His Holiday Family

скачать книгу бесплатно


After entering, Kathleen sat next to her son and laid her hand on his arm. “Honey, I know this house is small, but it’s all I can afford. One day we’ll get to move to a bigger place.”

Jared popped back up, his eyes flaring wide in hope. “Back home?”

“No. We’re staying in Hope. I need my family around me.”

“They can come visit. I’ll even let Nana have my room when she does and share with Kip.”

“Honey, that’s not possible.”

Jared turned his back on her and hugged his pillow to his chest. “You don’t care about what I want. We were fine where we were.”

Coming to Hope hadn’t been an easy decision. She’d hated asking for help, but she’d had no choice. She’d needed a support system and a means to save money to pay off the debts. “I’ll always care, but we had to move. The cost of living was too high in Colorado.”

Still facing away from her, he murmured, “Cost of living?”

“How much it takes to pay for things you need.”

“I don’t have to have ice cream, and you can forget I want a new bike for Christmas. The one at Nana’s is just fine, even if it’s a girl’s.” He twisted toward her. “And I can wear Kip’s clothes when he can’t anymore. Can we move back?”

“As much as I appreciate your offers, we still can’t move back to Denver. This is our home now.”

The frown returned, and he faced away from her. “You never listen to me. Only Kip.”

“One day you’ll understand there are some things that can’t be changed no matter how much you want otherwise.” Something she had learned painfully the past couple of years. She sat for a few more minutes, but when Jared didn’t say anything else, she pushed to her feet. “You need to apologize to your brother. If you bother his things anymore, you’ll be grounded next time. Understand?”

“Yeah, you love him more than me.”

She leaned over and kissed the side of his head. “I love you both the same. Don’t forget to tell your brother you’re sorry.”

Jared scrubbed her kiss away and put his pillow over his head.

Kathleen walked from the bedroom, releasing a long sigh. Lord, I need help.

With his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth, Kip wrote down the answer and waited to see if Gideon said it was right. When he did, Kip beamed. “Thanks, Gideon, I think I get this long division now.”

“I’m glad. I used to struggle with math until one year I had this teacher who I connected with. I finally understood what I was supposed to do. After that, math has come easy to me.”

“I’ve only got one more problem. I’ve never done my homework this fast.”

Gideon watched him finish his math sheet. When the hairs on his nape stood up, he knew that Kathleen had come into the kitchen. He felt her gaze on him and straightened his shoulders, resisting the urge to peer back at her. He dated women all the time, but none of them had caught his attention like she had.

Deep down he sensed a connection as if she knew what it was to be hurt deeply and had held herself back from others because of that. Like him. Was that why he’d gotten the bright idea to bring dinner to her tonight?

No, it was her sons. When he’d talked to them there was something that reminded him of his younger brother and him growing up in foster homes—until one day a family had adopted Zach, leaving Gideon alone. It was obvious she needed help with her sons, and for the next seven weeks or so, he would have more time on his hands than usual while he recovered from his injuries and finally could return to full duty.

He pivoted toward her, transfixed by the soft blue of her eyes. Run. The one word set off an alarm bell in his mind. His chest constricted.

“Is this right, Gideon?”

In the distance he heard Kip speaking to him, but Gideon couldn’t tear his eyes from Kathleen, her delicate features forming a beautiful picture that could haunt him if he allowed her to get too close. But he wouldn’t do that.

Run. Now.

He wrenched his gaze away and glanced down at the last problem. “Sure. You did great. I’d better be going. I imagine you need to go to bed early with school tomorrow, and I have a lot to do in the morning. I…” He clamped his jaws closed before he made a fool of himself with his ramblings.

“I’m going to show Gideon out, Kip. You stay in here. Do not go to your bedroom until I get back.”

“Can I have some ice cream? I finished my homework, and it’s all correct. Gideon said so.”

“One small bowl.”

As Kip jumped up and went to the refrigerator, Kathleen swung around and exited the kitchen.

“See you soon, sport. I’ll see about that tour of the station.” Gideon left and found Kathleen in the foyer, waiting for him. “I told Kip I’ll arrange a tour of Station Two for him—for all of you. But only if you say it’s okay.”

“He wants to be a firefighter or a doctor. He hasn’t made up his mind.”

“I’d say he has a few years to do that. How about Jared?”

She shrugged. “He hasn’t said anything. But the way he’s going, I could see him being a test pilot or some other kind of job that is daring. Danger means nothing to him while I’m getting gray hairs at the young age of thirty-two.”

“How about professional mountain climber?”

“Please don’t mention that. Sides of houses are enough for me,” she said with a laugh.

