Читать книгу The Way To A Soldier's Heart - GINA WILKINS - Страница 12

CHAPTER FOUR

SHANE FOUND THE shop more crowded than he’d seen it before. Customers chatted around the little tables and stood in line at the counter where Elle, Janet and Amber bustled to take orders and serve everyone. At first he figured he must have misjudged the peak of Saturday rush hour. After a second glance, he realized that many of the customers wore matching bright pink shirts promoting a charity marathon that had apparently taken place that morning. Must be time for post-run carbs-and-caffeine, he decided.

He thought about turning around and heading back out to return later, but Elle spotted him then with a smile and a little wave of greeting. Giving in, he threaded through milling pink shirts toward the counter. Elle had a coffee mug and a plated chocolate-filled doughnut waiting for him by the time he got there.

“You didn’t change your mind about wanting one of these, did you?” she asked, looking remarkably at ease despite the chaos. In fact, she seemed to thrive on it.

“I’ve been looking forward to that doughnut since I woke up this morning.”

She laughed and nudged the plate closer. “Then I’m happy to be of service. Enjoy.”

Damn. Something about the sound of Elle’s laughter erased every cautious, coherent thought from his head. When he looked at her bright smile, he found himself hungrier for a taste of her lips than for chocolate and pastry. She glanced at his mouth, and he had no doubt that she, too, was thinking of the kiss they’d shared.

Maybe he really did need a vacation. But he had to keep in mind that this wasn’t one. His reasons for being in Shorty’s Landing were serious and pressing.

Looking up from her toys in the play corral, Charlotte spotted him. She tossed a toy truck aside and sprang to her feet, clutching the plastic railing for balance with one hand while reaching out to him with the other. “Shane! Shane!”

He smiled at her from across the counter, his chest tightening. Her eyes were so much like Charlie’s. Very much like little Aubrey’s. Charlotte and Aubrey could have passed for siblings. “Hi there, Charlotte.”

Bouncing on her feet, she opened and closed her outstretched hand in appeal. “Shane! Want Shane!”

So she did get tired of being in that plastic fence-thing. He looked inquiringly at Elle. “I think she’d like to come out and sit with me for a while. Do you mind?”

Her hesitation was only natural, he supposed. After all, they still hardly knew each other. Truth was, he wouldn’t want her handing off the child to just any friendly stranger who wandered in. But maybe watching him with Charlotte at the festival, in addition to their very public surroundings, gave her some reassurance. “Of course not, if it wouldn’t interfere with your snack.”

“I’ll enjoy the company.”

He claimed a two-seat table just being vacated, set down his coffee and doughnut and then returned for Charlotte. Elle passed her over. The child gripped a picture book in one hand, refusing to leave it behind. “Just bring her back when you’re ready for a break. She’s perfectly happy with her toys most of the time.”

Elle turned then to take an order from another customer. Hoisting his niece onto his hip, Shane carried her to his table and sat with her on his knee. Still clutching her book, she watched him with big blue eyes as he took a bite of his doughnut.

With a grin, he broke off a small piece and offered it to her. She accepted it with a sweet, “T’ank you, Shane,” then crammed it into her mouth, leaving a smear of chocolate on her soft cheek.

“Good?” he asked.

“Good,” she agreed with a fervent nod.

They shared the doughnut as they leafed slowly through Charlotte’s picture book. She pointed out the drawings on each page, naming every item with a familiarity that proved she knew this book very well. He watched her closely as she scanned the pages. Her eyes seemed to be tracking fine as far as he could tell, though granted he was no expert.

“Horsey,” Charlotte pronounced, poking a finger at the book.

“Yes. That’s a horse. A big brown horse,” he said, reading the caption.

He’d noticed Charlotte rarely used complete sentences, but he was confident it wouldn’t be long before she was chattering a mile a minute. Her dad had been quite the conversationalist, always the life of a party, rarely at a loss for amusing banter or a quick quip.

God, he missed his brother.

