Special Delivery. Judi Lynn

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      “You haven’t gotten out of bed yet?” Keagan called.

      “Don’t be daft. Had to use the bathroom, didn’t I? Then I got a bottle of Ensure.”

      Karli rolled her eyes. “Tell your mom thanks. I appreciate the food.”

      With a nod, Keagan left and returned to his truck. For the rest of his route, though, he thought about the casserole. And Karli. She was one cute girl, and she didn’t put up with any flack. A good thing, or Axel would run over her.

      He thought of the house and felt sorry for her. She was one determined woman to stay in a place in shambles with an old man who was mean as spit. He didn’t think she had a prayer of convincing Axel to go to a nursing center, but she might be able to come up with something else. He wished her luck.

      Chapter 4

      Karli took a plate out of the cupboard and washed it. Axel would need something sturdy to eat on. She searched the kitchen drawers for silverware and washed those, too. While she rinsed and dried them, her mind drifted to Keagan. He was plenty attractive, despite the scars on the left side of his face. There was something about him that intrigued her. He was quiet, secure in his own skin. She glanced at her reflection in the kitchen window. Guys always hit on her. Always. But he acted indifferent. It bugged her.

      She dished the hot food onto Axel’s plate. She’d see Keagan tomorrow when he delivered the mail. Maybe she’d wear a V-neck shirt, show a little cleavage. Maybe he was a boob guy and not into legs. When she started her new job in Indy, it would last three months. She could easily drive down here a few times a month if she and Keagan connected. She shook her head. What the hell was she thinking? She didn’t have to chase guys. They chased her. She’d better get a grip.

      “Hey, what the hell are you doing out there? Eating the casserole without me?” Axel shouted.

      “There was steam coming off it. Too hot. It should be okay now.” She carried the food into his room. An empty carton of cottage cheese sat on his TV tray. Good. He’d wheeled himself into the kitchen last night to get it and then wheeled for Ensure this morning.

      “Did you clean a spot for your lunch?” She reached for the remote to turn down the volume on the TV, but he snatched it first.

      “Leave my things be. I like it this loud.”

      “I’ll turn it up later. I’d like to talk to you while you eat.”

      He got a mulish look on his face and pulled the remote closer to his chest.

      She looked at the full plate of tamale pie she’d carried in and shrugged. “Fine.” She turned to carry it back to the kitchen.

      “Where are you going, girl? I said I’m hungry.”

      “Then turn down the TV.”

      He glared. “It don’t matter what you say. I ain’t gonna do anything you want.”

      “Then I’ll bring you a carton of applesauce.”

      His gaze riveted on the hot food, and he tossed the remote on a nearby chair. “There. You happy now?”

      He wouldn’t hand it to her, but she didn’t care. She’d dealt with worse. She’d had patients in hospitals that she’d had to restrain so they wouldn’t yank all of their IV tubes out. She put the food on his TV tray and went to get the remote. After pushing the mute button, she sat across from him. She’d eat her food later, couldn’t make herself eat with him. He was too disgusting with his stained shirt and leftover food stuck in his beard. “I know you don’t want to leave your home, but you’re reaching a point where you need to.”

      “Bullshit.” He shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth.

      She sighed. “Your house is in terrible shape. So are you. You can’t get around very well. If a fire started, you wouldn’t make it out of here. And you’re not eating right.”

      “That’s my business, not yours.”

      “What have you got against a nursing center? You’d get three squares a day and a shower once a week. They’d let you have your TV in your room and they have activities. You’d be moving up in the world.”

      “People would think they had the right to boss me around. No one tells me what to do.”

      “Even if it’s for your own good?”

      “I do what I want.”

      He did indeed. “Why not go now when you have a choice rather than waiting for poor health to make it for you?”

      He stuck out his chin. “Let them try.”

      She shook her head and rose. “What if I try to arrange for you to get Meals on Wheels and some in-home nursing?”

      “I don’t want some strangers sticking their noses in my business.”

      She was losing patience. “Well, you’d better cozy up to the idea, because you’re not safe on your own.”

      “I can make it outside if a fire starts. The door’s right there and Keagan put a handle on the doorframe that I can use for support.”

      He’d finished his meal, gave her a look, and tossed his plate against the far wall. He’d eaten every bite, and the plate was plastic, so it didn’t do any harm.

      She laughed at him. “Are we two?”

      “We aren’t anything. Go home, girl. I don’t want you here.”

      She bent and picked up the empty plate. Then she put his remote on the chair she vacated. “Learn some manners, old man.”

      “Hey, I can’t reach the remote there.”

      “Use your wheelchair since you can do so much.” She went in the kitchen and dished up a plate of food for herself. After eating it, she took out the stack of six more dishes and the rest of the silverware to put in the soapy water. No dishwasher. Why would Eloise need a modern convenience when she had twelve children to help her?

      The TV blurted to life in the back room, so Axel had gotten his remote. Karli wondered how much he actually could do. When everything was in the drying rack, she wiped down the cupboards and counters. She groaned when she looked at the stove. Axel was lucky he’d never had a grease fire. She emptied the dirty water in the sink and refilled it. It took an hour and a half to get the stove clean enough to use.

      When the kitchen was tolerable, she concentrated on the parlor. The room was a decent size with only a wooden rolltop desk in it. The desk was nice. There was plenty of room for her queen-sized air mattress to sleep on. She opened the window to let in fresh air, found a dust mop in a broom closet, and swiped down the walls and ceiling. Then she brought in a broom. A few hours later, the room was clean, but dingy.

      Someone knocked at the front door. She glanced at her reflection in the glass doors that closed off the parlor from the living room. Her hair had gone a little wild, since it was damp with sweat. Her top clung to her. So did her jeans, but she was presentable.

      A heating and air conditioning truck was СКАЧАТЬ