Hard Hat Man (7 page)

“
N-nothing,
”
she whispered into his chest.
She couldn’t have seen what she thought she saw.
Aunt Esther was dead.
There was no such thing as a ghost.
She caught her breath and put up her hands to push him away.
“
I-I used to play with
Nancy
, that
’
s all.
When we were here
—
before she left
.
Nancy was five years older than
I
.
But there were no other kids nearby, so
we had only each other for company.
”

“
This was
Nancy’
s room?
”
Kyle asked.

“
Yes.
”
Laura
waved a hand at the bedroom.
“
This was her room.
She
left home suddenly
when she was only
six
t
e
en.
Esther said s
he was dating one of the
transient
men who were building
the new silo for Horace, even though her parents strenuously objected. Then
Nancy
apparently eloped with him.
The man disappeared the same night.
We never heard from
her
again.
Aunt Esther died that same summer, supposedly of a heart attack. But many in our family thought
she really died from
a broken heart.
”

“
How awful.
I think I heard about that, years ago.
She was your cousin?
”

Jan nodded.
“
The year before she
left
,
Dad was deployed overseas
so Mom rented a house near here to be close to her
family
.
Since
Mom and I lived nearby
,
I came over a lot.
Nancy and I
spent most of the summer together, here in this house.
”

“
Jan, you look awfully pale.
Are you okay?
”
her mother asked anxiously.

Jan shook her head.
Was she just seeing things? If neither her mother nor Kyle had seen
Est
her there in the rocker, maybe she’d just imagined it?
“
I...I don
’
t feel well.
I think I need some air.
”

“
Come on.
We can check the other rooms later.
”
Kyle put his arm around her and guided her back down the staircase.

Embarrassed at her suddenly weak knees and queasy stomach, Jan allowed him to assist her out onto the front porch, grateful for his strong arm.

She settled into a slatted wooden chair.

“
Put your head down,
”
he instructed.

She obeyed and gradually began to feel better.
After a minute, she raised her head and took a deep breath.
“
Sorry.
I guess the stuffy air got to me.
”

“
Probably,
”
Laura
said, hovering anxiously.

“
I
’
ll open some windows.
It
’
ll be aired out by the time you return.
”

“
But what if it rains?
”
Laura
asked, eyeing the cloudy sky.

“
It
’
s not going to rain until tonight,
”
Kyle forecast, and headed into the house.

“
How does he know that?
”
Laura
complained to Jan.

Jan grinned.
“
Maybe he listens to the weather forecasts, Mom.
”

Laura
tossed her a disbelieving look.
“
You know, some of these outdoor types have a built in barometer.
”

Jan laughed.

Kyle returned, and smiled.
“
Looks like you
’
re feeling better.
Ready to go back to
Lakeview
for lunch?
”

“
Yes.
”
Jan rose.
“
Shall we follow you?
”

“
I have to come back out here anyway, to do some more measurements.
Why don
’
t you leave your car and ride with me?
”

“
Good idea,
”
Laura
put in before Jan could say anything.
She got into the
back seat
of Kyle
’
s car, as though it was her accepted place.

Jan sighed at her mother
’
s ploy and got into the front.
Once more, sitting close to Kyle raised her awareness of him.
She avoided touching him, but had to fight herself to resist the urge.

She found herself wondering about his life.
Had he always lived here?
Did he have a family?
It was only her mother
’
s matchmaking antics bringing those thoughts to her mind, she told herself irritably.

After a quick stop at their motel to change clothes and freshen up, they went to the local restaurant.

The waitress obviously knew Kyle and gave him an extra smile as she poured coffee for them and took their orders.

Jan and Harriet ordered Chef’s Salads while Kyle ordered a hamburger and fries.

Over lunch,
Laura
plied Kyle with the same questions Jan had been thinking of earlier.

“
Yes, I was raised on a farm near here,
”
Kyle said.
“
I live in
Lakeview
now, though.
”

“
Do you have a family?
”
Laura
asked.

He shook his head.
“
No.
I
’
m single.
I have a brother in California, but I seldom see him.
”

Jan found herself pleased with his answer, even though she wanted to kick her mother for asking.
She could tell from Kyle
’
s grin that he knew very well what
Laura
was up to and it amused him.
Well, why shouldn
’
t it?
She was an unlikely candidate for the wife of a construction man.
She knew nothing about small town life.
And wasn
’
t about to learn, whatever
Laura
was planning.

“
Jan
’
s single, too,
”
her mother said.

“
Mo--om!
”
Jan gasped, glaring at her mother and feeling her face heat up.
She glanced at him.
What must he be thinking?
That she was a hopeless old maid?
“
I
’
m sorry, Kyle.
Mom does get carried away sometimes.
”

“
No problem.
”
He grinned.

Laura
shrugged, not in the least chagrined.
“
It
’
s not natural for a girl to want to stay single.
”

“
It suits me fine.
And I don
’
t want to hear another word about it,
”
Jan said, sending a warning glance at her mother, and then fixing he
r
gaze on her salad.
She breathed a sigh of relief when Kyle changed the subject.

“
So, I understand Horace was your brother,
Laura
?
”
he asked.

“
That
’
s right.
Though he was ten years older than I.
We seldom saw him or Esther
though
.
They didn
’
t travel much, and didn
’
t invite relatives here, either.
After Nancy disappeared and Esther died,
Horace became strange. He
kept to h
i
msel
f
after all the tragedy th
at summer
.
”