Granddad's House (On Geneva Shores) (25 page)

“That we slept together?”

“No, honey, that I love you.” He winked at her. “Or maybe you don’t want to because you don’t love me.” His grin widened. “Although I’ll be crushed that I so misjudged you if that’s the case.”

She giggled in spite of herself. “You didn’t misjudge me.” She stroked his chest, making little circles on his skin. “I love you, Beau, so much that it hurts sometimes, but I just don’t see how we …”

“Your grandfather told me I was the man he wanted for you, darlin’.” His eyes sparkled at her. “When we first talked about my buying his house.” He paused and kissed her lips again. “That wonderful man knows you pretty well, and he saw something in me … He told me you were a lot like your grandmother. I think he knew that I loved you—right from the start. And that you, well, that you were attracted to me, too. Even when you tried to hide it by not being very nice.” He chuckled and nibbled on her right earlobe. “Someone told me once that anger and love have a lot in common. I think you were trying to hide your attraction to me in all that huffiness and super-professionalism.”

She slid the sheet over the two of them. “Will you stay the night, Beau—here, with me, tonight?”

“You’re trying out what it might be like—doing this all the time?”

She smiled. “Other times, we’ve been at your place. But the first time you were here, I woke up and you were gone. I was so angry about that.” A flash of the dismay she’d felt that morning slid through her brain.
But Beau said he loves me.

“I remember. Had you said what you were about to—in my office, I think you would have given my client a stroke.” He chuckled. “On the other hand, he probably would have died a happy man—with erotic images in his head.” He laughed outright. “I saved his life and he didn’t even know it.”

“Are you going to leave tomorrow—before I’m awake?”

“Not a chance.” He looked over at the night sky. “We were going to have dinner. Do you still want to do that?”

She nodded. “I’ll make it.”

“Then let me be your sous chef.” He grinned and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

Beau’s body hummed as he reached for his jeans. He recognized it for what it was. Nerves. Anxiety about what had almost happened, coupled with a desire to have a child with Olivia. But not right now. She had almost succeeded in taking him, in getting him to finish without a condom … What was she thinking? That getting pregnant was her reward? Or was she just trying to hang on to a part of him when she couldn’t see past her responsibilities to her grandfather? He was going to have to talk to her about that again.

His thoughts skittered back to that girl in high school and how his father had stared him down when he’d had to tell him she was pregnant and it was his fault. When she told him afterward that she’d had an abortion—her parents had insisted—without asking him what he’d wanted, he’d been furious and then quietly relieved. He’d given her the money for it afterward, but still he’d felt guilty for not taking precautions. It was a lesson he’d never forgotten.

Maybe if he talked to Olivia’s grandfather first, asked him for his blessing, so he could ask her to marry him. Beau’s father would have expected him to do that. He pulled on his shirt and went to join Olivia in the kitchen.

She was singing along with the radio as she chopped the vegetables. She pointed to the grill on the small deck. “I thought you might like a steak—what Granddad calls man food. I started the grill. If you’d like to put them on, I’ll finish the marinade.”

He followed her directions and in less than an hour, they were eating.

“No wine?” he asked, grinning.

She laughed. “You know how it gets to me. I don’t have any. I guess if you’re going to come over more often, I’ll have to get some.”

He chuckled. “I’ll lay in a supply.”

After dinner he listened when she called her grandfather, who seemed to be his jovial self.

“Is everything all right?” Beau asked when she hung up.

“I think so. Granddad seemed okay. And, when I take him out tomorrow, I’ll make sure he’s eating right.”

“You are a love, Olivia. Your grandfather is lucky to have you.”

“I’m all he has. He’s my last living relative. I’m so lucky he’s still here.” Her eyes welled.

“Correction.” He reached over and grasped her hands. “You have me now, too. We have each other.”

“Correction accepted,” she murmured.

But later that evening he detected hesitation in her voice when she described what she’d seen the last time she had visited the old man.
How long should I wait to go see him?
Maybe he would he talk to Olivia first—ask her—on bended knee, the old-fashioned way, his meaning clear. No. He would get a ring first, and show it to her grandfather—to prove his intentions were honorable, that he wanted Olivia for all the right reasons, and that he wanted to help her take care of her grandfather, too. But would the old man accept his help?

Chapter 15

Beau kissed Olivia good-bye the next morning. “I’ll call you. Or you can call me—on my private line or my cell—anytime. After you see your grandfather.”

An hour later she called Genevieve. “I’m with Granddad today. Could you reschedule my appointments for tomorrow?” She put together a picnic lunch and drove to his condo, pleased that the fall weather had moderated and the sky was clear.

She knocked on Granddad’s door. No answer. She rang the bell. After several minutes, she heard the deadbolt disengage. When her grandfather opened the door, Olivia tried not to show her dismay. He was still in his robe, his hair uncombed
.
Not ready? Did he forget?

“Granddad. We were going for a drive today and a picnic lunch.” What had happened? He’d always dressed nattily, ready before everyone else whenever an outing was planned.

“Oh.” He nodded. “Yes. That’s right. I was watching the news. Come on in, Livvy. It won’t take me long.”

