Melting Into You (Due South Book 2) (3 page)

Ben turned and caught her staring. “Harley
Komeke’s early work.”

“Wow. They’re incredible.” She tilted her head at the graphic black, white, and red traditional Maori symbols blended with skill into a jaw-dropping oil painting. “You have good taste in art.”

“They’re on loan. I’m only storing them for Harley, otherwise I would’ve flogged them off for some cash last year.”

“Not an art lover then?”

“Only if psychedelic seventies rock posters count.”

She laughed and walked through his family room i
nto the kitchen. The stylish and clean lines of cabinetry suited him. No fuss, no pretentious trimmings, and the drying dishes and crumpled dish towel on the charcoal-colored counter reassured her that someone actually lived there. A warm, welcoming kitchen made a house a home.

Except, perhaps, the kitchen in the house she’d shared with her late husband, Callum. That had r
emained a house.

Ben placed the basket on the countertop and flicked on the kettle. When the two hot chocolates were ready, she helped carry the mugs to an outdoor barbecue area in the garden. After settling the girls at the picnic table with their muffins and drinks, Ben and Kezia returned to the kitchen.

Pointing to a bar stool at the short end of the L-shaped counter, Kezia said, “Sit and eat a muffin while I make coffee. You look like you can’t wait much longer for a caffeine fix.”

A cool breeze blew in the open door behind Ben, ruffling his hair as he slumped down on a stool. “God.”

Kezia made a sympathetic sound. She found the jar marked coffee on the countertop and a French press beside it.

“You can tell she’s mine, right?”

“Jade looks like a Harland.” With the beaker half-filled with hot water, she swirled it around to warm the glass.

He grunted and snagged a muffin from the basket, examined it, then took a giant bite.

“You didn’t know about her?”

Ben chewed slowly and swallowed. “Her mother and I hooked up nine years ago when she was here on hol
iday. I used a rubber—not that it’s a hundred percent idiot-proof, especially for a horny twenty-year-old.” The tips of his ears warmed to a soft pink and he cleared his throat, his gaze locked on the muffin as he picked out a plump blueberry. “Anyway. After that weekend she left the island, and I never heard from her again until today.”

“Marci never contacted you to tell you about the pregnancy? Or after the baby was born to ask for child support?”

He shook his head, paused and frowned at her. “You know her name?”

“She asked me for directions this morning. Then I spoke to her again later after she’d left your place. Ma
rci told me she’d left Jade with you.”

“Ah. That explains your mercy mission.”

She offered him a small smile and finished preparing the coffee.

Ben ate the rest of the muffin and grabbed another. He rotated it in his large hands, his gaze assessing as she moved to a glass-fronted cabinet for coffee mugs. There was more to Marci’s story than he’d let on, but past experience proved asking too many questions shut an Alpha male down fast. So she waited. Stirred the coffee, depressed the plunger, and poured two cups.
More silence. She crossed the kitchen floor to grab the milk.

“Marci never asked for child support because she passed Jade off as her husband’s kid.”

Kezia’s fingers clenched on the fridge handle hard enough to snap it off at the weld. She snatched out the milk carton and slammed the door. “What? She was married when you two got together?”

Ben grimaced. “Engaged—not that I knew. We didn’t do much talking.”

She skimmed her gaze across his long-sleeved black tee shirt, admiring how the soft knit fabric molded over an impressive set of pecs. No. Talking wouldn’t be high on a woman’s agenda while spending the night in Ben Harland’s bed. With shaky hands, she slopped some milk into her mug. “Uh huh.”

“She didn’t want to become un-engaged to this guy, so she told him he was the father.”

“He believed it?” She handed him his coffee and leaned a hip against the counter, taking a small sip from hers.

“Up until a couple of years ago. Then Jade grew out of her generic baby face and he became suspicious enough to do a DNA test.”

“And found out Jade wasn’t his.”

“Yep. Took their then four-year-old son and walked out the same day he got the results.”

