Family Practice

Kara led Michael down the hall, but when he placed Eric upon the pink-tiled counter, he didn’t turn and leave. Instead, he carefully checked each wound. His gentle assessment surprised her. Most men had a rather macho side, at least those she’d met while working at the Pacifica Bar and Grill. An image of Jason Baker came to mind, a man who had once thought Kara should be thrilled that a guy of his wealth and social standing should want to date her.

Hon, she could imagine him saying, just rub a little dirt on it. It’ll toughen up that wimpy kid.

“Do you have any antibacterial soap?” Michael asked, pulling Kara from her musing.

Unable to spot any on the countertop, she stooped to search the cabinet under the sink where Lizzie kept bathroom supplies. Finding soap in a clear, plastic bottle decorated with cartoon characters, she stood. “You don’t have to help me. I can take it from here.”

“It’s no trouble,” he said.

She watched him work carefully, all the while talking to Eric about soccer and school, taking his mind off the cleaning of gravel embedded in his right knee. Then Michael paused, glancing at one leg then the other. Noting the extensive scars and disparity in musculature? Kara wondered. If so, he didn’t comment, which was good. Eric was self-conscious of the difference.

“You’re pretty good with fixing skinned knees and hands,” Kara said, trying to make conversation. “What else are you good at?”

He looked at her with another one of those unreadable expressions, then their gazes locked for only a moment, but long enough for her to feel a flutter in her stomach and a warmth in her breast.

What else are you good at? Good grief. Had she said that? It sounded so suggestive, and she certainly hadn’t meant to…

“I mean,” she said, “any other talents?”

“None to boast about,” he answered. His amber eyes never left hers, and the room seemed to close in on them.

Boy, it was hot in here. Kara blew out her breath. “Ready for some gauze and tape?” she asked, trying to still her awkwardness.

“Yeah,” Michael said, returning his attention to Eric.

When Eric had been bandaged, Kara reached to take the boy from the counter and set him on the floor, but apparently Michael had the same idea. Their hands brushed together, and they both jerked back in response.

Kara, her fingers still tingling from his touch, felt her cheeks warm. Darn that telltale flush. She didn’t want him thinking she felt embarrassment or anything else. He was a stranger, just passing through. And she had a lot on her plate these days. A brief—

A brief what?

For goodness sake, was she even thinking an odd encounter in Lizzie’s bathroom with a stranger was a prelude to anything at all?

She’d been reading too many romance books.

And if she’d learned anything at all, happily ever after only happened in fairy tales. It had been a tough lesson, but one she wouldn’t ever forget. She would never allow a Prince Charming to rescue her and set her up in a castle in the sky.

Kara Westin could take care of herself.

Kara carried Gulliver’s leash and stepped out on the porch, intent on taking her usual sunset walk south of the harbor. It had become an evening ritual, ever since she’d first moved into the Haven.

The quiet hour before dusk was her favorite time of the day. She relished the tranquillity as the sun sank low in the pink and gray streaked sky. It gave her time to think, to plan, to dream.

Resting her hands against the lattice railing, she watched the waves crash upon the shore. Sometimes, when things were really quiet, she envisioned herself on the deck of a huge ship, sailing across the sea to a land of plenty and promise. Kara didn’t have many possessions, but she did own a vivid imagination, something she found priceless.

A lone gull sounded in the distance, and she searched the horizon. Instead of the bird, she spotted Michael, her new neighbor. He sat, alone and pensive, perched on the rocks that lined the jetty.

Who was he? Why had he come after the other tourists had gone home? She wanted to honor his privacy, but to do so meant she would remain on the porch instead of walking barefoot in the sand. Perhaps she could wave, acknowledge his presence, then continue on her own. She didn’t need to strike up a conversation or bother him.

She stepped from the deck and strode toward the fence behind Mr. Radcliff’s house. Kara and Mr. Radcliff were the only two permanent tenants of Lizzie’s cottages. The elderly man had been kind enough to allow Gulliver to stay in his yard, since Kara’s house didn’t have a fence. Kara, in turn, fed and cared for the dog and kept Mr. Radcliff’s yard clean.