She went into the kitchen. His breakfast, half of it anyway, was still on the table, the insulin not yet injected. She pressed her lips together.
This has to stop.
She had to convince him to move in with her. Even if it meant she couldn’t be with Beau.

Several minutes later, he came back into the living room, fully dressed. She approached him, the insulin vial and packaged syringe in her hand. “Granddad, you need to take your insulin.”

He glanced at her hand. “Oh. That’s right. I was getting ready to do that.” He took the insulin and syringe from her and headed into the bathroom.

“Would you like me to help you?” she asked.

“I don’t need any help,” he replied, his voice raspy.

Not his usual cheerful self. Was this another sign?
She made a mental note to call the doctor when they returned from their outing.

But after he returned from the bathroom, her grandfather smiled at her and reached out to her to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m ready for our drive.  What did you bring for lunch?”

“Some sandwiches and fresh fruit. Where’s your glucometer and your medicine? Let’s take it with us.”

She was relieved that he didn’t argue and simply gathered up the equipment, slipped it into a plastic bag and handed it to her.

“You take such good care of me, Livvy. I ’preciate that.” He opened the closet door. “Do you think I need a coat?”

“Maybe. It’s nice now, but it could be cooler in the hills.” She waited for him to don his overcoat. “We’re off,” she said.

He followed her to the car, commenting cheerfully about the fall colors and how many leaves were ready to be raked into piles.

“Isn’t it nice that you don’t have to worry about that anymore? The people who do the landscaping around your condo take care of the lawns and everything except your private garden.”

He nodded.

They drove for several minutes before she turned off the radio and glanced over at him. “Granddad, I need to ask you a question.”

“Something about your business at the office? As if I would know. Too bad your dad isn’t here to do that.”

“No. It’s about Beau.”

He was silent for a long minute. “Beau. I like him. A very nice man. It looks like he’s doing a nice job with those changes at the house, my old house. The one I don’t own anymore.”

“Yes, he is.” While they waited for the light to change, she took a deep breath. “Did you tell him, maybe suggest, that he was the kind of man you wanted me to find?” Her cheeks heated as she recalled their conversation the previous evening.

He smiled at her and patted her hand. “What if I did? Your dad isn’t here to look after you. I like Beau. And I think he’s a man you could like, if you’d give yourself half a chance. There’ve been times when I thought you did like him—even though you haven’t said so.” He peered at her more closely. “Or maybe you have already … admitted it to yourself, I mean. Even if you haven’t told me. Did you ever take him to The Mountain like I asked?”

The hint of a smile played about his face when she glanced his way. She turned her attention to the road before answering. “Yes. You made me promise. So I took him there.”

“Well, how did it go? Was it a nice trip? Did you show him that pretty little meadow where you and I went after your Grandmamma … before we put her to rest?”

“I took him there. He liked it.” Her heart began to pump more rapidly, remembering again how that evening had ended.

“I’m glad you shared The Mountain with him. And that he liked it. He’s a nice man,” he repeated.

She pointed the car toward the hills. When she stopped at the park known for its fall color displays, she left the basket in the car, pulled her jacket closed against the coolness of the breeze, and waited for her grandfather to climb out of the car.

She took his hand as they headed up the wide trail among the trees in vibrant fall colors. They had arrived at an overlook and were admiring the hues that contrasted with the dark greens of the spruce and hemlock trees when her grandfather cleared his throat. He sat down on a nearby bench.

“I don’t want you to hold off getting married just because you think you have to take care of me,
Livvy.”

Was he reading her mind? She gave him a quick sidelong glance, but he was taking in the view.

“I want you to have a family,” he added and reached for her hands when she turned toward him. “Now, let me finish.” He cleared his throat again. “Your father isn’t here to tell you this, so I’m going to. You’ve been taking care of his business, the office, since he died, and I know you think that’s your job now. It is. But I don’t want you to end up an old maid—”

“Granddad,” she protested. “Since when are single professional women old maids?”

He chuckled. “My mistake. But you know what I mean. Your grandmamma worried about you working so much that you never took the time to have fun with people your own age. All this year, you’ve been fretting about me in my big old house, rattling around in there by my lonesome. Then we had all those problems getting it sold and you weren’t happy that Beau came along first—before that family did. But now it’s sold and you found me that nice condo to live in.”

“You do like it there, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. Though I must admit that some mornings before I’m awake, I think I’m back in my house, like before, waiting for the coffee to perk so I can get up and have breakfast and take care of my roses. Some nights I kind of forget to set it up, and then it doesn’t start in the morning. Which means
I
don’t start in the morning, at least not as early as I used to.” He smiled at her. “I need to remember to do that. Set up the coffee, I mean.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come live with me?”

His voice was firmer, stronger. “I won’t do that, Livvy. You deserve to have your own life without me muddying it up. How can you have Beau over if I’m there? How can he sleep over if I’m in the way?”

She thought her heart must have stopped beating when he looked intently at her. She felt her cheeks flush and was certain Granddad could tell.

