Terms of Surrender (8 page)

Harley knelt down to their level and enveloped them in a hug which made them squirm and giggle and push, until she finally loosened her hold and gave them room to breathe.

Laura wrapped her arms around Harley’s neck and hung on. “You was lost.”

Harley hugged her back. “And now you’ve found me.”

Lisa wedged herself in front of her sister until she stood nose to nose with Harley, her intense dark chocolate eyes fixed on her aunt. “We was
soooo
worried.”

“Everything is all right. I’m all right.”

The girls pulled back and stared at her. Lisa reached out, grabbed her nose, and gave it a gentle twist. “You look like Mommy.”

“That’s because your mommy and I were twins, like you and Laura.”

Laura hugged her around the neck again and whispered, “We love you, Aunt Harley.”

“I love you, too, sweetie.” She could sense Mike’s presence behind her, even though she hadn’t heard the sound of his footsteps approach them. Pushing to her feet, she turned to face him.

He shifted from foot to foot, his gaze skittering from the top of her head to the girls and beyond, maybe someplace where he wasn’t haunted by memories of the beloved wife he’d lost. “I called Adam. He told me what happened, where you were staying. That’s how we found you.”

Taking each girl by a hand, Harley straightened. “I didn’t mean to worry anyone. I guess I wasn’t thinking. I’m so very sorry if I scared you.”

“Yeah, no harm done.” Mike kicked at a pebble on the cement and glanced at the girls before lowering his voice. “They’re driving me nuts. Can you take them off my hands for a while?”

Beside her, the girls turned still and silent, and Harley could imagine how their father’s words hurt them. So she pushed aside the worry for her brother-in-law and focused on the girls instead. “Sure. They can come visit Sara with me. Maybe they could spend the night with us.”

He nodded and looked away.

“Gage and your parents are around back—”

Laura tugged on her hand. “I wanna see Unca Gage, too.”

Lisa jumped up and down beside her. “Me, too.”

As Mike turned toward the back yard, the girls yanked free of her grip. And they hightailed it up the driveway and around the corner of the house where they disappeared, their clear sweet voices echoing between the buildings.

So much for a quick getaway.

Harley sighed and headed back into the house to see if she could find some milk and cookies for the girls.

At least Mike was back to normal. He’d called her Hannah by mistake because he’d been worried about her, that’s all. He was still in the grieving process and eventually when he was done, he’d be able to look at her again and remember she wasn’t the woman he’d loved and lost.

CHAPTER SEVEN

While Gage moved another flowerpot for his dad, he wondered what Harley was up to in the house or if she’d already left.

Guilt twisted his gut.

Maybe he should have let her stay another night or two. But the last thing she needed while she was so vulnerable was him moving in and taking over, which he’d do because he liked to be in control, a personality trait he’d inherited from his dad.

Better off not to think of her. He lifted another flowerpot and glanced up toward the kitchen window.

His mom stopped beside him. “She’s very pretty.”

His dad grunted. “Pretty doesn’t get the work done.”

Gage dragged his attention from the window to the man who had raised him with an iron fist. “Where do you want this one?”

Before Bill Toryn could give instructions, his mom spoke up again. “Does she have legs like Hannah’s? Hannah had those long sexy legs made for wrapping around a man’s waist. I always wished my legs were long and sleek instead of short and stubby.”

A strangled laugh escaped his throat. “Geez, Mom.”

Bill grunted again. “Don’t distract the boy, Fran.”

“I’m not. He can talk and work at the same time.”

With a sigh, Gage set the pot down in the spot his dad indicated and tried to change the topic. “So I hear it’s supposed to rain sometime soon.”

His mom placed one hand on her matronly waist. “Go away, Bill. It’s time for a mother-son discussion.”

Grumbling something about disobedient and nosy women, his dad walked away.

Frances faced her son. “It’s not like I haven’t had sex from time to time. Where do you think you came from?”

Sweat dripped off his forehead, into his eyes. He grabbed the discarded shirt off the back of the lawn chair and wiped his face. “Not discussing this with you, Mom.”

She patted his arm. “Fine, I can take the hint. As long as you’re using proper birth control, I won’t say another word.” She bent to the pot and plucked off some finished petals, and when she stood up and fixed him with an inquisitive stare, he realized she wasn’t done yet. “So how long have you been sleeping with Hannah’s sister?”

