The Perfect Couple

by Valerie Hansen

  “Daddy?” Louise said with a giggle. “Oh, my.” She crossed to the enclosed back porch. “I'll go fetch a broom, two if I can find them, and a dustpan. Don't do anything rash while I'm gone.”

  Kara was surprised that no physical effort was necessary to coax Buster out from under the table. Tyler merely drawled, “Buster…” in an authoritarian voice and the old dog crept over to him, then rolled on his back in submission.

  With a sigh, Tyler gave in and scratched the dog's tummy, speaking to him as if he could understand every word. “You, my old friend, are in serious trouble.” He pointed to the nearest remaining refuse. “See this? You know better than to dig in the garbage. What's the matter with you, anyway? You getting senile?” He glanced up at Kara. “Can dogs get senile?”

  “They can lose some of their sharpness,” she said, smiling down at the touching scene taking place in the middle of the messy floor. “I don't see that as Buster's problem, though. I think the opposite may be true.”

  “Explain.” Tyler straightened and brushed himself off.

  “I think he may be feeling more like a pup, again, because of having Road Kill around. I'll bet they had a wonderful time ripping all this tasty stuff to shreds. I wish I could have been here to see it.”

  “You mean to stop it, don't you?”

  “Well…no.” Kara's grin widened. “I think I'd probably have let them have their fun for a little while, as long as I was sure they couldn't hurt themselves.”

  “That figures.”

  She didn't like the snide expression on his face and she said so. “Stop looking at me like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like that,” she said, pointing at him.

  Tyler knew he shouldn't encourage her, especially since he'd already been dumb enough to kiss her, but the natural comedy inherent in the situation got the better of him. Instead of remaining his usual aloof and dignified self, he said, “You mean like this?” then scrunched up his face, crossed his eyes, and purposely played the fool.

  He heard a strangled gasp. Louise was standing in the doorway, broom in hand, staring at him as if he were demented. Then, she broke into gales of laughter. So did Kara.

  Tyler's face reddened. What in the world had made him act like that? He certainly wasn't in the habit of making faces at pretty women. The thought deepened his color. Kara was pretty, in a natural sort of way. He just wasn't happy that he'd noticed.

  He relieved Louise of the cleaning supplies. “If you two are through having fun, I suggest we get this mess cleaned up before it sets. I'll sweep and Kara can scoop.” Raising an eyebrow he passed Kara the dustpan, fully expecting an argument. He didn't get one.

  “Fine.” She handed the wriggly puppy to Louise. “If you don't mind, I'd appreciate having his cast washed off so he doesn't start chewing on it. It's not like the old plaster ones. You can get it wet. Just try not to get any water inside, next to his skin.”

  Louise looked back and forth between the other two, like a spectator at a tennis match, then nodded. “Okay. We'll be in the bathroom if you need anything else. Come on, Buster. You could use a sponging off, too.” Head hanging, the old dog followed at her heels.

  Once they were alone, Kara faced Tyler and gave him a furtive smile. “Well, I think we did it.”

  “Did what?”

  “Fooled everybody. Didn't you see the way Louise looked at us just now? She's sure we're hiding something.”

  “We are,” Tyler replied. His ingrained defenses sprang into play. “We can't stand each other.”

  “If you insist.”

  She'd immediately looked away but he could tell he'd hurt her feelings. Her voice had lost its elation and there was a definite hint of dejection in her posture. Tyler flinched. Like it or not, he cared that he was the cause of her unhappiness.

  “I didn't mean it that way,” he alibied gruffly. “It just slipped out. Force of habit, I guess.”

  Kara was about to smile at him and offer forgiveness when he added, “You're not so bad.”

  She let her sarcastic tone convey far more than her words as she smiled sweetly and said, “Wow. Thanks a bunch, Mr. Corbett. That's the nicest compliment anybody's given me for ages.”

  “I can't win with you, can I?” His brows knit.

  “I didn't know we were having a contest,” Kara snapped back. “And stop glaring at me. You look like you'd love to use that broom to sweep me right out the door.”

