Lone Oak Feud (Harlequin Heartwarming) (3 page)

The slow smile that crept across his face was worth the risk. “You like hide-and-seek?”

She nodded.

“You be ‘it.’”

“Yes, sir. Stairs are base.” She knelt on the bottom step and ducked her head into her arms. Closing her eyes, she counted to twenty in a loud voice.

Owen became more animated with each round, and she loved seeing him open up. They’d both hidden several times when she started to think she was pressing her luck. “You hide one more time, then I have to go. My dad’s waiting for me.”

“I’m gonna find the goodest place this time!”

She laughed. So far she hadn’t had any trouble locating him. He had a hard time staying quiet.

After counting again, she warned him she was on her way. For once, she didn’t hear a giggle or the scuff of shoes on the ground. She was sure he wasn’t in the immediate area.

She glanced around the backyard and didn’t see him peeking out anywhere, so she headed toward the front of the house. Wandering slowly along the driveway, making a show of looking everywhere in case he was watching, she wondered aloud where on earth a sneaky boy could hide.

She was almost to the front corner of the house, searching in the line of evergreen shrubs along the driveway, when a big, black testosterone-ridden truck whipped into the driveway, skidding to a stop just in time to avoid hitting her.

CHAPTER THREE

L
INDSEY
’
S
HEART
RESTARTED
as the driver got out and slammed the door. She glanced around to make sure Owen hadn’t emerged from hiding and witnessed her nearly becoming a pancake. She was relieved to see no sign of him.

Her relief smacked into a brick wall as Zach Rundle strode around the front of the truck toward the side of the driveway where she’d scrambled.

She felt herself shrink and stepped back as he approached. He was...bigger than she remembered. Broader. More muscular. Taller.

She could tell herself until she was dizzy from lack of air that he wasn’t more appealing than she recalled...but she’d be flat-out lying.

He wasn’t
GQ
-handsome. He was more of a dark-haired, tough, I’ll-do-what-I-please kind of man, but it looked good on him. Something about it attracted her. Or it would if he wasn’t Zach Rundle.

He gave off an air of boldness, as if he knew he could handle anything—and maybe had during his lifetime. She knew his childhood hadn’t been particularly rosy, but he definitely didn’t look any worse for the wear.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Just perfect, thanks.”

“Sorry about that. I wasn’t expecting anyone on the driveway.”

“So I noticed. There’s a child living here, you know.”

He started to respond, then closed his mouth.

The moment she’d dreaded for years was finally here, and it was every bit as awkward as she’d imagined. Worse. Because he was being nice.

She wished she could forget about how he’d humiliated her years ago. How he’d sent her away. But sixteen was an age where girls were easily scarred by rejection. Here it was, years later, and his still stung.

Lindsey’s mouth was suddenly parched. She moistened her lips. “Thanks for coming so quickly—”

“You didn’t give me much choice, did you?” His tone carried a hint of annoyance.

She straightened and inched forward. “Believe me, if I wasn’t tremendously concerned about your nephew, I would never have called you.”

He sized her up, seemingly trying to decipher her motives, as if she were hiding something. The only thing she hoped to hide was how he made her feel like she’d been shot back in time.

Zach stepped forward, not taking his eyes off Lindsey. It was a stare down. She definitely had the advantage on that one, as he felt slightly off-balance just being close to her.

She was still a beauty. Still had the looks of the town sweetheart, of the girl who could do no wrong. Heart-shaped face with skin like fresh peaches and cream, brown eyes with a glimmer of spirit in them, prominent cheekbones and long brown hair that’d been tossed around by the wind. The only thing missing was that irresistible dimple. As long as she didn’t smile, he’d be okay. And at the present moment, she didn’t seem to be much in a smiling mood.

“I’m still trying to figure out why you
did
call me. Why would you care about anyone in my family?” He kept his voice steady. No need to show how unraveled he felt.

She whipped her hair back behind her shoulder, clueing him in to the fact that she was upset. Welcome to the club.

“Your grandma could have a serious problem. Dementia. Alzheimer’s. Something entirely different. Family members are often the last to admit there’s anything wrong.”

