One Night with her Bachelor (8 page)

With what money?

She lowered Josh carefully into the chair, just like she’d practiced over and over at his rehab clinic. Resisting the urge to push the chair for him, she let him power himself to the driveway.

“Could you help me get him up the stairs?” she asked Blake.

“Sure. What stairs?”

Molly tried to hide her exasperated look. Really, how unobservant could the man be? “The stairs to the porch.”

She followed Josh around Blake’s truck and nearly fell over him when he brought his chair to a dead stop.

“Holy shit!”

Molly’s jaw dropped. “Joshua Gregory Dekker, language!”

Then she followed his gaze and her heart thudded hard. “Holy shit.”

A ramp. Someone had built a ramp over her stairs.

Not one of those small, portable ramps either. This thing had to be twelve feet long—maybe longer, since it was crooked—and stretched from the porch to the driveway. It had posts going into the ground. One of her rose bushes had been removed to make room, and half the walkway had disappeared beneath it. It was huge. It was an eyesore.

It was a sight for sore eyes.

“Like I said, what stairs?”

“Did you…? Who…?” She shook her head, hoping to shake loose some of the words that weren’t coming out. “What…?”

Nope. No words.

“Is this a surprise?” Blake asked.

She nodded slowly.

“Mom! It’s so cool!” Josh raced toward it, his hands working just as fast as his legs used to. He powered himself up it, having to pause halfway to catch his breath before sprinting the rest. Molly followed on unsteady legs. She ran her palm over the stained wood. It was the same kind of wood, the same color of stain that Gabriel had been using on his porch the day she’d tried to seduce him.

“Yes, it’s a surprise,” she whispered.

And yet, it seemed so natural a thing for him to do. He must’ve worked on this for hours and hours. She would have to ask her neighbors if they heard anything. Surely he couldn’t have done this all by himself.

Then again, some of the joins were uneven and the ramp tilted to one side—not enough to be dangerous to Josh, but enough to make her feel off balance. It was the wonkiest ramp in the history of ramps.

It was absolutely the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

“What else do you need me to do?” Blake asked.

She shrugged and lifted her hands in apology. “Nothing. I think I have it from here.”

He looked a little disappointed and a lot confused. “Okay. Great. Well, if you need anything else, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll see you Monday. Oh, and I look forward to the auction. Sorry I had to turn Lily down. I just don’t think, y’know, with this bad knee of mine… Anyway, it’ll be a good night, and I hope you raise a lot. See you.”

He waved and walked to his truck, leaving Molly blinking at his back.

Auction?

“Hey, Mom, I’m freezing my nuts off here!”

She shifted her focus to Josh, waiting by the front door. “You seem to have picked up some new language in Boulder, and I’m not happy about it.”

“Freezing’s not a bad word. It’s a bad feeling, though. Can you chop-chop?”

Chop-chop, Molly!
One of Greg’s less pleasant habits, talking to her like she was his lackey instead of his wife. She crouched by Josh’s chair. “You spent a long time with your dad, so let’s get one thing straight. My rules still apply to my house. You and I don’t tell each other to chop-chop. And I don’t want to hear about your genitals unless something’s wrong with them and I need to take you to the doctor. We use respectful, loving language in our house. That hasn’t changed. Right?”

“Right.”

She straightened and unlocked the door, and he rolled into the hall. She could hear the smile in his voice as he murmured, “You said
holy shit
.”

She pressed her lips together. She’d hoped he hadn’t heard that.

He loved the moose head, just as Lily had said he would. She and Lily must have shared part of their brain, because just when she thought of her friend, she got a text from her.
Are you back?

She texted back.
Yes! Want to see him?

Lily replied immediately.
Yes! I thought I’d take him out for a bit so you can rest after the long drive.

Molly’s brows drew together. Take him out? She’d just gotten him home. She didn’t want to ever let him out of her sight again. But the rehab coordinator had drilled into her the importance of helping Josh feel as independent as possible. Lily was his godmother; she would never do anything risky. Of everyone Molly knew, she trusted Lily with Josh the most.

