Echoes From The Past (Women of Character) (10 page)

"’Course. I’m going to make
sure I stop over this way more often," Randy added, grinning.

"Did you come to see
Ally?" he asked bluntly.

Randy cocked a brow.
"Maybe."

Garrett looked away from his
brother and stared at the beer in the refrigerator, debating if he should have
cookies instead.

The dryness in his throat won out.
He grabbed a can of beer, turned to Randy and held it up. "Randy?"

His brother shook his head.
"I’m having lemonade." He indicated a tall glass of pink lemonade in
front of him.

Garrett toasted him with the beer
and took a gulp, then leaned against the counter and crossed his boots. He saw
flakes of mud just under his boots. He’d better clean that up or Ruth would
tell him about it. He looked around. "Where’s Ruth?"

"She’s not here,"
Christie said, surprising him as she walked out of the pantry carrying a large
bag of flour.

She wore a dark red T-shirt and
blue jeans that were liberally dusted with flour. A large wet spot ran across
the front of her shirt. Garrett moved forward and took the flour from her to
set it on the counter. His glance dropped to her shirt and the way it clung to
her full breasts. He looked at his brother and frowned. By the direction of
Randy’s glance, his brother hadn’t missed the wet spot either and was enjoying
every minute of his time here.

"Thanks," Christie said.

Remembering the dirt he’d left on
the floor, Garrett reached over the counter and grabbed several paper towels.
Running them under the water faucet, he then squeezed them out. "Does Ruth
know you’re in here using the kitchen?" he asked curiously, picking up the
bits of dried mud with the paper towel.

"Well, I did ask
permission," Christie said dryly, opening the flour bag.

Garrett noticed two sugar dusted
jellyrolls sitting on the counter behind Christie and his sweet tooth kicked
into gear. When he looked up he realized Christie was staring fixedly at his
can of beer. Deliberately, he lifted the can and took a deep swallow. It felt
good going down.

He wiped his sleeve across the
corner of his mouth and studied her carefully. "The way you’re staring
makes me wonder if you want one. You’re not working, take one if you
want."

She shook her head quickly, her
glance sliding away from him. "I don’t drink."

"You don’t know what you’re
missing on a day like today." He took another swallow. When he looked at
her again she had turned away but Garrett thought her shoulders looked rigid.
He finished the beer, moved to the sink to rinse the can and then threw it in
the recycle trash bin on the open pantry door. Leaning against the counter, he
watched Christie mix ingredients. "I needed that to clear the dust I’ve
been eating all day."

"Well, if you’d like
something really scrumptious," Christie said lightly, "try some
chocolate jelly roll. The cookies are almost ready too."

"Daddy, I made your
favorite," Hannah said cheerfully, holding a cookie in the palm of her
hand.

"I see that." He
pretended to smack his lips. "So Christie knows how to bake cookies."

"Ruth had to leave," Hannah
said. She transferred the cookie to a plate and looked at Christie.
"Ruth’s cookies are better than anybody’s in the whole world. Nobody can
make them as good."

"Actually, one of my great
loves is baking," Christie supplied, opening the oven door to slide a
cookie sheet inside. "My sister’s favorite was chocolate chip too."

Garrett went perfectly still.

"You have a sister?"
Hannah asked, stuffing a cookie in her mouth, eyes wide on Christie. Garrett
stared at Christie, trying to catch her eye but she didn’t look up at him.

"I used to." She turned
away, her voice muffled as she faced the sink.

Garrett looked at Randy, who in
turn was looking at him. Garrett took a step toward Christie.

"Her name was Ellen,"
Christie said. "She died." She paused with her wet hands suspended
over the sink and Garrett stood there stupidly, feeling shock clear to his
boots. Ellen? The sister who was so like Judith? Christie hadn’t told him she’d
died too. Christ.

Christie fumbled for a dry cloth.
Garrett reached into a drawer, pulled out a dishtowel and handed it to her.

Briefly, her glance met his.
"Thanks."

"I’m sorry," he said
quietly. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

"She died not too long
ago," she said tersely.

Damn. Two sisters? He swallowed,
imagining her pain. No wonder she hadn’t wanted to talk about it.

