Читать книгу Twelfth Night Proposal - Karen Smith Rose - Страница 12

Verity was selecting clothes from her closet when she heard Heather on the baby monitor chattering to her stuffed animals. Smiling, she pulled on indigo jeans and zipped them, then grabbed a T-shirt that had seen many washings. The soft, blue cotton fell practically to her thighs. Comfort had always come first with her, certainly before fashion or trends or what anyone thought a girl should wear. Climbing trees, riding bikes and playing baseball with Sean had always led her to choose practical clothes.

Heather’s babblings were getting louder now, and Verity left her room and headed for the little girl’s. In the past, Leo had gone to work before she was up. Last night she’d had a restless night, reliving those moments when they’d stood so close, when she’d thought she’d seen something in his eyes that had made her heart jump so fast. This morning, though, in the light of day, she just chalked it all up to her imagination.

Heather stood up in her crib when she saw Verity, grinning from ear to ear. She stuffed a pink elephant—her toy of choice this week—under one arm.

“Good morning, honey,” Verity said, scooping the little girl up into her arms. “I’m hoping that big bed your daddy ordered soon arrives. I’m afraid you’re going to crawl out of this one.”

“I cwawl out,” Heather parroted, swinging Nosy by his trunk.

“Let’s brush your teeth. Then you can decide what you want for breakfast.”

“Waffles wif bluebewies,” she said as if she’d been thinking about it all night.

Laughing, Verity shook her head. “You’ve had those every day this week.”

“Waffles wif bluebewies,” Heather repeated.

“Okay. I’m sure you’ll get tired of them eventually.”

Cooking was a pastime Verity enjoyed. She and Sean and her father had always shared the chore. After she’d gotten her own apartment in college, she’d found experimenting could be fun. Now she was glad she had. Heather could be a picky eater, and coming up with fun and playful ways to serve food was always a challenge.

Fifteen minutes later, teeth brushed, dressed in pink overalls and a matching shirt, Heather ran ahead of Verity to the kitchen. The bandage on her forehead was still in place and she wasn’t paying any attention to it.

Verity hadn’t seen any sign of Leo, but he might be working in his office in the pool house. She’d just started a pot of coffee brewing when a deep male voice made her jump. “Good morning.”

Her hand over her heart, she swiveled toward the back door that led to the patio, pool and pool house. “Mr. Montgomery. I was going to call you when breakfast was ready.”

He was carrying a folded sheet of paper in his hand. “It’s Leo, remember?”

Oh, she remembered.

Without waiting for her response, he went on, “I thought I’d spend some time with Heather while you make breakfast. I realized yesterday I need to give her more attention.”

Verity remembered how Heather had clung to her when Leo had arrived home to take her to the doctor. “I imagine it’s difficult being a single parent.”

“Funny,” Leo said almost to himself, “I don’t think of myself as single. But, yes, it is tough. After Heather’s mother died, I guess I took refuge in work because Jolene was around to help me with Heather…or the nanny of the day. But yesterday when you called and said that Heather was hurt, I realized how very little I have to do with her day-to-day care.”

“You’re running a business.”

“Yes, I am. Montgomery Boats will be her future, if she wants it. But in the meantime, I want to make sure I’m in her life.”

Suddenly Heather ran to Verity with her coloring book. “Look what me did.” She held up a page she had colored. Staying within the lines wasn’t a concept she understood yet, but she knew her colors, and she’d used a lot of them on the page.

When Verity glanced at Leo, she saw the expression on his face and she realized he wished Heather had come to him.

“What a wonderful picture!” Verity exclaimed. “Show your daddy.”

Looking puzzled for a moment, Heather tentatively held up the page to him. Verity could see Leo’s uncertainty in exactly what to say or do. Then he crouched down, put his arm around his daughter, and offered, “That’s a great blue dog. I bet he lives in the same place as pink elephants.”

“Like Nosy,” Heather decided.

“Just like Nosy.”

“Heather insists she wants blueberry waffles for breakfast. Is that all right with you? I could scramble some eggs, too.”

“It’s been a long time since I had more than coffee for breakfast. Why don’t I make the eggs?”

“Are you sure you want to help?”

