Justice Is Always Ready (A Graham Family Story, 1) (21 page)

“
Rest, my angel. I’ll be
back just as soon as I can.”

“
I love you,
daddy.”

“
I love you, too, Kassidy,
so much.”

She watched him leave the room and
closed her eyes. About five minutes later her bed moved when the
dogs jumped up, turned circles, and lay down. Their bodies against
hers provided more heat and comfort. She closed her eyes and waited
impatiently to be led to sleep by Hypnos.

Her exhausted body took what she gave
it and when she woke later, she felt tons better. The dogs were
gone but she could hear some noise coming through the opened door.
She got up and strayed up the hall. The television was on, her
father in the kitchen cooking, and a huge bouquet of flowers
sitting on the counter.

She strode up to the large
display and reached out for the card. The bouquet was beautiful, in
a light blue vase and filled with roses, lilies, Gerbera daisies,
lisianthus, daisy poms, salal, and waxflowers

all muted shades and very soothing,
respectful, and touching. With a swallow, she looked at the
card.

All you have to do is call
and I’ll be there.

It wasn’t signed. It didn’t have to
be, she knew who it was from. Justice. She met her father’s gaze
and he sent her a kind smile that she returned. Yet he remained
silent.

* * * *

Justice was going crazy. He couldn’t
believe Kassidy’s mom had died. And that he wasn’t with her. He
knew she needed him. So he’d gone into work and put in an emergency
leave request. He’d already had some flowers sent to her house but
it wasn’t enough. Not until he could see her and hold her in his
arms would it be enough.

When he’d finished for the day, he
couldn’t get out of there fast enough. He barely slowed down to
make it home for a shower and a change of clothing. Rushing out of
his apartment, he hurried to her house. Her car wasn’t there nor
did she answer his knocks.

A frown on his face, he jogged back to
his vehicle and drummed his hands on the steering wheel as he sat
there. With a snap of his fingers, he started the engine and drove
to her parents’ house. The drive was lined with vehicles and he
took a deep breath before he climbed out. He was glad he had not
worn jeans but instead something a bit dressier. A brief hesitation
before he pressed the doorbell gave him a moment to relax before
the door swung open.

Lucy stood there dressed in black.
“Hi,” she said, stepping back so he could enter. “Thank you for
coming.”

He sent her a terse smile even as his
gaze scanned the open living room in hopes to see Kassidy. Arlen
was there and he returned the man’s nod.

“
Justice,” a deep voice
pulled his attention from the living room packed with people,
talking, eating, and laughing.

He found himself face to face with
Ethan. Shaking his hand, Justice said, “I’m so sorry for your
loss.”

The eyes that met his were sad and
empty. “Thank you. And thank you for coming. Kassidy didn’t say
you’d be here.” He smiled wanly. “She’s in the kitchen.” Ethan
walked away without another word.

A final glance at Lucy, Justice made
his way through the people and headed toward the Barrow’s kitchen.
Kassidy was the only one in there and he was grateful for that. She
had her back to him and he saw her fingers in a tight grip around
the counter’s edge. He cleared his throat so he didn’t startle her
and she stood up and her hands disappeared, he assumed to wipe away
her tears.

“
I’ll be out with more in
a minute, just finishing up putting this on a tray,” she said
without turning around.

The devastation in her voice tore
through him. He began to walk toward her.

“
Kassidy.”

She whirled about on her heels, eyes
wide with surprise. “Justice.”

Her expression said it all and he
opened his arms. She bolted into them and held him tight. Small
shudders racked her, but she didn’t say a word. After a short time
she pulled back and looked up at him.

Her hands smoothed across his chest
almost like she wanted to focus on straightening his attire. “Thank
you for coming.”

The urge to press her and find out why
she hadn’t let him know the wake was today filled him. He stroked
his knuckle across her cheek wanting to drown in her beautiful gray
eyes. The sorrow in them broke his heart though, he loved seeing
her happy and full of life.

“
How are you holding
up?”

Her smile was strained. “I’m doing
what I have to.” More plucking on his clothing. “You look really
nice.”

He glanced over his olive drab knit
linen ribbed v-neck sweater and light wool charcoal gray pants.
Then he looked at her. A simple and elegant black dress. It hugged
her body’s silhouette, had a v-neck and a flared, sweeping hem. Her
shoes matched.

“
And you are beautiful.”
The smile he got this time was a bit less strained. “What can I do
to help?”

“
How’s Torrie?” she asked
as she led him to where the platter sat.

He couldn’t help but grin at the
mention of the little girl he was doing his best to adopt. “Getting
cuter every day.”

“
Wonderful. Can you take
this one out to the table? I have one more to fill.”

Her request was taken care of quickly
and he returned to her side. Standing there, he gazed down at her.
Her curls hung down around her face, bringing with them a serene
expression. Unable to resist, he brushed some back and tucked them
behind her ear.

“
Kassidy?”

“
Hmm?”

“
Look at me, beautiful.”
She did and he continued, “I want to be here for you during this
time. But I can’t do that if you shut me out and keep me in the
dark.”

“
I don’t want to burden
you with my troubles. You have enough on your plate with work and
going through the thing for Torrie.”

“
Stop it!” he whispered in
a harsh tone.

Her gaze grew bigger.
“What?”

It was as if she had absolutely no
idea how much she truly meant to him.

“
Kassidy, let me be there
for you. Allow me to help you bear some of the weight. I’ve taken a
few days off from work. Don’t you know how much you mean to me? I
love you.”

He could see her weighing his words.
She was so expressive with her thoughts, there was no hiding how
she felt. It sat all out on her face, exposed for everyone to see.
His admission had shocked her.

