyes. “It’s like something out of a movie set. I’d swear I just stepped into the fifties.”
“It is pretty cool, isn’t it? Brant spotted it, and we snapped it up. Inside, it’s modern, with all the latest technology. Out here? We figured what better place to restore vintage cars and motorcycles than in a vintage building.”
An old terra-cotta-colored metal canopy sheltered antiquated pumps. Weathered metal signs covered the front of the building. But the big red Mobil flying horse over the door was the shining star.
“Pegasus.”
“Yeah. Pretty cool, huh?” Tucker jammed his hands in his jeans pockets to keep them from stroking the sides of her face. He wanted to touch her, and that would be a huge mistake. He blamed it on those stolen kisses, the stolen touches. He’d been a fool to think that would be enough.
Instead, he craved more.
The second go-round had only made the hunger worse.
He reminded himself that Elisa was vulnerable right now with her future so uncertain.
And she had a child.
Good reasons for putting this hunger for her on the back burner. Heck, for locking it away forever.
Sometimes logic simply didn’t work, though. The bottom line was that he ached for another kiss, another touch, and he doubted that was gonna change. The sooner she left, the better off they’d both be. He understood that.
But the knowing didn’t make him want her gone, nor would it stop him from trying to talk her into postponing her departure.
“It’s like a museum or something you’d see at Disneyworld.” Elisa’s musings broke into his thoughts.
“Yeah. The thing I love most about it, other than the feel of the place, is the land. We’ve got room to spread out and expand.”
Lug Nut barked, so Tucker opened the car door for him. When the overgrown pup hopped out, Tucker groaned. Dog hair blanketed his custom backseat.
Elisa patted his arm. “It’ll vacuum up.”
“I suppose it will.”
He showed them around inside, then took her and Daisy out to the downdraft paint booth they’d built in the back. “This is where Gaven does his magic. We all have a hand in the restorations from top to bottom, but only my little brother touches the paint.”
They wandered outside. While Daisy and Lug Nut played in the backyard, Tucker brought out a couple of chairs for him and Elisa. Turning on the coffee machine, he made a cup for each of them.
“Here you go.”
She took a sip. “Mmm. Thank you. And thanks again for introducing me to Coralee.”
“She’s a little different, but she’s a good woman. If you ever need help, Lissie, she’ll be there for you. No matter where you are.”
“Yes, I believe she would be.”
Tucker kicked back in the chair, legs outstretched and feet crossed at the ankles. Every once in a while, a breeze carried Elisa’s delicate, feminine scent to him. Daisy’s happy laughter and childish giggles mixed with Lug Nut’s ecstatic barking.
Not a bad way to spend an early fall evening.
“Why do you call me Lissie?”
He went blank and shrugged.
She nudged him with her elbow. “Come on. Why?”
“I don’t know. Elisa…it’s a beautiful name, but kind of formal. Lissie is…softer. It fits you.” He shot her a sideways glance. “What do your friends call you?”
“Elisa.”
“Your ex? Your grandmother?”
“Elisa. Nobody has ever given me a nickname.”
“Until now.” His voice dropped a notch.
“Yes.” A slow smile crept over her face and lit those pretty eyes of hers. “Until now.”
Chapter 11
Music drifted up from downstairs. Old music. Romantic music, rather than the edgier stuff Tucker listened to during daylight hours. Slipping from bed, Elisa grabbed her robe and crept into the hallway, leaving her door ajar. Partway down, the step creaked.
Tucker lifted his head, his gaze colliding with hers. He sprawled the length of the sofa, barefoot like her, but fully clothed in his black jeans and T-shirt. “You okay?”
“That’s what I meant to ask you.”
He sat up, finger-combing his hair. “I’m having trouble sleeping tonight. You should go back to bed.”
She continued down the stairs. He looked tired. Sad. “I’m a bit of an insomniac, too. Sometimes the mind won’t shut off.”
He grunted. “I didn’t wake Daisy, did I? I can turn off the music.”
She shook her head. “Daisy’s fine.”
“Lissie, do both of us a favor. Turn around and go back upstairs.”
“No.” She saw his start of surprise, and her eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what’s wrong, but something’s bothering you. Is it Daisy and me?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
In an almost-whisper, she asked, “What’s hurting you?”
“I’m not—”
Saying not a word, she shot him her best mother look, the one that wouldn’t let a person fudge the truth.
He caved. “I’m not sick, and I’m not hurt. Not physically. I told you right from the beginning that I live alone because I need to. Things rattle around in my brain at night when the rest of the world shuts dow
n, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Trust me on that.” His voice grew quieter, more intimate. “You need to go to bed, Elisa, where you’re safe.”
She rubbed her hands together, suddenly cold. The coward in her wanted to flee, to take those stairs at a run. The woman who’d been hurt and understood what it could do to a person wouldn’t let her.
“Tony Bennett. ‘The Way You Look Tonight.’ Not your usual music.”
“What can I say?” He shrugged. “I have eclectic taste.”
The music changed. John Mellencamp’s “Ain’t Even Done with the Night” played.
“I love that song. Dance with me, Tuck.” Drawing on every ounce of courage she possessed, Elisa extended her hand. “It’s been a long time since a man’s held me. That music, that song makes me want to dance.”
“I’m a soldier, not a dancer, Lissie.”
“You’ll do fine.”
And he did. He started very formally, holding her away from him. Then, with a groan, he drew her in and made her feel sheltered and desired. He made her feel like a woman again. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of him. Pure middle-of-the-night male.
“Maybe it’s the dark, the feeling of the two of us alone in the world, but I want to bury my face in all this gorgeous hair.” He brought one hand to her head, ran his fingers through the strands, and pressed his cheek against her face. The other hand lay low on her hip, his heat seeping through the thin cotton of her nightgown and robe.
She slid her hands into his back pockets, felt his muscled body, his smoldering heat. Tucker kicked up longings she thought she’d set aside forever.
His mouth close to her ear, he whispered, “I want to lose myself in you, and that should scare the hell out of you.”
“It doesn’t.”
A slow burn started deep within her. His thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts, and the burn erupted into a raging blaze.
He cursed, and she felt his body tense.
“Don’t, Tuck. Please don’t step away from me.”
“Lissie, I want too much. I can’t kiss you, then send you up to bed. If we start this, we need to carry it through to the end.”
“Yes.” She laid her hand on his cheek. “We do. It’s been over three years since—since I’ve been with anyone.”
“Are you sure? This…sex. It’ll change everything.”
I've Got You, Babe (Must Love Babies) Page 13