Kezia’s mouth dropped open. “He and Marci have a child?”

“Yeah. Jade has a half-brother, Blake.”

“Didn’t Marci fight for her son?”

“I
dunno. She told me her ex-husband has full custody of the boy.”

“So Jade lost her father and brother at the same time. Poor wee girl.” She shook her head.

“And now Marci needs some ‘me time’ while I get a crash course in ‘daddyhood.’ Her words, not mine.” He shoved the basket of muffins across the counter and dropped his head into his hands. “I don’t want to be a father, and I have no fucking idea what to do with this kid for two weeks.”

Her heart valves pinched shut at the vehemence of his words, but she flicked the sensation aside. His ou
tburst didn’t entirely shock her. What bachelor could cope with unexpected parenthood without blowing off steam?

Kezia set down her mug and leaned across the cou
nter, peeling Ben’s hands from his face to reveal stark brown eyes.

“Whether or not you want to be a father is irrelevant. Jade needs you to be there for her.”

“She needs her mother, not me.”

“Right now she hasn’t got a mother, so man up.”

He leaned back and a small smile briefly played across his lips. “You’re a tough woman, Kezia Murphy. Don’t go easy on me or anything—”

“Mamma?”

Kezia glanced up at Zoe’s voice. Her daughter stood in the open doorway with a downturned mouth and a crinkled brow.

“What’s the matter? Did you spill your drink?”

Zoe shook her head, curls bouncing wildly. “No. Jade came to see if we could have another muffin, but then she rushed down the stairs real upset. She’s hiding in the bushes and won’t come out.”

“Hell.” Ben pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut.

Kezia’s blood froze to an icy sludge. Sweet Mother of God! Could the day get any worse for the little girl?

***

Big body, big mouth—what a numbnuts. As a result of letting emotion squeak through his defenses, he now had his kid hiding in the garden.

Ben scrubbed a palm over his bristled chin, waiting for the roiling in his stomach to sett
le. “I’ll go, ah, talk to her.”

He stood, refusing to meet Kezia’s gaze, afraid of seeing disappointment and disgust in her eyes. Not that he’d blame her.

Ben jogged down the outside steps to his yard and headed toward the bushy rhododendron planted along the boundary fence. Tucked almost out of sight between the branches and the fence, a flash of light green fabric caught his eye.

He crouched on his haunches and moved some of the foliage out the way. “Uh, Jade?”

Silence.

“Kiddo, are you okay?” Seriously? That was the best he could come up with?

More silence. Then a moist sniff. He’d made her cry. What a frickin’ prince.

“Did you hear me and Kezia talking?”

A hiccup. He’d take it as a yes.

Ben duck-walked closer to the rhododendron and pushed another branch aside, revealing black boots with scuffed toes tucked close to the girl’s body.

“Listen, kiddo,”—the branch slipped from his fingers and thwacked him in the nose—“ouch! Shit.” Remembering responsible adults didn’t swear in front of minors, he quickly added, “I mean—shark bait!”

A korimako perched on the fence trilled, the bell-like notes of its song almost a warbled chuckle. Yeah, he was a funny guy. Yuk it up, birdie.

Then a soft, snuffly giggle from behind the bush.
A-ha
! Maybe he’d keep hitting himself with stuff to make her laugh. That could work.

He sat cross-legged on the grass. “Will you come out and let me explain, Jade?”

“No. You’re mean.”

“Yeah, sometimes I am mean. And
kinda grumpy too.” He sucked at this, he really did. “Jade, what I said wasn’t very nice. I’m sorry.”

Shuffling noises, then a face peeped out of the leaves, her red-rimmed eyes fixed on his. “You said you didn’t want to be my father.”

“No. I said I didn’t want to be a father. Big difference. I’ve got nothing against you personally, kiddo. You’re as cute as a button.”

“Oh.” She edged out farther and sat, wrapping her arms around her knees.

“I have no idea what to do here, do you?”