“
Kassidy, how you comin’
with that other tray, hon?” a feminine voice broke into the heated
silence between them.

He didn’t move, remained with his gaze
fixated on her. Her tongue snuck out and skimmed her lips, adding a
shine to their fullness.

“
On my way, Miz Dottie.”
She blinked and drew back to reach for the tray.

He put his hand on her arm.
“Kassidy.”

“
I can’t do this right
now, Justice. I… I have to go back out there.” Tray in hand she
slipped by him after one final look.

He clenched his fist and
cursed himself. This was not the right time to tell her that. She
was a short time away from burying her mother. It had just
happened.
Great job, Justice,
his mind continued with the
admonishing.

“
You okay,
son?”

Justice met the gaze of the woman
Kassidy had addressed as Miz Dottie. “Ye,s ma’am.”

“
This is such a tragedy. I
feel just horrible for the Barrows. Kassidy especially. I know
she’s being strong for her dad but the loss of Philyra has struck a
blow I wager is much deeper than anyone may expect.”

He nodded as he recalled Kassidy
feeling like they weren’t telling her everything about her mom’s
sickness.

The woman continued, her gray hair
bobbing with each nod of her head and wave of her hand. “I’ve known
Kassidy since she was born. Such a bubbly little girl but always
worried she wasn’t good enough. She pushed herself hard to make
them happy. When her grandmother died she drew deep into herself
and it was a long time before she became the Kassidy we all
remembered.” She reached out and laid a hand on his arm. “I know
you’re wondering why I’m telling you this. Ethan told me about you
and how good he thinks you are for his daughter. I love Kassidy
like she was my own. She will try to push you away, she’ll turn
inward although you won’t see it.”

Justice frowned a bit, for he thought
her expressions were easy to read.

“
I hope you’re the right
one to help her though this. Kassidy puts herself last so often and
she’ll pour all her energy into seeing to her father and forget
about herself.”

“
When’s the
funeral?”

Miz Dottie didn’t miss a beat.
“Tomorrow afternoon. There’s a viewing at the church before the
service begins. About ten it should start.”

“
Quiet Harbor
Baptist?”

“
Yes. You’re a member of
our congregation?”

“
No, ma’am. I went with
Kassidy one day.”

“
Ahh, must have been the
Sunday Philyra was visiting me in the hospital.” She fixed him with
a fierce glare. “I never miss Sundays if I can help it.”

“
I’ll be there tomorrow,”
he informed her, not even attempting to tell her how often he went
to church.

“
Good.”

“
Thank you for telling me
a bit more about Kassidy, Miz Dottie.”

“
Just be
ready.”

“
Yes, ma’am.” He stepped
around her and left the kitchen.
I’m
ready. I live by that code of being always ready.

Once in the living room, he
immediately zeroed in on Kassidy. She stood off by herself, her
dove gray gaze flitting around the room, checking on everyone else.
Her hands were clasped loosely before her.

With a beeline, he made his way across
the room to her, slipping in behind her. He stopped when his body
pressed against her back. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her and
guided her back to sink into his chest. She did so
effortlessly.

“
Why don’t you go sit
down?” he whispered in her ear.

“
No. I need to make sure
no one needs anything.”

She needed to stay busy. “Okay. What
about the dogs? Can I take care of them?”

“
They’re in the backyard.”
Kassidy looked at the clock. “But it is time for them to eat.
I’ll—”

“
Tell me where the food
is, Kassidy. I’ll do it.”

After she told him, he went to take
care of that. Content the dogs were fine, he returned to the warm
house and began gathering empty dirty dishes and carrying them to
the kitchen.

“
You don’t have to do
that, Justice,” Kassidy said from behind him as he added the dish
soap to the sink.

“
Kassidy, don’t argue.” He
rotated so he could see her. She wrung her hands as she stared at
him. He closed the distance between them with a sigh. “Go be there
for your dad, I’ve got this. You’re already exhausted, and if I can
do this so you don’t have it to do later, then I will.”

He leaned close and brushed his lips
over hers, lightly. She whimpered and pushed into him, her mouth
opening and her tongue seeking his. For two seconds he allowed
himself to be swept away by the need the woman kissing him created
within. Then he remembered. Where they were and what was going on.
Biting back his curse, he ended the kiss.

“
Now isn’t the time for
this, beautiful.”

“
I just wanted to say
thank you for being here.” She gave him a wobbly smile, squeezed
his forearm, and left him alone with the ever-growing pile of
dishes.

The house emptied out by ten that
night and he leaned against a wall when the front door closed
behind the last person to leave. The silence in the house deafened.
He watched quietly as Kassidy sent her father off to bed. Ethan
stopped to thank him again for coming, then the man walked up the
stairs and vanished from view. That left him alone with Kassidy and
the dogs who had been let back in.

He didn’t even tell her to come to
him. He went to her and encircled her with his arms, holding her
tight.

“
I didn’t even get to tell
her goodbye,” Kassidy cried out into his chest.

“
She knows, Kassidy. She
knows how you feel.” She sniffed a few times before nodding. “You
need to get some sleep, beautiful. Are you staying
here?”

“
Yes. I can’t leave him
alone right now.”

His lips rested against her forehead.
“What else can I do for you tonight?”

“
Hold me?”

They were on the couch together and
she appeared to be almost welded to him. Her skin seemed slightly
chilled and he rubbed her skin to help warm her. Justice held her
until she fell asleep, then he carefully maneuvered off of the sofa
and laid her down, covering her with a blanket he found on an
ottoman. Then he left her there and went home.