by Brenda Novak
Winnie and Mona said hello to Mary, too. Ashleigh was on the phone, and Rebecca wasn’t around. Katie thought it was probably no coincidence that Mary had scheduled her nail appointment for Rebecca’s day off. Rebecca had never liked Mary, and Mary certainly felt no love for Rebecca. Especially now that Rebecca was wearing Josh’s ring.
Mary gave her a chilly nod, but smiled at the others, then removed her sunglasses and sat down to wait for Mona.
“Winnie was just talking about the robbery last night,” Mona told Mary.
“Everyone’s talking about it,” she murmured, thumbing through a magazine.
“You’re defending Slinkerhoff’s nephew, right?” Winnie said. “Do the police think he did this, too?”
When Mary raised her eyes, she looked at Katie, even though it was Winnie who’d spoken. “Haven’t you heard?”
“Heard what?” Katie said, feeling oddly singled out.
“It was Jon Small’s place that was broken into, and nothing much was stolen. It’s more like an act of revenge.”
Katie’s heart leaped into her throat, but she refused to show her fear. “So?”
“They think Booker did it.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
AFTER HER FIRST DAY of work, Katie was in a hurry to get back to Troy. But she couldn’t pass Lionel & Sons without stopping in. Considering what Mary had said, Katie was worried about Booker. Somehow, that took precedence over the decision she’d made in the hospital to keep a safe distance from him.
She couldn’t see Chase or Delbert. They seemed to be gone for the day. But she could hear Booker talking on the phone as she approached his office. She knew he hadn’t noticed her pull up when she knocked softly on his open door and he glanced over his shoulder—and blinked in obvious surprise.
“I’m telling you I think there might be a problem with those tires,” he said into the phone. “I don’t care about that…I sell more snow tires than anything else…Listen, I’ve got someone here. Call me tomorrow, okay?”
He twisted away to hang up, then turned back to face her, and the tension in the air seemed to crackle like static electricity. Stretching his legs out in front of him, he crossed them at the ankle and his gaze dropped to Katie’s high heels and slowly worked its way up her legs, over her short denim skirt and stretchy T-shirt before meeting her eyes again. “What’s up?”
No wonder women fell at his feet. Just the way he looked at her made Katie breathless. She had a sudden impulse to cross the room, slip into his arms and let him kiss her with that wicked mouth of his while her hands roamed over the muscles and contours she remembered so well. But she supposed her hormones were still a little screwed up, because Booker wasn’t part of her immediate plans. She wasn’t even sure he was part of her long-term plans. She was a mother now and was going to move much more cautiously in the future than she had in the past. She’d only come to talk…and support him, if there was any way she could.
“I heard Jon Small’s place was broken into last night,” she said.
He turned a pen over and over in his hands. “Who told you?”
“Mary Thornton. She just came into the salon.”
“Watch yourself around that woman.”
“Why would I need to watch myself?”
He tossed the pen onto the desk. “Because you’ve got the man she wants, and she’s out to get him back.”
“I don’t ‘have’ Mike. We’re just friends.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “I thought you were going to marry him someday.”
“Is that why you sent him to the hospital?”
“I didn’t send him to the hospital. I just let him know you’d had the baby.”
“You didn’t tell him you delivered Troy.”
“I didn’t figure he’d be interested in that part.”
She folded her arms and tapped one foot. “So now you’re playing Cupid?”
“No, I’m just getting out of the way.”
“I have to work with Ashleigh now,” she said, and wasn’t sure why she’d said it, especially so sullenly.
With a sigh, he closed his eyes and ran one finger over his left eyebrow before looking up at her again. “If you don’t care about me, Ashleigh shouldn’t make any difference, right?”
“Tell me what happened between you and Jon Small,” she said, trying to get back to the reason she’d stopped by in the first place—before the conversation could drift any further into topics she’d rather not discuss.
“Nothing.”
“Then why do the police think it was you who broke into his house?”
