by Maggie Ryan
“It’s embarrassment, not dislike,” Mr. Silberman informed him. “You’ve got to admit, that’s a lot for a girl to think about when she’s just getting to know a fellow.”
Blake pulled into the parking lot of the assisted living complex. “Where do you live?”
“I don’t have an outside entrance. We’ll have to go through the main doors. And do you mind getting out my chair? I don’t like the idea of anybody seeing me being carried like that if it’s all the same to you.”
“No problem.” Blake pulled into the spot right in front of the wall of windows where cheery letters proclaimed that the Shadestone was happy to welcome visitors. “It’s pretty late. Is there a key or a pass-code or something?”
“We’ve got the best security system in the state: a dragon at the front desk. Her name is Mrs. Muldrow and you might have to talk me past her if she’s in one of her moods.”
“I won’t be pausing for polite chit chat. Your syringes and meds are in your room, aren’t they?” Blake parked the ATV and hopped out to unload the wheelchair.
“Sure, and I can get myself squared away. You get back to Piper.” Mr. Silberman put his arms over Blake’s shoulders and levered himself down into the chair with almost no help.
“She wouldn’t want me leaving you until I know you’re okay.” Blake stood back and watched as Mr. Silberman wheeled himself up the concrete ramp.
The door opened and out bustled a plump, middle-aged woman in blue scrubs. “Mr. Silberman, my goodness gracious! I’ve been worried sick! And where have you left Piper?”
“Not Mrs. Muldrow, I take it?” Blake asked, noting the complete absence of any scales or fire coming out of her nostrils.
“No, this is Mrs. Feeney. She’ll take care of me, won’t you, doll?” Mr. Silberman sounded confident and relieved. “Piper’s fine. She’s waiting in the car on the side of Butler Road.”
“Again? Poor Piper! Mrs. Muldrow went off at midnight, fussing about residents staying out till all hours. I told her I had to be here anyway and it didn’t matter, but you know her. Any good excuse to complain.” Mrs. Feeney laughed but didn’t break stride as she led the way down the hall. “You need your insulin, don’t you? What happened? Did you forget your pack? That’s not like Piper, to take you out without it.”
“Ran out of juice,” Mr. Silberman replied. “And then the car broke down. The good doctor here came along and decided I looked like a I needed a pick me up on the double, but he’s got to get back to where we broke down. You’ll see me right, won’t you, doll?”
“Of course. You can go on, doctor. I’ve got him.”
Blake had no doubt that the efficient nurse had everything under control, so he hustled back to the ATV. As late as it was, there would be no one on these roads, so he got all the speed out of his little four-wheeler that it would give him. In no time he was pulling up to the back of the… empty car. That girl!
He should have known. He stood up in the ATV and looked around, shining his high-powered flashlight back up the road. She knew which direction she would need to go in order to reach the intersection but surely he hadn’t missed her in the dark. No, she had obviously not taken the logical way, because if she had, she would still be sitting in the car doing as she was told. Blake shined the bright beam toward the field, hoping he wouldn’t find the exact thing he found: the imprint of a shoe fitting neatly in the rut left by his ATV wheel. With a muttered oath he wouldn’t want his mother to hear from his lips, he let himself fall back into the seat and took off into the night in pursuit.
Chapter 2
First she heard the rumble, then smelled the diesel fumes and finally the light of the ATV bounced around the curve in the track as the vehicle pulled up beside her.
“Piper, hop in.”
She knew she ought to. It was late and she was trudging through the woods by herself, a target for every tick and spider in the county, not to mention the chiggers that had already invaded every waistband she had on. “I’m fine,” she replied blithely, not slowing down or turning her head. “Go back to the Shadestone and see to Mr. Silberman. He surely can’t be back to normal yet.”
He pulled to a stop a short distance ahead of her again. “Piper, I’m not kidding. Get in this car right now.”
“It’s not a car and I’m not getting in with you.”
She could hear him turn the engine off and mutter under his breath as he tromped over the track to where she was striding. It took every ounce of will power she had ever claimed to possess to keep from running as he clomped up behind her. “Last chance,” he declared. “Last warning. It’s dangerous out here. Get in.”
“No, thank y—whoa! Let me down!” He had thrown her over his shoulder.
“You’re trespassing. This is private property.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know, but that doesn’t give you the right to…” She bucked hard and thought for a moment that she had succeeded in launching herself off his shoulder but instead she felt one hard hand clamped down on her legs while another laid a hard swat on her backside.
“It’s posted land. I could call the sheriff. I’m sure he’d be very interested in his niece’s whereabouts at this hour.”
She got still. “You wouldn’t.” But she knew she wishing more than believing. Of course, he would.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he demanded as he smacked her fanny again.
“Because if you do, I’ll tell him how you manhandled me.”
“Oh, really?” Blake sounded like he didn’t believe her and, of course, he was right. She could never tell a living soul Blake had dared to spank her.
Still, her only choice was to brazen it out. “He takes his role as uncle seriously, especially now that I’m on my own. He won’t like his niece being… treated this way.”
