Family for Keeps & Sadie's Hero (3 page)

The water was chilly as she focused on the present. She shuddered from the cold, empty feeling that encased her like Mac’s imagined embrace in her dream. She stood and toweled dry. She rubbed hard, as though she could erase the last vestige of her old self.

She was determined to build a life here in Denver completely different from her old one in South America.

She quickly dressed for her date, hoping that her casual attire of black slacks and a simple peach knit top would send the man the right message. Nothing serious.

By the time he picked her up, she’d paced a path in her living room that left a trail in the carpet. His warm greeting did nothing to ease her tension. While leaving her apartment, she found herself responding to his smile with one of her own and instantly wishing she could find fault. But he was the perfect gentleman, down to opening the car door for her.

As he started the engine, he peered at her and said, “You look beautiful. Quite different from the last time I saw you.”

She remembered the incident in the playroom with the children and how he had maneuvered her into going out with him. She tried to muster some resentment toward the man but couldn’t, especially when he looked at her as though she were the only woman in the world.

“How’s Johnny doing?” Mac asked as he negotiated through traffic.

“Sulking most of the time. He has little to say when I visit him.”

“I know. I stopped by his room before visiting the other children. I think he spoke three words to me the whole time I was there. I felt like I was carrying on a conversation with myself.”

“Yeah, that’s the way he is with everyone. I wish I could reach him. But things haven’t been easy for him.”

“Well, I haven’t given up. I’ll make a point to stop by again. I’m a pretty determined guy when something is important to me.”

Tess could imagine his determination. He wouldn’t have become such a good football player without it. But she was a determined lady, and he wasn’t going to get her to do something she didn’t want to do again. Even as she thought that, there was a part of her that realized she’d wanted to go out with him or she wouldn’t have allowed the children to talk her into this date. That realization startled her.

When Mac pulled his car into the driveway of a house, Tess sent him a wary glance. “Do you want to show me your etchings?”

His laughter filled the small confines of the car, warming the already heated air. Tess was caught by his silver molten gaze and held in its spell. This is a mistake, she thought frantically. It’s way too dangerous for me to go out with him. He’s too overwhelming.

“What if I said yes?”

“Then I’m not moving from this car.” She felt herself being drawn into his web of male charm, held together by an incredible smile and the most beautiful eyes.

He grinned, his arm sliding along the back of the seat. “That’ll be all right by me.”

The air became unbearably hot. Tess felt prickles of heat slip down the length of her. She stared at that incredible smile of his that no human being had a right to and wanted to melt. She didn’t know if she would be able to move from the car if her life depended on it.

Even though his arm didn’t touch her, she was acutely conscious of it only inches from her. Her skin tingled as though electrical currents flowed between them. She found herself leaning closer to his arm along the back of the seat as if she needed to establish tactile contact with him. Oh, my, what’s happening to me?

Suddenly she bolted upright, staring straight ahead, determined not to look at him. “I think you’d better take me home.”

His laugh was low and full of warmth. “I never figured you for a gal who went back on a promise.”

She threw him a surprised look. “I’m not. I went out with you. It was just an incredibly short date.”

His chuckle danced along her nerve endings. “I suppose technically you’ve fulfilled your obligation to the children, but you’re missing the intent of the date.”

She quirked a brow. “Oh, and what is that?” she asked, confused by the way his laughter seeped into her bruised heart and demanded she forget everything but him.

His hand touched her shoulder, urging her back against the seat. “Stay and relax. All I want is for us to get to know each other.”

The way he said “for us” made her breath catch and belied the meaning of his words. She wasn’t good at this dating stuff, having done little of it in her life. She should never have let the kids at the hospital bully her into going out with Mac, even if there was a small part of her that had wanted to go.

“Friendship is about all I can handle in my life,” he murmured, his voice low and throaty.

“Now I’m really comforted.” Vividly aware of his hand near her shoulder, Tess sat stiffly against the seat cushion. Her senses registered everything about him, his clean male scent, the silver gleam in his eyes, the dimples at the sides of his mouth when he smiled.

“If it would make you feel any better—” Mac stopped talking as a car pulled up behind them in the driveway and a man, woman and child got out of it.

The man approached Mac’s car and bent down at the open window on the driver’s side. “This has got to be a first. I don’t believe it, Mac. You’ve never been early for anything. Turning over a new leaf?”

“Funny.”

“Are you coming in or do you plan on celebrating out in the car?” The man’s gaze slid to Tess then back to Mac. “I’ll admit I wouldn’t blame you.”

“Tess, this obnoxious guy is my brother Justin. His wife, Mary, and their son, Justin Junior, are standing behind him.”

“Brother?” Tess’s voice was full of puzzlement. Her cheeks still flamed from Justin’s comment.