Lizzie thought Mr. Radcliff rather stodgy and persnickety, but Kara disagreed. Losing his eyesight had surely made the old man act that way. Besides, Kara liked to focus on the good qualities people had, and as far as she was concerned, Mr. Radcliff had plenty. He’d been the first to suggest a trust fund be set up for Eric and little Ashley. And he’d organized the Gray Brigade, a group of senior citizens who had besieged the local paper with phone calls and letters to the editor in support of Lizzie’s request for custody.

Mr. Radcliff was kindhearted, even if he was a bit cranky at times. Lizzie referred to him as another of Kara’s adoptees, which, in a sense, he probably was. Of course, Kara made it a point not to coddle him, but she did take him dessert some evenings. And whenever his hometown newspaper arrived in the mail, she made time to read it out loud to him.

After she snapped the leash on Gulliver, Kara and the dog took off toward the shore, a bit more quickly than Kara had intended. “Come on,” she warned the dog. “Take it easy. I want to walk, not race. And if you don’t stop jerking ahead, you’ll pull my arm from its socket. Then who will exercise you?”

Gulliver, apparently not the least bit intimidated by Kara’s threat, didn’t show much restraint as they neared the stretch of beach where Michael rested upon the rocks, one knee bent, the other extended. He seemed so lost in his thoughts that she doubted whether he noticed her watching him. Or whether he even cared.

He picked up a small stone, studied it carefully, then tossed it into the surf. The breeze ruffled his golden hair, and the sun glistened off a bristled cheek, making him look like an eighteenth-century sea captain who’d lost his ship and crew. Kara’s imagination took hold, and she envisioned him marooned on a desert island, forlorn and helpless.

So pensive, so alone, she thought. So sad. Why did she always gravitate toward the downtrodden? Little boys who’d been orphaned, motherless babies, lonely old men and women, stray dogs.

Surely, she should leave him alone, allow him some privacy.

But like the call of the gull, his solitude cried out and beckoned her.

Chapter Two

Michael watched the sun dip low in the sky and found some peace at last. So far, so good, he thought. No one had recognized him or badgered him with questions he hadn’t even taken time to consider himself. For that reason alone, this quiet little hideaway might be just what he needed.

A bark caught his attention, and he glanced over his right shoulder where Kara walked her dog along the beach. No, he corrected, the monstrous dog walked her.

She caught his gaze and, perhaps assuming he wanted company, tugged on the leash to encourage the dog closer to the rocks. The breeze teased her autumn tendrils of hair, and the brightness of her smile seemed to challenge the setting sun. Like a pixie, she enchanted him. He studied her longer than was polite.

“Hello,” she called. “Gulliver and I are going for a walk along the beach, care to join us?”

Gulliver, she’d called the dog, and the image of a tiny Lilliputian queen trying valiantly to capture the giant brought a smile to his lips.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, swiping at a fiery strand of hair whipping in the ocean air.

He doubted telling her she reminded him of a Lilliputian would sit well, even if he bestowed the respectful title of queen, so he changed the subject. “Looks to me as though that dog wants to drag you down the beach.”

“I’m stronger than I look,” she said with a grin. “Tougher, too.”

Michael smiled again, finding it hard to believe that the redheaded pixie was either. He’d seen his share of strong women, hard women. Spending a few moments with one who was entirely different than others he’d known suddenly seemed appealing. He stood and climbed from the rocks, brushing the sand from the backside of his khaki shorts while he made his way toward her. “Maybe I should hold the dog.”

She shrugged as though his offer didn’t warrant much consideration, but a dimpled cheek and dancing green eyes told him she found something amusing in his words. “Suit yourself,” she said, handing him the leash.

As she transferred control of Gulliver, the dog danced and pranced before nearly dislocating Michael’s shoulder. “Hey, settle down, boy.” Then he glanced at the woman walking at his side and wearing a smile as light and easy as the ocean breeze.

“Gulliver loves to run on the beach,” she said, the lilt of her voice as fey as her appearance. “But I’m trying hard to train him to be well mannered.”

She had her work cut out for her, Michael thought. The dog still needed a lot of discipline, but he didn’t mention it. “How long have you been working with him?”

“Since I found him about three weeks ago,” she said, stooping to reach for a shell resting on the sand. She blew on it, then held it out for him to see. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

He nodded, although he would have stepped right over it himself.

