Chapter Four
RYAN WASN’T AT ALL SURE WHAT TO THINK ABOUT HOLLY Moore. She was lovely, yes, as pretty as sunlight dancing on the waves of his favorite San Diego beach. And she obviously made one hell of a good chili.
She was also clearly too nice for her own good.
If he had been in her shoes, he probably would have told the former sister-in-law to take a hike, instead of stepping up to help with the wedding decorations and allowing her daughter to be included in the wedding party.
The point was moot, though, since he never planned to marry, which meant he would never find himself with a sister-in-law, former or otherwise.
“I understand you were in some kind of accident yourself,” Holly said with a sideways look. “Kim said you messed up your knee. Kim and Audrey flew out to help you right after it happened this summer, right?”
Tension stiffened his shoulders, hardened his jaw. Why did everyone want to talk about the hard landing? First his father, now this woman he had only met a few hours ago.
Yes, he had messed up his knee and ended up with a nasty infection that complicated the situation. He was lucky, though. The other pilot, a rookie who had been at the controls at the time, had sustained much worse injuries and would likely never fly again.
“They came out and stayed for a week, even though I told Kim over and over it wasn’t necessary.”
He hadn’t even told his family about the accident but somehow Kim had found out anyway. She had dropped everything to come out to California and help him.
His sister had always had his back, watching out for him at every new school they moved to, hanging out with him and playing video games in that invariably awkward phase right after a military move when they had not yet established any friendships.
He owed her more than he could ever repay, which was the main reason he was here in this small Idaho town for the holidays.
“Siblings can be a pain,” Holly went on. “You met my twin sister today. We also have two older brothers who never listen to anything I say. Technically I’m the baby since Hannah was born first. She never lets me forget it, either.”
He couldn’t imagine a big family, filled with noise and chaos. Even before his mother died, his and Kim’s childhood home had never been chaotic. His father wouldn’t have allowed it.
“Do they all live close?”
“Yes. Hannah works as a music therapist in town and my two brothers own a security company together.”
“It must be nice having everyone nearby during the holidays,” he said, even though it sounded far too complicated for him.
He went out of his way to avoid being with his family during Christmas. Beyond the constant tension between him and his father, the memories of losing their mother only a few days before Christmas were still too painful, despite the two decades that had passed.
“I do love it. Most of the time, anyway. They’ve all been amazing since the divorce to help me with Lydia. I really couldn’t have done the single-mom thing without them all.”
She washed the final dish and set it in the rack.
“I have to tell you what a lifesaver Audrey has been, too. I’ve been so happy to have her help with Lydia after school and on the occasional Saturday.
Lyd loves her. As you can probably tell, she’s wonderful with her.
They have a great time together. I hope you don’t mind letting her continue through the holidays. ”
What was he supposed to say to that? To him, Audrey was still the little girl in braids who used to love going with him to the beach at whatever naval base he currently called home.
He had fond memories of walking with her in the sand, looking for sea glass and agates.
It still astounded him that she was now a teenager, old enough to be trusted with the responsibility of caring for a child with special needs.
If Kim had approved the gig, he didn’t feel right about second-guessing his sister, though.
“It should be okay, as long as she doesn’t get behind on her schoolwork.”
“I’m not taking advantage of her, I promise. I pay her above the usual babysitter rate, since Lydia’s needs are somewhat unique compared to other children her age.”
“That sounds fair.”
“And I try not to take up too much of Audrey’s time. She needs a chance to hang out with her friends and chill. She’s only thirteen, with plenty of time ahead of her to rise and grind for the rest of her life.”
Is that what Holly felt like she was doing?
Before he could answer, he heard the click of rolling suitcase wheels and a moment later Audrey came into the kitchen pulling a carry-on bag, with Lydia close on her heels.
“Thanks again for letting me stay with you, Holly. You’re the best.”
“Ha. You are.” Holly smiled at his niece and wrapped her in a tight, generous hug that somehow touched him. “Be good for your uncle, okay?”
“Sure. Uncle Ry and I are buds,” Audrey said.
“You’re always welcome here, though I’m sure you can’t wait to go back to your own bed.”
