Cindy Kirk – Jackson Hole Valentine (страница 7)
Cole leaned back in his overstuffed chair like a sovereign on his throne. A rich king who could have anything he wanted… including a little boy who needed a mother.
The fact that after all these years it took only one look from Cole’s baby blues to make her heart skip a beat made Meg even angrier. At herself. At the situation. At him.
“Thank you,” he called out when she reached the doorway to the kitchen.
“No thanks necessary.” She turned and shot him an imperious gaze. “I don’t want to see you fall and have to pick up the pieces.”
Cole fumed as Meg disappeared into the kitchen, her boots clicking on the hardwood.
He resisted the urge to call her back, to tell her to keep her hands off his coffee. But that would be childish, so Cole kept his mouth shut and spent the next few minutes listening to Ryan discuss current ski conditions. Not that Cole would be out on the slopes anytime soon.
Still, it beat worrying about how he was going to care for Charlie and wondering what he’d done to make Meg so bitter.
She returned moments later with a tray holding a carafe of coffee and three mugs. It didn’t surprise him that she’d remembered to bring the cream and sugar. She’d excelled at anything she’d set her mind to do. Unlike him, who’d struggled through life for years.
When she bent to place the tray on the coffee table, he reluctantly admitted that the plaid skirt and green sweater suited her coloring. He even liked the way she’d pulled her hair to one side with a large tortoiseshell barrette.
Cole glanced down at his shirt and running pants. Ryan had told him the meeting today would be casual. Either Meg hadn’t received the message or she’d decided to dress up anyway.
Ignoring his gaze, she filled a cup with the steaming brew then handed it to him, her fingers accidentally brushing against his.
A spark of electricity traveled up Cole’s arm. His gaze shot to hers to see if she’d felt it, too. But she’d already turned away to fill Ryan’s cup.
By the time she sat down, Cole’s leg had begun to throb and all he wanted was to get through the discussion and ice his knee.
“My attorneys say the will is well crafted and completely enforceable.” Cole shifted his gaze to Meg. “I assume that’s what you discovered, as well.”
“Unfortunately yes.” Meg’s lips pressed together for several heartbeats. “I still can’t understand what Joy and Ty were thinking, but it is what it is.”
“Which means we’ll have to come to a consensus on how to split custody,” Cole said. “For now at least.”
“For now?” Meg asked.
Cole took a sip of coffee. “Until I discover a way to obtain sole custody.”
“I don’t understand.” Meg placed her cup down with a clatter. “Even your attorneys said the terms of the document are completely enforceable.”
“I crafted it carefully,” Ryan said in a defensive tone. “There is no way around the stipulations.”
“Perhaps.” Cole raised the mug to his lips. “But I learned long ago that everything is not always as it appears. Given time I
By the look of shock on Ryan’s face, Meg knew the attorney was as stunned as she was by Cole’s bold assertion.
“I have to tell you, buddy. I have real concerns about your ability to care for a kid right now.” Ryan spoke before she had a chance to respond.
Her spirits rose at the look of shock on Cole’s face. Apparently he’d finally remembered the stipulation that gave the attorney the ability to declare either of them unfit.
“If I discover that I need help,” Cole said, “I’ll hire a live-in nanny to help me until I’m able to care for him by myself.”
“You’d bring another new person into Charlie’s life?” Ryan’s tone made it clear what
Meg sipped her coffee, waiting to see where the conversation would lead.
“You have a better suggestion? One that doesn’t involve—”Cole’s gaze shifted briefly to Meg “—giving her sole custody?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” The attorney leaned back in his chair, a smug smile on his face.
“Are you planning to share that suggestion with us?” Cole spoke in a slightly mocking tone.
“Meg moves in with you,” Ryan said. “In exchange for free room and board she helps you care for Charlie and does therapy on your knee.”
Had Ryan really suggested she and Cole live together? Meg bolted upright in her seat. “No way.”
“Absolutely not,” Cole echoed.
She exchanged a glance with Cole. She’d never thought this day would come. They finally agreed on something.
“I don’t know what happened between the two of you back in high school—”
“Let it go, Ry—” Cole growled.
“—and frankly I don’t care.” A tiny muscle in Ryan’s jaw jumped. “That little boy survived a crash that killed both of his parents. Creating the best possible environment for him to get through this difficult time should take priority over your personal feelings toward each other.”
“The house is big enough,” Cole murmured as if he was actually considering having her move in with him.
Meg’s heart pounded in her ears. She couldn’t imagine spending one night in the same house as Cole, much less days or, gulp, weeks.
“I have a place to stay.” She spoke quickly, the words tumbling out one after the other as her panic grew. “Charlie can stay with me until—” Meg gestured with one hand toward Cole “—he recovers.”
“No.” Cole shook his head and his jaw jutted out. “Not happening.”
Their momentary truce had taken a sharp detour south.
“Meg.” This time it was her turn to be on the receiving end of the attorney’s unyielding gaze. “You said you hadn’t found an apartment yet. I got the distinct impression money was a major factor.”
“Travis and Mary Karen told me I could move in with them.” She forced some enthusiasm into her voice. It wasn’t easy.
Meg knew if she moved into her brother and sister-in-law’s home, Charlie would have an unending supply of playmates. But would he be swallowed up in the chaos? Would she be able to get to know him? To help him heal? Still, to move in with Cole…
She shivered.
“I know Travis and Mary Karen,” Ryan said slowly, appearing to choose his words carefully. “They’re great people and wonderful parents. But they have five children under the age of seven. Do you really think that’s the best environment for Charlie right now?”
Meg had been prepared to argue until he asked the very question that had been troubling her. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to say no. She settled for a shrug.
“I’m not suggesting that the two of you live together permanently,” Ryan began.
“Thank God,” Cole said.
“Just give it a couple months.” The attorney fixed his gaze on Cole. “By then you’ll each be in a position to care for Charlie on your own or—”
Ryan paused to take a sip of coffee.
“Or?” Meg prompted.
“Or you’ll have killed each other.”
The bistro on Scott Lane was crowded with playhouse patrons enjoying post-performance chocolate and espresso while listening to live jazz.
Thankfully, Jackson Hole embraced casual, so Meg didn’t feel out of place in her jeans and sweater.
“Are you absolutely sure this is what you want to do?” Travis’s eyes were dark with concern.
When her brother had asked her to run into town with him to have some dessert and coffee as a thank-you for the fabulous meal she’d prepared for his family, Meg had immediately agreed.
Since she’d arrived in Jackson last week, she and Travis hadn’t had much alone time. His wife must have sensed this, because she’d insisted she wanted to stay home and encouraged Travis to take his sister out.
Meg had been excited, thinking how good it would be to have some one-on-one time with her brother. She’d never considered he might want to revisit her decision to move in with Cole.
“Mary Karen and I would love to have you and Charlie stay with us.” Travis’s hazel eyes—so like her own—shone with sincerity. “We don’t want you to live with Cole because you feel you don’t have other options. Because you do. Have other options, I mean.”