She turned to him. “Really?”
Brad’s smile returned. “For you? Anything.”
Keagan rolled his eyes. He’d heard his friend’s lines before, but this was a doozy. He gave Brad a look. “Saturday morning, it’s on.”
“I’ll be here.”
“Good enough.” Keagan went to his truck and drove away.
Chapter 6
Karli took Axel a slice of pizza before she sat at the dining room table to eat with Brad. Keagan’s roommate had perfected charming and funny, and she enjoyed his company, but after an hour, she was relieved to see him go. He was good at the boy-girl flirting ritual, she had to admit, but she’d met plenty of men like him.
When she went to check on Axel, the old man sniffed. “All that boy wants to do is get in your pants.”
Karli raised an eyebrow. “Sounds better than spending time with you.”
Axel threw back his head and laughed. “You aren’t one bit like your mother, are you?”
“I was reared with love.”
He gave her a sour look. “Babied.”
“Yeah, and I liked it.”
“Your little sister’s probably even more pampered.”
“Sure is. Her husband’s crazy about her.”
Axel looked surprised. “She’s married?”
“Two years ago. They live in Florida now. Her husband got a job there.”
He narrowed his eyes to study her. “How old are you? Why aren’t you married?”
“I’m twenty-seven, and I don’t want to be. I took the job as a traveling nurse to go anywhere I want, whenever I want. A husband would get in my way.”
“Smart girl. A wife and kids are just a bother.”
“Then why have twelve of them?” He’d messed up the blanket on his bed and she straightened it for him. Habit. Patients always needed something.
“Eloise didn’t like condoms, and I wasn’t good at pulling out.”
She blinked. More candor than she’d expected.
Cheering came from the TV and his attention returned to the football game. “The other team made a touchdown.”
Karli took that as her opportunity to leave. She grabbed his empty paper plate and went to straighten up the kitchen. Before she headed to the bathroom to wash up, she went to check on Axel. “What if I help you get in your wheelchair so you can freshen up for the night?”
“Freshen up?” He snorted. “I wouldn’t mind brushing my teeth.”
“Let’s do it.” She put a hand under his elbow and helped him to his feet, steadied him when he turned to lower himself into the chair. He could do it on his own if he had to, but she could tell it wore him out. The more he moved, the better off he’d be. She pushed him into the bathroom and handed him his toothbrush and toothpaste. She got a clean washcloth for him. When he’d finished, she wheeled him back to his room and helped him settle back in bed.
“You’re not too bad at that,” Axel said.
“I’ve had practice.”
He grunted. “Wouldn’t mind doing that most nights.”
“No problem.” She didn’t make a big deal out of it, or he’d refuse. When she’d finished up, she turned out lights as she headed to her room. Once there, she changed into her pajamas, got comfortable on the air mattress, and called her mom.
“How’s it going?” Mom asked.
“About what we expected. Axel doesn’t like anything I suggest. I’m going to call different social services tomorrow to see what’s available. Axel doesn’t want to leave this place.”
“It’s in bad shape, though, isn’t it?”
“It looks horrible, but the house itself is really solid. Once you get past how it looks, you realize that it could be a really nice house if someone did something with it.”
There was silence on her mom’s end for a minute, then Mom sighed. “Someone told me once that the house was beautiful when my grandma was alive. I can’t picture it that way, too many bad memories growing up, but I suppose you’re right.”
“I can see it,” Karli said. “It has simple, clean lines.”
It was a large, two-story house with the open porch that ran across its entire front. Six, straight columns ran from the roof to its cement floor. A wide chimney was centered on the left exterior for the fireplace in the living room. An eyebrow arch let light in the attic.
“Keagan said he’d bring friends over on Saturday, and they’d fix the porch column. Can you believe that?”
“No.” Her mom sounded surprised.
“People are really nice around here. Mill Pond isn’t what I expected.”
“I’m glad it’s better for you than it was for me.”
“I don’t have Axel for a dad, or Eloise for a mother.” She was beginning to think that Eloise was no prize, either. When they hung up, Karli thought about her family. All twelve of Axel’s kids had run from him as soon as possible. Her sister, Nora, had sort of done the same thing. She’d wanted to leave Indianapolis for some place more glamorous for years. Karli loved Indiana, loved being close to her mom and dad. She was happy to travel, to stay in some new place for a few months, but Indiana always called her home.
She looked out the parlor’s long, narrow window at the side yard. Dead weeds bent at odd angles in the beam of the security light near the mudroom’s door. Frayed ropes hung from the branches of two trees. What was left of a hammock? It would be a perfect spot for one.
She pulled the drapes and reached for her book. She couldn’t help but smile at Catherine Bybee’s romance, Not Quite Mine. Would she ever find her happily ever after? Maybe. Maybe not. And it didn’t matter. She didn’t need a man to make her happy. But even as she told herself that, her thoughts drifted to Keagan.
Chapter 7
While coffee brewed the next morning, Karli made eggs and toast for herself and Axel. The old man was sitting up in bed, watching the History Channel, and he looked like he’d been awake for a while. “Couldn’t sleep?” she asked.
“Nah, didn’t finish the football game. Called it an early night, woke before the roosters crowed, and couldn’t go back to sleep.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “‘Bout time you got up and moving.”
She glanced out the window at the barn at the end of the driveway. “Do you have chickens?”
“Don’t be daft, girl. Not anymore. Used to, though. They crowed at first light.”
She was unimpressed. “You only got up half an hour ago then. First light doesn’t happen until after eight this late in November.”
He finished his eggs and swallowed his pills, then pushed his plate toward her. “Don’t you have something to do?”
“Lots of things. I’m making calls to see what I can line up for you today.”
“Knock yourself out.”
She took a napkin and swiped at the toast crumbs in his beard. “Consider your options, old man, while you still have them. Want me to help you to the bathroom to clean up?”
“I did that last night, didn’t I?”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself. I just thought it might feel good.”
He