  “Don't tempt me.”

  She faced him squarely, her hands on her hips, and scoffed, “Take your best shot, mister. I was married to Alex Shepherd. After that, nothing fazes me.”

  It was the surprised, shocked look on Tyler's face that made her realize how revealing her statement had been. She hadn't meant to disclose so much, especially not to him. It had slipped out. Denial or explanation, at this point, would only make things worse. The best choice was to try a distraction.

  Kara thrust the dustpan at him. “Here. You finish getting the worst of it off the floor and I'll mop up the sticky stuff.” When he made no move to follow her orders, she added, “The other option is for me to forget about helping and go on home. I would, except I figure I owe you. So, what'll it be?”

  “The mop is in the tall cupboard over there. So's the bucket.” He pointed. “Soap is on the shelf above.”

  She wasted no time. Jerking open the cupboard door she grabbed the mop and bucket, then looked up at the shelf. The soap was there, all right. It was also far too high for her to reach unless she stood on a stool. Having none, she dragged a chair from the dining table and climbed up on it.

  Tyler'd had his back turned while he repacked the plastic trash receptacle. He turned in time to see Kara balanced precariously on the chair. “What do you think you're doing?”

  “Getting the soap. I'm too short to reach it.”

  He started across the room. “Why didn't you say so? I'll help you.”

  “No need. I'm used to coping,” she answered, straining to grab the large box of powdered detergent.

  At that moment, Tyler reached the chair. In his haste he didn't notice a spot of grease on the slick floor. He slipped. One foot shot out behind him. Momentum slammed him into the backs of Kara's knees.

  Her legs buckled. She flailed her arms. The soap powder went up in the air, then rained down on them like winter's first snow.

  With a screech, she grabbed the edge of the shelf to stop her fall. Her heart was pounding, her breathing ragged. She was about to confront Tyler and lecture him about safety when the third member of their cleanup crew ran back into the room, accompanied by both dogs.

  Louise's mouth dropped open when she saw what was going on. Tyler's arms were outstretched as if he were about to grab Kara around the middle and jerk her off the chair. Kara's eyes were wide with surprise. Louise found her voice enough to squeak, “What in the world are you two doing?”

  Kara realized how the situation must look. She giggled. “Would you believe, getting the soap to mop the floor?”

  “Not for a minute,” the older woman retorted.

  Kara had quickly finished mopping the floor, bid Tyler and Louise good-night, and stopped back at Susan's, as promised. The lights were still on so she knocked.

  “Come on in,” Susan called. She was drying her hands. “You waited just long enough. The dishes are all done and Mark's gone to bed.”

  “Hey, great.” Kara gave her sister a hug. “I always was pretty good at timing my entrance.”

  “No kidding. Want a midnight snack?”

  “It can't be that late!”

  Susan chuckled amiably. “Not quite. Is there some rule that it has to actually be twelve o'clock before you can have a midnight snack?” Not waiting for a reply, she retrieved what was left of the roast and set the platter on the table.

  “I don't think so.” Kara got herself a cold soda, plunked down in the chair next to her sister, and picked a sliver of the tender meat to nibble. “This tastes good. Guess I am hungry.”<
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  “That makes sense. You didn't eat any dinner.”

  “I did so.”

  “Only if pushing it around on your plate counts. But I can understand your problem. It's hard to concentrate on eating and make eyes at Tyler at the same time.”

  “I did not make eyes at him!” Amazed, Kara stared at Susan. “What makes you think I did?”

  “Personal observation,” Susan said with a knowing smile. “And it's about time, too. You've been grieving for far too long.” She reached to give Kara's hand a reassuring pat. “I know that different people handle loss at different speeds, but it hurts me to see you going on and on alone. I know you can find the same kind of happiness you had with Alex if you'll just open your eyes and look for it.”

  Kara's throat constricted. She began to cough.

  Susan leaned closer and patted her on the back. “Are you okay? Did you choke on your soda?”

