Return to Lone Oak (Harlequin Heartwarming) (7 page)

CHAPTER SIX

“I
AM
GOING
TO
hang you by your ears, Noah David Fletcher.” His mom called out to him the moment he shut the back door.

He really needed to move out of his parents’ home, he thought for the hundredth time as he shuffled toward his bedroom. His run had worn him out on its own, then his conversation with Katie had drained him completely. His emotions had been thoroughly wrung out just by voicing one part of what he’d experienced in the Congo.

“What’d I do now, Mom?” he hollered. He wasn’t even sure what part of the house she was in, but her threat had been loud enough he could’ve heard it from a boat on the river a hundred yards away.

She suddenly appeared in his doorway. “Housekeeping services?” Her tone was that of a horrified, deeply insulted woman.

Noah cringed. He’d had every intention of mentioning that to her ahead of time, but apparently he’d gotten the days confused. “I thought they weren’t supposed to be here until Friday.”

“I don’t care what day it is.
What
was that little stunt about, young man?”

He had to stifle a smile, hearing again the term she’d always used when he’d been in trouble. “Just trying to help, Mom. No one can keep this house like you do, but I just thought you could use your time on so many other things.”

“That’s one hundred percent hooey, Noah.”

“Besides, while I’m living here, I should help with the chores. This was supposed to be my contribution, since I’m never home enough to do much.” Not to mention, she was a little militant about keeping things clean. He never got the chance to help with anything because she’d already done it all.

Her mouth actually hung open, then she shook her head. “Have you heard the term
overkill
before?”

“Would it be so bad for you to have a little help?”

“You think I’m some old lady who can’t handle it anymore, don’t you?”

He threw up his hands. “I think nothing of the sort.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. He
could
see a difference in how she handled things, how she’d begun to slow down. While he knew she was perfectly capable of running the house and taking care of it, he didn’t want her to feel that she had to. Maybe it was irrational of him. But he didn’t want her to work herself to death.

“You are to call the Helpful Housekeepers and tell them to keep their mops to themselves. I won’t have anyone waltzing around my house cleaning up after my family.”

“You can cancel it after I move out.”

“And when will that be? I have half a mind to kick you out tonight.”

That actually made Noah chuckle, which wasn’t easy to do these days. His mom had to be the only person on the face of the earth to ever be ticked off about the offer of free maid service.

He slowly moved closer and then hugged her. “I love it when you try to act tough.”

“Cancel them.” Without returning the affection, she marched off to the kitchen to cook dinner. Noah considered hiring a cook, just for the fun of watching her get bent out of shape again.

He shut his door. Grabbing the magazine Katie had given him earlier that day, he headed for the bathroom and turned the water on for a shower. As he waited for the water to warm up, he flipped the pages until he found the article she’d mentioned. She was the author and also the subject of most of the pictures.

His eyes were drawn to the photos. Her hair was pulled back on her head with loose strands falling into her face. The later in the ride or jump or...whatever one called a hang-gliding session, the more random wisps of hair there were. Her face was free of makeup, her complexion smooth, soft-looking. She smiled and her eyes sparkled with excitement in just about every picture, even when she was floating above the earth with what looked like minimal control over her situation.

He began reading the article and was soon engaged by her writing, in spite of his distaste for the subject. After a few minutes, he turned off the shower and wandered back to his room, flopping onto the bed to keep reading.

When he finished the story, he paged through the rest of the issue, looking for other writing by or about Katie, but found nothing. So he turned back to the beginning of her article again. He skimmed through it a second time and had no trouble acknowledging the fact that she was a talented writer.

The truth of the matter was she scared him. Zest for life was one thing, but the activities she pursued in the course of her job were senseless and dangerous. He didn’t understand for a minute why someone would actually seek out ways to flirt with injury or death. Wasn’t there enough chance of that without trying to fly?