“Because folks around town aren’t particularly happy there’s a robber on the loose, so the police need a suspect. Problem is they don’t know how to actually solve a crime. They can only pick someone they don’t like and go with that.”
“Then tell me you have an alibi—preferably one that doesn’t depend on Delbert. Or Ashleigh,” she added before she could catch herself.
She hoped he was going to ignore this latest jab but knew better when he stood up and shut the door. “I’m sensing some hostility here,” he said. “Maybe we should talk about it.”
“No, never mind. I didn’t mean anything by what I said.” She took a step back for every step he took toward her, but it didn’t do any good. A moment later, he had her backed up against the wall and closed the remaining distance between them in two long strides.
“First of all, you left me for Andy,” he said, propping an arm against the wall over her left shoulder.
“I—I know that.” The scent of leather, mingled with Booker’s aftershave, distracted her as he moved closer.
“Second of all, you never looked back.”
That wasn’t entirely true. She’d spent many nights in San Francisco, lying awake, missing Booker. She just hadn’t had any confidence that her life would’ve turned out better if she’d stayed with him. She’d always told herself her only mistake in getting away from Booker was jumping from the fire into the frying pan. “And third?” she said, her heart beating so hard she could feel it knocking against her ribs.
“Third, we weren’t committed in any way when I went home with Ashleigh.”
She stared up at him because she couldn’t argue. She might have looked back once she’d left him, but she certainly didn’t do anything to let him know it. And he was right about the other two.
“So why are you holding Ashleigh against me?” he asked.
She could smell wintergreen on his breath and knew he’d probably been snacking out of the vending machine Delbert loved so much. “I—I’m not.”
“Sounds like it to me.”
She couldn’t think when he was standing so close. “Maybe that’s because you forgot about number four.”
“What’s number four?”
“That night you broke my heart.” His eyes lowered to her lips, and she knew he was going to kiss her. She also knew she should push him out of the way so she could leave. But her legs felt cemented to the spot. Closing her eyes, she tilted her face up—and was surprised to realize that her arms went around him before his ever came around her. He hadn’t been about to kiss her. But it didn’t matter. Her body had a will of its own. She found his mouth, and kissed him as though she was half-starved for the taste of him.
His kiss was familiar and satisfying, everything she’d missed. She groaned as he offered her his tongue, remembering and reacquainting herself. He responded by kissing her more deeply while pressing into her.
Feeling the hard planes of his body as well as his erection caused warmth to pool low in her belly.
“Booker, I don’t think they remembered your pickles.” Delbert flung open the door as he charged inside with Bruiser, carrying a take-out bag from the diner.
Booker quickly pushed Katie away from him, but it wasn’t quite fast enough to go unnoticed. Delbert glanced between them, looking confused. “Hi, Katie.”
Katie took a deep breath, trying to even out her pulse, and moved away fro
m Booker to give Delbert a hug. “Hi.”
“I heard you had your baby.” Bruiser nudged her with his wet nose as Delbert touched her stomach. “Look! You’re skinny again.”
She smiled, but her lips seemed to tremble with the effort. “I’m getting more back to normal each day.”
“Booker said he’d bring me over to your place. I really want to see the baby. I keep asking him and asking him but—” a sulky expression appeared on his face “—he’s always too busy.”
“Of course he’s busy, but you’re welcome anytime.” She sidled toward the door.
“Can we visit tonight?”
“Sure, okay,” she said, fully conscious that Booker hadn’t spoken a word in the last sixty seconds. She’d wanted to rip off his clothes a moment ago, could hardly speak now for the pounding of her heart, yet she couldn’t tell whether their kiss had had any lasting effect on him.
“Is it okay if we go over there tonight, Booker?” Delbert pressed.
Booker didn’t answer, so Katie chanced another look his way. “Are you coming over tonight?” she asked, then held her breath as she waited for his answer.
“Maybe,” he said. “We’ll see.”
