Hunting (16 page)

She just hoped Jules
forgave her for meddling, some day.

And that’s exactly what she
was doing.

Meddling.

Mal seemed in a big hurry
to gather the gifts—and they’d probably gone a bit overboard with
things, but Al had heard how little Ruthie had come with. It had
broken her heart, and knew Georgia, Ana, and the rest probably felt
the same way. Al helped him carry the boxes and bags to his SUV.
“Tell Jules congrats from all of us. And that I’d love to meet
Ruthie soon.”

She had a lot of
auntie-duties to get started on. This kid was going to have a
family that loved her no matter what, regardless of whatever
developed between Jules and Mal. Family wasn’t just the bonds of
biology. Family was what you made it.

Ruthie’s first weekend in
St. Louis was the hardest time in Jules’ life other than the day
Rick and Bryan had died. Neither she nor the little girl knew
exactly what to do and both of them struggled to put that into
words the other could understand.

Ruthie stayed less than a
foot away from Jules at all times. Even following her to the
bathroom.

Jules understood it—the
little girl was frightened and every home she’d ever known had
disintegrated around her. She’d read the file from the social
worker; and it contained what Jules suspected was a glossed-over
report about why the girl’s last placement had resulted in an
abrupt disruption.

Ruthie’s previous foster
mother was a cousin of one of Ruthie’s father’s victims. Apparently
she hadn’t wanted the man’s daughter around her own children. Less
than a month after Ruthie had been placed in that house, the woman
was calling the case worker to have Ruthie removed.

Jules half understood the
woman’s feelings, but…Ruthie was an innocent child in need of
protection and someone to love her. The last thing she needed was
upheaval.

By the time Monday
afternoon rolled around, both she and Ruthie were strung out and
exhausted.

Jules carried Ruthie on her
hip, the phone in her other hand. She’d unsuccessfully tried to get
the little girl to take a nap in her new bedroom long enough for
Jules to take a shower, but the kid was having nothing of that.
Jules had arranged for two weeks off with Ed, not wanting to face
leaving Ruthie with a sitter just yet. Rosa, Ed’s housekeeper, had
agreed to watch the little girl during the day, and Jules was
comfortable with that arrangement. Until recently, she’d stayed in
Ed’s guest house on the corner of his property. She’d only moved
when it became clear that she was going to be given Ruthie. The
guest house was only one bedroom, and hadn’t been large enough.
During the time she’d stayed there, Jules had gotten to know Rosa
very well. Well enough to trust her with Ruthie.

But that didn’t mean Jules
was ready to leave Ruthie just yet. Or that Ruthie was ready to be
left. Someone knocked on her door, and Jules was able to hold back
a curse just in time. She didn’t want Ruthie hearing those words
yet. Not anymore than the kid probably already had.

Ruthie was quiet, and clung
to Jules shoulder. Jules peeked out the window to see who stood on
her steps.

Galahad. Great…But at least
it was someone Ruthie knew and was somewhat comfortable with. Ed
had visited yesterday, and Ruthie had almost gone berserk. And Ed
was one of those people who were naturally wonderful with
children.

She opened the door with
one hand, holding Ruthie and her teddy bear with the other.
“Malachi, what can I do for you?”

“
It’s what I can do for
you. Al and some of the others at work through you a
‘not-so-baby-shower-in-absentia’. I was drafted to bring it over to
you.” He held a large box and three gift bags rested at his feet.
She sat the little girl down and bent to retrieve the
bags.

“
They didn’t have
to.”

“
They wanted
to.”

“
But—”

“
Just accept that your
friends love you and want to help you out. And they think you and
Ruthie together is worthy of celebration. I happen to agree with
them.”

He walked through her
living room like he’d been there dozens of times before. He hadn’t,
and she’d wanted to keep it that way. She didn’t need reminders of
his presence lingering in her home. Didn’t need to imagine him in
her home when she was at her weakest points. Not if she wanted to
forget what had happened between them. “Thank you for
delivery.”

