Heart Matters (33 page)

Steven saw the familiar chocolate brown head
glowing in the sunshine with a strange emotion overwhelming his
senses. At first, he wondered if he was hallucinating but he had
already seen Mallory and Jamie and knew it had to be her. He
watched her feeling as though the entire world had disappeared and
only she existed. The sheer joy that he felt upon seeing her took
him by surprise.

His dark head shook absently. It can’t be.
He had tried his best to forget her over the past month and thought
he had almost succeeded. Why then was his heart beating a wild beat
at the very sight of her? His fingers raked his hair in
exasperation.
What are you doing to me, Jessica?
he sent a
muted question that was as desperate as a thirsty man in a desert.
Why does my life feel empty without you? Is this what it feels
to love someone to the point of madness?

***

Amidst thrilled squeals and shrieks of
children and parents alike, Jessica managed to get Mallory and
Jamie aboard for a twenty-minute Harbor cruise. They had a
wonderful time with Santa who listened to all their Christmas
wishes. When Mallory’s turn came, she took so long that Jessica had
to practically drag her off. Jamie blushed beautifully asking only
for a small ‘horsie’ to play with.

When the ride ended, the children left the
boat chattering excitedly. Jessica managed to laugh despite the
uneasy feeling in her stomach. Mallory sang loudly all the way to
their car causing a lot of heads to turn and smile at her
indulgently. Jamie skipped all the way holding on to Jessica’s hand
and almost fell over when his shoelaces came undone.

“Aunt Jessi!” he cried out, looking annoyed
with his shoes.

Jessica laughed, shaking her head. “It’s all
right Jamie; I’ll tie them for you.” She knelt by his side
thrusting the stuffed pink bear Jamie had received from Santa into
Mallory’s hands.

“Oh, look!” Mallory shrieked so abruptly
that she almost jumped up startled.

“What?” Jessica looked around trying to see
what the little girl was gesturing at. To her horror, Mallory
suddenly took to her feet and began running through the crowd.

Jessica lunged at her but she got away.
“Mallory! Stop!” She tucked Jamie under one arm and pushed through
the crowd to stop the fleeing child. Then Mallory screamed so
inhumanly that Jessica’s blood turned cold. She pushed aside the
last person to spot the child sprawled across the path.

“Mallory!” she cried out, going a deathly
pale. She set Jamie next to her and reached out for the girl who
was sitting up on her own by now.

“I’m o..okay, Aunt Jessi,” she spoke, her
voice shaky with shock. She winced. “My foot…I think I hurt
it.”

Jessica gasped taking in Mallory’s grazed
cheek. She looked around for help. “Can someone please help me with
her? Where can I get some first aid?”

“Here, let me help you.”

His voice startled Jessica and she looked up
in astonishment, staring into familiar blue eyes that were now
examining Mallory anxiously. The child squealed at once. “Uncle
Steve!” Mallory managed to rise to her feet and flung herself into
Steven’s arms.

“Hey, beautiful!” Steven laughed lifting her
in a warm embrace. He beckoned Jamie with one free hand and the
child leapt at him. He carried them both easily, laughing as they
stormed him with kisses.

Jessica gaped at him flabbergasted. What was
he
doing here? She rose slowly to her feet absently dusting
her clothes while watching the children and the big man. They made
quite a sight. A large handsome man with two kids in his arms. They
could easily have belonged to him. He was dressed casually in a
pair of faded blue jeans and a navy blue tee shirt that
complemented his eyes with a deeper shade.

His eyes turned upon her suddenly catching
her wide gaze. He grinned at her easily. “Hi!” She simply continued
staring at him as though still wondering if he were an apparition.
He walked casually towards her, coming to stand before her. The
gray eyes were large and confused. His blue eyes danced with
amusement. “Hello, Jessica.”

Mallory giggled and Jessica came out of her
trance. She cast an annoyed look at Mallory and turned a cool gaze
upon Steven. “Steven. You surprised us all.” She deliberately
avoided his eyes and lifted Mallory’s foot to examine it
delicately. A large purple bruise was beginning to show at her
ankle. “Mallory, you’ve sprained your ankle! Doesn’t it hurt?”