She nodded jerkily and he wanted
to offer something, maybe an apology for his earlier gruffness with her.

The sadness in her eyes affected
him, as much as he didn’t want it to. He could imagine the pain she tried to
mask.

Randy cleared his throat, drawing
Garrett’s attention away from Christie. "Garrett, I wondered if I could
borrow your motorcycle? I've got the truck."

Garrett gave him a look of
disbelief. "You want to haul my Harley in that junker of yours outside?
For what you make as a cop, you should be able to afford something that doesn’t
belch when you drive it."

"If I break down I can always
ride the Harley home," Randy said smugly. He turned to Christie, an
invitation in his smile. "Have you ever ridden a motorcycle, Christie?
Maybe you’d like to go for a spin with me."

Garrett stiffened, well aware
Randy’s idea of a spin wasn’t limited to a motorcycle ride. He liked women and
women liked him. Garrett stared at his brother. "I don’t think that’s a
good idea."

Christie stepped around Garrett
and gave his brother a broad smile. "Actually, that sounds like fun."

"I’ll have to catch you when
we both have time off," Randy said, giving her a wink. "I can show
you all the ins and outs of riding."

"Next thing I know, you’ll be
charging for lessons on my motorcycle," Garrett said with a hint of
irritation.

Randy gave him a narrowed-eyed
look, rose to his feet and placed Hannah in the seat he had just vacated.
"I guess I should quit while I’m ahead. I don’t know anyone else who’d
loan out a Harley. It’s time for me to go." He dropped a kiss on Hannah’s
head and turned toward the door. "See you later, Squirt. Christie."

"Uncle Randy, you can’t
go!" Hannah threw her arms around his neck. With some satisfaction,
Garrett saw cookie crumbs rain down the back of Randy’s shirt, leaving a dusty
trail.

"I have to go." Randy
dropped another kiss on Hannah’s cheek. "Maybe I’ll see you
tomorrow."

Garrett followed his brother out
the door. "Leaving so soon?"

"I don’t want to cramp your
style, big brother."

The screen door closed behind
them. "What’s that supposed to mean?" Garrett growled.

Randy just whistled and Garrett
followed him down the steps and across the back yard, a tinge of guilt snaking
through him. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut. Randy had been having a
good time with Hannah.

Randy kept walking. "You
figure it out."

"My ribbing never bothered
you before," Garrett said stubbornly.

Randy stopped and faced him.
"That’s right, and it doesn’t bother me now. I’m just backing out
gracefully. I get the idea you’re feeling a bit territorial."

"That’s crap."

Randy smiled, speculation in his
gaze. "Is it?"

Garrett opened his mouth to refute
his brother’s statement, then closed it. Was he acting territorial? Yeah, he’d
been annoyed at the idea of Randy making moves on his new employee. . ..

He pulled open the door to the
small shed behind the house. "Yeah, it’s crap," he said. He walked
into the shed and then pushed his motorcycle outside. "She’s been here a
few days and you’re seeing something that isn’t there. Anyway, I know you’re
really after Ally."

It irritated Garrett when Randy
merely shrugged a shoulder.

"You keep bringing Ally
up."

"Why don’t you bring some
honesty into this conversation and admit why you’re really here?"

Randy just looked at him. Shaking
his head, Garrett put a wooden plank against the lowered tailgate of Randy’s
truck and together they pushed the Harley onto the truck bed, then secured it
on both sides with ratcheted tie-downs.

"By the way," Randy
said, "Christie checks out. Her mother got pregnant as a teenager with
Judith Kelly, who later was listed as a runaway. Your Judith. Judith’s father
unknown. Christie has no priors, clean record. She had another sister, Ellen
Jenkins, who died about three months ago."

"That’s it?"

"Do you want me to go
further? I had Melinda at the office do a quick check. I didn’t call that
number yet to check with her boss."

"No." Garrett felt a mix
of relief and new tension. Christie had been telling him the truth. She had a
right to know Hannah. In his gut he’d known it but he had to be certain for
Hannah’s sake.

Randy slid on dark glasses and
clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks for the loan of the motorcycle. I’ll
let you know how my hot date goes."

"So you’ve decided to go back
into the game? You can spare me the details."