He swallowed painfully, then forced a smile when Charlotte pointed to a big-eyed cow and said, “Cow. Moo.”

“Yes, Charlotte, a cow says moo.”

She pointed again. “Big.”

“Pig,” he corrected her with a smile. “That’s a pig.”

“Big.”

“Pig. Puh-pig.”

“Puh-pig,” she repeated carefully. “Oink.”

He chuckled, then made piggy sounds that elicited giggles from her.

“Silly Shane,” she said with a shake of her head, making him laugh again.

Charlie would have adored this cute little girl. And Shane had no doubt the feeling would have been mutual. Everyone had loved Charlie.

Brittany had claimed to love Charlie, too—and Shane tended to believe her. Yet she’d given away his child without even offering to let Charlie’s close-knit family raise her, as she must have known they would have been happy to do. The sting of that rejection had hurt them all, especially after they’d gone to such great lengths to assure her of their willingness to help, to provide whatever she needed, to take her in as part of the family even after Charlie died.

Shane didn’t blame Brittany for giving up her parental rights; if anything, he admired her for making the best choice for the child’s welfare. He had no issues with adoption, considered it as valid a route to parenthood as biological pregnancy. But for Brittany to give her child to a stranger without even considering her family had been unjustified, in his opinion. Her choice, which he still didn’t entirely understand, had hurt them badly at a time when they were still grieving Charlie’s loss. It had been especially painful for Charlie’s father and grandmother, who’d have given anything for more time with his child.

“You two seem to be having fun,” Elle said from behind him.

Shane looked up in response to her voice. “We are. Charlotte’s been reading her book to me.”

“Puh-pig, Mommy.”

Elle reached down to smooth Charlotte’s tumbled curls. “Yes, sweetie. That’s a pig. What does a pig say?”

“Oink, oink.”

“Very good. Do you want your snack now? Gammy has bananas and yogurt for you in the kitchen.”

Shane checked his watch, surprised to see that it was almost two thirty. He glanced around the shop as Elle took Charlotte from him. Most of the pink shirts had disappeared while he’d been occupied with his niece. Only a few quiet customers were still settled in with their coffees and pastries.

He waited until Elle stepped back out of the kitchen with a tray of cookies for the display case before he moved to stand on the other side of the counter. He watched as she unloaded the tray into a waiting basket. “Those look good.”

“White chocolate and cranberry. Want to try one?”

“Sounds delicious, but since I just ate a chocolate doughnut, I should probably hold off on sweets until after I’ve had some real food.”

Elle slanted a smile up at him. “From the amount of chocolate on Charlotte’s face, I’m not sure you had much of that doughnut.”

“She might’ve had a bite or two,” he said, relieved that she didn’t seem perturbed. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, it’s fine. She had a good serving of vegetable soup for lunch and she’s having a healthy afternoon snack, so it’s okay if she had a little treat.” Elle closed the display case and straightened, setting the empty tray aside. “You’re very good with Charlotte. You really like kids, huh?”

It occurred to him that maybe she was a little wary of his interest in Charlotte. Understandable.

He drew a deep breath, thinking it was past time for him to level with her. “Elle, there’s something I should probably—”

He almost groaned when Janet burst through the kitchen door. This was the second time he’d been interrupted before he could come clean. “Elle, we need you back here now!”

Shane tensed, his flash of frustration dissolving into concern at Janet’s expression. Was something wrong with Charlotte?

The same question must have crossed Elle’s mind. She moved quickly toward her mother. “What’s wrong?”

Janet had spotted Shane. “You said you were a medic, didn’t you? You should come, too. We need you.”

Shane didn’t hesitate before rounding the end of the counter toward the kitchen, a vivid image of Charlotte’s sweetly trusting face in his mind.

* * *

HER HEART POUNDING in her throat, Elle surged into the kitchen with Shane close behind her. The urgency of her mother’s summons had scared her. Of course her first thought had been of Charlotte.

