The Sweet Gum Tree (25 page)

Nick stayed silent while I looked at Daniel in amazement. I’d seen adults crumble under the weight of the town’s disapproval. They could have taken lessons from this boy.

Finally, Nick nodded. “As long as you know what you’re letting yourself in for.”

“I do, and I’m not worried.”

“Then I guess you’ve got yourself a job.” Nick glanced at me. “I’ll help you clean up.”

“Thanks, but there’s not that much. I can handle it.”

“I insist. After all, you cooked.”

Daniel stood. “Can I go check out the Chevy’s motor?” For once, I didn’t mind being alone with Nick. “Help yourself.” I smiled as Daniel hurried out the door.

Standing, I gathered the plates and carried them to the sink. “He’s a great kid.

You’ve done a good job with him.”

Nick gave me a wry smile as he picked up the now empty pizza pans and followed me to the sink. “I don’t think I had much to do with it. He’s been that way since he was born. He’s taught me more than I have him. It never occurred to me to stand up to the people in Morganville when I was growing up.”

“It wouldn’t have Daniel either, if he’d been raised the way you were. You gave him the confidence to stand up to them. And you were right. He’s a tough kid.” 140

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“Maybe.” He still looked troubled. “I just hope he’s tough enough.”

“If it will help, I’ll keep an eye on him.”

He picked up the drying towel and shook his head. “No. Let him handle it himself.

It’s what he wants.”

My curiosity took control of my mouth as I watched him. “If you were so worried about what this would do to him, why did you come back?” He stopped, the plate he was drying ridiculously tiny in his hands, and focused his gaze on mine. “Daniel and Lindsey talked me into it. I guess they know this is home to me, whether I like it or not. My roots are here, and always will be.” I tore my gaze away and continued washing the dishes. “Daniel feels guilty for keeping you away so long.”

“I know.” He went back to drying, putting the dishes away as he finished them.

“I’m working on it.”

“Good.” I let the water out of the sink and rinsed the suds down the drain. “All done.”

You can leave now, I added mentally. The way the small kitchenette was arranged, I was pinned between the stove, the sink, and Nick’s body, and I wasn’t enjoying it one bit. He was way too close for my liking.

He was aware of it, too. Before I could slide by him, he put one hand under my chin and forced me to look at him.

“Do you want to know the real reason I came back, Alix? It was because of you.

You’re my roots. Wherever you are would be home to me.”

“Don’t.” I choked the word out, pushing with all my strength at his hand. “You can’t make me believe your lies anymore, because I don’t care. Do you understand me, Nick? I don’t care.”

He took a step back, his eyes puzzled and sad. “I don’t know what’s happened to you, Alix, but I never lied. Not once. And if it takes me the rest of my life, I’ll
make
you care again. That’s a promise.”

141

Katherine Allred

Daniel showed up at Southern Supply the next afternoon dressed for business in a white button-down shirt and khaki pants. I turned the store over to Kenny and spent the next two hours showing him around and outlining his duties, then worked with him awhile so he could get the general idea. He picked everything up so fast that I promised he could work alone the next day.

But even though I trusted him, my curiosity was killing me, and after an hour I strolled by the electronic department, doing my best to appear casual and unconcerned.

Daniel was busily and enthusiastically singing the praises of a new video game to a boy who looked about his age, and two teenaged girls. The boy’s attention was fixed solidly on the game, but the girls couldn’t seem to take their eyes off Daniel, and I smiled.

I had hoped that since the kids his age were too young to remember Nick or Frank, they wouldn’t have their parent’s built-in prejudices. It looked like I was right. While naturally wary of strangers, as most kids that age are, Daniel’s friendly, outgoing personality, combined with his good looks, was winning them over. Getting the kids on his side was half the battle.

After his parting shot the night I fixed pizza, I rather expected Nick to use picking Daniel up as an excuse to come by the store, but I didn’t see him again for a few days.

Instead, I finally got to meet Bowie Grant.

