Buck chuckled softly. “No. I don’t suppose you do.”
“What’s that mean?” she bristled. “That I’m so unlovable only a man who got me pregnant first would want to marry me?”
His eyes narrowed in a way that used to scare her to death. She crossed her arms and didn’t look away. He took a step closer. Her heart sped up. The little kid in her was ready to pee her pants, but she clenched her jaw and waited.
“If your mother and I made you feel unlovable, Katherine, I’m sorry.”
Katherine. The name sounded funny coming from his lips. Formal, yet tender. Respectful, even. Her jaw dropped. “Really?”
He nodded. “That’s what you want to know, isn’t it? Why we fought so much? Why you got caught in the crossfire? I’m not stupid. I know you felt like you were to blame most of the time, but it wasn’t you, honey girl. I’m an ornery old cuss who doesn’t like to admit when he’s wrong. I was wrong a lot when I was married to your mother. I loved her more than any woman ever, but we couldn’t be alone in a room without either making love or trying to kill each other. It might be some weird chemistry. I don’t know.”
Kat truly hadn’t expected his honesty. Or frankness. “You guys fought about me all the time, but then when I came here to stay with you, you ignored me.”
His face screwed up in a sheepish look she couldn’t ever remember seeing. “I didn’t know squat about raising a little girl, but I was afraid if I let your mother have you all the time, she’d convince you I didn’t want you.”
“You did? Want me?”
“Hell, yes. Why do you think I helped you buy those damn bison? You know we’ve never made a dime on them, and I could have fattened a couple thousand head of cattle on the grass they eat. But I kept ’em. Because they were yours and you love them and I…well, you know.”
Even now he couldn’t say the words, but she understood. He loved her. He’d always loved her. He just didn’t know how to show it. Except where her herd was concerned.
The revelation left her a little dizzy. Maybe coffee wasn’t such a good idea. She might spin right off into the sky like a dust devil.
And what any of this meant to her relationship with Jack, she didn’t have a clue.
She thought about asking her father for advice—maybe this new touchy-feely Buck could offer her some insights into how to handle a crazy man who was poised to turn his life upside down for nothing. But just as she opened her mouth to speak, the high-pitched pinging sound of a quad engine revved at full bore came in through the window.
Buck turned and looked outside. “Uh-oh.”
She was out the door and down the steps before the four-wheeler entered the yard. Tag was driving, his thin body hunched forward as if willing the quad to go faster. Jordie’s arms were clenched around his brother’s middle, but she couldn’t see any more than the crown of his helmet.
Something was wrong. Her maternal instinct told her that. She just didn’t know what. Had the bike hit a bump and Jordie got tossed off? Their helmets were hand-me-downs and probably not as good as they should be. She’d never forgive herself if—
“Mom, it wasn’t my fault,” Tag said, turning off the ignition as the quad rolled to a stop. He hopped to the ground, gesturing excitedly. “I told him to stay on this side of the fence, but he saw a baby by itself. No mother bison around. Jordie thought it might be hurt or caught in wire or something. He wasn’t even halfway between me and the bison when this young bull came out of nowhere and charged him. Jordie’s fast, Mom. He would have made it fine if he hadn’t tripped.”
By now Kat was at the vehicle. Her fingers lightly skimmed over her son’s back and chest, but he continued to keep his hands locked across the lower half of his face.
“Did the bull stomp him?” Buck asked. “You point out which one it was and I’ll shoot the mo—it…dead on the spot.”
Jordie’s eyes went wide and he let out a muffled cry.
“The bull never touched him, Grandpa. You know they don’t see that good, and once Jordie was on the ground the bull veered off in the other direction.”
“What happened to your mouth, honey? Can I see?”
He shook his head.
“I think he broke some teeth, Mom.”
Kat looked at her youngest son’s eyes. Tear tracks had left grayish streaks in the dust on his pudgy cheeks. His muffled sniffling and constant blinking told her he was ready to burst into tears again.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Accidents happen. Don’t cry.” She scooped him off the seat and into her arms. He looped his arms around her neck and buried his face in her neck as she carried him to the porch. His tears came in earnest and within seconds he was wailing.
