CHAPTER 8
T he second time Matt saw Kennedy, she was sitting on the front steps of the neighborhood’s clubhouse. She was also bleeding.
“Kennedy, are you all right?”
“Um, kind of.” Looking down at her legs, she wrinkled her nose. “I’ve been better, though.”
Maybe on another day he would have appreciated her irreverent humor. At the moment, the only thing he felt was worry.
Rushing to her side, he felt more alarmed when he saw splatters of blood on both her white shorts and the pavement. “Oh, my word. What happened to you?”
“I tripped on the sidewalk and fell down hard.” Frustration filled every word. “It was so stupid.”
“Accidents usually are, right?” He reached for one of her hands and saw that she had some gravel embedded in her palm. The source of blood was her left knee, however.
Kneeling, Matt realized her injury wasn’t merely a simple scrape. A significant flap of skin had been sliced. She must have skinned it on the sharp end of a rock or hit a piece of metal or something. Lifting his gaze, he took note of the tension in her eyes. She was obviously trying not to cry. “I bet you’re hurting.”
“I am. Next time I see a kid with a scraped knee, I’m going to feel a lot more sympathy for him or her!”
Unable to help himself, he tucked an errant piece of hair behind her ear. “Me, too.” When her expression softened, he added, “We need to clean you up. You might need to get some stitches, too.”
“Hopefully not.”
Matt only noticed Alfred sitting on the ground when he helped Kennedy to her feet. Though the dog’s eyes were alert, he didn’t move a muscle. His leash was even resting on the ground. “That’s some kind of dog. He’s so well trained.”
“He is a great dog, but he’s still a dog,” she said with a small smile. “He goes crazy whenever he sees a chipmunk.”
“He doesn’t like chipmunks?”
“Not even a little bit. Alfred turns into a vicious killer the moment he spies one rooting around in the flower beds. That’s what got me into this mess,” she said, as she took his arm. “One minute, we’re going for our usual walk and I’m thinking about my grocery list, and the next Alfred’s barking and yanking on my arm.”
“He’s full of surprises.”
“He’s a handful, that’s what he is.” Snapping her fingers, she said, “Alfred, by me.”
Immediately, the dog stood up and walked to her side.
Matt rubbed the top of his head. He’d known enough dogs to not blame one for, well, being a dog.
Deciding to take her to his house, he reached for Alfred’s leash, then proceeded to help Kennedy walk in that direction. It was a blessing that it wasn’t very far at all.
She hobbled along next to him. “So, what are you up to today?”
“I was about to go for a run but remembered I had to put a bill in the mailbox. Then I saw you.” Belatedly, he realized that the bill was still stuffed in his pocket. He hoped he remembered to mail it later.
As they continued to walk, Kennedy frowned. “Hey, we just passed my place.”
“I know.”
“Where are we going?”
“I’ve got a box of bandages and stuff at home. I figured you probably wouldn’t know where it is at the neighbor’s house.”
“You guessed right. But are you sure you don’t mind Alfred coming in?” Looking down at her knee, she frowned. “Or me? I seem to be dripping blood.”
“I think we’re safe. Most of my flooring is wood or tile, and I try to keep all chipmunks out of the living room.”
Her pretty brown eyes warmed. “Listen to you, Mr. Schrock. You’ve got jokes.”
“Not usually. I guess you bring them out of me.”
“Good to know.”
He smiled at her, determined not to tell her what was on his mind—mainly, that he was beginning to think that there was something about Kennedy that meant more to him than just a simple attraction.
When they got to his house, he reached for her elbow and Alfred’s leash.
“Matt, I’ve got it.”
“I know, but let me help you, anyway.”
Her honey-brown eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, Kennedy leaned into him a little, giving him a reason to wrap a hand around her waist as they walked up the front porch steps.
When they were inside, he released Alfred, who headed directly for his kitchen like he visited all the time. Kennedy, however, didn’t move. It was obvious she was uneasy. He wasn’t sure if that was because she was in his space or was hurting more than he realized. He supposed it didn’t matter. All he wanted was for her to feel comfortable around him.
Matt pointed toward the kitchen. “All my first aid stuff is in the bathroom. Why don’t you have a seat in the kitchen? The light’s good. I’ll be back in a sec.”
“Okay.”
When he returned with a handful of towels, a plastic container filled with bandages and antibiotic salve, and an old bottle of antiseptic, her eyes widened. “You just happened to have all that on hand?”
“I have four kids. They’re grown now, but for a while there, one of them was always getting hurt or into something.” Remembering the phone calls and the tears, the harried visits to urgent care and the emergency room, Matt felt a little nostalgic. Funny, he never thought he would miss those days.
“Four?” She scanned the kitchen. “Where are they? What about their mom?”
“Helen and I divorced years ago, when my youngest was just a little boy. The kids are all grown and live nearby.” Thinking about Jonny and Kelsey, he added, “Some are closer than others.”
“But all are in Ohio?”
“Yep. I’m really glad about that,” he said as he dampened one of the towels and started cleaning her knee. “It’s nice knowing they are just a car ride away.” Pausing, he scanned her face. “Doing okay?”
She nodded. “It stings, but it’s not too bad. So, are you and your kids close? How often do you see each other?”
“They’re grown adults, so not that often. Just a couple of times a year.”
“Really?”
