Wait for the Wind (5 page)

“My choice. I choose to live as long and as well as I can.”

Mr. O’Malley’s thin hand turned the doorknob and he closed it behind him as he left the room. Kate watched him go. She knew he would start setting things to rights. She thought of his wife and Rhiannon, his grown daughter who was a few years younger than her, and the pub he’d owned for as long as she could remember. She wished she could do something for him. She’d wanted to help people, not watch them die.

No more patients today.

She opened her office door, sat at the cramped desk and buried her face in her hands. Oh, she wanted to cry. First Ryan, then all the raw memories flooding back to her. If she could just have a moment to herself. A little ball of light in the shape of a heart floated in front of her line of sight. Kate sighed. Such a sweet–if odd–way Allie had of letting her know she was home without interrupting her work. Life was calling, and the heartache would have to wait.

Kate placed Mr. O’Malley’s chart in the holder on her desk. She’d schedule him with an oncologist first thing in the morning, though she knew he wouldn’t go. Still, she had to try. Flipping off the bright overhead light, she pulled the office door to and locked it, always mindful of the medications she kept in the locked cabinet. Allie wouldn’t ever touch them, but she was careful nonetheless.

Kate walked to the end of the hall past the exam rooms and opened the door to their little apartment space. Allie sat at the table with her books, pencils and paper. Kate smoothed her daughter’s dark silky hair. Skye’s hair fell just like that, straight as rain. Allie must have inherited the Corrigan side of the gene pool there, and her eyes were like Ryan’s. How many times had she looked into her daughter’s eyes and found Allie’s father in them? Countless.

“How was your day at school?”

“Okay, I guess. How was your day at work?”

“Okay, I guess. A lot sad. So, what happened in school today?”

“There’s this stupid girl in my class who just won’t quit picking on me.”

This she could handle. Bullies were an easy fix compared to failed romances. “And does this girl have a name?”

“Shannon.”

“Did you stand up to her?”

“Well–” Allie hid her face behind her hands. “I kind of set her hair on fire.”

“Allie!”

“Mom, chill. I put it out, but she’s so obsessed with her hair. I thought that would teach her a lesson. Plus it was cool to see the look on her face when I conjured up that fireball, and I was just so mad. It didn’t hurt her, just her attitude. ”

“You have to control your temper, Allaina. What is that phrase Devin makes you write over and over again?”

“
An it harm none
.”

“Yes.
An it harm none
. I don’t want to have to visit you in prison after you accidentally get angry and zap some brat with a fireball. I also don’t want to deprive you of doing something you were meant to do, but if you can’t control your magic, the lessons will stop. Understood? With great power–”

“Comes great responsibility. I know, Mom. I watched
Spiderman.
She told the whole class I was stupid, fat and so ugly even my father didn’t want me. Is that true? Did Dad leave you because you were pregnant with me? Is it my fault you’re alone?”

Kate hugged her. “No baby, no. Your dad loved you so much, but he walked away from me because he thought I’d had an abortion. He hurt so badly that he ignored all my attempts to contact him, so I never got to tell him that you existed. I choose to be alone, but I’m not lonely. I have you and our family. Don’t worry about that.”

“Well, I know I’m not fat, so I didn’t believe everything she said, but it still hurts. He’s back, isn’t he? I felt your energy shift and sort of ripple. Dad’s come home.”

“Yes, baby.”

“Can I go on to Grandma’s? I want to help with dinner.”

“Sure. I’ll be right behind you as soon as I lock everything up. Be careful and take a jacket. Rain’s coming.”

“Mom.” Allie rolled her eyes. “Okay.”

* * * *

“I’m going to start looking for a place of my own,” Ryan insisted to his mother, who stirred a big pot of stew on the stove. Her apron was covered in flour from the cookies she’d mixed that were now baking in the oven.

“I love having you home, Ryan. I’m in no hurry for you to move out. You just got here.” Molly bent to open the oven door and check on the cookies. She slipped on a hand mitt and pulled the cookie sheet out of the oven. The smell of vanilla and sugar filled Ryan’s mind with memories of Christmases long gone. How had he managed to stay away so long?

“I need to get settled in and try to figure out where I go from here.”

“All of the kids are coming for dinner tonight. It will be nice to have everyone together. It’s been a long time since all of you sat at my table. So, have you made any career plans? Will you try to find work in finances again?”

“I’m thinking about trying to compose again, or maybe just…I don’t know anything that doesn’t involve adding numbers.” He smiled into his cup of coffee. His mother was used to her own space. She’d never admit he was getting under her feet, but a man of thirty-four had no business living with his ma. “Do you know of any houses for sale or let close by? My day-to-day has been ruled by other people for so long. I’m anxious to stretch out, and I need somewhere to store my collection.”

“How big a place are you looking for?”

“Three, maybe four bedrooms. Enough space for a music room.”

“That is a lot of room for one person.”

Ryan could just see the wheels turning. He’d bet she was wondering if he would ever be settled. She’d hinted many times when she came to visit in the states. “
This guest room would make a lovely nursery with all the natural light coming through the bay windows.
” Then there was the time he’d shown her around his office. “
How do you get any work done with such a beautiful secretary assisting you?
A man your age should have a loving wife and a houseful of children.
” Her echoing words reminded him of the scene on the beach with Kate. Could he really get his gift back? Did he want to know the truth?

“Now that I think about it, there is a place nearby. It’s only been on the market a few months.” A sly look crossed Ma’s face. “No, never mind, it’s not the house for you, Ryan. I’ll ask around.”

