The Touch (Healer Series) (3 page)

  
AJ took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving
Addie as she stood up and dusted herself off. She didn’t see them or perhaps
she didn’t want to. Her brown hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail and her
flowing pajama pants and loose tank pushed behind her with the breeze. In the
moonlight, AJ thought she looked more beautiful than any woman he had ever
seen.

  
“I met her earlier today. She didn’t seem
like the type to put up with that type of abuse.”

  
AJ backed up towards the second rocker,
gripping its arms firmly and lowering himself down. The silence surrounding
every part of his movement was intentional – he didn’t want her to notice him
staring.

  
“Sounds like you’ve already fallen in love on
your first night in town,” Matthew said with a laugh. “Something you might want
to fall out of right quick. She’s a handful, and they’ve been together quite
awhile.”

  
“Not at all!
I just
don’t like to see bullies of any sort, especially ones that hurt women.
Monsters that hurt mothers.”

  
AJ couldn’t say with complete honesty that
Matthew wasn’t right. He was sure love was an incorrect word. Intrigued would
be better. He was definitely intrigued by her.

  
“Neither do
I
. Those
two have minds of their own and the last thing you want to do is get in the
middle. They’ll always pick each other. It’s a pointless battle.”

  
The silence was only interrupted then by the
creaking of the chairs as the men rocked, absorbing the warm,
southern
night air.

  
Matthew broke the silence.

  
“What did you move here for anyway, son?”

  
AJ looked over at the old man and felt at
ease for a moment, like he was rocking on the porch with his own father - if
he’d had one. Matthew looked much older than his age, his white hair and
wrinkles making it seem as if he couldn’t truly do the work he did every day.
AJ imagined that he was a man with more strength and integrity than he knew
what to do with.

  
“Find a more peaceful place to live than the
city.”

  
AJ grinned. Both men chuckled as they rocked
in their oversize chairs, finding comfort in the company of another human
being.

  
So much for a more peaceful town, AJ thought.
His first instinct was to pack up and leave in the morning, yet the thought was
fleeting. He felt at ease around the people he’d met and he was longing for
something more permanent and safe than he’d had in the city. If he ran from
everything that bothered him, he knew he’d never stay anywhere long.

  
Plus, he wanted to know more about this girl.
If he left he never would.

2
The Town

He
shot up in bed, his wavy hair soaked in sweat. In New York when this happened,
he would have worked out to ease the anxiety and get back to sleep. His
apartment had a gym, and he would wander down there in the wee hours of the
morning to work out his irritation on the heavy weights. He didn’t have that
here in Lee, at least not yet, and so he went with his only other viable
option: a run.

  
Tying his shoes and pulling a sweatshirt over
the muscles and abs he’d managed to accumulate thanks to his many sleepless
nights, he headed out into the dark. He started off slowly, one foot after the
other, pounding on the dirt ground as he followed the road back out of town
from which he came. It was beautiful at night. The darkness shrouded the town
and the arc of trees that covered the road into this tiny city was like
something seen only in movies; dark and foreboding visually, yet somehow
welcoming and safe overall.

  
Exercise was one of the few times his mind
could be blank and he could forget all of his troubles. His focus was squarely
on the road before him as the darkness and trees stretched out into what seemed
like eternity.

  
The sweat dripped down his face and he wiped
it away with his sleeve. Still a bit chilly, he was thankful he had thrown on
the sweatshirt before heading out. The air had been so warm during the day and
even as he rocked late into the evening with Matthew that he was shocked at the
temperature change just a few hours later.

  
Mile after mile, he nearly sprinted down the
road. His heart beat faster with each passing minute until he was nearly back
to town again. He stopped near the entrance and looked up into the pre-dawn
sky.

  
Stars and moon were disappearing as the sun
began to rise on the horizon. Barely a glimmer of light, it still seemed like a
new world to AJ. The fields surrounding town were already growing crops that
would sustain the incomes of so many who lived here. They were obviously good
at what they did if the town was still up and running.

  
He stretched a bit, flexing and soothing his
muscles. His legs felt sore as he bent to retie his shoe. His run had been
longer and harder than he’d pushed himself in a long time. Getting back into a
routine again would feel good. He noticed the residents starting to stir as
houses awakened and lights flickered on. Turning around, he headed back towards
the little bed and breakfast.