“BOOKER, IT’S GETTING LATE. If we don’t leave right away, the baby will go to sleep,” Delbert complained, nagging him, once again, about going to Katie’s.
Booker muted the television and glanced at his watch. Eight o’clock. The minutes had been dragging by, and Delbert’s impatience wasn’t making things any easier. Booker had hoped that if he stalled long enough, Delbert would forget about the baby, at least for tonight. After what had happened in his office, Booker wasn’t sure he wanted to see Katie. He’d been down the same road with her once before, and it hadn’t led anywhere.
“I think Troy sleeps most of the time, anyway,” he said.
“I don’t care. I want to see him. Please, Booker?”
Booker considered allowing Delbert to hitchhike to Katie’s. Ever since that threatening call, he’d stopped letting him ramble around on his own. But nothing worrisome—at least as far as Delbert was concerned—had happened in the past few weeks. Booker was almost convinced that strange call had been some kind of joke.
But he remembered finding Delbert the night the Smalls got hold of him and decided there was always the possibility that it wasn’t….
Tossing the remote aside, he stood. “Okay, I’ll drive you out there. But Bruiser has to stay home.”
“Okay. Thanks, Booker. Thanks a lot!”
Booker shrugged into his jacket and headed to the door. Delbert ran to his room and brought back a gift, crudely wrapped in newspaper with an excess of tape.
“What’s that?” Booker asked.
Delbert’s smile stretched across his face. “It’s for the baby.”
“What’s inside?”
“A surprise.”
KATIE NORMALLY SPENT HER evenings nursing and bathing Troy, and rocking him in the chair her mother had given her. Or she slept, if she could. Troy was getting up at least twice every night, and she hadn’t yet adapted to the new schedule.
Tonight her son required little attention, but she didn’t go to bed. She curled her hair and touched up her makeup, just in case she had visitors. She was trying on clothes and checking the mirror to decide which outfit looked best, when the phone rang.
She eyed it nervously, wondering if it was Booker. “Hello?” she said, sinking onto her bed wearing jeans and a cream sweater that made the most of her returning figure.
“How’s the baby?” her mother asked.
Katie looked over at Troy, who was lying in his bassinet. “Fine.”
“He’s such a doll. He was so good for me today while you were at work. I gave him a car ride over to see Travis.”
Katie wondered if she’d also shown him to Don, but didn’t ask. “I really appreciate you taking care of him. What with prom tonight, I made some good money.”
“I’m so glad. Are we on for tomorrow, then?”
“Isn’t Dad going to get angry that you’re coming here and helping me instead of staying at the bakery?”
“My day’s mostly over before yours begins. He just sells what we have left after the morning rush while he cleans up the place.”
“I don’t want this to come between you, though,” Katie said.
“Don’t worry. I think it’s a stand I need to take.”
There was a knock at the door, and excitement filled Katie at the prospect of seeing Booker. She knew she was crazy to be feeling the way she was, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted another kiss…tonight.
“I have to go, Mom,” she said.
“What time do you need me tomorrow?”
“Ten o’clock. But I’ll come home and nurse after the first couple of hours.”
“Okay.”
Katie ended the call. Now that she and Tami were getting along, she didn’t want her mother to hear Booker’s voice in the background and resume her old complaints.
As soon as she opened the door, Delbert nearly bowled her over. “Hi, Katie! We’re here. Booker brought me. We’re here to see the baby.”
Booker stood off the concrete porch, a toothpick dangling from his mouth, hands in his pockets. When Katie looked out at him, he gave her a slight nod. In deference to the baby, they’d obviously left Bruiser at home.
“Come in,” she said.
Delbert handed her a rectangular shape wrapped in thick bunches of newspaper and masking tape. “I brought you something. It’s for the baby.”
Katie smiled as she accepted his gift. “Thank you, Delbert.”
“It’s from Booker, too.”
