Barbara's Plea (9 page)

“You parents didn’t want kids?” she asked curiously. I couldn’t blame her with how her husband had treated their daughter.

“Oh, they did. My mother wasn’t able to conceive and, back then, they didn’t have the techniques that they have now, plus it was too expensive. She had given up any hope, and then I came along.” I bent down to sweep the debris into the dust pan, “They were great parents. I couldn’t have asked for better ones.”

“I had good parents, too,” she agreed and resumed her inspection of the workshop. I glanced at a picture on the wall and realized she would soon ask about it. I wasn’t wrong.

“Is this the kind of toy box you are going to make?” she asked, pointing out the other picture. She peeled the tape off the wall and held the picture. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I said and waited. I knew what would come next.

“Who is the little boy?” She looked up at me, waiting for my response.

“That’s Nate. He was my son.”

J
ust like Allie
, I was drawn to Grey. All through dinner, I sneaked peeks at him. He seemed different tonight, a bit standoffish, and I wondered if he was annoyed at all the trouble I had brought to the house.

After dinner, he had left, and I played with Allie for a few minutes before putting her in the bathtub. While she splashed and giggled in the water, I sat back against the wall and thought about what the attorney had said.

There was a good chance I was going to be facing criminal charges of some kind, especially since Todd was an attorney and knew the law. He would force the issue, and the attorney felt that the most serious charge would be kidnapping.

I knew that I hadn’t kidnapped my daughter, but no one else did, not unless I could use the recordings I had. There were countless recordings of him screaming about how much he hated Allie, and how much he wished she wasn’t part of our life. I only had to find some way to bring the evidence into play.

Carl, the attorney, was going to set up an interview with the local District Attorney to see if they could help me some way. He said he’d call in the morning and let me know when.

After Allie’s bath, I read her a few stories and watched as she slipped off to sleep. What was going to happen to her if I went to jail?

I couldn’t face the thought of her going back to Todd. I was anxious and started pacing the bedroom. I glanced out the window and saw the lights on at Grey’s shop.

I searched out Amelia and asked her if she could listen to the baby monitor for a short time while I went to the shop. She tried to suppress a smile, but I saw it and wanted to tell her it was nothing, that I was merely going there to see his design, but I couldn’t even get the words out.

I left the house with my cheeks warm, knowing there was another reason I was seeking out Grey. He had a way of making me feel safe, and right now, I needed to feel that.

He was bent over the workbench, his facial features still as he focused on his work. He glanced up quickly when I entered and turned off the tool he was using, slipping the safety glasses off his face.

My stomach did a flip flop as his eyes ran down my face to my chest. It had been too long since a man had looked at me with that kind of pure desire in his eyes.

I busied myself while he cleaned up. The wooden plaque that his father had made was gorgeous, and I ran my finger over the last name, Bloodstone. Such a strong name, I peered back at Grey, such a strong man. His back was to me, and his shoulders blocked out a large portion of the room behind him. His back swooped down to a nice V at his waist, and I wondered if his stomach was as defined as his chest and arms.

Was it hot in here?

I kept looking at what hung on the wall, another plaque with flowers carved into it, and then a picture with a little boy and a large toy box. This must be his design.

“Who is the little boy?” I asked, curious to know more about the man who made me feel safe just by being in the same room with me.

His voice was lower and huskier than I had heard before, “That’s Nate. He was my son.”

“You have a son? No wonder you are so good with children.” The words slipped right out of my mouth when I suddenly wondered if that was the right thing to say. I realized he had said, was, not is. Did he do something and he didn’t see his son anymore?

“I had a son. He passed away a little over a year ago.” He turned away, and I clenched my eyes closed. Damn.

“How did he pass, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Grey sighed and hung up the broom. “Nate had leukemia.”

“Oh, Grey, I’m so sorry.” One thought naturally led to another, “Were you married?”

He clenched his jaw and turned to me, “Yes, she’s dead, too.”

I bristled at the look of pain in his eyes and was afraid to ask how she had passed away.

“Did you want to see that design now? It’s upstairs, I can go get it.”

