Love's Miracles (7 page)

She
nodded.

Good.
“I’ll grill
some hamburgers. Vinnie, you make the salad and set up in here while I go take
a quick shower.”

In
minutes he was showered and dried, and dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans. He
left the bathroom and went into the kitchen. She sat at the counter that
separated the kitchen from the rest of the cabin. Staring.
Assessing.

He
brushed past Vinnie who was gathering lettuce for the salad and stepped in
front of the counter. Annoyed and glaring at Margo, he spoke. “Can I get you
something to drink?”

She
didn’t move but continued to return his stare with those big, brown,
unflinching eyes. One cool lady.

“Soda?
Iced tea? Wine?”

“Wine
please. I’d like it with the meal.”

“Sure.”
He remained for several seconds. Her scent mingled with his. Her dark brown
hair curved along the line of her jaw. It would be silky to the touch.

Annoyed
that she was affecting him, he straightened to nudge his brother aside. He
reached into the refrigerator, grabbed the hamburger meat and went outside. Too
bad he hadn’t put it in the freezer yet. Then he wouldn’t have had to feed
them.

In
spite of the cold shower, beads of sweat began to form on his skin. It took
great effort to keep his movements smooth and unhurried as he lit the gas grill
and placed the patties of meat over the flame. When the burgers were set, he
moved to the edge of the porch and stared at the grove of redwoods on the edge
of his meadow. Taking deep breaths he focused on the peace and serenity he knew
was under the giant trees. His ragged nerves slowly began to settle.

“Vinnie’s
done with the salad. Are the hamburgers ready?” Margo asked, coming up behind
him.

Her
presence startled him, but he didn’t let her see. Instead he reached for the
tongs behind the grill and began to turn the sizzling pieces of meat. “Bring me
a plate. They’re in the…”

“I
found them,” she interrupted. “I checked through the cupboards until I saw what
I needed to set places at the counter. I hope you don’t mind.”

He
minded. He didn’t like her making herself at home. If Dr. Margo Devaull was
getting any ideas about doing that, she’d better think again.

When
she joined him on the porch, he thought he was ready for her presence. But as
he handed her a plate her fingers accidentally brushed his. He stared.

“I’ve
got it,” she told him. “I’ll take them inside.”

Without
batting an eye, she’d eased through the moment. He had to hand it to her. She
seemed adept at human relations. Maybe he needed to talk to someone. Get
involved in a relationship. He’d been up here too long. He watched her leggy
walk and shook his head.
No way!
It wouldn’t be her.

He
followed her inside and stopped. The place settings were on the island counter.
Instead of sitting side by side as they usually did when his brother came,
she’d positioned them so they could all face each other while they ate. He
walked over and slid the end plate down the counter. She wasn’t going to stare
at him like he was a blasted guinea pig in a science lab. If anyone was going
to stare, it would be him. At her.

He
eyed her closely as she worked at opening a bottle of wine. She really had made
herself at home.
Well, enjoy the meal, baby, because that’s all you’ll have
of
this
home.

He
wanted to ignore her but couldn’t stop staring. Longings rose; longings he was
unprepared for and, he realized, longings he didn’t want to fight.

She
was a real stunner, he thought. Margo glanced up and their eyes locked.

Vinnie
came around from the kitchen and sat down at his place. “This looks great.” He
spoke too loud, too enthusiastically.

Margo
didn’t say a word. It was impossible. She was still trying to sort out the
glimpse of turmoil that she’d seen in Zane’s eyes.

She
sat down at her end of the counter, refusing to comment on where he sat. He
wasn’t going to make this easy. Margo was used to that. “If you’ll pass me your
glass, I’ll pour the wine.”

Margo
poured the ruby liquid automatically as her mind focused on the tension that
hovered around them. She could feel his resentment and anger, but he didn’t
show it. He was calm; too calm. Before she could help him, she’d have to break
through that wall of steel he’d erected around his emotions.

“So
tell me, what do you do up here to pass the time?”

He
took a bite of his hamburger and chewed for a few minutes. Would he talk to her
at all? Finally, after swallowing, he cast her a steady gaze, yet hid his real
thoughts. He didn’t speak.

“He
hikes and gardens,” Vinnie broke into the awkward silence.

Margo
wrapped her sandaled foot around the leg of the bar stool and took another sip
of wine. “There must be more than that. I can’t picture you sitting around
doing nothing.”

He’d
been in charge of a multimillion dollar business. A person just didn’t drop out
of that kind of high-pressure performance to sit on his duff. Maybe for a week
or two, but not for this long.

Besides,
he was in good physical condition. His mind was too active and alert. No, this
man would have to be involved in something.

“He
works with wood,” Vinnie told her.

She
considered that for a moment. Vinnie hadn’t mentioned it earlier. “You build
things?”

He
shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but his movement was stiff and strained. He
didn’t strike her as the type who minded being talked about. He was anything
but modest. So why the uneasiness?

“He
built this cabin and the sheds.” Vinnie pointed to the burl table. “He cut and
finished that.”

“I
wondered how all this luxury ended up in such an isolated place,” Margo
commented before she took another bite of salad.

“You
can thank me for most of it.” Vinnie gestured around the room at the
comfortable but practical furniture. “Zane wanted to keep it simple.”

She
smiled. “I must admit I enjoy modern conveniences.”

“The
water’s from a well. It’s pumped into a tank on the hill. The electricity’s
produced by a generator in the woods. I hate the sound of the ridiculous
thing.” Vinnie hadn’t touched a bite of his food. Zane’s silence was obviously
making him nervous, which Margo guessed was Zane’s purpose in keeping quiet.

Margo
shifted. He wasn’t going to get away with this. Pointedly she directed her gaze
to him and spoke. “What are you working on now?”

