Indomitable Spirit (11 page)

He let out a breath. Well, if he was going to make Kym part of his life it started right now.

Kym parked her car on the street and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. John was bringing her home for dinner. That was an enormous step. What if the kids didn’t want her around? Would it be too awkward to have their karate instructor in their house? Maybe she should just tell him she didn’t feel well. Her knee hurt. Her stomach hurt. Her…

He knocked on her window and she jumped in her seat.

Now her back hurt.

John opened the door. “You didn’t look like you were even going to try to get out of the car.”

She mustered a smile. “I’m nervous.”

“You’ve met my kids, remember?”

This was going to be okay she convinced herself as he took her hand and helped her out.

“How’s your knee?”

“Twice the size it was.”

“C’mon. Let’s get you inside and get ice on it. You should elevate it and I’ll wrap it too.”

She limped away from the car and John shut the door. “Are you going to be sending me a bill later too?”

“On your next injury. This one is on the house.”

She turned and saw the light in his eyes. She’d broken through that crusty exterior and this was the man beneath it. She liked it. Maybe this wouldn’t go so badly after all.

Slowly she made it up the walk and to the front steps with John’s help. The front door opened and a very curious Jacob was standing there.

“Hello, Miss O’Bryne.”

“Hello, Jacob.”

He exchanged glances with his father and then gave her another look of consideration. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“Even those of us who have trained our entire lives don’t always focus enough and this is what happens.”

He nodded as she passed by and into the house.

“I thought I’d thrill her with macaroni and cheese for dinner. That should make her feel better right?” John asked as he mussed Jacob’s hair with his hand.

“Can I get you anything, Miss O’Bryne?”

Kym turned and smiled at him. “First of all, let’s make a deal. When I’m in your house you can call me Kym. Is that okay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered hesitantly.

John moved to her side. “Your choice, you can sit in the living room and watch Disney Channel or come in the kitchen were I’m going to boil water and noodles.”

“I’ll come with you.”

They’d taken a few more steps when a woman emerged from the other room with Cody on her hip.

“Oh, John! Who do you have with you?”

“Mom, this is Kym O’Bryne.”

His mother’s eyes grew wide. “Oh! You are as cute as your grandfather said you were.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Larson.”

“Oh, it’s Evie.” She looked at her standing next to the enormous John. “Are you hurt?”

“Just twisted my knee this afternoon. It’ll be fine in a few days.”

“Don’t count on it. But my John’s late wife taught him everything there is to know about wrapping up injuries, and Lord knows he’s had his share.”

John let out an audible breath. “Okay, Mom. She doesn’t need to know I’m a hazard.”

Kym tucked her lips between her teeth to keep the smile and laughter at bay.

“I suppose I should get home and get your father’s dinner started.” She handed Cody to John. “He’s already had a bath because he got into that mud pit by the back door.”

He kissed Cody’s head. “You’re a trouble maker for Grandma, aren’t you?”

Cody simply rested his head on his father’s shoulder.

Evie stepped in to kiss John on the cheek and then she looked at Kym. “It was nice to meet you. I hope to see you around.”

“It was nice to meet you as well.”

Evie gave a little hum of satisfaction and walked out of the room.

“Are you okay with rumor mills?” John whispered.

“Why?”

“You just met one,” he said as he started toward the other room which she assumed was the kitchen.

Kym wasn’t very thrilled with his last statement. Seriously, was she to believe his own mother would start rumors about them?

Jacob was walking slowly through the house behind her. “Is everything alright, Jacob?”

“Yes. I’m just here if you need my help.”

“You’ve very sweet. I’m just a little slow, but I’ll be okay.”

John had set Cody down and pulled a kitchen chair around so that she could sit and prop up her leg. She didn’t like being waited on and she knew that Jacob was very uncomfortable having her around, but this was what it was to date a man with a family. She’d been in awkward situations before and she’d survived. She’d survive this one too. And, maybe, just maybe, it would pay off at the end of the night with one of those toe curling, amazing kisses that John could give. Even the thought of it made her stomach warm.