The child looked down and twisted her nose.
“Oh, yes, it does, Aunt Jessi.”

Jessica frowned at her. “You could’ve fooled
me. Why did you dash off like that?”

Mallory looked ashamed but smiled putting
her arms around Steven. “I was trying to tell you that I saw Uncle
Steven.”

Jessica set her lips in a stern line. “Next
time you will not run helter-skelter regardless of who you see. Is
that clear, Miss Cantrell?”

Mallory nodded guiltily. “I’m sorry.”

“I think we should take her for examination,
Jessica”, Steven stated and began stalking off with the children
before she could protest. She had no choice but to follow them.

“Where are you taking her?” she demanded,
catching up with him. He was walking with wide strides and she
almost had to run to keep up with him.

“The local hospital.”

“Do you know where it is?”

He declined to answer and stopped only when
he reached his BMW. He opened the car and placed the children in
the back seat. He climbed into the driver’s seat and only then did
he look at her. “Get in.”

She stood outside looking thoroughly
aggravated. “What about my car?”

“We’ll come for it later.” His brow rose
challengingly when she hesitated. “Are you coming with us or
not?”

She had no choice in the matter so she got
in meekly. The interior of his car smelled overwhelmingly of him,
hitting her like a force. His close proximity didn’t help either
and she sat rigidly while he drove in a most relaxed manner. They
reached the hospital in silence.

Mallory was treated by a motherly doctor who
fussed over her making her glow with happiness. Strangely, after
the doctor had finished with her, Mallory began looking positively
sick. A worried Jessica fretted over her, stroking her blonde hair.
“What is it, darling? Does it hurt too much?”

Mallory nodded miserably, tears glistening
in her wide blue eyes. “I wanna sleep, Aunt Jessi. I’m tired.”

Jessica desperately searched the doctor’s
face. The woman shook her head slightly. She drew her aside and
spoke in a low voice. “I think she’s just scared. She needs to
rest.”

Jessica felt beside herself with
exasperation. “But doctor we’ve come all the way from Beverly Hills
and we can’t possibly stay here.”

The doctor looked sympathetic but shook her
head. “Look at the poor child. She’s almost asleep. Why don’t you
ask Mr. Hart to help you with her?” The doctor pocketed her
stethoscope. “I have to leave, Miss Cantrell but do take my advice.
You can’t leave while she’s in this state. Why don’t you stay here
tonight in Dana Point and leave tomorrow? I’m sure the shock will
wear off by then. And don’t let her put too much pressure on her
foot just yet.”

The only thing Jessica could do was watch
the doctor leave with a sinking heart. Then a thought struck her
mind. The doctor probably knew Steven because she had asked her to
seek his help. Was he so popular that the entire women population
of the nation knew him? She went in search of him and found him on
a visitor’s chair with Jamie fast asleep in his arms. He was
kissing the child’s brown hair. Jessica mellowed at the sight. He
looked perfectly at ease with the sleeping boy in his arms. He
looked up when she approached and hushed her with his finger.

“Steven”, she whispered, reaching out to
ruffle Jamie’s soft hair. He raised his brow and she smiled
reluctantly. “You’re good with them.”

His smile was disarming and it tugged at her
heart. “They know me so it’s easy I guess. What did the doc
say?”

“Mallory’s in shock. She needs to rest. We
can’t leave just yet.” She looked at him with pleading eyes. “Do
you know this place well? The doctor seems to think you can help me
around here.”

Steven gave her a wry grin. “I happen to
live here, Jessica. Dana Point Harbor is my home. It was my
parent’s home and after them it’s mine.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “What about
the penthouse apartment?”

“I use that on and off but my real home’s
here in the Harbor.” He watched her earnestly, leaning slightly
towards her. “Jessica, why don’t you bring the kids to my place for
the night? They’ll be fine there.” She looked at him in confusion
not knowing whether it was proper to accept such an invitation. The
blue eyes suddenly narrowed as he chuckled throatily. “Come on,
Jessica, you don’t have to think so much! I’m not a big bad wolf
and I promise I won’t lunge at you.”

She flustered feeling embarrassed but
accepted reluctantly. “Thank you. Could you get Mallory for me,
she’s a bit large for me to carry. I’ll take Jamie.” He did as she
bid and shifted Jamie in her arms.

