Abound in Love

by Rosemarie Naramore

  So warm and strong, his hand infused hers with warmth. How often she had imagined sitting with Dalton on a couch, or porch swing, their hands intertwined. How often she had imagined him taking her in his arms and kissing her.

  Laura abruptly pulled her hand away. She was being ridiculous. She was twenty-eight—and they were light years beyond high school, when a mere, brief glimpse of Dalton could set her heart on over-drive.

  “I really should get to bed,” she said, beginning to rise. She felt herself teeter slightly, and Dalton rose and tightened his grip on her hand.

  “Hey, let’s give it a couple minutes,” he cautioned. “Really, Laura, you hit me pretty hard. I am a bit concerned.”

  She eased back onto the couch.

  “What were you doing, by the way? When you and I ran into each other?” he asked.

  She heaved a weary sigh. “Kenny had just fallen asleep and I was leaving his room.”

  “Was he okay? I know he hasn’t been himself lately.”

  Laura wondered how much she should divulge, but she suspected Dalton was privy to a good deal more information than she was, being as he lived here now. “The poor little guy was upset and having trouble sleeping.”

  “Did he say why?”

  “He believes his parents’ split has something to do with him and Krissy.”

  “Poor kid. But most kids do blame themselves when their parents have problems. I’ll have to talk to Dan and have him reassure him.”

  “That’s…” Her words trailed off. She really wasn’t sure how much she should say.

  “What?” he prompted.

  “He seemed to think his parents’ marital issues do have something to do with him, since he said he overheard them arguing—and heard both his and Krissy’s names mentioned.”

  “Ah, wow. Poor Kenny. I’m sure he was mistaken, but just the same, I’ll talk to his dad.”

  “Are … you and Dan pretty good friends?” Laura asked.

  He nodded. “Yeah, we’ve become good friends working together for the department.”

  Laura knew Dalton and Dan hadn’t run in the same crowd in high school. Whereas Dalton had been popular and very involved in school, Dan had been quiet and reserved, and spent most of his time helping out on his parents’ farm.

  “Dalton…”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you have any idea what’s going on between Laura and Dan? Thomas said he doesn’t know. Do you think they’re headed for divorce? The kids are convinced their parents are splitting up.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “To be honest, I don’t know. Dan is tight-lipped at work, but he always has been. He’s a good man—decent, respectful. He would never disparage Candace at work or anywhere else.”

  “Which makes it all the more difficult to fathom the two splitting up,” Laura said. “Although I certainly don’t know anything about my sister’s marriage, so I can’t really speculate anyway.”

  Laura didn’t miss the sympathetic expression that flitted across Dalton’s face. She knew he was well aware of the way Candace had treated her during their adolescent years. For whatever reason, she suddenly felt embarrassed—as if she were somehow deficient or flawed—which accounted for her sister’s treatment of her.

  Thankfully, he didn’t comment on her lack of insight into her sister’s marriage. He did reinforce one of Thomas’ theories. “I have to think her miscarriage prompted…”

  “Do you think she had a breakdown?” Laura cut in with concern.

  “It’s possible. You hear about women who have post partum depression after a successful birth. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain of miscarriage. It stands to reason a person would have all sorts of emotions trying to deal with the profound loss. I know Dan was thrilled about the pregnancy. It had to be tough on both of them to have it end so tragically.”

  “And tough on the kids,” Laura mused.

  “Hey, I thought I heard voices down here,” Thomas said sleepily. He was standing at the head of a short hallway off the living room that led directly to the only bedroom on the main floor. “Can’t sleep, you two?”

  “I’m afraid the kids were having some trouble sleeping,” Laura told him. “I was checking on Kenny, when I turned and…”

  “Crashed into me,” Dalton said. “By the way, why didn’t you tell Laura that I live here now?”

  He gave a shrug. “I didn’t think about it.”

