Renewed Faith (CSA Case Files 3 / Military Romance) (12 page)

Chapter Ten

K
evin didn’t bother to hide his smile as they drove farther into the country. If Elle thought she was staying at some hotel versus with his parents, she had another think coming. That wasn’t the type of people his family were and it was just something she’d have to accept. If one of their children brought someone home, regardless of the relationship, his parents would see to it that they were comfortable and welcome in all regards. He noticed Elle’s brows furrowed a little deeper as she studied the area and he knew it wouldn’t be long before she put two and two together.

“Kevin, how far away are we from your parents’ house?”

“Oh, probably another eight miles.” It had stopped snowing a couple hours back, but the landscape around them showed plenty of white powder as they slowly cruised down what was once a two-lane road. The plows only removed what was needed in this area. Kevin had no doubt that more snow would come before they headed back to Minneapolis. “We’ll have missed dinner, but I’m sure there will be enough leftovers. Besides, at times like these, neighbors keep each other knee deep in casserole dishes. Mom won’t have to cook for weeks.”

“Neighbors?” Elle looked around, probably to ensure that she wasn’t missing something. “There’s nothing out here, Kevin. Maybe you should turn around. There was a town around thirty miles back that had hotels.”

“We have lots of neighbors out here,” Kevin replied, sidestepping what she really wanted to talk about. “Mr. and Mrs. Troyer live around a mile down that drive to your right.”

“What drive?” Elle turned her head to the right, obviously missing the turn. “There’s nothing there.”

“Look back and you’ll see the black mailbox. The bottom of it is buried in the snow, but you’ll be able to make out the box.” Kevin waited a few seconds before pointing out that Mr. Fisher lived two miles down the left hand lane. “His son and I went to boot camp together. Good man. Last I heard he was serving another tour over in Afghanistan.”

“I don’t know if I’d call them neighbors.” Elle finally stopped looking at the area to glance his way. She had one eyebrow raised. “Neighbors are those people that live right next to you, where you walk no more than twenty steps, knock on their door, and ask for milk. I’m pretty sure you need a vehicle to visit these people out here.”

“No, city girl. You are referring to the strangers who lived next to you when you resided in that apartment complex. Neighbors help each other when needed, don’t ask for favors in return, and will always have your back when things get tough.”

Kevin pulled the truck closer to the right side of the road as a pick-up was headed their way. It was Leroy Howe who lived on the north side. When his vehicle slowed down to almost a stop, Kevin did the same and rolled down his window.

“Mr. Howe, it’s good to see you. How’s Mrs. Howe?”

“We’re doing good, son.” Mr. Howe’s eyes darted past Kevin to obviously get a glimpse of Elle. He tipped his head in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to Kevin. “I’m sorry for your loss. Your grandfather was a good man. The missus and I will be at the service tomorrow.”

“Much appreciated.” Kevin turned toward Elle to make the anticipated introductions. “Mr. Howe, this is a good friend of mine, Elle Reyes.”

“Nice to meet you, miss.”

“You too, Mr. Howe.”

“You keep warm now,” Kevin said, getting ready to roll up the window. The heat seemed to have been swallowed whole by the square outside access. “And we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I know you have a lot on your plate, son, but maybe before you leave town you could stop in at the center. Craig misses having you around and I know it would be good for morale.” Mr. Howe ran a hand over the rough skin on his leathered face as if he might be asking too much. “Have you kept up your service?”

Kevin knew that Mr. Howe was asking if he was volunteering his time at a foundation for wounded veterans in Minnesota. Mr. Howe was one of the first neighbors to have reached out to Kevin upon his return home from when he’d been injured in Afghanistan. The old vet volunteered his time at the Heroes Benefit Society and he had made sure that Kevin didn’t fall into a depression. It was hard enough to deal with the injury that one sustained, but it was another to mentally process that one’s future was profoundly altered making it easy to fall into a meaningless self-absorbed void.

“Yes, sir.” Kevin shifted uncomfortably, knowing that Elle heard every word of the exchange. His volunteer hours were private and something that he didn’t talk about very often. “And I’ll do my best to stop in and talk with Craig.”

“Alright then,” Mr. Howe replied, his satisfaction shining through. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kevin secured the window and pulled the truck forward, getting them back on the single plowed lane. His parents’ ranch was three miles up on the right hand side and he looked forward to being within the comfort of his family home. He waited for the peppering of questions to come his way and when they didn’t, he felt the tension of his body ease away. He looked over at Elle to find that she was playing with the locket that she wore around her neck.

“Mr. Howe lives around five miles down this road.” Kevin motioned to the area in front of them. “His land borders ours. Mrs. Howe makes the best damn fried chicken this side of the Mississippi. I’m sure she’s already loaded my mother up with more than the whole family could eat in a week, but my brothers and I will see to it that it’s much appreciated.”

“Kevin, I don’t want you to have to drive me back to the nearest city tonight. You’re not going to want to leave later and it’s wrong of me to ask you to. I think it’s best to take me now, unless one of your siblings will be headed back that way. I can hitch a ride with them.”

If Elle didn’t stop grinding that locket onto her chain, she was going to wear it down until the links snapped. Kevin figured now was the time to tell her that she wouldn’t be staying anywhere other than his parents’ home. At least he had two miles to deal with the fallout.