One quick visual sweep of the industrial kitchen let her know what had happened. Amber stood at the sink, a dishtowel wrapped around her right hand, blood soaking through the fabric. Staring at Amber with huge, worried eyes, Charlotte sat in a booster seat on a chair at the small table positioned at one end of the room, her snack forgotten in front of her. Her lower lip quivered.

While her mother moved to reassure Charlotte, Elle rushed to Amber’s side. “How bad is it?”

Looking pale but calm, Amber shook her head. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I was prepping vegetables for tomorrow’s soups and I cut my hand. I just need to stick a bandage on it and cover that with a glove while I’m working in the kitchen.”

“I just knew something bad was going to happen today.”

Elle shot her fretting mother a look. “Don’t start, Mom. How deep is the cut, Amber?”

“I’m not sure. It’s probably fine.”

“Do you mind if I take a look?” Shane asked, stepping closer. “I’ve had some first-aid training.”

Elle figured that as an army medic in a war zone, Shane had more than “some” training, but it seemed characteristic of him to downplay his proficiency. She watched while he unwrapped the towel from Amber’s hand, and then she winced when she saw the gash he’d revealed. Blood still flowed freely from the wound in the heel of Amber’s right hand. With the mandolin slicer and raw vegetables still scattered on the counter, it didn’t take much imagination to mentally recreate the accident.

“Yeah, this is probably going to need a couple of stitches.” Shane looked at Amber with almost apologetic sympathy. “A bandage isn’t going to be enough.”

Amber winced. “Are you sure?”

He was already pressing the towel against the bleeding cut again. “Pretty sure. Hold this tight until we can get you to an urgent care center. I can drive you.”

“No.” Giving Charlotte a reassuring pat, Elle’s mom stepped forward. “It would be easier if I drive her since I know the way. And the shop will be responsible for the cost, right, Elle?”

“Yes, of course.”

“We can’t leave Elle here to run the shop by herself,” Amber protested, her face pale but calm.

Elle was already untying Amber’s apron. “I can handle it. Now that the post-marathon rush is over, it will probably be slow here for the rest of the day. We’ll only be open for another hour and a half. I can call Kristen or DeShawn if I need more help. I’m sure one of them would come.”

“I can help here until closing,” Shane suggested. “I take orders pretty well,” he added with a smile for Elle.

It seemed ungracious to decline his offer, though it was becoming increasingly difficult to think of Shane as merely a nice customer just passing through town. In the few days she’d known him, he’d made an impact on her, her mother, even her daughter. And that was starting to make her nervous.

Just why was he hanging around them so much? Was he really that attracted to her, that lonely in an unfamiliar town? He seemed harmless enough—other than to her long-denied hormones—but should she be more concerned? Or was the stress of Amber’s injury simply making her paranoid again?

Maybe his notable attention had to do with his business? It occurred to her that perhaps he wanted her to put in a good word with some of the more prominent area business owners. She hoped that wasn’t his intention.

“I have to get back out to the counter,” she said as her mother bustled Amber through the back exit. She quickly wiped Charlotte’s face then helped her down from the booster seat to take her out to the play corral in the shop.

Shane looked around the kitchen. “Is there something I can be doing in here to help?”

She motioned toward the counter where Amber had been working. “If you really want to help, you could clean that area.”

“I’m on it,” he said cheerfully, turning on the hot water and reaching for a clean kitchen towel and the bottle of disinfectant by the sink.

She turned toward the swinging door into the shop, then paused with the door half open, looking back at him. “You were starting to say something when we were interrupted?”

He was already scrubbing at scattered spots of blood. “Later. You’d better tend to your customers now.”

She carried Charlotte out of the kitchen, letting the door swing shut behind them.

Fortunately for Elle’s composure, if not for her profits, business was slow for the next hour, easy enough for her to handle on her own, especially with Shane’s surprisingly efficient assistance. She didn’t bother calling Kristen, figuring her partner would prefer not to work on her day off.