What kind of psychobabble was she rattling on about? What did she know about families and dementia and...and then it hit him. She was a social worker of some kind. He remembered hearing it vaguely—one of the thousands of downfalls of coming from a small town—you heard stuff you didn’t want to know about people you tried not to think about even once you’d moved on.

“We don’t need social services, so you can quit hovering like a vulture, waiting to swoop in.”

Her eyes flashed with emotion. “My job has nothing to do with my concern for that boy. He’s a sweet child who deserves more than he might possibly be getting.”

A dark-haired kid popped out of the bush at the end of the driveway and came barreling toward them. “You didn’t find me! I’m gonna make it to base!” he singsonged as he zipped past.

Lindsey took off after him, letting him beat her. Once they hit the back steps, they both collapsed in laughter.

“I winned! I winned!” The kid Zach assumed was Owen bounced on the bottom step, pleased with himself. Lindsey congratulated him with a hug. Zach could tell she was used to being with kids. The total opposite of him.

“You’re too good for me, Owen,” she said. “That was a tricky hiding spot.”

She gave Owen a high five. Zach felt like an outsider standing by the home where he’d grown up.

He watched the kid with concealed interest, unable to fully grasp he was Josh’s flesh and blood. Zach’s nephew. Owen seemed full of energy and in no danger. He was scrawny, but then, Zach and Josh had both been rail-thin as kids, too.

Lindsey, on the other hand, wasn’t rail-thin. Her modest curves and tiny waist were apparent through the snug fit of her sweater and jeans. She was a far cry from the teenage girl who’d approached him in the backyard shop. He’d been intrigued by her then, but this version of Lindsey threatened to send his thoughts in all kinds of directions he hadn’t allowed them to go in for a long time.

Zach had grown up, gotten serious. Figured out the important things in his life. And a woman wasn’t one of them. He was more interested in practical, uncomplicated things, like his career. He was no longer a sucker for a pretty face. Especially not one with such a load of emotional baggage, who lived in a place he vowed to never call home again.

The back door was out of sight from where he stood, but Zach heard the old screen door squeak open.

“Owen! Come over here! Salinger girl, get your skinny self off my property!”

Lindsey’s eyes closed and even from where he stood he could see her take a deep breath. She didn’t give his grandma a glance, but bent down to Owen. “See you, kiddo. I had fun playing with you.” She smiled warmly at the boy, giving no obvious sign of being bothered by the scolding.

She used to burst into tears with the slightest provocation—he’d witnessed it several times from afar. Gone was the girl who wore her heart on her sleeve. In her place was...definitely a woman.

No. He couldn’t think of her that way. She was simply the nagging inconvenience that had dragged him away from Wichita for a few days.

Zach walked up the driveway toward the back door, and their eyes locked. For an instant. Sparks of challenge and attraction shot between them. Once she’d passed him on her way to the sidewalk, he turned around to watch her. Then he turned back, reminding himself he didn’t want to think of her that way.

“Zachary Rundle! What are you doing here?”

He grinned up at the crotchety old woman, then took the steps in two bounds to deliver a hug. “Grandma.”

She felt frail in his arms, not quite as strong or full of it as she’d always been. Seeing her get older and weaker was rough, but still, it was always good to be with her again. Whenever he came home, he realized how much he missed her. He couldn’t stand the town, but he loved this old woman.

When they pulled apart, he could swear he saw a hint of moisture in her eyes, but by the time he did a double take, it was gone. Good. She wasn’t going soft on him. That wouldn’t be his grandma.

“You didn’t answer my question, mister.”

He squeezed her shoulders, unable to stop smiling.

“So this is Owen, huh?” He motioned over his shoulder, then turned to the boy who stood glued to the bottom step, clearly confused.

“This is Owen. Owen, say hello to your uncle Zach.”

The child looked down at his feet and didn’t respond.

“Owen.” Grandma’s voice was sterner.

He mumbled a “hi” so soft Zach barely heard it. Maybe the kid wasn’t as outgoing as he’d originally thought.

“I don’t think he’s used to men,” his grandma said quietly.

