Cattail Ridge (6 page)

He didn’t know if he’d ever be the kind of man she deserved. With his luck he’d get to that point just in time to watch her find someone else. But he just wasn’t ready to declare himself. Not yet. And if he was meant to have a relationship with Emma then he figured he would. He just had to wait for the right time. No matter how much he’d love to lay claim to her now.

Chapter Seven

Present day—1993

E
mma groaned with frustration. “Why, oh why, is this so hard? I’m a reasonably intelligent woman, I think. I run a business. I’m competent with a hammer and nails. I even know how to use most power tools. But plumbing stumps me.” She rested her head on her arms, which were crossed on the edge of the kitchen counter.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get it fixed. I know who to call.” Amelia stood from where she’d been crouching in front of the sink to inspect the dripping pipes that led to the faucet. She went to the phone at the end of the counter.

“Who? Every male relative we have is in Georgia, even Ben.” Emma straightened and pressed her hands to her aching back. It was only Tuesday and already the week felt like it had lasted days longer than it should have. “I should just give in and call a plumber.”

Amelia shook her head. “Hang on before you–hey, are you busy?” she asked the person she’d called. “Emma and I need a favor. Her sink is leaking.”

“Who are you talking to?” Emma had a strong feeling she knew who was on the other end of the line, judging from the self-satisfied smirk on Amelia’s face. She narrowed her eyes and gave her little sister a stern glare. “Pip?”

“Good. We’ll see you in a few minutes.” She hung up and the smirk grew into a grin. “Just Archer. He’s on his way.”

“He’s–damn it, call him back. I don’t want to impose on him.”

“Oh, you’re not imposing. He almost jumped through the phone when I told him you needed him.” She laughed hard when Emma picked up a sopping wet towel and threw it in her direction. “This should be interesting. I’m torn between a desire to leave the two of you alone and the need to stay and watch.”

Emma strode over to her and put her hands around Amelia’s neck, giving a gentle shake. “If you leave, I’ll strangle you. I’d better go change clothes.” She looked down at herself and grimaced. Ratty shorts that she’d had since long before Sydney was born, a comfortable, baggy T-shirt that she would never wear outside the house. A quick hand to her hair told her that it was a rat’s nest. “Pip, I really am going to strangle you.”

Amelia followed her out of the kitchen and upstairs. “Don’t you dare change those shorts. They barely cover your ass. The shirt has to go, though.”

“I know they barely cover my ass. That’s why I’m changing out of them.”

“If you do, I’ll never forgive you. Seriously, Em, the man needs a push. Those shorts could do it.”

Emma stopped a couple of steps ahead of her sister and turned back. “And I still think you’re delusional. He’s had plenty of opportunities to hit on me. He doesn’t. He’s the same friendly Archer as always.”

Amelia rolled her eyes. “Yeah. He’s still convinced you and Burke are an item, no matter how many times I tell him you aren’t. He just needs a little encouragement. Trust me.”

In the weeks since the pirate incident, Amelia’s theory about Archer hadn’t been far from the front of Emma’s mind. Each time they’d encountered each other, like at the family’s Fourth of July celebration, Emma had paid special attention to how he acted around her. But she would be hanged if she could notice any sort of heat in his gaze when he looked at her. Added to that, his brother had been injured overseas and Archer had just returned from staying with him while he recuperated. Still, Emma didn’t think it was possible to miss what wasn’t there. Her dubiousness must have been clear on her face because Amelia held up her hands.

“Let me prove it to you. I’ll be subtle but I think I can get him to sit up and take notice in a way that even you can’t deny.”

“Fine. At least you’ll hush about this romance theory when nothing happens.”

“Great! And I know exactly which shirt you need to wear.” Amelia bounded past her on the stairs, leaving Emma to follow. “But we won’t overdo it. He’ll be suspicious if we do.”

Observing her sister’s enthusiasm as Amelia dug through Emma’s closet to get the shirt she wanted, Emma realized that she felt old. She’d long ago buried most urges to be a woman and had instead focused on being a mom and building her business. Now that the opportunity to bring the woman out again was in front of her, she felt awkward and uncertain. Shoot, the last time she’d made an effort to be sexy and try to catch a man’s attention she hadn’t been much older than Amelia was now, at twenty-two. She’d had Sydney when she was twenty-five, and that young woman who’d been so confident and sure of herself felt like she was a lifetime away.