  
Just as he came upon the B&B, he noticed
Addie was outside loading her truck with various sized bags. She looked
different to him this morning, almost as if her shoulders were hunched in a sad
resolution. He’d seen so many people from the city act the same way; so strong
on the outside and painfully broken inside. The smile plastered on their faces
was a farce and no one cared enough to look behind it. He didn’t want that to
be the case for Addie.

  
Addie’s sullenness didn’t last long, changing
to the plaster smile AJ was so used to as her little girl came bounding out the
door and over to her mother.

  
It was the first time AJ had seen the child,
and she was a spitting image of her mother. Brown hair, only in ringlets, and
the brightest eyes he had seen next to Addie’s. She was all smiles, a bundle of
energy, and looked at her mother as if the sun rose and set with her.

  
He watched as Addie picked the girl up and
wrapped her arms around her, her hand delicately cradling the back of the
little one’s curly head as if she were a newborn. They pressed their noses
together, a huge grin spreading across both faces. The whole scene forced a
smile from AJ as he was reminded of fond memories with his own mother.

  
He slowed to a walk, taking in the sight
before realizing he best not be so obvious. He started to stretch again,
convincing himself it was because he needed it and not because he wanted to
watch them. However, he basked in the time it gave him to analyze the woman
before him.
 

  
As Addie lowered her daughter to the ground,
she turned her head and brushed the hair back behind her ear to see AJ stretching.
She couldn’t help except smile a little; he was handsome. He was different than
the people around here and she liked that. He didn’t know her past and she
didn’t know his, and the mystery was just shy of fascinating. Not having a
person who was exactly like everyone else might spice up the town a bit. She
loved her home greatly; however, she could use a little change of pace she
thought.

  
He caught her glance and smiled back,
standing up straight to give a little wave.

  
“Morning, Addie.”

  
“Morning stranger.”

  
She crossed her arms in front of her body to
keep an appearance of toughness. Her smile couldn’t hide the fact that she was
protecting herself from something. AJ went jogging over.

  
“And you must be…”

  
“Rose!” said the little one, hiding herself
behind her mother.

  
“She’s a little shy until she gets to know
you.”

  
“You look just like your mama,” AJ told her,
crouching down to her level. “That’s a good thing, because your mama is
beautiful.”

  
AJ hadn’t meant it to make Addie
uncomfortable, or for that matter to make himself uncomfortable. He was only
trying to make conversation with Rose. When he looked up he saw Addie blushing.

  
Addie thought the stranger was awfully
blatant. AJ felt the same. While he meant what he said he would have gone back
in time to word it differently and not come off so brash. He smiled, feeling
the hotness of his cheeks as embarrassment set in.

  
“Well, I guess smooth talking is something
you pick up in New York. Or is that something you’ve always had?”

  
She picked up another bag to throw in the
truck, her arms easily lifting it from the ground. She’d evidently been doing
this for a long time as it seemed to take no effort on her part.

  
AJ reached down to help, picking up a bag and
tossing it in the back.

  
“I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. I
just call ‘
em
like I see ‘
em
.”
Now he merely clung to any shards of dignity he had left.

  
“Not at all.
It’s
sort of nice to hear someone being so honest. Now I sound pretty conceited.”

  
She laughed, mostly to herself. No one had
called her beautiful in as long as she could remember, with the exception of
her grandmother. Rose called her a princess once in awhile. It was usually just
to be funny.

  
“Nope, everyone should recognize their good
qualities. Anything else you need loaded? I’d be happy to help. I’ve got a lot
of plans starting around, well, never, so I have a bit of free time.”

  
“Addie!”

  
A new voice protruded from the house. Not
entirely new, but somewhat familiar after last night’s arguments. It barked
again.

  
“Isn’t it about time you get going?”

  
It was Joseph, and AJ looked up at him with
squinted eyes and an angry, hard-lined jaw. His hands on his hips, he wanted to
look as foreboding as possible to this man. AJ had nothing except complete
disdain for.

  
Addie looked at the ground, her hands tucked
into her jean pockets, and back up at AJ with a look of reservation. She
brushed her hair back again behind her ear.

