not quitting Monroe Enterprises altogether. Not yet, at least. With my laptop, Internet access and a fax machine, I can keep an eye on things from here.”
He paused, taking another sip of coffee. “Besides, I owe your grandfather one.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I promised him I’d take care of you and our baby. I failed.”
“Losing the baby wasn’t your fault.” Her voice hitched, but she kept her chin level with his.
“If I’d been paying attention to the road, that van never would’ve hit us.”
Lindy’s blue eyes suddenly sparkled with tears. She sniffed into her coffee cup, obviously fighting for control. Travis’s gut tightened. He’d give anything to go back in time, to avoid that drunk driver, to be able to keep Lindy and their son safe.
He watched as Lindy studied the elaborate doodle she created on the legal pad. She sat without talking so long, Travis wondered if the conversation was over.
Then she flipped the doodle page over and looked up, a very determined gleam in her eyes. “If we’re going to do this, I have some ground rules.” She wrote Ground Rules across the top of the page and underlined it three times.
Uh-oh. That didn’t sound good. Did she plan on making him sleep in the barn? One look at her stubborn Lewis chin convinced Travis such ideas were not improbable.
“Number one.” She wrote the number, then dotted the pad firmly. “This is a working farm. We keep farmer’s hours, so no loud noises after nine o’clock. Lights out at ten.”
Travis nodded, though he sensed her “ground rules” weren’t up for debate.
“Number two. The upstairs bedrooms share a common bathroom, so keep it neat. And don’t forget to use the lock. Alice Robertson comes in two mornings a week and helps with the housework, but you and I will have to trade off kitchen duty.”
“Robertson?” Please God, let her be Farmboy’s wife.
“Danny’s mother.”
Damn!
“Three,” Lindy continued. “Without Pops, I’m shorthanded. I expect you to help out around here. Danny is familiar with farm work, but he has his own responsibilities and can’t be here full-time, so we’ll figure out what chores you can handle. The work’s hard and dirty, but you’re strong enough.”
The words sounded complimentary, but he knew better.
“Number four. I will not take any money from you. Don’t insult me by trying to cover my expenses behind my back. Things are tight around here. That’s how I want it to stay.”
Lindy’s chin lifted; glittery defiance shot from her eyes.
“Five. No physical contact. This setup is for appearances’ sake only.” She put the pen on top of the tablet and crossed her arms on the table. He noted the slight tremor in her fingers before she clenched them into fists.
“Do we have a deal?” she asked.
Travis saw through her bravado. He wanted to round the table and sweep her into his arms, hold her until she melted against him, asked for his help, accepted his support. But this was Lindy. Things were never simple with Lindy.
He picked up her discarded pen and turned the tablet around. “I have a couple of conditions of my own.” He wrote a bold number six on the first empty line.
Her eyebrow cocked. “Such as?”
“No extramarital dating.”
Her forehead crinkled, but she shrugged and nodded. “Okay.”
She jumped on that faster than Travis expected. Did she have Farmboy wrapped that tightly around her little finger?
“You’re sure Robertson won’t object?”
“Why would he? Danny knows how important getting this place up and running is to me. He’s willing to help any way he can.”
Travis bit back a snort. If Lindy believed her own explanation, she was delusional. And Robertson was a bigger fool than Travis had originally thought.
Putting Robertson aside, Travis added number seven to the list. He cleared his mind, focused on his objective. Lindy had to agree with his final condition. She’d already paid too great a price for his mistakes.
Nothing would ever make things right between them, but her panic attacks were his fault. He had to find a way to alleviate her anxiety.
“Number seven, you let me help you face your fear of cars.”
Her face paled. “What? Why?”
“I had my own problems getting back behind the wheel. I understand some of what scares you.”
“I don’t know….”
“I wasn’t afraid to accept any of your conditions.”
Lindy’s chin popped up. He knew that would get to her.
“All I have to do is try?”
“Just try.” Travis fought to hide his growing smile. Pride had always been her Achilles’ heel.
“O-okay. I promise to try.”
“Then I guess we have a deal.” Travis held his hand out.
Lindy stood and clasped it. Her grip was steady, but her palm was moist. “Yes, God help me, we have a deal.”
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