“Mom.”

“Was it a one night stand? I’ve never had one of those, but I’ve heard they can be quite exciting.” She winked and grinned. “With the right person, of course.”

“You know, you’re as tenacious as a pit bull.” As she continued to stare at him, he laughed and gave in. “Fine. You want the truth about my sex life? I’m taking a break. I’m not having sex with Harley or anyone else for that matter.”

“Well, what’s wrong with you?” With the trowel in her hand, she pointed down at the front of his pants. “Be a good boy and confide in your mother. Are you having problems with your wee wee?”

Another laugh escaped. He held up his hands and backed up a step. “There’s nothing wrong with me or my…you know what. I’m healthy and perfectly capable of…” He choked on another laugh. “You know.”

“You’re not getting any younger, Gage. You should take a lesson from your brother and get married and start a family.”

A familiar childish scream came from the side of the house and grabbed him around the throat. Dryly, he said, “Right, I’ll get right on that.”

“Why don’t I believe you?” She turned to face the driveway, her hands folded in front of her. “In so many ways, you’re like your father, bottling your feelings up inside. It’s not healthy.”

The high-pitched screams grew louder, bringing their conversation to an end.

Thank God.

Gage watched two tiny bundles of energy tumble around the corner of the house, pause to scope out the backyard, then dash straight for their grandma.

Arms outstretched, Frances bent at the waist. As the twins collided with her, nearly knocking her off her feet, she smiled. “Hello, girls. I’ve missed you so much.”

Their voices rang out in unison. “We missed you, too, Grandma.”

Frances turned the girls slightly and gave Gage a grin. “Look who’s home today.”

The girls raced his way, bumping and nudging each other, until they reached him and wrapped their arms and legs around his legs. In unison, they cried out, “Unca Gage. Unca Gage.”

Mike trailed behind them, an apology in his eyes and on his lips. “Sorry, bro. If I could harness all their energy, I’d put it to good use on the farm.”

“No problem.” Gage peered down at the two identical faces beaming up at him. He’d been back in town for three months, yet still couldn’t tell the twins apart. “Okay, who’s who?”

“I’m Laura,” screamed the one hanging off his right leg.

“I’m Lisa,” screeched the one on his left leg, obviously determined not to be outdone in volume by her sister.

Mike stuffed his hands into his pockets, a glum expression on his face. “Use your inside voices, girls, or Uncle Gage will ask us to leave.”

Frances wandered over to her younger son, put one arm around his waist, and went up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “You’ve lost weight.”

He scraped one hand over his face, his exhaustion apparent, and cracked a small smile. “They’re wearing me out, one scream at a time.”

Gage was relieved his brother still had a bit of his sense of humor.

His dad shuffled toward them. “Those screams reached all the way to the other side of town. Children should be seen, not heard.”

William crouched down to the twins’ level, his knees creaking. The two girls craned their necks to check out the noise and tried to look between Gage’s legs at the same time. They ended up bumping their noggins together. As they turned to glare at each other, Gage suppressed a grin.

Frances sent her husband a worried look and patted him on one shoulder. “Bill, they’re just having fun.”

His dad grumbled under his breath. “What good is a noise bylaw when nobody pays attention to it?”

With one arm, Laura let go of Gage’s leg long enough to hold up four fingers in front of her grandpa’s face. “I’s this old.”

Lisa, not to be left out, shoved her sister’s hand away, and held her four fingers an inch from her grandpa’s eyes. “Me, too.”

Frances held her hands out toward the girls. “Why don’t we go look at the pretty flowers, girls?”

They instantly released their grips on Gage’s legs and, landing on their feet, each took hold of their grandma’s hands. Skipping beside her, they ambled off into the yard.

Gage grinned. “Cute kids.”

With a creak of his knees, his dad straightened. “You should hire someone to take care of your yard. Your mother has work to do at home. She doesn’t need to be working here, too.”

The grin on Gage’s face faded. “She can go home any time she wants, Dad. So can you.”

His dad was no longer paying attention to him.

“Those girls will make a mess of things, mark my words.” William followed his wife into the yard. “Don’t let them touch the flowers, Fran.”