Zane
cast her a look that almost declared she wasn’t going to get a thing out of
him. Finally he said, “It’s no concern of yours what I’m working on.” He was
good at erasing emotion from his voice as well as his expression.

“He’s
working on another burl table,” Vinnie quickly interjected.

Margo
ignored the byplay and looked around as if expecting to find the table in the
cabin. “I’m interested in seeing it.” She wasn’t going to let him have the
satisfaction of seeing her daunted.

“Zane
has a workshop out back.”

She
caught the look of annoyance Zane cast his brother. So, he didn’t want to
discuss his carvings.

“How
long have you been coming up here?”

Silence.

Vinnie
swallowed his wine and impatiently set his glass on the counter. “Dad used to
bring us when we were kids. We’d camp, hunt, and fish. Just the guys. Me and
Zane – and Al.”

Margo
watched Zane closely. He tensed. Was it mention of his father who’d died
shortly after Zane graduated from Stanford, or was it this Al? “Who’s Al?”

The
pause was too long. Margo made a mental note of it while observing the odd
glances exchanged between the two brothers.

Vinnie
shifted, obviously uncomfortable. “He grew up with us. Lived next door. Used to
love to hunt.”

The
last comment sounded like a dig. Margo was sure of it when she saw the nearly
contemptuous look on Vinnie’s face. Hunting was an issue between these two. Was
it possible Zane hadn’t cared for it? She thought of the way he’d handled the
deer.

Vinnie
stopped talking and another awkward silence began. Margo quickly spoke.
“Weren’t there any females allowed?”

“Never.”
Vinnie laughed. The sound seemed out of place in the tension-filled room. “Ma
used to tease us and try to get invited, but I think she secretly enjoyed the
time to herself. We were wild.”

“Were
you in trouble a lot?”

“No.
Just active. Ball games, gymnastics, every sport we could get into. We kept her
busy.”

The
all-American boys. Vinnie had told her that earlier.

“The
sports were okay, but times up here were best. We’d hike all over these
mountains, scout the wildlife,” Vinnie continued.

She
noticed through his beard a faint trace of a smile on Zane’s lips. Good. Maybe
he’d loosen up.

“What’s
up here besides deer?” she asked.

“You’d
be surprised.” Vinnie began listing a wide variety. “There’s even bears. Why,
one time…” He started laughing and had to pause. “…I scared up a bear and I
don’t know who was more frightened, me or the bear.”

Vinnie
paused and Zane directed his gaze at his brother. To her surprise she saw the
dancing lights that she’d seen in the childhood photo, only the impact of the
sparks in real life were more dramatic.

“What
happened?” she asked. “You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“No
– Zane did, though.” Vinnie smiled ruefully. “He heard all the screaming and
hollering and went tearing into the woods. I was up one tree and the bear up
another. Zane started laughing. I started some serious hollering. He finally
got rid of the bear by firing rifle shots, but then came to find out I was
stuck in the tree.”

Vinnie
went on to explain how Zane had helped his little brother get down. Margo
didn’t say a word, watching the play of emotions on Zane’s face. True, Vinnie
told the story, but from his reactions she could tell the brothers had been
close. They shared memories of a happy past.

Vinnie’s
voice broke into her musings. “He cut himself bad on a tree limb. Ended up with
a bad scar. Can’t see it now under all that beard.”

A
frown formed across Zane’s brow as the story turned from memories to the
personal. Margo watched the efficient way he closed off all expression.

“Where’d
you stay? This cabin wasn’t here,” she asked, mainly to keep the conversation
going.

“We
roughed it. Like Daniel Boone. Pretended we were in the wild frontier. Those
were the days. No pressures. No cares. Just focus on tracking down your prey.
Man against nature.” Vinnie sighed.

Margo
understood but didn’t appreciate the Rambo image. Somehow she couldn’t quite
picture Zane in it. Vinnie, yes. But Zane, though dangerous in a sense,
wouldn’t enjoy the thrill of a kill.

“Playing
frontiersman? Is that what this is all about?” It was a dig. She knew that, but
she wanted to see his reaction.

Vinnie
paused. Zane’s expression hardened. Vinnie spoke carefully, watching his
brother. “This place is our retreat. We can relax. Escape the pressures of the
business. We come here because of that.”

There
it was again. The undercurrent of knowledge the two men shared. Something had
happened between them; something that tied into Zane’s dropping out. She’d bet
her practice on it.

Zane
finished his last bite of hamburger and Margo watched him chew the tender meat.
Underlying the memories pooled a loneliness. She could see it in his eyes, hear
it in his voice the few times he spoke. He needed to return to mainstream
society. She was sure she could help him. If only she could find a way to make
him believe it.

The
meal continued in a leisurely fashion. The underlying tension eased as they
stayed on safe subjects. Zane opened up, but he directed his conversation to
his brother. That didn’t bother Margo. It gave her an opportunity to sit back
and observe the interaction between the two men.

The
similarities between the brothers ended with their builds and hair and eye
color. Vinnie’s eyes were warm and alive. Zane’s were guarded and haunted. His
features were lined with years of hard experience and sometimes his shoulders
slumped, as they were doing now when his family was mentioned.

Vinnie’s
smile broadened as he talked about his wife. “Sara’s pregnant again. She’s due
this fall.”

Zane
took a deep breath, almost wistfully. Did he long for a family, a relationship,
children?

“Congratulations,”
he murmured. Then he straightened. “What’s it going to be this time? Boy?
Girl?”

“Doesn’t
matter.” Vinnie shrugged as he finished the last of his hamburger. “If it’s a
boy, though, we’re naming him Dominic. After you. Maybe he’ll be like you too.”

“Don’t
wish that on a kid,” Zane almost growled.