“Hey, O.” He paused, wondering what one said to a five-year-old kid. “How you doing?”

“Fine.”

He glanced at his grandma, hoping she’d take charge as was her specialty. Nowadays, Zach was comfortable with that for the most part. But when he was a teenager, there’d been plenty of head-butts.

“Come inside, Owen. You need a bath,” she said.

“I’m not dirty.” The boy searched his arms and trunk and shrugged his shoulders. The earnest look on his face almost made Zach chuckle.

“
Now,
Owen.”

Zach was quite familiar with Gram’s don’t-mess-with-me tone, and he waited to see if his nephew had figured out she meant business. Owen plodded up the outside stairs to the back door, shoulders sagging. Either he learned fast or he was used to taking orders from his great-grandma.

Zach followed them inside to the kitchen.

“Where’s Josh?”

“Don’t go jumping into questions until you answer mine. What are you doing in town?”

“Couldn’t stand being away from you any longer, Granny Dearest.”

She grabbed a magazine off the ancient white countertop, rolled it up and bopped him on the head. “Don’t you sweet-talk me, Zachary.” She grinned in spite of her tough act.

“Owen, go get your dirty clothes off. Uncle Zach will be up to run some bath water in a few minutes.”

The boy flew out of the room, probably glad to get away from the uncle he’d never met before. Zach shrugged. He knew what it was like to have a bunch of new adults forced on you after your parents took off. He distinctly remembered it sucked.

Zach hefted himself up onto the counter next to the sink. If Owen didn’t want to open up to him, so be it. Zach didn’t consider himself much of a talker, anyway. Besides, he wouldn’t be here for long. Just long enough to get Lindsey off his grandma’s back.

“Where’s my lazy brother?” Zach said lightly.

“Zachary. There’s a child in the house. Try to restrain yourself.” Her lips puckered in sternness and he felt like hugging her again.

“So where is he?”

His grandma’s face fell and she shook her head as she lowered herself onto a ladder-back chair. “Wish I knew. Least he could’ve done is leave a note.”

“Yeah, I can see Josh as the note type.” He shook his head. If Josh had ever done anything responsible in his life, their grandma would look ten years younger. But her devotion to both her grandsons had never wavered.

“How long’s he been gone?”

“Over a week. He’s never left for this long before, not without telling me.”

The grave look on her face told him she was worried. And she didn’t worry easily. She’d raised her own two boys and then him and Josh as well. Raising boys, especially Rundle boys, wasn’t for the faint of heart.

“That’s too bad. Instant fatherhood probably did him in.” For a moment, he wondered where his brother might be hiding out. Then he noticed his grandma staring at nothing, her forehead furrowed. “Is anything else wrong, Grandma?”

Her head jerked toward him sharply. “Why do you ask?”

Zach shrugged. “Just making sure. You’re not a spring chick anymore, much as you like to think. A five-year-old’s a lot to handle.” He hopped down from the counter and pulled out the chair and sat. “You doing okay, Gram?”

He watched her throat move as she swallowed before answering. “I’m not dead yet, Zachary. I can handle that boy just fine. Compared to you and your brother, he’s a walk in the park.”

Her answer soothed any fears he may have had. He doubted there was anything wrong outside of Lindsey Salinger’s imagination. However, one thing still nagged at him.

“Lindsey said you were nice to her when she brought Owen back the other day.”

His grandma considered his words for some time and scowled. “So? I’m old enough to decide when I want to be friendly. She brought the boy back.”

That made sense. She couldn’t be rude to someone who’d just returned a lost kid. While being kind to a Salinger wasn’t her usual MO, there was a time and place for everything.

Lindsey was paranoid.

She had a long weekend to get unparanoid and butt out of Rundle business, because Zach had a job to get back to.

CHAPTER FOUR

T
HE
THREE
S
ALINGER
SISTERS
together in one room was a good sign that something wasn’t normal. Middle sister Savannah rarely showed her face around their dad’s. Her two kids and her husband kept her running, or so she said. Katie, the youngest, was in her last semester at the University of Kansas and had more friends and dates than Lindsey had arm hairs. She made it home when she could but being a social butterfly took a lot of time.