Except Gabriel.

She rubbed at her aching forehead. “Hey, buddy, do you want to go out for a bit with Aunt Lily?”

Josh’s face lit up. “Will she take me to McDonald’s?”

Molly grimaced. She’d tried to keep him away from fast food, but he begged every grown-up and babysitter to break that rule. She gave in and texted Lily. Her phone buzzed. “She says yes.”

Josh was waiting by the door when Lily arrived. She rushed in and smothered him in a hug that would’ve left grown men catatonic with desire. Josh just squeezed her back until Lily pulled away and they gave each other their special handshake that seemed to last five minutes and confused Molly every time.

“What did you think of the moose head?”

“Love it! Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. Now, your mom’s probably tired, and you and I have a lot of catching up to do. Let’s go hit Micky D’s and have some fun.”

“Not too many French fries. And only one hamburger, but obviously I’d prefer it if you stuck to salad.”

“Yes, Mom.” Josh wheeled himself to the door with Lily hot on his wheels. “Hey, Aunt Lil, you know that when Mom says
one hamburger
, she means one of each kind, right?”

“Yep. Your mom and I have the same rule for cupcakes.”

Josh laughed, and the sound made the tightness in Molly’s chest melt away. How many nights had she lain in bed terrified she would never hear that beautiful sound again?

“Oh, and did you see my ramp?” Josh rolled his chair out the door and launched himself full-speed at the ramp. “Whooooo!”

“Josh!” Molly’s heart seized as Josh’s chair flew down the ramp and slid across the icy sidewalk. He grabbed his wheels and yanked himself to a halt inches away from Lily’s car. Molly collapsed against the door frame.

Lily stood ghost-white with her hand across her mouth. “Josh, if you
ever
do that to me or your mom again, I’ll tell all your friends where you were born.”

He gasped. “No. Please.”

“No more stunts like that, got it? Because I’ll do it. I was there, remember?”

“Please,
please
don’t tell anyone.”

Molly would laugh, if she were capable of breathing. She’d told Josh he’d been born in a ladies’ dressing room, and he’d found that embarrassing enough. If he knew the full truth, he’d pass out from the humiliation. She added to Lily’s threat. “I’m sure I have those photos in an album somewhere.”

Josh sank into his chair. “I’ll never do it again. I promise.”

“Good.” Lily turned to Molly. “Where’d you get this thing, anyway? You didn’t have it the other day.”

“I’m not positive, but I think Gabriel built it.”

Lily’s brows shot up. “You’re shi—” She glanced at Josh. “—kidding me.”

Molly shook her head. But the ramp made her think of her arrival home and something she’d wanted to ask Lily about. “Blake Margate came over earlier. He said something strange—”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Lily said, interrupting her. “Seriously, don’t listen to him. He’s a little—” She circled her finger next to her ear so Josh wouldn’t hear her call his former teacher crazy.

But Blake wasn’t crazy. And he didn’t usually make cryptic comments.

“Okay, let’s go, cowboy! Marietta’s our oyster, and we’re gonna crack ’er wide open.”

Before Molly could ask any more questions, Josh was hoisting himself into Lily’s car and waving goodbye. He’d only been home an hour, and she was alone again. Just her, a skein of yarn, and her crochet hooks.

How exciting.

*

Gabriel parked his
truck in front of his mom’s small house. He hadn’t grown up here. His family had moved a few times, whenever bill collectors had caught up with their mom. But one benefit of being in the military and having no dependents was that Gabriel had saved enough to make a down payment on this single-story, two-bedroom home and given his mom a little breathing room.

He got out of the truck and blinked against the glare of the sun reflecting off fresh snow. It was lunchtime, and he’d come to show Camila how wrong she was about him and the f-word. Coming into town during the day didn’t make him feel fear.

It really didn’t.

