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She really should take her baby and go home before he demanded dinner, but she couldn’t look away from Lucas’s intent expression. Being around him centered her in some way—which was weird because he disliked her. She wasn’t fond of him either. And after Eric’s death, she’d firmly put away any thought of a man in her life. That part of her life was dead and gone, leaving only the grief behind.
“Anything else I can help you with?”
She scrambled to her feet at his pointed question. “I’m sure you have things to do this evening. I’m so sorry to have taken up so much of your time, but thank you. I’ll sleep easier tonight.” She shouldered the diaper bag and her purse and went toward the entry.
He trailed her. “You’re welcome. I hope to find out something about the Balandin family once I get in my office tomorrow. There has to be some trace of them. You should make sure you don’t poke around online. There are all kinds of electronic snooping devices these days. Someone could be watching your online activity to see if you’ve started to go through your great-grandma’s items.”
Too late. “It’s odd nothing has happened since Eric’s death.Maybe whoever was interested decided there was nothing to find.”
“Maybe. Or the guy could have moved away or gotten sent to jail. We just don’t know. Better safe than sorry when you’ve got Noah.”
At the mention of his name, the baby stirred. His head bobbed up off Carly’s shoulder, and he turned to look at Lucas. When he began to coo, Carly laughed. “I’ve never heard him be quite so talkative.”
“Told you he was a chatterbox.”
What magic had Lucas woven around the baby to get him to respond like that? Maybe it was because Noah was used to being around women, and he liked Lucas’s deep voice. The baby wasn’t the only one affected. Carly had to admit Lucas’s voice resonated in her chest, too, and reached inside with some strange power.
***
That hadn’t been so bad. Lucas went into the kitchen to fix something to eat. The little guy had been pretty cute with all the smiles and coos. Carly had seemed surprised too. He hadn’t spent that much time around Carly over the years, and she’d been—different than he expected. For one thing, she hadn’t been flirtatious at all. Maybe she didn’t want to run the risk of having him quit helping her.
Or maybe she doesn’t find me attractive.
He shoved away the stupid thought. There was no attraction on either side. Sure, that thick dark hair was attractive in a messy bun. And her brown eyes made him think of rich,heavy chocolate, but he’d always dated blondes. There was no denying she was cute, though, which was how she’d roped in Ryan and then later Eric.
Her palindrome tee had been unexpected. He’d never heard those words before, and he prided himself on having a good vocabulary. He had to admit there was more to Carly than first met the eye. Not that he was interested in her that way.
He pulled out sirloin steak and sautéed it with onions and garlic before adding mushrooms and making the thickening. All he had to do was cook the noodles, and dinner would be ready. The rich aroma of beef stroganoff would linger until Ryan got home, and he would be sorry he left Lucas to fend for himself with Carly and the baby.
He heard Noah fussing through the open window. Once the full heat of summer hit, his air-conditioning would be going full blast, and he wouldn’t be able to hear what was going on next door. That might be a good thing.
He stared at the generous amount of food he’d prepared. Carly had gotten home late, and Mary was still gone at her volunteer job. He could share the food he’d made. That was a neighborly thing to do. Maybe he should just have them come here rather than him take it all over there. Decision made, he turned down the meat mixture and shut off the boiling water until he could get back and cook the noodles. He called Major, and they went out the back door and across the lush green grass to where Carly sat on the back deck with the baby.
Noah had quit crying, and as Lucas and Major neared, he saw the baby kicking his feet and reaching for a cat on Carly’s lap. Major’s ears went forward, and he woofed at the scent.
Lucas grabbed Major’s collar as the dog jumped forwardto check out the cat. “Stay.” The dog fell back and sat on his haunches but looked up at Lucas with reproachful dark eyes. Keeping control of his dog, Lucas crossed the last few steps of the yard.
“You’ve got a cat.”
Carly looked up and smiled. Her dark hair had escaped her bun and hung in thick curls down to her shoulders. She rescued her cross necklace from the baby’s fingers. “Noah loves Pepper. I’ve had him for about three years.”
“He’s cute. Is your grandma coming home soon? I made too much beef stroganoff, and I thought you two might help me eat it.”
“She’s going to dinner with her best friend, Maude, so I’m sitting out here trying to decide if I should order pizza or warm up leftovers. Stroganoff sounds much better. I haven’t had it in forever. That’s very kind of you.” She rose quickly as if she was afraid he’d withdraw the offer.
And for an instant he regretted the invitation, but it was done now.
He reached down and snagged the diaper bag for her. “You might want to put Pepper away. Major is way too interested. I think he believes Pepper is a squirrel and fair game for chasing. He’s never been around a cat.”
“I’ll put him inside.” She situated Noah in his bouncy seat before carrying the cat to the back door. She returned in less than a minute. “He’s happily eating his dinner.” She picked up the baby, seat and all, and came down the deck steps.
Lucas turned with Major and walked back to his yard. What should they talk about? Maybe the case. That would eat up some time. “How did you find that egg anyway? It’s hardto believe someone would bury something so beautiful in a chest.”
“It was painted a gaudy red, and I saw a speck of white porcelain when a fleck of it flaked off. White vinegar and dish soap soaked the old paint right off. I’ve been obsessed with Fabergé eggs for years. The history is fascinating. My egg was given to Empress Maria in 1886. All the art in the palace was supposed to have been cataloged and stored away when the Bolshevik Revolution occurred, but some pieces went missing. No one knows if they were sold or stolen.”
“I’ve never heard of them.” He reached the back deck and went up the steps to hold open the door for her and the baby. “Have you ever found anything else valuable from flea markets and garage sales?”
“I’ve found a few valuable paintings, but their worth was more in the hundreds, not the millions. And I’ve scored some Polish pottery for Gram. A few pieces of valuable furniture, too, but nothing close to the value of the egg. It’s the find of the century—maybe two centuries.”
