His Holiday Family

“New Orleans, originally. I’ve been here for five years.”

“How long have you been a firefighter?”

“Fifteen years.”

“Why did you decide to become one?”

He opened his mouth but a few seconds later snapped it closed. A nerve in his jaw twitched. Clasping his hands so tightly his knuckles whitened, he stared straight ahead at a spot over her shoulder. “Someone needs to fight fires.”

Behind what he’d said there was a wealth of words left unspoken, but his stiff posture and steely expression told her the subject was off-limits. What was really behind him being a firefighter? On the surface he seemed open and friendly, but deep down she felt his need for privacy as though he were used to being alone and liked it that way. She could respect his need for that.

She’d felt the same way when she’d discovered the extent of Derek’s debt and betrayal after he died. Leaving her to deal with the aftermath. Alone. So yes, she was used to dealing with her problems alone.

For a long moment an uncomfortable silence vibrated in the air between them.

Gideon cleared his throat. “I’ve filled in as a paramedic when they’ve needed me. I’m surprised I haven’t met you before at the hospital.”

Covering the distance to the refrigerator, she took out a carton of milk and a pitcher of iced tea. “That’s because I started working at Hope Memorial Hospital a little over six weeks ago. Knowing your aversion to a hospital, I doubt you hung around once you delivered your patients to the E.R.”

“Ah, you know me too well. Where did you move from?”

“Denver, Colorado.” Kathleen poured milk into two large glasses.

“Can I help you set the table or something?”

“No, I’ve got this. You brought the dinner. That’s enough, and my sons will be ecstatic they aren’t having what I planned tonight—tuna casserole.”

“I ran into your mother as I was leaving my house. She asked me where I was going when I should be resting. I told her I was feeling better and decided to take dinner to you and the boys. She gave her stamp of approval.”

I’m sure she did. Her mother was a romantic at heart and had encouraged Kathleen to start dating almost immediately after returning home. “She goes out every Thursday night with Mildred.”

“Not Nurse Ratched?”

“The one and the same.”

Gideon rubbed the back of his neck, his forehead creased. “She’s a friend of the family?”

“Yes.”

“That will teach me to keep my mouth shut.”

“She comes across tough and no-nonsense, but she really has a very loving heart. That is, once you get to know her.” Kathleen pressed her lips together to keep from smiling at the sheepish look on his face. “I tell you what. You can get the plates down from that cabinet and napkins from that drawer—” she pointed to the locations “—and I’ll go get the boys before this pizza gets cold.”

As she strolled from the kitchen, the sensation that he was staring at her sent a tingling wave through her. Goose bumps rose on her arms. She quickened her pace down the hallway to Jared and Kip’s room. She’d had her younger son go into the bedroom the boys shared while Kip was in hers. Time-out in the same room only escalated their skirmishes, which had been growing worse since they’d moved to Hope.

When she opened the door to the boys’ bedroom, Jared sat on his twin bed, chunking paper wads into the trashcan. A whole notebook, almost gone, littered the floor.

“Jared!”

He glanced at her, grinned and said, “Watch me, Mom.” He tore the last sheet from the pad and scrunched it up into a ball, then tossed it toward the basket. It bounced off the rim and dropped into the pile of other missed shots. He frowned. “Maybe I should move it closer.”

“No, maybe you should clean this mess up and then come to dinner. We’re having pizza.”

“Not tuna? Yay!” He scooted off the bed, taking half the covers with him. “The only reason I didn’t make many baskets was cause I can’t use both arms.”

“Then I would refrain from climbing houses.”

He bent over and picked up the first wad, frowning at his cast on his left arm. “This is gonna take forever.”

“You should have thought about that before you decided to make the mess.” She turned away before he saw her smile. Natural consequences were great teachers, but her son could have broken something much worse than his wrist.

Across the hall, she found Kip at the door listening to her and Jared. She peeked into her room to make sure he hadn’t left a similar mess.

He looked up at her with those big brown eyes and long eyelashes and said sweetly, “I’m sorry I fought with Jared, but he was bugging me. I had to do something to shut him up.”

“Getting into a wrestling match isn’t an option. Dinner is ready.”

“I heard the doorbell. Did Gideon come with pizzas?”

“Yes.”

“Sweet.” Kip hurried ahead of her toward the kitchen.

“Next time, young man, warn me when someone is coming over, especially with dinner.”

Jared came out of his room and followed behind Kathleen. “Why did he bring pizza?”

Kathleen waited for Jared, cradling his cast to his chest. “To see you all.”

“Really? Us?”

“I think he enjoyed your visit yesterday. He thought you and Kip might enjoy pizza.”

“Kip talked his ear off. I hardly got to say anything. He was constantly asking him about what a firefighter did.”

When she and Jared entered the kitchen, Kip was already seated at his place with three pieces of pizza with all the toppings on it. “I’m starved, Mom.”

“We’re coming.” Her gaze latched on to Gideon standing by the counter. She crossed to the table and took a seat. Gideon moved behind her and helped her scoot her chair forward before he sat. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had done that for her.

After Jared plopped down in the last place between Gideon and Kip, Gideon looked at each boy. “I remember Kip mentioning how much he loved pizza yesterday. Earlier that sounded good to me, so I thought I would share some with y’all.”

“Pizza is okay.” Jared dug into the box nearest him and pulled out four pieces, piling them on his plate.

“Hold it. You never eat that many.” Kathleen clasped her hands into fists in her lap. “Take one at a time.”

“Kip has three pieces,” Jared whined.

“The same goes for him, too.” Kathleen pinned her older son with a stare that told him to behave.