She flashed him another effervescent smile. “I collect things.”

“Besides stray dogs and strangers?” he asked, unable to resist teasing her a bit.

She tucked the brown and yellow speckled shell into the front pocket of her shorts. “There’s enough loneliness in the world.”

He wondered whether she had experienced loneliness firsthand, or if she just had a compassionate heart. Both, he surmised. The sudden curiosity about her surprised him. “Mrs. Campbell said you’ve been helping her with the kids.”

Kara nodded. “At first, it was a neighborly thing to do, like reading to Mr. Radcliff. But I fell in love with Ashley and Eric. And we’ve become a family of sorts. When Lizzie can no longer take care of them, I’d like to be their guardian. Their mom. And I’ll take care of Lizzie, too.”

It seemed a noble thing for her to do. He couldn’t imagine his ex-wife being so tenderhearted that she’d take in a couple of orphans. Denise hadn’t wanted any of her own kids.

Why hadn’t he spotted her true character until after it reached up and smacked him between the eyes? In a way, he only had himself to blame for the entire mess.

“How long have you known the Campbells?” he asked, trying to put the past aside.

“Ever since the accident.”

“Accident? What happened?”

She sighed, then looked at the ocean. “Eric, Ashley and their parents were driving home late at night when they were involved in a hit-and-run collision. Somebody sideswiped them, causing the car they were driving to spin out of control. It hit a concrete guardrail and burst into flames. The parents died upon impact, according to the coroner.”

The wind whipped a strand of hair across her face, and she brushed it from her cheek. “Eric was seriously injured, but instead of panicking, he released his baby sister from the car seat and carried her from the burning vehicle. A highway patrolman who came upon the scene found Eric holding Ashley on the side of the road, tears running down his face, trying his best to calm the crying baby. The city council proclaimed him a hero. It was in all the papers.”

Michael vaguely recalled reading about it, but lately, his mind had been on his own trials and tribulations. A small voice urged him to take care, to avoid rubbing elbows with anyone who might stir up media curiosity, but he pushed it aside. The accident had happened nearly a year ago, if he remembered correctly.

“Mrs. Campbell mentioned she had custody of her two grandchildren,” he said.

“Lizzie had to fight hard for it, though. She’s nearly seventy-five years old, and her health isn’t the best. A wave of public sentiment swayed the judge to grant her temporary custody. I help as much as I can, when I’m not working or in school.”

School? She had a youthful appearance, yet a wisdom in her eyes. He wondered how old she was. Yet what did it matter? So what if she was at least ten years his junior. She was just a woman he’d met while on vacation, certainly not a potential date. Still, she had tweaked his curiosity.

“Where do you go to school?” he asked, wanting to know more about her, about how she spent her time, what goals she had set.

“I graduated from Cal State San Marcos last June. I’ve been accepted into graduate school, so I’m working hard to save enough money to go.”

“What’s your major?”

“Liberal arts. I want to be a teacher and plan to get a master’s degree in education.” She flashed him another fey smile, and he had no doubt she would charm children and parents alike. He’d seen her with Eric. She’d make a great teacher.

“How about a student loan?” he asked. “Then you wouldn’t have to work at all.”

She sobered. “No. I’ve had enough public assistance in my life. I want to put myself through school, even if it means working at the Pacifica Bar and Grill until I can save enough for tuition.”

He missed the smile, the lighthearted tone of her voice. And he wondered where she’d hidden them. And why.

Be clinical and detached, he reminded himself. This woman is none of your business.

“Oh, look,” she said, pointing to a round piece of blue plastic up ahead. “A Frisbee.”

She darted toward the circular toy and bent at the waist to retrieve it, giving Michael a tantalizing glimpse of a perfectly rounded derriere and two shapely upper thighs that peeked through the flared hem of her shorts. He swallowed hard, trying to ignore a surge of desire. Kara might be small in stature, but she was woman through and through. An enticing woman, although he had the feeling she wasn’t aware of how striking she was.

“Want to play?” she asked, eyes bright.

Play? With her? In a heartbeat. But not Frisbee. Gulliver jerked on the leash, drawing Michael to reality. “I’m afraid I haven’t played on the beach in a long time. I doubt my aim is worth a darn.”

