“Outside, it was such a beautiful morning. I remember it well, although it was only a matter of seconds. I was running from the hotel, trying to make it across the street. A boy rode by on a blue bicycle, and a group of women carried large baskets of printed fabric.
“Then the blast happened, and the sky went dark. Everything went dark.” She erased the A with her palm. “Like a lot of the people inside the hotel, Jackson didn’t make it out alive. Later on, I tried to find out who he was. I even had my father use some of his pull in Washington, but there were no records. It was as if he never existed.
“Maybe he had no family, but if he did, I would have liked for them to know that he died trying to save people, including me, and that he should be remembered. This summer, I went back to Kabul. The hotel has been rebuilt, and life goes on. I left some flowers on the terrace in memory of him.”
Brett didn’t say anything and she continued, “I regret being so callous and using him that night. Of course, I know that’s a two-way street, but I wish I had done things differently. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I feel bad about him. I always think of him with regret. And tonight, I just didn’t want to make that mistake again.”
She stared out the window at the dark sky. “I don’t want to use you, and I don’t want to leave here feeling bad about you, too. I’ve got as much regret in my heart as I can handle.”
“Jesus,” he whispered.
“Now you know it has nothing to do with who you are or where you grew up or anything like that.”
“I need another drink.”
“Do you have a designated driver?”
“I do. My friend Jerry. He’s the one who takes care of everyone else.” Brett cleared his throat. “What about you? Who takes care of you, Natalie?”
She ignored his question. “I’ll be in touch about Nana.”
She had concluded the conversation and slipped back into bed, wishing for sleep that finally arrived around three in the morning. A few hours beat nothing.
After she had put her hair up in a French braid, she retrieved a long, ivory cashmere cardigan. The Castle House had its chilly spots in cool weather. She slipped the cardigan on over a lace-trimmed blouse that was another attic find and her jeans.
At the bottom of the stairs, she was surprised to see Pharaoh leaping around in the hallway. “Morning, Pharaoh.” She had always loved animals, certainly cats, but Pharaoh was not the kind of cat you scooped up in your arms to cuddle.
The big cat flopped to the side and purred happily. He waved his tail in the air.
“Pharaoh,” Natalie smiled, “I see Aunt Clara has given you some catnip and got you in a good mood.”
She rubbed him between his ears and then headed for the kitchen, which she considered the brightest and most cheerful area in the house. She walked into the kitchen and came to an abrupt halt when she saw Clara and Brett at the breakfast table.
“Surprise,” he said. Dressed in a white shirt and jeans, he sat before a yellow breakfast plate that contained a half-eaten egg-and-cheese omelet, homemade biscuits, sausage links, and grape jam.
“When he showed up this morning, I made him come inside and eat. Everyone should start the day with a good breakfast,” Clara insisted.
“This is the best omelet ever.” Brett stuffed another forkful in his mouth.
“Yeah.” She turned quickly to the refrigerator, feeling a sudden wave of awkwardness. She realized it was easy to strip your soul bare when you were alone, in the middle of the night, looking out at the stars, talking to someone who wasn’t visible at the time. Just like with sex, the morning came, and you wished you’d kept your clothes on. She fished a single-serving bottle of orange juice out of the fridge.
At the island, she shoveled some scrambled egg between a biscuit and headed toward the table. She threw off her discomfort. Her life was what it was. Good, bad, and in-between.
When she reached the table, she complimented Clara on the simple centerpiece. A dark green glass jar held a trio of vibrant sunflowers. “That is so pretty.”
As she started to sit in the chair beside Brett, she happened to glance out the bay window. A truck was parked in the driveway along the side of the house. Behind the truck was a trailer that held Brett’s red Camaro. “You did not.”
“I did.” He didn’t look up from his breakfast.
“I told you that bet was just a joke. You’re taking that car back home with you.”
“No, I’m not.” His gaze shifted sideways to her. “It wasn’t a joke to me.”
“You said you didn’t let anyone drive the girls but you.”
“I made a bet and I lost.”
