Special Delivery. Judi Lynn
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Название: Special Delivery
Автор: Judi Lynn
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
Серия: Mill Pond
isbn: 9781516101399
isbn:
Keagan laughed. “I don’t blame them. Axel’s a pill.”
“That’s putting it nicely. How do you put up with him? He just chased the visiting nurse away.”
“That’s not good. Who does he think will take care of him when you leave?”
“His kids who come home to rescue him and inherit all of his money.”
“Like that’s going to happen. I guess I feel a little sorry for him. It sucks to get old and have to depend on people when you’ve never had to.”
Brad shook his head, nodding toward Keagan. “This guy’s too much of a softy. He can be had with a sad story.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Karli had gotten the impression people could only push Keagan so far.
Brad thought about his answer. “Sometimes, he should put himself first. He’s happy staying in the background.”
Keagan chuckled. “I don’t have a choice when I’m with you. When we’re around women, I might as well be invisible.”
Brad reached for another sandwich. “Well, I wasn’t talking about the ladies, but really, you don’t even try. They come to our table because I flirt with them. You don’t make an effort.”
Keagan shrugged, unconcerned. “I want to get my studio up and going first. I’m not ready for women.”
Not what she wanted to hear. Karli raised an eyebrow. He’d better get ready, because she had him in her crosshairs, but it was going to take more work than she’d expected. She gathered their empty plates—his plates, the ones he’d made. She motioned to them. “I love these. I wanted to use them for lunch, but there are only four of them. How many patterns do you make?”
“I try to do something new for each season, painted any way the customer wants. You should come to the studio on my parents’ farm. I can show you my lines.”
Just herself and Keagan? “I’d love that.”
Keagan finished his beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “We’d better finish up. We’re almost done. Once the sun gets a little lower, it gets damn chilly. Thanks for the food.”
They climbed back up their ladders and half an hour later came to say goodbye to her. She walked out to see the finished work and smiled. She’d expected bare wood, but the men had painted it and all of the other columns so they matched. “The house looks sturdy again—neglected but solid.”
“It’s a good house.” Keagan’s voice sounded wistful. “I always think it’s sad to see a good house left to die.”
“Die?” Brad laughed at him, but Karli nodded agreement.
“A house is more than wood and nails on a foundation. It shelters people, becomes a home.”
Keagan locked gazes with her. “That’s how I feel.”
Brad laughed at both of them, then started to his pickup. “Gotta go. I’m meeting some people at Chase’s tonight. Wanna come, K?”
Keagan gestured across Axel’s dry, weedy field. “Mom invited me for supper tonight, since I’d be so close.”
“You had a choice,” Brad called. “You could hit Chase’s with me.”
“Maybe next week.”
“Yeah, right, you’ll probably hole up in your studio.” Brad pulled away.
With a wave, Keagan climbed in his SUV and left, too.
Karli had enjoyed their company. She grimaced as she walked back into the house. She got to spend Saturday night with Axel. Woo-hoo! She took a deep breath. So far, she’d struck out on everything she’d tried with the old man. Maybe she was going about things wrong.
She went out to the sun porch to straighten his TV tray and asked, “Can you drive?” She’d seen an oversized gray pickup in his garage.
Axel gave her a look. “What do you think?”
“I’m not sure. But if you don’t want people in your house, maybe you should go to them.”
Axel turned back to his TV show. “Doesn’t matter. Can’t drive, and I’m not paying.”
Back to square one. “Then we haven’t made any progress.”
“Speak for yourself. I’ve been eating high on the hog.”
If looks could kill . . . She took a deep breath. How could she make him understand? “I didn’t come here to pamper you. I’m a nurse, but I’m not your nurse. I came to help you find a nursing home or get you live-in care.”
“No worries. You’re doing that, missy. You just being here will bring some of the others, and then they can knock themselves out, trying to win my favor.”
The old man just didn’t get it. She put a hand on his forehead and shook her head. “Nope, no fever. You’re not delirious, just deluded.”
He sniffed and turned away. “Just you wait and see. They’ll be here.”
As she carried his things to the kitchen and began putting them away, she slammed doors a little harder than needed. But if any of his kids were like him, the old fool might be right.
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