One Hot Momma (8 page)

“Duck,” Chance said and looked at her as if to dare her to say he did.

“Why would you want to feed him duck? Especially on a day we’re having momma’s fried chicken for dinner?” Jan was obviously there for kitchen duty. She went to the sink and began scrubbing her hands.

“I… he…”
Layla
hated that she couldn’t get out anything coherent around the woman, but really, she was more intimidating than Heath at times.

“He’s eating chicken,” Chance said in an end of conversation tone. “I’ll bring up dinner for all of you and the clothes, deal?”

“He’s going to make me pay for this.”
Layla
shook her head and walked out. She couldn’t get the list because
Malina
intentionally poured hot water on the trash, just enough to saturate and ruin the paper.

She heard Jan say, “Pay for this?” as the door to the kitchen closed.

Back to the house it was then.

* * *

“I don’t smell duck,”
Rafe
said and looked at the clock. “You are feeding me tonight, right?”

Layla
nodded. Brice and Savannah ran in to see him, and his mood changed instantly. Even when he was in real pain, he would smile and welcome them.
Layla
didn’t allow them to see him until homework was done. It gave him a chance to wake up from his afternoon nap and the meds to settle in.

“I got an A on my test!” Savannah beamed and handed
Rafe
her spelling test.

“Me too!”
Brice held out his math paper.

“Wow, you two are really doing great in school,” he said and then looked at
Layla
. The expression was a cross between shock and disappointment. She imagined he suspected she didn’t know how to help them study. Of course, when she was pulling overtime to keep a roof over their heads, she couldn’t help them nearly as much as he did.

“I can’t wait for Aunt Chance to get here. You know why?” Brice said.

Layla
watched his eyes widen at the name ‘Aunt Chance’, the children had taken to calling his family what they chose to, and no one seemed to mind. In fact, they began referring to themselves as aunts and uncles, even Jan. It did
Layla’s
heart good to know Jan may not like her, but she didn’t hold it against the kids.

“Why?”
Rafe
smiled because Brice was ecstatic. He loved Chance’s cooking more than anyone’s cooking.

“Fried chicken!”
He then did a dance she had not seen before either.

“Brice, stop
doin
’ the
chicken dance
!” Savannah scolded him. “He’s been
doin
’ it all day.”

“Mashed potato,” he continued to dance except now he mimicked mashing potatoes. “Come on, Savannah, you know you want to.”

“If I do it one time, will you stop?”

Brice nodded, and they both did the chicken dance for
Rafe
. For someone who was so tired of seeing and hearing it, Savannah knew every step and added her own flair to it.
Rafe’s
eyes were bright with amusement. She wondered if their real father had
been so adoring
. Then she shoved the thought aside. She wasn’t going to compare him, and she was no longer putting herself up against Lola.

“Okay, enough dancing, let
Rafe
get some rest before dinner. Go get cleaned up and be ready to show Aunt Chance when she comes. I am sure she wants to see it.”

The two children ran out of the room, both singing the song.

“Now she’s their aunt?”
Rafe
scoffed. “I don’t want you getting them any more confused than I am sure they already are. This is a horrible situation for them to be in.”

“You’ll have to take that up with your family,
Rafe
. I didn’t tell them to call anyone aunt or uncle. They decided to start calling them that when Heath and Chance took them camping. I tried to explain who aunts and uncles are, but they let me know in no uncertain terms that they were choosing their own family now, and your brothers and sister are encouraging it. I have to pick and choose my battles here,
Rafe
. I can’t fight all of them and try to keep up with you at the same time.”

“What if I fire you?” He flinched at his own venomous words.

“You didn’t hire me, so you can’t fire me. Bethany made that clear. I asked.” She smiled wickedly. This might be rock bottom for his attitude, and that was a good thing.

“You didn’t get me duck. That’s insubordination or something.” He raised his voice just a bit. She could hear someone coming closer, but the steps were too hard to be one of the children.

“Says who?” she challenged.

