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“I need a shower.”
“I held off on Thanksgiving dinner. I figured it would be just as good to do it on Saturday and have Bells and her family come out.”
“That sounds heavenly.”
“Why don’t you go upstairs and take a quick shower—you’ll freeze if you don’t—and take a nap. I’ll watch for this Shane person to return.”
“I want you to come get me when he gets back. I don’t want you to meet him alone.”
“Why? Is he dangerous?”
Even at his most growly, there was nothing about Oscar that had been dangerous. No. Not Oscar. Shane. She didn’t have the right to use her nickname for him. Not now. “No. That’s not it. I just don’t know how he’s going to react and how you’re going to react around him.”
“I’ll be perfectly civilized.”
“Right.”
“Kendall Marie Proctor!”
“Just please, do this for me. Okay?”
Her mother gave an exaggerated sigh. “All right.”
Kendall climbed the stairs to her room at the back of the house. She’d refurbished all the bedrooms to rental rooms, tirelessly sanding the floors and repainting. Repurposing furniture from garage sales and using every DIY project she could manage on her own. Or anything she could drag Bells into doing with her.
Her bedroom was a converted pantry from the original structure of the house. It was just big enough for a twin bed and shelves she’d created to hold everything from a small stereo to her cable console. A modest flat screen TV filled the wall at the end of her bed.
It was simply a nook for her to collapse in at the end of the day.
She climbed into the shower and let the hot water run until it flowed cold. Her typical apple shampoo and conditioner made her feel normal again. She looked out the window, but his truck still gone.
Armed with her fleece pj’s and woolen socks, she headed back downstairs to talk to her mother. A nap was probably a smart idea, but she couldn’t hide in sleep right now. No, she had a lot to explain.
Lily was curled into her chair with her current knitting project on her lap and the fluff-ball cat that seemed to own the house. Kendall leaned in. “Hello, Murdoch.”
He lifted his head for a long scratch under his chin before curling back into her mom’s lap.
“Do you want anything to eat?”
Kendall shook her head. “Not hungry.”
“You’re always hungry.”
Kendall managed a half smile. “Not at the moment.”
Lily sighed. “You really got yourself messed up over this man. You swore you’d never be like me, but here you are.”
Kendall’s spine snapped straight. “I’m not—”
“Larry and I fell hard and fast. Within two weeks we were moved into this house with every room spoken for. We had so many plans for more children,” she said absently.
“You wanted more kids?”
“Of course. We wanted at least three, but then…” Her mom trailed off. “Well, then we didn’t.”
Was it aweor just ahe? She didn’t have the heart to dredge up that question. Not when she was pretty sure Lawrence had not only left them but cheated on her mother. Did Lily even know that?
A sudden bang at the front door kicked adrenaline through her system. She checked the peep window. Shane’s imposing form filled the doorway. She shook back her hair and opened the door. Water dripped from the brim of his baseball cap, and his eyes glittered darkly.
