FATHER IN TRAINING (13 page)

Lindsay paused by her mother. "It was a cartoon. Can you believe it? The children there were so immature. Nichole and Blake hardly know how to act in a restaurant. You really need to do something about them, Mother."

"Maybe I'll do something about you, young lady,"
Sandy
said.

Lindsay sniffed,
then
turned to Kyle. "Thank you for a lovely evening."

He paused on the top stair, confused. "It was…" Damn, he didn't know what to say. "I'm glad you three kids could join me."

Lindsay visibly flinched. "I'm not a child, Kyle."

Sandy
saved him by taking the grocery bag from him and handing it to her daughter. "Honey, put this away for me. I need to have a little talk with Kyle."

Lindsay paused by the door as if she had something else to say, then she swept inside and let the screen bang shut behind her.

Kyle sat on the top stair and patted the wood.
Sandy
crossed the porch and perched next to him. She wasn't sitting very close. He could have fit a whole other person between them, but it was probably as good as it was going to get. She folded her arms over her chest. Was she protecting herself from him or holding something inside? Did he really want to know?

He stared at the sky. It was still only midsummer. The sun didn't set until close to nine. It had dipped below the trees. The temperature was lower, though the evening air was still warm and pleasant. He could smell the jasmine by the house. He had a bush blooming by his back door. He liked the sultry scent, although not as much as the fragrance of
Sandy
's shampoo. She was too tense to have soaked in a bath, so he figured she'd taken time for a quick shower and nothing else.

"Why are you mad?" he asked. "We were on time. No one got hurt, or food poisoning, at least not yet."

"How do you know I'm mad?" she asked.

"If your spine was any stiffer, we could use it for a flagpole."

She surprised him by smiling. "A flagpole?"

"Well, maybe not a flagpole, but something."

Her smile faded. "You were five minutes late."

He glanced at her. "You're kidding, right? You can't be mad about that."

"I'm not." She glanced at her folded arms and shrugged. "Okay, I'm a little mad. But you're right, five minutes isn't very late."

"Were you worried?"

"Maybe. No. Yes."

"Why?" he asked. "Were you seriously concerned that I'd let something bad happen to them?"

"Not exactly. I wasn't being that rational. You asked if you could take them to a movie and dinner, and I was so grateful to be without them for a few hours that I said yes. Then when you were gone, I got scared. I realized I don't know you. What if you have some secret past no one knows about? What if—" She glanced up at
him.
Her green eyes were dark and troubled. "I overreacted, I guess. Probably because I'm so tired."

"Aw, honey, everything was fine."

"I see that now. It looks like everyone had a great time."

She hunched over slightly, resting her forearms on her bare thighs. She'd changed clothes while he'd been gone. She wore a sleeveless shirt tucked into red shorts. He wanted to slide next to her and give her a big hug. Or maybe just hold her close.
Sandy
looked as if she needed a little holding. But he didn't move. For one thing, she would probably get all huffy and push him away. For another, he was assuming an awful lot.

Maybe she didn't want to be comforted by him. After all, she'd been the one so set on keeping them "just friends." Kyle grimaced. How many times had he said that exact line to a woman he was dumping? They must have hated it as much. He swore he was never going to say it to anyone again.

"I'm not surprised you're feeling overwhelmed," he said. "This is a lot of responsibility for one person."

"Because I'm a woman, right?"

He turned until he was facing
Sandy
. His back pressed against the railing. He bent one leg at the knee and put that foot on the porch. His other foot rested on the bottom step. "You have a real problem with this woman thing, don't you? Have I ever said anything about your being a woman? Have I ever hinted that you couldn't do something because you're a woman?" He raised his eyebrows and waited.

She cleared her throat. "Well, not in so many words."

"Ah-ha! So you're
assuming
that's what I'm thinking. Why?"

"I know men like you, Kyle."

"Men like me?" He had a feeling he knew what she was getting at, but he wanted to hear the words. And he wanted to see her squirm, just a little, for being so quick to judge him.

"Men who have an easy time with, you know, women." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Stop looking at me like that… You want me to say it, don't you?"

He grinned. "Oh, yes. More than anything."

"Good-looking men. Okay? Are you happy? Most good-looking men assume all women are stupid. I guess because women have been doing stupid things to get their attention. Maybe I should stop jumping to conclusions about you, but it's difficult."

He wanted to strut around the yard like a rooster.
Sandy
thought he was good-looking. It didn't make a damn bit of difference, but he was pleased as hell. It meant she'd been thinking about him, and not just as her neighbor. At least he hoped it did.

"I'll accept that you think I'm handsome and incredibly charming—"

"I didn't say anything about being charming," she interrupted.

He ignored her.
"And
incredibly charming, if you'll accept the fact that I don't assume you're incapable of doing things simply because you're female. I have great respect for women."