“I never understood how Zanny felt, not really, back when she and John were having problems,” Emma mused. “That the mom had overtaken the woman. But I get it now.”

Amelia shot her an assessing look. “Oh, I think you still have it. You just have to remember that you have it. Are your underarms clean?”

“Pip! Geez, what kind of question is that?”

“A legitimate one.” She held up the shirt she’d been searching for, a sleeveless T-shirt that was so old the print was almost worn off the front. “This is casual enough that he won’t think you picked it out just for him but it also hugs your curves. Between the shirt and the shorts? He’s toast.”

Emma pulled the comfortable T-shirt over her head and tossed it on the bed, then caught the new one when Amelia threw it to her. “I just shaved last night, so yes. My pits are good. I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.” She went to her dresser and undid the clip holding her hair up. Running a quick brush through the heavy tresses, she twisted it back up and reclipped it. Amelia was studying her reflection critically so Emma pirouetted so her sister could get a thorough look.

Amelia’s smile was calculating. “Perfect.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

Downstairs, as they waited for Archer to arrive, Emma determinedly stamped down her nerves. She kept busy by putting a salad together to go with the pizza they’d ordered, while Amelia cleared out the wet towels and replaced them with dry ones.

“How do you think the folks are?” Amelia asked.

“Having a blast, if I had to guess. They sounded ramped up when they called last night.”

The family had gone to Savannah to see Sarah’s sister Kathy, who’d been living there for over thirty years. Sarah’s mother, Eliza, had recently become engaged to Owen’s uncle Eli, who’d been widowed several years earlier. Theirs was an awkward relationship to explain to outsiders but there was no blood tie between the two, and they seemed to make each other happy. Eliza had wanted to introduce Kathy to Eli before the ceremony and since Kathy wasn’t able to come back to Kentucky, they’d all decided to go there.

“Mom thinks they’ll get married there, since most everyone is in Georgia,” Amelia told her. Everyone who had been able to go had gone. Even several of Eli’s children and grandchildren had made the trek. Only Emma, Rachel, and Amelia had stayed behind in Kentucky.

“Do you regret not going?” Emma asked.

“No. You know I’ve not been comfortable going to Georgia for a while now.” She and Kathy avoided each other and had since Amelia was only eight years old. Amelia reminded Kathy too much of the daughter she’d lost.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Amelia shrugged. “It is what it is. I enjoyed spending the summers with Uncle Eli. Do you miss Georgia?”

“Sometimes. I really liked Savannah. But it isn’t worth the risk to go back.” Sydney’s father was still in the southern city, and Emma wasn’t comfortable having less than a full state’s width between him and her daughter.

“Do you think he’ll ever…?” Amelia’s voice trailed off but Emma easily surmised the question. She instinctively lowered her voice before answering, even though she could hear Sydney’s happy chatter floating through the screen door at the back of the house as she played in the yard with the neighbor’s daughter.

“No. As far as he’s concerned she doesn’t exist, and that’s just fine with me. He has two children by his wife and no need to ever come looking for Syd. It would be more detrimental to him to try to establish a connection with her than it’s worth.”

Most of the time Emma was truly glad the man who’d fathered Sydney had no role in their lives. He’d been a mistake of her youth, trust misplaced, and when she’d discovered–after she was pregnant–that he was engaged to someone else, the betrayal had cut deeply. She only rarely felt guilty that Sydney didn’t have someone to call “daddy” but the alternative, having Ted and his influential family laying claim to her daughter, gave her nightmares from time to time. She figured it always would.

A knock at the front door interrupted her thoughts.

Amelia gave a little squeak of excitement and hurried down the hall. “I’ll get it.”

Suddenly nervous, Emma gripped the edge of the counter. She blew out a tense breath and told herself she was being ridiculous. The low sound of Archer’s voice, followed by Amelia’s laughing reply, echoed down the hall with their footsteps. When they came in, he was carrying the pizzas she’d ordered.

“Hey. Thanks for coming. I’m sorry to bother you.” Emma wiped her hands on her shorts and for a brief instant his eyes dropped to follow the movement. But then the easy grin that was so familiar was in place.

“Hey, back. And it’s not a bother. I was sitting at home contemplating cereal.”

Emma smiled. “Then the least I can do is share those pizzas with you. I’ll get Sydney. Pip, will you get drinks for everyone?”