  
“We better get going. Thanks for your help,
AJ.”

  
“Anytime.
If you
need anything, let me know.”

  
“By the way, stranger, where did you say you
were from?”

  
“New York. You
ever been
there?”

  
“Come around again sometime and I’ll tell
you.”

  
She smiled as she walked towards the driver’s
side, suddenly turning straight-faced as she caught Joseph’s glare. After the
night before, she didn’t want to add fuel to the fire.

  
AJ opened the passenger door for Rose, who
hopped up inside and into her booster seat. He shut the door with a smile,
smacked the door, and Addie began pulling away.

  
AJ smiled and waved before looking up at
Joseph, visibly angry and still standing in the doorway staring right at AJ.

  
He smirked at Joseph to get a rise out of
him, keeping his eyes locked on the drunkard while backing towards the bed and
breakfast. Shaking his head a couple times, he turned and kept walking.

  
“Have a nice day, asshole.”

  
Nobody ever told him he had to be nice to
everyone, all the time.

**************************************************

  
The shower felt nice, the water washing away
the sweat and memories of the previous night’s dream. AJ’s mind was running
non-stop, images of Addie and Joseph. He didn’t understand what she saw in the
guy, and it made his heart race to think about how Joseph had treated her the
evening before. He didn’t understand because he’d never had these emotions
about someone. He knew that he’d been led to this little town and perhaps it
was to heal Addie from the pain Joseph was inflicting.

  
As he ran the soap over his arms, he looked
down at his tattoos. They were reminders of times in his life that he felt were
important - a cross, a flower and a sun. All images he felt were meaningful
along his journey. They covered from his shoulders to his elbows, and he didn’t
keep them hidden. These images were engraved into his skin, having already been
engraved onto his soul, and they reminded him of his strength and the journey
ahead.

  
As he walked into the kitchen, he wondered
how this worked. Did he make himself breakfast? He’d never stayed at a bed and
breakfast before and he’d been making his own meals for years. Before he could
reach the fridge, he heard Helen’s voice.

  
“AJ, don’t you touch a thing! This is my
livelihood, cooking for people like you. What do you want? I can make
anything!”

  
“Uh, just eggs and bacon is fine, Helen, really.
And thank you.”

  
He wasn’t picky. Anything not made in the
microwave sounded delicious. As Helen began pulling out pots and pans, AJ found
himself leaning on the kitchen counter. He rolled up the sleeves of his navy
blue button down revealing his strong forearms.

  
“Come on! I don’t get to cook for outsiders
all that often. Give me a challenge! Look at those muscles – you need some good
food to keep those up!”

  
“Surprise me then,” he said, with a laugh.
“I’ve heard whatever you make will be great.”

  
“Well then, you’re in for a treat!”

  
There were pans everywhere and she melded her
moves into a perfect harmony as the metal dishes clanked out a chorus of joy to
be used again. An egg cracked here, a griddle covered with butter there. She
had the system down pat.

  
“Maybe when you’re done helping Matthew with
that truck, you can get to work fixing his muscles. I don’t think I’ve seen
anything like those in ages. You look like the star of an action movie!”

  
He blushed, debating whether to roll down his
sleeves. He didn’t have the muscles for attention. He had them because it was
either work out or risk losing himself in a vice like drinking or drugs.
Working out had seemed safer and less costly. He pulled out a stool and scooted
up to the counter which, like the rest of Lee, looked like it hadn’t been
updated in years. Somehow though, the feel fit.

  
He watched as Helen continued cooking,
adorned in her paisley print apron which was already covered in flour. She
moved with grace and he could tell she’d been doing this for as long as she
could remember. Everything was perfectly in sync, too. He had never been able
to make bacon, pancakes and eggs at the same time without burning one and
having the other two cold by the time the whole meal was done.
 
The fact that it all flowed so easily for her
amazed him.

  
When she was done, she placed the plate of
food on the counter and slid it across in front of him. She wiped off her hands
and then placed them firmly on the counter, excited to watch him take a bite of
her home cooking.

  
“Bacon, French toast and a vegetable omelet,
which should be a good, hearty start to your morning!”