“Fine.” She shrugged and picked at her egg and biscuit. He smelled as if he’d just showered and shaved. All fresh like ocean air and sandalwood. And like trouble in the making.
Clara went to get some more coffee, and Natalie toyed with her napkin. She had no appetite at the moment. Not for food.
She watched as he handed Clara his coffee cup for a refill. He had handsome hands. No rings and blunt nails. A platinum watch peeped out from beneath the cuff of his crisp cotton shirt. She loved it when a guy wore a simple, long-sleeve white shirt.
“How did you get the nickname Hot Rod?” she asked, hoping that conversation would derail her sudden longing to have sex on top of the breakfast table with him.
“It was my first day as a physician on the hospital staff,” he answered. “And I didn’t have a parking sticker or an ID. So I pulled into the physicians-only parking area driving a fifty-six Chevy hot rod. A guy we call Mozart had built it, and I had it for a week, trying it out.
“I parked the car and I was talking to a couple of my friends, Aaron and Marla, when the security guard comes after me. He’s like, ‘Hey, you, this is private parking for doctors only. You’re gonna hafta move it, Hot Rod.’ Well, Aaron and Marla started calling me Hot Rod. Then everyone was calling me that.”
She smiled. “It suits you.”
“I’m stuck with it,” he said.
“Clara,” Anna called, her voice traveling through the old mansion. “Clara, did you let Pharaoh get into the catnip? He’s stoned.”
“He got into it himself,” Clara answered. “He shredded the bag and went to town on it.” She shot Brett a sly grin. “If y’all will excuse me, I’m going to give my kids a call.” She reached for her cell phone on the kitchen island and disappeared through a door that led to her quarters.
Anna strode into the kitchen, dressed in a black kimono, a thick purple velour robe with a train that spilled across the floor, dangling earrings, and gold slippers. She stopped short when she saw Brett. “What are you doing here?”
He cleared his throat. “Miss Clara asked me to come in for breakfast.”
“My word, Clara will invite anyone in to eat,” Anna said. “I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to walk in here one day and find the garbagemen at the table.” She opened the cabinet beside the stove and retrieved a teakettle.
Natalie spoke up. “Brett stopped by with the car he’s loaning me.”
“Aren’t you happy with the car your father bought you?” Anna walked over to the sink, filled the teakettle, and put it on the stove.
“The car Dad bought me is fine.” Natalie wracked her brain to come up with a plausible reason for driving the Camaro. “But I’ve never driven a classic car, and I thought that probably Mom and Dad might have had a car like it when they were teenagers.”
“Your father had a Mustang. He wrecked it, driving like a maniac. I hope you’ll be more careful.” She sniffed. “So, Doctor Harris, why are you not at the hospital practicing modern medicine and saving lives?”
Brett pushed back his plate. “I’m headed that way this morning.”
“Do you work every day?” She fetched a bone china teacup from the cabinet.
“I do cardiovascular procedures at the hospital and see patients in my clinic Monday through Thursday. I do go to the hospital on Fridays and weekends
if I have a patient admitted or other emergencies, and I’m on the call schedule.”
“Your commitment is admirable, Doctor Harris. Would you like some tea?”
Natalie turned to Brett, who smiled with confidence. A stray lock of his hair curled over the top of his ear. She tried to give her head a slight shake as she reached over and smoothed his hair back, off his ear. He gazed straight into her eyes, but he didn’t get the message. His mind was elsewhere.
He broke eye contact. “Tea would be fine, Mrs. Layton.”
Wait until you take a drink of Nana’s tea.
“Are you still going to church with me, Natalie?” Anna fetched another cup from the cabinet.
Natalie slipped her hand from Brett’s. “Of course,” she answered as the kettle whistled. “And I’m going to spend the afternoon in the attic.”
Anna smiled. “My goodness, the attic has always held such fascination for you. Do you remember when you were a little girl and you were always going up there? Ted and Susan would come over, and when we couldn’t find you, we knew exactly where to look.”