  “No…I don't know,” Kara managed between coughing spasms. Finally she settled down, breathless, and wiped tears from her eyes. Weariness loosened her tongue. She sighed. “I wish you were right about happiness.”

  “I know I am,” Susan insisted. “You'll find somebody else someday. I pray for you all the time.”

  Kara cleared her throat, then made a sound of pure derision. “Well, don't ask for another man like Alex when you pray, okay? That's the last thing I need.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “My wonderful husband,” Kara said flatly. “He wasn't.”

  “Wasn't what? Wonderful?”

  “Bingo. Now you're getting the idea.”

  “Nobody's perfect.” Susan reached out to her again. “All you have to do is look at the rest of us to know that.”

  “Yeah, well…” Suddenly needing Susan's moral support more than ever before, Kara decided to reveal a few extra details. “Alex was a fraud.”

  “What do you mean?” Susan was frowning.

  “He pretended to be kind and considerate when he was in public but he wasn't like that at all when we were alone.”

  “He wasn't?” The frown deepened. “Is that why you stopped getting together with your old friends or going to church regularly after you got married?”

  “That was part of it. I was naive enough to let Alex pick my friends. He also said he didn't want to associate with all the hypocrites in our church and he didn't want me to go, either. But that was just an excuse to change to a church with more people who could enrich his practice. He was the biggest hypocrite of them all.”

  Susan sat back, awed. “I don't believe this.” She quickly corrected herself. “I mean…I do believe it, I just don't know why you never said anything before.”

  “What would have been the use? I married him for better or for worse. We just never got to the better part.”

  “Oh, honey…” Susan leaned forward, her unshed tears glistening. “I'm so sorry.”

  “Yeah. So am I,” Kara said. She managed a smile. “But that's all over now, so let's forget it. Okay?”

  “If that's the way you want it.”

  “It is. I just needed you to understand where I'm coming from.”

  Instead of the continued somber outlook she'd expected, Kara was surprised to hear her sister say, “Actually, it's not where you've been or who's hurt you in the past that concerns me. It's where you're going that's important.”

  There was no way Kara could refute such a basic truth. “You can understand why I'm in no hurry to remarry, though, can't you?”

  “Sure. You don't trust the Lord, anymore.”

  Dumbfounded, Kara stared at her. “I do so.”

  “Really? Then why isolate yourself the way you have been? If you were trusting God to take care of you, there'd be no reason to hide from life.”

  “I'm not hiding from anything. I'm just being careful.”

  Susan was slowly shaking her head. “I don't buy that. I think you've decided that it isn't safe to care about another man so you've shut them all out.” The corners of her mouth began to lift. “Well, all except one.”

  Tyler Corbett. Kara opened her mouth to explain, then decided against it. Telling Susan the truth about Alex had obviously been a mistake. The only way to salvage any privacy from the current situation was to continue with the romance charade, at least for a while. Once Susan settled down and quit trying to find her another husband, she'd be able to back away from the pseudo-relationship with Tyler without undue notice.

  It was Kara's intention to sound secretive when she said, “I don't want to talk about Tyler.” Instead, her words came out in a rush and she noticed she was breathing rapidly.

  One look at Susan's smug expression told her she'd been successful in spite of herself. Clearly, Susan was assuming her baby sister was romantically interested in the enigmatic rancher, which was exactly what she'd wanted. The trouble was that interest was no longer a meaningless fabrication! Like it or not, she was interested in him.

  Sighing inwardly, Kara shook her head slowly and tried to pull herself together as she searched for some positive element in the shocking self-revelation. It finally came to her. She'd hated the idea of lying to anyone for any reason, especially Susan. Now, she wouldn't be lying.

  Disgusted with herself, Kara pulled a face. What kind of progress was that?

  Chapter Eight

  Kara had just about succeeded in putting the preceding weekend out of her mind when Louise unexpectedly showed up at her house.

