“Bullshit.” He shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth.
She sighed. “Your house is in terrible shape. So are you. You can’t get around very well. If a fire started, you wouldn’t make it out of here. And you’re not eating right.”
“That’s my business, not yours.”
“What have you got against a nursing center? You’d get three squares a day and a shower once a week. They’d let you have your TV in your room and they have activities. You’d be moving up in the world.”
“People would think they had the right to boss me around. No one tells me what to do.”
“Even if it’s for your own good?”
“I do what I want.”
He did indeed. “Why not go now when you have a choice rather than waiting for poor health to make it for you?”
He stuck out his chin. “Let them try.”
She shook her head and rose. “What if I try to arrange for you to get Meals on Wheels and some in-home nursing?”
“I don’t want some strangers sticking their noses in my business.”
She was losing patience. “Well, you’d better cozy up to the idea, because you’re not safe on your own.”
“I can make it outside if a fire starts. The door’s right there and Keagan put a handle on the doorframe that I can use for support.”
He’d finished his meal, gave her a look, and tossed his plate against the far wall. He’d eaten every bite, and the plate was plastic, so it didn’t do any harm.
She laughed at him. “Are we two?”
“We aren’t anything. Go home, girl. I don’t want you here.”
She bent and picked up the empty plate. Then she put his remote on the chair she vacated. “Learn some manners, old man.”
“Hey, I can’t reach the remote there.”
“Use your wheelchair since you can do so much.” She went in the kitchen and dished up a plate of food for herself. After eating it, she took out the stack of six more dishes and the rest of the silverware to put in the soapy water. No dishwasher. Why would Eloise need a modern convenience when she had twelve children to help her?
The TV blurted to life in the back room, so Axel had gotten his remote. Karli wondered how much he actually could do. When everything was in the drying rack, she wiped down the cupboards and counters. She groaned when she looked at the stove. Axel was lucky he’d never had a grease fire. She emptied the dirty water in the sink and refilled it. It took an hour and a half to get the stove clean enough to use.
When the kitchen was tolerable, she concentrated on the parlor. The room was a decent size with only a wooden rolltop desk in it. The desk was nice. There was plenty of room for her queen-sized air mattress to sleep on. She opened the window to let in fresh air, found a dust mop in a broom closet, and swiped down the walls and ceiling. Then she brought in a broom. A few hours later, the room was clean, but dingy.
Someone knocked at the front door. She glanced at her reflection in the glass doors that closed off the parlor from the living room. Her hair had gone a little wild, since it was damp with sweat. Her top clung to her. So did her jeans, but she was presentable.
A heating and air conditioning truck was parked in the driveway. Axel’s furnace worked, so she wasn’t sure why it was here. A stocky guy with a headful of blonde curls and sparkling green eyes stood at the door. His nose was a little big and his hands were huge. When she hurried to greet him, he grinned. “Hi, I’m Brad King, Keagan’s roommate. He told me you’d come to town.” His gaze raked her body, and his grin grew wider.
She got it. He’d come to check her out. Keagan must have told him that she was attractive. Wait a minute. Why did he send his roommate instead of hitting on her himself?
Brad held out a large pizza box, and the smell of pepperoni made her mouth water. “I thought I’d come bearing a gift to welcome you to Mill Pond.”
Time had gotten away from her. It was later than she’d thought. Her stomach felt like an empty cavern. She opened the door and welcomed him inside.
Chapter 5
Keagan pulled his SUV behind Brad’s truck in Karli’s drive. His friend hadn’t wasted any time, but then, Brad was partial to pretty, single girls. Keagan walked to Axel’s sagging porch and gave a quick knock on the door.
Karli opened it and settled a frown on him. Had he upset her? How? She looked pretty damned appealing with her dark curls scraped back in a ponytail. She was a little thing, didn’t quite make it to his shoulder, but her pissed-off energy still carried weight. He nodded to the big foil tray of fried chicken and another with fried potatoes that he carried. The aromas had to make her happy. “You’re in luck, neighbor. Supper from Ralph at Ralph’s Diner.” He glanced inside at Brad with his pizza. “Oh, you already have supper. Maybe you can save the chicken for tomorrow.”
She opened the door and motioned him into the dining room with Brad. He noticed she’d dusted the sturdy, cherry table that was long enough to seat twelve kids and their parents. Everyone in Mill Pond had heard she was here, and they all felt sorry for her. Soon, that table could be lined with all kinds of goodies.
She looked surprised. “I don’t even know Ralph. Would you tell him thank you from us?”
“Sure will.” He set the food down and nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
Her frown deepened as he ran back outside. This time, he carried in a set of four plates and coffee cups he’d designed. She lifted the lid on the box he’d packed them in and inhaled a soft breath. Her frown melted. “You made these? They’re beautiful.”
Nice. She liked them. “I had them on display at Ian’s resort, but I just took him my winter design. These are for fall, so I thought I’d bring you these. I wasn’t sure what Axel’s dishes were like, if he still had any.”
She rubbed a finger over embossed pumpkins, acorns, and leaves. “This was so nice of you. They’re stunning.”
“Thanks.”
Her lips pinched together, and her brows narrowed into a scowl again. “Do you have any ego at all? You’re giving these to Axel? They’re art. He won’t appreciate them.”
Keagan glanced at Brad, confused. He was trying to be nice, but he’d irritated her again. “I came at a bad time. I interrupted you and Brad and your pizza. I’ll let you get back to it before it gets cold.” He turned toward the door. He’d ticked her off, and he wasn’t sure why. And then he got it. Brad had dropped onto her doorstep with his golden curls and easy smile. He’d probably already turned on the charm, made her feel special, and then he’d swooped in with his chicken and interrupted. Keagan had learned from experience that when he was with Brad, he might as well be invisible. Some women even cozied up to him just to get close to Brad. He needed to get the hell out of here and let Brad do his thing.
She followed him out onto the porch. “I didn’t thank you for the dishes. I love them and don’t want them ruined. I’ll only use them for special occasions.”
Would there be special occasions with Axel? He didn’t know what to say, so looked everywhere but at her and that made him really look at the porch. It was his turn to frown. “You know, this is downright sad. It wouldn’t take much to fix it. All we’d have to do is jack up this corner and replace the column.”
She looked surprised. “You can do that?”
He nodded. “People in town are pretty