He pulled one of the chairs over to the counter. “Sure. Heather can help, too. Heather, do you want to learn to crack an egg?”

“I wanna cwack lots of eggs,” Heather said so fast, Verity could hardly catch it.

As Leo took the carton from the refrigerator, he replied, “I think we’ll start with one.”

Verity couldn’t help but watch Leo as he made an effort to give Heather the attention he’d mentioned. He even let her stir the eggs with a fork. After a while, though, she tired of the process and told him, “I’m gonna color now.” Leo lifted her down, and she went over to her miniature table and chairs to do just that.

When he frowned, Verity assured him, “Her attention span for most things is about ten minutes, unless it’s something she’s really into. Coloring is one of those things. Playing with blocks is another.”

“Maybe she will grow up to want to design boats and build ships.”

“Or houses or bridges or skyscrapers,” Verity offered.

“I got it. I have to keep an open mind.”

They smiled at each other and Verity felt all quivery inside. Leo’s smile faded as he gazed at her, and the magnetic pull between them almost seemed to tug her toward him.

Then she remembered what he’d said earlier. I don’t think of myself as single. That obviously meant he still thought of himself as married.

The timer beeped, signaling the first waffle was finished. Verity focused all of her attention into lifting the top of the iron, carefully removing the waffle and ladling in the next one.

The silence in the kitchen grew awkward until she finally asked, “When did you begin designing boats?”

“When I was ten.”

She glanced at him. “What inspired you to do that?”

“My father. He didn’t design boats, but he built them from someone else’s plans. I spent every spare moment I could with him at the boatyard. I loved going out on the water with him, too. He had a real respect for the sea and taught me how to read it.”

“Read it?” That idea fascinated her.

“Anyone can learn to pilot a boat. Instruments these days make the experience almost a no-brainer. But there are still times when the color of the sky, the direction of the clouds, the scent of the water can tell a pilot the story as well as instruments can.”

After Leo took a frying pan from the cupboard, he poured the eggs into it. The scent of the sweet waffles with blueberries, the aroma of coffee brewing, the eggs cooking in the skillet filled the kitchen along with the sound of Heather humming as she colored. The scene was so domestic it took Verity aback for a second. It was almost like a dream she’d had a week ago—a dream in which she’d had a home and a place to belong. But she really didn’t belong here with Leo.

Did she?

Whatever she was feeling toward Leo Montgomery was probably all one-sided, and she’d better put the brakes on it. As his nanny, she was convenient right now. When he no longer needed her, he wouldn’t hesitate to say goodbye, just as Matthew had.

Snatching a topic, any topic, she asked Leo, “How about your mother? Did she like boats and the water, too?”

Leo cast her a sideways glance. “Not on your life. Mom’s a high-heels, I-don’t-want-to-get-my-hair-wet kind of person. She’s never wanted anything to do with the boatyard or the business.”

“Your sister told me she lives in Avon Lake, but she’s away now.”

“Lives in Avon Lake,” Leo repeated. “Officially, I guess. She has an apartment, but rarely uses it for more than a few weeks at a time. She’s become a world traveler.”

“You come from such an interesting family.”

He laughed. “That’s one way of putting it. How about you?”

“Me?”

“Yes. Your parents. What do they do?”

Lifting the waffle iron before the timer went off, she saw the pastry was golden brown. Thankful she could stall for a little time to figure out what to say, she transferred it to a plate and decided to give an honest, short version. “My mother died when my brother and I were born. Sean and I were twins. Dad raised us. He’s an accountant.”

“A twin! That’s great. What does your brother do?”

After Verity swallowed hard, she managed to say, “I lost Sean last January to a skiing accident.” She went to pick up the ladle, but a blur of tears made her fumble it and drop it on the floor.

Leo stooped at the same time she did. His fingers brushed hers, and he took the ladle from her hand. When they both straightened, they were standing much too close, and he was looking down at her with so much compassion she couldn’t blink away the tears fast enough.

“I’m sorry, Verity.”

Embarrassed by the emotion she couldn’t quell, she turned away from him toward the counter and took a few deep breaths. When she felt Leo’s hand on her shoulder, she almost stopped breathing altogether.

“I’m okay,” she murmured, feeling foolish.