“
This is one of Ed’s
properties, isn’t it?”

Georgia’s father owned a
dozen houses, plus an apartment/townhome complex. He’d offered
Julia a home to live in rent free, but she’d insisted on paying a
decent price for the three bedroom home with a small backyard for
Ruthie to play in. It was close to work, and when Ruthie was old
enough, close to Brynlock Academy—the same school where Matthew
attended now. “Yes.”

“
I thought so. I think I’ve
been here before. I think he recruited me and Royal a few years ago
for reroofing.”

“
Oh. Well, it’s really time
for a nap, so I’ll give you the tour some other time.” Her words
were rude, and he knew it. She knew he knew it. It was in the way
those dratted blue eyes of his sparkled with his humor. He’d
enjoyed finding her so disheveled and out of her element. The rat.
The jerk. Was he always going to be there to catch her at her
weakest moments?

“
I can wait for you to get
her settled.”

“
Sure you can. I guess a
shower is not in my future for today.”

“
I can also join you in
that, if you wish.” He said it in the same maddeningly cheerful
tone, as if she wasn’t standing there glaring at him, Ruthie
clinging to her shoulder and waist, with ketchup smeared all over
the back of her white blouse, crackers smashed into her hair, and
the bright new toys she’d bought Ruthie scattered around the cream
rug. “In fact, I think that might be fun.”

“
Not happening. Stay here.”
Sometimes, just sometimes, it was easier to give in to the beast
than to fight him. And since Ruthie hadn’t slept for longer than
forty-five minutes at a stretch last night, Jules was just too
tired to spar with that blue-eyed devil.

She carried the little
girl—now almost out—back to her bedroom and settled her beneath the
covers. The little girl was resistant but within a few moments her
eyes drooped and she was out. Jules pushed the hair out of her own
eyes and hastily braided the still tangled mess. The crackers would
just have to stay there.

It was just Malachi anyway.
Why did she care what she looked like?

He waited on her couch, his
feet propped up on the coffee table. “Get your feet down. Your
mother would smack you if she saw you sitting like
that.”

He straightened. “You’re
probably right. So are you ready to open your presents?” He had the
bags and box beside the table. “I am more than willing to help.
Curiosity. I’m not sure what someone would give to a woman adopting
a preschooler.”

“
Let’s find out.” The
sooner she satisfied his curiosity, the sooner she could find her
own bed for a nap. How did other women do it? Just three days with
Ruthie had exhausted her. She grabbed the first bag and pulled pink
tissue paper free. Inside the bag was a tiny pink purse and dress
up set. She didn’t have to see the tag to know who it was from.
“Georgia.”

Georgia loved girly girly
things and always had. Jules smiled, feeling some of her tension
relax. “I’ll put it back in the bag and let Ruthie open it for
herself. I think she’ll like it.”

Ana had provided tons of
crayons, coloring books, and paper. Marianna and Ally Brewster had
gone in together and provided plastic cups and dishes and flatware
perfect for a little girl. Between those two women they had ten
kids, and Ally was carrying twins. Jules appreciated their
thoughtful gift, though she didn’t know either of them extremely
well. Al had provided a stack of Curious George books and a
beautiful blonde, blue eyed doll. Jules laughed at the resemblance
between the gift and the gift-giver.

But it was Paige’s gift
that had Jules laughing. Tiny black leather boots. With silver
kittens jingling from the strings. “Oh, Paige…”

Malachi also laughed.
“Those are cute, but what on earth would she wear with
them?”

“
Who knows? I’m taking her
clothes shopping one day this week. We’ll have to pick out some
black pants and black t-shirt.” Their shoulders were touching. When
had that happened?

Jules’s breath hitched when
he looked at her. “So how are the two of you doing?”