  Laura certainly wished he had. She might have been better prepared for a late night encounter with the object of her adolescent affection.

  “Thanks to your omission, Laura has a black eye.”

  “Hey, don’t blame me. Sis, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she assured him, and rose from the couch. “No harm done. Good night, Dalton. Thomas.”

  She padded upstairs, actually grateful to Thomas for appearing in the living room. Was she mistaken, or did Dalton seem intent on keeping her there to talk? He did seem genuinely concerned about her injury. She supposed he could have been worried she might fall asleep and never wake up. But she was so exhausted, even the sagging mattress beckoned to her weary body, and she didn’t have the strength to resist.

  She lay down, promptly sliding into the massive indentation in the middle of the bed. “Lord, bless this family… And Dalton…” she managed to pray, before she drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  “Aunt Laura, Aunt Laura, wake up!”

  Laura heard a voice calling her name, but she resisted responding. Her jet-lagged mind and body yearned for sleep.

  “Aunt Laura!”

  When little fingers began prying her right eye open, she realized blissful slumber would have to wait until nightfall. “I’m awake,” she said, her speech slightly slurred.

  “Hey, what happened to your eye? It’s all swelled up. Did you fall out of bed?” Krissy asked with concern.

  “No, I didn’t fall out of bed,” she yawned. “Hey, Krissy, how about letting Aunt Laura sleep awhile longer? I feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck.” She tried to roll over, but it was difficult with the uncooperative mattress, and equally uncooperative niece, who had grasped her upper arm and was tugging at her.

  A deep voice spoke from the doorway. “I’ve had people mention I have pretty impressive pectoral muscles, but comparing me to a mack truck, well…”

  Laura was suddenly wide awake, and instinctively yanked her covers up to her neck. “Dalton!”

  “How’s the eye?”

  “Purple,” Krissy informed. “And swollen. And black and blue. And even a little red.” Krissy gave him a dirty look. “You hurt Aunt Laura.”

  “No, no, it’s isn’t Dalton’s fault. I’m okay.”

  Dalton frowned and crossed the threshold into the room. “Let me have a look at that,” he said.

  Laura dove under the covers. She felt a tug on the blankets and held them in a death grip. “I’m not getting out of this bed until the room is cleared. And no one gets a gander at my eye until I’ve had both my shower, and a strong cup of coffee.”

  “What’s a gander?” Krissy asked, as Dalton led her out of the room, chuckling.

  “Find a dictionary and look it up,” he said, prompting the little girl to groan.

  “Uncle Dalton, you always say that. Can’t you just tell me?”

  “Nope.”

  When Laura heard the sound of receding footsteps on the staircase, she finally lowered her covers. All clear.

  She gathered her toiletries and clothing and dashed into the bathroom. She really needed a shower, or she suspected she might never wake up adequately to face her day.

  After waiting for what felt like an interminable amount of time for the hot water to heat up, she stepped into the shower. The spray of warm water against her weary muscles felt delicious, but turned out to be short-lived. When the water suddenly turned icy cold, Laura let out a startled cry.

  To her horror, she heard someone pounding on the door. “Are you all right? Did you fall in th
e shower? Open the door!”

  “Yes. No. And absolutely not!” she called through chattering teeth.

  Oh, why hadn’t Thomas told her Dalton was living with him?—even if the situation was temporary. Had she known, she would have stayed in a hotel. Sure, it would have been cost prohibitive, but how was she going to manage staying here, when every time she set eyes on the man, she was reminded about her ridiculous crush on him all those years ago?

  All those years ago…

  Who was she kidding? She found him every bit as attractive today as she did when they were kids.

  Desperate to rinse the shampoo out of her hair, Laura did several rapid turns under the freezing cold water. No amount of fiddling with the knobs altered the temperature, and she hoped she wasn’t going to come down with a case of pneumonia for her trouble.