She was a contradiction. Intelligent, a gifted writer who had the knack of making you feel as if you were right there next to her, experiencing the daredevil stunt of the day along with her, and yet she didn’t value her life enough to take care of herself and try to stay safe. She thought nothing of stepping off a cliff with some sort of winged contraption strapped onto her.

He didn’t understand it. Didn’t understand her.

And he’d unwisely confided in her a part of the worst day of his life. He regretted opening up at all. It hadn’t convinced her that he was not a hero. Now she would act differently toward him—as if they shared a secret.

It was a puzzling situation. Obviously something had moved him to confide in her, despite the fact that he’d had no intention of doing so. He’d have to raise his guard if he ran into her again. He had no business getting any closer to this attractive woman who clearly lacked sanity and sense.

* * *

“W
HAT
IF
YOU
AND
M
ICHAEL
bought Dad’s house?” Katie asked Savannah, trying to sound nonchalant. She sat cross-legged on the bed as Savannah rushed around her bedroom getting ready to go out. Savannah had always been contrary, and if she thought Katie really cared about something, she was generally inclined to do the exact opposite. Savannah dropped the silver hoop earring she’d been trying to put on and bent down to retrieve it. “Why would we do that?”

“Because it’s the family house. Because Dad wants to move out.”

“Noah Fletcher’s already interested in it.”

“Exactly.” It made Katie’s stomach hurt. It didn’t matter how she felt about what he’d revealed to her. She still didn’t want to see him move into
their
house.

“So...I don’t understand the problem. Dad wants to sell. Dr. Fletcher may want to buy. How and why would that concern me?”

“You’re jumping to conclusions that he’ll buy it.”

“There are exactly three houses for sale in Lone Oak—I checked. The other two are a tiny broken-down dump and an isolated farmhouse. If he wants to buy something normal, he’ll grab ours.”

Katie tried to keep the panic from showing on her face. “That’s why you should move fast.”

“I think I’m missing something here. Why would we want to
compete
with someone who wants to buy the house?”

“It’s the Salinger home, Savannah. It’s been ours for more than twenty years. Don’t you think it should stay in the family?”

“If you’re so in love with the Salinger homestead, why don’t you shell out the bucks for it?” Savannah hurried off to the kitchen, apparently not taking Katie’s suggestion seriously. Katie followed her.

She had given thought to buying it herself. Maybe even seeing if her dad would work out a rent-to-own deal, since she was in no position to plunk down a couple hundred big ones or even come up with a down payment. Mostly, though, it came down to the fact that her job, her dream job, was in St. Louis. Not Lone Oak. She didn’t want to live here. There was nothing here for her
except
the house.

But she wanted to be able to come back when she needed to, wanted to have a home. A place where everything was so familiar that she could see it in her sleep.

“I live in St. Louis. You already live here. Already own a house. All it would mean for you is moving about three blocks away to a place with a lot more room. Not exactly a hardship.” She hopped up on the kitchen counter. “Would you guys at least consider it?”

Savannah shot her an annoyed look. “No.”

“Just like that? You won’t even talk to Michael about it?”

“Katie, what is up with you? Why are you being so weird about the house?”

“I’m just trying to keep it in the family. Why is that weird?”

Spilling to her dad about her feelings had been bad enough. She wasn’t about to share her anxieties with Savannah and endure the inevitable ridicule. Savannah had never needed any special bait to tell her how odd or emotional she was.

“It’s a pile of wood and brick. Just a building, Katie.”

Katie leaned her head against the upper cabinets. “I know you don’t get it,” she said quietly to Savannah. “I don’t like seeing it go to strangers. It’s our house. You won’t even ask Michael?”

Savannah reached into the kitchen junk drawer and pulled out a babysitter information sheet that Katie already knew by heart. Then she turned around and leaned against the countertop, avoiding Katie’s eyes, suddenly seeming unsure of herself. For Savannah, that was significant.

“It’s not a good time for the two of us to make any major decisions.”

Katie opened her eyes wider. “Are you two having problems?”

“Michael’s got so much extra work right now, and the kids are keeping me busy with their activities...”