“What kind of property is it?” He frowned and wondered what sort of game his mother, ever the matchmaker, was playing.

“It’s a three bedroom farmhouse about a twenty minute walk from here.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mary Katherine put her house up for sale just after her father died. She’s been having a rough go of it financially. He left a lot of debts when he passed, and I’m sure setting up the clinic drained her financially. Like I said, you probably wouldn’t be interested.”

“Kate’s house? Isn’t she still living there?”

“No. She keeps a small apartment at her clinic. It’s more than enough space for her and Allaina. Of course, I’m sure Kate likes to be on hand in case of emergencies. Believe me, there’s no love lost where he’s concerned, Ryan. It’s no secret she grew up hard. The way I heard it told, her father owed some dangerous people a lot of money. He’s dead, so they’re trying to bleed it out of Kate, but she doesn’t make much with the clinic, so she’s selling her mother’s old home place. I can tell she’s scared of something, but she isn’t talking about it with any of us, not even Liv. She’s probably afraid of worrying her.”

Ryan poured the coffee down the sink and rinsed out the cup, a habit he’d picked up in the states. “I think I’ll walk over and have a look at the property.”

“Are you sure? Dinner will be ready in an hour.”

“I’ll be back in time for supper, Ma.” He kissed her cheek.

“See that you are. And don’t forget your jacket. A storm is blowing in.”

He groaned inwardly. She was treating him like a child, but he grabbed his jacket off the peg by the door on his way out. Knowing Ma meant well and when he smelled the air, Ryan knew she was right. She also knew how to meddle. Suggesting Kate’s house to him, a place that would be perfect for his needs, and the one place he really didn’t want to go.
I wonder how much trouble Kate is in. It isn’t my place to fix her problems. She doesn’t need me. Devin’s probably taken care of them already. Him and his mantra “I protect what is mine.” I think I liked him better when he was just a jewel thief with a few parlor tricks.

* * * *

Ryan surveyed the house from the front yard. It hadn’t changed all that much. Still the same wide porch that should have held a swing for warm evenings, same peeling white paint. Mick had never cared much for home improvements as long as a bottle of whiskey was nearby. Stepping onto the old farmhouse porch, Ryan knocked sharply on the door. He didn’t expect anyone to be around. That was fine by him. Kate had practically told him to go in and have a look when she was yelling at him on the beach. He jiggled the knob and it turned easily.

The house needed some cosmetic work inside, but the hardwood floor felt solid. Ryan wandered into the kitchen and called out a hello. No one answered. The kitchen was clean and the appliances, though obviously older, appeared new. He wondered if the roof might leak when it rained and made a note to get Skye to have a look at it. He wandered around through the rooms. Most were unkempt but clean. He turned down the hallway and followed it to the back bedroom. Kate’s old room. He’d never actually seen the inside before, not with the way Mick had despised him. The walls were papered with a rosebud design. The floor had been sanded and stained dark in contrast to the feminine decorations. When had she done this? As a young woman? No, it would have been recently.

Still, it wasn’t quite finished. Bottles and pictures sat on the scarred dresser. A lone worn teddy bear lay in the rocking chair. Where the rest of the house was desolate, someone had tried to love this part of it. Her words came back to him as he stood there. The truth could be found here, if he had the courage to seek it. Did he?

It had been so long since he’d wanted to use the gift, he wasn’t sure if he could. He’d been paying close attention to Devin when he had cast those spells in front of him at the Smithsonian Institute when Devin had stolen the Hope Diamond. Ryan knelt by the bed and laid his hand on the pillow. He wrote music once and wasn’t a lyric a kind of spell to the listener? How hard could it be?

“Heart is mind. Mind is heart. Sight unseen knows not time. Pain lingers and stains the soul. Show all, so body can heal what my sight does reveal. As I will, so mote it be.” Okay, so he officially sucked at writing spells, but the heart of it was there. Ryan held his mind steady and opened his heart. He hadn’t tried to heal in so long, the pain was too intense for his body to bear. Glad he was already on the floor, Ryan’s stomach wrenched as he was taken back.

Kate heard glass shattering as soon as her feet struck the porch. Daddy must be drunk again. Not much longer and she could get away from him. She had to.

“Where the hell have you been, cailin? Out whoring again with that Corrigan man when you should be in the kitchen fixing supper. Corrigan’s a sorry piece of crap. Ain’t worth nothing. I work all day and can’t even come home to a hot meal, stupid bitch.” He slung another bottle against the wall. It missed her head by a few inches.

She should just run off and let him rant until he passed out, but she couldn’t, not this time. She had to gather the courage to leave home. Kate touched a hand to her belly. This time she had something to protect.

Inside the memory, Ryan felt the glow of love Kate had for their child. He’d been wrong. How could he have been so stupid? He could feel how terrified she was as well, not for herself but for the baby. Anger welled up inside him.

Kate stood her ground. “Yes, I’ve been with him. I love Ryan, Daddy. I’m going to marry him and then you won’t have to deal with this
stupid bitch
, anymore!” Kate stormed off to her room and started pulling open the dresser drawers. She’d gotten him riled, so leaving quickly was her only option. Maybe she could make it out the window before he caught her. She yanked the pillowcases off the bed and began to stuff them with clothes. She had one filled and tossed out the open window when he stumbled into the room.

“I told you never to call me that. I ain’t your daddy, girl.” He slapped her so hard she flew into the wall. Kate felt something flutter inside. She knew he would kill her this time. She instinctively placed a hand over her abdomen.

“Don’t hit me again, please.”

Something feral came into his expression as he came toward her.