Taming Mad Max (22 page)

#

Cole crossed his arms over his chest and stared Lindsay down, determined not to let her get the best of him. “We’ve still got a few moments if you want to run back upstairs and grab a negligee,” he said.

“In your dreams.”

He gave her a devilish smile. “How did you know?”

“I bet every woman you’ve ever met is in those same dreams.”

“Only you, kitten.”

“If you think I’m going to start purring over endearments like that, don’t hold your breath.”

Cole smiled. “I think you’ve underestimated me.”

“I think I’ve got you pretty well pegged.”

“I think you’re angry with me because I haven’t called.”

“I think you’ve lost your mind.”

“I’ve been out of town. I would have called, but I didn’t have your number.”

She plunked a hand on her hip. “Let me get this straight. You think I’ve been waiting by the phone, hoping you’d call me?”

He put a hand on the stucco wall behind her, trapping her. “You haven’t been?”

“Nope. Sorry.”

“That can only mean one thing.”

She arched one eyebrow.

“I haven’t been doing my job.”

He lowered his head and a millisecond passed before she realized he was about to kiss her. She ducked under his arm and escaped toward the car. Looking over her shoulder she said, “You may have hundreds of females lusting after you, but I’m not one of them.”

He put a hand to his chest in mock pain. “You sure know how to hurt a guy.”

“Save it, Cole. I know how men like you work and I’m not interested, so give it a rest.”

#

Despite a rocky start, the sun and the sand gave Kari high hopes for a relaxing weekend. The cabin slept twenty and offered a breathtaking view of the lake surrounded by trees and water. A large party deck, a private dock, and a small strip of beach made it the perfect getaway for a large group. Most of Max’s family had arrived the day before.

After lunch, Dan, Cole, Fred and Max took four of the five kids, since Sally’s baby was too young, out on the boat to water ski while the women sat on the beach and waved whenever they passed by.

Sally’s infant was asleep, but the baby monitor was attached to her beach chair. Every once in a while they would hear static when the baby moved. Sally checked on the baby and then came out of the cabin carrying a tray of tall drinks.

“Passionate Peach iced tea for everyone,” she said, passing a tall glass to Jill, Lindsay, Kari, and then Breanne.

“Where’s Nicole?” somebody asked.

“She took a walk.”

“Do you think she’s ever going to get over Jake’s death?” Breanne asked Sally.

Sally sat down with her iced tea. “I don’t know if Max mentioned it, but Nicole lost her fiancé two years ago.”

“He died of a brain aneurysm,” Jill added.

“That’s horrible,” Lindsay said.

“Max told me,” Kari said. “I think he blames himself for the accident.”

Jill nodded. “Max has a habit of taking on our burdens and making them his own.”

“How can he blame himself for another man’s brain aneurysm?” Lindsay asked.

Sally adjusted the volume on the monitor before she said, “Max, Fred, and Dan had taken Jake to a basketball game when they were hit by a drunk driver. The doctors say that the impact caused the wall of an artery to burst. Jake died instantly, but Max has convinced himself that Jake would still be alive if they hadn’t pressured Jake to go to the game.”

“The thing is,” Jill continued where Sally left off, “the doctors told us that Jake’s aneurysm had gone undetected for too long. It was a time bomb waiting to explode.”

“Poor Nicole,” Lindsay said.

“They were high school sweethearts,” Jill added.

Sally nodded. “They were attached at the hip, that’s for sure.”

They all sat quietly sipping their tea for a moment before Breanne turned to Lindsay. “How long have you and Cole been dating?”

Lindsay nearly choked on her tea. “We’re not dating.”

“Could have fooled me,” Sally said. “I thought he was your new daycare assistant.”

“He was,” Lindsay said, “but only for a week, and only because he lost a bet over a bowling game at Molly’s birthday party.” Lindsay shook her head. “He’s a nice guy and great with kids, but he’s not my type.”

“I thought he was every woman’s type,” Sally said with a laugh.

“Don’t mind her,” Jill said. “Sally had the worst crush on Cole Fletcher when Max first started bringing him to various family functions.”

Sally laughed. “I did have it bad for the guy, didn’t I? What’s not to like? He’s great with kids. He’s funny and smart...”