Gently he nudged her around to face him. “No, you aren’t. And I understand why. I know what loss feels like. Losing a spouse, losing a twin…Those are bonds that aren’t easily broken.”

“I don’t want the bond to be broken,” she admitted. “Not ever.” Suddenly she realized that’s the way Leo probably felt about his wife. “The eggs are going to burn,” she whispered.

“Can’t let that happen,” he said, and stepped away from her to tend to his part of the breakfast while she picked up a paper towel to wipe waffle batter from the floor.

Putting the breakfast on the table took little effort, but Verity busied herself with it as Leo helped Heather get settled on her booster seat.

Heather pointed to her waffle and looked up at Verity. “Please make a face.”

The first day Verity had made the waffles for Heather, she wasn’t sure if she was going to eat them. But after Verity had used syrup and a dab of butter to make a face on the waffle, Heather had eaten the whole thing. Now Verity fashioned a face again as Heather giggled and Leo looked on, making her feel self-conscious.

Suddenly there was a beep-beep-beep, and Verity realized it came from Leo’s pocket.

After he answered his cell phone, he said, “Jolene. Hi. What’s up? No, I’m not at the boatyard yet. I’m still at home having breakfast.”

His sister must have made some comment about that because he explained, “I just needed some time with Heather. She hurt herself yesterday, and I realized I haven’t been around very much.” Then he explained what had happened.

After a long pause he responded, “I’m going to the boatyard as soon as I’m finished. I’m sure Heather would love it if you would pick her up and take her to the arts festival at the lake.”

Today artists would have their work displayed all around Avon Lake. There would be vendors with various foods, activities for kids and wandering musicians. Verity had thought about taking Heather there herself.

Now she said to Leo, “I’d be glad to take Heather and meet Jolene there. I want to go, too.”

After Leo relayed what Verity had said to his sister, he asked Verity, “Around ten at the Shakespeare statue?”

Verity nodded. “Sounds good.”

Leo closed the phone, reattached it to his belt and asked, “Are you sure you don’t mind driving Heather there?”

“I don’t mind. Really. I was planning to go after you got home.”

“Will you buy a painting?” he asked jokingly.

“Actually, I might, if I see something I like. If that’s okay with you. I mean, hanging it.”

“I’m not a landlord who’s going to keep your security deposit if you put too many holes in the walls.” His blue eyes were amused.

“I’ve just never been in this kind of position before,” she said truthfully. “I don’t know the rules.”

“No rules, Verity. As long as you put Heather first, that’s all that matters.”

He was absolutely right on that score. She would put Heather first, of course, and try to block Leo Montgomery from her dreams.

Leo parked in a lot near the lake. As he’d sat in his office, studying each page of the new sales brochure, he hadn’t been able to keep his mind on it. He hadn’t been able to keep his mind off Verity. So he’d put in two hours, then driven to the festival.

His life had become a treadmill of work, putting Heather to bed now and then, sleep and more work. Even before Carolyn died, he’d started putting in longer hours. Had it been because of her remoteness? Had it been because he’d sensed she was keeping something from him?

She’d been keeping something from him all right…for three months—her brain tumor.

No point in thinking about that now. No point in thinking about how her lack of trust had seemed like a betrayal, how her independence might have cost her her life sooner than was necessary.

The day couldn’t have been any sunnier, sometimes unusual in this part of Texas where cloudy skies and rain could prevail in December. The lake was blue and the scents on the breeze from food vendors were enticing.

His boots cut a path through the grass as he observed everything going on. Avon Lake was a Texas town through and through. Yet the college, and the influence of the bard who had written sonnets and plays, brought a uniqueness to the community that wasn’t easy to describe. The statue of Shakespeare himself on the shores of the lake was a roost for birds, true. But it was also a reminder there was an aspect of life that had to do with poetry, artistry and creation that humans couldn’t do without.

When had he even thought about that statue?

Around the lake, artists displayed their paintings on easels, pegboards and some on more elaborate contraptions. Some of the displays were adorned with Christmas wreaths or signs of the season. The past two years Jolene had bought Heather Christmas presents when she’d gone shopping for her boys. This year, Leo decided, he would find presents for Heather himself.