“You mean he won’t like it if he finds out I spanked your rear end? If he knows you at all, he’ll probably stand up and cheer,” Blake returned sardonically. Another hearty swat curbed her next attempt to slide out of his grip. “You’re only making it worse on yourself. Just take what you’ve got coming and I won’t call your uncle and report to him what you did and when.”
“You’re not going to…”
He emphasized his meaning with a short demonstration. The volley of spanks landed in large blistering circles all over her backside. “Just enough to let you know how I feel about you wandering around at night in those silly little shoes with no light and no water and no cell phone.”
What could she say to that? He was right and she had no defense but she couldn’t give in. “I have my phone.”
“You had your phone. I saw it lying in the car when I went to check and found it there and you not.” It was her turn to mutter words she might not want others to hear, but she didn’t bother to keep her voice down. He responded with another round of swats. “Not very ladylike.”
“You did it.”
“Not right in your ear, I didn’t.”
“There’s a difference?”
“It’s called self-control. Or maybe manners. Learn some.” He plunked her down onto the seat of the ATV. “If you try to jump out, you’ll get a real lesson, the old fashioned way. This woods is just full of switches waiting to be cut.”
Piper harrumphed but when her feet felt the relief of no longer being called upon to trek terrain her wedge sandals had never been meant to traverse, she shut her mouth and concentrated on finding a more comfortable position for her posterior. He had only given her a few swats, but they had stung. Trying not to sound too chastened, she asked as politely as she could manage, “Could you please take me back to my car so I can get my phone?”
“No need. Here it is.” He handed her the little phone. “You still use a flip phone?”
“Yes, I do.” Why should she explain herself to this man?
“The new smart phones aren’t that hard to use and reception is pretty good out here, considering. Getting better all the time. I even get calls in my farmhouse now. Just for safety reasons
you really ought to have a phone with a GPS on it.”
“I’ve lived here all my life,” Piper countered. “It’s not like I’m going to get lost.”
“But if you needed help or someone needed to find you, a better phone would be more useful. A woman alone…”
“But that’s exactly what I am: alone. Who needs to get a hold of me? Now, enough about my phone. Look, I’m more grateful than I can say and I hate to sound demanding, but I would like to know where you’re taking me. Shouldn’t I wait with the car until the tow truck comes?”
“At this hour?”
“You’re right. I should call someone in the morning. So again, not to sound rude or anything, but where are we going?”
“I’m taking you to my house.”
“Dr. Karn?” She tried to keep her tone neutral, but some of her rising suspicious confusion must has leaked into her voice.
“So I can switch cars! This ATV isn’t the most comfortable ride.”
“Oh, I see.”
His indignation bordered on outrage and charmed her heart as much as it allayed her fears. “I hope you do see. I would never suggest… well, anyway, when you get to know me better, you’ll see how funny it all is. Right now, I guess you are smart to be cautious. Here we are in a car alone in the wee hours of the morning.” He let that statement sink in for a moment before adding, “That’s why you need a better phone. Here we are.”
They both hopped out of the ATV and Blake pointed across the driveway to where a pickup truck was waiting. When she reached for the door handle, he stopped her. “Hang on. I’ll get it.” He opened the door and handed her in, his smile lighting up his face, even in the dim grey glow of the coming dawn.
Piper laid her head back on the headrest of the bench seat. “This is a great pickup. I didn’t know they came with bench seats.”
“They don’t make them like this anymore. This little truck is over twenty years old.”
“You’re kidding. It looks like new.”
“You take good care of something and it will last you. If it’s good quality to start out with anyway.”
“Well, you’ve obviously tended this vehicle with special attention to detail.”
“I don’t like this modern idea of changing everything out every other month. Some folks want new cars, new friends, new hobbies and even new dates all the time. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to find a good thing and stick with it.”
“But you want me to get a new phone.” She directed him with a gesture to take the turn off to her house.
Blake turned the truck smoothly onto a narrow lane. “When there’s a reason to change, I’ll change. But if something can be fixed rather than thrown away, I don’t mind spending the time and effort. Especially when it comes to people.”
“The world would be a better place if more people thought like that.”
“I can tell you agree with me,” Blake said gently. “When it comes to people anyway. You’re very good to Mr. Silberman. The way the nurse talked, I could tell you’re a regular visitor. Are you kin to him somehow?”
“No. He and my father were old Army buddies. We used to all go out together for hamburgers or ice cream. I still love taking him out. It reminds me of my father.”
“Good memories?”
“The only kind worth keeping.” Piper sighed. “And it’s not hard where my father’s concerned.”
“But not all the memories are good. I know you’ve had some trouble recently.”
Piper flushed hot. She hated it that the whole town knew of her predicament. “It’s not that unusual to lose the family home after the death of a loved one. He was sick for a long time. The debts have to be paid. I only wish I could have sold the place before the bank foreclosed. Just a little more time.” With a shrug and a sigh, she tried to make her voice as light as she could. “I wasn’t going to try to stay there. What do I need with that big old house? It’s just a bit embarrassing that I couldn’t handle the situation on my own.”
