Abound in Love (5 page)

He
shook his head.  “No way.  You’re not going to bed yet.  You’ve sustained a
head injury.  It’s never a good idea to fall asleep directly after receiving a
blow to the head.  And we need to get ice on your eye.”  He took her hand and
began tugging her toward the staircase to downstairs.

“Where
are…?”

“Ice. 
We need ice.”

Soon,
Laura found herself on the sofa, with an ice pack on her eye.  Dalton sat
nearby, his concern gaze riveted on her face.  “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Absolutely.” 
She furrowed her brow, and abruptly winced from the pain.  “What did I plow
into?”

“My
badge—er, my chest.  My badge on my chest,” he clarified with a rueful smile. 

“Oh,
well, I appreciate the ice.  I am, however, going to go back to bed.  I’ll just
… take the ice with me.”

He
shook his head.  “Please.  Humor me.  I hit you pretty hard.  I’d hate to take
any chances…”

Laura
relented with a sigh.  “Did you just get off work?”

He
nodded.  “Swing shift.”

“Was it
a busy night?”

“Fairly
busy,” he acknowledged.  “But it’s only Thursday.  The real fun comes tomorrow
night.”

Laura
settled against the back of the chair and pulled her feet up and under her. 
She felt a sudden, grateful relief that she had donned a robe before escorting
Kenny to bed.  Had she not, Dalton might have gotten a look at her sleep
attire.  It was modest, but she would have felt horribly uncomfortable
regardless.

“Are
you cold?” he asked, and simultaneously rose and retrieved a throw blanket from
the nearby loveseat.

“A
little.  It was sunny and seventy degrees when I flew out of Atlanta.”

He
grinned.  “I’d love to see a little of that Georgia sunshine myself.”

She
nodded with understanding.  “We see the occasional grey, cold day, but we
definitely see more sunshine than you do.”

“Don’t
rub it in,” he said in a mock-scolding tone.  “How do you feel now?”

“Tired.”

“Your eye
and head, I mean.”

She
gave a dismissive wave.  “I’m fine.  No permanent damage.”  She rose to leave,
but he shook his head. 

“Give
it thirty minutes or so.”

She
noted it was nearing eleven.  “I’ll probably conk out from exhaustion before
the clock strikes twelve.”

“I
won’t let you.”

“I’m
not sure how you’re going to prevent it.”  As if to demonstrate, she yawned.

“We’ll
talk.  Tell me what’s been going on with you.”

“Not
much to tell.  I’m a news writer for an Atlanta news organization.”

“Television
news, I understand.”

“That’s
right, although I write the occasional article for various magazines.”

He
nodded.  “I’ve read an article or two.  You’re very good.”

Laura’s
face infused with warmth.  Having Dalton compliment her caused her to hearken
back to the days when
any
word from him would have caused her heart to
swell.  Lord, she had been ridiculous back then.  The truth was, she was
feeling pretty ridiculous right now.

“What
are you thinking?” Dalton asked suddenly.  “Your face just got…”  He grinned. 
“Your peaches and cream complexion suddenly turned the color of a ripe
pomegranate.”

Laura
laughed self-consciously.  “That was very descriptive.  Maybe you should try
writing.”

“I
write all the time.  Incident reports at work.”

“I
don’t imagine that calls for a lot of colorful language.”

“Maybe
not, though unfortunately, I’m often on the receiving end of some colorful
language in my line of work.”

Laura
smiled sadly.  “I don’t envy you your job.  It has to be difficult.”

“I
wouldn’t want to do anything else,” he told her.

She
smiled.  “That’s right.  I remember you, even as a kid, talking about going
into law enforcement.  I never understood why…”  She abruptly stopped speaking
and her eyes widened.  Why had she just said that?  Probably sleep deprivation
accounted for her slip.  “Oh, Dalton, I’m so sorry…”

“Hey,
don’t worry about it.  It’s a fair observation.  Why would I pursue the career
when my dad was killed in the line of duty?”  He shrugged.  “My only answer is,
I guess it’s in my blood.”

