Allison Leigh – A Child Under His Tree (страница 7)
“Same as ever, Pam. You just get off duty?”
She nodded. “I came by to pick up Rob.” She tilted her head toward the breezeway that led from the bar into the attached restaurant. “He’s holding a fund-raiser thing tonight for his class at school.” She pulled out the stool next to Caleb’s and sat. “Heard you saw Kelly today.”
He gave her a bland look. “Oh, yeah?”
She wasn’t the least bit put off. “Shawna Simpson had her baby in your office today for her checkup. She told me.”
“It’s still Doc Cobb’s office.”
“Everyone knows you’re going to take over his practice for good when he retires.”
“He’s not retiring. Just on sabbatical.”
She shrugged, dismissing his words. “Shawna said Kelly looks just the same.”
He slid a glance toward the restaurant, wishing her husband, Rob, would hurry his ass up. “I don’t remember Shawna from school.”
“Sure you do. She was Shawna Allen then.” Pam’s eyes narrowed as she thought about it. “Would have graduated high school a year ahead of you and Kelly, I think.”
Whatever. He pulled out his wallet and extracted enough cash to cover the beer plus a tip and dropped it on the counter.
“Leaving already?”
“Hospital rounds in the morning come early.” Not that early. But as an escape line, it was pretty good. “See you around.”
“Probably at the funeral, I imagine.”
The wind was blowing when he stepped outside the bar, and he flipped up the collar of his jacket as he headed for his truck. When he drove out of the parking lot, though, he didn’t head for his apartment.
He headed for Georgette Rasmussen’s old place.
Even though it had been several years since he’d last driven out there, he remembered the route as easily as ever. When he turned off the highway, the condition of the road was not so good. More dirt than pavement. More potholes and ruts than solid surface. The fact that there had never been anything as convenient as streetlights on the road didn’t help. If he were a stranger driving out to the Rasmussen place for the first time, he’d have needed GPS to find his way.
But Caleb couldn’t count the number of times he’d gone up and down that road when he and Kelly were teenagers. Following the curves in the road still felt like second nature.
When he pulled up in front of the two-story house, though, he wasn’t all that sure what he was doing there. It wasn’t as though she’d welcome a friendly ol’ visit from him.
He turned off the engine and got out anyway. Walked up the creaking porch steps and stood in front of the door beneath the bare lightbulb above it.
She answered on the second knock.
She’d changed out of the formfitting gray dress she’d been wearing earlier. In jeans and sweatshirt, she looked more like the high school girl she’d once been.
“Caleb.” She didn’t close the door in his face, which he supposed was a good sign. But she didn’t open it wider in invitation, either.
“Kelly.” He wasn’t used to feeling short on words like this.
Her lips were compressed. She’d let her hair down. It reached just below her shoulders. When they’d been teenagers, she’d usually worn it braided down to the middle of her back.
He’d always liked unbraiding it.
She suddenly tucked her hair behind her ear and shifted from one bare foot to the other. “What are you doing here?”
He balled his fists in the pockets of his leather jacket. It’d been too long since he’d had a date if he was so vividly remembering unbraiding her hair the first time they’d had sex. “Wanted to see how you were.”
“Still standing.” She held one arm out to her side. “As you can see.”
“Yeah.” He glanced beyond the porch. Light shone from a few of the windows, but otherwise the place was dark. “How’s Tyler’s arm?”
“Fine.” Her tone was short. “He’s asleep.”
Caleb exhaled slightly. “He’s a good-looking boy.”
She shifted again, lowering her lashes. “What do you want, Caleb?”
He cleared his throat. Pushed away the memory of his hands tangled in her hair. “Where’s Tyler’s father?”
Kelly felt the blood drain out of her face. She tightened her grip on the doorknob. Her palm had gone slick. “I beg your pardon?”
The porch light cast sharp shadows on Caleb’s face as he looked down at her. “Sorry. That was blunt.”
She let out a breathy sigh, which was all her throat would allow.
“There’s just no tactful way,” he went on. “You know. Asking.”
“Right.” Still breathy. Still faint. “I, uh, I—”
“Is he still in the picture?”
“Who?”
“Your husband.” He took a step back from the doorway, pulling one hand from his pocket and running it through his hair.
“I don’t have a husband!”
He didn’t look shocked. He just nodded and studied the toes of his boots for a moment. “I wondered if you’d split up after I saw your name on Tyler’s paperwork this afternoon.”
She pressed her shaking fingers to her temple. “Who, uh, who told you I was married? My mom?”
“Yeah. She told me you eloped after you went to Idaho. That you had a baby.”
Kelly’s eyes burned. Her mother was dead. She hadn’t been a part of Kelly’s life since Kelly walked out all those years ago. So why did her mother’s words and actions still have the power to hurt? Georgette hadn’t felt a need to make up a fictional husband when she’d had Kelly. But she’d created one when it came to explaining an illegitimate grandchild? “When did she tell you?”
“Doesn’t matter. A while ago.” He pushed his fingers through his hair again. “Look, I’m not trying to stick my nose where you don’t want it. I know this can’t be easy for you, coming back like this. Regardless of how tough things were between you, she was still your mom. I just wanted to tell you that if you need anything, just ask.”
Her nose prickled. She couldn’t seem to get a word out. She managed to nod.
“Well.” He took a step back. “It’s late. Watch for any increased tenderness or pain in your boy’s arm.” Caleb went down the porch steps, and she had the feeling he was anxious to get away. “The films looked good,” he went on, “but switching up the cast can still be jarring.”
Her tongue finally loosened. “I’m an RN. I know what to watch for.”
He stopped, obviously surprised. “You’re a nurse?”
She lifted her chin. “Don’t look so shocked. Even I managed to get an education.”
“That’s not why I—” He broke off. “I’m glad for you. I didn’t know nursing was something you were interested in. Doc Cobb never mentioned it.”
“I wasn’t interested. Or at least I didn’t know I was when I was his receptionist. And I didn’t know you were interested in pediatrics. Seems there was a lot about each other we didn’t know.” She smiled tightly. “Good night, Caleb.” She didn’t wait for a response.
Just shut the door in his face.
After a tense minute, she heard his truck engine start up, followed by the crunch of his wheels over the uneven, rutted drive as he drove away.
She shivered, leaning back against the door. “Oh, Mama. Why did you lie to everyone?”
What was worse? Admitting to everyone that it was a lie? Or admitting to Caleb the truth?
And why did she have to do either, when she was only there to bury her mother?
“Mommy!” Tyler’s sleepy voice came from the head of the stairs, and she quickly swiped her cheeks.
“What is it, buddy?”
He came down the steps. He was wearing his footy pajama pants but—as was typical—had pulled off the matching shirt somewhere along the way. Didn’t matter how chilly it was outside, her son liked wearing as little as possible when he slept. He was rubbing his eyes, and his hair stood up in a cowlick. “My stomach’s growly.”
She picked him up when he lifted his arms and smiled into his face. “I’m not surprised. You only ate half your supper.”