  Finally, in frustration, she shut off the water and dried off. Her teeth were chattering violently, and she could hardly steady her shaking hands enough to comb through her hair. When she finally dressed and joined the others downstairs, she was still trembling from the cold.

  Dalton gave her a sympathetic glance. “You never want to be the last shower around here.”

  “I should have remembered,” Laura admitted. As the youngest in the family, it had been commonplace for her to end up showering under a stream of cold water.

  “Hey, sis, are you all right?” Thomas asked from his place at the stove. His eyes widened. “Wow, that eye looks bad.”

  “Dalton did it,” Krissy announced.

  Laura turned toward her niece. “Honey, he didn’t mean to.” She swiveled back toward her brother. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to you standing at that stove. And yes, I’ll be fine. Provided the hypothermia doesn’t kill me. Do you need any help with anything?” she inquired, and when Thomas told her no, she dropped onto the bench seating at the picnic table. She still felt chilled to the bone and couldn’t stop shaking.

  She finally noticed Kenny, standing at the refrigerator. “Hey, there, young man. I didn’t see you. You’re so quiet over there.”

  “I’m trying to decide what juice to have for breakfast.”

  “You can’t go wrong with orange,” she told him.

  “You could probably use a strong dose of Vitamin C yourself about now,” Dalton said with a wince. “And maybe even an ice pack.” He came up beside her and studied her black eye.

  “Uncle Dalton gave Aunt Laura a black eye,” Krissy announced.

  “What?” a female voice demanded from the doorway. “Laura, are you all right?”

  She promptly turned to the source of the voice. Candace stood in the doorway. Still tall and stunningly beautiful at age thirty, she did, however, look awfully tired. Laura noted that half circles framed her lower lids and that she seemed to be propping herself up in the doorway.

  “Candace,” Laura said, standing from the table.

  Candace appeared to search her face, and broke into a wide smile. “You look so good—aside from the eye,” she said sincerely. “But then, you were always a natural beauty.”

  Laura could have been knocked over with a feather. Since when did anyone refer to her as any kind of beauty? She paled in comparison to her sister. She knew it. Everyone knew it. And in truth, she didn’t care. She’d always known there was more to a person than their outward appearance. But she had to admit, having her sister compliment her felt … good.

  “Thank you. You look great yourself.”

  Candace shook her head and gave a dismissive wave. “No, I don’t. But thank you for saying so.” She crossed the room and wrapped Laura in a hug. “It’s so good to see you,” she whispered. “So good.”

  Laura pulled back. “It’s good to see you too.”

  “Mom, are you driving us to school?” Krissy asked. “Please. I hate the bus.”

  Candace shook her head, as if bringing herself back to the present. She checked her watch. “I think that can be arranged.” She directed her attention to Kenny. “Would you like to ride along, son? You’ll be early to your school, but…”

  “No, I’ll take the bus.” He sat on the bench, and dropped his head, studiously ignoring his mother.

  Laura saw Candace wince, as if she’d sustained a physical blow.

  “Well, I’ll see you this evening then. Thomas, can the kids come here after school?” When he nodded, she said, “I’ll pick them up here when I get off work.” She turned her attention back to Laura. “Would you…? I don’t suppose…?”

  “Mom wants to know if you can go out to dinner with us?” Krissy cried eagerly.

  “Nothing fancy, I’m afraid,” Candace said with an almost apologetic shrug, and then appeared to brace for her answer.

  “I’d love to.”

  The relief and pleasure on Candace’s face was so genuine, so intense, that Laura felt it to her core.

  Perhaps Candace had changed.

  Chapter Five

  “You’ll be all right here all alone?” Thomas asked Laura, as he packed up a stack of student papers in readiness for his work.

  “She’s not alone. I’ll be here,” Dalton reminded them.

  Laura, resting on the couch in the living room, glanced up. “I’ll be fine. I’ll probably stick around her today. I’m feeling more jet-lagged than I typically do after flying. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “It’s either the shock of seeing your siblings again,” he said, grinning cheekily, “or that blow to your eye is making you drowsy.”