“We’ll just have to see about that,” Kara said, waving the blue toy as she carried it to him, all the while flashing him a dimpled smile.

A seagull cried overhead, then swooped toward the sand, pecking at a bag of potato chips left on the beach.

Spotting the gull, Gulliver yipped in excitement, then leaped up and jerked against the leash. In an effort to chase the bird, the fool dog circled Kara, throwing her into Michael. Then, as Michael reached to steady her, Gulliver wrapped the leash around their legs.

Off balance, Michael and Kara fell to the sand, while the dog slipped from the collar and ran down the beach, leaving the humans lying in the sand, arms wrapped around each other.

Michael couldn’t help but stroke her arm, soft and sleek from a peach-scented lotion that wafted and swirled around him. “Are you okay?” he asked, senses reeling from the feel of her, the sensation of lying next to her.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice husky and velvety, unlike the lighthearted tone he’d found attractive before but far more mesmerizing.

Waves crashed upon the shore, and their hearts pounded in unison. His eyes caught hers and locked in a soul-piercing stare, a gaze that communicated something they both felt but couldn’t voice. A tingle of awareness, a jolt of hunger.

Afraid he could remain locked in her arms forever, Michael rose up on an elbow, unwrapped the leash from around his legs, then stood. “Let me help you up.”

Her hand gripped his, and he pulled her to her feet. Brushing sand from herself, she chuckled softly. When she glanced at him, eyes crinkling in mirth, he spotted a dried piece of seaweed dangling from her hair.

He removed it, slowly and gently, allowing himself to touch the soft, springy curls that intrigued him. Her breath caught, and he knew she felt the undercurrents of desire as he had, but she quickly laughed it off. In an effort to break the tension, he supposed.

He’d be wise to do the same, to let the awkward moment pass. “Your dog ran down the beach. Should we chase after him?”

“No,” she said. “He’ll come back home. He always does.”

She bent to retrieve the Frisbee she’d dropped in the melee, giving him another glimpse of a shapely backside. He raked a hand through his tangled, windswept hair and blew out the breath he’d been holding.

“Let’s play,” Kara said, taking the toy and loping down the sand. So unlike any of the socialites Michael had known, her playful spirit taunted him.

She sent the Frisbee flying toward him.

Michael snagged the circular toy and sent it back.

“Hey, not bad,” she said, flicking her wrist and shooting the blue disc in a wide arc.

For the first time since the scandal had disrupted his orderly world, Michael found himself laughing. Bertha had been right. What he needed was a vacation, something to take his mind off his troubles.

As Kara leaped to snag the blue plastic plate, her sweatshirt lifted, giving him a glimpse of a small, ivory-skinned waist. A waist his hands could easily encircle and his fingers ached to caress.

He’d never been one to take sexual relationships lightly, yet he couldn’t help but wonder whether a brief affair might help him shake the rejection he still felt after his ex-wife’s betrayal. It seemed like a logical prescription to him. And certainly more pleasant than allowing his emotional side to weigh him down.

“Hey,” he called to the bright-eyed pixie. “How about having dinner with me tonight. I’ll pick up a couple of swordfish fillets we can grill.” And a bottle of wine, he reminded himself.

“That sounds like fun,” she said. “I have to help Lizzie put the kids to bed. It’s kind of an evening ritual. Can we make it about eight?”

“Sure,” Michael said. That would give him time to run to the drugstore and purchase some condoms. Just in case.

It had been a long, long time since he’d tried to romance a woman. He wondered whether he still had the touch.

Kara stood before Michael’s door, her fist raised, ready to knock. She watched a moth frantically try to penetrate the yellow globe of the porch light.

Was the glow a welcome or warning? She couldn’t be sure. What was she doing here? Why had she agreed to have dinner with him? To be neighborly, she reminded herself. But good grief, Lizzie was a neighbor. Mr. Radcliff was a neighbor. Michael was a stranger.

Oh, sure, he had a warm smile and a gentle touch, but that was all the more reason she had no business having dinner with him. Just the two of them.

Alone.