“Savannah. You didn’t answer my question.”

Savannah cracked a single knuckle. A sure sign she was upset. Between the knuckle and the avoidance, Katie wondered exactly what was up.

“Katie, I said it’s not a good time. Don’t go making it into a federal case.”

Katie studied Savannah, noticed, again, the rings under her eyes, the look of fatigue that might be more than the usual mom-of-two-kids kind. Savannah saw her paying such close attention and turned away abruptly.

“The kids haven’t had a snack yet, so be sure to give them one in a little while. Logan can’t have—”

“Anything with dairy. I know, Savannah.”

“Sorry. Habit.”

“You going to tell me where you’re going yet?”

“I have an appointment in Topeka. Two-thirty.” Savannah took out a bag of trail mix, set it on the counter and slammed the cabinet door.

“Ah, yes. So if I need something, I’ll just call the appointment place in Topeka.”

“I have my cell phone, Katie.” She pointed to the info sheet. “Doctor’s office, poison control center, Dad and Claudia, my cell.”

“Got it, Van. Everything but where you’re going.”

“Good.” Savannah opened the back door. “Kids, I’m getting ready to leave. Aunt Katie’s here.”

Katie heard Logan heading to give Savannah a hug and a shouted “Bye, Mom!” from Allie.

When her exasperatingly secretive sister was gone, Katie went outside. Savannah had been her final hope for keeping the house in the family. She hadn’t been optimistic, exactly, but she’d thought Savannah and her husband might at least consider it. Of course that had been before she had any inkling they might be having problems.

* * *

K
ATIE
STOOD
, hands on her hips to help her balance, surveying the street below her. It’d been years since she’d climbed up here on the roof of the house and she tried to remember why it had been so long. Most likely because she never spent that much time in one place.

She was well aware that her father hadn’t meant for her to come up
here
when he’d asked her—emphatically—to leave the house during his conversation with Noah. But she was out of the way and she had no plans to sabotage the offer her dad expected Noah to make on the house. Nothing would stop it.

She’d tried to resign herself to it, but she couldn’t help the flood of emotions that rushed over her whenever she thought about losing her mother’s home. Sadness, definitely. Anger—at her dad, at his new wife. At the person buying it. Aka Noah. Why he thought he needed a four-bedroom house was beyond her, anyway. He was a bachelor.

Speaking of Noah... Katie watched his battered Tahoe pull up at the curb and waited to see him emerge. She figured he wouldn’t even notice her up here, so she made no effort to hunker down and hide.

On his way up the driveway, with a folder of papers in his hand, he glanced up and did a double take. “What are you doing up there?” he asked.

“Hi to you, too.” Katie took two steps down the slope, closer to the edge.

“Don’t move! I don’t want you to fall.”

“I won’t fall. And if I do, yay, I have a doctor already on the scene.”

The look he gave her told her several things. One, he thought she was a lunatic to be up there—especially with a cast and stitches, both of which he looked pointedly at. And two, she scared him. He couldn’t handle her penchant for physical risk. He actually looked a little green.

That could be fun to exploit, she thought, allowing herself a wicked grin. A way to rattle the man-in-control.

She took another step forward, then sat down on the edge of the roof, dangling her feet over the gutter. “I hear you’re putting an offer on the house.”

“You heard correctly. Hopefully, I won’t need to make an addendum about roof repairs.”

She laughed. “That was a joke, wasn’t it?”

He didn’t show the slightest twitch of a smile. “You go out of your way to track down danger, don’t you?”

“I like excitement,” she said simply. “Better hurry inside. My dad can’t stand tardiness.”

He gave her one more assessing look, as if to calculate the likely damage when she landed on the pavement below.

“Don’t worry,” she told him, pulling up her legs and crossing them. “I’ve been climbing on this roof since I was twelve.”

He shook his head as if she were a significant menace to society and headed toward the front door.

* * *

“T
HANK
YOU
, M
R
. S
ALINGER
,”
Noah said as they both rose from the dining room table half an hour later.