As it happened, they’d all shown up Sunday afternoon to check on their dad and had been easily convinced by Mrs. Hale, who might as well have been a member of the family, to stay for dinner.

Lindsey hopped up to help serve homemade angel food cake with strawberries for dessert. Savannah’s kids, Allie and Logan, had already escaped to the basement to play Tarzan—or something equally loud. Lindsey had considered joining them but opted to spend time with her sisters while she could. Katie was heading back later tonight.

“Anyone need a refill yet? It’s decaf.” Mrs. Hale carried the coffeepot to the table.

“I need the real stuff,” Katie said. “I have a test in media law tomorrow.”

“Let me guess,” Savannah said. “You haven’t started studying yet.”

Katie grinned and pushed her hair off her forehead. “You got it. Too much going on.”

“She’ll ace it,” Lindsey said. “She always does.”

“Someone had to get the brains in the family,” Michael piped up.

Savannah frowned at her husband then turned back to Katie. “Our favorite smart-aleck.”

“Jealous?” Katie asked.

“Hardly. Linds, are you still coming to the winter carnival next weekend?”

“Unless you let me off kitchen duty,” Lindsey said. “What about you, Katie? Going to make it back?”

“When is it?”

“Saturday. Starts at noon and goes on all day.”

Katie shook her head. “Got a date.”

“Who’s the lucky guy?”

“Just a guy,” Katie said in a bored voice. “No one to get worked up about.”

Everyone laughed except their dad.

“What’s got you so grumpy?” Lindsey asked him.

“He’s still ticked off about the newspaper,” Katie said. “Right, Daddy?”

“Boneheads.”

“Don’t go getting your blood pressure up, Wendell.” Mrs. Hale gave him her mild version of the evil eye. It was tough for a plump, matronly woman to carry off.

The newspaper in question was the
Lone Oak Leader,
their dad’s weekly. He was the editor and it was as much his baby as the three sisters were. His work was everything. It was making him crazy to take time off to recuperate.

“I promise you very few people are going to know the mayor was misquoted on page six last week. You apologized. He accepted. Try to forget about it,” Katie said.

“They should never have run the ice-skating story on page one. Mary knows better than that. I’m going in for the final edit this week.”

“No, you’re not,” Lindsey and Mrs. Hale said at the same time.

Katie laughed. “Guess you’re not, Daddy.”

He was muttering what he thought of their overprotectiveness when the doorbell chimed. Lindsey got up to answer it.

She wasn’t in the habit of using the peephole, so she was more than a little surprised to see Zach when she opened the door.

“Uh, hi,” she said through the screen door. She looked over her shoulder to see if anyone in the kitchen had noticed who their visitor was. Cheerful conversation, so she figured she was safe.

“I need to talk to you,” Zach said.

“And here I thought maybe you brought me a thank-you present for bringing your grandma’s possible health problems to light.”

When he focused those eyes on her, she tried hard not to be affected.

“My grandma doesn’t have health problems.”

Lindsey stepped outside and eased the screen door closed behind her. Crossing her arms, she said, “This better be important. I don’t want my dad to see you here.”

“He’ll be fine.”

“He just had heart surgery. I don’t want you upsetting him.” She glanced nervously over her shoulder again. “Back to your grandma’s health.”

“I’ve been with her for three days now. My grandma is fine.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“What, exactly, do you think is wrong with her?” In spite of his obvious agitation, she read concern in his dark brown eyes.

That concern, of course, got to Lindsey in spite of herself, in spite of everything. He wasn’t as bad as he wanted everyone to believe. Why couldn’t she remain cold and unfeeling with this guy?

“I’m not trying to cause trouble. She just wasn’t herself the other night when I took Owen back.”

“You said she was friendly. That’s not a crime.”

She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, frustrated. “No. Not a crime. But definitely unprecedented.”

“She told me she was grateful you’d returned Owen. Seems like a good enough reason to me.”