"I’ll give you all the
details." Randy gave him a big smile. "I don’t want you to forget
what a date is all about."

"Very funny," Garrett
said sourly. What did it matter if he hadn’t been on a date in over three
months? It had been his choice. He was happy working his ranch. Hannah needed
consistency. He didn’t want to shake her world up again, not after the last
fiasco when he’d brought a female friend to the ranch. He cringed now just
thinking of the temper tantrum.

"I’ll probably see you in a
couple days – if not before."

"Before you go," Garrett
said, "I need another favor. Can you check up on Les Doyle? I’m worried
about Kim."

"I heard he got canned at the
plant and he’s drinking again."

"I know that much."

"I’ll keep my ears open. It’s
nice to have a brother in law enforcement, now isn’t it?"

Garrett smiled grudgingly.
"Thanks."

Randy opened his truck door with a
loud squeal of hinges.

"That seat looks like it’s
going to fall in the road. Somebody should give you a ticket."

Randy turned the screwdriver that
served as his key. The truck started with a loud backfire and then a roar.

"You need a muffler,"
Garrett said when the truck backfired again.

Randy smiled. "It needs more than
that. I’ll write myself a ticket. See ya."

"Randy!" Garrett heard
Christie’s voice as his brother began to drive away.

Christie ran around the side of
the house toward the driveway. "Randy!"

Randy stopped the truck and a
swirl of dust rose up around him. Coughing, Garrett stepped back.

Christie gracefully jogged across
the driveway, a brown paper bag in her hand. She leaned in the open passenger
window of Randy’s truck and handed him the bag. She stood waving as Randy drove
off.

Christie turned to face him.
"I almost forgot to give Randy his cookies. He told me they were his
favorite."

"Mine too," he said
deliberately. "My mom always made chocolate chip cookies on Sundays. My
dad was a chocoholic before we knew what that meant."

"I’ve always had a weakness
for chocolate myself," she admitted with a conspiratorial smile.

Garrett smiled back at her as he
led the way back to the house. At the back door he held the screen open for
her. Once inside the kitchen, he said musingly, "I’m amazed Ruth turned
the kitchen over to you. She’s very territorial."

Christie moved to sit at the table
across from his daughter. "Hannah and Ruth were in the midst of making
cookies when she had to leave." She lowered her voice. "Hannah was
disappointed and said her friend’s mom makes them cookies all the time, so I
volunteered to fill in."

Stiffly, Garrett leaned down and
placed his palms flat on the table, his face very close to Christie’s. "I
need to see you outside," he said.

"What about your special
cookies, Daddy?" Eyes wide, Hannah watched both of them.

"Save them for me," he
said. Courteously, he held the door open for Christie and they walked back
outside. Almost defiantly, she swung her tail of hair over a shoulder and
stomped down the stairs. She didn’t stop until she reached Hannah’s tire swing
under the big old maple tree. She swung to face him and put her hands on slim
hips.

Garrett’s mouth went suddenly dry.
Unaccountably, he had the strongest urge to lean forward and kiss that
impertinent mouth until it turned soft and responsive. He shoved away that
tempting thought.

Looking up toward the house,
Garrett could see his daughter watching them through the kitchen window, but
knew she couldn’t hear him. He kept his voice low anyway. "I need you to
understand Hannah can’t get her way all the time, or depend on you to make
cookies. That’s Ruth’s job."

"I happened to be there so I
said I’d help finish the cookies they’d started. Hannah wasn’t happy, but I
guess she really wanted to make the cookies. The other night you warned me
about your daughter’s possible hostility and now you seem bothered that she
might be okay with me. I’ll remind you I am her aunt."

Garrett took three steps away and
then circled back. "Hannah likes to pretend. She misses her mother, but I
don’t want anything setting her up for heartache later."

 "I’d never hurt a
child, especially one as sensitive as Hannah." Christie set her jaw.
"And I’m certainly not trying to take my sister’s place."

"I’m not saying you’d hurt
anyone on purpose." All he had to do was look in her eyes to know that,
but he had to protect his daughter. "She was hurt bad when her mom died.
She’s still pretty breakable."

"I understand your priority,
but see it from my point of view. She’s my only link with my sister. If Hannah
comes looking for me, I won’t turn her away."