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And as if that realization conjured them to mind, the pitfalls came floating up to make themselves known. He’d lied to Kara Brand. Well, he hadn’t lied exactly, but he’d certainly twisted the truth. He’d told her he had lost his wife. But Angela was alive, if not exactly well. He was going to have to come clean about that at some point and hope Kara would forgive him.
And there was a second issue. If she were to sign on as Tyler’s new mommy—as my new wife,a little voice whispered—she would have to relocate. She’d have to move to Chicago with him.
Jim sighed. He couldn’t quite imagine Kara Brand thriving in the city. She was a wildflower, a long-limbed tiger lily, not a hothouse rose.
Hell, he doubted she would consider leaving her family anyway. Maybe, though. Maybe... for Tyler.
The sound of a motor drew his attention away from the subject at hand, and he looked up to see that the sun had risen some time while he’d been mulling, and the object of his thoughts was backing a red pickup truck into the driveway.
He watched her pull out into the road, straighten it and back in again. She cut the engine and got out, then tried to close the door softly. It made him smile as he opened the front door. “Don’t worry about that. I’m already awake.”
The way she looked at him, her eyes kind of landing on his chest and getting stuck there, reminded him what he was wearing. Jeans. No shirt. And it wasn’t warm outside.
She stared at his chest hard enough to burn holes through his skin, then jerked her eyes away almost violently. She held up two big grocery bags. “I, uh, brought some essentials.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded. “Can I come in?”
“It’s your house.” He held the door open and she came inside, started taking items out of the bags. There was a big box with the name of a local bakery on the cover, and he felt his stomach rumble in appreciation. Then a pint of half-and-half, a bag of sugar, a pack of paper filters and a pound of coffee. Finally she pulled out a drip coffeemaker, set it on the counter and plugged it in. “Mom had this one in the back closet. She bought a new one last year.” She took the carafe from the burner, filled it with tap water and poured it into the coffeemaker’s reservoir. He grabbed a filter, tucked it into the basket and added coffee, then slid it home.
She flicked on the power button.
He leaned back against the counter, crossed his arms over his chest and studied her. She wasn’t dressed up today. She wore jeans and T-shirt. She was tall—he liked that. Tall and willowy. She had a denim jacket over the clothes, but it was unbuttoned. Her hair was loose and a little careless. He liked that, too.
“Where’s Colby this morning?” she asked.
He frowned. “I assumed he was still sleeping. He took an upstairs bedroom.”
“Nope. His car’s gone.”
Jeeze, he’d been serious last night, hadn’t he? “I guess I must have dozed a little after all. I didn’t hear him leave.”
Kara took a few more items from the second bag—two boxes of cartoon-character cereal, a dozen eggs and a jug of milk. It was as she reached for the fridge that she paused, then yanked a sheet of paper off the door. “Note,” she said. She handed it to him and put the milk away.
Jim scanned the paper. “I’m taking some time” was all it said. Then he frowned. He’d really pissed his partner off, then, hadn’t he?
“Maybe he met a pretty girl,” Kara said.
“He hasn’t had time to meet a pretty girl.”
“Then maybe he’s looking to meet one.” She sent him a smile that somehow eased his mind.
He stopped worrying about Colby and got back to thinking about his plan of action with Kara Brand. “Actually,” he said, “maybe hehashad time to meet a pretty girl. I certainly managed to.”
“No fair,” she said. “You met me in grade school.”
“I suppose that’s true.” He was glad she hadn’t denied being pretty. “So what brings you around so early, Kara?” he asked.
“I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“Hell, no. I told you you didn’t. I’ve been up all night”
Instantly the teasing light left her eyes, and a flood of sympathy and concern replaced it. “It’s this place, isn’t it?” she asked. “I knew it got to you last night. Are you okay? I should have stayed here and let you guys use my room at the house.”
He held her gaze and nodded firmly. “You ever worry about yourself the way you worry about everyone else, Kara?”
She seemed to consider the question. “There’s no reason to. I have all I need.”
