Down the Hidden Path (9 page)

“Yes, she did. With my money.” His red scarf caught the breeze and danced between them playfully, but it wasn’t enough to soften the stone-hard edge of the aging businessman. Instead, it gave the appearance that even the elements were subject to his orders.

Miah wanted to grab each end of the scarf, cross them, and jerk. “If you think I won’t call the sheriff and have you removed, you’re wrong.”

“Call him. Ask how his wife, Betsy, is doing. We had dinner a few nights ago. She wasn’t feeling well.” And then he smiled that broad, thick Havinger smile that had ruined men and built empires.

“You just think the whole world caters to you, don’t you?”

The man, dignified and arrogant, raised his arms. “Yes. I can see how rebuilding your pool benefits me greatly.” Grandfather Havinger leaned closer and used his politician voice. “Let’s not make this about us, Jeremiah. This is for Caleb. He needs a swimming pool for therapy.”

Miah’s heart burned because the only way Havinger could know that was from Gray. He threw a look to the front porch were she stood beside Caleb. When his gaze landed on her, she shrunk away. Smart girl.

Havinger noticed. He clucked his teeth. “Now, don’t blame the girl. I ran into her in Laver two days ago. Asked if she’d seen any of you.”

“You are not doing this.” Miah refocused his fury back on his grandfather. “If Caleb needs a pool, I’m capable of providing it.”

“Just as stubborn as your father.” Havinger stepped to his car and reached inside.

Miah didn’t want to beat the snot out of an old man, but right now he was tempted. Havinger returned to him and shoved a folder into his hand. “Get your pride out of the way and see that Caleb is more important than your hatred of me. You won’t find any pool company in the area willing to take on this task at this time of the year. I’m paying them double and pulled them off my hotel job in Branson to get this expedited.”

Miah stared at the page, a blueprint for a perfectly beautiful indoor pool. Caleb would love it. His heart melted just the smallest bit.

“The point is, Jeremiah, Caleb needs that pool for therapy. Are you going to stand in his way?”

Miah closed his eyes. Already, Caleb was tiring of the daily ritual and its level of
boring
. Though his brother hadn’t complained. The pool would give him something to enjoy, to look forward to. Still, the last thing Miah wanted was Havinger insinuating himself into their lives in any way. “Only this. Nothing else. And I promise you, this doesn’t change anything between us.”

Havinger saddened, the lines around his eyes seeming to deepen. Had that statement actually hurt the marble-cold patriarch? He swallowed, and, for the first time in Miah’s life, the man looked almost frail. “They’ll be done in a few weeks.” He turned from Miah and waved a leather-gloved hand in Caleb’s direction. He also treated the younger McKinley to a rare smile.

Caleb remained stoic.

“Good-bye, Jeremiah.”

Something rushed over Miah, forcing him to take a step forward. “Charlee and I went to visit grandmother before she died.”

Havinger paused, one foot in the car. His blue eyes sought Miah. “Did she know you?” There was real pain there, and Miah thought back to the frail woman at the luxury nursing home. Tiny on the white bed, scared from the disease that had stolen her memories and filled her with apprehension.

“She thought Charlee was Mom. She didn’t know me at all. It was a couple weeks before she passed.”

Havinger’s tough outer shell cracked a bit and Miah could see the weight of losing his wife on his powerful shoulders. “Thank you.”

Miah jerked a nod.

Without another word, Havinger got in his Bentley and drove away, kicking up dust and leaving a crew of workers in Miah’s front yard.

Dear Dad,

Caleb is doing well. Wish you could see him. It’s been three weeks now and he seems to be getting stronger every day. He’s tenacious about his progress and Gray is tenacious about pushing him even further than he wants to go. I never thought about what it must be like for the soldiers who come home with debilitating injuries. Ian said the guys in his unit talked about it. We never did. How does a warrior become a patient? How does a man who months ago held an automatic weapon feel when he has to relearn how to hold a pencil? In Tampa, I watched so many of our boys—your kids, you used to call them—relearning the smallest of tasks. They are even greater heroes to me now. On the battlefield, there’s an unwritten rule about having the other guy’s back. It was no different at the hospital. Sure, sometimes one or more of them would have a bad day, but they were never alone. Their brothers in arms were right there to lend a hand or share a hug. It was the thing we know from war, but it came home with them. It was amazing to see, Dad. They’re still an army. They’re just fighting a new enemy now.