“Could be. But I swear she didn’t know me from Eve. She acted disoriented. Confused. Maybe I’m overreacting but my instincts are usually right on. The other night they told me something was wrong.”

“I haven’t noticed any confusion.”

Lindsey tried hard to see the situation from his perspective. It was natural for him to want to give his grandma the benefit of the doubt. “I’m not an expert, but some of the first signs of dementia are not recognizing people, forgetting things.”

He ran one hand along his stubble-covered, hard-angled jaw. “I don’t like where you’re going with this.”

“Where am I going?”

“Labeling her based on one encounter. She
isn’t
demented.”

This was getting nowhere and her dad was too close. “Zach, why are you here?”

He leaned back against the sturdy wooden railing, and she couldn’t help noticing how well his worn jeans hugged his muscular thighs.

“I’m taking off for Wichita tomorrow. I came to tell you to leave my grandma alone.”

“To tell me or to threaten me?”

“It’s none of your business what goes on in that house.” He indicated the yellow Victorian with a nod of his head.

“I’m worried about Owen.”

“What do you think she’s going to do to him? Beat him? Lock him in the basement?”

Lindsey took a deep breath. “I don’t think she would intentionally hurt him. I could see she cares about him when I took him home. Otherwise I wouldn’t have left him with her.”

“What’ll it take to get you to drop it?”

She crossed her arms again. “For me to drop it?” She met his challenging gaze and didn’t back down. “Take care of Owen yourself.”

“I can’t do that. I have a job to get back to.”

“Then prepare to have me on neighborhood watch.”

His eyes narrowed as he sized her up, and then he gave a halfhearted chuckle. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or amused, but it didn’t matter.

“Lindsey?” Wendell’s voice reached from the other side of the screen door.

Uh-oh.

“He’s leaving, Dad. Go sit down. I’ll take care of it.”

Zach glanced from her to her father and back again. “Watch all you want. Just do it from a distance.”

He turned and walked down the front steps at a leisurely pace, driving home the point that he couldn’t be forced away unless he was ready to go. Whatever. As long as he went.

She opened the door and waited for her dad to step out of her way. A muscle in his jaw twitched.

“The kid again?” His voice was deceptively calm. Didn’t go with the look in his eyes at all.

She walked past him, heading for the kitchen. “Come on, Dad. Don’t worry about it. Please sit down and relax.”

“Wish I could,” he muttered.

They were at the doorway to the kitchen now, and everyone was staring at them.

“What’s wrong?” Mrs. Hale’s eyebrows dipped in concern.

“Zach Rundle was at the door.”

“Why?” Savannah didn’t seem overly interested, but then that was her way.

Katie fixed Lindsey with a suspicious glare.

“I don’t trust that family to make sure a five-year-old boy is taken care of properly,” Lindsey answered defensively. She tried to direct her dad back to the table, but he pulled his arm away. Then he shuffled to his chair and sat down anyway.

Guilt gnawed at her. She knew her dad was upset—much more than he showed. She wished she could let it go, stop worrying about Owen.

Katie’s chair scraped against the old vinyl floor as she stood. “Time for me to fly.”

Lindsey could have kissed her for the distraction, even though she sensed there was something her little sister wasn’t saying. Katie wouldn’t look directly at her.

The kitchen became a jumble of activity as everyone cleared the table and Katie got ready to leave for Lawrence.

Katie bent to kiss their dad on the forehead, then she turned to Lindsey. “Watch yourself.”

Usually Lindsey was the one giving Katie advice. “Good luck on the test,” was all she could think to say.

“She doesn’t need luck,” Michael said, winking at Katie.

Katie went to the sink where Savannah was scraping dishes and wound her arms around her sister from behind, then turned and hugged Michael, who stood near the door.

“Drive safe,” their dad hollered as she rushed out the back door.

“We need to go, too, Savannah,” Michael said.

Without looking at him, Savannah called the kids up from the basement, to a duo of protests. After a good five minutes of debates and getting their coats on, the four of them headed out to the car.

“Talk to you soon,” Lindsey said at the back door.

“Not so quick,” Savannah replied. “Kids, go get in the car. I’ll be right there.” Michael was already climbing into the driver’s seat.

