More Than Words, Volume 6 Read online

  “Why don’t you have a seat?” she said, using her professional voice and gesturing him into one of the metal chairs across from her desk.

  “I thought maybe we could go somewhere and have a cup of coffee and talk.”

  She gestured to the stacks of paper on her desk. “As you can see, I’m working.”

  “Yeah, but when I called, your sergeant said you always take a break around eight in the evening.”

  She felt too vulnerable to spend time alone with him, so she said, “I do, but tonight I…” She sought for some reason she wasn’t available, and when the pause got too long simply said, “I have other plans.”

  “I need your help, Karen.”

  What red-blooded woman could resist an appeal like that? She certainly couldn’t. “All right,” she said. “Let me make a phone call. I’ll meet you out front.”

  “Thanks, Karen.” He hesitated on his way out the door and said, “I’ll be waiting.”

  Once he was gone, Karen took a deep breath and let it out. She didn’t have anyone to call or any plans to break, but she didn’t want Seth knowing she’d made up a lie to avoid being alone with him. I can handle this, she told herself. He wanted her advice about how to deal with Jackie’s mother. She could help and still keep her distance. “I am not going to waste one more moment thinking about him after this meeting is over,” she muttered.

  She grabbed her coat and headed out to the front of the building. She stopped by her sergeant’s desk along the way and said, “In the future I’d appreciate it if you didn’t share my schedule with civilians.”

  He looked surprised at the rebuke. Then he smiled. “You like him, don’t you, Lieutenant.”

  “Whether or not I like him is not the point,” she retorted.

  “I knew it! Enjoy your coffee,” he said with a smirk.

  Karen grimaced and headed out the door. All she needed was gossip in the office about her and Seth Burnett.

  “I wish you’d called me instead of the front desk,” she said when she met Seth in front of the building.

  “I can come back if this is an inconvenient time.”

  “You’re here now,” she said, upset that she’d let the sergeant needle her, and knowing that the one she was really upset with was herself, for wishing Seth had missed seeing her as much as she’d missed him.

  “There’s a coffee shop on the corner,” she said. Most of the cops she worked with patronized the bar on the opposite corner, which had pool tables, pretty good buffalo wings and a lot of TVs. Better to go somewhere she wouldn’t run into them.

  When they were settled in the coffee shop with steaming mugs in front of them, Seth said, “I’ve been talking to some professionals about what kind of treatment might be best for Jackie’s mom. I found out she’s eligible to stay in a residential facility for thirty days, which could give her a good start on being sober.”

  “That sounds like a great idea,” Karen said.

  “There’s only one problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Right now Jackie doesn’t have anywhere to go if her mom starts rehab. I’d take her, except I don’t have an adult female to chaperone. Which is why I wanted to talk to you.”

  “I can probably help her find somewhere—”

  He interrupted her to say, “I wondered if you’d consider staying at my house for the next month to chaperone Jackie. I’ve got a big house with plenty of room. You three girls could all be together upstairs. I’d sleep downstairs in the guest bedroom.”

  She looked him in the eye, lifted a brow and asked, “Who’s going to chaperone me?”

  She watched the flush rise up his throat to his sharp cheekbones before he said, “I didn’t think—”

  “No, you didn’t,” she said.

  Frustrated, he shoved a hand through his hair.

  “You need a haircut,” she murmured.

  “Do I?”

  She resisted the urge to reach out and brush away the lock of blond hair that had fallen onto his forehead. “Yes, you do.”

  “Amy used to tell me when I needed a trim.” He sipped at his coffee, then stared out the window before turning back to her. “I was sure you’d agree to help us out, so I don’t have a Plan B.”

  “I think I can find somewhere for Jackie to stay,” she said. “I’d take her myself, but I sold my house and moved to a one-bedroom apartment close to the station after John died.”

  “I don’t want Jackie to have to stay with strangers,” he explained. “That’s why I thought of you.”

  Karen concentrated on her drink to avoid saying yes to the plea in his eyes. Spending thirty days in the same house with Seth was asking for trouble. She knew he was physically attracted to her, but she wasn’t sure he was emotionally available. And if the way she felt right now was any indication, she wouldn’t be able to control her feelings when she was near him. Which meant the safest thing to do was keep as much distance as possible between them.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t help you.”

  “Oh.”

  That clearly wasn’t the answer he’d expected.

  She resisted the urge to change her answer and asked, “When are you planning to talk with Jackie’s mom?”

  “As soon as I’m sure I have a safe place for Jackie to stay while her mother’s in rehab. I don’t think Lorraine’s been completely sober since the morning Jackie ran out the door after their fight. Jackie gets out of the hospital tomorrow, so the sooner I can talk with Lorraine, the better.”

  “What makes you think you can convince her to go into rehab?” Karen asked.

  “I think part of the reason she’s been drinking so much this past week is that she blames herself for what happened to Jackie. Before, she managed to stay sober for long periods with the help of AA. The thirty-day residential facility will give her a jump start on getting sober and AA can help her stay that way.

