A Home of Her Own (Dundee, Idaho #4)(55)
Author: Brenda Novak

The campaign again. Fund-raising was almost all Gabe talked about lately, but at least he was talking about something.

Garth tried to concentrate on the conversation. “At the rate you’re going? Of course we will. I’ve never had a better man working for me. I think you should run for senate in a few years.”

A grimace contorted Gabe’s handsome face, and Garth knew his son would disregard the idea as he disregarded all of Garth’s suggestions for his future. Gabe didn’t feel he had a future worth worrying about. “Even if we reach our target, will four hundred thousand be enough?”

If Lucky breathed a word of what was in her mother’s journal, no amount of money would be enough. But Garth nodded and smiled anyway. “Sure. Butch Boyle’s been in office too long already. It’s high time we gave him his walking papers.” More rhetoric. Garth suppressed a humorless chuckle. He was beginning to speak in clichés even at home. Maybe he’d been a politician for too many years….

“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?” Gabe’s eyebrows were drawn together in concern.

“Of course.”

“You haven’t been yourself the last week.”

Reenie came marching into the living room, carrying Isabella, her youngest, who had candy cane smeared all over her face. “Grandma’s not going to like you getting that candy stuck in her carpet,” she scolded.

“Yum!” Isabella responded gleefully, clapping her sticky hands.

“It’s a busy time of year,” Garth said so Gabe wouldn’t glare at Reenie.

Unfortunately, Reenie wasn’t quite as preoccupied with Isabella as she’d first appeared. “Maybe Dad wouldn’t have to worry quite so much if you’d quit feeling sorry for yourself, Gabe.”

An angry muscle jumped in Gabe’s cheek, but Reenie was down the hall before he could respond.

Garth knew his daughter was right—Gabe needed to pull himself together, regardless of what he used to be—but he wasn’t any happier with Reenie. He’d taken her aside earlier and asked her to back off. Besides, getting Gabe involved in the campaign was creating more progress than Reenie’s verbal barrages, even if it was progress by inches.

Shaking his head, Gabe started wheeling himself toward the door, which Garth knew he’d been itching to do almost since he’d arrived. He was on his way back to that damn cabin where he stayed holed up for days and weeks at a stretch. But this time Garth put up a hand to stop him.

“Stay with me today, will you, Gabe?” He’d tried to affect a casual tone, but knew he’d come across too seriously when concern clouded Gabe’s blue eyes.

Clearing his throat, Garth tried again. “This Christmas—” might be our last as a family “—is important to me.”

Gabe’s obvious confusion made Garth feel even worse. His crippled son didn’t need anything else to worry about. But at least Gabe had stopped moving. After gazing at him for several seconds, he finally nodded. “Sure, I’ll stay. Anything you need, Dad.”

Anything he needed. What Garth needed was a chance to go back and change the past.

MIKE FROWNED as Josh came into his house and slouched in the chair at the other end of the coffee table. “It’s Christmas afternoon. Why aren’t you with your family?” he asked, grabbing his beer and glancing away from the football game he’d been trying to get interested in for the past hour.

“I thought maybe you could use some company, what with being sick and all.” Josh grinned in an obvious attempt to lighten Mike’s mood, but Mike didn’t return the smile.

“You don’t have to baby-sit me, Josh. I’m not going back to Lucky’s.”

“I’m not baby-sitting you. I just don’t want you hanging out here all alone.”

“I live alone.” Mike took a long pull on his beer. “How’s today any different?”

Josh hesitated until he had Mike’s full attention. “Quit acting like it’s no big deal,” he said, all levity gone. “I know you’re having a tough time giving her up.”

Mike opened his mouth to tell his brother that he didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, but he couldn’t get the words out—get them out and make them convincing, anyway. He was having a tough time giving Lucky up. And Mike resented the fact that loyalty to his family seemed to dictate he should.

“Think about it, though,” Josh went on. “It’s better to walk away now, before someone gets hurt. I can’t see the relationship going anywhere in the long run, can you?”

Josh had a point there. Mike’s relationships never went anywhere in the long run. He didn’t seem capable of caring as deeply as other people and had to be extra careful not to hurt the women he dated.

But Lucky didn’t seem to fall into the same category as those other women. Somehow, she’d ducked beneath his defenses, made him forget everything and everyone else….

He remembered her warm tears falling on his chest and the overwhelming anger he’d felt at what she’d endured as a child. Since when had he started feeling things so poignantly?

“No, I can’t see it going anywhere,” he said, suddenly determined to find his old self. He’d been criticized for being too cavalier with women, but “easy come, easy go” had its benefits.

“Yeah, well, she’s too young for you, anyway.”

Mike shot him warning glance. “Maybe you should stop while you’re ahead, little brother.”

Chuckling, Josh tossed a coaster at him. “There’s the man I grew up with. You had me worried for a sec. I’ve never seen you sulk over a woman before.”

“I’m not sulking.” Mike tossed the coaster back at him. “Don’t you have somewhere to go?”

“I do now that I know you’re going to be okay.” Josh stood and headed for the door. “Are you sure you won’t come over in an hour or so and have supper with me and Rebecca?”

“Are you kidding? Rebecca can’t cook.”

Josh looked wounded. “She tries.”

Mike finally mustered a smile for his brother, who was so madly in love with Rebecca that he could eat charred toast at every meal if it made her happy. “She’s learning,” he said in an attempt to be generous. “I’m just not hungry tonight.”

“I’ll tell her you’re still too sick.”

“Good idea,” he said, then the door clicked shut and Mike was alone again with his memories of last night.