“Wait, I’ll come up with you.” I pushed the tape on the picture back onto the wall where it had been and turned to find him disappearing up the stairs.

It had been years since I had been upstairs, and the last time I had, grandpa had allowed us to use it as a playroom. Now as I stepped through the open door, I saw it was decorated in a very masculine tone that fit Grey well.

I was standing in the middle of the room when Grey walked out of the hallway leading to the back room. He avoided eye contact and moved to the kitchen counter where he flipped on some lights.

I felt like an ass. I had upset him.

“Grey,” I said as I joined him at the counter.

He didn’t look at me when he answered, “Barb, I don’t want to talk about it, alright?”

I put my hand on his arm, and he turned to look at it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I know you didn’t. You didn’t know. It’s a touchy subject for me.”

“I understand.” I let go of him and the loss of contact hit me like a smack in the face. I stepped closer, but he shifted to put space between us. Did my presence bother him?

“These are the three designs we came up with, but we ruled these two out, so this is the one I am working with, but there is something missing, I can’t seem to figure out what.”

I studied the drawings. The designs were beautiful, and any one of them would be wonderful carved into wood. The last one, the one he was actively working on was by far the most breathtaking, but he was right, something was missing.

The scene was of a room, where toys were lined along a wall: blocks, and a car, a doll leaning slightly. A window sat above it and the sun shone down. It was a scene that would draw you in, but it missed one element: Life.

“I know exactly what you need,” I said softly and then lifted my head and grinned at him. I spun and left him standing there watching after me as I ran out the door.

“Barb?” I heard him call out, but I hustled down the steps and plucked the photo back off the wall. I smiled down at it and put the picture to my chest before I turned around and slammed right into his chest.

Grey grabbed my arms before I could fall back, and in that moment, time stopped. His hands were hot against my arms through the material of my cotton shirt, and the grip was strong, but not menacing.

He was a good eight inches taller than I was, and I had to tilt my chin up to see him. Our eyes locked and my mouth fell slightly open as I gazed into them. The blue was slightly muted under the fluorescent lights but still mesmerizing.

His eyes dipped to my mouth and he leaned forward the slightest bit. I could stand on my toes and touch mine to his, but I hesitated just a moment too long and the spell was broken.

Grey released me and stepped back. “Why did you run out?”

“I…I figured out what was missing.” I thrust the picture forward. Oh, my God! Did I just think about kissing him?

Grey took the photo from my hands. “My son? What has Nate got to do with his?”

“Not particularly your son, but a child. Your picture needs a piece of life in it. A child, either a boy or girl would work, but it needs a life.”

Grey stared at the picture, the image I had given him quickly spun through his mind, and he lifted his face as a smile spread over his lips. “That’s it. I don’t know why I never thought about that. That’s perfect.”

He grabbed the sides of my face and kissed me so quickly, I wasn’t expecting it. Then again, I don’t think he did either. His hands remained on the sides of my face, and the smile slowly slipped out of his eyes to be replaced by a new look.

My hands had grasped his wrists when he had grabbed my face.

Neither of us moved.

Neither of us spoke.

“Kiss me again, Grey,” I finally whispered into the empty space between us. His eyes roamed all over my face, never staying put, always shifting to a new point before finally settling on my lips.

He lowered his lips to mine, so softly, so delicately, it was as if he was afraid I would break. I trailed my hands from his wrists to his shoulders, cupping them around the back to pull him closer.

He tipped his head to the side, his lips covering mine fully, and I opened my mouth to touch my tongue to his. A groan vibrated from deep inside his chest and filled my soul. The kiss deepened. His hand slid into my hair as his arm wrapped around my waist to bring me closer.

My knees shook, my lips tingled, and my heart fluttered in my chest.

This was the kind of kiss that dreams were made of—the kind that you read on the pages of a book and it took your breath away—the kind that you saw on a movie screen and pretended you were the one being kissed, only I was the one being kissed.

The kiss lasted forever and yet nowhere long enough. Grey pulled back slowly, resting his forehead against mine. His breathing was shallow and brushed over my flushed cheeks. I placed my hand over his heart, and I felt the heavy thumping.