“Says me!”
He pointed his finger the best he could considering it was sticking out of the cast. “You are here to serve me. Not to become all chummy with my family, not to take over my house, and not to…”

He stopped mid rant. Whoever was standing behind her silenced him without a
word.

“Can I have a moment to talk to my brother,
Layla
?” Jan’s voice was so cold it could have brought the first snow with it.

Layla
nodded and left the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

* * *

“Here’s your favorite.” Jan placed a plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and homemade biscuits on his nightstand.

Rafe
didn’t like the way she was looking at him, as if he was the bad guy. Didn’t his little sister see how badly
Layla
had treated him? Wasn’t she the one who hated
Layla
to begin with? “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” she asked.

“Like Heath looks at someone when he wants to punch their face in.
Like I have committed a crime, like I am the bad guy here, when you of all people know I am
not
the bad guy!”

“Hmmm.”
Jan crossed her arms and pulled one finger up to her temple and touched it while her eyes squinted in thought. “I do find myself in a perplexing situation. I mean on the one hand, you’re my brother, my favorite brother, or at least you were before you went stark raving loony. Then on the other hand here is
Layla
, a woman I don’t have much love for, but a woman I am beginning to learn a lot more about as she takes care of said loony brother. So I will make you a deal, big brother. If you can answer ten questions about
Layla
, I won’t say another word about how you talk to her or what you put her through, but if you can’t answer these questions about a woman you claimed to have loved at one time, then I will tell you this; you better never let me catch you talking to a member of our staff like that again.”

“Ask.” He snorted. Of course, he knew
Layla
for crying out loud. He had the right to talk to her like that. She broke his heart and now she was stealing his family.

“First question, what is her favorite color?”

Rafe
thought for a minute. He knew what Savannah’s favorite colors were, what Brice liked the best. Did
Layla
even like color? “Yellow.”

“No.” Jan shook her head in quick disapproval. “What is her favorite type of food? I won’t ask specifically this time. I’ll cut you some slack since you had a head injury.”

Smug little
… He thought about the kids again. He knew
Layla
would eat anything he cooked for her, but she always took peanut butter and jelly to work. Was it a trick question? “Ha! Trick question, PB and J.”

Jan’s look of disapproval bordered on sad.

“What did she go to college for,
Rafe
?” His little sister’s voice was almost pleading. It was as if she wanted him to know the answer.

He thought about it for a long while. He didn’t recall her ever talking about college really. In fact,
Layla
never talked much about anything except the children.
“Marketing?”

“Should I go on?” Jan shook her head again.

“How do I know you even know the answers to those questions?” Indeed, she could be making it all up to get him to be nicer, more like the brother she was used to.

“Chance has been teaching me how to make decorations for the cakes. I go there when I don’t have school.
Layla
comes to the kitchen to search for your ridiculous requests, and while she is there, I learn things about her. For example, we were making these lilies, and
Layla
said how much she loved lilies. She also said that purple was her favorite color when Bethany wore a purple scarf one day. Her favorite food is Mexican. I know that because she was more than grateful when
Malina
told her she would set aside a special plate for her when you had her running to the store to buy what you wanted for dinner that night. I know that she was almost finished with her fashion design degree when she got custody of two kids and ran away with them. Did you know she lived in New York?”

Rafe
sat there wondering if his face revealed what his thoughts were. He had no clue what Jan was talking about. He didn’t know any of those things about
Layla
. He knew she was a dedicated woman who loved her children and made sacrifices for them. He knew she was proud, stubborn, and beautiful. “No, I didn’t.”

“So I can see why you were shocked when she refused your proposal. How did it go down in your head,
Rafe
? Did you think you would get to really know her after the kids left for college? You are a hero; there has never been a doubt in my mind about that. You’re her hero. It is plain as day the way she looks at you and how she is letting you treat her like a servant when she is only here to help you out because the rest of us can’t stop running the ranch to be here around the clock. Not that you care about us, or the ranch. You seem to only care about your pride these days.”

“That is harsh and unfair, Jan.” True, but he didn’t want to tell her that. He didn’t like the fact she was making more sense by the minute.