“And he looks like a Greek God,” Jill added, “with those blond streaks running through his hair...”

“And how many crunches do you think the guy does every day?” Breanne asked. “Have you ever seen abs as hard as his?”

“I don’t think Lindsay has a problem with the way he looks,” Kari said. “The problem Lindsay has with Cole is that he’s a man.”

They all laughed at that, everyone except Lindsay.

“I like men just fine,” Lindsay countered. “After dating my share of them, I guess you could say I’ve grown doubtful of their motives.”

“I compare dating and finding the right man with shopping for the perfect wedding dress,” Jill said. “You have to try dozens of them on before you find the right one and even then the dress still needs to be altered and hemmed until finally just when you begin to question your choice altogether, you realize it fits just fine.”

Kari chuckled at Jill’s analogy.

“I think there’s a good reason women are forced to endure a few frogs before they find their prince,” Sally said.

“Why is that?”

“Because all of those less-than-perfect men make Mr. Right seem that much better when you finally do find him.”

“Cheers,” Jill said, “to men and their faults.”

They all raised their drinks, clicking their plastic glasses together before drinking.

“What about you and Max?” one of the sisters asked.

This time it was Kari’s turn to blush.

“Yeah,” Lindsay goaded, “I’ve been trying to figure that one out for myself.”

Jill pouted. “Max said you were dating a realtor.”

“I’m not dating a realtor. I was merely looking for a house, although I’ve given up the hunt for now.”

“He’s a jealous fool,” Sally said.

“Then what’s the deal with you two,” Breanne asked. “I know this sounds cliché but every time I see you two together I see sparks flying.”

“He’s angry with me,” Kari said, her gaze directed at the shimmering water. “He thinks I purposely kept Molly from him but that’s so far from the truth.”

“Kari hand-delivered your mother a letter before your family moved from Roseville,” Lindsay explained in Kari’s defense, “and then left a second letter in the mailbox at that same house in Roseville. She also sent a letter to the Condors’ franchise, complete with pictures of Molly. There’s only so much a girl can do before she has to move on and focus on raising her child.”

Lindsay’s speech reminded Kari of why she loved her so much.

“Although it’s hard for me to imagine Mom keeping something like this from Max,” Sally said, “a part of me can envision Mom not wanting to lose her only son to another woman. She loves us all, but when it comes to Max, she’s a mother grizzly bear to be reckoned with.”

Jill nodded in agreement, while Breanne said, “If Mom knew Max was having a child and didn’t tell him, I can’t imagine what that would do to him. Max would be hard pressed to forgive Mom for keeping something like that from him.”

“That’s true,” Jill said, before saying directly to Kari, “I like you. We all do. But nobody likes you more than Max. It’s clear to all of us that he’s in love.”

“I just hope he figures it out before it’s too late,” Sally added.

“Wave everyone. Here they come!”

They all waved as the boat passed by. Molly and Amanda sat in a tube and were being pulled ten feet behind the boat. As the iced tea cooled her throat, Kari kept her thoughts to herself. His sisters were wrong about one thing...whatever loving feelings Max had been feeling for her had disappeared when he found out about Molly. Breanne had confirmed that when she said Max would never be able to forgive their mother for keeping knowledge of his child from him. Kari had no proof about the letters, and if he couldn’t forgive his own mother, how was he ever going to forgive her?

Sally looked around after the boat passed by. “I thought Mom was going to join us on the beach.”

“She decided to take a nap instead,” Jill said. “The long ride yesterday did her in. I’m sure she’ll be joining us soon though.”

The idea of seeing Max’s mother after everything that had happened made Kari’s insides churn. Kari reminded herself that she was here for Molly; her daughter deserved to get to know her father.

Sally pointed toward the water. “It looks like they’re coming in.”

They all watched the boat approach the dock. Molly and her friend were the first to approach. “Fred and Cole are going back out,” Molly said. She took a breath. “They said they need a couple of females out there with them.”

Kari laughed. “They said that?”

Molly nodded.

Jill jumped to her feet and pointed at Lindsay. “Are you coming with me, or are you going to make me go out on that boat alone?”

“You’re on your own,” Lindsay said. “I’ve never been a strong swimmer.”

