She studied his face and eyes, searching for signs of fever or pain. How do you feel?
Thats the third time youve asked me, Holly. Im fine. Then he smiled.
She bit back a sigh. Okay, she was able to survive the bare chest and witty conversation, but the smileThat smile could still reduce her legs to the consistency of whipped cream. She leaned forward and set her coffee mug on the nightstand before she did something stupid like dropping it.
Im concerned about that fever coming back. She rose to her feet and leaned over the bed. She touched his forehead, then his cheeks. Youre cool to the touch.
You do that very well. He raised his eyebrows. Lots of practice?
With my mom.
How long was she sick?
Holly settled back in her chair. Ten years. I was fifteen when she found a lump in her breast. It was cancer. At first they just took the lump out, but then the cancer came back. She closed her eyes, recalling the terror of that time. Her mother had been her only parent. Because it was just the two of them, they were very close. Shed tried to be strong, but all she could think about was what was going to happen to her when her mother died.
Thats a lot to handle when youre fifteen, he said.
She nodded. She had the usual treatments, but she was really sick. I guess some people tolerate them better. There were a lot of times I missed school to be with her.
What else did you miss? he asked, his voice low and concerned.
She opened her eyes and stared at him. What do you mean?
You were a teenager. Most kids have a hard enough time dealing with school and growing up. You had your mother to worry about. You must have missed out on a lot.
Her eyes burned, and for a brief second she was afraid she was going to cry. Then she sat up straighter and blinked several times until the burning went away.
Thank you, she said.
For what?
For saying that. No one really noticed before. I was just a teenager, but I was expected to act like an adult. There wasnt anyone else to take charge. My mom couldnt do it. The doctors and nurses were busy. Mom had a few friends, but she didnt want them to know how sick she was. And my friends were young like me.
His dark gaze met hers. You must have been scared.
I was. I didnt want her to die. It was hard because Id just started high school and I was involved in a lot of activities. I had to give them up. There was even this boy. Jimmy. We sort of dated. As much as one dates at fifteen. Holly stared down at her hands and realized she was twisting her fingers together. Consciously she stilled the movement. He dumped me because I had to spend too much time taking care of my mom.
Tell me his last name. As soon as Im better, Ill find him and beat him up for you.
She smiled. Thats sweet, but no thanks. It was ages ago. It doesnt matter anymore.
Sure it does. Some of those hurts never go away.
They stared at each other for a long time. Something in Jordans eyes convinced her that he really did understand what she was talking about. She wondered what hurts he carried around from his past.
Did your mother go into remission? he asked.
For a couple of years. I got through high school. After I graduated, I went to work full-time. Id wanted to go to college, but there were medical bills. Then the same week we got the news that wed inherited the antique shop up here, Mom found a lump in her other breast.
Hollys breath caught in her throat. She remembered hearing the sobs through the thin walls of their bathroom. Shed rushed inside and found her mother crouched down on the floor, crying and rocking. At that moment Holly had known the cancer had returned.
Mom was strong. She had another remission, but this one was shorter. Then they found the cancer had spread everywhere. She hung on for a couple of years. It was hard on her, but she was very brave.
Sounds like you were, too.
I didnt do anything.
You took care of her, didnt you?
I was her daughter. What else was I going to do? I was all she had.
She shifted in the chair and pulled her knees up to her chest. Enough about this. Im supposed to be entertaining you, not getting your spirits down. Lets talk about something more lighthearted.
Jordan thought for a moment. If you could have gone to college, what would you have studied?
Thats easy. Business. I want to do a good job running the shop, but I dont have all the education I need. I admire Louise for going back to school. Thats what I want to do. Next question.
You never mention your father.
I dont have any contact with him. She thought about the single conversation shed shared with her father six years ago. She could remember everything about it, right down to the sound of the rain on the windows. He had an affair with my mother. When she got pregnant, he disappeared.
She said the words matter-of-factly. Jordan stared at her and wondered how shed managed to stay so giving and innocent in the face of so much tragedy.
Holly had been abandoned by one parent and lost the other, yet shed survived. More than that, she was happy and successful.
I know about fathers like that, he said. My dad stuck around, but I often think it would have been better if hed left.
Why?
She looked at him intently. After her shower shed dressed in jeans and a dark blue sweatshirt. The soft fabric deepened the color of her eyes. Her hair was long and loose over her shoulders. He wanted to pull her close and bury his hands in the long silky strands. He wanted to kiss her and make love to her until she forgot the past and its pain. He could make her forget. He could even seduce her. But if he did, he would break her heart, and that was one thing he wouldnt allow himself to do. So instead, he told the truth. If that didnt drive her away, nothing would.
Havent you heard about the infamous Haynes brothers? he asked.
She shrugged. Rumors, really. Nothing specific.
Four generations of heartbreakers. Four generations of boys born into the family. Three generations of philandering men and bitter women.
You and your brothers are the fourth generation?
Yeah. We saw what our uncles did and how our father treated our mother. He was out with women several times a week. Earl Haynes believed everything he did was fine as long as he actually slept in his bed. Everyone in town knew about his affairs, including my mother.
She sucked in a breath. You and your brothers knew, too?
He nodded.
How awful. She shook her head. I dont understand how someone could act like that.
It was easy.
What do you mean?
The men in my family have a natural ability to attract women.
She raised her chin slightly. I hadnt noticed.
Gee, thanks.
She looked startled, then laughed. Oh, I didnt mean that the way it sounded. What I meant was She paused.
He waited, wondering what she was going to say. Would she claim to be completely unaffected by him, and if she did, would he believe her? He knew all the tricks, but he didnt use them anymore. But hed caught Holly staring at him a couple of times. She might not be swooning, but he doubted she was immune.