I wish you were here.

Jeremiah

Miah wadded the paper and tossed it onto the bonfire he’d built in the early morning hours. It was burning down now and the sun was rising over the frostbitten trees. A voice behind him drew his attention. He angled to find Gray trekking toward him, hands slid into her jacket pockets.

“Morning,” he said, ignoring the little jump in his heart rate. She wore snug-fitting jeans and cowboy boots, a fleece jacket, and a red V-neck beneath. She looked good enough to eat.

“So, you’re the one who leaves these campfires burning. What would Yogi say?”

He let out a laugh. “The bear? Don’t you mean Smokey?”

She scrunched her face. “Oh yeah. I always get those two mixed up.”

The wind worked invisible fingers into her hair and she fought to maintain control of the locks. He’d like to help. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

She grinned. “Aww. Has your male ego taken a hit because the only girl who comes here does so for your brother, not for you?”

After a few weeks, they’d fallen into a nice routine of banter, a tad bit of innocent flirting, even a moment or two of tender appreciation. Mary Grace was slowly coming around. She bent to choose a smooth rock and lobbed it into the lake. It skipped twice and went under. “Good job,” Miah said and moved behind her. “Do another one.”

She bent and grabbed a flat stone. Miah enjoyed the view.

“Went farther.” Then she turned to face him. “Did you even see it?”

“Mm hmm. It was fine.”

Silver eyes sparked. “I need to ask you a favor.”

“Name it.” He took a stone and tossed it into the lake. It bounced three times then sank.

“I need a few days off. At the end of the week. Would that be any problem? I can leave a list of daily exercises and things for Caleb. You can walk him through them if you’d like.” She shrugged. “Of course, he’s capable of doing them himself, but sometimes he thinks the therapy is silly. I don’t want him slacking off while I’m gone.”

“No problem. So where you going?”

She was midstoop to retrieve a new rock, this time bending at the knees rather than the waist so as not to give him such an obvious view of her rear. Her hand stalled over the stone for a few moments. When she leaned up, she saw that he’d moved in. “Going on a trip or something?”

“Um.” She obviously hadn’t expected questions. That was intriguing. “I’ll be out of town.”

He waited.

She dusted the rock.

He smiled.

“I’ll be with David.”

Of course she would. He just wanted to know why it took her so long to answer every question about her mystery man. Why her lips twitched like she was lying, why she had to rub her hands on her thighs as if they’d become instantly sweaty. She painted on a bright smile and tossed the rock. It fell with a thud and disappeared at the water’s edge.

“Listen, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about the pool,” Miah said. She’d been so embarrassed that she’d avoided him for two days after Havinger showed up.

“Miah, I’m still so sorry. I had no idea he’d just arrive and take over. I ran into him in Laver and, I don’t know, he somehow got a lot of information out of me in a three-minute conversation.”

“Well, that’s what Havingers do.” Miah had lost interest in skipping rocks. “That and take over.”

“But not when they go head-to-head with a McKinley.” Her chin tilted back in a motion that suggested pride. Proud of what? Him? The McKinley name? Maybe Gray was proud of being part of the family. She was, whether she wanted to admit it or not. She was once again, just like before.

He nodded. “McKinleys and Havingers. Might as well be Hatfields and McCoys.”

She put a hand on his arm. “I was really impressed with your decision to let him do the pool. It took a big man to be able to do that. I know it wasn’t easy.”

“He just wanted to do the right thing for Caleb. So do I. So did you
when you spoke to Grandfather. We’re all on the same team here.”

“Yeah, team Caleb.”

Miah laughed. “Don’t tell him that. He has enough of an ego. He doesn’t need to know he’s got a whole team behind him.”

“My lips are sealed.” At the mention of her lips, Miah’s gaze went there and held. She had beautiful lips, full but not too big, a perfect frame for her even teeth and those sassy words she’d been volleying in his direction for the last few weeks. A half smile or smirk was her almost-constant companion when dealing with Miah. Caleb, of course, got the benefit of her full smile. Frequently. Miah only got half, at best, and it was usually accompanied by some snide little remark. He loved it.

