Besides, it never does any good chasing what-if. You have to go on the information you have. Move from there.”
“I guess.”
“Look. You’re strong. Brave. Determined. You were doing right by your sister. She trusted you or she never would have sent Noah to stay with you. As for the restaurant, she might’ve been worried she was being followed. She might’ve had a hunch there’d be trouble. I’m guessing she didn’t bet on anything of this magnitude. She must’ve thought with Noah safe, she could handle whatever came her way.”
His words were like a bonfire on a cold night. Warm. Soothing. Comforting.
Katherine reached up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
* * *
A LIGHT TOUCH from those silky lips and a hot trail lit from the point of contact. Caleb’s fingers itched to get lost in that chestnut mane of hers. She slicked her tongue over those lips and his body reacted with a mind of its own. His blood heated to boiling. He swallowed hard. Damn.
One look into Katherine’s eyes and he could see she was hurt and alone. He wouldn’t take advantage of the situation even though every muscle in his body begged to lay her down right then and give her all the comfort and pleasure she could handle. Another time. Another place. Might be a different story?
Then again, he’d never been known for his timing. He’d taken Becca in when she’d showed up at his door in trouble. Anger still flared through him when he thought about the bruises on her face and her busted lip. No way would he turn away a woman who looked as though she’d been abused. Caring for her and giving her a place to stay until she got on her feet had been the right thing to do. Having a relationship was a bad idea.
He’d opened his home and developed feelings for her. Look how that turned out, a little voice in his head said. She’d left after a year, saying she needed time to figure herself out.
Katherine faced a different problem. She was being brave as hell facing it rather than running and hiding. “Let’s see what else is here.”
“While I’m here, I should find some clothes and change.”
Caleb walked away. If he hadn’t, he couldn’t have been held responsible for his actions. His body wanted Katherine. He was a man. She lit fires in him with a slight touch. A spark that intense couldn’t lead to anything good. He could end up in a raging wildfire of passion. Weren’t wildfires all-consuming? And what did they leave in their wake? Devastation and tragedy.
The image of walking into the kitchen and finding Becca’s Dear John on the counter wound back through his thoughts as Katherine entered the room.
Caleb refocused and searched for something that might be significant. A medical file. A sealed envelope. A scribble on a piece of paper. He kept an eye on Katherine. Her tightly held emotions were admirable. Pride he had no right to own filled a small space inside him.
An hour into the search, her expression told the story. Eyes, dark from exhaustion. Lips, thin from anger. Muscles, tense from frustration.
He moved behind her and pressed his palms to the knots in her neck, ignoring his own rising pulse.
“I know I haven’t painted a good picture of my sister, but I can’t imagine what she could’ve gotten herself into that would cause this. She could be irresponsible, but she had a good heart. Whatever she did would have to have been an accident. Something she fell into. She wouldn’t have caused this much damage on purpose. She was sweet. Harmless. She isn’t—wasn’t—the type of person who’d do something malicious.”
“What happened between the two of you?” He doubted she’d tell him but he took a chance and asked anyway.
Katherine sat for a moment. She leaned forward, allowing him to deepen the pressure on her neck and move his hands to her shoulders.
“She was fifteen. Rebellious. There was this one time I specifically told her not to go out. I needed her home to let a repairman in. She didn’t
“I guess.”
“Look. You’re strong. Brave. Determined. You were doing right by your sister. She trusted you or she never would have sent Noah to stay with you. As for the restaurant, she might’ve been worried she was being followed. She might’ve had a hunch there’d be trouble. I’m guessing she didn’t bet on anything of this magnitude. She must’ve thought with Noah safe, she could handle whatever came her way.”
His words were like a bonfire on a cold night. Warm. Soothing. Comforting.
Katherine reached up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
* * *
A LIGHT TOUCH from those silky lips and a hot trail lit from the point of contact. Caleb’s fingers itched to get lost in that chestnut mane of hers. She slicked her tongue over those lips and his body reacted with a mind of its own. His blood heated to boiling. He swallowed hard. Damn.
One look into Katherine’s eyes and he could see she was hurt and alone. He wouldn’t take advantage of the situation even though every muscle in his body begged to lay her down right then and give her all the comfort and pleasure she could handle. Another time. Another place. Might be a different story?
Then again, he’d never been known for his timing. He’d taken Becca in when she’d showed up at his door in trouble. Anger still flared through him when he thought about the bruises on her face and her busted lip. No way would he turn away a woman who looked as though she’d been abused. Caring for her and giving her a place to stay until she got on her feet had been the right thing to do. Having a relationship was a bad idea.
He’d opened his home and developed feelings for her. Look how that turned out, a little voice in his head said. She’d left after a year, saying she needed time to figure herself out.
Katherine faced a different problem. She was being brave as hell facing it rather than running and hiding. “Let’s see what else is here.”
“While I’m here, I should find some clothes and change.”
Caleb walked away. If he hadn’t, he couldn’t have been held responsible for his actions. His body wanted Katherine. He was a man. She lit fires in him with a slight touch. A spark that intense couldn’t lead to anything good. He could end up in a raging wildfire of passion. Weren’t wildfires all-consuming? And what did they leave in their wake? Devastation and tragedy.
The image of walking into the kitchen and finding Becca’s Dear John on the counter wound back through his thoughts as Katherine entered the room.
Caleb refocused and searched for something that might be significant. A medical file. A sealed envelope. A scribble on a piece of paper. He kept an eye on Katherine. Her tightly held emotions were admirable. Pride he had no right to own filled a small space inside him.
An hour into the search, her expression told the story. Eyes, dark from exhaustion. Lips, thin from anger. Muscles, tense from frustration.
He moved behind her and pressed his palms to the knots in her neck, ignoring his own rising pulse.
“I know I haven’t painted a good picture of my sister, but I can’t imagine what she could’ve gotten herself into that would cause this. She could be irresponsible, but she had a good heart. Whatever she did would have to have been an accident. Something she fell into. She wouldn’t have caused this much damage on purpose. She was sweet. Harmless. She isn’t—wasn’t—the type of person who’d do something malicious.”
“What happened between the two of you?” He doubted she’d tell him but he took a chance and asked anyway.
Katherine sat for a moment. She leaned forward, allowing him to deepen the pressure on her neck and move his hands to her shoulders.
“She was fifteen. Rebellious. There was this one time I specifically told her not to go out. I needed her home to let a repairman in. She didn’t
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