Return of the Last McKenna (Harlequin Romance) by Shirley Jump Page B

warn you, that this place can
be a little…rowdy.”
    “Rowdy? In Newton?”
    “Sort of. You’ll see.” She put the vehicle in gear, a bemused
smile on her face. He liked her profile, the way the streetlights illuminated
her delicate features.
    They headed down the street, bumping over a few potholes. Kate
drove with caution, keeping one eye on the road and one on the cargo in the
back. He kept quiet, allowing her to concentrate on the still congested city
roads. A few turns, and then they pulled into the parking lot of the Golden Ages
Rest Home.
    “A rowdy rest home?” He arched a brow.
    She just grinned, then parked the van, got out and slid open
the side door. “I hope you wore your dancing shoes.”
    “My what? Why?”
    But Kate didn’t explain. He grabbed several of the boxes and
followed her into the building. Strains of perky jazz music filled the foyer. No
Grandma’s basement decorations here. The rest home sported cream and cranberry
colored furnishings offset by a light oak wood floor and a chandelier that cast
sparkling light over the space. A petite gray haired lady rushed forward when
Kate entered. “I’m so glad you’re here. The natives were getting restless.” She
placed a hand on Kate’s arm. “Thank you so much for helping us out again. You
are an angel.”
    Kate hefted the boxes. “An angel with dessert to the rescue!
I’m always more than happy to help you all out, Mrs. White.”
    The older lady waved the last words off. “You know that calling
me Mrs. White makes me feel as old as my grandmother. Call me Tabitha, Kate, and
you’ll keep me young at heart.”
    Kate laughed. “Of course, Tabitha. How could I forget
that?”
    “Maybe you’re getting a little old, too, my dear,” Tabitha
said, with a grin. She beckoned them to follow. They headed down the hall and
into a room decked out for a party.
    A pulsing disco ball hung from the ceiling, casting the
darkened room in a rainbow of lights. Couches had been pushed against the walls,
but few people sat on them. Jazz music pulsed from the sound system, while
couples and groups of seniors danced to the tunes, some on their own, some using
walkers and canes as partners. On the far wall, sat a table laden with food and
drinks, and a wide open space waiting for dessert.
    A tall elderly man with a full head of thick white hair and
twinkling blue eyes, came up to Kate as soon as she entered the room. “Miss
Kate, are you here to give me that promised dance?”
    “Of course, Mr. Roberts.” She rose to her toes and bussed a
kiss onto his cheek. “Let me get dessert set up and I’ll be ready to tango.”
    “Glad to hear it. Oh, and I see you brought a partner for Mrs.
Williams.” The man nodded toward Brody. “I didn’t know you had another
brother.”
    “Oh, he’s not my brother.”
    “A beau?” Mr. Roberts grinned and shot a wink at Brody. “That’s
wonderful, Miss Kate. You deserve a man who will treat you right.” He eyed
Brody. “You are going to treat her right, aren’t
you?”
    Brody sputtered for an answer, but Kate saved him by putting a
hand between the men. “Oh, no, Brody’s not a beau. Just a…friend.”
    Friend. The kiss of death between a man and a woman, Brody
thought. But really, did he want anything more? Brody wanted to help Kate, not
be her boyfriend.
    Yet the thought of them having nothing more than a cordial
relationship left him with a sense of disappointment. A war between what he
wanted and what he should have brewed in his chest. He opted for the should
have. Help her through this bump in her business, make sure she got back on
track, that she was happy and secure again, then go back to his life. No more.
No less.
    “What, are you nuts, boy? This woman is a catch and a half. If
I was thirty, okay,” Mr. Roberts winked, “fifty years younger, I’d marry her
myself.”
    “Mr. Roberts, you are an incorrigible flirt.”
    “Keeps me young.” He grinned. “And keeps the ladies around here
on their