“Yeah, I was about to tell you that this is my mother’s house. We’re celebrating my brother’s birthday tonight, and the crowd I told you about at the hospital is my huge family.”

“See you inside, brother dear. Don’t take too long. Mom probably has her binoculars trained on you as we speak,” Justin said.

Tess watched the couple and their son walk to the front door and go inside. She should be angry at the way Mac had deliberately misled her, but she couldn’t muster the feeling. Relief washed over her. She knew in the brief ride to his mother’s that she couldn’t handle being alone with Peter MacPherson. She would have to remember that, and avoid the situation at all costs, she told herself as she clutched the door handle, needing to escape. She realized she didn’t trust herself around Mac.

“Why the rush, Tess? The rest of the family isn’t even here yet. Let’s talk. Get to know each other. Believe me, once we hit that door, we’ll get very little time to talk alone together.”

“I know all I need to know.” Is that my voice that sounds panic-filled? Tess, take deep breaths and calm down. So he makes your heart beat a bit faster and all your senses vibrate with awareness. It will pass, she assured herself, thinking back to the handful of guys she’d dated in her life and realizing she was definitely out of her league.

“There you go again, judging me before you even know me.”

She angled to face him in the small car. “I’m not judging you.”

“Aren’t you?”

“I’m just not interested in any kind of relationship.”

“Even friendship?”

“Is that what this is all about?” Strangely, that was what frightened her. His offer of friendship was the most appealing aspect about him, she was discovering as she spent time with him.

“Yes and no. I’m not going to deny you interest me.” His hand settled on her shoulder, kneading the taut muscles. “There’s something between us even you can’t deny. But, Tess, what I really want is to get to know you as a friend. No one can have too many friends.”

Her eyes closed for a brief moment as she relished the feel of his hand on her, massaging the tension away, creating delicious sensations in her that went down to the tips of her toes. My gosh, she thought. He’s good. Too good!

“I don’t think casual is in your vocabulary.” She pulled away, plastering her back against the car door, grasping anything—however fragile—to break the hold this man was weaving over her. “You say you want to be my friend, but something else is going on. Like you, friendship is all I can handle in my life right now.”

“What happened, Tess? What are you running away from?”

“I
could ask you the same questions,” Tess said, wanting to avoid the direction the conversation was headed in.

Sighing heavily, Mac opened the car door. “I think it’s time we go in. Justin’s probably right about my mother and the binoculars. I think I see sunlight glinting off glass from the living room window.”

For some reason Tess couldn’t let the question drop. “Are you avoiding my question? Why won’t you answer it?” she asked as she faced him over the top of his car.

“Probably for the same reason you won’t answer mine. It’s not easy for the two of us to share our pain, is it?”

She blinked, nonplussed by the way he could hone in on what she was all about—and in such an incredibly short time. “I think you’re right. We’d better go inside.” She headed for the house.

A petite woman with gray hair opened the door before Mac could reach around Tess and put his hand on the knob. “I was beginning to think I’d have to send Steve out to get you.”

“Mom, not everyone is here yet.”

“But still, I wanted some time to get to know your friend before the rest of the horde descend.”

With that declaration Tess found herself being studied by Mac’s mother’s sharp gaze, much like her son’s.

“As you’ve probably surmised, this woman is my mother, Alice MacPherson. Mom, this is Tess Morgan.”

Tess shook Alice’s hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine. When Peter called to tell me he was bringing a date, I was frankly very interested. Ever since Sheila—”

“Mom, where’s Amy? I want Tess to meet my daughter.”

“She’s in the den with her cousins.”

“I’ll be back in a sec. I can trust you, Mom, not to say anything too outrageous while I’m gone.”

“Why, son, never.” Alice signaled for Tess to precede her into the living room. “I’ll just get acquainted with your lady friend while you’re gone. Take all the time in the world getting Amy. We’ll be just fine, Peter,” Alice called as she winked at Tess. “I wager he’ll be gone no more than a minute, if that long.” Alice gestured toward the couch. “Are you from Denver?”

“No, I grew up in Maine but after my parents died, I decided on a change of scenery.” Tess sat on the couch across from Mac’s mother, feeling as though she were being interviewed by a pro and determined not to mention the year she’d spent in the Peace Corps in South America. That might lead to questions she didn’t want to answer.

“I must warn you, in a moment this place will be chaotic. Do you have any brothers and sisters?”

Tess’s chest felt tight. She drew in a fortifying breath and answered, “No.” She had always wanted a lot of brothers and sisters. She was completely alone in the world. There had been a time when she had wanted a large family with Kevin. Now that wasn’t possible, but the empty ache still hurt.