Molly tugged at Lindsay’s arm. “Come on, Lindsay. Just wear a life jacket and you’ll be fine. You’ve got to try riding the inner tube. It’s so much fun.”

Everybody joined in at once, urging Lindsay to give it a try. Lindsay finally relented and headed for the boat with Jill.

Kari watched Max walk their way. He was too busy talking to Dan to notice her watching him. Putting aside the fact that he made other men eat dirt for a living, he was lithe and lean and there was no denying he was as incredible to look at now as he had been back in high school. Her heart pounded. Fourteen long years and nothing had changed when it came to her feelings for him. He was a nice guy, a compassionate man who put family first. His looks were just icing on the cake.

“I don’t blame you for avoiding him lately,” Breanne said.

Kari wrinkled her nose. “I haven’t exactly been avoiding him.”

“Ever since he found out about Molly, I haven’t seen you at the house. Max hasn’t been eating well, you know. Look at him. He’s getting love handles for God’s sake.”

Kari looked closer. “I don’t think there’s an ounce of fat on him.”

“His eyes tell the whole story,” Sally added. “They’re puffy and sort of yellow. Wouldn’t that mean something is wrong with his liver?”

“He looks fine to me. But I’ll talk to him later about his diet if that will make all of you feel better.”

“Oh, yes, we would appreciate it if you did,” Breanne said. “We’ve all been so worried, watching him mope around the house as if he has no will to live.”

“No will to live? I saw him at practice on Wednesday,” Kari said. “He was running drills and signing autographs. He looked okay to me.”

Sally shook her head as if she were already mourning the death of him. “He was putting on a show. He probably didn’t want you to worry.”

“Well, well,” Max said under his breath as he approached. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

They all turned to see an older man heading their way. Even Nicole, who had returned from her walk, stopped to stare.

“Who is that?” Sally asked.

“That’s Mom’s boyfriend, Hank,” Nicole said, amusement lining her voice.

Kari wondered if Hank had any idea what he was getting himself into. The man had a thick head of grayish white hair, and he wore a pair of light khaki shorts and a white short-sleeved collared shirt. What Hank lost in width, he made up in height.

Breanne’s eyes widened. “Did Mom invite him here?”
“No,” Dan answered. “We did.”

“Who’s ‘we’?” Sally wanted to know.

“We,” Dan said again, pointing at himself, then at Max, then at the boat, obviously referring to Fred. “The guys did. We thought this trip would be a good opportunity for all of us to meet Mom’s new beau.”

“Beau?” Sally chuckled. “Who the heck says ‘beau’ any longer?”

Dan shrugged. “I guess, I do.”

The wail of a baby crying on the monitor brought Sally to her feet. As she headed toward the house, she stopped to introduce herself to Hank. She then continued on toward the house, but not before looking over her shoulder and giving Dan a steely-eyed glance.

“Looks like I’m in trouble,” Dan told Max. “Thanks a lot.”

Max grunted. “Don’t blame me. We all agreed to make the call together.”

“I think it was a great idea,” Nicole said before she went to greet Hank. “Hi. I’m Nicole, number three daughter.”

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard so many great things about all of Barbara’s kids.” He glanced at Dan. “You must be Max.”

“My name’s Dan.” Dan pointed a finger toward Sally who had disappeared inside the house. “I belong to Sally who you already met.” Dan turned to Max. “This is Max.”

Max took over from there and offered Hank a seat in one of the empty beach chairs. Hank was a friendly man with light colored eyes and an infectious laugh. Twenty minutes swept by with no sign of Barbara Dutton, but then Sally’s voice came over the baby monitor. “If anyone can hear this, please send Max and Dan to the house asap.”

Dan popped out of his chair, then waited for Max to do the same.

“Go on ahead,” Max said, shooing him off with a wave of his hand.

Dan cleared his throat. “All for one and one for all, remember? My guess is Sally wants to talk to us about your mother.”

A worried look crossed Hank’s features. “I’ll go with you and check on Barbara.”

“No, no, no,” they all said in unison, prompting Max to push himself out of his chair.

“She doesn’t know you’re here,” Dan explained to Hank, “and we want to surprise her.”