A Home of Her Own (Dundee, Idaho #4)(21)
Author: Brenda Novak

A tear trickled down his mother’s cheek. “The way I feel isn’t right,” she said, suddenly deflating. “I’ve never hated anyone in my life, but I hate Red, whether she’s dead or not, and I hate Lucky.” She turned her face into Larry’s chest, and he put his arms around her.

“You’re entitled, honey,” he soothed. “You’ve been through a lot because of them.”

Mike couldn’t believe he’d made his mother cry; she typically cried only at weddings and funerals. First he’d hurt Lucky, then Gabe, and now his mother. Evidently he was making a clean sweep of everyone he came into contact with today.

So much for being Mr. Nice Guy….

CHAPTER SEVEN

MIKE LEFT his parents’ house as soon as possible, even though his mother insisted on feeding him. The conversation over lunch was too stilted. Mike could tell his father wasn’t happy that he’d taken Lucky’s side of the argument. And the word tramp kept flashing through his mind like a cue card, making him feel guilty for allowing their misjudgment to continue when he knew for a fact that it wasn’t true. Problem was, defending Lucky any more valiantly than he already had could cause his poor mother to have a nervous breakdown. Just imagining a scene where he told his family that he knew Lucky wasn’t a tramp because he’d taken her virginity was enough to make his blood run cold.

He shook his head and eased his SUV over to the right because his tires kept slipping on the snow-packed road. Considering how much his association with Lucky would upset everyone who cared about him, he was going to choose the lesser of two evils and keep his mouth shut. He needed to go home and get some sleep. Maybe then he could gain some perspective on all of this.

But as he passed the Timberline Motel where Lucky was staying, he couldn’t help craning his head to get a glimpse of the door to her unit. Was that a light glimmering through the crack in the drapes? What was she doing? Reading that black book? Had she eaten since breakfast?

Probably not. She couldn’t have gone anywhere on foot in this storm. Which meant she had to be hungry.

Not your problem! he quickly reminded himself. But when he found the highway out of town closed because of the storm, it came as no surprise. And although Lucky wasn’t his problem, that didn’t stop him from buying her a burger and fries and heading straight to the Timberline.

WHEN SHE HEARD a knock at the door, Lucky shoved her mother’s journal, which she’d left on the bed, into a drawer and went to check the peephole. “Who in the world—”

Mike again. She couldn’t believe her eyes. What was he doing here? He’d already destroyed what little peace of mind she’d possessed when she returned to Dundee. Why couldn’t they make things easy on each other and avoid contact now that they had the chance? She was certainly trying to do her part.

She wouldn’t answer the door, she told herself. She wasn’t dressed for company. After her shower, she’d pulled on a T-shirt and sweats without a bra.

But it looked as if he was carrying something that could be food. And he’d already seen a lot more of her than she was showing now.

Opening the door, she braced herself against the wind and snow that rushed in and stared out at him. “Don’t tell me you’re stuck in town.”

“Actually I am.”

“Why didn’t you go back earlier?”

“I guess I had to cause some problems first.”

“What kind of problems?”

“Never mind. Are you hungry?”

“Not really,” she said above the wind, but she knew her eyes had betrayed her when they flicked to the sack.

He grinned knowingly. “A double cheeseburger. With bacon.”

The smell alone made her salivate. A double cheeseburger with bacon was better than sex—and now she knew what she was talking about when she used that expression. “Well…I wouldn’t want it to go to waste,” she said, trying to sound indifferent so she wouldn’t have to thank him too profusely. “Let me get my purse so I can pay you.”

The wind would have slammed the door against the inside wall had she left it standing open. She asked him to hold it and turned to retrieve the promised money, expecting him to wait right where he was. But without her to bar the way, he stepped inside.

Lucky whirled around when she heard the door click shut to see Mike, shaking off the snow and cold. His mere presence seemed to gobble up half the space in the room.

“Here you go.” Grabbing the first bill she could find in her wallet, which turned out to be a twenty, she held it out to him. She knew a double cheeseburger couldn’t have cost that much, but she wasn’t going to squabble over ten or fifteen bucks if it meant getting rid of him. “I appreciate the food.”

Ignoring the money in her outstretched hand, he gave her the sack, removed his coat and slipped around her to sit on the end of her bed. “You’re watching ESPN?” he said.

“I like sports.” She frowned at the coat he’d just discarded on her vinyl chair.

“Did you catch Monday Night Football?”

“Half of it. I couldn’t take watching Green Bay lose.”

“You’re a Packers fan?”

She was a Brett Favre fan, but she didn’t think she needed to get specific. Most men didn’t pick their favorite team based on the build of the quarterback. “I like the Raiders, too.”

“What about basketball?”

“My favorite is definitely the Kings. No team’s more exciting to watch, although the Denver Nuggets have a lot of talented young players. They might become a championship team, if they can only keep the crew together.”

“You think the Kings will ever win a championship?”

“It’s certainly their turn.”

“What about baseball?”

“What about it?”

“Do you like that, too?”

“Not as much as basketball and football, but if there’s nothing else on…”

“Who do you follow?”

“The Mariners, mostly.”

He studied her. “How do you know so much about sports?”

“From watching games, I guess.” No matter where she went, there was usually a local sports bar that served a good dinner and provided a casual, friendly atmosphere in which to spend a few hours. Whenever she moved to a strange city, she felt most comfortable sitting in one of these bars, eating buffalo wings and watching basketball on the big screen. It also gave her something to do when the other volunteers where she was temporarily working invited her out and she didn’t want to go with them that night.