Audrey shrugged. “Yeah, but it won’t be the same without Mom there. Especially at Christmastime.”
“She’ll be back as soon as she can.”
“I know.” Audrey turned to Lydia. “I’ll see you later, Lyd.”
In answer, the little girl threw her arms around Audrey’s waist and sniffled loudly. “Love you, Auddy.”
She smiled. “Love you too, Lyd-Lyd.”
The snow had picked up while they were inside and it took a moment to clear off the few inches from his truck. Audrey helped him, reaching on tiptoe with the scraper he had been wise enough to pick up at a gas station on his drive here.
When the vehicle windows were clear, the two of them headed toward Kim’s house, which he knew was only a few streets over from Holly Moore’s.
As he pulled into the driveway, the small ranch-style house looked dark and cheerless compared to all the festively lit houses in the neighborhood.
“Your mom told me I could find a spare key she keeps in a fake rock. Any clue which is the right rock so I don’t have to dig through the snow for all of them?”
Audrey rolled her eyes. “We don’t have to dig through the snow of Mom’s flower garden. We can use the garage code. You might as well park there too, since Mom’s car was totaled in the accident.”
She slid out of his truck and went to the keypad on the garage, where she punched in the code. The garage opened and he drove inside.
Once parked, he picked Audrey’s rolling suitcase and his own duffel from the backseat and carried them to the door that led into the house, trying not to limp.
After driving for two days and spending the afternoon and evening on the go since pulling into Shelter Springs, his knee throbbed and burned. He should probably elevate it with some ice, if he could find some.
“It’s freezing in here!” Audrey exclaimed as soon as she walked from the garage into the open plan kitchen and living area.
She hurried to the wall and flipped a switch to turn on a gas fireplace and then made her way to the hallway, where she fiddled with the thermostat for a moment, undoubtedly turning up the furnace.
It was cold enough in the house, he might not need to put ice on his knee. He could only hope his sister’s pipes hadn’t frozen in the week since she had been here.
“I’ll take your bag to your room. Second door on the right, yes?”
“That’s right. You can stay in Mom’s room across the hall or you can stay in the guest room.”
After setting Audrey’s suitcase in her room, he decided to head to his sister’s room.
He had experience in the guest room/office that held a small daybed with trundle.
He had stayed here once when Kim moved here and had spent the first night with his legs dangling over the edge, until he had ended up on a camp bed on the floor.
As embarrassing as it was to admit to himself, Ryan wasn’t at all certain he would be able to get up off the floor right now, with his bad knee.
“If you think she won’t mind, I’ll stay in your mom’s room for now.”
“She won’t mind. She would want you to.”
“Okay. Point me to clean sheets.”
After she found them for him, he made the bed. When he returned to the living room, he found Audrey on the sofa, scrolling through her phone with her legs tucked under her.
He took a seat on the adjacent armchair. “How are you doing, Audrey? Really doing?”
Thanks to his dad’s example, Ryan did not like talking about emotions. And what he knew about the emotional journey of a teenage girl would fit in a headphone jack. But being here for his niece didn’t only mean showing up physically to feed her dinner and pick her up from school.
Audrey looked up from her phone, her eyes deep and troubled briefly before she blinked and forced a smile.
His instincts were right. Despite her casual air, Audrey was stressed out by the situation.
“I’m fine.”
He studied her, head cocked. “You know I’m a highly trained officer in the United States military, right? I’ve been trained in techniques to extract information from people who don’t want to talk.”
She snorted. “Ha. Are you going to torture me until I spill all my deepest feelings?”
“I hope it doesn’t have to come to that.” He smiled. “You need to know, though, that you can talk to me about anything that might be bothering or worrying you. I can’t guarantee I will always know the right thing to say but I’ll do my best.”
His and Kim’s father’s attitude after their mother died had been the exact opposite. He hadn’t allowed them to talk about her, had acted like they should go on with their lives as if nothing had happened, as if her loss had not left a gaping hole.
Kim had pushed everything down. Was it any wonder she had turned to self-medicating to cope, when their father had turned their home into a cold place with plenty of rules but very little love?
“Thanks, Uncle Ryan.”
She looked down at her phone for a moment then set it in her lap.