She snorted. "I'll just bet you do. You must respect them all the way through that revolving door in your bedroom."

"Is that what you think?" he
asked,
his voice low and controlled. His smile faded along with his good humor. "Is that why you were upset when I took the kids? Do you think I was meeting with some woman and dragging them along?" His flash of anger surprised him. "I would never do anything like that. Despite my reputation, I don't have a revolving door in my bedroom, I don't bring women to my house and I sure as hell wouldn't act inappropriately in front of your children."

He started to stand up.
Sandy
leaned toward him and placed her hand on his forearm. Her gaze met his. "I'm sorry," she said. "Really. I didn't really think that about you, and I shouldn't have implied it. You were teasing me, and I couldn't think of anything funny to say, so I just lashed back. It was wrong of me. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," he said. He settled back down.

She squeezed his arm briefly,
then
withdrew her hand to her lap. "Getting back to your original statement, yes, this has been a lot of responsibility for just one person. Even for a woman." She gave him a slight smile. He returned it. The tension between them eased.

But his anger continued to lurk below the surface. Later, when he was alone, he decided, he would think about what she'd said and what it meant. He was annoyed that she'd heard enough about him to think he was irresponsible where women were concerned. Of course, she might just be assuming the worst based on what she remembered about his brothers.

"I worry about the kids," she said. "What if they hate it here?"

"We both liked it when we were their ages."

"That was a long time ago. Kids have changed."

"Not that much," he said. "Times have changed. It's tough now. There are more ways for a child to screw up his life than there used to be, but your children know right from wrong. I don't think you have to worry."

"Lindsay still hasn't forgiven me for moving her here."
Sandy
leaned her head against the railing. "She's so confused."

"She's not the only one," he muttered.

Sandy
chuckled. "Did she give you any trouble tonight?"

"Not exactly. It wasn't what she said, it was more her expectations." He shuddered. "I didn't dare let her sit next to me at the movie."

Her chuckle turned into a laugh. "Poor Kyle, afraid of a twelve-year-old girl."

"It's easy for you to think this is funny. I'm the one trying to tap-dance around her feelings. I don't want to encourage her, and I don't want to hurt her. It's not easy."

Sandy
sobered. "I appreciate your effort. I'll have a talk with her."

"With my luck, she won't listen."

"Children rarely do."

"Great." He leaned back and studied her profile. The sun had slipped below the horizon and the sky grew darker. Light from the house spilled out onto the porch. He could see the straight line of her small nose, the outline of her full mouth, the slight point of her stubborn chin. He'd always thought she was beautiful. That hadn't changed.

"The problem is," he said conversationally, never taking his gaze from her. "You work too hard and you've forgotten how to have fun."

Instantly she stiffened. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You expect too much of the kids. It's summer. They should be outside playing, not washing walls and painting."

She glared at him. "So I should do all the work?"

"That's not what I said. But you must admit you don't get out much."

"I want to know where you get off telling me what I should and shouldn't do with my children. You've known them for less than three weeks, Mr. Haynes, so I'll thank you to keep your opinions to yourself."

"Blake thinks his father didn't like him."

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She stared at him mutely,
then
rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. "Damn."

"I shouldn't have said it like that."

"No, it's okay. I'd rather know. I've been afraid of that. Thomas wasn't very subtle when he was annoyed. I know he loved his children, but he wasn't always the greatest father." She raised her head and pushed her hair out of her face. "Thanks for telling me. I'll talk to him. Did he say anything else?"

Kyle shook his head. "That was about it. I had a good time with them tonight, except for Lindsay's problem, but I'm hoping she'll outgrow it. I wouldn't mind taking them out again."

"Why?"

"I like kids. I always have."

"So have a couple dozen of your own."

He shook his head. "It's not going to happen. I'm not the type." He couldn't risk it. He couldn't risk giving his heart to someone who was going to leave.

Sandy
straightened. "I don't want them confused. You're not their father or stepfather."

"Can't I just be some guy they like?"

"I suppose." She didn't sound very enthusiastic about the idea.

"Is it because you don't trust me?"

"No, it's… I can't explain it."

"They haven't had a man in their lives since Thomas died. For that matter, neither have you."

"That's none of your business."

"I never said it was
,
I was just pointing out a fact."

She turned toward him. Her mouth pulled straight. "Are you so sure of your facts?" she asked, obviously irritated.

He stared at her for a long time, first studying her face, then glancing at her body. She tilted up her chin slightly, but otherwise didn't move. "I'm pretty sure, but I wouldn't mind being the one to change things."

"You have a lot of nerve, mister."

He grinned. "You're not the first one to accuse me of that. Come on,
Sandy
, would it be so bad to take your first steps with me? I won't let you fall."