“It is?” She raised an eyebrow at Booker and saw a flash of white teeth as he grinned and shrugged.
Spotting the bassinet, Delbert headed right over to it. “Is this the baby, Katie? Can I hold him, huh? Can I hold him now while we’re here?”
“Sure.” She set his gift aside so she could lift Troy. “Sit on the couch there, and I’ll hand him to you.”
Delbert obeyed immediately, his eyes wide as she settled Troy in his arms. “Whoa,” he breathed. “He’s little.”
“He is little. So be sure you hold him very carefully, okay? Keep him in the crook of your arm like this.”
“Oh, I’ll be careful. I wouldn’t ever let anything happen to him.” Delbert sat very, very still. “He’s wonderful. He’s wonderful, isn’t he, Katie?”
Katie smiled. “He’s sweet like you.”
A blush tinged Delbert’s cheeks, but he continued to stare at the baby. After several minutes, he remembered his gift. “Are you going to open my present now? I think the baby will like it.”
“You bet.”
Booker stood at the edge of the room, near the door. Katie was conscious of him watching her and had a difficult time focusing, but she wanted to give Delbert the attention he deserved.
Sitting on the couch so she could help him with Troy if necessary, she tore the wrapping off the package to find the model car he’d shown her, with such pride, that first night at Booker’s house.
“Oh, Delbert!” she said. “Are you sure you want to give this to Troy? It’s your most prized possession!”
“Booker helped me build it,” he said.
He’d already told her that. Several times. She realized now that was why the model held such worth. That Booker had cared enough about him to help him build it. And he was giving this treasured item to her….
Fighting tears, Katie looked over at Booker. He took helping Delbert in stride, treated him like a brother instead of a burden. She didn’t know anyone else who would have done so much, so ungrudgingly.
“You and Booker are pretty special,” she said. “I’ll put this car up on my shelf where I can see it all the time, and it can remind me of the two of you, okay?”
She made a big production of letting Delbert find just the right place to put the car, which turned out to be a prominent spot on her entertainment center, then gave him a hu
g.
“Aren’t you going to hug Booker?” Delbert asked when she stepped away.
“Uh…yeah, of course. Thanks Booker,” she said and gave him a very brief, formal hug.
“Booker, you want to hold the baby?” Delbert asked.
Katie thought Booker would mumble something about how late it was and slip out the door before Delbert really cornered him. But he didn’t. He walked over and lifted Troy gently out of Delbert’s arms, then sat in the rocking chair. “Got any movies?” he asked.
THEY WATCHED THE NEWS and an old sitcom because Katie didn’t have a VCR or a DVD player. Delbert fell asleep on his end of the couch almost immediately, and Katie felt her eyelids grow heavy soon after. Somehow, sleep was even more inviting when there was someone around to help watch over her son. Then she didn’t feel as though she needed to jump up every few minutes just to be sure Troy was breathing.
“Do you want me to take him?” she murmured softly as the sitcom went to a commercial, wondering if Booker was getting tired, too, and wanting to go home.
“I’m fine.” He still sat in the rocking chair. “Go ahead and get some rest.”
She dozed off after that. She thought she heard the baby fuss a couple of times, but Troy didn’t cry in earnest. When her son finally demanded her attention, she was surprised to see by the glowing numerals on her alarm clock that nearly three hours had passed.
“He’s hungry,” she said, trying to wake up enough to find her feet and get him. But she didn’t need to go anywhere; Booker brought him to her.
At some point, Booker had turned off the lights and lowered the volume on the TV. Even with Delbert sleeping on the couch, the room felt close and quiet. Katie put her back to Delbert and settled the baby so he could nurse, and Booker started to move away. But she didn’t want him to leave. Catching his hand, she rubbed his knuckles against her cheek.
Booker met her eyes for a long moment, then lowered them to watch Troy nurse. Feeling his interest, his curiosity about the whole baby process, she pulled her shirt slightly higher.