“Of course.”

With Sydney inside and washed up, they settled in around the dining room table.

“How long has the sink been leaking?” he asked.

“A little while, but it was mostly just a drip from the faucet. That was here when I moved in. It’s never been bad enough to worry about before now, but I twisted the knob a little too hard yesterday, and that was all she wrote. I think something’s busted on the bottom. I got a replacement but I can’t get the old one loose. Trying to take it off just made it drip more.” She frowned in consternation as she loaded Sydney’s plate. “Stupid sink.”

Sydney grinned up at her. “Mommy said some very bad words when it started dripping. I think she needs to be grounded, Archer.”

Emma wrinkled her nose back at her daughter. “You little stinker. I put money in the cookie jar.”

“Lots of money. Five whole dollars,” Sydney agreed solemnly.

Archer wasn’t even bothering to hide his amusement. He winked at Sydney. “Maybe we should spank her.”

“You could try,” Emma warned him. She shook a finger at him. “Behave yourself or you won’t get dessert.” She didn’t think about how provocative the words were until they were out of her mouth, and then she felt herself flush.

Oh,
there
was a flicker of something. His grin widened and he opened his mouth to speak, but a glance at Sydney’s rapt expression seemed to curb his tongue.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Amelia shot her an I-told-you-so look. “So how’s work? Are the cats playing while Uncle Jack’s away, or do you have them in hand?”

“They’ve not been too bad.” Archer had recently been promoted to assistant manager of the service department at the dealership where he and Jack worked. As Jack was out of the office for the next couple of weeks, Archer was fully in charge for the first time. “Have you heard from the family?”

Amelia nodded. “Mom called last night. They sounded like they didn’t want to leave at the end of the week, even though they’ve been there several days now.”

“How’d Zanny make the trip?” he asked. “Being so pregnant and all?”

“Better than she expected,” Emma answered. “She’s at that sweet point where she’s past the morning sickness and not yet big enough that she’s miserable.” She handed Sydney a napkin as a gentle reminder to not use her sleeve. In less than two weeks, her baby was going to be five. She could hardly believe that the time had gone by so quickly.

“When they get back we seriously need to set Burke and Michelle up,” Amelia chimed in. “Have you seen the sparks that fly when they’re around each other?” Michelle was their cousin, a pediatrician, and was the same age as Emma and Ben. She’d just gotten over a bad relationship, and the tension between her and the state trooper was almost palpable when they were near each other.

“It’s been hard to miss. Just let me know if you need my help.” Emma raised her glass to hide her smile. Pip had worked Emma’s relationship with Burke into the conversation so naturally, if Emma hadn’t known what her sister was doing she’d never have suspected a thing.

Archer was frowning a little on the other side of the table. “Isn’t that going to be awkward? Setting him up with your cousin?” He kept his gaze mostly on his food, lifting it only briefly to meet Emma’s.

“No. Why should it be? Don’t tell you me you think we’re involved?”

He shrugged. “Maybe not now, but you were.”

Emma laughed. “No, we never were. Well, we did go on one official ‘date,’” she confessed. “It was awkward as all get out. I don’t know who was more uncomfortable, me or him. No, we’re much better friends than anything. Always have been, at least since we became adults.”

“Mommy, is it true what Uncle Ben said? When you were a little girl like me, you hit Burke?” Sydney’s head was cocked as she waited for the answer.

“Yes, it’s true. He was being mean to Zanny and I couldn’t stand for that. I was wrong to hit him, though.”

Sydney frowned. “But he was mean to Aunt Zanny. How else could you stop him?”

“He was. And I guess I could have gone to a teacher or just gotten between him and her and sent Ben for help, but I reacted without thinking.”

She nodded decisively. “And that’s why Grandpa calls you a hellion.”

Everyone laughed, and Emma pulled Sydney in for a tight hug. “That’s one reason, yes.”

“What are the others?”

“You are too young to know the other reasons. I’ll tell you when you’re a little older,” Emma promised, tweaking her daughter’s nose.

After they finished eating and had cleared away the meal’s remnants, Archer settled in under the sink. “Let’s see what we have.”

“I’m going to take Little Miss for a walk and get out of your hair while you work,” Amelia told them. She winked at Emma, as Archer’s view of her was blocked by the cabinet. Emma made a face at her but she just grinned. “Come on, Syd.”