As Gage headed toward his brother, he kept one eye on his dad. The old man wasn’t good with kids and didn’t have the necessary patience for them. He wasn’t good with his wife either, but that was another issue entirely.

Mike threw himself onto one of the patio chairs. “I’m ready to lock them in the cellar.”

The serious tone in his brother’s voice caught Gage off guard. “That’s kind of extreme, isn’t it?”

“If you came out to visit once in a while, you’d understand.”

“You know why I can’t,” Gage said quietly. He studied the downcast expression on his brother’s face. After a moment’s silence, he asked, “How are you doing?”

“Fine. Terrific. Hunky dory.”

Gage could see the other man wasn’t fine or terrific or hunky dory. Since Hannah’s death, his brother had not only lost weight, he seemed to have lost himself, too.

A sound on the deck drew his attention. He glanced toward the back door and saw Harley come out of the house, a tray of iced drinks in her hands.

Mike pulled sunglasses out of his shirt pocket, slid them on, and didn’t bother to lower his voice. “Bro, if I’d known she was here, I would’ve stayed away. Seeing her is…hard.”

She stopped, her gaze shifting to Mike, tears glistening in her big brown eyes.

Without tempering his voice, Mike continued.

“Next time she’s here, warn me, okay? I saw the picture in the paper and thought—” Mike’s voice cracked and he took a deep breath, regaining control of his anger. “I saw the picture in the paper and panicked. I finally got hold of Adam and you know what a pain in the neck he is these days. Barely a thought comes out of his mouth that isn’t about Robyn’s pregnancy. Blah, blah, blah, till I’m sick and tired of listening to him. If he’s so desperate to be a daddy, I’ll give him my brats.” Mike wiped one hand across his mouth. “Say, you wouldn’t have a cold beer around, would you?”

Without answering, Gage pushed to his feet and headed for Harley. She stood frozen, her eyes bruised with hurt. He took the tray from her hands, balanced it on one hand, and brushed his index finger across her cheek. “He doesn’t mean what he says.”

She blinked up at him, her voice small and regretful. “Yes, he does.”

Pushing his hand away, she brushed past him and walked across the yard toward his parents and the twins. Gage acknowledged there wasn’t much he could do at the moment to ease her pain, so he took the tray back to the table and set it down.

Mike squirmed on the chair. “About that beer?”

“Kind of early, isn’t it?”

His brother grunted, a sound that reminded Gage of their dad when the old man was in one of his foul moods. “All depends on what kind of day it’s turning out to be. Today is definitely a beer day.”

Gage didn’t laugh at Mike’s attempt at a joke…or at least he hoped it was a joke. He set a glass of iced tea on the table in front of his brother and sat down across from him.

Mike picked up the glass, sniffed it, and the corners of his mouth turned down. “I take it that’s a no.”

“You know I don’t keep booze around the house.”

After gulping down half the contents, the other man banged the glass back on the table. “I need a break from the girls. They’re driving me batty. Always underfoot. Always screaming. I don’t know how Hannah did it.” His voice broke over the last few words and with trembling fingers, he swiped at his eyes below the sunglasses. “My lovely wife. I miss her so much. Every night, I see her in my dreams and I wish I’d died with her.”

Gage couldn’t begin to imagine what his brother was going through. He’d never let any woman get that close. While he waited for Mike to get his emotions under control, he glanced out at the yard.

His mom showed the girls the flowers, while his dad fussed and kept their little hands away from the blossoms. The twins, now quiet and obedient, were exceptionally cute with their long, curls of golden-brown hair.

Harley wandered along with them. She’d taken the t-shirt she’d borrowed from him, tied a belt around the middle, and in the heat of the day, was wearing it like a mini-skirt, which showed off her long shapely legs.

His mom was right. Those legs were meant to wrap around a man’s waist—

He jerked his attention back to her face where it belonged.

For the first time, he realized she seemed as lost without her sister as Mike did without his wife.

Maybe it was time for him to get involved.

Because from where he stood, it seemed that if Mike didn’t get some help, he was on the road to crash and burn, and maybe take his daughters with him.

Gage noticed that Mike never looked directly at Harley’s face. Because he understood how much that must hurt her, he wondered what would happen if the two of them had some day-to-day living time.