Page 31 of Trouble Me
Now he was in her house—by her invitation sure, but still—with his smiles that made her heart race and her thighs clench.
The skin on her face warmed and she cast her eyes up to Shane standing in the opening from the dining area. A small smile played on his lips as though he knew what she was thinking. Damn it all to hell—the man could fluster her like no other had before. She fumbled with the coffeepot and managed to pour the hot liquid into the mugs without making a mess. “You take your coffee black, right?”
Shane smiled. “Right.”
She waved a thumb over her shoulder, toward the Crock-Pot sitting on the far counter behind her. “I think the chili’s ready. I was going to put some bread in the oven. If you give me a few minutes, I can put some together for you to take home.”
Shane slid his hands into his pockets while his gaze wandered around the room before stopping on her. With his jaw set, he nodded. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll just eat here before I head out.” He rubbed a hand over his stomach with a half smile. “It smells great and I’m starving. The last time I ate was before I left Napa this morning.”
Her head bobbed in affirmation and she gestured to the breakfast table that sat in front of the windows. “Make yourself at home. I’ll have everything out in a few.”
He smiled and reached for the coffee on the counter. “Works for me.”
She busied herself with buttering several slices of thick-cut sourdough bread, but his presence made the room feel a size too small.
“So, you grew up in this house?” Shane asked. She glanced over her shoulder to find him looking around the sitting area that led off to the opposite side of the kitchen.
“Um, yeah. Well mostly,” she said, pushing the pan of bread into the oven and shutting the door. Emma leaned her elbows on the island and looked around, thinking about her strange childhood. “My parents and I lived in the small detached house out back when we had guests. It was small and pretty cramped. But I was able to play with the kids who stayed here.” She twisted her lips and shrugged. “That didn’t happen often though.”
He looked over at her. “I can understand. My childhood home wasn’t open to guests, but the vineyards were. When I was little, I couldn’t always understand why strangers walked all over what I considered my playground.”
“It’s hard to understand, isn’t it?” She shrugged. “I think that’s why I spent so much time at my Aunt Stella and Uncle Paul’s place. It was a real home, like I’d seen on television. The only people who lived there were mom and dad with their kids. I mean, my parents were great.” She paused and swallowed, emotions she didn’t want him to see starting to surface. “But it was an unconventional upbringing, and they worked a lot.”
Especially during the times when her father’s gambling addiction had nearly cost them their home and livelihood. To this day, she wasn’t sure how her mother had managed to keep it all together. Emma’s heart twisted, knowing she’d disappointed her mother with her addiction. Regret filled her soul knowing her mother would never see her make amends.
Shane nodded. “After my mother died, my childhood became a bit unconventional, as well.” His blue eyes were intense on hers. “It seems we have a few things in common, Ms. Reynolds.”
There went the damn butterflies again. “It appears we do, Mr. Kavanaugh.” Emma looked away before she found herself entangled in his stare. Relief flooded her veins when the timer dinged. “Bread’s ready.”
Minutes later, they sat at the table, blowing on hot spoonfuls of chili. Emma handed him a couple of slices of the fragrant bread. He accepted them gratefully, and promptly dumped one in his chili.
“I think this is the best chili I’ve ever had,” he said around a mouthful. He closed his mouth and swallowed. He paused for a moment before scooping up more of the meaty mixture.
“Thank you. It’s an old family recipe.” She took a bite of chili and chewed thoughtfully. “So, what’s your family like?”
Shane stopped, spoon mid-air. “I would say it was like your aunt and uncle’s until my mom died. After that, it was more like yours. It was only me and my brother, but we lived on a family compound of sorts.”
She raised a brow. “A family compound?”
He laughed. “Makes it sound like a cult, doesn’t it?” He shook his head. “We all lived on the same piece of land, but it was made up of hundreds of acres. So, we had to work at seeing each other. My grandparents, my family, they all have their own houses on the land.” He grinned at her. “I have a lot of cousins as well, who are more like siblings. Being in the family business meant there was always family to rely on.” A shadow crossed his face. “It came in handy when my mom died.”
Before she could think about it, she reached out and laid a hand on his forearm. “I’m so sorry. And you were only twelve?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s a rough age for kids. I was devastated when I lost my mom, and I was thirty-two. I can’t imagine being a child.”
He shrugged. “It was a long time ago. But it was great having family nearby, especially during that time. Even when we had our fair share of family squabbles, much like a family your size probably did.”
She stared down into her chili as she stirred it. “No, we didn’t have squabbles.” When he raised a brow, she continued, even though her stomach rolled. “Don’t get me wrong. My parents were good parents. They loved me and took care of me. But there were...issues. And it caused problems with the rest of my family at times.”
Emma blew out a hard breath to beat back the nausea and sat back in her chair, wiping her palms on her pants. She looked up and into his stare. “My father was a gambler, a bad one. When they first started the B&B, they had a stable of horses as part of the amenities they offered.” She looked out the window, her reflection casting back to her in the darkness beyond the glass. Memories of helping her father brush the horses when she was a kid came back to her. Not sure why it popped into her mind since she hadn’t thought of it in years.
“Year after year, the stable got smaller. He had to sell the horses to pay back his debts, until finally, there were no more to sell.” She thought of the horses—she’d loved and named them all—being trotted into trailers, never to be seen again. Even now, the loss she’d felt back then was keen. “Then, he began to sell off or borrow against anything and everything he could. And yet he kept gambling.” Emma couldn’t say she didn’t understand, because she understood that demon known as addiction all too well.
Several moments ticked by and Shane didn’t say anything, just looked at her with an emotion in his eyes she couldn’t read. Her stomach quivered and the smile she gave him was shaky. “And that’s my tragic little story. Want more chili?”
“No,” he said on a groan, laying his hand across his stomach. “I’m full. Thanks for feeding me.”