  “I feel bad enough about that,” Dalton groused. “Do you all have to keep bringing it up?” He was sitting across the room, in Laura’s father ancient recliner, and fixated on the morning news. He turned to Laura and surveyed her face. He grimaced dramatically. “I am really sorry.”

  “Forget it,” she said dismissively.

  “Hey, Uncle Thomas!” Kenny called from the kitchen. “Can I catch a ride to school with you?”

  “I thought you were riding the bus. Isn’t that what you told your mom?”

  “It’s too late. The bus has already passed your house.” The boy stepped into the living room, shifting his backpack more comfortably on his shoulder.

  “You’re not embarrassed riding to school with your ol’ uncle?” Thomas asked.

  “It’s not as if everyone doesn’t know we’re related,” he said with a shake of his head. “Besides, I’d rather ride with you in your truck, than sit in the stupid bus for forty-five minutes.”

  Thomas refrained from mentioning he could have ridden along with his mother. “I’m leaving in five. Be ready.”

  Kenny dropped onto the sofa beside his aunt. His eyes lit on her swollen eye. “Dalton got you good, didn’t he?”

  “I didn’t mean to!” he cried, for the umpteenth time.

  “I’m fine,” Laura said, as she rose from the couch. She bent to give Kenny a hug, and then excused herself. “I think I’m going back upstairs and try to get some shut-eye for an hour or two.” She gave a dubious chuckle. “And considering the shape—literally—of that old mattress, it may be easier said than done.”

  Thomas laughed ruefully. “Yeah, it’s definitely seen better days. It’s as old as me.”

  “But not quite as soft,” Dalton teased.

  Thomas picked up a pillow and hefted it at his friend. “I’ll show you soft… I can take you any day of the week.”

  Laura shook her head and decided to get while the getting was good. If the two men began wrestling around on the living room floor, she wanted to be safely clear. She remembered how they used to go at it when they were kids, forever flexing their muscles and arguing about who was the tougher of the two.

  While Thomas was a bit taller than Dalton, Dalton was more solidly built. Both men still appeared to be in good shape, but Laura suspected Dalton probably spent more time in the gym. His broad chest and well-muscled arms were a testament to his dedication to physical fitness.

  When Dalton met Laura’s gaze and gave a broad grin, she realize
d she’d been staring at him, and that he had caught her. Her face flamed crimson.

  “Uh, have a good day, everybody.” As she fled the room, she heard Dalton chuckling behind her.

  “What was that about?” Thomas asked.

  Laura braced for his answer as she topped the steps and lit on the landing upstairs.

  “I don’t have a clue,” Dalton said, but she could still hear the laughter in his voice.

  Back in her old bedroom, Laura dropped onto the bed. She abruptly sank into the center of it. Was there even a box spring beneath it?

  As she lay back against the pillow, and stared at the ceiling of her old room, she felt transported back in time. She remembered every crack in that ceiling, and every feature of the wall. She turned toward the single window in the room and stared out at the sky. Though the window was closed, a draft caused the lacy curtain to sway in the slight breeze.

  She turned away. Thomas really should replace those old windows. She couldn’t imagine how much his heating bill was each month. It had to be high.

  She couldn’t help wondering what had possessed him to buy the old farmhouse. During her drive into town, she couldn’t believe the numbers of new housing developments she could see from the main strip through town. Why hadn’t her brother purchased something new and modern and energy efficient?

  Laura sat up and reached for one of the blankets at her feet. She tugged it up to her chin. It really was chilly. She remembered how often she and Candace had complained to their parents about the chill in the room. Out of necessity, the family had simply learned to dress for the cold, but there was many a morning Laura had been hard-pressed to leave her bed.

  When she heard the sound of Thomas’ truck start up, she knew he and Kenny had left for school. That meant she was alone in the house with Dalton.