Get a grip, she told herself. It’s only a friendly dinner. And certainly not a date, for goodness sake. Dates had always made her uneasy, but when the last one ended in humiliation and tears, she’d vowed to steer clear of men and romantic notions.

Her stomach knotted at the memory of the family dinner party Jason Baker had taken her to. When he’d first asked her, she’d declined, not wanting him to think she was serious about him. But he’d prodded her until she agreed. I want you to meet my family, he’d told her. You’ll like them.

But he’d been wrong.

When she arrived at the house, she’d been unprepared for the formality, the suspicious evaluations, the snide remarks.

You remember Kara, don’t you, Mom?

Oh, yes. The cocktail waitress.

At first, the accusations had been silent—a haughty grin, rolled eyes. Then a few heartless comments and innuendoes were made about Kara and her cunning attempt to snag a wealthy husband.

Marriage? To Jason Baker? She hadn’t given it any thought at all. And after she’d met his family, particularly his snobbish, sharp-tongued mother, she knew she’d rather die than have anything to do with the man or his family again.

The dinner had turned into a social inquisition, and Kara, nails clawing her palms, had excused herself and slipped out before dessert was served. No, she would never put herself in that position again. Nor would she date someone whose parents considered themselves socially and financially superior to her.

She’d probably date again. Someday. When she had Ashley and Eric living in her own home. Those precious children were her priority, not romance and glitter.

She placed a hand on the doorjamb of Michael’s cottage and closed her eyes, reminding herself of the precious good-night kisses she’d just given and received. The gentle sway of the old oak rocking chair, the scent of baby powder, a dribble of milk on baby Ashley’s tiny chin. A sleepy-eyed grin that sported two little white teeth had filled Kara’s heart with enough love to last a lifetime.

After laying the baby in the crib, Kara had sat on the edge of Eric’s bed and read him another chapter of Charlotte’s Web. She’d listened to his prayers, cupped his cheek and kissed him good-night. The ritual was as pleasant and restful for her as it was for the brave little boy she had come to love.

Kara slowly opened her eyes, then scanned Michael’s porch. Two lawn chairs flanked a small outdoor table. A beer can and a magazine rested upon the glass tabletop.

The Aviator. Why would Michael be reading that? Was he an aspiring pilot? She’d never been one to judge a man by the car he drove, but an old Ford didn’t seem like the kind of vehicle a pilot would drive. But what did she know about pilots? And what did she know about Michael?

She struggled with the urge to turn and go home, to call him with an excuse as to why she couldn’t come to his house tonight, but she’d agreed to join him for dinner. She couldn’t back out now. He was expecting her.

Once again, she reminded herself this wasn’t a date. And it certainly wouldn’t turn out like the dinner party at Jason Baker’s house. Garnering her courage, she knocked on the door.

Michael answered, wearing a pair of jeans, a crisply pressed white shirt and a smile that reached the golden hue of his eyes. He’d showered. And shaved.

She rather missed that salty, sea dog air he’d worn before.

His eyes swept her body in an appreciative caress. “Come in.”

He appeared genuinely glad to see her, and it both pleased and unnerved her. Impulsively, she turned and snatched the magazine and empty can from the table and thrust them toward him in an effort to put some distance between them, between him and her thoughts. “You left these outside.”

“Thanks.” He took them from her and stepped aside, holding the magazine and soda can against his chest.

Kara moved across the threshold and into the small but tastefully decorated cottage Lizzie had just refurbished. A fire crackled softly in the living room, and the easy sound of something classical played upon the stereo.

Just friends. Neighbors. Yet the romantic ambiance told her otherwise. As did the light, musky scent of aftershave. Her heart fluttered to a zip-a-dee-do-dah beat.

“Can I pour you a glass of wine?”

Wine? For a moment, Kara wondered if Michael’s expectations for the dinner were different than hers. She certainly hadn’t planned on a romantic encounter, and she quickly sought his eyes, hoping to see he hadn’t, either.

He flashed her a warm, friendly smile, and she wondered if she’d made more out of the offer than he’d intended.

She slowly ran her hands down the sides of her long, loose-fitting cotton skirt. We’re just newfound friends having dinner. And maybe a few laughs. What harm can there be in that?

“Sure,” she said. “Wine sounds great.”

Chapter Three