Two young couples entered together with a jingle of the door bells shortly before closing time. They dawdled awhile over their menu choices while Elle waited patiently with her hand hovering over the register. She heard Charlotte laughing and glanced toward the play corral. Shane was making silly faces at the child while he refilled clearly marked coffee station carafes with cream and skim milk from the kitchen. Charlotte followed his every move with obvious fascination. It was clear she’d fallen hard for her new friend Shane, which made Elle bite her lip for a moment before forcing a smile as her customers finally decided what they wanted.

Maybe Charlotte was too young to have her heart broken by a charming stranger who’d disappear from her life as quickly and unexpectedly as he’d appeared, but Elle wasn’t quite as resilient. She rather envied her daughter’s open, trusting nature, and the two-year-old’s ability to savor the moment and Shane’s attention, unencumbered by worry about the future. It bothered Elle to think that she couldn’t at least enjoy an attractive man’s company, even if only temporary, without questioning his every action.

The group of four didn’t linger over their drinks and snacks. Tidily bussing their own table, they left with smiles and waves. Elle wiped down the table, taking the opportunity to relax and just breathe for a few blessed minutes, then turned to move behind the counter again.

Shane stood in the kitchen doorway, his shoulder braced against the jamb as he watched her stow away the cleaning cloth. “Eventful day, huh?”

“A long one so far,” she agreed with a tired smile. “I hate that Amber cut herself. She downplayed it, but I know it must have hurt like crazy.”

“I’m sure it did. But it should heal quickly now that she’s having it tended to.”

Elle reached into the play corral to pick up Charlotte and give her a little snuggle, making the child giggle. Holding her daughter on one hip, she tilted her head toward Shane then. “You seemed very comfortable handling all that blood and panic. You calmed everyone down and assessed the wound very quickly. I was impressed. Did you ever consider going into a medical career after your military service?”

He looked down to adjust the rolled-up sleeve of the pale blue shirt he wore with dark jeans. She wondered if he was avoiding her eyes when he replied lightly. “Yeah, that was one of the options I considered when I went in, but after Dad died, my uncle really needed my help to keep the family business going. I don’t regret my choice,” he concluded as he’d assured her once before.

Didn’t he? As she had the last time, she couldn’t help wondering if this had been the career he’d wanted. She’d bet he’d have made a wonderful doctor. He was certainly still young enough to attend medical school. Had he put aside a lifelong dream because of his family obligations? “How many employees does your company have?”

“Six, not counting my uncle and me. Two have been there since Dad and Uncle Raymond started the company almost twenty-five years ago.”

She suspected from his tone that he felt almost as strong an obligation to those employees as to his family. She hoped they all appreciated Shane’s efforts on their behalf.

“My cousin, Parker, works with us, too,” he added. “She handles social media and most of our correspondence. She’s really good at that. She also teaches dance—tap, ballet, jazz, that sort of thing—to kids, though she’s been on maternity leave for the past few months.”

“She’s a dancer? Is she good?”

He nodded. “She could have danced professionally, but she chose to teach, instead. She wants to open her own studio eventually.”

“Quite an ambition. You said she’s been on maternity leave?”

“Yeah, though she’s about ready to get back to it. Their little boy, Aubrey, is six months old. Everyone says he looks just like me at that age. Not to brag, but he’s cute as a floppy-eared puppy.”

She laughed softly. “You sound more like a proud uncle than a cousin.”

“I, uh—yeah.” Shane pushed a hand through his hair, his expression suddenly hard to read. “Parker and I were raised almost like siblings, so I feel that way about her. What do you need me to do now?”

“You can keep an eye on the counter while I finish up in the kitchen, if you like. Just let me know if someone comes in and I’ll come back out.”

“You got it, boss.”

Grinning at his teasing, she pushed through the kitchen door.

Her mother called shortly afterward to let her know that following a long wait to be seen by a doctor, Amber had been stitched up and cleared for duty. Elle told her mom there was no need for either of them to come back in today. She advised her mother to take Amber home, saying she could easily close up on her own.