Jessica watched the surroundings with
interest as he drove his car through the smooth roads of Dana Point
Harbor. He drove into a secluded residential street causing her
eyes widened with unconcealed surprise when the car moved into the
smallish drive of a cozy house. As compared to the sprawling
mansions of Beverly Hills, Steven’s house looked like the outhouse.
It didn’t live up to her expectation of the successful man. He had
enough money to be able to afford a luxurious home and yet here it
was; a tidy little white house at the end of a nondescript
street.

The car stopped and he came round to take
Mallory in his arms. The girl was already fast asleep as her
brother. Jessica carried Jamie and stood behind Steven as he
removed his keys and opened the front door. He went in and she
followed to find herself in a small hallway. He switched on the
lights as he went and she glanced about curiously. A cozy lounge on
one side, a door leading somewhere next to it and a staircase
leading upstairs were all that was visible from where she stood. He
went up the staircase and entered a bedroom that held a double bed.
He drew back the sheets and lowered Mallory on to it.

Jessica stood in the doorway watching him
remove the child’s shoes with an odd feeling. He looked completely
at ease doing it. A lump formed in her throat. They could have been
so good together. If only…

His eyes suddenly flew to her face holding
hers for a long time. They seemed to be appraising her quite
deliberately and slow warmth spread across her cheeks. He rose to
his feet going past her. “This is the guest room. You can put Jamie
in with Mallory.” He paused at the door and gave her a smile that
made her go weak. “You can wash up in the bathroom, if you want.
There are plenty of towels on the rack.”

“Thanks”, she mumbled.

He stood where he was watching her.
“Jessica, would you like some coffee and lunch perhaps? It’s almost
noon.”

She nodded. “The kids?”

“They can eat when they get up.”

She smiled at him, failing to notice his
sharp intake of breath. “I’ll be down in five minutes.” He left
closing the door behind him and Jessica shook her head absently.
How had she managed to get into this mess? She would have to call
Cheryl and Jeff and tell them about Mallory’s unfortunate tumble.
They would never again trust her with the kids, that she sure.

But their reaction was the least of her
worries right now. She was in Steven’s home and her nerve ends were
tingling as though charged with high voltage. In the bathroom, she
splashed her face with cold water then patted it dry. The mirror
showed her eyes wide and disturbed. She frowned with irritation.
Stop acting juvenile!
, she scolded herself,
he is just a
harmless man
.
He is also the one who can turn you into a
puppet by his mere touch
, her inner voice mocked her. No, he
couldn’t do it again. Not this time. In any case, he didn’t look
too interested in her. The last thought annoyed her further and she
scowled furiously. Why should it matter to her that Steven wasn’t
interested in her?

Jessica brushed her hair and tied it up in a
neat braid. She checked herself in the mirror and frowned. The
jeans that she wore had been white and were now somewhat dusty.
Above it, her red tee shirt that was tucked into the jeans seemed
wrinkled. She would have loved to get into a different set of
clothes but she had no choice.

She went downstairs in search of Steven and
frowned when she noticed his car wasn’t in the drive. In the
kitchen, she found a short note from him. ‘Need to get a few
things. Be back soon. Steven.’ She read the short note admiring his
steady handwriting before groaning miserably. Why was it that she
still liked everything about him?

She busied herself making a cup of coffee
for herself. In the lounge, she found a business magazine and sat
reading it with affected interest.

He returned a good half hour later; his arms
full of grocery supplies and other purchases. She opened the door
for him and took some bags from him. “What’s all this? Christmas
shopping?”

He led the way to the kitchen where dumped
everything on the kitchen table. “Just some food for the hungry and
some clothes.”

“Clothes? That wasn’t necessary.”

“Of course it was. You are going to stay
overnight; don’t you need some fresh clothes to get into?”

She couldn’t argue with that and busied
herself by rummaging through the bags. He had bought pajama suits
for the children along with jeans and tee shirts for the next day.
For her, he had picked up a short-sleeved flowery dress and a
flimsy silk nightdress with a matching gown. She faced him a trifle
embarrassed. “You didn’t have to buy all this, Steven.”