She met
his gaze, her eyes reflecting her sorrow for her blunder.  He surprised her
when he took her hand.  “Stop worrying.  I can see in your eyes you’re beating
yourself up right now.  There’s no need.”  He sat back further on the couch. 
“You were always such a sweet little kid,” he remembered.  “Always standing up
for those less fortunate, always planting yourself squarely in front of the kid
others picked on…”

Laura
was sure she didn’t miss the admiration in his tone, and when his eyes lingered
on hers, she felt that familiar attraction for him.  She glanced around,
suddenly remembering where she was at present.  The muted light of the room
leant a too-intimate quality to the space.  She heard the steady cadence of her
heart, and registered when it increased—when she felt his fingers give her hand
a gentle squeeze.

So warm
and strong, his hand infused hers with warmth.  How often she had imagined
sitting with Dalton on a couch, or porch swing, their hands intertwined.  How
often she had imagined him taking her in his arms and kissing her. 

Laura
abruptly pulled her hand away.  She was being ridiculous.  She was
twenty-eight—and they were light years beyond high school, when a mere, brief
glimpse of Dalton could set her heart on over-drive.

“I
really should get to bed,” she said, beginning to rise.  She felt herself
teeter slightly, and Dalton rose and tightened his grip on her hand.

“Hey,
let’s give it a couple minutes,” he cautioned.  “Really, Laura, you hit me
pretty hard.  I am a bit concerned.”

She
eased back onto the couch. 

“What
were you doing, by the way?  When you and I ran into each other?” he asked.

She
heaved a weary sigh.  “Kenny had just fallen asleep and I was leaving his
room.”

“Was he
okay?  I know he hasn’t been himself lately.”

Laura
wondered how much she should divulge, but she suspected Dalton was privy to a
good deal more information than she was, being as he lived here now.  “The poor
little guy was upset and having trouble sleeping.”

“Did he
say why?”

“He
believes his parents’ split has something to do with him and Krissy.”

“Poor
kid.  But most kids do blame themselves when their parents have problems.  I’ll
have to talk to Dan and have him reassure him.”

“That’s…” 
Her words trailed off.  She really wasn’t sure how much she should say.

“What?”
he prompted.

“He
seemed to think his parents’ marital issues do have something to do with him,
since he said he overheard them arguing—and heard both his and Krissy’s names
mentioned.”

“Ah,
wow.  Poor Kenny.  I’m sure he was mistaken, but just the same, I’ll talk to
his dad.”

“Are …
you and Dan pretty good friends?” Laura asked.

He
nodded.  “Yeah, we’ve become good friends working together for the department.”

Laura
knew Dalton and Dan hadn’t run in the same crowd in high school.  Whereas
Dalton had been popular and very involved in school, Dan had been quiet and
reserved, and spent most of his time helping out on his parents’ farm. 

“Dalton…”

“Yes?”

“Do you
have any idea what’s going on between Laura and Dan?  Thomas said he doesn’t
know.  Do you think they’re headed for divorce?  The kids are convinced their
parents are splitting up.”

He ran
a hand through his hair.  “To be honest, I don’t know.  Dan is tight-lipped at
work, but he always has been.  He’s a good man—decent, respectful.  He would
never disparage Candace at work or anywhere else.”

“Which
makes it all the more difficult to fathom the two splitting up,” Laura said. 
“Although I certainly don’t know anything about my sister’s marriage, so I
can’t really speculate anyway.”

Laura
didn’t miss the sympathetic expression that flitted across Dalton’s face.  She
knew he was well aware of the way Candace had treated her during their
adolescent years.  For whatever reason, she suddenly felt embarrassed—as if she
were somehow deficient or flawed—which accounted for her sister’s treatment of
her.

Thankfully,
he didn’t comment on her lack of insight into her sister’s marriage.  He did
reinforce one of Thomas’ theories.  “I have to think her miscarriage prompted…”

“Do you
think she had a breakdown?” Laura cut in with concern.