  Greeted by three levels of barking and a tan-and-white greyhound who raced around her car in wide circles, she waved to Kara, parked and got out. “Hi! I can see why your sister warned me to wear my jeans when she gave me driving directions. You have quite a menagerie.”

  “This is only part of it. The horse and most of the cats are back by the barn.” She shouted, “Okay, boys. Go on,” and the canine welcoming committee obediently fell back.

  “Wow. I'm impressed,” Louise said. “What's your secret?”

  “They think I'm the Alpha dog,” Kara explained. “They respect me so they try to do what I want.”

  “Oh, I get it. You're the leader of the pack!”

  “In a manner of speaking. Come on inside and I'll show you my birds. I always clean house first thing Saturday morning, so the place is fairly neat.” She refrained from adding that she'd been so uptight all week that she'd dusted and vacuumed every evening rather than sit still and give herself too much time to think.

  Louise followed her up onto the covered wooden porch. “This is lovely. So peaceful and quiet.” She glanced at the three dogs who had taken up places on the shady lawn and already looked sleepy. “Well, most of the time, anyway.”

  “It's a lot to take care of,” Kara told her, “but I can live here pretty cheaply and the neighbors are far enough away that they don't complain…much.” She rested her hand on the head of the tall greyhound at her side without having to bend over. “So, what brings you all the way out here?”

  “An errand of mercy,” Louise said.

  Kara hesitated only a moment, then sighed. “Uh oh. Sounds serious. I just made a fresh pitcher of lemonade. Would you like some?”

  “Yes, please.”

  The greyhound waited at the open door for the signal to come in as Louise sidled past. Kara smiled down at him and stepped aside. “Okay, Speedy. Come on.”

  He shot past her and dashed up the hall, only to reappear seconds later, tongue lolling, eyes bright, to leap over the back of the rose-patterned, brocade sofa and circle the carpeted living room at a run.

  Louise was clearly amused. “I can see why you call him Speedy. Does he ever slow down?”

  “That is slow, for him. He's a retired racing dog. You should see him go when he wants to. I could never catch him if he didn't want to be caught. Unfortunately, he's discovered there are real rabbits to chase around here so I've started letting him sleep inside to keep him out of mischief.”

  Touching the dog's smooth coat as he trotted past, Louise was amazed. “My
, it feels so different. Almost like satin. The hair is so short you can hardly feel it. Doesn't he get cold in the winter?”

  “And sunburned in the summer if I'm not careful. That's one more reason for letting him stay inside a lot.”

  Kara led the way into the kitchen, then turned to face her guest. “Okay. Are you going to stop trying to distract me and tell me why you're here, or am I going to have to drag it out of you?”

  “Aren't we having lemonade? I'll get the ice.” Louise started opening likely cabinets, quickly found what she was looking for, and set two glasses on the counter beside the refrigerator. “It's the least I can do.”

  “The least you can do after what?” Kara cast a leery glance at the older woman. “You may as well tell me what you have in mind. Worst-case scenario, I say, no.”

  “Oh, you won't. It's just that I'm not sure how we're going to handle Tyler.”

  Aha! Now, she was getting to the ticklish part, Kara thought. No wonder she'd seemed so nervous. She waited until Louise had filled the large tumblers with ice and put them on the table before she said, “Well?”

  “I just want you to know, Susan had nothing to do with what happened. It was all my fault.”

  Exasperated, Kara put the pitcher of lemonade down so hard it sloshed. “What was?”

  “Well, I had this big ham bone left over and I thought I was doing a nice thing. I didn't know I shouldn't give it to Road Kill, and…”

  “Is he okay? Did he choke on it?”

  Louise quickly laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “No, nothing like that. He's fine. Well, almost fine, anyway. He loved chewing on the bone. But then Buster took it away from him.”

  Kara's patience was nearly gone. “Was there a fight? Did Roady get hurt?”

  “Goodness no. He just rolled over on his back and surrendered. Only he'd been holding the bone between his front paws and I guess the flavor was still there, so when he didn't have the bone anymore, he started to chew his cast.”

  “Uh-oh. What did you do then?”