So far he’d gone to the store and the post office, just to prove he could. People’s stares had followed him everywhere, warming his back even through his winter coat. Only one person had approached him—old Buck, the cattle auctioneer. He’d been a couple people in front of Gabriel in line at the store and, when he’d noticed Gabriel, had beckoned him forward. Never one to disrespect his elders—unless they were assholes—Gabriel had stepped out of line to say hello.

“What you did for that boy,” Buck had said, shaking his head. “Remarkable.” He’d stuck out his hand, and Gabriel had forced himself to shake it. Then Buck had put Gabriel’s basket of groceries in front of his and told the checkout woman, “I’m paying for these.”

Gabriel couldn’t remember ever feeling more uncomfortable.

He knocked on his mom’s door and waited till he heard the lock tumble. Camila opened it, her face registering her shock, followed by a critical once-over of his whole body.

He made an exasperated noise. “I washed my hair, my body and my clothes. I’m even wearing deodorant. What else do you want from me?”

“Can I introduce you to a razor and a mirror? I think you’d really get along.”

He rolled his eyes. “Baby steps, Mila. Baby steps. The beard stays for now.”

Personally he felt like a rock star just for being here.

He kissed her cheek and followed her into the living room, where their mom was buzzing around with a vacuum cleaner. Gabriel’s brows drew together.

“I told her you might come over while I was here. She’s vacuumed every day, just in case.”

Their mom looked up, and her face transformed with a huge smile. She tapped her toe against the machine, and it turned off. “Gabriel!”

“Hi, Mom.” He gave her a big hug. “What’s with the vacuuming?”

“It’s always dinnertime when you come over.”

He and Camila exchanged confused looks.

“You can’t see the dirt after dark. I wanted to make sure everything was nice and clean for you.”

“O-kay.” He was hardly a neat freak. If she’d ever come out to his cabin, she would know that.

“Anyway, sit down. Take a load off. Lunch’ll be ready in ten minutes.” She shouted over her shoulder as she put the vacuum away in the hall closet and then went into the kitchen. “Just a tuna casserole, I’m afraid. And a salad and pickled beets. And mashed potatoes. And broccoli. And apple pie for dessert. Or cherry pie, if you’d rather have that. I hope that’ll be enough. I have cold cuts if it isn’t.”

“It’s just us, Mom,” Camila shouted back. “Not Gabriel’s squadron.”

They ate and chatted, but halfway through the meal the doorbell rang. Ann stood. “Who on earth?”

She disappeared into the hall, and Gabriel heard her talking to a woman. He didn’t recognize the voice, but his mom’s voice suddenly turned excited, carrying through the living room and into the kitchen as she said, “What a coincidence! He’s right here.”

Dread pooled in Gabriel’s belly. Someone was looking for him? Never a good thing—except that one time, when Molly had sought him out. But look how that had turned out.

Determined to face the intruder bravely, he got up from the table and went to the door, where one of Marietta’s most whispered-about residents stood wearing a triumphant smile.

Whenever he’d come home on leave, he’d heard talk about Lily Taylor. They’d never actually met, but he’d caught sight of her a few times when he was in town with Scott, who couldn’t shut up about her. Even before Lily had moved to town, Scott had lain in his bunk in Afghanistan, reading a letter from Molly, and said, “I need to get back to Marietta. My sister’s friend is moving from Billings. Buddy, you wouldn’t believe this woman.
Smokin’ hot
doesn’t do her justice. She’s a ball-buster, and I’d happily give her mine to do anything she wanted.”

Yeah, she was pretty. Stacked and self-assured. But she’d never done anything for Gabriel. So why was she looking for him?

“Hi, Gabriel. We’ve never officially met, but I’m Lily Taylor.” She stuck out her hand, and he reached around his mom to shake it. He didn’t say anything.

“You’re a difficult man to track down.”

“Can’t see why. I’m almost always at my cabin.”

“Huh. Anyway, I heard a rumor you were in town today, so I thought I’d try my luck. I think you know my friend here.” She stepped to the side and his heart thudded violently when he laid eyes on the boy in the massive chair.