He liked seeing her two dimples appear in her cheeks when she laughed. Her eyes lit with a bright gleam that transformed her. “I enjoyed tonight. Of course, I’m not sure what I’m going to do until they allow me to work behind the desk at headquarters.”

“Read a good book.”

“I’m more an action kind of guy. Reading is too sedate for me. I tried today to circumvent procedures by reporting for desk duty and was told by the chief in no uncertain terms to stay away until I get the go-ahead from the doc. That should be in three days.”

“Does that mean your ribs aren’t hurting? That’s quick.”

“I didn’t say that.” As he stood in the foyer, his cracked ribs were protesting all the activity he’d done that day, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him.

She shook her head. “Men. You and Jared are too much alike. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried climbing the house again with his cast on.”

He crossed to the door and opened it. “I wouldn’t be surprised, either.”

“I was hoping you would disagree with me.” Kathleen came out onto the porch. “Now every time the phone rings, I’ll wonder what else he has gotten himself into.”

“My little brother used to be the same way. I had to get him out of a lot of scrapes.”

“Does he live here? New Orleans?”

This was the reason he didn’t like to talk about himself. So often it led to questions he didn’t want to answer. “I haven’t seen him since he was four.”

The front door swung open and Kip, with his eyes huge, thrust the phone into Kathleen’s hands. “It’s Nana. She says Hurricane Naomi has made an almost one-hundred-eighty-degree turn and picked up speed—lots of speed—and is heading straight for Hope. It should be here by tomorrow night.”

Chapter Four

Kathleen clutched the phone with a trembling hand, hoping somehow Kip hadn’t heard her mother right. “Mom, what’s going on?”

“Exactly what Kip told you. The hurricane is coming right for us. It has picked up speed. This time I don’t think we’re going to dodge the bullet.”

Kathleen’s eyes closed, and she drew in a deep, fortifying breath. “He said tomorrow night—early or late?”

“It will start by early evening, and the eye should be going over us right after midnight if it continues to move at the same speed it is now.”

“I guess you don’t have to put up those supplies after all. We’ll take care of this house and come over to help you after that.”

Kathleen hung up and passed the phone to Kip. “You and your brother need to go to bed. First thing tomorrow, we’ll have to board and tape up this house then help Nana.”

Kip’s eyes widened. “How bad will it be?”

Gideon stepped forward. “A lot of wind and rain.”

“Like a bad thunderstorm?” Her son gripped the phone tighter.

Gideon settled his hand on Kip’s shoulder. “Yeah. You’ll be okay.”

“Does this mean we don’t have school tomorrow?”

“Yes. We’ll be busy getting ready as will everyone else.” Kathleen opened the screen door.

“Cool. Wait till Jared hears this.”

“I don’t want any more fighting between you and Jared. We have other things to deal with right now. Okay?”

Kip spun around and charged back into the house, saying, “Yes.”

Turning to face Gideon, she let the screen door bang closed. “The last time I was in a hurricane was over twenty years ago. I’ve forgotten what to do. I remember Mom filling the bathtub and other containers with water. Getting candles, lanterns, batteries for a radio and flashlights…” With memories racing through her mind, it went blank.

“Stock up on food you don’t have to refrigerate. We will most likely lose our electricity. Bring indoors everything that can be picked up by high winds. Since this house doesn’t have hurricane shutters, tape or board the windows. Then pray. Are you going to stay here?”

“I don’t know. I might go to Mom’s.”

“I think that would be better. If there is a big storm surge, this house could be flooded. It’s nearer the beach than your mom’s.”

“Then that’s where we’ll be.”

Gideon stared down at his cast. “If it wasn’t for this, I’d be at the fire station.” Frustration edged his voice.

“I’m on the B team at the hospital. I work post-hurricane. I’ll contact work tomorrow morning and see when they want me to come in. There’s so much to be done. This house isn’t prepared.”

He took her hand. “Get a good night’s sleep, and I’ll come over and help tomorrow morning first thing.”

“Only if you’ll let me help you.”

“I have hurricane shutters, which will cut down on what I have to do. Let’s get your house and your mom’s prepared first. There shouldn’t be too much to do with mine.”

“I’ll have breakfast ready at 6:30. At least let me feed you before you work.”

He squeezed her hand then dropped it and turned toward the steps. “You’ve got yourself a date. See you at 6:30.”

Kathleen stood on her porch and watched him stroll down her sidewalk, hop into his Jeep and leave. As his taillights disappeared down the street, she peered up at the sky. Roiling clouds obscured the moon. It had begun.

The next morning, using the electric screwdriver that Gideon brought, Kathleen secured a large board over the picture window in the living room while Gideon held it in place for her. When she finished with the last screw, she descended the ladder and stepped back. “I hope that will hold.”