  “I just need to find someone to chaperone so Jackie and Miranda can be together while her mom’s away. I think it’ll help Jackie to have someone like Miranda to lean on, if she needs extra support, and it will relieve Miranda to know that her friend is safe.”

  “Surely you know another woman who can help you out,” she said.

  “Amy and I had a lot of friends, but they’re mostly couples with children. You can see how awkward it would be to ask somebody’s wife to spend the night at my house. And I figured someone with your experience would know what to say to Jackie if she has emotional issues to work through.”

  His arguments were sound. But her reasons for refusing had nothing to do with logic. “If I’m not mistaken, Polaris has arranged for Jackie to have counseling to help with any post-traumatic stress she might suffer from her experience.”

  “Yes, they have. But I thought since you know Miranda and Jackie…”

  “I just met your daughter, and I’ve only had a few conversations with Jackie.”

  He smiled ruefully. “But they both like you.”

  Karen gave him points for being persistent. “I’ll be glad to provide the names of some women who might be able to help you out, Seth.” Older, grandmotherly types. “But I’m not available.”

  “I wish you’d reconsider.”

  Karen looked into Seth’s striking blue eyes and felt herself wavering. She wondered if he realized himself why he wanted her in his home. Something had happened between them in the brief time they’d known each other. Some connection had been established. It seemed he didn’t want to let go of it any more than she did.

  But she wasn’t naive. She had a pretty good idea what would happen if the two of them spent thirty days together sleeping under the same roof. There would be breakfasts together that would make it seem as if they were a family. And quiet moments at night when they shared their thoughts with each other. And touching that would lead to holding that would lead to kissing that would lead to—

  “I’m sorry, Seth,” she said, rising abruptly and grabbing her coat. “I can’t help you
.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  An hour after his frustrating meeting with Karen, Seth was pleasantly surprised by Lorraine’s response to his suggestion that she enter the thirty-day rehabilitation program he’d recommended.

  Tears of gratitude appeared in her eyes. But the next words out of her mouth were, “Where would Jackie stay while I’m gone?”

  “I was hoping she could stay with me and Miranda,” he said.

  “She’d love that,” Lorraine said.

  He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he couldn’t take Jackie unless he found an adult female to stay in the house. He’d find someone. Even if he had to fly his mother in from California.

  Miranda was waiting for him when he arrived home and asked, “So? What did Mrs. Kirkland say?”

  “She’ll do it, and she’s willing to start right away.”

  Miranda closed her eyes, pressed her hands together as though in prayer and said, “Oh, I’m so glad. Jackie will be over the moon. I can’t wait till tomorrow.” She turned and ran back upstairs. “I’m going to call Jackie and give her the good news!”

  Seth realized he’d better get busy if he wanted his mother there by tomorrow night, when Jackie would be coming to his house instead of going home. But he put off making the necessary calls to her and to the airlines, hoping against hope that Karen would call and say she’d changed her mind.

  Seth hadn’t realized until she’d said no just how much he’d been looking forward to having her in his home. He slumped into his overstuffed chair in front of the fireplace in the family room and went over everything he’d said to her, wondering if there was some other argument he could have used to convince her to come.

  Of course he knew women here in town—even some single women—who’d be more than glad to move in. But the only woman he could imagine having around night and day was Karen Toller.

  You’ve got it bad, buddy.

  Seth had been fighting his attraction to Karen because he felt guilty for being so beguiled by another woman when Amy had just been gone a year. But did it make sense to deny his feelings because a woman he was attracted to had shown up in his life a little sooner than he’d expected?

  Who’s going to chaperone me?

  Seth felt the blood heat in his veins when he thought of what that statement suggested. He couldn’t say he hadn’t imagined what it might be like to kiss Karen. Or how it would feel to make love to her.

  “Daddy?”

  “Hmm.” Seth woke abruptly from his daydream and focused his gaze on his daughter, who’d slipped into what had been her mother’s rocking chair beside him, her legs tucked under her. “What is it, honey?”

  “Did Karen agree to come stay with us while Jackie’s here?”

  Seth had been so sure Karen would agree to help that he’d made the mistake of mentioning the possibility to his daughter. “I’m sorry, honey. She can’t do it.”

  “Why not?”

  “She didn’t give me a reason,” he said. Except to insinuate that their attraction to each other would cause complications if they lived under the same roof.

  “Do you think she’d change her mind if I told her I want her to come?”

  “I don’t want to put pressure on her to do something she doesn’t want to do.”

  “I like her, Daddy. I think she likes us—both of us—too. And I know Jackie likes her. I think we’d all get along great.”

  He thought so, too. But he said, “I think we have to respect her decision.”

  At that moment his cell phone rang. He took it from the case at his belt, looked at the caller ID and snapped open the phone. “Karen?”

  “I’ve changed my mind,” she said.

  “That’s wonderful news.”

  Miranda rose from her chair and hovered over him, asking, “What did she say, Daddy?”

  He grinned and gave his daughter a thumbs-up.

  “She’s coming?” Miranda asked.

  At his nod, Miranda squealed. “I’m going to call Jackie and tell her!”