“Well, Tess, I’m not sure you missed out on anything,” Mac said as he joined them in the living room, carrying an adorable-looking little girl in his arms. She had huge brown eyes and dark hair. “As the big brother, I have to put up with a lot of nonsense.”

“Oh, sure, you think you’re the only one who has suffered.” Justin entered the room with another young man. “Steve, you tell our big brother how we have to constantly live up to his legend. It’s very hard to at times.”

“Justin, be kind to your older brother,” Alice said with a laugh.

“Yeah, bro.” Mac put Amy down and watched as his little girl walked to Tess.

Amy cocked her head, her brow knitted, and asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m Tess Morgan, a friend of your father’s.” The second she said the word
friend
she felt Mac’s smug glance touch her face and wished she could stop her cheeks from flaming scarlet just with the thought of the man looking at her. She must learn to control her reaction to him.

“Daddy has a lot of friends,” Amy announced, then wandered to her grandmother and sat next to her.

Tess was trying to decide what the little girl meant by friends when another man came into the room, quickly followed by a young woman. Suddenly the room was filled with people of various ages, from a baby to Mac’s mother. Tess felt inundated. The people were all interested in her, kidding each other and enjoying the moment. By the time everyone had introduced themselves, Tess counted fifteen people. She was never good at names, so she found herself reviewing their names as she listened to the conversation flowing around her.

Mac walked behind the couch and leaned over. “I have something I’d like to show you before dinner.”

She smiled. “Those etchings finally?”

His chuckle was low, meant only for her. “Not here. Never any privacy. It’s something outside. You just have to put your trust in me and come with me to find out.”

The thought of putting her trust in Mac’s hands didn’t alarm her nearly as much as she thought it should. That knowledge sent a bolt of pure panic through her. Since South America she’d lost her ability to trust.

“Coming?” Mac asked, his hand extended toward her.

Fitting her hand within his grasp, Tess followed him from the living room, aware of a lull in the conversation. She suspected his family had stopped talking to watch them leave. Another blush tinted her cheeks as she realized they would be the topic of conversation after they left.

Mac confirmed her suspicion when he whispered into her ear, “I thought I would spice up their dull lives and let them talk about us for a while.”

“Are you always so accommodating to your family?”

“Alas, you’ve found me out. I’m a doormat when it comes to them.” He opened the back door and motioned for her to go first. “My daughter has already figured out how to wrap me around her little finger.”

On the patio, the warm spring air felt good. Tess took a moment to relish the clean fresh air laced with the hint of honeysuckle. “What did you want me to see?” she asked when Mac came up behind her and stood close.

“This.” He spread his arm wide to indicate the beautiful sky at dusk.

Mauves mingled with pinks and reds to feather outward to all reaches of the heavens. The light, cool breeze, carrying the scent of pine, ruffled the strands of her hair. The quiet just before night descended filled Tess with a momentary sense of tranquillity she wished she could bottle.

The sunset was a vivid backdrop to the tall peaks. Tess loved the mountains. Standing on top of one was like standing on top of the world. That was one of the reasons she had chosen to live in Denver, even though the memories of the Andes Mountains sometimes got to be too much for her.

“When I’m over at Mom’s, I love to come out here in the evening and just enjoy the sight. This is what life’s all about. God’s creation,” he whispered close to her.

Tess turned slightly so she could look at him, surprise in her expression.

He laughed. “Don’t look so stunned. I can appreciate beauty as well as the next guy.”

“Why did you play football?”

“I love the game. It gave me a lot.”

“How did you break your leg—playing football?” She made the mistake of letting her gaze trail downward. As she took in his great physique, her face flushed. If she had to use one word to describe his body, it would be
powerful.

“I’ve broken a couple of bones over the years, but I didn’t break my leg this time playing football. I haven’t played the game since I retired.”

“What happened to your leg?” She turned and put some distance between them. Suddenly the cool air was warm, too warm. The space between them was filled with yearnings. She balled her hands at her sides, resisting the strong urge to run them over his massive shoulders. His body was a rock-hard force that spoke of his former profession.

“Nothing much. I was helping to roof a halfway house at which I volunteer and fell off the ladder. Now it’s your turn. Why haven’t you seen a game? You admitted to the children today that you know nothing about football.”

“Kids take risks they shouldn’t playing that game. I’ve seen firsthand some of the results as a nurse.”

“Life’s a risk.”

“And life is much too violent without a game like football.” She stared at the sunset quickly fading behind the mountains. She had seen enough violence in her life as an emergency room nurse, then as a Peace Corps volunteer in South America. An act of violence had claimed the man she’d been engaged to marry.

“Are you really being fair to the game?”