“Don’t worry, Jordie boy. Let Mommy see.” She sat on the top step and settled him on her knee. She gently pried his hands away, trying not to let the sight of blood and dirt around his mouth influence her already queasy stomach. “There’s so much dirt I can’t really see. Dad, could you get us a glass of water?”
Buck was already charging into the house as she continued to comfort her son. “Don’t make yourself sick crying, Jordie. It’ll be okay. I promise.”
How? a little voice asked. Every penny she’d earned this summer was spoken for once she started student-teaching.
She carefully loosened the chin strap of the helmet and eased it over his ears. His hair was damp with sweat and stuck up in spiky clumps.
“I brought some ice, in case there’s swelling,” her father said, joining her on the step. He laid a towel across her knee and set a plastic bag of ice beside her foot. Pulling Jordie a little closer, he bent down to take a look. “Open up, kiddo,” he coaxed in the gentlest voice Kat had ever heard.
Eyes squeezed tight, Jordie clenched his fists and slowly opened his mouth. His tongue looked gritty. “Yuck!” Tag cried. “You really did eat dirt.”
Jordie’s tears started again. Kat gave her older son a severe look. She was just reaching for the glass of water Buck had set beside the ice when her dad jumped to his feet. “Here. Wait. This will work better,” he said.
He grabbed a nearby hose and turned the water on low. Jordie tried to bolt, but Kat said firmly, “We have to see, honey. You can do this. Lean over the step and rinse and spit. Good idea, Dad.”
It took three tries to get his mouth clear enough for a good look at the damage. His front two teeth had been bent all the way back, exposing their little roots. The tooth just left of the middle stuck sideways like a piece of jagged glass. It was broken and seemed to have punctured the inside of his cheek. A couple of other teeth looked loose, but Jordie wouldn’t let her touch them.
“What a mess,” her father declared, which made Jordie start to cry again.
“Dad,” Kat complained. “It’s not that bad, honey. We’ll call a dentist and see if we can get you in right away.”
“On a Friday night? In August?” the Buck of old said in disgust.
Her father was right, but she couldn’t just sit there and wait until Monday. “There must be someone we can call in an emergency.”
“How ’bout Jack?” Tag asked.
Kat looked at Jordie, who nodded. “J’k,” he said, the word whistling through the gap in his teeth.
“Too bad Jack’s in Denver,’ she muttered.
Denver. A drive she could make in seven or eight hours if she left now.
Her father straightened and reached into his pocket. He held out a key ring. “Take mine. It’s got a full tank of gas and there’s room for the boys to stretch out in the back. Plus, I won’t have to worry about you breaking down. It’s got a built-in phone and you can let me know when you get there.”
Her car was a compact. It got better mileage. But it was also old. And needed the radiator flushed. Buck’s SUV was brand-new. Kat had never even been in it. Her hand was shaking as she reached for the keys. “Are you sure?”
When she looked at her father, she was almost certain she saw a hint of tears in his eyes. But he turned away before sh
e could be sure. “Load up the boys. I’ll pack you a lunch so you don’t have to stop.”
She closed her fingers around the fancy key ring. She could do this. For Jordie.
“STOP PACING.”
“I can’t. If you don’t like it, go home.”
“No. I want to meet her. And you might need me.”
Jack looked at his sister. “You’re not a dental assistant.”
“I know. But when I was, like, fifteen or sixteen, Dad used to pay me to come in on Saturdays to do some filing and help out. He wasn’t very busy by then, but I learned a little bit. At the very least, I could be a witness.”
He swirled to face her. “Don’t tell me Mom got to you during dinner. Kat is not an opportunist. She hasn’t been coaching her son to screw me over. She isn’t like that, Rachel.”
“If you say so, but why risk it? I’ll be your assistant and everybody’s happy.”
He was sorry he’d checked his answering machine from her house. He’d walked her home after their mother left so they could talk about her life, which she felt was going nowhere since her divorce. She’d been standing close enough to overhear Kat’s frantic voice message. And she’d listened just as attentively when Jack called back.