Kym sat down in the chair he offered and he moved the other chair close so she could rest her leg on it.

“Jacob, go get a pillow for her to rest her knee on.”

He nodded and left the room.

“You don’t have to go through all of this for me.”

John rested his hand on her arm. “I want to.”

Jacob returned and handed her the pillow. “Thank you.”

He nodded nervously.

“How much homework do you have tonight?” John asked as he took a pot out from under the stove and set it in the sink to fill.

“Spelling and math.”

“Why don’t you get started on that?”

There was the unmistakable groan of disappointment.

Kym reached out and touched his arm. “What kind of math?”

“Division and word problems.”

She scrunched up her face. “I’m up for a challenge. Can I try it with you?”

Jacob wrinkled his nose. “You want to do math for fun?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, if you want to.” He headed toward the coat rack by the back door and took down his backpack. He pulled out the papers and walked back to the table. “I’ll get some extra paper.” He left the room and Kym smiled up at John.

“I’m about to embarrass myself.”

John shook his head. “I doubt that. Something tells me you’re pretty smart.”

“You’re about to find out that math is not my strong point.”

“You have many others,” he said softly right before Jacob walked back in.

As John fixed three boxes of macaroni and cheese Jacob proved that he was much better in math than Kym was. Every time she took a moment too long or even got the wrong answer Jacob did a small celebration dance.

“I told you I wasn’t very good at math.”

“You’re right,” Jacob said enthusiastically and then his face turned hard. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t nice.”

“I’ll let it slide. Your homework is done and you had a good time doing it. I’ll be gracious enough to accept defeat.”

He smiled.

John placed a pot holder in the center of the kitchen table and then returned again with a huge pot of macaroni and cheese. “Go get your brothers and your sister. Wash your hands.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jacob gathered his homework and tucked it back into his backpack.

Kym lowered her leg and tried to stand. She was wobbly, but John had hurried over to her.

“What are you doing?”

“Washing my hands before dinner. But my leg seems to have stiffened.”

John reached down and touched her knee. “It’s really swollen. You can’t train on that tomorrow.”

“It won’t be the first time I’ve taught class from the sidelines.”

He helped her to the sink. “You’ve done this a lot?”

“This is just a small sprain. I’ll get over this. When I dislocated it, that was a bit more recovery.”

“And what were you doing when you dislocated it?” he asked resting his hand in the small of her back as she turned on the sink to wash her hands.

“Run, jump, side kick through three boards.”

“You did four yesterday.”

“So I did,” her voice was airy with his breath in her ear.

“Daddy, I weady,” Cody toddled into the kitchen.

John’s hand left her body instantly and he picked up his son and set him in the high chair which he then pushed up to the table. “Where are the others?”

“Bafwoom.”

Kym laughed at his little words.

“C’mon. Let’s eat,” John shouted and helped her back to the table.

Dinner was every bit as chaotic as John had promised her. But Kym hadn’t run or even looked frightened. Maybe she was a keeper.

Jacob, on the other hand, was on the quiet side.

When they were finished the family spread out through the house.

“They don’t have after dinner chores?”

“They are very little and Jacob does quite a bit around here. I let him off the hook after dinner.”

She nodded slowly. “You don’t think that gives them the wrong idea?”

John ran water in the sink and added soap. “Meaning?”

“I’m just saying that even Cody can take a rag to something. It gives them some worth to help out.”

He ran his tongue over his teeth. People had been telling him how to raise his kids for years and now she was too. “I suppose you think I should reward them with money too? Allowance?”

“Heavens no. They live in this house too. There are some things you just do.” As she sat with her knee up, and now a frozen bag of peas draped over it at his urging, she was scraping bowls into a single bowl so there was less for him to do. “I’m just saying kids complain, but they want to be part of the bigger picture.”

“Do you know what would happen right now if I told Mason to come in here and do what you’re doing?”