“Elle, you’ll be staying in one of the guest bedrooms.” Kevin turned the temperature up a notch, trying to recapture the heat that had escaped. Maybe it would warm her up to the idea as well. “It’s pointless to stay in a hotel when I’d waste too much time driving you back and forth.”

“No, I won’t be staying
with
you. That wasn’t the deal. I specifically said I would be sleeping at a hotel.” Elle’s focus was expressly on him, the beautiful scenery forgotten. So much for the heat notion. “As for wasting your time, that won’t be a problem. I told you that I would just be at the viewing and that you could then spend time with your family. There’s no need for me to intrude on such a private time.”

The turn to his parents’ dairy farm came into view. It was bittersweet coming home to family when his grandfather was no longer with them. Pop’s hearty laugh over the dinner table would be heard no more. The stories he told would now be relayed by the next generation and his memory would live on. That didn’t erase the grief they would go through as they gained acceptance.

“My parents would be offended if you chose to stay in some damn hotel,” Kevin said in a low voice, needing to convey the importance of what he was articulating. Every word was the truth and he was about to extend himself out on a limb. “They don’t need any more problems just now and to tell you the truth, I need you here. All I would do is worry about you being all alone in a cheap hotel room so far away instead of just down the hall.”

Kevin didn’t have to look Elle’s way to know that her brown eyes widened in shock at his admission. He had flicked his blinker on a few feet back and slowed his truck, taking the right turn carefully onto the plowed drive that led to his childhood home. The sun was setting behind them as he drove down the lane and dusk was descending over the land. Deer could be seen stirring in the distant tree line and the land of his youth amplified his emotions as he audibly sighed. The days ahead would carry enough darkness and he waited for her reaction with unease.

“Okay.” Elle’s voice shook just enough that he caught the crack at the end. He wished he knew whether it was over having to be around strangers and the given circumstances or if it was that she was afraid to spend too much time with him. The days ahead would be very telling. Elle’s shoulders straightened and she reached up to adjust the clip in her hair. “I wouldn’t want to cause more distress for your family and I don’t want you to concern yourself over me and the case when you should be thinking about your parents. I’ll do my best to stay out of the way though.”

Kevin shook his head in disbelief at her blatant misconception. She either did it on purpose or she really believed the words that she was emitting from her mouth. What the hell did family and friendship mean to her? The case didn’t have anything to do with them an entire state away. Lights shone ahead over the rise, indicating they were getting close to the house. It was for the best he didn’t have time to answer for he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have chased her immediately back the way they came. As it was, the front door was opening as he pulled the truck behind the other vehicles parked out front of the large wraparound porch. His family waited for them.

*   *   *   *

Elle took in the Norman Rockwell vision in front of her and stared at it in disbelief. Powdered snow covered the landscape, surrounding a large farmhouse with a white wraparound porch. She had no doubt that during warmer weather there were rocking chairs to accompany the swing that swayed in the bitter wind. The golden rays of light that streamed from the windows cast a “coming home” feeling that she’d only ever read about or seen on Christmas cards. She seriously contemplated waiting until Kevin got out of the driver’s side to then hotwire the truck and hightail it out of here.

Elle took a deep breath and reminded herself that looks were deceiving and what was inside rarely matched the façade. These people were no different than those she surrounded herself with. They just hid it better. Kevin had come around the passenger side and was holding her door open before she even had a chance to put her jacket on. Deciding against it since the porch was a short walk away, she grabbed it behind her and started to exit the vehicle.

“Don’t even try getting out of this truck without putting your jacket on.” Kevin’s rich voice had taken on that authoritative tone and she found herself reacting to it. Her fingers tightened in the downy fabric so as not to show any physical response. The more he resorted back to the old Kevin, where his dominance shined through, the more she had trouble controlling her reactions. She reminded herself why she was here as she shrugged into her jacket, making it seem as if it weren’t a big deal. Ignoring his outstretched hand, she slid her body down to the ground. “You’re on my turf now, city girl. That means my rules.”

“Remember that talk of neighbors?” Elle asked, purposely refusing to allow Kevin to one up her. It wasn’t going to happen and she was about to let that be known. She looked up into his gray eyes and met him stare for stare, not giving him an inch. She refused to admit to even herself that he affected her physically. This back and forth exchange they had going was just to keep his mind off of the reason they were here. It wasn’t like they did this back home. They rarely saw each other. It was only when he nodded that Elle remembered she was making a point. “Well, think of me as a neighbor. I’m helping you out and then I will be on my way. I’m relatively sure that my compassion doesn’t give you the right to bark out demands.”

“For someone who’s supposedly helping me during this hard time, you’ve yet to touch me in comfort. Do I have that to look forward to?”

Elle didn’t know if his way of coping with what he was about to face was to bait her at every turn. What she did understand was that deep down he wasn’t serious. If the farmhouse in front of her, along with the stories of his grandfather on the drive here and the interaction he’d had with Mr. Howe was any indication, Kevin deserved to have a woman who had the same naïve upbringing. These people were protected from the horrors of society and turned a blind eye to people like her.