“I’m sorry, Barbie. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said as he inhaled deeply and stood back, putting distance between us.

“Do I look like I’m complaining?”

He peered over at me as he took a few steps away, “No, you’re not, but I still shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why do you say that?” I leaned against a workbench trying to keep myself from reaching for him and kissing him again. Obviously, he didn’t want it as much as I suddenly did.

He stared at me hard, “First of all, we don’t know each other. Secondly, you’re married.”

“Separated,” I stated firmly.

“You are separated; he thinks he is a widower; either way, you’re still married.”

I jolted back like I’d been slapped. “That wasn’t my fault.”

He sighed, “I get that, Barb, and I wasn’t trying to place any blame, especially on you.” He wiped his hands down over his face. “As much as I’d love to take up where we just left off, we don’t know each other. You need to focus on what is going on right now, figure out what to do about your husband and your daughter.”

“What does Allie have to do with this?” Anger rose from deep inside.

“Allie has everything to do with this, Barbara,” he stated firmly.

“Wow, you go from calling me Barbie to Barb to Barbara in less than a minute.” He glared at me. “Don’t you dare try to make me feel guilty for feeling something when you kissed me. You are not allowed to do that.”

“Excuse me?” He turned to face me head on, “I’m not trying to make you feel guilty about anything.”

I snorted, “Right!” I stalked around him and called out over my shoulder, “First you kiss me, then you back off. Next you’re telling me you don’t know who I am and accuse me of having something to do with that plane crash.”

“Hey!” he shouted and grabbed me by the arm, spinning me around. “That was not what I was doing. I was not accusing you of anything.”

“Get your hands off me!” I shouted.

Grey jumped back, holding his palms out in front of him, “I wasn’t trying to hurt you, Barb.” His voice lowered, “I would never do that.”

Tears filled my eyes, “Yeah, well you just did.” His shocked face was the last thing I saw before I turned and bolted out the door back to the main house.

W
ell
, that went all kinds of wrong. I watched her run back to the main house and disappear into the garden before I shut the door.

I banged my head against the cool metal door frame. God, how could I be so stupid? She was an abused woman, and I go and grab her! Jesus, Greyson, nice job there, buddy.

I picked up the photo that had dropped to the floor. Nate stood next to his toy box, his eyes shining with joy at what I had made for him. My heart constricted in my chest and I leaned back against the bench.

“I miss you so much, Nate.” I rubbed my thumb over the picture. How I missed being a father. I missed seeing the happiness on his face and hearing the laughter at our antics. I longed for the times when he would climb up in my lap and we would watch television together, or read a book. I could almost feel his little arms wrapped around my neck as I hugged him goodnight.

I flipped the lights off in the shop and climbed the stairs to my apartment. I wasn’t going to get any more work done tonight. In fact, I didn’t even want to think anymore tonight. I tossed Nate’s picture onto the counter with the drawings and opened the fridge for a beer.

I woke up at three in the morning, eight beer bottles sat lined up on the table in front of me. I pulled myself off the couch and fell into bed without even getting undressed.

At eight in the morning, I finally lifted my head off the pillow. The sun was a little brighter than I would have liked, and my bladder felt like it was going to explode, but otherwise, I wasn’t too bad.

I called up to the house and told Amelia that I was going to miss breakfast. I had stuff in the fridge if I felt like eating later. I didn’t want to face Barb today. She had enough stress on her plate, she didn’t need mine, too.

By nine o’clock, I had showered and was sitting at the counter with my second cup of coffee. The remains of my drinking binge were safely in the recycling bin. I probably would have kept drinking last night, but I ran out of beer.

The last time I had done that was the night I had read the police report for my wife’s accident. I’d tied on a good one that night, and felt the effects of it for two days. I blamed the alcohol and not her actions for the way I felt.

I picked up the picture of Nate again and remembered the look on Barb’s face when she made the suggestion. She had been so proud of herself, and I hadn’t thought twice before I kissed her the first time. That was my first mistake.

My second one was not stepping away when I should have. I had realized my mistake as I got lost in her beautiful green eyes, but then she asked me to kiss her. Wild horses couldn’t have pulled me away at that moment.