“Bye, Aunt Lindsey!”

“Bye, guys! Where’s my hug?”

Logan, who was four, ran toward her and grasped Lindsey’s leg. Allie, seven, moved slower and made a lot less noise as she wrapped her arms around Lindsey’s waist. As they pranced off to the minivan, Allie scolded Logan for not zipping his coat.

Lindsey smiled, then turned to her sister. “What’s up?”
As if she didn’t know.

“Why are you talking to Zach Rundle?”

“I’m not. He’s gone. Can we drop it?”

“What does Josh have to say for himself? Isn’t it his kid?”

“Josh is gone. That’s the problem, or part of it.”

“I wouldn’t say getting rid of Josh Rundle is a problem.”

“For you and me it’s a blessing. But maybe not for his son.”

“I could argue that.”

“Point taken. But I don’t think that woman is up to caring for a child.”

“It’s not your problem, Linds.”

“It’s Owen’s problem. And who’s going to stick up for him if his family doesn’t?”

Savannah studied her. She shook her head slowly and started toward the van. Lindsey walked with her.

“I know better than to think I can talk you out of it.”

“Good,” Lindsey said. “Then don’t say anything else.”

Savannah stopped. “If you’re going to keep tabs on the Rundles, keep it to yourself. Dad will never accept it.” Savannah stared at her for several seconds, then turned to get in the van. “Be careful. They’ve hurt our family enough.”

Lindsey was fully aware Josh had turned their lives upside down. She was at the heart of it all—the pain, the guilt. No one needed to lecture her on it.

She saw the wisdom in Savannah’s advice, though. She planned to make sure Owen was safe without letting her dad know a thing about it.

* * *

C
LAUDIA
H
ALE
SHUT
THE
DOOR
after Lindsey left, locking it for the night. At the table, Wendell sat quietly fuming.

“Well?” she said.

He glanced at her, a scowl deepening the wrinkles on his face. “Well, what?”

“You’re upset.”

“Yes, I’m upset. Are you surprised?”

“Surprised? No.” It’d been years and he still reacted to the Rundles the same way. “Worried? Yes.”

“How can she stand to talk to those people?”

“You know how she is, Wendell. Girl’s heart is bigger than a house. Wouldn’t want her any other way.”

“Those people are bad news. I don’t want them to hurt my family anymore.” His volume hadn’t risen, but strong feeling emphasized every word.

“You need to get a hold on your anger toward the neighbors—”

“They killed my wife.”

“One man killed your wife. The rest of the family had nothing to do with it.”

“Maybe if they weren’t so dysfunctional, that kid wouldn’t have been driving drunk that night.”

Maybe, but who knew? “You have to stop blaming the family, especially now that Lindsey is getting involved.”

“How about if she just doesn’t get involved?”

“Take a deep breath and calm down.” She took the seat next to him and put her hand on his. “Please. This anger is eating you up.”

He only growled.

Claudia pulled her hand away. She didn’t want to push him too far because he was too riled as it was. But some things needed to be said. “If it was any other child you’d be proud of her. This is who she is. This is Elizabeth coming out in her. And it’s why you loved your wife so much.”

He leaned back in his chair. “I worry about her. They’re not the kind of people I want her to mess around with.”

“She’s just trying to help the boy. She doesn’t mean to hurt you. She’s the best daughter you could ask for.”

If she’d had any children of her own, she’d have loved for them all to be as caring as Lindsey, although she definitely wouldn’t want them to be as tormented. Claudia had long suspected Lindsey harbored guilt about her mother’s accident. Lindsey never said anything about it. In fact, she refused to talk about the accident or her mom.

“I know she is. Guess that’s why I don’t understand her burning need to meddle with them.”

At least his scowl was gone. She cared about him so much; she wouldn’t be able to stand it if he had another heart attack.

“You better work on not letting the Rundles get to you so much. I have a hunch this isn’t going to be resolved tomorrow.”

Time to drop the subject and do what she did best—take care of Wendell. And if her niggling feelings were on target, he was going to need an extra dose of nurturing in the coming days.