Embattled Home (13 page)

This was kind of the big test, whether she realized it or not. As he sat there, heart thudding and palms sweating, wondering if he had time to cover up, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Lora ducked her head in the door, similar to how Flynn had. She smiled slightly when she saw him sitting on the bed, but her green eyes were serious. “I’m not bothering you, am I?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. Come on in.”

She stepped a little further inside the doorway but didn’t let go of the door itself.

Chad knew the exact moment when she spotted the leg. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Her gaze rested on the prosthetic at the corner of the bed, then flicked to his sweats. The left leg was obviously gone; there was no hiding that.

She blinked and finally lifted her troubled eyes to his. “I didn’t realize. You never said anything.”

He shrugged, struggling not to hide as her eyes ran up his chest. She had to be getting a hell of an eyeful. “It’s not something you can just throw out there in the middle of conversation. And it hasn’t been convenient to talk about much of anything. We’ve been busy.”

Lora nodded, her eyes drifting back down his chest. “Yes, we have.”

Chad shifted, his body heating under the weight of her eyes.

She closed them with a wince and shook her head, and he felt lacking. “I wanted to tell you I was sorry for the way Mercy reacted.” She took a heavy, shuddering breath, and looked at him again. “I think you kind of brought up some memories. One of the only things Derek ever promised her was a pony of her own. It was just a message on the answering machine, but she took it to heart.”

Chad winced. “I wondered if it wasn’t something like that. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Lora moved a little further into the room, letting go of the door. “It wasn’t your fault at all. You were trying to make her happy. And I truly appreciate that.”

“Should I take Taco back down to the main house?”

She shook her head, blond hair swinging around her battered face. “No. Can we keep him up here for a while? I think she’ll figure things out in her own time and she’ll want to see him again.”

Chad gave her a single nod. “We can. The old guy doesn’t take a lot of care.”

She smiled slightly. “Is he really as old as you are?”

With a chuckle, he shifted on the bed. “Older, actually. One of my sisters got him for her birthday and he was several years old then. Ponies aren’t like normal horses. They’re tough little bastards.”

Lora grinned and even laughed a little.

Chad watched her expression lighten and felt like the sun had come up. He was an easy-going guy, fairly funny, or so he thought, but Lora was a tough nut to crack. And after what she’d been through, how could he blame her? That little laugh gave him hope for more.

And the fact that she hadn’t freaked about his leg was encouraging.

When he focused on her again, she was looking at him, considering.

“What?” he asked.

Frowning, she motioned to the prosthetic. “I didn’t even realize. You move so normally.”

Chad tried not to wince at the inference that he was abnormal.

“I’ve had many years to practice. I lost it in ’07, same time as this.” He lifted his bandaged hand.

“Why is it bandaged?”

He snorted. “Because I’m stupid and haven’t been taking care of it. I need to moisturize it every day and things have been a little busy recently.”

It was her turn to wince then. “I’m sorry we’ve messed up your schedule.”

Chad shook his head. “No biggie. Really.” He motioned to the duffel. “I pack with the expectation of everything. It’ll be fine in a day.”

Lora shifted on her feet as if she still had something to say. “I wanted to let you know that I appreciate everything you’ve done to welcome us here. I mean, this is your family home,” she sighed. “I would never wish trouble to follow us here, but I can’t help but worry.”

He had his own worries about that, not that she needed to know. “My parents are very understanding. There’s such a small chance of Derek finding us. I do believe you’re safe for however long we need to be here.”

Almost immediately, her shoulders relaxed and he could almost see some of the worry ease away. Chad wanted to go to her and wrap her in his arms, but he didn’t think she would be good with that. Instead he offered her a grin. “Enjoy your time on the ranch as much as you can.”

She nodded and he thought he saw the glisten of tears in her eyes. “It is beautiful here. I meant to tell you that earlier. I’m a city girl, so all this quiet is kind of…odd.” She motioned to the darkening evening outside the window. “Are there predators up here?”

He glanced out the window. “Occasionally we might see a mountain lion, but most often you’ll hear the coyotes howling. If you hear it, don’t be alarmed. They very rarely come near people.”

Lora folded her arms and he could see the doubt in her expression.

“Maybe I could get you on a horse. That would probably ease Mercy’s mind about Taco.”

Big green eyes widened, then winced in pain. She pressed a hand to the bruised side of her face. “I don’t know if I can take that much excitement.”

He forced a grin. “You may like it. Controlling an animal like that.”

An odd expression crossed her face before she nodded. “I may, actually.” She glanced out the window. “I’ll let you get some rest.”

With a final glance at him she slipped out the door.

Chad slumped on the side of the mattress, wrung out. It was always disconcerting taking off his Superman costume, but “Lois Lane” had seemed cool with everything.

Stretching out on the bed, he stared up at the ceiling, going over their interaction. The final few seconds played through in his mind. She’d looked at him, over his chest, but her gaze hadn’t drifted any further. She hadn’t even glanced at his leg before she’d walked out the door.

L
ora wrapped her
arms around herself and walked down the hallway to the bedroom she shared with Mercy. The poor little thing was tuckered out after traveling all day and playing, and she’d fallen into a sorrowful heap on the bed. Handsome was now clutched in her arms.

As a mother, she wanted her daughter to be cautious, but she didn’t want her to hide away because of her past. Yes, Lora had tried to keep her sheltered from her father as much as she could, but there would come a time when the little girl would either fade away or use this experience as a jumping off point for a truly momentous life. Obviously, she hoped the latter.