“What’s harsh and unfair is how you have done nothing but want for that woman and those kids to be here in this house with you, and now they are, you can’t be grateful for the chance the good Lord has given you. You wanted to run, but you got put right back where you belong and so did she. Don’t keep screwing it up,
Rafe
.” With that, his little sister got up, took a step toward him, and leaned in to give him a gentle hug. “I love you. You are my favorite, even though you’re acting like an ass lately. I hate to see you hurt, but I think you may have caused this hurt yourself.”

“Well,” he said as she stood up straight again. “I hadn’t really looked at things like that. I mean I always thought I was a pretty perceptive guy. I knew what they needed. I just thought…”

“You had the right intentions, but knowing the kids and knowing
Layla
, especially when she was trying to keep anyone from knowing the truth about her, it’s not the same. Women have always been easy for you to read. It was an honest mistake. Forgive yourself, I’ll forgive you, and with any luck who knows, maybe you can actually get to know
Layla
and see if you still want to spend the rest of your life with her.” Jan shrugged. “To be continued, huh?”

“I’ll let you know when I’m ready for those ten questions.”
Rafe
frowned.

“Number four was if you had ever been on a date, just you and her and not at this ranch.” Jan winked.

He winced. No. They had never been on a proper date, ever.

Layla
avoided Jan by taking the maternity clothes to her room. She stayed in the guest room on the first floor; the children stayed in the rooms
Rafe
had obviously intended them to have. She made it a point to remind them they were guests. She didn’t want to get their hopes up higher than necessary, and they all had their hopes up pretty high. Apparently, he was still angry at her, but in time she hoped that anger would pass. She was learning a lot about
Rafe
during this time, things she never thought possible. Like his temper. She had never seen him more than frustrated with her. He had no problem being flat out mad now.

By the time she had everything sorted, Jan and Chance had left, the children had settled in to watch a movie, and
Rafe
still needed to eat.

She stood at the door looking at him. He seemed lost in thought. “
Rafe
, can I come in?”

He drew his brows together as he looked at her. “Why are you asking now?”

She shrugged.
How about because you were ready to bite my head off earlier?

“You don’t have to ask.” He sighed.

She moved closer to him then looked at the plate; it was empty. He had already eaten. Jan must have helped him, she decided. “I’ll take this out for you. Do you want more water, tea, a soda?”

“What are the kids doing?” he asked as she gathered up his plate and glass.

“Watching a movie.”
She straightened. “It’s movie night, remember?”

“Will you come back when you’re done?”

“Okay.”
Layla
left wondering where all of his temper had went or if he was storing it up for later.

When she returned, he was sitting up on the side of the bed, his feet on the floor. His ankle was still swollen, but it wasn’t huge like before. Now it was the size of a baseball. “
Rafe
, you’re going to make it swell again.”

“Just help me up.” He held out his left arm to her. “Actually, grab me a pair of sweats out of that third drawer first and a shirt. It’s cold in here.”

“Summer is officially over.” She grabbed the items out of his chest of drawers and without thinking began dressing him as if he were a
supersize
version of Brice. “Hold your arms up, good. And over,”

His laugh stopped her.

“I’m sorry. I…”

“It’s okay.” He pulled his shirt down the rest of the way himself.

She slid the sweat pants over his feet and then stopped at his ankle. “This isn’t going to work. The band is going to be too tight.”

“Just lift it up the leg. It will be fine.” He grumbled as he struggled to navigate his left arm into helping get his pants up. She knew it was hurting his ribs by his voice, but she also knew if he wanted to be dressed, he would get dressed, and it was better if she helped him rather than letting him hurt himself.

“I’ll cut the bottom. I can fix it back later, but if you hike it up, it will just cut off circulation farther up your leg and cause more swelling.”
Layla
didn’t let him argue. She stood up and walked over to the dresser where all of his supplies had been staged. By the time she returned to him with scissors in hand, he had pulled one pant leg up higher but still struggled. She helped him get them up and over his large thighs, and then it was time for him to stand.

