Leona Karr - Hero In Disguise

Later that afternoon, the boys were down for a nap when the delivery truck arrived with a bright red swing set, jungle gym and small merry-go-round.

Melissa was working in the sitting room when she saw Hans and another man setting up the playground equipment in the backyard. Who would believe it? David must have stopped at a store on his way back to the office, bought everything and paid extra to have it delivered that very afternoon.

She was delighted, and totally surprised. Maybe he was bent on hiding from everyone what a softy he really was.

She remembered how he’d smiled at her as she sat on the ground with blades of grass caught in her hair. Why had he come back to the house? He’d warned her that he would hardly ever be around, but he had been here when they arrived this morning and he had shown up again after lunch. Even though she was pleased by his attention, she wasn’t comfortable with it. Maybe this whole arrangement had been a big mistake, she thought—until she reminded herself that this was the perfect place for the boys until the right home was found for them. She knew that Eric and Richie would be ecstatic with the playground equipment, and she was relieved that the boys could play outside, while she worked and kept an eye on them through the sitting room windows. The only sad part about the gift was that it would never replace the male companionship David could have given them.

“Burning the midnight oil, are you?” David teased later that evening as he leaned up against the door frame of the sitting room and smiled at her.

“Just a little.” She saw that his tie hung loosely, his white shirt was wrinkled, and he was carrying his summer jacket. “You look as if you’ve had a full day.”

“It’s been a long one. How did things go with you? Did the play stuff get here?” He walked over to the back window and squinted out into the night. Decorative patio floodlights spilled out into the yard, and she could tell that he was satisfied by what he saw.

“Yes, they’re great. The boys loved everything. Especially the jungle gym. You should have seen them. They looked like a couple of monkeys, climbing and swinging—and scaring the daylights out of me.” She laughed. “They’re working up some tricks to show you.”

The tired lines in his face eased. “Really? I mean, after that little episode this morning I thought I rated number one Grinch.”

“Children are very adaptive and forgiving, if you give them a chance.” She almost added that they were great teachers, too. She suspected that David could learn a lot about himself if he spent a little time with Eric and Richie while they were here.

“I’m sorry I reacted so strongly about the fountain. It’s just that it was one of the things that my mother prized, and I felt protective of it.”

“I understand. You have a lovely house, and the boys need to respect that. Thank you for taking them in while we find someone who will give them a good home.” She got up from the desk. “Well, I think I’ll call it a day. How about you?”

He sighed. “I have some briefs to look over, and I’d best get started. Of course, you could agree to try some of my famous hot chocolate and give me an excuse to procrastinate a little longer.”

An automatic refusal was on her lips. “No telling how early the boys will be up and about. I really should get to bed.”

He nodded, as if he had expected her refusal. “Yes, of course. Good night, then.”

Somehow she sensed that his brisk tone was protective and a cover-up for lonely feelings he didn’t want her to see. His obvious need to talk with someone touched her.

“Come to think of it, a warm drink does sound good,” she mused. “Maybe I’ll change my mind. That’s a woman’s prerogative, you know.” She laughed and met his steady dark eyes.

“So I’ve been told.” David smiled. He liked the way she was able to change her mind without any long drawn-out justification. She seemed to be perfectly at ease with herself, and he realized that there was no need for him to play a role or keep his guard up when he was with her. “Come on, then. We’ll mess up Inga’s kitchen and get bawled out for it in the morning.”

He led the way into the kitchen, and Melissa perched on a high stool at the breakfast counter while he prepared the cocoa. A shock of hair drifted across his forehead, and his rumpled appearance made him seem less formidable than usual. She wondered if he ever relaxed enough to wear something comfortable, like jeans and knit shirts.

She was surprised at how efficient he was in the kitchen. He had two steaming cups of hot chocolate ready in no time, and sat on the stool beside her as they sipped the hot drink.

“Mmm, delicious. You’re a man of many talents, I see.”

“Hot chocolate is about the peak of my culinary art,” he admitted. “And now that I’ve revealed my hidden expertise in the kitchen, it’s your turn. What secret talents are you hiding from the world?”

She laughed. “No secrets. My life is an open book, but that’s not the one I want to write.” She hadn’t intended to talk about the goal she had set for herself, but the way he was looking at her invited an explanation. “Since I’ve been writing for the magazine, I’ve run into some wonderful accounts of strong, spiritual women who helped settle the Rocky Mountain west. I’m trying to organize their stories in a book. I started it before my grandmother died, almost three years ago. She was the one who raised me after my parents died in a car accident when I was eight years old. She told me true stories about courageous women who held on to Christian values while they raised families in wild, frontier towns. I was fascinated by their devotion to family values and faith in God, and I decided to write a book about them.”

“Well, if you believe in something, I guess you should do it,” he said. It wasn’t an enthusiastic endorsement.

His tone left Melissa wondering why she was sharing her passion with this man who probably thought she was some dewy-eyed female, wasting her talents on a book that would have limited marketing appeal. “I don’t expect to make a lot of money at it.”

“And are you happy writing for your magazines?”

She nodded, a little piqued that he had been less than encouraging about her book. “Are you happy working for the governor?”

“Sometimes. On the whole, he’s a pretty good boss.”

The way he said it, she knew that professional ethics would keep him from discussing his real feelings. Anyway, it wasn’t any of her business. “Do you like being an attorney?”

“Most of the time, but trying to find a way through all the legal mazes isn’t always rewarding. Sometimes I think law is like looking for a black cat in a dark room.” He smiled wryly. “You know it’s there, but you can’t find it.”

“If you weren’t an attorney, what would you be?”

He shrugged. “Frankly, I’ve never given that possibility a thought.”

“Not even when you were a little boy?”

“Truthfully, I can’t remember back that far. It seems to me that my name was submitted to the University of Denver Law School when I was born.” He laughed but there was no mirth in it.

Melissa resisted the temptation to ask about his parents and his boyhood. Prying into his personal life was out of order. He’d made it clear that he was willing to offer the use of his house for a few days, but that didn’t include delving into his personal history.

She quickly finished her drink and slipped off the stool. “Thanks for the cocoa. I’m ready to hit the pillow and get prepared for my cherubs tomorrow. Thanks again for the playground equipment. It will make the next few days much easier.”