his age, two years was a long time.
“Hey, you got the green Raider.” She touched the action figure Jason held. “Good going. He’s the best, isn’t he?”
His son’s protective stance relaxed a little. “One of the guys in my class says the orange one’s better, but I like the green one. He can do cool stuff.”
“He sure can. Did you see the story where he rescued the princess?”
“Yeah. And when he set all the horses free. That was neat.” Jason’s face grew animated as he talked about the latest adventure of his action hero.
How had Paula gotten past his son’s defenses so quickly? Alex felt something that might have been envy, then dismissed it. She was a teacher—she should be good with children.
Paula pulled a duffel bag from the trunk, and Alex reached out to take it from her. It was heavier than it looked, and for a moment their hands entangled.
“Rocks?” he enquired, lifting an eyebrow.
“Books.” She made an abortive movement, as if to take the bag back, then seemed to think better of it. “I never go anywhere without them.”
He glanced into the car’s trunk. One cardboard carton overflowed with construction paper, and a plastic Halloween pumpkin poked improbably from another. “It looks as if you’ve brought everything you own.”
He meant the comment lightly, but a shadow crossed her face. It told him more clearly than words that how long she stayed depended on him. She shrugged, turning to pull out another bag.
“Most of this stuff is from my classroom. I loaded it up the last day and didn’t take the time to unload before I left to come here.”
“I’ll carry that one.” Jason reached for the small bag.
“Thanks, Jason.” She smiled, surrendering it to him, then hefted a box out and slammed the trunk. “I think that’s it.” She glanced at Alex. “If you’re sure it’s okay for me to leave the car here?”
“It’s fine,” he said firmly. He’d rather see that poor excuse for a car hidden behind garage doors than parked in his drive. Lifting the duffel bag, he led the way around down the walk toward the rear of the house.
The setting sun turned the swimming pool’s surface to gold as they neared the flagstone patio. He hadn’t done the water exercises for his injured leg today, and it took an effort to walk evenly carrying the heavy bag. He’d already seen Paula’s expression at the scar on his face. He didn’t want to see more pity if she caught him limping.
What did she really think about this idea of Maida’s? Had it made her remember what happened between them the last time she was here?
One kiss, that was all. It was ridiculous to worry about the effect of one kiss. Of course he shouldn’t have done it. She’d been working in his house, and that alone made her out of bounds to him.
Even if that hadn’t been the case, he’d learned something when his wife’s death, so soon after she’d left him, had made patching up their failing marriage impossible. Even if Karin had survived, even if she’d come back to the small-town life she detested, he’d known then that finding the love of a lifetime was an illusion. Reality was raising his son properly and maintaining the business this whole town relied on. He didn’t intend to chase any more romantic rainbows.
So what was he doing watching Paula’s smooth, easy stride, eyeing the swing of blond hair against her shoulder when she looked down to smile at Jason? He should have better sense.
She paused at the pool, bending to dip her fingers in the water. “Nice. I’ll bet you’re in the pool all the time, now that school’s out.”
Jason shrugged. “Mostly my dad uses it. To make his leg better.”
Alex braced himself for the look of pity, but she just nodded.
“Good idea.”
“If you’d like to use the pool while you’re here, please do.” He disliked the stilted tone of his voice. Paula’s presence had thrown him off balance. She was part of an embarrassing incident in his past, and she was also a reminder of the plane crash.
But she’d probably long since forgotten about that kiss. As for the accident, that was something every survivor had to deal with in his own way.
“Thanks.” She stood. “I don’t know if I’ll be here that long.”
Her words challenged him, but he wouldn’t be drawn in. He’d ignore that particular problem for the moment. Jason had gotten several strides ahead, leaving them side by side. As they headed for the housekeeper’s cottage, Alex lowered his voice. “How did Maida seem when you visited her? I hope she’s not too worried about the surgery. Or about not having told me. She needs to concentrate on getting well, rather than worrying about us.”
She hesitated, frown lines creasing her forehead. “She seems to trust the doctor to put things right. We didn’t talk long.”
“That sounds a bit evasive.”
She shot him an annoyed look. “Don’t you think it would be more polite not to say so?”
He’d forgotten that directness of hers. It made him smile—when it wasn’t irritating him. “I’m worried about Maida, too. Remember?”
“Are you?”
“Yes.” All right, now he was annoyed. Maybe that was a safer way to feel with Paula, anyway. “Believe it or not, you’re not the only one who cares about her.”
Her clear green eyes seemed to weigh his sincerity. Then she nodded with a kind of cautious acceptance. “The surgeon says she should come through the operation with flying colors, and then Brett will supervise her rehabilitation. That’ll take time, and he wouldn’t guess how long until she can come home.”
He glanced at his son. “I haven’t mentioned the surgery to Jason. I just said Maida needed a rest. The less he knows, the better.”
She frowned as if disagreeing, but didn’t argue. She moved toward his son. “Just put that on the porch, Jason. I’ll take it in later.”
She dropped her bags and sat down on the step, then patted the spot next to her. “Have a seat and tell me what’s been going on. I haven’t seen you for a long time.”
Jason sat cautiously, seeming ready to dart away at a moment’s notice.
Had Alex been that shy when he was Jason’s age? He thought not, but then his father had always insisted on the social graces, no matter what he actually felt. Maybe, if his mother had lived, things would have been different. He stood stiffly, not comfortable with sitting down next to them, not willing to walk away, either.
“Bet you’re glad school’s out for the summer,” Paula said. “I know my kids were.”
Jason glanced up at her. “You have kids?”
“My students,” she corrected herself. “I teach kindergarten. My school finished up yesterday, and everyone celebrated. Did you have a party