“Okay, when you stand up with the guys to change bottoms, how does it work? I’ve got the walking thing down, but do you need me to pull them up, or do you need me to help you balance while you pull them up?” She looked up at him. For a brief moment, he had trapped her with his eyes. The expression there was gentle and caring, like the old
Rafe
.

“They normally balance me, but if you would pull, it would go faster, plus I don’t like putting my weight on you. And I definitely wouldn’t live to hear the end of it if they had to pull my drawers up for me.”
Rafe
extended his left arm, and she braced herself to help him stand. Once he was standing, she made quick work of pulling up the pants. “Now let’s go.”

“Did you put all this on to walk to the bathroom?” He had been in pajama bottoms or boxers for the past week. He wasn’t supposed to start walking on his foot until next week and then only when necessary because he couldn’t use crutches yet due to the ribs. “I thought you got dressed because you were cold.”

“I’m going to the living room.” He started to walk, but she pushed him, causing him to sit back down on the bed. “Ouch. What?”

“No.”

“If I want to go into the living room to watch a movie in my own house, I should be able to do so.” He didn’t say it with the same bite as he used earlier that day.

“I know that. I just don’t want to hurt you. I can’t hold you up that long. I don’t want them to forget you’re hurt. They may run into your foot, or…”

“
Layla
,” He reached out to grab her hand with his right hand then switched to his left. The touch of his skin against hers purposefully, not in a necessary manner, lit memories and longing on fire within her. Heat crept up her cheeks, and she tried not to look at him. “Grab one of the crutches for me, okay?”

“I’ll call Jack,” she warned.

“Jack is my little brother. He doesn’t scare me.”

“Heath then.”

“Heath called me a pussy yesterday because he had to help pull me up.”
Rafe
snorted.

“I’ll call…”

“Jan, no you won’t and we both know that, so get me the crutch before we miss the movie, honey.” He let his thumb slide along the outside of her hand when he said the word honey. Little sparks of electricity bolted through her in different directions. There was no arguing then; she couldn’t say anything to argue.

Layla
grabbed the crutch from the corner and brought it over to him. He gripped it, pulled up on his own steam, and stood. It hurt just watching him.

“Now the hard part,” he said and switched the crutch to his right side, the side with the busted ribs, the side with the bad ankle.

“I don’t like this one bit. Can’t we get a wheelchair or something?” As she said it, he seemed more determined than ever to get to the living room on the crutch. He started moving, one painful step at a time. She held her breath between each step, thought of a hundred ways to explain things if he fell, thought of at least ten ways to strap him to his bed where he couldn’t move if he wanted to try this again.

“
Rafe
!”
Savannah shouted, and Brice stood up along with her to look at him. Then they remained there like statues.

“Recliner,” he said with a strained voice.

Layla
turned the recliner toward him and then stood at the back to ensure it did not immediately recline on him. She learned all too well the first time she sat in it that it was sensitive; she thought she was going to flip out of the thing.

Once in the chair, he
smiled,
a painful smile of triumph. “Can you turn it back toward the television?”

“Yes.” She tugged with all of her might. The chair was so much heavier with
Rafe
in it. Once he faced the television, she made sure the reclining was smooth and easy. His ankle appeared bigger, the stitches in his eye had a spot of blood from his expressions no doubt, and if she could see that, his ribs must have been throbbing, along with the arm in the cast he tried not to use every time his weight had to shift to his right side.

“I know you don’t want o hear it but…” he started.

“I’ll get them, and be right back.” She knew he had overdone it, and he knew it, too. So did the two sad faces staring at him. Savannah was already tearing up. “It’s okay, guys. Savannah, come help me for a minute. Brice, why don’t you pick another movie, so we can all start at the beginning? You and Savannah can finish this one later if you like.”

“We’ve seen it a hundred times.” He shook his head. She knew Savannah had chosen the movie; she chose the same thing every time.

Savannah followed her to the kitchen. When they were clear of the doorway, she turned and picked her up. Savannah wrapped her arms around her and cried. “Is he going to die?”

