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She knew Ruth was terrified of eventually ending up in assisted living, despite the fact that she already had a room paid for each month at the senior center. Natalie had vowed to help out as much as she could to make sure that Ruth could stay at the farmhouse as long as possible. There was another home-care nurse who came in for respite shifts, but it was a lot for Natalie to balance with her schedule at the senior center and the medical billing work. Natalie was determined to handle everything. She’d learned a long time ago that the only person she could depend on in life was herself.
“How about breakfast?”
“The man’s making it,” Austin informed her, then went back to reading.
“Don’t get too far ahead.” Ruth tapped the page with one bony finger.
“The man?” Natalie took a step closer to the bed, remembering the luxury SUV parked in front of the house. Her skin suddenly tingled. “What man?”
“I must have forgotten to mention it to you.” Ruth straightened the covers over her lap, keeping her eyes averted. “Austin, what happens next? Do Jack and Annie find the ninja?”
“Mention what?” Natalie asked, reaching forward to grip the bedpost. “Who’s here, Ruth?”
“Hello, Natalie,” a long-forgotten voice said from the doorway behind her.
Her fingers tightened around the wood until her knuckles went white.
“You remember Liam Donovan,” Ruth said cheerfully, although she still wouldn’t meet Natalie’s gaze. “The two of you knew each other in high school.”
Breathing was supposed to be an involuntary muscle reflex, but in that moment Natalie forgot how to draw air into her lungs. Concentrating, she forced her breath in and out. Saying she’d known Liam Donovan was like claiming Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton once had a passing acquaintance.
She turned, keeping her features a placid mask as stormy gray eyes clashed with hers. “It’s been a long time, Liam. Nice to see you.” Which was partly the truth. Yes, it had been over ten years since she’d spoken to Liam Donovan. But nice didn’t begin to describe how it felt to be in the same room as him after all this time. It made her feel nauseous, invigorated, desperately sad and filled with regret. But not nice. Her feelings for Liam had never been nice.
One side of his mouth lifted as if he found her outright lie amusing. The smile didn’t reach his eyes, and the storm inside them cooled by several degrees. “I’m here to visit Ruth, to make sure she’s okay after her fall. And to find out why I’m paying for housing every month at assisted living when she’s still here even though she’s been injured.” Ruth had been Liam’s nanny when he was younger, but Natalie knew the woman loved him as if he was her own family.
“She fell two weeks ago and is almost fully recovered.” Natalie didn’t try to stop the censure in her voice. “She’s worked out how she wants to handle her room at the center with the director, so you’ll need to discuss that with him. I can assure you she’s well cared for. I’ve got it under control.”
His gaze flicked to Austin, whose nose was once again buried in the book. “So I see.”
She wondered for a moment what exactly Liam thought he saw. The boy who had been her first love was gone, replaced by a man who was so much larger, both in physical build and general presence. Liam had been beautiful in high school but now there was a raw masculinity to his features. He’d filled into his height and the potential of his looks. His hair was shorter than he’d worn it back then, the cut clearly from an expensive salon. It had darkened to almost black but remained streaked with the same chestnut shine she’d always loved to run her fingers through.
Even now her fingers itched to reach out and touch him, to prove that he was here before her, not just a visitor to her unwanted dreams and fantasies, as he’d been so many times in the past decade.
She ran a self-conscious hand through her own hair, several weeks past due for a trim and years from her last professional highlight. Her shoulders inched a little straighter. Pride was one of the few things so many years of struggling hadn’t taken from Natalie. As the only weapon left in her arsenal, she would use it without apology.
Before she could reply, Austin scooted off the bed to stand next to her. “My mom is Miss Ruth’s nurse,” he said, his small chin jutting forward. “She’s really good at it. Miss Ruth needs us.”
For better or worse, Austin had inherited both her pride and her stubborn nature. He was unfailingly protective of her and didn’t even blink under Liam’s scrutiny. She imagined grown men in boardrooms cowering before that stare, but not her beautiful boy. She gave him a small squeeze.