Jordie was hurt. A couple of broken teeth. She needed Jack to look at him and tell her what to do.
Jack was touched that she trusted him enough to call. And here was a chance to put his new plan into effect. If he couldn’t handle sweet little Jordie, he couldn’t be a regular dentist.
He’d given Kat directions to his house. If Jordie’s teeth needed immediate attention, they’d go to the office. Apparently with his sister at his side.
The flash of headlights in his driveway set them both into motion. Rachel opened the door and let Jack lead the way to the unfamiliar SUV that was idling a few feet away. The inside dome light was on, so Jack could see Kat behind the wheel. She’d turned to face the backseat. The rear windows were tinted, so Jack couldn’t see any movement.
He rapped lightly on the passenger window. It disappeared quietly into the door. “Hi,” he said. “You made great time.”
“Luck and lack of traffic,” she said. Her gaze shifted to the person behind him.
“This is my pesky sister, Rachel. I was at her house when you called and she thinks she can be of some help, although I doubt it.”
Rachel bumped him from behind to reach out to Kat. “Hi. Sorry to meet you under these circumstances. How’s your little boy?”
Kat shook Rachel’s hand, but Jack could tell she was frazzled and the only thing on her mind was Jordie. “He’s asleep,” she said in a low whisper. “I took your advice and stopped at home for his pillow and favorite blanket and I gave him some children’s painkiller.”
Jack poked his head inside the car and looked in the backseat. His heart twisted. Beneath the jumble of pillows and blankets, Jordie was curled up beside his older brother, whose arm was around the younger boy protectively. If he’d ever worried that he couldn’t love these children, his fear vanished in an instant, and he felt a powerful need to protect them and care for them.
“Instead of waking him here, then moving to the office, why don’t we just head over there now? If Tag doesn’t wake up when we move Jordie, Rachel can wait in the car with him.”
“I’m awake, Mom,” Tag said softly. “Jordie’s breath stinks, but I didn’t want to move him.”
Kat smiled for the first time, and Jack had no trouble reading the depth of love she felt for her older son.
Jack opened the passenger door and got in. To his sister, he said, “Follow us.”
Her Porsche Boxter was parked behind the third door of his three-stall garage.
“I really appreciate this, Jack,” Kat said as she backed out. “You have no idea.”
“I think I do. I’m only sorry you had to drive so far. If this had happened a few weeks from now, I would have been closer.” He shrugged. “Although then, I might not have had a state-of-the-art dental facility at my disposal. I haven’t gotten that far in my relocation plans.”
“You know, we really have to talk about that,” she started. “I took—”
“We will. Later. Or tomorrow. You’re staying at my house tonight, of course. Turn right at the corner.”
She made a soft sound of exasperation. “When did you get so bossy?”
“Dr. Treadwell, Mr. Hyde,” he said, wishing they had time for a private moment. She looked like a woman who needed a hug and he was just the man to give her one. But this wasn’t about them. “Turn left at the next light and move into the far-right lane.”
He could see the tiniest glimmer of a smile on her lips, but she didn’t say another word until they reached the office. “Pull up to the front door. If the security people come by to check on us, Rachel can deal with them.”
Jack hopped out the moment the car came to a stop. He motioned for his sister to park beside the SUV, then he tossed her his key ring. “Go ahead and open up. The code is Mother’s birth date. If you tell her that, I’ll never whiten your teeth again.” He hurried around the car to where Kat was holding the rear passenger door open. She had a confused look on her face, so he explained, “Mom’s kind of vain about her age, and everyone who works here has the code. If she thought they knew what it stood for, she’d be royally ticked off.”
He could tell Kat was trying to be polite, but her main focus was Jordie. He heard her suck in a breath when Jack bent over and scooped the half-asleep child up in his arms. He turned and kept walking even as Jordie started to fuss. “No, Mommy. I’m fine now. I don’t want to see no denith.”
His lisp broke Jack’s heart.
In his kindest, gentlest tone, he tried to soothe the boy. “This is an old-fashioned dentist office, Jordie. We have balloons and candy for our patients. My dad was a dentist, and he believed that every child who was brave enough to open his mouth to have his teeth checked deserved a reward.”
