Page 17 of The Texas Cowboy's Rescue

“I’m glad of that. And I am amazed you were able to do this. I would never guess you had carpentry skills, along with your piloting.”

“It’s a hobby I picked up a while back. It’s a stress reliever for me. Surely you have a way you deal with stress?”

“When I figure out what it is, I’ll let you know. Thankfully, the rain has let up a little. Of course, Brooke won’t be happy if it stops, because that’s why we canceled the diving lesson for this afternoon and she went to spend the night with Jackie’s kids, in lieu of that. Right now, you are ranking above a sleepover, so congratulations.”

Deke smiled, and something about it struck Kenzie. It was a smile, for goodness’ sake. She had seen him smile before. Maybe the stress was getting to her after all. A rainy afternoon alone with a good-looking man... her nurses could give her plenty of ideas what to do with the time. But she needed to remember the rules... no romance with a boss; no romance with a flyboy; no romance... period. She might control her body, but her mind was another matter. It went to all sorts of places that didn’t make things easier.

And it seemed it was about to go in search of more trouble after she heard the words come out of her mouth next.

“I’m sorry. I may have sounded ungrateful earlier... about the door. The fact that you reacted the way you did when you thought I might need help, well, that was something I really am grateful for. You were trying to help in a potentially bad situation. Thank you for the thought and for the door. But I will pick out the permanent door, and I will pay for it. And there won’t be any discussion on that score. And if you don’t have other plans, I do have dinner warming. Nothing spectacular... just tomato soup and grilled cheese. The least I can do is feed you after all of this.”

“Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches... that sounds like the perfect food for a rainy evening in my book. I haven’t had that combination since I was a kid. I do want to take a quick look at the leak, though.”

“While you were taking care of the door, I took care of the leak. In case you think I’m one of those females who are in need of rescuing all the time, I’m not. I have my own toolkit. I taught myself to change a flat tire. I can unclog toilets. Do I need to go on?”

He was silent for a long moment. Had she made him mad in some way? He was, after all, her boss. Then there was a slow shake of his head. “Okay. So now I know who to call next time the kitchen sink backs up. Would it be overstepping if I offered to set the table?” There was a true grin. Too late for her brain to ask if it had been wise to offer the dinner invite. Too late, indeed.

*

“Dining room orkitchen?” the woman closing the oven door asked. Her back was turned to him across the kitchen. “I’ll leave it to you, the guest of honor.”

“I’m a no-frills guy. It’s the people seated around a table that make the difference to me, not the crystal and fine china, or the lack thereof. In fact, paper plates and bowls make more sense this evening. And I have a question for you.”

Kenzie turned toward him with a questioning look.

“Does it upset you that I did take care of the front door without consulting you? Is that the heart of the matter earlier?”

“The heart of the matter?” she responded after a soft sigh. “I overreacted on that one. That was before I knew the true cause of the water leak. I envisioned roof repairs and empty bank accounts at the end of it. I just had to replace the heating unit last winter. It’s been a stream of little headaches since I took this place on. So I just reacted first and thought it out later.”

“I guess I assumed you had inherited this house from your family.”

She tossed him an amused look. “And since I’m related to the Burkitts of the legendary Aces High, that means I have a conduit to their bank vaults. Sorry to disappoint, but my mother’s Texas-sized pride kept that from happening. What I have, I’ve had to work for. My daughter and I have built a nice life, but we don’t take it for granted. We live on a budget. Brooke sees the difference in our lifestyle and those of her cousins. But we make it work.”

Deke was suddenly reminded of the look he had seen in Kenzie’s eyes earlier. It was akin to those he had witnessed often in his mother’s eyes. He had grown up in a household without a strong husband/father figure. Too much worry about bills and keeping a roof over their heads had led to a worn-out, disillusioned woman too old before her time. He had lost her too soon. And in the same thought, he didn’t want to see that look again in Kenzie’s eyes, nor have Brooke’s giggles and zest for life ever diminished. He experienced an incredible urge to step up and be the rescuer. Except the person who might need rescuing would rather toss the lifeline back in his face than accept it. He had no idea how to deal with that... yet.

Yes, a small crack had begun in the wall he had constructed over the years, and it was beginning to fissure. It had begun about the same time he shook hands with Kenzie Calhoun after Dr. Damian had introduced them that day almost two months ago. In doing such a good job of walling off people, he was often seen as aloof and even cold at times. He had seen it as his defense mechanism. Keep people at a distance, and you wouldn’t get feelings involved. But then he hadn’t come across Kenzie and her daughter. And he was sliding down a slippery slope toward feelings he hadn’t expected to feel.

At the same time, it could be very complicated. He was the boss and she was the employee. It wasn’t too difficult to recognize a fellow wall builder. Until he understood that better, he was sliding blindfolded down that hill.Keep it simple. Don’t crowd.

“I did warn you that it was going to be simple dinner fare,” she said several minutes later as he took his seat in the dining alcove at the blue gingham-checked tablecloth-covered table. The built-in banquette was upholstered in the same color of solid-blue material. The curtains were open and allowed them to see the rain was holding steady. It made for a coziness in the room that wasn’t lost on Deke. He had an idea it was what was also unsettling Kenzie a bit.

“The soup smells delicious. And the sandwich is grilled just the way I like it. I wasn’t aware that you had fresh fruit salad on the menu, as well.” He laid the napkin in his lap and picked up the soup spoon.

“It seemed nice to add since I didn’t bake anything for dessert. I usually just fix something very light if I’m home by myself without Brooke. No need to fix a more complete meal for just one in the evening. She’s going to be sorry she missed being here for dinner with you. I think you might have realized that she sort of idolizes you. Youareteaching her to dive and all.”

Deke smiled, having taken a tasting of the soup and a bite of sandwich. “I’ve never been an idol to anyone before. But she’s a very easy child to enjoy being around. You’ve done an excellent job of raising her. I know that being a single mom and raising a child can be one of the hardest jobs there is. And you manage a stress-filled day job on top of it. If anyone deserves to be idolized, it would be you. And this food is great, by the way. Yet another reason to put you at the top of the list.”

“Opening a can of soup and adding a little seasoning doesn’t make me a five-star chef. Although adding the two different cheeses to the sandwich, that might be a stroke of genius,” she said with a grin appearing. Deke liked that there was a touch of color on her cheeks and a lively spark in those eyes. They needed to appear more often.

“Genius is definite.” They both took a few more bites of food as a comfortable silence settled over their corner of the room.

“This is a personal question, and I don’t want you to think I’m prying or...”

“You’re going to ask about Brooke’s father.” She stated it simply and helped put him out of his awkward rambling in getting to the subject. “I’m surprised the hospital gossip hotline didn’t make it known already.”

“I don’t partake in a lot of conversations with people at the hospital, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. However, I have been told I have the hearing of a bat.”

The color heightened on her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I did admonish them about gossip. And I shouldn’t have said more than that.”

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