What the hell had I been thinking? What had she been thinking?

Obviously, neither one of us was doing any kind of rational thinking. If we had been, then it wouldn’t have happened.

I wasn’t the type of man for her. Didn’t she say her husband was an attorney? What the hell could an almost-out-of-work construction guy do for a woman like that?

But, damn, her lips were sweet, and oh-so-freaking soft! I could still recall the taste of her mouth and the feel of her hands on my shoulder.

I shook my head and picked up a pencil. I needed to forget about kissing Barb and get to work. I had to get this design done.

My cellphone rang and I picked it up without looking at the caller ID. “Hello.”

“Mr. Bloodstone?” a woman’s voice asked.

“Yes, this is Grey.”

“This is Barb’s friend, Peggy. Is she available?”

“Um, I don’t know. She’s up at the main house, I think. You can call over there.” I passed along the number and hung up after a short goodbye.

Did something else happen out there? I wondered. I considered going up to the house to find out, but remembered that it was none of my business. This…this right here in front of me was my business—not Barb and not Allie.

The next time my phone rang, I didn’t answer it. I almost had the drawing done, and I didn’t want to stop. By the time I had the design perfect, my back ached from bending over the counter. I looked up to see that twilight had already fallen. I glanced at the clock. It was eight o’clock.

My stomach didn’t need to grumble, but it did, reminding me that I had missed dinner. That’s okay, it was probably better that I gave Gloria and Barb a chance to be together.

I pulled some lunchmeat out of the fridge and made a sandwich. After I finished, I went down to the shop to start tracing the design on a piece of wood. I wanted to make sure it was going to work before I showed it to Gloria.

As I flipped the light on, the memory of Barb in my arms hit me with a flash. I could go up to the house and check on her, say hello to Gloria.

No, if she had wanted to talk to you, she would have come down or called, my inner voice said. Oh, wait, my phone did ring earlier. She probably had tried to call.

I pushed the thoughts aside and took out a piece of wood. Within minutes, I was lost in tracing the design on the wood. An hour later, I was already starting to carve out the design.

I was a man with a mission.

At four in the morning, I turned off the router and looked at the design. It was perfect.

Even before I cleaned up the space, I walked up to the main house. The sky was already starting to lighten in the east, and the early morning birds were calling out to each other.

I loved the early morning, the peace of it, of knowing that everyone was still asleep and that I was witnessing the birth of a new day.

I opened the back door and went into the conservatory. The house was quiet, but I had expected that.

I set the wood top on the table where Gloria always had her breakfast. I knew that she would be surprised to see it. I found a piece of paper on the side table and wrote a short note apologizing for not being around the day before, but that as she could see, the design was done. I promised I would be up for dinner.

I returned to my apartment, took a shower, and passed out.

It was afternoon when I woke up to the sound of the lawnmower. I didn’t mind. I hadn’t wanted to sleep that long anyway. I still wanted to be able to sleep tonight.

With a cup of coffee in hand, I went down to the shop. It was only after I walked in that I remembered I hadn’t cleaned it up the night before. I hated when I did that. I never liked to leave a mess when I was done working on something.

I set my coffee down and went about sweeping the shavings off the ground. I was bent over whisking them into a dust pan when I heard the door open and close.

When I stood up, Barb was there, a basket in her hands. “I brought a peace offering.”

I smiled, “You didn’t need to do that.”

“I know I didn’t, but I wanted to.” She set the basket down. “I’m sorry about the other night. I didn’t handle that very well.”

“I think I had a part in that, and I’m sorry for saying what I did, and for grabbing you.” I hesitated, “I meant what I said, Barb, I would never hurt you.”

“I know you wouldn’t. My emotions were a little out of whack.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “So I was hoping that with all the work you did yesterday that you might want to take a little break and have a picnic lunch with me.”

“I really should work on the rockers,” I said.

“You said the other night that we didn’t know each other. I’m trying to fix that.” She paused, “Have lunch with me. Let’s get to know each other a little more.”