Natalie glanced at Brett. “You should see the attic. It’s fabulous. Like something you’d see in a storybook or a movie.”
“Oh, goodness.” Anna sighed when Pharaoh staggered in the kitchen. He bumped into the island. “Come here.” She picked up the docile cat. He hung limply in her arms. She carried Pharaoh to the bay window in the breakfast room and put him on his bed. “He’ll have to sleep it off, just like Aunt Hilda whenever she took one Valium too many.”
Natalie finished off her orange juice as Anna came to the table with a small tray bearing two teacups in saucers. “Doctor Harris”—she set one of the cups before him—“I think you’ll find the taste quite lively. It’s my own blend.”
“Nana knows all about herbs,” Natalie supplied as Anna took a seat at the table.
“Back to the attic.” Anna took a sip of her tea. “I would love to have the Christmas decorations brought down. Doctor Harris, I know you’ll be happy to take care of that for us, won’t you? It will give you the opportunity to make yourself useful and to see one of Natalie’s favorite places.”
“Well, yeah.” He nodded. “I can bring down the Christmas decorations. What about this afternoon? I can be here around two.”
“That sounds splendid.” Anna smiled at Natalie. “We’ll put the Christmas tree up the Sunday after Thanksgiving in the ballroom. You can put the decorations in there.”
Natalie explained that she planned to take family portraits in the ballroom at Christmas and she thought the tree would make a lovely background.
Anna was delighted with Natalie’s plan. “I’m so glad you’re home, dear. Our entire family will be together this Christmas. What about you, Doctor Harris? Will you be spending Christmas with your family?”
“No, ma’am. I’ll be working. I’m on call Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I usually stay at the hospital those days.”
“My goodness, you’re certainly industrious.”
Brett reached for his teacup, and Natalie winced. She put her hand over his. “Nana’s tea is strong, so you might want to start with small sips.”
“It’s an acquired taste,” Anna said, cradling her cup.
Brett shot Natalie a wary glance. “It’s not regular tea?”
“It’s much better than regular tea,” Anna assured him. “And good for you, too.”
Natalie hated Nana’s tea, but Brett might like it. Different people had different tastes. Quietly, she watched as Brett lifted the dainty cup to his mouth and took a sip. She didn’t see him swallow. With his lips puckered together, he set the cup in the saucer. He finally managed to swallow. Then he gasped for air and coughed.
“Are you okay?” Natalie asked.
“Fine,” he croaked.
“Anna,” Clara scolded as she strode across the kitchen. “You didn’t give him some of that dreadful tea you make. It has dandelions in it,” she told Brett.
“What?” Brett paled. “Like the weeds that grow in the yard?” Anna sighed. “It’s a shame people think of dandelions as weeds. The entire plant is edible, and it’s wonderful for increasing the flow of bile, which aids in digestion,” she pointed out. “I use dandelion root, along with some other herbs and dried cloves to make the tea. It’s a natural detox blend, Doctor Harris.”
He took a quick glance at his watch. “I need to be going. I’m supposed to meet with some people at the hospital, and I don’t want to be late.”
“We’ll see you at two,” Anna said as he and Natalie stood. “Do be prompt.”
The moment they stepped outside, Brett wiped his mouth. “Sweet Jesus. That was the nastiest stuff I’ve ever tasted.” His face meshed into a grimace. “I’d kill for some chewing gum or breath mints or a beer right now.”
“I don’t have anything.” Natalie shrugged.
“I might have something in the truck.” He walked over to the compact pickup and dug in the glove compartment. Sure enough, he found a pack of gum, and Natalie watched as he unwrapped and stuck three pieces in his mouth.
She waited by the car trailer as he strode toward her. As far as she was concerned, he had never looked sexier. It wasn’t just the white shirt and jeans, which he should wear all the time as a favor to deprived women like her; it was the whole package. The strength and energy he emitted. His win-or-die attitude. And the glimpses of boyishness she saw in the man. Like now, when he was chomping on three pieces of gum.
“Better?” She tried to stay focused on the moment as her emotions felt a little haywire.
