AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course! Her idea, actually. She’s gone over to Ted’s farm to pick up the wagon.”
Chapter 3
Laney was hiding under a blanket on the couch. It had taken her an hour to corral Connor and Max into their room, and after promising them chocolate from her secret stash, they had agreed to get dressed for the day. She hadn’t meant to lie down, but after her long drive a little catnap sounded perfect. She could hear faint peals of laughter, then thumping, a door opening and next, more clearly this time, Max counting. Another game of hide-and-seek. Pounding steps told her Connor planned on hiding in the attic, and she closed her eyes.
Her moment of peace was soon interrupted, not by target-seeking little boys, but a knock at the back door. Pulling the afghan around her shoulders, she padded into the kitchen. Bright light poured in the windows from the mid-morning sun. A large male body that she would recognize anywhere filled the glass window in the door. Seeing him here, on her mother’s doorstep, was both familiar and completely unexpected. Her steps faltered and she stopped a few feet shy of the door.
At the funeral, he had worn a suit, and looked handsome, clean-cut and grown-up, a very different man than the college student she had loved. On her mother’s doorstep in a fitted ski jacket and a wool toque, he looked like...himself. Shoulders a bit broader, maybe, but his body still looked lean and hard, even disguised by winter layers. Sunlight caught half of his stubble-flecked jaw. She could feel the rasp of his cheek against hers.
She dragged in a ragged breath and pressed her palms to her side. Her pulse felt thready, and she wondered if she might pass out. Fight or flight? No, Laney would faint. She closed her eyes and willed herself to not see him as a threat. Their last encounter had been entirely reasonable. She’d been distracted by grief and they’d been surrounded by people, but this was the boy that broke her heart. Man. This was the man who broke her heart. Now here he was, on her doorstep, looking far too fine. And they were alone. She could faintly hear the boys upstairs, and hoped that they wouldn’t notice the visitor.
Kyle didn’t seem surprised that she hadn’t opened the door. He ducked his head for a moment, as if acknowledging that this must be awkward, then lifted it again, his mouth set in a straight line.
“Hey,” he mouthed, then turned and pointed at the driveway.
She edged closer, peering out the side window. A green tractor was parked beside her Audi, a large farm wagon hitched behind it. She stared at the tractor, wondering if the next few minutes of her life could maybe not happen. When Kyle didn’t magically disappear, she took a deep breath and opened the door.
“Hi.”
“Your mom asked me to drive the wagon over.”
She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “My mom.”
“Yeah. Laney … I didn’t know you were here, she didn’t say.”
She stared at him, words failing her. His returning gaze was warmer than she deserved for her rudeness, and she offered a weak smile.
“I was at Ted’s place when she walked over. She said she wasn’t dressed for riding a tractor.”
“She was wearing jeans!”
Kyle shrugged. “I didn’t think that much about it, I just drove the tractor across the road.” He flicked his eyes over her and she pulled the blanket tighter. He took his time meeting her gaze again, and when he did, his smile was warm and interested. Was that wishful thinking on his part, or hers?
He raised his hand as if he might touch her arm, then changed his mind and waved instead as he stepped back. “I’ll go now. It was nice to see you again.”
She bit her lower lip as he turned and walked down the steps toward the gravel drive. He stepped past her car, and she realized he was departing on foot.
“Kyle?”
He turned in surprise and angled his head to the side in a silent response.
“Where are you going?”
“I just live down at the corner, in the old school house. I’m fixing it up. You should come by.” And with that he turned and ambled down the drive, soon obscured by heavy oak branches. Laney stood in the doorframe watching for a few minutes, blanket wrapped around her shoulders, oblivious to the winter cold.
She didn’t return to the couch until after dinner. Claire and Evie arrived home at the same time, and the afternoon swept by in a flurry of outdoor fun, indoor decorating and holiday baking. Laney didn’t have a chance to talk to her mother about the meddling earlier, and as she sank into the soft cushions, wrapped once again in the afghan, she no longer felt the urgency. A day with Connor and Max was more exhausting than a 24-hour shift at the hospital.
Evie walked into the family room from the kitchen carrying two steaming mugs. “Chamomile tea? You look zonked.”
Laney nodded and waved her hand at the coffee table. “Put it there, I’m too tired to even hold the cup right now. Your kids are full-on.”
Evie giggled. “I know, right? They keep me on my toes.”
“Mom putting them to bed?”
“Yep. She’s a godsend.”
“For you, maybe.”