Jules’s hand rose and she
picked at the cheese crackers still in her hair. “I’m not sure.
We’re muddling through. She won’t let me out of her sight. I
understand it, I do. And I’m half afraid to let her out of mine. I
don’t know this child. Not really.”

“
But you care about her.
And you’ve made commitments.” He slipped his arm behind her
shoulders and Jules fought the urge to snuggle against him. Yeah,
he always caught her at her weakest moments. Damn him. “I think
you’ll do just fine, in the long run.”

“
It’s not the long run I’m
worried about at the moment. It’s today. I haven’t had a shower
yet—and I’m not so sure if I’ve brushed my teeth since yesterday
morning. And she was up and down all night.” Jules tried to fight
the yawn, but lost. “This is the first time all day I’ve not been
holding her.”

“
Have you slept much at all
since South Dakota? Before?”

“
No. Not since the night
before we flew up.” She leaned back against the couch, forgetting
that someone had his arm behind her. “She’s exhausting. Just like
Mattie at that age.”

“
Probably Mattie was even
more exhausting.” A warm hand brushed her cheek and Jules opened
her eyes. He was leaning over her, crowding her yet again. “Why
don’t you stretch out and relax a bit while she sleeps?”

“
And what about you?
Besides as soon as I do, she’ll be awake.”

“
Tell you what…why don’t
you rest and I’ll stick around in case she wakes up. She already
knows me, so I won’t scare her by being here. Go on, what could it
hurt?” His hand was rubbing along her spine, and she leaned in even
closer. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the
steady thump, thump that told her he was alive and healthy. God,
why did he always catch her at her weakest? Jules closed her eyes,
and within moments was out.

* * *

Mal sat where he was for
the longest time, just holding her. Confusing. The woman was
definitely confusing. One minute she was pushing him away, the next
cuddling up against him like she’d been there a thousand times
before. He ran his fingers over her braid, laughing to himself when
cracker crumbs stuck to his hand. Poor Julia; but had he ever seen
her looking more beautiful? More soft, loving, vulnerable, open to
the world around her?

He didn’t think so. He
pulled the sleeping woman on to his lap, and sat there for the
longest time enjoying just holding her.

After a while he forced
himself to get up. He arranged her on the couch so she’d be more
comfortable, then covered her with the blanket she’d had over the
back of a chair. She sighed and settled more deeply into the sofa
pillow.

Malachi cleaned the
kitchen—loading the dishwasher, sweeping the spilled crackers up
off the floor, tying up the trash and placing it in the bin outside
the backdoor. He had just finished snooping through the main areas
of the house—he didn’t invade Julia’s bedroom, just the living
room, kitchen, and den areas—when he heard the sound of tiny feet
running down the hardwood hallway.

Ruthie stopped and stared
up at him.

He instinctively hunkered
down to her level. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“
Where’s Momma
Jules?”

The worry in her little
voice hurt him. He held out his arms, wondering if she’d let him
hold her like he had a few days before. She did, though her eyes
were wary. “Momma Jules took a nap on the couch. Let’s see if we
can be really quiet and not wake her.”

“
I’m hungry. Momma Jules
said I could have tato tots.”

Malachi had seen them in a
container in the fridge. “I’ll warm some up. Are you a little
hungry or a lot hungry?”

“
Lots. Tato tots are
good.”

“
Yes, they are.” He nuked a
half dozen and found an individual container of applesauce and one
of cheese cubes. It wasn’t the best meal for a kid, but Ruthie
didn’t seem to mind. She devoured her snack.

“
Why are you here?” Was
asked around a mouthful.

“
I’m friends with Momma
Jules. And my sister brought stuff for you and your mother.” It
surprised him at how easily the word mother in conjunction with
this child rolled off of his tongue. So soon, anyway. “After she
wakes up, you can look at it, I bet.”

“
Is it good
stuff?”

“
I think so. But I’m not a
little girl, so you’ll have to tell me.”

“
I can do that.”