He’d gone a quarter of the way around the lake when he spotted Verity. She wore an oversize green sweater over her jeans. Although the outfit seemed to be an attempt to hide womanly attributes, he found it only enhanced them. The cable knit lay softly over her breasts, the breeze blowing it against her body, delineating her slim waist. With her hair tied back in a ponytail, her face tilted curiously to one side as she studied a painting, the sun glinting on her glasses, Leo found himself eager to talk to her again. There was something about Verity Sumpter that was strangely appealing.

Coming up to stand beside her, he nonchalantly slid his hands into his jeans pockets. “Interpretable?” he asked wryly, as he gazed with her at the swirls of color and motion.

After a quick glance at him, she laughed. “I’m not sure. I do think it would clash with everything else you’d put with it, though.”

Leo chuckled, too, then looked at her. When their gazes met, Leo felt a tightening in his chest, and he didn’t understand it at all. “Are you an art connoisseur?”

“Hardly. I like Victorian cottages, landscapes and paintings that take me away to someplace I want to be.”

“Have you found any here today?” Blood was rushing through him faster now, and he chalked that up to his almost jog around the lake.

“A few. Have you seen Heather?”

“Not yet.”

“The last time I spotted her she was at a stand making huge bubbles in the air. The wand was almost as big as she was.”

“Did you eat lunch yet? We can grab a hot dog while we’re looking.” Then he stopped. “Unless you want to do this on your own.”

She shrugged as if it didn’t matter one way or the other. “I’ve made the rounds and I’m trying to decide between two paintings. A hot dog might help me make the decision.”

For whatever reason, Verity Sumpter made him smile. She did more than that, he realized, as his gaze settled on her lips and he felt a pang of desire so strong he didn’t think he’d ever felt anything quite like it before.

“Come on,” he said evenly, nodding toward a concession truck that sold cold drinks, soft pretzels and hot dogs.

Strumming his guitar and dressed in purple velvet, a wandering minstrel serenaded them with a rendition of “Greensleeves” as they stood in line. Minutes later they each held hot dogs and sodas and went to stand under a pecan tree. When Verity took a one-handed bite of her hot dog, mustard caught on her upper lip. With her hands full and a napkin tucked under the bun, she couldn’t wipe it away.

Not sure what possessed him, Leo set his soda between branches on the tree and caught the dab of mustard with his thumb. The touch of his skin on hers was electric, and her brown eyes widened with the jolt of it. What was it about Verity that stirred him up so?

She didn’t look away, and he couldn’t seem to, either. When he leaned toward her, she tipped up her chin.

All he had to do was bend his head—

“Verity. Hey, Verity,” a male voice called.

A good-looking young man who appeared to be in his late twenties approached them. He had long, russet hair that curled over his collar and was brushed to one side. His green eyes targeted Verity and his smile was all for her.

As if she couldn’t quite tear her gaze from Leo’s, she blinked, breaking the spell. Her cheeks reddened slightly.

The man was approaching them then, and she was smiling at him. “Hi.”

The guy’s smile widened as he came up to them and stood very close to Verity. Much too close, Leo thought.

“Have you seen Charley’s work? It’s the style you said you liked—mountains and trees that make you feel as if you’re right there.”

Leo suddenly wondered if Verity had been dating this man. She could be, and he’d never know. He had no right to know.

“I’ve seen it,” she offered with some excitement.

After another look at Leo and their half-eaten hot dogs, the young man gave Verity a slow smile. “I don’t want to intrude.” He rested his hand lightly on Verity’s shoulder. “I’ll see you Tuesday night. You can tell me then whether you bought the painting or not.”

After the young man walked away, the silence that fell over Leo and Verity was louder than any of the noises around them. As they finished their hot dogs, Leo was very aware, again, that he was twelve years older than Verity and he had no business thinking about kissing her.

Yet questions rolled in his head, and he asked one of them. “Are you dating him?”

Her gaze flew to Leo’s. “What made you think I was?”

Leo shrugged. “Maybe it was more his attitude than yours. If he hasn’t asked you out, it won’t be long until he does.” He didn’t like the idea of that—the idea of Verity and that guy in a dark movie theater, in a car or somewhere more intimate.

“I haven’t dated much since…” She stopped and looked out over the lake. “Sean was protective of me. He screened my dates,” she confided with a small smile.

