“How are you doing?” he asked, changing the subject. “Have you eaten?”
“No, not yet.”
“What do you say Duke and I take a ride down there and treat you to some takeout?”
“As wonderful as that sounds, I’m going to have to pass. The woman who covered my Meals on Wheels route is flying out to Seattle to see her first grandchild, so they’re without a driver this week. I’m on my way to the firehouse now to pick up the food. After that, I’m heading over to the hospital to play cards with my dad.”
“You’re a good woman, Kate Handelmann.”
“Good enough to get another picture tonight?” she asked hopefully.
He laughed, a low, deep rumble.
She soaked in the sound, letting it wash over her and seep into her soul. “Make it R-rated. I’m talking happy trail here, Mr. Sheppard.”
Another laugh. “Yes, ma’am. Be safe, Kate. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“’Kay.”
~ * ~
The ladies at the firehall were happy to see her. Unsurprisingly, they had many questions and comments.
Most concerned her father: “How is he?” and, “Any updates?” and, “Didn’t see it coming.”
Some asked about the puppies: “How many?” and, “The shelter’s already so crowded.”
And, of course, the inevitable: “How is that handsome young man you’re seeing?” and, “Lord, he’s a big one,” and, “Have you seen what they’re doing up there yet?”
Thankfully, Kate was on a tight schedule and used that as an excuse not to stay and chat. After explaining about hospital visiting hours and the need to get over there so her mother and sister could have a break, she eked out her escape.
The people on her route were glad to see her, too. They also had questions but were understanding when she cut each visit short. Kate felt bad about that. She was the only visitor some of them got these days. However, most were excited about her bringing the pups around when everything settled down.
Also, she remembered to ask Mr. O’Farrell if he’d be willing to talk to Doc. He seemed quite excited about the prospect of having another interested ear to bend.
Deliveries completed, she made her way over to the hospital. Her father was in good spirits, though she could see the tiny stress lines around his eyes. Kate wondered how much of that was due to his upcoming procedure and how much was concern for her mother.
“How’d everything go at the store today?” he asked.
“Good. A lot of people came in, asking about you. They send their best wishes.”
“Thank them for me, will you, Katy-belle?”
“Already done.”
“No problems?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“I’m sure Luther was a tremendous help,” her mother said.
Kate bit her tongue. Luther was good at what she called schmoozing. On those infrequent occasions when he emerged from the back, he talked to people, flattered them, told them things they wanted to hear. Actually doing stuff? Not so much.
Thankfully, Kylie coaxed their mom into getting something to eat shortly after, leaving Kate alone with her father. He visibly relaxed after they were gone.
“Tough day, Dad?” she teased.
“I’ve had better,” he said on a sigh. “Now, tell me what really happened today.”
“Nothing happened. It’s all good.”
He smiled that same smile he used to give when he knew he’d just caught her in a fib and then waited for her to crumble. And waited.
“Fine.” Kate exhaled after several minutes had passed. “Luther is pissing me off. He’s acting as if Handelmann’s is his store.”
“How so?”
“When Jerry Petraski came in, Luther intercepted him and took him into the back. When they came back out, they shook hands, and Jerry left with little more than a nod my way.”
“So?”
“So, when I asked Luther what Jerry had wanted, he told me not to worry about it, that he’d taken care of it.”
Her father considered this. “Sounds like he’s doing exactly what he said he was going to do—helping out.”
“It’s more than that, Dad. I don’t trust him.”
“Come here,” he said, patting the space on the bed beside him.
Kate leaned against it rather than sat because the bed was narrow and her butt wasn’t.
“Your view of Luther is jaded, Katy-belle.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he spoke again before she could protest, “And I understand. I really do. He hurt you. But you have to let it go. To err is human; to forgive, divine.”
“I have forgiven him. In fact, I’m kind of glad he did what he did. If he hadn’t cheated while we were together, we might have actually been married by now, and I wouldn’t have known there was anything better out there.”
“By better, you mean that young man who’s been hanging around?”
“Chris.”
“What do you know about him?”
She could tell him that Chris was from the Midwest. That he had a degree in architectural engineering and was a SEAL, but those things weren’t important, not to him and not to her. “I know I like the way he treats me and the way I feel when I’m with him.”
Her father’s expression became pensive. “Sometimes, we grow so accustomed to what’s around us, we fail to appreciate it. Then, something new and shiny comes along, and it seems so much better than what we have. But it rarely is.”
“The grass is always greener? If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is?”
His lips curled at the corners. “Something like that. All I’m saying is, be careful about burning bridges behind you. It can make it a hell of a lot harder to get back home.”
“But what if those bridges are structurally unsound?”
He laughed softly. “Just do me a favor, will you, Katy-belle?”
“Anything, Dad.”
“Don’t do anything that’s going to upset your mother—at least, not until I’m back on my feet. She’s not strong like you.”
“I’ll try.”
“That’s my girl. Now, did you bring the cards?”
Kate got up, went to her jacket, and extracted a deck from the pocket. Then, she adjusted his bedside table, pulled up a chair, and began to shuffle. “Rummy, blackjack, or Texas Hold ’Em?”
~ * ~
Kate was exhausted by the time she fell into bed that night. The house was eerily quiet. It felt so empty without Duke and his doggy family.
She checked her phone, pleased to see that Chris had granted her wish. Pleased and somewhat in awe. It was a picture of his happy trail all right, leading down into a pair of black boxer briefs. She enlarged the image on her screen to get a better look, certain that her tired eyes were playing tricks on her.
They weren’t.
And that was unaroused.
She sucked in a breath as heat washed over her body, her core clenching as she imagined what it would be like to make love with this man. To wrap her hand around him and stroke him to hardness. To wrap her lips around him and taste his desire. To wrap her legs around his waist and feel him fill her where she needed him most.