He was a bear of a man with a thick mop of steel gray hair. Only his warm, chocolate brown eyes kept his size from being intimidating. They smiled constantly, making the recipient of his gaze feel like they’d been blessed by an angel’s kiss.

“It seems like I’ve known you and your family forever,” he stated, with my hand engulfed in his. “Nick talked about all of you constantly.” I couldn’t help but return his smile. Bowie was the kind of man who could coax a reaction from the sphinx. “I’ve heard a bit about you, too.”

“Don’t believe a word of it.” He gave Daniel a mock scowl. “My cooking isn’t nearly as bad they let on. I would like to learn how to fix southern style food, though.

Maybe we can swap recipes sometime?”

“Sure. But I have to tell you, I’m not the real cook in the family. If you’re serious, you need to talk to my Aunt Darla. She’s the expert. There’s nothing she doesn’t know about cooking.” I paused. “Come to think about it, there’s nothing she doesn’t know, period. Just be prepared to have your soul saved while she’s teaching you.” I watched in fascination as he threw his head back and roared with laughter. “I’ve heard all about Darla,” he said, wiping tears of merriment from his eyes. “I can’t wait to meet her. She sounds like a hell of a woman.”

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Aunt Darla?
My
Aunt Darla? The man obviously enjoyed a challenge. Either that, or he was masochistic. But in spite of his apparent mental condition, I liked him.

Shortly after they left, it occurred to me that the only one in Nick’s family I hadn’t seen since their return was Lindsey, and if it were up to me, I’d never lay eyes on her again. My feelings toward her were so complicated that they resembled a ball of string, each emotion making up one strand, hundreds of strands twisted and knotted together until they were impossible to separate.

I suppose if I’m being honest, I have to admit there was some jealousy involved, but it was the least of what I felt. The hate was stronger. She had taken away the only man I’d ever really wanted at the time I needed him the most. She’d shared his life with him and given him a child. She’d taken the place that should have been mine.

But even the hate was overshadowed by the one thing I could never forget. She had made a fool of me. And there speaks the human ego, the voice inside us all that screams

“Me! Me!” in a never-ending litany.

Because from the day I’d first met Nick in that dirty junkyard, Lindsey’s hold on him was already bone deep. Because while I was happily dreaming about a life with him, she was pulling him inexorably back to her every time he left me. And I was too stupid, too innocent, to see what was happening when all the signs were right in front of me. Even if it was only in my own eyes, she had humiliated me, made me look and feel like an idiot. And while I hated Nick for what he’d done to me, it was Lindsey I truly blamed. With good reason, as I would discover before another month passed. I suspect if I had known what the next few weeks would bring, I would have packed my bags and left town right then and there.

The beginning of the end started the day after my family left for Hardy.

* * * * *

“I’m not hungry.” He glared at me from his easy chair in the living room.

Hands on my hips, I glared right back. “You’ll eat if I have to sit on you.”

“They never salt anything anymore, and they hide the shaker where I can’t find it.”

“You know what salt does to your blood pressure.” He rattled the newspaper and went back to reading, doing his best to hide the smile playing around his lips. “Don’t know what good it does a man to live a few extra years if he can’t enjoy them.”

143

Katherine Allred

Sometimes I wondered if the Judge didn’t act so cantankerous because he liked the extra attention it got him. I had to stand over him and argue down every bite he took. It made me even more determined that he was going to eat a good breakfast, so I set my alarm for dawn before I went to bed that night. I’d make him oatmeal, with raisins and brown sugar. It was his favorite, so I knew he wouldn’t fight it.

The shrill clanging of my clock yanked me out of sleep Saturday morning, and I yawned while I fumbled for the green silk robe that matched my short gown. Both garments hit me mid-thigh, but I wasn’t worried about dressing yet. There were no neighbors near enough to see me, and I didn’t figure Nick’s crew would work today.

It had rained the night before, thunder cracking so hard it shook the barn rafters. By the time I headed outside, the sun was already hot enough to make the moisture in the air feel like I’d stepped into a steam bath, and the silk gown instantly glued itself to my body.

There was a small mud hole right in front of the barn, and as I prepared to hop over it, a voice came from my left.

