Charley had to
work hard to stifle her grin. Especially after she glanced at Cole. He was
almost doubled over with silent laughter.
Charley looked back at Mrs. Paulson.
“Truthfully, there haven’t been any wolves around here in years. The only real
problem we have are the bears.”
The housekeeper’s snow-white hair stood
visibly on end. “Bears!” The word scaled up at the end until it was beyond the
range of human hearing.
“Just black bears,” Charley hastily assured
her. “The small ones.” There was a choking sound from behind Mrs. Paulson and
this time it was Charley who glared at Cole’s red face. “Honest, they’re really
little. And they’re afraid of people. All you have to do is stomp your foot and
yell, and they run. Mostly, they’re after the garbage cans people leave out.”
Mrs. Paulson spun to face Cole, and he
immediately straightened, his face expressionless. “Bears,” she repeated
ominously. “You didn’t tell me about the bears. Where are the garbage cans?”
“In the garage, just like they were yesterday.”
“See to it they stay there,” she snapped.
“Yes, ma’am,” Cole responded, edging around
her. “I’m going to show Charley the rest of the house, now.”
“Make sure all the doors are locked when
you do.”
“Oh, bears can’t—” Charley’s words were cut
off abruptly as Cole grabbed her hand and dragged her from the room. By the
time they made it back through the dining room, his hand was clutched to his
ribs and he was gasping for air.
“Oh, God,” he laughed. “Between you and
Kristy, that poor woman won’t survive her first month here. ‘They’re really
small ones,’” he mimicked her. “Charley, she’s never been out of the inner city
in her life. Can you imagine what she’s going to think if she sees a raccoon?
She’s already trying to talk me into buying her a gun. There’d be raccoon guts
scattered for a mile in every direction.”
Charley was laughing in spite of her
horror. “You aren’t going to buy her one, are you?”
His head tilted to one side. “Do I look like I want to wake up full of bullet holes? Believe me, there is no way I’m
buying that woman a gun.”
“Where on Earth did you find her?”
Cole smiled. “I didn’t. She found me.” They
had stopped in the living room. “It was right after Jordan Enterprises sold its
first really big contract. We were installing a security system for a
multimillion dollar conglomerate. The clients were into jogging, so I’d met
them at the park that morning and we talked on the track. By the time we
finished, I was sweating and dirty. I sat down on a park bench to cool off, and
the next thing I knew, this tiny woman was shoving half of a pimento cheese
sandwich in my face and telling me I had to eat it because I was too skinny to
walk, much less run.”
“You always hated pimento cheese,” Charley
laughed.
“I still do,” he grinned at her. “But I ate
it that time. I was afraid if I didn’t she’d force it down my throat. Anyway,
the next thing I knew, she was on my doorstep with all her belongings,
determined to save me from certain starvation.” His smile faded a little.
“Turns out her husband had died six months before that, and her only child, a
son, was killed in a car accident when he was twenty-five. She had no income,
and was so late in her rent that she was being evicted.”
“So you did her a favor and took her in,”
Charley said quietly.
“No,” Cole shook his head. “She did me one.
I was spending so much time working that I really wasn’t taking care of myself.
Not only was I missing most of my meals, I had a beaut of an ulcer and my house
looked like a pigsty. She made me slow down and realize that working myself to
death wasn’t going to solve anything.”
“What needed solving?” As soon as the words
left her lips, Charley wished they hadn’t. It felt too much like prying, too
personal.
He looked down at her, the expression in
his
work hard to stifle her grin. Especially after she glanced at Cole. He was
almost doubled over with silent laughter.
Charley looked back at Mrs. Paulson.
“Truthfully, there haven’t been any wolves around here in years. The only real
problem we have are the bears.”
The housekeeper’s snow-white hair stood
visibly on end. “Bears!” The word scaled up at the end until it was beyond the
range of human hearing.
“Just black bears,” Charley hastily assured
her. “The small ones.” There was a choking sound from behind Mrs. Paulson and
this time it was Charley who glared at Cole’s red face. “Honest, they’re really
little. And they’re afraid of people. All you have to do is stomp your foot and
yell, and they run. Mostly, they’re after the garbage cans people leave out.”
Mrs. Paulson spun to face Cole, and he
immediately straightened, his face expressionless. “Bears,” she repeated
ominously. “You didn’t tell me about the bears. Where are the garbage cans?”
“In the garage, just like they were yesterday.”
“See to it they stay there,” she snapped.
“Yes, ma’am,” Cole responded, edging around
her. “I’m going to show Charley the rest of the house, now.”
“Make sure all the doors are locked when
you do.”
“Oh, bears can’t—” Charley’s words were cut
off abruptly as Cole grabbed her hand and dragged her from the room. By the
time they made it back through the dining room, his hand was clutched to his
ribs and he was gasping for air.
“Oh, God,” he laughed. “Between you and
Kristy, that poor woman won’t survive her first month here. ‘They’re really
small ones,’” he mimicked her. “Charley, she’s never been out of the inner city
in her life. Can you imagine what she’s going to think if she sees a raccoon?
She’s already trying to talk me into buying her a gun. There’d be raccoon guts
scattered for a mile in every direction.”
Charley was laughing in spite of her
horror. “You aren’t going to buy her one, are you?”
His head tilted to one side. “Do I look like I want to wake up full of bullet holes? Believe me, there is no way I’m
buying that woman a gun.”
“Where on Earth did you find her?”
Cole smiled. “I didn’t. She found me.” They
had stopped in the living room. “It was right after Jordan Enterprises sold its
first really big contract. We were installing a security system for a
multimillion dollar conglomerate. The clients were into jogging, so I’d met
them at the park that morning and we talked on the track. By the time we
finished, I was sweating and dirty. I sat down on a park bench to cool off, and
the next thing I knew, this tiny woman was shoving half of a pimento cheese
sandwich in my face and telling me I had to eat it because I was too skinny to
walk, much less run.”
“You always hated pimento cheese,” Charley
laughed.
“I still do,” he grinned at her. “But I ate
it that time. I was afraid if I didn’t she’d force it down my throat. Anyway,
the next thing I knew, she was on my doorstep with all her belongings,
determined to save me from certain starvation.” His smile faded a little.
“Turns out her husband had died six months before that, and her only child, a
son, was killed in a car accident when he was twenty-five. She had no income,
and was so late in her rent that she was being evicted.”
“So you did her a favor and took her in,”
Charley said quietly.
“No,” Cole shook his head. “She did me one.
I was spending so much time working that I really wasn’t taking care of myself.
Not only was I missing most of my meals, I had a beaut of an ulcer and my house
looked like a pigsty. She made me slow down and realize that working myself to
death wasn’t going to solve anything.”
“What needed solving?” As soon as the words
left her lips, Charley wished they hadn’t. It felt too much like prying, too
personal.
He looked down at her, the expression in
his
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