He felt like she was judging him, which was difficult, because they really didn’t know each other. “They have jobs and other interests besides visiting their father.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Kids grow up. Sure, I sometimes wish I saw them more, but there’s nothing I can do about that. I’m glad they’re independent.” Of course, he wasn’t quite telling the whole truth. Now that Martin, Beth, and Jonny were thinking about becoming Amish and Kelsey had just gotten married, their relationships were even more strained.
Kennedy was staring at him like he’d said something unforgivable. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Well, nothing other than I’m pretty surprised to hear you’re a dad. I don’t see a lot of pictures of them around the house.”
“I’ve got a couple.” Again, he felt judged. “Plus, now we take photos on our phones.” Printing them out seemed to be yet another task he never made time to do.
“I guess that’s true.”
Huh? “You guess?”
“I’m sorry. I guess I thought I had you figured out because my father was such a fan of yours. I was wrong.”
“Well, he did see me at work.”
“True, but you don’t seem to be the type to have four grown kids.” She shook her head. “That didn’t come out right. I meant, you don’t look old enough.”
“Helen and I married young,” he murmured. Inspecting her knee, he said, “What do you think? Do you want to go to urgent care?”
“For this? No.”
“You could have a scar,” he warned.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, then.” After dabbing her knee again, he opened a box of large bandages and applied two to her knee. “How’s that?”
“It’s good, Matt, thanks.”
Glad that the tension had eased between them, he murmured, “So, do you have kids?”
And just like that, shadows played around her eyes again. “I did. He died when he was twenty.”
“I’m so sorry.” Taking the chair next to her, he said, “What happened?”
“Car accident.” She pursed her lips. “It was years ago, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, you know?” When he nodded, she added, “I think that’s why I started house- and pet-sitting for other people. Even after all this time, I find that I still need something to keep me busy so I don’t descend into depression.”
The pain in her voice was incredible. Not that he was surprised she still felt the loss, but that it still felt like a tangible thing.
Compared with the way he and Helen had treated their own kids—almost like they’d taken their love for granted—it made him feel humbled. Maybe a little shaken, too.
“Let’s rinse your hands.”
“I was about to wash them but then had no idea how to dry them without staining another towel.”
“Towels are meant to be washed.”
“Yes, but expensive white ones like this might stain.”
“They’re just towels, Kennedy. If they’re too badly stained, I’ll replace them.”
“You must have been a great dad.”
Matt knew Kennedy was simply being nice and offering a sweet compliment. As a nice gesture in return for him going out of his way to help her out. But the statement made him feel uneasy yet again.
He pushed off his regrets and focused on taking care of the gravel in her palms. With their hands under the faucet, he noticed that her nails were cut short and there were faint calluses on her palms. Maybe from all the dog walking? Maybe from life. He didn’t know.
He did know that they were different from his wife’s smooth, beautiful hands, with her long nails and graceful lines. They were also a far cry from his own mother’s sturdy ones.
Realizing that he’d been holding her hands under the water a little too long, he cleared his throat. “I think all the dirt is out.”
“Me, too.”
Turning off the water, he flipped her hands over and dabbed at the cuts with the corner of a washcloth. “What do you think?”
After inspecting her palms, she smiled. “I think a couple of Band-Aids are all I need.”
He pointed to the worst cut. “Sure you don’t want to get that checked out?”
“Positive.” After dabbing her hands a bit more, she held out her palms. “If you could help me with a couple of Band-Aids, I’ll get out of your way.”
He actually wasn’t sure he was ready to send her away. “What plans do you and Alfred have for the rest of the evening?”
A guarded look slid into her eyes. “We have a couple of things to do.”
“Oh, of course.” After applying four Band-Aids to her hands, he walked her to the door. Alfred was already lying down in front of it.
He stood to the side and watched while she hooked up the leash to the dog. “Thanks again for saving the day.”
“Anytime. See you around.”
“Maybe so.” When she smiled again, it looked forced. Then she was gone again.
Matt stood in the doorway and watched her leave.
Thinking about the way she’d questioned him about his kids and then had dropped the bomb about losing her own had made him feel sorry for her . . . but a little defensive, too.
She shouldn’t have acted like he was doing something wrong.
But maybe he wouldn’t be feeling like that if he hadn’t been feeling the same way?
The truth was, he was living with regrets and he was feeling like he was caught in the middle of a knotted fishing net. He was afraid to misstep and then get stuck again—and forced to live with the consequences of that.
“No, you’re tired of waiting by the phone and the mailbox hoping that one of your kids will reach out.”
That’s when he knew what he should do. No, needed to do. He was going to pack a bag and head down to Walden. He was going to walk on his parents’ farm, help them as much as he could, and see Jonny and, hopefully, Kelsey, too.
He knew things might be awkward, but he also knew that he loved his family and they loved him.
He also might have left the Amish, but he knew how to live Amish. He might look fancy to Kennedy, but he’d grown up running barefoot for most of his childhood. Living Plain didn’t scare him.
He was almost looking forward to unplugging and being out of touch for a day or two.
And a day or two was what he wanted. Not just a couple of hours. He wanted to go back and read, and see if he could find something that he’d lost too long ago.
See if it was possible to find it again.
And if it wasn’t. If his parents didn’t seem to be happy to see him or Jonny looked upset or Kelsey turned her back to him, then he would figure out what he needed to do to get back into their lives.
One step at a time.
All he needed to do now was drive down and show up. And if his parents didn’t extend an invitation, he’d find a place to stay nearby.
He’d done harder things. For sure and for certain.