No Ordinary Hero

“I agree. Kitten it is. And I’ve got plenty over at the clinic. People drop them on my doorstep all the time. If you want, bring her over on Monday afternoon to pick one. Or let me work with a few for a week and find the one most amenable to a collar and leash.”

Del thought about that. “I already know she wants a calico, so maybe surprising her would be more fun than making her wait for a week or so. Do you have any calicos?”

“Just one. They’re relatively rare. But she’s certainly a friendly little one. Loves to be hugged and petted.”

“That sounds ideal then.”

“Consider it done. But since it’ll be me and one kitten mano a mano, rather than just picking the most cooperative animal, it might take a little longer to leash train it.”

Again he had made her laugh, with the mental image of him in hand-to-hand combat with a stubborn kitten. “All right, I won’t tell her.”

“Probably best, unless you like to be nagged.”

Her smile widened and she decided she liked Mike Windwalker. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“No thanks necessary. I’m always happy to find a good home for an animal.”

“Well, I’ve kept you long enough.” She started to turn away then saw her empty house waiting for her. And she stopped, unable to say why. Just that for some reason that house no longer looked as welcoming to her as it had when she bought it.

“This is ridiculous.” Unaware she had spoken out loud, she was surprised when she heard a response.

“What is?” Mike asked.

She blew a long breath, impatient with herself, and now embarrassed. She should have made up some excuse, but she’d never been much of liar. “It’s ridiculous that for some reason I don’t want to go into that house tonight.”

She was still staring at the building, but when she heard him move she looked at him. He stood straight up now, and he moved to her side, glancing at the house, too.

“I can’t say,” he said slowly, “that I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Her heart slammed. What was he saying? Was he just trying to scare her? No, he didn’t seem like the type. On the other hand, how well did she know him? “What do you mean?”

He gave a slight shake of his head, then shrugged. “Damned if I know.” Slowly his dark-as-ebony eyes came to meet hers. “Want me to come in with you? Just to look around?”

She wanted to laugh the whole thing off, as if they were just joking, but somehow she couldn’t. And as independent as she’d become since Don’s death, she was surprised that his offer didn’t put her hackles up.

Maybe because her hackles were already up over something she couldn’t even define. “I must have eaten something that didn’t agree with me,” she said, trying to find a rational explanation for that lingering feeling of reluctance.

He didn’t answer, just waited for her decision.

Finally, forcing briskness into her tone, she made it. “Sure, come on in and I’ll show you around. Maybe you’ll enjoy laughing at me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because I was crazy enough to take on a project this size?”

At that he chuckled but shook his head. “I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you’re a hard worker who isn’t intimidated by huge jobs.”

“Maybe I should have been intimidated with this one. Come on, I’ll show you what I meant about the rot in the walls.”

She thought he hesitated, but he was only a half step behind her as she led the way.

With each step she wondered what the heck was wrong with her. And why he could be so contrarily reluctant and friendly.

Walking into Del’s house in plain sight of any nosy neighbor who might be watching through sheers or around the edges of curtains might not be the smartest act on the planet, Mike thought. On the other hand, he could sense how troubled Del felt, and he couldn’t ignore that.

Just because some held on to old prejudices, it didn’t mean everyone did. Hell, didn’t this county have a couple of Native American lawmen?

But his people had been involved at Little Big Horn, something he’d had rubbed in his face for years when he was younger. Now that he was big enough to defend himself, most just plain didn’t say anything, so he might well be attributing those animosities to more folks than deserved it.

But he knew damn well the prejudices were still there, whether in most or just a handful, and he hoped Del wouldn’t suffer for what he was about to do. From what he could tell, she had quite enough problems on her plate.

Then he told himself to stop worrying about it. He was a grown-up and so was she. All that mattered was that she was nervous about entering her own house, and he’d learned early in life not to ignore those feelings. You might not be able to identify what triggered them, but ignoring them could get you into trouble.

As soon as he stepped through the front door, he looked around and remarked, “I can see why you bought this house.”

She cocked an eye his way, smiling faintly. “Why?”

He waved one arm. “Most houses from this era are shotguns, one room behind another. But this one … Look at this wide hallway. And the stairway. In most places it would be right in the living room. It seems extravagant considering the era when it was built.”

“It is.” Her eyes brightened as she smiled. “I couldn’t resist it because it’s so different, and because it’s more amenable to a modern lifestyle. When you have the shotgun floor plan, where rooms were just added straight back, it’s hard to change things enough so that you’re not walking through bedrooms. A real challenge. But this place is just perfect.”

He lifted one eyebrow. “Except for all the hard work you have to do.” That much was impossible to miss. Even the railing on the staircase had been painted, as had doors and moldings. He suspected there was plenty of fine wood to be uncovered in this house. “Somebody with money built this place.”

“That’s my guess, but I really haven’t looked into the history of the house.”

“You should. There’s probably a fascinating story somewhere.”

Yet, despite the architectural grace of the place, there they stood just inside the door. Mike hesitated, looking inward, trying to sense the cause for that. He’d gone through the house with her because she felt uneasy. Because something had made him feel a bit uneasy, too, yesterday, and again today. But instead of taking that walkthrough, they both stood here as if an invisible wall held them back.

His uneasiness had grown, he realized. But just a shade. Not enough to worry him. Finally, feeling the tension in the woman beside him, he asked, “Would you just like me to walk through on my own?”

He was willing, and a bit of a street fighter out of necessity. He could handle just about anyone who didn’t have a gun. Although why the hell he should be worried about that he didn’t know.

He paused a few seconds, searching places in himself that he usually kept hidden. There was something about this house …

Del gazed at him, her blue eyes reflecting perplexity and even some embarrassment. “What’s going on?”

He got the feeling she was asking herself, not him. But he hesitated only a moment before saying, “This house feels sad.”

She nodded, surprising him. “I never noticed anything before but …” She sighed. “Okay, I’m feeling really weird. I’m not an overly imaginative person. Maybe Colleen’s complaint about noises is getting to me.”

“Could be,” he agreed smoothly, although for an instant he wanted to disagree strongly. But he’d turned himself into a man of science on purpose, and if he were to consider the empirical evidence, it was nuts to say the house felt sad. He managed a crooked smile. “I guess it must have gotten to me, too. Your daughter just doesn’t seem like the kind of kid to think she has bears in her closet.”

“She’s not. We got past that stage before she turned four. So if she says she’s hearing something, it’s got to be mice in the walls.”

“Or a water pipe ticking. I don’t have to tell you how many sounds an old house can make.”

“Plenty,” she agreed. “And now I not only feel ridiculous, I feel stupid. You don’t have to walk through with me. I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do.”