Every few months, Derek would come up with some scheme to insert himself into their lives. Showing up with tickets to the circus or the zoo, then leaving it to Lora to explain why they couldn’t go with him. It had become such a fight.

And she always felt like the bad guy.

Whenever Derek would do something like that, she made sure to try to follow through with Mercy herself. Some of the stunts he tried to pull were completely out of her budget, but for the most part she felt like she made sure Mercy had experiences.

When Chad had offered to bring the pony up, she didn’t think it would cause such a meltdown with her daughter. Several months ago, Derek had tried to surprise her with a pony at the house, but Lora had taken Mercy out of town for the weekend, not believing he’d actually follow through with the message he’d left. By the time they’d returned, the pony had been gone, but the mess remained. She’d had to explain to Mercy what had happened.

Heartbroken, the little girl had refused to talk to her for several hours.

Lora had thought that Chad’s pony would bring her some happiness. She’d have to talk to Mercy in the morning.

Crossing the room, she sank down into the chair beside the window, dragging a discarded sweater across her lap. The sun had gone down and evening was deepening. She should have been thinking about going to bed, but her mind refused to settle.

It didn’t help that they were in such unfamiliar surroundings. This was nothing like her little suburban house in Denver. Literally she could see for miles here. Mostly cattle and long sweeps of brown land, but it was still picturesque. A little strange not seeing jagged peaks outside her window, but she could deal with it.

Chad fit here. Laid back and calm, he seemed comfortable. Those cowboy boots made sense. Outside, especially. He’d said his dad had given him this acreage to try to get him to come home more often and she could see the appeal. Though the buildings in the suburbs made her feel secure, the expanse of land here thrilled her heart with its wildness.

She could make a life with her daughter out here and not give Denver a second thought.

She flashed back to Chad driving the truck into the yard. He’d seemed very natural introducing Taco to Mercy. Her throat tightened as she remembered how Mercy had burrowed into his arms when she’d gotten frightened.

Lora wished she could do that as well.

On nights like these, she ached with loneliness. Chad sitting bare-chested on his bed had seemed so appealing, even though she’d been shocked at his appearance. She’d had no idea he was missing a leg. That was kind of a huge thing to overlook, but she’d been lost in her own issues for too long. Heck, she couldn’t even remember him limping or anything, other than when he wheeled her out of the hospital. But she’d thought that had been acting.

She’d been taken off guard, too, when she’d seen the defensive insecurity in his eyes. It was obvious he hadn’t wanted to tell her but he felt he had to.

The thought of him experiencing something so traumatic that he’d lost a limb made her gut clench. The war overseas was a distant thing, easily put out of mind when daily life intruded. Mercy had asked about a couple of news segments she’d seen, but Lora remembered now that she’d reassured her and changed the subject. She had effectively buried her daughter’s head in the sand along with her own.

As traumatic as the sight of his prosthetic leg had been, her reaction to his bare chest had rocked her more. Chad was muscled but lean. Actually, he could stand to put on a few pounds. But her gaze had been drawn to his chest and abs over and over again. Skin wrinkled over his muscles and his pectorals had rippled when he’d made a motion. There was also a tattoo on his left shoulder. All she could see from where she was standing was a dark blob. Without conscious thought, she’d crept a bit closer to him.

Maybe she felt safer with him
because
he wasn’t perfect. She could see imperfections down the left side of his chest and neck, and there were freckles sprinkled across his upper shoulders. And when he grinned, she could see he had a crooked tooth at the bottom front. He didn’t seem to care though. Maybe part of his appeal was that he didn’t care what he looked like. He seemed okay with the scars and superficial marks, but the amputation made him insecure.

Derek had been the extreme opposite, always going to the gym and working out with his guards. There had been a private gym in the bowels of the family home. She’d never gone down there though Derek had urged her to all the time. She remembered a scene just a couple weeks after she’d had Mercy. His voice rang so clearly in her head.

“You need to tighten up those arms. And your belly is disgusting. I don’t care if you did just have a baby.”

She snorted. Even though she’d been disgusting, she’d apparently been okay enough to fuck.

Lora shook away the thought. It had happened years ago.

Chad was the first man to appeal to her physically. Too bad she’d never do anything about it.

Lora woke up
the next morning strangely energized. Mercy was chattering at her like a magpie, and she’d apparently forgotten about her breakdown from the night before. Lora found ingredients for pancakes in the cupboards and heated a griddle on the countertop. It was a little difficult juggling things with her good hand, but she managed.

The huge, shaved-headed guy came in from outside and glanced at her in the kitchen.

Lora took a deep breath. “If you’d like pancakes, there are plenty.”

He tipped his head to her. “Thank you.”

He disappeared down the hallway, carrying the big rifle like it didn’t weigh anything. Mercy’s eyes widened when she saw it but she didn’t say anything.

Chad came in next. His eyes widened when he saw her cooking and he grinned. “Pancakes are the way to a man’s heart.”

Lora flushed and turned back to the griddle, unwilling to engage in that conversation. “Maybe we can get in some groceries?”

He leaned against the counter beside her and crossed his arms. He’d found an old ball cap somewhere and it sat cocked over his eyes. “We can. Why don’t you make a list and we’ll send somebody down.”

She nodded, wondering who they would send. Hopefully Rachel. She’d professed not to be a cook, but maybe she could at least maneuver a grocery store.

Mercy bounced up and down in her seat, excited to be out of school. She stuffed huge chunks of pancake into her mouth, dripping syrup down her chin and shirt. Lora swiped at her with a napkin, but it did no good. “You’re going to need another bath if you don’t close your mouth on that syrup, girl.”