“You’re a school teacher, not a real estate mogul. Nobody expects you to know all the ins and outs of such financial transactions.”
Maybe it was the lateness of the hour or the fact that she was feeling like the emotional equivalent of a rag that had just washed a hundred tractor-trailers, but she found the words slipping out before she could stop them. “I didn’t even try. If I had faced the problem and dealt with it sensibly, I could probably have saved myself a lot of embarrassment, but I just kept putting it off. I didn’t read the letters. I didn’t make the appointments. I didn’t talk to the advisers. Think ostrich.”
“You didn’t accept any of the help that was offered? I was at that funeral. I saw all kinds of family and friends approach you.”
“I just wanted to put it behind me. To forget it.”
“Understandable. You’d been through a hard time and needed to heal. That’s when you lean on friends. You can’t always be the one giving the help. Sometimes you need to be on the receiving end.” Blake pulled up in front of the house. “When’s the auction?”
“Next week. They haven’t rushed, but I’m nowhere near ready. All that stuff to be boxed up and… done something with. My father wouldn’t have wanted all his things to be thrown away. Somebody can get some good out of them.”
“Have you thought about an estate sale?”
“I wouldn’t know where to begin.” The sun was coming up over the horizon. She was still gazing at the glorious colors while Blake opened her door and helped her out of the truck.
“I’m sure we could figure something out, but it would be easier if I could hear you over the rumbling of my stomach. How about a bit of breakfast before you get some sleep?”
“Wait! I never thought! Do you have to work today? It’s Saturday, so I’m just spending the day packing and sorting but the hospital never closes.”
“I can get a call at any time, but I’m not scheduled to make rounds today or see any patients.”
Giving him her keys so that he could open the door for her seemed as natural as the way he followed her into the kitchen, humming under his breath the popular song about an old-fashioned girl. What else could she do but make the coffee while he rummaged in her fridge for eggs, milk and cheese? Her skillet was still on the stove, so he didn’t even have to ask where anything was as he whipped up tasty scrambled eggs. Her sluggish brain coasted comfortably through the cozy breakfast rituals as if the two of them had always eaten together commenting on the coolness of the breeze and the unpredictability of the weather.
When he had loaded their dishes neatly in the dishwasher, he leaned against the sink and took out his phone. After pressing a few buttons, a mechanical voice asked him what note he wanted to make and he calmly spoke into the set. “Call Aunt Peggy and schedule an auction for…” He looked up at her, eyebrows raised. “Next Saturday?”
Piper nodded after a quick glance at her wall calendar. “That should work. Who is Peggy?”
“She’s the lady who’s going to help you tag what you want to keep and auction off the rest. You get some sleep. I’m sure she’ll be by here this afternoon or tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to be any bother to her.”
“This is her job. She does it all the time. It’s no bother. She’ll take a small percentage, and you’ll be free from…” He raised his arms to indicate their surroundings.
“All this junk?” She grinned broadly despite her exhaustion. How gallant he was, trying to spare her feelings.
“I wasn’t going to call it that, but…”
“That’s because you’re sweet. It’s mostly junk but if someone wants any of it, I’ll be glad to be free, as you put it.” A wide yawn interrupted her chuckle.
Blake put one hand on her shoulder and turned her toward the door that led into the house. “I’ll see myself out. You hit the hay.”
After another yawn, she stopped in her tracks. “Oh, wait. I have to call the tow truck first.”
“Don’t worry about that. I�
��ll take care of the car. Just get some rest. Aunt Peggy will give you a call later.”
Not until much later did it occur to her to refuse his help. The peace of mind he offered in that moment was just too comfortable to resist. “Are you always this nice?”
“No. Only to girls who turn me down for dinner dates.”
“You would bring that up. I’m really sorry now. I just had no idea what I was missing.”
“Not missing. Just delaying the inevitable.” He sent her a piercing look, as if giving her one last chance to deny him.
She should protest. She should fight or worse, ignore him. She felt that if she allowed him to, he would steamroll right over her, but that he was waiting for her signal. Somehow, her sleep-deprived brain was making wiser decisions by instinct than she had ever made by calculation at her brightest moments. This was happening. He was real and he was there, rescuing her as she hadn’t dared to dream that anyone would. It was all happening too fast, and yet it seemed so right. Someone was taking care of her for a change and while she didn’t know how long it would last, she decided that she would savor every moment. She nodded, her sleepy smile taking some effort. “What else can I say except thank you?”
Six months later
“At it again, is she?” Blake let himself into Piper’s smart little apartment and grimaced as he looked around. “Did anybody catch the troop of monkeys that ran loose in here?” He couldn’t see the old couch or the armchair that he knew were hidden somewhere under all the detritus of a major packaging operation, but he saw evidence of activity at the kitchen table in the form of a wheelchair’s handle sticking out from behind a stack of empty boxes.
Mr. Silberman held up two pieces of packing paper in mock surrender. “It seems to be pretty much a way of life for Piper. Always in a bit of a pickle. Good thing she has you to get her out.”