His presence behind her pulled her from memories that were always just below the surface. Potent power emanated from him, threatening to overcome any resistance she had. She steeled herself against that lure and said, “In high school I had a good friend who played football.”

“And you never saw him play?”

“My studies were too important to me. He asked me to, but sports wasn’t my thing. His second year on the team, he caught the ball in the end zone for the winning touchdown. Three players tackled him. My friend never got up. He had to be carried off the field and to this day is paralyzed from the waist down.”

“Football offered me a way to go to a good college. It opened up the whole world for me and consequently my family. It has given me a chance to use my status to spread the word of the Lord. Through my foundation I have been able to help a lot of people I wouldn’t have been able to. Football gave me that chance.” Mac came around to stand in front of her.

“What is your foundation?”

“I’ve used my connections in the sports world to raise money for the Christian Athletes Foundation, which I started a few years ago. Through this foundation I can fund certain projects. The Lord has provided for me. I want to provide for others.”

“What kind of projects?”

“One of my more recent ones was establishing scholarships for students who don’t have the money to go to college. I want to make sure others have the opportunity that I had through a good education.”

“Education and football?”

“Yes, and football, but I don’t want to talk about football. Let’s talk about where we’re heading, Tess.”

The way he said her name, like a caress, was a silent plea for her understanding. She couldn’t resist him. She wanted to understand him in that moment more than anything else.

“There’s a connection between us I can’t deny. I think you need a friend more than you care to admit.” He reached up and cupped her face in his large hands, his touch electric. “Go out with me Saturday night. Just you and me. No family between us.”

She laid her hands over his and stared into his silvery gaze, which radiated intensity. She felt lost as sensations she had never experienced washed over her.

“Will you go out with me?”

The question was a whisper between their mouths as he leaned closer to her, his breath anointing her lips. One of his hands fingered her hair then slid to clasp the nape of her neck. She was surrounded by him, his power shoving everything aside as her senses centered on him.

“Answer me, Tess,” he whispered against her mouth.

An emotion deep inside her stirred, an emotion she’d buried forever, she thought. “Yes, I’ll go out with you.”

She waited to see what would happen next, half anticipating him kissing her. His gaze locked with hers, and she felt a part of herself disappear.

“Mac, dinner’s ready.”

He lifted his head and muttered, “I’m gonna have to talk with my sister about her timing.”

Slowly Tess’s senses calmed enough for her to think rationally, to step away from him before she became lost again in his gaze. She welcomed the cooling breeze of evening as her heartbeat returned to a normal pace. He was a force she had never reckoned with or needed in her life. And in a moment of pure insanity she had promised to go out with him again Saturday night.

“I guess we’d better go inside or no doubt my whole family will come out to investigate…the sunset. They feel just because they’re my family they have a right to know every little detail of my life, and then if that doesn’t satisfy them, they make up a few tidbits.”

“And you probably love every minute of it.”

He lightly touched the small of her back as she went through the door. It was a casual gesture, but nonetheless it unnerved her.

In the dining room the adults were seated at the long table. The children were at a smaller table in the living room. All eyes were on Mac and Tess as they entered the room and quietly sat, Mac at the head of the table and Tess to his right.

“Mac, will you do the honor of saying grace?”

Bowing his head, Mac clasped her hand as well as Casey’s, who sat on the other side of him. “Heavenly Father, please bless this food we are about to partake and give us the wisdom to see our path in this life.”

She felt comforted, and strangely a sense of peace descended, his fingers about hers and his simple prayer filling the room with his conviction.

“It’s about time you two came in. I’m starved, and we’ve been waiting ages for you guys,” Casey said as she started passing the platter of ham around.

Mac shot his younger sister a narrowed look. “Watch it, kid, or I’ll forget our conversation this morning.”

“Casey, you didn’t go over to Mac’s to get his help concerning college?” Alice asked, clearly upset by the frown on Casey’s face.

“Yes, I did. He’s the only one you’ll listen to. Besides, it’s his money that’s sending me to college. I thought he should know I don’t want it right now.”

Tess ate her dinner while the rest of the family debated the merits of going to college right out of high school or waiting a year. She loved listening to the bantering among family members. She hated discovering Mac’s generous nature when it came to his family. He had done so much for them, which, against her will, only endeared him even more in her eyes. It was going to be hard to stay away from the man, because she felt the same pull he did. And he was right. She did need a friend. She had avoided getting close to anyone for far too long.

After everyone had shared an opinion on the subject, Alice stood to cut the birthday cake. “Mac, what do you think?”

“It’s Casey’s life. It’s her decision. It’s something, Mom, she has to want to do.” He took a sip of iced tea. “But I want Casey to know right up front that I believe a college education is the way for her to go when she’s ready. It opens so many doors.”