“It’s
possible.  You hear about women who have post partum depression after a
successful birth.  I can’t even begin to imagine the pain of miscarriage.  It
stands to reason a person would have all sorts of emotions trying to deal with
the profound loss.  I know Dan was thrilled about the pregnancy.  It had to be
tough on both of them to have it end so tragically.”

“And
tough on the kids,” Laura mused.   

“Hey, I
thought I heard voices down here,” Thomas said sleepily.  He was standing at
the head of a short hallway off the living room that led directly to the only
bedroom on the main floor.  “Can’t sleep, you two?”

“I’m
afraid the kids were having some trouble sleeping,” Laura told him.  “I was
checking on Kenny, when I turned and…”

“Crashed
into me,” Dalton said.  “By the way, why didn’t you tell Laura that I live here
now?”

He gave
a shrug.  “I didn’t think about it.”

Laura
certainly wished he had.  She might have been better prepared for a late night
encounter with the object of her adolescent affection.

“Thanks
to your omission, Laura has a black eye.”

“Hey,
don’t blame me.  Sis, are you okay?”

“I’m
fine,” she assured him, and rose from the couch.  “No harm done.  Good night,
Dalton.  Thomas.”

She
padded upstairs, actually grateful to Thomas for appearing in the living room. 
Was she mistaken, or did Dalton seem intent on keeping her there to talk?  He
did seem genuinely concerned about her injury.  She supposed he could have been
worried she might fall asleep and never wake up.  But she was so exhausted,
even the sagging mattress beckoned to her weary body, and she didn’t have the
strength to resist.

She lay
down, promptly sliding into the massive indentation in the middle of the bed. 
“Lord, bless this family…  And Dalton…” she managed to pray, before she drifted
off to sleep.

***

“Aunt
Laura, Aunt Laura, wake up!”

Laura
heard a voice calling her name, but she resisted responding.  Her jet-lagged
mind and body yearned for sleep.

“
Aunt
Laura!
”

When
little fingers began prying her right eye open, she realized blissful slumber
would have to wait until nightfall.  “I’m awake,” she said, her speech slightly
slurred.

“Hey,
what happened to your eye?  It’s all swelled up.  Did you fall out of bed?”
Krissy asked with concern.

“No, I
didn’t fall out of bed,” she yawned.  “Hey, Krissy, how about letting Aunt
Laura sleep awhile longer?  I feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck.”  She
tried to roll over, but it was difficult with the uncooperative mattress, and
equally uncooperative niece, who had grasped her upper arm and was tugging at
her.

A deep
voice spoke from the doorway.  “I’ve had people mention I have pretty
impressive pectoral muscles, but comparing me to a mack truck, well…”

Laura
was suddenly wide awake, and instinctively yanked her covers up to her neck. 
“Dalton!”

“How’s
the eye?”

“Purple,”
Krissy informed.  “And swollen.  And black and blue.  And even a little red.” 
Krissy gave him a dirty look.  “You hurt Aunt Laura.”

“No,
no, it’s isn’t Dalton’s fault.  I’m okay.”

Dalton
frowned and crossed the threshold into the room.  “Let me have a look at that,”
he said.

Laura
dove under the covers.  She felt a tug on the blankets and held them in a death
grip.  “I’m not getting out of this bed until the room is cleared.  And no one
gets a gander at my eye until I’ve had both my shower, and a strong cup of
coffee.”

“What’s
a gander?” Krissy asked, as Dalton led her out of the room, chuckling.

“Find a
dictionary and look it up,” he said, prompting the little girl to groan.

“Uncle
Dalton, you always say that.  Can’t you just tell me?”

“Nope.”

When
Laura heard the sound of receding footsteps on the staircase, she finally
lowered her covers.  All clear.

She
gathered her toiletries and clothing and dashed into the bathroom.  She really
needed a shower, or she suspected she might never wake up adequately to face
her day.