Weddings Collection. Кэрол Мортимер

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СКАЧАТЬ mother, and to be shut out that way wounded her more than any of us suspected. Somebody’s got to see to the scars, to helping them finally heal.” He grinned slightly as he looked up at Kevin. “I hear you’ve got some medical training.”

      Kevin shook his head. “Only what I’ve picked up in books. Jimmy’s the doctor in the family,” he reminded Max.

      “Which he wouldn’t have been if you hadn’t put yourself out there for him. And for Alison and Lily.” Max folded his hands before him as he looked intently at Kevin. “I know exactly the kind of man you are, Kevin. Your reputation, thanks to your brother and sisters, came here long before you did. You’re the kind of man June needs. Don’t give up on her.”

      That said, he switched topics as he leaned back, nursing the lemonade. “Have you talked to the Kellogg boy yet? He worked for Trans-state before he came back here.”

      Grateful for the shift, Kevin nodded. “I saw him and talked to Shayne and Sydney just to get a feel for all this.”

      “And?” He must have arrived at some kind of conclusions, Max thought.

      Nothing had changed from the time he’d walked in. “And I’m still thinking. I need to get a few ballpark figures going before I move on to the next step.”

      Max nodded. He supposed that was only reasonable. It wasn’t so much the transport service that he was concerned with, although that would be, in and of itself, a good thing. It was having Kevin committed to something that forced him to remain here.

      “Take all the time you need—as long as you come up with the right answer.”

      The phone rang just then. Max set aside his glass. “I’m going to have to take this.”

      Kevin was already on his feet. “And I’ve got to get going, anyway. See you in church.” There was a rehearsal set for tomorrow night. The wedding was on Saturday.

      That didn’t leave much time to make up his mind he thought as he left the sheriff’s office.

      Finishing up early, her conscience nagging at her, June aimed her vehicle back toward the house, hoping to catch Kevin before he left.

      She’d been horrible to him these past few days and he didn’t deserve it. But she’d been so confused inside. Having her father turn up this way had brought it all back to her.

      The pain, the sorrow. The determination.

      She’d sworn to herself that she was never going to be like her mother. She was never going to give any man the power of life and death over her heart. Never be weak.

      She was going to be strong. Like April.

      But April had found someone, a good someone, and gotten married. And, from all she could glean, her older sister was incredibly happy. Happier than she’d been before she’d married Jimmy.

      Her grandmother never seemed to be without some kind of male companionship, not in all the years she could remember. She was pretty sure that the woman was going to wind up letting Yuri wear her down and agree to marry him. All of her marriages, according to Ursula Hatcher, had been on her terms and much too short, cut down in their prime by acts of providence.

      Two happy women versus a woman who had lost her heart, her mind and her will to live because she’d loved the wrong man.

      How do you know when the right man comes along? Her mother had thought her father was the right man and she’d been horribly wrong.

      Approaching the house, she saw that Kevin’s car was gone. A sadness swept over her. She felt as if she was driving the last few yards in slow motion, without a purpose.

      What did she expect? She hadn’t exactly been the Wicked Witch of the West toward him, but no one was going to see him rushing to stuff the ballot box to nominate her as Miss Congeniality, either.

      With a sigh, she got out of the Jeep and walked into the house. The emptiness mingled with the scent of fresh paint, making her stomach tighten in a knot.

      She wasn’t a coward. Why was she letting the idea of loving someone throw such fear into her?

      Damn it, why couldn’t she have had a normal childhood? Why couldn’t her father have loved her mother enough to stay, instead of leaving and breeding a measure of insecurity into all of them?

      The front door opened and closed. She was out of the kitchen in less time than it took for the sound to register in her brain.

      Kevin.

      The knot loosened. A smile climbed up from the center of her being until it adorned her face and lit up her eyes. She could feel it forging a path.

      “I didn’t expect you back.”

      He was surprised to find her here. She usually didn’t get back until later. “I didn’t expect to be back.” Kevin scanned the room and saw what he was looking for. Moving around her, he crossed to the scarred, wobbly piece of furniture that served as a coffee table. “I forgot my wallet.”

      She smiled almost shyly. “Good thing you weren’t pulled over for speeding.”

      Kevin paused after he slipped his wallet into his pocket. Signals were coming at him he wasn’t sure what to do with. “That’s the first smile I’ve seen on you all week.”

      Another man would have been sarcastic. What the hell was the matter with her, running from someone like Kevin? “I’m sorry, I’ve had a lot to think about.” She flushed, finding her way through the field of land mines, otherwise known as an apology. “I know I haven’t been very good company lately.”

      “You haven’t been any company lately.” Not the kind to dwell on offenses, he offered her an easy out if she wanted it. “I’ve seen you maybe a total of fifteen minutes since I made dinner for us the other night. I know I’m not as good as Lily, but I’m not bad enough to scare you off that way.”

      “No.” She pressed her lips together, feeling more awkward, more exposed that she was accustomed to. “You’re not.”

      He peered at her face, trying to read between the lines. “But I did scare you off.”

      She hated the word when it was applied to her. She was supposed to be fearless. The term mocked her. Supposed to be. “What?”

      “You didn’t contact me,” he pointed out. “I scared you off.” Maybe he had moved too fast that day. She’d come home, literally shaken and vulnerable, and what had he done? He’d made love with her and probably compounded her problem. “Look, June, I never meant to hurt you—”

      “Hurt me?” Now he really had lost her. “What are you talking about?”

      “If I’d known that you hadn’t—”

      She suddenly realized what he was trying to say. “You think I’ve been acting like such a jerk because we made love?”

      “I wouldn’t exactly say jerk—”

      She cut him off, laughing shortly. “Call a spade a spade, Kevin. We do up here. I’ve been in a really bad mood and it’s because—” СКАЧАТЬ