  Seth felt every bit as excited and happy as his daughter at the turn of events.

  “What time do you want me to be there tomorrow?” Karen asked.

  “Whenever you get off work, I guess. How late is that?”

  “I arranged to switch my schedule. I’ll be working days while I’m staying with you. I thought it would be better if I’m there in the evenings with the girls.”

  “That’s great. That’s wonderful.” He hesitated, then asked, “What made you change your mind?”

  “Please don’t ask me that.”

  “Never mind,” he said. “I’m just glad you’re coming. I’ll see you when you get here.”

  When he hung up the phone Seth realized he felt energized. The world was suddenly a brighter place. He could hardly wait for tomorrow to come.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Karen stood back and watched as Seth and Miranda functioned like a well-oiled machine, following a practiced routine as they got themselves ready to face the day. Over the past two weeks since she’d moved in, she’d learned they woke up every morning at six to the raucous buzz of an alarm clock, took quick showers and ate a toaster breakfast. Seth made lunch for Miranda while she brushed her teeth, then he sent her out the door with her backpack to catch the bus.

  Karen’s experience with Jackie was another story. The teen waited until the last second to get out of bed, threw on her clothes, skipped breakfast, asked for money to buy lunch at school and ran after the bus to catch it as it pulled away from the curb.

  Jackie had experienced a few nightmares the first week she spent at Seth’s house, but Karen had been there to sit by her side until she got back to sleep. She also made sure Jackie arrived on time for her sessions with the counselor who’d been provided by Polaris. Karen was sure Miranda’s support of her friend contributed to Jackie’s resilience.

  Miranda’s behavior made Karen feel a great deal of respect and admiration for the girl’s mother. She must have been a very special woman to have raised such a loving and caring daughter.

  Jackie had gotten out the door this morning with a little time to spare, and Karen found herself alone with Seth for a few minutes before she had to leave for work. She liked the way he looked with the shadow of a beard on his face and his hair still damp from the shower.

  He was wearing a pair of butter-soft jeans and a white T-shirt. His feet were bare. He leaned back against the kitchen counter and said, “I’m glad you changed your mind.”

  From her chair on the other side of the breakfast bar she said, “I am, too. The girls are a lot of fun.”

  “Just the girls?” he asked with a teasing smile.

  She smiled back and said, “Oh, you’re a regular riot.”

  He laughed. “You’re just sore because I beat you at Monopoly last night.”

  An easy silence fell between them.

  This was exactly what she’d been afraid of. And what she’d been hoping for when she’d agreed to come. The more she learned about Seth as a father and a friend, the more she liked him. She could only hope he would realize that their easy camaraderie—and their powerful physical attraction—was special. She was counting on their close proximity over the next couple of weeks to do the rest.

  “I have a favor to ask,” he said.

  “Make it quick,” she said, eyeing the clock as she rose and came around the bar to place her coffee cup in the sink. “I need to get out the door or I’m going to be late to work.”

  “Would you take Miranda shopping for a bra?”

  She stopped where she was and turned to stare at him. “I’m not sure Miranda would want me to do that.”

  “Miranda’s the one who mentioned it to me. A few days before her accident, Amy told me she thought it was about time she took Miranda shopping for a training bra. But they never made the trip.

  “Miranda never said anything, and I wasn’t paying attention, so… The trip is long overdue. Anyway, Miranda asked me if I thought you’d
be willing to take her. I told her I’d ask.”

  “I’d be happy to help her out.”

  “Good. I’ll text her and you two can make whatever arrangements you need to make. I imagine Jackie will want to go, too. Is that a problem?”

  “That’ll be fine. We can go Saturday morning, if that’s all right with you. I’ll take them to a mall with a few more upscale stores. That way we’ll have a better selection.”

  He smiled, revealing a dimple in his right cheek. “I’ll leave those decisions in your capable hands. I’ll just come and bring my credit card, if you ladies can bear having a man along.”

  Karen laughed. She glanced at the clock and said, “I’ve got to go. See you tonight.”

  “I’m making my specialty for dinner—sloppy joes.”

  “Can’t wait!” she said as she ran out the door.

  Karen got a text from Miranda later in the day that begged her to make the shopping trip to the mall that evening, rather than waiting until Saturday.

  It’s up 2 your dad, she texted back.

  A few minutes later she got a text from Seth. Fine by me.

  She called him—to hear his voice—and said, “Are you sure you want to do this on a school night? It might take a little while.”

  “She seems so excited. I hate to make her wait. Will it really take that long?”

  “Depends on how lucky we are and whether she’s a regular size or not quite a regular size,” Karen said.

  “You’re talking Greek to me,” he said with a laugh.

  “Never mind,” she said. “We’ll work it out. I can be home by five-thirty.”

  “Home?”

  “I mean—”

  “I know what you mean, Karen. It sounds nice.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say. It seemed he’d taken a step away from his grief. She was careful not to hope too much. In two weeks this adventure would be over. She had to protect herself in case he wasn’t able to move forward any more than he already had.

  “It might make more sense to eat supper at the food court in the mall,” she said.