Jade’s eyes popped wide. “You don’t know what to do? But you’re a grown-up.”

“Grown-ups don’t always know what they’re doing.” Him being a walking, talking, screw-up of an example. Ben glanced back to the house. Kezia and Zoe sat on his deck, watching while he made a complete dick of himself. “Ah, shall I go find your mum? You know, if you want someone to talk to?”

Her face crumpled in on itself and fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “Mum doesn’t want me either.”

Aw, crap
. The waterworks again. Ben patted her knee, then snatched his hand away. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Is so. And my other daddy who’s not my real da
ddy, he doesn’t want me. Nobody wants me.” Jade cried harder.

A woman’s tears usually catapulted him out the nearest exit, but a kid’s? His kid? The spitting image of his youngest sister looking up at him, back when he’d broken the head off her favorite Barbie doll? All shiny-
eyed devastation and betrayal. Jesus. Undigested blueberry muffins threatened to reappear.

Tell her you want her, moron!

His vocal chords slammed shut, his mouth so dry his lips sealed together.

Kezia hurried across the lawn. “Is everything okay?”

Nope, nowhere near okay.
He’d screwed up yet again.

Ben stood, his heart jarring against his ribs until he was sure bones would snap. “I
dunno what—hell, I tried—” He waved a hand at Jade then shoved it into the front pocket of his jeans. “I’ll clear some space in my spare room.”

Kezia looked from him to the sobbing girl at his feet and her melted-chocolate eyes turned brittle. “You do that. I’ll take care of her.”

Ice floes in Antarctica were warmer than her voice.

Ben fled the scene as if Kezia had fired a starting gun up his ass, knowing he’d been judged—and found wanting.

***

Kezia hauled the weeping girl onto her lap, enfol
ding the child tightly in her arms and murmuring endearments. Zoe clattered down the stairs and sandwiched Jade in a group hug, pulling away after a few moments to rub her new friend’s back. Sobs tapered to sniffles and Jade rested her head on Kez’s shoulder, snuffling.

She stroked Jade’s baby-fine hair. What did Ben say to bring on such a reaction? He’d done well to start with, coaxing her out from under the rhododendrons. Then he obviously said something wrong. Sneaking yet another glance up at the house, she frowned. Just what went on in that man’s head?

“Mamma?” Zoe touched her arm. “Maybe me and Jade could watch the Disney Channel for a while? Ben’s got satellite.”

“Would you like that?”

Jade nodded. Kezia stood and helped the girl to her feet, brushing stalks of grass off all their knees. Zoe slipped her hand into Kezia’s and after a moment’s hesitation, Jade took the other hand.

Settling the girls on Ben’s sofa with a bowl of po
pcorn and some noxious sit-com where all the teenage girls were beautiful and the boys, acne free, Kezia followed the loud thumps coming from down the hall.

“Hello?” She came face to face with Ben hefting diving tanks out of a room.

“Oh, hey.” He lined the tanks along the wall, biceps flexing with every movement—not that she drank up the sight of them.

Well, maybe a tiny bit…

The last tank stacked, he moved out of the doorway. Kezia stepped into the room and after Ben entered, eased the door closed. In contrast to the family room and kitchen, the box-shaped bedroom with its plain walls and bare wooden floors screamed storage space, not comfortable living space. Certainly not somewhere a child would enjoy staying.

One hand propped on his hip and the other scratc
hing his neck, Ben watched her from beside a stack of cardboard boxes. “My junk room.”

“I can see. Do you have a spare bed?”

“Got an airbed.”

“And drapes?”

His lip peeled up a fraction, as if the idea of window treatments made his skin crawl. “I’ll buy some.”

So he’d reverted to his
nothing but the facts, ma’am
single sentences. A muscle ticked in his jaw and a tennis ball would’ve bounced off the rigid lines of his shoulders. She huffed out a sigh. They were talking about decorating, for goodness sake. Decorating, instead of the real issue.