“Do you always run around outside like that in the mornings? Because if you do, I need to get here earlier
every
day.”

I tried to stop, but my body had already gathered enough momentum to jump the puddle. I ended up wobbling on the edge a second before my foot landed squarely in the water, mud squishing between my toes.

“Damn,” I muttered under my breath before glancing over my shoulder at Nick. He was standing next to the Chevy, the hood raised.

“What are you doing here?” I extracted my foot, accompanied by a sucking sound, then wiggled my toes as I tried to dislodge the mud. All I succeeded in doing was spreading it even more.

He shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to come over and see what the Chevy needed to get it in good running order again.”

The whole time he was talking, he was walking toward me. When he reached me, he took a shop towel from his back pocket, squatted, and picked up my foot. I had to grip his shoulder to keep from falling while he wiped the mud from my foot and leg.

He’d caught me at a vulnerable time, when I was still half asleep, unprepared, all my defenses down. And while I fought it, my traitorous body tingled from top to bottom at his touch, insisted on remembering what it was like to make love with him.

His hands moved over my skin more like a caress than an attempt to clean, and the flesh under my palm was rock-hard with muscle. Heat radiated from him like a living thing bent on consuming me.

Mentally, I shook my head, trying to wipe away the stupor I’d fallen into. I had to clear my throat before I could speak. “I told Daniel he could work on the car. I don’t remember including you in that offer.”

He lifted his head, his gaze running over me until it met mine, and he made no effort to release my leg. His fingers curled just below my knee as though he intended to 144

The Sweet Gum Tree

leave them there forever, his thumb moving in a slow circle against my skin. When he answered, his voice was husky and it scraped my nerves raw.

“Daniel is smart, but he won’t be fifteen until the end of January. He can change the oil and the plugs, but there’s still a lot he doesn’t know about mechanics.” I pulled my leg from his grasp and he stood. In a way, this was even worse. Less than an inch separated his body from mine. “Why are you doing this?” I was getting desperate and it showed in my voice.

“You know why.” His eyes were molten, a shade I understood very well, even though I denied the memories with all my strength.

“No, damn it, I don’t! You’ve got Lindsey. Why can’t you just leave me alone?” His hands moved to my arms and he leaned closer. “I don’t want Lindsey. I never have. I want you.”

Finally−finally, my anger surged to the forefront, protecting me from the unwanted feelings that were stirring to life. I wrenched away from him, took a step back. “Do you really think I’m still that gullible, Nick? I can do the math as well as the next person. If Daniel’s birthday is the end of January that means you were going straight from my bed to hers.” My laugh was tinged with hysteria. “Do you know, I used to worry about you?

I was afraid you weren’t getting enough rest, working all day and then spending the nights with me. Looks like you had a lot more stamina than I gave you credit for.” His shoulders slumped. “Don’t. Please. It wasn’t like you think.” I took another step away from him. “Oh? Then what was it like?” When he didn’t answer, I turned toward the barn. “I guess that says it all. Stay away from me, Nick. I’m not playing your games anymore.” I marched to my room, back straight and head held high. No matter how my body might be protesting, he wasn’t going to get to me again. I wouldn’t allow it, wouldn’t even permit myself to think about it. There was the Judge’s breakfast to make, and now I had to shower and change before I went to the house.

Nick was still there when I finished dressing, leaning over the Chevy’s motor, but I ignored him this time. That didn’t stop me from feeling his gaze following my progress across the yard. It was a relief when I stepped into the kitchen and closed the door behind me.

Moving to the coffeemaker, I filled it with the decaf my aunts kept on hand for the Judge, then added water and hit the on button. It had made its first gurgle when I tilted my head, listening intently.

The Judge was an early riser, and I was late. I had expected him to be up and dressed by now, but the house was unnaturally silent. The hair on my arms popped erect and a shiver ran down my spine.

I tried to convince myself it was my imagination working overtime as I forced my feet to move. That it was only my worry about the Judge that sent an eerie feeling of emptiness through the house.