Gray reached for another stone, but jolted. “Ouch!”

Miah moved in. “What happened?”

“Something stuck me.” She turned her hand over to see a small brown splinter jutting from the meaty part of her palm.

“Here, let me.” He closed his hand around her wrist and inspected the damage. “Not so deep. I think it will come out easily.” His voice was soft, barely mumbling, as he used his index finger and thumbnail to try to grasp the splinter.

When his fingers closed around it, she jerked, but he could tell she’d tried not to.

“You’re going to have to hold still, okay?” His gaze sought hers. But when their eyes met, he saw it. And it was everything she’d been denying between them. It was pressure and pain and excitement at his touch, and the very thought that his hand on hers could bring about such a complete and yet desperate look caused his own heartbeat to shift. Her eyes were filled with hunger, unrequited desire; it was raw and pure and honest.

And it was for him.

In that moment, it didn’t matter what kind of relationship she was in. It didn’t matter what kind of man was waiting for her down the road. It was Miah she wanted; the truth was clearly written on her face no matter how much she denied it. The night they were together rushed like wildfire into his mind. It took no prisoners and left no survivors. As a teenager, he’d not been able to process what had happened as he’d held her in his arms. How she’d felt, so warm, so sated. She’d been like a drug for him, and now, in this moment, he was returning the favor.

He spread his legs a bit, shifting his weight so that there was more room for her to get closer. With each breath, she warred—and he could see it—fighting her desire and whatever unnamable obstacle that lay between them. But the obstacle had a name. It was David.

Painfully slowly, Miah lifted her hand closer to his face.

Her breath froze, chest filling with both anticipation and apprehension; this, he saw as plainly as neon signs flashing every emotion she felt.

A half smile curved his lips and instead of grasping the splinter with his fingers, Miah closed his mouth over her flesh and used his teeth.

A tremble ran over her and a sound that wasn’t exactly like the previous ones slipped from between her lips. He plucked the splinter from between his teeth and held it out to show her. “See it?” He made no motion to let her go.

“Uh-huh,” she uttered, face flushed, chest rising and falling with a few labored breaths.

“Better?” His thumb made tight little circles around the wound.

“Yep.” Her gaze had gone wide, frightened and excited all at once. The eyes of a doe getting ready to either become a hunter’s prey or to bolt into the nearby woods. “All better,” she said and took a complete step back.

Miah let her, but the satisfaction was sweet, and no matter what Mary Grace wanted to claim about her mystery man, old flames died hard. And maybe sometimes, they were unable to die at all.

She walked away from him and paused so close to the water’s edge, the tips of her boots got wet. Across the way, McKinley Mountain watched over them. “Okay, so I can count on you two boys to take care of things while I’m gone?” Her brows rose high on her forehead and Miah realized she needed to redirect the conversation, so he’d let her.

“You can absolutely count on us.”

Her hands landed on her hips. “I mean it. I expect you two to get all of your work done.”

He had to chuckle. She sounded like a
mom
scolding . . . not scolding exactly, but certainly
warning
her boys to toe the mark while she was away.

Her chin rose. “I need to hear it from you.” She’d oh-so-quickly left their moment behind. But that was okay. Miah knew it had happened. And he also knew what it meant.

“Yes, ma’am. We will do our homework and keep the house clean and we won’t have any wild parties or anything.”

Her face split into a grin, a full one this time, and Miah relished it.

“Lord help me, but I’m going to trust you.”

“Two soldiers with no supervision.” He shrugged. “What could go wrong?”

She pointed a finger under his nose. “You take care of my patient.”

He gave her a mock salute. “Yes, Dr. Gray.”

“I’m not kidding, Miah. He’s made great progress.” When he angled toward the house, she fell into step beside him.

“Good Lord, woman. What do you think we’re going to do? Go skydiving?”

She laughed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Things are just going so well right now and I’ve found that sometimes when things are going well . . .”
The wind caught her hair and threw it into her face.