Three Little Words (5 page)

“My panties in a twist?”

She flushed. “I probably shouldn’t have said that, either.”

“Probably not.”

He folded his arms across his chest, aware that he was much taller than her. Not that it would help him in any kind of altercation. He was a math teacher and she was a... He realized he had no idea what she’d done before she’d moved to Fool’s Gold to work for CDS.

Regardless, he felt a little less out of control.

She looked up at him. “Reese is good. He’s athletic and coordinated. Does he have that incredible talent that comes along once in a generation? No. Sure, he could get his black belt and he probably will. But to give up everything else to focus on this?” She shrugged. “I’d make him wait a year and see if it’s still what he wants to do. Maybe add one more class a week. He’s a kid—he should have fun, not make a lifestyle choice.”

“I appreciate the advice.”

“It’s worth what you paid for.” She shifted on her feet. “Are you mad about what I said?”

“Will you hurt me if I say yes?”

It took her a second to realize he was kidding; then the smile returned. So did the sensation of being kicked in the gut. So much for being in control.

“I’m not good with parents,” she admitted. “I’ve gotten used to saying what I think.”

“Threatening people, and when that doesn’t work, beating the crap out of them?”

The smile broadened. “Exactly. Civilized conversation is highly overrated.”

“I agree. Unfortunately, I don’t have the freedom you do to say what I think.”

As soon as he made the statement, he saw the danger of it. Whatever connection he’d established with her was about to disintegrate like cotton candy in the rain.

She tilted her head and her layered, dark, shiny hair slipped over one shoulder. “You’re a math teacher, right?”

“In high school.”

She laughed softly and then put her hand on his forearm. He felt the heat of her touch clear down to his groin. “You’re far more brave than I could ever be. Teaching teenagers math.”

At least she hadn’t run screaming into another room. “Not just math. Algebra and geometry. Calculus.”

Her expression flashed with an emotion he couldn’t read. She withdrew her hand. “Tough gig,” she murmured.

He knew something had shifted, but he couldn’t say what. Why was she okay with him being a math teacher yet she retreated when he’d mentioned the specifics?

“I like it,” he admitted. “I like my kids and I know what they learn in my class can help them later in life. I have a special program for underachieving students. To bring them up to grade and convince them they can go to college.”

He told himself to stop talking—that he sounded like the neighborhood nerd showing off his homemade rocket.

“A worthy goal,” she said and took a step back.

A clear dismissal, he thought grimly, knowing he’d never had a chance and wondering where he’d gone so very wrong.

“I appreciate your time,” he said. “Thanks for the advice.”

“You’re welcome. He’s a great kid. You’re obviously a good dad.”

Kent nodded and left. As he walked to his car, he was conscious of the irony of the situation. After years of thinking he was still desperately in love with his ex-wife, despite the fact that she’d left him, he’d finally been willing to admit the truth. That she had abandoned him and her son and he’d been a fool to marry her in the first place. Determined to get on with his life, he wanted to start dating. To find someone special and fall in love.

Just his luck the first woman to capture his attention wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

* * *

F
ORD
STOOD
IN
the emergency room’s waiting area of the Fool’s Gold Hospital wondering why this kind of thing always happened to him. He’d only meant to do what Leonard asked. A friendly tap to the jaw. He’d figured the other man would drop to the ground, what with never having been in a fight in his life. He would guess Leonard’s idea of physical toughness was to wash the car without putting on gloves.

As expected, Leonard’s legs had collapsed immediately. Unfortunately, as he’d gone down, he’d hit his head on the side of the Jeep and been knocked out cold. Which meant the 9-1-1 call had been a good idea. Only Ford had meant it to be preventive, not necessary.

“There you are!”

He turned and saw a medium-height woman with blue eyes and shoulder-length blond hair walking purposefully toward him. She was curvier than he remembered, and obviously pregnant, but otherwise pretty much the same. Except the last time he’d seen Maeve, she’d been in tears, and this time she looked as if she could spit fire.

“What is wrong with you?” she demanded. “What kind of moron goes around hitting other people?”

“I—”

“Tell me he’s okay. Damn it, Ford, I can’t believe you did this.”

“He—”

“Oh, sure. Blame it on Leonard. Do you think I don’t know why he went to see you?” She poked him in the chest. “Since you’ve been back in town, you’re all he could talk about. How he wanted to apologize and make things right. It’s been fourteen
years.
How on earth could anyone still be holding a grudge?”

“I—”

She glared at him. “You
are
over what happened, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” He paused to assess the truth of the statement. “Very.”

She raised her eyebrows.

He cleared his throat. “Not that you’re not lovely.”

She shoved him back a couple of steps. For a woman of her size and pregnancy trimester, she packed a punch. “You
hit
him!”

“He asked me to. He insisted. I didn’t hit him that hard. He hit his head on the way down. It wasn’t my fault.” He moved back voluntarily, thinking the more room between him and Maeve, the better.

“He’s a responsible person, unlike you,” she snapped. “The father of four and a half children. Did you think of that when you tried to kill him?”

“I didn’t try to kill him. Look, Leonard came to me.”

“Yes, and I expected you to be the adult in the situation. I see that was wrong. You’re exactly who you were when you left.”

“Hey, that’s not fair.”

She narrowed her gaze. “I’ll tell you what’s not fair. That my husband and the father of my children is in the hospital with a concussion because of what you did.”