“Candy?” Tag said, his tone skeptical. “I thought candy was bad for your teeth.”
“It’s sugar-free,” Rachel said. She was waiting with the door open. “I turned on the lights in the first exam room, Jack,” she said, pointing down a hallway he rarely visited. Cosmetic dentistry was on the second floor.
She locked the door and hurried to catch up. “Do you like Xbox?” she asked Tag.
Jack glanced over his shoulder and saw the look Tag gave her. Half curious, half get-out-of-my-face, crazy lady. God, he loved that kid.
“I played Grand Theft Auto at my friend David’s house once. It was pretty cool. You got to run over girls. And the helicopter cut people’s heads off.”
“Taggart John Linden!” Kat exclaimed. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
He blanched, obviously forgetting about his mother’s presence in his effort to sound cool. “Oh, Mom, it was just the one time. Now his mom keeps the R-rated games locked in her desk.”
“Interesting. I’ve heard of that one, but never tried it,” Rachel said. “But I know for a fact that Jack’s got Madden. Do you like football?”
Jack could tell Tag was dying to follow Rachel wherever she might lead, but he hesitated, looking to his mother for his cue. “Go ahead, hon. You don’t have to be in the exam room with us. But don’t play with anything else. And tell Mrs…. um…Rachel thank you.”
“Just Rachel. I’m nobody’s missus.”
Jack hated the fatalistic tone he heard in his sister’s voice. Rachel was one of the coolest people he knew. She deserved better where love was concerned. So did Kat.
“We’ll be in here, Tag,” he said, turning to enter the exam room. He carried his patient to the perfectly proportioned chair that was covered in a jungle print. On the ceiling was a mural of monkeys, colorful birds and snakes that looked right out of a Disney movie. Regulars to this office knew that if they pointed out a very tiny Tarzan figure hiding behind one of the trees, they’d get an extra prize at the end of the exam.
Jack handed the blanket that
had come with Jordie to Kat. “Are you warm enough?” he asked his patient.
Jordie nodded. As Jack had hoped, his attention was drawn to the colorful display and away from the tray of sterilized tools on the counter behind them. “Have you ever had an X ray of your mouth, Jordie?”
“No,” Kat answered, “but he had a checkup last fall in school. He brought home a certificate that said everything looked good and he had no cavities.”
Jack pulled on a pair of latex gloves and used his foot to position his stool. He sat so he was eye level with Jordie. “That’s great. That means your teeth are strong. But I won’t know for sure until I look inside. Can you open up for me?”
Tears glistened in the boy’s eyes, but he bravely inched his jaws apart. Jack angled the overhead light to give him a crisp view. He did his best not to let anything show on his face. “Wow. You are one tough kid, Jordie. Did you leave a dent on the rock you hit?”
Jordie grunted mutely.
Jack looked at Kat. In his peripheral vision, he noticed that Rachel had returned. He told them both, “For tonight, I’d like to get some X rays and affix a little sealant to the two broken teeth. They’ll probably need to be pulled, but I’d like to save them if possible.”
“You mean like a crown? On a baby tooth? Won’t that be expensive?” Kat asked.
Before Jack could figure out how to put his answer in a way that wouldn’t sound like charity, Rachel said, “Our father had one strict rule. Family was always free. Remember those crazy cousins of Mother’s who planned their entire vacation around coming to Denver to get free dental work? Drove Mom nuts,” she added.
Jack had no idea what she was talking about, but he nodded gamely and played along. “And how many times did he have to redo Aunt Peggy’s bridge? A dozen, at least.”
Kat looked from Jack to Rachel and back. He couldn’t tell if she bought the lie or not, but she finally sighed. “I’m not family.”
“You will be,” Rachel said, patting her back. “I have no doubt about that.”
Jack would have hugged her, but he had too many things to do before he lost his patient to boredom, fear or fatigue. Any one of the regular children’s dentists in the building could have done things faster and more efficiently, but Jack didn’t want to make any mistakes, and he was determined to do his best for Jordie.
Daddy by Surprise Page 18