Leo liked the idea of her having a protective brother who’d looked out for her. “Did you always go along with his advice?”

“I should have. Sean didn’t like the man I was dating last fall, but I wouldn’t listen. When you have a twin, a twin as close as Sean and I were, sometimes it’s hard to distinguish your ideas from theirs, where you leave off and they begin. Being a twin is a constant battle to be yourself yet hold strong the bonds that bind you together. So I didn’t listen to his advice about Matthew.”

“What happened?”

“We’d been dating a few months when Sean was in the skiing accident. Afterward, I…I sort of withdrew. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that Sean wasn’t here anymore.”

“That’s not unusual,” Leo offered, seeing her sadness, knowing what he had felt after he’d lost Carolyn.

“Matthew didn’t understand that I just wasn’t in the mood to go to parties or even the movies. Whenever I was with him, he didn’t want to hear about Sean or how much I missed him. After a few weeks he told me that he needed to date somebody who was a lot more fun, and I realized my brother had been right about him all along.”

Angry for her, Leo could have called this Matthew a few choice names, but he refrained because he could see how hurt Verity had been that someone she’d loved had deserted her at a low time in her life.

Verity had finished her hot dog and now took a sip of her soda. “How did you meet your wife?”

“I built a customized boat for her father. She came along to see the design, and that was that.”

“So…you believe in love at first sight?” Verity asked curiously.

“I don’t know if it was love at first sight. Carolyn was a beautiful, sophisticated, poised woman who could turn a man’s head. She turned mine.”

It wasn’t until later that Leo had realized there was an aloofness about Carolyn that he could never really break through. Maybe that was the poise he had seen at first. That aloofness had never completely crumbled and had kept a barrier of sorts between them.

“Let’s walk,” Leo said gruffly.

When Verity glanced at him, there were questions in her eyes, but he didn’t want her to ask them.

They hadn’t gone very far when a little whirlwind came barreling toward Verity. It was Heather, all smiles and giggles and excitement.

Wrapping her arms around Verity’s legs, she looked up at her with the exuberance of a three-year-old. “Looky. Looky. I got painted.”

Without hesitation, Verity sank down onto one knee before Heather who had a cluster of daisies painted on her cheek.

“You look beautiful,” Verity exclaimed, and Leo’s chest tightened at the sight of this nanny and his daughter bonding. It was evident Heather absolutely adored Verity.

Heather grabbed Verity’s hand. “You get painted, too.”

Rising to her feet, Verity began, “Oh, I don’t know…”

“Let yourself go today,” Leo advised her, guessing that wasn’t something Verity did often.

Jolene and her two boys had come up behind Heather. Jolene’s hair was blonder than his. At five-four, she was about twenty pounds overweight, but she was his sister, so Leo simply didn’t care. Jolene liked to cook and bake. Everything she did, she did with gusto.

Now she told Verity, “They’ll paint whatever you want—from flowers to kittens to parrots. And it washes off.”

“Are you going to do it, too?” Verity asked with a twinkle in her eye.

“I could be talked into it. But my boys won’t stand still long enough for me to have it done.”

“I can take the boys and Heather over to the clown with the balloons if you really want to,” Verity offered.

Jolene’s two boys, Randy and Joe, seemed to like the idea. Randy, the eight-year-old who was three years older than his brother, Joey, added, “And if Mom’s not done until we get the balloons made we can play croquet. Kids are doing it over there.” He pointed to an open area at the southern end of the lake.

“You’re going to have your hands full,” Leo warned her.

“They’ll be fine as long as we keep busy.”

Leo cupped Verity’s elbow. Again, he felt a longing inside. But he realized it wasn’t only desire.

Trying to ignore whatever it was, he decided, “First, you get your turn getting painted, then I’ll help you look after the kids.”

When Verity gazed up at him, everyone else around the lake seemed to disappear. The overwhelming desire to kiss her overtook him once more.

Releasing her elbow, he decided to keep his distance and concentrate on the kids.

Something had happened to him since Verity’s call yesterday. He felt as if he was reacting and responding and living again.

All of it had something to do with this nanny. He just had to figure out where she fit into his life…if she fit in at all.