“He hit his head,” Ford repeated helplessly.

The door to the waiting room opened and two uniformed officers walked in. The taller of the two women moved toward him. “Ford Hendrix?” she asked.

He nodded.

“We’re going to have to take a statement.”

“Serves you right,” Maeve told him. “I hope they lock you away forever.”

She stalked off. Ford followed the police officers to a quiet corner of the waiting area and knew his life couldn’t get any worse.

Only he was wrong because, just when he was explaining what had happened, his mother arrived. She hurried over to him.

“See?” she said, her voice oddly triumphant. “None of this would have happened if you’d just gotten married like I told you.”

* * *

F
ORD
PACED
THE
LENGTH
of Isabel’s kitchen. She watched him move, feeling a little like watching one of the powerful cats at the zoo. She was standing close enough to sense his frustration and energy, but she didn’t have to worry about him turning on her and expecting her to be dinner.

The analogy made her smile. Now that she knew her brother-in-law was going to be fine, she could see the humor in the situation. Not that Ford had gotten there yet.

“It’s not my fault,” he muttered for maybe the thousandth time since he’d arrived. “He wanted me to hit him. He begged me.”

“Next time you shouldn’t listen.”

He turned to her. “Thanks for the news flash.”

“Hey, don’t take your temper out on me. I’m not the one who coldcocked a guy six inches shorter and fifty pounds lighter. A guy who wears glasses.”

Ford groaned. “He took them off and put them in his pocket. It’s so Leonard.”

She stepped in front of him. “Look, he’s going to be fine. He explained what happened and his story matched yours. He’s not pressing charges. You’re right. It’s not your fault he hit his head.”

“Tell Maeve that.”

Isabel had heard that her sister had gone a little crazy when she’d been told what had happened.

“She and Leonard have been together a long time. She loves him. She didn’t expect her ex-fiancé to beat the crap out of him and leave him for dead.”

Ford flinched.

She grabbed him by the upper arms. “Sorry. I’m teasing. Everything is okay.”

“They’re keeping him overnight for observation.”

“A precaution.”

“Maeve is pregnant. She has four other kids.”

“I come from a long line of good breeders.”

His dark eyes remained troubled. “I could have killed him.”

“He’s going to be fine. Obviously he’s been waiting for this moment for years. You’ve given him closure and a great story. In the future, keep your bullying ways for your tough friends.”

“I know,” he muttered, then shook his head. “I thought I was making things better for Leonard. I thought...”

Not knowing what else to do, Isabel tried to pull Ford close. He was about as movable as a house, so instead she stepped close and wrapped her arms around him.

He was taller than her, broader and solid muscle. But he was also warm and in need, so she hung on, even when he just stood there.

After a couple of seconds, he put his arms around her and hugged her back. She rested her cheek on his shoulder, thinking this was nice. This was—

Without wanting to, she noticed her breasts were nestled right against his chest. And that her thighs were brushing his. She found herself getting a little tingly and thinking it would be nice if he kissed her again. Only this time, with a little passion and maybe some tongue.

The concept was so shocking she jumped back. Fortunately, Ford didn’t seem to notice her retreat or her panic.

“If you’d heard my mother,” he said, bracing his hand on the granite countertops. “She lit into me something fierce. She kept going on and on about how I needed to settle down, and if I would just get married, she could be happy. She brought up those women she’d found. She wants me to look at the applications.”

“I don’t think having a girlfriend would have stopped you from hitting Leonard.”

“Probably not. Still, it would get my mother off my back.” He turned his head and looked at her. “You’re a woman.”

She held up both hands. “Thanks for noticing, but no.”

His gaze didn’t waver. “You’re leaving, so there’d be no misunderstanding between us. You wouldn’t want me to fall in love with you.”

She was pretty sure he was suggesting some kind of fake relationship, and the answer to that was a very firm “No.”

“Come on, Isabel, I’m desperate. Look at what’s happening to me.”

“You hit a guy. You did that yourself. Nothing is happening.” She made air quotes about the last word. “Leonard is fine. Do a better job of hiding from your mother. It’ll be okay.”

He straightened and turned toward her. Funny how, until right this second, she hadn’t been aware of how much Ford filled up her kitchen.

“It’s more than that,” he said, sounding defeated. “Everybody said I’d been in too long. That I would have trouble adjusting to civilian life. I didn’t believe them, but they were right.”

She wanted to stomp her foot. How was she supposed to fight against the “I’ve been off serving my country” card?

“You’re adjusting very well. This is a teeny, tiny setback.”

“And there’s my mother.”

“I’ll admit that Denise is a challenge.”

“More than a challenge.” His dark gaze settled on her face. “All this time I’ve been away, keeping you safe.”

She took a step back. “No,” she said firmly. “You’re not going to try that again.”

“Risking my life while you went to prom and got laid in college.”

She covered her ears with her hands and started to hum. He raised his voice.

“You promised to love me forever. I have proof. In writing.”

She lowered her hands. “Stop it right now.”

“You went back on your word and broke my heart.” He hung his head, as if defeated.

She stared at him. For a second she allowed herself to wonder what it would be like if he were actually speaking the truth. If he did love her, the way Leonard loved Maeve—with his entire being. Or if not Ford, then someone. Because Eric had never loved her. Not as more than a good friend.

She gathered her resolve and smiled at him. “You’re going to have to solve this another way because I’m not going to be your fake girlfriend.”