“No, sweetheart,
Rafe
isn’t going to die. He’s just stubborn. He wants to be with you and Brice, so he got out of bed sooner than he should have, that’s all.”
Layla
stroked Savannah’s long curly hair and then wiped her tears when she leaned back.

“He looked like he was hurting.” She sniffed.

“He is. So be extra gentle if you hug him, okay?”
Layla
smiled as Savannah nodded. “Be brave, all right. You know it would make him sad if he thought you were afraid of him.”

“I’m not afraid of him.” She wiped her own tears this time.

“That’s my girl.”
Layla
sat her down after another big hug. If losing her job meant gaining these children, it was beyond worth it. “I made cookies earlier. Will you put them on plates?”

Savannah nodded.
Layla
set the cookie jar on the kitchen table and headed back to
Rafe’s
bedroom to get him some pain medicine.

* * *

The cookies had been eaten, the movie had rolled credits, and she had carried two children up a flight of stairs to their beds. Unfortunately, though she could tell she was physically stronger now, she couldn’t do the same for
Rafe
. He was asleep in the recliner. The medicine always knocked him out, which was why he refused to take it unless he was really hurting.

One phone call later Heath and Jack were there.

“How did he get in there in the first place?” Heath asked in as much of a whisper as the man could manage.

“You don’t want to know. We were lucky he didn’t fall since he can’t very well use his arm to support much weight either. I tried to tell him not to. He is so…”

“Stubborn?” Jack, the youngest brother, said then smiled. They had very similar features, all three brothers; thankfully, Jan got more of her mother’s traits though when she was angry she definitely had Heath’s expressions. “It’s a family thing.
Johnsons
are known for being stubborn.”

“Well, let’s get him back in bed. He has one week left; then he can try this shit. Until then, we are taking the crutches, and if he so much as tries to go farther than the bathroom, you call.” Heath propped his hands on his hips and looked down at her. The man meant business.

“Okay. I wanted to call in the first place.”
Layla
shrugged.

“Should we try to wake him up first?” Jack asked Heath.

Layla
responded before Heath could. “He’s out. The pain meds knock him out solid. You could throw him downstairs, and I doubt he would wake up.”

“
You been
wanting to throw him down some stairs?”
Heath quirked a brow.
“No.” She blushed and looked away.

“
It’s
okay,
Layla
,” Jack said and put a hand on her shoulder. “We know you’re taking the brunt of his moods. I imagine any one of us would be in similar temper if we had to have someone care for us around the clock. I like being babied by Bethany, but I would be humiliated if she had to do everything for me you
are having
to do for
Rafe
right now.”

With that, the brothers left her to get
Rafe
. She made sure the bed was ready for him. He was like a huge rag doll, one they undressed and positioned back in the place he was supposed to have been to begin with.

She noticed Heath inspecting
Rafe
the same way a parent would look over a child. Her heart thumped heavily as she realized how much his family truly loved him. They were every bit as worried, and though they may talk big when he was a wake, they were sure showing concern now. He looked at
Rafe’s
ankle again. She assured him, “I’ll put some ice on his ankle.”

“Oh, of course.”
As if he were caught being too attentive, he snapped right back into a more macho demeanor. He headed out tossing his words over his shoulder, “Night
Layla
.”

Jack started talking before she could respond. “If you need a break or anything…”

“I don’t,” she insisted.

“Yeah, I didn’t think you would.” Jack nodded as if he understood something she didn’t. He also read her expression like an open book. “Don’t give up. He’ll come back around to where he belongs.”

“And where is that?”
Layla
asked and frowned at him. Jack thought that was funny.

“Here, with you, them—” He pointed up in the direction of the children’s rooms. “—and us. You gotta understand,
Layla
,
Rafe
has never had to chase a woman. He has never had to work to get to know her. He’s a cocky S-O-B, and you have proven over and over again he doesn’t know more than the rest of us. In fact, when it comes to you, I bet he knows less than the rest of us. He was too blind by what he wanted, too sure that any day you were going to wake up and swoon over him like every other woman in his life had, and you...you were just as stubborn as he was about it all.”