“Yeah.”
“Nana seemed in a friendlier mood this morning, and she asked you for a favor. I think that’s promising.”
“It was surprising.” He dug a set of keys out of his pocket. “I’ll get the car off the trailer.”
His dark hair spilled across his forehead as he slid out the loading ramp from the rear of the trailer. She watched as he backed the Camaro down the ramp. He parked the shiny red car in the drive and headed toward her with the keys.
He had kept his part of their bargain. She liked a man who was solid like that. A man who kept his word. One with a strong belief in himself. She could love a man like that.
Her frail heart wailed in protest. The day she had buried her darling Aidan, she had emptied her heart of love and sent it all with him. Not once, since that day, had she looked to replace Aidan or even thought she could find love again.
She steadied herself as Brett approached. If she fell in love with Hot Rod Harris, she might as well take one of those pills she’d gotten from the Italian chemist and put herself out of her misery.
“Take care of Cathy for me.”
“I will.”
He stood close, lingering as if there was something he wanted to say, or maybe he wanted to kiss her. She kept her lashes lowered.
One thing trauma had taught Natalie was how to mask her emotions. Outwardly, she appeared calm, while inside she felt her throat tighten. She had no future here. Not in Lafayette Falls. Not with a guy who was only giving her the time of day because he was ruled by his ambitions. She wasn’t the kind of woman he would ever love. He had never seen anything special in her.
“Last night, you said you didn’t want to leave here, feeling bad about me,” he said in a coarse voice as if he were troubled by her words. “I promise you that you won’t leave with any regrets about me.”
She dropped the mask on her emotions. It fell away as his words created a maelstrom of desire, fear, and heartache inside her. She clutched the front of his white shirt, and she felt the weight of his arm settle around her shoulder as he pulled her close. “If you didn’t have a mouthful of gum, I’d kiss you.”
“Just a minute.” He got rid of the gum, and he gave her the kind of kiss that a man gives a woman he loves. Passionate but tender. A trusting kiss offering hope and security.
It was the kind of kiss that should come from the right man. Not Brett Harris.
* * *
>
Inside the house, both Anna and Clara looked out the bay window, watching Brett and Natalie kiss. “See!” Clara exclaimed. “What did I tell you last night? They are made for each other.”
Anna sighed as she watched her granddaughter cling to the doctor. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” She hated to admit that Clara might be right.
“I know he’s not Indiana Jones, but she certainly likes him.”
“Don’t say anything about Indiana Jones, all right? We need to keep that under our hats for now. Indiana Jones won’t be home until Thanksgiving, so we’ll see.”
“Doctor Harris was so thrilled this morning when I asked him to come in and have breakfast. He wanted to see her. I could tell, and when she walked into the kitchen, he lit up.” She nudged her sister. “Anna, he’s the one.”
“Hmm.” Anna was certain his sudden appearance in Natalie’s life was not a coincidence and that Cupid hadn’t been flying around with a bunch of arrows that day. But she had sensed something going on between them that had nothing to do with her, and she had decided to see how things would progress over the next two weeks before she annihilated the doctor in favor of Indiana Jones.
“I don’t know if he’s the one for our Natalie, but I do know he’s the one who is going to get the Christmas decorations down out of the attic.”
“What?” Clara turned to her. “That’s thirty boxes, Anna. Down three flights of stairs.”
“If Doctor Harris is going to spend time here, he needs to be busy. I can’t stand lollygaggers.” She rubbed Pharaoh, who was still subdued, between his ears and smiled as she watched Dr. Harris get in his truck. “That will save us from having to hire a couple of workmen. Why pay someone when you have a free handyman available?”
Chapter 11
“Hey, Hot Rod. Wake up.”
Brett let out a grunt and shifted in the leather recliner as someone shook his foot. He blinked as his eyes opened and he saw a familiar face. Dr. Kayla Vance stood in the doctors’ lounge, wearing a white lab coat over print scrubs. Her red hair was tucked beneath a scrub cap.
Everything His Heart Desires Page 12