“He’d throw a fit.”

He hadn’t really expected her to give him the right answer. As far as he was concerned she was just talking about things she didn’t know about.

“Well, yeah. I’m tired. I’m not in the mood for a fit.”

“Okay. So he throws a fit for a week. And then next week before he ever leaves the table he’s collected a few bowls and dishes and walked them over to you. He’s gained a sense of worth for what he has. And
if
you tell him thank you, he’ll have a sense that he’s done right by you.”

John rubbed his chin with his hand only to realize he needed a shave and his hand was still wet. He took the towel, dried off his face and then set it on the counter.

“If you’re so wise how do you suppose I should begin this
chore
thing?”

She was smiling and he hated it. Oh, she had the most beautiful smile and it lit up her green eyes. But she was about to make an ass of him and he didn’t know if he was ready for that or not.

“Give me three more chores that you do every night?”

“Trash. Sweep the floor. Dry dishes.”

She nodded. “I’ll guarantee one of those chores you’ll have to do when they are all done. But I promise you, even Cody will try.”

“Okay hot shot.” John walked to the doorway and looked at all four of his kids contently watching some show about wizards. Cody watched as he sat on an old plastic rocking horse that he was out growing. Mason lay on the ground on his tummy and kicked the couch with his feet. Abby had a doll in her lap she was absent mindedly combing her hair. And Jacob, well, by the look of him, he’d been paying much too much attention to the conversation John had been having with Kym. He was on to them already, John could tell.

“You guys come in here for a minute,” he announced and all four of them turned to just look at him. “I’m serious. Come in here. Kym has some new things to share with you.”

He turned to see her narrow her gaze at him.

Slowly all four of them walked into the room. Cody clung right to John’s leg. Oh, this wasn’t going to be pretty. It wasn’t really fair to make his kids not like her, but she’d won them over before—even without his help—she’d win them over again, he was sure of it.

Kim took the peas off her knee and set her foot gently on the ground. From where she sat in the chair she was eye level with almost all of them.

“I was talking to your dad and I told him that you guys should be in here helping him after dinner each night. If he had some help he could spend a few more minutes a night with you.” She was nodding as she spoke softly. “So from now on everyone is going to help with dinner clean up. This will be your job until your dad decides to change them. Yes, ma’am?”

Jacob answered first with Abby following right behind. “Yes, ma’am.”

He was going to have to try that giving the required command with the directions. He’d seen it work more than once this week on his own kids.

“Jacob, since you’re strong, your job will be to take out the trash each night and put a new bag in the trash can, yes ma’am?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She gave him a nod and looked at Abby. “Miss Abby, your job is to help your father do the dishes. You dry them for him after he washes them, yes, ma’am?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Again Kym smiled at her before looking at Mason. “Mason, you look strong too.”

He nodded to agree.

“Do you see what I did with all the bowls we used at dinner tonight? I scraped all the food out of them into one bowl. And the few bits of milk left in cups, I poured them into one cup. Do you think you can do that?”

Mason looked at her and then his father. John nodded and Mason in returned nodded toward Kym.

“Remember in class we talked about how we answer our elders?”

He crinkled up his nose and thought for a moment. “Yes, Miss ma’am.”

“Close enough.” She rested a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Cody had let go of his father’s leg and moved toward her. This was mutiny, John thought. That voodoo she had she was using it again.

“Cody, can you sweep the floor?”

Cody nodded and grinned.

“You can do that for your daddy every night?”

He nodded again.

“Can you say yes ma’am?”

“Yep!”

Kym laughed. “Well that’ll work for tonight.” She looked up at John with a smug smile of satisfaction on those rosy lips. “And if you get me a rag I’ll wipe down the table and the counters. I did eat here too.”

In less than ten minutes the chores in the kitchen were done and Kym was wiping down the table. As each child had finished their appointed job she’d thanked them, which had prompted the reminder that he do the same. No one had argued and he was sure one of them would.