He patted her hand. “I’m not such an old fogy that I don’t know what young people do these days. Why, your grandmamma and I wrestled around under the sheets some before we tied the knot and all—”

She gasped. “What?”
Waay too much information.

“We were young once, too, you know.” He cleared his throat. “And I like Beau. He strikes me as the kind of man who won’t let you get away with things you shouldn’t do—like working too hard, never taking time off—that sort of thing. He told me some about his family. And he likes children.”

“How do you know that?”

“We got to talking one day when I was visiting the old house. He told me how he plays with his cousin’s kids. He has a married sister, too. She lives in Ireland and he said he was hoping she and her doctor husband would have children so he could play with them, show them
how to throw a baseball, that sort of thing.” He rose from his seat and plucked a large red maple leaf off a nearby branch. “The man has plans, Livvy. Plans for making a good full life for himself. I’d like it if you were part of those plans.”

“Granddad, I—he …” She didn’t know what to say.

“I’m hungry. Let’s dig into that lunch you made,” he said, relieving her from saying anything more.

Olivia took advantage of his request to retrieve the basket. She helped him check his glucose level, and was relieved that it was within the range the doctor had said it should be before a meal. She set out the food and their plates and they enjoyed lunching among the trees, the sun warming their backs. He didn’t argue when she urged him to inject his insulin after they put away their lunch.

“Let’s walk around some before we go home,” he suggested.

She followed him as he took off up a small hill. He seemed as energetic as ever, as alert as before he’d moved. Before he began going back to the old house thinking a family with children was moving in. Maybe what she feared wasn’t happening. Maybe she didn’t need to call the doctor after all. And what he had said about Beau.
I have to talk to him about what—exactly—Granddad said to him.

Beau glanced at the clock for what seemed like the tenth time that afternoon. Was she still with her grandfather? How long could a drive take to see the fall colors?

George wandered into his office and sat down. “You seemed distracted today—during that meeting with the doctors and when we were going over the final plans for the carriage house.”

“Hmm. Maybe.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“No. Just some personal things on my mind.”

“Not your brother, I hope. How is he doing over there?”

“His last message was upbeat. As of a week ago he said he’s not where the worst action is and he’s due back soon. When his deployment is over.”

“That’s good news. Give him my best.”

“I will.” Beau glanced up when his partner hadn’t moved. “What’s on your mind, George?”

“It’ll keep.” He got up and sauntered toward the door before looking over his shoulder.  “Just one thing.”

Beau closed his laptop. “What’s that?”

“You remind me of how I was before I proposed to
Karyn. If I were you, I’d get it over with—so you can get your mind back onto business.” He ducked out the door before Beau could say anything.

Beau grabbed his suit jacket. It was
that obvious? First things first.
He needed to talk to Robert, then Olivia. He waved in the direction of his partner’s office. “Good night, George. See you tomorrow.”

As he rode the elevator upstairs, he pulled out his cell. But when Mr. Brown didn’t answer, he clicked off and decided to check in with Olivia and then stop by her grandfather’s house.

His plans were forgotten when his sister called, clearly distraught.

“What’s the matter, Katie? Is Ted all right?” he asked.

“It’s not Ted. It’s Paul,” she sobbed. “There was an ambush. All they found of the truck were some parts and a lot of blood. Paul’s missing along with some of his men. They didn’t say, but I’m so afraid he may have been killed.”

Beau’s pulse skittered to a standstill, and the blood drained from his face, leaving him light-headed. “Who told you this?” He sank down in his chair.

Ted came on the phone. “Beau, someone from Paul’s unit called us. I got the colonel’s name—the one who’s stateside—if you want to talk to him. I don’t know why they didn’t call you.”

“Give me his name. Do you know when this happened?”

“I’m not sure. Yesterday or the day before, maybe. The time difference made it hard to know, exactly. We were counting the days before the end of his tour. Last time we talked to him, he said he was flying through Heathrow. We were planning to meet him there.”

“Hold onto those plans. I’ll see what I can find out and get back to you.” He looked at his watch. “It must be the middle of the night where you are, Ted.”

“It’s getting on that. I tried your home number a few hours ago, but I didn’t want to leave a message. Not about this. If you learn anything more, call us back. Anytime. I’ll try to get to the phone first. Katie’s really upset.”

Beau gulped, and wiped a hand across his face. As if that would erase the news he’d just received. “I’ll call you as soon as I know something.” He looked down at the number and the name his brother-in-law had given him. Same area code as his parents and grandparents. Three hour time difference and it was late there already. He didn’t care. He dialed the number.

“Grant Travis speaking.” People noises in the background. A party or his home number? Maybe a cell?

“I’m sorry to call so late, Colonel. This is Beau James. My brother is First Lieutenant Paul James. You spoke to my sister, Katie,
er, Katie Warren, earlier today. I just heard—that Paul’s been reported missing in action. I’m calling to … Can you confirm?” Such a hateful word.

“Just a minute.” The man’s voice softened.  “Let me go where it’s quieter.” Minutes later, the background sounds were muted. “Mr. James? You’re his brother?” Papers rustled in the background.