“Barb,” I shook my head, “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

She looked disappointed but didn’t relent. “Give me one good reason why it’s not a good idea—other than that I’m still married. I’m trying to rectify that situation already.”

I laughed for a second but then pulled myself together. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“Who said I want anything from you? We both live here, you were right when you said we didn’t know each other.” She shrugged, “So we kissed. Who knows if it would ever be good a second time, or if either of us would want anything more, but I know that if we don’t get to know each other, then we’ll never know.” She paused, “Besides, I could use a friend right now.”

I was damned sure a second kiss would be even more explosive than the first one, but I wasn’t going to admit that. “Barb, I can be your friend, but I’m not the type of guy you should be interested in for anything else.”

“I thought you didn’t know me?” she countered as she tilted her head.

“I don’t, but I know that someone like you should be with someone who has his shit together. I’m a broke, out-of-work construction worker with a huge pile of debt that I’ve been struggling to pay off for a year. How I landed in your grandmother’s line of sight was by the grace of God. I’m trying to do the right thing here.”

Barb left the basket on the workbench and joined me on the other side and took one of my hands in hers. “Please don’t try to tell me what I want or need in a man or a friend. For the last several years, I have lived with a man who told me what was best for me every second of the day, from the clothes I wore to the food I ate. I have a mind of my own, and I have feelings and emotions, and I am the one that controls them, not Todd and not you.”

Holy crap! I had just treated her like her husband. “See? I’m being just like him. You don’t need to be around me, Barb. I’m not good enough for you.” I pulled my hand away, while it felt like a knife was jabbing into my chest.

Instead of moving away, she came closer and placed her hands on the sides of my face. “Let me be the judge of that, Greyson Bloodstone.” She stood up on her tiptoes and placed a single soft kiss on my cheek. “Now let’s go eat this lunch that Amelia packed so lovingly for us.”

This woman blew me away.

I allowed her to lead me out of the shop, picking up the basket on the way out the door. “Where are we going?”

“There is a path back here that leads down to a little lake. We used to swim in it when I was younger.”

“We aren’t swimming today, are we?” She was still holding my hand and I was enjoying the feel of her soft fingers against mine.

“Not unless you want to,” she replied coyly.

“I didn’t bring my bathing suit,” I hedged.

She turned her head my way and looked me up and down. “I gotta be honest here; I wouldn’t care what you wore.”

I laughed as she squeezed my hand. I was going to skip a reply to that one. It would only get me in trouble.

We walked in silence the rest of the way. It was a comfortable silence, as if we had done it many times before. I took the time to look around the area, “Is this all your grandmother’s property?”

“Yeah, all the way to the lake and even part of that.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize the property was this large.”

She thought for a moment. “I think it’s three hundred acres.”

“Seriously?” I’d really had no idea it was that large.

“Yep. She has had lots of people try to buy strips of the land off her, but she has always refused to sell. She likes the solitude, doesn’t want to live around a whole bunch of cookie cutter homes, as she calls it.”

“If I had that choice, I’d prefer that, too.”

“You do have that. You live here now.” She smiled up at me, and my heart skipped a beat.

“Just while I’m working on the project.”

Barb’s steps slowed. “Are you planning on leaving when you’re done?”

“Your grandmother allowed me to use the space because she wanted me to work for her. I doubt she wants me to stay on here after this is all over,” or after she dies, I thought silently.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. Gigi seems to have a special spot for you in her heart.”

I laughed, “Yeah? Why do you think that?”

Barb tugged my hand to stop me. “Because she yelled at me this morning and told me to fix whatever I had broken with you. She was not happy when you ditched us yesterday, although she loved the design. I did, too, by the way, but she was adamant about the fact that I get my rear end off the couch and down here to patch things up.”

“Did she really say that?”

“What, that she liked the design?”

“No, not the design, to go fix what you broke?”

Barb stepped closer and tilted her chin so she could keep eye contact, “I believe her exact words were, ‘Go kiss and make up and get him back here for dinner, I miss having a man at the table.’”

I stared down into her playful eyes, “Well, then, we better not disappoint her.”

“No,” she breathed into my face, “we’d better not.”